第６００堀：おもひでばなし (Part1)
**Chapter 600: Reminiscing**
**Side: Yuki**
"It’s just some coarse tea, I’m afraid."
"Ah, no, thank you."
The one offering the tea was a semi-transparent man.
"Man, I never imagined you’d come with such a large entourage. My apologies for the cramped quarters."
"Not at all. We’re the ones who should apologize for barging in with so many people."
"Think nothing of it. I’ve been lounging in this Japanese-style room for a long time, so having people around is nothing but a pleasure."
We were currently chatting in the secret room of the legendary library. After our exploration led us to discover this space, we were invited in by a ghost who introduced himself as Sota, and now we were having tea.
By some stroke of luck—or perhaps misfortune—Kagura’s door-related mishap had prevented us from feeling any real sense of danger. We’d exchanged introductions and were now being hosted in this secret room without issue, but…
"..."
"Ka-Kagura. Hey, look. The tea is delicious."
The person in question remained face-down, not moving an inch.
...I don’t know what to say to her.
It was one of those moments where someone tries to be funny and falls flat on their face. Except Kagura isn't a comedian, nor was she trying to be funny.
...I suppose I’ll just have to leave her to Micos for now. I’ll escape reality and focus on talking to Sota-san.
"Still, to think you’d need water."
"Hah. That’s my line. You managed to reach enlightenment back home, yet for some reason, the soul you projected here is still active."
"Well, having ghost stories at the family home or having a predecessor hanging around forever is nothing but a nuisance, isn't it? Besides, I don’t exist for the sake of the Kamishiro family. I exist solely to make contact with anyone who visits this academy and understands Japanese."
"I see. The academy likely gathers more people than the Kamishiro house ever could."
"Exactly."
In other words, this Sota-san, who calls himself a "projected soul," is merely a copy, and his purpose was to make contact with someone related to Japan. It seems he and Mizutatsu-no-Mikoto—or "Mizu," as he calls her—are on familiar terms. He was delighted when he noticed the Water Dragon. In that sense, I think bringing her along was the right choice.
"I’d like to ask a question: was it intentional that you created these 'mysteries' of the academy?"
"Yes. I thought the chances of a Japanese person coming here were infinitesimally low, but if one did, I knew they would certainly be interested. So, I deliberately had them created based on classic tropes."
I see. That explains the "Nino-kin" and "Hanako-san" style urban legends.
"Well, there were many things that didn't exist here, like a music room, so it was quite a struggle to create them."
I bet it was.
"But the tropes are a bit too twisted. No one has come here until now, right?"
"Oh, let me see. One person came about 150 years ago."
"Did they have any connection to Japan?"
"No, it seems it was a coincidence. They saw my face and flipped out. I felt sorry for her."
"I should think so."
I’m of the same opinion as the Water Dragon. Anyone would be surprised. Especially a woman.
"Now, I have a slight concern. What about the time outside..."
"Ah, don't worry about that. It’s like a reverse Urashima Taro; time flows at about one-sixth the speed here."
So, one minute here is ten seconds outside. That means the ten-minute disappearance during our previous exploration was actually us wandering around in here for an hour. No wonder the surveillance records Taizo-san showed me were so strange. It wasn't just a loop; time was being compressed.
"So, you don't need to worry about time, but before that..."
"Before that?"
"Could you do something about my descendant?"
He directed his gaze toward Kagura, who was still hanging her head. She hadn't moved since she introduced herself with dead eyes.
"That’s because you made an unnecessary door. Usually, a door that opens from the inside to the outside is a push-door, you know."
"No, as you can see, it’s my room. From this side, it’s going from the inside to the outside, so opening outward is correct."
"You idiot. Objectively speaking, do you think a door attached to an outer wall would open inward?"
"Ah, Mizu, you’re as noisy as ever. We’re talking about my descendant right now. There’s no point in lecturing me. Besides, you know her better, don't you? Do something about her."
"Ngh. It’s not as if I’ve known her for a long time. Even if I’m summoned for rituals, I only started talking to her recently."
"Useless. What’s the point of living so long?"
"Your tongue is as sharp as ever, you brat."
" ' ' Huh !? ' ' "
These two are hopeless. They’re starting to get aggressive.
In times like these, it’s important for family to comfort them, right?
"Kanna. Can you take care of Kagura? As you can see, she’s still hung up on the door thing."
"Yes, I understand. Leave it to me."
Kanna replied and walked toward Kagura without hesitation.
"Ah, Kanna-sensei?"
"…Sister?"
Kanna raised her arm…
*SMACK!*
She delivered a clean slap to Kagura’s cheek. The sharp sound made the two bickering idiots fall silent.
"…O-ouch. W-why would you suddenly…"
Kagura tried to complain while holding her reddened cheek, but—
*SMACK!!*
Another slap landed on the opposite cheek, producing an equally crisp sound.
This was the legendary double-slap. I’d seen single slaps before, but I’d only ever seen double slaps in manga or games, so I felt like I was witnessing something rare.
Wait, that’s not the point. Why did she suddenly resort to slapping? Should I step in and stop this?
"Kagura!! You must be aware of your every action! The First Ancestor is concerned for you!! It is true that you made a shameful spectacle of yourself by failing to open a door despite your enthusiasm!"
"Guh!?"
Wait, is Kanna finishing her off?
"But to have the conversation stall because of one person is absolutely unacceptable!! As a member of the House of Duke Kamishiro, be ashamed of yourself!!"
"Ugh."
"If the people around you are trying to lighten the mood, then play the fool willingly!! The Princess has been doing that all along!! Are you going to laugh at her for it, Kagura!?"
"…No."
"Then, do you know what you must do now?"
"Yes."
Kagura stood up, the vitality finally returning to her eyes.
"First Ancestor. I apologize for causing you concern. I have returned to my senses, so please, continue your story."
Kagura said this with both cheeks bright red.
"A-ah, yes."
"I-indeed."
Sota-san and the Water Dragon looked taken aback, but realizing they couldn't carelessly interject, they nodded obediently.
…Yeah. Come to think of it, the whole reason they were bickering was because they were trying to figure out how to get Kagura back to normal, so I can’t really blame them.
"U-um, what were we talking about again?"
"W-what was it?"
Pressed by the sheer pressure radiating from Kanna standing behind Kagura, both of them seemed to have gone blank.
"We were talking about whether you created these ghost stories and mysteries intentionally."
"Ah, right, right. I did say I created them intentionally, didn't I?"
"Yes. The next part is why you wanted to make contact with Japanese people."
"That’s, well, you know. Should I say I missed my homeland? I felt a bit lonely back then. I didn't think I could go back, and I couldn't just abandon this country at this point. So, it was more of a 'just in case' feeling."
I see. For Sota-san, these ghost stories were created with the pure wish that he might one day meet a Japanese person.
"Well, since you’ve met my descendants and Mizu, I assume you’ve read the last will and testament I left at the Kamishiro estate?"
"Yes."