Chapter 9 Chapter nine

Masako hung up the magazine office and asked the switchboard if Kikuko Ono came to work?He replied: Here we come. "I'm Kikuko Ono." What a familiar voice.Masako informed the switchboard of her name.The other party knew it was Changzi calling. "It's been a long time since I asked you." Kikuko said apologetically. "Everyone. You're welcome. How are you?" Masako replied. "Thanks. The kind of job I do. I'm hustling around all day." Kikuko's tone was casual.Masako wondered if Kikuko had learned of her sister's disappearance.

"I have something I want to talk to you about. Are you free?" "Please!" Kikuko immediately agreed. "No, it's inconvenient to talk on the phone. If it doesn't interfere with your work, can I visit you?" Masako's request is undoubtedly a small shock to Yoshihisa Ono who is not too close.Suppose she learns that her sister is missing.Changzi's visit is naturally related to this matter.And Kikuko's tone of voice didn't change. "Please!" Ono Kikuko replied heartily. "Where are you now?" Changzi said his address. "Then you'll have an hour's walk to get here. All right! I'll wait for you here."

"I'm sorry to disturb you during your busy schedule." "You're welcome. I haven't seen you for a long time, and I'm glad to see you." The phone hangs up. This is a very common greeting.Masako wanted to hear something in Kikuko Ono's voice.But no. Masako took the train and got off at Yurakucho Station.The magazine office is in Ginza, and it has been an hour since I left home. The magazine office is a small building.Hisako Ono had already notified the communication room downstairs, and the girl who communicated immediately led Masako to the editorial department on the second floor, and the sales department on the first floor.

From the window of the living room, you can see the inner streets of Ginza.Bookshelves are full of books, and various newspapers hang on the walls.It's like a decoration for a magazine. The girl brought a bowl of tea and stepped back, Kikuko Ono immediately appeared and left the door. "Hello!" Ono Kikuko closed the door, Masako stood up from the chair quickly, Kikuko smiled at her.She has a dignified face and is well-fitted in a baggy suit.Her hair was cut short, much younger than her actual age.Her dress, speech, and smile are like a magazine reporter, full of vitality. "I'm sorry, I haven't visited you for a long time..."

Kikuko received Masako like a close friend.Her smile is full of intimacy. Changzi suddenly had an illusion: he had only met her twice.How did she treat herself so intimately. correct.Masako saw her once, but Kikuko didn't realize that she was talking to a man on the tram, and the man's back looked like Jim. "I'm sorry to disturb you in your busy schedule, I only take up a little time for you, and I will leave immediately." "It's okay, it's fine." Kikuko raised her hand to stop Masako. "It's not too busy today, you can sit a little longer."

Judging from Kikuko's attitude, it seems that she didn't know Lingzi was missing at all, and her expression was bright and natural anyway. However, she would not know.Because the newspaper was so big, it also published photos.Xijiuzi pretended to be nonchalant, perhaps out of politeness to Changzi, waiting for Changzi to speak first. Changzi really didn't know how to open his mouth. "Sister Lianzi is grateful for your care..." At this moment, Kikuko Ono changed his expression.The smile on his face disappeared immediately, and he frowned, staring at Changzi's face.

"Is there any news from Ling Zijun in the future? Have you found it?" Kikuko was short of breath. --yes!She still knows.Surely she had read the newspaper reports. Kikuko's nonchalant demeanor just now was out of politeness to Masako.No matter how close she was to Changzi, after all, the two had only met each other twice. "There's no news yet," Masako replied. Now that Kikuko knew about the situation, it would be much easier for Masako to talk about it. "really weird!" Kikuko Ono frowned and muttered. "I learned about Lingzi's incident from the newspaper. I can't comfort you either. Because I don't trust newspapers very much, and the reports are often inconsistent, so I can't believe them all."

