Chapter 5 testimony

The club activity room was filled with the peculiar smell of sweat. Tajima Kyohei stood in the corner of the activity room with his arms folded.Third baseman Sato leaned against a locker with his hands in his trouser pockets, first baseman Miyamoto sat on a chair, and center fielder Naoi sat cross-legged on a table cutting his nails.I don't know if everyone is unwilling to make eye contact with other people. Everyone either looks at the wall or closes their eyes. The atmosphere in the activity room becomes more dignified. "Only Zeben hasn't arrived yet." Tajima said.Sawamoto was an outfielder and backup catcher, and when he arrived, all the third graders except Takeshi Suda were present.

"He procrastinates every time." Tajima tried to ease the atmosphere, but no one answered him.In desperation, Tajima could only keep his mouth shut. "I'm still against it," Miyamoto said suddenly, "It doesn't matter if anyone thinks of me except him." "My opinion is the same as Miyamoto's," Sato continued. "After Kitaoka became the main general, our team has indeed become better, but it has also made a lot of sacrifices. The biggest sacrifice is that we can no longer be happy. Playing baseball happily. I started playing baseball because I wanted to experience the exhilaration of hitting a hit, not to put pressure on myself.”

"Yes." Miyamoto also said, "I want to play in my own way and defend in my own way. He is indeed very good, but no matter what I do, he has opinions. Like Sato said, it hurts me. I’m under pressure all day long. I don’t want to enter professional baseball, so I can play as I want. Under his influence, even the team leader has become sloppy recently.” "But thanks to him, we were able to go to Koshien," Tajima retorted. "That's right." Miyamoto shut his mouth. Naoi polished his nails without saying a word, then suddenly blew on his fingertips and muttered:

"I don't want to go to Jiashiyuan." Tajima looked at his face in surprise, the other two didn't seem to think he said anything strange, Sato even nodded in agreement. "Besides, did we really go to Koshien?" Naoi asked Tajima.Tajima didn't understand what he meant and remained silent. "Only Kitaoka and Suda went to Koshien, right?" Naoi said, "As long as there are two of them, it doesn't matter if we don't. Anyone can play in the team uniform. We're just accessories anyway. Follow along." They went to Koshien, and I don't think there is anything to be grateful for."

He continued to look at Tajima's face and said, "You're not happy at all, are you? Because you have absolutely no chance to play." "..." Tajima was the backup pitcher, and since Takeshi Suda was the ace, he couldn't deny what Naoi said.In fact, Tajima never pitched in an official game.Of course he doesn't have the ability to be Takeshi's relief pitcher, and with Kaiyang's hitting ability, it's impossible for him to lead his opponent in points by a large margin, so he has the opportunity to practice and test his skills.He went to the mound only once, to deliver instructions from the team leader in a crisis in the ninth inning.

Even so, Tajima was genuinely happy when he learned that he could enter Koshien.Knowing that I will not have the chance to play, but as long as I think of myself as one of the members of the team representing the whole county, I feel very proud.This mood has not changed to this day, even if I only served as a herald once from beginning to end, it has not been affected in any way. However, he couldn't get the words out here.Once they did so, Naoi and the others would cast ridicule and pitying looks at themselves. "It was the same at that time," Sato said. "It was the same when we lost to Asia Gakuen. The team leader instructed to let the opponent play, but the two of them ignored the team leader's instructions and didn't trust us at all."

Tajima looked at Sato's face in surprise, he seemed to have completely forgotten the mistake he made at the critical moment. "Anyway, we should take this opportunity to change the baseball club's policy. Currently, there are three people who oppose Suda as the general manager." Miyamoto stood up and scratched his crew-cut head vigorously. "Taking this opportunity" means taking advantage of Kitaoka's death. This was after school five days after Akira Kitaoka's death, and they said they would hold a meeting to discuss the future. Naoi raised the question of who would be the commander-in-chief from the very beginning. "There is no need to rush to decide on such a matter." Tajima refused, but Miyamoto protested loudly, "If you don't make a decision quickly, Suda will assume an attitude of thinking he is the master."

And thus began this unpleasant discussion. After a while, Zemoto, who was late, showed his timid face.Sato leaned on the locker and briefly explained to him the content of the conversation just now.Zemoto carefully held the black schoolbag and listened to Sato's explanation. "What is your opinion?" Miyamoto asked him.Zemoto could not help but flinch a little after bearing the gaze of the four people, but he still clearly expressed his opinion. "I want to play baseball happily. My motor nerves are not very good. I joined the baseball club to develop my physical strength. I heard that all the sports clubs in Kaiyang did not have very strict training... But last spring, the baseball club was named Jiazi. After becoming the goal of Koshien, it suddenly changed. Since Kitaoka became the chief general, he has been fucked to death almost every day... We are a school for further studies, so we don’t need to pay for the time of studying in order to enter Koshien.”

"I feel the same way." Sato said, clapping his hands. "And—" Sawamoto went on.Tajima, who has always been taciturn, rarely speaks. It can be seen that he has accumulated a lot of dissatisfaction in his heart, which makes Tajima feel sad. "Besides, Kitaoka often compares us with Suda. He always says that as a human being, what Suda can do, other people can't do it. Are you kidding me? Suda doesn't want to play professional baseball in the future. ?" "There is nothing difficult in the world, as long as there is a heart. Now only elementary school teachers can say such things." Miyamoto also added fuel to the scene.

"I think so too, but Kitaoka doesn't think so. So he often looks down on me and thinks I'm a waste." "No, I don't think it's possible. He never looks down on others." Hearing Tajima's rebuttal, Sawamoto shook his head desperately. "Tajima, you just don't know. Last week, Kitaoka was here alone to arrange the members of the competition. I just walked in. After a while, Kitaoka sneered at me: 'Zawamoto, do you want to play next time? Playing with Tajima?’ I was taken aback, and he said, ‘I’m just kidding you.’ He seemed to think it was funny that I took his words seriously, and I was really pissed off at that time.”

