Chapter 61: I Definitely Picked the Wrong Person to Call Out To
“For starters, I don’t think this is the kind of thing you can just brush off as ‘probably auditory hallucinations.’ Give us the full story. Exactly what are you seeing… and what are you hearing?”
“Yeah, how about you report everything first and let us decide what’s going on…?”
“’Report, communicate, consult’—that’s like, basic common sense, isn’t it? Forget the whole GPS thing. This is Common Sense 101, right?”
Just as I was trying to quietly deal with the mysterious voice assaulting my ears on my own, Taketsuru, Meiko, and Kuwajima all chimed in one after another.
Apparently, the three of them belonged to the “Hallucinations Might Actually Be Real” camp.
Which was rich, considering they hardly ever believed anything I said.
…Hmm.
“Before I explain… mind if I ask one thing first?”
“What?”
Well, if they wanted to believe in hallucinations, that was their business.
To be fair, the hallucinations had seemingly saved both Taketsuru’s and Kuwajima’s lives before. That much couldn’t be denied. I wasn’t arrogant enough to insist everything they showed me was fake or meaningless.
If anything, experience suggested there was still a disturbingly high chance the information they provided was accurate.
Even taking that into account, however…
I still had to ask.
“If I relay every single thing my hallucinations tell me… can you honestly call that a normal thing to do?”
“Hold on. I feel like this conversation’s about to go somewhere really weird.”
“I’ve studied countless textbook light novels starring completely ordinary protagonists you’d find anywhere, and there’s one thing that’s always puzzled me. Well… actually there are lots of things, but let’s stick to just one.”
Taketsuru sounded wary, but this was one of those moments.
A perfectly ordinary event.
The sort of scene that showed up all the time in textbook light novels.
If that was the case, then naturally the correct course of action was to behave like a perfectly ordinary protagonist.
…Though, to be honest, there were quite a few instances where the worldview I’d cultivated over the years differed dramatically from what qualified as “normal.”
This happened to be one of them.
“I talked about this before, when we solved Kuwajima’s problem.”
“Huh? Me?”
“An ordinary protagonist… for some mysterious reason… never properly reports, communicates, or consults anyone about the information they obtain.”
“That’s stretching things way too far!”
Perhaps I’d exaggerated a little.
Still, even Meiko couldn’t deny there was at least a trend like that.
Your average, everyday protagonist never went to the police when something strange happened.
They never went to the hospital, either.
That was simply… normal.
And that wasn’t even the biggest issue.
“When problems arise, they instinctively keep everything bottled up inside. Even if talking to someone early would solve everything, they deliberately keep quiet until the situation becomes completely irreversible. Their best friend asks if they’re okay, and they answer, ‘I’m fine,’ before proving they absolutely weren’t. They notice something’s wrong with their childhood friend, tell themselves, ‘It’s probably nothing,’ leave them alone… and then suddenly they’re forced to deal with a heartbreaking farewell. Only after everything has escalated beyond control do they finally spring into action like their pants are on fire. That’s just the kind of creatures they are.”
“Pretty sure you’ve mixed a whole lot of prejudice into that analysis… Anyway, what’s your point?”
He called it prejudice.
I preferred to think of it as an objective observation.
Those protagonists would throw themselves into mortal danger without a second thought whenever the main heroine—or anyone they cared about—was in immediate peril.
Yet until that danger became impossible to ignore, they remained astonishingly passive.
With all that in mind…
I could confidently declare:
“The reason I didn’t keep everyone updated… was intentional. I figured this would happen, and Kuwajima behaved exactly the way I expected.”
“Nekoyanagi-saaaan!! I told you textbook light novels can’t be used for teaching common sense!!”
“Why would you leave things alone until they got this bad?!”
“Some of us were actually saved because of this, you know…!”
Well, if I’d wanted to, I could’ve stepped in immediately and triggered the standard event myself.
Instead, I deliberately let things play out naturally.
