Chapter 83 - Name and Reality 6 {Combined 11/12} (26-27, 28-29: Nishida, Takeshita, and Yoshimura Meet in Kitami; Heading to Iwate After Contact from Takagaki)
After asking various other things and finishing the interview with Ouchi, the two, who had booked the Kitami Mint Hotel, a business hotel, headed there from the university. Originally, it would have been entirely possible to return to Monbetsu within the same day, but Takeshita had dared to demand from the Desk that they stay overnight in Kitami. The Desk had said, "I can't give you hotel fees under the guise of a business trip! Our budget is a pittance, and we don't have that kind of leeway! Pay for it yourself! In exchange, I'll allow the stay in Kitami," and somehow granted Takeshita's request. For that reason, Takeshita was also paying for Hamada's accommodation.
This was because Takeshita thought he should, or rather must, meet Nishida and Yoshimura, who had been transferred to Kitami, while he was there. As detectives, the two were busy people, and Takeshita himself was not idle, so there wouldn't be many opportunities to meet. He didn't particularly intend to get investigation information, but he had an inner desire to know if the case he was involved in was progressing even slightly toward a resolution. Since learning of the two's transfer to Kitami, such feelings had been bubbling up almost unconsciously, leading to this action.
He thought about calling Kosaka as well, but Kosaka had declined to participate because he absolutely couldn't make it that day due to his work at the security company. That said, since Takeshita had more of a social relationship with Kosaka than with Nishida or Yoshimura even after leaving the police, it didn't feel particularly disappointing. And considering the purpose of knowing the status of the case, it could be said that the presence of Kosaka, who was not active duty, was not very important this time.
However, as Nishida had speculated, considering his current position as a newspaper reporter, Takeshita was aware that he couldn't ask too many intrusive things at this point. If he hadn't had the experience of working together as a detective, he would instead be trying to pry information out aggressively. That was clearly different from the position of a normal journalist.
Since he couldn't very well bring Hamada, who had no connection to the matter, along for intrusive talk, he had given him some pocket money and instructed him to eat and drink as he pleased at a restaurant of his choice. However, on second thought, Takeshita reconsidered that Hamada would probably be happier and more relaxed being alone than being surrounded by unknown old men.
And when 7:00 PM passed, he received a call on his mobile, so Takeshita walked from the hotel to the restaurant designated by Nishida. The restaurant Nishida designated was not the one they used to drink at often with Kosaka, but a yakiniku restaurant introduced by Team Leader Onga. If Kosaka were coming, he probably would have chosen that one, but it seemed they decided on a different restaurant for a change.
The yakiniku restaurant "Notsukeushi Tonkei-ya" was not very far from the business hotel, and he arrived in about five minutes. Notsukeushi was the former place name of Kitami. Kitami is also famous as a city with many yakiniku restaurants per capita, and the restaurant name seemed to combine the old name Notsukeushi with beef (ushi), pork (ton), and chicken (kei). He went through the noren, heard from the restaurant staff that they were in the raised tatami area, and when he slid open the fusuma, the figures of the two immediately entered his field of vision.
"Hello, hello!"
As he greeted them with an uncharacteristically bright voice while closing the fusuma, Nishida called out, "Oh! You look well." It was the first time they had met directly since Takeshita's time in Sapporo, but he had met Yoshimura twice since Takeshita had been transferred to Monbetsu.
"You look energetic for someone who was demoted," Nishida said. He was already drunk and was in such a good mood that he was making spiteful remarks, but Takeshita replied, "Well, compared to doing something I don't want to do against my will, I don't feel bad where I am now." It wasn't just acting tough; he actually thought so. Of course, Nishida had also gotten that impression when they met before...
"Takeshita-san truly thinks so; he's that kind of man!" Yoshimura said, despite probably not having drunk much, in a way that praised him excessively. It was embarrassing, but he might have remembered the time they talked passionately when they met before.
"By the way, Team Leader, ah..."
