Chapter 102 - True Name and Reality 25 {Combined 44/45} (99-101, 102-104: Midsummer Gift from Sawai, Higashidate's Confession Begins)
I'm sorry. As I noted in the work, it seems the specifications of this site automatically convert half-width katakana to full-width katakana, so my intention doesn't seem to be expressed as I hoped. The 'mu' in 'Memu' in the text is intended to be a small 'mu', so please convert it in your mind.
The month changed, and the 10-day detention for Higashidate had already been granted an extension. However, in the end, without building a case for the vehicle theft, he was re-arrested on suspicion of murder immediately after his release, citing voiceprint analysis from the audio at the scene.
The reason for forgoing the case for vehicle theft was primarily that although Higashidate himself didn't strongly deny it, the possibility wasn't high (in other words, if one commits theft in an unfamiliar land before a 'big job,' there's a risk of being caught for the theft itself, and in that case, it would be putting the cart before the horse, so the thought was that he had someone else do it). By doing so, they considered to some extent the possibility that if he were found innocent in that case, it might affect the trial for the crucial murder. Basically, the voiceprint analysis from the audio left on Kitamura's tape was quite important evidence, and although it was circumstantial evidence, it was something that could be a deciding factor, but the idea was to do their best.
Even after the detention for murder began, Higashidate managed to keep dodging the pursuit in a slippery manner. As it became midsummer on the calendar, Nishida and the others were becoming quite irritated, combined with the weather where unusual coolness that didn't seem like summer and normal summer heat came alternately.
Now, during the lunch break on Wednesday, July 17th, a midsummer gift from former Section Chief Sawai, their retired superior from the Engaru Station days, arrived directly at the Kitami Regional HQ for Nishida and Yoshimura.
Sawai knew that Nishida and Yoshimura were looking into past cases together in Kitami, but he couldn't have grasped what kind of situation the two were in now, so he might have sent such a carefree gift. Naturally, there was no need to take that consideration badly, and the two gratefully received the package from the female staff member who had accepted it.
"What's this? Sweets? There's an awfully large number of them."
Nishida was first surprised by the quantity when he opened the package.
"It seems to be a specialty of Memuro (Town), where Sawai-san is living now (Author's Note: It has been mentioned twice before that Sawai's hometown is Memuro Town)..."
"It seems so. Maple Monaka (Author's Note: A sweet from a real confectionery manufacturer in Memuro Town)? I wonder if it has maple syrup in it?"
Yoshimura, who has a weakness for sweets—no, for anything edible—tore the wrapping paper and took the contents out of the box, directing a gaze as if looking at a "suspicious object" toward the small bags of sweets that seemed to be wrapped individually.
"It has a sticker from the Memuro Town Tourism and Local Products Association's recommended products, so it must be something reasonably delicious, right?"
Saying so, Nishida tore the paper bag, and from inside appeared what looked like a monaka in the shape of a maple leaf.
"I see. The shape of the monaka is maple..."
As he said this, he opened the envelope from Section Chief Sawai that was at the bottom of the package, and looking at the stationery inside, after various plausible encouragements and his own recent situation were written, it further stated to give some to colleagues as well.
"Ah, so that's why there are so many."
Nishida immediately recommended them to his subordinates. They were grown men, and rugged detectives at that, but sweets would be somewhat helpful in recovering from fatigue after being exhausted by the lack of progress in the investigation.
"Ho... This is quite delicious, isn't it?"
Kusaka, who must have been tired from the daily interrogations, especially enjoyed it.
"Looking at the explanatory leaflet (bookmark) inside the box, it seems to use adzuki beans from the authentic Tokachi and sugar made from authentic Tokachi beets. Both seem to be from Memuro, so this is truly a specialty of Memuro... It's a real souvenir, rare for this kind of gift."
Nishida nodded while slowly savoring the monaka.
"With souvenirs, it's common for the place where they're sold and the place where they're made to be completely different, so this is quite good. For that Section Chief Sawai, it's a 'not bad' (quite good) choice."
