Phenomeno:Case 00: Chapter 4

Case 00 – Chapter 4: The Disturbing Mansion

“Yayyyyyyyy! I’m so glad we came here!”

A’s bright and effervescent words filled the car with smiles.

I remember reading a novel once when I was alive that started with the words, ‘After the tunnel, there was something like—', but after passing through a high-speed tunnel, the landscape was transformed into a beautiful undulating scenery of green ridgelines.

“See, isn’t it just like mama said?”

The mother, sitting in the passenger seat, was busily alternating between the view and the family in the car.

“There’s a lake nearby, an art museum, and a great restaurant opened by a famous chef, so I hear it's a hot tourist spot these days. Ahh, it’s so nice, I want to live someplace like this one day.”

“At any rate, three days in a cottage with a view of the lakeside? Not bad at all.”

The father smiled as he operated the steering wheel. The sky was clear without a cloud in sight, and although the summer sun glared down, the air was somewhat refreshing and absent of humidity, perhaps because it was a mountainous region.

It was the morning after we went to the elementary school at night.

M and her family used the occasion of the father’s Bon holiday to head to Y prefecture by car. M and I had fallen into a deep slumber after our late-night adventure, when we were roused out of bed by the happily excited mother. It seemed the family were going to rent a cottage owned by one of her tennis friends and would stay there for three days starting from today.

“That’s so true— Staying in that town was making my imagination run wild.”

A spoke from the back seat sitting next to M.

“I mean it’s summer vacation after all, it might be better to just forget everything for once and take in some fresh air. Right, M?”

Realizing that A’s words were directed at her, M nodded slightly. Even as she lovingly caressed Leon’s head who was sitting on her lap, she looked lonesome and unwell with her eyes cast downwards.

I gently looked up at M’s beautiful face from within the stuffed frog.

It seemed M’s parents had decided to go on this trip because they were worried about M being in low spirits after Kii-chan’s mysterious death – but I alone was already under pressure to the point of being crushed. There were only two days left until the deadline of July 31st. Did that mean that something would happen on this three-day trip? Was the cottage we were headed towards the stage for ‘The Mansion Hanging Massacre Case’ that Takamura mentioned?

I couldn’t help but be worried about that. I was worried about being so far away from Tokyo where Sako and the old man were, and if something were to happen, I had no idea how I would contact them.

And on top of all that--

Everything was back to square one. That was because of the word ‘Yoishi’ that M had whispered at the elementary school in the dead of night. Did that mean that the ‘migrating malice’ wasn’t referring to Takamura? Was ‘Yoishi’ the thing inside Kii-chan just before her death, was it the thing the old detective was searching for? Just what was ‘Yoishi’, and why did the kanji for ‘Yoishi’ suddenly appear in my mind? And -- the biggest problem of all -- why did that name elicit a wave of nostalgic emotions within me? Why did it remind me of someone’s miserable face?

As I kept thinking on and on in circles about such things—

“I guess this is it?”

The father declared out loud as he made a sharp turn with the steering wheel. The body of the car swerved, and the M family’s foreign made SUV entered the unpaved road. The car was shaking on the bumpy, bare dirt road as it continued on its way along the dark mountain road.

“What a great road… I’m glad we have a four-wheel drive. But, can we trust this navigational guide?”

“No problem at all.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

As the father knit his brows, A and the mother replied with a carefree smile.

However, as the car drove on, the cluster of trees grew even thicker, and the surroundings became dense with trees.

--If it was like this and something were to happen here, wouldn’t it be impossible for somebody to come and help?

I was getting worked up inside the stuffed frog, when eventually, a single western style building became visible beyond the trees up ahead.

“Woooooooooow! That one, right? Hey, isn’t it that one?”

“That’s right, I’m sure it is! It’s so wonderful!”

Rather than a cottage, it would have been better to call the building an extravagant Western-style house. There was a porch at the entrance, a garden, and there were beautiful trees that were occasionally tended to by someone. But unfortunately, its outward appearance was far too archaic. To me, it looked like a Gothic haunted house.

After passing through an open iron gatepost, the car slowly came to a halt inside the premises.

The family who got out of the car seemed to have decided to take a family photograph before even unloading their luggage.

With a view overlooking the lake shore in the background, the father and mother stood in front of their two daughters. And it seems the composition was decided with Leo being furthest in front-- but then they suddenly stopped. It seemed they forgot the tripod, which meant that there was no one to press the shutter. I really wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do about it.

“Oh darn. What should we do?”

The moment A was about to turn to her father.

“Shall I take it for you?”

I looked back with my mouth agape at hearing that playful, familiar voice.

“You must be Hanamura-sama. You’ve come from quite far away, welcome. I’m Takita from Maruei real estate. I’m managing this vacation home.”

The person who greeted them in an aloof manner – was Sako Takita. His long, disheveled hair was neatly combed down, and he was dressed in a shabby grey suit with a matching tie. He wasn’t even trying to hide his innate shady nature that he exuded, but he hadn’t done so much that he didn’t look like a real estate manager in the countryside.

“Ah, of course. Much obliged.”

The father greeted him, and then handed Sako the antique polaroid camera he held in his hand. A and the mother both bowed their heads, “Thanks for helping us out,” “We’re really grateful,” as M silently greeted him in the end, Sako raised his voice happily.

“Ohh, isn’t this an SX-70? It sure was famous in the good old days.”

“It’s a camera my father used, and I’m still maintaining it and using it.”

“That’s a nice hobby. It’s far better than those digital cameras that are all the rage these days. Alright, let’s take the picture. Say, cheese – Ah, what nice smiles!”

Ka-chink.

After the photograph was taken, A and the mother took the camera from Sako, and flapped the exposure film that came out. After checking the family portrait that eventually became visible, they squealed and smiled at each other. I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask Sako, but he ended up starting a conversation with the father, so I looked at M for some reason. With the leash to Leo’s collar in hand, she was alone, gazing at the lake in a daze. As I looked at her small back, A’s frolicking voice drew close, “I knew I should have worn a white dress after all!”

“Look, M. The picture’s ready.”

I thought the blue one-piece suited her as well – as I looked at A, I somehow managed to get a peek at the family photograph she held out at the same time as M.

A small shiver ran through my back.

…Huh?

The things projected in the photograph were the lake, the grove, the sunlight, the father, the mother, A and M, and Leo.

There was something strange about the mundane family photo taken on the trip. Everyone was smiling and the scene was supposed to be peaceful, but, how should I say, something impossible was projected in the photo.

“Let’s put this up in the living room.”

But A immediately put the picture away, and I couldn’t check it properly.

While I was feeling hazy, I heard Sako’s relaxed voice.

“Ah, this really is a nice place. At dawn the scenery is tranquil and wonderful, but at dusk it’s especially magnificent. You get an unbroken view of the setting sun dyeing everything in its path. It will surely make you forget the hustle and bustle of the city and wash away the fatigue of everyday life.”

Sako gestured extravagantly, with his hands outstretched as he explained, causing A and her mother to become more and more excited, “Wow!”

“However, there is one thing.”

Thereupon, Sako glimpsed my way, and lowered his tone.

“There's a small story about this mountain.”

“…What?”

“Well, it's one of the stories from the countryside you see – The story goes that something unpleasant has resided in this mountain since times immemorial, it’s been called ‘Gandame’ or ‘Yousenbou’, or some other name of unknown origin, but well, it’s from the legends of ‘mountain goddess’. The so called yōkai which would kill you if you laughed at it. That's the reason why no one lives in such a beautiful place like this, and why the owner rarely ever visits.”

Sako spoke with a friendly grin to the father, who gave him a dubious look.

“To stay in a mansion like this with just your family for several days, I really can’t recommend it you see.”

“Just who are you?”

The one who broke into the conversation was the mother.

“Why would you tell us such creepy things when we came here to have a good time?”

“No, no, my apologies. Well, it’s just a legend. We don't even know what the thing is. I apologize if I caused you any worry.”

“You’ve done enough. Please just hand over the key. We already brought food, drinks, and everything with us!”

She held out her hand in anger as if to shoo Sako away. Sako shrugged and handed over the key to the mansion.

“There is a telephone inside. But there’s no Internet. The cell reception is poor. The water comes from the well, so please leave the faucet open first until it becomes clear. Ah, and moreover…”

“Yes, you’ve said enough!”

This time, A said that, and she then turned to M and the mother, “Let’s take out the luggage.”

(--Hey, where have you been all this time?!)

As soon as the family had entered inside, I slipped out of the stuffed frog and shouted at Sako.

He couldn’t hear me of course, but it seemed my menacing attitude really got through to him.

“Hey, long time no see. Now, now, it’s not something to be so angry about.”

“Long time? Are you kidding me?! There’s a shit ton of things I want to ask and tell you, but first of all, why the hell are you the manager in a place like this?”

“…Hm? Ah, my appearance? Why, I merely pulled some strings with an acquaintance of mine. I slipped into the company managing this real estate. I wanted to investigate this place.”

--This place? You wanted to investigate it? Why was that?

In reply, Sako looked around as he muttered in a deep breath, “This place is the worst.”

“Geographically speaking, It’s located in the northeast, and there must have been a small shrine here in the past where something was sealed. For that reason, it seems it was rebuilt a little way further down when this vacation home was built. No matter how suitable of a location it must have been for viewing the lakeside, they should have paid a little respect to its former inhabitants.”

Saying that much, Sako began walking without even looking my way.

(…Hey, wait. Wait a second.)

“Please come. Let us talk along the way.”

Having no choice, I drifted after Sako.

Sako pushed through to the forest after slipping through the thicket of trees.

The road, which was about a meter wide at first, quickly turned into a grassy slope which could hardly be described as a game trail. However, Sako slipped through the thick cluster of trees, and continued descending the gentle slope. The high-pitched call of a creepy mountain bird reverberated from somewhere, and it was pretty dark despite it being daytime.

(…Hey, how much farther is it?)

After the many times I threw him that question–

The view suddenly opened up.

