Chapter 7 Chapter 3 lost

When Chongshi said that he was going to the company, Mayuko showed a slightly surprised expression.It was Saturday morning, when the two were having their usual brunch.Toast, coffee, salad, poached eggs and tomato sauce are on the table.Except for the coffee, everything else was prepared by Chongshi. "Going to work on weekends? It's really rare." Mayuko said with a suspicious expression.She was still wearing pajamas and a white sweater over it. "I still have some data that needs to be sorted out. I wanted to finish it yesterday, but something went wrong with the server." Chong Shi said, spreading some butter on the bread, not daring to look at Mayuko.

"Why didn't you tell me last night?" "I was hesitating what to do, but decided to go" "Do you have to go today? Is it an urgent job?" "There will be a departmental meeting next week, and this data will be needed at that time" "Hmm." Mayuko still seemed a little puzzled, shrugged, and said with a smile, "I wanted you to accompany me to do shopping today." "Sorry, you go alone" "Can't you do it tomorrow?" "I don't know yet, maybe something will happen" "Really... then I'll go by myself"

"Well, I'm sorry." After Chongshi finished speaking, he ate the poached egg without dipping it in ketchup.After breakfast, he returned to the bedroom and opened the second drawer of the desk shared with Mayuko.It contains office supplies and some computer-related spare parts.From it he took out a small box of staples.When opened, instead of staples, it contained a key.He put the key in the palm of his hand and made a thoughtful gesture.A strange feeling arises spontaneously, but I don't know why it comes from. After changing clothes, Takashi said to Mayuko, "Then I'm leaving."

At this time she was washing the dishes. "Is this how you dress to go to work?" she asked, looking back at Chongshi in jeans and a casual shirt. "It's okay to wear this to work on weekends" "Really, come back soon" "I'll try." He put on his sneakers and left the apartment. After taking the subway to Waseda, he bought a ticket and went in the opposite direction to the company.He got off at the first stop, Takadanobaba.Miwa Tomohiko's residence is here. Yesterday Chongshi made two phone calls at the company, one was to Zhiyan’s apartment where he lived when he was studying at MAC. He thought he might move out, but he still lived there, and the call was answered automatically by recording.

"I'm not home right now, please leave a message after the beep" That was not Zhiyan's voice, but a synthetic recording that had been set on the phone in advance, but Chongshi had the impression that Zhiyan still lived there, he was convinced. In another call, he called Zhiyan's hometown. Like Takashi, Tomohiko's hometown is also in Shizuoka City, and they used to visit each other's homes often.Zhiyan's father ran a printing factory. Chongshi still remembers that he was a father who worked from dawn to dusk every day in order to support his only son.His mother was a very kind little woman with a kind face all the time.The last time Chongshi saw them was when she went home to visit relatives before joining Vitec. At that time, she still called her son 'Xiaozhi'.

It was the mother who answered the phone.After Chongshi reported her name, she thought she would respond with a nostalgic tone. However, Zhiyan's mother's reaction was unnatural and surprising. "Ah, Tsuruga-kun..." Then he couldn't continue. "Did something happen?" Chong Shi asked. "Well, it's nothing, by the way, Tsuruga, what's the matter with you? You called suddenly" "I have something important to ask about Miwa-kun." "Tomohiko's matter... so, what is it?" "He hasn't contacted me at all recently, and then I'm curious what he's up to"

"Ah, Tomohiko, I heard that kid is in New York now" "Los Angeles, right? I know about this, but I don't know what's going on over there, and there hasn't been a single letter." "Letter... oh, yes, so he hasn't written a letter to his family either. I'm sorry, the boy is too lazy to write. But you don't have to worry, he seems to be doing well there." "Did he call?" "Well, I've been here a few times" "When was the last time?" "Well, around the middle of last week, around dinnertime"

"Can you give me his phone number? I want to call him too" After Chongshi finished speaking, Zhiyan's mother was silent for a while, and then said. "Actually, there is no telephone in his room, and it is a temporary residence. He said he will move out in a few days..." She could not continue. "Then how do you get in touch with him?" "Well, I was worried about this too, but it's nothing serious at this stage, and he will call home from time to time." Having said that, Zhiyan's mother stopped talking again, as if she was waiting for Chongshi's response.

