Chapter 16 third quarter

"The memory is better than others..." Kiba murmured, and then looked around the ceiling, his eyes turned from the damp and discolored walls along the faded curtains to the woman's face. "...I remember you saying that, right?" Haruko couldn't hide her confusion, she gripped the corner of her work clothes tightly, and replied, "Did I say that?" "You did," Kiba replied.Chunzi was a little scared. "Since you say that, there should be a basis, right?" "According to...? This...then I will withdraw it." "I'm not scolding you." Kiba said, turning his back to Haruko and touching his face.Presumably the expression should be terrifying.

——Isn't the result disgusting... I shouldn't have come, and Kiba regretted it again. He said coldly: "I came running suddenly, did I bother you?" It sounded more like a twist than an apology. Kiba lies about his identity when he visits the factory where Haruko works.He thought that a ferocious-looking criminal policeman who swaggered in might cause trouble for Chunzi, so he lied.He claimed to be Haruko's distant relative, but the lie of deceiving children was immediately exposed. No one in the factory seemed to think that Kiba was Haruko's relative.Because it is a well-known fact that Haruko is helpless, and the burly Kiba does not look like a relative of the mediocre Haruko.Kiba's face looks like he was born to be a criminal policeman. If he wasn't a criminal policeman, he would look like a hooligan.

--so…… Not only the factory manager, but also many female workers cast curious eyes on Kiba. Kiba thought that when these female workers saw the vicious-looking visitor, they must be drawing such a plot in their minds: Haruko, a country girl from the mountains, was entangled by a gangster who ate soft food, and fell into trouble.There is no other possibility.Then it is better for Chunzi to say that Patch candidly reveal his identity, besides, Kiba and Chunzi have never done anything wrong. "Did it bother you?" "No... you can come..." The ending ambiguously disappeared.It seems to be something like "I'm grateful" or "I'm very happy", but not sure.

Kiba scanned the room again. Chunzi's room was overly plain, almost a sight to behold. To be honest, the ranch was rather taken aback because there was hardly any furniture. There are more things in Kiba's residence than here. ——It can’t be compared. can not put. Contrary to his appearance, Kiba will carefully cut and paste newspapers and magazines, and also unconsciously collect boring little things, so compared with other men's residences, there should be more multi-family houses, full of many useless furniture private.But Kiba is also contrary to his appearance. Although he is not good at cleaning, he is good at tidying up and is quite meticulous. Therefore, the living environment is by no means "dirty and full of maggots" as the general description of men's residences.Having said that, it's a man's place after all, and the ranch room is still a man's room with no decoration and no view.He felt that there was no way to compare it with a woman's room.

but…… Haruko's room...has nothing to tidy up. One small tea cabinet, one low table, that's all. Not even a cushion. However, there was a strangely shaped pot on the low table, which was particularly eye-catching since the room was empty.Upon closer inspection, it was a small vase with no flowers in it. Kiba thought: there should be a limit to simplicity.It is true that the wages of female workers should be pitifully low, but Chunzi said that she has inherited an inheritance and has savings, so her life should not be too poor. "At least put a flower." You're a woman anyway——Kiba wanted to continue saying that, but gave up.It doesn't make sense to say that because you are a woman, you have to arrange flowers.Regardless of gender, Kiba just wants to say that there is a limit to everything.It's too much to spoil the scenery like this.

"Oh..." As usual, Chunzi responded dully. "Yes, you are right. Actually, I like flowers very much." "Then why don't you put a flower? You can't even afford a flower, can you?" "Well, you're right. No, I did. A week ago...but..." "But what's going on?" "I lost it." "Has it withered?" "No...uh..." Without waiting for an answer, Kiba began to check the corners of the wall for holes. "... I bought it and threw it away the next day." The earthen walls of Jingbi are quite dirty, not to mention holes, not even cracks.It's just old and yellow and stained.Quite old, this is probably a building that survived the air raids.

Kiba then checked the pillars. There was no scar on the pillar either, it was just rubbed very brightly. "Hello!" Kiba was born, without a response.Kiba turned around. Haruko stared at Kiba's back in fascination. "……what?" "Why... why did I throw away the flowers?" "How do I know? By the way, did you get the letter?" "Uh, I will probably receive it tomorrow... probably." "Oh." There is nothing suspicious about the walls and ceiling. Kiba looked at the tatami. It seems that there is a lot of dust, not because of neglect of cleaning, but because of poor lighting and ventilation here.It seemed that Haruko hadn't opened the window at all since before she received the letter—or even longer.

Looking out the window. A piece of plain color can't be hung on it, so simple that it is doubtful that it can really be called a curtain?Kiba went to the window and roughly pulled the cloth from side to side. Yellowed newspapers were plastered tightly across the window panes.The light came in through the newspaper, and the whole room looked yellowish. Through the sunlight, the inverted typefaces are reflected, forming inexplicable patterns.The paste smudged, and only those few parts became black and blurred. Can't see outside. "I'll open the window." It's hard to drive.

As if sealed, the window frames were glued together with paper. "What's this for? There should be a limit to being careful." "Someone told me...it's better not to open the window..." "Who? The factory manager?" Kiba scratched the paper with his nails, picked it up and tore it off.Hard to tear.Probably because of drying, the paper becomes brittle and has no toughness at all. "Or a colleague?" "It's... Teacher Tongxuan ordered." "Oh." Kiba stopped tearing the paper and turned his head. "That's it."