Section Chief Sawai probably wouldn't want to be spoken of in that way by Yoshimura, but it's true that anything goes since he's not here. Meanwhile, Nishida was concerned about a certain part written in the same paper.
"Takekuma! Do you know this?"
Nishida called out to Takekuma, the young detective who graduated from Hokkaido University, who was at the edge of the room.
"What is it, Assistant Section Chief Nishida!"
Takekuma immediately came before Nishida, shaking his huge frame.
"Sorry, but how do you read this?"
The part Nishida pointed to was the part in the leaflet explaining the "Maple Monaka" that described the origin of the town name of Memuro Town.
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Memuro Town is known as the birthplace of large-scale upland farming in Tokachi and gateball. The town name was taken and named from the Ainu word "Memu-oro." Memu (Author's Note: In this work, the 'mu' is originally a small 'mu'. It is a unique way of writing katakana when transcribing Ainu pronunciations and is not a general kana notation. Reference: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A4%E3%83%8C%E8%AA%9E%E4%BB%AE%E5%90%8D. Since such notation cannot be done on this site, and half-width katakana is also converted to full-width, I have given up and left it as a normal full-width katakana 'mu', but please understand it is originally such a thing) means "a place where water wells up," and oro means "river," so to summarize, it means "a river flowing from a spring." In recent years, it has also developed as a bedroom community for the neighboring city of Obihiro. Made with the highest quality adzuki beans harvested in that Memuro Town and refined sugar processed and manufactured in Memuro Town from sugar beets harvested in Memuro Town, this Maple Monaka...
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"Is there some question about this?"
After reading the leaflet, Takekuma scratched his head and asked Nishida back with an expression that was clearly one of incomprehension,
"No, it's about this 'Memu' part, the character for 'mu' is written smaller than a normal 'mu', right? I thought it might have some meaning."
he further asked.
"Well... even if you ask me..."
To Takekuma, who wore an even more troubled expression,
"Didn't you say your younger sister was majoring in Ainu-related studies at Shoyo University or its graduate school?"
he confirmed, and
"Ah... yes. ...It's true about my sister, but I have absolutely no 'knowledge' (attainment) of Ainu culture..."
he muttered awkwardly.
"I see... I thought since your whole family is interested in history and such, you might have knowledge about Ainu matters too... That was my mistake."
Nishida lightly tapped Takekuma on the shoulder and added,
"If that's the case, you can go back. Sorry."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of help."
Takekuma said so and went back, rounding his large back.
Looking at his figure, Nishida said,
"No, no. This was no time to be wasting time on such things,"
as if to chide himself, he stuffed the monaka into his mouth all at once and turned his feelings toward the hearing of Higashidate in the afternoon.
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The date was July 16th, during the first detention period after re-arresting Higashidate on suspicion of murder. During this time, the Sunpu Group executive who had been unconscious from the Shiun Association gas explosion incident died, and the missing Shiun Association executive was also clearly confirmed dead scientifically (although his death had been treated as certain before then) as his DNA matched a part of a human body that had been discovered; in other words, all 16 executives who had gathered at that place died. Since it's unlikely that rank-and-file members have important information, a perfect silencing regarding the Kyoritsu Hospital shooting incident has been established.
At the investigation meeting on the morning of this day, keeping the gas explosion incident in mind, they were discussing how to draw out the "fact of the assassination order from the group" from Higashidate during the extension of detention after his first period ended, but the reality was that they were honestly out of moves.
However, at the end of the meeting, Miyabe, the detective in charge from the Kitami Station who had been involved with Nishida at the Engaru Station, suddenly asked for permission to speak. Since he asked to speak despite being a young rank-and-file detective, it was natural that he drew the attention of the attendees.
"Excuse me! May I have a moment?"
Mitani, the Section 1 Head and chief officer of the case, seemed a bit bewildered but gave permission.
"Well then, just a bit..."
