Chapter 5 chapter Five

Ajika Masahiro in the green compartment of the limited express train bound for Osaka.The net pocket on the back of the seat in front contained things left by the previous passenger—five or six local newspapers were randomly stuffed into the pocket.The next seat is empty.The air-conditioning is quite sufficient. After Oishi, Hirayama and Ohara send Mioka to the train, they will take the last train back to Tokyo.From the station where the hot springs are located to Kyoto, it takes about two hours.On the luggage rack above the seats were golf bags and suitcases that Hirayama and Xiaoyuan helped carry up.

As soon as Ajika got into the car, he remembered all the things he had with Jin Mi last night, and what Jin Mi said.He never thought of going back to the hot spring after the golf club before, but he accidentally agreed to Jin Mi's request.What concerned Mioka was that the "Yamashita" that Jin Mi was talking about - the man who claimed to be the "Supreme Advisor to the Politician", he always felt that it was the dead body that appeared on the roof of the Shenbang Building on June 10, Liu Yuan Kosuke. According to the newspaper, the police learned after investigation that one month before the body was found, that is, on May 11th, Yanagihara Kosuke held a hand with the words "Senior House Member Takao Yuji Support Club Gifu Takao Club Executive Director Yanagihara Mitsumaro" I went to the headquarters of Nai Nai Precision Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Jinqiao, and met the accounting director of the other party. He claimed that a foreign-funded group had about 20 billion yen in spare cash, and asked him if he was interested in taking out a loan.After the other party refused, he left the company and disappeared.

Could it be that during this month, Yanagihara Kosuke was lurking in Karino Hot Spring under the pseudonym "Yamashita"?The reason for saying "lurking" is that on March 16, he used a false real estate transaction (the land used for the construction of the golf course) to defraud the deposit and handling fee from Yasuhara Trading Co., Ltd. in Nihombashi, totaling Nine million yen.The victim has sued him for fraud. However, he then went to Tokyo and came to Kyobashi, which is one step away from Nihonbashi, and provided a new "loan" to Nai Nai Precision Machinery Manufacturing Co.

Jin Mi said that "Yamashita" has no good geisha in the hot springs, but Mioka doesn't think so, but Jin Mi can't easily reveal her name. "Yamashita" should be staying in a first-class local hotel, and it's no big deal for Jin Mi to reveal some details.If "Yamashita" is Yanagihara Kosuke, then he should have nine million in his pocket—that's exactly what he cheated from Yasuhara Shoji on March 16.Even if he didn't bring all nine million with him, he should still have enough for him to squander. Mioka is interested in "Yamashita" and even more interested in the "senator" above him.If "Yamashita" is Yanagihara Takasuke, then he should have some kind of connection with Senator Takao Yuuji.On the surface, Takao's secretary is quite dissatisfied with Liuyuan's bluffing and deceiving with the business card of "Takao Yuji Support Club", but there must be a deeper connection between Liuyuan and Takao.

Takao is a director of the route working group of the ruling party's Political Affairs Review Committee.Jushi Tangming also has some kind of unimaginable influence on the Ministry of Finance-are the two involved? Of course, it was neither Takao nor Jushi who appeared at the Karino Onsen Hotel with "Yamashita".It must be a subordinate or agent of the two of them.This is also the part that Mioka is most interested in. Mioka has verbally promised Kaneya that he will visit Karino Onsen again after the golf club at Lake Biwa is over and other chores are done.Ajika also wanted to see Kimiya again - to taste her body again.

After making up his mind, Ajika's mood calmed down a lot, and his sleepiness gradually became stronger.After all, he didn't have much rest last night. When I opened my eyes again, the green paddy fields had replaced the mountains and roads.Judging from the shape of the hills in the distance, the train has entered Shiga Prefecture.However, Mioka still had to endure thirty minutes in the cramped seat. Bored, he took out the tourist brochure from the net pocket in front of him—it was also left by the previous guest. He flipped through the photos and articles in the brochure about Hokuriku's scenery, pottery, festivals, and food.Among the food, Hokuriku's specialty "sweet shrimp" is also introduced.

This kind of shrimp is red when alive, and has a sweet taste when eaten raw.This dish was also served at the dinner at Fengzhuang last night, and the geisha also introduced a few words. When he heard "sweet shrimp" last night, Ajika didn't realize what the problem was, but today he felt deja vu.Moreover, the first time he saw this word was not on fine copperplate paper such as tourist brochures and travel guides, but on rougher paper... "Ah!" Mioka couldn't help shouting. It's that newspaper! The results of the autopsy showed that the food in the victim's stomach was half digested, indicating that he had eaten a meal within two hours before he was strangled (it was speculated that the murder weapon was twine, but it was not found at the scene), and that meal contained sweet shrimp.

Mioka could feel his heart beating violently, which made him worry.The doctor once reminded him that the excess fat in his body had already surrounded his heart, and the situation was not optimistic. Strange, why didn't he think of that report before?Other big facts about Yanagihara Kosuke, which attracted his attention, overshadowed this subtle clue. The forensic doctor speculated that Yanagihara Takasuke died three days before the body was found.The body was found at 5:10 p.m. on June 10 in the machinery room on the roof of the Shenbang Building.According to reports, the autopsy was completed four hours later, which means that Yanagihara Takasuke was killed on June 7.Two hours before he was killed, he had eaten sweet shrimp...

