Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven
When I learned the full picture of this incident, it was already the season when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, so it should have happened after April.
I got the fragments of the incident from Mr. Kiba, Enokizu, and Isamaya, and sorted it out, but I still felt ambiguous. Even so, I was deeply attracted by it. At that time, I was already deeply involved. .This incident was horrific, and there were so many victims, I had some scruples to inquire about it out of curiosity, but I just couldn't restrain myself.
As a result, I met Dai Guan, and even went to Aoki and Masuda for questioning, and finally felt that I seemed to have grasped the outline of the incident, but I was still not completely convinced, so I climbed up the dizzy slope.
The oil-earth wall on the way to the ramp is also full of cherry blossom colors.
At that time, I couldn't help being surprised. Was it a cherry tree planted in it?
As usual, Kyogokudo is closed for rest.I used my fingertips to flip the wooden sign that said "resting" and walked to the main house, but my wife didn't seem to be there. No matter how much I called or knocked on the door, not even a cat came out.
No way, I entered the house without authorization.
Looking in from the porch eaves, Toriguchi was sitting in the living room.
Toriguchi also did the same thing as usual, when he saw my face, he said "Hey" first, and then said, "Sekiguchi-sensei, I don't have your role this time."
"What roles? I just live my daily life with the flow. I'm not an actor messing around in the background, so there are no roles or no roles." I said.
So the owner put on a displeased expression as usual, and said the annoying words as usual: "Isn't your life just for fishing? You should have been born in a fish seller's family." That's right. Trespassing on a private house without even saying hello, what is it like?"
"I called at the entrance."
"Your low-pitched hiss can't get through at all. Speaking of which, Guankou, what are you here for? My family has no shortage of fish."
"What's the matter? Can't you come if you have nothing to do? Like Enokizu, he just comes to sleep in the living room here. Doesn't he always come to sleep and go when he wakes up?"
I said that, but Kyogokudou actually said, "He is my friend after all."He doesn't want to be my friend no matter what.Although the master couldn't help it, I spread the cushion without authorization and sat down directly opposite the master.
"It doesn't matter if you treat me as a friend or an acquaintance. I'm here today... Nuo, I'm here to listen to your explanation about the whole story of the weaver's eye-stripping incident that caused a sensation in society."
The appearance of Kyogokudo.Toriguchi said: "Actually, I also came here for this matter. It is a coincidence that there is no book without a coincidence. What a coincidence."
"You are still the same, and the words you say are inexplicable. Speaking of which, Kyogokudo, I heard that you are still injured, right? Are you okay?"
Jingjitang said: "How can I be injured?"
"It doesn't matter which one, how about it? I heard that this incident was planned by the weaving writer, who is almost a hundred years old, the demon girl Suo?"
It wasn't published in the newspaper, but that's what I heard.
"What witch? Wubaizi Dao has passed away."
"Dead? Why?"
"Aging, heart failure. Like you said, she's very old, and she's about to celebrate her birthday. I heard it was a week ago, right, Toriguchi?"
"Yes, it's the end of life. Master, is the old lady's wish fulfilled?"
"Forget it. She thought her wish had come true, so she passed away like this. That's what the so-called wish is."
Happiness and satisfaction are indeed very personal, and of course cannot be measured, so no matter how lacking it seems to others, if I am satisfied, I am satisfied.
"But the second daughter still..."
"The topic character, Akane Orisaku," said Toriguchi.
"A topical character? Has he become a topical person? Well, if the second daughter is still alive, it means that Ihei's bloodline has not been wiped out. I always feel that she is very pitiful, and people who suffer from the misfortune and die will feel that they will die in peace. .”
"You are such an idiot. Everyone has been killed. How can there be no peace in your eyes? Who are you saying is a disaster? This is not a person, but a murderer. There is no disaster at all."
"But the girls at that school..."
"You mean Sayoko Watanabe and Yuko Asada?" Toriguchi said.
"There are also two teachers from the school..."
Kozo Honda and Junko Yamamoto...
"Uh, there are three whores..."
Yumi Kawano, Yachiyo Maeshima and Shimako Takahashi...
"There's no reason to die, is there?"
"That's not the case." Kyogokudo stood up and watched the paper door open facing the courtyard, "If you must say it's a disaster, yes, probably only Taeko Yano who died at the hands of Hirano first. Her death can be said to be accidental. But no matter what, too many people have been sacrificed."
Including deaths from illness, as many as fifteen people died.
Friends also witnessed four people die.
I thought to myself that my speech seemed ill-thought-out, silently introspecting.Friends don't like this kind of thing.
Toriguchi said: "But master, even if only miss Qian was saved, it's really great. What's wrong with misfortune?...One has to live to have good things happen. It's better to die than live, yes Bar?"
"Good thing? She just lost all her family a month ago? Will there be any good things in mourning?"
"Yes, teacher." Toriguchi said with a smile, "Miss Akane decided to marry the head of the Shibata Zaibatsu. The young widow is marrying into a wealthy family."
"What a wise decision. Don't take the scandal seriously at all. As expected of the Shibata Zaibatsu, it's really massive."
