Inspector Imanishi Investigates

FOURTEEN Soundless

The day after Imanishi returned from his trip, he reported to work at headquarters. From his office he telephoned Yoshimura.

“Welcome back.” Yoshimura was surprised at Imanishi’s early return.

“I took the night train both going and coming.”

“You must be tired.”

“I rested for a day, so it’s not that bad. Yoshimura, I’d like to talk to you. Could you come over to my house tonight?”

“Are you sure? Aren’t you still tired from your trip?”

“No, that’s no problem. Let’s eat some sukiyaki.”

“In that case, I’d be glad to come over.”

Imanishi did not have any pressing cases. He was able to reach home at six-thirty.

“Young Yoshimura is coming over tonight,” he told his wife. “Could you get things ready? I promised him that we’d have some sukiyaki.”

“Is that so? It’s been a while since he’s visited us, but dear, aren’t you tired?”

“Yoshimura said the same thing. I’m all right. I rested yesterday. He’ll be coming soon, so could you hurry?”

Yoshiko started out for the market, but returned and said, “I showed the obi clip to the woman next door. She complimented me on it, saying it was lovely. I thought it might be a bit flashy for me, but she thought it was just right.”

About an hour later, Yoshimura arrived.

“Welcome.” The voices of Yoshiko and Yoshimura could be heard from the doorway. “He’s here.”

A smiling Yoshimura entered the room.

“Sorry to drag you out like this when you must be tired.”

“It’s you, Imanishi-san, that should be tired. It’s exhausting to take the night train both ways.”

“I guess so. My back still hurts. It didn’t bother me when I was younger. I’m feeling my age.”

“We younger ones can’t take that kind of discomfort either. I’m always surprised at how energetic you are.”

“Don’t flatter me too much.”

Yoshiko brought in the sukiyaki pan. “This isn’t much of a dinner, but please help yourself.” She put a carafe of sake and some tiny cups on the table.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Yoshimura said.

Yoshiko poured some sake into each of their cups.

“Let’s have a toast, anyway. To our good health,” Imanishi proposed.

Yoshimura raised his sake cup. Imanishi prepared the sukiyaki, poking at the pan with his chopsticks, adding some water, sprinkling in some sugar, and checking the taste.

“How was it there?” Yoshimura asked, after sipping two or three cups of sake.

“I met the person I wanted to see.” Imanishi recounted what had happened at the village near Yamanaka hot spring. Yoshimura listened intently, nodding his head and making agreeable responses.

“So that’s about it. It didn’t result in much, but I went through all the questions I had intended to ask.”

“Even that is quite a bit of corroboration.”

“Go ahead and eat. The meat will get too tough.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“The meat’s from a neighborhood shop, so it’s probably not very good… By the way, how were things at your end, Yoshimura?”

“After you left, I went around right away. It’s only been one day, so I haven’t been able to get much information. But I heard about a curious episode.”

“Hmm, what was that?” It was Imanishi’s turn to show interest.

“Our man doesn’t have many dealings with his neighbors, so I didn’t get that much from them, but his reputation isn’t bad.”

“I see.”

“That area is full of large houses, so neighbors don’t see each other constantly. Since he’s an artist, he probably doesn’t have much in common with his neighbors.”

“What’s this interesting information?”

“It’s like this,” Yoshimura said, emptying his sake cup. “That area gets a lot of those pushy door-to-door peddlers. It’s about these peddlers… One of them went to that house. He stayed for about half an hour, then left with a sickly pale face.”

“A peddler left the house with a pale face? I wonder why. Did he get yelled at?”

“No, that wasn’t it. He went into the entry way and spread out his goods and started delivering his pitch-the usual kind, full of threats. The person who dealt with the peddler was the owner of the house himself. After a while, the peddler gathered up his things on his own and left the house without a word. The neighbors heard about this from the housekeeper.”

“I see.”

“Apparently the story spread because it was so unusual for one of those peddlers to retreat in silence.”

“Was it because he realized that there was no chance for a sale?”

“No, that wasn’t it. Those guys don’t give up easily. They force the householders to buy even a hundred yen worth of goods.”

“I wonder what happened.”

Yoshimura’s story of the peddler continued. “I don’t understand it much myself, but the fact is that the peddler left without a word. That’s not all. Two or three days later, another peddler went to the same house. Interestingly enough, this peddler hurriedly gathered up his things in the middle of his sales pitch and left the house, too.”

