Chapter 24 - Light and Shadow 3 (21–30: Nishida's Bold Reasoning; To Hide a Leaf, Use a Forest)
No new policy emerged from the investigation meeting, but since it was useless to continue any further today, it was decided to return to the normal system after the lunch break. Nishida had lunch outside during the second shift, and when he returned to the station at 2:00 PM and passed in front of the General Affairs Division, he was called out by a female staff member.
"Team Leader Nishida, there's a letter for you."
"Oh, thanks."
Nishida took the envelope and lightly checked the sender's name. As he thought, it was from Tanemura in Wakkanai. Considering the mail movement between Wakkanai and Engaru, he must have sent it immediately the day after the phone call. Moving to the Detective Division, he tore open the seal and took out a photo and a sheet of stationery. The photo was of the "Polaroid" type, which was rarely seen anymore. There, indeed, was a handsome young man with a Miura Tomokazu-like vibe, smiling with a beer mug in one hand. It was probably taken as a service at a beer garden or something.
"I see. He must have been popular back then."
Nishida put the photo back in the envelope and this time looked through the stationery.
"The photo is not from 1977, but I think it's from when I went to a beer garden for a workplace social gathering in 1978, so I don't think there's any difference, so I'm sending it. After use, please return it to the sender's address on the envelope."
It was written. He had asked about the return address when he requested the sending, but it would certainly be more correct to send it to the address written by the person himself. Returning to the Detective Division room, Nishida put the stationery in the envelope and took out the photo again, and asked the Section Chief for permission.
"I'm sorry to ask right after you got back from lunch, but I have something I want to confirm with High Priest Okada at Ko-on-ji, so can I go out?"
"Is it about the unidentified remains case from the other day?"
Sawai guessed the purpose immediately.
"That's it. The photo I requested just arrived."
"Understood. Go quickly."
The Section Chief already knew about it, so he gave permission in a flat, businesslike manner without even making eye contact.
Nishida took the car keys from the wall rack and headed to the parking lot, just as Takeshita was getting out of his car and locking the keys.
"Where have you been?"
When Nishida spoke in a loud voice from the entrance, Takeshita seemed to jump for a moment and his back straightened, then he turned toward Nishida. After identifying him as Nishida, he said,
"I just got a call saying that the professional book on forensic body concealment case studies by an American forensic scientist, which our unit had ordered from the bookstore, had arrived, so I just went to pick it up as requested by the Section Chief."
He also gave a loud reply.
"Eh? The Section Chief could have asked Oba or Kurosu. To go out of his way to ask you, the Senior Staff."
Nishida walked quickly toward Takeshita and spoke as if he felt very sorry for him.
"No, I'm the one who asked the Section Chief to buy it, so it can't be helped."
Takeshita gave a wry smile, perhaps because the Section Chief had been spoken ill of without permission.
"Hahn, I see. Then that's fine."
Nishida was a bit embarrassed because Takeshita didn't agree with him, so he averted his eyes slightly from Takeshita.
"By the way, are you going somewhere, Team Leader?"
Takeshita probably changed the subject to change the atmosphere out of consideration.
"Yeah, I'm just about to go to Ko-on-ji."
"Is it a continuation of the story from the day before yesterday or so?"
"The photo in question arrived, so it's a identification."
"Um, the one for the person named Tanemura or something, right? It's close by car, and if it's just a identification, it won't take much time. I'll drop you off on the way. The Section Chief won't be mad even if I'm a bit late."
Takeshita took out the keys he had put in his pocket and opened the door again.
"I brought the keys intending to take my own car, so it's fine."
He declined, but Takeshita said,
"No, no. To be honest, I don't really want to be in that room today. I'm feeling a bit down."
So Nishida thought there was no point in continuing to decline.
"Understood. Then drop me off."
He unintentionally spoke in a way that sounded like it was a bother, but there was no malice, and Takeshita wouldn't take it strangely.
"That's the spirit!"
Takeshita spoke vigorously, sat in the driver's seat, and started the engine. Nishida also immediately got into the passenger seat.
There wasn't much to talk about, but since he didn't like silence either, he spoke.
"By the way, I think your reasoning is mostly correct so far, but I'm still curious about what caused Shinoda to dig up Sada's body. Was it that he was made to think Sada might be alive?"
"That's the thing. I think the scenario is mostly correct... but if so, I've been thinking over and over again since then about what specifically that reason was. I think the key lies in the phrases 'I can't believe it' and 'I'll check' and the agitation in the conversation between Isaka and Shinoda. So, I presented the theory the other day that he was misled into thinking that Sada Minoru, who should have been dead, was alive... It's a bit of a sudden idea, but it still feels the most right to me."
As expected, he seems to be basically sticking to the opinion that is generally hard to consider from the other day.
"But thinking that a person you're supposed to have killed is alive, I don't really get that even if it happened. In the end, did he suspect that the murder had been leaked to someone?"
"That's possible, but in the end, no such report came to the police... If there was anything, he might have been blackmailed regarding the murder. Anyway, whatever the reason, Isaka and Shinoda were forced to check Sada's body, and Yoneda saw that and was killed to silence him. I think only this part is certain."
Takeshita put strength into his last words. Even if he didn't know specifically what it was, he must have conviction in that part.
While they were having such a conversation, Ko-on-ji soon came into view. Since Ko-on-ji is the oldest temple in Engaru, it boasted a considerable site while being in a location close to the center. From the Engaru Station, which is also relatively in the center, it's a short distance that takes only a few minutes by car. When they parked the car in the large parking lot, Takeshita, who had no business there, also got out of the car and entered the precincts through the gate. As if reluctant to leave the late summer, the sound of cicadas chirping could be heard from the trees from time to time, but at the same time, red dragonflies were flying across in front of them, making them feel the arrival of autumn. Even so, come to think of it, he regretted that he should have confirmed beforehand whether the High Priest was at the temple, but it was too late now. A young monk was sweeping the precincts with a broom, so he asked if the High Priest was there.
"Yes, I think High Priest Okada is at the cemetery."
Since he got that answer, the two headed toward the cemetery while feeling relieved.
Just before entering the cemetery after going around the large precincts, the High Priest and another person were coming toward them. However, when they clearly identified the person next to him, Nishida and Takeshita unintentionally said,
"Are?"
"Oh, if it isn't Mr. Nishida and Mr. Takeshita?"
"Boss! What a coincidence. Why are you here!?"
