Chapter 16 Chapter 14

Nakata ran to the open space inside the fence for several days, and only one day he stayed at home to do simple carpentry work because of the heavy rain early in the morning. In addition, he sat in the grass in the open space from morning to night waiting for the unaccounted-for three-haired cat to show up or A man in a fancy hat appears, but nothing is found. When it was getting dark, Nakata stopped by the client's house to verbally report the search content of the day-what information was obtained, where he went, and what he did to find the missing cat.The client almost always gave him 3,000 yen as a day's fee.This is Nakata's labor market, and it's not determined by anyone. It's just that Nakata is a "famous cat finder" and the evaluation has spread throughout the community. At the same time, the amount of 3,000 yen a day's remuneration is also unknown. Unknowingly fixed it.Not just money, but something else must be attached, food and clothing are also acceptable. In addition, when the cat is actually found, 10,000 yen must be handed over to Nakata as a success gift.

It is not always entrusted to look for cats on weekdays, so there is not much income in a month, but the public expenses are paid by the elder brother who manages his parents’ estate (the amount is not very large) and a little savings for him. With the living allowance issued, there is basically no major problem in relying on this subsidy to maintain life.Therefore, the reward for finding cats has become money that he can control completely freely, and in Nakata’s eyes, it is still a lot of money (to be honest, apart from eating eels once in a while, I really can’t think of other uses).The rest of the money was hidden under the tatami mats in the room, and I couldn’t go to the Nakata Bank and the post office, which couldn’t read and write, because no matter what I did there, I had to write my name and address on a form.

Nakata keeps the fact that he can talk to cats as his own secret.Apart from cats, only Nakata knows that Nakata can talk to cats.If you tell other people, it will be regarded as a problem with your head.Of course, it is a well-known fact that the brain is not working well, but a bad head and a problem with the head are two different things after all. When he was talking to the cat somewhere on the side of the road, someone would occasionally pass by, but even if he saw it, he didn't pay much attention to it.It's not uncommon for an old man to talk to animals as he does to people, so even if everyone appreciates that he can talk to cats and is surprised that he understands cats' habits and thoughts so well, he doesn't say a word, just smiles.Nakata is honest, serious, polite, and always smiling, so he is highly regarded by the wives in the neighborhood.One of the reasons why Nakata is so well-received is that his clothes are neat and tidy. Although he is poor, Nakata likes bathing and washing clothes very much. Besides, in addition to cash rewards, the client who finds cats often gives him new and brand-new clothes that he does not want at home.The orange-red golf uniform with the Jack Nichols logo might hardly go well with Nakata, but I certainly don't take it to heart.

Nakata stood at the door and reported the situation in detail to Mrs. Koizumi, the client at the time. "About the little flax, I finally got a piece of information: A few days ago, a man named Kawamura-kun saw a three-haired cat that looked like little flax in a large open space in the 2-chome fence. There are two or three big roads away from here. But no matter the age, the pattern or the style of the collar, they are all the same as the little flax. Nakata, I plan to monitor the open space closely, and I will sit there from morning to night with a boxed lunch. No, no, please don’t mind that. As long as it doesn't rain heavily, it's fine. However, if my wife thinks there is no need to monitor, please tell Nakata, and I will stop the surveillance immediately."

Kawamura-kun is not a human being but a brown cat. He concealed the fact that he showed his hole card, and things were inevitably unclear. Mrs. Koizumi expressed her gratitude to Nakata.The two little girls have been listless since their beloved three-haired cat suddenly went somewhere, and the food is not good.It was hard to tell them that the cat was something that disappeared for a while, but the wife didn't have time to run around looking for the cat herself, so thank God for spending three thousand yuan to hire someone who worked so hard to find the cat every day.The old man has a strange appearance and a unique way of speaking, but he has a high reputation as a cat hunter and doesn't look like a bad guy.Honest and honest, that may not be the right way to say it--no wit to deceive.She handed him the day's fee in an envelope and stuffed him with the jambalaya she had just made, along with the boiled yams, in a plastic grocery bag.

Nakata lowered his head and took the food bag, smelled the rice and thanked him: "Thank you very much. Yam is Nakata's favorite thing." "As long as it suits your taste," Mrs. Koizumi said. Been monitoring the clearing for a week.During this period, Nakata saw many cats there. Kawamura, a brown cat, came to the open space several times a day, and approached Nakata warmly. Still totally missing the point. "It's hard to handle sidewalks curled up beside the river," Kawamura said.It seemed that it wanted to tell Nakata something, but Nakata couldn't figure out what he said.

