Pathway to Japanese Literature

Author: Nomura Kodo

Spider’s Thread

“Tonight was truly splendid. “I never dreamed Ai-chan was so good at the piano. “When I listen to you practicing though—it really is such a noisy instrument.” “Oh, Onii-san! I can’t tell whether you’re praising me or putting me down!”

Saburo Kariya and his younger sister Aiko, on their way back from Hibiya Concert Hall still caught up in their lingering excitement, chose not to take the train and were walking home to their residence in Bancho District.

“But the performance was truly excellent—the audience was completely astonished.” “The Beethoven sonata seemed a bit intimidating, but the Chopin in the second half was excellent.” “The people sitting near me had no idea I was your brother, Ai-chan—they were saying things like, ‘Who knew Japan had such a young, brilliant pianist? Even with all the foreigners here, just discovering an artist like this makes our pride swell!’”

“Oh...”

Aiko looked slightly embarrassed. He was not the type of brother to give empty compliments to his sister, but when faced with such direct praise, even she found herself unable to speak.

Aiko Kariya had just turned eighteen—a fresh, pure girl like a pink cosmos flower. Last year, after passing a certain newspaper’s competition, she was instantly recognized as a genius—even hailed as a major discovery by the Japan Orchestra—and after the turn of the year, with the support of seniors and mentors, she finally held her first solo recital, which as a debut for a newcomer was nothing short of an unprecedented success—this was the homeward journey following that triumph.

Her brother Saburo was twenty years old—a university mathematics student who possessed not only intellectual brilliance but also extraordinary physical strength, a rugby player whose name was known throughout the student sports world. His splendid physique of over five shaku and seven sun (approximately 5'8") and his bright, open-hearted disposition made him a model specimen from the perspective of eugenics—a young man one would wish to set as the ideal type for future Japanese. “Brother, what do you think?” “Do you think it really went well? —I’m just so anxious about what the newspapers and music magazines will say…”

Aiko, true to her girlish nature, seemed to be worrying about such things.

“Don’t worry—those who badmouth you don’t truly understand the piano. I don’t drink, but I imagine being drunk on sake feels just like that… listening until you’re completely entranced.” “Oh my! Let’s just hope it’s not methyl alcohol.” “You little rascal.”

The two of them exchanged such words, their carefree laughter echoing through the New Year’s night sky.

The night was already past ten o’clock, the snow-laden sky hung heavily overhead, and Bancho’s streets were devoid of human shadows. “Excuse me, might I ask—”

Startled by the sudden voice, the two came to a halt beneath a large building.

“Might I ask if there’s a residence belonging to a Mr. Shiotani in this area?”

“Well...” The man wore his coat collar turned up, his fedora pulled low over his eyes, and tinted glasses. “No need if you don’t know—I’ll ask around here instead. Oh! Wait a moment, miss—there’s something odd dangling from your coat. Could be someone’s prank—these days there’s no shortage of ill-meaning folks. Come over to the streetlight by the building—let me have a look for you.”

“——”

The man’s manner seemed kind, with no trace of artifice. Aiko, unsuspecting, went to the streetlight in front of the building when the man who had been passing by moved behind her and began brushing the hem of her coat—then suddenly, utterly suddenly, her body was hoisted into the air, the heels of her high-heeled shoes rising an inch, two inches, three inches off the pavement. “Brother, i-it’s terrible!” It was only natural that Aiko let out an involuntary scream. At that very moment, Aiko’s body was being rapidly hoisted into the air—one foot, two feet, three feet off the ground.

Absentmindedly whistling as he walked a few steps ahead, Saburo turned around in alarm at his sister’s scream—only to find Aiko’s body already hoisted five or six feet into the air, the hem of her red dress fluttering beneath her silver-gray coat like flames fanned by fire. “Ah— Wait!”

Saburo shouted something incomprehensible and lunged. But all he managed to grasp was the heel of his sister’s left shoe; as it slipped off cleanly and he tumbled onto the pavement, Aiko’s body—like a beautiful dragonfly caught in a spider’s thread—spun rapidly above the streetlight, rising higher and higher into the sky. So overwhelming was the situation that Saburo had even forgotten to call for help in a loud voice. Even if someone called for help, this entire area was a ferocious burnt ruin; past ten o’clock, there were scarcely any passersby, the police box was far away, and there were no houses nearby where people seemed to live.

The building appeared to be a repaired three-story reinforced concrete structure that had been damaged by fire—utterly ordinary—but from its roof’s protruding eave, a single thick rope was hoisting Aiko’s body upward; that much became clear. Even Aiko, as she was being hauled up, seemed so overwhelmed by the sheer madness of it all that for a while, she forgot even to scream. All the while her body spun violently through the air, the crimson hem of her dress blazing like fire above the streetlight. But this lasted only moments. Then a hand shot out from under the eave, grabbed Aiko by the collar and hair, hauled her effortlessly onto the roof—and with that, it was all over.

The figure of Aiko whirling through the air and her faltering cries of surprise vanished, and the New Year’s night in Bancho deepened profoundly as it wore on.

Saburo started toward the police box—but realizing the nearest one was over three blocks away and unsure what might happen to Aiko, who’d been hoisted onto the building’s roof during the time it would take him to go there and back, he instead approached the building’s front and pushed at its unmarked door. Yet it stood as immovable as the gates of hell—no amount of shoving or ramming could budge it.

Saburo suddenly noticed and looked around. He thought—if only that suspicious man who’d spoken to Aiko earlier were still around here— But no trace of such a person remained. Instead, a single boy—dressed in filthy rags like a cocooned insect—had crawled out from somewhere and was looking up at Saburo with a puzzled expression.

The Cocooned Boy and His Sister

“You’ve been here all along?” “Yeah.”

The boy nodded. When viewed against the light of the streetlamp, his attire may have been wretchedly shabby—a sunburned face, close-cropped hair, round bright eyes, a small neat nose—but with an age likely no more than fourteen or fifteen, he looked every bit a clever boy. “What kind of people live in this Building?”

“I don’t know—might be a gang. Thug-looking guys are comin’ and goin’.” “And you?” “I live next door—I may look like one, but I’m not a stray kid. I’ve got a proper house.” The boy pointed to a ramshackle shack on the south side of the Building—a structure cobbled together from burnt corrugated iron resembling an insect nest, with only a single lean-to eave. But inside glowed an electric light, and besides the boy stood a woman peering anxiously at the outside.

