Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

august 9
Noda Kenichi was woken up by the phone ringing. However, the ringing stopped soon, maybe it was his father Takeo who answered the phone.When the transferred call sounded, Kenichi picked up the phone receiver, and it was indeed his father's voice that came out: "It's Toshiji Oide." Jian looked at the alarm clock next to his pillow, it was just after six o'clock in the morning.Shunji, what's the matter, do you want to do radio gymnastics with elementary school students? Kenichi was so sleepy that he couldn't even open his eyes.But anyway, he kicked off the sweaty towel blanket and put the phone receiver to his ear.

"Is it Noda?" Toshiji Oide said hoarsely, "Dad was taken away by the police." His voice is not high, and he speaks quickly.Kenichi rubbed his eyes and checked the time again.There was no doubt that it was morning, judging by the sunlight that fell on the curtains. "So early?" "Just now, they suddenly rushed in." "Your father was arrested?" "have no idea." Shunji Oide's side is very quiet, there are no noisy voices or noises. "I don't know? If they are arrested, they will show the arrest warrant?" "I didn't see it! I didn't step out of the room!"

It is estimated that he overheard it while hiding in his room. "Your father is gone?" "Well. Mom is talking to the police. Do you think Mom will be taken away by them too?" Even with a clear mind, Kenichi couldn't answer this kind of question. "How can I know something that you don't even know?" Oide Shunji was silent.He could hear him breathing heavily. "Calm down first, it's useless to be impatient. Have you contacted Kazami's lawyer?" "Mom should contact him." "Then don't worry. Before the matter is clear, you'd better not act rashly."

There seemed to be something moving on the other end of the phone.Oide Shunji seemed to put down the receiver, and there was a "bang bang bang bang" sound from the phone. Kenichi waited motionless. After Shunji Oide came back, his voice became louder: "It is said that a house search will be carried out soon. What's going on? What the hell is going on!" Kenichi is now fully awake.The sweat from falling asleep sticks to the body sticky. "Residence search..." Just as he was in a daze, there was an adult voice on the other end of the phone, as if asking Oide Shunji to hang up.Jianyi held the receiver tightly with both hands, and said vigorously: "Ode, you'd better do what your mother and lawyer Kazami said. Don't resist, it's of no use to resist."

Oide Shunji gave an obedient "Hmm".Looking back on it afterwards, Kenichi still finds it astonishing. "After the matter is cleared up, please contact me at any time when it is convenient to contact. I will tell him from Shenyuan, you don't have to worry." At this time, another woman's voice came from the phone, and Toshiji Daide replied, "Understood! Are you annoying?" "Listen well, anyway, you have to calm down, don't be impulsive!" There was chatter on the other end of the phone.The sound of voices and objects colliding became chaotic.Someone else was yelling to Shunji Oide: "Hurry up and hang up!"

Kenichi suddenly remembered a word.Just a very ordinary sentence. "Come on!" While he was calling, the phone was hung up.I don't know whether Oide Shunji heard it or not.
Fifteen minutes later, Kenichi and Kazuhiko Kanbara met in a children's park not far from his home.In the park, there are elementary school students, young children and their parents living nearby, and some people are doing radio gymnastics. After Oide Shunji hung up the phone just now, Kenichi immediately called the Kanbara family.It was Kazuhiko Kanbara's mother who answered the phone.When Kenichi contacted Kanbara before, his parents were both working in the workshop.Kenichi had never spoken to Kanbara's mother yet.

Just as Kanbara doesn't care about Kenichi's parents, Kenichi has long forgotten about Kanbara's parents.Hearing that it was his mother who answered the phone, Kenichi was a little panicked, and kept apologizing: "I'm so sorry to bother you so early." Kanbara's mother didn't seem surprised, and immediately asked Kazuhiko Kanbara to answer the phone.They immediately agreed on a meeting place.Jian rushed out without washing his face.Shen Yuan was dressed neatly at the time, and he didn't look like he had just woken up. "You wake up so early."

"It's just a coincidence." He answered briefly, and then asked back, "Noda, are you okay?" Kenichi's heart was surging at the moment, he didn't seem to be "okay" at all. "Sit down for a while." Saying that, Kazuhiko Kazuhiko walked towards the bench in the corner of the park.As soon as he took a step, Kenichi felt his knees shaking. The children's radio gymnastics finished the first section, and the second section is about to start. "Anyway, we have nothing to imitate now. We can only wait for the situation to clear up." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko put his hands on his chest and looked at his toes and said, "Should we inform the prosecution if something like this happened?"

"Well, there is also Kitao-sensei." "yes." "The court session may be postponed." "Why? It's not Shunji Oide who was arrested." Kanbara's tone was surprisingly relaxed.Under the influence of the other party, Kenichi adjusted his breathing and asked, "Kanbara, did you really not tell your parents about the school trial?" Kanbara's eyes widened, and he asked back, "What's wrong?" "Your mother... how should I put it, she doesn't seem surprised at all." When Kenichi explained the situation to his father just before he left home, there was a little commotion.His father, Takeo, was very panicked, and even said "It's terrible, it's terrible", his face changed.

"I didn't say anything." Shen Yuan said, "My parents don't know anything about the trial at Chengdong No. 3 Middle School." "Are you keeping your defense a secret from them?" "Well, there's no need to talk about it. The school is different. There is no communication between the parents, and it is impossible to hear about it through other channels." Shen Yuan explained. "But, these days, haven't you been running outside with me almost every day? What excuse did you use?" "It's summer vacation now, so why do I need any excuses? Participate in club activities, go to the library to read books, go to the school's self-study classroom, whatever you say."

