Chapter 7 Juzi Chapter Four

I left school after class on Wednesday, and the phone rang when I walked into the house, but the ringing stopped soon, and it should be my aunt who answered the phone in the kitchen.I walked into the living room, and as soon as my aunt saw me, she said to the microphone: "Ah, please wait a moment, she is back." My aunt handed over the receiver of the wireless phone. "A call from Miss Shimojo from Tokyo." "Ah..." I threw my backpack to the sofa and then answered the phone. My aunt seemed a little scared by me. "Hello? I'm the Shi family." I couldn't help being a little excited.

"I'm Shimojo. Thank you for your hard work on the last trip to Tokyo." A familiar voice came from the microphone, which was clearly heard not long ago, but it made me feel very nostalgic. "No, I have caused you a lot of trouble, thank you very much." I saw my aunt walking into the kitchen with a smile on her face, so I sat down on the sofa. "About the hiking club last time..." Miss Shimojo said. "Yes." I froze all over. "I found the record of the Teito University sports club that Mr. Kasahara mentioned in the library. It seems that no one has ever looked at that kind of thing, and it is full of dust."

"The club my father joined..." "I found it." Ms. Shimojo said bluntly: "There are several organizations similar to hiking clubs, and your father joined a club called Mountain Walking Club. Walking up the mountain is a mountain walk, a mountain walk club. That activity record Inside is a brochure produced by the Mountain Walking Association." "Mountain walking meeting..." Professor Meijin's memory is indeed correct, why did his father lie that he never joined the club? "Is that booklet an address book?" "It's not an address book. Although it records the names of members of each session, only the president and vice president left their contact addresses. In addition, they also briefly recorded the activities held in that year. The copies are in my hand. I I will read it to you as an example: 'September 19th, Mt. Takao went back and forth for the same day, the weather was fine and rainy for a while, and there were six participants. Plant photography and wild bird observation were carried out.' It was almost like this. This is out-and-out The hiking is not quite the same as Mr. Kasahara described."

"So that member list also has my father's name?" "Yes, your father was the vice president of the eleventh class, but the number of members in each grade at that time was only nine." "Excuse me... are there any women among these members?" "Female members? No, all men." "Was there not one of my father's previous or next members?" "Wait for me." There was a sound of flipping papers, and I felt a little sorry. After all, it was a long-distance call, but this issue must be clarified. "Well, no." Miss Shimojo said.

"That's it..." "There are no women among the members, what's the problem?" "No, nothing." I said so, but I was very disappointed in my heart. If the woman whose face was painted out in that photo is not a member of the club, where did she come from? "It seems that the result is not as good as you expected." "No, that's not the case..." "I can tell you're upset." "Sorry for asking you to spend so much time helping me investigate." "You don't have to worry about it, it didn't take me too much time, and the investigation always comes to nothing, but, what's your plan next? You shouldn't need this copy, right?"

"No, I still want to take a look. I don't want to let go of anything related to my father." "Then I'll pass it on to you, uh, do you have a fax machine over there?" "Yes, my uncle occasionally uses it at work, the number is—" After writing down the number, Miss Shimojo asked, "Is there anything else you want me to investigate?" I hurriedly said, "No, no, I can't trouble you any more." "Don't be polite to me, I've been in muddy water anyway, I want to participate to the end, and I'm also very interested in why you want to investigate your biological father, it's a kind of mentality to join in the fun." Came from the other end of the phone Ha ha laughter.

When I heard these words, I became enlightened. It seems that sooner or later I have to tell her the whole story. I can't ask her to help so much and keep everything from her. "Tell me, what do you need my help for? Some things should only be investigated by people living in Tokyo?" Ms. Shimojo said softly. At this time, I thought of something, so I said cheekily: "Miss Shimojo, do you know Towa University?" "Donghe? You know." Miss Shimojo said in a natural tone, "What's wrong with Donghe University?" "Do you know anyone at that college?"

"I know people... well, there are a few." "Is there a liberal arts school?" "I remember there was a French department." "Didn't you study Chinese?" "There is no one from the Chinese Department, but you should be able to find one or two among the friends of your friends. Do you have anything to do with the people from the Donghe Department of Chinese Language?" "I was thinking... the next time I go to Tokyo, can you please help me connect with them?" "It's just like that? It's a trivial matter, but why are you suddenly interested in Donghe, and you still specify the Department of Chinese Language and Literature?"

"Well...the current situation is not clear, maybe I think too much..." "Okay, I won't press you anymore, I will help you find a suitable candidate." "Thank you very much, thank you very much." "Don't be so polite, then I will pass the copy over now." After hanging up the phone, I told my aunt that I wanted to borrow a fax machine and went up to the second floor.The fax machine is placed in the corridor next to the stairs on the second floor. It is nominally needed by my uncle for work, but in fact Axiang is the one who uses it the most, especially before the exam. This machine is very busy.

