Qi lässt sich leicht weitergeben

Kapitel 66

"Suppress the gaps?"

"The protagonist of this novel has this peculiar habit, which leads to the creation of numerous custom-made wooden boxes in the story. Sekiguchi, what are your thoughts on this part?"

A very clever approach. Kyogoku-do is deliberately breaking down the information into small segments and releasing it slowly.

And how I would respond was probably within his calculations. Kyogoku-do already knew that I would try to defend Kubo after hearing his words, so he deliberately made this statement.

But I had no other option but to confront his provocation head-on.

"Well, this part might reflect the truth. And it's undoubtedly true that Kubo has a deep connection with Mihako-gami—but even so, it's a bit far-fetched to say that he had a motive to dismember the body based on that."

Kyogoku-do nodded.

"Let me digress for a moment. Sekiguchi, regarding this protagonist—do you think his mental illness can be simply labeled as spatial phobia?"

"Hmm, but in this case, since the character is not a real person but a fictional one, it's really hard to judge. I think it can also be considered as claustrophobia."

"It seems there are many ways to interpret this character. Is such a profound character really something Kubo created out of imagination? There are too many contradictions in its operating principles; yet, despite its strange behavior, it has an unusually strong presence. It makes one wonder if this character is the author himself."

"But isn't this just your prejudice? Maybe he really is very creative and can create characters that are deeply memorable."

"That's true. But putting that aside for now, don't you think there's something strange about this novel?"

It's really strange—

My talkative friend probably knows that I find this novel very strange. After reading <The Girl in the Box>, I was completely overwhelmed by its terrible aftertaste.

I did not answer his question.

"This novel seems to be trying its best to obscure the main subject. The use of old kana and old kanji is probably for this purpose. No, not only that, this novel lacks a main subject, which makes it even more uncomfortable."

"Uh-huh."

"This novel doesn't use 'he,' 'you,' or 'I,' which gives the reader a sense of bewilderment, unease, and apprehension. If this were intentional, it might have become a masterpiece. I initially thought so too, but it doesn't seem to be the case. I believe this inexplicable style is a result of desperately concealing the fact that the subject is 'me,' that is, Kubo Shunko himself. What do you think?"

"That's sophistry."

"Is that really how it is?"

Kyogoku-do laughed after saying that.

I think he has already obtained other evidence, but he's deliberately hiding it. I think he's drawn his strongest trump card, the one he can only play at the very last moment.

"Forget it, we'll probably understand better when the second part comes out. But we don't have time to wait."

Kyogoku-do said with a cheerful expression.

"Alright, Aoki, I've said everything I can. I believe you understand that my suspicions about Kubo are entirely based on hearsay and inferences. As Sekiguchi said, there's no concrete evidence whatsoever, and it's nothing to be ashamed of if it's considered sophistry. So it's fine if you don't believe me. However, if you do believe me, please don't accept everything without question; you must investigate carefully. If my reasoning is wrong but you accept it completely, I will not be held responsible."

Aoki held his head in his hands and pondered for a long time.

Then he said in a low voice:

"Kubo—he's certainly suspicious. No, I haven't accepted your reasoning entirely. I believe I've tried my best to eliminate preconceived notions and listen to your reasoning as fairly as possible—"

Although Aoki said that, I don't think that's the case.

Aoki has undoubtedly fallen into Kyogoku-do's trap.

In other words—

Kubo was definitely the real culprit after all.

Kyogoku-do possesses certain evidence that convinces him of this, but he doesn't want to reveal it rashly. Therefore, he uses various methods to eliminate other impossible scenarios one by one, guiding Aoki to this conclusion without disclosing the core information.

Aoki continued:

"The current state of the police investigation into the dismemberment case is that, frankly, they haven't even made a single clue, let alone screened suspects. After confirming the victim's identity, there's been no progress. They can't find any leads. The gloved man appears and disappears like a monster, yet they haven't even caught a dog during the search. So even just knowing that Kubo wore gloves is highly suspicious information for the police right now. Therefore, since I've heard this news today, there's no reason not to investigate. Although this alone isn't enough to obtain an arrest warrant, as long as we can confirm that the wooden box containing the body was made by Terada Heiwa of Mihakogami, we can continue the investigation along that line. As long as Kubo doesn't have an alibi for the day of the alleged crime, we can still bring him back to the police station as a reference. However—"

Aoki touched his head, which resembled a small mustard seed doll.

