Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - Unforeseen Circumstances
1
Voices were heard from the direction of the main building . Naru and the others rushed from the base, and as we all hurried towards the main building, the uproar rapidly increased . There was the violent sound of a voice shouting something . And then, as we rushed in, we were confronted with the figure of Eijirou-san, who was raging and grasping a kitchen knife .
The room appeared to be a living room . Taizou-ojisan and Kazuyasu-san were holding Eijirou-san under the arms from behind . In the corner of the room, crouching and attempting to embrace each other, were Hiroe-obasan and Teruksan, who had frightened expressions .
Eijirou-san’s face was red with blood . There was a deep cut on his forehead and from there blood flowed down, staining half his face, however, Eijirou-san didn’t seem to notice . The tip of the grasped knife was broken and the broken tip was sticking out of the TV frame . Foam had accumulated at the corners of his mouth and he was shouting something, but he wasn’t speaking clearly and I couldn’t understand what he was saying . He was struggling with his whole body, trying to shake off his restraints . Though both Taizou-ojisan and Kazuyasu-san appeared to be considerably heavy people, the momentum seemed liable to shake off the pair who were clinging to him .
“Lin . ”
When Naru spoke in a low voice, Lin-san walked up to Eijirou-san without a word . Moving very naturally, he didn’t seem particularly nervous or enthusiastic . Eijirou-san glared at Lin-san . He raised his voice menacingly and bared his teeth . He raised his right arm, which was holding the kitchen knife . Taizou-ojisan, who clung to his right shoulder, was pitched forward and fell .
“Lin-san—”
I was the one who involuntarily cried out, but the truth was there was no reason at all for me to raise my voice . Lin-san shifted his body and with a *pop*, swept away Eijirou-san’s right hand, which he had thrust out . With excessive force, Lin-san wound his arm around Eijirou-san’s neck, causing him to slump forward, and that was the end of it . ‘Be careful,’ I wanted to say, however, before I could voice it, Eijirou-san’s neck was being embraced by Lin-san and Eijirou-san had fallen on his backside .
Lin-san expressionlessly looked back at us, who were unable to react to the impromptu action .
“I think it would be better if we tied him with something . ”
Akifumi-san moved to bound and ran off .
“What exactly happened?”
It was Naru who calmly spoke . At last taking a breath, Hiroe-obasan and Teruksan stood up again . Teruksan spoke in a trembling voice,
“I’d like to know precisely what happened here . It happened without warning . ”
Her tone was as if she was blaming Naru .
“He suddenly became violent?”
“Yes . When we were talking here, he suddenly stood up and… it was a small argument . ”
“May I ask about the details?”
Raising an arm full of small cuts, Teruksan brushed her hair back .
“It was because of his moodiness at mealtime today, I just asked him the reason why . He insisted it was nothing, so in a moment of anger I said, ‘If it’s nothing, then why did you have such an expression?’ and then he suddenly stood up and left the room . Just when I thought he had immediately come back, he was carrying a kitchen knife… I was certain that he had taken leave of his senses . ”
Eijirou-san reached out . Lin-san removed his necktie and fastened Eijirou-san’s arms behind his back .
“Do you have any idea why Eijirou-san was in a bad mood?”
“I don’t know . He was normal before the meal . Even in the itaba . . . ”
“Itaba?”
“It’s the kitchen . My husband is a chef . Ordinarily, with my father, the pair always prepare the dishes . They completed the preparation from start to end, then he left saying he was going outside for some fresh air . When he returned he was like that . ”
Akifumi-san came back with a first aid kit and cargo rope . While seeing to the first aid, Bou-san said,
“I wonder if it’s spirit possession . ”
Naru nodded .
“I’m sure it is . Looks like we’d better call John . Or—”
Naru looked back at Ayako and continued .
“Matsuzaki-san, can you expel it?”
“It’s not impossible, but… it’s not quite my specialty . ”
Oh? Is there something that’s your specialty?
“Bou-san?”
“I might be able to . I mean, it would be my first time doing it on anyone human . ”
Tch . Don’t rely on that guy .
“Are you confident of a success?”
