Chapter 8 (2/2)

“Your ive herso to her face would only raise hackles, he transferred the blame to his wife

“Yeah, but I really wanna go Dad, please”

His daughter put both palether in front of her face in a plea A man’s dirt-covered face flashed across Oe’s uys cost a lot of , you worked for it Before you start asking people forof how you could ht

“If you want to go so much, why not pick up a part-time job?”

His daughter furrowed her brow indignantly

“You could buy that ticket with a day’s worth of work,” Oe continued

“I’ for university, dad No one works a part-time job this time of year”

“Then you’ll have to give up on going to that concert”

His daughter pursed her lips sourly and turned on her heel Once in front of the door to her room, she turned around

“Cheapass,” she spat, before sla the door shut

“Miharu! Quiet down!” screeched his wife’s voice fro on the cake

For an instant, Oe wished he could cast everything aside and run away Right now, he had no attachments He felt no necessity to nurture, to protect what he had here right now But an i the criticis like that

So this is the nest I spent ten-soht bitterly as he stood alone in the hallway, his shoulders trehter

Oe’s guilt towards tricking Kitagawa surfaced once in a while, then ebbed away, but the period of tiuilt usually peaked the day after awa, but receded like the tides, and eventually he forgot co his next hundred thousand yen

That day was the sixth cash pay the streets were bare, their leaves having turned colour and fallen off a long ti everywhere in the streets However, once Oe walked out of the bright shopping district towards the riverbank, a suddenly loneliness choked the lights and sounds around hiue, and the chilly wind that blew over the water blasted hiathered the front of his wool coat closer about hian to rain The water was frigid The rain was not heavy, but bothersome nonetheless Oe quickened his pace Today he planned to say that he had gone further west than the Kansai region to search centrally around the Chugoku region, but had not found Douno after all He would tell Kitagawa that much, and once he had the money, he would quit the premises quickly Oe did not have an uawa he was in a rush, the man would probably not try to pry any further

Kitagaas sitting on the usual bench in the park, in a white shi+rt and black pants The area was a little ways fro Oe felt chilly just looking at theif it was theto the cold

Theposition, for even when Oe stood in front of hiround without looking up His shoulders seehtly

“Mr Kitagawa?” Oe called The man finally raised his head Oe was struck speechless He had noticed the awa looked in such appalling condition that he could pass for an invalid His cheeks were hollowed out, his eyes were sunken, and his lips were purple He even had a shadow of sparse stubble growing on his face

“Have you found Dou―” Kitagawa dissolved into a fit of coughing before he could finish his sentence, and it continued for a while before he recovered Oe did not even need to second-guess that Kitagaas not well

“A-Are you alright?”

“It’s just a cold” Each tihs

“You’re not dressed war over your clothes”

Oe noticed that Kitagawa’s shi+rt, which was usually pristine and white, was dirty The man was usually clad in plain but clean and well-rip of sickness had apparently overpowered him

“Have you found Douno yet?” Kitagawa asked again, shi+vering

“Not yet I didn’t turn up anything in the Chugoku region, so I’ the search on there”

Kitagawa closed his eyes “I see,” he mumbled in a raspy voice He eed a hand into his pocket―to get a tissue, Oe presumed―and clawed out a handful of crumpled bills and held them out for Oe

“I took time off work, so I only have 70,000”

Oe hesitantly accepted the wrinkled bills, and counted them He verified that there were seven, then hastily put them away into the inner pocket of his coat

“You can bring the rest next tiawa”

Thehead

“I’ht? If you were a loan shark, you wouldn’t e interest, but you’re not”

So monthly payments of 200,000 yen had been brutal for this ly, and he knew that it probably ca how his half-ured Kitagawa had been ood ter If he got thethe very purpose of this arrangement

“You’re a proper awa, and I trust you that you’ll pay, even if it’s late So please, just go home today and rest yourself”