When Takeshita called out to Nishida, his old habit accidentally came out. Basically, after Engaru, he had gone by "Nishida-san," but somehow the feeling of his days at the Engaru Station was revived, and those words slipped out.
"Ah! Takeshita-san, he's an Assistant Section Chief now!" Yoshimura teased, but Nishida tilted his head and said, "To be honest, 'Team Leader' feels more right than 'Assistant Section Chief.' That's not the case with 'Section Chief,' but is it a matter of phrasing?"
"Well, well! Today, let's just go with the feeling of the Engaru days: Team Leader, Senior Staff, and I'm the rank-and-file! Isn't this relationship fine?" Yoshimura said to smooth things over, so Nishida said, "Then let's go with that! Let's have a toast!" and poured beer into Takeshita's glass.
For a while, they let flowers bloom with old stories, but before Nishida and the others got completely drunk, Takeshita looked for the right moment and tried to ask Nishida about the investigation status in a roundabout way.
"You don't have to tell me the fine details, but as someone who was involved in the past, I'm so curious about how the case is going that I can't stand it lately... How is it, does it look promising?"
"I've been thinking all along that you were probably holding back because you didn't seem to intend to pry much until now," Nishida replied to Takeshita's words.
"It's true that I was holding back a bit. Since my job now is to pry various things out of the police, we're in an adversarial relationship."
"Since it's you, Takeshita, I believe you'll distinguish between them properly... Of course, there's a limit to what I can tell you..."
As Nishida said that while stuffing his cheeks with beef tongue, Yoshimura spoke to Nishida as if joining in, "That said, there probably hasn't been anything worth specifically telling Takeshita-san, has there?"
"Wait, you knew about the Kagami matter because it was reported, right?"
"Nishida-san, I've obviously grasped that. We talked about it on the phone before, didn't we?"
"Was that so? Well, that was in the news, so it's only natural... Regarding that, Abe was being investigated as a suspected accomplice of Kagami, but nothing has come out so far. Takeshita, you probably imagined that was the case since it hasn't been in the news since then, right? That's still continuing even after we were transferred here. There was a slightly suspicious story recently, but we found out immediately that it was unrelated."
As he said this, he downed his beer in one go as if to express his frustration.
"How about Sada Minoru?"
"The statute of limitations is finally approaching at the end of the year, so we have to do something, but we don't know anything at all. Well, it can't be helped, since everyone is dead, except for Oshima... All we can do is make him talk directly. Our only hope is to prove that Oshima is involved in the hospital shooting incident and from there further derive Oshima's involvement in the Sada case, but ultimately we'll probably have to have Oshima himself talk. I took this on with motivation, but thinking about the future makes me sick..."
As he said this, partly because he was a bit drunk, he deliberately slumped his upper body and rested his chin on the table as if collapsing.
"It's a problem if you're that weak. I need you two to pull yourselves together!"
At this point, Takeshita's degree of restraint was starting to fade, but he probably realized that if Nishida and Yoshimura gave up, it would be the end.
"You say that, but how about you, 'Senior Staff'? You don't seem dissatisfied in Monbetsu either, but do you intend to keep smoldering in a local branch from now on?"
Takeshita brushed off Yoshimura, who had spoken in a somewhat provocative tone, saying, "Yeah, I'm doing alright in my own way, and if it stays like this, I don't mind! I was running all over from Saroma to Kitami for an interview today too."
"An interview? About what?"
When asked by Nishida, Takeshita turned the topic that way, saying, "Ah, that's right! You remember Aida-san, the Boss of 'Yusen,' right?"
"Oh, of course! The Boss. That brings back memories."
"Did something happen to the Boss? I had a chance to stop by Engaru last year, so I ate and drank at the shop to see him, and he seemed as energetic as ever," Yoshimura reacted, following Nishida.
"Do you remember the Boss talking about how his father died in a mine explosion accident?"
"Oh, oh! Now that you mention it, I feel like I remember such a story coming up when Yoshimura first took me to Yusen." Nishida instinctively clapped his hands, innocently happy that the memory had come back smoothly. Lately, perhaps due to age, he had been losing confidence in his memory.