“People are supposed to improve after there is a failure for the first time . ”
Ayako bluntly ridiculed him .
“That is to say, you’ve never removed a possessing spirit up to now . You’re a terrible spiritualist . ”
“If you’re so inclined, maybe we should leave it to you and the nine syllable cuts? But no matter what, I don’t take responsibility . ”
What’s known as the ‘nine syllables’ is a type of repulsion magic . Since you cut the air nine times while chanting nine characters, it’s called the ‘nine syllables . ’
“What do you mean?”
“I’m saying Buddhist powers shouldn’t be used on a person directly . ”
“In what way do you mean?”
“I don’t know . There’s no one who’s done it . ”
Huh?
“For that reason, I also haven’t expelled a spirit that’s possessed a human . There was a time I expelled a spirit possessing a vase . ”
Bou-san scratched his head and spoke again .
“The spirit came out, but the vase was also shattered . I would probably have an uneasy conscience . ”
It was a problem before your conscience!
“Ah! But there was a time I cut the nine syllables towards Taka . She asked me if I could show her . ”
Bou-san lightly poked me .
“Don’t do it again . Because it was Mai-grade, nothing happened . ”
“Okay . ”
Hmm, exactly what kind of mechanism is it?
Naru directed his gaze towards Ayako .
“For the time being, will you try to do it?”
“Okay . . . Since it’s just expelling, I think I can do it for now . But, I don’t know if it will possess again . ”
“It would be better than leaving it possessing Eijirou-san . Since it seems to be an extremely violent spirit . ”
. . . definitely . If they were unlucky, both Hiroe-obasan and Teruksan could have been killed .
I nodded inwardly, and then had a sudden thought . The people who died in an accident in the past . Did everyone really die in a mere accident?
2
Eijirou-san, who had lost consciousness, was carried to a storeroom in the immediate vicinity of the living room, which appeared to be safe even if he rampaged again . While Naru was contacting John, Ayako prepared for the exorcism . It was actually a little past eleven o’clock when the prayer began .
“Can John come?”
When I asked Naru, he replied,
“Yes . He said he’ll depart from the other side on the first plane tomorrow with Harsan . ”
Wow . With Masako, huh?
I knew John (John Brown, Exorcist) wouldn’t be a problem, but he also called Masako (Hara Masako, Spirit Medium) .
“You also called Masako?”
“I don’t want to be outmaneuvered . This way, we’ll avoid trouble . ”
. . . hmm . I’m not so sure .
“I reverently offer this prayer for thy presence . . . ”
Ayako’s chant began .
“In this unhallowed place without thy enshrined aura and I ask that my request be heard and answered, purify these many vessels and may peace and calm be granted . ”
She spoke in a believable tone, but it was very doubtful whether there really was an effect . After all, until today, not one person has witnessed a time when Ayako was useful .
We were watching Ayako and Eijirou-san in silence . The equipment was put in the corner, and the expressionless eye of the video camera was fixedly staring at Eijirou-san .
Before long, Ayako snapped her fingers and Eijirou-san, who had been lying limp until then, opened his eyes . He tried to get up as if repelled, but unfortunately for him, his body was wrapped in cargo ropes . Eijirou-san ground his teeth and, as he rolled around like a caterpillar, he began to growl . The sound rumbled in the back of his throat like what a dog issues when intimidating an enemy .
“ . . . is this safe?”
When I asked Naru in a low voice, his answer was an expressionless, ‘Dunno . ’
“Isn’t it beyond Ayako’s abilities, after all?”
“Perhaps . At any rate, John will arrive tomorrow . ”
“Why can’t Lin-san do it?”
Lin-san is something like a Taoist of Chinese sorcery . He should be capable of a lot of things .
“Because we don’t know the true identity of our opponent . ”
. . . unfortunate .
Just as I thought so, Naru widened his eyes .
“ . . . Mai . Step back . ”
When I quickly looked in Eijirou-san’s direction, the shadow of something pale overlapping his figure was visible . Something —it was the form of some kind of beast .
“What . . . is that?”