It was a space spread out around ten meters in all four directions, and in the center was an old shrine slanting to its side.

You could call it tranquil with the way it was illuminated by the sunlight pouring in through the trees, but if you were to say that something was there, it was also suitably eerie. As Sako drew closer to the shrine, he pulled and tossed the grass aside that grew around it. He peeked inside, and sighed.

“Aah, is this fate? –No, is it an ill fate? I had a bad feeling about it, but it seems this rebuilt shrine is indeed similar to that of an Inari shrine."

It was a dilapidated old shrine that looked like it must have been built around a hundred years ago. It had turned black and discolored, with its Shimenawa rope about to come off. It was merely dark beyond the lattice window, and I couldn't clearly see what deity was enshrined within – frankly speaking, it was creepy.

Sako used a handkerchief to wipe away the dust off the offering pedestal, took out a portable whiskey container from his jacket pocket and then poured some kind of transparent liquid into a chipped flat plate that was there. He then bowed twice, clasped his hands together twice, then bowed once more. I too hurriedly put my hands together behind Sako.

…Um, Wait, it's not the time for that. After I finished bowing, I looked once more at Sako.

(Hey, there's only two days left. And M's family plans on staying here for the next three days. In short, we don't have time. Isn’t that mansion dangerous? Won't it become the stage of a family massacre?)

"You seem quite perturbed."

After Sako finished his long bow, he smiled slightly.

"Judging from the air... I'm guessing there's not much time left."

(Yes, that's right, that's exactly it. I don't remember it exactly, but didn't something like this happen in a foreign movie? Didn't a crazy murderer wearing a ski mask appear in a lodge in the mountains? Hey, I'm begging you, make a move! Do something!"

I begged him desperately, when Sako suddenly looked in a different direction.

"--W, the person who's there, please come out."

Startled, I looked in the direction of the grove where he spoke, and from the bushes, a man slowly appeared.

And I was flabbergasted once more. The man who appeared there was the old detective who talked to M about the ‘migrating malice’. The old man named Tatsuya if recalled correctly glared at Sako with a suspicious look on his face as he drew closer step by step crossing over the grass.

--W, why are you here, too?

In reply, the old man interrogated Sako in a menacing tone of voice.

"Hey, you. Who have you been talking to? Who are you?"

"I'm the manager of a real estate company, I'm in charge of that villa. And as for who I was talking with -- well, you could call it my guardian spirit. I don't mind it at all if you don't believe me."

"Manager? Guardian spirit?"

‘Liar’, said the old man as he drew close to Sako.

"Who are you really? What real estate manager in this world talks with ghosts in front of old shrines?"

Sako gave a broad grin in response, took his business card out of his pocket, and handed it out to him.

“Chief Priest of Okitachi Inari Shrine… Sako, Takita? You’re a chief priest? …Ah, could it be you? The guy loitering around the Nagami household the day after the incident?”

“That’s right. Then, who might you be? Why are you here?”

This time, the old man pulled out a black identification card from his breast pocket in response to Sako’s question.

“Oh--? Police?”

“That’s right. I followed that family here.”

I had been watching the conversation unfold between the two up till now, but--

---Ohhhhh, I opened my mouth wide. Finally, finally, at last, I flapped my arms and legs and shouted with the excitement of a showman who managed to get all the actors ready in place ten minutes before the performance began.

(Hey, Sako! This old man is on our side! He’s someone who’s seen the thing we’re after! We need to work together with him and save that family somehow!)

“…Hm.”

Sako glanced at me, and groaned.

“What’s wrong?”

“No…Ah, that’s right. The reason you’re giving off such joyful vibrations is because – you believe this meeting will help that family. In short, the thing we’re chasing after is the same, is it?”

“What did you say?”

“No, no, I wasn’t talking to you, my pseudo guardian spirit is a little impatient you see.”

I was ticked off at being called a pseudo guardian spirit, but there was no time to brood over it. At any rate, I nodded my head frantically.

“Wait a minute. You, you can see them? Do things like ghosts really exist?”

“Well, those sorts of conversations usually aren't very productive – so I won't assert it here. For the time being, it seems it would be best for you and me to join forces. But first, we need to understand each other’s objectives and share an understanding of the current situation. Why are you following that family? The police can’t possibly believe someone in that family is involved with the incidents that occurred in K and S town?”

The old man gave a bitter face in response.

“Sadly, not at all. But that's just because the police organization doesn't think so, and that's not my opinion.”

“Oh?”

“The shrine in S town, the Nagami household in K town, and the girl in the elementary school who drowned in the pool the other day – I felt ‘its’ presence in all of them.

“’Its’?”

Ignoring Sako’s question, the old man continued to speak.

“The news reports merely stated that she was submerged at the bottom of the pool, but Kie Kosaki-chan a.k.a ‘Kii-chan’ had a smile on her face with her eyes open when she died. The way she was submerged in the water was also strange. She was lying on her back with her hands clasped over her stomach, as if to see how far her body would go before it died. That wasn’t a murder or an accident. It was the bizarre scene of something much more sinister. The scene of the crime ‘it’ is associated with always have that strange sense of unease.”

…Sense of unease.

I saw Sako’s lips distort at hearing those words.

“I’ve seen crime scenes like that so many times up until now. The scene of the crime was filled with a sense of unease. And like me, the child in that family can sense ‘its’ existence. There is an elementary school girl there, isn’t she?”

“Yes. There is.”

“That’s why, I’m watching over her. I have a feeling ‘it’ can’t ignore humans that can sense its presence. Maybe that's why it’s hanging around me - but at any rate, I have a bad feeling about it.”

…Hey, wait a second.

(Do you mean to say that the next person who will be killed is M? Is that what you’re saying?)

I unconsciously butted into their conversation, but of course, no one listened to me.

“From your manner of speaking, the ‘it’ you refer to does not seem to be human. And it seems you have encountered ‘it’ in the past. Which is why you are not perturbed by my guardian spirit here.”

The old man then gazed my way with a look of disgust – and nodded.

“I don’t know what’s there, but… Ah… it’s definitely not the same. ‘It’ was not this carefree – or should I say, it didn’t have this idiotic air about it.”

“Oh, I completely agree.”

…Hey.

Even though I’m dead, you can't be an ‘idiot’ to someone you're meeting for the first time.

As I acted indignant by myself, Sako looked my way with a mischievous look on his face, and grinned.

“I see, maybe you're right. I think this detective and I should join forces.”

“So, do you know what ‘it’ is?”

When the detective asked, Sako suddenly nodded with a serious expression on his face.

“It goes by many names—but according to literature, it is commonly referred to as ‘Yoishi’.”

“…Yoishi?”

“Yoishi is written as night stone.”

My heart throbbed at the appearance of that word once more. It was an ill-boding shock due to having guessed ‘Yoishi’s’ writing correctly.

“The origin of the word can be traced back to the Edo period. It happened in the fourth year of the Kyōhō era, 1724 in Gregorian terms. In the estate of a shogunal vassal, a savage lord was said to have lived who had a hobby of manslaying. Night after night, it is said that he would try out blades on humans he had bought in front of a stone in his garden. Countless innocent people were cut down just for the fun of it, and the stone that continued to be bathed in the blood splatter from the victims soon came to be known as the ‘perpetual night stone’. It is said this was because it was dyed in the color of dark blood, as if it swallowed all light. Well, from this story alone, you might be led to believe that the stone itself ended up harboring a will due to the actions of that savage lord – however, was that really the case?”

“What do you mean?”

“Wasn’t it the opposite? Is what I’ve come to think recently. In short, was the lord himself not the one possessed by this stone as he continued to cut down humans?”

The old man cocked his head in puzzlement, and in response:

“Have you heard the story of the pale faced, nine-tailed fox with the golden fur?”

Sako suddenly narrowed his eyes ominously and spoke.

“It was originally a great demon said to have crossed over from continental Asia in the Nara period – it transformed itself into a woman of unmatched beauty known as Tamamo-no-Mae and planned to take control of the country by seducing the emperor of the time. In the end, however, it was discovered by the diviner Abe Yasunori and chased down to Nasu where it was turned into a stone… in short, it’s the story of the killing stone of Nasu in Tochigi prefecture. ”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”

“It is said that the ‘nine-tails’ continued to spew poison even after it was turned into stone, and killed anything that came near it. Even after a monk named Gennō Shinshō of the Soto school of Buddhism smashed the stone into pieces, it merely scattered in all directions. In short, nowhere does it say that it was exterminated.”

…Hey, it can’t be.

“That’s right. If that ‘perpetual night stone’ was originally a fragment of that killing stone. Then contrary to the legend, the ‘nine tails’ still exists in this world. Now we come to the fundamental problem at hand.”

Thereupon, Sako twisted his lips somewhat amused.

“What actually was the ‘nine tails’?”

“…What?”

“I don’t need to bring out a copy of the classic of mountains and seas, a similar existence is inscribed since time immemorial in every country. It possesses humans, spouts poison, and kills those around it – just for the fun of it. It is called a ‘demon’ at times, and a ‘witch’ at others, and has been feared by the masses, however, where did this ‘pure malice’ come from in the first place? I’m really interested in that. I’ve sometimes thought that it was a piece of instinct that was somehow scraped off when the species known as humans arose in this world.”

“…What a load of crap.”

The old man spat, and glared at Sako.

“Scoundrels are not born by necessity or coincidence. They are simply weak. They just let their weak hearts get the better of them in the moment.”

“Is that so?”

In response, Sako smiled again.

“It is my understanding, but ‘it’ has been involved with countless incidents. ‘It’ – or ‘Yoishi’, as it is now called – appears out of nowhere every few years and destroys people like a natural disaster. By destroy I mean quite literally: mentally and physically destroys them. Most people who associate with Yoishi will end up dead. And they will despair of this world, bear grudges, spread their hopeless delusions, and be thrust down into the endless corridor without salivation – Ahh, this is neither a lie, a ghost story, or a fairy tale. It might be rude to mention it in front of a member of the police like yourself, but this information is recorded in the records of the National Public Safety Commission, unofficially though it may be.”

