Chapter 11 chapter Ten

On the day after the meeting between Osaka and Hagino, Nakayama was allowed to meet with Kuniyoshi, and after the meeting with Nakayama, Kuniyoshi's attitude changed drastically, and he began to confess the whole process of the baseball betting incident.According to Kuniyoshi's self-confession, many facts were revealed, but what shocked the world the most was the murder confession about Yajima's murder. Everyone believed that Mukai was the murderer of the Yajima murder, but the real murderer was Kuniyoshi! And because of the disclosure of new facts, the whole picture of this series of events has an entirely different meaning.

The day after Kuniyoshi's self-confession shocked the whole of Japan, Dongdu Sports News published the report of Nakayama's signature for the first time. The title of this report is "White Afterimage - The Real Life of Mukai Kenichi", which is Zhongshan's masterpiece, fully expressing his enthusiasm and concern for Mukai and college baseball. ——White afterimage (Mukai Kenichi's real life)—— The impact of the improper behavior of Shinkoen and Narashino Nishi, a famous college baseball school, and the incidents related to baseball gambling caused an uproar not only in the college baseball world, but also in various sports. The shock is still fresh in the memory. Astonishing new facts were once again revealed yesterday.

The reporter has been deeply concerned about this incident from the very beginning. Of course, on the one hand, it is also based on the karma of Mukai's confrontation at Koshien.Based on this point of view, the reporter hopes to report "Kenichi Mukai's real life" in his own way! The reason why the facts can see the light of day lies in the two balls.One is that in the summer of Showa 59, they went to Kanaya of Gunma for reform training due to out-of-control pitching posture. At that time, Mukai and Sanada, who were in the third grade of S University at the time, left Kanaya with their autographs for the local Kanaya High School baseball team. The ball, this ball contains the strong will of two people who want to change the current deformity of college baseball!The two entered S University from Xinguang Park, and they took a broad road to their baseball career. Before that, they should have no doubts about "how should student baseball exist", and they just blindly devoted themselves to baseball.

However, after getting in touch with the very ordinary students of Kanaya High School, a very ordinary school, and seeing them desperately trying to play baseball well, the two began to have doubts about the baseball path they had traveled.The key lies in the helplessness and frustration felt by the two witnesses that Kanaya High School was regarded as a training target by a famous baseball school at the same level as Shinko Park in the summer inter-county preliminaries. For Mukai, this was the second setback.The first time, undisputedly, was the summer of his sophomore year, when he got hit in the face and couldn't throw.His goal is to enter the professional team and successfully embark on the smooth road of baseball. At this time, he faces a major test; after that, he encounters an incident in Jingu that denies his long-standing view of baseball.

No, what happened in Jingu may not be called a setback and it is unknown.Struggling with the anxiety of losing his confidence in pitching and fearing that he would lose his baseball, he once again found what he should do in the baseball world, and this is the remote cause of this incident! He believes that the semi-professional and showy college baseball should be restored to its original simplicity.This kind of thinking is not wrong, but his method is wrong... The first thing he wanted to achieve was to report the improper behavior of Shinko Park. However, Shinko did not use unfair methods at that time, because the team was strong, and even if it did not do so, it could still win successively.Moreover, Supervisor Shibata is a well-known figure in the school baseball world!

Facing such Shinko Park and Supervisor Shibata, with his setbacks in university and even considered neurasthenia, even if he goes straight to report, he is likely to be easily suppressed.Therefore, he thought of a terrible thing - what a defeated fighting dog said may not be believed, but if he can become the number one team coach in Japan, and then personally report himself and Shinko Park With improper means, the situation is completely different. This is his dream! Such an approach is easily considered crazy, and, for ordinary people, it will always be just a dream and cannot be realized.However, unfortunately, Mukai, with his indomitable enthusiasm for baseball, also has the ability to realize his dreams!

Sanada objected to this approach.His point of view is in sharp contrast to that of Mukai. He believes that the ideal team for college baseball should be formed, so as to show a new development route to the baseball world. He also realized his dream with this year's Toride Academy team.However, when the two discussed the matter in Jingu, Sanada's thoughts were just dreamlike to Mukai. The reporter tried to visit Jingu.With emerald green mountains and sapphire green lakes, it is a quiet mountain city with beautiful natural landscapes.The two argued fiercely there all night, telling each other about each other's views on baseball and life, but in the end they still couldn't agree, so they had to use their own methods to move towards the same goal—the reform of college baseball.

