Geister-Hutong

Kapitel 3

“My parents don’t have any close relatives. I’m sorry, please let my older sister and younger sister stay for one more night,” Yuriko said.

“Of course.” Anton nodded quickly.

“If only your father could come back soon,” Qi Zi said.

The phone rang, and Kiko stood up to answer it. She raised the receiver and called out, "Yuriko, it's you. A gentleman named Kunitomo."

“Kunitomo… ah, it’s the police officer from earlier.” Yuriko took the microphone.

“Actually, the coroner just conducted an examination,” Officer Guoyou said in a less than friendly tone. “The cause of death was not burning.”

"Huh? What's the reason?"

"The tip of the knife was still on her body. It looked like the knife broke when it pierced her heart. In other words, the woman was stabbed to death."

"Killed...?" Yuriko's mind was in chaos. "So, someone killed that woman and hid her in my closet?"

"She was burned later. She probably didn't want anyone to know her identity. —It seems the woman's clothes were stripped off."

"That...was she naked?"

"That's right. At most, they died within a day. In other words, they were killed and their naked bodies were immediately stuffed into the closet."

Yuriko felt like she was having a nightmare. She had cleaned the house after school yesterday, including her father's room, but she hadn't opened the closet... Perhaps the body was already there then. She stared blankly at a sliding door...

“Then, this is a bit difficult to say,” Guoyou said hesitantly. “Your father’s company is K Construction, right?”

"Yes."

"I heard it's the second sales department."

"yes."

"Is the section chief named Uematsu? We contacted him after we got his home phone number."

"Ah, yes, his name is Uematsu. Do you know where Dad lives?"

"Oh, he said your father wasn't on a business trip."

Yuriko stared blankly at Ayako and Tamami's worried faces. She held up three fingers of her left hand.

"Three of these?"

"yes."

"Isn't that... strange..."

"What's wrong, sister?"

Yuriko gripped the microphone again.

"So—what do you mean? My father went to Sapporo on a business trip on Thursday."

"Actually, your father is on leave. Starting Thursday."

"So... in Sapporo?"

Where did he go? We don't know yet. Do you have any idea?

"This... how would I know?" The shock caused Yuriko to adopt a defiant tone. How could her father tell such a lie! How could this be!

"We've made contact, please let us know immediately. Is everything alright?" Guoyou's words were gentle, but his manner of speaking became stern.

After hanging up the phone, Yuriko, unable to withstand the questioning gazes from everyone, lowered her eyes.

"What is it?" asked An Dongqizi.

"Ah...it's nothing serious." If it's nothing serious, why not say it? Yuriko really hoped that before everyone had a chance to talk about it, the police would call her again and say, "Mr. Uematsu made a mistake just now."

"But, given the current situation—"

Yuriko suddenly lowered her head and pleaded, "I'm sorry, please give the three of us some space." She didn't want to reveal that her father had lied, and she was even more unwilling to let outsiders hear about it.

“Alright, let’s go sit outside,” Anton urged Qizi as he stood up.

"—What exactly happened?" Ayako said reproachfully, "It's very rude to talk to a teacher like that."

"Because I have things to say that I cannot tell outsiders."

"But she's a teacher."

“Even if they are teachers, outsiders are still outsiders!” Yuriko said, then slammed her hand on the table, making a clattering sound as she tapped her teacup. “Alright, listen carefully.” Yuriko then repeated what Kuniyoshi had said on the phone.

"Then, where is Daddy?" Ayako asked, puzzled.

"I don't know either."

Why would he lie?

"Maybe Dad wasn't lying. Maybe the section chief made a mistake, or perhaps there's something special going on—"

“Hey,” Tamami suddenly spoke up, “We have to get to the bottom of this.” Yuriko and Ayako both looked at Tamami, listening to her continue, “Because, we won’t get anywhere by just guessing here, and we won’t know the truth. Besides, what are those policemen thinking?” Tamami was the most realistic of the three sisters, perhaps precisely because she was a person of this era.

What you're trying to say is—

"The woman's body was found in our house, right? And in the closet in Dad's room. But Dad said he was on a business trip, but he didn't; his whereabouts are unknown. — We need to find out. Did Dad kill that woman?"

Yuriko stared intently at Tamami and asked, "Is that really what you think?"

"It's not me who thinks that way, it's the police who think that way."

"That's good."

“But…” Only Ayako hadn’t fully grasped the whole situation.

“If Dad comes back, everything will be clear,” Yuriko said to herself. “He can tell us everything clearly, and we’ll know you didn’t do anything.”

"The woman's body was in Dad's closet, how can you say 'nothing was done'?"

"Jumi, can't you offer any hopeful speculation?"

