Chapter 38 Hundred Days Red

This happened to be a story that happened in a certain evening at the beginning of September in the 21st year of the Showa era (1946), the second year after the end of the war. A man wiped his sweat as he struggled up a hillside near Kagani Hachiman.The surrounding area was barren. This was a well-groomed man rarely seen among the residents of Tokyo at that time. He was wearing a black suit. Chic string tie.The hat is also a black beret. Some people wear berets, which look harsh and flimsy, but this man wears them very well.He had a thin, decent face, but somehow sullen. As for his age, I don't know much, because it's hard to guess.His real age seems to be around forty years old, but he looks like an old man, probably because of his gloomy expression and depressed will.There are also many eye-catching white hairs in the hair exposed under the beret.

Every two or three steps the man climbed, he stopped to take a short breath, and took out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead.This man's legs and feet are not good, his left leg seems to be a prosthetic leg, he dragged his leg while climbing uphill with a thick cane.There are some steep slopes in this area, and able-bodied people are out of breath when they climb up, and it is naturally more strenuous to climb with artificial legs. The man stopped again and looked around. It has been more than a year since the end of the war, but there is almost no sign of reconstruction in this area, and there are mountains of rubble everywhere.Before it was burnt down by incendiary bombs, there used to be many mansions here. Although the buildings were burned to the ground, the point of view stones or stone lanterns standing everywhere still remind people of the former scene and arouse people's interest in this area. The sorrow of the ruins.

Suddenly, there was a squeaking cicada somewhere. "Ah, there are cicadas calling!..." In the ruins where no one can be seen, it seems to be a pleasant surprise to hear the cicada's cry.The man muttered, raising his melancholy eyes.There is a burnt bush in the distance, and cicadas seem to be singing there. However, the cicadas stopped after a while, leaving only the sad silence of the ruins.The remnants of point-of-view stones and stone lanterns absorb the afterglow of the setting sun in the overgrown weeds and stick to the faded silence. The man with the artificial leg dragged the artificial leg again and slowly climbed up the slope.

Suddenly, a series of crisp bells sounded on the slope, and a postman came downhill on a bicycle. The postman came to the man with the prosthetic leg, turned over and jumped off the bicycle, glanced at him in surprise, and carefully pushed the bicycle down.There was something so strangely gloomy about the man with the prosthetic leg that the postman couldn't help looking back at him two or three times before he descended to the bottom of the slope. The man with the prosthetic leg seems to have finally gotten where he was going.He looked up the slope and muttered: "The hundred-day red is blooming."

After chanting, he dragged his artificial leg, hurriedly climbed up the slope, and walked into the homestead of about 200 square meters where the zinnias were in full bloom. This is also a sea of ​​weeds and rubble, but before it burned down, it seems that there were a lot of mansions built, and the sundial left in the weeds can also be glimpsed. All the other trees were burned, and among the black dead branches, there was only a single plant of zinnia standing alone. Although half of the trunk had been scorched by the fire, the tree was still full of red flowers, and it was wearing artificial legs. In the eyes of the man, this is clearly a miracle.

The man with the artificial leg hurriedly brushed aside the weeds and walked to the small tree, stroking the smooth skin of the zinnia as if he was caressing his beloved child.As if yearning for the past, his eyes became moist, and soon sparkling tears oozed out. The man with the prosthetic leg suddenly came back to his senses, showed a wry smile, hurriedly took out his handkerchief, wiped away his tears, and then slowly left the Hundred Days Red, looking at the surrounding ruins with emotion. Sit down on the stone bench. From here to the moat of the distant city valley, the originally wide slope has turned into a piece of scorched earth.Even in the afterglow of the setting sun, the water surface of the moat that seemed to be burning had a strong color of ruins.

In this affectionate gaze, the man with the prosthetic leg seemed to feel a terrible breath that could not be rescued, and he shivered in pain. At this time, there was a man down the slope, who was stopping the postman who had just gone down to ask what he was doing.This is a man who looks like a veteran.The postman pointed to the slope and said a few words to him.Soon, the veteran-looking man saluted slightly and bid farewell, and then began to climb towards this side. The man with the prosthetic leg looked at them absent-mindedly, and soon averted his gaze, crossing the moat of Ichigaya, looking in the direction of Kudan.

However, his eyes were definitely not appreciating the color in that area.Although at first glance, his gaze seems to be cast into the distance, in fact he is staring into the depths of his own heart, stubbornly licking his painful old wound. Unknowingly, tears welled up in his eyes again, but this time, he didn't wipe it away, and let the overflowing hot tears roll down his cheeks. "Hello...excuse me..." After being greeted abruptly, the man with the prosthetic leg suddenly turned his face away.He hurriedly took out a handkerchief from his pocket, pretending to wipe his sweat, and quickly wiped away the tears on his cheeks.

"Are you alright……" In order not to let the other party hear his voice choked with tears, he turned his face away and muttered in a low voice. "Once upon a time, there was a man named Ichiro Saeki. His home should be in this area. Do you know where it is?" The man with the prosthetic leg turned around in surprise, staring straight at the man who looked like a veteran. This is the man who looked like a veteran who stopped the postman at the bottom of the slope and asked about it.He was about thirty-five or six years old, small and shabby-looking, but with a dark complexion like a southerner, he left a deep impression on people.He must have just been discharged from the army, with a rucksack on his shoulder.

"If you want to talk about Ichiro Saeki's house, it's here..." Before he finished speaking, a strange light appeared in the eyes of the man in the veteran's clothes. "Really?..." The other party asked excitedly, "So, where is Mr. Saeki now..." There was a look of fear in the eyes of the man with the artificial leg.He stared at each other strangely, and said, "Do you have anything to do with Saeki Ichiro?" "A little..." "If you plan to find Saeki Ichiro, then I will..." The man in the veteran's suit showed his white teeth and smiled.Looking at it this way, he is quite friendly.