There was no reply from Naru . Suddenly, he looked up at the ceiling . Creaking from the house rattling could be heard as it overlapped with Ayako’s chants .
Naru’s eyes moved in the direction of Akifumi-san and the others who were looking inside from the entrance of the storeroom .
“Lin, accompany Mai . Take care of the spectators . ”
“Yes . ”
With a nod, Lin-san urged me along . I slowly proceeded to walk over to where Akifumi-san and the others were standing in a stupor, visibly surprised . Eijirou-san burst into laughter . I looked back in surprise . Eijirou-san was laughing so hard that he was writhing . The character of his unpleasantly loud laughter was completely empty .
Meanwhile, the creaking also continued . The figure of the beast, which seemed to double in Eijirou-san’s body, gradually became darker . It appeared to be a long tailed beast . Although similar to a fox, it was very large since it was taller than a person . It stooped down and its pair of eyes stared steadily in this direction—
Ayako joined her hands together, making a sound .
“Hail the goddess Marici, I pray to thee, descend here before us and grant thy protection . ”
She firmly stated and folded her fingers together . At the same time, the beast sprang up . A muted scream arose in the background .
It was like slow motion from there . Jumping high, the beast passed overhead of Ayako . Visibly surprised, Ayako followed it with her eyes . It was heading straight in this direction . Just as I was about to involuntarily close my eyes, Lin-san and Bou-san stepped forward . The pair were the reason the beast altered its direction of landing . Straight in line of its altered path was Naru . All of a sudden, Naru crouched low as if to square off . It was at that time .
“Naru! Don’t do it!”
Startled, Naru looked at Lin-san just for a moment . About to raise his hands, he suddenly stopped . Almost simultaneously as Naru returned his gaze to the beast, it collided with him .
“Naru!”
I don’t know whose voice it was . At least, I didn’t voice it . Naru’s body was blown back . He immediately slammed into the wall behind, then the figure of the beast disappeared . It looked like time lapse as the head of the beast penetrated Naru’s chest, gradually disappearing until the tip of the tail as if slipping through .
“Are you okay!?”
Bou-san ran over . Naru was kneeling while leaning against the wall . He coughed into his hand .
“Are you injured?”
“ . . . I’m fine . ”
I couldn’t move as if somehow paralyzed . Someone from behind put their hand on my shoulder .
“Taniyamsan?”
Akifumi-san looked into my face .
“Are you alright?”
“Ah . . . yes… I was a little surprised . ”
Naru stood up and lightly brushed dust off himself .
“How is Eijirou-san?”
That being said, Ayako rushed over in a panic . Absently, Eijirou-san raised just his head, wearing a blank look .
“Are you alright?”
Hearing Ayako, Eijirou-san looked around restlessly .
“What is this . . . what happened?”
3
After going outside in the evening, Eijirou-san didn’t at all remember the events of that time onward . I also tried to play the video from during the prayer, but there was a problem where the image got interrupted from around when the figure of the fox-like beast appeared .
“The image doesn’t show up . ”
Lin-san nodded .
“It’s probably a spirit barrier . Since the tape is running properly . All the needles on the other instruments are off the scale . ”
The screens, which have numbers lined up that I never quite understand, are filled with the letters, “ERROR . ” And even the thermography image jumped . This isn’t a trivial matter by any means .
Bou-san spoke in a low voice,
“It appeared to be a mere fox, but it might not be such an easy opponent…”
Yeah . When I nodded, Lin-san looked back with a questioning look .
“Naru?”
Naru was resting his elbow on the table and covering his face .
“What’s wrong!?”
“ . . . Nothing, my back just hurts a little . ”
Ah, from that terrible collision .
“Are you okay?”
“Nothing serious . —Lin, I’m sorry, but I’m going to take a nap . ”
Lin-san frowned slightly and nodded . His complexion didn’t look particularly bad . Naru stood up and Ayako stood up as well .
“Are you really okay? Are you sore anywhere other than your back?”
While asking those things, she proceeded to follow after Naru . Here, the proper strategy for dealing with Ayako is probably to not interfere .
“I don’t know . . . ”
“What?”
