Chapter 33 - Light and Shadow 12 (73–79: Nishida's Tokyo Interrogation Arc)
Early on the morning of October 5th, Nishida and Yoshimura, driven by Oba, were at Memanbetsu Airport—the nearest airport with flights to Haneda. Unfortunately, it was raining heavily, but since it was reportedly clear in Tokyo, they decided to leave their plastic umbrellas with Oba and board. It was a hassle to check them as baggage on the plane. In that sense, even if it were raining in Tokyo, they would have likely chosen to buy new plastic umbrellas there.
They arrived at Haneda before noon and checked into a cheap business hotel in Shinjuku, which offered good transportation access. Unlike Engaru, where temperatures were starting to approach early winter in the mornings and evenings, the weather here was pleasantly warm, with a few people seen in short sleeves. Both men decided to leave their heavy suit jackets in the room before heading out. Since they had nothing to do until evening, they decided to take a light look around Tokyo, though not quite to the extent of sightseeing.
For Nishida, this was his first time in Tokyo since stopping over on his way to Guam for his honeymoon. For Yoshimura, it was apparently his first time since a high school field trip on the way back from Kansai. Even if they were conscious of working in the countryside and intended to have no sense of inferiority, they were nonetheless overwhelmed by the cityscape of Tokyo after such a long time. It was on a different dimension from Sapporo. To be honest, Nishida even felt a slight sense of physical discomfort from the swarms of people.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Kitamura and Mitsushima from the Kitami District Headquarters were scheduled to rejoin the investigation at the Engaru Station as reinforcements, meaning Nishida and Yoshimura had just missed them. When Nishida mentioned this during a greeting call from Kitamura the previous day, Kitamura replied,
"Are you serious!? It's honestly a shame I won't see you from day one, but please do your best on your business trip!"
He sounded disappointed, though whether it was sincere or not was hard to tell. Of course, even if they couldn't meet, it would only be for a few days, so it was certainly an exaggeration.
Incidentally, as preparation before going to Tokyo, and following the Section Chief's advice, Nishida had made an appointment with "Sannomiya," the design manager who had been Masamitsu's superior at Daikoku Construction; they were set to meet on October 6th. However, when he had the Itabashi Station—which had jurisdiction over Hojo Masaharu's address—look into it, the latest ledger from October '93 listed someone else at that location. Even if he had been in Tokyo before then, it seemed he had moved to his current address after that date. Consequently, they couldn't make an appointment by phone and had no choice but to visit directly. That was the "thing to do in the evening."
While watching businessmen passing by outside the window of a Shibuya cafe they had entered to take a break, Yoshimura muttered,
"If I stayed here for two weeks, my mind would break, Team Leader. I didn't feel this way in high school, but maybe it's my age... I can only think my ability to adapt is dropping."
He said this to Nishida with a straight face.
"Two weeks? You're quite the exaggerator!"
Nishida laughed it off, but inwardly, he understood. The expressions and movements of the people walking were exactly as if they were "robots." It was a sense of wrongness one didn't feel in a "city" the size of Sapporo, but in this Tokyo, he clearly felt it.
Nishida had ordered coffee and Yoshimura an iced tea, but as expected, the prices on the menu in Tokyo were higher than in Engaru. Well, since the digits on real estate prices were different, it couldn't be helped, but he felt a sense of discomfort in that regard as well. The excitement he felt before coming, like a student on a field trip, had vanished; the moment he arrived, it was true that he had begun to harbor feelings close to homesickness.
After that, following a few detours, they returned to the hotel once. Nishida prepared himself by moving the "contract" he had brought from Engaru to confirm with Hojo from his travel bag to a second bag, and they had an early dinner at a nearby restaurant. They hesitated between the Yamanote Line and the Saikyo Line but chose the latter, deciding to give the Saikyo Line a try. After transferring from the Saikyo Line to the Tobu Tojo Line at Ikebukuro Station, they arrived and disembarked at Oyama Station in no time. Since it was the evening commute rush, being released from it so quickly was a relief for both of them.
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The town of Oyama, where Hojo Masaharu reportedly lived, was a town along the old Kawagoe Highway from the Edo period, and it had a quiet atmosphere for Tokyo. For the two of them, it was filled with a somehow reassuring vibe. First, they stopped by the nearby Itabashi Station to introduce themselves and greet a staff member named Senga from the Community Affairs Section, whom they had spoken with over the phone the previous day. Thinking about it, the adult way to handle things would have been to bring some Hokkaido souvenirs, but their heads were so full of the investigation that they had slipped up. Since they had gotten clear directions from Senga, they arrived at the apartment in about five minutes from the station without getting lost. The exterior looked like it had been built quite a long time ago.
