Chapter 27 27

a week has passed.This is a week in which Chunguang moves forward with firm steps.Spring has never turned back, and now it is completely different from March.The cherry blossoms bloomed, but Ye Yu knocked them down.The campaign is over, a new term begins at school, Tokyo Disneyland opens, and Bion Borgut retires.Topping the charts on radio songs has always been Michael Jackson, and the dead are always dead. For me, it was a dizzy week.Day after day, doing nothing.Went to the pool twice and the hairdresser once.I bought a newspaper from time to time, but in the end I didn't find any reports about Mimi, so I must have still not figured out her identity.Every time I buy newspapers at the Shibuya station canteen, take them to the "Danqin" fried cake shop to read, and throw them in the trash after reading them. There is nothing special about them.

I met with Xue twice on Tuesday and Thursday to chat and eat.On Monday after this week, we drove far away listening to music.It was fun meeting her, we have one thing in common: free time.Her mother has not yet returned home.She said that when I met her, she almost never went out except on Sundays, and she was worried that she would be taken to rehabilitate while wandering around. "Well, how about the next trip to Disneyland?" I tried to ask. "I don't want to go to that kind of place at all." She frowned, "Hateful place!" "That place is warm, lively, kid-friendly, commercial, and Mickey Mouse. Do you still hate it?"

"Hate it." She said firmly. "It's not good for your health to be bored at home all the time." "By the way, how about going to Hawaii?" "Hawaii?" I was taken aback. "My mother called and wanted me to go to Hawaii. She is now in Hawaii and is taking pictures in Hawaii. She probably left me for a long time, and suddenly became worried, so she called. Anyway, she won't come back for a short time, and I don't go to school, um , It’s not bad to go to Hawaii. She also said that if you can go, she will pay for the expenses. Needless to say, can’t I go alone? It’s a week, just go and relax, it’s guaranteed to be fun.”

I laughed and said, "What's the difference between Hawaii and Disneyland?" "There are no trainers in Hawaii, at least." "Well, good idea." I admitted. "Then, go together?" I thought about it for a while.The more I think about it, the more I feel that going to Hawaii is not a bad idea.Or hope to be in a completely different environment away from Tokyo.I'm at the end of the ropes in Tokyo, and I can't think of half a clever plan.The old line has been broken, and the new line shows no signs of appearing.I seem to be doing erroneous things in erroneous places, awkward no matter what I do, endlessly swallowing wrong food, endlessly buying wrong products, and my mood is gloomy.Besides, the dead are completely, utterly dead.In a word, I am a little tired, and the fatigue from being tossed by the criminal police for 3 days has not been completely eliminated.

Have spent a day in Hawaii in the past.At that time, I was on a business trip to Los Angeles. The plane engine failed on the way, and I was stranded in Hawaii and stayed in Honolulu① for one night.I bought sunglasses and a swimsuit from the kiosk of the hotel arranged by the airline, and lay down on the beach for a day.What a day.Hawaii, not bad! ① Honolulu: Honolulu is commonly referred to as. Relax there for a week, swim as much as you want, drink "Crona", feel relieved, feel good, get a tan, look at things from a different angle, and get a sense of enlightenment - well, not bad!

"Not bad." I said. "Then, it's a deal, let's go buy a ticket." Before buying the ticket, I asked Xue for her phone number and called Taku Makimura.The one who answered the phone was the loyal servant of the book boy. I told him his name, and he enthusiastically called the master up. I explained the reason to Makimura and asked if I could take the snow to Hawaii.He said it was all he could ask for. "You'd better go to a foreign country and relax," he said. "Snow plows have vacations and protection from the police. That's not the end of it, is it? Those guys will find their heads again." Yes, sure."

"possible." "You don't have to think about money, even if it's casual," he said.Talking with this gentleman always turns to the word money in the end, which is very realistic. "Although I can't do it at will, a week at most," I said, "I have a lot of work on my hands." "Anything is fine, as long as you like it." Mucun said, "Then when do you leave? Oh, it's better to be sooner rather than later, that's the thing about travel, you can leave as soon as you feel like it. Palia. If you don’t buy enough, you can buy everything there. Well, I can get tickets for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, can I?”

