Chapter 10 Chapter Nine Love Dye Osmanthus

Attentive readers may recall that it was introduced at the beginning of this book that the inhabitants of this island are devout. Early in the morning on the second day when Kindaichi Kosuke lived in Senko Temple, when it was still dark, the footsteps of devout men and women who came to worship, the sound of prayers, and the sound of bells waking up the Bodhisattva woke him up. At first he thought that What kind of god's festival is it!But after this happened every day, he realized how much the islanders depended on the gods. It turns out that if these islanders do not visit the temple before going fishing, they will be distracted all day long and unable to accomplish anything; this has nothing to do with belief or not, it has become a routine like washing your face and brushing your teeth.

This morning, maybe Qing Shui had already explained in advance, but there was no one in the monastery filled with thick fog.Therefore, Kosuke Kindaichi overslept unconsciously.But he was very fortunate that the scene was not trampled by other footprints. "Mr. Kindaichi, you were so busy last night, you must be hungry too! Come have breakfast first. Mr. Shimizu, drink a cup of tea first, and go to see the scene later!" Monk Liao Ran sincerely greeted him this time. "Okay thank you." Breakfast is a bowl of rice with miso soup and a few pieces of pickled radish. Shimizu found it troublesome to take off his shoes, so he sat on the kitchen steps and drank the tea brought by Ze. After a while, he suddenly said as if remembering something:

"By the way, Master, just now I heard from Zhuzang that the thief ate up all the rice in the rice bucket last night. Is it true?" "Really, I ate everything!" "Liao Ze, how much leftovers do you have?" "Well, there are about three bowls! I forgot to go to my house for dinner yesterday, so I cooked as much rice as usual." "The thief really knows how to eat! Master, will the murderer be so hungry after killing someone?" Shimizu stroked his beard, thought for a while, and asked seriously. Kaneda Kazuko almost choked when he heard this, he hurriedly drank his soup and said:

"I'm full, let's go see the footprints of that big-bellied thief now!" As mentioned earlier, the back door of the kitchen is close to the cliff, and the ground is always dark and damp. Because the eaves are very wide, even though it rained heavily last night, the footprints are still there. "Ah! Is this the footprint of military shoes? I should have been more careful when I knew I came in. Well, it seems that the other party has come and gone!" Qing Shui bent down to look at the footprints, and said seriously. The footprints here were blurred last night by the footprints of Monk Liao Ran, Liozawa, Kosuke Kindaichi, and Shimizu this morning, but some outlines can still be seen.

"Qing Shui, does anyone on this island wear military shoes?" "There are quite a few! There are a lot of people who have been demobilized and returned to their hometowns recently, and not long ago, military shoes were distributed on the island... Wait a minute, Mr. Kindaichi." Qing Shui lay on top of the footprints, as if he had discovered something, he suddenly shouted loudly. "Look at the footprints, there are bat-like traces, are they on the ground, or are there patterns of this shape on the soles?" "This is the right footprint, please wait a moment."

Kosuke Kindaichi also got down on the ground, looking for the same right footprint from among the trampled footprints. "Shimizu, this may be the pattern on the sole of the shoe. You see, it's also here and there..." According to the footprints pointed by Kosuke Kindaichi, the toes of each footprint have bat-like patterns, but the depths are different. "So, the person who wears these shoes is the murderer! Well, as long as it is found to be the right shoe, ha! This is really the best evidence." Shimizu felt a little proud of his performance. At that moment, Kindaichi Kosuke straightened up suddenly, and Shimizu was startled because the movement was too violent.

"Kindaichi, what's wrong with you?" Kosuke Kindaichi stared blankly ahead with his eyes wide open as if he didn't hear.This sudden reaction made Shimizu show a suspicious look on his face. "Kindaichi, what's the matter? Do you know someone who wears these shoes?" "I?" Kindaichi Kosuke turned his head, saw Shimizu's suspicious eyes, and immediately shook his head: "How, how is it possible?" Kosuke Kindaichi stuttered again. "But when you saw the footprints just now, weren't you startled?" "You misunderstood! I was taken aback because... I'll tell you later. Let's go outside and have a look!"

Kosuke Kindaichi seemed to be avoiding Shimizu's sight, which made Shimizu even more suspicious. However, Kōsuke Kindaichi never dreamed how deep Shimizu's suspicion of him was. If he had known earlier, he would have explained what he just discovered to Shimizu without hesitation. It turned out that when Kosuke Kindaichi was looking for the right footprint that Shimizu saw, he suddenly found that there were many more footprints that came in than those that went out. In other words, some of the footprints that came in were on top of the footprints that went out. . Judging from these footprints, the murderer came in, went out, and then came back again.Where will the murderer go after returning?Since he didn't go out again, he should still be in the kitchen, but...

