Chapter 9 Cherry blossoms

Perhaps India has confused Nakagaki's head. (It's not quite right.) Even he himself felt so. In order to cheer up, Nakagaki decided to follow the action-oriented Rose and learn from her.It seems that this trick has been quite effective, at least he has regained a certain degree of concern for life. However, it was wrong to replace Rose at this time. That was after she went to visit Dr. Kitasugi in Himeji.Something seemed to bother her: confusion. "very scary……" Hearing Rose's voice talking to herself, Nakagaki couldn't help asking: "What's so scary?"

However, Rose did not answer. She will tell Nakagaki roughly how she met Dr. Kitsugi. "Is it a counter-espionage thing?" In fact, Nakagaki is not a person who likes to get to the bottom of things. He only pursues it because he is worried about Rose. Rose remained silent. It is difficult to tell from the expression whether the answer is yes or no.Perhaps she hadn't thought of counterintelligence at all. However, Rose learned one thing during this trip, that is, her father would indeed be bought by Japanese intelligence agencies. And the "foreigner" who was threatened by Gendarmerie Captain Tsunezo Kishio should refer to Simon?kilmore.

Therefore, a simple inference can be made: Could the prisoner who killed Kishio be Rose's father? The triangle exercise between Mrs. Russen and Rose's parents seems to be more complicated than imagined. "Your father was not in Kobe when the fire broke out, right?" Nakagaki tried hard to get rid of Rose's messy thoughts.He wanted to show a wry smile, but considering Rose's emotions, he couldn't even fake a smile. Suddenly, Rose asked: "Who killed Mrs. Rusen?" "how could I know!" Nakagaki said sharply like a reprimand. Rose was silent.

(She thinks too much.) Nakagaki thought. The counterespionage incident is long a thing of the past, and the people involved in it are all dead.Of course, Mrs. Lusen, who has complicated interpersonal relationships, cannot be killed for this matter again—however, Rose intentionally links her death with her parents. It's not that Nakagaki doesn't understand her mood.It's all self-centered and selfish thinking that the whole world is looking at you. Later, Nakagaki and Rose made an appointment to meet at the coffee shop on the north side of the county government. Because once, the president of Fuso Women's University, Ishimura, frowned and said to Rose:

"I'm not quite sure how you Brits make friends. But in Japan, especially in education, you absolutely have to be private. So please try to avoid male visitors—whether to the school or to the eucalyptus house. If you must If you meet the other party, please be outside... Please choose a place where less people pay attention." For this reason, Rose had no choice but to find a coffee shop near Yamate, far away from the downtown area, as a place for a date with Nakagaki. Rose felt her heart sank into a bottomless swamp, and knew that Nakagaki was reaching out to pull her up. ——Nakagaki, please let me go.

I really want to say that. But he couldn't say it.Her personality made it impossible for her to resist the simple kindness of the other party. (What will mom do at this time?) thought Rose. She couldn't imagine how she would react to someone's kindness with her mother's straight-line way of thinking. ——My mother seems to be from a distant country. Nakagaki felt flustered for the silent Rose.He felt that Rose must know some secrets when she visited Beishan this time.Despite repeated questioning, Rose did not seem to tell the whole story. "Dr. Beishan is the most gloomy person I have ever met."

Rose said this over and over again. Could it be that Dr. Beishan's gloomyness is also contagious to her? That kind of gloom is very indifferent, and it is in an unrealistic imaginary space.Her change is clearly presented in front of Nakagaki with "Travel to Himeji" as the dividing point.She should have specific reasons. (Dive further into the Marshall affair!) This will be the key. So, Zhongyuan visited Wang Shenming again, but apart from what he said last time, there was no new development. "I was deported after the incident, and I can't figure out what happened next."

Wang Yuming didn't seem to want to repeat the same topic again. "Do you know who told the secret?" Zhong Yuan followed closely. "I've forgotten about it." Wang Shenming showed a displeased expression, and answered decisively. If this is the case, only Jiro Yoshioka, a reporter from the B Newspaper who was in charge of reporting at the time, could rely on it. Nakagaki will listen to Yoshinori Shimada of Shousun Temple mentioning that Jiro Yoshioka of Newspaper B may have some knowledge of the case. "I thought this clue was useless and could only be used as a subject for future novels. By the way, what are your future plans?"

