Asi Hell - Capítulo 6
After saying this, the nurse, like the praying mantis, left.
I felt even more embarrassed.
Kiba reached into his breast pocket to smoke, but unfortunately, he only had an empty pack left.
He twisted the box so hard it broke. He glanced at Fukumoto; the slow-witted, dog-faced man sat there, unsure what to do. Of course, Lai Zi couldn't possibly be carrying cigarettes. Lai Zi, eyes unblinking, crossed his arms and remained silently seated.
Kiba reluctantly reached into his pocket. Everything felt so unreal. Why was he here? What was he supposed to be doing? His sense of purpose was weak. He felt as if he were being propelled by some unknown force, yes, as if he had become a character in a movie—so unreal. Kiba thought about the handkerchief in his pocket. A very ominous premonition filled his pocket.
At that moment, a series of exceptionally loud footsteps clattered down.
Kiba looked in the direction of the footsteps and saw a tall, well-mannered man walking towards him. Another resident had abruptly appeared in Kiba's unreal world.
After leaving the shadows, the man's face gradually became clear; he was a long-faced man with particularly prominent eyes and nose.
Wearing silver-rimmed glasses and dressed neatly in an expensive suit.
"Who are you?"
The man approached Kiba and immediately fired a question, his rapid-fire delivery filled with pressure. Kiba, displeased, replied:
"I have no obligation to identify myself to people who don't give their names. So who are you, a victim's family member?"
When it comes to using a menacing tone, the police are even more adept; hearing such words would instill fear in most people.
But the man remained steadfast.
"Unable to disclose my name or identity due to unforeseen circumstances, I can only say that I am a person with connections. So, is it true that Yuzuki Kanako was involved in an accident? If so, what is her current health condition? Also, was it really Yuzuki Kanako herself?"
"I don't have time to explain myself to everyone who doesn't identify themselves. Are you asking about their attitude?"
"I see you have a lot of free time, and your attitude is even more arrogant. I guess you're a police officer. Really, all police officers are the same, so ignorant and arrogant. You are public servants. Public servants are servants of the public. You are a servant of our people, yet you dare to put on airs."
He speaks very quickly, but his pronunciation is clear and uninterrupted. Coupled with his unchanging facial expressions and mechanical tone, he gives Kiba a very authoritative impression.
I'm not good at dealing with guys like this. This man is probably a highly educated intellectual. Kiba tries his best not to yell at Fukumoto and tries to be as careful as possible in his response.
"Indeed, police officers are public servants, but whether they are your servants is something I don't know. There's no evidence that you're a law-abiding, ordinary, and kind citizen. Knowing the person is a police officer and not giving your name, I'm not going to explain myself to such a suspicious guy!"
Kiba found his own words laughable. This was hardly a thoughtful response; the words that came out seemed to flow uncontrollably. The man remained expressionless, his face equally tense. He sighed and adjusted his glasses. Just then, another man who had rushed over appeared behind him.
"Add rapeseed, add rapeseed!"
As soon as another man arrived, he breathlessly asked the standing man a question.
His face was pale.
The bespectacled man said with dissatisfaction:
"Sigh! This detective has such a terrible personality. He won't say a word."
After saying that, he stared intently at the lumberyard.
Another man, with a look on the verge of tears, looked in turn at Kiba, Fukumoto, and Raiko.
He wore a wrinkled cardigan and corduroy trousers with holes at the knees. His eyes were sleepy, and his skin was pale. It was difficult to tell his age.
"Then, may I ask, what's wrong with adding rapeseed?"
"And who are you? Why won't you tell me your identity?"
"My name is Amamiya. Norimasa Amamiya. I am, in a sense, Kanako Yuzuki's guardian."
"Guardian? You said guardian, but your surnames are different. You're probably not her father, are you her brother or something?"
"This... I'm afraid about this..."
“Brother Amamiya. If you don’t clearly state your identity, this detective won’t even tell you whether Kanako is alive or dead. He won’t even tell me. Someone like you who can’t prove his identity is even less likely to. Never mind, the doctor will be out soon, let’s wait until then.”
"Mr. Masuoka, please don't say that..."
The bespectacled man named Masuoka left a sarcastic remark and sat down on a chair in the third row behind Kiba's group. The man who called himself Amamiya looked around anxiously and cried out again in a voice that sounded like he was about to cry:
"Mr. Masuoka."
Masuoka shifted his body to make room for Amamiya and urged her to sit down. But Amamiya seemed not to understand his actions, nervously fidgeting with her hands and calling out again:
"Mr. Masuoka."
Masuoka looked at him impatiently.
"Come and sit down, my friend Amamiya. By the way, where is Miss Yoko?"