Since he never dreamed of meeting the boss of the small restaurant/izakaya at a temple, he was truly surprised.
"No, it's the monthly anniversary of my mother's death, and when I came to visit the grave, the High Priest I saw accompanied me. I'm grateful."
"I see. This is the family temple..."
Takeshita spoke while looking around at the quiet surroundings where even the cicadas had stopped chirping.
"More than my story, what business do you two have at a temple? It's not a place where detectives come, is it?"
The two felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at so hard by the Boss.
"No, I just have something I want High Priest Okada to confirm."
"Hahn, is it a door-to-door inquiry? Then I can't hear anything in detail. But it's related to that case, right?"
While saying he couldn't hear, he was actually asking, which made them a bit fed up, but Nishida glossed it over.
"Well, something like that."
"Well, whatever. Then, I have to do the prep work, so I can't be idling around, so I'll head back. Well then, High Priest, thank you for today. And you two, please stop by our place again. Well then."
After giving a sales pitch to the two, the Boss bowed deeply to the High Priest and ran off through the precincts.
While watching that, Takeshita asked,
"Monthly anniversary... did the Boss's mother pass away recently?"
"No, I think it's been quite a long time since Mr. Aida's mother passed away. It was before I returned here from Koan-ji in Ikutahara, so it must have been well over 20 years ago," the High Priest said. Nishida and Takeshita found out for the first time at this moment that the Boss's family name was "Aida." Since he had heard when he first visited the shop that the shop name "Yusen" was taken from the "Yu" of Yubetsu and the "Izumi" of the Boss's name, he knew his name was Izumi. However, he hadn't been told his family name at all, and they had settled for calling the Boss "Boss," so they hadn't felt any inconvenience by not knowing his family name. Whether Yoshimura knew it or not, he hadn't said anything to Nishida and the others.
"I heard his mother raised Mr. Aida with great hardship, so his feelings must be strong. He even rebuilt the grave into a grand one a few years ago. On top of that, he seems to be donating to organizations that support single-mother families and children without parents. Isn't it an action due to his own hardships when he was young?"
After hearing the High Priest's story, Nishida's view of the Boss—whom he had seen as a smooth-talking old man—changed somewhat. However, he didn't come here today to find out such things, but to confirm whether Tanemura had visited Koan-ji in Ikutahara at that time.
"I completely forgot, but the photo of Mr. Tanemura in question arrived at the station today. It's this one, what do you think?"
He took the photo out of his breast pocket and handed it to the High Priest. The High Priest, perhaps due to presbyopia, held the photo he received at arm's length and looked at it with narrowed eyes, then told Nishida,
"I won't say for certain, but I think it was probably this person. I remember he had a bit of a Miura Tomokazu vibe."
"Ah, did the High Priest think so too? The Miura Tomokazu flavor is coming out."
Nishida also smiled as if he had gotten what he wanted.
"Yes. He was quite a handsome man."
The High Priest also broke his gentle expression and grinned, but it returned to normal in an instant.
"Anything else?"
"Nothing particularly for now. It's enough to have confirmed this today. Thank you very much."
"I see. I'm glad I could be of help."
Thinking it would be bad to take any more of the High Priest's time, Nishida and Takeshita said their goodbyes and left. As they walked through the precincts toward the parking lot, the conversation naturally turned to the investigation.
"In the end, nothing came to light from the direction of drug processing for Sada's body."
"Unfortunately... Since it would require a considerable amount of chemicals, unless it was a very underground route, there's a high possibility it would come to the surface, so as it stands, it was a long shot."
In contrast to the regretful Nishida, Takeshita spoke in a monotone voice as if matching the steady chirping of the cicadas.
"All that's left is that he moved it somewhere and hid it, but it seems the Section Chief didn't want to go in that direction easily either. Maybe because the target of the investigation becomes too abstract?"
"Even if we wanted to do a roller operation, the range is too wide, so I think it can't be helped. Especially since there's a limit to the number of investigators who can respond."
Takeshita spun his keychain with his finger and this time sighed without hiding his emotions.
"But even if we narrow the range, if we're going to investigate, we have to assume he hid it in another place."
"That's true, but unless some material that can narrow it down comes out, won't it be a starting point for resuming the investigation?"
"If we say that, how long will it take..."
While they were having a light argument, they passed through the gate, and the sound of crunching gravel in the parking lot became louder than the cicadas' voices. Perhaps that served as a trigger, Nishida changed the subject.
"By the way, at the investigation meeting on the day we cut down the tree, it was left vague when I talked with the Section Chief, but assuming it's almost certain that Sada was killed, where on earth was he killed? What do you think about this, Takeshita?"
"The Section Chief also said it, but after checking out of the Central Hotel in Kitami, he didn't get on the limited express 'Ohtori' he was scheduled to take to return to Sapporo, so naturally something must have happened between there and being buried in that place. Considering the career paths of Kitagawa and Shinoda, it's obvious they are involved in at least either the murder or the body disposal, so the two must be involved there... But looking at the relationship between that scene and the two, if we think about it with 'only' the same, I think 'only body disposal' is more likely than 'only murder.' They have local knowledge of the disposal site, those two."
Takeshita, who cut the conversation once to organize his head, continued.
"But since the Team Leader went out of his way to bring up that story, does it mean the Team Leader has a different idea from the Section Chief's opinion?"
"It's not that it's different from the Section Chief's, but what if Sada was killed at that scene just like Yoneda?"
"Does that mean he was abducted and taken to the scene?"
Takeshita asked while staring at Nishida.
"Naturally that includes such cases."
Nishida flinched for a moment at that gaze, but dared to say it clearly.
"Hmm. Then I think it's possible."
"Then, what about coming of his own will?"
"Of his own will!? I don't understand the meaning of him going to such a place himself!"
For Takeshita, who usually respects his senior detective, he denied it with quite an exaggerated way of speaking.
"I guess it turns out that way..."
Nishida also half-knew that the conclusion would be that, but he didn't feel very good when it was said clearly.
"Because there's no reason for Sada to go there, right?"
Takeshita's basis for his counter-argument was sufficient with that. But even so, there was something Nishida was concerned about.
"That's true, but even if you can drive directly to that place, you have to walk quite a bit after leaving the car, right? Even if it's one body, it seems tough to carry a body and walk a considerable distance, even for multiple people."
"You came with that approach... But it's possible he was threatened and taken to the scene, right?"
"I thought about that too, but..."
