Chapter 8 Section VI

"It seems that I can't go back at noon." "What about lunch?" "Go to Shinozaki Supermarket to buy something and come back!" "Go by car, it only takes fifteen minutes to go back and forth." "Then it's Sogetsu-an's soba noodles!" "Just do it!" "Well, that's all for today, but you still have to go for a walk..." Minako wanted to hang up the phone.She made her usual silent plea.Because I was afraid that when Ayumi wanted to call home, the phone at home was on the phone.They have already replaced their phones with the latest models, applied for the plug-and-call function, and joined the caller ID service that was just promoted to the local area last year, but Minazi still couldn't be completely relieved, and kept saying "I'm not afraid of ten thousand, I'm only afraid of ten thousand." one".

"Okay, okay! I'm hanging up the phone. Be sure to eat some soba noodles or something nutritious! Do you understand?" Mikami hung up the phone and walked out of the four-corner gazebo in the castle ruins park.He couldn't make this kind of phone call in the advertising room, and he didn't want to make phone calls secretly in the hinterland of the headquarters, so he walked here, which was only a few minutes away from the headquarters. The north wind was blowing more and more strongly, and the collar of his suit was turned up like a coat, and Misadmiral walked back to the headquarters in three steps in two steps.Mina's lifeless voice kept echoing in his ears, and the two of them must not fall down together.Ever since Ayumi ran away from home, Minako has never been able to stay at home properly.In order to find out about Ayumi, he tried his best, either taking photos to ask around the neighborhood, or running around to ask people as long as he had a little clue, and his footprints even extended to Tokyo and Kanagawa.However, the silent phone call a month ago made her never want to step out of the house again.

The silent call was made not just once, but three times in the same day.Ayumi hesitated.This idea swelled endlessly in Minako's mind.From then on, she locked herself at home all day and waited for the phone call.Tell her that this will ruin her body, but she won't listen.Switching to the latest model of phone didn't help, her life changed entirely.Daily necessities are purchased by mail order, and dinner ingredients are delivered by home delivery companies, and leftovers are hastily disposed of in the morning and noon the next day.No, without Mikami staring at her, she wouldn't eat anything at noon.

Buying two bento boxes at a supermarket close to the headquarters and using the lunch break to go home has become a daily homework for Mikami.From this point of view, not being a criminal policeman is really a blessing in disguise, and he can go home earlier at night.Once a major incident occurs, although you have to rush to the scene before the reporters, it is still different from the criminal police, and you don't need to sleep in the dojo in the jurisdiction day and night.Basically, I can still go home at night and be with Minazi. Having said that, for Minako, Mikami is not sure how effective his company will be.No matter when he was going back during his lunch break or when he came home early from get off work, he had tried to suggest that he should wait for the phone call and asked Mina to go out and buy something.But Mina nodded, but she would never step out of the house.That tenacious will was exactly the same as Ayumi who locked herself in her room before she ran away from home.If it is said that Ayumi's heart has been eroded more seriously as the time of staying at home becomes longer, then will Minako also go on the same path?The outside world is full of excitement.There are sunshine, four seasons, and communication between people.Even if you are suffering heart-piercing anxiety and pain, as long as you encounter a momentary discovery, it is enough to forget the pain completely.If the purpose is not to confirm the identity of the deceased, Mikami is actually very happy to go for a walk in the Northland with Minako.

But…… He could fully appreciate Minako's unusual obsession with the phone.It has been two months since Ayumi ran away from home. For the couple who had no clue and fell into the abyss of despair, that phone call could be said to be a moment of light. That evening, there was very heavy rain in the northern part of D County.The publicity office kept receiving notifications of landslides, so Mikami was late home, so Minako answered the first two of the three calls.The first call came after eight o'clock in the evening.The moment Minako replied, "This is Mikami's house," the phone was hung up.The second call happened to be at half past nine.Minako said that when the phone rang, she had an intuition that it was Ayumi calling.So this time she didn't report her name, and just pressed the microphone to her ear.Don't be in a hurry, if you are too eager, the child will want to run away.Just wait patiently and she will start talking on her own initiative.Minako waited with bated breath.Five seconds...ten seconds...but the other party still didn't say a word.Minako finally couldn't take it anymore and called out Ayumi's name, but the phone was hung up immediately.

