Chapter 111 - Name and Reality 34 {62 Alone} (144–145: Naruo-kisha's Experience Heard from Igarashi)
"Right now, there's a junior colleague of mine, four years younger, named Naruo, who's working with me in the Tokyo news department as a social affairs reporter... The story is, back in the spring of '87, when he was still a rookie just a few years in, he happened to be stationed at our Kitami branch for a year. His predecessor fell ill and left the company, so he was rushed there from the Asahikawa branch, which was supposed to be his original post. In this industry, it's a common story for reporters to break their health... By the way, just to be sure before I continue, that case of Motohashi murdering Sada Minoru—that was committed on September 26, 1987, right? I checked Doho's [our] reduced-size archives, and that's what it said. I remembered it being autumn, so I checked just in case and felt relieved when the article matched. I also confirmed it with Takeshita before asking for your number, Nishida-san, and he said 'that's correct' too. Actually, it was Takeshita who advised me to 'speak to Nishida-san directly,' which is why I'm calling now."
It seemed Igarashi had sought not just a phone number but also a "judgment" from Takeshita.
"Ah... is that so? Regarding the date the incident occurred, there is no mistake."
Despite the long preamble, the unexpected turn of events made Nishida's expectations rise higher than before, sensing he might grasp something.
"At the time, Naruo wasn't specifically assigned to politics or the police beat; he was just a substitute playing a role like a local information coordinator. Well, there's no such thing as a 'political correspondent' role in Kitami to begin with... However, Kitami isn't that big of a city [machi], and even including the surrounding areas, it's not a particularly large society, right? So, a local reporter, even a short-term substitute, becomes somewhat acquainted with the chief secretary—the right-hand man—of a locally elected Member of Parliament, and they at least exchange words. Based on that, back in '87, he saw the now-arrested Nakagawa as simply a powerful figure managing Oshima's office in Kitami. He was even friendly toward the young reporter Naruo. When Naruo heard the news of the arrest the other day, he said, 'Even thinking about it now, I can't believe he's the kind of guy who would help with a murder.'"
"The fact that a Member of Parliament's secretary was helping with a murder was a bolt from the blue even for the police, so that's unavoidable for that time."
Nishida agreed with Igarashi's words.
In reality, if it weren't for Higashidate's testimony, the investigation likely wouldn't have reached the involvement of Secretary Nakagawa, let alone Oshima himself. Certainly, it wasn't unthinkable in hindsight that someone would act on behalf of the absent Oshima in Kitami. However, because Isaka Daikichi, who gave the specific instructions to the perpetrator Motohashi, had used Isaka Group subordinates to assist in Sada's murder, the possibility that Oshima's direct "subordinate" was also involved had slipped entirely through the cracks.
"So, continuing the story about how Naruo was quite shocked by the reports of the arrest in this hospital shooting incident... As such, when he went out drinking with me the other day, the topic naturally turned to Nakagawa and the case. On my end, because of my relationship with Takeshita, I'd already heard some of the somewhat dangerous stories from the front lines of the Motohashi-related investigation—more than the average reporter... Ah, of course, that guy [Takeshita] never did a complete leak."
Perhaps fearing that a misunderstanding about leaked investigation info would become a credit issue for Takeshita, Igarashi made an excuse. However, Nishida already acknowledged that Takeshita provided certain leaks as a minimum necessary "reward" to obtain information, so he didn't particularly mind.
"That's fine. So... from the talk about Nakagawa, the conversation naturally turned to Oshima Kaiji. From there, I told Naruo that the police were actually investigating back in '95, suspecting Oshima was involved behind the scenes in the murder of Sada Minoru by Motohashi and the others in late September '87. Of course, Naruo didn't know that much. And regarding the arrest for this hospital shooting, I also mentioned that Oshima is likely behind Nakagawa. Even if it weren't me, there are probably quite a few people reading it that way."
Igarashi didn't seem to know—and Takeshita likely hadn't told him—that even back in '87, before Nishida and the others became involved, the police had tried to investigate Isaka's surroundings, only to be obstructed by Oshima before a full-scale investigation could begin.
