Chapter 150 - Name and Reality 73 {101 Solo} (242-243: Three People Heading to Kobe's Rokko Boyo Boen and Earthquake Talk)
Normally, Hinako would have ended up in a grave for the indigent, but her circle of friends decided that would be too pitiful. Motohashi, who was already making a name for himself as a yakuza and was quite well-off at a young age, took the lead, provided most of the funds, and arranged for a grave to be built.
Kuroda and the others, who knew well enough what kind of business Motohashi was in to make his money, were happy about Motohashi's sentiment, but inwardly felt a sense of shame at having him cover almost everything. However, considering Hinako and their own financial situations at the time, they had no choice but to rely on Motohashi's generosity.
And so, they purchased a grave with perpetual care at Rokko Boyo Boen, located at the foot of Mount Rokko where the night view Hinako loved was beautiful, overlooking the streets of Kobe and Kobe Port. The headstone was made of the highest quality granite sourced locally from Mount Rokko, which is famous for producing fine granite, and Hinako's full name—she who had been utterly alone in the world—was engraved upon it. Since then, as other friends had left the Kansai region, Motohashi and Kuroda had taken responsibility for maintaining the memorial services for many years.
After the grave was built, Kuroda tried to lessen Motohashi's involvement in the grave costs by giving him money little by little. However, Motohashi stubbornly refused to accept it, saying, "Just let me have my way on this one thing." Naturally, the grave was registered in Motohashi's name at the time.
The reason Kuboyama knew nothing about Hinako seems to be that even between the two old friends, they tried to avoid talking about Hinako in their usual conversations. In addition to what was mentioned in the conversation behind Kuroda's shop earlier—that they "tried not to talk about precious memories in front of other yakuza"—it inevitably made things somber. Even if it was just the two of them or among old friends, especially when drinking, they deliberately avoided the topic. Thus, Kuboyama, who was only called to such gatherings, had no way of knowing.
Between Hinako's death and his arrest for the serial murders, Motohashi had spent about a year in prison for a minor offense, and it seems Kuroda had maintained the memorial services alone during that time.
After he was arrested for murder, when Kuroda first went to visit him, Motohashi reportedly said, "This time, even if I'm found innocent at trial, I won't be getting out for a while, so I'm counting on you to be the grave keeper. I'll give a power of attorney to my lawyer to change the grave's registration to your name, so follow those instructions."
However, after that, even when Kuroda and the others went to visit, it was difficult to get permission for visits in the first place, and Motohashi continued to refuse them based on his own wishes. After a year, they finally gave up on visiting altogether. Looking back now, Kuroda said it must have been painful for Motohashi to meet old friends who were acting on the belief of his innocence despite the fact that he had actually committed the crimes.
Even so, the fact that Motohashi had ultimately committed murder was not just a betrayal of the bare minimum compromise or trust Kuroda held toward Motohashi for his misdeeds as a yakuza; it filled Kuroda with a sense of ethical unforgivability that remains unchanged even at this moment.
Kuroda explained to Kuboyama and apologized, saying that those feelings were the reason he had turned Kuboyama away during the previous visit and initially refused him this time—even though he knew Kuboyama had already quit the yakuza and had stopped at attempted murder, Kuboyama strongly reminded him of his relationship with Motohashi.
If that was the case, the reason those feelings wavered, if only a little, was because he learned through Takeshita's words that Hinako's name had been mentioned by Motohashi in a letter. Recalling Motohashi's feelings at the time—going so far as to build a grand grave for a childhood friend with no relatives—seemed to have somewhat melted Kuroda's hardened heart.
When Takeshita explained his relationship with Motohashi and the reasons and circumstances of how he had come this far to Kuroda in more detail than before, Kuroda gave his honest impression:
"I don't quite get it, but I've started to get curious about what Yukio entrusted to you guys too."
There, Takeshita offered a disclaimer.
"I'm very sorry, but I have a feeling that Motohashi-san might have hidden some important evidence inside Hinako-san's grave. We might have to lift the lid (T/N: Author's note: official name: haiseki) and check the ossuary space (official name: noukotsukan or karooto) inside..."
Kuroda, though still wearing a sour face, accepted the plan, saying only:
"That can't be helped, but make sure you do it after the grave visit is properly finished..."
Additionally, Kuboyama had known nothing about Motohashi working as a hitman until he was caught, after Motohashi was formally expelled from the Aoi-ikka. However, after the expulsion, he occasionally had Motohashi help with large-scale "collections," and since he provided him with substantial sums of money as success fees at those times, he thought Motohashi had no trouble in terms of living expenses. Conversely, that might have been the reason he didn't notice Motohashi was doing a separate "underground business."
(Author's Note: Regarding general grave structure: http://www.naitou-sekizai.co.jp/kouzou/)
While they were talking about such things, the car finally reached the vicinity of the Nishinomiya Interchange. Then, Takeshita's mobile phone rang. It seemed Nishida had called after hearing the voicemail message.