"Anyway, that's the kind of person he is." Naoi said coldly. I don't think he should be malicious.Tajima wanted to say that, but held back.Because even if you say it, you will be laughed at by others, "You are so naive". "Anyway, it's decided like this." Naoi jumped down from the table. "Anyway, we can't let Suda be the main general. Let everyone play baseball happily. Everyone can win together, and there is no need for a star." "Yes, there is no need for a star." Sato nodded vigorously. "Yes." Miyamoto also agreed. Tajima couldn't accept such a conclusion. What does it mean to come together?In the end, I just want to mess around, just want to return to the previous laziness. "That's the decision, the minority obeys the majority. Tajima, don't you have any objections?" Naoi stared at him and asked, and the other three also looked at him.Their piercing eyes made him feel a kind of impatient irritation, which was even more shameful, but he nodded noncommittally. On Thursday, six days after the body was found, an investigator received an important tip.The investigator visited Morikawa near his residence in Sakurai Town and found that someone had seen Akira Kitaoka on the night of the incident. The witnesses are housewives who come here every Thursday to learn the shamisen.She usually had classes during the day--indeed, the scouts went around during the day--but she had an evening class last Thursday and saw Akira Kitaoka on the way home, around ten o'clock.Her family lived near Kitaoka's house, so she knew him, but she had never spoken to him.Of course she knew about the murder, but she didn't realize the importance of what she witnessed. She only talked about it with a friend who practiced the shamisen together, and it was indirectly transmitted to the investigators' ears. The news rocked Search Headquarters.Because it was always believed that Akira Kitaoka was killed on the way to Morikawa's house, since someone saw Akira Kitaoka near Morikawa's house, it means that he was killed on the way back. That night, Takama and Ono immediately went to Morikawa's apartment.Morikawa said earlier that he was at home that night, but Kitaoka did not go to his house.Since Kitaoka had come near his apartment, why didn't he go into the house to look for him? Takama glumly walked up the stairs of the two-story apartment.Some investigators believed that Mr. Morikawa was lying. Gao Jian knocked on the door, and Morikawa opened the door immediately. When he saw Gao Jian and the others, he looked a little nervous. "I have something to ask you." Gao Ma looked into his eyes and said, "Can I take a moment of your time?" "Oh, okay, it's just a mess at home." Although Morikawa said so, his room was actually very clean.In addition to the two-square-meter space connected to the kitchen in the front, there is also a room of more than one square meter inside.The kitchen utensils were put away in the cupboards, and for a single man, there wasn't much dirty laundry in the room.After quickly confirming the situation, Takama sat down on the cushion Morikawa handed him.The cushion cover had just been washed too. Takama told Morikawa that Akira Kitaoka had been here on the night of the incident.Morikawa didn't dare to look directly at Takama, frowned and said, "That's right." "To tell you the truth, some people began to doubt your confession. They think you may be lying when you say that Akira Kitaoka has not been here." "No, it's true, please believe me." Morikawa said, raising his eyes. "I wish I could trust you, too." Takama looked around the room again, he knew that Morikawa cared about his sight. "Were you home all the time that night?" Morikawa nodded silently. "Are you alone?" Morikawa didn't answer right away, showing hesitant eyes. "So it's not Luo?" Gao Ma asked, his inner displeasure became more and more obvious. Morikawa shook his head heavily and said, "I have no intention of lying." "But why didn't you tell the truth?" "Sorry." Morikawa bit his lip. Gao Jian took a deep breath, "Is she coming to your house?" "right." "Does she come often?" "Sometimes...once a week or so, but not since that night." "Wait, wait a minute, Senior Takama." Ono, who was taking notes at the side, pulled Takama's sleeves in a daze. He couldn't understand what they were talking about, and couldn't help feeling a little flustered. "What the hell is going on? Who is she?" Takama glanced at Ono, then looked directly at Morikawa and said: "It's a woman named Maiko Tezuka who works as a teacher at Kaiyang High School." "It's the Chinese teacher." Morikawa added. Ono hurriedly wrote on the notepad, stopped his hand suddenly, raised his head and asked: "Senior Senior, how do you know?" "Oh, it's a long story." Hearing Takama's answer, Ono showed a dissatisfied expression, but then said "Yes", and started recording again.He felt that the atmosphere in front of him was not suitable for questioning. "What time did she come?" Gaoma asked Morikawa. "I remember it was around seven o'clock, and she