Chapter 5: A Forked Path
Yokohama, End of July 2006
Gene turned to look over his shoulder for the umpteenth time.
"What is it?" Noll said, getting annoyed at his behaviour.
"...Nothing."
He sighed.
"It obviously isn't nothing. You've been behaving like this for a few days already," Noll said with a sharp tone. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
Gene stared back at him with apprehensive eyes.
(I think someone was following us.)
Noll looked down the road.
A few hours ago they had arrived at Minatomirai Station in Yokohama. They walked to the iconic Red Brick Warehouse and had a lunch and shaved ice there. After that, they passed through the Yamashita Park as they had ample time. Then he and Gene headed over to the Yamate neighbourhood which was relatively close by.
There were a few people walking around, going about their own business, but he noticed no one conspicuous. If someone had followed them, Noll would have noticed.
He sighed.
"You're being too paranoid. Let's go."
Gene didn't reply, so they continued walking.
The Yamate neighbourhood was a hilly residential area with a number of parks. Lin told them Western foreigners used to reside in this area when Yokohama Port was opened to the world for international trading about 150 years ago. Even now their influence could still be seen in the architecture. This neighbourhood happened to be near Yokohama's Chinatown, Noll recalled from that conversation with Lin. Gene had wanted to eat Chinese, but it could very well be the case that their client would offer dinner for them.
They stopped walking when they saw a large mansion with a middle-sized front garden.
"Didn't expect anything less of Mr Pratt's friends," Gene said.
The one who requested an exorcism was Suzuki Yoshinori. Suzuki was an acquaintance of Mr Pratt, a British American businessman. Mr Pratt was one of SPR's most important supporters. Even the laboratory in Cambridge was named after him. This was the main reason they had come to Japan.
There was an intercom near the gate. Noll let Gene push the button and do the talking. The gate opened within seconds. They walked to the mansion and blinked when the front door opened.
A maid - (they have a maid?!), Gene interjected - came to retrieve them at the front porch.
The maid appeared to be in her late fifties.
"Suzuki-san is expecting you," she said. "Please follow me."
Noll and Gene exchanged glances before they entered the mansion.
They took in their surroundings. Antiques, paintings, a staircase decorated in elaborate designs. All of it pointed to a family of eminence living here.
(Feeling terribly out of place here.)
He shifted his gaze to Gene for a moment.
Noll rarely took care of his appearance - that was Gene's duty, but even felt underdressed for this occasion. Then again, no one back home had any clue what type of person Suzuki Yoshinori was.
He turned his head to see the maid opening an oaken door. The door opened up to a spacy living room, which was filled with all kinds of pieces of art.
"I had heard from Mr Pratt that you were young, but not this young," a male voice said.
Noll and Gene shifted their gazes into the direction of the voice. It belonged to an elderly man with a twirled moustache who stood next to a grand window with a view on the front garden. There was a cup of tea in his hand.
"Well, people often say so," Gene said, scratching the back of his head.
Suzuki placed the cup next to a photo album on the coffee table.
At the very least the man had been warned. There had been enough occasions when clients wouldn't believe that they would be dealing with young teenagers.
"And you are... Oliver Davis? Or is it...?"
"I'm Eugene Davis," Gene clarified and gestured at Noll. "This is my brother Oliver Davis, he accompanied me on this trip."
"A pleasure and honour to meet you both," Suzuki said with a slight bow.
After the twins exchanged greeting with him, Suzuki pointed at the couches surrounding the coffee table.
"Please sit down."
Suzuki took the grand seat. Noll and Gene sat down next to each other on the opposite couch.
"It's hot outside, isn't it? Would you like something to drink to quench the thirst?"
"Iced tea, please."
"Likewise."
The maid nodded her head and disappeared behind a door.
Suzuki took the photo album in his hands.
"Before you came in I was reminiscing about my time with Mr Pratt on his estate."
He turned the pages back to somewhere in the middle.
"I was an avid photographer during my trips abroad. This was from my visit to the US about eight years ago."
Suzuki stopped and turned the photo album around. He pointed at one of the photos.
"Here you can see Joseph Pratt with his wife in front of their home. His wife's name was Abby... No, Abigail." Suzuki mused. "A lovely couple."
Mr Pratt had short, brown hair speckled with grey. His glasses were large and round. He was dressed in a prim and proper attire. Mr Pratt looked just like he remembered when Noll spoke to him at the opening party of the Pratt laboratory a little over two years ago.
Next to him stood Abigail. She wore her brown hair in a large bun on the top of her head. Going by her face she also seemed to be in their late fifties. Abigail wore a fancy dress. Noll couldn't quite remember if she had been at that party as well.
Suzuki pointed at a photo right below that one.
"And this is a picture of their daughters... Two lovely young ladies. Their names were Sandra... or Alexandra, and their youngest Sharon."
Noll stared.
"...This was definitely from eight years ago," Gene muttered.
"What do you mean?"
"The nineties, Noll. The nineties."
