Even though Nozono Shizuka himself had no such obligation, since it involved matters related to Exorcists, he could not simply sit by and do nothing.
"What's wrong? Why bring this up all of a sudden?" His crimson phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, Nozono Shizuka watched Kisaragi Chiyo with his arms crossed, looking quite composed.
"Even though there is no direct evidence to prove.." Kisaragi Chiyo lowered her eyes, staring at the clear water in the teacup before her, her expression unreadable.
But I think it has something to do with him.
"That man.." Kisaragi Chiyo opened her mouth, feeling a tightness in her throat; whenever anything related to that guy was mentioned, the events of that day would uncontrollably flash before her eyes.
The village.. the shrine, an unprecedented fire was raging. His grandmother, Oboshima, gripped his hand tightly; she used all her strength to push against his back, telling him to run as fast as he could and never to stop.
So he plunged into the mountains.
Unable to discern direction or determine the time, there was no time for anything but to run forward recklessly. The burning past, the screams, the thick scent of blood behind him were all left far behind.. he could only escape like this.
Kisaragi.
Snap out of it.
Nozono Shizuka's low scold brought Kisaragi Chiyo back from his memories. He raised his head in a daze, looking at his friend who was watching him from across the low table with furrowed brows, the pained expression on his face softened slightly.
I'm sorry.." Kisaragi Chiyo rubbed the space between her eyebrows, her expression looking somewhat weary. "I just can't stop thinking back to those things..
It wasn't your fault." Nozono Shizuka said with certainty. "As it turns out, your suspicions were correct.
The culprit responsible for all this fault and tragedy is still alive.
Nozono Shizuka had also initially harbored doubts regarding Kisaragi Chiyo's paranoia. He understood the Oboshima's abilities, regarding the culprit who had destroyed the village and the shrine, he was more inclined to believe that the Oboshima had perished together with them.
Because later, when the escaped Kisaragi Chiyo arrived at the Mechano Family carrying a letter from the Oboshima, the Mechano Family head at that time had personally led people to investigate.
The original shrine had been completely consumed by the fire, while a few remaining structures in the village still stood.
After searching inside and out, the Mechano Family could not even find a single corpse; the place was incredibly clean, as if the village had always been abandoned, shrouded in a deathly silence.
Upon receiving this news, Kisaragi Chiyo remained silent at the time, everyone thought he had accepted the outcome of perishing together with Oboshima. But only Nozono Shizuka knew that the other party had never given up.
It seemed as though the other party had pushed all of his future life choices onto a path of pursuing an elusive killer.
Can a person seek revenge against a shadow?
Nozono Shizuka didn't know how to comfort her, so as a friend, the only help he could offer was to search for any news that might be related to that killer as much as possible, then pass it on to Kisaragi Chiyo.
"I have an idea." One day, Kisaragi Chiyo suddenly found him.
"Since I am the best vessel in his plan to hold the curse." The crow-colored haired youth revealed a very faint smile, a strange radiance blooming on his face, his tone light as if he were discussing something utterly inconsequential.
"Then why couldn't he just come to me directly?" After being adopted by the Mechano Family, for the sake of safety or some kind of protection, the name Oboro Asagiri needed to be hidden just like in the past.. to be erased.
Thus, Kisaragi Chiyo reappeared, taking the place of the original Oboshima.
Because the former Oboro Asagiri had always been active while dressed as a woman, no one ever associated her with the male Kisaragi Chiyo.
It was as if Oboro Asagiri had vanished along with the shrine that was destroyed in that great fire.
"What do you want to do?" Nozono Shizuka asked calmly; he had already grown accustomed to Kisaragi Chiyo's obsession and stubbornness.
"I want Oboro Asagiri to reappear." Kisaragi Chiyo looked quite excited, a flush coloring his face as he looked at Nozono Shizuka with expectant eyes.
"Then how about writing a novel?" Nozono Shizuka pondered for a moment before making the suggestion.
"Novels?" Kisaragi Chiyo blinked, looking puzzled.
"Go and submit a story to this magazine then," Nozono Shizuka said, handing the magazine next to him to Kisaragi Chiyo.
