Malice

7 THE PAST (PART TWO) ^{OLD ACQUAINTANCES—KAGA’S INTERVIEWS}

Interview: Junichi Hayashida

I’m not really sure I can tell you anything useful—middle school was an awful long time ago! Twentysome-odd years, right? My memory’s pretty good, but that’s ancient history.

On Hidaka:

To be totally honest with you, I didn’t even know there was an author named Kunihiko Hidaka until a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t read a novel in years. I know I should read more—I’m a barber and it’s good to be able to talk with the customers about the latest stuff—but I just can’t find the time. Anyway, it was only when I read about what happened in the newspapers that I found out about Hidaka. I do read the newspaper, at least. I wouldn’t have even realized he was my classmate if they hadn’t done that special bit on Nonoguchi’s and Hidaka’s past. Yeah, that was a surprise, finding out I went to school with a bestselling author and a murderer both!

On Nonoguchi:

I remember Gooch, a lot better than the other guy. I don’t think Hidaka stood out that much; he was one of those people who don’t really make an impression on you. I had no idea they were friends, either.

“Gooch”? Yeah, that’s what we called him. I don’t know why, it just kinda fit. He was sort of slow—just kind of a gooch. He was always reading, though. We sat next to each other in class for a while, that’s why I remember. No idea what he was reading. I wasn’t all that interested in reading back then either, I guess. I just know it wasn’t comic books. He was great in composition class, too. Our homeroom teacher taught composition, actually, so he was always kind of a teacher’s pet.

On bullying:

Yeah, there was some of that. They talk about bullying a lot in the news lately, but it was always around. And people who say it wasn’t as mean back then are full of it. I mean, being mean is the point, right?

And Gooch, he spent his share of time in the crosshairs. Actually, yeah, he got beat up pretty bad. People messing with his lunchbox, taking his money. He probably got locked in the janitor’s closet once or twice, too. He was just the type, the kind bullies like to pick on.

The cellophane-wrap incident:

You mean they wrapped him up in that stuff they use in the kitchen? Yeah, maybe I heard about something along those lines. But you gotta understand, there were things like that going on all the time.

The hydrochloric acid incident:

I didn’t hear about that, but it could’ve happened. It wasn’t the best middle school, to say the least. Mayhem was pretty much par for the course.

Were you ever involved?

Well, it’s nothing I’m proud of, but, yeah, I knocked some heads together once or twice. Just a little, though. Nothing serious. Honestly. See, the problem kids liked getting us regular students involved. If you resisted, you’d be the next one on the chopping block, so you kind of had to go along with ’em. It felt terrible. I mean, who wants to beat up on some snot-nosed little kid who doesn’t even fight back? Everyone knew it was going on, too. I remember I put some dog shit in this kid’s bag once, and our student leader was sitting right there, but she pretended not to see. Masuoka, her name was. Even if you weren’t helping ’em, you were letting ’em get away with it. Yeah, those kids loved picking on people, but I think they liked getting us other students’ hands dirty even more. Of course, I didn’t think about it like that back then.

On Fujio:

Oh, yeah, no way I could forget Fujio. I don’t think I was the only one who wished he’d disappear. I bet even the teachers were hoping he’d walk off a cliff.

He was just a bad egg. He thought nothing of making some poor kid’s life a living hell. He was bigger than some of the grown-ups, too, and really strong, so who was going to stop him? Course, when the other bullies figured that out, they fell all over each other to be friends with him. Figured they were safer being on the winning side. I think that just encouraged him, you know? Fujio’s the kind of kid they’re talking about when they say someone’s a lost cause.

Was Fujio the ringleader?

Oh, yeah, without a doubt. He called all the shots. I even heard that whenever any of the kids in his posse stole someone’s lunch money, they had to give it to him first, and he would distribute it. Basically no different from the yakuza, really.

On Fujio’s departure:

Boy, were we happy when he left school. I mean, peace at last, finally! Things did change a lot after he left, too. It was like a big mood shift. There were still a few bad seeds around, but it was nothing like when Fujio was in charge. I didn’t ever find out what happened to him, though. There was a rumor he’d beat up some kid from another school and got sent to juvie, but I doubt it was anything as big as that, or it probably would’ve made the local paper.

