Chapter 10 third quarter

The third time I met Miyamura, I remember it should be in late April. That was the last time we saw each other. Because a month and a half later... I was arrested. The meeting place was again the living room of Kyogokudo. That day I was rarely sought by a weird friend. When I received the contact, I was in a panic as usual, and I didn’t ask him carefully what he wanted me for, so I hurried out the door and climbed into the dizzy slope. A few days ago, I also visited Kyogokudo. At that time, I forced my friend to take me to deal with his work, and went all the way to Chiba.Because I want to meet the woman who was involved in the successive beholder-destroying incidents that shook the Spring Imperial Capital.I don't have any particular purpose, it's just to join in the fun.

But from the looks of it, the ignorance at that time seemed to be the cause of this murder. Honestly, I feel like I've done something really stupid.But I didn't expect things to turn out like this at the time - and never once did things go the way I expected - so it was pretty relaxing.Even when I heard the tragic end of the series of beholder crushes with many victims, I was still at ease. At that time—these were none of my business. Mrs. Kyogokudo was choosing the gate, and when she saw me, she greeted me with a smile, "Mr. Sekiguchi, what is the party today?" Sekiguchi-san, be careful not to be forced to sing."

Led by my wife, I passed the corridor and heard a familiar voice. And that voice... Appears to be singing. Madam smiled silently again, and said, "Is the singing classroom started?" It was Morihiko Toriguchi who was singing.Toriguchi is a young editor, and I occasionally provide manuscripts to the dregs magazine he works for, and he also plays photography.Toriguchi is easy-going, cheerful personality and superior physical strength is what he is proud of, out of professional relationship, he always haunts the place where the incident happened, and then suffers. Toriguchi was singing a railroad song.

I opened the paper door, and Toriguchi finished singing almost at the same time. "Even if you sing slowly, it will only last twenty seconds at most." Jing Jitang said.He appeared to be staring at his pocket watch. That face stinks like the whole of Asia has sunk. "...Is that seven minutes? No, this section is very long. Will you sing it faster?" "According to my feeling of singing, it's easier to sing the last paragraph. Uh, sixteen seconds. It's about this speed." "That's six minutes and twenty seconds, and that's about it." "Hey, what are you doing?"

Completely ignore me.I had spoken, and my friend finally looked up. "Why, are you here?" "Didn't you call me here? Call someone here yourself, what did you say?" I protested as I walked into the living room. Toriguchi regarded this place as his own home, and invited me to sit on the cushion without hesitation, and joked as usual: "Huh? Sensei, after we met last time, I heard that you went to Chiba with the master, right? Oh my goodness." , You are really a good thing to the extreme, you are a vulgar thing that people admire." In other words, Toriguchi was also here at the time.

"Toriguchi, you have no right to criticize me. Speaking of which, what are you two doing? Are you planning to become a singer? Or are you trying to sing bad songs to punish me?" "Guankou, stop talking nonsense there, and sit down quickly. Seeing you hunched over and swaying back and forth, I can't calm down. Well, in fact, I could ask you to do this, but After inquiring, it turns out that you are a well-known music idiot in the legend, not only a music idiot, but you don't even have the slightest sense of rhythm, so I asked Toriguchi." "It's so ugly to belittle people. Anyway, it's probably Enokizu who said bad things about me? I said no, but he forced me to play the instrument himself, and then called me stupid and incompetent. It's too much .”

Enokizu, a detective friend of mine, was the one who invited me to join the band. When I said that, Jing Jitang said: "I heard it from He Yin, he will not lie." Kazuhiro's job is similar to Enokizu's assistant detective.Although Kazuo would not be as nonsense as Enokizu, but he was also caught by Enokizu to play, and he was criticized as useless just like me. Who knows what nonsense he will say to vent his anger. "Whether I'm musical or not doesn't matter here. I ask what you two are doing here now?" "You can tell by looking at it? Can a pocket watch be used to measure temperature? I'm measuring time."

"What time is it measured?" "You're annoying, song timing. None of your business." "Of course it's none of my business. You asked me to come, and I..." "If I knew it earlier, I wouldn't call you. Think about it carefully, even if I ask you to come, it won't be of any use. It's my fault, I shouldn't think that you like to join in the fun, so I kindly call you here. I beg you, please shut up Just go aside obediently." Jingjitang didn't even look at my finish, and said in a commanding voice, "Also, there is no tea or snacks for the time being."

I was thinking about how to fight back, but Toriguchi couldn't stand it anymore, and finally came up with the truth: "Actually, teacher, I have been in the past—say, it was also after I came back from Hakone, so it's only been more than a month—in short, I have been Looking for a psychic." "Psychic medium? Toriguchi, are you talking about that weird thing again? You really can't learn how to behave. Have you forgotten how much you suffered from the incident last year? But what is the time between psychic medium and railway song relation?" "You are really impatient." Kyogoku said. "As usual, there seems to be a profit-making group that believes in the psychic, and based on what Toriguchi said, that group seems to be doing something illegal."

"Criminal psychic? You're really nosy, too." "Hey, hey, Toriguchi is not a talent that he likes. He's been running around collecting materials because he was ordered by his superiors, and he hasn't even healed the injury he suffered in Hakone. Right?" "Yeah, um, the world's attention is now focused on the Eye Smashing Demon and the Strangling Demon. Since we have no motivation and no money in "Recorded Crime", in order to bring the dead back to life, we decided to invest in themes with less competition..." "so……" "Well, just shut up and listen. These railway songs may become an opportunity to expose their crimes—that's what it is. These things have nothing to do with me, but there seem to be people I know among the victims. Since I know, I can't just ignore death..."