Thinking of this, Kindaichi Kosuke suddenly remembered the strange behavior of Monk Ran standing in front of the ancient plum tree last night. At that time, Monk Zhiran was standing in front of the meditation room, as if he was frightened by something. The heavy rosary beads fell to the ground and made a loud noise. When he picked up the rosary beads, his hands trembled with fright! Could it be that Monk Lianan saw someone in the meditation room at that time?Will he find out where the killer is and not tell us? Moreover, the monk then took Kindaichi and Liozawa to the back door of the kitchen, and the meditation room could not be seen after turning the back door.Knowing the monk... Does he want the people hiding in the Zen room to take this opportunity to escape?

Afterwards, Kindaichi Kosuke first checked the footprints outside the kitchen, and then walked back to the kitchen. Maybe the monk had already taken the opportunity to go to the Zen room first, and bolted the door that let the murderer escape from the inside. Then, in order to show that there was nothing unusual there, As if nothing had happened, he took Kindaichi Kosuke and Ryozawa to the meditation room to check. When Kindaichi Kosuke thought this way, he felt that the behavior of the monk was very suspicious. It seems that the monk knows who the murderer is, and deliberately let the murderer escape.

When Hanako's body was discovered, he said something like "No matter who it is, there is nothing you can do to a madman". Kosuke Kindaichi kept thinking about these things. Then he turned to the front yard to investigate. Qianguang Temple is built on granite geology, as long as it is exposed to sunlight, the ground will be as hard as a whetstone. After the heavy rain last night, mud and sand are everywhere now. Jin Tianyi went to look around the meditation room again, but found no mud shoe footprints, so it was determined that the murderer must have taken off his shoes when he walked to the corridor.If the murderer had walked barefoot, even if it hadn't rained heavily last night, it might not have left footprints.Fortunately, Kosuke Kindaichi later found five or six muddy footprints with bat patterns on his right foot where he found the cigarette butt last night. "Qingshui, the murderer took a rest here once. Look, you can see the mountain gate at a glance from here. Although you can't see the stone steps, you can see the mountain road under the stone steps. That is to say, if you sit on the stairs, you can You can see people coming down from the mountain. I was thinking that the murderer must be smoking here while watching the mountain.” "Smoking? How do you know that the murderer smokes?" "Because there are cigarette butts here. By the way, you don't know about this, do you?" Kindaichi Kosuke asked kindly. "The cigarette butt fell here? What about the cigarette butt?" "Monk Lian Ran discovered it and picked it up." Hearing this, Qing Shui couldn't help saying with a serious face: "Do you still see me in your eyes? Anyway, I am also a patrolman who maintains law and order on the island. You put the corpse down without even notifying me; that's fine, but you are so bold as to pick up the cigarette butt Let me ask you, what exactly does this mean? When a case occurs, especially a homicide case, the scene must be kept intact, don’t you know? Are you doing this intentionally to hinder my work? " Shimizu was arrogant and loudly reprimanded Kindaichi Kosuke. "Don't say that, Shimizu." "Then what should I say? Hand over the cigarette butt! By the way, it's not enough to hand it over, you have to restore it to its original state." Qing Shui looked angry and very displeased. "This, how is this possible?" Kosuke Kindaichi felt very embarrassed by Shimizu's sudden change of attitude. "What's impossible? Maybe we'll use cigarette butts to solve the case! If you don't do what I say, I can arrest you immediately for destroying evidence." Shimizu said angrily. "This... What, what's going on here? Qing Shui, why are you saying such cruel words? Based on my friendship with you, no matter how you say it, you shouldn't do this with me! Right?" "What is your friendship with me? What kind of friendship do you have with me? You are just a tramp of unknown origin, and I am a dignified patrolman on this island!" Qing Shui said very stubbornly. Kindaichi Kosuke said helplessly: "That's right... Ah! Welcome, you came just in time, we were going to visit you. Ah! It's not me, Shimizu said it, right, Shimizu?" Kosuke Kindaichi said flatteringly to Shiho. I saw Zhibao walking in from the mountain gate with the beautiful boy Ukai Shozo. Their arrival couldn't be better for Kosuke Kindaichi.At least in this way, he could finally avoid Shimizu's unreasonable troubles, so he tried his best to please Shiho and the others.Unexpectedly, his behavior made Qing Shui more and more suspicious. "What are you two arguing about?" Zhibao must have dressed up carefully today, walking in the thick fog, his face was as beautiful as the morning glow.Her light steps, stepping