“Hmm. Why was that?”

“That’s what I can’t figure out. It sounded interesting to me, so I thought I would bring it up when I saw you.”

Imanishi added some water to the pan. Yoshiko brought in some more sake.

“I’m enjoying the meal,” Yoshimura said to her, bowing his head.

“I’m sorry, it isn’t very much.”

When Yoshiko left the room, Imanishi looked up from his sake cup. “That story about the peddlers is very interesting. When did this happen?”

“About ten days ago.”

“Is there any way we can find those peddlers?”

“The peddlers? I suppose we could check them out.”

“I’d like to find those two peddlers and ask them what happened.”

“If you say so, I’ll try to find them. They aren’t independent peddlers. They’re an organized gang. So if I ask around, I think I’ll be able to get hold of them.”

“I’d like you to do that, and I’d like you to hurry it up.”

“I’ll start on it tomorrow, right away.”

Resting from his sake drinking, Imanishi smoked a cigarette. He seemed to be deep in thought.

“Oh, yes, there was one more thing you asked me to do. About the film.”

“Oh, yes, that.”

“They’re looking for it right now. The ones that have been sent around the country are mostly all collected, but there may still be one left somewhere. I should have a definite answer in two or three days.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“It’s taken a long time, but I feel as if we’re starting to close in on this case, little by little,” Yoshimura said.

“Do you?”

“Yes, I do. Nothing’s definite yet, but that’s my intuition. I feel we’ve come to the moment just before the solution.”

Two days passed. Imanishi waited in the usual oden bar for Yoshimura, who came with another man in tow.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. This is Tanaka.”

“Good evening,” Tanaka bowed his head politely. He was about thirty and wore a leather jacket. From the start, he was both overly courteous and unduly familiar.

“Thanks for coming. Why don’t you sit here?” Imanishi seated the man beside him, and Yoshimura sat on the other side.

“Some sake, Ma’am,” Imanishi ordered.

“Tanaka here,” Yoshimura explained, “is a member of the Sakurada group in Asakusa. There’s another fellow named Kurokawa, but since he’s off somewhere else right now, I asked Tanaka to come along by himself. I was able to get hold of him through an introduction by a colleague of mine at the station.”

“Well, shall we have a drink first?” Three glasses of sake had been served.

“Thanks. I’ll gladly drink some.” Tanaka raised his glass and bobbed his head.

“Well, thanks for coming. I’m sure you’re busy, so I appreciate it,” Imanishi said, smiling.

“No bother. We’re always beholden to the police, so if there’s anything I can do for you, boss, I’m glad to,” Tanaka said.

“You’ve heard about it from Yoshimura here. I understand you went to sell something and had a strange experience?”

“Yeah,” Tanaka said, scratching his head. “It was a real surprise. I’m amazed that you heard of it.”

“It’s a curious incident, so I wanted to ask you about it in detail. I heard that something strange happened when you spread out your wares at that house. Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s true. But boss, I wasn’t the first one. It was that rascal Tsune who was the first one to go there.”

“Tsune?”

“That’s the other fellow, Kurokawa,” Yoshimura explained.

“I see. And what did Tsune-san say happened?”

“Tsune came back and said something weird,” Tanaka responded to Imanishi’s question, staring at the sake in his glass. “He said he was doing the area around there that day. He went into a house and spread out his goods and was giving his pitch. Then a young man who seemed to be the master of the house came out. He listened to Tsune’s threats quietly. After a while, Tsune felt lightheaded and started feeling sick. He got a bit spooked and left the house quickly. That’s what he said.”

“So you decided to go there in place of Tsune-san?” Yoshimura asked.

“That’s right, boss. I thought Tsune was a coward, so I said I’d go and check that house out. Since my friend had such an awkward experience, I went there, not really to get back at them, but to defend his honor.”

“When did you go to that house?”

“It was two days later. I took some socks.”

“You’re sure it’s the house that Tsune-san had gone to?”

“There’s no mistake. I got directions from Tsune.”

“Then what happened?”

“First a maid came to the door. While I was putting out my goods, she went to the back and returned with the master. He was a young one, twenty-seven or so, wearing a flashy shirt and slacks. When I realized that this was the guy who had made Tsune cower, I made my pitch even more threatening than usual. I said all kinds of things. Usually, the customers flinch when they hear me, but this fellow just stood there calmly listening to me. Then”-Tanaka shook his head-“I started feeling strange, light-headed, like you feel when you’re going down in an elevator. I felt really sick.”