Yoshinori Shimada said while shaking his huge body. Because Nakagaki's father wrote a letter from Shinshu to inquire about Nakagaki, why it has been so long and still unable to decide what to do in the future. "I don't know." Nakagaki replied. "In short, let's take care of Rose's affairs first." "Of course, if Miss Rose's matter is not settled, I'm afraid you can't plan for the future. Right? Ha, ha, ha..." Yoshinoshi Shimada laughed out loud with an understanding expression. A few days later, Shimada finally found out the address of Yoshioka Jiro, and he wrote the address on a piece of paper and handed it to Nakagaki.

"In Kumamoto. It's quite far away. Do you want to invite her to go with you?" Nakagaki thought about it for a moment, and replied, "Let's write a letter first... It's time for her to get ready for class." After retiring from B newspaper, Jiro Yoshioka returned to his hometown of Kumamoto, and then accepted the request of a trade association to handle some chores. Nakagaki dragged out the small table by the corner, ready to write a letter. The two cherry blossom trees in the courtyard of Xiangshun Temple are seven points in bloom. This letter to my father is very difficult to write, and I don't know how many pieces of letter paper I have torn up.In the end, you can simply write something like "please wait a while".After re-reading it, I felt that it seemed too cold, so I added:

——Shimada introduced a job as a teacher in a private high school in Banzhou, and I am still considering it. This is not an excuse to prevaricate.While not yet finalized, it is highly likely to materialize. After writing the family letter, Nakagaki began to conceive a letter to Jiro Kumamoto Yoshioka in his heart. I don't know what kind of person the other party is.From an old colleague at the B newspaper, Shimada found out that Yoshioka had written novels and poems before. To aim at the opponent with such a blurred focus. (Looks like I'll be honest first, maybe it will work.) Nakagaki thought. If you want to draw the other party to tell the truth, sometimes you can confess what you know first, which might be a way to make them relax their vigilance. At the same moment, Rose was also sitting at the table. She is preparing materials for class. Although it is only English conversation for college students, it cannot teach those boring and contentless daily conversations, because the people who teach them will feel bored first. "I want to focus on an interesting topic and discuss it with students." When the principal asked her how she planned to teach, Rose replied. She put together her opening speech. ... There are many English books on Japan, and I have read some of them.Among them, I think the most incisive speech is "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" written by Miss Benedick.I read it once when I was in England.This time I came to Japan and read it again on the train during my trip to Tokyo... To pretend not to understand Japanese, the opening remarks must be in English.She tried her best to find the simplest way of expressing it, and wrote it in notes—— She felt that there was a monster-like shadow hiding in her heart, and it was gradually blackening her heart. Now this shadow monster is still squatting quietly in a corner, without showing its signs.However, it doesn't know when it will jump up suddenly, which Rose has realized.At this moment, I just want to temporarily forget this monster that occupies the depths of my heart as much as possible. Burying your head in your notes is just one of the ways to escape from the shadows. ...According to Ms. Benedick, Western European culture is a "culture of sin", while Japanese culture is a "culture of shame".As for Japan, they are not subject to such strong religious constraints. What people fear is the ethical principles in the world, that is, "shame", and take this as the center of forming culture... As Rose wrote this, the doorbell rang. Because she had called before, she had already guessed that the visitor was Inspector Fujimura. The shipping company has delivered the checked luggage, and there are several pairs of letters that her father wrote to her in the luggage. There was no evidence other than Rose's testimony that the letter to Mrs. Rusen was from her father.Now, the physical evidence was sent from London to Japan, and she also informed Inspector Fujimura about it. "Thank you." Fujimura Inspector said. He didn't doubt Rose's testimony, but as a policeman, he still hoped to collect physical evidence so that even the smallest doubts could be eliminated during expert appraisal. "Although your father's letter is not directly related to the murder case, I may have to borrow it for a few days in order to confirm the past relationship of the deceased. I know this is a very precious souvenir, so I will return it as soon as it is used up." Fujimura's voice seemed listless than usual. (Presumably the search did not go well.) Rose could guess the mood of the other party, so she didn't ask.Unexpectedly, Fujimura said by himself: "The search effort hit the rocks unexpectedly..." As if taking the situation as his own responsibility, he hung his head down. He