Furthermore, even after the series of Motohashi's crimes were reported, as far as Nishida knew, the interference with the '87 investigation had never been made public. This was partly because Oshima's influence was still strong. However, Nishida had a slight doubt as to whether a reporter like Naruo, who was supposed to be in Kitami at the time, had truly obtained zero information of that sort in real-time, given his profession.
"I see. So, does this mean that reporter named Naruo remembered something from when he was working in Kitami?"
For the time being, despite his doubts, Nishida tried to move the conversation forward.
"Just like Takeshita, you're every bit the detective [deka]! Exactly!"
Igarashi spoke in a high-spirited tone, perhaps getting a bit excited or simply offering a social pleasantry to Nishida. He then continued.
"While we were talking about that, it seems a memory from the past suddenly came back to Naruo. However, he kept quiet at the time because he wasn't certain. Then, after going home and tracing his memories, he realized there was something that came to mind. And the other day, he told me that interesting story."
"Oh. That's intriguing!"
Nishida honestly showed his increased interest.
"In late September of '87 while in Kitami, Naruo was told by the Asahikawa branch of Doho that his assignment, originally planned for six months, would be extended. So, he supposedly had to make a sudden business trip to consult with his boss. It was in the afternoon, and he was waiting on the platform at Kitami Station for the express train coming from Abashiri, heading for Sapporo, to take it to Asahikawa. That's when it happened. He coincidentally spotted a familiar face on the platform... that is, Secretary Nakagawa, talking to an unknown man. So, he thought he'd go over and offer a greeting... The other person was a middle-aged-looking man wearing sunglasses whom he didn't know, but he could tell at a glance that the man didn't have the air of an ordinary salaryman. By the way, he said he couldn't tell the man's features because of the sunglasses. Even when he got quite close, they were still whispering seriously to each other, making it hard to call out. Naturally, he didn't intend to listen to the content, and besides, he couldn't hear well over the idling noise of other trains waiting at the platform."
At this point in the story, Nishida felt his heart rate quicken. He felt a strong premonition that a very big story was coming.
"So, while he was waiting nearby for them to finish talking, they noticed him—or rather, Nakagawa in particular was quite startled by Naruo's presence. In his reaction, his arm supposedly hit a can of coffee the man in sunglasses was holding. The coffee splashed and stained Naruo's suit and the ticket he was holding. Nakagawa naturally apologized and wiped them with a handkerchief he had. However, the man in sunglasses, who had watched the whole thing, reached into a Boston bag, rummaged around, and pulled out a crisp, likely brand-new 10,000-yen bill from a paper bag. He handed it to Nakagawa and said, 'Let this be for this person's dry cleaning.' Secretary Nakagawa was surprised again and tried to return the bill, saying 'I'll pay for something like that myself,' but the man pushed it back and then forced it directly onto Naruo. Since it was a considerably high amount for dry cleaning, Naruo himself told the man 'Please don't worry about it,' but the man said something like 'It's far more rude to make a man take back something he's already offered,' and in the end, he was forced to accept it. After that, Naruo thanked him, and the man boarded the green car of the arriving express, while Naruo went to Asahikawa in a regular reserved seat. Nakagawa didn't board the express; he just left the platform without even seeing him off properly. By the way, it seems he couldn't confirm where the man got off."
While listening to Igarashi's story—or rather, Naruo's story—Nishida had already guessed before it reached this point that Igarashi wanted to say the man in sunglasses was Motohashi. After hearing about the past cases, the public revelation of Secretary Nakagawa's hidden side, and the speculated relationship with Oshima, Naruo himself must have felt something about the chronological coincidence between Motohashi's crimes at the time and his own experience. While the specific timing was still uncertain based on the story so far, if the date and time matched perfectly, it would be a testimony that strongly suggested Nakagawa was involved in some way in the murder of Sada Minoru.
