Chapter 2.2

Natsuno stayed at Tamotsu's house until morning, going from there to school. He'd thought since it was a Saturday and thus a half day that he could manage but in the end he slept through most of class. He returned home and threw down his bad. ---What would he do tonight? Did he not really have any choices besides rushing off to Tamotsu's house?

While thinking, he changed clothes. As he slid his hands into his jeans pocket absently, his fingers touched a stray scrap of paper. It was a small portion of the postcard.

Natsuno turned that scrap over in his fingers numerous times. It was half triangle shaped with one side being two centimeters. Yesterday, what was left of the post card he had scattered outside of the window were this piece and three smaller ones. A white scrap between the weeds.

Who was it that sent this? Megumi was the one who wrote it. On the scrap there was just barely the left scrap of the character for Megumi left. But Megumi couldn't have mailed it. She shouldn't have been able to.

For some reason or other, Natsuno remembered the girl he'd met at Megumi's funeral. She had something to give him, didn't she say? He didn't asp what it was but it was possible that what she wanted to give him him could have been this, he realized.

(What was she called....)

He had a feeling he'd heard her name, but he couldn't remember. Her face wasn't clear in his mind either. All he had was that he didn't think he'd seen her at school. He thought she had been wearing the middle school uniform. If she was Megumi's friend, she was probably a childhood friend from Sotoba, or if not that possibly a relative.

While annoyed with himself for not remembering her name, Natsuno dropped the scrap into the trash can. He locked the bedroom window, pulled the curtain closed and left.

He had a feeling it was Megumi. It was just intuition, but he couldn't help feeling it. That somebody had gathered up the pieces of the postcard that had vanished meant it had to be her, didn't it?

There was a part of him resolute that it was Megumi but on the other hand there was a part of him grounded in common sense that said that that couldn't be. Megumi was the only one it shouldn't have been able to be. That was because Megumi had (gotten out of Sotoba....) died.

Walking while being drug waveringly between each of those thoughts, he saw a group in black on the road ahead. Another funeral, he thought, when sighting a face he recognized in the procession. It was Murasako Munetaka. Then, Natsuno thought with a complicated mix of emotion, watching the coffin they carried off. It must have been Masao inside of it.

He didn't have any obligation to attend the wake or the funeral. Masao himself wouldn't have wanted him to. At the very least he couldn't consent himself to attending the funeral at this point. He wasn't mourning Masao's death. That was a ceremony to grieve Masao's death, so, he felt, he wasn't qualified to attend. He wouldn't forgive himself for being hypocritical enough to act like he was grieving to participate in his funeral.

Wordlessly seeing the procession off, Natsuno turned back. Just walking in order to distance himself from the funeral procession, before Natsuno knew it he had come to the hill that stretched up to the Kanemasa lot. For no particular reason, he climbed it. While looking up as he climbed the hill, the majesty of the mansion looked to be awaiting him.

Somehow or other, Natsuno rose up until he was before that gate, losing sight of what he was supposed to do there. Turning back would be all too ridiculous, but on the other hand he didn't feel like taking the woodland path around back into the village either. So with a glance at the mansion, he entered into the forest of firs at a nearby spot. He would try walking down the slope and seeing where he came out at.

Avoiding the thickest part of the thickets, while meandering off course aimlessly, he went down the slope. Seeing a human outline between the spaces of the trees was a complete coincidence. Natsuno's feet came to a stop. He could see two people on the other side of the forest. One was a girl not far from Natsuno's age, the other was a boy who looked to be in sixth or seventh grade. The two were hidden between the trunks, peering outside of the forest. They were watching the forest road---or possibly past the forest road at the Kanemasa mansion.

From Natsuno's position, he couldn't see the girl's face. He all he could see was a long braid from behind, and a rounded facial outline. He didn't think he'd seen her before, but strangely he had the feeling that she was the girl. The girl who wanted to give him something at Megumi's funeral.

(There's no way.)

