‘Thanks,’ Kusanagi told the serviceman. ‘About the bill …’
‘I’ve already paid it,’ Ayane said.
‘Oh,’ Kusanagi replied weakly.
Once the man had left, Yukawa began putting on his shoes, looking up at Kusanagi. ‘Well, I should be going,’ he announced. ‘You?’
‘I’ll be here bit longer,’ the detective replied. ‘I have a few more things to check with Mrs Mashiba.’
‘I see. Well, thanks for your time,’ Yukawa said to Ayane, lowering his head.
‘Not at all,’ she said to his back as he left. Kusanagi watched him walk out to the street, then sighed. ‘Sorry about all that. He’s not a bad person, just not very thoughtful. A bit eccentric, you might say.’
‘Oh?’ Ayane looked surprised. ‘There’s no need for you to apologize. He seemed fine to me.’
‘Well, that’s good.’
‘You said he was a professor at Imperial University? It’s funny. When I think of the professorial type, I always picture someone quiet and reserved. But he wasn’t like that at all, was he?’
‘Even academics come in all types, and that guy in particular’s a special case.’
Ayane smiled. ‘You two seem close.’
‘Oh, well … I forgot to mention we were classmates back in college. Completely different majors, though.’
The two returned to the living room, where Kusanagi told Ayane how he and Yukawa were in the same badminton club, and how the physicist had started helping with investigations during a particularly thorny case.
‘I always think it’s great when people are able to keep in touch with old friends through their work.’
‘Yeah, well, sometimes it can get a little stale.’
‘Oh, I doubt that. I’m envious.’
Kusanagi smiled. ‘At least you have a friend to go to the hot springs with back home.’
Ayane nodded, then her eyes widened as a realization came to her. ‘That’s right, you visited my parents’ home. My mother mentioned it.’
‘Yes, we had to cover the bases, and all that. I’m not sure we accomplished much on that trip, but that’s always the chance you take,’ Kusanagi added hastily.
Ayane smiled at him. ‘Of course. It’s very important to know if I really went home or not. I understand.’
‘I’m glad that you’re so understanding. I wouldn’t want you to feel like we were singling you out.’
‘My mother said you seemed like a very nice detective. So I told her maybe the investigation wouldn’t be so bad after all.’
Kusanagi chuckled and scratched his neck in embarrassment.
‘And you met my friend, Ms Motooka?’ Ayane asked. Sakiko Motooka was the friend who had joined Ayane on her trip to the hot springs.
‘Actually, Utsumi went to speak with her. She told me that Ms Motooka mentioned she’d been worried about you from before the – the unfortunate incident. She said you seemed much more tired than you ever did before you got married.’
A lonely smile came to Ayane’s face, and she breathed a light sigh. ‘She said that, did she? I guess that’s old friends for you. You do your best to hide it, and they see right through you.’
‘But you didn’t talk to her about your husband asking for a divorce?’
She shook her head. ‘It didn’t even occur to me to tell her. I guess I just wanted to forget about the situation for a while … And it’s not really something I felt I needed to talk to anyone about. You know, we made a promise before he got married, that if we couldn’t have a child we’d split up. Of course, I never told my parents.’
‘I heard from Mr Ikai that your husband regarded marriage as a means to having children, and little else. I have to admit, I was surprised to learn that there are men like that.’
‘Oh, I wanted a child, too,’ Ayane explained. ‘I assumed we’d have one right away, so I admit I never thought too deeply about that promise. But after we’d gone a year with nothing … the gods can be cruel sometimes.’ Her eyes dropped to the table for a moment before she looked up again. ‘Do you have any children, Detective Kusanagi?’
Kusanagi smiled thinly and looked back at her. ‘I’m single.’
‘Oh,’ she said, her lips parting. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘No need to be. People tell me to hurry up now and then, but it’s hard when you don’t have somebody … My friend Yukawa’s single, too.’
‘Yes, he struck me as a single man. Doesn’t really give off a domestic vibe, does he?’
‘Well, unlike your late husband, he hates children. Their “lack of the capacity for reason” stresses him out. Can you believe it?’
‘He’s a very interesting individual.’
‘I’ll let him know you said that. Actually, not to change the subject, but I have a question about your husband.’
‘Yes?’
‘Did he happen to have any friends who were painters?’
‘Painters? You mean, like, artists?’
‘Yes. It doesn’t have to be somebody he’d seen recently. Maybe someone he mentioned having known in the past?’
Ayane thought for a bit, then looked at him curiously. ‘Is this person involved with the case?’
‘That I don’t know. I may have mentioned the other day that we’re looking into your husband’s previous relationships. And we found out that he might’ve been dating a painter of some kind.’
‘I see. Well, I’m sorry, but I never heard about any artists. Do you know around when this might have been?’
‘Not exactly, but I’d say roughly two or three years ago.’
‘Sorry,’ Ayane said after a moment’s thought. ‘If there was someone like that, he never told me.’
‘I see, no problem then.’ Kusanagi glanced at his watch and stood up from the sofa. ‘Sorry to take so much of your time. I should be leaving.’
‘I’m heading back to the hotel myself,’ Ayane said, collecting her bag as she stood.
The two left the Mashiba residence together. Ayane locked the door behind them.
‘I can get that bag for you. Let’s walk until we get to a place where we can find a taxi,’ Kusanagi said, extending his hand.
Ayane thanked him and handed him the bag. Then, turning to look back at the house, she said quietly, ‘I wonder if the day will ever come when I move back.’
Unable to think of anything appropriate to say, Kusanagi strolled alongside her in silence.
SEVENTEEN
According to the chart on the door, Yukawa was alone inside the laboratory – exactly as Utsumi had expected. She knocked on the door.
‘Come in,’ came the curt reply. She entered to find Yukawa in the middle of making coffee. He was using a dripper and a filter.
‘Good timing,’ Yukawa said, pouring two cups.
‘I’m surprised. You’re not using your coffeemaker?’
‘That’s right. I thought I’d try being a coffee snob for a while. I even used mineral water,’ Yukawa said, holding out a cup.
‘Thanks.’ Utsumi accepted the drink and took a sip. One taste told her that he hadn’t upgraded his choice of grind.
‘Well? How is it?’ Yukawa asked.
‘Delicious.’
‘More delicious than usual?’
Utsumi hesitated a moment before saying, ‘Can I be frank?’
A despondent look came over Yukawa’s face and he turned back to his chair. ‘No need. I’m guessing your reaction is exactly the same as mine.’ He peered inside his coffee cup. ‘You know, a little bit ago, I used tap water to make the coffee. The results were exactly the same. Or at least, so similar I couldn’t tell the difference.’
‘I don’t think anyone could tell the difference, really.’
‘And yet it’s commonly agreed upon in culinary circles that water does make a difference to taste,’ Yukawa said, picking up a sheet of paper from his desk. ‘Water has a hardness, which is calculated by comparing total calcium ions and magnesium ions to the water’s calcium carbonate content. If the ratio’s low, the water is soft. A little higher means medium hardness. A lot higher and it’s hard water.’