Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen
August 8
After finally waiting until eight o'clock, Noda Kenichi called the Fujino family.Even if she retired after entering the third grade, Ryoko still belongs to the Kendo club in terms of club activities.The morning practice at the Kendo Club encouraged her to develop the habit of getting up early, so calling her at eight should be no problem.But unexpectedly, it was Ryoko's father Fujino Takeshi who answered the phone. "My daughter is sleeping soundly." Fujino said bluntly, "Last night, it seems that I worked all night. Do you want to wake her up?" "No, no need. I'll call back later. It's not urgent." Kenichi could hear his voice changing tone.It was the first time since that night that I spoke to Fujino Go. The night that Kenichi almost killed his parents seemed to have happened ten years ago. "Okay, I'll ask Ryoko to call you later." "I'm sorry." Just as Jianyi was about to hang up the phone as if fleeing, the voice from the receiver rang again. "Noda-san," Fujino Takeshi's voice was still aggressive even on the phone, "You are very energetic." "Oh, yes." Kenichi replied terrified. "Liangzi said, you are very powerful." Kenichi was speechless. "Actually, I feel the same way. I was shocked by what Kanbara thought and did." What exactly?There are too many examples of this. "Thank you." Kenichi could only think of this answer at the moment, but then he let out another redundant sentence, "Are you resting today?" "Huh?" Ryoko's father seemed surprised, he probably never thought that the other party would ask about him.He smiled and said, "I'm going to work soon. I slept at home last night." His tone was slightly tongue-in-cheek.Maybe his daughters always ask him: Dad, are you sleeping at home today? "I am the parent of a student from Chengdong No. 3 Middle School, and I am also Liangzi's father. My position is rather delicate. Come on!" He said, "But don't deviate from the topic." He hung up the phone.What does Ryoko's father mean by "theme"?Kenichi looked at the phone and thought for a while.
As usual, the defense will meet here at nine o'clock in the morning.Today I want to study the check list provided by Kashiwagi Takuya's brother Kashiwagi Hiroyuki.Shunji Oide is also coming, because there may be phone numbers he is familiar with in the list, and he has to pick them out one by one. Last night, even if he didn't stay up all night, Kenichi was busy until midnight.He compiled the transcript of the conversation with the owner of Kobayashi Electric Store into a report. When he heard about the Kobayashi Electronics Store from General Affairs Iwasaki, Kenichi was excited about the clue he had unearthed for a while, but after meeting and talking, he found that it was not of much value.Uncle Xiaolin is a warm-hearted little old man. He listened carefully to Jianyi's introduction of the trial in the school, and answered all the questions Jianyi raised one by one. However, the content of these answers can be described as hollow. The time is 7:30 pm on December 24th.At that time, the TV news on NHK just ended, so the time should not be wrong.Uncle Kobayashi saw a boy in the phone booth in front of the shop.Seeing his frowning look, he greeted him and asked him if he was in trouble.The boy said he was fine.That was a very polite kid... It’s still a bit organized here, but it’s not good to go any further.Uncle Kobayashi couldn't even remember the boy's appearance and clothes.He told General Affairs Iwasaki that the boy was a child who committed suicide, and it was only a subjective imagination based on the impression at that time, without any evidence.Uncle Kobayashi himself admitted this and expressed his apology. Whenever Kenichi gave a reminder, Uncle Kobayashi would follow his words and correct his memory.After noticing this, Kenichi didn't dare to remind again.Unexpectedly, it would be so difficult to discover other people's memories from eight months ago. Uncle Kobayashi talked a lot.The phone booth in front of the store has had many incidents before, and it will become a "window" to observe adolescents, so I am very concerned about this phone booth.and so on. "There was an unusual aura about the boy I saw on December 24th. Seeing his back reminded me of the day of the evacuation many years ago. It was war time and you know what an evacuation is What do you mean? I fled from the city to the countryside to avoid air raids. I went to a relative’s house to take refuge, and some children were evacuated together, so they were separated from their own adults.” While talking, I digressed.Hearing about the misery during the Pacific War and the famine after the war, Kenichi almost lost his patience and stopped taking notes halfway through. After he finished talking a lot on his own, Kenichi hurriedly took out six photos for him to identify.At this point almost an hour has been wasted. These photos were collected after consultation with Mr. Kitao.Takuya Kashiwagi, Shunji Oide, Mitsuru Iguchi, Yutaro Hashida, and two other unrelated boys acted as cover.Kenichi lined up the six photos for Uncle Kobayashi to identify.If you show them one by one, the other party may perceive Kenichi's inner expectations from the action or order of taking the photos, which will affect his objective judgment.This is what Kenichi learned on the spur of the moment from a book in the library called "Testimony: The Psychology of Interrogation". Uncle Xiaolin shook his head after looking at the six photos, but he didn't recognize any of them.But Kenichi always felt that as long as he was given more hints, he would nod to each one. In short, his memory is very vague. Therefore, Kenichi couldn't help but have a lot of headaches when writing the report to be submitted to the defender of Kanbara.Useless nonsense is naturally omitted, but the memory of the evacuation is still preserved.Kenichi felt that this was much more concrete than just writing "The child looks a little terrified". There was a knock on the door.If it was Kazuhiko Kazuhiko and the others, it would be too early. "Xiaojian." Kenichi was surprised, it was his mother.He hastily opened the door. Noda Yukie didn't wear pajamas, but was very neatly dressed.His face without make-up looked a little pale, and his hair was combed back. "Are there any friends coming today?" "Uh-huh." "I made a sandwich and put it in the refrigerator. It will harden after a long time, so eat it early." Breakfast was already served with father Takeo, so the sandwiches mother mentioned were for friends. "Mom is going to the hospital, and she probably won't be back until the afternoon." "I might have to go out at noon..." "It's okay. Just lock the door." Kenichi let out a "huh". Mother looked into Kenichi's eyes, blinked shyly, and smiled. "Have you made good friends? I heard your father said it." Does dad even tell mom about this? "I heard it was a collaborative research during the summer vacation. It was very hard work. Say hello to your friends for me." Mother closed the door and left.Kenichi put his hands on his head. My mother didn't say anything like "Will these activities affect my review? Will it prevent me from being admitted to my ideal high school".This is quite strange.She is a pessimist. How did the father explain it to the mother?Kenichi cared more about this than the content. I care so much. It's been a long time since I felt this way.
Kazuhiko Kanbara and Toshiji Oide did not come until 9:50.Shunji Oide's hair was disheveled and his face was unwashed.With his eyes closed, he knew that he was not awake, and he was very unhappy. "It took a while to wake him up." Kanbara was sweating profusely, it seemed that it took him a lot of effort to drag Oide here.As soon as Toshiji Oide entered Noda Kenichi's room, he immediately threw himself on the bed. "Let me sleep for a while." He buried his head in the pillow as he said.Jian was shocked, and a thought flashed in his head. My bed…… There was an outsider sleeping on it.If a mother with a cleanliness sees it, she will definitely make a fuss for a long time.What's more, if she knew that Kenji's "good friend" turned out to be Shunji Oide, she might faint on the spot. Kenichi somehow felt a little funny. Kanbara coldly squinted at Oide, who was covered with a towel blanket and curled up with his back outward, poked Kenichi's side, and gestured: Bring your ears closer. "Thanks to Da Chu sleeping late, I have gained something new." He whispered. "What harvest?" "Meet his mother." Kenichi couldn't help but widen his eyes: "Sachiko?" "Who else is there besides her?" Kanbara seemed very happy, "Actually, she is not the kind of person we imagined." Just to be on the safe side, Kanbara called Daide Sachiko before going out in the morning, and the person who answered the phone was Daiide Sachiko.Hearing that Shunji was still sleeping, Kazuhiko Kazuhiko hurried to the weekly apartment where the monk lived temporarily. At that time, Shunji was still fast asleep. "His mother felt embarrassed and tried to wake him up, but failed. So we had to let him sleep for a while, and chatted a little bit." Kazuhiko Kamhara took out a four-fold note from his schoolbag, "Here, It was written by his mother." It's a record about the alibi that came out on December 24 last year. Kenichi unfolded the note, and saw that it used beautiful and distinctive fonts, listing Shunji Oide's actions that day one by one. "Dachu's going out during the day, his mother is not very clear. Also, he said that his mother went to the performance banquet that day because he remembered it wrongly. It happened on the 25th." Judging from this record, Da Chusheng's mother and son had dinner together at around 7:30 that night, and Da Chusheng's father was still outside at that time.He came home around nine o'clock. President Oide came back with the guests.The guests were three men in suits.As soon as they got home, they went directly into the mahjong room, and asked Sachiko to prepare wine and snacks and bring them in. It was past two o'clock in the morning when the guests returned. Before that, President Oide asked Sachiko to add wine and snacks twice.When Sachiko entered the mahjong room, she found that there were mahjong tiles on the table, the guests were smoking, and the room was filled with smoke. "President Oide has already told Oide and his mother about the guests coming today. He said that he is here to discuss important business. He may need to introduce his family members. He wants Oide's mother and son to stay at home." "Daide was also called to the mahjong room?" "As far as his mother knows, he hasn't been called. However," Kazuhiko Kazuhiko raised his voice, "in the Oide family, the order of the president of Oide is paramount. Since he has given the order in advance, Shunji can't just run away