Even so, if the man in sunglasses was Motohashi, the way he valued that kind of yakuza-esque aesthetic—offering a high-value bill despite being a cold-blooded murderer—felt very much like him.
"Was that man in sunglasses perhaps Motohashi!?"
Nishida suddenly touched upon the core of the matter, speaking somewhat quickly.
"I figured Naruo had that intention by telling the story, so I checked with him at the time. Unfortunately, he said he still couldn't be sure even thinking about it now. He told me, 'If I could be certain of that, I would have realized it back when Motohashi was making headlines for the serial murders,' which made sense... He said he only mentioned it because he was somehow bothered by it."
After saying that, Igarashi coughed lightly. Nishida was disappointed by those words. It wasn't a bad story, but since the person himself wasn't certain, there was no way to take action.
"But including the story he heard from me about Oshima being involved in Sada's murder, it seems he's gradually starting to think that might have been the case. However, even now, it feels like it's nothing more than a half-joke to him. But still, regarding the timing, I thought it wasn't impossible."
Igarashi spoke that way, but to Nishida, contrary to the flow of the story, he sounded strangely confident.
"I see... May I ask something? If that reporter was in Kitami at the time, hadn't he heard the story about Oshima and the others applying pressure to hush up the disappearance of Sada Minoru, who had met with Isaka Daikichi? Even if he wasn't on the police beat, I'd think that kind of talk would leak out a little."
Nishida checked the doubt that had already surfaced, just in case.
"That's the first I've heard of it too. Of course, if he knew something like that, he would have told me, right? Most likely, the police [your side] also managed that information thoroughly back then to ensure there were no leaks. If the media gets wind of it, there are cases where it can't be suppressed. I have no way of knowing how much our Kitami branch's news department was in a cozy relationship with Oshima back then, so I'll refrain from making a definitive statement... But given the nature of the case... I think there would have been reporters who would have staked their journalism to expose it if they knew."
Nishida slightly suspected that this might contain a desire to believe so.
"Can I ask one more thing? Among Reporter Naruo and the general reporters of Doho, besides the talk that Oshima is actually involved in the Kyouritsu Hospital shooting itself, is there talk that Oshima was also involved in Motohashi's Sada case..."
Starting to say that, Nishida suddenly realized. He himself had felt firsthand, through his direct involvement in the investigation, that the police side had managed information quite strictly, at least in '95 and currently. In the hospital shooting case, the speculation of Oshima's involvement was generally viable only because Nakagawa had been arrested, but regarding other matters, even if known, it would only be a very small number of people like Igarashi who had a source like Takeshita.
"From the way you hesitated just now, you understand too, don't you, Nishida-san? The police were guarding it tightly back then. It's quite an unreasonable request to expect someone to normally know about the suspicion of involvement, let alone the pressure. Besides, from '95 to '96, Naruo himself was on leave because he broke his health—not quite the 'mummy hunter becoming the mummy' situation—so he would have been out of the loop regarding such talk to begin with."
As if to drive the point home, Igarashi explained the police's information management methods of that time with a hint of criticism.
"I understand those points of doubt. Is that the end of the story?"
Nishida tried to end the conversation as it was, partly because it had become inconvenient, but also because it didn't seem like the story would develop any further. To put it bluntly, he felt like saying, "You got my hopes up for nothing."
"No, the story still continues. Rather, this is where it gets interesting."
At the unexpected turn, Nishida let out an "Oh" involuntarily.
"In that case, what happened from there?"
"Actually, Naruo has had a considerable interest in collecting things like tickets, old coins, and stamps since he was a kid. So, when he took a look at the Yukichi 10,000-yen bill he received while in his seat on the express train, it turned out to be one of those AA-ken."
"AA-ken? What is that?"
Nishida reflexively asked back at the word he had never heard.
"I didn't know either, so I don't want to sound high and mighty."
After that preamble, he sounded like he intentionally coughed.