“Ayako . Who does that woman think she is?”
Unreliable?
“There’s no doubt she completely failed that exorcism a little while ago . Have you seen Ayako do something useful?”
That’s true, although…
“Generally, someone who calls themselves a ‘miko’ is suspicious . Does a miko who belongs to a legitimate shrine go around aimlessly performing exorcisms without permission?”
“Huh, really?”
“Really . I’d say Ayako’s ‘miko’ title is merely self-proclaimed . Although there are certainly many spiritualists who become mikos, it’s without permission or it’s just not true . Those kinds of people do exorcisms as part of religious activities . It’s not at all religious to Ayako, but she doesn’t seem to be an ameateur regarding Shinto since she tentatively conforms to the methods of Dual Aspect Shinto . Although, I have no doubt she properly trained somewhere . . . ”
“Hmm . ”
“In the first place, why does Naru-bou bring her along if she’s truly incompetent?”
“That’s true . ”
When I think about it, Ayako is also quite a mysterious woman .
While thinking that sort of thing, I gazed absently at the monitors and instantly stiffened .
Ack! What is that!?
It was the video of the shop corridor . In the center of the screen, the distant figures of people were visible . It wasn’t anything particularly mysterious, but why did it appear as if both of Naru’s hands were placed on Ayako’s shoulders!?
“What’s happened?”
I was spoken to by Bou-san, but was I in a position to answer? Naru pulled Ayako towards himself . Ah, Ayako’s hands were around Naru’s body . Isn’t— isn’t this a love scene no matter how you look at it!?
Bou-san also spotted the image,
“Ugh!”
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That was his short reply . After that he said something as if impressed (amazed?), then suddenly, he stood up .
This hindrance was quickly resented . . . . Oh, being ambushed like this . I was only being vigilant of Masako!
“Lin! Come on!”
Bou-san’s voice was desperate . When he looked back, his expression had changed and he ran out of the base . Lin-san even stood up as if he had been repelled . I was stunn— like that, my gaze returned to the screen and I went pale .
—Love scene? . . . not in the least!
That’s Naru strangling Ayako .
By the time I had rushed into the hallway in a panic, Naru was collapsed in the hallway . Off to the side, Ayako was coughing violently as she sat . Her knees trembled . I’m glad Ayako was safe . For the sake of both Ayako and Naru .
“Bou-san, what happened to Naru?”
“Lin one shot him with a knife hand strike . ”
Saying this, he hit his neck with the side of his palm in imitation .
“What the hell is the matter with him…!?”
Bou-san rubbed Ayako’s back, who was wheezing .
“For crying out loud! No matter how bad Naru’s personality is, is it enough to strangle other people?”
. . . that’s true, but…
“That thing from earlier . It didn’t pass through the wall . It went into Naru . ”
. . . Ah .
“He’s been possessed . It had to have been a strong-willed spirit in order to possess Naru . ”
Bou-san said and made a bitter expression .
“This thing is going to be troublesome . ”
4
What the hell? How can such a thing happen?
For now, we carried Naru and laid him down in the room adjoining the base .
“What is that thing?”
Ayako’s voice had gone hoarse .
“I’m telling you, it’s trouble . It came out of nowhere . It was awful!”
“Now, now . Naru didn’t do it of his own volition . ”
“Would you still be able to say that if you were the one being attacked? Do you have any idea how frightening it was when Naru’s eyes glazed over!?”
. . . certainly, that would be frightening .
“I’ll never forgive him!”
Yeah, yeah . With a perfunctory pat on Ayako’s back, I cautiously tried to advise Bou-san .
“Wouldn’t it perhaps be better if he was tied like Eijirou-san was?”
Bou-san frowned .
“Tie up Naru-bou?”
Well, that sentiment is understandable . Who knows what he’ll say when he’s recovered his senses . In spite of this, keeping him asleep like this is dangerous .
“I think it will be useless . ”
The one who said that in a calm voice was Lin-san .
“Why?”
To Bou-san’s question, Lin-san, remaining absolutely expressionless, answered,
“In the case of being tied, it would be impossible to stop Naru . ”
Bou-san tilted his head .
