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

Chapter

“Kuchan, tell me.”

Kaneko’s face glaring at me was terrifying.

“What are you trying to do right now?”

Normally, Kaneko wouldn’t make such a face at me. No, she wouldn’t make such a face at anyone. Kaneko always laughed cheerfully, ran around, and showed disappointment only when she was truly let down.

Now that I think about it, the last time she showed outright irritation was only yesterday when she failed to summon Kokkuri-san.

And even now.

Gwaak.

As if she intended to force the knife from my hand with sheer grip strength, Kaneko gripped my right wrist tightly.

“…It’s not what you think.”

“If it’s not ‘that,’ then what other reason is there for holding a knife to your wrist?”

Um…

Thinking it over again, she was right.

The goal wasn’t to die.

In fact, cutting across the wrist would be very hard to cause death, but people witnessing someone self-harming wouldn’t really consider that. It’s not a situation you can just overlook.

“Where have you been?”

So, I decided to deflect.

“What?”

“Where have you been all day today?”

“Where do you mean…?”

Kaneko looked a bit confused by my question. The tightness on my wrist loosened just a bit.

It wasn’t enough to twist free, so I continued speaking.

“…You skipped school today.”

“Skipped school? Me?”

Kaneko exclaimed in disbelief.

“What do you mean? We saw each other today, didn’t we? Just a while ago—”

Blink.

Kaneko’s eyes blinked.

“…No. You didn’t come.”

“Uh.”

“And so the teachers called Ikeda-senpai and us.”

“What does that mean?”

I took my phone out of my pocket.

…In fact, that was a pretty dumb move. There was no umbrella, and if my phone got wet, it could break.

But still… showing it directly would be better for convincing her.

I held the phone screen up. Some raindrops gathered on it, but the phone didn’t turn off immediately.

I pushed the screen in front of Kaneko’s eyes.

June 16, 2004, Wednesday.

“What…?”

Kaneko unknowingly let go of my wrist.

Then she took my phone with both hands and stared at the screen intently.

I stealthily tucked the knife’s blade into my pocket—

“Ah—that won’t do.”

However, before that, Kaneko grabbed my wrist again. She seemed to have realized that there was no need to hold my phone with both hands.

After handing back my phone, she effortlessly pried my fingers open to confiscate the cutter knife.

And then she tucked it into her skirt pocket, saying,

“Do you really think I’d hand a knife to someone who was trying to self-harm just a moment ago? No matter how much I forget, I will absolutely not forget this.”

“…”

Um…

I messed up.

Would it be okay to take Kaneko with me like this?

I soon concluded that it wouldn’t be possible.

Because, she was the Kaneko who had gone missing for a whole day. They call it Kamikakushi, right? Having experienced something like that, bringing her along like this might lead to unexpected consequences.

I sighed silently and plopped down on a bench. There was rainwater pooled on the bench, but I didn’t care. After all, I was soaked to the underwear anyway.

It probably wouldn’t matter if I used an umbrella now.

I first removed the battery from the phone I had in my hand. It was an old phone, so that was easy.

Probably… hmm, if I dried it thoroughly later, it wouldn’t break. At least the phone was still on before I removed the battery.

After stuffing it back in my pocket, Kaneko plopped down beside me as if she had done the exact same. She seemed to have the same notion of not caring about getting wet.

But isn’t this a little too close for comfort? Sitting almost pressed up against me like some high school girl trying to flirt.

I considered whether I could pull out the knife again from this distance, but unfortunately, the pocket I had tucked it into was on the opposite side.

She didn’t place a hand on my shoulder, but instead leaned her arms on the bench backrest and said,

“Then, tell me once.”

When I looked at Kaneko as if to say “What are you talking about?”, she stared back and said,

“The reason you were trying to do that.”

“…”

Is this really the time to discuss that?

I realized that sitting on the bench was just a way of waiting for Yuuki. Digging into my wrist or biting at my wounds… isn’t that a little too zombie-like? Besides, it would surely hurt way more than just cutting with a knife.

“Um… I guess it feels a bit odd to talk about? I usually don’t speak about this kind of stuff comfortably.”

