Volume 3 - CH 1.8

8-10 minutes 23.09.2022

Translator: Kell

Makihara and Misaki chose a nearby place for their trip; they did not leave the prefecture. It was already past two o’clock in the afternoon when we left. We took a taxi to the station, boarded a train, and headed west for two hours. Then we hailed another taxi before arriving at our destination—a rustic inn. There was a resort hotel nearby, but Misaki chose this place. She preferred modest places, apparently. And Makihara had become violent lately, so she didn’t want drawing attention to themselves.

“Misaki-kun probably expected a relaxing trip,” Mayuzumi said as she studied the inn. “Unfortunately, this place gives the opposite effect.”

Not to belittle whoever was running the place, but just looking at it made me depressed. The dirty walls and the garbage bags lying in plain sight suggested they didn’t want any guests.

In Misaki’s text message sent to her friend, she said that Makihara was furious as soon as they arrived. He lambasted her for arranging everything herself.

Mayuzumi and I headed for the nearby beach. It was still early in June, so the beach was deserted. Tripping over the sand, I followed Mayuzumi. When we arrived at the boat rental shop, we were greeted by a bored-looking staff. His eyes widened at the sight of Mayuzumi in her gothic lolita outfit.

“O-Oh, that incident,” he began. “That was a rough one. I saw them fighting just before it happened, so they left an impression on me. The girl looked spirited, despite all the yelling. I never expected that to happen. The man came running, but he was so shaken up, I didn’t even understand what he was saying. Hmm? Where did it happen? The cave is off-limits. Don’t tell me you wanna go there.”

Bam!

Mayuzumi pulled out a wad of cash from her bag and slammed it on the desk. She flashed a smile and winked. Her cat-like eyes twinkled. Several minutes later, Mayuzumi learned the location of the cave and arranged to rent a boat. While they talked, I waited outside, leaning against the wall as I smoked a cigarette. It had been a while since we used the power of money to make progress. It was awfully peaceful.

As for me, I had no complaints.

I stubbed out my cigarette and got ready.

Mayuzumi walked out the door. “We don’t want to get wet,” she said as she passed by me. “There’s swimwear in that bag, so go change.”

I asked the boat shop owner for permission to change in their restroom. It was still too chilly to wear only a bathing suit. I put on a shirt and went outside. Mayuzumi had already changed; I wondered how she was able to remove that convulted outfit of hers so quickly. She was standing beside the rubber boat with her red parasol on her shoulder, looking smug.

Something was not right with her appearance.

“Mayu-san, should I comment on this or what?”

Mayuzumi was wearing a school swimsuit.

I didn’t know where she got it; she even had her nametag on the chest.

She smirked. “I know the proper etiquette. You’re supposed to wear this outfit when going to the beach or the pool, but I’ve never had the chance.”

It was unusual for her to travel a long way without once complaining. Perhaps one of the reasons why was because she wanted to wear this.

“I was looking for some clothes in my room and found this. I don’t remember when I bought it, but I wrote my name on it and after three months, it finally saw the light of day!”

“I wish you were that passionate about other things,” I remarked wearily.

Mayuzumi crossed her arms smugly. “Come on now, Odagiri-kun. I don’t mind an honest compliment. You love purity. I’m sure you can appreciate this swimsuit.”

“For the record, I prefer bikinis,” I declared, and pushed the rubber boat out.

I got in after Mayuzumi, and looked ahead. A long stretch of cliff on the right was our destination. We were told that the waves in the area were calm and there was no danger crashing onto the rocks. The accident site was located behind the cliff, in a slightly hidden area. No tourists went close to it. If they didn’t go there to explore, the tragedy wouldn’t have happened.

“I see. Spoken like a real man,” Mayuzumi said. “I’ll tell the clan head that.”

I thought she just said something terribly ominous. But I ignored it and started the boat. I smelled rubber and the salty breeze. The sun was beginning to turn red. We had to hurry to avoid any danger. The tide was currently low, and the sea was calm, but the tide would rise with time.

That’s how she died, after all.

Sprayed with seawater, I corrected our course and paddled faster. I’d never ridden a rubber boat before. By the time we reached the cave, my arms were numb and my whole body was drenched, while Mayuzumi’s school swimsuit remained dry. How is that even possible? I thought as I peered inside.

The hole in the wall was roped-off. Sealing off the hole completely was probably physically impossible, so they just settled on a warning instead. I cut off some of the ropes with the tools we brought and slipped inside. I took Mayuzumi’s hand to guide her.

The rocks were damp. A chill crawled through my body. The inside of the cave was terribly cold. There was a thick smell of the sea, the smell of rotting water and living creatures. Stooping, I proceeded forward until I came to a slightly open area. There was still seawater under our feet; we had to be careful or we’d slip. This was most likely where Misaki tripped. Then, Makihara went outside to call for help, but he didn’t make it in time.

The cave was very narrow, and cold, as if this place alone was in a different season. It was so dim that once the sun went down, you wouldn’t be able to see anything. It must have been terrifying waiting alone, crouching in the dark.

With the sea steadily rising.

Water enveloping your fingertips, feet, hips, must feel like being eaten alive.

There were no signs left of her death here.

But her grudge beckoned the sea to Makihara.

Urged it to swallow him alive.

“Odagiri-kun, can you move back a little?”

Mayuzumi opened her red parasol. A blood-red color dyed the entirety of the narrow space.

At the deepest part of the cave, there was a hollow that looked like it could hold a person. Did the injured Misaki sit here as she waited for Makihara?

She kept waiting for him to come back, all alone.

In the chilly air, cold as the grave, Mayuzumi twirled her parasol.

Red spun. But nothing changed in the surroundings.

“Hmm…?”

A person drowned in this place, dying with a deep-seated grudge. Killed, she turned into a monster and summoned the sea. This was where she drowned. A person’s grudge lingered in a place for a long time. Memories of tragedy and traces of misery were not so easily erased. In which case, there should be something left here.

But…

The parasol twirled and twirled.

“…None,” Mayuzumi muttered as she closed the parasol. She couldn’t replay the memory of the dead. Staring at the cold, wet wall, she murmured, “There’s nothing to see here.”

There was nothing in this place.

My breath caught. The late Misaki must have hated Makihara. A past case flashed in my mind. Skulls laughing. Passing away with bitter regret, they left behind a definite image on the tree where they hanged themselves.

But this place was empty.

“What does this mean?” I asked.

“People’s grudges and resentments linger for a long time. A tragic scene filled with intense emotions would leave a mark behind. Like a wound created by a blade, it can’t be erased easily. Since there’s nothing here, it could only mean one thing.” Mayuzumi shook her head softly. “She didn’t hold a grudge against anyone.”

The sound of the waves pounded in my ears, and the bluish darkness chilled my body. I swallowed hard. Was it possible to die in a place like this, swallowed by water as if buried alive, without resenting anyone?

There was more.

“What in the world was that mermaid, then?”

“Let’s head back, Odagiri-kun.”

Mayuzumi turned. We stepped out of the darkening cave. Waves crashed. The sea breeze caressed my body.

Watching the sea turning from blue to gray, Mayuzumi said, “There’s no mermaid in this sea.”

What’s there in the sea is not a mermaid.

What’s there in the sea are only waves.

There was no mermaid anywhere in this sea.

Only in that house.