This is already commonplace, so it's not really a big deal.Although Jingjitang always refuses and complains, once he learns about it, he still has no way to ignore it, and he always comes forward to solve it in the end.He should also admit his fate early. But when Jingjitang said this, his eyes sank. "But... I don't realize it, and I don't have any confirmation. Is it really okay to expose this matter like this...?" The friend seldom babbled and stroked his chin. Seeing his appearance, Toriguchi rarely spoke positively: "No, Master, what you said is wrong. Indeed, that person is happier if he doesn't know. But if this goes on, that person will be constantly exploited by the child's enemy. And if he didn't get involved with that kind of cheating psychic If there is a relationship, there will be no misfortune. Besides, that person did not take the initiative to find the psychic. It is not asked, but the other party came to the door without permission. This is the result, so we can't sit idly by. I The investigation can’t be wrong, isn’t it all the same as what the master speculated? This is definitely not accidental!” Toriguchi is usually big and soft, but now even his tone has become decisive.On the other hand, Jingjitang responded indifferently: "It's also..." "Hey, then do you want that... for demon removal?" Another job of the Kyogokudo is a prayer teacher, who is responsible for expelling all kinds of bad things attached to people-possessed monsters.That being said, he doesn't chant spells - though he does sometimes - and it's not wraiths or foxes or anything that he gets rid of.I can't explain it in detail, but in my opinion, it should be a ritual of purifying ideas.If I say that, I will definitely be called "totally wrong", but I don't have the vocabulary to explain it exactly. Jingjitang only said: "No." at this time…… Led by his wife, Miyamura came to visit with Mamiko Kato. I was completely surprised that these two guests would appear.When they met in Xitanshe in March, the discussion turned out to be unclear, and the meeting ended without any serious conclusions. We didn't keep in touch after that. Miyamura was very happy to see me, and thanked me graciously, "Thank you for taking care of me in your busy schedule a few days ago." Mamiko also thanked me respectfully.I was more frightened than them, and greeted the two of them inarticulately. Miyamura then also thanked Toriguchi, and finally introduced Mamiko to Kyogokudo. Kyogokudo said: "Welcome. I often hear the teacher mention Ms. Kato, saying that you are very capable. After all, the Creation Society really doesn't know what it is thinking to let a talent like you go." Kyogokudo is not a flatterer, this is his truth. Mamiko was very frightened and said, "I resigned on my own initiative." Jing Jitang stared at her, and said with something in his words: "Since you left on your own initiative, there is nothing you can do... Then let's make a quick decision, it's not a pleasant thing anyway." "Excuse me..." Mamiko said as usual, a beat slower. "...my grandfather's...memories...really..." "Well, I should be able to know...as long as you answer the next few questions I asked. If the answer I expected is exactly the same as your answer, then it's not wrong. But in this way, it also means that the result is right for you It wouldn't be nice to say. Even so..." "It's okay." Mamiko said. At this point I'm still confused. Does the psychic matter have anything to do with Mamiko? Just now Jingjitang said that he knew the victim Yunyun.But judging from his current tone, it seemed that he was talking about the memory loss of Mamiko's grandfather. So... what would a psychic have to do with this?Could it be that the psychic that Toriguchi is looking for is the president Iwata who guides the Kosho-dori Self-cultivation Association?But the Self-cultivation Society does not seem to be a religious group, and Iwata Junyang is probably not a psychic medium either.I heard that he can read physiognomy, but that is different from psychic and oracle.Leaving aside other people, Kyogokudo is very strict with this kind of things, almost nervously disgusted with confusion.So if he was talking about Iwata, he should not call him a psychic anymore. If he was talking about Iwata as a psychic, it means that Iwata is also carrying out activities as a psychic. I find this unlikely. Kyogokudo first asked in a loud voice: "The second time you saw Xisibei—no, Iwata Junyang, it was at 4:30 p.m. on April 7th last year, right?" Mamiko sat upright as if frightened, and replied, "Yes." "At that time of day, Iwata seemed to be near Asakusabashi, and it was Toriguchi who investigated it for us. Isn't that right?" Toriguchi nodded. "After seeing Iwata, you went home. At that time, you, your husband, and your deceased Lingmei were living in Kawaisho, an apartment in Ogawa