Does Fujio have something to do with your case, Detective? Didn’t Nonoguchi kill Hidaka because he was stealing his books?

The other members of Fujio’s circle:

No idea what became of them. They’re probably all productive members of society.

I think I’ve got a class roster around here somewhere. The addresses and phone numbers are old, though. Hang on, I’ll go get it….

Interview: Harumi Nitta

Mr. Hayashida gave you my name? Junichi Hayashida? I don’t even remember a Hayashida in my class. No… No, I’m sure he was there. I’ve just kind of blocked the whole thing out, I guess.

So, where to begin? My maiden name was Masuoka, and, yes, I was a student leader. They picked one boy and one girl every year. It’s not like we had any real responsibilities. We mostly just made sure everyone got their homework assignments and delivered messages for the teacher. Oh, and we helped run student meetings in homeroom. Boy, there’s a word I haven’t used in years. I don’t have any kids.

On Hidaka and Nonoguchi:

I’m really sorry, but I hardly remember either of them. I mostly hung out with the girls. That’s just how it is in middle school.

On bullying:

There was probably some bullying going on with the boys, but I never noticed anything. It’s hard to say what I would’ve done if I had noticed, but probably telling the teacher would’ve been a good place to start.

I’m sorry, but… my husband will be home any minute. If you’ve got what you need, can we wrap this up? I really don’t think I know anything that’d be of any help. Also, I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone else I went to that middle school. It’s just… a difficult subject. I haven’t even told my husband. Thanks.

Interview: Masatoshi Tsuburaya

Thanks for coming out here. Why not come inside? Sure… we can talk right here in the hall, if you prefer.

On Hidaka and Nonoguchi:

Oh, I remember them, sure. I’ve been retired, let’s see… about ten years, but I remember every single one of the students in my classes. You spend that much time with the same kids for a whole year, you get to know them pretty well. And those two were in my first class after I started teaching at that school. You don’t forget your first bunch of students.

Nonoguchi, he was a star in composition. He might not have gotten 100 on every paper, but he was right up there. As for Hidaka, no, he didn’t leave too much of an impression on me in terms of his schoolwork. Good or bad.

On bullying:

I don’t think Hidaka got bullied much, and Nonoguchi definitely didn’t. There were some bad kids, sure, but I never heard about anything happening to him.

Hayashida said he was bullied….

Well, that comes as a real surprise! I certainly had no idea. And don’t give me that detective look, that’s the honest truth. There wouldn’t be any point lying about it now, would there?

Look, the reason why I said Nonoguchi definitely wasn’t bullied is because, if anything, he was on the other side of the equation. He had this phase where he was hanging out with the bad kids; it got to the point where I was pretty worried about him. His parents even came in to talk to me about it. I seem to recall talking to him about all of this on occasion.

Of course when a kid starts hanging out with the wrong crowd, there isn’t much that’s going to save him if he doesn’t have an ally. I don’t mean me, or any other teacher, or his parents. It was his friend Hidaka that turned him around. You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but that Hidaka was a tough cookie. He couldn’t stand to see people getting stepped on. He’d even lay into us teachers sometimes if he felt like we were being too hard on the class.

I think it was around New Year’s when those two boys came to my house to visit. It was more like Hidaka brought Nonoguchi along with him. They didn’t say much, but I got the feeling that they were there to apologize for giving me grief at school.

I was sure the two of them would go on to be best friends for life, so it was a bit of a shock when they ended up going off to different high schools. They both did pretty well in their classes, so I wouldn’t think they’d have had any trouble getting into the same place if they’d wanted to.

It’s really a shame what happened. I wonder what went wrong along the way. I wouldn’t have expected that of either of them.

Interview: Tomoyo Hirosawa

The Nonoguchi boy? Sure, I remember him. They were our neighbors. He came by every once in a while to buy bread. We had a shop, up until about ten years ago.