“When you say you felt sick, in what way?”

“I felt sick to my stomach, like throwing up. I could feel my face getting green. I couldn’t take it anymore and wrapped up the socks and rushed out of that house. I couldn’t snicker at Tsune after that.”

“Was there anything unusual going on in the house when this happened?”

“No, that’s just it, there was nothing. It was really quiet.”

“Hmm. It is a strange story,” Imanishi said, putting down his glass.

“It sure is, boss. It was the first time I came across anything like that.”

Three days later, a policeman came to see Imanishi at headquarters.

“Hello.” Imanishi asked him to sit down. “Sorry to have made such a bothersome request the other day,” he said, bowing his head.

“That’s no problem.” The policeman was stationed at a police box under the jurisdiction of the Higashi Chofu police station. He was a stocky man, just over thirty. “I’ve come about that inquiry you made.”

“Yes, yes.” Imanishi leaned forward in his chair.

“I went to that house. I met with the master of the house under the pretext of asking whether he had been victimized by peddlers.”

“Thanks so much for taking the time.”

“I said that we had arrested a peddler and had heard that he had come to the house so I was investigating. The master said he hadn’t bought anything from peddlers, so he had no damage claims.”

“Yes.”

“In making this inquiry, I stayed as long as I could in the entry way.”

“How long were you there?”

“I must have stayed at least fifteen minutes. I started off with just general chitchat and then slowly went through the case.”

“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?”

“I was watching out, but I didn’t notice anything unusual.”

“How was it inside the house?”

“I didn’t hear any voices or any other sounds. Oh, yes, the maid or someone was washing dishes in the kitchen.”

“Did you start to feel sick?”

“No, nothing like that. Since you’d mentioned it, I was trying to notice everything, but I didn’t feel strange at all.”

“I see.” Imanishi tapped his fingers on his desk. His gaze turned contemplative. “Let me ask you once more, there was nothing unusual that you could see inside the house?”

“No, there wasn’t. It’s a normal house and I didn’t feel sick at all.”

“Thank you so much,” Imanishi bowed his head.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, thank you… I may ask you to do something again.”

“Certainly. My duty at the police box is quite light unless there’s an accident, so ask me any time.”

Imanishi saw the policeman out to the main entrance of the headquarters building. The policeman went out to the street, where a cold wind was blowing. Imanishi returned to his room.

“Imanishi-san, you have a telephone call,” a young detective called out.

“Is this detective Imanishi?” The voice was that of a young man. “I’m calling from Nan’ei Film Company.”

“Oh, yes. I’ve been causing you a lot of trouble.”

“That’s quite all right. We’ve found just one copy of the preannouncement of The Road of the Century.”

“What, you’ve found it?” Imanishi asked excitedly. “I would really like to see it.”

“We were finally able to call in the one that was sent out to theaters in the Tohoku region. The screening room is available today. I could show it anytime.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll be over right away.”

“I’ll make sure we’re ready for you.”

Imanishi rushed out of headquarters. The swans swimming in the moat around the Imperial Palace looked cold. The branches of the trees lining the streets were shivering in the wind, scattering yellow leaves.

“Welcome.” The staff member who had been helping Imanishi smiled at him when he entered the building housing the Nan’ei Film Company. “Please come right into the screening room. It’s all ready for you.”

Once again, Imanishi sat alone in the screening room. As the room became dark, his heartbeat quickened. What had Miki discovered in the film? Trying to identify with Miki, Imanishi watched the screen.

The Road of the Century was a major American spectacle film set in the ancient Orient. The preannouncement film began with an explanation of the production. Next, there was a newsreel-like section showing scenes of the premiere held in Tokyo. An Imperial prince and princess entered the hall and bowed as they passed by the receiving line made up of those connected with the film. The faces of the film company officials flashed by in a second, but Imanishi saw none that might have drawn Miki’s attention.

The next scenes were informal shots of prominent guests who had attended the premiere. Faces of people who were familiar from newspapers and magazines smiled and chatted in the theater. There were some business leaders, but most were from cultural and entertainment fields. Imanishi watched, holding his breath. A narration accompanied the film. Each time a different face appeared on the screen, the voice gave the person’s name. There were no faces that Imanishi recognized.

