After entering the room, it was indeed as Yokoi Ayako had described: the apartment was empty and lifeless, the floor slightly cold, and the air filled with loneliness.
"Please have a seat." Yokoi Ayako pulled over a cushion and poured a cup of barley tea for Higashiyama Kiyoshi.
Higashiyama Kiyoshi didn't stand on ceremony and nodded, sat down, and asked the question he hadn't managed to ask earlier:
"I want to know... how did Rokurou end up in trouble?"
Yokoi Ayako looked surprised, so Higashiyama Kiyoshi explained, "Some time ago, I was on a business trip in Hokkaido, and the workload was heavy. I only found out about Rokurou's trouble after I got back... Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself; I'm also with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department as a criminal police officer."
He took out his police ID from his pocket, pinched a corner where his name and photo were, and flashed it in front of Yokoi Ayako.
"I see," Yokoi Ayako realized.