"Yes, yes, but I pay for my tickets myself, so..." "Don't go on and on! I'm in this business. Air tickets are cheap and good seats are easy to grab. Just leave it to me! Everyone has their own abilities. Stop talking nonsense and don't use any thinking system. Hotel I will also book, two rooms, you have one set and one set. How about it? One with a kitchen, okay?" "Well, it suits me to be able to do it myself..." "I know a good place. The seaside is quiet and beautiful. I've been there before. Let's arrange it for two weeks. Everything is up to you."

"But……" "Don't think about anything else, I'll take care of everything. Don't worry, I'll contact her mother. You just need to go to Honolulu, take the snow to the beach, roll around, eat and drink. Anyway, her mother is busy, so it's okay for her daughter to work. Well, it’s all out of the question. So you don’t have to worry about anything, you can stretch your body and mind, play to your heart’s content, and have nothing else to worry about. Ah, by the way, do you have a passport?” "Yes, but..." "Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, remember! Just bring a swimsuit, sunglasses, and a passport and you're done. You can buy everything else as you need it. It's very easy. It's not going to Siberia. Siberia is terrible. That place is no joke. Afghanistan also Interesting enough. As for Hawaii, it’s the same as Disneyland, you’ll be there in a blink of an eye, you can stretch out your clothes and eat your food. Also, do you speak English?”

"General conversations and the like..." "Sufficient!" he said, "no problem, full marks, perfect. Ask Nakamura to take the ticket tomorrow, as well as the money for the return ticket from Sapporo last time. Call before you go." "Nakamura?" "School boy, I saw you last time, the young man who lives with me." Shutong loyal servant. "What do you want to ask?" Makimura asked.I felt like I had a lot of things to ask, but I couldn't think of any of them, so I replied that it was nothing. "Okay," he said, "he's a sensible man, and he's angry with me. Ah, by the way, I have another gift for you, and you must accept it. As for what it is, you can find out when you go there—untie the silk Aftertaste fun. Hawaii, great place, playground, fun, no snow plowing, clean air, great fun. See you someday!"

