Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams you never even knew you had.
Alice Sebold
ePub
A4Chapter 28
W
hen evening came, the temperature dropped suddenly. People’s breathsformed into faint white clouds in front of their faces. Winter was around the
corner. Yuto was walking along, carrying his schoolbag. He was nowhere near
his house. He had originally intended to go straight home but had changed
his mind after being waylaid by the detectives.
“Listen, Yuto, this is a serious matter. There could well be a link to
your father’s murder.” Was what Detective Kaga told him true? What
exactly did he mean by “link”? Was he just talking about Dad’s reasons for
being in Nihonbashi, or was it something beyond that?
Yuto felt confused and conflicted. For a brief moment, he’d considered
telling the detective everything. In the end, though, he couldn’t bring
himself to do so. It wasn’t a decision he could make alone.
The familiar row of houses came into view. He walked toward one of
them. It was a large house in the European style. The name Kurosawa was
engraved on a plaque on the gatepost.
Yuto pressed the bell on the intercom. There was a short interval.
“Hello,” came a woman’s voice.
“Good afternoon,” Yuto said. “My name’s Aoyagi. I was in the same
class as Shota at junior high school. Is he there?”
“Oh … Could you wait a moment?” The woman seemed to have
recognized him straightaway.
A little while later, the front door opened and Kurosawa peered out.
“What’s up?” he asked, a startled look on his face.
“Got a moment?”
“Sure. A moment.”
Yuto pushed the garden gate open and walked up to the front door.
“Why don’t you pick up when I call? And you’re not replying to my texts
either.”
“Ah.” Kurosawa’s mouth hung half-open. “Just a second.” He drew
his head back inside and shut the door.
There was the sound of someone scrabbling around, then the door
reopened. Kurosawa was holding a phone.
“Got myself a new one. Sorry. Didn’t get around to giving you the
new number.”
Yuto snorted.
I bet that’s not true, he was thinking. Kurosawa must know how my
dad’s being demonized because of the workplace accident cover-up thing.
He probably thought he’d be better off giving me a wide berth.
After Kurosawa had given him his new number and email address,
Yuto looked at his friend.
“We three need to get together and have a talk. I said the same thing to
Sugino.”
Kurosawa’s eyes clouded over. “Talk about what?”
“When I say ‘the three of us,’ I think you know exactly what I mean.”
Kurosawa looked at the ground. “Why now?”
“What does that matter? Because I say so.”
“All right. All right.”
“You got time today?”
Kurosawa looked up, frowned, and shook his head. “Today’s no good
for me. My private tutor will be here any minute now. I’ve got to stay
home.”
“Okay. Tomorrow, then?”
“Tomorrow … What time?”
“Got to be after school. How about five o’clock near Nakameguro
Station somewhere.”
After a little hemming and hawing, Kurosawa agreed. “Fine,” he said.
“See you tomorrow, then. I’ll tell Sugino.”
Yuto was already walking off when Kurosawa called him back. “Ao!”
Yuto turned around. “What on earth’s happened?” Kurosawa asked.
“You know what’s happened,” Yuto replied. “My dad was murdered.”
Turning his back on a dazed-looking Kurosawa, Yuto pushed the
garden gate open and went back out into the street.