casually." go out." Kenichi couldn't help but be surprised: Kashiwagi Takuya's death is estimated to be between midnight and two o'clock in the morning, and the time for the monk to come to guests is from before nine o'clock in the evening to after two o'clock in the morning. "Shunji's mother is very aware of her son's troubled situation due to the rumors in the school, and as a mother, she can't bear it." Kanbara waved his hand, motioned Kenichi to come closer, and said in a lower voice, "There are visitors at home, and I don't like Shuji's big appearance. Your alibi is very favorable, isn't it?" "certainly." "However, after Kashiwagi's death, whether it was when Oide was rumored to be the murderer, or when the report letter incident rekindled the topic, Mr. Tsuzaki went to find out the situation..." Daide Shengdu strictly ordered Daide Sachiko not to tell outsiders about the visitor. "Claims that people wouldn't believe even if they said it." "This is a bit..." "Not only that……" Since the other party is an extremely important partner in business, it would be bad to be targeted by the police.This is a big win statement.So even the police don't know about it. Kenichi looked at Kazuhiko Kanbara's face, and Kanbara nodded slowly to him. "It's a rare thing that his mum would pass this information on to us." "Because we're not police officers, we're children, and we're friends with Daide." Kazuhiko Kanhara pointed to the bottom line of the record: "Is this the guest's company name?" "There was no official introduction, but Ode's mother heard about it when they were talking." The two looked at each other and nodded at each other. "I promised Oide's mother that the company's name would never be mentioned in court." Otherwise, Sachiko Oide might be beaten by her husband. "However, knowing the background of those people will greatly enhance the persuasiveness of the testimony. At least for the judge." Hearing this, Kenichi didn't nod, but narrowed his eyes and looked at Kazuhiko Kanbara: "So, you want to investigate this company again?" "Well, do you want to entrust them to try? That generous detective company." "Allow me to say a word, Kazami Lawyer told us not to intervene." "That's why I want to know more, don't I?" Kenichi felt a little hairy again.The defender's unusually high work ethic is a bit evil no matter how you look at it.The thoughts in my heart couldn't help leaking out of my mouth: "It's really a bad hobby." At this time, the phone rang.Kenichi jumped up and grabbed the phone receiver. It was Ryoko Fujino who called, her voice was sober, she didn't look like she had just woken up. "Sorry, I slept late today." "It's Ryoko Fujino." After Kenichi told Kanbara, he said into the microphone, "Yesterday, we went to see Mr. Tsuzaki and Mr. Moriuchi." Kenichi naturally used a respectful tone, which he himself found inconceivable, perhaps because the other party was a prosecutor. "We decided to let Sennai-sensei be a witness for the defense, so that she can better explain the destruction of the report letter." "Understood." Prosecutor Fujino responded briefly. "I discussed with the defender, in order to maintain a balance, let Mr. Tsuzaki be the witness of the prosecution for comparison..." "How can there be a reason to maintain a balance? Mr. Tsuzaki should also be your witness. He originally argued that Kashiwagi Taku also committed suicide." Really crisp. "Also, our on-campus trials don't have to strictly divide witnesses into 'prosecution witnesses' and 'defense witnesses' like real courts. This needs to be implemented with Judge Inoue. The division of witnesses into two parties will increase I think it is better to be free from the constraints and obstacles of doing things." Speaking of this level, Kenichi couldn't handle it.He gave the phone to Kazuhiko Kanhara.After the defender answered the phone, he listened to the prosecutor's words and responded with "um, um" from time to time. "However, the order of 'main inquiry' and 'cross-examination' should be maintained, even if only for formality." At this point, their opinions seem to be unified.Kenichi quickly wrote down the words "need to discuss with the judge" in the notebook at hand. "Fujino-san, you are really good." Kanbara said in a slightly mocking tone, "We heard from Mr. Moriuchi about the deal between you and HBS reporter Mogi. It also helped us a lot. I also think it is suppression Best way for that guy." In this regard, Ryoko said something.Kazuhiko Kazuhiko, who was absorbed in listening, raised his eyebrows at Kenichi.What's the meaning? "Understood. One more thing, do you need the help of Kono Investigative Detective Agency to investigate?" Ryoko raised her voice, and Kenichi at the side also heard intermittent words like "From an emotional point of view..." "Incorrect...". "We haven't decided yet, but it shouldn't be as completely negative as you are." Then, Kanbara listened carefully again without saying a word. "It's up to him to decide, and I have no objection. I'll let Noda answer the phone." After handing the receiver to Kenichi, Kazuhiko Kanbara said, "The prosecutor has something to tell you." Kenichi was a little flustered.What will happen? "Noda, can you testify in court about the circumstances when Kashiwagi's body was found? Kanbara said, it's up to you to decide." Kenichi was surprised.He never expected that he would be cast in such a role. "But is this okay? I am the defender's assistant." "You are also the first person to discover the body. What can you do? Out of face, Shen Yuan will not take the initiative to ask you to testify in court, but let me ask you to testify in court. No problem?" How could it be possible to refuse? "No, no problem." "It is only necessary to state the matter as it is, without preparation in advance, and to state it from memory." There is no need to speculate about the role, just act on stage. "Our campus courts are breaking the rules." "It's not really a trial, it can only be done in a way that can be achieved. Please." Kenichi thought that Ryoko was going to hang up the phone, but who knew she still had something to say. "Is Kamhara still alive?" After pressing the receiver to his ear, Kazuhiko Kanbara exclaimed in a low voice: "Huh? You really know everything." What did Ryoko say again? "It's all right now. It's just a bit of a fever and a cold." It seems to be talking about Tenjinhara's physical discomfort the day before yesterday.Kenichi also lamented Ryoko's omniscience at once, but immediately thought that it might be Akiko Furuno who told her, so it's not surprising. Kazuhiko Kazuhiko Kanbara responded with "um" and "okay" again, and handed the receiver to Kenichi again. "Hang up." Kenichi said. The result is that the other party hangs up first.A "beep-beep-" sound came from the receiver. "What did she say?" "Because the workload is too much, it is better to increase the number of assistants instead of entrusting a private detective. She is also too enthusiastic." Kazuhiko Kanbara said.Judging from his expression, he didn't feel unhappy. Kenichi's heart moved: If Ryoko Fujino and Kazuhiko Kanbara hadn't met under the current circumstances, they might have become very close friends.They are equally smart, have the same interests, and look very well matched. Even if they become a pair of lovers, it is logical. It's not me who should really be the defender's assistant, but Ryoko Fujino.Even if Ryoko Fujino is the defender and Kazuhiko Kanbara is the assistant.If these two joined forces, the prosecutor would have no choice but to raise his hands and surrender. "Fujino wants reporter Mogi to appear in court as a witness." Just as Kenichi was thinking wildly, Kazuhiko Kanhara said such a sentence as if nothing had happened. Kenichi couldn't help but stare: "Isn't this asking for trouble?" “Not asking for trouble. If I were a prosecutor, I would do the same thing. Now that the deal is done, reporter Motegi is a good witness for the prosecution.” Sure enough, they even thought the same way. "So you've been prepared for this for a long time?" "It's not that exaggerated, it's just that I expected it a long time ago." "But if that's the case, is Miyake Juri okay? When Mogi reporter pursues it, isn't Miyake Juri the most unbearable?" "Noda, you are very worried about Miyake Juri." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko's tone was quite gentle, "Leaving this matter to Fujino is fine. However, it seems a bit inappropriate to say that, Noda, you should know Fujino better. " Kenichi felt his heartbeat speed up inexplicably. At this time, Shunji Oide was snoring on Kenichi's bed, as if everything had nothing to do with him. "Fujino didn't sleep all night last night, but why couldn't Oide wake up?" Kenichi said. "His mother said that he has always been a night owl who doesn't want to sleep at night." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko seemed to remember something, and laughed, "His mother also complained that the child was too restless." Jianyi thought to himself, he has been disciplined by the police many times, so it's just a matter of peace of mind. "I never thought about it before," said Kanbara. "Oide's mother seems to be quite isolated among the parents." "That's what she asked for." From Kenichi's tone, it seems that he is the representative of other parents in Chengdong No. 3 Middle School. "I know that. But it's pitiful for a mother to complain to a child like me. I've never seen it before." "You still want to be the defender of the great monk and his family?" "You talk very aggressively today. What's the matter, you didn't sleep well? Forget it..." Kazuhiko Kanbara rubbed his hands, "Let's take a look at the call log." This document records the phone calls made and received by the Kashiwagi family on December 24 last year.Yesterday, Hiroyuki Kashiwagi called to say that NTT finally sent the call record, and then sent a fax. Seven phone numbers are listed in the document.There were seven phone calls in one day, which is quite a lot for an ordinary family.If it's New Year's Day, it's justified, because you have to call to pay New Year's greetings.But it's a bit unnatural on Christmas Eve. After all, the Japanese haven't developed the habit of calling everywhere to congratulate "Merry Christmas". Of the seven calls, two were outgoing.One is an out-of-city number and the other is an inner-city number and is in the immediate vicinity.Kashiwagi Hiroyuki wrote a sentence next to the number outside the city: Omiya's grandparents' house, it was my mother who called Omiya's grandma. For the remaining six numbers, Kazuhiko Kazuhiko dialed the one from Kashiwagi's house first.The call connected to a western pastry shop on Libra Avenue.Kenichi also knew about that shop.After confirming, Kanbara hung up the phone. "Must be ordering Christmas cake." The remaining five numbers were calls from outside, all from within the city.Two of them are in this area because of the same area code. "Among the remaining three, this one is from Shinjuku, right? Where is this one from? Akasaka?" Kenichi muttered looking at the numbers. Shen Yuan was slightly surprised: "You can tell which district it is from just by looking at the number?" "Basically, we all know that as long as we are within the twenty-three districts in the center of Tokyo." Incredibly, calls to these five phone numbers resulted in no one answering, and no automatic recording was set up. "How is this going?" "They're all public phones." As long as there is no enthusiastic person passing by who thinks the ringing is too loud to answer it, the phone will definitely keep ringing like this. "This list is too insignificant for us. It would be nice to list the name and location of the owner of the phone in addition to the phone number." "No, that's enough." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko shook his head, "The location doesn't matter, what matters is the call time." Arrange these call records by call time as follows: "Someone is in frequent contact with Kashiwagi." Indeed. "The intervals are about two and a half hours, as if they are regularly reporting something to him." Kenichi recalled: "It was around five o'clock in the evening when Yukio Mukasaka and I saw Kashiwagi at the McDonald's on Libra Avenue." During this time, there were no phone calls. "Looking at it this way, Kashiwagi knows that there will be no calls during this time, so he can go out without worry." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko tilted his head and muttered, "Can you be so sure?" "I think it's okay. Judging from the number of calls, it's definitely not a call that Kashiwagi hates." If it's an annoying phone call, wouldn't it be over if you don't answer it?If it feels scary, Kashiwagi just ignores the ringing of the phone. "For example, the time of the fourth call may be the appointment made in the third call." Kenichi crossed his arms and stared at the call log he had written.As a result, he found that this call record, which had not attracted attention before, was not just a piece of evidence that was more eloquent? "The number (⑸) should be from the phone booth in front of Xiaolin Electric Store, right?" Because the timing is exactly the same. "Make sure. I'll tell Uncle Xiaolin!" Before Kanbara could reply, Kenichi picked up the phone.After hearing Kenichi's name and request, the old man from Kobayashi's electrical shop readily agreed. "Now, I'll call the number (⑸)." Kenichi's fingers trembled a little. The result came out immediately.Uncle Xiaolin's voice came from the other end of the phone: "That's right, this is the number of the phone booth in front of my shop. Is your name Noda? Did you also make this call just now?" "Yes. I did. Sorry." "There were customers in my store just now, but I couldn't come out to pick them up." Uncle Kobayashi seemed a little regretful. "It's okay. But now it's clear, thank you!" Ken looked at the face of defender Kanbara.For some reason, the defender squinted his eyes, looking a little surprised, and then asked, "So what?" Seeing the defender's reaction, Kenichi almost fell off his chair: "What kind of reaction is this? Isn't this an important fact?" Just after 7:30 that afternoon, Uncle Xiaolin from the electrical appliance store saw the young man on the phone in the phone booth in front of the store and talked to him.He told General Affairs Iwasaki that the boy must be Takuya Kashiwagi.However, he did not recognize Kashiwagi Takuya from the photos taken by Kenichi.There was no response to Oide Shunji's photo.This shows that Uncle Kobayashi's testimony is just his own imagination. After this confirmation, things took a turn for the better. Call No. ⑸ seems to be one of a series of calls to Kashiwagi Takuya to inform him of the situation, and it was made from the phone booth in front of Kobayashi Electric Store. Uncle Xiaolin saw the boy who was calling. The defense's response was rather lukewarm. "Now that things have happened, do we need to be excited about this? The boy that Uncle Kobayashi saw was very similar to Kashiwagi Takuo, but different from Daide and the others. This in itself is a testimony in our favor. We can propose to the jurors that that day The defendant and his companions did not call Kashiwagi, at least they did not call number (5). Besides..." The defender shrugged, "Uncle Xiaolin's memory is very vague, which is a fatal weakness. You said in the report Isn't that what it says?" Kazuhiko Kanbara flicked the testimony report of Uncle Kobayashi that Kenichi spent a lot of effort writing with his fingers. "However, isn't it very clear where the call number (⑸) came from?" "That's true." Kanbara's tone softened slightly, "I'm sorry. Actually, I don't want to pour cold water on you." The two fell into a short and awkward silence. In the end, it was Kazuhiko Kanbara who broke the silence: "I think it doesn't matter who is calling these five calls from where, and what the content of the calls is. It doesn't matter." "It doesn't matter?" "Because, even if Daide wants to ask Bai Muzhuo to go out, it is impossible for him to be so patient. Our defendant does not have such planning." This is true.Kenichi thinks so too. "Yeah. If it was Da Chu, he would definitely act more impatiently." "right?" So this is ah.Kenichi sighed.Kong was overjoyed, thinking it was a great discovery. "So, who made the call?" "I don't know." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko forced a smile, "The only way to know is to ask Kashiwagi Takuya himself." This statement is too inexplicable. "Is it always so unclear?" "Is there any problem? Is there a reason why this must be investigated? Since we know that these calls are all from public phones, it will take time and effort to investigate, and the results may not be obtained. The results may have nothing to do with Kashiwagi Takuya's death. .” The defender was right.In terms of possibility, it is true.But, how come there is a feeling of being tricked by rhetoric? "It's not just this matter. As long as it's a case, no matter how rigorous the investigation is, there will always be some unclear parts. The same is true for real court trials. The five phone calls are probably the same." Shen Yuan Kazuhiko said, "We are all laymen, and the time is tight. It is almost impossible to investigate everything clearly. Uncle Kobayashi's memory is very vague, isn't it? Even the time when he saw the boy with the rucksack may be different , maybe not seven thirty-six, but seven forty-five or something." What Kanbara said made sense.But Kenichi still couldn't let go. Defenders don't seem to want to delve into the call list. Is it just because it's too much work or it's not important? "Understood. But I still want to confirm whether the remaining ⑵ to ⑷ are public phones." "Well, I'll trouble you then." Kanbara's tone was too understated.This is the first time this situation has been encountered.Kenichi felt as if something was stuck in his throat. He didn't want to stop talking like this, so he continued to cling to this topic. "But don't you find it strange?" "what?" "If it were you, and there were so many calls to your home in a day, and you answered them all, wouldn't your parents say something?" "It's annoying", "Why are there so many calls", "Who called the call just now"...and so on. "If it was our family, I don't know what my mother would do, but my father would definitely say." "Will it catch fire?" "No, but definitely 'what's wrong' 'what's going on' or something like that." Wouldn't such a conversation take place in the Kashiwagi family? "Maybe Kashiwagi has a dedicated phone line." Jianyi was taken aback.Today's Shinbara defender is too abnormal. "What happened to you today? Did you not sleep well last night?" "What's wrong?" Kanbara Kazuhiko asked back.It seems that he is not joking, but really does not know. "Isn't it written here? Kashiwagi's mother used the same phone to call Omiya and the cake shop. Why does Kashiwagi have a dedicated phone?" Defender Shenbara stared wide-eyed for a while, then suddenly lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I was really stupid today." "Are you OK?" "In our house, there are two lines for the workshop and the house, and I got confused." A cold wind blew deep inside Kenichi's heart, and he had felt this feeling many times before. Kazuhiko Kazuhiko is also a human being, there are always times when he is careless, but this is too stupid... "Who's stupid?" Shunji Oide, who was integrated with the towel blanket, turned this way and said in a rough voice, his face was full of anger. "Not about you. By the way, you should get up too." "I'm so bored!" Ode Toshiji said, turning back inside again.He put his hands under the T-shirt and scratched his stomach. Should this look be indecent or informal, "Kashiwagi has been bored at home, and his mother is very worried just because of this. There are so many calls in a day Calling in, it’s normal to feel strange, right?” Kazuhiko Kanbara sat up straight and nodded. "However, regardless of whether it was the police's questioning or the teacher's concern, Kashiwagi Koko replied that Takuya did not act abnormally that day." Did Bai Muzhuo come to the roof of the teaching building in the middle of the night because he was called out?Since the commotion of the report letter, this question has become the focus of everyone's attention.However, Kashiwagi Koko's testimony has not changed at all.Even on the "News Quest" program, she didn't say a word about the heavy phone calls that day. "This means that his parents didn't notice." Kenichi said.His face was flushed with excitement, "So, Kashiwagi knew when the call came in." Today's phone doesn't ring immediately.Regardless of the main phone or the slave phone, the light will be on first after a call comes in, and some information will be displayed on the LCD screen at the same time. "As long as you stay by the phone and answer it immediately after seeing the lights and displays, the phone won't ring." "But, won't it be troublesome to wait for the call?" Defender, don't make such silly rebuttals.Or, is this a test for me? "If you have to wait for an hour, of course you are very tired. But what if you only wait for ten minutes? Say 'call between 3:00 p.m. , isn’t it? If the handset is a cordless phone, then it’s fine to wait in the toilet.” "Understood. Let's confirm it." Kanbara seemed to be unable to resist Kenichi, and seemed a little anxious, "It seems that it is still not good to have the spokesperson Hiroyuki Kashiwagi in the middle, and should contact Kashiwagi Koko directly." "The phone number in Kashiwagi's room must also be confirmed. The sooner the better, it is best to go right away..." Kazuhiko Kanbara pointed to the finger bed and said, "We should hurry up, but before that, we have to deal with this guy first."
