Chapter 6 Chapter Six

We visited Fukuyama City University together with Mr. Kuroda, and led by Mr. Suzuki, a staff member of the Human Resources Department, to the teaching assistant's office. "Ms. Fujii's mother just got in touch with us, saying that Mr. Fujii did not go back last night." Suzuki said. "Does that teacher live with his parents?" Kuroda asked. "Yes, it is said that the family lives together in the same house for two generations." Suzuki replied. "Since there are two generations living in the same house, why do you know Mr. Fujii is not home?" Mitarai asked.

"Because they have a family habit of getting together for breakfast." "Oh, that's it. Is Fujii-sensei single?" Kuroda accepted that explanation. "Yes. His mother called us and wanted to ask if the university knew anything. His mother said that Mr. Fujii had never stayed out at night without saying hello before. I have classes, but I don’t come to work.” "Didn't you say hello beforehand?" Mitarai asked. "Yes. We didn't get any contact, so we guessed that something happened. After discussing with other teachers in the teaching assistant's office, we decided to notify the police. If the situation is special, we may also file an investigation request."

"Do all the teachers in the teaching assistant's office agree with this approach?" Mitarai asked. "Well, basically agree." Suzuki replied with doubts. "How many teachers are there in the teaching assistant's office?" "Four." Suzuki said. "Is there anyone who hasn't spoken?" Mitarai asked another strange question. "Ah? Yes, but the teacher didn't object. This is the teaching assistant's office where Mr. Fujii works." Looking in the direction of Suzuki's finger, I saw a sign with "Teaching Assistant's Office" hanging on the door.Suzuki knocked on the door, and there was a response from inside.

"excuse me." Suzuki said hello, opened the door, and ushered in. There are four desks in the office, and three teaching assistants are sitting in their own seats.Using the elimination method, it can be judged that the remaining table belongs to Mr. Fujii. When the four of us walked in, two teachers stood up.The man and woman nodded slightly at us, and then walked out of the office. "Are you going to class?" Mitarai asked. "Yes." The two said in unison. At this point, the other woman also stood up, nodded to us, and walked out of the office. "Takizawa-sensei, are you going to class too?"

As soon as Mitarai finished speaking, the woman stopped and looked at Mitarai.Then she immediately lowered her eyes and said, "No." "Then Takizawa-sensei, would you please stay here? I have something to ask you." Mitarai said without refusal. "Do you know Takizawa-sensei?" Suzuki asked Mitarai. "Saw it on TV. At that time she introduced the new discovery about Masahiro Abe." After Mitaraiji finished speaking, I also remembered.From what he said, I really think this woman looks familiar.But the reality is completely different from what you see on TV.

"Oh." Suzuki nodded. "Then, just leave it to us." Kuroda said. "Ah, okay, then I will take my leave first." Suzuki nodded towards us, turned around and was about to go back.Kuroda turned to his back and said, "Mr. Suzuki, we also want to check Mr. Fujii's desk drawer." "Ah, yes..." Suzuki hesitated for a moment, but agreed.Then he bowed to us and left the office. Kuroda opened the drawer of Fujii-sensei's desk and checked it unceremoniously.Mitarai stood by and watched.Takizawa-sensei, who was standing beside him, sat back on his chair in a slightly unhappy manner.

Kuroda didn't notice her emotions at all, and said without hesitation: "But, I'm not a child anymore. It's not strange for such a big person not to go home all night... When I was a student , I often went to girls’ homes, and didn’t come home for several nights…” "Takizawa-sensei, what do you think about this?" Mitarai turned her head away and asked Assistant Teacher Takizawa. "Ah?" Assistant Professor Takizawa turned his head, showing a surprised and puzzled expression, as if he never expected to be asked such a question. "I mean, the possibility that Fujii-sensei ran to a woman's house for a few days without saying hello to anyone."

Mitarai explained in too much detail, causing the female assistant in front of her to bow her head and say nothing. "Choose silence again?" Mitaraiji's tone became more and more sharp.I couldn't help being a little surprised, and considered whether to interrupt him.The teaching assistant still bowed his head in silence. "This is not the time to be dumb, Takizawa-sensei. You know very well that Fujii-sensei wouldn't do that kind of thing. Am I right?" "Hey, Mitarai, what do you mean by that?" I couldn't stand it anymore, so I interrupted. Mitarai's attitude is completely bullying the young female teacher.

"You look worried? Just talking about this kind of thing will make you feel comfortable, and it will help us find Mr. Fujii as soon as possible. However, the premise is that you want him to be found." "Excuse me, what do you mean?" Assistant teacher Takizawa said.She was finally about to speak. "This is a criminal case that has alarmed the police, Mr. Takizawa. If you keep silent, it will attract unnecessary suspicion. Because your attitude is too unnatural, it will make people think that you have ghosts in your heart." Mitarai Kai Say.His tone grew sharper.

Assistant Professor Takizawa kept his eyes straight, that is, kept his back to us, and said, "Mitarai-sensei, I have heard of your name and read your book, so I know you are an excellent talent." Her tone was so nonchalant that it seemed to me that she was determined to fight back. "Some people hate me too. But I sincerely hope you don't," said Mitarai. "I was surprised that you would come to such a place. You are Mitarai herself, aren't you? If it's true, it would be my honor to talk to you. But please don't think that I know everything. It's just..."

She stopped in the middle of speaking. "Just?" Mitarai asked.But he still didn't get an answer, so he said again: "Is it just that you think too highly of yourself?" "No, I didn't mean that. It's just that you don't understand me at all." The female assistant said. "Do you think so? If I really don't know you, I won't come to you." Mitarai said flatly. "Looking for me? Don't you know that I don't know?" The teaching assistant laughed.Mitarai pulled out the office chair of the missing Assistant Professor Fujii, and sat down slowly.Immediately afterwards, he suddenly spit out a string of unclear words. "I have a cat, Persian jinjila. The cat food is set to drop at regular intervals, but you are still very worried about the machine going wrong, so you read the instructions carefully." The teaching assistant withdrew his smile, picked up a book, and covered a printed matter in front of the computer. "What else do you want me to say about you?" Mitarai looked at the female teacher's profile and asked, "Actually, I still know a lot." "I..." She hesitated.Finally, it seemed that a decision had been made, and he said, "There is only one thing I want to ask." "It's a star cage, isn't it?" Mitarai said suddenly, "but we are now investigating a criminal case." "Then what do you want to know about me?" The voice of the female teaching assistant became sharper again, with a slight tremor at the end of her words. I couldn't help thinking that she was going to cry, and secretly panicked. My friend with no social knowledge came to the university, broke into the teaching assistant's office recklessly, questioned one of the teaching assistants, and almost made him cry.Isn't this a criminal offense? "You used to have faith, but you were resistant to it and had given up on it for a long time. I just have to look in your face and I'll know it all." ah?I can't help thinking.How could it be possible to see such a thing on the face, Mitarai must be playing tricks again. "My face... oh." To my surprise, she responded with a sudden realization. "That's right. I came here just because I saw your hairstyle on TV." hairstyle?I almost cried out.What does this have to do with hairstyles? "It is a foreign religion, and the entire religious group is from a foreign country. It does not integrate into Japanese culture, but continues an exotic form of worship. The reason why you believe in a religion that is incompatible with Japanese society is very In layman's terms, you want to get an ideal spouse. You are very eager for marriage. It's just that your requirements for men are too high, and there is no object around you that you can look up to." Kuroda turned to me, eyes widening.I should have the same expression at this time.We both paled in shock and looked at each other. "I think women in general have this paradox." The female teaching assistant countered with universalism, but her voice sounded like a lost general.It seems that Mitaraiji's words just now have given her a big blow, and she can hear the decline just from her voice. "However, not everyone wants God to find someone for them." Mitarai continued to speak without scruple, and his words undoubtedly dealt a blow to her again.I saw her lower her head and didn't speak again. "Also, not everyone will abandon the entire religion and run away because they don't like the person they are assigned to." Kuroda and I looked at each other again.Mitaraiji once again said something completely unexpected.Moreover, I feel that it is a secret that must not be exposed to the outside world, and only belongs to the women's world. "You used to be full of expectations for the gods." Mitarai continued to say heartlessly, "I thought that the Almighty God would definitely find an unexpected ideal partner for me. He would definitely give me a one-of-a-kind marriage partner for several generations. .” "Mitarai-sensei, that is to say..." Kuroda interjected timidly from the side. "It's the Nitto Daiichi Church." Mitarai said categorically, "It's a religious group that organizes believers to have group blind dates and group weddings." "Uh, the man in that hospital last night..." This is what I asked. "It's the fiancé introduced to this teacher by the church." Mitarai turned her head and said to me, then turned to the female teacher and said, "Your judgment is stupid. You must be reflecting on yourself, thinking that the gods only introduce you to unsatisfactory partners, and you should not have joined that Church. But I don't want to say that. Because of your behavior, that group has now grown into a large illegal organization and is starting to cause actual harm to this area." "For this district..." The female teaching assistant's voice was hoarse, and she managed to squeeze out half a sentence, "That's not my fiancé..." "Of course, teacher, you have also brought harm to you. Because of your behavior, a stalker who is justified and