Chapter 5 Suruga Nao no.2

I have a hunch it's going to be a long day. When the watch reached 10:30, our final negotiation was over.In order to achieve the best performance effect, it has been rehearsed until the last moment, which is a style with Hodaka's characteristics.Besides, the protagonist of this performance is myself, so it's only natural that I put my best effort into it. "By the way, don't make any mistakes in the playing time of the music. If you make a mistake in this part, all previous efforts will be wasted." Hodaka said while drinking his second cup of espresso. "Understood, I will take good care of the person in charge." I put the materials into the briefcase.

"Then, it's time to change into the first costume, right?" Hotaka rotated his shoulders, as if relaxing his body. "A man who is approaching 40 years old, no matter what clothes he wears, no one wants to take a second look." "Miwako is the protagonist today, right?" "Well, it's true." After that, Hotaka swept around and moved his face closer to me. "Is there anything unusual this morning?" "What do you mean?" "You guys are downstairs," Hodaka said in a low voice, "Did there happen to be a police car or a crowd of onlookers?"

"Oh~" I finally understood what Hotaka wanted to ask, "When I left the residence, there was nothing unusual about it." "That's right, that means I haven't found it yet." "It should be." I said. He was talking about the dead body of Namioka Junko.This conversation relieved me a little.After meeting Hotaka in the hotel lobby this morning, he hadn't said anything about Shoko, so I thought he was completely relieved about that.But Hotaka is still Hotaka, and still can't be so calm and composed. "In what form will it be discovered?" Hotaka asked.

"She is resting today, so no one will find out for the time being. But the problem is that after tomorrow, if she continues to absent from work without reason, she may be suspected by others. Since her door is unlocked, she will be completely discovered." "In short, the later the discovery, the better, try to delay the discovery time." "But sooner or later we will find out, it doesn't make any difference whether it's earlier or later?" Hearing what I said, Hotaka was speechless, meaning: You really don't understand anything! "The police may link her suicide with today's wedding! And Miwako's brother also saw Zhunzi yesterday. If he knew that she had committed suicide, he would definitely be suspicious, and he may have visited the courtyard strangely. I talked to Miwako about the woman. So I thought it would be safer for the body to be discovered after Shen Lin Guihong forgot about the target as much as possible."

I was silent, 'In fact, her suicide was because of your marriage, can you hide it? 'This sentence was almost out of my mouth. "By the way, I forgot to give you this." Hotaka took out a piece of paper from his pocket. "what is this?" When I opened it, I found that it was written in scrawled words: 'Chanel (rings, watches, bags), Ermes (bags)', listing several famous brands and items. "This is something I bought for Junzi." Hotaka said. "Is it a gift list?" I suddenly wondered, could Zhunzi be conquered by Hotaka's gift offensive?But after thinking about it, she was definitely not that kind of girl. I felt that what she wanted from Hotaka should be something else.Thinking of this, I can't help but feel a heartache.

"Maybe there are a few things missing, but that's basically it. You have to keep it in mind." After speaking, Hodaka tilted his coffee cup. "Remember? Me? For what?" I asked. And Hodaka frowned as before, but this time he said it himself: "You really don't understand!" "After the body is found, the police have to search Zhunzi's room, right? Because she is paid a low salary, but the room is full of luxury goods, they must think: There are men outside her, and then it's your turn to show up. Just As I said yesterday, assume that you are the one who has been interacting with Zhunzi. In other words, you are also the one who sent these things."

"It's strange if you don't even know what to send yourself, so you asked me to look at this list and learn, is that right?" "You're right. They are all famous brands, so if you are asked where you bought them, you don't have to work hard to answer them. You can just say that you brought her gifts when you went abroad, and there will be no problem." "I'm different from you, I never travel abroad!" I said with a little cynicism, looking at him. "Then you just say you bought it in Ginza. There are specialty stores for these things. The recent young girls, even if they are famous brands, must be rare. On this point, Zhunzi is still very good." Easy to deal with."

"Hodaka!" I glared at his handsome face, "It's easy to deal with? Isn't that the case?" I originally wanted to protest for Zhunzi, but Hotaka completely understood my words as something else, he nodded sharply, and said: "You are absolutely right. A woman who is easy to deal with will not choose to commit suicide on the eve of my wedding." I couldn't find a suitable answer, so I could only stare at his face, but he still seemed to be misinterpreting my original intention and nodded continuously. "Oh, it will be too late if you don't leave!" Hodaka drank his coffee, stood up and strode towards the hall exit.