usually comes here at this time." "What time do you leave?" "Looks like around ten o'clock." This timing is delicate.Takama thought.Maiko Tezuka left around ten o'clock, and witnesses saw Akira Kitaoka around ten o'clock, and then he was killed. "I guess Kitaoka should have come to my door," Morikawa said sadly, "but found her at my house, so I turned and left." Takama thinks so too. "Does Kitaoka know about you and her?" "The people in the baseball club should have guessed it." "Really? I wish you could have told us about the situation earlier. It would also be of great help in solving the case." "I'm sorry. But, I don't want people to know that she's a frequent visitor. It's a small place, and word will spread quickly, and..." Morikawa hesitated and didn't continue, but Takama knew what he wanted to say.Because Gaoma was in charge of investigating the murder case, it was even more difficult for him to speak. When Takama and the others were about to leave, Morikawa said at the door: "I hope this matter will not be made public. If it is known by the school or people outside the school, one of us must leave here." "I know." Gao Ma agreed with his eyes, and a wonderful sense of superiority flashed in his heart. "Are you... going to find her?" "Probably," Takama said, "it's our job." Morikawa nodded, scratched his nose with his little finger, and then looked at Takama again. "Although it's strange for me to say this, I hope you can fully consider her mood. After the incident, she was very depressed. She thought that Kitaoka might be killed because of her coming to my house." "Does she know that Kitaoka has been around here?" "Possibly, but I don't know how she knows." Morikawa frowned again in pain. ※※※ Takama met Maiko Tezuka in the winter two years ago.She is the younger sister of Gaoma's classmate in the police academy. She had not been teaching in Kaiyang at that time, but was teaching in another high school. The brother and sister lived in a rented house. Maiko is not particularly beautiful, but her fresh and intelligent temperament impresses Takama.His classmate said: "My sister is not young anymore." But Gao Ma felt that she looked five years younger than her actual age, and it was a pleasure to chat with her, and she felt that she was very connotative. Although Gao Jian had a crush on her, he still dared not confess his love to her.Because she learned from her brother that she hates the profession of criminal police.However, he still visits their home from time to time on the pretext of drinking with his old classmates.It wasn't long before Takama sensed that she, too, had a crush on him.She should have noticed Gao Jian's intentions long ago, so Gao Jian planned to confess his love to her when the time was right. After a while, Maiko was transferred to Kaiyang High School, Gaoma's alma mater.When Takama heard the news, he immediately said to her: "I have a friend who is a teacher at Kaiyang High School. Next time, I will introduce you to each other." Maizi was very happy to hear that. "Great, I was still uneasy about going to a completely unfamiliar school." "She's still a child at all." her brother said with a smile. Takama introduced her to Morikawa.He knew that Morikawa, a high school classmate, had a good personality and was very suitable to take care of Maiko. That summer, Takama and Maiko faced major changes at the same time.Ma Yizi's brother died.He was assassinated to death by gangsters in the bar.That day was not the day when he was on duty. He saw office workers being entangled in the bar, and was assassinated when he tried to rescue him.The murderer was quickly caught. Ma Yizi was not particularly emotional during the wake and funeral, but shed tears from time to time.Takama and Morikawa were with her all the time, but she didn't mention her brother's death, apparently avoiding the topic. Half a year later, Morikawa came to Takama.He told Takama with embarrassment that he planned to propose to Maiko.Gao Ma was not too surprised, because he had already noticed Morikawa's intentions. "I know you like her too," Morikawa said, "so I'll say hello to you first. If I don't ask for your permission in advance, I will feel very uncomfortable." Gao Jian nodded and invited him to drink with him.In fact, Takama is very pleased with the result.Because as long as he continues to be a criminal police officer, it is impossible to propose to Maiko. "I am very grateful to you," Morikawa said, "I know her because of you." "Don't thank me," Takama said, "You just make me angrier by saying that." That night, they drank together until dawn. Heard that Maiko agreed to his marriage proposal, but they don't plan to get married right away.She hopes to concentrate on work now and get married after she becomes more confident in education—this is how she responded to Morikawa's marriage proposal at the beginning. It has been a year so far, during this period, of course, Takama did not meet Maiko. ※※※ After leaving Morikawa's apartment, Takama called