The prince’s face came on again. Beside him sat a man explaining the film. For three or four seconds the screen switched to the famous people in the audience. The screen changed color and showed scenes from The Road of the Century.

The lights came on in the screening room. Imanishi sat there vacantly.

“How was it?” the staff member asked, standing beside Imanishi.

Imanishi rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry, but could you run through that once again?”

The film was only four or five minutes long. If he had been slightly inattentive, he might have missed something. Imanishi wanted to reconfirm what he had seen, just as Miki had gone to see the same film twice in Ise. The projectionist started the film once again.

Imanishi concentrated once again. He could feel the perspiration in his clenched fists. He was once again unable to discover anything new. He had thought this would be a sure winner. But his hopes were completely dashed.

Imanishi left the screening room and walked outside. What was it that Miki had seen in the movie theater in Ise? It had not been the preannouncement film for The Road of the Century. Imanishi was sure of that now.

Miki had arrived in Tokyo from Ise City and had met the murderer at the cheap bar in Kamata. There had not been much time between those two events. He had arrived in Tokyo on the morning of the eleventh and had been killed that very night. His movements during those nineteen hours were still completely unknown.

Why had Miki gone twice to the movie theater in Ise? Three possible reasons for this had to be considered. First, there might have been a scene that only Miki could comprehend. Second, Imanishi had missed seeing the critical scene. Third, there was some item of interest other than the movies.

Of these, Imanishi was confident that it was not the second reason. He believed that he had not missed the slightest detail in the films.

Imanishi was not as confident about the first reason. However, he could not conceive of a scene that could only have been understood by Miki and not by anyone else.

Finally, was there something other than the films? He had deduced that Miki had seen the films because he had gone to the movie theater. He wondered if that conclusion had been too hastily arrived at. Miki might have gone twice to the movie theater to confirm something else. Could it have been a person? Someone in the audience? Did someone Miki knew work at the theater?

Imanishi returned to headquarters.

The vital link remained Ise City. Imanishi decided to inquire whether any employee at the theater knew Miki. He would also ask if any of the employees had quit after Miki visited the theater, and he would request information about the background of the manager himself. Perhaps Miki had gone to see him. He wrote a request to the investigation section at the Ise police station.

Imanishi waited impatiently for the reply, which came four days later.

This is in response to your inquiry.

The movie theater you inquired about is the Asahi Theater. The owner is Tadokoro Ichinosuke, 49 years old. We asked Tadokoro-san to check with his employees, but none of them had met or talked with the person in question. On the day you indicated, the theater did show the two movies you mentioned, previews of the next week’s films, and the preannouncement of The Road of the Century. There were no other short films or PR films shown. Tadokoro-san said he does not remember meeting Miki-san that day.

Tadokoro-san has lived in Ise City for some time. He is a self-made man who started out as an employee in a movie theater. He was born in xx Village near Nihonmatsu City in Fukushima Prefecture. He has lived in our city since he left home at a young age and settled here. He has one son and one daughter.

It seemed that Miki’s two visits to the movie theater had not been to meet anyone. Then was the reason hidden in those four films, after all? It couldn’t be. But Miki must have seen something. Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to go there twice, or for him to change his travel plans and go to Tokyo. What was it that had beckoned him to Tokyo?

Imanishi was also concerned about the house that had been visited by the door-to-door peddlers. He wondered if he should go there to check it out himself. The two peddlers had started to feel sick to their stomachs in the entryway. Yet nothing had happened to the policeman. Imanishi saw a problem in his going there himself. If he did, his face would become known. He did not want to show his face for a while yet, nor Yoshimura’s either.

Imanishi’s mind was getting cluttered. It was just about the end of the workday. He tidied up the top of his desk.

It was dark when he stepped outdoors. The lights of the streetcars and the headlights of the cars glared brightly. Several darkened silhouettes walked toward him.

“Hi,” someone called out. It was a group from the security section.

Imanishi recognized them. “Thanks for your hard work,” he said. “It must be tough, day after day.”

“It’s only another two or three days,” the other fellow said, smiling.

Tokyo was in the midst of a political reshuffling. The cabinet had resigned en masse, and a new cabinet was about to be formed. The men from the security section had been assigned to guard the prime minister’s residence.

