Chapter 62: Can’t We Just Say the Festival Is Today or Tomorrow?
“All right. I’ve reset my mindset. From here on out, I’m treating this like we’re heading onto a battlefield.”
“Same here. I’m switching into work mode.”
“Um… should I wrap myself in bandages too?”
Having finally accepted that the car wasn’t going to start no matter what they did, Taketsuru and Meiko at last abandoned any lingering vacation mood. The carefree expressions they’d worn until now disappeared, replaced by sharp, focused gazes befitting people preparing for danger.
Kuwajima, meanwhile, was just an ordinary girl who had happened to get cursed.
As such, she was earnestly debating whether this was the appropriate moment to wrap herself in bandages.
…It wouldn’t change anything, so she really shouldn’t bother.
“Hey, Sumire-neesan. Sorry we dragged you into something so weird… but don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
“Thank you. But don’t push yourself too hard either, Yuu-kun.”
“I’m not going to overdo it over something like this.”
True to his word, Taketsuru had completely changed gears.
Rather than simply acting serious, he had shifted his priorities toward showing his dependable side in front of his older girlfriend.
Watching this display, Meiko and Kuwajima both turned half-lidded, thoroughly unimpressed eyes toward him.
What was that expression supposed to mean?
Perhaps something along the lines of:
“We get wanting to look cool… but couldn’t you at least say you’d protect us too?”
“Come now… this way… Come… come to me… Ahahahaha…”
The mysterious voice continued whispering insistently in my ears.
The problem was…
There was only one road.
If we’d gotten lost in the forest, then having a supernatural GPS would’ve been genuinely helpful.
But when the only obstacle was that our car had broken down?
This was just lazy.
If it was going to haunt people, it ought to put a little more effort into it.
“…I’m sorry.”
Good.
As long as it understood.
“Ugh… the summer sun is burning my very soul…”
“Kuwajima. I notice you aren’t wearing your bandages.”
“Sometimes… it’s okay not to.”
As expected, the first person to surrender to the oppressive August heat was Kuwajima.
Taketsuru and Meiko hardly needed mentioning.
Niwashita-san apparently did fieldwork on a regular basis, so she possessed more stamina than the average person.
And as for me…
I was a perfectly ordinary university student.
Naturally, I had all the physical endurance a perfectly ordinary university student required.
The only real concern was Kuwajima.
With skin so pale one had to wonder whether she’d ever successfully synthesized Vitamin D in her life, she looked thoroughly unsuited for prolonged exposure to the summer sun.
“Hang in there, Tae-chan. Apparently we’re almost at our destination.”
“If the destination were a beach, I’d be motivated. But hearing that we’re walking toward some suspicious village kind of kills my enthusiasm…”
As she muttered, Kuwajima slowly scanned the landscape around us.
Dense forest.
Occasional marshland.
Rice paddies.
Narrow dirt roads weaving between fields.
It was exactly the sort of countryside path only locals ever used.
Then, in the direction she’d been staring while saying “suspicious village,” a weathered wooden sign came into view.
It read simply: Beyond this point: Fushijishi Village
Combined with its old, battered appearance, it created quite an eerie atmosphere—
…Wait.
Looking closely…
Tiny letters in the bottom-right corner read: Fujitari Village Office
What was with that subtle self-advertisement?
If you were committing to the atmosphere, then commit properly.
Have some restraint.
I felt an irrational stab of irritation at this complete lack of dedication to production quality.
Both the mysterious voice and the villagers seemed just a little lacking in commitment.
Quietly positioning myself so my body blocked the tiny official label from everyone else’s view, I answered Kuwajima.
“Still, Kuwajima… isn’t it a little rude to call the setting of a perfectly good test of courage a suspicious village?”
“As a setting for a haunted test of courage… I’d say that’s exactly the right description.”
…Fair point.
I didn’t know what the village was really like.
But at the very least, whatever the tourists were meant to see would surely be the creepy parts.
After all, they’d chosen to revitalize the village by embracing that very image.
The entire community was probably working together to make the experience convincing.
As for the little “Village Office” label…
I’d graciously overlook it.