Climbing the rusted iron stairs, checking the sound with every step, they confirmed the nameplate handwritten as "Hojo" and pressed the intercom button. However, it might have been more accurate to call it a buzzer than an intercom... But even after ringing it three times, no one came out. They couldn't tell if the lights were on inside because the curtains were closed. He was probably out.
"It looks like the neighbor is in, so let's try asking them," Yoshimura said, and he pressed the neighbor's intercom—no, buzzer. The resident was a young woman in revealing, casual clothes, perhaps due to the temperature still being somewhat high despite it being autumn. Her vibe suggested she worked in the nightlife industry; if so, it wouldn't be strange for her to be heading out. Or she might just be a flashy female student. When Yoshimura showed his police badge, she suddenly seemed to go on guard.
"Excuse me, we're looking for Mr. Hojo next door. Does he usually not stay home at this time?"
"Seems like he's on the night shift or something; he often heads out in the evening."
"Ah, night shift. Do you know where he works?"
"No, I don't know that much."
"What about the landlord?"
"A real estate company handles the management, but wouldn't they be closed by this time?"
Even to Yoshimura's rapid-fire questions, no promising answers came forth.
"I see... Team Leader, we've been beat."
Nishida, addressed by Yoshimura, also thought they had failed. Since they had been free during the day anyway, they might have met him if they had come sooner.
"Um—"
The woman cut into the conversation between the two.
"Did the old man next door do something bad?"
Indeed, it is common for people to think that way when the police come calling.
"No, it's not like that. We're chasing a suspect in a certain case, and we thought Mr. Hojo might have information leading to that suspect, so we wanted to ask him a few things. Mr. Hojo is not involved in any crime, so don't worry. We'll be leaving for today. Thank you for your cooperation."
Nishida denied it strongly for the sake of the man's honor. It was not his intention to worsen relations with the neighbors. The woman seemed satisfied for now and withdrew, closing the door.
With no other choice, Nishida and Yoshimura hurried down the stairs, making a dull, clanging sound quite different from their ascent. In the parking lot in front of the stairs, Nishida tried calling Senga, whom he had met earlier. This was to ask if he knew which real estate company managed this Oyama Sakae-sou. He could have asked the woman from earlier, but she seemed to find them quite bothersome, and he figured it would be faster to ask a fellow policeman than to have her reluctantly look it up. Yoshimura likely hadn't asked for the same reason.
Senga had already gone home, but he successfully got the information from a replacement officer. However, as expected, it seemed all the staff at the real estate agency had already left for the day, as it went to voicemail.
"He's definitely not here. Either way, it's tomorrow. Tomorrow!"
Nishida clicked his tongue, then led Yoshimura through the shopping district to hail a taxi on the street and return directly to the hotel. Fatigue had hit him all at once, and he didn't have the energy to transfer trains in the middle of the crowds.
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The next morning, after filling up at the business hotel's breakfast buffet, Nishida called "North Tokyo Realty," the real estate management company for Oyama Sakae-sou, explained the situation, and requested information about Hojo. However, he was rebuffed, told they couldn't provide information unless he came in person and showed a police badge or a warrant. Certainly, unless they had the tenant's permission or a request from a public institution like the police, they should not disclose such information. There was no doubt the other party's attitude was correct. For the time being, he left a message saying, "I will visit within the day once my business is finished," and decided to prioritize the interrogation of Sannomiya, for which he had an appointment.
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Since Daikoku Construction was located in Iidabashi, Tokyo, Nishida and Yoshimura took the Sobu Line from Shinjuku Station and got off at Iidabashi Station. The prominent Daikoku Construction building towered just a short distance from the station. After their appointment was confirmed at the reception, they were shown to a reception room and met with Sannomiya. As expected of a manager-level employee at a major general contractor, even as middle management, he had an air of dignity within his soft-spoken, bespectacled manner. Beside him was a person named Kume, who was said to be a Senior Staff in the Personnel Department and was about the same age as Nishida or slightly older. He would apparently provide information regarding Isaka's work status within the company. Nishida hadn't expected them to go that far, so it was a pleasant surprise.
Immediately, they began asking about Isaka Masamitsu—first, what kind of employee he had been. Kume took the lead in answering from that perspective.
"Isaka Masamitsu majored in architecture at Waseda University's School of Science and Engineering and then specialized in architecture at the same university's graduate school. He joined our company in 1974, immediately after graduation. Since then, utilizing his first-class architect license, he was involved in departments such as design, construction supervision, and urban planning. He seems to have been a relatively excellent employee within our company. We are not aware of any particular problems in terms of his work."
The Violent Crimes Unit had already conducted some research on the content of Kume's statement, so it wasn't particularly helpful in itself. Yoshimura began to ask slightly more probing questions.
"First, it seems Masamitsu resigned as of March 1993, but what were his work locations since joining the company?"
