Geister-Hutong

Kapitel 18

"In that case, could it be that the two of them—" Sachidai started to say but then hurriedly covered her mouth.

“It’s alright,” Yuriko said. “But what would happen if that were the case?”

"Well, as for Sasaki-kun... I think even so, there's nothing we can do."

“Heartless and ungrateful men,” Sachiyo said, frowning. “It is precisely this kind of atmosphere that makes wives widows.”

“I can’t help it. That’s just the kind of man I am.” Uematsu said, as if he had opened a floodgate, “—That’s why I was so shocked when that incident happened. I knew where Sasaki and Yoko must have gone, but they were still named suspects and put on the wanted list. I should have told them the whole truth, but I was afraid that if my wife found out, I would be kicked out of the company and the house, so I insisted that I didn’t know. Then, you came to the company to ask me about it, and because I was worried, I forged a ‘leave application’.” “That, oh, what a clumsy forgery.”

“I was born clumsy,” Uematsu suddenly burst into tears, “which is why I’m always subservient to others…”

Yuriko suddenly became angry. It was because of such a heartless and ungrateful man that her father had been deceived and put in such a predicament.

"Stop crying!" Yuriko shouted angrily.

Uematsu was startled, his saliva choking him, making a gurgling sound.

“That’s right,” Sachiyo said. “Look at this girl. Her father is missing, her house burned down, she’s penniless, and she’s not particularly beautiful—”

“Wait, this is enough,” Yuriko hurriedly interjected.

"I'm sorry. But no matter what, seeing a seventeen-year-old so resilient, don't you feel ashamed, Section Chief?"

"That's why I said it. I'm a shameless man."

"The important question is, did Yoko or my father contact you afterward?" Yuriko asked.

"Not at all. Maybe... he's no longer alive. Because Sasamoto-kun is the kind of man that makes women feel they'd be willing to die together. A fool like me should just die."

It was truly astonishing that such a timid and cowardly man could hold the position of section chief.

"Did you instruct the homeless man to attack this girl yesterday?" Guoyou asked.

"I don't know. What are you talking about? -- I saw Nogami-kun meeting with this child, but there was nothing I could do."

Why did you run away today?

“I sensed something was wrong. When Nogami asked me to fill out the forms yesterday, I had a bad feeling. Then I saw her meeting with this girl. — Today I heard she came with a man, and I don’t know what to do.”

Yuriko thought: Uematsu was probably not lying. To instantly control the homeless with money and instruct them to snatch the receipts back from Yuriko was a clever move he couldn't have accomplished. But then, who was it really...? Or was the homeless men's attack truly accidental?

2005-3-14 15:46:00

After repeatedly emphasizing that the above content should be kept secret from his wife, Uematsu returned home with trepidation.

"—There hasn't been much progress," Sachiyo said.

"But now the reason for my father's disappearance is finally clear."

"Yes. How is it connected to Junko Mizuguchi's case?"

"Aside from the fact that the body was found in that house, there is no indication that Junko Mizuguchi was my father's lover."

"As you said, your father was a suspect because he disappeared at the same time as the crime."

"Where is he now? Why isn't he showing up? Although these questions are still unclear, the reason for his disappearance has been found."

"The murderer moved Junko Mizuguchi's body into your house and set it on fire in an attempt to frame your father. If your father had indeed been burned to death, then the whole incident would have ended there."

“So I think the murderer didn’t know that Father was going on a business trip.” Yuriko repeated the reasoning she had made for her older and younger sisters.

But how did the murderer get into the house? — The key is the key. Although Yuriko was initially pleased that her father's suspicions had been gradually cleared, the fundamental problem remained unresolved, and she returned to her previous melancholy. Was her father still alive? Who was the murderer? She also couldn't stop thinking about the killer of Katase Noriko. Were they truly unrelated cases? Yuriko's intuition told her that the two incidents were connected somewhere.

"What, it's you again?" The bakery owner looked at Ayako, who had a blank expression.