He began to speak after that preface.
"I know it's out of place for someone as inexperienced as myself to speak up like this, but how about it? Either way, the ultimate goal is the involvement of the Shiun Association, the Sunpu Group, and the Aoi-ikka linked to them... well, it's at a level I don't understand, but I hear you're aiming even higher than that. If that's the case, I don't feel there's any meaning in keeping the explosion incident hidden from Higashidate as we are."
At this statement from Miyabe, the other detectives reacted with "muffled voices" that were neither sighs nor murmurs, saying "Hey, hey." In other words, from a conventional standpoint, if he learns that the organization he was originally in is in a state of near-annihilation, it becomes impossible to prove the chain of command in building a criminal case, so there's a risk it would become a somewhat advantageous situation for Higashidate and increase his motivation not to respond to the interrogation.
Also, Higashidate's own death penalty is probably unavoidable, but if he himself had some direct relationship built with the Aoi-ikka separately from his affiliated organization (Sunpu Group), then if the chain of command from the Sunpu Group can no longer be traced, Higashidate staying silent should be a considerable benefit to the Aoi-ikka, who are seen as the source.
In other words, by staying silent, there was a possibility that someone else related to Higashidate could receive a provision of benefits from the Aoi-ikka instead. Therefore, the basic line was not to tell Higashidate anything about the explosion incident so that it wouldn't become a further "motivation for silence" for him. However, Miyabe continued without losing to that atmosphere.
"It's true that conventionally it might be better not to tell him, but Higashidate himself should already understand that he can't escape from the 'final notice' from Assistant Section Chief Nishida and Senior Staff Yoshimura the other day."
Miyabe might have wanted to say 'ultimatum,' but setting that aside, what it pointed to was surely the matter of Kitamura's recorded audio and the voiceprint.
"That might be as Miyabe says, but even so, I honestly can't think of any benefit to be gained by telling him that the Sunpu Group executives are dead!"
"Section Chief Matsuura is right. You lack caution!"
Following Matsuura, the Section 1 Head of the Kitami Station and his direct superior, Tegoshi-kanrikan also voiced a complaint, but the young detective did not flinch.
"It's questionable whether there is actually a benefit. I admit that. But conversely, is there a disadvantage? Despite being cornered to the point where he has no way to escape, Higashidate hasn't tried to speak anything at all. This situation has no prospect of improving as it is, right?"
Miyabe said so and looked firmly around the entire meeting room.
Nishida, the deputy chief officer of the case, saw the figure of Takeshita from seven years ago in Miyabe at this time. No, he wasn't as theoretically armed as Takeshita, but the image of Miyabe trying to stick to his claim even against the flow overlapped with him.
Miyabe, when he was involved with him once seven years ago in the matter of the antique shop at the Engaru Station, was just a pleasant young man and didn't have such a tough image... Unintentionally, Nishida offered a helping hand.
"Miyabe! If we tell Higashidate that the Sunpu executives are all dead, and if he were to change his mind, what kind of reason could be considered?"
"Deputy Chief! If Higashidate feels a sense of gratitude toward the Sunpu Group, since it seems to be an explosion by the Aoi-ikka, wouldn't he expose the fact that there were instructions from the Aoi-ikka seven years ago to us?"
"I see. However, it's hard to think that a guy who would leave the group feels gratitude, and even if he did feel gratitude, whether Higashidate himself knew that the source was instructions from the Aoi-ikka... Even if he was the perpetrator, in a case like this, it's not necessarily the case that detailed information is revealed to the bottom-feeders. And even if he did know, I don't think he has the means to prove it without the testimony of the Sunpu Group executives, who were probably the intermediaries. We also have to consider that the executives have all died!"
To such a counterargument from Nishida, Miyabe, whose theoretical armament was weak, fell silent. However, Nishida turned toward Mitani and said,
"What Miyabe says is certainly weak in its details, but I think the part that there's probably no way things will improve further is unfortunately an unmistakable fact. The opponent isn't an amateur, even if he's left the group... It's certainly too optimistic to think that things will improve as they are from now on. If so, wouldn't it be not entirely a 'bad move' (poor strategy) to try changing the premise of the interrogation?"
he appealed.