Keeping the signature ball of Kanaya High School represented the determination of the two at that time! Afterwards, it is well known that the two led their respective teams to play in Koshien. Mukai found Nashino Nishi, a famous baseball school of the same nature as Shinko-en, and became the team supervisor, and then used the same electric shock training he had received at Shinko to improve the players' strength, and used speed guns and personal computers to convey secret signals during games. Using improper means, he climbed up the stairs leading to Jiaziyuan step by step. On the other hand, Sanada went to Toride Academy, which is famous for further studies, and gradually improved the strength of the baseball team through normal club activities; and after obtaining the rare Miyamoto pitcher, he was finally able to play in Koshien this year.

The question is: when and how Mukai will contact Kuniyoshi and Qingfuhui. In this regard, for some reason, the reporter had the opportunity to hear Guoji's confession directly.Kuniyoshi and Mukai are classmates of Shinmitsu at the same time and from the same hometown, and both of them have suffered setbacks on the road of baseball. After returning to their hometown, the two had the opportunity to meet and talk. Kuniyoshi who has a good impression can hardly imagine that he would have the same idea as Mukai! Kuniyoshi started contacting Qingfenghui at the end of last year, just after Nashino Nishi won the Kanto Regional Competition in the autumn and was determined to participate in the selection competition in the spring.At that time, Kuniyoshi was involved in a certain trouble, and he was quite troubled about money, so he thought of selling the information that Narashino Nishi won the championship because of using "magic" to a violent organization that presides over baseball gambling.At that time, the person he knew was the person in charge of deciding the betting points——Yajima, who was rapidly expanding his power.

Kuniyoshi initially thought that as long as he sold information, he would no longer be associated with Yajima in the future.However, Yajima is a vicious person like a snake and a scorpion. What he asked Kuniyoshi not only for Nashino Nishi to win, but also to win by a few points.As a last resort, Kuniyoshi had to tell Mukai about the matter. Facing the trials, Mukai must be in a very confused mood!Although he considered using improper means to win the Koshien Championship, he didn't want to get involved with a violent organization and arrange a fraudulent match.Therefore, he did not succumb to the threats of Kuniyoshi and Yajima, and did not use "magic" in the trials, which is why he was unexpectedly defeated in the first round.

Kuniyoshi was the hardest hit by Narashino Nishi's defeat. As a result, he cheated Yajima and Qingkazekai for a long time. Of course Qingfengkai and Yajima would put pressure on him, so Kuniyoshi had to He told Yajima about the fake suicide incident at Shinkoen eight years ago and the fact that he used illegal methods in Koshien. Of course, Yajima planned to make full use of this information, and he threatened Mukai and Shibata through Kuniyoshi. From Shibata's standpoint, for the sake of himself, as well as for the graduates of the Shinko Sect, professional baseball, and the Shinmitsu baseball team that is active in amateur teams, the secret cannot be made public.As a result, the two had no choice but to succumb to Yajima's threat. The wary and suspicious Yajima, who remained uneasy even after Nobumitsu and Narashino Nishi "magically" won the summer regional preliminaries, managed to steal a fourth hitter ahead of Nobumitsu's first game at Koshien Yoshizawa's helmet equipped with a receiver to exert invisible pressure on Shinko. Kuniyoshi is definitely not an evil person by nature, but because of his long-term contact with Yajima of the Qingfenghui, he gradually changed his temperament. Yajima cleverly controlled his sources of information by means of threats and lures. He soon realized that Kunikichi's weakness was that he was afraid that his grandmother would worry about him. Therefore, after dragging Kunikichi into the water, he threatened Kunikichi to tell his grandmother the truth if he didn't obey.However, this is what Guoji is most afraid of.Of course, on the other hand, I can't forget the feeling of being able to reach out to Yajima for money at any time. Kuniyoshi, who tried to use the Blue Wind Club, was firmly controlled by Yajima instead! What caused a major change in their relationship was that Mukai's first match at Koshien did not employ "magic".Although Mukai stepped into Koshien through "magic" according to his own will, but for him, Koshien is the holy land of baseball, and he really can't let players use improper methods to win. He didn't use "magic" in the first game of the trials and the