If this is not an excuse, what is it? "What happened just now? It doesn't seem normal to go out with friends so early, doesn't it?" "I said, I made an appointment with my friend to do radio gymnastics, but I forgot." What a solid tongue. "That's all right?" "no problem." Big problem, right?Jianyi thought. "This is a lie, how can you do this?" Kazuhiko Kanbara widened his eyes again, and then laughed again: "This is our family's business, you don't have to worry about it. Our family has its own way of doing things." You are an adopted son and have no blood relationship with your parents, so... Kenichi still wanted to ask, but he swallowed the words again.It's too nosy to ask. But…… It would have been nice if I hadn't heard Kanbara's mother's voice. "Good morning, wait a moment, He Yan has already woken up, I'll call him." It was a gentle voice. "It's not that I'm doing something bad, so what does it matter? This is an extracurricular activity." Shen Yuan said.The radio gymnastics for the little ones ended and the music stopped.Kanbara's words sounded just in this interval, and it sounded more excused. You are right, you are not doing anything bad.However, Kanbara has a secret in him.He is hiding something, from Kenichi, from his parents, and from our school trial. Still don't ask. "Call Fujino?" In order to change his mood, Kenichi stood up after speaking. "Let's go directly to the door." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko also stood up, "Although it's not good to go to the girl's house early in the morning, it's not easy to talk about it on the phone, and I'm afraid it will scare the prosecutor." Indeed, this matter cannot be explained in a few words.But Fujino Ryoko didn't show any surprise after hearing this, instead it surprised Noda Kenichi and Kanhara Kazuhiko.
Hiccups, hiccups, can't stop. Kazuhiko Kazuhiko at the side tried his best to hold back his laughter.Kenichi was very anxious, took several deep breaths, and pinched his nose to hold his breath, but he still couldn't stop hiccupping. "I'll get you a glass of water." Perhaps because she couldn't stand it any longer, Fujino Ryoko said and left the room.The moment the door opened and closed, a little girl's voice came through the crack of the door: "Hey, sister, sister, what are they here for? Which one is your boyfriend? Which one is the one who called last time?" people?" It seems that Ryoko's two younger sisters have been lying in ambush at the stairs. "It's so annoying!" Liangzi shouted, and they became even more energetic.After a while, the sound gradually faded away.It seems that Ryoko is resisting the words of the two younger sisters while driving them down the stairs. Kazuhiko Kanbara finally couldn't help but put his hand on his mouth and laughed. "My sister is so annoying. It seems that Fujino is really annoying." "Uh... Slightly." Another hiccup came from Kenichi's throat, "You speak so easily." "Really? It's just that the mystery that has accumulated in my heart for many years is finally solved, and I feel happy. Oh, it is a bit exaggerated to say 'how many years'." He laughed again, "It turns out that Fujino has a father as a special source of information. It’s really a downfall.” When the two arrived with the news that the monk had been searched by the police, Fujino Ryoko immediately let them into the house.No, it should be said that Ryoko's mother Fujino Kuniko let them into the house, and led them into Ryoko's room on the grounds that "the two little girls are too noisy". This is a girl's room, and it belongs to Ryoko Fujino.Here is Ryoko Fujino's desk, Ryoko Fujino's wardrobe, and the bed where Ryoko Fujino sleeps.Kenichi felt that the positions of his head, heart, and stomach had all changed, and certain parts sometimes throbbed and sometimes began to feel hot. Liangzi's bed was tidied up, and the bed was still covered.There was no pajamas in the room, and there were no littered clothes, probably because Kenichi and the others had deliberately cleaned them up, but it was probably the same as usual.Kenichi felt that this was in line with Fujino Ryoko's meticulous character. Ryoko wanted to sit in her chair.But when she approached, Kenichi and Kanbara were sitting on the floor respectfully together, and she had to imitate them and sit on the floor. Ryoko said: "We know that Oide's father will be arrested in the near future. We were still discussing with the affairs officer yesterday whether we should tell you." What happened next, Kenichi had to listen with wide-eyed eyes: self-directed and self-acted fire farce, cash flow failure at Oide Timber Factory, insurance fraud, land sale, false threatening phone calls. As I listened, Kenichi began to hiccup. While watching Kenichi who was struggling with hiccups from the corner of his eye, the prosecutor and the defender started a lively exchange. "If the police only wanted to arrest President Oide, they would have done it long ago. Since the actual executor he commissioned has another organization, and this is the main target of the police, they have taken extremely cautious actions." "Whether it was entrusted by President Oide, or they instigated President Oide to do that, it's hard to say." "What's the meaning?" "Would you like to guess the name of that organization?" "Isn't it 'Global Industries'?" Kazuhiko Kazuhiko's answer surprised Ryoko. "How do you know?" "Then who did you listen to? Or your father?" "The source of the information is confidential." "me too." Ryoko looked sideways at Shen Yuan, and said, "By the way, don't you have a consultant lawyer who is a monk? It's Kazami, right?" Kazuhiko Kanbara was unmoved, with a nonchalant expression on his face.During this short interval of silence, Kenichi inserted a hiccup: "Uh... slightly." "Didn't the detective agency be used in such a short time last night and this morning?" "Uh... slightly." "I want to ask you, you won't use the detective agency to investigate the inside story of the great monk without telling us, will you?" "I will not use that despicable method..." "Uh... slightly!" Liangzi said "I'll get you a glass of water", got up and left. Kanbara patted Kenichi on the back and said, "Cheer up." "I'm sorry. It's because...uh... well, it was a shock." The door opened and Ryoko came back.Mom Kuniko Fujino followed, holding a large plate piled high with toast, hard-boiled eggs, and salad. "You guys haven't had breakfast yet." Putting the plate in the middle of the floor, Kuniko Fujino smiled at Kenichi and Kanbara, "Ryoko has been taken care of by you. You can't fight if you're hungry, eat quickly." She nodded to Ryoko again, and walked out of the room neatly.Ryoko handed Kenichi the cup filled with water. "Thank you!" "I'm sorry." Shen Yuan put his hands on his knees and bowed politely to Ryoko, "Looks like it's better to call." "Why are you being polite? My mother was touched when she saw Shen Yuan and Noda." "move?" "She is very interested in you. I heard about you from Zhangzi." Liangzi said, "It's Akiko Furuno from the drama club. Haven't you seen it before? In the library." "Oh, um." "She's a good friend of mine. She came to my house and I heard her talk a lot about you. She seems to resonate with you very much." "What did Furuno say?" Kanbara looked a