‘Here. These are the negatives and photographs. I want to keep them, but if I have to go to the police, they might see them.’
‘But I don’t want to leave you.’
Another knock. The cops called out a name in a low, calm voice. The false name we used to rent this place.
‘We’re from the local police box.’
‘I’m coming,’ I said.
Mutsuko stuffed the negatives and photographs into a big plastic bag. There was another knock on the door. I looked at Mutsuko and she looked back at me. Then I unlocked the door and opened it a crack. There was a plump cop in uniform who looked to be in his forties. Behind him was a tall cop who looked like he might even be in his early twenties. Both of them were looking at me with no emotion on their faces.
‘Is there something I can do for you?’
‘We’re sorry for bothering you so late at night; said the one in his forties. The one in his twenties immediately echoed, ‘We’re sorry,’ probably just as he was taught.
‘Could we talk to you for a moment?’ the older cop continued.
‘What’s this about?’
‘Would you mind if we came in and talked?’
‘Sure, come in,’ I said, stepping back. Then I turned to Mutsuko and said, ‘Say hello to your mother for me, then.’ I turned back to the older cop and said, ‘She’s my niece. She’s running an errand for me.’
The cop didn’t respond. He just looked like he was wondering how to handle the situation.
‘Excuse me,’ said Mutsuko, carrying the large plastic bag over her shoulder. Then, as she was about to put on her sandals, the older cop asked, ‘Going to your mother’s?’
‘Yes, I am,’ she replied, as if wondering why anyone would question such a thing. Then she put on her sandals. ‘Excuse me.’
‘Can you hold on for just a little while?’ said the older cop.
‘What could you want with her?’ I said.
‘Where is your mother?’
‘In Nakano.’
‘Where in Nakano?’
‘You can go,’ I said, interrupting him. ‘They don’t have the right to ask such questions.’
‘I’m sorry, but I think we’d better take you to Nakano ourselves,’ said the older cop.
‘Go back inside,’ said the younger cop as he guided her back into the room by her shoulders. Mutsuko shrugged him off.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked.
‘I don’t know; there’s something about this room that isn’t normal,’ said the older cop, suddenly getting on his high horse.
‘If that’s what you think, I’ll listen to what you have to say. But leave the girl out of this.’
‘You keep saying girl. Are you treating her like one? A young girl?’
‘What are you trying to say?
‘That’s equipment for developing photos, isn’t it?’
‘Yes.’
‘And there’s nothing else in the room.’
‘Everything else is in the closet.’
‘The kitchen utensils too?’
‘I mostly eat out. This is all I need.’
The cop turned to Mutsuko. ‘Sweetheart,’ he said. ‘Did this man take photographs of you?’
‘I did,’ I cut in. ‘Is that a crime?’
‘If you were taking normal photos, would you get this kind of equipment to develop them?’ said the older cop, high-handed again as he fixed me with a glare.
‘There are plenty of people who develop photographs themselves.’
‘We’ve been informed.’
‘About what?’
‘That you two aren’t normal.’
‘Do we have to be normal?’
‘I don’t want to have to say this in front of her.’
‘Then let her leave.’
‘I suppose you’re planning to meet up with her somewhere later.’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘I’m leaving,’ said Mutsuko. ‘I’m going to be late.’
Mutsuko pushed passed the young cop. ‘Bye.’
‘Hey, wait a second,’ called out the younger cop, before turning to the older one and asking, ‘Should I go after her?’
Behind him I could hear Mutsuko running down the stairs in her sandals.
‘No, it’s okay,’ said the older cop. ‘There’s nothing we can do. Leave it.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said the younger cop.
‘Okay, you’re sorry, I just can’t count on you, can I?’
‘If she’s a suspect, then we—’
‘We don’t know that, do we?’
‘No, sir.’
‘To be frank; said the older cop, turning back to me again, ‘we’ve been told that you and that girl are at it.’
‘At what?’
‘You know.’
‘No, I’m afraid I don’t know.’
‘Come on, there’s only one thing I could be hinting at here. How old is she, anyway? She said she just graduated from school, but it’s hard to believe.’
‘Are you questioning what she said?’
‘The guarantor of the lease,’ said the older cop. ‘When you rented this room. It’s made up, isn’t it? We checked and there was no such person at the address. This is a crime, you know.’
‘I suppose if I cause trouble it would be.’
‘Even if she has graduated from school, that still only makes her seventeen or eighteen. What are you doing with a girl like that?’
‘Her parents have separated. I’m just looking after her for the moment.’
‘In a room like this? Without working?’
‘I’m out of work at present. I want to get a better room, but I don’t have the money for it.’
‘But you can afford to buy brand-new developing equipment, I see.’
‘It was a gift.’
‘Okay. Can you come to the station with us?’
‘But she’ll be coming back and she doesn’t have a key.’
‘It’ll take her at least an hour to get to Nakano and back. We’ll be done before then.’
