Chapter 18 first quarter

"Who else do you think there is?!" I was slipping a foot into a high heel when I heard a strange woman's voice.Then an old man's voice was heard intermittently, and then the hysterical woman's voice sounded again as if trying to cover the old man's voice. "I heard it when I heard it, and I was just trying to let someone else listen to it, and that person—" The woman's voice suddenly stopped.Because I opened the door. "Ah, good morning, sorry to disturb you." The one who stuck out his head to greet me was the old man Makikawa who lived next door.Beside him stood a young woman in home clothes.Who is that?I remember that Makikawa should live alone.

Opposite them stood two policemen.One was very old, and the hair under the hat was already streaked with silver.The other one was probably a round younger than me, looked like he was in his twenties. "What happened?" "Oh, that, this..." Makikawa spoke vaguely, and then fell silent.The two policemen exchanged glances, while Makikawa stroked his mottled bearded chin helplessly.The woman sullenly stared at her feet. Although I was very concerned, I would miss the bus to work if I dawdled any longer, so I simply said hello and left.Going to the corridor and looking back, the young policeman followed.Are you looking for me?But his pace was unhurried, and he didn't seem to be chasing me.Should I stop?When I walked on the path in confusion, I was stopped.

"Excuse me, wait a minute, are you in a hurry?" "Ah, sort of." "That's only for a short while." After confirming that I live next door to Makikawa, the policeman asked: "Did you hear anything last night?" "Sound? What sound?" I subconsciously looked back at Makikawa's room.Makikawa, the woman, and the elderly policeman—all three were looking at this side.No, there is one more person.Inside the entrance stood a little girl in a cream-colored tracksuit.Probably not old enough to go to school. "Any sound is fine. About nine o'clock in the evening... until morning."

The young policeman spoke ambiguously and smiled ambiguously. Last night I worked in the family restaurant from seven to eleven.It's unnerving to be on factory wages alone, I started working as a waiter in a restaurant a year ago. "—and then went straight to bed when I came back." "I see, I see. Thank you very much for your assistance." When the policeman saluted slightly, there was a sudden piercing cry. To the right of the apartment, where the trash is, two crows are fighting over the contents of the trash bag.The policeman was taken aback and looked there, and several people in front of Mu Chuan's house also looked at the garbage dump in disgust.

Only the girl in the tracksuit was still looking at me, her gaze was motionless. I always feel like I've seen this girl somewhere. Four days later, dusk. I am walking on the embankment.As long as it is sunny, I will get off one stop early on the way back from the factory and walk slowly along the river back to the apartment.The beginning of April is now the most beautiful season on the river embankment.Dandelions are scattered on the slope, and the water surface in the distance is illuminated orange.The evening wind is warm.The smell of grass.A truck is parked under the bridge.Is repair work to be carried out?Construction workers in hard hats talked and laughed looking up at the bridge, or tapping their fingers on the concrete of the piers.The homeless tent that was set up there not long ago disappeared at some point.

I looked at these casually. "what……" Suddenly someone spoke. I stopped and looked in the direction where the sound came from. There was a girl standing by the river bank with her mouth open, holding some white clover in her hands. "You were from before—" I found out right away that she was the girl who was in the entrance of Mu Chuan's house four days ago. "Hello." I bent down and spoke to her.The girl didn't respond, just looked down at my feet.I followed her gaze and couldn't help being surprised.A half-braided clover wreath poked out from under my well-worn high-heels.I hurriedly moved my foot away, but it was too late.Part of the corolla has been crushed, and the dried soil is stained with green sap.

"Sorry, I didn't find out." I was worried that she would contort her little face and tremble her lips as if she was about to cry, but she just looked up at me blankly and tilted her head slightly. "It was almost finished, I'm sorry." I looked at the corolla of white clover and the girl's face, at a loss.The girl was just as dazed as I was, tilting her head slightly and looking at my face. There was a sound in the distance. Looking up, it turned out to be Maki Chuan.He walked this way step by step as if stabbing the ground with a cane.He looked so dangerous that I got up and ran towards him.

"no, I'm fine." Makikawa stopped me with one hand and slowed down.When he came to us, he let out a big breath, bent over, and put his hands on the knees of his wrinkled trousers. "Ah...that's great. Didn't I tell you not to walk around the river casually. It's dangerous to fall into the water." Mu Chuan vibrated his skinny throat and stroked the girl's head.The girl stared blankly at Mu Chuan as before. "river!" Makikawa pointed to the river.The girl moves her gaze.Then Mu Chuan pretended to be drowning, and then drew a big cross on his chest.

"Can't!" The girl finally nodded. Mu Chuan looked at me, pursed his lips and said with a smile: "The child is deaf."