spooky love

In the land of my hometown, I think about my uncle, Dema, and learning.Ryoichiro couldn't let go of his uncle and his family anyway.

He told his uncle that he would like to marry Adachi's daughter, and after discussing "in this case, it is better to make an agreement first", he went to the Adachi house with his uncle.In any case, the engagement will be made first, and the wedding will not be held until next summer, on the anniversary of the death of Ryoichiro's parents.

When I came back from Adachi's house, it was late in the evening, and my aunt seemed to have heard about the marriage contract with Adachi's daughter, and served a more sumptuous dish for dinner.

"Although the successive misfortunes are depressing, good things happen."

When my aunt said this, my uncle was also very happy, and tried to persuade Ryoichiro to drink, but since it was difficult to refuse, he drank a little.The aunt also persuaded Dema to drink, but Dema only took a sip and hardly drank.

Back in the room, Ryoichiro called Dema over and sat down with him.Regarding the marriage contract, Ryoichiro has not said a single word to Dema so far, so Dema undoubtedly learned everything at the dinner table just now.

"I have made a marriage contract with Adachi's daughter."

Dema saluted deeply, and wrote "Congratulations on your engagement" on the tatami with his fingers.

"The wedding will be held next summer. Even though we are married, life will remain the same as before. I will continue to study at the university, and you will be the same as in the past, and work under my hands."

Dema listened to him silently.Adachi promised to provide living assistance, so Ryoichiro didn't have to worry about money in terms of continuing to employ Dema.For Ryoichiro, this is a conclusion made under compromise. Marriage is out of necessity, and there is also a moral responsibility to his uncle, but only Dema can't give up.

"I have something to ask Master Ryoichiro. 』

Tokuma put his fingertips together on the tatami mat and bowed, Ryoichiro felt agitated.

"I hope you will allow me to resign. 』

After writing these words, Dema looked up.

"Why do you say such things?"

In the past, Dema would say "because he wanted to take care of his mother" when he resigned, but his mother has passed away now, and Dema should have nowhere to go without his family.

"I want to stay here and guard my mother's grave. 』

Ryoichiro clenched his teeth.

"Do you want to spend your whole life guarding the grave?"

Dema nodded.

"It's not that I don't understand your feelings, but I need you very much, and you also have a job... to be my assistant."

Dema lowered his eyes first, then when he raised his head, he smiled.

"Even without me, Master Ryoichiro will be fine. 』

He writes like this.

"but……"

"It's better if I leave. 』

"But..."

Ryoichiro was still thinking about what to say to keep the other party, but what the other party wrote next shocked him.

"It's time to..."

The fingers paused.

"It's time to set me free. 』

After reading this, Ryoichiro finally realized... no, it was because he was reminded of how willful he is.

He has no self-consciousness that binds the older man.In the past, he took it for granted that the other party stayed by his side, because De Ma couldn't speak, and because he paid his salary, many things were covered up, and Ryoichiro couldn't see it.

Ryoichiro bit his lip, Tokuma put his fingertips together again in front of Ryoichiro, and lowered his head.

Just after midnight, Ryoichiro heard a certain "click".In the darkness, Demara could still be seen opening the paper door. Ryoichiro wondered if he was going to leave home, so he jumped up in a hurry, and Demara turned his head back in shock.

He was wearing a bathrobe and had nothing in his hands.If you want to leave home, you should be prepared, and your hands will not be empty.

"Are you going to the bathroom?"

Dema stared at him for a long time, and finally nodded slowly.At this time, there should be no other reason.

Ryoichiro murmured "Really?" and lay down again.But even if he was lying down, he couldn't fall asleep for a while. At this time, he began to worry about why De Ma didn't come back.

He walked out of the room and went to the toilet to look, but Dema was not there, and he went around the yard but saw no one.Finding the back door open, he ran outside, but it was too dark to see anything.Ryoichiro walked on the dark road to the bridge head by the faint moonlight, but no one passed him.

After returning to his uncle's house, Dema still didn't come back, and the bed next door was completely cold.Ryoichiro sat cross-legged on the bed and waited for Dema to come back, but until morning, Dema still did not come home.

On that day, my aunt said at the dinner table that "the god of the mountain has accepted the cattle dedicated to the shrine."During breakfast, Ritsuko asked restlessly, "What's wrong with Dema?" Even Ryoichiro himself didn't know, so it was impossible for him to answer, so he answered "I don't know" unhappily.

After eating, he walked around his house looking for Dama.After noon, he was tired and returned to his uncle's house, but the house was full of noise.

Ritsuko crouched in a corner of the courtyard and wept.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't answer when asked, so Ryoichiro called his uncle loudly from the corridor.Uncle came to him and repeated twice with a pale face, "No, no, it's terrible, something terrible has happened".I don't know if it was because of emotional excitement, his words were unclear.

"Dema has committed a terrible thing."

Hearing the word "Dema", Ryoichiro's eyes widened.

"What happened to Dema?"

"He has nothing to do, but he wants to steal the cow that the gods lodge. It seems that when he was walking on the mountain road with the cow, he happened to be seen by the charcoal burner, and the charcoal burner went to the police."

"how come……"

"It seems that he was arrested when he went down the mountain. The police just came to the house."

Unable to calm down, the uncle walked up and down in the Japanese room.

"I thought that guy was very obedient. It was unexpected. I thought it was a pity that he had no money, so he even arranged for his mother's funeral. Unexpectedly, he avenged his kindness and shamed the Satake family."

"There must be some reason for this."

"He stole things from others, what reason would there be?"

Uncle waved his hands, emotionally.

"If your marriage falls through because of this, the Satake family will also be ruined. That guy is really unbelievable. He has been employed for so many years and treated like family members. He is ungrateful and does such an outrageous thing."

Ryoichiro turned around.

"where did you go?"

Uncle's sharp voice came from behind.

"I went to the police. If I didn't speak to Dema directly, I couldn't accept it."

"Don't add fuel to the family's scandal! Dema will be fired from today and has nothing to do with the Satake family!"

Ryoichiro ignored the roar behind him and rushed outside.He ran into the police station and expressed his desire to meet with De Ma, but because De Ma was under investigation, not only could he not meet, he could not even give him a message.The next day, and the next day, the answer was the same. No matter how much Ryoichiro pleaded, he couldn't see Dema.

On the seventh day after Dema was arrested, Ryoichiro spoke to him. This is special because of Adachi’s friendship with the warden. He saw the cell for the first time, dark, dank, and reeking of filth.After walking about the middle of the long corridor, the police officer in charge of surveillance stopped.

"here."

He pointed to a single cell about the size of a stack. Behind the lattice made of thick wooden strips, there was a man curled up with his back to the passage.The familiar white bathrobe seemed to have been dragged around in the mud and was somewhat dirty.

"Tamaka Tokuma."

Being called by the police officer in charge of surveillance, he turned around slowly, his dead fish-like eyes opened wide as he recognized Ryoichiro.

"Someone is coming to see you."

The policeman's emotionless voice sounded, and Dema lowered his head.Ryoichiro knelt in front of the grid and waved to Dema, "Come here", but no matter how long he waited, Toma would not come. Ryoichiro yelled angrily, "Didn't you hear me calling you here?" Then the body in the room trembled Little by little, slowly move to the side of the grid.

Ryoichiro looked up at the police officer next to him, and asked, "Can you let us talk alone."Hearing this, the police officer frowned and firmly refused, saying, "In principle, the meeting must be conducted under surveillance, it is not allowed."The police officer in charge of surveillance was very young, so Ryoichiro said, "Let's take a step to talk," and called the police officer to a corner of the corridor.

Ryoichiro quietly stuffed some money into the policeman's uniform pocket, and said in a low voice:

"Just a moment. Let us talk alone. If we miss this opportunity, we may not see each other for years."

The policeman murmured, "But..." he looked at the money stuffed in and then at Ryoichiro's face.

"Just talking. I was checked before coming in here, I didn't bring any dangerous items, really just talking."

The police officer hesitated, and finally told him: "Never tell the people above..." Then he left the prison.Ryoichiro immediately ran to Dema's cell, and saw his head drooping limply in front of the grid.The man was already thin and thin, but now he was even too thin, which worried him.

"Did you eat well?"

Dema nodded as if trembling.

"Although they wanted to send you something, they said they couldn't bring anything in, even paper and pencils were taken away."

Dema kept his head down and didn't move his fingers.

"Why do you do such a stupid thing? If you want a cow, tell me, and I'll buy it for you. Why do you want to steal the cow that the gods boarded..."

Dema was silent.Ryoichiro stuck his right hand into the grid.

"I don't think you would do something like this without a reason, and you write it down here.