Ch.56Chapter 9. It Was Summer. (3)

# Knock, knock, knock.

The next morning.

I was debating whether to stay at home or go out for a bit, and I chose the latter.

I wasn’t planning to do anything extravagant. Today was Saturday, and I needed to arrive at work by one-thirty in the afternoon because of my part-time job.

If I left directly from school, I could barely make it on time, but leaving from Saitama Prefecture would take three times longer. I only had enough time to walk around the neighborhood, have a quick meal, and then leave.

I’d have to leave at a similar time tomorrow anyway. I’ll rest properly on Monday.

With that thought, I left my room slightly earlier than usual.

And I ran into the man from next door.

“Ah.”

The man saw me, smiled happily, and raised his hand in greeting.

I wondered how to respond and ended up bowing my head slightly. The man looked younger than my previous life’s age, but it didn’t feel right to speak casually to him in my current form.

Hmm, though I feel like Mr. Fukuda would probably drop formalities as soon as we got a little closer.

“Looks like you’re on break.”

“Yes.”

I nodded and looked at the man.

Every time I’d encountered this person, he’d been dressed in a yokai costume. Was his job related to that?

…Considering he was dressed that way even when returning home, it probably wasn’t just for work. Honestly, if someone walked around a residential area in such an outfit, it wouldn’t be strange if someone reported them.

But his current attire wasn’t a yokai costume, just normal clothes.

He wore a shirt like an office worker would wear, with formal pants. His shoes were the kind office workers often wore—not formal dress shoes, but flexible synthetic leather ones.

“Ah, you see, I have a job interview today.”

The man said this even though I hadn’t asked. He must have noticed me looking him up and down.

So that’s why he had a jacket draped over his arm. A full suit for an interview even in this weather—what an inflexible company.

No, thinking again, this world is about 20 years before the one I lived in.

I had never worked during that time, but considering what my first convenience store manager or friends who had just started working would complain about their bosses over drinks, things were probably worse then, not better.

“Until now, I’ve been doing part-time jobs at kindergartens or playing villain yokai roles on department store rooftops… But I thought maybe it’s time to settle down a bit.”

I see.

Ah, so that’s why he was dressed like that?

“…You commute in that outfit…?”

“Huh? No, no, no, that’s not it!”

When I spoke with a somewhat disgusted expression, the man hastily replied.

“The first day we met, I was trying on clothes inside my apartment.”

“…”

“And yesterday, a colleague vomited on my clothes during a company dinner.”

…

Then why was he wearing a mask when he came home?

“…They said they wouldn’t need that costume anymore. Since the character won’t appear again, they gave it to me instead of severance pay…”

…

What can I say? I have no words.

Well, thanks to that, I’m still here in one piece.

Come to think of it, being told the costume wouldn’t be needed anymore and to take it home sounds like he wasn’t looking for a job by choice but was actually fired.

Even I wasn’t inconsiderate enough to ask that directly to his face.

“Have you fixed your door?”

“No, not yet.”

I figured as much. There probably aren’t many places that work this early.

The man realized he was blocking the way and quickly moved away from the door, starting to walk down the stairs.

I slowly walked down those stairs.

But if Kagami is the owner of this apartment, shouldn’t he fix this man’s door too? Ah, no. It’s not broken; the man lost his key, so maybe he has to pay for it himself?

“…Is it okay to leave it like that?”

“I don’t have much to take inside anyway. Besides, all the other apartments are empty, right?”

“…”

I was silent for a moment at the man’s words.

“…They’re empty?”

“Didn’t you know? Our apartment doesn’t even have cars in the parking lot. The cars that occasionally park there are probably just people from nearby illegally parking.”

Hmm…

No, I thought there would at least be some people living here. This is Saitama, right next to Tokyo. Could there really be that many vacant apartments?

“Ah, I need to get going now. Bye! Thanks for yesterday!”

The man checked the time on his phone, said that, and waved at me before quickly turning away.

What a positive person.

He’s saying he knew only he and I were living in the apartment all this time, yet he wasn’t scared at all.

No wonder it’s been so quiet.

I looked up at the building with some unease.

I recalled what Yuka had said before. She didn’t finish her sentence, but she was definitely about to say there were ghosts here too.

Hmm…

What should I do?

I think nights are going to be extremely nerve-wracking from now on.

*

Let me think again about that “snoring sound.”

For quite a while after I came here, I heard snoring. And the direction was from the room next to mine—the room where that young man lives.

When extremely tired, even people who don’t normally snore can start snoring. Could it be that the man was originally very tired, but after living here for about a month, he got better?

“Snoring?”

The next morning.

I heard the door of the neighboring room opening and came out a little later.

Fortunately, there was no problem catching up with the man.

“Do I snore?”

