Ch.210Epilogue. Training Camp (4)

The sky is gloomy.

Seasonally speaking, the rainy season has already begun in Tokyo.

Come to think of it, the rainy season where I lived in my previous life usually started around this time too. Just because it’s the rainy season doesn’t mean it rains every day.

Wind came through the open window, but it felt somehow humid and gloomy.

I don’t necessarily dislike the rainy season. It definitely has its own mysterious atmosphere.

The sunlight reflects off thick clouds, and shadows become faint and soft. Of course, dark places become even darker, so it wouldn’t be strange if there were ghosts lurking in some corner of the house.

The weather probably has something to do with why people often share depressing and scary stories during summer.

Still, it would be nice if it were clear on the weekend. The sky is so indifferent.

And so, Kagami, Koko, and I were holding something like a memorial service… in the middle of that gloomy house.

The reason I say “something like” is because the ritual wasn’t the kind of memorial service I knew from my previous life.

In Korea, a memorial service means setting up food on an altar, calling spirits, and then sending them back. Shamans loudly call out to summon spirits and encourage them to speak through their bodies.

I’m not sure if it’s real or not, but well, I could believe it’s real in this world’s Korea.

We didn’t write anything special on the memorial tablets for those whose names we didn’t even know.

However, we placed various foods in front of them.

There was a high-end confectionery nearby, so we bought several boxes of gift sets from there. And Kagami showed off her skills by preparing ordinary home-cooked meals and placing them in front.

I don’t think that alone will make the souls staying here leave peacefully.

They lost their lives, after all. If I had died unjustly, I wouldn’t be satisfied and leave just because someone held one memorial service for me.

We’re not trying to make any demands, just hoping they won’t suffer anymore. The three of us sat formally with our eyes closed.

It feels like something might have come, but also like nothing did.

My senses have become quite dull since Nirlas left this world. I’m not sure if it’s because my sensitivity was connected to Nirlas’s presence, or if it’s because I’m living well and eating well so I don’t need to worry about such things anymore.

My weight has definitely increased.

But I could imagine it.

That some of the souls in this house had come to this room.

They probably couldn’t harm us. Even if they could affect me, they wouldn’t work on Koko because “fear” doesn’t work on her.

Besides, Kagami had a covered mirror in front of her. Since her mother was a “real priestess,” just having her nearby was somewhat reassuring.

That presence circled around us, went near the memorial tablets, and lingered in front of the food.

Do spirits eat meals too?

I’ve never actually seen memorial food decrease.

I wondered what I would do if I were a dead person. Would I be satisfied with seeing that memorial food?

“…”

Perhaps I won’t know until I really die. I’ve already died twice, but I came back to life at the funeral.

I just remained silent.

I sincerely hoped that they could enjoy the gifts we had prepared.

Not simply because I wanted them to leave, but as someone who had taken on the Kurosawa name for whatever reason.

I hoped it would provide some comfort for their unjust deaths.

*

I think it might just be my imagination, but my heart felt much lighter when we left the mansion.

Somehow my shoulders felt a bit lighter too.

“Judging by your expression, it seems we did the right thing.”

Kagami smiled and said that while looking at my face.

“Yeah. I think so too.”

“Wha?”

We bought some snacks for ourselves while we were buying confections to place on the memorial altar.

Both of us laughed at Koko, who responded like that with cookie crumbs on her mouth.

We walked slowly toward the train station.

Kagami didn’t bring her car when she came here. It’s much better to just take the train and arrive on time than to drive a car if you’re going to wait for us in front of the school.

And because of that, I could immerse myself in thought a bit more deeply.

“The Kurosawa mansion. Let’s properly renovate it once.”

“What?”

“After seeing that, I just had that kind of thought.”

I’m not sure what kind of space ghosts prefer.

Some people say they like gloomy spaces, while others say they like noisy places.

Maybe there are ghosts in that mansion because of that atmosphere.

Maybe they feel satisfied seeing the decline of the Kurosawa family.

…But thinking about it again, the souls were still there, unable to leave.

“It’s not that I want to revive the Kurosawa family or anything.”

They probably wouldn’t want that.

“But somehow… you know.”

All those sacrifices over those long years were meant to summon a god.

And using that power to break down the boundary between the afterlife and this world to create a world where everyone lives forever. That was said to be the secret wish of the Kurosawa family.

The reason they could willingly die and willingly kill was all because of that. Because someday, they would meet beyond the broken boundary.

In some sense, I might have ruthlessly shattered that wish.

I still don’t think that wish was right. The afterlife isn’t necessarily a comfortable place. Besides, the Kurosawa family wanted to stand at the top of that connected world, again borrowing the power of gods.

However.

“I just don’t want to forget it.”

It’s a place where all sorts of things happened. If the remaining Kurosawa members don’t remember, it will be buried under soil and debris.

Somehow, I don’t like that.

The terrible things that happened there should be remembered by someone. So that next time, someone can warn others.

“I see.”

Kagami looked up at the sky for a moment.

Kagami was also one of those caught up in that madness. I understand why she had almost abandoned that house.

So I thought it would be understandable if she refused.

“Let’s take more time and prepare slowly. It seems like Kotone isn’t just talking about fixing everything with money.”

I nodded.

I’ll put in more effort and clean and repair it properly over a long period of time.

And occasionally comfort the souls, helping them return to where they should be.

Even though I can’t call myself a priestess yet, and I’m still considering whether to inherit that role or not.

“It’s not something I can entrust to someone else either.”

“…”

Kagami didn’t respond to my words.

She just smiled slightly while looking at me, then patted my head.

I didn’t bother to push her hand away.

*

Apparently I look quite fragile in Kagami’s eyes, as she suggested driving me to school by car in July.

