Chapter 25 - Chasing After
Countless books.
Centering on those dealing with modern and contemporary history, there were even reference books.
Among them, tourist guides and even textbooks were mixed in.
It was a mismatch, as if that space alone had been cut out and replaced with a foreign student's room.
As the possessions of an elderly single man, they clearly stood out.
"He bought them at Otsuki Books."
That place had frequently stocked these kinds of books in response to my orders.
Yes. It was full of books perfect for someone who had just arrived in Japan to collect local knowledge.
And the prices were affordable.
"Even so, did she even learn how to use the currency here? ...Ah, maybe this old man was still breathing when she was transferred. Did he teach her?"
"Um, Father?"
I don't understand the situation at all, Angelica asked.
In a confused state, she was inching away from the body.
It was cruel to tell such a fearful girl, but I had to say it.
"...I told you before, but Earth doesn't have spiritual bodies. I was taught that immediately when I was summoned to another world. And yet now, this town is swarming with ghosts. It's strange, right? Then where did they come from? It can only be the other world."
"Did they come from the same world as me?"
"Not just the same. They came at the same time."
Trying to send something to another world required an enormous amount of energy.
You had to gather several high-ranking priests and set up a complex ritual. It was a terribly troublesome task that required money and personnel.
"If you're going to send multiple things, it's better to do it all at once."
I told her while staring into Angelica's wavering green eyes.
"The priests transferred you here in a state where you were heavily possessed by spiritual bodies. This way, both you and the evil spirits could be sent with a single effort."
"...That's a lie, right?"
The color drained from Angelica's face.
Her face, as exquisite as a doll's, looked even more like an artificial object when it turned pale.
"In other words,"
I said after a pause.
"Ange, it's you. The white female ghost that's been witnessed around our apartment for the past week is you."
"I don't really understand..."
"You were sent to Japan about a week earlier than you think. For the first few days, you were probably completely controlled by the spirits that possessed you."
Except the place she was transferred to was the room next to mine.
Even a margin of error of just a few meters becomes "someone else's residence" in the cramped housing situation of Japan.
A room where a lonely old man living alone was just waiting for death.
If Angelica suddenly appeared in such a place, it would be like an angel had descended.
Just by being a conversation partner, she could have drawn out any amount of information about Japan.
But, the information source died midway through.
Or perhaps he was already dead when Angelica arrived.
Either way, it became necessary to acquire knowledge of Japan through means other than asking the old man.
She was forced to switch to a self-study policy.
At first, she went out in her Holy Maiden outfit, which led to the creation of the ghost stories.
Eventually, she gained the wisdom to borrow the old man's money and clothes, and went as far as buying books at the bookstore.
The evil spirits used Angelica's body and rapidly acquired knowledge of modern Japan.
"You lived here for several days and probably took showers. It's a room where the smell of death was growing stronger; it's natural to want to get rid of the scent. That's why Ange's hair smelled good from the start. A scientific fragrance that couldn't exist unless it was modern Japanese shampoo. Even if you used incense or soap from the other world, it wouldn't smell like that."
Afterward, Angelica, who regained control of her body, seemed unaware of the scent of her own hair.
It was like her hair was washed without her permission while she was sleeping, and when she woke up, she was in a foreign country and I had returned.
Even if she had noticed, the scent of her own hair would have been an incredibly low priority.
If I were summoned to another world and my hair smelled like a different shampoo than usual?
There are many things much more important than that.
Ignore it.
"...This is all just speculation, right?"
"Well, yeah. But the situation is identical to when I did it."
"You did, Father?"
"This tactic is something the High Priest and I came up with over there. Capture a prisoner and possess them with a tamed spiritual body. Seize control of the body, and then return them to enemy territory. After that, you can do whatever you want. You can perform sabotage, or aim for infighting. We often used this trick when facing an opponent we couldn't possibly beat or a castle we couldn't drop. Especially back when my status was still low. It's a move the weak use against the strong. Just like when the people of the other world attack the strongest Hero, right?"
What remains after doing this is a party involved who has no memory, while leaving behind multiple eyewitness accounts.
As the days of possession pass, it's also a typical symptom for the person's own personality to come to the surface.
