Chapter 76: Because I Thought It Would Make the Trip More Fun, You See
“After sleeping on it for a night, I gave it some thought… and no matter how I look at it, yesterday’s dream had to be your doing, didn’t it?”
“My, my. What a strange thing for you to say, Taketsuru.”
It was the morning of our second day in Fushijishi Village.
In other words, the morning of our departure.
I had already finished my usual morning routine and returned to the inn when Taketsuru, Meiko, and Kuwajima finally woke up. The three of them were waiting for me with matching expressions, and the moment they saw me, they spoke almost in unison.
Only Niwashita-san remained silent, wearing the wry smile of someone perfectly content to sit back and watch events unfold.
My doing, huh?
Very well.
Let’s hear the prosecution’s case first.
“So first of all, it’s already weird enough that all of us suddenly fell asleep in broad daylight after hearing a lullaby. But after that, every single one of us somehow had the exact same dream. Looking at the circumstances, the most reasonable conclusion is that you were behind it somehow.”
“Hm. And do you have any proof that I was the mastermind?”
“G-Gouto-kun… the fact that you’re asking for proof is basically a confession, isn’t it? If you were innocent, you’d be saying something like, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’”
As expected of Meiko.
She understood me frighteningly well.
Her insight truly bordered on the supernatural.
Still, even after having my thought process exposed so accurately, I simply answered with a broad, carefree smile.
“The foundation of Japanese law is that the accused is innocent until proven guilty. Even if circumstantial evidence points toward me, without actual proof, it’s nothing more than baseless slander. Besides… even if I really had been the mastermind—”
I paused deliberately.
“…you had fun, didn’t you?”
“Ugh… well…”
The momentum of the prosecution visibly faltered.
The truth was, despite all their complaints, every one of them had enjoyed the bizarre event to some extent.
Everyone has experienced something similar.
Maybe someone reluctantly drags you into playing sports, insisting it’ll be fun. You sigh, complain, and join against your better judgment… only to discover you actually had a great time.
This was exactly the same.
A life-or-death game of tag in a cursed traditional village might not sound appealing at first…
But once you actually experienced it—
Well.
It turned out to be surprisingly entertaining.
Granted…
It had all taken place inside a dream.
Besides, there wasn’t a single law in this country prohibiting someone from “intervening in multiple people’s dreams to host a traditional cursed village event.”
It was the same problem as prosecuting psychic crimes.
Even if every shred of evidence somehow came to light, there would be no legal framework capable of proving my crime.
Which meant the only thing I truly needed to worry about wasn’t legality.
It was compliance.
As long as no one walked away thinking, That village gave me an awful experience, then everything was fine.
After all…
Legal correctness and personal likes or dislikes were two entirely different things.
“By the way, Kirishiro-kun, where did you disappear to this morning?”
Sensing that the argument wasn’t going anywhere, Kuwajima smoothly changed the subject.
It was around seven-thirty in the morning.
Too late to call it an early-morning stroll, yet still rather early for someone to have gone out somewhere.
After dinner last night, everyone had been put to sleep once again, but I had only taken a short nap myself before getting back to work well before dawn.
I considered how much I should reveal.
Then decided there was no point hiding it.
Nobody was going to sue me anyway.
“I went to see the village chief for a while. Going forward, I plan to provide consulting services for a real-life immersive traditional village experience, provided it doesn’t interfere with my actual job. First, the chief, the local guardian deity, and I identified the existing problems. Little by little, we’ll develop it into a proper attraction.”
“What an unbelievably shameless confession. If it weren’t me, I might’ve let that slip right past.”
I deliberately ignored Kuwajima’s comment.
Taketsuru and Meiko were both glaring at me with eyes that practically accused me of every crime under the sun.
I ignored those too.
Yesterday’s incident hadn’t simply been entertainment.
It had also served as a presentation for the village chief.
From here on, instead of ambushing unsuspecting visitors, the village would openly launch a Traditional Village Experience Event as part of its revitalization efforts.
Using everyone’s experiences from last night as feedback, we’d gradually polish the concept into a legitimate attraction.
For example…
The two-day, one-night package we’d just experienced shouldn’t be the only option.
Different customers would naturally want different experiences.
A two-night, three-day course would let guests spend the first evening experiencing subtle supernatural incidents before the main event began, making everything feel even more authentic.
A one-week package could include all kinds of strange village customs, day and night alike. Guests would gradually become acquainted with the villagers, building relationships before eventually reaching the climactic game of tag.
That way…
Each visitor would naturally create their own unique story.
And if someone stayed for an entire month…
They could delve into the village’s deepest secrets, investigate the truth behind Fushijishi Village itself, and even unravel the identity of the guardian deity.
Another advantage was that guests could cooperate with one another.