little uneasy, and Ryoko smiled mockingly at him. "Well, keep it secret. But Zhang Zi is definitely not my spy. Also, it's true that my mother has become your supporter. You seem to have a huge support group, especially girls." Seeing that the situation was not good for him, Shen Yuan quickly looked at Kenichi and asked, "How is it? Have you stopped?" Half of the water in the glass remains. "Probably...uh...slightly!" "Noda, you drink water as usual, how can it work? If you want to stop the hiccups, you have to drink from the opposite side of the cup. Come on, try it, it works time and time again." "Ah? Opposite?" "Yeah, the opposite side. The side away from the mouth." Kenichi looked at the cup in his hand and thought: This is an acrobatic and difficult movement. "Won't the water go up your nose?" Kanbara was also surprised. "Just be careful. You don't have to pour it into your nose, but you have to drink water. Look at me, like this." Ryoko picked up a glass full of milk and showed Kenichi a demonstration.Her upper body fell forward, her head almost down. "Is that so?" Kenichi stood up on his knees. "You still have to bend forward. No, no, how do you drink while lying sideways?" "Ah... it's spilled." Perhaps because of the excessive movement in the room, the voices of the younger sisters sounded outside the door again. "sister--" "Are you all right? Didn't you get attacked?" Kenichi still poured the water into his nose, sprayed it out with a "pooh-" and began to cough violently.He hastily lifted up the hem of his T-shirt, covering his entire face. "It's so noisy!" Liangzi turned around and yelled at the door, and laughed again.Kamihara also laughed.After Kenichi coughed violently for a while, he finally calmed down. "Stop it." After wiping off the spilled water, Kenichi coughed again out of breath. "My two younger sisters are so messed up, I can't do anything about them." "It's normal for them to worry about you," Kazuhiko Kazuhiko said.Kenichi also coughed and nodded.The beautiful elder sister was blocked in the room by two boys who came to the door early in the morning. Why is it not worrying? "Really? What's the matter? Are you really planning to attack me?" "Please, please, don't make such jokes." Kenichi felt that his face was very hot, it must have been flushed, and it must not be all due to coughing. Before the smile faded away, Ryoko lowered her voice and said, "The situation is serious, we can't just laugh it off." All three fell silent. "I'm sorry." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko changed to sitting cross-legged, "Legs are numb." "Oh, it's okay. I want to relax a bit too." Saying this, Ryoko changed into a sitting position with her knees tucked in.The thin cotton shorts are light yellow, very eye-catching. "Having said that, there's nothing we can do at the moment," said Kanbara. "We can only wait and see." "Aren't you worried about getting out?" "If he was arrested, I would be a little worried. Besides, President Oide may not have been arrested, right?" Ryoko slowly shook her head: "You are overly optimistic. Even if he voluntarily accompanied the police to the police station this morning, since the house search has already started, there is a high possibility that he will be detained immediately." Combined with what Ryoko said just now, it can indeed be understood in this way.Only when the investigation of "Global Industrial" has achieved results will the police conduct a decisive house search. "Because of the threatening phone calls I received, Oide will probably be questioned as well. It seems that it has been difficult to meet him recently." "But it's only been two or three days, right? Compared to encountering these things when the court is approaching, it's better now." Today is August 9th, and the court session is on the 15th.Logically speaking, perhaps this is true. "Maybe Dachu will say something like 'such a big thing happened, what kind of in-school trial is going on'." Hearing this, Kenichi, who had been silently listening to the conversation between the prosecutor and the defender, raised his head involuntarily, and stared at Kazuhiko Kanbara's face. Shen Yuan smiled wryly and said, "I don't think he would say that until now." Fujino Ryoko's big eyes were also fixed on Kanbara.Kenichi wondered: what is she looking at? Liangzi immediately answered his doubts with questions: "What's the matter with you?" She made a drawing motion on the front of her neck with her fingers, "There are bruises." This is the trace left when Kazuhiko Kazuhiko and Oide Junji had a physical conflict yesterday.It seemed that Kazuhiko Kazuhiko Kazuhiko was too hasty when he went out this morning. He didn't wear a shirt with a collar, but only a T-shirt with a round neck, so his neck was completely exposed. However, the ecchymosis is very light and cannot be seen unless you look carefully.Ryoko's eyes are really sharp. "I have a little bit of eczema. It's caused by sweating." Shen Yuan replied nonchalantly. Ryoko's gaze remained fixed there, motionless. "Sure enough." After a soft sigh, she shifted her gaze, "Going crazy, right, big one?" Sensitive and expressive. "The last time you were unwell in the library, was it also caused by Toshiji Oide?" This is of course an overstatement.But considering the reason for this worry, Kenichi was still shocked: it turned out that Ryoko was so worried. "I'm sorry. Your role was originally mine." Ryoko's eyes lost their luster.Kanbara seemed to hear nothing.Seeing his indifferent appearance, Kenichi couldn't help becoming anxious.It would be unmanly not to say anything at this moment. Just when Kenichi didn't know what to say, Ryoko leaned out towards him: "I said..." At this time, Shen Yuan interrupted her: "Then, this is what you owe me. Can I take this opportunity to get compensation?" As if being splashed with a basin of cold water, Ryoko suddenly retracted her body: "Huh?" "I would like you to introduce me to your father." "You, what nonsense are you talking about!" Kenichi was extremely embarrassed, and seemed to be hiccupping again. Kazuhiko Kanbara ignored him at all. Liangzi's eyes immediately became serious: "What do you want to do?" "I can't tell you, this is our secret." Ryoko raised the corners of his eyes: "Why should I provide you with such convenience?" Shen Yuan said calmly, "Didn't you apologize just now?" "But you can't push your feet." "Increasing? Not really. You apologize, I accept your apology, and then turn the conversation into a constructive angle, that's all..." Kenichi's body froze.I'm not here, definitely not with them. "What's constructive? Don't talk about this kind of thing!" "Actually, it's not impossible for me to contact your father directly, but it may take more trouble to skip you. So I think it's better not to waste the opportunity." Liangzi was really angry: "It's just making trouble for no reason!" "No." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko had an extremely serious expression on his face.But only on the face.Kenichi understood that he must be very happy in his heart, no, he thought it was very interesting. When Fujino Ryoko gets angry, she looks even cuter. "Your father is a public servant, undertaking public service work. What's wrong with asking him to assist us in our extracurricular activities?" Ryoko straightened up: "Because he is my father!" "You don't distinguish between public and private." "What? When did I not distinguish between public and private? You are talking nonsense!" "You're talking nonsense." "Wait!" Kenichi shouted, "Wait, wait a moment, please wait a moment. What are you doing like this? My sisters have to worry about going to other places again. Fujino, calm down." "Worried about going elsewhere?" Ryoko's face suddenly turned red.Immediately, she sat down. "Defender, your attitude is not good." "Oh." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko re-adjusted his sitting posture.Looking at this person's eyes, you must think it's fun to do this, right? "It's actually like this, Prosecutor." Kenichi called Ryoko that way deliberately, "The defender has long been paying attention to the fire of the monk, and has always wanted to know the inside story, but he is unwilling to give the reason why he is so concerned..." Ryoko looked at Kazuhiko Kanbara and Kenichi Noda in turn, and seemed to be leaning towards Kenichi who was curled up and looked a bit useless. "Noda, it's not easy for you." "Yes. I also think it's very embarrassing. Didn't I also get left on the sidelines just now?" Kenichi decided to adopt the strategy of "keeping one's face down", "I think the defender wanted to see your father probably for the same reason , maybe it is necessary to do so. So, I’d better trouble you to recommend it.” After changing the sitting posture to sitting upright again, Ken and Ryoko lowered their heads. "But, defender, in front of Fujino, I want to confirm one thing with you." Kenichi turned to Shen Yuan and said. "What's the matter?" Shen Yuan looked serious. "Has the defender been vaguely aware of the truth behind the arson case?" No way?Ryoko looked at Kanbara with a puzzled expression.That's not the case, is it?But then again, Kazuhiko Kanhara is such an unexpected character. "Well, a little bit." Shen Yuan scratched his head and confessed in a low voice, "But there is no such specific plot." "incredible……" Why are you so weak?It turned out that Prosecutor Fujino was sighing. "So, I don't have a very clear guess. It's all general and vague..." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko used a series of weird gestures to help himself explain. "Why?" Ryoko asked bluntly, "Why do you think so?" "Uh... If you have to give a reason, it should be the timing of the fire." The fire of the great monk and the series of events in Chengdong No. 3 Middle School are too consistent in time. "Isn't it? After the "News Quest" program mentioned Oide's conflict with Kashiwagi, some extreme people appeared, right? The president of Oide took advantage of this and asked people to pretend to make threatening calls. ?” "That's the way it is. However, there are some things that don't make sense, right?" "It doesn't make sense?" Ryoko stared at Kanbara with wide eyes: "The influence of TV shows is indeed great. But, think about it calmly, is there really someone who is filled with righteous indignation after watching the show, and uses practical actions to teach Shunji Oide and his violent father a lesson? ?” "Isn't there already? Those stormy harassing phone calls Ryoko remained silent." Kanbara nodded. "However, that's just the end of it. Harassing phone calls, anyone can make them on the spur of the moment. However, if you want to find the person's house and set it on fire, it's not the same thing." "What if it's the relevant personnel from Chengdong No. 3 Middle School? They know where the great monk is." Kenichi interjected. "Will those relevant personnel have such great 'courage'?" Kenichi and Ryoko looked at each other. "President Oide, who appeared on the TV show, has been 'softened'." Maybe he thought his wording was a bit ridiculous, Kazuhiko Kazuhiko laughed, "There is no scene of him using violence in the show, only expressing' He's a very violent man' that's all." But the relevant personnel of Chengdong No. 3 High School knew President Oide, and they would know more about him than the reports just by listening to the comments about him. "Since everyone knows that he is such a person, do you still dare to set fire to his house? Anyway, I definitely don't have the guts. When I watched the show, I was still an outsider, but at that time I thought, this is a 'scary guy'." So he felt that this case was quite strange. Kenichi took a deep breath: "When you have this kind of thought, the message of 'Pyrotechnician' popped up again..." "Yeah." Shen Yuan nodded vigorously, "So it can be concluded that the fire was the work of a professional arsonist. Who would hire a professional arsonist? It's just for pranks or to vent their anger, and they are willing to spend money and effort to take the risk ?" how could be? "Therefore, the key to the arson case is not 'who suffered the loss', but 'who has the need to do so'. Thinking about it this way, it becomes clear." "If the house is burned, you can get the insurance money; if the old house is gone, the land can be renovated." Liangzi said to himself. "right!" "So you will care about the operation of the Daide Lumber Factory?" "Yes. At first, I thought that President Oide did it to win the sympathy of the world. But when I learned about his character and way of acting, I thought it was impossible..." "He was yelling when the bank's clerk went to his company," Kenichi added.Now he finally understands why Shen Yuan was so interested in that episode at that time. Ryoko was dumbfounded: "Have you looked at the great monk from the beginning?" Her pupils shrank. "I said, Kanbara..." She hesitated to speak, then turned her head to Kenichi, pointed at Kanbara and said, "Noda, it's really difficult for you to partner with this kind of person." "This kind of person?" Shen Yuan looked a little hurt. Ryoko resolutely ignored and stepped on him. "Let's take a Chinese test. What kind of person does 'this kind of person' refer to?" Before Kenichi could answer, she said it out loud, "This is called 'slick'!" Saying that, Ryoko clapped his hands and laughed. "Sly, too cunning. But..." After taking a deep breath, Ryoko's eyes softened, "It may be the best choice to deal with Daide." Kanbara was very shy.Kenichi noticed that Ryoko was also shy. Kenichi felt that there was actually one thing that should be told to Ryoko Fujino, and that was Kazuhiko Kanhara's past.Ryoko didn't know that Kanbara's parents ended their lives in such a tragic way.So she will not know that Kanbara has become a ghost wandering in the desert. The reason why Kanbara was able to make that reasoning was because he knew that anything could happen in the world.Whether it's family relationships or social norms, people sometimes forget about it all. But now, Kazuhiko Kazuhiko, whom Ryoko derogates and praises, is not a ghost wandering alone in the desert.He is here, with us, right now. Therefore, Kenichi didn't want Fujino Ryoko to know about Kazuhiko Kanhara's past, but only wanted her to know about the Kanbara in front of him. "Go home and change your clothes before coming back." After finally stopping laughing, Ryoko said to Shen Yuan, "The Metropolitan Police Department won't let you in with this outfit."
