１．Ｔｈｕｒｓｄａｙ Ｍａｒｃｈ ２１， ２０１９
文字数 7,999文字
"I should have chosen a less crowded place." Maruta let out a deep sigh when he saw the crowds that never ceased until the night.
After hearing from 〈Number 4〉, the meeting place was decided to be Ueno because it was easily accessible for all three of them. Maruta regretted his easy idea of suggesting "In front of the statue of Takamori Saigo[*1]" at that time. In this crowd, it would not be easy to spot that featureless 〈Number 4〉 if he showed up.
"It's all right." Kira is quite relaxed. "When he comes, I'll let you know. I'm familiar with his face."
"I just remembered," Maruta turned toward Kira. "I got a message yesterday from a convenience store in Yamanashi Prefecture."
Seeing Kira unable to grasp what was going on, Maruta supplemented. "I got the Tokyo Spread sighting. I gave out business cards at the restaurant and several convenience stores last Saturday, didn't I?"
"Wow. Really?" Kira's eyes widened. "Did you get a call from someone who saw the Tokyo Spread?"
"Yes. Yesterday, an employee at one of the convenience stores in Yamanashi sent me a message directly to my app."
"That's where you went around after lunch with me, right?"
"Yes. He said he is a local high school boy, and long ago, the police asked him similar questions. The boy said, 'Mont Blanc came to the store on the day of the incident.'"
"I knew they were shopping in that area."
"It seems so. They bought foods and drinks at about 6:30 pm. The reason why he remembered so many details is that a few days after the incident, the officers who came directly to the convenience store requested to show the security camera recordings. The viewing took place in the employee waiting room, and the high school student said he remembers it well because he was there."
"I guess the police came to check there to see if Tokyo Spread's statement is not in conflict with the facts."
"Yes. As I recall, Shaggy said, the four of them, except for Number 4, prepared for the shoot at the hut where they arrived and then went shopping. That, in a manner of speaking, is consistent with the testimony I obtained yesterday. Well, we still only have confirmation on some of the facts."
Around them, several foreigners hold up their smartphone lenses to the statue. They had to dexterously shift their standing positions whenever the flow of people changed.
"It's cherry blossom viewing season." Kira's face is no different from that of a tourist.
"You should have told me that Ueno would be crowded today." When told this, Kira smiled, showing his double teeth.
"By no means did the cherry blossoms remind me," Maruta continued. "But you don't have any of Choice's belongings, do you, Kira-san?"
"Choice's belongings?"
"Yeah, when Silva-san passed away, I wondered if perhaps you received some of his belongings. So I thought, if any of them were hers, would you be willing to give me one of them?"
Kira crossed his arms and thought. "Maybe I don't have any of Choice's belongings. I did take back some of Silva's clothes when I was sorting through his belongings, but I don't think any of them were from Choice. Like I said before, when they broke up, he gave most of them back to her parents house."
"I know you did."
"After they ended their relationship, I believe some of Choice's toothbrushes and other items remained at Silva's house. But it's been three years now, so I'm sure those have long since been discarded."
"Well, those would be."
"Maruta-san, by the way, you visited Choice's house last week."
"Yes."
"How was it?"
"Both mother and daughter had great personalities, you know. Maybe it wasn't a good idea that it was at night, but I was left at the door without even being listened to properly."
After Maruta finished, they laughed out loud at each other.
They saved themselves the trouble of looking for 〈Number 4〉. Three minutes before the appointed time of 17:00, spotting the two, he called out to them.
"Hi," 〈Number 4〉 had his hands in the pockets of his black blouson, but he did not appear to be holding a revolver inside. He wore black-rimmed glasses that day, which made him look somewhat more intelligent than the last time they met.
Maruta said the obvious, "We met the week before last." But not taking this lightly, 〈Number 4〉 politely replied, "Yes, it's been a while."
The three of them headed on foot to a tavern in front of the station that 〈Number 4〉 had reserved in advance.
The Japanese gastropub was already filled with the deafening clamor of drunken people. Maruta and Kira took off their shoes and went up to the first wooden step. While he was putting his shoes in the locker provided, 〈Number 4〉 was telling the clerk the name of his reservation, and Maruta listened without looking at him. However, he did not communicate his family name, but 'Tokyo Spread' as the temporary group name.