Town, uh... Room 102, right?" "Yes, you're right. We moved out of there after the divorce." "Do you still remember the family who lived in Room 101 next door?" "I remember it's... a family named Xia Ze, isn't it?" "Yes, Mr. Shimozawa and his wife, Ms. Kayo. They still live there. I asked Toriguchi to meet them yesterday." "To see Shimoze and his wife?" Mamiko raised her eyebrows in surprise.No wonder. "What about the Xiaze family..." "Back to the topic. You said that after returning home, Mr. Oguni, who happened to be selling medicines, came to the apartment..." "Yes, Mr. Oguni happened to be here at that time, and we met at the entrance." "I see. According to the Shimozawa family, Okuni-san has been visiting the house frequently since about a month ago." "Well. Before the child was born, we both had jobs, and we were mostly away during the day. The child was born at the beginning of last year—at the in-law's house, so I lived there for about a month and returned to the apartment in mid-February. Later, I temporarily resigned. I lost my job and stayed at home...Yeah, it was almost March, and Mr. Oguni came to visit for the first time." "Did you come to sell home medicine in the first place?" "Well, after the birth of the child, the expenses increased, and I also stopped working for a long time. The income was reduced by half, and the family financial situation became embarrassing, so I said that there is no need for family medicine. But Mr. Okuni said that since the child is born, it is more necessary to consider Buying medicine, because I don’t know what will happen to me, and it’s more convenient to have all kinds of standing medicines on hand. Even so, I refused. In the end, Mr. Okuni asked me to discuss it with my husband, and said that he only charged fees. If you don’t use the cost of the medicine, it’s free, and I’m told to collect the medicine first..." "Then he put down the medicine box and left." "Well. He asked if my husband was there on Sunday. When I said yes, he said he would come again on Sunday. Later, he really came and chatted with him. As a result, he and my husband hit it off..." "Do you know why they hit it off?" "Well... Oh, so my husband lived in Kyushu when he was a student, and Okuni-san said he was born in the town where my husband lived." "That's right, Mr. Seiichi Okuni is from Saga." "You...do you know Mr. Oguni?" "Yes, just a little research..." "Investigate? Investigate what?" Mamiko's question was ignored. "Are you in touch with him now?" "yes." "Where is your divorced husband? Are you in touch with Mr. Oguni now? Mr. Oguni is also quite familiar with your husband, right?" "I don't know, I never asked." "At that time, how often did Mr. Okuni visit the house?" "what?" Mamiko raised her eyebrows, she never thought about it carefully. "I think about it... I remember that Mr. Wei Guo rented a house four or five houses away from the apartment I used to live in. So... well, it should be once every two days. She said that it is dangerous to have only one woman at home, I often bring some fruit, or candies for the garrison... Yes, Mr. Oguni likes children, and every time he comes, he will happily coax the baby." "So...he visits about fifteen times a month." "Probably... maybe more." "Is there a certain time for him to come?" "Not necessarily, there is no fixed time." "Have you ever found Mr. Okuni's visits to bother you?" "Trouble...? Mr. Okuni is a nice person, and we still have a relationship. I don't feel that way... Ah, but when it comes to bathing or breastfeeding a child, it is indeed a bit troublesome." "I see... By the way, you are very punctual, right? Life is very regular. I heard so from the teacher." Kyogokudo stared at Mamiko sharply. "Huh? Well, I don't really care, but I mostly do the same things at regular times. When I'm an editor, I can't be that regular sometimes, but when I'm not working, I usually wake up and go to bed at a fixed time." "I see." Kyogokudo nodded vigorously. "Are there also fixed times for breastfeeding and bathing?" "Huh? Well, yes. Ah, so I remember I said to Mr. Oguni that I want to breastfeed at this time, and ask him to come at another time next time. If it happens that I am breastfeeding, it is rare for him to come, and I can't help it Tea treats. I do my feedings about every three hours, so I ask him to stagger those times. And then... yeah, I told him to avoid bath time, too." "What time is the bath?" "Mostly around five o'clock in the evening...about." "Is it five o'clock every day?" "Well, I don't know about other families, but my husband comes home at eight o'clock every night, so we eat dinner later, so I used to shower before preparing dinner... But what's the matter?" "It's nothing. Then, Mr. Okuni didn't visit at the time you wanted to avoid?" "Yes, he doesn't visit at those hours anymore. He's very disciplined." "Oh?" Jingjitang