Asi Hell - Capítulo 76
Kinoshita seemed a little confused, standing beside the car looking at Aoki.
"Mr. Kubo, I'm sorry to bother you so early, but I have something I'd like to ask you."
After speaking, Aoki knocked on the door, but there was no response. He pulled the doorknob, and the door opened without any obstruction. The room was dark, and he could see an iron staircase leading upstairs; it seemed Kubo's living quarters were on the second floor. Aoki beckoned to Kinoshita, instructing him to wait at the door. This was just in case. This house probably didn't have a back door; if he wanted to escape, he could rest assured as long as he guarded this place.
Aoki climbed the stairs.
There is a similar door on the right side at the end of the stairs.
"Mr. Kubo, Mr. Kubo, I'm so sorry to have taken you to your rest time..."
"Who are you?"
The door suddenly opened halfway, and a sound came from the crack.
Kubo peeked out from the gap, revealing half of his face.
"Ah, are you Mr. Kubo Junko? The novelist..."
"Yes you are?"
"I am this kind of person."
Aoki showed him the cover of the police handbook. Although Oshima repeatedly insisted that the man see the contents when presenting his identification, Aoki did not want him to.
"I don't need to call the police. I'm busy. Please come back another day."
"No, I need to talk to you. If you're still resting—"
"I'm about to leave. I'm not the kind of lazy person who wants to sleep in even when the sun is up. Sorry."
When Kubo tried to close the door, Aoki leaned his upper body forward, wedging himself between the door and preventing him from doing so.
"It won't take up too much of your time. I only have a few questions to ask—"
"You've taken up too much of my time! Every second of my time is precious. For me, talking to someone I don't need is a waste."
"Ordinary citizens have an obligation to assist the police in their searches. I'm going inside!"
Aoki squeezed into the room with difficulty; there must be something hidden there that he didn't want anyone to find out.
"ah."
The room was completely empty. There was no furniture, absolutely nothing. There was only a table in the center.
"How rude of you to trespass on someone else's studio!"
"studio?"
It turns out this wasn't a residence but a studio.
It certainly doesn't seem like a place where you can live.
The windows were completely filled in, the floor was untiled, and the cement was exposed. There wasn't a single protrusion in the room. It was entirely the interior of a box. A fluorescent light hung from the ceiling. Staying in this room, one would lose track of whether it was sunrise or sunset.
"What do you want? Hurry up and get out of here. I'm going out!"
Kubo appeared anxious and restless.
"Actually, I came to ask you about the boxes. Did you order a large number of wooden boxes from Terada Woodworking Works in Mitaka last year?"
How would he answer?
"Yes. That craftsman is very skilled. So what?"
A man who has no fear.
"Can I take a look?"
"Why should I show it to the police? I haven't done anything wrong, there's no need to show it to others."
"Isn't it because it would be bad if they saw us?"
"What exactly are you looking for? You want my help, but you haven't even said what you're searching for. In short, you officers have absolutely no manners. When you're going to ask a question, at least use some logic. Don't waste people's time. Talking to idiots will only make me infected. Get lost!"
Kubo pushed Aoki away.
His eyes held a complete disdain for people. Aoki's temper flared.
Why should we have to endure this kind of insult? It's absolutely intolerable.
"Since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you! I'm here to stop your insane crimes! Don't look down on the police! You murderer!"
"murderer?"
Kubo's expression changed.
"That's right, you're the one who committed the Musashino dismemberment murder—"
"What did you say! Who's the murderer! Who killed anyone! I didn't kill anyone! How could you idiots understand how I feel! How dare you, you brainless morons, say such things!"
Kubo suddenly became furious, his attitude drastically different from before, making Aoki feel somewhat embarrassed. Spittled from the corner of his mouth, Kubo, like a spoiled child, raised his hands and shouted insults as he charged towards Aoki.
"Waaaaaah!"
Aoki was knocked down and slammed into the door. Kubo kicked the fallen Aoki wildly. Kubo's attack was so sudden that there was no time to resist.
"K-Kinoshita."
Aoki curled up like a fetus and lost consciousness.
"Ku, Kubo, he——"
※
"It's surprising that Kubo is Terada's son."
Incredibly, I have regained my composure.
The incident is not over, but it is still a good thing that some parts have been resolved.
"Although the investigation in Torikochi revealed that the man with the gloves was likely a member of Hei's family—"
He was almost talking to himself. Neither Kyogoku-do nor Natsuki heard him.
Hei confessed everything to us and turned himself in to the police.
It is clear that Kyogoku-do's bluffing was very effective.
We returned to Kyogoku-do's living room and waited listlessly for Aoki's call, just like yesterday.
"Speaking of which, Kyogoku-do, you don't actually see demons, do you?"
I really want to talk to someone, I miss them terribly.
"How could I possibly see such things? I've said it many times before, I'm not good at dealing with demons."
