Hokuwakai's Evil Hand
In the end, the meeting on February 25h ended in confusion, unable to come to a conclusion.
It turned out to be a waste of time, with repeated and ugly arguments that she couldn't bear to listen to. Hinami was fed up with the ugliness of adults. Even when they get away from each other, the anguish rages, and the policeman and the village doctor Reiko spend an hour persuading them to disband somehow.
(Sigh*... The mystery only deepens. Why are there three men who are involved with Mother...? Out of those three, who is the liar?)
Three men each claim to have impregnated Yukiko.
Everyone was just stating their own version of events, so it was impossible to determine whether it was true or not.
――Isaka Sousuke, son of the village chief and known as a prodigal son
――Koshiro Himura, the branch manager and property manager of the Yamatoku Mujin Bank
――Motonobu Matsudaira, a self-proclaimed novelist who has been staying at Sakuradani-kan for about half a year
Hinami had strong doubts about her mother's pregnancy. But the reality is reality. The truth is that Yukiko Sakuradani is pregnant. She is certain that it is not the child of her father, who was burnt to death at Oni Tengu Shrine two years ago.
There is a man who had s*x with a widowed mother and poured out his seed. This is difficult for Hinami to accept. It was unthinkable that her mother, a person who values chastity and a ladylike woman, would fall in love with any of the three.
"Somehow, something serious has happened. I thought it would be a calmer discussion, but... I heard angry voices all the way to the hallway where I was. Is Hinami Ojousama okay?"
"It wasn't okay. It was really, really bad. It was just an ugly argument. It was a swearing match that boiled down the ugly parts of Sengatake Village."
"Thank you very much for your hard work. I am so sorry for causing such trouble to Hinami Ojousama, who is tired and has just returned from a foreign country."
"It's not Ran's fault. We got straight to the point, it all started because of a past relationship that the Sakuradani family had. But this development was a little unexpected."
"They had been talking for nearly four hours, but instead of getting better, the situation just turned into something I didn't understand...''
Ran, an apprentice, does not participate in the discussion and instead takes care of Yukiko, who continues to sleep in the [detached building]. At the time of the discussion, a representative of the employees who worked at Sakuradani-kan was also in the hall, but she did not say anything, saying that she was a hired hand after all.
When asked by Hinami, she repeated, [I have no knowledge of the proprietress' circumstances or the relationship between men and women]. She was irritated by her strangerly attitude.
Hinami had been away from Sengatake Village for about two years. In order for her to know about Sakuradani-kan, she should first hear from Ran, an apprentice. Although she is young, she is an honest and sincere girl. She didn't feel like relying on another employee who was unfriendly and aloof.
"Hey. What do you think Ran?"
None of the old employees that Hinami had known since she was a child remained. Yukiko, who lost her husband Saemon, said that she kicked out the employees who were older than her.
Even Ran, with whom she consulted in such a friendly manner, had only known each other for about two months before entering a girls' school in Tokyo.
(Ran is more trustworthy than the newly hired employees.)
The beautiful girl who is an apprentice looks great in a crimson kimono and pure white frilly apron. Ran fidgets and rubs her fingertips together as if in trouble. Her playful behavior is really cute.
"Um, Ojousama. I'm sorry. I don't know. I'm sure the truth will come out if we hear it from the proprietress, but..."
"That's true."
Yukiko is in a coma and cannot speak a single word. Ran wraps a blanket over Yukiko's body to keep her from getting cold. It has been more than a week since she collapsed in the open-air bath. Yukiko's consciousness seemed unlikely to return.
"Ah, now that I think about it...! Hinami Ojousama, have you ever received a letter from the proprietress?"
"The last time Mother sent me a letter back was on July 7th last year.''
"July 7th...! Last year's Tanabata was the first anniversary of the Master's death. The proprietress took the day off."
"I see. The first anniversary of Father's death..."
"What did the proprietress' letter say? Hinami Ojousama."
"The only thing written in the letter was [You must not return to Sakuradani-kan]. That's all. What on earth was going on here...? Couldn't she write even the contents of the letter? At least, I wish she had told me the story of being threatened by the Yakuza."
Her parents kept it a secret so as not to make their daughter anxious. The daughter, Hinami, was not informed and was sent to a girls' school in Tokyo, where she was sent to study abroad in Germany.
"Does Ran know about [Hokuwakai]?"
"Yes. They are an organized crime group that was harassing Sakuradani-kan. The Master was being threatened by them to hand over the Sakuradani family's land and hot spring rights... I was told that they are very scary yakuza."
"Has the harassment towards Sakuradani-kan been going on for two years?"
"I heard that it started when I started working. The reason I ran away from home in the first place was because I heard this place was going to let me take a bath for free. The gossip was nonsense spread by the Hokuwakai, and the Master was furious that it was obstruction of business."
"I didn't know that."
"It was a secret from Hinami Ojousama. The reason why the Master and the proprietress sent Ojousama to a girls' school in Tokyo was because of the threat from Hokuwakai. A letter threatening to kidnap Hinami Ojousama was sent. That's why I guess they thought it was dangerous to let you stay in Sengatake Village.''
"…Does Hokuwakai’s harassment still continue?"
"No. As far as I know, it didn't. It seems to have stopped after the Master died in the fire at Oni Tengu Shrine."
"Is it possible that Mother accepted Hokuwakai’s request?"
"I don't know... I don't think it's true. But, there is a rumor that was being spread by the people of the village, but it seems that some of the victims who died in the forest fire at Oni Tengu Shrine were executives of the Hokuwakai. Of the nine people who died, seven were the Master and the carpenters, and the other person was unidentified and was not a member of the village. It is said that he may have been the leader of the Hokuwakai."
"The leader? The leader of the yakuza. By the way, nine people, including Father, died in a fire two years ago. So many people died."
"No, that's... ten people to be exact."
"Ten people? Is there another person who died two years ago?"
"At the time, it was a police officer stationed in Sengatake Village."
"Adashino-san? I know him. He was replaced by a young one, but I thought he had moved somewhere else. Adashino-san died? Why?"
"He committed suicide. The day after a forest fire broke out at Oni Tengu Shrine. The body was found at the police station. It was July 8, 1974. So I think he actually died on July 7, the day before."
"Suicide...!? Is it really suicide?"
"The village chief found him shooting himself in the head with a pistol... This is just a rumor, but it is said that Adashino-sama was in contact with the Hokuwakai behind the scenes, and that he committed suicide by shooting himself with a pistol out of fear of being discovered......"
"That's impossible. So you're saying Adashino-san, the police officer, was guiding the Hokuwakai!?"
"At least that’s what Taisuke-sama, the village chief, says."
"I can't believe it. On the night Father died... I thought Adashino-san was a serious police officer... Was there any evidence that Adashino-san was connected to the Hokuwakai?"
"I don't know if it's true or not. However, ever since Adashino-sama passed away and a new police officer arrived, Hokuwakai members no longer approach Sengatake Village. The people of the village began to think that it might have been Adashino-sama who was connected to it.''
"The new stationed police officer is the slender man who participated in today’s discussion, right…?"
"Yes. It's Higashiyama Ayumu-sama. Sengatake Village has been very peaceful since he arrived. He's a quiet man with few words, but he's a reliable police officer."
Ran's cheeks were dyed red. It was obvious that she liked him. They had different tastes, but he was a young policeman with a androgynously beautiful face. She felt like she could understand why a girl like Ran would get so worked up.
(On July 7, 1974, the forest fire at Oni Tengu Shrine where Father died... The next day, Adashino-san, a police officer stationed in Sengatake Village for a long time, committed suicide. Two years had passed. Now that the time has passed, Mother collapsed in the open-air bath. I don't think this was just a series of coincidences, including the fact that she was pregnant...)