Does having hope justify ignoring reality?

"Then please tell me the reality."

A moment of silence fell over all three of them. —After a while, Ayako suddenly spoke up, “Shall we try calling Dad?”

2005-3-14 14:07:00

Chapter Two: The Detective Career Begins

Yuriko entered the school after school. Apart from a few students who stayed behind for club activities, the school was deserted. She didn't want to see her friends—not so much because she hated being gossiped about and had no friends to talk to, but because she hated receiving everyone's pity.

Yuriko attends a private girls' high school that allows students to enter junior college without entrance exams, and those with excellent grades can also take entrance exams for other universities. Starting in her second year of high school, classes are divided into university entrance exam preparation classes and junior college preparation classes, with completely different instruction. Yuriko entered...

She was in a university exam preparation class. To avoid attracting attention, she borrowed Atsuko's uniform and came to school, even though she didn't really like it.

Ten days have passed since the fire, and the father, Sasaki Kenpei, still hasn't returned. No, it would be more accurate to say he hasn't been caught yet. Currently, he is wanted as a murder suspect.

—Murder. Dad.

"Such a stupid thing to do!"

No one who knows my father would believe such a thing. However, most people across the country who see the wanted poster wouldn't recognize my father, and in their eyes, he would be a vicious murderer.

As soon as Yuriko entered the school building, she ran into her homeroom teacher, Nakaoka, who was walking towards her.

"Sasamoto, what's wrong? Why are you at school at this hour?"

“I have something I’d like to talk about…” Yuriko said.

"I was just about to go back. What's up? Can I have some rice cake and red bean porridge?" Despite her usual firm tone, Yuriko was quite pleased. Nakaoka didn't seem like a teacher at a private girls' high school; he was a teacher with a traditional style. Yuriko actually quite liked this somewhat rustic teacher.

"Yes." Teacher Nakaoka seemed to have considered that it would be inconvenient for Yuriko to talk at school, which made Yuriko especially happy.

With her father still not back, no place to stay, and no relatives to rely on, Yuriko continued to live at Atsuko Katase's house, while Ayako and Tamami remained at Ando's house.

"Why don't we all commit suicide together?" Zhu Mei suggested, her usual terrifyingly realistic suggestion, but fortunately, the other two did not agree.

Officer Guoyou came to inform the victim that the identity had been confirmed on the afternoon of the fourth day after the fire.

"The victim was a woman named Junko Mizuguchi."

"Water outlet..."

Have you heard of it?

Yuriko silently shook her head. They strolled outside, and before they knew it, they arrived at the ruins of Yuriko's burned-down house, surrounded by ropes prohibiting entry. Yuriko asked, "What kind of person was it?"

"She's a female employee at the company. Could she be your father's lover?"

“How could Dad…” Yuriko trailed off, her words trailing off. After all, Dad was a man, and it was possible for him to have a lover. “But even if Dad had a lover, he would never hide it from us; he would definitely introduce her to us.”

“However, I’ve heard that middle-aged people who have become lovers at work recently tend to tell their friends.” Yuriko sensed that Kuniyoshi’s tone was a bit strange, and he seemed somewhat embarrassed. “Actually, Mr. Misaki instructed me not to tell you about this yet, but I think you would probably be shocked if you suddenly read about it in the newspaper.”

"Thank you," Yuriko said sincerely.

"Junko Mizuguchi is pregnant. Because your father is a very meticulous person, she got a doctor's diagnosis no matter what. But why would your father rather kill someone than discuss it with his own daughter?"

"But... if that person really is Dad's lover, what reason would Dad have to kill her?"

“That’s what I think too.” Guoyou nodded. “But it’s also true that her body was found in your home.”

"Even if Dad killed that woman, he couldn't possibly burn us all alive too!"

The scars of the fire were still clearly visible. Guoyou scratched his head in confusion, "Basically, what you said isn't very convincing. Maybe he's gone mad."

After a brief silence, Yuriko looked directly at Kuniyu and asked, "Is my father going to be wanted by the police?"

“I think so. It’s a pity,” Guoyou replied helplessly, then muttered to himself, “Where is he...? If he could come forward to explain, we, as police officers, would definitely investigate thoroughly…”

"Find the murderer?" Nakaoka was taken aback by Yuriko's words.

"Yes. I want to prove my father's innocence."

"It's easier said than done."

“I understand. But we can’t feel at ease if we don’t do this.”

Nakaoka, looking troubled, tugged at his messy hair and said, "Maybe you can do it." Then, smiling, he asked, "But do you have the money?"

"money?"

"I need money. Tram fare, bus fare, and maybe sometimes I'll have to take a taxi."

"We can work to earn money."