"Mr. Chuzenji, although you say no, I haven't heard any explanation on this point—Mr. Natsuki just asked about it too—is it really true that Kubo and Kanako's cases are unrelated? And who is the culprit in the third case you mentioned?"

"See? I told you so. Kyogoku, you've always tried to hide things, and now you've finally gotten what you deserve."

"I don't even know if I was asleep or awake—I'd completely forgotten about this person," Natsuki said smugly. Even so, I still didn't know what had happened to Kyogoku-do. Aoki continued:

"The man in the gloves is a suspect in the serial dismemberment murders, and also a suspect in the attempted murder and kidnapping of Kanako. No, the police have not yet identified the victim, so while he is definitely a suspect in the serial kidnapping of girls, he is at most a possibility in the dismemberment case. However, there are witnesses in the Kanako case, so the man in the gloves is definitely a suspect."

Aoki's expression was serious, while Natsuki still looked smug.

Kyogoku-do showed no sign of distress; his expression remained relaxed, without the slightest wavering. He said:

“Hmm, Aoki, but the gloves of the suspect in the Kanako case are a different color.”

Then he said:

"And there's something else I haven't told you yet. Yesterday, Kiba-san said on the phone that Yuzuki Yoko withdrew her testimony."

Is it really true?

"Her reason for committing perjury seems to be that she saw the Kanagawa Prefectural Police always targeting her, Amamiya, and Kiba, who are insiders, and she hoped they would shift the focus outwards."

Aoki looked surprised.

"But—in that case, what Kusumoto Yoriko sees is—"

"About that, Aoki."

After Kyogoku-do finished speaking, he paused briefly and looked at everyone present in turn. Natsuki, as usual, urged him on.

"What is it, Kyogoku? Tell me now."

"That person is me."

"Huh?"

Kyogoku-do laughed after he finished speaking.

"What's going on? It was just a joke! What kind of joke is that at a time like this!"

"I'm not joking, I'm very serious."

"Mr. Chuzenji, so you mean you were on the platform at Musashi-Koganei Station on the night the incident occurred?"

"No, I remember that day was Remembrance Day. That evening—I was here reading a rare book called 'The Secrets of Judgment.' A friend had just given it to me the day before."

"Can you be more explicit? You always beat around the bush, not this time, but every time."

I expressed my dissatisfaction, and Kyogoku-do raised one eyebrow and said:

"Ultimately, this is your fault, Guan Kou. It's all because you dragged me into this that things have become so complicated."

Then he pulled out the bottom issue of "Modern Literature" from the table and turned to the page with the bookmark.

This is my part of "Dizziness".

"This is the latest work of Master Tatsumi Sekiguchi, published at the end of last month in the literary magazine 'Modern Literature.' Our master is a more specialized writer of I-novels than even Shunko Kubo, so this work was naturally written under the trigger of a real experience. That is, the Zoshiya Incident, which you are all familiar with. However, compared to Kubo, Master Sekiguchi seems to have a much higher ability to elevate facts into works of art. A quick reading will not reveal that this work is actually about that incident."

I was praised for my work by Kyogoku-do—albeit only a little—an experience I've never had before.

But—what does this have to do with the event?

"But since it was only a few months after the incident, the time to prepare was too short, and by the end, it seemed to become unmanageable."

Absolutely correct, I have no argument against that.

"Thus, this work, which had a rare chance to become a masterpiece, was ruined by the author himself. This emotional aspect is perhaps part of his strength as a writer. In short, the ending is quite remarkable. Before this, it was filled with a strange, unsettling style that defied easy categorization as either fantasy or reality—"

To make matters worse, Kyogoku-do started reading the contents aloud.