"Regarding that late father of the Boss, it seems he was a stepfather with no blood relation. Moreover, that stepfather was apparently a police officer stationed at the Barou Police Box under the jurisdiction of the Engaru Station at the time of the accident."
Hearing that, Nishida and Yoshimura similarly expressed doubt, saying, "Heh! So he was a senior of ours at Engaru. I wonder why he didn't tell us, who are fellow police officers?" Especially Yoshimura, who was supposed to be the closest to the Boss, seemed unsatisfied, saying, "I wonder why he kept quiet... It feels kind of bad."
"I don't know the reason he kept quiet, but it's an unmistakable fact. I heard it directly today from the Boss's practical cousin—the person who is a fisherman in Saroma and brings seafood to the shop—during an interview."
This time, hearing the "troublesome" term "practical cousin," the two, who were even more drunk and whose heads weren't working well, had sour faces as the meaning didn't enter straight.
"One more thing. The Boss's mother is Ainu, so that's why the Boss has that kind of facial features. His father was a Wajin, a normal Japanese person like us."
When told that by Takeshita, Nishida was strangely convinced, saying, "I don't really follow the story about the interview, but when I first saw him at the Boss's shop, I thought he had very refined features, so he was a half-Ainu, half-Japanese. No wonder he has a face like that!"
"And the Boss's name. The guy named Izumi. Apparently, that comes from his biological father's surname."
Again, being told something he didn't immediately understand, Nishida furrowed his brow again and said, "Partly because I'm a bit drunk, I don't really understand what Takeshita is saying. Write an explanation of this in here! I'll read it when I'm sober! You can write easy-to-understand prose, right?" and he took out a notebook and pen he used as his investigation diary from his breast pocket and handed them to Takeshita.
"I really can't help it."
While saying so, Takeshita smoothly wrote out the overall content of today's interview for the serial article "60th Anniversary of the Mine Accident" and the anecdote about the Boss that was incidentally discovered.
"I went to the trouble of writing it, so make sure to read it properly later!"
He snapped the notebook shut and thrust it back to Nishida, who responded with an uncharacteristically formal, "Yes."
After that, Nishida and Yoshimura continued to be told stories of the "Yubetsu Mine Accident" other than those related to the Boss by Takeshita. Since they were various tragic stories, they seemed to leave a strong impression. However, eventually, both of them got tired of listening and forced the topic back to stories of their time at the Engaru Station, which became unexpectedly lively.
Unfortunately, since they had work the next day, the three ended the drinking session without drinking too much and disbanded after 9:00 PM. Nishida thought about taking a taxi back to the official residence, but since it wasn't that far, he decided to walk back to sober up. It was a distance of barely two kilometers. He thought it would be a bit of exercise.
Even though it was the last day of May, and the temperature had exceeded 20 degrees during the day, as is typical of Kitami, the temperature dropped sharply at night, and it felt cold enough to feel it through a spring suit. It was probably 12 or 13 degrees. In inverse proportion to the feeling of alcohol quickly leaving his body, his hands and feet rapidly became cold. The word "Hot" on a roadside vending machine caught his eye, and he instinctively ran over and inserted coins. And as he bent down to pick up the canned coffee that had fallen with a thud, the beeping sound that had been going until a moment ago suddenly became noisy. When he stood up with the coffee he had picked up, he realized he had won another one.
"Oh! This is a rare thing to happen!"
He wasn't the type with strong luck, but winning on a vending machine roulette was definitely a first-time experience in his life. With a grin still on his face, he pressed the button for cocoa this time. And holding the coffee and cocoa in each hand to keep warm, he hurried home in a good mood.
After arriving home, he warmed his body in a hot bath, and as a substitute for beer, he drank up the canned coffee and cocoa he had kept as hand warmers without drinking them on the way, also serving as hydration after the bath. Nishida felt keenly that drinking something warm after a bath clearly didn't make his throat feel refreshed, but since the alcohol had mostly worn off, he pulled himself together and opened the notebook to look at the explanation Takeshita had written for him earlier.