"I heard! So, have you already met that Kuroda guy?"
He cut straight to the point.
"Right now, I'm heading to Kobe with Kuroda-san and Kuboyama-san," Takeshita reported.
"Kobe? Does that mean 'Rokkou' was indeed Mount Rokko?"
Unable to contain his eagerness, Nishida asked.
"It seems so. And 'Hinako' was a woman named Shibatani Hinako, an acquaintance of Motohashi-san and Kuroda-san. By the way, regarding the truth of the case, it's not that Kuroda-san knows it directly; it seems it meant that Hinako-san holds the key to knowing the truth."
"I see. So, are you going to meet that woman now?"
Naturally, based only on Takeshita's phrasing, that was the flow Nishida expected, but...
"Well... Hinako-san passed away several decades ago..."
As expected, Nishida seemed to lose his words for a moment when Takeshita spoke.
"She's dead...? If that's the case, what are you going to do now?"
Nishida, having managed to find his next words, listened as Takeshita said:
"By the time Motohashi committed the murders, Hinako-san had already been dead for quite a long time. It seems 'Rokko' refers to the location of her grave, and we're heading there now."
"In that case, just like that 'Remote Grave Marker' over here, does that mean something is buried in the grave?"
As expected, Nishida seemed to have guessed Takeshita's thoughts.
"I think that's likely the case. I've already obtained permission from Kuroda-san, the owner of the grave, to investigate it."
"I see... We'll just have to bet on that for now... Call me if anything happens. Uh, and then. Changing the subject, I couldn't answer earlier because I was in a meeting with the prosecutor in charge from Kitami. It's been officially decided that tomorrow, October 7th, Shinjo will be indicted as a co-principal in a conspiracy for the murder in the hospital shooting case. Even with instigation, the legally possible sentence doesn't change, but we decided to bring the co-principal aspect to the forefront to clearly establish Shinjo's 'leading' position."
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What Nishida said here was based on the premise that both an instigator and a co-principal in a conspiracy (a co-principal who does not accompany the actual execution of the act; note that the generally used term "accomplice" in the sense of multiple perpetrators refers to a "co-principal") are the same in that the sentencing for murder applies.
However, in the case of instigation, even if the person is in a superior position in terms of the "instruction" relationship, there is an aspect of being subordinate to the actual perpetrator (a so-called accessory). Therefore, in court, there is a strong tendency for the sentence to be lighter than that of the actual perpetrator. Furthermore, in terms of the closing argument for sentencing, because they are treated as an accessory, it gives a lighter impression legally than a principal. Thus, there was a meaning in treating it this way to place the leading responsibility for the criminal planning on Shinjo.
However, Takeshita thought that if guilt was recognized in this case, even if he had been indicted for instigation, it probably wouldn't affect the judge's sentencing given the malicious nature. Note that even in a conspiracy, the positions of the accomplices do not need to be equal; it can be established even if one side unilaterally instructs and the other is instructed. The relationship between a yakuza boss and a subordinate is a typical example.
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"I see. Congratulations for now. You've reached a milestone," Takeshita offered his frank congratulations.
"I guess. At least it looks like we can make Shinjo take responsibility as the main culprit of the murder. I'm not sure how the trial will go yet, but I'm sure it'll work out somehow."
Perhaps thinking about the various troubles that might arise at trial, his mouth seemed to stop moving for a moment, but...
"With the evidence so far, in addition to the master-servant relationship between Shinjo and Nakagawa, I'm betting we can somehow prove Shinjo's involvement based on the fact that the perpetrator was able to use his main office as a long-term hiding place. But more than that, thanks to the investigation by the subordinates in Kitami, we found out that a karaoke party combined with a supporters' social gathering at Shinjo's office, which was scheduled for early November '95, was suddenly canceled at the time. They still do it twice a year, but they reportedly got a testimony from the then-chairman of the supporters' association in Kitami through persistent questioning that a contact came directly from Shinjo around the end of October '95. With this, it's become easier to steer things toward the fact that Shinjo allowed the office to be used as a hideout for the perpetrator, or at the very least, he consented to it being used and supported it. Well, since Shinjo is Nakagawa's boss, it's obviously the former no matter how you look at it... Anyway, new supporting material for our view that he was directly involved in the shooting case has come out! After that, it'll be important whether we can prove his involvement in Sada's murder. So, Takeshita, I'm counting on you over there! I'll be able to answer the phone right away from now on."
He seemed to have considerable expectations for Takeshita's investigation.
"I see. Proving Shinjo's involvement is just a matter of piling up circumstantial evidence unless we get a testimony from Nakagawa. That new testimony is a good sign. Anyway, I understand. Whether there's something or nothing, I'll report back!"
"I don't want to think about a situation where there's 'nothing'," Nishida reacted.