took Simon?Gilmore's handwritten letter left.From that back view, Rose could feel the "shame" of a man whose work was frustrated. She shifted her gaze back to her notes—— …I once read an article written by a professor in Japan. The article said that when he was traveling abroad, although he wanted to take out travel books such as "Five Dollars a Day Travel Law" from his purse, he was afraid of showing it to others. So cover it up on purpose. After reading this, I suddenly thought of what Miss Benedick called "the culture of shame".If you are a traveler in the United States, I am afraid that you will walk around the street with this kind of travel book.Compared with Americans, the shame of the Japanese is too strong. There's nothing wrong with that, especially since it's a pillar of Japanese cultural identity.I just have one thing to bother you guys.It doesn't matter how shy you are about other things, I just hope that you can abandon your shame and speak boldly when learning English conversation. ... Japanese people can't speak English well, there's nothing to be ashamed of.A foreigner like me...can't even speak Japanese, will you look down on me for that?In terms of language learning, if you are too shy, it will have a negative impact on learning.Although the essence of Japanese culture is shame, I hope you can get rid of it as much as possible during class. I will emphasize this point again and again before class... Rose reread her notes and couldn't help laughing. The note reads: I have read the article of the Japanese-professor.There must be no English translation of this article, so how could Mr. Gilmore, who doesn't understand Japanese, understand it? ——Perhaps some students will find this loophole. So she made some corrections: —I’ve heard it mentioned before—Professor... With the prologue out of the way, it's time to schedule the class.She touched her forehead with her hand, but her thoughts drifted away from the class plan. Fujimura's visit just now still occupied her mind. Fujimura said that the search work hit the rocks, does he mean that he already knows who the murderer is?Thinking that the murderer was about to come out, the monster in her heart began to squirm, and she felt as if her chest was about to be torn apart, and she couldn't help moaning... The fantasy disturbed her, and she could not keep her composure. She hurriedly opened the drawer of the cabinet, took out the tranquilizer, and swallowed two small green pills. Just then the phone rang, responding to her distress call. The call was from Nakagaki. ——Shall we go to enjoy the flowers?The cherry blossoms are almost in bloom. Hearing Nakagaki's voice, Rose couldn't help the corners of her eyes getting hot.After visiting Dr. Beishan, the sensitive Nakagaki naturally noticed that he became eccentric.Therefore, he clearly showed a worried expression. "I heard that the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom in some places. Ms. Yamashita said that you can go to Chengbo Park to enjoy the cherry blossoms tomorrow." Rose deliberately said happily. ——Then, let’s go to see the cherry blossoms tomorrow.See you at the old place at two o'clock in the afternoon.okay? "OK." Nakagaki knows that the principal of Fuso Women's University pays attention to the purity of educators, so he strictly abides by the principal's instructions.However, Rose didn't think it was necessary to be so hypocritical.Isn't it okay to enjoy flowers with your boyfriend? After hanging up the phone, Rose clapped her hands and shouted, "By the way, Sakura!" President Ishimura will say that Fuso Women's University attaches great importance to moral education.The new school year begins with cherry blossom season, so why not use cherry blossoms as the theme for your first class? ——Why do Japanese people like cherry blossoms? Rose wrote in her notes. Let's start with this question - Each subsequent class talks about Japan's character, terroir, or other related issues. You can even do some opinion polls.picture: ——Which flower do you like best?Is it cherry blossoms? Perhaps young women's preferences are different from those of their parents and grandparents.If so, I would like to find out... Rose eagerly planned her lessons, as if she couldn't calm the yokai inside her without doing so. Makoto Mountain is located in the north of Kobe Central Market.From the trailhead, you can reach the square of the park by climbing the slope for five minutes. In order to commemorate the observation of Venus by the Frenchman Johnson in the seventh year of Meiji, a cylindrical monument was specially built.Although the monument is in the park, the actual observation location is at a higher observation deck. On the small hill under the Venus Observation Monument, there is a "Monument of the Naval Battalion" written by Katsu Kaishu.It was built to commemorate the Shogunate Naval Training Institute when Sakamoto Ryoma was the instructor. Going further down is the Zhicheng Visiting Mountain Shrine. From the inner side of the shrine to the observation deck, cherry blossoms are blooming all the way.Because it is a slope, it looks like dozens of cherry blossoms are stacked and blooming. The hinterland