blessed by the gods was born. Have you been harassed by that person recently?" The assistant fell silent again. "To you, he is a stalker, but to him, you are his fiancée. That man follows you day and night, and appears on the road you must pass every day. But your career is in Here, you cannot escape to other cities. Just when you were troubled, a knight stepped forward. That is a man who loves you and wants to protect you. Finally, on that pedestrian bridge, the tragedy It finally happened." "Who is that knight?" Kuroda asked. Mitarai tapped on Fujii's desk lightly: "Am I right, Takizawa-sensei?" "You mean, this Fujii-sensei pushed the stalker off the bridge?" Mitarai nodded slowly. "In normal times, this kind of thing can only be regarded as a private matter between you." Mitarai said, "Because of this, your admirer is struggling alone in the dark. But now, after all, one person is dead." I was shocked. "The whereabouts of the suspect are unknown now, and it is very likely that he will commit crimes again. You should know that this is not the time to remain silent." As I listened, I imagined pedestrian bridges late at night.A dense group of taxis shuttled under the overpass, and two men were entangled on the overpass. I can even vaguely outline the figure of the woman running forward, leaving the two men behind. The assistant teacher slowly turned to Mitarai Kei, and finally stopped struggling.Her obedient expression and movements symbolize that she has completely defeated Mitarai's banner. "Teacher, I don't know what's going on. The man suddenly appeared again. Mr. Fujii walked towards him, and the two became entangled. I followed Mr. Fujii's order and ran away in fear. I don't know what happened afterwards. what happened……" "Did you run away again?" Mitarai said slightly contemptuously. The teaching assistant said dejectedly, "I'm sorry." "You always avoid the easy choices." Mitarai said like a moral teacher. "Yeah, that's what I am. I'm introspecting, too." The teaching assistant's honest answer made us laugh out loud. But Mitarai didn't seem to be enjoying himself, he began to preach like his mother. "Finding a boyfriend is not easy. You have to devote yourself to it like doing research. You can't just sit on a cushion and pray, and a good man will come running by yourself. Just like if you escape easily from a tricky mystery, you will not be able to." Get the same results as any research." After hearing what Mitarai said, she reflected: "Yes. I'm the kind of person who is hopeless, even I hate myself. That, and then...that man..." "Like I just said. He fell on the roof of the taxi and died." "Ah." The teaching assistant covered his cheeks with his hands, and then said in a barely audible voice, "It's all my fault, I'm really sorry." On the other hand, Mitarai Kei, he didn’t seem to have the slightest thought about the teaching assistant’s words, but said lightly: “Teacher, it’s useless for you to apologize to us. The most important thing now is Mr. Fujii. If we don’t help him, he will even have his life.” Danger." "Okay, what should I do?" the assistant teacher looked up and asked. "Where do you think he might be now?" She shook her head slowly: "I really don't know much about him..." "He loves you so much, but you don't know anything about him?" For some reason, Kuroda said angrily on the side. "Yes." After the assistant teacher finished speaking, he lowered his head again. "It's too indifferent. They killed someone for you." I don't know if it was out of sympathy for Fujii, Kuroda's tone was very indignant. "Does Mr. Fujii know about the fact that you joined the Nitto Daiichi School?" Mitarai asked calmly. "I never told him." "You mean, Mr. Fujii got into a fight with a strange man without knowing what happened?" Kuroda asked in astonishment. He seemed to really care about this fact, and it even affected his emotions. "Yes." The female assistant replied. Mitarai said again: "Mr. Takizawa, please look at me." After speaking, he stared at the face of the female teacher. "Yes." She narrowed her eyes and looked at Mitarai as if looking at the dazzling sun.After a while, he still involuntarily looked away. "Did Fujii-sensei call you after the incident?" Mitarai asked. This time, she shook her head with certainty: "I swear, I've reached this point and I won't lie anymore. He didn't call me!" Mitarai nodded slightly, and immediately stood up: "I see, then let's stop here." Mitarai walked along the corridor back to the entrance, and asked Kuroda, "Has the lawyer from the Nitto Daiichi Church arrived at the Tomo Office yet?" Kuroda shook his head and said, "I haven't gone yet." "Then let's go to the Tomo Office as soon as possible. We must take advantage of the present." Mitarai said. "But those people won't say anything." Kuroda said lazily. "The key depends on how to do it." Mitarai said with inexplicable confidence. "However, we