Chunzi still turned his back to the door and stood there. "You obeyed what the teacher told you." "Well, is it an explanation...? The teacher said... the northwest and west directions are not good. He also said that if there is an opening in that direction, the air will flow away from there, so it is best to plug it up. When I came back and looked, the window was closed. To the northwest and west..." "I tore it, what should I do?" Kiba said, and Haruko replied immediately: "It's okay, I don't believe that kind of statement." "Why don't you believe it? Seeing that you are so tightly sealed... Oh, don't you believe it now? You didn't participate."

"No, I didn't believe it at first." "Then why are you posting this?" "Huh? Oh, it's not that I don't believe it at all... Yes, I half believe it, so... No, or I don't believe it at all...?" "Which side is it?" "I don't know either." Chunzi whispered, lowering her head. "This kind of superstitious thing...how should I put it? Does everyone believe it? Like cutting nails in the morning and bad things will happen, and whistling at night will bring ghosts...Ghosts can't come, so I don't believe it. But even so , I still don’t know how to whistle at night. Rather than fear, I feel more guilty. It’s like breaking an agreement, and I feel guilty..." "I understand, that doesn't count as belief, I think." But will be left and right. Apparently, superstition controls action. —Would you care about the gods... no, the watcher's gaze? According to the behavior, the commanding god who determines the life span. The three corpses that monitor people in the body. A transcendent manipulator of human destiny. Who is watching? "...Hey, even if you know it's a lie, as long as you hear it, you'll still care. People are like this. That's why you blocked it up, sealed it so tightly..." Kiba started tearing up the paper again.It may be that the paper is difficult to tear off due to the age.Confetti stuffed between his nails, making Kiba uncomfortable.When the tear was 80%, Kiba's patience had reached the limit, and then he almost gave up on himself and opened the window with brute force. There was a creaking sound from the sliding window, which was opened about halfway. Saw a dirty wooden house. The part facing the window is all the wall. There are no obstacles and nowhere to hide.Whether you are climbing on the roof or lying on the ground, you can see everything clearly.Even if Chunzi didn't notice, pedestrians couldn't be suspicious. And most importantly, the factory is surprisingly far away.Judging from such a relevant position, even with a telescope, it is impossible to clearly see the indoor situation. "There……" When he noticed, Haruko came to him. "Mr. Kudo is standing there. He leaned his newspaper delivery bicycle against the back door of the factory, and then stood on the gutter cover here, his face almost touching the window glass..." "When did this happen?" "Around the end of last year. I screamed and it was dusk again..." "and then?" "It's nothing, Mr. Kudo... just looked in silently. I was scared to death, and fled to Hiromi's room next door - she is my colleague - and brought a few people back. But Mr. Kudo has disappeared." "Has this happened several times?" "I was peeped... well, maybe five times. Sometimes when the curtains were drawn, Mr. Kudo's face was there... I was really scared. At that time... I thought to myself, luckily I posted it The seal that Mr. Criminal Police tore off just now. Because of what happened, even though I don’t believe in divination, I didn’t tear it off.” "It's used to prevent perverts. If you seal it with paper, the gangsters won't be able to invade it? Hey, it's just paper. What can you use it to prevent it? It's not even a stick. The opponent is not a mosquito or a fly. Or hang a piece of flypaper by the way." "But... there is no way to open it all at once." "Yes, the glass is broken, and the wooden frame is also broken. No matter how strong the lock is installed, anyone who wants to come in can still get in. It's too simple." "But Mr. Kudo... he didn't come in..." Kudo didn't come in, probably not because the window was sealed with paper. According to Haruko, Kudo didn't even touch the window.In that case, he wouldn't even know if the window could be opened or not.So even if there is no sticker, even if the window is open, Kudo will not come in.His purpose should not be intrusion, it can only be said that he enjoys the act of standing outside. "Anyway, you have to treat Kudou as a special case. There are too many people in this world who don't think so. Because this is reassuring, but it is dangerous. You must remember this, this is the police's advice to you. Huh? Hey, hey, hey, The window has a good lock, doesn't it? Hello." On closer