I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

Feeling all icky and not knowing the cause, I decided to just push that aside for now.

Could it be thoughts brought on by seeing someone? Since it has nothing to do with Yōkai, it’s probably not a big deal. The boss doesn’t deal with Yōkai or anything.

More importantly, it’s about the ‘request’ from Kagami.

“Do you usually investigate stuff like this?”

“No. We generally don’t have much interest unless it’s related to our work.”

That seemed about right.

After finishing up at part-time work, Koko and I headed for Kagami’s store.

Since it was a tavern, it seemed to be open late into the night, so there wasn’t much of an issue with our arrival.

It looked like there were more people than yesterday. Maybe it’s because the weekend is approaching?

Fukuda wasn’t present today, and since we were the only ones sitting near the counter, Kagami chatted with me in a tone that didn’t seem any different than usual.

“It hasn’t been long since my sister split off, and it’s also not long since we got involved in Yōkai-related matters. You know how it is… right?”

They had been secretly operating to bring a foreign god, not a Yōkai, into this world.

Perhaps this ‘cult’ formation was to keep an eye out for Kosuzu. They had a long history, but the fact that they didn’t even have a proper name for the cult and simply referred to it as a cult themselves made it even more suspicious.

“…”

If there’s a problem, it’s that Kagami’s words don’t inspire trust.

It’s not the trust you have between people. It’s about the experience of ‘senior’ vs. ‘newbie.’

It means they don’t have a solid, historic backing like the Yuuki family or Miura. If anything, you could argue that their expertise lies in different areas.

Though to the outside observer, everything might look the same.

Noticing my gaze was somewhat strange, Kagami awkwardly smiled.

“You know we’ve worked quite hard too, right?”

Is that so?

“So… the woman with the torn mouth?”

I knew about the woman with the torn mouth. It was a rumor that had also spread in the world I originally lived in. A ghost story suited for elementary students.

In Korea, it’s famously referred to as the ‘Red Mask.’

Why did it turn red crossing the border? Colorful masks only became popular much later. Besides, it wasn’t even red; it was black, and apparently, people overseas didn’t really wear them.

Above all, the story’s point was about her grotesque appearance, with her mouth clearly torn from ear to ear. Isn’t it terrifying to think an ordinary-looking person could turn out to be a monster? The red mask just stands out too much. Of course, one wouldn’t think of them as a crazy person just from their appearance.

Moreover, with how people tend to exaggerate these tales instinctively, they degenerate into silly power balance games, like saying she runs at 200 km/h or that she’s a Japanese ghost who even learned Korean, or can dive for hours while lifting hundreds of kilograms with one hand…

It’s likely that the stories grew from the question, “Aren’t there some people you just can’t beat?” and eventually stopped being scary.

“Is it too famous for you to believe it?”

“…”

Well, right next to me sits someone who could give that woman with the torn mouth an extra mouth or two while casually sipping milk, so I guess I can’t say I completely disbelieve it.

However,

“If such a famous entity really existed, it wouldn’t have gone unreported this long.”

“I’ve thought about that story too,” Kagami replied, looking intently at me.

“But let’s think about it the other way. Those old families and government organizations are naturally conservative. They might be skilled from years of experience, but if someone told them there’s a more efficient method to handle things, they’d have a dismissive reaction.”

“…”

Surely they wouldn’t be talking about themselves, would they? Since Kosuzu is the one who came up with that ‘new method.’

“For hundreds of years, Yōkai hunters have caught Yōkai in their own way. Naturally, if it’s not a Yōkai they can find through their way, they’d think it’s not a Yōkai at all.”

“…Ah.”

“Do you see what I’m getting at?”

“…Yeah.”

When I discovered the flesh-eating murderer my way, Yuka had stepped in front of me before I could strike. And she told me it wasn’t a Yōkai, but a person.

The reason Yuka was certain the moment she saw that person wasn’t due to their appearance. Both Yuka and I have ways to tell when a Yōkai is near.

I judged that person to be human simply because they weren’t caught in that.

“Just now, I just learned the fact that ‘there can be Yōkai that aren’t like that,’ but I can’t just blindly act either, can I?”

I can’t just go around asking anyone I meet if they’re a Yōkai.

“So should we just move recklessly?”

I asked, and it seemed like Kagami had been waiting for that question. She slid something out from beneath the bar and pushed it towards me.

It was a file.

Shooting a suspicious glance at Kagami, I peeked inside the nameless folder.

“…A murder case?”

It looked like police documents.

Details listed included the deceased’s gender, name, occupation, age, and a list of various evidence from the scene.

Feeling extremely uneasy, I shut the file and pushed it back towards Kagami.

“What do you think? Are you starting to trust it a little?”

“…”

The victim with a torn mouth.

“There was only one victim. But given the situation, I don’t want to wait for the next victim, do you?”

Kagami looked at me intently while saying that.

“I think we have a reason to check it out.”

I stared quietly at Kagami’s face, trying to gauge her thoughts, but she was just smiling brightly as usual.