Shrimp can be caught in the Sea of ​​Japan in the Hokuriku and San'in regions.Mioka was almost sure that Yanagihara Kosuke must have eaten sweet shrimp at Karino Onsen. Kosuke Yanagihara was not killed in Tokyo, but in or around Karino Onsen, because he was killed within two hours of eating sweet shrimp. Let's say he's on a plane to Tokyo right after he eats the sweet prawns.It takes one and a half hours by car from Karino Onsen to K Airport. Even if he got on the plane as soon as he arrived at the airport, it would take him an hour to arrive in Tokyo, so it is impossible for him to die in Tokyo within two hours after eating the sweet shrimp.

In other words, Yanagihara Kosuke was transported to Tokyo after his death.The day before the body was discovered, that is, at 8:10 p.m. on June 9, three people pretending to be employees of a construction company disguised the body as "air conditioner material" and moved it into the Shenbang Building.They tricked the building guards and stuffed a sack of "cargo" into the roof mechanical room.Yanagihara was killed on the seventh day, two days was enough time for the murderers to transport the body from Karino Onsen to Tokyo by car. 1. Killed→June 7th (autopsy results) 2. Transport the corpse to the Shenbang Building → around 8:10 p.m. on the 9th

3. Discovery of the body → around 5:10 p.m. on the 10th The one who transported the corpse from Karino Onsen to Tokyo should not be the group of uniformed men who transported the corpse into the Shenbang Building, but someone else who brought the corpse to Tokyo or the surrounding area, and the rest was handed over to the group of uniformed men Finish…… Ajika could feel his face turning pale.Just now he felt the air conditioner was blowing cool air, but now that he put on the coat hanging by the window, he still felt chilly. He decided not to go to Karino Onsen after playing golf.He was afraid to find out some details from Jin Mi.Karino Hot Spring is too dangerous, there is no need to take the initiative to die.Now that he has discovered the subtlety, he shouldn't set foot in the hot spring again. Mioka arrived in Kyoto and took a taxi to the hotel near Higashiyama.A gloomy mood accompanied him all the time. He registered his name at the front desk.The employee standing at the counter handed him the room key and a small envelope after seeing him sign. "Sir, someone left a message for you." "Really?" Holding the golf bag in one hand and the suitcase in the other, the doorman stood at the elevator entrance with Mioka and waited for the elevator. Ajika opened the envelope and glanced at the inscription at the end of the article——Kinya.They just parted ways this morning, and they didn't expect her message to arrive at the hotel earlier than Mioka.The most amazing thing is that Ajika did not tell Kim Mi his name or the name of his company. The elevator doors opened.Mioka chased the doorman in, and he stuffed the note with the message in his pocket, and walked unsteadily into the elevator.There were seven or eight people in the elevator, including a few foreigners, so Mioka couldn't take a second look. He finally understood how Jin Mi found him.After the geisha stayed with them for the night, the hotel also had to confess to them the true identity of the guests. Xiao Yuan returned to Fengzhuang after seeing off Mioka, but was caught by Jin Mi, and after all kinds of questioning, he finally found out the name of Hotel K.Jin Mi also specifically emphasized "don't blame him" in the letter.Jin Mi's vision for seeing people was really precise, and he could tell at a glance that Xiao Yuan would slip up.Having said that, Ajika really couldn't reprimand Ohara.After all, Mioka also has his weakness. He got off the elevator on the ninth floor and walked down the long corridor.The golf bag dangled from the shoulder of the doorman in front of him.They turned a corner.The doorman opens one of the doors with a key, allowing the guest to enter the room and showing the interior of the room.Leather sofas and chairs circled the table and took up half the room.The other half of the room has two single beds.The obese Mioka always feels that the single room makes him breathless, so every time he goes out, he will book a double room.One of the beds was covered with a comforter, the other had been made by the maid and a nightgown had been placed on it. The doorman put away the ball bag and suitcase, opened the door of the toilet and bathroom, checked it, and then introduced the various components of the room to Mioka. Ajika stood there absent-mindedly, promised twice from time to time, and then gave him some tips.After the doorman left, Ajika did not intend to sit down.He took the note out of his pocket and read it again.Of course, those words were written by the person at the front desk, and the time of the phone call was also attached, three