Chapter 63 - Light and Shadow 42 {Combined 42/43} (207-208, 209-210 Tokyo: Former Metropolitan Assemblyman Koshiba Interview Part 1)
At that moment, a call from Nishida came through to his mobile phone.
"Takeshita? Sorry! About that election bulletin, I could only find out his alma mater. It seems he's from the Meiho University Faculty of Law."
At his superior's words,
"Only the university? What do you mean?"
Takeshita asked reflexively.
"According to the Public Offices Election Act, regarding election bulletins, what is included is left to the candidate's discretion, so there's no requirement to list educational background. You can't lie, but what you put out is up to the candidate."
Hearing that,
"Ah, I see... I'm sorry for asking without knowing the Public Offices Election Act well."
He could only apologize.
"No, it can't be helped. At least the university he graduated from is Meiho, so check that in Tokyo. He reportedly graduated from the Faculty of Law in Showa 29."
"It doesn't seem to be a falsehood, but if he graduated in '29, would that mean he graduated under the name 'Tadokoro Yasuo' at the time?"
"Don't ask me that. Handle it on your end... Oh, right, regarding his origin, it explicitly stated Iwate Prefecture. That's all."
Nishida said this, but then reconsidered if he sounded a bit cold.
"Anyway, that's the situation. Sorry, but I'm counting on you."
He corrected himself.
"Understood. Over here, we're doing inquiries at the Chiyoda Ward Office, and after noon, we'll interview an old man who might know the circumstances of that time."
"Ho. Did you find out anything at the Ward Office?"
"It seems his adoptive mother, Tada Sakura, passed away in Showa 35, and the land and building he inherited were immediately donated to Chiyoda Ward."
"Heh... I just checked in connection with the election bulletin, and Oshima Kaiji first became a Diet member in Showa 38—that is, the general election in November 1963—so it was before that..."
When Nishida said that,
"Did something catch your interest, Team Leader?"
Takeshita asked, wondering if Nishida had some thought on the matter.
"No, just that the years are close. That's all."
Nishida answered frankly.
"If that's the case, then fine... Since that's the situation here, I'll contact you again if I find out anything. The university matter might be impossible today. I have to head out to that Charmant place from the evening."
"Understood. The Section Chief hasn't set a deadline, right? Don't rush, do it thoroughly!"
"Yes. I'll be thorough until I can meet Takagaki!"
"Well then, I'll leave it to you."
Nishida conveyed only blunt, businesslike words, but it was also to hide the fact that, since it could be a long-term battle, he could only say "do your best" in his heart.
To Takeshita, who had finished the conversation, Kurosu asked,
"It seems the educational background was no good except for the university..."
He seemed to have gathered that from the conversation.
"Yeah. Apparently, under the Public Offices Election Act, educational background isn't a required item. My vague memory caused the Team Leader extra trouble. Also, it seems the bulletin properly stated he was from Iwate Prefecture. I suppose that's an unexpected harvest..."
Takeshita laughed weakly, and,
"I see... Well, it's fine for the Team Leader to struggle once in a while..."
His subordinate responded with a half-smile.
"The Team Leader and the Section Chief aren't the types to be hard on their subordinates, are they?"
"That's true too."
When gently cautioned by Takeshita, Kurosu stuck out his tongue.
Then Takeshita came before the shelves of political books and began checking seriously from end to end.
"What are you looking for? I'll help if you want."
"If you're helping, look for books written by Takagaki Shinichi! Start with that."
At Takeshita's words,
"So that was the goal!"
Kurosu also began rummaging through the shelves as if it finally made sense.
"But wouldn't they be sold in normal bookstores? Why go through the trouble of rummaging in a secondhand bookstore?"
To his subordinate who voiced his doubt,
"Don't you think the other party would like it more if they thought I'd read their old books, making it easier to talk? I think they'd be happier than with a reader who says they've read their recent books."
When he said that,
"That's true too,"
Kurosu seemed genuinely impressed.
Searching like that, the two succeeded in finding about five titles. Three books—"Jitsuroku: Dango Keppuuroku" published in 1981, "Kokuhatsu: Ihou Touki" published in 1985, and "Minogasareta Kokuhatsu: Ehime-kenkei no Genzai" published in 1988—seemed to be the old ones, and there was only one copy of each. To be precise, there were about two other books, but since there were multiple copies in stock and the publication dates were more recent, they were likely in the category of books that had sold quite well. Seeing as the prices for the three books were above the list price and had a premium, they were highly likely to be out of print, and if someone read these, the author would surely feel it was "worth having written them."