"Yes, this incident has left me at a loss as to what to do." "Yes!" Kikuko Ono said sympathetically. "I want to inquire about Lingzi." "As long as I know, I will tell you without reservation." Kikuko Ono nodded. "Your younger sister is often taken care of by you. I often hear her talking about you. How is it, what is Miss Ono's impression of her?" "I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. She was very cheerful." "My younger sister often says that not only Ms. Ono, but also other older friends are very interesting. Ms. Ono, I don't know who Lingzi hangs out with? Do you know?"

"This..." Kikuko Ono lowered her eyelids. "What a lovely girl, no wonder everyone likes her. I like her very much myself. I feel much younger when I associate with such an innocent girl. As for other men, I don't see anything wrong with her." Unhealthy feelings." "Who do you mean by male?" For some reason Masako thought of Jim first.Ever since Lingzi mentioned Jimu, Jimu's shadow was always lingering in Changzi's mind. "There are all kinds of people." Changzi couldn't help being startled, and raised his eyelids. "They are all people you can rely on, and there are a few people... For example, Mr. Otomo who bothered you together."

Masako immediately thought of the huge green car parked in front of the apartment.Lingzi called her out that day and only met once in a panic.Kikuko is with Otomo-san. From the impression I first met, Mr. Otomo was an elderly gentleman who had seen the world.He is tall and well-built, and he wears a very stylish suit.I heard that he is the manager of the company, which must be a prestigious company. Kikuko said: "Mr. Otomo often invites actors to nightclubs, but they are always with people from the company that Mr. Otomo is familiar with. There is no need to worry about this. If Mr. Otomo behaves badly, I will not forgive him."