At the timing when Takeshita became silent to unlock the car door, Nishida sulked like a child. When they got in, Takeshita started the engine, and after confirming Nishida had fastened his seatbelt, he slowly drove the car out of the parking lot. And casually,
"I'm not praising myself, but my theory that 'Yoneda was killed because he saw Sada's body' was a sudden opinion, but it seems it was quite close to the truth. The Team Leader's idea might be correct in its own way."
He followed up, albeit late.
"In the end, you're just bragging."
Nishida couldn't help but give a light punch to Takeshita's left shoulder.
Evening of August 27th. Nishida was driving an unmarked patrol car from Monbetsu toward the station with Yoshimura driving. Since it was Sunday afternoon, Route 238 from Monbetsu to Yubetsu and Route 242 from Kamiyubetsu (Author's note: current Yubetsu Town; the name Kamiyubetsu Town disappeared due to the merger with the former Yubetsu Town in 2009) were also more crowded than when they left Engaru after noon. Since the man the Public Safety Section had questioned late at night on that day was a suspect in a convenience store robbery within the Monbetsu Station jurisdiction, Nishida and the others went out to hand him over to the Monbetsu Station within the same day and were on their way back. In the end, the Violent Crimes Unit was handling normal duties without being able to decide on a clear policy regarding the search for Sada's body. It was an investigation situation that wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the fact that it wasn't urgent, but at the same time, there was also the aspect that the small number of personnel forced it to be that way.
"Families on their way back from an outing are dazzling to me."
Yoshimura grumbled while waiting for a traffic light.
"You have a girlfriend, don't you? Aren't you going to get married? Was it a long-distance relationship?"
Nishida joined the conversation while looking at the dusk through the half-open side window.
"Marriage? If you're doing an irregular job like a detective, you hesitate to get married. No, before that, I haven't been able to meet her recently... How did you manage to get married, Team Leader?"
"Hey, isn't that a bit of an inappropriate way to say it?"
Nishida turned his gaze toward Yoshimura and complained lightly because it sounded like he was being told he wasn't popular.
"I didn't mean it in a strange way, I meant while doing something like a detective or a cop. It's a profession where there's no concept of Saturday or Sunday, there are night shifts, and once a case happens, you have to stay on it. She's in Muroran, but I haven't seen her for months. Ah, I can't complain because even if the Section Chief is married, he can't go home..."
Nishida understood that that was how it was, but he answered,
"All detectives are like that, and they usually get married, right? Everyone. Well, in my case, my wife was a high school classmate, so the connection was strong. It's true there was a long-distance period too."
"A high school classmate? That's enviable."
Because he spoke while suddenly putting it in gear as the light was about to change, Yoshimura spoke in a monotone tone.
"What about you? With your current girlfriend."
Meanwhile, Nishida continued the conversation after confirming Yoshimura's series of actions were finished.
"My previous workplace was the Muroran Station, so I met her at a mixer then."
So saying, he slowly stepped on the accelerator.
They continued idle talk for a while, but it seemed Yoshimura was in an atmosphere where his girlfriend was pressing him for marriage. As for Yoshimura, as in his remark about longing for families, he seemed to want to get married himself, but the cause of his hesitation to get married was that he couldn't see a life plan.
He thought about giving some advice as a life senior, but he felt that Yoshimura himself wasn't particularly seeking it, and he didn't want to be thought of as overbearing, so he dared not mention it.
Eventually, when they entered Engaru Town, the front of the largest funeral hall in the surrounding towns along the national highway was slightly congested with cars entering the parking lot, perhaps for a wake. He hadn't noticed it in the opposite lane when they were going. On the information board out along the road, the name of an Engaru Town councilor appeared, so there must be many mourners. Yoshimura was a bit irritated and was tapping the steering wheel rhythmically with his fingers, but suddenly threw a topic.
"When I pass here, I'm curious with quite a frequency, but there's an antique shop right next to it. A landscape where a funeral hall sign and an antique shop sign are lined up feels out of place, doesn't it?"
Nishida didn't get it, so he asked bluntly,
"Why?"
"No, because an antique shop is next to a funeral home. Bones! It's bones!"
"You're overthinking it, no matter how you look at it. In the first place, the fact that such a thing always bothers you when you're driving means you're driving in a state where your attention is scattered, doesn't it? You tend to forget things or lack concentration. That story is a clear example of such bad points. It's a wonder you don't get into an accident."
Nishida dismissed it like that, but Yoshimura, unlike his daily behavior, was basically quite calm and collected while driving, concentrating on driving, and his driving technique itself was not bad. He inwardly thought it just happened to enter his field of vision. In response to that statement, Yoshimura gave a counter-argument with a wry smile while slowly starting the car in line with the moving line of cars.
"Team Leader, you don't have to expand it that far! In the first place, an antique shop next to a funeral home makes you associate it with urns, doesn't it? It's like the image of an urn being sold at an antique shop, doesn't it feel like it's bad luck?"
"It doesn't bother me."
Nishida even felt that Yoshimura's imagination was too strong.
"Even if there are differences in views and individual differences, is that how it is..."
Yoshimura spoke in a tone that said he couldn't possibly be convinced, but since the station, which was very close from there, came into view, the conversation didn't proceed any further.
From the morning of August 28th, since they couldn't go on without deciding on an investigation policy any longer, an investigation meeting was held, and the Section Chief made a proposal.
"Unfortunately, after the line of drug processing didn't show any results, time has passed without anything being discovered. However, it goes without saying that staying idle like this is a waste of time. Assuming Shinoda moved Sada's body, although it remains unclear where about it is, the option of us not moving is no longer possible. First, let's think on the premise that he definitely took action between August 10th, when Shinoda is thought to have killed Yoneda, and August 12th, when he went to the construction site in Yubetsu. Initially, I think thinking about whether there's any place to hide it near the Route 242 route will be a starting point at this point. What do you think?"
Honestly, the disappointment of "so it comes back to that in the end" flickered in the minds of the members of the Violent Crimes Unit, but they were irritated by the fact that they didn't have an alternative. Because if there were one, the Section Chief would normally take it. While observing the gloomy expressions of his subordinates, the Section Chief also didn't hide his awkwardness.
"To be honest, a good idea doesn't come to mind. I think this is the same for you all."
To the Section Chief, who was faltering, Takeshita gave an opinion.