It was just that he was thinking about that, so he considered it. There shouldn't be such a coincidence. Even while thinking that, Natsuno no longer thought that that girl was a complete unknown he'd never seen in his life.

(What are they doing?)

It was like they were scouting out Kanemasa. Natsuno tilted his head, then saw a figure behind the girl. They were about ten meters behind the girl. Hiding his body in the thick brush, a young man was watching the two from behind.

With no particular basis, he thought that it was Tatsumi. Kanemasa had a young servant by that name. He wasn't from the village. His scent was different. That was the intuition that Natsuno as a fellow non-villager felt.

"Oi, you two over there," Natsuno called out promptly. "What're you doing?"

He himself didn't know why he called out. Pretending not to notice Tatsumi, keeping his gaze stayed straight ahead, on the girl who jumped up and turned around. While thinking he was acting exaggerated himself, he too casually waved his hand, and with exaggerated steps started towards the girl and the boy. In the faint time he had averted his gaze, the figure had faintly moved and faded into the greenery.

"You, you're Shimizu's friend, aren't you?"

Kaori gripped Akira's hand in one hand and pressed her other hand to her chest when called out to. She could feel her heart going into convulsions. Natsuno looked as if he were going to say it was a complete coincidence meeting her as he casually strolled around the thicker underbrush towards her.

"Did we meet at Shimizu's funeral? Sorry, if I've got the wrong person."

"No...." Kaori was aware that her voice was trembling. He could probably tell that they were spying on the Kirishiki house. Didn't Natsuno think that was suspicious? Akira's hand gripping at hers was painfully strong, too. Was the sweat and the shivering coming from her hand or from Akira's hand?

"Wrong person?"

"No---Uhm, that's right. We did meet."

I thought so, Natsuno said, turning his eyes towards the inside of the forest. "We met at a good time. I've got something I want to ask you."

She nodded as Natsuno gestured towards the forest road.

"Over here."

"Uhm, I..."

"Whatever, just come on. ---You, what was your name again?" While walking on ahead, Natsuno asked. Kaori turned her eyes from Akira who looked at her questioning as she answered.

"I am Tanaka. Tanaka, Kaori..."

"And the little guy with you?"

Akira tore his hand from hers as if angry.

"Tanaka Akira."

"Oh."

Going along the village road, it came out at the side of the Kanemasa house. Natsuno immediately looked down the slope. Kaori wanted to return to inside the woods but Natsuno's pace didn't seem to give her the opening to say as much.

Exchanging looks with Akira, she hurried after Natsuno to keep up with him. Natsuno didn't ask until they were mostly down the hill.

"You two, what were you doing in a place like that?" He asked without turning around, in a low, almost hushed voice.

"We weren't really..."

Once they were at the botton of the hill and on the village road below, Natsuno at last turned around. "Unless I'm wrong, the one to send Megumi's post card was you, wasn't it?"

Kaori blinked with surprise.

"You said you had something you wanted to give me someday didn't you? Was that Shimizu's late summer greeting card or wasn't it?"

For a moment she cowered, looking between Akira and Natsuno, but Natsuno didn't particularly seem to be blaming her.

"It wasn't you?"

"....It was, but."

She thought he was angry, but Natsuno only nodded. At the four way crossroads, he turned towards Monzen. Without thinking, Kaori followed Natsuno, walking alongside him.

"But, I mean, Yuuki-san didn't seem like he wanted to take it! But, Megumi wanted you to have it and worked so hard to write it. So I put it in the mailbox in Megumi's place. It's not really a bad thing to do."

"I don't mind that."

Kaori looked up at Natsuno's calm profile.

"....You were surprised?"

"Well, yeah."

"Was that what you wanted to ask me?"

Yeah, Natsuno said, looking behind himself. "Did you guys notice? Just before, the young guy from the Kirishikis' was behind you."

Kaori's breath stopped. "Before....?"

"Mm. Probably the guy called Tatsumi, I guess. It was like he was spying on you guys."