Imagine combining someone on the week-long course with someone experiencing only the overnight package.
The experienced guest could guide the newcomer through the village’s mysteries.
Or…
Their relationship could just as easily give rise to betrayal.
The possibilities for drama were endless.
More importantly…
If we didn’t structure things that way, we’d be wasting the event’s greatest selling point—
Dreams so realistic they were indistinguishable from reality.
If the visitors discovered they were the only guests affected, they’d immediately realize something strange was going on.
No.
The greatest appeal of this attraction was simple.
Inside a dream…
You could experience an authentic cursed village.
This time, thanks to my presence, my suspicious companions, and especially Niwashita-san’s razor-sharp intuition, everyone had accepted from the beginning that this was “an event.”
But imagine advertising it honestly as a themed attraction…
Only for visitors to suddenly be plunged into a dream so convincing they couldn’t distinguish it from reality.
The terror.
The realism.
The overwhelming immersion.
It would become an unforgettable experience.
The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that this project could genuinely make Fushijishi Village famous.
Of course…
That didn’t mean abandoning the real-world festivals.
Visitors would always be treated as though everything were merely staged entertainment.
Only after letting their guard down…
Would they experience the real thing inside their dreams.
Another major advantage—
Almost no startup costs.
Normally, an event on this scale would require enormous investment, not to mention extensive safety measures involving the entire village.
The guardian deity’s Power of Lullabies rendered all of that unnecessary.
Inside dreams…
Anything was possible.
Even the deity herself had admitted it was thousands of times easier than trying to stage something in reality.
A business that generated income without requiring capital investment…
Honestly…
That was practically a glitch in reality.
Naturally, we’d still need to cultivate the village’s atmosphere, and if visitor numbers increased, manpower would become necessary.
But recruiting staff shouldn’t be difficult.
We could simply post listings through Light Jobs.
Mother might object.
Father, however…
He’d probably jump at the chance to help organize a summer festival for university students.
All things considered, everyone benefited.
The village earned money.
The guardian deity revitalized her home.
And I gained valuable experience organizing events.
A perfect three-way win.
Who knew when event-planning experience might become useful?
Some things were worth acquiring even if you had to pay for them.
“Though, to be clear, my real occupation is still being a university student. I’ll only be involved as long as it doesn’t interfere with my studies.”
“I think… most people study hard at university so they can eventually get a job making events like this…?”
Kuwajima certainly had a point.
Still…
There was nothing wrong with interacting with society while still a student.
After all, I knew an utterly ordinary high school student who somehow managed to maintain enough attendance to graduate while simultaneously fighting battles to save the world.
Compared to that…
Providing regional revitalization consulting on the side while attending university felt astonishingly ordinary.
“Your standards for comparison are completely broken.”
“But honestly… if it doesn’t involve dragging us into it again, then Gouto-kun can do whatever he wants.”
With Meiko’s approval secured, I decided to move the project forward little by little.
“Well then, thank you very much for having us, even if it was only one night!”
“Oh, don’t mention it! Please come back anytime!”
After exchanging cheerful farewells, we left Fushijishi-an behind.
Incidentally, the car—which had stubbornly refused to start before—had already been tested at dawn.
Its engine started perfectly now.
There was nothing preventing us from leaving the village.
Although our stay had lasted longer than originally planned, the meals had been surprisingly delicious for a countryside inn.
More importantly…
It had been a genuinely worthwhile experience.
Above all—
“I hate to admit it… but I feel ridiculously refreshed.”
“I know, right? My shoulders feel twice as light as usual.”
“Really? That much of a difference?”
“I definitely feel a lot better.”
Everyone looked completely rejuvenated.
Part of that was undoubtedly because they’d blown off a tremendous amount of stress.
But even more important…
They had enjoyed an exceptionally good night’s sleep.
Not during the cursed village dream.
After that.
Before everyone went to bed, I had quietly asked the auditory hallucination for one personal favor.
Since she was the God of Lullabies…
I wanted her to give them—especially Taketsuru and Meiko—the best sleep she’d ever bestowed upon anyone.
She had agreed almost immediately.
As a result, those two had probably slept more deeply than they had in months.
“So? Looking back… wasn’t making that detour worth it?”
“…Yeah.”
Taketsuru answered with an unusually conflicted expression.
Meanwhile…
Meiko kept staring at me.
Then, employing that absurdly sharp intuition of hers once again…
She arrived at the truth.
“…Gouto-kun… did you stop here from the very beginning because you wanted us to get some proper rest?”
“……..Hm. What makes you think that?”
“Thinking about it calmly… cursed traditional villages aren’t really common material in textbook light novels, are they? But after we arrived, you started pushing everything forward kind of forcefully. You even insisted we stay one night even though it was pretty unreasonable. It just… didn’t feel very… ordinarily like you. Even if you were trying to keep yourself from becoming the protagonist.”
