４．Ｓａｔｕｒｄａｙ Ｍａｒｃｈ ２， ２０１９
文字数 7,343文字
When Kira muttered this, Maruta reflexively picked up the third handout.
"This is a Certificate of All Matters, which describes the transfer of ownership of the property and other information. This can also be obtained by applying to the Legal Affairs Bureau."
"Wow, all this stuff."
"That said, I am not a real estate expert. So I'll skip the hard stuff and just say the important parts. Look here."
Maruta fingered the section on the paper labeled 'Rights holders and other matters'.
"Takeo Oku," Kira uttered the words as they came into his eyes.
"That person", said Maruta. "Should have been the owner of the house at least when the incident occurred, according to these records. We know that a man named Takeo Oku acquired that shed in 1968. And no transfer of ownership has taken place since then."
"1968, which means he had lived there for almost fifty years." While Kira sounds dismayed, Maruta continues in a nonchalant manner.
"Kira-san, do you have any idea who Mr. Oku is, although his name is obviously a man?"
"No, not at all."
"OK."
Maruta again, with a natural motion, placed the second handout on top.
"I'd like to hear from someone like you that have thought about the case in detail." Of course, 'in detail' is flattering. "Do you think a locked room can be established in such a simple boarded-up house?"
"Established, you say?" Easily expected, Kira asks back.
Maruta responds mechanically to this by asking the question again.
"Of course, the incident did not take place in a room in an office building not easily destroyed. In this case, for example, I think it would have been relatively easy to break down part of the wall and get inside. At least compared to reinforced concrete buildings."
After hearing that much, Kira grunted and answered with a heavy mouth.
Maruta lends an ear, sending a glance that says; You can be more confident.
"Well, even if it were easy, it would be difficult to tear down the wall quickly. If people lived in the house, it might have been insulated."
"You mean that it is difficult even for an adult male?" To this Maruta added, Kira simply replied, "Yes, that's right".
"This is," Maruta said, dexterously peeling off another sheet that was stuck under the handout. "A photo of the burned ruins of the house."
"There was even a fourth one."
"Yeah, it looks like they were sticking together because of the photo paper. I didn't mean to hide it. So, if you recall, right after the incident, we still don't know where the fire started from, and the house was half burned down."
"Yes, it was. I believe, when Silva's body was found."
"Right, members of Tokyo Spread who were accompanying Silva-san were the first to discover the body. Shortly thereafter, the house suddenly burst into flames. These, too, are the conclusions of newspaper and Internet articles."
When the phrase 〈Tokyo spread〉 was mentioned for the first time in conversation with Kira, Maruta glanced at his expression. However, Kira only followed the movements of Maruta's hands, not allowing him to look closely at his face. Maruta then looked down at the tabletop again and placed the fourth sheet in a position where Kira could easily see it.
"This was taken the day after the incident. A few days after the incident, it was uploaded by a major newspaper with an article for the Internet."
"It's a sad picture to look at."
"Kira-san, have you ever seen this?"
"I vaguely remember it. I too read several online articles with photos like this after the incident."
The charred wooden columns and walls remain there as rubble, imperfectly depicting the shape of the original hut, their usefulness at once atomized. Through the powerless, tangled gaps in the wreckage, a mountain ridge of lush trees peeks across the blue sky. These ironic combinations even seem to leave the viewer with a perpetual feeling of empty, cold discomfort. At the very least, it is not a sight that many would actively adopt as desktop wallpaper.
"I can't be sure of this either." Maruta says as explaining. "This burned house appears to be the one in the second image is burned."
"From what I've seen, the material of the burned boards and the entrance door are the same."
"Yes. Besides, the surrounding grass looks very similar to the second photo. It's not as well kept as it could be, but it's not in disrepair with all the grass and trees growing. There are areas around the house where the soil is about to be trampled and exposed. It is not unnatural that a person was living there just before. And they are common to the second image as well."
Resting both elbows on the table, Kira was looking at the two pictures alternately, as if he were reading an illustrated book he had bought for himself. Maruta waited patiently for Kira to get bored, and when he raised his upper body, opened his mouth again.
"Kira-san, do you have any thoughts so far?"
"Any thoughts?" When asked, Kira grunted again with a shy smile on his face. But he made no further pretense of doing anything active.
Maruta replies on behalf of Kira, who brings indecision to the forefront.
"The house didn't completely burn down. That's just Half-Burned, Kira-san. See the fourth image again."
While listening, Kira honestly turns his eyes to the picture.
"Much of the central portion of the house remains unburned. The area that burned well was also near the room on the right where Silva's body was found. The wall in front of that room, as well as the exterior wall across the hallway, has been almost completely burned away, exposing the interior. The left side of the house, like the center, appears to have retained its original shape, although burnt areas can be seen. As for the back of the house, I can't say for sure at this stage, as it is behind the wreckage."
"I see," After hearing that much, Kira let it slip. Maruta pushes the point even further.
"This is a very personal opinion, but the way it burns seems to me to be halfway there."
"Halfway?"
"Yes. The cause of the fire is still unknown. The incident and the fire may be unrelated. But, it is intuitive to think that the house was burned by the real culprit."
"Well, yes."
"Kira-san, please think about it. Don't you think it's a piece of cake to burn down a house of this size?"
"Certainly,"
"Assuming that the culprit intentionally set the fire, what exactly was his intention? If there was something in the house before the fire that could be directly linked to the murderer, and he wanted to burn it, he would have burned it down until there was no trace of it. "
"It could be that the evidence was left on the right side of the house, or that it rained during the process. It was in the mountains."
