Case 00: The Disturbing Mansion (1)

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,”

“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!”

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 ‘everlasting 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 ‘everlasting 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."