inspection, there are crude bolt locks attached to the windows. But it doesn't seem to be locked. Really... where is the lack of tendons. "Then... after the factory manager went to scold people, did Kudo never come again?" "Yes. But it was cold and the windows couldn't be opened... so those papers were pasted like this...uh..." "Let me tell you, even if it's cold, you should open the window once a day. Then close it and lock it. Windows are meant to be opened and closed, so let them open and close." Why am I preaching to women in a place like this about things like this? —Kiba finally felt useless.But as soon as he sees someone who is neither good nor strong, he can't help but want to meddle in his own business. This is an old problem.Kiba regained his composure and opened the window completely. "Let it open for a while. I don't know what luck is, but if something escapes, let it escape. Even if it accumulates in it, nothing good will happen..." Otherwise, bad luck and bad luck will accumulate. "Then... did you post it in the newspaper after you received the letter?" "Well, after the second letter." "I see." Under these conditions, it is impossible to peek through the window. Kiba then reached for the closet.After grabbing the cupboard door, he hesitated. "Can I drive...?" "Can." The wooden frame of the paper door was about to fall off, and it slipped open easily across the cracked track. Inside were a set of thin gray quilts, a suitcase, and folded laundry.It was empty.Kiba poked his head inside and looked at the ceiling first. Musty smell. "Here... can't open it?" Most closet ceilings are easy to take apart, but this one is incredibly strong.Kiba knocked it several times, fine dust fell on his face.Kiba narrowed his eyes, turned his face away vigorously, and the folded clothes ran into the field of vision. Kiba hastily pulled his head back. Because what is stacked there is underwear. "In, in, in..." "Did you find... anything?" Haruko looked at Kiba in surprise. "What did I find..." Kiba looked away, and cursed in his heart: "Are you a woman? Be a little shy!" This woman named Haruko seemed really dull. "There...is nothing in here." "Oh..." The response was dull.Kiba was used to it, and he didn't feel angry. ——No way to peep. There is no way to peek in this room. Kiba closed the closet and sat down. "As you said, here, you don't have to worry about being peeped." "Oh……" "I went to the factory and the restaurant just now, and I didn't find any places that can avoid people's eyes and ears to watch secretly. It's impossible." "Oh……" Even at this time, there was only one "oh".Haruko asserted at the outset that she had not been peeped at.Although she wasn't peeked at, she was watched—no, as if she was watched, her personal data leaked out.Chunzi said so. The person who should be watching is unknowingly being seen. That's a fine mole cricket. No... more correctly, a little different.Although the painting is a picture of peeping, but the person who is looking at it is the person who is looking at the painting, so although it seems to be seen, it should be seen to be correct. Being hacked... actually watching... This twist hides the truth. —Is it all right? "Can I read the letter?" "Do you believe...?" "Not available?" Chunzi lowered his head. If, as Haruko said, the letter contained detailed daily details, then there must have been some embarrassing things written in it.In fact, Chunzi said that no one would believe her because she dared not show the letter to others. --but…… Kiba also felt that she didn't care about opening the closet where she kept her underwear for a man to look at without any precautions, so what's there to be ashamed of? "Don't you want to?" "Those letters... I don't want to be read." "I can't read it, I just read it." it's the same. Kiba insisted that just look at the envelope, so Haruko opened the small drawer of the tea cabinet with a reluctant attitude, and took out a stack of envelopes.It was taken out, but Chunzi was still unwilling to hand it over, Kiba was impatient, and stretched out his hand, so Chunzi's expression sank again, and he slowly handed out the envelope. It was a bundle of plain, plain brown envelopes, bound securely with packing string. Kiba wanted to untie the rope, but Haruko yelled "Ah".Kiba looked up, and Haruko was holding out his hand.Presumably she is very reluctant to be seen by others.Kiba didn't untie the rope anymore, just counted the numbers.Exactly seven.The recipient's handwriting is small and not fluent, even flattering.When I turned it over, I found that the sender was written by Nobuo Kudo. Although there was a signature, there was no address. Kiba looked at the envelope over and over again for a while, but couldn't do anything about it, so he gave it to Haruko.Since