“…What did you say?”

“This country has long been disgraced with the title of a ‘suicide superpower’, but the reality is different. If I were to give a brief overview of the recent incidents I’m aware of in which ‘Yoishi’ was involved: It thoroughly destroyed seventeen people in Tokyo three years ago before it disappeared. Before that, it was eight people in Kōchi city, and nineteen people in Kitakyushu – well, there’s no end to it really. At any rate, if we were to say that it’s been destroying people since the Heian period (794-1192), then you can only guess the number of victims. So, why is such an existence, which is unofficially recognized by the Public Safety Commission, left unchecked? That question is quite reasonable, but the answer simply is that they can’t do anything. The level of research into the beings known as ‘spirits’ in this country is extremely, extremely low. The budget can’t be used for things that can’t be seen by the naked eye. No matter how many people die or suffer, all of it is treated as ‘suicide’ and ‘natural disasters.”

‘However’, Sako spoke as he narrowed his eyes and transformed from the blasé persona he had up until now.

“I alone refuse to accept it as something like a ‘natural disaster’.”

…………………..

“I want to seal it somehow. No – I want it to suffer so much that it curses itself for being born in this world and messing around with humans, and then I want to tear it into pieces and obliterate it.”

His narrow, distorted eyes were blank. He turned them in my direction and spoke.

“Hey, you. The one I can’t see for some reason. I don’t know the reason why you are staying at that family’s house, and I don't really care at this point. However, I can say with certainty that you are somehow connected to that thing. And moreover, you’re connected strongly. I’m sure that’s the reason why you’re here.”

The old man waved his hand as if to ward off something and looked at Sako with a disgusted expression since he abruptly began to converse with me who was invisible to everyone else.

“Be it ghosts or witches or monstrous foxes – I don’t know about any of that. And I can’t comprehend it either. However, ‘it’ exists, doesn’t it? I’m not strange in the head or anything, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And can you do something about it?”

“Who knows, I'm not sure what I can do-- but at any rate, it seems our goals and our awareness of the current situation align."

Sako grinned, and looked back at the road we came from – or rather, the mansion located about a kilometer up the road from here.

Realizing what lay at the end of his gaze, my heart filled up with something black.

(...Hey... wait a minute...)

The ‘migrating malice' the old man was searching for was called 'absolute evil'. And the 'certain ghost' Sako was after for many years was the 'nine tails', and if it was called 'Yoishi' now...

(Hey... Could the 'true culprit' that assaults M's family from here on be...?)

‘That's right’, Sako declared without a change in his expression as he thrust his hands in his pockets.

"In all likelihood, 'Yoishi' is present inside someone in that family."

---

In the pitch-black summer night –

The garden of the mansion was filled with the sound of crackling firewood and frolicking voices.

It seemed that a barbecue was to be held in the garden that evening. Meat, green peppers, onions, and other things were roasting deliciously on top of the camping cookware. The mother and A were dividing the grilled food one after another onto paper plates for the father and M. At the same time, they were taking a bite themselves and jumping up and down saying, "It’s so delicious".

The father dived deep back into his folding chair, drinking a beer, while M blew on her food to cool it down before feeding Leo a piece of chicken cut into small pieces. A small light illuminated the surroundings which was connected by a long extension cord all the way from the mansion, creating a lively atmosphere enough to make you forget that you were in the middle of the forest.

I sat alone at the edge of the porch gazing at the scene in a daze.

--What should I do from here on?

'Takamura' was not the 'true culprit' of the incident to come. It was 'Yoishi', something different. And if Takamura's prediction were to come to pass, then in a day and a half, something would happen to the family. Sako had said that 'Yoishi' was inside someone in the family.

However -- even after hearing that, I still wanted to believe in a different possibility.

Even if the 'lump of malice’ known as 'Yoishi' existed in this world -- then it might not be possessing someone in this family, but might visit this family while possessing someone else. If that were the case, then as long as the mansion stayed locked up tight, it would somehow turn out alright. The old man and Sako were both outside, and if someone suspicious tried to do something dangerous, then they would deal with that.

However-- If 'Yoishi' was already present inside someone in this family.

That would mean it had already infiltrated inside the mansion, and not just that, if the plan to come to the mansion itself was its suggestion, then the possibility that it was a part of its plan all along couldn't be discounted.

I thought to myself as I looked at the figures of the family under the light.

No matter how many times I counted them, there were only four people present: the father, the mother, M and A.

I thought about who it was that 'Yoishi' might be lurking inside. My first thought was that it couldn't have been M. I had been together with her all this time, so I knew somehow. She didn't seem well right now, but I never got the impression from M that she had changed. M was still M, just unwell. And that was because of the incident with Kii-chan. However, if that were the case, then the remaining possibilities would be the father, the mother, or could it be her sister A? No... I couldn't feel anything different in their moods than before. There were no major changes in my impression of them since I first met them.

In the first place, who was the one who suggested this trip? I was with M the whole time, and the first time I came to know of it was when the father let us know, "We're going on a trip tomorrow". I was puzzled, and I guess M was too. When we went down to the living room, A and her mother were already frolicking happily. If I recall correctly, this cottage itself was said to have belonged to one of the mother's acquaintances, but to assert that it was the mother because of that would be a weak argument.

--Ah, dammit. I don't know.

Sako disappeared somewhere after that, saying he would come after he had cleansed himself, and the old detective also disappeared saying he would be on standby in his car parked in the grove of trees nearby. The two of them exchanged phone numbers, but the signals were weak in this mountain, and I was worried that they might not be able to work together to deal with the situation. But whatever the case may be, we had no choice but to believe in Takamura's deadline after having come this far. The 31st of July -- that is, the day after tomorrow -- I had to find out who the 'migrating malice' known as 'Yoishi' was inside of, and I had to convey that to Sako and the old man.

And one more thing.

I looked up at the night sky in a daze, and recalled the word once more.

Why was it that I recalled someone's lonely looking face when I muttered the word 'Yoishi'?

'Demon', 'Nine tails', 'Absolute evil', 'monster'. The name 'Yoishi' associated with those things somehow doesn't seem so terrifying to me. The unrelenting flow of emotions within me were saying things like, "A pain in the ass", "Making a mess even messier", "A friend I just couldn't ignore". Like a family member I had lived with for many years – or rather, something deeper, more intimate, more connected.

I gazed once more at the scene illuminated by the halogen lights and the flickering flames of the barbecue.

All I could see was an average peaceful family. A family filled with the love that was essential for people to grow as human beings, where they cared for each other, where they knew they were important, and where they can be sure that they will love each other unconditionally.

The father was a man devoted entirely to his family. He was a man determined to be the headstrong wall that would protect his family from the strong and violent winds that would occasionally blow in from the outside world. The mother understood the father, trusted him, and strove hard to make the world inside the walls he protected bright and peaceful. Her careless comedic persona might have been half-way real, but there were times I couldn’t help but feel that it was all an act. A was a cheerful, if fidgety, older sister who would look first to M whenever something happened. She was always concerned about her younger sister, and she was always willing to share the joy that happened to her.

--My only wish is to save this family.

I thought to myself.

--I wanted these people to lead happy lives.

The existence which was trying to destroy that for whatever reason was in the wrong.

Having brought fireworks, M and her family raised their voices with joy.

M was smiling after a long time. As I gazed at her smile, I felt something seeping from the back of my eyes.

You could smile after all, couldn’t you? I heard such a voice from inside me. You could smile with such a kind face, couldn’t you? You could even make such a cute face, couldn't you?

...Ahh, why was it I wonder?

Tears flowed copiously from both my eyes without stopping.

…I wish you could smile like that forever and ever.

I whispered to M, who was gazing at the sparklers with her hair tucked behind her ear.

---

After the fireworks finished, everyone began to clean up, and the family returned to the mansion.

From here, it seemed they would take turns taking a bath, and relax individually.

Incidentally, the ground floor had a hearth in the living room about 32 sqm in width, and there was a television and a sofa there. In the back was an attached kitchen about 6.5 sqm in size, the toilet, bath, and the storeroom were located at the end of the corridor on the first floor. The second floor had three bedrooms, all of the same make. There were two beds, a closet, and a bedside table. That was all. One of those rooms was used by the mother and father, while M and A stayed in another.

Having been away from the stuffed frog after a long time, I was also a little tired, so I returned to the stuffed frog for a brief respite and was in a daze.

It was after the father had taken the first bath. M was taking some of her luggage out in the second-floor bedroom, when A asked her if she wanted to take a bath together.

“…A bath?”

After thinking over it for a while, M shook her pale face, and said she would go alone.

I thought it was strange for M, who would never decline an invitation,

“Really? Well, go ahead of me then, I’ll be tidying up with mama.”

A said that and left.

M quickly began to take out pajamas and towels from her bag. And then she suddenly grabbed me-- the stuffed frog and picked me up.

...Huh?

“Will you take a bath with me?”

M picked me up and took me with her as she trudged down the stairs towards the bathroom.

--Hey, hey, wait a minute. Even though she might only be an elementary schooler, isn’t it a bad idea to share a bath with her. No, elementary schoolers are a focus of controversy in the present age, so that's surely not good, right?

In hindsight, I realized I could have refrained simply by slipping out of the stuffed frog, but I was disturbed in the head at the time.

Even as I flailed around, we soon arrived in the bathroom, and I was neatly placed beside a basket in the dressing room.

As M swiftly began to undress in front of my very eyes, I became flustered and focused my gaze on a stain in the ceiling.

Eventually, an undressed M grabbed me and a towel before entering the washing place. It was a space big enough for all four of the family members to fit in, and it was filled with warm steam.

She sat me down in front of the washing place’s mirror, and poured hot water on her body in front of my eyes.

I didn’t know where I should focus my gaze anymore.

“…You know, Mr. Frog.”

M spoke as she bathed her shoulders with hot water and lathered her towel with body soap.

“There’s something I must talk to you about. That day, I was told…. No, maybe I had a feeling I was told? I didn’t understand it well.”