“…This sort of talk doesn’t concern you—”

“No.”

Kaneko looked straight through me while speaking.

“It does concern me.”

“…”

“I’ve let you down once before.”

Kaneko crossed her legs, seemed to ponder for a moment, and then opened her mouth again.

“Then let’s do this. I’ll tell you my reason first. After that, you tell me yours.”

Uh, but even so, I don’t think I can share my reason.

How would I explain, “I was trying to summon an external entity using blood offered through a tattoo drawn on my left wrist”?

Well, it might be an interesting story for Kaneko, but a senior looking at a junior who just tried to cut her wrist isn’t about to take that literally.

Besides, she didn’t seem to be just flustered.

There was definitely some kind of trauma there.

“I… the reason I was trying to find a ghost was that I had something to ask.”

So, is that how it is? Like looking in a mirror while holding a steak knife and seeing the face of the person you’ll eventually marry.

But what Kaneko said was a story completely different from what I imagined.

“Have you heard of a living spirit?”

“Living spirit?”

“Yeah. Unlike the souls of dead people, it refers to the souls of living persons. Like those in a comatose state or something.”

“…”

Was that even a thing?

Sorry to say, I had a profession in my past life where anyone with a heartbeat was considered ‘alive,’ and I didn’t know about classifications of spirits. I liked ghost stories, but I didn’t particularly enjoy systematically explaining them. It removes the eerie charm unique to such tales.

But this world was set in a Light Novel backdrop. It wouldn’t be strange if such classifications existed.

Above all, it’s probably much closer to a real story than a mere ghost tale.

Seeing that I remained silent, Kaneko continued, thinking I was seriously listening.

“I saw one once. Actually, I’ve had weak spiritual abilities since childhood. Whenever I went to places like graveyards, strange people would appear, and I’d faint. My parents made me exercise a lot… but I believed I was just imagining things. So I really ran hard. By doing so, I ended up being good enough for the track club.”

“…”

“But you know, I don’t really enjoy running. It’s just that my parents seem calmer when I do. Neither I nor my parents envisioned me becoming an athlete, but at least staying healthy is good for both of us, right? Ever since I became healthy, I almost never see those things anymore.”

The rain kept pouring. The intensity lightened a bit compared to when I was about to cut my wrist, but the steady rain ensured that our bodies stayed soaked. It felt like being in a pool. Even though it was mid-June, it sure didn’t feel hot at all.

“How far did you hear?”

“…How far?”

“You met with the teachers yesterday. Ikeda wouldn’t just sit still. Didn’t she head for the track club?”

Being childhood friends sure is something.

Well, even so, if I’d known my friend for a few years, I could probably predict how she would move inside the school.

“…After fighting with you, I quit…”

“So you heard.”

Kaneko spoke with a bitter smile.

“I had a junior too. You know? She’s in her second year now. She was about your size. I think she didn’t really want to run like me, but she was forced by her parents. For me, I thought I needed it. But for her… um, it wasn’t the same.”

“…”

“She probably had talent. Both her parents were runners, after all. But she didn’t want to do it. She seemed to have briefly joined the club only to leave, and that didn’t work out for her. You might not know, but our track club is quite famous. For both boys and girls.”

So it seems that junior faced bullying soon after.

“I… didn’t know.”

And Kaneko said,

“Everyone knew that I was friends with her. Besides, not to brag, my parents are pretty well-known figures too. And I mentioned, didn’t I? My skills aren’t too shabby.”

In my opinion, this was Kaneko’s humble way of expressing herself. Surely in reality, she’d be considered a ‘star’ athlete. Otherwise, there would be no reason for everyone to tiptoe around her.

“But she kept telling me. Not directly, but through her actions or hints.”

“…”

“It was a suicide attempt. It failed, and she’s in the hospital now. I heard she hasn’t regained consciousness.”

“…What about her parents?”

“It seems they knew about the bullying. But they thought she could endure it mentally, just like they did when they were young. Even if at first she didn’t like it, they probably thought she would eventually grow to like it.”

