Chapter 8 Chapter 08

On the mountains in the distance, there is still a thin layer of snow. Although it happened to be a cloudy day, the vast grassland in front of me could still feel a strong sense of gloom. "I really didn't expect to act with Brother Gong in this case." Matsumiya said while holding a paper cup filled with coffee. "It's the same for me. By now, it's the spark that falls on you when you interrupt your work. Bewitched by a fox, that's what it says." Kaga, who was sitting next to him, responded. In his hand was a copy of the search documents related to the case.

"But maybe the case is close." "That's fine." Kaga said cautiously.The two took the "Hayate" of the Tohoku Shinkansen. The place to go is Sendai. The purpose is to meet someone. Yesterday evening, Matsumiya and Kaga were together in a room in the Metropolitan Police Department. Opposite them are Kobayashi, department head Ishigaki, and administrator Tomii. Fu Jing is the actual person responsible for this case. When he saw Kaga, "Long time no see" his expression softened. Kaga also said "Kushu Greetings" and bowed. Matsumiya heard for the first time that Kaga was Tomii's subordinate when he was in the first search section.

That's all for the pleasantries, and we'll get to the point right away. The first is Kobayashi, who placed more than a dozen photos on the table. Above those photos, there are words that have been enlarged. There is "Bridge", there is "Asakusa", and there is "Japan". "From the conclusion," Kobayashi said while staring at Kaga, "the words on the calendar in Mutsuo Koshikawa's room, and the notes submitted by Kaga-kun, after a detailed identification of the handwriting of the two, it is first determined that It's from the same person."

Kaga's body stiffened for a moment beside Matsumiya.Song Gong himself was very excited. "You said that the note you held belonged to your mother, right?" Ishigaki asked Kaga. "Yes. Strictly speaking, it's a note in my mother's room. So I don't know if it belongs to my mother. The notes are obviously different from my mother's." That note was written on A4 paper with the following things. "Willow Bridge in January" "February Asakusa Bridge" "March Zaemon Bridge" "April Tokiwa Bridge" "One Stone Bridge in May"

"June West Riverside Bridge" "July Nihonbashi" "Edo Bridge in August" "September Armor Bridge" "October Kayaba Bridge" "November Minato Bridge" "December Fenghai Bridge" When seeing this from Kaga, Matsumiya was hit hard. Because it is exactly the same as the words on Mutsuo Koshikawa's calendar. But surprisingly, Kaga seems to be the same. So, as a "once in a lifetime request", he asked Song Gong if he could conduct handwriting identification on the two as proposed by the search cadres. Kaga told Tomii and the others that her mother seemed to have dated a man from Watabe Shunichi.

"Therefore, I think there is a high possibility that the note belongs to that Mianbu. However, I don't know who Mianbu is. I tried my best to investigate the meaning of these words, but I still don't know. " "Among your mother's belongings, is there anything else related to the character Watabe?" asked Ishigaki. "I don't know. There may be, but I can't tell the difference. But as long as it is possible to help this search, I can take out all my mother's belongings as search materials." Regarding Kaga's words, the three search officers nodded in satisfaction.

"About this matter, I have already talked to the head of the first search section and the director." Fu Jing said. "It is necessary to clarify the mystery of these words. Regarding this case, I have decided to request assistance from the Nihonbashi Bureau. I should be contacting the director right now. Please join the search immediately. Is that okay?" "Follow the instructions. Please take care of me." Kaga bowed as he spoke. "I have a question for you." Kobayashi said, "You said you don't know about this person at all, so do you have any clues about who knows about this person, and who has seen him?"

"There is. Only one." Kaga replied immediately. "Still alive?" "It should be. In Sendai." Alright, Kobayashi made an imposing voice and gave Kaga a photo. It was a portrait of Mutsuo Koshikawa. "Get to work. Go see this man." Matsumiya looked at his watch. It's almost eleven o'clock at noon. "There will be a while soon." Kaga also looked at his watch to confirm the time, and put the document he was looking at into his bag. "Well, brother Gong, how much do you know?" "what?" "The matter of the deceased mother. I only know that Brother Gong went to get the ashes and relics of the mother who died in Sendai alone."

