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

Chapter 64: Precipitated memories – Flashback Part 2

I thought I have always been traveling this world—

“Who are you?”

Satoshi was searching for treasures in Egypt. A local curator that he befriended was showing him replicas of ancient bread and beer when all of a sudden he heard someone spoke to him in Japanese.

Huh? He wanted to ignore it but the voice seemed to be quite powerful. The question might sound blunt and rude but the voice itself was cute. It wasn’t like he had imagined a cute woman from the voice, but he couldn’t help to be pulled back to the real world and turn around. Through the open window at the back of the toilet, he saw a beautiful woman – more beautiful than he had imagined from the voice earlier.

“What are you doing there?”

“Uh—Uhm…” It seemed he hadn’t spoken for quite a long time. Although, he was aware that he didn’t have a living body since much earlier.

The woman looked at his hand and asked, “How long have you been reading that?”

There was an old faded paperback without a cover in his hand.

“Is it that interesting? You have been reading that book for years in this crampy place.” The woman frowned her forehead, as if she had imagined she was the one who had been reading a book in the toilet for years.

For years? I have been like this for that long? But why…?

While he was immersed in his own thought, the woman was staring fixedly at his forehead. After a while, she said, “A few decades might have already passed while you are like that. Maybe you are an old man now.”

He couldn’t understand her words. He felt it was obvious that he was a ghost. He was just one of the numerous ghosts living in this place since who knows when. He believed that perhaps he had died of stroke while reading a book in the toilet as usual.

That is so like me. …Me? But who am I? Reading a book as usual? I usually…

While he was questioning himself inwardly, the woman stared blankly at him – at the space behind him to be precise.

Perhaps because of the deep red crimson lips, she gave a flashy and gorgeous impression. But her eyes, which seemed like it could penetrate through him, were tranquil and full of intelligence. It was the first time he met a woman like her – someone that wasn’t just cute or diligent. He wondered what sort of a woman was she. He felt she was giving a complicated and hard to read vibe.

“What is your name?”

“… Name?”

“You must have a name, don’t you?”

The way she talked confidently made him felt that he was a ghost that was going to get exterminated. He could feel strong spiritual power from her, so maybe he really was going to get exterminated. It was a sense that he acquired after becoming a ghost. He could sense that she could get rid of him easily.

However, the woman didn’t do anything to him. She just patiently talked to him instead. She talked about various topics unrelated to the mansion, perhaps to break the tension.

“Hey. Can’t you tell me your name?”

Maybe the woman was trying to help him to recall his memory naturally after getting him to calm down by creating a light atmosphere and changing the topic smoothly. Unfortunately, he was constantly putting his guard up so it didn’t work.

Perhaps he had stayed alert due to his original timid and vigilant personality. Or perhaps he had been guarding against the woman since the beginning for another reason. Either way, he never knew the truth.

“What is your name?” the woman asked again. At that moment, a memory of someone calling his name in a stern voice flashed through his mind. However, he forcefully pushed the memory far away.

“… Satoshi.” The name came out of his mouth inadvertently. “Sudo Satoshi,” he answered. It was like he was throwing away his past self and become a new person. Perhaps he didn’t want to be Sudo Kengo, the pitiful loser in front of her.

“Satoshi-san. You have a good name,” said the woman, Hayase Chizuru, before giving him a slight smile.

But when she called out his name, another memory flashed through his mind. It was a terrible memory – something that he wanted to forget.

He recalled a tough man calling his name. “Natsu is going to remarry and we have decided on the groom. Kengo… It is you, Kengo. Are you listening to me?

Natsu can’t marry any ordinary man. Otherwise, there will be two masters in the house,” said Natsu’s father.