Chapter 57 Section 57

JR Shinagawa Station Takanawa Exit—— Five minutes after the tram arrived at the station, Yu Chuan's figure appeared in front of the automatic ticket gate.He wore a light-coloured blouse over his shirt and carried a briefcase under his arm.Seeing Kusanagi beckoning, Yukawa nodded slightly at him. Kusanagi had been waiting for him outside the ticket gate. "It's quite tanned." Kusanagi looked at Yukawa's dark face and said. "I also didn't expect that there would be so much outdoor work." "It's really hard work for you." Kusanagi said softly.Regarding the reason why Yukawa went to Bolipu, Kusanagi always believed that he was going to conduct research on seabed resources.Apart from that, there is no need to know more.

After walking out of the ticket gate, Yu Chuan stopped and looked at the taxis lined up outside the lobby. "What's wrong?" Kusanagi asked. "It's nothing. Although it's only been a week, my understanding of the station has changed a lot. Tokyo is indeed a big city, and the station is also very big." "Fall in love with rural life?" "How is it possible? I just deeply feel that I really can't adapt to that kind of life. As a person, I only feel more at ease when I see people coming and going all day long. At least, there are too many taxis in the metropolis. Some—by the way, where is the car?"

Just as Yu Chuan finished asking, a rouge-colored Pajero appeared on the right and stopped by the side of the road.Yukawa and Kusanagi immediately walked to the car and got into the car.Kusanagi sat in the passenger seat, and Yukawa sat in the back seat. long time no see.Kaoru Utsumi said while starting the car.Needless to say, these words were naturally directed at Tang Chuan who was behind her. "I heard from Kusanagi that you have done a lot of work this time. This is not considered a formal search operation. It is really hard for you." "Teacher, you have worked hard, and you have been involved in some strange cases."

Yu Chuan was silent for a while, feeling as if he was choosing words.Afterwards, he spoke. "Are you involved in the case... No, the situation is a little different this time. If I want to avoid it, I can actually ignore it. Even if you tell me to assist in the search, I can still refuse .” "That's right. We have been wondering why you are so active in assisting us this time? Is there any reason?" "I think I've told you about this before, right?" "You were saying, maybe someone's life will be completely changed because of it? Can you tell me, who is the 'someone' you're talking about?"

Yukawa sighed. "Sooner or later, I will tell you, but it doesn't feel very interesting to say this. Once the Kawahatas surrendered, the situation became more and more difficult. Maybe my thinking is a little too naive." "You're starting to say such mind-blowing things again." "Well, I'm sorry." Tang Chuan rarely apologized so bluntly, "I also said before that sooner or later, I will tell you everything, but not now." "Then, what about where we're going next?" Utsumi Kaoru asked, "Don't tell me, sir, you still don't want to tell all the reasoning?"

Tang Chuan thought for a moment and said. "What I'm going to do next is not to solve the mystery. I just want to confirm some things. Perhaps, I can find out a lot of things. But don't think that doing this will solve everything. On the contrary, maybe There is still a long way to go between this result and the resolution of the case.” "That is to say, the change in someone's life is already unavoidable?" After listening to Kusanagi's question, Yukawa only answered "I don't know yet". The three were silent for a while.The Pajero driven by Kaoru Utsumi crossed the highway and left the Chofu ramp.

It didn't take long for Chaimoto General Hospital to appear in front. Entering the hospice service building, Tang Chuan stopped in his tracks.He turned his head and looked around in the quiet lobby, and murmured, "It's so quiet." "According to Utsumi," Kusanagi said, "it is estimated that the hospital did this on purpose so that patients would no longer feel the passage of time." "Come on. Just talking nonsense." The elevator goes up to the third floor.Just like yesterday, Nurse Anxi in a pale pink uniform was already standing at the door of the reception room waiting for them.

"Sorry, I have come to disturb you for several days." Hearing Kusanagi's apology, Nurse Anxi lowered her head with a smile and walked silently in the corridor. Early this morning, Kusanagi called the hospital, saying that he wanted Xianbo to meet someone.Dean Shibamoto hesitated at first, but in the end he agreed to Kusanagi's request. Last night, when Yu Chuan said on the phone that he wanted to meet Xianbo, Kusanagi didn't ask him why.Kusanagi knew that Yu Chuan was not a person who would speak out his thoughts casually, so it was best to let him do it at a time like this.The key to the case may lie in Glass Pond.Kusanagi and the others knew nothing about Glassura.

