落とし穴１１９堀：真実とピンチと壁のぼり (Part1)
### Pitfall 119: Truth, a Pinch, and Wall-Climbing
**Mayohiga**
Written in kanji as 迷い家, it can be read as *mayoi-ga*, *mayoiga*, or *mayohiga*.
It is a legend—or perhaps more accurately, a piece of folklore—passed down through the Tohoku and Kanto regions of Japan.
The first written account appeared in the *Tono Monogatari*, a collection of tales gathered from folklorists and locals, published in 1905. It is believed to have existed long before that.
As the classification suggests, it is not a ghost story but a piece of folklore. It describes a mysterious house that brings wealth and status to those who visit it. "Wealth and status" (*fuki*) refers to being both rich and holding a high social position—in short, it is said to bring good fortune.
However, not everyone who visits receives these blessings. Some stories suggest that the selfless are rewarded with luck, while those driven by greed or malice meet with misfortune.
In modern interpretations, due to its unique location and the anecdotes regarding the good fortune it brings, there is a strong view that Mayohiga is a "yokai mansion."
There are even stories of people bringing items back from Mayohiga, which adds a layer of credibility to its existence and is likely why the legend has persisted to the present day.
***
**Side: Yuki**
"And that’s why I made it *Mayohiga*-style!"
"‘Made it style,’ my foot!!"
I roared at Luna.
She’s always causing nothing but trouble...
It all started when the New Continent diplomats asked if I knew the whereabouts of their people.
The "New Continent diplomats" refers to Kagura and her group.
I had assumed they were just showing their faces at the Weed Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the intercontinental exchange, but they weren't there either.
When the question of where they could have gone arose, someone mentioned they had gone out for lunch and never returned.
To make matters worse, we couldn't reach them via call, which sent the upper management of Weed into a panic.
We declared an emergency and organized a search party. After gathering information...
During their rounds, the duo of Tori and Riel received a tip from Lari, who works at a café, stating that Kagura and her group were seen having lunch at the same table as Luna.
Thus, we captured our prime suspect, Luna, and interrogated her. It turns out she had taken the old haunted house—now a defunct school—that she’d renovated on a whim last night, and sent Kagura and her friends in as "sacrificial test subjects" for her new entertainment attraction.
"Boo. I submitted the roster, didn't I? There weren't any discrepancies, were there?"
"The problem isn't the roster. It's that you sent Kagura and the others in there without permission."
"Eh, don't worry about it. You guys know better than anyone—having heard their stories directly—that those girls wouldn't attack anyone, right? Besides, if there were an emergency, Kagura and the others would have contacted us via call."
This useless goddess was so carefree it was infuriating.
"That place is a special build! Calls don't go through there!!"
"Oh, right. I forgot."
*This useless goddess...*
But this happy-go-lucky deity continued...
"But it'll be fine. No one there kills people, and if something happens, the house will just spit them out. In other words, they'll come back once a certain amount of time has passed."
"People who actually have business with Kagura are asking for them right now! 'A certain amount of time' has already been two hours! It’s interfering with our operations!!"
"Ugh, you're so noisy. ...Though, I only told them 'a certain amount of time,' so I wonder how long that actually is?"
Hearing Luna say that, I got a sinking feeling.
"Don't tell me that for a ghost, 'a certain amount of time' is measured in years?"
"..."
Luna answered my anxiety with silence.
"You useless goddess!! Steve, gather a rescue squad at Dungeon Special Floor 3! Kagura and the others are in there!"
I immediately ordered Steve and his team to mobilize.
*‘Eh? Special Floor 3? Isn’t that the place where magic, skills, and even internal bodily functions are almost entirely sealed? It’s supposed to be close to Earth’s environment, right...?’*
"Exactly. That’s why Kagura and the others can’t be reached—they were dumped in there."
"Who dumped them?! Kagura and the others went in on their own accord!!"
You clearly manipulated them into it, you scam artist!!
*‘Okay, so the goddess behind us is the real culprit. And, though I think it’s a waste of time, can’t we just disable the floor’s status or demolish the building?’*
"Unfortunately, no. There are tons of people and ghosts inside the building. They’d be caught in the collapse. And if I disable the status, Kagura and the others might be in a state of mental confusion, so if I do it carelessly..."
*‘...The confused Kagura-tachi would go on a rampage and blow everything to smithereens, right? There’s really no winning here.’*
"That’s the situation. Do whatever you can to restrain them."
*‘Dragging out someone who’s in a state of confusion is going to be a real pain, though.’*
"I’ll head over there once I finish interrogating this one. Hold off on storming the main gate. There’s a local collaborator, Warrant Officer Yamamoto, who represents the defunct school’s ghost squad. Get the situation from him first."
*‘Who? Warrant Officer Yamamoto?’*
"Apparently, one of the wandering souls this Luna dragged over from Earth. It seems he died in action in the Solomon Islands during World War II. I heard that in the interview yesterday."
*‘Whoa... Can you even talk to him?’*
"You can definitely talk to him. Taizo-san has taken him on as a superior officer."
*‘Ah, that makes sense. We’re heading to the site to make contact with Warrant Officer Yamamoto.’*
With that, Steve and his team began their operation.
Well, the advance team is handled, but...
"So, what’s with the 'Mayohiga-style' thing? As I explained earlier, isn't it a bit of a stretch to do a 'Lost House' in a defunct school?"
"Ah, the content is about visitors receiving good fortune, right? I just imitated that part. Look, if it’s just scary, people in this world won't come near it, right? So I thought if there was something to gain from visiting, it would be better. That’s why I made it Mayohiga-style."
"Ah, so that’s why it’s just 'style'."
"Bringing in the real Mayohiga would be boring, after all."
"That would have been much more peaceful, though... So, what were you planning to do for the 'customer attraction' part where they get something good? The luck-boosting effect of Mayohiga is significant. Were you planning to give that to everyone?"
"If I did that, there would be an inflation of luck, so no. I was just thinking of handing out a gold coin or two."
"That’s cheap!? And where is that gold coin even coming from? If they get used to it, they’ll come to clear it over and over again. It’s not profitable. Are you going to raise the entrance fee?"
"Huh? Now that you mention it, that’s true. If I don’t charge an entrance fee, I won’t make a profit, right?"
"You didn't think that through..."
This goddess is truly hopeless.
"I-I couldn't help it! It’s fine that I brought them here, but it’s pitiful if they’re just thrown away after being used once yesterday, isn't it?"
"No, normal people don't experience that level of supernatural phenomena in their entire lives, and even people involved with us don't see it that often. Besides, the agreement was that the treatment of the people you brought was to be left to us!!"
"It’s your fault for not enjoying it properly!!"