Chapter 20 third quarter

All right.And here comes the end of this whole thing.The last chapter of the incident, after I survived the concentrated and intensive training safely, took advantage of the gap before the start of the training camp to finish the homework, and almost forgot about this incident and related people, it was like a strong wind blowing It usually happens suddenly. Shimazaki and I were watching the video that day. I went to Shimazaki's house to play. By the way, the two of us did homework together and watched the video for a break. It’s just that Aunt Shimazaki, who came to see us during her work break, said: “You two, you are most serious only when you are resting.”

Anyway, while we were watching a spectacular shootout scene, I suddenly thought about the shotgun. I casually told Shimazaki what happened, and there was nothing to worry about letting him know anyway, so I told him exactly what happened with the shotguns and how they were later put into the tree hole, as an exciting experience. As a result, Shimazaki, who was lying down, sat up when he heard it, his eyes sparkled, and his cheeks flushed. "what happened to you?" He ignored me and just kept staring at the wall in thought, as if I were talking to a puppet.So I ignored him and concentrated on watching my movie.

Thirty minutes later, Shimazaki blinked and said as if he had just woken up. "what is the date today?" It was the fourteenth of August. "On the 14th... there are still two days left, maybe there is still time." "What's too late?" "Hey, let's go to Suwa tomorrow!" "what?" "It must be nerve-wracking for them to get that shotgun. No, it would be weird, if not nerve-wracking. We've got to go." I began to worry about Shimazaki's brain again. "I... have no money." "I'll lend you to break that piggy bank."

"You save money with that? It's not like something you would do." "You are annoying! The simpler the method, the closer to the truth." Shimazaki's piggy bank was worth 50,000 yen.He really is not normal. We used that money as travel expenses and set off for Kami-Suwa.The excuse this time is still "summer research", back and forth in one day. Even though he was already on the express train for the outbound journey, Shimazaki still kept his mouth shut, refusing to explain at all what he was thinking of when he planned this trip.We sat next to a very gentlemanly, entrepreneurial man.I thought to myself, could Sawamura himself feel this way?

"Are you two traveling by yourself?" "yes." "Where are you going?" "Umi Suwa." "Are you going to write a research report on Takeda Shingen?" "hey-hey……" This gentleman and I form a composition that can be photographed as a poster for the JR East Japan Line.As we exchanged these conversations, Shimazaki kept frowning, staring out the window as if the train was driven by his psychic power. We tried to hitchhike from the station to the log cabin, as a supermarket truck happened to pass by and was going to deliver to the villa, which helped us a lot.

"Little handsome guy, what are you doing in the villa area?" When the uncle in a T-shirt and baggy trousers asked us, Shimazaki remained silent like a hermit.No way, I had to answer. "We live in a hotel by the lake. But a friend's family rented a villa in Kamisuwa Lakeside Village, and we want to visit him." The uncle in the supermarket hummed a few times and nodded. "You can't think your father is useless just because you envy your friends. These days, you can't earn a villa by making money in proper ways." "it is good." Uncle, not long ago, our family was rich enough to buy several villas like that—this sentence almost climbed to my throat, but I didn't say it.

I don't have to rely on memory to find the tree's hollow right away.Once you reach in... "Yes!" I found the filler.Although the entire shotgun is damp, it doesn't appear to have changed in appearance. Shimazaki put the ammo in his pocket and urged me down the hill.I was about to find a car to hitchhike, but Shimazaki said to me, "You're so imbecile. You have to go." He had a serious face and his nose puffed out.He is not angry, but excited.Usually Shimazaki is rarely this excited, so even I got nervous. We rented a boat by the lake and I paddled.When I rowed to the middle of the lake, I looked up and saw a blue sky as far as I could see.The earth is really round, I thought.

"Just go this way," Shimazaki said to me. I put the paddle down.The gray lake water with pale green lapped gently against the boat.On the far lake, a toy swan boat is heading towards the opposite bank.Shimazaki took the shotgun out of his pocket and said, "Spread the handkerchief." I pulled the crumpled handkerchief out of my trouser pocket.As I smoothed it with a handkerchief, Shimazaki said quietly, "Hey, you considered yourself 'lucky' when the thing didn't explode, didn't you?" "Yeah. Really lucky." "However, I don't think so. The thing didn't explode when it hit a rock, because..."

