Chapter 18 Section 18

The season has entered July.It had been raining continuously before, but this morning there was a long-lost blue sky. "It looks like it's going to be very hot today, and everyone will be very happy." After breakfast and putting down the chopsticks, Naoko went outside to watch and said.In the morning, leftover fried shrimp from last night.Normally, Naoko would make miso soup, but not this morning.She slept late in the morning.Heisuke knew that she slept late because she stayed up late to study last night.But he was not in the mood to tease Naoko. "Why are you happy when it's hot?"

"Because I'm going to swim today." As she spoke, she made a swimming motion. "Ah, it's good to go swimming." "I haven't swam for many years, I don't know if I will forget it." "This kind of thing is like riding a bicycle. Once you know it, you will never forget it." Hei Jie took two mouthfuls of rice after speaking.But he suddenly remembered something, raised his face and looked at Naoko and asked, "Sanami can swim, right?" "Of course I will. She has taken swimming lessons before. Whether it's freestyle or breaststroke..." Naoko's expression suddenly changed at this point, "Ah, breaststroke..."

"can you?" "No way." Naoko shook her head, "Oh no, what should I do?" Heisuke also knew that Naoko could only swim freestyle.When they were young, they went to the beach to swim together. At first, Naoko made it clear that she didn't like to get wet, but she immediately swam happily after hitting the sea, and only used the freestyle swimming style.At that time, Naoko's skin was very tender and looked very dewy. "If I remember correctly, Sami Nami participated in the school swimming competition last summer, and it was breaststroke." "It's hard to handle. It can't be said that I won't be able to breaststroke all of a sudden this year. It seems that there is no other way, but I can only say that I have menstruation. Alas, it is hard to have such a good weather for swimming." Naoko was frustrated say.Her dejected look was akin to that of a real schoolboy.

Naoko took Heisuke out of the house one step at a time.While putting on her shoes, she suddenly slapped her hands. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you. I had a call for you last night." "Who is calling?" "Ms. Kajikawa. It should be the driver's wife, right?" "If her name is Kajikawa, then yes. What did she say?" "Nothing. She said she'd call back." "Oh." Heisuke thought to himself, what could it be, since the last time we met at the Tabata Manufacturing Institute, he hadn't spoken to her again. "Call her back tonight," Naoko said.

"Did you take down her phone number?" "Huh? No, I thought you knew." "I don't know. Forget it, she will call again sooner or later." After speaking, he began to speculate on the reason why Zhengzi called, but he had no clue. When he came to the company, Section Chief Kosaka came to him again.He wanted Hirasuke to go to Tabata Productions again. "It's still about the trial production of the D-type spray gun. They said that the problem has been solved, and I want you to go and have a look. It is said that they have used a new gauge, so it is best to bring their design drawings. Of course , if Heisuke is busy, you can let someone else go."

"Ah, no, I'll go. I want to hear the details, too." "That's right, it would be great if you are willing to go. I will contact them in a while." Kosaka breathed a sigh of relief.Then he seemed to think of something, and smiled slyly.As a result, the boss's face instantly turned into that of an intimate uncle. "Tell you a great thing." "A great deal?" "That's right, a 35-year-old, one year younger than your dead wife, and still unmarried. I've seen her photos, and I think she's decent." After realizing what he was talking about, Hei Jielian shook his head and waved his hands.

"I haven't thought about it at all." "I know this, and the other party hasn't considered it, so this kind of thing needs to be arranged by people around you. Anyway, let's talk about it first after meeting with the higher authorities." "No, no, it's too early anyway." "Really? If Hirasuke really thinks that way, I won't force you. But," Kosaka leaned into Hirasuke's ear and said, "Can you bear it there? It should be too much, right?" Of course Hirasuke understood what he was referring to. "Huh? Ah, it's okay, I don't feel that way at all. Really, I don't feel that way now."

"Really? It's unbelievable." Kosaka tilted his head with a suspicious expression. "Then, I'm going to Tabata Manufacturing." After saying that, Heisuke ran away from Kosaka. Heisuke borrowed a public car from the company and drove to Tabata Manufacturing.He likes to go to other factories or affiliated companies.To be more precise, what he likes is the time on the road.Always doing the same thing in the same place with the same group of people for a long time.Sometimes there is a feeling of being abandoned by the world.At times like these, even being outside for a few minutes can help him figure out where he really is again.