"He was at the Tokyo headquarters until 1978, then at the Fukuoka branch until 1980, the Osaka branch until 1984, and from then on, he was in Tokyo."
Kume's answer meant that Isaka had never worked in Hokkaido, at least not for this company. This was despite the company having branches in Sapporo and Asahikawa, even if they weren't that large. Especially since the murder of Sada, which was the start of the case, occurred eight years ago, if he had been at the Tokyo headquarters since then, the idea of him coming all the way to Hokkaido every time was something they probably didn't need to consider. Nishida felt certain that his direct involvement in the case was likely thin due to geographical distance.
"His time at the Tokyo headquarters seems quite long. What is the reason for this? Is it not unusual at Daikoku Construction?"
"Well, to tell you the truth... I believe the intentions of the man himself, being the son of Isaka Group—with whom we have some business within the prefecture—were reflected. Normally, one would rarely stay in one location for this long... He wished to work in Tokyo, and I speculate that such a request was conveyed from the Isaka Group to our personnel department. I wasn't the person in charge at the time, nor am I the decision-maker for personnel even now, so I don't know the truth."
From Yoshimura's question, if it were true that the man himself had continuously wished to work in Tokyo, wouldn't he be even less likely to actively involve himself in his father's "shameful parts" than geographical issues suggested? In other words, Nishida felt even more strongly that he was not directly involved in the case.
"From your perspective, Mr. Sannomiya, how did you feel about Isaka as a person?"
When Nishida finally posed the question to Sannomiya—
"Well... when I got the call saying the police wanted to talk to me, I wondered if he'd been caught up in some trouble, but since that's not the case, I'm relieved, or rather..."
He spoke as if he were holding something back, as if it were quite difficult to say.
"Is that because you felt something like a criminal disposition in Isaka Masamitsu?"
"No, no! It's certainly not that. However, while he was excellent, by the time one is over forty, they should have seen the ups and downs of life and gained some discretion, yet there were many times when his attitude of looking down on others was noticeable. When I heard from him that he had no choice but to quit to succeed his father as president in the future, I worried if he'd be okay, as he wasn't the type of person to lead others. I was already concerned about subtle friction occurring in human relationships back when he was my subordinate."
"In short, he was an unpleasant guy, so he wasn't liked by people?"
Yoshimura spoke with such blatant directness that Nishida almost wanted to say, "You should gain some discretion too," but although Sannomiya gave a wry smile, he didn't deny it.
"However, for Isaka, who seemed so set on Tokyo, was it not his intention to have the mantle passed to him by his father? Did you hear anything, Mr. Sannomiya?"
"Mr. Nishida, I wouldn't know about that. He never confided in me to that extent. However, I somehow got the feeling he didn't really want to go back to the countryside... But I suppose there's no doubt he was prepared to eventually succeed him?"
"I see. It can't be helped if you haven't heard anything."
Nishida said, sounding disappointed.
"Well, from my perspective, having a family home in Hokkaido is enviable. Living in such a cramped city makes me long for it. I like 'Kita no Kuni kara' (T/N: 'From the North Country', a famous drama set in Furano) and such, so I feel that way even more."
Kume cut into the conversation.
"It's an honor to be envied, but the winter is truly unbearable. People from Hokkaido wish winter didn't exist. Snow is a nuisance, and kerosene costs a fortune; honestly, there's nothing good about it."
"I suppose that's how it feels for a local..."
Kume seemed disappointed by Nishida's tone.
"From your impression, Mr. Sannomiya, it seems he wanted to stay in Tokyo but was prepared to succeed the company. Did he ever say anything about his father? That he disliked him, or respected him?"
"Hmm, I wonder. I don't think he ever had such a conversation with me as his superior. If you'd like, shall I call someone who was close to him? There's still someone among my subordinates, so I think I can call them in right away."
Yoshimura looked at Nishida's face to confirm, then said,
"Then please do."
Sannomiya made a call on his mobile, and a few minutes later, a man who was his subordinate arrived. The man introduced himself as Sumi. Since he looked to be in his thirties, Nishida and Yoshimura speculated that he had likely been a subordinate to Isaka as well.
"This will be over soon, so please answer comfortably."
Nishida uttered these words to relax the slightly nervous Sumi, then passed the turn for questioning to Yoshimura, as if telling him to continue where they left off.
"What was your relationship with Mr. Isaka?"
"Mr. Isaka was a Senior Staff, so he was my superior. However, I'm also from Tomakomai, so because we were from the same prefecture, he treated me quite well. It seems many other people didn't get along with him very well... I'm single, but we were close enough that he'd invite me to his home and treat me to his wife's home cooking."