When Minako called Mikami's cell phone, it was obviously in a mess.Mikami hurried home immediately, praying that the phone would ring again.Just before midnight, the phone finally rang, and Mikami grabbed the receiver.Silence.His pulse beat faster, and Mikami tried to say, "Ayumi? It's Ayumi!" But there was no answer.He suddenly became excited: "Ayumi! Where are you now? Come back! Don't worry about anything, come back now!" Mikami didn't remember anything after that.Just remember to keep calling Ayumi's name until the other party hangs up. Mikami's whole body collapsed, and he stood by the phone temporarily, unable to move.In retrospect, he realized that he was neither a police officer nor a criminal police officer, but just a father.Even the most basic step of listening carefully to background sounds is forgotten.He didn't buy a mobile phone for Ayumi, so it should be from a public phone.There seems to be a slight noise during the call. Is it Ayumi's breathing, the noise of the metropolis, or something else?He tried desperately to remember, but couldn't.In the chaotic memory, which is not even called memory, there is only a trace of continuous sound with ups and downs, and an ever-expanding imagination.A busy late-night street.A telephone booth by the road.The figure of Ayumi squatting inside...

It must be Ayumi. Mikami muttered to himself.His pace was completely disrupted, and he clenched his fists unconsciously. If it wasn't for Ayumi, who would have made three silent phone calls in a row?And what about the phone book?Mikami did not live in the dormitory.Because after marrying Minako, he moved back to his hometown in order to take care of his frail parents.At that time, the phone number was published in the phone book in the name of my father. Later, my mother died of illness. Not long after the 64 incident, my father also passed away due to pneumonia.Mikami, who became the head of the family, followed the custom of the police and went through the formalities of not registering the number in the phone book.Since then, my home phone number no longer appears in the phone book that is updated every year.According to the experience of the criminal police, most of the silent or obscene calls made by pleasant criminals use the phone book.In other words, the Mikami family was far less likely to receive prank calls than ordinary families whose numbers were registered in the phone book.

A group of numbers randomly pressed happened to be Mikami's phone number.Because it was a woman who answered the phone, I called two or three times in a row.It cannot be said that there are no such accidents.Having said that, if it is a person in the organization, as many people know his phone number, after all, he has worked for 28 years.For those who hold a grudge against Mikami, you can think of two or three if you think about it.The question is, what's the point of listing these possibilities?It was Ayumi calling back.Apart from believing and telling themselves so, the couple had no way to prove that their daughter was still alive.Ayumi called back, and she was alive and well for at least two months.That being the case, she must still be alive after three months.That's all they think.

Mikami entered the hinterland of the headquarters through the back door. In the past month, he has been thinking and hesitating three times... What exactly is Ayumi trying to say?Or does she actually have nothing to say and just wants to hear her parents' voices?She called twice, Minako answered both times, so she called a third time because she also wanted to hear Mikami's voice. Sometimes he also thinks that Ayumi has something to say to him, not Minako.After the third call, Mikami finally answered the call. Although she wanted to say something, she couldn't say it in the end.

She wanted to tell Mikami, but she could only tell herself in her heart.I'm sorry, I actually look like this... Suddenly, Mikami felt dizzy, the moment he entered the hall from the side door.No way?When he knew something was wrong, his eyes went dark and he lost his sense of balance.squat down!The brain issued instructions, but the hands were desperately looking for support, and finally touched the cold wall, so they leaned against the wall and clenched their teeth to support it.It didn't take long for the field of vision to slowly regain clarity.The light...the fluorescent lights...the gray walls...

He was startled when he saw the full-length mirror mounted on that wall.The mirror reflected her panting figure, with upturned eyes, bulbous nose, and protruding cheekbones, reminiscent of a bare rock.An octave of laughter came from behind him, and he immediately felt that someone was laughing at him. Two policewomen from the traffic department held the ventriloquist dolls used in the safety classroom as toys and laughed while walking. When their figures flashed by in the mirror, Mikami was looking fascinated at himself in the mirror.

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