Shunji Oide washed his face before fully opening his eyes.He almost swallowed the sandwich made by Kenichi's mother Yukie Noda by himself. He didn't know any of the remaining five numbers on the call log.He readily agreed with the statement that these are public phones. "Who would make such a dangerous call at home?" "Does Daide also use public phones?" "Yeah. There's a phone booth right behind my burned home." Shunji could still hear the phone ringing when he stayed at home. He often turned out from the balcony to answer the phone as soon as he heard the ringing, secretly planning the route, and even put away his shoes in advance. "Have you always been like this?" This is really unimaginable for Kenichi. "Remember the phone booth number?" the defender asked. Toshiji Oide immediately answered.This is the evidence he has used many times.And none of the five numbers in the call log matched this number. "I've been wondering for a long time, why don't you have a pager?" Hearing Kazuhiko Kanbara's question, Toshiji Oide's eyes gleamed fiercely. "What's wrong? Can't you?" "I just can't figure it out. It's so convenient to have a pager." "I had one before." Shunji's tone sounded unconvinced, with egg sandwich fillings still sticking to his pursed lower lip, "I spent Christmas with some senior guys the year before last." They made a fuss without hesitation.When Da Chusheng found out, he beat him up. "Dad just confiscated the pager." "It hasn't been there since then? No way. Wouldn't you secretly buy one?" Kazuhiko Kazuhiko continued to ask. Shunji rolled his eyes at him. "I bought it." He said aggressively, "I bought it last summer, but my father confiscated it and beat me up. How is it? Are you satisfied?" Kazuhiko Kanbara smiled and said, "Didn't you buy it again? Well, it's better not to buy it. No, you should buy one." Call logs on pagers may serve as evidence for the defense. "Anyway, I haven't called Kashiwagi." As he spoke, he wiped the hand that was eating the sandwich just now on his T-shirt and shorts, and then stopped as if he remembered something.There was a rustling sound in the back pocket of the shorts. "That's right. I brought this." He took out a crumpled note from his pocket, "Didn't you want me to write a record of my actions on the 24th?" He poked the paper to the tip of Kanbara's nose, and slapped it on the table again. “写是写了，可这玩意儿真能管用？” 健一探过头来看了看这张纸，一下子就泄了气。 字写得太难看。一行行的字上下起舞，歪歪扭扭。要看清写着什么已经够累了，内容就更别提了，净是些“睡觉”“游戏中心”“不知道几点”“便利店”之类含糊的用词。并且，只有那天下午的活动回忆得比较详细，晚上八点以后就只写了一句“在家”。 “你还记得七点半左右跟你妈妈一起吃晚饭的事吗？” “晚饭是吃了，”俊次打了个很响的饱嗝，“时间记不得了。” “是跟你妈妈一起吃的吧？” “老妈不在。她去看宴会表演了。” 这是他记错了。 神原和彦展开便笺，摊在桌面上。 “还记得晚上九点钟左右，你爸爸带着客人回家的事吗？是来家里打麻将的客人。” 大出俊次灵巧地挑动一边的眉毛，看着神原问道：“上次你也问过这个问题吧？” “我想再确认一下。还记得吗？” 又一个饱嗝后，俊次摇了摇头：“我没跟客人见过面。只记得老爸说，那晚有客人要来，要我待在家里。仅此而已。” 看来去年十二月二十四日那天晚上，大出俊次确实没被叫到麻将屋里去过。 “大出，你待在自己的房间里，是不会知道客入的进出以及家里别的地方的情况吧？” 俊次露出牙齿，显得十分不耐烦：“我家太大了。” “嗯，那倒是。不过已经烧得一干二净了。”神原追问道，“我再问一次，去年十二月二十四日那天晚上吃过晚饭后，大出你一直在家，对不对？直到早晨为止，一步也没有离开过，是吗？可不能撒谎啊。”他强调了一遍，“你要是撒谎，我总会知道的，因为我可以去证实。” 健一发现在这一瞬间，大出俊次的眼中只有眼白，没有眼黑。曾听人说过，鲨鱼发起攻击时的眼睛就是这样的。 “证实？”俊次怒吼道，“什么意思？去向谁证实？”他猛地站起身，把椅子都带倒了，“向我老妈去证实吗？是不是？” 隔着桌子，他一把揪住神原和彦的衣领，将他提了起来。 “你要把我老妈也卷进来，是不是？我不是跟你讲过了，不要把我老妈卷进来！我不是讲过了吗！” 大出俊次将神原和彦从椅子上拖了起来，用力摇晃着，似乎马上就要动手揍他了。健一说不出话来。他没胆量上前去劝架，也没有拦住俊次的臂力。桌上那只俊次用来喝大麦茶的玻璃杯映人眼帘。他一把抓起玻璃杯，将杯中残存的茶水泼到俊次的脸上。 这真是名副其实的“泼冷水”。 被泼了一脸的大麦茶后，大出眨起了眼睛。健一的心跳仿佛一下子停止了。起反作用了吗？那家伙会发作得更厉害吗？ 大出俊次垂下高耸的双肩，松开神原和彦的衣领，一把推开了他。神原和彦摇晃着身子，双手按在喉咙口，开始猛烈咳嗽起来。刚才被大出俊次揪起来时，他险些窒息。 俊次呆呆地站着，眼睛恢复了正常，刚才那鲨鱼般的眼神已不知去向。 “不是，我们要，把她卷进来……”神原和彦痛苦地喘息着，“是你妈，主动，配合我们的。她……很担心你啊。” 说完，神原再也忍不住了，俯下身子干呕起来。健一见状，赶紧跑去抚摸他的背部。 “今天真是倒了大霉。”嘴上这么说，神原却依然在笑，“下次你要是再这样……” “你还是别说话了。”健一拦住了神原的话头，抬起头看着大出，替神原说出了下半句，“我们就辞职不干了。” 大出俊次默不作声地撩起T恤的下摆擦了擦脸。然后扶起椅子，坐了下来。 “昨天，老爸他……”大出的声音太小了，不光是健一，连还在干呕的神原也抬起了头，“又被警察叫去了。” “一大早被叫去，下午六点过后才回来……回来后，老爸又叫来税务顾问，搞了一大堆账本，两人一直折腾到很晚才结束，老爸还不时咆哮几声……” 税务顾问走后，大出胜一个人关在房间里，像是在给什么人打电话。起初声音很大，马上又变得很小声，偷偷摸摸地谈了很久。 “现在租的公寓里也有老爸工作用的房间。” 就在大出俊次房间的隔壁。 “就因为这个，你昨晚才没有睡好，是吧？”终于调整好呼吸的神原和彦抬起身子说道。 健一突然明白了。大出俊次表面上总是突然发火，大声吼叫，大吵大闹，然后又马上开始傻笑。大家都认为这是他的本性，才留意不到别的方面。其实他的内心也相当不安，精神状态很不正常。他不仅担心自己，也担心父母，因此变得更容易冲动。 对他而言，担心他人的感觉，还是第一次体会到吧。 “我想听听老爸在说什么，可听不到，所以我……”他伸手抓过被健一倒空的玻璃杯，将杯子底部贴在耳朵上。“就这样，贴在墙壁上。” “偷听啊……”神原和彦笑了，随即又咳嗽起来。健一忍住笑，再次抚摸起辩护人的后背。 "What did you hear?" “老爸说的生意上的话，我一点也听不懂。” 不过听得出他们在谈钱。 “保险金还没有下来，老爸他很犯难。”他嘟囔着，“最近连零花钱都不给我了。” 大出俊次也很害怕。 神原和彦坐回椅子上，脸上的表情表示他已经没事了。健一从洗手间拿来毛巾。 “我现在这么做，对吗？”大出抽着鼻涕，“公司那边很惨。我必须担心那边，因为我是继承人。” “具体而言，”神原冷静得惊人，“假如你父亲的公司面临危机，你又能做些什么呢？” 大出俊次又吸了一下鼻涕，拿T恤衫的下摆胡乱擦了擦眼睛和鼻子，似乎用不着毛巾。 “没什么能做的吧？”神原和彦说，“如果是这样，你还是把精力集中到证明自己的清白上为好，这样至少还能让妈妈放心一点。” 大出俊次低下头，撤起嘴，低声说：“我倒想问问你……” "what?" “你真是个让人犯恶心的浪蛋。没人这么说过你吗？” 神原辩护人无法回答。 大出抬起头，看着神原。这次倒并不是要打架，可看上去态度更恶劣了。 “你自己明白吗？混账透顶。脑子快，嘴会说，心眼黑。其实，你要比我坏多了。” 健一的嗓子干得快要冒烟了。 “你自己有没有想过，你老爸杀死你老妈的时候，应该连你一起弄死；要不，你老爸在上吊的时候，应该把你吊在身边。这样就好得多了，你说是不是？” 健一猛地将手中的毛巾扔向大出。他也不清楚自己在做什么，等他回过神来时，他发现自己正朝大出俊次猛扑过去。 他并不想揍大出。他做不出这种英勇行为，只是想扑上去阻止。大出吃了一惊，一闪身就躲开了，健一反倒摔在了厨房的地板上。 健一的气势丝毫不减。他站起身来大叫道：“不准说这种话！” 你根本没有说这种话的资格！谁都没有说这种话的资格！ “你要向他道歉、道歉！道歉！向他道歉！”他一边喊着，一边准备再次扑向大出俊次。 身后有人抱住了他。没有别人，只有神原和彦。 “别拦我。你这个混蛋！”甩开神原的手，健一也对他大喊大叫起来，“为什么能容忍他说这样的话！为什么要拦住我？被他这么说，你不觉得窝火吗？” 神原和彦体格和健一不相上下，也不躲不闪，健一一下子就揪住了他。就像刚才大出对神原那样，健一也抓住他的衣领摇晃起来。 神原丝毫不予抵抗。健一摇着摇着竟哭了起来，于是停止摇晃，拽着神原的双手很快松开了。他全身瘫软，一下子坐到了地板上。 “我也想过。”头顶传来神原和彦的声音，沙哑、低沉，轻到只能勉强听见，“我一直在想，为什么只有自己活下来了？所以……”说到这儿，他噎住了。 健一抬头看着他。只见他脸色惨白，毫无表情，却站得笔直，和大出俊次正面相对。 “其实，我那时就知道……” 对面大出俊次的脸一片苍白。 “我知道，自己早就死了。” 和父母一起死了。 “站在这里的是一个幽灵。我是幽灵。” 柏木卓也问过丹野老师的残酷问题，再次浮现在健一的脑海里。那孩子，能善待自己的生命吗？能找到活着的意义吗？ “是一个幽灵在做你的辩护人。”神原和彦的眼睛是干的，“如果你不愿意，可以解我的职。我绝不会主动辞职。” 大出扒下肩膀上的毛巾，穿过厨房跑了出去。很快，玄关处传来开关门的声音。 “今天是内讧的日子。”难以置信的是，神原和彦居然向瘫坐在地上的健一露出笑容，“总之先休息一会儿吧。休息半天也没什么关系。” 不过，闹到这个地步可真是遗憾，简直叫人喘不过气来。 “为什么？”健一问。 为什么要忍受到如此地步？ 就算问了，他也不会回答的吧。可健一太想一吐为快了。 “你当那家伙的辩护人是有原因的吧？这对你有什么好处吗？到底是怎么回事？”健一盯着地板，语气就像发牢骚似的，“如果有什么原因，请告诉我，不然我可要崩溃了。” 神原在健一的身边蹲下了身，健一则抬起了半个身子。辩护人的眼睛里还是干的，都干透了，仿佛沙漠。 健一想到了沙漠。这家伙就是在沙漠里游荡的幽灵。 “我不想告诉你。” "Hey?" “我不想回答。不想说。” 这其中肯定有原因。 健一泪流满面，张开的嘴半天都合不上，就像中了邪似的看着神原的侧脸。这种状态持续了多久？ “好吧，那我不问了。”或许是哭过的缘故，健一的嗓音有些沙哑。不过他明白，这个回应是正确的。 如果急于得到答复，只会适得其反。要想得到答案，就只有继续跟在神原辩护人身边。跟着他仔细观察他。 健一想起一句更重要的话语：“我也不会辞职。如果你讨厌我，可以将我解职。” 失魂落魄的两人在餐桌底下对视着。 “谢谢。”神原和彦说道。 健一突然害羞了。他在地板上爬了几步，拣起大出俊次扔下的毛巾，擦了擦脸，又擤了擤鼻涕。 “我们去见见柏木的母亲。”神原和彦说着，站起身来，“还是洗把脸再去吧。”
藤野凉子昨晚一宿没睡，是在考虑争取井口充的办法。回过神来时，她发现短暂的夏夜即将过去，打开窗户，凉爽的晨风扑面而来，十分惬意。尽管开了一夜的空调，此刻她的身上依然是汗涔涔的。 去年十一月十四日星期一，午后十二点半左右的午休时间，城东三中二楼的理科准备室里，大出俊次、桥田佑太郎、井口充三人和柏木卓也之间到底发生了什么？ 井口充对这个问题的回答，是撰写起诉书必需的证言。这是个核心问题，因为该事件正是导致大出俊次欲置柏木卓也于死地的愤怒，或者说杀意的起因，尽管将杀人意图落实的计划性并不明确。 这一切都必须让井口充亲口讲出来。 昨天，凉子己经向她的两个事务官详细说明了这一方针。佐佐木吾郎的反应却有点出人意料。 “小凉，你的用意我明白。” 可这真的是事实吗？ “理科准备室发生的事件强行认定为杀死柏木卓也的动机，合适吗？” “并不是'认定'，这是顺理成章的推理。” “也仅仅是推理，不是吗？根据推理来构建整起事件……” “不这么做，我们的任务就无法完成。” “就是说，要让井口充说出我们希望他说的话，对吧？” "yes." “这么做……合适吗？”佐佐木吾郎的脸上露出了犹豫的神色。对这位忠诚的事务官而言，这种表情还是第一次出现呢。 “没什么不合适的。” “这难道不是在欺骗，不，是在诱供吗？以'你没有罪，因为你不在柏木卓也惨死的现场'这样的话为诱饵。” “不是'不在'，只是声称根据三宅树理的证言，能够明确的嫌疑对象只有大出俊次一个。” 因此只有他一个人被起诉。 “可是，举报信上明明写着他们三个人的名字啊？”佐佐木吾郎反问道。 “那是因为浅井松子这样说，当时才那么写的。三宅树理也只是听来的，并没有看到过他们三人。用些模棱两可的说法也是没办法的事，只要能让井口充朝这个方向理解就行。” “你真的想诱供啊，小凉。”佐佐木吾郎更加犹豫了。连那个比起做忠诚的检察事务官，更愿意做佐佐木吾郎忠诚支持者的萩尾一美也发表了负面意见：“法庭审判可以这么做吗？” “在这次的内审判里是可以的。”凉子毫不动摇，“你们两人好好回想一下。柏木死后，为什么会传出是大出他们杀死他的传闻？不正是因为，大家都认为这跟理科准备室里发生的冲突有关吗？我们也必须回到这个原点上来。不过我们不能仅凭模糊印象捏造传闻，要根据事实情况重构整个事件。” 事到如今，两名事务官并没有跟凉子对着干的打算，只是在面对重大而艰难的决策时有点胆怯罢了。 “明白了。”佐佐木吾郎说，“总而言之，这可是一件大事。” 今天，佐佐木吾郎和萩尾一美一整天都在写增井望的陈述书。由于是瞒着增井的父母做这项工作，只能让增井到佐佐木吾郎家去。如果搞得太晚，会引起增井望家人的注意，所以今天可能还完不成。 眼下他们那边的工作一定早就开始了。那凉子也要行动起来，得把睡懒觉损失的时间补回来。 熬了整整一个通宵，也不光是在脑子里空想，凉子已经给井口充写好了一封长信，信中写明了检方的宗旨和请求。凉子觉得，这么做比打电话更好。接下来她要登门拜访，直接把信交给井口充的父母。凉子穿戴整齐后便出了门。她今天穿的是校服，头发束在脑后，那封信则放在书包里。井口家经营的杂货店在天秤座大道里，凉子从未想过自己会如此一本正经地跑去那条商业街。 店名就叫“井口屋”。店里应景地摆着一些时尚的物品，但本质上还是个小杂货铺。从厨房用具到清洁用具，还有拖鞋、清洗剂、晾衣杆、长筒雨靴等等，应有尽有。 在堆满各种物品的货架后方，是放着收款机的账台。账台后坐着一对中年夫妇，女方的长相和井口充有点像，应该是他的母亲。 井口充的母亲首先注意到藤野凉子，脸上表情显得很惊讶。正在写什么东西的父亲还以为来的是普通客人，笔也不停地说了声“欢迎光临”，被妻子用胳膊肘捅了一下，才抬起头来。 “你是藤野凉子？”母亲开口了。父亲听了这句话，脸上才显露出惊慌的神色。 这样也好，不用自我介绍了。凉子毕恭毕敬地低头鞠了一躬。凉子被请进店里一间狭小的用作办公室兼仓库的房间。房间里放着折叠式的桌椅，空调不管用，十分闷热。 井口充的父亲井口直武说话的声调很高，这点跟他儿子很像。母亲井口玉江留在账台边，和这个房间只隔着一块门帘，里面的対话想必能够听得一清二楚。 凉子作了一踏进店门就被轰出去的最坏打算，因此对受到如此礼遇多少有些困惑。更让她惊讶的是，井口夫妇对校内审判相当了解，不仅知道凉子是检察官，还知道校内审判作为暑期课外活动，是在北尾老师的监督下进行的。 “听说是在十五日开始？” “是的。您了解得真清楚。” “有城东三中的学生和他们的家长到我们店里来买东西的。” “我原以为你们不想知道校内审判的事。” 井口直武含糊其辞地支吾了过去。 虽然顺序颠倒了，凉子还是问了一下井口充的健康情况。 “正在做恢复锻炼。虽说还得坐轮椅，但总在一点点好起来。” “能和他见面吗？” 井口直武立刻回答：“他不和城东三中的学生见面。” 不是“不让他和你们见面”，也不是“他不想和你们见面”，而是“不见面”。 “既然这样的话，您能将这封信交给他吗？” 井口直武摸了摸身上那件褪色的马球衫的衣领，接过了凉子双手递上的信：“里面都写了些什么？” “您读一下就知道了。” “我们也能读？” "of course can." 手里拿着信，又摸了一下衣领，井口直武将信塞进了裤子的后插袋：“藤野同学。” "Ok?" 井口充的父亲惴惴不安地眨着眼睛，凉子正视着他，竟产生了自己是真正的检察官的错觉。这人干吗那么战战兢兢的？ “既然是检察官，你主张的是我们家小充杀死了柏木，对吗？” “不，不是井口杀的。校内审判只起诉大出俊次一个人。” “可小充是他的跟班。”没想到井口充的父亲也会说出这种话，“要干什么坏事，他们总是在一起的，不是吗？” 井口直武不停扯着马球衫的衣领。 “他是受到大出的唆使才干坏事的，而且还抢在前头干。他就喜欢瞎起劲。”说着，他朝账台那边瞄了一眼，“二月份打伤四中一年级学生的那件事，就是这样的。” 作为父亲，也太口无遮拦了吧？ “带点恐吓性质，多半是出于恶作剧。结果闹过了头，变成了那样。” 他也顺便替儿子开脱一下。 “校内审判和二月的那起事件无关。”凉子说。 井口直武用怀疑的视线打量着凉子。 “信上都写了些什么？” “一些希望井口协助的事。” “小充他能帮你们什么忙吗？” “是的。希望他能告诉我
After finally waiting until eight o'clock, Noda Kenichi called the Fujino family.Even if she retired after entering the third grade, Ryoko still belongs to the Kendo club in terms of club activities.The morning practice at the Kendo Club encouraged her to develop the habit of getting up early, so calling her at eight should be no problem.But unexpectedly, it was Ryoko's father Fujino Takeshi who answered the phone. "My daughter is sleeping soundly." Fujino said bluntly, "Last night, it seems that I worked all night. Do you want to wake her up?" "No, no need. I'll call back later. It's not urgent." Kenichi could hear his voice changing tone.It was the first time since that night that I spoke to Fujino Go. The night that Kenichi almost killed his parents seemed to have happened ten years ago. "Okay, I'll ask Ryoko to call you later." "I'm sorry." Just as Jianyi was about to hang up the phone as if fleeing, the voice from the receiver rang again. "Noda-san," Fujino Takeshi's voice was still aggressive even on the phone, "You are very energetic." "Oh, yes." Kenichi replied terrified. "Liangzi said, you are very powerful." Kenichi was speechless. "Actually, I feel the same way. I was shocked by what Kanbara thought and did." What exactly?There are too many examples of this. "Thank you." Kenichi could only think of this answer at the moment, but then he let out another redundant sentence, "Are you resting today?" "Huh?" Ryoko's father seemed surprised, he probably never thought that the other party would ask about him.He smiled and said, "I'm going to work soon. I slept at home last night." His tone was slightly tongue-in-cheek.Maybe his daughters always ask him: Dad, are you sleeping at home today? "I am the parent of a student from Chengdong No. 3 Middle School, and I am also Liangzi's father. My position is rather delicate. Come on!" He said, "But don't deviate from the topic." He hung up the phone.What does Ryoko's father mean by "theme"?Kenichi looked at the phone and thought for a while.
