Chapter 7 second quarter

I first met Ah Yuan in the 4th grade of primary school.I was a "corner kid" in elementary school.The so-called "corner child" is a child who always likes to hide in the corner when he has nothing to do.I like to sit by the window. Occasionally, I feel uncomfortable when I move to the center of the classroom because of changing seats.When taking pictures, when walking, I always stay away from the center, I don't like to be conspicuous. In the eyes of the teacher, I am just a child who is too honest.In elementary school, my grades in school were not very eye-catching, and I never caught the eyes of the teacher.Friends around me also regard me as an honest egg.

Looking back now, the most unbelievable thing is: people around me looked at me like that, and I never thought of cheering up at that time. I still retain the very simple thoughts of a child.At that time, I just wanted to spend every day in a peaceful way without attracting the teacher's attention. However, the earth is round after all.There is no such thing as a "corner child" in this world.Finally one day, I stood in the middle of the classroom. It was in 4th grade, and my class was responsible for taking care of the school chickens.Specifically, feeding every night, cleaning the chicken coop once a week, etc.The more troublesome thing is that I need to come to school during the holidays to feed the chickens.

The class is divided into 6 groups, and the chicks are cared for alternately throughout the week.The students all shouted "dirty" and hated this kind of work.The floor of the hut was covered with chicken feces, and the female students were reluctant to enter the hut.So, basically the boys are taking care of the chicks.And the female classmates always yelled in disgust at the boys who came out of the chicken house: "It stinks, don't come here." I do this work seriously and hard.Because I like animals, I don't expect the teacher to look at me with admiration.In the process of taking care of the chicks meticulously, I gradually developed feelings for the chicks. I can confidently say that at that time, I devoted the most love to the newly born chicks.More than half the kids in the class didn't even notice the chick was born.

One day, I was forced to sweep chicken coops. This kind of work should be done by all the students, but most of them stopped doing it.Cleaning chicken coops is brutal and dirty work.Whenever this time, even I want to cry.But not everyone left, there was a male classmate who stayed behind to help me clean, he was Juno Kizono. In that year, Mu Yuan and I became classmates in the same class for the first time.He wears black-rimmed glasses, buck-toothed, and small.You are exactly what Americans imagine Japanese to be.I thank Mu Yuan for helping me clean the house chicken coop.Before that, I had hardly had a serious conversation with him.Only once did I lend him my homework book.

Mu Yuan went to get the water pipe for cleaning chicken manure, and I accidentally trampled that cute little chicken to death.This is definitely a crisis accident.I held the lifeless little chick in both hands, and I didn't know what to do for a while, so I stuffed it into my pocket.After Mu Yuan came back, he looked at me and said, "What's wrong with you?" I don't remember how I answered it at the beginning.After cleaning, report to the class teacher, stand in front of my own backpack in the classroom, with a kind of extravagant hope, maybe it's just a dream, put my hand into my pocket, and what I touch is the already cold little chick , I was extremely disappointed.

Mu Yuan has already gone home, and there is only one primary school student who is at a loss in the classroom—me. At this time, I heard my own voice saying: "Throw it away. Let it slip away with the sewer, and no one will find out." This vicious voice is so different from my honest appearance. In the town where I live there is an old-fashioned sewer made of stone.It is so huge that adults can stand and walk carefully.Now no one has used it, only the underground passage like an ant's nest remains.But it still has a certain historical value. It seems that an internal investigation was conducted not long ago.When I was a primary school student, no investigation was conducted. It is said that after the road was built, the sewer was opened, and no one knew where the entrance was.but.Since an internal investigation is to be conducted, there must be an entrance somewhere in the town, but no one knows about it and there is no record.Although objectively present, they are virtually undetected.So everyone simply called this huge underground waterway that no one knew the entrance to be "the sewer".

I tore out the last page of the notebook, wrapped the little chick tightly in the paper, and after some cool thinking, I couldn't tell the difference between a sewer and a gutter as a child.He stuffed the little chick into the sewer of the toilet, and ran home quickly.Halfway, neither stopped nor looked back.I was terrified. The next day, although I didn't want to go to school, I didn't even have the courage to ask for leave, so I walked into the door of the classroom with heavy steps.The little chick was found along with my torn notebook, and the classmates chattered around the frozen little chick.

I tried my best to pretend nothing had happened. "It's cruel, who did it?! And threw it in the toilet." A classmate's voice startled me.After a while, the central figure in the class—a prominent boy with both prestige and sportsmanship proposed to "catch the murderer".All the students around me agreed.I felt a "thump" in my heart. Several students in the class with bad attitudes towards life were included in the "murder candidate" list.The end result was that Mu Yuan and I, who took care of the chick last yesterday, were positioned as the "final suspects".

"It is impossible for Mr. Gengping to kill the little chick." Someone said something.Because my personality is recognized as "upright and honest." Juno Kizono has bad habits, often dozing off, and not taking his sportswear home for several months, which stinks.His academic performance is very poor, and his sports performance is not good.So everyone agreed that the murderer who killed and threw away the little chick was Mu Yuan. "Chunnan-jun, you did it, right?" said a girl. At the same time, the classmates began to condemn unanimously, "Damn it! Poor little chick."

A girl shed tears and felt sorry for the "chicken". In such a big state like yours, of course I can't admit that I did it myself. However, although Mu Yuan and I are not close friends, we can't bear his current predicament. Unexpectedly, when the crowd was furious, Mu Yuan kept scratching his head and said, "You usually don't want to go into the chicken house, but now you like animals." Then, a calmer classmate in the class suggested that Juno Kizono's evidence was insufficient and the public execution should be postponed.Let him and I go to the teacher in charge of the class, and we will listen to and deal with it further in the teacher's office.