--Ah… was she talking about what happened in the elementary school late at night?

At that moment, M certainly spoke the words, ‘Yoishi’ and asked, ‘Who is Yoishi?’, which meant that it was a word conveyed to her by the thing that was Kii-chan, but was there some other word she was told – something she didn’t say out loud?

“Um, I don’t really understand what the word ‘Yoishi’ meant. But there was another word Kii-chan said… I wanted someone to hear it. It’s… painful to stay silent.”

--Ah, was that the reason why she was in low spirits recently?

However, having spoken that far, M couldn’t manage to continue speaking.

After she finished washing her body, she tied her long, beautiful hair up and entered the bathtub with me in her arms.

She immersed herself in the hot water all the way up to her lips, then elevated me up in front of her, and gazed at me with her big eyes.

“I don’t know if it was Kii-chan that night in the elementary school. I didn’t see her clearly… but, that kind of thing happens with me sometimes. There are times when I feel like there’s something there, something like a black shadow, black in color. In the corner of the wall, or behind the television, or beyond a slightly open door… something dark, lumpy, and fuzzy. But papa and the others can’t see it. Even though it’s so dark, I end up being told that there’s nothing there. That dark spot is… nothing at all like a human, and yet, there are times when I can’t help but feel that it is something human. I look away because I’m scared, but it’s like it knows I've noticed it… and it keeps looking at me. And there have been times when it follows me.”

--That was...

That was me… she was talking about. When I first met M in the city, she certainly stared at me. But at the time, I was merely seen as something dark. I– I mistakenly thought she had recognized me and got so happily carried away that I ended up chasing her around.

I hung my head down, full of remorse.

In response, M spoke as she looked at me, “But you know…”

“I can sometimes sense it with you, too, Mr. Frog.”

…Eh?

M wiped the rim of her eyes with a small finger and smiled a little.

“Sometimes when I’m crying alone in my room, I can hear a voice from somewhere, saying, ‘It’s alright, it’s alright’. One day, I realized that it might be Mr. Frog. Mr. Frog may be strange, but you’re not scary. I can’t explain it well, but I feel Mr. Frog isn’t really Mr. Frog – but someone who’s protecting me in the form of Mr. Frog. If something dangerous comes for me, it feels like Mr. Frog is planning to crash into it instead of me. I feel as if you’ve decided to die in my place.”

The moment her words reached me---

Something like tears welled forth from within me, and I covered my face.

“…Even though Mr. Frog has such a carefree look on his face, but in truth you’re really in pain about something, and you think that it will be easier if you die… but, I always thought that you’re wrong. That’s why, I have to be strong, because Mr. Frog will crash and die before me if something happens to me.”

M slowly chose her words, and carefully tried to convey the things she had seen and felt up until now. Every time her words reached me, something intense burst out like magma, breaking through the cold ground of my emotions. I kneeled down, and all I could do was be thankful. I devotedly bowed my head, not knowing where I should lower myself for this fate.

At the same time, the knowledge filled my head like melting ice.

I remembered that there were ghost stories that revolved around dolls in this world – and a few of them which made you feel a faint sense of warmth. Like the one about a cherished plastic doll of a hero which would protect you if an evil spirit came. Or a doll you treasured because it seemed like a dead child, which would then warn you of a fire in your dream while you were asleep. They were like me, wandering faint beings without a destination that possessed something. They would become someone’s treasured doll– and before realizing, fall under the delusion that they themselves were being treasured. And then, wouldn’t they decide to devote themselves to protecting that person who treasured them?

I gave up on trying to wipe away the unending tears that were like a lid lifted off my emotions, and I looked up. I looked straight at M, and decided I would take in everything she said.

"That's why, I slowly started to think that the dark shadow wasn't something to just be scared of – but I was still afraid."

Thereupon, M squinted her large eyes with a look as if she was crying and smiling.

"I often wished I didn't see or hear anything... but suddenly, I always ended up seeing them-- Ahh, that's right, there were times I would only hear something like words. I would hear a buzzing noise echo in my ear. I don't know what they’re saying... but it happened again in the music room at school recently."

--Ahh, it's not the time for me to cry.

This was important. Hey, M. If there's something else you know that I don't, then tell me.

(Did you hear that? You don't have to suffer alone. There's someone besides me who will believe what you say. In the surroundings of this mansion, there's that bastard Sako who I don't quite trust, and even that old detective is there. They're all waiting nearby. So, tell me everything right from the start. What did you hear in that music room?)

Of course, I was sure not even a single one of my desperate words or phrases would reach her perfectly. It could be that they might have reached her as the buzzing noise she mentioned before. However, M desperately looked at me with her big eyes, and slowly began to speak as if recalling each word.

"I didn't know what it was at first, but that day in the music room, I heard the word 'M-chan' being spoken at times."

(Go on.)

"The way my name was called was really nostalgic...Ah, I thought it must have been Kii-chan. But after that, I hardly understood it at all. I don't know if she was trying to tell me the same thing, but I couldn't understand any of it... And then, I tried to ask her. I tried asking Kii-chan what the thing inside of her was."

(That's right, I heard that as well.)

"After that, the only word I felt I heard was 'Yoishi'. The words Yoishi, Yoishi, Yoishi, Yoishi, kept continuing, and then it changed to a static noise like zazaza... But, but, after that..."

It seemed she ended up remembering something truly horrifying. Her small shoulders that had risen up from the hot water at some point, were submerged into the water once again, and M once again looked at me as if clinging to me."

(Hang in there. Tell me. Try speaking it.)

I desperately looked back at M's beautiful face as if praying, when—

"...Mother."

M spoke in a feeble voice that almost trailed off.

"Be careful... of mother...I think that’s what she told me."

………….

"For a long time... I thought Kii-chan was talking about her own mother... And I didn't understand what she meant... I thought I might have misheard it, and I didn't tell anyone... But yesterday, I realized it."

My heart thumped with a jolt. Was it my invisible heart, or a phantom limb? I didn't know, but something was thumping inside me as if pulsating through my entire being.

"Hey, Mr. Frog... If... If she was talking about my mother -- What should I do?"

M’s face turned pale as she managed to squeeze out the words with a trembling voice.

"I'm scared of the thing that was inside Kii-chan. If something like that were to happen again, what should I do...? If that's inside mama, what should I do...?"

M must have reached the limits of her patience; large teardrops spilled down her eyes as she cried out.

Before I'd realized, I had slipped out of the stuffed frog, and placed my hand softly on M's small head.

I stroked her black hair slowly as if embracing her head, trying to share the fear and grief that she carried, however little I could.

"I'm scared... I'm so scared... Mr. Frog..."

I bit my lips, at a loss of how to respond to her feeble cries—when--

M suddenly raised her face and stared somewhere.

I, too, turned my head in that direction.

It was in the direction of the dressing room.

The shadow of a person was present beyond the frosted glass, someone had entered before I'd realized.

Someone slender and slanted stood there, and I saw it shift.

"...M."

That voice was--

"...Is it alright, if mama comes iiin?"

The strange intonation in the way she infected the end of that word made me shiver.

What -- did M's mother always talk so fawningly?

I heard Leo’s loud growls coming in from the hallway beyond the bathroom.

“I…I want to… take it by myself…today.”

M managed to reply as she tried to hide the trembling in her voice.

However, the voice on the other side of the glass spoke somewhat cheerfully.

“…What’s the matter? Isn’t it alright… if mama comes iiin?”

On the other side of the glass, A long, slender hand was placed on the bathroom door. The moment the door was about to be opened -- an inexplicable emotion exploded. An intense rage welled up inside me, a mass of uncontrolled emotions that made my hair stand on ends. Then, with a jerk, I slanted my body forward and raised my arms, and slammed my fist against the door with all the strength I could muster.

A fearsome noise roared through the bathroom. No, since I couldn't physically interact with anything in this world, it was quite possible that I might have imagined it. At the same time, "Grrrr", Leo's piercing grill echoed in from somewhere.

--Thereupon.

I turned around hearing a splashy water sound to see M standing stock still in the bathtub with a towel around her.

I turned to look at the focus of her gaze and realized.

Before I had noticed, the shadow behind the glass had disappeared.

---

That night, I didn't sleep a wink.

No, the thing resembling sleep rarely came to me, but that day my consciousness was clear all night long. I continued glaring at the door from inside Mr. Frog as if to protect A and M who were sleeping in their beds in the bedroom.

--Only one day left until July 31st.

No, there were only about eighteen hours left now.

Kii-chan’s last words to M were “Be careful of mother.” And the shadow resembling her mother that appeared in the bathroom a few hours ago.

So… was it her mother? Was ‘Yoishi’ inside the mother right now? If that were the case, then shouldn’t I do something about it right now and relay that information to Sako and the old man?

However – for some reason, I couldn’t make up my mind to act right away.

How should I say…? Right, it was too straightforward.

An easy straight ball. Both Sako and the old man said that ‘Yoishi’ was not an idiot. I didn’t know if the ‘thing’ they were chasing was ‘Malice’, ‘Nine-tails’ or a ‘Monster’, but they all shared the impression of being a ‘lump of malice’. Would something like that really do something like easily reveal itself? But if that were the case, then was ‘Yoishi’ inside the father or the older sister?

--Dammit, I didn’t know anymore.

As my thoughts spun over and over pondering on such things, it ended up becoming bright beyond the window. The chirping of the birds started ringing in the surroundings to the point of annoyance.

Eventually, as if drawn by those bird sounds, M stirred in her bed and sat up. She fixed her slightly disheveled long black hair with her hand, and then looked in my direction before whispering ‘Good morning’.

I replied ‘Good morning’ back to her as cheerfully as I could.

The strong light from the summer sun poured in through the gap in the curtains, but it wasn’t too hot because of the high altitude. It was an ordinary awakening to a beautiful and invigorating world.

But it felt like I, and for some reason, M as well, understood it.

Today, the warm light that wrapped everything would end, and something dark would begin–

M’s eyes seemed to realize that fate had declared that today would be that day.