On the murder:

Now that was a surprise. I mean, those boys? Doing those things? It’s enough to make you wonder.

On Nonoguchi’s childhood:

Well… I don’t mean to speak ill of him, but little Osamu had a… dark side, you might say. Kinda like he was too grown-up sometimes, maybe even a little depressed.

I think it was back in elementary school, but there was a while when he didn’t even go to school. I saw him up on the second floor of his house one day, and I called up to him.

“Hey there, Osamu. Are you sick? Do you have a cold?”

But, Detective, he didn’t even answer. A little boy like that! He just pulled his head back inside and shut the curtains. It was a little creepy, to be honest. When you’d see him on the street, he’d always walk way off to one side and never look you in the eyes.

I heard later from a friend that there was a stretch where he didn’t go to school at all. I don’t know the reason why, but everyone said it was the parents’ fault. They were both regular working people, nice enough, but I think they both felt like they deserved more. You know how people are sometimes. And they were overprotective of that boy! I remember the mother saying something about wanting to send him to some private elementary school. “We don’t have the connections,” she told me, “so Osamu’s slumming it at the local school.”

I never! Slumming it? My daughter and son both went to that school and they turned out fine, thank you very much.

That family never did fit in, though. I think they only moved here because of Mr. Nonoguchi’s work. They must have come from some pretty fancy neighborhood if they thought our town wasn’t up to snuff.

Anyway, it’s not hard to see why their boy wouldn’t want to go to school, what with his parents saying things like that. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and all that. Of course, they got worried when he stopped going altogether. Not that you ever saw them dragging him back to school.

I think the only reason he ended up going again was thanks to Kunihiko. That’s right, the Hidakas’ boy. The one who got killed. Kunihiko used to drop by Osamu’s house every morning to walk with him to school. I don’t know who arranged it, but since they were in the same year, maybe one of the teachers put him up to it.

I’d see them every morning. First Kunihiko would pass by the house, and he’d always say hello to me in a nice big voice. That’s a good kid right there, I’d say to myself. Then I’d see him walking back the other direction with Osamu in tow. It was funny, ’cause Kunihiko would always say hi again, but you wouldn’t hear a peep out of Osamu. He’d just be there, walking along, looking down at the ground. Every day.

I guess that’s what got Osamu going to school more regularly, though. Seeing as how he made it all the way to college, I’d say he owed Kunihiko a debt. Course after what happened… It’s enough to make you wonder.

Were they friends?

I saw them play together quite a bit. They used to hang out with the boy from the futon shop. I’m pretty sure it was Kunihiko initiating things, though, as always. But they got along pretty well.

Kunihiko wasn’t just nice to Osamu, you know. He was nice to all the kids, especially the little ones. That’s part of the reason why I have real trouble believing what happened.

Interview: Yukio Matsushima

Well, I don’t know what to say. I nearly fell down when I heard the news. Just hearing those names brings me way back. It’s true, I played with them quite a bit back in elementary school. My parents ran a futon shop, and we always used to get in trouble, jumping on the new futons back in the warehouse.

But, to tell you the truth, we weren’t like best buddies or anything. It was more that there just weren’t any other kids our age in the neighborhood to play with. Toward the end of elementary school, I started hanging out more with my other friends, even the ones who lived farther away.

On Osamu and Nonoguchi’s relationship:

Well, I wouldn’t exactly describe them as the best of friends either. I’m not sure what you’d call them.

Mrs. Hirosawa, the baker on your street, said they were friends.

Well, that just goes to show you how little adults understand about kids.

The thing is, theirs wasn’t what you’d call an “equal relationship.” Hidaka was always on top. I think things just sort of happened that way after he helped Nonoguchi out at school. He didn’t lord it over him or anything, but you could tell by the way they acted. Hidaka was always the leader, Nonoguchi was always following. We used to go frog catching quite a bit, and it would always be Hidaka telling Nonoguchi what to do. That spot’s dangerous, or find some better footing before you grab ’em, or take off your shoes. It wasn’t like he was giving him orders. He was more like a mother hen, just flapping his wings. Kind of like a big brother, even though they were the same age.