Indeed. Both girls were dressed in clothes contemporary for their generation. Noll resisted an urge to roll his eyes.
Suzuki grinned.
"Mr Pratt is a businessman whom I met while he was traveling in Asia a few decades ago. He was still a very young lad back then. Like the two of you, he once visited me here. My son Hiroshi was acquainted with him, you see. Mr Pratt took an interest in the history of the Yamate neighbourhood and Yokohama. Of course, my son and I showed him around. Mr Pratt promised to return the favour. It took a while, but we visited him a few decades later..."
Gene smiled.
"It's nice to see how friendships can last so long."
Suzuki nodded.
"My visit happened to coincide with a little gathering at his estate."
"Gathering?"
"A gathering of those interested in parapsychology," Suzuki said. "I didn't want to intrude, so I suggested another date. But Mr Pratt insisted on my presence. I was fairly interested, so I caved in and took up his offer."
He turned the page.
"Ah, Mr Pratt himself took this picture. We were at a lake near his home."
It was a photo of Suzuki and a young Japanese man. Both of them grinned and had fishing rods in their hands.
"Is this Hiroshi-san?"
"Oh no. This is Mr Pratt's acquaintance who volunteered as my interpreter. My English was and still isn't up to par as I'd like. Hiroshi was quite relieved. The paranormal terminology went over his head. I was grateful for his exemplary interpretation. Unfortunately, his name escapes me."
Suzuki excitedly showed Gene more photos of his fishing trip. He pointed out a picture with Hiroshi. Gene nodded enthusiastically and asked more questions about the place.
Noll was starting to get bored of the old man's ramblings. He tuned out of the conversation and stared at the other side of the room.
At that moment the maid returned with two glasses of iced tea. She placed them on the table.
"There were many more interesting fellows at that gathering... Some members of the American Society for Psychical Research were there too..."
"Huh, that's Sir Dorey."
That caught his interest. Noll leaned forward. He didn't recognize the other faces, but the old man beside Mr Pratt was clearly Sir Dorey.
"He was the only other guest who came from abroad." Suzuki said. "Is he still...?"
Gene smiled.
"He's still alive."
Suzuki widened his eyes. "Then he must be over ninety years old! Well, well..."
Noll sipped from the iced tea.
(Gene, get him to talk about the case.)
(I was about to.)
"Um, Suzuki-san. Could you tell us -"
Suzuki clasped his hands together.
"Yes," he said. "You'd like to get straight to business, don't you?"
The twins nodded.
"It's about the living quarters of my deceased uncle, Watanabe Keizo. The youngest sibling of my mother's family. My uncle was childless and my family took care of him until he passed away four years ago," Suzuki said. "Strange things have been happening there. Nothing harmful, but just odd."
"I see."
I could have summoned a priest or monk, but there was something I wanted to confirm. I consulted with Mr Pratt, and he told me about you, Eugene."
"What is it that you need to confirm?" Gene asked.
Suzuki sighed.
"Whether these happenings are truly caused by uncle... and if so, I'd like to ask him where he placed the portrait of my mother."
"Your mother?"
"She passed away a decade ago," he said. "Now you probably want to know why I didn't ask when he was still alive. Well, the good old man turned senile and didn't remember it no matter how many times I asked. So I'd like to attempt once more..."
He grinned a little.
Gene nodded with a pensive look. "Alright, I understand."
Noll leaned back into the couch.
"What happens in his living quarters?"
"At first I found faint scribbles on the wall, and fallen pencils on the floor… After I placed a white canvas in the room, I started to find the drawings there. The drawings are indecipherable and… very irregular. My eldest son's family live here, but they claim they have never been in my uncle's living quarters."
"What about his children? Is there any chance of them pulling a prank?" Noll asked.
Suzuki shook his head.
"They're already in their twenties and very respectful of my uncle," he said. "In fact, as of this summer all children moved away. These incidents still happen."
"I think I know enough. Can we take a look?"
Suzuki nodded.
They followed him to a detached building next to the mansion.
"My uncle used to live and work in this atelier," Suzuki said before opening the door.
Gene stopped immediately in the doorway.
"Do you see something?" Noll asked.
"Yeah, I see an elderly man. …He has a long face and a beard."
"What about his hair?" Suzuki asked.
"He's bald."
Suzuki smiled a little.
"That's him."
"Ah, he noticed us," Gene said. "I'll ask the question then."
Gene moved forward.
"Hello, Watanabe-san."
He stopped in front of the canvas which was covered with scribbles of coloured pencils.
"You are already dead. Did you know that?"
Noll and Suzuki quietly watched.
"Um, before you go... Your nephew... Yoshinori-san has a question about the portrait of your sister."
Gene turned around, slightly embarrassed.
"What's your mother's name? I forgot to ask."
"Oh, her name was Hatsu."
"He's looking for the portrait of Hatsu-san."
Gene looked toward a door on the other side of the room.
"Okay."
Then he turned his head to Watanabe.
"Yes, I'll tell your nephew."
Gene turned to Suzuki.