As usual, the defense will meet here at nine o'clock in the morning.Today I want to study the check list provided by Kashiwagi Takuya's brother Kashiwagi Hiroyuki.Shunji Oide is also coming, because there may be phone numbers he is familiar with in the list, and he has to pick them out one by one. Last night, even if he didn't stay up all night, Kenichi was busy until midnight.He compiled the transcript of the conversation with the owner of Kobayashi Electric Store into a report. When he heard about the Kobayashi Electronics Store from General Affairs Iwasaki, Kenichi was excited about the clue he had unearthed for a while, but after meeting and talking, he found that it was not of much value.Uncle Xiaolin is a warm-hearted little old man. He listened carefully to Jianyi's introduction of the trial in the school, and answered all the questions Jianyi raised one by one. However, the content of these answers can be described as hollow. The time is 7:30 pm on December 24th.At that time, the TV news on NHK just ended, so the time should not be wrong.Uncle Kobayashi saw a boy in the phone booth in front of the shop.Seeing his frowning look, he greeted him and asked him if he was in trouble.The boy said he was fine.That was a very polite kid... It’s still a bit organized here, but it’s not good to go any further.Uncle Kobayashi couldn't even remember the boy's appearance and clothes.He told General Affairs Iwasaki that the boy was a child who committed suicide, and it was only a subjective imagination based on the impression at that time, without any evidence.Uncle Kobayashi himself admitted this and expressed his apology. Whenever Kenichi gave a reminder, Uncle Kobayashi would follow his words and correct his memory.After noticing this, Kenichi didn't dare to remind again.Unexpectedly, it would be so difficult to discover other people's memories from eight months ago. Uncle Kobayashi talked a lot.The phone booth in front of the store has had many incidents before, and it will become a "window" to observe adolescents, so I am very concerned about this phone booth.and so on. "There was an unusual aura about the boy I saw on December 24th. Seeing his back reminded me of the day of the evacuation many years ago. It was war time and you know what an evacuation is What do you mean? I fled from the city to the countryside to avoid air raids. I went to a relative’s house to take refuge, and some children were evacuated together, so they were separated from their own adults.” While talking, I digressed.Hearing about the misery during the Pacific War and the famine after the war, Kenichi almost lost his patience and stopped taking notes halfway through. After he finished talking a lot on his own, Kenichi hurriedly took out six photos for him to identify.At this point almost an hour has been wasted. These photos were collected after consultation with Mr. Kitao.Takuya Kashiwagi, Shunji Oide, Mitsuru Iguchi, Yutaro Hashida, and two other unrelated boys acted as cover.Kenichi lined up the six photos for Uncle Kobayashi to identify.If you show them one by one, the other party may perceive Kenichi's inner expectations from the action or order of taking the photos, which will affect his objective judgment.This is what Kenichi learned on the spur of the moment from a book in the library called "Testimony: The Psychology of Interrogation". Uncle Xiaolin shook his head after looking at the six photos, but he didn't recognize any of them.But Kenichi always felt that as long as he was given more hints, he would nod to each one. In short, his memory is very vague. Therefore, Kenichi couldn't help but have a lot of headaches when writing the report to be submitted to the defender of Kanbara.Useless nonsense is naturally omitted, but the memory of the evacuation is still preserved.Kenichi felt that this was much more concrete than just writing "The child looks a little terrified". There was a knock on the door.If it was Kazuhiko Kazuhiko and the others, it would be too early. "Xiaojian." Kenichi was surprised, it was his mother.He hastily opened the door. Noda Yukie didn't wear pajamas, but was very neatly dressed.His face without make-up looked a little pale, and his hair was combed back. "Are there any friends coming today?" "Uh-huh." "I made a sandwich and put it in the refrigerator. It will harden after a long time, so eat it early." Breakfast was already served with father Takeo, so the sandwiches mother mentioned were for friends. "Mom is going to the hospital, and she probably won't be back until the afternoon." "I might have to go out at noon..." "It's okay. Just lock the door." Kenichi let out a "huh". Mother looked into Kenichi's eyes, blinked shyly, and smiled. "Have you made good friends? I heard your father said it." Does dad even tell mom about this? "I heard it was a collaborative research during the summer vacation. It was very hard work. Say hello to your friends for me." Mother closed the door and left.Kenichi put his hands on his head. My mother didn't say anything like "Will these activities affect my review? Will it prevent me from being admitted to my ideal high school".This is quite strange.She is a pessimist. How did the father explain it to the mother?Kenichi cared more about this than the content. I care so much. It's been a long time since I felt this way.
Kazuhiko Kanbara and Toshiji Oide did not come until 9:50.Shunji Oide's hair was disheveled and his face was unwashed.With his eyes closed, he knew that he was not awake, and he was very unhappy. "It took a while to wake him up." Kanbara was sweating profusely, it seemed that it took him a lot of effort to drag Oide here.As soon as Toshiji Oide entered Noda Kenichi's room, he immediately threw himself on the bed. "Let me sleep for a while." He buried his head in the pillow as he said.Jian was shocked, and a thought flashed in his head. My bed…… There was an outsider sleeping on it.If a mother with a cleanliness sees it, she will definitely make a fuss for a long time.What's more, if she knew that Kenji's "good friend" turned out to be Shunji Oide, she might faint on the spot. Kenichi somehow felt a little funny. Kanbara coldly squinted at Oide, who was covered with a towel blanket and curled up with his back outward, poked Kenichi's side, and gestured: Bring your ears closer. "Thanks to Da Chu sleeping late, I have gained something new." He whispered. "What harvest?" "Meet his mother." Kenichi couldn't help but widen his eyes: "Sachiko?" "Who else is there besides her?" Kanbara seemed very happy, "Actually, she is not the kind of person we imagined." Just to be on the safe side, Kanbara called Daide Sachiko before going out in the morning, and the person who answered the phone was Daiide Sachiko.Hearing that Shunji was still sleeping, Kazuhiko Kazuhiko hurried to the weekly apartment where the monk lived temporarily. At that time, Shunji was still fast asleep. "His mother felt embarrassed and tried to wake him up, but failed. So we had to let him sleep for a while, and chatted a little bit." Kazuhiko Kamhara took out a four-fold note from his schoolbag, "Here, It was written by his mother." It's a record about the alibi that came out on December 24 last year. Kenichi unfolded the note, and saw that it used beautiful and distinctive fonts, listing Shunji Oide's actions that day one by one. "Dachu's going out during the day, his mother is not very clear. Also, he said that his mother went to the performance banquet that day because he remembered it wrongly. It happened on the 25th." Judging from this record, Da Chusheng's mother and son had dinner together at around 7:30 that night, and Da Chusheng's father was still outside at that time.He came home around nine o'clock. President Oide came back with the guests.The guests were three men in suits.As soon as they got home, they went directly into the mahjong room, and asked Sachiko to prepare wine and snacks and bring them in. It was past two o'clock in the morning when the guests returned. Before that, President Oide asked Sachiko to add wine and snacks twice.When Sachiko entered the mahjong room, she found that there were mahjong tiles on the table, the guests were smoking, and the room was filled with smoke. "President Oide has already told Oide and his mother about the guests coming today. He said that he is here to discuss important business. He may need to introduce his family members. He wants Oide's mother and son to stay at home." "Daide was also called to the mahjong room?" "As far as his mother knows, he hasn't been called. However," Kazuhiko Kazuhiko raised his voice, "in the Oide family, the order of the president of Oide is paramount. Since he has given the order in advance, Shunji can't just run away casually." go out." Kenichi couldn't help but be surprised: Kashiwagi Takuya's death is estimated to be between midnight and two o'clock in the morning, and the time for the monk to come to guests is from before nine o'clock in the evening to after two o'clock in the morning. "Shunji's mother is very aware of her son's troubled situation due to the rumors in the school, and as a mother, she can't bear it." Kanbara waved his hand, motioned Kenichi to come closer, and said in a lower voice, "There are visitors at home, and I don't like Shuji's big appearance. Your alibi is very favorable, isn't it?" "certainly." "However, after Kashiwagi's death, whether it was when Oide was rumored to be the murderer, or when the report letter incident rekindled the topic, Mr. Tsuzaki went to find out the situation..." Daide Shengdu strictly ordered Daide Sachiko not to tell outsiders about the visitor. "Claims that people wouldn't believe even if they said it." "This is a bit..." "Not only that……" Since the other party is an extremely important partner in business, it