Chapter 81 Snow-View Sliding Door
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I was able to stay together with all three of them.
After we were freed from the underground prison, we were confined to a mansion set up for house arrest in town. The narrow room, containing only a hearth and cushions, was where we were kept. An old woman brought us food twice a day.
Currently, a girl has her face buried in my lap. It’s Flatty-chan. She’s tied her long hair back and is sleeping with her head on my thin thigh as I sit in a formal posture. I felt like a noble lady tending to a knight who fought for her. A lap pillow is something a man would rarely offer even to his wife. Perhaps holding her hand to help her sleep would have been better, but I don’t have the courage to place my hand on a sleepy Psionic Power user. Flatty-chan has a grip strength of 160kg. They always call her weak, but if I let my guard down, my thin fingers could end up like mashed potatoes.
”Uga, ugugugu…”
She was having a nightmare.
”What are you dreaming about? It’s okay now. You don’t have to be scared,” I said softly.
”Young Master… no… ngii…”
She frowned, her brow furrowed. She’d been like this for a while.
I had been placed under house arrest in the same location as the three of them at my own insistence. Himawari trusted me and eased the restrictions. There were no restraints or chains. All three of them were completely free.
Trash-san and Flatty-chan, upon reuniting and confirming I was unharmed, immediately fell into a deep sleep. Their bodies were completely drained from being confined for so long, and they looked like they could collapse at any moment. It was understandable, considering they had been kept immobile for over a week, with everything from meals to excretion managed for them.
Even lying on her stomach, Flatty-chan’s petite figure meant she had almost no weight on me, and she slept in a posture like a small child clinging to a parent. Her breath tickled my inner thigh, making me a little uncomfortable.
”No! Young Master, run!”
”There, there. I’m right here.”
”…Stop. Guh… If you’re going to kill someone, kill Trash first…!”
Was she truly asleep? She kept muttering in her sleep, as if trapped in a nightmare. I gently turned her over and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. I even combed her hair, which had become matted and sticky. She was grinding her teeth, making her face look stern. Stress had caused a small pimple to form on the side of her mouth.
”…Nn. I don’t like plums or cherries… I prefer the space between peaches… Nn…”
After I spoke to her several times, she finally calmed down. Then, she began to breathe softly. A little drool escaped her mouth and wet my undergarment, which felt slightly unpleasant.
”Finally, she’s asleep,” I murmured. She was like a troublesome big sister. She had been restless for nearly an hour, but now she seemed to have fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep. The length of her nightmare felt like a measure of the hardship she had endured for me, so it wasn’t painful. However, her head was a little heavy on my lap.
Trash-san was almost in a coma. She had been the most severely restrained, mistaken for a Psionic Power user capable of communication. She hadn’t dispelled this misunderstanding, and her eyes and ears were covered, leaving her completely unaware of her surroundings. Even after regaining consciousness, she was kept in a world of darkness and silence without any explanation, likely fearing she would be killed at any moment.
She already had numerous fractures and bruises from continuous battles. These were injuries that even a Psionic Power user couldn’t fully heal in a few days. Now, her fever had subsided, and she lay on the paper fusuma (thin quilt) like death itself, her arm still in a splint. Unlike Flatty-chan, the elder sister required no care at all.
”You seem very close. I’m surprised you trust each other so much,” Natsume-san said.
”Yes, but she still seems nervous when she talks to me.”
I spoke with Natsume-san, the only one who was awake. She had been weak-willed and somewhat deranged, so she hadn’t undergone much restraint or interrogation. Thanks to that, she had some physical strength left.
”Come to think of it, is this the first time you and I have spoken directly like this?” I asked.
”Yes. It is,” she replied.
”Aren’t you going to sleep, Natsume-san? You haven’t rested in quite a while, have you?”
”No, I cannot sleep.”
Natsume-san, who had sat down on the opposite side of the room, spoke hesitantly. Her neatly divided black and white hair hid her large, expressive round eyes. The dark circles beneath them made her look like a sick person.