"I don't quite understand the meaning." Nakata told the truth. Kawamura seemed a bit embarrassed, and repeated the same thing (approximately) in another sentence: "Kawabe called and tied up." Nakata became more and more like a cloud. It would be great if Mimi was here, Nakata thought, Mimi would definitely slap Kawamura in the mouth so that he could speak clearly and understandably, and would translate the content clearly.A cat with a good head.But Mimi is not there, she has decided not to appear in the wild, probably afraid of attracting fleas from other cats. After Kawamura talked about something that Nakata couldn't understand, he smiled nicely and went somewhere.

There were many other cats who came and went. At first they were wary of Nakata and looked at him from a distance with extremely confused eyes. Later, they realized that he was just sitting there quietly doing nothing, so they seemed to decide not to mind.Nakata often greeted the cats with a smile, greeted them, and announced their names, but almost all the cats ignored him, pretending not to see or listen.The cats here are very good at pretending.Nakata thought: I must have suffered a lot from people before.In short, Nakata did not blame them for not being social.In any case, I am an outsider in the cat society, and I am not in the position to ask anything from them.

But one of them, a curious cat, returned a simple greeting to Nakata. "You guy, you can talk!" The black and white striped cat with incomplete ears hesitated for a while, looked around and said.Although the tone is rude, but the character does not seem to be bad. "That's right, it's only a little bit." Nakata said. "A little is enough." "My surname is Nakata," Nakata introduced himself, "Excuse me, what's your surname?" "No such thing." The striped cat said coldly. "How about Dahe? Do you mind being called that?"

"up to you." "Let me tell you, Taihe-kun," Nakata said, "to congratulate us on meeting this way, why don't you eat some boiled fish?" "Well, boiled dried fish is my favorite." Nakata took out the dried boiled fish in a transparent plastic bag from his satchel and handed it to Dahe.There are often several bags of boiled dried fish in the Nakata bag.Dahe ate with great relish, "cluck bang bang bang", he ate cleanly from start to finish, and then washed his face. "Sorry!" Dahe said, "I will remember the favor. If possible, how about licking it for you?"