As he spoke, Sumi glanced at Sannomiya's face. Well, Sumi must have known that Isaka's reputation wasn't favorable. Even so, it probably meant that he personally didn't have a bad impression of Isaka. If the other party had a good impression of Sumi, then that was also inevitable.
"I see. A bond between fellow provincials, then. Of course, I believe you know that Mr. Isaka was the scion of a major construction company in Kitami, but did he say anything about that?"
"Regarding being the heir to a large company itself, he seemed to feel a certain amount of pride, but on the other hand, he seemed a bit hesitant when it came to actually succeeding it. However, I think he had a sense that succeeding it someday was like destiny."
"Did he say anything about his father?"
"His father... I felt like their relationship itself wasn't particularly bad, but I also think he clearly didn't respect him."
"He didn't respect him?"
"Yes. He often used expressions like 'his methods aren't smart.' Well, it's a local construction business, so there must be various unpleasant parts, right? Even in places that look good to the public, the construction industry is where all sorts of monsters and demons roam..."
Despite having two superiors present, Nishida and Yoshimura both gave a wry smile at how he spoke his mind without any hesitation. That said, since neither Sannomiya nor Kume, who were listening, even frowned and even had smiles on their faces, it might be something that is understood as an unspoken agreement among those in the industry.
"But saying 'his methods aren't smart'... this is very rude, but from what I've heard just now, wouldn't that not be limited to local construction? It's a bit concerning that he would specifically criticize his own father there."
Yoshimura pressed him. He probably wanted to expand the conversation from here. Nishida felt like praising him a little, thinking he had become a bit better at interrogation.
"Hmm, maybe it just means local construction is even worse? I don't know Mr. Isaka's true intentions."
"Then, have you been hearing such stories from him since you first met Mr. Isaka?"
"Well, yes. However, somehow, just before he quit, he suddenly started badmouthing him clearly..."
"Oh, before he quit. From what I've heard, Mr. Isaka quit the company in March 1993, so about how long before that was it?"
"I think it was early October 1992. Mr. Isaka, who isn't usually the type to get rowdy when drinking, was unusually agitated, repeatedly saying things like 'that idiot old man.' I was also agitated myself. We both went wild, so it was definitely the beginning of October."
He laughed after finishing his answer to Yoshimura's long question.
"Why was the usually mild-mannered Sumi so agitated? You don't have a bad drinking habit at all."
Sannomiya suddenly asked Sumi. It seemed he had trust in Sumi's character.
"Well, it's quite embarrassing, but I'm a Torakichi (T/N: a die-hard Hanshin Tigers fan). I'm a Hokkaido native, but my old man is from Nishinomiya in Hyogo Prefecture."
"I see!"
Yoshimura let out a voice of understanding at Sumi's "revelation." Sannomiya also had a smile on his face.
"That's right, Sumi was indeed a Hanshin fan."
In the autumn of 1992, after a dead heat with the Yakult Swallows in the final stages, Hanshin missed out on the championship for the first time since 1985. If one were a passionate Hanshin fan, it was certainly a matter that would make them go wild. Once Nishida understood that, laughter naturally welled up.
"It seems the conversation has gone in a different direction."
What Sannomiya said was certainly a bit painful for the two detectives to hear, but there was no doubt that the "timing" had gained credibility.
After finishing the conversation and having completed their business, the two requested the three Daikoku Construction employees, including Sumi who was about to leave,
"Please keep this interview strictly confidential from Mr. Isaka."
Since the interrogation was based on the premise that Isaka himself was not involved in any criminal activity, they must have felt a sense of wrongness, but that is that and this is this. They especially made a point of asking Sumi, who seemed to have a deep relationship with him.
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"Was it a waste of time... We couldn't even clearly tell if Masamitsu knew about Daikichi's case."
With the Daikoku Construction building behind them, Nishida and Yoshimura were walking toward the station, but it was true that nothing clear had come out.
"I didn't expect much to come out in the first place, so it's about what I expected. Coming to Tokyo for an inquiry was only made possible in the first place as a set with the Hojo matter."
Nishida spoke as if to say not to worry because his expectations were low, or to put it poorly, he was being defiant.
"But your way of asking was pretty good. This time, what we should have been drawing out wasn't clearly defined, so it was a quite difficult interrogation... Even so, there's no mistake in seeing that Masamitsu was indeed not involved in the main part of the case. However, it's questionable whether he knew nothing at all about the Isaka Group's—no, Daikichi's—shameful parts. Especially hearing about Masamitsu's state around October '92, I get the feeling he might have learned something around then. Even timing-wise, it would be after Isaka Daikichi made that emergency call to Shinoda, who was at the construction site in Yubetsu. It might be related to something."
"Sumi's story? It's certainly a bit concerning. Was there some connection between that call from Isaka to Shinoda and the murder of Yoneda that likely occurred because of it... It's just speculation, though."