"First, if he moved the body on the day of August 10th, as we've discussed many times, he would be burying Yoneda's body at the scene and then further hiding Sada's body in another place. In other words, since he can hardly take any extra time, shouldn't it be almost along the route? In the two days after that, although Shinoda was looking for Kitagawa's watch, which he mistakenly thought he had lost, he had some time to spare, so the investigation target expands somewhat."
Receiving that,
"First, I guess it's a priority to investigate on the premise that he moved it on the day of August 10th. In that case, the key point will also be the need for the idea of hiding it in some good place within that day to come out. A place that is along or near the road, yet he thinks it won't be found even if he hides it—that would be quite narrowed down. I can't think of where specifically, though."
The Section Chief said.
"Section Chief Sawai, in that case, as the Section Chief said, wouldn't there be nothing but to thoroughly investigate around Route 242 including the surrounding roads?"
This time Sawada gave an opinion.
"We also have to drive around and investigate if there are any hints."
"Section Chief, how about it, let's start immediately from this afternoon! We're wasting quite a bit of time as it is."
Nishida urged the Section Chief to start action immediately.
"Alright, let's do that."
Once it's decided, it's decided quite easily, but rebuilding an investigation policy from the beginning is psychologically burdensome. That's why in cases where it's not an urgent case, it sometimes takes time to switch. This was exactly it. However, the fact that it was an investigation by the local station alone also influenced the slow movement, which couldn't be denied. This was because the lack of urgency and the lack of pressure from above loosened the tension.
From the afternoon, the Violent Crimes Unit split up and started investigating from the Yubetsu Bridge to the scene in Ikutahara by car from both directions of travel. It was a check to see if they noticed any place where a body could be hidden, including the national highway and surrounding roads. Nishida and Yoshimura were in charge from the Yubetsu Bridge to Engaru, Takeshita and Oba from Engaru to the parking space of the scene in Ikutahara, Komura and Kurosu from there back toward Engaru, and Section Chief Sawai and Sawada from Engaru to the Yubetsu Bridge.
Since the Section Chief and Sawada would check the area from Engaru to the Yubetsu Bridge, there was no need to check when going to the starting line, the Yubetsu Bridge, but Nishida and Yoshimura checked lightly along Route 242. And they headed from the starting point, the Yubetsu Bridge, toward Engaru at a very slow speed. However, no place of concern was seen in the wilderness along the national highway and the urban areas of Yubetsu Town and Kamiyubetsu Town, and although they went around the surrounding roads, they ended up returning to Engaru Town as they were.
"So it's no results. I couldn't really find anything that would make me feel 'I want to hide it here.' I guess it's no good after all..."
Yoshimura was already giving up.
"We finally got as far as where Sada's body was buried, but from there it's darkness again. No, come to think of it, it's a miracle we even got this far. It's thanks to you too."
Nishida recalled the process of how the case had developed from the ghost scare to this point and dared to thank Yoshimura. It was also meant to encourage him.
"Well, it was a coincidence on this side too. It's all thanks to the Boss."
Still, Yoshimura was frank and Nishida's words didn't seem to resonate much.
"A veteran JR driver and the research notice article of the Jomon Tunnel Research Group, they're distant memories now..."
On the other hand, for Nishida, things from a few months ago felt like they were from a long time ago. But even so, conversely, he felt the passage of time was fast, so it was true he was at a loss as to how to process this contradiction.
"Ah, the person from the wake yesterday, the funeral was today."
Yoshimura spoke up as they were about to pass the funeral hall from yesterday, seeing the funeral information sign along the sidewalk.
"The funeral is already over by this time. They should just take down the sign quickly."
Nishida complained while looking aside.
"Even so, the antique shop doesn't seem to have any customers today either... Or rather, I've never really seen any customers... Can they keep going?"
Yoshimura ignored Nishida's grievance and switched to the next topic. Since he had no choice, Nishida also matched the conversation to that.
"That kind of thing is more of a business where you go to the homes of high-end customers and sell to them rather than selling to customers who come to the shop."
Nishida had a bit of preliminary knowledge about the business of antiques and fine arts because he had been in and out of pawnshops and antique-related shops for work regarding secondhand goods purchasing when he was working in the Public Safety Section of the local station as a fledgling cop.
"I see. The shop itself only has the meaning of a gallery or a show window."
Yoshimura was very impressed.
After waiting for everyone to return, a meeting about each other's results began from 6:00 PM, but as expected, no report of a specific place came from the investigators. After seeing that, there was a new proposal from Takeshita.
"Outside the range of today's investigation, it might not be said to be in the vicinity, but the Engaru Garrison of the Self-Defense Forces might be an unexpected blind spot. It's a few kilometers away from the national highway."
"In terms of location, the fact that ordinary people can't easily approach and the fact that it's vast but only a part of the site is being used are advantages, but isn't it quite a bother to dig a hole there? Security also comes around."
"Yes. However, I don't think the security patrols were that frequent, Team Leader. I think the night is actually worse. During the day, although I won't say they're inside the garrison, there are people picking wild vegetables along the road from time to time. The problem is that if you go a bit into the middle from the road, you can't take much time."
"Not only that, even if we investigate, the target is quite wide, isn't it? Was it Prefectural Road 244? The road that passes through that garrison?"
"Section Chief, that's right. And one more weakness. Naturally, we have to get investigation permission from the Self-Defense Forces side."
Takeshita seems to view that as more of a problem.
"Ah, that's true too. If it's ordinary, we can manage somehow with the authority of the police, but when it comes to the Self-Defense Forces, various things are troublesome. If there's conviction, it's fine, but there are tough parts..."
Sawai bit his lip and said,
"Regarding that, I need to consult with the Station Chief a bit, so let me put it on hold for now."
He told Takeshita.
"How about it? Is there really nothing you noticed in today's investigation? Anything is fine."
Prompted by Section Chief Sawai's statement, Komura and Kurosu looked at each other and exchanged a few words, then Komura raised his hand. The Section Chief allowed him to speak.
"It's a bit away from 242, but how about the Engaru Ski Resort along Route 333 from the junction? In the summer, only people picking wild vegetables come there from time to time, and in the winter when there are many users, it's buried in snow, so I think it's just right."
"Ah, that's certainly a good target. It should have been only about 1 kilometer from the junction. Hmm."