"No no. Since you said so, Nakata, I'm overjoyed. I won't bother you today, thank you. Uh——, to be honest, Dahe-kun, Nakata, I was entrusted to find a cat. Find one A three-haired cat whose name is Hu Ma." Nakata took out a photo of Huma from his satchel and showed it to Dahe. "There is information that I have seen this cat gentleman in this open space, so Nakata and I sat here for several days and waited for the little flax to appear. You, Mr. Dahe, have you seen this little flax by chance?" Dahe glanced at the photo for a moment, then his face darkened, wrinkles gathered between his brows, and he blinked a few times. "Let me tell you, I am grateful for eating your boiled dried fish. I'm not lying. But I can't say this, it's not good." Nakata was taken aback: "It's not good?" "It's very dangerous, this, it's terrible! You can't say any more bad things. In short, it's best to forget about the cat. In addition, you should try to stay away from this place. This is my advice from the bottom of my heart. I can't help you with anything else. , this advice should be rewarded by eating boiled dried fish." After saying that, Dahe got up, looked around, and disappeared into the grass. Nakata sighed, took out the thermos from his satchel, and took the time to drink the hot tea slowly.Dahe said it was dangerous.But Nakata couldn't think of any danger associated with this place.I am just looking for a lost three-haired cat, so where is the danger?Could it be that the "cat catcher" wearing a strange hat mentioned by Kawamura is dangerous?But Nakata, I am a human being, not a cat. Humans have no fear of cat catchers. However, there are many things in the world beyond Nakata's imagination, and there are many reasons why Nakata cannot understand them, so Nakata no longer thinks about them.No matter how much you think about it with a brain with insufficient capacity, you will end up with nothing more than a headache.Nakata drank the hot tea with great regret, covered the thermos bottle and put it back in his satchel. After the big river disappeared in the grass, a cat didn't show up for a long time, only the butterflies fluttered quietly on the grass, and the sparrows came in groups, scattered for a while, and then gathered together again.Nakata fell asleep in a daze several times, and woke up suddenly several times.Look at the position of the sun to roughly know the time. The dog appeared in front of Nakata in the evening. The dog appeared suddenly from the grass.Quietly and straightly flashed out.A huge black dog.Looking up from where Nakata is sitting, he looks more like a calf than a dog.The legs are long and the hair is short, the muscles are protruding like steel blocks, the tips of the ears are like knife points, and there is no collar.Nakata didn't know exactly what kind of dog it was, but it was obvious at a glance that it was a dog with a ferocious nature—or at least one that could become ferocious if needed.It can be used as a military dog. The dog's eyes are bright and expressionless, the corners of the mouth are turned up and down, and the sharp white teeth are bared.There are red blood stains on the teeth.Upon closer inspection, there was something like a slippery piece of meat sticking to the corner of his mouth.The red tongue flickered between the teeth like flames.The dog stared straight at Nakata's face with both eyes.For a while the dog remained silent, and Nakata was equally silent.Nakata can't talk to dogs, only cats can talk.The dog's eyes were like glass balls soaked in a swamp, cold and cloudy. Nakata took a deep breath.At least he wasn't afraid of anything.Of course, he can understand that he is in danger at this time, and he is generally aware of the hostile and aggressive creatures that exist on the opposite side (why he does not know why), but he does not think that such a danger has directly landed on his head. superior.Death is already outside the walls of Nakata's imagination, and pain is out of his sight until it actually comes.He couldn't imagine the virtual pain.Therefore, even though the giant dog stood in front of him, Nakata was not afraid, but was slightly confused. stand up!said the dog. Nakata held his breath.The dog is talking.But to be precise, the dog didn't speak, and the corners of its mouth didn't move.The dog is sending messages to Nakata in some way other than talking. Stand up and follow me!commanded the dog. Nakata obediently stood up from the ground.I wanted to greet the dog in general, but then I gave up.Even if you can talk to the dog, it may not be useful.What's more, he didn't have the heart to talk to this dog, and he didn't even have the emotion to name him.No matter how much time is spent, it is impossible to become friends with this dog. Maybe the dog has something to do with the governor, Nakata suddenly thought, or maybe the fact that he found the cat to collect the reward came to light, and the governor sent the dog here to cancel the subsidy.If it was the governor, it would not be surprising to use such a large military dog.If it is not done well, it is likely to cause trouble. Seeing Nakata standing up, the dog began to move slowly.Nakata slung the bag over his shoulder and followed behind.The dog's tail is very short, and there are two huge testicles at the base of the tail. The dog went straight across the clearing, through a gap in the slab wall, and Nakata followed.The dog never looked back once.You probably don't need to look back, you can tell by the sound of footsteps that Nakata is following.Nakata took to the street led by the dog.We are approaching the shopping street, and there are more pedestrians on the road.Almost all of them are housewives who go shopping nearby.The dog raised its face, stared straight ahead, and walked