Chapter 4 third quarter

The scenery is beautiful - I think so.But this kind of feeling, as long as a smarter child can say it, so I kept silent.The glass sash windows are wiped clean, and you can have a panoramic view of the mountains, flowers, trees and other leisurely scenery, which looks as vivid as a framed painting.I thought to myself: This looks bright and shiny, and it is more beautiful than looking directly at it.Maybe it's because of the border. The young police officer poured the liquid from the large aluminum teapot into the tea bowl, and said, "This is really strange. Have you asked the government agency?"

"I asked." "No harvest?" "No. The employees are all young people, and the older ones are all of status. Regarding this matter..." "Not sure, is it?" The police officer - Inspector Yuanwaki said in a frivolous tone. "I've only been here for two years. After the war, many things changed beyond recognition. Of course, it doesn't mean that the past is just gone, but it feels like a new liquidation, and the past doesn't count. The liquidation is The people above. But like us, even if we are liquidated, there is no inconvenience, as for the inconvenient part, forget about it."

Yuanwei laughed. He was only twenty-five or six years old. I have lived for more than 30 years, but I still don't feel like an adult.I don't think I'll ever mature.Not green, but immature.Even so, facing young people like this can still feel like a gap.I'm not an adult, but I'm not young either. I can't laugh. "Have you asked the grandparents in this area?" "I asked. But I just greeted seven or eight people along the road in front of the yard. The answers I got were all vague, like 'Is there such a village?' 'It seems to be.' 'Maybe there is. ’ and said to go and see.”

"That's right." Yuan Waki ​​laughed again. Carefree.He's better suited for business than a police officer. "At least I don't know. Look, here's a map of the area. Here, every household has its name written on it, right? The register records family members and occupations, etc. As soon as someone moves in, I'll go and visit right away." .The place you said is..." Fuchiwaki drew the map with his index finger. "Oh... wow, it's really far away. I've only been there once, but the Kumata family lives here, as well as the Tayama family and the Murakami family. This house is vacant, and this house is also vacant. This... is Su Fujiya, it's completely different."

"It's different." "Could it be a mistake? The residents in this area are all old people. Although they are engaged in agriculture, they should be living on the living expenses sent by their families. I heard so when I visited. And, then... um ?” Yuan Wook showed a puzzled look. "There is not such a big house. You should be talking about this area... I have never been there. This map even records the vacant houses, but it is not a map for surveying and drawing. The purpose is different. It is to fill in every household information. No wow, the Zuo you mentioned..."

"The Saeki family." "Yes, there is no Saeki family." "are not there?" "No." Yuanwaki still said happily. "By the way, the old people who live in this mountain village occasionally come down to the village. Well, it seems like the end of the year, don't they buy new year's goods? Even if they live in the mountains, they still have to eat rice cakes." "Oh yes." "At that time, they would greet each other or chat. When they met, they would also say 'Mr. Police, thank you'. But I have never heard of such a big house."

"You're talking about the Kumata guys from the Tayama family?" "Probably. To be honest, I don't remember which household it is, but since it came down from there, it must be a resident of the mountain village. Basically, if you want to pick it up there, you must go through this residence." The ones in the front are only people related to that village, it must be. But I didn’t pay attention to it before, because this is already the edge of the village, and everything else is... Few people will pass by here, probably only the postman.” "Will the postman come by?"

"Hmm... probably once in a few months. As for whether to go to Kumata's house, Tianshan's house or Sudou's house, I don't know. It must be to send living expenses there." "Since there are living expenses..., it means that there are family relatives in other places..." Did those old people really live there for more than seventy years? ...it is necessary to confirm. "There should be a family." Fuwawaki said, turning the chair together, flipping through the basic resident registration book on the table, and humming, "I can't show you this, but... uh... yes , Kumata’s family, there is his son’s name, emergency contact address… also written. But I haven’t actually confirmed the address… Oh, Sudou’s is also written. These information are self-declared, nothing will happen in this area It’s an emergency. But I still have to ask for a while... Well, it seems that every household has family members in other places.”

If there are family relatives, they are witnesses to history.For these people, the village ahead should be their hometown. "In that case, the family members of these people should also visit...?" "Huh? Uh, but I don't remember anyone visiting. If you say so, no one has really visited. These family members are really indifferent. At least they should go home during the Chinese New Year." Yuan Waki ​​pursed his lips, and continued: "It's really unfilial to the extreme. Even if you go home and show your face, you won't be punished by God, right? My hometown is in Kumamoto, but I will still go home for the Obon Festival and New Year's Eve. Registration The addresses of the relatives on the book... oh, all of them are in Shizuoka prefecture. They don't live very far away, but it's not this kind of rural place, but a bigger town... By the way, rather than living in a small village like this How about going to the city hall or the county government to investigate?" Yuan Waki ​​said. "Records of this kind, the closer to the center, the more."

"No... I can't find records anywhere, so I have to rely on memory." I have been to Shizuoka, Mishima and Numazu, and I have also asked the county government.Before coming here, I've done everything I could think of, but nothing. No one knows Huren Village. No records were left. This I have expected.Anyway, the documents of the government agencies can't be traced back to a hundred years ago. I should investigate older records or books.But I don't have time to dig into the literature, and I'm not good at it.So I thought of consulting with Chuzenji, who is proficient in ancient books, and called him once before leaving for Izu.However, the bookworm who rarely goes out happened to be away from home, so I gave up easily.