That said, there was nothing wrong with reading the books that likely sold well. Takeshita purchased all five books and left the shop. Incidentally, Takeshita recognized Takagaki Shinichi's recent face, but looking at the photo from his younger days in the author introduction section, he had the appearance of a truly hot-blooded journalist. It was a contrast to his current slightly plump appearance, which didn't give off that impression as much.
As they were, before the salarymen came out for lunch, the two entered a soba shop near the bookstore and ordered tempura soba. Having perfectly finished their meal before the battle, they left the shop at the right time and took a taxi to the address given to them by the Chiyoda Ward Office staff.
The taxi driver, perhaps having arrived nearby,
"Is it here? It's that old man's house, isn't it?"
He spoke to the two and slowed the taxi to a stop.
"Is he a famous old man?"
At Kurosu's question,
"Yeah... Not so much famous as a disagreeable old man. You'll know when you meet him. It's like he's looking down on us; I've come here about three times when he treated it like a hired car and gave him a ride... Putting on elite airs. I don't know if he's a Tokyo University grad or what, but it gets on my nerves. There've been stories like that among my colleagues too."
He replied in a tone that was clearly resentful.
Paying the fare and getting out of the taxi, they pressed the intercom and identified themselves; a woman's voice answered, and the door opened. She looked to be around her 60s. She felt quite young to be the wife of an old man in his 90s.
"We've been waiting for you. The master is waiting in the drawing room in the back."
From those words, the two realized for the first time that she was not family, but a housekeeper or a maid. Guided by the housekeeper through a relatively wide hallway, they found a quite youthful-looking old man sitting in a stylish drawing room, despite having heard he was over 90.
"Are you Koshiba-san? Hello. I'm Senior Staff Takeshita from the Hokkaido Prefectural Police, Engaru Police Station, Violent Crimes Unit, introduced by the Ward Office, and this is Kurosu."
When he introduced himself, the man, still seated,
"Ah, I've heard. Well, sit there,"
instructed them in a slightly commanding tone.
"I see, so it's like this..."
The two recalled the taxi driver's words from earlier. He was blatantly exuding the high-handed atmosphere of a former Metropolitan Assemblyman.
"So, you two wanted to hear about the community center built on Tada-san's place?"
"Yes. We look forward to your help."
For the time being, they acted humble to avoid upsetting him.
"Err, was it Takeshita-kun? I agreed to this, but is there something the police must investigate? It's a story from quite a long time ago, and even if it's related to some incident, I think it's clearly at the level of the statute of limitations?"
A jab came right at the start, so they were a bit taken aback, but,
"In reality, there is a possibility it ties into stories within the current statute of limitations,"
Takeshita answered as calmly as possible.
"Umu, if that's the case, then fine..."
Koshiba said that and then said bluntly to the housekeeper,
"Tea, please."
But then he checked,
"Ah, is green tea fine for you two as well?"
"Yes, thank you for your consideration. That will be fine,"
Takeshita responded.
Until the tea arrived, Koshiba questioned the two detectives.
"By the way, you said you're from the Engaru station, but where in Hokkaido is Engaru?"
"Let's see... you know Abashiri, don't you?"
"Of course I know it. That's rude of you."
He responded with a half-smile.
"My apologies. Then, do you know Lake Saroma?"
"I've heard of it. On the Okhotsk Sea side, it's directly connected to the sea, and it's a place famous for scallops?"
Takeshita felt that knowing Lake Saroma was partially connected directly to the sea meant he was unexpectedly familiar with the "Doutou region." Still, not knowing Engaru was, in a sense, ironic considering Engaru's low name recognition...
"Ah, that's it. It's located several dozen kilometers inland from there."
Takeshita answered the series of questions.
"Fumu, I've got the general positional relationship."
Just as he said that, the housekeeper brought the tea, and after the three took a sip or two, they finally got to the main subject.
"Well then, shall I speak?"
Saying that, he opened something like an album that had been prepared on the desk since they arrived.
"After the Great Air Raid turned everything into a burnt wasteland, the residents changed quite a bit, and this whole Nishi-Kanda area saw a sudden increase in population a few years after the end of the war... As expected, talk of building something like a community center came up, but there was hardly any land. However, Tada-san's wife passed away, and it was built because that land was donated to us. This is what Tada-san's house looked like before it was demolished, and then it was cleared like this, and construction began in the spring of Showa 36..."
