Chapter 10 first quarter

From the first day of the long-awaited summer vacation, Shimazaki and I started investigating. The summer vacation of junior high school students is quite busy.As a member of the football club and Shimazaki as a member of the shogi club, our respective activity schedules are full.The clubs on both sides have very important activities. Shimazaki and I promised that we would definitely participate in the intensive intensive training that started in the first week of August and the training camp that started on the 20th, so we managed to get a leave of absence. It's a little hard to say, but I'm honest.Since I was picking up players for ten thousand years, and I had the sequelae of the commotion of 500 million yuan, the teacher agreed more readily.The trouble is Shimazaki.He is obviously in the first grade, but he is good enough to fight against their club instructor, and he is also the trump card of their shogi club autumn competition, and he has a heavy responsibility.

Shimazaki didn't tell anyone the reason for his leave, and for that I really appreciate him.If the people in the shogi club know that I have used their star of hope and new trump card in order to investigate personal affairs, they will not let me go.The president of the shogi club is a senior in the third grade, he is versatile in both civil and military affairs, and he also joined the judo club. Maybe he will catch me and fix me with moves such as Zhenfei Chetou and Deng Jingu. "What reason did you ask for leave?" Hearing my question, the old god Shimazaki replied in a down-to-earth manner.

"I said I would go to the mountains to retreat and practice." What kind of reason is this. Since we managed to get a short amount of free time, we all worked out an investigation plan together.The first target is "Masoso", which is Shimazaki's proposal. "If our thinking is correct, as long as we go back to Satoko's past, we must be able to find traces of Sawamura somewhere. It is impossible to find nothing." In the middle of summer, even in the shade without the sun, the sweat is still flowing.Under the sun, Shimazaki and I walked around with a map.Although the administrative division has not changed, the areas around Edogawa and Arakawa have been suddenly developed and rebuilt recently. Old houses have been demolished one after another, and many apartments, green spaces, and commercial buildings have been added.The atmosphere of the whole place must have been very different from what it must have been twenty years ago.

Sure enough, when we came to the house number where Masozhuang is located, what greeted us there was a beautiful five-story apartment with white walls and a domed balcony, called "Juai? Edogawa". It was not until we consulted the elderly administrator uncle that we realized that this was a building launched by a large real estate company, even we often heard the name of that company. "Didn't the original landlord live here?" "This is not a construction project jointly promoted by the landlord and the builder. Why are you two asking these questions?" "We're doing summer research..." I replied.This was an excuse that Shimazaki and I had thought up in advance. "The topic we chose was 'My Family's History'. The former apartment here is where my mother lived."

"Oh?" The administrator uncle showed admiration. "The topic you chose is really not easy." "Because this is also 'Showa history of common people'." Shimazaki said while holding his glasses. "How about it? Can you tell us where the former landowner lives now?" Hearing his words, the administrator uncle seemed a little surprised.He seemed to suspect that there were adults following us, and looked us up and down through the small window. I leaned over with a flattering smile, "Can't you? Uncle, please." "It's not impossible..." After confirming that there are no adults, the administrator's expression became even more suspicious, "I'm just a paid employee, and I don't know much about things in this area."

"But, just ask the head office, right?" Shimazaki said calmly. "Just give us the phone number and the name of the person in charge, and we'll get in touch ourselves." The administrator's expression seemed to have eaten something very sour: "Well..." "It's impossible for the person in charge not to know the current address of the land seller. This apartment is still very new, maybe four or five years old at most. There should be some information left..." I smiled at the manager and stomped Shimazaki hard. "Uncle, can't you? Please tell us."

"No, no." The manager shook his head.Obviously wary. "No matter what, it's useless even if you ask the head office. You can't tell outsiders casually about this kind of information." When I came outside under the bright sun, I said to Shimazaki, "You are obviously very smart, but sometimes you can be stupid." "Is there a shopping street nearby?" Shimazaki pretended not to hear. "Look for an old store and ask. Like that kind of old store, most of the old neighbors still live there, and they may still remember the real grass village."