"Sure enough! I thought so just now, because your appearance is similar to what I heard..." The short man dressed as a veteran quickly bowed to him and said, "Ah, I'm offended. I It's Mr. Kawaji Kensaburo's comrade-in-arms, and he's here to deliver a message to him. You know, Kawachi, Kawaji Kensaburo..." In an instant, the eyebrows of the man with the prosthetic leg trembled violently, and a frightened look flashed across his originally gloomy face. "Mr. Kensaburo Kawaji sent me a message?" "That's right!..." The short veteran nodded. "So, what about Kensaburo Kawaji himself?" "Dead. Died in New Guinea." A complex expression flashed across the face of the man with the prosthetic leg - Ichiro Saeki.It was an expression of anguish, regret, and relief.He stared at his toes with emotion, and stared silently for a while, but after a while, he turned his face towards the man in the veteran's clothes and said to him: "The message that Chuandi asked you to bring is..." "Mr. Kawachi said, I hope I can talk to you about a certain case. He was still worrying about that case when he died. 'If you can go back alive...' Kawachi often said to me, 'You Go to Saeki Ichiro, talk to him about this case, and help me solve this mystery. Otherwise, I will die with regret.' Now that I have said this, you must have understood what I am talking about..." Ichiro Saeki stared intently at the man in the uniform of the veteran in front of him. Soon, a bitter and ironic smile appeared on his face. "I can guess what you are talking about. However, Kawachi really said that there are still unsolved mysteries in that case? I think the truth has been revealed..." "Chuan said it was wrong. Moreover, he also insisted that he knows that matter better than anyone else." A sarcastic smile appeared on Saeki Ichiro's face again. "It seems that people can't be honest even when they are going to die." He said something loudly on purpose, and then, looking at the other party, he said, "So, do you want to come and talk to me about that case?  … ..." "No...no...that's right." The man dressed as a veteran said with a slight stutter. "If you can just talk to me, the mystery will be solved, won't it? If there are any unsolved mysteries..." "Yes, I think it will almost unravel." Saeki Ichiro still had a mocking smile on the corner of his mouth, examining the other person's face.After a while, he said slowly: "I'm renting at a relative's house in Setagaya. Are you going there with me, or..." He looked around. "Can't we say it here?" The short man dressed as a veteran looked around at the lonely ruins again. The sun slanted to the west, and the shadows of all things gradually elongated, and there was not even a single person in the ruins. "I still have some urgent matters, so here is fine. Maybe this is the most suitable place to talk about that case. Maybe that case happened here." "Really? Then please." The retired man was invited to walk into the ruins of the burnt building. Under the signal of Saeki Ichiro, the short man sat down on a flat point of view stone opposite Saeki Ichiro. As if testing each other, the two sides looked at each other silently for a while, then took out their cigarettes and lit them at the same time.However, after taking a few puffs, the man dressed as a veteran immediately stubbed out the cigarette again, carefully put it back in his pocket, and then stared into the opponent's eyes. "Kawachi confessed that before entering that topic, I would like to ask you to talk about a woman named Yumiko. Mr. Kawachi Kensaburo said that she was the cause of the case. It happened on the death anniversary, right?" On the face of Ichiro Saeki, who had regained his composure for a while, a look of uneasiness appeared again.However, he quickly restrained his emotional fluctuations, and with a mocking smile on his face, he said, "Is that what Chuandi said?" "Yes." The other party nodded seriously. "Although I don't know why Kawachi thinks that way..." Saeki Ichiro said while smoking slowly, "If you want to talk about Yumiko, it doesn't matter how much you want to talk about. I was still thinking about her story just now Well. I'm here today, but I'm actually here to remember the sweet past with her. Haha, I'm already at such an age, and if I say such things, you may think that I am a stupid man , but casually. She is my treasure, no, forever a treasure, because Yumiko still lives in my memory. Just now I saw that the zinnia she loved before she was alive miraculously survived the fire, and It was full of bright red flowers, and I was crying. When you greeted me just now, I was crying because I missed her. Hehe, you can laugh at me for being a stupid and sentimental man." Ichiro Saeki laughed deep in his throat, his face gradually flushed red, and tears glistened in his eyes.He cleared his throat, and continued: "Yumiko