Ono back to the police station, and took a taxi to Tezuka Maiko's house alone.Ono seemed to sense that Takama had something to hide, so he didn't ask any further questions. Maiko Tezuka lives in the southernmost tip of Showa Town, and the surrounding area is full of old houses, including several wooden apartments with the same appearance.The siblings—she was the only one left now—rented one of them.Gao Ma shook off all distracting thoughts and knocked on the door. When Maiko opened the door and saw Takama, she let out a cry of surprise.Before she could speak, Takama took out his police ID. "I have something to ask you." "About Kitaoka?" she asked. "Right." Kakashi replied. After Maiko invited him into the house, they sat face to face at the low table in the inner room.There is a desk in the corner of this three-square-meter room, and there is a photo of her dead brother on it. "I went to Morikawa's house," he said in a businesslike tone, "you went to his house on the night of the incident, didn't you?" "Yes." She lowered her eyes. "What time did you go, what time did you leave?" "Go at seven...Leave around ten o'clock." Her answer matched Morikawa's. "Listen to him... Listen to Morikawa, your behavior is a bit abnormal recently." Maiko raised her head, but when she met Takama's gaze, she lowered her eyes again. "The findings revealed that Kitaoka went to Morikawa's apartment and then left again." Gao Jian saw her cheeks twitch, and continued: "Do you know about this?" Maizi bowed her head and remained silent.Takama thought, Morikawa guessed right. After a while, she replied: "Yes." Gao Ma didn't understand why she hesitated for so long. "How do you know that Kitaoka has been to Morikawa's house?" "Because... that day, I saw him." "See him? See Kitaoka?" "Yes." She twitched her chin. "That night, when I came back from his house on a bicycle, I overtook Kitaoka who was walking by the embankment. If he was going to Morikawa's house, he should have walked towards me. When I learned of the murder, I immediately realized that Kitaoka Oka knew that I was at Morikawa's house, so he walked back." Takama suddenly realized that this was the case.Maizi really wanted to tell the police about this, but she was worried that her relationship with Morikawa would be exposed, so she couldn't speak for a long time. "Did you say hello to Kitaoka?" "No, I don't think he recognized me. I wore a mask and I kept my hat down." Takama guessed that she didn't want to be seen by acquaintances, so she walked the dark road beside the embankment. "Where did you surpass Kitaoka?" "I just passed Kaiyang High School." The murder scene was about two hundred meters away.Therefore, Maiko met him just moments before he was attacked.Takama's heartbeat accelerated involuntarily. "How did Kitaoka look at that time?" "It's the same as usual... I just glanced at him." "Did you see the dog?" "Yes, he has a dog." "Did you see other people before and after you surpassed Kitaoka?" Maiko's lips moved slightly, but she immediately closed her mouth.After a long silence, she replied, "Yes." "Sure enough, I saw it," Gao Jian let out his suffocated breath. "Where did you see it?" "After overtaking Kitaoka, I rode for a short distance, and a person came in front of me." "Is it a man?" "Yes, it's a man." This time, she answered firmly. "What about size and figure?" "I should be tall, but I ride a bicycle, so I don't know very well." "Do you remember his clothes and appearance?" "No," she rubbed her palms together. "Because it was too dark, I didn't see it. When I met Kitaoka, I just saw him because of the light." "Is it dark? Didn't you turn on the bicycle light?" Takama looked into Maiko's eyes and asked. "Yes, if I turned on the light, I should be able to see the other person's face clearly, but I didn't turn on the light at the time." Then she added: "Because when I turn on the lights, I'm worried that people will see me too." "...So that's how it is." With a heavy heart, Takama took down what she said. After the visit was over, Maiko stood up and asked to make tea.Takama declined, but she got up and walked to the kitchen anyway. Drinking the tea made by Maiko, Takama also felt a little relaxed.At this time, he suddenly thought of a question, "When will you and Morikawa get married?" She silently looked at the teacup and replied, "I don't know either." After that, the two fell into silence again.In the three-ping-sized room, only the sound of them drinking tea could be heard. This is the first practice under the new head of the baseball club.Miyamoto was selected as the new general, and Tajima wanted to know why he was selected as the new general, because he only knew about it a moment ago. After everyone lined up, Miyamoto stood in front of everyone and gave a speech. The members of the club in the first and second grades couldn't hide their puzzled expressions. They believed that the new leader was Takeshi. Tajima lowered his head and peeked at Takeshi next to him.Takeshi didn't seem