Den-en-chofu, Ota,
Tokyo
We visit Miyazaki residents and meet with the 3rd and 4th generation of the Miyazaki family. Like most wealthy families from the Showa era, everyone in this household is very polite. Even their maid still used kimono. Miyazaki's family home is in Japanese style houses. However, we could saw the condo-shaped building not far from the main house. We were told to waiting in the living room.
"My name is Miyazaki Jun. I'm the 4th generation of the Miyazaki family. My father not very healthy right now, but when he heard about the telegram, he wants to speak with you. Please wait a moment," Jun-san smiled at us then diverted his gaze to the hallway, waiting for his father.
"Thank you very much," I smiled. I feel a little tense. I looked at Rui who seemed to be casually drinking tea and eating snacks.
"I heard that you have a telegram from my grandfather and want to talk about Fujisima family, " Jun-san said, looked at us seriously.
"Yes," I nooded, "We are from Shibasaki Detective Agency and we are also Takeuchi Shou-sensei discipline, my name is Morimachi Yui and my coworker, Maruyama Rui," I said, "Last week we got a client who lives in the area that own by Miyazaki-san family since 1946. They asked us to help them investigate their new house because the strange accident happened to them since they moved," I explained.
"I understand," he nodded, "I heard a story about Fujisima family from my ancestors,"
"I want to ask if is Miyazaki family is branch family from Fujisima family?" Rui asked. He suddenly sat upright and asked Jun-san in a serious tone, even though for a moment he seemed too relaxed. Rui was always so easy to change his mood.
"Yes," Jun-san smiled, "To be more precisely, My grandfather is the biological son of Fujisima family,"
We were stunned. "Biological son?" I said in surprise.
"It's a twin," suddenly a man comes with his wheelchair assistance by the maid.
"Father!" Jun-san got up and approached his father.
"Sorry for making you wait. My name is Miyazaki Taro," he smiled, "To hear that someone want to talk about the accident even after a long time, make me feels worried," he laughed a bit.
"We are sorry for taking your rest time," I bowed my head.
"No," he said, "It's my father wishes to reveal the truth about what happened back then before he died. But, he doesn't know what should he does because of this matter it's difficult to understand in normal ways," he took a deep breath with a sad expression, perhaps remembered what happened in the past.
"Miyazaki-san, what do you mean when you said, twins?" I asked.
Taro-san smiled, "I will tell you everything from the beginning," he took a breathe, "First, my father is the twin brother of the first daughter of Fujisima family. But, at that time twin is believed is bad omens, especially because they are boy and girl. So they let my father to be adopted by Miyazaki family who is the close friend of them," he said, "And when my father 10 years old, Miyazaki couple told him the truth. They said that family is not always born by blood, it's born by kindness and love," Taro-san smiled. The look on his face shows that he is very proud of his grandfather.
"They sure are really wonderful person. Your grandparents, " I smiled.
"I always thought so," he smiled softly, "Ten years later in the Fujisima family, the youngest daughter is born, Nanako. But...they said Nanako born with one red eye. Fujisima family really scared that it's maybe cursed. At that time people really strongly believe in the supernatural thing. So, they let the little girl live in the annex far away from the main family. After birth, the mother becomes ill and can't move away from her bed. Because all the people scared with Nanako, they put eye pack on her left eye," he continued while breathing slowly, "People starting to talking about why Nanako always talk to herself all the time. So, one day they call the priests and he believes Nanako can see the spirit of the dead,"
"So, when she grew up, the more she understood her condition," I said.
"Yes," Taro-san nodded, "She opened the eye pack by herself sometimes. She said that she heard someone called her name. The rumors spread quickly and with no time people believed in Nanako power. So, they come to ask for help to talk with their ancestors. At first, the Fujisima family don't ask anything. But the oldest son comes with an idea to worship Nanako. So, they can gain money. They started by building a nice house for Nanako," Taro-san shook his head. He seemed to not believed his own story.
"Worship Nanako?" Rui and I looked at each other.
"But, only five months passed, the accident began happened to Fujisima family," Taro-san sighed, "First, the animal they keep died mysteriously. The two favorite dogs of the husband, the foreign cat that the daughter rising, the horse of that the second son owned and the golden fish on the pond all died. And the week after, the spin factory the family ownership for generations get burn to the asses. Not only that, they have a large plot of farmland and the day before harvested is got rot. All the accident happened after they let Nanako power spread, so they think that Nanako cursed them because forces her to using her power,"
I looked at Taro-san seriously. Trying to understand the story to find the common thread of this incident. But, the more I try to understand it, the more confused I am.
"The family began to torture her. But because they scared of Nanako's power, they shut the girl back to the annex. But, the misfortune doesn't stop. Their business partners suddenly cut off the ties with them. They at the level that they can't even pay the salary of the worker," Taro-san said.
His son, Jun-san just kept looking at his father. Every now and then he sighed and shook his head. If drawn from the lineage, Jun-san is a direct descendant of Fujisima's family. Maybe that's what made him feel upset.
"Maybe because of the anger, one night the family decided to get rid of Nanako. Because they don't want to be suspected, they put poison on her meal for every day and let her died from illness after a week. Cough....cough....!"
Jun-san immediately took the drink on the table and slowly helps his father to drink. Rui and I looked at each other. We wondered if we should stop this conversation.