on the foggy mountain path, are full of infinite charm. "No, no arguing!" Kindaichi Kosuke hurriedly scratched his head and said. Shiho glanced at Kosuke Kindaichi angrily, then said to Shimizu: "I heard something strange and came here to find you." "What's weird?" Shimizu faced this woman with exactly the same attitude as Kosuke Kindaichi, not only a little flustered, but also kept swallowing his saliva. "About this strange incident, I wanted to ask everyone carefully, so I brought Ukai here too. Mr. Kindaichi, where is Master?" "I'm here." Monk Liao Ran came out of the abbot's room. "It's Shiho! Is Gibei's gout better? Lizawa, bring the cushion, this is... By the way, Ukai, you sit too! This is terrible, but like you The favored pretty child, no one dares to do anything to you, especially Shiho, hahaha." Monk Liaoran laughed, mocking Ukai and Shiho. Zhibao looked at the aloof monk unbearably, but was too angry to say anything. Monk Mingran went on to say: "Now you are very powerful, and you are also arrogant. Didn't you say that you should ask everyone? If you have any questions, just ask! Hanako is listening there!" The monk suddenly pointed to the front of the main hall, and said with a smile on his face. Akira Sanichi heard that Hanako was there, frowned in fright, and quietly hid behind Shiho. Shiho also seemed to be swept away by the storm, his face flushed as if it was on fire up to his neck.There was a poisonous gleam in her eyes.But she also knew that if she said something too excited at this time, nothing could be said. "It's disgusting! Master." Zhibao smiled sweetly, and his complexion gradually returned to a fair and flirtatious appearance. "According to Master, it seems that I have some suspicions. Although I am a rude woman, I don't know how to hide my clumsiness, but I am not a person who makes a fuss when encountering things! The so-called 'everyone can't take away his ambition'. " "Idiot? You? If you are an idiot, you must be a very powerful idiot..." Monk Liao Ran looked her up and down and said. Zhibao blushed again, knowing that the monk was smoothing things over and saying: "Let's not talk about that. Shiho, what exactly do you want to ask?" "I heard that Hanako was killed last night, and there are still strange rumors circulating in the village, saying that I ordered Ukai Shozo to trick Hanako out, and then the two of us joined hands to kill Hanako. Regardless of this matter No matter how you say it, it's impossible!" "I see, this is really too much. But then again, there is no such thing as a storm, Shiho, have you done something shameful? Otherwise, why should others suspect you?" "Me? It's too sad for Master to say that." "What I mean is, although Hanako wasn't killed by you, she did come out after getting the letter from Ukai! As the saying goes, 'I don't kill Boren, Boren died because of me'!" Monk Liaoran quoted an ancient Chinese saying as if dropping his bookbag. "Ukai's letter? Ukai, did you write a letter to beg Hanako?" "No! Nothing like that." Ukai timidly denies behind Shiho. This was the first time Kosuke Kindaichi heard this beautiful young man speak, his voice was just like his own, slender and graceful with a slight trembling, with a feeling of being helpless and at a loss. "Master, Ukai said just now that he didn't have a date with Hanako, did he make a mistake?" "I didn't make it clear. Ukai asked her sister Tsukiyo to come out. But somehow, Hanako got the letter, so she came to the temple without telling her sister. Liozawa, hurry up and get the letter from yesterday. Take out the letter. Ukai, you should recognize this stuff, right?" Shiho and Ukai glanced at each other, and then Shiho leaned forward a little. "I found this on Hanako? I recognize this thing. Ukai, you can't hide this matter from everyone, why don't you explain it clearly now. Yes, this letter was dictated by me and written by Ukai; Ukai and Tsukiyo are already husband and wife, but everyone always wants to break them up, I just want to fulfill them, I don't care about other people's ideas!" Shiho said calmly. This seemingly peaceful woman has a steely will and vicious determination. "I don't care what you do, but, Ukai, did you really come to the temple last night? Don't lie, someone saw you walking on the winding path." With a hesitant expression, Ukai glanced at Zhibao, moved the cushion, and moved closer to Monk Liaoran, then lowered his head as if deliberately avoiding everyone's eyes, and said in a low voice: "I have been here before. Indeed, I am afraid that people will misunderstand me, so I came to explain this matter to you. After I sent the letter, I thought: According to past experience, Yuedai will definitely come, so I will I came here to wait for her. But after waiting for a long time, Yue Dai never came, so I had to go back first." "Well, have you seen Hanako during this time?" At this time, Monk Lian Ran became a judge. "No, I never dreamed that Hanako would come here." "What time did you get here?" Kindaichi Kosuke's words hit the point. "I don't really