Chapter 36 chapter 2

Zhe Lang tried to make a few phone calls, but he couldn't find the right way, and he always heard the voice of the answering machine playing the tape.Zhe Lang brought out Aikawa Dongji's name, and left a message saying that he has something to ask for advice, and he must take the time to meet.To be on the safe side, he also added his contact information, but Saga did not call back. In the evening of New Year's Eve, Zhe Lang drove to Chidi.While looking at the map, he looked for the address on the business card.When he came near his destination, he parked his car on the side of the road and walked into the intricate alleys.Housewives with white supermarket plastic bags in their hands hurried past him.She is probably doing the last purchase of this year.Zhe Lang thought to himself, I don't know what to eat for the New Year's food at home.After returning from Shizuoka, he and Risako hadn't talked properly, and he hadn't even told her the news he heard at "BLOO".She didn't know that he was coming here today.

The address on the business card was a small apartment about twenty years old.Immediately after entering the cave-like door, there is a staircase with peeling cement.The fluorescent lamps on the walls were broken and it was very dark around.Taking care not to let the hem of his coat touch the stairs, he walked up the stairs.Saga House is located on the third floor. Room 305 is at the end of the narrow stairs, and a piece of paper with "Saga" is pasted in the center of the door.No sign for Golden Boy Troupe was found. Zhe Lang pressed the doorbell button, but there was no movement in the house.He pressed it again, with the same result.It seems that Saga has gone out.Maybe he used his annual leave to travel somewhere.

Zhe Lang sighed softly and turned back to the corridor.But when he wanted to go down the stairs, there was a "click" sound of the door opening behind him.Almost as soon as he turned around, the door opened. A fat man with a crew cut looked at Zhe Lang suspiciously.He was about forty years old, and he was dressed in a tracksuit and a thick sweater. Zhe Lang hurried back and asked, "Are you Mr. Saga?" "Are you?" The other party asked in a thick and slightly hoarse voice. "My surname is Nishiwaki. Miss Aikawa from 'BLOO' mentioned you to me." Zhe Lang handed two business cards to the other party.One is his; the other is Saga's business card that Aikawa gave him.

Saga maintained the posture of peeping through the crack of the door, and accepted the two business cards.He was not very interested in Zhe Lang's business card, and looked at the back of his own. "Are you the one who keeps leaving messages on the answering machine?" "Sorry. I want to see you sooner anyway, but you don't seem to be at home. Are you going on a trip?" "I am home." "But the phone..." "I put the phone on silent, and all my acquaintances will call me." His tone was rude, and he put on an attitude of rejecting people thousands of miles away.

"That's it. Because I don't know your mobile phone number..., as I said on the phone, I have two or three questions I want to ask you." "About the performance? Or about me?" He seemed to be commenting a lot on Zhe Lang.He looks like an ordinary middle-aged man no matter how he dresses or behaves. "Neither. It's about the stage props, really." "Props?" "I heard that you, Mr. Saga, performed the play "Mrs. Santa" this year. I would like to ask you about the Christmas tree used at that time." As soon as Zhe Lang said, Saga tilted the corner of his mouth and scratched his flat head creakingly.

"Not 'Mrs. Santa Claus,' but." "Oh, I'm so sorry. I heard the old woman." Saga smacked his lips. "Anyway, you must have heard it from the stupid publicist of 'BLOO'. Those guys don't take the show seriously." "But someone remembers the Christmas tree." Zhe Lang took out the photo of Saeki Kaori from his coat pocket. "I heard the Christmas tree was used in that show." As soon as Saga took the photo, he looked at the photo and Zhe Lang alternately, the suspicious expression on his face never disappeared. Even so, Saga opened the door and said, "Come in."

This house was supposed to be two bedrooms and one living room.However, the partition between the dining room and the next room was removed.Moreover, dining tables and chairs are gone in the dining room, replaced by conference tables, display cabinets and bookcases.A large number of books, documents, etc. that cannot be stored also occupy part of the floor and walls. Saga sat in front of the office in a corner of the house and began to operate the computer.Documents are displayed on the screen, but the content is not clear. "It will affect me if you stand, can you sit down? Is there a chair over there?" Saga said with his back to Zhe Lang.

"Ah, sorry." Zhe Lang sat on the chair beside the conference table.The conference table was also full of papers and folders. The phone rang.Despite his fat body, Saga still picked up the microphone with swift movements. "Hey..., oh, it's you...? Huh? How long are you going to make me wait? It's New Year's Eve. I also have a lot of money to pay....Ah? You bastard, what are you talking about?! This It’s up to me to say the words.... Hey, I got it. You must catch up! If you don’t pay, I’ll cut off your dick!” After Saga finished speaking excitedly, he spoke loudly into the phone. Laugh out loud. "Then what can I do, who told you that the most valuable thing on your body is the second child. Hahaha, see you next year!"