"...Is that so" "Yes, I'm so sorry that you made a special call." "Then when will he call next?" "I'm not sure about this, his calls are always sudden" "You said he didn't have a phone in his residence, so did he call from the company?" "should be" "...I see. Then, if he wants to call again, Auntie, can you ask him to contact me too? It doesn't matter if the other party pays for it." "Well, ok, I'll tell him" "please" After hanging up the phone, Chongshi picked up the recording paper on the desk and quickly wrote down a few numbers. He was calculating the time difference with Los Angeles.If the call came during dinner, it should be midnight at Chihiko's side.

Impossible, Chongshi thought.At least the call couldn't have come from the company. In addition, there are many doubts in his mother's words.The strangest thing was that she didn't seem to have any complaints about not being able to contact her son. She must be hiding something, Takashi immediately guessed, there must be a reason for Miwa Tomohiko's disappearance—— Get off at Takadanobaba Station and walk for about five minutes to Chihiko's apartment.It was a slim house with brick-patterned tiles on the walls, and his room was on the fifth floor.Chongshi pressed the button of the elevator and found that the elevator was very old and the speed was very slow.

"I sometimes take the stairs when I'm in a hurry." Chongshi recalled what Chihiko had said, and at the same time implied that his legs and feet were not inconvenient. On the fifth floor, there is Chihiko's room in front of you, room 503, with the words 'three rounds' written on the nameplate with a marker.Chongshi took out the key from the pocket of his jeans, which was still in the staple box. In fact, after confirming that Chihiko was still living here yesterday, he never had the idea of ​​coming here, because he felt that even if he came, it would be meaningless not to enter the room. However, this morning, Chongshi suddenly remembered that he had the key to Zhiyan's room and put it in a staple box in the drawer.It was then that the idea of ​​going to Chihiko's residence came into being. However, Chongshi himself couldn't figure out why he had completely forgotten the existence of that key until now, and why he recalled it all of a sudden?Of course, in daily life, there are many cases of suddenly recalling things that have been forgotten for a long time, but the feeling when recalling this key is completely different.Just like when thinking of Zhiyan, Chongshi deeply felt it. Guessing that there would be no result if he continued to think, he inserted the key into the lock, and the lock opened smoothly, and he opened the door. The room was a one-bedroom household. After glancing into the room, he froze at the door. The scene in front of him made him wonder if there was a storm here. There are hardly any books on the two stainless steel bookshelves by the wall, but they are all stacked on the bed, and the same is true for the desk.Almost all the drawers were emptied, all the clothes in the closet were taken out, and video tapes and CDs were scattered everywhere beside the audio-visual suits. Chongshi took off his shoes, tried not to step on things on the ground, and walked into the room.Look around the house again. The first thing that came to mind was that it was invaded by thieves.Chongshi had seen this kind of experience before, it was a friend who lived nearby.Chongshi was still a primary school student at that time, and he didn't know how to sympathize, so he went in to see it out of curiosity.The room I saw at that time felt a little bit like this, the whole room was turned upside down. Should the police be notified, he considered, of course, if a thief really had to come, it should be done.But first you have to find evidence to support this assertion. He tried his best to avoid unintentional touches and walked to the window.There was a small bed by the window, and the blanket on the bed was rolled up naturally, which made people feel that no one had moved since Chihiko finally woke up.However, the storage drawers under the bed have all been pulled out. Chongshi checked the condition of the window glass, it was not broken, and the crescent lock was firmly locked.Then the way of intrusion must be the entrance. At the same time, Chongshi came to the conclusion that this was not a simple theft. If you are a skilled thief, you may be able to open the lock without a key, and there are not a few thieves who break into the house while the door is unlocked.However, no matter what the situation is, it is absolutely impossible for the thief to lock the door again when leaving the room.And the door to this room is