showed a wicked expression. "But... what did you say the day you saw Iwata Junyang? If you saw Iwata at 4:30, wouldn't it be around five o'clock when you returned to the apartment? Didn't Mr. Okuni visit at that time?" "Ah, um... yes, but it was... a coincidence. Because Mr. Oguni came, I didn't take a bath either." "What time did you take a bath that day?" Mamiko was lost in thought.I don't understand what Kyogokudo wants to ask at all.The same goes for Mamiko, it's fine to answer casually, but because she doesn't understand Kyogokudo's intentions, she thinks about it carefully. "About... it was after seven o'clock. After taking a bath, I hurriedly prepared dinner... I remember that I couldn't catch up with my husband's home time. As I said just now, my husband is used to coming back at eight o'clock..." Mamiko spoke in a vague tone. It's not that she can't remember, but she doesn't want to.Her baby died, and because of a mistake in the bath... When I asked about it a few days ago, Mamiko's expression was very sad. It must be a painful memory. I'm a man and I don't have children, so I can't say anything for myself, but I think the relationship between a baby and a mother is so intimate that I can't even imagine it.If she had caused the child to die due to her own negligence... it seemed too cruel to continue to ask about it. "I understand." Kyogokudo said. "During that time... you told Oguni-san what you witnessed about Suhiba, right?" "yes." "You also told him what happened thirty years ago?" "Huh?" Mamiko bluntly showed confusion. "This... no, I told Mr. Okuni in detail what I saw in the alley of Asakusabashi. Because at that time I felt very weird... er, the impression was very strong..." "In other words..." Kyogokudo slightly amplified the volume. "In other words, compared to that scene, the incredible fact that it was exactly the same as twenty years ago, Iwata-san's strange appearance at that time impressed you more...isn't it?" Mamiko raised her eyebrows and opened her eyes wide. "Huh? Well, maybe I was a little excited... No, I just remembered it later... Yes, I remembered it while I was talking. I remember it now. When I told Mr. Okuni, suddenly I remembered what happened twenty years ago, and then I also remembered the death of my father. So..." "so?" "So I told this story, and Mr. Oguni said that he heard that bad things will happen if he sees Sibi, and the relatives around him will die, so I feel uneasy... But, that is Because I remember what my grandfather said...because if I hadn't said it, Okuni-san wouldn't have mentioned Susibei." She was right.Although Iwata's appearance is similar to the one in the painting, there is no hint that it should be impossible to associate him with the one in the painting.Even if you know something like Xisibei, you usually don't associate it like this.Because Mamiko's grandfather had said it first, Mamiko connected Iwata and Shu Sibei together. Kyogokudo said in a consistent tone: "How long have you and Oguni-san talked about this matter - what you saw Mr. Iwata, and what happened 20 years ago - or how long have you talked about it? ?” "Uh...about thirty minutes..." No matter how strange it is, this topic will not last long.No matter how strange Iwata's appearance is, Mamiko can only see it, and can only chat for thirty minutes at most. Kyogokudo put his hands on his chest. "I see, it feels like thirty minutes have passed...I heard that you remember all the railway songs?" The subject changed abruptly, and Mamiko was dumbfounded, her eyes widening even further.Of course I was also stunned.Then I immediately turned to Toriguchi. Toriguchi was relaxed. —Railway songs. The song that Toriguchi was singing just now. Kyogokudo said this could be an opportunity to expose the crime. I looked at the mouth of my eloquent friend. What is his plan? "Well, Ms. Kato, don't be so surprised. I heard about it from my teacher. Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu, Tohoku, Hokuriku, Kansai, do you remember all of them? " Mamiko glanced at Miyamura.Miyamura scratched his head and said, "No, I think it's a talent, so I advertise it as my own." Mamiko regained her illusory and life-threatening expression and said: "My grandfather sang it to me when I was young. When my grandfather was young, it happened to be the end of the Meiji era. I heard that railway songs were very popular at that time. My grandfather was a perfectionist. I kept memorizing the railway songs that I kept publishing until I could recite them all. My grandfather said that I can't forget what I remember when I was young, but I..." Mamiko fell silent after saying this. "I heard you forgot. Well, I remember..." "It's fine up to the twenty-fourth chapter of the Tokaido chapter..." "What about the back?" "Huh? Uh... I don't remember the Shanyang chapter and the Kyushu chapter at