——Contact him again to have a look? I think. ——If Chuzenji can’t do it..., and Mr. Miyamura. Miyamura Kanao is a used bookseller specializing in Japanese books. ——The medicine man, the medicine man? Why?I suddenly remembered the word.The pharmacist gives me a hard time, so to speak... —and traveling knife sharpeners. "By the way, what about merchants? Don't they go to villages in the mountains? Uh, for example, knife sharpeners who sharpen knives...or medicine sellers..." "Pharmaceutical dealer? Do you mean a drug dealer? Someone who can bring some spinning tops and paper balloons to sell, right? No, because this road is a dead end, and you can't sell it. You can go through it, the road over the mountain. on the other side." "The other side...?" "Yes, the other side. It's also in the mountains, but there are hot springs on the Naigu Valley side, and there is a famous temple, Guoqing Temple. There is a Buddhist hall that is said to be the place where Venerable Wen Jue was exiled. But, if this road is in the past, it will be ..." Is there nothing...?real? "Then... wouldn't there be almost no one passing by?" "I just said that no one will pass by. Except for the residents and the postman... I thought, ah, yes, so, last summer, there were US troops passing by. Maybe it was the garrison." "Into the garrison?" "But there is no base in this area. The U.S. military passed by in a jeep, and they didn't know where the car could go. They turned back all of a sudden... What are they going to do?" Fuwawaki put down his half-drunk teacup, wondering Say. "It's so strange. As I said just now, I will pass by here and go to that village. But what are we going to do? Americans go to condolences to poor elderly people? How is it possible. Could it be to send chocolates? Hahahaha." "Could it be a measurement or something..." Guangbao said that the restoration of the map after the defeat was mainly based on the aerial photos and survey results of the US military.He also said that the area was surveyed two years ago.Could it be a follow-up investigation or something? Fuwawaki's head tilted to the other side. "I don't think so. If there is an investigation, I will be notified here. The investigation by the US military should have ended before I was transferred here." So... what is it? At this moment, a strange feeling rose in my heart, hovering faintly. Although not to the extent of an ominous premonition, it is a vague and treacherous feeling.Maybe it's just me being overwhelmed. But depending on the situation... This may be a large-scale event. What kind of huge method?Why do I think so?I don't have the slightest clear basis, but in my heart, I feel that disgust gradually grows. "So...by the way, I think it was last autumn, the friend I was talking about, should I say a friend or..., a bald one like this..." Has Guangbao really been here? "Oh, Mr. Okaho," Yuanwaki said. "Right, right, last year, right? Last year... In autumn, it was less than a year. Uh... oh, I remembered. That's right, that person looks a lot like this teapot, right? So it looks like he was climbing up the slope with steam coming from his head. Yes, yes, I remembered." "You remember?" "I remember." Yuanwaki replied happily. "So that's the reason, that's why. In other words, after nearly half a day, that person suddenly ran down with a big change in expression. He rushed in and yelled what was wrong with the village, howling like a ghost. I don't know the reasons you told me just now, so I can only tell him to calm down first, and it turns out to be like talking to a duck." "Chickens talk to ducks?" "Chicken and duck talk..., yes. Then I showed him the map and told him that there was no such village as he mentioned, and as a result...he passed out on the spot." So it turned out that Guangbao personally experienced the second weird situation. "I'm so exhausted from taking care of him," Yuanwaki said. "Now that I think about it, that person is indeed named Gangbao, which is really impressive. However, I think he seems a little abnormal. So those nonsense should be his fantasy, right? It's a delusion. You are really an idiot too. A good-for-nothing person actually came all the way to Izu because of his kind of thing." There's no denying that I'm a do-it-yourselfer. "However, this is a good place where you can spend your days leisurely, and the law and order are good. You can go to a hot spring to recuperate and recuperate your body. I have gained weight since I came here. The food is delicious, and there have been no crimes. So far , I only dispatched once, to persuade families to gamble together." Fuwawaki was filled with a gentle smile from the bottom of his heart, without a trace of haze, and invited me to drink weak tea.After drinking it, the lingering fragrance passed through my nasal cavity, and I realized that I was drinking fancha. I look out. The