"The portrait is somewhere in the attic, in the place where Watanabe-san placed all of his failures. It's a messy place, so you'll have to look very hard."
Suzuki blinked.
"The attic! Yes, he placed all of his failures there... I didn't think that the portrait would be among them! Mother didn't consider it a failure, so she thought it happened to be somewhere in the archive."
"Yeah, he also said that she liked it very much," Gene said and smiled a little. "And he asked me to tell you, 'Thanks for taking care of me. You did a good job.'"
Suzuki became visibly emotional.
"...I see. Thank you..."
The elderly man turned his face away.
Gene stared at the canvas.
"Watanabe-san went away. He thought he got better, but didn't realize he passed away."
"Is that so..." Suzuki said.
Noll turned to him.
"Shall we take a look in the attic?"
Kyoto, August 2006
The next morning, they travelled to Kyoto, their next destination.
Noll stared out of the window as he watched Yokohama pass by out of his sight.
"Oh man, that restaurant was incredible. I can't wait to show these to Lin."
Noll turned to seat next to him.
Gene grinned as he scrolled through some photos on his camera.
After the purification, Gene and Noll went up to the attic together with Suzuki. The attic was full of paintings and artworks by Watanabe. After a few hours of searching they found the portrait. What they found was an unfinished painting of Suzuki's mother in her younger days.
Suzuki was very pleased and offered a dinner at his favourite Chinese restaurants out of gratitude. Apparently it was the oldest Chinese restaurant in Japan, but for some reason it wasn't among Lin's list of recommendations. They quickly discovered why Lin didn't list it when they arrived at the restaurant itself. Neither Noll or Gene were prepared for the over-the-top service and the lavish interior. The prices of the dinner courses were... impressive to say the least. Of course, Suzuki paid for everything. On top of that, the man appeared to be a regular as the waiters seemed to know him.
After an uneventful trip with the Shinkansen, they checked in at their hotel.
In the afternoon Gene took Noll to one of the many temples in the city. First, they passed by the Kamo river where someone took a commemorative photo for them. After a lot of sweating and walking, they resumed their walk to the Sanjusangendo temple. The temple was famous for having 1001 statues of Kanon. It was an impressive sight.
Gene whispered to him after they exited the temple.
"This girl was staring at us."
Not this again.
"Many people were looking at us," Noll dryly responded. "It's nothing new."
Gene put a hand to his mouth, and nervously looked away.
"No, it's just this particular girl with long black hair. I think I've seen her before in Tokyo," he said. "It must be her. I can feel it in my bones."
The way Gene said only made the issue seem even more ridiculous.
"Really."
Noll looked away, but Gene grabbed his t-shirt.
"Don't you trust my intuition?"
Noll ignored him.
It's not like he didn't understand.
They were twins and handsome. Noll felt like he was a mobile tourist attraction. It hadn't been too bad back in England, but it was worse in Japan. Their looks were very popular here, he had come to notice. Noll really disliked the attention it brought to them. Also, for some reason, the fact that they were foreign and able to speak Japanese and English soared their popularity to the sky. It was simply ridiculous, Noll thought, but it couldn't be helped.
Perhaps all that attention was too much. Even for Gene.
"Where do we go now?" Noll said, eager to change the subject.
"It's getting late already. Let's head downtown."
Luckily, Gene was sufficiently distracted by the shops with trinkets and souvenirs for the rest of the day. After arriving downtown, they sat down at the bank along the Kamo river. Noll took the opportunity to cool his feet in the shallow water channel under the suspended balcony platforms. Gene enthusiastically snapped plenty of pictures of the cafes and crowded bridge.
After this short break, they went into the shopping area and eventually ended up waiting in line at a udon restaurant called Marugame Seimen. It was located in one of the busy streets in Kyoto. The prices seemed reasonable and there was only a short queue in front of them.
While waiting, Noll caught Gene staring at crowds roaming the busy street.
"Gene."
He stared back.
"What is it? Another stalker?" Noll said.
"I'm telling you. It's definitely a girl."
Noll let out an exasperated sigh.
"Girls follow us all the time."
"I know, but..."
Noll sighed again.
"Gene. Stop thinking about girls for a moment."
"Right."
They finally arrived at the counter.
Luckily there were enough vegetarian choices, so Noll didn't have to worry about it too much. They watched as the chefs prepared their chosen meals in front of them.
Gene took the standing seats near the wall on the opposite side of the cashier.
Noll sat down. He had chosen cold udon topped with fried bean curd, with dipping sauce and vegetable tempura.
"I don't remember having udon like this before," Gene said. He stared down at his hot udon with meat and burdock toppings.
Noll noticed a leaflet on the table and attentively read it. As Kyoto was a touristic destination, it also had English instructions on how to prepare and eat the udon properly. Unfortunately, not many restaurants provided English menus, but they were able to get by with asking other people to read it for them.
They ate in silence.
"How are you liking Japan so far, Noll?"
Noll was halfway through his meal when Eugene asked this.