is a woman I raised. Yes, I can say that. I have raised her myself since she was nine years old. I just graduated from college at the time, and I was about two years old. Fourteen years old. At the beginning, I wanted her to be my wife or lover after she became an adult. If you ask me, as a man of God, I have gone through so much trouble to get a wife or lover, it is because I I am extremely afraid of women. When I stand in front of young women, my body trembles and I can’t even open my mouth. However, I have a persistent ideal for women. I am tired of these two personalities, and it is impossible for me to Using ordinary means to get a wife or lover. So, in the year I graduated from university, I made up my mind to cultivate a future wife or lover—this may be influenced by what I read when I was a student. Just like Guangyuan’s hard work Just like cultivating Zishang to be my ideal wife, I also want to cultivate young girls to be my ideal wife or lover. Even if I am afraid of women, in front of nine-year-old or ten-year-old girls, I still have Not to tremble. In the end, I chose Yumiko." In Saeki Ichiro's eyes, there suddenly appeared a gentle look of reminiscing about the past.This is a completely unconventional story.Since Saeki who told the story didn't have any sense of abnormality in his tone, this abnormality was exaggerated even more. The man in the veteran's suit swallowed furtively. "Yumiko is an almost perfect girl... no, she is a girl who can become an almost perfect woman in the future. I also persevered in searching for this kind of girl, and finally got her. As I said before, she was nine Yumiko was a poor orphan at the age of two. No, her mother, who seemed to live elsewhere, was a frivolous woman. When Yumiko was two years old, her mother eloped with her lover. Since that day, she has been raised by her father alone. At the age of eight, her father also passed away, so she was sold to a geisha house as an apprentice. The eldest sister of the geisha house probably also took a fancy to her beauty. Once, I saw her by accident, her lovely and pitiful figure, Made me fall in love at first sight." Having said that, Ichiro Saeki took a breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and continued talking. "It was quite troublesome to redeem her from the geisha house, but money helped me solve all the difficulties. Fortunately, I still have a lot of property left to me by my parents, and I don't have any close relatives who will interfere with me. It was a ridiculous attempt, and everything went smoothly. Because even the only family member who ever raised me, my aunt, died quietly and alone the year before I graduated from college, so I don’t have to be afraid of anyone. , and began to educate her as I wished. I was determined to try my best to cultivate Yumiko into a noble, elegant and very charming woman. This goal was basically achieved. I sent Yumiko to the national school, but did not send her to the higher First-class school, because I couldn't bear it, the roughness of the female students at that time. The year of elementary school graduation, that is, in the autumn of Showa fifteen years, Yumiko had her period for the first time. Immediately afterwards, I turned her into myself woman." The man dressed as a veteran looked at the other's face in surprise again. However, Ichiro Saeki's expression was unusually calm, and he couldn't feel that he was making an abnormal confession.No, he seemed to be intoxicated instead. In this kind of confession he made, a trance light and shadow covered his face. "When I say this, you may think: 'Bastard, you are an inhuman beast.' But imagine that I waited six years for this day. I am already thirty years old, and I have been waiting I couldn't wait any longer. Yumiko was of course very shocked at the beginning, and she was very reluctant and lamented in shame. However, I was very confident, and after possessing her once, I also There is no need to worry. I am quietly waiting for the maturity of her body and soul. This period will come soon. After having a skin-to-skin kiss with a man, her sex and temperament will mature at an abnormal speed .Then, I found myself in a sea of ​​gorgeous flowers." The dazed light and shadow that appeared on Saeki Ichiro's face became more and more serious.He continued intoxicatedly: "If we were young men and women of the same age, I'm afraid there would not be such a fragrant sea of ​​flowers around us. If we were young men and women of the same age, no matter how close we are, there would still be some affectation and shame. Therefore, the posture of nighttime intercourse will naturally be restricted. However, Yumiko and I have a fifteen-year age difference, and Yumiko still calls me uncle. Therefore, she is like a child coquettish with an adult, she can do any bold action. At that time, she