４．Ｓａｔｕｒｄａｙ　Ｍａｒｃｈ　１６，　２０１９

It was past 3:00 p.m. when they exited the expressway into Tokyo. Once on a public road, Maruta's hands at the wheel are sweaty as the difficulty of driving increases. So this time, he drove carefully, checking directions with Kira, who had transformed himself into an excellent navigator.

Asumi Minagawa's house was located in a quiet residential area in North Ward.
"That's a fine house indeed." From the driver's seat, Maruta looked at the mansion, the legacy of 〈Milley〉.
"I wish I could live in a house like this." The envious look in Kira's eyes made that clichéd platitude sound like a dumb code word for opening the gates of the palatial home.
But the white gate was already open. It urged the two, who were now completely dwarfed, to enter with unnecessary generosity.

"There is a parking space for visitors, which is really helpful." Maruta said, backing into the lot and turning off the engine next to a shiny black minivan.

They walked restlessly on the white tiles laid down to the front door. Maruta climbed up the two-tier porch and pressed the intercom. A few seconds later, a young woman responded through the speaker.
"My name is Maruta."
"And Kira."
The heavy baroque doors opened discreetly not long after the two men threw their voices together like chiggy stand-up comedians.

A woman with sophistication in every part of her body emerged, a living embodiment of 〈Milley〉. Although not dressed in a long dress with fur shawl, the curves of her black skinny jeans, the broad neckline of her pale blue tunic, and the thin shoulder straps of her camisole peeking out from it all combine naturally to create a simple, coquettish look.

Her eyes, accentuated by her upturned eyelashes, certainly showed the 〈Milley〉 of her days, when she provided small pleasures through the screen. The tired, gaunt look on her face, which seemed to be caused by fatigue, reminded them of her younger sister, who always had a reserved and fragile look on her face.
"Sorry, we are slightly late." When Maruta apologized, Asumi Minagawa said in a forlorn tone, "Please come in, I am the only one here."

The two had anticipated the heavy atmosphere beforehand.
In the presence of a woman with whom they do not share a weekly barbecue, they simply said, "Thank you for having us," and moved forward with an air of modesty.

Again, they were ushered into the living room and seated on one of a pair of white sofas. The low glass table in front of them, the long-haired carpet beneath it, and the frivolously luxurious chandelier overhead nearly overwhelmed the two mediocre-looking people. Looking around the large space, Maruta thought that even with his poor speaking skills, he could keep her flattered for a few hours with just her assessment of the furniture.

From the way things had been going up to that point, it seemed as if they would be served some rare Chinese tea, but surprisingly, they were served only familiar items such as bottles of soda water and canned juices.
"Sorry for all the leftovers," Asumi sat on the vacant one of the sofas.

"I don't mind that at all." During the formal exchange with 〈Milley〉's sister, a thought occurred to Maruta's brain: If I drink all the soda water in one gulp, it might make her smile a little.
However, since the other party was, of course, a woman he had never met before, and he also thought of his own inability to control the carbon dioxide refluxing from his stomach, he decided to stop taking that disadvantageous gamble.

At first, saying "Thank you," Maruta sipped a soda. Then, began to state.
"This may be a less than pleasant visit for you. Even though a lot of time has passed since Milley-san passed away, I don't think the grief has completely healed yet."

Seeing that Asumi did not respond, Maruta continued on.
"Kira-san and I are friends of Silva-san, or Gin Nakata."
Maruta summarized what had happened up to that point. 〈Silva〉, meeting Kira, making contact with 〈Tokyo Spread〉, and going directly to the scene of the crime.

Then Asumi did not seem to despise the amateur detective, but rather seemed to marvel at his story.
"I remember Mr. Nakata very well. I had dinner with him and my sister here several times."
"Have you ever met Kira-san?"
"We met for the first time today. But I had heard about him in their story."
Kira made no attempt to say anything, only smiling shyly.

"So," Maruta touches on the main issue. "I know it is very rude to ask these questions, but Milley-san uploaded a video in May 2017 showing her injured. The content was very shocking as it clearly showed the wounds. She confessed then that she fell down the stairs."

"Yes, I believe it was a night in May of the year before last. My sister came home that day in a drunken state. Nakata-san gave her a cab ride, she said."
"Was she with Silva-san at that at the day?"
"Yes, they had dinner together around Shinjuku and took a cab back here. Nakata-san supported Milley, who was drunk, and carried her to the front door there. I thanked him for his help. He then immediately got back into the cab waiting to take him home."

Remaining silent, Maruta and Kira continued to listen to the words coming out of the lady's mouth.
"After I took my sister in, I tried to drag her to this living room. But she said, 'I can walk by myself,' and kept paying my hand off."