"This is the Metropolitan Police Department?" An hour after meeting at Fujino's house, Ryoko and Kanbara sat side by side on the edge of the fountain in Hibiya Park. "Don't whine. Wouldn't it be nice to meet here to save the red tape?" Moreover, it is lucky enough to be able to contact Fujino Takeshi immediately. However, Ryoko was somewhat upset.When she explained the situation to her father and asked to meet, his father's reply was very unpleasant.But as soon as she mentioned that she was with Shen Yuan, her father's attitude changed immediately, and he promised to meet right away. "I'll see you in the park. Maybe you'll have to wait for a while. Don't worry. It's too sudden." Kazuhiko Kanbara went home and changed into the school uniform of the middle school attached to Toto University, and Ryoko also put on the school uniform of Joto No. 3 Middle School.The two junior high school students in school uniforms in Hibiya Park are like two crucian carps appearing in the aquarium, obviously out of tune with the surrounding environment.Wearing a school uniform is particularly stuffy.Why is the breathability of school uniforms always so poor?Is it to cultivate students' endurance? Beads of sweat also appeared on the tip of Kanbara's nose, and the hair on the back of his neck was also wet, but it should have been wet from the spray of the fountain. Liangzi turned to look at him, originally wanted to talk to him, but suddenly stared blankly.What an incomprehensible boy.I don't understand what he is thinking at all, but once he understands, it is always so shocking.His mind was brilliant, but not always clear.He seems to be very good at nonsense, but without malice. Moreover, although this guy is a little listless at the moment, his face is indeed more beautiful than that of ordinary girls. Perhaps sensing Ryoko's gaze, Kazuhiko Kanbara also looked in this direction, and Ryoko blinked flusteredly. "What are you doing?" Ryoko reflexively showed a aggressive attitude. In order to wait for Toshiji Oide's call, Kenichi Noda stayed at home.Ryoko's two clerks still have to deal with Nozomi Masui.It was the first time that prosecutors and defenders were alone together today. "I don't know if I should ask," Kazuhiko Kazuhiko said slowly, "Did Fujino-san's father approve of the in-school trial from the very beginning?" Ryoko was relieved.It is easier to speak than to be silent.What happened to me today?Feel embarrassed if you don't speak. "Initially he was against it. Even now, it's hard to guess what he really thinks. Maybe it's better not to do it." "But isn't your father assisting greatly?" "Before I said it, he won't listen to me for everything." Shen Yuan smiled: "You want to say that there is nothing particularly advantageous for the prosecution, right? Understand, understand." At this time, Ryoko made a small discovery.If it wasn't so close, it would never have been discovered.When Kanbara smiled, wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.This should be very rare among fourteen or fifteen-year-old boys. "Before Dad comes, I want to make a deal with you." "Did you always call your father 'Dad'?" It's still more called "Dad", but why are you so careful about picking the thorns? "I introduced you to my dad, and you have to tell me some information." "But if that's the case, don't you owe me money again?" "What do you owe? This is the only way to make peace." "Okay, okay." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko lightly raised his hands. "Have you read the call log of Kashiwagi?" "Ok." "After analyzing it, I found something interesting, right?" "What's interesting?" Still want to contradict my words?no way. "Don't ask me, I won't tell you. But you have to tell me, Kobayashi Electric Store..." Ryoko said, "It was the call at 7:36 pm. It was from the phone booth in front of Kobayashi Electric Store near Libra typed out." It must be done in one go, without giving the slightest chance to breathe.A stream of sweat trickled down Ryoko's temple. "You're trying to find the person who called, aren't you? Trying to narrow down the scope and find that person. Noda showed the photo to the electronics store owner to confirm." Kanbara looked as usual, unmoved at all. "It's not Daide, it's not Hashida, and it's not Jingguchi." Ryoko lowered his voice and continued, "Who is that?" Kanbara bent forward, hugging his knees.In such a sitting posture, as long as you lower your head slightly, you won't be able to see his face.Ryoko peered at his face from the bottom up.Don't hide, show your eyes.Eye! But after a while, Kanbara answered her with his face turned to his toes. "Myself." What's the meaning? "what?" Kazuhiko Kanbara raised his body, looked into Ryoko's eyes, and said in a clear and slow voice, "The one who made the call is me." "Myself?" Ryoko blinked, "You mean Kashiwagi himself?" Kanbara stared into Ryoko's eyes, as if looking for something.Ryoko saw a look of disappointment in the depths of his eyes.disappointment?Why disappointed?Am I wrong?Shen Yuan nodded: "Yes. That's what it means." "How is it possible? Why did he call his own home?" "Maybe he wanted to talk to his parents when he was outside." "It's not just one phone call, I made many calls that day." Liangzi unexpectedly revealed this clue first. "That's all he did. We're looking at that possibility as well." "That's why I don't understand. Why does he call home so much?" Kanbara tilted his head slightly, watching Fujino Ryoko.His eyes are very deep, staring at his pupils seems to be sucked in. "Perhaps he is hesitating." "Is it Kashiwagi? Why are you hesitating?" "suicide." Ryoko held his breath.Spray from the fountain splashed into the eyes. "That day, Kashiwagi might have thought of committing suicide before midnight. He left home for this purpose and wandered around; he also thought of saying goodbye to his parents, so he kept calling." Kazuhiko Kazuhiko's tone was not the slightest cadence, "But those The phone didn't get through, and even if he heard the recording prompt, he didn't leave a voice, probably because he was hesitating." He didn't know what to say... "It's impossible for Kashiwagi to be away from home for such a long time," Ryoko said. "However, Kashiwagi's parents didn't know what he did that day. He didn't go out early in the morning, and he didn't go out and go home for a while. Those phone booths were not too far from home, and half of them were in the Near his home, even in Shinjuku and Akasaka, you can get there by subway in 30 minutes.” "Did you forget? At about five o'clock that day, Noda saw him in the McDonald's in Libra." "The next call is from Shinjuku, at 6:05 pm, right? Isn't it too late?" "Why is he running around?" “也许是在寻找自杀地点吧。”