Saga hung up the receiver rudely, making one wonder if the phone might be broken.Then, he started typing on the computer's keyboard again.He types pretty fast. Zhe Lang didn't have a chance to talk to him, so he was restless.Being left out in the cold, he stretched out his hand to the file folder on the conference table. "If you touch things indiscriminately, I will kick you out!" Saga's roar came from the ear. Zhe Lang retracted his hand.Saga still faced the computer, but stopped typing. "No, I don't have that intention..." "Wait a minute. You may have come here because you were bored, but I have something to do. If you don't want to wait, go back."

"No, I'll wait. Sorry." After Zhe Lang finished speaking, Saga began to work again.But he immediately stopped and turned his head slightly backwards. "There are corrugated boxes on the display cabinet over there, right? Look inside." Zhe Lang followed what he said and opened the box to have a look.It is crammed full of B5-sized booklets.There seem to be hundreds of copies. "A copy for you. If you read that, you will know about our troupe." "Then I will accept it." The cover of the booklet is light blue, with the words "Golden Boy Sun and Moon" printed in MS Gothic font.It turns out that the name of the troupe is probably taken from the middle of the week.

"I don't know the purpose of your coming here, but I won't say a word about the troupe other than the content above, and I don't plan to make it public. If someone spreads it everywhere, no matter who the other party is, I won't will forgive him." "I heard you hate the media." "I don't trust the media. No matter what we say, they want to force us into a world they can understand. We speak our own language and don't pretend to be someone else." "I know that very well," Zhelan said. Saga nodded slightly. Zhe Lang opened the booklet.The first page is the words of the leader Saga.The title is "What color schoolbag should we carry?" " "Many people believe in blood type fortune-telling. Those people think that human beings can be classified into four types: A, B, O, and AB. But in their daily life, they don't treat others differently according to their blood. They think that even if blood types are different, everyone is the same. They are all people. On the other hand, they also know that if they want to classify people, it is impossible to roughly divide them into four types. So why are many people bound by the shape of their sex chromosomes?Why can't they think that, whether it is XX or XY, or even other forms, everyone is equally human? 'Golden Boy' is a troupe born out of this question. " Zhe Lang felt that this was somewhat similar to what Aikawa Fuyuki said.The extent to which they are in a dilemma should far exceed the imagination of the world. The second page chronicles the development of the troupe.According to the content of the brochure, the troupe was established more than ten years ago, but it did not hold frequent public performances at the beginning.The activity has only become more active since about two years ago, but the content does not mention why it has become so. The third page begins with a brief introduction of the drama over the years.There are four plays in total, and "Aunt Christmas" is the second one. The story begins with Santa's rally.There are several Santas, each responsible for a different country.Christmas Eve would then be when they would have their usual rally, but a new Santa was added that year.This Santa Claus is the protagonist, and it turned out to be a woman.The meeting was thrown into chaos because of this incident.There was a lot of discussion about whether the female Santa Claus should be recognized, and even began to argue about how to wear her costume if it was recognized.Subsequently, the plot expanded from the question of why Santa Claus is a man to the question of the gender of men and women. Zhe Lang thinks the plot is quite interesting.The pamphlet did not write the ending, and he was very curious about how it would develop in the end. "You read very attentively." Hearing Saga talking to himself, Zhe Lang raised his head.Saga turned the chair around to face him at some point. "Ah, sorry." He closed the booklet. "What were you reading just now?" "Christmas……" "Yes." Saga creaked and scratched the back of his neck. "This is not a mature work, but the content is easy to understand, so it is the most praised." "How did it end?" "If you want to know, come to the show." "I will definitely go, when is the next performance?" Zhe Lang took out a pen and paper from his coat pocket. "I don't know yet. After all, we're a poor troupe with no money." Zhe Lang took out the notepad and put it back into his pocket without opening it. "What do you want to ask me? You seemed to be holding a photo just now." Saga asked Zhe Lang. "I want to ask about the Christmas tree." Zhe Lang took out the photo and handed it to Saga again. "The Christmas tree your troupe uses, is it the one in the photo?" After staring at the photo for a while, Saga replied, "It's really similar." "Have you seen the woman in the picture?" "No, I haven't seen it." Saga put the photo on the conference table. "I do not know her." "Please look carefully. She should not look like in the photo now. I heard that she had an operation and turned into a man." "Then, please show me the picture of her transformed into a man." "I don't have it, but Ms. Aikawa said that she should be very similar to the idol star Domoto Go." Saga turned his face away and smiled. "In her mouth, as long as the face is slightly rounder, they all become Domoto Tsuyoshi. That guy must be his fan." "Anyway, could you please take a closer look at the photo?" "I've seen enough." Saga regained his serious expression and handed the photo to Zhe Lang. "I haven't seen this person, at least I don't know her." "So, could you please ask someone else?" "Why did I do that? When did I become your subordinate?" He glared at Zhe Lang.His gender should be female, but he is not feminine at all. "I see. I'll investigate myself, can you please introduce me to other troupe personnel?" "I refuse." Saga shook his head immediately. "Our general principle is that we never publish anything about the members of