"But aren't you already very close to solving the mystery of the demon? We don't even know how much of what you're saying is actually understood by Bingwei."
"Don't talk nonsense."
Kyogoku-do, while eating the red bean cakes his wife had brought him, replied:
"That was just something I said offhand. I just blurted out whatever came to mind. I hadn't even thought about it before I got there."
"Is that so? Then your claim that the I Ching can unravel the mystery of demons and monsters is also nonsense?"
"Well, I only mentioned it halfway through because I thought it seemed like a good idea and that it would be good to use. It's not exactly lying, but overall, as you often say, it's a kind of sophistry."
After finishing their red bean cakes, Kyogoku-do started drinking tea.
"But your statement that demons and monsters should not approach the gates of hell sounds quite convincing."
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t go near the Gate of Hell, but rather that evil spirits shouldn’t only exist there, because I’m reminded of the Evil-Slaying Four Directions Guardian Spell. Although I’m referring to the north.”
Isn't that so?
"Hmph. Listen carefully, the ancient Fangxiangshi entered the tomb and used a spear to strike in all four directions to drive away the evil spirits. This is not a lie, but he struck the four corners, not the four sides. Because the tomb was designed to be accessible from all four directions. The four corners are northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest. Chou and Yin are included in it."
"Oh, I see. You're a con artist."
"Calling it fraud is too much. But it's not entirely wrong, so I hastily dragged out the plan. Actually, it didn't have to go that far. As long as I attacked the contradictions in the doctrine, he would waver. It's just that he probably doesn't know he has contradictions. He never believed in his own magic from the beginning. So I had to first invite the great demon Wangliang to appear and bring him disaster. That's why I had to make him understand the legitimacy of magic on the one hand, and on the other hand, I had to create flaws in it. It really took me a lot of effort."
Seriously, this guy shouldn't be underestimated.
"I really want to see it live too."
Bird Mouth said.
"Then how do you do the other 'secret insights'? You're more like a medium than the average one—"
“Sekiguchi, talking to you is such a hassle. I already did some research two days ago. I called Nikaido Sumi’s hometown first, and her mother answered. She complained a lot, and that’s how I deduced things. Sumi is almost twenty, can’t find a good man, and is still single. She’s a spendthrift and loves luxury. But her parents still love their only daughter very much. Her meddlesome aunt wanted to introduce her to a miko-gami (a type of spirit), but she never came back. Having faith is a good thing, of course, and she was too embarrassed to say anything in front of her aunt, so her father has been indulging in alcohol ever since. He probably can’t bear to see his child leave home.”
"So you assume that drinking too much alcohol means there's a problem with the liver? That's such simplistic reasoning."
"That's right. And the clothes that Sumi was wearing looked very expensive, high-end. There were no signs of re-sewing, and it didn't look like she bought the fabric and made it herself, so it must have been a ready-made product. Women without jobs couldn't afford that. And judging from what her mother said, she didn't seem like someone who would sincerely believe, so that's why I made this deduction."
"I see, no wonder you boldly guessed her motive was money. Then what about the stomach ache?"
"That's just wild speculation. Her lips were rough and dry, which is evidence of a bad stomach. It's no wonder she has stomach pains from doing things that make her conscience uneasy every day. The torment of conscience will also be reflected in her health. She wasn't some heinous woman to begin with. She just wanted some money and excitement."
"What about Bei's eyes?"
“I see he has a white film on his face, and his pupils are a bit cloudy. I think he has already started to have visual impairment.”
"What is that thing?"
Bird Mouth asked.
"It's cataracts. It's best to treat it as soon as possible. If it develops into floaters, it will be even easier to set a trap. Unfortunately, his symptoms are already quite severe."
Although I didn't understand what he meant, I didn't know I would understand even if I asked, so I didn't ask any more questions.
So, the answers to "revealing secrets" are everywhere, and Natsukizu's hallucinations must have been used as material as well. I'm starting to feel sorry for Terada Heibei. For a self-taught medium like him, Kyogoku-do was too strong an opponent.
I slowly ruminated on Heibei's words.
Hei's real wife's name was Ari.
Hei said he got married in 1944 (Showa 6), through an arranged marriage. The main reason was that his mother had died the previous year, and the household needed a woman to manage it.
The following year, their child, Toshikimi, was born. The name Toshikimi was given by his grandfather, Terada Tadashi. Later, Tadashi confessed that he had originally intended to name the child Toshikimi, but had written it incorrectly while drunk.
The character “竣” is not pronounced “toshi”; its meaning is completion or end. Therefore, Jun Gong could only live on as “shunkou” (note).
Note: The original kun'yomi (reading based on meaning) for "俊公" is "toshihimi", but "竣" cannot be read as "toshi" in meaning, so it can only be read as "shunkou" using on'yomi (reading based on the pronunciation of Chinese characters).
The year after Jun Gong was born, Ah Zhong died.