He tore the paper casings and dumped the round buckshot on the open handkerchief.There are nine balls smaller than pachinko balls. "Be careful, don't roll it around and lose it," he said. Next, Shimazaki began dismantling the empty shell casings. I took the nine lead bullets together with my handkerchief and moved them to my lap.It was a clever move, for a turtle-boat passed nearer than a swan-boat, and the waves rocked our little boat. "Here, watch." I followed Shimazaki's words and looked at his hands. There was no gunpowder in it. "It's a fake bullet."

"And what are these lead pellets?" "It's just a fake." Saying that, Shimazaki picked them up one by one and began to check the weight. "Four out of nine are." "What is it?" "It's about the same size as this, and the color is similar to this, but the price is horribly high." This time I frowned. "what are you saying?" Shimazaki took a deep breath and said. "See clearly, Watson." Then he put the four lead bullets he had chosen in his palm and showed them to me.I picked up one of them with my fingertips.

The surface of lead bullets is smooth and surprisingly beautiful.It's hard to imagine that this is a dangerous weapon that can be shot.Also, it turns out that lead bullets are so light... It wasn't until then that it dawned on me. I was so surprised that I forgot where I was and stood up suddenly.If Shimazaki hadn't held me down in panic, we might have capsized long ago. "calm down." "Why do you tell me to calm down!" "Okay, you sit down first. Do you understand? Don't move around, just sit obediently." Sitting on the rocking boat, Shimazaki told me what he thought.It's unbelievable, but reasonable. "I'm afraid we won't be able to get the thing out unscathed, we still have to hand it over to them." I nodded quietly. "Let's go, let's go back to Tokyo." The next day, August 16, Shimazaki and I went to the aquarium.Blue sea, strong wind, still a lot of people. It was Shimazaki's suggestion to come here, so I obediently followed suit without asking any further questions. Looking at the shining sea, Shimazaki walked forward slowly.Shimazaki and I walked side by side, looking out over the blurred distance of Tokyo Disneyland, where Cinderella Castle looked like a tiny model in the sunlight. The last time we came was exactly one month ago, on July 16th. "It must have come." We waited patiently at the back of the line, Shimazaki murmured as he bought tickets. "It must have come, I can assure you." "Yes, for sure." Our hunch did not fail us.Before the big tuna returned to the tank, she stood at a distance from the crowd, as if she knew we were coming and was waiting for us. She is also wearing a black suit today, with a pearl brooch and light red lipstick.She recognized Shimazaki and me and smiled at us. "Little brothers, we meet again." It's Mrs. Aquarium. We walked towards her and she walked towards us.Just like that day, she took turns touching our heads. "We're here to get you something." I looked up at her and said so. "what?" "Among the 129 pearls in 'Poseidon's Grace', the four that were lost." Mrs. Aquarium's slender eyes are slightly dilated. "Where are you?" Shimazaki and I nodded solemnly as if swearing. I said, "Are you another accomplice in that kidnapping?" In order to avoid other people's eyes and ears, the three of us came to the revetment on the embankment.Mrs. Aquarium in high heels walked a little slower than us.When she caught up, in the breath of the sea waves, there was the same perfume smell as that day. "Are you familiar with Mr. Sawamura?" She smiled a little when she heard my question. "Well... until the end, I still didn't know him very well, but we've known each other for a long time." "how long?" "...nearly thirty years." Shimazaki and I looked at each other, and she smiled brightly. "I'm fifty years old this year. In your eyes, I must be a terrible old woman." Not at all. "I met him when I was twenty-one. Although it was completely different from Satoko-san when she was twenty-one, I was still a young girl. Sawamura was only twenty-five, yes, or A little boy who has just stepped into the world." She leaned her elbows on the railing of the revetment and looked into the distance.Shimazaki and I were also on both sides of her, trying our best to look like adults, leaning our elbows. The strong sunlight poured down, and the voices of the aquarium's large audience followed from overhead.The sound of a child calling mother, the sound of young couples joking with each other, twittering and chirping together. "Grandpa! This way, this way!" "Here, is the filming finished?" "where is the bathroom?" "Mom—I want ice cream!" After a while, Mrs. Aquarium finally spoke, with a smile. "The two of us have never been in a place like this before. No chance, no time." "Neither Mr. Sawamura nor