"Ah, I can only think that you were deceived by any means. Hey, honestly, do you think so now?"

It wasn't something he could talk to without choosing anyone, so Miyahara told only Risako Sakashita what he heard from reporter Florend P. Abdu.

A few days after he talked,

He has become more confident that he was just deceived by reporter Abdu as Risako told him.

"But why did he say so? Did he have to deceive the questioner who came all the way to his country, even though the main was another coverage? "

"Isn't that because he didn't know the real answer?

Or, if there was a truth, did he make up a proper lie to hide it? "

"What was the reason?"

"Because who do you believe in the story you heard from him? It doesn't make sense. Does the non-rejective organ belong to Jesus? But it disappears if someone uses it. For example, if he donated the heart, he would die even if he was yes. But I don't know how many or dozens it has been for years, but it's still being supplied. That's impossible "

Miyahara felt the same question on that day that Risako pointed out. But there was an answer to that as well.

"He will be buried in the tomb when he dies," reporter Florend P. Abdu told Miyahara with a solemn look. "According to the Jewish custom for burial, the body is wrapped in linen and buried with a fragrance that is a mixture of myrrh and agarwood. A stone will be placed on the tomb, But three days later, when the burial person came to the tomb, the stone was removed from the tomb. There was no his body in the grave. However, when the burial person turned around, he stood there. Then he didn't say, "Don't touch me," as he told Mary Magdalene during his first resurrection. Since his third resurrection, his body has turned into a perfectly healthy body. That's why people can use his gifts over and over again. "

When he told Risako about the matter, she looked up at the ceiling and laughed while cramping.

"I'm about to get a fever"

"But the theory is right. Every time he dies and is resurrected, Jesus' internal organs return to their availability. "But even so, living clones are still better talked about. Nowadays, even if it's a picture, it's in the category of science. By the way, those who have been transplanted with Jesus' organs will not be resurrected, "said Risako with a simple question.

"According to Mr. Florend, that's right," Miyahara replied. "At the end of their lives, they seem to die normally. Even if they survived in this world to some extent as strange returnees. "

"In other words, when it was transplanted, the organs changed to those of normal humans. In exchange for not being immune rejected. Oh, but wait a minute. He will be resurrected even if he dies, so immortality is good for the time being, but he will not be non-oldding. I don't know how long he'll die after pulling out multiple guts, but I'm sure he's getting older in the meantime. If so, wouldn't that Jesus' individual be over 2,000 years old? Then, I'm surprised that the internal organs of such an elderly person work properly. Or will his body rejuvenate until that age when he revives? If so, I can understand why he is fine forever. Hey, didn't you ask about that?" Risako inquired Miyahara.

"Before that, I was upset by the content of the story and couldn't think of it that much." Miyahara replied as if he had given up. "I'm asking by email for the time being, but I haven't received a reply from him yet."

Miyahara's voice lurked regret that he might have wasted his precious opportunity.

"Then you should have go to Manila again." Risako cheered up Miyahara, who began to be a little sloppy, with such words. "Are you not going to the Philippines anymore for organ trade coverage?"

"I have no plans at the moment. It would be better to cover the actual situation in other countries. In that sense, that was a flimsy show. It was a documentary that just traced the surface of the topic and introduced it in a funny way. "

「アッハッハ……。どう考えても担がれたたとしか思えないわよ。ねえ、今では正直、自分でもそう思ってるんじゃない？」

　相手を選ばず話せる内容ではないので宮原はフロレンド・Ｐ・アブドゥ記者から聞いた話を坂下理紗子以外にしていない。話をしてから三日四日と時が経つに連れ、確かに理紗子が言うように自分はアブドゥ記者に担がれただけなのだという気が強くしてくる。

「だけど、それだったらいったい何のためだ？　メインは別の取材だったとはいえ、わざわざ自分の住む国まで尋ねて来た質問者を騙す必要があるかな？」

「それは彼が本当の答を知らなかったからじゃないの？　あるいは真相があったにしても彼がそれを隠蔽するために適当な嘘をでっち上げたとか？」

「その理由は？」

「だって、あなたが彼から聞いてきた話を誰が信じると思う？　それに理屈も合っていないじゃない。非拒絶性の臓器はイエスのものなんでしょう？　でもそれは使えばなくなるし、例えば心臓を提供したとすれば、いくらイエスだって死んじゃうわ。だけど、それが何年間も――何人だか何十人だかは知らないけど――供給され続けているわけでしょう。それって可笑しくない？」

　理紗子が指摘したのと同じ疑問は宮原もあの日、胸に抱く。だが、それにも答があったのだ。

「『彼』は死ぬと墓に埋められます」とフロレンド・Ｐ・アブドゥ記者が厳粛な顔付きで宮原に語る。「埋葬のためのユダヤ人の習慣通り、没薬と沈香を混ぜた香料とともに遺体は亜麻布で巻かれ、埋葬されます。その墓には石がのせられます、けれども三日後に埋葬者がその墓までやって来ると石は墓から除けられています。墓の中に『彼』の遺体はありません。しかし埋葬者が振り返ると、そこに『彼』が立っているのです。ついで『彼』は最初の復活のときにマグダラのマリアに告げたように『わたしに触ってはいけない』とは言いません。三回目の復活以降、『彼』の身体は完全な健康体に戻っています。それこそが人々が何度でも『彼』の贈り物を利用できる理由なのです」

　その件について理紗子に語ると天井を見上げながら引き攣るように笑う。

「熱が出そう」

「しかし理屈は合ってるだろう。死んで復活するたびにイエスの内臓は利用可能な状態に戻るんだから……」

「でも、もしそうだとしても生体クローンの方がまだ話がマシね。今は絵空事でも科学の範疇だから。ところでイエスの臓器を移植された人たちは復活しないわけね」と理紗子が素朴な疑問を口にすると、

「フロレンドさんによれば、そうらしい。寿命が来ればその人たちは普通に死んでしまうようだ。たとえ奇妙な復帰で多少ともこの世の中に生き永らえたにしてもね」と宮原が答える。

「つまり移植された時点で臓器は普通の人間のものに変わるわけね。免疫拒絶されないことと引き換えに……。あっ、でもちょっと待ってよ。死んでも復活するから、とりあえず不死はいいとして、だけど不老じゃないでしょう。複数の内臓を抜かれてどれくらい経ってから死ぬのかわからないけど、その間は確実に歳を取っているはずよね。とすれば、やっぱりそのイエスの個体は二千歳以上ってことになるんじゃないかしら？　とすると、そんな年寄りの内臓がちゃんと機能するってことの方が驚きだわ。それとも復活した時点で、その年齢まで身体が若返るのかしらね？　それだったらいつまでも元気な理由は納得できるけど……。ねえ、その件に関しては聞いてこなかったの？」と理紗子が宮原に迫ると、

「それ以前に話の内容に動転してしまって、そこまで気がまわらなかったよ」と諦めたように宮原が答える。「とりあえずメールで訊ねているが、まだ返事が来ない」

　宮原のその声にはせっかくの機会を無駄に使ってしまったのかもしれないという後悔の念が潜んでいる。

「だったら、またマニラまで出かけて行けばいいわ」

　心なしかしょんぼりとし始めた宮原を理紗子がそんな言葉で元気付ける。

「臓器売買の取材で、もうフィリピンには行かないの？」

「今のところ予定はないな。他の国の実情を取材する方が先だろう。……そういった意味では、あれは薄っぺらな番組だからな。トピックの表面をなぞって面白可笑しく紹介しただけのドキュメンタリーだ」