After a while, the sound of wheels came.Kusanagi froze. The mummy-like Xian Bo appeared in front of several people in a beige hospital suit and sitting in a wheelchair.Xianbo stared straight ahead, his sunken eyes flashed with intense vigilance.Perhaps, he had already guessed that the other party came to him to inquire about Tsukahara's situation. Kusanagi turned to look at Yukawa's profile.He was curious about what kind of expression physicists would show in front of this dying man. However, Yu Chuan just looked at the old man in front of him with the gaze of an observer.There was no trace of emotion on that delicate and handsome face.It is completely in his imagination that a patient with advanced cancer is physically tortured by the disease—perhaps, this is what he feels in his heart.

"It's better for me to introduce myself first." Tang Chuan said. Kusanagi immediately understood what Yukawa meant.He immediately turned to Xian Bo and said, "Thank you very much for yesterday. Actually, there was another person who wished to meet you all the time, so we brought him here today. He is my friend, named Tang Chuan .He is not a policeman, but a scholar engaged in physics." After listening to Kusanagi's introduction, Yukawa handed over his business card.Xianbo's hand didn't move.Nurse Anxi took the business card for him and handed it to him.

Xianbo's eyeballs rolled.A hoarse sound came from dry lips.Perhaps, he felt a little strange, wondering what the physicists wanted to come to him. "Actually, until this morning, I have been in Glass Pool." Tang Chuan said.Although Yu Chuan's voice was very low, it resounded throughout the room. Xianbo's expression began to change.His eyelids moved a little.It looks like he cares about it. Tang Chuan opened the document bag and took out a document.Yukawa put the cover of the document in front of Xianba. "A few days ago, Glass Pool held an exploration study on seabed hot water deposits. I also participated in the briefing and seminar. You should know what seabed hot water deposits are, right? I heard that you invited Tsukahara-san went to the briefing instead of you." Xianbo nodded stiffly. "The sea in Bolipu is beautiful." Tang Chuan said, "It's amazing. I saw the glass on the bottom of the sea. It was a miracle. The miraculous shape. Mr. Xianba. I think the scenery I saw is probably not the same. It’s not much inferior to the scenery you’ve seen before. There are still people guarding your sea.” Xianbo's body trembled slightly.His cheeks twitched, and his lips quivered.Kusanagi felt that he seemed to be afraid.But soon, Kusanagi discovered that this was not the case.Actually, Xianbo wanted to laugh.After hearing what Yukawa said, Xianbo seemed very happy. "As for whether the development of seabed hot water deposits will be launched in the future, it is still unknown. However, even if development is to be carried out, it may take at least a few decades. By then, environmental protection technology should also There are new breakthroughs. After all, scientists don't want to destroy that beautiful sea. So you can rest assured. I promise you, we will definitely do our best." Xianbo shook his head back and forth.He seemed to be nodding.Although Dean Chai Ben said that he often has symptoms of unconsciousness, it seems that he is quite normal today.After hearing Yukawa's words, he seemed very satisfied. "Mr. Xianbo, I want you to see something." Yu Chuan took out a piece of A4 paper from his bag. Kusanagi moved to the side and took a look.There was a drawing on the paper that appeared to be a digital printout.It was a painting of the sea.The sky is blue, and there are a few clouds floating on the sea in the distance.The coastline slowly drew an arc, and the waves rushed to the rocks on the shore, splashing a few white waves. Yu Chuan brought the painting to Xianbo's eyes.Immediately, Xianbo changed significantly.It felt like a force that had been hidden in the bottom of my heart for many years suddenly gushed out, stimulating the essence of the whole body.Xianbo's skin flushed slightly, and his turbid eyeballs also began to turn red and congested. "This painting hangs in the 'Green Rock Village'. Mr. Xianbo, have you ever seen this painting before? The scenery depicted in the painting is the sea seen from the east glass. Looking out from your house Is Glass Pu just like this?" Then, Tang Chuan put the painting in front of Xianbo again, "No, not only that. Perhaps, this painting was actually drawn by you or your wife? Wife passed away, you I have also left East Glass, but you still cherish this painting very