While I was waiting for the fax, I remembered what happened in Hakodate a few days ago, and the words my father said on the phone kept lingering in my mind. "Killed?" Dad did say that into the phone.On the tram back that day, I pondered this sentence over and over again. I tried to assume that I had heard it wrong. What my father said was not "kill" but something else, such as "sprinkle" or "sprinkle". When combined with the following words, it seems that only "killing" makes sense, because the father said next: "How could an accident happen just at this juncture."

From this point of view, it should be someone who killed someone and pretended to be an accident, and the person on the other end of the phone is the murderer.The incident sounded absurd, but my father's sombre tone at the time seemed to indirectly confirm this terrible inference. What the hell is father doing?What was he involved in? Donghe University, Kobayashi, Mr. Jiuneng, and "that child"... these keywords kept spinning in my mind like a handkerchief thrown into the washing machine. The fax machine beeped, and I came back to my senses. The fax machine slowly spit out the fax paper, and I took it to my hand and read every word carefully. Since I already knew that there were no female members on the list, I actually had no expectations. However, after reading several activity records, I couldn't help but hold the fax paper tightly, because occasionally such a statement appeared on it: "On May 6th, a bicycle tour of Lake Tama, the weather was fine, and two students from Teito Women's University participated." It seems that although the members of the club are all men, occasionally women will participate in the activities. Unfortunately, the names of the two Teito Women's University students are not listed above. Then I saw the activity record of my father when he was the vice president, and I read it even more attentively. Sure enough, there were also participants from women's universities during this period, but the names were also not listed. Then I saw the profile of the members. Regarding the introduction of my father, there was only the line "Ninth Laboratory of the Fourth Grade of Medical College", but maybe because my father was the vice president, it also recorded the address and address of his rented house in Shibuya at that time. Address of hometown Tomakomai. I also browsed through the introductions of other members, and my eyes widened when I saw a line of words. My eyes stayed on the president's profile, the president's name was Shimizu Hirohisa, and the profile said "Fourth Year of Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering", and the address column at the back read—— Soshigaya 1-chome, Setagaya Ward The next day was Thursday, and I had breakfast later than usual, but at this moment I received a call from my father asking if I was free at noon, and he wanted to meet me near Sapporo Station.My father said that he was in Asahikawa and was going back to Hakodate by train, passing through Sapporo on the way. "I can only stay until two o'clock," I said. "No problem, let's have lunch together. Is there a quieter restaurant nearby?" "There is Century Royal Hotel next to the station." "Okay, let's go there. We'll meet in the lobby of the hotel. What time would be better?" "half past twelve." "Twelve thirty, good." Father hung up the phone. Putting down the phone, I couldn't help but wonder what my father wanted from me. We only met a few days ago, so there should be no need for him to get off the car on the way just to care about my recent situation. But I just happened to have something to ask my father about Mr. Shimizu Hirohisa."Soshigaya 1-chome, Setagaya-ku" marked on my mother's map of the Tokyo area is his home address. Although Mr. Shimizu may not still live there, I guess my mother went to Tokyo to find him. But the question is how can I ask the export?Regardless of the relationship between Hirohisa Shimizu and my father, my father would be suspicious if I suddenly mentioned the name of an old acquaintance, not to mention that my father would not even tell me that he had joined a club in the past. I couldn't think of any good ideas, so I went out to school and attended class absent-mindedly. Then at noon, I walked out of school and headed for the station. When I walked into the restaurant, my father had already arrived. When he saw me, he raised his hand lightly. He seemed to be thinner than the previous few days. I don’t know if it was my illusion. We had lunch at the restaurant in the hotel, and since there were classes in the afternoon, I only ordered simple pasta. "About studying abroad..." While waiting for the cooking, the father said, "How do you think about it?" I took a sip of water from the cup, shook my head and said, "I haven't thought about that yet." "Why?" Father looked a little displeased. "These two days are relatively busy... I don't have a clue for a while." "I know Juzi, you will feel uneasy if you have never been abroad. Well, next time I will bring you to meet a friend who is familiar with the details of homestay and study abroad, and you should feel relieved after talking with him more. Oh, Wait, maybe I can make an appointment with him this week." His father reached into the inner pocket of his suit, took out a small notebook and opened the address book, as if he wanted to call him immediately. "Father, you want to drive me out of the country?" I couldn't help but say it. When the father heard it, his cheeks trembled slightly. "What nonsense are you talking about?" My father squeezed out a blunt smile, but he looked at a loss, "I