Chapter 38
Case 06: Rororo (6)
When I left the club room, I was filled with courage.
After receiving Krishna-san's words – coupled together with a feeling similar to enlightenment I received at the coffee shop yesterday finally took shape in my heart. I felt as if I had peeked into a part of Kouhei Niijima’s heart, and with resolve, I had finally decided to help Sako out. Help him in retrieving the book that would kill you if you read it – ‘Rororo’. But that definitely wasn’t for Sako’s sake. It was more of a feeling of wanting revenge.
Kouhei Niijima.
A first-year university student like me, who came alone from Aomori, lived his life earnestly without the support of any friends, with the books in the library his only friends, and in his last days, ended up encountering some kind of cursed book. If things had been slightly different, I might have ended up just like him. But, despite both of us having come from the countryside, I had the occult by my side. I had ‘Ikaigabuchi’, And even when I found myself in the depths of the other world, I met Krishna-san, who was always strong. It was something I couldn’t help but love, and I met a good person along the way. That’s why, I was able to crawl up from the bottom of the deep darkness that time.
I don’t know what Kouhei Niijima wants to tell me, but being linked by fate, I ended up picking up his note. Shouldn't I at least accept that? Shouldn’t I at least lend a helping hand in finishing off that book once and for all? As for ‘Rororo,’ Sako said it wouldn’t be a problem as long as you didn’t read it. I don’t quite trust him, but he knows how to remove the book from the library, and right now, I’m the only one in this university who can do it. If I just let it be, that book might kill someone else again. With those kind of fired up emotions serving as my motivation, I had finally arrived here, but –
“Man… I’m just an idiot.”
I muttered to myself as I wriggled in the pitch-dark space where it was impossible to even twist my body.
It was almost 10 pm.
In this dark and narrow space, my determination quickly began to waver. I was at the Koumei institute library, inside a locker in reading room number four, and I was desperately holding in my urge to pee.
What the hell was I doing in such a place?
Okay, let me answer that.
I arrived at the library feeling a strong sense of duty, and that's when I took my first proper look at the paper Sako had given me. And therein, I found a sentence, telling me to perform the ritual at night. Apparently, for a novice like me, it would be half as effective if I did it in the daytime. I should have looked through it earlier, but I originally had no intention of going through with it so please let's not get into that.
However, sneaking into the library late at night was not such a trifling matter. The security guards would be roaming about, and on top of that, at the entrance of the library, there's a machine which checks you in with your student ID. It was made so that anyone affiliated with the institute, whether they were university students or high school students, could enter the library, but in my case, it was very troublesome. Even if you go inside and hide somewhere to wait for the library to close, you'll be found out since there's a record of your entry.
Well then, what should I do? After racking my brain, I carried out the plan. Just before closing time, I used my student ID to enter and break into the number four reading room where the guard had just finished checking the door. There, I unlocked the window, left and held up my student ID to the machine at the entrance, and left the building. That's how I cleared my entry record. That made it as if I wasn't inside. After that I waited for the library to close, and clambered up the window to sneak back into the number four reading room.
Well, so far, so good. But even though I had taken the day off from my part-time job and snuck in after nine o'clock, there were still people in the library. The super-serious librarians were working overtime for some reason. So, I had no choice but to kill time by hiding in a locker in the number four reading room– but, I made the bitter mistake of not using the toilet beforehand.
“Arghhh…”
It was past ten o’clock, my urge to pee was already at its limit.
I slowly opened the door of the locker. I held my breath and peeked at my surroundings; all I could hear was a pin drop silence. It seemed the librarians had already gone home. I proceeded to open the door of the number four reading room as well, after confirming once again that there was no sign of anyone inside the library, I rushed across the corridor towards the toilet at the back of the entrance.
“…Ahhh.”
My mind felt at peace for a while as I listened to the raw sound of my urine trickling down.
I finally felt comfortable and was in a daze, but then I finally realized the reality of the situation I was in.
I was without a doubt, in a toilet, late at night.
What’s alarming was the fact that I was most creeped out by ghost stories set in a toilet late at night.
Ghosts are said to gather around watering places. Also known as a bathrooms. The famous ghost stories like Hanako-san[5], Aka Manto[6] and Kashima san[7] are all set in the toilet. I don't know if that's the reason why, but toilets at the dead of night are exceptionally terrifying. The sound of water always dripping down from somewhere, and the light blue wall tiles along with the mirror next to the washstand scare me for no reason. But what scared me most of all --- were the three toilet stalls in the back. Their doors were all open, but I absolutely did not want to look inside.