She leaned her petite figure against a decorative pillar that stood beside the tatami, sitting like a statue, barely moving. She was curled up, burying the lower half of her face in her knees.
The small, energetic maid who used to fuss over same-sex friends with excessive kindness was nowhere to be seen.
Natsume-san moved her lips with a weariness that seemed immense. Her voice was faint, like that of a ghost, lacking any vitality.
”Besides, someone has to stay awake and keep watch. I’m good at surveillance. That was always my role.”
”At least come a little closer? It’s cold in the corner of the room,” I said. But she didn’t move.
Still, perhaps disliking the silent air, or unable to ignore it, she spoke as if urged by the crackling fire in the hearth.
”Please, do not concern yourself with me.”
She looked profoundly disappointed.
Natsume-san had lost everything. Her long-time comrades in the Imperial Guard were dead, and her master’s strategy had failed again. Therefore, even if she returned to town, there would be no one happy to see her. The Imperial Guard was a fiercely competitive society. Those who did not achieve results, or did not try to, were treated coldly. Even if the other two were to perform ritual suicide, there were those who would clap, seeing it as an opportunity. To perish in obedience to one’s lord was an honorable act. It was better to boast of the honor than to lament the death. They had served their master admirably. There was respect and a degree of salvation in that, and their names could be inscribed on the town’s memorial monument.
However, for a soft-hearted Imperial Guard who interfered with strategy out of concern for a comrade’s life, there was no salvation from society. She had no parents or children, and even if she returned safely, there was no one to meet. Thinking about her current feelings was painful.
”I’m sorry, Natsume-san. If you hadn’t gotten involved with me, this wouldn’t have happened,” I said.
My involvement with them had only lasted three months. However, Natsume-san had spent a far longer time, almost her entire life, with the other two. And now, there was no one left.
”As for Kaede-san and Kiri-san…”
I had no words left to say. She should still have colleagues in the intelligence division, but they were from different backgrounds and had different duties than the Exploration Squad, so they likely weren’t very close. When she lost her best friend, she had called it unfair. She couldn’t forgive them for finishing their hardship first and leaving her behind. Now, all her old acquaintances were gone. She had always feared being left alone like this.
”I’ll do anything I can to guarantee your well-being. I can send you financial support, and I can even lend you my Imperial Guard Psionic Power, as I promised the other two. I can also negotiate to recover their bodies as much as possible to create graves for them…”
I had the image of Kaede-san’s human-like form, burned all over, seared into my eyes. If left unattended, nothing would remain. Monsters also roamed the area. I hoped at least her hair might still be there.
Then, Natsume-san, who had been listless, looked up and glared at me. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes and fell onto the tatami.
”Please don’t apologize!”
Unable to suppress her emotions, Natsume-san cried and raged.
”Don’t patronize me! If Your Lordship apologizes, I’ll have to forgive you!”
Natsume-san continued, as if shouting.
”It’s not that simple!”
I didn’t want her forgiveness. I simply wanted to offer some practical support to someone who, unlike me, had lost all her close friends. But Natsume-san wouldn’t accept even that.
”I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to impose my strong male status on you.”
”So please stop,” she replied.
”Understood. It was unnecessary. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
”No, that’s not it. Because I’m a woman, just hearing a man say a few kind words makes me want to forgive immediately.”
She lowered her head again and spoke weakly. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked utterly dejected.
”Even now, just your words make me want to forgive you. I find Your Lordship’s words so precious. Ah, what a kind person you are.”
Natsume-san hung her head. Burying her face in her knees, she shed faint, withered tears.
”…It’s foolish, isn’t it? Kiri-chan and Kaede-chan’s lives weren’t so cheap.”
It was an undeniable criticism of the male way of being. She was saying she didn’t want to be swayed by men. But that was incredibly difficult.
”Besides, my master is Ichimatsu-sama. I don’t need any favors from anyone other than my master.”
