Chapter 31 Section 31

The building with the "KONAMO" signboard is located next to Azabu Juban Station.Go up the overhanging stairs, and the entrance is in front.This is a shop that serves monjayaki and okonomiyaki.The name of the store may come from the word "Fenwu". Kusanagi looked up, just in time to see a young man coming out of the shop.Judging from the red apron on the other party, it is estimated that it should be a clerk in the store.The clerk turned over the sign hanging at the entrance, and then returned to the store again. The hands of the clock pointed to just after two o'clock.The last two female customers also came out of the store.Seeing the two female guests walk away, Kusanagi climbed up the stairs.On the sign at the door, it says "Ready for business".

Pushing open the store door, I heard a bell jingling above my head. The young clerk from earlier was sitting at the cash register.He looked up at Kusanagi, and said, "Ah, sorry, the daytime business hours are over." "I know. I'm not a diner. Is Mr. Muroi there?" While asking, Kusanagi looked around the shop.There is a row of tables with iron sheets in the shop. In front of him, an old man with white hair was reading a newspaper with his back to Kusanagi.Hearing Kusanagi's question, the old man turned his head to look.Although there were many wrinkles on his face, the old man's skin was tanned, and he didn't look too old.The old man also wore a red apron.

"Your Excellency?" the old man asked. Kusanagi walked up to the old man, took out his police badge and ID card to show the old man, and asked, "Are you Mr. Muroi?" The old man looked confused and said, "It's me, what's the matter with you?" "I wanted to ask you a little bit about your time at 'Calvin'." "'Calvin?' That was a long time ago. I've been away from there for over a decade." "I know. Last night, I went to 'Calvin' and asked about you, Mr. Muroi." The "Calvin" store is located in a building on the edge of Ginza Nanachome.The decoration in the store is quite luxurious, and high-end leather sofas are lined up side by side on the floor.The atmosphere in the store will always remind people of the feeling when the Japanese economy was booming.

Sixteen years ago, Hidetoshi Xianbo and Nobuko Miyake drank together in this shop.The next day, Xianbo became a murderer, and Nobuko Miyake also became a victim.In the end, it was the testimony of Masao Muroi, the manager of the "Calvin" store, that helped the police successfully capture Xianbo.He is very familiar with the murderer and the victim in the murder case, and even knows Xian Bo's name. After hearing Kusanagi's explanation that his purpose of coming here was to ask himself about the case, Muroi's eyes widened. "It's been even longer since this happened. Now, why do you still ask why this happened? Ah, could it be——" Muroi roughly folded the newspaper, and sat upright on the chair, "Could it be that he... Xianbo Already released from prison? Could it be that he is still holding a grudge against me because of what happened back then? "

Kusanagi smiled wryly. "No. Xian Boyingjun's sentence has already expired. After he was released from prison, did he come to you?" "Indeed. Is he? He's out of prison?" "You know both of them quite well, don't you?" "It can't be said that they are very familiar. Before they went that day, both of them hadn't been to my store for a long time. I really didn't expect that such a thing would happen the next day." "Judging from the data, the relationship between the two of them already had a feeling of tension that night?"

"It can't be said that the sword is on the verge of breaking out. But it does feel different from usual..." Muroi hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Xianbo was crying at that time." When the other party asked if he had lunch, Kusanagi replied "not yet" without thinking.Hearing Kusanagi's answer, Muroi said that he would make him a miscellaneous pancake.Kusanagi said a few words politely, but the other party insisted.In desperation, Kusanagi had no choice but to sit down at the table. "I was born here, but when I was in junior high school, I went to Osaka because of my family. At that time, there was a miscellaneous pancake shop nearby, so I always dreamed that I could open such a shop one day. It’s just that if you want to open a shop here, you won’t be able to leave the shop if you don’t do some monograph printing. So, after leaving 'Calvin', I went to Tsukishima to work for a while and learned some crafts. But Well, when it comes to miscellaneous pancakes, I have been researching since I was a child, so I am still somewhat confident." While talking happily, Muroi started making pancakes.Seeing Muroi skillfully stirring various condiments in the bowl, Kusanagi couldn't help secretly admiring him.