*TL/N: Hanako-san is a famous Japanese school ghost said to haunt bathroom stalls.
*TL/N: Aka Manto is a Japanese urban legend about a masked spirit that appears in bathrooms and asks victims deadly questions.
*TL/N: Kashima-san is a Japanese ghost story about a vengeful spirit that appears in bathrooms and train stations.
As my thoughts drifted on such things, I started to worry about what was behind me. Delusions ran through my mind about a blue face staring at me from the toilet stall.
With tears in my eyes, I vehemently did my best to shake off the thought,
Emptying my mind, I desperately tried to think happy thoughts -- however, I still ended up recalling it. I recalled the story of a female student killing herself in a men's restroom during the summer vacation.
--Hey, that surely didn't happen here, right?
To begin with, the mysteriousness of a female student dying in the men's bathroom is eerie. It strangely stimulates my imagination about the darkness of the dead person's mind. Yoishi once said it as well. That the real ghost stories have a subtle lack of cohesion. There is a sense of discomfort in them, as if the important parts have been skipped, and the only thing that makes up for it is a theory based on the other side.
...You've gotta be kidding me.
Doesn't that mean it has all the ingredients for being the real deal?
I felt impatient at how long it was taking me to pee, and then proceeded to run out of the bathroom without even washing my hands. I ran straight down the corridor to reading room number one without looking back, relying on the light from my cell phone to guide me.
"Let's just hurry up and get this over with."
However, in front of reading room number one, when I thrust my hand in my pockets to take out the piece of paper Sako had given me, I realized. It was gone. The paper was gone.
"Dude, are you serious?"
Without that paper, what did I struggle all this way for?
Even when I turned both my pockets inside out, I found nothing. I checked every part my wallet. Nothing. Neither was it stuck anywhere in Kouhei Niijima's notebook. The only thing I could think of was that I dropped it somewhere. In the locker, or in the toilet. And I really didn't wanna go back to the toilet.
I was alone and teary-eyed as I thought about it, when --
"I never get tired of watching you."
Hearing a sudden voice from behind me, I jumped.
"At that rate, you'll never have a boring life."
As I fell down, I looked behind me and saw -- Sako Takita.
His indigo blue kinagashi melded into the darkness, and his white face alone remained eerily visible. I don't know where he came from, but there he was, his smooth face had a smile of satisfaction as he held small penlight.
"W...why, are you...?"
"Why? I came because you refused, after all. Ahh, that window from reading room number four really helped, by the way. So that was thanks to you."
He spoke in in a relaxed manner, and held his hand out to me. I stood up to brush his hand away and yelled at him in a low-key manner, taking into consideration the fact that it was late at night, and we were trespassing.
"...W, what the hell?! If you could have done it yourself then why didn't you do it from the start?!"
"It's no joke, it would be best if you were the one to do it. Didn't I say it? I carry a heavy trace of the divine. There’s a high possibility I might end up purifying that important book."
"Oh, and about that. I wanted to ask you about that. Why is it a problem if the book is purified? Wouldn't it be better if that kind of dangerous book were to be purged from the earth?"
In reply, Sako looked at me with a look of disbelief.
"Wouldn't that be a complete waste?"
"Huh?"
"A book that kills you just by reading it, that's not a book that's created with ease. You need to have extensive knowledge and overflowing love for the curse of taboo words to be able to create it. It's in the highest order of magical artifacts, and it's a precious thing that the creator himself risked being affected by. Well, in fact, it might well mean that the creator is no longer alive.”
…No longer… alive?
“Someone who used to be in this school. Someone of very intelligence, whose sense of right and wrong was distinctly different from that of normal humans. There’s a psychiatric condition known as antisocial personality disorder, and the author of the book ‘Rororo’ is definitely someone who fits that description. Sometimes called predators, they appear in the world as lust killers, but you can never identify them by their appearance. In fact, they appear more normal than your average joe, and they blend in with their surroundings. As a general rule, they are very intelligent. They can be people of high social status who have attained respect in the world.”
After all that rambling, Sako spoke in a hushed tone of voice:
“They have excessive self-esteem, and are self-centered. No remorse, no feelings of guilt, apathetic, no empathy. They are talkative and friendly at first glance, but they cannot take responsibility for their actions.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“A certain scholar proposed that these are all common statistical characteristics of people who have antisocial personality disorder. But well, after all, that's just their narrow definition.”
Or rather, doesn’t that description fit you to a T?
I thought I’d say that out loud, but thought better of it. But you know... if you were to remove the friendly part, I feel that Yoishi also fits that description. She was definitely not normal, but I didn't feel comfortable in calling her abnormal.
In any case, Sako put one hand in his pocket and started walking away.
“This school is distorted. Did that person create the book because it was distorted? Or did it become distorted with the appearance of that person? In all probability, I think it’s the former, but whatever the case may be, that book is dangerous. It's not something that should be kept in a library used by countless students for any length of time."
Saying that, he quickly disappeared inside reading room number one.
The university library was one of Koumei institutes’ oldest buildings, a massive stone structure with one basement and three floors above ground. Reading room number one was the largest reading room in the library, and according to Sako, the book made up of taboo words known as ‘Rororo’ was hidden in with the other books here somewhere.
I opened the wooden sliding door and entered inside to find the vast room dimly lit.
The eastern side was lined with windows, the curtains were all drawn, as was expected now that the building was closed. The center of the room was lined with long wooden tables, and the west and north sides were covered with high bookshelves that extended all the way to the ceiling. Fluorescent lamps hung from the tall ceilings, but if I had to guess, it was probably a dimly lit place even during the day. However, the reading tables had a warm light for each seat, which made it easier to concentrate on reading books.
"It seems like a pretty good place, doesn't it?"
Sako spoke in a carefree tone as he stroked his thin beard.
"Hey, let’s hurry up and get this over with!" I called out to Sako from behind, 'Please just wait', he replied. The somewhat unreliable priest and antiques dealer was excitedly shining his light on the bookshelves here and there.
"Oooh, they have 'The Hundred Headless Woman' by Ernst. There's also ' A compendium of bizzare ghost literature from the Edo era'* by the national publication society. They even have 'The 120 Days of Sodom' by Sade. I wonder if there's anyone who understands the value of having such a collection in a private university. Say, would it be a bad idea if I quietly took a few of them after we've finished?"
*TL/N: A collection of strange tales and ghost stories from Japan’s Edo period (1603–1868).
"Don't ask me." I retorted, as I once again looked around at the giant stacks of bookshelves.
I took a deep breath. To tell the truth, I didn't dislike the atmosphere of the library. I don't read as many books as a bookworm might, but even so, I find my heart strangely calm when I'm surrounded by the scent of countless books. I was filled with emotion, a feeling of respect I had for the ocean of knowledge that stood neatly lined before me. Of course, there were many, many more books that existed in the world. And it was an amount that no human could ever read through in a lifetime. It was similar to the feeling I got when I thought about the universe. A feeling that reminded me of how utterly finite the nature of my existence was. And 'Rororo' was somewhere in this universe of books. A dangerous book, with dangerous taboo words planted all over its text, that would kill you if you read them. Some kind of psycho* purposely mixed in that cursed book with the other books in the library.
*TL/N: The original term here is “denpa,” slang for someone consumed by delusions or bizarre fantasies.
"---Well then."
I turned around hearing that to find Sako had shifted the table at the center of the room to make a space a few meters square. He was squatting there, taking out what looked like a small water bottle from his pocket and proceeded to gently sprinkle the place with water.
"What are you doing?"
"Making a barrier, for now."
He spoke as he switched to a seiza* posture, and moved his fingers in a practiced manner. As I watched his flowing gestures, I finally got the sense that he was indeed a priest. I couldn't help but feel the 'divinity' the guy spoke of.
*TL/N: Seiza is the formal Japanese kneeling posture traditionally associated with respect and ceremony.
Before long, his resonant words began to echo quietly in the reading room.
They were ritual incantations*. As I listened to them, even my spine straightened, and the atmosphere around me turned somewhat solemn.
*[11] TL/N: Ritual incantations here refers to “norito,” traditional Shinto prayers or liturgical chants.
"Please take it."
After he finished his ritual incantations, Sako handed me another piece of paper. I took out my cellphone, switched on the flashlight and focused it on the paper to see:
"Agyousansagyougo", words I couldn't make heads or tails out of.
"This sutra is one of the mantras of the Shingi Shingon sect* and is said to make it possible to see the strange and mysterious."