locked. If it wasn't a thief who did it? The first candidate, of course, is Zhiyan himself. Before the trip to the United States, did he come here to find something?But Chongshi immediately denied this idea, he knew Zhiyan's character too well, no matter what kind of emergency it was, he would never do such destructive behavior. That leaves only one possibility, someone messed up the room and left for non-theft purposes.If the purpose is not theft, it is likely to be looking for something. He nonchalantly picked up the new mini-floppy disk, or MD for short, which had been randomly placed on the desk.Chongshi and other Vitec researchers often use it as an external storage device for computers, because its capacity is hundreds of times that of a three-inch floppy disk.This MD is probably bought by Zhiyan for work purposes. The desk was covered with dust, leaving a square hole clearly where the MD had been placed.It seems that it has been a long time since the intruder entered here. Chongshi is considering whether to report this situation to Zhiyan's parents, but in the end he thinks it is better not to report it.Because the story of Zhiyan's mother's lies on the phone yesterday is still lingering, and he has a premonition: this room has become this scene, and they probably know it.Zhiyan has been away from here for more than two months, this room is purely redundant, and the rent should have been cancelled.But there must be some reason why they didn't.And this reason is definitely not unrelated to the current abnormal situation. Chongshi put the MD back on the table and began to check the books spread out on the floor.There are molecular biology, brain medicine, mechanics, thermodynamics, applied science, etc., which are all professional books necessary for cybernetics, and most of them are also available in Chongshi.The rest are some novels, photobooks and the like.There are also several professional books on music, because Zhiyan is very interested in the violin. Looking at the titles of these books, Chongshi began to laugh at his ignorance. Even if he had read all the books here, he would still not know what the intruders were looking for.It is not what is left but what is missing that needs to be identified in order to know the purpose of the intruder. Although it is impossible to know Zhiyan's possessions thoroughly, but Chongshi has been here many times, he still has a general idea of ​​what is placed where.Chongshi put the book back on the shelf, sorting out the memories in his mind. He immediately realized that all the folders that should have been placed on the top shelf of the bookshelf were gone. Chongshi knew that Zhiyan kept the experimental results and reports when he was at MAC by subject. Thinking of this, he glanced at the computer, and sure enough, the box containing the MD and floppy disk was empty, only a new unused disk was left.He rummaged through the desk and drawers again, not to mention the notes, but he didn't even find the recording paper. Was it taken by an intruder?No, it's too early to jump to judgment, Chongshi thought. The most convincing possibility is that Chihiko took it with him when he went to Los Angeles.If it were Chongshi who was sent to the United States to take office, he would probably take away his research results without leaving a trace. Just one thing, Chongshi re-examined the bookshelf, if this is the case, wouldn't he take these professional books with him?In any case, these are essential books for continuing research and are difficult to obtain in the United States. The same statement can be applied to clothes.Among the scattered clothes, Chongshi clearly remembered that Zhiyan wore them.Why are these clothes not brought to America? Chong Shi sat down on the bed, carefully inspected every corner of the room, and finally his eyes stayed on the audio-visual shelf.He walked over and examined the interior carefully. Sure enough, the MD was nowhere to be found. It was not the kind used by computers, but its original purpose, the MD as an audio-visual medium.It contains classical music that Tomohiko likes very much.Not only MD, even the old cassette tapes are gone.Only the CDs sold on the market are still playing, and only the recorded things are brought to the United States. No matter how you think about it, it feels too strange. After inspection, it was also found that the video tapes also disappeared, only the unopened ones remained.Even the copies of those Kamen Rider movies and the videotapes of Tomohiko's weekly must-watch series are missing. Chongshi began to organize his thoughts. What disappeared in this room were: documents and notes, floppy disks, MDs, cassette tapes, and