Case 00: Chapter One (4)

Of course, since I was the frog, sat neatly on the desk:

(I think both of them are cute)

That was the answer I kept repeating.

For almost an hour, I had been made to go along with M’s solo fashion show.

It was Sunday, and the family had planned for an outing in the afternoon. Her mother had told her, “Wear your best outfit,” and M had been struggling with that up until now.

“This one… or another one for sure.”

She said that as she threw off a white one-piece suit. However, among the six dresses she had changed into until now, it felt like that one suited her the best. I mean, It contrasted perfectly with her long black hair, well, it was little gaudy like a party dress, but to speak figuratively, it was cute like a princess in a foreign movie.

“I guess I’ll go… with this one?”

In the end the dress M chose was the third one she had thrown away, a fully white blouse together with a navy-blue skirt.

(I mean, I just told you that one was cute too.)

“But I wore this to my school entrance ceremony.”

M still didn’t seem convinced. Did she want to say that it wasn’t cute enough? Ugh. I had no idea on how to advise her on this.

As I was thinking such things.

“Are you ready--? Everyone’s waiting, you know?”

With a cheerful voice, A entered M’s room. A looked completely ready, already wearing a three-quarter length white shirt and a knee-length skirt. Her chest was daringly open, A was quite glamorous, and changed completely to give a mature impression.

“Oh, you sure look cute!”

“Really…?”

“…Hm? Something seems off?”

A put her hands on her chin as and after a moment of contemplation, rummaged through M’s drawers of her own accord, and eventually took out a red choker.

“Stay still for a bit.”

Saying that, she gently placed it around M’s neck and lightly adjusted it.

“Now, how do you look?”

Together with A’s playful voice, what manifested was – A white blouse, a navy-blue skirt, and a red choker.

Guwaa--- So cute.

But the same time I thought that – Huh? Somehow, seeing her in an appearance that strangely suited her all too well, a fragment of a lost memory floated up to the surface.

A girl with a tie…and a white blouse.

Black hair…darkness…darkness without end…darkness.

--A darkness plastered over so heavily I couldn’t even see my fingers.

And the facial features of that pale, well-ordered face that appeared in the darkness.

A shivering cold instantly pierced through my entire body.

It was a face that appeared directly at the center of M’s face, with eyes that were empty. Hungry eyes, that seemed to have lost something, and were hollow now.

“…Yes, I’ll go with this one.”

However, my absentmindedness was drowned out by M’s voice, which sounded somewhat happy.

“Thanks, Onee-chan.”

“That choker really suits you.”

A nodded in satisfaction and picked up the small bag made of the same red leather, “Let’s go, Papa and mama are waiting for us.”

“What about Mr. Frog?”

“I, I’ll take him with me…!”

“Okay--”

In a daze, I was picked up by A, and attached to the cord of the bag.

And before I had time to sort out what I had just seen, I was taken out of the room.

The town on Sunday was filled with the smiles of happy people. The sound of children's laughter. The sound of lovers laughing. The cheerful conversations exchanged among friends. It was filled with an exciting feeling that was enough to enliven even a dim and hazy existence like me.

“Well, A, M, let’s go--”

Hearing their mother’s voice, A and M, who had been clinging to a variety store window, took each other’s hands and broke off into a run. Ahead of them was their father dressed in a navy-blue polo shirt and slacks, and their mother in a vivid one-piece dress, waving to them. A and M were smiling, and I, too, was excited, as if I became bound to the happy space of my surroundings. The strange scene that had crossed in my mind back in M’s room had completely disappeared.

“Clothes come one at a time, you know. Take your time to choose.”

The sisters obediently said, ‘Yes’, in response to their mother. Their eyes shone happily. Their father was already holding four bags and wore a slightly strained smile on his face.

“Are you fine with that?”

The mother suddenly asked the father that question.

“Fine with…?”

“You looked at it for a long time in the model shop just now, right? The model sailing ship.”

“Ah…No, not really… I was just looking it over because of how well it had been made.”

“It’s alright if you buy it.”

“Alright you say… but it was expensive.”