"But there's a possibility that the path to move forward will be completely cut off, you know?"
Mitani stared at Nishida with a stern face.
"That's true, but from my perspective as well, Higashidate probably doesn't think he can deny his own involvement in the crime in court. Or rather, if he has normal judgment, if he's confronted with that recording of the conversation and the match of the voiceprint, he'll have no choice but to give up on that point. If so, it can be said that things can't get any worse."
"Hmm, what should I do!"
Mitani, who heard Nishida's opinion and strengthened his tone at the end as if out of irritation, sent a gaze to Criminal Investigation Director Koyabu as if seeking help.
Receiving that, Koyabu said,
"I understand. Regarding this matter, I'll leave it to the judgment of Nishida, who is most involved. At the very least, it's certain that building the case against Higashidate itself is already at a level where there's no problem. Since the investigation headquarters can achieve a minimum result, do as you like after that!"
he said decisively. Nishida felt something close to a kind of abandonment of responsibility—that as long as Higashidate could be prosecuted, appearances would be maintained—rather than active support, but it was a straightforward permission nonetheless.
"Then, in that case, I'd like to boldly tell Higashidate about the gas explosion incident and see his reaction."
Nishida declared firmly, and the meeting ended.
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When the meeting ended, Miyabe ran up to Nishida and bowed his head, saying,
"I'm sorry, I overstepped my bounds."
"It's not a story that should be said lightly as a mere idea,"
Nishida voiced a complaint, but on the other hand,
"But it might have come to a timing where something had to move. I knew that too, but I lacked the courage to move so easily. In that sense, it was good that Miyabe pushed me."
he said.
"I'm glad you say that!"
The young detective's face turned into a smile, but
"It's not like the situation has improved or anything. It's not time to make that kind of face yet,"
Nishida gently admonished him and lightly patted his backside as if to say, "Now go."
After that, Nishida beckoned Team Leader Onga, Kusaka, and Senior Staff Yoshimura, and began a small meeting.
"About the interrogation of Higashidate, I want to ask Team Leader Onga and Kusaka to tell him about the explosion incident."
"Eh, is it okay for me, Assistant Section Chief?"
Kusaka asked back as if surprised.
"No, I want you two to do it as I said."
"Setting aside Kusaka, you're the one who decided on this policy, Assistant Section Chief, so don't you want to conduct the hearing directly yourself? Besides, I don't think I'm qualified in the first place?"
Onga said as he looked at Nishida as if to gauge his intent, but
"No problem at all. I'm counting on you. I want to see Team Leader Onga's hearing once in a while too,"
he instructed without hesitation. The two accepted it with a sense of reluctance rather than joy, but regarding Onga in particular, he also seemed to be unable to fathom Nishida's true intention.
After leaving the meeting room, Yoshimura whispered to Nishida,
"Is this okay?"
"It's fine! It's an important scene, but we can't just settle everything by ourselves. We're doing this as a team."
When he replied, Yoshimura explained what he was thinking,
"I don't mind that at all, but since you decided on this policy, Assistant Section Chief, I'm thinking it might be hard for them to do, or rather, they might feel awkward if the hearing doesn't go well."
"To put it extremely, whoever hears it, if he intends to say it, he will, and if he doesn't, he won't. There was never any chance of winning from the start."
Thinking that Nishida's answer was a throwaway one,
"I'm just not convinced..."
Yoshimura glanced at Nishida two or three times with dissatisfaction, but he didn't say anything more.
However, for Nishida, the reason he tried to use Onga, who hadn't been directly involved in the interrogation this time, was not entirely absent. He had a slight hope that Onga's gentle and honest personality might lead to a change of heart in Higashidate if he learned about the explosion incident, and that it would work well in the direction of making him pour out his heart. Of course, that was only a faint hope...