The task at Tabata Manufacturing took just over an hour to complete.This time it is not that there is a problem, but the previous problem has been solved.He came just to listen to their debriefing, so it was easy.A young man who was in charge of the problem on the other side also looked very proud. After the meeting, Heisuke came to the coiling workshop as before.He remembered that Naoko had said that Seiko Kajikawa had called him. However, there was no sign of Seiko among the row of female employees.Heisuke came to the place where the man who looked like the person in charge was sitting.On the table in front of him stood a sign that said "Director".Although his face is a bit angular, his eyes are very kind.Presumably he also takes good care of the female employees.

"Excuse me, is Seiko Kajikawa there?" "Ah, she hasn't been here recently." Hearing Heisuke's question, the director immediately replied, "I heard that she is not feeling well. We are also worried about her." "Are you hospitalized?" "Well, I haven't heard of it." The director tilted his head and asked, "What can you do with her?" "Ah, the two of us know each other and just want to drop by to see her." After speaking, Heisuke thanked the director and left the workshop. Seiko Kajikawa's thin body and pale face appeared in front of his eyes.She must have pushed herself too hard.In addition, she must face the cold eyes of public opinion.At this time, Ping Jie's ear rang with a gloomy voice from the harassing phone.

Why is she calling me?The more Ping Jie thought about it, the more he cared. After leaving the factory, Hirasuke got into the car.He started the engine and was about to shift the manual transmission into low gear when he spotted a traffic map in the inside pocket of the car door.Taking out the map, he turned to the enlarged map of western Tokyo. Seiko's house in Chofu is just a stone's throw away. He looked at his watch, it was just past 11 am.Even if I hurried back to the company now, it was already lunch break time. He put it in gear and started the car slowly. He had dropped her off in a taxi before, so he quickly remembered how to get there.Before coming to the apartment that still had an impression, he parked the car on the side of the road. After going up the steps, he found the door with "Kajikawa" written on it, and answered the doorbell.There is no internal telephone at the door. Seeing that there was no response, Hirasuke was about to press it again, when there was a reply from the door, "Here we come—" It was her daughter's voice.If I remember correctly, her name should be Yimei. "Excuse me, my name is Sugita." The door was ajar, and the chain was still fastened inside.Passing through the crack of the door, one can see the slightly nervous Yimei's face inside. "Hello! Is your mother home?" Hearing Heisuke's question, she said "please wait a moment" and then closed the door.Soon there was the sound of unlocking the chain.She probably went in to inform her mother of Heisuke's arrival. "Please come in." Yimei welcomed Hirasuke into the room with a stiff expression. "excuse me." While Heisuke took off his shoes, the sliding door inside opened.Seiko Kajigawa with a haggard face appeared in front of her with a smile mixed with surprise.She was wearing a long dress of the same texture as a towel. "Mr. Sugita, why are you here?" "I've just been to Tabata Manufacturing, so I stopped by to have a look. You called me last night? Unfortunately, I don't know your phone number, so I took the liberty to visit today." "So that's the case. I also got a register when I participated in the assembly of the families of the victims, so I know your phone number." "I see." Heisuke nodded, "By the way, did you ask for leave from the company?" "Well, I haven't been feeling well lately, so... ah, come in here quickly. I'll get you some cold drink." "No, don't bother me. Let's talk about what you want to talk about on the phone first." Hirasuke said straightforwardly.Before coming here, he had promised himself that he would never go inside today. Probably aware that Heisuke didn't want to talk about other topics casually, Kajikawa Seiko didn't say anything further.She lowered her head first, then said "wait a moment", and disappeared into the Japanese-style room again. At this time, Yimei, who had been brushing something at the sink before, came over with a basin in her hand.Inside the basin is a glass with barley tea. "Please drink water." "Ah, thank you!" Heisuke hurriedly took the water glass, "Your mother, what's wrong with her?" He asked in a low voice. Yimei hesitated for a moment, and replied, "It's... the thyroid gland." "Ah." Hirasuke didn't know how to answer, but just nodded, and then took a sip of barley tea. Since she can say the word "thyroid" specifically, she must have been checked in the hospital.What will happen if the thyroid is not good, and what are the diseases related to the thyroid, Hirasuke has no idea.Not only that, he doesn't even know where the thyroid gland is and what its function is. "Thank you for the tea. Don't you have to go to school today?" "No. Because my mother's condition is very bad today..." "So you're taking leave?" Yimei nodded slightly.Ping Jie couldn't help sighing, thinking to himself, what a pity!There are not many misfortunes like Kajikawa's mother and daughter in the world. The family lost the pillar of support, and the mother fell ill again. How will this child live in the future!Thinking of this, Hirasuke felt a pain in his chest. Kajikawa Seiko came out of the Japanese-style room, holding a few pieces of paper in her hand. "I found it in my husband's luggage." Ping Jie took the stack of papers and saw that they were some stubs of registered remittances.The payee is a person named Noriko Negishi.If you take a closer look, most of them are sent at the beginning of the month or the end of the month, and the amount is between 100,000 yen and 200,000 yen, and occasionally there are a few that exceed 200,000 yen.The earliest date on it was January last year, and it was interspersed with a note with the recipient's address in Sapporo. "This is..." Heisuke looked at Seiko Kajikawa. She nodded slowly: "I heard him say once that Negishi seems to be the old name of the woman who married him before." "So, it's your husband's ex-wife?" "probably." "So your husband has been sending living allowances to his ex-wife?" "That's right." Kajikawa Seiko nodded. There was a very lonely smile on her lips, and the meaning of the smile seemed to be understood by Heisuke. It should be the expression of loneliness and emptiness after knowing that her husband's thoughts are not all on the mother and daughter. "When did your husband divorce his ex-wife?" "I'm not sure about the specifics. I think it was about 10 years ago." "That is to say, he has been sending her living allowances for 10 years?" Heisuke thought to himself, if this is the case, then driver Kajikawa can be regarded as a responsible man.Hei Jie has heard people say before that many men promised each other to pay for monthly living expenses and child support when they divorced, but basically none of them could persist for more than a year. "I don't know. I think it's just a year or two." She probably said this to express that her family's financial situation had suddenly deteriorated in the past two years. "Has your husband never mentioned this to you before?" "He never said that." Kajikawa Seiko lowered his head. "Compared with us, he values ​​his former family more!" Yimei suddenly interjected behind her.Her tone was sharp, but her voice was dark. "Yimei!" Mother scolded her. Yimei, who was originally sitting on the kitchen chair, made a lot of noise, stood up abruptly, entered the inner room without looking back, and slammed the door. Kajikawa Seiko apologized to Heisuke, and Heisuke hurriedly said it was okay. "Anyway, now the reason why my husband insists on working is finally clear, so I want to inform Mr. Sugita first. You seem to have been more concerned about this matter." "I see. I used to gamble and belong to a woman. I said a lot of bad things. I'm really sorry." "It's okay." She shook her head, "Actually, if it's as you guessed, it's fine." Hearing Kajikawa Seiko's words from the bottom of his heart, Heisuke was dumbfounded and looked at Seiko.She seemed to regret what she said impulsively just now, and bit her lips tightly. "This... Has his ex-wife never contacted you?" "No. It's probably because the living allowance is cut off, and her life is not easy." "Did she know there was an accident?" "Maybe." "If she knows, she should come to offer a stick of incense no matter what, for the sake of taking care of her like your husband did before his death." "She may find it inconvenient to come. She should know that her ex-husband has remarried." "Even so..." Hirasuke was about to say some complaining words, but he restrained himself.He thought it was not normal for him to react so strongly.But he couldn't understand Kajikawa's ex-wife, and there was a knot in his heart. He turned his attention to the remittance stub in his hand again. "Excuse me, can I have one?" "Ah?" Kajikawa Seiko opened his eyes wide in surprise, it's okay..." "Ah, I want to take it back and show it to my daughter, because she has always wanted to know the real reason why the bus driver caused the accident." "Oh, I get it." So Heisuke took out a stub, copied the address on the note, and returned the rest to her. "Is your health okay? I heard from your daughter that she asked for leave from school to take care of you." "Ah, it's nothing serious, Tatsuko is too worried." Kajikawa Seiko waved his hand and said.But her gesture of waving her hand seemed feeble. "Contact me if you have anything to do. Things like shopping are very laborious, right? By the way, have you bought all the dishes for dinner today?" Hearing what Heisuke said, Seiko Kajikawa raised both hands. "It's okay, really, please don't worry about me so much." She looked embarrassed as she spoke.This made Hirasuke aware of the difference in their positions.For her, being here face-to-face with the bereaved families is an ordeal in itself. "Then you have to take care! Say hello to your daughter for me." Heisuke nodded and walked out of Kajikawa Seiko's house. "I'm sorry to ask you to make a special trip for this matter." Kajikawa Seiko lowered his head several times.Her crying and smiling expression was deeply imprinted in Heisuke's mind. After returning to the car and starting the engine, Hirasuke remembered that he forgot to ask for her home phone number.But he drove the car anyway.He thought that he might never see the mother and daughter again in the future. When dinner was almost finished, Heisuke told Naoko about the day's events.While looking at the remittance stub, she listened to Hirasuke's narrative. "This is the truth. Driver Kajikawa worked so hard, it was neither a gamble nor for a woman." Heisuke put down his chopsticks, folded his arms, and crossed his legs at the same time. "Ah, so that's what happened." Naoko put the remittance stub on the table, looking unresponsive.Probably because this truth was too unexpected for her, Heisuke thought. "It's strange that there's no news about this person named Negishi. If she knew that there was an accident, she should come to the funeral, right?" "Well, yes." Naoko tilted her head and ate up the remaining ochazuke in the bowl. "I want to write a letter to this person." Heisuke said, "To be honest, this is the real purpose of my stub." Naoko stopped her chopsticks and looked at Heisuke with an incomprehensible expression. "What letter do you want to write?" "Tell her that driver Kajikawa died in the accident first. She may not know about it yet. Then persuade her to visit the grave again. Wouldn't it be abnormal if you just passed by in such a muddle?" "Why do you have to do this, Dad?" "Because... I don't know why, I can't sleep well these days. Maybe it's because I intervened in this matter from the beginning. Isn't there a saying that 'riding a tiger is easier than dismounting a tiger'?" Naoko put down her chopsticks and turned her knee to Heisuke's side. "I don't think it's necessary for my father to do that. Speaking of pity, I think Kajikawa's current wife is very pitiful. It must be very difficult for her to lose her husband and get sick again. But, I can't sympathize with her like you. Could it be Aren't we pitiful?" "I understand what you're saying. We can somehow get through it, right?" "You put it lightly! Do you know how I got here?" Asked by Naoko, Heisuke felt as if his face had been slapped by an invisible hand.He had no words and lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry!" Naoko immediately apologized to him, "I know Dad has such a personality, you can't bear seeing miserable people." "I'm not as good as you say." "Well, I know. Dad is a very tolerant person. He is not very good at hating someone, and he will not lose his temper for things that don't suit him like I do." Naoko said in one breath, "To be honest, I just heard that I'm a little disappointed by what you said." "disappointment?" "That's right. I originally hoped that the driver named Kajikawa was driving because of gambling or lack of money, so he insisted on driving and caused an accident. Maybe the word 'hope' is not appropriate, but I really think so better." "Why? Didn't you say before that if the accident was really caused by those reasons, it would be unforgivable?" "So," Naoko smiled, "that way I can hate that driver without any excuses. Whenever I feel bad, I always hope to find someone to vent it on. Maybe you can't understand, every time When thinking about what happened to me and thinking about it, I always hope that there is someone I can hate." "This... I can understand it too." "However, if it's because I insist on sending living allowances to my ex-wife, I can't hate him so thoroughly. Then I won't be able to vent my anger. Then I might use my father as a punching bag." "That's fine." "If Dad really wants to write her a letter, then write it. Maybe she really doesn't know about the death of Kajikawa driver." "Ah, no, no need. In fact, think about it carefully, that's a bit of a nosy." Heisuke said and rolled the stub into a ball in the palm of his hand.