Chapter 5 Chapter Four
Some gray but slightly springy wind brushed his cheeks, and the man felt an unbearable itchiness. He raised his head and saw that the owner of the second-hand bookstore was dusting off the scorched paper bundles.
Masuda Ryuichi sneezed three times in a row, then stopped and looked around.
— Am I being too foolish?
Masuda didn't know the address of the destination at all, and he didn't know how to get there.He got off this stop just because he had heard the place name Jimbocho by accident. He rushed forward regardless of the situation, only to find that the direction he was going was a bridge, and he turned back.
Masuda lost his way.
Masuda had been to this area several years ago.But it was a few years ago, he no longer remembers.I don't even remember when I came here, which means it must have been quite a long time ago.Maybe because of this, Yuan is completely unfamiliar with this place.But no matter how many years I have been away, I am not familiar with this place anyway, and it is useless to think about it.It's just that Masuda is so relaxed, so he doesn't look like he's lost at all.
——It can’t be like Mount Hakone.
The urban areas are of different sizes, and there are no mountains behind them.
No, it's not a matter of size. In terms of complexity, this place is a city no matter what.
It seems that you should not bend into the path casually.Masuda didn't know where he was at all.The occasional house address was neither seen nor heard.Masuda found a grander building among the row upon row of dirty small shops, and decided to take a look there.
The first floor of the building is a suit shop.Seeing his own figure reflected on the shop window, Masuda breathed a sigh of relief.Familiar faces appear in unfamiliar scenery.What to do next? —— Masuda looked up, "Ah" and cried out.
——Enokizu Building.
Unexpectedly, Masuda arrived at his destination.
Open the luxurious door with golden frame and frosted glass, and inside is a wide marble staircase with handrail.
The temperature inside was lower than outside, Masuda sneezed again, shivered again, and went up the stairs.There is only a small window for lighting at the corner of the stairs. Although it is still daytime, it is dark.On the second floor, there are only a few companies with serious names, and the destination has to be further improved.
Arrived on the third floor.
There is a door that seems to be the destination, and the glass part is written in golden words: "Rose Cross Detective Agency."
Masuda grabbed the handle on the door, hesitated a little, and made up his mind to open it.
"Bang Dang", the bell rang.
There is a young man in the room with bushy eyebrows and thick lips.
The young man opened his mouth slightly, and stared at Masuda with wide eyes.
"Huh...huh? You... aren't Ms. Sugiura? Oh, if you want to make a sale, we..."
"My name is Masuda, is Mr. Enokizu here?"
"What? Are you looking for our husband? It's really rare. What day is it today? Are you really busy? This is the detective agency. Oh? It's really busy. Wait a minute, ah, please come in. "
After the young man who felt like a scholar finished speaking, he stood up, walked inside, and shouted with a big sangmen that Masuda could hear: "Sir, sir, we have guests!"
There was no doubt that this was the office of that detective—Enogizu Reijiro.
Masuda breathed a sigh of relief, and sat down on a reception chair at the door.
After a while, a familiar voice sounded: "He Yin, how are you? I prepared very quickly today. I have already changed my clothes and washed my face. Don't you have anything to say? Well, I'm going to listen to that boring The woman complains. I have something to say first, I will only pretend, and I will not really listen to her. What will happen after that, the responsibility is all on you, an idiot. If you dare to accept this kind of commission for me in the future, you will Waiting to be dismissed. Dismissed!"
Before the young man named He Yin could reply, there was an indistinguishable yawn or growl "hehe", and then a tall man appeared from behind the screen.
The man's facial features are as correct as a doll's, his white skin is almost transparent under the sun, and his hair is light in color.The brown eyes are huge, but now they are half-closed because they are still awake.In his blue shirt and baggy striped black trousers, he looked nothing like a detective, but he didn't look like a man of any other kind.
This is the detective Masuda knew—Enoki Tsu Reijiro.
Having said that, it is really rare for a person with such a sharp gap between appearance and words and deeds.
Masuda deeply felt that Enokizu's appearance was completely different from his words and deeds.If he keeps his mouth shut and does not speak, he is like a complete nobleman—it is said that he actually comes from an old Chinese family—but his actions and every word are different from ordinary people. It's a weirdo.Anyway, Enokizu laughed loudly at the scene of the murder on the first day of his debut, which is really ridiculous.Masuda felt that no matter where he went, it would be difficult to find such a detective.
Enokizu didn't look at Masuda, walked to the big desk wearily, and sat down.It looked like that place was his permanent seat.There is a triangular cone on the table, with the word "detective" written on it in a fuss.Masuda was half bent, and was about to bow, but completely missed the timing, and could only bend his body and freeze in place.Even so, Enokizu still didn't look at Masuda, and said in a tired voice, "Watora Coffee."
Masuda half-bent and said, "Excuse me..."
"Yes, if you have something to say, please speak quickly, ma'am."
Even after hearing the voice, Enokizu didn't seem to realize that it was a man.
"Enokizu-san, it's me, Masuda, who was taken care of by you in Hakone. You... remember me?"
"Huh?" Enokizu finally looked at Masuda.
He Yin immediately seized the opportunity and explained: "Sir, this is not Ms. Sugiura... You can tell by looking, he is a man. He just ran over suddenly, and there is still time before the appointment with Ms. Sugiura. One hour."
"What! Why didn't you say it earlier? It made me come out in vain. If there is no appointment, it's none of my business. Well, I'm going to sleep and go back to sleep." Enokizu said, stretching.
"Mr. Enokizu, please wait a moment. Well, you still don't remember me. I am..."
"Who will forget?"
"what?"
"It's been less than half a month since I came from Hakone. Speaking of which, I don't know your name at all. I don't know at all. How do I forget? But even if I remember, the criminal police in Kanagawa Prefecture will follow you. I have nothing to do. I'm going to bed."
Enokizu stood up, and Masuda was even more confused. He got up from his chair, rushed to the detective's desk, and said in a nasal voice: "Mr. .so……"
Masuda's flustered appearance forced Enokizu to stop.Although he stopped, the detective still half-closed his eyes, remained silent, and only glanced at Masuda.At this moment, He Yin showed up with a cup of coffee, and said inexplicable words to smooth things over: "Oh, sir, let's do it first." The detective smiled with his nose and sat back reluctantly.
