It had all started that night. The night when Hasunuma suddenly showed up at Namiki-ya.
They were just starting to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
When Kanichi Hasunuma was released, the Namiki family felt as though they had been plunged into a deep, dark abyss. Kusanagi, the detective heading up the investigation, came personally to explain the situation. It made no difference: They couldn’t accept what had happened.
The only scrap of hope that the Namiki family had to hold on to was what Kusanagi had said about his commitment to finding a decisive piece of evidence that would make it possible to take the case to trial.
After that, with every passing day, Namiki’s pessimism intensified. He was doing his utmost not to think about the case. Saori’s death was a horrific event, but the past was the past; nothing they could do was going to bring her back.
Namiki started to think that he had to get on with life. He never put the thought into words, but it somehow transmitted itself to his wife and daughter. He could see that by the way the smiles gradually began returning to their faces. It was a slow process, but the Namikis began to recover some of their old cheerfulness.
Kanichi Hasunuma’s appearance in the restaurant pitched them back into the deepest despair. Their hatred for the man, which had ebbed ever so slightly, flared up again, becoming even more intense than before.
That night, Namiki couldn’t sleep a wink. And it was the same for Machiko. Namiki could feel her tossing and turning until all hours. They didn’t speak to each other. Their grief was so raw it robbed them of the words to express their anger and hatred.
The following day, they decided not to open the restaurant. They simply didn’t have the energy. Natsumi managed to drag herself off to the university, but Machiko never even got out of bed.
Namiki went down to the restaurant and started drinking at lunchtime.
A little after five in the afternoon, he heard the sound of someone tapping on the slats of the front door. Looking up, he noticed someone standing on the street outside. That’s odd, he thought. I’m sure I put out the sign saying we’re closed for the day.
He unlocked the door and slid it open. A small, gray-haired man was standing there. He was wearing a face mask that concealed most of his face. He was dressed in a grubby jacket and trousers that bagged at the knees.
“We’re closed today.”
The man started waving his hand from side to side.
“I’ve got something important I need to talk to you about... It’s about Hasunuma.”
Namiki started. “Who the hell are you?”
“It will take a while to explain. Can I come in?”
There was stubbornness in the man’s eyes. Namiki nodded and motioned him into the restaurant.
Once inside, he took off his mask. The deep lines etched into his face testified to a life that had been far from easy.
The old man introduced himself. The name Eiji Masumura was new to Namiki, but it was what he said next that really took his breath away.
“You probably know that Hasunuma was found not guilty in a murder trial about twenty years ago. The victim, Yuna Motohashi — she was my niece.”
Namiki gestured for the old man to sit down. He deserved to be heard out.
What Masumura then went on to say was even more startling. In a calm and steady tone, he explained how revenge had been the sole purpose of his life for the past two decades; how he’d finally tracked down and befriended Hasunuma; how he’d managed to worm his way into his confidence.
“Hasunuma was here yesterday, wasn’t he? He was boasting about it when he got back to my place. He’s human scum, that guy! Last night, I almost killed him. I had the knife in my hand. I was ready to strike. The only reason I didn’t go through with it was because I thought of you. If I killed him, I’d be denying you the chance of becoming spiritually whole. I realized that just like me, you must want to take revenge.”
Masumura looked probingly at Namiki. “Well?”
“You’re right,” said Namiki. “I’d like to kill the man myself.”
Masumura gave an emphatic nod.
“Just as I thought. How about it, Mr. Namiki? Shall we join forces and give him the punishment he deserves? He’s living in a little fifty-square-foot room at the back of my place. It used to be a storeroom, so it’s got no windows and you can’t see in from the street. We could take our time killing him and no one could do a thing about it.”
Namiki found the offer appealing.
If the state won’t bring him to justice, then I’ll just have to do it myself. He had thought so countless times — but never progressed from thought to action.
When Namiki remained silent, Masumura asked if he was afraid of being sent to jail.
“No, I’m prepared for that...”
“But you’re also worried about your family,” Masumura said, putting his finger on Namiki’s biggest concern.
Namiki nodded feebly. “There’s my daughter’s future, too.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about. If things don’t work out, I’ll turn myself in.” Masumura slapped his chest with one hand. “I’ll say that I did it.”
“You can’t do that. It’s not fair if I’m the only who gets away with it... Besides, there’s something I want to do before I avenge my daughter.”
“What’s that?”
“To find out the truth. Why did Hasunuma have to kill Saori? That’s what I want to know. They released Hasunuma because he kept his mouth shut. But even if they indict him and find him guilty, I still won’t feel any better until he comes clean about what happened. The first thing I want to do is to get him to tell the truth. I’ll decide whether to take my revenge after that.”
Masumura frowned and narrowed his eyes in sympathy. “I understand how you must feel.”
“Could you give me some more time?” Namiki said. “I need to think about this. Let’s talk again once I’ve thought things through.”
“Fine,” Masumura said. “Hasunuma will be at my place for a while. Take all the time you need.”
They exchanged contact details. “Look forward to hearing from you,” said Masumura and went on his way.
Namiki watched the small figure of the old man recede into the distance. Turning around, he was astonished to find Machiko right behind him.
“Oh... you decided to get up?”
“I felt like a cold drink.”
“Right.”
Namiki started tidying up the tables in the restaurant.
“So what do you plan to do?” Machiko asked.
“I’m sorry?” Namiki looked at his wife. Her eyes were hard, brooding.
“How are you going to get him to tell you the truth?”
Namiki ran his tongue nervously over his lips. “You were listening?”
“Yes, from the top of the stairs. I was curious.”
“He’s the uncle of Hasunuma’s previous victim.”
“I heard that. Anyway, what are you going to do?”
Namiki pulled out a chair and sat down. “I wonder...” He poured some sake from a big ishobin bottle into a cup that he had intended to tidy away.
Machiko fetched herself a cup and sat down across from him. She had apparently decided to have a drink, too. Namiki filled a cup for her.
Machiko tossed off her sake in one go, then let the breath out of her lungs loudly. She stared at the bottom of her empty cup. “You don’t need to worry about us,” she said. “You don’t need to worry about Natsumi and me.”