On the way to the office, he asked me, "Did you do it?" "what are you saying?" "Didn't I borrow your homework book before? The notebook wrapped in Xiaojizi is very similar to Kohei-kun's notebook at that time." "So what?" "Then show me the notebook. I'll check to see if it's broken now." So I told the whole truth. Mu Yuan was neither sad nor angry like listening to the commentary of a TV program, and even listened to my narration a little bored. After finishing speaking, I swore to him that I would confess all my crimes to the teacher. I don't think Muyuan will spread this matter to the students. If I confess and tell the whole story myself, the punishment will be reduced, and the teacher will understand.In my eyes as a primary school student, the teacher is an adult. "Atsuo Muyuan! You killed the little chick. Why did you do that?" As soon as he entered the teacher's office, the head teacher Mita asked sternly. Teacher Mita is deeply loved by students and is a female teacher who likes animals. It turns out that Mr. Mita's point of view is this. It was Mu Yuan and I who took care of the chicks last night, and I am an honest animal lover.Impossible to kill chicks.Therefore, it must be Mu Yuan who killed the little chick.In fact, the teacher's speculation is the same as that of the students.It turned out that the words spoken by the adult teachers in my eyes were at the same level as those of the fourth-grade elementary school students, so I was a little bit shocked when I was young. Mr. Mita continued: "Genghei won't kill the chicks. Tell the truth, Junnan!" Mr. Mita kept saying that I would not kill the little chick, which pushed me into a predicament when I was about to confess the truth. I could only stand there trembling and speechless. Mu Yuan refused to admit it. I thought at the time that I couldn't confess either. Never thought that Mu Yuan continued, "It wasn't Geng Ping's doing either." "Oh?!" Mita-sensei and I were surprised at the same time. Mu Yuan continued to explain: when he was leaving the school gate, he saw another person enter the chicken house. "That person is not Kohei-kun. I think that guy must have killed the chick and threw it into the gutter." I immediately understood that he was lying to protect me. A sense of gratitude welled up in my heart: I have lived for these 10 years, and every time I meet such a good person. Teacher Mita was dubious: "This is really unbelievable." "I saw it too, that guy must have done it." Hearing me say the same thing, Mita-sensei began to believe it. She went on to ask about the characteristics of our chick-killer. The two of us didn't actually see the so-called "that guy", so we had to think about answering the randomly fabricated murderer's characteristics. short hair.Wearing a white shirt.Western shorts.He's about as tall as us. The teacher continued to ask: "Do you know that guy? Do you know which class he is in?" "I don't know him. It doesn't seem to be from our school. A child I often see near my house." "Do you know his name?" Mu Yuan replied: "I really want to be called 'A Yuan'. For A Yuan, it's a girl." The prisoner who killed Xiaojizier turned out to be a girl. This appalling truth immediately became a hot topic at school. Everyone didn't know the truth was not the case, it was Mu Yuan and I who lied. What is the truth?The whole incident stimulated the curiosity of the schoolchildren at the time.Unexpectedly, the prisoner who killed Xiaojizier was not a boy, but a girl.Moreover, the murderer A Yuan was not caught (this is a matter of course) At that time, various theories about the answer to the riddle were circulating in elementary schools.There is a saying that Ah Yuan is a vampire, and he killed the chick to suck blood. Accompanied by various rumors, A Yuan has grown into a strange guy with sharp fangs unknowingly. In the beginning, Mu Yuan and I were praised by the students around us as A Yuan's witnesses.However, whenever friends and senior classmates asked us about A Yuan, we always corrected that A Yuan didn't have fangs at all.A Yuan is just everyone's imagination, it doesn't matter whether he has fangs or not.We admit that there is one thing: Ah Yuan's teeth are indeed a little different. "I've seen A Yuan's too." A few students booed and spread rumors everywhere. They said everywhere: Ah Yuan did all kinds of evil.Running into other people's yards, cutting potted plants, smearing on cars, gossiping, and more. Cutting potted plants; smearing on the car. Of course these pranks were not done by A Yuan. They were mischievous children who were afraid of being blamed and blamed A Yuan.I've done this myself. However, as such things continued to increase, A Yuan soon became notorious.Not only among our primary school students, but even the adults in the entire primary school area have heard about A Yuan's notorious evil deeds.The school teachers and parents tried their best to find out about this girl named A Yuan, but in the end, no