Of course, I don’t think Nonoguchi appreciated it all that much. He’d say things behind Hidaka’s back. Never to his face, though.

In fact, I’m pretty sure that around the time I stopped playing with them, they stopped playing with each other, too. Part of the reason was Nonoguchi started going to an after-school program. That kind of cuts down on the playtime. But I also think Nonoguchi’s mom didn’t like the Hidakas. I overheard her once talking to him about them. “I hope you’re not playing with that boy anymore!” she said, and she sounded pretty mean. The look on her face was enough to give you nightmares. It didn’t make much sense to me as a kid. Why couldn’t he play with Hidaka if he wanted to? What was wrong with his family? Even today I’m not sure why she said that.

On Nonoguchi’s truancy:

Well, I don’t know for sure, but maybe it was just that school didn’t suit him. I don’t think he ever had many friends. I remember him saying something about transferring to another school, a better one. But that never happened, and he stopped talking about it after a while.

That’s about all I have for you. Sorry I don’t remember more, but it was a couple of decades ago after all.

On the murder:

What do you want me to say? I was surprised. I mean, I only knew them as kids, so I obviously don’t have the whole story, but it’s not what I would’ve expected. At least, not the part about Hidaka using him as a ghostwriter. He might have been a bit overbearing with the kid, but he never pushed him around. And he had a real sense of justice, Hidaka did. Of course, people do change, and usually not for the better.

Interview: Junji Takahashi

Let me just say, never in a million years did I expect a detective to come down here and question me about this. I mean, I barely remembered those two till I read about ’em in the paper. We weren’t close or nothing, so what’s it got to do with me, right? And that whole ghostwriting thing, yeah, well, me and literature are about as far apart as you can get and still be on the same planet, and we got no plans of getting closer. (Laughs)

On middle school:

Man, I’ve been trying to forget that place ever since I got out of it! So Hayashida told you about me? He never did know when to shut up. (Laughs)

On bullying:

They talk about it like it’s some big social problem these days, but whatever. Yeah, I gave a few wedgies in my day. (Laughs) I mean, we were just kids, right? And the way I see it, you need a bit of that when you’re a kid. Not that I’m trying to make excuses or anything, but think about it: Once you grow up and get out there in the real world, there’s all kinds of bad things waiting for you, right? So school is like practice for all that. You make it through the tough stuff, and you get a little stronger, a little wiser. That’s what I think. They make such a big deal out of it these days, man. It’s just kids being kids.

If you really want to know about what happened back then, there’s a much better way than talking to me. Hey, I don’t mind talking about it, but I’ve forgotten a bunch, and it’s hard to keep it all straight sometimes. Hell, I lose track of what I’m saying when I’m trying to talk about something that happened yesterday! (Laughs)

So, right, it’s much better if you just read that book, the one out under Hidaka’s name. What was it called? Forbidden hunter or something?

Forbidden Hunting Grounds?

Yeah, that was it. You heard about that one, Detective? Well, then you could’ve saved yourself the trouble coming out here to talk to me.

Anyway, I don’t read books at all, but when I heard about the murder, I thought I might take a peak at that one. That was my first time ever in the library. I almost got nervous just walking in there, like I was going to get in trouble or something. (Laughs)

So, right, I read that book because when I heard about it, especially the part about Fujio being the model for one of the characters, it sounded like it was pretty much our middle school. So I thought, hey, maybe I show up in there, too.

You read it, Detective?

Right, well, don’t tell anyone else this, but it’s all true. No, seriously. It might be written up like it’s a novel and stuff, but everything in there’s the stone-cold truth, no frills. Course all the names are changed. But everything else is exactly like it happened. Read that, and you’ll know it all. It’s got stuff in there even I forgot.

You remember the bit about the kid getting wrapped in cellophane and dumped in the gym? Man, when I read that, I started sweating bullets. (Laughs) See, I was the one in charge of that whole thing. It’s not like I’m proud about it. But, you know, a kid’s gotta blow off steam somehow, right?

