5
-
Ah, why did it turn out like this? I thought as I sat next to Natori-san in the tatami room at Lamp Hall.
What would Taki say if she found out I was sitting here as Taki Tooru?
'Natori-san, why did you say that!’
Before going into the shop, I protested to Natori-san quietly.
'But an explanation would be troublesome, wouldn’t it?’
That was true. In the first place, it would be very difficult to explain that coming here without having Taki contact Yoshimi-san was the reason I came. Even so…
When we opened the door and entered, for a moment, rattling went throughout the shop. The youkai were making a racket.
'Kyaa!’
'Quiet!’
Natori commanded the youkai in a sharp voice.
'Go home, go home!’
'You’ll get hurt again, youngster!’
'We aren’t going to leave!’
The youkai were jeering at us.
'We came back to talk.’
'To… talk? You came back to talk with Natori-san, Tooru-kun?’
'Heh, well, it’s something like that. Before that…’
Natori-san looked around the shop.
'Which is the oldest out of these antiques?’
'That would be me.’
The daruma on the wall scroll replied.
'I see, it’s this daruma-san. Then you’ll be the representative.’
'Fine. Everyone, leave it to me.’
'Will you be OK, old man?’
'Don’t be tricked by the humans!’
Natori handed the wall scroll to me and said, 'It’s fine, so head to the back. Let’s see.’ He urged the bewildered Yoshimi-san to the tatami room in the back of the shop.
Without answering Yoshimi’s question, Natori urged her towards the back of the shop.
'Hang the daruma here. Sasago and Urahime, watch the shop.’
Natori gave the order to his shiki and closed the sliding door. Then, he sat down in the middle of the tatami room. Sensei was sitting in the very back of the room. After I gave him the mizu youkan I had bought for takeaway and said, 'Just be quiet for a while, Nyanko-sensei,’ I went to sit next to Natori-san.
'Um, Tooru-kun is really Natori-san’s assistant, right?’
Somehow, it tickled to hear myself called by Taki’s name. Yoshimi-san asked the reason I came, so I gave an awful excuse, at which point Natori-san sarcastically said I was still a child.
'Well, shall we start talking? The first thing I would like to ask is the reason for the fuss the antiques are making.’
Natori turned to the daruma and brought up the main question.
'Hm, as if we would stand for more than half of us being tossed out. We do not want to be seen as low-valued.’
The daruma acted very much like a representative as he said that, like he was protecting the youkai’s dignity.
'More than half are to be tossed out?’
'Ah, yes. But how did you know? I don’t think I wrote that in the letter.’
Shoot. Yoshimi-san couldn’t hear the daruma’s voice.
'I spoke to him about it before returning here. You always remember things so suddenly.’
'Sorry.’
Because of Natori-san’s follow-up, we somehow made it. After Yoshimi-san explained where the antiques would be going, I asked Natori-san a question.
'If that happens, they…’
What would happen to them?
'That depends on the item. Even if they are to be disposed of, there are a variety of methods.’
Some would be buried, others would be taken apart, and if they wouldn’t accept that fate, they would have to leave to find other vessels – they would probably all become separated.
'We came here as items that have been thrown out or lost their uses. We have no laments about the misfortunes of those bodies now. However, it would be lonely for us to have to separate from our good friends now.’
'I see… In either case, everyone will be separated.’
'That’s why I said that living together in my pot would have been the best for them.’
It was exactly as Natori-san said. His skill was tearing the physical bodies from youkai and sealing them into pots. Though that would have stolen their freedom, they would have been able to be together.
'The truth is, either is fine.’
The daruma gave an unexpected answer.
'We are all prepared to accept the fate of the things we have possessed. However, we cannot leave this place yet.’
––?
'U-um, do you think that the antiques are making a racket because they don’t want to be thrown out, Natori-san?’ asked Yoshimi-san.
'It appears that is the case… However, it does not appear to be the only reason.’
'This place was like paradise to us,’ said the daruma.
'It seems that they want to stay here altogether in the shop for a while longer.’
'Here?’
Yoshimi-san had a blank look on her face.
'It appears that this was a very pleasant place,’ I said.