Kaori looked back at Akira. Akira's face was pale as he shook his head.

"I didn't notice...."

She felt a strange chill.

"Why were you in a place like that?"

"There's no particular reason...."

"You were spying on Kanemasa weren't you?"

Not really, Kaori murmured. "More importantly, where are we doing?"

"I'm not really going anywhere in particular. ---Tanaka, was it? You're Shimizu's friend?"

"That's right. I'm a year younger than megumi. We're childhood friends. Our houses are close to each other and all."

"Hmm. ... And, why were you watching that house? So sneakily like."

"Like I said, we weren't!"

"Is peeping your hobby? You and Shimizu have that in common."

At Natsuno's nonchalant tone, Kaori blinked, then glared at him. "It's not. And Megumi didn't peep, either!"

"That right? She was there a lot, that Shimizu. All hiding in my backyard."

Kaori swallowed a breath. Natsuno had noticed. Realizing that such a huge secret had been seen through, Kaori felt embarrassed, and was even embarrassed with herself for being embarrassed. At the same time, her anger towards Natsuno bubbled up. Akira's voice only added to that.

"Heeeh? Megumi was doing something like that!"

"You just be quiet!" Kaori glowered at Akira. She turned her glare from Akira who hung his head towards Natsuno. "Yuuki-san, you're a cruel man, aren't you!"

"Cruel? Why?"

"Because, you knew that Megumi was visiting your house, didn't you? If you did, then why did you say something so cruel at the funeral?"

"I thought it'd be obvious, it's because I knew."

"Megumi---Megumi loved you, Yuuki-san! Enough to go visiting your house like that. She wanted to talk to you but couldn't, looking at your room from far away, she was serious enough about you that just that filled her heart with happiness!"

I see, Natsuno said turning back to look down at Kaori with scorn. "You're just like Shimizu, huh?"

"Why do you have to put it so cruelly?"

"Cruel? She lurks around my house and peeps in on my room and you're telling me to be grateful for it?"

But that's, Kaori started to say before losing her words.

"If it was you would you be happy? If some boy from your class was always appearing in your neighborhood, peeping in on your bedroom. You wouldn't think that was creepy, you'd just be touched by something like that?"

"But, Megumi was...."

"I just feel creeped out by it. So I hated Shimizu. Those are my honest feelings.

Kaori bit her lip. She had thought that boys couldn't really understand a girl's delicate feelings anyway but she was too timid to say it.

"I don't think it was, but it wasn't you, was it?"

"What wasn't?"

It's nothing, Natsuno mumbled. "But you're not coming by my house, are you?"

"Get over yourself."

"I'm not particularly conceited. I'm confirming that you're not."

"I'm not. Even if you asked me to, I wouldn't go to your house!"

"Right," Natsuno's answer was blunt. As if mumbling, he said "Then... who is that?"

Kaori tilted her head. "Someone is coming?"

"Mm. And at night. Right where Shimizu was always at. It's like---Shimizu's still coming."

"It might be Megumi. ...Since Yuuki-san is so mean to her, she's having regrets."

She had said it as sarcasm, but Natsuno's response sounded oddly serious.

"It might be."

Kaori suddenly had an inexcusable feeling. Towards Natsuno---and, towards Megumi.

"It was a joke. It isn't Megumi. Megumi wouldn't bear a grudge."

"Is that right?"

"It is right. But, maybe she has something she wants to complain about to you."

"What?"

"Who knows... It might be something she wanted to say but couldn't, or maybe it's even something else."

"Something else?"

Kaori fleeting looked to Natsuno. "For example, that she didn't die of illness, or."

"It was an illness wasn't it?"

"That's right, but. .... But, that's not all it could have been. The doctor of the Ozakis' examined her. They said he said it was simple anemia. It seems the doctor was really surprised that that suddenly happened to Megumi. He said that shouldn't have been possible, like."