Gene was fishing for something, Noll sensed. Is this about what they talked about a week ago? He decided to return a simple reply.
"It's just another country."
Noll felt his stare on him.
"Hmph. You could sound a bit more excited," Gene said. Then he bit into a vegetable tempura and chewed.
They went silent again and resumed eating their meals.
"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" Noll said, after he finished eating.
They would visit a spiritualist who lived in the south of Kyoto. He was an old acquaintance of Madoka. Gene had been interested in old exorcism techniques and apparently this man was an expert.
"Let's see. How about noon? We can sleep in." Gene grinned. "Or we could go early and grab a matcha parfait nearby before we pay our best man a visit."
Noll resisted to roll his eyes. He was beginning to regret leaving the planning to his twin.
Nagano, August 2006
The heat was getting to him.
After leaving Kyoto and subsequently the Kansai region, Noll and Gene slowly traveled their way to Nagano prefecture. They met with various spiritualists ranging from monks, shinto priests and various other folks. Gene found them all very interesting people to various degrees. It was a hassle to get to places, but Noll tried not to complain. As long as Gene enjoyed the trip and didn't get into any trouble, like dying and ending up at the bottom of a lake somehow, Noll was fine with the arrangement.
However, today the humid heat was suffocating and on top of that they had taken the wrong turn. Noll wearily stared at the pavement as he walked behind Gene. The greenery around them shaded them from the sun every once in a while, but it wasn't enough. His thought strayed to the near-empty bottle in his backpack. They were on a relatively obscure route in the mountains and there seemed to be no sight of civilization for a while. He stared at Gene who slowly walked in front of him. Since he wasn't keen on slathering his arms with sticky sun protection cream, Gene wore a light jacket which he had borrowed from Noll. He probably had to be sweating hard right now. Noll stared at his own arms. So far he didn't get burned anywhere. The sun protection was doing its job.
Gene stopped, and Noll took the opportunity to lean against a large rock in a grassy patch. He turned his head and watched the frown on Gene's face. His lips had curled in frustration. They had been going at it like this for a half hour. Gene got them lost and didn't want to hear any of it.
Gene looked down at the map in his hands.
Noll heard him mumbling.
"If I'm not mistaken the fastest way to get there is..."
He pointed towards a road a little ahead of them. Next to the road there was a paved footpath.
"Are you sure about this?"
His mouth felt dry.
"Yes."
Gene sounded irritated.
Impatient.
Noll was sure of it now. Luella and Martin had been far too trusting to let two teenagers loose in a country they'd never been before. He didn't even want to think of how it would have passed if Gene had gone alone. At least they planned to return to Tokyo the next day, then the worst part would be over. But that thought made him lose hope of ever finding the lake in the vision.
If he didn't see it today, would he feel disappointed? What if the route Gene would have taken alone was different from the one they were traveling now? No, it hadn't been a waste of time. He didn't dislike it here. Perhaps he didn't feel the same as Gene, but -
"Come on."
Gene watched him with tired eyes.
Noll sighed and got away from the large rock. He followed after his brother. There was very little water left in their bottles, so he hoped they would reach the camp site soon, or at least find a shop to buy bottled water. They didn't have much cash on them either, so finding an ATM was of importance as well.
After five minutes of walking, they stumbled upon a problem.
Ahead of them the paved path split into a narrow footpath along the road, and steep staircase leading towards presumably a village. A few meters away from the forked path, there was a bus stop. A teenaged girl with pigtails sat on the bench, reading a book and waiting for the next bus to come.
The brown-haired girl looked up as she noticed them approaching. She wore large round glasses. The twins nodded at her in greeting, and she nodded back. Then the girl went back to reading the book in her hands. She seemed a little younger than them.
"What do we do?" Noll asked Gene. "Take the bus?"
"I said it before, it's better if we save the money for a place at the camp site and some good food."
"You're being ridiculous."
"We don't have enough."
Noll sighed. This was going to take a long time. He sat down next to the girl on the bench. The sound of cicadas buzzed in his ears. They sounded awfully loud for some reason. It irritated him.
"Noll?"
"I'm tired. Give me a break."
"Ten minutes."
Predictably, Gene started talking to the girl.
"Hey. Are you traveling too?" he asked with a smile.
"I'm waiting for my bus to come," she said.
"Oh. So you're from around here."
The girl didn't reply to that. His charms were apparently wasted on her.
"Um, when's the next bus?"
She looked up and frowned at him.
Why didn't Gene just look at the schedule behind her? Noll thought.
"I just missed the bus. It won't come for another hour."
"Well, that's a pity. Let's walk." Gene checked the map again. "It really isn't far anymore. The fastest way is along the road."
Noll eyed the narrow pathway for a while. It seemed very dangerous. On the other hand, the staircase would probably exhaust them, not to mention that they'd probably have to get down at some point.
"You're impatient," Noll said. Reckless, he had wanted to say.
"Like I said, I'd like to get there before it gets dark," Gene muttered. "I'll get bothered if we lose our way up there in the mountains."