Matsumiya knew about it when Kaga's father Takashi fell ill. His mother Kezi told him. "Why are you asking this?" "I don't want to know why, can't I? You may have forgotten. We are relatives. And not just relatives. My mother and I have received help from our uncle, who is our benefactor. Of course I want to know that Why do men separate from their wives?" Kaga, with a painful expression on his face, listened to Matsumiya's words, and nodded as if he cheered up after a while. "I see. It's time to talk about it. My father has also passed away."

"Is there any special secret?" "Nothing like that. It just feels a little hard to say." Kaga smiled wryly, and continued after his expression became serious. "I returned to Tokyo with my ashes in my arms. After a long time, I met my father. In order to tell him about my current living conditions in Sendai. My mother lives frugally in a small scary room. Let this matter After I told my father, I asked again after a long time, what happened when I was a child, and why my mother ran away from home. Before that, I always believed that all the reasons were in the There is the father. The father does not care about the family. The family affairs, child-rearing matters, and several unsmooth interpersonal relationships are all imposed on the mother. The mother who is tired of this and runs away from home. This is what I have always imagined .But after going to Sendai, I realized that this might not be the case. People around my mother seemed to say that it was all my fault.”

"What did uncle say?" Kaga shrugged. "I didn't answer me at first. It's all in the past. What's the use of saying it now? I used this kind of words to prevaricate. So I yelled at my father. It's hard for me to be a wife for a man like you. You can't make her happy. Then at least you can explain it to me in front of the ashes. " "Hey, you are really rare to Uncle..." Kaga smiled slightly. "Say childish things out of place. Blame father, that's the last time." "And what about uncle?" "Finally, I have spoken. My father said so first. What Yuriko said was wrong. She did nothing wrong. It was me who was wrong." Matsumiya frowned. "What's the meaning?" "And then my father started talking about the past. First, it started with the meeting with my mother. It seems that the two met at a club in Shinjuku, and my mother seemed to be a waitress at that store. That being said, my father was not It’s the same thing as a guest going there, finding out that the suspect in a certain incident is going in and out, and asking my mother to help. Because of that fate, the two started dating.” "Well, brother Gong's mother has also been a hostess." Kaga looked at Shimomatsumiya's face and nodded slightly. "So, my aunt also worked in a restaurant before?" "When I was in Takasaki. It was before my uncle started helping us. After my mother was disliked by relatives, there was no one to rely on. If a woman alone wants to raise a child, it is better to be a hostess." "That's the reality, right? But it's not just my aunt who is hated by relatives, our family has similar things." "Brother Gong's house? Why?" "That's why I'm talking about the liquor business. The eldest son of the famous Kaga family, why did he find a hostess to be his wife? It seems like he was attacked by his relatives. This is the first time I've heard that our family is a big family. .” "That's a professional difference. It's a serious prejudice." "The times are different now. According to my father, our relatives have a lot of stubborn people. I haven't dealt with them, so that matter is not very clear." "Speaking of which, on the third anniversary of my uncle's death, none of my relatives came." "I don't remember very well. When my mother was still at home, there were often disputes with relatives. My father was very busy, so I could only push all the dealings with relatives to my mother. In that case, it seemed that my mother I received a lot of blatant anger. Although my mother didn't say those things, they finally reached my father's ears. My father was very angry and severed all ties with his relatives. So there was a lot of commotion and pressure on my mother. It is also getting bigger and bigger. At that time, it would have been nice for my father to avoid those pressures, but more and more cases of not going home due to work reasons. On the one hand, my mother’s biological mother, the grandmother, was bedridden, and my mother had to Go take care of her. Also take care of naughty children. Naturally, I can't bear it mentally." "It's really hard just listening to it!" Kaga frowned and sighed. "Grandma passed away soon after, but she didn't become more relaxed. According to my father, it may be because the support in my heart disappeared. Although there were many painful things before this, my mother was able to listen to her intimately. The object. She should have been encouraged. However, this kind of existence is gone, and she has completely become a person, and her young son cannot be her spiritual support. However, my father did not realize this until a long time later. That is Because I didn’t notice the change in my mother at all.” "What