I couldn’t possibly go. A girl named Mutsuko didn’t even exist. There was no way I would be able to answer their questions. l needed to escape. But what could I possibly do against these two men? lf that fickle, unknown power helped revive my kendo sword-fighting abilities back to my peak level, I might have been able to put up a fight. But I didn’t get the feeling that that kind of miracle was about to happen.
‘Let’s go,’ said the older cop.
There was nothing else I could do. I realised I’d been in a sleeveless undershirt all this time, so I grabbed an open-collar shirt hanging from the wall. I put it on as well as a pair of socks, my mind racing with thoughts of escape. It would have helped if l had trainers. But all I had were sandals and black work shoes. I could run faster in the shoes, so I decided to wear those. I closed and locked the windows.
Whatever happened, I thought to myself, it had been a wonderful ten days. And at the back of my mind, I’d had the feeling that all of this had been too good to be true, so now I felt it couldn’t be helped if I was to be thrown in jail. Immediately I brushed that thought aside. After all, if I let that happen, Mutsuko would be left all alone. Then, sooner or later, she’d be seized by another wave of youth — one that would make it even more difficult for her to live. I knew I had to be able to move around freely. I knew I couldn’t abandon her.
‘You look ready to me,’ said the older cop, hurrying me.
Both of them stepped out into the hall and I put on my shoes. I looked back at the room. There was no way to escape. I turned off the lights, stepped out into the hall, then closed and locked the door behind me.
The older cop walked down the stairs in front of me, while the young cop followed behind. As the three of us clattered down the iron stairs I wondered if the person who’d called the police was quietly watching me being led away. As we were reaching the bottom of the stairs, a black shadow suddenly jumped out from underneath them and the older
cop let out a startled shout.
‘I’m sorry.’
It was Mutsuko.
‘What is it?’ What was she doing?
‘I’d accidentally taken your wallet with me,’ she said, handing me a fat wallet.
‘It’s okay.’
‘It’s not.’
‘But you’ll need it.’
‘I have enough. I’m okay.’
Her eyes told me to hurry up and take it.
‘If you don’t hurry, it’ll be late by the time you get back,’ I said.
‘Yes.’
Mutsuko watched me take the wallet and put it in my pocket. Then she said, ‘This too,’ and brought out her left hand from behind her back. It was a long stick that looked like the handle of a mop. I felt a burst of excitement in the back of my head.
‘What’s that?’
The older cop tried to reach for it, but I was quicker. In one motion I took the stick from her and tackled the young cop behind me. The older cop jumped back and tried to reach for his pistol, but I struck him on the shoulder hard and fast. I turned round to see the young cop, still sprawled against the stairs, reaching for his gun. I struck him on the arm, then flipped round und struck the older cop’s arm. Strangely, nobody cried out.
‘Let’s go!’ shouted Mutsuko, and she ran out into the street. I followed right behind her, passing through the narrow space next to the apartment, through the gate and out onto the street. Her young back, running as fast as she could towards Shibuya. I followed through the empty night-time residential streets where there was nobody around to get in our way.
I couldn’t possibly have this much stamina, I thought to myself. Somebody was endowing me with strength again. And if that was the case, then I should be okay, should be able to run as far as I needed to. My body felt like that of a different person. A body different from the one that had got out of breath running away from the cinema. A different body from the one that couldn’t even help Mutsuko. Now I felt I could even carry her on my back if I wanted. Though I didn’t want to imagine what people would make of a man running with a girl on his back at this time of night. I was calm. I just wanted to find some place as soon as possible where Mutsuko and I could catch our breath and laugh about all this together. I wanted to compliment her on her quick thinking.
Mutsuko was fast. I was surprised she could run so well. Maybe she’d been endowed with supernatural powers, too. As long as we were together there was nothing to be afraid of. Nothing. Mutsuko.
‘Mutsuko!’ I called out in a small voice to her back, but she was as fast as the wind.
‘Mutsuko!’
The wide uphill street became a narrow, gentle downhill street, and we eventually came out onto a wide street again. That’s when I lost sight of her. I was quite certain that she haul turned left on the wide street, but once I reached the road she was nowhere to be seen. Surely it wasn’t possible to lose sight of her on such a wide street in a residential area empty of cars. l turned round and looked up the street we’d just come down, but there was no sign of her following. Standing still, leaning against the corner wall, I called her name out quietly.
‘Mutsuko.’
I couldn’t help but smile. It was a joke. As soon as I’d said her name, she popped out from behind one of the houses, smiling.
‘You naughty girl.’
I was about to take a step towards her. But a look of surprise suddenly flashed across her face. She’d seen something behind me. I turned round and was bathed in bright light. Headlights coming closer and closer.
‘Don’t move,’ boomed a voice through a loudspeaker.
‘Run!’ I shouted.
‘No.’ She shook her head firmly.
‘Just go!’
She took a few steps back.
‘Hurry!’
She began to run.
‘Don’t move.’
This time the voice wasn’t from a loudspeaker. It was right behind me. Resigned, I put up my arms, though I may have been able to escape if I’d tried.
‘Put down the stick.’
Remembering only then that I was still holding it, I threw it on the ground in front of me. A man’s hand grabbed my right wrist, pulled it down and cuffed it. And for some reason, I felt a sense of conclusion, of finality. As if I’d been secretly hoping this would happen all along.
7
A single fallen leaf sat on top of the table. It was mid November. The table was outside, between two buildings, and a small ray of light had found its way through the high-rises, the trees, the poles and other obstacles to shine down on its surface. The different colours of the leaf — the deep yellow-brown of the narrow, oval tip, the vivid yellow in the middle and the little bit of green that remained at the stem — were all sparkling in the late autumn morning sun. This ragged-edged leaf also had a couple of insect holes, and I admired it as I sat with my paper cup of self-serve coffee in front of me.
On the night of the incident, I’d been arrested and detained at Shibuya police station. The questioning had begun the next day, and I’d immediately admitted to resisting arrest and assaulting the police officers. However, I’d refused to give them my name or to tell them anything about Mutsuko.
I was certain that the police couldn’t do anything about Mutsuko as long as I didn’t say anything about her. In fact, by the end of the second day, they’d already stopped asking about her and the questioning began to focus instead on the thinking behind the assault. Again they told me to tell them my name.
‘Obstruction of justice is a serious crime, you know.’
They told me that both policemen had suffered injuries that would take ten days to heal, though that told me nothing about how seriously they had been injured.
After two days, my ten-day detention period began, which was later extended by another ten days. They’d shouted at me, saying this was a minor offence. That I wouldn’t be prosecuted for it if I told them the truth. But that I would be tried if I continued to be so stubborn — which would leave a permanent mark on my record.
On the twelfth day I finally told them my name and address. They contacted my wife, and apparently she’d come to Shibuya police station. I only guessed this as the elderly prosecutor started saying things to me like, ‘A deputy director at a first-rate construction company coming to this…’ and, ‘The numbers seem to be on the rise these days. People promoted to managerial positions, then just falling apart.’
Soon enough, the topic of Mutsuko was brought up again. I told them that I didn’t know anything about her, and that I absolutely did not have any sexual relations with her. I refused to budge on those points.
‘Well, I’m afraid if you persist in sticking to that story, we have no other option than to prosecute you.’
In mid August I was transferred to the Tokyo Detention Centre. And as the secure vehicle carrying me made its way through the city, I pressed my face to its screened windows, scanning the streets for a sign of Mutsuko.
On the second day at the detention centre I saw my wife. She couldn’t look me in the eyes and simply said something to the effect that I would be able to get out if we posted bail, but because bail was set at 1.5 million yen it would take some time. ‘Don’t worry about bail,’ I told her. ‘There’s no need to waste that kind of money on me.’
‘I can’t do that, can I?’ She looked up at the ceiling, annoyed.
‘I’ve caused you enough trouble already. I’ve been selfish. I think it would serve me right to have to stay here. There’s no need to spend 1.5 million yen. Tell them I refused bail.’
‘You say that, but—’
‘Just tell them I’ve gone mad. That I’m being stubborn.’
‘Do you think I can go around telling people that?’
She left the bento box she’d bought at the prison kiosk and went home. She didn’t post the bail, though, so I spent my time sharing a cell with some sort of robber who claimed he was in there due to simple bad luck and who bored me with his endless complaints.
After a while the government appointed a lawyer to represent me; he told me that I’d be tried for resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. Twenty-three days after I’d been detained, my trial took place. And on that same day a verdict was handed down.
My wife had taken the stand as a character witness and she’d told the court how I had been a hard worker until I had been appointed deputy director. And how I’d had a mental breakdown since moving to the Northern Japan branch on my own. She went on to explain that I’d remained a kind-hearted husband throughout all of this and to say that if I were to be released with a suspended sentence, she would make it her personal responsibility to take the utmost care of me to ensure I didn’t offend again. I felt that everyone had sealed off their emotions. As if we were all playing a game of not being human.
After an hour and a half, the guilty verdict was given and sentence was passed — a six-month custodial sentence to be suspended for two years. I went home with my wife in a taxi, and as soon as I got in the cab she said, ‘You’ve gained weight.’
When we got home, my son opened the front door and said, ‘You’re home,’ without even looking at me, then went straight upstairs.
Once seated on the living-room couch, I asked about my company. My wife told me that they’d been kind enough to treat my situation as if I’d been requested to hand in my resignation, so they would pay me my full retirement allowance. She told me several names of people at the company who I’d thought I’d lost all connection with and how they’d gone out of their way to make sure I was looked after. And for the first time through everything, tears welled up in my eyes. As for my wife, her tone remained unfailingly harsh.
‘I’m going to leave it at that for now,’ she said, ‘because I don’t want to bombard you with one thing after the other.’
‘It’s okay. Say whatever you need to. It’ll only bother me if things are left unsaid.’
‘After what I said in court, I will have to wait two years before doing the paperwork. But once that’s passed, I’m planning to leave you.’
‘I understand.’ I thought that it was only natural.
The next day, my son still wasn’t talking to me. In fact, I sensed he might even be afraid of me. It was as if he couldn’t get used to the idea that this man who had been arrested and found guilty in court was his father.
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