"Oh, there are also political considerations in it. It looks like an idea that a scheming entrepreneur would come up with. The weaving writer was almost wiped out due to the murder incident, and the related school corporation was involved in scandals, so the school had to be closed. Where does it seem? There are a lot of daughters of important people in the financial world who study here. Not only will it attract resentment and lose credibility, but the authority will also plummet, and even the business will be affected. Even if the Shibata family wants to cut it off, the relationship with the weaving industry is too complicated. It has nothing to do with Shibata, and no one will believe it. It is better to simply regard the only surviving daughter of the weaving writer as the spouse of the leader of the Shibata Group, so that the world can see Shibata’s decisiveness, and perhaps turn the scandal into a good talk.”
"But Yohiro Shibata, isn't he the great-grandson of the deceased Wu Baizi Dao? That's one of the reasons, right? Does he really have the lineage of a weaver?"
"You are really joining in the fun." Kyogoku said.
Toriguchi interface said: "I have already investigated this point. Shibata Yuji's original surname is Hojo. The Hojo family has declined now, but it seems to be a well-known orthodox family. Yuji's grandmother is called the eldest son, and she is the adopted daughter. That’s right. Because when Shibata’s family wanted to find an adopted son, Gobako introduced Yuji and strongly recommended him. Because he will succeed Shibata Yohiro’s position in the future, the choice of adoptive son seems to have caused a dispute, but Gobako is against Yaohong. The kind wife of Kaemon, in the end she just passed through."
"I see."
I was physically terrified of having a baby.I think children are very cute, but my genetic genes independently produce another personality. This mysterious and incredible phenomenon makes me feel horrible for no reason.So I really can't understand the feeling of being obsessed with leaving children and grandchildren.In order not to cut off the blood of his family, Wubaizi entrusted his children to other people's families.
Then prepare for the descendant of the child a position that is envied by all people and high above him, let him sit down.But……
"But Kyogokudo, if Ms. Akane marries, the weaver writer will be cut off. In that case, let alone Ihei's lineage, even the weaver writer's family name will disappear, won't it?"
Kyogoku said, "Yes, it will disappear."
I can't let it go.There is such a thing as a family, because a family name is a family.Many families have tried every means to keep their family names from being severed.I look at the events of the weavers from this perspective.When I said that, the insidious friend raised an eyebrow and said, "Yes, things like houses are like monsters. Without a name, it means that they don't exist."
"That……"
"so……"
"So what? Make it clear."
"You're very talkative." Jing Jitang said, crossing his arms, "That's all right, I've already lifted the curse of that family. Now that it's been untied, the family will also disappear."
"I don't quite understand. The spider—the five hundred sons of weaving has conceived an elaborate scheme. Once it starts to operate, even you and Enokizu can't stop it. Everyone falls into the illusion, thinking that they are acting on their own will, but in fact However, it is manipulated, no matter what anyone does, the plan will not change, it can be carried out flawlessly, can't it? But what about the result? Even if the plan is completed, it will not matter at all. The family name will be cut off, and the offspring of the enemy will live In the end, I even died. If this is the case, why did fifteen people have to be sacrificed to cause such a shock to the society? What I said about not being able to rest in peace refers to this matter."
"You are really long-winded." Kyogokudo stood up again.Then said: "The old woman still has Alzheimer's disease after all, so there is no way to plan that kind of plan."
I was about to ask him the true meaning of what he said, but he stopped him with his hand: "I have to go to the weaver next time. If you are free, go back. Ah, Toriguchi, thank you for your notice."
"Hey, what are you going to do?"
"Go to work. I heard that the house is going to be demolished, and Imagawa has already dealt with the antiques of calligraphy and painting, but there are piles of books in the study. I received a commission to deal with those books."
"It's a superficial job."
"Are you stupid? What's the point of work? I run a bookstore. There seem to be many rare books there. For lovers, books are like antiques. We need to raise funds."
"Is it worth that much?"
"That's why Liang went to the study."
"what?"
Toriguchi said, "Then I'll leave it to you over there as well," and hurried back.
The host almost ignored my presence and got ready to go out.During this time, I stopped thinking and just sat in a daze, but the master said "here, I'm going out", and I hurried after him.
"Wait a minute, take me with you."
"Why do I have to take a dull servant like you with me? I don't want to take a slave with me, unlike that vulgar guy like Enokizu."
"It doesn't matter, I won't get in the way."
I want to see Spider's Web Mansion.
"It's far away, and the work takes a lot of time. Depending on the situation, you may have to stay overnight, and you have to pay for transportation."
"It's okay." I said.Novelist is a freelance profession, and I'm not working at all, just calling my wife.
On the way to the station, we didn't talk.
The warmth of spring is very pleasant.
It's not cold anymore.
Kyogokudo was wearing a dark brown casual kimono, holding a nearly black coat in his hand, and his luggage was only a bundle.
Kyogoku stopped in the parking lot and said, "Guankou."
"what?"
"You are always demented, you should be able to understand. You imagine this situation: day after day, someone tells you the same thing every day, whether you sleep or wake up, you keep repeating the same thing. "
"I don't care if I have dementia or not, but I can probably imagine it."
"That incident is about your past, and the content is that you want to clear up your old grievances."
"Well, what then?"
"The person who told you this kept repeating it as if he forgot he told you before. What would you do?"
"Tell me I've heard it before."
"The man who said it asserts that he did not say it."
"I'd say but I've heard it, because I've heard it."
"But he still said he didn't."
"Then I will tell him the other way around, because I have heard it, so I know the content. I want to let him know this."