interested in the new GM's speech, and, as usual, kicked the dirt off the mound expressionlessly.Just now when Sato and Naoi told Takeshi that Miyamoto had decided to be the main general, his reaction was similar.They only responded with indifferent eyes: "Yes." Sato and the others originally thought Takeshi would object, but seeing his reaction, they seemed a little discouraged. The person who became a pillar and supported the association for two years is now being squeezed out, but the person concerned doesn't seem to care. After Miyamoto's speech, he ran to warm up as usual, and then did soft exercises in groups of two.Tajima took the initiative to team up with Takeshi. Although he ran several laps on the sports field, Takeshi didn't blush or breathe.Tajima felt that his physical strength was amazing every time. "I thought you would object to Miyamoto being the general." Tajima pushed Takeshi's back and whispered.Takeshi's body was very soft, his feet were spread more than 120 degrees, and his chest could be pressed to the ground.And he didn't have to push him too hard, which made Tajima feel a little unfulfilled. Tajima also said: "Miyamoto and the others are very dissatisfied with Kitaoka's actions. They may change their policy substantially in the future, which may have a negative impact on you." Takeshi closed his eyes and leaned towards the direction Tajima pushed. "Nothing will change." His voice was emotionless. "really? Why?" Tajima asked, but Takeshi didn't answer. After the exchange, Tajima started doing soft exercises.His body is very stiff, so he doesn't like doing flex exercises.The inner thighs tingled with pain as he spread his legs and Takeshi pushed against his back. Takeshi pushed his stiff body and said quietly: "It's not going to change anything, these guys are just waiting. They think they'll score if they just wait. They're waiting for the opposing pitcher to hit an easy pitch, for the opponent to make a mistake, for someone to hit, or even for their own team. A pitcher can kill the opponent's line. How can this kind of guy change? The only change is that he won't be able to win in the future." Tajima bent over to listen to him, his whole face was tangled up.This man should never have waited, he couldn't help thinking. Next, start practicing defense.Miyamoto hits the ball with the bat in hand.In Tajima's memory, Kitaoka was very precise in controlling the ball, compared to Miyamoto who was far behind.Miyamoto seemed to be aware of this, and tried to improve it, but the effect was not obvious. He tilted his head from time to time, feeling very dissatisfied. When Tajima started pitching practice, Sawamoto came over to partner with him.After Kitaoka died, Sawamoto became the front catcher and had to catch Suda's ball.When Tajima told him this, Sawamoto showed an awkward expression. "I couldn't catch his ball." "But I can't always be a backup pitcher and a catcher." Tajima explained the situation to Miyamoto, and Miyamoto made no secret of his displeasure.This may be the last question he wants to touch. "It hasn't been decided yet that Sawamoto is the catcher. This issue will be discussed later. Let's do it for today." What should Suda do?Tajima asked.However, Miyamoto continued to practice defensively as if he didn't hear it. Tajima had no choice but to turn around and walk away. At this moment, he finally understood the meaning of Takeshi's words just now.This is "waiting".When encountering difficult problems, they will wait for the boat to reach the bridge and wait for the problem to be solved naturally. Takeshi didn't care about these things, and started practicing long shots with the second-year catcher.He has absolutely no intention of waiting for someone else to set up a catcher for him. In desperation, Tajima had no choice but to start practicing pitching.He always felt guilty, couldn't stretch his arms hard, and couldn't throw the ball satisfactorily. After conceding dozens of balls, he saw Takeshi running outside the stadium.Tajima's eyes followed him and saw him running towards Maiko Tezuka.Takeshi chatted with her for a few words, turned to look at Tajima, and waved to him, so Tajima also ran over. "Sorry to interrupt your practice." she says.Tajima thought her voice was still sexy and moving.She handed them a paper bag, and Tajima opened it to see that there were a lot of Daifuku biscuits inside. "Snacks for you." Maizi said with a smile, Tajima and the others bowed to her to thank her. She looked around and asked hesitantly, "Is Mr. Morikawa there?" "He has something to do today..." Tajima replied in a somewhat blunt tone.Because the relationship between Maiko and Morikawa has become a hot topic on campus recently, and I heard that their relationship was related to the murder of Kitaoka, so both of them were asked by the criminal police for questioning. Maizi muttered regretfully, "Yes." "What's the matter with the leader?" "Yes...the police came to me about Kitaoka, so I want to find him." I don't know