The Section Chief seemed to have a good feeling. However, although the Section Chief probably knew inwardly, it didn't seem to Nishida that there was enough merit to go out of the way to move and hide the body from the scene in Ikutahara to either the garrison or the ski resort. No, not only the Section Chief and Nishida, but the entire Violent Crimes Unit should think so, but since the conclusion is that it's better to do something than to do nothing even in the dark, it couldn't be helped. Since no other opinions came up, it was decided to investigate the ski resort immediately the next day as permission seemed likely to be granted quickly, even if the garrison was put aside.
On the morning of August 29th, since permission had been obtained the previous day, it was decided to go to the Engaru Ski Resort for the investigation, borrowing Shoda and Soma from the Security Division. Because the search range was wide, they decided to have the Security Division support them. While the young ones ran down the stairs ahead of the Section Chief and Nishida to prepare the cars, a voice saying "Kya!" along with Yoshimura's voice saying "Ah, sorry" echoed from below. The Section Chief and the others thought Yoshimura had probably collided with a female staff member, and as expected, in a place right by the stairs on the first floor, Yoshimura and Oba were gathering a large amount of paper bundles, which seemed to be materials, scattered from a cardboard box along with a female staff member from General Affairs.
"Sorry, sorry."
Yoshimura was apologizing profusely. Nishida and Takeshita also tried to help in silence, but from the Section Chief,
"Yoshimura, this happens because you lack concentration," came a voice of reprimand. But even while saying that, it could be said that it was typical of Sawai to help pick them up.
Nishida and the others, who were silently picking up the papers haphazardly from the floor and stacking them in the same place, noticed that Takeshita saw the female staff member looking somewhat awkward.
"Is there a problem?"
When Takeshita asked,
"Um—, I'm sorry. There are seven types in total..." came an unexpected answer.
"Eh? Since they're all stapled together, I thought they were the same materials..."
Oba was reading and comparing the materials he had.
"It's a bother to separate them when so many similar things are mixed up."
When Nishida muttered that,
"There's a story that 'to hide a leaf, use a forest,' and this is exactly the same..." Sawai responded.
The detectives, who were classifying each of the seven types of materials while the female staff member confirmed them, were muttering similar complaints but placed them separately after reading the beginning of the materials. When the sorting was finished after a few minutes, the female staff member said her thanks, put them in the cardboard box in order, sandwiched sticky notes in between, and carried it upstairs.
"She doesn't look like she could lift that weight easily..."
Komura said softly while seeing her off from behind. It was indeed a muscular strength that couldn't be imagined from her relatively slender and cute appearance.
"She's Takahashi, she's a girl who's strong in judo even if she looks like that. She came to Engaru this year and joined the judo club," Shoda from the Security Division explained.
"Judo club, huh. I see, she has power despite her looks."
Yoshimura spoke as if it were someone else's business, as if he had already forgotten that he was the cause of what just happened. Nishida was about to make a retort about that, but along with the Section Chief's earlier remark, something suddenly flashed in his head and raced through it.
The members other than Nishida started moving from that place and headed toward the parking lot, but Nishida alone remained standing there.
"Hey, Nishida, what's wrong? Let's go."
When the Section Chief called out, he snapped back to his senses and suddenly said,
"Section Chief, I'm sorry! Can you go ahead? There's a place I want to stop by for a moment!"
"Eh? What are you talking about at this point!?"
The Section Chief was stunned by his subordinate saying such a thing at this stage, but he pleaded,
"No, I'm really sorry. I don't have any conviction, but there's something I'm really curious about, so I want to confirm it right now!"
Sawai must have had some thoughts about that state, as he gave OK without daring to ask for details.
"I don't know what it is, but if you say that much, it's fine. I'll tell your partner Yoshimura too. Make sure to report properly later."
"Of course! To be honest, I don't think there will be any results..."
Nishida thanked him, saw the Section Chief off, and then ran into the Detective Division and took out an investigation material file from the cabinet. He took something else from there and hid it in his pocket. Then he took the car keys and headed to the Security Division.
When he entered the room of the Security Division, Nishida went straight to Section Chief Shimomura's desk. Shimomura was taken aback by Nishida coming toward him with such momentum, but after a breath, he spoke slowly.
"What business does Nishida from the Detective Division have with us?"
"I'm sorry to bother you while you're busy. Could you lend me the person in charge of secondhand goods?"
"Secondhand goods? If it's Nishida's case, was there a robbery?"
Shimomura was completely confused by being told something so out of context.
"No, it's not a theft or a robbery, but I want to make inquiries at an antique shop, so I thought it would proceed smoothly if there was a familiar face."
After receiving Nishida's explanation, Shimomura seemed to understand the intent somewhat and accepted it relatively easily, calling the person in charge.
"Hey, Sakamura, Miyabe, come here for a moment!"
Senior Staff Sakamura, whom Nishida also knew, asked while casting a glance at Nishida.
"Section Chief, what is it?"
"Nishida from the Violent Crimes Unit is asking for cooperation from the person in charge of secondhand goods dealers."
Shimomura also told him while looking at Nishida.
"Team Leader Nishida, what kind of cooperation?"
"Sakamura, the antique shop next to the funeral hall near the station..."
Just as Nishida was about to say that,
"Ah, Saejima Antique Shop? Yes, of course we're in charge of it. Especially this Miyabe is on friendly terms with the owner there. Is there something you want to investigate?"
He said, cutting him off, and pushed Miyabe's back to put him in front of Nishida.
"If that's the case, Miyabe-kun? Could you give me a word of introduction when I make inquiries? It's fine to show my police badge and ask, but after all, it's better for the other person's impression if there's an acquaintance."
Nishida started. Miyabe, who looked quite young in his early 20s, straightened his posture while being a bit nervous.
"Yes. Of course, with pleasure! It's an honor to be able to cooperate with the Detective Division!"
"Then, Section Chief Shimomura. I'll borrow this Miyabe-kun from now, though I don't think it will take even an hour."
"If Sakamura and Miyabe are fine with it, I have no objection either."
Shimomura said that and confirmed with Sakamura and Miyabe. Seeing the two nod in silence,
"It seems there's no problem, so take him immediately. Miyabe! Don't be a burden!"
"It's not that big of a deal."
After laughing and denying the Section Chief's concern, Nishida took Miyabe and headed to the parking lot.
"Are? Are we going by car? I thought for sure we'd go by bicycle."
Miyabe seemed a bit surprised, but he explained,
"Ah, it's certainly not a great distance, but I have to go to the Engaru Ski Resort after the inquiry. Of course, after I drop you off at the station."
"Is it okay to leave the driving to Team Leader Nishida?"