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The interrogation that began in the afternoon started with having Higashidate read the corresponding newspaper articles and police materials about the outcome of the gas explosion incident. Higashidate didn't hide his troublesome attitude at being suddenly told to read newspaper articles, but as he read through them carefully and heard detailed investigation information from Onga and Kusaka, he clearly began to show signs of agitation.
However, they didn't tell Higashidate about the "warning" theory based on the betrayal between the Aoi-ikka and the Shiun Association/Sunpu Group. It was partly because it didn't concern Higashidate, but there was also a calculation that focusing on "silencing" would make it easier to move Higashidate's heart.
Nishida and Yoshimura, who were monitoring this from behind, as well as their superiors Koyabu and Mitani, watched the situation with bated breath. In the midst of this, Onga said,
"I'm sorry for keeping it from you until now, but it couldn't be helped for the investigation. My apologies,"
and when he spoke, Higashidate had faint tears in his eyes and looked up at the sky. He remained silent for a while with his eyes closed, then confirmed,
"So Aoi really did it to silence them?"
When Kusaka said,
"It's hard even for you when the people who took care of you in the past die in this way, isn't it?"
Higashidate suddenly slammed his fist on the desk and shouted in a tearful voice,
"You, shut up!"
Until now, his attitude was, if anything, one of dodging the pursuit of the investigators, but he clearly clashed head-on. Seeing that, Onga said,
"I don't clearly understand what's sad, but how about it? Why don't you make clear what's in your heart?"
and when he said that,
"I'm sorry, but let me think about it for a bit..."
he squeezed out those words and quietly closed his eyes.
After that, when Onga left the interrogation room and entered the waiting room where Nishida and the others were,
"How about it? Should we suspend the interrogation for now?"
he said. Both Koyabu and Mitani were negative toward Onga's proposal, saying,
"Isn't that too much of a waste? In this state, if we push hard, we might be able to break him."
but Nishida also felt hesitant.
If following the conventional method, rather than letting him calm down, they should probably take advantage of the unstable situation and lead the subject in the direction of confessing. However, considering the intent of asking Onga to do the interrogation, it might be better for the "future beyond the future" to build a certain level of trust. Forced to make a difficult decision, Nishida said,
"I understand. Let's suspend it once."
and went along with Onga's proposal.
To this, both Koyabu and Mitani, unlike before, said in quite a stern tone,
"Is that really okay?"
and tried to confirm. Even so, Nishida tried to persuade them,
"I don't clearly know what the meaning of 'let me think about it' is now, but judging from his attitude toward Kusaka's subsequent statement and his attitude toward Team Leader Onga's statement, if the Team Leader accepts his wish, he might soften a bit. Looking at the way he snapped at Kusaka's statement, it might rather be a chance if we give it some time."
In response, Koyabu said quietly but as if glaring,
"If we end up missing this chance, Nishida, I'll have you take the fall!"
and left the waiting room just like that. Mitani, for his part, was looking at Higashidate on the other side of the one-way mirror while sighing,
"I wonder about this way of doing things..."
"Anyway, let's take a break for now."
Nishida said that to Onga, who looked incredibly uncomfortable, and sent him back to the interrogation room. At this time, Nishida, who honestly didn't think his decision was that correct, already slightly regretted this decision. Even so, if it was Onga's honesty that prevented Nishida from saying anything negative, he decided to brace himself again after the regret, thinking it couldn't be helped if it was his own "defeat" as a human being.
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After a break of about two hours, Higashidate, who reappeared in the interrogation room, felt more refreshed to Nishida, even though it was through the one-way mirror. Yoshimura also muttered beside him,
"His appearance is different from before..."
"How is it? Have you sorted out your feelings? If you have, I want you to speak your heart's desire."
Onga slowly prompted. Even at this point, Onga was still trying to draw out the story through the other's free will, but Nishida was also in agreement with this. This is exactly where the significance of employing Onga comes in. First, if relaxing the tension leads to what lies ahead, that's better. If it ends there, then so be it.