Setting aside the matter of the Boss's parentage, the content, which properly described the outline of the Yubetsu Mine Explosion Accident—which Nishida and the others had only heard lightly from the Boss at Yusen seven years ago and which didn't seem to have a direct connection—and even the fact that deaths occurred among the workers of the Konomai Gold Mine in the mountains despite it being a coastal explosion accident, was very much like the serious Takeshita. Even so, Nishida was impressed anew that he could write such content as a coherent piece of writing in a short time.
"Even if he's called a father, if it's a 'thin relationship' like being his mother's common-law husband and not his own biological father, maybe he felt a bit hesitant to say that Asai Inazo was a cop like us?"
Nishida thus speculated on the reason the Boss hadn't told Nishida and the others that his late father was a police officer belonging to the Engaru Station. However, if that were the case, he wondered if there was any point in the Boss saying to Nishida and the others, "My old man died in a mine explosion accident," and he became unable to properly consider the Boss's feelings.
"At that time, he was drunk, and it just slipped out..."
After forcing himself to be satisfied with that, since it was past 10:00 PM, he turned on the TV and tuned to the news. Then, something seemed to have happened in China. Watching carefully, it seemed that a North Korean family seeking asylum had rushed into the Japanese Consulate-General in Shenyang, China, and were seized by the Chinese police, leading to a major issue of violation of extraterritoriality by entering the consulate and the attitude of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials who seemed to have permitted it.
"Man, this is going to be a mess for a while," Nishida muttered to himself, and before the professional baseball results started, he felt like having a beer to clear his palate.
"I was drinking until just now, but one can should be fine..."
Living alone, there was no need to ask anyone's permission, but while being conscious of the fact that his uric acid levels had come out a bit high in his regular check-up, he ultimately reached a conclusion that was soft on himself.
After that, time passed without any progress seen in the investigation, and it was now May 14th. In the midst of this, contact suddenly came from Takagaki to Nishida. It was unexpected information.
"I got some interesting news from the alumni association of the former Second High School, who I was indebted to when I was looking into things at Takeshita's request before! It seems there were several boarding dormitories at the Second High School back then, and among them, there was a dormitory called the Somei Dormitory..."
"Regarding the story of the Second High School, I thought the previous investigation said that the details weren't well known, but did something come out!?"
Nishida, who was naturally feeling impatient, jumped on it like a scavenger fish.
"That's what I'm telling you! So, that dormitory was apparently the only one that escaped being burned down during the Sendai Air Raid in July 1945 (Showa 20), unlike the other dormitories. After that, it was apparently used for a while as a dormitory for a private company after the war. However, after the mid-1960s, it was no longer used as a dormitory, the building itself was already demolished, and a company building for some private company apparently stands there. However, a storage shed or something that had been there since then was apparently still intact until very recently, and that company had been using it as is. But, since it had become old and dangerous, they decided to demolish it recently and were organizing the inside. Then, various materials from the dormitory days apparently came out. Among them, group photos that seem to be of the dormitory students who were staying in the dormitory in each era from around the first year of Showa to around Showa 18 came out! They probably made commemorative photos a regular event?"
"Is Kuwano in there!?" Nishida instinctively jumped the gun.
"No, no, just wait and calm down, let me finish!" As he said this, Takagaki let out a small, dry laugh, as if Nishida's reaction was amusing.
"Apparently there were five dormitories in total at the Second High School back then, but four of them were hit in the Sendai Air Raid in July Showa 20, and as I said earlier, the only one that remained was the Somei Dormitory. It's true the probability is quite low, but if Kuwano was staying there, there's a possibility he's in the photos. Naturally, although there are no longer materials on whether Kuwano was in the Somei Dormitory, the era is a perfect match. Since there's a story that most students coming from the countryside were in dormitories, if we take that as a premise, we can expect about a 20 percent chance!"