one had ever seen her. "This guy, A Yuan, will always bring uneasiness to people." Mu Yuan finally felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief. Because of this incident, Mu Yuan and I became good friends unconsciously. One month after this bad girl named A Yuan appeared, the school finally returned to calm.The heroic glory of Mu Yuan and I as witnesses gradually faded, and I returned to the way I was before, becoming an unknown student in the class. However, the rumors about A Yuan did not disappear.I often hear where I did bad things again, and this time I did such bad things again, and so on.In short, A Yuan, a naughty problem girl, is a very good existence for those bad boys who want to blame others. When the summer vacation comes, I always hope to spend it comfortably and lazily.Lying in bed watching cartoons, making plastic model sets, and looking at monster puppets, most of these things will be reprimanded by my mother.At this time, I will ride my bicycle and rush to Muyuan's house. Muyuan's house is very beautiful and big, and there is a fragrance everywhere.Mu Yuan's mother is very beautiful, much prettier than my mother.There are many photos in Mu Yuan's room, he said he took them all by himself.I'm just so envious. Mu Yuan and I are both only children, but he is obviously much better than me in terms of pocket money and other living standards.I was content to be inferior to him in everything, and finally found something better than him. "You don't have pets." I asked. "There used to be a cat in Yang Guo, but it died later." At that time, I had a dog at home.I think I've won on this one.Satisfy a little vanity. Although the place where I live is an old local town as a whole, it has a large area.There are many rainy days, so there are many small rivers.It is already concrete today, and before we were born, that is, in the Edo period, it is said that there was always flooding. The ancient sewers located underground are said to have been built to prevent the river from flooding.The end result is hard to tell, and it's not clear who built it for what.It is also speculated that it was built to treat sewage in order to prevent the population of the town from increasing.This is the only memory left about the history of my hometown. As for the reason for the existence of this sewer, it doesn't matter how you explain it to a primary school student.Interestingly enough, the sewers do remain underground, and there are always frightening rumors that some out-of-towner has stumbled across the entrance and got lost in it.The entrance to the sewer must be somewhere in the town.However, it is incredible that no one has ever heard of this entrance.However, we saw it. That day, Mu Yuan and I were chatting about A Yuan while looking at the river. "A Yuan is very familiar with this sewer, she knows where the entrance is. She has a map of the entire sewer in her mind. Even in the dark, she will not get lost. This sewer is simply A Yuan's secret base." At this time, most of the character of A Yuan was drawn by us. At first it was just to pass the boring time, but gradually we began to seriously imagine this "A Yuan". "A Yuan must wear half shorts in winter." "But the jacket is a woolen suit. The wool is dense and dense. I often wipe my nose with the sleeves, and it is wrinkled." "The growing environment has created a perverse personality. The parents must have done their best." Others, such as Ah Yuan, were born on New Year's Day.Always like to eat black rice tree purple black berries.As old as we are, I just think according to the expected elements, and the imaginary A Yuan presents a three-dimensional thickness and texture. "A Yuan likes to play baseball and always wears a baseball cap." This is what I imagined.These assumptions fit surprisingly well with the imagined A Yuan.Already set in my head. I was about to tell Ah Yuan this idea, when I suddenly realized that he was no longer by my side.I looked for him everywhere, and it turned out that A Yuan was walking down the river.I told him to stop, but he said, "Wait a minute," and kept going. I was a little worried and followed behind him. It turned out that he seemed to be chasing a box floating on the river. The box drifted about 50 meters and stopped at the pier of a bridge.Although it can be called a bridge, it is not very big and has some width.The surrounding is very scenic, not very popular, it is estimated that few people pass by, and weeds are overgrown. We come under the bridge.The steps to the lower bridge are hidden among the weeds and are difficult to discern.I don't know why I have to go under the bridge, Muyuan seems to want that box very much.This matter is extremely unbelievable, I missed it, and the one who can reveal the answer is after high school. There is a concrete scaffolding under the bridge.We found a chest there.Muyuan's hands trembling when he opened the box, he must be looking forward to something terrifying in the