Chapter 4 part 5-4

The brothers tilted their heads in contemplation.

“I think so. Actually, I’m not sure.”

“I don’t remember either.”

“Same…”

“By the way, was the incinerator one that anyone could use?” Holmes asked.

“Yes. It was originally used by our father to burn his scrapped manuscripts so that no one would read them,” answered Fuyuki.

“I see.” Holmes nodded. “This is…difficult.” I was shocked. It was rare to see Holmes so distressed. Did he lose confidence in his answer after talking to them? Maybe he suspected Kurashina because he wasn’t a family member, but hearing his story changed his mind? Holmes, are you okay?

As I was freaking out, Akihito laughed. “Still don’t know, right? Wanna look at the burned up scrolls, then? You can pretend to check if they’ve been swapped out.” He picked up the bundle wrapped in cloth from the counter, placed it on the table in front of us, and uncovered it. Inside were the tragic remains of three hanging scrolls with only the rods left intact.

Holmes gently held one up and declared, “No, they were not swapped.”

Everyone froze. “What?”

“No one here knew what the second will was about. In other words, no one knew beforehand that you’d be receiving hanging scrolls. From the way you spoke, I could tell that you weren’t lying. Basically, everyone found out about the scrolls at the same time, and Yanagihara performed the appraisal right after. The burned scrolls were discovered the next day, and no one had left the lodge in that time. There wasn’t time to prepare decoys. Plus, even if someone had snuck out unnoticed, there isn’t anywhere to procure decoy scrolls out here in the mountains.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“But more importantly, it’s not pinpointing the culprit that I find difficult.” Holmes murmured softly, his face twisting into a grimace.

It’s not pinpointing the culprit that he finds difficult? What does that mean? Everyone wordlessly shared glances, seemingly as confused as I was.

Akihito slammed his hands on the table, breaking the silence. “What’s that supposed to mean? If you know something then tell us. Or are you too stubborn to admit defeat?”

“Akihito! Don’t be rude to our guest,” Ayako chided.

“I mean… Okay,” Akihito mumbled, perhaps out of shame.

Fuyuki stepped forward and bowed. “I apologize for Akihito’s rudeness, Kiyotaka. If you’ve figured something out, could you please tell us?”

“I want to know too. Was there really a secret message in the burned scrolls? Something leading to hidden treasure?” Haruhiko asked, cheerful despite the circumstances. Maybe he thought of this as a riddle-solving game.

“Well…the paintings did contain messages for each of you, although not relating to hidden treasure,” Holmes began. Judging from his tone of voice, he was reluctant to continue. Everyone awaited his next words with bated breath.

“First, Fuyuki’s ‘Kiyomori Calls Back the Setting Sun,’ which depicts a scene from the kabuki play I mentioned earlier. In this scene, the sun is about to set before an important ceremony, and Kiyomori, inspired by a mythological Chinese king who had nine suns shot out of the sky, beckons at the setting sun with a folding fan in an attempt to make it rise back up. Upon doing so, the sun really does begin to ascend, and everyone prostrates themselves before Kiyomori, who has control over the sun.

“This play was a somewhat satirical depiction of Kiyomori’s limitless power and authority during an era when it was said, ‘If you are not of the Taira clan, you may as well not be human.’

“However, you must be aware of how Kiyomori ended up. Kajiwara liked Taira no Kiyomori, and seeing your business accomplishments, I believe he wanted you to embody Kiyomori’s rare charisma to aim for greater heights, while not making the same mistake of letting it go to your head,” Holmes said quietly.

Fuyuki began to quiver, his eyes puffing up. “Our father wasn’t the kind of person who’d tell us these things specifically. I do think I’ve been arrogant because of my successful company. It was foolish of me to brush off a painting he put so much thought into giving me,” he said, holding back his tears. He must’ve been devastated about the burned scroll.

My chest hurt, too. As I looked at Fuyuki, Akihito weakly brushed his hand through his hair. “So, um, what about mine…?” he asked with great difficulty. He must’ve been embarrassed to ask because of all the mocking he’d done, but he still wanted to know.

“Right. Akihito’s ‘Dragon Over Mount Fuji’ was painted by Hokusai three months before his death. Hokusai was almost ninety when he left this world, but his final words were ‘If only Heaven would permit me another five years, I could become a true painter.’ He lamented on his deathbed that he wanted to paint more and improve his skill. You could say that he was a true artist.

“I believe Kajiwara wanted to say, ‘If you really want to pursue a career in entertainment, then do so with the proper amount of passion. Don’t go at it half-heartedly. And just like the Mount Fuji in the painting, become the best in Japan. Become a star, like the dragon ascending in the sky.’ I’m sure he was supporting you, even if he couldn’t say so.” Holmes smiled warmly.

Akihito’s eyes opened wide. “Dad…” he said, trembling. He silently turned around and sat down on the bar stool, not wanting us to see him cry.

“Lastly, Haruhiko’s painting…”

“Stop!” Ayako screamed, interrupting Holmes.

“Huh?” The rest of us turned around, confused.

“Please, just stop. I…I burned the scrolls. You can stop now, right?”

Everyone gaped at her, myself included.

“What… Mom? Why?”

“I-I know he gave me this ring, but I was upset that my name didn’t come up at all in the second will! Since the scrolls were cheap and uninteresting anyway, I burned them in a drunken rage!”