While listening to the explanation as he showed the photos in the album one by one, Takeshita hesitated on how to broach the subject, but,
"Excuse me, Koshiba-san. I'm sorry, but it would be helpful if you could first tell us about the late Tada-san's wife—or rather, what kind of people the Tada couple were..."
He spoke up. Since he was dealing with a potentially difficult old man, he had to be more careful than necessary.
"You want to hear about the original landowner, Tada-san, before the community center? Well, I don't mind... Let's do that then."
He closed the album with a slightly dissatisfied look, but immediately changed the topic in response to Takeshita's request.
"In the same neighborhood association, the Tada couple, whom I had known since I was a child, originally lived in a place called Yonbancho. That whole 'Bancho' area is where the hatamoto residences were in the Edo period (Author's Note: It's the Bancho from the famous ghost story 'Bancho Sarayashiki'). I remember them saying they moved here from there after the Meiji era."
Despite his age, Koshiba seemed to be drawing out his memories without hesitation, true to the word "kakushaku" (T/N: hale and hearty).
"Tada-san's husband, I believe his name was Sakutaro... he was supposed to have been in the printing-related business before the war. He was quite wealthy, but the couple had no children. So, since the two were getting old, there was talk of taking an adopted son, but it seems that fell through once the war started. I didn't hear this directly from them, it was merely something I heard as a rumor, so I don't know if it's true. Ah, excuse me for a moment?"
He suddenly interrupted his story, so Takeshita and Kurosu had puzzled expressions, but Koshiba took a pipe from the shelf and began to puff on it.
"Sorry. I can't settle down without this."
The scene of him slowly exhaling smoke from the pipe was quite picturesque. He must have had a very long history with pipes. Takeshita thought there weren't many Japanese people for whom such a sight would look so natural.
"And so, you two. It was that Great Tokyo Air Raid! Sakutaro-san reportedly died in it. At the time, I was an official at a place called the 'Noushoushou,' and I was in Kyoto on transfer; my family home burned down, but fortunately, myself, my wife, and my child were safe. Unfortunately, I lost my mother who was still alive, but with that many people dying, it couldn't be helped... Ah, the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce is the predecessor of the current Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries."
Takeshita thought he saw a slightly sad look in his eyes when he mentioned that Sakutaro and his own mother had died, but he immediately explained to the two what the Noushoushou referred to.
"Koshiba-san, were you a bureaucrat before you were a Metropolitan Assemblyman?"
Takeshita listened, understanding the reason for Koshiba's reputedly arrogant demeanor, and,
"Ah, you'd heard I was a Metropolitan Assemblyman too? I didn't reach a particularly high position at the ministry. Then, at 47, I took the plunge and retired, and since a relative living nearby was a Metropolitan Assemblyman, I took over his base and ran in the Metropolitan Assembly election held in April of Showa 26 (1951). I was allowed to serve eight terms from there, ha-ha-ha,"
he said with a loud laugh.
"You served eight terms?"
Kurosu was likely more amazed than praising, but,
"Umu. I was also allowed to serve as the Secretary-General of the Minyu Party's Metropolitan Assembly group and as the Vice-Chairman of the Assembly. Originally, there was talk of me being the Chairman, but I wasn't quite confident in my physical health."
He boastfully told the two of his brilliant career. While responding with polite smiles, the two tried to get the topic back on track, as it would be troublesome if this chain of bragging continued.
"I see. You had an amazing career. We're lucky to be able to hear from someone like you... By the way, about the Great Tokyo Air Raid..."
"Oops, it seems I've gone off on a tangent, sorry. As I said earlier, Sakutaro-san died then. His wife was in Saitama where her family home was... I believe Sakura-san said it was Omiya... she was there for evacuation, or happened to be there, and was saved. Since she had lost the printing factory too, things seemed difficult after the war, but she disposed of her few remaining assets and built a boarding house on the land in the ruins to make a living. I think it was also because she was good at cooking and liked taking care of people."
He looked off into the distance.
"A boarding house... That means a man named Kuwano came in there, and that's where the story goes?"
When Kurosu jumped ahead based on the information that Tada Sakura and Kuwano Yasuo had formed an adoptive relationship and that Kuwano had attended university from that address around that time,
"Yes, yes! You're quite quick on the uptake! And the story of the community center wouldn't be complete without this man! Did you hear various things at the Ward Office?"