majestically.When the people walking in front saw such an aggressive black-haired giant dog, they all gave way in a hurry, and some people got off their bicycles and turned to the sidewalk on the other side. While walking behind the dog, Nakata felt as if people were avoiding him.Maybe everyone thought they were riding the big dog without a leash, but in fact, some people stared at Nakata with reproachful eyes.This is sad for Nakata.I didn't do it voluntarily, and he really wanted to explain to the people around me that I was just led away by dogs, that I was not strong, and that I was very weak. The dog led Nakata a long way.Pass through several intersections and cross the commercial street.At intersections, dogs ignore any signals.Since the road is not very wide and the car cannot drive fast, it is not too dangerous to run a red light.Seeing the dog approaching, all the drivers stepped on the brakes in a panic.The dog bared its teeth, glared at the driver fiercely, and walked leisurely like a challenge at the red light.Nakata had no choice but to follow behind.Nakata knew in his heart: the dog knew exactly what the signal meant, and it just ignored it on purpose.It seems that dogs are used to deciding everything by themselves. Nakata didn't know where he was walking.On the way, it was still a familiar residential area in Nakano District, but after turning a street corner, it suddenly became strange.Nakata felt uneasy.So lost, can not find the way home but what to do.This might not be Nakano anymore.Nakata looked around, trying to find an impressive logo, but found nothing.This is an urban area that Nakata has never seen before. Regardless of the dog's disregard, the dog kept walking at the same pace and in the same posture: raising its face, erecting its ears, and gently shaking its testicles like a pendulum. The speed was moderate, allowing Nakata to easily follow behind. "I said, is this still Nakano District?" Nakata tried to ask. The dog didn't answer, nor looked back. "Are you related to the governor?" Still no reply. "Nakata, I was just looking for the whereabouts of the cat. I found a small three-haired cat named Hu Ma." speechless. Nakata had no choice but to give up.It's useless to talk to the dog. A corner of a quiet residential area.The big houses are lined up in rows, and no one comes and goes.The dog walked into one of them.There are old-fashioned stone walls and a pair of doors that are rarely seen today.A door stood wide open.Parked in the garage was a wide-body car, as black as a dog, shiny and spotless, with the doors also wide open.The dog went in without hesitation or pause.Nakata took off his old sneakers and put them in reverse at the shoe changing place, took off his hiking cap and stuffed it into his satchel, brushed off the grass blades on his pants, and stepped onto the wooden floor.The dog stopped and waited for Nakata to finish.Then he walked into the carefully wiped wooden floor corridor, and led Nakata into a room at the end that looked like a living room or a study. The room was dark and gloomy, it was dusk, and the window facing the courtyard was drawn with thick curtains.There was no light on.There was a large writing desk in the room, as if someone was sitting beside it, but his eyes were not used to the darkness, so he couldn't distinguish the specific situation, but he saw a black figure in the shape of a human body looming in the dimness like a paper cut.As soon as Nakata went in, the black shadow slowly changed its angle.It looks like someone is there turning the swivel chair this way.The dog stopped, crouched on the floor, and closed its eyes, as if to say its job was done. "Hello!" Nakata greeted the dark silhouette. The other party was silent. "My surname is Zhongtian. I'm sorry to bother you. It's not someone who doesn't know me." no respond. "This Mr. Dog ordered to follow, and Zhong Tian and I followed here, so that we rashly broke into the mansion. I hope you will forgive me. If you can, please allow me to go back..." "Sit on the sofa," the man said.The voice is quiet and tense. "Okay, I'll sit and I will sit." After finishing speaking, Nakata sat down on a single sofa there.The black dog was beside him, standing still like a statue. "Are you the governor?" "That's right." The other party said in the dark, "If you think that's easy to understand, then that's the same thing." The man stretched his hand back and turned on the floor lamp.The light was the old yellowish light that wasn't very bright, but it was enough to see the room clearly. There was a tall man wearing a black silk hat. He was sitting on a leather swivel chair with his legs crossed. He wore a bright red long-breasted tights, a black waistcoat, and high boots.The trousers are as white as snow and cling to the legs like thin trousers.He raised one hand to the brim of his hat, as if to greet a lady.In his left hand he carried a black cane decorated with gold rings.As far as the shape of the hat is concerned, it always seems to be what Kawamura calls a "cat catcher". Appearance is not as distinctive as clothing.Although not young, but not very old.It's not pretty, but it's not ugly either.Thick eyebrows, healthy red cheeks.The skin is surprisingly smooth and there is no beard.His eyes were narrowed, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.A face that is hard to remember.Compared with appearance, in any case, the unique clothes give people a strong impression.If it appears in other clothing, it is likely to be unrecognizable. "Do you know my name?" "No, I don't know," Nakata said. The man looked a little disappointed. "do not know?" "Yes. Forgot to mention——Nakata, I'm not very good at my head." "Can't remember this image?" As he said, the man stood up from the chair and walked