first game of the Koshien Tournament, which put Kuniyoshi in a difficult situation.In this regard, Kuniyoshi will definitely be strongly pressured by Qingfengkai and Yajima.Yajima asked Kuniyoshi to pay five million yen in compensation, but Kunikichi could feel that Yajima really wanted to pay the compensation himself, otherwise it would definitely be bad for him, so he hurried to Tokyo, intending to borrow the more than three million yuan he had saved from his grandmother round. The grandmother vaguely knew that Guoji was not doing his job properly, and refused to lend him the money. The two had a dispute, and Guoji pushed the grandmother by mistake.At that time, he didn't notice that his grandmother's head hit the corner of the column, but he just rushed out of the house after grabbing the money in a panic. Since it was late at night, he stayed in a nearby hotel.The next day, I learned of my grandmother's death from the newspaper. The grandmother called 119 and lied that she accidentally fell and hit her head on a post.Of course, the purpose is to protect Kuniyoshi. At this moment, Kuniyoshi was at a loss.Thinking of how thoughtful my grandmother was for me, but in order to fill my debts in baseball gambling, I took away the savings that my grandmother was going to leave me as my starting capital, and even took the life of the only person who loved me deeply. Kuniyoshi cried, cursing Yajima and Mukai while crying.His anger can only be vented on these two people. And so... Kuniyoshi felt the desire to kill Yajima in his heart! He intends to kill Yajima, take his place in Qingfenghui, make as much money as possible, and then fly far away to the Philippines. After returning to Osaka, he waited for the opportunity to implement the plan. Moreover, he learned from Fukasawaguchi, who also had an aversion to Yajima, that Yajima, under the distrust of Kuniyoshi, believed that Shibata and Mukai should be directly controlled, and was planning to find him. The two went to the residence. A powerful person like Yajima is a cash cow for Qingfenghui. In order to make it difficult for other violent organizations to find Yajima's residence, he has specially prepared multiple residences for him, and each residence is short-term. Even the apartment in Namba, which Yajima used most at that time, planned to move out the next day after meeting the two supervisors. Yajima probably thinks that it is safer to meet at his own residence than in a restaurant or an alley, and also feels that this is tantamount to showing his strength to Qingfenghui who gradually distrusts him. Kuniyoshi didn't let this opportunity slip away, and successfully completed the secret room murder with complete success. After replacing Yajima's position, Kuniyoshi began to threaten Shibata and Mukai according to his own will. Perhaps, in order to consolidate his position in the Qingfenghui, the threat to the two became more serious and it is unknown. Regarding Kuniyoshi's instructions, Shibata needless to say, even Mukai can only obey.For Mukai, it is not terrible for the truth to be exposed, on the contrary, it is what he hoped for. However, Kuniyoshi told Mukai the truth about his grandmother's death, which dealt a considerable blow to Mukai, and made Mukai think that the action he took was the only one. Incurred the death of Kuniyoshi's grandmother. So, after the second game, Mukai had to accept Kuniyoshi's instructions to use "magic". The pain in Mukai's chest at this time can be felt.His original intention was to use "magic" to become the number one in the country, and then take the initiative to expose his improper methods.However, on the other hand, he suffers from severe conscience for forcing the players to use improper methods, coupled with the self-blame that he caused the death of Kuniyoshi's grandmother, it can be seen that he must be deeply tortured. However, as the competition schedule progressed, Mukai made a painful decision not to use "magic" in the semi-finals.In other words, do not act according to Kuniyoshi's instructions! From his standpoint, he really can't bear to let the players brought in by him continue to use improper methods in Koshien. Another reason is that in the first game of the semifinals, Miyamoto threw the ball with all his strength.For some reason, on the eve of the semifinals, Miyamoto knew the facts of the fraudulent match between Shinomitsu and Nashino Nishi. He faced the semifinals with sadness, anger, and prayers, and the pitching he bet on with all his enthusiasm also represented the opposite of Mukai and Nashino Nishi. Director Shibata's silent protest.Witnessing this scene may have strengthened Mukai's determination to disobey the Qingfenghui's instructions! Then...the tragedy on the night of the semifinals, there should be no need to explain it. Here comes the second ball, which was Mukai's