the troupe. The brochure you just read didn't mention a single word about the cast and crew. As I said, I won't say a word other than what's on it. " "Why keep it a secret?" "This is another difficult question to answer. But I can say this: because of the current situation, I have to do this." Saga wrapped his two thick arms around his chest. Zhe Lang stared into the other's eyes, but Saga's eyes looked straight back.In the end, Zhe Lang was the one who looked away. "Where did you get this Christmas tree?" "I don't know, where is it?" Saga shook his head from side to side, his joints cracking. "As I said just now, we are a poor theater troupe. No matter how big or small the props are, everyone collects them from various places. Who probably brought them, as for the details, I don't know." "Fortunately, you are still the representative of the troupe." "I'm just in charge of coordinating big and small things." "So, where is the Christmas tree now? At least tell me that, please." Saga still shook his head. "The person who brought it probably put it back where it was, I don't know." Zhe Lang felt that he was lying, so he bowed his head and begged: "Please, please tell me. I have to find out the woman in this photo. It is a matter of someone's life." Saga made a smacking sound on his head. "How can a big man with such a burly figure bow his head to others so easily. Lift your head up, it's too embarrassing." Zhe Lang bit his lip and looked up.Saga frowned, pursing his lips into a line. "I don't know what happened around you, but I have an obligation to protect my partner. I can't tell you the name of the staff." "No matter how much I beg you, can't you?" "I can only ask you to give up." After speaking, Saga looked at the pendulum beside him. "Sorry, I have work later." "A theater troupe?" "No, it's this one." Saga gestured to hold the steering wheel. "The last job at the end of the year. I have to ship the goods to Nagoya later." Saga's main job seems to be a long-distance truck driver. It seems that it will be a waste of effort to fight on.Zhe Lang thought that he had to stop here today, and stood up. When he was putting on his shoes at the entrance, Saga was standing behind him. "It may be a bit of a cock to say that, but there are many people in this world who don't want to be found. Like me." Zhe Lang turned his head and faced Saga face to face. "where is your family?" "I don't know, I don't know what happened to them." Saga put his hands into the pockets of his sportswear, shrugged and smiled. Zhe Lang exhaled, said, "Sorry to bother you," and opened the door.But when he took a step, he looked back again. "Is Aunt Santa delivering presents to the children again?" Hearing his question, Saga shook his head after a bewildered expression flashed across his face. "No." "why?" "Because on Christmas Eve, her period came." Zhe Lang whispered "ah".Saga pushed his back and said, "Goodbye." "I will come again." "Please forgive me." The door closed, and there was a sound of locking the door. As soon as Zhelang came home, he saw Risako smoking in the living room. "Looking at your expression, it seems that the last investigation of this year has not yielded anything?" Zhe Lang also sat on the sofa and sighed heavily.Haven't spoken to her for a long time.He reported to Risako the content of the conversation in "BLOO" and the matter of going to the Golden Boy Troupe.She also seemed interested in finding a wire Christmas tree. "We must try to find out from that man named Saga where the Christmas tree came from." "I think so too, but it seems difficult. And his position can't say the details." And Zhelang thinks it can't take too dramatic action.If he is targeted by the police, there will be no drama. After the two fell silent, the sound of the sky cannon came from nowhere.Presumably someone is celebrating the New Year early. Risako picked up the brochure of the Golden Boy Troupe and opened the first page. "Why are many people bound by the form of sex chromosomes? Why can't they think that no matter it is XX or XY, or even other forms, everyone is equally human?..." After reading this, she raised her head. "I feel the same way. How about you?" "I also think it's ideal for everyone to have this idea." Hearing what he said, Risako blinked, and an inexplicable smile appeared on her lips. "You probably can't help it." "Why?" Zhe Lang asked with a straight face. "Because you think men and women are different, maybe it should be said that men's world is more appropriate." "That's not the case. I didn't treat people differently because of men and women." "You're asking why you can't be treated differently because of men and women, right? But, to put it bluntly, it's evidence that men and women are different. If you think men and women are the same, you don't even think of the word differential treatment." "In any case, there are still differences in reality. Is it such a heinous thing to act in accordance with differences?" "I didn't say it was a heinous crime. I just said, you can't think like that." Risako closed the booklet and got up. "Well, come on, stop arguing about that kind of thing. I'm about to go." "It's so late, where are you going?" "I have a job to shoot the New Year's sunrise. After the shooting, I have to go to many places..." She flicked her bangs. "Maybe I won't be back until the third night of junior high school." It was the first time Zhe Lang heard her mention that she had to work during the Chinese New Year and be away from home temporarily, but he decided not to say a word.If he complained at this time, he always felt that Risako would say to him: "You still can't understand women's work. Two hours before the new year, Risako went out with a big bag.The last sentence she said this year was: "If there is any news about Meiyue, I hope you will contact me." Zhelang walked into the studio and wanted to write a manuscript, but he was too concerned about Mizuki and Risako's words, so there was no progress at all.Because I was hungry, I had to go to the kitchen to heat up a frozen pizza and get a can of beer from the refrigerator. When the pizza was half eaten, the clock on the TV screen pointed to twelve midnight. -------------------------------- Note: