Tokyo
A car was driving, and it was already dark. Groups of professional white-collar workers began to appear in the izakayas dotting the streets, complaining from time to time, while the waiters stood in front of the door with professional smiles and kept bowing in welcome.
Even though there are frequent supernatural phenomena, Tokyo is still a bustling city with tall buildings and crowds. However, as the car enters a corner, the situation gradually changes. The atmosphere is a bit gray and inconspicuous, as if it is shrouded in shadow and forgotten by the world.
The car slowed down and drove into this area. The roads were dilapidated and in disrepair, covered with fallen leaves. Although streetlights and other public buildings existed, they were a bit rusty. The car turned around and stopped in front of an old three-story building. Pei Ziyun got out of the car. Looking at his surroundings, he frowned and asked, "Isn't this Sangu?"
Rinako was wearing a suit and looked smart: "Yamada-kun, no, it's still some distance from Mitani."
Mitani is a slum area in Tokyo, Japan. There are many cage houses. This is not the case here. It is an apartment specially rented to people with low income.
It seems that this is just a rental area where ordinary poor people live. When you walk in, you see an apartment.
"This four-story building was built in 1987. Each floor is neatly divided into six households, with a unified house layout. When it was first built, it was used for leasing and collecting rent."
"Horikawa Satoshi is renting there. We have searched the room many times. It is very ordinary and nothing unusual."
Just then, an old man in his early sixties, with white hair and good spirits came over. Rinako introduced: "This is Mr. Ouchi. He has been the landlord here for more than thirty years."
Ouchi said with a smile: "I no longer live here. I only come here every month to collect rent. The town informed me early this morning, so I have been waiting here early."
"I'm sorry to trouble you." Rinako bowed lightly to Ouchi. Japan is a country that values etiquette very much. Although there are hierarchies, politeness is still required. Rinako's salute was very standard, and the size of her bow could almost be recorded and used as a teaching material.
After returning the greeting, Mr. Ouchi led the group upstairs.
The corridors of the building are a little dusty. This apartment is old and has completely entered a period of decline. Even the property management is almost gone.
Arriving at room 302, Ouchi took out the key and opened the door: "Room 302, with a total area of fifteen square meters, the monthly rent is 60,000 yen. The tenant has always paid the rent on time, so except for the rent collection day once a month, we We rarely meet each other, I only know that there is a writer living there..."
"It's not easy to become a writer!" Ouchi still expressed sympathy: "I once had a tenant who wanted to write, but he ended up in Mitani."
“I saw him scavenging last year, but I can’t see him this year.”
People in Sangu have no guarantee of their own safety. Sometimes they disappear without anyone knowing. In the movie "Suspect's Devotion", the hero killed a poor man scavenging and replaced the body, and no one found it.
And some may not disappear, but commit suicide. In Japan, a country that maintains many lifelong employment systems, it is difficult for middle-aged men to find a job once they lose their jobs. In the eyes of family, neighbors, and friends, they become like a useless person. A valuable lost dog.
Suicide or wandering became the only options.
Rinako looked serious and said nothing.
The door opened. The room was small and compact. The walls were separated by wooden boards and filled with daily necessities and books. It looked like an ordinary private house.
"I'm going to take a look." Yezi called, scanning the room with the eyes of a drug-detecting dog, checking it carefully.
Naomi Hayakawa and Pei Ziyun were also walking around in the room, but they didn't notice anything. Everything was normal.
Naomi Hayakawa said: "No, Mr. Horikawa said that he has a girlfriend, but there is no trace of a woman's life in this house."
That's right, not only were there no women's clothes and cosmetics in this house, but the books and manuscript papers were also Horikawa's belongings. It was obvious that he lived alone, but why did Horikawa lie
Rinako looked outside the door, lowering her head with no expression on her face. As an official of the shogunate, she was not a full-time driver, but a female police officer who had received special training and had a police rank.
She had been to this room a long time ago, and reported everything she could find in the morning. Now that the superiors had assigned her to be Yamada Shinichi's driver, she was very puzzled.
Yamada Shinichi is an outstanding writer, no one denies this.
The release of "Seven Samurai" was very popular among readers when it was first released, causing Luoyang paper to be expensive for a while. Until now, the sales volume has exceeded 1 million-this is nothing more than a shot in the arm for the shrinking Japanese publishing industry.
It is understood that since there are seven books published, the total royalties are as high as 800 million yen. This is a very high number. University professors, doctors, and company department heads-the annual salary is only 12 million yen, without food or drink. To save for sixty years.
But no matter how good the writer is, it has nothing to do with this investigation. What's even more outrageous is that he takes two little girls with him on a mission. This is really unacceptable.