situation in the window frame is extremely leisurely. The sky is high and clear, and the greenery is deep and clear.It is very suitable for the description of "washing life", "washing soul", "renewing mood" and so on. I was temporarily intoxicated by the scenery. Indeed, there is a feeling of being washed. But it seems that only the surface has been washed, and the darkness in the center has stubbornly remained.I can't tell whether it's refreshed or lethargic. I can't get up and down, which is annoying. I took the folded newspaper clipping out of the inside pocket. It was the report that documented the rumors of the massacre. "Mr. Fuchiwaki, please take a look at this." "what?" I handed out the newspaper, Yuan Waki ​​said, "Let me see." I'm a little nervous. Yuan Yan was unmoved, and said, "What's wrong?" "What... what do you think?" "What do you think... It's just like what's written on it, it's just a rumor? How do you feel about the rumor so long ago?" "How can you tell it's a rumor?" "Because I've never heard of such a thing." "How old was Mr. Yuanwaki at that time?" "Uh... nine years old." "That...is still very small." "It's true that I'm still a child, but if such a major incident happened, I would definitely know about it. Didn't it say that all the villagers were killed? It's impossible not to know. For example, the Jinshan incident quoted in this report? This I You know. The murderer took a shotgun and a Japanese knife, and killed more than 30 innocent villagers one by one like this, right? I read it in "New Youth." "You...you mean it, right? Mr. Fuchiwaki, it's a detective story, written by Masashi Yokomizo." "Ah? That's right, so there is a famous detective in it, but it's impossible to have a famous detective in real life. That's it, so it's a creation. But... I remember..." "That's right. The Tsuyama time seems to be the prototype of that novel, or the source of inspiration. But you don't know the real Tsuyama incident, do you?" "You put it that way..." Yuanwaki said, smacking his face with his middle finger, like a primary school student who volunteered to raise his hand but gave the wrong answer. "...I really don't know very well." "It was at the time of the Japan-China Incident, so although the Jinshan incident was a major case, it was not widely reported. But even so, the major event was still a major event. Although there were no sensational reports, the news spread. But like you People of this age don’t know.” "Oh……" As sister said. "In that case, Mr. Sekiguchi, do you mean that the massacre of villagers mentioned in this report is true? It's just that I don't know, and you... no, do people above a certain age know?" "No……" not like this. "No one knows about this matter, and neither do I. However, I just think that no one knows, and it cannot be a basis for denying the facts. In fact, I also find it unbelievable." "No, no, that's impossible." Fuwawaki made a hoarse cry like a frog, and read the report again. "Huh? It said it happened near here!" It looked like he was skipping and reading. "No, no, there is absolutely no such thing. This area, right? No. H village? There is no such village at all. If you start with the H sound, there is a place called Erbaimachi on the Mishima side... no ,impossible." "So it's... Huren Village..." "Just to tell you that there is no such village. How can there be a murder in a village that doesn't exist at all?" "That's...that's right..." "That's right. But this is a well-known national newspaper, and it shouldn't randomly publish false news, so it's just like what's written here, it's a vicious rumor..." Yuanwaki pushed the newspaper forward. "...you can find out by asking the newspaper office." "I have asked, both the branch office and the head office. However, the Tongyuan reporter who wrote the report was killed in battle, and there are not many employees left at that time. No one remembers this incident, and the details are unknown. Another Local newspapers merged with other newspapers during the war, and all changed, including the operator, and even the name of the newspaper, and there was no way to track it down. It's just..." "only?" "The local newspaper... published the name Tsumura Tatsuzo, right?" Fuwawaki pulled the pushed out newspaper and checked again. "The person who said it was the source of the news...?" "Yes, it seems that there is such a person." "how do you know?" "The elders of this generation remember. As I said just now, I only asked seven or eight people...but everyone knew him." "Everyone knows?" "Yes, no one clearly remembers about Huren Village. But that person—Achen, the knife sharpener, everyone remembers him, saying that he would come here every year until fifteen years ago. He likes to drink, and his catchphrase is: 'I used to be a knife maker.'" Fuwawaki showed a strange expression, poked his head out and asked, "Mr. Sekiguchi, who