Chapter 19 fourth quarter

"...What do you think of this book?" I closed the book with a "click" and asked the barista who brought me coffee. She smiled very politely: "Unfortunately, I can't say how good the writing is." "I feel the same way. Does this person really understand coffee enough to write such a work?" I tapped my fingertips on the pseudonym printed on the cover - Kajii Fumie. "I have also noticed that in order to prevent the coffee beans from oxidizing, the openings on the coffee bean bags are very small. My question is that a tool with such a small opening can kill people with a single stab power?"

"However, I think that if it is stabbed in a vital part, it cannot be said that there is no such possibility at all." "The book emphasized that Leila loves coffee very much, but she asked the boss to grind the beans well. How can this be explained? Everyone knows that the coffee beans are freshly ground, and the brewed coffee will taste better. Besides, if you can immediately It’s fine if you store it in the refrigerator or freeze it, but she’s going to carry the coffee on a date in the hot summer, so how can this affect the aroma of the coffee?” The barista agreed with this point and went on to point out the problems he found.

"Assuming that there is a wooden barrel as big as a gasoline barrel, it is impossible to cover the corpses inside with roasted coffee beans. And it is impossible to roast so many coffee beans at one time and put them away." "Maybe he just put fried beans on the visible surface, and there could be green beans stuffed under there, or something." "This explanation is barely plausible. The boss welcomed Leila into the store. How can I explain this? A man just killed someone, even though he hid it, but the corpse is beside him. This kind of Under such circumstances, just find a reason to dismiss the guests, this is the psychology that a normal person should have."

This is profound.The several problems I pointed out are based on the knowledge related to coffee; while Meixing criticized the logic and rationality of this book as a mystery novel. Drinking the coffee that Meixing made for me, I developed a sympathy for writers. "What happened to Fumie Kajii after the plagiarism scandal?" “The specifics are not clear,” she began with this: "Being labeled as a plagiarized writer became his fatal injury, and he seemed to have retired from the ranks of first-line writers. He had been on the uphill before this work happened, but he was ridiculed by the media later For 'Layla's Zero'."

I have nothing to say.The barista Meixing saw that the conversation was over, so she turned around and continued to tidy up the bar. I didn't want to keep the silence for too long, so I raised my chin and couldn't find anything to say. "Do you also use that thing when you are in business?" The barista waved his hand with the Turkish coffee pot just now, and said with a smile: "Did you mean ジャズベ? No, it's just because Misora ​​wants to look at it anyway, so I put it here. However, it seems that there is nothing wrong with it. Well kept, rusted in many places."

"Oh, then there is no way to use it." "Actually, this jazube, I want to throw it away." "—Hey, throwing away the jazz bass?!" The sound came from an unexpected direction, and I turned my head in surprise. The reporter seemed to have finally got relief from the uncle's chattering bragging. He was about to put away his notepad, but he stopped suddenly when he heard Mei Xing's words.The eyes hidden behind the dark glasses were wide open. "Well, this thing is not worth tens of thousands of yen..." The reporter said to the American Star barista who looked very embarrassed:

"Really, but it's really a pity. I guess it can still be used, and it's going to be thrown away anyway. Why don't you leave it to me, but it's not appropriate to take it for nothing after all." As soon as he finished speaking, I actually had a feeling: the negotiation between him and Mei Xing would not end here.Because Meixing’s voice and expression changed—she spoke the following lines as if she had some calculations in her mind: "Please take it away, I don't need this Jazube anymore." The barista raised her hands to her chest, and the reporter happily said:

"Really, you are so generous. Then I will accept it bluntly." At this moment, I felt a little unbelievable. I saw the reporter walking into the store, picked up the jazz bass he just bought from the piano stand, and was about to leave. At this moment, Uncle Sagawa and I could no longer keep silent.However, Mei Xing signaled with her eyes and stopped us, as if saying: Don't say anything, leave this to me. The reporter hugged Qin, picked up his bag, and walked to the cashier.Mei Xing chased after them, and the two of them faced each other, with a short cash register in between.

Since Mei Xing has her own plan, staring at them may hinder her plan.So, I opened the book in hand and flipped through it.It turned out that there seemed to be something stuck on the last page. what is this? —I turned my back to the cash register and took out the paper and opened it.A page from an old newspaper. I was relieved to see the large report published in the middle.This is an interview in which Fumie Kajii refuted allegations of plagiarism.The date above is 22 years ago, matching the year the book was published. I gently folded Fumie Kajii's report inside, and secretly put it in my pocket.The back of the newspaper seemed to be news from the region. There were a few short news reports on a fire that killed an elderly couple due to a failure of an oil heater, and a man who died while trying to save his two-year-old daughter from drowning.

While I was concentrating on the paper, it seemed like the reporter had already closed their books.While giving him money, Mei Xing asked in a tone that suddenly reminded him: "You need an invoice, right? How do you write it on the title?" "Ah, just write 'フカミ', the 'deep water' of 'deep water'." Shouldn't it be Obuchi?But the reporter should also use a pseudonym.I think of the country that grows coffee beans floating in the Caribbean Sea in Central America—the name of Honduras comes from a word that means "deep".I feel as if I have seen boring introductions such as "as the name of the country indicates, the taste of coffee is also as strong..." and so on.

Mei Xing wrote the invoice in slow motion and handed it to the reporter.I thought she had to say something, but she didn't seem to have that kind of intention. She just lowered her head and said "thank you" with a stiff smile on her face.The reporter who received these words walked towards the entrance gate. If this continues, he will really leave.Just when the impatient Uncle Mochuan was about to stand up and stop the reporter, "—wait a minute!" Maybe the Star Barista is joking, just saw this line in the novel - by the way, since last month, I have witnessed her call stop three times and almost got out of Talley The scene where Lan leaves the person is gone. The reporter was startled by the voice, stood in front of the door and turned around: "What's wrong?" I have experienced the same scene three times, and I am somewhat tired of it.It's just that what the barista of Beauty Stars said next had the greatest impact on me among the three times. "What's your relationship with Misora, writer Fumie Kajii?"