Editing Phenomeno:Case 01 (section)

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My brand-new apartment was fantastic.

The floors were nice and clean. The wallpaper was new. The unit bath was sterilized.

It wasn't right comparing it to that house, where the remnants of the previous inhabitant drifted everywhere, but I definitely learned that it wasn't right to skimp on housing expenses. This was even further from the university, but at least there were houses nearby. I could walk to a convenience store, and there were plenty of streetlights. Anyway, this apartment, whose surroundings were brightly lit, even at night, was introduced to me by Karasu-san.

From what I heard, one of Karasu-san's acquaintances was the landlord, and Karasu-san herself was also renting a room here. It annoyed me a bit that her room was a warehouse (apparently a storage place for strange magical items and costumes), but I couldn't complain. The rent had rocketed to 50000 yen, but it was a cheap price for a 10 square meter apartment with one bedroom, a kitchen, a loft and a unit bath.

It had been more than a week since I looked at that paranormal house with Yoishi.

It was a Sunday afternoon, on a rare day with no part-time work and no lectures—

I opened the window and took in the pleasant breeze as I sprawled out in my empty room.

At any rate, the previous week had passed by quickly.

First, I cried to my big sister to borrow some money to move here, then did so immediately. I didn't want to enter that house ever again, and while it was expensive having to hire movers, it was worth it. Furthermore, this apartment's walls were so thin they made you almost want to pick up your neighbors' ringing phones, which made it feel like you were among living people. You could greet gloomy people in the hallways, and if you opened the window, you could hear the lackadaisical voice of the bamboo pole merchants. Basically, this place was overflowing with life. For me, that was extremely important. I'd been drained of mental energy to the extremes, and I needed the comfort of living amidst people more than anything else.

I didn’t meet Yoishi again.

That night, I gave her a lift to the family restaurant and parted ways. Everything about her was a mystery, other than the fact that she was a high school student and that her real name was Yoishi Mitsurugi. I spoke with her for a little bit as I pedaled hard back to the train station as if running away, but in the end, I never found out what was going on with that house. She didn't try to explain, and I wasn't in any mood to ask.

However, I had a strange conviction that there was something dangerous there. I was the one who heard the creepy noises every night, and I even got a countdown, but somehow, I made up my mind because of Yoishi's one phrase: "This place is the real deal." I immediately thought that this was not a place I could deal with. If you think about it that way, it's thanks to her that I was able to make the decision to put myself in a peaceful place like this, but—

It's true what they say: Once on shore, we pray no more.<Ref>Original Japanese phrase used here is: Once it's past the throat, one forgets the heat (of the swallowed object)</ref>

Now that it was all in the past, I was truthfully somewhat curious.

What did she notice?

What was the countdown all about?

And just who was Yoishi anyway? It was hard to explain, but she seemed different from the average occult maniac. She wasn’t just getting a thrill by being close to danger, but she was also a daredevil who didn’t hesitate stepping into areas that a person’s instincts would say are dangerous—in other words, she had a sense of uneasiness about her that couldn’t just be explained as someone who wanted to die. Whenever she said something, I felt like the world I believed and lived in was about to collapse.

Sometimes I would take a peek at Ikaigabuchi, but Yoishi never appeared in any threads.

And of course, no one replied to the thread I'd started anymore, and it got buried deep to the point where it was hard to find. Krishna-san descended upon various threads, but they never touched on me or Yoishi's case. I was tempted to write that it was real, but I had no means of proving myself, and I still felt a little uncertain about the whole thing, at the same time, I buried myself in my normal daily life again. 

Indeed — The everyday normal continued.

Increased rent and utility bills that can’t wait. My scholarship alone was insufficient, meaning I had to start working part-time in earnest soon, so I started a part-time job at an Italian restaurant near the station. I also had to pay back the moving funds that I'd borrowed from my big sis. So I started working whenever I had no lectures. My urban survival began with a week of exhausting physical exertion and forced workplace smiles, and in an instant--

A week had flown by, and it was that sort of day.