The three of them were seated at a four-seater table surrounded on three sides by thick walls. A rounded screen is provided above one of the remaining sides. They were in an almost completely private room when they put it down.
"It's a very exclusive place." Maruta is frank in his opinion. "I rarely come to places like this, even for a drink with my colleagues."
"I don't often come to places like this either." 〈Number 4〉 smiled a little, as if to hide his embarrassment. "I had to be in a private room to talk today, so I forced myself to choose such an expensive place."
At first, the three of them decided to make a toast as in modern times. Maruta and Kira ordered a draft beer and plum wine, respectively. 〈Number 4〉 ordered ginger ale, saying, "When I drink alcohol, my skin gets itchy."
Since dinner was also served, 〈Number 4〉 began to talk while the food was being served one after another.
"Maruta-san, I am sorry for our mistake the other day. My colleagues, including myself, mistook you for a reporter for a weekly magazine or something that day."
"I don't mind it at all."
"You are seriously looking into the Silva's case, aren't you?"
"Yes. I am a layman as a detective, but the more I learned about that incident, the more I couldn't stand doing nothing."
〈Number 4〉 took a laptop computer out of his backpack and placed it on the table. Although he had expected it to some extent, Maruta's heart began to beat rapidly when he saw it.
"If Captain finds out, he'll kill me."
Maruta did not know whether 〈Number 4〉 was joking or serious, but he silently urged him to go on.
"I secretly brought the video data from the day of the incident."
"Can you show us that?"
"Yes. We submitted this video to the police a long time ago, but they still haven't caught the culprit. When this happened, I had no choice but to show it to someone who might be able to help us solve the case. To be honest, I'm really torn too. If the case is not solved, the public will inevitably suspect us."
"Are there any grotesque scenes?" Kira asked from the side.
"No," 〈Number 4〉 thought for a moment before answering. "No grotesque scenes. However, the last part is tense and maybe a little scary. If this was grotesque to begin with, I wouldn't show it here where we eat."
"Okay. Number 4-san, please play that video."
〈Number 4〉 pressed the play button on the screen.
[*1]:Military personnel from the Edo to Meiji periods, 1800s. He achieved the bloodless opening of Edo(Old Tokyo) Castle, and successfully carried out the coup d'état to restore the monarchy.
After hearing from 〈Number 4〉, the meeting place was decided to be Ueno because it was easily accessible for all three of them. Maruta regretted his easy idea of suggesting "In front of the statue of Takamori Saigo[*1]" at that time. In this crowd, it would not be easy to spot that featureless 〈Number 4〉 if he showed up.
"It's all right." Kira is quite relaxed. "When he comes, I'll let you know. I'm familiar with his face."
"I just remembered," Maruta turned toward Kira. "I got a message yesterday from a convenience store in Yamanashi Prefecture."
Seeing Kira unable to grasp what was going on, Maruta supplemented. "I got the Tokyo Spread sighting. I gave out business cards at the restaurant and several convenience stores last Saturday, didn't I?"
"Wow. Really?" Kira's eyes widened. "Did you get a call from someone who saw the Tokyo Spread?"
"Yes. Yesterday, an employee at one of the convenience stores in Yamanashi sent me a message directly to my app."
"That's where you went around after lunch with me, right?"
"Yes. He said he is a local high school boy, and long ago, the police asked him similar questions. The boy said, 'Mont Blanc came to the store on the day of the incident.'"
"I knew they were shopping in that area."
"It seems so. They bought foods and drinks at about 6:30 pm. The reason why he remembered so many details is that a few days after the incident, the officers who came directly to the convenience store requested to show the security camera recordings. The viewing took place in the employee waiting room, and the high school student said he remembers it well because he was there."
"I guess the police came to check there to see if Tokyo Spread's statement is not in conflict with the facts."
"Yes. As I recall, Shaggy said, the four of them, except for Number 4, prepared for the shoot at the hut where they arrived and then went shopping. That, in a manner of speaking, is consistent with the testimony I obtained yesterday. Well, we still only have confirmation on some of the facts."
Around them, several foreigners hold up their smartphone lenses to the statue. They had to dexterously shift their standing positions whenever the flow of people changed.
"It's cherry blossom viewing season." Kira's face is no different from that of a tourist.