If the novel can be published, the name Oboshima will be known by more people. If that fellow were still alive, he would definitely become suspicious.
*
"So you think the Church of Hope has something to do with that guy." Nozono Shizuka subconsciously curled his fingers and tapped the table, his brow furrowed in deep thought.
Screening.." Nozono Shizuka muttered to himself, "The Church of Hope was just a tool from the beginning, using so-called self-made miracles to deceive people and amass wealth..
Nozono Shizuka fell silent again as he spoke, his eyes cast down, as he traced a symbol on the tabletop with his finger.
"There are plenty of tools like this; those capable of developing them to survive are held in the hands of powerful people." A smile played on Nozono Shizuka's lips; as the head of the Mechano Family, he knew quite a lot about these matters.
Kisaragi, stop worrying about the Church of Hope for the time being," Nozono Shizuka said, making a shushing gesture. "At least for now.
Let's talk about the situation at the villa instead.
Kisaragi Chiyo fell silent. He looked up at the smiling Nozono Shizuka, finding it difficult to imagine what the other man was thinking, or rather, what kind of intricate web of relationships lay behind the Church of Hope.
"I understand." Kisaragi Chiyo paused for a long while before nodding slightly.
*
By the time he bid farewell to his friend and prepared to leave the Mechano Family to return to the inn, it was already five in the afternoon. In the distance, the edges of the sky rolled with red and orange clouds, several thick clouds hung there, making Kisaragi Chiyo think of a soft, warm mattress.
Yashihara has many mountains, one following another in an undulating landscape, appearing deep and vast in the winter twilight.
But every time she gazed upon these mountains, Kisaragi Chiyo felt a sense of incredible peace in her heart.
"I'd better head back soon." Kisaragi Chiyo rubbed his hands together, exhaling a puff of white mist; even with gloves on, he still couldn't stop the encroaching chill of the dropping temperature.
He tightened the white scarf around his neck a bit more, burying most of his head inside it; from a distance, he looked like a strange person with his head wrapped in cloth.
But Kisaragi Chiyo did not care; he thought of the extra weight in the suitcase, the cat's feigned indifference, the puppy's pitiful gaze, his pace quickened once more.
The cold wind could not quell the urgency in his heart. He couldn't wait to get back to his room in the inn; he had already abandoned his previous plan to question why Matsuda Jinpei and Yashihara had hidden in his suitcase and followed him secretly.
"Kisaragi-kun.." Just as Kisaragi Chiyo was two or three steps away from the hotel entrance, a slightly hesitant male voice suddenly called out to him.
Turning around, a young male face appeared before him.
It was an ordinary face with no particularly memorable features, his expression was somewhat awkward and hesitant, but when he saw Kisaragi Chiyo actually turn around, he instantly appeared quite surprised and delighted.
"It really is you!" The man in the gray suit ran toward him in small steps, waving his hand at Kisaragi Chiyo, completely unbothered by the young man's cold expression and attitude.
"Who are you?" Kisaragi Chiyo narrowed her eyes, watching the man's sudden familiarity, couldn't help but search her memories for any connection to this face.
My dear Mari Koike." The man scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Mari Koike.
You might not remember me, but I used to sit behind you in high school.
"Mari Koike?" Kisaragi Chiyo repeated, struggling to dig up any memory related to the other person from her past.
So you're that Mari Koike who disguised herself at night, snuck back into the teacher's office to get her game console back, but ended up scaring the principal unconscious and getting reported for criticism?
Mari Koike: ".."
Please don't mention that matter again." Mari Koike slowly covered her face, looking embarrassed. "I just wanted my handheld game console back..
Fine." Kisaragi Chiyo didn't care about the former classmate's motives; he shrugged indifferently and asked with a slightly detached tone, "So, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?
"Um.. Kisaragi-kun, I have a favor to ask of you." As she spoke, Mari Koike lowered her head even further.
To be honest, although he was a classmate of Kisaragi Chiyo during high school, they actually had almost no interaction. Aside from occasionally borrowing each other's homework for reference, to be fair, there was a rather embarrassing detail: Mari Koike was actually somewhat afraid of Kisaragi Chiyo.