This was merely a guess, but it seemed like when Kagami wanted to hide some feelings, she wore this expression.

“…Where did you get these documents? Can we trust them?”

“The most important thing when running a religious organization is figuring out which side’s people to recruit. Or plant someone from this side.”

…Broadcast stations, or maybe hospitals, or even the government.

It might sound fantastical, but it’s not something that hasn’t happened. Even in the 2020s when I lived, there were several documentaries related to such cases.

It was already famous that certain religious medical practitioners tried to prevent patients from receiving blood transfusions.

If this was brought out by such a person.

…It’s even more icky, but I’d still trust it. I had enough faith that Kagami wouldn’t lie to me with such things.

“But if the police investigated it, wouldn’t others need to know about it?”

“Wouldn’t it be more irrational to conclude that everything found is the work of a Yōkai?”

Hmm.

“Most police don’t even know such beings exist. Unless it’s something that absolutely couldn’t have been done by a person, this information doesn’t easily get passed around. And with gruesome murders, there’s usually media control early on. It’s troubling if people start panicking.”

…That makes sense.

While I nodded to understand on my own, thud.

Kagami placed another glass filled with orange juice on the table.

It was a tall, pretty transparent glass, complete with a straw.

Right in front of me, the drink was undoubtedly intentionally placed.

I pushed it towards Koko.

“Wow?”

Koko tilted her head at the drink, making a slightly puzzled noise, but then quietly accepted it and drank. It seemed like her craving for food was hard to let go.

If she wanted to offer it, she could have just given it directly.

…Or is she just being considerate of me?

As I drank the orange juice she had placed in front of me, I looked at Kagami and said—

“Sounds good.”

That was my response.

Well, it won’t hurt to take a look.

If it really exists, then we can check that out, and if it doesn’t, then that’s a good thing.

*

“Wow, it’s those cute girls from last time~”

On our way out of the store, I bumped into that woman I saw yesterday again.

She looked a few years older than me, likely due to the heavy makeup on her face.

…Even if it’s Kagami, would she really employ a minor here? Setting aside the moral implications, it’s nonsensical to do anything that would get them caught.

Could it be a secretly operating cult? Even Yuuki or Miura might have a rough idea of it, but they probably wouldn’t openly blow the lid on it because there are no cases to be made.

“…Hello!”

After making that judgment, I bowed and greeted her. Koko also followed suit.

She still seemed like a harmless person. But if a person appears to have a glow, it would be difficult for them to work here. Since it’s a place that sells laughter and alcohol together.

…Or perhaps, if you look good and fit the appearance, people wouldn’t mind? Anyway…

“I heard the story~ they say it’s the daughters of Kurosawa~ twins, huh? That’s amazing~ first time seeing you!”

The wave-like intonations at the end of her sentences conveyed a quirky personality.

Her voice seemed like it could lull you to sleep on a sunny day while you sunbathed.

“Wuu?”

Koko tilted her head. I wonder if she’s feeling that icky sensation like I am.

“See you next time~”

She waved her hand at us casually and strolled away. As I watched her get further down the staircase, I turned to Koko.

“Do you remember anything?”

“Wuu?”

But Koko just tilted her head again at my words.

I shrugged.

Well…

I just hoped we wouldn’t be late today.

I didn’t really know why, but that thought crossed my mind.

*

This isn’t Saitama, and of course, it wouldn’t be easy to walk all the way to Saitama.

Since I’m not fully relying on Kagami for living expenses nor receiving allowances, time is short for me and Koko.

We had to get to the nearest train station before the last train.

Kagami provided various information, in addition to the fact that there was a victim.

The tale of the woman with the torn mouth seems to have originated around the 70s and has continued ever since.

It’s not consistently in vogue; it usually trends, fades away, trends again, and then fades a little more.

I think I heard it in the early 2000s in Korea. I’m not sure about Japan, though.

Furthermore, the woman with the torn mouth asks, “Am I pretty?” and if you say she’s pretty, she’ll tear your mouth apart to make you like her, and if you say she’s ugly, you’ll get the same treatment.

The difference from Korea’s red mask is that if you reply, “You’re just okay,” she’ll just let you go.

I think the red mask was a case where, once captured, there was no way out. Ah, I heard something about a bizarre spell to survive, but…

Ah, right. There’s a joke that says just ignore her because, as a Japanese person, she wouldn’t be able to understand Korean anyway. …But that seems like a more insulting action than just saying something.

Anyway.

It seems that Kagami doesn’t take it too seriously, considering how she shared this information with me, which suggests it’s treated like a ghost story on this side.

Or it might be treated more like ‘people’ rather than a ghost or monster. Well, if you put aside things like running speed or supernatural strength, you could see her as just an ordinary scary person. After all, having a gash in your mouth doesn’t necessarily mean you die.

“…Hmm.”

“Koto Ne?”

Having arrived at the place where there was a victim, there was nothing left now.

The location was about a 20-minute walk from the tavern that Kagami manages. While it was near a bustling area, it was slightly off the beaten path, making it an area that was quite deserted.