With five minutes left until 6 AM, M gently got out of bed so as not to wake her sister. She put on her gown and left the room while still wearing her pajamas. I was, of course, tucked into her pocket.

When she descended the stairs to the living room, her father was already awake and smiled when he saw M.

“Good morning, M. You sure are early today.”

Her father too was still only in his pajamas and a cardigan; he was boiling water in the kitchen.

“Would you like to drink some tea?”

“Yes.”

“Wait there.”

M made her way to the sofa, and sat on the sofa with a thump, when her father asked the question.

“Say, M. Have you seen mama?”

M turned back, I too came out of the frog, and stood there.

It was hard to understand the meaning of that question.

“When I got up this morning, mama wasn’t in bed. Did she go out for a walk?”

“Didn’t you sleep together yesterday?”

“Mama and A seemed to be watching television, so I slept ahead of her. At some point late at night, mama entered the room and I think she went to bed, but maybe I was tired from the long drive here. I fell asleep without waking up. …Well, I think she went on a walk. She’s not the type to stay still. Let’s try waiting a little more.”

The father smiled with his sleepy-looking eyes.

M stayed silent, with a slightly anxious look on her face. She didn’t mention what happened last night in the bath. No, if I was M, I couldn’t do it either. Seeing how bright the surroundings had become after the night had passed, yesterday’s events seemed to be nothing more than a dream. I mean in reality, all she was asked was if she could take a bath with her, although her voice was somewhat creepy when she spoke.

“Ahh—It smells so good!”

Thereupon, A came downstairs while stretching, she was also wearing pajamas and a gown. And her hair was beautifully disheveled.

“Honey herb tea for me as well--!”

Hearing that bright voice, the father smiled and offered her his own cup. He then called M over and handed her a teacup, and began brewing his own tea.

“Onee-chan, do you know where mama is?”

M asked with cup in hand, and A cocked her head in confusion.

“Papa says he hasn’t seen her since he woke up.”

“Eeeeh---? …Ah, she must have gone for a walk. I was also woken up by the birds singing. The weather looked so nice from the window and the lake was so pretty! Let’s go after her after we finish our tea.”

A suggested, as she blew on her teacup to cool it down a few degrees.

The father nodded as well, ‘That’s right’.

“Well then, can you two go by yourselves? Meanwhile, I’ll make breakfast. The first thing mama will probably say when she gets back is--”

“Ahh, I'm starving!”

A instantly retorted, and the father laughed, ‘That’s exactly it’.

Next to the mansion’s front gate, there was a path leading to the lake.

A, M, along with me in the stuffed frog that slightly peeked out from M’s pocket, trotted down along the path. The morning mist still hung in the air, and the summer sun, which would get stronger from here on, felt nice in the clear air.

The sisters who had changed into their casual clothes laughed as they descended the gentle slope which was covered with grass; terraced fields must have been there in the past. A was the only one talking, but her successive jokes eventually made M laugh. That may have been in part due to this open space created by nature. The two sisters were hand in hand, descending the slope as if doing dance steps.

After walking through the grove of trees for about thirty minutes, the shore of a vast lake came into view.

The shore of the lake was a public park covered by grass, and people who looked like the town's senior citizens' association could be seen playing gateball early in the morning. The surface of the lake glittered with the reflection of the sunlight, and the mountain ridges were undeniably beautiful.

“We should have brought Leo with us.”

M said that, but A was looking around all over the place, and sighed in reply, “Mama isn’t here--”.

“Oh, look at that, M! I want to take a ride on that later!”

A pointed to a duck-shaped rowboat for two that you would often see at tourist spots on lakes.

“I wonder if it’s possible to go on a trip on that…”

“…Ehh?”

“We could squeeze food and drinks in there, and then we could go on a cruise by rowing with our feet. A grand adventure with as little equipment as possible! Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“…But, but what would we do if there’s a storm?”

“In that case we’ll cover ourselves with a sheet and ride it out. We might see whales or dolphins on the way. Birds might chase after us. Or maybe we’ll see something even more mysterious, something we’ve never seen before, an animal that nobody knows about! Yesss—It will be so much fun!”

M was in a daze, unsure of how to reply to A who had completely gone to a world of her own. As I looked at their exchange– I somehow observed A. A was the same as always. She was the same cheerful, tomboyish high school girl since the first time I saw her. Her eyes sparkled, and she burst with laughter. M too was drawn in by A and smiled. She didn’t seem to hold the same suspicious doubts that she had about Kii-chan before her death.

--So, that meant that it wasn’t the elder sister. If that were the case, then the father….no, we still had to be on guard against the mother who was missing.

As I pondered such things, A drew M close to her hugging her head.

“Ah, you look as if you're saying, “Have a nice trip”. We'll be riding together, you know. You’ll be sitting next to me, so make sure you're in good shape, okay?”

“Eeehhh…I’m coming too?”

“Of course you are! If I recall correctly, if the person on the right rows, then it moves toward the left, and if the person on the left rows, then it moves towards the right. If I row alone, I'll just end up going around in circles in the same place, it’ll be meaningless!”

(…Yes, well, that was true.)

“M, don’t you get excited when you see an earth globe? Isn’t it frustrating to think there are still sooo many places out there you’ve never been to? I do! I think about it every day! If I could, I’d go to the bottom of the sea. I bet there are still dinosaurs surviving somewhere in the world. I mean, there are legends about dragons all over the world, right? They breathe fire, understand human language, and fly. I’m sure they are still alive somewhere. We sisters will discover them and go down in history!”

A’s dreams seemed to have gone past the realm of dreams and plunged into delusion – but for some reason, I felt incredibly nostalgic. It felt as if I too had once thought these things and gotten excited. It felt as if I had devoted myself to wandering around in search of such mysterious stories.

“—Ah.”

A suddenly raised her face.

At some point, dark clouds had filled the sky, and it a raindrop seemed to have fallen on her cheek.

“Oh no, we didn’t even bring an umbrella! Aah, damn it, just how far did mama go? I won’t forgive her if she’s already back in the cottage eating breakfast before us.”

Saying that, A broke off into a run with a smile.

“Ah… wait!”

M chased after her in a panic.

“Hey, it’s a race! Hurry up or you’ll get wet in the rain!”

A teased M with those words and set off in a light jog.

---

However—

After getting drenched in the rain -- they finally arrived back at the cottage, where their mother was nowhere to be seen.

In fact, the mother did not appear in front of the family even when it was close to evening, when the wind and rain had grown stronger.

“Mama’s cell phone is still in the room; I was searching while you two had gone to the lake, and I found her shoes still here.”

The father spoke exhaustedly, barely able to sit on the sofa.

“So does that mean mama is still somewhere in this cottage?”

The father shook his head at A’s question.

“No, I’ve looked everywhere from the barn to the boiler room and she’s nowhere to be found.”

“In the first place, we weren’t told that the phone didn’t work.”

A complained in a huff.

“Even the cell phone signals are so bad here, and if that black phone is just an ornament, then what are we supposed to do? I thought that manager was fishy somehow!”

The father too, raised his head and looked at the black rotary-dial telephone near the entrance.

“You’re exactly right.”

“Well then, papa. What are we going to do now?”

“I’ll look around once more—and if I can’t find her, I’ll go get the police at the bottom of the mountain in my car. There are old wells nearby she might have fallen into… I don’t want to think about it, but she might have had some sort of accident.”

Saying that, the father picked up the raincoat that was still wet from the coat rack. He had already searched the surroundings of the mansion for the mother several times during the day.

“I’m taking the key. You don’t have to answer the door if someone comes.”

The two sisters remained motionless as they gazed at their father who left through the old wooden front door and locked it from the outside. Eventually, Leo came sniffing and whining at their feet, signaling A to put her hand on M’s shoulder, and led her to the living room.

“…It’s alright. I’m sure it will be fine. Mama is a glutton after all, she must have gone to the town by the lake and is eating some delicious food right now, taking shelter from the rain because she doesn’t have an umbrella.”

A’s words had no power behind them.

And -- my heart was enshrouded by a dark, terrible cloud that would not clear. I tried calling out to Sako and the old man with all the strength I could muster, but there was no way my voice would reach them. The anger kept surging up inside of me, where the hell had they run off to at a time like this?

The entire mansion was creaking in the strong wind. Occasionally, large drops of rain would ride on the wind to violently pound at the windows. Each time that happened, M, sitting on the sofa, would look anxiously at the window. She gazed at the dark window with a forlorn expression, as if hoping her mother would appear on the other side.

A, who also stared out the window, eventually came down and sat next to M. At that moment, “Leo, what’s this?” M reached out for Leo, who lay sprawled down on the floor. There seemed to be something on his mouth. Mistaking it for a pet, Leo squealed happily.

A abruptly turned on the television. She must have wanted to do something to distract herself. She started to check the news channels to see if there were any news reports about any accidents. However, there was no such news on the TV, whose reception was occasionally disrupted by the storm.

Having eaten nothing since morning, A and M opened the candy they had brought and slowly ate them. The passage of time felt absurdly long. The channels kept getting flipped, and even as the clock was about to strike six, neither mother nor father had returned.

“Papa… is late as well.”

It was right when M muttered that. I heard the lock of the front door click, and the sisters, as well as Leo and I jumped and ran towards the front door.

“…Where’s mama? Did you find her?”

The father patted Leo’s head, who had coiled around him, and feebly shook his head.

After that, he brushed a hand through his soaking wet bangs, and was about to say something before he stopped. It seemed he was hesitant on whether it was something he should tell the two, who were still children.

“What about the police? Are they going to look for her?”

“No--”

The father spoke, his voice heavy with emotion.

“All of… all of the car’s tires have been punctured.”

“…Eh?”

“All four have been ripped open with something sharp. Someone seems to have played a terrible prank on us.”

His voice was completely exhausted.

--Punctured? A prank…. Who would do such a thing in a secluded place like this? My suspicion was natural, and it was something everyone must have felt.

“That’s not right.”

A spoke without hesitation.