"It keeps repeating like this, and you are demented."
"What do you want to say?"
"Then one day, the person who said it seemed to have forgotten everything, and asked you if you knew about it."
"Ask me? Then I'll tell him that he said it before."
"The person who said it claimed that he didn't say it. This is the first time he has heard of it."
"what?"
"Just repeat. Let me repeat again and again, you are in a state of dementia. Then, what will happen?"
"I...would think it was my memory...and tell him about it?"
"That's right. After repeated playback and repeated input actions, the memory will become more and more vivid. Then hide the input source, and the content will become that person's memory—it's that simple..."
"Five... Baizi Daozi?"
At this time the tram came.
We get in the car.
The scenery outside the car window is already full of spring.
Maybe it's because of the light. It's incredible that the scenery that should be the same looks completely different.Ordinary forests and rivers, etc., all appear extremely novel.
"Kuonji..." Kyogokudo said suddenly, and I gasped in shock as I was fascinated by Fanyong's scenery, "The person who introduced Enokizu to Ms. Kuonji Ryoko..."
"What are you talking about without thinking?"
"It seems to be Dahanoi."
"Okochi? Is that Okochi?"
"Yeah, that's Da Hanoi."
Okochi was a classmate of our old high school days.He always carried philosophy books with him, was a weirdo, and didn't like to socialize. I admired him a lot when I was suffering from depression as a student.
It's like the idiom "Birds of a feather flock together".
Kuonji Ryoko was the person involved in the incident that happened last year—that summer—that I will never forget.
She visited Enokizu's office as a client—that was the beginning of the incident.
If what Kyogokudo said is true, then it means that someone I know has become a slight opportunity for the incident.
"Okochi was originally an interpreter for the garrison, and he also knew Enokizu. In our grade, there was no one who didn't know that fool Enokizu."
"But nobody knew he was a detective."
"Enokizu's older brother opened a jazz club for the troops stationed there. Enokizu played guitar there, and it seems that he had some exchanges with the U.S. troops stationed there."
"I know. Enoki-san forced me to play the bass guitar, and thanks to him, I can do it."
Kyogokudo said, "But you play very badly", and laughed.
The tram "Katang" wobbled.
"Miss Ryoko studied in the pharmacy school for a while. I heard that Okochi met her at that time, and the lecturer there was his good friend. The fate is really amazing."
"It's really amazing."
"Miss Akane Weorisaku is a classmate of Miss Ryoko."
"what……"
As the tram drove up the viaduct, the car body creaked, and my friend's voice became a little blurred.
"That's it."
"It was also Okochi who introduced Enokizu to Ms. Sugiura Mie. Although I don't know why, Ms. Mie and Ms. Ryoko met once the year before last. I heard that Okochi also introduced him. He seems to be a feminist expansionist , He read the paper written by Ms. Kui, and wanted to contact the Society for Thinking about Women and Social Relations... But there are not so many conferences that publish the papers on the market."
"What do you want to say?"
"So, fate is really amazing."
The car entered the tunnel, and the window reflected my silly expression.The car rumbled through the darkness, and my familiar face instantly turned into a whole field of cherry blossoms.
"However, it is indeed as you said. The profession of pharmacist seems to be particularly favored by working women. The two incidents you were involved in were classmates. It must be a coincidence. The world is very small. .”
"That's right. But like Ms. Ryoko, Ms. Akane didn't graduate. She seemed to have run away from home and went to Tokyo to work and study during the period when she was close to defeat. Could it be that she was resisting something? Woolen cloth?"
"From what I've heard, Miss Qian doesn't look like that kind of person."
"She is a very humble person and extremely intelligent. She is not inferior to her sister at all, and she also has clear principles and propositions for society."
"See how you hold her up."
"not bad."
"Kyogokudo, you are in favor of women's participation in society, right?"
"Yes, but Miss Qian did not work as a pharmacist. Her social participation ended up being her husband's secretary from last summer to autumn."
"That company was destroyed by Mr. Liang, what did it do?"
"It was a clothing company that he brought down, but it closed down in the spring. Miss Qian worked in a small factory after Mr. Liang moved to the left, located in Koganei Town."
"Koganei?"
"It's near Mr. Kiba's rented house. I don't care if it's Ryo, but it seems that the second daughter of a dignified weaving writer works in such a factory, and it seems to have attracted a lot of discussion. But Miss Akane seems to be calm and doesn't care. At that time, Masuoka Mr. Yaohong went to Xiaojinjing every day for the issue of Mr. Yaohong’s succession. He seemed to have visited the factory a few times, and said that Ms. Qian was very serious about pouring tea and sweeping the floor there. Although what she did was not a secretary’s job.”
"It turns out that she is that kind of person."
"That's right, even if you fall, you don't get up empty-handed."
"what?"
"The five hundred knives seem to be taken care of by Miss Qian herself. Miss Qian is a very hardworking woman."
As soon as you walk out of the station, you can smell the tide, and the sea is very close.
The sky is a heavy cloudy sky in cherry blossom season.
Go through the town to the sea where the fisherman's huts are lined up.Cast nets and buoys fade to a unique shade.Melted into the depressed landscape.Fishy and budding aromas combine to create a unique scent that sweeps through the nose.But since it's not a hot summer, it's not so bad.
The fishing village welcomes spring.