and five minutes past. Three past five—that's when Oishi, Hirayama, and Ohara got on the train.It seems that Jin Mi made the call after sending the three of them away. Please follow the agreement and come to Karino Onsen.I have something to tell you. Hot springs are certainly dangerous, but what Jin Mi wanted to say also aroused Mioka's interest.Could it be about "Yamashita" - Kosuke Yanagihara?But why did Jin Mi change her mind and decide to tell Wei Gang?Even though Ajika didn't know what Kimiya was going to say, he still wanted to hear it. Mioka recalled what happened with Jin Ya last night.It was not a memory, but a residual feeling in his body, the deep marks left by his hands and feet wrapped around his body, and it seemed that he could still feel a trace of tenderness on the back of his neck and waist.She complimented his body and said she couldn't forget the joy of that time. Could it be because of the love that night that Jinya asked Ajika to go to the hot spring?Maybe she wanted to experience that feeling of being in a celestial state again.Thinking of this, Ajika couldn't help but be moved.Moreover, a woman who is obsessed with a man's body is willing to say anything in order to please him.When did Kosuke Yanagihara, whose alias was "Yamashita", met at the hotel in Karino Onsen, who he met, and whether he had eaten sweet shrimp—Kim Yadou would tell everything. Before seeing Jinya's message, Ajika had decided that Karino Onsen was a dangerous place, and decided not to go back to the hot spring.It is undeniable that Karino Onsen is indeed a little scary for Mioka.However, is he a little nervous and overestimated the danger of hot springs?In fact, a trip to the hot springs is not a big deal.Go see Kim Mi.No matter how scary the hot spring is, there is still Jin Mi on her side, after all, she has fallen in love with Mioka.Hot spring geishas are very familiar with the local conditions and must have a wide network of contacts. Wei Gang's rationality told him to think carefully and think about whether to go to the hot spring again.However, his feelings are like the spring water gushing out from under the boulder, which is unstoppable. He didn't have to make a decision tonight, there was tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.We'll see when the time comes—his self-control only delays his decision. Ajika finally calmed down.He sat on the leather chair, picked up the water bottle on the table, and poured some hot water into the teapot.There is a tea bag in the kettle.He shook the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea.The air conditioner in the room is too strong, making it a bit chilly. It was dinner time, and Mioka didn't want to eat at the hotel restaurant, nor did he want to go to the small restaurant in Kiyamachi that he frequented.It's troublesome to go anywhere.Which hotel will Jushi Tangming stay in tonight?The golf club on Lake Biwa will start at nine o'clock tomorrow morning.According to the notice from the organizer Nanyuan Club, they will gather in the club hall at 8:30.So Jushi should have come to Kyoto. Mioka thought to himself, could he also live in this hotel?If he couldn't see Jushi in the restaurant, he should also ask the front desk about Jushi's room, after all, it's better to come and say hello. So he immediately called the front desk. "Please wait a moment." The front desk employee checked the registration book and replied, "Mr. Jushi is not staying in our hotel, and we have not received any news of his appointment." "That's it, then..." He wanted to use the names of other members of the Nanyuan Society to ask.He didn't want to inquire about government officials, although he could guess who would be there.He has nothing to talk to them about now.Before the golf club, members of the Nanyuan Club met with government officials without authorization-this is the most intolerable thing for Jushi Tangming.Other Nanyuanhui members, such as Keiichi Naruse of the Daito-gumi construction, may also live here.Thinking of this, he changed his mind and said to the person at the front desk: "Forget it, let's do it like this." After finishing speaking, he hung up the phone, got up and went to the bathroom. He didn't want to see Naruse tonight.Of course, Naruse didn't know that after he left Jushidomei's office that day, Ajika sneaked into the office while Miyoko Sawada was away.But Mioka still wanted to avoid him.After all, that happened forty minutes before Kosuke Yanagihara's body was discovered, and the timing was too unfortunate. Although he didn't want to see Naruse, but if Takeo Nakahara of Kyorong Construction lived here, he would still like to see him.He is not as good at playing tricks as Naruse, and is more honest, so you don't have to be wary of dealing with him, and it will be more relaxed and happy to have a drink together.Okay, let's ask