there is no way to see the content, there is no way.As soon as Chunzi took it, he immediately put it back in its original place. She is very reluctant to let others touch it. Does it have something more embarrassing than being seen in underwear? —Will there be such a thing? Indeed, what one feels ashamed of varies from person to person.Kiba, too, was much more embarrassed to be flipped through the scrapbook than to be seen in his underwear.But…… Is there anything to hide in this simple life? No... everything cannot be judged by appearance. —A man? For example, if Haruko had a man... "I said you, that...how should I say it? Uh..." "I don't have...that kind of object..." I thought he was dull, but sometimes he was strangely sharp. "What kind of object is that object?" Kiba said rudely, "I haven't said anything yet." "Oh……" Haruko panicked, and Kiba was extremely embarrassed. "Then why can't I watch the content? What's there to be ashamed of? Didn't you say it before, isn't it an embarrassing age?" "Well, this..." "Be clear, is there anything inconvenient that others can't see? If you don't tell the whole story, how can I help you?" What a powerful statement. Although he did not receive an earnest request, Kiba unknowingly put himself in Haruko's shoes.In fact, even if the other party thinks he is nosy, there is nothing he can do. Obviously I found it annoying. Chunzi looked out the window for a while. Keeping her from looking at Kiba, he said, "Imagine...uh..." "Imagination?" "Imagination is nasty..." "I do not understand what you're saying." "Mr. Kudo's imagination...or feelings...is... how to put it, very obscene." "What do you think?" "He explained my actions one by one." "Explanation?" "Ah...for example, why do I wear red woolen drawers..." "Hey, how about another example?" Chunzi seemed to have realized something just now, and blushed slightly. "Uh...why do I wear red clothes...Is this called mental activity? He made a lot of imaginations about my mental activities, densely..." "In a letter? But that kind of thing..." Where do I start? ——Kiba thought to himself.Because Kiba couldn't imagine why women choose clothes.As far as Kiba is concerned, there is only one criterion for wearing clothes, either because the clothes are closest to him, or because they are placed on top. So whether it is a man or a woman, Kiba cannot understand the feeling of choosing the clothes to wear.The cardigan shirts were all the same, the trousers and suits were the same color, and the shoes were the same pair that I wore to the brink of death. ——Or is it just me? "What reason?" "Dirty reasons." It is really incomprehensible that the words choice of clothing and indecent cannot be connected together.When Kiba said that, Haruko tilted his head for a while, his eyes wandered around, and finally stopped at the vase on the tea cabinet, and said, "Yes, it looks like that flower..." Since there's nothing else to watch, it's a natural progression. "...why did I throw away that flower..." "Did the letter also write about your throwing flowers?" "Well. I just threw it away a week ago, so I wrote it at the end of the last letter. It said that after I got up in the morning, I wanted to change the water for the flowers, but suddenly felt that the flowers were disgusting, so I just said it was okay. The flowers that had been laid out for a few days were lost..." "Is that right?" "That's right. But Mr. Kudo said that the reason I threw away the flowers was because I... forced myself to abstinence." "Abstinence?" "Hmm. He said that flowers are... uh... a symbol of sex or something. I... actually have a strong sexual impulse, but I have been suppressing it all the time, so when I saw the petals blooming lewdly, I was, uh...how should I say it?" ..." Haruko's words became slurred. "How? Did he say you were in heat?" Chunzi didn't answer, but just lowered his head and said, "That's why I threw away the flowers..." Kiba remembered his friend lowering the flag.Jiang Qi was originally a brilliant psychiatrist who learned what is called psychoanalysis, but later encountered setbacks.No matter how many times Kiba listened to it, he didn't quite understand it, but he remembered that Fuhata said that as long as a deep analysis is made, all human actions and consciousness can be attributed to sexual impulse and repression. Maybe Kiba's way of understanding is wrong, but the lowering of the flag gave Kiba the impression that whether it is walking or sitting, it will all become a matter of sex. "So, I see. It says you're sleeping or waking because you're a slut, isn't it?" "Well... most of the conclusions of the letter are: adultery is not something to be ashamed of, you should live more frankly..." "what!" What a nasty person, Kudo is the one who is in