Watching his back, I cursed in my heart: It would be better for people like you to die! After Hotaka left, I refilled a cup of coffee and stayed in the lobby until around 11:10, then walked towards the venue.Relatives and friends from both sides have already started to gather. It is said that they are both sides, but in fact they are basically Hodaka's guests. The wedding feast starts at one o'clock in the afternoon, so it is more than enough time for guests other than relatives to arrive around 12:30, but the invitations received by everyone are printed with the words "Please be sure to attend the ceremony held by the church", so the crowds start early. began to gather.

After the final discussion with the master of ceremonies and the hotel staff, I walked into the guest waiting room.There are some editors or TV series producers who have contacts at work, and everyone gathers in twos and threes, holding whiskey and cocktails, laughing and laughing.Several writers who have a good relationship with Hotaka also came, and I greeted everyone one by one. "Suruga, it's too despicable for you to win over Kamibayashi Miwako in this way!" A man who was considered a senior literary editor, although he was not drunk, his tongue was a little knotted when he spoke.

"Win? What do you mean by that?" "Think about it, Shenlin's work will be assigned to Hodaka Planning Company in the future, right? This is also for the sake of her tax policy. But it will become more and more difficult for us to get her manuscripts in the future!" "Regarding the work of Shenlin, Miss Yukisa is still in charge of it." "Although this is the case now, how could Makoto Sudaka let the 'chicken that lays golden eggs' be monopolized by the editor alone?" The senior editor waved his goblet, and the ice cubes in the wine were clanging. This editor was originally in charge of Hodaka, and today he also attended as Hodaka Fang's guest.But he obviously came here because of his interest in Shenlin Miwako, and most of the people who came here today are probably the same as him.Although the protagonist of the wedding ceremony is the bride, even if this factor is excluded, Kamibayashi Miwako is undoubtedly the protagonist today.It was precisely because of this awareness that Hotaka wanted her at all costs. After saying hello in a circle like this, there was a sudden commotion outside.There were cheers one after another, and someone shouted: The bride has finished her makeup and is coming out of the waiting room!At the same time, everyone went straight for the exit, and I followed behind. Walking out of the lounge, Kamibayashi Miwako's figure suddenly came into view, she was standing there with her back against the glass wall.She looked like a gorgeous bouquet in her snow-white wedding dress.Her face, which had never been considered pretty, was dressed up like a puppet by a professional makeup artist today. Looking at Miwako Kamibayashi surrounded by female guests from a distance, I thought of Junko Namioka.She was also wearing her own wedding dress, a white dress, a snow-white veil, and she was holding a bouquet of flowers.With what kind of mood did she decide to dress like that and commit suicide?The scene of Zhunzi choosing clothes while looking in the mirror in that small apartment came to my mind again. Inadvertently looking around, I found that besides me, there was another person looking at the bride with complicated feelings, and that was Shen Lin Guihong.Not far from the crowd surrounding the bride, he was gazing at his sister with folded arms, without any expression on his face.What kind of emotions are mixed in his heart, I imagined anxiously with curiosity, and at the same time felt the horror like peeping into a cemetery. "Where are you looking?" Someone suddenly spoke to me from the side, and when I looked back, I found Kaori Yukisasa standing very close to me, her face almost touching my shoulder. "It is you……" Yukisa Kaori also looked in the direction I was looking at just now, and it didn't take long for her to find her target. "Are you looking at the bride's brother?" "Not at all, it's just that when I was in a daze, my eyes just happened to look there." "Don't lie to me, even I'm a little worried." "Worry?" "Well, I'm afraid he will do something unexpected." She said meaningfully, "He went to the bride's lounge just now." "Oh, as the only blood relative, it's only natural." "I was more sensible, so I walked out and left the two of them alone for a while." "I see." "The two of them stayed in the lounge for more than five minutes, and then Guihong came out alone." "And then?" I urged her to continue, not quite understanding what she wanted to express. Kaori Yukizasa lowered her voice and continued: "At that time, his lips were red..." "Red?" She nodded slightly. "Lipstick, Miwako's." "How is it possible? Are you reading it wrong?" "I'm a woman too, I can tell if it's lipstick or not." Yukisa Kaori said facing forward, trying to keep her mouth closed.In the eyes of others, it should look like the person in charge of the groom's side and the bride's side are discussing things. "How does Kamibayashi Miwako look?" I asked calmly. "The appearance looks calm, but the eye sockets are a little red." "Not good." I sighed. Regarding the relationship between the Kamibayashi brothers and sisters, I never once mentioned it to Yukisa Kaori.However, our conversation