"So the probability is one in five?"
Nishida did not hide his slight disappointment. How one perceived a simple calculation of 20 percent depended on one's way of thinking, but Nishida didn't think it was high.
"Hey! Don't make such a bored-sounding voice! It's better than nothing, right?" Takagaki spoke in a bewildered tone at Nishida's completely different manner from a moment ago.
"To begin with, Takagaki-san! Names aren't assigned to those photos, are they? I heard that even in the Second High School alumni association, they looked for people who knew about Kuwano but none came up. In that case, there's no one who knows the Kuwano of that time..."
Nishida said that much and finally understood Takagaki's intention.
"That's right! If I recall, from his days at the Kamaishi Second Middle School..."
"Amai!"
"Yes, yes, a person named Amai or something knew Kuwano, didn't they? We just have to ask that person! Ah, but I wonder if he's still alive? After all, he should be at an age where he could die at any time."
Nishida didn't have the slightest awareness that he was saying something rude.
"Be happy, he was still alive. I checked properly. And he said to come whenever. Originally, I could have received the photos from around Showa 7 from the alumni association in Sendai and gone to Miyako where Amai is to confirm them, but I'm in the middle of writing a book, and I'm at the climax stage. I want to finish writing it all at once while I have the momentum. It's a book conscious of the masterpiece 'Genpatsu Gypsy' (Author's Note: A reportage book by an author who worked as a nuclear power plant worker, which became a topic of conversation when it was released in the late 1970s), a reportage about how people suffering from poverty are being preyed upon by yakuza recruiters (so-called illegal job brokers)."
"Heh. So it's like a return to your roots from when you quit the Touzai?"
"Return to roots... Hmm, now that you mention it, it's a perfect fit. The starting point of my life as a freelance writer was also the nuclear power plant issue. Just as you say, it's a return to roots!"
A powerful voice echoed from the other side of the receiver.
"Oops, my story doesn't matter. So how about it? Why don't you guys go and do the canvassing directly? Takeshita and the others went as far as Taro seven years ago, but Yoshimura and you were left behind in Kitami, right? Isn't it a good opportunity?"
Nishida hesitated for a moment at the unexpected proposal. It was certainly a good opportunity, but there was the issue of the budget, and he felt that the reason for the person in charge to go out directly was a bit weak in terms of "certainty." Since he was the main subject of the investigation, he also had the thought that it would be a problem if his subordinates got the impression that he was soft on himself.
"Hmm..."
"You seem to be hesitating."
Takagaki seemed a bit dissatisfied at the groaning Nishida. He might have felt that he had presented a good plan. However, it was also true that it couldn't be helped to just sit on his hands in Kitami. Nishida moved his face away from the mobile and asked Team Leader Onga, who was nearby, "Team Leader Onga, I'm sorry, but would it be alright if I went on a business trip? Just for two or three days..." in a truly apologetic manner.
"Since there's nothing else we can do, if the Assistant Section Chief thinks it's necessary, please, go ahead," Onga, who was a kind person despite being an older subordinate, gave Nishida "permission" without any particular look of displeasure.
"Understood. I'll manage somehow. So, Takagaki-san, when will you send the photos?"
When he moved his face back to the mobile and said that, Takagaki replied, "They're not in my hands... I have to ask the alumni association to send them to you. I think they'll do it immediately, but I can't give a guarantee at this point as to when they'll send them. I'll call you after I confirm."
"Then, please take care of that part. While you're at it, please tell Amai-san that we'll be coming. Also, please tell me the contact information."
"Got it!"
Takagaki ended the conversation in a better mood than usual until the end. He might have a good feeling about the work he was writing.
When the conversation between the two ended, Yoshimura, who had been watching—no, listening—came over.
"You were talking about a business trip; where to?"
"Iwate."
"Iwate? To Kuwano's hometown?"
"Not exactly, but not far off..." Nishida said as a preamble, and then began to explain the details of the story to Yoshimura.