sideways with his legs bent. "Can't remember?" "Ah, sorry, I still can't remember." "Oh, I'm afraid you don't drink whiskey." "That's right, Nakata, I don't drink or smoke. I'm so poor that I have to rely on government subsidies to survive, so I can't talk about smoking or drinking." The man sat on the swivel chair again, crossed his legs, took the glass on the desk, and took a sip of the whiskey inside. "Ding Dong" an ice cube sounded. "I'll let myself drink enough, okay?" "That's right, don't pay attention to me, Nakata, even if you benefit from it." "Thank you." After speaking, the man looked at Nakata straight again, "Then, don't you know my name?" "Yes. I'm very sorry, I don't know your last name." The man twisted his lips slightly.The sneer at the corner of the mouth deformed, disappeared, and reappeared like water ripples, although the duration was very short. "Anyone who likes whiskey can tell. Whatever. My name is Johnnie Walker——Johnnie Walker. Almost everyone in the world knows it. Famous all over the world, like IKon, if I say so Famous. That being said, I'm not the real Jonny Walker and have nothing to do with British Brew. But borrowing Just look at the image and name on its trademark.In any case, imagery and logos are needed. " ① A brand name of Scotch whiskey. ②③ German, Greek Orthodox saint portrait. ④ Silence fell on the room.Nakata couldn't understand the other party's words at all, only understood that the man's name was Jonny Walker. "Are you, Mr. Jonny Walker, a foreigner?" Jonny Walker tilted his head slightly: "Isn't it... If you think that is easy to understand, then you think that. It doesn't matter what it is, whether it is all of them." Nakata still doesn't know what to say.The situation was the same as when talking to Kawamura. "I'm a foreigner, but I'm not a foreigner—is it okay to understand that?" "Ok, Ok." Zhongtian decided not to ask this question any more: "Then... did you ask this dog gentleman to bring me here, Zhongtian?" "Exactly." Jonny Walker spoke succinctly. "That is to say... What did you, Mr. Jonny Walker, do to Nakata?" "Or it's better to say that you asked me to do something." Jonny Walker took another sip of the whiskey with ice. "According to my understanding, you have been waiting for me in that clearing for several days in a row, right?" "That's that, that's that. I forgot all about it. I don't know how to use my brain, and I forget everything in a blink of an eye. Indeed, as you said, I was waiting in that open space, and I just wanted to ask you about cats. thing." Jonny Walker snapped his black cane on the outside of his boots.Although the beating was light, the dry and brittle sound still reverberated greatly in the room.The dog moved its ears slightly. "It's getting dark and the tide is rising. It's time to move on!" Jonny Walker said, "What you want to ask me is about the three-haired cat?" "Yes, exactly. Nakata, I was entrusted by Mr. Koizumi's wife, and I have been looking for the whereabouts of San Mao Mao for more than ten days. Do you, Mr. Jonny Walker, know the whereabouts of Hu Ma?" "Of course I know the cat." "Do you know where it is?" "Know it somewhere." Nakata stared at Jonny Walker's face with his mouth slightly open.His eyes moved to the silk hat, and then fell back to his face.Jonny Walker's thin lips were pressed together confidently. "Is the location near here?" Jonny Walker nodded again and again: "Ah, it's right next to it." Nakata looked around the room.But no cat here.There is a writing desk, a swivel chair for a man, a sofa for yourself, two chairs, a floor lamp, and a coffee table, that's all. "So," Nakata said, "Can I take Nakata back?" "if you are willing to." "As long as Nakata, I am willing?" "That's right, as long as Nakata is willing." Jonny Walker slightly raised his eyebrows, "As long as you are determined, you can take Hu Ma back. Whether Mrs. Koizumi or the little girl is happy. Or return without success, Disappointing everyone. You don't want to disappoint everyone, do you?" "That is, Nakata, I don't want to disappoint everyone." "Me too. Even I don't want to disappoint everyone. Of course." "So, Nakata, what should I do?" Jonny Walker turned his cane round and round in his hand: "I have one thing to ask of you." "But Nakata, what can I do?" "I don't ask for things I can't do. It's useless to ask for things that others can't do. It's a waste of time. Don't you think so?" Zhongtian pondered for a while: "I also think Zhongtian is afraid of that." "In that case, what I beg you, Mr. Nakata, is what you, Mr. Nakata, can do." Nakata pondered again: "Yes, it should be." "Generalities first—all assumptions require refutation." "what?" "Without disproof to the hypothesis, there will be no scientific development." Jonny Walker tapped his boots with a cane, which was extremely challenging.The dog moved its ears again. "Absolutely not!" Nakata remained silent. "I'll tell you the truth, I've been looking for someone like you for a long time," said Jonny Walker, "but I can't find any. I just happened to see you talking to the cat the other day, and I thought: Yes, This is exactly the person I'm looking for. That's why I'm asking you for your kindness. I also think it's rude to call you here like this." "Where, Nakata, I have nothing to do." "In this way, I have made several assumptions about you." Jonny Walker said, "Of course I have also prepared several counter-evidences. It's like a game, a brain game played by one person. However, in most games, there must be winners and losers. That's it For games, it is necessary to confirm whether the assumption is appropriate. But you can't understand what it refers to, right?" Nakata nodded silently. Jonny Walker tapped his boot twice with his cane, and the dog stood up.