video tapes. What do these things have in common? They are all things that can write information. In other words, Tomohiko packed up all the things loaded with information and took them away. Immediately, a gust of cold wind blew on Chongshi's back. It was impossible to imagine that this was caused by Zhiyan himself, and it could only be explained that the intruder took everything away. What information does this intruder want? Regardless of MDs and floppy disks, even cassette tapes and videotapes were taken away, which is a bit unusual.Cassette tapes have been used as computer storage media for a long time.As for the video tape, none of the machines available on the market can do it.Of course, it may not be used as a computer storage medium, and it may also be used to leave information through actual playback, but as far as I know, Zhiyan has never used such a method. After simple consideration, the intruder's target is most likely Zhiyan's research results.But why, Chongshi couldn't figure it out, the research results of Zhiyan's team should not have reached the point where they need to be stolen?Or not yet formed—— No, Chongshi is confused, is that really the case? Will they make great achievements? "A major discovery that subverts the common sense of the Reality discipline" A voice echoed in his mind, and Chongshi raised his head involuntarily. what is it then?he thinks. He felt that who said such a thing in front of him, when someone praised Chihiko's research, who was it and where was it?He couldn't remember it, as if it was another illusion. Chongshi looked around the room, trying to find some hints that could explain the situation. Who is the intruder?What is his purpose?Did he achieve his goal?Does Zhiyan himself know about this? Chongshi's gaze moved to the shelf next to the stereo, where there were several music scores and several photo albums beside it.It is said to be a photo album, but there is no fancy cover, only a few thin pages, like a gift from a photo studio. Chongshi opened it and looked, and a long-lost face immediately came into view.It was Chongshi and Zhiyan’s trip to Northeast China after joining MAC, and these photos were taken at that time.Chihiko stood on a boulder and waved his hands. His complexion was rarely tanned and he looked healthy.And the flowing water behind him is Yan Meixi.The next page was taken by the two at Mt. Osor, and they joked that they wanted to take a picture of the ghost behind them. Behind the photo of the Northeast trip is a solo photo of Zhiyan, without the date on it, judging from the sweatshirt and jeans he is wearing, it should be in May or June.He was sitting on a bench laughing, a castle could be vaguely seen behind him. Chongshi realized that this was Tokyo Disneyland, and turned another page.Two pages later, there is another picture taken at the same time. Zhiyan stands alone in front of the entrance of Disneyland, holding a paper bag in his right hand and making a V sign with his left. Surprisingly, there is a blank page between the two photos, which looks like it was pulled out after the fact. And when was this filmed, Chong Shi recalled.Chongshi doesn't remember that he and Zhiyan have been to Disneyland alone, and it's not a place where two big men go together. Of course, it is absolutely impossible for Zhiyan to go alone, that is to say, Zhiyan's companion should be a woman.Then there should be a group photo of him with the woman and a single photo of her, and those photos must be in this album. But these photos were taken away, for what purpose?Chongshi was puzzled.Who would that woman be?Based on the timing of his trip to Northeast China, it can be speculated that these photos should have been taken in the early summer of last year.At that time, did Chihiko have a relationship with a woman? No, Chongshi immediately came to a conclusion.Not only in the early summer of last year, Zhiyan and women have never had this kind of interaction.He was convinced that if Chihiko had a girlfriend, he would be the first to notify him. However, at this moment, Mayuko's face appeared in his mind.At the same time, the troubles that had been troubling Chongshi for the past few days lingered in his mind again. Mayuko and Chihiko went together? He kept shaking his head, comforting himself that it was absolutely impossible, she was his lover, she was now, and she was also a year ago.However, this could not soothe his inner anxiety.Why am I so familiar with the sight of Chihiko and Mayuko pairing up?Instead, he tried to recall his past with Mayuko a year ago, but his memory began to blur. He suppressed his displeasure and closed the album.His instinct refused to continue