you?" Hearing my question, Madam nodded slowly. "When the two of us are apart, there's a lot of time, a lot of free time. But when the two of us are together, there's always a rush, a sad rush." So what is the situation?I do not quite understand.If I was alone with the person I like, the time should be rich and exciting... At that time, I still only looked at life from the bright side. "We used to live together, and we had no news for a year or two. Although this kind of relationship is very strange, I am very satisfied. I don't like to be bound by each other. I don't know if you understand?" Shimazaki said, "Yes. You said you didn't like living things being locked up." Mrs. Aquarium laughed softly. "Yeah, that's it. I want him to be free forever. No matter how anxious and worried I am, once I restrain him, he won't be like him. That's what I think, so I have a job and support myself own life, until now.” The sea breeze blew up the skirt of her black suit, revealing her beautiful knees.I suddenly imagined Mrs. Aquarium when she was young. Her footsteps must be fast, not losing to Mr. Sawamura.She must be strong to be able to follow him.No matter how many times she was lost, she was still able to find him again and follow him all the way. She turns to us. "How do you know? Know that I am Sawamura's assistant..." I turned to Shimazaki because he saw it. Shimazaki said slowly, "That day, today, a month ago, we met you, when you said 'Maybe we will meet here again'." "Oh……" "It's just that at that time, I didn't fully figure it out. When I really figured it out, I knew that there were female accomplices in this incident, and those prisoners had previously monitored—no, it should be said that they had been concerned—Ogata's operation time. That’s how I remembered what you said.” When Shimazaki explained it to me, he once said that he felt no malice from these prisoners... he even felt that they had good intentions. "When I was talking to you here a month ago, I never thought I would meet you again in this way," said Mrs. Aquarium. "I was just thinking blankly, it would be great if you could come today... that's all, why do you know?" Shimazaki smiled and suddenly looked like an adult.It's not just pretending, and it's not just that the body has grown, but every rib and every fingertip has become an adult. "Today, and last month's today is the 16th. Is this the day Mr. Sawamura died? And you are wearing mourning clothes and pearls." Mrs. Aquarium raised her hand and touched the brooch. This time I whispered, "You are mourning for Mr. Sawamura." Mrs. Aquarium smiled and looked away from us. I think she must not want people to see her tears. Recalling the truth of the incident that Mrs. Aquarium told us that day like this, I still feel my heart pounding. Of course she was the one who went to the lower flower wheel under the Edogawa Bridge to get "Poseidon's Favor".In order to pass the police's temporary inspection, as soon as she left the scene, she immediately fled to a business hotel that she had reserved nearby, disassembled 129 pearls in the room, and wrapped a thin layer of film on the surface, which made people feel uncomfortable. Thought it was shotgun shells mixed in with hand loaded bullets.Because it was carried on the body in this way, it was able to pass the strict interrogation later. The silver-gray sports car I saw while walking in Kamisuwa that morning was her car.At that time, she came to inform "Mr. Xintian" that the plan had been successful and asked him to flee immediately, so she went to Lakeside Village. And she went straight west afterward. "Did I say I have a job? I have a store in Motomachi, Kobe." So, she just needs to take a slight detour to Kami-Suwa, and then keep walking west. "Mr. Nitta" has also been waiting for her notification. "There's a shooting range nearby, and I have a shotgun license, so I immediately thought of that idea. When I was living with Sawamura, I thought I might be able to use it one day, so I went to get a license. But he never Not putting me in danger, giving me a chance to use that kind of stuff — because he wouldn't let me go anywhere near it." So, I have always been jealous of Miss Satoko.she said so. "When he was in danger, it was Satoko-san who was by his side. But I am also very grateful to Satoko-san, really very grateful, without her, Sawamura might have died there." It was also her idea to plan to snatch "Poseidon's Grace" from that battle. "In the past, I never made unreasonable demands on Sawamura, and I never acted like a baby with him, never. So when I knew that his days were numbered, I thought, just once, just once , I hope he will let me be self-willed for once. So I said, please grab 'Poseidon's Grace' for me, okay?" I don't want money, and I don't want your relics, I just want you to