Chapter 4 part 5-3

Before Haruhiko could answer, the two older brothers voiced their discontent:

“Our father always spoiled him.”

“Yeah, must be nice to be the youngest.”

“Maybe it’s because I was well-behaved, but he was always nice to me. Then again, my brothers often got yelled at, so I tried to be careful not to do anything to get yelled at myself.”

I think that’s a common privilege for the youngest kid. I have a younger brother too, who just started middle school, and he has an easier time because he sees the kinds of things I get scolded for.

“Haruhiko, what did you think when you saw the hanging scroll?”

“Hmm, I guess I didn’t understand it.” Haruhiko smiled and crossed his arms.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, my brothers’ scrolls were instantly recognizable as Kiyomori and Mount Fuji, but mine was an unknown warrior. I asked Mom and my brothers who it was, but they didn’t know either. It was the appraiser Yanagihara who told me it was Taira no Tadamori,” Haruhiko explained with a bitter smile. I could tell that he was disappointed by his painting.

“I see. I’ve been meaning to ask this, but could you all tell me more about the paintings on the hanging scrolls? Fuyuki, yours was Taira no Kiyomori, but what was it like?”

The three brothers looked at each other.

“Let me think… Kiyomori was wearing a golden kimono, and there was a bright red sun and a large folding fan,” Fuyuki said, recalling the painting.

Holmes smiled knowingly and nodded. “Was it ‘Kiyomori Calls Back the Setting Sun?’”

“Kiyomori Calls Back the Setting Sun?” we all asked in unison.

“It refers to Kiyomori’s appearance in the kabuki play Beckoning at Itsukushima.”

“Oh!” Ayako exclaimed. “Now that you mention it, my husband liked kabuki.”

“My father does too, and occasionally went with Kajiwara to see a show.”

“You’re right.”

Holmes and Ayako giggled together.

“Now then, what was Akihito’s Mount Fuji painting like?” Holmes asked, returning to the topic at hand.

Akihito crossed his arms. “Hmm. It was overall yellowish-brown and had a sharp-looking Mount Fuji with a black dragon rising up in the sky.”

“‘Dragon Over Mount Fuji,’ then. Duly noted. Your turn, Haruhiko.” Holmes quickly turned around.

“U-Uh, is it just me, or have I been getting the cold shoulder?” Akihito sounded unamused.

“Interesting of you to complain, when you provoked me first,” Holmes said, turning around with that first-rate smile on his face again. Akihito stopped in his tracks, overwhelmed by its impact.

There it is—his wicked attack with a smile. He doesn’t outright trash talk his opponent, but his words pierce through them nonetheless. That’s how a Kyoto guy rolls!

I found myself clenching my fists at this abstract battle.

“So, what was Haruhiko’s painting like?” Holmes asked, quickly resuming his serious expression. The air of tension returned.

“Oh, the painting on my scroll depicted a warrior and an old priest carrying a lantern in a forest.”

“A priest carrying a lantern…” Holmes fell silent for a moment before saying, “I see. Thank you.” He then shifted his gaze to Ayako. “Could you reintroduce yourself as well, Ayako?”

She looked up, surprised. She probably didn’t expect to be questioned. “Oh, me? All right. My name is Ayako Kajiwara… I’m fifty-three,” she said, hesitating before saying her age.

“When did you get married?”

“I met Naotaka when I was eighteen, and we got married when I was twenty.”

“He was seven years older than you, right?”

“Yes.”

“Did you know that he’d prepared hanging scrolls for your three sons?”

“No, I had no idea.”

“Did he not prepare anything for you?”

“No. Oh, but…” Ayako showed us the shiny light blue gemstone on her left ring finger. “He gave me this before he passed away. It’s a ring with my birthstone.”

“Aquamarine. You were born in March, then.”

“Yes. You’re very knowledgeable, Kiyotaka.” Ayako touched the ring, looking happy.

“Ayako, what did you think when you saw the paintings?”

“Hmm, I was so sure that they must’ve been valuable art pieces, so I was a bit confused when I heard that they weren’t.”

“Did your husband like hanging scrolls?”

“He was interested in anything and everything, so that was part of it. It was a bit surprising though, because we didn’t have any hung up in our apartment or this lodge.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

Next, Holmes turned to Kurashina. “Lastly, Kurashina, if you would.”

“Of course.” Kurashina nodded with an earnest face. “Yohei Kurashina, forty-two years old. I work as Kajiwara’s secretary.”

“Were you aware of the hanging scrolls beforehand, Kurashina?”

“No. Only the attorney who had the second will knew about them.”

Holmes paused for a moment. “I see. By the way, what led to you becoming Kajiwara’s secretary?”

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but I used to be part of a biker gang,” Kurashina said with a bitter smile.

“Huh?” I was the only one who was clearly surprised.

“It’s hard to believe when he’s so serious now, right?” Ayako giggled. The three brothers laughed too. It seemed that the entire household already knew. And Holmes probably did, too.

“When I was eighteen, my mischief landed me in trouble with the police, and Kajiwara was the lawyer that helped me. I admired him because of that and I’d hover around him wanting to be of use somehow. He hired me as his driver, and two years later, he said, ‘You’re pretty useful’ and allowed me to be his secretary,” Kurashina explained cheerfully.

The three brothers nodded emphatically.

“Kurashina might’ve been an ex-delinquent, but he’s extremely smart.”

“Academics ain’t everything, after all.”

“And most importantly, he saved our father’s life!”

Holmes’s eyes widened at the last statement. Evidently it was news to him.

“It’s true. After our father wrote Struggle for Power, he angered the yakuza group he’d based it on. One of the more impulsive members charged at him with a knife, and Kurashina stood in the way, getting stabbed in his place,” Fuyuki explained.

“I…did not know that.” Holmes folded his arms, looking impressed.

“It wasn’t such a big deal. It only took two weeks to make a full recovery, and since the incident wasn’t made public, Kajiwara was able to reconcile with the yakuza. All’s well that ends well,” Kurashina said with a smile.

“Our father promoted Kurashina from driver to secretary out of gratitude. But of course, it was also because he was capable of the job,” Fuyuki said.

“I see.” Holmes nodded. “I have another question for you all. When did Yanagihara perform the appraisal for you?”

“We had him come right after we and the attorney obtained the hanging scrolls here.”

“You had Yanagihara come here?”

“Yes. We said we’d go to him, but he knew about this mountain lodge and drove here himself. He said it was on the way, because he was going to Kurama Hot Springs afterwards.”

“And approximately half a day passed between obtaining the scrolls and the burning? Did anyone leave this lodge during that time?”

Everyone looked at each other.

“No, no one left.”

“Yeah, we bought food and stuff before coming here.”

Holmes continued, “After Yanagihara’s appraisal, you shared drinks here, right? Where were the hanging scrolls while this happened?”

“On the counter,” Akihito said, putting his hand on the counter.

“Did you pass out right here in the living room?”

“No, the only one who passed out drunk was Akihito. The rest of us went to our bedrooms,” Fuyuki said, causing Akihito to scratch his head in embarrassment.

“When you left the living room to go to sleep, were the hanging scrolls on the counter?”