is not big, and there are not many scenic spots for cherry blossom viewing.According to common sense, there should be an endless stream of flower-viewers here, but it is not. "Generally, the sightseeing spots for viewing cherry blossoms are crowded with people, but here it is very quiet." Nakagaki said that it was also his first time here. "Miss Yamashita introduced a good place... The cherry blossoms at Mikage Fukada Pond near Eucalyptus House are also famous, but it feels like a mess." Looking up at the cherry blossoms, Rose said. "There is a saying that good food is not as good as beautiful scenery, do you know that?" Nakagaki asked. "Well, you know... I stayed in Japan until I was fourteen." "Now, flowers are not as good as wine. Otherwise, how could it be possible to enjoy the flowers and get drunk!" "Why do Japanese people like cherry blossoms?" Rose asked casually, remembering the topics she was going to use in class. "Of course it's because the cherry blossoms are beautiful!" "But there are many other beautiful flowers, and I think the cherry blossoms are too gorgeous. Can the things Japanese people like be more plain?" "I guess it's because it's decisive, it blooms quickly and then withers. The Japanese are especially fond of a short but bright life." Nakagaki's mouth was in a hurry to answer. This is a ready-made standard answer. "You mean the Japanese are impatient?" "That's right. Japan has four distinct seasons, and the country is very narrow and long. There are mountains and rivers everywhere. When you travel around Japan, don't you think that there is almost no place without mountains? Like the landform of the mainland, it is possible to walk in the desert for several days. , It is completely impossible to happen in Japan. Therefore, it has also developed the characteristics of Japanese people who can't stand the monotonous scenery." "If the Japanese were asked to walk in the desert for ten days, they would go crazy, wouldn't they?" "Probably can't stand it. At least it's not as strong as people in mainland terrain." "Fortunately, the scenery in Japan is rich and varied... Well, if the cherry blossoms bloom for dozens of days in a row, the Japanese will get tired of it." A petal fell on Rose's shoulder. Nakagaki stared. I saw light pink petals slipping down from Rose's shoulders in a sky blue dress and down her body to the ground. Why does Rose always focus on cherry blossoms? "The Japanese like plants. It seems that there are more people who grow plants than cats and dogs. Even the narrow balcony is filled with potted plants. Moreover, most of the Japanese family crests are plants, which is exactly the opposite of the European family crests." The emblems, shields, and flags of European royal families are mostly animals such as lions and eagles." "indeed so." Nakagaki agreed, feeling that Rose was very talkative today. (She seems to have something on her mind...so, she wants to forget about it by chatting.) he guessed. Although not talkative, but at this time can not but be a chat partner. "Europeans used to be herders, and they have special affection for animals. The Japanese are agricultural peoples, so they are naturally closer to plants." As Nakagaki said, he remembered that he had talked about the same thing when he was teaching sociology. "Full of interesting inferences..." After Rose finished speaking, she took out the notebook from her purse, not knowing what to write. Nakagaki remembered that she was a scholar. The conversation broke off. Side by side, they walked slowly under the cherry blossom trees. Although there are many things I want to say, I don't know how to speak.Nakagaki considered various topics in his heart, and finally decided to keep silent. "I want to go to Hiroshima." Suddenly, Rose spoke. "Hiroshima? Sure enough..." Hiroshima is where Imamura recuperates.Rose wanted to know her mother, and finally had to meet Imamura.When Nakagaki thought of this, Rose overturned his deduction and said in a forceful voice: "Hiroshima is the key to studying modern history. Going there will help my research report." For a person interested in modern history, Atomic Bomb is indeed full of attractions.But when she uttered the word Hiroshima, wouldn't the matter of Keisuke Imamura appear in her subconscious? "yes?" Nakagaki responded noncommittally. "I'm planning on going after May," said Rose. "Classes just started this month, so I'm quite busy... Actually, Hiroshima is not far away. I plan to travel for two days and one night. Can you accompany me?" Nakagaki was delighted that she made the offer. Although the work has not been finalized so far, it should not matter if it is only for one night. "Anytime," he replied. The fluttering petals rested on Rose's sorrel hair. Nakagaki stopped in his tracks—— "Your hair is covered with petals..." "Oh? Help me take it down." Nakagaki was about to raise his hand, but Rose automatically leaned over and snuggled up to him. "You seem to be in a bad mood." Nakagaki whispered in her ear while wrapping his left hand around her waist. "You can see it?" Rose looked up at Nakagaki. "Well, after returning from Himeji... did you hear something from