Murder At The Rainy Mansion ~The Never Ending 100 Tales~

Chapter 56: The staircase ghost

The wake for Hisami and Onoda was held at a funeral home nearby. After discussing for a while, they decided to hold it at the same place but in different halls.

The number of people inside the Rainy Mansion had decrease making it looked desolate. Ayano walked to the stairs to return to her room to get prepared. She was immersed in her thought while climbing the stairs when she noticed something was off. The staircase ghost was not talking to her again. “Huh? Did the ghost move on already?”

“You are going to die,” the ghost replied to her with an unexpected answer.

Ayano laughed. “What do you mean? Are you changing your threat now?”

Staircase ghost: “I have a feeling that you guys might do something reckless.”

“There are so many things that got us curious – like what cause the screeching sound in the storeroom, and why Shun still can’t return to his body. So, we decided to finish the 100 Tales that got interrupted back then. For me, everything began with that game at that time. Besides, don’t people say that once you finish telling 100 tales a strange thing would happen?”

Staircase ghost: “There are already many strange things in this mansion. Why do you need to add another one?”

Ayano: “Maybe these unexplained mysteries that already exist here can be clarified once we drag out the mysteries that are hiding in the dark.”

“You are going to die,” the staircase ghost repeated his warning. “Those mysteries are hiding in the dark for a reason. If you force them to come out, they will surely resist. I thought you know very well how terrifying this place is, but it seems I thought wrong. When I was alive, I didn’t believe in ghost. I thought the people here were ganging up to play jokes and scare others.”

Ayano: “You are like Shun.”

Staircase ghost: “But I ended up falling from these stairs and died. That day, I saw a ghost at the top of these stairs. It was a very powerful ghost that even an ordinary person like me could see it. I’m not a resident of this mansion. It was my first time going upstairs. I was surprised when I saw the ghost, and lost my footing on the stairs and fell down. Even now I still believe that I was murdered. After I died, the man who asked me to fetch a book upstairs got married with my fiancée.”

Ayano: “I don’t think a ghost can be so powerful that they can kill a living person. What you are trying to say is a person can use a powerful ghost to kill someone, right? It is similar to what Uncle Toru did with Satoshi-san. Thank you for the warning. I will be careful.”

Ayano was touched by the unexpected kindness from the ghost. Then she asked, “By the way, I have never asked you before – do you want to leave this world[1]?”

After thinking for a while, the ghost answered, “No.”

“I thought as much.” Ayano laughed. “Alright then. Thanks for the warning.”

A second later, Ayano was reminded of something and asked, “Hey. I think what you have been doing all this while has unknowingly been keeping the residents here safe and sound. Lately, no one has fall from these stairs. Were you the last person who died falling from these stairs?”

After thinking for a while, the ghost replied, “I don’t think it is because of my reminder. Most probably it is because my fiancée installed the handrail here after I died.” Then he added, “Besides, I didn’t mean it as warning. I just want to amuse myself to forget about what happened.”

Ayano felt the way he talked showed his intolerance towards differing views which was similar to Shun. She amused herself thinking that these two would get along well. “If you are still alive, I think you might be the type of person that I like.”

“You always have expressionless look on your face but sometimes you like to say reckless thing without thinking. Be careful or you might get tangled up in trouble one day,” the ghost gave her a lecture.

Ayano was afraid that the ghost was going to give her a long lecture considering he had similar vibe with Shun, so she hurriedly thanked him again and escaped to her room.

[1] Japanese use the word jobutsu when they say a spirit of a dead person has moved on or leave this world. Technically, jobutsu is a Buddhist terminology that means enlightenment or attaining Nirvana. Fyi, most Japanese are atheists. Even if they have altar at home, it doesn’t mean they are Buddhist. Usually they get married in church, celebrate Christmas, visit shrine on 1st Jan and follow Buddhist funeral traditions.