"Physical examination?" Keiichi asks a fellow student wearing black sunglasses. They appear to be at the roof of a school building, most likely Yagami Gakuen.
"Yeah, the senior year's physical examinations will be on Friday," his classmate answers.
"Sou desu ka… (I see…)" Keiichi thinks for a while, "I should ask Tenma about this—"
"Wait!" his classmate interrupts him, "Speaking of Tenma-chan…"
o – o – o – o – o
SukuRan and Japanese folklore do not belong to me!
I just love the former and am interested in the latter!
o – o – o – o – o
Note: "presumed Japanese"; "presumed English"; "presumed Japanese with a non-Japanese accent"; "PRESSUMED ENGRISH"; "thinking"; "EMPHASIZING"
o – o – o – o – o
#2 口裂け女
(KUCHISAKE ONNA)
(SLIT-MOUTH WOMAN)
o – o – o – o – o
(Afternoon Break)
"Well?" Keiichi grows annoyed at his classmate's reluctance to ask.
"Well…actually," the other says. He is about five inches taller than Keiichi and appears to have a semi-muscular build. His black hair is pulled back by a yellow headband. The eyes behind his sunglasses emanate a sense of homeliness…but also see just one girl.
"'Actually'?" Keiichi repeats.
"Can you…" he hesitates again.
"…Kenji, get on with it!" Keiichi scoffs.
"Can you help me find out Tenma-chan's sizes?!" his classmate, Kenji, finally asks.
"…Joudan desu ne? (…That's a joke, right?)" Keiichi with an un-amused glare looks at Kenji.
"No," Kenji answers, "So, can you help me?"
Keiichi lets out a single laugh then replies, "If you want to know them, just ask either Tenma, Yakumo, or me."
"Are you insane?! If I were to do that, Tenma-chan would think of me as a maniac…" Kenji barks but eventually slows down, upon realizing something, "Why ask you?"
"Hm? I know her sizes," Keiichi replies.
"H-HOW DO YOU KNOW?!?!" Kenji yells very close to Keiichi's face.
Keiichi sighs, "I asked her, of course! She trusts me…Tenma knows that I won't make them public!"
"She trusts you, huh?" Kenji thinks for a while, "So, you guys are more than friends, right?"
"Of course!" Keiichi replies (slightly provoking Kenji), "We're…uh…extremely loyal to each other…That should be a good enough description."
"So…is there anything going on between you two?" Kenji, still provoked, asks, "Like something around the level of 'love'?"
"Well…our bond is like that of siblings. More like, we are siblings!" Keiichi (convincingly) lies, "If a friendship is that strong, it usually doesn't go any farther…"
"Hm…I see…" Kenji sighs in relief.
"Just trust my words: 'I don't betray'," Keiichi pats Kenji in the back.
"Fine…" Kenji replies.
"So, do you want me to tell you her sizes?" Keiichi asks.
"…Uh…well…maybe…" Kenji can't give a straight answer.
"Guilt is overwhelming, huh?" Keiichi laughs in the inside.
"No," Kenji answers, "I'll find them the hard way…during the physical examinations!"
"…Very hardworking…" Keiichi replies, "However, it would be smarter to get the fruit that is already before you…Even though I'm still not going to tell you, anyway!"
o – o – o – o – o
(After Class)
While everyone else is preparing to leave Class 3-D (other than those who have cleaning duty), Keiichi is approached by the classmate he describes as a rubber pencil.
"Yo, Yamazaki," the rubber pencil classmate greets Keiichi. He has short orange hair that seems to always be in "cool" mode. He has dark brown eyes that emanate a sense of…a carefree attitude and…perverse thoughts…The reason behind his being referred to as a rubber pencil would be the fact that he is quite thin…and flexible…
"Kyousuke, doushita ka (What's wrong?)," Keiichi asks him.
"Nothing much, but…" the rubber pencil classmate, Kyousuke, replies, "…You know about the physical exams, right?"
Keiichi pauses before answering, "…Ee…(an elegant/feminine way of saying "yes")"
"Do you want a TA—GETO (target)?" Kyousuke asks him.
"Hm? Target?" Keiichi replies.