He had heard some rumors about her before—that she was a gloomy person.. that she seemed able to see things that didn't exist.. a freak, an outcast, things of that nature.
At that time, there were indeed some classmates in the class, like delinquents or unfriendly types, who wanted to take advantage of this to bully Kisaragi Chiyo, but those guys ultimately suffered accidental mishaps, like tripping and breaking their front teeth or having bird droppings dropped on their heads.
In short, Kisaragi Chiyo had always been a mysterious and unpredictable existence in the heart of Mari Koike.
"Oh?" Kisaragi Chiyo frowned. He had originally intended to turn and leave, but upon hearing the other person's stammering explanation, his interest was suddenly piqued.
What did you just say was in the warehouse used for storing old things?
"Old furniture and some useless things?" Mari Koike was left somewhat confused by the question.
The first part.
"Handwritten folklore notes from my great-grandmother's travels?" Mari Koike asked, her voice sounding uncertain.
I understand." Kisaragi Chiyo nodded slightly. "Now, take me to your family's warehouse.
In exchange, lend me your grandmother's notes.
"Huh?" Mari Koike looked bewildered, having not expected Kisaragi Chiyo to agree so quickly. However, under the other's urging, she obediently led Kisaragi Chiyo to the warehouse that had been making strange noises lately.
"This is the place." Mari Koike stood before the warehouse entrance, feeling somewhat uneasy. The warehouse had been built many years ago; it had no electricity, didn't even have windows.
It was pitch black inside; if one didn't carry a lamp inside, one wouldn't be able to see anything at all.
"Thud, thud, thud"—the sound of something crashing echoed from deep within the warehouse.
It's that sound," Mari Koike said, her voice trembling. "Ever since a while ago, this sound has been coming from there every once in a while.
"How long has it been going on?" Kisaragi Chiyo asked.
It's been going on for about four or five days.." Mari Koike pursed her lips. "My grandmother told me that this kind of thing never happened before; it only started appearing on the third day after I moved in..
Therefore, Mari Koike suspected whether she had brought something strange to her grandmother's house. For the sake of her family's safety, she had put on a thick skin to ask Kisaragi Chiyo for help.
Of course, it wasn't that he hadn't tried other methods before, but even applying the talismans given by the temple priest had no effect. It wasn't until he caught a glimpse of Kisaragi Chiyo's figure from afar on his way back, remembering the rumors he had heard in high school, that he called out to Kisaragi Chiyo in a desperate attempt to find any possible solution.
"I understand." Kisaragi Chiyo took the lamp used for lighting from the other person's hands, her expression remaining as calm as ever.
"Wait here." Kisaragi Chiyo gazed calmly into the darkness.
I'll go in and take a look.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you for the support, my little angels. Mwah!
Chapter 73
The dark, crowded warehouse was piled high with clutter. Kisaragi Chiyo carried a kerosene lamp, her steps halting and uneven as she moved toward the source of the thumping sounds coming from deep within.
The deeper she went, the more the air grew turbid, becoming almost thick. Kisaragi Chiyo raised her hand, using the wide sleeve of her thick haori to cover her nose and mouth. Dust, cobwebs.. almost everything that accumulates when a place hasn't been cleaned for a long time was present here.
When Kisaragi Chiyo saw a centipede about as thick as a finger crawling past her feet by the dim, blurry yellow light of the lamp, she began to regret it.
He felt as if his entire body were covered in bristles, feeling extremely uncomfortable from head to toe. He wanted to retreat, but on second thought, since he had already come this far, giving up halfway seemed like it wouldn't be worth it.
Moreover, he truly wanted to see Mari Koike's great-grandmother's handwritten notes, so Kisaragi Chiyo gritted his teeth and forced himself to press on.
The closer he got to the inner area, the more prominent the smell of dust became. Shriveled spider carcasses hung inside a cabinet with a missing door, even smaller, unnamed insects scurried into piles of yellowed magazines with dated covers as soon as they sensed the bright light.
The sound was right ahead, accompanied by thumping noises and the soft, low murmurs of someone talking to themselves.
It's not here.. it's not here either.. where on earth is it? I can't see it at all.