heat. "But, no matter what is written on it, you have nothing to be ashamed of, isn't it? I can understand if you are angry when you are written like that, but I don't want others to read it. I can't understand it." "Oh……" "Oh what, that kind of deceptive psychoanalysis is all nonsense made up by Kudo, isn't it? How can it be right?" "Oh……" "Oh what... Could it be that he hit the mark?" Chunzi lowered his head without confidence, faltering. Kiba was confused. Chunzi lowered his head and said, "I... didn't act out of that reason, and I didn't think so. But being so firmly judged by him... sometimes I suddenly thought, it's not that I didn't think that way at all, Maybe it's like he said..." "I said you..." "But..." Haruko interrupted Kiba. "...But what I did was all right, so..." "That's because he was peeping..." It was impossible for Kudo to peep. "...Let me tell you, that's Kudo's imagination..." Was it Kudo's imagination?Even if it is said, but judging from the situation, since it is impossible to peep, it can only be speculated that it was written by imagination. "...It happened by chance." Even Kiba felt that this was too anticlimactic. Haruko said weakly: "Yes. I don't know if his imagination guessed it correctly, or if he has clairvoyance or clairvoyance, but Mr. Kudo did learn about my daily activities through some means, right?" "Well, it is indeed known." "And those obscene explanations are aimed at the daily life that he has learned, so I can't help but feel that maybe I don't realize it, but in fact..." "makes sense……" To be right is to be right - and that's how most of these things are.Although it is their own business, no one can determine that it is absolutely not the case.That's the way. "I thought it was absolutely not, but after thinking about it, I began to feel that it was definitely the case... I lost my confidence... and even if I want to show these letters to others, I have to explain to others that what is written on them is the truth, so ..." "Oh, are you afraid that someone will read the letter and think you're really a slut?" There is such a possibility. What actually happened is all right, and if you add a serious explanation, it will be even more difficult to deny.If the person who reads it has sexual prejudice, it will be even more difficult to argue.And men in the world—including Kiba—are full of sexual prejudice. No matter how nice the words are, I don't know what's in my heart. "Even I can't decide... I can't explain it well, but Mr. Detective, I..." "Ah, well, listen up, you're not that kind of woman." What a consolation. "Is that so...?" Chunzi said, looking at the vase again uneasily.Then he said it again: "Really?" "What's the matter?" "Why did I throw away that flower?" "This……" Just now Kiba said indifferently that he didn't know. "... for other reasons..." Is there a reason for every little thing like this?It is Kiba's personality to prioritize action over thought.When he acts, he doesn't particularly think about the reasons why there is something. "...There is no reason." "Yeah, I think so too... But, even when I'm choosing dishes at restaurants... I've been confused..." "Oh, there's something about you picking vegetables in the letter, right?" If you are constantly told that you choose grilled fish because you are lustful, and you choose stewed dishes because you are lascivious, you have to start thinking about criteria when choosing.If you worry about that kind of thing, nothing can be decided. "For example, one thing can be either way, and when you have to choose one side, what is the reason for choosing one? For example, if you have oranges and apples, when you have to choose one side to eat, why do you choose oranges? yes……" "Let me tell you that there is no reason for that kind of thing, it's because I like it." "I like both oranges and apples. They are different things, so there is no comparison." "So it depends on the situation. When choosing...uh, oranges are more..." Not really an explanation at all. "Is it really my will to pick oranges?" "It's your choice, of course it's your will." Chunzi said "Oh..." and deserved to be even more powerless. Even Kiba was a little confused, presumably Haruko must have completely lost confidence. -Oranges and apples... Either way is good, isn't it? Not something to quibble about. But if you want to say that, maybe this is not an event worthy of attention from the beginning.Chunzi just received a strange letter, and did not suffer any other substantial damage.If Kudo did not engage in voyeurism, then no matter how true the content of the letter is, it was just something he wrote in his imagination, not to mention arrest, even reprimand. ——Perhaps it would be quicker to just teach him a lesson? That would be more effective. As long