Chapter 13 Chapter Twelve

That night, Tajima took the train bound for Morioka.This train was the "Northern Star" express to Morioka at 22:18 that Masako had marked on the timetable with a red pen. When passing through the ticket gate, he saw groups of young people carrying skis entering the platform. He was very afraid of the noise in the carriages, but luckily those young people got into other carriages. Tajima was lost in thought in the quiet compartment. The scene at the Tama Nursery was deeply etched in Tajima's heart. The young nurse called the child "Kikara."I don't know what Chinese character this pronunciation is written in.Is it "force" or "main tax", just write it in any Chinese character!The key is how "Qikala" is spelled in the Latin alphabet.Hisamatsu probably learned the black spelling. Should "Qikara" be spelled "CHIKARA"?In this way, the prefix is ​​"C".

The "A·B·C" written on the blue envelope is that cute boy with big eyes. That kid looks like Masako.But it shouldn't be Masako's child.Because Masako had never had a relationship with a man other than Tajima.Then there is only her.She is Masako's older sister who lives in Iwate Prefecture.Although Tajima had never met her, since she and Masako were sisters, her face shape must be similar to Masako's.It is not surprising that the elder sister's child is like Masako. Tajima took out the photo.The woman in the kimono in the photo must be Masako's older sister.Judging from her age, Masako's sister should be in her thirties, which also matches the woman in the photo.Moreover, she married a wealthy farmer in the Northeast, so there must be many opportunities to wear kimonos.

Tajima seems to have seen the truth of the incident.But it is not sure whether it is accurate.He decides to meet Masako's sister. After the train passed Heiji, there was snow outside the window.While looking at the snowflakes flying in the dark, Tajima thought, there is only one last day of vacation left.It has been half a month since the incident. When Tajima changed trains at Morioka and got off at Station K, it was already 10:40 am the next day. The snow stopped and the sky was blue.Stations, fields, and bushes were covered with snow.There is about 20 centimeters of snow on the ground.Luckily he was wearing rubber boots.

After being instructed by the station staff, Tajima walked towards the K village.The snow on the road has been steadied and it is easy to slip. On the way, a farmer pulling a truck walked past Tajima.A child was sitting in the van.The child's belly button is exposed.Tajima thought, isn't the child cold? The village government appears on the front right. Tajima walked into the dimly lit village government office. A peasant woman with a baby on her back held a piece of paper and asked the female clerk: "How should I write it?" It is a declaration form.The female staff answered with a northeast accent.

By the fire two young men were talking while warming their hands. "I hate being a 'nixi' (son-in-law)." One person said: "People like me are not suitable for being a 'nixi' (son-in-law)." "No matter where, whoever has a good young man like you as a 'nixi' (son-in-law) will be blessed!" At the beginning, Tajima didn't understand what they said, because he didn't know what "Ni Xi" meant. Later, he realized that "Ni Xi" meant "son-in-law".They seem to be talking about their marriage. Tajima came forward to talk to them, and they looked at Tajima in surprise.

Tajima gave them a business card.The two exclaimed "Huh?" at the same time. "What are you doing?" asked the tall young man. His voice has completely changed.Although there is still a little dialect, it is basically a standard language.Tajima was taken aback by this. "Yamazaki Masako's older sister, does she live here?" Tajima asked. The other party nodded and said: "Yes. Her name is Shizhi. She is married to the landlord Swamp. It has been five years." "Do the Marsh couple have any children?" "Yes. There is a very lovely child."

"Is the child at home?" "Yes! I saw the old woman hugging her yesterday!" "Is it a boy?" "No, it's a girl. Two years old." "Is there another boy? Maybe he's not at home now." "There is another one?" The young man was puzzled, tilted his head and thought for a while, then suddenly smiled and said: "Did you remember wrongly?" "misremembered?" "A child was born four years ago. But it died. Miscarriage..." "Dead?" Tajima looked disappointed. Wasn't the boy he saw in the Tama Nursery the child of Masako's sister?