“Well, I guess I’ll get it for you as a present.”

He froze with an “Eh”, at those words.

“I just got my bonus, and the car inspection’s not for a while, it’s fine if it’s once in a while.”

“No, but…”

“It’s fine, how much is it?”

“…It’s 150,000 yen.”

“…”

“…I said it was expensive, didn’t I?”

The mother groaned, “Ungh”, for a while at the father’s words.

I was shocked. That was expensive. It was expensive, but if it was that elaborate, it's probably a full-scale model for hobbyists.

“It’s alright, I’m sure I’ll be able to get it one day.”

When their father smiled, both of his daughters clasped one of his hands.

“Did you decide what clothes you wanted?”

Looking at him as he asked his daughters cheerfully – I thought to myself. It's not easy being a father. How many things did he give up on for the sake of his wife, his daughters, his family as a whole? How much had he put off doing what he wanted to do?

After that, I looked around at the families going up and down the road.

A young father giving a ride to his small boy on his shoulders.

A smiling father desperately trying to calm his wailing daughter with a smile while leading her by the hand.

An exhausted father who had fallen asleep on the bench holding a lot of baggage while his family was off shopping.

I wondered if all the fathers in this world more or less went through this sort of hardship?

After working late from Monday to Friday, they probably just want to rest during the weekend. They must be trying their best in the weekday with the goal of relaxing during the weekend. But on weekends, that time is all taken over by the family that impatiently waits for the father’s stay at home. Perhaps it was the same with my father? Dammit, I still couldn’t remember anything, but… I wondered if I died before my father even though he must have done so much for me. If that was the case, I felt, extremely remorseful. I couldn’t even recall his face, but I was so ungrateful. As I hung my head down, M and the others who were unrelated to me moved ahead with smiles on their faces.

“I’ve decided. I want a new dress. For my club activities.”

In response to A, her father replied.

“Is that alright?”

“It’s quite expensive. A proper sportswear, that is. Be prepared.”

“That is scary.”

Her father smiled and looked in M’s direction.

“What about you, M?”

“I…”

M hesitated as she put her arm over her father’s hand. After the merciless demand from her sister, she seemed to waver in speaking her own wishes. But A helped her out, “This is the time to plead for what you've always wanted. It’s alright, Papa got a bonus after all.”

“A, you know it all too well.”

“Yeah, It’s because Mama is excited, after all.”

“Eh—not at all, not at all.”

“You are. You've been grinning while going through those accessory magazines these days.”

“I was only looking at them because I thought they were beautiful.”

Having lost the opportunity to talk as such conversations butted in, M’s father secretly whispered in her ear.

“You’re a kind child who puts up with things right away, but—it’s alright. I will buy anything for my daughters at any time. Although I don’t usually buy you two things because I don’t want you to think you can have everything in this world.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, that’s right. And don’t worry, today is a special day besides birthdays and Christmas where you can say what you want.”

“What… day is it today?”

M asked curiously, her father took a glance at her mother and sister arguing as always, and spoke in a whisper:

“…It’s a secret, alright? Actually, today is the day papa and mama met.”

“I, is that so?”

“Yes, though mama might have forgotten about it already.”

Her father silently began to narrate the story:

“Papa was the head of the yacht club in his third year of university you see, and there was a monthly meeting of the club's heads. When papa went to that meeting, mama came as a representative from the tennis club. Even though she was just a freshman, she was forced to go to the meeting because the head of the tennis club found it troublesome. On that day, it was the preliminary budget meeting for the upcoming year. Papa’s yacht club had a lot of expenses, and was on the verge of successfully negotiating a slight increase in the club’s budget, when I suddenly faced fierce opposition from someone. From mama that is.”

“…Uwaa.”