She is curious about the truth about what happened two years ago, but first, she has to know what happened to her mother.
Sousuke, Koshiro, and Motonobu each claim that they impregnated Yukiko, and request to keep Hinami. If one gains custody of Hinami, one will be able to acquire the vast land in Sengatake Village owned by the Sakuradani family.
"Hinami Ojousama. What is that?"
"Father's will that Sousuke-san kept. And this is Mother's love letter that was given to Koshiro. Both handwritings are similar to theirs. As far as I can see as a daughter."
"Both look real..."
"But that's strange. One of the letters must be a fake."
"How do you plan to reveal the authenticity of the two letters, Hinami Ojousama?"
"I'm going to ask for a handwriting analysis to find out. I'm going to ask a teacher at the girl's school. The husband of the teacher who treated me so well is a university professor who studies forensic science. She said he has contacts in the police department. I'm sure we can find out if it's true by examining the handwriting."
"I see! I have prepared here the management diary of the Master that Ojousama requested. So that's what you were going to do. I finished what you asked me to do earlier. The journals I scraped together in the detached room's study are all in the Buddha Room.
"Thank you. With this management diary, we can appraise Sousuke-san's Father's will."
"What should we do with the love letter that Koshiro-sama had that was written by the proprietress? If we search the detached building, I'm sure we'll find some kind of note written by the proprietress."
"It's okay. I have a letter that Mother sent to me. Before I didn't receive a response until the first anniversary of Father's death."
"Are you going to use the letter with that meaningful sentence written on it?"
"No, I'll use another letter. The last letter she sent me is a bit off. For Mother who writes beautifully, the sentences are messy. The paper is also dirty for some reason..."
"The proprietress was worried about Hinami Ojousama. I was busy with work at the inn and couldn't pay attention to anything else.''
"Something happened at Sakuradani-kan a year ago. The last letter she sent me just said, [You must not come back to Sakuradani-kan]. That time when I received it in Germany, I didn't know what that meant. But now I know. Something terrible must have happened to Mother."
"Maybe that's the case... When I think back on it, something must have happened that caused that kind proprietress to suddenly change and kick out the old employees..."
"Besides, Ran. There's a possibility that both the [will] and [love letter] are fake."
"Eh?"
"Sousuke-san and Koshiro-san haven't heard of Reiko-san's diagnosis results. They insist that they were in a consensual relationship with Mother. But, it doesn't make sense. It's a disgrace to Mother's body. There were signs that she had been raped. They were both lying. At least about the fact that they were in love."
"Then, do you believe Motonobu-sama’s words? Ah! I see…! Motonobu-sama has the proprietress in his arms...!?”
"Yes, I thought of the same answer. Out of the three, only the novelist Motonobu has no physical evidence that he was in touch with Mother, and what he says is ambiguous. It doesn't feel real."
"Motonobu-sama is a strange person. But he is the kind of person who is violent towards women... There is no evidence that Motonobu-sama assaulted the proprietress, right?"
"Yeah. It's not good to make assumptions. I know that. To be honest, I'm not sure either. It's possible all three of them are lying."
"All three of you are lying... Do you think that there are other suspicious people?”
"I have to uncover the truth. The culprit who attacked Mother is probably aiming for the Sakuradani family's assets. I don't want the Sakuradani-kan that Father tried to protect to be taken away."
Hinami stares at her mother who is lying on the futon.
The bulge of the fetus covered with a blanket is not as noticeable as the ample breasts. However, the fetus grows larger day by day. If the birth goes smoothly, Hinami will have a younger brother or sister.
"...Huh? Were there stains like this before?"
Hinami found a dark stain on the blue tatami mat in the room. Some kind of liquid was seeping into it, and only this part was discolored and stood out.
It smells strange. It doesn't seem like a recent stain, but it wasn't here two years ago when Hinami was here.