“The one they hoisted up to the Building’s roof…is my sister.” “Isn’t there any way to get into this Building—you?”

Saburo had no choice but to rely on this boy.

“It’s tough, but let’s give it a shot—this Building used to belong to my father.” “During the war, while we were fleeing around, Father went missing, and the Building got taken over by villains. Me and my sister had no choice but to cling to the side of this Building like ticks, waiting for Father to come back.” “That’s terrible.” “I was too little and didn’t know anything back then, but my sister grew up in this Building—she might know a way in. Wait here for me!”

The boy entered the corrugated iron shack and was talking with his sister about something when a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl emerged holding a flashlight alongside her younger brother. “This is my sister—Sachiko Hano’s her name—and I’m her brother Umakichi.”

Even amidst the urgency, Umakichi announced his name.

“I am Saburo Kariya—I live just up ahead.” “Oh, I know—you have a sister who plays the piano beautifully, don’t you? Whenever I pass by your house, I stand outside the hedge and listen.”

Her lively round face, innocent yet intelligent-looking eyes, and plain attire were no less striking than her brother Umakichi’s—yet her loveliness stood equally unmatched. “My sister—my sister Aiko, the one who plays the piano—was hoisted up to the Building’s roof. I have to save her somehow.” “So I hear—they’re wicked people. Let’s go around to the back.”

The girl—Sachiko—guided Saburo Kariya around to the rear of the Building. Amidst burnt corrugated iron, withered weeds, stones, bricks, and heaps of charred lumber—a terrain that offered no foothold—the girl Sachiko deftly wove through the obstacles, slipped into a covered underground passage near the back entrance, and skillfully infiltrated the Building through an opening once used to transport fuel for the steam boiler. “All right, it’s safe now—let’s go up to the roof.”

Sachiko, shining her flashlight, nimbly climbed the stairs—second floor, third floor—then darted out from the penthouse to the rooftop garden. “She’s not here.” Saburo Kariya let out an involuntary cry of despair the moment he saw the rooftop. Though cloudy, the not particularly spacious rooftop of the Building could be thoroughly surveyed from corner to corner with just a single glance. There was nothing there except the penthouse and the gravel spread across the ground. No—there was an alarmingly sturdy hemp rope atop the eave jutting from the Building’s front, its end fitted with an equally obstinate spring-loaded hook nickel-plated like one that could leash a bulldog’s neck. But the genius girl, Aiko Kariya, whom this rope had hoisted up, was nowhere to be seen.

“They hooked this onto the band and pulled her up, didn’t they? What a horrible thing to do!”

Umakichi fumed with anger, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Just to be thorough, they checked every room in the Building—from the third floor down to the first—over a dozen rooms in total. But every door was locked, every room was dark, and not a single one showed any sign of life.

Saburo Kariya sat down on the cold stairs and buried his head in both hands. What a cruel twist of fate—that his sister Aiko, who had just made her dazzling debut tonight as a genius pianist, bearing the radiant glow of triumph as she hurried homeward, should be abruptly snatched away by villains. “Mr. Kariya, it’s cold here—let’s return to our house for now, though it’s not much...”

Sachiko Hano said this with hesitation. If you sat on the stone stairs in the empty Building, even the hardiest person would catch cold.

“But, what if—”

“The villains must have fled long ago.” “I’ve heard this Building has a mysterious secret passage.” “Plus, our shack clings tightly to the Building—whether front or back, if any door opens, we’ll know immediately.”

Sachiko said this with all her might.

An Immense Fortune

Saburo Kariya was reluctantly guided to the Hano siblings' shack. A shack surrounded by five or six planks, straw mats, and burnt corrugated iron—a pitiful sight—yet inside, old tatami mats were laid out, a single electric light hung, and somehow it was kept tidy. This modest tidiness reflected Sachiko's character, evoking a sense of nostalgic warmth.

The water supply, fortunately attached to the Building’s exterior, used repurposed utility fixtures; though dubious in quality, they even had a stove, allowing them to somehow endure the frigid air. On the Building’s wall hung a Millet print and a full set of oil painting tools, making this shabby shack of burnt corrugated iron strikingly bright and culturally enriched.

The hour was probably already past midnight. Saburo Kariya, who had sent Umakichi running to inform his home that he would be coming here, resolved to keep watch here for a while and spend the long night as Sachiko had suggested. Amidst their anxiety and impatience, the conversation among the three gradually began to flow more smoothly. This was likely due to their youth and innocence, but one factor was Sachiko Hano’s unguarded kindness—her understanding, refinement, and attentive care, which belied both her appearance and circumstances—that had completely put Saburo at ease.

“Why did the villains kidnap your sister? Do you have any idea?”

Sachiko urged Saburo Kariya, who sat utterly dejected, while offering him a cup of hot tea. She seemed to think that talking about something might ease his troubled mind a little.

“I do have an idea—the villains are after something enormous.”

“Something enormous—?”

Sachiko edged closer. She must have been around seventeen. Seeing her like this—close to the lamp and engaged in conversation—one was struck less by her loveliness than by this girl’s keen intelligence. “This is a well-known story—since it’s something known to many people, there’s no need to hide it now. The truth is, I am the grandson of Sanemon Kariya, who was called the Coal Mine King in Kyushu thirty years ago.” “Oh!”

Sachiko also widened her eyes in astonishment. The existence of Kariya Sanemon, the great coal magnate, was known throughout Japan by old and young alike—just as there is no one who does not know Mitsui and Mitsubishi. "My parents passed away early, and only my grandfather Sanemon lived past seventy until the year the war ended." "The coal mine was transferred to others fifteen or sixteen years ago when my father passed away. Grandfather then converted all his assets into jewels and pure gold and hid them in a certain place in Tokyo."

“――――” “Grandfather foresaw the trajectory of military clique politics and concluded that under these circumstances, Japan would inevitably plunge into catastrophic ruin. When that time came, these jewels and pure gold were to be retrieved to save Japan—but the methods had to remain strictly peaceful.” “The people to be saved were to prioritize the elderly, the disabled, and the sick—first building large old-age homes and charity hospitals. Not a single sen was to be spent for any other purpose—this was strictly stipulated in his will.”