Noll knew what he meant. Gene wanted to avoid any mountain spirits lingering around. When it turned dark, and that probably would be in the next three hours, it could get dangerous. If Gene ended up channeling a dangerous spirit, it could potentially get them into trouble without having any other support.
"Where do you need to go?" The girl suddenly asked.
"To the camp site... it's this one." Gene pointed out a place on the map. "I was thinking of following the road to get there."
"You shouldn't go that way," the girl said. "It's not meant for pedestrians."
"Ah~, you too. I was hoping from some local advice."
Noll twitched his eyebrow.
"That is local advice. Just listen to her."
"Since when are you taking advice from people."
"I'd rather take advice from others than from you," Noll said. "You insist on doing things on your own, and yet you can't read a map properly."
Anger flashed in Gene's eyes.
"…Stop nagging! I'm not going up there just for you."
His voice hurt his ears.
"Stop yelling."
Gene turned.
"You know what, I'll go alone. See you at the campsite, Noll."
He headed towards the narrow pathway.
"Gene," Noll said, rising from the bench. "It's too dangerous."
He wasn't listening.
(Shut it, Noll.)
Noll heaved a deep sigh and sat down again. He was too exhausted to run after him. The heat really got to him.
"...You should stop him," the girl said and looked at him.
He closed his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. Dizzy.
"Mind your own business."
His voice was weak.
The girl didn't respond immediately, but after a pause she closed her book.
"Then I'll go get him. Please hold my book."
Her voice was decisive. The girl thrust the book into Noll's lap without asking him. Then she ran off. Noll grabbed the book from his lap to put it on the bench, finding it a bother. It was a careless move. He had not been prepared to sync into a vision.
She is in a moving vehicle - a van. Next to her is the driver who is a young man with a cornrow haircut. The van stops. They smile at each other. Then he drops the girl off at this bus stop.
Noll looked down at his feet again. He had dropped the book from his hands.
What did that mean?
"Noll?"
Noll raised his face and gazed back at an identical pair of eyes.
"...she said that you didn't look well."
Gene looked worried.
A weak smirk crossed his face.
"...You only noticed just now?"
Gene looked down at his feet.
"I... sorry, I was too caught up with reading the map."
He actually sounded guilty for once.
Noll sighed. "It's fine."
They heard a cough.
"Um. It's best if you go into the village and cool off there," the girl suggested, picking up the fallen book and putting it into her shoulder bag.
Gene nodded.
"Yeah, we'll do that. Come on, Noll."
He helped Noll up from the seat. Noll was about to protest, but his knees felt weak.
"By the way, thanks for looking out for my brother. What's your name?"
The girl looked back at him.
"Saitou Mayumi. Just call me Mayumi."
Gene smiled. "I'm Gene. This is my brother Oliver. You can call him Noll."
Mayumi raised an eyebrow.
"You're not Japanese?"
"We're of Japanese descent, but live in England."
She hummed.
"I see. You speak Japanese well."
"We can't read or write though."
They walked the staircase. After a while they reached the top, reaching a small village. It was exhausting as expected.
"I think you can rest at the store over there."
Mayumi pointed at a small store close to the staircase.
The trio walked into the shop's direction.
The shop appeared to be frequented by tourists who walked the routes in the area. The owner was an old man. Mayumi talked to the man, and was able to convince him to give Noll some space inside to cool off. Gene bought bottled water and some snacks to eat.
Noll lied down and closed his eyes. It was nice and cool in the shade.
In the meanwhile, Gene struck up a conversation with Mayumi in the store. Noll could hear parts of their conversation, but he quickly dozed off.
It was a peaceful and dreamless sleep.
Then Gene sat in front of him, sipping on a bottle of water. Noll blinked. How long has he been out?
"Gene."
"Ah Noll, are you okay?"
He handed to bottle to Noll.
"Better ...What time is it?"
Gene sighed.
"Let's just say we missed the bus."
Noll turned his head and saw Mayumi leaning against the other wall with her book in hand.
Gene wryly smiled.
"While you were asleep I tried convincing Mayumi to go back to the bus stop, but she wouldn't leave your side."
Mayumi shrugged.
"Well, I feel bad about leaving an unwell person behind."
Gene obviously flinched at her comment. Noll couldn't help but smirk a little.
"Don't you have homework or something?" Gene bit back.
She blankly gazed down at him.
"No worries. I finished my summer homework yesterday."
Gene grumbled a little before going silent. Noll knocked on Gene's 'door'.
(Did I miss anything while I was asleep?)
(...Nothing much.)
His sour face told him otherwise.
(So something did happen?)
(No. It's just that Mayumi doesn't seem to like me...)
(Well, you didn't leave a good impression on her.)
Gene rolled his eyes.
(You don't have to spell it out for me, Noll.)
Then he stretched his arms out.
"Ah, I guess we'll have to take the bus. For the wellbeing of my younger brother!"
Mayumi ignored him.
Noll couldn't help but bring his palm to his face. What an idiot.