victory ball when he won the championship at Koshien in Showa 56.The ball used to save photographer Kuwahara on the night of the semi-finals was carried by Mukai throughout the tournament. One of the reasons may be that it is the only pillar of his heart that is about to collapse! The question that remains is why Mukai pretends to be the murderer of Yajima.Regarding this point, the reporter's opinion is this: in the Yajima murder case, the three suspects are Mukai, Shibata and Kuniyoshi. Of course Mukai knows that he is not the murderer, so the murderer is either Shibata or Kuniyoshi, regardless of whether the murderer is two people Which one of them, Mukai must shelter.why? Because if the murderer is Shibata, then the person who pushed him into such a predicament, who is famous in the college baseball circle, is Mukai himself. Although Mukai hates Shibata, Mukai's purpose is only to correct the direction of college baseball, not to let Shibata step down.Of course, it is pointed out that Shinko-en's improper methods are related to Shibata's resignation, but it is Shibata's own fault, and it is also helpless. At least, Mukai never intends to force Shibata to become a murderer. What if the murderer is Kuniyoshi?It was also Mukai who induced Kuniyoshi to take this path. If Mukai hadn't met Kuniyoshi, Kuniyoshi might still be living a peaceful life in his hometown.Mukai thinks that all the responsibility lies with himself, and he wants to bear all the crimes! There is no need to talk about the past.It is easy to blame Mukai's ideas and actions, but it is meaningless to say more now. From the reporter's point of view, Mukai's "will" needs to be taken seriously.What is his will?As stated earlier, return college baseball to what student baseball should have been. In this regard, relevant units including the Congress have come forward to accelerate the pace of reform.It can also be said that in this sense, Mukai has achieved his goal, but he paid too high a price... The reporter believes that we must continue to promote the wave of reform he triggered, and shoulder the responsibility to let the reform take root!The reporter used to be a member of the baseball world, and now he is in the communication world, and at the same time he is also a member of society. I hope to do my part in cultivating the seeds that Mukai sowed, and I also hope that more people will have the same idea . Finally, I would like to mention that in the depths of the reporter's heart, Mukai's impression was like a white ray of light. In the Showa 56 finals, facing the reporter who was the last hitter, Mukai threw a fast straight ball for the last time. The white trajectory of the ball flying at that time is still vivid in the reporter's mind. Mukai's actions in this incident made the reporter feel the impression of the white light again inconceivably. With his fierce enthusiasm and actions, he once again left a bright white afterimage in the reporter's mind, and finally disappeared... … "The report you wrote has aroused great repercussions!" Sitting down at the "Blue Dot" coffee bar in Roppongi, Mitarai, who had already arrived and was waiting, said immediately.He seemed to have come earlier than the appointed time, and his face was already a little red. "No, there is no such thing." Zhongshan replied while mixing whiskey and water. Mitarai laughed boldly and said, "You don't have to be too modest! Besides, I heard that the superior is going to give you the president award!" "It seems that there are such rumors." Zhongshan replied indifferently. "It seems? What's the matter with you? It seems that it has nothing to do with you. The president's award may not be won once in a lifetime! It's almost like a hole-in-one in golf. I'm going to make you spend a lot of money today. It’s time to do it.” "It's all with your help." "Hey, what's wrong with you? You don't look like the usual you at all, are you worried? Ha, ha, ha, is someone jealous of your performance? Don't worry, in this era, such people will inevitably exist. " Mitarai said smugly. "No, of course I am very happy to receive the president's award, but I just feel sad after the incident." Mitarai paused halfway from bringing the wine glass to his mouth, and his expression suddenly became serious. "That's right, one of your comrades who fought against you in Jiashiyuan died." "Sanada is also going to South America recently." "Really?" Mitarai sighed deeply. "Sorry, this is the last night of your business trip, you can't be so depressed, have a drink or two!" "Yes, this is like you. I can sleep on the Shinkansen train tomorrow, and drink to my heart's content today." "Is it better to drink?" "I can't ask for more." Rarely, the two looked at each other and laughed. "By the way, you said you needed me on the phone. What is it?" "What else? It's how you got Guoji to confess. From