“ . . . What do you mean?”
“It’s as you’ve heard . I think Matsuzaki-san was very lucky . ”
Lin-san said and looked at Ayako .
“I think that perhaps the person who has possessed Naru also does not yet quite understand how to use him . Otherwise, Matsuzaki-san would already be dead . ”
“Okay, what does that mean?”
“Thus, it’s as you’ve heard . When that thing learns to use Naru fully, we have no countermeasures . It’s useless to try to tie or confine him . We— and also Naru himself, would not be able to survive . ”
We directed our gazes to Naru, who was involuntarily sleeping .
?? What do you mean?
“If I ask you what that means, can you tell me?”
“I’m sincerely sorry, but this is my own discretion . ”
Crestfallen, Bou-san dropped his shoulders and sighed once .
“Come on . . . ”
“I understand your displeasure, but I cannot say . You have no choice but to believe me here . Believe me that Naru is a more dangerous man than you can imagine . ”
Ayako and I looked at each other . I don’t know the meaning at all .
“Answer one thing . Are you strong in a fight?”
Bou-san asked and Lin-san readily answered .
“Presumably . ”
“Compared to Naru?”
Lin-san expressionlessly declared,
“If we fought to the death, it would be an overwhelming victory for Naru . ”
—What did you say?
Bou-san looked at Lin-san intently, then released a deep, deep sigh .
“ . . . Got it . In other words, it’s useless even if we wrap him in a bamboo mat and throw him in the storeroom, right? You’re saying Naru is a dangerous person . Which means we have no choice but to try to do an exorcism before it’s too late . ”
Lin-san looked at Bou-san .
“I think it’s impossible even if Brown-san tries . ”
“Why?”
“A human being of the type such as Naru, in exchange for being difficult to possess, is unmanageable once possessed . ”
“Type such as Naru . . . ”
“The type that have excellent self-control are very strong-willed . If we fecklessly meddle and lose control, it will be seriously dangerous . Especially for Naru . ”
“—Well, what should we do?”
“I don’t know . ”
. . . What do you mean you don’t know!?
“If we were able to grasp the true identity of the possessing spirit, an effective method of exorcism might be found . Conceivably, I may be able to expel it as well . ”
Bou-san ruffled his hair .
“Just great . . . ”
“Hey, Bou-san . ”
I timidly tried to ask .
“Is it such a difficult thing to expel a possessing spirit?”
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As far as what’s seen on television, this isn’t a spiritualist’s typical work . Lin-san, Ayako and Bou-san are spiritualists, but even so, none of those three can exorcise the spirit .
“In brief, it’s because there are various things known as spirit possession . —People will often say, ‘I think I may be possessed by an evil spirit . ’ In fact, when a person’s physical condition is poor, in a run of bad luck, no matter what one does it doesn’t work . ”
“Why not?”
“Although one might say he’s possessed with something, it’s only keeping close to his side . Since spirits consume the energy of people, a person’s physical condition will become poor and no matter what one does it doesn’t work . ”
“Is that so?”
“Maybe . I don’t often have trouble expelling that sort . When it comes to the shabby fellows, they’ll run away when just approached by a spiritualist . ”
“Ohh?”
“When it comes to the fellows with a little bit more resistance, they tend to cling tightly . They whisper bad things, or provoke unthinkable desires . When a person is possessed by one such as this, they’re ‘under an evil influence . ’ . . . still, this also isn’t very difficult . If a spiritualist has a stronger will than the possessed person, then the spirit will come out even if the spiritualist doesn’t call out to it . ”
Ahhh .
