落とし穴番外：田舎の家 (Part1)
Pitfall Side Story: The Country House
Country House
Side: Taiki
"Alright, let's go."
As Yuki-san said this, he reached for the door of the single-story house. It swung open with almost no resistance, much to my surprise.
*Clatter...*
As one would expect from an old settlement deep in the mountains, it was the sliding type, a rarity these days. Most modern doors open inward or outward, after all. It might be rude to call it a "countryside quirk," but you really need a spacious entryway to accommodate a door like that.
I was pondering this when a question crossed my mind.
"Wait, Yuki-san, did you unlock that?"
"No, it was open from the start. Besides, isn't that just how the countryside is?"
"Indeed. It was the same where I lived; there wasn't much of a custom of locking doors in the countryside. Well, unless you're a wealthy family, but this is just a simple one-story house."
Ah, right. I suppose I have heard that people in rural areas don't bother with locks.
Setting that aside, we stepped into the entryway.
Looking inside, there was nothing particularly out of place; just a hallway stretching from the foyer toward the back of the house.
"It feels like someone might be here. But you said it was 'restored,' yet there are worn-out shoes and things like that."
I had taken off my shoes and given the foyer a quick scan. There were indeed signs of life—worn-out footwear, stains, and grime scattered about. It felt exactly like a place where someone was still living.
"It likely means that when Luna 'restored' it, she simply rewound time. It’s a hassle to reconstruct everything from scratch, after all."
"Hmm, usually reconstruction would be easier, but... well, if one can rewind time for the entire space, perhaps it is less effort than restoring items one by one?"
"Ahaha, gods really do play by their own rules, don't they?"
Truly, they can do whatever they want. But perhaps that’s why she’s still called a "Goddess"?
Well, thanks to that, we’re able to enjoy a summer in the countryside like this, so I suppose it’s fine.
Honestly, it’s a complicated feeling.
There are things to be happy about, but then these kinds of nuisances rain down on us too.
I guess that’s just the nature of a "proper" god, isn't it?
*Creak.*
The moment I stepped off the entryway and onto the hallway floor, the wood groaned slightly under my weight.
"Is it okay for it to be this creaky right at the entrance?"
"Hm? No, this is a phenomenon that happens with humidity and such. The floorboards feel solid enough, so I don't think it's anything to worry about."
"Indeed. This much is not a problem."
"Oh, I see. Am I just being too sensitive?"
Yeah, that’s definitely because I’ve been dragged into too many ghost-related incidents by Luna-san.
"Besides, if you're thinking about anti-ghost measures, a creaky floor is actually better. You know, like a nightingale floor—it makes it easier to tell if something is moving."
"Ah, the intruder-detection floors in castles."
"That is one way to look at it."
But hearing those creaks in the middle of the night sounds even scarier to me...
Hmm, but is it better to know immediately if something is moving?
"Anyway, before we overthink it, we’re here to explore the house."
I pulled myself together and said that, and both of them nodded.
"For now, we've entered the house, but is there anything that concerns you?"
"Nothing here."
"Neither here. It’s just a normal house."
"Alright, then let's explore as a group. I don't want to let my guard down unnecessarily."
I agreed with that suggestion.
Getting separated and running into a supernatural entity is a classic trope. It’s precisely because this house looks so ordinary that it’s dangerous. Those things love to strike when you’re off your guard. That’s just how they are.
That said, it might be rude to call it small, but it was just a simple one-story house, so it wasn't very spacious.
"For now, let's start with this room facing the entrance."
Yuki-san said this and opened the door right next to the foyer...
"It’s a toilet."
"Definitely a toilet."
"It’s a Japanese-style squat toilet. Shouldn't we renovate this?"
"Ah, that’s an important point if we’re planning to use this place. I’ll add a note to the group chat."
Yuki-san said this and sent a message to the contact list on the call screen, marking the Japanese-style toilet and suggesting a renovation to a Western-style one.
"And this squat toilet isn't even a flush type; it’s the kind that drops directly down, isn't it?"
"Well, it’s the countryside, so the infrastructure is probably behind. Considering the construction costs, it makes sense."
"However, since there is running water, I suspect this village was abandoned around the time of you two. Besides, the detergents in this toilet are things I have never seen in my era."
Hearing that, I looked at the detergents, and they did look somewhat familiar.
I picked one up to check...
"But, isn't this quite old?"
The container was completely yellowed. It didn't look very clean. It was just like the worn-out shoes in the entryway. More than anything, the logo looked incredibly dated.
"Ah, I’ve seen that at my grandma's house. If that’s the case, does that mean it’s from the late Showa era?"
"Uh, so this village has been abandoned for, at most, twenty or thirty years?"
"Well, assuming it came from the same era as us."
"Twenty years is enough for a house to decay quite a bit. Anyway, we’ve only seen the toilet, so let’s check the other rooms."
With that, Yuki-san and I finished our inspection of the toilet and opened the sliding door along the hallway...
"This one is the kitchen. Open the one across from it, too."
"Understood."
The room I opened was tatami-matted, with a low table sitting squarely in the center.
"They probably brought the food they cooked over there. There’s a table here too, but it’s cluttered with stuff."
"That’s true."
The table in the kitchen was covered in plates and seasoning containers; even if you tried, only two people could sit there. And while there was a proper dish cabinet, it was also overflowing with items.