“There’s no way mama would do something like that, and there’s no one living around here, that suspicious manager—w--wasn’t he the one who did it? That manager! There was something wrong with the way he looked.”

“We can’t suspect others without reason.”

After the father rebuked her,

“At any rate, there weren’t any wells or anything near the cottage. There were several small cliffs which I tried to go down and search, but mama wasn’t there either. So I gave up and returned to the car, and that’s when I found out about the punctured tires. The engine is turning on, but it would be dangerous to go down the mountain in this storm with that.”

He then placed his wet hand one after the other on the head of the two sisters, who fell silent.

“It’s alright. I’m sure you were worried, so I came back to tell you two about the situation. I’m going to walk to the police station from here on.”

“Eh…that’s dangerous, it’s raining so hard outside right now.”

I, too, vigorously nodded my head. A said there was no way mama would do something like that—but a conclusion had to be reached. And it had to be handled accordingly.

(--Hey, listen to me!)

I spat out the words that were not expected to reach the father.

(There’s an exceedingly high possibility that the one who punctured the car tires was the mother. No, it’s the work of ‘Yoishi’ that’s inside the mother. And it was clearly done to keep the family stuck here. For what reason? Thinking about the goal makes me completely depressed, but at any rate what I’m saying is that the family needs to stick together. In short, you need to stay with the kids and wait for Sako and the old man to arrive. That’s the best course of action!)

But—as expected, my words simply dissolved in the empty void.

“It’s alright. Papa was in the yacht club after all. I’m used to moving in the rain. Besides, if mama is out there – then she might be scared too.”

Saying that, the father crouched a little, turned to face A, and spoke.

“A, take care of M. You have your cell phone, right? It might be hard to get a signal but try to find a place where you can get a good signal and stay there as long as you can. I'll call you as soon as I know anything.”

Saying that, the father opened the door once more; as the howling wind blew in, he flew into the pitch dark exterior.

A shut the door, and after locking it, stayed motionless for a while with her hand upon the doorknob.

“…Onee-chan?”

In response to M’s voice, A wiped the corner of her eyes and said, “Just wait a minute,” and then followed her father outside. M just stood there as she held Leo in her arms, looking like she was about to cry.

I put my hand on M’s shoulder and patted it.

Eventually the door opened, and A returned. Her hair was completely drenched from the rain outside, but her face was now clear, and she firmly embraced M who had come up to hug her.

“I’m sorry, M. I was so worried about all kinds of things I couldn’t bear it. But you know, Papa smiled and said, 『I’m not worried since you’re strong and the elder sister.』 It’s no good if I become weak right now.”

Then, as the elder sister, she cheerfully declared.

“Alriiiight, M. Looks like we’re staying at home. Let’s eat some snacks, ah, I’ll make you some curry if you’re hungry. Let’s watch TV, play cards, and just relax and wait!!”

M nodded with a slight smile in response to her words, as if she gained some courage.

I, too, put my strength in my guts.

I decided that the one who had to keep it together most of all from here on -- was myself.

---

After 9 pm, the storm grew even more intense.

Whenever the entire house made an awful creaking sound, the sisters would look up at the ceiling.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light outside the window, and a sharp sound roared all around. The two sisters screamed in unison – and huddled together on the sofa.

It was a lightning strike. Extremely close by.

At the same time, the television and all the lights in the house turned off.

“…Eh? Eh? A blackout?”

In the pitch-dark cottage, the sound of the wind and rain echoed more intensely.

The mansion was creaking as if it were being smothered by a giant hand from the outside.

“O…onee-chan.”

“It’s alright, wait a second.”

Saying that, A stood up in the pitch-black darkness and headed off somewhere.

“If I recall correctly, there were candles in the kitchen drawer.”

A rustling sound together with that voice echoed nearby.

“—Found it!”

Eventually there was a sound of the gas stove knob being turned, and the candle was lit. She dripped a little wax onto a small plate to make a foundation to keep it from falling over, and returned with it in hand to where M was.

“If you have around three, then it gets quite bright.”

As if talking to herself, A transferred the light to the other candles, and placed them in the other small plates she had brought. When the candles illuminated the top of the low table in front of the sofa -- A winked, ‘Say’.

“It’s like Christmas, isn’t it?”

M smiled slightly.

“But it’s so annoying that the TV isn’t on. I didn’t even set today’s drama to be recorded. Even though it’s dark, there should be something we could play… Oh, no, my phone.”

She said, standing up with the candle in the plate.

“Where are you going?”

“My phone is in my room, I’m just gonna go and grab it.”

“I-I’m coming with you.”

M spoke, refusing to be separated from her elder sister for even the briefest period.

‘Alright’, A took the candle in her left hand, and with her right, kept M’s small shoulders in an embrace as she began to walk.

In the darkness, with only the flickering candlelight as their guide, the sisters slowly exited the living room. They gradually creaked down the corridor to the stairs. In the pitch-dark world, the creaking of the floor which I hadn’t noticed until now, became ever louder.

“Be careful where you step.”

A spoke as she ascended the creaking steps one by one. M, instead of nodding, squeezed the edge of A’s clothes in response. I walked further behind M as if clutching on to M’s clothes.

From the bottom of the stairs, I heard Leo whimpering.

“We’ll be right back, just wait.”

M spoke. Leo seemed to be afraid of the steep stairs and did not seem to follow.

Thereupon—halfway up the stairs, the elder sister abruptly stopped in her tracks.

“…Huh?”

“…”

“Did you hear something just now?”

“…I heard it.”

M gave a feeble reply.

“A person’s voice…?”

--No, rather it was…

“…Mama’s…voice…?”

In response to M’s whisper, A said, ‘That’s right’, as her voice bounced.

“…That’s right, M! Isn’t mama still in the house? Look, didn’t papa say that mama’s shoes weren’t missing? Papa said he searched the whole house, but there must have been somewhere he didn’t look – and mama must be there right now!”

“But…why would mama be in such a place…?”

“Well, I don’t know. She must have entered somewhere she couldn’t get out of. I mean, mama has her careless points.”

A was very vocal, as if to encourage herself.

“Mama! Are you there? Where are you?”

However, no matter how much she strained her ears afterwards, nothing could be heard anymore.

I, too, tried to concentrate and put all my energy into my ears, but all I could hear was the wind and rain blowing against the building. No – but, just now, I definitely heard something that sounded like a human voice. And, if I were to put my finger on it, it was more like a sobbing voice. A voice that continued to cry for help, but after no one could hear it, the voice died and turned into a sad voice that seemed to have given up on everything.

“…Let’s just go get the phone first. We’ll search after that.”

Saying that, A took M’s hand and began to ascend the stairs once more.

They entered the bedroom, and A grabbed the cell phone on the bedside table. When she turned it on, a bright artificial light illuminated her face.

“Ah…even the pitch is out of range.”

By pitch she was referring to a PHS, wasn’t she? That word spread a strange nostalgia in my heart. The realism of being here made me forget all about it, but I might really have been nothing more than weak signals peeking into the world ten years into the past.

“M, they made you carry it too, didn’t they? Is it getting anything?”

Flustered, M produced a white phone from her luggage. It was apparently something the neighborhood association had handed to the children since several suspicious incidents had occurred.

“Hmm… No luck here, either. I mean, it’s pretty much been this way since we came to this mountain.”

She waved the phone in the air over and over again to try and look for a signal.

“Anyway, let’s try looking for mama.”

M nodded, and the two sisters stepped out into the dark corridor once again.

Since the lights were out, they seemed to have decided not to use the light from the PHS not knowing when they would be able to charge their phones again. With the candle on the small plate in hand, A and M called out to their mother as they continued down the second-floor corridor.

The second floor only had three bedrooms and one toilet. So, there were only a few places to look. The two first investigated the room their mother and father were using. Next, they investigated the attached walk-in closet inside. But there was no one inside, just a few of the parents' clothes on hangers.

Even so, A continued to call “Mama?” out loudly as she tapped around the walls of the closet.

“There’s no hidden room or anything, right?”

A spoke somewhat jokingly, as she went around tapping the walls of the bedroom.

However, a high school girl who was not an expert on buildings probably couldn’t find anything, and she eventually prompted M to move to the next room. They entered one of the three rooms – the room that no one used. But there was no one there. As expected, A called out her mother’s name, and tried to knock on the walls, but the result was the same.

After that, the two sisters came down to the first floor. Leo, who was waiting at the bottom jumped up and down in joy, and M embraced his head and stroked him; thereafter, I, M, A and Leo began to search around the first floor once more. The candle ended up waning midway through, so it was changed to a new one.

“Leo, you have a good nose, so search for mama.”

When A told him that, Leo excitedly began sniffing around. M smiled slightly at this and stroked his ears and said, “Please”. For a while, Leo walked around in front of us as if leading the way, but only accompanied A in tapping on the walls here and there, and did not point to any place in particular.

After holding a candle to the bathroom, toilet, living room, and kitchen, the last room that remained was a storage room at the end of the corridor. The door was opened and therein was a room about 10 sqm wide -- it had vacuum cleaners for janitorial use, step ladders, buckets and mops which were carelessly strewn about. Other than that, there was a large toolbox crammed with tools to the point where tools were placed on top of it, and next to it were several cardboard boxes. Leo rubbed the head of his nose against the toolbox and started to sniff it, but M quickly took him up in her arms, perhaps not wanting him to be covered with dust.

“…Huh?”

A suddenly whispered.

She handed the candle over to M, asked her to give her light, and crouched in front of the cardboard boxes.

“No, there’s no way…right?"

A muttered to herself and shook the cardboard box.

It shook around as if there was something heavy crammed inside.

--No, there’s no way.

I thought that as well, as A slowly put her hand on the cardboard box.

If it was a woman – and moreover one with the extreme flexibility, she might have been able to fit inside this cardboard box… However, I don’t know why they would do such a thing. But it would be wise not to think of the opponent as the mother anymore. It was an existence akin to “concentrated malice”. If – If it was inside this, what would I do? If it held the knife used to puncture the tires, what would I do? Could I protect these sisters?