the front desk if Zhongyuan is in this hotel later. Ajika's eyes suddenly stopped on the white pottery in front of him.There is a flower in the pottery. Ajika was stunned. It was a gerbera flower. Mioka saw that it was a delicate artificial flower, but the fear in his heart remained unchanged.He returned to the room and sat down on the sofa, but his eyes stayed on the trousers unknowingly.Of course, he didn't bump into the vase of fake flowers, and the petals of the fake flowers didn't stick to his trouser legs. Ajika had mixed feelings.He felt more and more unhappy.Roses, tulips, pansies... what kind of flowers are not good to put, but gerberas.Thinking of this, Ajika became even more furious. Before he leaves the hotel tomorrow morning, he'll have to put up with the offending gerbera flower every time he goes into the bathroom.He originally wanted to be patient, after all, he only stayed here for two nights.However, he had already discovered the gerbera flower, and the horrible memories of that day were always lingering in his mind. How about going to the shared restroom in the hallway?But will there also be a vase with gerbera flowers over there? Mioka fidgeted and decided to check it out himself.He left the room and went into the hallway.The bathroom is far from his room.It would be nice to have sudden jitters at night... but that was better than seeing that unpleasant thing in the room. Open the silk curtain at the door of the bathroom and take a look - three white pottery placed neatly, and three gerbera flowers stand proudly under the light. What kind of hotel is this!Ajika fled back to the room as if flying.He quickly smoked a cigarette to calm his mind.However, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to go to the toilet.Obviously only visited once thirty minutes ago... What can I do... and spend the whole night in the room.A trace of fear arises spontaneously. Mioka made up his mind. He stood up abruptly and rushed to the toilet.Gerbera was motionless, looking at him hostilely from within the white pottery. Ajika and Gerbera stared at each other for three minutes. He plucked the slender flower out of the bottle and snapped off the stem.However, the flower stem is made of steel wire and cannot be broken, it is just bent by Mioka.The flowers and leaves are made of synthetic resin, which is very hard but falls off the stem easily.Soon, a flower stem folded into three sections, a dozen petals and three leaves appeared in Ajika's hands. Seeing that there were no flowers in the pottery, Mioka finally felt relieved.He no longer has to worry about something that will bring back that horrible memory, and he no longer has to worry about these boring things. Ke Weigang faced a new problem: how should he deal with the remains of the flower in his hand?It can't be thrown into the trash can in the room, can it?After leaving the room tomorrow morning, the maid who cleans the room will find out.She'd probably report to the front desk that someone had vandalized something in the room.Although it is just a decorative flower in the toilet, maybe the front desk will not take it too seriously, but news of someone playing a prank will spread in the hotel.The dignified Sunstar construction executive actually destroyed the things in the room after getting drunk... Moreover, it was a fake flower in the toilet, which is really strange. Nor can he hide flowers in the corner of the closet or under the rug.In the end, he put the flowers in the envelope given to him by the hotel front desk, opened the suitcase, and stuffed it under the change of clothes.Find a suitable place to throw it away when you go out tomorrow. The cleaner will find that the little flower is missing from the toilet, but she won't be able to find out where the remains of the flower are either—because there is no evidence of damage to the flower.How could the executive of a large construction company steal the fake flowers in the toilet?There must be something wrong.The hotel will surely bring a spare flower from storage immediately.After all, for hotels, it is just one of many consumables. Just as Mioka was thinking about the problem, the phone rang. "Is this Mr. Mioka?" the person on the other end of the phone asked.As soon as you hear that unique voice, you know that it is the Central Plains Wufu of Gongrong Construction. "Ah, good evening," Mioka said happily, just about to see Nakahara, "where are you now?" Mioka thought he was somewhere in Kyoto City. "Room 521, fifth floor." Zhong Yuan is in this hotel. "Oh, I really didn't know you lived here too. When did you arrive?" "An hour ago." "Me too. What about the others?" He was referring to the other members of the Nanyuan Club who were going to the golf club tomorrow. "I don't know about that," Zhong Yuan prevaricated, "I have something to tell you, can I take about ten minutes