would be bad to be targeted by the police.This is a big win statement.So even the police don't know about it. Kenichi looked at Kazuhiko Kanbara's face, and Kanbara nodded slowly to him. "It's a rare thing that his mum would pass this information on to us." "Because we're not police officers, we're children, and we're friends with Daide." Kazuhiko Kanhara pointed to the bottom line of the record: "Is this the guest's company name?" "There was no official introduction, but Ode's mother heard about it when they were talking." The two looked at each other and nodded at each other. "I promised Oide's mother that the company's name would never be mentioned in court." Otherwise, Sachiko Oide might be beaten by her husband. "However, knowing the background of those people will greatly enhance the persuasiveness of the testimony. At least for the judge." Hearing this, Kenichi didn't nod, but narrowed his eyes and looked at Kazuhiko Kanbara: "So, you want to investigate this company again?" "Well, do you want to entrust them to try? That generous detective company." "Allow me to say a word, Kazami Lawyer told us not to intervene." "That's why I want to know more, don't I?" Kenichi felt a little hairy again.The defender's unusually high work ethic is a bit evil no matter how you look at it.The thoughts in my heart couldn't help leaking out of my mouth: "It's really a bad hobby." At this time, the phone rang.Kenichi jumped up and grabbed the phone receiver. It was Ryoko Fujino who called, her voice was sober, she didn't look like she had just woken up. "Sorry, I slept late today." "It's Ryoko Fujino." After Kenichi told Kanbara, he said into the microphone, "Yesterday, we went to see Mr. Tsuzaki and Mr. Moriuchi." Kenichi naturally used a respectful tone, which he himself found inconceivable, perhaps because the other party was a prosecutor. "We decided to let Sennai-sensei be a witness for the defense, so that she can better explain the destruction of the report letter." "Understood." Prosecutor Fujino responded briefly. "I discussed with the defender, in order to maintain a balance, let Mr. Tsuzaki be the witness of the prosecution for comparison..." "How can there be a reason to maintain a balance? Mr. Tsuzaki should also be your witness. He originally argued that Kashiwagi Taku also committed suicide." Really crisp. "Also, our on-campus trials don't have to strictly divide witnesses into 'prosecution witnesses' and 'defense witnesses' like real courts. This needs to be implemented with Judge Inoue. The division of witnesses into two parties will increase I think it is better to be free from the constraints and obstacles of doing things." Speaking of this level, Kenichi couldn't handle it.He gave the phone to Kazuhiko Kanhara.After the defender answered the phone, he listened to the prosecutor's words and responded with "um, um" from time to time. "However, the order of 'main inquiry' and 'cross-examination' should be maintained, even if only for formality." At this point, their opinions seem to be unified.Kenichi quickly wrote down the words "need to discuss with the judge" in the notebook at hand. "Fujino-san, you are really good." Kanbara said in a slightly mocking tone, "We heard from Mr. Moriuchi about the deal between you and HBS reporter Mogi. It also helped us a lot. I also think it is suppression Best way for that guy." In this regard, Ryoko said something.Kazuhiko Kazuhiko, who was absorbed in listening, raised his eyebrows at Kenichi.What's the meaning? "Understood. One more thing, do you need the help of Kono Investigative Detective Agency to investigate?" Ryoko raised her voice, and Kenichi at the side also heard intermittent words like "From an emotional point of view..." "Incorrect...". "We haven't decided yet, but it shouldn't be as completely negative as you are." Then, Kanbara listened carefully again without saying a word. "It's up to him to decide, and I have no objection. I'll let Noda answer the phone." After handing the receiver to Kenichi, Kazuhiko Kanbara said, "The prosecutor has something to tell you." Kenichi was a little flustered.What will happen? "Noda, can you testify in court about the circumstances when Kashiwagi's body was found? Kanbara said, it's up to you to decide." Kenichi was surprised.He never expected that he would be cast in such a role. "But is this okay? I am the defender's assistant." "You are also the first person to discover the body. What can you do? Out of face, Shen Yuan will not take the initiative to ask you to testify in court, but let me ask you to testify in court. No problem?" How could it be possible to refuse? "No, no problem." "It is only necessary to state the matter as it is, without preparation in advance, and to state it from memory." There is no need to speculate about the role, just act on stage. "Our campus courts are breaking the rules." "It's not really a trial, it can only be done in a way that can be achieved. Please." Kenichi thought that Ryoko was going to hang up the phone, but who knew she still had something to say. "Is Kamhara still alive?" After pressing the receiver to his ear, Kazuhiko Kanbara exclaimed in a low voice: "Huh? You really know everything." What did Ryoko say again? "It's all right now. It's just a bit of a fever and a cold." It seems to be talking about Tenjinhara's physical discomfort the day before yesterday.Kenichi also lamented Ryoko's omniscience at once, but immediately thought that it might be Akiko Furuno who told her, so it's not surprising. Kazuhiko Kazuhiko Kanbara responded with "um" and "okay" again, and handed the receiver to Kenichi again. "Hang up." Kenichi said. The result is that the other party hangs up first.A "beep-beep-" sound came from the receiver. "What did she say?" "Because the workload is too much, it is better to increase the number of assistants instead of entrusting a private detective. She is also too enthusiastic." Kazuhiko Kanbara said.Judging from his expression, he didn't feel unhappy. Kenichi's heart moved: If Ryoko Fujino and Kazuhiko Kanbara hadn't met under the current circumstances, they might have become very close friends.They are equally smart, have the same interests, and look very well matched. Even if they become a pair of lovers, it is logical. It's not me who should really be the defender's assistant, but Ryoko Fujino.Even if Ryoko Fujino is the defender and Kazuhiko Kanbara is the assistant.If these two joined forces, the prosecutor would have no choice but to raise his hands and surrender. "Fujino wants reporter Mogi to appear in court as a witness." Just as Kenichi was thinking wildly, Kazuhiko Kanhara said such a sentence as if nothing had happened. Kenichi couldn't help but stare: "Isn't this asking for trouble?" “Not asking for trouble. If I were a prosecutor, I would do the same thing. Now that the deal is done, reporter Motegi is a good witness for the prosecution.” Sure enough, they even thought the same way. "So you've been prepared for this for a long time?" "It's not that exaggerated, it's just that I expected it a long time ago." "But if that's the case, is Miyake Juri okay? When Mogi reporter pursues it, isn't Miyake Juri the most unbearable?" "Noda, you are very worried about Miyake Juri." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko's tone was quite gentle, "Leaving this matter to Fujino is fine. However, it seems a bit inappropriate to say that, Noda, you should know Fujino better. " Kenichi felt his heartbeat speed up inexplicably. At this time, Shunji Oide was snoring on Kenichi's bed, as if everything had nothing to do with him. "Fujino didn't sleep all night last night, but why couldn't Oide wake up?" Kenichi said. "His mother said that he has always been a night owl who doesn't want to sleep at night." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko seemed to remember something, and laughed, "His mother also complained that the child was too restless." Jianyi thought to himself, he has been disciplined by the police many times, so it's just a matter of peace of mind. "I never thought about it before," said Kanbara. "Oide's mother seems to be quite isolated among the parents." "That's what she asked for." From Kenichi's tone, it seems that he is the representative of other parents in Chengdong No. 3 Middle School. "I know that. But it's pitiful for a mother to complain to a child like me. I've never seen it before." "You still want to be the defender of the great monk and his family?" "You talk very aggressively today. What's the matter, you didn't sleep well? Forget it..." Kazuhiko Kanbara rubbed his hands, "Let's take a look at the call log." This document records the phone calls made and received by the Kashiwagi family on December 24 last year.Yesterday, Hiroyuki Kashiwagi called to say that NTT finally sent the call record, and then sent a fax. Seven phone numbers are listed in the document.There were seven phone calls in one day, which is quite a lot for an ordinary family.If it's New Year's Day, it's justified, because you have to call to pay New Year's greetings.But it's a bit unnatural on Christmas Eve. After all, the Japanese haven't developed the habit of calling everywhere to congratulate "Merry Christmas". Of the seven calls, two were outgoing.One is an out-of-city number and the other is an inner-city number and is in the immediate vicinity.Kashiwagi Hiroyuki wrote a sentence next to the number outside the city: Omiya's grandparents' house, it was my mother who called Omiya's grandma. For the remaining six numbers, Kazuhiko Kazuhiko dialed the one from Kashiwagi's house first.The call connected to a western pastry shop on Libra Avenue.Kenichi also knew about that shop.After confirming, Kanbara hung up the phone. "Must be ordering Christmas cake." The remaining five numbers were calls from outside, all from within the city.Two of them are in this area because of the same area code. "Among the remaining three, this one is from Shinjuku, right? Where is this one from? Akasaka?" Kenichi muttered looking at the numbers. Shen Yuan was slightly surprised: "You can tell which district it is from just by looking at the number?" "Basically, we all know that as long as we are within the twenty-three districts in the center of Tokyo." Incredibly, calls to these five phone numbers resulted in no one answering, and no automatic recording was set up. "How is this going?" "They're all public phones." As long as there is no enthusiastic person passing by who thinks the ringing is too loud to answer it, the phone will definitely keep ringing like this. "This list is too insignificant for us. It would be nice to list the name and location of the owner of the phone in addition to the phone number." "No, that's enough." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko shook his head, "The location doesn't matter, what matters is the call time." Arrange these call records by call time as follows: "Someone is in frequent contact with Kashiwagi." Indeed. "The intervals are about two and a half hours, as if they are regularly reporting something to him." Kenichi recalled: "It was around five o'clock in the evening when Yukio Mukasaka and I saw Kashiwagi at the McDonald's on Libra Avenue." During this time, there were no phone calls. "Looking at it this way, Kashiwagi knows that there will be no calls during this time, so he can go out without worry." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko tilted his head and muttered, "Can you be so sure?" "I think it's okay. Judging from the number of calls, it's definitely not a call that Kashiwagi hates." If it's an annoying phone call, wouldn't it be over if you don't answer it?If it feels scary, Kashiwagi just ignores the ringing of the phone. "For example, the time of the fourth call may be the appointment made in the third call." Kenichi crossed his arms and stared at the call log he had written.As a result, he found that this call record, which had not attracted attention before, was not just a piece of evidence that was more eloquent? "The number (⑸) should be from the phone booth in front of Xiaolin Electric Store, right?" Because the timing is exactly the same. "Make sure. I'll tell Uncle Xiaolin!" Before Kanbara could reply, Kenichi picked up the phone.After hearing Kenichi's name and request, the old man from Kobayashi's electrical shop readily agreed. "Now, I'll call the number (⑸)." Kenichi's fingers trembled a little. The result came out immediately.Uncle Xiaolin's voice came from the other end of the phone: "That's right, this is the number of the phone booth in front of my shop. Is your name Noda? Did you also make this call just now?" "Yes. I did. Sorry." "There were customers in my store just now, but I couldn't come out to pick them up." Uncle Kobayashi seemed a little regretful. "It's okay. But now it's clear, thank you!" Ken looked at the face of defender Kanbara.For some reason, the defender squinted his eyes, looking a little surprised, and then asked, "So what?" Seeing the defender's reaction, Kenichi almost fell off his chair: "What kind of reaction is this? Isn't this an important fact?" Just after 7:30 that afternoon, Uncle Xiaolin from the electrical appliance store saw the young man on the phone in the phone booth in front of the store and talked to him.He told General Affairs Iwasaki that the boy must be Takuya Kashiwagi.However, he did not recognize Kashiwagi Takuya from the photos taken by Kenichi.There was no response to Oide Shunji's photo.This shows that Uncle Kobayashi's testimony is just his own imagination. After this confirmation, things took a turn for the better. Call No. ⑸ seems to be one of a series of calls to Kashiwagi Takuya to inform him of the situation, and it was made from the phone booth in front of Kobayashi Electric Store. Uncle Xiaolin saw the boy who was calling. The defense's response was rather lukewarm. "Now that things have happened, do we need to be excited about this? The boy that Uncle Kobayashi saw was very similar to Kashiwagi Takuo, but different from Daide and the others. This in itself is a testimony in our favor. We can propose to the jurors that that day The defendant and his companions did not call Kashiwagi, at least they did not call number (5). Besides..." The defender shrugged, "Uncle Xiaolin's memory is very vague, which is a fatal weakness. You said in the report Isn't that what it says?" Kazuhiko Kanbara flicked the testimony report of Uncle Kobayashi that Kenichi spent a lot of effort writing with his fingers. "However, isn't it very clear where the call number (⑸) came from?" "That's true." Kanbara's tone softened slightly, "I'm sorry. Actually, I don't want to pour cold water on you." The two fell into a short and awkward silence. In the end, it was Kazuhiko Kanbara who broke the silence: "I think it doesn't matter who is calling these five calls from where, and what the content of the calls is. It doesn't matter." "It doesn't matter?" "Because, even if Daide wants to ask Bai Muzhuo to go out, it is impossible for him to be so patient. Our defendant does not have such planning." This is true.Kenichi thinks so too. "Yeah. If it was Da Chu, he would definitely act more impatiently." "right?" So this is ah.Kenichi sighed.Kong was overjoyed, thinking it was a great discovery. "So, who made the call?" "I don't know." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko forced a smile, "The only way to know is to ask Kashiwagi Takuya himself." This statement is too inexplicable. "Is it always so unclear?" "Is there any problem? Is there a reason why this must be investigated? Since we know that these calls are all from public phones, it will take time and effort to investigate, and the results may not be obtained. The results may have nothing to do with Kashiwagi Takuya's death. .” The defender was right.In terms of possibility, it is true.But, how come there is a feeling of being tricked by rhetoric? "It's not just this matter. As long as it's a case, no matter how rigorous the investigation is, there will always be some unclear parts. The same is true for real court trials. The five phone calls are probably the same." Shen Yuan Kazuhiko said, "We are all laymen, and the time is tight. It is almost impossible to investigate everything clearly. Uncle Kobayashi's memory is very vague, isn't it? Even the time when he saw the boy with the rucksack may be different , maybe not seven thirty-six, but seven forty-five or something." What Kanbara said made sense.But Kenichi still couldn't let go. Defenders don't seem to want to delve into the call list. Is it just because it's too much work or it's not important? "Understood. But I still want to confirm whether the remaining ⑵ to ⑷ are public phones." "Well, I'll trouble you then." Kanbara's tone was too understated.This is the first time this situation has been encountered.Kenichi felt as if something was stuck in his throat. He didn't want to stop talking like this, so he continued to cling to this topic. "But don't you find it strange?" "what?" "If it were you, and there were so many calls to your home in a day, and you answered them all, wouldn't your parents say something?" "It's annoying", "Why are there so many calls", "Who called the call just now"...and so on. "If it was our family, I don't know what my mother would do, but my father would definitely say." "Will it catch fire?" "No, but definitely 'what's wrong' 'what's going on' or something like that." Wouldn't such a conversation take place in the Kashiwagi family? "Maybe Kashiwagi has a dedicated phone line." Jianyi was taken aback.Today's Shinbara defender is too abnormal. "What happened to you today? Did you not sleep well last night?" "What's wrong?" Kanbara Kazuhiko asked back.It seems that he is not joking, but really does not know. "Isn't it written here? Kashiwagi's mother used the same phone to call Omiya and the cake shop. Why does Kashiwagi have a dedicated phone?" Defender Shenbara stared wide-eyed for a while, then suddenly lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I was really stupid today." "Are you OK?" "In our house, there are two lines for the workshop and the house, and I got confused." A cold wind blew deep inside Kenichi's heart, and he had felt this feeling many times before. Kazuhiko Kazuhiko is also a human being, there are always times when he is careless, but this is too stupid... "Who's stupid?" Shunji Oide, who was integrated with the towel blanket, turned this way and said in a rough voice, his face was full of anger. "Not about you. By the way, you should get up too." "I'm so bored!" Ode Toshiji said, turning back inside again.He put his hands under the T-shirt and scratched his stomach. Should this look be indecent or informal, "Kashiwagi has been bored at home, and his mother is very worried just because of this. There are so many calls in a day Calling in, it’s normal to feel strange, right?” Kazuhiko Kanbara sat up straight and nodded. "However, regardless of whether it was the police's questioning or the teacher's concern, Kashiwagi Koko replied that Takuya did not act abnormally that day." Did Bai Muzhuo come to the roof of the teaching building in the middle of the night because he was called out?Since the commotion of the report letter, this question has become the focus of everyone's attention.However, Kashiwagi Koko's testimony has not changed at all.Even on the "News Quest" program, she didn't say a word about the heavy phone calls that day. "This means that his parents didn't notice." Kenichi said.His face was flushed with excitement, "So, Kashiwagi knew when the call came in." Today's phone doesn't ring immediately.Regardless of the main phone or the slave phone, the light will be on first after a call comes in, and some information will be displayed on the LCD screen at the same time. "As long as you stay by the phone and answer it immediately after seeing the lights and displays, the phone won't ring." "But, won't it be troublesome to wait for the call?" Defender, don't make such silly rebuttals.Or, is this a test for me? "If you have to wait for an hour, of course you are very tired. But what if you only wait for ten minutes? Say 'call between 3:00 p.m. , isn’t it? If the handset is a cordless phone, then it’s fine to wait in the toilet.” "Understood. Let's confirm it." Kanbara seemed to be unable to resist Kenichi, and seemed a little anxious, "It seems that it is still not good to have the spokesperson Hiroyuki Kashiwagi in the middle, and should contact Kashiwagi Koko directly." "The phone number in Kashiwagi's room must also be confirmed. The sooner the better, it is best to go right away..." Kazuhiko Kanbara pointed to the finger bed and said, "We should hurry up, but before that, we have to deal with this guy first."