"How many years have you worked at 'Calvin'?" Kusanagi asked. "Exactly twenty years. When I was thirty-five, they hired me as a bartender. I've been in many restaurants before, but that one gave me the best feeling. But I think I can’t always work for others, so I opened this store ten years ago. Although the store is not big, there is actually no debt.” Muroi began to make miscellaneous pancakes.Oil droplets crackled in the pot. "Since when did Handsome Senba start to go to that store often?" Muroi folded his arms and thought about it. "I don't remember very well either. I remember I hadn't been in 'Calvin' for ten years, maybe twenty-two or three years ago."

"So..." Kusanagi made some calculations in his heart, "Should it be six or seven years before the incident happened?" "Well, yes. It's roughly like this. At that time, Mr. Xianbo was also very straightforward in his work. Although the scale was small, he also opened a company of his own after all." When Muroi called Xianbo, he added after his surname "Sir".From this point of view, Xianbo should be a very good guest for him. "Afterwards, he disappeared suddenly. When he reappeared later, he seemed to have fallen a lot, and even the clothes he wore were all cheap. He appeared that night."

The company went bankrupt, and almost all of Xianbo's savings were used to see a doctor for his wife.Frustrated, Xianbo plans to regain his strength and go to Tokyo again.At this time, even if he feels a bit downcast, it is reasonable. "How was Nobuko Miyake's situation? Hasn't she been to 'Calvin' for a long time?" "Yes. But she hasn't been there for as long as Senba-san. Before she went to 'Calvin' that night, she probably didn't go to 'Calvin' for two or three years. Ever since she resigned, Rie seldom went to 'Calvin' 'Go."

"Rie?" "Well, it's Miyake's stage name. I remember that her official name should be 'Rieko'. When she was a seat lady, she would often bring guests to visit 'Calvin' afterward. Senba-san was also one of her customers. .” "Then, do you know Rie...no, Miss Miyake, why did she resign?" As soon as Kusanagi asked the question, Muroi stopped what he was doing, leaned out a little and said, "I've heard some rumors." "What rumor?" "Actually, Miyake didn't resign, but was fired because he got into trouble."