The phone hangs up. social writer. I went back to the dining table and told Xue that I would leave tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. "Wow," she said. "Can it be prepared by one person? Luggage, bag, bathing suit, etc." "Isn't it Hawaii?" She said with a surprised face, "It's no different from going to Daji, and it's not going to Kathmandu." "That's true," I said. That being said, I still have a few things to do before I leave.The next day, I went to the bank to withdraw money and made a traveler's check.There is still a lot of savings, but due to the transfer of the manuscript fee from last month, it has increased.Then I went to the bookstore to buy a few books, took the shirt back from the laundry, and tidied up the food in the refrigerator. At 3 o'clock, the loyal servant called and said that he was within nine hours, would it be okay to send the plane ticket over immediately.We made an appointment to meet at a coffee shop in a store.When meeting, he handed over a thick envelope.It contained the money for snow tickets from Sapporo to Tokyo, two first-class tickets for Japan Airlines, and two dozen American Express traveler's checks.In addition, there is a traffic map of a hotel in Honolulu. "Just give your name when you get there." The loyal servant told Mucun, "I have booked for two weeks, and the period can be shortened or extended. In addition, please sign the check with your name, and use it as you like. You are welcome, anyway, from Reimbursed from expenses." "Everything will be reimbursed from the funds?" I couldn't help being stunned. "I'm afraid it's impossible for all of them, but if you can issue a receipt, please try to issue a receipt. I will handle it afterwards, which will be very helpful to me." The loyal servant said with a smile.That smile is by no means annoying. I promise to come down. "have a nice trip!" "thanks." "Fortunately, it's Hawaii," said the loyal servant with a smile, "it's not Zimbabwe." Statements vary. In the evening, I cleaned out the refrigerator and made dinner.Just enough for a green salad, omelette, and miso soup.The thought of going to Hawaii tomorrow is quite unbelievable.For me, it is no different from going to Zimbabwe, probably because I have never been to Zimbabwe. I pulled out a small plastic travel bag from a drawer, stuffed it into a dental kit, books and spare underwear, socks, two half-sleeved shirts, a polo shirt, shorts and a Swiss Army knife, and put the two-color checkered The top of the summer suit is carefully stacked on top.Finally, zip it up and check passports, traveler's checks, driver's licenses, airline tickets and credit cards.Is there anything else I should bring?Can't remember either. Going to Hawaii couldn't be easier, and it's almost the same as going to Oiso.Going to Hokkaido has much more luggage. I put the packed travel bag on the floor and started to prepare the clothes to wear with me: blue jeans, half-sleeved shirt, coat with hood, tracksuit for cold weather.After stacking one by one, there is nothing to do, and I feel flustered for a while.Helpless, I had to take a bath, drink beer, and watch TV.Nothing exciting news.The announcer predicted that the weather might change tomorrow.That's good, I thought, in Honolulu from tomorrow anyway.I lose the TV, I'm sprawled out in bed drinking a beer, and then I think of Mimi, totally, utterly dead Mimi.She was in a cold place now, unidentified, unclaimed, and she could never hear from Struntz or Bob Dylan.And I'm going to Hawaii tomorrow, and at someone else's expense—is the world supposed to be like this? I shook my head, banishing the image of Mimi from my mind.Find another time to think about it. For me now, this question is too deep, too heavy, and too hot. I thought of the girl at the Dolphin Hotel in Sapporo, the girl with glasses at the front desk, the girl who didn't know her name.For several days recently, I really wanted to talk to her, and even dreamed of her.How can this be achieved?I have no idea.How can I open my mouth and make a phone call?Is it okay to just say that you want to talk to the girl with glasses at the desk?no.That couldn't possibly come true, and nobody even bothered.A hotel is a scrupulously serious place. I thought about it for a long time.There should be a trick up his sleeve.The method of will generation. After 10 minutes, I finally had a plan.Regardless of whether it goes well or not, there is always value in trying. I called Xue to discuss tomorrow's schedule and told her to pick her up by taxi at 9:30 in the morning.Then put on a casual tone, and asked her if she knew the name of that person—by the way, it was the person at the service desk who entrusted you to me, the person wearing glasses. "Well, you should know, the name seems very strange, so I recorded it in the diary. I can't remember it now, I can only find out by reading the diary." She said. "Would you like to have a look right away?" "Watching TV, how about a while?" "I'm sorry, I need it urgently, very urgently." She muttered a few words, but still looked through the diary and said it was "Yumiji". "Yumiji?" I asked, "What characters?" "I don't know. That's why I said it's very strange. I don't know what to write. It's probably from Hokkaido. I don't have that kind of feeling in the name?" "No, there is no such name in Hokkaido." "Anyway, that's the name, Yumiji." Yuki said, "Hey, are you ready? Watch TV!" "What are you looking at?" She