'That’s right; it was. I liked coming here when I was a child. I think you both saw as well, but the lampshades reflecting the light from the window are enchanting…’
After saying all that, Yoshimi-san seemed to realise something and asked another question.
'When you said pleasant, did you mean for the antiques?’
'Ah, yes.’
Yoshimi-san thought hard before replying.
'I don’t know whether these things have souls. Even if they do, I don’t know what they thought about this shop. However, my grandmother loved each and every item with no discrimination.’
'I see. I can tell that the antiques miss the old lady dearly. But that old lady has passed away. She won’t return here again.’
'We understand that. Ichiko was a good human. Though she could not see us, it was just as if she could feel our presence. Because of her, this was paradise for us, who had been thrown away.’
The daruma’s voice was tinged with sadness.
'Ichiko has passed away. Those enjoyable days will not return again.’
'Then there’s no reason to stay here anymore.’
'As you say, exorcist. Once everything is finished, we will quietly let you seal us. However, none of us can leave until there is an end to the game.’
'You can’t leave until there’s an end to the game…’
'End to the game?’ repeated Yoshimi.
'That’s my excellent assistant for you. You want to say that the antiques are waiting for some sort of conclusion and won’t leave until it happens. A magnificent deduction.’
'Eh? Ah, no…’
I did it again.
'That’s right. The conclusion to the competition.’
Natori-san accepted the daruma’s words and asked Yoshimi-san whether her grandmother had any games she played. Yoshimi-san replied that none came to mind, but then, she said this, like something had suddenly come to her mind.
'Maybe that letter.’
'Ah, that.’
I realised what she was talking about.
I looked at the unfolded letter. Natori-san nodded as well.
'Hm. 14 – 9? The next words are stained too so I can’t read them. We won’t understand anything with only this. Does this have some relation to the end to that game?’
'You do not even understand that, you incompetent fool? Decipher it yourself. If you come to understand it, then you can end the game instead. If you do, then we will be sealed willingly.’
’… Hm, so that’s how it’s going to be.’
Natori-san accepted the daruma’s challenge, and said to Yoshimi-san:
'Somehow or other, it appears that the reason for the rattling in this shop is related to this letter.’
5
-
Ah, why did it turn out like this? I thought as I sat next to Natori-san in the tatami room at Lamp Hall.
What would Taki say if she found out I was sitting here as Taki Tooru?
'Natori-san, why did you say that!’
Before going into the shop, I protested to Natori-san quietly.
'But an explanation would be troublesome, wouldn’t it?’
That was true. In the first place, it would be very difficult to explain that coming here without having Taki contact Yoshimi-san was the reason I came. Even so…
When we opened the door and entered, for a moment, rattling went throughout the shop. The youkai were making a racket.
'Kyaa!’
'Quiet!’
Natori commanded the youkai in a sharp voice.
'Go home, go home!’
'You’ll get hurt again, youngster!’
'We aren’t going to leave!’
The youkai were jeering at us.
'We came back to talk.’
'To… talk? You came back to talk with Natori-san, Tooru-kun?’
'Heh, well, it’s something like that. Before that…’
Natori-san looked around the shop.
'Which is the oldest out of these antiques?’
'That would be me.’
The daruma on the wall scroll replied.
'I see, it’s this daruma-san. Then you’ll be the representative.’
'Fine. Everyone, leave it to me.’
'Will you be OK, old man?’
'Don’t be tricked by the humans!’
Natori handed the wall scroll to me and said, 'It’s fine, so head to the back. Let’s see.’ He urged the bewildered Yoshimi-san to the tatami room in the back of the shop.
Without answering Yoshimi’s question, Natori urged her towards the back of the shop.
'Hang the daruma here. Sasago and Urahime, watch the shop.’
Natori gave the order to his shiki and closed the sliding door. Then, he sat down in the middle of the tatami room. Sensei was sitting in the very back of the room. After I gave him the mizu youkan I had bought for takeaway and said, 'Just be quiet for a while, Nyanko-sensei,’ I went to sit next to Natori-san.
'Um, Tooru-kun is really Natori-san’s assistant, right?’
Somehow, it tickled to hear myself called by Taki’s name. Yoshimi-san asked the reason I came, so I gave an awful excuse, at which point Natori-san sarcastically said I was still a child.