“The cases that are the most serious are with guys like Naru-bou . For example, even if intense hypnosis is applied, it isn’t possible to make a human commit suicide and murder if he doesn’t even want to . If you’re psychological resistance is too strong, you’ll awaken . ”
“Even so, Naru . . . ”
“Right . Therefore, it’s serious . To make a person do something against his own will means that they become unable to compete with their own will . So to speak, the spirit is infesting the inside of the mind . It’s not that easy to expel spirits of this kind . ”
“Hmm . . . ”
“Roughly, the power of the possessing spirit is the person’s own will… weakening the energy of the possessed . When this is the case, there are worries, a depressed mood, and a drop in physical strength . When the mental state is enhanced with positive energy, some spirits don’t come in the first place . Most spirits would dislike dealing with Naru-bou . ”
“He’s of the type that are obstinate and stubborn, and they have full confidence in themselves and they don’t feel depressed . ”
“That’s it . It seems he was probably caught momentarily off guard and forcibly infested, but given the kind of person he is, it can’t be done by a half-hearted spirit . . . . definitely, it may be tough even for John . ”
“But Naru, so to speak, has exceptional willpower, which is extensive…”
“So it’s more troublesome . The thing that possessed Naru successfully entered his consciousness and has control over him . When this happens, you would expect the willpower to reject the spirit, but the truth is, it’s exploited and used in order to protect the spirit . Exorcism, and all that, is, after all, a battle of wills, so as a matter of course, the one with a better willpower wins . Which one of Naru and John do you think is stronger?”
“ . . . Naru . ”
“See? That’s why exorcism is difficult . This means we have no choice but to continue the investigation . However, what do we do with Naru-bou in the meantime?”
It’s useless even if we tie or confine him?
“I will not allow anything . It’s best to leave him asleep as he is, through sleep paralysis . Since he’s dangerous when conscious . ”
“Isn’t it dangerous to Naru-bou?”
Bou-san was grim faced .
“So to speak, doesn’t that mean he’ll be completely defenseless?”
“I’ll leave my shiki . ”
Shiki means an employed spirit that obeys Lin-san’s orders .
“Is it reliable?”
“If I leave them all . ”
“All?”
When Bou-san asked, Lin-san replied,
“There are five shiki in my possession . In each, there is a strong point and there is a weak point . The reason is that they are intended to complement each other in five . If I leave them all, it’s perfectly safe, but instead, I’m not capable of doing much else . ”
“In other words, you’ll be completely powered-down . ”
“That's the general idea . ”
Bou-san snapped his fingers .
“Since we’re confused about what to do about Naru-bou, we need to make him incapable of moving . Especially if, as you say, Naru is dangerous goods . ”
Bou-san regarded us .
“Well, what do you want to do? Ayako, Mai . ”
Bou-san laughed at Ayako and me, who, confused by his meaning, looked at each other .
“In other words, the fact is, we have to do it without Naru . ”
Time stopped for just a moment .
“He’s completely useless . We probably can’t afford to run away and take him with us in his condition . In other words, there aren’t many options for us . Flee and abandon Naru, or else try to do everything within our ability . ”
I was involuntarily shouting .
“There’s no way we can leave and we’re not abandoning him!”
Bou-san smiled .
“We’ll then, Mai is staying . What about you, Ayako?”
I looked back behind me . A short silence descended as we stared at Ayako .
“If you lack self-confidence, withdraw . ”
Ayako brushed back her hair .
“So you have self-confidence, huh?”
“Well, I think I’ll manage somehow . ”
“Doesn’t seem too reliable . ”
Bou-san scratched his head .
“It’s painful that Naru-bou isn’t available . But there’s something we have that Naru doesn’t . ”
“Oh, that’s news . I wonder if you can tell us what it is?”
Bou-san lightly closed one eye .
“A humble attitude and kind personality . ”
. . . that was bad .
After a moment, Ayako burst into laughter .
“That’s true!”
Well, it is compared to Naru . . . .
Ayako breathed an exaggerated sigh .
“How can I help out? Because I’m no longer human if I abandon Naru . ”
“Therefore, when it comes to us, we’re kind human beings . ”
“Just so . ”
That’s right, if we hold out here, Naru will become indebted to us .
5
—I was running down a path at night .
I was nearly at wit’s end and running with desperation . ‘Oh god,’ I muttered over and over in my mind . (Oh god?) While running away, I steadily began to feel sorrowful . ‘How did it end up like this?’ I think . (Like this?) I wonder what the hell I should do now .