of your time? The front desk has already told me your room number. I guess you will stay here." "Yes, not to mention ten minutes, thirty minutes is fine. How about having dinner together?" "Unfortunately, I just had supper. You haven't had it yet, have you? . . . I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that you might live here, too, until after supper." "Ah, so, why don't you come to my room?" "Okay, I promise I won't take up too much of your time." Zhong Yuan's tone was very polite. Ajika didn't think too much, just sat in the room obediently and waited for Zhongyuan's arrival.Perhaps he had heard that some official would be there tomorrow.Before arriving at the golf course, the participating officials and their departments are kept secret, which is also the consistent practice of Jushi Tangming.However, if some information can be obtained in advance, it can be targeted. Mioka and the others knew very well that this golf club was related to the toll sightseeing roads in J and R counties.The project will be jointly contracted by several companies, so large construction companies must work together. Even if they can see officials at the stadium, they don't talk about work or imply attitudes.However, this is after all a secret meeting organized by Jushi Tangming, and it would be best if we could know in advance which officials would be present. Jushi Tangming should have arrived in Kyoto.Keiichi Naruse from Daito-gumi construction should also be here.After all, there will be a golf club tomorrow morning.Ajika also wanted to know where they all lived.If the Central Plains knows, you can also inquire about it. There was a knock on the door, and Ajika stood up to open the door.Oval face, big nose, deep wrinkles engraved on both sides.Forty-four or five-year-old Zhong Yuan has a gentle and mature personality, and he speaks very slowly. "You've worked hard." Nakahara said to Mioka who had just finished a business trip.After getting Mioka's permission, Nakahara sat down on the chair. "Oh, your room is really nice and spacious enough." Zhong Yuan sighed after looking around for a week.It appears he may have been in a single room. "You also know that I'm fat, and I always feel aggrieved living in a double room." Mioka explained. Seeing Wei Gang hastily defending himself, Zhongyuan suspects that Wei Gang is hiding in the golden house. "Mr. Mioka, we both arrived at the hotel at about the same time. Maybe we took the same Shinkansen." It seemed that Nakahara was going to chat for a while. "No, no, I'm not from Tokyo. I was on a business trip in another place yesterday. There's something wrong with the branch." Ajika only said that there was something wrong with the "branch", but he didn't say what it was.He also didn't want to make the lie too big, so that the lie wouldn't come true afterwards. "Ah, that's right. I thought you came directly from Tokyo, so you must be exhausted?" "It's okay, it's okay, thank you for your concern." Weigang cleared his throat, and was about to pick up the cold teacup in front of him, when he suddenly had an idea, "Look, I don't have anything to entertain you here. Shall we go to the coffee shop downstairs to talk?" "It's okay, let's talk here, you don't need to pay too much attention to these things. Oh, by the way, you haven't had dinner yet? I'll leave as soon as I finish speaking, it won't delay you for a long time." "I'm not too hungry, so I'm not in a hurry to eat. Just talk slowly." He also wanted to ask Zhong Yuan something. "Thank you very much...Actually, Mr. Mioka...I have something to ask you." Nakahara finally got to the point. "Oh? What's the matter?" "I was having dinner at the restaurant just now, and I didn't expect to see Mr. Sueyoshi. It's Yusuke Sueyoshi from Koto Construction! Could it be that you brought him here?" Surprised, Mioka raised his head and said, "What? Sueyoshi Yusuke is here?" He stared blankly at Nakahara. "Yes. But there were a lot of people in the restaurant at that time, and I was far away from him, so he didn't seem to see me. He seemed to be eating with other people... But I recognized the white hair when I saw it he came." Ajika was furious.Sue Kichi Yusuke actually chased him here.He knew that Nanyuan would hold a golf club tomorrow. "I didn't bring him here, he found it himself." Ajika blushed with anger, as if Sueyoshi was standing right in front of him. "yes……?" Nakahara was frightened by the aggressive Ajika. "That's right! How could I do such a stupid thing. You know, he must have heard about the golf club from somewhere, so he came to Kyoto and asked me to introduce him to the club. He has already asked I've done it many times, maybe he thinks I'm incapable of doing things, so this time I'll do it myself... It's really annoying." Sueyoshi's stubbornness overwhelmed Mioka.His greasy face was getting closer and closer