did you ask?" I told the people I was looking for. "Oh, that old grandpa and the old man there." Yuan Waki ​​said, showing a more surprised expression. "...The words of those old people are still clear-headed, and they are not people who can lie. In that case, it should be true. And then? What if it is true?" Fuchiwaki poked his face forward. "That's... Even if the massacre is just a rumor, it is also a rumor in this area, right? And if the people who spread the rumors really exist, at least the place that the report refers to should exist. If not, it will not become a rumor at all. " "Oh, that's right." For some reason, Yuan Yang lowered his shoulders and retracted his body. "Then...but...but..." The young inspector pondered.I have this wonderful feeling of giving my restlessness to someone else. "The knife sharpener Ah Chen...where is he now?" "about this point……" Speaking of why the old people in the village remembered the knife sharpener Ah Chen so clearly, it was not because the knife sharpener Ah Chen was very popular, but because he got into trouble.In the summer of the 13th year of the Showa era, the knife sharpener, Tatsuzo Tsumura, was taken away by the military police, as the old people said. "Gendarmerie? Capture ordinary people?" "I don't know whether it's the military police, the police or the soldiers. Based on what I've heard, the knife sharpener Chen comes up from Shimoda every year. He tours this area in summer, and then goes from Mishima to Numazu. I heard that he Before going to Mishima, he was arrested here in Feishan." "Why?" "have no idea……" I heard he is a Communist... It's a Russian spy... A traitor to the country... It's a traitor... The old folks are uttering utterly anachronistic things one after another. Of course he was caught—everyone said in unison.The times have changed, so the standard of justice has changed, but the old people do not have this understanding.It would also be wrong, however, to say that they were all nationalists unable to shake off their pre-war and wartime ideologies.In their minds, democracy and militarism coexist without conflict.They are different beliefs, but they are also the same beliefs. "...What the hell happened?" I didn't answer. Because that shouldn't be true.The truth is that the old people think: If people are going to be arrested for no reason, what's the point?So since he was arrested, it must be that the person did something that should be arrested, and the reason why the country would arrest people is impossible except for such reasons. The old people take justice out of the equation. Because when doubted, some things fall apart. "Then..." I stared at Yuanwaki's face. "...What do you think, Mr. Fuchiwaki." Fuwawaki showed a puzzled expression for a moment, quickly lowered his head, pointed at the map, and counted the number of households. "Uh...fifteen, sixteen, there are seventeen houses in all, but ten of them are abandoned, and all of them are empty houses.... From this Sudou family to the next empty house, the distance is quite far ... If there is that assistant in the middle..." "The Saeki family." "If there is the Saiki family..., plus the Saiki family, is there eighteen households in total? Eighteen households, the numbers match. Seki, Sekiguchi-san..." Yuan Waki ​​raised his head, his expression was helpless. "...What the hell is going on here?" "I just... came here to find out." I should be helpless too. Yuanyan folded his arms. At this moment, my restlessness seemed to have fully infected the young inspector. "By the way, there is one more thing... I got some interesting news from the old man." "What... what news?" "There is only one person who remembers this incident, who lives nearby, the retired master of the tofu shop in front of the intersection. He said that it happened more than ten years ago. The police officers were chatting. At that time, the Retired Master seemed to be very angry about the postage increase. At this time, a young man who looked like a police officer came over with a large luggage..." "and then?" "The young man came over to salute and say hello. After chatting for a while, he went up the mountain. The police officer at the station seemed to say that he was a new police officer, but Mr. Retired didn't remember seeing him again afterwards. This incident is unbelievable. It’s also unbelievable.” "That... when did it happen?" "I asked someone to investigate. The postage has not been increased since the 32nd year of the Meiji era, and it was not increased until April 1st, the 12th year of the Showa era.... Mr. Guangbao was transferred to Huren Village. That spring." "Then the new officer is..." "Mr. Guangbao." I called Guangbao for confirmation. He said that after he went up to Huren Village to take up his post, he never had any contact with the residents of Feishan during this period until he