After trudging along for a while longer, Taketsuru suddenly stiffened.
“S-Shh… I can sense something alive nearby.”
Meiko nodded immediately.
Having spent my entire life in modern Japan, I’d almost never experienced a situation where I had to detect someone’s presence and remain on guard.
Heroes and ninja really weren’t just titles.
“Doesn’t feel like a bear.”
“If it’s a bear… I’d rather not fight it barehanded.”
“Agreed.”
They were discussing this so naturally.
Did these two actually consider fighting a bear with their bare hands a realistic option?
Heroes and ninja truly were built differently.
As we all remained alert, the rustling of grass gradually grew louder.
Something was pushing through the undergrowth.
Then—
“Oh? Whatever are you young folks doing all the way out here?”
A middle-aged man who appeared to be the village’s resident police officer emerged from the bushes.
“Your car suddenly stopped working? My, that’s certainly unfortunate.”
“Yes… we’ve been at a complete loss.”
Following the village officer—our very first villager—we finally stepped into Fushijishi Village itself.
At first glance…
It was the very picture of rural Japan.
Rice fields.
Vegetable gardens.
Untouched meadows.
Woodlands.
Forests.
Gentle mountains surrounding the settlement.
Houses dotted the landscape, some clustered together, others standing alone with generous stretches of empty land between them.
The entire village practically proclaimed:
“We’ve got land to spare.”
The officer’s residence and the local police box occupied the same building.
All five of us had been invited into the police station section.
Once we’d explained our predicament, the officer frowned with what looked like heartfelt concern.
──────
“Sasatani Tōru”
Occupation: Village Police Officer
Family: Wife and two daughters
Role: Kindly assist young outsiders who wander into the village while secretly spreading news of their arrival throughout the entire community.
Performance: Completely, enthusiastically committed.
──────
Knowing that beneath his sincere expression he was probably already having his wife alert the entire village about our arrival…
I had to admire his dedication.
He could probably make a successful career as an actor.
“You must all be terribly hot after walking outside. Here, please have some barley tea.”
“Thank you very much. We appreciate it.”
Just then, his wife returned from the back carrying a chilled bottle of barley tea along with several glasses.
Hmm.
Perhaps I was being overly suspicious…
But she’d taken a surprisingly long time considering she’d only gone to fetch drinks.
The preparations were probably complete.
“If possible… would you mind letting us use your telephone? We’d like to call roadside assistance, but our phones have lost signal.”
“Of course. Please, go right ahead.”
With that, the officer kindly handed over the telephone inside the police box.
Unfortunately…
This was exactly where the Curse of Fushijishi Village came into play.
Remember the village’s official setting.
This was supposedly a village that had sunk beneath a dam.
Naturally…
If you tried making a phone call from a village that technically no longer existed…
“…Huh? That’s strange… it isn’t connecting.”
Exactly.
No matter where you called…
You would never reach anyone.
Niwashita-san patiently tried dialing several more times.
The result never changed.
──────
“Telephone”
Status: Telephone line disconnected.
──────
Naturally.
The telephone cable had already been unplugged.
Most likely by the officer’s wife.
They were even willing to inconvenience themselves if it meant creating a more convincing performance.
…Though honestly, if this village had supposedly sunk beneath a dam decades ago, the fact that none of the villagers reacted with shock to seeing a smartphone meant their setting still had some glaring holes.
Then again…
Trying to make every detail line up with the modern era would probably create even bigger contradictions.
Some compromises were inevitable.
“I’m sorry… but the phone doesn’t seem to be working.”
After trying repeatedly without success, Niwashita-san finally gave up.
Watching her, the officer sighed dramatically.
“…This may be rather unfortunate.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“My apologies. May I have the phone back for just a moment?”
He accepted the receiver and pretended to try calling someone himself.
Of course…
With the cable disconnected…
Nothing happened.
“…I see.”
Keeping the same kindly smile on his face, he lowered the receiver with a grave expression.
“It seems you’ve all arrived at a very unfortunate time.”
His tone grew noticeably more serious.
