Chapter 8 Section VIII

I understand that those are the past, and it is impossible to turn back time.However, the remorse that remains in my hands makes me still unable to stop thinking about that night. After entering the toll road in the mountains, the greenery is more abundant.The late-blooming white cherry blossoms are particularly eye-catching among the young leaves welcoming early summer, and there are many other unknown pale yellow or pink flowers.There seem to be many flowers of this calm color in the country, and where is the scenery similar to this--as soon as I realized that my mind was wandering, I immediately forced myself to concentrate on driving.

Chiori in the assistant seat was still sleeping in the same position.Without this girl, I might never set foot on this land again. At that time, I thought about dying many times. In this way, no one will ever know me, and no one will find me.I don't need comfort, I don't need sympathy, I don't need encouragement, I don't need reprimand, I don't need anything. In a physical sense, it was a non-fatal injury that didn't even require hospitalization.With local anesthesia, stitches and bandages, it's all over, but I just stare blankly at the white glove that the doctor made to replace my ring finger, unable to feel that it's part of me.I don’t know how many times the parents who learned about these things called. The first time I told them "don't come", then I didn't answer the phone at all, and I seemed to say "you come and I will die" and so on. The words, the wrong tone made the parents dare not act rashly.

In addition, the police told the teacher and his wife that it was impossible to place Chiori, who was an orphan and didn't understand a word of German, by my side, so they quickly understood and accepted the arrangement. .So Chiori temporarily lived in the same room with me, but we never talked at all, because I was not in the mood to speak, and Chiori would not speak.At that time, I was completely exhausted, so things like confirming Chiori's identity were all handled by the teacher and his wife. However, even if the embassy was asked to contact Chiori's relatives in Japan on their behalf, there was still no news in Japan.

The couple who were killed were surnamed Kusumoto. They ran a real estate company together in a local town. They heard that the business was in good condition. The rent alone was enough to live a leisurely life, and they were able to travel to Austria for sightseeing.Unfortunately, the couple's past is a complete mystery, and it is not even clear whether they have relatives or family members, and their reputation is also very bad. Even Chiori's school teacher is unwilling to have anything to do with this matter. Involvement, that is to say, Qianzhi was thrown in a foreign country alone, and no one heard about her.Fortunately, a few days later, her passport was found thrown in a trash can in the urban area. After a procedural investigation, the embassy delivered it to me.

Local newspapers had only such simple headlines as "Japanese Pianist Saves His Country's Girls" about the incident.It is said that some reporters wanted to interview me, but they were all rejected by the teacher.Of course, I didn't learn these things until a long time later.Thanks to my teacher, I was able to slowly accept the facts in front of me in the corner room of my old home. Except for meals and police visits, I almost never stepped out of the room.Then, when I was able to have a good talk with the teacher, it was already a month and a half later. I sat face to face with the teacher across the low tea table, and his voice was very calm and gentle.But I just bowed my head and said nothing.

"Kingsuke, I know I can't understand your feelings, but you should be proud because you saved a life that might have been forcibly taken away. Such a great deed is not something ordinary people can do, do you understand? You are That girl's hero." I don't want to be a hero at all, I just want to be an ordinary pianist - and I try so hard not to let the words slip out of my mouth. "Of course, it doesn't matter if you want to continue living here, but your parents should also be worried? Shouldn't it be time to stop locking yourself in the room?" The teacher's tone was very gentle.

The teacher and his wife were very worried about me, and they were very cautious in their tone and wording. They seemed to use simple Japanese words to ask Chiori to pay attention to my every move, and Chiori seemed to understand the teacher's intentions.Only then did I realize that I couldn't find fault here, but if I wanted to give up my mind and go out, I couldn't do it either, because the outside was full of stone roads soaked in my blood. "I want to take a short trip." I stood up unbearably. The teacher raised his head and stared at me who finally spoke, a moment of sadness flashed through his light-colored eyes, then he closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.

"Sorry, I can't promise you, because I know you are going to find a place to end your life. I can understand that you don't want to stay in this country anymore, so please promise me that if you want to go, you must go back to Japan. If you don't agree, I will be very worried." So, you want my parents to watch over me?Even this is taken into account. "Don't talk, just listen to me. What you lost was only your finger. Fortunately, it was only your finger that was pointed at by the gun. It was nothing compared to the parents of the girl who lost their lives. I repeat, what you lost was just A finger is not your life. Now you may think that there is no difference between the two, or you may think that losing a finger is a more serious problem, but it is only a finger after all, not your life!" The teacher got up and walked to me Beside me, quietly put my hand on my shoulder, "Never forget this! I hope you will think about it. That's all I want to say."

After we stood for a while without saying a word, I finally nodded.After that incident happened, it was the first time I saw the teacher’s expression soften, and he kept murmuring God and Amen, probably from the Bible!I don't quite remember what the contents were. "By the way, the embassy would like to invite you to bring Chiori back to Japan." The teacher said as if he suddenly remembered something. Why me - I'm not sure if I just looked puzzled or actually asked the teacher. "Because no one is coming to Vienna to pick up Chiori, I'm afraid there won't be anyone going to Narita Airport. Chiori can only rely on you. Jingsuke, what are you going to do?" The teacher stared at me, and repeated the last sentence in Japanese. asked once.

After a long period of silence, I still couldn't say "No", so I replied "I know", but the teacher's eyes were still fixed on me, as if he was examining the credibility of the answer, and finally turned his eyes to the wall of the room. Another corner——that's when I realized that Chiori had been there all along. "That's great, Chiori. Keisuke wants to go back with you, thank him quickly." Chiori probably couldn't understand the German the teacher said, but she still nodded timidly at me. Now I am very grateful to have Chiori by my side, and I also hope that I can be her strength in the future.I think that the teacher must have foreseen all this at that time, and regarded Qianzhi as a pawn in his plan, and I, even though I knew that the teacher did it for my own good, I just blindly believed that Qianzhi was a burden thrown by the embassy. , unable to accept and thank the teacher frankly.

Although it is embarrassing to say so, it is an indisputable fact.At that time, whether Chiori was terrified, helpless, or afraid, I never showed any chivalry. Even so, I still said to myself that taking her back to Japan was the only thing I could do at this time. After receiving the teacher's reply, the embassy gave us the contact information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and asked us to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after we arrived in Japan.Sure enough, as the teacher said, no one in Japan will come to pick up Chiori. About ten days later, almost two months after that incident, Chiori and I finally set foot on the road back home after being sent off by the teacher and his wife.I led Qianzhi through the exit gate. She was stiff in the crowd. I said to her, "We are going home." She just nodded in reply.Before the plane landed, Chiori held my hand tightly and insisted that I accompany her in front of the bathroom even when she went to the bathroom.Along the way, I still don't realize that she hasn't spoken, and our conversation is all about me asking questions and she responds with nodding or shaking her head. After returning to China, Chiori, who had nowhere to go, lived in my house temporarily, and after countless twists and turns, she finally became a part of my family and started a new life, but she is not our adopted daughter, so Chiori still has the surname Kusumoto today.