Anyway, it was Fujio calling all the shots. He didn’t do much himself, not directly, but he gave the orders. It wasn’t like he was our leader or nothing, but if you ran with his crew, you were guaranteed a good time. So we did. (Laughs)

On the rape:

I don’t know much about that. No, for real. I knew he had his eye on some girl. Long hair, kinda short, pretty girl. Fujio was big as a gorilla, but he had a thing for the real little ones, that was his type. That’s all in the book, too. I was pretty impressed when I read that. The writer really knew his stuff. Of course, it makes sense if it was Gooch writing it.

Then there’s that bit about Fujio disappearing every once in a while? I think in the book, he keeps stepping out right during the middle of sixth period, I mean before school was even finished. But that’s not exactly right. He didn’t leave in the middle of sixth period, he’d leave right when it was done. That’s why he was never in homeroom at the end of the day. As for where he was going, the book got that right. There was a street that pretty little girl always walked home along, and that’s where he’d go. But he never brought any of us with him. He went alone. So I can’t really say what he was up to. Except, I bet what the book says is close enough. I can totally imagine him hiding behind some tree, checking her out, laying his plans. Kinda creepy when you think about it, right? (Laughs)

Except, when he did that thing to the girl, he wasn’t alone. He brought someone with him. I don’t know who. No, for real. I’m not trying to protect anyone. Why would I? It wasn’t me! Look, I did some bad things, but I’m not helping anyone rape someone. You gotta believe me.

It was only one other person?

I know what the book says, about the guys keeping a lookout and the videotape and all, but that’s not how it went down. There was just one other kid, the guy holding her down. And it wasn’t a videotape, it was just a picture. Taken with a Polaroid camera. Fujio took the picture himself, the way I heard it. I don’t know what happened to it though. I’m pretty sure that bit about Fujio selling the tape to the yakuza was all made up, too. I never saw the picture, at any rate. (Laughs) I wanted to at the time, though, sorry to say. But it never got as far as me.

Actually, you know who might know something? Nakatsuka. He was like Fujio’s right-hand man, and Fujio used to give him stuff to hold on to, you know, in case the cops ever searched him. (Laughs) If Fujio gave that photo to anyone, it would have been Nakatsuka. Course I doubt he’d still have it.

I don’t have his contact info here, but his first name was Akio. Akio Nakatsuka.

Didn’t Nonoguchi tell you anything about all this? I’m pretty sure he knows most of it. That’s how he wrote that book, right? Maybe it’s not the easiest stuff to talk about, but still.

Why is it hard to talk about?

Well, come on. Who wants to drag lousy stuff that happened to them when they were a kid out into the light? Most people bury it and move on.

Was Nonoguchi bullied?

Gooch? Sure, but not for long. Fujio never took him seriously, not at first. No, he had his eye on Hidaka. Thought that kid was too big for his own britches. He pulled out all the stops, really gave him a thrashing, but Hidaka never flinched. So Fujio just kept getting worse, trying to put the little punk in his place, you know? And that’s how it escalated to that stuff in the book.

Hidaka was the victim?

That’s right. It was Hidaka we wrapped up in that cellophane. Pretty sure the acid out the window was meant for him, too.

Not Nonoguchi?

Oh, no, by then Gooch was with us, totally. One of the guys. He was the closest thing to an underling Fujio ever had. We used to send him on errands, and stuff like that.

Weren’t Hidaka and Nonoguchi friends?

Hardly. Well, I don’t know what happened after they graduated, of course. They come across as best buddies in all the newspaper reports, but that must’ve been after middle school, because it certainly wasn’t true back when I knew them. I mean, Nonoguchi used to rat out Hidaka to Fujio all the time, telling him things Hidaka was saying behind his back. If it weren’t for that, I doubt Fujio would’ve been so gung ho about showing Hidaka who was boss.

On the character Hamaoka:

Oh, yeah, that was Hidaka. No doubt about it. I know Nonoguchi wrote the book, but since he had to do it in Hidaka’s name, maybe that’s why he made him the main character?