can't threaten those people." After Kuroda finished speaking, Mitarai smiled wryly and said, "I won't do that kind of thing." Before he finished speaking, the sound of running in slippers came from behind us.Immediately afterwards, a shrill female voice sounded: "Mr. Mitarai, please wait!" We immediately stop and turn around. Assistant Professor Takizawa chased after him. She caught up and stood beside us, saying: "Well, although I haven't told him about Nitto Daiichi, I occasionally talk to him about Xingcage and Abe. New information. Those things may be related to his whereabouts..." "Why?" Mitarai asked. "Because Mr. Fujii said that he wants to solve the mystery himself." Mitarai Kei nodded upon hearing that. "I see." "About this matter, can I find a chance to talk to you in detail?" the teaching assistant asked, "It takes a lot of time to talk about historical materials." "Okay." Mitarai agreed briskly. "I think Mitarai-sensei might be able to solve the mystery of the star cage. Well, sorry, can I ask the teacher for your phone number..." the assistant said. "Mine?" Mitarai asked. "I know it's rude to ask like this. I'm really sorry. Teacher, you probably won't call me, right? So please give me your number." Mitaraiji took out a business card from her pocket. "Give." The teaching assistant immediately showed a surprised expression like a girl, and then said: "Wow, thank you so much!" At that moment, I thought she was such a lovely person. We sat in the car of the Fukuyama Department and drove along the road by the sea to the Tomo Department.The breakwater beside the road is full of boxes with metal net bottoms, and many small dried fish are drying on the net. I looked at the Seto Inland Sea outside the window, and Mr. Kuroda suddenly pointed to the small island that appeared in the front left of his field of vision, and said, "That is the Immortal Drunk Island. The island where the writing immortals are intoxicated. Or, that small island is beautiful. Even the immortals are intoxicated." Walking into the Tomo Department, we first went down to the basement and visited the detention room. Several dejected suspects with gloomy expressions were locked in the dimly lit cabin.Mitarai was led by the police officer from Tomo Station, watching their expressions while walking, and immediately came to the end. "Is there anyone who seems easier to speak?" Mitarai asked the police officer. "No, none of them. We can't detain them any longer. We have to transfer them to the detention center immediately." The police officer replied. "I want to talk to that young man with long hair first, please let him come to the interrogation room first." Said Mitarai. When the uniformed police officer heard this, he showed a surprised expression. "That guy? He's the least likely to speak." After he finished speaking, he looked at Mitarai's face, but Mitarai didn't seem to be moved. "It's all right. I'm going to talk to the oldest man when he's done." He left such an order and walked into the interrogation room without looking back, leaving the puzzled police officer standing still. In the interrogation room, Mitarai sat face to face with the young man he called to meet first.Together with the uniformed police officer who led the way and Kuroda, I looked at them through the one-way mirror. Mitaraiji suddenly spoke a foreign language.We outside didn't understand what kind of interrogation he conducted, but he recounted the content to us later.The following is what I remember and record. Mitarai seemed to say this first: "I am older than you, and I am here to help you and guide you." The young man jumped up in surprise. The royal hand washroom continued incredulously: "Does Omni know that you are in Fukuyama?" The young man lowered his head when he heard the words, without saying a word. Mitarai added: "No one here can understand what we say. And I will keep your secret and will not reveal anything against you to the police. Is your father dead?" Hearing this, the young man showed a surprised expression again, and spoke for the first time.But he still spoke a language we didn't understand. "How did you know?" Without waiting for Mitarai to explain, he said again: "Could it be that you know me?" "You were raised by your mother. You basically don't understand Japanese." After Mitaraijie finished speaking, the young man nodded and said, "Master is my father, and Confissos is not only the true god, but also my closest grandfather. I live in this world because I listened to their voices and guidance. " Mitarai was not interested in his explanation, and asked, "Have you been seriously injured in your home country? Is it a broken bone?" The young man nodded slightly: "I fell from the second floor while I was working and stayed in the hospital for a while. But I didn't pay for the medical expenses, it was paid for by Master. I have the most respectful gratitude to