But I thought that didn’t seem quite right.

Tokyo’s subways are crowded with people, but of course, the roads are also crowded with… no, with cars.

Unless you’re someone who knows Tokyo’s geography so well that you can create something like a navigation system in your head, you’ll definitely have to spend a long, boring time on packed roads.

And Kagami is clearly a novice driver. It’s been a few months now, but she still occasionally misses road signs.

“What if you collapse in this summer heat?”

Kagami seems to genuinely think that way.

“I’ve gained weight.”

That’s how I countered.

It’s true.

My weight, which used to fluctuate somewhere between malnutrition and normal, leaning a bit more toward malnutrition, has now risen to the point where average weight is visible. I still need to gain a few more kilograms to reach average weight, but still.

Although visible parts haven’t changed much, my legs have gotten slightly thicker.

I was seriously worried about what to do if my hair got cut since all the fat had disappeared, but seeing that I do gain weight when I eat a lot, I guess I don’t need to worry about that.

However, I clearly gain less weight than other people.

I eat three meals a day, snack in the club room after school, and even occasionally go out with friends to cafes for desserts, yet this is my weight—proof that I’m not as prone to gaining weight as I thought.

For reference, Yuka was very envious of Koko and me.

“You’ve gained weight, but you’re still not at a normal weight.”

And Kagami was always worried because of my constitution.

I thought she was being overprotective, but isn’t this worry too much?

I didn’t collapse that much last year—

———

—Actually, quite a lot.

But it wasn’t like I just collapsed while walking normally. Rather, considering the amount of food I had, I collapsed less often. The reason I collapsed was always because I was attacked by yokai, so I pride myself on having a very sturdy body.

“You need to be careful in the heat.”

“No, really, I’m fine.”

Seeing how overprotective she’s been every morning on my way to school lately, she must really be worried.

“Be careful on your way.”

“Okay.”

I nodded at Kagami’s words, hugged her, and headed to school.

…

Well, walking to the station did feel quite hot.

Maybe I should ask her to drive me to the station.

I was weak enough to think such thoughts.

*

“You seem to have a good relationship with your mother.”

When I grumbled about this at the hamburger place that has now become almost an official refuge, Tsuneda evaluated it that way.

And our atmosphere became awkward in an instant.

Whether they properly know my real situation or not, it’s a well-known fact that I didn’t get along very well with Kagami until the beginning of last year.

“D-did I make some mistake…?”

“No, even I think it’s strange to this degree.”

Tsuneda became even more confused at my words.

She doesn’t seem to understand why being close with one’s mother would be considered strange.

Is she from a well-off family too?

I shrugged and said:

“Actually, we didn’t get along very well until last year.”

In fact, chronologically speaking, Kagami’s demeanor started to change little by little around Christmas time, but it was only this year that I started calling Kagami “mom,” so I just counted it that way.

That’s also when I started accepting things like head pats and hugs without any resistance.

“I-is that so?”

Tsuneda responded with a somewhat apologetic expression.

“Yeah. And last year’s Kotone and this year’s Kotone are different too.”

Mako said with a smile.

“Huh?”

“Oh, yeah. That’s true.”

Yuka nodded vigorously.

It wasn’t just the two of them. Once again, all the other kids except Tsuneda were agreeing. Even Koko.

“At first, you were incredibly wary whenever someone spoke to you. You had way more ellipses than actual words, right?”

W-was I like that?

Come to think of it, I might have been. Instead of just answering “yes,” I would answer “…yes.”

I didn’t particularly aim to do that, though.

I was actually wary. Strangely enough, the things I experienced after coming to this world were more like side stories rather than the main plot. I met many people I didn’t know, and honestly, didn’t I experience things worth being cautious about?

So I proudly thought that it wasn’t entirely my fault.

“…Now is better.”

Yuu, who still tends to put a lot of ellipses before her words, said that.

I think my current self is better too.

I thought I was fine back then too. Living alone, with nothing in the house, hungry, cold, hot, lacking in many ways.

“…”

I wasn’t really okay.

Maybe it was just a defense mechanism.

“I like you then and now.”

Koko suddenly attacked with those words, so I responded by patting her head.

“Wuh?”

As her hair got messed up, Koko made a puzzled expression. Once again, everyone, even Tsuneda, who Koko adores as her junior, had warm smiles on their faces.

“Oh, right. How did the conversation flow to this point?”

Izumi, who had been smiling warmly, asked with a surprised expression.

Yeah.

I tried to remember how we got to this topic, but I couldn’t recall clearly. The subjects of our previous conversations had been bouncing all over the place.

“Weren’t we talking about the training camp?”

Harumi asked.

“Oh, right. We were.”

Izumi said, finally remembering, slightly furrowing her brow.

That’s right. We were.

We were talking about the training camp, then last year’s training camp came up, then we talked about transportation, then I mentioned riding in Kagami’s car, and that’s how we got here.

“Okay, to continue where we left off, we don’t need to worry about transportation. It’s already decided. Of course, we’ll have to pay for it.”

There’s no one here who can’t afford the cost. Seeing that Tsuneda doesn’t look worried either, I’m certain.

Come to think of it, those friends from the same middle school, despite their unusual hair colors and awkward gyaru-like appearance, didn’t give off the impression of being financially struggling.

Unless you’re a top-tier student attending on merit, Hanakawa High School is quite expensive, with tuition fees to worry about. The uniforms are expensive too.

Tsuneda got in while all her other friends failed. She’s definitely not a top-tier student.

“We’re going to an island!”

Kaoru said with a bright smile.

An island.

Hmm…

In light novels, strange things always seem to happen when characters go to islands.

…But I think I’ve already escaped the light novel part, so maybe it’ll be okay?