remember the time, but when I left home, it happened to be this..." He turned to Kosuke Kindaichi and said: "Not long after Mr. Jintianyi left the branch family, I saw Mr. Jintianyi meet the monks who came out of the monastery on the mountainside at the bottom of the winding mountain road, and then went to the main house together. After I saw them leave, I set foot on this winding mountain path. As for how long I will wait in the monastery, I don’t know. I only know that the wall clock rang eight times not long after I got home, so I think it will be around 7:30!” Ukai said while thinking, his eyes were always looking at the tatami. "Well, you haven't seen Hanako in this period of time, so where is she?" Monk Zhiran stroked his bald chin and looked around at everyone's faces, but no one spoke. Only Zhibao moved the cushion forward and said: "Anyway, this matter has nothing to do with Ukai. Not only does he have no reason to kill Hanako, but he also doesn't have the courage!" Kosuke Kindaichi watched with great interest Monk Aoran and Shiho bickering back and forth. When he heard Shiho say that Ukai didn't have the guts to kill people, he couldn't help asking: "Mr. Ukai, did you smoke while you were waiting for Tsukiyo?" "Smoking? I don't know how to smoke!" Ukai said innocently as if he was about to cry. "Then did you wear a kimono or a western eye last night?" "Wear a kimono, I don't have too many suits." "Less is less, but there are still suits, right? Well, by the way, your shoes...are they military shoes?" "Yes, they are army shoes." "Mr. Shimizu, just in case, please take a look at his shoes later. Ukai, why did your letter to Tsukiyo fall into Hanako's hands?" After Kindaichi Kosuke ordered Shimizu, he then asked Ukai. "This……" Ukai glanced at Shiho hesitantly, and said shyly: "The letters between me and Yue Dai are all stored in Airangui's little cave." "Love dyed osmanthus?" Everyone present could not help but stare at Yukai with disbelief, making Yukai shy. Kindaichi Kosuke scratched his head in excitement. "Is there really such a tree as love dyed osmanthus?" After Kawaguchi Matsutaro's novel "Ai Ran Osmanthus" was made into a movie, girls all over Japan were inexplicably moved. "As long as you wait, love will come, Ai Rangui" is also sung all over Japan. Although there is no movie theater on Prison Gate Island, when the movie is shown in Kasaoka, all the girls on the island take a boat to see it. The three sisters of the Onitoumoto family were even more obsessed. During the performance of the film, they specially borrowed at a friend's house in Kasaoka, went to the cinema every day, and always came back crying. "I see." With a look of sympathy and understanding on his face, Qing Shui said with great emotion. "'As long as you wait, love will come'. It's a pity that Ai Rangui failed last night. Ukai, how did Hanako know your secret?" After knowing the monk read the theme of "Love Ran Osmanthus", he asked him in a stern tone. "Among the three sisters in our family, Hanako is the most difficult to deal with. She probably found out after secretly following Tsukiyo!" Seeing Ukai's shrinking look, Shiho couldn't help saying angrily. "Everyone finally knows why Hanako has that letter...Huh? The village chief is here too." Monk Liaoran looked at the mountain gate and said as if he had found something. Village head Araki walked into the mountain gate with a serious face, and Zhuzang followed behind him. "Qing Shui, it's really nerve-wracking! The phone has been disconnected." After looking around at everyone, the village chief complained to Qing Shui. "What happened to the phone?" Monk Liao Ran asked curiously. "As soon as I heard about the murder case this morning, I immediately contacted the General Administration. Unfortunately, I couldn't get through on the phone, so I thought of asking the village chief to see if I could send someone to visit, or please contact the boat with a message. It's a pity that these two methods It's all too time-consuming and nerve-wracking! Can't the phone always be fixed?" Shimizu asked anxiously. "We checked for a long time before we found out that the submarine cable was faulty. However, we can't just leave the corpse here and wait for the people from the General Administration to come! I thought it would be better to send the corpse back first. I have already By the way, I brought the stretcher. Master, what do you think?" Although the village chief asked for Qing Shui's opinion, his eyes looked at the monk clearly and listened to his arrangements. "Everyone saw it very clearly last night, and there is no shortage of witnesses. This matter depends on Qingshui's decision! I think it is better to send it back." Monk Liao Ran glanced at Qing Shui and made a decision before he could speak. Shimizu hesitated for a while, but still couldn't understand what the monk and the village chief wanted, so he finally agreed to send Hanako's body back to his home. Soon, Hanako's body was put on a stretcher and carried down the mountain. The mountains are still foggy.