Chapter 24 Section VI

Leaving aside the significance of the white knight, Kayo visited Toshihiko’s friends and colleagues in various places in the next week, patiently asking them one by one if they knew the reason why he borrowed money. However, everyone looked puzzled.What is the reason behind Toshihiko's secrecy? And the one who talked the most was the object of Okumura's suspicion, Udagawa Tatsuro. He is a dark-skinned, rather handsome young man with a quick mind.I'd even give him full marks if he didn't want to court Kayo-chan whenever he got the chance. "That guy Yuno is very nice, but his personality is a bit gloomy, but he is very serious."

"It stands to reason that he shouldn't be the type to borrow money easily." "That's right. Maybe that guy doesn't even have a credit card. There are very few people like this now. By the way, are you free tonight? How about going for a drive and enjoying the night view of the Yokohama Bay Bridge?" "No, I often go there on business. What kind of person is President Aizawa? For example, will he let his staff advance their salaries?" "Impossible, that old man is very strict." "Severe? About money?" "For everything. A colleague was arrested for drunk driving before. The old man was very angry and fired that colleague immediately."

"...It's really an exaggeration." "It's just cleanliness. He always said: 'People who don't abide by the law are not qualified to survive in society!' Here, let's go to a fashionable nightclub together?" "Sorry, I don't know how to drink. Does every employee know that President Aizawa is so strict?" "Of course. In short, the president is really wordy, and he would quarrel with Yuno. It was because people from the underground bank called the company and the president found out that the dispute arose." "Not only that, Mr. Min Yan also wants to borrow money from the president..."

It refers to the matter of "there is no reason to pay the two million". "However, Mr. Qiumo is the hardest one." "Mr. Qiumo? Because he has known the president for a long time?" "This is also one of the reasons, but mainly because of his son." It was Masashi who left us speechless. "What did you say you want to be a painter and went to Paris, but that guy is really bad, I doubt he really has artistic talent? Mr. Qiu Mo spoils the child too much, and even let him hold a solo exhibition. Because I was invited Had to go, but there were no guests, the pictures were terrible, and besides, he was an unpleasant fellow."

"Yeah, that person looks very problematic..." It is said that Masashi's weird behavior and Mr. Qiu Mo's blind love are well known in "Kinxin Coffee". "Mr. Qiumo seemed to want to be a painter when he was young, so he entrusted his unfulfilled dream to his children. It's just that it's not only funny, but also sympathetic." "He just indulged the child too much." "The president was very angry when he saw it. He often said: 'The method of educating children at the end of Qiu is wrong.' The relationship between the two of them is not only the boss and subordinates, but also friends, so it seems that the president will directly advise Mr. Qiu Mo. It's a pity that Mr. Qiu Mo I don’t appreciate it, and often complain that the president is meddling in his own business.”

"Have you seen Mr. Qiumo's son recently?" "No. I heard that their family seems to be building an additional studio or something, so they are locked at home all day. Well, how about going to a movie together? It can change your mood." "If you answer this question, I can think about it. Where are you from eight to ten on the night of the incident?" "Tsk!" "Where?" "At home, alone. You can ask the girl next door to me, she knows everything about me." Little Kayo said with a smile: "That's it. Then, let's watch the movie with that girl. Thank you for your cooperation."

We also went to see Mr. Qiumo. Knowing that we are people from the detective agency, everyone was wary at the beginning.Once the explanation is made and the purpose of our investigation is understood (Kayo judged that it is better to do so in this case, so he also mentioned that the client is Ms. Yuhui), he will usually be more relieved or sympathetic, and let go of his guard. And talk. The same goes for Mr. Qiu Mo, although he looked suspicious at first, but his attitude softened immediately when he heard Ms. Youhui's name. "Is that so... so sympathetic. That's why you went to the president's house before, right?"

