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Kapitel 51

"I don't understand why Kyogoku-do kicked us out. What does he know? Why did Kiba-sama become so compliant after hearing what he said? What's his reason for not letting us know? There are so many things I don't understand. What do you think, Natsu-nii?"

Natsume made a face as if mocking me, and said with a troubled expression:

"You're still as slow as ever. Xiao Guan, you're like a turtle, you turtle."

"What kind of reply is that? I wasn't asking for your opinion of me."

"A-Gui, why don't you even understand why Kyogoku-do told us to go back first? Kiba Osamu, of course, it's for that, Minami Kinuko, right? He's deeply in love with that woman, very passionately so."

"ah."

"So that's how it is! I am indeed a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to matters of love and romance, but how could such a limited amount of information lead to this conclusion? I think it's not that I'm too slow, but rather that Brother Xia has overanalyzed things with a petty mind." Xia Mujin continued with a disdainful tone:

"Otherwise, how could that idiot have willingly participated in an event that would jeopardize his own position? Didn't you see his face? It's clearly the result of a meticulous fool agonizing for days. That rough, careless, and clueless muscleman, actually worrying about something so delicate, it's laughable. Just looking at the police report, you can see how enthusiastically Kiba Osamu was involved in this case. That guy has no luck with women, let alone being liked, he doesn't even know how to like someone, so he probably thought that as long as he puts in his effort, he could achieve results, how stupid."

"Isn't that a bit too much? He's an old friend of yours."

"They're childhood friends."

Natsuki still looked very happy.

Contrary to his appearance, Kiba is not careless, nor is he the reckless person Natsuki describes. At least, that's my opinion. Anyone who has interacted with him will easily discover his cautiousness and slightly neurotic personality.

However, even when he isn't that type, he often acts according to the stereotypes people have of him. At those times, it's difficult to determine his true thoughts. Regardless, I've noticed that his personality can be described as that of a pure-hearted, idealistic man.

So, if Kiba really does fall for Yuzuki Yoko—what will he think once he learns about the unknown past of the person he longs for?

Is Kyogoku-do asking us to go back first because of this?

My feelings have become very complicated.

"Kyogoku-do—I wonder how he'll tell Kiba?—I mean, Yoko's past."

"It's much better for him to relay the message than for you or me to do it. Don't worry, he's not some greenhorn. A man in his thirties isn't going to be discussing love troubles with someone. Besides, Kyogoku is very good at communicating in this area, he'll definitely relay it well. It's just that Kiba is such a troublesome guy, such an idiot."

If we're talking about troublesome drivers, I think the one next to me is the real headache.

Just as I was about to make a sarcastic remark, the car stopped.

"Where does the Kusumoto family live? Kame, give me their address."

I took out the roster and told Xia Mujin the detailed address.

Then I noticed that when I took the roster to Kyogoku-do yesterday, I put it in a paper bag, but today I brought it out directly. It seems I forgot the paper bag at Kyogoku-do. Besides the roster, there seemed to be something else in the paper bag.

"Ah, it's <The Girl in the Box>."

"Little heroine? What are you talking about, Turtle?"

I originally intended to have Kyogoku-do review the layout of Kubo's new work that Koizumi sent me, but I forgot to take it out of the paper bag and just left it there. Kyogoku-do will probably check the contents, and since I was going to bring it to him anyway, it's fine this way.

"What's going on? There aren't many road signs around here, and it's so hard to find the way. The direction seems wrong."

Xia Mujin hummed a song as he turned the steering wheel.

"Turtle, I made this special trip for you today, so don't just stand there, help me find my way."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Why did you come here for me?!"

"Because I'm fine now, I've given up looking for the little girl."

"That's exactly what I was about to ask. I don't know what basis Kyogoku-do had for saying those things to you, but is it really okay for you to give up so easily, Natsu-nii? How do you plan to report this to them?"

"Why not just say, 'We looked, but we couldn't find it'?"

"But you've already taken the money."

“This is necessary funding, and he himself said that he doesn’t need to pay back any extra.”

"Then what about your father's position?"

"My dad probably forgot he even called me."

As expected of Natsukizu's father. So, he's planning to report that he's helpless? But why would Kyogoku-do say something like that?

Natsume shouted loudly:

"This is the area. Turtle! We've arrived!"

We've finally arrived. What should I do next? I have absolutely no plan or preparation.

With Masuoka's data and Kiyono's notes, I have basic information about the woman I'm about to meet, named Kusumoto Kimie. The information says she's a hairdresser around thirty-five years old. As far as I know, female hairdressers should be quite rare.

I've heard that apprenticeships in the doll-making profession are very tough, but skilled individuals can quickly become independent. The information says she's particularly adept at making what's known in the doll industry as "March items" (note) – Girls' Day dolls.

Note: March 3rd is Girls' Day. Families with daughters traditionally display dolls to wish their daughters a happy and healthy growth.

It's a small house.