Which character in the book was Nonoguchi?

Huh, kinda hard to say. Just one of the bullies, I guess.

Course, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, does it? A bully publishing a book under his victim’s name? What’s up with that?

Interview: Koichi Mitani

I’d appreciate it if we can keep this short. I’ve got a meeting to get to.

I’m not even really sure what it is you expect to learn from talking to me. I know you detectives have to scour every bit of your suspect’s past, but the last time I knew Nonoguchi was when we were in high school!

I’ve spoken to his elementary school friends as well.

Wow, you’re going that far back? Well, I don’t know what to say about that. I suppose I wonder if it’s really necessary. Not that I’m telling you how to do your job. (Laughs)

So… Nonoguchi was a pretty normal high school student, nothing special. We talked a lot, mostly because we liked the same books and movies and stuff like that.

Did he ever talk about becoming an author?

Oh, sure, he told me that was his ambition. I remember him writing some short stories in his notebooks and showing them to me. I don’t remember most of them, but he wrote a lot of science fiction, as I recall. The stories were pretty good. At least good enough to entertain a high school student.

On Nonoguchi’s choice of high school:

I don’t know. I think it was probably just because his grades in middle school were the right level for admission to our high school?

Wait, actually, now that you mention it, he did say something once about another high school that was closer to his house that he could’ve gone to, but he didn’t want to for some reason.

Did he say why?

I think it had less to do with the school itself, and more to do with the neighborhood. He seemed really down on the whole place.

Did he mention his middle school?

Only that the people there were low class. Can you believe it? Low-class town, low-class school, low-class students—stuff like that. He was pretty cool normally, but whenever he’d talk about where he was from, he’d get all worked up. I clearly remember getting sick of it, so he must have talked about it more than once. Yeah, he was pretty strange back then. Most people think the town they grew up in is the best, right?

I think he felt like he’d gotten a bad deal because his father had to move there for work. He used to tell me he was only there temporarily, which is why he didn’t really know anyone in the neighborhood and didn’t play with any of the kids there. Of course, I didn’t care about any of it. It was him telling me all this. Like he was making excuses for something. Besides, he didn’t move away after all, at least not when I knew him.

There was another thing, too…. I think at one point he tried to switch elementary schools, but it didn’t work out for some reason. He told me they wouldn’t let him switch because he was going to school every day. He thought that was pretty ironic, “suffering through that hell day in and day out, and then getting punished for it.” He said there was this kid, one of his neighbors, who used to come and pick him up every morning to walk to school together, which he couldn’t stand. Like it was all some big neighborhood conspiracy to drag him down, right?

I remember thinking, I wish someone would come over and get me to go to school every morning! Talk about nice. But Nonoguchi was always Nonoguchi.

Was Hidaka the boy that walked to school with him?

He never said. In fact, he never mentioned Kunihiko Hidaka at all. This whole thing in the news was the first time I ever heard about him.

On Hidaka’s novels:

Actually, I hadn’t read any of them. I do read, but mostly mysteries. Light stuff, like those travel mysteries where they’re going off someplace and somebody gets killed, you know those? I tend to stay away from the backbreaking stuff. If you have to work to get through a book, it’s not very relaxing, is it?

Anyway, when I heard about the murder, I did pick one of them up. Sent chills down my spine to think that Nonoguchi was the author.

Which book?

Sea Ghost. The one about the artist whose wife cheats on him? It made sense in a lot of ways.

How so?

I mean, you could tell Nonoguchi wrote it. It just felt like him, you know? It was like his personality was stamped on every page. That stuff doesn’t change from when you’re a kid.

Actually, Hidaka wrote Sea Ghost.

What, really? Shows you how much I know! Guess I’d better stick with the light stuff. (Laughs)

Sorry, I’ve got to get to that meeting.

Interview: Yasushi Fujimura

Yes, I’m Osamu’s uncle. Osamu’s mother was my sister.

And as for our request for the profits from those books, it’s not like we’re just mindlessly clamoring for money. Frankly that’s insulting. We just think things should be put right, that the air needs to be cleared. That’s all we’re saying.