was recalled to his aunt's house in Numazu.At the beginning of every month, he can do it at the station—that is, this place on the edge of the village.As long as you turn back here, you won't go into the village.Guangbao's medical examination for conscription was done in Numazu, and he also went directly to the station at that time.The Spring Festival is celebrated in the mountains, and the residents of Feishan have not seen it at all. Yuan Wook was even more confused. "But in that case... please wait a moment, let me sort it out, the truth and the truth are mixed together, and it's a mess. Uh, first of all... Mr. Ganbao? Mr. Gangbao?" "Guangbao." "Well, that person. Suppose that person is really the police officer who was assigned to the neighborhood sixteen years ago. Although there is no definite evidence, but if everything is doubted, it will be endless, so let's take it as real. Right. Then there is the knife sharpener Chen, who is said to be a real person. The newspaper said that he spread strange rumors fifteen years ago and was arrested." "yes." "The village in the rumors is consistent with the village in Mr. Guangbao's memory. But in reality, there is no village that matches Mr. Guangbao's memory, and there is no record." "But..." Yuan Waki ​​said, his expression was tangled. "It seems that the place where Mr. Guangbao took office is a village whose size is comparable to that mentioned in the report." "yes." "However, it doesn't match Mr. Guangbao's memory." "That's it." Some parts join, some parts don't. All prove a small part of each other and deny a small part of each other.Matters of unknown authenticity are all trivial questions, and then the whole is confused. It's as if the accumulation of seemingly insignificant and insignificant mistakes has distorted the entire world as a result, which is inexplicably annoying. Yuan Waki ​​said, "This...is a choice between the two." "Choose one...? What do you mean?" "Well, first of all, this report... It doesn't matter whether it's a rumor or a fact. Whether it's a rumor or a fact, it has nothing to do with the main axis. The problem is that this report mentioned that fifteen years ago in this area, there was a A village H with 18 households and 51 people. There is not much ambiguity about this point." "why?" "Because there is actually a village with 18 households and 51 people in this area. But now there are only 17 houses left, with 12 people in seven households. The only difference is the name." "H Village... Is the initial letter of the pinyin the village name of H?" "That's right. The name of a certain village existed before the promulgation of the city, town and village system? In other words, it is not necessarily the official name of the address. To put it bluntly, it is just a common name or nickname for the village. In this Feishan village, there are also Tada, Nagasaki, Tanaka, etc., thinking about it, it is strange that only the village on this mountain has no name. So maybe in the past, it was called by the common name of the initial letter H. Because it is far away from other settlements, So add the village to call it, and now that name has been lost." "I see." It's possible. "So let's take Village H in this report as the previous village. Fifteen years ago, the knife sharpener Chen went to the previous village, but he didn't meet anyone, so he let out a strange rumor—— —It could be. That way the problem is narrowed.” I always feel that Yuanwaki is desperate, desperately pulling the problem to the world he lives in. "What is narrowing the scope?" "Mr. Guangbao was sent to that H village, right? This matter has been confirmed just now. For the sake of convenience, let's treat it as a fact for the time being. There, it should have happened as Mr. Guangbao remembered." "You mean, there is also the Saeki family?" "Let's just treat it like this for now." "But...there is no Saeki family." "No, I can't say it doesn't exist now, it didn't exist in the past. Knife sharpener Ah Chen once mentioned that it was also written in this report, so it is possible that something like absconding overnight or the whole family committing suicide occurred. Contagion Illness or a massacre is really unlikely, so nine out of ten it must have been absconding overnight. The Saeki family and other families absconded overnight—after Mitsuho-san went on an expedition." "Absconded overnight?" "That's right, absconding and running away." Yuan Waki ​​seemed to be telling himself. "But Mr. Fuchiwaki, where did the Tenzan family and the Kumata family who live there now come from...?" "They didn't escape together." "But Mr. Guangbao doesn't know those people." "The key is here..." Yuanwaki patted his knee. "...Mr. Sekiguchi, listen carefully. This is not a complicated problem. It's just that part of Mr. Mitsuho's memory is inconsistent with reality. Anyway, the Kumata