There was a stall selling fried noodles combined with roasted turkey. Chioujen hadn't eaten roast turkey in quite a while. Even when he looked back, he had never eaten roast turkey at the station. So he just sat down on the long bench there. Two other people were also sitting. It seemed they had already ordered food at the stall. The two of them were quite old men. If Chioujen didn't guess wrong, they were both in their sixties. When Chioujen came, they were busy talking.
"What do you think of Huangmuh?" Asked one of the two people talking.
"Huangmuh, who?" The other person asked back. Casually, he sat right to the left of Chioujen. He wore a dark green coat.
"Huangmuh Jenjyh. That very famous soccer player." The person who had spoken first said. He was wearing a brown jacket. The jacket looked a bit rundown. "Haven't you heard?"
"Heard about what? The news about him missing while hunting in the woods? That's been a while."
"Not too long ago. Just three months ago."
"Then?"
"He's been found!"
"In that case, good."
"This adds to the list of missing persons who were later found."
"People are missing, then they're found. Isn't that natural?"
"You're right. But these people have something in common."
"As far as I know, these people come from different backgrounds."
"That's not what I meant. I was talking about their mental state when they were found."
The person wearing the dark green coat looked at his friend's face. "You seem to have an interesting story."
"Those people were in a daze when they were found." The man in the brown jacket shouted.
Out of the corner of her eye, Chioujen glanced at the person. Their conversation was exciting.
"Dazed? Do you mean they don't know what has happened to them during their disappearance?"
"It's not like that. That's not all they forgot!"
"So they lost their memories?"
The person with a brown jacket leaned forward. He raised his hands and rolled his eyes. "Not completely oblivious. But they don't seem to remember a lot of things."
"Like what?"
"They forgot about things that had just happened in their lives. They even have a hard time recognizing the people they are close to."
"From what I've read, it looks like they're doing fine."
"Physically, they are fine. But mentally, there seems to be a problem."
"Are your sources reliable?"
"Not one hundred percent, but in general, I think he's quite credible."
"You asked about Huangmuh Jenjyh earlier. How exactly is his health?"
"Just like the others. He knows he is Huangmuh Jenjyh, but when he speaks, he seems unsure of himself."
"Who did you hear the news from?"
"From the servants who work at Huangmuh's house."
"Have they been working there long?"
"That's not the case. Huangmuh Jenjyh knew personally the people who worked in his house. He personally selected everyone who worked for him. He investigated all the backgrounds of his employees thoroughly. However, Huangmuh Jenjyh, who had just returned after being missing for a while, was completely different. He could indeed tell others about who he is, what his achievements are, who the people around him are. But there seems to be no interaction between him and what he tells. He stared at the trophy he won with a cold gaze, not as bright as before. He greets the people who work in his house formally. Whereas before, he has a nickname for everyone who works there. When he says something, he looks like someone who is just repeating a story that is previously told by someone else. That's weird, isn't it?"
"Looks like he has amnesia." The tone of the green-coated man's voice sounded so sure. "Then, there are other parties who try to cover it up by giving him information about Huangmuh Jenjyh. That's why he seems to be reading by rote when he tells about himself. People who memorize things will only get the words out of their mouths without any emotional connection to what they should have experienced."
"I think you can use this as material for your next project."
"You think so?"
"Of course!"
"I have to admit that is a great idea! But right now, I'm swamped."
"You can start gathering data on that."
"You're right. But I'm not the same as I used to be. At this age, I can only focus on one project." The man in the dark green coat laughed. "We'll discuss this later after I finish my current project."
The man in the brown coat nodded. "By the way, how about your ongoing project? Is it going well?"
"Yeah, it's okay. Even though there are a few distractions sometimes, I can handle everything."
"Observing people isn't easy. If they realize you're watching them, it's going to be a mess."
"Yes. I know. Although I have been used to observing and monitoring people's movements for over forty years but somehow, in the last five years, in doing this process, many people have realized that I am watching them. Even though I was cautious. The older I get, the more skilled I am, the more careless I am. Maybe I'm just not fit to do something like this."
The person wearing the brown jacket laughed at his friend's words. "If it's true that you are not suitable to do this, you must have given up long ago. The proof is that you are still doing it. It means that in your heart, you feel very suitable to do these things. I think it's because your physical condition is not the same as it used to be, so you are less agile in moving. You have a lot of limitations."
"I don't know! Maybe you're right. But maybe I need to reevaluate the things I've done so far. There are so many things I don't fully understand."
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"Enough, already. Don't talk too much. The food has arrived. Let's eat first," said the person in the brown jacket while giving the plate and chopsticks to the person wearing a dark green coat.