Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Cloud's Ranch

In less than a year, all three boyfriends left Mikiko one after another, and two of them no longer belonged to this world.Mikiko refused to believe it was true anyway. Mikiko met them at Mount Hotaka, where there is life everywhere: rolling clouds, scorching sun, and lush alpine plants.All this is life, the "banquet" of youth, and the protagonists of the "banquet" are the three of them, they are full of vitality and strong in physique.Now, two of the protagonists are dead, not of disease or old age, but at the hands of others, and the remaining one is constantly being scrutinized as a suspect.The three of them had a conflict because of her, which became one of the motives for the murder.

"Three Friends Killed for Women's Infatuation" "A Sea of ​​Vinegar Creates Waves, Friendship Breaks Down" Mikiko thought about some headlines in the society section of the newspaper and the weekly magazine. "Those people really killed each other to compete for me?" Mikiko didn't want to think that way at the beginning, but now that she thinks about it, when the three people looked at her, there was indeed love in their eyes. In a previous case that attracted great attention from the society, a certain writer defended the defendant in the case by saying: "The defendant's eyes are clear." This aroused the ridicule of the trial judicial personnel.But Mikiko found that when the three men stared at her, their eyes were not clear.Their eyes are often red with enthusiasm, and there is no pious and romantic brilliance when they stare at idols in their eyes, only the greed of seeking.From their eyes, one could imagine how fierce the competition between them was.

"But, are they really killing people for me?" Mikiko still refused to believe.It reflects that she is deeply caught up in the memories of the good old days. For Mikiko, who had little contact with young people of the opposite sex and grew up under the protection of her father, the disappearance of the three young people was a great blow to her. Maybe Kadowaki sensed his daughter's psychology, and he advised her to go on a trip.Recently, Mikiko found a job and was going to a travel agency.There is still some time before registration, and I have graduated from university. Instead of being bored at home alone, it is better to go on a trip with my father.

"After you work, I'm afraid it's not easy to ask for continuous leave. It's better to go out and play more while you have free time. Besides, it will be good for your future work." Mention those three youths. "But, what about your job?" Mikiko knew that her father was very busy recently.Recently, there has been a lot of discussion around the application of the three tourism companies in the society. As the director of the bureau, my father must be very tired. Kadowaki, who looks much younger than his actual age, has recently aged significantly, which shows that he has a heavy workload.

A few days ago, Kadowaki had just been to Dashan for a long-planned field trip. His face was tanned and he looked very healthy. This is equivalent to telling others that his business trip destination is Dashan, which requires considerable physical effort. Kadowaki took Mikiko to Mihara in Nagano Prefecture.There is an endless grassland as soft as a carpet, suitable for the depressed Mikiko to play.A gentle prairie would soothe her wounded heart more than a steep mountain or a vast monotonous ocean. Most people who travel to the mountains and seas have a certain purpose, some are to explore secret places, out of yearning for unknown things; some are to challenge nature.And people who come to the grassland generally don't have those goals, they just want to purify themselves in the vast nature.

Mikiko and his father came to Meiyuan when Yingshanhong was in full bloom.On the plateau, azaleas can be found everywhere, and the bonuses are like fire.The rolling hills extend into the distance, and in the misty distance, the white peaks of the central mountains rise abruptly, which is very spectacular.The end of the plateau and the foothills of the mountains are shrouded in mist, as if the distant scenery has melted into one.The sky is clear and high, and even the clouds seem to be filtered.The distant mountains are in the glow of the sun. "Look, that's Mt. Hodaka!" The father and daughter stood on the Wangbi cliff, and Kadowaki pointed to a point among the white mountains standing on the edge of the Pine Basin.

Mikiko looked in the direction of her father's finger, and it really was the Mount Hodaka that she had climbed before, but it was not as majestic as it was when it was surrounded by mountains around it. It was just a part of the long mountain range. Go up much lower. The Hotaka Mountain seen in Kamikochi is individual, but the Hotaka Mountain seen now is among the mountains.The group of mountains embracing Mt. Hotaka in their arms is even more spectacular and refreshing. "This time you know that Hotaka is not the only mountain, right?" Kadowaki said casually, taking a puff of cigarette.