Sharp as ever.
She wasn’t wrong.
That had indeed been partly intentional.
I’d still made every effort to act like an ordinary university student…
But I knew I’d pushed things more aggressively than usual.
The reason traced back to yesterday.
Back when the car navigation system had started acting strangely.
After warning Kuwajima about the hallucination on the navigation screen…
I’d seen another hallucination.
──────
Current Stress Levels
Taketsuru Yuu: 70
Nekoyanagi Meiko: 82
Kuwajima Taeko: 8
Niwashita Sumire: 52
Average person: 30–50
Comment: If you follow the navigation, you might find a way for everyone to relieve some stress.
──────
My first thought upon reading that had been:
Kuwajima really is living a happy life.
At that point, turning the car around and returning to the villa had still been an option.
Instead…
I stayed.
If there was an event capable of relieving everyone’s stress waiting ahead…
Then we should clear that first before enjoying our vacation.
Think of it as getting a head start on a perfectly ordinary summer event.
Of course…
I certainly hadn’t expected us to be trapped for several days.
Which was why I’d compressed the whole experience into a single overnight stay.
“If all of you were carrying around that much stress, then I figured it’d be more enjoyable to relax first before spending the summer at the villa.”
“…………”
“…………”
“…Huh?”
The three of them fell silent.
Well…
Three of them.
Only Kuwajima let out a dazed little noise instead.
Why were they all looking at me like that?
We were still inside the village.
If they kept standing around staring, the villagers were going to start wondering what was wrong.
“Kirishiro… what was that just now? That sounded exactly like something a normal university student would say.”
“For a second there… it actually sounded like Gouto-kun did something out of genuine kindness.”
“I was that stressed?”
“What exactly do you all think I am?”
Even before I became nothing more than an utterly ordinary university student…
I’d always paid close attention to other people’s condition.
Excessive stress and fatigue lowered performance.
Granted, this trip itself had been meant as a chance to relax.
But if there was a faster, more efficient way to accomplish that…
Naturally I’d choose it.
Time was limited.
As long as the world refused to slow down for my convenience, I couldn’t afford to waste even a single unnecessary moment on my quest to become an utterly ordinary university student.
Besides…
“Originally, once we reached the villa, the real battl—I mean… never mind. I’m just happy if all of you stay healthy.”
I’d almost let it slip.
I’d nearly revealed that circumstances requiring the Holy Sword might arise.
Dangerous.
Perhaps pretending to be mysterious throughout our stay in this village had become a bad habit.
I was supposed to be an utterly ordinary university student.
Someone who didn’t know the future.
Someone who merely happened to get caught up in strange events.
That was how things were supposed to be.
“Kirishiro… what were you about to say?”
“I actually thought, just for a second, that Gouto-kun had become normal…”
“At the very least, we now know summer isn’t over yet.”
“This summer’s really packed, huh?”
Stop that, Taketsuru.
Even I didn’t know the details.
I’d learned the hard way that knowing too much ruined the fun.
Sometimes, deliberately looking away from information required courage.
That said…
I did trust the hallucination’s judgment that we weren’t in any real danger.
If things actually became dangerous…
I’d make my own decisions then.
Still chatting noisily, we eventually reached the village entrance.
Waiting there were the village chief, whom I’d just met earlier that morning…
And Mana, one half of the twin shrine maidens.
“Everyone… thank you once again for visiting our village.”
“‘Please come and visit us again anytime.’”
“Heh heh… we’re just a village with nothing to offer.”
The chief ended with a sly grin.
Excellent.
That final line carried exactly the right flavor.
Anyone who’d been chased through that dream would undoubtedly freeze upon hearing it.
Beside me, the other four each wore expressions reflecting their own complicated emotions as they listened.
“Well then… let’s get going!”
Niwashita-san started the engine, and the navigation system finally displayed our villa’s true destination.
As the village slowly disappeared behind us, everyone quietly reflected on the memories they’d made there.
Then—
A familiar voice echoed directly inside all of our minds.
“Fushijishi is a wonderful place… do come visit at least once… and please help spread the word, okay?”
Every single person in the car flinched simultaneously.
Seeing them react like that…
Perhaps they finally understood, if only a little, what it was like to constantly suffer from hallucinations.
Then the voice continued.
“Oh, and I’ve attached one of my divided spirits to Kirishiro-san. So if you happen to find a nice god somewhere, please introduce us. Otherwise… I’ll curse you.”
Why?
──────
【Me @ Apparently the Appraisal Skill★】
Comment: Maybe because you told a god she’d end up missing her chance to get married.
──────
──────