She flatly refused my proposal.
Natsume-san fell silent after that. I couldn’t see her face. But gradually, she seemed to become afraid of what she had said.
”I’m sorry. What terrible things did I say to a man? They chose their own paths, so there’s no reason for Your Lordship to blame them. Please, I beg you, forget it.”
”…Yes, I’ll forget it.”
She was genuinely terrified of the reprimand from the man she had just yelled at. I couldn’t put my arm around her shoulders. I couldn’t find any words to say. Easy comfort would likely be a burden.
After a short pause, I spoke to her as she trembled in the corner of the room. But there was something else I could do.
”Then, may I tell you what happened that time? I want Natsume-san to know what Kiri-san was thinking at the end, and what she said.”
”…Yes. If so, please do.”
Natsume-san lifted her tear-streaked face.
It was to convey the details of their final actions as accurately as possible. Trash-san and Flatty-chan were asleep, and there was no problem telling Natsume-san about Psionic Power. My power was for that purpose—Psionic Power to ensure that women who died unknown in the dungeon would not be forgotten.
For a while, Natsume-san listened very intently to the story of their final moments.
Then, beside the two sleeping girls, we talked about Kaede-san and Kiri-san. We discussed what they were thinking and how they lived. Gradually, I mentioned their good points and their faults. As she opened up, she even shared humorous anecdotes mixed with sad jokes. It was like a wake without the deceased’s body.
”So, both of their lives were pretty terrible, huh?” I asked.
A slightly complaining response came back. The more I heard about their private lives, the more I realized they were unreliable. Kaede-san and the others had their share of foolishness.
”Kaede-chan converted her entire monthly salary into sugar. She’d pickle fish and vegetables in it and eat them, and she even went into debt. The townspeople would mock her, saying her real business was sugar trading.”
Sugar was a considerable luxury item in this era. While not a monopoly, an Imperial Guard’s salary could afford it, but it wasn’t something to eat in huge quantities every day.
”Really? I can hardly imagine it.”
”Kiri-chan was even worse; she’d lick gunpowder as a snack with her drinks. She said her tongue would go numb and it tasted bad, but she got addicted. I couldn’t believe it…”
”That’s hardcore. You could ruin your health.”
”She said Psionic Power users are tough, so she wouldn’t stop.”
Psionic Power users were immune to liver disease. Natsume-san often scolded the two for their reckless behavior, telling them to take care of themselves. However, they never listened. When Natsume-san finally became hysterical, they would either grudgingly give in or simply ignore her.
She spoke particularly fondly of the past. It was about them before I knew them.
”So, were there other members in the Exploration Squad before?”
”We were originally a group of five. I had friends from when we were very young, and luckily, we had connections with Ichimatsu-sama at the time and were chosen for the Imperial Guard.”
”From childhood? That’s quite a promotion.”
”We were all cute back then. We were this tall, and although I’m the smallest now, back then… hehe.”
As we chatted about memories, Natsume-san’s emotions suddenly became turbulent. Like a dream extinguished by a candle flame, she was snatched back to reality and lost the light of her smile.
”But they’re all gone now. They disappeared one by one, like teeth falling out…”
”I see.”
”No, serves them right. I feel refreshed now. This is the end, the very end. And I don’t have to worry about anyone anymore. Everyone’s legacy is mine now, heh… ahaha, hehehe…”
A strange, hollow laugh escaped her lips. Periodically, she would lose herself and search her sleeve for that mystical object that made her feel better. But Kaede-san had blown it up in the explosion during the recent battle. She could no longer escape into the pleasure of idleness.
In those moments, I would silently watch, waiting for her consciousness to return to reality before resuming our conversation.
”Don’t pull your hair out.”
”Ah, ahh. I hate them all. I’m the only one left. There’s no one left for me to fuss over. What should I do? Ah. Aah…”
Her black and white hair, reaching her neck, was scattered on the tatami floor. Soon, she began to scratch her head violently and grab and pull her hair, so I held her hands to stop her. But even if she injured her scalp or bit her lips, her Psionic Power would eventually heal the wounds.
