Book 13 Chapter 04 閻魔に買われた島

From Chinese translations by Hinako.

Draft: Version 1 - final
Notes: 稚兒淵/稚儿渊 Chigo-fuchi; 金泽八景/金澤八景 Kanasawa Hakkei; 八景島海湾 Hakkeijima Bay (kaiwan); 奥州藤原氏 Oshuu Fujiwara-shi (the northern Fujiwara); 良真 Yoshimasa; 源賴朝/源赖朝 Yoritomo; 奉安殿 Houanden
PS: do not distribute this without my permission

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That youth looked like a sportsman. His body was well-muscled, his skin still retained a slight tan even though it was winter. That worker by the name of Kitahara mentioned that he had seen the mermaids one week before the pictures were published in the weekly magazine.

"At that time, rumors were already spreading like wildfire around the district. The place where I saw the mermaids was in the southern sector of the islands. The sea surface was like how it is now, and its heads were bobbing about the water. At first I thought it was a buoy because it was dark during that time."

There had not been just one buoy-looking object, it was said that there were five or six above the surface of the water.

"They were flickering, those eyes. Like a cat's. I got a really huge fright. I yelled at my companions and we headed back to port in a flurry."

"Did they look like this?" Ayako took out the photos of the weekly magazine and showed them to Kitahara, he nodded.

"Yeah. That's it. I think this was pretty well shot. Definitely this sort of impression. Except that the head is a little..."

"Was the shape of their heads different?"

"This one is like it's nearly bald, right? The ones I saw still had some hair. Furthermore, they looked like those ancient samurai..."

"Samurai... really?"

"Yes, don't those defeated, exiled samurai normally have that sort of hair? Disheveled, long, and hanging down by the sides of their heads. That was what I perceived. But they had very little hair."

Hearing the words 'defeated, exiled samurai', Ayako and Takaya looked at each other at the same time.

"The ferryboat crew also mentioned that they often see them in this area." The senior worker from before interjected.

"Ferryboat?"

"Yeah. The boats that ferry between the Benten Causeway and Chigo fuchi, there's one every 15 minutes or so. If you're heading to the cave, it's faster by boat. I heard that the boat crew there often see them, you can go and make some inquiries."

Hearing this, the two of them immediately decided to follow the suggestion. They turned away from the yacht harbor and headed to the Benten Causeway ferryboat station. Despite it being a sunny day, the ferryboat station had a notice posted announcing that there was no ferrying service today.

"Because the cave has been closed." An elderly, male sailor, who was busy with the boats, said to them. "There was an accident of falling rocks yesterday in the cave. If the cave is closed, we don't get many customers. Moreover it's the off season, so all operations have ceased for the time being."

Hearing this, Takaya recalled the newspaper clipping he had looked at this morning. The sailor was meticulously cleaning the benches of the boats with a rag, he continued to speak.

"Are you here because of the mermaids? Yeah, they often show up. Coming out like a deluge before sinking back in again. Once they emerge, we would immediately announce on the speakers to inform the guests, saying things like 'mermaids have appeared on the right hand side of the ship'. Although the guests would be startled for a moment, they'd also be very excited."

"Do they often just appear out of the blue?"

"I think they'll become an attraction, it'll be cool, but the most important cave is now closed. It can't continue in this way. Some people travel here just to see the mermaids. Frankly speaking, this has improved business."

The sailor laughed.

"But, only a small section of the cave collapsed, that's the area where entry has been prohibited. It won't be long before the restrictions are lifted again, so don't worry too much about it... Just that when this incident started to make things around here more lively, the island however..."

"The island... what about it?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It started recently. The shops in the older section of the island's village, as well as the snack shops, have all closed and left."

Finding this strange, Takaya and Ayako wrinkled their brows.

"What happened?"

"I don't know either, I only work on this island so I'm not too sure, but I heard something like a reconstruction project for tourism development required everyone to move to the outlying islands."

"Move? Why?"

"I don't know. They never specified the details, even the residents find it annoying. Aren't they going to build some kind of theme park at Kanasawa Hakkei? Calling it the Hakkeijima Bay or something. There are rumors that Enoshima will be turned into something similar."

The sailor was clearly disgruntled.