box.However, when he opened it, he let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off his forehead.It turned out that there was nothing in the box. If Ah Yuan were here, he would definitely say in frustration and disappointment: "I thought there was a corpse in it!" "I thought it was a dead body." Mu Yuan whispered. I was thinking just now that if Ah Yuan were here, he would definitely say in frustration and disappointment: "I thought there were corpses in it!" Thinking of this, I looked around again, even though it was broad daylight. But it was dim, perhaps because it was close to the water surface. It was summer, but it was very cool. Directly below the bridge, a huge semicircular hole suddenly broke through the concrete bridge wall.Immediately I went in, and the hole went on to the end, for it was too dark to see anything.I groped for a few steps, and we turned back. We both agreed that it was the entrance to the so-called sewers and that it didn't take much time.Ever since, the two of us finally found the entrance to the sewer under the bridge. No one has told this matter, this is our secret place. From then on, when I left home and bought some snacks at the nearby dim sum shop, I would naturally come under the bridge.Mu Yuan was sleeping under the bridge, he waved his hand at me and said, "Oh, here we come." I spent the whole summer vacation like this. I went into the sewer, and it was pitch black.I turned on the flashlight and looked around. The inside is relatively spacious and quite high.Two or three adults can walk side by side inside.The sewer continues to the center of the town, forming a straight semicircular tunnel. As the teacher said, the history of the hometown can be presented through the stones piled on the walls. Dilapidated and crumbling, but still intact to this day. It's cool in the sewers, and something keeps making a strange "oooh" sound.There is a thin layer of dry sand underneath, and dust will fall from time to time. "When the water level of the river rises, water will enter from the entrance, and the sewer will be flooded. The garbage will drift away at this time," Muyuan said. The town is always rainy, so the river is often rising.There is often a road at first, and then there is a fork road that divides left and right.Looking back, the entrance has turned into a small spot of light. "Scenes like this happen from time to time," I sighed.Mu Yuan immediately showed off his knowledge to me. "There is a 2,000-kilometer underground waterway in Paris, which has a history of more than a hundred years. Compared with it, our sewer is nothing. And there is no trace of sewage flowing there. In this sense , it may not be appropriate to call this a 'sewer'." After hearing his words, I thought to myself: "This guy, why can't he be sincerely and honestly moved?!" This guy Mu Yuan didn't study hard at school, so he had some extra-curricular knowledge in his mind. Due to the lack of tools and equipment to freely shuttle in the sewer, it was not the time to cross. At that time, all we had were flashlights.Once there is a fork in the road, there is a danger of getting lost. So we both decided to go back to the entrance again.The two of us agreed and tacitly agreed.If Ah Yuan was on the scene, he might say "coward!" However, there is no other way but to do so. We headed towards the entrance, and I couldn't get A Yuan's voice out of my head "Coward!" That was the voice of A Yuan that I had repeatedly imagined. Obviously, it's an auditory hallucination. If it is really Ah Yuan, he will definitely think that I am a big fool.This thought became stronger and stronger, and gradually felt that she could hear her voice.However, A Yuan's voice was reflected on the wall of the sewer, echoing "ohhhhhh". This echo must also be part of the auditory hallucination. "It's so noisy!" Mu Yuan and I yelled as we walked.It is estimated that Mu Yuan also felt the auditory hallucination of A Yuan's voice. "Haha! You are very scared." The auditory hallucination sounded again as we imagined. "If you walk around without thinking, you will get lost. Let's make a strategy to take down the sewer." I thought, why not use auditory hallucinations as an obligatory tool for language transmission. "That way I can rest assured. I know this place very well. You won't get lost if you walk with your eyes closed." The light at the entrance of the sewer gradually brightened. After a while, the two of us came out. I thought it would be dark under the bridge, but unexpectedly it was brightly lit. Looking back into the sewer, at that moment, the figure of A Yuan I imagined appeared in it. He was wearing tattered sneakers, with white tape on his knees, his hands in the pockets of his shorts, his head tilted, and he was grinning.Short hair, wearing a baseball cap.It was exactly as I and Mu Yuan imagined, standing in the sewer.Waved, said "goodbye" to us, and disappeared down the sewer. My brain was in a mess. It wasn't that