if she knew about these rumors, but she brought it up graciously, but Tajima didn't know how to answer it. "Teacher, what did the policeman ask you?" Takeshi, who had been silent just now, asked directly.Tajima looked at him reproachfully, but Maiko Tezuka didn't seem offended. "That's right, Kitaoka is your friend." After this opening sentence, she told them the situation.That day, she went to Morikawa's house for something, and on the way home, she saw a man suspected of being the murderer.Although Tajima knew what "something" she was talking about, she still pretended not to know. "Did you see the murderer's face?" Tajima plucked up the courage to ask, and Maiko showed a regretful expression. "Because I didn't turn on the light of the bicycle, it was too dark, so I didn't see it." "No light on? Riding a bicycle without the light on?" Takeshi confirmed to Maiko in surprise. "That's right. The detective also said that if I turn on the light, I will definitely see the other party's face." Maiko looked at Takeshi and Tajima in turn with a smile on her face. "I came to Mr. Morikawa just for this matter. Go back to practice. Miyamoto and Sato looked at us murderously." When Tajima looked back, the two people looked at them with surprise. "I'm leaving." Maiko waved goodbye to them. Tajima and Takeshi took the paper bag and walked to Miyamoto and the others.Takeshi continued to go back to practice, Tajima told others that it was the snacks sent by Maiko. "Oh, come to find a boyfriend." Sato showed an annoying smile, Tajima pretended not to see it, and turned to look in Miyamoto's direction. "Leaving that aside, it's not good that Suda can't practice enough. Anyway, he's our team's ace pitcher." Tajima slightly strengthened his tone, and Miyamoto was speechless.But Sato on the side immediately said: "Don't worry, Suda has a secret practice." "Secret practice?" "Yes, I once saw him practice in the shrine. It snowed that night, and in the quiet shrine, only the sound of the ball being thrown into the glove was heard. It was very atmospheric." Sato said jokingly. ──So that’s how it is. Tajima looked at Takeshi and thought it was very likely that he would do this. "Besides," Sato said, raising his eyes, "who says he's an ace pitcher? We really hope you can work harder." Tajima ignored Sato's flattering expression and walked away slowly, he no longer wanted to refute them.With Kitaoka's death, the heyday of Kaiyang Baseball Club came to an end. When Tajima walked back, he found Takeshi had the second-year catcher crouching on the ground to catch the ball.He threw the ball with all his strength as if possessed by something, and the rookie catcher was powerless and fell to the ground several times. The testimony of Maiko Tezuka is very important, but the investigation work has not made much progress.The murderer was a man, coming from the direction of Showa Town.However, this information alone cannot further pinpoint the suspect.At present, we are continuing to investigate around the scene, but have not received any further information about the man Maiko saw. Ten days passed, and anxiety gradually appeared in the search of the headquarters.At present, all relevant persons have been investigated, but no valuable clues have been found. It is believed that the voice of thugs killing people randomly has begun to surface. However, several investigators, including Takama, objected to the mob's random killings.Akira Kitaoka is over 170 centimeters tall and an athlete. Even if he is attacked by surprise, he cannot be easily assassinated. "Seeing his physique, the thugs may not dare to provoke him casually." ──An investigator said so, and Takama also felt the same.He thought it was an acquaintance who attacked Kitaoka when he was unprepared. But the problem is motivation.So far, it has not been found that Kitaoka has any grudges with anyone, nor has anyone been found to benefit from his death. Who knew that Akira Kitaoka would go to Morikawa's house that night?This issue has also been discussed many times.Most likely Morikawa.Although he claimed to be ignorant, the possibility of lying is not completely non-existent, it's just that he was with Maiko Tezuka and had an alibi.Some people think that Morikawa and Maiko Tezuka may have conspired, but there is no basis for this statement at present.While other investigators discussed the possibilities, Takama offered no comment. If it wasn't Morikawa, it might be other members of the baseball club, but that's just imagination.Scouts couldn't imagine killing their teammates. ※※※ That evening, Takama finally decided to talk to Takeshi Suda again. This is his first visit to Suda's house.The narrow alleys near Suda's house were intricate, like a maze. There were many small houses along the way. He finally found the place after asking several people. Brother Suda’s house is in a narrow unpaved alley, and the distance between it and the neighbor’s house is very narrow. The houses are almost close to each other. There is