"Is it really dead?" "Really. And also reported to the village government." "Did the doctor declare it?" "There is no doctor in this village. The female health worker issued a death certificate. With the medical certificate, I went to the village government to apply for a burial permit. This is the process and rules of the declaration..." "Is it a miscarriage? Have you checked?" "It doesn't matter if you don't ask questions, because there is a death certificate! And it is handled according to the regulations." The young man said.

Is it that simple to go through the formalities for the dead?Tajima has always thought that the work of government departments is very cumbersome, so he was surprised.Probably only the village government does this?A burial permit can be issued with a death certificate issued by a village doctor. Did the child die?No one has confirmed it! What if that death certificate was forged? If this is the case, it may become an excuse for intimidation.Hisamatsu may have used this to carry out extortion! But according to Nakamura's police assistant, Hisamatsu never visited K village.The staff of the village government said that they had never seen this person after looking at the photo of Jiu Song.

How did Hisamatsu know about this in Tokyo?Tajima felt strange.Maybe he called. "Excuse me, has anyone sent a letter from Tokyo before about the swamp family?" The young man nodded and said: "Once. There was a letter asking to know about the Marsh couple's child." "Who is the sender?" "What weekly magazine?" "Is it Real Weekly?" "Yes, it's this magazine." "Oh, no wonder!" Tajima nodded. Hisong Song sent a letter to the village government in the name of Real Weekly, so when Nakamura's police assistant came here to investigate, he didn't ask Hisong Song's name.He can use that photo to intimidate, which shows that there is something wrong with the death certificate.

Tajima asked the female health worker's home address, thanked the two youths, and went outside.The two youths then began talking again: "Have you bought a TV yet?" "If you can't afford a TV, it's too bad." While walking towards the female health worker's house, Tajima reconsidered the attitude of the two youths from the village government.Is it because they suddenly changed their hometown dialect to the standard language because of their enthusiasm for Tajima or their vigilance against this outsider?Tajima feels like an outsider in the village. Tajima soon saw the shrine.The gateposts of the shrine are magnificent, but the shrine's shrine is a thatched cottage.The gateposts and the roof of the shrine are covered with a thick layer of snow.The home of the female health worker is in the backyard of the shrine. This is an ordinary house.Standing in front of the door, Tajima saw a wooden sign saying "House of the War Dead" nailed to the post beside the door.This kind of wooden sign has not been seen in Tokyo for a long time. After standing at the door, a forty-five or six-year-old woman came out and opened the door.Her face was covered with wrinkles.Tajima told her, "From Tokyo." She was taken aback.He whispered "Please!" and led Tajima into the living room. Tajima didn't know what attitude the female health worker had towards the incident.In a remote rural area, she should also be classified as an intellectual, right?She is very talkative and took the initiative to talk about the work of the health workers.However, when asked about the swamp family, she suddenly stopped talking.From then on, no matter what she asked, she would not say a word. "I wonder if the miscarriage of Tokie Sawa four years ago was real?" Tajima asked. "I definitely don't mean to blame you, and I will never call the police. It's just that I personally want to know about it." The female health worker was silent. Tajima got impatient and walked out of her house silently.He thought it was difficult to understand clearly.Even if I see Masako's sister, I'm afraid there will be no gain.But I can't return to Tokyo right now. The Marsh family looked very wealthy.Owns a mansion surrounded by zelkova trees. Tajima walked into the yard and saw a woman looking after the child by the eaves.She was wearing a kimono and was about thirty years old.Tajima is very familiar with her back.She is the woman in the picture. Shimao walked towards her.At this moment, the dog chained in the corner of the yard barked.The woman turned around.Her face was not only like Changzi, but also like the boy named "Qikala". Tajima handed over a business card and said, "I am Tajima. Masako and I are good friends and have very close contacts." "You and Masako...?" The woman was a little frightened, and even her body became stiff.The little girl in her arms burst into tears.She hastily coaxed the child, and whispered to Tajima: "Please come up!" Tajima was ushered into the innermost room.The room is nice but dimly lit. When they sat