But Osamu did murder Mr. Hidaka.

Of course, and he should be punished for it. He needs to pay his debt to society, and I think that was Osamu’s intention when he confessed.

That only makes it more important that everything’s on the table, you understand. It was a terrible thing he did, certainly, but he didn’t do it without reason. It’s important to think about his relationship with Mr. Hidaka, isn’t it? This ghostwriter thing—he was writing those novels for Mr. Hidaka until the day he just couldn’t take it anymore. That’s what everyone—all the authorities—are saying.

In other words, some blame rests at the feet of Mr. Hidaka. It’s not just Osamu who’s in the wrong here. Why should Osamu be the only one punished? What about Mr. Hidaka’s part in all this?

I don’t know much about the literary market, but I hear that Kunihiko Hidaka’s novels sold quite well. He was one of the top-ten highest earners, I hear. But who really earned that money? Wasn’t he selling novels Osamu had written? Does it make sense for only Osamu to be punished, while the money he earned remains in someone else’s hands? I don’t think it does. If it were me, I would return that money. It’s only fair.

I’m not sure the bereaved family agrees.

Oh, I’m sure they don’t. That’s why we’re bringing in lawyers to get everything straight. I’m just trying to help Osamu out here. I don’t want the money. It wouldn’t be my money, anyway. It would go to Osamu.

But isn’t this a matter for civil court, Detective?

Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your sister, and the neighborhood where her family lived.

Oh… so you didn’t come here about the royalties? Right, well, my sister moved to that area shortly after Osamu was born. Built herself a house. Her husband’s relatives sold them some land cheap, which is why they ended up in that particular spot.

Did she like it there?

Not much, no. She told me once that, had she known what sort of place it was beforehand, she never would’ve built there.

What didn’t she like about it, specifically?

That, I’m not sure. I sort of avoided the subject. Speaking of which, why do you ask, Detective? Does this really have anything to do with the case? I understand you have a job to do, but worrying about my sister’s choice of neighborhoods seems like stretching it a bit far!

Not that we have anything to hide.

Interview: Akio Nakatsuka

Nonoguchi? I’ve never heard of any Nonoguchi.

He was your classmate in middle school.

Really? Okay, like I’d remember that.

On the murder:

Sorry, haven’t picked up a paper in a while. And I don’t know anything about any authors.

He was your classmate, too.

Well, whaddya know. So, Detective, what’s this have to do with me? I’m between jobs right now, and I kind of have to get down to the employment center, so I don’t have a lot of time.

Do you remember anyone named Hidaka?

What? Yeah, I remember a Hidaka. He’s the one who got offed? No kidding. Guess you never know how someone’s going to check out till it happens.

So how’s asking about his school going to help your investigation? Didn’t you just say you already know who killed him? What’s left to find out?

We’re just making sure we have all the facts.

Things must be pretty quiet for you to be checking things after the murder’s already solved!

On bullying:

Oh, c’mon. You don’t think I—

Fine, yeah, I knocked Hidaka around a couple of times. Never for any particular reason. Just keeping him in his place, you know.

But that Hidaka, he was one tough cookie. I don’t think we ever got money out of him. Most of those kids, you put the fear into them and they’ll give you a thousand, two thousand yen just like that. So, yeah, we paid Hidaka special attention. Looking back at it, the kid had guts. Course at the time it just pissed us off.

On Nonoguchi:

Look, man, I told you I don’t know any Nonoguchi… wait, unless you mean the Gooch? Yeah, that’s right, his name was Nonoguchi, wasn’t it. I remember him. He was Fujio’s moneybags.

You know, the thing you carry money in? Whenever Fujio needed some cash, the Gooch was good for it. And he had him running errands all the time. Man, what a wimp that guy was.

Do you know what happened after Fujio left your school?

No, we all split up after that. I didn’t see the Gooch very much after that either.

On the assault:

Yeah, I heard about it, that girl from the Catholic school, right? But I don’t know much. That’s the truth. Me and Fujio were close, but he never told me stuff like that. And I hardly ever saw him after he left. They had him grounded for months.