a rough gutter in front of the entrance. will flood. Takama looked up at the door plate."Suda Takeshi" is written on the old wooden board.He remembered that Suda's family was a single-parent family, and Takeshi's name was written on the door plate. Their mother must have thought that it would cause unnecessary trouble for people to know that there was no father in the house from the door plate, so that's why they did it. Takama recalled the situation when he saw Yuki before.The boy once said that his family didn't have that much money, so they could treat baseball as a game. That's it--he looked at the crumbling wooden cabin and couldn't help muttering. "Is anyone home?" He yelled and opened the door, unexpectedly a person appeared in front of him immediately, Gao Jian was startled.Upon closer inspection, it was the boy I had seen before—Yuki Suda. Yuki was sitting at a low table doing his homework. "Yeah." Takama greeted him. Yuuki showed a nervous expression, but seemed to remember who Takama was right away, and smiled at him. "Hello." "Are you alone at home?" Takama looked into the room.The inner room with the paper sliding door open is only about one ping. "My mother has to work overtime... are you looking for my brother?" "Yes, I have something to ask him." "yes?" Yuuki put down the pencil, took out the cushion from the inside, and handed it to Takama.It may be that his mother told him that when there are guests at home, he should give the cushions to the guests. "Is there anything new after that? Did you talk about the murder?" Takama put the cushion by the door and sat down.Yuuki shook his head. "No, I seldom talk... Everyone is almost a little tired." "Well, maybe. What's the talk now?" "What topic..." Yuki tilted his neck. "By the way, everyone is talking about the Tokyo Olympic commemorative coins today. I heard that some people lined up to buy them." Takama also read in the newspaper that the commemorative coins that went on sale on April 17 were very popular, and people queued up in front of gold jewelry shops to buy them. "I see, this year is the year of the Tokyo Olympics." Today's high school life is colorful and colorful, and things that have nothing to do with me will soon be forgotten. Takama looked at an old English textbook on the low table in front of Yuuki, with dense English written on a piece of white paper.The blank piece of paper was an advertising flyer from a nearby store, and he used the back as practice paper. "You really work hard," Takama praised from the bottom of his heart. "How is your brother?" "How about what?" Yuuki was surprised, his eyeballs rolled around. "When it comes to pitcher Suda, everyone says he is a genius, but I think he should also work harder than others." "Of course," Yuki said emphatically, as if he didn't take this statement seriously. "Although my brother's talent is extraordinary, his hard work is even more amazing. It is impossible for others to practice like him. I don't know how to say... Anyway, he is very good." After finishing speaking, he realized that he had spoken too loudly, and his face blushed slightly.His behavior made Takama have a good impression of him. "After he comes home from school, he will also go to practice by himself?" "Yes," Yuki said, "he goes almost every day, practicing at the nearby Ishizaki Shrine." "Ishizaki Shrine..." Takama had heard the name from Kitaoka Riko before, and Kitaoka Akira also went there to practice.This means that they did practice together. Gao Ma was thinking, the entrance door suddenly opened, and a strange man appeared at the door.Gao Jian was taken aback, and the other party was also taken aback.After the two exchanged glances, the middle-aged man walked in. He was wearing mouse-gray overalls, with a rosy face, thinning hair that was pomaded and clinging to his scalp, a stomach that bulged like a watermelon was strange, and he smelled of alcohol. "Has Mrs. Suda come home yet?" The middle-aged man asked Yuki.It turned out to be Yuki's mother. “还没有，今天会很晚回家。” 高间发现勇树不悦地皱起了眉头。 “是吗？那我就等她回来。” 说完，他打量着高间，似乎在问他是甚么人。 “她还要很久才会回来。” 勇树说，但中年男子自顾自地准备脱鞋子。这时，高间开了口。 “要不要晚一点再来？您住在附近吧？” 男子已经脱了一只鞋子，瞪着高间问：“你是谁？” 高间只好拿出警察证，男子顿时脸色大变。 “是刑警吗……喔，是为了开阳学生被杀害的事吧？和须田家的孩子有甚么关系吗？” “不，我只是想问他一些情况。” “是吗？我叫山濑，在前面开铁工厂。他妈妈再三拜托，我便借了一些钱给她。但期限已经过了，她仍然没有还我，所以上门来收钱。” 高间不理会男子挤出难看的笑脸，转头看着勇树，勇树盯着矮桌。 “就是这么一回事。既然我已经来了，当然不能空着手回去罗。” 山濑脱下了另一只鞋子，打算从高间身边走进屋内。这时，玄关的门又打开了。 “你在这里干甚么？” 说话的声音很低沉，已经一脚踏进房间的山濑吓了一跳。 “你是上门来要钱的吧，不要随便进我家。” 武志抓着山濑的肩膀。看到山濑回头时害怕的表情，高间有点惊讶。 “我向你弟弟打过招呼了……” “你走吧。”武志静静地说，“只要一有钱就会还你，还会加上利息。这样你满意了吧？” “但我要知道甚么时候能还钱。” 山濑嘴上这么说，但已经开始穿鞋。 “不会让你等太久的，我们也不想再和你这种人打交道。” 高间以为山濑会反驳，没想到他只是撇着嘴，甚么都没说。然后用力打开门，摇晃着肥胖的身体离开了。 “他好像很怕你。” 高间说。很难想像那种人遇到高中生就退缩了。 “只要哥哥在，他就不敢耀武扬威了。” 勇树也说，但武志闷不吭气地走过高间身旁进了屋。由于他个子很高，头快撞到横梁了。他在勇树旁坐了下来，脱下棒球衣问：“老妈呢？”似乎根本不把刑警放在眼里。 “妈今天要加班。” “是喔。她不必那么辛苦，早点回来就好。” 武志走去厨房，喝了一杯水又走回房间，才终于在高间面前坐了下来。 "What can you do with me?" 高间说：“听说你每天晚上都会去练球。” 武志立刻转头看着弟弟，勇树缩着头。可能武志平时警告过他不要乱说话。 “听北冈的妈妈说，他也不时出门说要去练球，地点也在石崎神社。他是不是和你一起练球？” 武志缓缓点头，回答说：“没错。” “果然是这样。那天晚上他没有去神社，你事先知道吗？” "No, I do not know." “不知道？