Seeing that she had found nothing now, Rinako felt a little inexplicable, but the other person was a famous writer, and it was said that he was a guest of some noble people. She did not dare to offend him, but kept her face expressionless.
Pei Ziyun was not surprised and just asked Ouchi: "Roshi Horikawa in Room 302, what do you know about him?"
Ouchi was stunned and replied: "I don't know much. I only see him once a month. I only know that he wants to write. He is very polite. He pays rent on time and never defaults on arrears. He seldom interacts with his neighbors."
"This building is full of people looking for jobs or dreams. People move in and out from time to time. But Horikawa has lived here for a few years and is considered an old tenant. But in recent years, the rent has been paid directly to my card. , the contact is even less, has he committed something?”
The last time the police investigated, they didn't even pass the landlord, but now Ouchi has seen something of the situation.
"It's okay. I'm just asking casually. I'm causing trouble for you." Pei Ziyun said.
Naomi Hayakawa was a little reluctant and glanced again. Why did Satoshi Horikawa make up a lie and say that he had a girlfriend
What is his purpose in saying this
Moreover, although she did not communicate with him directly, she was not far away from him and could hear all the conversations. Hayakawa Naomi felt that Horikawa Satoshi was not lying. The kind of emotions that come from the heart, unless a professional actor, most people It's hard to hide.
However, the small house in front of me is full of old and dull utensils. Most of them are books and manuscript papers. Where is the appearance of the mistress
Besides, Satoshi Horikawa is devoted to creation and has no source of income. Even if he works odd jobs, how can he pay the rent on time every month and meet his living expenses
Pei Ziyun no longer hesitated, smiled and bowed slightly: "Let's go out, I'm really sorry to trouble you."
Saying that, he led the suspicious Saeko and Naomi out. When Ouchi closed the door, Rinako turned around with a smile and led everyone through the corridor. Pei Ziyun suddenly turned around and turned back without saying a word. Saeko and Naomi Looking at each other, they both followed closely behind.
Ouchi was startled for a moment, looking at Pei Ziyun's back, he couldn't help complaining: "Didn't I just check it, could it be that I forgot something?"
"Besides, I still can't open the door with the key in my hand."
As I thought about it, I turned around and looked around. Suddenly I was stunned. I saw no one in the narrow corridor at all. Three people disappeared.
"Impossible!" Rinako suddenly changed her expression and hurriedly chased after her. The door of room 302 was closed, but there was no one around. She sweated immediately and ordered: "Open the door immediately."
"Hi, hi!" Seeing the scene of the mysterious disappearance in person, my thighs felt weak. I tremblingly took out the key and tried to open the door, but it couldn't be opened after several attempts.
Rinako ignored the politeness and rushed to the door. When she turned, the door opened, but there was no one inside. She glanced again without giving up. She only felt that her throat was dry. She swallowed lightly and took out her mobile phone to make a call. Called: "Team leader, Yamada Shinichi is missing!"
"Gone? What's missing?"
Rinako quickly reported: "We just searched the residence of Satoshi Horikawa and found nothing. Just as we were about to return, they disappeared!"
"There are no windows in the entire hallway, and there are none in the rooms."
In just a few minutes, more than a dozen people in police uniforms swooped in and started searching. They turned the entire apartment upside down but still could not find Pei Ziyun and the others.
A policeman apologized: "Team leader, I'm very sorry. I didn't find any clues, and the camera didn't find anything either. Please forgive me!"
After hearing this, a police officer's face became fierce and he shouted angrily: "Continue to search, search again, why don't you go quickly?"
"Baga!" Seeing his subordinates getting busy again, the team leader wanted to hold back his anger, but in the end he couldn't help it and punched the wall in anger.
Rikuto Yamabe was born in the semi-professional group. The semi-professional group was promoted based on seniority and merit. Although in name he could be promoted to the chief of police, in reality, too much potential had been consumed when he arrived at the police station.
Now, like the company's quasi-professional team, do I have to take the blame for the professional team (regular employees)
Pei Ziyun, Saeko, and Naomi, unaware of the grief and indignation of a police officer named Yamabe, were standing at the door of Room 302 and knocked on the door.
Inside the room, a girl was wearing an apron. Her little eyes were focused on the beef, and she was carefully removing the fascia. She was very happy: "Horikawa-kun is finally going to make his debut, and his work is going to be published, so we have to celebrate today."
Beef is something that ordinary people rarely eat once a month.
Just when Kyoko was picking up the fascia with a lancet, there was a knock on the door. Kyoko frowned, but relaxed again in the blink of an eye. After a moment, the door lock clicked, opening a small crack, and asked softly: " Hello, who are you looking for?"