To Miyabe, who asked timidly, he said,
"Don't worry about that at all. I'll be alone after this anyway, so I'll drive myself," and got into the driver's seat. And without even a conversation, he slipped into the parking lot of the Saejima Antique Shop in the opposite lane in an instant, and Nishida also passed through the shop curtain with Miyabe in the lead.
"Hello—"
When Miyabe called out cheerfully, a middle-aged man with glasses, who seemed to be the owner, came out to meet them.
"What, it's Mr. Miyabe. I thought it was a customer. Don't disappoint me. If it's a check of secondhand goods purchasing, didn't you just do it a month ago?"
"No, it's not about that today, but another detective has something he wants to ask you, Mr. Saejima, so I'm here as a mediator or an introduction... This is Team Leader Nishida from our Detective Division."
Regardless of the owner's greeting with a sharp tongue, Miyabe introduced Nishida. Nishida presented his police badge and gave a greeting.
"A detective has business with us? It's been since the time I bought stolen goods a long time ago. That must have been about 20 years ago..."
The owner looked at Nishida intently while moving his glasses up and down with his right hand.
"No, I'm not in charge of stolen goods. It's not about that today, I want to hear from you about something unrelated."
He told Saejima.
"Heh. Then what kind of story is it?"
"Mr. Saejima, do you keep a ledger recording sales all the time?"
"Eh? Not purchasing, but a sales ledger? You're not a detective but a person from the tax office, aren't you, to say such a thing? That's strange."
Saejima even leaned forward in front of the counter to peer in as if looking at a suspicious person.
"No, he's a detective," Miyabe denied with a wry smile.
"Then why a sales ledger?"
"To put it bluntly, I came to ask because I thought there might be someone who shopped at this shop in the summer three years ago. Do you have records of the sales situation three years ago?"
Nishida asked apologetically.
"No, I have to keep the sales ledger for seven years to file with the tax office, so of course I still have it from three years ago. But I've never shown sales to the police before, even if it's a purchasing list..."
While muttering complaints, Saejima went into the back. Miyabe was watching Nishida's state while standing straight, so Nishida confirmed,
"You know we're chasing a 'murder,' right?"
"Yes. Of course!"
"This inquiry is part of that investigation. Well, I think it will probably be for nothing."
"Eh? Is that so? I also want to be a detective in the future, so it's an honor to be able to participate in such an important investigation in this way. My father is just a company employee, but my grandfather was a detective, so I've looked up to him."
Looking at Miyabe, who straightened his posture even more at Nishida's statement, he thought it was somehow heartwarming.
"Yes, here it is, the sales ledger from three years ago."
The returning Saejima spread the ledger on the counter. While looking at it,
"In the summer three years ago, specifically around mid-August, didn't you sell a large jar, specifically a white cylindrical one? I'm guessing it wasn't just one, but several, probably three or four."
As soon as Nishida said that, the owner raised his voice.
"Ah, I remember! That customer left a very strong impression!"
"This is it! The customer from the sales on August 10th!"
In the part he pointed to, it said August 10th: 4 white porcelain jars for Chinese tableware (Author's note: jars are counted as 'kuchi'), and the sales amount was 800,000. Nishida paid attention to the date as well as the amount.
"Hey, from the first day!?"
Nishida was honestly surprised and couldn't help but confirm again. In other words, it was the day Yoneda was killed.
"Was it the evening of August 10th when you sold this?"
"No, I think it was right in the middle of the day. I remember watching TV here while having lunch. At least it wasn't the evening."
"Which means, Shinoda had already thought of it on the way to Ikutahara after receiving the call from Isaka... He thought the body would definitely be at the scene."
Nishida confirmed excitedly, not caring that his monologue was clearly audible to those around him.
"This jar for Chinese tableware, is it definitely cylindrical?"
"As you said earlier, for a normal jar, it has less roundness at the top and bottom, it's a cylindrical shape like an urn, a large jar used for things like steamed dishes. I think it was the kind with a lid. It was white porcelain, the firing was good, and the touch was good, it wasn't a bad thing, but well, the cost wasn't even 10,000. I bought it cheaply from a high-end Chinese restaurant in Kitami that went bankrupt. I don't know without looking at the purchasing ledger, but it probably didn't cost even 5,000 per item."
Normally he would have something to say about the rip-off, but he continued to ask without caring.
"Did the man who bought this perhaps ask for it using the word 'urn,' as you just said?"
"Oh, how did you know!? That's why I remember it even better. A man I didn't know suddenly came into the shop and asked 'Do you have urns?' so I was stunned and said 'We're next to a funeral home, but we're an antique shop so we don't have such things,' and he was about to leave immediately. But I thought he must be saying that because he suddenly needed it, so I called out, 'We don't have urns, but we have something with a similar shape and color! The size is a bit smaller, though.' When I showed him the white porcelain one, he said 'This will do,' so seeing his interest, I quoted 200,000 per unit and said 800,000 for the four units I had, and he made a sour face at first but immediately said 'I don't mind, give them to me.' I was surprised too. But he took out a credit card, so when I said 'We're a cash business,' he asked 'Is there a Kitami Bank nearby?' so I told him the location of the Engaru branch, and after a while he came back with cash. He put them in double large paper bags and left in a hurry, carrying two bags with two jars each in both hands. Yeah, there's almost never a day like that when a first-time walk-in customer buys expensive things at the asking price. But that's the real pleasure of this business, or finding a bargain and buying it cheaply. A detective wouldn't understand, would he?"
Saejima grinned after saying that much. A detective has such moments in his own way, but it's a waste of time to argue one by one. Nishida took three photos from his breast pocket. They were a photo taken from the investigation materials and two dummy photos.
"Is the man who bought that jar among these?"
The owner took the photos in his hand and confirmed them, then immediately,
"It's this person! Detective, how did you know! You should quit being a detective and become a psychic!"
He showed a full smile. The photo the owner pointed to was of Shinoda. Nishida also put the photo in his breast pocket with a triumphant expression. And he said,
"I think I'll probably come again for a witness interview, but please cooperate then too," and bowed his head.
"There's no problem with that! Even so, is that customer involved in some case?"
"Probably. It's still at the hypothesis stage, though. Well then, I'm sorry but my schedule is packed after this, so I'll take my leave for today. Really, I'm sorry for coming so suddenly today. It was a help."
He gave a signal to Miyabe, who was silently watching the series of events from diagonally behind, to "retreat," and left the shop first. However, when Miyabe was about to close the door, he stopped him as if he had remembered and called out to the owner through the gap in the door.
