About a Place in the Kinki Region p.16: "About a Place in the Kinki Region" 3
"This is getting too complicated..."
Ozawa's expression on my computer screen betrayed his words—he looked excited more than anything.
Since our last meeting, we had been keeping each other updated on our findings via e-mail.
He had reasoned that it would be best if we didn't have constant meetings for every new discovery and instead held off until we'd gathered plenty to discuss. After two week, we decided to meet over a video call.
Video meetings like these had become commonplace since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Japan, but I still felt I was better suited to in-person meetings. Ozawa, on the other hand, was entirely in his element utilising the screen-share feature. I couldn't help but starkly feel the distance between our ages.
"But, the readers find it more entertaining when it's complicated, don't they? It's the same for me, admittedly. I like a good mystery."
He said as much with a chuckle, following on from earlier.
To begin with, we decided to organise our findings.
It appeared true that these incidents were all centred around the mountains, as Ozawa had deduced, but there were distinct types.
Incidents involving the thing that lures people to the mountains in ●●●●● were more often seen on the western side, whereas incidents involving the woman in red were more often related to the eastern side.
With this in mind, we reviewed each finding.
"Our 'Biker Blog' story likely has something to do with the 'luring people to the mountains' that's been showing up often. The shrine also lines up with what we can see in 'Strange Comments' and the 'Stalked by a Man' reader letter. The dolls even relate to the obsession with women."
In response, I posed a question that had been on my mind.
Up until this point my assumption was that the deity of the shrine, having lost the faith sustaining it, may be the ultimate cause of all these incidents. However, the 'Biker Blog' leads to a small shrine stuffed with dolls instead. Of course, small shrines also venerate a deity, but its presence would suggest it wasn't the primary deity of the Shinto shrine as a whole. Additionally, I brought up the point of what was originally enshrined there and why it was absent. Was it removed for some reason? Was there never anything there in the first place?
"It'll be hard to look into the shrine any further, unless we can find some local recorded history or someone who knows as much. Plus, if it's a small shrine, I don't expect much of anything about its origins would have survived to the present day... I wasn't able to find anything useful online, and the name of the Shinto shrine wasn't even on any maps."
As he suggested, there was little to discuss there for now. Instead, we moved on to the next topic.
The woman in red had appeared in 'Rentals' and the interview about the 'Cursed Video' so far.
The reader letter published in the magazine had also described a similar woman. It seemed safe to assume they were referring to the same woman, accounting for the fact that these kinds of urban legends tend to become more exaggerated as they're passed around.
There were still plenty of mysteries about this woman in red. Ozawa described her 'motive' as unclear. Why was she jumping? What kind of emotion was she displaying? We had no idea why she was doing what she was doing.
"The thing luring people to the mountains wants to draw them in, but the woman in red actively approaches people. It seems like she wants to be noticed. We need more information, though. To that end, I'm thankful that you got an interview with K-san, one of the former editors. I doubt I could've got in touch with them myself. If it's okay, please continue to make use of your connections to find out more."
I nodded, thinking of the university student at the centre of the 'Cursed Video' story. What happened to him? Did the woman end up following him to his new home?
Next, we discussed the haunted condominium on the eastern side of the mountains.
"It's the same condominium featured in 'Masshiro-san'. 'Waiting' takes place nearly thirty years later—by then it was mostly empty—but the 'Stalked by a Man' letter would suggest that Building 5 was already infamous for people jumping to their deaths after only a decade. Whether it became deserted because of its infamy, or because of 'the other thing,' it's hard to say."
I asked him to explain what he was referring to, which was likely his intention in bringing it up so vaguely. He continued.
"I'm sure you've read it already, but this is a draft copy of 'Waiting' that I found in a big pile of documents. The descriptions of the surrounding area were cut down in the final version, but here it's clear that there was a mountain view from the window. Yeah, the very same mountain."
Ozawa screen-shared a map of the area.
"The mother of our subject in this story would have been gazing out at the mountain from her window every day. If you look at the story on its own, it's natural to assume she was 'waiting for someone to jump.' But given what we know about that mountain, there's another interpretation, right?"
I added that the mention of the mother offering her son persimmons was further evidence to this theory.
If one assumes that the thing luring people to the mountains is related to this story, it would also explain why only Building 5 saw people jumping to their deaths. If you draw a line directly from the only building on the mountain—the abandoned shrine—to the apartment complex, Building 5 is the nearest block.
The two characters in 'Waiting' look out of the mother's window and see the jumper below them. Unless it was pure coincidence, that would mean the jumper had stood atop the building closest to the shrine, on the side facing it, and jumped towards it.