Such places often existed in Korea too. Once you reach the end of the bustling area, suddenly the number of streetlights starts to dwindle, and by night, the shops with their lights on slowly vanish. And when you reach an area filled with modest, 4 to 5-story apartment buildings, it really becomes eerily quiet. It seems as if no one is living there at a glance.

I felt a somewhat similar atmosphere here. While there weren’t any Korean-style buildings, the not-so-tall buildings flanking us mostly had their lights off.

I didn’t feel the chill that often accompanies encountering a Yōkai. For a Yōkai like the woman with the torn mouth that I envisioned, it’d be normal not to feel anything.

It seemed the crime scene had already been cleared out. The incident happened about two weeks ago, and there have reportedly been no subsequent incidents.

By the way, the first tale of the woman with the torn mouth apparently stemmed from Gifu Prefecture. It’s quite far from Tokyo.

Yet, since it was said to have appeared in such a place… well.

“Koko, let’s be careful. It might not be a Yōkai.”

If the opponent isn’t a woman with a torn mouth, then it could be a man or another woman. If an adult woman were to overpower her with strength and cut her mouth, then at the very least, a single woman could be easily subdued.

“Okay!”

Koko nodded.

We began to walk again, slowly heading towards that deserted street.

Tap tap. My student shoes weren’t particularly high or hard, but on this nearly empty street, they made an eerie sound.

Hmm…

I scratched my head.

This is something.

I wonder if Yuka felt this lost when she first transferred? She constantly got caught up in incidents, but now that I was trying to find clues myself, it felt nearly impossible without any leads.

I pulled out my cellphone to check the time. It was almost 11. The last train was around midnight. It was about time to head back.

“Koko, shall we go back?”

“Wuu?”

The distance between the streetlights was far enough that Koko’s face appeared a bit unclear.

“What about the search?”

“I don’t think just walking around like this will make it easy to find something. It might be better to wait a bit while thinking of some methods—”

Just as I started to speak confidently.

“…Ah, what’s that? It’s a person.”

A voice faintly caught my attention.

Koko and I both turned to look in that direction.

We were between the streetlights, while they were on the other side of one.

No, to be precise, they were standing slyly at the point where the road twisted.

“…”

I thought they were looking like a person.

Moreover, it was definitely a girl’s voice. One that seemed a bit young, perhaps in her teens or twenties.

Koko and I exchanged glances.

It may seem trivial, but the very words expressed toward us felt somewhat alarming.

Could they be searching for ghosts or Yōkai too?

If they were coming to investigate a murder that hasn’t been publicized yet, it suggests they’re not ordinary people.

As I began walking toward them, Koko followed behind me.

I felt rather bold. Unless the opponent was police, no one would mistake us for serial killers—

Ah, but wait, our hairstyles…

“Eek!?”

Suddenly, one of the girls crouching at the corner let out a shriek upon seeing the twins Tada.

“Stay away! Stay away!”

“Ah! Wait a minute, senpai!”

Salt flew hard into my face.

It seemed they had mistaken us for ghosts.

…No, more importantly, ‘senpai’?

Before I could stop myself from calling out, I looked at the other person.

“…Koto Ne?”

Dusting off the salt from my face and hair, I stared at the other person.

Even in dim light, I surely wouldn’t be mistaken if I couldn’t recognize Kaoru and Izumi.

“…Senpai?”

I saw Kaoru, who held an L-Rod in both hands, with Izumi standing behind her holding a salt container.

Why on earth were they here?

“…Why are you two here?”

“Eh? Well, of course, we’re looking for materials, right?”

And that too, answered so casually, left me momentarily speechless.

“Don’t you remember? We have to submit something for the cultural festival.”

Kaoru said, looking at me as if she couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t know.

“…Materials?”

“Oh, yeah. The cultural festival.”

In the main building of Hanagawa High School, known for having only boring clubs, the cultural festival atmosphere doesn’t quite come across. However, the cultural festival of Hanagawa High School seems to be quite famous in the surrounding area. Especially popular among the nearby high school students.

Every club needs to promote their accomplishments at the festival. It’s not just to find new members; it concerns future club activity budgets too.

The submissions made during the cultural festival are evaluated by teachers.

Since we are in the Literature Club, we also had to create a collection of works.

“I was thinking of writing about the story of the woman with the torn mouth.”

“Um, that’s all a rumor! Are you really going to believe something published in an occult magazine?”

Izumi said to Kaoru like that, but judging by her following, it seems she fell under that spell too.

“…Magazine?”

“Yep.”

In response to my inquiry, Kaoru handed me the issue of the magazine she read in the classroom.

It had a huge headline reading [The Woman with the Torn Mouth: Is It Based on a True Story!?]

And beneath that headline were articles about various murder cases across the nation involving disfigurement. They carefully plotted it out on a map of Japan, circling location by location.

“…”

And one of those places was here.

Wait, they’re saying it shouldn’t have been reported yet?

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