The figure in front of him swayed unsteadily Oe stepped forward instinctively, thinking the e slued to hold himself up

“I didn’t have enough awa said “But I didn’t kno I’d be able to pay theuys at the dorm if they knew any jobs that paid well, and one of theuy he knew But that can get you into trouble if you get caught I have a record already, so if I get into the slaet out”

“Please don’t do anything bad,” Oe said, words that he supposed anyone with common sense would say, as he turned over an idea in his head Suppose Kitagawa got involved in the “weed” (Oe supposed itscheme He would make money Then, at a ripe tiaould be arrested and sent to prison Even if Oe’s fraud was exposed, the man would not have the power to harm him because he would be in jail

It’s perfect, isn’t it? the devil inside of him whispered No, wait, think carefully about it It’s fine while Kitagawa’s in jail But what about when he gets out? Would Kitagawa not coe on the person who had tricked and reported hih cash already at this point It was s to any clumsy tricks

Oe grew afraid He had nothing against Kitagawa; he appreciated the ht hi to ensnare the uilt and superiority towards the aas, in the end, an ex-convict with a low education He had no family Some people would be inconvenienced by his arrest, perhaps, but no one would be sorry to see hio

“I’ll pay you the rest next tiot to his feet He was staggering as he walked away As Oe watched hiawa ran into a pole at the entrance of the park, then sank to his knees on the spot

“Are you alright, Mr Kitagawa?” Oe ran over to hily hot

“You have a horrible fever! Are you sure you can walk?”

“Sure I can”

It looked like Kitagaas atteet to his feet, but his body failed to rise He was scorching to the touch, and he was shi+vering Oe took off his oool coat and draped it over Kitagawa Then, he so half of his body

Oe knew of the Kitajiaorked It was not very far Oe fully intended to take hiawa’s knees buckle It would be impossible for Oe to act as his crutch and walk hi the taller, awa resisted just as they were about to get on

“Please, just get inside”

“No I’uard rails and refused to move

“You can’t walk on your own, and I’ to be able to carry you home”

“The taxi costsOe was, quite truthfully, irritated

“Don’t worry about thehoawa into the taxi Once inside, Kitagawa immediately lay down and curled up like a cat The Kitajima Steel Factory was less than one meter-cycle away, and they arrived in mere etting off, Kitagawa only opened his eyes a sliver and awa out of the taxi with the driver’s help, and supported the awa had beco flesh

A rusty plate that read “Kitajiate pillar They entered through the wide-open gates Shadows of several buildings, large and small, loomed on the premises, but in the darkness it was iht side, Oe could see a light on inside a single-story prefabricated building He decided he would ask for directions there, and began walking towards the light, carrying the limp man

The building had a sliding alulass He could hear deep, booed at the door, the noise inside ceased instantly

“Who is it?” said a voice, sounding anything but welco

“Excuse ”

He could see a figure approaching froe rattling sound Oe wrinkled his brow as he was met with a whiff of the sweaty odour of males

“Whaddaya want?” The man was perhaps around fifty, with a muscular build He had a ruddy face, and when he spoke he s, his expression turned to one of surprise

“Kitagawa,” he said

“He wasn’t feeling well and he couldn’t walk, so I brought him here,” Oe said “I heard he lives in the Maple Dorm of this factory”

The man scratched his head, and powdery white flakes flew in the air

“This is the Maple Dorm”

“Here?” Oe murmured as he took in the inside of the prefabricated hut Despite its “dorm” nae room, about twenty-three square ed froe, and there were six of the fluorescent tube lights on the ceiling, and underneath there was a network of ropes strung from wall to wall like a spider ith towels and unifor to dry from them like banners

“Kitagawa’s had a fever and he’s been in bed these past two days or so,” said the brawny ht, he suddenly disappeared I ondering why he was taking so long to take a shi+t I guess he was out, huh? Oh, that’s his territory, so you can leave him over there”

Oe looked at the spot theand what looked like a pillow There was no futon

“Right here?”

