Aomame

On another trip to the library, Aomame looks up the old newspaper stories about the commune shooting that caught her attention before. She notices that Akebono, the site of the Lake Motosu shootout, is relatively close to the site of Sakigake. She digs into the newspaper stories about the history of both communes and soon learns that Akebono is an offshoot of Sakigake. However, neither the police nor reporters found any reason to implicate the leaders of Sakigake in connection with the Akebono tragedy. According to the articles, Sakigake is a clean and orderly place full of people living happy but ascetic lives—hardly the sort of commune where one would expect to find members brainwashed into giving their children over to a serial rapist.

Aomame calls Ayumi to ask for help investigating Sakigake. Ayumi explains that ordinary police officers do not have computers. As such, she cannot easily access information unless she submits a request for printed documents. To do this, she would have to supply a reason for her request. Aomame does not want to state a reason, so she tells Ayumi to forget it.

A few days later, Ayumi calls back to say she has retrieved information as a favor from the uncle of a friend in a police precinct near Sakigake. The police in the vicinity of the compound know that Sakigake’s leadership is involved in shady land deals. The organization has bought up property around their village, in Tokyo, and in other major Japanese cities. To buy this land, they have often posed as disinterested companies or corporations. Fraud is suspected, but the police have not become involved because of the lack of evidence. However, known facts raise two major questions: Where is Sakigake getting its money? Why does an ascetic religious sect need property in large cities?

Ayumi’s source provided a separate piece of information as well, this one from the elementary school in the town adjacent to Sakigake. When the children from Sakigake are very young, they show up in school acting normal. As they get older, they gradually grow quiet, withdrawn, and unresponsive. Most drop out before they graduate from elementary school. The religious group claims to have a school of its own, but locals are worried about the children’s welfare.

After this phone call, Aomame reflects that Tsubasa’s behavior fits the description Ayumi heard about the other children of Sakigake. She wonders if the organization as a whole may engage in more abuse than the dowager thought.