was completely like a kid with an inexhaustible fountain of curiosity. I was not to be outdone, and my mood was exactly the same as when I picked her up, and I dared to ask for anything. Therefore, our posture during sex In the middle, with the kind of heavy taste that ordinary lovers can’t experience. I was young at the time—by the way, I guess it was the kind of wolf-like age that was adjusted, and I was not as thin as I am now. Muscular and energetic. She is also unambiguous, and with an inexhaustible fountain of curiosity, she never tires of our nocturnal poses." Ichiro Saeki's voice gradually heated up, and now there was a bright light shining in those dark and melancholy eyes.He paused for a while, wiped the corners of his mouth, and then spoke in a hot tone: "Having said that, I didn't blindly indulge in the joy of the night. On the other hand, I didn't forget to educate her. While I was raising her to be charming, I also wanted to raise her to be elegant and elegant. Nobility. That is to say, I want to realize the ideal of a woman in the Western proverb, "a lady in the living room and a beast in the bedroom". As I said before, this goal It has been realized almost perfectly. Her beauty at the age of twenty is already considered majestic, but the fragrance she emits from her body is enough to fascinate all men. Young men of all colors are attracted to her, Chuan Land is one of them." Having said that, Ichiro Saeki glanced at the man dressed as a veteran, as if he was suddenly called back to reality, and said, "I heard that you are Mr. Kensaburo Kawaji's comrade in arms, and you must know him well. I don’t know who Kawachi is, but before he was recruited into the army, he was really a peerless and beautiful boy. He seems to be two years younger than Yumiko, but he is very skillful when playing with women. He seems to be the same as Yumiko, He was also an orphan who grew up in Yokohama. He was a well-known bad boy. It is said that when he was fourteen years old, he had already tasted a woman. It seems that there are too many women who have passed and ejaculated. If I want to say how I know this kind of thing, it is because at the beginning of his contact with Yumiko, I hired a private detective to secretly investigate his origin. Whenever there is When a new man approaches Yumiko, I will always be very careful. "Then, why don't I let those dangerous men stay away from Yumiko? This is because I have self-confidence. Although Yumiko is said to be charming, it is this that makes men hope for her; but on the other hand, She is elegant and noble, so I don't have to worry at all, she will be deceived by the boring sweet words of those men. She also knows that besides me, Er can't have a second man who can make her more happy Satisfied flesh and skills. So, whenever I see those men, the unrealistic hopes raised by Yumiko, and the way they gradually fall into impatience, I feel very happy. In other words, I The woman I cultivated, I showed off to the men, made them anxious, made them bored, and I would also monopolize the woman they coveted so much, in order to obtain supreme satisfaction. If there is no such abominable war , our happy life will probably last longer." From this moment on, Ichiro Saeki's face gradually cast a shadow, his tone lost heat, and he even became tired of talking.He raised his dull eyes blankly, staring aimlessly into the distance while continuing to narrate habitually. "I don't even want to think about the following things, so I try to keep it as simple as possible. In the early summer of Showa 16, I received a notice to enlist in the army. I was thirty-six years old at the time, and Yumiko was already twenty. One year old. Under the circumstances at the time, it was no surprise that a thirty-six-year-old uneducated soldier was enlisted in the army, and I was already mentally prepared. However, I was still worried about Yumiko, so I chose Four friends entrusted her to them. These four friends are - Gomi Kinnosuke, Shiga Jiuhei, Onitou Junichiro and Kawaji Kensaburo. Gomi Kinnosuke was my junior in middle school, After graduating from a private university, he worked in a commercial company in Tsukiji. Since college, he has been taken care of by me. He is three years younger than me. Shiga Jiuhei and I were college classmates, and we hadn’t had much contact before, but since Yumiko’s age Miao Ling, after his beauty suddenly increased, he walked around with me frequently for no reason. He was a lecturer at a private university at the time, and he also wrote some poetry. Guito Junichiro was a former boarding student in my family. He was smart, and after graduating from the night school of a private university, he seemed to be able to enjoy a lot of money when he entered a very prosperous military supply company. He was about 30 years old at the time. As