Saburo Kariya’s story was bizarre, but Sachiko Hano had not failed to catch wind of such rumors. Because of that hidden treasure, stories had even spread of how Old Sanemon Kariya had been imprisoned, attacked by certain ruffians, and endured terrible ordeals.

“To be fair, Grandfather wasn’t entirely inflexible—he donated most of the pure gold to the government at the time. But given the sheer size of the amount, about a third of it—along with all those countless jewels—should still be lying untouched in a secret vault.”

“――――” “Even now, recalling it fills me with dread—in the final stages of the war, exactly four years ago, Grandfather took my sister and evacuated to the foothills of Aso in Kyushu, quietly avoiding the flames of battle.” “The house was borrowed from a local wealthy family and was very spacious, so he gathered up to nine people—those who had lost their homes in the war and had proper introductions or connections—trustworthy individuals—and they lived there communally for over a year.”

“――――”

“Even amidst hardship, it was a truly enjoyable life, I heard.” “Since I still had school, I stayed at our house in Tokyo and kept attending classes, but—”

“――――”

Sachiko and Umakichi were listening as if being drawn in. This was truly an astonishing story. “However, the one who set his sights on that immense fortune Grandfather had hidden was—of all people—a man named Kuuhachiro Kitou: my own great-uncle, Grandfather’s brother-in-law.” “Burying such a treasure underground would be a waste, but using it to build old-age homes and charity hospitals is like throwing treasure into a ditch. If you entrust its management to me, I’ll perform dazzlingly grand work for the nation and humanity—that’s what he said.” “Swindlers and con artists—they all spout such grand lies to extract people’s money, but Grandfather knew their tricks a hundred, a thousand times over. There was no way he’d fall for such sweet talk.”

“――――” “Grandfather hid that treasure in a certain secret place,” Saburo continued solemnly. “Along the path leading there were nine locks installed with Nine Keys made.” His fingers traced invisible mechanisms through frosty air. “The First Key opens a major bank’s safe-deposit box containing coordinates for the vault’s location; the Second unlocks its entrance gate; the Third grants access to its chamber itself—each subsequent key revealing deeper layers.” “――――” Saburo’s narrative now pulsed with urgency. Sachiko Hano and Umakichi sat motionless—their breaths suspended midair like captured smoke.

“However, Kuuhachiro Kitou gathered a band of villains to form a large gang, exploiting the chaos of war to raid Grandfather’s hideout at the foot of Mount Aso and seize the nine keys.—Grandfather Sanemon was over seventy years old, but he remained remarkably vigorous and capable.” “With help from my sister Aiko, Grandfather Sanemon fled up Mount Aso at midnight, crossed the back mountains, and tried desperately to return to Tokyo. But by then, the villains had already closed in—Grandfather and Aiko found themselves surrounded by dozens of them in front of Aso’s volcanic crater.”

“Tch! That’s just cruel!” The boy Umakichi could no longer contain himself and interjected as if spitting out the words.

“That is something I will never forget—it was the dawn of August 15th, four years ago now.” “When Grandfather was surrounded by villains and told to choose between his life or the Nine Keys—‘Gladly will I throw away my life! These old bones past seventy aren’t worth sparing—but my granddaughter Aiko is only fourteen! I cannot let her die here for nothing!’—the Nine Keys would never be handed to them. ‘The treasure will one day be retrieved by someone who inherits my vision—watch well! These Nine Keys I solemnly dedicate to Aso’s divine spirits!’ As Grandfather raised his hand to the sky, the silver ring linking the Nine Keys caught the first light of dawn, glittering as it plunged into Aso’s volcanic crater—a molten pit of rust-red iron.”

Saburo Kariya’s story ended.

Citadel of Slumber

Eighteen-year-old genius pianist Aiko Kariya, on her way home from her recital, was caught by a hook-and-rope lowered from the roof of a building in Bancho right before her brother Saburo’s eyes, smoothly hoisted into the night sky, and vanished without a trace. Behind that audacious kidnapping lay a great secret involving an immense quantity of pure gold and a vast multitude of jewels hidden by Saburo and Aiko Kariya’s grandfather—Old Man Sanemon Kariya, once known as Japan’s Coal Mine King—and sealing away that billion-yen treasure were Nine Keys, which Grandfather Sanemon Kariya, cornered by villains, had thrown into Aso’s volcanic crater—or so the story went.

This was the rough outline of the incident that Saburo had explained to Sachiko Hano and her brother Umakichi. Amidst this account, the urgent report that Umakichi had earlier delivered was relayed from the police box to Kojimachi Police Station, then from Kojimachi Station to the Metropolitan Police Department—and over a dozen officers arrived without delay. The disappearance of Aiko Kariya—granddaughter of Old Man Sanemon Kariya, and that evening’s genius girl pianist who had held a recital at Hibiya Concert Hall—must have carried the unmistakable scent of a major incident.

Saburo Kariya and the boy Umakichi Hano guided the police squad to scour every last corner of the building’s interior and exterior, but unsurprisingly, not a single soul was to be found. They tracked down a middle-aged man named Yamauri Kinji—who claimed to be the building’s custodian—from his late-night residence in Yotsuya and forced him to unlock every room in the structure for inspection. Yet even there, nothing was amiss. If Saburo’s account of his sister Aiko Kariya—the genius girl pianist—being hoisted up to the rooftop like a beautiful swallowtail butterfly caught on a spider’s thread was not mere delusion, then one could only conclude that Aiko had vanished within that building as though turned to smoke.

Saburo Kariya, who had persisted there until dawn, returned to his home as night gave way to day. Even within Bancho, there was a good ten-minute distance between the building near Hanzomon and the Kariya residence closer to Kudan. He had Umakichi run ahead to deliver an initial report, but with no means of further communication afterward—though it had been merely one night’s absence—Saburo entered his home’s gate with the weary disposition of someone who had journeyed for three years.

“Hm?” The Kariya family’s Bancho residence—spared by the fire and though modest in scale, a house that still evoked the former glory of the Great Coal Mine King with its cohesive beauty and refined, immaculate taste—what a transformation it had undergone this morning.