"It's truly outrageous. Enoshima has done well because of its current state. The very reason that a Magnolia tree is treasured is because it has a touch of antiquity, no? If this place is turned into a theme park and so forth, the Goddess Benten would be angered. Did you know? Even though the Goddess Benten grants people wealth and fortune and has a gentle appearance, once she is angered, she is extremely terrifying. In fact, the 8-armed Goddess Benzaiten had once been persuaded by Minamoto Yoritomo-kou to exorcise the northern Fujiwara."

"Is that so..."

"There will be retribution if they go overboard. Don't you feel this way?"

"Yeah..." Ayako nodded absentmindedly, but the sailor's indignation did not disappear.

"It seems like there was one member of the project who opposed the plans, but this is something common. They honestly think that they can take all of the residents here for fools. Just how does the administrative body work these days...?"

"May I ask... is it possible to go to the cave today?"

"Well, you can't go in but you can hang around the entrance. The coasts in that region are pretty good, there are a lot of people there fishing as well. If you're heading to the inner part of the island, you may be able to see the mermaids but no guarantees. There's also a shrine on one side, you can have a look around."

After chatting with the amiable sailor, who gave them directions, they thanked him and left the ferryboat station. They passed by the Benten Causeway and returned to Enoshima, Takaya asked Ayako.

"What do you think? About the conversation just now."

"Hmm... can't really say much for now,... but I'm very concerned. Let's have a look around inside that island. I want to check for any strange changes to the shrine."

The two of them passed by the 'Bronze Torii' outside the entrance of the omotesando and began to make their way up the slope. Ayako's previous remark that it was 'strangely calm' was right on the money. Two-thirds of the local products shops on both sides of the slope were closed. They saw an inn-keeper pasting the sign 'Thank you for visiting' on the doors of his shop. His manner of opening the shop caused one to feel that he lacked any sign of vitality.

"It's so desolate. Enoshima should be so interesting that one would be strolling down the street of local products shops. On a usual day, the shops would always smell of steamed red-bean buns, causing one to think 'Wah, we're finally at Enoshima'."

The group of tourists walking beside them also felt that something was amiss in what was otherwise a perfect environment. Those closed shops, had they shifted already?

"Uh oh, what's going on over there?"

At the restaurant ahead of them, there was a commotion. They appeared to be locals. Both of them did not know what they were angrily shouting about.

"To think that those bastards have the nerve to interfere with the society's affairs!"

"They're really troublesome rascals, they should be driven away! Take them away together with the boss of Matsuya!"

"Kudou-san has already looked over there. Immediately call everyone here! Gather in front of the society's office!"

Each and every one of them appeared to be the owners of the shops. After a period of debate, they hurriedly dispersed.

"What were they making a fuss about..."

"Sir, are you here on a holiday?"

A innkeeper of the local products shop, of which Takaya was standing in front of, called out. She wore an orange apron, a young woman with tanned skin. She had straightened, blond hair, and her pink lipstick caused her skin to appear rather radiant, as if she was a summer beach girl.

"Huh... ah, yes."

"Please come in. We have red-bean buns too."

"...There's something I would like to know."

"Yes?"

"The group of people who made a fuss over there just now, what happened here? All of them seemed extremely angry..."

"Ah..."

The complexion of the young lady of the shop faded.

"The workers of those companies, that are forcing us to leave this place, have come to Enoshima shrine."

"The workers of the companies involved in the project? The ones that want to reconstruct Enoshima?"

"Oh, you also know about this, sir? Don't tell me you're one of the interviewers...?"

Ayako replied without the slightest hint of change in her expression. "Nah, I'm a freelance writer."

Then she pointed at Takaya and said 'this is a photographer', despite the fact that Takaya was not carrying any camera.

"We came to gather information regarding the mermaids. We heard a bit about the rumors of the relocation here."

"Oh really? They came to my house as well. Saying that they want to completely rebuild this region and construct a new sandou. They said that our shop will only be temporarily relocated. They also offered us a spot on the premises of the company's building for our business until the new omotesandou is completed."

The young lady hung her eyes in grief, folding her arms.