family and the Tianshan family have lived in H Village before—I don't know what it is Snake Village is still Lizard Village, but Mr. Guangbao remembered it wrong..." "how is this possible……" "That's it." Fuwawaki slapped his knee again. "Mr. Sekiguchi, Mr. Guangbao, is his appearance much different from when he was young?" "This……" He said he had gained weight and should have had hair when he was younger.When I answered this, Yuanwaki nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's right. He only stayed there for less than a year, right? Mr. Kumata and the others, although they are not yet demented, they are getting old after all. Mr. Bao. The problem lies with Mr. Guangbao. It is because Mr. Guangbao also forgot about the other party, so things became so weird. In addition, the records of government agencies and police stations related to Village H were lost, which made this happen. Complicated, that's all." "Well……" Yuan Wook was right. "If it hadn't been burned, the members of the Saiki family would... of course they might not have this surname, because this is Mr. Mitsuho's memory. However, the records corresponding to the members of the Saiki family may still be kept. No, maybe it's just The surnames are different, but where are the records actually kept. It must be like this, so..." "Mr. Fuchiwaki, please wait a moment. You just said...choose one..." "It's a choice." "Choose one of the other for what?" "That is to say, it's not an incredible thing like the disappearance of the village and the disappearance of the residents. The village is still there, and the people live there. So it's either Mr. Guangbao's memory is wrong, or the residents of the village are all lying... isn't it? ?” "The residents are all lying?" "But that's impossible. If the twelve people in that village all collude to tell lies, of course this will happen. But Mr. Mitsuho's visit is a coincidence, right? They couldn't have colluded in advance. .And they have no reason to lie, right? So there is only one option..." Fuwawaki pointed his index finger at me. "Mr. Guangbao is insane." Is it like this? Although Yuanwaki made such a determination, I couldn't accept it.If it was solved in this way, wouldn't it be solved in the first place, and I wouldn't come all the way to such a place. Yuan Yan closed the register and said, "Speaking of which, why didn't that Mr. Guangbao come?" "That's...Mr. Guangbao is very aware that he seems to be in a mess. In other words, he is extremely afraid that his head is insane. He thinks that if he is abnormal, then no matter what he sees or hears, nothing will happen." It is possible to clarify the truth, so I, the third party, acts as an agent to explore the truth..." "He's very self-aware." Fuwawaki interrupted me loudly and returned to smiling. "People with mental problems generally don't admit that they are abnormal, but this person is very self-aware. However, the facts are just like what he is worried about." "But……" "What Mr. Mitsuho needs is not facts, but self-cultivation. Go to the hot springs in Izu and relax." Yuan Yang turned his back, with an attitude of "it's settled". I was helpless and looked out the window again. — There is a figure. A man walks leisurely across the window frame.The man was wearing a kimono, with a thin dark red kimono cloak draped over his body, with the front open and gently swaying in the wind.She was wearing a work uniform underneath, but it should be a white singlet paired with a black narrow-cut wide hakama.Dress up like a tea person or a non-juku haiku.The man was carrying an old suitcase in his hand, looking out of place. "what." I called out, Yuan Waki ​​turned around. "that person……" Passed by here. Passing by the people stationed in front of the... Is it a relative? ——I thought so for a moment. I opened the sliding door and poked my head out the door. "Excuse me……" The man looks back. His eyes seemed to shoot right through others, his jaw was thick and his brows were straight. Unexpectedly, the man does not seem to be young, but the messy and fluffy long hair makes it difficult to judge the man's age. The man narrowed his eyes and smiled. "What's up?" The voice is loud. "Uh, that, sorry, you..." "I'm going to the village ahead, is there any problem?" "you you……" Yuan Wook poked his head out from behind. "Excuse me, can I ask what you are going to do?" The man closed his lower lip and remained silent, his smile deepened. "Ah, are you Mr. Police here? Good job. Is this an interrogation?" "No, it's not..." "It doesn't matter, this is your duty. My name is Dojima Shizuken. As for my occupation... I am investigating the history and legends of the place, so I can be regarded as a pen holder." "History... and legends?" "Yes." The man - Dojima replied very clearly, "I have been sorting out the local history of this area since a few years ago. I visited