"Are you going to take an eternity? Come on!"
I hear heiress egg me on as I struggle to climb up the hill. She has always been of the perkier sort and surprisingly very agile.
"J... Just a sec..."
In my last breath, I end up making it onto the top and I can finally plop down to the ground. Even if it's not our first meet up, I still end up wondering where she even gathers the energy to be able to climb a hill with relative ease, our heiress is truly something
"There you are. I thought I was gonna grow old on this mountain and have grandkids by the time you get there."
"Come on, don't exaggerate my lord~"
She picks my exhausted body and we sit on our usual spot - a lone log from which you can onlook the entire village. She holds my hand tightly and looks at me
"You know, our friendship has been a long one. Like, we were friends since we were twelve! That's... Absurd! Usually friendships don't last that long!"
"8 years... Yes, it is quite long now that you mention it. Hah... To think that it has been a long time since our introduction... I feel like I have known you for your entire life, yet at the same time it doesn't feel that long..."
"Despite this. I want us to continue being friends! You know, go on various adventures together! Maybe even someday I'll be able to stand by myself!... I treasure every second we spend together, and I want you to know that you being in my life is the best thing that has ever happened to me. So I would like to stand by your side, even if the entire world is against you."
"Uri-chan, I know your dad doesn't like me, but please don't overdramaticize"
Heiress chuckled and playfully punched me in the shoulder
"Oh, Myonji, you!... Still, I absolutely mean it when I say that I want to stand by you."
Her smile radiated warmth like nothing else. And while it was pretty hot outside, this warmth doesn't hurt, in fact it makes the heat quite bearable. Her smile is the reason why I do her every bidding. And she is not cruel about it, in fact she might as well be the kindest soul on this island despite her rough exterior. She wouldn't do anything to specifically harm me and she treats other villagers with unbound love and respect, because to her, they're not subjects, but ordinary people. And to each other, we are the best things that ever happened to us. To her, I was her first person to be receptive of her kindness; to me, she was the first person who showed me kindness besides my parents. We couldn't trade eachother for anything in the world.
Yet, in a cruel twist of fate... The smile I wished to protect with all my heart...
Was gone.
---
I sit down at the bar, drinking my fears away. I should be safe from Tatarigami for today, luckily the villagers here seem pretty normal.
"Hey guys, wanna hear a spooky urban legend?"
At first I thought about Tatarigami, but given that EVERYONE knows Tatarigami on this island... It wouldn't make sense for Tatarigami to be just an "urban legend", they're just a legend at this point.
"There is a ghastly woman wandering around those woods, I call her "Tsumekubi-onna (爪首女; Nail-Neck Woman)"! The reason for that is simple: she keeps scratching her neck, even though it's bleeding like crazy. Her nails keep digging deeper and deeper in her neck, leaving a bloody trail."
"Is she dangerous though?"
"That's the thing! Despite her sharp, almost knife-like nails, if you approach her - she'll run away, sobbing loudly. Compared to that lunatic priest, she is pretty much harmless, if not creepy with her digging nails into her neck."
"Wow... She is pretty adorable... Not the nail thing though."
"However I would suggest not making eye contact with her. When you do, she gets pretty agitated and she will lunge at you. Averting your eyes works just fine though, that's why I lived to tell the tale!"
"... Yeah, I heard about a woman committing suicide somewhere around this part of the woods long ago. Dunno the details though and the body was taken by the chieftain of another village. Maybe she doesn't like eye contact because it reminds her of the thing that drove her to this path?"
"Eh, who knows~? Either way, it's not often you see ghosts other than that loony priest."
A woman that committed suicide, hm? I should take a note of this. She might be an isolated case, but the chance is as equal that it might help me to uncover the truth about Tatarigami.
Little did I know that this spirit would end up not as harmless as people claim to be.
---
After quelling
"Hm? You came here to listen to my story? Well then, I'll see what I can get."