"They said that their company will be renting our land, every month we would receive payment, they also allowed us to lease the space for our shops without any conditions. Even though we still have our shop's business to handle, the company and city municipal will assist us in setting up our new homes. The terms are really reasonable,... just that my emotions are always... Furthermore, we started our business here a long time ago. Also..."

"You don't approve of the plan itself?"

"Yes."

They shop assistant raised her forefinger.

"Everyone feels that Enoshima will be completely altered by them, that's why they're against it. Enoshima has a kind of ancient ambience of simplicity. We don't wish for it to change into some strange holiday resort. Moreover the plan itself has aroused suspicion."

"Suspicion...?"

"The company involved in this plan is Kyoutake enterprise, seems to be quite a reliable group..."

"Kyoutake..."

This was a famous industrial association. Kyoutake enterprise was formerly a privately-owned, large-scale railroad company in Tokyo, that expanded into departmental stores and real estate. Succeeding in their growth, the scope of the company expanded in leaps. It also had a professional baseball team, Takaya often came across the name of the president of the group, who sponsored the team, in sports magazines.

"But why did they have to pick Enoshima? Is it because of the Shounan area?"

Indeed, this was an extremely suitable place to build a theme park aimed at the young people. But wasn't the primeval environment of Enoshima part of the reason that Shounan received attention? Ayako considered this for a moment.

"...May I ask, their wanting you to shift, is it like the people before, who used provocative words and actions? Like throwing stones, calling gangsters..."

"No, there's no such thing. They're really courteous. Just that there have been strange happenings."

The young lady replied.

"What sort of happenings?"

"The people living on the island, every night they would have a strange dream."

"Dreams... really?"

"I've had this dream as well. Including the rest of my family. When we asked around, everyone's dreams seemed to be similar."

Apparently, Takaya felt this to be a bizarre situation. Having allowed Ayako to handle the replies all this while, he now took the initiative to ask a question.

"What type of dreams?"

"Dreams of the Enma Daio."

The shopkeeper lowered her voice, as though she was discussing some taboo subject.

"The Enma Daio appeared in the dream and warned us. The Enma Daio mentioned that he intends to buy up Enoshima, he wants us to immediately leave as a way of protecting ourselves."

The two of them stared at her.

"The Enma Daio wants to buy up this island?"

"Yes. The Enma Daio said that there were too many of the dead in Hell at the moment, the place was already full, so he wants Enoshima to be a part of Hell. After a month, the cave's fuuketsu will open and the dead will emerge from Hell, that is the reason why it'd be better for us to leave. Furthermore, we have the same dream everyday."

Takaya's expression grew serious, he prudently asked another question.

"...When did all of you begin to have this sort of dream?"

"Around two weeks ago. Strange, isn't it? If it was just dreams then fine. Now, everywhere on the island, there are people who say that they've seen ghosts."

"Ghosts? Don't tell me they're the sentinels of Hell?"

"That's right. Just like in those ancient paintings, those hideous ghosts who torment the dead that have fallen into Hell. They have large bodies, carry a metal club, and wear the hide of a tiger, that sort of figures."

Takaya squinted, he pressed his hand against his mouth as though he was deep in thought. This situation was really unusual.

"Some have felt frightened and have left. Seems like the closed shops in this area are a result of this. It just so happens that the city municipal has prepared temporary accommodation for them, the current situation looks like some refugee migration."

"Temporary accommodation?"

"Yeah. Letting them stay there for the time being while they look for a new home. I heard from those people who left that since their departure they don't have those dreams anymore. They've also advised us that it'd be best if we leave as soon as possible."

--The Enma Daio wants to buy up Enoshima...

It was impossible for the president of the Kyoutake group to be the Enma Daio (even if Takaya honestly felt the appearance president, that he had often seen in sports magazines, to be devilish). Takaya looked at the other's expression for a while, then spoke once again.

"Just now, you mentioned that the members of the Kyoutake group have come to Enoshima shrine, right? Why are those people interested in the shrine?"

"I heard that they wanted to buy Enoshima shrine."

Ayako voiced out a 'Huh'.
"Buy Enoshima shrine?"

The young lady nodded.
"As a matter of fact, I'm a shrine maiden of Enoshima shrine."

Ayako and Takaya's expressions appeared as though they were thinking 'What?!', widening their eyes at the same time. This seemingly forthright young lady, who looked like a beach girl, was coincidentally a shrine maiden.

"Ah, please don't be so shocked. Even though the chief priest has always criticized my external appearance, some people have also said that there's a very Shounan flavor about it, not bad huh."

"...N-Now that you mention it... Shounan huh..."

"Lately, Father's health hasn't been good, so I'm temporarily taking a break from my duties at the shrine, returning to help with my family's local products shop."

Saying this, the shrine maiden's face became shrouded in a layer of haze.

"My father... actually he's the president of the self-government here. But because of the recent disturbances... it seems like his mental health has weakened."

"His mental health has weakened?"

"Yeah. Sometimes he would dream that he is traveling someplace, sometimes he would mention things about the ruler of Hell. He has grown thin as well. He's resting now, but eversince the start of this month he appears to be in extreme agony. Within this stretch of time, members who have opposed to the plan have also died unexpectedly, it's almost as if we've become isolated without any help."

She said nothing further. Takaya felt that this place was worthy of suspicion, he revealed a grim expression. The young lady recovered herself all of a sudden.

"Sorry. You guys wanted to know about Enoshima shrine, right? If that's the case, I can take you there. The chief priest has rejected the proposal to buy up the shrine, but the other party is fairly stubborn. If you want an interview, I can introduce you guys to him."

Takaya and Ayako looked at her agreeably. Ayako replied.
"Yes, please."

***

The long, gentle slope led to the sandou, there was a huge torii at their destination. Before the torii was a flight of steps leading upwards, the luxurious Gongen structure of the main shrine complex was positioned at the top. This was the Hetsunomiya, the front shrine. Hetsunomiya was also known as the shrine which housed the enshrined deity, Tagitsu-hime-no-mikoto. In reverence of the priest Yoshimasa, the shrine was constructed in the first year of the Ken ei era (1206 AD) under the orders of Yoritomo. The main building of the shrine was rebuilt during the 51st year of the Showa era.

On the left side of the main shrine was the octagonal building known as the Houanden. Offerings here were made to two Benzaiten goddesses: the Myouon Benzaiten and the eight-armed Benzaiten. The Myouon Benzaiten was the famous 'nude Benten', a naked statue of the Benten that possessed beautiful milk-white skin.

Legend has it that an evil dragon used to live in the waters of Enoshima, which committed all sorts of malicious acts against the people, causing the residents to feel extremely distressed. Later on, during the reign of the Emperor Kimmei, an isolated region of land appeared in the sea unanticipated. Benzaiten had descended on that island and punished the evil dragon. Thereafter, regular offerings were made to Benzaiten on Enoshima, and this Benten was named as one of the three influential Benten of Japan. During the Edo period, Enoshima's 'religious festival of the Goddess Benten' was celebrated with much fervor.

Takaya and Ayako followed the young lady of the local products shop - called Suga Natsuo - to Hetsunomiya. On the right side of the main shrine was an imposing building, it was the shrine office. A mass of shop-owners had already gathered outside the entrance to protest. Takaya and the others waited at a distance around the Houanden area for the assocates of the Kyoutake enterprise to emerge. They did not have to wait for long. Less than ten minutes later, the staff of Kyoutake enterprise came out from the shrine office.

As expected, they all wore Western-styled suits. There were seven of them. Among them, three seemed to hold the dual tasks of secretary and bodyguard. The one in the center appeared to be the representative, a burly middle-aged man. The long-faced man engaged in conversation with him was likely to be his secretary. Behind them was a man roughly around the same age, solidly built and bespectacled. Finally, there was one more. This man was much younger than the others. He was around 30 years of age, had a calm face and wore a black overcoat. He was probably another one of their subordinates.

Suddenly, the clamor of protests intensified.

"We won't let you guys have the island!"

"Get out! Don't let us see your faces again!"

With aroused feelings of anger and resentment, the group of innkeepers threw insults at them. But the representative seemed to pay no attention to it, he calmly made his way to the chief priest to send his greetings.

"That looks like the chairman of the Kyoutake real estate firm."

"Chairman? Then he is..."

"Yeah. The younger brother of the president of the Kyoutake group."

Takaya and Ayako stared at that man. That man called Tatsumi Yoshitsugu, was his elder brother the president of the Kyoutake group? A confidant. Tatsumi Yoshitsugu was now the delegate appointed by the board of Kyoutake real estate, handling all corporate matters of the organizations that came under the umbrella of the Kyoutake group.

Unexpectedly, he was also the person to personally see to this negotiation...

Natsuo lowered her voice and continued to speak.

"See those two men behind him? They came to my house before, so I know them. The more senior-looking one is called Yashiro, the younger one is called Kaizaki."

"Are they from Kyoutake real estate?"

"Yeah. What were their job titles again? Yashiro is the head of some department. Kaizaki's position is apparently higher than his. I heard that he's actually a distant relative of the chairman. He's not bad, eh?"

"Why did they go to your house?"

"They were there about the relocation, they came to notify us. I heard they went to every single household. They didn't leave such a bad impression after all. They were very polite too, I really liked that. But if I mention this, everyone else will get angry."

"I see."

"Yeah... But that's the type of man that women would want to sleep with."

After nodding, Takaya and Ayako went 'Ah?' as they stared at her dumbfounded.
But even if Kaizaki was a distant relative of the chairman, he did not have that aura of a young master. The man wore a pair of thin glasses, he looked like a young, brilliant industrialist. His half-opened eyes gave one the impression of nervousness, but there was no misstep in any of his movements or actions.

The shop-owners pressed around them as they shouted but were held back by the bodyguards. The chairman, protected by Yashiro, headed down the flight of steps. Then, at this point in time, Kaizaki, who was beside the chairman, looked towards them.

"Shoot! L-Let's go... Kagetora."

Ayako was startled, urging Takaya towards the electric-powered ladder station in front. Suddenly, there was a shriek from the shrine office.

"Huh!"

The two of them turned around in shock, the residents that had originally surrounded Chairman Tatsumi suddenly fell backwards onto the ground into a seating position, as though their knees had gone soft.

"Wahh!!" Natsuo, who was beside them, screamed as well.

"W-What is it! Suga-san--!"

"Over there! There's a ghost over there!"

Ghost...?!

Natsuo grabbed onto Takaya tightly, desperately trying to point in the direction of the shrine office. The faces of the shop-owners had also stiffened in terror.

"Ghost... ghost, there's a ghost!"

"Wahhh, ghost!"

Shouting in unison, the residents crawled backwards in retreat. But Takaya and Ayako could not see it. They could not see any ghost.

"Where? Sugo-san, just what..."

"There's a red ghost over there! It's wielding a metal club!"

"S-Stop, please! Wahhh!"

The shop-owners cried out, unable to bear the monstrosity of the situation, they began to flee. It seemed like a huge ghost was standing in front of Chairman Tatsumi.

Those brats...

It was not surprising that Takaya suspected them. The associates of the Kyoutake group appeared to be aware of the possibility of an encounter with a ghost, they showed no sign of being startled. Yashiro uttered something to Chairman Tatsumi. Tatsumi nodded, descending the steps together with his secretaries and bodyguards. After Yashiro and Kaizaki, who were left behind, finished with their discussion, they glanced at the shop-owners and descended the steps calmly. Apparently, the red ghost had disappeared.

"Kagetora..."

With a sharp expression in his eyes, Takaya watched the men leave.

***

In the end, Takaya and Ayako did not see any ghost.
After the disturbance, Natsuo experienced a bout of anemia owing to her shock, the two of them sent her home.

"I'm really sorry I didn't take you guys there... To have taken so much trouble to get there and yet..."

"It's okay."

Exchanging glances with Takaya, Ayako said to Natsuo. "If anything else happens, can you contact us? We may be able to help you."

"Yes... But, then..."

"Especially with anything regarding the Enma Daio. Say if the Enma Daio appears, etcetera, anything will do... Yeah, we're acquainted with spiritual investigators. But we can't guarantee that we'll be able to subdue the evil ghosts."

"I understand."

Natsuo replied with a dazed expression, Ayako gave her the telephone number of the hotel they were staying at. Then, they parted with Natsuo.

The two of them decided to investigate the internal section of the island.
To get from the Nakatsunomiya to the front of the botanical gardens on top, tourists usually used what was called the 'ladder', an electric-powered ladder for sightseeing, but its operation had ceased three days ago.

Takaya and Ayako carried out spiritual examinations as they made their way upwards, before taking a break in the square at the summit. The cafeteria beside the botanical gardens was closed as well. Ayako nibbled on crackers that she had bought from the vending machine at the ladder station as she brooded.

"It's strange. If it's a tsukumogami or some kind of apparition, we should be able to see it."

Despite having made it this far, they had not detected any whiff of a ghost.

"Only those people can see it." Takaya drank from a can of coffee and replied. "...It's possible that they'd been hypnotized."

"Hypnotized?"

Takaya nodded, he took out a coin-like object from the pocket of his jacket. Ayako held it up with her fingers.

"What is it?"

It resembled a five-cent coin, with a hole in its center. Some sort of characters had been engraved onto the black surface. Even though it was extremely worn out and very indistinct...

"They can't be Sanskrit characters..."

"It was on the exact spot where the ghost appeared. I picked up a similar one in front of Nakatsunomiya just now."

Takaya handed Ayako another coin. The surface was engraved with matching designs.

"What is it?"

"I think it's some kind of tool for a curse. The hole is emitting the 'air' of some kind of incense-like fragrance, get it?"

"?"

Ayako placed it on her palm, then covered the hole with her fingertip.

"Yeah... Looks like it's spouting out an interesting sort of 'air'. It's like mosquito incense."

"It's possible that this functions like a projector."

"A projector?"

"Yeah. The 'air' that is spouted out gives rise to the ghost that those people saw."

"This 'air'? But didn't we see nothing?"

"That's right, it doesn't work on us. Only those that have been specially hypnotized will be able to react to this 'air' and see the ghost. These things have probably been placed all over the island, every time someone passes by it, the residents that have been hypnotized will see the ghost."

"So it's not a real ghost but an illusion? But the hypnotism... who could've done this, and why would they do this?"

Takaya grew silent. He had already considered the clues.
"...Kyoutake's men, who witnessed the uproar by the residents who saw the ghost, were not the least bit startled."

"Then, they were the ones who set this up...?"

"Although we don't know for sure if they had personally set this up, at the very least we can deduce that they are aware of the existence of this witchcraft."

Takaya wrapped his palm around the can of coffee, he had been staring at the viewing platform all this while.

"The fact that every household was notified about this is enough cause for suspicion. Perhaps they'd hypnotized them during that time. Also, the dreams about the Enma... The combined hypnotism must've been rather dense."

"What are their motives for doing this?"

With a look that said 'Can't think of any reason', Ayako slanted her head, stuffing the cracker into her mouth.
"To drive out the residents? Aren't they being a bit too thorough if that's the case? Going so far as to prepare temporary residence like a refuge for them. Wouldn't this be called coercion? I'm still worried."

"It's also really strange that they want to buy up everything, including Enoshima shrine."

Takaya grasped the can of coffee in his palm, bringing the drink to his mouth.

"Turning this place into a holiday resort, what they're doing is way too artificial. Wanting to develop Enoshima into a tourist attraction and so on at this point in time, this is weird in itself, isn't it? If it was during an economic boom, then it'd be a different story..."

"That's right. I've always felt... that they intend to make the whole of Enoshima their own..."

But why...?

As he pondered quietly, a white cat emerged out of nowhere and ran close to Takaya's legs. Judging from its collar, it was probably raised by some family on Enoshima. Takaya stroked the cat's head and said.
" 'When the fuuketsu of the cave opens, the dead will return from Hell', Sugo-san mentioned this, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Heard about the unexpected incident of the falling rocks in the cave yesterday, causing it to close. This incident might somehow be related."

"Want to go check it out?"

Takaya answered with a 'Mmm', he stood up. "This incident may be linked with the mermaids. We better look into it."

"Understood."

Ayako replied, stuffing the last cracker into her mouth. The white cat appeared to be hungry and looked at her with imploring eyes, Ayako crouched down and stroked its head.
"You best be careful too and don't let any ghosts eat you, okay."

After that, the two of them left. The cat knelt on the ground by itself, gazing after them.

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Original fiction © Kuwabara Mizuna.