Shunji Oide washed his face before fully opening his eyes.He almost swallowed the sandwich made by Kenichi's mother Yukie Noda by himself. He didn't know any of the remaining five numbers on the call log.He readily agreed with the statement that these are public phones. "Who would make such a dangerous call at home?" "Does Daide also use public phones?" "Yeah. There's a phone booth right behind my burned home." Shunji could still hear the phone ringing when he stayed at home. He often turned out from the balcony to answer the phone as soon as he heard the ringing, secretly planning the route, and even put away his shoes in advance. "Have you always been like this?" This is really unimaginable for Kenichi. "Remember the phone booth number?" the defender asked. Toshiji Oide immediately answered.This is the evidence he has used many times.And none of the five numbers in the call log matched this number. "I've been wondering for a long time, why don't you have a pager?" Hearing Kazuhiko Kanbara's question, Toshiji Oide's eyes gleamed fiercely. "What's wrong? Can't you?" "I just can't figure it out. It's so convenient to have a pager." "I had one before." Shunji's tone sounded unconvinced, with egg sandwich fillings still sticking to his pursed lower lip, "I spent Christmas with some senior guys the year before last." They made a fuss without hesitation.When Da Chusheng found out, he beat him up. "Dad just confiscated the pager." "It hasn't been there since then? No way. Wouldn't you secretly buy one?" Kazuhiko Kazuhiko continued to ask. Shunji rolled his eyes at him. "I bought it." He said aggressively, "I bought it last summer, but my father confiscated it and beat me up. How is it? Are you satisfied?" Kazuhiko Kanbara smiled and said, "Didn't you buy it again? Well, it's better not to buy it. No, you should buy one." Call logs on pagers may serve as evidence for the defense. "Anyway, I haven't called Kashiwagi." As he spoke, he wiped the hand that was eating the sandwich just now on his T-shirt and shorts, and then stopped as if he remembered something.There was a rustling sound in the back pocket of the shorts. "That's right. I brought this." He took out a crumpled note from his pocket, "Didn't you want me to write a record of my actions on the 24th?" He poked the paper to the tip of Kanbara's nose, and slapped it on the table again. “写是写了，可这玩意儿真能管用？” 健一探过头来看了看这张纸，一下子就泄了气。 字写得太难看。一行行的字上下起舞，歪歪扭扭。要看清写着什么已经够累了，内容就更别提了，净是些“睡觉”“游戏中心”“不知道几点”“便利店”之类含糊的用词。并且，只有那天下午的活动回忆得比较详细，晚上八点以后就只写了一句“在家”。 “你还记得七点半左右跟你妈妈一起吃晚饭的事吗？” “晚饭是吃了，”俊次打了个很响的饱嗝，“时间记不得了。” “是跟你妈妈一起吃的吧？” “老妈不在。她去看宴会表演了。” 这是他记错了。 神原和彦展开便笺，摊在桌面上。 “还记得晚上九点钟左右，你爸爸带着客人回家的事吗？是来家里打麻将的客人。” 大出俊次灵巧地挑动一边的眉毛，看着神原问道：“上次你也问过这个问题吧？” “我想再确认一下。还记得吗？” 又一个饱嗝后，俊次摇了摇头：“我没跟客人见过面。只记得老爸说，那晚有客人要来，要我待在家里。仅此而已。” 看来去年十二月二十四日那天晚上，大出俊次确实没被叫到麻将屋里去过。 “大出，你待在自己的房间里，是不会知道客入的进出以及家里别的地方的情况吧？” 俊次露出牙齿，显得十分不耐烦：“我家太大了。” “嗯，那倒是。不过已经烧得一干二净了。”神原追问道，“我再问一次，去年十二月二十四日那天晚上吃过晚饭后，大出你一直在家，对不对？直到早晨为止，一步也没有离开过，是吗？可不能撒谎啊。”他强调了一遍，“你要是撒谎，我总会知道的，因为我可以去证实。” 健一发现在这一瞬间，大出俊次的眼中只有眼白，没有眼黑。曾听人说过，鲨鱼发起攻击时的眼睛就是这样的。 “证实？”俊次怒吼道，“什么意思？去向谁证实？”他猛地站起身，把椅子都带倒了，“向我老妈去证实吗？是不是？” 隔着桌子，他一把揪住神原和彦的衣领，将他提了起来。 “你要把我老妈也卷进来，是不是？我不是跟你讲过了，不要把我老妈卷进来！我不是讲过了吗！” 大出俊次将神原和彦从椅子上拖了起来，用力摇晃着，似乎马上就要动手揍他了。健一说不出话来。他没胆量上前去劝架，也没有拦住俊次的臂力。桌上那只俊次用来喝大麦茶的玻璃杯映人眼帘。他一把抓起玻璃杯，将杯中残存的茶水泼到俊次的脸上。 这真是名副其实的“泼冷水”。 被泼了一脸的大麦茶后，大出眨起了眼睛。健一的心跳仿佛一下子停止了。起反作用了吗？那家伙会发作得更厉害吗？ 大出俊次垂下高耸的双肩，松开神原和彦的衣领，一把推开了他。神原和彦摇晃着身子，双手按在喉咙口，开始猛烈咳嗽起来。刚才被大出俊次揪起来时，他险些窒息。 俊次呆呆地站着，眼睛恢复了正常，刚才那鲨鱼般的眼神已不知去向。 “不是，我们要，把她卷进来……”神原和彦痛苦地喘息着，“是你妈，主动，配合我们的。她……很担心你啊。” 说完，神原再也忍不住了，俯下身子干呕起来。健一见状，赶紧跑去抚摸他的背部。 “今天真是倒了大霉。”嘴上这么说，神原却依然在笑，“下次你要是再这样……” “你还是别说话了。”健一拦住了神原的话头，抬起头看着大出，替神原说出了下半句，“我们就辞职不干了。” 大出俊次默不作声地撩起T恤的下摆擦了擦脸。然后扶起椅子，坐了下来。 “昨天，老爸他……”大出的声音太小了，不光是健一，连还在干呕的神原也抬起了头，“又被警察叫去了。” “一大早被叫去，下午六点过后才回来……回来后，老爸又叫来税务顾问，搞了一大堆账本，两人一直折腾到很晚才结束，老爸还不时咆哮几声……” 税务顾问走后，大出胜一个人关在房间里，像是在给什么人打电话。起初声音很大，马上又变得很小声，偷偷摸摸地谈了很久。 “现在租的公寓里也有老爸工作用的房间。” 就在大出俊次房间的隔壁。 “就因为这个，你昨晚才没有睡好，是吧？”终于调整好呼吸的神原和彦抬起身子说道。 健一突然明白了。大出俊次表面上总是突然发火，大声吼叫，大吵大闹，然后又马上开始傻笑。大家都认为这是他的本性，才留意不到别的方面。其实他的内心也相当不安，精神状态很不正常。他不仅担心自己，也担心父母，因此变得更容易冲动。 对他而言，担心他人的感觉，还是第一次体会到吧。 “我想听听老爸在说什么，可听不到，所以我……”他伸手抓过被健一倒空的玻璃杯，将杯子底部贴在耳朵上。“就这样，贴在墙壁上。” “偷听啊……”神原和彦笑了，随即又咳嗽起来。健一忍住笑，再次抚摸起辩护人的后背。 "What did you hear?" “老爸说的生意上的话，我一点也听不懂。” 不过听得出他们在谈钱。 “保险金还没有下来，老爸他很犯难。”他嘟囔着，“最近连零花钱都不给我了。” 大出俊次也很害怕。 神原和彦坐回椅子上，脸上的表情表示他已经没事了。健一从洗手间拿来毛巾。 “我现在这么做，对吗？”大出抽着鼻涕，“公司那边很惨。我必须担心那边，因为我是继承人。” “具体而言，”神原冷静得惊人，“假如你父亲的公司面临危机，你又能做些什么呢？” 大出俊次又吸了一下鼻涕，拿T恤衫的下摆胡乱擦了擦眼睛和鼻子，似乎用不着毛巾。 “没什么能做的吧？”神原和彦说，“如果是这样，你还是把精力集中到证明自己的清白上为好，这样至少还能让妈妈放心一点。” 大出俊次低下头，撤起嘴，低声说：“我倒想问问你……” "what?" “你真是个让人犯恶心的浪蛋。没人这么说过你吗？” 神原辩护人无法回答。 大出抬起头，看着神原。这次倒并不是要打架，可看上去态度更恶劣了。 “你自己明白吗？混账透顶。脑子快，嘴会说，心眼黑。其实，你要比我坏多了。” 健一的嗓子干得快要冒烟了。 “你自己有没有想过，你老爸杀死你老妈的时候，应该连你一起弄死；要不，你老爸在上吊的时候，应该把你吊在身边。这样就好得多了，你说是不是？” 健一猛地将手中的毛巾扔向大出。他也不清楚自己在做什么，等他回过神来时，他发现自己正朝大出俊次猛扑过去。 他并不想揍大出。他做不出这种英勇行为，只是想扑上去阻止。大出吃了一惊，一闪身就躲开了，健一反倒摔在了厨房的地板上。 健一的气势丝毫不减。他站起身来大叫道：“不准说这种话！” 你根本没有说这种话的资格！谁都没有说这种话的资格！ “你要向他道歉、道歉！道歉！向他道歉！”他一边喊着，一边准备再次扑向大出俊次。 身后有人抱住了他。没有别人，只有神原和彦。 “别拦我。你这个混蛋！”甩开神原的手，健一也对他大喊大叫起来，“为什么能容忍他说这样的话！为什么要拦住我？被他这么说，你不觉得窝火吗？” 神原和彦体格和健一不相上下，也不躲不闪，健一一下子就揪住了他。就像刚才大出对神原那样，健一也抓住他的衣领摇晃起来。 神原丝毫不予抵抗。健一摇着摇着竟哭了起来，于是停止摇晃，拽着神原的双手很快松开了。他全身瘫软，一下子坐到了地板上。 “我也想过。”头顶传来神原和彦的声音，沙哑、低沉，轻到只能勉强听见，“我一直在想，为什么只有自己活下来了？所以……”说到这儿，他噎住了。 健一抬头看着他。只见他脸色惨白，毫无表情，却站得笔直，和大出俊次正面相对。 “其实，我那时就知道……” 对面大出俊次的脸一片苍白。 “我知道，自己早就死了。” 和父母一起死了。 “站在这里的是一个幽灵。我是幽灵。” 柏木卓也问过丹野老师的残酷问题，再次浮现在健一的脑海里。那孩子，能善待自己的生命吗？能找到活着的意义吗？ “是一个幽灵在做你的辩护人。”神原和彦的眼睛是干的，“如果你不愿意，可以解我的职。我绝不会主动辞职。” 大出扒下肩膀上的毛巾，穿过厨房跑了出去。很快，玄关处传来开关门的声音。 “今天是内讧的日子。”难以置信的是，神原和彦居然向瘫坐在地上的健一露出笑容，“总之先休息一会儿吧。休息半天也没什么关系。” 不过，闹到这个地步可真是遗憾，简直叫人喘不过气来。 “为什么？”健一问。 为什么要忍受到如此地步？ 就算问了，他也不会回答的吧。可健一太想一吐为快了。 “你当那家伙的辩护人是有原因的吧？这对你有什么好处吗？到底是怎么回事？”健一盯着地板，语气就像发牢骚似的，“如果有什么原因，请告诉我，不然我可要崩溃了。” 神原在健一的身边蹲下了身，健一则抬起了半个身子。辩护人的眼睛里还是干的，都干透了，仿佛沙漠。 健一想到了沙漠。这家伙就是在沙漠里游荡的幽灵。 “我不想告诉你。” "Hey?" “我不想回答。不想说。” 这其中肯定有原因。 健一泪流满面，张开的嘴半天都合不上，就像中了邪似的看着神原的侧脸。这种状态持续了多久？ “好吧，那我不问了。”或许是哭过的缘故，健一的嗓音有些沙哑。不过他明白，这个回应是正确的。 如果急于得到答复，只会适得其反。要想得到答案，就只有继续跟在神原辩护人身边。跟着他仔细观察他。 健一想起一句更重要的话语：“我也不会辞职。如果你讨厌我，可以将我解职。” 失魂落魄的两人在餐桌底下对视着。 “谢谢。”神原和彦说道。 健一突然害羞了。他在地板上爬了几步，拣起大出俊次扔下的毛巾，擦了擦脸，又擤了擤鼻涕。 “我们去见见柏木的母亲。”神原和彦说着，站起身来，“还是洗把脸再去吧。”
藤野凉子昨晚一宿没睡，是在考虑争取井口充的办法。回过神来时，她发现短暂的夏夜即将过去，打开窗户，凉爽的晨风扑面而来，十分惬意。尽管开了一夜的空调，此刻她的身上依然是汗涔涔的。 去年十一月十四日星期一，午后十二点半左右的午休时间，城东三中二楼的理科准备室里，大出俊次、桥田佑太郎、井口充三人和柏木卓也之间到底发生了什么？ 井口充对这个问题的回答，是撰写起诉书必需的证言。这是个核心问题，因为该事件正是导致大出俊次欲置柏木卓也于死地的愤怒，或者说杀意的起因，尽管将杀人意图落实的计划性并不明确。 这一切都必须让井口充亲口讲出来。 昨天，凉子己经向她的两个事务官详细说明了这一方针。佐佐木吾郎的反应却有点出人意料。 “小凉，你的用意我明白。” 可这真的是事实吗？ “理科准备室发生的事件强行认定为杀死柏木卓也的动机，合适吗？” “并不是'认定'，这是顺理成章的推理。” “也仅仅是推理，不是吗？根据推理来构建整起事件……” “不这么做，我们的任务就无法完成。” “就是说，要让井口充说出我们希望他说的话，对吧？” "yes." “这么做……合适吗？”佐佐木吾郎的脸上露出了犹豫的神色。对这位忠诚的事务官而言，这种表情还是第一次出现呢。 “没什么不合适的。” “这难道不是在欺骗，不，是在诱供吗？以'你没有罪，因为你不在柏木卓也惨死的现场'这样的话为诱饵。” “不是'不在'，只是声称根据三宅树理的证言，能够明确的嫌疑对象只有大出俊次一个。” 因此只有他一个人被起诉。 “可是，举报信上明明写着他们三个人的名字啊？”佐佐木吾郎反问道。 “那是因为浅井松子这样说，当时才那么写的。三宅树理也只是听来的，并没有看到过他们三人。用些模棱两可的说法也是没办法的事，只要能让井口充朝这个方向理解就行。” “你真的想诱供啊，小凉。”佐佐木吾郎更加犹豫了。连那个比起做忠诚的检察事务官，更愿意做佐佐木吾郎忠诚支持者的萩尾一美也发表了负面意见：“法庭审判可以这么做吗？” “在这次的内审判里是可以的。”凉子毫不动摇，“你们两人好好回想一下。柏木死后，为什么会传出是大出他们杀死他的传闻？不正是因为，大家都认为这跟理科准备室里发生的冲突有关吗？我们也必须回到这个原点上来。不过我们不能仅凭模糊印象捏造传闻，要根据事实情况重构整个事件。” 事到如今，两名事务官并没有跟凉子对着干的打算，只是在面对重大而艰难的决策时有点胆怯罢了。 “明白了。”佐佐木吾郎说，“总而言之，这可是一件大事。” 今天，佐佐木吾郎和萩尾一美一整天都在写增井望的陈述书。由于是瞒着增井的父母做这项工作，只能让增井到佐佐木吾郎家去。如果搞得太晚，会引起增井望家人的注意，所以今天可能还完不成。 眼下他们那边的工作一定早就开始了。那凉子也要行动起来，得把睡懒觉损失的时间补回来。 熬了整整一个通宵，也不光是在脑子里空想，凉子已经给井口充写好了一封长信，信中写明了检方的宗旨和请求。凉子觉得，这么做比打电话更好。接下来她要登门拜访，直接把信交给井口充的父母。凉子穿戴整齐后便出了门。她今天穿的是校服，头发束在脑后，那封信则放在书包里。井口家经营的杂货店在天秤座大道里，凉子从未想过自己会如此一本正经地跑去那条商业街。 店名就叫“井口屋”。店里应景地摆着一些时尚的物品，但本质上还是个小杂货铺。从厨房用具到清洁用具，还有拖鞋、清洗剂、晾衣杆、长筒雨靴等等，应有尽有。 在堆满各种物品的货架后方，是放着收款机的账台。账台后坐着一对中年夫妇，女方的长相和井口充有点像，应该是他的母亲。 井口充的母亲首先注意到藤野凉子，脸上表情显得很惊讶。正在写什么东西的父亲还以为来的是普通客人，笔也不停地说了声“欢迎光临”，被妻子用胳膊肘捅了一下，才抬起头来。 “你是藤野凉子？”母亲开口了。父亲听了这句话，脸上才显露出惊慌的神色。 这样也好，不用自我介绍了。凉子毕恭毕敬地低头鞠了一躬。凉子被请进店里一间狭小的用作办公室兼仓库的房间。房间里放着折叠式的桌椅，空调不管用，十分闷热。 井口充的父亲井口直武说话的声调很高，这点跟他儿子很像。母亲井口玉江留在账台边，和这个房间只隔着一块门帘，里面的対话想必能够听得一清二楚。 凉子作了一踏进店门就被轰出去的最坏打算，因此对受到如此礼遇多少有些困惑。更让她惊讶的是，井口夫妇对校内审判相当了解，不仅知道凉子是检察官，还知道校内审判作为暑期课外活动，是在北尾老师的监督下进行的。 “听说是在十五日开始？” “是的。您了解得真清楚。” “有城东三中的学生和他们的家长到我们店里来买东西的。” “我原以为你们不想知道校内审判的事。” 井口直武含糊其辞地支吾了过去。 虽然顺序颠倒了，凉子还是问了一下井口充的健康情况。 “正在做恢复锻炼。虽说还得坐轮椅，但总在一点点好起来。” “能和他见面吗？” 井口直武立刻回答：“他不和城东三中的学生见面。” 不是“不让他和你们见面”，也不是“他不想和你们见面”，而是“不见面”。 “既然这样的话，您能将这封信交给他吗？” 井口直武摸了摸身上那件褪色的马球衫的衣领，接过了凉子双手递上的信：“里面都写了些什么？” “您读一下就知道了。” “我们也能读？” "of course can." 手里拿着信，又摸了一下衣领，井口直武将信塞进了裤子的后插袋：“藤野同学。” "Ok?" 井口充的父亲惴惴不安地眨着眼睛，凉子正视着他，竟产生了自己是真正的检察官的错觉。这人干吗那么战战兢兢的？ “既然是检察官，你主张的是我们家小充杀死了柏木，对吗？” “不，不是井口杀的。校内审判只起诉大出俊次一个人。” “可小充是他的跟班。”没想到井口充的父亲也会说出这种话，“要干什么坏事，他们总是在一起的，不是吗？” 井口直武不停扯着马球衫的衣领。 “他是受到大出的唆使才干坏事的，而且还抢在前头干。他就喜欢瞎起劲。”说着，他朝账台那边瞄了一眼，“二月份打伤四中一年级学生的那件事，就是这样的。” 作为父亲，也太口无遮拦了吧？ “带点恐吓性质，多半是出于恶作剧。结果闹过了头，变成了那样。” 他也顺便替儿子开脱一下。 “校内审判和二月的那起事件无关。”凉子说。 井口直武用怀疑的视线打量着凉子。 “信上都写了些什么？” “一些希望井口协助的事。” “小充他能帮你们什么忙吗？” “是的。希望他能告诉我