I’d even dropped Kuwajima a few hints along the way.
I’d also tried to be considerate of everyone else, since they’d been looking forward to an ordinary vacation.
And yet…
This was where we’d ended up.
At this point, it had to be fate.
Because ordinary university students were simply destined to stumble into perfectly ordinary events.
Which was exactly why I could say this with confidence.
“So then, everyone… let’s enjoy ourselves to the fullest. Welcome to this test-of-courage event.”
“Honestly, I’d have been perfectly happy with an event where I just got to spend time with Sumire-neesan…”
“I… really wanted to go to the beach…”
“I just wanted… a relaxing vacation…”
For some reason, the three of them wore expressions that looked as though summer had already come to a melancholy end.
Even though summer vacation had barely begun.
Why were they acting as though everything was already over?
I couldn’t help tilting my head in confusion.
This trip was supposed to last more than a week, after all.
“Um… I don’t really understand what’s going on, but can I ask something?”
“Go ahead, Niwashita-san.”
Watching the rest of us bicker, Niwashita-san ignored the trio wallowing in despair and turned to me with her usual gentle, unhurried demeanor.
“Kirishiro-kun… are you planning to spend your entire summer vacation… in this… um… mysterious place?”
A mysterious place.
The instant she said those words, the voice in my head—which had briefly faltered—regained its confidence and began speaking with renewed vigor.
“Ahahaha. That’s exactly right. You’re all honored guests. None of you may leave until you’ve received our hospitality. Come now… come to Fushijishi Village. We shall grant you an unforgettable summer memory. Though whether every last one of you’ll leave alive is another matt—”
“Nah. One night and two days should be plenty.”
“…Eh!?”
The voice sounded genuinely stunned.
Ignoring it completely, I answered in the same calm tone.
“I deliberately let Kuwajima roam free because a test of courage is a perfectly ordinary summer vacation event for ordinary university students. But spending an entire summer on one test of courage isn’t normal. One night and two days at most. If things drag on, maybe two nights and three days. Once we’ve cleared all the scheduled events, we’ll head straight to the vacation house.”
“Makes sense~. Spending one day on it isn’t so bad.”
“N-No, it isn’t! You can’t possibly escape in one night and two days! You’ll all become prisoners of Fushijishi Village! Only after uncovering the village’s secrets… and paying the necessary sacrifice… will you ever be allowed to leave!”
The hallucinated voice was getting awfully noisy.
It kept babbling about sacrifices and hidden secrets.
But from our perspective, this was nothing more than an extended haunted-house attraction.
We were the ones graciously choosing to participate.
It ought to know its place.
Otherwise…
I’d have pulled out the Holy Sword already and forced a resolution.
Besides…
It kept talking about uncovering the village’s secrets, but…
──────
“The Secret of Fushijishi Village”
The Village’s Secret:
Fushijishi Village is a tourist attraction built around the urban legends of the stereotypical cursed traditional village.
(Its official name is Fujitari Village.)
The village has no major industries and has been steadily losing population year after year.
As part of its revitalization efforts, the locals gathered together every creepy urban legend they could find and transformed the place into a convincing imitation of an ominous, tradition-bound village.
Suspicious objects were scattered throughout the area.
Mysterious customs were invented out of thin air.
The villagers alternated between warmly welcoming outsiders and treating them with unsettling hostility, all as part of the performance.
The official setting presented to tourists is this:
The village actually sank beneath a dam long ago, yet its residents continue living here without realizing they’re already dead.
That’s the version of Fushijishi Village the villagers themselves believe they’re portraying.
──────
The Real Secret:
A genuine local deity truly resides within these lands.
Amused by the villagers’ elaborate roleplay, the god occasionally lends a hand, making their fabricated traditions feel… just a little more authentic.
As a result, without realizing it…
The villagers have accidentally transformed their fake cursed village into a real cursed village.
The curses are genuine.
The divine retribution is genuine.
So if you’re planning to fool around here…
You’d be wise not to.