do you mean by change?" "A mental change. While nothing seemed to have changed in my father's eyes, something huge had happened inside my mother. The trigger for realizing this change was my mother's attitude one night. Having dinner My mother suddenly burst into tears. I am a useless person. I can’t be a good wife or a good mother. If this goes on, it will only make both of us unhappy. My father is a little at a loss. But after crying for a while, my mother seems to be I started to apologize as if I woke up. Say I’m sorry, forget about it. I still vaguely remember what happened at that time. But it may be an illusion.” "You said that..." Song Gong hesitated whether to say what came to his mind, and he didn't have any concerns after thinking about it, so he said it. "Could it be depression?" Kaga let out a breath slowly, and closed his chin. "I think this is very likely. Low self-esteem and no effort to live are typical symptoms of depression. My father didn't start to think about this until a long time later. But at that time, most people were concerned about depression. I don’t understand. Maybe my mother didn’t realize that she was sick.” "If this is the case, it must be very painful!" "Maybe. My mother didn't show that pain, and she endured it for many years. It was only when she reached her limit that she ran away from home. I don't know, but there seems to be a note. It said, I don’t have the confidence to be your wife or Kyoichiro’s mother. My father, after reading that, doesn’t know anything about depression, but it can be explained that there must be some heavy mental burden.” "Why didn't uncle look for it?" Kaga smiled with one corner of his mouth tilted. "The one who goes does not chase after. This is also for the consideration of both parties. Even if the cause is depression, in the point of not realizing it and not helping her get rid of the mental pressure, the fault is all on my own side. Yuriko did not Any mistake—that's what the father said. Added. Said that she must want to kill her own children before she died, just look at it. It makes me feel bad to think about it." It was not the first time Songgong heard these words. Reminds me of what happened a few years ago. "Uncle and Brother Gong made an agreement. Even if Uncle is critically ill, Brother Gong will not be around. Uncle decided to die alone. In fact, Brother Gong was outside the hospital when Uncle died, right?" "That is more or less an apology to the mother. It may also be the man's whim. I understand his mood, so I decided to cooperate with him..." Kaga said with a slightly unhappy expression. Whether the behavior at that time was correct or not may not be able to give an answer, Matsumiya thought so looking at his cousin's expression. "As far as uncle is concerned, he intends to use this as a conclusion." "Father may think that's fine, but it's not for me." Kaga looked at Matsumiya with serious eyes. "No matter what, I want to know what kind of thoughts my mother has for the rest of her life after leaving home. If she forgets me and my father and starts a completely new life, that's fine. But if , if she still has any thoughts about us, it is my duty to realize this thought. Because without that person, I would not be able to come to this world." After speaking in a strong tone, Kaga smiled shyly. "Sorry, it's a bit over the top." "No, I understand your feelings very well. And I'm also very interested in how Brother Gong's mother lives." "Anyway, let's do this first. As far as I am concerned, I want to know about Watabe no matter what. If possible, I will try to find him." "That's right. In fact, after Brother Gong went back yesterday, the management officer of Fujing came to ask me. Brother Gong, I have already invited you to let you go back to the search lesson many years ago." Kaga frowned. "That thing!" "But for some reason, Brother Gong has been voluntarily transferred to the Nihonbashi Police Station. Is that to find this person Mianbe?" "That's right. I want to understand the meaning of the twelve bridges written in that note. For that, I have to settle down in that place. But you don't have to worry. I will pay attention to the distinction between public and private. It didn't hinder your search in the slightest." the meaning of." "I didn't think about that at first." Matsumiya waved his hands in front of him, staring into Kaga's eyes. "Thank you for speaking frankly about such an important thing." "Only for you, I've been thinking about when I have to tell you." Saying that, Kaga smiled and showed his white teeth. The boss said that this time he had no plans to inquire in Sendai City, and that he could save himself the trouble of saying hello to the local police. After arriving at Sendai Station, I took the JR Senzan Line to Tohoku Welfare Daimae Station. Because it is the nearest station. It is on foot from the station. But it's always been uphill. Because he is a policeman, he is used to walking around, but what will happen to the lives of ordinary people, Matsumiya thought. But after seeing a group of people like elementary school students walking happily, I know that this level of ramp is nothing to the