down facing each other, Tajima found that two of her left fingers were shortened. "Are you Tokie?" Tajima asked again, and after she nodded, she said: "Today, I want to ask about your sister." Shi Zhi's face suddenly paled.She said nothing. Tajima continued: "Masako was arrested by the police as the murderer of Sono Hisamatsu, you must know this. She confessed to having an affair with Hisamatsu, and in order to end the relationship, she killed Hisamatsu. But, this is a lie. Masako is not like that People, that's what I know best. So, I did my research, and I got this photo." Tajima put the photo in front of Tokieda.When Shi Zhi saw the photo, he looked away. "The woman in the photo is you, right?" Tajima said. She was silent and did not answer.Tajima became anxious.He said in a positive tone: "This woman is you. You gave birth to a boy four years ago. When you knew that the child was disabled by Ambien, you asked the female health worker to issue a death certificate, and then sent the child to Tama Therapy Ikuen. Masako was probably the one who brought the child to Tokyo? Now I finally understand why she suddenly went to Tokyo.” "..." "As a mother, you miss that child very much. So, you secretly went to Tokyo to visit the child. However, Hisamatsu found out about your going to the nursery school. He secretly took a photo. This is the photo he took, right?" "..." "Jiu Song took the opportunity to extort money. When Changzi knew about it, he wanted to help you out of the predicament. Changzi once told me: My sister saved her life. When I saw your finger, I knew it was for Changzi, the price you paid. When a bear or some other beast came at Changzi, you were desperate to save her." "..." "So, this time Changzi will save you and help you out of the predicament. She handed over 200,000 yuan to Jiusong for you. After she transferred the money to Jiusong's account, she went to Jiusong's apartment. The purpose is to get back the certificate The negative of the photo. But Jiu Song refused. Because with the negative, he could print as many copies of the photo as he wanted. In this way, he could blackmail him as many times as he wanted. Perhaps he even made stricter demands on Chang Zi. So she killed Hisamatsu. She did it not for herself, but for you." "Masako also went to the Tama Nursery, right? Maybe you begged her to tell you about the child's recent situation? So she often goes there, and is familiar with the surrounding terrain. Triangle Mountain is very close to the Tama Nursery, so Hisamatsu accepted it." Masako's date. In short, Masako committed murder for you." Tajima finished speaking and looked at Chun Shizhi. Shi Zhi lowered his head as if thinking about something.What is she thinking?Tajima has no way of knowing. Shi Zhi remained silent.She kept her lips tightly shut like a mute. "Please say something!" Tajima said. Still silent.It was the same as what happened at the female health worker's home. "Please say something!" repeated Tajima, and continued: "Changzi is protecting you. She has been punished. Maybe she can keep your secret, and maybe she won't hurt your swamp family. But what will happen to Changzi? The court will sentence her to a heavy sentence. But if the relevant departments know the truth , and the sentence may be commuted as appropriate.” "..." "Why are you always silent?" Tajima was in a hurry.He shouted: "Why didn't you answer? When you gave birth to a deformed child, if you had the courage to raise the child, then this incident would not have happened. Your actions caused Masako to kill two people. Now, you are still indifferent..." "..." Shi Zhi remained silent. Tajima couldn't stand Tokieda's silence.Why is the earth silent?If Tajima's words offend her (I'm afraid it has already upset her?), you can yell: "Get out!" and Tajima will react to a certain extent.But the silence made Tajima unbearable. Shi Zhi remained silent.What is she thinking about?Tajima just wants to know that now.Because she kept her head down, she couldn't see her expression clearly. Can silence solve the problem?Maybe she thought silence was the only solution to the problem.Don't you feel guilty at all by sacrificing Masako to keep your secret? "Please say something!" Tajima said. But the words were thrown into the water, and there was no response. Tajima became more and more anxious.It was a dignified, unmanageable silence.Even if he grabbed Shizhi by the collar and forced her to speak, she would not speak. Tajima stood up impatiently, while Tokie was still sitting there motionless.Tajima opened the door by himself and walked out of the room.At this time, he saw an old woman squatting in the corridor outside the door.She was probably eavesdropping?But there was no expression on the old woman's wrinkled face. Tajima walked along the corridor to the door.The whole house was silent.Tajima, who came out of the dark room, was blinded by