The interminable psychological theories.

“I’ve told you, right? I have a naturally sensitive physique towards the supernatural? Ever since entering high school, I haven’t seen one. But—”

I actually saw something.

While cleaning out the storeroom one day, I spotted my junior curled up on the ground. It was only for a moment.

Like someone who had been hit, she was clutching her stomach and lying on her side.

“I… recognized that appearance.”

“…”

“It was around then that I could’ve known. I could have learned. But…”

She has the skills, but she didn’t want to. She didn’t feel much interest in the club. She did things half-heartedly and would skip whenever she could. The only reason she became friends with that junior in the club was simply because, well, she didn’t really want to.

That’s why… she didn’t know.

“Why do you care? You’ve barely been nice this whole time! While others have been genuinely running, you’ve been slacking off! Then now you step in like it’s your responsibility!?”

Kaneko shouted.

Wouldn’t the teacher hear that? But there was no sign of it, at least for the moment.

“…That’s how it is. Yeah.”

“…”

“I couldn’t refute that, but I couldn’t contain my anger, so I slapped her.”

So that’s why it had turned out the way it did.

The reason I’d seen her face turn sour when I asked if she was joining the track club for the first time made sense.

“…So, that’s how it went.”

“Right. That’s how it turned out. But I have another talent, right? Since I have a constitution that attracts spirits, I thought if I could find her living spirit, maybe I could save her.”

But upon entering the gym, she would catch the attention of the track club. Even if she secretly entered at night, the storeroom would be tightly locked. Outside of the track club, there weren’t many chances to enter the gym storeroom for divine summoning.

So Kaneko probably tried to find another method in her own way.

“…In the end, it became me utilizing you all. Sorry. Still, I’m relieved that I wasn’t alone there.”

“…”

“So, that’s it for my story. Now it’s your turn.”

…Hmm.

I pondered how to say it and then held out my hand towards Kaneko.

“Give me the knife.”

“What? No way.”

Kaneko’s expression darkened.

When she frowned, Kaneko had quite a scary impression. The usual bubbly atmosphere disappeared in an instant, and she looked like she might start a fight. Now that I think about it, her gaze was quite intimidating. Does she mask it with her smiling face most of the time?

“…I won’t self-harm.”

“Yet you were trying to cut your wrist.”

“…”

I closed my eyes and thought for a moment.

Ha, right.

At this point, I couldn’t hide it anymore. She knew the moment I was about to cut my wrist.

I raised my left arm.

Kaneko hadn’t properly seen it, but the hair tie I usually wore was already gone. After all, I was planning to cut.

When I showed my wrist, Kaneko’s eyes widened.

“What is this…?”

“…A tattoo.”

I answered.

“…It’s a tattoo for summoning a god. What I need is my blood.”

Kaneko repeated opening and closing her hands, then suddenly shouted Ah! as if she realized something and jumped up.

“Wait, you meant to summon Kokkuri-san!”

“Right. Because you could call it without seeing the blood if you summoned it.”

“That’s what moved the coin before?”

I nodded.

Kaneko’s face lit up in an instant.

And then she frowned again.

“But that doesn’t work.”

“…”

“Ultimately, that would lead to hurting yourself to let your blood flow.”

Um…

I couldn’t really refute that.

“And, it’s not like you can’t summon it even without this, right? If you just have the Kokkuri-san charm…”

“No,” I said firmly. “I need more than that.”

At the very least, I wanted to hold a knife.

I wasn’t sure if I could defeat the ghost or not, but I figured I could just ask that later.

But could the blood of the avatar created through summoning even do that?

“…You—”

Just when Kaneko was about to continue her sentence.

Whii—hoo—

A sound that resembled a whistle echoed.

And I shivered for a moment at that sound.

It wasn’t just the cold from the rain. The chill creeping up my spine was similar to the feeling of being in ‘the nest.’

Whii—hoo—

Again, a bizarre sound came, resembling either a bird’s call, a whistle, or maybe a flute’s tune.

“Is that the Japanese Bush Warbler?”

“…”

When I turned my head, Kaneko was looking at me.