As Enokizu said, Masuda Ryu was still a detective of the National Police Kanagawa Prefecture Headquarters Investigation Section 1 until last month.He met Enokizu when he was in charge of investigating the "Hakone Mountain serial monk murder case" that occurred in February.But it seems that Masuda's name is not even remembered. It may not be correct to say "knowledge", but Masuda only knows about Enokizu unilaterally.
At that time, the strange detective disturbed the scene as he wanted. Although it was not caused by Enogizu's disturbance, the search was at a bottleneck. As a result, the case was almost closed without knowing whether it was a solution.Masuda then inexplicably took responsibility for the failure of the search. Not only was his salary reduced, but he might also be transferred to the Crime Prevention Division.
This incident became an opportunity for Masuda to resign as a police officer.
Having said that, Masuda is not dissatisfied with this punishment.Although Masuda did not feel that he had committed a major negligence, the result of the search was indeed a complete failure, so he felt that it was only natural for him to take responsibility; moreover, Masuda who was in charge of the scene was able to transfer and settle down because his superiors interceded for him everywhere.In fact, it seems that the search of the master’s residence was not only punished, but also reduced in salary and demoted. It is said that even the minister was reprimanded and written a letter of repentance.Therefore, Masuda did not refuse to accept the punishment he received, but he still had a feeling that he couldn't let go of.
After careful consideration, Masuda concluded that he might not be suitable for the police organization.
Thinking about it carefully, Masuda never had lofty ambitions, wanting to be a guardian or public servant of the law and contribute to society.Speaking of ambition, Masuda simply wants to be a police officer who is close to the people.But this is a trivial goal, and there is no way to become an unwavering reliance on him to carry out his own position.
As expected, the profession of being a policeman does not suit me—Masuda thought.
He Yin listened to Masato's words, nodded frequently, said sympathetically, "It's really pitiful", then was silent for a while, and asked cautiously: "Then Mr. Masuda, you came here to take revenge because you hated my husband, right?"
"Why, why do I seek revenge from Mr. Enokizu?"
"Because that incident was all caused by my husband making trouble, isn't it? And at that time, my husband became a wanted criminal. The criminal police came to the office, and I was scared to death. Up and down."
"You idiot Yin, it's just that the police are too stupid." Enoki Tsu said sullenly.
"But even if that's the case, you'll be dismissed just because of that..."
"It's not that I was dismissed, I resigned on my own initiative."
"It's all right. So Iksan, what are you here for?"
"My surname is Masuda, uh, I..." Masuda said straight to the point, "...I want...to be a detective."
This is the truth.
Before Masuda met Enokizu, he had always unilaterally believed that being a detective was a humble profession of stealthily digging out other people's secrets.But in the Hakone mountains, it is not a detective who sneaks around and pokes around meanly.But always oneself - Interpol.
But it would be wrong to say that Masuda got tired of being a policeman because of this.Masuda still believes that criminal police is a dignified and great profession.And what the detectives and detectives do are roughly the same.If you only talk about behavior, there should be almost no difference.If there is any difference, the only difference is the principle behind the search operation.Masuda thought that the principles of the police were no longer compatible with him.
The purpose of the police is not to solve puzzles, but to restore social order and maintain social order as their top priority.Obeying the law and implementing social justice is the most important thing.The police are only obliged to solve the puzzle after completing this first task.
Therefore, if the idea that "society is unshakable" does not exist at the root of thinking, you cannot be a police officer.
After the Hakone incident, the society in Masuda's heart was shaken.For such Masuda, the big hats of restoring social order and expelling social crimes are too heavy.Not only is it heavy, but you can't cut it for work because of the large cap.Masuda also believes that perhaps it is because of the inability to cut that the actions of the police appear despicable.In the case of Hakone, Masuda carefully observed the actions of his boss and felt deeply about it.
So Masuda is not disillusioned with the profession of police, he just doubts his own worldview.
On the other hand, detectives are a business, and they can talk about business, so there is no such big hat.
Probably not.
Masuda believes that the so-called detective is to get paid to unlock the secret.Detectives are purely for the purpose of solving mysteries. If they can solve the mystery, they can get the due reward.It's just that.
Therefore, the principles of society and ethics that support the police are not very important to the detective industry.Of course, the case takes place in the society, and the detective is also an external device in the society, but no matter what the society should look like, it has nothing to do with the detective.Because such big hats are unlikely to be directly related to the detective's raison d'être.
The man in front of him is particularly thorough in this regard.Not to mention the big hat doesn't even make sense.Enokizu doesn't seem to care about the reward, as long as he can solve the mystery in his heart, he doesn't care even if he doesn't tell the client, he is extremely heroic.Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, it is refreshing.It's just that he has gone his own way to this point, which makes people doubt whether he can still be called a detective...
So Masuda is not so much attracted to the profession of detective, but rather yearning for Enokizu's unprecedented character.If not, he wouldn't have come straight here as soon as he arrived in Tokyo.
but……
The detective didn't even look at Masuda's face, and spread his hands in exaggerated gestures jokingly saying "Stupid."
"what?"
"Yishan, I'm saying you're stupid. Masuda, how can someone like you become a detective!"
"My name is Masuda. Uh, can't...?"
"No. Detective is not a profession. It's a title that can only be held by selected people. How can you not be the protagonist? If you don't want to worry about hitting the wall, you'd better die, Yishan .”
"My name is Masuda. Wouldn't it be better not to?"
"Of course. Listen carefully, a detective is equal to a god, and you must have the self-awareness of a god. It's really impossible for someone like me to do it. For a small person like you, the only person who can do it is a detective's assistant."
"Then I'll be a detective's assistant."
"You mean to be my disciple?"
"Disciple... that's fine."
"Oh?" Enokizu narrowed his half-closed eyes, staring straight at Masuda.
This strange man - seems to see some things that ordinary people can't see.
Masuda wasn't quite sure, but what Enokizu could see seemed to be things like the past or memories of the other party.Although he didn't know whether it was true or not, Masuda always felt that he was being seen through, and he didn't feel very comfortable.
Enokizu asked abruptly, "Then...do you know how to play musical instruments?"
"What? Oh, I know a bit of an instrument. I'm thinking of joining a jazz band if I don't become a detective."
"Really? That's it. That's good, very good! This He Yin, no matter how you teach him, he just can't play the guitar well. I'm a genius, and I can play the guitar very well, but He Yin's playing is really bad. Almost had enough of him..."
Enoki Tsu cast a sharp glance at He Yin, wrinkling one cheek and showing a sneer.
"...And this guy even gave me such a boring request to find someone. I don't care. Okay, I understand."
Enokizu said very happily: "I will dismiss Kazuhiro and hire you!"
"First, sir, how can there be such a thing?" He Yin showed a very unconvinced expression.
"Why not? Well, that's fine. Next, a boring client will come. How about you just listen to that person talk about boring people and complete that boring mission? If you succeed, you will be Assistant, walk with Yin."
"that is……"
"If it fails, reject it, and He Yin will save his life."
"How can there be such a..."
"I appreciate it."
Masuda had been a criminal police officer no matter what he said, he thought that such a trivial matter would never trouble him.He Yin pursed his thick lips, and repeated unconvincedly: "How can this happen?" The detective seemed not to care about the dissatisfied No. 1 disciple, and asked for a second cup of coffee.
"Bang Dang", the bell rang.
Masuda turned his head, and a woman in a western dress was standing upright at the entrance.
She is about twenty-seven or eight years old, without makeup, but with distinct facial features, eyebrows like black ink, and eyes with awe-inspiring spirit. She is a so-called beauty.
"I'm a little early, is it okay? My surname is Sugiura."
"Ah, yes, Ms. Sugiura, it's really Ms. Sugiura this time. Well, it's a woman. Uh, yes, I know, come in please come in."
He Yin stood up in a panic, waving his hands busyly, inviting the guests to enter.Masuda also stood up from the reception chair and hurriedly stepped aside.Only Enokizu remained unmoved, put his chin on the clasped hands, and looked in an irrelevant direction.
The woman who claimed to be Sugiura took off her coat with simple and fluent movements, folded it in half, gave the detective a slight stare, walked into the room, and sat down gently in the place where Masuda was originally sitting, as Kazuto said.
"Excuse me..." Ms. Sugiura adjusted the hem of the dress nervously, frowned uneasily, her eyes scanned the whole room, and asked He Yin, "Which one is... the detective..."
Having said that, her voice stopped and her eyes stopped.Apparently, she found the triangular cone on the table - the detective's claim.That thing looks stupid, but it seems to be quite useful.
Kazuhiro added, "Yes, as you can see, this is our agency's detective, Mr. Enokizu Reijiro. I am..."
"Perhaps an incompetent and unskilled servant who will pack up and walk in a while. And this is a former detective, a talented detective assistant Masuyama. This person is in charge of interrogation, please tell him the details." Enokizu said nonsense. Say.
"My surname is Sugiura—Sugiura Mie." The client gave his name and saluted Masuda respectfully.
Masuda was confused for a moment, but quickly grasped the situation he was in.At this stage, Enogizu's examination for the employment of a detective assistant has already begun.So——Yitian called himself Yishan, which was forced by the situation.
At this time, He Yin brought black tea.When the servant who was about to be fired handed out the teacup with skillful movements, he seemed to give Masuda a sneaky look, but Masuda told himself not to care.
"So... uh, I heard it's a missing person, who are you looking for?"
I feel quite the same thing.He felt that this was more in line with his personality than the one-sided interrogation or interrogation he had learned as a detective.Ms. Sugiura seemed to relax a little, and after taking a breath, she said, "Takao Sugiura is my spouse on household registration."
"Is that your sir?"
"I'm not serving Takao. I have a marriage relationship with Takao, but it's not which one is the master and which one is the servant. Our positions are equal."
His tone was very severe.
"But ma'am..."
"Please don't call me Mrs."
"Oh, so what should it be called?"
"Can you just call me Sugiura, please? Men can be called by their surnames whether they are married or not. Why is it only women..."
"I see, Ms. Sugiura."
Surprises are difficult to deal with, but Masuda understands what she is saying quite well, so he decides to obey, and He Yin seems to be stunned.
"Then Ms. Sugiura, your husband... no, your husband... is not right either, Mr. Takao, he..."
"disappeared."
"When did that happen?"
"I think it was last summer."
"Should?...Why do you say that?"
"I left home...we are separated, so I don't know the exact time of Takao's disappearance."
The client got married in April of the year before last - Showa 26.
The two married on a blind date, and their spouse, Takao Sugiura, was an elementary school teacher at the time.
When Sugiura Mie talked about her married life, her tone was very flat. From her words, Masuda felt that she had a feeling of contempt or disgust for her spouse.All in all, the woman Sugiura Mie is completely tired of the man Takao.
Although Mei Jiang didn't seem excited at the end, her words were full of thorns.
—He is a nobody.
——No ambition, no resistance.
——Just drifting with the tide.
When explaining the character of your partner, there is no need to use this kind of catchphrase.
Not to the point of malice, but at least it doesn't feel love.
Judging from Mie's words, this man named Takao is a dispensable and extremely ordinary person.Masuda felt that such personality traits should not be used as a target for attack, so Mie's words always sounded a bit cruel to him.
However, he knew right away why the couple had broken up.
After Takao Sugiura got married, he suffered from severe neurasthenia within just two months.
Some day in June.
After school, Longfu was playing with his classmates on the campus, and because of some mistakes, several children were injured.That's how it all started - says Mie.
"It's an injury, but at most it's just a bruise. It's not an injury that needs an apology. But because Takao was too scared, I apologized to the parents on his behalf, but..."
Takao was completely devastated.
"...Since then, he began to say that children are terrible. His occupation is a teacher, and he can't work like this. It means he has left the school. I explained the situation to the school and applied for suspension for him. , but it was a waste of my efforts to take care of him and persuade him, Long Fu did not recover."
Is it a so-called social phobia?
Although Masuda is not very clear about it, he has that disease.
"Oh, so... did he go to the doctor?"
"That's not something that can be cured by seeing a doctor."
"yes?"
"Yes, everything is a psychological factor. If there is any physical reason, it makes sense, but if there is nothing, it is simply acting like a baby and making trouble. It is no different from a child's cheating."
"But, that kind of mental illness..."
It's not that simple, is it?
Masuda wanted to find out the exact vocabulary, but he hesitated, but his speech was severely interrupted by Meijiang: "Is it cured by taking medicine? If it can be cured by injection or surgery, I have let him try it a long time ago." Even if I go to the doctor, the doctor will only talk about some unreasonable reasons and persuade the patient. If it is a disease that can be cured by persuasion, I have tried it. Instead of letting the doctor persuade, as a partner, I will Convincing him with love should be more effective."
"Oh...but Mr. Longfu hasn't recovered, has he?"
"I still don't think that what I did was wrong. I have given the utmost sincerity. As long as I think of his nervous breakdown, I can endure any unreasonable things. I am very gentle and treat him like a baby. Besides, the world doesn’t understand this, right? I tried my best to encourage and appease him, but he didn’t feel my heart at all. The reasoning didn’t make any sense to him, and those days were like hell…”
Longfu didn't talk to anyone, didn't see anyone, didn't eat much, and was locked in the room all day.No matter what I said to him or asked him, I was listless, and said out of fear: "It's scary, so scary." In the end, he even yelled at Mei Jiang: "What do you know!" Then he fell silent again, that's all day to day.Takao's condition went from good to bad, which lasted for half a year.
"... I have the feeling that I will be cured tomorrow, and that Takao will recover tomorrow. I can persist. But if I don't have the will to be cured, I can't be cured; since it can't be cured, I can't do it either." Might last."
About half a year after Takao became ill, in February of Showa 27, Mie finally couldn't bear it anymore and left home.
"Are you leaving your sick husband, Mr. Takao?"
"Even if you take him away, it won't help."
"But, if he can't even eat well without you taking care of him... isn't that very dangerous?"
"Mr. Yishan, do you understand my hard work? It is such a painful thing to have a conversation with someone who can't understand, do you understand?"
"This... I don't understand."
"Even animals, as long as they are nice to them, they know how to respond. But Takao knows it, but he refuses to listen to it, which makes it impossible for people to show love. In this situation, people have endured self-sacrifice for half a year."
"So what?" Enokizu had been sipping his coffee silently, but now he interrupted with his face turned away.
"What, what, I..."
"My, my, mine, it's not you who is sick. Listen carefully, half a year is the same as fifty seconds. If you give up halfway, it's the same as doing nothing at the beginning."
"What words! I..."
"But that person can be cured if he can't do it well. It's only because you are frustrated that you think he can't be cured. There is no other serious reason or basis at all."
The detective's arrogant speech made the client's face flush instantly. "What, what! Then my hard work before..."
"It's all in vain." Enokizu continued nonchalantly, "And when it comes to hard work, that man is also hard-working, right? I'd say it's him who suffers. You just find it troublesome and tired. And you keep emphasizing that Your own hard work, but hard work without results is just a waste. Efforts may not always be rewarded, and efforts without rewards are not worthy of appreciation! Because efforts without rewards are equal to incompetence. Both in vain and incompetence!"
Enokizu continued in a particularly loud voice: "Even if you don't work hard, as long as you get good grades, you will be praised; even if you work hard, if you don't succeed, you won't be praised. This is the truth in the world. If they were appreciated, Japan would have won a gold medal in the Olympics long ago!"
"It's just words...it's too much..." Mie bit her lower lip lightly, and stared at Enikizu fiercely.
Masuda can roughly understand Enokizu's statement and Mie's mood, but the two sides' rhetoric is not completely consistent with Masuda's thoughts, so he decided to observe the situation silently.Taking a closer look, He Yin was scratching his head dumbfounded.Masuda speculates that such an awkward situation seems to be a family thing here.It is true that the detective's statement completely ignores the other party's mood, which must be difficult for the parties to accept, but part of it is indeed to the core.
Enokizu looked out the window sharply, and continued: "What I want to say is, that kind of thing doesn't matter at all. That man's disappearance has nothing to do with your hard work, right? If you didn't come to show off your hard work, You should get to the point quickly."
That's—that's right.
Mei Jiang also seemed to have to accept this opinion.
The client swallowed the anger that had nowhere to vent, and said reluctantly again: "Your opinion is unconvincing...but you are right, these words may be redundant. In short, I leave the sick Takao, Left home. During this time, Takao disappeared."
"How did you know he was missing?"
"Last month, I came home after a year's hiatus."
"Will Mr. Longfu... die or..."
"If he didn't die at home, he was missing."
"How do you know that Mr. Takao disappeared around last summer?"
"Nearby residents said he seemed to be around the end of August. Sometimes the awning would be open, sometimes it would be down, and he also seemed to be out shopping."
"Mr. Longfu...doesn't he have no income/"
"He should have money. Longfu has savings, which is enough for him to spend for a year or two. He told me that it was the inheritance left by his great-grandfather."
Meijiang fondled the cold black teacup, and concluded somewhat self-defeatingly: "Longfu... even if the person who took care of him is gone, he is doing well. After I leave, if he really encounters difficulties, he can think about it." There is no way to get over it, so I said he was just acting like a baby. His dependence on me made him recover more slowly."
Saying it like this always feels like justifying.
Masuda thought that fortunately Takao was able to find a way to get through it. If there was no other way, what would Mie plan to do?If Takao had starved to death when Meijiang went to visit, would she still be able to say "I didn't do anything wrong" just like before?
"So……"
Meijiang doesn't feel like she wants to get back together with her husband.
"...Why do you want to find Mr. Longfu? Are you worried about what happened to him later?"
"I'm not worried, he should be fine."
"Then why..."
Masuda asked, and Enoki Tsu interjected, "Masuyama, of course it's because she wants a divorce. Is there even a need to ask?"
Meijiang immediately said: "The reason is just like what that gentleman said." She stared at Masuda, and she was unusually firm, as if she was announcing something, and said: "I want to divorce Takao. If the client is not here, the procedures cannot be done. There is no way to negotiate."
"Oh, but Mr. Takao is no longer by your side..." Masato felt strange, and said, "There is no need to use detectives to find him for divorce." He felt that the other party was missing anyway, regardless of the divorce or not. the same.
After hearing Masuda's speech, Kazuto looked at him with contemptuous eyes, and said in Enokizu's tone: "Oh, of course it's because this lady wants to remarry. Does it need to be said?"
In an instant, Mei Jiang's face changed drastically, and she said angrily, "Please don't look down on people!"
Then she put down the cup forcefully with a "clang".
He Yin gasped slightly and fell silent.
"I'm not stupid enough to make the same mistake again. It makes me uncomfortable that you're speculating like that."
"Wrong? Marriage is... a mistake?"
"Of course. If you still have the illusion that a woman cannot live without a man, then pardon me, I feel very contemptuous of you."
When the other party declared contempt, He Yin twisted his thick eyebrows, pursed his thick lips and let out an "uh".
He didn't know how else to react.
"I don't want to be a woman, I want to stand on my own as a person. I've had enough of being dependent on each other and bound by each other. I don't want to show off my hard work or criticize Takao ;I'm not the kind of person who doesn't have integrity, because I hate this one, I want to change another one. It is true that my marriage with Takao has failed. But the failure of our marriage cannot be simply attributed to our personal relationship. The problem."
"Oh……"
"Speaking of which, the old marriage system not only requires couples to rely on and bind each other, but also unilaterally requires women to be subordinate to men. It should be thoroughly re-examined. Men and women should be equal, and love does not Should be bound by the system, must be free. Isn't it?"
"Oh……"
"This is not an ordinary couple quarreling, arguing about whether to like or hate, to be together or to break up. I can't bear to continue to be regarded as Takao Sugiura's partner legally."
"Is it a household registration issue? Because of troubles such as inheritance or taxes..."
After saying it, Masuda immediately regretted it.Clearly, it is not a question of this kind of reality.As expected, Mie cast a cold gaze on Masuda.Although not announced, Masuda seems to be as scorned as Kawain.
"I... did marry Takao Sugiura. Even so, I did not marry because I wanted to be a member of the Sugiura family. Marriage is completely an equal contract between individuals. However, even if the situation becomes like this, I still have to I use the surname Sugiura. So I decided to leave the household registration first, return to the old surname, and then live as the original Ito Mie. Then, if Takao gets sick and I have some responsibilities, I will help take care of him and pay for him Medical bills. But that's a different issue."
Masuda didn't know how to answer, so he looked at Enokizu.The work of a detective is surprisingly difficult, and in the police station, such a situation will never be encountered.Enokizu said in a non-motivating but optimistic tone: "The last part is redundant. Leaving aside that part, you are really amazing and admirable. It's just that something is wrong."
Mei Jiang showed a surprised expression. "wrong?"
"Yes, no."
"Where...wrong?"
"It doesn't matter what your name is. If you want to gain real freedom, you should quickly abandon the attachment to your name. No matter what is recorded on your household registration, it has nothing to do with you. As long as a person thinks he is Kintaro, then he is Kintaro , but if others call him Yukichi, he is Yukichi, that’s all. The same goes for Masuda over there. His real name seems to be Gotanda or Shuangzishan, but it’s too difficult to call him, so I call him Masan, but this It's not a problem at all."
Masuda felt that Masuda was easier to call than Masan.
Mei Jiang showed a slightly embarrassed look. "But a surname represents a family..."
"Wahhahaha, even if the old surname is restored, it was originally your father's surname. If you want to get rid of the surname, or take a new one yourself, then it's understandable. If not, then you can't escape at all." Get out of bondage."
"That's right..."
Enokizu said, "That's right, let's just choose a stage name", and laughed to himself, but when he said this, Mie couldn't help showing a look of displeasure: "Anyway, anyway, I made this decision. Although the future is difficult, but In order to realize the ideal society for women as much as possible, first of all..."
"Uh, excuse me, Ms. Sugiura, did you participate in that... feminist movement?" Masuda asked tremblingly, and Mie's statement made him only speculate like this.
"Ah? Yes. It's not as large as a movement. It's just some comrades gathering together to hold a reading club or something like that."
"Oh..." Masuda felt a little overwhelmed in his heart.
The current society treats women fairly equally, and is a male-centered society—I like this very much. At the same time, I also believe that women will launch movements and strive to improve their status, which is also an inevitable development.Although he didn't really think about it, he felt that he understood what the women advocated.
Moreover, Masuda has discovered that organizations such as the state and society are not so firm and absolute, so he can better understand their propositions.所以益田自认为至少在以前的同僚——刑警——之中，自已是最能够理解女性参与社会与提升地位的理念的。但是，他不晓得该怎样表达这种心情。如果他是女人，只要跟着高声呐喊就行了。
但益田毕竟是个男人。
战后流传着一句俗话：女人和袜子变坚强了。这也是应该的。女人和袜子以前太脆弱了，变强是当然的。但是这句话的用法并非完全如同字面上所显示的，尽管不到批判的程度，但这句话多半是带着讥讽的心态。
所以“好坚强呢”、“好厉害呢”这些话也不是多么表里如一的称赞。
话虽如此，同情的发言也是被禁止的。同情这种感情，似乎是占优势的一方对劣势的一方才会萌生的感情。所以同情一个人，就等于是间接地在歧视一个人。
“我来保护你”之类的话也是一样，若问为什么，因为这类发言的前提是：女人一定是弱者。
“娘娘腔”、“像娘们般没用”这类咒骂已经不能说出口了。不仅如此，就连“很有女人味”、“娇弱”、“美丽”、“美人”这类称赞都不能随兴使用。就算打从心底这么想，也不应该说出来。
如此这般，正因为理解，所以益田只要碰到信奉这类思想的女性，就会变得哑口无言。他会觉得自已身为男人是一种罪恶。
益田带着复杂的心情望向委托人。
美江的五官很端正。如果搽上一点口红，一定十分出色。益田这么想像，立刻就后悔了。因为虽然没说出口，但他觉得美江严眉的眼神正默默地鄙视着有这种想法的他。
"that……"
"what?"
“那个聚会，是在我的故乡，千叶的一个渔港——安房胜浦所举行的。”
"what?"
“妇女与社会关系思考会。”
"yes."
“我在那里听到一个流言。”
“什、什么流言。”
“关于隆夫的流言。”
“哦。”益田想了太多无关紧要的事，差点忘了自已现在是侦探。
“隆夫好像在立立兴津町。”
“那一带是港镇，有着渔港独特的文化风俗，至今仍然有许多封建时代沿袭下来的古老恶习。唔，还有一些陈规陋习，而且虽说是乡下，也多少有一些不正经的店。但是与东京等地不同，并没有风俗败坏的感觉。可是……这是流言，那一带似乎有个地下卖春组织。”
“卖春？这与隆夫先生有关吗？”
“有关。当地流传说，公娼娼制度废除后，有一个女人流浪到兴津町来，与当地的无赖联手，背地里接受大船东的资助，做起私娼老鸨的勾当。当然，那里原本就没有私娼，所以应该都是良家妇女临时充数的娼妓吧。”
“这的确是严重的问题呢。”
这番感想完全就像个刑警。益田怎么样就是无法甩开前职的旧习，他自已都却得好笑。“是的。良家妇女卖春的风气蔓延开来，是一个很严重的问题，就算再怎么不景气，只为了赚取现金收入就下海卖身，简直是岂有此理。这是关乎人性尊严的问题。不，将性商品化的行为，本来秒是不该被容许的。”
美江似乎就要长篇大论起来，益田慌了。“呃，这与隆夫先生有什么关系呢？”
美江露出大梦初醒般的表情说：“啊……失礼了。虽然还没有明确的证据，但传闻中那名私娼老鸨，是兴津一家酒吧的老板娘，名叫川野弓荣。我曾经多次到那位川野女士的店里抗议。”
"protest?"
“当然是去告诫她，如果流言属实，要她立刻停止。在闹上警察局之前，我以同为女性的身份寻求她的理解。虽然我每次过去，都被她左闪右躲……然后……”
听说有人在那里看到隆夫。
是去年十二月中旬左右的事。目击者同样是一名女权运动者，是美江在女校的同窗，她曾经在美江的婚礼上见过隆夫。
那名女子说，那的确是在婚宴中看过的脸，是美江的伴侣隆夫先生不会错。
“这……说起来丢脸，但隆夫似乎与那名川野弓荣……”
“有一腿……啊，抱歉。我以前是个刑警，忍不住就用了这种说法……”
“没关系。没错，他们是有一腿，不过这件事当然也没有确实的证据，而我本身则完全无法相信，若非发生了那种事，或许也不会想要尽快确认吧。”
“那种事？”
“川野弓荣被人杀害了。就在去年十月中旬，惨遭溃眼魔的毒手。”总觉得冒出个不得了的东西来了。
“溃、溃眼魔？是那个平野吗？”
“不知道，最近报纸说另有其人。”
“不管是那一个，总之是四谷与信浓町的溃眼魔吧？这么说来，之前好像听说千叶县本部的辖区里发生了什么案子呢。我的地盘意识太强烈，对辖区外的事件没什么兴趣……”
“总之，川野女士遭到杀害，私娼组织没有被揭发，卖春的流言也消失了。然后，川野女士的命案中，首先被列为嫌疑犯的，是与她有男女关系的男性，也就是川野女士的……”
“哦，情夫是吗？咦？那就是隆夫先生吗？”
“嗯，虽然好像不止一个人，不过……”
“所以警方也找到你那里去了？”
“不。嫌疑犯当中好像有一个人身份不明，那个人似乎就是隆夫。”
"Oh……"
内容着实精彩万分，益田叹了一口气。
“所以你立刻回家查看，不出所料，隆夫先生已经不见了。你确定这点之后，离婚的意志更为坚定，因而来到了这里。”
“是的。我从在进驻军担任通事的朋友处听说了这里的风评，听说去年夏天，久远寺家的事件也是贵侦探社解决的。”
“久远寺？哦，久远寺家的。是的，是的。”
这件事益田也听说过。
“我和那起事件中过世的久远寺凉子小姐认识，虽然只有一面之缘。”
“哦，就是她到这里来委托的哟！”和寅以大感讶异的口吻说。不过他的表情和益田初次见到他时没有什么不同。只是眼睛睁大，嘴巴微开而已。另一方面，美江感觉上愈说愈放松了。
“凶手似乎不是隆夫，即使如此，就如同我方才说的，我还是想要和隆夫见上一面，好好地和他谈谈，估后正式离婚……”
“然后呢？那个女人力劝你离婚是吗？”榎木津突然大声问道，连益田都给吓着了。
“嗯，是的……咦？女人？”
美江睁圆了眼睛，望向侦探，她好像一头雾水。益田也循着她的视线看向榎木津。仔细一看，本来就该一直偏着头的侦探不知不觉间正注视着美江。不过在益田看来，他那双浅色的大眼睛，焦点对准的似乎是美江头上的略后方。
美江一阵哑然，出声反问：“女人……指的是谁？”
“就是那个女人，你被她感化的。”
“你认识织作小姐吗？”
“别嫌我啰嗦，名字怎么样根本无所谓。话说回来，你真的是出于自已的意志才想离婚的吗？该不会是被那个人说动，才想要离婚的吧？”
"what……"
美江再一次大感意外地沉默了，但这次她很快地恢复镇定。
“……当，当然是出于我自已的意志。织作小姐当然劝不了我，但决定的是人自已。”“那就好。”榎木津冷淡地说，又把脸撇向一边了。
益田没办法，只好接着问：“请问那位织作小姐是……”
“她叫织作葵，是妇女与社会关系思考会的中心人物。虽然她比我年轻许多，却是个非常聪明而且热情的女性，也有许多支持者。她是已逝的织作雄之介先生的千金，家里非常大，我们总是在那里聚会。”
“已逝的那位织作先生是名人吗？”
“织作先生是当地的名绅。前天才举行葬礼，葵小姐非常坚强地向吊唁客致意……”
显而易见的，美江的辨口利舌就是受到那名姓织作的女子影响。再继续朝这个方向追问下去，话题可能会转向自已不拿手的领域，于是益田简短地作结，再次确认各项事实后，询问联络方法。
杉浦夫妇以前住的地方是都内的小金井町，美江现在则住在千叶县总野村，那里是她的娘家。至于川野弓荣所经营的酒店——位在兴津町的“渚”，理所当然地已经歇业。
此外，益田也问出隆夫以前任职的小学和他的亲属。隆夫的双亲皆已去世，但嫁到枥木去的两名姐姐都还健在。
“不过我们完全没有来往。”美江平板地说。接着她从信封里抽出褪色的照片，说“这是隆夫”，交给了益田。
照片上的男子长相平庸，十分不起眼。烙印在相纸上的隆夫既没有笑，也不装模作样，只是以空虚的眼神看着益田。
对话中断，益田说“我暂时保管了”收下照片，恭敬地道谢，最后说：“调查一有进展，我们会立刻联络。”美江十分在意需要支付多少报酬，和寅异常快活地总结说：“包括必要经费在内，一切结束后再商量，不用担心，不会收太多的。”
美江一副意犹未尽的模样，不太干脆地站起来，有些不安地行了个礼，抬头的时候望向榎木津。她好像想说什么，但侦探开朗地对她说再见，结果委托人什么也没说，就这样回去了。
和寅大口叹气，都吁出声来了。他在美江刚才坐的位置安顿下来。
接着他露出带有若干困惑的讽刺冷笑，看着益田说：“哎呀，这工作可棘手了。看看那个委托人，门外汉是没有办法处理的吧。”
接着他回头说：“对吧，先生？”
榎木津与其说是在回答和寅的问题，更像是无视于他的质问益田：“益山！你该不会打算去小金井吧？”
“呃，是啊……”
益田当然打算这么做，有必要知道隆夫失踪当时的详细状况。为了搜集情报，除了前往小金井以外，别无他法。
榎木津接着说：“那么你该不会打算要去那个超合金还是绿油精的倒闭小酒店吧？”
"Huh? This..."
榎木津指的应该是兴津町吧。益田当然也打算去那里，隆夫似乎都被列为嫌疑犯了，不去怎么行？
榎木津把浓眉垂成八字型，露出怜悯不已的表情说：“喂，真的假的？那么你就太笨了。”
“笨……吗？”
“废话嘛，你这种笨蛋没资格当侦探。不仅如此，也没资格做脊椎动物！”
“为什么呀？”和寅维持着一贯的表情这么问道。看样子这名叫和寅的的男子颜面的表情种类相当匮乏。
榎木津俯视和寅，狠狠地、不屑地说：“和寅，所以你才会这么没用！你以为我会连管种事一一解释给你听吗？”
和寅“啊”一声，同意了，看样子榎木津不会为他们说明。
益田不得已问道：“可是榎木津先生，我又不是看卦先生，不实地查访，岂不是什么都不知道吗？”
“益山，没有什么可是不可是的。我真是看走眼了。听好了，会去做什么实地查访这种无聊事的，只有狗和刑警还没有变态而已。说起来，你们白费的工夫实在是太多了。怎么会浪费这么多时间呢？”
“先生，那当然是因为事情很复杂啊。像我到现在都还搞不太清楚呢，对不对？”
和寅向益田征求同意。
益田虽然不到搞不清楚的地步，不过仔细想想，他不明白隆夫会得社交恐惧症的明确理由，也不知隆夫究竟痊愈了没有，而且也不晓得隆夫是何时、为什么会失踪，以这层意义来说，不明了的部分确实很多，所以他只是点点头，含糊地应声。
榎木津总算将半眯的眼睛全部睁开，说道：“哪能里复杂了？根本一点都不复杂啊。听好了，去年夏天，这个人在小金井失踪了——”然后拿出这张照片来，“或许他与千叶的杀人命案有关，请你们找到他——不是吗？喏，连二十秒都不用。而且委托人只是要找人，干吗连她的主义主张都乖乖地听呢？蠢蛋，一点关系都没有嘛。”
“那是她自已要说的啊。”
“因为你们问，她才会说。不管委托人是无政府主义者还是国粹主义者，都跟我们无关。如果哪家澡堂规定客人要地柜台夸耀自已的主义主张才可以进去洗澡，三天就倒闭啦！”
益田想，说得没错。这个人就是因为完全不理会这类事物，所以才会是侦探吧。
和寅——仔细想想，益田还没有正式认识他，不知道这名像书生的青年到底叫什么名字，不过连益田自已都被叫成益山了，所以青年的真名非常有可能完全不同——用食指搔着有点天然卷的浓浓头发的发际，抱怨似地说：“哎，不过那个女的好可怕。虽然先生称赞她，但我对那种的躲都来不及呢。”
“哪里可怕了？明明就很可爱啊。”
“人是长得很漂亮啦。”
“不能只称赞外表，会被骂的。”
益田装出责备和寅的样子，牵制榎木津。因为他以为榎木津的感想也是针对美江的容貌而说的。
但是益田误会了。
“漂亮？是吗？我没仔细看她的脸，不晓得。如果她是个美女，怎么不早点告诉我呢？”
“咦？那榎木津先生是说她哪里可爱？”
“明明就很可爱啊。她那么努力地演说她学到的东西，教人感动。虽然内容浅薄，而且是现学现卖，但最重要的是态度，令人钦佩。所以我才称赞她。我可是很少称赞人的喔！”
"yes?"