"Excuse me. There's something like a number printed small on the bills, right? Apparently, those with the letter A at both the beginning and the end are from the initial lot when a new type of bill is first printed, and they're valuable. 'Ken' refers to the 'ticket' in 'commuter ticket' [kaisuu-ken]; in short, it's a Bank of Japan note, a bill. Please check the bills in your wallet, a 10,000-yen one if possible! It was easy for me to understand because he explained it with the actual item... There should be a string of symbols and numbers on the bottom right side of the Yukichi face of the bill."
"Please wait a moment! I'll check now!"
Being told that, Nishida took out a 10,000-yen bill featuring Fukuzawa Yukichi from his wallet and checked. Indeed, a number consisting of a combination of letters and digits was printed on the bottom right.
"This... there really is something like this. I usually don't pay attention to it. There are indeed letters at the beginning and the end."
"Yes. It's rare if both of those letter parts are A. By the way, as a side note, apparently it has no value if there are two A's lined up at the beginning and an A at the end. Something about it being a pattern after it's gone around once or whatever, and a considerable number of them have entered circulation."
To be honest, he didn't quite understand what was being said, but he understood the existence of bills called AA-ken and that they were rare.
"Anyway, I understand that it's valuable."
Even at this point, Nishida still hadn't fully grasped the situation.
"In other words, for him, that crisp Fukuzawa 10,000-yen bill he received had far more value in being kept than in being used as 10,000 yen. Apparently, the Fukuzawa bills back then—well, you probably won't get it even if I tell you—are different from the ones being printed now (T/N: Author's Note—Minor changes have been made to the printing ink color and the change from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Finance [Zaimu-shou], etc. The ones being printed now have a different design from the initial ones even with the same Fukuzawa. The back side in particular is completely different. For details, please search for Series D and Series E notes), so he says he still keeps it carefully even now."
"I see, is that so..."
Nishida was disappointed again that Igarashi's "information," despite being told it "didn't stop there," seemed to consist entirely of a "continuation" that appeared to have nothing to do with anything.
However,
"The main point is in a sense from here, but the follow-up story after we talked about it while drinking is what's important," Igarashi said.
"Naruo is a reporter, so by profession, he had a habit of keeping a detailed diary of things that happened daily. Well, quite a few reporters have that kind of training or habit; even a lazy person like me was told by senior reporters when I was young that it's good to get into that habit. Even if you were involved in or heard something that becomes a problem later, you can immediately turn it into an article based on the diary."
"Ho..."
Since he was listening while thinking about various things, he replied with a half-hearted response.
"So, after talking with me again like I said earlier, he became more and more curious, so he made a resolution after going home. He searched through his cluttered closet and finally found his diary from '87. When he looked through it, the 'day of the business trip' was clearly stated as September 26. Of course, what happened that day was written there, and it was exactly as he remembered. And in the diary, as one would expect of a collector like him, he had tucked away the reserved seat ticket with the punch mark (T/N: Author's Note—The so-called 'scissors mark' [kashou]. They aren't seen at all now. Reference: http://homepage1.nifty.com/tabi-mo/kyoukon_punch.htm) from the Okhotsk No. 4 that departed Kitami in the afternoon of September 26, 1987. It supposedly had a clear stain that looked like coffee and was a bit wrinkled (T/N: Author's Note—I don't know about now, but in the past, if you made a request like 'I want to keep it as a souvenir,' the station staff would stamp the ticket as void so it wouldn't be collected at the gate. I've experienced this many times during both the JNR and JR eras)."
At this point, Nishida deeply understood the meaning of Igarashi saying beforehand that he had good information. Nishida also kept detailed investigation memos like a diary during investigations, but a diary written by a newspaper reporter skilled in reporting would have very high credibility.
Furthermore, this story, which included the physical evidence of the ticket actually used on the relevant day to back up Naruo's testimony, was extremely interesting even when compared with Motohashi's statement regarding the murder of Sada Minoru.
"Wait, can you stay on the line for about five minutes? Someone's come in."
Saying that, Nishida put the mobile on hold. However, that was a lie; no one was in the break room. It was merely an action because he wanted to organize his thoughts thoroughly.