much. This painting is your treasure. Because of this, you entrust it to your most important person. Am I right? " Xianbo's eyes widened, his whole body stiffened.His breathing became short of breath, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. Nurse Anxi beside her looked at Xian Bo worriedly.She seemed to want to say something, but Xian Bo slightly raised his left hand to stop her.After that, Xian Bo took a deep breath.From the looks of it, he seemed to want to say something.In his heart, he may have already made up his mind to answer the other party's question himself. "No...it's not." Xianbo said in a low voice, "I've never...never seen that painting." "Really? Take a closer look." Seeing Tang Chuan handing over the painting again, Xianbo said "I haven't seen it before" and blocked it with his right hand.The painting slipped from Yu Chuan's hand and fell to the floor. A heavy silence filled the room.Yu Chuan reached out and picked up the painting. "I see. Then, please take a look at another photo." After speaking, Tang Chuan took out a piece of paper from his bag. Kusanagi looked again.What Tang Chuan took out this time was a photo of a young woman.It felt like the woman was sitting in the driver's seat of the car.Perhaps because she didn't expect that the other party would press the shutter, the expression on the woman's face seemed to be a little surprised.Although the bridge of the nose is high, the woman's dark skin does not give people the feeling of being too restrained. "As I said just now, someone is still guarding that sea for you. The person guarding that sea is this woman. I have to go back to Glass Pool today. Do you have anything to tell me?" Tang Chuan Let Xian Bo look at the photo. Xianbo's face was contorted, and he couldn't tell whether he was laughing or crying.Numerous wrinkles drew curves on his face, his expression was so stiff, his lips were trembling. "How?" Tang Chuan said, "Just talk to her. Talk to her who guards the sea for you." Xianbo's body convulsed twice in succession.His throat moved as if he had swallowed something, and his body stopped shaking suddenly.Then, he straightened his back, straightened his chest, and stared at Yu Chuan for a long time with those sunken eyes.He had never been so hale and hearty before. "Although I don't know her, please say 'thank you' to her..." Xian Bo's answer was clear and powerful. Yu Chuan blinked, and a smile appeared on his lips.He lowered his head, then looked up at Xianbo again. "I'll pass it on to her. I'll put these photos here." Yu Chuan handed the pictures of Hai Hai and the woman to Nurse Anxi, and then he stood up and said to Kusanagi, "Let's go." "It's over?" "Yeah." Tang Chuan nodded. Kusanagi winked at Kaoru Utsumi and stood up.The two bowed their heads to Xianbo and Nurse Anxi, and said "thank you". Leaving the reception room, the three of them walked towards the elevator hall.No one spoke.On the entire floor, only the footsteps of three people echoed. Before the elevator arrived, the door of the reception room was opened.Nurse Anxi pushed Xianbo, who was in a wheelchair, out of the room.Seeing the three of them, Nurse Anxi nodded her head, while Xian Bo lowered her head.He seemed to be holding something tightly in his hand.Even if he just glanced at it from a distance, he could tell that what he was holding in his hand was the two photos just now. "I remember you said that Nobuko Miyake met Senba the day before he was killed, right?" Yu Chuan finally spoke after walking out of the hospice service building and back to the parking lot. "Yes. The two of them met at a store they frequented called 'Calvin'." "What did the two of them talk about?" Kusanagi shrugged. "I don't know. I guess the two of them talked about their respective glorious days. According to the owner of the shop at that time, Xianbo seemed to be crying." "Xianbo is crying..." Tang Chuan nodded thoughtfully, "I see." "What's going on? Don't be a fool, can you?" Yukawa did not answer Kusanagi.He raised his hand to look at his watch, and then lightly knocked on the door of Pajero. "Let's get in the car first. Standing here for too long will cause heat stroke. And, as I told Xianbo just now, I have to go back to Glass Pool soon." Kusanagi winked at Kaoru Utsumi.Kaoru Utsumi immediately took out the car keys from his bag. Just like when they came, the three of them took their seats.Kaoru Utsumi seemed to know the road well, she turned the steering wheel without hesitation. "Tell me, what did Nobuko Miyake do when he went to Ogiki?" Yu Chuan asked while sitting in the back seat. Kusanagi