A Yuan who spoke just now had appeared, but I had just hallucinated that she had appeared. Her appearance frequently and clearly appeared in my mind.It felt like I had seen her many times. Of course, this is just an illusion. However, Muyuan spoke up. "Just now, I seemed to see A Yuan. She was wearing a baseball cap." At that time, I didn't tell Mu Yuan that A Yuan was wearing a baseball cap. It's a bit inconceivable that Kiyuan, who didn't know anything beforehand, saw the baseball cap. It’s just that at that moment we saw A Yuan’s figure, and after that, we only heard A Yuan’s voice occasionally, that is, auditory hallucinations.Mu Yuan and I walked forward step by step. One day, Mu Yuan and I went to the dim sum shop, and A Yuan was there that day. Of course, it was not standing with us at the time, but standing in our brains. If A Yuan was here, what would he say at this moment?I was thinking wildly again.Very clear, very detailed things.Sound feel, pronunciation and more.It was as if the real A Yuan was talking there.Of course, that's just my own imagination, or whether A Yuan is still stuck in the depths of my mind, anyway, I can't figure it out myself. At the same time, Mu Yuan also experienced the same strange situation as me.Is it the A Yuan in his mind who is speaking, or his own voice, which sounds very unconfident. No one else could hear Ah Yuan's voice except the two of us.However, Mu Yuan and I could hear auditory hallucinations of the same content at the same time at the same time. If you look carefully, you can see A Yuan's figure.It's almost like living reality within reach.Her hands felt hot and released a surge of energy. The granny at the Dim Sum shop muttered with a hoarse voice, "Recently I often hear that Ah Yuan is stealing again." An old man with blind eyes, dull mouth, and wrinkled face always sits in the shop.He is said to have lost his eyesight. "The money I gave you is just right." After Mu Yuan said this, A Yuan's voice came from behind him. It is said that it is behind, but in fact it is just the voice coming from behind. "Hate! Can't pay without money." It's not "can't pay", but "not going to pay".I thought to myself.Just thinking about it, of course. A Yuan said sharply: "Mr. Gengping, what are you thinking now?" Then we bought some more stuff. When handing over the money to the old lady at the dim sum shop, the old lady stared at the door and said, "That little girl, why didn't you buy anything?" "Huh? What?!" A Yuan's incredible voice came from the door.But I didn't see anything. "Ah! That's strange. I thought there was a girl there just now. There was no one there! I don't have good eyesight recently, and I'm getting old." Just as the summer vacation was coming to a close, we started wading through the sewers and drawing a map of it.The school work has been dealt with. We put a map of the city and compasses in the canvas bag, and just in case, we also prepared small snacks for special occasions.I don't think the map of the city and the compasses are needed anyway, it's just to create that atmosphere.I also bought a new flashlight for myself. It is black and cylindrical, and it looks pretty good. Although it is not easy to get lost in the sewer, there are many forks and it is quite complicated.One day, there was no other way but to return halfway.I think, if you rush in without making a detailed action plan, you will get lost soon. When it comes to the specific action plan, it is up to me to choose a path appropriately, walking in the front, followed by Mu Yuan.I started counting my steps at the turn and reported the number to Wooden at the next corner.Mu Yuan only draws a line on the coordinate paper according to this number of steps.In other words, those lines are the roads we have traveled.If I turn around, the line will turn around.Even if there is a fork in the road that cannot be moved forward, mark it on the coordinate paper, and explore the road ahead another day.That's about it. In addition, when you turn at a fork in the road, you will mark it with a marking pen on the wall of the sewer.Use arrows to show where you are coming from and where you are going.For this reason, I usually carry marker pens in my pocket. Eventually, the full distance of the sewers was measured with my stride, and the map was complete.It was Mu Yuan who planned the whole thing, and there was another one who was always making trouble by the side, that was A Yuan. While I was very cautiously counting my steps, the guy was distracting me by saying unrelated numbers beside me (had a hallucination, I could hear joyful voices next to me).Because of this, I forgot the number several times, so I could only say a number to Mu Yuan roughly and fool it.Of course, Mu Yuan could hear A Yuan's voice, but he probably wouldn't have thought that it would really confuse me.Kizono, wearing a headlamp, just stared intently at the graph paper. In the light I illuminated, the sewers extend in all