to Mioka. "The last time we met on DATE", didn't that person come to see you?It was the day I went to the teacher's office. "Nakahara mentioned what happened on the rainy day. "That's the kind of person he is, a stalker." "Really...then you didn't bring him here?" Nakahara looked at Ajika's expression and finally dispelled the doubts in his heart. "Of course not!" "Then I'm relieved. On the day we met on DATE, Sueyoshi asked you to introduce him to the club, right?"When I first saw him in the restaurant, I thought it was because you couldn't stand his repeated requests and brought him here.If that's the case, I'll have to ask you what you mean.After all, if someone like him were to enter the Nanyuan Association, the order of the entire organization would be destroyed.Now the organization is full of large enterprises, and it has finally been coordinated. If such a person comes, God knows what will go wrong. " "I know, so I have been evading it all the time. I didn't think he was so shameless before, but this time he actually chased him to the capital... I don't know what he thinks. If he dares to come to me tomorrow, If you ask me to introduce him to join the club again, I will completely reject him. Before, I felt a little sympathetic to him and couldn't bear to reject him head-on, but now I finally understand that my kindness has been treated as a donkey's liver and lungs, hum." "I can also understand him. He wants to join the Nanyuan Club and take on some big projects, but his actions are really too thoughtless." Zhong Yuan unraveled the doubts in his heart and stretched his frowning brows.At the same time, he couldn't help sympathizing with Wei Gang's experience. "Hey, it's really bad luck for eight lifetimes to meet such a nervous man." Mioka could only respond with a wry smile. Zhong Yuan stood up and whispered, "Excuse me, can I borrow your toilet?" Could it be that he was too nervous before, once he relaxed... Mioka couldn't help feeling a little funny, but he still took him to the bathroom. When Mioka returned to his seat, he always felt that Sueyoshi was about to call or knock on his door, so he suddenly became nervous.Even Nakahara noticed that Mioka lived in this hotel and found out his room number.Sueyoshi, who can find out the date of the golf club, must be able to do the same. He just needs to call the secretarial section of the head office and ask the name of the hotel where Ajika is staying tonight.In other words, he could easily find out Ajika's room number.Seeing that Moji's hoarse voice is about to come from the other end of the phone, and that white hair and sweaty face is about to appear at the door... Thinking of this, Ajika didn't dare to leave the room casually.He remembered that he had bumped into Moji in the shopping street on the first floor of Shenbang Building, and he felt a chill down his spine. Nakahara stuffed the handkerchief into his pocket and walked back to the room. "Such a first-class hotel, there will be negligence." Zhong Yuan said. "What's wrong?" "Oh, it's nothing serious. My room is a single room, and the price is relatively cheap. Yours is a double room, and the area is also large. But there is a small flower in the toilet in my room, but you don't have it. It is a flower." Fake gerberas." "..." Ajika didn't know how to answer for a moment.He immediately thought of the suitcase in the corner of the room—with the remains of the flowers at the bottom. "Maybe the waiters forgot to put it. They are short-staffed and quite busy. But I thought that first-class hotels would definitely not have such omissions. I didn't expect to find out." "Maybe." Ajika put on a nonchalant expression, pretending not to be interested at all. After Zhong Yuan sat down, he stood up respectfully, put his feet together and said, "Then I won't bother you." "Oh, are you leaving now?" Wei Gang looked up at the other party, hiding the gloom in his heart with a smiling face. "I wanted to talk for five minutes and leave, but I didn't expect to talk for so long. I have to go back to the room to deal with some things, so I will leave first." "You really work hard..." "Actually not, I just brought some work here, and I want to settle it tonight, so that I can play golf in peace tomorrow... It's just that after seeing Mr. ...Mr. Mioka, please don't mind." Nakahara bowed his head and apologized. "Where is that, why would I mind? Sueji came here on his own terms, I can't introduce him to Teacher Jushi. I really can't stand that kind of stalking man, I'm so angry It's over." "Mister Mioka, I understand..." "By the way, which hotel does Teacher Jushi live in?" "I don't know either. The only thing that is certain is that it is definitely not this one. Maybe he is not in Kyoto at all, but lives in Osaka." "Oh... what about Naruse from the Daito-gumi construction?" "I don't know... Anyway, everyone