"Don't worry. I will get sick if I don't tell the truth," Taro-san smiled and took a small breath, "A week after the tragedy happened, the entry family and the worker get killed. There is no voice, so no one knows what happened and the fire suddenly spread around the house. The neighbors help to put out the fire and trying to help the family and the worker, but they surprised that they found all of them were stabbed to death,"
"I heard that one of the maids survive from the accident," I said.
"Yes," he nodded, "But, the stabbing getting worse so she died the next day. Everyone surprised about what she said. That Nanako is the one who accused the accident. She said she saw a little girl silhouette passed the maid room. How it's possible when she already died," Taro-san looked at us with a confused look.
"The police said that it's homicide," Rui said.
"Yes, they found the husband fingerprint in the knife that used to kill all the people inside the house. The police conclude that after killing all the people inside the house, the husband commits suicide. The first one gets killed is the eldest daughter, the second daughter, the third son, the third daughter, first son and his wife, the second son, the maid and the worker gets stabbed one by one on their bed, and the last one is the wife. The motive maybe because their business suddenly shut down," Again, Jun-san helps his father to drink. Taro-san took a slow breath and looked at us with a smile, "Nothing is easy when you are old," he chuckled.
"We apologize for troubling you when you are unwell," I smiled softly.
He shook his head and continued the story, "Maybe it's because the accident happened right after Nanako died, the rumor spread about the cursed. But, Its not the real truth behind the tragic accident. My father never told anyone about this. However, before he died he told his story. It was my father's wish, so that the dark secret of the Fujisima family would die with them,"
Rui and I looked at each other. Then looked at Taro-san who seemed to be aware of our anxiety.
"The day before Nanako passes away, my father comes to visit Fujisima family because he heard about Nanako illness and the wife, who is his biological mother conditions getting worse. She meets Nanako for a moment and after that, he stays with the wife. At that time all the family member is out, so the wife speaks freely to my father. She apologizes that my father must be adopted and she can't do anything. And she feels sorry for Nanako because she can't rise her because of her illness. She doesn't even once meet Nanako. But, she said that sometimes, she saw a silhouette of Nanako peek in her room," Taro-san's voice weakened and sounded like he was holding back his tears.
"Because of her health condition since giving birth to Nanako, she could not do anything for the little girl, " I breathed slowly because my chest began to feel tight. The tragedy that occurred in this family has been very cruel.
"Yes. She knows that all happened because his family is greedy and using Nanako to take advantage of poor people. They deceive even their business partner and when all the people get their revenge, they put Nanako on blame. She even knows that they trying to kill Nanako. But, there is nothing she can do to stop them. And then, she said to my father there is the only thing she can do. 'This family has no future' is what she said to my father. She grateful that my father doesn't rise in that family, "
"The family has no future?" I feel even worse. Is it possible...
"It's not Nanako or the husband, the mother...is the one who killed all the family member and the worker," Taro-san finally said it.
"Don't she is an illness? She even can't get out from her bed," Rui looked very surprised. His eyes were wide open while looking at Taro-san as if he didn't believe what Taro-san said.
Taro-san smiled, understanding what Rui said, "My father said, maybe it's Fujisima ancestors who gave her the power. Nanako always mentions about her great-grandparents. So, maybe even the ancestors already gave up to their descendants,"
"But, the police said that the husband who killed all the family because they found the fingerprint and odd position of the knife," Rui still didn't believe what Taro-san said.
"It seems, when the wife tried to kill the husband, the husband fought back and attacked his wife. And after realizing what was happening in his family, he finally decided to commit suicide. And one more thing, The ashes of Nanako weren't in the Fujisima family grave and even Nanako name is also not listed there," Taro-san took a deep breath while holding his chest. Jun-san tried to give a drink to his father, but Taro-san shook his head.
"What do you mean Nanako's ashes disappeared?" I asked in surprise.
"My father trying to find out, but since all the family member and the worker already dead, we never find Nanako assess. So, my father thought that maybe is the reason for the cursed that happened in the third blocks, " Taro-san looked at us seriously. It seems that his father experienced something unusual, "Actually before my father died, he visited the blocks once. If I remember correctly it's when around 1973. He heard about the accident that accrued in Fujisima land,"
Rui and I looked at each other. We can't cover the confusion from our faces.
"My father said that he saw a woman who was similar to Nanako's mother who was also his biological mother passed around that street with a little girl. My father doesn't really believe what he saw, but the next day in the newspaper, the child he saw the other day with the woman died from drowning,"
I think about that for a moment, "The mother feels guilty about Nanako unhappiness. She can't do anything to save her daughter, she even can't meet her daughter and her daughter killed by her family. Even after the death, no one knows where Nanako buried. Maybe she thinks that all the child around five to seven years is Nanako, so she took them with her," I said.
"But, there is a boy too. She will not mistake a boy and a girl," Rui looked at me with a doubtful look.
I took a deep breath, "In the mother eyes, all the children around five to seven years old looked like their daughter,"
Taro-san looked at us, "About that, my father believed that if we found where Nanako is buried, then this cursed on the land will be ended,"
"We understand, " I nodded. But, finding something uncertain is like walking aimlessly. There will be no end, "We will try to figure out about the matter and keep in contact with you, Miyazaki-san," I smiled.
"Thank you very much. My father must be happy now. No matter what Nanako is his sister," Taro-san give us a relief smile.