I continued to speak to her, trying to distract her and make her feel even slightly better.
”I guess escaping is impossible.”
We were not restrained, but we were confined. We had tried to escape many times, but it was impossible. This was because, in this old house-like mansion, one could not exit from the inside unless it was opened from the outside world. This was due to a peculiar mystical object from the Uncanny Valley: a right-pointing sign installed within the mansion.
After our discussion about Kaede-san and the others concluded, I asked Natsume-san, “Are mystical objects like this common?”
”Mystical objects that deceive people are quite common. Especially in the Uncanny Valley, they are said to be very frequent.”
”I see. It feels strange. Because there’s no direct harm, it has a more unsettling fear, a kind of deep-seated creepiness.”
This was a peculiar mystical object.
Anyone who saw this sign, resembling a right-turn road sign, would turn right no matter where they wanted to go. They would believe it was the correct path to their destination. For example, the main entrance of the mansion. Through the noren, you could even see snow falling outside. It wasn’t difficult. Just a few meters forward, passing the sign, and you could be outside. Even a child just learning to walk could do it. But I would turn right at a sharp angle just before it. Even though I intended to go outside, my mind would become confused.
I had tried for quite some time earlier. But in the end, I couldn’t get outside.
’Ah, I’ll go outside the mansion and check on the town.’
At the very next moment, the thought was overwritten.
’Okay, I’ll leave through the front entrance (turn right).’
But somehow, I would always end up walking down the corridor toward the mansion’s veranda instead. No matter what plan I came up with, the result was the same. For some inexplicable reason, that single direction kept forcing itself into my mind.
’If I keep one hand along the wall, I’ll make it through the gate—turn right.’
’If I close my eyes and ignore the sign, I’ll slip past—turn right.’
’If I just get rid of the sign altogether—turn right.”
I tried various methods, but they all ended in futility. Once a human being sees this sign, they will invariably think this way. Of course, I tried other countermeasures. I even asked Natsume-san for her opinion. Although often absent-minded, she was an expert in mysteries and exploration, particularly knowledgeable about mystical objects that affected the mind due to her frequent use of them. She quickly devised several countermeasures against the sign. However, the very thought of trying to circumvent the sign’s effect acted as a trigger for this strange mystery. Even if I thought of a solution, I couldn’t put it into practice. Even Psionic Power users couldn’t escape this effect.
Roughly speaking, if several of these were installed along the perimeter, it would prevent anyone from leaving. Signs were hung on all the mansion’s corridors and ceilings. If you attempted to go out, you would endlessly loop indoors, so we had no choice but to stay put in the inner tatami rooms.
I even considered setting the mansion on fire. To do that, I’d first have to turn right.
…It’s truly a strange effect. I hate this mystical object. While I value people’s feelings, I dislike anything that manipulates thoughts.
The only practical solution is for the old maid, who has never seen the sign and knows nothing about it, to remove it. For us who have already seen it and been exposed, it’s too late. According to Natsume-san, when she’s not in her usual state, the effect isn’t a physical force pulling you right; it’s a matter of perception. Therefore, if one becomes incapacitated by heavy drinking, sleepwalking, or another mystical object that impairs cognitive abilities, it might be possible to neutralize it. In essence, you just have to not think about the sign at all.
I thought that was just a way of saying she wanted to escape. If there was something that allowed for escapism, I might be tempted to follow along.
After that, we spent our days pampering the dazed Flatty-chan, and for the bedridden Trash-san, I would moisten a clean cloth with water from a jug and place it in her mouth to keep her hydrated. If Flatty-chan knew she had forgotten this entire day, she would likely live her life regretting it. Of course, I also used my Psionic Power to return to Kujukuri Town and receive instructions from my Imperial Guards regarding future actions.
”Excuse me. Pardon the intrusion.”