for Kawaji Kensaburo, you already know his situation. That is to say, These four are Miko's most ardent admirers, and all are single. "Then, you must ask, why did I choose such a dangerous person to entrust my funeral? In fact, I originally planned to use fire to fight fire. This is my bitter plan. I want to ensure Yumiko's safety through their restraint. Safety." When Ichiro Saeki said this, he hissed with emotion, squinted his eyes and squinted at the short man in the uniform of a veteran beside him. "After the four of them and five people, Yumiko, held a vigorous banquet for me, I immediately joined the army and was sent to the front line with almost no training. As for where the front line was sent, It doesn't matter here, so I won't mention it. Anyway, after six months, I was sent back to the rear with a serious injury to my leg. In that hospital, my left leg was amputated below the knee. Wait for me It was the spring of the 17th year of Showa when I got my prosthetic limbs, was released from military service, and returned to my hometown. However, within the first week after I returned home, Yumiko committed suicide by taking poison.” Saying this in one breath, Ichiro Saeki let out a deep breath.He wiped the sweat from his brow and fell silent. The short man dressed as a veteran had nothing to say.For a moment, a heavy silence filled the space between the two.The water of the moat in Ichigaya became brighter and brighter, and an unknown bird flew from the forest area of ​​the Yasukuni Shrine to the sky like a sesame seed. After a while, the man in the uniform of the veteran looked tentatively at Ichiro Saeki and asked in a low voice, "So, do you know the reason why Madam committed suicide?" "I don't know. Neither the suicide note nor the last words." Although the man in the veteran's clothes looked at each other suspiciously, he didn't bother to ask. "After a year like this, that case happened at the banquet of your wife's first anniversary of her death, didn't it?" Saeki Ichiro nodded with gloomy and melancholy eyes.The man in the veteran's uniform took out the cigarette he had just stubbed from his pocket and lit it.After smoking leisurely, he crushed the cigarette butt with his shoe, and looked at Ichiro Saeki again. "Finally we're getting to the heart of the matter. Here, we need to retell the case. How about it, will you do it, or let me tell it?" Saeki Ichiro looked at each other silently, and shook his head slightly. "Anything is fine..." he replied in a low voice. "Then let me tell the story. You seem to be a little tired. Mr. Bi Jingchuan, Mr. Kensaburo, has told me this story many times. I only know what I don't know and what I'm not sure about. , I asked him repeatedly for many times. So, I think I can generally tell the truth, if there are mistakes, please feel free to correct me.” The man in the uniform of the veterans lowered his head, and with reminiscing eyes, he spoke slowly: "At that time, because the ceremony was approaching, you summoned four men to this mansion two days ago... right? These four men, needless to say, were your middle school juniors who were in Tsukiji at that time. Gomi Konosuke who works at a commercial company in Japan, Shiga Hisei, who was a classmate in college, a poet and a lecturer at a private university, Junichiro Kito, who was a boarding student in your house and worked for a military supply company that was booming at the time, and It's Kensaburo Kawaji, who was entrusted with the funeral affairs when you enlisted in the army. At your request, these people have lived here since the first two days of the ceremony. However, only Kensaburo Kawaji However, on the eve of the ceremony, he left due to some business, stayed elsewhere for one night, and then returned here at noon on the day of the ceremony. This matter later cast a subtle doubt on the case, Right?" Saeki Ichiro nodded silently. "Then, before getting into the core of the case, I would like to start with another matter. In hindsight, that should be the prelude to the case. It is said that this matter happened while Chuandi was out, so he heard it afterwards Woke up, that’s how I found out. On the morning of the practice day, a strange thing happened in this house. Your favorite shepherd dog suddenly struggled in pain, and vomited blood and died in the blink of an eye. At that time, everyone was surprised , but, after all, it was just a dog that died, so he didn't pay much attention to it, he thought it was just food poisoning, so he didn't take it seriously. But it was only later that he realized that the matter had a great meaning." Saeki Ichiro nodded sadly again. The man in the uniform of the veteran stared at Ichiro Saeki's face, took a deep breath, and said, "Then, let's finally get to the point of the case. According to Mr. Kensaburo Kawaji, Although it is your wife's