to delve into the matter. He planned to find out the identity of the intruder and its purpose first, but at the same time he also realized that if he continued to do so, he would not get any useful information.Chongshi came to the door, put on his sneakers, and must get in touch with Zhiyan, and that was it. When I was about to take a last look at the room, something flickered outside the window, and the curtains were half drawn. There is a similar family on the opposite side, a person is standing on the stairs outside, it seems to be a man.He held a camera in his hand, and the sun's rays were still reflected on the lens. Chongshi took off his shoes and ran to the window, the man disappeared.I don't know if I took the elevator or hid in a certain room. Chongshi opened the window, searching for traces of the man.After a while, a man in a gray suit appeared at the gate on the first floor.Chongshi couldn't tell whether he was the one he saw just now, but his steps looked extremely flustered.The man in the suit jumped into a car parked on the side of the road and sped away immediately. After Chongshi left Zhiyan's residence, he went to MAC.In fact, he had wanted to come here a long time ago, but he usually met Mayuko there, which he hoped to avoid.Because at this point in time, he didn't want to tell her his doubts and troubles. Like Vitec, MAC is also closed on weekends, and there is no one in front of the gate, except for an elderly guard who still sticks to his post.Chongshi showed him his Vitec company work ID and walked in. There are still some people working inside the building, and the academic summit and research meeting will be held soon, so the staff in the research room should have no time to rest. Chongshi knocked on the door on the far side of the first floor, "Please come in" a vague voice responded.After Chongshi opened the door, a man who was writing on the desk by the window turned his head, his cheeks were sunken because of his thinness.He was Chongshi's instructor when he was working here, and his name was Koyamanai. "Oh" found Chongshi sitting in the hills and turned around, his smile deepened the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. "Long time no see, how are you?" "It's not bad," said Chong Shi, who also sat down on the chair next to him. "Ms. Koyamauchi will definitely be there on Saturday, I guessed right." "Do you think the research is in trouble again? But you can't help but think so, because we have been doing repetitive work" "Zhongyan also does animal experiments every day." The so-called Zhongyan is the abbreviation of the Central Research Institute where Chongshi is currently working. Koyamauchi picked up the smoking cigarette on the ashtray, took a puff, and snorted contentedly. "You don't have any results there, right? Some people say that we are just re-testing the basic data here to confirm it." "There really isn't much progress, and it hasn't reached the level of application" "However, it is said that next year, all the research on audio-visual cognition will be merged into the Central Research Institute." "Huh? Really?" "Of course it hasn't been formally decided yet," Xiao Shan swallowed, his expression very serious. For the research on the same topic, MAC and the Central Research Institute undertake the responsibilities of basic research and applied research respectively.But once the basic research is considered complete, this research will be completely assigned to the central research institute, and at this time, the central research institute will usually absorb the people from MAC. "Then Mr. Koyamauchi will come back to Zhongyan next year, right?" "That might not be the case." He stubbed out the cigarette in his hand, "We instructors are all staying behind, and the instructions let us explore new topics." "What do you mean? This is tantamount to reducing the scale." "Exactly, it seems that the upper echelon of Vitec has given up using the 'audio-visual cognitive system' for virtual reality." "Give up...then what are they going to use?" Koyamachi took another cigarette from the cigarette case on the table, put it under his nose and sniffed it, and said to Chongshi, "It's only for memory processing." "Is there such a ridiculous thing?" Chong Shi scolded, "That department should be reduced in size. Isn't MAC no longer researching? It is already a frozen subject in Zhongyan. The instructor at MAC, Mr. Sudo, is now also are working on a different subject than me” "It seems to be, it's called the analysis of brain activity during fantasy... right?" "This research is not going well." Chongshi smiled self-deprecatingly, and he was not interested in it, so he couldn't say this