"You gave me time to think slowly, and my feelings have calmed down quite a bit. Well, I guess I should say thanks."
Higashidate's voice was heavy, but as he opened his mouth, he began to speak slowly about his relationship with the Sunpu Group.
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"I joined the Sunpu Group when I was 17, a year after I left my hometown of Otsuchi at 16 as if I were being kicked out... I was smoldering, and the place where I was doing a part-time job as a laborer was a construction company under the Sunpu Group... I got into a fight with the guys there and won against four of them, so, well, it was a kind of scout, you could say..."
Saying so, Higashidate wore a slight smile.
"A scout, huh. Then you were recruited as a promising young talent?"
When Kusaka voiced his impression,
"No, that's the thing, it might not have been strange for it to turn out that way, but it didn't go like that."
he clicked his tongue.
"Why?"
When Onga asked,
"The reason for the fight was part of it, but within the group, there was a tendency for my Iwate accent to be mocked. However, Boss Satake, who was there right after I joined, was originally from Yamagata, so there were parts of him that doted on me, and on the surface, there wasn't much mocking within the group. Well, I also made an effort to get rid of the accent as much as possible, to a certain extent... There were times when the accent came out when I got excited, and it was left in the audio, right? The word 'Abe'. That means 'let's go' in Iwate."
Saying so, perhaps out of regret for leaving evidence, he let out a big sigh.
However, he resumed the story without much delay,
"So, after that, Boss Satake, who took care of me, died... when was it... That's right, I think it was around '84. The one who took over was a guy named Kamikawa, who claimed to be an old-school Edokko (T/N: person born and raised in Tokyo) because his ancestors were hatamoto (T/N: direct shogunal vassals) or something, and after he became the current boss—the one who died in the explosion—he started picking on me for being from the countryside... I mean, whether his ancestors were hatamoto or whatever, it doesn't mean anything in the yakuza now!"
he spat out. At those words, both Onga and Kusaka unintentionally let out laughs that didn't fit the occasion, but Higashidate also seemed to relax his expression seeing that.
"But even so, there was a senior brother named Ohara who was two years older than me, and that person doted on me more than just as a junior brother, just like Boss Satake... Knowing my circumstances, did he overlap his own similar circumstances... That senior brother Ohara, his name was Fumio, written with the character for 'sentence' and 'husband', so he was called Bun-no-aniki by the youngsters, and I really owed a lot to that brother at the time. And we cried and laughed together; we were like comrades who survived the same era."
When he said that much, he suddenly remembered and felt like crying, so he wiped his tears and sniffled. Receiving the tissue Onga offered, he bowed his head lightly and blew his nose with a 'zururu' sound. With an attitude that didn't link to the Higashidate of yesterday, Nishida and the others in the back were convinced that a confession approaching the core would come out.
"Besides, he was strong in a fight as a yakuza, but he was compassionate, so he was highly trusted by the 'katagi' (T/N: honest citizens) in his territory. They also called him Bun-san. Naturally, he rose in the group and became an executive at a young age. By the time I quit, he should have been promoted from advisor to headquarters chief. Even from the perspective of that trash Kamikawa, the brother was a very reliable existence and was heavily utilized."
After saying that, Higashidate looked down and fell silent.
Even so, there was a contradiction in a yakuza who was supposed to have personal magnetism being complicit in the meth business, but it's self-evident that clean yakuza who don't touch drugs like in dramas hardly exist in this world. Higashidate's story is essentially strange from the perspective of a pure honest citizen, but since the opponent is a former yakuza, there's no point in blaming him for that now.
Meanwhile, the two who were directly engaged in the interrogation during this time were looking through the police materials of the explosion incident again. Naturally, Nishida and the others in the back also looked through them and discovered the name "Ohara Fumio, Underboss" among the deceased of the Sunpu Group. Onga looked up from the materials, saw Higashidate's state, and cut in,
"That Ohara is involved in the incident somehow, isn't he?"
