Chapter 5: Beyond the Shimenawa rope and Paper streamers
It should have been hot enough to be called the height of summer, but the western forest was strangely quiet.
There was no noisy sound of cicadas, and only the sound of Houzuki’s footsteps walking along the animal trail echoed through the forest.
Saku, saku, saku.
Pakipaki, paki.
The sound of weeds being trampled and the sound of branches breaking from being stepped on simultaneously struck his ears.
The path was unpaved and difficult to walk on, but it was surprisingly straight, so there was no way to get lost. If she kept going straight, she was sure they would eventually reach the swamphouse in the center of the forest.
Yuiru, who was looking around the quiet western forest, turned to Houzuki with a curious expression.
“Houzuki, this is quite an atmospheric forest, isn’t it?”
“You’re right.”
Houzuki responded noncommitally then asked,
“Yuiru, don’t you feel anything unusual? This is the place the adults consider dangerous, you know?”
“Hmm, there’s nothing at this moment.”
Yuiru was floating lightly in the air, but suddenly landed on the ground and spread his arm to stop Houzuki from walking.
Even Towako, who was following behind Houzuki, bumped her nose on her back. “What’s wrong, glutton?” She asked Yuiru.
He puts his index finger on his lips,
“Quiet.”
Houzuki and Towako do as he said and shit their mouths.
“Don’t you hear anything?”
Hearing this, Houzuki strained her ears.
Picha, picha.
Pacha, pachan.
The sound of water could be heard from somewhere.
Houzuki nodded and said, “I heard something.”
Yuiru nodded quietly in response to her answer.
“I think someone is walking by the water, but I wonder who it could be.”
“…………”
The bookstore owner said that a few years ago, sightings of the figure of a woman in the Swamp House began. Assuming that the doll wouldn’t make this noise, it could be the ghost of the woman who has been seen in the Swamp House.
Having never seen the Swamp House in person, the details are unknown, but what awaits them ahead?
Houzuki looked deep into the forest and said,
“Let’s go.”
“Are you going to go? It might taste even worse than before.”
“You’ll be the one to eat it anyway, won’t you?”
That’s right, Yuiru will be eating the swamp house ghost too. There should be no way for Houzuki, who is being haunted by Yuiru and Towako, to be cursed and killed.
“I guess you’re right.” Yuiru nodded as if he’s convinced, and moved forward deeper into the forest. He seemed to be walking with a spring in his step, as if he was looking forward to seeing the full picture of the Swamp House himself.
This would allow him to officially investigate the Swamp House, which had existed since he was alive. It would also satisfy his hunger, so it was killing two birds with one stone. All he had in his brain at the moment was appetite.
Houzuki began walking, following Yuiru’s back, towards the depths of the western forest.
Pakipaki, pakipaki.
Zaku, zaku, zaku.
Pakipaki, paki, paki.
Zakuzaku, zaku.
The sound of water blended in with Houzuki’s footsteps.
Pacha, picha.
Picha, pichapicha.
Pachan.
It sounded like walking through water. Was the person playing?
“Oh, I see it,”
Yuiru said in a bright, bouncy voice.
Houzuki turned his gaze in the direction Yuiru was pointing.
Sure enough, the gloomy forest came to an end, and her view suddenly opened up. In a spacious space where the trees seemed to avoid her, there was a large swamp.
The swamp is filled with dirty, murky water that’s a mix of green and brown, and in the middle of it all is a small patch of land. A wooden hut has been built there, so dilapidated that it looks like it would surely be blown away in a direct hit from a typhoon.
Shimenawa ropes are wrapped around the swamp, and paper streamers are hanging from them. It’s clear that something is being sealed away, but the streamers are yellowed and starting to come off the rope.
Could that be the swamp house? It’s a dilapidated wooden hut that can hardly be called a house.
“Ohh, so that’s the swamp house. First time I’ve seen it.”
“But how do we get to that swamp house?”
The area around the swamp house is filled with murky green and brown water, and no matter how hard they try, they cannot reach the swamp house. How can they get to it?
Yuiru and Towako can swim through the air, but Houzuki is a human being. And although she is not sexy, she is a high school girl and does not want to swim across the swamp.
Houzuki looks up at Yuiru and says,
“You go alone, Yuiru. I’ll wait here.”
“Don’t you want to see it? What’s inside the swamp house.”
“I’d love to look but there are no bridges or land. I can’t fly.”
“Oh, but the other side seems to be in a welcoming mood though.”
Yuiru’s fingertips pointed towards the Swamp house.
Intrigued, Houzuki also looked in the direction of the Swamp house.
In the house located in the center of the filthy swamp, there was a window, and from it peeked the face of a person who shouldn’t have been there.
“……”
It was a woman with messy black hair and wearing white clothes. She stroked the window frame with fingertips that looked like they might break at any moment, and then, as soon as she realized that Houzuki was staring at her, she raised her arm.
The withered branch-like arm was slowly stretched out towards Houzuki, swaying up and down as if calling her.
At that moment, a voice was heard.
Haa.
A hoarse voice, like a crow’s cry, could be heard from very close to Houzuki.