The next morning Imanishi read his newspaper in bed. On the front page was the lineup of the new cabinet. The newspapers had been full of this news for a while, but the new cabinet had just been confirmed late the previous night. Imanishi picked out one of the names printed in large characters: “Agriculture and Forestry Minister: Tadokoro Shigeyoshi (Fukushima Prefecture representative, 6th term; 61 years old).”

This was the first time that Imanishi had realized that Tadokoro Shigeyoshi’s district was Fukushima Prefecture. He continued to stare at the print.

“Dear.” Yoshiko’s voice came through the sliding doors. “You’d better get up soon. It’s time.”

Imanishi put down the newspaper. Whether a new cabinet was formed or the opposition gained power, it had nothing to do with lower-level civil servants like Imanishi. He rose and washed his face. As he brushed his teeth he could smell miso soup and scallions.

During breakfast Yoshiko talked to him, but he did not even respond. In glum silence, he was not really listening, he was just eating. He muttered to himself… So Tadokoro Shigeyoshi was from Fukushima Prefecture.

“Fukushima Prefecture… Wait a minute.” Imanishi cocked his head to one side. Something sounded familiar about that location.

“Did you sleep on your neck wrong?” Yoshiko asked from across the table, seeing him cock his head.

Imanishi remained silent.

“Oh, that’s it.” He put down his teacup. The owner of that movie theater in Ise was from Fukushima Prefecture, too.

The residence of the new minister of agriculture and forestry was located on a rise in the Azabu area. That evening, Tadokoro Shigeyoshi, still in his cutaway, was accepting the congratulations of his family and followers after returning from the cabinet swearing-in ceremony. He had an impressive head of white hair and an upright bearing. His healthy face was continually smiling. This was his second time as a cabinet minister, but he seemed to find pleasure in the occasion.

Because of the arrival of so many well-wishers, it was nearly nine o’clock before he could take a rest. He moved to the dining table where his wife had laid out a congratulatory dinner. The inner circle had gathered to toast the occasion.

Tadokoro Sachiko had been helping her mother, but when Waga Eiryo arrived, she turned her attention to him.

“Congratulations,” Waga said as he bowed to his future father-in-law.

“Thank you.” Tadokoro narrowed his eyes. He was in a good mood. “Please, everyone, sit down.”

Tadokoro’s younger brother and his wife, his wife’s niece, and Sachiko’s younger brothers all sat down with them at the table. Tadokoro sat at the head of the table with his wife beside him. Waga and Sachiko sat across from the new cabinet minister and his wife. On the table were impressive dishes catered from a first-class restaurant. The only nonfamily member was Tadokoro’s private secretary.

“Does everyone have some wine?” Tadokoro’s wife asked, looking around the table. “Let’s toast Father.” Her face was the most excited.

“Father, congratulations.”

“Congratulations, Uncle.”

The way those at the table referred to the man varied, but their glasses were all raised to eye level.

“Thank you.” The new minister beamed with joy.

“Father, please do the best you can,” Sachiko said from across the table in a loud voice after everyone had taken a sip of wine.

“I’ll try.”

The newspapers said that it was rumored that the post of minister of agriculture and forestry was not what Tadokoro had hoped for, but the man still seemed to be in good spirits.

This small dinner party started off full of laughter.

Tonight, Waga wore a charcoal gray suit with white pinstripes, a bright white dress shirt, and a burgundy-colored necktie with a black design. He wore his fashionable clothes well, and his good looks complimented the luxuriously dressed men and women at the table. Beside him sat Sachiko in a crimson dress and a white orchid corsage.

Gazing at the couple sitting across the table, Tadokoro smiled and whispered to his wife, “Tonight seems more like a wedding party for the young couple than a celebration for me.”

About halfway through this enjoyable meal, the maid came to Sachiko and, in a low voice, announced some visitors. Sachiko gave the message to Waga, who looked across at Tadokoro.

“What is it?” her father asked Sachiko.

“Some members of Waga-san’s group have come to give you their congratulations. It’s Sekigawa-san, Takebe-san, and Katazawa-san.”

“Well, that’s thoughtful of them,” the minister said affably. “Sachiko, you know them, too?”

“Yes, I see them all the time. When Waga-san was in the hospital after his accident, they came to visit him.”

“So the Nouveau group has a strong sense of duty.” Tadokoro smiled.

“Why don’t you show them into the living room?” his wife said.

“Why not have them come here? They’re not official guests, so it will be more informal if we invite them in here.”