*TL/N: Shingi Shingon is a branch of Shingon Buddhism, a Japanese esoteric Buddhist sect centered around mantra and ritual practice.
"You're a Shinto priest and yet, you're using sutras of the Shingon sect?"
Sako smirked at my sarcastic comment.
"Being bound to one religion is foolishness. If you were to ask me, religion is a form of science, the fruit of mankind's wisdom. I humbly bow down to what is effective, and I am not afraid to adopt it without restraint."
Ah, now I understand.
This guys' insincere nature seems to be borne from that.
"Now, come over here. Spread your legs as wide as your shoulders, relax, and please recite the words three times with your eyes slightly open. Eventually, you should be able to discern the wondrous 'Rororo' in your vision. In this dim forest of countless books, only that book should stand out as a white one."
Sako then took out a small black bag out from his pocket.
"Once you find the book, please place it inside this bag."
"Say...Does it really have to be me...?
"Of course. Didn't you hear me before?" Sako clicked his tongue, narrowed his eyes slightly and added: "Do you get it? When you find the book, you must absolutely not open it. You must not read even a single letter. If you do, it's because you're extremely weak-minded, and the taboo words will instantly take hold over you."
"Hey, don't scare me!"
"Well, even if anything happens, I'm right here. I'll deal with it right away, so please don't worry about it."
Sako smiled broadly as he spoke -- but I mean, this guy was completely untrustworthy.
That's what I thought, but I had originally sneaked into the library late at night to do it alone. I had no choice, so I strengthened my resolve and stood at the place Sako was pointing at. I stretched out my legs as I was told, took a deep breath and relaxed my body.
"It was three times, right?"
"Three times. Do it slowly… draw the letters in your mind one by one."
I took a deep breath once again, and spoke out those words three times.
"Agyousansagyougo, Agyousansagyougo, Agyousansagyougo." After that I took a gulp, and examined my surroundings.
The deathly silence inside the room was deafening. Somewhere in the dimly lit room, I thought I heard a cracking sound, but it might have just been my imagination. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. However, no matter how long I waited, and no matter how many bookshelves I looked around at, I couldn't see any white book standing out.
"Please recite it once more."
Being urged on by Sako, I recited it three times once more, 'Agyousansagyougo'.
But as before, I saw no change in my surroundings. The area remained as dark as if ink was dissolved in water, with only the occasional sound of a car passing by echoing from somewhere in the distance.
Still, -- This unpleasant feeling, what is it...? It's as if I've somehow gotten lost on a different road. Like I've stepped into someone else's shoes without knowing -- and it was as if someone, somewhere was laughing at my actions. Thereupon, a giggling voice behind me literally did reach my ears.
I turned around to see it was Sako. His white face was becoming eerily distorted by the light of the penlight he had left on the desk.
"...Hey, what the hell are you laughing about?"
However, Sako's skinny body merely continued to shake slightly. The muffled laughter that echoed through the dimly lit reading room was both eerie and upsetting.
"Hey! Stop fucking kidding me!"
Sako spoke at long last.
"Why, you really are a nice person after all."
"The hell are you talking about?"
“Fujieda’s clean nature has produced an infinitely simple soul like yourself – Ah, please take it as a compliment. In the near future, I'll have to put together a study on the influence of climate and nature on the mind --- Ohh, we’re getting a good crowd.”
…Getting a good crowd – of what?
“For some reason, they gather here late at night.”
His voice had turned cold.
I could feel the muddy, stagnant air hanging over the area.
"To tell you the truth, I had another job here besides retrieving 'Rororo'."
Smiling like a puppet who had abandoned his emotions somewhere, Sako spoke:
"The job in question being... to exorcise them."
...To exorcise--Hey, it can't be!
There was something there at the place Sako was pointing at.
"...The students that killed themselves in this school."
At the same time he uttered those words --
I noticed the presence of countless people in the surrounding air.
The two of us should have been the only ones in the reading room, but now the presence of countless people could be felt.
The number of people were ten, twelve -- no, it was much more. About as many as there would be packed here during daytime. I couldn't see anyone, but what felt like countless sounds of breathing hung in the air.
"Well, would you look at that? I wonder if that hideously burnt woman committed self-immolation. That one drooling over there must have hanged himself. The girl with the wide cut in her neck there, she must have slit her neck with a knife -- hmmm, were you the one who died in the men's bathroom? Getting caught up in a love affair, you threw away your life; what a complete waste. Even though you had such a lovely face. Even though you had your whole life ahead of you."