It seemed that people on the western side of the mountain chose to jump from the dam whereas people on the eastern side chose to jump from Building 5.
"We can also see Building 5 mentioned in the 'Cursed Video' story, but we have no idea at what point in the timeline the footage was taken. The woman in red also appears there. Does she have a connection to the mountain, then?"
He muttered that last question to himself, likely knowing I couldn't possibly give him an answer.
"And those cursed stickers are just as inexplicable as she is, aren't they?"
Ozawa had sent me the 'Strange Stickers! What's Really Going On!?' article but upon reading it, I was confused. It was clear there was some kind of connection here, given that the woman in one of the accounts specifically went to ●●●●● Dam to commit suicide and because a torii gate is drawn on the stickers, but I had no explanation for the different types.
"If we assume the figure in the drawing is supposed to be the thing luring people to the mountain then it kind of makes sense for 女 to be written in the corners. But I've got nothing for 了—is it meant to be read as ryō? Maybe it's supposed to mark the completion of something...? Also, that chain message with the 了 version—the text is similar to what was written above the photo of the woman in red in 'Rentals'. Though, the source did say she couldn't remember what was written exactly, so it's possible that's just a coincidence."
I considered whether the two types of sticker were intended to serve a separate purpose, or if one had simply turned into the other as more were made. Ozawa continued while I thought to myself.
"After sending you that article, I looked into it. I even searched around my neighbourhood while on walks. There were none near me, but I found plenty online."
As it happens, I had done much the same. I could confirm the large number of sightings reported online.
When I searched for images similar to the cursed stickers on the internet, there were many websites with results.
The websites varied, from endless social media posts with photos of the stickers to message boards where the sticker was posted seemingly at random. It was obvious that there was some active effort to spread images of the sticker. And, as described, there were indeed multiple types: sometimes they featured 女 and, at other times, 了.
"It's quite terrifying to think it's been spread around through so many different means for so long, huh?"
Ozawa then paused in thought for a moment before continuing.
"Actually, the cursed sticker article reminded me of something I'd heard before. It's a story a classmate of mine in university told me..."
The story, according to Ozawa, went as follows.
While Ozawa was still in university, a fellow student and friend of his—E-san—told him about a drawing.
They described it as a drawing of 'something like a torii gate with a weird figure inside.'
E-san had moved from their hometown in Tohoku to attend university in Tokyo. They were a 'clearly naïve young man.'
He and Ozawa's student ID numbers were close, so the two had plenty of opportunities to talk early on into their studies and would sometimes go out for a meal together.
This story took place around the autumn of the year I'd met Ozawa myself.
By then, E-san was a second-year. He'd dyed his hair brown and had a generally more mature look about him. While he and Ozawa were together in the university cafeteria, he said this:
"I've joined a group focused on starting your own business. I've decided that's what I'm going to do once I've graduated."
Supposedly he was recruited to the club at a café close to campus. A man and a woman sitting one table over asked him 'do you know any good restaurants around here?' From there, the three got talking. E-kun had apparently displayed some talent for running a business during the conversation, and so he was invited to the group.
Ozawa saw the sparkle in E-san's eyes as he spoke about his future and instantly recognised that his friend, naïve to his core, was being exploited.
He tried to convince E-san that they would charge him an unreasonable membership fee, or that they'd draw him into a multi-level marketing scheme that would destroy his life, but E-san wouldn't hear a word of it.
On the contrary, he tried to convince Ozawa in turn that the group was worth joining, and that he'd understand were he to give it a shot.
Ozawa knew there was nothing he could do to stop him. He chose to put some distance between the two of them and just hope the club had no sinister motives.
But it turned out Ozawa didn't have to avoid him—he didn't run into E-san on campus once over the next six months. It seemed he had largely stopped attending his classes, too.
The next time they met was at a convenience store in the area. He was much thinner now. Upon seeing Ozawa, the first thing E-san said was:
"I was completely wrong. They were all crazy."
E-san explained that his time in the group was very engaging.
He would attend seminars where successful entrepreneurs talked of their results and would take part in study groups about becoming the person you want to be. It brought on a total change in his mindset. He had only decided to attend university as a matter of course, but now he had something he wanted to prioritise—he began going to class less and less, allowing the group to become his main focus.
Most of the group's members were similar to E-san—university students passionate about what they were doing. He enjoyed talking about the future with them.
A few months into his membership, he was approached by one of the club's senior members—someone who was already a working adult.