The moment Saburo stepped through the gate, he felt an eerie shiver run down his spine and an indescribable unease. With a sense of having been ambushed, Saburo peered into the gatekeeper’s lodge—the entrance door left wide open—and there inside was Old Man Sagohei, clad in his daytime work uniform, slumped against the table in a stupor like a mud-drugged crucian carp, half-awake and half-asleep, frothing at the mouth.

“Old Man! Old Man!”

Saburo shook him as if lunging forward, but whether he had been drugged or fallen suddenly ill, the old man showed no sign of regaining consciousness easily.

Saburo was indeed shocked, but while steadying his own nerves, he resolved to alert the household to the emergency and shouted through the fortunately still-open entrance.

“Is anyone there? The old man’s in trouble!” Apart from the two siblings—their live-in cousin Seiichi Ueno, a nineteen-year-old youth one year Saburo’s junior—and otherwise only servants, this was by no means a guarded household. Yet the interior lay utterly silent, with no one answering Saburo’s call. “What a mess,” he muttered. “Leaving the entrance wide open—is everyone still asleep?”

While making remarks befitting the master of the house, Saburo proceeded further inside. But in the reception room adjacent to the entrance, the tutor’s room beyond it, and the connected dining room—every item in these rooms had been overturned; vases and small dishes smashed to pieces; floors torn up; ceilings broken through; wallpaper peeled off; even tables flipped over. Every chair’s upholstery had been ripped open to extract the springs inside, every single cushion’s seams torn apart to scatter feathers across every inch of the rooms—a truly thorough act of devastation.

Saburo, shocked, rushed up to the third floor. But the four rooms there—particularly his own and his sister Aiko’s rooms—had been so thoroughly ransacked that even the chair legs were snapped off and the marble bases of the lamp stands smashed to pieces, presenting a scene of dreadful devastation. The gang of villains had likely kidnapped Aiko through an audacious method last night, pinned her brother Saburo there, and then raided the house in his absence, wreaking this level of devastation. Saburo Kariya was a young man of rare caliber—excelling in both intellect and physical prowess—and the gang, fearing to confront him directly in open combat, must have resorted to underhanded schemes: luring him to the building, then targeting his home in his absence to ransack it with thorough brutality.

As for what their objective had been, Saburo Kariya understood it well. “They did it…” Saburo involuntarily bit his lip and clenched his fist, but even so, he couldn’t help worrying that neither his cousin Seiichi Ueno nor any of the servants were showing themselves. Just to be thorough, Saburo peered into the Western-style living room next to the dining room—a roughly ten-tatami-mat space where they usually spent their evenings in family gatherings—and there they were: Seiichi Ueno, a live-in student, and two maids, all surrounding the large central table. Like the attendants from the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty,” each lay in their own peculiar posture, as though they had truly slumbered for a thousand years, sunk in a deep, unshakable stupor.

Saburo Kariya had no choice but to rush out of the gate once more and bring back a police officer and a doctor.

Terukuni’s Seiichi Having heard word of what happened, Sachiko Hano and her brother Umakichi came to visit around noon that day. The servants who had been drugged with anesthetic had managed to rouse themselves somehow—their faces still deathly pale—and allowed the two into the reception room, which remained in disarray. To be sure, had it not been for such thorough destruction, the Hano siblings might have been daunted to be ushered into this opulent reception room. But amid the aftermath where vandals acting like madmen and villains had wreaked such havoc—leaving no spot untouched—the boy Umakichi’s disheveled appearance did not seem so out of place.

“That must have been awful.” Elder sister Sachiko frowned at the devastating state of her surroundings. Her Western-style dress was exceedingly plain—a hand-sewn cotton one-piece from her schoolgirl days, paired with cotton socks and geta sandals—but her face, untouched by powder or rouge, glowed with a healthy wheat-colored complexion that radiated purity, wisdom, and an endearing charm. “That’s terrible, Mr. Kariya! Who on earth did such a thing?”

The boy Umakichi widened his round eyes. Today, thanks to his sister’s devoted care, he was free from his usual bagworm-like wretchedness—clad in a patched student uniform and toying with his daidoku cap like a tattered rag. “I haven’t had time to properly hear the details yet—returning this morning felt like walking into *Sleeping Castle*. Now that my cousin Seiichi’s finally recovered, let’s get the full story of last night.”

Saburo said this, ordered the live-in student, and had Seiichi Ueno summoned.

The one who eventually entered was Seiichi Ueno—his face still pale, yet he seemed every bit the lively fellow he was known to be. He was a plump, fair-skinned youth with a childlike demeanor and a stature shorter than one would expect for nineteen—a young man everyone called by the nickname Terukuni.

“How are you feeling, Sei-chan?” Saburo split the protruding long chair in half and had him sit down with care. “I’m fine now—had a terrible time though. Felt nauseous and had a splitting headache, which was rough.” Seiichi said this, narrowed his eyes in his characteristic charming manner, and made a face like a child forced to swallow bitter medicine.

“Could you tell me in detail what happened then, if you’re not feeling too unwell?” “Sure thing—but it’s such a silly thing. My bad for falling for that bait.”

“Bait?”

“Right after your messenger came, Saburo—while I was getting ready to rush out and help—a young guy who looked like a Western restaurant cook showed up with a cardboard box stuffed with seventeen or eighteen cream puffs. He said, ‘This is from the young master. Must be dull waiting around, so have everyone eat these. It’s time-sensitive—best to dig in right away.’ Well, I figured I might as well enjoy the cream puffs before heading out. So I called the whole household to the living room, had tea prepared, and we devoured the lot. Sent three pieces on a plate over to Old Man Sagohei at the gatehouse too.”

“Did you eat three all by yourself?” “If it weren’t for times like these, we wouldn’t get to eat cream puffs to our heart’s content—so everyone was thrilled—but thinking back later, I realized something was off.” “Something odd?” “The cream puffs were a bit bitter, and that messenger’s spiel was fishy too—who even uses feudalistic terms like ‘young master’ for Saburo-kun? No one calls him that! If they’d said ‘Sanbu-chan’ or ‘Sanbu-kō,’ I’d get it, but…”

This was Terukuni’s Seiichi—pale-faced yet speaking with remarkable vigor. “Didn’t you notice that?” And Saburo Kariya’s “Sabu-chan” seemed slightly amused. “It’s mortifying—they knocked me out cold before I could notice a thing. Didn’t even get to dream.” Terukuni’s Seiichi grew even more carefree. How reassuring this carefreeness must have been for Saburo in this situation.