"By the way, the funeral hall next door and your shop, of course you opened the shop first, right?"
"Of course. If I were later, I wouldn't go out of my way to open an antique shop in a place like this. It was a bowling alley until 20 years ago."
"I see. In that case, I'm sorry to the owner, but the police are grateful to the funeral hall that came next door. Well then, see you!"
"Eh?"
Regardless of the owner not being able to understand the meaning of Nishida's statement, Nishida closed the door and got into the car.
"I also want to become a detective quickly like Team Leader Nishida!"
Miyabe "declared" as soon as they left the parking lot.
"If that's the case, first of all, it's to do the work in the Public Safety Section you're in now thoroughly. I was also in charge of secondhand goods dealers in the Public Safety Section when I was first assigned to the local station from the police box. You must never mistake that."
"Was Mr. Nishida like that too? I understand, I'll keep it in mind."
Miyabe answered briskly even to the somewhat arrogant advice. Nishida also felt a fresh feeling as if he had returned to the original intention of his younger days.
He stopped by the station once, and after dropping Miyabe off in front of the entrance, he tried to see if he could contact the Section Chief by radio for a moment, but it seemed everyone was away from their cars and he couldn't get through.
"The cell phone signal doesn't reach either, so I have to go directly and explain to the Section Chief."
Nishida ended up driving the car to the ski resort as it was.
In about 10 minutes, he parked next to his colleague's car in the ski resort parking lot, and when he looked at the slope that becomes a ski run in winter, he saw the Section Chief and the others in the middle, and the subordinates in the boundary with the separate thicket and the bamboo grass thicket. Nishida started climbing the slope slowly and reached the Section Chief. The Section Chief checked his wristwatch and said,
"It's earlier than I thought."
"Thanks to that, I got some interesting information. By the way, you wouldn't bury it on a slope like this, would you? It would be easy to expose if it rained heavily."
When Nishida made a skeptical remark, the Section Chief became sullen.
"Of course. I was just checking from the slope to see if there was any place that looked like it could be buried."
"Ah, was that so? My apologies."
"By the way, what's Nishida's interesting information?"
"Ah, that story? It's not that big of a deal."
Nishida was being evasive.
"What is it? Just say it quickly!"
The Section Chief urged him as if he had lost his patience.
"I can't say I have conviction, but I probably found out where Sada's body is."
"I see, that's good."
The Section Chief spoke in a blunt way, then immediately looked at Nishida twice.
"Eh? What did you just say?"
"I probably found out the hiding place of Sada's body."
"Eeeh!?"
Because it was a voice that seemed to echo all over the ski resort, the subordinates who were far away all gathered their gazes on the Section Chief and Nishida at once.
"Why didn't you say that sooner?"
"No, everyone is searching, so I thought it would be okay after that."
Nishida was consistently speaking in a way that didn't show emotion, as if he were feigning ignorance.
"You found out where the body is?"
"Well, it's about 70% confidence. I wouldn't go so far as to stop the investigation now..."
"50% is enough. I don't need 70%. Explain quickly."
"No, it's just hard to explain here. I'll talk properly after we get back."
"Alright, I get it! Hey! We're going back to the station!"
Section Chief Sawai gave the order to the scattered subordinates with a voice from his gut as if it were echoing in the mountains. Perhaps the Section Chief also thought the "ski resort theory" had a fairly low probability. The decision to withdraw was swift. Yoshimura and Takeshita, who had returned early to the sudden change of heart, voiced their complaints and questions as soon as they returned.
"We just got here, what are you talking about?"
"It seems Nishida grasped new information about the location of Sada's body. We're redoing the meeting."
By the time he explained that, the other investigators had also hurriedly gathered at the place of the Section Chief and Nishida.
"So, where is Sada's body?"
"Takeshita, that's a treat for after we get back to the station."
Nishida grinned mischievously.
*
Back at the station, Nishida immediately began his explanation. As members of the Violent Crimes Unit, they seemed to want to hear the conclusion first, but for Nishida, he thought that explaining the process of how he reached that conclusion was more important than the conclusion in a sense. Or rather, he might have just wanted to show off.
"The story begins with Yoshimura starting to say something strange on the way back from the Monbetsu Station the other day."
"Did I say something strange?"
Yoshimura made a surprised voice, partly because he suddenly became the topic.
"The story about the funeral hall and the antique shop."
"That? The story about the antique shop and the urn?"
"That's it. You said an antique shop next to a funeral hall gives the image of selling urns. I scolded you for your nonsensical idea then."
"You said whatever you wanted, didn't you?"
Yoshimura joked in a tone as if he were angry.
"And today. You scattered the materials by bumping into her. You were told various things by the Section Chief too."
"Yes, yes, I was certainly scolded. But why did that lead to thinking you found Sada's body?"
"Well, don't rush, Yoshimura."
Nishida said that and began to explain while writing the main points on the whiteboard with a marker.
"When we were investigating Shinoda, we heard from his wife that he was the type to forget things very easily, just like he lost Kitagawa's watch. In this regard, he was also the type who, to put it poorly, lacked concentration, or to put it well—though not that well—would go on and on about various things around him. In other words, assuming Shinoda was definitely on August 10th three years ago, and also on the 11th and 12th, going from the construction site of the Yubetsu Bridge to the scene of the Ikutahara incident to look for the watch he thought he had lost, there's no doubt he drove on Route 242. At that time, he passed in front of the 'Saejima Antique Shop' in Engaru Town, or maybe he stopped at a traffic light. And he saw that line of the funeral hall and the antique shop and thought the same thing as Yoshimura? I had such a feeling."
"Hmm? I don't really get it, but you mean he had a delusion that urns were sold at an antique shop?"
The Section Chief said with a suspicious expression, but immediately asked again.
"In other words, Nishida's reasoning is that he intended to use an urn to move Sada's body to a place like a cemetery? Now that you mention it, hiding it in a place where remains are naturally present is not a bad way, as in mystery novels. If so, would it be a cemetery around Ikutahara or Engaru!? But at the point of the idea of an urn from a funeral hall, it seems there's too much of a leap. Urns wouldn't be sold at an antique shop, and they're not something you can get so easily."
Nishida dared to hide the fact that he had already confirmed that Shinoda had bought a jar similar to an urn at an antique shop on August 10th three years ago, and resumed the story. This was because he wanted to stick to the feeling of talking through the process rather than the conclusion. Or rather, he might have just wanted to show off.