use your mind to prepare a perfect plan for me, just for me. "That was towards the end of last autumn. At that time, Sawamura was already thinking about the will. Then..." Mrs. Aquarium bent slightly and looked into my eyes.The fragrance of the perfume became stronger and I was dizzy all over. "Yanan." It was the first time she called my name like that. "yes." "Can you promise me not to be angry?" Looking at Mrs. Aquarium so closely, seeing her cheeks so pale and her eyes so far away, I didn't know what to do, so she repeated it again. "Yanan, can you promise me not to be angry?" "Angry at what?" "About what I'm going to say next." I swallowed awkwardly, and wanted to turn my head to look at Shimazaki, hoping he would tell me what to do.But Mrs. Aquarium squatted too close to me, and Shimazaki was blocked by her. "Okay..." I had no choice but to answer like this. "I promise." "Then, hook your fingers." Mrs. Aquarium holds out the pinky finger of her right hand. We hooked our fingers.The blood vessels in the little finger must be directly connected to the heart. When we hooked our fingers together, there seemed to be something connected between me and my wife.Madam's inner loneliness, and my inner childishness. Children don't become adults all at once.Just like building a tower with bricks one by one, the experience, joys and sorrows accumulated every day and every hour make children grow up slowly.This interlocking finger is a very important cornerstone in the process of my transformation into an adult. "Sawamura..." After hooking his fingers, the lady stood up and said quietly, "When deciding to make a will, the first thing he thought of was your mother and what he promised her. So, he wanted to find her. " "Looking for my mother?" "Yes, there are many ways. And it didn't take much effort to find her." Regarding this part, I discussed it with Shimazaki before.Since Mr. Sawamura left such a suicide note, he must have investigated Mom's current situation in detail. But…… "Please tell me one thing. When the Okubo Kiyoshi incident happened, was Mr. Sawamura worried about my mother? Did he care about her safety?" Hearing my question, Madam laughed. "Wow, how do you even know this? So clever." "Then, when the report about this incident misreported my mother's name, Mr. Sawamura..." "He cared a lot, but he couldn't go to Zhencao Village. The trouble that caused him to be shot hadn't been resolved, so he couldn't just walk around." "Then..." Madam stretched out her slender index finger and pointed at her nose, like a girl. "It was I who went to Masoko Village to confirm the safety of Miss Satoko on his behalf. To be honest, I was very jealous at that time. Because Sawamura was really worried, and Miss Satoko was so beautiful and cute." Shimazaki and I turned our heads to look at each other and gestured with our eyes.That said, our speculation wasn't entirely wrong. "I'm sorry to interrupt you. Mr. Sawamura wanted to find my mother, and he found it. Then?" What the lady said next was beyond my expectation. "Then, he met Miss Congzi." For a moment, my mind was blank.It's like the sea is so dazzling that the eyes can't see clearly. Mrs. Aquarium gently placed her right hand on my shoulder. "Yes, they met. Of course, he met to ask Ms. Satoko if she would like to accept the bequest. At first, I contacted her by phone. Ms. Satoko still remembered Sawamura, and she came to Sawamura to be hospitalized hospital." Mom met Mr. Sawamura. "Ms. Congzi is aware of all the plans and steps for this time, and she also helps to implement them." The counter in my head immediately closed the window because it was too frightened.Therefore, the new folder containing this fact was thrown there on the spot, with the title (Mom met Mr. Sawamura) clearly written on the front. "You don't seem very surprised." Hearing Madam's voice, I blinked and returned to the real world outside from the transaction room in my head. The "you" in Madam's words refers to Shimazaki.He seemed to go to class after fully previewing, no matter what happened, no matter what time the teacher pointed him out, he calmly raised his head and looked at his wife. "Well, I'm not surprised." "why?" "Because I think so too—I think Aunt Congzi may have known about this incident." I started to feel dizzy again, shrinking back to the counter in my head again.There was a file folder with the cover saying (Satoko already knew it)... What is written in it? When I came back to my senses, Shimazaki had already walked beside me. "I started to have this idea after I went to the hospital where Mr. Sawamura lived without telling you." Shimazaki said. "Hiding it to me? Have you been there?" Shimazaki nodded regretfully. "I'm sorry for keeping it from you. It's just that I think I can observe the facts more objectively by