"Mr. Otomo doesn't know what kind of company he runs?" When Otomo introduced him to Masako that day, Masako didn't get his business card. "Oh, right? Maybe I didn't tell you." "That's right. I never said that." "His company is called Tohto Kanko Co., Ltd." Kikuko Ono replied. The so-called tourist club means that Otomo Ryosuke owns assets such as hotels, tour buses, and large restaurants. "He is an ambitious man who dares to do anything. In fact, I only know that he has such a company, but I don't know much about the actual situation." Kikuko Ono said with a smile. So, what does Kikuko Ono know about Ryosuke Otomo?Since she is a magazine reporter, it should be said that she is connected at work.However, Kikuko said that she didn't understand the business content of Dongdu Tourist Club. However, Masako was too embarrassed to ask further questions. "That's why I say that there is nothing to worry about among the people Lingzi associates with," said Kikuko. Changzi hesitated for a moment before making up his mind and asking: "My sister often mentions a man named Jim. Miss Ono, do you know him?" At this time, the man he had seen on the tram suddenly appeared in front of Changzi's eyes.After Changzi finished asking, his breath became short of breath. "Jimu-kun, it's him." Kikuko nodded, "Yes, they know each other." Kikuko changed another look and glanced at Masako. "Yes. Lingzi once talked about it, saying that my sister might know Jimu-kun, but Jimu-kun denied it." Realizing that Kikuko was staring at her, Masako tensed up. "Among my friends in the past, there was a person named Jimu." Changzi found such a sentence with difficulty. "I don't know if it's the same person." "Really?" Kikuko didn't mind. "Yomo works at the Institute of East Asian Fiscal Studies." Only then did Changzi know Jim's work unit.Her husband never told her. "Jimu-kun is very smart, and his brain is very easy to use. He is so young, he has only graduated from college for five or six years!" Kikuko praised Jimu. "What is the nature of his work unit?" Changzi asked. Precisely because her husband was reluctant to tell her, she inadvertently became more interested. "I don't know too well." Xi Jiuzi suddenly laughed, "This is really weird. When we play together, we don't talk much about work. Jimu-kun's unit, in my opinion, seems to be It's a small newspaper" "Newspaper?" "Yes, a special kind of newspaper. Do you know any newspapers in the industry? Probably this kind of newspaper. I'm ashamed to ask more. As time goes on, I'm even more embarrassed to ask." "Excuse me, may I ask that you and Jimu were introduced by Mr. Otomo Ryosuke?" Masako asked. "No, it's not." Kikuko denied. "Jimu-jun is a journalist, and I am also a journalist, so we got to know each other immediately. For example, when we drink in a bar, we will recognize each other when we are together." Kikuko noticed the change in Masako's expression and stared at her. "Although Mr. Jimu is very young, he is quite a gentleman. He plays with Mr. Lingzi, and there are always other people present. Besides, there are not many opportunities for Lingzi and Mr. Jim to meet." At this time, the door opened.The conveying girl handed over a note to Kikuko. Ono Kikuko quickly glanced at it, and put it in his pocket quickly, as if it was something for work.Ono Kikuko took this opportunity to ask Masako in turn. "Looks like it's a real worry. I read it in the papers, and I can't believe it's true. Don't you?" She couldn't believe it wasn't Reiko's disappearance, but Horizawa and Reiko's elopement. Changzi lowered his head, but couldn't help answering her.I came here to find out the whereabouts of Lingzi.It is an obligation to answer the other party's questions. "No, I don't believe the newspaper reports at all." Changzi said firmly. Kikuko Ono nodded after listening to her answer.Her eyes still did not leave Masako, waiting for her to continue. "However, the public may not see it that way... Horizawa and his sister disappeared almost at the same time. This is true, and there has been no news of it. However, I think..." Masako raised her voice and said to Kikuko: "I don't think that Horizawa and my sister usually show this kind of performance. I know this best. Now that the situation is in front of me, I can't imagine that they will be together. Since they are together, why don't they walk together? So I don't think they're together." "not together?" "It may sound strange to you. Everyone thinks they are together, and I don't think there is a necessary reason for them to be together." "Sorry, let me ask." Kikuko asked. "So, you completely trust your husband and Lingmeiluo!" The intention of Ono Kikuko's questioning seemed to be that Masako didn't know anything about the situation and was still in the dark. After hearing what Kikuko said, Masako understood that this statement represented the general opinion in society.Those involved are fascinated, but bystanders are clear. Changzi may be too leaning on his own eyes. Masako absolutely believed in his own opinion, and Lingzi would never fall into Horizawa's bait.Lingzi will not lie. Besides, Horizawa doesn't like Reiko, but the outside world doesn't know about it, so they can only make judgments based on superficial phenomena. "No." Changzi said firmly. "I insist I'm right and they would never do something like that." "But, it's true that the two left almost at the same time!" Kikuko asked straight to the point. "Yes, it is true." "That's weird." The so-called "strange" refers to Chang Zi's thinking is too strange, the two left one after the other, so far there is no news.Changzi stubbornly denied that the two had a relationship, which was incredible. Kikuko's idea is reasonable. The society generally believes that it is common for a brother-in-law and sister-in-law to fall in love.Kikuko's words represent the views of ordinary people in society. Masako gradually regretted that she should not have visited Kikuko.Her purpose was not to listen to Kikuko's sarcasm.She wanted to get some clues from Kikuko, but at the moment she got nothing. "I'll take my leave now." Masako stood up from the chair. "Yo—" Ono Kikuko suddenly became affectionate again. "I can't help you at all, I'm really sorry." "No, sorry to disturb you during your busy schedule." "Do you still live in the same place?" Kikuko asked. "No, I'm moving." "Really?" Kikuko's eyes widened. "I don't know at all. Does your mother or anyone else live with you?" "No. I'm by myself." Kikuko Ono stared silently at Masako's face. "Where I will be needed in the future..." Kikuko suddenly said earnestly. "You can call me anytime and I'll help," "thanks." "Lingzi and I are so close, at this critical moment, I should do my best." Kikuko Ono asked Changko to tell her the new address.Masako decided not to bother her again in the future, and temporarily wrote her address on the magazine paper that Kikuko handed over. Masako walked out of the magazine. She was very upset.When she was walking among the crowd, it suddenly occurred to her to meet Jim.She didn't want to see him before, but after Kikuko Ono told her about his occupation and work unit, she got the idea. Jimu may be aware of Lingzi's disappearance. Kikuko told Changko that Yoshiki worked at the Institute of East Asian Finance, but he didn't know the address.Masako went to the payphone of the cigarette paper shop, and found the "East Asian Finance Research Institute" from the thick phone book. The institute was located in Sakuma-cho, Shiba-ku. Masako planned to visit Jim, and now he found the phone number, so he might as well make a call first, maybe Jim is right there. She hesitated for a while, unable to make up her mind, considering that she must be mentally prepared to visit Jim suddenly.She felt that there was a gap between Horizawa and Yoshiki.The husband did not invite Jim to their wedding ceremony.After getting married, Jim never went to her house to play.The husband didn't even allow himself to mention Jim, and it all remained a mystery. Masako dialed the phone number of the Institute of East Asian Fiscal Studies.Her fingers were shaking. She thought the switchboard operator on the other side must be a woman, but a man's voice came. She said she was looking for Jim, but he asked her back, "Where are you from?" "My name is Horizawa." Waited for a while. "Jimu-jun is out now. If there is anything, I can tell him." "No." Changzi couldn't help but sighed. "I'll call him later!" After hanging up the phone, Masako was very calm.Luckily Jim wasn't there.If Jim came to answer the phone, she really didn't know what to say, because her mind was unprepared. At the moment she is disappointed.As she walked, she thought: No one can help her.She was left alone. The streets were bustling with people, but she felt even more lonely. Unknowingly, she left the crowd and found that there were several buildings in front of her.There are many vehicles and few pedestrians here, most of them are women, and they have already come to Guanting Street. Masako realizes that the Economic Planning Agency, where Horizawa works, is nearby.She didn't want to see Horizawa's boss at first, but now that she's in front of the yamen, she might as well go and see him. Ordinarily, Horizawa highly admired the head of the section, and was full of praise when talking about him. After the wedding ceremony, she never saw the head of the section again.Announced that Horizawa stopped dare not the section chief personally come forward, and sent Horizawa's colleagues to inform her. Masako thought for a while, now that something happened to Horizawa, as his wife, she should say a few words of apology.However, considering her current situation, she didn't want to meet anyone related to Horizawa.Why did I suddenly feel this way? She went to the reception room at the entrance of the building and asked, and told her it was on the fourth floor. In the corridors of the building, some people carrying documents were busy walking back and forth.People who come in from the outside seem to have thrown themselves into another trend. Up to the fourth floor, there is a reception room at the stairway.She said she was going to meet the head teacher. "Do you want to see Section Chief Takemura?" the messenger asked. "Which one are you?" This is Horizawa's work unit. When the surname Horizawa is mentioned, people may look at her with strange eyes.She can't care about these anymore. "I'm Horizawa's..." The messenger gave Masako a surprised look, with a strange smile on the corner of his mouth, he probably knew about the Horizawa incident. "Please!" He led her into the reception room and asked her to wait here.This quiet reception room is isolated from all the noise inside and outside the building, as if this is not the city center, but the countryside.A huge map of Japan hangs on the wall, which looks like a school herbarium. In addition, there are pennants for winning the staff softball game, silver statues, etc. These decorations make Masako feel gloomy and cold. After waiting for fifteen minutes, the head of the class came slowly.Changzi felt that after waiting for such a long time, because her husband had an accident, he caused trouble for the Economic Planning Department and discredited him. This is what he deserved. Before the arrival of the section chief, she wanted to leave the reception room quietly, but considering that she had visited on her own initiative, she had to leave without saying goodbye. Because of a mistake, an irreparable situation was almost caused, and she regretted it a bit. The head of Takemura is in his fifties.The thinning hair is neatly combed, and the flushed cheeks are quite different from the appearance seen at the wedding ceremony. Then came in a tall, thin man in his forties.The head of the class is not enough by himself, why are there two people here?Changzi felt indescribably oppressed, and even the winning pennant on the wall gave her a cold feeling.