"When will the bus arrive?" Noll asked.
"A little less than an hour," Mayumi replied as she turned a page in her book. She still intended to ignore Gene.
A phone rang. The old man took a call.
Noll heard Gene's voice again.
(Do you have any cash on you?)
He frowned. Noll wasn't sure why Gene was using telepathy.
(Only 200 yen.)
(Enough for a bus ticket, I suppose.)
(How about you? You didn't spend too much on the food, didn't you?)
Gene looked away from him.
Apparently Gene wasn't keen on embarrassing himself more than once in front of Mayumi, Noll wryly thought.
(Gene.)
(I have 700 yen.)
(...And how much did the camp site cost?)
(Don't ask me Noll. Please.)
(You are an idiot.)
(Said the person who nearly collapsed.)
(Said the person who left his unwell twin behind.)
At that moment, the store owner approached them.
"Err, I got bad news for you, young'uns. A road accident happened up ahead. I'm sorry to say the way's blocked off so the busses won't pass here anymore."
Gene made a face and Noll sighed. How unfortunate...
Mayumi closed her book.
"I suppose we'll have to take the path through the forest, then?"
"That's right," Noll said.
"Isn't there somewhere we can stay around here for the night?" Gene asked, staring at Noll. "I mean, are you really okay?"
"I'm fine," Noll insisted. "I can walk."
"Well, my son-in-law runs a small inn a bit further down the road, but it's currently full. 't is high season after all. Another option is the ryokan... But..." The old man sheepishly looked at them. "...it might be expensive."
"Pass," Noll said.
"I can't stay here," Mayumi said. "I have to get home."
"You might make it to the next village before night falls if you walk now," the shop owner said. "The route isn't too bad."
He searched for something on the front desk and gave Mayumi a map with walking routes.
"Just follow this route," he said, pointing it out on the map.
"Thank you very much."
"We'll go together," Noll said. "Right?"
Gene nodded uneasily.
"...Yeah."
After thanking the shop owner, the trio headed into the forest.
Mayumi walked ahead of them with the map in her hands.
Gene fidgeted beside Noll. He hadn't been pleased when Noll took his map into his hands. Not to mention he was worried about going into a forest, where the spirits of those who went lost in the mountains may roam. Noll wasn't particularly worried. If they made it before night fell, it was unlikely that they would stumble upon a 'mountain spirit'. If any troubles came up, he would try to deal with it right then and there. Right now, Gene was being too impulsive and reckless.
Noll stared at the map. He hadn't looked closely at it before, but there was a lake right next to the campsite -.
Suddenly, Mayumi stopped and turned around to look at Gene.
"I've been meaning to ask you, but... Are you afraid of the dark?"
Gene laughed nervously.
"Well, some wild animal might jump out of the bushes and I really don't care for that... It happened before and I've been scared ever since."
He was lying out of his teeth.
Mayumi blinked.
"I see."
Then she resumed to walk.
Gene switched the topic.
"How about you? Isn't it like dangerous?"
"Dangerous? How?"
"Well, for one thing you're walking with two boys you don't know..."
Mayumi huffed a little.
"I know how to defend myself if you were worried about that."
"Oh? Like martial arts?"
"Something like that," she said. "I'm somewhat familiar with judo and kendo."
"Kendo? That's pretty cool," Gene said. "I've always wanted to do something like that."
Mayumi seemed to perk up at that. She briefly turned to look at him.
"Oh really?"
In the meanwhile, Noll tuned out their conversation and looked to the side. Somewhere in the far distance, between the trees, he could make out the sky and the greenery from the mountain on the opposite side. The sky was no longer a bright blue. Orange hues tinted the horizon.
His attention went to Mayumi's shoulder bag.
That psychometric vision was somewhat odd. Why had she been dropped off at that bus stop? Wouldn't it have been better if that man had taken her to the next village?
Noll sighed. It was probably none of his business.
Gradually, their path slanted into an open space with no trees. They found a bench with an outlook over the valley. They were close to the roadway. The first hint was the smoke trailing towards the sky between the trees.
"Is that the site of the accident?" Gene asked.
"Probably."
Noll looked at the map. It had happened on the road Gene wanted to take.
They blinked when Gene proceeded to step on the bench.
He narrowed his eyes.
"…I see a bus over there."
Mayumi widened her eyes in shock. "You don't think it got caught up in the accident?"
He peered very long at the sight.
"The smoke isn't coming from the bus."
Noll folded his arms.
"Then it's something else?"
"I can't tell from here."
Noll sighed.
"Noll!" he suddenly yelled out.
"What?"
Gene pointed towards something in the distance. He could see something glittering down the valley.
"Over there! It's the lake! We're almost there."
The lake. A sinking feeling overcame him.
"It's still faraway..." Gene whined.
"Let's hurry then," Mayumi said.
After fifteen minutes of walking on a thankfully flat path, Gene slowed his pace. They were walking in a somewhat darker area surrounded by tall trees.
(Noll!)
(Now what?)