"Getting into trouble?" Muroi shrugged and smiled. "According to what I heard, she seems to have engaged in a business of borrowing money and not paying it back." "This kind of thing is a bit dangerous." "Either she turned her face and refused to accept the account, or she ran away when she got the money. Back and forth, she borrowed 100,000 to 200,000 yuan from her regular customers. In the end, the customers came to the store all day to find trouble, and in desperation , the boss had no choice but to fire her." "Then, after resigning, how does she make ends meet?" "Who knows. She was quite old when she resigned, and she probably worried about money." Nobuko Miyake was forty-seven years old when he was killed.If what Muroi said is true, she should have been fired when she was thirty-seven or eighteen.It would be fine if she could get a lot of money, otherwise, it would be difficult for her to continue to be a lady at the stage at her age. "She has always been extravagant in spending money. So when I first heard that something happened to her, I wasn't surprised at all. Mr. Xianbo probably lent her some money when he had a lot of money." "I remember what you said just now, when Xianbo handsome was crying..." Kusanagi said in a low voice, "Are you sure?" Muroi looked at the situation of miscellaneous pancakes and said, "I'm not the only one who saw it. At that time, other shop assistants were also discussing secretly, saying that a male customer in the shop was crying, and they didn't know that both of them were there. Talk about something. That's why I remember it so clearly." "Do you remember what they were talking about?" "Uh, well..." Muroi smiled wryly and waved his hands, "If it was a young female customer who was crying, I would still be a little curious, but if the male customer in a middle-aged couple cried If I wake up, I don't want to get involved. And I guess he was just drunk and crazy." Kusanagi nodded, trying to picture the situation in his mind.A pair of middle-aged men and women who haven't seen each other for a long time.One of them is a man who once had a small success in his career, but then lost everything; and the other is a former lady who got into trouble and became penniless.What happened between the two of them?What was the reason that made the male alcoholic drink and burst into tears, and then killed the female alcoholic the next day? "Whether it's Miyake or Senba, do you know anyone who is familiar with them? Or, besides 'Calvin', do they have other stores that they often go to?" "Well, this..." Muroi thought for a while and said, "After all, this happened many years ago. I'm quite familiar with them, but I haven't talked to them too much." "yes?" Kusanagi stuffed the manual into his pocket.No matter who it is, suddenly asking the other party to recall what happened more than twenty years ago, it is really difficult to recall it all at once. "Well, it's ready. Please try it while it's hot." Muroi spread the sauce on the Okakayaki, sprinkled aonori and dried fish flakes, put it on the iron plate and cut it open, "Ah, yes, I forgot to get you a bottle of draft beer." "No, there is no need for beer. Then, I will not be polite." Kusanagi picked up the disposable bamboo chopsticks and tasted a piece.Not only is the surface burnt just right, but the inside is also fluffy, tender and delicious.After taking a sip, Kusanagi couldn't help saying "good". Muroi also seemed to realize that Kusanagi's words were not flattering himself, and narrowed his eyes happily. "My shop is often visited by Kansai people. After tasting it, Kansai customers will say 'authentic'. I think they miss the taste of their hometown." After finishing speaking, Muroi suddenly put on a serious face. Looking into the distance, he said, "Ah, yes..." "What's wrong?" "Uh..." Muroi pressed his index finger on his temple as if he was suppressing a headache, and said while recalling, "The two of them should have talked about that at the time..." "The two of them?" "It's Rie and Senba-san. I often chat with them about the dishes of my hometown. I remember they brought me something before." "Bring something? Bring it to you?" "Yes, it's a local specialty. Uh, what is it?" Muroi crossed his arms, pondered for a while, and finally shook his head as if giving up, "I can't. I can't remember anything. I just vaguely remember something being brought to me." "When you remember, please contact me." Kusanagi wrote down his mobile phone on the recording paper and put it next to the iron plate. "Okay. But don't expect too much. I can't guarantee that I can recall it. Even if I recall it, it probably won't be a big deal." "It's okay. Then I'll leave it to you." Kusanagi stretched his chopsticks towards the miscellaneous pancakes again.Just then, the phone in his pocket rang a text message.Kusanagi secretly glanced at the screen on the phone, and sure enough, it was a text message from Kaoru Utsumi. After leaving "KONAMO", Kusanagi checked the text message.The text message said that Kaoru Utsumi had checked the employee roster of Arima Engine, and that Shigeharu Kawabata's name was indeed on it.Kusanagi called Kaoru Utsumi. "Hi, I'm Neihai." "Good job. How did you find out?" "I went to the personnel department of the Arima Headquarters in Shinjuku and checked the employee roster." "It's a good thing they let you check it so easily." Many companies treat employee rosters as a confidential matter.Although the above records are all personal information, but the business side is not willing to allow others to check. "They asked me to sign a letter of commitment, promising not to use the information recorded on it for purposes other than search operations, and at the same time not allow me to disclose it to the outside world. Because they also asked me to write down the name of my boss, so I put Kusanagi Your name is written on it." "It's okay. If you can check the roster just by signing your name, it's already a good deal." "Beyond that, they kept pestering us about what case we were investigating." "Hey." Kusanagi shouted in a rough voice, "You won't tell them the truth, will you?" "How come. I'm not a newcomer anymore." "Hearing