“Every so often… something like this happens in our village. People are drawn here from outside… and suddenly find themselves unable to leave. Worse still, they’re unable to contact the outside world. It has happened before.”
He really was enjoying himself.
Despite the fact that he was orchestrating the entire thing.
Niwashita-san simply looked troubled rather than panicked.
Then…
Without warning…
Taketsuru stood up.
“Or… isn’t it just that the phone line’s been unplugged?”
“…Eh?”
“Eh!?”
Even the mysterious voice sounded shocked.
…Hey.
Why were all of you acting like this possibility had never occurred to you?
Surely someone questioning the phone line should’ve been part of the expected scenarios.
Didn’t you have backup plans?
A second trick?
A third?
You did prepare those… right?
Taketsuru glanced briefly toward me, shook his head, and addressed Meiko instead.
“Nekoyanagi-san. Mind checking? Something about this village smells like an act.”
“Um… if it wouldn’t be too much trouble for the two of you?”
The officer and his wife visibly panicked.
So they really hadn’t planned for this.
Your preparation is lacking, Fushijishi Village!
Perhaps the owner of the mysterious voice could somehow salvage the situation.
But if the production stumbled over something this minor, we’d never finish the event on schedule.
Time to speed things along.
“Calm down, both of you. Our phones already lost signal before we even got here. That’s already a supernatural occurrence. Isn’t it only natural that the telephone wouldn’t work too? Let’s start by accepting that.”
“Why the hell are you taking the village’s side?!”
“At the very least… we know Gouto-kun’s plotting something, don’t we?”
“For now, let’s just hear him out, okay?”
Just like that, Taketsuru and Meiko shifted all their suspicion away from the officer…
…and onto me instead.
Good.
Now that I’d settled things, Officer, kindly return to your script.
Perhaps sensing my intentions, the officer looked momentarily bewildered by my unexpected support before clearing his throat and resuming his performance.
“Ahem… Well then. As I was saying, every so often, outsiders become trapped inside this village. However… after we perform the festival honoring our local guardian deity… everyone is able to leave once again!”
As I listened, I quietly organized the information I’d gathered.
Then I nodded.
“Understood. So we’ve obtained two key pieces of information. First: we’ve been trapped inside the village. Second: in order to leave, the village festival must be held. Those are our guiding objectives moving forward. We’ll uncover every secret this village holds, survive until the festival concludes without losing a single person, and then escape together. This is getting interesting.”
“Quit acting like you’re the instructor for some immersive theme-park attraction.”
That…
Was actually a remarkably accurate description.
At the very least, I genuinely wanted everyone else to enjoy the experience.
Still…
If the festival itself was a required trigger…
Then our schedule might become a serious problem.
Turning back toward the officer, I asked:
“When is this festival scheduled to take place?”
“Usually… around Obon.”
“Obon, huh.”
That meant roughly two weeks from now.
Naturally, that completely conflicted with our travel itinerary.
Even by our original vacation plans, waiting that long was out of the question.
…Some negotiations were clearly in order.
“We’re leaving tomorrow, so could you move the festival up to today or tomorrow instead?”
“…Ehhh?!”
“What’s this person talking about!?”
The officer cried out in bewilderment while the mysterious voice practically shrieked in disbelief.
Look.
I was willing to play along…
Within reason.
But I wasn’t obligated to stay beyond the limits of my schedule.
If this really required two whole weeks…
Then leaving by force would become a perfectly reasonable option.
“In any case, I assume that isn’t a decision you can make yourself. Could you call the village chief? The one from the family that worships the local deity?”
“Um… we… we haven’t revealed the village chief yet…”
“That’s fine. Please call the village chief.”
Officer.
Let’s be flexible here.
Worst case, we’ll even pay extra for expedited construction costs.
Just speedrun the event.
The chief was probably busy preparing accommodations for the stranded outsiders right about now.
Maybe arranging ominous cursed relics around the house.
Honestly, though…
There’s no need.
We’ll believe the story without all the elaborate props.
Relax.
Whatever you’re lacking…
We’ll make up for on our side.
If necessary, we’ve got cursed items of our own.
I’ll steer things in the right direction.
So…
Please hurry.