as the uncle can put on a scary face to scare him, he will obediently catch him immediately... Kyogokudo said the same thing. As long as he is suspected of stealing... Stealing... did he mean stealing? Looking for the missing pieces... False, wrong, untrue statement... "Hey, that's right... I said, the second letter from Kudo..." Kiba suddenly said loudly, and Haruko's shoulders trembled in fright. "Is there anything in the second letter about the first letter?" "what……?" Chunzi rolled his eyes. She can't understand. Maybe Kiba's question is wrong. "In the second letter you received, it also mentions the day when you received the first letter? Then it should also mention that you were reading the first letter?" This should be what Kyogokudo said. Then again... what about theft? Chunzi tilted his head, and replied in a hesitant tone: "Yes... there is a write..." "Is it right?" "Huh? It's not that I'm right or wrong... No, the beginning of the second letter reads: Have you read the last letter?" --I see. "Isn't that weird? If Kudo saw everything, then of course he knew that you received the letter that day, and he was surprised after reading it. But he didn't write it, and asked you if you read it? What's going on? How can I ask you back?" "It's true..." Chunzi said, and hurriedly took out the envelope from the tea cabinet. Slowly and clumsily, she untied the knot, but she couldn't seem to undo it smoothly, so she folded the second letter and pulled it out.Chunzi took out the letter inside.It was a brown, straw-like note.No, maybe it might really be just a scrap of paper. "Uh...have you read the letter from last time? You must be shocked, Xiaosheng seems to be able to see your stiff expression..." Haruko looked up at Kiba. "...It's written like this at the beginning...It's really strange. That's right, Mr. Interpol is right, it says 'it seems to be visible', which means..." "At least it means that he can't see it. Kudo doesn't know what happened to you after you received the letter. How about it? On the day you received the first letter, when did you receive it, and where did you open it a few minutes later? If you have a good memory , should you remember?" "Oh... yes. The mailboxes are shared, and someone will open them after get off work and distribute the letters. That day... yes, Hamako - a colleague who lives on the second floor - did Hamako take something with a strange look on her face?" Here's something. Some people get letters from back home, but I never got the mail, so he thought it was weird. She lingered for a while and kept asking me who sent it. It was... after dinner Later, so it was around seven o'clock in the evening. After I received it in the room, it was opened soon." "Confirm the content of that part." Chunzi flipped over the straw paper and looked at the second one. "Uh...you just go back to the room like this, it's because of you...ah, sorry..." Sure enough, it wrote quite shameless and obscene content.Chunzi blushed just reading the words. That guy Kudo... ——He's really an extremely shameless bastard. "...Uh, and then you get ready and go to the bathhouse at seven o'clock...? That's strange. You brought a bucket, a loofah cloth, and a hand towel with a plum blossom pattern, and the color of the underwear you changed into... Well, this part is correct Yes, but..." "But what?" "I didn't write it, and I didn't mention the letter at all. When Hamako came, I was really ready to take a bath, but because I received the letter..." "So you didn't wash right away, did you...?" "I didn't go until eight o'clock, because that letter hit me hard..." "Well, just to be on the safe side, read the other letters too. I don't think you're the only one who reads the letter, not even a single line is mentioned." Chunzi opened the envelope one after another, took out a lot of straw paper, and hurriedly confirmed the contents.Then she exaggerated: "No, no writing, really... really nothing... What's going on?" "Well, what's written in the representative's letter is not true." "But……" "It's just written almost as if it were the truth." Kiba stood up. "The problem is, even though it's not true, it says something that is almost factual, right? But some content is obviously not true, so if you conclude that what's written in the letter is true, it doesn't mean that similar things are said to be the same. In other words, Kudo didn't peep, and he didn't use supernatural powers to get the facts." --but…… So what? How can we catch him? Kiba looked out of the window, and outside the window was also a horrible scene. Whether it's on or off doesn't make much difference. The traces of paper paste that Kiba had torn off looked dirty. Really annoying. --Wait a moment…… Kudo wrote about the life of Haruko who did not receive the