The table was large enough to accommodate the extra guests. Mrs. Tadokoro ordered the maid to bring three more place settings at once. The young men, with Sekigawa in the lead, entered the room, guided by a maid. Seeing the gathering, they hesitated a bit, puzzled as to what they should do. Waga stood up and smiled at his friends.

“Congratulations on your new appointment.” The newcomers greeted their host and bowed.

Tadokoro pushed his chair back and stood up. “Thank you for being so courteous.”

Mrs. Tadokoro said, “Thank you for coming. Please join us.”

The children stared curiously at the newcomers who had intruded upon the family gathering. Sekigawa tapped Waga on the shoulder and took a seat. Extra glasses were brought in.

“Congratulations,” said Sekigawa in a toast. The other two also raised their glasses.

“Thank you.” Tadokoro bowed politely.

Waga stood up and moved behind the chairs of his three friends and said, “Thanks for coming.”

Sachiko also greeted them familiarly. “You’re all so busy, thank you for taking the time to come over.”

“Well, it is an occasion on which congratulations are in order. So we came right over,” Sekigawa responded, representing the others. “It looks like tonight might be a rehearsal for Waga’s wedding,” he said jokingly.

The small family party grew livelier with the addition of the three new guests. From the start, they talked a lot and drank a lot. Smiling broadly, Tadokoro listened to the young men’s discussion of art. The most animated speaker was Sekigawa. The other two were artists, so they did not reach the level of Sekigawa’s eloquence. Sekigawa explained the new artistic theory in terms that the elderly bureaucrat Tadokoro could understand.

The family dinner party ended about an hour after it had begun. The older people and children left. The others retired to the living room. Coffee and fruit were served.

Waga and Sachiko chatted quite naturally with their three friends. The talk was an extension of the artistic theory discussed in the dining room. In their eyes, leading figures of the establishment were nothing more than targets of denunciation. Tadokoro and his wife sat near them, listening. The lively young people spoke with animation. The older adults were quite overwhelmed.

More well-wishers came to the mansion. Newspaper reporters were among them, asking for photographs.

“It’s a perfect occasion for you to take some photos of me with these young people,” the new minister said, and stood informally with the others. Tadokoro and his wife were flanked by Waga and Sachiko, with Sekigawa, Katazawa, and Takebe included along with members of the family.

“Well, shall we take our leave?” It was Sekigawa who still took the lead.

“Why not stay a little longer?” Waga was acting like a member of the family already.

“No, it’s getting late.”

“Why don’t you stay and talk some more?” Sachiko tried to detain them.

Sekigawa said for the others, “Thank you so much for the delicious dinner.”

Waga and Sachiko saw them off at the front door.

The three young men walked away together.

“It was quite a gathering,” Takebe said.

“Right. Waga is already behaving like a son-in-law,” Katazawa said.

They took a taxi to Ginza.

“I know a bar near here. Let’s stop off and drink some more,” Takebe suggested. Katazawa agreed to go with him.

“Sekigawa, how about you?”

“No, I’ll beg off this time.”

“Why?”

“I’ve remembered something I have to do. Driver, let me off at Yurakucho.”

“So long.” Sekigawa stepped out and waved at the others. “See you soon.”

“Sekigawa’s acting a bit strange,” Katazawa said to Takebe. “Why did he get off alone there so late at night?”

“He may have been a bit upset about things tonight.”

“What do you mean?”

“It might have been a shock for him to see the way Waga was acting this evening.”

“Hm.” Katazawa felt that he understood what his friend meant. They had both felt oppressed by Waga’s behavior at the Tadokoros’.

“He’s been really close to Waga recently. Tonight, too, he was in a good mood and talking up a storm.”

“That’s human nature for you,” Katazawa responded. “You go overboard acting lively at that kind of occasion. Then you feel lonely afterward.”

“Well, let’s drink, then,” Takebe said. “Let’s get drunk.”

Sekigawa walked alone. He appeared to have nowhere in particular to go. Turning away from the neon lights of Ginza, Sekigawa walked slowly down a side street, deep in thought. He entered a brightly lit pachinko hall.

“Give me two hundred yen worth.”

He scooped up the small metal balls in his hands and stood in front of a board. His thumb flipped the lever, sending the balls across the face of the machine. He did not seem to care at all whether he won or lost. He just kept on flipping the lever.