While I was thinking this, A took a deep breath, and placed her hand on the lid of the cardboard box. Then, she flipped the four parts of the folded lid and opened it in one gulp.

M hid behind A’s back, as she held out the candle.

Peeking inside the cardboard box with the illuminated light of the candle, was—

Tightly packed plastic bottles of mineral water.

“Oh, it says it right there on the outside of the box, tasty water…”

A laughed sounding relieved, and then screamed out once more, “Mama?”

There was no one who would answer her tearful question. She tapped on the walls here and there, like she had done in her parents’ bedroom, and called out her mother’s name together with M. However, as expected, only the hard echoes of solid wood echoed in response from somewhere.

“I guess she’s not in the house after all…”

After finishing a check of the entire mansion, A returned to the sofa and muttered feebly.

Even though it was close to midnight, the father did not return, and of course neither Sako nor the old man showed up. A encouraged M, and suggested they return to the bedroom. After making sure that all the doors and windows on the first floor were locked, she tapped M on the shoulder and with deliberate cheerfulness she spoke, “Let’s get some sleep”.

The two then brushed their teeth with the light from the candle, and carried Leo’s food bowl and toilet to the second-floor corridor. M then carried Leo in her arms while A illuminated the bottom of their feet with the light of the candle as they ascended to the second floor.

Leo should have been happy to be together with them, but instead he gave an unusually sharp bark, angering M who shouted in a small angry voice, “Hey!”. And he once again had something on his mouth which M diligently wiped away. Smiling at this, I patted Leo on the head.

When they entered the bedroom, A locked the door. A had a slightly miserable look on her face as she faced M who was looking up at her.

“We can open it when papa and mama come back.”

And with a slightly hoarse voice, she added.

“I'm kind of… scared.”

Her words after that made me gulp.

“Somehow, it feels like… there’s someone else in this house besides us.”

---

Eventually, a *dong* echoed through the mansion.

It was the sound from the pendulum clock installed in the living room on the first floor, signaling that it was now midnight.

The 31st of July – it meant that damned day had finally arrived. The sisters heard that sound in their respective beds. Neither of them was in any condition to fall asleep. They covered themselves deep with their futons and held their breaths, as if to escape their fears. Leo’s cushion was positioned between the two beds. In it, Leo sniffed restlessly.

--*Dong* *Dong*, after twelve notes beat out – the mansion sank into silence once more.

I stood alone in front of the door.

There was nothing I could do physically, but at any rate, I wanted to stay awake and give them some peaceful sleep, however little that may be. With my arms folded, I glared at the darkness with a burning gaze, and thought to myself.

--Think dammit, think.

Think about the things that were happening now, and the things that could happen from here on. And, come up with the best course of action you can take from here on. First of all, the mother disappeared. That probably happened last night. If it was the mother who stood beyond the frosted glass in the bathroom, that would mean it was the last time M and I saw her. But then why and where did she disappear after that? If ‘Yoishi’ was inside the mother, what should I do? If I were to meet ‘Yoishi’, what should I do? It was a terrible thought to have – but if I were plotting to destroy this family, how would I act from now on? If it were me, first – I would somehow deal with the father who was the strongest in the family. If I were to do that, then the sisters would easily be dealt with afterwards – I had thought that far, when I noticed the contradiction. No, if that were the case, then wouldn’t it be best to possess the father from the start? After that, the mother, A and M in that order would be the easiest to deal with.

--Huh? What the hell did it mean?

Why did ‘Yoishi’ possess the mother first? Was there a reason for that?

In the first place, why was it targeting this family? Was there no reason other than the one Takamura and Sako had spoken of, ‘Just because it’s fun’? Sako and the old man had both said that ‘Yoishi’ was not an idiot. If that were the case – then shouldn’t I first dig out the true root of that ‘fun’ it felt…?

At that moment—

“…M, are you awake?”

In the darkness, A whispered.

“…Yeah.”

“…I’m…I’m sorry…I’m not a very good sister.”

“…Eh?”

“It would have been better if I just locked the door without saying anything just now… but I said too much. You’re worried about it, aren’t you?”

She was referring to the words, 『It feels like… there’s someone else in this house besides us.』To be honest, I began feeling the same way since then.

“…I read somewhere that you shouldn’t say things like that—I’m such an idiot. Look, that’s not the case. It was just my imagination. I needlessly thought that since there’s no one here besides us. Look, what really happened was that mama was lured by the pretty lake shore and went to play, but got lost on the way and is being looked after by the police like a little kid…And, she met papa by now and is apologizing with a tearful look on her face, and papa is poking his head, calling her a moron. Papa tried to call us to let us know what happened, but since there's no signal, he just couldn’t make contact. Right now, they’re headed our way in a police car.”

“Yeah…”

M nodded happily on the bed.

“The family will all be together tomorrow morning, me and M will call mama an idiot and slap her on the shoulders, and Leo will be jumping up and down with joy. …And after that, we’ll laugh together as if none of this ever happened and start this fun trip once again. I’m absolutely sure that will happen, you can bet on it.”

“Yeah.”

“And then you’ll write about it in your summer vacation diary, and mama will get angry when you read that during the second term parents’ visit. Papa and I will laugh when we see that. But I’ll stand by you at that time.”

“…Yeah, thanks.”

M’s voice was gentle, and hoarse.

A was always considerate of M, and M truly relied on A. She must have understood how her younger sister felt, and even though A was scared and worried, she was nonetheless doing her best to be cheerful; Her actions moved my heart at every turn. A, who was only in her first year of high school, was doing her best to put on a brave front, her every word and action was proof of that.

With that situation in mind, I refocused my thoughts once more.

The worst possible scenario conceivable at this point was that the mother was ‘Yoishi’, hiding somewhere in the darkness, and it was possible that the father who had gone out and could not be contacted… had already been killed. I didn’t want to think that was the case, but I had to move forward with that readiness in mind. Therefore, my first priority was the safety of the sisters. For the sake of the two who were still living before my eyes, I had to do what I could.

When – all of a sudden.

Leo suddenly rose up. He might have been expecting that something had begun because of the sound of the sisters’ giggling laughter. However, when he realized that he was not going to be allowed to join them, he got up, went to the door, and started pushing it with his snout.

“…Leo, you want to go to the toilet?”

M slowly got up and asked Leo. She looked at Leo who was whining, then looked towards A’s bed.

“…Is it alright if we open it?”

“Ah—geez—I guess there’s no other choice.”

A got up as well and unlocked the door and opened it slightly. From there, Leo disappeared in the darkness beyond the corridor.

“When you’re done with the toilet, squeal in front of the door.”

Saying that, A closed the door, and locked it once more.

After that, the two of them stayed quiet for a while, and awaited Leo’s return, but—

As it turned out, Leo never appeared before the two.

---

“…Onee-chan.”

In the darkness, a voice echoed.

“…Why, hasn’t Leo returned?”

“…………..”

“Shouldn’t we go and look for him?”

“…It’s alright.”

“…But...”

“…Let’s try and get some sleep, M.”

“...But… can't we leave the door open, just a little?”

M got out of the bed, causing A to raise her voice sharply.

“Stop.”

“…Onee-chan.”

“Stop. Don’t open it. Please.”

A’s voice was shaking.

“…Ah, umm… sorry. Leo is alright. If he wants to come in, he can always scratch at the door… I’m sure he must have fallen asleep somewhere he's comfortable.”

“…Okay.”

How much time has passed since then?

“…Onee-chan, where do you think mama is?”

“…………”

“…We heard her voice a while ago, didn’t we…?”

“………..”

“…Onee--”

“Go to sleep, M.”

“………..”

“We just misheard then. Mama is…with the police now… and papa is angry with her… tomorrow, we’ll all be together again... we’ll definitely be together…”

“…Yeah.”

The two covered themselves deep in their tower blankets, but it was obvious that neither of them was asleep. In the darkness, the heavy storm violently pounded the roof. The tree branches near the mansion continued to pound the windows. Each time, they would cause the sisters’ shoulders to tremble.

I sat at the edge of M’s bed as I looked at the situation –

And quietly stood up.

A was at her limit. She was desperately trying not to scare M with her cheerful way of speaking, but the one who must have been afraid was A, who knew there was no basis for her story. And the moment A’s heart would burst and collapse, M would be infected by that fear. No, it would be better to assume that M, who was sharp, had already been infected.

At any rate, just where did Leo run off to?

I needed to at least find out that much. And if he was indeed snugly sleeping somewhere, then I’d drag him back into this room somehow, either by coaxing or scolding him depending on the situation.

I made up my mind to do just that, and drew close to the door, when—

I heard that sound.

The sound of the house rattling, of old floorboards creaking.

The creaking, grinding sound seemed to slowly draw closer and closer from somewhere.

(--L-Leo, is that you?)

I tried to say that just in case. However, I knew the reality was next to zero. The sounds of these footsteps were nothing like the pitter patter of Leo's footsteps. Footsteps that were louder than a dog's, heavy footsteps that put their weight into each step, drew closer. For some reason, it felt like that body was wet… and dragging its feet.

--Did A or M notice it?

I immediately checked both their beds, but it seemed they were doing their best to pretend they didn’t hear it.

“…It’s alright. It’s alright, so--- it will all be over tomorrow.”

A was whispering, as if trying to convince herself.

“The sky will be blue… papa and mama will both be there… Just like the storm outside… everything will pass.”

However—

--*Creak*

--*Creak*

That sound slowly drew closer—and eventually, it stopped in front of the room we were in.

The silence continued for a while after that.

In the dark corridor separated by a single door, it strongly felt as if something was leaning ahead.

I couldn’t move a single finger. It felt as if what stood there was the mother, the father, and something else of a different nature altogether. And for some reason, I thought that it was smiling. ‘Open it’, I felt I was told, but it was already a matter within my own senses. That leaning presence permeated into the room, to the point where I couldn't trust my ears or even my senses. At that moment, something like the sound of water suddenly spread in my head. Eventually, the ringing in my ears took over, and turned into a muffled, unvoiced voice on the other side.