As far as the results are concerned, his opinion is correct.The owner of the tofu shop in the shopping street not far away is very familiar with the children of the landlord in Yuancaozhuang, and knows where they moved.However, I can assure you that this time it was because I took the lead and asked the question in the way a junior high school student should. "Dasong and I have been classmates since elementary school," said the owner of the tofu shop. The Dasong he mentioned was the surname of the landlord of Zhencao Village.They sold their land and moved in the spring of five years ago, and now live in Omiya City, Saitama Prefecture.We both drank a cup of iced barley tea from the tofu shop, thanked each other, and rushed to the station immediately.

"Look. As long as you pretend to be a child, adults will be very kind." Shimazaki looked suddenly enlightened. "Instead of being reasonable and asking for help, acting like a baby is more effective. This is evidence that Japan is still in a neoteny (young state) society." "Are you dizzy from the sun?" The Omatsu family lives in a new residential area on the outskirts of Omiya City. The house is very beautiful. It is a completely symmetrical three-generation house with a spacious parking space.After ringing the doorbell, a woman in her twenties came out. "Here we come. Who is it?"

She was wearing hot pants and a white T-shirt, and her skin was as tanned as toast. I began to state our prepared remarks again.However, before she finished speaking, she laughed. "Oh, so it's you!" "what?" "The uncle from the tofu shop called and said that two middle school students who are doing summer research will come to see us. Come in. Is it hot?" It turns out that the friendly tofu shop owner is still an uncle who takes care of his family.We put on the slippers that were given to us and were led down a short corridor into the living room. It was a comfortable and spacious room, and the whole space was unified in coffee tones.The sofa is covered with calico covers, and exquisite shell wind chimes flutter outside the transom window leading to the courtyard.