directions and reach everywhere. "Then give me the map. Isn't it like a garden." "It's strange that I can trust you." As soon as I said this, I felt that A Yuan suddenly became depressed.No, this feeling is actually a trick of our minds.More noticeable than this is the echo of the shoes when walking in the sewers.Somehow, the shoes of three people can create echoes.Of course, only two people's shoes are actually making a sound, but to me, it sounds like three pairs of shoes. After walking for a while, suddenly, I saw a bright light ahead.From the ceiling to the floor of the sewer, a straight beam of light was formed.Before that, the sewer was always dark, so I immediately became excited and wanted to report to Muyuan who was looking at the graph paper. "There is light ahead!" It was A Yuan who reported.Hearing this, Muyuan suddenly raised his head.This is just proof that it is not only me who heard Ah Yuan's voice, but Mu Yuan as well.Even so, I feel extremely regretful for being robbed of my lines. The source of the light is a square hole in the ceiling.Looking up, there are iron grids embedded in the hole, and the sky is on that side.The faint sound of cars could be heard outside the cave.At this moment, I immediately realized that the grid was embedded somewhere on both sides of the road.Thinking of this, I looked at the ground of the sewer, and there seemed to be traces of rainwater flowing. "A Yuan, where is this city?" Kihara made a mark on the graph paper and asked. "I don't know, I haven't seen it from there. But, that's all there is to this place." Although we don't know how much we can trust this kind of auditory hallucination, we set up a personal ladder to confirm it from the outside anyway.I am below, and Muyuan is above. "No, I'm not familiar with it, and I can't reach the top with my hands." Giving up, Mu Yuan wrote two characters on the ground with the toe of his shoe: "Chunnan".The words are written crookedly. The summer vacation is over, and the new semester begins. The headmaster was the first to speak at the morning meeting.During the summer vacation, A Yuan's notoriety spread far and wide, and it seemed that it spread to the nearby school districts.This is really a serious thing, and I was really surprised.For me at that time, other elementary schools seemed to be foreign countries, which had nothing to do with me. Also, the principal is a completely unpopular guy.Except for the fishing that interests me, I can't say anything, and I'm impatient.There was a class that forgot to turn off the fluorescent lights in the classroom and went home. The principal made them sit up all day just for this.The whole class together.The head teacher of that class didn't seem to have said anything to the principal, but just acted fearfully.So everyone was afraid of the principal. On the first Saturday of September, after class, Mu Yuan and I went to take care of the chicks.Only feeding was required that day, so the job was done quickly. When we padlocked the door of the chicken coop and were about to go back, we saw the principal squatting beside his bicycle.Because we didn't want to have anything to do with him, the two of us just watched from a distance.The headmaster's face turned red, he yelled "Damn!", and kicked the flower bed hard.Probably the bicycle had a flat tire. I was thinking about it, but the principal went somewhere. The two of us immediately walked in the direction of the car.There is nothing more amusing than having a bicycle blown tire that makes the headmaster angry.However, there was no blowout. "What is this! Gengping, look here!" Kizono, who bent his knees like the principal, pointed at the iron grid embedded in the asphalt road.Since it is daytime, the sun is almost shining from directly above, so the directly below the grid can be seen clearly.It was the purse that the headmaster dropped.That is to say, when the principal was taking the keys out of his pocket, he accidentally dropped the wallet.The dropped wallet unfortunately slipped through a gap in the iron grille.It should be like this. "You said how much money was put in it." "Stupid, it's not the wallet, it's more to the right!" I quickly understood what Mu Yuan said.I saw the word "Chun Nan".That was the name of Muyuan. Then the principal appeared with a broom.He reached out the handle of the broom to reach the purse, but could not.It seems that there is no way to lift the iron grid. Soon the headmaster probably gave up, abandoned his wallet and left. We looked at each other as if we were thinking the same thing. We immediately reported to Mr. Mita that we had fed the chicks, and hurried home.I put the marking pen in my pocket, grabbed the flashlight and rode to the bridge.If it was earlier, we would have prepared a canvas bag stuffed with various things, but we are used to going into the sewer, so we thought it was probably not necessary, so we didn't bring the bag. At the entrance of the sewer, Muyuan is ready to