ritual, you suggested that there is no need to invite a monk. You said that she hated everything related to Buddhism in her lifetime, so she might as well drink a lot of wine to comfort her spirit in heaven. Suggestion, the banquet started in the evening. Japanese wine for a while, foreign wine for a while, and beer mixed in between. By around 8:00 when the case happened, the five hosts and guests were already drunk. At this time, you took out another Brandy... right?" "Not brandy, but gin." "Yes, yes, it's gin. I forgot to mention one thing. The place where the case happened is a western-style living room. In the corner of the living room, you made a bar that you like. There is a silver plate on the bar. There are five wine glasses on it, and you are pouring gin into the glasses, and you are holding up the plate, and you are about to share the wine, when the old servant calls you from outside the living room, you put the plate there, and go straight out. What is the old servant looking for you for?" "It's nothing important. He came to ask me about Nilo, that is, the burial of the shepherd dog that died that morning." Saeki Ichiro said with a smile and shook his head slightly. "So that's it." The man in the veteran's clothes nodded slightly and continued to ask, "So, how long did you stay outside before returning to the living room?" "Only two or three minutes. I just need to give him a simple instruction." "Oh, I see. However, while you were leaving the living room, the poet Shiga Jiuping couldn't wait, so he walked to the bar by himself. He not only drank one of the glasses that had already been poured, but also accidentally changed four wine glasses. Shiga also confessed to this matter later, and the other three people also noticed. After Shiga returned to his seat, Junichiro, the ghost head of the munitions company, also followed Shiga's example and approached the bar." Dressed as a veteran The man in the clothes looked at Saeki Ichiro and said, "Just as he was reaching out to take one of the wine glasses, you came back from the outside, and he put the wine glass back on the silver plate in a panic, shrank his neck and hid aside ...and then you walked in, carrying silver trays, and handing out cups to everyone... right?" "No, since one glass was already empty before, I asked who made the trouble while pouring wine into the empty glass." "That's right... Then, the way you divided the wine glasses at that time became the crux of the case. I asked Mr. Kensaburo Kawaji very carefully about this part. The specific situation should be as follows: you First he picked up the wine glass and handed it to the ghost at the side of the bar; then he handed the second glass to Shiga Jiuhei; then he handed the third wine glass to Gomi Konnosuke. Then, with With the word 'please', you handed the remaining two wine glasses, together with the silver plate, to Kensaburo Kawaji, right?" "It's like this. Mr. Kawachi is across the table, and I couldn't reach it with my hands, so I handed him the plate together." "But at that time, Gomi Konnosuke stretched out his hand from the side, took one of the two cups on the plate and put it in front of Kawachi, right?" "Yes, that's right. Kensaburo Kawaji, he remembers it in detail." "Because of the interrogation by the investigators, I'm afraid he has repeated it countless times." The man in the veteran's uniform said with a wry smile, looking at Ichiro Saeki again, and continued, "Afterwards, the wine glasses were handed over to everyone. When several people were about to toast together, someone suddenly yelled 'air strike', right? Who yelled that?" "Of course it's Zhunichiro, the boarding student. He's reckless and often makes some mindless mistakes. He probably mistook the sound of the provincial tram for a gap alarm." "However, when everyone heard this, they were all startled. They put down their glasses and stood up. Some even rushed to the window. But after a while, knowing that it was a misunderstanding, everyone laughed at the ghost, While returning to the original seat, he drank again. After a while, Gomi Konnosuke was in unbearable pain, and he vomited blood and died in the blink of an eye, right? Gomi drank the gin and struggled in pain. How long has it been?" "It's... probably only a minute or two. Because besides Mr. Gomi Kinnosuke, I was the only one who drank all the gin. Mr. Kawaji Kensaburo and others didn't even touch it." "I heard so. The situation changed completely due to the sudden death of Gomi Konosuke. The doctor was called immediately, and you called the police under the doctor's reminder, and the investigators came from the police station again. After all kinds of After the investigation, the police finally determined that Gomi died from potassium cyanide mixed with gin. So, in this way, who put potassium cyanide into Gomi