El segundo libro de la serie El mago de Oolong, titulado La mente normal

Capítulo 17

"The truth is something you can't say out loud, is it?"

"So, you mean you have a lover?" Guoyou urged him to continue.

Yuriko also felt that it was understandable for Uematsu to have a lover. However, she thought it would be better if he hadn't clung to his position as section chief and had chosen to get a divorce.

“My wife is a woman with keen intuition in this regard. So we have always been very careful in our relationship. Only Mr. Sasamoto knows about this.”

"My father?"

“He is a trustworthy man. Besides, he once accidentally saw me on a date with my girlfriend, so I can’t hide it from him.”

"Is that woman Junko Mizuguchi?"

"Mizuguchi? -- No, you've got it wrong! I don't know that kind of woman! My lover is a very reasonable woman in her thirties. If I were to date a younger woman, it would be terrible if she rashly went to my wife and spread rumors. So I chose a woman I could be with with peace of mind."

2005-3-14 15:32:00

"So what does this have to do with Mr. Sasaki's disappearance?"

"I don't know anything about the disappearance either. Really. Anyway, at that time..."

Uematsu was anxiously awaiting the five o'clock end of the workday. To be precise, he had been waiting for this moment since he started work at nine in the morning. He was sitting at his desk, but hadn't done any work. If he had to say what he had done since the beginning of the morning, it was to glance at the forms brought by the clerks and stamp them. This day was indeed one of the luckiest days of his life. His wife, Kotomi, was going on a trip to attend a women's university reunion and wouldn't return until the day after tomorrow. Uematsu himself could also go on a business trip to Sapporo starting today, returning the day after tomorrow. Although it was a business trip, the work was simple, and if he worked hard in the morning, he could finish it quickly and easily. He couldn't let this opportunity slip by! — He had been looking forward to a trip with Nagata Yoko, with whom he had been in a relationship for five years.

"Five minutes to five o'clock..." Just five more minutes until I'm free. I've arranged to meet Yoko at a small love hotel at 5:30. Since my flight is at nine o'clock, I can leisurely spend some time with just the two of us, and then take my time getting to Haneda Airport.

Thinking about it this way, he realized that in the past five years, he and Yoko had never had a leisurely time together. Forget traveling, they had to avoid even slightly crowded places or areas where Qinjiang might appear. And Yoko had been silently enduring it all. The pleasantness of this business trip rekindled her hope in her despair… It would be five o'clock in two minutes. Uematsu looked at the clock on his desk, his mind already on five o'clock.

The woman's figure was reflected in the glass on the table.

"Huh?" Uematsu suddenly looked up.

“You seem to have a lot of free time.” Standing in front of Uematsu was his wife, Kotomi…

"Big sister," Tamami called out to Ayako.

Outside the Katase family's house, the sounds of chanting and the smell of incense wafted from inside.

Ayako stood there blankly on the road. "Huh? What?" She turned around abruptly when she heard the call.

"Hasn't Yuriko-neechan returned yet?"

"Hmm, it seems so."

"That's strange. She clearly said she would be back in the afternoon." Zhu Mei complained while rubbing her calves. "Ugh, my legs are going to go numb if I keep sitting like this."

"There's nothing we can do, it's a funeral."

"Then, what is the eldest sister doing here?"

"Oh, I... I was told to guide the arriving guests..."

"It's just a funeral, don't you know that without instructions?"

"Alright, alright, this is so annoying!" Ayako yelled in exasperation, "Go back now!"

"Yes—" Zhu Mei walked towards the door with her shoulders slumped. The neighbor lady came out to meet her.

"Miss Ayako."

"Why."

"The phone."

Is it for me?

"It's a woman. I'd say it's Kanda..."

"Yes!" Ayako was immediately at a loss. Was it Kanda Hatsue? She must have already met with Yuriko and the others. Ayako hurriedly rushed through the door and picked up the phone, "Hello, this is Sasamoto."

“Ah, Ayako Sasakimoto,” said Hatsue Kanda sarcastically. “It’s me, Hatsue.”

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, I've added a lot of stuff for you..."

"You cleverly made me say a lot of things," Kanda Hatsue said, her tone not exactly angry.

"Oh, have you met my sister yet?"

"Yes, they came. They came to my apartment with the lovely police officer."

"apartment?"

"Since my fiancé happened to be there, how could I possibly say that I had seen Shuikou at the hotel? So I had to say that I didn't know anything and refused them."

"Yeah……"

"But he finally got away for work, so I wanted to talk about this. —Are your sister and the others with you right now?"

"No. He's not back yet. Ah—how did you get the phone number here?"

“I called your contact address, and that’s what they told me. A guy named Anton said you’re staying with a nice family.”

"I see. So, what do we do now?"

"Yes, it's really troublesome." Chu Jiang paused for a moment and said, "I have a date with him tonight. Well, how about this? I'll write down everything I can remember first, and you can come and get it."

"Shall we go to your apartment?"

"Yes. Also, if necessary, I can speak to the police officer, since there's no time right now anyway. —Is that alright?"