As if he were addressing each of the dead individually, Sako's words unavoidably made them manifest inside my mind. All of them were wandering around me in a dense atmosphere, as if they were sorrowful, empty, and in general, painfully appealing for something.
"H-hey....What the hell did you do to me...?" My voice shook as I asked.
"In the first place, you shouldn't go around chanting words you don't know the meaning of."
Sako sneers with a smile. I glared back at him as if to say that he was the one who told me to do it -- when I saw that Sako's eyes were now shining bewitchingly. It was different from the faintly glowing eyes of Yoishi. It wasn't a ghost or something vague, but something clearly ominous -- That's right, it was like a fox spirit that lived on a different plane of this world.
"Regrettably, the number of ghosts here is just too great. That's why it would be quicker just to gather and exorcise them all in one go. Say, don't your shoulders feel better now? The feeling of something heavy being lifted off your neck? Doesn't your body feel slightly lighter now?"
I put my hand on my shoulder as he continued to ask me this.
At the same time, a deep regret took hold of me. Why the hell did I come to such a place this late at night? In spite of Krishna-san warning me that my mind was still in a period of rehabilitation, I was here with this guy who I trusted much lesser than Yoishi.
“To tell you the truth, the phrase is one of the mantras of the Mikkyo* lineage, it’s a sutra that unties the bond between a person and their guardian spirit. Look at the old man standing behind you right now. He’s your guardian spirit, the one that's been protecting you for so long.”
*TL/N: Mikkyo (Esoteric Buddhism) refers to Japanese Buddhist traditions centered around secret teachings, mantras, rituals, and spiritual practices. Shingon Buddhism is one of its major schools.
In a panic, I looked at the place Sako’s gaze landed at. However, I couldn’t see anything. I desperately strained my eyes, but all I could see was a stack of inconspicuous books appear in the dim darkness.
“You can’t see him? Well then, let me explain. He’s probably your ancestor from several generations ago. A man with very genteel wrinkles reflecting a life lived on the straight and narrow. But now, his wrinkles are contorted in sadness. He laments, ‘Why did you chant such a sutra?’ Regardless however, his figure is slowly fading away.”
“…H-hey!"
"Most ghosts aren't actually aware that they're dead, but they're aware of the fact that they've lost something very important. This feeling of loss creates a void inside them. And thus, they try to fill that void with something. That is, in short: a physical body, and that's why they possess people who are on the same wavelength. However, the living have reliable guardian spirits by their side to protect them, so they can't possess anyone they wish. That's why, I apologize -- but I had to prepare a mere vessel with no guardian."
My breathing was becoming ragged. I couldn't clench my teeth.
So that's it. The vessel he's talking about -- is me.
"You end up sympathizing with everyone, that's why you fulfill the requirements of a high-quality vessel."
I tightly closed my tear-filled eyes.
Losing my guardian spirit, I had no one to blame but myself, as I gritted my teeth in desperation.
More so than the fact that I had been deceived by him, I hated myself for trusting him. With all my heart, I felt sorry towards my ancestor who had protected me for so long. It was the same terrible thing I did to Miiko. Without realizing I was receiving someone's kindness, I ended up repaying their kindness with ingratitude. I didn't change. I never learned from my mistakes. Yoishi said it in the coffee shop. The people of this country were originally prudent in their use of words. That the people in the present day used words too callously. And yet, I had ended up chanting words I didn't know the meaning of, just doing what I'd been told, an irredeemable goddamn idiot.
And yet still, Sako's cheerful voice reached me.
"Oh, so many have gathered already. I understand, you all want a body. You think you'll be able to escape the suffering if you only had a living body. Well, please don't be so hasty. Normally, one body per person would be preferable, but fortunately, the vessel present here is a truly outstanding one that once managed to call down wandering ghosts that filled the sky."
Dredging up my past wounds, Sako turned to face me once more, his lips contorted in a sneer.
"That's right, be it once or twice...It's all the same, isn't it?"
As that terrifyingly gentle voice was about to snap something inside me --
"So noisy."
In the dark world, that somewhat irritated voice echoed.
"The library is supposed to be a quiet place for reading."
That voice is...
The voice that sounds like a wind chime on a windless summer night...
--Yoishi.
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