Hn, his response was cool but Natsuno had a strangely serious expression. He was seriously listening to Kaori, as if scrutinizing her words. At the very least, he didn't seem to think she was talking crazy.

"Megumi.... went missing, didn't she, a little before that."

"Went missing?" Natsuno turned to face Kaori. "Ah, she didn't come home, my old man said when he went out looking for her. Something like that did happen."

"She was found collapsed in the mountains.Since then, she was sick and bedridden. She died like that. It was the 15th."

"Right."

"I went to pay her a get well visit on the 13th, on the night of the Obon welcoming fires. Back then I didn't think it would be the last time I saw her but... At that time? I met the Madame of the Kirishikis. On the way to Megumi's house."

Natsuno's feet came to a stop as he turned to face Kaori and Akira. They'd come to just before the Otabisho in Monzen where the palanquin was set during festivals. Natsuno pointed to it. "You wanna sit?"

Kaori nodded and went to the Otabisho. There was nobody around at the Otabisho. Natsuno sat at the dried hand washing well. Akira stood cheekily at Natsuno's side. Kaori took a seat at the side of the well on the rock whose purpose she never did know.

"....So?"

"That's all. It was my first time seeing one of the Kirishikis. I mean, since moving in, they haven't shown themselves at all, have they, those people. And so I told Megumi. That just before the Madame of the Kirishiki's was around. That she was pretty. And then Megumi.... said she knew."

"She knew?"

Kaori nodded, thinking it strange that she had told Natuno something like this.

"I'm sure, she said it. It was like she'd met the madame of the Kirishikis. But, the day Megumi went missing, I met with Megumi at the bottom of the hill. Megumi was interested in the Kirishiki mansion. During the summer I saw her so many times at the bottom of the hell. Megumi wanted to know what kind of people lived there. Like she'd never met any of the Kirishiki people."

Natsuno listened to her with a serious expression.

"But, isn't that strange? Megumi went missing on the 11th. After that she was sick in bed. But on the 13th when I saw her, Megumi acted like she had met the madame of the Kirishikis. So, when did she meet the Kirishiki madame?"

"On the 12th or the 13th----you'd think, normally."

"That can't be right. I don't think Megumi went outside on the 12th or the 13th. If she went out, she would have mailed the late summer greeting card, I think. There's a post box right near Megumi's house."

Natsuno tilted his head faintly. "Couldn't she have just forgot about it?"

"That might be the case but.... That was a late summer greeting card, wasn't it?"

"Aa."

"Not a mid-summer greeting card. Since she had to write it over so many times, it turned into a late summer greeting card, she wrote, right?"

"She did."

"A late summer greeting card can be sent from the first day of fall."

"Is that right?"

"That's right," Kaori said looking at Akira. Akira looked between Kaori and Natsuno, interested. "When I looked it up, the first day of fall is August 8th. But, Megumi had a misunderstanding. She thought that a late summer greeting card was after Obon started."

I see, Natsuno mumbled.

"That was a late summer greeting card. If Shimizu thought that the cut off for a mid-summer greeting card was Bon, that was written just before Bon. On the 12th or the 11th, or if not then, the 10th. If it was around then, she'd figure it would take two days to send, huh, since it has to go through the Mizobe post office first."

"Mm. Right---that's right."

"Shimizu wrote a midsummer greeting card, and assuming the two days max shipping time, realized it would come during Bon. So, she rewrote it as a late summer greeting. If she sent it on the 10th, it'd arrive on the 12th, so there'd be no need to write it. It was the 11th. The 11th is an awkward point. If it takes two days, it'd come on the 13th but if it was fast it would arrive on the 12th."

Kaori felt herself being encouraged. The feeling that what she'd been carrying in her chest might be understood by someone else.

"It wasn't finished on the 10th. So it wasn't sent. On the 11th it was finished but with awkward timing. So Shimizu waited a day to send it. Or she planned but on the 11th, Shimizu went missing, and after that she was bedridden. If she went out, the post box was nearby, so she'd have probably mailed it. But Shimizu wasn't able to sent it."

"Woah," Akira interrupted. "Nii-chan, your brain's quick, isn't it! Totally different from Kaori."

Kaori gave Akira a small push. Natsuno ignored that and continued as if talking to himself.

"The odds are high that Shimizu didn't go out on the 12th or the 13th. But she acted like she knew someone on the 13th that she didn't know on the 11th. If the Kirishiki's madame did meet with Shimizu, it'd be the 11th. After parting with Tanaka..."

Kaori gave a firm nod. "Yes--and then, when Megumi and I parted, I saw her going up the hill."

"Up the hill..." Natsuno mumbled. "So that's why you were spying on the Kirishiki house. On that day, Shimizu went up the hill. And she met wit the Kirishikis' wife. And then she went missing, then when she was found she was sick. Even the doctor was surprised with how bad it turned and... she died."

Kaori nodded. Akira's eyes were shining as his body leaned forward. "They did something to Megumi. Don't you think so?"

"Did what?"

Well, he murmured. Kaori shook her head.

"I don't know... but, maybe Megumi wanted to tell you that, and she can't move on...."

"Or if not that, she might have risen up."

Kaori blinked. She looked to Natsuno who looked out over the scenery with a serious expression.

"----Eh?"

"She died and might have risen up. I've been thinking, the one coming around here at night might be Shimizu."

"That can't be!"

"Can't it?" Natsuno looked at Kaori. "Do you believe in vampires?"

Before Kaori could answer, Akira shot up. "I saw it! That's why I said to go to Kanemasa and pulled Kaori along!"

"Saw it?"

Akira nodded gravely. "The sawmill's Yasuyuki Nii-chan. ---He died. In August. But I saw him, just yesterday, climbing up the slope and going in the Kanemasa house."

Natsuno looked to Kaori imploringly.

"Akira said so. But, since I haven't seen anything...."

"I'm telling you, there's no mistaking it!"

"So Akira says, but I don't know. But, I think something did happen to Megumi on the 11th. And that it was at the top of the hill. Maybe even the Kanemasa's madame did something to Megumi, I think. And then she died. ---She died, and ended up buried in the ground..."

Aa, Natsuno nodded.

"And then? When I saw the Kirishikis' madame, she wasn't alone. She was at the Ohtsuka sawmill. With Yasuyuki-san."

"Is that true?"

"Mm.... So, I think it's weird. Megumi and Yasuyuki-san both met the madame of the Kirishiki's, before they died. But, I can't believe it."

"If you think the dead can come as ghosts if they have something to say, it's not that strange that they can rise from the grave is it?"

That's---exactly right. Kaori gripped at her shirt.

"But, no. I can't believe in that."

"I'm the same," Natsuno said lowly. "So, I thought I'd confirm it."

Akira looked up at Natsuno. "Confirm it? How?"

"I'll dig up Shimizu's grave."

You can't, Kaori shrieked. "You're kidding, right?"

"Why? If I do that, we'll know in one shot. Whether Shimizu rose up or not. Even without checking on Shimizu's corpse itself, I think we'd know by looking at the coffin. If she rose up, the lid would have to be opened, and there should be some signs of it. Even without digging it up we might be able to tell by looking at it."

Akira jumped with excitement. "That's right! We'll just do that!"

"We can't, we can't do that. Something like that...."

"Then, Kaori can wimp out," Akira said, looking up at Natsuno. "I'll help. Should we do it now?"

"There are tools we need to do that. By the time we gather those and get prepared it'll be dark. It might be better to do it tomorrow."

"Is that right. Then, tomorrow. It's Sunday, too. Lucky, isn't it?"

Natsuno just nodded.

"But that's... even if you don't go that far to confirm it..."

Nastuno gave a disinterested response. "I can't just let it go. If the one coming at night is Shimizu, I think I'll be the next one attacked."

Natsuno said, gazing at Kaori. "You, you know where Shimizu's grave is, don't you?"