myself." I remembered.Shimazaki's mother said he went out every day and got a healthy tan. It turned out to be like this... "It was an excellent hospital that was rigorous and focused on privacy. I went to it several times, but couldn't find any specific clues. However, I didn't know what to look for at the time." Shimazaki scratched his head in embarrassment, and Mrs. Aquarium looked at him with a smile. "It seems to be the fifth or sixth time. I finally met a very kind nurse. I lied to her that I wanted to borrow the toilet, and she let me into the hospital. When I saw the atrium of the front entrance, I suddenly understood .” There are many carmine flowers with yellow background and white spots. That is my carmine flower. It was my mother who didn't know where to get the seeds and took them home to plant. Even when they moved, she said that it was a pity that they withered, so she took the rouge flowers to the rental building together. Those seeds were picked up by my mother in Mr. Sawamura's hospital. "And..." Shimazaki continued, "Thinking about what happened, I can only think that Aunt Satoko knew everything a long time ago, and secretly helped the kidnapper group of 'Mr. Nitta'." "Just by looking at their actions?" "Hmm. It's too risky to kidnap you and Aunt Satoko without any trace. For example, at the log cabin, there is no guarantee that Aunt Satoko will not pretend to call Maekawa in 'Mr. Nitta' In the lawyer's office, he said, "Please transfer the phone to me, and I will also say hello to the lawyer." In case of such a situation, you must deceive Aunt Congzi. If anything goes wrong, call the Maekawa office in Tokyo with 'Mr. Nitta' behind your back, and everything will be over. That would be too risky." Thinking about it now, I think what Shimazaki said was absolutely right. "So, what did my mother say after hearing Mr. Sawamura's plan?" Before she could answer, I asked another question. "What I don't understand the most is what is the benefit of my mother participating in this project. Why did my mother help stage this fake kidnapping case?" Mrs. Aquarium folded her arms over her chest and pondered for a moment. "When I heard Sawamura mentioning the bequest, Ms. Satoko looked very sad." "Very sad?" "Yes. We always thought she was married and living a happy life, so Sawamura and I were very surprised. So we asked her why..." If I got a lot of money now, I'd get a divorce--so Ma said. "My husband's affair has always made me very painful. I wanted to divorce several times, but I couldn't do it. I don't know why things have become like this, so I am very angry. If I don't have to worry about my life anymore, my husband will definitely abandon me. He ran away from home. Or on the contrary, as soon as I got rich, he suddenly started to treat me well, which is also an embarrassing thing... Miss Congzi said so." So, I can't accept the money.I appreciate your kindness... "After Miss Congzi went back, I started to think, and kept thinking, racking my brain." At that time, the plan to rob Poseidon's Grace was drawn up, and we decided to take advantage of the people from "The Log Cabin" and "House of Light". "I used to donate to the House of Light, so we knew each other before." It's just that it was not our family that was supposed to accept the 500 million yuan bequest and was fake kidnapped, but another family. "Sawamura originally planned to leave a sum of money to Ms. Satoko, and then bequeath the rest of the money to that family, taking the opportunity to cause an uproar. Even if that family was involved in Sawamura's plan, it can't be blamed on others— —Even if their family suffers this kind of retribution, they can only consider themselves unlucky. I can't tell you which family it is. Do you understand what I said?" "learn." "However, after hearing Miss Congzi's words, I reconsidered it again. I think that this time the fake kidnapping case must ask Miss Congzi to help." Then, she was the first to tell Mr. Sawamura about this idea. "He said he didn't want to do this, and he couldn't go too far. However, he is a man and I am a woman. After all, I understand Miss Congzi's feelings better. So we invited Miss Congzi to come again and ask her to help with this matter. " ——Miss Congzi, are you willing to let go and see where your husband's heart is? "So, Ms. Congzi agreed. She said she wanted to confirm with her own eyes what would happen to her husband if the child was kidnapped. Did he not care about the family she formed with the child? Has his heart really changed? Not on her? This is the first and last chance to be sure—she said so." Mrs. Aquarium's calm voice gradually touched my heart.The counter in my head opened a small slit and began to read the folder (which Satoko already knew). "Even so, Sawamura still objected. He said, let's not talk