turned his head and said: "This is also something that Mr. Tsukahara has been brooding about since the arrest of Xianba. At that time, Mr. Tsukahara was unable to find out the reason, but now it seems that the only possibility is One. Nobuko Miyake went to Ogaki to find Setsuko Kawabata. Isn’t it?” "Well, your guess should be correct. Then, why is she looking for Setsuko?" "Well, could it be that she suddenly felt that she missed Setsuko after reminiscing with Xianbo..." Halfway through speaking, Kusanagi shook his head, "No, it shouldn't be." "It's really not." Yu Chuan said immediately, "It is not an easy task to find out where Setsuko Kawabata lived. The place where Setsuko Kawabata lived was not her own home at all. It is estimated that Miyake Nobuko also found out Setsuko’s address through people she met when she was on the stage, but it probably took a lot of work. Nobuko Miyake is so persistent in finding Setsuko, there must be a reason for this.” "Could it be a matter of money?" Utsumi Kaoru interrupted, "It seemed that Nobuko Miyake was short of money at the time. Could it be that she went to Setsuko Kawabata to ask for money?" Kusanagi snapped his fingers, pointed at the junior in the driver's seat, and said, "You're on point. The first day, after chatting with Xianbo, she came up with the idea of ​​asking Setsuko to borrow money, right?" After speaking, he turned his head and looked at Tang Chuan in the back seat. "That's the only possibility. However, in this way, a new problem arises. Why does Nobuko Miyake think that as long as she goes to find Setsuko, Setsuko will obediently hand over the money? If they If the relationship between the two is very close, Nobuko Miyake should have gone to find Setsuko early in the morning." "You're right. Besides, from what I've heard, the relationship between Setsuko and Nobuko Miyake doesn't seem to be particularly close." Kusanagi folded her arms. "The relationship is not particularly close, but they are willing to pay for it-what kind of situation is this?" Tang Chuan asked again. The person who answered Yu Chuan's question was still the young female detective in the driver's seat. "For example, holding the opponent's handle in your hand?" "The handle..." Kusanagi nodded, "That is to say, Nobuko Miyake is looking for Setsuko to ask for a hush money?" "That's right. After talking with Senba, Nobuko Miyake probably discovered some secrets of Setsuko Kawabata. Only Setsuko and Senba knew this secret. After that, Nobuko Miyake planned to use this secret to find Setsuko Asking for money. In this way, it is reasonable for Xianbo to deliberately go to Diqi the next day." "However, the situation was not as smooth as Nobuko Miyake had imagined. In order to keep the secret, Setsuko chose to kill the other party. In other words, this secret is extremely important. So, what is it? Yukawa, I guess you've already noticed it? Don't keep it up, just say it." Yu Chuan rested his head on the headrest of the seat, and looked up diagonally upwards. "The woman in the photo I showed Xianba just now, her name is Narumi Kawabata." "Kawahata? So..." "Yes, she is Setsuko Kawabata's daughter." "Teacher, you said that that woman is guarding the sea, right?" Utsumi Kaoru said. "Yes." Tang Chuan replied. "When guarding the sea, she even exudes a sense of sadness. I can see an unnatural feeling from her. That feeling even makes people feel heartbroken. She is not from Glass Pool, why? Will it be possible to do this? Also, why did the girl who would rather live alone than stay in Tokyo willingly move to the countryside? You only need to set up a hypothesis, and these mysteries will disappear immediately. Maybe , She regards this matter as her mission. She always feels that doing this is a kind of atonement for someone, or repayment of gratitude. " "Yu Chuan, could it be you..." "In the beginning, I also thought that Xianbo was the scapegoat of Setsuko Kawahata. But when the incident happened, the two of them should have not seen each other for ten years. Even if it is someone I once loved, Xianbo will still do it for him. Is Setsuko charged with murder? The reason why Xianbo did this must be far more than the love between men and women. Thinking of this, another idea appeared in my mind. Perhaps, the person Xianbo guards is not Setsuko, but a child born to Setsuko." "You mean to say that Narumi Kawabata is actually Senba's daughter?" Yu Chuan stared straight ahead and sighed heavily. "This is the secret that both Xianba and Setsuko have to keep tight-lipped. And in order to keep this secret, their daughter committed murder."