“That’s a bird’s sound. The sound it makes, ‘Hyo, hyo.’ It sounds like a Japanese Bush Warbler.”

‘Hyo, hyo’?

No, now is not the time to nitpick personal opinions.

“It came from that direction.”

Before I could act, Kaneko moved.

She grabbed my hand firmly and ran with all her might. I followed behind her… or more accurately, I was dragged along. I began to understand Yuuki’s feelings a bit.

*

The sound came from the direction of the playground.

And there, we found—

“Yuuki!”

A Yuuki dressed in shrine maiden attire was standing there.

Yuuki was holding a wooden stick in his hand. At the end of the stick, there was white paper that seemed to have been folded in a specific manner, like the paper you see shrine maidens holding in Japanese manga or light novels.

Upon seeing us, Yuuki did not look surprised. He took a light breath and pointed in one direction.

At Yuuki’s 7 o’clock position, there was a white circle drawn. It was large enough for two or three people to fit inside comfortably.

As we got closer, it looked like the circle was made of salt.

“It’s been bothering me a bit, this school.”

Yuuki mumbled.

Whii—hoo—

“Typically, those kinds of ghost stories don’t often take form in reality. Well, it is a school, lots of people around, and many times the dead are engulfed in grudges. But still, it’s a bit much for two of them to appear at almost the same time.”

“What’s that sound…?”

In response to my question, Yuuki replied.

“It’s the sound that opens the ghost gate.”

Yuuki was standing in the center of the playground.

Surrounding him were twelve talismans laid out on the ground in various directions. The way Yuuki seemed to face was likely north, while we were standing in the circle of salt he’d drawn at his 7 o’clock position.

The place we were, meaning the school courtyard, was somewhere around the 3 o’clock position from here.

During Chushi, it was the direction of the Chushi.

…Yuuki was opening the ghost gate.

Realizing that, I gaped.

“Why are you opening it…?”

“Opening it itself isn’t the key,” Yuuki said. “What matters is that it is being ‘kept open.’”

Yuuki stuck the wooden stick he had been holding into the prepared container.

Then he picked up ‘Mumei’ that he had placed in front of him.

Drawing the sword from its scabbard, Yuuki then slightly turned his body to face the northeast.

From there—

I could hear Kaneko holding her breath.

Whii—hoo—

Yeah, that sound was coming ‘from here.’ Not from where we stood.

The place Yuuki had chosen to sit wasn’t even worth considering as the 3 o’clock position.

Ah, so… it looks like that kind of place isn’t important.

What matters is the ‘site of an event.’ A place where a grudge lingers. A ‘location’ where spirits cannot depart.

And an entity that holds onto the crevices to allow such spirits to move in and out.

“Kurosawa.”

“Yeah?”

“Please take care of senpai. Just in case.”

“…Got it.”

“Yuuki? Kuchan?”

Kaneko looked at Yuuki and me, not quite grasping the situation.

Whii—hoo—

Once more, the calling sound resounded, and something dark began to drop from where Yuuki was.

“You’ve done well hiding till now, huh? Setting up such a nest.”

Yuuki said.

“Have you lived on loneliness? With resentment and timing? Well, I guess schools are the best place to get something like that.”

From the ‘ghost gate,’ something dark was emerging. As the air began to split apart bit by bit, an increasing chill enveloped my body.

The first thing to emerge was a paw of a striped tiger. If someone were to forcefully stretch a feline’s paw to make it human-like, that’s how it looked. At the tip, sharp claws were present.

Next, came the head of a monkey.

And that monkey’s head was whistling.

Whii—hoo—

…And.

“He imitated the spirit of the dead.”

Yuuki said.

“It was hiding in the afterlife itself.”

…

Wait, was there really that much difference between that guy and the next one that emerged?

That isn’t just some yōkai; it looks like something out of mythology.

“…Nue.”

Kaneko, gripping my shoulder tightly, muttered.

Yeah, I could see it too.

Resembling a chimera, it was a being frequently referenced in subcultures.
What was emerging from the air was the yōkai Nue (鵺).

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