"Mr. Renji's house is near here. He seems to have decided to move in with his son, and maybe he doesn't live here anymore. I heard that his granddaughter Miyuki decided to transfer to a school in Tokyo. It seems that Miss Akane interceded, Shibata Mister helped arrange it. I heard that we are going to move into the dormitory again, but Miyuki is a girl who stands alone, so it must be fine."
"So, what happened to that statue?" "I heard that Ms. Qian bought it from Imagawa for 20,000 yuan, and said she wanted to put the two statues together."
"To Gu'an is really full of disasters."
He was detained as a suspect in Mount Hakone, and this time...
"I heard that he was knocked out in the corridor outside the hall when you were performing your best eloquent tirade. He complained to me that you didn't even hear half of the explanation on exorcising monsters. Want to hear that kind of thing, he this What a strange man, but who asked him to stand like a guard at the door? He is also a strange man."
"Weaver's calligraphy and painting antiques made him a lot of money, which is offset. Imagawa seems to have been hit on the back of the head by Mr. Kosaku. Aoi was attacked quite a long time before telling the truth."
"What's wrong?"
"Mr. Geng Zuo believes that Aoi Xiaojie is the person who is manipulating Hirano behind the scenes—that is, the real culprit, so he commits the murder..."
"so what?"
"Why did Mr. Geng Zuo know that Miss Kui was instigating behind Hirano's back before she confessed?"
"Ok?"
Knock out Taiguan...
Did that mean he had already made up his mind to kill someone?
Did you hear about plowing from Wubaizidao?
Take your own daughter...
Come to the sea.
The sound of the waves sounds so comfortable.
"What a place."
"The fish here is delicious."
"It's not suitable for tragedy at all."
"There is no suitable place for tragedy."
"yes."
"Moura is the place beyond..." Kyogokudou stretched out his finger, "... Speaking of misfortune, Isama also had a lot of misfortunes. He said that his finger was short. When Mr. Kiba wanted to go to the Hanging Room , if the Mr. Geng who was leading the way hadn’t been grounded by the police, then that idle guy wouldn’t have been injured either... Really bad luck.”
"No, if you think about it carefully, it was the police—no, it was the uncle who killed it. But as you said, if Mr. Geng Zuo led the way, Isama should be fine. But Mr. Geng Zuo is also an ordinary person, and it turned out that Isn’t it the same? Didn’t Mr. Geng Zuo tell the uncle how to leave?”
"It seems so. Izuma said Miss Qian had an idea."
"Then it's my uncle's fault." I argued.
Jingjitang turned around and said with a wry smile: "Why do you keep pursuing the responsibility of the uncle today?"
"However, this is a natural feeling. Now that I have heard how to go, why do Isamaya and Daikoan go together? Miss Akane's wit has been ruined. It's my fault."
"That's right. Let's put it this way... At that time, Miss Qian lied to the police about Xishi. Since she was hiding information about Xishi, Miss Qian actually asked Mr. Gengzuo to explain how to get to the hut. If Xi If the city people still stay in the hut, wouldn't her lie be exposed..."
A gust of sea breeze blew across his cheeks.
"...Don't you think so?"
"No, does she really expect the lie to be exposed? She is not the kind of person who can tell a lie to the end."
"That's right. But, Hirano and Kiichi passed by in that hut, right? It was possible for the two of them to bump into each other. It was really a coincidence." Kyogokudo said.
Dwellings reappeared sporadically.
We walked into the side road with a steep slope.
Through the sparse woods, on the ramp...
It's blooming...
"Where are the cherry blossoms..."
The cherry blossoms all over the mountain are amazing.
It seems to be covered with a layer of fog - the top is blurred into the sky, the bottom is melted into the earth, the realm is penetrated into the sea, a whole piece of cherry blossoms.
"Wow..." I couldn't help but sigh, dazzled.
Among the cherry blossoms, only among the endless gradations of cherry blossoms stands a very dark foreign-style building.
——Spiderweb Mansion.
A few petals blown by the wind landed on my shoulders.
We walked down the path and headed towards the cherry blossom garden.The trail was deserted, surrounded by dead trees without flowers.
Black walls, black walls, black roofs.
Kyogokudo put on his coat in front of the door.
The grandeur of the building and the luxuriant beauty of the cherry blossom trees kept me fascinated for a while, and it was really the finale.
The door opened.
A woman stood there in a sakura-colored kimono.
"Mr. Chuzenji, welcome."
The woman saluted respectfully.
A pair of almond eyes narrowed into a half-moon shape, small cherry lips, and a soft expression.
The black hair is coiled on the head, and the well-shaped beauties symbolize her intelligence.
Against the background of the clothes and the surrounding cherry blossoms, Orisaku Akane turned into a cherry color.
She is neither a woman nor a girl, but a woman.
"It's reassuring to see you so healthy. Have you calmed down yet? Now...just you?"
"Well, the house is too big, even cleaning it is a big project. I will move out next month, although I feel very reluctant... Who is this?"
Akane turned her gaze to me.
The movement of turning his head in wonder is very innocent, and he doesn't look like a new widow at all.
I haven't seen her deceased sisters, so I can't say anything, but if their beauty is really better than this woman, then they must be peerless beauties.
She's a rare--beauty.
"His name is Guankou. He is my acquaintance. Please don't worry about him. If you don't want to. I can ask him to go back."