sentence. Xiao Shannei lit a cigarette, took three puffs, and immediately the surrounding air became hazy. "I've heard a little bit," he said, puffing out a cigarette, "Vitec still has a special liking for memory processing, and even added people to the brain function research group" "Really? But that doesn't mean we're just doing this research..." "Well, I don't know the specifics." Koyamauchi frowned. Then the two were silent for about ten seconds. Chong Shi glanced at the window behind Koyamachi. Outside the window was a cherry blossom tree and next to it was an empty tennis court. It's been a long time since I played soft tennis, Chongshi thought back, when was the last time I played?Well, it should be played with Mayuko, strong sunlight, sweat—— "By the way," Koyamauchi said, "what's the matter with you today? You don't necessarily come to listen to my complaints, do you?" "It's not true, but it's a bit related to the topic just now, it's a matter of three rounds" "'Smasher' Sanwa?" Koyamachi sneered, because Chihiko's thinking was extremely quick, so everyone gave him this nickname during the MAC period. "What's up with him?" "Do you know where that guy is now?" "Isn't it in Los Angeles?" Chongshi nodded, "Yes, Mr. Koyamauchi, when did you hear about it?" "Well, about a month ago, I heard what Sudou said when I went to the Central Research Institute. To be honest, I was a little surprised. Of course it wasn't that I was surprised by the three rounds going to the United States, but usually such things will notify us instructor group" "I've only heard about it recently" "Really, don't you two have a good relationship?" "So I was also very surprised" "Oh?" Koyamachi smoked again, with a puzzled look on his face.The soot fell on his pants, and he hurriedly patted it off with his hands. "What research is Miwa doing over there, haven't you heard?" "Well, I haven't heard of it at all, how about you?" "I don't know, I can't contact him at all" "I guess I don't have time to contact you. It will take a while to live and work there in peace and contentment." Koyama seemed to understand a little bit. But Chongshi still couldn't let go, he even had a feeling that someone deliberately concealed Zhiyan's existence.But why is this necessary? "By the way, how is your new life? Is it comfortable?" Koyamauchi asked with a playful smile. "Comfortable?" "Don't be stupid, I heard that Tsuno often comes and goes to your residence." "what……" Not just going in and out, but actually living together, Chongshi held back and didn't say anything. "The people in the brain function research team are extremely disappointed. They finally found a beautiful woman, and they are actually married." "Really?" Chongshi scratched his head. Mayuko's 'Memory Processing Research Group' was disbanded this spring, so she was assigned to the Brain Function Research Group.Since she did not graduate with a master's degree, she can only serve as an assistant to the principal researcher. "Hey, I was also taken aback. I really didn't expect you to come together with her." Xiao Shan's words hit Chongshi's sore spot, and his eyebrows twitched violently. "I thought everyone knew about our relationship." "Of course I know you are very close, you and Tsuno, and Miwa. You three have been inseparable. But I always thought it was Miwa who was dating Tsuno, and you and Miwa are good friends, So in the end the three of you went in and out together. I always thought so" "She and Sanlun...?" Chongshi's mood was as heavy as lead. "Actually, it might be because they belong to the same group and often see them working together, which caused this illusion. But if you think about it carefully, Tsuno is so beautiful, she is definitely more suitable for you." After finishing, Koyama looked at Chongshi with an embarrassed expression. "I apologize if you're upset after hearing this, but I haven't really thought about it." "No." Chongshi shook his head. He thought about it, and it was true that he had never disclosed his relationship with Mayuko in MAC, and he couldn't bear to leave Tomohiko behind, so the three of them often acted together. However, it is an indisputable fact that some people think that Mayuko and Chihiko are a couple, and it is definitely not the only person in Koyama who thinks so. Thinking of this, Chongshi became anxious, why was he so restless?Mayuko is his lover, isn't he the one who knows this best—— "Are you going to marry her?" Koyamauchi asked. "Yes, but I plan to wait until she is assigned to Vitec before bringing it up" "Well, that's nice, she's a good girl. If she's with you, she'll be very happy. Even within Vitec, everyone has long abandoned the rule that