Chapter 48 Chapter 46 Talking to the Stone

Knowing that Nakata was dead, Hoshino couldn't leave the apartment room.First, the "Entrance Stone" is here, and second, I don't know what will happen when.And when something happens, you have to stand by the stone and take quick countermeasures.It was like a duty assigned to him.He directly inherited Nakata's role.He set the air conditioner in the room where Nakata's body lay at the lowest temperature, with the air volume at the highest, and closed the windows tightly. "Hey, old man, as long as you are not afraid of the cold." Hoshino greeted Nakata.Nakata, of course, wouldn't say anything about it.The peculiar weight of the air that floated in the room undoubtedly seeped little by little from the dead man.

Hoshino sat on the sofa in the living room, doing nothing to pass the time.No mind listening to music, no mind reading.After dusk fell and the corners of the room gradually darkened, he didn't get up to turn on the light.There seemed to be no strength at all in the whole body, and it was difficult to stand up once sitting down.Time comes and goes slowly, and sometimes it even makes people feel that they may sneak back while people are not paying attention. Grandpa was indeed sad when he died, but it wasn't that serious, Hoshino thought.Grandpa has been ill for a long time, knowing that he will die soon, so when he actually died, he was generally mentally prepared.With or without this preparatory stage, the situation is very different.But not only that, he thought, Nakata's death seemed to bring him something that made him think deeply and directly.

I felt a little hungry, so I went to the kitchen and took out frozen fried rice from the refrigerator, thawed it in the microwave and ate half of it.Drank another can of beer.Then I went to the next door to see Nakata again, thinking that maybe he would be brought back to life.Yet Nakata still died there.The room was as cold as a refrigerator.It's so cold that it's hard for ice cream to melt. It was the first time I had spent the night alone with the dead under the same roof.Perhaps because of this relationship, I always feel uneasy in my heart.It's not that he's afraid, Hoshino thought, it's not that he's unhappy, it's just that he's not used to getting along with the dead.The time flow of the dead is different from that of the living, and the sound waves are also different, so it makes people uneasy.I'm afraid there is no way to do this, after all, Zhongtian is now in the world of the dead, and he is still in the world of the living, so there is still a distance.He got off the sofa, sat next to the stone, and stroked the boulder with his palm like a cat.

"What should I do?" He said to Shitou, "I wanted to send Nakata to a suitable place, but you must be settled first. This is a bit troublesome. If you know what Hoshino-kun should do, tell me May I speak?" Of course there was no answer.Right now it's just an ordinary stone.Hoshino can also understand this, and it can't be expected to answer every question.But he still sat beside the stone and stroked it.Asked a few questions, cited reasons to persuade, and even appealed to compassion.Of course he knew that this was a waste of effort, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. Besides, didn't Nakata talk to Shitou like this from time to time?

But begging Shitou for mercy is really useless, Hoshino thought, after all, there is a saying "as ruthless as a stone." I got up and wanted to watch the TV news, but I gave up and sat back beside the stone.He felt that it was probably important to keep quiet at this moment.What should I wait for quietly.But I am really not good at waiting, he said to Shitou, in retrospect, he has always suffered from impetuousness.He doesn't consider maturity in everything, and does whatever he wants with his hands and feet, but he is repeatedly frustrated.Grandpa also said that I was impatient like a cat in spring.Forget it, settle down and wait here.Be patient, Hoshino-kun!Hoshino said so to himself.

Apart from the hum of the fully turned on air conditioner next door, there was no other movement in my ears.The hour hand quickly passed nine o'clock, then ten o'clock, but nothing happened, except that it was late at night.Hoshino brought a blanket from his room and lay down on the sofa to cover it.He felt that it was better to sleep as close to the rock as possible.He turned off the lights and closed his eyes on the sofa. "Tell you Shitou-kun, I'm going to sleep." Hoshino greeted Shitou at his feet, "Let's continue talking tomorrow morning. Today is a long enough day, and I, Hoshino-kun, are sleepy too."

Yes, he couldn't help feeling that there were too many facts in a long day. "Hey, old man," Hoshino said loudly to the door next door, "Nakata, do you hear that?" No reply.Hoshino sighed and closed his eyes, moved the position of the pillow, and fell asleep.I didn't have a dream, I slept until dawn.In the next room, Nakata also didn't have a single dream, sleeping as hard and as hard as a rock. After waking up at seven o'clock in the morning, Hoshino immediately went to the next door to see Nakata.The air conditioner was still humming, sending cold air into the room.In the cold air, Nakata continued his death journey.The breath of death is more obvious than last night, the skin is already quite pale, and the eyes are closed with a bit of a sense of unfamiliarity.Nakata breathed a sigh of relief and sat up suddenly, "I'm sorry, Hoshino-kun, I overslept Nakata, I'm very sorry. The following matters are on Nakata, please rest assured" - such a situation will never happen again, Nakata will never It is possible to properly dispose of this entrance stone.Nakata is completely dead, this is a decisive fact that no one can shake.