advised you to go abroad for your own good, why would I want to drive you away?" "But that's what it sounds like to me. You seem to want to throw me far away." "I didn't mean that." The father slowly put the notebook into his pocket. "You came to me today to talk about this?" "No, no, I just want to meet you, really." Father took a sip of water, "It's just that Dad's friend said that studying abroad should be done early, so Dad was a little anxious. Well, we will deal with this matter later. Let's talk about it later." At this time, the waiter delivered the dishes, and my father looked at the very ordinary seafood spaghetti and exaggeratedly praised: "Oh, it looks delicious!" For a long time, we just ate pasta in silence. Although my father broke the conversation just now, I knew he called me out specifically to talk about studying abroad.I tried to speculate why my father wanted to send me far away, but I couldn't come up with a reasonable deduction after racking my brain. I know how insignificant I am, so no matter if I have one more or one less, it shouldn't make much difference. . "Dad," I said after finishing the pasta, "did you go to Tokyo a while ago?" The father was full of surprise, "Who told you?" "Uncle. He said he saw the return ticket stub." "Oh..." Father's face darkened slightly, "I'm going on a business trip." "Where did you go in Tokyo?" "I didn't go to any famous scenic spots, so you haven't heard of it." "Is there Shitagani?" "Setagaya?" Father's eyes widened, "Why did you want to die?" "It's nothing, I just casually said a place name I know, Setagaya is quite famous." "I didn't go there." Father shook his head.His behavior is very natural, it should not be lying. "Did you go to Imperial University?" I then asked, "Isn't that your father's alma mater?" "Oh, I haven't been there in a while." "Didn't you meet your old classmates?" "There is no chance to meet." At this time, the waiter brought the coffee, I added milk, and while stirring with a spoon, I looked at my father and said: "Actually, I wanted to ask a long time ago, Dad, why did you go to university in Tokyo?" Father's eyebrows trembled, "Why do you ask this question?" "Because you object to my going to Tokyo?" I said. "I see." My father seemed to accept my words, and said in a steady tone: "Because I have always yearned for the teachers and equipment of Imperial University, and Imperial University just happens to be in Tokyo, that's all." "How was Dad's college life? Happy?" "How should I put it..., there are hardships and joys, it's been so long, I don't remember much." Father seemed to deliberately avoid the topic of Imperial Capital University. I really want to ask him about Donghe University, but I can't find a suitable entry point. If I say the name of this university easily, I will definitely be questioned. "It's almost time." Dad said, looking at his watch.I nodded and drank the rest of my coffee in one gulp. I couldn't let go of the heavy thoughts in my heart, so I went back to school and went home after the fourth class.When I went out in the morning, I told my aunt that I would meet my father today, so when my aunt saw me, she immediately asked, "What did you eat today?" I replied, eating pasta. "Oh, it's rare to have a meal with Dad. Why don't you take the opportunity to eat some high-end cuisine? Like a top-notch full meal." My aunt felt sorry for me. I wanted to go upstairs, but the phone rang when I was halfway up the stairs, and my aunt's voice came from downstairs: "Juzi, your phone number is a lady named Shimojo." "Okay, I'll pick you up on the second floor." I hope that Miss Shimojo will have new achievements, I am looking forward to answering the phone next to the fax machine, "Hello, I am the Shi family." "It's me." Miss Shimojo's voice came. "Thank you for your investigation last time, it was a great help." I said. "Oh, that's good," said Miss Shimojo.I don't know if it's because I'm overthinking, but I always feel that her voice sounds a little listless today. "Excuse me... what happened?" "Hmm..." Miss Xiajo was silent for a moment, as if hesitating, "It's about Donghe." "Did something happen to you at Donghe University?" My heart beat inexplicably faster. "I didn't encounter anything, I just saw something." "See something?" "Didn't you ask me to find a way to help you get connected to the Chinese Department of Donghe University? So I went to Donghe University today and made a few laps in the Faculty of Arts..." Miss Xiajo said again here Hesitating to speak but stopped, this is the first time I heard her speak in such a blunt manner. "What's wrong?" "Well, the bulletin board over there has the university news, that is, some news from the school, and there..." Miss Xiatiao stopped talking. "Is there anything on it?" I asked. "Do you remember? When you came to our school library last time, the service staff said something strange to you?" "Huh? Oh, he said he thought I looked like someone?" "Yes, he said you look like the lead singer of an amateur band that was on TV a while ago." "so what?" "There is a photo of the band on the bulletin board. It turns out that the female lead singer is a student of Donghe University." "so?" "I saw the photo..." Miss Shimojo fell into silence, only the sound of her heavy breathing could be heard, I had a terrible premonition, and the palms of the hands holding the microphone were covered with sweat. "That lead singer..." she seemed to finally make up her mind to tell me, "looks very much like you. There is more than one photo, but the lead singer in every one of them looks exactly like you... No, that's you at all."