Kinnosuke’s wine became a problem The key to... right?" When the man in the veteran's clothes said this, he stopped suddenly, took his eyes off Ichiro Saeki's face, and looked around at the ruins that were gradually sinking in the twilight. The shadows of all things are stretched very long, and all kinds of strange shadows are painted on the deserted slope.This kind of scenery can't help but make people feel more and more heavy. The body of the man in the uniform of the veteran trembled slightly, and he said again in a low voice: "The one who has the best chance of poisoning Gomi Kinnosuke's wine is, needless to say, you. You are the one who poured it into the five wine glasses. The gin was poured in, and you handed it out to everyone. When pouring, you poured potassium cyanide into one of the glasses and handed the glass to Gomi Konosuke. If you explain it this way, things will go wrong. It couldn't be simpler. By the way, there was no trace of potassium cyanide in any of the other four cups. Of course, since your cup has been drained, there is no need to investigate further. If the cup also contained Potassium gas, you yourself will vomit blood and die like Wuwei.” Ichiro Saeki showed a sad look in his eyes, and nodded slightly. The man in the veteran's uniform continued, "So, if you were the poisoner, the case should be easily solved. But that's not the case, because you left the room at one point after filling your wine glass, and, Shiga Once again approaching the wine glass, he not only drank one of the glasses, but also inadvertently changed the position of the next four glasses. So, when you return to the room, you have no idea which glass is in it. Potassium cyanide. These five cups have been carefully inspected later. These are all sets of cups, and there are no subtle differences and marks that cannot be found with the naked eye. So, if you voted for potassium cyanide,在分配的时候，你应该会束手无策。因为既然你自己也注意到，杯子的位置被换过了，所以应该也会意识到，自己已无法分辨哪一个杯子中，加入了氰化钾。弄不好的话，有毒的杯子说不定，还会分给自己呢。 “可是，尽管如此，你还是毫不犹豫地、坦然地分配了酒杯。因而，投毒的并不是你，你的嫌疑基本上被排除了。对了，有一件事忘记说了，你在返回房间之后，又往志贺喝干的酒杯里，倒入了杜松子酒，当时，鬼头准一郎先生就站在一旁看着，所以，你绝对不会有投毒的机会，鬼头也做证说，绝对没这回事。” 佐伯一郎再度默默地点了点头。他究竞是从穿着退伍军人衣服的男人讲述的故事中，得到了些许感动，还是根本就漠不关心，从他的表情中，一点都看不出来。他只是流露出了黯淡的神情，一直在注视着自己的脚下。 “假如投毒的人不是你，那谁还会有机会呢？……不用说，自然就是志贺跟鬼头了，因为这两个人都曾接近过杯子。可是，就算是他们二人之一投了毒，又怎么会知道，那个杯子会被递给五味谨之助呢？……这种情况是不可能的，对吧？因为分配酒杯的，并不是他们，而是你。一旦弄不好，有毒的杯子，还会转到他们自己头上呢。照这么想，投毒的也不是这两个人。因此，谁都会理所当然地认为，氰化钾并不是在酒杯分配之前，已经被投入了酒杯，而是在分配之后，如此一来，由鬼头准一郎的误会，引发的瞬间空袭闹剧，自然就被摆上了台面。” 佐伯一郎默默地低着头。他的半张脸，已经被夕阳染成了暗红色。 “就在鬼头准一郎喊'空袭'的一刹那，大家全都把酒杯放下，骤然紧张起来。会不会是有人趁这个空隙，迅速地往五味谨之助的杯子里，投放了氰化钾呢？因此，当时五人的位置，又成了问题的关键。我反复问过川地先生，当时五人所在的位置，情况基本上是这样的：五味跟川地就坐在房间中央的桌子旁边。五味谨之助听到空袭的一刹那，从椅子上站了起来，川地谦三郎却没有。鬼头准一郎在喊空袭的同时，冲到了窗户边上。志贺久平则坐在房间一角的沙发上，手里端着酒杯。而你则正靠着房间角落的吧台而立。因此，当时，离五味谨之助最近的人就是川地，除他之外，别人是没有机会，往五味的酒杯里投毒的。就这样，当川地的嫌疑骤然上升的时候，仿佛是墙倒众人推一样，志贺久平随之又搬出了一份，令人震惊的证言。即由于鬼头准一郎的一声空袭，五味谨之助'哎呀'一声，放下酒杯站起来的一刹那，他看到川地谦三郎偷偷地把自己的酒杯，跟五味谨之助的杯子调换了一下。因此，川地谦三郎的嫌疑越发确凿，经过办案人员的严厉讯问，他最终也承认了调包酒杯的事情。可是，他这么做并不是为了毒死五味谨之助，而是因为自己正要喝的时候，忽然发现杯子里面，漂着一根短头发。尽管他把头发取出来扔了，可是，心里总觉得不舒服，正犹豫着该不该喝时，就发生了那出空袭闹剧。由于五味站了起来，他便趁机把酒杯调换了……川地谦三郎当时就是这么解释的，对吧？……” 穿着退伍军人衣服的男人说到这里，突然停下来，再次环顾四周。太阳已经沉入了废墟的彼岸，四周被裹进一片苍茫的暮色中。那百日红的花朵，也失去了烈日的光辉，显得格外黝黑。 “当然，川地谦三郎的辩解，是很难被相信的。不过，这在理论上可能发生，于是，人们就暂时采纳了他的话，又对案件进行了再次分析。假若川地谦三郎的辩解不假，案件就完全被翻了过来。即凶手要杀的对象，并不是五味谨之助而是川地。川地谦三郎拿的杯子中，会不会从一开始，就被投放了毒药呢……于是，酒杯的分，配就再次成为关键。川地的解释中有一点是很引人注意的。他说他之所以要调换五味的酒杯，是因为自己的酒杯里漂养一根短头发。漂着头发的酒杯……畜生，难不成，这就是投毒杯子的记号？” 穿着退伍军人衣服的男人，仿佛在解读对方脸色似的，偷偷地在观察着，可是，佐伯一郎依然默默无语，连眉毛都没有动一下。 穿着退伍军人衣服的男人，再次讲述了起来：“我刚才也说过，酒杯的分法，因此再次被讨论。假如头发就是投毒酒杯的记号的话，那么，不论志贺久平跟鬼头准一郎再怎么改变酒杯的位置，也没有关系。你避开漂着头发的杯子，由鬼头到志贺，然后再到五味谨之助，依次把酒杯分配下去。所以，假如你当时也曾拿起酒杯，递给川地谦三郎，你的嫌疑就确凿无疑了。可是，由于情况并非如此，案情就又复杂起来。 “你是把剩下的两个酒杯，连同盘子一起，都递到川地谦三郎先生的面前。假如当时川地谦三郎避开有毒的杯子，而是拿起另一个杯子，结果将会如何呢？当然，为了让川地选择有毒的杯子，事先对杯子的位置动手脚，也是可以做到的。人都习惯伸手去拿自己所朝方向右面的东西，所以，通过事先将有毒的杯子放在该位置，来让对方容易拿到，这或许也并不怎么困难。但是，事情也不都是这么绝对的，而且那时拿起杯子递给川地的，是一旁的五味谨之助。五味在川地谦三郎的左侧，从川地的角度来说，五味的方将放的杯子，当然就是放在自己所朝方向左边的杯子了。因而，相对于川地谦三郎来说，有毒的杯子反倒是被放在了他不容易拿到的位置。当你的嫌疑再次不确定时，有一个装氰化钾的一盎司的小瓶子，被警察发现了，对吧？而且，还是从川地的包里发现的……” 穿着退伍军人衣服的男人，再次把视线投向对方，审视着对方的脸，不过，旋即又把视线移开了。 “那个瓶子不仅装在川地谦三郎的包里，而且，还是川地谦三郎的东西，这一点志贺、鬼头和你都十分清楚。因为就在案发的两天以前——从那天晚上起，大家就住到了你的家里，聚在客厅里的时候，川地偶然从口袋里掏手绢，那小瓶就被带出来，滚落到了地板上。由于川地谦三郎当时非常狼狈，那个小瓶便给大家，留下了强烈的印象。据说，川地谦三郎支支吾吾地说是胃药，结果警察一调查，确定是氰化钾，所以，川地谦三郎的嫌疑已经是铁板钉钉了。川地就再次辩解说，鉴于形势动荡，谁也保不齐什么时候，就会发生意外，因此他就一直随身携带，万一不测的时候，可以拿它用来自杀。这种含糊的说辞，是不可能被采纳的。所以，假如没有那天早晨尼洛一事，川地谦三郎就会被宣布有罪了。” 穿着退伍军人衣服的男人说到这里以后，稍微歇了一口气，然后又说道：“尼洛一事，简直就是川地谦三郎的救命菩萨。由于发生了五味谨之助的案子，尼洛那件事情，便被再次被重新审视了起来。幸亏尼洛的尸体和那天早晨，尼洛吃过的食物残渣，还原封不动地保留在那儿，办案人员经过再次调査，査明尼洛也是死于氰化钾中毒，毒药混入了那天早晨，尼洛吃过的食物之中。就是说，那天早晨，有人用氰化钾，杀死了尼洛。川地谦三郎从前一天晚上，到当日过午之后，都没有待在这里，而且，尼洛所吃的有毒食物，是那天早晨，由老仆人准备的，所以，唯有这一件事，川地确实不具备作案时间。据川地谦三郎说，他是把那个瓶子放在了包里，但是，那一晚出去住的时候，他并没有拿包。所以，应该是有人趁他外出期间，偷偷地把瓶里的东西取出来一些，拿尼洛做了实验。那小瓶从口袋里滚出来的时候，川地谦三郎慌乱的样子非同寻常，见此情形的人，也自然会产生怀疑。一试之后果然是剧毒，接下来就很可能用在了人的身上——如此一来，问题就变成了给尼洛下毒的人是谁，而老仆人对此事的证言，则一举把这个案子翻了过来。根据他的证言，那天早晨的时候，他准备好尼洛的食物之后，忽然想起还有别的事情，就把食物放在厨房里出去了，等他过了一会儿回来的时候，正好遇上五味谨之助从厨房里出来。