"It smells, but it's still in the mist. We're in the middle of a thick fog. Nothing can be seen clearly."
By the time Nishida finished speaking, the Iidabashi station building was already right in front of them.
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After transferring from the Sobu Line to the Keihin-Tohoku Line at Shinjuku and getting off at Higashi-Jujo Station, they headed for "North Tokyo Realty," the real estate management company. They almost got lost for a bit, but they found it in a corner of the second floor of a small multi-tenant building. It had a grand name, but it felt like just a local neighborhood real estate agent.
"Is this the 'realty' of this company?"
Yoshimura seemed to have made a sarcastic remark playing on 'realty' and 'reality,' but in fact, at that time, neither of them understood what 'realty' meant. Later, after returning to Engaru, Nishida happened to remember and looked it up in a dictionary. "Realty" meant "real estate" in English, and he realized that the reason he felt it was a grand name was simply a case of a Japanese person who didn't know the meaning well enough valuing English. But that is strictly a later story.
Immediately, Nishida showed his police badge to a female staff member at the real estate agency and asked about Hojo Masaharu's workplace; he learned that he was working for a company called "Itabashi Security Systems." As a security guard, he had apparently been working the night shift. Once they learned that, they immediately left the multi-tenant building. He also felt like he wanted to get away from the place quickly because it was somehow cluttered.
"Now, what should we do? Since it's the night shift, if we go to the apartment now, he might be in the middle of sleeping. It might be better to go directly to the workplace. In that case, we might end up going to the job site rather than the security company, so should we go ask at the security company? Should I have asked for the phone number too? Ah, maybe they won't tell me over the phone."
Yoshimura spoke continuously while confirming with Nishida, but—
"No, you should stop that," Nishida dismissed it.
"Why? I think it would be less of a nuisance to the other party than barging in while he's sleeping?" he asked further.
"If the police come to the security company, it'll be even more of a nuisance for Masaharu. Security companies tend to avoid people who are being investigated by the police," Nishida replied.
"I see, I see. True."
Yoshimura seemed to be very much in agreement with Nishida's words.
"However, I'd like to avoid disturbing his sleep as much as possible. Since he's on the night shift, he'll probably start work after evening, so shall we try going around after 3:00 PM? If we go right before he leaves, there won't be time to talk... that balance is the difficult part."
"Then, since we have time, shall we go back to the hotel for a bit?"
"No, I'd like to go to a place called Jinbocho. I heard there are many bookstores and secondhand bookshops, so I've wanted to go there for a while."
"Is that so? If you say so, Team Leader, then let's do that."
After that conversation, the two decided to head for Kanda Jinbocho.
To get to Jinbocho, they considered using the subway to get off at Jinbocho Station, which bears the town's name, but since transferring in unfamiliar Tokyo was quite a hassle, they decided to take the Keihin-Tohoku Line from Higashi-Jujo directly to Kanda Station and take a route of just under 20 minutes on foot from there. From Kanda Station, while getting slightly lost along the way, the two managed to reach the book mecca of Jinbocho.
"But the number of bookstores and secondhand bookshops is amazing. There are almost no secondhand bookshops or bookstores in Engaru... I guess this is the greatness of Tokyo. Sapporo also has quite a few secondhand bookshops around Hokkaido University, but not on this scale."
While wandering around Jinbocho and occasionally entering shops to "browse," Yoshimura voiced his frank impressions. Nishida, while letting such talk go in one ear and out the other, entered a particularly large secondhand bookstore.
"What are you looking for?"
"Nothing in particular, but maybe books I remember seeing a long time ago and want to see again. You can't buy out-of-print books at a normal bookstore."
While focusing his gaze on the shelves and dealing with Yoshimura, the distance between Yoshimura and Nishida had widened before he knew it. Nishida wasn't particularly bothered by it and was rummaging through books, but after a while, Yoshimura came hurrying over to Nishida. (Author's Note: Please understand that shop names, etc., appearing in this work are "fictional" unless otherwise noted.)
"Look at this! A photo book of Nishida Kana. It really helped me out in high school. It's got a premium price, but I want it. Can I buy this?"
He was beaming with joy, holding a nude photo book covered in plastic. Even so, he was the oldest among Nishida's subordinates after Takeshita and Komura, so it was a bit of a problem. However, since they were in a place away from their "post" in Tokyo and it didn't seem to affect their duties, Nishida just nodded and silently condoned it. It wasn't exactly a case of "shame is for the traveler," but there was no point in being nitpicky in Tokyo, where they could rarely come.
After purchasing it at the register, Yoshimura followed Nishida around again, but Nishida was still absorbed in his own "work."