That's too much to say.Although Chuzenji said so weakly, Akane still bowed her head to me deeply: "My name is Orisaku."
"My, my surname is Guankou."
I don't understand why the tongue is not flexible at this time.This vulgar and dull attitude obviously makes my humanity extremely suspicious.
The interior of the house has all the equipment that an elegant western-style house should have. It is quite different from the organic and complex image of a house like a magic cave that I imagined from Isama House.However, this ancient building is indeed in the Meiji style, and the decorations that seem to break if touched, etc., give people the impression that it is more fragile than slender.
We walked through the hall where the tragedy took place, and entered the corridor under the spiral staircase.
At this time, Kyogokudo looked at the cat-leg table in the center of the hall, showing a sad expression for some reason.
Three people died here.
We came to the end of a dead-end corridor.
On the right is a dark door.Kyogokudo walked past Akane silently, said "This is the study", and held the handle.
Inside this door, it was Liang who was killed.
Kyogokutang turned the doorknob a few times, and said puzzledly: "It's so strange, the door is locked."
Akane frowned anxiously. "Huh? Impossible. When I cleaned it just now, it wasn't locked..."
"Do you have a key?"
Kyogokudo turned the handle frequently with his left hand, and stretched out his right hand towards Akane.Qian answered "yes" in confusion, took out the key from the lapel, and put it in his hand.Kyogokudo said: "Oh, thank you. This is a common key for the entire museum." Then he inserted it into the lock. "Huh? That's weird, it seems to be stuck." After a long time.
"Guankou, come and see, maybe the lock is broken." He said, and handed me the key.
I have no choice but to take the key.Kyogokudo is dexterous, but has little strength.
I pushed my friend aside and turned the handle two or three times, and it did lock.
"Ah, it really can't be opened, is it rusted?"
I carefully inserted the key into the lockhole and turned it slowly, so the lock opened with a "click".
"Well, it doesn't matter, it's open."
"Great, maybe I got stuck just now." Jing Jitang said, and hurried into the room.I handed the key to Akane and went inside.
It's quite spacious inside.Although the layout is somewhat uneven, it looks like a very convenient study room.Outside the big windows is a whole cherry tree, and the petals are dancing.The center of the window was neatly boarded, and the glass and frame were damaged, probably beyond repair.Is this window repaired by farming?
A long corridor can be seen in the distance, from where Isamaya witnessed the tragedy that happened here.
Kyogokudo is already concentrating on the books displayed on the bookshelves.His eyes frantically scan the titles of books and authors, he is absorbed in his merchandise, yet still able to speak to others.
"It's a great bookshelf, with a full range of categories and clear categories. But it doesn't look like Mr. Yunosuke's collection of books alone. Is it Mr. Ihei's hobby?"
With a melancholy look on Akane's forehead, she said, "I think... it should be sorted out by my great-grandfather Kaemon..."
"Oh, when this house was completed, Mr. Kaemon was the head of the house. These... If you deal with it all, it will be a pretty amazing amount of money. Oh, please don't say that you can't buy cheap things like bidding with me. , sold at a high price. Books that can be sold at a high price have to be bought at a high price. If it is for the pursuit of profit, it is unreasonable to buy at a lower price than the estimated price, use inventory management to manipulate the price, and raise the price. It is a blasphemy to books. As a second-hand bookseller, if you do this, it is simply a heretic."
This is simply a self-serving monologue.However, Qian stared at the non-stop ancient bookseller with sad and gentle eyes, and said, "I understand your persistence, please buy it at a high price."
Then she said: "It seems that it will take some time. I'm going to make tea. I'm alone in the room now. I'm sorry for the moment. Please wait a moment." She bowed to me and left Room.
I walked her to the door in fear, and squatted down to check the doorknob. It would be dangerous if the door locked itself.I turned the handle cautiously, but it didn't look rusty.
I just peeped at the door lock when Kyogokudo's voice came from behind: "What are you doing? Like a thief."
"Uh, I'm worried that the door will be locked again by accident."
"You are really stupid. Ah, since I met you, how many times have I said that I am stupid? The key has used up all the stupid words in my life. What words should I use to criticize you in the future?"
His tone was the same as before, absent-minded.
Looking back, he didn't even look here, and continued to appraise the book.
"Didn't you still call me a monkey and an idiot?"
"That's what Enokizu said. The idiot and the trash are used by Kiba Osamu."
What is the point of accumulating the vocabulary of mocking people from different people?I stood up.
"Where am I stupid?"
"How could the door be accidentally locked?"
"But it's locked."
"I locked it."
"what?"
I came to the appraiser.Kyogokudo did not write the amount in the account book, but only occasionally read the book to check the status of the book, or to confirm the copyright page.Very fast.
"What the hell are you thinking?"
"I was just wondering how the whip, glasses, and kimono were handed over to Bi. Sekiko, help me make sure there is no seal or something in the desk drawer over there."
"What! Won't you turn around and say something? What are you talking about?"
Out of nowhere, I came to the desk, sat down on a chair that looked quite comfortable, and opened the drawer.
The seal was found immediately.
There are a total of six large, medium and small.
"Yes, six. Ivory and boxwood, and is this... agate? I don't know how much it's worth. See for yourself."
"Who wants to buy something like that? Just find a piece of paper and print it on."
"There is no ink pad."
"Just cover it."