I shook my head.

“It’s fine these days.”

“If my snoring bothered you, I’m a bit sorry… but that’s strange.”

“…What’s strange?”

“Well, have you been living here all along?”

I nodded.

I don’t know what it was like before I woke up, but that seems to be the setting.

“I only moved in at the end of April. If you heard that sound before then…”

“…”

Oh.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.”

The man tilted his head.

“And I have a research institute I attend separate from my… workplace. From April to May, I was quite busy and there were many days I couldn’t come home. So if you heard snoring from my room, that’s a bit strange.”

As I watched the man tilt his head and go “hmm,” I felt goosebumps rising on my back.

It wasn’t because I’d met a yokai. It was just my personal feeling.

“Ah, sorry. I need to get going soon. If you’re not sure, wouldn’t it be better to ask your mother?”

The man said that, waved at me, and quickly turned away.

“…”

I stared blankly at his retreating figure, then looked back at the apartment.

And only then did I realize.

This apartment—maybe it’s not that people “didn’t move in” to the other units, but that they “weren’t accepted” in the first place?

Maybe there was some problem with the other rooms that made them awkward to show to people. But if no one lived here at all, that would be a problem too. People in the neighborhood would find it strange.

Come to think of it, the apartment was being maintained to some extent. It was worn out here and there, but nothing was completely broken and unusable.

If it became an abandoned building, all sorts of strange people would be attracted to it, and people living nearby would complain. The reason that doesn’t happen is probably because the apartment is still being managed.

…But.

I recalled the building where Mr. Miura was.

Yes. To hide something in a city, hiding it in an ordinary building is best. I’ve heard stories about brothels above popular salad restaurants before.

I headed to the first floor.

I looked around. There didn’t seem to be anyone passing by.

I slowly approached a door and put my ear against it.

“…”

I couldn’t hear anything.

Click, click—I tried turning the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t open. It was firmly locked.

The room next to it, and the one next to that too.

All four units on the lower floor were the same.

There were no windows facing the corridor, so there was no way to check inside from here.

I went up to the second floor.

The room closest to the stairs was the man’s room. Next to it was my room.

Then what about the two rooms next to mine?

Again, the doors wouldn’t open.

I understand. If I hadn’t heard that from the man, I would have thought they were locked to prevent homeless people from coming in to sleep.

But…

Should I call Kagami and ask?

I seriously considered it, but it didn’t seem right.

I was already gradually sinking into the cult. I couldn’t say I had sunk very deep yet, but considering the prophecy, I would eventually end up there.

And above all, honestly, Kagami is a bit… scary.

Usually, he’s fine. Especially when I needed a parent at places like the police station, it was even a bit funny talking to the acting Kagami.

But how should I put it.

When talking about Shura—Nirlas, he completely enters fanatic mode.

And it’s not that he’s openly crazy; he too clearly shows that he can have normal conversations and think rationally. His calm, articulate way of speaking was more unsettling. It felt like he knew he was crazy but was pretending not to be.

…And even if I discovered the secret of the rooms, I might be unable to back out after hearing the explanation.

Then there was only one way.

I exhaled deeply.

*

“So you called me.”

Fake-guras said.

“It’s strange that you fear my believers but not me.”

“That’s why I find it interesting. At least you won’t suddenly go crazy and try to stab me.”

“Should I thank you for that?”

“…”

I said nothing.

“Last time, your reason was to reward the man who protected your toy.”

Fake-guras said.

“Then what do you offer this time?”

“…”

Obviously just “fun” wouldn’t be enough. If I tried to continue like that, Fake-guras would eventually get angry. It’s just using him with wordplay.

“…Is there something you want?”

I asked carefully.

Fake-guras was silent for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

I felt someone placing a hand on my shoulder.

“You are my child.”

“…And?”

As I asked back, feeling a bit creeped out by the whispering in my ear, Fake-guras whispered even more quietly into my ear, as if no one else should hear.

“I think my child should not run away from fear.”

“…”

“No matter what you see inside, the condition that you must not run away seems sufficient.”

Objectively speaking, this was a condition that only brought loss to Fake-guras.

But…

I thought for a moment.

Sending Fake-guras back and calling a locksmith, or making a key and checking inside myself.

And I reached a conclusion.

The former involves other people.

And according to Fake-guras, there’s definitely something unusual inside.

Given that it’s in the middle of the city, it’s probably not something that would cause immediate trouble.

“…Alright.”

Besides, I was only trying to check what was inside anyway.

When I nodded, a key identical to the one I had made yesterday fell to the floor.

It was thinner than a regular key where it enters the keyhole, and had more bumps. It was probably a necessary shape to fit all the locks.

I went outside.

Rather than going around the first floor, I thought I’d just check the room next door—

…but then I walked to that room next door.