"Oh, this is it. 'Jitsuroku Keisatsu ga Honki ni natta Itsutsu no Jiken', which I saw in the high school library and was the catalyst for me to aim for the police. How nostalgic. I want to buy this and take it home. Ah—it's quite expensive, hey..."
Nishida hesitated at the price but put it in the basket.
"Is this the reason you've become my superior now, Team Leader?"
Yoshimura was staring intently at the book in the basket. As they continued rummaging through the shelves in that manner, they came to a corner for secondhand books related to various regions. Naturally, the two men's feet headed toward the shelves of secondhand books related to their local Hokkaido.
"Oh, there are several books about the Jomon Tunnel."
Nishida immediately took a book that caught his eye from the shelf.
"You're right. They're more expensive than the list price, so these must be out of print too."
Taking the book from Nishida, Yoshimura was checking the price.
"Well, this case too has progressed all the way to us being on an investigation trip to Tokyo, starting from your Jomon Tunnel story at that restaurant. Back then, I never dreamed it would turn out like this."
"Now that you mention it, was that how it was... It wasn't related to the main part of the case, but that was the start."
Yoshimura also seemed to have some thoughts as he stared at the cover.
"It's not solved yet, but it's no longer like we're being swamped with work, so maybe I'll do a bit of studying."
Saying so, Nishida put two books, "Jomon Tunnel Tako-beya Roudou-shi" and "Hokkaido Rekishi no Anbu," into the basket.
"Oh, there's the 'Shinkai Ainu-go Jiten' that I saw at Sada's house the other day."
While looking at various other things, Yoshimura noticed it and took it from the shelf.
"Oof, this one has a premium price too, so it must be out of print. Even though it was a book being sold just eight years ago, it's out of print..." he said to Nishida.
"Hardly anyone uses the Ainu language anymore, and there aren't that many researchers. It's probably just a very small portion of people in university literature departments who study with such things. If there's no demand, they can't keep selling it. The publishing industry is also severe."
Nishida, without showing any sign of sentimentality, spoke as if he well understood the reality of the publishing industry, which he himself didn't know much about.
After that, the two went around general large-scale bookstores and such. Professional books related to the police, which could never be found within the prefecture, were being sold normally, and Nishida was amazed that such books were normally lined up in a bookstore with such a large market scale. Yoshimura also seemed to have felt like buying a book on technical theory that seemed useful for investigations, unlike before. After Nishida purchased several books here as well, the two finally ate a late lunch and returned to the hotel once to drop off their luggage. Then, after taking a break, Nishida put the second bag containing the contract into his hand and hurried to Oyama-cho in Itabashi to visit Hojo Masaharu.
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When they came in front of Hojo's room on the second floor of the apartment, there was clearly a "presence" inside. Yoshimura pressed the buzzer. Then, after a rattling sound, a voice came from inside.
"If it's the newspaper, I'm not taking it!"
Yoshimura whispered,
"We're from the Engaru Station of the Hokkaido Prefectural Police," at the very limit of whether the other party could hear him or not. It was a "volume" chosen out of concern for the eyes of those around him. Then, the door opened slightly, and the wrinkled face of an old man, presumably Hojo Masaharu, peered out from inside. Yoshimura immediately showed the police badge he had prepared. He certainly looked surprised, but after a short pause, the door opened fully.
"What does the Hokkaido police want with me? I don't remember doing anything bad!"
Masaharu's tone was strong. He probably thought he was under some kind of suspicion.
"No, that's not our purpose. It's about something from a long time ago that we want to ask you about, so we heard about this place from your relatives in Akabira and came for an inquiry."
Nishida explained politely, as if to reason with him.
"What do you mean, something from a long time ago? Even if it's from a long time ago, one of my few small boasts is that I never did anything to get involved with the police."
He didn't seem to understand what Nishida wanted to say yet.
"Um, Mr. Hojo. It's not that you are being suspected of anything; we just want to ask you about a certain matter. We don't have any suspicion at all that you were involved in a crime, so please don't misunderstand."
Yoshimura also soothed him.
"Then, what on earth did you come for?"
"Do you remember the story of the gold dust that your late older brother, Masato, was involved with?"
At Nishida's words, Masaharu's expression changed completely.
"Ah, of course! But what does that have to do with the police?"
"That matter seems to be intertwined with a case that occurred in recent years. We're asking people who know the circumstances of that time about it. Of course, not as a suspect."
Having finally understood what Nishida wanted to say, Masaharu said,
"Ah, I see. It'll be a nuisance to the neighbors in front of the entrance, so for now, please come inside. It's cluttered, though... Also, I have to head out in a little over an hour for my security guard job, so please finish by then."
Saying so, he invited the two inside.