“It quickly became a heated debate. And papa didn’t know that mama was still only a freshman. It almost looked like a quarrel to the dismay of those around us. And you know because mama is clever, and very articulate, I was quickly put in an unfavorable position. Then – driven to the wall, papa said it: 『Do you have any idea how terrible the sea is? Do you know how fearsome it is? Say those things after you’ve gone out to the sea at least once.』Even now, I think that was immature of me… but, the sea isn’t something to be looked down upon. Encountering a small storm at sea is enough to make you wonder whether or not you’ll make it out alive, and the expression of the sea being scary at night isn’t enough to underscore its unfathomable depths, and papa knew the danger of not having proper safety equipment for those circumstances.”

“And how did mama react?”

“She looked bitterly disappointed. She looked like she was going to cry, and she kept glaring at papa.”

“…….Ooh”

“But after that…”

Her father muttered with a look of nostalgia as if gazing somewhere far off.

“A few days after that, mama suddenly barged into the club room, saying she was going to join the club.”

“Eh…?”

“She looked quite menacing – Ah, will you get the idea with menacing? She was very forceful; she had a certain air about her that neither papa nor his friends could say anything at all. Well, I let her in the club thinking she’d give up right away, and mama and papa then began club activities together, but... being sports oriented, she still attended the morning strength training sessions, and mostly without breaks, attended all activities. After about half a year, papa tried to ask her. Why did she quit the tennis club and join the yacht club? And--”

And, at that moment.

“Yes, that’s far enough.”

Her mother suddenly butted into their conversation.

Her face was flushed red with embarrassment. “I’m tired, let’s take a break! Let’s drink some tea!” She spoke in rapid succession as she walked ahead as if leading the way. M and her father exchanged smiles, and A smiled as she pushed them along.

The family settled down at a coffee shop located at the back of a department store.

The interior was adorned with an antiquated design, and about half of the plot had seating on the terrace. It was bustling with families and couples because it was the weekend, but M and her family managed to secure seats on one section of the terrace. There were six chairs around the round table, and I cunningly sat down on one of the seats. The family seemingly planned to relax there for a bit, go back shopping again, and in the end, go to a restaurant they had reserved beforehand in the evening.

At the table, topics unfolded in succession between A and her mother as always, as they laughed and giggled. The father let out a sigh of relief after finally being released from having to carry handfuls of luggage in both hands, M sipped some orange juice, while gazing at her family with a smile. I enjoyed the gentle quasi-sensation of becoming one of the family members.

Suddenly, a midsummer breeze blew across us.

In the clear sky, several cumulonimbus clouds appeared on the horizon.

--Ah, it's a beautiful day, isn't it?

The moment I thought that in a relaxed manner.

A part of the sky lit up as if torn apart. Even though there were no large clouds above me, clouds appeared as if they were gushing from a part of the sky, and from there, a single ray of light shone through.

(Ah…)

I slightly rose up, and my mouth dropped open involuntarily.

(That was – wasn’t that the final call I couldn’t catch last time…?)

I staggered up to my feet, and was about to move in its direction – when I took one look back in the direction of M’s family.

I looked at them as if to burn the picture of the happily family in my memory, and whispered:

(Thank you.)

Thanks to you guys, I finished things without becoming a spirit who curses the world without distinction. Thanks to the warm atmosphere you created, I feel I can go to nirvana. For the last time, I gazed once more at the young girl sitting deep back in her chair smiling and waving her legs back and forth. I closed my eyes partly as if caressing M’s beautiful face with my fingers.

(--You look happy. But you should be happier. Smiling really suits you after a--)

However, the moment I whispered that.

I felt someone’s scream roar inside my head.

At the same time, I was on the verge of remembering something very important – and I suddenly realized.

It was the strange feeling I had once felt.

What was that? I couldn’t recall at once, but – eventually, I realized it was someone’s gaze.

Right now, someone was observing me. In short, in this coffee shop, or in the streets in front of me, or in the building, there was someone who could see me.

I raised my head, and hurriedly looked around. It being a Sunday afternoon, there were a lot of passersby. However, no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find the person who could see me among them. I tried to look up at the surrounding buildings, but there was no one at the windows, nor on the rooftops.

(…Was it just my imagination?)

No, something like that doesn't matter anymore.

I couldn’t miss my chance for that final call this time. Now was the time for me to properly depart to the other world.

With that in mind, I slowly walk towards the light that poured down.