your report, I have understood the outline and background of the incident. But what interests me is how you got Guoji to confess and get the key to solving the incident. I heard Guoji has been silent all this time, but after meeting you, he immediately confessed, how did you convince him?" "Well..." Zhongshan was silent. After the meeting between Zhongshan and Guoji, the next day, Guoji confessed to the murder of the Yajima murder, but the police probably carefully verified the specific points of the murder, right?It has not yet been announced. As a result, Zhongshan became the focus of media inquiries, and he was under tremendous psychological pressure. "I was a trap for Guoji to take the bait." Zhongshan said mockingly. "Trap?" Mitarai frowned in surprise. "In the case of Yajima's murder, when I was convinced that Mukai was innocent, I judged that the murderer was Kuniyoshi." Nakayama took a sip of whiskey and water and began to talk. "Although I explained how Kuniyoshi killed Yajima, but there is no concrete evidence, so I had to lay a trap to lure him to confess." "Explanation? But, so far, no one has been able to solve the mystery of the secret room, right? How do you find out the truth?" "There are several clues. First, Kuniyoshi's actions were extremely unnatural on the night Yajima was killed." "He's been hiding in the fence next to the front porch of the apartment?" "That's right. Regarding this, Kuniyoshi originally confessed that Inayajima betrayed him and planned to contact Shibata and Mukai directly, so he hid there to observe the situation of the apartment under anxiety, and we all believed his explanation. But after careful analysis, I found it very suspicious. He knew that Shibata and Mukai would rush to the apartment when they were called to the Yajima apartment. It should be the same as Shiyajima’s room, and it’s not natural to think about it quietly hiding in the fence, so I speculate that he may have some other purpose in doing so.” "Other purposes?" "It's the so-called alibi." Zhongshan shook his wine glass and stared at the ice cubes in it. "He knew that he was being watched by the Oyagis, so he took advantage of it." "Know? Isn't that strange? Didn't he know that he was being followed and monitored by Oyagi and the others on the night you and Oyagi met for the first time?" "On the surface, this is true. However, that night I heard Kuniyoshi say to Kuwahara, 'Your role has disappeared'. I didn't understand what was going on at the time, but now I fully understand. Kuniyoshi knew that Oyagi and Kuwahara were in Tracking and monitoring, but pretending not to find out, using them to arrange alibi. Thinking about it carefully, Kuniyoshi’s actions are cautious on weekdays, and he didn’t notice that he was followed by a layman like Kuwahara for a long time, which is suspicious!” "Indeed." "Secondly, why is it a secret room? To become a secret room, there should be some inevitability that must become a secret room. However, Director Mukai and Shibata did not, while Kuniyoshi did." "For example?" "Kuniyoshi couldn't enter Yajima's room, so Kuniyoshi had to kill Yajima from outside the room; also, the purpose was to set up Shibata's murderous state." "Why is the secret room related to Shibata's murder? Is it because he is a famous fan of mystery novels?" "Totally correct. It is of course impossible to be regarded as a suspect just because he is a fan of mystery novels. However, if there are several other doubts, based on these facts, it is possible for the police to cite them as evidence. The result is also That's confirmed by the police." "So that's how it is." "Kunikichi used Oyagi and others to prove that he was not at the scene, and also used their witnesses to let the police turn the arrow of suspicion to Shibata and Mukai. However, he may still be reluctant to Mukai, who was a classmate and a fellow villager! So seeing Shibata After leaving Yajima's apartment on the phone, he immediately called the manager of the apartment. "As Shibata himself testified, when he came to Yajima's room, he rang the doorbell and no one answered, so he called from outside, but Inokichi called the administrator at the same time, so that the witnesses, Oyagi and the others, were Impression that Shibata called the administrator." "So far I have understood, but how to solve the double mystery of the alibi and the secret room?" "As long as you believe that Kuniyoshi is the murderer in your heart, then you only need to speculate theoretically. Although it is a double mystery, it is only composed of several facts, and it only needs to be solved one by one in an orderly manner." "It's simple to say, but the police don't think it's simple, and they haven't been able to figure it out." "That's just because the starting point is different. First of all, regarding the alibi, what can be thought