※※※※※※※
The inside of the room wasn't that cluttered, but since it was a bachelor's room, it was somehow desolate. The layout was probably a 2LK. The two were guided to a kotatsu without a futon, which he apparently used as a table except in winter, and Masato (T/N: possible typo — original reads Masato, likely intended Masaharu) treated them to tea and rice crackers.
"But does investigating such a long time ago have any meaning? And that it's intertwined with a case... the story is all Greek to me."
He began to speak with a sigh as he sat down heavily.
"A previous murder case was recently discovered, and suspicion has arisen that a man named Isaka, who was supposed to share in the spoils along with your older brother, Mr. Hojo, might be involved in it."
Upon hearing that, Masaharu suddenly slammed his fist, deeply etched with wrinkles on the back, onto the tabletop of the kotatsu. Nishida saw Yoshimura flinch for a moment.
"That guy Isaka, huh... Well, I've never even met him."
He muttered in a groaning voice filled with anger. Nishida continued regardless.
"Do you remember Mr. Sada in Otaru, whom you visited after the war, Masaharu-san?"
"Mr. Sada... ah, I remember him."
"The other day, we interviewed Mr. Sada about this matter and learned the story that you, the younger brother of the late Masato, visited him after the war regarding the left-behind gold dust, and then visited him again from Akita."
"I see... So you've already been to Mr. Sada's place too... Then you've heard the general flow of the story?"
Masaharu spoke while closing his eyes and keeping his hand on his teacup, as if suppressing something.
"Yes. That your older brother inherited gold from a man named Senzaki, by whom he was employed. And regarding its distribution, it was decided to do so after the three—no, accurately speaking, four—of you had settled down. And that after your older brother wrote that down for you, Masaharu-san, he died in the war. Inheriting that wish, you went to see the witness, Sada Toru-san. Toru-san had also died in the war, but you asked Toru-san's parents about the location of the gold dust. However, we also know that the gold was already gone, whether it was from the beginning or not."
Nishida listed the facts fluently but deliberately did not mention that Masato had beaten Takamura to death along with Isaka. However, since he showed no strange reaction at all to the words "previous murder," Nishida sensed that he probably hadn't heard such a story from his older brother, Masato.
"You know that much..."
Masaharu seemed quite surprised, but he immediately said to Nishida,
"The gold dust was almost certainly already taken by Isaka and Kuwano."
"Taken? I heard that when you visited the Sada family the second time, you said something like 'it might not have been there from the beginning'?"
When Nishida asked that, Masaharu replied,
"Ah, I might have said that... But even if I did, it must have been for my own peace of mind. When I searched the place I heard about from Mr. Sada, there were already signs of it having been dug, and I dug further but in the end, nothing came out."
He bit his lip, his regret seeping through.
"Was that so... Isaka and Kuwano had asked Mr. Sada about the location before you, after all."
Yoshimura also spoke in a tone of disappointment, as if he felt sorry for him.
"Yeah, I had heard that too. However, it seems my brother trusted that guy Kuwano quite a bit at the time; in the letter he left me, he even wrote, 'If you're in trouble when you meet him, rely on this man,' so I wasn't that worried, and even after confirming the gold dust was gone, I had a thought that maybe he would deliver it later. It seemed my brother had told that guy Kuwano about the shop in Takikawa where I was working. But even after waiting half a year, there was no word at all, and I finally gave up and drowned myself in alcohol for a while after that. I thought that if I had the amount of gold dust I'd heard about, I'd be able to start a business. Well, from there I drifted around and started working in Akita, and after I got married and settled down, I found Mr. Sada's name at a business partner... Of course, it was partly just to say hello, but I also had a faint hope that maybe my brother's share had been delivered to Mr. Sada's place..."
Masaharu gave a self-deprecating, thin smile.
While listening to Masaharu's story, Nishida and Yoshimura felt an illusion as if they were listening to one man's life story rather than having come for an interrogation. They even began to feel a sense of regret, wondering if they were asking about things that shouldn't be pried into. However, it goes without saying that such hesitation is forbidden in an investigation. Nishida made up his mind while drinking his tea and spoke as if to cut through the stagnant air that had spread among the three.
"There are a few other things I'd like to clarify, so I'll ask you. First, regarding the story of the gold dust left by your older brother... according to what you said earlier, you were given a letter, right? I assume you were also given the contract, but do you remember about when that was?"
"Let's see... I don't know for sure, but I knew he was in Ikutahara and was moving from one labor camp to another. Every time the place he worked changed, he'd properly send me a letter. But it was probably around Showa 19 (1944) or before that, when the draft notice finally came for my brother... So he visited me in Takikawa before he was deployed. There, I learned that my brother had the right to receive gold dust. At the same time, as if to make sure I didn't forget, my brother left me the letter he'd written about it and the important contract. In the end, he went and never came back... What came back was only the notice of his death in battle. There weren't even remains. I was also at the front, so I heard about it later at the government office... My old man died in a coal mine explosion and fire accident, and my mother later committed suicide by drowning in a river because she was so distressed by it, and both of them didn't even have remains left, and then my brother met the same fate... I don't know what kind of karma this is."