about Ms. Satoko, this will hurt Masao. As a result, Ms. Satoko said, no, please let me participate. If this continues, Masao will still be hurt Yes. Since it is also injured, at least I will take action." Mom knows everything.Knowing it clearly, but pretending not to know anything in front of the police, and even betting everything on us. Even I didn't realize it myself, I actually laughed.Then, I thought so. What a gamble.Mom's betting is really thrilling! Naoaki Sawamura was a gambler until his death.This must not be forgotten.He was a gambler at heart. It's just that it's not someone else who completed the last gamble on his behalf, but my mother.And this gamble is not about money, nor is it Naoki Sawamura that Shimazaki said before. but my father.The heart of my father Yukio Ogata. "After everything is ready, we will entrust lawyer Maekawa, so..." From the moment the lawyer came to our house, Mom's betting began.No wonder she was so excited when she heard that Dad was hurt. "Don't forget what you promised me just now, don't be angry with Miss Congzi." Mrs. Aquarium said softly. "Every parent has a secret or two that they can't tell their children for the rest of their lives." That's right.So, mom, I'm not angry! When we parted at the exit of Rinkai Park, Mrs. Aquarium took out two business cards of her own, wrote something on the back, and handed them to Shimazaki and me. "My job is to be a designer. I design not only clothes, but also gems." She smiled, looking at me and Shimazaki. "In the future, you will grow up soon. When you all become adults and meet a woman who wants to marry her, just take this business card and come to me. On that day, I will use 'Poseidon' pearls' made into rings for you." On the back of the business card is written "Custody Card: One of the highest grade black pearls to commemorate the coming day". "'Poseidon's Grace' is just a nice name. It would be best for this pair of unlucky jewelry to disappear. I will redesign them all and distribute them all over the world. This is my next goal in life." Mrs. Aquarium got into the silver-gray sports car, rolled down the window, stretched out a hand, and gently shook hands with Shimazaki and me. At this time, a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in my mind.It's totally unfounded, but I'm pretty sure.I remembered that strange sentence that Police Department Tamura said. (Just take the ghost you see as Naoki Sawamura, it makes more sense.) (In this world, no one can live completely alone.) I put my hand on the car window and said, "There is one more person, the young man with me and my mother..." Mrs. Aquarium looked up at me. "Is that your and Mr. Sawamura's son?" She smiled sweetly.I felt that the thin curtain that had finally hung the window of her heart was finally opened with a crisp sound. "That's my son, a child I decided to give birth to, and a child of my own in terms of household registration. We rarely meet because he is almost always abroad." Then she started the engine, put her hands on the steering wheel, and whispered: "However, he looks more and more like his father every year." The car started slowly.Mrs. Aquarium didn't look back, didn't look at us again.When the car was out of sight, Shimazaki patted me on the shoulder. I asked him, "The Sawamura ghost I saw at the log cabin that night..." Shimazaki nodded: "That's right, it's his son, 'Mr. Nitta'." "You already knew?" "My guess." I really want to laugh out loud, but if I laugh out loud, it seems that the happiness in my heart will dissipate with it. I think it's a pity, so I try my best to hold back. We stood in the dusty parking lot. I still remember what Shimazaki said softly at that time. "So there is such a 'family' too." Afterwards, I never saw Mrs. Aquarium again.However, I think she will definitely think about those black pearls and let them be reborn again. Therefore, readers may also have the opportunity to see the black pearl jewelry that is either coquettish, pure, or deeply sad... Until now, as long as there is a moonlit night, I will think of that night.The brighter the moon is, the more my heart will be tempted. I think of the people I never saw again, the people I never got the chance to see in the end, and the people I promised to see again. Yes, one day, I will go to her to receive that black pearl ring.Then, under the same pure and alluring moonlight, I would put that ring on the finger of the girl I love and tell her the story. And what those people taught me: The fastest guy doesn't necessarily win, and the person who seems to win isn't necessarily the winner.In order to judge whether it is worth the gamble, you have to gamble to know. One day, I will be like this, on a night with a heart-wrenchingly beautiful moonlight... For that moment, I would have the story ready.