Duplicate Keys

“By the way—what exactly were they aiming for by lacing those cream puffs with anesthetic?” Terukuni’s Seiichi asked again. “You know already, don’t you? It’s the Nine Keys.”

“The Nine Keys? But Grandfather threw those into Aso’s volcanic crater, didn’t he?” “So you didn’t know the full truth either… To fight our enemies, I need you to know the real story. Let me lay it all out now.” Saburo Kariya rose from his seat as he spoke, first surveying the corridor through the entrance door, then leaning out the window to gaze at the midday garden bathed in the winter sun’s radiant glow before finally returning to his chair.

“It’s already noon. Let’s take our leave, Uma-chan.”

Sachiko stood up modestly. It was likely a feeling of wishing to show discretion toward the cousins’ private conversation.

“No, there’s no need. Sachiko-san, Umakichi-kun, please listen—this story isn’t any secret since the villains already know it all. We could even call a reporter and have them publish it in the papers without issue. When I checked the corridor and windows earlier, it wasn’t to keep this hidden—I simply wanted to confirm who might be watching us and expose the villains’ true identities.”

“But…” Sachiko was still fidgeting, but— “It’s fine—more than that, I want you both, Sachiko-san and Umakichi-kun, to hear this as well. It’s terribly presumptuous of me, but… I’d like you to lend me your strength.”

When Saburo Kariya pressed her to that extent, Sachiko could no longer hold back—she had no choice but to plunge into the vortex of the case.

“Very well.”

Sachiko and Umakichi finally settled into the armchairs. “Listen—Grandfather Sanemon undoubtedly threw the Nine Keys into Aso’s volcanic crater. But that was a ruse to divert the villains’ attention. Anyone would quickly realize there wasn’t just one set—another duplicate existed.” “It’s common sense for any key to have two copies. So even the villains who were once deceived—it’s only natural they’d realize there must be another complete set.”

“……” “Grandfather was a man of such meticulous thought—having amassed a colossal fortune in his lifetime—and was incomparably thorough in all matters.” “From his brother-in-law Kuuhachiro Kitou’s character, he foresaw this crisis would soon arise. Before being pursued by villains and fleeing for his life up Mount Aso, he scattered the duplicate nine keys and hid them instantly through methods no one could possibly imagine.” “My sister Aiko carries one too, and there should be another concealed somewhere around me.” “No—more than that—there must undoubtedly be one key hidden near Seiichi Ueno here—Terukuni’s Sei-chan—as well.”

“……” It was indeed a bizarre tale, but if Kariya Sanemon—a man whose intellect surpassed ten million—had poured his utmost wisdom into hiding the Nine Keys, then ordinary reasoning could never unravel it. “The Nine Keys were concealed near nine individuals—in ways even they themselves didn’t know.” “Not in Aiko’s handbag or my sheath, but in places far more mysterious—hidden through methods utterly beyond imagination.”

“……” The three involuntarily exchanged glances. It was far too bizarre a tale. “You might not believe me just from saying this, but the villains have already learned that the duplicate set of nine keys is hidden somewhere. They’ve kidnapped my sister, ransacked this house, and are scheming all sorts of things.” “In this situation, a moment’s delay could mean falling a thousand miles behind.” “If this vast fortune were to fall into the villains’ hands and be squandered on their debauchery and extravagance, it would spell grave calamity for Japan already struggling with postwar inflation.” “The treasure must absolutely be expended in accordance with Grandfather Sanemon’s will—to build relief facilities for the aged, the sick, and the vulnerable. And if there is any surplus, it must be directed toward human culture, world peace, and endeavors such as establishing a Nobel Prize.” “That was the lifelong ambition of my grandfather Sanemon—who fought through all manner of violence and staked his life to achieve it—”

Saburo Kariya said this and quietly surveyed everyone’s faces. What a resolute declaration that was—uttered in Saburo Kariya’s opulent parlor, reduced overnight to ruins by the villains’ violence like some ravaged wasteland!

"This is getting interesting, Sanbu-chan! I don't think there's any key like that around me, but hunting down nine keys tied to a colossal fortune and putting them to proper use—now that's one hell of an adventure!" "No matter who the opponent is, I'll resolutely rise to the challenge!" It was at that moment that Terukuni's Seiichi stiffened his usually amiable face, bounced his small body like a rubber ball, and slammed the table with a thump.

“Ah!”

With a crash, a stone the size of a baseball shattered the windowpane and plummeted with terrifying force beside Seiichi’s clenched fist. It bounced two or three times before rolling across the floor. “What’s this? There’s something white attached!”

When Saburo picked it up, the stone was an elongated, gourd-shaped object with a constricted middle, and tied around its center with string was what appeared to be a single sheet of paper torn from a notebook.

“It’s a letter!” Seiichi, Umakichi, and Sachiko, bursting with curiosity, peered in to find the message was a mere three lines written in fountain pen: If you want to save Aiko’s life, gather and hand over the Nine Keys. The deadline is one week. Post your reply in the living room window. K Wasn’t that exactly what was written?

Younger sister’s life. “What should we do?” “You—” Terukuni’s Seiichi looked up with a worried expression. “There’s nothing we can do—we don’t know where the Nine Keys are hidden either.” “So what happens now?”

“Whoever finds them first will win.”

The nine keys that the venerable Kariya Sanemon—a man of singular genius—had poured his wisdom into hiding were not something that could be found so easily. "The opponent may be detestable, but if it's a competition, let's play fair." Terukuni’s Seiichi steeled himself to confront the villains. "Alright, alright. At any rate, we should make our stance clear—I must protect Aiko’s life at all costs." Saburo Kariya brought out a sheet of drafting Kent paper, dipped a brush until its bristles drank deeply of ink,

“The Nine Keys were hidden by Grandfather after he poured all his wisdom into them. Neither I nor Aiko could possibly know their hiding places. Just as you’re searching over there, we’re searching here. Stop your underhanded tactics.” Having written this, he pinned it to the window with a thumbtack. “The villains are probably watching us from somewhere with a telescope or something.”