"Yes, it's certainly a very sudden idea. But for an urn, something with a similar color and shape will suffice. That should have been at the antique shop too. And I believe it's certain that Shinoda had a factual recognition that wouldn't make it strange for him to have such an idea."
"Factual recognition?"
"Shinoda—and this goes for Kitagawa too—they saw with their own eyes at the memorial ceremony on September 25, 1977, that the remains of the victims of Tako-beya labor were put into urns and placed in the grave marker under the memorial monument. This is certain because High Priest Okada, who was then a monk at Koan-ji in Ikutahara and is now at Ko-on-ji in Engaru, testified to it."
"Ah, the High Priest told us that story here the other day..." the Section Chief said as if remembering.
"That's right. At the same time, what's important is that at that time, the urns containing the three unidentified remains found near the scene in Ikutahara, which couldn't be made into a case and were buried as unidentified remains, were also included in the placement. I think that's the point."
"Wait a minute! Nishida, are you saying that Sada is hidden and mingled in that 'Remote Grave Marker' instead of a cemetery?"
The Section Chief's voice was high-pitched. He seems to really like the phrase 'Remote Grave Marker' that he himself named the memorial monument and grave. Even though no one else was using it, he was still using it even at this point.
"I see! In that place, it's natural for human bones to be there, and even if they're found, they'll just be thought of as the remains of some Tako-beya laborer, and in the first place, no one opens it. It's certainly the same as being hidden in a cemetery."
Komura gave a cry of admiration.
"No, not only that. The risk of being seen by others when moving the body, which is the biggest risk in a sense, is almost non-existent. The distance from the place where Sada was buried is quite close, and on top of that, it's in those mountains. It's an ideal hiding place."
Takeshita added further.
"That's right. Since Shinoda was a JNR employee, he knew that hardly anyone ever enters that place. Even if there are people who enter to take railway photos or maintenance people, that place is reasonably far from the railway, and at most there might be people picking wild vegetables. That's why it was the most unfortunate of misfortunes for the two that Yoneda appeared before Shinoda..."
Nishida said with a solemn face, and continued,
"Probably, Yoneda saw Shinoda's figure entering the mountains from near the railway. That's why he probably approached to see what it was."
"Really, it's a terrible story... Yoneda was still young."
Kurosu also said regretfully.
"The Section Chief suddenly said the conclusion so the story jumped, but the reason I came to think so was that today's scattered materials were actually completely identical in appearance but were different things. In other words, the phrase 'to hide a leaf, use a forest' that the Section Chief said left an impression. I thought that led to Shinoda thinking that even if they were different 'types' of remains, if they were gathered in one place, they would be treated as the same type of remains. As I said earlier, I think the fact that he later found out that three unidentified remains were actually included in the placement of the victims of Tako-beya labor at the memorial service in 1977 became a big hint for Shinoda."
"I see. So the background of Nishida's reasoning this time was consistently Yoshimura's restlessness. Yoshimura, it's a lucky break!"
In front of the Section Chief who was teasing him,
"No, if you think about it carefully, in this case, Yoshimura brought the fiction theory of the ghost scare, and on top of that, he heard the story of the remains collection of the Jomon Tunnel Research Group, which became the trigger for Kitagawa's existence to surface, so in a sense, can't we say that it's almost all thanks to Yoshimura that we've come this far?" Nishida said seriously.
"Is that so? Now that you mention it, that's true... It means this guy is the key man in everything. Hahn. He might be a genius."
"I don't know if I'm being praised or made fun of."
Yoshimura showed a complex expression at the Section Chief's words, but Nishida said with a serious face as usual,
"No, I'm serious, it's thanks to you that we've come this far," and expressed his thanks.
"I'm sorry to interrupt while you're getting excited, but wait a minute. Well, I think the reasoning is certainly logical and interesting, but I feel like it's still quite a bold one... The story about the jar is also a hypothesis, right? Isn't it too early to be happy?"
Kurosu spoke as if it were hard to say and raised an objection.
"No, well, that's true, but it's worth investigating."
The Section Chief also refrained from his upbeat remarks from earlier. Nishida smiled inwardly as he saw that, thinking it was time to show his trump card.
"Actually, I confirmed it at the Saejima Antique Shop earlier. And it turned out that a man bought four large white cylindrical jars on August 10th three years ago. Furthermore, when I confirmed who that man was, the owner testified that it was this man."
Nishida slowly took out the photo of Shinoda from his breast pocket.
"Hey! Say that sooner."
The Section Chief's voice was angry, but his expression was a full smile. The other members also clapped their hands in joy. Only Takeshita pretended to be calm and said as if probing,
"It's from three years ago, right? I'm a bit uneasy about only that point."
In response to that,
"I properly showed him unrelated photos too, and above all, I confirmed it with the owner's testimony and the ledger, but Shinoda was a walk-in customer and yet he made a purchase of four cylindrical jars for a total of 800,000 in cash. He said he remembered it well because such customers are rare."
When Nishida added that,
"I see! He suddenly appeared and paid 800,000 in cash. Then he must definitely remember. The Section Chief's theory has become almost certain!"
Takeshita's last doubt was cleared, and he finally seemed to be refreshed.
"And the fact that there are four is important. To carry the remains of one person from the place where they were buried to the grave marker, I think at least four jars of a certain size would be necessary. Normally, they don't put everything in at a crematorium, into one urn. They dispose of what's left at the crematorium. But in this case, that's not an option."
Nishida puffed out his chest.
"In that case, Nishida. This reasoning is almost perfect, even though we haven't found it yet. Even so, August 10th... He had already thought of the hiding method on the way to check the scene. The opponent did a nasty piece of work even though he's deceased... Now then, but if that's the case, this time we have to directly expose the 'Remote Grave Marker'..."
The Section Chief dropped his tone from earlier. As expected, digging up a 'grave' is problematic in various ways.
"Section Chief, Mr. Terakawa told us 'no need to contact him anymore when investigating his land,' but this time, because of the location, I think we should give him a word of notice. And I think it would be good to have High Priest Okada and High Priest Matsuno participate. After all, it's a grave. We won't feel settled unless we do it after having a memorial service. On top of that, High Priest Okada is familiar with the situation at the time of the placement, so we can investigate while listening to his story."
"Hmm, let's do as Nishida says. We must make arrangements immediately!"
Section Chief Sawai immediately reached for the receiver in front of him.