people who live here. Kunimi Kegaoka is a quiet residential area. The houses in the forest are very grand. Kaga stopped in front of a house with Miyamoto on the house number. He pressed the intercom phone, and there was an answering tone from inside. "I'm Kaga from Tokyo." "OK." After a while, the entrance door opened. A white-haired woman came out. She had a surprised expression at first, then smiled all over her face, and walked down the steps slowly. A lavender cardigan was draped over a white sweater. "Ah, Mr. Kaga. You have become a good-looking person." A pair of smiling eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses. "Long time no see. Thank you for your care at that time." Kaga bowed. "I'm so sorry for being so rude to you this time." "It doesn't matter at all. I'm free anyway. When I got the call yesterday, I was a little surprised." While talking like this, he shifted his gaze to Matsumiya. "Let me introduce you. This is the inspector Matsumiya from the Metropolitan Police Department." After Kaga finished speaking, Matsumiya said "I am Matsumiya" and bowed. "It's Mr. Kaga's cousin. I'm Miyamoto. I'm so happy that two young men came to visit." The gray-haired old woman put her hands on her chest. Her name is Kang Dai, which I asked before coming here. Take Matsumiya and the others to the living room with the sofa. Yasuyo Miyamoto made Japanese tea for the two of them. Song Gong was surprised to hear that she had lived alone in this family for more than forty years. "Because my husband died suddenly. However, it may also be because at that time, I wanted to hire Yuriko. I am also lonely." Saying that, Yasuyo Miyamoto smiled and looked at Kaga. "I think my mother was helped by Ms. Miyamoto. If I hadn't been accepted by you at that time, my mother didn't know what would have happened." Kaga confessed that Yuriko may have depression. "I see. Speaking of which, I think of something." Do you remember what happened at that time, Miyamoto Yasuyo said earnestly. "Also, what was said on the phone yesterday, about Watabe Shunichi, there is still no news after that." "Yes, what a pity." Kaga nodded, and winked at Matsumiya. Matsunomiya took out five sheets of paper from his bag. "Mr. Watabe Shunichi, Ms. Miyamoto, do you still remember his appearance?" When Matsumiya asked her, she straightened her back slightly and nodded slightly. "You should know it when you see it. Photos are fine too." "Then help me take a look at these five paintings. They are all portraits of men. If there are any people who look like Mr. Watabe, please let me know." "Okay." In front of Yasuyo Miyamoto who had straightened his posture slightly, Matsumiya laid out the portraits. In order not to know the order himself, he turned the painting over and shuffled the cards. Matsunomiya noticed that Miyamoto Yasuyo opened his eyes when he saw the fourth painting. Even so, the fifth photo was posted as if nothing had happened. After she glanced at that painting, she returned her gaze to the fourth painting. "How about it." Before she could answer, Matsunomiya asked for a moment. Yasuyo Miyamoto reached out to the fourth painting without hesitation. "This painting is very similar to Mr. Watabe." "Let me make sure. There are only five pictures here. This one is the most likeable one, or it's obviously this one." "It's very similar. As far as I know Mr. Watabe, if he is so old, he probably feels this way. The outer corners of the eyes are a bit drooping, and the nose is a bit big. The features are obvious. It's not just the appearance. Obviously, how should I put it, it gave me a feeling that I was not good at expressing my feelings, very much like Mr. Watabe." Matsumiya and Kaga glanced at each other. Slightly nodded. Yasuyo Miyamoto's answer has satisfied them enough. The portrait she held in her hand was really Mutsuo Koshikawa's. The impression I had after seeing the painting was exactly what I expected. She not only simply described her appearance, but also expressed her impression after seeing the painting. Photomontages, once so frequently used by police officers, have become obsolete because they are too specific to convey abstract impressions. On the contrary, portraits are drawn by the head of the department using his imagination after listening to the words of witnesses. They give priority to impressions and stimulate the memory of those who see them. I came to Sendai specially, and finally got a good souvenir. Matsumiya thought so. Mutsuo Koshikawa used to be called Shunichi Watabe. "Where was this person found?" Miyamoto Yasuyo asked. "Yes, killed in the last month." Matsumiya further outlined the case. After hearing this, she covered her mouth with her hand and looked at Kaga. Yes, Kaga showed a lonely smile. "I finally found Mr. Watabe, but he is no longer in this world." Yasuyo Miyamoto put the painting on the table. "I don't know what to say..." "But Brother Gong's..." Matsumiya wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and spoke again. "Kaga, the desire to investigate Mr. Watabe Shunichi doesn't seem to have changed. Besides, we also need to catch the criminal who killed him. If you remember