所以他放你鸽子吗？” “不，北冈并不是每天都来。原本是我一个人在那里练习，北冈知道后，只要他有空，就会来陪我练球，所以，那天晚上我只觉得他又没来而已。” It turned out to be like this.高间不禁有点失望。他原本以为北冈会告诉武志那天没有去练球的理由。 “目前侦办的情况怎么样？” 或许是因为高间不说话，武志主动问他。还真难得，高间心想。 “很伤脑筋啊。”他据实以告。 “听说手塚老师看到了凶手。” 高间惊讶地看着他的脸。 "how do you know?" “今天听老师说的。” "Yes……" “而且，之前也听到了传闻，包括她和领队的关系。” "..." 虽然高间没有把他们两个人的关系说出去，但可能有侦查员透露给报社记者了。高间心情有点郁闷。 “手塚老师说，她没有看到凶手的脸。” “对，好像是因为光线太暗了，所以没看到。她没有打开脚踏车的灯。” “所以没有参考价值吗？” “嗯，不如预期。” "Really sorry." “我也有同感。”高间皱着眉头。 他道谢后离开了须田家，慢慢回想着来时的路径往回走。太阳已经下山，路更加不好找。最后花了比来时多一倍的时间，才终于回到大马路上。 正当他松了一口气时，后方传来有节奏的脚步声，回头一看，武志穿着运动服跑了过来。现在似乎是他训练的时间。 “你真拚啊。” 武志经过身旁时，高间对他说道。武志轻轻举起右手回应了他。 ──真了不起。 高间忍不住自言自语道。武志的身影在他的视野中越来越小，随即消失在黑暗中。 东西电机的炸弹案发生已经多日，连负责的侦查员都几乎快忘了这个案子。因为他们原本就不认为这是一起大案子，既没有造成危害，歹徒也不打算引爆。即使顺利抓到了歹徒，最后也很可能以恶质的恶作剧结案。这一个月间发生了多起重大刑案，人手原本就不足，根本无暇理会这种恶作剧。 但警方并没有完全放弃，一开始就已经查出了炸药的来源。 炸弹所使用的炸药，是两年前从本地国立大学偷来的。那所大学有工业化学系，歹徒从该系的火药库中偷走炸药。校方报了案，幸好之后那些炸药并没有用于犯罪。 虽然目前有部份侦查员正在调查东西电机是否遭人怨恨，但并没有积极地进行。 然而，眼前发生了令他们紧张不已的状况。 东西电机董事长中条健一的家中收到了恐吓信。所有侦查员立刻聚集在岛津署的会议室内，每个人都拿到了一份恐吓信影本。县警总部搜查一课的上原也在其中。 信上的字体四四方方，简直就像用尺画出来的。内容如下。 “一个月前，曾经有人造访了贵公司，之后，因为我方准备工作延误，所以迟迟未联络，对此深表歉意。 不说废话，直接进入主题。 除了上次奉送的以外，我们手上还有几颗炸药，一旦使用就可以轻而易举地把贵公司的一、两家工厂夷为平地。相信藉由上次的例子已经知道，要在贵公司放置炸弹易如反掌，但是，我们并不希望大肆杀戮。 不如来做一笔交易，希望您立刻准备一千万圆现金，只要我们拿到钱，就会中止爆炸计划。 交易将在四月二十三日进行。请您带着钱，在下午四点半在岛津车站前一家名叫'怀特'的咖啡店等候。钱请放在黑色手提包内，并在手提包的把手绑上白色手帕。交易时，必须由中条健一先生只身前往，我们认识您，所以不得找人代替。 一旦发现有警方介入，将立刻中止交易。 为了证明上次的炸弹是我们所送的礼物，特地附上当时制作的定时装置构造和尺寸，这是报章杂志上并未公布的细节。 期待结果令人满意。 致中条健一先生 约定者” 根据总部部长的说明，这封恐吓信在今天早上送到中条的家中。纪美子夫人打开信后，大惊失色地打电话到公司，联络了中条董事长。董事长毫不犹豫地报了警。信封上的邮戳是岛津邮局，和东西电机只有咫尺之距。 侦查员对于这封恐吓信发表了不同的意见。首先讨论了这封信是否真的出自放置炸弹的歹徒之手？大家一致同意这一点应该没有问题，因为信中详细说明了定时装置，其中包括了只有歹徒才会了解的细节。 “他们手上真的还有其他炸弹吗？” 辖区的刑警问。“根据我们的调查，那所大学被偷的炸药只有上次那些，我认为歹徒只是在恐吓。” “我认为有这个可能，但不能大意，歹徒可能在好几个地方偷了炸药。” 总部部长谨慎地表达了自己的看法。 “歹徒会不会是甚么革命组织？” someone asked. “不，如果是革命组织，会有更确实的管道购买武器，而且也不可能只要求金钱。” 上原回答，有几个人同意他的看法。 “对，革命组织一定会提到资本主义如何如何。”一名中年资深刑警说。 歹徒指定的日期就是明天，大家都同意姑且按歹徒的要求行动。虽然目前不了解对方是一个人还是多人，总之只要有人出面拿钱，就可以顺利缉捕归案，反正歹徒手上并没有人质。 接着，部长安排了人员的配置。除了派人在岛津车站附近和咖啡店监视，还安排了数辆跟监用的车辆。歹徒不可能在咖啡店交易，一定会要求转往其他地方。 几名侦查员今晚就进驻中条家，上原也在其中。 ※※※ 中条健一风度翩翩，不难想像他年轻时的英俊帅气，举手投足和言谈之间，都可以感受到他的器宇轩昂，看到侦查员进驻家中，并没有露出不悦之色。 “中条先生，歹徒可能和您有甚么私仇，您有没有想到可能的对象？” 上原的上司桑名直截了当地问。当时上原也在一旁，和中条面对面坐在客厅。 “不太清楚，我想应该不会有这种事。” 中条不安地偏着头，也许这个世界上很少有人知道谁痛恨自己。 “看到'约定者'这个名字，您有没有想起甚么？” “没有，不知道歹徒写这些话是甚么意思……” 桑名也沉默不语，他似乎想不到还可以问甚么。 上原来这里的途中，调查了中条健一的简单经历。他原本是东西电机母公司东西产业的员工，在战争期间负责军方业务。战后不久，成立东西电机后，他也调到新公司工作，在第一任董事长渡部的手下担任顾问时大显身手。中条的夫人纪美子是渡部的独生女。 有侦查员认为，中条一路平步青云、步步高升，很可能招来嫉妒。警方将视明天的案情发展，决定是否要调查这方面的情况。 纪美子端着咖啡现身。她穿了一身素雅的和服，长相也很普通，难以想像她是董事长千金。上原觉得她应该是默默在丈夫背后奉献的贤淑妻子。 “请问您们有没有孩子？” 看到纪美子出现后，桑名改变了话题。中条脸上的表情柔和下来，摇了摇头。 “很遗憾，我们没有一男半女。一方面也是因为我们太晚结婚了。” “不好意思，请问您是几岁结婚的？” “差不多快四十才结婚，因为之前在打仗。” 中条开始抽烟，纪美子向众人欠身后走出房间，可以隐约感受到他们夫妻不愿意谈及这个话题。桑名也敏感地察觉到了，便没有继续追问。 原本以为歹徒可能会打电话来，但直到翌日下午，都没有接到任何电话。约定的时间一分一秒逼近，中条不得不准备出发了。 一名侦查员担任中条的司机，上原和其他人的车子紧跟在后。有多名侦查员已经在歹徒指定的地点监视。 中条的车子在四点二十分到达了岛津车站。车子停在路上，只有中条下了车。上原在隔了一个路口的地方停车观察情况。坐在副驾驶座上的桑名拿出了望远镜。 中条穿着做工考究的三件式灰色西装，和附近一整排廉价商店格格不入。东西电机就在附近，那里的员工应该做梦都想不到，他们的董事长会出现在这种地方。 中条四处张望了一下，拎着皮包缓缓迈开步伐。上原发现到处都有侦查员的身影，但在外人眼中只是很平凡的站前景象。 名叫“怀特”的咖啡店很俗气，和大众食堂相差无几，中条推开玻璃门走了进去。 “可以看到里面的情况吗？” 上原问拿着望远镜观察的桑名。 “不，完全看不到。”桑名回答。 十分钟后，中条走出咖啡店，手上仍然拿着皮包，但神情有点紧张。 中条左顾右盼，却没有走向自己的车子，而是去了计程车招呼站，坐上了等在那里的计程车。上原发动了引擎。 “歹徒应该已经和他联络过了。”上原说。 “嗯，想必打电话到店里了。” 计程车穿越商店街向南行驶，上原他们也紧跟在后。 行驶了二十分钟左右，车子来到昭和车站前，中条正在付钱。他手上仍然拿着皮包，等一下应该会有侦查员去向计程车司机了解情况。 中条小心翼翼地抱着皮包，沿着圆环缓缓向前走，不一会儿，他在一家香烟店停下脚步。店门口有公用电话。 “该不会……？” 上原的话音未落，香烟店的老板就接起了红色电话，然后问了中条甚么。歹徒打电话来了。 中条接过电话，不知道说了甚么。上原观察四周，因为歹徒一定在附近观察中条的一举一动。 这次通话出乎意料地长，中条用手掩着听筒说话，可能怕被香烟店的老板听到吧。 结束通话后，中条抱着皮包再度迈开步伐，在公车站停了下来，把皮包放在长椅上。长椅上坐了一位老妇人。 “究竟做何打算？”桑名倾身向前说道。 “啊，中条先生！” 上原叫了起来。因为中条放下皮包后，快步走进了身后的书店。 “歹徒打算拿了皮包逃走吗？” 桑名用望远镜凝视着皮包，上原也目不转睛。有侦查员不知道从哪里走了出来，在皮包附近徘徊，一旦歹徒出现，随时准备上前抓人。 然而，等了好几分钟，皮包仍然留在原地。等公车的乘客中，有人发现了皮包，但没有人拿起来察看。 伪装成路人的侦查员走进书店，想要确认歹徒的指示。中条先生应该还在书店里。 “歹徒是不是放弃了？”桑名嘟囔这句话时，走进书店的侦查员脸色大变地冲了出来，直接跑向他们。 “糟了！”侦查员说道：“中条先生不见了，他好像从后门离开了。” ※※※ 整起事件令人摸不着头绪。装了一千万圆的皮包留在原地，中条却被歹徒带走了。分析整起事件的经过，显然歹徒原先的目的就是为了绑架人质。 桑名和上原等人在中条家待命，大家都几近沉默，满脸疲惫。 “中条太太呢？”其中一人问道。 “在二楼，可能不想看到我们。”另一名侦查员回答。 “我能理解她的心情，我也觉得很窝囊。不过，到底是为甚么……” 歹徒为甚么要这样做？他把这个反覆问了多次的问题吞了下去。 There are two possibilities.第一，歹徒之后才真正开始恐吓。也就是以中条为人质，要求更高额的赎款。 另一个可能，就是歹徒对中条怀恨在心，所以采取这种方式掳人。这些侦查员心里都很清楚，如果是这种情况，中条可能凶多吉少。 上原瞪着客厅的电话。他们在等待歹徒来电。如果歹徒打电话来要求赎款，代表还有希望，中条仍然活着的可能性相当大。 两个小时过去了，对侦查员来说，漫长的等待让他们胃都痛了。 没想到── 八点左右，玄关有了动静。二楼传来纪美子下楼的脚步声。侦查员正竖耳细听玄关的动静时，却传来纪美子的惊叫声。 “老公，到底怎么回事？” 桑名和其他在客厅内的刑警全都冲到了走廊，看到站在玄关的男人，大伙都傻了眼。 中条一脸疲惫地站在门口。 ※※※ 整理中条健一的谈话内容后，情况大致如下。 中条在怀特咖啡店等待时，店里的电话在四点半准时响起。他接过电话，传来一个男人模糊的声音，叫他立刻搭计程车前往昭和车站。车站前有一家香烟店，让他等在香烟店的公用电话前，五点整会电话联络。 五点整，公用电话响起。香烟店的老板问他是不是中条先生？他回答“是”后，老板把电话交给他。 电话里头是同一个男人的声音。把皮包放在旁边公车站的长桥上，你走进书店。书店有后门，从后门离开──这就是电话中的指示。 他按照指示走出书店，来到一条人烟稀少的小巷。 “一走到巷子，身后就有甚么东西顶着我。我不知道是刀子还是枪，对方是一个中年胖男人。我依他的指示继续往前走，发现马路旁停了一辆车子。那辆黑色的车子好像是王子汽车的'Gloria'。一坐上车，那个男人就用布盖住了我的嘴巴。我还来不及叫出声音，就失去了意识。我想布上应该有氯仿。” 当他醒来时，发现自己倒在光线昏暗的地方，四周有很多空纸箱。他以为自己遭人监禁，没想到出口的门没有上锁。走到外面一看，更加惊愕不已。因为那里是距离中条家不到五百公尺的废弃大楼。于是，他就满脸惊讶地回到家里。 侦查员听他说完后，立刻赶到那栋大楼，发现那栋建造在荒地上的房子摇摇欲坠，随时都会倒塌。 “建造这栋大楼的公司在大楼还没完工时就倒闭了，里面连楼梯也没有，没想到歹徒会带你去那种地方。” 中条听了侦查员的说明，不禁叹了一口气。 侦查员彻底调查了大楼内的情况，并没有人躲藏在里面的迹象。 警方无法猜透歹徒到底有甚么目的。虽然用十分巧妙的方法绑架了中条，却甚么都没做就放了人，完全搞不清楚歹徒在想甚么。 “歹徒对东西电机有深仇大恨。”桑名仰头看着废