“So where could those Nine Keys be? Now that it’s come to this, it’s a race against time—no, every second counts!”

Seiichi remained as fired up as ever. “Wait a moment, Sei-chan. The vast fortune is undoubtedly important, but to me, my sister Aiko’s life is far, far more precious.”

Saburo Kariya was thinking such things. Aiko, the prodigy pianist as angelically adorable as an angel—to her brother Saburo, her life was more precious than all the world’s wealth. “That’s right. No matter what it takes, we have to save Ai-chan’s life.”

Terukuni’s Seiichi, too, felt the preciousness of Aiko’s life even more deeply than her brother Saburo did.

“Aiko has hidden herself away inside a certain building—I think I need to study that building again.”

Saburo finally regained his calm thinking ability.

“Let’s go! I’ll show ya around! When it comes to that Building, there ain’t a single rat hole I don’t know!” The boy Umakichi Hano jumped up. Thus, Saburo Kariya’s group of four found themselves returning to the Building once more. By then, the people affected by the anesthetic had apparently regained their energy, and the police promptly dispatched officers to handle the investigation and protection, so the Kariya residence was no longer an immediate concern.

“Wait, wait! There’s something in the mailbox!”

As he was leaving through the gate, Saburo peered into the mailbox and retrieved a single letter. It was a plain Western-style envelope addressed to Mr. Saburo Kariya and left unsealed, but what emerged from inside was three lines written on the same scrap of paper that had been thrown through the window earlier.

Aiko will remain in our custody until we obtain the Nine Keys. However, if you report this to the police, she dies. K This is how it read. “The opponent fears the police—but regardless, we’ll handle things our way.”

Saburo Kariya handed the letter to the officer at the gate and took his first step in challenging the devil.

Following them were Terukuni’s Seiichi, Sachiko Hano, and the boy Umakichi; meanwhile, the winter sun shone crimson upon their party.

The Two Youths on the Rooftop “Ai-chan was definitely hoisted up to the top of this Building, you know, you.”

The young man Seiichi Ueno, nicknamed Terukuni, stood at the base of the Building and gazed up at its summit. On its front face, green letters spelling “Yamanote Building” were embossed onto the concrete, giving it a superficial semblance of order. Yet inside, it seemed not yet truly restored—somehow desolate—and under the bright sun, it appeared utterly uninhabited. “Since I saw it with my own eyes, there’s no mistake—I couldn’t do a thing as Aiko was hoisted up, twisting and turning like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web.”

Saburo Kariya, the young man, recalled how his sister had been snatched away before his very eyes the previous evening, gnashing his teeth in frustration. The building’s interior and exterior were secured by police forces—no one had entered or left since last night—but only Yamaura Kinji, the caretaker, had a brazier brought into the downstairs hall and was chatting amiably with officers dispatched from the police. “What an awful misfortune, eh? I heard something happened at your residence… Well, thanks to that, I ended up in a ridiculous situation myself—didn’t get a wink of sleep all night.”

When he saw Saburo’s face, Yamaura Kinji said amiably. He was a man around forty with a square face and an air of cheerfulness, who had become quite friendly with Saburo Kariya since the commotion the previous night.

“I would like to see the inside of the Building once more.”

Saburo Kariya politely made the request. “Oh certainly! Please feel free! If an incident occurred in this Building, I—as caretaker—bear some responsibility. To eliminate all doubt, you must investigate thoroughly down to the last detail! Though mind you—I was in Atami last night and returned late, so when your sister was taken, I’d have been passing through Yokohama or thereabouts.” Yamaura Kinji was even explaining unnecessary things.

With that explanation at their backs, Saburo Kariya and Seiichi Ueno examined the Building from its basement with terrifying thoroughness, then climbed from the penthouse at its summit to the gravel-covered rooftop.

There lay the ropes and chains that had hoisted Aiko up the previous night, each one a fresh wound to her brother Saburo’s heart.

“Come on, let’s sit here and think this through together. You’re Ai-chan’s own flesh-and-blood brother—your worry’s clouding your mind, so your usual cleverness isn’t coming through.” “Let me take over thinking through this case.” “And if I consult your input at each critical point and adjust accordingly, there shouldn’t be any major missteps—after all, I’m Ai-chan’s cousin too, so I’m just as worried as you are. But even so, I can probably stay a bit calmer than you, her brother.”

Terukuni’s Seiichi took up position on one of the wooden benches arranged on the rooftop and set about comforting the worried Saburo.

When viewed from the rooftop of the Building, the scenery of the great city in spring appeared as if sprinkled with gold dust—there was nothing quite like it. Swollen cherry buds dotted the landscape, while heat haze shimmered over the undulating roofs like an intoxicant that left both body and soul drunken—yet for Saburo and Seiichi, such sights lay utterly beyond their concern.

“Thank you. Hearing you say that truly gives me strength. I’ve been agonizing all night and somehow feel… dazed like this.” “Of course it is. No wonder you feel that way. By the way, if we’re going to start working on this, the sooner the better—even a minute earlier counts. Let me begin by sharing what I’ve noticed.” “Please do that.”

Saburo Kariya faced Seiichi and urged him to continue. Saburo Kariya possessed a splendid physique of five feet seven inches. As befitted a rugby player, his muscular build and Apollonian handsomeness—akin to a Greek statue—were matched by an intellect said to be unparalleled, honed through his mathematics studies at university.

In contrast, Seiichi Ueno was not tall but plump like Terukuni, fair-skinned, amiable, and a good-natured young man who was always smiling. At nineteen, a year younger than Saburo, he was majoring in literature at university, but his intellect was in no way inferior to Saburo Kariya’s. “First, last night when Ai-chan was hoisted up to the rooftop, you said the entrance doors were definitely closed, right?” “There’s no mistake. Both the front and back were securely shut—no signs of anyone entering or exiting. Especially the back entrance; building materials were piled up inside and out—you couldn’t open the door without moving them.”