“I understand,” Ayako said.

Ayako actually has a terrible sense of direction and is terrified of going to places she's never been before. But on the other hand, she felt guilty for deceiving Kanda Hatsue. So when she was asked to come over, she felt she couldn't refuse. "Then, please tell me the address. -- Ah, please wait a moment. -- Please tell me." Ayako carefully wrote down the directions Hatsue gave her in her notebook.

"Then, come over as soon as possible." Chu Jiang hung up the phone.

Ayako wanted to tell Tamami about this, but the religious ceremony was still in progress, so she didn't want to disturb them. Ayako then clutched her notebook, left the house, and hurried towards the station.

After a short while, another figure emerged from the Katase family's gate, following Ayako's retreating figure.

Chapter Ten: The Terrifying Room

“Kotomi…” Uematsu stared at his wife for a long time, speechless.

"What are you doing, looking like you've seen a ghost?" Qin Jiang said with a smile.

"No, it's nothing... Didn't you go to the class reunion?"

"I changed my flight and came back early. I forgot about the board meeting today."

"Board of Directors?"

Yes, it's tonight.

"Tonight? -- I had no idea."

"Really? Oh, I forgot, sorry. You have to attend the board meeting tonight." Qinjiang emphasized the word "have to".

"But... this is putting me in a difficult position. I have work in Sapporo tomorrow morning. I can't just abandon my regular customers."

“If that’s it, then you don’t need to worry,” Qinjiang said. “Because I’ve already arranged for Nakamura to go in your place. He should have already left. Just focus on attending the board meeting. I’ll be waiting for you in the board’s office.” Qinjiang finished speaking and left.

—The five o'clock bell rang, signaling the end of the workday. A clattering sound of desks and chairs being moved filled the office, but Uematsu seemed oblivious. Did Kotomi already know? The matter of Nagata Yoko, the real purpose of her trip to Sapporo… Uematsu, pale-faced, sank into his chair.

Uematsu shuddered at the thought of Kin'e's retaliation. He thought: "My position is probably insecure, and I might very well turn on Yoko too. Maybe Kin'e already found out and then ordered people to monitor our movements."

"—Section Chief, aren't you leaving yet?" Uematsu only came to his senses when he heard the question.

"It's Sassamoto-kun..."

"Let's go to Sapporo. It would be good to relax a bit there."

"I'm not going to Sapporo."

"Um?"

“My wife’s schedule has changed.”

"Ah, I just saw Madam. Is it time for an emergency board meeting? The general affairs officer is complaining."

"Is it urgent?"

"Yes. It was announced suddenly after we arrived this afternoon. They even summoned the directors who were on vacation, it seems like something important happened. I think the section chief will also be attending."

“As Qinjiang’s husband, not as a section chief,” Uematsu said with a wry smile. Sasamoto smiled knowingly. —An idea suddenly popped into Uematsu’s mind. “Come here for a moment.” He said, leading Sasamoto into a small, empty conference room.

"What's up?"

2005-3-14 15:45:00

"Sasamoto-kun, excuse me, but I'd like to ask you for a favor."

What is it?

"It's about... Yoko Nagata from last time."

"It's her. Is she going to talk about breaking up?"

"No! I wanted to go to Sapporo with her, but that guy Kotomi found out."

"That's why we convened a board meeting... So what should we do?" Sasamoto nodded.

Uematsu and Sasamoto met at the hotel. Uematsu was with Yoko, and Sasamoto naturally brought a woman with him. This created a tacit understanding between the two that they were accomplices.

"Sasamoto-kun, could you go on a trip with Yoko in my place?"

“Me?” Sasamoto’s eyes widened.

"Please! Just do it this way." Uematsu said, bowing his head.

"Section Chief, wait a minute. She'll be angry."

“It’s alright, it’s better if you go in my place,” Uematsu said. “Yoko knows nothing about Kotie’s actions. Of course, Yoko is definitely being monitored. If you go there with her, Kotie’s side will be very confused. This is also for Yoko’s safety. —Sasamoto-kun, anyway, I’m counting on you!” Uematsu bowed deeply…

"So, Mr. Sasamoto suddenly went on a business trip," Kuniyu said.

"Hmm. But I didn't go through the 'leave' procedures. Because I can't exactly say I went on a business trip to take the section chief's lover on a trip, can I?"

Yuriko remained silent. —Uematsu had mentioned earlier that her father had taken a woman to a hotel, something that had deeply affected her. No, it wasn't that she thought women were unnecessary for her father; she fully understood that it was normal for men to have certain desires for women. However, she couldn't understand her father going to a hotel with a woman. If he liked a woman, he could simply bring her home openly! But from her father's perspective, with Tamami, still a middle school student, at home—no, it was more accurate to say he was more worried about Ayako's sexuality—perhaps that was why he tried to avoid bringing women home…

"So, where is Mr. Sasamoto now?" Kuniyu asked.

"I don't know about that."

"But--"

“I told him to let him arrange things. Anyway, going to Sapporo is fine, going to Kyushu is no problem either. In short, I just hope she has a pleasant three days…”