at this moment is based on the understanding of both sides on this matter.I know very well that it is impossible for Yukisasa, who often lives and goes out with the poet Miwako Miwako, not to notice the ambiguous relationship between their siblings, and she must think that I have also noticed this. "Anyway, I just hope that today can end without incident." I said with my face forward, at this time an editor I knew well passed by, and I nodded slightly to him. "Speaking of which, was there nothing unusual about that incident?" Xuesa asked. "Yesterday, what happened?" I covered my mouth with my right hand and asked her. "Of course!" Yukisa Kaori replied with a smile.Perhaps she thought it unnatural for someone looking at the bride to look too serious. "There should be nothing abnormal at this point in time." I followed her example and replied with a cheerful face. "Have you discussed it with Hotaka?" "Just now, just for a while. That guy is still as optimistic as ever. Everything is considered in his own favor." "If it is discovered, it will cause an uproar." "Already mentally prepared." When our secret talk reached here, the middle-aged hotel lobby manager dressed in black said loudly: "The ceremony will start soon, and I hope all the attendees will go to the church", and the guests immediately began to gather.The church is one floor up. "Let's go there too." I said to Yukisa Kaori. "Please invite first, the groom's lineup is relatively large, I'll talk about it later." "That's right, you're a guest on the bride's side." "It's a minority. Ah, yes, wait a minute." She looked directly behind her. Her junior Eri Nishiguchi was standing not far from us, but she couldn't hear our conversation. "The thing you kept just now, give it to Suruga-san." Kaori Yukisasa said, okay, Eri Nishiguchi replied, opened the bag, and took out a medicine jar from it. "Just now, Miwako asked me to give this to Hotaka. But I couldn't get close to the groom for a long time." "It's the rhinitis medicine." I opened the medicine jar that looked like a pocket watch, and there was a white capsule inside. "But I'm going to church soon." After closing the lid and putting it in his pocket, he looked around.A male waiter just happened to walk by. I stopped him and said, "Give this to the groom," and handed him the medicine jar. I went to the church with a few acquaintances, and met the waiter who had just asked to hand over the medicine jar on the way. "He seemed very busy, so I greeted him and put the medicine jar in the lounge near the entrance." The waiter said. I asked him if Hotaka really took the medicine in it, but I didn't confirm that, and the boy replied with an apologetic expression. It would be embarrassing for the groom to have a runny nose and keep sneezing—I recalled what Hotaka said with a smile, he should not forget to take his medicine. There was a piece of paper with the words to the hymn in front of our seats.It would be a disaster for someone who is a non-Christian to be forced to sing this.Even the bride and groom should have nothing to do with Christians.I recall that Makoto Hodaka said that his last wedding was in front of the shrine. Not long after, the pastor appeared, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, he was about forty or fifty years old.His appearance made the noise of the venue come to an abrupt end. Then the orchestra began to play, the order is that the bridegroom enters the stage first, followed by the bride.I looked down at my hands. Footsteps were heard from behind, and Hotaka Yusuke's arrogant look came to my mind.Even though it was his second wedding, he acted like he didn't care.Now he too is sure to be striding the red carpet with glee. The footsteps stopped. Huh?Strange, I flashed a trace of doubt.The groom should have to go all the way to the altar, but from the sound of footsteps, he was far behind me.I raised my face and turned around, but what surprised me even more was that there was no sign of Hotaka there. After about one to two seconds, several visitors who were sitting near the central aisle stood up together, and a woman let out a slight scream. "What's the matter?" someone asked. "The big thing is not good!" "Mr. Hotaka!" Everyone looked at the central aisle and shouted, and then I realized what happened: "Excuse me, please let me go!" I pushed aside the crowd and walked forward. Hotaka Makoto fell down on the aisle, his pale face twisted ugly, foaming at the mouth.Because his face changed so much, he suspected that it wasn't Hotaka for a moment.But that figure, hairstyle, and white dress were clearly his. "Doctor... hurry up and call the doctor!!" I yelled at the crowd standing around dumbly, and some of them rushed away immediately. I looked into Hotaka's eyes, which were empty and completely unfocused.Doctors should not even need to check whether the pupils are closed or not, they can draw conclusions directly. Suddenly, the surrounding area became brighter, and the sunlight outside the window shone into the room.I looked up, just in time to see the back door of the chapel being opened by someone.The figure of Miwako accompanied by a matchmaker appeared in the middle of the square entrance.Because of the reflection, I couldn't see the expression clearly, and I probably didn't realize what was going on at this moment. The snow-white wedding dress became hazy at that moment.