"Well, any of these are conceivable." Maruta said calmly, choosing his words carefully so as not to sound sarcastic. "I'm not forcing myself to ask about the case either."
"This is a Certificate of All Matters, which describes the transfer of ownership of the property and other information. This can also be obtained by applying to the Legal Affairs Bureau."
"Wow, all this stuff."
"That said, I am not a real estate expert. So I'll skip the hard stuff and just say the important parts. Look here."
Maruta fingered the section on the paper labeled 'Rights holders and other matters'.
"Takeo Oku," Kira uttered the words as they came into his eyes.
"That person", said Maruta. "Should have been the owner of the house at least when the incident occurred, according to these records. We know that a man named Takeo Oku acquired that shed in 1968. And no transfer of ownership has taken place since then."
"1968, which means he had lived there for almost fifty years." While Kira sounds dismayed, Maruta continues in a nonchalant manner.
"Kira-san, do you have any idea who Mr. Oku is, although his name is obviously a man?"
"No, not at all."
"OK."
Maruta again, with a natural motion, placed the second handout on top.
"I'd like to hear from someone like you that have thought about the case in detail." Of course, 'in detail' is flattering. "Do you think a locked room can be established in such a simple boarded-up house?"
"Established, you say?" Easily expected, Kira asks back.
Maruta responds mechanically to this by asking the question again.
"Of course, the incident did not take place in a room in an office building not easily destroyed. In this case, for example, I think it would have been relatively easy to break down part of the wall and get inside. At least compared to reinforced concrete buildings."
After hearing that much, Kira grunted and answered with a heavy mouth.
Maruta lends an ear, sending a glance that says; You can be more confident.
"Well, even if it were easy, it would be difficult to tear down the wall quickly. If people lived in the house, it might have been insulated."
"You mean that it is difficult even for an adult male?" To this Maruta added, Kira simply replied, "Yes, that's right".
"This is," Maruta said, dexterously peeling off another sheet that was stuck under the handout. "A photo of the burned ruins of the house."
"There was even a fourth one."
"Yeah, it looks like they were sticking together because of the photo paper. I didn't mean to hide it. So, if you recall, right after the incident, we still don't know where the fire started from, and the house was half burned down."
"Yes, it was. I believe, when Silva's body was found."
"Right, members of Tokyo Spread who were accompanying Silva-san were the first to discover the body. Shortly thereafter, the house suddenly burst into flames. These, too, are the conclusions of newspaper and Internet articles."
When the phrase 〈Tokyo spread〉 was mentioned for the first time in conversation with Kira, Maruta glanced at his expression. However, Kira only followed the movements of Maruta's hands, not allowing him to look closely at his face. Maruta then looked down at the tabletop again and placed the fourth sheet in a position where Kira could easily see it.
"This was taken the day after the incident. A few days after the incident, it was uploaded by a major newspaper with an article for the Internet."
"It's a sad picture to look at."
"Kira-san, have you ever seen this?"
"I vaguely remember it. I too read several online articles with photos like this after the incident."
The charred wooden columns and walls remain there as rubble, imperfectly depicting the shape of the original hut, their usefulness at once atomized. Through the powerless, tangled gaps in the wreckage, a mountain ridge of lush trees peeks across the blue sky. These ironic combinations even seem to leave the viewer with a perpetual feeling of empty, cold discomfort. At the very least, it is not a sight that many would actively adopt as desktop wallpaper.
"I can't be sure of this either." Maruta says as explaining. "This burned house appears to be the one in the second image is burned."
"From what I've seen, the material of the burned boards and the entrance door are the same."
"Yes. Besides, the surrounding grass looks very similar to the second photo. It's not as well kept as it could be, but it's not in disrepair with all the grass and trees growing. There are areas around the house where the soil is about to be trampled and exposed. It is not unnatural that a person was living there just before. And they are common to the second image as well."
Resting both elbows on the table, Kira was looking at the two pictures alternately, as if he were reading an illustrated book he had bought for himself. Maruta waited patiently for Kira to get bored, and when he raised his upper body, opened his mouth again.
"Kira-san, do you have any thoughts so far?"
"Any thoughts?" When asked, Kira grunted again with a shy smile on his face. But he made no further pretense of doing anything active.
Maruta replies on behalf of Kira, who brings indecision to the forefront.
"The house didn't completely burn down. That's just Half-Burned, Kira-san. See the fourth image again."
While listening, Kira honestly turns his eyes to the picture.
"Much of the central portion of the house remains unburned. The area that burned well was also near the room on the right where Silva's body was found. The wall in front of that room, as well as the exterior wall across the hallway, has been almost completely burned away, exposing the interior. The left side of the house, like the center, appears to have retained its original shape, although burnt areas can be seen. As for the back of the house, I can't say for sure at this stage, as it is behind the wreckage."
"I see," After hearing that much, Kira let it slip. Maruta pushes the point even further.
"This is a very personal opinion, but the way it burns seems to me to be halfway there."
"Halfway?"
"Yes. The cause of the fire is still unknown. The incident and the fire may be unrelated. But, it is intuitive to think that the house was burned by the real culprit."
"Well, yes."
"Kira-san, please think about it. Don't you think it's a piece of cake to burn down a house of this size?"
"Certainly,"
"Assuming that the culprit intentionally set the fire, what exactly was his intention? If there was something in the house before the fire that could be directly linked to the murderer, and he wanted to burn it, he would have burned it down until there was no trace of it. "
"It could be that the evidence was left on the right side of the house, or that it rained during the process. It was in the mountains."
"Well, any of these are conceivable." Maruta said calmly, choosing his words carefully so as not to sound sarcastic. "I'm not forcing myself to ask about the case either."