You weren’t with him at the assault?

No way, man. I heard someone was there, but it sure wasn’t me. What does all this old crap have to do with your case, anyway?

Look, I can tell you one thing. You said that Hidaka guy was the one who got killed, right? I might not have seen Fujio after he left, but I did see him—Hidaka—once, just about three or four years ago. He came over to my place, said he wanted to know about Fujio and the assault.

He told me he was writing a novel about Fujio. Can you believe it? I didn’t take him too seriously, so I didn’t think much about it. I guess if it became this big seller, I shoulda asked for more money! (Laughs)

What did you tell him?

Just what I knew. He didn’t seem like he held anything against me in particular, so what’s the harm?

What exactly did you know?

Hardly anything. But he was persistent, wanted to know if I remembered any detail at all. Turns out he thought I was the one with Fujio, too.

On the photograph:

I don’t know anything about a photograph.

I heard you might have it.

Who would say something like that? That’s crazy.

Okay, okay… maybe Fujio did give me one, just before they got him. It was blurry as hell.

You kept it?

Yeah, what’s the harm in that? Doesn’t mean I did anything. It’s not like I was holding on to it special or anything, either. I just forgot to throw it out. I bet if I searched your house, I’d find a few photos from when you were a kid, Detective.

Do you still have the photo?

No way. I threw it out a little while after Hidaka visited.

Did you show it to him?

Yeah, I showed it to him. I figured I owed him that much at least, what with our past, and him coming all the way out to see me. He wanted to borrow it, so I let him have it for a while. He sent it back a few days later in an envelope, though, with a note about him not believing in saving photographs or something. I just threw the thing in the trash, envelope and all.

Did you see Hidaka after that?

Nope.

Were there any other photographs?

Just the one. I don’t know if Fujio even took any more photos than the one.

We done here?

Interview: Heikichi Tsujimura

Note: For this interview, I spoke with Mr. Tsujimura’s granddaughter, who acted as his interpreter, since Mr. Tsujimura has difficulty speaking clearly.

How old is your grandfather?

Um, ninety-one, I think. His heart’s strong, but he can’t walk around anymore. Still sharp as a tack though, if a little hard of hearing.

When did he retire?

He stopped making fireworks about fifteen years ago. It was less his age and more a problem of supply and demand. They stopped doing fireworks shows down by the river so work got really slow. We think it was probably good timing, though. And since my father wasn’t in the business, we didn’t feel there was any need to keep it going.

Have you seen this book?

An Unburning Flame? Oh, it’s by Kunihiko Hidaka! No, I hadn’t heard of it. I don’t think anyone in my family’s read it.

Could you ask your grandfather?

I’ll try, though I’m pretty sure I know the answer.

…No, he’s never heard of it either. He hasn’t read a book in years. What about it?

It’s based on your grandfather’s work.

Really? It’s about a fireworks maker?

…Grandpa says that’s a strange thing to write a book about. Not many people know much about his line of work, he says.

On Hidaka’s visits:

Really? Well, Grandpa used to have his workshop right next to the shrine in town. So Mr. Hidaka saw my grandfather work when he was a kid and wrote his novel about it?

…Grandpa says some of the neighborhood kids would come and play nearby sometimes. He tried to keep them away because it was dangerous, but some of them were persistent so he let them inside once or twice.

Were there many of these kids?

…Actually not that many, he says. He just remembers one.

Does he remember a name?

…Sorry, no. He says he didn’t forget it, he never knew it in the first place.

Would he recognize the boy from a picture?

I’m not sure… it was a long time ago. I’ll ask him, though.

…Okay, well, he says he remembers what the boy looked like. Do you have a photograph with you? Okay, let’s show it to him.

…He says the boy he remembers was smaller than any of these kids. What is this? A middle-school yearbook? So the boy is one of the ones in this group here? But wouldn’t he have been younger than this when he visited the workshop? Right, that’s what I thought. Okay, well, I’ll try to explain it to him….