"Whose sizes do you want to know about?" Kyousuke spells it out for him.
"…Dare mo (No one)…" Keiichi flatly replies, "If I were interested in that sort of thing, I'd just read the girls' minds! Then again…I wouldn't—Those are numbers! Of course, I'll be able to understand!"
"Too bad…" Kyousuke sighs, "Fuyuki had a good deal for outsiders!"
"I'm sorry that I'm a transfer student," Keiichi replies sarcastically, "And you're talking about the photographer Takeichi, right?"
"Yep! See!" Kyousuke shows him photo album containing pictures of various girls (mostly their female peers) near the town's center fountain.
"I can't tell if you guys are stalkers, admirers, or perverts…" Keiichi sighs as Kyousuke flips through every photo.
"Come on! Be a man!" Kyousuke insists.
"Geez…" Keiichi scoffs. After seeing several more pictures, Keiichi finds something that catches his eye. He quickly leaves a finger on the page, prompting Kyousuke to stop flipping through the pages.
"Ah, so you found someone you like?" Kyousuke assumes.
"What is this behind her?" Keiichi looks carefully at the photo. It is a photo of a beautiful young woman, who apparently may have been sick when the photo was taken, since the photo shows her wearing a surgical mask. She is wearing a white blouse and a white skirt, which reaches all the way to her calves. She appears to have been passing by the fountain.
"Hm? Her?" Kyousuke notices that Keiichi is giving close consideration towards that photo, "Fuyuki doesn't know who that is. He just took a picture then ran like hell!"
"There's something wrong about this photo…" Keiichi tries to see what's wrong, "I have a very odd…yet familiar feeling about this girl…"
"…And because of that…it's obvious that she's not a student of Yagami Gakuen!" Kyousuke continues.
"Here…there's something…" Keiichi looks more carefully at the area behind her, "…FLOATING?!?"
"So, the chances of finding her again for a photo shoot would be very slim!" Kyousuke continues explaining.
Keiichi looks at the general area of the photo and notices something else, "There's a fog? There's a thick fog behind the fountain and near the edges of the photo! That cannot be the mistake of someone so highly revered by the other perverts of this school!"
"…And she's interesting to me, since she has big ones!" Kyousuke makes a gesture similar to…fondling…(well, you know) then shouts, "D-CUP!"
"I should investigate this…What can that be?" Keiichi takes his bag and walks to the door, "I'm leaving now."
"Ah, you want to see that girl, right?" Kyousuke's remark falls on deaf ears…as Keiichi didn't listen to what he had said.
o – o – o – o – o
(10:37 PM at the Town's Central Fountain)
"…This is taking too long…" Keiichi sighs, as he takes a quick scan of his surroundings then looks at his cellphone (12 missed calls), "…Not only that, but I had to ignore a few of Yakumo's calls…"
He's sitting at a bench near the town center's fountain, in hopes that the young woman from the photo would appear…although he has been waiting for about FOUR HOURS…!
"…Perhaps, I was expecting too much this time…" Keiichi sighs once more, "…I should return home now; otherwise, Tenma and Yakumo will be even more worried…"
Keiichi slowly gets up and takes his bag. Before he touches his bag, he feels an eerie atmosphere…He looks ahead of him and notices that the night had become a little foggy.
"Coincidence?" Keiichi takes his bag and turns to another direction…only to be…, "WHAT THE—?!"
A beautiful young woman stands before him. She has long black hair and very fair skin. She has the height of an average 20-year-old Japanese woman. Her dark brown eyes seem…kind of sad…She appears to be the woman from the photo…still wearing a surgical mask…and, once you notice, the exact same clothes…!
Keiichi's heart leapt from the earlier surprise but has completely calmed down now, "Interesting…I guess I can meet her now…"
The woman moves closer to her…then asks, "Watashi…kirei? (Am I beautiful?)"
"'Kirei' desu ka… (Beautiful?)" Keiichi asks…since he apparently has no idea what "kirei" is in English.
"Ee…Watashi…kirei? (Yes, am I beautiful?)" she responds and moves even closer to Keiichi.
"…Watashi wa sore wo wakarimasen…(…I don't understand that…)" Keiichi admits.