Hoshino shivered, went out and closed the door.He went into the kitchen and drank two cups of coffee made by the coffee machine, then dipped a slice of toast in butter and jam and ate it. After eating, he sat on the kitchen chair and smoked a few cigarettes while looking out the window.The clouds at night have gone somewhere, and the blue sky of summer stretches outside the window.The stone is still in front of the sofa.It seemed that Shi Shi didn't sleep or wake up last night, just lying there quietly.He tried to move it, and it was easy. "Let me tell you," Hoshino said cheerfully, "it's me, your old acquaintance Hoshino-kun, remember? Looks like I'm going to be with you all day again today!"

Stone remained silent. "Forget it, it doesn't matter if you don't remember. There is still time, let's get along slowly." He sat there, slowly stroking the stone with his right hand, while thinking about what to say to the stone.I had never talked to Shitou before, so I really couldn't think of a suitable topic all of a sudden.But it is not advisable to bring up too heavy topics early in the morning. The day is too long, so it is better to talk about something light-hearted first, and talk about it as you like. In the end, I decided to talk about women, one by one women who have had sexual relations.As far as objects who know their names are concerned, there are not many of them.Hoshino counted, six.If you add those whose names you don't know, the number will increase, so let's not talk about it here.

"I don't think it's very interesting to talk to Shitou about the woman he slept with before," Hoshino said. It’s not bad for you to listen to this soft story once in a while. It’s just for reference.” Hoshino told anecdotes and anecdotes in this regard along the chain of memory, as detailed and specific as he could remember.At first, when I was in high school, I used to ride motorcycles and run amok for a while.The other party was a woman three years older than himself, a girl who worked in a bar in Gifu City.Although the time is short, it can be regarded as living together.Unexpectedly, the other party was too involved, and even said that he wanted to die, and said to call home, and said that his parents did not agree.So I found it troublesome, and I just graduated from high school, so I joined the Self-Defense Force regardless of the situation.Immediately after joining the army, he was transferred to the Yamanashi barracks, and the relationship with her was terminated, and we never saw each other again.