Shirayuki. At this time, someone behind him called Tajima. The visitor was tall and tall, with a thin face.He introduced himself, "I am Swamp." The silence was finally broken. "I heard what you said," said the swamp. "I have something to tell you. Please listen to me!" "Of course I want to listen!" Tajima said. "I'm here to learn the truth." "Please come with me!" Marsh whispered.After speaking, he walked forward.His back does not look like a farmer.His face doesn't look like a farmer's either. The swamp led Tajima to the side of the shrine.This is not the shrine next to the house of the female health worker.There are probably many shrines in this village. "Conversations can't be overheard here," said Marsh. Tajima took out his cigarette and lit it.The swamp turned his gaze to the north fold and said: "We're sorry Masako." Tajima looked into his face and said: "In this case, why not disclose the truth and save Changzi?" "If it is made public, what will be the consequences?" "What are the consequences?" Tajima said loudly, "Are you pretending not to know and let Masako take full responsibility?" "..." Marsh remained silent. "If you had had the courage to raise children crippled by Ambien, this tragedy would not have happened, am I wrong?" "It's easy to be sarcastic." "What does it mean?" "You are not the party involved. Of course the bystanders can say anything." "I'm a bystander?" Tajima paled.Before that, he never thought of himself as a bystander.He always believed that he was the party involved in the incident and firmly believed that he had been involved in the case.So I was very painful and troubled, and came to Iwate Prefecture again. "You say I'm a bystander?" "I think you can only speak from the standpoint of a bystander." "Can you tell me the reason?" Tajima glanced at the swamp and continued: "When I knew Masako was involved in this case, I was involved in this case. I couldn't calm down even though I wanted to. I never thought of myself as a bystander." "I know you love Masako. I don't think you're lying when you say you can't tolerate a third party emotionally. But even if you're hurt, it's just hurting your feelings. This case, for me and Tokie, The stakes are high for the Marsh family. It concerns our lives and our future. Not only does it hurt the feelings of me, Tokie, and my mother, but it will completely destroy our lives. If the truth comes out, we will not be able to live in this village. stay." "So you're sacrificing Masako?" "What can we do now? Someone has to make sacrifices to protect the marsh family's ancestral property. Changzi also thinks about it in the same way, so she didn't tell the truth." "Sacrificing one's self for the sake of one's family is exactly like..." "Like a new type of tragedy ten years ago?..." Swamp said sadly: "I think so too." "So, why?" Tajima asked. "Wait a moment, please!" Swamp said with a gloomy face: "Tell you something." "What's up?" "Our customs here." "Customs and customs? What does this have to do with the case?" "It matters!" said the swamp: "That's why I'm telling you." "Because my family was rich, my parents sent me to university. In this village, I was considered an intellectual. When I came back here after graduating from university, I wanted to break the feudal system in the village. I called young people in the village to discuss politics and asked the girls Publicize the necessity of family planning. Many people come to listen to it every time. I also conducted public opinion surveys. The answers I received were very satisfactory. I thought that the democratization and modernization of the countryside could be easily advanced, and I was extremely excited .It was actually a huge misunderstanding. The reason why the villagers came to me was out of courtesy. I want others to know my sincerity. I speak to them with the thoughts and language of an outsider. So they answer my questions in a perfunctory manner.” "What does this have to do with the case?" "You look at us the same way I did. Why does one have to sacrifice for one's family? Why doesn't one have the courage to raise a child crippled by Aedrin? Why doesn't one have the courage to tell the truth? These questions should It is correct. Just like I was correct at the time. However, these are empty words, which have no effect at all, and cannot be a force to promote democracy and modernization. In our area, babies are fed in bamboo baskets, so Babies are stunted and often suffer from rickets. I have stopped this way of raising children. I thought this way of raising babies into bamboo baskets was a concrete manifestation of farmers not mastering modern knowledge. But I was wrong again. There is no Nursery. When the mother goes to work in the field, how do you place the baby? If you let the baby lie in the bed, it may crawl out and hurt you. In order to avoid danger, you have to put the baby in a bamboo basket. This is