They started to go out on a regular basis after that. The more time they spent together, the more Tomoya grew to like Saori. She was a gentle, thoughtful person.
He told no one that they were going out except for his mother, Rie. She promptly declared that she would like to meet Saori, so Tomoya brought her home with him. Rie took to her at first sight. “A beautiful girl like that is way out of your league,” she even said to her son.
Saori was only nineteen but she had ambitions. She was with a producer and wanted to become a professional singer. Tomoya felt duty bound to help her make her dreams come true.
But all that had been taken away from him in an instant. The three years since Saori had disappeared had been a living hell. Internally, he was a writhing mass of pain and anguish. He had continued going to Namiki-ya for a while with the hope of hearing some news about Saori, but eventually he stopped. The reason was simple: He had given up hope.
7
Two detectives came to Naoki Niikura’s house: Inspector Kishitani of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and a junior detective from the Kikuno Police Station. Kishitani was a man of forty or so with an intelligent face and a mild manner.
Naoki Niikura had expected the police to show up at some point. Yutaro Namiki had phoned him that Saori had been found.
Inspector Kishitani’s questions focused on three areas: Could the Niikuras tell him anything about what was going on with Saori at the time of her disappearance? Did they know anything about her personal relationships? And finally, did they have any ideas about why she might have been targeted?
Naoki was eager to provide as much information as he could. However, he had no answers for them. Ultimately, all he could muster was a furrowed brow and a head tilted quizzically to one side. It was pathetic, but that was the reality of it. Had he known anything useful, he would have shared it with the police three years ago.
Kishitani and the junior detective nonetheless thanked Naoki and his wife for their help, as they got to their feet at the end of the interview. As Naoki accompanied them back to the doorstep, he felt acutely conscious of his own powerlessness.
He and his wife went back into the living room. Two cups of green tea, which the detectives hadn’t touched, stood on the coffee table in the middle of the room.
“Shall I make us some coffee?” Rumi asked, as she tidied away the detectives’ cups.
“That would be nice. I’d love a cup.” Naoki dropped down onto the sofa. He sighed as he picked up the business card that Kishitani had left for him.
If the Niikuras hadn’t been able to provide the police with any worthwhile information, they also hadn’t been able to extract anything worthwhile from them, either. The police hadn’t even told them where in Shizuoka Saori’s remains had been found.
The only concrete thing that came out of their meeting was the photograph they were shown to see if they recognized the man. Yutaro Namiki had said something about being shown a photo by the police. It was probably of the same person. According to Yutaro, the man in the photo had been a regular customer and had treated Saori outrageously. Naoki, however, had never met the man and knew nothing about him.
Was he responsible for Saori’s murder? He certainly looked wicked enough. Maybe he tried to assault her and when she resisted, he killed her. If so, it was just too senseless.
It had been a long time since Naoki had met anyone with the raw natural talent of Saori Namiki.
He had heard all the chitter-chatter about the brilliant girl singer from the Kikuno shopping district. So many people wanted to hear her perform that the annual singing contest was always packed. Naoki, however, refused to take the rumors seriously. It’s just some stupid local singing competition. Along comes some girl who can sing a little better than the average, and all the adults get carried away. Big deal!
But at some point a friend in the music business pulled him aside, showed him a brochure, and said, “You really should give this girl a listen.” The brochure was for the annual festival of the local high school, which included a performance by the school band with the local “girl genius” on vocals.
Since Naoki’s schedule was clear that day, he decided to go and take his wife, Rumi, along with him. Their expectations were rock-bottom. They steeled themselves to endure a series of cheesy rock covers.
They couldn’t have been more wrong. Saori Namiki and the band played jazz and blues, and they performed a few standards as well as songs that only the most committed music fans would be familiar with. Saori had a distinctive voice with a deep timbre reminiscent of a woodwind instrument. She also had an extraordinary musical instinct. She seemed to grasp the meaning of each song at the deepest level. Her abilities far outstripped those of any normal high school girl.
Without intending to, the Niikuras stayed through until the end of the concert.
Naoki and Rumi were in a state of excitement. They both felt the same way: Leaving that extraordinary talent undeveloped was simply not an option.
As soon as they could, they went to Saori’s house to meet her parents. Although the Namikis knew that their daughter was talented, it had never occurred to them that she could turn professional. It was only when Naoki started making the case with audible passion in his voice that they finally seemed able to treat the issue as a real-world problem. They would ask Saori how she felt, they said.
Our daughter wants to give it a go. The Niikuras were overjoyed when Yutaro Namiki called back the next day with the news.
And that was how Naoki Niikura secured Saori Namiki. She was a diamond, but still a diamond in the rough; she would need polishing if she was really going to shine. Using his network of contacts, Naoki found Saori a top-notch voice trainer. The Niikuras had a soundproof room in their mansion and Naoki arranged for her to take lessons there.
I’m going to do whatever it takes to make Saori’s talent blossom, he thought. The girl could be a star in Japan — no, a worldwide superstar. I’m going to throw everything I’ve got at this.
The Niikuras were all doctors, going back generations. The family owned several hospitals, which Naoki’s two older brothers managed. At university, Niikura was accepted into the medical program. The plan had always been for him to become a doctor, too, but the direction of his life changed when he started playing in a band. Naoki had always liked music; he had started taking piano lessons at age five and gone on to develop an interest in composition at junior high school. His secret dream had always been to become a musician rather than a doctor.
Naoki’s family and friends were all opposed when he announced his decision to drop out of school, but when they saw how committed he was to his music, more and more of them began to come around to his side. His two brothers were particularly supportive, telling him not to worry; they would look after the family hospitals so he could do what he loved. It was thanks to his brothers’ generosity that Naoki also managed to avoid any financial hardship.
At a relatively early stage, however, Naoki realized that he didn’t have any great talents of his own. Instead, the idea of scouting and training up young talent started to appeal more. Running a music school and a clutch of rehearsal studios would give him the opportunity to do that. He had already discovered several successful artists over the years. Saori, however, was in a completely different league.
Saori’s progress was rapid. At the rate she was going, she could easily make her mark in the music world on a global scale. Then, just when his belief in her had reached its peak, the unthinkable happened. His most precious treasure disappeared.