The Kusumoto family home was situated at one corner of a three-way intersection, facing the road on both sides. It was a single-story wooden house with a low wooden wall along the roadside, enclosing a small space that could barely be called a courtyard. A withered persimmon tree grew in the yard, its height only slightly exceeding the roof of the house. A short distance separated it from the neighboring house, a two-story building whose rusted corrugated iron sheets peeked out from the opposite side of its tiled roof. The other side appeared to be an open space.

Because of the lack of a comparable object, it is easy to mistake the scale for a miniature house in an architectural model.

The gate was tightly shut, like a samurai's house being punished with confinement, with cross-shaped wooden planks nailed to it. But it wasn't completely airtight; it was clear that the planks were nailed down hastily.

Walk around the wooden wall; there's a back door towards the open space. The house is quiet; is nobody home?

"Oh! It's Chinese New Year!"

The door is decorated with shimenawa (sacred rope), but it's not a shrine, so it undeniably feels out of season.

I knocked on the door two or three times, but no one answered.

"Is nobody home?"

It's better if no one's around; I wouldn't know what to do if we met anyway.

"They might just be pretending they're not there. What should we do, Turtle? Should we force our way in? I'll just kick the door down!"

Xia Mujin raised his foot and gently kicked the door.

"Don't do that, come again next time."

If you agree, Natsume will definitely be so happy that he'll kick the door down.

"It's so annoying to have to do it again. Let's go somewhere else to kill time. I've got it, Turtle, let's go to a coffee shop. Although going on a date with you is not a pleasant experience, don't worry, it's on me, using the detective's funds."

That's outrageous, but I can't think of any other good solution. After parking the fake Datsun sports car in the open space behind, we headed towards a café that we weren't even sure existed.

However, judging from the street scene around here, it's hard to believe there are coffee shops; there are empty spaces everywhere.

After walking a few steps, I came across a dilapidated factory.

"Kiba Osamu lives in this town? It's such a rural place."

Xia Mujin said, kicking a utility pole standing next to the factory.

"Ah, there's a coffee shop."

Despite his poor eyesight, his observation skills were surprisingly sharp. Focusing intently in the direction he pointed, I indeed saw a famous music café (Note 1).

Note 1: A type of coffee shop popular in Japan during the 1950s and 1960s, where classical music was played for customers to enjoy.

Located approximately 300 meters away, the store is called "New World".

Contrary to its luxurious name, the shop itself was decorated in a rather shabby manner. Opening the tasteless, red-painted frosted glass door, one could hear the hoarse voice of Mozart playing from inside.

"How can this shop have such terrible taste? Playing this kind of music will put customers to sleep in less than a minute. Customers who come here to discuss business will definitely surrender, right, Turtle?"

Natsukizu seems to dislike classical music.

"Brother Xia's bad habit is that he always assumes everyone thinks like him. Also, please don't call me a tortoise, okay?"

The store was dimly lit due to poor lighting, but the space was fairly spacious, and there were a surprisingly large number of customers.

No staff came to help us, so we had to find seats ourselves.

Natsume wandered aimlessly forward and sat down at an empty seat. Under this lighting, Natsume looked like Hermes in a plaster cast (Note 2). As long as she didn't speak or move, she must be very popular with the opposite sex. Her family background and appearance were beyond reproach, yet she was over thirty and still unmarried; it must be because she was always talking and moving around.

Note 2: The Greek god of travel, commerce, and thieves, and also a messenger of the gods.

As soon as I thought about it, Xia Mujin actually stopped moving. His previously incessant, witty mouth shut up. When the female clerk came to get the menu, he didn't say a word, just stared in my direction. But he wasn't looking at me. His big eyes were vacant, yet he didn't move an inch.

I had no choice but to order two coffees first.

"What's wrong, Brother Xia? Why did you suddenly freeze?"

"Okay, you stay here for now."

Xia Mujin quietly got up and walked in the direction behind me.

A man was sitting two seats away from us.

Natsumi stood in front of the man.

Did he see—something?

Yes, that's for sure. It's said that Natsuki can see things that ordinary people can't. Kyogoku-do said he saw fragments of other people's memories. If that's true, he must have seen someone's memories. So, whose memories did he see? I turned my upper body to look behind me. Natsuki blocked my view, so I couldn't see his face, only hear his voice.

"Excuse me, I'm a detective. You—you know Kanako? Hmm, you do know her—"

"W-What do you want? A detective? Kanako? I don't know who she is. Suddenly appearing out of nowhere to question someone, it's really embarrassing—"

"You're lying, you know perfectly well. Then—"

"I said I don't know, and that's it. How can you be so rude? I've never heard of that—"

"Who is that girl in that window? The one framed in the window—"

"What are you talking about, window frames? I don't understand a word you're saying. If you keep bothering me, I'll—"

Both sides rushed to speak before the other could finish, thus covering up each other's words.

Busy coming and going.

Wait, I think I've heard that voice and that tone before.

I left my seat and walked to Natsumi's side.

"What are you doing! You're such an unpleasant person, you're being too presumptuous!"

The man stood up and saw me.

"Guan, Kou Xun—Mr."

The man said.

The man was none other than Kubo Junko.