"Cover directly?"
There's a note in the drawer, which I'll stamp.
"It's very blurry, and the print doesn't quite come out. This one is the clearest, it can barely be recognized, uh... weaving, Zuoxiong."
Before I finished speaking, Kyogokudo came to me and said, "Oh, it's this seal. It can still be stamped after a month."
Then he quickly returned to the bookshelf.
"What's going on, Kyogokudo?"
"If..." he changed the subject abruptly, "...you want to avoid those eyes of Enokizu, what would you do?"
"How to do it?"
Enokizu's retina seems to be able to reconstruct other people's memories.Because it is reflected on the retina, it is limited to visual memory.No matter how many times I listen to the principle, I still don’t understand it, and besides myself, no one knows whether it is true or not.
However, Enokizu's eyes never failed.
"Then there is no escape, right? This has nothing to do with the consciousness of the person being seen?"
There should be no way to arbitrarily—consciously manipulate the information that Enoki would see, because what Enoki saw was not the human heart.
"So, we just need to honestly bring out the original scene, and then add a different explanation for that scene—memory, because Enokizu can only explain it in that way."
"I don't quite understand."
"For example, you were slapped by Yukie."
"Why? Do couples quarrel?"
"Then Enokizu came, and as soon as he saw your face, he scolded, 'You dead monkey, what have you done? Are you playing tricks? Are you gambling?'"
"Really annoying."
"But you are not that romantic, and you don't have that kind of guts. In fact, the reason is even more trivial. But you don't want to be speculated like this? So when Enokizu comes, you are the first to say: 'Brother Enoki, be careful It's still spring, and there's a big mosquito in this room!'"
"mosquito?"
"When the detective hears this, he will be happy and say: 'I want to see the big mosquito too, let me kill it!' Because Enokizu is an idiot. Then he will see you and say: 'Why, monkey There's also a big mosquito on the cheek pouch!'"
"Oh."
"So Xue'e's fierce slap will become a warm mosquito-slapping scene. But the premise is that Xue'e must not be present, or it has been set up with you in advance."
That's how it is, attaching different explanations to the past scenes to conceal and tamper with the facts that have already happened.But if you think about it carefully, the way we understand the past is generally the same.
Kyogokudo moved to the front of the bookshelf, and while continuing the appraisal, he babbled nonsense: "In the future, if you are caught having an affair, after being beaten up by Yukie, and when you meet Enokizu, just use this trick."
Let me show my attitude of protest: "How could I have an affair? Although I am not reconciled, but as you said, I am not romantic at all, I don't know how to play with women, and I don't have the courage to gamble. There is no chance to justify it. "
Jing Jitang shook his shoulders and smiled: "Even if you don't care, let's say, I said to my Chizuko or Atsuko, or Kiba Osamu with a serious face, 'Sekiguchi used his childlessness to die You actually molested a female student...', what would happen? They probably wouldn't tell Yukie directly, but they would definitely look at you suspiciously. Kiba, in particular, would definitely give you a hard lesson. Come on, your wife will know about this sooner or later, it’s fine if you beat me up, but your authority at home will plummet, and there will be an irreparable rift between husband and wife.”
"What nonsense are you talking about while appraising the books? What are you trying to do to drive us apart?"
"Hehehe, in this case, you can't prove your innocence. Of course, there is no conclusive evidence for this matter, but you also don't have enough counter-evidence to deny it. Apart from constantly declaring that you are innocent, There is no other way. If this state continues, you will definitely feel more pressure. At this time, a female student who is rumored to be prostitution really appears in front of you, and you will..."
"Don't say it, it's really low-level, it's like..."
——Honda Kozo.
"Hey, Kyogokudo!"
"Sixteen years ago, Kozo Honda retired from the central government at the age of thirty and became a teacher at St. Bernard's College. His wife was eighteen years younger than him and was his first student."
"He married his student? This..."
What on earth is he... trying to say?
I stare at the back of my friend.
“我也向当时的关系者打听过本田辞掉公职的理由。他与其说是辞职，更接近遭到免职。”
“他……他做了什么？盗用公款吗？”
“听说是和女性闹出丑闻，传闻说他猥亵良家妇女，还是在花街殴打了娼妓之类的。”
换句话说，本田这个人原本就有这样的一面吗？
书商继续说道：“他现在的妻子——好像其实也是本田为了负起责任才娶了她的。被他染指的女孩似乎还有更多……可是结婚后，本田收敛许多，将近十年，他都一直扮演着好丈夫、好老师的角色，认真地工作。不过，他们夫妇没有孩子，好像是本田本身有障碍。去年开始，本田的家庭生活好像变调了。他的妻子似乎是资本家的千金，而且两人相识的过程又是那样，他在妻子面前完全抬不起头来吧，而且结婚都十年了，他的妻子今年也才二十八岁，很年轻。”
——二十八岁。
“那，本田的妻子和茜小姐是同年龄喽？”
“是啊，听说本田的妻子和茜小姐是同学。这一点先暂且不管，本田幸三的心情，实在教人深感同情哪。他一定已经改邪归正了吧，可是后来又自暴自弃起来了。”
In other words...