the best way to raise children here If you don't know the actual situation, no matter how correct..." "As for the bamboo baskets, that's enough for me to know." Tajima listened impatiently and interrupted Swamp.He didn't come here to talk about feudalism in the countryside, nor to listen to the bamboo baskets for raising babies.Tajima pleaded: "Please tell me something about this case!" "..." Marsh looked down at his feet. The sun was setting and the evening wind was blowing. "Five years ago, Shizhi and I got married." Marsh said with his head down. "But after half a year, Shi Zhi wanted to commit suicide." "Here, we are very particular about the red tape of the clan. The clan relationship between the main family and the branch family still exists. In my eyes, these are unforgivable anachronisms and nonsense. As mentioned earlier, I think that promoting democracy in the countryside It's easy. Under the dominance of this illusion, I had the idea of ​​marrying a girl from a different family background, which was violently opposed. People who separated the family all attacked in groups. Some people even used Tokieda's two short fingers as an excuse They strongly opposed it. They said: Why marry a disabled daughter-in-law. Shizhi couldn't bear it, and swallowed sleeping pills and wanted to commit suicide..." "Is it Elder's sleeping pills?" "Yes. She swallowed twenty pills. But she didn't die. I was relieved. But at that time, Shizhi was pregnant." "Is this the birth of a deformed child?" "Yes. When I saw the baby in the hands of the female health worker, my eyes were dark. However, I was determined to raise the baby myself. But Tokieda firmly opposed it." "Shizhi objected?" "Yes, Shi'e objected. Maybe you think she is a cruel mother. However, Shi'e fully understands the situation in the countryside. Here, children who cannot cultivate the land are not qualified to live, or are not allowed to live. Because in Here, children are also laborers! Handicapped children cannot become laborers. Therefore, they are not qualified to survive.” "Not qualified to survive?" "I know it's cruel. But it's true. It's not just the children. The old people lose their existence value if they can't do the crop work. Even the old people think so. Maybe it's rural poverty, maybe it's heavy farm work, maybe it's Consciousness lags behind." "So you treat living children as dead?" "There is another reason. When I married Shizhi, I was not blessed by people. There was no one to help on the day of the birth of the child. What would happen if people knew that a deformed child was born? Someone will definitely say: Look! You deserve it Marry a crippled daughter-in-law and give birth to a crippled child! Even if I can bear it, Shi Zhi can't bear it! So, I agree with Shi Zhi's opinion." "Is the deformity caused by drugs?" "Actually, that's the case. But people don't act according to reason. Besides, when the child was born, there was no problem with Ai's sleeping pills. It was the best way to hide the child at that time. The female health worker also took the initiative to help us A death certificate was issued. She is the wife of a war dead. There is a lot of gossip in front of the widow. How many people have spread rumors and slandered her. The sign is nailed to the door. This is our local ethos. Because of this, she is not afraid of being punished and issued a death certificate for us. She knows that our husband and wife must live here safely, and that is the best way." "Why is that the best way to survive?" "Because we lived like that. No one helped us, we had to build a hard shell around ourselves and live in this hard shell. You said Shizhi was always silent and angry with her. You I want her to say something, but she doesn't say anything, so what? Nothing can be solved! Because of this, Shi Zhi has been silent." "But why did Changzi die alone?" "In order to prevent the destruction of the family, someone must be sacrificed. I can do it, and Tokieda can do it too. If it wasn't for Masako, it would be me who killed Hisamatsu!" "That thinking is wrong." "Maybe! But there is no other way. To survive..." "But, you are wrong." Tajima repeated. Marsh didn't answer.Tajima also fell silent. Marsh told Tajima a lot about the situation.Tajima could only be silent about this.This scale's silence is exactly the same as that of Shizhi and the female health worker. Tajima took the night train back to Tokyo with disappointment and anger. After Tajima returned to Tokyo, he wanted to see Masako no matter what.He wanted to know Chang Zi's real inner activities. Tajima knew Masako was a smart girl.She is at odds with obsolete habits and feudal morality. Chang Zi, who saw him through the wire, was pale, but still calm and generous. Masako saw Tajima smiled. Tajima talked about going to Iwate to meet Tokie and Marsh and visiting the Tama Nursery. "I found out the truth of the case!" Tajima