夏のスペシャル２０２４年 その２
Summer Special 2024: Part 2
Side: Yuki
*Miiin-miiin...*
The sound of cicadas still echoed through the mountain village. Even though mid-August had passed, the cicadas were clearly still in their prime.
"It’s so peaceful, isn't it?"
"Yeah. It really is."
I agreed with Taiki’s sentiment. And honestly, it was peaceful. Unlike back in Weed, I wasn't being chased by the clock, and I rarely had the luxury of just wandering around like this. It’s a bit of a paradox, isn't it? Having to make a conscious effort to carve out time for a walk.
"Though, the biggest thing to point out is that there’s hardly a soul in sight."
"Well, this is a village primarily inhabited by ghosts and yokai, after all."
As Sota-san noted, the population ratio here is about eighty percent spirits and yokai to twenty percent humans. Incidentally, the ghosts and yokai here eat regular meals, so they do tend to the fields. The reason we didn't see them was simply because they don't do that kind of work during the heat of the day. Their shift starts in the morning or at night.
"Still, I came out here thinking there might be some games, but there’s really nothing to do."
"Well, it is the countryside. Besides, we’re planning to head to the shrine after dinner tonight, right?"
"True. The stalls are the main event at night."
There was so little to do that once we’d taken a quick look around the village, I realized with a sinking feeling that I had absolutely no plans. Even on vacation, having this much downtime felt a bit strange. Should I just go back home and play games or build a plastic model?
As I was pondering this, Taizo-san suddenly spoke up.
"Hm? Is that a shop?"
"Hmm. Oh, I see a banner. And is that an ice cream freezer case?"
We followed Taizo-san and Sota-san’s gaze, and sure enough, there was a shop. It was one of those nostalgic, standalone shops—the kind I’d only ever seen in movies or manga—built by renovating the eaves of a private house. Seeing it brought something to mind.
"...Come to think of it, my wives told me it was a problem that there was nowhere to shop, so I asked Suzuhikohime and the others to set something up."
"Ah. Well, I suppose it’s better to be able to buy things for yourself whenever you need them."
"Sometimes just being supplied with everything isn't enough."
"The act of choosing and buying things for yourself is a form of entertainment in its own right. Shall we take a look?"
With that, we approached the storefront.
"Wow, this really is like the shops from back in the day."
"You're right. An ice cream case, a Metal Slu* game, a medal game, a ten-yen game, and a bench."
It was the quintessential layout of a candy store or a local shop from my childhood. I used to play these games, buy ice cream or snacks, and sit on the bench to eat them. It was a sanctuary for kids.
"Is this kind of thing normal?"
"It was. From the Showa to the Heisei era, you saw these kinds of private shops everywhere."
Taizo-san wasn't born in an era where these shops were common, and while Sota-san was born just as games were starting to appear, he’d certainly seen them before. We chatted as we stepped inside.
The interior was dimly lit, despite the lights being on—it had that authentic, lived-in feel. That said, the shelves were stocked with goods from Weed, and since it was backed by the state rather than a private owner, there was no shortage of inventory. In the old days, these shops often had sparse, dusty shelves.
"Oh, welcome."
As we looked around, Tang-er, who was sitting at the back counter reading a magazine, greeted us.
"Oh, I wondered where you’d disappeared to. You were here the whole time?"
"Yeah, we’re running the shop in shifts. It’s supposed to be 24-hour service, so come by whenever."
"Here?"
"Yeah. I don't think anything will happen this time, but this village has a surprising number of supernatural phenomena. Suzuhikohime and the rest of us keep a watch, but if everyone were to just fall asleep, there’d be nowhere for people to go for help or to hide."
"Fair point. I can see why having a place to shop at night would be reassuring."
As Tang-er said, supernatural phenomena were a reality in this village. Whether this shop would actually be useful in a crisis was debatable, but it was certainly better than nothing.
"So, you buying anything?"
"Nah, we were just looking around the village. We just noticed the shop."
"I see. It was only built recently, anyway. Don't expect anything rare, though. We’re just stocking from Weed."
"Seems like it. If this were a real old-school shop, you’d probably find some bizarre, ancient plastic model kit being sold at full retail price."
"That’s true. I remember seeing old department stores selling five-year-old electronics or games for under a thousand yen, still marked at their original retail price."
That’s always been a mystery to me. Even though their market value had plummeted, they’d stubbornly refuse to lower the price.
"Unfortunately, we don't have any of those antiques, but I think we have some plastic models."
" "Oh?" "
Taiki and I blinked in surprise. Plastic models in a tiny, private shop like this?
"Yeah, over there. We’ve got Gunp* and some standard models, too."
"They’ve got them just casually sitting there."
"And there are some games, too."
"Ah, board games."
"Want to buy anything?"
We talked for a bit, but since we all had a backlog of unbuilt kits at home and plenty of games, we decided against it. Instead...
"Thanks for your patronage! Trash goes in the bin out front!"
Taking Tang-er’s advice, I tore open the ice cream wrapper, tossed it in the bin, and took a bite.
"Yeah. This is the stuff."
"It really is."
"Buying ice cream at a shop and eating it right there... it takes me back to being a kid."
"True. Nowadays, we usually just take it home and eat it slowly."
Four grown men standing in front of a shop, eating ice cream. It was a scene straight out of the past; I could almost see the phantoms of our four younger selves standing there in a row.
"Yuki-san, you went with the mandarin orange ice."
"I just felt like something fruity. Taiki-kun, you’ve got the milk bar."
"It felt like the classic choice."
Indeed, the milk bar is a staple. It’s something I’ve seen since I was little. The square shape gives it that old-fashioned charm. As for Taizo-san and Sota-san...
"Azuki bars... they’re still as hard as ever, no matter how many times I eat them."
"Haha, they say it’s the hardest ice cream in the world, after all. I personally like this tube-style ice cream; it’s easy to eat."
Taizo-san was struggling with the Azuki bar, rumored to be hard enough to kill a man. It wasn't a joke; because it’s made of frozen red beans and water, the density is incredibly high. It is genuinely rock-hard. Meanwhile, Sota-san was enjoying the nostalgic tube-style ice cream that you snap in the middle to squeeze out. I remember having those stocked in our freezer all the time.
*Jiiwa-jiiwa...*
The sound of the cicadas beat against my ears, and the sun shone down, radiating heat. Watching the scenery, the four of us sat on the bench, nibbling on our ice cream. I couldn't help but think about how often I used to do this with my friends.
"It really brings out the inner child."
"It does. I used to eat like this with my friends all the time. I never thought I’d be able to do it again at this age."
"Indeed."
"Yes."
It reminded me of my childhood. We’d take a break and refuel at a shop like this before heading back out to play. We were so full of energy back then—I’m impressed with myself, honestly.
As I finished my ice cream and tossed the trash, I turned to the others.
"So, what now? Any ideas?"
Taizo-san asked, and Taiki and I tilted our heads. We’d only come to see the village; we hadn't planned on bug-catching or exploring. Finding this shop was probably the highlight of the trip. Just as I was wondering what to do, Sota-san spoke up.
"If no one has any other plans, would you like to visit the shrine during the day before we go to the festival tonight?"
"Ah, that’s a good idea. We should pay our respects."
"True. I’d forgotten."
"Even if Suzuhikohime is watching over it, that doesn't mean we shouldn't pay a visit ourselves. Let’s go."
And so, we set off toward the shrine.
We really did used to play games at local shops, buy candy and ice cream, and just hang out with our friends, didn't we?