"You should have told me that Ueno would be crowded today." When told this, Kira smiled, showing his double teeth.
"By no means did the cherry blossoms remind me," Maruta continued. "But you don't have any of Choice's belongings, do you, Kira-san?"
"Choice's belongings?"
"Yeah, when Silva-san passed away, I wondered if perhaps you received some of his belongings. So I thought, if any of them were hers, would you be willing to give me one of them?"
Kira crossed his arms and thought. "Maybe I don't have any of Choice's belongings. I did take back some of Silva's clothes when I was sorting through his belongings, but I don't think any of them were from Choice. Like I said before, when they broke up, he gave most of them back to her parents house."
"I know you did."
"After they ended their relationship, I believe some of Choice's toothbrushes and other items remained at Silva's house. But it's been three years now, so I'm sure those have long since been discarded."
"Well, those would be."
"Maruta-san, by the way, you visited Choice's house last week."
"Yes."
"How was it?"
"Both mother and daughter had great personalities, you know. Maybe it wasn't a good idea that it was at night, but I was left at the door without even being listened to properly."
After Maruta finished, they laughed out loud at each other.
They saved themselves the trouble of looking for 〈Number 4〉. Three minutes before the appointed time of 17:00, spotting the two, he called out to them.
"Hi," 〈Number 4〉 had his hands in the pockets of his black blouson, but he did not appear to be holding a revolver inside. He wore black-rimmed glasses that day, which made him look somewhat more intelligent than the last time they met.
Maruta said the obvious, "We met the week before last." But not taking this lightly, 〈Number 4〉 politely replied, "Yes, it's been a while."
The three of them headed on foot to a tavern in front of the station that 〈Number 4〉 had reserved in advance.
The Japanese gastropub was already filled with the deafening clamor of drunken people. Maruta and Kira took off their shoes and went up to the first wooden step. While he was putting his shoes in the locker provided, 〈Number 4〉 was telling the clerk the name of his reservation, and Maruta listened without looking at him. However, he did not communicate his family name, but 'Tokyo Spread' as the temporary group name.
The three of them were seated at a four-seater table surrounded on three sides by thick walls. A rounded screen is provided above one of the remaining sides. They were in an almost completely private room when they put it down.
"It's a very exclusive place." Maruta is frank in his opinion. "I rarely come to places like this, even for a drink with my colleagues."
"I don't often come to places like this either." 〈Number 4〉 smiled a little, as if to hide his embarrassment. "I had to be in a private room to talk today, so I forced myself to choose such an expensive place."
At first, the three of them decided to make a toast as in modern times. Maruta and Kira ordered a draft beer and plum wine, respectively. 〈Number 4〉 ordered ginger ale, saying, "When I drink alcohol, my skin gets itchy."
Since dinner was also served, 〈Number 4〉 began to talk while the food was being served one after another.
"Maruta-san, I am sorry for our mistake the other day. My colleagues, including myself, mistook you for a reporter for a weekly magazine or something that day."
"I don't mind it at all."
"You are seriously looking into the Silva's case, aren't you?"
"Yes. I am a layman as a detective, but the more I learned about that incident, the more I couldn't stand doing nothing."
〈Number 4〉 took a laptop computer out of his backpack and placed it on the table. Although he had expected it to some extent, Maruta's heart began to beat rapidly when he saw it.
"If Captain finds out, he'll kill me."
Maruta did not know whether 〈Number 4〉 was joking or serious, but he silently urged him to go on.
"I secretly brought the video data from the day of the incident."
"Can you show us that?"
"Yes. We submitted this video to the police a long time ago, but they still haven't caught the culprit. When this happened, I had no choice but to show it to someone who might be able to help us solve the case. To be honest, I'm really torn too. If the case is not solved, the public will inevitably suspect us."
"Are there any grotesque scenes?" Kira asked from the side.
"No," 〈Number 4〉 thought for a moment before answering. "No grotesque scenes. However, the last part is tense and maybe a little scary. If this was grotesque to begin with, I wouldn't show it here where we eat."
"Okay. Number 4-san, please play that video."
〈Number 4〉 pressed the play button on the screen.
[*1]:Military personnel from the Edo to Meiji periods, 1800s. He achieved the bloodless opening of Edo(Old Tokyo) Castle, and successfully carried out the coup d'état to restore the monarchy.