of is 'whether it is presumed that the time of the murder was wrong'. In other words, according to Oyagi's testimony, Kuniyoshi has not been arrested between ten o'clock and eleven o'clock. If Kunikichi wanted to kill Yajima by taking a step away from the fence and plants, he would have to take action outside this period of time, but this possibility was denied. "If the body was discovered after a certain period of time, there may be errors in the estimated time of death, but this incident was identified shortly after the victim's death, so the judgment between ten and eleven o'clock should be regarded as correct. In this way, it can only be considered that the scene of the murder is not the scene of the corpse." "The scene of the murder is not the scene of the corpse?" "Yes. In other words, Yajima was killed not in his own room, but somewhere else - the most suitable place for the murderer to act. As far as Kunikichi is concerned, of course it was his hiding place. It was later moved to the corpse room ... "However, this kind of speculation is not acceptable! Yajima will not come out and be killed by himself in a daze, and if there is such a commotion inside the fence, Oyagi and the others who are watching in the park will definitely notice it. If this is the case, the remaining possibility is Kuniyoshi killed him in Yajima's room around 10:30." "Wait a minute! It is possible to use an accomplice!" Mitarai interrupted and said. "There is indeed such a possibility. However, Japan is different from Los Angeles. Professional killers cannot be hired easily with money. If Kuniyoshi entrusts someone to commit the murder, it must be his closest person, and such a person must be under our surveillance and investigation. Within the range, then, the only person who can think of is Fukasawa. "It's just that, judging from the relationship between the two after the incident, this situation is impossible. If Fukasawa was entrusted by Kuniyoshi to kill someone, his status should be higher than that of Kunikishi, which means that Kunikishi will be hindered by him everywhere. The master-slave relationship between the above two people became more obvious after the incident. Moreover, Fukasawa did not have the guts to complete the killing work so cleanly." "You can say that." Mitarai nodded. "However, in this way, as you said, there is only the most unlikely doubt that Kuniyoshi carried out the secret room murder in the Yajima room around 10:30." "Even if it seems impossible on the surface, if it is analyzed according to theory, this will be the correct conclusion, then there must be a reasonable explanation." "I still can't figure out the back of my head." Mitarai said. "According to a certain assumption, I went to the scene to confirm." "The scene? Is it Yajima's apartment?" "Yes. I also went to the small park where Oyagi and the others were hiding at around ten o'clock in the evening when the murder was estimated." "Did you find out anything?" "Prove that my hypothesis is correct." Zhongshan raised his glass slowly to his lips. "Looking at the entrance of the apartment from the planting in the park, the first thing I felt was that it was the best place to monitor people entering and leaving the apartment and Kuniyoshi hiding behind the planting next to the entrance." "Oyagi also testified to the police in this way." "Yes. I heard Oyagi say 'Kunikashi is hiding in the place we could only dream of', so I went to the scene to confirm the true meaning of this sentence. I walked out of the park and went to see behind the plants and fences next to the entrance of the apartment where Kunikishi was hiding. However, as expected, it is the worst place to monitor people entering and leaving the apartment. Yes, you can actually see the people entering and leaving the apartment from there, but they will also be seen by the other party, so whenever someone enters and leaves , must hide, that is, it is not suitable for 'surveillance' at all. If there is really an intention to monitor, and Kuniyoshi is familiar with the geographical environment in that area, of course he will choose the park where Oyagi and the others are hiding, but he did not do so, but chose not to A place suitable for monitoring, it can be seen that there is another purpose." "Another purpose?" "That is to say, in order for Oyagi and the others to see themselves. Kuniyoshi knew that Kuwahara was following him, and thought that if he hid in the fence next to the apartment, Kuwahara would definitely hide in the park across the road. In and out, Mukai and Shibata of the apartment can also monitor themselves hiding in the fence." "I see. After what you said, the feeling of deceit is very strong, but if Oyagi and the others see themselves, how can they go to Yajima's room to kill people?" "He walked around from the inside of the fence to the back door