Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

One day after the editor-in-chief Takeda came to apologize for canceling the serialization, Ise was startled by his wife's voice early in the morning. "Honey, Mr. Takeda is dead!" Hearing "Mr. Takeda", Ise couldn't remember who it was for a while.Among the people I know, there are five named Takeda. "Which Takeda?" "The editor-in-chief of "Straw Pillow" magazine. Didn't you just meet him the day before yesterday?" The wife said, holding the morning newspaper with one hand. Ise was taken aback, and hastily turned his attention to the society page of the newspaper in his wife's hand.A line of headlines caught my eye: "The editor-in-chief of the magazine drowned".

"This is about that Takeda?" "Yes. Read it quickly." Ise skimmed through it in a hurry, and then read it carefully from the beginning. At around 1:00 p.m. on December 10, a drowned male body was found and salvaged by nearby residents in a shallow beach about two kilometers north of Toda Town, Shizuoka Prefecture.During the autopsy at the local police station, a business card was found in the pocket of the suit, indicating that the deceased was Takeda Kensaku, editor-in-chief of Tenjisha's "Grass Pillow" magazine.After checking with the agency, the deceased was indeed absent from work without reason since the morning of the 10th.The scene where the body was found was under a cliff. It is still unclear whether Takeda drowned here or was brought by the current after dying elsewhere.An autopsy found that Takeda drank a large amount of water and apparently drowned, but whether the cause of death was an accident or murder is still under investigation.The police are currently collecting evidence from relevant personnel.

The editorial department of "Grass Pillow" reported that the editor-in-chief Takeda stayed at the publishing house until 7:00 pm on the 9th.I thought he would go home after get off work, but the next morning, Takeda's wife called the editorial department, saying that Takeda hadn't returned all night.The editorial office is currently working hard to find clues.It is said that the deceased had already shown signs of fatigue a month ago. Ise finished reading and couldn't help mumbling. "Didn't Mr. Takeda come to our house on the 9th? He came to inform you about the cancellation of the serialization." The wife said.

"yes." "He stayed at the publishing house until around seven o'clock that day. So, we were the last to see him. Of course, it was the first time I met him that day." Ise put down the morning paper, feeling lost.Why did Takeda's drowned body appear in that place?Now it is the twelfth lunar month, and the cliffs stand facing the sea, and the cold wind of Suruga Bay blows towards the coast.The report said it could not be determined whether the cause of death was suicide, murder or accident.Judging from the place of death, it is indeed quite suspicious, and it is by no means an ordinary way of death.

"Husband, what are you going to do? Go to Tiandi Society to express your condolences?" "What nonsense! I have already severed ties with Tiandishe. There is no need for this." Ise immediately denied it.If you want to know about Takeda's death, you have to ask someone in the editorial department.But judging from the report, the editorial department is in a state of chaos, and Ise decided to wait until the situation subsides for a while before leaving. "People from Tenjisha said that Mr. Takeda was very tired, but he didn't notice it at all when he came to our house. If it was suicide and we couldn't find a specific reason, could it be directly attributed to neurasthenia?" asked the wife.

"Well. Because it can avoid a lot of trouble. In past suicide reports, the reason was often stated as world-weary..." Ise said. Wait, maybe Takeda's nervous breakdown is real.It was logically logical that he would go to places like Nishi-izu to relax because of mental exhaustion.But Ise's strong intuition told him that there must be a connection between Hamaka's erratic whereabouts and Takeda's neurasthenia. From what Takeda said during his visit the day before yesterday, Ise didn't see anything unusual.Takeda said that while Hamaka was traveling at his own expense, an editorial meeting decided to cancel Ise's serialization.As his wife said, his complexion was normal.Although he showed no mental problems sufficient to lead to suicide, his words were always vague and ambiguous.Ise couldn't help but suspect that he was really suffering from a neurasthenia, and that it had something to do with Hamaka's departure.

If he committed suicide, why did Takeda choose to go to Izu?You can die elsewhere.But this is just an outsider's opinion. For him, that place may have a special meaning. What if it was murder? Ise noticed that the place where the body was found was in Shizuoka Prefecture, so he took out the map from the bookshelf, and the figure of Mimako Sakaguchi appeared in his mind.Although Ohito, where Mimako lived, and Toda, where Takeda's body was buried, belong to the same prefecture, it is hard to imagine any necessary connection between the two places, and it is probably just a coincidence.