It was a path in the forest . I ran and ran, and when I escaped the forest, I came out to an excessively small open area . Very slightly, all over the grove clearing, there was overgrown summer grass . There were figures visible there . One was standing and the other was lying down . I stopped as if sewn into place, thinking, ‘Oh god,’ once more .
Standing there was Naru . Basking in the moonlight, his complexion was white as if he wasn’t of this world . He was holding a knife in his hand . The blade was wet with crimson and droplets still dripped from the edge of the blade .
“I killed him . ”
Naru said . Lying there was Akifumi-san . I closed my eyes tightly (What the hell?) . There were no signs of breathing . I covered my face . This . . is the end (The end?) .
“I had no choice . ”
Naru said and threw away the knife . He held out his white left hand .
“ . . . why?”
I couldn’t take his hand .
“When I came, he was here . I thought you betrayed me, Mai . ”
“There’s no way I would do such a thing . ”
“But he’s richer and also has status . ” (Huh?)
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“That’s completely irrelevant . ”
I covered my face once again .
“I thought you betrayed me, Mai . After all, I thought you chose the better man . ”
“But there’s no way . . . ” (This—this must be a so-called ‘liquidation of a love triangle . ’)
“If not, then why did he come here?”
“ . . . to do something like this . I told you I’d run away with you . Why didn’t you believe me?”
“Only you should have known about this place . ”
“The letter was secretly switched . I was waiting in a completely different place . . . ”
I took Naru’s hand . Naru pulled me towards himself (eek! eek!) .
“ . . . what are we going to do now?”
“I killed someone, I can’t run away . ” (That’s true . )
“ . . . death?” (eh?)
“Yeah . Even if I surrender, I’ll be killed anyway . ”
“ . . . we’ll go together . ”
When I said this, Naru smiled . Silently, he lead me by the hand . Still being lead by the hand, I began to run .
—wait a minute .
Of course, isn’t this a dream? What a shameless dream I’m seeing . I mean, caught trying to escape with Naru, someone interfering with it, and a love triangle with Akifumi-san? . . . oh, it’s juicy . No, not so . I mean, after this I’m going to commit lover’s suicide with Naru? I think Taka and Senpai will get a laugh out of this when I get back to Tokyo and tell them . —Or not! (Actually, in this situation, the gag would be on me!)
I ran with Naru . When I looked back, pursuers could be seen . We ran and ran until we finally arrived at a shrine .
Suddenly I thought, ‘Why isn’t it the sea?’ I don’t know why, but I had intended to go to the sea .
Barely managing to reach the shrine, my legs lost their strength . Naru tugged, but I couldn’t run anymore . From somewhere, Bou-san appeared standing toward one side .
“There’s nothing else we can do . We’re surrounded . ” (Surrounded?)
Naru overlooked the surrounding area .
“This far?”
“What will become of us?”
Ayako said this . Lin-san was toward one side .
“We must prepare ourselves . ” (Prepare?)
When I tried to ask, ‘What do you mean?’, people suddenly came out from the surrounding forest . I didn’t know the number . Although we all had swords, there was no way out for us . With a hopeless feeling, I watched those people rush towards us .
—This… betrayal . (Betrayal?)
“Always . ”
Someone said . I nodded and clenched my fists .
“They will always be cursed until the end of days…!” (End of days? Cursed? What do you mean!?)
Eijirou-san, who swung up his sword, had approached . His drawn sword gleamed and I just stared as it swung down .
—I suddenly woke up .
The inside of the room was dark . On the wide eight tatami mats, there were two futons . A sleeping Ayako was visible .
For some reason, the paper sliding door that was supposed to be closed was open, and the bright, clear moonlight was penetrating through the window of the veranda .
. . . what a dream that was!
Just as I pondered the dream, there was a loud *bang* from the direction of the window . I lifted my head . The windowpane thudded once again . Someone was throwing pebbles .
I stood up and went to open the window . Beneath the window, the water surface of the cove was far below . Pitch black water extended, mirror-like . From the surface of the water, innumerable white lights were floating up with the speed of falling snow . The very dimly lit lights, which resembled spirit lights, disappeared straight into the sky .