If I confirmed there was something in the next room, I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

Besides, I had to go to work soon. I couldn’t afford to be distracted all day and make mistakes.

“…”

After hesitating for a moment in front of the door, I inserted the key.

The door opened disappointingly easily.

“…Ugh.”

I frowned at the smell that wafted out.

No, it wasn’t an extremely bad smell.

I felt along the wall for the switch, and when I flipped it, the lights came on. The electricity wasn’t cut off? Since this apartment is managed by Kagami, he could probably do that if necessary.

And that means this apartment isn’t just used for the cult’s money-making. If there was no use for it, they could have cleared everything out and accepted tenants.

Inside the room with the lights on—

It was covered with plastic.

It was somewhat thick, transparent plastic. As if prepared to easily clean up if something spilled on top.

…Yes. It looked like what people planning murders in movies or dramas often prepare.

If it was just plastic, one could say they were worried about dust accumulating. But underneath it…

There were dark stains.

I knelt down to see more closely. When I spread the plastic flat against the floor with my hands, the stains became more visible.

It wasn’t just black. The edges were subtly reddish-black.

So it didn’t seem like ash or paint. It looked like a stain where some liquid had dried up.

I know what kind of liquid turns that color when left for a long time.

The smell wasn’t coming from there. Following the faint smell that permeated the entire room, I turned my head and saw a refrigerator.

A refrigerator.

In my room, the refrigerator is near the entrance. The entrance and kitchen share the same space, so it’s placed there.

But that refrigerator was where the TV would be in my room.

“…”

The reason I put the TV there was simple.

Because there was an outlet there.

So, they put the refrigerator there to operate it.

I could hear the refrigerator running.

…I was told not to run away.

I slowly got up from the floor and walked toward the refrigerator.

The smell gradually intensified as I approached. Even though it was getting stronger, it wasn’t unbearable. Even if food rots in a refrigerator, as long as you don’t open it and the refrigerator is working, the smell doesn’t get too bad.

I slowly reached out and opened the refrigerator door.

Since it hadn’t been opened for a long time, there was a sticky sound when the refrigerator opened.

I could feel my heart beating hard.

I wish Fake-guras would say something.

The window in this room had curtains hanging. They were thick curtains that barely let in sunlight.

I understand why they were hung there.

If someone looked in from outside, they would have found the room’s appearance strange.

The refrigerator door opened completely.

Cold air flowed out.

And.

“…What is this?”

Inside were what looked like chunks of meat, thickly wrapped in plastic wrap.

I have no idea what those chunks were cut from. But I can guess why they were wrapped so tightly.

If they weren’t wrapped, the smell of rot wouldn’t have been contained to this degree. If they weren’t in the refrigerator, the fluids might have seeped through the ceiling to the floor below.

Among those unidentifiable chunks of meat, something was visible in the deepest part.

Though wrapped in plastic and pressed down, it looked like… some kind of hair. Not very thick hair, stuck to pale flesh.

It wasn’t… a very large chunk.

Probably smaller than my head. Much smaller.

I gritted my teeth, slowly closed the refrigerator door.

Then I got up and went outside.

I closed the door, locked it, and went to the next room’s door.

And I checked. It was the same. This room was similarly wrapped in plastic, with dried bloodstains beyond the plastic, and inside the refrigerator were pieces of flesh wrapped in plastic wrap that, even if all put together, would be much smaller than me.

It was a bit strange.

If that was… what I was thinking, then that part shouldn’t be like that.

Some parts were too big, some too small. Since the refrigerator was “full,” there must have been more than one or two individuals, but it was still strange. There were parts that didn’t match “that age group.” There were clearly leg-like parts that branched out like twigs.

Human legs don’t branch out like twigs.

Only after I had checked all the rooms on the first floor did a fact dawn on me.

“You are my thousandth child.”

“…”

And before I could reach that conclusion, Fake-guras smiled and said:

“What will you do? You said you wouldn’t run away.”

Yes, that was the deal.

“…”

I silently returned to my room for now.

And like yesterday, I threw the red key into the bathroom.

I unwrapped the bandage, confirmed the wound had healed, and sat down.

Then I exhaled deeply.

“Tell me. What’s the extent of ‘running away’?”

“Hooh.”

Fake-guras made such a pleased sound.

How annoying.

“So you’re not afraid of me?”

“…You’re not the problem. The one who… wants to summon you would be the problem.”

Of course, Fake-guras became interested in that and started looking into Earth.

No, of course that might not be the case.

If Kagami is really what I first thought he was, he might have sent this guy directly.

“Interesting. Interesting.”

Fake-guras laughed as he faded away.

…The deal condition itself was too favorable to me from the start.

I never really planned to run away anyway.