“Th-That’s why?” Haruhiko looked flabbergasted.

“Yes! I didn’t know they had messages in them! It’s all my fault! So please, I’ve had enough! Kurashina, give them something for their time and take them home!” Ayako sprang up from her seat and dashed out of the living room.

“Mom, wait!”

“Ayako!”

Haruhiko and Kurashina hurried after her. Fuyuki, Akihito, and I stared blankly at the door she’d run through. Holmes was the only one who seemed relieved. He placed his hand on his chest and said, “The mystery has been resolved. Let’s go home.”

“Huh? You call this resolved?” I asked.

“We know who burned the scrolls and the reason why.” Holmes stood up.

“Wait. You still haven’t told us about Haruhiko’s painting.” Akihito stood between us and the front door, blocking our way.

Fuyuki bowed deeply. “I want to know too. It seemed like our mother was trying to prevent you from explaining it.”

Holmes sighed and said quietly, “It might be something you’ll wish you hadn’t known. At the very least, Ayako doesn’t want you to know.”

“I’m all right with that.”

“Yeah, we’ll keep it to ourselves.”

The two looked earnestly at us, and Holmes nodded. “The painting for Haruhiko was the tale of ‘Tadamori and the Lantern.’”

“’Tadamori and the Lantern?’” I repeated. I had no idea what that was.

“One night, when Emperor Shirakawa was passing through Gion to meet with his favorite concubine, Nyogo Gion, he saw a demon-like being on the path ahead and ordered his bodyguard, Taira no Tadamori, to kill it. However, Tadamori captured it alive to ascertain its identity and found that it was an old priest. The emperor was very grateful for Tadamori’s prudence, because it meant that his misconception didn’t result in an innocent priest being killed.

“Now, one theory states that as a reward, the emperor gave his beloved Nyogo Gion to Tadamori, and thus was Kiyomori born.”

The living room fell silent. What…?

“What does that mean, giving Nyogo Gion to Tadamori?” I asked.

Holmes grimaced. “It means that he allowed Tadamori to spend a night with Nyogo Gion.”

“H-Huh? A-And that led to Kiyomori being born?”

“I can’t speak as to whether it’s true, but there is such a theory.”

I-I can’t believe it. In plainer terms, he “lent” his woman to his subordinate for a night, right? But then, Kajiwara giving that painting to Haruhiko would mean…

“Wh-What? Are you saying that Haruhiko isn’t Dad’s kid? But who else could it possibly—” Akihito stopped in his tracks.

Around twenty years ago, Kurashina risked his life to protect Kajiwara. If Kurashina secretly desired Ayako and Kajiwara knew, then Kajiwara might’ve given him the ultimate proof of his gratitude.

Kurashina…and Ayako…and then Haruhiko was born.

Does that mean Kajiwara was raising Kurashina’s child as his own? I felt chills run down my spine.

“Ayako most certainly didn’t want it to be known. Even if she didn’t know what the Tadamori painting meant, I’m sure she would’ve looked it up. And then she may have panicked when she discovered the truth,” Holmes explained calmly. The rest of us stood stock still, unable to say anything.

“I-If they kept it a secret for this long, then Dad could’ve left it this way forever. Why did he give Haruhiko a painting of Tadamori?” Fuyuki asked, tightly clenching his fists.

Exactly. Why would he confess three months after his death, by means of a painting? It felt irresponsible.

“This is simply speculation on my part, but was it Haruhiko’s twentieth birthday recently?” Holmes asked.

Fuyuki and Akihito nodded. “It was two weeks ago.”

“I think the ‘three months later’ may have been because Kajiwara was firm on waiting until after Haruhiko turned twenty to tell him the truth. However, from my perspective, it’s still a bit too early for him. Ayako likely felt the same way.” Holmes frowned.

Oh, so that’s why Holmes said it was “difficult”!

“I’ll be taking my leave now. I’ll speak with you at a later date, Fuyuki,” Holmes said.

“What about me?” Akihito spoke up from beside us. Holmes ignored him.

“Thank you for telling us. What should we do about this situation?” Fuyuki asked with a grave expression.

“When you feel that Haruhiko is ready, please tell him the truth. Do not carry the secret with you to your grave,” Holmes cautioned.

“Why can’t we just keep it a secret forever?” Akihito asked, furrowing his brow and tilting his head. I thought the same thing. I felt as if it’d be better that way.

“Ignoring your ancestors will always lead to familial strife. Haruhiko is part of the Kajiwara household, but his blood is inherited from Kurashina. He needs to be aware of that.” Holmes’s words carried incredible weight, and the rest of us gulped again. “Now then, shall we go, Aoi?” Holmes looked me in the eye and I nodded, still bewildered.

“I’ll take you. Where do you live?” Akihito said, taking out his car keys.

“Thank you. Kurama Station will be fine.”

“Oh yeah?”

We left the living room.

“Wait, Kiyotaka. This is for you.” Fuyuki ran up to us, holding an envelope.

“I’m afraid I must decline.”

“Just take it. They’re tickets to a kabuki show.”

Holmes hesitated. “In that case, thank you very much.” He accepted the envelope with both hands. You’ll accept a reward if it’s kabuki tickets?! I thought to myself.