可是五味就是被害人。” 至此，穿着退伍军人衣服的男人的脸上，别有意味地浮出微笑，说道：“哎呀，案子如此完美地发展到这儿，真可谓恰到好处。由于老仆人的证言，此前，大家做梦都没有想到的'五味谨之助是自杀'一说，忽然便浮了起来。于是，警方就对五味当时的境况，进行了详细地调查，恰好，他当时也正处于很可能会自杀的困境中。即，当时五味供职的商业公司，因为战争而倒闭，他连工作都没有了，不仅非常困顿，连健康状况也很差，已经变得自暴自弃。不仅如此，还有证言说：五味谨之助曾半开玩笑地，问过两、三个朋友：最轻松的死法是什么。于是，此案最终，就以五味谨之助的自杀而定性。即川地调换酒杯以后，很可能是五味自己往杯子里投毒自尽的。 “川地谦三郎调换酒杯之前的情形，志贺久平当时也看到了，可那件小事儿之后，由于注意力被空袭闹剧所吸引，五味谨之助喝干酒之前的动作，他并没有看到。对所有人来说，再也没有比这更好的解决方式了。当然，若是没有那场战争，也许警方也不会满足于，如此粗劣的结案方式。可不久之后，第一嫌疑人川地谦三郎就被征入部队，远派到了海外，于是，案件最终以五味谨之助的自杀而结案。” 穿着退伍军人衣服的男人讲完，用试探的目光审视着佐伯一郎。佐伯却依然呆呆地，守望着护城河对面的商岗，脸上带着一种甚至让人怀疑，他会不会直接化成了石头的表情。 “那么……”穿着退伍军人衣服的男人望着佐伯一郎，对他郑重其事地说道，“以上便是表面的事实。可是，川地谦三郎对这样结案并不满意，想必你也知道吧。川地谦三郎坚持认为，五味谨之助并非自杀，而是有人想杀死川地谦三郎而投的毒，这个人就是佐伯一郎，就是你。” 穿着退伍军人衣服的男人说到这里，停顿了下来，两眼紧紧地盯着佐伯一郎的脸。可是，佐伯一郎却面不改色，依然是一副虚脱的表情。紧张的沉默，在二人之间持续了一阵子。尽管开口打破这沉默的是佐伯一郎，不过他的语气却很疲倦。 “这么说，川地谦三郎有一种要被我杀掉的预感？” “对。可是，他说那是你的误解。” “误解？……”佐伯一郎的嘴唇极度扭曲起来。那分明是一副强抑愤怒的表情。他刚要张嘴说些什么，立刻又改了主意，闭上了嘴巴。 穿着退伍军人衣服的男人一面审视着他的脸色，一面说道：“川地谦三郎说，佐伯先生大概以为，在自己应征入伍期间，用暴力侵犯由美子，并致使由美子自杀的男人，就是川地谦三郎，可是那并不是他。” 佐伯一郎的嘴唇再次扭曲。 “可是，川地谦三郎怎么知道，我的妻子由美子自杀的原因……” “因为他听到了由美子的告白。听说由美子在自杀之前，找过川地谦三郎，把一切原因都说了出来。”穿着退伍军人衣服的男人突然大声地宣布着，“当时，川地谦三郎并未想到，由美子夫人会决意自杀，就放她回去了，事后想来实在遗憾至极。” 佐伯一郎的嘴唇再度异常扭曲，眼里现出可怕的光。他似乎正要放狠话，却忽然又改了主意，换成了慢吞吞的口气说道：“原来如此，假如真如你所说，是我给川地谦三郎下了毒，那么，我究竟是如何做到的呢？……你不是也说了，这种情况下，是不可能办到的。” “不，并非不可能。假如你自己也打算服毒自尽的话。” 突然，佐伯一郎的眼睛里，闪过一道锐利的光，犹如在黑暗中，散开的烟花一样耀眼。 穿着退伍军人衣服的男人讷讷地说道：“问题还是出在那根头发上，那正是有毒杯子的记号。这一点当时警察们也想到了，不过，由于并没有深入调查，结果就被谜底蒙住了眼睛。那根头发不只漂在了五味谨之助拿给川地谦三郎的杯子里面，剩下的两杯中都漂着，就是说剩下的两个杯子中，都下了毒，所以，川地谦三郎无论拿哪个杯子，都一定会喝到带毒的酒。因为，你打算等川地谦三郎喝完酒之后，自己也服毒自尽。你打算跟川地同归于尽。” 佐伯一郎使劲地喘着粗气，额头上渗出豆大的汗珠。他用一种异样的眼神，凝视着对方的脸。 “可是，就在连你也没有预料到的空袭闹剧的空隙里，川地谦三郎竞然把自己的杯子，跟五味谨之助的杯子调换了。调换的理由，正如当时川地谦三郎所说的那样，真的是因为漂着头发，让他感到了不适。可是，由于你的注意力也在一瞬间，被那空袭闹剧吸引了，没有能够注意到，酒杯被调包的事情；若是你发现的话，你肯定会找个借口，阻止五味谨之助去碰那杯酒。你正焦急地等待川地去喝那杯酒，可是五味竟先痛苦地挣扎起来，你吓了一跳，这才意识到出了差错，便急忙把自己杯中的东西，倒进了酒吧的水池里。为了避免留下氰化钾的痕迹，说不定你又用杜松子酒，涮了一下杯子，因为装着杜松子酒的瓶子，就在你的身边，大家的注意力，又全都被吸引到了五味谨之助的身上，所以，这一点从容，你还是有的。佐伯先生，这就是我解出的谜底，你对此怎么看呢？” 佐伯一郎眼睛里的光芒，越发强烈了起来，几乎就要燃烧起来。他目不转睛地盯着对方，不久，却无力地耷拉下肩膀，从喉咙深处，发出了低低的干笑声。那是无比阴森的笑声。 “唉嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿！唉嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿！唉嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿！……你果然是一个聪明的人。虽然我不知道，你究竟是什么地方的怪人，不过，你的确很聪明。连警察都未能解开的谜，你远在异乡，只是听别人说了说，就轻易地解开了。但是，老兄，你如果以为，我听了你的答案以后，会顿时大惊失色浑身发抖，那你可就大错特错了。我已经什么都不怕了，因为我早就做好了心理准备。唉嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿！唉嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿！唉嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿嘿！……” 佐伯一郎猖狂地冷笑着，两眼恶狠狠地盯着对面做退伍军人打扮的矮个子男人。 “没错，想杀掉川地谦三郎，地却错杀了五味谨之助的凶手就是我。我对不住五味谨之助，一直经受着良心上的谴责。当时我差一点就坦白了一切，可是，由于杀人的嫌疑，眼看着就要落到川地谦三郎的头上，我便决定坚守沉默。我虽然毒杀川地谦三郎失败，却很可能用杀人罪，把那家伙送上绞刑架。” “你要杀死川地谦三郎的动机是什么？” 佐伯一郎的脸上，忽然涌上怒色。他好歹才控制住情绪，说道：“解除兵役回来后，我被由美子那万分僬悴的样子，顿时惊呆了。我问她：是不是哪里不舒服，她回答说，哪里都很好。尽管如此，那天晚上，她还是拒绝了我的拥抱。我是那样满怀期待地回来，期待着由美子，不知道会有多么髙兴，可她还是顽强地拒绝了我，拒绝了我那令人心潮澎湃的爱抚。没错，她连续拒绝了我一个星期，最后就自杀了，连个遗言都没有留下。她死后，我才发现，她患上了严重的性病，这就休怪我想杀死川地了。” “于是，你就把这一切归罪于川地谦三郎？”穿着退伍军人衣服的男人遗憾地望着佐伯一郎。 “没错。除了他还能有谁……”佐伯一郎愤怒地大吼着，“我以前还曾看见过，由美子跟他接吻的样子。” “接吻……”穿着退伍军人衣服的男人不可思议地望着佐伯一郎。 “虽然说是接吻，也只是额头。我看到由美子抱着那个家伙，正吻他的额头。那肮脏的美少年，敢玩弄我的女人！……” 说大这里，佐伯一郎的牙齿咬得咯咯响。 穿着退伍军人衣服的男人同情地注视着佐伯一郎的脸，忽然，他竞说起另一件事来。 “佐伯先生，那么，你知道川地谦三郎当时，为什么会带着氰化钾吗？……”穿着退伍军人衣服的男人望着佐伯一郎问，“川地先生当时曾敷衍说，那是为防万一用来自杀的，这当然是胡说八道了。川地谦三郎当时也想杀死一个人，只是最终缺乏实施的勇气。” “我知道，是打算杀我。我也察觉到了这一点，于是我就先下手为强……” “不，你错了。”穿着退伍军人衣服的男人摇着头说，“川地盯上的并不是你，而是五味谨之助。” “五味谨之助？……”佐伯一郎突然喘不上气来，“浑蛋，他为什么要杀掉五味谨之助？” “当然是为了给由美子小姐报仇。”穿着退伍军人衣服的男人一脸严肃地喊着，“佐伯先生，暴力侵犯由美子小姐，并且使她自杀的，就是五味谨之助啊。” “畜生，你撒谎！……”佐伯一郎突然激动地大叫起来，发疯般发出恶毒的笑声，“啊哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈！啊哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈！啊哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈！……人啊，为什么到最后一瞬间，还要说谎呢。就算他说的是真的，就算让由美子悲惨死去的，是那个五味谨之助，他又有什么义务，要给她报仇呢？……胡扯、胡扯，完全是胡扯！……啊哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈！啊哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈！啊哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈！……” 等对方的情绪平复下来以后，穿着退伍军人衣服的男人平静地说道：“佐伯先生，你刚才说过，川地谦三郎接近由美子小姐的时候，你曾经雇佣过私家侦探，调查过他的来历，对吧。假如你继续追本溯源，连他的出身都调查一下，恐怕你就不会产生那样的误解了。” 佐伯一郎顿时一惊，转头望着那个穿着退伍军人衣服的男人，但见那个穿着退伍军人衣服的男人轻轻地点了点头，长长地叹息一声，神色中满是惋惜与悲凉之情。 “没错。假如你那么做了，应该就会发现，川地谦三郎的生母跟由美子的生母，本来是同一个人。” “什……什……什么？”佐伯一郎惊异地张大了两只眼睛。 “你刚才说过，由美子的生母在她两岁的时候，就跟情夫私奔了，对吧？……由美子的生母跟着那个男人逃到了横滨，在那里生下了川地谦三郎先生。由美子和川地都知道这件事，可由于川地当时品行不端，她就一直没有告诉你。川地谦三郎在国内或许是品行不端，可是在战场上，他却是个有良心的士兵。为了把这件事情告诉你，而且，我想你一定因为五味谨之助的死，而一直遭受良心上的自责，为了告诉你真相，我才来到这里。” 那个穿着退伍军人衣服的男人长叹一声，慢慢地站了起来，他的身子沐浴着身后渐渐沉落的夕照余霞。 . “你跟川地谦三郎先生，你们费了两个人的气力，尽管很偶然，可是，还是为由美子完成了复仇。”穿着退伍军人衣服的男人笑着，朝佐伯一郎点了点头，一面徐徐地走近了佐伯一郎，向他伸出手来，“佐伯先生，能在这里遇见你，实在是一件幸运的事情。说句老掉牙的话，这大概也是由美子小姐引荐的吧。川地先生托付给我的使命，就此完成了，再见了！……” 那个穿着退伍军人衣服的男人，对佐伯一郎说完了这番话，摇晃着帆布背包，缓缓地后退了几步，朝佐伯一郎微微地施了个礼，拨开杂草，便从废墟中走了出去。 等到那个穿着退伍军人衣服的男人从陡坡上，走下十几米远的时候，佐伯一郎这才如梦方醒，忽然叫住他：“啊，请等一下……请问你的尊姓大名？” “我？……你问我吗？……我叫金田一耕助，现在是一个微不足道之人。”那个穿着退伍军人衣服的男人笑着挥了挥手，“但是不久之后，我一定会扬名天下，誉满东瀛！……” 在废墟中暮色苍茫的陡坡上，金田一耕助一面把帆布背包摇来晃去，一面急匆匆地向下走去，他这匆匆的步伐，正是为了赶赴濑户内海的一个孤岛——狱门岛，去了结那里的一桩惊天大案。