him." Affection." Mitarai nodded and asked again: "Have you heard the voice of God?" "Through the mirror," replied the young man. "Is it the mirror you ground into during your practice?" The young man nodded: "I polish it with my heart. As long as you have faith in your heart, pray while polishing, and after the mirror is successfully polished, you will be able to see the figure of God." "Did Master tell you?" "That's right." The young man nodded vigorously. "Then after you polished the mirror, did you see the true God?" "I see. Master is right. I used a polished mirror to reflect the sunlight, and the figure of Confissos appeared on the wall." Mitarai didn't nod, but said, "Do you have any friends in the church?" The young man shook his head cautiously.Staring at the young man's face, Mitarai said seriously, "You should go back to Omni. It's too dangerous to stay here, you can't come here again." The young man raised his head, stared at Mitarai's face and asked, "Why?" "The church is doing drug deals, right? They're all illegal drugs, and they're targeting companies that are doing illegal land deals." Hearing this, the young man lowered his head in frustration. Mitarai said again: "Why? Because you can make a lot of money that way. But, this is a crime." The young man lowered his head and said, "I don't know anything, I can't say anything more, this is against God's will." Upon hearing this, Mitarai said nonchalantly, "Is that so? I obey the will of God and hope to help you. This is not the place for you." "I keep silent." "Can I see your mirror? Let me see the real God in the mirror." The young man lowered his head and said, "My purse has been taken away." "You mean this?" Mitarai pulled out the young man's pocket from under the table. "Ah, that's it. Give it to me." After the young man finished speaking, he took the fanny pack from Mitarai, unzipped it, and took out a round mirror from it.Then point it at the sunlight coming in through the window, bouncing the light onto the wall. "Look, the face of God is on it," said the young man. "Indeed." Mitarai nodded. "Did you believe it? All I did was grind the mirror. And under my prayer, the face of God appeared in the mirror." "Show me." Mitarai said.The young man handed the mirror to Mitarashi. "I will help you and tell you the truth," Mitarai said. Then he got up with the mirror, went to the side table, and picked up the hammer and metal chisel. "I have a hammer and a chisel in my hand, and I'm going to smash the mirror with these tools," said Mitarai. The young man's complexion changed drastically, he stood up abruptly, and shouted, "Stop! No, what are you doing? That's a mirror that hosts a god!" The door of the interrogation room was opened and the police rushed in.Two policemen grabbed the young man from behind who was trying to jump at Mitarai. "There is nothing lodged here." Mitarai said calmly, "It's just a piece of iron." "You really can't be trusted. I almost believed you. It's so stupid. What kind of God's will is too ridiculous!" The young man yelled and spit at Mitarai. Mitarai ignored it, but stood the mirror on the table and pointed the tip of the chisel at the thickest part.Say it this way: "The medicine that saves the soul, even if it tastes bitter, is good medicine." The young man turned his head away: "Keep your eyes open and watch carefully, the time to witness the miracle has come!" After speaking, he swung his hammer down.Two hits, three hits... The young man twisted his body as if his own bones had been beaten, and let out a mournful cry. The mirror snapped into two halves and fell onto the table.Mitarai picked up half of it and held it up to her eyes. "Look, the mirror is hollow, and the inside of the mirror is engraved with a relief of Confissos." The young man was tightly suppressed by two police officers, his eyes widened. "Er, then? So what?" he asked aloud. "If you keep grinding the back of the iron plate with reliefs, just because of the pressure generated by the grinding, the reliefs on the inside will leave slight indentations on the other half of the mirror surface. As long as you keep grinding, the indentations will form sooner or later, and will be consistent with the inner surface. The relief is mirror-symmetrical. The subtle traces that emerge on the mirror surface cannot be detected by the naked eye, and of course cannot be felt by fingers, but as long as there is light reflection, it will appear." After hearing Mitarai Kai's explanation, the young man was speechless. There was a long silence.Mitarai said to the police officer behind the young man, "It's alright, let him go." The police officers let go of the young man, who still stood there dumbfounded.After a long time, he slowly stretched out his hand, took the mirror that had been cut in half from Mitarai, and rubbed the traces on the back with his fingertips. "How could this be so unbelievable..." He