He praised them greatly after taking a puff of his pipe. It seemed Takeshita and the others' flattery had worked in a good way. Koshiba likely reacted this way because he didn't know that Takeshita and the others had essentially come to investigate Kuwano.
"We've already grasped the facts to some extent, but the flow is important, so please tell us about that in detail."
Just in case, Takeshita made sure not to skip the story from entering the boarding house to the donation of the land and building inherited by Oshima Kaiji to Chiyoda Ward.
"Understood... And so, that Kuwano moved in there as a boarder. My memory isn't certain, but he seemed to have moved in as a freshman at some university... I think it was the Meiho University Faculty of Law... but he was already quite old. I remember being taken aback when I was later introduced to him by Sakura-san, wondering if he was a university student at that age. How old was he? He must have been in his mid-30s already... Well, he did look younger than his actual age. He said he was from Iwate, but I didn't feel much of a Tohoku accent even back then."
"The university being the Meiho University Faculty of Law is correct,"
Takeshita supplemented.
"As I thought, Meiho... I wasn't confident in my memory, but I wasn't wrong. Yes, anyway, it was probably like what they call adult entry nowadays."
He said, nodding.
"Did you ever hear Sakura-san, or Kuwano himself, say anything about Kuwano?"
"Let's see. Since he was well over 30, as I said earlier, when I asked Sakura-san, 'A university student at that age?', I seem to remember her answering, 'Before the war, his family was poor and he could only go as far as (old-system) middle school.' Also, he seemed to have a weak constitution. She also said he avoided the draft (wartime conscription) due to illness."
He answered Kurosu's question.
"Old-system middle school?"
When Takeshita confirmed again,
"Well, I think so, but it's only 'I think.' I'm over 90, after all,"
he laughed.
"Could he go to university after graduating from middle school? In a form like the Daiken (T/N: High School Equivalency Exam)?"
When Kurosu pressed,
"Old-system middle schools were like high schools in the current system, but he said something about studying for a qualification exam after the war, so I think as you say, he probably couldn't take the university entrance exam with just an old-system middle school graduation (Author's Note: The qualification exam was the 'New-System University Entrance Qualification Certification Exam,' the predecessor to the Daiken. It was abolished in Showa 26 when it transitioned to the Daiken. However, graduates of old-system middle schools before the war were indeed treated similarly to high school graduates, such as being able to obtain high school graduation qualifications if they transferred to and attended the third year of a post-war high school. The fact that old-system middle schools were five-year programs seems to have been a factor. Note that there was grade-skipping in old-system middle schools, and excellent students could graduate in four years)."
Koshiba answered. Immediately,
"By any chance, which old-system middle school, or stories like that...?"
Takeshita tried asking.
"No, no, you. I wouldn't know that much! I'm not an expert in education, after all."
Koshiba was basically cheerful, but he made a show of exaggerating his denial.
"I see, sorry."
Perhaps because Kurosu immediately apologized in his stead, Koshiba's mood didn't sour, and looking at his previous state, there was a sense that he was "getting into it," so it probably wouldn't have been a problem even if he hadn't apologized.
"And, he didn't get a draft notice because of illness? Is that what you mean?"
Takeshita immediately asked about the other thing that bothered him.
"I only heard that in the form of hearsay from Sakura-san, so I don't know the details... If it wasn't a reasonably serious illness, it would have been impossible after the war situation worsened. That's how much they were lacking soldiers. By that time, people who were involved in politics at a certain level were prepared for defeat. Even so, once it starts, war is something you can't stop. After sticking to a 'single-blow peace settlement,' how many lives were lost... We should have stopped such foolishness, but we were unfortunately powerless..."
He leaked a sentiment typical of Koshiba, who had been a high-ranking official before the war. Even if Takeshita and Kurosu understood it as "knowledge," there were things that couldn't be understood without being a party to it.
"However, I heard from him that he was thinking of joining the track and field club during his university days, so I don't think it was a lung disease (tuberculosis) or the like... But, you two seem unusually detailed or interested in Kuwano? Didn't you come to hear about the circumstances of how the community center was built?"
As expected, Koshiba seemed to have sensed something, but knowing they were investigating Kuwano was not desirable given Koshiba's background.