Gondo is exactly that.
That yakuza was surely being manipulated by one of the spirits that came out of Angelica.
"Because that's just, it's impossible,"
Angelica said in a trembling voice. Tears were welling up in her eyes.
"Ange, do you remember when you met me? As soon as I opened the door, you ran up from the balcony side. You must have jumped over here from the neighbor's balcony. Isn't that why you were in a place like that? You realized you were on the balcony of my room. Right?"
Angelica didn't answer.
"Ange?"
"..."
"Ange. How about it?"
"...The High Priest said he wanted to thank the Hero. Why would he do something like this..."
Who knows?
I don't know the purpose, and I'm not interested.
It's bound to be something nauseating anyway.
"It's a mistake, surely... because the first man I met was Father, and I'm seeing this old man for the first time now..."
"It can't be helped that you have no memory. That's just how it is."
That's just how it is, I exhaled.
It came out white and cloudy.
The room without heating was no different in temperature from the outside air.
"Is there anything else that explains the situation better than this? There isn't, right? There's other material for doubt. When I used sensing in my room, the spirits were spread out radially centered on Ange, right? Wasn't that because the spirits were coming out of Ange's body?"
I told her that she was the cause of everything.
"My... fault."
Angelica was frozen.
"By the way, the speculation I just gave is a favorable interpretation toward Ange."
"...What do you mean?"
"A harsher interpretation is this. —Actually, didn't you know everything? Are you working with the High Priest? Did you approach me from the start with the intention of harming me? You didn't bring those evil spirits in willingly, did you?"
"I'm not like that—"
Angelica covered her mouth with both hands and was trembling slightly.
It was a gesture that made me want to hug her, tickling my protective instinct.
Is that also an act?
"You're suspicious."
Angelica's shoulders jumped with a start.
"When a young and beautiful girl suddenly clings to a miserable old man like me, I can only think there's an ulterior motive. You were awfully aggressive, weren't you? Was that also an act programmed into you by the High Priest?"
"I like Father, and that's why..."
That again.
She probably thinks she can just beguile me like that whenever she's in trouble.
"How can I believe you when you say you love me so much even though we've only just met? It's impossible."
"...I really do like Father."
"Wouldn't any man do? You're just finding the opposite sex novel."
"—"
Those words were the trigger.
Angelica ran toward the entrance without looking back.
Did she think I was going to be violent, or was it mentally unbearable?
Either was fine. Either.
Whatever the reason, the fact that "I made Angelica cry" was the answer didn't change.
"...Damn it."
A cold wind blew in from the open entrance.
I could hear the sound of her running down the stairs with intense momentum, clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter.
The girl who said she liked me had run off to somewhere far away.
What am I doing?
It's certain that Angelica holds the key hint to the ghost commotion.
In that case, there's no point in driving her out like this.
Whether she was used or it was intentional, there are things I have to hear from her.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
I actually intended to press her more dispassionately.
And yet, why did I become so emotional halfway through?
It's as if I'm having a fight with a younger girlfriend.
Despite saying I'd be her guardian, I'm not acting like an adult at all.
I thought I should cool my head a bit.
I sluggishly went out to the balcony and, just as when I came, I jumped across and returned to my own room.
I closed the window and headed to the kitchen.
I poured water into a glass and drank it down.
The tap water in winter was ice cold, and I even felt pain in my throat.
Even though I should look for Angelica immediately, I didn't feel like doing anything at all.
I walked to the living room and sat on the bed.
I stared blankly at the smartphone screen. The time was 5:11 PM.
Winter days are short. It will be dark soon.
That's right, a body was found. I should report it. I have to let the landlord know too.
Just as I lifted my hips, a folded white cloth in front of the bookshelf caught my eye.
It was Angelica's Holy Maiden raiment, which must have been the cause of the ghost commotion.
The translucent veil woven from mysterious materials was said to be a top-tier luxury item even in the other world.
She had placed it carelessly on the floor.
And on top of that priestess raiment, a brown paper bag was placed.
It was the bag that contained the clothes and sweets I bought for Angelica yesterday.
It was neatly folded and kept carefully.