will be here before 8:30 tomorrow morning." Zhong Yuan said good night and left the room. One more thing to worry about.Ajika thought so, and Nakahara found out that the fake flowers in the toilet were gone. Central Plains sowed a gloomy seed in Wei Gang's heart, although the probability that this seed will take root and germinate into a hidden danger is very small... It's all because Yusuke Suekichi, who was stalking and wanted to join the club, chased him to this hotel!Without Sueyoshi, Nakahara wouldn't have come to Mioka's room, and wouldn't have noticed the missing fake flowers. Ajika was furious, wishing to scold Suekichi well.Why wait in the room for him to show up?Furious, Ajika decided immediately to strike first! "We don't have a guest named Sueyoshi Yusuke here, and he didn't book our room..." The front desk replied after checking the registration book. Could it be that Zhongyuan has admitted the wrong person?No, the possibility of this is too small.Nakahara protested to Mioka because he was sure it was Sueyoshi. Could it be that Sueji didn't use his real name when he checked in?This possibility is also in doubt.There's no need for him to remain anonymous. If Suekichi didn't stay in this hotel, it could only mean that he came to the restaurant for dinner.Didn't Nakahara say he was eating with another person?Perhaps that person was a guest at the hotel, and it was he who invited Suekichi to come. Who would that be? Mioka couldn't understand it. He didn't know much about Yusuke Sueji's social circle. Mioka felt a little hungry and decided to go out for dinner. He originally wanted to order room service, but after thinking about it, it would be a bit bleak to eat alone in the room, but if he ran to the hotel restaurant, he might run into Sueyoshi Yusuke again.Of course, if he could see him, Mioka really wanted to take the opportunity to scold him, but thinking of his face, Mioka lost his confidence.That face full of grease, those huge eyes, that tone full of expectation and pleading... being begged by him like this, Mioka always had no time to get bored, and he was defeated first.It is best to avoid personal contact with him.In case Sueyoshi showed up at the club by Lake Biwa tomorrow morning, Mioka was ready to yell at him for being obsessive and rude, and then he could be dismissed with "busy playing".At that time, there will still be many members present, and it will not be as difficult to get out as when the two are alone. Ajika not only hated Sueyoshi, but was also a little afraid of him, that's why he didn't dare to go to the restaurant.Takeo Nakahara of Gongrong Construction met him while eating, and it has been a while, and Sueyoshi should not be in the restaurant anymore.But Mioka couldn't rule out the possibility that the white-haired head approached his desk and shouted "Executive...". It was too bleak to eat in the room by myself, and I couldn't go to the restaurant of the hotel, so I had to go out to eat.But that was just right—Ajika was thinking of going to a lively place for a change of mood. Not only that, but as long as he went out, he could dispose of the remains of the flowers at the bottom of the box.Although it was not a valuable item, it was the room equipment of the hotel after all, so it was better to dispose of it earlier.It was getting dark, and I was in Kyoto again, no one knew me, I just needed to take a taxi, and when the car drove into the small road, I threw things into the trash can of someone's house. Besides, he felt that if he stayed in the room any longer, he would receive a call from Suekichi.Mioka believed that Sueyoshi had already found out his room number from the front desk.The Zhongyuan of Gongrong Construction bumped into him in the restaurant, and this is the best evidence - he obviously lives in another hotel, but he came here to eat here, which means that he has mastered the whereabouts of Wei Gang. Mioka took out his notebook and dialed a number. "Hello, this is Plum Village" restaurant. "It was a woman who answered the phone. "I'm Ajika from Sunstar Construction." "Oh, thank you for your frequent patronage." "Excuse me, is the lady boss there?" A minute later, an elderly woman's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Oh, hello, executive, where are you free and easy?" "I'm at Hotel K, and I'm going to eat at your place." "Really, that's really great. How many guests are there?" "Only me." "Are you alone?" "yes." "That's so deserted. Shall I call two girls from Gion for you? Both Fangjiang and Ryuko should be able to come." "Let's talk about it next time. I'm just going to have a meal tonight. I'm starving to death." "Oh my god, how did you end up in this situation..." Mioka took out his jacket from the closet and put it on, and took out the envelope containing the remains of the flower from the suitcase and stuffed it into