He spoke matter-of-factly, but Nishida intended to feel at least some of the bitterness hidden within him.
"Of that letter and the contract, it seems you left the contract at Mr. Sada's place?"
For a moment, he hesitated to continue the questions, but Nishida shook it off and continued without a pause.
"Ah, that's right. I intended to forget with that. I guess you could call it a break. That said, considering my brother's feelings, I felt reluctant to throw it away..."
"I heard that from Mr. Sada too. That you said so."
Yoshimura chimed in.
"Is that so..." Hojo said, as if savoring the words.
"What did you do with the letter?"
"The letter? Ah, I still have it... Since there are no remains, my brother's handwriting is an important memento for me..."
Answering Yoshimura's question, Hojo finally brought the teacup he was holding to his mouth.
"This is a very impolite request, but could you let us see it? There might be some hint in your brother's letter."
"I don't mind that particularly... Come to think of it, you guys came for a murder investigation or something, right? And that Isaka is involved or something... Will what I've been talking about be useful?"
Masaharu asked as he stood up from his cross-legged position.
"We're at the stage of taking all the facts from the people involved and thoroughly checking everything to back up the background of the murder case. Since things from quite a long time ago, including the story of the contract, are involved in that background, there are parts where it's uncertain if it was true unless we ask multiple people. And we see Isaka as one of the perpetrators of that murder."
"Isaka is a murderer!? I see... So he was doing something that outrageous... In that case, does it have meaning to talk about it, even my old stories?"
While saying so, Masaharu was rummaging through a dresser drawer.
"Ah, here it is, here it is! This is it. There's nothing much written in it, but if it helps..."
Saying so, he took out the stationery from the drawer and placed it in front of Nishida and Yoshimura. Nishida also took out the contract he had brought from his second bag, as if he had remembered.
"Oh, is this the one I gave to Mr. Sada?"
Masaharu raised his voice as soon as he saw the contract.
"No, this isn't the one for Mr. Sada... not the Yuzuru-san you met the second time, but the one for Toru-san, the one your brother Masato-san met as a witness. Actually, your contract is currently missing. It seems another younger brother of Mr. Sada, different from Toru-san, had it, but its location has become unknown from there. We're betting that this person Isaka ended up with it. Regardless of whether it exists now or not."
"I see. Certainly, I feel like my brother's was more soiled. Anyway, you'd better confront him and take it back soon."
Since Masaharu gave that advice, Nishida and Yoshimura realized that Masaharu didn't know yet that Isaka was dead. Certainly, neither of them had had the timing to tell Masaharu that fact, and while Masaharu knew of the existence of Isaka Tasuke, he only knew the name on the contract and likely didn't know that he was the same person as Isaka Daikichi.
"Mr. Hojo. Actually, Isaka Daikichi... no, Isaka Tasuke is already dead. That's why we don't know the whereabouts of the contract even more."
"What! He's dead..."
Masaharu was momentarily speechless at Nishida's statement, but—
"No, but considering his age, it's not something to be surprised about even if he were dead," he muttered, as if reconsidering.
"Even so, does it have meaning to chase a dead guy?"
"Yes. It's practically impossible to put a deceased person on trial."
Nishida answered Masaharu's question immediately.
"Then, in the end, isn't it meaningless! It's the same as when I went to search for the gold in Ikutahara!"
He ranted, sounding somewhat indignant.
"Of course, as the police, it's meaningless, but since there's a high possibility that there were accomplices... Also, knowing the truth of the case will be at least some consolation for the bereaved family and the late Mr. Sada."
Nishida did not say that the two suspected accomplices, Kitagawa and Shinoda, had already passed away.
"Wait a minute! You just said 'the late Mr. Sada,' didn't you?"
"That's right. The one who was killed was Sada Minoru, the younger brother of Sada Yuzuru-san, whom you met, and also the younger brother of Sada Toru-san, who was the witness."
When Masaharu heard that from Nishida, he remained stunned with his mouth half-open. Nishida and the others hadn't been hiding it like Isaka's death, but it seemed to be a quite shocking fact for Masaharu.
"Good grief... I don't understand the circumstances at all, but is it really because of that gold dust?"
To the old man who finally managed to speak,
"Probably... It would take a long time to explain the detailed circumstances, so I won't, but basically, we as the police think so," Nishida answered frankly as a detective.
"My brother and I got involved in something terrible... Well, please look at this letter too. Sorry for interrupting in the middle of the conversation..."
Urged again by Masaharu, Nishida and Yoshimura decided to look through the stationery.