At this moment, Mikiko suddenly realized: "Didn't my father persuade me to travel just to tell me this sentence?" Mikiko met three men in Hotaka Mountain, and then lost them one after another. them.Kadowaki must have brought her to the Mihara, which is 2,000 meters above sea level and is known as the "Mountain Observation Deck", in order to heal her daughter's spiritual wounds. The Yatsugatake, Myoko, Togakushi, and Asama mountains in the Shin-Etsu region constitute the Japan Alps, and together with Mt. Fuji, they show the characteristics of Japan's great mountains.Mount Hodaka is quite majestic and tall among these mountains, but it is only a peak among the mountains after all.At this time, the other peaks that were no less tall than Mount Hodaka competed to compete in front of Mikiko.

——Mountain, not only Hodaka—— Maybe my father wanted to say that "there are not only three men in the world".With the purpose of relieving her daughter's pain, Kadowaki took time out of his busy schedule to bring her to Mihara.He hoped that she would be freed from the memory of those three people as soon as possible. Mikiko deeply felt her father's good intentions, she thought: "Father always thinks about me, no matter when I am happy or when I am unlucky, my father always thinks about me." Standing in the center of the vast "Mountain Observatory", Mikiko felt that her father was more extensive and amiable than this observatory.

"This is the side of Mihara. Let's go further in the middle and stay at the Kogen Hotel tonight." Kadowaki said to his daughter who was concentrating on looking into the distance.They still have plenty of time, because the previous part of the road should have been walked, but they basically took the car. The grasslands are full of human footprints.The sky is clear and cloudless, and you will not lose your way wherever you go. "It's troublesome when it's foggy in this area. In the past, people often died here." Kadowaki said to his daughter. "Here?" Mikiko felt strange. She thought that although the grassland was vast, it was within sight and there was no danger at all.In an environment with fine weather, she could not imagine the terrible appearance of bad weather.

"Did you see that tower-like building over there?" Kadowaki asked, pointing to the central area of ​​the grassland.Mikiko had already seen that building and was about to ask her father what it was. "That's the Tower of Beauty, and there's a big bell hanging from the tower, which rings when the weather is about to turn bad." "Oh!" "Now it is not only a guide in bad weather, but also a famous building that represents Mihara. On the tower is carved a poem by Kihachi Oichi, a poet who is famous for describing the scenery of the mountains." "What poem?" "I can't remember, anyway, it's praising Meiyuan, and I'll see it when I get there." Cows are grazing leisurely by the side of the tower. "It's really a cloud pasture!" Mikiko said with emotion. "A pasture of clouds? You describe it so wonderfully." Kadowaki looked towards the edge of the grassland, and white clouds fluttered in the blue sky, making people feel that the grassland is rising into the sky, as if people are not on the ground, but into the sky . "With such fine weather, you don't have to hesitate when roaming on the grassland, just play as you like. There must be the most beautiful scenery in the place you want to go." Kadowaki faced the sun and squinted his eyes.His face was darker because of the trip.He greedily enjoyed the inexhaustible sunlight, as if he wanted to make up for the lack of light sitting in the office all day, even if it was a little bit. The father and daughter came to the beautiful tower.A poem written by Kihachi Ozaki is engraved on the tower: "Climb to the top and look at the foreground. It is suspected that the blue sky will fall into the world."As described in the poem, the blue sky is above their heads, but the difference is that the sun is at the top of the zenith, and the light is so strong that the clear sky that falls on the human world is too bright. "Kihachi Oichi's poems are so well written!" Kadowaki said, taking out his pipe. "Is there a better poem?" "There is a poem, I can't say whether it is good or not, but I will think of it as soon as I step on the grassland." "What poem?" "Want to hear it?" Kadowaki said, staring at his daughter. "Well, I'd love to hear it." "Who wrote it?" "Tomita Suika. I memorized this a long time ago, and it may be slightly different from the original poem." Kadowaki said, lighting a cigarette. Seeing Kihachi Ozaki's poems, her father recited Suika Tomita's poems again, and Mikiko realized that this was not because of her father's love for poetry, but to minimize the wounds in her heart. There seemed to be a wind blowing in the sky, and the smoke from the pipe drifted aside and gradually disappeared into the atmosphere. Standing under the tower, I can vaguely see the hotel where I will stay tonight.Mikiko felt that her mood had calmed down a lot.In fact, this was only her feeling, but the deepening of her father's affection temporarily overshadowed the memory of the sad past.