About a Place in the Kinki Region p.34 [END]: "About a Place in the Kinki Region" 5
So you've read this far.
I'm truly sorry.
The 'woman in red' was mostly likely trying to bring her son back to life.
She desperately clung to a religion worshipping a god that shunned her, the very same false god that took her son from her.
She was a tragically, hopelessly foolish woman. She prayed and prayed, knowing full well her son had passed on.
And she's also a terribly pitiful woman.
The child she supposedly brought back to life, by stealing that stone and changing the character on the talismans to his name, was something far more monstrous than that fake deity ever was.
And yet, she still believed it to be her darling child.
In order to satisfy that thing, whose only motivation was to consume life, she spread the curse even further, using the talismans to draw in as many innocents as possible. But it wasn't good enough.
By finding a woman similar to her to act in her stead, she likely intended to create a far stronger curse than those talismans could.
A woman similar to her—that is to say, a mother.
She wasn't peeking into homes to look for children. She was looking for mothers.
She was searching for someone who could empathise with her.
Which is me. I, who had also lost my child, who had consoled her when we met at that facility. I must be exactly what she was looking for.
Despite losing my memory, eventually I once again got too close to the paranormal.
In truth, ever since the day Ozawa and I had that remote meeting, I've been able to see her.
She's been by my side this whole time, whispering 'write it all down, spread it far and wide' into my ear.
I tried making those talismans, but that didn't stop the whispering.
I hear it when I do anything besides putting this story together. Anything. Even as I sleep, she whispers to me in my dreams.
The only thing I could do was write.
She rightfully despised the media, but she was also all too aware of its ability to spread information.
And so I must have checked every box. I was exactly what she was searching for.
I wanted to be free. I wanted to live.
And so I went along with it.
I agreed to spread this knowledge. I even misled you by pretending I didn't know Ozawa was already dead, and that I needed help to find him.
If I say I'm looking for my missing friend, considerate people who want to help will surely read. Even if that didn't work out, by obscuring the exact location using ●●●●●, it would attract people curious as to what I'm hiding. They might even be tempted to use social media to spread it further.
Unfortunately, this was all obvious to me as a writer. I know how to manipulate my readers to effectively spread information.
When I started writing this, I said that I needed your 'assistance.' All I needed was for you all to read.
But still, I tried not to tell you every detail.
That was my final act of resistance—the last shreds of my conscience.
The closer you get to the true nature of the paranormal, the worse it becomes for you.
And so I tried to end the story over and over.
All to keep you from getting too wrapped up in this curse.
But she wouldn't allow it.
No matter where I ended it, the whispering didn't go away.
Those, things—those paranormal entities. They act much like insects.
Insects aren't beholden to emotions. When a praying mantis kills and eats her mate, she doesn't feel regret. An ant carrying the corpse of another member of its colony outside the nest doesn't mourn.
They act according to their base instincts. Nothing more.
Seeking a bride. Feeding their child. Devouring life. It's all driven by pure instinct.
Even as I depicted these false deities as little more than monstrosities, she kept whispering in my ear the same way she always did.
I suppose they simply can't comprehend human rationale. Nothing exists for them beyond getting what they want. That's ultimately just what paranormal entities are.
So concludes 'About a Place in the Kinki Region'. Genuinely this time.
There's no detail left for me to hold back. I've written it all down.
●●●●● doesn't mean anything. What's behind those dots is irrelevant.
You've all already stared overlong, as it were.
It's finally over now.
She's ceased her whispering.
But now I see a boy—standing in the corner of the room, staring blankly at me.
Well, that's the only way it ever could've gone.
To all of you, I'm so, so very sorry.
But still, thank you for noticing.
了
I've concluded this translation with a discussion on the alternate versions of this story—including the hardcover, paperback, and film—and my thoughts on the work. If you're interested, please click here.
Translation Notes 25-34
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.