said: "You don't have to sacrifice yourself to keep the family secret. You have to tell the truth. In this way, you will reduce the sentence. Regarding the matter of Hisamatsu, we can say that it is self-defense. As for the apartment manager, he can try to prove that you There was no intent to murder. You know that Alysine is a non-lethal drug. You were trying to intimidate her, not kill her. We can prove it. If you tell the truth." "..." "Are you giving Tian Xiongjin Ai's sleeping pills to warn her? You must insist on this point. Even when you are being judged, you must tell the truth openly,..." Tajima swallowed his words at this point up. Tajima felt that the Masako in front of him was no longer the original Masako.Tajima was flustered.Masako standing in front of him was exactly the same as Tokie and the female health worker I saw in Iwate, with a blank expression and silent.His face was like a theatrical mask.After all, she is not a girl who grew up in a soft bedding, but a girl who grew up in a bamboo basket.Where did Masako Tajima know well go? Chang Zi remained silent. Tajima became even more flustered.He wants to endure the pain with Changzi, isn't that pretentious? You are a bystander. Marsh's words flashed through his mind.In Changzi's eyes, he is just a third party. "Say something!" Tajima said loudly. However, Masako did not speak.What is Changzi thinking about?Intoxicated with self-sacrifice? "You are wrong!" Tajima said hoarsely: "You, your sister, and your brother-in-law all think that silence can solve the problem. You are all wrong. This kind of silence can't solve any problems." Tajima was very tired.Can't this wall of silence be broken? What would happen if the truth were published in the newspapers?Sure to be big news.However, in this way, I am afraid they will be even more silent. Is it possible for Changzi and the others to tell the truth? This case started when the Marsh couple asked the female health worker to issue a fake death certificate.Marsh said doing so was the best way to survive.He also said it was the only way in a place where bad habits were so ingrained.Tokieda and Masako both affirmed this.Is it true that as they said, their hometown cannot raise deformed children?Is this the same in our society?If this is the case, then it is not Masako Yamazaki who should be tried in this case, but the whole society including Tajima.This is probably beyond the scope of thinking of journalists, right? Tajima thought hard.Kikara, a child in Domi Nursery, suddenly appeared in his mind. This child is now four years old.He will grow into a man in no time.He has a sound mind and will read and think like an ordinary person. He may one day know that he is a deformed child abandoned by his parents. In one country, the mother killed the deformed child and was not guilty.Since the child is deformed by Ai's sleeping pills, he will not be punished by law if he kills someone.Maybe the kid will know this later? What will happen when he knows the facts, hates the society he lives in, and pulls the trigger of his pistol for revenge? This could happen ten years from now.In order to prevent problems before they happen, the truth of the case must be made public. The reason why he became a deformed child is not his responsibility, nor his mother's responsibility, but the responsibility of the society that invented this drug, sold it, and allowed it to be sold.If this situation can be told to the world during the public trial, vicious revenge incidents in the future can be prevented.But the road is blocked. When Yujima returned to reality, the billboard of "Origami Gathering" caught his eyes.The organizer is the "Guardian Angel Association".The name attracted Tajima. On the fifth floor of the Mitsukoshi Department Store, a folding crane rally is being held. In a small room, there are several folded paper cranes hanging.On the wall is written "This is folded by the mother of the child deformed by Ai's sleeping pills to pray for the happiness of the child". The adjacent special sales department is full of customers, but this side is deserted. There are three women sitting at a table.They are the mothers of Ambien-deformed babies. "We want to build a hospital to treat children deformed by Ambien," a mother said to Tajima. "Those children are already four years old. Hospitals must be built as soon as possible to train their various faculties. It is not only Ambien, but other disabled children also need hospitals." "Will it cost money?" "Yes. On the one hand we are asking for government funding and on the other hand we are asking for donations. We are collecting signatures for this!" She showed Tajima the autograph book.It has been signed by many people.Everyone's name is written differently, some are pretentious, some are serious, some are extremely large, and some are as small as a teeny head. "I think the problem with these