(I see something out there!)
He frowned.
(Is it dangerous?)
(I don't know.)
(Don't pay attention. Pretend you don't see it.)
(It's blocking the way, Noll. I can't unsee it.)
Gene stopped. Mayumi and Noll simultaneously turned to look at him.
"You look pale. Is something bothering you?" Mayumi asked.
"It's no-nothing," Gene nervously insisted.
"Are you sure?" She threw him an accusative expression.
Even Mayumi seemed to have lost her patience.
"Not really…" Gene admitted.
She gave an exasperated sigh. "Should I hold your hand then?"
For one horrifying moment Noll thought he would accept the offer, but Gene shook his head vehemently. Fortunately, he still had some pride.
"Ah, no. I'm okay!" Gene insisted.
"Alright then."
Mayumi walked ahead of them.
(She passed right through the ghost!)
She proceeded without noticing anything.
(Seems like it's harmless to her at least.) Noll looked at his twin. (You go first.)
After some fidgeting Gene went ahead. Nothing happened.
Noll followed him.
(What was it exactly?)
(A tree spirit, I think. Never seen one up close like that.)
(Interesting.)
From then on, they mostly walked in silence with some occasional one-sided conversation with Mayumi.
It took less than half an hour to reach the village. The campsite wasn't faraway anymore.
When they arrived, Mayumi typed in a message on her phone. Her phoned beeped right away.
"They're coming to pick me up," she announced.
"Your parents?"
Mayumi shrugged, and said: "Thanks for walking together with me."
"Oh no, we should thank you~. By the way, can I have your phone number? We should totally meet up again," Gene said with a cheerful voice.
Noll couldn't help but roll his eyes. Why was he still trying again?
Mayumi knit her eyebrows, briefly glancing at Noll's exasperated face before returning her attention to Gene again.
"…Are you asking me on a date?"
"Uh maybe?"
"Sorry, I'll have to decline. You're not my type, besides I already have someone I like."
Noll watched Gene's expression crumble.
"...Oh."
Mayumi opened her shoulder bag, and took out the book she had been reading.
"But I can offer you this book in consolation. You could use it to improve your Japanese."
She pushed it into Gene's hands. He took the book, completely bewildered.
"What..."
"Well then, goodbye."
Mayumi turned and walked off.
"Uh yeah."
The twins muttered their goodbyes. They stood in the same spot for a while, watching her leave.
Noll shifted his glance to Gene. Gene stared into the distance with a forlorn expression.
"I messed up. Worst rejection ever."
Noll was tempted to make a snappy comment, but he wisely kept it to himself.
Gene groaned.
"Seriously, what's with the consolation prize...?"
They looked down at the book. The cover illustration featured a school girl with pigtails. Behind her there stood two school boys who had their backs turned to her. In front of them was a giant clock. Apparently they were in a science room.
"Let's go, Gene."
They followed the signs to the campsite.
Their feet stopped in front of the small office building. To the left of the campsite was a lake with a dam.
It was enormous.
"Finally, we found it." Gene let out a deep sigh. "Isn't it amazing?"
Noll stared out at the lake. He sighted a boardwalk with several small boats in the distance.
He unconsciously grabbed the hem of his shirt.
It's here, isn't?
He'd imagined it more sombre, but even at this time of the day people were playing on rafts and swimming in the water. Earlier on the day there had to be even more people on the beach side.
"Noll?"
He looked to the side. There was a warm smile on Gene's face.
"I'd like to take a swim in it," he said. "How about tomorrow, Noll?"
Noll grimaced.
"Go by yourself."
The cool air from the air conditioning in the reception building of the campsite brought Noll relief.
A man behind a front desk greeted them. He seemed to be in his late thirties.
"Welcome! How may I help you?"
Gene got straight to the point.
"Hello. We'd like to stay the night here…"
"Just the two of you?"
They nodded.
The man pointed at the board in front of him.
"We have an empty spot for 1000 yen a night. Renting a tent will cost a little more. The price includes the use of common facilities."
Noll turned towards Gene with a murderous glare. He was ready to dump him some place where no one could find him.
Gene shot him apologetic look.
(I am so sorry.)
"Is there a problem?" The man asked, frowning slightly.
Gene responded with a nervous laugh.
"…Well, we don't have that money on us right now… Could you please tell us where the nearest ATM for international money is?"
"There is a convenience store a few streets away. It's not far from here," the man said. He took a brochure and pointed on the map inside of it. "Feel free to take this with you."
Gene took the brochure.
"Thank you very much!" Then he looked at Noll. "Okay, let's go."
"No, you go."
"What?"
Noll sighed, putting his backpack down.
"It was your fault in the first place. Pay for it."
"Damn it," Gene said. "I'm dead tired…"
Noll sat down on a chair by the wall and folded his arms.
"Buy food for tonight and tomorrow morning while you're there."
Gene groaned.
"Fine."
"Don't forget the natto onigiri."
His eyebrows twitched.
"Noll, I swear..."
Gene put his backpack next to Noll's chair. He left the book on a coffee table in front of him.
"I'll leave the book here. Be right back."
Noll sighed when Gene left.
It had been a very long day.
He leaned his head against the wall behind him, closing his eyes.
That lake had caught him by surprise.
His memory of that particular vision had been very clear. It was the very same lake. There was no way around it, he had to admit.
Gene was supposed to die on this day.
This was cemented by the fact that Gene planned on leaving for Tokyo tomorrow. This location shouldn't be far from a train station, so it did have to happen on this day. Going by his observations and the news about the road incident, Gene would most likely have died on that road. But that didn't explain why they went through the trouble of wrapping him in sheets and dumping his body in the lake.
During this week they visited various people. It all started with Madoka's acquaintance, and then they kept being referred to other people. Some by chance encounters. They had just returned from visiting an old Shinto priest in this area, because someone had recommended him. In other words, it would have taken a lot of trouble to search for Gene's body without proper knowledge of his schedule.
Noll remembered his own face in that vision. He had visibly grown older and taller. It was almost crazy to think that Gene wouldn't grow in the same way.
If I hadn't gone with him…
He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
I could have lost him.
Noll looked down. His hands trembled slightly.
It's over. It doesn't matter anymore. Everything is fine now.
He let out a deep breath, then moved his gaze to the book on the table.
No, something still bothered him.
Hidden in plain sight.
If that girl had been there.
If that girl - Saitou Mayumi - was at the bus stop in the first place, she would have prevented Gene from walking that road. Going by her personality she wouldn't have backed down. …and knowing Gene's rather unfortunate soft spot for girls, he would at least have taken her advice by either taking the bus or doing the mountain trek with her.
"Are you okay?"
The voice took him out of his thoughts. The man came from behind the counter.
"You don't look well."
"I'm tired… it's been a long day."
"Alright then, if you say so," the man said, then after a pause he added: "My name is Nakata, by the way. Just call me if you need help."
Noll bowed slightly.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
Nakata turned to move back to the counter. Noll blinked, remembering the book on the table.
"I have a question."
Nakata stopped.
"Yes?"
Noll pointed at the item on the coffee table.
"What's the title of this book?"
Nakata stared down at the cover with a frown.
"Ah, this is a well-known book. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I've read in high school once. This must be a new edition."
"I see."
"You can't read Japanese?" Nakata asked.
"No, we never learned to read Japanese," Noll replied.
"Oh, that's right. You're from abroad..." he said. "Well, an animated movie based on it came out recently, but I heard the story is not the same as the original. …Anyway, the book is about a girl who jumps back into time to save people."
Noll widened his eyes. No way, it couldn't be...
At that moment the phone rang.
"Ah, excuse me I have to take the call. It might be news about the accident."
Nakata ran back to the front desk and took the call.
"This is Nakata from the camp site. ..."
Then he talked loudly to the person on the other side.
Instead of listening in, Noll moved his gaze to the book.
A man had dropped Mayumi off at the bus stop. It did seem suspicious at the time. Why drop her off at the bus stop if he could have easily taken to her own home by himself?
He reached out his hand, grabbed the book and closed his eyes.
Focus.
The pull on the book was light.
A deteriorating building in the mountain.
Two boys enter. Gene and himself. The door closes on its own.
He sees himself trying to open the door. Gene throws a chair at the window. It doesn't break.
They're trapped.
Classrooms. Black fish tanks. A collar. A pile of fur and bones.
The vision ended. Noll opened his eyes.
At the same moment Nakata put the phone down and sighed.
"Goodness."
"What happened?" Noll asked.
"A road racer. The driver was a woman in her 30s. It seemed like she was gravely injured after a collision against a tree. A bus was the first vehicle to come across the scene," Nakata said and grimaced. "My wife happened to be on it. She said it wasn't a pretty sight."
"...I see."
Noll looked down at the book in his hands. If that woman drove on that road they were walking on…
As if able to read his mind, Nakata said: "That road is really dangerous for pedestrians. There's been quite a few accidents with idiots who walk on the side of that road. Luckily, no one died so far."
The door violently swung open right at that moment.
"Noll!"
Noll nearly jumped out of his skin at the agitated voice.
Gene had returned.
Author's notes
Gene made it out alive! Please tell me you're as happy as I am. But what happened at the end? Any guesses? :P
J.C. Pratt was mentioned in the short story 'His Reality' as one of Noll's financial supporters, along with the Londenberg Foundation and Mr Mayer.
I used Heichinrou Yokohama as the model for the Chinese restaurant described in this fic, but I didn't actually go there since it's quite expensive... I did go to Marugame Seimen Kawaramachi Sanjo, a udon chain restaurant. It was pretty good and cheap. I don't know if they had English-language leaflets in 2006 though.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a 1967 novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, but you might be more familiar with the animation film of the same name directed by Mamoru Hosoda. The film was released on July 15, 2006. A new paperback book edition was released shortly before that. I described the illustrated cover in this chapter.