“The coal chute for the basement’s heating system that you and Sachiko-san’s siblings squeezed into—as you saw, it’s so narrow you could barely crawl through.” “The villain couldn’t have carried Ai-chan out through that opening and escaped—even if they could’ve, it would’ve taken so long it’d be nearly impossible for you to get there in time.” “And then,”

“Sachiko-san says she’s heard there’s a hidden passage in this Building,” said Saburo Kariya（狩屋三郎）, “but given it’s a simple reinforced concrete structure（鉄筋コンクリート）, any such passage would’ve been discovered when it burned（焼けた）. Since they haven’t even properly restored（修復） it yet（まだ修復もほんとうにできていない）, there can’t be some elaborate escape route（脱け穴） we couldn’t find.” “However（もっとも）, in（地下室）the basement（地下室）, there’s（ある）a deep empty well（空井戸）that was used（使った）to draw groundwater（地下水）during（基礎工事）the foundation work—probably（たぶん）, that was used（使われていた）as an escape route（脱け穴）in（昔）the past.” “But（でも）now（今）it’s packed full（一杯詰まっている）with burnt timber（焼けた材木）, iron scraps（鉄屑）, and chunks（かたまり）of concrete—not even（一匹だって）a single rat（ネズミ）could burrow through（もぐれない）. Even if someone did manage（仮りにもぐったところで）to crawl（もぐる）in（にもぐる）, （出口は）the exit seems（らしい）to be（である）a manhole（マンホール）on（北側）the Building’s north side—but that’s also completely clogged（塞がっている）with burnt debris（焼け屑）—so right now（今では）, it’s utterly useless（役に立たない）as an escape route（脱穴）.”

“So, the criminals hoisted Aiko up to the rooftop—where did they go?” “Let’s consider that—with Sanbu-chan’s intellect—there’s no way it can’t be figured out—” Terukuni’s Seiichi seemed to have perceived something.

Aiko’s Whereabouts

The two exchanged glances for a moment. Saburo Kariya—known as a rational, astute mathematical genius—had been so unhinged by his sister’s peril that even he had lost the capacity to methodically organize his thoughts. Seiichi of Terukuni was a dreamer and poet—not typically a coldly intellectual man, yet precisely because he possessed such soaring imagination, he might prove unexpectedly suited as a detective. Be that as it may, to them both, Aiko was this world’s treasure. She was a girl of purity and kindness, skilled at the piano and utterly endearing—one who bestowed upon those sharing her daily life from dawn till dusk an ineffable sense of bliss.

“So, what have you come up with?”

Saburo asked again. “Listen carefully, Sanbu-chan. You said that when Ai-chan was suspended in midair and hoisted up to this rooftop, you immediately circled around to the side, had Umakichi-kun and his sister guide you, and slipped in through the narrow back entrance—correct?”

“That’s exactly right.” “During that interval, an elaborate trick must have been executed—given your physical prowess, couldn’t you devise a way to descend from this rooftop down the Building’s exterior by clambering along window frames, rain gutters, and balconies?” Seiichi of Terukuni advanced to the edge of the rooftop garden and made this audacious proposal while leaning over the parapet to peer downward.

“It’s not impossible.”

Sticking his head out from behind him, Saburo Kariya also made a bold statement. From the parapet on the fourth floor to the pavement below was likely at least twelve meters. While those with weak nerves would grow dizzy merely from peering over the edge, Saburo Kariya—who had readied himself even amidst such circumstances—promptly set to work. Gripping the parapet, he twisted his body and was already outside the building.

“You okay?” “Probably.” His feet had already alighted on the fourth-floor window ledge; the next instant his hands were sliding along the rain gutter down to the third-floor balcony. Then, with swift maneuvers of hands and feet traversing the second-floor window frame, within five minutes Saburo Kariya stood effortlessly on Bancho’s thoroughfare. After exchanging a silent signal with Seiichi—who had been watching from the rooftop—Saburo Kariya reentered through the main entrance. Greeted by Yamaura Kinji and police officers wearing puzzled expressions, he gave them a brief nod before ascending the stairs back to the rooftop. It took only two or three more minutes for him to stand once again at Seiichi’s side.

“So now we’ve all figured it out—the villains suspended Ai-chan in midair, hoisted her up to this rooftop once, then while you were clattering around to the back, they lowered her again with the rope, had their accomplice waiting on the ground remove the hook, pulled up the rope, and this time descended themselves without a hitch using the exact method you just did.”

Seiichi of Terukuni’s explanation admitted no room for doubt.

“I see—thank you, Sei-chan. Even someone like me was so panicked that I didn’t notice it.”

Saburo Kariya looked happy. Saburo suddenly grabbed Terukuni’s Seiichi’s plump palm and shook it vigorously.

“By the way, where was Ai-chan taken after she was lowered back down to the pavement?” This time, Seiichi tilted his head in puzzlement. “We’ll have to investigate that now—above all, we must look into people who can utilize this Building—those who know it well.” “Hmm, there seems to be some commotion downstairs—” While saying this, Seiichi of Terukuni leaned out over the parapet and gazed down at both sides of the ground below.

“That sounds like Sachiko-san’s voice—” “About ten laborers are tearing apart that siblings’ corrugated iron house!”

“Let’s go check it out.” Saburo and Seiichi flew down the stairs and rushed to the home of the Hano siblings—Sachiko and Umakichi—which clung to both sides of the Building like parasitic husks. “Ah, Mr. Kariya, what should we do?”

It was no wonder that Sachiko—usually so resilient—was panicking and crying. Though neat in appearance, Sachiko—whose pitifully plain attire bore no trace of elegance—tried to throw herself into Saburo’s chest, only to jolt back in sudden awareness. It was a moment of maidenly discretion befitting a young woman. When they looked, the siblings’ familiar home of charred corrugated iron was being smashed to pieces by a swarm of laborers. Its materials were piled onto the scorched ruins, while their meager belongings lay discarded beside them like worthless trash.

“Bastards! What the hell are they doing?!” Younger brother Umakichi brandished his small fists with all his rebellious spirit, but the fourteen-year-old unassuming boy could do nothing against ten-odd rough men. “What in the world has happened here, Sachiko-san?” Saburo involuntarily placed his hand on the girl’s shoulder. For Sachiko—a girl who exuded rationality and neatness—to forget all shame and decorum and sob uncontrollably must have been utterly overwhelming.

“We’ve been pressured to vacate for a year now—by the owner of this Building, a man named Kobayakawa Takeamaru.” “And?” “But my brother and I had resolved that no matter what happened, we would not leave this place.” “It wasn’t out of mere stubbornness.” “This Yamate Building belonged to my father before the war.” “Huh?”