all... For the Tohoku chapter, I remember some..." "How about Hokuriku Kansai?" "Uh, I didn't think about..." As Mamiko spoke, she looked at the ceiling and remained silent for a while, as if she was reciting. After a while, she nodded slightly and said, "...well, I still remember." Kyogokudo and Toriguchi looked at each other. "Actually, I don't have the information at hand, so I don't know how many songs there are. But at least you remember the first and second half, right?" "probably." "Actually, I want to know how many songs you have forgotten... It doesn't matter, let's put this matter aside for now." "Hey, Jingjitang, what does this mean?" I couldn't bear it, and asked. The friend raised one eyebrow and said: "I want to prove the correctness of the experiment just now, but it doesn't matter anymore, I probably know... huh? Hey, didn't I tell you not to interrupt me? You shut up and stay here." Just to the side, the pass." He seemed to have accidentally answered a question that didn't even have to be answered.Kyogokudo regained control of the situation and said: "Actually, the neighbors Shimozawa and his wife remember that day-the day you saw Iwata-very clearly. They said that you did come here at around five o'clock-Kazawa Kuni Mr. together." "Yeah, we met at the entrance..." "Yeah. According to the memory of Shimozawa and his wife, they said Mr. Okuni would go back in about 30 minutes, but he stayed for quite a long time that day." "Huh? How is it possible...Mr. Oguni will..." "But, you didn't take a shower until after seven o'clock that day, right? It was nearly two hours later than usual, wasn't it? What did you do for an hour and a half after Oguni-san went back?" Mamiko showed a stunned expression again. "Uh... no, I did go home at 5:00, yes, Mr. Oguni was... by the way, after 6:30. It might be later, and it should be like this after all the calculations." Yes. So we talked for so long, I... I just remember talking about that topic... But... it must be like this. That's right." "The Shimozawas are not the kind of people who would eavesdrop on the lives of their neighbors, but what happened that day...?" "It's taro." Toriguchi added. "By the way, they want to send you taro, so they pay attention to your house. They think that if they run into Mr. Oguni, he might sell medicines, so they keep him at a respectful distance. Right, Toriguchi?" "That's right. But Mr. Okuni stayed too long, and it's time for dinner. Shimozawa's family eats dinner after six o'clock. When the couple were eating taro, they suddenly heard gunshots..." "Gunshots?" "It seems that I heard it wrong. They hurriedly ran outside to have a look, but there was nothing. Thinking about it, it is impossible for Mr. Oguni to shoot you-this is a matter of course-just as they were wondering, Mr. Oguni walked away with a smile When you come out, you also come out with the baby to see him off... Did you come out to see him off?" "Yes... oh, so I got taro at that time..." "Yes, Shimozawa and his wife said that's when they gave you the taro. Speaking of which, Ms. Kato, the next day... Mr. Okuni also came, right?" "Huh? Well, how do you know? Is this what Shimozawa and his wife said too?" "No. The Shimosawas don't seem to be at home the next day, so this is just a guess. Well, it's just a guess, so maybe it's not true... Okuni-san came to visit again and said he wanted to introduce someone to you, right?" "Uh..." Mamiko lowered her head. "Ms. Kato, could you please tell us? Did Mr. Okuni introduce to you...the psychic teacher Hua Xiangu virgin?" "Spiritualist..." I couldn't help blurting out. "Hey, Kyogokudo, Kita——no, Ms. Kato said she hates religion, and even Obon and chanting... don't you?" I asked this, but Mamiko didn't respond, her whole body was stiff. "A psychic is different from a religion. Didn't I just ask you to shut up and not talk? Don't make me regret calling you here, okay? The point is, how is it? Ms. Kato, at that time, Mr. Okuni introduced you Miss Hua, right?" "You... how could you..." "Right?" Mamiko nodded slightly. "Oh, a psychic..." Miyamura was originally listening silently, but at this moment he was surprised. "That's not your style at all. Like Mr. Sekiguchi said, don't you hate that kind of stuff?" "Teacher, my lady is not a religion, she didn't ask me to believe in anything..." "Ma'am?" "Uh……" "Ms. Kato." Kyogokudo said firmly and resolutely. "Now... you also trust that Fairy Hua, right? And you paid a huge sum of money to ask her many things, right?" Mamiko silently lowered her head, then replied in a low voice, "Yes." "Uh, is this...really? This...I'm so surprised." Miyamura didn't seem to know either.Mamiko looked at Miyamura, and then scanned the crowd.Then she explained quietly but firmly: "I didn't hide it on purpose. Because this is not something worth publicizing to people, and the empress hates this