Haruki Murakami - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

I said nothing to him. The cat came over to me and gave a short meow, as if looking for attention.

Anyway, I'm sorry, I wasn't planning to exhaust you with all these boring details. You must be wondering if I have any business that has brought me here this evening. Well, I have. I didn't come here for small talk, Mr. Okada. The Doctor- which is to say, Dr. Wataya- ordered me to come to see you. I will now tell you exactly what he told me, so please listen.

First of all, Dr. Wataya is not opposed to the idea of reconsidering a relationship between you and Ms. Kumiko. In other words, he would not object if both of you decided that you wanted to go back to your previous relationship. At the moment, Ms. Kumiko herself has no such intention, so nothing would happen right away, but if you were to reject any possibility of divorce and insist that you wanted to wait as long as it took, he could accept that. He will no longer insist upon a divorce, as he has in the past, and so he would not mind if you wanted to use me as a conduit if there was something you wanted to communicate to Ms. Kumiko. In other words, no more locking horns on every little thing: a renewal of diplomatic relations, as it were. This is the first item of business. How does it strike you, Mr. Okada?

I lowered myself to the floor and stroked the cats head, but I said nothing. Ushikawa watched me and the cat for a time, then continued to speak. Well, of course, Mr. Okada, you cant say a word until you've heard everything I have to say. All right, then, I will continue through to the end. Here is the second item of business. This gets a little complicated, I'm afraid. It has to do with an article called The Hanging House, which appeared in one of the weekly magazines. I don't know if you have read it or not, Mr. Okada, but it is a very interesting piece. Well written. Jinxed land in posh Setagaya residential neighborhood. Many people met untimely deaths there over the years. What mystery man has recently bought the place? What is going on behind that high fence? One riddle after another Anyhow, Dr. Wataya read the piece and realized that the hanging house is very close to the house you live in, Mr. Okada. The idea began to gnaw at him that there might be some connection between it and you. So he investigated ... or, should I say the lowly Ushikawa, on his short little legs, took the liberty of investigating the matter, and-bingo!- there you were, Mr. Okada, just as he had predicted, going back and forth down that back passageway every day to the other house, obviously very much involved with whatever it is that is going on inside there. I myself was truly amazed to see such a powerful display of Dr. Wataya's penetrating intelligence.

Theres only been one article so far, with no follow-up, but who knows? Dying embers can always rekindle. I mean, thats a pretty fascinating story. So Dr. Wataya is more than a little nervous. What if his brother-in-laws name were to come out in some unpleasant connection? Think of the scandal that could erupt! Dr. Wataya is the man of the moment, after all. The media would have a field day. And then theres this difficult business with you and Ms. Kumiko. They would blow it up out of all proportion. I mean, everybody has something he would rather not have aired in public, right? Especially when it comes to personal affairs. This is a delicate moment in the Doctors political career, after all. He has to proceed with the utmost caution until he's ready to take off. So what he has in mind for you is a little deal of sorts he's cooked up. If you will cut all connection with this hanging house, Mr. Okada, he will give some serious thought to bringing you and Ms. Kumiko back together again. That's all there is to it. How does that strike you, Mr. Okada? Have I set it out clearly enough?

Probably, I said. So what do you think? What is your reaction to all this? Stroking the cats neck, I thought about it for a while. Then I said, I don't get it. What made Noboru Wataya think that I had anything to do with that house? How did he make the connection?

Ushikawa's face broke up again into one of his big smiles, but his eyes remained as cold as glass. He took a crushed pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit up with a match. Ah, Mr. Okada, you ask such difficult questions. Remember, I am just a lowly messenger. A stupid carrier pigeon. I carry slips of paper back and forth. I think you understand. I can say this, however: the Doctor is no fool. He knows how to use his brain, and he has a kind of sixth sense, something that ordinary people do not possess. And also let me tell you this, Mr. Okada: he has a very real kind of power that he can exercise in this world, a power that grows stronger every day. You had better not ignore it. You may have your reasons for not liking him-and that is perfectly fine as far as I am concerned, its none of my business-but things have gone beyond the level of simple likes and dislikes. I want you to understand that.

If Noboru Wataya is so powerful, why doesn't he just stop the magazine from publishing any more articles? That would be a whole lot simpler.

Ushikawa smiled. Then he inhaled deeply on his cigarette.

Dear, dear Mr. Okada, you mustn't say such reckless things. You and I live in Japan, after all, one of the worlds most truly democratic states. Correct? This is no dictatorship where all you see around you are banana plantations and soccer fields. No matter how much power a politician may have in this country, quashing an article in a magazine is not a simple thing. It would be far too dangerous. You might succeed in getting the company brass in your pocket, but someone is going to be left dissatisfied. And that could end up attracting all the more attention. It just doesn't pay to try pushing people around when such a hot story is in- volved. Its true.

And just between you and me, there may be some vicious players involved in this affair, types you don't know anything about, Mr. Okada. If thats the case, this is eventually going to include more than our dear Doctor. Once that happens, we could be talking about a whole new ball game. Lets compare this to a visit to the dentist. So far, were at the stage of poking a spot where the novocaine's still working. Which is why no ones complaining. But soon the drill is going to hit a nerve, and then somebody's going to jump out of the chair. Somebody could get seriously angry. Do you see what I'm saying? I'm not trying to threaten you, but it seems to me- to old Ushikawa here-that you are slowly being dragged into dangerous territory without even realizing it. Ushikawa seemed finally to have made his point. You mean I should pull out before I get hurt? I asked. Ushikawa nodded. This is like playing catch in the middle of the expressway, Mr. Okada. Its a very dangerous game.

In addition to which, its going to cause Noboru Wataya a lot of trouble. So if I just fold up my cards, hell put me in touch with Kumiko.

Ushikawa nodded again. That about sums it up. I took a swallow of beer. Then I said, First of all, let me tell you this. I'm going to get Kumiko back, but I'm going to do it myself, not with help from Noboru Wataya. I don't want his help. And you're certainly right about one thing: I don't like Noboru Wataya. As you say, though, this is not just a question of likes and dislikes. Its something more basic than that. I don't simply dislike him: I cannot accept the fact of his very existence. And so I refuse to make any deals with him. Please be so kind as to convey that to him for me. And don't you ever come into this house again without my permission. It is my house, not some hotel lobby or train station.

Ushikawa narrowed his eyes and stared at me awhile from behind his glasses. His eyes never moved. As before, they were devoid of emotion. Not that they were expressionless. But all he had there was something fabricated temporarily for the occasion. At that point, he held his disproportionately large right palm aloft, as if testing for rain.