"—Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Just as I hesitated to answer, the woman opened it without thinking. Standing outside was a man dressed in black, resembling both a high monk and a sinister scholar. 'Goodnight, I am the assassin who has come to end all stories,' he said. It was too dark for me to see his face clearly. His clothes were as black as ink, and he wore something that looked like gauntlets or handcuffs. 'Well then, let's begin.' The assassin in black grabbed the woman by the back of her neck with his gloved hand, shoving her into the lake depicted in the painting, giving her a hard push on the back. The woman sank silently to the far bottom of the lake. The assassin said, 'One soul, received.' Staring blankly at this scene, I felt as if a gaping hole had been torn in my chest, chasing after my fleeing half-body. Ah, if only she were still alive… I stared blankly into the abyss, at the woman's corpse lying at the bottom of the painting—"

This is the final part of the novel. After reading it, Kyogoku-do looked up and said:

"—It's impossible to discuss the work just by looking at this part, but this section clearly shows something. The killer in black clothes and gloves is obviously based on me—this section describes how the glove-wearing man pushes the woman into the abyss and kills her."

Could it be that,

"Could it be, Kyogoku-do, that you're saying Raiko saw me—"

I almost completely understand what he was trying to say.

But I simply can't believe it.

"Lai Zi testified on August 31st, sixteen days after the incident. As for why she waited half a month to testify, her own explanation was that the trauma caused temporary memory impairment—is that correct?"

Aoki replied:

"Well, she seemed to say that she was a little mentally confused at the time."

"I've heard Kiba-sensei explain this part in detail. He probably explained it to the others before Aoki came, right? Anyway, Yuiko's memories of the day of the incident—they're actually just the memory of the man in black pushing Kanako down. Yuiko's own explanation is that she recalled these memories because she felt lonely, went to the café Kanako frequented, and read the magazine Kanako often read—"

"That's why I suddenly remembered. But that's quite possible, isn't it?"

No one knows what event might trigger a recovery from memory impairment.

"Of course it's possible. But she never actually used phrases like 'remembered' or 'forgot' to describe it. When she went to the police officer in Musashi Koganei, she said 'I had this idea,' and she never used words like 'forgot' or 'remembered' to describe it afterward."

"You speak as if you heard it there yourself. Were you even there?"

“Okay, I’ll correct my statement. If Kiba Shutaro’s memory is correct, that’s what she said. As for what magazines Yuzuki Kanako often reads—Yoriko herself told Kiba that they were literary magazines for adults—it seems.”

"There are plenty of those magazines, right?"

“That’s right, there are plenty. It wasn’t interesting to Raiko, but she didn’t want to fall behind Kanako, so she read it frantically. She said—she only thought the stories full of fantasy and the bizarre were pretty good.”

"But this—"

But so what?

"Then, after the incident—after half a month of silence, Raiko seemed to remember something and went to the coffee shop. If asked why she chose that day, she seemed to say it was because it was the last day of summer vacation, and she wanted to recall her memories of Kanako—I don't want to comment on that—anyway, she bought two literary magazines at the bookstore and entered the 'new world.' As for the magazines she bought, she said she randomly picked up two magazines with 'Released Today' and 'Highly Selling' promotional signs. I don't know which one was 'Highly Selling,' but the only magazine with 'Released Today' signs was probably the newly published 'Modern Literature.' And speaking of the incredible story published in that issue, it was only 'Dizziness' by the avant-garde genius of I-novels—Tatsumi Sekiguchi. When she read it and saw 'The Black-Clad Assassin,' she was overjoyed as if she had received a divine revelation."

But,

"But, Kyogoku-do, isn't this just your own imagination?"

"That being said—but I have corroborating evidence that Kusumoto Yoriko particularly loved 'Modern Literature' among many literary magazines, and especially loved your work 'Toriguchi.' Are you familiar with the term 'Five Decays of the Gods'?"

"Ah, you mean the incantation that Kusumoto Yoriko was chanting earlier? I didn't know that."

"So you don't even know about ascension to immortality or corpse liberation?"

"I've heard of the 'roofed head' and 'deer cracker' (note)."

Note: This is a homophonic joke about birds' mouths. The radical for "roof" (宀) sounds similar to "ascending to immortality" (羽化登仙), and "deer rice cracker" (鹿仙贝) sounds similar to "corpse-dissolving immortal" (尸解仙).

"Aoki, you don't know either?"