As the car drove along, it was already night time. Groups of white-collar workers began to appear in the izakaya that dotted the streets, complaining from time to time. The waiters stood in front of the door with a professional smile and kept bowing to welcome them.
Even with the frequent supernatural incidents, Tokyo was still a bustling city with tall buildings and crowds of people. However, as the car entered a corner, the situation gradually changed. The atmosphere was gloomy and inconspicuous, as if it was shrouded in shadows and forgotten by the world.
The car slowed down and drove into the area. The roads were old and dilapidated, and were covered with fallen leaves. Although there were still street lights and other public structures, they were all rusted. The car made several turns before stopping in front of an old three story building. Pei Zi Yun got out of the car and looked around. He frowned and asked, "This isn't the Three Valleys right?"
Rinako was dressed in a suit and looked very experienced. "Yamada-kun, no, it's still quite a distance away from Mitsuya."
Mitsuya was a slum area in Tokyo. There were many cage houses there. This was not the Mitsuya, it was an apartment for people with low incomes.
It seemed like this was the most ordinary rental area for the poor. As they walked in, they saw an apartment.
"This is a four-story building. It was built in 87 years of the last century. Each floor has six units, and the layout of the building is uniform. It was built to be rented out and used to collect rent."
"Horigawa Riki is living here. We've searched the room many times. It's very ordinary, nothing out of the ordinary."
As she spoke, an old man in his early sixties with white hair walked over. Rinako introduced him. "This is Mr. Onuchi, he's been the landlord here for more than thirty years."
Onuchi laughed. "I don't live here anymore. I only come here to collect rent every month. I was notified this morning, so I've been waiting here."
"Sorry to have troubled you." Rinako bowed slightly. Japan was a country that valued etiquette. Although there was a clear hierarchy, it was still necessary to be polite. Rinako's bow was very standard. The size of her bow could be recorded as a teaching material.
After returning the bow, Onuchi led the group upstairs.
The corridor was covered in dust. This apartment was old and had entered a period of decline. Even the property management was almost gone.
When they arrived at room 302, Onuchi took out a key and opened the door. "Room 302, a total of 15 square meters. The monthly rent is 60,000 yen. The tenant has always been punctual. Other than the monthly rent collection day, we rarely meet. I only know that there's an author …"
"It's not easy to become a writer!" "I once had a tenant who wanted to write, but he ended up going to Mitsuya."
"I saw him scavenging last year, but I won't see him this year."
The people of the Three Valleys had no guarantee of their own safety. Sometimes, they would disappear without anyone knowing. In the movie "The Sacrifice of a Suspect", the male lead killed a scavenger and swapped his body. No one found out.
Some of them might not have disappeared, but committed suicide. In Japan, there were many countries with a lifetime employment system. Once a middle-aged man lost his job, it would be difficult for him to find a job. In the eyes of his family, neighbors, and friends, he would become a worthless stray dog.
Suicide or vagabonding became the only choices.
Rinako looked solemn and didn't say a word.
The door opened. The room was very small and compact. The walls were partitioned with wooden boards and were filled with daily necessities and books. It looked like an ordinary house.
"I'll go take a look," Cuozi called out, scanning the room with the eyes of a drug-sniffing dog.
Hayakawa Naomi and Pei Zi Yun were also pacing around the room. Everything was normal.
Hayakawa Naomi said, "That's not right. Mr. Horigawa said he has a girlfriend, but there are no traces of a woman's life in this house."
That's right. There were no women's clothes or cosmetics in this house. The books and manuscripts were all Horigawa's belongings. It was obvious that he lived alone. But why would Horigawa lie?
Rinako looked at them from outside the door. She lowered her head, her face expressionless. As a public servant of the shogunate, she wasn't a professional driver. She was a female police officer who had received special training.
She had been to this room long ago and had reported everything she could find. Now, she was sent to be Yamada Shinji's driver. She was very confused.
Yamada Shinji was an outstanding writer. No one could deny that.
When Seven Samurai was released, it was highly sought after by the readers. It created a situation where paper was expensive in Luoyang. Up until now, the sales had exceeded one million copies. This was nothing more than a shot in the arm for the shrinking Japanese publishing industry.
It was understood that because there were seven copies released, the total royalties were as high as 800 million yen. This was a very high figure. University professors, doctors, and department heads of companies only had an annual salary of 12 million yen. They had to save up for 60 years without eating or drinking.
