“Mr. Tojima was just thinking about how we all felt; how we all wanted revenge. I’d have been more upset if he hadn’t approached me.”
“The police told Tomoya everything,” Natsumi chimed in, “including the fact that Saori was pregnant.”
“Oh, really,” Yutaro replied. His voice was low.
“Mr. Namiki, I owe you an apology,” Tomoya said, rising to his feet and bowing deeply. “I was the one who suggested getting married to Saori. I was completely sincere, but what I said had a terrible impact on her life. I should have been more careful; she was at a crucial stage in her life.”
He seemed to be apologizing for having got Saori pregnant.
“Look at me, Tomoya,” Yutaro said gently. “We’re grateful for you. It’s true that had Saori not been pregnant, she probably wouldn’t have chosen to abandon her singing career — and perhaps she would still be alive today. But that doesn’t take into account her own feelings. She was thrilled to be pregnant with your child. She was thrilled at the prospect of becoming a mother. As a parent, the thought that she was able to enjoy feelings like that, even if it was only for a short time, is a comfort to me. Am I right?” Yutaro looked to Machiko for her support.
The rims of her eyes were red. She nodded emphatically.
“We bear you no ill will, Tomoya. None. If anything, it’s ourselves we should be ashamed of. When Saori found out she was pregnant, she must have been happy and anxious in equal measure. But she never came to talk to me, or her mother. She probably didn’t want to worry me. It breaks my heart; as a parent, I wasn’t there for her.”
Unsure how to respond, Tomoya just stood there in silence.
At that moment, there was a clattering sound as somebody pushed open the front door. Glancing at the entrance, Natsumi saw Yukawa poised on the threshold.
The professor was somewhat put-out when he found himself being stared at by the whole group. He caught Natsumi’s eye. “It looks like you’re busy.”
“No, no.” Natsumi waved her hand. “Come on in. Sit wherever you like.”
“I’m not here for dinner today.” Yukawa turned and faced Yutaro. “I’ve completed my work at the research center here, so I won’t be able to come to Namiki-ya for a while. I’m here to say goodbye, for the time being at least.”
“Really?” Natsumi exclaimed.
“I’m very sorry to hear that,” Yutaro said wistfully. “I was hoping for a good, long chat with you. I have so many questions.”
“You do? Well, let’s do that when we get the chance.”
Bobbing his head to them all, Yukawa left the restaurant.
“What a character!” Tomoya sat back down.
“You’re telling me. And I never managed to figure out what his relationship with the police was,” said Yutaro, before returning to the kitchen with Machiko.
Natsumi slid open the front door and went outside. She spotted Yukawa walking off down the street and launched herself after him. “Professor!” she yelled.
Yukawa stopped and turned around. He looked rather puzzled.
“Tell me,” Natsumi said. “Who are you, really?”
“Who am I?” Yukawa knitted his brows. “I’m just a regular physicist.”
“That’s not true. You’re a detective.”
Yukawa recoiled. “What are you talking about?”
“You first came to our restaurant just after Hasunuma had been released. Now the case has been solved, you’re leaving. It’s a bit too much of a coincidence. We talked about you. We were saying that you must have helped the police solve this case. That you’re a modern-day Hercule Poirot.”
“Flattering, but you give me too much credit.”
“Really?”
“The fact that I’ve completed my research and can leave Kikuno at this particular moment is purely a coincidence. That’s not true for my reasons for coming to your restaurant in the first place.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m the same as Mr. Tojima.”
“The same as Tojima? How?”
“I wanted to help a close friend of mine who’d had a difficult experience. I thought that I might get a hint or two by coming to Namiki-ya and getting to know the locals.”
“This friend of yours... is he by any chance a policeman?”
Yukawa said nothing; he gave her a knowing smile and made as if to walk on.
“I’m sure you’ll be back, Professor.”
Yukawa looked thoughtful.
“When I do, make sure that your fabulous takiawase’s on the menu,” he said.
Natsumi nodded vigorously. “That’s a promise.”
The physicist grinned at her, adjusted his spectacles with the tip of his index finger, then turned on his heel and strode off with a spring in his step.