you say that, I'm relieved. Okay, is Shigeharu Kawabata's name really recorded in the roster?" "He has his name. Fifteen years ago, before retiring, Kawahata was attached to the Technical Service Section of the Sales Technology Department of the Nagoya Branch, and his title was section chief." "Nagoya? He doesn't work in Tokyo?" "From the roster, it looks like this. It's just that his address says Tokyo." "Tokyo? What's going on?" "I don't know. The specific address is Oji Honcho, Kita-ku. The nearest station is Oji Station. There is a bracket after the address, and the brackets say 'company residence'. I guess that place should be the company residence of 'Arima Engine'." Bar." The address is Tokyo, but the place of work is in Nagoya-could it be that you are single?Kusanagi speculated in his mind. "In addition to the address and place of employment, what else is recorded in the roster?" "The first is the employee number. The number is arranged according to the year when the employee entered the company, and the entire roster is also compiled according to the sequence of numbers. In addition to the number, address and place of employment, there are also graduate schools and address telephone numbers. It is said that the roster will be updated every year, so the name of Kawabata Shigeharu will not be on the roster in the second year after retirement.” "Among those who joined the company with Kawabata, is there anyone who graduated from the same school as him?" Kusanagi was full of expectations. If there is such a person, he should have a good relationship with Kawabata.But Kaoru Utsumi's answer disappointed him. "Unfortunately, there is no such person. But I didn't care too much. I copied all the materials of the fifty people who joined the company with him. In addition, it is said that there were four employees under Shigeharu Kawabata at the time, so I passed the Their documents have also been copied. However, these people are all working in Nagoya.” "I see. If that's the case, let's go to the company residence first. By the way, is the company residence still there? Couldn't it have been demolished?" "It seems to be still there, but it's very worn out." "OK. The nearest station is Oji Station, right? Then let's meet up in front of the station." Kusanagi hung up the phone and started to walk in big strides.From Azabu Juban to Prince, it's just a subway line. While walking down the stairs, Kusanagi recalled the phone call from Yukawa late last night.On the phone, Yu Chuan once told Kusanagi to investigate the situation of the boss and his family of "Green Rock Village".According to Yukawa's reasoning, there seems to be a deep connection between the Kawabata family and the case.When Kusanagi asked him "you can identify that person as a suspect", he replied "that is your freedom".From this point, it is enough to see Tang Chuan's self-confidence. It's just that the physicist is still the same, still unwilling to speak out the reasoning in his heart in advance.He didn't even say why he asked Kusanagi to investigate Kawabata Shigeharu's family.Besides, he told Kusanagi so. "I'm telling you this because I trust you and this case can only be solved with your help. Don't get me wrong, I'm not providing any clues to the police." The circle of these words was too wide, and even Kusanagi didn't understand what it meant.Afterwards, Yu Chuan went on to say: "There is basically no doubt that the Kawahata family is related to the case. However, I hope that you will not tell the police here for the time being. If possible, I hope to With the strength of the few of us, we can find out the truth. If we use strong methods to expose the truth like the county police, we may fall into an irreversible situation." Tang Chuan's words were a little confusing.When Kusanagi asked him what was going to get into an irreversible situation, he just said "life". "If this case is not resolved smoothly, someone's life will be greatly deviated. I must do my best to prevent this from happening." As for who "someone" is, until the end, Yu Chuan also did not explain clearly.On the contrary, he lowered his voice and said: "I'm sorry, I have to make a request for you. But I promise you, after I find out the truth, I will be the first to tell you the situation. As for how to deal with it later, it is up to you to decide gone." Tang Chuan said so, presumably there must be some special circumstances in this case.Kusanagi knew very well that at such a time, it would be meaningless to continue to entangle and ask endlessly.He agreed to Tang Chuan's request, and then hung up the phone. Having said that, the Glass Police Station hardly mentioned anything about Kawabata Shigeharu here.When you think about it, it feels like they are doing it for granted.From their point of view, it is meaningless to tell the people in the Metropolitan Police Department about these things.However, Kusanagi could not act rashly, and ran to ask about Kawabata Shigeharu and his family.If Kusanagi did this, the other party would ask why Kusanagi asked these questions.If it is not done well, perhaps everyone's suspicion will be transferred to the Kawahata family.In this case, Kusanagi would violate the agreement between him and Yukawa. In this case, how should we investigate the past experiences of the Kawabata family?This morning, when Kusanagi was frowning, Yukawa called again and told him some useful information.Judging from what Yukawa inquired from the daughter of the Kawahata family, it seems that Shigeharu Kawahata had worked in the engine manufacturer "Arima Engine" before.After receiving this information, Kaoru Utsumi immediately set off for the manufacturer's headquarters in Shinjuku. While wandering on the subway, Kusanagi was thinking about this case.interesting.The case took place in a rural place like Glasspool, but the key to solving the case all exists in Tokyo.Moreover, no one in the investigation headquarters responsible for this case has realized this yet. What kind of people did that guy meet and do in Glass Pool? He stared at the gray wall passing by the car window, but Kusanagi thought of the familiar face of his old friend in his mind.