the people on this area the year before last and collected some legends, but in the investigation Among them, I found some puzzling problems. So I want to visit again to confirm some problems..." Having said that, Dojima lowered his voice. "...Is there any problem with this?" "Uh?" "What happened?" Yuanwaki was asked this question and turned to me.This situation should be explained by me, but whether this matter is complicated or not, it is difficult to explain it clearly in a short time, and it is also difficult to explain it to people who are new to the acquaintance.And for someone like me who has a bit of social phobia, this is simply an impossible task. I squirmed my mouth vaguely, unable to make a sound. Dojima maintained his smile and said, "Can I go?" Then he saluted slowly, looked up at us, straightened up, said "goodbye," and turned away. "Please...please wait a moment." I stretched out my hand and said only one sentence. Dojima just turned his head and looked at me over his shoulder. "I also... go together" Yuan Wook looked at me in surprise, and then said desperately, "Oh... I... let's go too." He pulls up his bike. However, Fuwawaki's bicycle was abandoned on the side of the road in less than an hour. "So, I've forgotten about it," the inspector complained. The road is not smooth. Although there is a road, it is rugged, interrupted, or bent everywhere. Some uphill roads are embedded with wood chips or stone slabs to act as stairs, and some ramps even have chains hanging from them. You must hold on to the chains to go up. I introduce myself on the way. Then, explain the difficult situation to Dojima in a difficult way with difficult words and difficult procedures.Dojima didn't look at me, just responded with "Oh?" From the beginning of the way, Fuwawaki joins in to explain and explain his nonsense about Mitsuho.After being organized in such an orderly manner by him, I still left a kind of unrelieved knot like the first time I heard it. It took about an hour to roughly explain the matter. Dojima finally turned his whole body towards us, and then he said in a somewhat artificial tone, "I see... that sounds like an impossible thing to happen." I nodded, but Fuwawaki shook his head. Dojima continued to ask: "But... Mr. Sekiguchi, if you know the truth, what exactly are you going to do?" Before I answered, he had already continued: "It's impossible to just write it as a report, right?" I don't know how to answer this question. "I'll just... write it up as a report." "No, it's impossible." "impossible……?" "You don't remember losing ground and you want to know the truth. That's what your tone sounds like, you can't go back... isn't it?" "This……" Chirp chirp—the chirping of a mountain bird flies by. Dojima stood with his back to the mountain wall. "for example……" His eyes seemed to shoot through people. "This world becomes inexplicable because it sees fantasy and reality as opposites. We live in the embrace of fantasy called reality, and at the same time we live with reality called fantasy. Generally speaking, reality and fantasy in this world It is an exchange of equal value. For humans, fantasy cannot be cut and distinguished from reality..." Those straight, straight eyebrows are full of power. "...So, everything in this world is inconceivable. I am here, and you are here. If it is inconceivable, it is all inconceivable. Thinking about it this way, no matter if a village disappears, or how many people disappear Now, it’s nothing to be surprised about. Even if the past is all gone, but I’m here now, and you’re here too, aren’t you?” "This……" “不能接受是吗……？”堂岛说。“……不一定能接受吧。你想要身为你自己。就是因为这么想，你才会觉得不能接受。没错，人总是希望自己就是自己。对你来说，时间是只属于你的。所以你想要把自己和世界区隔开来，视自己是特别的。你想要区别他人与自己，正因为如此，世界才会充满不可思议。只要发现自己或许不是自己……，世界上就没有任何谜团了。” “什么……意思？”渊脇问道。 “何谓谜团？就是……不了解的事。谜团指的并非不肯能发生的事。因为世上的一切事象，都是普遍地实际发生的事。发生不可能发生的事，这是矛盾的。无论人类知晓与否，太阳升起是很不可思议的事，对于不知道地动说的人而言，是一个谜团。但是只要了解天体运行的原理，就根本不是什么谜团了，对吧？但是即使了解了原理，天体的运行也不会改变。因此所谓谜团，只不过是人类不了解的事罢了。只要没有人，也就没有谜团。那么所谓人，指的是谁？没错，就是你……” 堂岛看着我。“……因为有你……就有对你而言的迷。只要你不是你，就没有对你而言的迷了。” “我……不是我……” “这个世界的一切都是真实的，只要照单全收，就没有问题了。人总是置身真实之中，却不承认这一点。若问为什么，因为人想要以自己为基准来揣度世界。因为先用自我这个狭隘的模子为基准来揣度世界，才会出现莫名其妙的事。只要领悟到一切都是不可思议，世界便属于你。但是想要维持自己，同时又知晓世界——想要解开一切谜团——就必须将自己这个容器无限扩大，直到与世界同大。这是件难事。所以……” 披风轻柔地飘动起来。 “……如果我会阻碍我们领悟真实，舍弃那种无聊的东西，岂不是轻松多了……？” 堂岛压低嗓音。“你还是想知道吗？” "I……" 我到底在做事很慢？ ……现在这种情况，是现实吗？ 我是否只是被光保的妄想给吞没了？ 这一切是否都是虚假的？ I…… 我是我。 我豁出去了，然后开口：“我……想知道。” 堂岛眯起眼睛笑了。“这样啊。很好，我明白了。那么走吧，天黑就麻烦了。” “喏，就快到了。”不可思议的男子说道，甩动披风转身。 我就像被吸引过去似的，踏出步伐。 回头一看，渊脇一脸茫然地跟了上来。 没有门，也没有标志。没有任何指示村子境界的东西，山中极为唐突地出现了建筑物。That is…… 根据光保的说法，那是一家叫做三木屋的杂货店。 在地图上，他现在是姓熊田的农家。 从外表看来，它并不像杂货店。那栋饱经风雪的灰褐色的半腐朽建筑物，一副理应再此的摸样，完全与草木和山中的景色同化了。屋檐下挂着一些作物，却也干枯并褪成褐色，木板屋顶上杂草丛生。 屋后是绵延的群山。 “真是宏伟，看看那片山壁……”堂岛仰望山脉。“……这里的居民，就像紧紧攀附在这座大山生活着。简直就像苔藓或岩海苔，依附在某些事物上，才勉强得以生存。” 堂岛转过头来，露出笑容。“面对如此壮阔的大自然，人类简直有如大象身上的虱子——你们不觉得吗？嘴上虽然了不起似地谈论着什么过去未来，但是虱子不可能理解大象的时间。住在那些屋子里的老人们，日出而作，日落而息。无论是雨是晴，都耕作着贫瘠的旱田，吃着芋粥，盖被而眠。