“My brother and I grew up in a Japanese-style house that stood on the south side of this Building—the very place where we’re living now.” “When the war began, Father left for the Southern regions and never returned, and Mother passed away from illness before the Building burned down.” “My brother and I evacuated to the countryside in Tohoku, and when we returned half a year after the war ended, the Building had passed into the hands of a man named Kobayakawa—we were no longer even permitted to enter it.”

Sachiko gazed at her home being smashed to pieces before her eyes—its traces and form vanishing—and spoke these words through tears. “So you tried pursuing legal procedures?” “We asked someone who used to be close to Father to investigate and negotiate for us, but it seems the Building had already been sold to a man named Kobayakawa before Father left for the Southern regions. None of our claims were accepted.” “With no other choice, we gathered burnt corrugated iron on our old home’s site to make a semblance of a roof. My brother and I lived there for a year to see how things might change. But Mr. Kobayakawa used frightening people to intimidate us, filed an eviction lawsuit… and today—today—they say the grace period ended. So… this happened.” “They’re going too far!”

Terukuni’s Seiichi was thoroughly excited, but if there were no errors in the opposing party’s procedures, there was nothing they could do. “I’m terribly sorry, but there was no other way but to do this.” “I’m just the manager—merely carrying out Mr. Kobayakawa’s orders—” Yamaura Kinji approached Saburo Kariya and the others with a smirking face, spouting excuse-laden words, but neither Saburo nor Seiichi paid him any heed.

“Sachiko-san, Umakichi-kun—you can’t stay here forever. If you’re in a bind for now, why don’t you come to my house? Fortunately, it’s not far from here, and as you can see, my house is spacious and… well, not exactly secure.”

Saburo Kariya had made up his mind in that instant to take in these siblings. “But that would be too much.” Sachiko was fidgeting with visible hesitation, but— “That sounds great! If it’s Kariya-san’s house, I’d love it!” Umakichi was utterly ecstatic.

“And Umakichi-kun, you’ll go back to your old school; Sachiko-san, please study whatever art you like and help with the search for Aiko.” “Thank you.” Sachiko was bathed in fresh tears once more. This time, she was struck by Saburo Kariya’s unreservedly kind words. And then, glancing back at the now-vanished remnants of their utterly destroyed home, the four of them set out together for the Kariya residence.

The First Key

Inside Saburo Kariya’s house—ransacked by the villains—had finally been tidied up enough to restore its livability. With Saburo acting as host alongside his cousin Seiichi and the Hano siblings Sachiko and Umakichi, they plunged into discussions about their next steps: uncovering the Nine Keys to locate the immense treasure hidden by their grandfather Sanemon and—even more pressing—tracking down Aiko’s whereabouts.

“By the way, I think they kidnapped Ai-chan for some reason beyond just taking her hostage. What do you think, Sanbu-chan?” Terukuni’s Seiichi once again exercised his imagination.

“I’ve also thought about that. When Grandfather hid the Nine Keys during our evacuation at the foot of Mount Aso, he must have hidden them among the nine people who were with him at the time—considering all circumstances, there’s no doubt about it.” Saburo was recalling that time in minute detail. In the constrained life of wartime evacuation, if Grandfather had chosen the best possible place to hide the Nine Keys from enemy eyes—well then, where and how would he have done it?

“That’s correct. Aside from the nine cohabitants’ personal belongings, there truly was no other place to hide such things—when I say nine, that includes you, Ai-chan, me, Grandfather’s brother-in-law—Kuuhachiro Kitou, who is your great-uncle, Saburo-kun—and his daughter Tsubaki-san. These five are blood relatives; the remaining four are outsiders.” “That great-uncle Kitou betrayed Grandfather and turned against him—and on top of that, we don’t even know where those four people who lived with us at Mount Aso’s base are now.”

The situation was utterly hopeless, yet Terukuni’s Seiichi was frantically trying to find a glimmer of light within that despair. “The most crucial First Key must be hidden among the belongings of those five blood relatives—so wouldn’t searching your immediate surroundings first be the quickest path?” Terukuni’s Seiichi finally arrived at this point.

“No, it can’t be me. Grandfather doted on Aiko beyond measure, and unlike me, he must have assumed enemies would overlook vulnerabilities in her surroundings—in fact, isn’t it likely they kidnapped Aiko last night precisely because they knew that?”

Saburo, true to form, regained his usual composure. "That’s interesting—no doubt about it—but if Ai-chan’s been kidnapped, there’s nothing we can do." "No—Aiko’s been kidnapped, but surely none of the things she had during our evacuation at Mount Aso’s base four years ago would still be on her person today." "Indeed—no young woman would keep wearing the same things for four or five years—but isn’t there anything left here from when Ai-chan was at Mount Aso’s base? Something she kept close or wore?"

“There is—first, the piano!”

Saburo pointed to the upright piano in the corner of the room, and— “Jackpot!” Seiichi lunged forward in unison.

“No, no! Last night, those villains tore off even the back panel of that piano and utterly destroyed it.” “What else?” “Aiko often drew pictures—as you know, there should have been oil paints.” “That’s it!” “No, that’s not it. They squeezed out each tube of paint one by one—made a terrible mess—but there’s no way they hid a key there.” “What else?” “There might be something, but we won’t know unless we ask Aiko.”

They were in the midst of that conversation.

“Um, I’m sorry to bother you, but there’s a serious matter—”

The young maid Hikari called out hurriedly from outside the door. “What’s wrong?” Needless to say, all four of them stood up.

“A burglar broke in and took shoes from the shoe cabinet in the inner entrance.” “Whose shoes?” “That’s the strange thing—even though there are five or six good pairs of shoes, only the young lady’s old shoes that were stuffed into the back of the shoe cabinet are missing.”

“That’s it—where did the burglar go?” “It seems he fled to the back, and Mr. Oyama chased after him.” Come to think of it, they had just heard the student lodger Kotaro Oyama’s shouting voice moments earlier. The boy Umakichi, who had been listening to this story, suddenly jumped out of the window and, still barefoot, leaped over the low hedge before bursting out onto the back street. From afar, Kotaro Oyama’s rough voice resonated unapologetically through the midday city air.

“Thief! Wait! Stop right there!”

(Unfinished)