"I'm sorry." Ayako was practically a hopelessly directionally challenged person, with a permanent guarantee of being able to find her way around. If you took her anywhere, she'd end up in three different places in three different directions. So even after asking for directions countless times, she still couldn't reach her destination. Even the routes she'd walked all year in college would sometimes make her question whether she was on the right path when she walked home.

"It seems like you've come full circle and come back."

Ayako was looking for Kanda Hatsue's apartment. She had asked the owner of this bakery for directions, and after following her directions, she somehow ended up back here.

"You're a really bad navigator too, even worse than my husband," the proprietress said with a smile. "Alright, I'll take you there."

"Thank you," Ayako said softly. "Is your shop alright?"

"Even if it gets stolen, it's just a loaf of bread at most. Let's go."

"Thanks."

Ayako breathed a sigh of relief and followed the landlady out. Hopefully, everything will be alright now. Even so, the landlady was still worried that Ayako might get lost in the blink of an eye, since she was with Ayako. Fortunately, it was only a two or three-minute walk, so the walk ended before they got separated.

"—Look, this is the apartment building."

"It's so simple, I was led here in no time, how could I be lost?" Ayako was completely baffled. "I've been to this apartment before, haven't I?" No matter how Ayako thought about it, she was on the same road, walking the same way...

Ayako thanked the landlady repeatedly before entering the apartment. "Hmm... Kanda... it's on the second floor." Fortunately, there wasn't a place in the apartment where she could get lost. Upon reaching the second floor, she immediately found Kanda Hatsue's room.

Ayako rang the doorbell, waited a while but received no response, so she rang it again.

"Kanda...it's Ayako Sasakimoto." Ayako tried knocking, but the room remained silent. Strange, didn't she specifically call me to come?

"Kanda, are you home?" She turned the doorknob, and the door opened.

"Well... I'll be rude then." Ayako cautiously peeked inside. The room was empty, as if no one was there. Although it felt empty, there was still some furniture, and the blankets were scattered haphazardly.

"Kanda..." He must have gone out to the neighborhood. Since he didn't lock the door, he's probably planning to come back soon. Ayako wanted to wait outside, but standing there blankly in the corridor, being stared at by people nearby, made her feel a little shy. So she decided to go inside and wait patiently.

"Excuse me." Ayako, imagining herself greeting the host, went inside and plopped down on the main seat of the tatami mat. She couldn't possibly pour the tea herself…

Ayako sat there for about ten minutes, and Kanda Hatsue showed no sign of returning, so she began to look around anxiously. "Not very tasteful. If it were me, I'd definitely change those curtains. And it's a bit messy..." she began to criticize Kanda Hatsue's room. This also bored her, so she shifted her gaze to the messy bedding.

"Son." — Kanda Hatsue said her fiancé had arrived. "Ugh!" Finally, even Ayako understood what the messy pile of blankets in broad daylight meant, and she blushed instantly. "Oh dear...it's so embarrassing!" she muttered to herself.

Sitting there like this is boring, and there's no time to air out the blankets now, so I'll just tidy them up for her. Ayako stood up, folded the blankets, and carried them to the wardrobe. I might as well put them in first; surely I won't get scolded for tidying her things. Ayako opened the wardrobe door, and there was Kanda Hatsue inside. She wasn't hiding there playing hide-and-seek. She was crouching, glaring angrily at Ayako, her face ashen, her tongue lolling out. A thin ribbon was wrapped around her neck, deeply embedded. Ayako blinked in disbelief, staring blankly at Kanda Hatsue for a long time… She hadn't fainted, nor had she screamed. Kanda Hatsue had been murdered; even Ayako knew that. That meant she was dead. That meant… who killed her? Who? —Why?

"She's dead." Ayako was in a sleepwalking state, feeling numb, yet unusually calm. "No matter what, I need to find someone first... find the police... right. Hmm... it's 119, no, that's the bank's." Just as she was muttering to herself and reaching for the phone, the doorbell rang.

