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She imagined ten-year-old girls being raped by this big man and found herself
scowling. She imagined him naked and mounted on a tiny girl. There was no way for
such girls to resist. Even an adult woman would have a difficult time of it.
The man was wearing something like thin sweatpants that narrowed at the ankles
with elastic bands, and a solid-color long-sleeved shirt that had a slight, silk-like
sheen. The loose-fitting shirt buttoned up the front, but the
man had left the top two
buttons open. Both the pants and the shirt appeared to be white or a light cream color.
These were not pajamas but more like comfortable lounging clothes or an outfit that
would look normal under palm trees in southern lands. His bare feet looked big. The
broad stone wall of his shoulders brought to mind an experienced martial arts
combatant.
After waiting for a pause in Aomame’s observation, the man said, “Thanks for
coming today.”
“It’s my job,” Aomame said in a voice devoid of emotion. “I go where I’m
needed.” Even as she spoke, however, she felt like a prostitute who had come when
called. Perhaps this was due to the way he had undressed her in the darkness with that
penetrating gaze.
“How much do you know about me?” the man asked Aomame,
his hands still
covering his face.
“How much do I know about you?”
“That’s right.”
“Almost nothing,” Aomame said, choosing her words carefully. “I have not even
been told your name. All I know is that you are the head of a religious organization in
Nagano or Yamanashi, that you have some kind of physical problem, and that I may
be able to help you with it.”
The man gave his head a few quick shakes and took his hands away from his face.
Now he and Aomame were looking directly at each other.
His hair was long. His abundant head of hair hung straight down to his shoulders.
It had much gray mixed in. The man was probably somewhere in his late forties or
early fifties. He had a large nose that occupied a good deal of his face. It was
admirably straight and brought to mind a calendar photo of the Alps. The mountain
had a broad base and great dignity. It was the first thing one noticed when looking at
his face, and it contrasted
sharply with his eyes, which were set so deeply into his face
that it was hard to tell what they were looking at. Like his body, his face was broad
and thick. Clean-shaven, it bore no scars or moles. The features worked well together,
producing a look of serenity and intelligence but also something peculiar, out of the
ordinary, something that did not inspire easy trust. It was the kind of face that, on first
impression, gives people pause. Perhaps it was because the nose was too big. Because
of it, the face was
missing a certain balance, perhaps the root of what left the observer
feeling unsettled. Or perhaps it was the deep-set eyes that did it, the way they gave off
the quiet glow of an ancient glacier. Then again, it might have been the cruel
impression created by the thin lips, which looked as if they were ready to spit out
unpredictable words at any moment.
“And besides that?” he asked.
367
“Besides that I have heard very little. All I was told was to be prepared to perform
stretching exercises. The muscles and joints are my area of expertise. I don’t need to
know much about my clients’ positions or personalities.”
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