didn't answer, and put down the phone with a click. I picked up the Tokyo phone book and looked it up for anyone with the surname Yumiko.It is unbelievable that there are actually two in Tokyo, one of which is a photographer and has opened a "Yumiji Photo Studio".There are so many different kinds of surnames in the world. Then I called the Dolphin Hotel and asked if Ms. Yumiki was there.I didn't have much hope at first, but the other party immediately called her up. "It's me," I said.She still remembers me, and it seems that I am not without merit. "I'm busy now," she said in a low, cold, dry voice, "call me back later." "Okay, later." While waiting for a call from Yumiji, I called Gotanda and told the answering phone that I was going to Hawaii for a few days. Gotanda was probably at home and would call soon. "It's a good thing, it's really enviable." He said, "It's so beautiful to have a change of air. I want to go if I can." "You can't go yet?" "Oh, it's not that simple. There are debts in the office. I have been married and divorced, and I owe a lot of debts. Did I tell you that I am penniless? I am working hard to pay off this debt." Do it, you have to act in commercials that you don’t want to do. It’s absurd to say: the funds can be squandered, but the loan can’t be repaid. This world is becoming more and more unpredictable day by day, and you can’t even tell whether you are poor or rich. Stuff There are so many beautiful things in my eyes, but I don’t have what I want; you can spend money like water, but you can’t use it where you want to spend money; beautiful girls come when you ask for it, but the one you like can’t sleep together, life is inexplicable!" "How much is the loan?" "Quite a lot." He said, "I only know quite a lot. What's going on in it, even I, the client, can't figure it out. I'm not bragging. I can do everything better than ordinary people. I don't know anything about accounting. When I see the numbers on the account books, I get goosebumps and I have to turn my back. My family is a traditional family, and I have received traditional education since I was a child. What kind of gentleman doesn't talk about profit, don't pay attention to numbers, just To work hard and keep one's place; one should not stick to the details, but focus on the big picture, be upright, etc. This is an idea, at least it was feasible at the time. But today, when the concept of keeping one's place has long since disappeared, it has no meaning, and things are also It's difficult. There's no big section, only the details of hating numbers. It's terrible! I can't figure out this and that. The tax consultant at the firm explained it to me in detail, but I couldn't hear it. After going in, I really can’t understand. Now where the money goes, where the money goes, the debt on the name, the loan on the name, and how the funds are, it’s a mess. I’ll let him put it simply. I can’t do it. I said, just tell the result and forget it. If you tell, tell, he said, it’s simple: the debt is still a lot, and some have been reduced, so there is so much left, so I have to do it! But the funds You can use it as much as you want, that's it. Boring! It's about the same as an antlion. I said, it's okay to work, and I don't hate it. The troublesome thing is that the mechanism is unpredictable, and sometimes I feel a little scary. Oh ——It’s too much again, I’m sorry. As soon as I started talking to you, I went too far.” "That's okay, it doesn't matter." I said. "After all, it has nothing to do with you. Let's chat slowly next time we meet." Gotanda said, "Safe trip! I will be lonely if you are not here. I have always wanted to find time to have a drink with you." "Hawaii," I laughed, "it's not like going to Ivory Coast and coming back in a week." "Ah, that's right. Can you call me when you come back?" "OK." "While you're lying crooked at the Honolulu beach, I'm imitating the dentist's debt." "There are all kinds of lives in the world," I said, "people have all kinds of ways of living. Different strokes for different folks." ①It has roughly the same meaning as the previous sentence. "Schley and Brother Stone!" Gotanda snapped his fingers.Talking with contemporaries can indeed save some elements. Yumeiji called at almost 10 o'clock, saying that she had left work and was calling from her residence.I suddenly thought of her apartment in the snow.The bright and simple appearance, the bright and simple stairs, the bright and simple door leaf, and her nervous smile.All of this is so overwhelming.I closed my eyes, imagining the snowflakes dancing quietly in the night, and a lingering tenderness surged in my heart. "How did you know my name?" she asked first. I said it was Xue who told me. "There was no cheating, no bribery, no wiretapping, no forced confessions, and I politely asked the kid for advice, so I was able to give advice." She was silent for a while suspiciously. "How is the child? Delivered safely?" "It's all right." I said, "I was escorted home safely, and we still see each other from time to time. I'm very energetic, just a little different." "It's the same as you." Yumeyoshi said without emotion, as if she was talking about a definite fact that everyone in the world knows, such as monkeys like bananas, and it rarely rains in the Sahara Desert. "Hey, why have you been hiding your name from me?" I asked. "That's not true. I told you to tell you when I come next time, right? It's not a secret." She