finally made a dry sound. "The world is cruel." Mitarai said pitifully, "Even the gods who redeem people may have private thoughts hidden behind them." The young man was dejected, as if he was suppressing the chaos in his head. "It's just a purely physical phenomenon and has nothing to do with beliefs. Whether you grind while chanting Namo Amitabha or while chanting Amen, you can get the same result." The young man remained silent. "You'd better go back and think about it. What's your name?" "Bingle." "Bingle, I want to remind you that you must never listen to the voice of your partner. You can't talk to anyone, you must think alone. Then, from now on, live a new life. Here and now, it is you A turning point in life." Next, the older man was brought into the interrogation room and sat in front of Mitarai.This time, Mitarai uses Japanese. "Hey, look at me instead." Then, the middle-aged man looked impatiently at Mitarai Kei's face. "Money." Mitarai said without thinking.The man didn't speak, but looked puzzled.Mitarai said again: "I see, you are Japanese, right? It seems that the Japanese are excluded." The man showed an incredulous expression, but still didn't speak. "In the church organization, are foreigners and Japanese people deliberately separated in terms of living facilities and actions?" The man still didn't speak, didn't answer any questions. "However, because of the language barrier, there is no way. But, you have a high status in it, right?" The man remained silent. "So you plan to never leave the organization for the rest of your life?" Still no answer. "Life is a member of the organization, and death is the ghost of the organization? Don't be fooled. Could it be that you also believed in the mirror?" Mitarai held up the mirror in her hand, reflecting the outside light onto the man's face.The man showed an unhappy expression because of the glare of the light. Mitarai then reflected the light onto the wall, reflecting Shizu's face.The man glanced at the wall, remaining silent. Mitarai moved her hand covering the back of the mirror, allowing the man to see the inside. "The face of Confissos has been embossed in it from the very beginning, which was built in advance. Inside the mirror, one side of the mirror has been engraved with the head of the master from the beginning. Just manually grind the other side , the inner notch will automatically appear on the other side. This is how the magic of the Mirror of Faith is made." Mitarai put the mirror back on the table, but the man didn't seem to be bothered. "If you are waiting for a lawyer, give it up quickly. I have informed the Tokyo Bar Association that the lawyers in your organization are worried about being deprived of their qualifications and will not come for the time being. You will be sent to the detention center soon. Yes. So, if you are willing to answer my questions, those young people will be released. Depending on the quality of the information, you may be able to regain your freedom." Hearing this, the man stared at Mitarai, and finally spoke. "You must be wondering why we entered that room?" Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Mitarai said, "You just want to rest in the room of an acquaintance, and you don't know that there is a dead body lying on the bed." The man fell silent. "If you read your lines from the script, they're not going to be released. You only have a sentence that isn't too short." The man remained silent.He couldn't judge Mitaraiji's true intentions. "At that time, even the drug sale will be exposed, and your sentence will be longer." Mitarai said with a sarcastic smile. "Maybe you'll spend your whole life in it." The man finally spoke this time. "You must be wondering, what would we do if we found the body..." "I already knew that kind of thing." Mitaraisei didn't let him finish his sentence again. "After high tide, when the tide starts to recede, you put the body in a small boat, row the boat out, and push the body into the sea. You dress the body in unidentifiable clothing beforehand, and the receding tide The body will be taken away automatically." The man fell silent again. "It's September now, and the high tide at night is around ten o'clock, but it will be different every day. After that, it's time for you to throw the corpse. You can put the corpse on or take it off, anyway, after a long time of drifting , the clothes on the body of the corpse must be peeled off and become naked." The man stared at Mitarai with blood-red eyes, and continued to remain silent. "You guys have done this more than once, and there are already six dead bodies found alone. That's not a small number. There's never been such a staggering number before. You know the bodies were all washed up in the same place?" "What did you say?" The man couldn't help but make a sound of surprise. "You worked tirelessly to dump all the bodies into the same