Higashidate raised his gaze for a moment, then looked down again and opened his mouth.
"For a yakuza, being trusted by the boss doesn't just bring good things. Naturally, there's also taking on dirty work that would be troublesome if known to the world. Of course, not at a level that can be settled with a mere hitman-like treatment... That's only in extremely limited cases."
"That's about the shooting incident, isn't it?"
Kusaka questioned him in a sharp tone.
"Yeah, that's right... Of course, I didn't have that information directly, but according to what I heard from the brother later, the order came directly to Kamikawa from Takigawa, the 'Don' of the Aoi-ikka. It was a plan to kill a certain old man hospitalized in Kitami, in cooperation with the Shiun Association, which is also close to Sunpu... No, I should say it was. However, at that point, it wasn't clear whether the plan would actually be carried out, and if so, when."
Finally, a core confession was about to be told from Higashidate's mouth.
Nishida, who was listening in the back, understood the meaning of the "unclear plan." Matsushima had realized his time was near, and given Oshima's treatment of his nephew's construction company, he seemed to think there was no point in showing any more loyalty to Oshima, and Oshima also had the resolve to cut off the Matsushima side amid the predicted reduction in public works in the near future (Author's Note: Revised version, described in Meian 36). And he had also anticipated Matsushima's betrayal, and ultimately, he also grasped that Matsushima himself didn't have much longer.
Furthermore, that special situation brought about eavesdropping for the purpose of grasping the situation, likely utilizing the hospital chairman Hamana, and led to a meticulous search for the "execution timing." From the information obtained there, the Oshima side, knowing that there was an intention to submit a written statement to the police, couldn't wait for a natural death and finally gave the green light to the hitmen—Kagami, who had been prepared, and judging from Higashidate's statements so far, likely Ohara, who was originally supposed to be the one. He recognized it as such. However, even if that were the case, it was not yet clear how Higashidate came to be involved in the incident from there.
On the other hand, he also understood that the reason Higashidate had remained completely silent until now and suddenly began to confess here was not out of loyalty to the group itself, but out of loyalty to the individual yakuza senior brother, the late Ohara Fumio. If the Sunpu Group and Ohara were still alive, Higashidate confessing would lead to the fact that Ohara's subsequent promotion was based on a "lie" (since it was clear from the recorded audio and witness information that the perpetrators were two people, Kagami and Higashidate, and that Ohara had not actually participated in the killing). He must have wanted to avoid that. Higashidate had not testified so specifically at this point, but if one thinks logically, such a line would be strong.
Of course, it wouldn't end there. It would surely become a problem not only within the group but also in the yakuza society. For that industry, which values appearances, this would surely be equivalent to a death sentence for a person living as a yakuza. For Higashidate, rather than what happened to the Aoi-ikka or the Sunpu Group, he was first concerned about Ohara, and since Kagami was already dead, he must have intended to keep the incident as his own problem and stay silent.
However, it was truly ironic that the fact that Ohara was caught up and killed in the Aoi-ikka's retaliation and silencing moves ended up opening Higashidate's heart and driving him. Needless to say, the movements of "distant" diplomacy and politics, which should have had no connection, unexpectedly became involved in bringing the truth of the incident to light.
Needless to say, the two who were interrogating him also pursued the unclear points.
"As far as I'm hearing the story, the process of how you became the perpetrator isn't clear up to this point, so could you explain that properly?"
When Kusaka said that,
"Well, don't be so hasty. They say the hasty one gets less, right?"
It was a provocative remark, but there's no point in cautioning him at this stage. He just lets it slide.
"I get it, I get it."
Onga said quietly in contrast.
"Alright! Then I'll continue! Actually... as I said earlier, ever since Kamikawa took the boss's seat, the relationship between him and me had been bad all along. And at that time, I think it was from around the end of summer... I was also starting to feel how long I should stay a yakuza. My mother in the countryside didn't have much longer. So I thought I'd return to being a 'katagi' before she died..."