“You see his bag there, don’t you?” It was a careless tone, with a hint of annoyance at having to repeat himself Oe laid the liasoline heater in the rooawa still curled up and shi+vered Oe glanced around the rooh futons for the nu on it as if to assert his ownershi+p There was also no closet in this hut that could store extra blankets

“Would I be able to find futons so man beside him

“Old boy Kitagaays sleeps in a sleeping bag You see it by his head, there?” He pointed at the oval object that looked like a pillow, placed beside the duffel bag Oe took it out It was indeed a sleeping bag He unravelled it and draped it over the shi+vering worm

Kitagaas so weak he could barely walk, yet he had no friends who approached hian to worry about leaving hiht to take Kitagawa to the doctor, but Kitagaas the kind of ine the rage he would be in if he took the man to a doctor without his permission

But their association was so ti for one awa even enrolled in national health insurance? He lived in horrid group housing, a dorm in name only He did not even have his own futon It would not come as a surprise if he was not enrolled in insurance, in which case, Oe would be footing the full o ahead with his act of charity

They , but I’ets that bad Just as Oe stood up to go hoawa He did notthe coat later; however, he did want to collect the 70,000 yen in the breast pocket But Oe could not bring himself to roll the man over so he could snatch thelike he did norapped up snugly in his coat and sleeping bag like a bagworm

“Are yeh Douno,out of nowhere Oe flinched at the uncomfortably close distance The old man peered into Oe’s face from below

“No, I’m not”

“Old ood look,” snapped the brawny awa’s drawing” ‘Old nantly

“I used to do the haircuts in the pen, so I’ve seen Douno’s face before,” he protested

Oe did not fail to catch the word “pen”

“Alright, shut up, enough about haircuts Just shut your mouth,” snapped the brawny man Old entle-looking old awa had Perhaps there were many ex-convicts employed at this factory

Oe turned back to the muscular man

“Do you know Douno? The person whoawa drew the picture of?”

Thea set of yellowed teeth

“The guy Kitagawa’s always talking about, right? Everyone knows, hey, don’t we?”

Laughter erupted froh to h

“I’irl since he’s out of prison now, but it looks like Kitagawa old boy can’t seeet his first fuck”

It appeared everyone here knew about Kitagawa and Douno’s relationshi+p Seeing how easily Kitagawa had talked to Oe about homosexuality, it was no surprise that all of his felloorkers would know

“Are all of you here ureat care to choose his words, but the brawny lared at him

“What’re you gettin’ at?” he growled

“I―I’awa has been asking me to find someone called Douno If there’s anyone here who knows about Douno, or has met him before, I would very much like to speak with them”

The six people in the room all looked at each other

“Old awa, right?” said the brawny man, as apparently the dorata Kiaas in Abashi+ri, and Tohda was in Tottori,” he told Oe

The only person in the saaas “old To as how he mistook Oe for him, it was clear hisjust in case, but Tomi’s ansas just what he expected

“Sorry, I don’t reawa ol’ boy sure is faithful, though,” he rily

“He’s idiotic, not faithful,” he snapped “The guy didn’t leave an address and didn’t coawa just doesn’t wanna admit it”

Oe looked down at the , which had been fast and irregular when he arrived, had settled down considerably

“Y’know solasses, the youngest of the six, who looked to be in his early twenties “I think it’s better if he’s not found Kitagawa’s usually quiet, but when he snaps it’s pretty scary Who knows, if Douno happens to be awa’ll stab him”

Stab Oe felt a chill down his spine at the violent word

“Oh yeah, Kitagaas in for ht?” the brawnywhat he ate for dinner

“Jack the Ripper,” said the long-hairedhis shoulders

“Eh his head The brawny hed impatiently

“A guy who tears his victims apart”

Oe sed the saliva that had pooled in his ulp