“你说本田被逼到绝境，就是这么回事吗？他有前科，所以如果他的妻子听到他对学生出手，就会相信。夫妻关系降到冰点的时候……他得到学生卖春的消息……”
我的话还没说完，书商就用一副嫌我刺耳的口吻说：“你也真是不解风情，粗俗极了，这种事何必说得那么一清二楚呢？”
“可、可是……”
虽然只是依稀——不过我总算开始感觉到这次的事件有多么骇人。
"……That……"
“我是说……这不是巧合。”
我感到不安。
归咎于巧合，就等于承认自己无知——这种单纯的决定论，不是老早就遭到否定了吗？
京极堂仿佛看透了我的想法，说道：“人们对于自己的事，是格外生疏的。第一个把本国的八歧大蛇神话和制铁连结在一起的，其实不是本国人，而是外国人。可是众多的日本研究者忘了这一点，表现出一副自己才是发现者的态度。所谓原创性、顶多就是这种程度罢了。过度大力声张个体……好坏值得商榷呢。”
“可是京极堂，你以前和我谈过不确定性。”
"yes."
"So……"
“非决定性和自由并非同义。而且，就算撇开决定论，自由意志也是如此地不可靠。就算没有拉普拉斯的恶魔，光靠一只蜘蛛，也荡到了这里啊……”
——这种事……真有这种事吗？
京极堂背对着我说：“这个世上没有不可思议的事啊，关口……”
接着他忽地回过头来，一直与他的背影对话的我吃了一惊，同样望向朋友的眼神注视的方向。
门开着，茜拿着放了红茶组的银盘站在那里。
我的胸中充满了不安，不慌不忙地详装平静。尽管如此，我的外表依然显现出极不安定的态度……
“辛苦了，要不要稍微休息一下呢？”
京极堂看到茜的脸，难得地笑道：“哦，恭敬不如从命。而且也已经完成一半了……咦，你练这个人的份都准备了吗？实在是太惶恐了。难得你费心准备，但似乎这个人味觉迟钝，要是捏住鼻子，连酱油和咖啡都分辨不出来呢。真是不好意思。”
把人损得那么难听。
茜觉得好笑似的微笑，把托盘放在桌上，左右顾盼，她好像子找椅子。
“京极堂，你很过分欸。我和这位小姐是初次见面，人家会当真的。”
我提出不知道第几次的抗议，书商说“可是这是事实啊”，拍了两三下手，拂去灰尘后，把旁边的椅子搬到桌子旁边坐下。
我不甘心就这么吃亏，大放厥词地说：“别看我这样，我可是很擅长分辨红茶种类的。”于是坏心的朋友说道：“那么你就猜猜看啊，关口。”茜请我用热腾腾的琥珀色红茶。
芳香出众。
可是，外头飘进来的樱花香气太过浓郁，结果我分辨不出那到底是什么红茶。
“喏，看吧，”书商说，“你的味觉和嗅觉不文明。味觉等感官是获得性遗传，所以这是你满足于粗食的证据。对了，说道嗅觉，我想到一件事……”
京极堂说道，把脸转向茜。“……你所师事的大河内教授，听说他的专业方向也是嗅觉对吧？”
茜露出怀念的眼神。
“虽然时间很短，但教授对你印象深刻。来时说，我上个星期和教授碰面了，他说你是个非常优秀的学生呢。”
京极堂说的教授，是在车子里提到的老友大河内的叔叔吧。
茜摇摇头说：“没那回事，我连一年的课都没有上满。”
“不，你不必谦逊。大河内教授当时正在研究香料的刺激对人体的影响，说他曾经拜托你帮忙他做实验，不是吗？你是在那时认识我旧制高中的同窗——大河内康治的吧？”
“这么说来，也有这么一回事呢。”
茜的表情显得更怀念了。
“那么你也马上就看出嫌疑犯平野的病症了吧？”京极堂笑容可掬地说，“如果每个人都像你这么聪明，事情就好办多了。那些警察都是些不学无术的家伙，到现在似乎都还无法理解，教人伤脑筋呢。平野在狱中非常听话，也老实地招供了，可是一谈到杀人的部分，他说出来的话完全没有人能够理解。这么说虽然有些奇怪，但他也是个可怜的人……”
说到这里，京极堂望向茜柔弱的脸，严肃地致歉：“啊，失礼了。他对你而言，是杀害妹妹的仇人呢。”
茜露出极其哀切的表情说：“白粉的毒性是很强烈的……”
就这样，黑色和服的男子与樱色和服的女子愉快地交谈。
我带着一种难以释怀的不安定心情，喝下芳香的热烫液体。
不久后，话题从闲聊转到织作葵这位果敢的女性运动家。茜的表情比起悲哀更像怀念，提到了一些已故的妹妹的往事。
“做姐姐的我这么说也很奇怪，但葵真的非常聪明，甚至给人一种神圣不可侵犯的感觉。我觉得我一生……都赢不了她。”
“我深有同感。”京极堂说。“今后……就轮到你了。”
“你太抬举我了。”茜垂下头去。
“其实，舍妹也以职业妇女自居，不过她只是活泼好动，一点可取之处也没有。她现在在出版社上班，却是愈来愈粗野，前途堪虑呢。”
“她在出版社任职吗？那一定非常辛苦吧。真了不起。”