mail van." "Impossible! You lied." He opened his mouth wide. "The mail van departs from Tomo, and the sender wrote Nitto Daiichi Church." Mitaraishi smiled ironically again. "It still has the murderer's name written on it. You really don't know it? There is a commotion in that place now, and the commotion will soon spread to the whole country and alarm the whole of Japan. This is the last thing the court wants to see. You'd better Don't be too optimistic, the situation you are in is very serious. Do you know that similar incidents have occurred in the past?" The man remained speechless. "So, even if you have a pious belief, you can't be forgiven. According to the cause of their death and the person who must be responsible for their death, I'm afraid you will be in the cage for the rest of your life. If you kill Yes, I'm afraid I won't even be in prison for long." "Are you kidding me?! I didn't kill them!" The man suddenly shouted. "Can you prove that?" Mitarai said calmly. "We really don't know anything. We went because we were ordered!" the man yelled. "Are you the aftermath team that handles the corpses? They are really too good at calling people." The man was speechless. "Is that also because of belief? Belief in this deceitful mirror? Can you secretly tell me the name of the company that trades medicine with you?" Mitarai asked suddenly.It seemed that this was the purpose of his interrogation. The man was silent for a while, and then said: "You overestimate me. How could a little guy like me know that kind of information." Mitaraishi ignored his words. "I will never come to this police station again, so the amnesty is only for today. If you miss today, you will never be saved." The man looked away: "I only have faith, even if this belief is a bit suspicious. I am already at this age, and there is no other way to live." Hearing this, Mitarai showed a slightly emotional expression.He slowly crossed his fingers and said, "You mean, you won't choose another way of life, but stick to the current path?" "That's right." The man said and nodded. "Then you can only be trapped in a cage." Mitarai's words made the man fall into silence again. "I understand." Mitarai stood up after speaking.Even I could see the resignation in his nonchalant gestures. Mitarai walked towards the door.At the moment when Mitarai's hand grasped the doorknob, the man said, "Wait." Mitarai turned around and asked, "What's wrong?" "It's Kusado's 'Baker Materials Company'." The man lowered his eyes and said quickly. Mitarai nodded and said, "I see." The man continued: "Don't you ask the name of the revered master?" "Don't you want to follow him for the rest of your life? Don't betray your accomplice too cruelly." After Mitaraiji finished speaking, she opened the door. "Mr. Mitarai, why don't you ask him the name of his respected teacher?" Kuroda asked in the police station. Mitarai said: "I'm not interested in his Japanese name. Anyway, I know his real name. The man's name is Nelson Barker, and he should be fifty-eight years old. These are all registered in the list of the US Anti-Terrorism Research Institute." .It was also made public on the website of the United States. As for the few people in the detention center, you should release them.” "Ah? This, this is a bit..." The police officers of the Tomo Station panicked. “这又是为什么呢？”另一名警官神色诡异地问。 “给组织的人错觉，让他们觉得警方没发现任何线索。敌人会因此降低警戒。你知道他们会逃到哪里去吗？当然是横岛的日东第一教会。不用担心他们一去不回，都只是小人物。” “嗯，反正照这样下去，他们也不会被判很重的罪。”鞆署的警官说。 “必须让他们先露马脚。现在我最该担心的是，他们那个尊师在露出马脚前就逃回国去了。所以，关键要让他察觉不到危机的逼近。我们必须把那个男人——巴克——逮捕，否则他将来还会惹出更多的问题。所以现在我们要伪装出一副毫不知情的样子。” "But……" “在那幢沿海公寓里发现的女尸的身份查出来了吗？”御手洗洁问。 “宇野芳江，是不远处那座港口旁边一个名叫'幸福亭'的酒馆的老板娘。附近的人基本都认识她。”警官回答。 “是个美女吗？”福山署的黑田问。 “嗯，她很受欢迎，店里生意也好。虽然年纪有点大了，但性格不错，虽然有些发福，但好在皮肤白皙，脸也长得好看。” “你跟她说过话吗？” “嗯，我到她店里光顾过。” “要是知道她死了，大家都会备受打击。” “是吗……这么好的女人啊，早知道去一次了。”黑田说。 “据说她唱歌很好听。” "Really?" “是啊，不比职业歌手差呢。” “鉴证课的报告怎么样了？”御手洗洁打断他们的闲聊，“有没有什么能直接扳倒巴克的决定性证据？” “这个嘛……”黑田说，“没有任何发现。” 御手洗洁马上露出凌厉的表情。 “没发现体液吗？” “一点儿都没有。”黑田摇头道。 “巴克一直如此，绝对不会留下任何线索。” “宇野芳江的葬礼该怎么办？”鞆署的警官问。 “按照最普通的程序办。”御手洗洁说。 “如果教会说要替自己的信徒办葬礼呢？” “那就让他们去办。”御手洗洁说，“不过我认为他们不会提出来的。甚至连集体相亲和集体婚礼都会消停一段时间。” 警官们听完，陷入了沉默。 “在这段时间里，我们要做好万全的准备，然后静观其变。而且必须找到足以说服公审法官的证据。比如毒品的流通路径，甚至要证明尼尔逊对宇野芳江见死不救。” “啊？宇野？”御手洗洁点了点头。 “恐怕那个尊师巴克就是她的床伴。他亲自会见宇野，通过身体接触授以神力。所以她心怀感激，甚至有些慌张。现场到处都有那样的痕迹。” "Ah, oh..." “如果被我说中了，那这无疑是那个谨慎之人罕见的失策。我们能够以保护责任者遗弃致死罪和违反毒品取缔法的罪名将其逮捕。虽然他的足迹遍布全世界，一直没有露出马脚，但在这里，他却失足了。” “毕竟她突然就死了嘛，这可不是能够事先预测到的事态。” “那对我们来说无疑是个很好的机会。但遗憾的是，他在这起案件中同样没有露出任何马脚。” “啊哈。” “他把所有可能带来危险的东西都带走了。” “唉，那真是太可惜了。”鞆署的警官说。 “他是不是拜倒在了宇野的石榴裙下呢？搞不好是他喜欢的类型哦。虽然有点岁数了，但风韵犹存啊，挺诱人的。”黑田课长说。 “不一定，因为他周围肯定还有很多同样有魅力的女性信徒。”御手洗洁说。 "Really?" I asked. “女性那方可能觉得尊师只有自己吧。但对尊师来说，偶尔为众信徒提供那种服务也是一种工作啊。” "Really……" “那样一来，女性信徒就会更加热心地投身于传教活动。谁是案发现场那个房间的所有者？” “是一个叫秋山源三的男性，在经营一家叫什么'美好年代'的公司。”黑田说。 “应该也是信徒之一了。”御手洗洁说，“请你们再彻底检查一遍宇野芳江的尸体。虽然希望不大，但我们还是要想办法制造强制调查的理由。我们必须趁着这个机会，破坏整个宗教团体。” “啊，至于那么……” “不然可就棘手了。首先受害的会是这个城市，然后是整个日本西部。” "Really?" “在此之前，我们必须装死。