his pocket.The envelope held up his pocket, so he had no choice but to find a piece of paper, wrapped the envelope and held it in his hand. Before leaving the room, Ajika made another phone call back to Tokyo to his wife. "it's me." "Oh, are you calling from Kyoto?" "Is nothing wrong?" "No." "Did anyone call while I was away?" "There are five or six, but they all said they will call you when you come back." Ajika was most worried that he had been found out about the case of Shenbang Building. Fortunately, his wife's voice was as monotonous as usual, and it seemed that nothing serious happened. "When are you coming back?" "The day after tomorrow...but maybe one day later." He thought of Jin Mi's face again. “我明天要去镰仓一趟，老师要在蓬水庵举行茶会。”妻子说。 “哦，知道了，去吧。” “那就这样吧。”妻子主动挂断了电话。 味冈出门前把钥匙寄放在了前台。员工低头说道：“您一路走好。”味冈感觉他低头时看了看自己手中的纸包，赶忙用力将它捏紧。 他单手推开沉重的旋转门，见到门口站着一位门童。 “请问您需要出租车吗？”他也瞟了味冈的左手一眼，可是什么都没说。这只是他的职业习惯而已——要是客人手里有行李，他就需要帮忙把行李搬上车了。 味冈将目的地告知司机。见车子开动起来，味冈终于放心了。果然是做贼心虚。 最幸运的是，他没有碰到那颗叫人心烦的白头发脑袋。 他从口袋里掏出一根烟，用打火机点着火，深吸一口。出租车沿着缓缓的下坡路行驶，途中向左转去。长长的石墙与寺院的高墙交替出现，一路上都没什么灯光。能把假花丢在这儿，就没有后顾之忧了。然而，要是味冈突然命令司机停车，并下车湮灭证据，司机定会起疑。味冈把那纸包放在身旁的座位上。 他的妻子明天要去镰仓，估计要在那儿待上一整天时间。茶会就是这么麻烦。不过这样一来，味冈也不用为晚回家而内疚了。让妻子在家里干等一天总归不好，可要是她为了自己的兴趣爱好出门玩了一天，味冈也就不会产生负罪感了。 妻子电话中的一句话，就让味冈心中的天平朝“去温泉”的那边倾斜。金弥的确是个有魅力的女人。两人才共度一个夜晚，她就如此热情，这着实出乎味冈的意料。 再去见金弥一次吧。再和她睡一晚，享受一晚的温存吧。 味冈的情绪高涨起来，阴郁的情绪也恢复了不少。 而且金弥想说的话，也令味冈在意不已…… “客人，快到了，车子该停哪儿啊？” 眼前出现一条灯火通明的街道。味冈这才回过神来，透过窗户看了看外头的景色，总算明白了自己的位置。 “不好意思，就停这儿吧。” 司机看了一眼计价表，报出了车费的金额。味冈一看钱包，发现里头只有五百日元的纸币，却没有一千日元的。于是他只得掏出一张五千日元大钞递给中年的司机。 “您没有零钱吗？”司机皱了皱眉。 "No……" “这可怎么办……能不能请您去换些零钱啊？”司机坐在驾驶座上，一动不动地说道。 如果那是张千元纸钞，味冈也就不要他找了，可那毕竟是五千日元的大钞。司机打开车门后，味冈走下车，走进路旁的一家烟店。 烟店也花了好长时间才找出钱来。这时味冈忽然听见一声喇叭响。只见司机从窗口探出头来，不停地张望烟店里的情况。不过也难怪司机会不耐烦——后面的车都过不去了。 味冈将好不容易找出的零钱交给司机，司机一言不发地收下了。车门“砰”地一关，司机扬长而去。 味冈常去的小料理店，就在一条偏僻的小弄堂里。他每次来京都，都会光顾这里。如果要接待重要客人，他就会带客人去祗园的茶店。有时也会带相熟的艺妓去这家小料理店——就是刚才老板娘在电话里提到的芳江和龙子。 味冈拐进小弄堂，看见料理店门口的红灯笼后，突然站住了。 他猛地折回大马路，左顾右盼，可就是没有找到自己刚才坐的那辆出租车。 味冈呆立在原地，心跳不已。假花已经跟着出租车远去了。 天哪…… 他光顾着换钱，忘了拿座位上的假花。刚离开酒店的时候，他还满脑子都是假花的事情呢…… 那不是普通的假花，而是酒店的东西，司机也许会注意到。下一位乘客也许会提醒司机，司机就会明白，那是酒店上车的那位客人落下的，说不定还会送到酒店前台去。那种出租车平时都会等在酒店门口，司机也想和酒店搞好关系，这样对自己的生意也有好处。 味冈心想，这时要是平山和小原在自己身边就好了。两位年轻的部下反应迅速，肯定早就着手搜寻出租车的行踪了。他这才深切地体会到没有左膀右臂的孤独与悲哀，顿时怜悯起呆呆站在路边的自己来。 味冈已经没有心思再去料理店了。他找了个电话亭，给店里打了个电话，对接电话的女服务员说，自己突然有事去不了了，让她转告老板娘。 他转进另一条小弄堂，走进一家小小的中餐厅。他点了炒饭和炸肉丸，只是越吃越觉得寂寞难耐。 早知如此就叫客房服务，不出门了。味冈追悔莫及。 下一个乘客会不会把东西交给司机呢？不，那只是些假花的碎片罢了，肯定会嗤之以鼻，丢出窗外吧。即便乘客把东西给了司机，司机肯定也会采取同样的行动。 想到这儿，味冈的心情平静了不少。然而，“最糟糕的可能性”没过多久又杀了回来。 要是酒店前台知道了，自己该如何解释？最麻烦的是，那是厕所里的东西。虽然他可以谎称那花本来就坏了，他觉得碍眼就丢掉了，可是酒店员工肯定会想，你为什么不直接丢到垃圾桶里呢？何必特地拿到酒店外头去呢？问题并不在于“假花”。味冈带走的，是“厕所里的装饰品”。 味冈打车回到酒店。他鼓足勇气才推开旋转门，走了进去。已经十点多了，大堂没几个人。灯也关了一半。 站在柜台旁边的门童扫了味冈一眼，依旧睡眼惺忪。 “您回来啦！”前台员工微笑着取出他的钥匙，放在柜台上，“祝您晚安。” 味冈走下电梯，沿着走廊回到房间。他并不觉得自己已经摆脱了危险，毕竟出租车司机随时可能把假花的碎片送回酒店。 味冈忽然想到，他可以偷公共厕所里的假花——那儿一共有三朵假花，少了一朵，也不会知道是谁干的。 明天早上，要是前台打电话来说，出租车司机把假花送回来了，他也能理直气壮地告诉对方：“我房间里有假花啊，不相信的话你们大可上来看看。”他还能补充一句说，“是司机搞错了吧？呵呵。” 然而，味冈依然郁闷。连朵小小的假花都处理不好，这令他的心情万分沉重。 味冈被电话铃声吵醒。 他以为已经天亮了——因为他交代过酒店交换台六点半电话叫早。 然而，厚重窗帘的缝隙一片漆黑。味冈拿起床头柜上的手表一看，现在只有十一点半。电话就在两张床之间的床头柜上，铃声就在耳边。 他以为自己已经睡了很久，没想到根本没过多少时间。味冈目不转睛地盯着铃声不断的电话机…… 谁会在这个时间打电话？味冈首先想到了前台。可能是司机把假花送回来了。然而前台总不会为了这种小事半夜打扰客人休息吧？那也太没礼貌了。 他又想到了末吉祐介。末吉肯定知道他的房间号码。味冈之前还纳闷他怎么没打电话来呢。死皮赖脸的末吉，说不定想要来房间拜访味冈。倘若真是如此，味冈就能用“时间已晚”拒绝他了。电话里先拒绝他一次，明天早上去湖畔的高尔夫球场之前，再把他叫到大堂，好好骂他一顿。那样味冈也能骂得出口。 然而，要是打电话的真是末吉，他为何不早些打来？末吉一路追他到京都，不就是为了让味冈介绍他进南苑会吗？为什么他会将这个主要目的放在一边，却和别人优哉游哉地吃晚饭呢？共荣建设的中原武夫是六点半在餐厅见到他的，那已经是五个小时之前的事情了。由此可见，打电话来的，也许不是末吉。 味冈又想，会不会是公司里的人有急事要联系他？可半夜三更的，有什么急事需要扰人清梦呢？ 莫非是妻子从家里打来的电话？是孩子突然生病了？或是遇到了交通事故？还是亲戚朋友病危、病故了？可妻子平时很少在自己出差的时候打电话。 味冈凝视着响个不停的电话机，仿佛那是悬疑电影里一幕场景一般。一分钟时间里，味冈在脑海中对电话的来源进行了推理。 他终于接了电话。 “村上从刈野打来的电话。”深夜时分，在交换台值班的是个男人。 “刈野的村上？” “要为您接通吗？” “刈野？是R县的刈野吗，就是刈野温泉的那个……” “对，就是R县的刈野。”对方以为味冈同意接通电话了，便回答道，“那我就给您接通了。” 听筒那头传来接线员接驳线路的声音。不一会儿…… “喂喂，”打电话的是个女人，“请问是味冈先生吗？是味冈专务吗……？” Huh?竟然是金弥打来的。从那慢吞吞的语气来看，她又喝醉了。 “我就是味冈。” “是我啊，金弥。” "Oh……" “什么哦"啊，好无情啊您……莫非您屋里有别人？ " “没有，没别人。”味冈无可奈何地说道。 “味冈先生，这才是您的真名吧？还是我从旅馆那儿打听来的呢。又用假名，又骗我是什么机械公司的，真过分。” “这……不是这样的……” “连名字都不告诉我，还说要再来温泉一次，那肯定是骗我的吧？” “我只是没机会把名字告诉你罢了……” “骗人，骗人！您以为我这么好骗呀……嗯……我好像有点醉了……晚上又是啤酒又是日本酒又是杂烩面条的……”原本高亢的声音忽然松了下来。 “你是从哪儿打来的？” “家里啊，刚从梅乃屋回来呢。啊，我还给您住的酒店留话了呢，您收到了吗？” “啊，收到了。” “我又是留言，又是半夜打电话的，您是不是觉得我这个温泉艺妓特别难缠呀？” “你是不是喝醉了？” “是啊，可我也是酒后吐真言嘛，有女人这么喜欢您，您就不开心吗？” “我是觉得挺感动的。” “呵呵，感动呀？”金弥的笑声从听筒那头传来，“要是您来了温泉呀，我就让您更加感动。” 隔壁两间房间都没有任何响声。走廊也是一片寂静。味冈感觉前台的人仿佛在交换台偷听电话的内容。 “喂喂，能听见吗？” “嗯，能听见。你能不能说轻点儿？” “人家喝醉了嘛，有什么办法。又不是什么坏事，您就忍忍吧，您要是来了，我就告诉您个秘密。” “什么秘密？” “电话里可不好说，留着枕边告诉您吧，呵呵……” “你这是在勾引我吗？” “人家喜欢您嘛。虽然我们不过是露水情人，可我已经忘不了您了。光是听您的声音，我就欲火焚身呀……真是奇怪……” “喂，你说够了没有啊！” “人家会告诉您一些有趣的传闻和情报嘛……” “哦？是有关那个山下先生的吗？”味冈不禁抖动双腿，使劲抓住听筒。莫非金弥要说的，是有关潜伏在刈野温泉、化名“山下”的柳原孝助的事情？ “也许吧，可我好害怕说这些呀……”她的语气中也带着一丝胆怯。 “害怕？” “是啊，好可怕好可怕哦……刈野温泉有很可怕的人在……” 味冈忽然想起，从金弥昨晚的口吻来看，来到刈野温泉的“山下”，可能有一顶强大的保护伞。 “啊，话说你们那儿有甜虾吧？” “甜虾？怎么说起这个啦？甜虾是我们这儿的特产啊，要多少有多少。您倒是说说，您准备什么时候过来呀？” “后天吧。”味冈下定决心。 “后天？后天几时啊？” “估计到你那儿也该傍晚了。对了，枫庄我昨天刚去过，最好换别家。有没有什么不引人注目的小旅馆？” “嗯，”金弥停顿了一会儿说道，“那就去海潮苑吧。那就后天了，说定了哦！” "Ok." “我去帮您订房间吧。嗯，这回帮您用假名订。” 金弥还把自家电话号码告诉了味冈。看来她是动了真格了……