“说是编辑，说穿了也只是帮忙跑腿的小厮罢了。啊，这并非因为舍妹是女性，所以我给了她不正当的评价，这完全是根据她的能力所做出来的正当批评。她在稀谭舍上班，那是一家舍妹实在高攀不上的出版社。”
“我对这方面不太熟悉，不是很清楚，可是稀谭舍不是一家一流出版社吗？”
“算是中坚出版社吧。”京极堂回答，然后问道：“对了，你平常会阅读稀谭舍出版的《近代妇女》吧？”
茜答道：“是的。”
“这栋屋子……”京极堂仰望高高的天花板说，“还有那所学院的建筑师，是一位叫做伯纳德·法兰克的法国人对吧？以建筑师的名字作为校名的学校，还真是少见。”
茜笑的更空灵。“你调查得真清楚，连我都不晓得呢。”
“这里会拆掉吗？”
“嗯。我在这里住了二十八年，觉得极为不舍，但是这里对我来说，已经是无用的长物了。而且，待在这里，我会想起舍妹们和家母。”
茜垂下视线，说“我没办法一个人待在那个大厅”。
她看起来真的很悲伤。
“墓地要怎么处理？”
墓地就在园子里。
我望向窗外，但只看得见一片樱花，没见到坟墓。
“会改葬到别处。”茜说道，“我想和那两尊神像一起，在附近的墓地建个灵庙祭祀。因为织作的家名很快就会断绝了……”
她的眼神很寂寞。
“这样啊，那么请容我上个香吧。”京极堂说道，站了起来，来到面对庭院的窗户旁的一个小书架前，问道，“这里从里面打不开吗？” “不，只是不太好开。”茜答道。
“什么！那、那里是出入口吗？”
“没错。这栋建筑物所有的房间，全都有两道以上的门。它的构造就是这样的。成串房间的尽头处，全都朝外侧开启。杉浦是破窗而逃，并不是密室，所以好像没有人想过他是如何侵入的，不过他前几天供称他是从这道密门进入书房的。他说是碧告诉他的。不过他杀害是亮先生后，想要逃走，门却怎么样都打不开，外面又传来激烈的敲门声，他情急之下才破窗而逃。”京极堂说道，灵巧地移动书架，用力往旁边搬动。一阵声响之后，门开了。
外头是一片樱海，樱花的花瓣有如细雪般纷纷飞舞。过去，再过去都是樱花。
樱花的另一头，看得见墓地。
“啊……嘉右卫门先生、五百子女士、伊兵卫先生、贞子女士、雄之介先生、真佐子夫人、紫小姐、葵小姐和碧小姐——织作家的人都沉眠在那儿呢……”
京极堂走向樱海。被春风刮得有如暴风雪的樱花瓣中，他的形姿显得更加漆黑。
没错，在樱花的对比下，他现在完全——就是个黑衣男子。
望着他的背影，与樱花同色的女子走了过去。
花瓣簌簌的、纷纷飞舞。
仿佛从机关窥孔的洞孔里看见了秘密的桃源乡，我兴起一种异样的感觉。
“你……献身照顾着安眠于此的织作家的人，像是碧小姐的换穿衣物等，也是你每个月一次，送到学院去的吧？”
“是的，紫姐姐过世后，一直是由我……”
“这样啊。”黑衣男子说，“虽然迟了一些——茜小姐，恭喜你了。”
“总觉得难以置信。我一个寡妇人家，实在是担当不起这番厚爱，而且我和勇治先生……”
“你……从石长比卖变身为木花佐久夜毗卖了呢。”
樱色的女子略微偏首，柔声答道：“可以这么说吗？……”
黑衣男子微微点头。
我几乎要看丢了他的背影。
“麻田代议士和渡边先生都不是你的父亲，你真正的父亲是谁——你已经从五百子刀那儿听说了吧？”
“这个嘛，曾外祖母好像以为每天照顾她的我是个女佣，什么也没告诉我。”
格外强劲的一阵风，从盛开的樱花树上刮下无数花瓣，铺天盖地地覆盖了这一带。
“关于本田这个人，你……”
“这个名字我实在不想听见。”
“原来如此，那么我就不问了……”
“那是过去的事了。”女子说。
“过去的事。”男子问道，“志摩子小姐这个人，似乎非常讲义气呢。听说她直到最后，都坚持不肯把你和八千代女士的名字告诉任何人。”
“……她……是个非常勇敢的人……”
“你不相信她吗？”
"Do not believe."
眼前仿佛笼罩了一层樱花色的雾。两名男女的形姿被几千、几万枚飞舞的樱花给遮掩，好似随时都会消失不见。
我感觉自己仿佛距离两人几百里、几千里之遥，好像独自一个人被抛弃在此岸，不安极了。
“喜市他……人在哪里？”
“不清楚。不过，他应该永远不会再出现在我的面前了。他也是个……非常深情的人。”
一股花香袭来，我几乎要呛住了。
那里已经是连接此世的净土了。
茜色的夕阳，从云雾的缝隙、树木的缝隙间射入，花瓣缤纷闪耀，空间的白与另一头墓碑的黑、伫立在前方的樱色女子及暗色男子，彼此就像画着不具实体的幻影的错觉画一般，彼此化为背景、化为纹路，共享世界，相互否定。
我相信是永恒持续、却在每一个刹那断绝的时间隙缝里，他们往来着。
我闭上眼睛，背过身子。
男子嘹亮的声音响起：“你的房间有八道门。”
“你——就是蜘蛛吧？”
Notes:
Notes: