‘Know what Sasaki said at the very beginning? He said “Mr. Koduki, if you invest on us, I can only promise that I’ll talk about the possibility of the deal with Shimizu. I cannot say if I put the right of dealing with them into this corporation.” Well, I was irritating not having any result for over two years. This thinking should have set up a presumption. This could be the common mindset of people who is hooked by crooks. I thought, “Well, he said that. He’s been quite frank with me. I was as well and not only that. I have paid. Then he should know what I want. He could not be that bad guy, ’cause he is running his own business and has been dealing with such big corporation as Shimizu. Well, he says that though, he sure would do as I wish”.

Yeah, when I asked him to sell the trading right, he asked me all sort of questions. I told him all of my knowledge. This could have made the whole thing easy as a pie for the con man Sasaki. As I think back, it has passed 6 months since he sent Kanai to me and luckily enough for him, Kanai is dead now. Then there’s no person ever who knows the deal I made with Kanai but himself.

It should have been so easy for him. He must have heard about my inclination to the Shimizu deal and my good-naturedness from Kanai.

Mr. Kouduki gestured to touch a cigarette that is non-existence between his fingers. But I have heard that he had quit from smoking three years ago. So I asked, “Mr. Kouduki, have you started smoking again?” He replied “No, . . . ” The flow of conversation has stopped there.