letter.But because of a letter from Kudo, Haruko's life changed.But... even if the letter doesn't arrive, there's a good chance it's all right.In other words, is what Kudo writes the life that Haruko should have?Did Kudo know beforehand? No, it was Haruko's actions that preceded... ——I see, the cart before the horse. "Ah!" Kiba roared even louder. "I remember you... Didn't you accept the teacher's instructions? You will seal the window, just follow the teacher's instructions?" Chunzi froze for a moment, and opened his eyes. Once there is an expression, it doesn't look so mediocre. Kiba pointed to the window and said, "That's it! Didn't you say that you accepted the teacher's very detailed instructions?" "Uh……" "Didn't the teacher tell you not to eat this or that? You know how to eat stew and grilled fish, isn't it also because of the teacher's instructions? Hey!" "Uh……" "Stop uh." Kiba exchanged crossed legs. "That's it, isn't it?" "That's what it is?" "But, there is no other possibility. Why haven't I discovered it all the time? It's the talk on longevity. Did Kudo participate?" "Yes, yes..." "That's it. Kudo heard the teacher's instructions to you there, and he eavesdropped. Can you hear it?" "This...the examination is a single room..." "Even if it's a single room, as long as you put your ear against the wall, you'll hear something. This is it. It's not a supernatural power, nor is it peeping, this..." Should not be wrong.Haruko received 60 days of rigorous life guidance during the lecture on longevity and life extension.If Kudo knew the content——it meant that Kudo knew Haruko's criteria for judging Haruko's life that no one else could know.So as long as Kudo writes it down like this, he can tell a lot of secrets without peeping. Then as long as Chunzi lives according to the teachings of Changshou Yanshou, almost everything can be said to be right.The porcelain bowl, based on Chunzi’s life routine and habits collected during the period of stubborn obsession, seasoned and modified, wouldn’t it be easy to describe Chunzi’s day? Kiba expressed his speculation with some excitement. Impossible to be wrong, there is no other answer. Because if, as my eccentric friend said, there is nothing incredible in this world, then it is impossible to know everything without peeping. Haruko looked at the excited Kiba and listened with an extremely indifferent attitude.Then she waited until Kiba finished speaking, and said coldly, "That's not it." "No? Where is it not?" Impossible not. "I...uh...how should I put it..." "What's the matter?" "Didn't I tell you?" "Did you say you have a good memory?" "No..., although it has also been said..." "Hurry up and talk." "I didn't obey Teacher Tongxuan's orders." "Because you didn't go?" "No. Since I participated, I haven't followed the instructions completely. I'm not the only one like this. How can I say...? Sixty days is too long." "Gah?" "So, no one can fully follow the teacher's detailed instructions, so everyone buys medicine to make up for their unhealthy life. Didn't I say that?" Chunzi said. "Then you also...?" "Yes, that flower..." "Words? ... Oh, flowers." "That flower... I actually bought it after Teacher Tongxuan instructed me to buy flowers on a certain date and decorate it in the northeast corner of the room. Although I don't plan to go there anymore, I still remember this instruction and thought casually. That being the case, it might be better to buy a flower... Although I might have wanted a flower at the time..." "and then?" "So, Teacher Tongxuan did instruct me to buy flowers, but he didn't instruct me to throw them away. The teacher said that the flowers should be placed all the time. From the day I bought them, don't let the northeast corner lose flowers..., but... " "However?" “对，然而我却把花给丢掉了，是我自作主张把花丢掉的，所以我并没有遵守指示。然而……” "Ooh." 可是，工藤却知道春子丢掉花的事。 从春子刚才的口气来看，连丢掉花的日期和时刻都大致吻合。如果这不是在长寿延命讲接到的指示，那么工藤不管怎样，都不应该会知道才是。 --no. 木场抱起双臂。 哪里不对，但是他觉得答案应该就在这里。没有太大的误差。只是有哪里扭转了。 就是这种扭转，让真面目变得模糊不清…… 那是庚申。 木场再一次放空脑袋。 “我说，那……对了。你可以更详细一点告诉我长寿延命讲的事吗？” 京极堂也叫他打听的更详细一点。虽然照着那个爱卖弄道理的家伙的话做，叫人有点不爽快，不过木场觉得如果有什么问题的话，肯定就在长寿延命讲。 “那是……呃，规模多大的集体？” “这个嘛……男性十五人，女性约二十人吧。有增有减，所以现在的人数我不清楚……” “那是信徒——不，患者的数目吧？我不是问这个，我是说那个……通玄老师吗？总不可能只有他一个人在主持吧？” “哦……助手好像有七八个左右…………，这有什么关系吗？” “就是研究看看有没有关系。那么，患者会在庚申之夜去那里吗？那是个像医院的地方吗？” “像医院吗……” 春子说，那个地方像是道场，是间铺地板的大房间。里面摆了体重计和身高计。 那里被称为讲堂。 其他的房间一样铺地板，陈列着大架子。 上面分门别类地摆了大量的药草。 其他还摆了一些诡异的标本，或贴着人体图，上面写着奇怪的字——春子皱着眉头说。 “其它海游调和药物的房间，老师的弟子们总是在那里进行研磨、混合。还有诊察用的房间，那里……嗯，感觉跟镇上诊所的诊察室一样。有桌子、椅子、穿脱衣服的篮子、可以躺下来床，还有……” “不用那么详细啦。” “哦，其他还有叫修身房的地方。” “修身？学校的那个修身吗？” “嗯，那里是男女分开，所以应该有两间。” “那你们都做些什么？” “庚申那天下午四点，讲就开始举行，在开始前，参加这会在通玄老师位于三轩茶屋的诊疗所——条山房集合。一开始所有的人聚集在讲堂，聆听老师讲话” “上课啊？” “也没有那么严厉。” 春子说，是聊聊天，顺便谈谈有关健康的事。 大家并不会正襟危坐，也不会排排坐，而是各自以舒适的姿势围着老师，自在地说话。 “大概会说上两个小时……，我觉得主要目的是为了增进情谊，接下来老师会进行类似健康体操的指导，说是印度的柔软操还是中国的拳法动作，会有弟子过来指导，练习一段时间……。