"Watashi…kirei…kireinai…dochi…? (Which am I: beautiful or not?)" she growls as she moves even closer to him. She is now just a few steps away from Keiichi.
" 'Kirei' wa…Eigo de nan desu ka…(What is 'kirei' in English?)" Keiichi asks.
"Nani? (What?)" she is taken aback by his question.
"I…don't understand Japanese very well…" Keiichi confesses, "Gomen nasai…(I'm sorry…)"
"Then what are you speaking now…?!" she growls.
"I've only learned a little Japanese…" Keiichi sighs then realizes, "So this is how it is…? I wonder what was she asking earlier? Aa, sou desu! Watashi no namae wa Yamazaki Keiichi desu. Anata no namae wa nan desu ka. (Ah, right! My name is Yamazaki Keiichi. What is your name?)"
"Na…ma…e? (Na…m…e?)" she asks.
"Yeah, your name…" Keiichi replies then notices some small balls of blue fire floating around the area, "Those are—!"
"I…am…not interested in this!" she turns her back to Keiichi and walks away.
"W-Wait! You—" Keiichi instinctively grabs her wrist…and feels that her hands are as cold as a stiff's…
"Let go of me!" she turns and slaps Keiichi.
"Ku…" he releases her after feeling the coldness of her slap, "Why do you not wish to speak?"
"Watashi wa…!" she tears her surgical mask off and reveals the rest of her face…Her mouth had been slit nearly from ear to ear! Not only that, but the cut appeared to be fresh…! The joint of her jawbone and the skull can be easily seen when she spoke! However…she does not bleed…
Keiichi stoically holds his ground, "…J-Just as I thought! She is—"
"…OBAKE!!! (…GHOST!!!)" she shrieks…with her mouth opened as big as possible…
"…the Kuchisake Onna…" Keiichi recalls, "…So, this is the scenario? I haven't obeyed any of the usual scenarios…so…what happens now?"
"Saa…watashi…kirei?!?!" she shrieks as she takes out a pair of bloody scissors.
"W-What was the answer?!" Keiichi struggles to think, "Yes? No? WHAT IS IT?!?!"
"Kotaero…! (Answer…!)" she shrieks.
"Is it 'no'?" Keiichi thinks, "No, if I do that, she'll rip me to shreds of flesh!"
"Kotaero! Kotaero! (Answer! Answer!)" she shrieks again.
"Maybe, 'yes'?" Keiichi, now pressured, thinks, "No, she'll just follow me and kill me at my doorstep! BUT WHY?! AND WHAT IS THE ANSWER?!?!"
"KOTAERO! KOTAERO! KOTAERO! (ANSWER! ANSWER! ANSWER!)" she continues shrieking.
"That's right!" Keiichi gathers enough courage to answer calmly, "M-Maamaa desu…(S-So-so…)"
"M-Maamaa? Maamaa desu ka…(S-So-so? So-so?)" she asks…then goes into a state of deep thought…
"Now, she's wondering about what to do…According to what I have read…I should run now…but…" Keiichi thinks about what to do.
"Dou shiyou…Dou shiyou…? (What should I do…What should I do…?)" she thinks aloud.
"Gomen nasai…(I'm sorry…)" Keiichi gets her attention and confesses, "Uso wo…tsukimashita…(I told…a lie…)"
"NANI?! (WHAT?!)" she, with her bloody scissors in hand, dashes towards him…in an attempt to kill him.
"What do you want me to say?" Keiichi asks, before she stabs him in the heart.
She quickly stops and answers, "Tell me that I am beautiful…"
"Ee, anata wa kirei na onna no hito desu (Yes, you are a beautiful woman)," Keiichi answers, "I remember now…'kirei' means 'beautiful'!"
"Ku!" she can't believe that he said it that way.
"Heh…I figured something out…'Watashi kirei?', which means 'Am I beautiful?' sounds almost like 'Watashi kire?', which means 'Do I cut?' If I had answered 'yes', I would be nothing but shreds of flesh before I reach my home…but since I answered completely…she can't do a thing!" Keiichi thinks, "Fortunately, my Japanese isn't so bad to forget such a thing!"