kind of thing - hates being talked about. Miss Huaxian... It's fundamentally different from some phony religion, or one of those dubious self-enlightenment seminars my grandfather joined. The empress would give the golden words of insight, and was a kind, compassionate person..." "Do you believe she is?" "Of course, because something happened that forced me to believe it. Your Majesty is real, true. At that time, if I had followed Oguni-san's advice, the little girl would not have died. If I had listened to your Majesty The golden words...so...so..." She is very excited. "So you divorced your husband and quit your job. These are all Hua Xiangu's suggestions, right?" Jing Jitang said quietly but clearly. "Ms. Mamiko, is this true...?" Miyamura looked into her face worriedly. Mamiko nodded silently. "Ms. Kato, you have been living according to Hua Xiangu's oracle since then, right? It is also because Hua Xiangu can't tell you how to guide the Kangzhuang Avenue Self-cultivation Association that you think it is a fraudulent group... right?" "Yes..." Mamiko said. "I don't know how Mr. Chuzenji knew... But as you said, Mr. Oguni came again the day after he saw Shusibei. Then he told me: 'What you saw is really ominous If you are not careful, Ling Ai will be doomed soon...'" Mamiko's voice trembled slightly, she must be very emotionally unstable, even others could see that she was throbbing violently. "...I asked him what it meant, and he said that it was divined by a psychic he knew. Then he said: 'Xu Sibei is a monster of water, and my wife has the appearance of water trouble'" "Water is difficult?" "Well, but is there any flood, and there are no rivers nearby. I thought to myself, what kind of flood would happen to a baby who can't even crawl? But because of what happened to my father, I was a little uneasy, so I asked Mr. Oguni what to do. It can ward off disasters. So Okuni said that the psychic is not in business, and it is difficult to get rid of, but as long as Mr. Oguni asks, he will definitely lend a helping hand. But I heard that Xisibei is a tenacious monster and must be paid. Thank you gift—you have to pay 10,000 yuan." "It's expensive." Miyamura said. "Equivalent to a month's salary of a civil servant." "But people's names can't be bought. If 10,000 yuan can buy a life, it's too cheap. But I didn't think so at the time. First of all, the family didn't have that money at all...but even if I borrowed money, I should Please remove it, my lady. Because that child...that child is really dead...that child..." Mamiko lowered her head, just face down, tears dripping down.She cried and said: "Mr. Oguni persuaded me enthusiastically. He said that the time was urgent, and that misfortune might happen today or tomorrow...but...but I didn't take it seriously at all. Thanks to him advising me like that...I ruined it." I got his kindness...the result was that the next day, that child..." Mamiko covered her face with her hands and began to cry. I turned my eyes away, unable to look directly at her appearance.Kyogokudo looked at Mamiko with a calm gaze that was neither pity nor comfort, and said cruel words in a low, calm voice, persuading: "I understand your mood. I heard it was because of your negligence, Ling Ai will die..." Mamiko cried and nodded slightly. "I heard...it was an accident while bathing." "I... don't know... what's going on, it's like... I killed it. I... just as usual... bathed the child... but my hands..." "Hands...?" "Hand cramped...I called out loudly..." —Hands... cramp. I pictured in my mind a throbbing pain in my chest. What if, if you put the child into the warm water with your arms in your arms, just after putting it into the water, your hands suddenly froze... Even if you see the baby struggling in pain, there is nothing you can do. Not only that, you should protect your child's hands... With my own hands, my beloved little life... The baby in her mother's hands... --horrible. "I heard that when the wife of Xia Ze's family rushed over, you were immersing the child in the water and screaming non-stop. Mrs. Xia Ze picked up the child and sent it to the hospital immediately...but there is no way to recover. It's really sad. Pity." Mamiko had previously said that the child had drowned in the bathtub, so that was the case. "Because it was not a natural death, the police came to the door. In fact, I killed the child...but I had no motive. In the end, I used similar epileptic seizures as a reason and regarded it as negligent death...the case was closed..." It's so tragic, to kill your own child with your own hands... It's terrible. "It's not that I lost the baby, and it's not that my hand slipped. I was like this, holding the baby in the water... why it happened, I don't understand at all. I really can't think of any other possibility other than causing trouble .” cries.Miyamura and