couples must be placed in different departments. Maybe you will Are you working together?" As he spoke, the smoke-stained teeth were exposed in Koyama. After asking all the questions that should be asked, Chongshi got up and prepared to leave.But before leaving, he suddenly remembered something. "By the way, which department is that person in now? It's Miwa's subordinate, a college graduate named Shinozaki." "Shinozaki?" "He was also in the memory processing research group." Since Shinozaki had been Tomohiko's assistant before, he might know something, Takashi decided to ask him. However, Koyamachi's answer was unexpected. "He can't be here" "It can't be here?" "Hey, haven't you heard? He resigned a few months ago. Didn't you also work here at that time?" "Ok……" After being told by him, Chongshi began to sort out his memories.Although I don't know Shinozaki very well, I still chat a little when we meet. One memory gradually became clear. It was last fall when everyone was talking about Shinozaki. "Ah, you said that" "Do you remember it?" "I forgot all of a sudden" "Well, he has been absent from work for no reason, so it is treated as a dropout. It seems that the dropout application did not pass Vitec in the end, nor did he agree. I thought that the recent new employees are used to such irresponsible people, but I didn't expect , the people who joined the company at the same time as him were also shocked.” But Chongshi couldn't figure it out, why did he completely forget about it? "You have something to do with Shinozaki?" "No, there's nothing wrong with it." If he had resigned before, it would be meaningless to find him. "Speaking of Shinozaki, a strange girl came here not long ago." Koyamauchi folded his arms and looked at the calendar on the wall. "About two months ago, she said that she was looking for Shinozaki." "Looking for? What's going on?" "I don't know either. I first received a call from the guard, saying that a woman came looking for Shinozaki's boss and asked me what to do. It is said that Shinozaki's boss should be your current leader, Sudou, but at that time he I just happened to be away. There was no other way, so I had to meet her. The woman, who was actually about 20 years old, said that she couldn’t find Shinozaki now, and she didn’t know what to do. There was no contact with her hometown, and there was no one at her place. She heard When Shinozaki resigned a few months ago, he seemed surprised. I also asked him where he went, but of course I couldn't answer. I told her that I hadn't seen him since I left school, so she had no choice but to say goodbye. gone back" "It's weird" "It's just a mystery. She called twice after that, and I told her that there was nothing I could do. I asked others and they said they didn't know. I don't know what happened afterwards, and the phone didn't come. Maybe I found it. Let's go" Xiaoshan crooked his mouth. This is really strange, Chongshi thought, and then came up with this idea: Maybe this has something to do with the disappearance of Miwa Tomohiko—— He felt that it was doubtful that Shinozaki and Tomohiko belonged to the same research group. Of course, it might have been a coincidence. Anyway, got to meet her and find out. "Is that woman Shinozaki's lover?" Takashi asked. "I guess it should be, it doesn't feel like a relative, and the last name is different" "Do you have her contact information?" "Wait" Koyama opened the drawer, and there were a lot of small pieces of paper and other odds and ends in it, he took out one of them, "here" The address and phone number were written on it. The name was Naoi Masami, and the address was Itabashi District. Chongshi picked up a piece of paper and copied it down. "What do you remember?" Koyama asked. "No, that's not true. I'll contact Miwa recently, and ask him about Shinozaki by the way. If I know, I'll contact you." "That guy is also very enthusiastic, but it's likely that Miwa doesn't know anything. We haven't seen Shinozaki again here." "Well, that's what it says," Chong Shi stood up after speaking. "you are leaving?" "Well, by the way, I want to ask you one thing" "What's up?" "Don't tell Tsuno about my coming here today, because I don't want to go shopping with her and lie to her that I went to work today" Koyama burst out laughing. "Why do you want to be like couples who have been married for many years? You should understand my difficulties now? Well, I know, I won't tell her" "Please." Chongshi bowed. After leaving MAC, he found a phone booth and called Naoi Masami.But she was not at home, and there was a voice to leave her name.She still seemed to speak with a nasal voice, and she felt that she was under 20 years