My first university lecture in a while had just ended, and I was stuffing my textbooks into my bag, when I suddenly realized an unknown girl was staring at me.

She was short, yet her breasts were big enough to be noticeable through her clothes. Her hair was bobbed and cut straight like a Zashiki-Warashi's<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zashiki-warashi Usually pictured as a small girl in a kimono with a straight-edged bowl-cut and straight bangs.</ref>, she had a baby-face that resembled that of a middle-schooler, and her red-framed glasses really suited her.

"Who is that?"

When I stared right back at her, she cleared her throat once and came over to me.

She started taking something out of her pocket, then put it back. I figured it was some sort of paper. She walked over to me, standing bolt upright, but in the end, never took out that piece of paper. She had a somewhat vexed expression as she glared at me (although her baby-ish face made it lose its bite), she then clicked her tongue and turned away.

"H-Hey, wait." I couldn't stop myself from calling out to her. "If you need something, just say it."

In reply, the bobbed-haired girl turned back around and said, "Moron."

"Mo-Moron?" 

No matter how much of a mild-mannered and sincere of a person I was, I wasn't one to stand being insulted by a girl I'd never met before. 

"Why are you being so rude? What's your name? What grade are you?"

I asked, but she simply snapped back, "Shut up."

"It's your fault in the first place." Then she pointed her small index finger at me. "People like you are the reason these things keep happening. Learn your place, fool."

"Fool? You..."

After that, she rapidly asked me.

"Do your shoulders ache? Do your ears ring? Are you able to sleep at night?"

Was she some sort of doctor's apprentice? I mean, did this university even have a medical school?

While I was bewildered, the girl finally pulled out the piece of paper from her pocket. She thrust it in front of my nose. Before I could even pick it up, she ran off like a rabbit, and by the time I picked it up, she had already left the classroom.

"...The hell was that?"

In the emptied classroom, I picked up the paper and looked down at it.

[[Image:Phenomeno-Vol1-case01-1.jpg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]
It was like a handmade business card.

It merely read—

"Beatnik Research Club President - Kurimoto Shiina"

—and the location of the Beatnik Research Club, situated in the western club building.

   ◯

That night, I saw a dream.

In my dream, I was still living in that house.

That old three-story mountain cottage-style building by the river bank.

There, I was looking at myself. It was like an out-of-body experience with my body floating in space, and I was gazing down upon a different "me" living my life. The "me" directly below showed no signs of noticing me and continued to live normally. It seemed I was looking a bit into the past. “I", who still didn't know the fear of the midnight sounds, was living there unconcernedly. ''Hey, give up on this house,'' I wanted to call out to him, but as a person just drifting through the air in a dream, there was nothing I could do. All I could do was stare blankly.

Eventually, I noticed that Yoishi was sitting next to "me." The two of us were sitting together on the old sofa I'd picked up after moving. The two of us didn't speak to each other, we just did what we liked. "I" was yawning as I watched TV, while she was just quietly reading an old-looking book.

It was just a dream, so I was free to make up any situation I wanted, but it's true that if I were to live together with her, it would be strange, since neither of us would really interfere with the other.

Eventually, the "me" down there got bored of the TV and proceeded to stretch, wash his face, and brushed his teeth. He should have studied a little or something, but he was going to bed now. As I observed myself as an outsider, I realized that I was a pretty worthless person. I boasted that I would rebuild my family's downtrodden lumber business, departed Shizuoka in opposition to my father and big sister, failed to get into the seminar I wanted, and then just wandered occult sites. Plus, I hadn't even written a single letter to my mother, who was the only one who agreed with my decision to move to Tokyo, and who I'd promised to send letters to. And in the end, I got lured by the cheap price and moved into a haunted house, running into a denpa girl along the way. I wanted to slap myself.

As I sighed and glared, "I" quickly curled up in my bedroom. I turned off the lights as if I couldn't see Yoishi, even though she was in the room. Yoishi seemed to notice the lights had gone off, as she closed her book and stared off into space.