"So, fear of trouble is the key word in my Hoshino-kun's life," Hoshino explained to Shitou, "If things get entangled, I will run away quickly. It's not my boast, but the speed of escape is very fast. So, this I have never done anything like chasing after him before. This is my Hoshino-kun's problem." The second is a girl I met near the Yamanashi Barracks.On the rest day, I helped her change Isuzu ALTO tires on the side of the road, which made her feel better.One year older than myself, she is a student of nursing school. "The girl has a good personality," Hoshino said to Shitou. "She has big breasts and is very emotional. I also like to do that. I am only nineteen years old, and I have been covering the quilt all day when we met. Unexpectedly, this person is jealous. My heart was so strong that I couldn't stop asking about what went where, what I did, and who I saw. In short, it was torture. I couldn't believe the truthful answer. After doing this, we finally broke up. We've been dating for more than a year... I don't know what happened to Mr. Shitou, but I can't bear to be babbling on and on. If you want to make a clean break with a woman, you'd better join the Self-Defense Forces. You, Mr. Shi Shi, should keep it in mind. It's not a good idea to always call it digging trenches and carrying sandbags. ..." During the time of talking about the stone, Hoshino once again felt that almost all of what he did in the past was shady.Among the six people I interact with, at least four are girls with good tempers (the other two are objectively speaking, and seem to have some problems).Generally speaking, they are very kind to themselves. Although they are not breath-taking beauties, they are all quite cute. .I cook delicious food on rest days, buy gifts for birthdays, and lend money to myself before I get paid (almost never repaid in my memory), and I never ask for anything in return.However, I didn't thank him at all, thinking it was a matter of course. Get along with a girl and only sleep with her.I have never stepped on two boats at a time, which is justified in this respect.But once the other party complains a word or two, or enlightens with reason, or gets jealous, or persuades himself to save money, or periodically mildly hysterical, or talks about worries about the future, he will wave goodbye.I think the main point of dating women is not to leave sequelae, and run away as soon as something naughty happens, and then start all over again when you find the next girl, thinking that this is the normal way of life for ordinary people. "Tell you Mr. Shitou, if I were a woman and dated a selfish man like me, I would definitely be furious." Hoshino said to Shitou, "Looking back now, even I think so. But why do they tolerate it? How long has it been for me? Even the client is puzzled.” Hoshino lit a Marlboro, and while slowly spitting out a mouthful, he stroked the stone with one hand. "Isn't it? As you can see, I, Hoshino-kun, is not handsome, and I am not good enough to do that kind of thing. I have no money, a bad personality, and a bad head-in general, I am quite There is a problem. The son of a poor farmer in Gifu, a powerless long-distance truck driver from the Self-Defense Forces! Even so, in retrospect, he is quite favored by women. It is definitely not a matter of doing as he pleases, but I have never suffered from it in my memory Cold reception. Allowing to do that kind of thing, cooking and borrowing money to spend. But, Shitou-kun, good things can’t last forever. Recently, I gradually have a hunch—hey, Hoshino-kun, the debt will be repaid soon. !" In this way, Hoshino kept telling Stone about his history with women, and at the same time kept touching Stone.Get used to it, and gradually become unable to stop.It was noon, and the bell rang at a nearby school.He went into the kitchen to make udon noodles, chopped green onions, and cracked eggs into it. After eating, I listened to the "Grand Duke Trio". "Hey, Shitou-kun," Hoshino said to Shitou at the end of the first movement, "how is it, the music is good? Doesn't it sound like you have a bright heart?" Stone was silent.I don't know if Shitou listened to the music or not.But Hoshino ignored it and just continued. "As I said this morning, I've done a lot of dubious things, and I've done my own way. I don't dare to show off now, do I? But listening to the music carefully, I feel like Beethoven is saying to me—" Hey, Hoshino-kun, don't mention that part, it's nothing. There are things like that in life. Don't look at me like this, in fact, I have done a lot of stupid things. There is no way, things are like that. I can't help it There are times. So, just keep working hard!' Of course, Beethoven is such a guy after all, it is actually impossible to say that, but I can really feel that he seems to have such a Mood. Have you ever felt this way?" Stone was silent. "Forget it," Hoshino said, "it's just my personal opinion. Don't talk too much, just listen to the music." Looking out the window after two o'clock, I saw a big fat black cat squatting on the balcony railing and peeping into the room.Hoshino opened the window and used the cat to pass the time: "Hey, Cat Lord, the weather is nice today!" "Yeah, Hoshino boy." The cat responded. "It's a mess!" Hoshino shook his head. boy named crow The boy named Crow flew slowly above the forest, as if he was going to draw a big circle.After drawing one, draw the same regular circle in a place slightly apart.Draw several in the air in this way, and the circle disappears while drawing.The line of sight is like a reconnaissance plane, just look at the eyes.He seemed to be searching for traces of something there, but it was hard to find.The forest billows and spreads out like a landless sea.The green branches are criss-crossed and overlapped, and the forest is covered with a thick coat of anonymity.The sky was gray and cloudy, there was no wind, and the light of grace was nowhere to be found.At this moment, the boy named Crow may be the loneliest bird in the world, but he has no leisure to pay attention to it. The boy named Crow finally found a gap in the forest and flew straight down there.Below the gap, there is a circular open land that looks like a small square. The ground is illuminated by a little sunlight, and green grass grows like dots on the ground.At the end was a large boulder on which sat a man.He was wearing a bright red jersey tracksuit, a black top hat, thick-soled hiking shoes, and a khaki canvas bag by his feet.The dress is quite strange, but it doesn't matter to the boy named Crow.This was exactly what he was looking for, no matter how he dressed. Hearing the sudden sound of flapping wings, the man opened his eyes and looked at the boy named Crow who had landed on the big branch next to him. "Hi!" He greeted the boy with a hearty voice. The boy named Crow ignored him, still squatting on the branch and staring coldly at the