Ise opened the map of Shizuoka Prefecture, and couldn't help letting out a groan from the depths of his throat.According to reports, the body was found in a shallow beach two kilometers north of Toda on the west coast of Izu, and further north is Cape Ose.The 35th parallel north latitude just passes through the middle of Toda and Cape Ose.This line extends eastward to Daren. It's the 35th parallel north latitude again!Ise couldn't help being cold all over. "Editor Takeda didn't die by accident or suicide, but murder!" he yelled at his wife. "Murder? Was Mr. Takeda killed?" His wife's eyes widened and she confirmed repeatedly.She stubbornly asked Ise why she made this judgment.Ise never told his wife where he went to collect wind, or the coincidence of the 35th parallel north latitude and the 135th longitude east longitude, but until now, Ise felt that it was better to be frank, so he told everything about it.

"Hmm." His wife's face changed drastically, and she looked at the map Ise showed in horror. "For a drowned body, it is difficult for the police to determine whether the cause of death is an accident, suicide, or murder," Ise said aloud, "because in either case, there will be a phenomenon of drinking a lot of water. For example, throwing the person into the water from a boat , or pushing the opponent off a seaside cliff, the result is drowning. If there was a fight before death, it is a different matter. However, during the fall from the cliff, you will encounter protruding rocks, and falling on the rocks will also cause trauma. These injuries It's hard to tell the difference from fighting injuries."

"Then who killed Mr. Takeda?" asked the wife impatiently. "This..." Ise hesitated.He thought of Kenichi Ninomiya, the man who killed Mimako Sakaguchi was probably the same man.The currently missing truck drivers Ninomiya and Fujimura Susumu are capable of moving the corpse, or perhaps Takeda was "transported" from Tokyo to Nishi-Izu by the two while he was alive.But these speculations cannot be casually mentioned in front of his wife. "How is Mr. Bangzhong?" the wife asked. "Bangzhong?" "Didn't Mr. Hamaka send a postcard from Abashiri? Haven't you returned to Tokyo yet?"