of the apartment, used the fire escape to Yajima's room, killed the other party, and then returned to the same place. In theory, although it is a bit unreasonable, it is the only result. I went to Yajima's room. At the apartment, accompanied by Deputy Inspector Hagino of the Osaka Prefectural Police Station, he went to the park where Oyagi was located, and let Hagino hide in the fence next to the apartment. According to Oyagi’s explanation, Kuniyoshi was squatting, only showing his face wearing sunglasses. Top of the wall and plants!" "What did you find out after your experiment?" "The fence can be seen quite clearly under the light of the apartment entrance light and the light pouring out of the room, but the faces of the people hiding in the fence can only be seen in the shadows. By the way, you know Kuniyoshi's figure feature?" When asked suddenly, Mitarai showed a surprised expression in an instant, and said, "This...should be a tall figure and long hair!" "Exactly. I asked Hagino for help. I wanted to make sure that if Fukasawa put on sunglasses and a long wig, and squatted down with only his face on the fence, would he be mistaken for Kuniyoshi?" Mitarai stared at Nakayama as if seeing something incredible. "It turned out to be a bumper harvest. According to Oyagi's testimony, Kuniyoshi would completely hide in the hedge every time someone came in or out of the apartment. Since the time was only a few seconds, it was not considered a problem before that. However, a few seconds Time cannot kill, but it can find someone to replace it." Mitarai just silently listened to Nakayama's explanation. "This is a very simple trick, but because of the mistaken belief that Kuniyoshi didn't realize that Kuwahara was following his blind spot, everyone was deceived by Kuniyoshi's trick. Moreover, he usually wears a white T-shirt, but he will change it that day. The green T-shirt is probably also used as a protective color! "In this way, the problem of alibi is solved, leaving only the problem of the secret room. This point can be analyzed from the standpoint of Guoji! "Except for those who are necessary, Yajima will never allow anyone to enter his room. Then, it should be considered that Kuniyoshi can't enter the room, and how can he kill Yajima? If he fails, he will surely provoke the Qingfenghui's revenge. , so failure is absolutely not allowed.” "Of course." "There are two places that can be attacked outside the room. One is the front window of the apartment, and the other is the entrance room. Among them, the front window can be left alone, because Oyagi and the others have been watching. In this way, only the door is left. Kuniyoshi may You can let Yajima open the door, and say that you have something to give him or something to tell him, but Yajima, who is cautious, may not open the chain lock! Is there any sure way to kill people in this situation? If it is you ,What would you do?" "Hey, I'm not a fan of mystery novels like you. Besides, I haven't thought about killing people. I can't think of where to start. However, according to common sense, it should be a pistol! Ah, wait a minute, from Judging from the situation at the scene, Yajima was killed in the middle of the corridor in the room, not behind the door." "That's true, but there are two reasons. The first is the marks on Yajima's face from being beaten; the second is that there are only bloodstains in the middle of the aisle. If you add that Yajima has no signs of resistance, it can be judged that it is Yajima Stabbed while beaten in the face and lost resistance." "In other words, the murderer is in the room." "However, we are now convinced that the murderer is Kuniyoshi, and we also know that on the day Mukai and Shibata went to see Yajima, Yajima should not have allowed Kuniyoshi to enter the room. Another point is that after the murderer killed Yajima in the room, it was impossible for him to leave the secret room The police have already proved this. So, what I should prove is how to kill Yajima from the outside, lock the door from the inside, and move Yajima’s body to the center of the aisle, but only in the aisle A bloodstain was left in the center. By the way, there is one more thing, how to leave marks of being beaten on Yajima's face." "I think the problem is more complicated." "No such thing." Zhongshan smiled wryly. "Looking back, the most effective way to kill someone from between the chains is to use a pistol." Mitarai nodded weakly. "If you consider that it is in the aisle of the apartment room, you can install a silencer. However, even if you have a relationship with a violent organization, Kuniyoshi is still an unofficial member of the team. It should be difficult to get a silencer, and In fact, he didn't use a pistol either, so all that's left to think about is..." "Use a knife?" "According to common sense, this is the