His senior was inviting him to an exclusive party. Supposedly only a select few members were allowed to attend. The party was to be held at the home of the group's owner—themselves a CEO.
E-san accepted on the spot. He figured that if he could make a good impression on the group's owner, it may result in a very valuable business connection for him in the future.
He was shocked when he arrived for the party.
The group owner lived on the top floor of a luxury high-rise in the centre of Tokyo. Their apartment was lavishly decorated and a variety of expensive dishes had been laid out on a large table in the middle of the main room, provided by a catering company.
Over ten people were in attendance, standing around the room discussing business, drinks in hand. E-san was indescribably excited to have the chance to attend such an exclusive gathering.
About two hours in, the lights were dimmed and a projector lit up one of the walls.
The other attendees all applauded in response. E-san wondered if some kind of important presentation was about to begin.
Everyone watched closely as the image E-san described before was projected onto the wall.
There were gasps of cheers followed by a brief silence. Then, as if a dam had suddenly burst, everyone else in room started speaking enthusiastically, bathed in the light of the projector.
"Rukiemudojieuzume."
"Meshitagahahaaoeizumemiochikudo."
"Zogitsufuiehamosumoooe."
"Airuzumesoudzujiemifuoporerutozue."
"Doiishimekoyoiasupikuso."
"Sueimikurururueokimunashi."
"Aoiefuzumodzuiserooaburuiso."
"Chimemifuzuroitetottsusumoitetobunaruikekomiteru."
"Fueoiepushi."
"Ritsufuitotominaoioerutsu."
"Shikoeributsuitotemizu."
E-san had absolutely no idea what was happening.
He stared in confusion as everyone else seemed to be having a lively conversation despite speaking complete nonsense. It sounded as if they were simply mashing together parts of the alphabet, and yet they all acted like they understood each other.
Something incomprehensible was occurring before his very eyes.
He was terrified, but he mustered up the courage to lean over to the nearest person and ask what was going on, opening with an 'umm...'
Every single person in the room, thoroughly engaged in their conversation until then, immediately fell silent. They all stared directly at E-san.
In that room, silent but for the ambient buzz of the projector shining a dim light upon their faces, all eyes were on him.
He described their gazes as vacant, expressions blank. Not a hint of emotion.
Unable to stomach his fear, E-san dashed out of the apartment and ran home.
The next day, the same senior who had invited him to the party sent E-san a message.
"Thanks for coming yesterday. The party was a great time. I'm sure it was an excellent opportunity for you, too."
For a second, E-san wondered if he had dreamt up the entire thing. But he still remembered the terror he felt and knew it had to have been real. He cut off contact with the group entirely then and there.
A month later, he was finally getting over the trauma of his experience at the party. As he returned from his part-time job to his dorm room, he found a piece of white paper stuck to his door—it bore the same drawing he'd seen projected on the wall.
No matter how many times he removed it, it would show up on his door over and over again.
The situation drained him mentally and he found it difficult to sleep.
One night, wide awake in bed and unable to sleep, he heard a metal clang come from his door. He looked towards the sound and saw the letterbox in the door held open.
Through the gap, he said, was a pair of eyes peering into his dorm room.
Those eyes, vacant and empty, reminded him of the stares he saw at the party.
But even upon meeting their gaze, they simply continued to stare into the room. They surely must have noticed him staring back.
After what felt like an eternity watching those eyes, the letterbox suddenly clanked shut. He heard slow footsteps walk away from the door until they were inaudible.
The next morning, the drawing was still stuck to the front of his door.
"He'd only described it to me, so I'm not one-hundred percent sure it's the same drawing as the one on the cursed stickers. But, considering what we know now, I wouldn't be surprised if they were one and the same."
I came to the same conclusion.
There was a moment of silence. Ozawa cut through, as if trying to clear the air.
"Well. Even if someone's trying to spread some kind of curse, we're not exorcists. Nor are we playing saviour. Let's just keep searching. K-san said it best: what readers want most is entertainment. Isn't that right? Personally, I still want to give the readers something real, not just spin a fiction. So I'd really appreciate it if you could stick it out 'til the end with me."
In all honestly, I had no desire to go any deeper. It was likely that continuing here would only serve to endanger me even further. That was my gut feeling. But I had already officially taken the job. I had no choice but to keep going...
Translation Notes 9-16
The translation notes are organised by part. Please be careful of spoiling yourself by reading ahead.
This is an amateur translation of the web novel 近畿地方のある場所について as posted to kakuyomu.jp by the author 背筋. The web novel is freely accessible to the public, and this translation has no relation to any other adaptions. I claim no rights or ownership of the content presented.