…lease, open iiiiiiiiiiit.

…veryone is scaaaaaared.

I heard an incomprehensible scream that was that of a man and a woman.

…There’s no head.

…There’s no floor.

I thought I heard such voices too. I covered my ears. But the angry voices, as if a man and woman were grappling, continued to reverberate in my head.

…It’s all your fault…your fault…even though I gave up on everything…coward…you coward…you parasite…I’ll kill you like this…I’ll kill you…

I didn't want to hear the screams anymore. It felt like just listening to them was breaking something important. I screamed. I screamed as loud as I could, trying to to drive away the screams out of my head. However-- naturally, I couldn't emit a voice. The torrent of words invaded me like muddy water flowing down a drain.

…There’s no head.

…There’s no floor.

Once more, the unfathomable words reverberated.

And, it was after that.

…hat’s why, I was against it…you’re saying that now…?

(--Against it?)

…hat’s why, you should have aborted it…I didn’t even want to give birth…

(--Hey, stop it…)

…told you not to give birth to ○○...it was too late to tell me that…everything went wrong after that one was born…I lost my promotion…they got promoted…I became a subordinate thanks to that and went through three painful years…thinking on it now…it happened because my stomach got so big….

(--Stop it--Stop it…!)

…There’s no head.

…There’s no floor.

○○ --was M’s name. I yelled, ‘Don’t say another word’. My scream pierced through the shell of my self, and roared from somewhere deep inside my body. And it felt that even though it shouldn’t have been emitted into reality, that it shook the air, and echoed out into the world.

No…I’m sure it must have been my imagination.

Overwhelmed by fear, it must have been an auditory hallucination heard by my chaotic state of mind.

In reality – I merely collapsed on the spot, and lost consciousness.

---

When I came to, I heard the birds chirping outside the window.

With a start, I got up, and saw that A and M were asleep in their beds.

The door was still locked, and bright light was pouring in through the window curtains.

It looked like I ended up losing consciousness at some point. In the darkness, the mother’s disappearance, the father’s failure to return, and Leo not coming back. All these things filled the mere discarnate entity that I was and overfilled my already meagre capacity. No—it might have been because I had been stressed out the whole time recently, yesterday and before that as well.

At any rate, in the outside world, which I could see through the curtains, the rain had already stopped.

Although it was cloudy, it was still quite bright.

I finally got up, encouraged by the fact that morning had arrived.

I then took a deep breath and passed through to the other side of the door.

I softly slipped out alone into the corridor.

The corridor was deathly silent.

For a while, I held my breath as I surveyed my surroundings. Then I remembered and called his name: ‘Leo?’

However, Leo, who would always sense my presence somehow, did not appear from anywhere. I quietly approached Leo's toilet. There was no sign of him having relieved himself there. I tried going to the stairs and looked down at the floor below. That's where I recalled, ‘That's right’. He was afraid of the stairs. If he couldn't even go up, it would be more unlikely that he could go down. So that meant that he was still somewhere on the second floor?

(—Hey Leo. Where are you?)

I called out to him, as I tried going to the parents’ room.

I nervously slipped through the door and entered inside. The window curtains were left open, and from there I saw the branches of a sawtooth oak. They were no longer shaking violently from the wind. And I heard the chirps of countless birds from somewhere.

I tried looking under the bed, in the closet, behind the table -- but Leo was nowhere to be found.

I tried going to the unused bedroom. However, Leo was not there either. That was it for the second floor. So that meant that there was no other option but to go downstairs. I slowly descended the stairs.

After coming downstairs, I passed the corridor, and peeked into the living room, where I found Leo at long last.

He was sitting there well behaved as he looked up somewhere.

—What the, hey, Leo.

(Did you come down here alone? What were you doing? We were worried about you.)

As I called out to him, I caught sight of the object.

……………………………

At the spot Leo was gazing at, a set of human legs hung down.

I slowly looked up. Wet sneakers led up to a navy-blue raincoat. And wrapped around the neck was a thin but sturdy rope, the kind used for tying luggage on bicycles. The other end of the rope was tied to a bare beam near the top of the roof. The face, with its congested neck, pallor mortis set in, and stretched tongue, belonged to the father that was supposed to have gone to the police.

『…There’s no floor.』

The words that reverberated in my head last night rang in the back of my ears once more.

There was indeed a gap of around two meters from the father’s feet to the floor.

……Why?

Those were the first words that rushed from my mouth. Why was the father here when he should have gone to the police? Why was he in a place like this with his neck hung?

At that moment, a brown shadow moved at the edge of my vision; I looked in a daze to see Leo going off somewhere.

His profile brought a shiver down my spine. And I remembered the feeling of unease I had once felt.

With a start, I looked above the hearth on the wall. Arranged there was the picture of the entire family taken with the polaroid camera when they arrived here. I drew closer and examined the picture once more. I opened my eyes wide and examined every inch of it. I slowly stared at each of them, trying my best to uncover the source of the unease.

And—I realized.

Everyone was smiling. The father, the mother, A, M…and, even Leo.

That’s right, even Leo was smiling, the corners of his mouth were twisted into a sneer.

(It can’t be.)

I turned my head unsteadily in the direction Leo had disappeared to.

Leo was there. He was sitting in the corridor, looking my way, and quietly sneering.

(--It can’t be, you’re…)

The moment my trembling voice called out that name, Leo abruptly spun around and disappeared into the back of the corridor.

In a panic, I chased after him. I came out into the corridor to see Leo calmly striding towards the room furthest at the back. It continued towards the storage room. Thereupon, I realized. The front door of the storage room was slightly opened. A was sure to have closed it yesterday. Leo slightly touched the door from the tip of his nose, and it slowly opened further. Light shone inside the dark depths, and that spectacle filled my vision.

A black stain was spreading out on the floor of the storage room. I felt something nauseating and disgusting wafting through the air. And then, I saw it. There was a cardboard box and a large toolbox on the floor – and the toolbox had fallen over and was lying open. Inside the box, I saw long hair. Inside was the mother. No, what was once the mother was neatly stored in pieces. I could see a bloodless, white hand. A jumbled leg stuck out haphazardly. One eye peeking out was wide open, and a fly was perched on its eyeball.

--A…..aaggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…….

Unable to bear it any longer, I fell to the ground. There was nothing for me to throw up, and it was physically impossible for me to throw up, but I just wanted to throw up everything unpleasant that was swelling up inside me. But there was nothing more painful than the feeling of vomiting without anything to vomit. I merely felt the pain of my stomach about to to churn inside out, and with my face distorted in agony, I looked at Leo who had come up close to me.

(Yo, how are you feeling?)

Leo looked at me like he wanted to say that as he wore an intimate, slanted smile.

(Did you finally notice it? Even though I was there from the start. You've had a hard time looking for me everywhere.)

Feeling like I was told that, I looked at the toolbox in a daze.

…Ah. I thought that there were tools outside because they couldn't fit in the toolbox -- but now I understood that it was because something else was stored inside.

(Now then.)

As I saw Leo gently turn on his heel, I was finally aghast.

Seeing Leo dexterously hop up the stairs – I realized after all this time, that A and M were still up there.

(--H…hey, wait…)

Weak in the knees, I managed to stand up, and chased after Leo.

Leo climbed the stairs in the blink of an eye and went straight to the door of the bedroom M and A were sleeping in. He then nuzzled against the door, and lovingly called out in a whine.

(--S, stop messing around… Stop fucking around…you….!!)

I, too, climbed to the top of the stairs and extended my hand to pull Leo away from the door. But as was inevitable, my hand slipped through.

Leo looked up my way, he was indeed sneering with satisfaction. Once more, he pretended to whine, 'kuun'.

“…Leo?”

On the other side of the door, I heard M’s sleepy voice.

“…Leo? Are you back?”

I heard M getting out of bed and pictured her happily approaching the door.

(…Stop…Stop it...)

Before I’d realized, I was pleading with my hands clasped together, kneeling on the spot.

(Please…at least leave these sisters alone. They haven’t done anything wrong. Aren’t they just two sisters close with each other? Aren’t they still so young?)

Tears flowed down my cheeks as I continued to plead with body and soul – but the sound of the lock being unlocked with a clank echoed from behind the door.

I plunged me into despair, and the moment a delightful smile filled Leo’s face—

A sharp bang rang out.

For a moment, I sat there, not knowing what had happened.

The bedroom door which had almost opened closed once more, and A’s half-asleep voice overlapped from inside, “--What is it?”

“Don’t move!”

A familiar voice rang out, and Leo ran down the stairs at a lightning pace.

Looking at the bottom of the stairs, that small shadow crossed the old detective who was yelling with a gun in his hands.

“I told you not to move!”

He shot. But the bullets didn’t touch Leo, and he ran outside the front door, which the old man had probably wrenched open. The old man surveyed the situation outside the entrance for a while, before he eventually closed the door, and entered the mansion with the gun in one hand. With a disgusted look on his face, he looked at the father hanging in the living room, and at the storeroom at the end of the corridor. He then creaked up the stairs once more to the second floor.

“Hey, are you alright?”

He called out to the sisters’ bedroom.

“…W, who is it?”

In response to A’s trembling voice, the old man tried to sound as gentle as he possibly could.

“I’m a police officer. Is your younger sister with you? She knows who I am. Listen to me.”

“…Ah.”

M’s voice rang out, and she seemed to be talking with A. After that the door to the bedroom was unlocked.

The door opened, and when I saw M's white, pale, beautiful face on the other side, I burst into tears again.

“We’re leaving this place. Hurry up and get ready.”

“…The police—Did papa call you? What about mama?”

The old man bit his lips and shook his head in response to A’s question.

“Never mind that, I’ll explain along the way. Just hurry up and change -- Hey, stop!”

Sensing something ominous, A tried to run out into the corridor by slipping under the detective’s arm while still in her pajamas. The detective firmly caught her with his brawny arms and spoke in a low tone of voice.

“Please, just get changed. And from here, close your eyes for a while. There are things in this world – that should never be seen.”

---

Translator's notes and references

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