"Had she ever come home drunk before?" asked Maruta.
Asumi made a gesture of thinking for a moment, then said.
"It's hard to say. There were many times when she would come home after drinking alcohol out of the house. But then I think she was more deeply intoxicated than usual."
"And when she tried to go upstairs, she fell on the stairs."
"Yes, I should have been there for her properly. Her room was on the second floor. In a daze, she tried to go to her room above. At the time I was downstairs in the kitchen trying to get water, not thinking it would be a big deal. But then,"

Milley's sister had tears in her eyes, clearly visible. Before Maruta could find the words to say, she spoke again.
"It sounded amazing. The sound was like repeatedly hitting something solid. I was so surprised that I rushed toward the stairs. There she was, lying on her stomach, limp and slumped over."
As Maruta listened, he remembered the video of the injury that 〈Milley〉 had posted at the time.

"You didn't call for an ambulance?"
"No." She remained stouthearted. "I tried to call it right away. But she said she was fine and wouldn't listen."
"So she was conscious, then."
"Yes, she was clearly conscious."
"She has got a scar on her face."
"Yes. I was so upset when I saw the injuries on her face. I repeatedly convinced her to go to the hospital by ambulance. But, what was she trying to do? She stubbornly refused to listen to my advice."
"After all, she didn't even resort to an ambulance or go to the hospital?"
"No. After a while, she sobered up and went upstairs again with dazed steps. I don't know how she spent the time once sha was in her room."
"She uploaded that video, didn't she?" Maruta said calmly.
"Yes, she did. I thought, she should be on her own, so I sat here and spread out my magazine. When quiet finally returned, I too went to bed that night in my room upstairs. In the meantime, I think she took that video in her room and uploaded it."
"Is the reason for releasing that video still related to the management company? At the time, Milley-san was a member of UMORE, the office of popular video-creators."

Again, Asumi Minagawa was silent for a few moments. Then, after letting out a huff, she said.
"I think it probably is. But I cannot say for sure. I think maybe you are right, she probably wanted to tell her fans right away that she was injured."
"Certainly, from her perspective, she would have been unsure how to respond."
"Yes. If she had kept that face, she wouldn't have been able to make videos for a while. This would have worried her fans all over Japan. That said, I think she was not sure if it was appropriate to disclose the injury right away."
"It could be that she was too drunk to make normal decisions."
"I was told that she contacted someone at the office of UMORE before uploading the video. Of course, from her room on her cell phone."
"Do you know what instructions UMORE gave her at that time?"
"Yes. As I recall, the company told her that 'The fact that you were injured should be communicated to your fans as soon as possible.' Later, my sister told me about it."

After hearing this, Maruta almost leaned back on the sofa with his eyes looking up. He wondered if he should bring up that assault video here, which features some people similar to each of 〈Milley〉 and 〈Silva〉. However, if there was an equilibrium that could be broken, there was still a desire not to break it. In any case, he can't avoid asking shocking questions, though.

"About a month later," Maruta says cautiously. "Your sister passed away. I am sorry to say that, and I can't find the right words to describe it."
Seeming to fully appreciate Maruta's concern, Asumi now explained the situation herself.
"Her wounds were much heavier than we had imagined. Recovery from facial injuries appeared to be fast. So I did not pay much attention to her condition after the accident. But her internal organs must have been damaged as well. Then she had a few days of abdominal pain, and a month later,"

Knowing where this conclusion going, Maruta nodded several times and slightly changed the direction of the conversation.
"The cause of her death, after all, was the falling down the stairs."
"Yes." Asumi's word had a sharpness.
"Did she go out or anything after that May 2017 falling? Or has someone visited you here?"
"No. After her injury, she refrained from taking any videos and stayed home. During that time, I bought all the necessities of life. Nakata-san and other staff members of UMORE came to visit us. Nakata-san, in particular, was very enthusiastic about coming here. I think he was very concerned about her."

"So," Maruta took out his smartphone when the time was right. "This video has nothing to do with them at all?"

That short video of the blonde man assaulting the brown-haired woman.
Leaning forward, Asumi Minagawa took one look at it, then said in a bored tone. "That is out of questions. Nakata-san was truly a gentle and kind man. I have never seen him violate Milley. And I have never heard of her being assaulted by him."
"In his videos, Silva-san played the role of a person who did things rashly, but behind the scenes, was a decent person."
"That's right."

Quickly getting up, the female house owner walked across the living room.
"Please, take a look at my house. If there is anything here that could help solve Mr. Silva's case, I would be more than happy to show it to you."