Toriguchi also lowered their heads. ——The water is difficult. The prophecy came true. So... then Mamiko went back to take refuge with that psychic teacher called something.This is not a third party killing Mamiko's child in order to fulfill prophecy 2, even if it is disguised as something else, it cannot do such a thing. It was not caused by other people, it was completely done by myself, so there is no room for doubt.The unfortunate prophecy came true. And I think that judging from the abnormality of the situation, Mamiko felt that the misfortune was a curse or a curse.Although it is unimaginable based on common sense, it can only be considered that he was overwhelmed by the demonic nature of Iwata Junyang.Moreover, Mamiko's father died many years ago, which cannot be brought up by accident. Those who see it will harm their relatives—does Iwata have such magic power? No matter what the world is, at least for Mamiko, that is the truth.Then if a psychic is willing to stand by her side, she must feel extremely reliable.Because there is only one kind of person who can stand up to the haunting and the curse. For a while, only the sobs echoed in the living room. "I...please Mr. Oguni, let me meet Miss Huaxian. The lady comforted me gently, but she told me that I might divorce my husband...and said that in that case, it would be better to divorce naturally... …Later, my husband and I couldn’t get along as a matter of course, and my mother also predicted this. I was able to return to work after a setback and achieved good results, and it was all thanks to my mother. The decision to serialize the teacher’s column is also ..." "But you are determined to leave, is it also Hua Xiangu's intention?" "Uh... um. But after resigning... I also think it's better to resign." "why?" "Because that's what your mother meant... If I continue to stay in that publishing house, I will definitely encounter disaster." ——Is that all right? Hearing this, I suddenly became uneasy. I... No matter what, I will never believe in the prophecies of psychics.If I think rationally, I think this incident should be just a coincidence.But many times, when people stand on a fork in life, they will hesitate and don’t know how to choose. At this time, I think many people will want to judge based on the results of divination.I do too, so it's not a problem.However, if the branch road itself was created by a fortune-teller, is this allowed? For example, if there's already a fait accompli that Mamiko is hesitating about quitting her job, it's fine for the fortune teller to give her advice.After all, after giving advice, it is Mamiko herself who makes the judgment.但是如果不是这样，占卜师只是突然就传达神谕，叫她应该辞职的话…… 如果是这样的话，表示那时候麻美子已经失去判断能力了。 与她的意志和置身的状况无关，只凭占卜师的意志来决定一切。我觉得这是不对的。 --but…… 磐田的存在该如何解释？ 在不得不相信真的看到就会惹祸上身的怪物的状况下，要人不去相信灵媒的预言才是强人所难。所以这也不能完全归咎于麻美子。 抬头一看，只有京极堂一个人处之泰然。 ——这个人……为什么老是…… “喂……京极堂，你……” “关口，这个世界上……没有任何不可思议的事。”京极堂说道。 接着他以悲伤的眼神望向麻美子，暂时垂下头，下了什么决心似地再次抬起头来，直直地看着麻美子的脸。 “加藤女士，你听我说，华仙姑这个人是个恶毒的欺诈师。只二郎先生加入的修身会虽然也不是什么值得称道的机构，但至少他们不会为了招揽信徒和会员，不惜杀人。” “杀……人……？” “没错。”京极堂向鸟口使了个眼色。“加藤女士，还有宫村老师也请挺好。我直截了当地说出结论。其实，记忆收到操纵的人是你——加藤女士。” "What? This..." “不可能的，我……” “二十年前，你并没有看到过什么咻嘶卑，令祖父的——只二郎先生的记忆是正确的。你第一次看到咻嘶卑——磐田纯阳，是去年四月。你对他异样的外貌印象深刻，仔仔细细地告诉了前来诊察的尾国诚一。这就是错误的开始。” “侦查……？” “她前来侦查，是为了确定你是不是在五点整为婴儿沐浴。然而你不在家，他正想回去时，恰好你回来了。然后你告诉他那件事，于是……” “于是？” “你被他施下了后催眠。” “怎么可能……？为什么他……” “他是华仙姑的手下。他到处物色对象，从他们身上敛财，欺骗他们，让他们对华仙姑唯命是从。他是华仙姑的——使魔。” “我无法相信，他……怎么可能……” “尾国再三造访，是在寻找机会——当然是陷害你的机会。听好了，他在等待你碰上什么印象特别深刻的事。只要能够让你认为那是不祥的前兆，不管是黑猫跑过还是木屐带断掉都可以。这和磐田纯阳其实毫无关系。” "But……" “真的什么都可以。可是一直没有发生那么凑巧的事，尾国也不耐烦起来了吧。接着你热心地对他讲述偶然遇见的怪异男子，他便抓紧机会，把他塑造成妖怪。磐田……是被冤枉的。” “骗……骗人，我的记忆……” “你的记忆才是假的。不是只二郎先生的记忆被封印，而是你的记忆被混淆罢了。你应该是在去年的四月七日五点三十六分或七分，被他施术进入催眠状态。以状况来看，他应该是使用了惊愕法。透过几次的访问，他应该看穿了你的体质容易被催眠。所以你在一瞬间陷入了催眠状态。然后他应该是这么问你的：'至今为止，你碰过最悲伤的事是什么？'那个时候，你的深层意识这么回答：'是父亲过世……'” “怎么可能……？家父过世时，我的确很悲伤、可是……” “没错，你比较喜欢令祖父。令尊忙于工作，与你相处时间应该不多，而且在你小时候就过世了。你与令尊之间的羁绊意外地薄弱，但是……” “但……但是？” “但是令尊的死，同时也夺走了你最喜爱的祖父。令祖父不得不接替令尊的工作，再也没办法像过去那样陪伴你了。对年幼的你来说，这应该是双重的伤痛。于是……他这么对你暗示了：'你的不幸……全都是今天看到的那个怪男人所造成的，令尊会死也是他害的，不可以看，那是咻嘶卑，看到咻嘶卑，会被作祟的……'” “那是家祖父……” “不，那是尾国说的。”京极堂断定。“咻嘶卑是九州的妖怪，是尾国成长的地方的妖怪。如果只知道名字就算了，但是其他地方的人不可能知道看到它就会生病或死掉这种说法。尾国应该是情急之下想到这件事。因为看到就会不幸的咒物，并不是随处都有。这应该不是从磐田的容貌联想到的。” "But……" “而且尾国也不能花太多时间，事发突然，他只能临机应变。他可能自以为伪装得很完美，但是这个妖怪并没有尾国所想的那么普遍。不过这种情况，名字怎么样都无所谓，只要能够让你认为看到它就会不幸就行了，所以他将咻嘶卑与你过去最不幸的事连结在一起。在他的预期中，这么一来，你就会毫不抵抗地接受咻嘶卑等于不幸这样的公式了。” "This...but..." “父亲会死，是因为看到了那个人——你被下了这样的暗示。为了让你认定被命名为咻嘶卑的那个东西——磐田就是不幸的元凶，他必须将磐田的记忆插入你的不幸的记忆——令尊过世的记忆之前。令尊过世的记忆之前——那也是年幼的你与慈祥的祖父的回忆最后一个场面。就这样……昭和八年，你最珍惜的情景当中，跑进了一个你短短一小时前菜看到的鬼魅男子，以怪异的姿势在山白竹林里蹦蹦跳跳。你的记忆……被改写了。” “为什么……要这么做……” 麻美子僵住了。 她的眼神一片涣散。 “当然……是为了让你认定在不久后的将来，你即将遭遇到相同的不幸。透过将咻嘶卑的记忆插入你人生最大的不幸前，再次看到咻嘶卑的你——其实你是第一次看到——会认为自己接下来将遭遇到不逊于过去的巨大灾厄。” "how is this possible……" “看到了那个东西，可能会再度遭遇不幸——尾国为了激发这样的强迫观念，篡改了你过去的记忆。而他的企图……某种程度上成功了。” “我无法相信……”麻美子说。接着她的眼神与京极堂四目相对，坚决地说：“那种梦话我才不相信。我相信我自己的记忆。” “人……唯一看不清楚的就是自己。说起来，怀疑令祖父的记忆遭到篡改的人就是你。