case. However, if you consider that Yajima will not open the chain lock, then the accuracy concerns are very important. It is not as easy to stab the opponent with a knife as it is often seen on TV screens. , and there is a chain lock, and the other party is very careful, and may close the door at any time, and if they fail, their hands will be trapped by the door and they will be attacked." "Having said that, Yajima was still killed by a sword." "This point is the most difficult to understand. I have considered various possibilities, and half-jokingly thought that it would be simple if we could use both swords and guns. Only then did the inspiration emerge." "What is it?" "Let the knives fly like bullets! I think Kuniyoshi often dives and shoots fish." "Shooting fish? What's the connection?" "The spearguns used in diving fish shooting currently use compressed air to shoot fish arrows, but in the past they used the elasticity of strong rubber to shoot fish arrows, and Kuniyoshi probably used them in this murder. Spearguns It is very long and inconvenient to use, and the actual murderer may be a smaller, easy-to-carry handmade product. In this way, several mysteries can be solved.” "for example……" "For example, Yajima did not resist. He used a speargun to attack the moment the door was opened, and there was no time to dodge or resist. It can also explain why he used a scalpel instead of an ordinary knife. After all, it is too big and heavy, and it has a sword design. Neither knives nor spearguns can be used.” "So that's how it is... using a speargun." "According to the police's investigation, Guoji did not own a spear gun, so it is very likely that he borrowed it from his fellows. Therefore, I visited people who often dive and shoot fish with Guoji." "The results of it?" "Before the incident, Kuniyoshi had borrowed a speargun from a friend who held a rubber-elastic speargun. It can be guessed that he used it to imitate it." "It's unbelievable. The use of spearguns really makes the opponent unable to resist, but what about other doubts? I still don't think it can explain how to use it outside the door to attack." "According to the analysis of the line of the spear gun, the answer to the mystery can also be solved." Mitarai stared dumbly at Nakayama. "Rubber-bolt spearguns are usually fired in two bursts." "Two bursts?" "Although the actual gun used for the murder is a self-made miniature, it is likely to be of the same double burst type as the real speargun, that is, using two scalpels..." Mitarai had forgotten to drink at this moment, and was listening quietly. "The moment Yajima opened the door, if two scalpels were shot into the body at the same time, what would happen next? Since the part shot was not the heart but the abdomen, Yajima did not die on the spot, so he would close the door. Close it and lock it so that Guoji cannot enter, and then go to the phone, intending to call for help." "That should be the case. However, only a scalpel was stabbed in him." "This is where Kuniyoshi's trick is ingenious. He estimated the timing and pulled out a scalpel the moment Yajima grabbed the microphone." "Pull it out? Guoji is outside the locked door!" “门虽锁上，但是那栋公寓，门和地板之间有些许缝隙，是留着让报童能将报纸塞入，因此宽度约半公分。我判断射入矢岛身上的两支手术刀之一上面绑着很韧的细蚕丝，国吉自门外拉动蚕丝拔出手术刀后，从门下的缝隙收回。通常被刃物刺中时，若不拔出，几乎不会流血，所以门后没有血迹也是很正常，而等矢岛抓起话筒时才拔出，就会引起大量出血，再加上身体还插着另一支手术刀，于是就形成被连刺两刀的状况了。” “原来是这样……但是，慢着，收回手术刀时，地板上不是会留下拖过的血痕吗？而且，手术刀的厚度应该超过半公分。” “只要靠点智慧就能解决了。譬如，在要收回的手术刀柄部分系上折叠的塑胶袋，一旦用力拉蚕丝，手术刀自然落入袋内。至于厚度问题，则只要将回收的手术刀事先磨薄就行了，这不单只是想像，由伤口的状况也可获得某种程度的证实。” “伤口的状况？” “被收回的手术刀造成的伤口远比留在身上的手术刀造成的伤口深，这表示被收回的手术刀刀柄部分较薄，所以虽然以同样速度刺入身体，却能刺得更深。现在只剩下矢岛脸孔被殴打的痕迹了。” “还有被割断的电话线。” “啊，对了，这两点也是被误以为凶手在房内的重要原因，不过，也都能够解决。” “解决？” “在拟定一项假设后，就能同时说明了。要知道，前述的推理如果正确，则国吉一步也未踏入矢岛房内，当然不可能殴打矢岛又剪断电话线了，那么，做这两件事的必然是另外的人。” “另外的人？” “嗯，从状况来分析，是矢岛遇害前进入房内之人。因为矢岛未发觉电话线被剪断，同时被殴打也是在死亡之前。” “这么说是向井了？” 中山慢慢点头。“向井和矢岛谈些什么我不知道，但是，一定是令向井很不愉快的内容，所以依向井的个性，谈话途中动手殴打矢岛并非不可思议。还有一点，电话线可能是受国吉之托剪断的。” “对了，是有向井的指纹留着。但是，向井为何必须这么做？” “这是我的想像，真相必须等国吉自供才知。不过，可能国吉拜托向井'我有话和矢岛谈却见不到他，如果你帮忙剪断电话线，矢岛就不得不出门，届时我便可以直接见他'。” “原来如此。这样的话，矢岛即使能走回电话旁，也无法和外界联络，完璧的密室杀人就告确立。你的推理可真有一套！”御手洗摇摇头，但是，似忽然想起地问：“你说布下圈套让国吉上钩，又是怎么回事？” “这个嘛……”中山正想开口时，钢琴声响起，是比利·乔艾尔的“忠实”。中山闭上眼聆听着。 “上述的推断是已有某种程度的证实，却毫无具体的证据，若要证明向井的无辜，需要国吉自供……只是，我觉得国吉应该还有良心，至少在高校时代，他是很正直的人物，就算接近暴力组织近墨者黑，我也不愿意认为他连本性都已溃烂，所以期待在告诉他真相已揭明之后，他会坦白自供。” “但是，没用？”见到中山沉痛的表情，御手洗双手抚着酒杯，问。 Zhongshan silently nodded. “那也难怪！若杀死向井和矢岛两人，他必须觉悟会被判处相当的重刑，当然不可能轻易认罪了。只是，他无法掩饰动摇之色，因而我判断自己所料无误，他内心正在痛苦挣扎，所以就布下圈套。” “你从刚才就一直说圈套、圈套，到底是什么？” “我骗了他。” “骗他？” “向井并不知柴田和国吉谁才是真凶，不，他可能认为是柴田。从电话线之事，向井知道国吉进不去矢岛的房间，但他相信凶手是在房内行凶，那么，在自己之后进入房里的柴田是凶手的可能性就很强了。但是，我对国吉这么说：'向井知道你是凶手，为了替你顶罪而死。'亦即，我告诉他，向井从他拜托剪断电话线，以及知道他恨矢岛之事，猜到了他是凶手，却认为是自己将他逼至此种地步，才在临死之前伪称凶手是自己。对于这样替他设想之人，难道忍心让其死后仍留下杀人凶手之污名？结果，国吉突然抱头恸哭，悲痛地叫着向井之名，太可笑了。” 御手洗沉痛地将视线移开因苦痛而扭曲的中山脸孔。 钢琴曲变成“夺标”！中山静静闭上眼，溢满哀愁的前奏渗入他的心。 室内灯光转为昏暗，天花板的灯光缓缓旋转，反射出幻想的红蓝柔光。 ——向井、真田……在一闪一灭的柔光中，中山脑海中浮现对两人的种种回忆。