. . . ah, I didn’t wake up .
The figure of a person on the surface of the water was visible… it was Naru . He raised his head and looked up at me, then called, ‘Come on . ’ I climbed over the window frame and jumped down as if drawn . It’s no big deal . Since this is a dream .
I gently descended and landed on the surface of the water . It felt like I had stepped on glass barefoot . A number of lights went floating into the sky . Naru smiled . His warm smile appeared slightly troubled .
“It’s become serious, hasn’t it?”
When I said this, Naru nodded . Then,
“ . . . did you see the dream?”
He asked .
“Dream? Perhaps the one where you and I commit lover’s suicide?”
Naru nodded and smiled as if relieved . Then he tilted his head a little .
“ . . . were you scared?”
“Nah . Not really . ”
“If that’s the case, I’m glad . ”
Naru smiled . His eyes calmed and his expression became exceptionally beautiful .
“Did you possibly show me that dream?”
“Slightly different . I only showed the direction to enter the dream . ”
“Showed the direction?”
I asked in return, but Naru only nodded .
The cove was completely surrounded by cliffs . One of the cliffs was disconnected by a thin, V-shaped crack, and from there the cove joined with the sea . In the thin alley, rocks projected from the cliff as if fighting each other, and waves scarcely shifted the surface of the water . When I looked up behind me, the building was visible, which jutted out atop linked timber similar to the stage of Kiyomizu Temple . It was a rather spectacular view . An infinite number of white lights softly rose up and crossed over there . A large dark hole was visible in the stone of the crack . That’s the cave Akifumi-san was talking about . The sheer cliff seemed to be made of really hard rock . In the rock face, a depression, as if scooped out, led on from the cave entrance . It couldn’t have been made naturally . Someone must have carved out a pathway . It was just wide enough for a person to walk alone, and when I followed it with my gaze, it soon became a stone stairway continuing until the top of the cliff .
Viewing my surroundings, small lights crossed before my eyes .
It truly seemed like snow .
“Are these all spirits?”
“Yes . They seem to be drifting spirits . ”
Naru said so and started walking toward the cave . He went to the cave entrance and called to me .
The cave wasn’t that big . It was less than half the size of a gymnasium . I had thought the water most likely passed through here since I heard the cave connected to the cove from the sea, however that wasn’t the case . The ground of the cave was one meter or higher than the surface of the water . Stones, which seem to be scattered about, were lying to one side . The cave curved in the shape of a ‘く’ and the sea could be seen on the other side . Gentle waves rolled across the surface of the water, from which various sized rocks protruded, and broke onto the shore . The ground of the seaward side was a little lower . The waves had reached up to the entrance of the cave . A small shrine was built in the innermost bend of the cave . Then, as if riding a wave, small, white lights blew into the cave from the entrance of the seaward side . After they passed through the inside of the cave and exited to the cove, they blew upwards and went up high .
“Hey, what kind of spirits are these?”
“Probably those of the lives lost at sea around here . Since here seems to be the place where the souls are drifting . ”
I tried reaching out my hand . A small light touched my fingertip . There was the sensation of something splashing on the end of my finger, and I somehow understood this was a fish .
“So, there’s a shrine?”
I said and looked back at the shrine . It was a small, old shrine . Somehow, it appeared to be a little bit distorted .
“There’s something . . . strange . ”
Naru nodded .
“I don’t understand it well, either . It’s not a bad place, but it doesn’t seem like a good place . . . yeah, it’s a sign of sacred ground . ”
“Hmm . . . ”
I nodded and tried asking Naru .
“Naru, are you okay?”
“Yeah . Sorry for worrying you . ”
“Well . . . I’m glad you’re okay . ”
When I said so, Naru smiled . It was a very beautiful smile . While looking at that smile, I thought, ‘I like Naru after all . ’
—Then I really woke up .
I woke up? . . . Yeah, I woke up .
The moment I opened my eyes, I felt very disappointed . I wanted to talk more . Thinking so, I shifted my head while still lying down . The paper sliding doors were properly closed . The bluish light of predawn was shining in across the white paper .
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