This story from Higashidate seemed rather to be moving away from the crime.
"In fact, you left not long after the incident, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I left. At the end of '95... In a formal sense, it seems it was like after the New Year of '96."
"Then, various things happened in between, right?"
"That's how it is... I'll explain that properly from now on. By the way, it's not much of a boost before that, but if possible, I'd like a smoke, is that okay? I want to calm my nerves a bit."
After finishing a round of exchanges with Kusaka, he made a gesture of holding a cigarette between his index and middle fingers.
"Hmm, I see. This is special."
Kusaka took a cigarette and a lighter from his breast pocket and lit it for him. Then Onga pushed the ashtray toward Higashidate.
"It's good... I didn't know a cigarette after a long time would taste this good..."
After those words as if savoring it, he slowly blew out a long puff of smoke. Watching that, Nishida and the others in the back were whispering about what kind of story Higashidate would tell after this. It seemed that nearly half of them held the idea that perhaps the execution of the crime was a condition for leaving the group, but considering that such a major incident was initially entrusted to someone the boss could trust (namely Ohara), it was clearly a contradictory conclusion, and Nishida was not at all satisfied with that point.
In the first place, if Ohara was originally supposed to be the perpetrator and his subsequent promotion was made on that premise, then no one except Ohara should have even known that Higashidate would be the perpetrator. Therefore, if one thinks logically, it should be logically impossible for Higashidate's execution to be a condition for leaving the group. He was also becoming curious about what had happened there, beyond the investigation. And Higashidate lightly placed the cigarette in the ashtray, straightened his back once, and began to speak.
"I think I had conveyed that intention to the group around the beginning of October. Well, for them, I was either an irrelevant or a troublesome existence, so the troublesome matter of leaving the group was settled with a payment of 2 million yen. Well, as a settlement fee to leave peacefully, it probably wasn't bad, but regarding that, the brother paid it on my behalf as a 'parting gift'. I heard later from other people in the group that the boss seemed quite angry that I, whom he disliked, could leave the group so easily without suffering anything. However, for me, to be honest, I didn't care as long as I could quit. Rather, I just felt that I owed an even greater debt to the brother."
Here Higashidate picked up the cigarette again and puffed on it. Both Onga and Kusaka, who were facing him directly, and Nishida and the others in the back, this time didn't utter a word and waited for the timing when Higashidate would start speaking. However, the "interlude" was longer than expected, and Nishida unconsciously began to fidget. And Higashidate finally blew smoke from his nose at the end, and as if reluctant to part with the cigarette which had become quite short, he twisted it carefully into the ashtray and began to speak the continuation.
"That brother disappeared from Tokyo in late October under the guise of a 'business trip'. When you say a yakuza's business trip, in our group, it's basically about meth deals or, well, some kind of lousy business. However, even so, it's not often that we have no idea where he's going or what he's doing. So we, the junior brothers and underlings, were a bit concerned. And the brother, who was usually cheerful, had been looking quite gloomy before that, which also bothered me. However, I came to know the reason for that without much time passing."
"That means he was going to Kitami for the shooting at the hospital, that's it, right?"
Onga asked for a conclusion as if in a hurry, which was rare for him, but Higashidate didn't deny it and said,
"Well, to put it simply, that's how it is... I got a call from the brother, whose whereabouts were unknown, at the end of October. I still remember it clearly... I had bet 300,000 yen on a single win for a horse called Sakura Chitose O, ridden by that guy Futoshi (T/N: jockey Kojima Futoshi, currently a trainer), in the Tenno Sho and won, and I was hungover on Monday night after splurging at a cabaret when that call came. I remember the bad feeling was blown away by the contents of the talk."
he said decisively.
Hearing this statement, Nishida immediately instructed Sanada, a subordinate who was in the room with him, to confirm the date (October 30, 1995. The 29th was the Tenno Sho) and verify it.