kids is a society problem," said another mother. "This problem cannot be solved by the strength of the mother alone. If the whole society pays attention to it, it can be solved easily." "I think so too." Tajima nodded in agreement. Changzi and the others wanted to solve the problem on their own, so they took the method of yielding to bad habits.In fact, this is a problem that needs to be solved by the whole society.The mothers here think so. Tian felt cheerful. "Can I meet your children?" Tajima said: "I want to take a picture of my kid!" "Taking pictures?..." The mother who was sitting facing Tajima immediately turned pale, and she looked at Tajima reproachfully. "Are you going to take pictures of disabled children?" "Yes. I'll take a picture of him playing with you. Show some people a little courage. And I'll put it in the paper." "Deny your request." "why?" "Why?" she said, raising her voice: "Why do you have to take pictures of that kid? You don't know how much pain I'm in. Do you want to make it public?" "You misunderstood. You said that this is a problem of the whole society. If this is the case, why are you afraid of taking pictures?" "Isn't this exposing scars?" She said palely: "I don't want to embarrass that kid. There are hundreds of people who agree with us now, but they haven't seen those kids. Why do you have to take pictures?" "You're wrong," Tajima said. Tajima had said the same thing to Marsh and Masako.He didn't know what was wrong then, but now he knows it clearly.He said: "You say it's a problem for society as a whole. I think so too. But can it be a problem for society as a whole to hide the truth in silence? Why don't you bring your kids here to show everyone? Why don't you let me Taking pictures? Isn’t this the only way to become a problem for the whole society? If you don’t have the courage, you can’t become a problem for the whole society, it can only be a private problem, and the result can only be ignored.” "Do you understand how I feel?" "Maybe I don't understand. But, let me understand, let the society understand, isn't it your duty as mothers? Is it right to hide the wound because you are afraid of making a fool of yourself, but you want people to know the pain of the wound? Why not? Say bravely: Please look at this child! Is your own child so shameful and ugly?" Tajima looked at the three mothers, but no one said anything.After a long silence, a mother finally said to Tajima: "I don't think children are shameful!" "Then why?" "Two months ago, a reporter came to my house and took pictures of the child's birthday. But it hasn't been published in the magazine yet." "why?" "It is said that photos of disabled children are not allowed to be published." "Who did such a stupid thing?" "It's the government." "It's incomprehensible!" "It is said that doing so violates the child welfare law. The law stipulates that deformed children are not allowed to be provided to the public for viewing..." Tajima said angrily: "Bastard law! Isn't the happiness of the children the real issue? Do you hide the children and they will be happy? Do you think isolation is better than anything else? Not at all! Don't you want a handicapped child Can it also become a society where the prime minister or the big businessmen? If you want to, why not fight? If government officials object, then it is even more necessary to let people see pictures of children to get people’s understanding.” "..." The three mothers did not answer. Tajima waited for their answers.But there was a long silence. Tajima realized that this silence had been encountered before.Didn't you also encounter suffocating silence at the swamp house?Swamp said "in order to survive in this village, you have to..." He didn't need to add "this village". In fact, doesn't Tokyo have a wall like Iwate? The people above have an illusion, thinking that if the children are isolated, the problem will be solved.They mistakenly believe that avoiding seeing is being kind.Those involved also have an illusion that it is a virtue to bear sorrow and misfortune alone. What problem can this solve? Tajima glanced at the autograph book sadly.A signature is an oath.The undersigned swears to regard the problem of deformed children as his own problem, and urges relevant parties to pay attention to it and solve it.But do these signers know the meaning of the signature?Maybe they also have an illusion?It was a mistake to think that the signing problem was solved. The accumulation of these illusions produced the present case. Tajima walked into the corridor. There was noise from the special sales department. The possibility of a repeat of the Alfred sleeping pill incident remains.At that time, there will be a girl with the same fate as Masako, right? As soon as Tajima walked down the stairs with his tired feet, someone stopped him. "Please take a picture of that child!" said the mother: "For children……"