old. Chong Shi said in the message that he graduated from MAC in March, and he needed to contact Shinozaki for some matters, hoping to contact him, and finally reported his address and phone number. After returning to Waseda's residence, she found that Mayuko was not at home.Chongshi knew that she went shopping alone, and glanced at the clock, it was just after six o'clock.Mayuko must have thought he would come later. Changing clothes in the bedroom, Chongshi lay down on the bed.All kinds of thoughts in his mind were intertwined: Mayuko, Tomohiko, and himself. He tried to put all these together into a complete picture, but found that no matter what he did, it was futile and completely unable to form.Even if it takes shape, it can't explain any problems, it's just fragments.After all, there are too many unknowns to draw conclusions now. Speaking of which, who the hell is that man—— Chongshi recalled the man who spied on him in the building opposite Zhiyan's apartment, and he was sure that the man was indeed spying on him. But what is the purpose of being so sneaky? At this stage, there is no basis for inference at all, only to be anxious. He turned over, and at this time a small photo frame on the wardrobe came into view, with a photo of Mayuko inside.Takashi stood up and picked it up. In the photo, Mayuko was wearing a polyester jacket over a black T-shirt, smiling at the camera, with red earrings on her ears. Behind her is the blue sky and a row of brown fences. This background is impressive to Chongshi. This is a photo taken at Tokyo Disneyland. It should be the early summer of last year. The two went to Disneyland together and took a photo. At this point, memories start to blur.Is it really?Chongshi recalled that he did remember going to Disneyland and playing all kinds of rides: aerial cable car, pirate ship, star tour, and so on.Mayuko also knocked over popcorn in front of Cinderella Castle—— No, Chongshi shook his head lightly, it wasn't Mayuko who knocked over the popcorn, it was his girlfriend from college. What was it like when you went with Mayuko?What clothes is she wearing?By the way, it's a miniskirt that flutters in the wind, so you have to protect it carefully every time it falls.I told her how nice it would be to wear jeans, and she replied that she looked better that way. 也不对，这也不是麻由子，我回忆不起和麻由子一起去时候的情形。 崇史聚精会神地回想着，在房间里来回踱步。一边走，一边还在房间里巡视起来。那时候的其他照片放哪儿了呢？他想，肯定是在房间的某处。 走到房间中央时，他停下了脚步，背上吹来一阵冷风。 没有去过，他最后得出结论。自己根本就没和麻由子去过东京迪斯尼乐园，他只是把过去的记忆混淆在一块儿了。 为什么会以为自己去过呢？这才是值得思考的地方。 崇史的目光落到了手中的像框上，凝视着麻由子的笑脸。 一种不祥的预感开始在崇史心理回荡起来，他从照片上的氛围受到了启发。 眼前浮现出今天白天在智彦房间里看到的照片，像册里只放着智彦的单人照。 这张麻由子的照片，会不会是和智彦一块出去时候拍的呢？他们一起去了迪斯尼乐园？智彦个麻由子拍了照，麻由子又给智彦摄了影？ How is this possible? 崇史开始不安起来，自己到底是怎么了，为什么尽想这种不可能的事情呢？ 头有点痛，并伴随一阵轻微的呕吐感，他把照片放回原处，往床上坐了下来。一种不可言喻的厌恶情绪，开始在胸中蔓延开来，继续思考下去也只是徒劳。 这时，玄关传来一阵开门声，紧接着是麻由子的声音“我回来了”，她拖着木屐走进了卧室。 “我回来了，你真早啊”说完，她发现了崇史惶恐的表情，“你怎么啦？怎么这副表情？” “没什么”崇史摇摇头，“什么都没有啦，只是有点累了” “工作都完成了吗？” “嗯，算是吧” “是吗，太好了” 麻由子打开衣柜的抽屉，开始换衣服。她似乎没有意识到像框的位置发生了微妙的变化，崇史犹豫着是否应该问她照片的事儿，本该无关痛痒的问题，为什么如此难以启齿？他有一种预感，一旦说出了口，就无法挽回了。 “马上就能开饭，我买了很多菜”说着，她离开了房间，只剩下崇史一个人坐在那儿。 晚餐时，麻由子说着今天的购物经历，由于大减价的缘故，买到了很便宜的夏装；回家时的电车上一个大妈过来搭话，等等。崇史尽管知道自己的表情有点不自然，但也只能硬着头皮应和着。没被她察觉还真是万幸，他想。 吃完晚饭正在品茶的时候，电话铃响了，麻由子拎起无绳电话递给了崇史。因为两人同居的事情没有向大家公开，所以家里的电话一直是他先接的。他不在的时候，电话就设置成自动答录机的模式，在录音里确认了对方声音之后，麻由子才会拿起话筒。 hello, he said. “噢，请问这里是敦贺崇史的家吗？”是个年轻女人，他对这声音有印象，就是直井雅美答录机里的声音。 "Yes, you are?" “我是直井”电话那头说道，“因为你在我电话里留了言……” “嗯，是的，为我的冒昧深表歉意”说着，崇史看了一眼麻由子。她的表情像是在问，是谁打来的啊？崇史拿着电话站了起来。 “那个，请稍微等一下” 他用手捂着听筒，对麻由子小声说，“我要去找一下工作资料”然后走出了卧室，麻由子略显意外。 他坐在书桌前，“不好意思让你久等了” 先跟对方道歉，“嗯，就像我留言里说的那样，关于筱崎，我有些事儿想跟你确认一下”为了不让麻由子听见，他压低了声音。 “是关于伍郎失踪的事儿吗？” “伍郎？那是筱崎的……” “啊，不好意思，是他的名字” “噢，原来如此。你说得没错，就是关于他失踪的事儿” “伍郎……不，筱崎的下落您知道了吗？” 对方的声音听起来很激动，似乎她还不知道筱崎的去向。听到崇史的留言，肯定是满怀期待地打来了电话，崇史不禁感到有些歉意。 “不，不是这样的。只是她和我一个朋友很熟，我想问问他那个朋友的事情。其实我也是今天刚知道他失踪了” "yes?" 电话的另一头传来了一声很明显的叹息，肯定失望至极。 “到现在还是不知道他的去向吗？” “完全不知道”她回答。 “他什么时候下落不明的呢？” “这我也不知道，完全联系不上他，而且今年的正月也没回老家” “你最近一次和他联系是什么时候？” “应该是去年的秋天” 那就是他离开MAC的时候。 “直井，我们能不能见个面？如果听完具体的细节，说不定我还能帮上你” “嗯，可以。我也很希望多点线索”直井雅美立刻回答。 “那明天下午两点在池袋见如何？”崇史想起了她家住在板桥，说道。 “没问题，那去哪儿呢？” 崇史指定了池袋西口的一家咖啡店，可以，直井雅美回答。 “我会在桌上放一个印有Vitec标记的纸袋，作为我们的暗号” "I see" 挂了电话，不一会儿门开了，麻由子端着放有茶碗的托盘走了进来。 “电话打完了？” "Ok" "who is it?" “工作上的事儿”崇史拿起茶碗，抿了一口茶，回答道，“明天我也不得不出门了” “嗯，真辛苦”她伸手从崇史的肩上摘去一根碎线头。 两人躺下后，崇史提到了筱崎。为了不让麻由子和刚才那通电话联系起来，他留了一段足够长的时间。 “筱崎？就是那个筱崎啊？”她把身体靠向崇史这边，问道。 “就是那个筱崎，麻由子你知道他现在在哪儿吗？” “不知道，那个人不是去年就辞职了么” “嗯，好像突然就不来上班了” “具体的情况我也不太了解，须藤好像很生气的样子，说他一点都没意识到自己作为社会一员的责任” “随便就辞职，他这么说也难怪，你和他关系好吗？” “也谈不上关系好，因为被分到了一个小组，自然说话机会多一点” “对他突然的旷工，你有头绪吗？” “没有”她摇摇头，“怎么了，突然这么问，筱崎出什么事了吗？” “今天我在公司碰到MAC的同事的时候，他问了我很奇怪的事儿，好像不知道筱崎的去向不明” “去向不明？” “就是失踪了啊。他的家人好像也到公司来打听过呢” “啊？……” “你没听说？” “这么说来，教官好像以前说过，但现在换了小组，我也回想不起什么来，回答不上来呢” “你看吧” “真是令人担心呢，不过你和筱崎不太熟吧？” “是啊，只是这事儿太奇怪，一直放在心上罢了” 崇史把麻由子拉到身边，并闭上了眼睛。