A female voice announced her arrival with footsteps and a shadow beyond the paper sliding door. The woman who opened our tatami room’s paper sliding door looked surprised at Flatty-chan resting her head on my lap.
”Don’t mind her,” I said.
”However… it must be a burden for you to be in the same room as women. We have prepared another room for you.”
”Thank you, but it’s not necessary.”
She was concerned that I might be subjected to impropriety by the Imperial Guards. The big sister glanced around at the Imperial Guards in the room. Her stern gaze conveyed a warning: ‘You haven’t done anything strange to him, have you?’
Natsume-san, with a vacant, indifferent expression, leaned listlessly against the snow-view paper sliding door, staring into space. She genuinely seemed uninterested in this exchange. The people of Isumi Town considered her a fool. They were half right.
When I asked her purpose, she said the townsfolk were concerned about my health. They were standing near the mansion in the cold and wanted me to say something.
”Tell them I’ve recovered and am feeling well. If they catch a cold, it will be terrible, so please tell them to go home quickly and warm up,” I said.
”Understood.”
About two hours passed, but instead of leaving, they seemed to be worshipping the mansion because of my words. The woman who returned pleaded with me, so I had no choice but to show my face. Perhaps if I spoke to them directly, the townsfolk would disperse. I was also getting bored of staying inside, so a short walk outside might be nice.
”Shall I accompany you?”
”Natsume, correct? I have something for you here.” The big sister handed a small package to Natsume-san. It was a letter addressed to Natsume-san from Kujukuri Town. The sender was her master, Ichimatsu. It was hard to believe he would send something, given his lack of interest in his own Imperial Guards. I couldn’t imagine the contents. Since it arrived this way, it was likely a personal message, not related to the war situation. If it contained a reprimand for Natsume-san, I would have to ensure she wasn’t too hurt. But the moment she saw his handwriting, she clutched the letter, tears streaming down her face, and hugged it. It seemed to be written by his own hand, not dictated.
She seemed overjoyed simply by the fact that he had shown any interest in her.
With an indescribable feeling, I left the room.
Outside the mansion, the townsfolk standing by the roadside shyly averted their gazes, then gathered them towards me.
”Oh… so that’s him.”
”Poor thing, to be brought to such a cold town, it’s pitiful.”
Some were even clutching prayer beads and bowing. Their clothing was fluffy, resembling Jizo statues wearing hats, and they were quite cute. A slight desire stirred within me, but the mites on their straw capes and their body odor calmed my feelings and made it subside. It seemed they still had the will to live.
I waved, and the beautiful big sisters responded with cheers. Especially to the younger girls who looked like they hadn’t reached adulthood, I held their hands, spoke a word or two if they asked for something, and continued on my way.
It seemed some people were performing a strange ritual of cold-water ablutions in the middle of winter for good health, so I walked around for about five minutes to stop them.
Notes:
• Psionic Power – Mental energy concept in Chapter 35’s lecture. Trash-san teaches it to strengthen the protagonist’s mind after dungeon ordeals.
• Himawari – Young oni/aberration-type psionic; town leader/face; asks for promotion help; apologizes for killings; sets 2‑day deadline.
• Natsume – A female companion and younger sister of Kaede-san, cared for by Kaede-san during their journey through the dangerous valley, at risk of infection from the parasitic creatures.
• Kaede – A female psionic explorer known as Necksplitter, is a veteran assassin and messenger of Lord Ichimatsu. Her appearance is both young and old, with gray hair streaked through black and vibrant, unlined skin. She is graceful yet carries the fatigue of a long life in war, resembling an old hunting dog. Her psionic ability is mysterious and potentially dangerous.
• Kiri – A female sniper and member of Kaede-san’s team, white-haired with sleepy eyes, wielding a disguised sniper rifle, known for her quick hands and slow speech, often joking in dire situations.
• Ichimatsu – A high-ranking figure associated with the Imperial Guard, mentioned as having spineless guards around him, with no further details provided.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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