"Oh? May I ask who this is?"

"Big sister, it's me." It was Zhu Mei's voice.

"Tamami!" Ayako, startled, opened the door. "How did you get here?"

"My older sister came out quietly, and I followed her. Didn't you notice?"

"Idiot, what do you think you're doing?"

"No, I'm waiting outside, but you haven't come out. Is this your colleague's room? Isn't she home?" She peeked inside cautiously. "Hmm, it's not a very nice room. How much did she say the rent was?"

How would I know?

"Hasn't she come back yet?"

“This… she is indeed here, but…”

"What? Where? The toilet?"

"In the closet."

"Your colleague has some really strange interests."

"It seems... he was killed."

"Oh, really? Then, should we wait and see?" Zhu Mei asked, as if she had just come to her senses after speaking. "—Big sister, what did you just say?"

“It’s in the closet, it looks like it’s dead. Right now, I’m wondering whether I should call the health center—” Ayako replied.

Zhu Mei kicked off her shoes and went into the room, running to the closet.

Ayako continued muttering to herself, "Huh? It seems like she was murdered? Where should I call? The owner of the funeral home, perhaps?"

"Big sister... cheer up!" Zhu Mei said, shaking Ayako violently, her face pale. "Have you called the police yet? Not yet?"

"That's why I was just about to call the call center—"

Tamami rushed to the phone and dialed 110. "Is this the police? It's a murder! — Hmm, the body's in the closet. — Hmm?" Tamami turned to Ayako and asked, "Big sister, what's the address here? Is it on file? — Give it to me quickly!" Finally, the police were called, and Tamami breathed a sigh of relief. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Did you notify the news media?"

"Haven't I made any calls yet?"

"That's natural, that's how it is."

2005-3-14 15:49:00

"Of course, that's true! That's not what I meant. — Ah, I've got it."

What are you going to do?

"Call the newspaper. There might be a reward for providing information. The police work for free, right?" Zhu Mei nervously dialed the phone.

Ayako remained staring blankly in the direction of the gate… “Tamami—”

"Yes, yes. My sister and I found it. The police haven't arrived yet. It's still the original scene—"

"Zhumei..."

"It's so noisy! -- Oh? Yes, I'm waiting. It hasn't been told to any other newspapers. 'Exclusive' means—"

"Jummi, someone's here..."

"What the hell?" Tamami hung up the phone and turned around.

"At the main gate..."

The door opened silently, and when Zhu Mei saw the hand wearing a black glove, her eyes widened in shock. Then she suddenly screamed, "Ah—, murder!"

Ayako was startled by Tamami's scream and collapsed onto the tatami mat.

Zhu Mei had no idea what happened in that instant. She had closed her eyes while screaming desperately. When she realized something was approaching, she was already in complete darkness, her eyes completely covered. "Wah—! Ah—!" Zhu Mei managed to frantically peek out, but at the same time, the door slammed shut, and footsteps echoed rapidly down the hallway.

What had been covering her was a blanket. "Ah, that scared me to death..." Then she looked up sharply and saw that the blanket was actually moving around. She jumped up with a start, and the blanket slipped off, revealing Aya crouching on the ground, covering her head. "Oh, right. Big sister's here too!"

Even Tamami felt the terror descend upon her, and she sat weakly on the ground...

2005-3-14 15:50:00

Chapter Eleven: Doubting Love

The murderer was cornered with nowhere to run.

Yuriko stared at Kanda Hatsue's body as it was carried out, thinking, "To hide one crime, one repeats another, committing new crimes time and time again."

“That’s very clear,” Kuniyu said. “The murderer isn’t your father. The murderer was afraid that Kanda Hatsue would reveal the truth about her.”

He killed her because of words that were unfavorable to him. Moreover, he must have known Ayako was coming here, so he went around to the front to kill her to silence her.

“It was already clear from the beginning that Dad wasn’t the murderer,” Yuriko said, pouting.

"That's not what I meant. It's a fact, and I was just making an objective analysis."