"At that time, I was taken care of by you." "No, it's me. Masashi wasn't feeling well at the time, you're laughing at me." Seeing his frightened look, he also knew how foolish it was without common sense.Mr. Qiu Mo was originally an honest person, and his reputation among other members was not bad. Is this blind affection?I am a little depressed.Mr. Qiu Mo was talking about Yashi, but he couldn't get to the point. After the interview, we found out that he was a widower. We heard that his wife passed away a year ago, and now he and Masashi are living together.

The house itself is small and elegant, but the courtyard is quite spacious.In the courtyard, the studio mentioned by Udagawa youth is under construction. "I wanted to let Masashi's works come out when my wife was alive... Masashi was hit hard by his mother's death." Is that why you went to do drugs?I thought sarcastically. Really anxious!Whenever this happens, I wish I could speak.I don't like the way Mr. Qiumo spoils his children, but I understand his feelings.So I want to give him advice: the most important thing is to take your son to see a doctor first! "Are these all your son's works?" Kayo asked looking around the room.In the not-so-spacious living room, there are only two paintings hanging, and of course there are also corridors and entrances.

"Yes. The use of color is unique, isn't it? Some people say that his works are unforgettable once seen." can you?It's just a landscape painting with a touch of surreal style, and it doesn't leave a strong impression on people. Suddenly, I felt a little creepy.Not limited to stimulants, artist and drugs are a common combination.What if Masashi was using drugs to fuel his own ego and his father's expectations? ...In the end, he wasted his original talent? "Great painting." Xiao Kayo matched Mr. Qiumo's interest. "I heard that you even sent your son to study abroad?"