Even though I told her the paper bag and wrapping were just trash and she could throw them away, she kept them.
She stubbornly refused to throw it away, saying it was the first present Father gave her.
A paper bag placed like a treasure, using the finest luxury fabric in the other world as a mat.
"I'm an idiot."
At the same time as I muttered that, a window floated into my field of vision.
[Party Member, Holy Maiden Angelica's Affection Level has decreased by 500]
I really am an idiot.
It's no wonder I couldn't go to school because I was busy being a Hero.
The system message had been informing me that Angelica truly held affection for me.
Her affection level had dropped now, but before that, it was displayed that she held possessiveness.
She wasn't approaching me as an act. She truly wanted me.
My blood had rushed to my head, and I had forgotten such an important thing.
Or rather, it had flown out of my head.
Just thinking that a large number of spiritual bodies had been possessed inside Angelica made me feel like I was going crazy.
I lost myself.
Driven by a suspicion that flared up for just a moment—that "maybe Angelica is a mole"—I threw a tantrum.
This isn't the behavior of an adult man.
I'm a brat.
Why did I get so worked up?
It's because it was that important a matter to me.
Precisely because I wanted to believe, I went crazy with a pinch of doubt.
Do I lose my composure whenever she's involved?
Do I like Angelica?
I don't really know myself.
The only thing that's certain is that I have to find her and apologize.
I'm a failure of a papa.
I dashed out of the room. After rushing down the stairs in a panic, I stopped.
I wouldn't find her by just running around aimlessly, so I took a large leap and landed on the roof of the apartment.
I thought it would be easier to find her if I searched from a high place.
But, she was nowhere to be seen.
Just how far did she go?
I don't want to think... that she'll never come back.
I jumped down and ran at full speed.
Every few hundred meters, I jumped onto the roofs of buildings and looked around restlessly.
Even though I was hiding my appearance and sound with Concealment Magic, I couldn't cover the vibrations.
There must be a succession of households surprised by the mysterious shaking.
I'm sorry, but I don't have the luxury to be considerate right now.
I passed through the residential area and ran along the national highway. I climbed onto the roof of a convenience store and looked around.
I couldn't find her.
I was getting further and further away from the apartment.
I thought about asking passersby if they had seen a white girl, but then I remembered that Angelica was also still under concealment.
To ordinary people without magic power, she should look like a transparent human. There's no way eyewitness testimony would gather.
I descended to the ground and decided to return to the vicinity of the apartment once.
While breathing heavily, I continued to sprint at full speed.
I searched the parking lots one by one. She wasn't there.
Hoping she might have already returned to the room, I went up the stairs and opened the door. She wasn't there.
"Ange..."
I'm really bad at finding things. I even lost sight of my own life.
Will someone like me be able to find Angelica?
I walked dejectedly through a nearby park.
Spring was still far away, and the cherry blossom trees planted to surround the grounds were nothing but branches and trunks.
They gave a weak impression, like a chicken carcass with the meat scraped off.
This was just a bunch of sticks.
Horizontal bars, a jungle gym, parallel bars. Swings.
Even the play equipment consisted mostly of shapes made of gathered bars.
They were iron bones lined up in a row.
In such a park full of skeletons, there was one piece of play equipment with some flesh on it.
A light blue slide modeled after an elephant.
It had an appearance similar to a toddler's watering can, and you could crawl into the belly part.
Children often used it to hide and play. ...If someone crawled in here, you would only see the elephant's back from a high place.
It was a blind spot.
Somehow, I peeked inside.
"So you were in a place like this."
This park was within a distance visible from the room window.
I thought she wouldn't flee to such a place no matter what.
But, she might not have had any intention of fleeing in the first place.
She hid nearby because she wanted me to chase her and find her.
That's probably what it was.
"Sorry, I was wrong. Let's go home."
Angelica was sitting under the slide, hugging her knees. Traces of tears remained on her cheeks.
I crouched down and reached out my hand. I also bowed my head.
"It wasn't something a grown man should say to a girl. I'm reflecting on it. I was on edge."
Even I thought it was a pathetic excuse. It sounded like something a violent husband would say.