应该是吧——益田信服了。
就像榎木津说的，就算那并非真心话，或者不是已经融会贯通的理论，又或者因为尚未融会贯通而多少有点矛盾，但态度本身的确能够成为一种指针、一种表明吧。就连益田都敏感地察觉到美江的主张，因此这是相当有效的。
就算还没有能够成为论据的思想，至少美江那种“不要以外表判断一个人”、“不要因为我是女人就小看我”的主张确实地传达给对方了。而展现出这类主张，就某种层面来说，也是需要勇气的。这样做虽然能够遏止谓的偏见与歧视，但另一方面也等于是放弃了“我是女人，请手下留情”，或是“我长得漂亮，请对我另眼相待”这一类的特权——尽管女人并不把它当成一种特权。榎木津或许是在夸奖这件事。
榎木津愉快地说：“我没那种闲工夫像京极一样热心地解说这些无聊事，而且侦探本来就不负责评论什么深奥的道理，所以我不多说什么。不过那个女的很了不起。不陷于权威主义的傲慢是最重要的。喏，益山，这是了不起的女性托付的任务，快快解决吧。有个两三天就足够了吧。”
说完让人似懂非懂的话之后，名侦探蹦蹦跳跳地站起来，用命令的口气说：“我要出门了，看家！”就这么跑掉了。
不访问也不调查，要怎么在两三天之中解决？——益田完全不明白。
和寅边收拾红茶杯和咖啡杯，边说道：“那位大师有时候真教人跟不上哪。别看我这样，也是吃了很多苦的，哎，你最好有心理准备，总有一天会明白自已的斤两的。”
和寅的口气简直像个监护人，说着分不清是抱怨还是忠告的话。
益田回避青年的问题，先请教他的本名。和寅回答：“我叫安和寅吉。”他的名字好像不是被变换或变形，而是被缩短了。
“和寅——不，寅吉，你是呃……侦探的……”
“先生说我是助手，不过我自任为是秘书呢。”
秘书的话，就不是争夺侦探助手之位的竟争对手。
可是，榎木津在经济方面应该并不窘迫，为了雇用助手而将秘书革职也是件奇怪的事。“所以啊，我实现不懂什么叫侦探呢。”
“不懂？”
“不懂啊。我连普通的侦探方法都不懂，说到先生的做法，那根本是法术、魔法。不过我至少还明白这是门生意，所以热心招揽客人，但先生说这样不行。说起来，先生他从来没有为钱吃过苦，不，不是有没有钱的问题，而是他不认为没有钱是种苦头——不过他好像也从来没有穷到三餐不继的地步啦。但是像他这样坦然面对，不可思议地贫穷就是不会找上门来，总有办法渡过难关。就是这点我不懂。”
"yes."
益田本来想向寅吉讨教榎木津流侦探术的一二，期望却落空了。
寅吉把茶具收拾好之后，重新又泡了日本茶，一边请益田用茶，一边说：“不过这次啊，先生说的话我也不是不懂啦。因为那个人成了命案的嫌疑犯，却侥幸地只有他一个人没被查出身份，他才不会刻意去做一些启人疑窦的事呢。换作是我，也绝对不会去靠近那家叫'渚'的酒吧，一定会离开那个城镇。而且既然他现在没有回去原本的住处，自然也不可能会逗留在那酒吧附近吧？”
“他没回去本来的住处吗？”
有时候是会为了藏身而再度回去的。
“没回去吧？附近的人说去年夏天以后就没再看过他了。”
“目击者吗？可那样的话……”
也有可能掩人耳目跑回去。
益田这么说，寅吉便表情怪异地回答：“可是那个委托人上个月左右回去他们的家，附近的人说丈夫约半年前就不见了，委托人也想信了这个说辞。那么……”
“代表目前状况就是如此吗？……”
也就是家里最近没有人出入的迹象吧。命案是去年十月发生的，如果隆夫逃回家来，那应该是这一两个月——最近的事才对。
如果一直都有人频瀪地出入还另当别论，但如果屋子真的弃置了半年以上，那么这一两个月当中有人出入的话，反而会相当醒目才对。
“原来如此。可是这样实在是教人不知该从何找起啊。”
“就算这样，你还是不放弃吗？”
“虽然是个大难题……”
“今后要继续和先生打交道，才更是个难题呢。”寅吉说，“喀喀喀”地笑了。
接着他说：“益田先生曾经负责箱根山的事件的话，我想应该也认识。你去找旧书店的先生或是小说家老师商量看看怎么样？”
益田也正在想这件事。
这两个人都是榎木津的朋友，也是箱根山事件的关系人。榎木津总是那副德性，所以实际上解决箱根事件的是旧书店主人——中禅寺秋彦。但是若问中禅寺做了什么像侦探的事，他做的事比榎木津更少，完全就是思考和说话而已。
益田认为，中禅寺并没有解谜。中禅寺并非提出谜团的解答，而是把谜团拆解到一般人能够理解的水平。他只是撼动谜之所以会是谜的背景，虚拟出一种谜团本身失效的情境。换言之，他的做法是将现实暂时作废，利用诓骗或诡辩，创造出谜团不再是谜团的另一个现实。破坏关系者身处的世界观并重新构筑的手法，作为疗愈确实有效，但是以刑警的标准来看，却也是一种极为棘手的做法。使犯罪之所以是犯罪的是社会，而刑警所保护的就是这个社会。如果对社会抱持疑问，有可能连犯罪都不再是犯罪，那么刑事警也干不下去了。
So it seems.益田无法继续担任警官，有一大部分是因为中禅寺的言论。
只是中禅寺用的并不是侦探术。这也是当然的，听说那似乎是驱逐附身妖怪——所谓祈祷除魔的一种方法。那么就算有人拜托，益田也做不来，而且从益田的角度来看，他觉得中禅寺的角色沉重极了。再说这种方法对于莫明其妙的事件虽然有效，但不晓得能不能用在寻人上面。
另一个提到的小说家名叫关口巽。这个人虽然人不错，却毫无侦探方面的素养，对这类事件派不上任何作场，就算找他商量也没有用。可是不知道为什么，益田对关口颇感共鸣。
就在益田思索的时候，“哐当”一声，钟响了。
寅吉作出和益田来访时完全相同的反应。
在益田看清楚来人的脸之前，来客已经连珠炮似地开口说：“啊安和，榎木津怎么了？怎么他不在啊真伤脑筋哪。”
他说得极快，要是不专心，会听得一头雾水，但是因为他说的是模范的标准话，发音清晰，咬字也十分正确，益田才能够完全听懂吧。
益田重新打量来人的长相。
那是个脸长得像马一般的绅士。
眉毛粗浓，眼睛、鼻子和嘴巴都很大，这些部分有效地利用长脸这个底子，陈列其上。头发是一丝不苟的三七分发型，银框眼镜和布料看起来很高级的西装夸示着他是个知识阶级。男子张大鼻翼，深深地叹了一口气。
“怎么了？这不是律师先生吗？真突然呢。话说回来，今天客人还真多。”
“榎木津