I'd floated down to Yoishi, thinking I'd turn the light on for her.

"It's about time."

I had a horrible feeling when Yoishi said that.

And then—in the darkness illuminated only by the moonlight, I heard that sound.

From somewhere, the sound of something being scraped.

An ominous melody ringing across the border connecting this world and the other.

My whole body stiffened as I heard the sound, as if something somewhere was trying to crawl out of some sealed space. It was like watching those supernatural shows on TV, where they set up a camera in rooms where ghosts are rumored to appear.

This is a nightmare, isn't it?

I need to wake up as soon as possible.

Because, if I stay here like this—

I would end up seeing the "something" that was engraving numbers into this house.

I frantically tried to wake up. I waved my limbs around trying to touch something, but I couldn’t wake myself from the dream. It was like my body had been caught by some black hand that had seeped out of a different world. Feeling the despair of having been locked in a room with no exit, in the dream where only my ragged breathing echoed— I suddenly found myself next to Yoishi.

On the old, leather sofa, I held Yoishi in my arms.

I played with her body, as if I were trying to stain both of my palms with Yoishi's body heat. That was my wish, and yet, it wasn't. I mean, of course, I had some interest in girls as a regular eighteen-year-old boy, but my lust wasn't this twisted. I wasn't the type to release my sexual desires by turning myself into an unseen existence. I should have had that much reason left in me.

However—Yoishi showed no signs of fear.

If anything, she was in a state of ecstasy. Her expression was dangerous. I felt my rational mind flap its wings and fly away. I licked Yoishi's skin. I groped her breasts through her clothes. I lusted all over her soft body with the tips of my fingers. I pulled up her long skirt, exposing her pale thighs. Yoishi's eyes were barely open. Her lips were slightly parted, revealing her white teeth. ''Stop. Stop. Stop,'' I screamed from within my body, but I couldn't restrain the abnormal, sexual desire that was boiling up inside me.

However, the moment I placed a hand on her pale wrists—

I almost screamed. My arms were not ones I'd become accustomed to seeing, but were long and thin, like that of an old man. Those sleeves were gray and worn. I was wearing an old suit. I thought I smelled the scent of some cologne. I stretched out my trembling arms straight up to my face and stroked my cheek, my nose and my lips. And the feeling was horrifyingly unlike anything I had ever known. It was definitely that of someone else—and I knew whose it was.

Him.

That man standing in the corner of my vision. And at last, my face tilted against my will. I turned to the front window, where the moonlight was shining in —and there, my eyes locked with the man hanging over Yoishi.

At that moment—

I lost consciousness.

   ◯

I awoke with a violent shudder.

I was in my new apartment, lit by freakishly blinding fluorescent lights.

On the table next to me was an empty convenience store meal box I'd just eaten, and an unfinished bottle of oolong tea. A bag full of university textbooks and notebooks were scattered near my pillow. There were cheap curtains on the sash leading to the small veranda, which swayed from the night breeze coming through a small gap in the sash.

I let out a deep breath.

My heart was still pounding.

I came home from my part-time job, ate some food, and then fell asleep at some point it seemed.

''Stop fucking freaking me out.'' Cursing no one in particular, I grabbed the bottle and gulped down about a third or so of the remaining oolong tea. I felt so incredibly thirsty that even lukewarm oolong tea tasted delicious. After finishing it, I finally calmed down, and ruffled my hair as I exhaled sharply.

"...Calm down. It was just a dream. It's only been about two weeks since that thing happened. It's not surprising that I still have some fear somewhere in my heart. That's why I saw that dream, that's all it is."

I mumbled in an effort to convince myself, but my heart still didn't stop pounding. I could still vividly feel Yoishi's soft body in both my hands.

It was then that I realized something had been ringing in my head the whole time.

It was a small, but definite warning sound, like a phone from the neighbor, like a cell phone left ringing in my pocket. What...what's bothering me? I looked around the room. There was only a barren room there, with barely any furniture and fresh white wallpaper surrounding me. Nothing had changed since I went to sleep. However, the bell inside my head kept ringing relentlessly.