"Well, yes... Even so, I see, when you say serious illness, one would first imagine tuberculosis back then."
While being vague, Takeshita nodded at Koshiba's way of reasoning and tried to make him continue talking. However, at just the right time, the ink in the ballpoint pen Takeshita was using to take notes ran out and he fumbled, which caught Koshiba's eye,
"Well, I don't know what it is, but can I continue the story?"
His feelings seemed to go toward being considerate.
"Ah, I borrowed one from Kurosu, so it's fine. Please go on."
When Takeshita prompted him so,
"Then let's continue. And Sakura-san made that Kuwano her adopted son about a year after he became a boarder. It seems you two have grasped this as well... From my perspective, while he certainly had a good personality, he didn't seem like a young man with a high level of charm or ability at the time, but if she liked him, it couldn't be helped."
He recounted.
"Did you have the impression he wasn't smart?"
Kurosu immediately voiced his doubt, to which,
"No, he was in the Faculty of Law at the prestigious Meiho University, so it's impossible that he was unintelligent, but I didn't have the impression he was particularly sharp. This is on the premise of 'particularly,' though."
He answered.
The two inwardly felt suspicious at the discrepancy with the "Kuwano evaluation" they had heard so far, but they kept it to themselves, thinking it couldn't be helped that the impression would differ between the ordinary people Kuwano had dealt with before and a pre-war super-elite like Koshiba. In fact, he had said he was "not unintelligent."
"This might be a bit of a vulgar question, but was there a side to him that was like a 'young swallow' (T/N: a younger lover of an older woman) in a sense?"
When Takeshita probed further,
"Takeshita-kun, that's rude to Sakura-san, even if she's deceased!"
Koshiba said in a raised tone compared to his previous manner, as if to chide him.
"She was already around 70 at the time; I don't think it was the result of such a romance. She must have felt he was like a son. I'd like you to keep that kind of thing to the world of dime novels!"
At this moment, the two felt they caught a glimpse of a dignity in his aged form that didn't seem like a 93-year-old.
"That's true. Although stepping into such things is the nature of a detective, I'm sorry."
Takeshita apologized honestly.
"Well, given your profession, that kind of thing might be unavoidable, but I don't think that was the reason. She must have been lonely after losing her husband in the air raid. And Kuwano didn't seem to have any ulterior motives before he became an adopted son. In fact, when Sakura-san brought up the talk of adoption, he was reportedly quite surprised and said, 'Please let me think about it.' However, I think Kuwano served her well after becoming an adopted son. At least he didn't show any signs of being after her inheritance while Sakura-san was alive."
Saying that, he slowly put the pipe in his mouth.
However, the fact that Kuwano, who had even changed his name from "Kinya" to "Yasuo," didn't immediately jump at the chance to change his surname despite it being an opportunity, meant that he clearly "had not" planned to become an adopted son in advance. This "laundering" must have been a mere coincidence.
"Kuwano—ah, was he already using the Tada surname then? ...How long did Tada Yasuo live with Tada Sakura-san?"
"He graduated from university in—err, I've forgotten exactly when, but was it before Showa 30 (1955)? ...I remember having him help me during the April election of my second term just after he graduated, so yes, that's right."
"Wasn't he employed after graduation?"
"No, he was employed. As a Diet member's secretary."
Takeshita and Kurosu heard unexpected words from Koshiba's mouth.
"Eh? That means, by any chance, was that member Kaito Takumi?"
Takeshita asked, jumping at the question.
"Takeshita-kun, yes, yes, that's it! You two really understand the talk. Ah, does that mean you two also know that the young Kuwano—no, Tada—at the time is the later Oshima Kaiji?"
Saying that, Koshiba gulped down his tea, which must have already become lukewarm while he was absorbed in the story.
"Did you hear how Oshima Kaiji became Kaito Takumi's secretary?"
When Takeshita confirmed so,
"What are you saying! In the first place, it's thanks to me that he started working part-time at the Diet member's office when he was a student—I think it was after the New Year of his second year at university—after I put in a word with Kaito-san!"
He began to speak boastfully.
"I'm very sorry! Was that the case!"
Takeshita and Kurosu reflexively raised their voices at the new fact.
"Yes, yes! He is what he is today thanks to me... though saying that might be an exaggeration."
Koshiba smirked. Takeshita felt at this point that while he had a strong elite consciousness and an arrogant side, he also had a playful side and was not such a bad person at heart.