[Party Member, Holy Maiden Angelica's Affection Level has decreased by 300]
"...Even though you were so attached to me. I didn't have confidence in myself. I wondered why a girl like you would like me? And I had come to doubt everything from the other world. Because I didn't have a good time over there... this is just an excuse. What should I say..."
[Party Member, Holy Maiden Angelica's Affection Level has decreased by 200]
"When I thought about the trick of possessing you with spiritual bodies, I just snapped and my head went red. I don't know why, but that's what happened. Why? My head boiled, my thoughts became disorganized, and words that weren't my usual self came out. I think it's because it was you that it turned out like this. If it were other girls, I wouldn't be this distraught..."
[Party Member, Holy Maiden Angelica's Affection Level has decreased by 100]
"...Please come back to my place. When you're there, it's fun. Your sensing is also reliable. ...Please come back. I won't say cruel things anymore. I'll cherish you. I'll find a job with better pay than now and let you wear good clothes. I'll let you eat delicious things. I'll let you eat them."
[Party Member, Holy Maiden Angelica's Affection Level has increased by 1]
Angelica slowly crawled out.
While rubbing her eyes, she stood up and glared at me.
"Ange, sorry."
"...Do you know why I hid so close? It's because I predicted you'd chase after me. I can do at least that much calculation. I'm not an idiot."
While brushing the dirt off her bottom, Angelica said in a prickly voice.
"Even though I chose a place that was easy to find, for it to take this much time. ...Is there something wrong with you?"
"Sorry."
"Is 'sorry' all you can say?"
I had no words to return. Right now, I could only beg for forgiveness.
"That was hurtful, you know."
Rubbing the fingers of both hands together, Angelica slid her gaze toward the side of the slide.
"'Wouldn't any man do?' That's cruel, isn't it?"
"Sorry."
"Because some percentage of it was true. That's why it worked, I guess."
"...?"
Angelica spread her arms and spun around to face away.
Then, she looked back with just her head and said.
"To tell you the truth, as long as I could get out of the temple, anything was fine. It was just every day full of prayers in a place with only women. I was fed up. The trigger didn't matter, whether it was an offering for the Hero or a scout for an adventurer party, anything was fine."
A cold color dwelled in her green eyes.
"When I first met Father, I honestly thought, 'He's not much?' I imagined a Hero would have a more obviously handsome face, but you're just a haggard old man. I felt like, 'Well, I guess this is okay.' As long as I could live with a man, I felt like anyone would do. I've wanted a boyfriend for a long time."
And you know, Angelica continued.
"I even thought about dating Father, breaking up quickly, and hooking up with a better man over here. ...There's no way an old man like Father would be unconditionally liked by a young girl. You're overestimating yourself."
Thud. There was the sound of her kicking the dirt.
Angelica's body flipped around, facing this way.
We were facing each other head-on.
"...But... when we actually spent time together, Father was kind... and at night you were having nightmares while calling out Elsa-san's name, and it was pitiful... and when I found out you were getting along with other girls, I thought I definitely didn't want you to be taken... and you properly, like this, found me..."
Tears were falling in large drops from both of Angelica's eyes.
They traced her smooth cheeks and flowed toward her chin.
"Now I really do like Father..."
"I understand. It reached me."
"I don't want anyone but Father...!"
I thought that pulling her close was probably the correct answer.
Even with my dull and rusted head, I could understand at least that much.
While stroking Angelica's hair, I said softly.
"I don't want anyone but you either. It would have been harder if they had sent a woman who strangely resembled Elsa. You're the exact opposite of her in everything. When I'm with you, I forget the unpleasant things."
Angelica buried her face in my chest while sniffing loudly.
"I want you, Ange. It's because it's you."
[Party Member, Holy Maiden Angelica's Affection Level has increased by 9999]
While skimming the system messages, I patted Angelica's back.
I feel like I've been spitting out lines like someone shoved sugar into my mouth for a while now.
Oh well. For now, I'll just convince myself that I've become a character in a melodrama.
...Even if I convince myself, I've started to feel embarrassed.
After we stayed like that for a while, Angelica suddenly raised her face.
"I've got your word now,"
she said with a laugh.
...I feel like I'm falling into a trap.