"It seems that I haven't come back yet. I haven't been in touch yet." "Is nothing wrong with Mr. Bangzhong?" "He's in Hokkaido, so he should be safe," Ise said.Although he doesn't believe that Lian Bangzhong will be murdered, but he has a vague feeling that everyone involved in the incident may encounter accidents. "Are you going to have an accident?" The wife's worry was serious, not like a joke. "Me? I should be fine." "I don't want you to have an accident. You were deceived by Mr. Hamaka's rhetoric, and you ran around along the 35th parallel north latitude and the 135th longitude east longitude line. Maybe you will also be implicated." "You're scaring me." Ise said so, but her heart was not at ease.Why is everything entangled with those two longitude and latitude threads?The editor-in-chief of Takeda did not give a clear answer to the question of whose idea it was to ask Ise for a draft for "Grass Pillow", but only said that it was a decision made by the editorial department after collegiality, which means that the proposer may be Hamaka or Takeda . However, Takeda's evasive words may just prove that he is the real proposer.Only Takeda can link the latitude and longitude lines with the legendary journey so carefully, and facilitate Ise's trip.The person who was sheltered by Bangzhong was the editor-in-chief of Takeda. So a question naturally arises: why is he so obsessed with the 35th parallel north and the 135th longitude east? Could it be that the person who thought of this idea would be someone who has a great interest in longitude and latitude?For example, a practitioner of a special profession?So what career will it be?Astronomers come to mind first, then geographers. However, there is no sign of scholars participating in these cases. At most, it only involves knowledge related to folklore, and it only plays a role in adding to the fun.The next occupations that come to mind are those related to meteorology, and then those related to navigation. navigation?Ise thought of the ship. The words "Second Hailong Pill" flashed in his mind. Why didn't I think of this until now? Plenty of evidence has already emerged.Not only the "Second Kairyu Maru", but also the "Sea Dragon" plaque hanging from the Matsuo Shrine in Kyoto. In terms of professional habits, the crew is most concerned about the latitude and longitude.Whether it is a small fishing boat or a ship going overseas, it pays great attention to determining its own position, so the crew is extremely sensitive to latitude and longitude. Ise believes that the proponents of the "Journey to explore the legends of remote places" may have been engaged in fishing. However, whether it is the president of Goatee, the editor-in-chief of Takeda, or Hamaka, none of them have anything to do with fishing.Narabayashi's main business is to invest in stocks, and he does some other businesses as well. Running magazines is just a hobby and has nothing to do with fishing.The same is true for Takeda editor-in-chief.It is said that he entered the publishing industry right after graduation, worked in two or three publishing houses, and was finally hired by Tiandishe.Not to mention Bangzhong. However, aside from Hamaka, Narabayashi's business, even if it is not directly related to the fishery, may have some indirect involvement.As for Takeda's situation, Ise is only hearsay, and the details need to be further verified. Ise decided to go to Tiandishe immediately.He was eager to know the real cause of the death of Editor-in-Chief Takeda. Ise is ready.Although he had told his wife that he had nothing to do with the publishing house, he had changed his mind now.It was a legitimate reason to go there to mourn. After all, Ise was under the care of the editor-in-chief Takeda at work; and not long before the editor passed away, he personally came to Ise's home to inform him about the cancellation of the serialization. Ise took the train to Tenjisha.There are only two or three people in the sales department on the first floor, and it doesn't look busy. A little further inside is the editorial department.The second floor is the president's room and meeting room.The building where Tiandishe is located is small and old, and it is difficult to find it if you don't pay attention. "I'm Tadataka Ise. Is there someone from the editorial department of Straw Pillow?" "Who's in the editorial department?" an unattractive clerk asked dryly. "Anyone is fine. It would be best if Hamanaka is here." "Mr. Hamanaka hasn't come back yet..." After the clerk relayed Ise's words to the editorial department, a young man in his mid-twenties with an innocent face appeared and said.Although Ise wrote several issues of the magazine, the man showed no respect. "I saw the news of the death of Editor-in-Chief Takeda in the newspaper." Ise mourned, but the man's expression didn't change, he just nodded slightly. "Is the director of the editorial department here?" "Everyone is out." "Is it about Takeda?" "No, it seems to be something else. I don't know too well. Anyway, I'm the only one left." "Hmm." Ise was disappointed, "Takeda seems to have passed away on the west coast of Izu, do you know why he went to that place?" "have no idea." "The papers say he's been looking tired lately. Is that true?" "I don't know." This guy doesn't know anything.His editor-in-chief passed away, but he looked completely out of it.Still, young editors of late can be so impersonal. "Has Bangzhong contacted you?" I thought this question would not be answered, but the man muttered blankly: "It seems that I sent a postcard from Shiogama." "I also received a postcard from him from Shiogama, and another from Abashiri. Where did he go after that?" "I don't know." Ise left Tenjisha angrily.This is the virtue of a publishing house opened by a stockholder based on his hobby, and even the employees are so amateurish.In contrast, Hamaka is really an excellent editor.Maybe it was he who provoked the entire editorial department by himself. Ise walked and thought, and suddenly, the word "Shiogama" that the unreliable editor just said jumped into his mind—isn't Shiogama a fishing port?Shiogama Shrine enshrines the god of fishing. Only then did Ise realize that Hamaka had already guessed that there was a relationship between latitude and longitude and fishery.That man is just so perceptive.Perhaps he went to Shiogama to conduct related investigations. What about Abashiri?It's not a fishing port there.My wife said that the most famous thing in that land is the prison. Ise thinks of "prison" and "fishing port" separately.As he walked, he suddenly realized that a prison is a place to house criminals and isolate them from society.Prisoners are far away from home and are only "detained" in prison for the duration of their sentence. From this, Ise thought of Yuyi and the legend of Urashima.Hamanaka sent a postcard from Shiogama, asking him to start reading from page 121 of the second volume of "Studies on Japanese Folklore".From this, Ise learned that Urashima and the legend of Yuyi have the same root and origin, and they are connected on the theme of "detention".Urashima Taro stayed in the Dragon Palace for three years; the fairy lost her feathers and could not return to heaven, so she stayed with the fisherman.All in all, they all fit the so-called "retention theory" in the book. Ise heard his heart beating wildly.That guy in Bangzhong actually investigated so deeply! Ise thought of a friend who was related to the prison.He is an alumnus of the same grade when he was in college, and now he has made a fortune.As long as a civil servant reaches his current age step by step, he can occupy a high position. "Is there a way to find out whether there are any prisoners engaged in fishing in Abashiri Prison?" Ise asked the friend on the phone. "You have to find out. Why do you ask this suddenly?" The other party asked with a smile, his voice revealing that he was quite stable with his status. Ise is still an unknown novelist now, and it is inevitable that he will pale in comparison to his friends: "I have some things that I am eager to investigate, can I ask you to inquire?" "Prisoners' information is forbidden to be leaked. However, since you have spoken, I am not incapable of accommodating you. Prisoners who were imprisoned roughly when?" "Sorry, I don't know about this." "Didn't you just go to jail?" "No. I think it was a long time ago." "That's troublesome. There are many prisoners related to the fishing industry." "Can we screen them one by one? First, exclude those related to small fishing boats, as well as ordinary fishermen who are imprisoned simply because of fighting or gambling. Those related to ships and cargo ships can also be excluded." "In this way, is it to be selected among the fishing boats traveling overseas?" "Not bad. After narrowing the scope, it will save a lot of work, right?" "It won't save much. You don't want me to read all the records since the establishment of Abashiri Prison?" "Almost. I hope to investigate from the beginning of the Showa era." "So early?" My friend yelled on the phone.

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