"Please sit down." The beautiful big sister pointed to the sofa. "I'm going to call my grandma now." "Is grandma the landlord of Zhencaozhuang?" "That's right. It should be said that the house belongs to my grandparents." "Where's grandpa?" "I'm sorry, if only you had come two years earlier." Saying that, the eldest sister moved her beautiful legs and walked inside.Then we heard her yelling, "Grandma!" in a voice loud enough to shake glass, which sounded more like an argument than a cry. "Hmph," Shimazaki said as he wiped his glasses. "Obviously our retired elderly are a little deaf, so we have to be prepared when we ask questions." "It's up to you." I looked at his profile, "But, can you stop speaking in Holmes' tone?" "That's wonderful, Watson. You've got a very bright mind today." I still don't know how to describe the person who entered the living room next.All in all, a petite old lady.It felt like her whole body was getting smaller and smaller as she got older.The bare feet without slippers are incredibly small, the toenails are badly deformed, and the age is about eighty years old. "This is my grandma." After the big sister introduced to us, she took a soft breath. "Grandma! I just said it! They want to ask you about Zhencaozhuang!" From this close, she was loud enough to knock us over.But the old lady asked back: "Huh?" The eldest sister smiled and explained: "My grandma's ears are not very good." She raised her voice again and repeated the same sentence.This time the old lady finally understood. "Oh, it's these two children." For our summer research on "History of My Family," we had to visit places where our parents used to live and, if we could find friends from the time, interview them—and it took a while to even explain the purpose of our visit.Let me talk about the conclusion first.Until the end, we didn't seem to have a decent conversation.But we still achieved our goal, because the old lady was very cooperative, and the big sister was there to help. The eldest sister's name is Masami, and she is the youngest granddaughter of the Omatsu family. She is a sophomore in junior high school. "I am my family's megaphone." Sister Yami smiled and showed her white teeth. "I also lived in Zhencao Zhuang. Although I only lived for three short months." "When?" "It wasn't long before the demolition, because I really wanted to live alone. The apartment only had good lighting." After all, that was twenty years ago, and we hesitated to ask questions.But Sister Yami said: "At my grandma's age, I remember things from the past more clearly." After we mentioned to the old woman that my mother's full name before marriage was "Sasaki Satoko" and that she lived in room 204, the old woman thought for a while and then said. "Is it... the one who is learning to type?" "That's right, that's right. Also, there's a guy who looks like a gangster living in room 205 next door, don't you remember?" "Underworld?" The old woman frowned. "We never rent to gangsters." "They are talking about people who look like gangsters!" Sister Yami raised her voice.Then asked me: "Does it mean that you don't have a regular job?" "Well... it should be considered. He claimed to live in the shop by himself." "Grandma, it's the owner of the shop! How old are you?" "Thirty-five, six. The surname is Sawamura, and the 'Zawa' with more strokes." "Thirty-five or six years old! A man with the surname Sawamura! Three points of water, one four is happy luck, Sawamura! Remember?" "what?" Sister Yami turned her head away and complained quickly: "Smelly old woman, her ears are so hard." "You call me a stinky old woman?" The old woman was angry. "You can hear bad things about her, but her ears can pick up words. It's annoying. I haven't said anything!" Nerve... Yami-san muttered, thought for a while, and suddenly stood up. "Wait a minute, I have old photos at home." During the waiting period, the old woman said to us who had nothing to do and were restless: "You are welcome." She was referring to the orange juice Masami sister poured us.Shimazaki and I flinched and reached for the beaded glass.The old lady kept staring at us. After watching for a while, the old woman approached me with her upper body thinking hard: "Are you Miss Sasaki's son?" "Yes." After I finished speaking, I saw the old woman's confused face, and I realized that she couldn't hear at all. So I said out loud, "Yes, I am!" "Well, you look a lot like your mother." "yes!" "Is your mother okay?" "My mother is fine." After answering, I hastily added: "Thanks to you!" The old woman smiled, her whole face wrinkled. "Thanks to me!" At this time, sister Yami came back with two or three thick photo albums.As soon as the heavy photo album is placed on the floor, it will raise dust. "This is from Showa 46 (1971) and 47. My grandfather is very meticulous in this aspect, and the photos are all organized according to the date. I don't know if there are any photos of your mother in it." Have.It should be a photo taken during the Chinese New Year in Showa 46.There are Chinese New Year decorations at the narrow entrance and exit with the signboard of "Macaozhuang". Ma was wearing a crew-neck short coat, facing the camera, squinting harshly, her hair tied up with a ribbon. "It's so beautiful." I don't need to wait for Shimazaki to say, I also think mom is so beautiful. "This is when Ms. Sasaki brought us new rolls of salmon." The old woman said suddenly, pointing to the photo, "She went home to celebrate the New Year, and when she came back, she wished us a New Year." "I even remember this kind of thing." Sister Yami said to us. "I heard that my mother is the longest-living tenant in Zhencaozhuang." I said it out loud.After hearing this, the old woman tilted her head and said, "Is that so?" "My mother lived there until she got married and then moved out." This time the old lady didn't seem to hear clearly, she looked at Sister Yami with a puzzled expression. Yami sister repeated the same words for me. "Oh, that's right, she seems to have come to say hello before moving." That's