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

Chapter 68: Make a wish

When Ayano turned around, she saw her mother, Chizuru, stood inside the room in the dark. Chizuru’s appearance looked around the same age as Ayano.

Chizuru sat behind Natsu and touched her hair. “Let me,” she said before untying Natsu’s hair which was pulled back in a simple bun.

Ayano looked at her mother – the person that she rarely met in the real world. Chizuru turned towards her and called her name, “Ayano.”

Ayano was overwhelmed with a sad feeling. She noticed Chizuru’s line of sight was directed to her side. Ayano turned her head and saw a comb lying on the floor. She picked the comb and walked towards Natsu and Chizuru.

“Maybe it is better for me not to touch that. You should do it,” said her mother.

Ayano used the comb to smooth down Natsu’s long hair. She was startled when she saw her and Natsu’s face reflected inside the hand mirror held by Natsu. The view reminded her of the mirror curse that had been going on for years.

Once Ayano had brushed the hair neatly, Chizuru tied it up in a gorgeous style. Chizuru then called out to Ayano again. Knowing what she wanted, Ayano took out the thing inside her pocket and passed it to her mother. It was a lipstick which was gifted by Ayano’s friend as souvenir from an oversea trip.

Chizuru then passed the bright red lipstick to Natsu. Natsu looked at the hand mirror and put on the lipstick. It made her old face looked livelier. Natsu’s eyes were moistened as she stared at the mirror, and her lips curved a little.

Whenever Natsu appeared in front of Ayano as a ghost, she always wore a flashy red kimono. As the master of the Rainy Mansion, Natsu always held onto her principal of simplicity and frugality. She avoided luxury things to set an example for everyone. Perhaps she actually had always wanted to wear these kinds of bright red kimono, or use this beautiful hand mirror.

“If you had told me, I wouldn’t mind lending you my lipstick,” said Chizuru.

Natsu frowned. “That is not the point. All of your stuffs are too ostentatious. Now—” Natsu stopped without finishing her words.

Chizuru was kneeling with her hand on the floor and her head bowed down. “Natsu-sama. Please look after Ayano and Takato.”

Natsu didn’t reply. Chizuru kept her head down and continued, “In the end, that person only loves you, Natsu-sama. I believe that that person knows it too. The one that I love, the one that loves me and killed me was an illusion that no longer exist. It was nothing more than an illusion that was left by that person from his past self. Throughout his life, you were the only one who could stay by that person’s side.”

All of a sudden, an alarm sound that didn’t fit in this scene could be heard. Chizuru raised her head like she had noticed something.

“… That is true,” Natsu whispered and looked to her side which was an empty space. “That person had always stayed by my side. That is enough.” Natsu grab the lipstick and turned towards Ayano.

Ayano: “Huh?”

Natsu: “A long time ago, I made a wish upon the shichinin bishaku. I heard about it from Kengo and thought I should give it a try. As a result, I managed to get Kengo but my previous husband was ruined.

Before I got married, my father had meticulously chosen the suitable person as my husband. Maybe we ended up getting a divorce because of the curse from shichinin bishaku. Well, he only ran away anyway. He must have realized that I have someone else in my heart. Why don’t you make a wish too?”

Ayano took the lipstick that was held out by Natsu. She felt like she was being tested, so she shook her head.

Natsu chuckled as she pushed the lipstick into Ayano’s hand. “Well. It is up to you how to live your life in the future. I won’t hold you back anymore. If you want to stay in the mansion and keep chasing after Takato’s shadow, it is up to you. Or you can leave the place and go with Shun or any other man. You can do whatever you want with the Rainy Mansion.”

Natsu turned to the empty space on her side and smiled. “Although, it wasn’t that bad to live in the past. After that person died, there were times when I saw his illusion having tea sitting next to me here. I don’t know if he ever smiled at me in real life but the illusion that I saw always smiled at me gently.”

* * *

It is so dark—

Ayano realized that her consciousness had returned to the real world. She saw Natsu holding the comb to her chest before she disappeared. And then she saw Satoshi standing in front of her, saying, “I… I’m just a wanderer up until the end. But Sudo Kengo did cherish you. Your duty is already over. As for the rest, just leave it to these kids.”

“What did he mean as for the rest?” Shimizu muttered softly. Ayano was startled when she heard his voice.

Tanimoto: “Oh, sorry. We met with the beautiful woman at the connecting corridor and she led us here.”

Shimizu: “… I couldn’t see her though.”

Ayano: “Oh, sorry. I think that must be mom.”

Tanimoto: “… Mom?”

Ayano: “My mother.”

Shimizu: “She wasn’t dead?”

If Tanimoto can see her, then that must be a living spirit.