这件事非常难办，因为存在信仰自由这个大原则，我们不能像某些独裁国家那样办事。” “可是，那帮叫什么奥姆的家伙，也只是一个宗教团体……” 鞆署的警官起了个头，黑田点了点头后接下去说：“没错，区区一个宗教团体，要造反恐怕……” 御手洗洁听完，摇了摇头。 “很快你们就会明白了。但到那时候一切就太迟了。这次的案子牵扯到其他国家，成了外交问题。如今到处飘荡着反日情绪，政府不会放下身段的。一个不小心还会引发战争，可是……” “不过，像我们这种小警察署带头进行强制调查，人家估计根本不会理睬吧？还是得找个上级组织来参与。”鞆署的警官说完，瞥了一眼黑田。 “你别说，我们确实从没干过这种事，没有这样的先例。” “因此，这起案件极有可能陷入迷雾之中，我们的对手也已经看透了这一点。”御手洗洁说。 “话说，这个港口小镇的镇长也是那个宗教的信徒呢。”鞆署的警官说。 “喂，你是说真的吗？”他的同事问。 “嗯，就是山崎先生。” “那可糟糕了。” 御手洗洁摇摇头：“事情远没有这么简单，真相其实更加严峻。首先是媒体，然后还要调查银行和政界，这些领域应该都有那个宗教的信徒。他们都是耳目。” "what?" “侵略现代世界，一般都会走这样的程序。对方的组织里不存在政权交替。就连韩国人的反日情绪都是被煽动起来的。北朝的成员潜入南朝的教育系统，展开了彻底的怨恨教育，于是，难以平息的反日、反美情绪渐渐在国民中酝酿起来，最终将韩国孤立。这就是所谓的韩日、韩美切断计划。美军撤离韩国后，实现统一就很简单了。现在还没有任何人察觉，但国防组织的上层已经看穿了我们所面临的事态。” “哦……我还是不太明白。” “因此，我们必须逮捕那个尊师。日东第一教会是以某国的康菲索斯教会为母体的。要想将其破坏，必须找到所有必要的证据。那些跑腿的小喽啰就不要去管他们了，这样一来，教会的警戒心也会松懈下来。紧接着，我们就将重点转向贝克材料公司吧。”御手洗洁说。 我们和黑田课长，以及一名鞆署的警官一起坐在开往贝克材料公司的车里。 “喂，御手洗洁，我们现在还什么都不明白呢，你赶紧解释一下啊。”我说。 “就是嘛。”福山署的黑田课长也深深地点头道。 “我好像都解释过了啊，还有什么遗漏之处吗？”御手洗洁说。 “那个福山市立大学，为什么……” “就是，你是怎么知道泷泽助教那件事的？”我也在旁边附和。 “那很简单。最初发现的死者宇野芳江、从天桥上坠落而死的男性，以及泷泽助教，还有被关在鞆署拘留所里的那几个人，他们都有一个共通的特征。” “特征……”我说着，抱起了手臂。黑田也做出一样的动作。 “那是一眼就能看出来的特征，你们应该都发现了吧？”御手洗洁看着我问。 “一眼就能看出来……什么啊？”黑田说。 “是什么啊……不懂。”我也说。 “有没有搞错，当然是额头啊。那些人这里不都有点红吗？” 御手洗洁指了指自己额头的正中间。 “啊！被你这么一说还真是！”黑田拍着大腿说。 “那是因为，他们祈祷的时候会把额头磕到地板上，这种方式在日本佛教中是不存在的，但在海外的宗教里经常出现。跟西藏佛教中的五体投地很像。” “哦哦。”鞆署的警官说。 “所以我一看就知道，那是个外来宗教。” “话说回来，伊斯兰教好像也是呢。”黑田说。 “而那种行为对外部观察者来说实在是太方便了，因为那是鉴定是否为信徒的绝佳印记。宇野芳江额头上的痕迹还很新，因此我知道她死前刚刚结束祈祷仪式。作为一名女性，她本应十分排斥这种肌肤表面的变化，她不在意，这证明她非常虔诚。这就是我为什么会知道有个让她十分尊重的人进入了房间，并猜测很有可能就是巴克本人。” “哦，原来如此。”黑田点头道。 “而泷泽老师头上的痕迹很旧了，换句话说，她已经很长时间没有进行那种行为了。我以此判断她已经离开教会一段时间，虽然她刻意用刘海遮住了那个痕迹。而脱离教会的原因，则是因为她对教会给她介绍的男人不满意。而被人介绍了这么一个知性美人的男性，肯定是不会轻易放手的。因此我知道，那男人成了一个跟踪狂，没日没夜地尾随她，让一个女性教师焦虑得快要失眠了。” “康菲索斯是什么？”我问。 “就是孔子啊。这个宗教其实是借用了儒教思想发展出来的，要不然就是彻头彻尾的捏造。” “发展出来……” “新事物通常都会使用这种手段。比如奥姆真理教，就是借用了现在不太流行的小乘佛教。” “还有钱是怎么回事儿？刚才你审讯信徒的时候提到过。”鞆署的警官问。 “啊，那个吗……他们位于横岛的集体生活区地下，存在金矿的可能性很高。” 福山署和鞆署的警官，以及黑田都吓了一跳。 "what?!" “这个宗教的首要宣传点，是给女性带来幸福。女性成为信徒后，会收到尊师赠送的K金耳环或项链、胸针等礼物。日本分会这边送的首饰却特别大，而且含金量更高。” “你什么时候看到那种东西了？” “你不也看到了吗？车站前的集体婚礼，还有那个跟踪狂身上都有。” “哦哦。”是有这么回事儿。 “宇野芳江被发现的现场里，类似的金器被拿走了。因为那东西无疑会暴露日东第一教的存在。泷泽助教的耳朵上没有带耳环，而她的跟踪狂虽然没有戴徽章，口袋里却装着胸针和耳环，全是大号的。他很有可能把泷泽助教归还给教会的东西带在身上，准备交给她。” "I see." “还有钟表店主小松义久的失踪。钟表店偶尔会用到贵金属或纯金。此外，从那些外国信徒的鞋底上还发现了很有可能是小岛地底深处的泥土。” "oh oh." “日本信徒的鞋底却没有。” “原来如此，可……”黑田欲言又止。 “御手洗先生，他们的目的到底是什么啊？”正在开车的福山署警官问。 “其中一个是赚外快。他们在本国大量制造兴奋剂，需要寻找交易的地方。同时，他们也要把在这里弄到的黄金和贵金属运回本国。” “喂，从我们镇上偷东西，太不可原谅了。”福山署的警官说。 “就是，简直欺人太甚了。绝对不行。”鞆署的警官也愤慨地说。 贝克材料公司的办公室位于福山市郊外，周围是一大片农田，罕有人家。 走进办公室内，我们看到了七个身高体壮的男人，全部背对我们、面冲办公桌，一边吸鼻涕一边看着电脑屏幕出神。还有几个人正在打游戏。 福山署警官带头，我们一行人走进了办公室。 “我们是福山署的警察，打扰各位了。”福山署警官用略带威压感的声音说。 “你们这儿的负责人在吗？” 只见一个满脸胡须的男人抬起头，然后满脸笑容地站起来说：“你好你好，我是这里的社长小松。” 他的声音柔和，还不断鞠躬，但在那殷勤的态度背后，却隐藏着见过大世面的面容和体貌。 “今天来是有何贵干呢？啊，对了，请坐，请坐。” 他把我们五个人引向隔间另一面的沙发。虽然身处一群看上去很不好惹的人中间，我还是对这个人产生了好感。 “我们这儿的女孩子前几天刚好辞职了，所以这里缺了点女人味。啊，山田君，你给客人倒个茶吧。” 他又用柔和的声音说了几句，然后坐在我们面前的沙发上。 “哦，不用了、不用了，别倒茶了，你们不是在忙吗？”黑田课长说。 “不，我其实挺想喝茶的。不好意思了，山田先生，一些粗茶就可以，麻烦你了。” 御手洗洁竟会说出这么不客气的话，让我吃了一惊。那个自称小松的社长马上用温柔的声音吩咐他的员工道：“哦，山田君，那麻烦你去泡茶吧，谢谢了。” 长着一副凶相的山田闻言，把抽了一半的香烟掐灭在烟灰缸里，站了起来。烟灰缸里的烟蒂早已堆成一座小山。 山田吸着鼻涕，他旁边的男人也吸着鼻涕。 两个长得像大猩猩一样的男人竟不约而同地吸鼻涕，这场面未免太诡异。 山田戴着眼镜。只见他从椅子上站起来，摇晃着巨大的身体缓慢地走着，看起来有些踉跄。 社长又用柔和的声音说：“喂，山田君，茶水间在那边哦。” 山田猛地停住，原路返回走到茶水间里，从保温瓶中倒出热水。他一言不发地行动着，像是对泡茶这项额外工作感到不满。其实我挺想婉拒那杯茶的。 “那么，今天几位来是为了什么事呢？”社长笑容满面地问。 “贵公司有没有员工行踪不明呢？”御手洗洁问。 “嗯？行踪不明？”小松愣了愣。 “是的，消失了踪影，不知道去了哪里，也没法联络到。搞不好已经死了，这样的人。” 小松闻言摇了摇头。 “没有，大家都好好的。你看，这边墙上不是挂着名牌嘛。户谷、山田、加藤、吉田、佐藤、守山，还有我，小松。我们公司只有七个人，全部都在这里了。连请病假的都没有。” “哦，是吗？那太好了。那你熟悉的公司里是否有那样的情况呢？”御手洗洁又问。 “没，我从没听说过那回事儿。”小松社长说。 “太好了。最近搞建筑工作的多有受伤事故。死亡事故也频繁发生，对工伤保险的运用也很有问题。” “是这样，我们只是材料公司。”社长说。 “不到现场吗？” “也不能这么说，要是熟客来请我们，我们偶尔也会到下面的建筑公司去进行现场指挥。不过基本上是不会到现场去的。” 突然传来摔碎茶杯的声音。循声望去，原来是山田出了岔子，把茶杯摔到水槽里了。 “山田君，小心点儿哦。”社长看了他一眼，温柔地说。 “对了，最近关于暴力团体的流言也不少啊，都说贝克跟什么黑社会组织……”黑田课长问。 小松社长马上瞪大了眼睛。 “怎么会呢！我们可是正经做生意的，早就不干那种勾当了呀。” 紧接着，社长仿佛为了证明自己的观点一般，又换上一副柔和的嗓音，对山田说：“啊，山田君，没事吧？没受伤吧？” 但山田一言不发。仔细一看，他的手似乎僵在了半空中。 小松又说：“哎呀，暴力团体什么的，他们那些人真是太可怕了。为什么世界上会存在那样的人呢？你看，我们都是干正经营生的，大家都很温柔，而且会互相帮助哦。嗯，都很老实的。” 山田用托盘端了些茶过来。用长满汗毛的手小心翼翼地把茶杯放到桌上。那只手甚至还在颤抖。 御手洗洁看着茶杯被放到自己面前，突然说： “哦，山田先生，你这副眼镜不是奥利弗·皮帕斯嘛，Pia-Be也是你喜欢的牌子吧？美国产的，我也很喜欢，不好意思，能让我看看吗？” 说着，他便把手伸向凶神恶煞的山田。山田马上用充满威压感的低沉声音说：“别随便碰我东西！” 但马上，小松社长就用同样充满威压感的声音斥责道：“山田，你对客人太失礼了。乱讲什么呢！” 我在旁边忍不住缩了缩脖子。御手洗洁却对此毫不在意。 "Excuse me." 说着，他从山田脸上拽下眼镜，戴到自己脸上，然后说：“哦哦，戴起来真舒服。谢谢你，好了，还给你吧。”说完还瞥了一眼山田。 山田虽然表情凶狠，却不好意思地低下了头。露出连大猩猩都能被吓跑的、近乎非人的恐怖表情。他自己似乎也挺尴尬的。 但我还是感到惊恐不已，忍不住想往黑田身后挪。 御手洗洁说：“你感冒了吗，山田先生？最近正是感冒流行的季节，大家都要注意一点哦。” 山田戴上眼镜，缓缓走回座位上。 “对了，久松町有一个卖时钟的金属店，老板叫小松义久，你跟他认识吧？” 御手洗洁话音未落，小松已一脸惊恐，并陷入了沉默。沉默持续了一段时间，期间他一直若有所思。 “嗯，算是吧。义久是我的远亲。” 过了许久，他才不情不愿地承认了。 “他向你介绍日东第一教会了吗？”御手洗洁追问道。 “没……嗯……我也不太清楚，记不太清了。” 小松把大拇指和食指按在眼睑上，装出努力回忆的样子。 “他给你介绍了什么工作？”御手洗洁并不放弃。 “没，我们公司早就不干那种事情了。”社长盯着墙壁说。 “他夫人向警方提出了调查请求。”御手洗洁又说。 小松这才露出恍然大悟的表情。 “啊，真的吗？！唉，我也不太清楚，我们公司最近也跟那里没什么联系了。” “是吗？好吧，打扰了。” 御手洗洁闻言站起来，我们也跟着站了起来，走出办公室。 往警车走去的路上，黑田课长问：“御手洗先生，光问那些就够了吗？” 御手洗洁点了点头，说：“够了，因为我已经把所有不明之处都弄清楚了。” “你弄清楚什么了？”我问。 “嗯，你问的那几个问题，到底能知道什么？”黑田也问。 “我现在知道，兴居岛的那六具尸体跟黑社会组织没有关联。” "Who is that?" “是信徒。日东第一教的信徒。”御手洗洁斩钉截铁地说。 “日东第一教？那为什么会有调查请求啊？” “因为他们都不是日本人。那些死者都是从某个国家来到鞆，参加日东第一教会的。” “那他们怎么都死了？”我问。 “对啊，御手洗先生，他