神原的语气很平淡，话语却相当干脆，“结果他没死成，又回了家。然后，他在半夜又选择了城东三中的屋顶，估计就是这样。” “可那时，他都没跟父母说过什么话，连遗书也没留下！” “这其中的原因，和打电话时什么都不说是一样的吧。” 他的解释确实相当有条理。凉子真的有点害怕了。小林电器店的小林大叔也说过，在那间电话亭里打电话的男孩看起来又冷又累，身上散发着不同寻常的气氛。对他说“快点回家去吧”，他就老老实实、垂头丧气地离开了。 种种迹象都表明，他确实想自杀。拨打七点三十六分的那通电话时，或许正是那位好管闲事的小林大叔救了他。即使没有彻底挽救他，在那个场合下也算救了他一命。 no.我怎么可以像中了催眠术似的，尽朝一个方向想呢？ “这就是你们辩护方的主张？” 神原点了点头，进一步说明道：“这样就不用再考虑大出是否想叫柏木出门，有没有实际联系过他。” 凉子咬了咬牙：“你们给小林大叔看过柏木的照片吗？” 神原和彦笑道：“连这个都告诉你，你欠我的人情就不是一点点。” 即使咬紧牙关，凉子也快要忍不住了。真是个令人气恼的家伙！ "I kept you waiting for a long time." 这时，挽起袖子，眯眼看着两人的藤野刚出现了。 “凉子，你这是怎么了？是不是等得不耐烦，跟人吵架了？”
坐在喷水池边沿上的依然是两个人，只是成员换成了藤野刚和神原和彦。 藤野刚是故意让凉子先回去的。 “作为信息提供者，我希望能公平对待你们两方。凉子，你要是在场，就谈不上公平了。我向你提供信息时，神原可不在场，所以要请你回避一下。” “我明白！”凉子撅起小嘴，“我只是介绍一下而已，哼！” 憋了一肚子火的凉子一扭头，快步走出了公园。藤野刚发现女儿脸颊通红，眼角吊起。不过他知道，惹女儿生这么大气的并不是自己。他还没来时，女儿已经在和眼前这位辩护人争辩着什么了。 凉子是个很犟的小姑娘。她的表情说明她的好胜心爆发到了最大限度，也意味着她正处于劣势。 凉子与同龄的孩子争辩，一般不会如此气急败坏。虽然作为她的父亲多少有点自夸的意味，但藤野刚确实认为女儿非常优秀。那么，她今天是如何落败的呢？因为她遇到的对手，是这个担任辩护人的“强悍”少年吗？ 藤野刚很意外。神原和彦看上去并不强悍。在藤野刚的想象里，神原应该更有气势一些，至少跟担任法官的那个叫作井上康夫的少年差不多吧。藤野刚看过学校活动的照片，也听凉子提起过井上康夫，所以对他还是比较容易想象的。 神原和彦给人的感觉，似乎比井上康夫懦弱得多。藤野刚以为他像凉子的某个同班同学那样，是个老实本分、不引人注意的男孩。 对，就像野田健一那样。 眼前的神原和彦身材瘦小，相貌俊秀。和他相比，凉子倒更像个男孩。 “承蒙您接受了我过分的请求，真是万分感谢！” 一开口，连声音也是软绵绵的。变声期应该早过了吧，可他的音色依然柔和，似乎挺适合当配音演员。藤野刚对那个行业几乎一无所知，只是不由自主地如此联想罢了。 “没关系。你是因为担心大出，才想了解一些情况的吧？” "yes." “他的父亲近期内无法回家。会拘留二十天，能不能保释还很难说啊。” 神原抬起眼角：“保释？” 藤野刚看了看手表：“十五分钟前，他在审讯室被捕了。” 他目前的嫌疑是，以诈骗保险金为目的烧毁现住房，以及伪造盖章私人文书。 “伪造盖章私人文书与烧毁住宅是互不相关的。大出社长声称他母亲给了他任意处置自己名下土地的委托书，可他母亲后来否认了这一说法。” 而事实上，这一情节较轻的事件就是纵火案的起因。 “不过，这和你们的校内审判没有关系。” “是吗？”神原嘀咕道。 “也和大出没有关系。针对他的询问没什么大不了的，他很快能回归正常的生活状态。”藤野刚又苦笑着补充了一句，“或许很难说正常吧。” “您刚才说，大出社长有纵火嫌疑，可他不是雇佣了专业纵火犯吗？” 藤野刚针锋相对地反问道：“'烟火师'的信息，你是从哪里得到的？” "I can't say that." 回答很干脆。嘿，真有种啊。 “他雇佣专业纵火犯为他安装好点火装置。”藤野刚做了个安装物品的手势，“可按下装置的是大出社长，因此认定实施犯罪的还是他本人。” "I see." “当然，并不是说，出了这样的事，就不用在柏木事件上替大出洗刷冤情了。其实反而更有必要了。所以，你们不能退缩。如果大出打退堂鼓，你们就猛踢他的屁股，让他振作起来。” 神原笑了，笑得有点害羞。藤野刚据此修正了自己对他的印象。这个少年也有吸引人的地方，特别是笑起来的时候。 然而，他身上带着一股说不清道不明的阴沉气息。是因为紧张的缘故吗？ “就目前而言，我掌握的信息也很有限，不能为你们提供更多重要情况。不过，逮捕大出的父亲不会影响到大出的校内审判，也不能影响。” "yes." “这便是我以前说过的——你应该听凉子说过吧？不要碰纵火案。” “大出社长的法律顾问也对我们提出了同样的忠告。” 那位律师相当有分寸，不是吗？ “既然如此，今后你们不要再为此事操心了。可以吗？” “好的。”重重点头后，神原和彦直直地仰视着藤野刚，说道，“我想和您见面，是因为我还有另一个请求。” 藤野刚不由自主地停下了擦汗的手。 “柏木卓也去世的那天晚上，大出家来了三位客人，一直待到凌晨两点多。估计是'环球兴产'的人吧。” 藤野刚扭头注视着神原端正的脸庞。 “那时，三人中很可能有谁见过大出。对此我想确认一下，因为大出俊次的不在场证明或许能因此成立。” 藤野刚心中暗忖道：喂喂，他到底想干什么？ “'环球兴产'是大出社长的同犯吧？他们那边的相关人员也应该被捕了吧？” "So what?" “凭我们的力量无法接触那三名客人。他们在圣诞夜与大出社长见面，也许是为了商量纵火的事，或许还谈过土地出售的事宜。” 神原停下来喘了一口气。 “你们在审讯时，能不能问问那三名客人，那天夜晚，他们是否见过大出俊次？我们需要这样的证言，却没有能力获得。拜托了！” 神原站起身，郑重其事地鞠了一躬。看着他的头顶，藤野刚一时无言以对。这孩子，可真会吓人一跳。 “你先坐下吧。” 神原躲着藤野刚的眼神，乖乖坐下了。 “'环球兴产'的事，是今天早晨听凉子说的吗？” 藤野刚心想：即使如此，他的反应也太快了。 然而，神原却摇了摇头：“不是。我早就知道了。” 我不该感到惊讶。因为他连“烟火师”的事情都打听到了。 “那你是从哪里听来的？” "I can't tell." 依然底气十足，不过他的声音略有些颤抖。 “大出家的顾问律师……不是吧，那位先生跟我一样，要你们远离纵火案。” 神原沉默不语。 “可就算这样，你们还在想方设法打探线索。” 真是些不肯听大人忠告的小鬼。 藤野刚叹了口气，同时调整说话的语气。 “去年圣诞夜的来客就是'环球兴产'的相关人员，你作出这样的推测，有什么依据吗？” “有。但具体内容无可奉告。” 他也太有种了，简直有点得意忘形了。 “我觉得这有点异想天开。大出社长再怎么独断专行，也不会在自己家里和人商量这种事吧？” 犹豫片刻后，神原和彦看着藤野刚的眼睛，说道：“会的。如果有不得不这么做的理由。” “什么样的理由？” “譬如，让'烟火师'查看房屋构造，确认家庭成员的长相。” 藤野刚的眉毛抖动了一下。他暗自责备自己：太不谨慎了！ “还有电线的走向、家具和家电的位置，这些都需要'烟火师'进行实地考察。再说，大出社长自己可能也要做一些准备工作。” 话一说开去，神原的声音便不再颤抖。藤野刚为了不表露惊讶的神情，就只得恶狠狠地板起脸来。 这小鬼到底是什么来头？简直叫人难以置信。 “嗯，你说的这些，我明白。”为了隐藏起对神原和彦的钦佩，藤野刚故意慢吞吞地说，“很遗憾的是，我并不参与大出社长与'环球兴产'这桩案件的侦破工作。” “这就需要你……”神原不假思索地加重了语气，可在藤野刚的严厉注视下，他的态度又软了下来，“当、当然了，我知道自己的请求有点强人所难。” “是的。你的要求非常过分。” “可是，这可关系到大出俊次的名誉啊。” “和我有关系吗？” 神原的脸色也变难看了。 “既然是校内审判，就是校内的事情，应该在校内解决。”藤野刚说。 神原瞪起眼睛，一眨不眨地盯着藤野刚。藤野刚也以同样的眼神盯着他。 “您的意思是，不惜抛弃大出？” “你们是不会抛弃的吧？我只说跟我没有关系。” “在极有可能验证他的不在场证明的情况下？” “不能采取别的方法吗？” “如果有别的方法，还需要恳求您吗？”大声说出这句话后，神原和彦哭丧着脸，猛地低下了头，“所、所以要请求您。” 声音越来越低，眼神也变得游移不定。 “对不起了……” 藤野刚觉得很累。他要拼命忍住笑，还要忍住伸手去拍眼前这名少年肩膀的冲动。 了不起，这个小鬼真了不起。他的父母是什么样的人？他们是怎么教育他的？他们为这个孩子感到自豪吗？还是觉得抚养这样的孩子太辛苦？就像自己对凉子的感受一样？ “这条路并没有错。” 神原和彦抬起了头，似乎感到很意外。 “只是太性急了。再好好把握一下。” 神原小小的喉结在细细的脖子里上下移动了一下。他轻声咕哝道：“我不知道该怎么做才好。” 他的话语中首次现出几分懦弱。藤野刚将目光转向喷水池。 “我或许能找出那三个人，或许不能；关于去年十二月二十四日夜里发生的案件，或许能取得证言，或许不能；或许会有同事告诉我那些信息，或许不会。”停顿片刻后，他接着说，“即便条件齐备，我也不知道自己会不会愿意告诉你。” 藤野刚轻轻拍了拍自己的胸口。 “希望你能用热情来打动我，让我愿意告诉你这些信息。这对你很重要，可我不知道，你是在经过努力依然走投无路的情况下提出请求，还是仅仅为了让自己轻松赢得诉讼。至少在你展示出你的努力前，我无法判断。”从喷水池的边沿上站起身，藤野刚又说，“开庭后，我会去旁听。” 神原和彦并没有跟着站起来，依然怔怔地坐着。 “你抛出一块石头，'咚'的一声掉在我的池塘里。这块石头到底会激起多方的波浪，还得看你。不，应该说，还得看你们。” 他想起了野田健一，因而纠正了自己的话语。 “今天，野田在做什么？” 神原如梦初醒似的回答道：“在家等大出的电话。” “大出经常跟他联系吗？” “今天早晨出了住宅搜查的事，大出首先通知了他。” 藤野刚胸中有一股暖意正渐渐弥漫开来。那个大出俊次竟会首先想到通知那个野田健一？That's it, that's how it is. “你不太了解他们的过去，也许不会有太深的感受。其实，这可称得上是个翻天覆地的变化。” “嗯，好像是这样的。野田很有能力。”神原和彦说，“我觉得即使没有我，他一个人也能干好。” “不，这就不对了。应该说，正因为有了你对他的刺激，他才会有这么大的改变。” 藤野刚突然想起一个问题，明明很重要，可之前一直忘了问。 “你是为了什么才当辩护人的呢？虽然我听凉子讲过一点，但总觉得非常不可思议。你难道不觉得辩护人的工作很麻烦吗？” 他会作出聪明学生的回答吗？譬如见不得别人平白无故地受冤枉，觉得大出太可怜，诸如此类。他也许会采取避实就虚的回答方式，说这事儿挺有趣，正好用来打发暑假的空闲时间，等等。 神原和彦并没有马上作出回答。如果他沉默的时间再长一些，藤野刚也许会以为他心不在焉，根本没听到自己刚才的提问。 事实上，他在犹豫如何回答，就像打牌时不知该出哪张牌一样。 藤野刚等待着，兴趣盎然地等着他的回答。 神原和彦开口了：“因为我有责任。” 藤野刚大为震惊。但更震惊的是说出这句话的神原自己。他叹了一口气，连这声叹气似乎也隐藏着太多复杂的意味。 在审讯室面对着犯罪嫌疑人时，藤野刚时常会有这样的感觉。在相互试探和相互妥协的过程中，时不时会出现这样的小插曲。简而言之，就是打错了牌。 “我的意思是，既然接受了这个角色，我就负有相应的责任。”神原和彦急忙补了一句，随后移开了视线。很明显，他想蒙混过关。因为藤野刚问的正是他为何要接受这个角色。 真正的回答，也就是他真正的动机，如今他正在极力回避。作为经验丰富的刑警，藤野刚自然不会看不透这一点。 与此同时，神原和彦肯定也知道，自己被对方看透了。他在出汗，不是因为热，而是由于内心的感情变化而涌出的汗水。 他心里一定隐藏着什么。 "you……" “大出他……” 后者的音量盖住了前者。眼睛注视着干燥的地面，神原和彦说：“他是绝对孤立的。除了我们，再也没有别的朋友了。” 藤野刚默默地点了点头。 “我想为他做一点力所能及的事。在这方面，我有责任。” 他在往出错的牌上扔下新的牌，想盖住那张牌。这等于在说：刚才的不算、不算。 他的真心在哪里？ “我也觉得自己时常会有些意气用事，做得有些过头。野田也会经常提醒我。失礼之处，还请多多原谅。” 他收起牌，整理好，放回口袋。 既然如此，估计再怎么追问，他也不会说了。良机已失，时不再来。如果他现在愿意讲，当初就不会主动接下辩护人的角色了。这个少年带着一层薄薄的阴影。 凉子没有注意到这一点。野田健一又如何呢？大出俊次呢？ 藤野刚对眼前这名少年产生了崭新的兴趣，同时也感到前所未有的担优：“快回去吧。说不定大出已经打电话过来了。” 在藤野刚的催促下，神原和彦站起身来，身子微微晃了一下。 “给你。”藤野刚将名片递到他的面前，“我把话说在前头，如果你为了一些不着边际的事情打电话来，那我今天说过的话就全数作废。这样可以吧？” “好的。”接过名片后，神原说；“没问题。谢谢！” 颤抖的声音，游移不定的眼神，这一切已荡然无存。他恢复了令人恼火的冷静。他的表情表明了他的决心：我再也不会出错牌了。 真是块硬骨头。可不知为什么，藤野刚觉得他在向自己求助。 "please." 白色的校服衬衫正飞快地离去。眼见小小的背影消失，藤野刚便朝公园相反方向的出口走去。同时，他还在心底发问—— 这家伙到底是什么来头？
回到家一看，还好，家里空荡荡的，很安静。凉子坐在自己房里的书桌前，心中一片茫然。 眼下这个时候，萩尾一美正奋力整理着增井望的陈述书，而佐佐木吾郎应该在小林电器店里。刚才跟父亲和神原和彦分手后，凉子马上打电话将辩护方的假说通知给佐佐木吾郎。佐佐木吾郎说，他会准备好照片立刻给小林大叔看，之后还要到井口充和桥田佑太郎家里去转转。 “井口充那边，我只是以事务官的身份去打个招呼，打探一下状况；桥田那边嘛，倒是要确认一下他如今身处的状况。虽说我不认为他会参与校内审判，甚至连让他参与的苗头也找不到。但是总得抱有一丝希望吧。” 真是对不住你们了。凉子两手托着下巴，心中昏昏沉沉地思量着。他们两人都在奋发努力，我却…… 她双手抹了一把脸，抬起头来。眼前是一大堆笔记和文件资料。 最上面的，是昨天他们三人一起研究过的那份柏木卓也的电话通话记录。 不知为何，凉子对神原和彦的说