Mr. Qiu Mo smiled and said: "Yes. If you want to learn painting, you still have to go to the place where it originated. Recently, he will hold a large-scale exhibition, so he will stay in Japan for the time being, but after the exhibition is over, he will go abroad again." Bearing all the costs, sending your child to study abroad—and in a subject as expensive as the arts—should be quite a financial burden.The police have also noticed this and will investigate carefully after the incident. According to the police investigation, both Mr. Akimo and President Aizawa have invested in stocks. Their holdings are very solid and their profits are stable.It may not be obvious from the outside, but Mr. Qiumo is actually very rich. Okumura said before that Mr. Akimo's alibi is not clear, but he has no reason to kill the president for 12 million. After talking about Masashi's works for nearly an hour, the topic finally switched to Toshihiko.But when this matter was mentioned, Mr. Qiumo became taciturn. He said he couldn't think of any reason for Toshihiko to borrow the money. "Although I understand his sister's feelings, I think it's pointless to investigate this kind of thing." "yes?" "Well. Today's young people can't resist the temptation, and the nature of 'borrowing money' itself is different from the past, isn't it? Borrowing easily, spending it without a specific purpose, and borrowing it when it's used up-this is a vicious circle I think when the person involved realized it, he was already deeply involved and couldn't extricate himself." Indeed, such cases have increased.The lawyer who is familiar with the director also said that because too many young people applied for credit bankruptcy, the bankruptcy department of the court was crowded with people. "However, some people say that although Mr. Uno is short of money, he seems very happy." Mr. Qiumo laughed "haha". "That's even more proof that you don't shed tears when you don't see the coffin." Little Kadai was silent. At the time of parting, Kayo-ko flattered Masashi's paintings at the entrance and said, "I also have a younger sister who wants to be a painter." As a result, Mr. Akimo came back and gave her a small sketch. "Please give it to your sister. It can be used as a model for copying. This is Ya Shi's sketch of the Paris Opera." Little Kayo's expression was a little unrelieved, and he took the sketch home.She showed it to the Xiao Department, and the Xiao Department directly judged: "It feels like an unhealthy painting." That's right, Xiaoxi's appreciation is really accurate. "And people want to go to New York more than Paris." In this way, Masashi's sketches were shelved. Ten days later, Kayo won the "jackpot", and the opportunity was buried among Min Yan's personal belongings. Toshihiko's apartment contract was terminated one month after he disappeared, and all personal belongings were sent to his sister, Miss Youhui. Kayo-chan carefully inspected those items.She pays particular attention to the matchboxes and receipts with the name of the store, and the coupons or loyalty cards issued by various stores, which identify the location and are sometimes stamped with the date of use.If you want to track down where Toshihiko has been, who he has met, and what he has done, this is an excellent clue. Xiao Kayo selected the items during the period when Toshihiko borrowed money from the underground bank at the end of October last year, and checked them one by one, including beauty salons, dentists, and bookstores. The key is a coupon for a certain restaurant and bar. It says "Show this coupon next time you visit and get a side dish for free".The issue date stamped on the rubber stamp on the top was the first Saturday in November last year, when Min Yan had already borrowed money from the underground bank. Kayo-chan went to visit the store, but unfortunately, it was three months ago, so he couldn't count on the store staff's memory.However, I heard that this coupon is only issued to guests who have stored alcohol. "Does your store have a guest list for storing wine?" "Yes, we will record it. As long as the customer does not refuse, we will ask the customer to fill in the name and address on the customer card. On special days such as Christmas or Valentine's Day, our store will send out invitation cards." Xiao Jiadai asked the store to show her the customer card, but there was no name "Toshihiko Uno" on November 4th. In this way, there are two possibilities: 1. Minyan came with "who" and that "who" left the wine and gave Minyan the coupon. 2. The "who" who came here that day to leave the wine, met Minyan elsewhere afterwards, and gave him this coupon. Regardless of the possibility, that "who" must have met Min Yan, and the possibility of being an acquaintance is quite high.Xiao Kayo copied a customer list to the store for comparison with the contacts of Toshihiko's colleagues, friends, and schoolmates. As a result, she found that person.He was Minyan's high school friend, and met Minyan by chance that Saturday afternoon, because they hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they went drinking together.That's when he deposited the wine. He works in a trading company, so he took a lunch break to see Kayo-chan.Of course he had heard about the case, and was worried about Min Yan's condition. "Minyan, even if killed, can't do such a thing as murder..." The friend's face was full of gloom. "Do you remember when you met Uno-san?" Hearing Kayo-chan's question, he took out a notepad from his breast pocket, flipped through it for a while, and nodded. "I met him at a cafe called 'Piero' in Yotsuya. It was around three o'clock in the afternoon." "Are you alone?" "I was alone. He was meeting with someone, like he was exchanging documents or something. After the business was over, the two of them were about to leave the coffee shop, and I called Uno out loudly. Then, he came to my side." "Did the person who met him just leave like this?" "Yeah. The man took what Uno gave him and said 'I did get it'. Uno was so happy that day." I heard that Toshihiko also said "I am the white knight" at that time. "I asked him what he meant, and he just smiled." "What kind of person met Mr. Minyan?" "What is it like?...It feels like an ordinary office worker. Wearing a suit and tie. I asked Uno who that guy was." "How did he say?" "It's someone from the hospital." "Hospital--?" "Isn't his sister having bad feet? I thought it might have something to do with his sister, so I asked him: 'Is anyone sick?' He said: 'No, everything will be fine from now on'... vaguely , didn’t say anything, but looked very happy.” Finally, he remembered an important thing. "I now think that although the man is wearing a suit, he is wearing slippers on his feet." At that time, Okumura was also there.Xiao Jiadai was very happy about this clue, but he said: "However, it is too difficult to find out the person Minyan met, and there is too little information." I really wanted to kick his leg, and Xiao Jiadai also patted hard his back. "Cheer up! There are clues." "What clue?" "Have you ever done this before? Wearing a suit and wearing slippers. Mr. Toshihiko met someone from the 'hospital' near 'Piero'. Because it was so close, I didn't even bother to change my shoes, so I just wore them in the office. slippers to go out." Little Kayo listed the "hospitals" within a radius of one kilometer of the "Piero" coffee shop, and looked around with Minyan's photo.Four days later, the man was finally found.