But no matter how good the author was, it had nothing to do with this investigation. What was even more ridiculous was that he had brought two little girls with him on this mission. This was unacceptable.
Seeing that she had not found anything, Rinako felt inexplicably happy. However, the other party was a famous author. It was said that he was a distinguished guest of some important people. She did not dare to offend him and could only remain expressionless.
Pei Zi Yun was not surprised and asked, "Room 302's Horigawa Rishi, what do you know about him?"
The Minister 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 and pays his rent on time. He rarely interacts with his neighbors."
"The people who live in this building are people who are looking for jobs or dreams. People often move in and out. Horigawa has been living here for a few years and can be considered an old tenant. However, in recent years, he has been paying the rent directly to my card. I don't have much contact with him. Did he do something wrong?"
The last time the police investigated, they did not even go through the landlord. But now, the Minister could tell that something was amiss.
"Nothing, I was just asking casually. Sorry for the trouble." Pei Zi Yun said.
Naomi Hayakawa was not satisfied. Her eyes swept across the room again. Why would Horigawa Rishi make up a lie and say that he had a girlfriend?
What was his motive for saying that?
Moreover, although she did not directly communicate with him, they were not far apart. She heard all the conversation. Hayakawa Naomi felt that Horigawa Riki did not seem to be lying. That kind of heartfelt emotion, unless it was a professional actor, it would be difficult for ordinary people to hide.
However, the house in front of her was filled with dull old utensils. At most, there were books and papers. How could this house look like a hostess?
Furthermore, Horigawa Rishi was focused on creating. He had no source of income. Even if he worked part-time, how could he pay the rent on time?
Pei Zi Yun did not hesitate. He smiled and bowed slightly. "Let's go. Sorry to trouble you."
As he said that, he led the suspicious Kuwako and Naomi out. When the Minister closed the door, Rinako smiled and turned around. As she led everyone through the corridor, Pei Zi Yun suddenly turned around and walked back without saying a word. Kuwako and Naomi looked at each other and followed closely behind.
The Minister was stunned. Looking at Pei Zi Yun's back, he could not help but complain. "Didn't we just check? Did we forget something?"
"Furthermore, the key is still in my hands. I can't open the door."
As she thought about it, she turned around and was stunned. In the narrow corridor, there was no one. The three of them had disappeared.
"Impossible!" Rinako's expression changed. She quickly chased after them. The door to Room 302 was closed, but there was no one around. She started to sweat and ordered, "Open the door immediately."
"Hey, hey!" The Minister's legs turned to jelly. He took out the key and tried to open the door, but he could not open it.
Rinako could not care less about politeness. She rushed to the door and turned. The door opened, but there was no one inside. Unwilling to give up, she scanned the room again. She felt her throat was dry. She swallowed her saliva and took out her phone to make a call. "Team Leader, Yamada Shinichi is missing!"
"Missing? What's missing? "
Rinako quickly reported. "We just searched Horigawa Rishi's place and found nothing. Just as we were about to return, they disappeared!"
"There was no window in the entire corridor. There was no one in the room either."
In just a few minutes, more than ten people in police uniforms rushed over and started a search. They turned the entire apartment upside down but still could not find Pei Zi Yun and the other two.
A police officer apologized. "Team Leader, I'm very sorry. We did not find any clues. The cameraman did not find anything either. Please forgive us!"
A police officer's face turned fierce. "Continue to search. Search again. What are you waiting for?"
"Baka!" The team leader saw that his subordinates were busy again. He wanted to hold back his anger, but in the end, he could not help but punch the wall angrily.
Rikuto Yamada was from the quasi-professional group. The quasi-professional group was promoted based on experience and contributions. Although he could be promoted to the rank of Inspector, in reality, he had used up too much of his potential in the police department.
Now, he had to be like the company's quasi-professional group and be the scapegoat for the professional group (official staff)?
Pei Zi Yun, Kyoko, and Naomi did not know the grief and indignation of a police officer called Yamada. They stood at the door of Room 302 and knocked on the door.
Inside the room, a young girl was wearing an apron. Her small eyes were focused on the beef, carefully removing the fascia. She was very happy. "Horigawa-kun is finally going to debut. His work is going to be published. Today, we have to celebrate."
Beef. Ordinary people would rarely eat it once a month.
Just as Kyoko was using the needle to remove the fascia, there was a knock on the door. Kyoko frowned, but in the blink of an eye, she relaxed. After a while, the door lock made a small crack. She asked softly, "Hello, who are you looking for?"