"K-Kirei na onna no hito…? (Beautiful woman?)" she takes a couple of steps back before falling to her knees.
"Well? Now what?" Keiichi cautiously takes a few steps toward her.
"Kore…(Here…)" she offers Keiichi a blood ruby ("bloody" in two ways…).
"Eh?" Keiichi looks at the jewel for a few seconds…then reluctantly accepts it.
"I'm leaving now…" she turns around and leaves.
"A-Arigatou gozaimasu…Kuchisake Onna-san (Thank you, Slit-mouth Woman)," Keiichi manages to yell to her.
"Saraba…(Farewell…)" she disappears into the fog…as soon as she does so, the fog dissipates…revealing the rest of the town's center…the fountain, the trees, the other benches, the rest of the path…but no one else is around…
"…Iie, 'saraba' dewa arimasen (No, it's not 'farewell')…" Keiichi sighs, "Kore wa 'mata ne' yo (This is 'see you again')…"
After putting more thought into his near-death experience…Keiichi drops on the bench, "T-There's no way anyone is going to believe this…!"
He notices that he is still shivering from the earlier coldness of her aura and hands then he looks at the bloody blood red ruby in his hand, "It's probably for the best…that I hide this from Tenma and Yakumo…"
He gets up, takes a small plastic bag from his bag, and puts the ruby in it then hoards it in his bag, "Kuchi…sake…Onna…we'll definitely meet again!"
As he makes his way out of the town center, he sighs, "Perhaps, I should bring Yakumo for this sort of thing…'Safety in numbers' or a similar reason…"
o – o – o – o – o
(11:25 PM at the Tsukamoto Residence)
"Niisan, where were you all this time?" Yakumo asks Keiichi.
"I…had something important to do…" Keiichi answers, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He had just started to remove his shoes while he was answering.
"Are you…going to skip dinner?" a concerned Yakumo asks.
"Ee…I don't have much of an appetite tonight…" Keiichi replies, waving his hand at Yakumo.
That is when Yakumo notices that Keiichi's hand has some dried red liquid on his hand. She takes his hand, "Niisan?"
"A blunder!" Keiichi pulls his hand away and runs to the kitchen, "On second thought, I'll eat dinner!"
"Niisan, but—" Yakumo asks before noticing that Keiichi is washing his hands.
"Nani mo arimasen yo, Yakumo," Keiichi forces a laugh, "Then again…I should tell her, since I am going to have her join me in these investigations……I'll tell her later…"
Yakumo reads his mind but…barely understand the English characters…
Keiichi turns to Yakumo and asks, "Saa, bangohan wa— (So, dinner is—)"
o – o – o – o – o
Tsuzuku…
o – o – o – o – o
Yakumo: Next time on School Rumble…Ano…Ghosts Edition?
Keiichi: That was surprising…
Yakumo: Niisan? Ano…Iori is…
Keiichi: Hm? Iori?
Iori: Nya…
??: Nya…
Yakumo: There are two Ioris…
Keiichi: N-Next time…
#3 BAKENEKO
??: Nyao!
Keiichi: There…is really something wrong here…
o – o – o – o – o
…Omake
o – o – o – o – o
After Keiichi had walked out of the town center, a black cat jumps from a tree and lands on the bench Keiichi was sitting on earlier.
It looks around and notices some blood on the ground.
It creeps closer to the small pool of blood and sniffs it.
After a while, it jumps back to the tree it had come from…and a voice can be heard, "She actually gave it, huh? Nyahaha…"
o – o – o – o – o
Review Reply:
Thanks for the words of encouragement about this fic, Hamdi-san.
I really appreciate them!
Random Notes:
Well, wasn't that nice?
I apparently don't have much of a hand for fear factors or dark gloomy stuff…but, nonetheless, I shall still continue to write! Won't that be nice?
Oh, and for information about the legend, go to http:// en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Kuchisake- onna (remove the spaces, of course!)
Anyway, the next thing to appear is my new inspiration! "First Love" (erm…working title) for "A Little Snow Fairy Sugar". It talks about Adel, a few years prior to OSDN!
I hope for the best! Peace! Mata ne!