Yet, the gaze pierced me again. And for some reason, I felt a chill. There was a familiarity that said, I'm tired of seeing beings like you, and if anything, there was a nasty feeling lingering in the air.

(--W… Who's there?)

I looked around once more, and this time, carefully checked each individual customer.

Then, my eyes were drawn to the customer sitting at the furthest end of the terrace.

A somewhat mature looking young girl sat there. Her black hair was around shoulder-length. She had a tomboyish beauty. She wore a gothic style black dress like that of a medieval aristocrat, and her long legs crossed. A black umbrella was propped up on the table, and her fingertips were playing with the hairs around her ears.

She seemed to be absentmindedly staring off somewhere, when she suddenly looked at me.

Then, she grinned. Her cold smile made me horrified.

(--Who, are you?)

The moment I whispered that, a lost memory cried out inside me. No… I knew. I had a feeling as if I knew her. Just by being close to her presence was enough to make me feel helplessly scared, and I certainly knew it once.

“Aren’t you going?”

Hearing that voice – I froze in place.

There was a considerable distance between me and her seat. And yet, her voice was no more than a whisper. That voice, clearly reached me right now.

“Why are you looking like a frog that suddenly lost its legs? If you keep dawdling like that, the light will disappear again.”

She chuckled and continued.

Those words, too, reached me clearly. But the creepy thing was – that this time, her lips hadn’t moved at all. Her well-shaped lips kept a soft smile.

(--Who are you? Can you see me?)

I tried to ask that question. However, those words were inside my mind. It was impossible for me to physically shake the air. That was supposed to be the case – but my words definitely seemed to reach her. The girl in the black dress distorted her white face and smiled once more, a smile that spelled coldness.

“Of course, I can see you. And I know who you are.”

Before I’d realized, I had begun to stagger ahead.

As if being dragged by an invisible chain, I moved towards the girl.

The girl in the black dress continued to gaze at me, and as she gently stroked the cup of tea with her long fingers, she whispered:

“Say, how does it feel to be dead? Have you had a little taste of what it feels like to be a ghost, the thing you were so scared of?”

(Who the hell are you?)

I asked, as I stood beside her as if looking down on her. However, the girl ignored everything and looked up at the sky.

“Ahh—It disappeared. Even though it was your final call. Even though it might have returned you to the world where you belonged.”

With that, she sat back deeper in her chair. And squinted her eyes behind me – At M and her family who were happily talking to each other.

“Aren’t they such a nice family? They look so happy. It’s exactly the thing families in this world are jealous of: a warm and blessed household.”

I looked back in response to her words and looked at M and her family.

--Ah, I know that.

Even if you didn’t tell me, I know that all too well. I was in eternal solitude, unable to intervene in anything, or be seen by anyone. I was rotting away in a world where time moved at a snail’s pace. That family provided me tranquility for a brief period.

“Even if you didn’t tell me, you say? No, I know a little more about that family than you.”

The young girl declared as she wore a sarcastic smile.

“For example, the father is a graduate of a top institute, and is a capable trading employee at a foreign enterprise. He and her mother began dating when they were both in university, and although they broke up once, they reunited and married after they both entered the workforce. The daughter was born the following year, and after working overseas for seven years, he returned to Japan and was soon blessed with a second daughter. As the breadwinner of the family, the father succeeded in acquiring a house in Tokyo in his forties, and judging from the fact that he is still frequently headhunted by other companies, it is safe to say that his future is promising. His first and second daughters are both beautiful, and even their dog is pedigreed. It's the kind of picture-perfect family that everyone dreams of – however, despite all that.”

The girl in black, lowered her voice teasingly.

“Things don’t always work out so well in the world, do they?”

With those words, I turned away from M and the others, and looked back. I glared at the pale young girl who had at some point unfolded a black parasol and was twirling it on her shoulders.

…What is it? What are you trying to say?

“I don’t really have a nice personality, so let me spoil it for you right at the beginning. That family won’t make it to August happy as they are.”

“Around two weeks from now – On the 31st of July, they will all die.”