Pei Ziyun lowered his head slightly and said, "I am the editor of Satoshi Horikawa. I was sent by the publishing house to conduct an investigation."
This was a lie, but Kyoko took a quick look and immediately showed an expression of enthusiasm and joy. She seemed to believe it, opened the door, and welcomed the three of them into the house.
The three of them entered the room and sat down around the heating table. Kyoko brought the tea set to the three of them and said, "Horikawa-kun, you can take more care of me."
"Ah, it's okay, it's all as it should be. Mr. Motohashi, the founder of Shiraishi Gakuen, once said that excellent authors are the real source of strength of the academy. As long as there are excellent authors, as long as excellent authors do not abandon Shiraishi Gakuen , then Baishi Academy will not fail."
"I am here this time on the orders of Chief Editor Fujijo to do some background research on Horikawa-kun. Our company is considering publishing Horikawa-kun's novels in the near future, but since this is our first cooperation, we hope to get to know each other better." Pei Ziyun said seriously. : "Horikawa-kun is not yet an excellent author, but he has the potential to be an excellent author, and we are willing to grow with him."
After hearing this, Kyoko's face straightened, she lay on the ground and choked with sobs: "Hey, I understand, Satoshi is so happy to meet an editor like you - please ask!"
Pei Ziyun picked up the tea and found that it was cold. He put down the tea cup, opened his notebook and looked through the contents and asked, "Was Horikawa-kun born in Shibuya Prefecture, Kanagawa?"
"Yes!"
"Tell me your story!"
Seeing Pei Ziyun recording in his notebook, Kyoko fell into memories and said: "Our two families are neighbors. His family moved from the countryside. When he first arrived in Shibuya, he had no friends and was unfamiliar with the place. When he moved, he got caught in the rain and had a baby. I was ill and couldn't go out. I happened to live next door, so I often went to see him, told him about the local customs, and brought him carp streamers for Children's Day. We made an agreement that when he gets better, we can watch the celebration together... "
"We went to school together, grew up together, and naturally fell in love together... I remember one time, I was struggling with what flavor of lipstick Satoshi liked, so Satoshi asked me to apply each flavor of lipstick..." Kyoko lowered her head shyly, no Keep talking, but everyone understands the meaning.
"After graduation, will you live together?" Pei Ziyun took notes.
"Yes, that was the year we moved to Tokyo."
"What's the reason for leaving Shibuya and moving to Tokyo?"
"Satoshi said he wanted to pursue literature, so we moved to Tokyo. I am his girlfriend and future wife, and I have an obligation to support Horikawa-kun!" Kyoko answered seriously.
"Are Horikawa-kun's parents still alive?"
"I'm still here. Every year, I call back."
The Japanese attach great importance to the collective and play their social roles seriously. At the same time, there are signs of despising the family. Abandonment of the elderly is still prevalent. The elderly lack support from their children and have to form a large number of nursing homes, forming a huge industry.
According to the "National Survey" conducted by the Japanese government every five years, there were 3.86 million elderly families with one person living alone in 2005. Not all of them have children, but their children generally live independent families with limited contact. Last year, a TV station interviewed an elderly person. As a wife, she still runs her own grocery store, loading goods and keeping accounts every day. On her 100th birthday, no one from her children came to visit. Only her grandson who was far away called her: "Come on!"
From a Chinese perspective, this scene is unbelievable, but in Japan it is very common. Making a phone call every year is already fulfilling your obligation.
"As far as we know, Horikawa-kun was once homeless in Tokyo, right?" Pei Ziyun suddenly asked with bad intentions.
Kyoko's whole body was shaken, her happy smile quickly disappeared, the air suddenly became strange, Saeko immediately touched the knife warily, and then Pei Ziyun smiled again: "Perhaps this wandering experience is the source of inspiration for Horikawa-kun's literary creation. uncertain!"
The girl's face softened slightly, and she lowered her head and said, "Richie is really a very talented person. Thank you for giving him the opportunity."
Pei Ziyun smiled and said nothing, just fiddled with the tea cup and asked: "So, after Horikawa-kun wandered, when did you meet again?"
Kyoko was startled, lowered her head and murmured: "I, I can't remember..."
"Can't remember, or don't want to remember? Yoshida Kyoko has died in the house a long time ago!" This sudden shout shocked the girl like a thunderbolt. She screamed "Ah" with a hideous face and black smoke rising from her body. .
I would like to apologize to everyone. I was busy with work a while ago and my tooth hurt and it was swollen for a long time. I finally had it removed and my condition has basically recovered. Today, I will start a chapter on recovery.
(End of chapter)