all we got.No matter how much you ask, it seems that you can't ask anything.Sister Yami said that in fact, it was the deceased grandpa who handled the affairs of Zhencao Village, and grandma hardly took care of it, so it's no wonder she didn't remember. "After all, it happened twenty years ago." Sister Yami sighed, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help you." "Where, don't say that. I'm really sorry that we suddenly came to disturb you." At that time, Shimazaki was flipping through the photo album of Showa 46 when he suddenly stopped and raised his head. "What is this?" He said, and he spread out the central page to show sister Yami, "It seems that the police are coming." The photo he was referring to seemed to have been taken from the opposite side of Zhencaozhuang. On it was Zhencaozhuang and a two-story building next door.A police car is parked in front of the apartment next door, and the patrolman is standing with his back to the camera, talking to a middle-aged man. "Oh, really." Sister Yami seemed surprised too. "Grandma, what is this?" The old lady stared at the photo and tried hard to remember.She frowned faintly and licked her lips from time to time.I don't think this has anything to do with Mom, and I'm too embarrassed to make the old lady worry too much. Just when I was about to open my mouth to find a few words to pass over, the old lady finally spoke. "This...it was at the time of the Okubo Kiyoshi incident." "Okubo Kiyoshi?" Shimazaki was the only one who immediately responded to this name.Sister Yami and I looked at each other, thinking to each other: Who is that? "Did anyone related to that incident live near Zhencaozhuang at that time?" The old woman said "huh" to Shimazaki's question, and raised a hand next to her ear.Shimazaki took a deep breath, and then said loudly. "Does the person related to the Okubo Kiyoshi incident live near Maso Village?" "Yes, yes, it was really noisy at that time." The old woman replied immediately, her expression brightened. "It also caused a lot of trouble for Miss Sasaki." "My mother?" "Grandma, what's going on here? Who is Okubo Kiyoshi? The tenant of Yuancaozhuang?" "It was a famous case," Shimazaki explained. "I think it is also a very special case in the history of the Showa era. Okubo Kiyoshi specially found young women to get into the car, raped and killed them, and then buried the bodies - there seemed to be seven or eight people killed, all in the Chiba or Gunma are counties and cities near Tokyo. He lied that he was a painter looking for a model, or that he was a university professor looking for a marriage partner." "I don't know at all." Sister Yami stroked her long hair. "It's scary. What kind of car does this man drive?" "Uh...it seems to be a Mazda Coupe, right? Yes, a white Coupe." "Domestic car? You can catch girls with that kind of car, then he must be very handsome." Shimazaki tilted his head and said, "I don't know about that." "Little brother, do you know such a thing?" "Because it was a very famous case. The impact on Japanese society at that time was probably similar to that of the serial kidnapping and murder of girls." "Oh?" "He's a crime buff," I explained.Shimazaki wiped his glasses and gave me a hard look. Our self-contained conversation must have made the old lady feel very impatient, so when Shimazaki shut up, the old lady couldn't wait to say: "Even the police are here to investigate." "Huh? Check what?" "Just ran to our place to investigate." Through Masami’s sister’s translation and Shimazaki’s explanation, I roughly know that the situation at that time was as follows: The Okubo Kiyoshi murder case broke out after the murderer was arrested for forcibly abducting a woman, and confessed that there were other corpses.After that, the police at that time re-investigated whether there was any connection with Okubo Kiyoshi against all the missing young women in Tokyo and the Kanto area. One of the women lived in the apartment next to Masozhuang. At that time, she had been missing for about two months. about.That photo was taken when the local police officers came back to investigate. "Our grandpa likes to join in the fun." Grandma said. If it's just like this, it's naturally not a big deal.The problem is her name.Her name is Sasaki Riko. The pronunciation is exactly the same as Ma, but the words are different, and he lives in the adjacent apartment.Because of this, it caused quite a disturbance. At that time, Japanese society was in a state of turmoil because of this unprecedented brutal murder, and the news media was also nervous, speculating whether there would be new corpses and victims.On the other hand, the police investigation found that Ms. Sasaki Riko would go to Maebashi City to find friends before she disappeared, so some magazines had already published reports that she might be the new deceased. As a result, Riko Sasaki, who saw those reports, was taken aback and showed up to explain that the misunderstanding was resolved (the reason for the disappearance seemed to be that she eloped with a man with a family), but her mother was implicated.It would be fine if it was a friend whom we could meet every day, but the grandparents in their hometown were shocked and called immediately.My mother had no choice but to go home and explain to the two elders that everything was a misunderstanding, so that my parents could see that I was fine. Her!", causing my mother to die of exhaustion. "I never heard my mother mention it." "Although she actually had nothing to do with that case, but the case is so tragic, mothers don't want their children to know." Sister Yamei said. "Also, your mother may have forgotten." "makes sense……" Shimazaki didn't speak, as if he was thinking about something. We left Omatsu's house an hour later, around four o'clock in the afternoon.Although there was nothing left to ask, sister Masami said, "It's not good to be hungry on the way home." So she treated us to cold noodles, and we went to the station on the way.Even the private detectives or criminal police on