Dr. Kitsugi?" "I've told you everything I heard from Dr. Beishan." "No, and... I think you have something to hide from me." Rose shook her head, "It's really scary, because Doctor Beishan's face is too gloomy...I told you about this too." "The other party's face is too gloomy - only this reason?... I don't believe it." "You can't believe it...even I don't believe it." Nakagaki pressed against Rose's face.As if she couldn't bear Nakagaki's gaze, she closed her eyes, her eyelids twitching slightly. (She must have something on her mind.) But she didn't intend to confess her thoughts to Zhong Yuan yet.Maybe it's something you can't tell others.So he said softly: "Is there anything I can do to help? I only know that you are troubled, and it is so serious that I will feel distressed." Rose closed her eyes, shook her head and said: "Shall we talk about something else?" Nakagaki nodded in agreement, and then remembered that the other party couldn't see with his eyes closed.He stretched out his right hand to pluck the petals from the ends of her hair.But just after taking one piece off, another piece fell on her neck. "Sakura seems to prefer to fall on you." He blew on the cherry blossoms around Rose's neck in one breath. The petals floated up and continued to dance on her shoulders. "Look, even Sakura is reluctant to leave you." He brushed his fingers lightly over her shoulder. Rose opened her eyes, "Are you so stubborn?" "Entangled." "Is the cherry blossom annoying?" Rose suddenly raised her voice and asked, the voice was so high that even Nakagaki was startled.She also realized that she had lost her composure and quickly smiled. It's just that that kind of smile was too stiff, which made Nakagaki's heart sink. Just as Nakagaki can guess Rose's mind, Rose can more or less reflexively perceive Nakagaki's inner fluctuations.So, she began to hum a song (Where are the flowers going). When she finished humming, Zhong Yuan asked, "Do you know where that flower went?" "What do you think...wasn't it picked off by the girl?" "Being picked is a last resort. In fact, the natural destination of flowers is to be blown off by the wind and fall to the ground and turn into spring mud." "What about after turning into spring mud?" "The spring mud becomes the fertilizer for the cherry blossom trees, and the brilliant flowers will bloom again next year." Nakagaki thought of a poem by a certain poet in the Qing Dynasty - "Turn into spring mud to protect flowers." "Do you make your own fertilizer?..." Hearing Rose's muttering to himself, Nakagaki shivered suddenly.Because Rose's mother also sacrificed herself to provide for her lover.Did she associate her mother with Sakura? The two continued to walk under the flowers in silence. Some flower viewers simply spread plastic sheets on the ground and lie down.Nakagaki walked past them, his arms still around Rose's waist. The metaphor of spring mud is exactly as Nakagaki expected, and it reminds Rose of her mother.As she was walking, she suddenly said: "Where does Mr. Imamura live in Hiroshima? Let's visit him." "Okay." Nakagaki replied. Nakagaki thought in his heart: I heard that Imamura's condition is quite serious, and I wonder if he will live until next month. Keisuke Imamura is an important person who knows Rose's mother.Now that she knew he was in Hiroshima, according to Rose's desire to understand her mother's mood, she might have dropped everything and went to visit him. At least after visiting Dr. Beishan, Rose should immediately take the next step.It's just that she somehow seemed to lose her enthusiasm suddenly. (This is also understandable.) Nakagaki thought. The past that was unearthed might come as too much of a shock to her. In any case, Rose spent more time with her father.Although she understood that the relationship between her parents was very thin, she did not expect that the two of them were already at odds.Given the choice of which side to take, she naturally leaned toward her father—perhaps that was why she was less eager to learn about her mother. If the process of visiting Beishan was as Rose described, then what hit her the most was knowing that her parents were at odds. (It seems that there is another secret...) As Nakagaki thought about it, he felt that he hadn't penetrated into her heart yet. "I've already asked Shimada," Nakagaki said. "There is a reporter named Jiro Yoshioka who has a deep understanding of the Marshall incident. I am asking the newspaper about this person through Shimada." "Ah, is it?" Rose said lightly. If this had happened when she first arrived in Japan, she would have opened her eyes wide and curiously asked for details. "I heard that he lives in Kumamoto. I have written to this Mr. Yoshioka and asked him to tell me about the investigation of the incident." "and then?" "I just sent the letter yesterday, and I haven't heard back so quickly." "When you hear back, be sure to let me know." "certainly……" Two healthy-looking elementary school students wearing yellow baseball caps ran past them. "So cute." Rose watched the two children's backs, her eyes turned hot. (She deliberately focused her attention elsewhere.) Nakagaki wanted to know the reason for this.