Pei Zi Yun lowered his head slightly and said, "I am the editor of Horigawa Riki. I was sent by the publishing company to do an investigation."
This was a lie, but Kyoko looked at it and immediately showed a warm and happy expression. She seemed to believe it and opened the door, welcoming the three into the room.
The three entered the room and sat around the table. Kyoko served the tea set and filled the three. "Horigawa-kun, please take care of me."
"Ah, it's okay. It's what I should do. The founder of White Stone Academy, Mr. Motohashi, once said that excellent authors are the real source of strength for the academy. As long as there are excellent authors, as long as the excellent authors do not abandon White Stone Academy, then White Stone Academy will not fail."
"I came here on the orders of the chief editor, Tengjō, to do some background research on Horigawa-kun. Our company has recently considered publishing Horigawa-kun's novel, but because this is our first cooperation, I hope to deepen our mutual understanding." Pei Zi Yun said seriously, "Horigawa-kun is not considered an excellent author, but he has the potential to be one. We are willing to grow together with him."
When Kyoko heard this, her face turned serious. She bowed to the ground and choked with sobs. "Hey, I understand. Riki is really lucky to have an editor like you. Please ask!"
Pei Zi Yun picked up the tea and found that it was cold. He put down the teacup and opened the notebook to look at the content. "Horigawa-kun was born in Shibuya Prefecture, Kanagawa?"
"Yes!"
"Tell me your story!"
Seeing that Pei Zi Yun was recording in the notebook, Kyoko fell into memory and said, "Our two families are neighbors. His family moved here from the countryside. When he first arrived in Shibuya, he had no friends and was unfamiliar with the place. When he moved, he was drenched in the rain and fell ill. He could not go out. I happened to live next door, so I often went to see him. I told him about the local customs and brought him the Carp Flag for Children's Day. We agreed that when he recovered, we would watch the celebration together …"
"We went to school together, grew up together, and naturally fell in love together … I remember once, I was confused about what flavor of lipstick Riki liked, so he asked me to apply every flavor of lipstick …" Kyoko lowered her head shyly and did not continue, but everyone understood what she meant.
"After graduation, did you live together?" Pei Zi Yun wrote down the transcript.
"Yes, it was that year that we moved to Tokyo."
"Why did you leave Shibuya and move to Tokyo?"
"Riki said he wanted to pursue literature, so we moved to Tokyo. I am his girlfriend and future wife. I have an obligation to support Horigawa-kun!" Kyoko answered very seriously.
"Are Horigawa-kun's parents still alive?"
"Yes, they are. Every year, they call back."
The Japanese valued the collective and played a social role seriously. At the same time, there were signs of contempt for the family. It was still popular to abandon the elderly. The elderly lacked the support of their children, so they had no choice but to form a large number of old people's homes, forming a huge industry.
According to the "National Power Survey" conducted by the Japanese government every five years, in 2005, the number of elderly living alone reached as high as 3.86 million. It was not that they did not have children, but their children generally lived an independent family life and had limited contact with them. Last year, an old woman was interviewed by the television station. She still guarded her own grocery store, and every day, she would keep accounts. On her 100th birthday, none of her children came to visit. Only her grandson, who was far away, gave her a call. "Do your best!"
From the point of view of the Chinese, this scene was inconceivable, but it was very common in Japan. Calling back every year was already an obligation.
"According to what we know, Horigawa-kun used to wander around Tokyo, right?" Pei Zi Yun suddenly asked.
Kyoko's whole body trembled, and her happy smile quickly disappeared. The atmosphere suddenly became strange, and Kyoko immediately touched her knife vigilantly. At this time, Pei Zi Yun smiled again. "Perhaps, this wandering experience was the source of inspiration for Horigawa-kun's literary creation!"
The young girl's expression softened slightly. She lowered her head and said, "Riki is really a very talented person. Thank you for giving him a chance."
Pei Zi Yun smiled but did not say anything. He just fiddled with the teacup and asked, "So, after Horigawa-kun wandered, when did you meet again?"
Kyoko was startled, and she lowered her head and murmured, "I, I can't remember …"
"Can't remember, or don't want to remember? The Yoshida Kyoko who died in the house long ago! "This sudden shout made the young girl feel as if she had been struck by lightning." Ah ah! "She let out a scream. Her face was ferocious, and black smoke rose from her body.
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