然后这段时间，患者会一个个被叫过去，在单人房接受诊察。” “原来如此。诊察怎么进行？” “一个人十分钟左右……，但参加者有三十人以上，所以就算只有十分钟，也得一直看到深夜。” 假设有三十五个人，需要将近六小时，就算六点开始看，看完也超过十一点半了。 “诊察内容呢？” “哦……和一般医生没有什么不同。只是……老师马上就会看出来，说'哦，你没有遵守指示，吃了几次鱼'，或是'我交代不能穿，你却穿了白色的衣服'。” "why?" 为什么会知道有没有吃鱼？ 更何况有没有穿特定颜色的衣服，就更难理解了。 木场无法信服。 “老师说，一切征兆都会反映在身体上。老师常说，人的身体就像镜子，从生活态度到心理活动，全部会反映在身体上。所以乍看之下似乎无所谓的小事，也会变成各种小障碍，显现在身体各处。” “障碍啊……，像是什么？” “呃……像是肩膀疼痛、眼睛模糊、长痘子、下痢。” “那跟吃不吃鱼有关系吗？” “不一定跟吃鱼有关，这只是一个例子。可是老师指示这么做，而没有照着做，就会有一些地方恶化，而这一点又被说中的话……” 说中——就是这里木场不太了解。 “连身体哪里不好……都能说中是吗？” "yes." 这……或许……只要是医师都看得出来，如果懂医学的话，就算只透过问诊，应该也能够看出某些程度的事。But…… 知道有没有听从指示，这一点还是叫人无法理解。 吃的东西姑且不论，除非涂了毒药，否则不可能靠身体状况看出换着穿了什么衣物。里头有什么玄机吗》……或者这种事真的跟身体好坏有关系？ “那，然后呢？” “哦，然后老师会大概说明到下一个庚申前该怎么度过……。接着老师会写下处方笺，治好身体恶化的部分。我不太懂上面写了些什么，不过把那张纸拿给其他房间的弟子，弟子就会照着处方调剂。” “那很贵吗？” “很贵，可是只要照着老师指示的做，就可以不必买药了。” “然后呢？详细的生活指导呢？” “好像也会写在处方上。” “好像？什么叫好像？” “哦，接下来回去修身的房间，然后在那里静静地待到早上。等待早晨来临时，弟子会拿药过来，那个时候，会对每个人一一说明老师吩咐的详细生活注意事项。” “会写什么给你们吗？” “口头说明而已。” “只是口头说明，不会忘记吗？” “会忘记，所以每个人都无法遵守。” “干嘛不写下来？” “修身房不能带东西进去，服装也必须朴素轻便，、易于行动。不能带笔或铅笔进去。” “可是那不是很重要的事嘛？” “好像就是因为很重要，才要我们仔细听好，不要忘记。但是一般人不可能连日期和时间都记得。所以延命讲一结束，每个人都会立刻拿出笔记本写下来，应该是想趁着还没有忘记是记下来吧。不过即使如此，还是没办法完全遵守……” “你也是吗？” 春子第一次笑了。 “我不会，因为我……” ——记忆力比别人好。 “你记得吗？” “记得，可是……” “可是不能遵守吗？为什么？” “我才想问为什么。”春子说。“明明知道……却选择了完全相反的选项，我自己也不了解为什么。完全不了解。如果选择橘子活苹果没有理由，那么我会丢掉插在这里的花，一定也没有理由，那么我等于是毫无理由地未被乐嘱咐，所以我才更加耿耿于怀。为什么……我会把话丢掉？为什么呢？” 第一次木场想也不想地不予理会，第二次木场断定说没有理由，第三次他依然无法回答。 “嗳，这个就别管了。约定这种东西，本来就会让人想违背。但是……” if…… 如果工藤的信是基于生活指导而写的，那么工藤就没有偷窥，而是窃听了。but…… 偷听口头告知个人的话，并凭记忆写下，是有难度的吧。与其说是难，这根本是不现实。因为那些只是繁杂得连本人都无法完全记住了。要是有笔记还另当别论，但春子说她完全没写下，不管怎么样，想要知道细节是不可能的。而且就算知道了…… 要不要遵守指示，是病患的自由，没办法连病患的决定都完全预料，那么不管怎么样，工藤都不可能知道春子的日常生活。 所以就算知道指示…… ——也没有用……吗？ “那延命讲……就只有这样吗？” 虽然似乎不干不脆，但木场觉得自己似乎有所遗漏。若论可疑，延命讲再可疑也不过了，就只差一个突破点而已——木场依稀有此感受。 “就……只有这样。”春子说。 “有没有什么觉得不对经的的地方，或是忘记说的事？小事情也可以，告诉我吧。” “这个嘛……”春子把手抵在额头思考，不久后“啊”了一声。“……我们会在假寐室小睡。几个人轮流，休息一个小时。” “小睡？睡觉吗？” “对。整晚熬夜很困难，要是隔天能够睡一整天就好了，但是几乎所有的人隔天都还要工作，而且延命讲也规定不能太勉强。再说，也不能因为这样而请假，又不是江户时代。” 江户时代也有无法休息的工作吧。 “这样啊，会睡觉啊。那假寐室是怎么样？像旅馆那样，没有铺棉被，小房间大概有半张榻榻米宽，用隔壁隔成好几间，里面有桌子……” "table?" “就趴在桌子上面睡。会有一名弟子坐在对面，监视一个小时，不让悉悉虫虫跑出来。” "Surveillance?" “要是睡着，虫就会跑出来……” “噢，这就不必说明了，我已经很清楚了。这样啊，那么你们睡觉时，是不是会念诵什么咒文？” 悉悉虫啊……精蝼蛄啊…… 像绕口令般的，道教的痕迹。 “咒文……？哦，有，像中国话的。” 是发源地的咒文啊。 “弟子挥发一本写满了小字，像经本的书，我们就读那个。虽然不懂意思，但弟子会教我们怎么都。读着读着，渐渐就会想睡，大部分只读了前面就睡着了。” “经？什么样的经？” “呃……彭候子、彭常子、命儿子、去离我身……吧。” “你记得吗！” “因为念过很多次了……” 春子说文字她大概也都记得，还问木场要不要写下来。但是就算写了，木场也看不懂，所以他没有要求，不过春子说她的记忆力过于常人，似乎是真的。 而且刚才的咒文木场也听过，他觉得和京极堂念过的一样。不过这并不是悉悉虫怎么延命讲果然是延续到现代的庚申讲。不，说延续或许不对。那里处处都让人感觉到大陆的风格，或许是发源地的待庚申活动——据说在中国叫做守庚申——又再次传入日本也说不定。 “听说那个咒文是庚申之夜时，为了让虫在人睡着时也不会离开而念诵的。但是念了咒文以后，又派人监视吗？真是慎重行事。” 春子过了一会儿才反应过来做出一种迟钝的反应后，接着说：“我想一定没有人真的认为会有虫离开，弟子们一定也是的。所以与其说是监视……应该只是为了在一小时候把我们叫醒吧。” 木场心想那样的话，用不着紧迫盯人，一个小时以后再来叫人不就得了。从深夜到黎明，顶多五六个小时里，有三十五个人要轮流小睡，当然一次会有四、五个人入睡。一对一等人的话，太浪费人力了。如果只有七八名弟子来处理所有的事，一般应该会采取更有效率的做法。 总觉得有点不对劲。 But…… ——不懂。 木场认为工藤的信和通玄老师指示的六十天生活指导之间，一定有什么因果关系。 以同一个人为中心，一边提示长达六十天的绵密行动蓝图另一边则缜密地记录了长达七星期的过去行动。觉得两者无关才有问题。 大逆转不止一次…… 再翻过来一次就行了吗？ “工藤家在哪里？” “您说派报社嘛？” “就是那家派报社。” 木场已经打算离开房间了。 “刑警先生，您打算做什么？” 我打算做什么？ “做什么？去那里啊。” “去……做什么？” 我到底是想做什么？ ——为什么我就是这么冲动？ 驱使着木场的、无法理解的情感究竟是什么？ “去……见了他就知道了吧？告诉我他的地址。” 木场打开了门。 三、四个穿着作业服的女工聚集在走廊。 她们惊慌失措，是在偷看里面的情况吧。 木场狠狠地露出凶恶的表情瞪上去。 接着他故意拉大嗓门，哑着声音说：“工藤有触犯轻罪的嫌疑。” 这——只是一介旧书商这样说而已。别说是确证了，连罪状都不明，那么这不是一名警官该随便说出口的话。即便如此…… “轻罪是什么……？”背后传来无力的声音。 “东京警视厅的刑警都这么说了，就是这样没错！我可是为了公务而来的，是来搜查的，你要配合啊。你不是被害人吗？” 众女工一阵哗然。 木场踩出纯重的脚步声走近她们，看准吵闹声平息的瞬间，举起警察手册吼道：“你们要协助搜查啊！” “刑警先生……” 春子睁圆了眼睛走出房间。她吃惊的表情似乎已经练得炉火纯青了，这样的表情比发呆的样子鲜活多了。 “我……我带您过去。” 木场默默地回头。“这样好，麻烦你啦。” 接着他回望众女工。“帮我向厂长问好，我是警视厅的木场。有什么事，随时通知我。” 木场再亮了一次警察手册，转过身子，大步经过走廊，头也不回地离开宿舍。春子似乎在后面不断地向同事们低头鞠躬。就在木场走到门口时，春子跑了过来。木场低声说：“不要动不动就向人道歉。” 春子好像没听见。 早春的风寒冷透骨，但不到足以冷却木场脑袋的程度。鼻子呼出的气变白。春子应该是带路人，却不知为何晚了几步，无精打采地跟在木场后面。木场感觉到背后的视线，他觉得自己就像一面挡风墙。事实上，他的身体就像一堵墙壁，春子应该不会吹到冷风吧。 ——究竟…… 这个有点迟钝的女子，对这个开始失控的闯入者究竟作何感想？ 木场觉得莫名其妙起来。 尽管之前觉得不胜其烦，但现在这种迫不及待的心情是怎么回事？自己是在为谁做这件事？为了春子吗？wrong.至少木场不是那种好好先生。说起来，木场是以什么样的立场在处理这件事？以警官的立场吗？ ——这很难说。这件事连有没有触法都十分可疑。但是相反地，如果木场不是警察，就算想要采取这种行动也是没有办法。那么木场真的可以说是以自己的意志在行动吗？ 决定木场的行动的，会不会是木场置身的环境及条件？这里面有牧场的一直存在吗？ 说起来，何谓意志？意志在哪里？ 会不会其实一切都不是由人决定，而是被决定的？ 要是那样的话…… 决定的又是谁？ Who is it? 那样的话，岂不是根本没有必要偷看吗？ 人只是像个木偶般行动罢了。 一举手一投足，全都被知悉了。 if that is the case…… ——本末倒置吗？ 木场甩开愚蠢的妄念。 笨蛋思考准没好事。 只要走就是了。 两人走了五分钟。几乎是默默无语的一段路程后，纷乱的街景中出现了一面看板。是工藤任职的派报社——大木派报社。店前聚集了许多人。 "What's wrong……?" 请款不寻常。 木场跑过去，拨开人墙。 玻璃门上以磨损的金色字体写着“大木报纸贩售处”，一名有些憔悴的中年男子站在前面，双手交握在围裙前，一脸歉疚地垂头站着，可能是店老板吧。他的旁边并排站着三个小孩，脸上浮现像是害怕又想哭泣的不可思议表情，同样都面露狼狈之色。 木场想再往里面去，却又感到阻力。 是春子抓住了他的外套背后。 "what?" “我有点怕……” "can you?" 周围一阵骚动，几名制服警官从里面走了出来。接着，一名脸色青黑、浑身无力的男子被拖至众人面前。 “工藤先生……” "what?" “那是工藤先生。” 男子倦怠地抬起头来，他浑浊的眼睛似乎看到了春子。 这个男子鼻子扁塌，长相有如貊犬，极为其貌不扬。 --Ok? 工藤的肩口冒出一张见过的脸。 正得意洋洋的笑着。 --That is…… “喂！岩川，你不是岩川吗？” 木场以蛮力左右分开人墙，挤到前面。刑警闻声抬起头来，表情转为满面笑容，望向木场。 是认识的脸。 “咦？怎么啦？这不是木场兄嘛？哎呀，东京警视厅的鬼刑警大人怎么会出现在这种地方呢？” “这是我要问的问题。喂，岩川，那家伙是工藤信夫吗？” “是啊。”岩川扬起语尾说。 岩川真司是木场在辖区任职时的同僚。 他现在应该隶属于目黑署才对。岩川担任刑警的经历比牧场短，但年纪较大总是嬉皮笑脸的，颇惹人厌。岩川是个应声虫，信奉权威主义，卑躬屈膝，木场怎么样就是不中意他。 “木场兄，难道你是来找这个人的？” “唔