Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 5 Chapter 3 (section)

=== 3 ===

We returned to base, and reported the whole story of finding the overcoat to Naru. Naru looked extremely disgusted.

“… hidden rooms… that’s a really thorny problem.”

Yeah, that’s my opinion too.

“And the overcoat in question?”

“This one. It’s filthy.”

Naru paid no attention, and received that overcoat with his white hands. He turned up the label on the collar, and then proceeded to ruffle through the pockets and other places. After repeatedly ruffling through it numerous times,

“There’s something here.”

It was in the inner pocket of the coat. Naru pulled out a thin sheet of something.

It looked like a folded up piece of paper. Naru gently opened that battered sheet.

“Hey, see here.”

Bou-san leaned forward.

Although this paper had turned very black, we could still identify it as a paper currency. Naru held it against the window to allow the sunlight to pass through the note.

“There’re words written on it.”

Saying that, Naru handed the note to Bou-san. Bou-san took the note, and looked at it held to the sunlight as Naru had done. I looked on from the side. Quite a few words could have been seen. At first it looked like two lines of text, however only some disjointed words could be seen. From left to right the words that could be identified were, “吧(ba3, used at the end of a sentence, example: OK, right?)、走(zou3, walk)、了(liao3/le4, already)、浦(pu3, beach)、被(bei4, blanket, or indicates done by)、听(ting1, listen)、死(shi3, die)、都(dou1, capital city, or collective, meaning ‘all’, ‘every’)、这(zhe4, this)、来(lai3, come)…” (tl/n: I’ve given the meanings of the common use of the words here. Where joint with other characters, which are, at this point, unseen, different meanings are possible.)

“The meaning is not clear.”

Bou-san and I unconsciously looked face to face.

Naru showed a very dark look.

“… what was the purpose of doing something like this…?”

Who? And for what?

2 of the words left an impression: “死(shi3, die)、都(dou1, capital city, or collective, meaning ‘all’, ‘every’)”.

(tl/n: the characters here are listed from left to right, but in Chinese and Japanese, the writing is traditionally from right to left. If we put the 2 characters that left an impression on Mai together, we get a fragment that could possibly mean “everyone dies”.)


In the remaining time, we frantically continued measuring. Up until the sun set we finished a part of the first storey. Handing the numbers to Lin-san, we went to the Dining Room. When we were gulping down our food, Igarashi-sensei spoke to us.

Sensei appeared to have spent the day worrying about Suzuki-san. She had called Suzuki-san’s Tokyo home, but found that Suzuki-san did not return home, and was currently very worried. Should she make a missing person report to the police now, was what she asked Yasuhara. Yasuhara would be considered very young even in the role of Sensei’s son. The image of Sensei consulting one so young showed her discomfiture, and was somehow heart wrenching.

Seeing Igrashi-sensei like this made me feel bad, so I quietly left the Dining Room and returned to the base myself. At base, Lin-san continued to work in silence.

“Lin-san, I’m done with dinner, do you want to switch shifts?”

Although I asked him like this, he replied,

“No need.”

It was a very cool answer. Really…

I say, if two persons are together but do not speak, the atmosphere would become very tense, so I told Lin-san about Igarashi-sensei’s problem. In response, Lin-san’s replies were very cool. He only nodded in acknowledgement, and didn’t even grunt.

“… now that we’re at it, you’re Chinese.”

I said that bitterly. Lin-san stared at me.

“… So?”

So… with this response even I feel very difficult.

“I always feel, ‘it’s very incredible’, is what I think. (tl/n: come on, think or feel- which?) If you could have told me earlier I would be great –”

Lin-san looked at me with a very cold expression.

“Why?”

“What ‘why’… I don’t say this with any deep meaning…”

I don’t. I only wanted to say so.

“… no warmth at all…”

“I hate the Japanese.”

To be said to be hated by someone all of a sudden, I jumped. I looked blankly at Lin-san.

“… why?”

Why did he make such a general statement of hate?

“Don’t you know what the Japanese did in China previously?”

Wuuu. That is, in the past the Japanese committed all sorts of atrocities. And the adults, till today, still refuse to apologize, and continue to play the fool.

Lin-san continued to show no expression.

“Since I hate the Japanese, I don’t feel happy living surrounded by Japanese.”

… does he need to say it like that?

“I completely understand what you are saying, and I think it should be like this. However, aren’t these things all already past?”

“Excuses like this make one even more unhappy.”

Wuuuu. Japan was indeed in the wrong. As to that, it is forcing entry into someone else’s home, then forcing the people there to do some terrible things. For example, it’s like a vicious bandit. – Despite this,

“However, didn’t China have things like the Mongol Invasion? Europe too, has a history of invading and being invaded; isn’t history repeatedly like that?”

“Therefore the things done by the Japanese can be forgiven?”

“I didn’t say that! A mistake is a mistake! Japan was wrong to invade China. But if a grudge is continued to be borne like this, even Japan has a right to hate. If the world is filled with vengeance, won’t all the countries have to hate each other for eternity?” 

Lin-san did not speak.

“I think this type of things have no good. Facts are facts. Japan did a bad thing, this is a fact, and I think is something that we need to remember. However, to hate or detest other people as a result, and to always say this type of words, then wouldn’t we never be able to get along? Wouldn’t that end in a cycle of hate?”

Aaah, that wasn’t said well at all. 

“If you say such hateful words to me because you hate me then it can’t be helped. However, I can’t accept it if you hate me simply because I’m Japanese. Was your father or mother killed then? Was it not like that? I think it’s probably something long ago like that. To be constrained by something so long ago, and say that you hate so many people en mass, is foolish behavior. I know that as Japanese, I don’t have the right to say such things. Despite that, for problems between you and me, if you hate me, then I wish you can hate me because of me. I don’t want to be hated for reasons such as me being Japanese, a female or an orphan – these reasons being beyond my own control.”

Wuu, otherwise I would be very sad. But if I were to be asked, why did we start the war, I can only say it was foolishness on my ancestor’s part.

Suddenly, Lin-san let out a laugh.

… ai?!

“… that one…”

“said the same things.”

“Ah?”

“In the past someone told me something similar. I only recalled that.”

Waah, this is but the first time I’ve ever seen Lin-san smile.

“That person, is it Naru?”

“How could it. If it were Naru, he would say a single line, ‘how foolish’.”

If it were Naru, perhaps it would be like that.

“If it was Madoka, it would be trouble once she was made to cry.”

… Aaah, I feel I somehow understand.

“—and that too, I don’t actually dislike you. And I don’t exceptionally hate all Japanese. It’s only the inborn dislike couldn’t be completely diminished.”

“… yeah.”

“I also think that to bring the troubles between countries into an interpersonal problem is a very foolish thing. I’ve said some immature words. But people always have their own personal quirks, this is something you should take note of.” 

“… I will try to think on that.”

Lin-san smiled lightly.

“I’ve said some rude words, I’m sorry.”

“… No. I should be the one to apologize.”

What exactly we were apologizing for, I’m not too sure myself.

The world is filled with deep problems. This is such.