Masuoka asked.
"Miss Yangzi is at the entrance talking to that nurse."
"Turns out there was a nurse. What a failure. I should have just asked her."
Masuoka clicked his tongue in annoyance; it seemed he had gone straight in without running into the nurse from before.
"Little Sister Lai, do you know these people?"
Fukumoto asked Raiko in a very low voice, meaning he was asking if she knew the two people who had just arrived. Raiko shook her head twice without saying a word.
The clock ticked away. Kiba couldn't possibly go to those two heads to ask questions now, and the awkward atmosphere reached its peak. Tonight was truly a terrible night.
Just as the clock on the wall announced the exact time of 3:30.
To bring an end to Kiba's unreal world tonight, the final character of the first act makes a quiet appearance.
"Amamiya, Kanako, she—"
A woman's voice came through.
Amamiya did not answer; no, she was unable to answer.
"Mr. Masuoka, may I ask—who are these gentlemen?"
"They're police officers."
Masuoka answered quickly.
The woman walked up to the lumberyard.
"Thank you all for your hard work." He bowed deeply in apology.
"I sincerely apologize for causing you all so much trouble in the middle of the night. I am a member of Kanako Yuzuki's family. I feel a great sense of responsibility for the huge problem I have caused."
Kiba, Fukumoto, and Raiko all looked toward her.
The woman looked up, and this face was... this woman was... Minami—it was Minami Kinu—ah.
Kiba rubbed his eyes with his large, thick fingers.
“My name is—uh—Yuki Yoko.”
"You, beautiful, beautiful bonito—"
The timber yard couldn't open its mouth.
There's no way I could mistake her; she's Minami Kinuko.
My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my mouth.
Is the photo still in the manual in my pocket?
Why, why is Minami Kinuko here? I can't understand it at all, and I'm in a state of confusion.
"Ah. Aren't you the movie star Minami Kinuko?"
Fukumoto, oblivious to everything, would ask questions without any restraint, mostly with his dog-like expression.
"Did I mistake you for someone else? Ah, I knew it."
Really? Is that really Minami Kinu standing here? Or is it just my own twisted delusion? The combination of sleep deprivation and stress made Kiba feel like he was about to faint—yes, he felt like he was about to faint, his mind was in a daze.
“I no longer use that name,” Kinuko-Yoko replied.
“I am Yuzuki Yoko, Kanako’s sister—” Masuoka stared intently at the woman.
"It's Jia Cai Zi's—older sister."
Masuoka grinned maliciously and stood up.
Then he went up behind the woman who called herself—Yuzuki Yoko—patted her on the shoulder, and said...
"Detective, now that the family has arrived, could this woman who identifies herself as Jia Cai Zi—please explain in detail whether the patient is indeed Jia Cai Zi, what happened, and what her current condition is?"
Masuoka looked smug.
Kiba forcefully pulled his wandering thoughts back to reality and tried his best to maintain a composed demeanor as a police officer. His hostility towards Masuoka brought him back to his senses.
"She has Kanako Yuzuki's student ID, so it should be her. And the girl with her also confirms that. Little sister, am I right?"
Lai Zi nodded this time. However, his gaze was fixed on Kanako's older sister, and he seemed to be completely oblivious to everything else.
"The incident occurred on the platform of Musashi-Koganei Station on the Chuo Line. Ms. Kanako fell just before the train was about to stop at the station."
What caused this?
"The investigation is ongoing; it's unclear whether it was an accident, suicide, or..."
"Are you saying there's also suspicion of homicide?"
Masuoka questioned Kiba in a challenging tone.
"You mean that's possible? Hey, say something!"
Masuoka was emotional.
"As I just said, it's under investigation."
"Wasn't that girl also there? Miss, you saw her, right? You were there when it happened, weren't you? If so, tell us. Did Kanako fall accidentally? Or did she jump herself? You didn't actually see someone push her, did you?"
Masuoka, in his usual rapid, slightly high-pitched but still clear voice, questioned Raiko. Raiko closed her eyes, lowered her head, and began to sob. Her reaction was the same as in the stationmaster's office.
"Mr. Masuoka."
"Kizuna, no," Yoko tried to dissuade Masuoka. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and her voice trembled.
"Detective, I'd also like to ask you something. Is it really possible that Kanako was harmed or something like that?"
Kinuko spoke to Kiba herself.
Consciousness slowly drifted away again. A familiar voice. Yes, this person was Minami Kinuko herself. Neither a virtual image projected on a screen, nor a portrait printed on photographic paper. The living Kinuko was far smaller and thinner than imagined. Yes, having lost her star status, she appeared even more petite.
Kiba was perplexed.