然而一说到你可能如此，你却不肯承认，这岂不是很奇怪吗？这样太没道理了。” "Yes, but..." 麻美子再次垂下头来。 京极堂眯起眼睛，以眼神向鸟口示意。鸟口立刻会意，无声无息地将照片放上矮桌。 “这张照片就是……华仙姑说光是看到照片也会倒大霉的指引康庄大道修身会的会长——磐田纯阳，是你去年在浅草桥看到的人。怎么样？是这个人没错吧？” 麻美子没有回答。 “你……还是坚持你真的在昭和八年看过这个人吗？” “对……没错，我看到了，我记得一清二楚。”麻美子激动地说。 “那个时候，盘天的脸上也贴着绊创膏吗？” “……没错。” “绊创膏——俗称QQ绊的这个东西，是在昭和二十三年开发并发售的。” "……what?" “在那之前所说的绊创膏，外形都像膏药一样。” "what……" “还有，磐田纯阳在东京大空袭时受了严重的烫伤。他的头会秃成现在这样，就是当时的烫伤所致，在那之前，他是有头发的。附带一提……这是他在昭和十三年的照片……” 京极堂这次从怀里取出另一张照片。 我望过去。脸依然长得像猴子，但是头发茂密。服装和现在一样俗气，但穿的不是西装，而是像毛衣的衣物。 “所以说，如果你看过这个人两次，这两次应该都是在战后，而且是昭和二十三年以后，否则就说不通了。昭和八年，他并不是这个模样的。” "how is this possible……" 麻美子露出崩坏般的表情。事实上，她可能真的哪里崩坏了。 她的心情…… 我十分了解。 宫村也哑口无言。 这样就解决了……这样就好了，不是吗？ 眼前的证据不动如山。既然都有了这些证据，已经不需要再多说些什么了，不是吗？ 然而京极堂却毫不留情地继续说下去。或许他的本意并非如此，实在这是他的职业所在。 “去年四月七日……他的确在浅草桥摇摇晃晃地走着。那一天，磐田遭到暴徒袭击。以前的会员大叫着'骗子'，扑上来殴打他。虽然只有一小栏，但报纸登出了这件事。你所看到的，应该是刚遭到殴打之后的磐田吧。” 那么他会步履蹒跚……也是可以理解的。 “你所看到的确实是磐田，而既然磐田现在的容貌与昭和八年大相径庭，唯一的可能性就是……你的记忆是假的。” “所以说……那……” 那、那——麻美子不断地寻思接下来的话。京极堂不为所动，等待她接下来的话。不久后，麻美子哽咽起来，看来了似地说：“那又怎么样呢？把我现在的记忆移植到过去又能怎么样……？没有意义呀。” “让你对华仙姑唯命是从——这就是尾国的目的。” “这……我无法信服。”麻美子激动起来。“中禅寺先生从刚才就净说些诽谤华仙姑娘娘的话。您说的没错，我听说有许多占卜师手段恶毒，对于不相信灵媒的人来说，华仙姑娘娘和他们或许是一丘之貉，这没关系。至少对我来说，华仙姑娘娘是个无比伟大的圣人……” 麻美子近乎崩溃的激动模样继续说道：“而且我……我并不是因为有咻嘶卑的记忆才相信娘娘的，这跟咻嘶卑无关。所以……” 京极堂伸手制止混乱的麻美子。“你听我说。如果你是个会因为害怕咻嘶卑而求助于灵媒师的软弱女子……不幸或许就不会发生了。尾国应该只是希望你害怕起咻嘶卑，为了避免不行而皈依华仙姑。但是你就像刚才说的，有许多不这么做的可能性。即使你就像尾国所计划的害怕起咻嘶卑，你会不会信奉华仙姑，又是另一回事了。你平素就强调你讨厌宗教，所以或许会对花钱消灾感到抗拒。而事实上，尾国翌日的提议就让你面露难色。于是……” 此时，庭院传来巨大的声音。 我忍不住惊叫出声，宫村好像也吓了一跳。 转过头去一看，鸟口不知不觉间走下庭院了。 “吓着了吗？不必担心，是摔炮。” “什么吓着了吗？你到底是在干嘛……咦？” 我单膝立跪，正准备抗议鸟口莫名奇妙的举动，却不得不坐了回去。 麻美子伸直了双手，正浑身颤抖。 “啊、啊、这……” 麻美子的手对声音起了反应，整个伸直——似乎就这么僵住了。之所以浑身颤动，应该是正拼命使力想要以意志力控制手臂吧。 京极堂露出极为悲伤的表情，静静地说：“摔炮的声音一响，你的双手就无法弯曲。你……现在依然处在催眠当中。虽然觉得冒昧……但我还是实验了一下。非常抱歉。” “咦？什、什么意思……这……” 京极堂默默地看了麻美子一会儿。麻美子难过地伸直了双手抽搐着，不久后全身松弛下来。她的额头渗出了细小的汗珠，肩膀上下起伏喘息着。 “看样子，会持续一分钟之久。加藤女士，真的很对不起。我并不想做这种暗算般的事，但是在这么做之前，我没有任何确证。所以我才会连茶都没有端出来。宫村老师……我也向你致歉。” “就是……这么回事啊……”宫村的表情泫然欲泣。 “错不了的。尾国一定就像我刚才说的，对她施了催眠。以咻嘶卑支配记忆，并以摔炮支配肉体。下泽夫妇听到的假枪声，其实是尾国在施术时所放的摔炮声……” --I see. 那个时候……在咖啡厅里也发生了相同的事。小孩子在店外放鞭炮，麻美子敏感地起了反应。 “尾国对加藤女士吓了两个机关后，暂时离去，隔天再次造访，传达华仙姑的预言。如果这个阶段，加藤女士不愿意拿钱出来的话……他会在隔天五点整再次来访……点燃鞭炮……” “这……太荒唐了……” 麻美子摇了两三次头。 “下泽家的人记得。他们说，隔壁的婴儿出事时，听见了砰砰的声音。” “那……”麻美子大叫。“那么那孩子……” 接着她深深地吸了一口气。“那孩子岂不是等于是被杀死的？” 好寂静的惨叫。 “没错。你的孩子等于是被尾国、被华仙姑给杀害的。” 我说不出话来。这样的结果，我想都没有想过。 “喂……京极堂，这……这岂不是杀人事件吗？” “对，虽然非常难以成案……但这确实是杀人事件。而竟然说这是预言……简直太荒谬了，这肯定会说中的啊。这是恶毒的通灵欺诈……不，连婴儿都下得了手杀害，根本是灭绝人性的杀人凶手。那种人……不应该放过，至少加藤女士，你应该与华仙姑断绝关系才是。你把杀害令嫒的仇人当成恩人景仰，你的人生也被玩弄了。你到目前为止，贡献了多少钱出去？” 麻美子双手掩面，放声大哭。 京极堂皱着眉头，看了她好一会儿。 我也有一种咬到苦涩东西般的感觉。 宫村也用一种难过至极的表情望着麻美子，然后低声说：“你是怎么……发现的？” “是铁路歌曲。”京极堂说。 麻美子抬起泪湿的脸。 宫村接着问：“铁路歌曲……？我不懂，这是什么意思？” “鸟口昨天去了下泽家，打听到许多消息，这名青年纠缠不休地探问，要求他们无论任何一点小事都要回想出来，所以问出了许多事。那时、下泽家的人想起来了一件有趣的事。他们说那个时候好像听见了铁路歌曲，于是鸟口调查了一下……” “去年是铁路开通八十周年。”鸟口坐在檐廊，接着京极堂的话说。“不管什么生意都有人做，有个伤残军人能唱所有的铁路歌曲。他站在十字路口，从第一首开始唱，于是行人会慢慢地聚集过来，他就不断地唱下去，像这样……” 鸟口摆出立正的姿势。 “……像要行最敬礼似地站得直挺挺的，朗朗而唱。铁路歌曲很长，听的人也会好奇这个人究竟记得多少？于是渐渐地形成了人墙。脚边的破锅里零钱也越积越多……我听到下泽太太的话，想说那个人是不是还在，就找了一下。” "Have it?" “没有，没有那么容易就找到，但是附近的人还记得。”鸟口说。“去年四月左右，日期说是不记得了——不过普通人是不会记得的。但是，那个人那天似乎正好在五点三十分开始唱起来。” “鸟口先生，”宫村制止说。“那个人不是连日期都不记得了吗？那怎么会记得那么准确的时间呢？” “是的，您的问题理所当然。其实，指出时间的是钟表店的老板，而且当时他正在听广播，所以时间记得一清二楚。我向附近的人打听后，发现似乎就是那一天，地点就在河合庄的斜对面，肯定是听得明明白白。” 鸟口说打哦，脱下鞋子，在檐廊跪坐下来。 京极堂补充说：“五点三十六分、七分。麻美子女士就是那时被施术的吧。要施以深度催眠，唤出古老的回忆，并对潜意识下暗示，同时施以后催眠，控制运动机能，这得花个三、四十分钟吧。然后……” "Then……?" “后催眠的话，必须暗示受术者，让受术者在清醒后忘掉催眠中听见的事。因为要记得的话，就暗示不成了。所以会下暗示说：'你醒来以后，会忘掉现在听到的一切……'” “忘掉……一切……” --I see. “哦，所以实际上将近两个小时的会面，在麻美子女士的记忆中，才会缩短成只有三十分钟长。就像小跳步般跳过了时间吗？” “是啊，这个说法真有宫村老师的风格。”京极堂说。 宫村一脸百感交集的表情，拍了一下膝盖说：“那么麻美子女士醒来时，伤残军人正好唱完东海道，经过山阳九州，唱到东北一半左右……” “没错。她忘掉了这段时间听到的一切……应该说是想不起来……不，只是这些记忆无法浮上意识表层，其实她一直都记得的。一般情况，施术者所说的话，会与音乐等背景的杂音区分开来，不过加藤女士的情况，由于铁路歌曲与关键人物的祖父有着深刻的关联，所以被混淆在一起了吧。然后……这段期间所听到的铁路歌曲，与催眠中尾国所说的话一起被封印起来了。” 京极堂说道，站了起来，朝着屋里叫夫人送茶。 宫村环抱双臂沉思了一会儿后，以温柔的眼神望着麻美子说：“京极堂先生，能不能把那可恨的催眠术……” 接着他望向京极堂。 “如果加藤女士希望……我也可以试着解除催眠……不，我毕竟是个门外汉，没把握能成功。改天我再介绍专家给你吧，没办法现在就在这里……” 麻美子双手拭泪，按了一下眼皮后，睁开眼睛。“中禅寺先生……我……” “嗯。”京极堂说。“我刚才也说过了，现阶段，这件事想要作为刑事案件成立，非常困难……不，应该是不可能成立。没有任何证据，说是诅咒还比较容易被接受。所以虽然我非常了解你的心情，但请你千万不要鲁莽行事。再怎么说，对手都太难应付了。” “这……我了解。无论是谁的意志，杀害了小女的都是我。我亲手杀死了自己的女儿，我的罪孽是不会消失的。但是，我不能让更多人遇到和我一样的遭遇……” 鸟口接下去说：“就是啊，不能就这样坐视不管。被害人应该不止加藤女士一个而已。任意践踏别人的心，玩弄别人珍惜的事物，甚至杀人，我不能就这样坐视不管。我绝对要摧毁他们。” 鸟口难得正经地这么作结。 京极堂看了鸟口一眼，撩起头发。 “加藤女士，这为鸟口人虽然轻浮，但值得信赖。而且他似乎突然立志要贯彻社会正义，说今后也要牢牢盯住华仙姑。如果华仙姑露出马脚，而鸟口捉住了……届时希望你务必协助他。这也是为了令嫒。” “当然。”麻美子说。 “但是加藤女士，还有宫村老师也请听我说，有几件事令我相当在意。加藤女士为何会被盯上？如果其中有什么特别的理由……我想知道是什么。还有，华仙姑为什么要你劝令祖父退出修身会？另外，修身会为何纠缠不休地要你加入？这些会不会有什么共同的原因？我完全看不出华仙姑与修身会之间的关联……但是我深深地感觉，这两者的根源是相同的。” ——根源相同。 例如说，像河童与咻嘶卑那样吗？ 指引康庄大道修身会与磐田纯阳。 还有灵媒师——华仙姑处女和尾国诚一。 纯阳和华仙姑不也像妖怪一样吗？那么他们会不会只是发尾而已呢？他们有好几个根，并共享大部分的根。 我甚至怀疑起来，纯阳会被比喻成咻嘶卑，或许并不是偶然。 然后……我心想，浮面的不只有妖怪而已，所有的现象都只不过是浮面。被隐蔽的部分呈加速度消失，所以我们现在完全无法察觉世界究竟是什么了，不是吗？ 我失去了安定。 麻美子大哭了一场后，已经止住哭泣了。 麻美子这个人或许与她的外表相反，非常坚强。正因为坚强，看在我这种人眼里，反而显得命薄吗？ “嗳，京极堂先生，这结果真是意想不到。不必担心，别看麻美子女士这样，她十分坚强的。听说令妹任职的出版社——稀谭舍录用她，成了新杂志的编辑，而且好像要在那里开设短歌的专栏。” 宫村鼓励地说，麻美子依然蹙着眉头，说道：：“到时候还请您多多关照，喜多鸟老师……” 我就这样……好一会儿……都说不出话来。 喜多鸟薰童——宫村香奈男看着我，亲切地笑了。 然后……我会想起来，笑了。 无论何时，我总是什么都不明白哪……
没错……我什么都不明白。 ——现在也是。