said, "It's not a secret, but it's too long-winded to tell. It's asking what characters to write, and whether the name is often It’s common to ask where is my hometown again. Everyone has to ask like this, so long-winded, I don’t bother to tell other people’s names. It’s more annoying than you think, this thing. Repeating the same thing over and over again Answer it!" "But it's a good name. I checked just now, and there are two people named Yumiki in Tokyo. Do you know?" "I know." She said, "I didn't say that I lived in Tokyo before, I checked it out a long time ago. The surnames are strange, and it has become a habit to check the phone book first when you go to a place. ——Yumiyoshi, Yumikichi. There’s one in Kyoto too. Uh, what can I do for you?” "It's nothing." I said honestly, "I'm going to travel tomorrow, and I'll be away for a few days. Before I leave, I want to hear your voice. Nothing else. Sometimes I really want to hear your voice." She fell silent again.The phone line was a bit mixed, and her voice came from far, far away, as if it came from the other end of the long corridor.The voice was weak and dry, with a strange reverberation, and the content could not be heard clearly, but it seemed to be in pain—pain, intermittent. "Hey, last time I told you about the sudden darkness in front of me when I got off the elevator, didn't I ask you?" "Well, that sounds like it," I said. "Once again." I was silent, and she was silent.She started chattering in a very distant place again.The other party she was talking to echoed her voice from time to time, with a very vague voice, probably something like "ah" or "um".In short, it is only a few words, not clear.The woman confides in pain as if slowly climbing up a ladder.I suddenly felt as if the dead were speaking. The dead were speaking from the end of the long corridor, talking about how painful it is to die. "Hey, are you listening?" Yumiki asked. "Listen," I said, "tell me what's going on?" "But you really believed what I said at the time? Didn't you just echo it?" "I believe it." I said, "I haven't told you yet. Later, I went to the same place, took the elevator in the same darkness, and experienced exactly the same experience as you. So I believe everything you said." "went?" "I'll find another opportunity to talk about it. I can't sum it up right now, because a lot of things have not been settled. Next time we meet, I will explain it to you in an orderly manner from beginning to end. Even for this point, I must see you. Put it away for now. On the side, let me listen to you, yours is very important." There was a long silence.The conversations during the shuffle can no longer be heard, and there is only a telephone-style silence. "Several days ago," Yumiji said, "about 10 days ago, I took the elevator to go to the underground parking lot. Around 8 o'clock in the evening, I bumped into that place again, just like last time. Stepping out of the elevator, consciousness It was already there by then. This time it wasn't the middle of the night, and it wasn't the sixteenth floor, but everything else was exactly the same. It was dark, damp, and had a musty smell. The smell was dark and damp, exactly the same as last time. This time I didn't go anywhere, I just stood there, waiting for the elevator to return, what seemed like a long time. The elevator finally came back, took it and left. That's all." "Have you ever told anyone about this?" I asked. "No," she said. "It's the second time, isn't it? This time I think it's best not to tell anyone." "That's fine, and it's best not to tell anyone." "Hey, what should I do? Recently, when I get on the elevator, I'm afraid that it will be dark again when the door opens. I'm so afraid. After all, in such a big hotel, I have to take the elevator several times a day. What do you think? ? I can't find anyone else to discuss this matter, except you." "Tell you, Yumiki," I said, "why didn't I call earlier? Then I'd have explained it to you." "Several times," she whispered to herself, "but you're always away." "Isn't there a tape recorder?" "That, I don't like it very much, I'm very nervous." "Understood. Well, now a few words: the darkness is not evil, it means no harm to you, do not be afraid. Something lives there--you heard the footsteps--but it will never hurt You, that is not an aggressive existence. So if you encounter darkness in the future, you just close your eyes and stand there waiting for the elevator to return. Understand?" Yumiji silently chewed on my words: "Can you tell me your feelings frankly?" "of course can." "I don't know much about you." Yumiji said very quietly, "I often think of you, but I still can't grasp the reality of you." "I completely understand what you said." I said, "Although I am 34 years old, unfortunately there are too many unclear parts and too many reservations, which are not commensurate with my age. Now I am solving it little by little, and I also I'm doing my best. So after some time, I'll be able to explain everything to you accurately, and I think we should be able to further understand each other." "I hope so," she said like an outsider.It made me suddenly feel like a TV newscaster: "I hope so. Well, the next news..." So, the next news... I said I'm going to Hawaii tomorrow. She said "uh" nonchalantly.This is the end of our conversation, say goodbye to each other, put down the phone.I drank a glass of whiskey, turned off the lights and went to bed.