他们已经几年、几十年都这么做了。日复一日，重复着相同的日子。没有昨天，也没有今天，只是活着……” 渊脇像是被什么击中似地抬起头来，嘴巴微张，环顾应该已经熟悉的群山，我无法忍受几乎要头晕目眩的预感，麻木地望着渊脇的脖间喉咙。 “明天和今天是同一天，今天和昨天也是同一天。如果只是相同的日子不断地重复，岂不是等于没有时间？三天还是一年、十年还是七十年，都是一样的，关口先生。” ——不管十年， ——还是七十年？ “堂岛先生……你……” 知道些什么吗？ “你刚才……不是说这个村落有什么令你感到纳闷的地方吗？” “是的，我是这么说过。”堂岛说道，又笑了。“没什么，不足道的小事罢了。” “什么不足道的小事？” “就是不足道的小事。没错，习俗与风俗这类东西，不同的土地或人家，差异也非常大呢。” 堂岛拱着肩，往建筑物的方向前进。 “语言也是。同样的东西，称呼却不同：同样的名称，指的东西却不一样。光是一个鱼钩，只要看看形状，就可以知道是日本海测的，还是太平洋测的，甚至是濑户内海的。新年的装饰、盂兰盆节及五大节日等年中节庆的庆祝方式、从吃饭的规矩到打喷嚏的方法，全都有微妙的不同……” 堂岛站在门口。 “像这户人家……” 门“喀哒”一声打开了。 一个老人面无表情地站着。 眼珠浑浊，从高高凸起的颧骨上边到太阳穴，布满了密密麻麻的老人斑。晒得黝黑的头皮上长满了理短的雪白头发，就像撒了一层白粉似的。泛黑的衬衣上穿着铺棉短外套，脖子上挂着像是手巾的东西。老人完全是景色的一部分，自然而然地存在于此。 “……什么事？” “哦，熊田先生，你是熊田有吉先生吧？” 堂岛这么说的时候，老人浑浊的眼睛不知为何直盯着我看。 “我是。……你是？” “熊、熊田先生……，我是驻在所的……” “你是？”——这句话显然是对我说的。渊脇被忽视了。 "You are……" 老人推开堂岛般朝我走近一步，堂岛大大地转身，朝老人背后开口：“熊田先生，请让我参观一下府上里面。太太在田里吗？喏，关口先生、警察先生，你们也一起进来吧。打扰了……” 堂岛轻巧地穿过昏暗的门口。我向老人行礼后，跟了上去。 一片漆黑，眼睛适应不了。 这个家里只有臭味和湿气。 黑暗、简陋、干燥的家。 眼睛习惯后，却看不到色彩。 黑白的泥土地房间里，站在一样是黑白的堂岛。 “哎，要看的地方也没多少。熊田先生，茅厕在哪里……？哦，这边啊。喏，请看，是这里。熊田先生，这是什么？”堂岛指着某处问道。 梁上挂着装饰品。我定睛细看。 ——是御币吗？ 看起来向是供奉在神龛或注连绳上的币束。 上面夹着像币串的东西，还垂着像是稻草的物体。每一个都相当老旧了，感觉像是被遗忘了好几十年。 “那是厕所的装饰。”熊田老人在门口说。“……一直没更换。” “我就是在意这个，这个……是人的形状呢。” 这么说来，的确是人形。 “而且有两个。” “这又怎么了？”老人说。“那东西只是装饰罢了。一直没替换，也不灵验了。你想要就拿去吧。” 堂岛大概眯起眼睛笑了。“我真的可以拿去吗？” “无所谓。那种没有放水流的雏公主，其实是污秽的。只是拿来摆着，也不会有什么好事。” 堂岛说：“那我心领了。” 然后他问道：“姑且不管这个，请问府上的神龛有牌位吗？” “那怎么了吗？” “能否让我参观一下？” 老人一脸不悦，答道：“那不是什么可以给外人看的东西。”堂岛说：“这样啊”，慢慢地把头转向我。 “关口先生，这位熊田有吉先生在这里住了七十年以上。你有没有什么问题要请教他？” "This……" ——这个老人会说谎吗？ 不能因为对方看起来像个好好先生就相信他。有些奸巧之徒会伪装鲁钝，老谋深算的有识之士也经常诓骗别人。but…… 这个老人可能和别人串通勾结吗？不，他这么做有意义吗？他有什么不惜隐瞒也要守护的事物吗？他有什么即使扯谎也要得到的东西吗？ 就像堂岛说的，这里是时间的孤岛。 既没有可以失去的东西，也没有渴望的事物。 昨天与今天相同，今天与明天也相同…… "Excuse me……" but…… “你记得十六年前，有一名警官被派遣到这个村庄的驻在所吗？” 老人转向旁边看了一下，他在看渊脇。 “警察一直在下面的村子。” “不是下面，是呃……这个村落。” “不知道，不记得。” “这一带是叫做……” “听说是韮山村，写这样信就会送到了。” 没错……这里的地址是韮山村。 “请问，有没有类似俗称的称呼……？” 老人紧抿着嘴，摩擦着下巴。“不知道，这里就是这里。” “那么，你……一直在这里、在这个村子、在这个家……长大吗？” 老人面不改色，以毫无抑扬顿挫的声音简短地答道“是啊”。 “我爸和我阿公，八成连阿公的阿公都在这个家长大，死在这个家。我也和我爸一样。在这里长大，在这里娶老婆，以后也会死在这里。儿子已经离开了，不过我要死在这里。” “令公子是什么时候……” “不晓得。好几十年前离开，就这么一去不回。只会送钱来，但是人从来没有回来过。” “不过也没办法。”老人说，进到屋子里头。被裁切成门口形状的明亮户外，只有渊脇一个人伫立着。 “几十年之间……，一次都没有回老家吗？” “我连他的脸都忘了。老太婆偶尔会想儿子，哭个不停，不过……没办法。” “令公子现在在哪里呢？我听说是在县内……” “我也不清楚。我从来没有离开过这座山，只是过下面的村子。” “令公子寄钱来的信封……还在吗？” 老人无言地推开我，吧嗒吧嗒地走上木板，粗鲁地打开木板门。然后从柜子的抽屉里抓出一叠信封，再次吧嗒吧嗒低走回来，把信封递向我。 我窥看堂岛的反应。堂岛望着天花板，老人维持着递出信封的姿势。结果，我先小声地说了声“谢谢”，收下那叠信封。 信封用捆绳绑住，数量非常多。 "This……" 里面好像还装着纸钞。 “没地方花。”老人说。 不晓得有几年份，积累的金额也许相当惊人了。 我确认信封上的寄件人。 熊田要一…… 地址是下田。下田的话，确实离这里不远。和渊脇说的一样。 这次我望向渊脇，年轻的巡查一脸疲惫，我得到老人的许可，把地址抄在记事本上，正要奉还信封时，堂岛叫道“关口先生”。 “你确认邮戳了吗？” “邮……邮戳吗？” 我反射性地拿回信封确认，连去想这有什么意义的工夫都没有。 光线幽暗，戳记模糊不清，我看不清楚。 东…… 东……中。 我拿起第一封信，看第二封。 东……东京中…… “东京中央？是东京中央邮局。” “寄件地址写的是下田，他是去东京有什么事吗？下一封怎么样？” 我连忙看第三封，这封信戳记晕开，无法辨识。但是第四封依然是东京中央局的邮戳。我被一股诡异的焦躁感笼罩。我确认第五封、第六封、第七封…… “这到底……全都是从东京投递的。” 不知为何，我轻微地发颤，望向熊田老人。 老人依然故我，板着一张脸站着。 “这……堂岛先生……” “已经可以了吧？再打扰下去，对人家也过意不去。关口先生，喏，快把东西还给人家，我们走吧。熊田先生，打扰你了。” "what……" 堂岛随便谢了几句，走出屋外。我匆匆地将信封塞还给老人，迅速而含糊地道别后，连滚带爬似地追上堂岛。 我觉得害怕。 外头褪色了，一片淡褐。 宛如置身梦境…… 背后传来关门声。 堂岛已经走了一段距离。渊脇一脸不安，一面频频回头，一面跟了上去。 “堂、堂岛先生……” “关口先生，怎么样？你满意了吗？” “什么满意……这到底是……？” 堂岛停下脚步。 “你明白了吧？” “明白什么？我还……” “我也莫名其妙。” “哦？”堂岛笑了。“莫名其妙的话，就这么莫名其妙不也倒好？” “一点都不好。我……这一带也是我的管辖范围，要是发生了什么可疑的事……” “没有任何可疑的事。关口先生，你认为那位老人家在说谎吗？” “这……我想不是。” 换句话说，几乎可以确定是光保错乱了。不过，我也觉得没有见过其他居民就这么断定，似乎太武断了。另一方面，我又觉得不管见到谁，得到的答案都会是一样。堂岛笑的更愉快了。 “没错吧？那个人看起来不像会说谎。可是……” "But?" “那个叫熊田的人，不是本地人。”堂岛说玩，又迈开步伐。 渊脇绕到他对面。“请等一下，那个人不是说，他是在这里出生长大的吗？” “他是这么说。” “可是你却说他不是本地人，这是什么意思？你不是说他没有说谎吗？” “他没有说谎吧，他这么信以为真。所以对他而言。这就是事实。他根据他的事实，老实地这么告诉我们，所以他并没有说谎。” “信以为真？” “没错。关口先生，你也看到那件茅厕的装饰了吧？”堂岛面朝前方，向我问道。 “看到是看到了……，那怎么了吗？” “那个老人家称它为'雏公主'。其实，我是为了确认这一点才来的。例如说，厕所的神也有许多种。在寺院之类的场所，祭祀的是鸟枢沙摩明王，常会贴上它的符。中国的厕神叫紫姑神，它的御神体是葫芦。” “这又有什么关联吗……？” “刚才我不是说了吗？这类习俗会随着地方或人家而不同。在厕所设置神龛，祭祀一对男女人偶，作为厕神的凭籍——这种习俗流传的范围相当广，但是地方不同，祭祀的方法还是会有些微的不同。一般都会在每年正月十四或十六日更换新的人偶。熊田先生说已经很久没有更换了，对吧？” “他是这么说。” “所以那不是单纯的装饰品。过去一定是信仰的对象。熊田先生知道那个东西必须更换，这一点不会错。伊豆这里当然也有厕神信仰，不过我不曾见过那种形态的东西。如果那是这一带信仰的一般形态，我觉得很耐人寻味。可是……” “可是什么？”渊脇问道。 “其实，我曾经在别的地方看过与熊田家式样相同的厕神。是在宫城县的某个地方，陈设的方法完全一样。即使在宫城县内，祭祀厕神的方法也不一而足，称呼也不同。像是御分铜大人或御黑纳大人，祭祀方法也不同。但是在熊田家，他称之为雏公主。” 堂岛似乎很开心。 “雏公主……这是在特定的地区才通用的名称，而非广泛的称呼。说到雏公主，一般指的是桃花节的女娃娃。那特殊的摆设法，还有特殊的称呼都一样的话，实在难以说是巧合。” “那么堂岛先生，你是说那个熊田先生……” “是的，他八成是宫城县人。搬到这里，顶多是十四、五年前的事。”堂岛干脆的说。 "But, but..." “他讲话的腔调也不一样，不是这一带的口音。那个老人家沉默寡言，所以听不太出来，不过他今天说了不少话，我完全听出来了。他平素似乎也和村人不相往来，所以才没有露出马脚吧。还有那些信件……” “啪沙”一声，披风扬起。 “那是他儿子寄来的十四年份的生活费对吧？但是十几年前离开家里的其实并不是儿子，而是熊田先生。熊田先生离开宫城县的家……” “那……那么……” “这里……一定就是那个户人村。”堂岛说。 渊脇吼道：“那你的意思是错乱的不是光保先生，而是熊田先生吗？” “应该没有人错乱。熊田先生是被赋予了过去，被某人。” “你是说……记忆被操纵了？” “记忆？”渊脇发出奇妙的声音。“怎么可能有这种事……？可是熊田太太……” “熊田太太也一起卷了进来——不，应该说这个村落的人全都是从外地卷来的。” “简直胡说八道，我才不信！”渊脇再次绕到堂岛面前。“是用魔法吗？还是忍术？这种事哪有可能办得到！” “办得到，这一点都不难。不是把所有的记忆调换，只要稍微改变一下对地点和土地的认识就行了。可是正因为如此，无所谓的部分——例如祭祀厕神方法的记忆，就这么保持原状了。” "This this……" 堂岛笑出了鱼尾纹。“据我推测，住在这里的人，是从规模相同的其他村落集体迁移过来的。因为人际关系的记忆是很难修正的。” “骗人，我不相信！”渊脇说道。 我了解他的心情。这种是与其说是无法置信，更接近不愿意相信。但是……我已经相信起堂岛的话了。 因为我…… “警察先生。”堂岛以嘹亮的嗓音说。“这座村子的墓地在哪里？” "what?" “在日本，每个村落都一定有墓地。地下念佛信徒和地下基督徒姑且不论，檀家制度浸透了这整个国家，每一座村落都一定菩提寺和墓地。然而这个村落却没有墓地。我以前调查时，终究也没能找到。山脚的寺院没有墓地，也没有过去帐。这是怎么回事呢？” <