Case 00: The Disturbing Mansion (2)

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—

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.