The only people who vaguely suspect the truth are the family responsible for worshipping the local deity—including the village chief.
Even then, the chief’s family merely thinks:
“Wow… this tourism campaign is going surprisingly well.”
What becomes of the foolish youths who earn the village’s curse…
No one knows.
Though every now and then…
The story explodes across social media.
──────
…Hallucination.
Could you at least learn to read the room a little?
Now I was the only person whose haunted-house experience had been completely spoiled.
Not only had it revealed the attraction’s gimmick…
It had even spoiled the fact that there were real supernatural entities mixed in with the fake haunted-house staff.
I’d actually been looking forward to this.
How was I supposed to enjoy the event now?
“Ufufufu… I see. So the terror has finally driven you mad. Ahahaha… but that can’t be helped. There’s no escaping now. Come… come quickly. Come to Fushijishi Village…”
The voice simply rewrote reality in whatever way was most convenient for itself.
Then, another translucent information window quietly popped into my vision.
──────
“Mysterious Voice”
Identity:
The local deity who resides in these lands, along with the voices of the children who followed the god.
Objective:
To lure in tourists who’ve heard the rumors and get them to spend money.
Current Worry:
She’s reached marriageable age but still hasn’t found a partner, while the number of children around her somehow keeps increasing.
Boyfriend: Recruiting.
Lover: Recruiting.
Spouse: Recruiting.
One Comment:
“She definitely picked the wrong person to try haunting.”
──────
…Seriously?
Now it had even exposed the tragic profile of the mysterious voice.
And apparently those children’s voices were just decoys.
The real culprit was a woman of marriageable age desperately looking for a partner.
Not only had I learned the biographies of the haunted-house staff…
I’d learned the dating profile of the actual ghost working there.
How was anyone supposed to enjoy a haunted attraction after that?
…Well.
Nothing to be done.
Once knowledge entered your head, there was no pretending it had never happened.
“Anyway, everyone else should enjoy the test of courage as much as you like. I’ll deal with this hallucinated voice. I’ll drip-feed information only when it’ll help you enjoy yourselves.”
“You’re literally getting dragged into a supernatural incident, so why the hell are you acting like the event organizer?!”
“Seriously, enough already! If you know stuff, just tell us everything from the beginning!”
“Could everyone stop making this sound like it’s all my fault?!”
“I already told you. An ordinary protagonist doesn’t report, communicate, or consult. And I decide what information is worth sharing. Accept it.”
“““YOU’RE SO INFURIATING!!!”””
…Perfect synchronization.
I was honestly jealous.
If I could’ve chosen, I would’ve liked to enjoy this haunted adventure alongside them instead of acting as the designated spoiler.
For now, though…
The Holy Sword could stay sheathed.
Lifting my eyes toward the blazing midsummer sun overhead, I turned back to the voice, which had finally quieted down again.
“All right then. Let’s head to this so-called Fushijishi Village. Hey, hallucination. Since we’re going there anyway, you can act as our navigator. Just don’t expect me to acknowledge you most of the time.”
“Eh? O-Oh… um… just… continue straight down this road, if you would.”
“How long until we get there?”
“About… twenty minutes on foot… I believe.”
“Twenty minutes? Then you should’ve had us stop the car closer to the village. Do you have any idea what month it is?”
“…What’s wrong with this man…?”
Honestly, the hallucinated voice had absolutely no right to complain.
Anyone who made people walk twenty minutes under the blazing summer sun deserved to be criticized.
“…Kirishiro’s just casually having a conversation with his hallucination now?”
“Well… it’s Gouto-kun…”
“Let’s just give up already and head to… what was it? Fushijishi Village?”
The three of them followed after me with half-lidded, utterly exhausted expressions.
Meanwhile…
“Mmm… you really are all such good friends, aren’t you?”
Niwashita-san watched our exchange with a warm smile spreading across her face.
Well…
Of course we were.
After all…
We were best friends.
And childhood friends.