"That stain? It's been dirty ever since the proprietress fell into a coma and was brought to the detached room. Is it soup? Maybe she spilled something and left it there. I tried my best to get it off too, but it didn't work out. Looks like I'll have to turn the tatami over or replace it."
She couldn't imagine that her mother, who loved cleanliness, would leave stains on the blue tatami of the detached building. It's a very noticeable big stain. If you didn't wipe it off and leave it for several days, it wouldn't have turned this black.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
Hinami looks at her mother's sleeping face. Has her mother changed now that her beloved husband has passed away and she is left alone? She had heard that she had become mentally unstable.
If her coma and not waking up were due to a mental breakdown, how could she wake up her mother? Hinami remained silent and bit her lower lip.
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[Introduction of characters]
▼ Yukiko Sakuradani
The young proprietress of Sakuradani-kan, a long-established hot spring inn.
She lost her husband and became a widow. She is raped by someone from Sengatake Village and she becomes pregnant.
▼ Saemon Sakuradani (deceased)
Yukiko's late husband. Burn to death in a fire. He has a severed relationship with Sousuke.
▼ Hinami Sakuradani
Yukiko and Saemon's only daughter. She left Sengatake Village and entered a girls' school in Tokyo. Until recently, she was studying abroad.
She reunites with her mother for the first time in two years and is told that she is pregnant.
▼ Sousuke Isaka
The prodigal son of the Isaka family, who monopolizes the position of village chief in Sengatake Village.
He was an old friend of Yukiko and Saemon, but they had a rift over a certain incident and their relationship became strained.
He takes out [Saemon's will] and claims that he got Yukiko pregnant.
▼ Koshiro Himura
A bank employee at Yamatoku Mujin Bank. An obese, ugly middle-aged man.
Although he is the exclusive representative of the Sakuradani family, he was despised by Saemon when he was alive.
He brings out [Yukiko's love letter] and claims that he got her pregnant.
▼ Motonobu Matsudaira
Self-proclaimed novelist. A guest staying at Sakuradani-kan for a long time.
He claims that Yukiko approached him and they had a physical relationship.
▼ Misaki Reiko
A female doctor who works at a clinic in Sengatake Village. She diagnoses that Yukiko is pregnant.
▼ Ran
An apprentice who works at Sakuradani-kan. She is a twelve-year-old girl, but she does not go to school.
▼ Yoshiharu Sakuradani (deceased)
Yukiko's father. He doted on his granddaughter, Hinami. He trusted Koshiro and valued him.
He and the Isaka family are bitter enemies. He opposed the plan of a ski resort.
▼ Taisuke Isaka
The village chief of Sengatake Village. His son is Sousuke.
He has been at odds with the Sakuradani family for several decades over a plan to build a ski resort.
He has a grudge against the Sakuradani family, the large landowners who are hindering the development of the village.
▼Ayumu Higashiyama
A police officer stationed in Sengatake Village. He is a beautiful young man with fair skin and an androgynous face.
Although he keeps his distance from the people in the village, he is liked by Ran.
▼Adashino (deceased)
Former police officer. He was familiar with Sengatake Village, but committed suicide with a pistol two years ago.
There is a rumor that he was guiding the Hokuwakai.
[Records of Sengatake Village]
▽ 1974
One day in April: Hinami enters a girls' school in Tokyo and leaves Sengatake Village.
July 7th: Saemon was burned to death in a fire.
July 8th: Adashino's corpse is found at the police post.
Late August: Yukiko's emotions become disturbed and she begins to kick out the old employees.
▽ 1975
A certain day in September: Yukiko becomes pregnant by the rape demon's seed.
September 25th: Yukiko and Koshiro's marriage registration is submitted(?)
▽ 1976
February 24th: Hinami returns home and is told that her mother, Yukiko, is pregnant.
February 25th: Influential people from Sengatake Village gather for discussion.
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