man's movements without blinking, only tilting his head from time to time. "I know you." The man said, stretched out one hand to gently pick up the top hat, and put it back immediately, "I guess it's about time for you to come." The man coughed, frowned, spat on the ground, and rubbed the soles of his shoes a few times. "It's just in time for me to rest, and it's kind of boring when no one talks. How about it? Why don't you come down for a while? Let's sit and chat together! It's the first time I saw you, so it's not completely unfavorable." The man said . The boy named Crow closed his lips tightly, and his wings were tightly attached to his body. The man in the top hat shook his head slightly. "That's right, that's it, you can't speak. Forget it. Then let me say it alone. It doesn't matter what I do. If you don't speak, I know what you are going to do next. That is to say, you don't want me to talk about it again." Go on, right? I know that too, guess. You don't want me to go on. And I certainly don't want to stop here. Why, because there's no second chance, Don’t let this opportunity pass by, the so-called once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity refers to this.” He slapped the ankle of his hiking boot with the palm of his hand. "From the conclusion, you can't stop my footsteps, because you don't have the qualifications. For example, I can play the flute here a few times, and then you will come closer to me little by little. This is the magical effect of my flute. I'm afraid you don't know it, but this flute is very special, unlike any flute in the world. There are several in this pocket." The man carefully patted the canvas bag next to his feet, and then looked up at the big branch where the boy named Crow was staying. "I collected cat souls to make a flute, a flute formed by gathering the souls of creatures that were cut alive. I am not without compassion for cats that have been cut alive, but I have to do that. This thing is Those that go beyond secular standards don’t talk about good, evil, love, hate, etc. That’s why I have this flute. For a long time, making it has been my bounden duty, and I have indeed fulfilled this bounden duty very well, which can be regarded as fulfilling my duty. Don't be ashamed of anyone's life. Marry a wife, have children, and make a sufficient number of flutes. So don't make flutes again. This is only between you and me, only here. I am going to use all the flutes I have collected here To make a bigger flute, bigger and more powerful flute, an extra-large flute in its own right. I'm going to the place where it's made. Whether the flute turns out to be good or bad, that's not me What decides, of course, is not you, but depends on the place and time of my production. In this sense, I am a person without prejudice, just like history and weather, without any prejudice. Only if I have no prejudice, can I be free into a unity." He took off his hat and stroked the thinning crown of his head with the palm of his hand for a moment.Then put it back on, and quickly straighten the brim with your fingers. "Blowing this flute can drive you away instantly, without any effort. But if possible, I don't want to play it now. After all, playing this flute requires a certain amount of effort. I don't want to waste my energy. I want to raise my future as much as possible." Recharge your batteries. Besides, it doesn't matter if you blow it or not, anyway, if you try your best, you can't stop my action." The man made another fake cough, and touched his bulging abdomen a few times through the sportswear. "I said, do you know what a limbo is? A limbo is the dividing point between life and death, a deserted and dark place, and I am there now. I died, voluntarily. But I haven't entered the lower world yet. One world. That is to say, I am a moving soul. A moving soul has no body, and I am only a temporary appearance in this way, so you can't hurt me now. Understand? Even if I bleed profusely, that's not real Blood. Even if I'm in pain, it's not real pain. The only ones who can kill me now are those who are qualified. Unfortunately, you don't have the qualifications. You are just a brat anyway, but An insignificant phantom. No amount of obstinate prejudice can kill me." The man smiled slightly at the boy named Crow. ①Portuguese, meaning the edge of hell (the soul destination of good non-Christians). ② "How about, why don't you try?" This sentence was like a signal, causing the boy named Crow to spread his wings wide, stomp his feet off the branch and rush straight at the man, which caught people off guard.He put his feet on the man's chest, turned around suddenly, and pecked the man's right eye with his sharp beak like a pickaxe. At the same time, his black wings flapped loudly in the air.The man didn't resist, and let it be pecked away, without moving his arms or fingers, and he didn't even cry out.Not only did he not yell, but he laughed out loud.The hat fell to the ground, and the eyeballs split open suddenly, protruding from the eye sockets.The boy named Crow continued to peck his eyes.After the eye area became hollow, he turned to peck his face, no matter which part he pecked desperately.In the blink of an eye, the man's face was covered with scars and bleeding everywhere.His face was blood red, his skin was cracked, and blood splattered everywhere, turning into an ordinary lump of meat.Then, the boy named Crow mercilessly pecked at the thinning part of his hair.However, the man was still laughing non-stop, as if it was extremely funny.The more violently the boy named Crow pecked, the louder he laughed. The empty eye sockets of the man who lost his eyeballs did not move away from the boy named Crow for a moment, and he said as if choking when the laughter was interrupted: "Hey, that's why I told you, don't make me laugh like this, okay? No matter how hard you try, you can't hurt even half a hair of my hair, because you don't have the qualifications. You're just a thin phantom, just an echo that no one cares about! Everything you do is futile. Why don't you get the hang of it?" This time the boy named Crow pecked his sharp beak into the speaking mouth of the other party.A pair of big wings were still fluttering sharply, and several shiny black feathers fell off, hovering in the air like fragments of a soul.The boy named Crow pecked at the man's tongue, pecked out a hole, and dragged it out with the tip of his mouth with all his strength.The tongue is extremely thick and long, and after being pulled out of the throat, it still crawls around like a mollusc, gathering dark words.The man who lost his tongue couldn't laugh, and even seemed to have difficulty breathing.Still, he laughed silently.The boy named Crow listened carefully to his muffled laughter.The ominous, empty laughter is as endless as the wind blowing across the distant desert, and it may seem like the sound of a flute from another world.