"Ironically, we have no choice but to trust the person we couldn't trust seven years ago. Talk to you later," Takeshita said and hung up.
However, immediately after, he realized he had forgotten to mention that Motohashi had specifically referred to Takigawa—who was thought to be the most difficult to prove anything against—in the letter to Kuboyama, and his face contorted at the mistake. That said, he decided to leave it for now, thinking it would be fine to tell him when he contacted him again rather than calling back immediately.
Meanwhile...
"Was the person on the phone just now that detective Nishida, the other half who didn't connect earlier?"
Kuboyama checked immediately.
"Yes. It seems he called back after hearing the message," Takeshita replied.
"What kind of person is he?"
This time, he suddenly tried to draw out a character profile.
"Even if you ask what kind... Well, he's not particularly unusual, just a normal detective, I suppose... Of course, I think he's in the category of excellent detectives."
After saying that, he realized he had forgotten to say something important.
"However, as a boss, he was definitely someone you could trust," Takeshita added simply, looking back on seven years ago.
"Is that so..."
Kuboyama said briefly and didn't ask anything more.
And the car was already about to pass through the Ashiya area.
"It's been seven years since then, but has the reconstruction, mainly in Kobe, mostly finished? Even three years ago, there was quite a bit of reconstruction, but I think there were still spots that were left behind..."
Takeshita's memories were resurfacing because in 1999, he had spent a total of about three weeks in the Kobe area on two occasions to write "Okushiri and Then Kobe," a joint serial article by the Hyogo Shinbun in Kobe and the Hokkaido Shinpo that followed the aftermath of the Southwest Off-Hokkaido Earthquake and the Great Hanshin Earthquake.
"Well, on the surface, after seven years, I guess it's returning to how it was? I doubt you could say it's completely back, though..."
Kuroda, who said he had trained in Kobe, answered.
"At that time, while it was said that the yakuza circles helped the people who were affected, the story is that they made a killing behind the scenes. Since the government was handing out budgets left and right for reconstruction costs, I hear they raked in money just by picking up homeless people around Nishinari and having them do demolition and clearing rubble. Since those guys are day laborers, they didn't have to pay them much, and they'd work without worrying about asbestos or whatever, so the kickbacks were reportedly huge. Among those kinds of contractors, there were plenty of bastards who would casually say things like 'I wonder if another earthquake will happen nearby' at drinking parties... There's the saying 'the misfortune of others tastes like honey,' but that's still mild! 'The misfortune of others turns into money'—that's the yakuza world. I'm glad I was able to wash my hands of it early thanks to Aniki... Well, if you call a street lender a piece of trash, that's true too..."
Kuboyama said as if spitting it out. Since someone who had been in that 'industry' said that moneylending was better, it had a certain ring of truth to it.
"Was it January 2000 when the temporary housing was cleared out?"
Takeshita brought up a story he had heard on the news afterward.
"I'm not sure about the exact time, but I think I heard stories around then that there were no more residents," Kuroda replied.
"When I came here for coverage in '99, solitary deaths and isolated deaths in temporary housing were already... to be precise, they had become a problem since about a year after the earthquake, and I covered that..."
When he started to say that...
"A reporter from Hokkaido came all the way to Kobe for coverage!? And in '99, four years later?"
Kuboyama opened his mouth; he was probably surprised rather than exasperated, but it didn't sound that way because of his manner of speaking.
"Yes. A lot happened, so for about two weeks."
Feeling there was no point in explaining the details, Takeshita glossed over it.
"Solitary deaths, huh... They were all over the news here for a while," Kuroda reacted.
Hearing that, Kuboyama said:
"Even so, that year, with that Sarin gas thing and all, that became the main news from early spring, and didn't the impression of the earthquake fade rapidly nationwide? In the end, I wouldn't say it was forgotten, but it was quite discounted..."
He spoke resentfully.
It was true that the terrorist attacks by the cult had stolen a lot of attention from the Great Hanshin Earthquake for people outside of Kansai. It is an undeniable fact that new, flashy news attracts people's interest.
"But even if that incident hadn't happened, I think it would have been forgotten as time passed, by people who weren't directly affected... After all, it's someone else's problem... Well, even now, regardless of the outward reconstruction, I still hear various stories from acquaintances in Kobe about people suffering in invisible places, even now..."
Kuroda repeated "even now."
"They say all sorts of things here, but even on that January 17th, Osaka shook quite a bit, but there was almost no damage. A guy who took relief supplies from Osaka to an acquaintance in Kobe said: 'Over here, people are playing pachinko and making a racket in bars as if nothing happened, but just 40km away is a hell of rubble... Between Kobe or Nishinomya and Osaka, there's an unbelievably huge wall in the middle.'"
Immediately after Kuboyama spoke following Kuroda's story, the car left the Hanshin Expressway at the Maya Interchange and descended to the local roads.