go.Holding a map in progress. "Surely you can go to the wallet?" "Of course. Well, let's go... Huh? The lights are out." Mu Yuan shook his headlamp, banging on it, looking puzzled.Probably out of power. "It's nothing, I brought one. Let's go." We took a flashlight and headed for the principal's wallet.I have already begun to imagine in my head how to spend such a large sum of money when I get the wallet.There must be several 10,000-yen sheets inside.Handing it over or something was not considered at all. At this stage, the map is already very large.At first, I wanted to use a piece of graph paper to do it, but actually used more than ten sheets of paper, and there was no sign of finishing it.That's all you need to know how big the sewer is.In addition, the sewers are quite three-dimensional and intricate, so Mu Yuan, who made the map, has been studying with his head down frequently. And, because we've been in and out of the sewers so many times, we're used to walking in them.However, the only way to know the direction of the exit is to rely on the map.Because I always thought about not getting lost, the attention and sense of crisis that I had at the beginning gradually faded away. "Okay, turn the next corner and you'll see the wallet!" Muyuan gasped and said.Me too, the hand holding the flashlight seemed to be shaking.For us at the time, 1,000 yen was a lot of money, and we could buy anything.Moreover, it was still the principal's wallet.With great excitement, we turned this detour. You should be able to see the sun shining down from the ceiling here.However, nothing.Just like the road we came here, it was still a dark passage, nothing more. "Huh? Is it the next corner?" No.So is the next corner, and so is the next.Not even marks made with marker pens at the forks.It didn't take long for us to understand why we couldn't reach our destination.The map is just wrong.The previous sewer explorations were just repetitions of going back the same way, so I didn't realize that the map was wrong at all. 突然，木园用地图来敲打我。 “耕平，你把步数给数错了！笨蛋！这么简单的工作都不会做！” 他满脸通红地揪着我的衣服，呼啦呼啦地晃着。事发突然，我也慌了。 “啊，怎么就不是淳男你把地图画错了呢？怎么办！到不了钱包的地方了！” 我们打起来。这中间，亮着的手电筒落在了地上，我们因此暂时休战。在这么昏暗的地方连架都打不了，就算打架，也要去一个亮点儿的地方。其实我是害怕漆黑一片的，不过在木园的前面，我只能装作满不在乎的样子来。 “我吧，并不是因为要把钱包怎么样才发火的。就是这作的地图是错的，觉得太可惜了……唉…唉” 木园这么说着，把掉落的地图捡起来。我也想把在互相推怂时掉的手电筒捡起来。可是因为手指受了伤一下子抓空，圆筒形的手电骨碌骨碌地滚了起来。 “……这是个坡。” 木园说。我慌里慌张地捡起滚动的手电。只有这么一个电灯了，要是它没了，我们可就要深陷于黑暗之中了。 之后，我们朝着手电筒滚动的方向走去。尽管和来时的路是相反的，不过因为木园一声不吭，沉默着往前走，我也只能跟着。我担心地问：“这个方向对吗？”。那家伙回答：“反正已经不知道在地图的哪个位置了。”我们就这样，在不知延伸到何处的下水道里，迷路了。 到了岔路口的地方，我们就转动手电，选下坡路走下去。虽然就身体上的感觉而言，这坡度很平缓，可是走得久了，就令人觉得已经走到了很深很深的地方了。 最后，我们终于到达了下水道的最底层。不对，说最底层是不正确的。下水道本身还是在一直向低处延伸的，只是这里有水积着，让人走不下去罢了。之前因为道路塌陷而走不下去的时候我们也碰上过，遇上水还是第一次。 这个地方，是一个比来路更加宽阔的隧道。而且，走到这里后，角度也更加倾斜了。 上方的下水道是不是全都通到这里啊，我推测。就好象最开始很小的水流最终会蓄积成一条大河一样，下水道也最终全部集中在这个地方。 在这条大的通道中间水开始汇集起来。因为路是倾斜的，所以流向前方的水量逐渐增多。下水道的前方则淹没于水里。 我用手电筒探照四周。这儿好象是个地下湖一样。It was silent.没有风，水面纹丝不动。像已经死了似的。被手电照到的水面像昆虫的脊背一样发出冷光。我不知怎么突然觉得不妙，害怕起来。我想世界的尽头恐怕就是如同这样的地方吧。 在离脚下不远的地方落着一个铁罐。在这种地方还有铁罐儿？It's incredible. “这是河流的水吧。下大雨后，河流的水位上升，下水道的入口就浸在水里，河水便流入下水道。流进来的水一直向下向下，最终积蓄在这里。被扔在河里的垃圾，也跟着流到这种地方。这个下水道，说不好就是为了防止河水泛滥修的。是一个把涨出河面的水暂时储存起来的地方吧。” 我们用放在口袋里的唛头笔，在墙壁上写下了名字。“管耕平”“木园淳男”，因为还在吵架中，两个人的名字之间留出了空隙。 然而，怎么从下水道走出去呢？木园提出了下列建议。 “因为我们只选下坡路才走到了最底层，这回我们若是只走上坡路，是不是就能出去了？” 可是，这个计划在第一个岔路口就碰壁了。与刚才所想的完全相反。就好象枝干生出无数分支一样，上方的所有的道路，都是由最底层的道路延伸出去的。在下水道里有几处塌陷不能走的地方，除了来时的桥旁的出口，以前肯定还有其他的出入口吧。这样想来，从最底层的大路要向上走，会有很多备选的道路。因为其中的每一个都是上坡路。可是，那可不一定就能走到平时那个桥的出口位置。 我们还是走下去了。反正不管怎么样都要走，再说我们想从下水道出去。只要走下去，就一定能发现唛头笔作的标记，我们想。所谓的标记，就是标示着来路与去路的箭头。就是说，按照箭头的反方向走下去，就能到达出口。只要一个就可以，只要一个，找出标有箭头的拐角就行。可是，就连这样的希望，不久也破灭了。 手电筒的光亮逐渐变暗，最后灭了。电池没电了。我无法相信，几次把开关重新打开。Or not.It was pitch black, and I couldn't see my fingers. 我离开家的时候，还判断并不需要那个有备用电池的背包。想不到竟然会迷路。而且，木园的头灯也没有电了。此时，哪儿都找不到能用的电池了。 即使这样，我们仍然在黑暗里走着。虽然还为吵架的事生闷气，可是为了不分裂，我们彼此握着手。在没有光亮，没有一切，完全漆黑的状态下，向着有可能的方向走下去。 在持续走了很长一段时间之后，到了体力的极限，我就地坐了下来。黑暗中只回响着呼吸的声音。 到了这个阶段，我有生以来第一次，真切地预感到了自己的死亡。 我想得太天真了。一直以为，在黑暗里凭感觉走下去，也许就能回到出口。可是下水道比想象的大多了。脑袋里装着下水道的地图，在黑暗之中不迷失方向地走下去，能够做到这一点的人，据我们所知只有一个人可以。可是必然，即使那个家伙在也无济于事。那家伙只有声音是人类的。可要把我们两个体力皆失的人带出去，只靠声音简直是不可能的。 我们已经筋疲力尽，心里想说不定就要死了，两个人都无精打采的。 很长时间，我累得不能动弹，困意袭来。这里一片漆黑，而且对睡觉来说，温度也刚刚好，于是我的意识逐渐模糊了。 就在此时，不知是谁抓住了我的右手，就那样用很大的力气把我拽了起来。之后，我就被拉着走了起来。我睡得正迷糊，还以为是已经恢复了的木园把我弄起来，带着我向外面走呢。 “耕平？是耕平吗？” 是木园的声音。 “是耕平在牵着我的手吗？” “不是不是，应该是淳男在拉着我的手在走啊，不是吗？” 我在一瞬间睡意全无。牵着我的手如果不是木园的，那么在这黑暗中似乎还有别人。 有偷笑的声音，我更加确定了。 就在只需再走几步的地方，我们看见了外面的光。也隐约听到了电车行驶过的声音。是么，都已经走到了出口附近了。 “你们两个人，在那种地方干什么哪？” 外面的空气好新鲜。尽管四周还是昏暗的，可是已经能够辨别出站在面前的阿原的样子了。她显得很高兴的样子。 我和木园，是被她用手牵引着，才走出了下水道的。 “要是说起来，都是因为你在旁边乱数数，才弄得一塌糊涂的。” “是的，都是阿原的不是。阿原最不好了。” “那当然是了。” 她抱着胳膊说。 我看着自己的右手。因为刚才被用力地握过，已经变成了黄色。 后来听人说，校长用鱼钩把钱包给钓了出来。那本来应该是我们的东西的，可惜极了。 后来，对于阿原究竟是什么这个问题，当时的自己还偷偷地想过。所谓的阿原，是我们自己设想出来的，并不是实际存在的人类，这是显然的。然而，我们却看得见，听得到，甚至还亲手触摸到了。 然而说起来，阿原其实是幻觉。只不过是我和木园才能看见的，一种极为特殊的幻觉罢了。 比如说，还发生了这样的事情。 和阿原成为朋友不久之后的某天，学校课程结束以后，我和木园并肩走出校门。正是晚间的回家高峰时段，周围有很多学生在走。就在这时，身后传来非常响亮的声音，把我们叫住。 “喂！耕平！淳男！” 声音极大，好象连飞鸟都被喊得落下来了。我和木园吓了一跳，回头看去，阿原正向我们摇着手。 可是，听到阿原的声音只有我们俩。所有的人都毫无反应，好象没事儿似的照常走着。实际上，周围的世界确实什么都没发生。作为证据来说，停立在电线上的麻雀对这么大的声音完全没有反应，而且好象并没受到什么惊吓。 也就是说，能看到阿原的身影，能听到她的声音的人，在这世界上只有我和木园。因为这是我们的幻觉，那当然。 冬天，车站点心铺的老太太死掉的时候，我们到店里当了一回强盗。当然，把这消息带给我们的，正是阿原。 “听说，车站的点心铺，马上就不做了呢。真的，是听我奶奶说的，反正这个铺子也要不做，把剩下的点心偷出来也不要紧。” 阿原的家在隔壁的城里，可这家伙礼拜六会一个人到奶奶家里。因为和奶奶感情很好，所以每周六都在奶奶家过。她奶奶家就在我家附近，我们三个人基本上就趁周六聚在一块儿玩。 这一切，都是木园在几个月前就作好的设定。可是我们俩并不认识阿原的奶奶家。只设定在我家的附近，却没有特定出具体位置。所以，到了晚饭时间时，和我们分开的阿原究竟跑到哪里去，我们对此感到不可思议。 不过，我们还是被阿原哄骗着，掉进了去打劫点心铺的圈套。 根据阿原的建议，我们决定在那天夜里行动。半夜偷摸离开家，在离车站点心铺不远的地方会合。那是一个冬天的寒冷夜晚。 我第一个到了集合的地点，然后到的是阿原。这家伙不知道什么时候偷偷靠近我，把冰冷的手放在我的脖子上。我忍不住大叫起来。面对发火的我，她边吐着白气边笑着说“我错了我错了” 她穿着带毛球的毛衣，虽然是冬天却穿着半截的裤子。耳朵和鼻子冻红了。 在木园来之前，我和阿原紧紧靠在一块儿忍耐着严寒。这家伙在那天夜里嘴里还嚼着蓝莓口香糖，所以吐出的气都是甜的。当然，那种甜味儿也是幻觉。 顺便说一下。阿原的手放在我的脖子上，我确实感到了凉意。然而，那也是我的幻觉。那家伙吐出的白气也是幻觉，在路灯下的影子也是我的幻觉。她真的不存在。在那里一个人都没有。可是，我的五官感觉却全体一致赞成，认可了阿原的存在。眼睛、耳朵、鼻子、全都凑在一块儿出了错，都看见了所谓的阿原这个幻觉，就和她存在一模一样。实际上，我们紧贴在一起的时候，就不觉得冷，而是暖融融的。虽然这可能也是错觉吧。 木园到了以后，我们三个人就偷偷走进车站的点心铺里。点心铺里只住着老奶奶一个人，她的儿子儿媳住在附近。所以在这天夜里，没有人能够阻止我们闯入没人的铺子。 结果，我们拿到了大量的点心还有玩具什么的，塞得两只手满当当的。 不过，阿原只是看着这一切。正确地说，是眼睁睁地看着。在我和木园双手满是猎物的时候，阿原只是空着手。 我们并没有去问阿原，为什么她两手空空的。The answer is obvious.那家伙仅仅是我们的幻觉罢了，所以即使是十日圆的点心的重量，她也根本搬不动。就是说，阿原对于除了我们以外的所有物件，都是无能为力的。这个事实理所当然，却也非常重要。幻觉，是只有我们感觉得到的幻觉。因为我们看得见听得到，阿原才得以存在，可她却根本不能触摸到任何物理法则。 那天，被阿原握住，变黄了的我的手，那也是我的身体出现错觉，感到痛才出现的。不知过了多久，我在电视上看到有一个人，被没有点燃的烟头戳到手，却出现了烫伤的痕迹。好象是一个介绍催眠术的节目。那个烫伤，是利用催眠术让人相信烟头带火，从而造成的。我的情况，也与此类似。肉体，是依靠精神而运作。人这种东西，只要认定了什么，往往就真的变成那样。 关于这事儿，那晚阿原没说什么。可是，自己作为一种幻觉存在，并且与我们不太一样这个事情，我想在那时她已经有所察觉了吧。 在点心铺得到的东西，我们都藏到了下水道入口的附近。这个地方成了我们三个人藏起来的家。 在点心铺发生的事情瞬间就被传开了。而据说大人们之间流传的是，这八成又是阿原搞的鬼吧，阿原做这种事情也不奇怪，因为她就是坏孩子的代名词，就是那个阿原干的。大概是这么说的。 小城里的所有人，对所谓阿原这个女孩子的存在深信不疑。No, not only that.平时就觉得阿原可恶至极的人，据说还“像是看过形似阿原的女孩子”。 比如说妈妈就这么说过。不过，当我反复地追问“什么时候？在哪儿？”之后，妈妈又很疑惑似的什么都想不起来了。 “哎呀，究竟在哪儿呢，不过，确实看到过啊。就像传言说的一样的模样，没有错。隔壁的石桥家的妈妈就说见过她。不过耕平啊，你不会是和阿原交上朋友了吧。那可不行啊，不能和那样的坏孩子交朋友，也不能讲话。你要是看见她，要马上和妈妈说的哦。” 我怀着一种很复杂的心情，点了点头。 我们三个人结着伴儿成了中学生。我和木园在同一个中学，阿原去了邻近城市的中学。说是这样，可是实际上阿原并没有去上学吧。从来没听说过幻觉也可以去上学的。可是，她给我们看的学生手册看起来像是真的，而且她的校徽也确实是临近城市中学的校徽。不过我想，这一切其实都不存在。校徽也好学生手册也好全都是幻觉。 在当时，比起这件事情来，还是身高不如阿原更让我觉得愤恨。我们三个人已经在一起玩儿了快要三年了，在此之前我的身高一直是三个人中最高的。阿原说：“赢了你啦”，然后故意在我面前挺了挺后背，就超过了我。 就是这段日子里的某天。平时都聚在桥下下水道入口附近消磨时间的我们，不知怎么决定那天之后到我家里去玩。事情是怎么发展到这一步的我已经忘记了。反正就变成了这样。 对于我们来说，下水道这个地方很容易打发时间，所以几乎没有过在谁家里集合一起玩儿的先例。下水道不热不冷也没有熟人，所以阿原来我家应该还是第一次。 我养的狗在院前叫了一阵子以后，他们就脱了鞋进到家门里，两个人都没有我懂规矩。而且，此时阿原脱掉的鞋，当然也是幻觉。我和木园都能看见，也有触觉。和真的感觉很类似，不过别人看起来应该是和空气没什么两样的。 他们的眼睛迅速地把我的房间扫了一圈，然后开始摆弄装饰在架子上的怪兽塑料人偶。其实，这一类的玩偶我还有很多，只是放在下水道以后就不见了。正如那时木园说过的，下起大雨后，下水道里溢满了水，所以我的玩偶就这么随着雨水流到了下水道的深处。因为都是些不怎么样的玩偶，所以我也没放在心上。 过了不久，妈妈打开了房间的门。当然，妈妈是看不见阿原的身影的。 “哎呀，你好淳男，难得到我们家来啊。耕平，你来一下。” 妈妈向我招手，在房间前面跟我说话。房门只有一扇，所以屋子里的两个人（实际上是一个人）应该也能听得到这对话。 “耕平，你刚才是和淳男，还有阿原在一起说话吧？你们在偷偷和阿原交往？” 我猛地一下，感到大事不妙。我知道，妈妈只听着那些不好的传言，所以总认为阿原不好。可是，我没有办法回答说：“并不认识阿原这个人”。因为，就在身后的房间里，这个阿原可正在听着呢。 如果我站在阿原的立场上，若是听到她对妈妈说：“并不认识耕平这个朋友”这种话，我一定会觉得被朋友背叛，而伤心不已吧。 所以我对妈妈这样说： “啊，嗯，是朋友啊。” “朋友！？你说什么呢？就跟那个阿原？不是跟你说过不准和她讲话的吗？” “……可是，她并没有那么坏阿。” 我说完这句话，妈妈再次用很大的声音，向我说明了阿原做了多么不好的事情跟大人过不去，还说她是个没救的家伙，并还命令我，再也不能和阿原讲话。 我很少反抗妈妈的命令，通常只要妈妈一发火，我就害怕得立刻屈服了。可是，只有那天，我的自尊心不允许我屈服下去。 倒不如说，是因为房间里的阿原能够听到我和妈妈的对话，想到这个，我心痛了。 妈妈总算走了，我战战兢兢地回到了房间。我想听到谈话的阿原肯定正生着气呢。然而，阿原却是一副很寻常的表情，只是说了一句：“好久的谈话啊。” 木园只用口型对我说：“你这个笨蛋”。 他俩回家的时候，我也确实有这种感觉。 进家门时木园胡乱脱掉的鞋，现在被整齐地摆放着。应该是妈妈留意到了之后重新摆的，可是阿原的鞋却被妈妈忽视，仍然散乱地放在那儿。 妈妈是不应该看得到阿原的鞋的，而且我终于明白，不管看不看得见，这个问题是以前就存在的。不过，我还是很微妙地觉得阿原有点儿可怜。阿原一定是故意作出一副满不在乎的表情的。 怎么可能一点儿都不在乎呢。从那天起，凡是一提起要去谁的家里，阿原就会说：“我还有点儿别的事儿。”这样子回避开，一下子就离我们远远的。我想，阿原也一定想了很多很多事情吧。 有次，我为那天家里的事情，特意和阿原道歉。 “啊，不用了，我什么都没想哦，倒是我应该谢谢你呢。” 我不知道为什么要感谢我，觉得很奇怪。这时的阿原看起来有些羞愧似的。 阿原并不像周围的大人们说得那么坏，无非是稍微不同地有些敏感，而且感情非常细腻罢了。对这一点，创造出她的我和木园，都非常清楚。然而，她却能和我们做那么久的朋友，这确实令人吃惊。毕竟，幻觉这东西一般都会瞬间消失的，猛地摇一摇也就没了。而阿原却真的和我们在一起那么久。 自从那回在下水道里迷路之后，我们就再也没去过下水道深处。想要一个人呆着的时候倒也进过里面，不过只在能够返回的范围内活动，其他地方一概没有去过。 我们已经到过下水道的终点，那个积水的地方，这就足够了。我和木园都这么觉得。作为到达过那里的证据，我们已经把名字留在了那个城市的秘密文化财产上。 我每次回想起那个地方，都会感到莫名的不安。那条在昏暗的水流里延续下去的道路，多次出现在我的梦里。 木园也说，他也再不想去那儿了。 “那里沉睡着太多东西的灵魂。你想想看，由于大雨，河水涨潮，那部分水都流到下水道里了吧。这样的话，许多鱼也跟着河水一起被吸进去了。不久雨停了，溢满下水道的雨水就不知流到哪里去，可是被吸进去的鱼却再也出不来，就死在那里。我可再也不想去那种地方了。” 我又想起下水道最底层那寂静的水面。没有波纹，静止无声。那是如此昏暗，难免让人想到死了以后魂魄是不是会来到这里。 有一天，我家里养的狗死掉了。起初并没有觉得特别悲伤。要说曾经疼爱过它，也已经是很久很久以前的事情了。而整整过了一天之后，我才变得想要哭出来。 “说起来，那条狗最近一直被拴着，也没有带着它去散过步。它这是在无言地反抗呢。” 就这样从糊里糊涂的感情开始一发不可收拾，渐渐回忆起那些已然忘记的事情来。 它还是一只幼犬的时候，我就瞒着爸妈把它带到自己的房间里。那时它好像很开心似的围着我转个不停。啊，究竟从什么时候开始，我和你之间的关系变得如此冷冰冰的呢？ 嘀嗒，水滴落下，与此同时我的脑袋里浮现出一幅画面来。那是小狗戴着一个投射灯，正向着下水道的最底层前行的身影。是的，在那个水弯的对岸，就是来世啊。 怀着这个古怪的猜想，我钻进下水道里，偷偷地哭起来。 很不走运，我这个样子被阿原看见了。在我的生命里，这真是最糗最糗的回忆了。一个中学生哭丧的脸被女孩子给看到，真是没有比这更让人后悔的事情了。 “我可不会因为小狗死就哭鼻子。” 阿原这么一说，我吓了一跳。然后不自觉地，我脱口而出： “那是因为你本来就是幻觉。” “……是是，是这样。那好吧，就当作我没看见。” 不久我平静下来以后，就对自己说：“我简直是坏透了。”不过，那家伙的举止言谈却好像真的忘了这回事儿似的，所以最终我也没能马上道歉。 在中学的期间我和木园是在不同的班级。我虽然也交了新的朋友，却并非是木园和阿原那样让我交心的人。新朋友们也知道阿原的事情。不管怎么说，他们住的地区也一样流传着阿原的谣言。她为什么这么众所周知的啊，我就想。那轰动的程度，就和那个杀死鸡雏的女生事件一样。 我就沉默着，听朋友们的谈论。 “有关阿原的传言，都已经传到我读书的小学那儿了。而且，据说还是我哥哥朋友的老师亲眼见到的呢。” “看过成长为中学生的阿原的人大有人在，说是跟我们差不多年纪，一定长成了个肌肉敦厚的大壮女了吧。” I was taken aback. “哦？是壮女？！” “不是说小学的时候，她把附近的中学生都给弄到医院去了吗？” “不对笨蛋，是把看不上眼的老师的鼻子给咬掉了！” 这时，在旁边听着的女生们又接上话： “我看到的阿原可是很瘦的哦，个子也是很普通的，是个很可爱的女孩子呢。” "have you seen?" “之前我出去买东西在街上走的时候，有那么一个短发的女孩很像。那人肯定是阿原没错！” Wow!这么厉害！大家异口同声地喊道。 “喂，咖啡罐没有阿原的情报吗？” 朋友问到我。“咖啡罐”是他们给我起的昵称，是从我的名字“管耕平”加工出来的。 “我对阿原的事情知道得不多。” 还有，在别的班里，木园淳男好像被叫作“畿野鲣”。（日语中“淳男”与鱼类“鲣”同音。） 那个冬日，阿原一个人郁闷地呆在下水道里。 在离下水道入口