'Well, shall we start talking? The first thing I would like to ask is the reason for the fuss the antiques are making.’
Natori turned to the daruma and brought up the main question.
'Hm, as if we would stand for more than half of us being tossed out. We do not want to be seen as low-valued.’
The daruma acted very much like a representative as he said that, like he was protecting the youkai’s dignity.
'More than half are to be tossed out?’
'Ah, yes. But how did you know? I don’t think I wrote that in the letter.’
Shoot. Yoshimi-san couldn’t hear the daruma’s voice.
'I spoke to him about it before returning here. You always remember things so suddenly.’
'Sorry.’
Because of Natori-san’s follow-up, we somehow made it. After Yoshimi-san explained where the antiques would be going, I asked Natori-san a question.
'If that happens, they…’
What would happen to them?
'That depends on the item. Even if they are to be disposed of, there are a variety of methods.’
Some would be buried, others would be taken apart, and if they wouldn’t accept that fate, they would have to leave to find other vessels – they would probably all become separated.
'We came here as items that have been thrown out or lost their uses. We have no laments about the misfortunes of those bodies now. However, it would be lonely for us to have to separate from our good friends now.’
'I see… In either case, everyone will be separated.’
'That’s why I said that living together in my pot would have been the best for them.’
It was exactly as Natori-san said. His skill was tearing the physical bodies from youkai and sealing them into pots. Though that would have stolen their freedom, they would have been able to be together.
'The truth is, either is fine.’
The daruma gave an unexpected answer.
'We are all prepared to accept the fate of the things we have possessed. However, we cannot leave this place yet.’
––?
'U-um, do you think that the antiques are making a racket because they don’t want to be thrown out, Natori-san?’ asked Yoshimi-san.
'It appears that is the case… However, it does not appear to be the only reason.’
'This place was like paradise to us,’ said the daruma.
'It seems that they want to stay here altogether in the shop for a while longer.’
'Here?’
Yoshimi-san had a blank look on her face.
'It appears that this was a very pleasant place,’ I said.
'That’s right; it was. I liked coming here when I was a child. I think you both saw as well, but the lampshades reflecting the light from the window are enchanting…’
After saying all that, Yoshimi-san seemed to realise something and asked another question.
'When you said pleasant, did you mean for the antiques?’
'Ah, yes.’
Yoshimi-san thought hard before replying.
'I don’t know whether these things have souls. Even if they do, I don’t know what they thought about this shop. However, my grandmother loved each and every item with no discrimination.’
'I see. I can tell that the antiques miss the old lady dearly. But that old lady has passed away. She won’t return here again.’
'We understand that. Ichiko was a good human. Though she could not see us, it was just as if she could feel our presence. Because of her, this was paradise for us, who had been thrown away.’
The daruma’s voice was tinged with sadness.
'Ichiko has passed away. Those enjoyable days will not return again.’
'Then there’s no reason to stay here anymore.’
'As you say, exorcist. Once everything is finished, we will quietly let you seal us. However, none of us can leave until there is an end to the game.’
'You can’t leave until there’s an end to the game…’
'End to the game?’ repeated Yoshimi.
'That’s my excellent assistant for you. You want to say that the antiques are waiting for some sort of conclusion and won’t leave until it happens. A magnificent deduction.’
'Eh? Ah, no…’
I did it again.
'That’s right. The conclusion to the competition.’
Natori-san accepted the daruma’s words and asked Yoshimi-san whether her grandmother had any games she played. Yoshimi-san replied that none came to mind, but then, she said this, like something had suddenly come to her mind.
'Maybe that letter.’
'Ah, that.’
I realised what she was talking about.
I looked at the unfolded letter. Natori-san nodded as well.
'Hm. 14 – 9? The next words are stained too so I can’t read them. We won’t understand anything with only this. Does this have some relation to the end to that game?’
'You do not even understand that, you incompetent fool? Decipher it yourself. If you come to understand it, then you can end the game instead. If you do, then we will be sealed willingly.’
’… Hm, so that’s how it’s going to be.’
Natori-san accepted the daruma’s challenge, and said to Yoshimi-san:
'Somehow or other, it appears that the reason for the rattling in this shop is related to this letter.’