"What the hell is it?"

I stood up and looked around the room again. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The aftereffects of the scary dream were just lingering inside me, that's all. I was trying to make myself believe that, when I noticed it. Next to the wall was a ladder leading to the small loft. The light for the loft was different, so that place alone remained dark. Just then, I felt something cold travel down my spine.

Why did I end up picking a place with a loft?

That dark area, where someone could unexpectedly peep in from at any moment, amplified my unpleasant thoughts. But apparently, the warning alarm inside me felt like it was directed straight at the loft. I mustered the courage to look up, and the warning sound grew louder. I swallowed once and turned on the light next to the ladder to the loft. I placed a foot on the ladder, climbing it one step at a time. Then, with all my resolve, I peered into the loft.

The loft was, of course, empty. The only thing there was a cheap sleeping bag I'd bought in place of a futon, and a few books scattered about.

"Haaah," I breathed a sigh of relief, and was about to climb back down, when I noticed it. On the other side of the sleeping bag, on the furthest wall at the back, I saw something. Scratches. Two lines had been violently etched, one perpendicular to the other.

I let out a silent scream and fell off the ladder. My knees and shoulders made a horrible noise when they struck the ground, but I didn't care. I somehow managed to grab my wallet and cell phone before running out of the apartment.

Those weren’t just lines. Definitely not lines——that was...

"2" ("二").
The number "2"  ("二").

Even after I moved places—the countdown still continued.

I ran out into the residential area at night, and for the time being, ran to the nearest convenience store in search of light. As I ran, I tapped my cell phone, accessing Ikaigabuchi. I looked at the forum from end to end. I didn't care if it was Karasu-san, Suu-san, Yoishi or anyone else. I searched frantically to see if anyone I knew was posting. Then I found it. In a thread titled [Mysterious Dimension ☆ Ise Grand Shrine], "Yoishi" had posted a mere thirty minutes ago. Ignoring the serious discussion of how to see the Yata no Kagami<ref>"The Eight-span Mirror, part of The Three Sacred Treasures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yata_no_Kagami.</ref> at the inner section of the shrine, I posted:【Hey, Yoishi. Please help me! 】

The occult maniacs who had their debate interrupted made all sorts of derisive comments at my tactless post, but I ignored them and kept posting: 【Yoishi! Are you reading this? Talk to me. He's still haunting me.】

However, Yoishi didn’t reply, and all I did was anger the Ise Grand Shrine maniacs. Even after reaching the convenience store, I continued checking other Ikaigabuchi forum threads in the parking lot. I tried posting in random threads that Yoishi might find interesting. I told her I was in danger and to contact me immediately. But I might have posted a little too much, as the entire forum soon rose up in arms, calling me a troll. If I got banned, I'd have trouble contacting her, so I started responding, ''"No, I'm not trolling! I'm seriously in trouble!"'' but people just coolly responded, ''"Yep, he's trolling."'' Eventually, someone called me a ‘DQN’<ref>2channel (4chan was created as an English version of 2ch) slang that has become widely used Internet slang. Derogatory in nature, can refer to dumbass and derivatives but also has other meanings like being socially inferior, or sometimes "Normie" or "NPC" but worse.</ref> and I exploded, writing in all caps: ''"YOU OCCULT MANIAC SCUM!"'' which set the thread ablaze. I was being bombarded with all kinds of abuse; It was like a 100 vs 1 flame war. Right as I was starting to feel like the world was against me, and the moment I was about to throw my mobile phone away, I saw the post:

【Are you Nagi?】

Someone had posted that message.

When I looked at their name, it said "Krishna."

That miraculous name was like a gift from heaven, one that almost made me crumble to the ground. I tried to type back a response, but my fingers were trembling too much.

As I struggled to reply, Krishna-san posted again.

And—

It stated:

【Come to the place written on the card I gave you that afternoon.】