Chapter 17: A Man with a Normal Career


    Half an hours drive on a national highway from the burned city center reveals an unchangingndscape of country roads.


    It was an area made up of either rice paddies, or otherwise mountains and scattered residential areas. A deserted diner and a decaying tourist information sign.


    The session ofndscapes that looked like they were just randomly generated patterns in azily created video game reflected the reality of the countryside along the national highway.


    The sound of the tires of the vehicle detectives was riding, pounding along the asphalt in a steady rhythm, feels like its gradually lulling its passengers to sleep.


    [Even so, they said it was a new University-Launched Venture, but dont you think this ce is rather remote, Manda-san?]


    Perhaps bored of watching the same scenery for some time, his partner, the young detective Nagai, broached the subject.


    ncing at his partner, Manda thought young detectives nowadays have goodmunication skills.


    In his days, young detectives used to keep quiet until their superiors opened their mouths.


    [Yeah. Well, you cant really open up an industrial waste-rtedpany in the middle of the city.]


    It would be troubling if he were to fall asleep at the wheel and cause an ident during a series of all-night investigations, so Manda just decided to go along with the lighthearted conversation.


    Even the upper management, who is on edge in their search for the culprit in the arson and murder case that led to the massive fire, would probably agree with him for this.


    [I understand that, but it would have been nice if they had an office in the city center. Because of this, we had toe all the way to this remote ce to get information.]


    [What, Detective Nagai isnt satisfied with the drive with me? If thats the case, you can go back to your desk job, you know?]


    [No! That drive is fun! Its just, thepany were interviewing today, that Mass Clean something technology? I dont think its very likely that the President of thatpany had anything to do with the murder]


    MCTBH <Mass Clean Technology ck Hole> is a University-Launched Venture Company that was recently established by a local university to undertake waste treatment using a new technology.


    ording to the scraps of local newspapers they had gathered beforehand, a University Professor with a friendly face imed that he started thepany to contribute to the localmunity and the global environment, and in fact, saidpany did a lot of work in the aftermath of the recentrge-scale fire.


    [Well, yeah. However, I found the name of the President of thispany among the remains left behind in the office of Kaneda, a moneylender, after the fire. We cant just ignore it, can we?]


    Daiki Gomi. Age 34. University Graduate. After working for a major tradingpany, he established a recycling shop in his hometown. This year, he switched to the waste treatment business. He partnered with the local university to start a new technology waste management venture. Never married. No criminal record.


    He isnt particrly interesting, just a man with a normal career.


    The reason why such a mans name was left in the remains of the fire is unknown.


    Its possible that its just another person with the same name.


    [But you see That Kaneda was a moneylender and andshark. He was also quite the mboyant one, wasnt he? There must be a lot of people who have a grudge against him Seems to me that that yakuza named Hougi is much more suspicious than him, dont you think?]


    Kaneda had taken the trouble to print out a list of his clients and stored it in a fireproof wall safe.


    At the investigation headquarters, some of those who had known circumstances were listed high on the list.


    In addition to the customer list, Kaneda also kept a notebook, and the names of Gomi and Hougi were found among the burned pages.


    [The Anti-Boryokudan department would get information from that Hougi guy. Our department will have our turn after that.]


    [However, would someone who starts apany with a University Professor really do something like killing a moneylender He should be considerably wealthy, right? If theres no reason for him to borrow money, there would be no reason for him to get into financial trouble with a moneylender.]


    [Well, thats true]


    [I really think its Hougi who really did it. Like, hed get a big payout after theyd done to him, or something like that.]


    [Oi, Nagai, dont let your prejudice affect the investigation. In the field work, you just do as youre told. First, we need to interview this Gomi guy.]


    [I understand. Ahh, I can already see his ce now.]


    Moving his gaze farther, through the front ss of the car, Manda began to see a site surrounded by tall galvanized iron walls looming around the agriculturalnds.


    When a detective visits without an appointment, even if they had nothing to hide, ordinary people usually get shaken.


    However, the young man who answered the door, seemingly one of the employees, didnt seem to be particrly feeling timid, and saying Please wait in the office. I will call him right away., he urged them inside.


    [Seems like my face had lost some of its impact huh.]


    [I guess?]


    In the office to which they were ushered, several young male employees were doing difficult-looking calctions on aputer, but it was an empty and rather drab office.


    Arge sofa for visitors and arge monitor on the wall were the only curious things in this ce.


    [Thats a big monitor, isnt it? Do you use it to manage your work?]


    [Ahh, that one is for the Presidents hobby.]


    When Manda casually inquired about this, a young employee responded to him.


    [Heehhh]


    So his hobby is watching movies huh, thought Manda. He started imagining how intense movies must be, watching them on thisrge monitor.


    Thinking that President Gomi was beginning to seem more and more like an ordinary man, Mandas shoulders slumped at the prospect that their visit might have been a wasted one.


    [Ahh, the President is back.]


    Hearing the front door slide open, Manda turned to see a middle-aged man wearing a dirty jumpsuiting in.


    [Ill go wash my hands and change, so please wait a moment.]


    Briefly informing them, Gomi disappeared into the door at the back of the office.


    Holding his breath, Manda stared at Gomis back.


    The interview itself took only a few minutes.


    To begin with, several people, including employees, testified that the person in question was the office and had an alibi at the day the fire happened.


    He also had no motive for the murder.


    [Speaking of which, some months ago, Kaneda-san came to my office with a yakuza-like person to screw me into processing the illegal waste from hispany. Well, of course, I refused. If we had epted such illegal waste and had our business license taken away, we would have lost our means of livelihood. He might have some resentment towards me because of that.]


    Gomis own testimony also revealed why his name was listed in Kanedas notebook along with Hougi.


    [I guess it really was a miss huh, Manda-san.]


    Nagai spoke to him as they drove home, but Manda remained silent.


    After a while, when they entered the city center, Manda finally opened his mouth.


    [Nagai, what did you think of that Gomi guy?]


    [What I think Just an ordinary guy Ahh, but he had a great body, didnt he? Did he y rugby or sports like that?]


    He had an average build, but he was tall and had a well-developed muscr body that could be seen even from outside of his jumpsuit.


    [Youve read his background, right? He didnt do any sports in college.]


    [Then, does he go to the gym? I heard its all the rage for executives to go to the gym and do muscle training.]


    [Was that all there is to it?]


    [Was that all Manda-san, what did you think?]


    Hearing the question being returned to him, Manda didnt answer directly, but changed the subject.


    [Nagai, do you know the condition of this victims corpse?]


    [Yeah I heard that he was torn apart with great force, having bite marks on his body He was apparently caught in the copsing building and his body was probably gnawed off by a dog or some other animal.]


    [Those bite marks They said the body was gnawed on before it was burned. A colleague who joined the agency at the same time as me, working in forensics, told me.]


    [Ehhh?]


    [When Gomi came in, I locked eyes with him. Ive been a detective up to this age and Ive seen a lot of different people. Ive stood in front of con artists and murderers. However, his eyes were different from any of them]


    [How is it different?]


    Nagais question made Manda shake his head.


    [I dont know]


    [You dont know, you say]


    Nagai was puzzled by his answer, but Manda only murmured.


    [However, theres one thing Im sure I dont like his eyes]


    From that point on, Manda kept his mouth shut and ignored Nagais attempts to speak to him.