anything about the case, please let us know." Yasuyo Miyamoto frowned in pain. There are countless fine wrinkles. "I want to help you as much as I can. However, I really don't know anything about Watabe-san... I just found out that he lives there." Kaga took out a piece of paper from the inside pocket of his jacket. "How about this?" Yasuyo Miyamoto accepted that. Matsumiya glanced at the side. It says "January Willow Bridge February Asakusa Bridge..." "Copy of note from Mother's Relics." Kaga said. "The same content is written on the wall calendar in Kosuge's apartment. I don't understand what's going on. How is Ms. Miyamoto? Do you remember anything?" Ah, she thought about it, sorry, and apologized softly. "Ms. Miyamoto doesn't need to apologize. As a son, I can't detect anything from my mother's belongings." Kaga put the note back in his arms. "That," Miyamoto Yasuyo said hesitantly. "Looking at this matter now, the relationship between Yuriko and Watabe, I don't think it's a simple relationship between boyfriend and girlfriend. On the contrary, I guess it's not even a romantic relationship." Kaga frowned in surprise. "What's going on?" "I didn't think so at that time. But looking back now, there is no erotic atmosphere or happy look between the two of them. It feels like two people who are both hurt in their hearts. Licking the wound..." "The hurt in my heart..." "I'm sorry, it may be my heart. Forget what you just said." Yasuyo Miyamoto clasped his hands together with a sorry expression on his face. "No, if Ms. Miyamoto feels that way, I don't think it's wrong. I'll refer to it." Said Kaga bowed.The confirmation of the portrait is already a big gain.No further information was available from Miyamoto Yasuyo.Song Gong said his farewell. "It's a pity that it was so hard to meet. Next time, please put down your business and come again. Let me treat you to the famous delicious food in Sendai." Said Miyamoto Yasuyo who came out to send them to the entrance. After saying thank you to Kaga, Matsumiya left Miyamoto's house. Just like when I came here, I decided to walk to Tohoku Welfare Daimae Station. I looked at my watch, it was not yet two o'clock in the afternoon. At this time, I can return to Tokyo in the evening. "Can you take a detour by the way?" Kaga said while taking a step. "But yes, where are you going?" "A place called Akino Town." Kaga replied. "Where my mother lived." Matsumiya stopped in her tracks. "Brother Gong, that's not it." Kaga also stopped and turned around. "what?" "That doesn't mean by the way. It's a must. Whether as an individual or as a policeman." Kaga smiled slightly and nodded. The nearest station is Miyaginohara Station on the Sengoku Line. If departing from Tohoku Welfare Daimae Station, transfer at Sendai Station and go two stops later. After arriving at Miyaginohara Station, Kaga looked a little confused. After looking at the map on the phone for a while, he started to walk. There is a big park on the right side of the 4th road. There seemed to be an arena-like place there. Then there are several solemn buildings on the left side of the road. The parking lot is also huge. You can see the characters of National Hospital Organization Sendai Medical Center. "Is it different from when you came last time?" Song Gong asked. "Yeah, I remember that there is a hospital-like building, but it doesn't feel so grand." After continuing straight for a while, you can see a railway ahead. It's like a freight railroad. The road is built below. Ahead is Akino Town. Kaga occasionally stopped to look around, looking a little confused as he walked. Seeming to have no confidence, Song Gong could only follow behind. This town is different from Kunimigaoka. All kinds of buildings are next to each other. At first I thought there was a house surrounded by the wall, but I didn't expect it to be a small house alone like boulders. There is an old two-story apartment building next to the huge public house. There are not only restaurants and small shops, but also factories and warehouses. There is a nursery next to the beauty salon, and the target should be those girls who accompany the bar. Walking back and forth on the same road, the last place Kaga stopped was in front of the parking lot with a small ditch next to it. More than ten cars can be parked, but only four are parked now. It's dirt land, as if it had rained recently, and there are a few puddles. "This is the place. That's right." Kaga looked around the parking lot and muttered. "Is there an apartment here. Has it been demolished?" "It seems like that." "Really. Sure enough, it was due to the impact of the earthquake." "What's the matter? I was already very old when I came here. Compared with the earthquake, it is very likely that it was demolished earlier." After hearing Kaga's words, Matsunomiya looked around around. It is unbelievable to think that my cousin's mother died in this place. For her, this should be a piece of land with no karma. Before he died, he definitely wanted to see his son, just a glance. My heart hurts just thinking about it—the words of Kaga's father came to mind again. "Let's go." Saying so, Kaga began to walk.