TV have never heard of them having free cold noodles to eat when they go to someone's house to investigate.Kids really take advantage. After we boarded the Keihin Tohoku Line, Shimazaki remained silent.When talking to him, he only responded twice.I was also very tired at the end, so I dozed off all the way until Akihabara changed to the Sobu line. On the platform of the Sobu Line, Shimazaki spoke suddenly. "Tonight, ask Congzi about the mistaken person." "what?" "However, be careful when you ask, don't say that you have gone to the landlord of Zhencaozhuang." "I know that!" "Call me after you know the result." I thought his words sounded completely emotionless, and peeping into his eyes behind the glasses didn't tell what he was thinking. However, at dinner that night, I followed his instructions and asked cautiously: "Mom, do you know about the Okubo Kiyoshi murder case?" Surprisingly, Ma's reaction was so exaggerated that the chopsticks in her hand almost fell off. "Why are you saying this all of a sudden?" "do you know?" "I know, it was a terrible murder." I told the lie that Shimazaki instructed—— Shimazaki chose the topic of "Our Showa Era" for the free research of this summer homework (what a good excuse), and wanted to study the big cases at that time.He went to check the previous weekly magazines, and saw a report at that time that a woman named "Riko Sasaki" lived in an apartment in Edogawa Ward and might be the victim of the Okubo Kiyoshi Incident.Isn't her name the same as mom?The place where I live is also very similar. At that time, did anyone mistakenly think it was my mother? Mom stared at me blankly for a while.She just happened to be looking at me, and I could feel that Mom was actually examining her heart. "No, Mom doesn't know." After Mom replied this sentence, she continued to eat, and never brought up this topic again. "May 14th, Showa 46," Shimazaki said on the other end of the phone, "That's the day Okubo Kiyoshi was arrested. He confessed at the end of the month that he had killed several people, which shocked the entire society." I held the receiver and lowered my voice very low.Although Mom is taking a bath, she can't be careless. "so what?" "Last time Satoko said that the first time she and Sawamura met was at the end of January, Showa 46, right? Sawamura disappeared after two weeks, which was almost mid-February." "what do you want to say in the end?" "After they broke up, the commotion to Okubo Kiyoshi happened three months apart." "And then?" Shimazaki coughed twice: "Let me tell you, I checked the book "History of Criminal Cases of the Showa era". Okubo Kiyoshi killed eight people in the seventy-seven days before he was arrested." .He accosted a total of 127 women, 35 got into the car, and raped more than a dozen. Seventy-seven days is almost two and a half months, and he moves really fast." I don't quite understand the meaning of his words. "Think about it, how would you react when you saw such a terrible number?" "What reaction...?" "Are you worried about your female friend who lives alone outside? If she is still kind to you? You haven't met or contacted since then; maybe it's because the relationship is not deep, but the matter has become so serious, you Won't you worry?" Now, I finally know what he meant by saying these words. "Also, at this time, a woman with a name similar to her was listed as the victim. If you don't worry about this, that person is too cold-blooded." The sound of water coming from the bathroom reminds me of the mother I saw in Dasong’s photo album today. "If it were me, even if there was no such report, I would go to see her situation. Although I think it is unlikely, I will go to confirm it myself." In order to make the restaurant-style short-term rental building feel a little home, Mom put the calendar she brought from home on the wall.I looked at the calendar to count the dates. Break up in mid-February, until the end of May, or early June... "They reunited because of this?" Shimazaki replied immediately: "I think so, but it's just a hypothesis." "I asked my mother, and she said she didn't know." "Oh." "However, it looks a little unnatural." There was the sound of liquid splashing on the other end of the phone. "What are you drinking?" "Cola." "You clearly said that drinking that would make you stupid." "Just want a little stimulant once in a while, Watson." The bathroom door opened and Mom called me: "Ya Nan, go take a shower!" "it is good--!" I responded first, and then said to the receiver: "Hey, tell me before you hang up. Didn't you say a weird word today?" "What word?" "Neoteny or something. What does that mean?" "Oh, that. That's the meaning of 'juvenile state', that is to say, to maintain the appearance of a child and grow into an adult." "Where did you find this kind of thing?" "I didn't check it out, so I knew it naturally." "What kind of weird life do you usually live?" Shimazaki smiled, as if he was drinking Coke again, and even I became thirsty. "I'm asking you." "Ok?" "In the eyes of a thirty-five-year-old man, is a nineteen-year-old girl an adult or a child?" "...It's hard to answer." "Maybe we will only find out when we are thirty-five years old and look around for those female college students who have just graduated from short colleges?" "Yes. But one thing is certain, Watson." "What's up?" "Nineteen-year-old girls will soon be twenty-year-olds, and twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three years old." "Yes indeed." "It must have changed a lot, I thought. Just look at my cousins." "Well, understandable." "But, it doesn't matter whether a man is thirty-five, thirty-six, or thirty-seven years old. He won't suddenly become an old man after two or three years." I didn't speak, and looked at the calendar on the wall again, thinking about the flow of time. "See you tomorrow." "Well, sorry to trouble you, Holmes." "Good night, Watson." Shimazaki paused for a moment, then added in a low voice. "Sleep well." However, I had a dream of someone playing "so high, so high" with me.

---

Notes: