Chapter 5: 5

Chapter 5: You’re going to fall down

Oh, Uncle Toru is here.

Ayano felt better after venting her frustration to Satoshi and was about to return to her room upstairs when she heard Toru talking with Takato from the hallway.

Ayano wanted to avoid Takato so she went around the kitchen and quietly walked towards the stairs. The stairs on the east side are old steep wooden stairs. It had handrail which was added recently.

There were quite a number of residents who had fallen at this staircase. Some were injured while some died. Ayano wondered why the handrail was not added since the beginning. She wondered if there was a house rule that said a handrail could only be added after a certain number of people died.

While she was entertaining her thought, she suddenly heard a voice whispering into her ear.

“You’re going to fall down.”

The male voice was very clear. Ayano kept climbing and replied, “I won’t.”

However, the invisible man said again, “You’re going to fall down.”

Ayano decided to play along with the man. She turned towards the voice and pointed her finger to the air. “You’ve warned me so many times since I was a kid, so I’ll be fine. By the way, you are the one who fell down these stairs and died.”

She could have said the first part only, but because she was in a bad mood, she had added the second sentence. It seemed the man was reminded of how he died and disappeared after saying “Oh-”.

Ayano knew that when she went downstairs later, the man would forget everything and would tell her again, ” You’re going to fall down”.

Ayano entered her room and opened the vintage lattice window fitted with glass. She looked down at the garden. The hydrangea that Takato had seen earlier could be seen from here as well.

“Why are you standing there not moving? I thought you’re an earthbound spirit.” Ayano recalled the words Takato had said to her.

We haven’t seen each other for a while. How can he say that to me?

Although Ayano was angry at Takato, she also felt relieved when she saw that he hadn’t changed.

It was not raining today but she was afraid the damp air of the rainy season would drift in, so she immediately closed the window. Perhaps because she had been living in the haunted mansion all her life, Ayano felt like her time had stopped, just like the ghost. She wondered if Takato’s time had started moving after he moved out from the mansion.

She was lost in thoughts as she leaned against the window sill. The cold glass touched her shoulder while she stared fixedly at the door of her room which was kept closed.

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After a while, Ayano made up her mind and decided to go downstairs. She was afraid if Takato left while she was sulking. After all, she was worried about him even though she didn’t have the courage to tell him that.

When Ayano was walking down the stairs, she heard the familiar voice whispering into her ears.

“You’re going to fall down.”

She half-heartedly replied, “Yeah right,” while waving her hand.

Then, the ghost said something different in hesitation. “… Someone fell down.” [1]

Ayano was about to say “huh?” when she heard a loud scream echoed through the hallway. And then there was a sound of something heavy falling with a thud. “Yup. Someone fell down,” Ayano said to the invisible ghost.

* * *

When Takato left the Western-style room, he heard the creaking sound from the front door. A tall man wearing a dark suit entered through the door. It was Sudo Shun, his second cousin. He had a well-proportioned face while his forehead and eyes exuded a strong sense of intelligence.

Shun was a lawyer and he was also the one who had announced Sokichi’s will. Although Takato was annoyed by the content of the will, he wouldn’t blame Shun because he knew Shun was only doing his job. However, Takato and Shun didn’t get along well. Somehow, Takato felt like Shun was the one who was asking him to leave the mansion and become Takamura’s adopted son-in-law.

Shun looked stuffy wearing a suit in this hot and humid season. When he noticed Takato, he asked, “What did you come here for?” even though he was the one standing at the front door.

Takato felt he shouldn’t use the word come because this was still his home.

Shun closed his eyes and put his fingertip on his forehead, saying, “Don’t get me wrong. It’s just that it seems every time you come someone would die.”

“Grandpa died first before I came home,” Takato replied in irritation. He only returned after he was told that Sokichi had passed away.

Right after he said those words, he heard a loud scream from above, followed by a loud thudding sound.

Both Takato and Shun ran out the front door. They saw a dead man with the back of his head smashed against a large stone in the garden.

This face seems familiar, Takato thought to himself while stood unmoving due to shock.

Shun showed no sign of surprise as he kept looking at the corpse and said, “I told you so.”

[1] Subject and indirect object are usually omitted in Japanese sentences, especially dialogues. The ghost actually said “Gonna fall down” and “Fell down”.  

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