[Novel] Murasame and the Moon Shower (Part 2)

"

　I wanted to make the world happy.

　The day of my death was decided before I was even born. They said a sacrifice was needed to appease the anger of the mountain god. Since it was something the god had decided, everyone told me it was an 'honor'.

　Everyone dies eventually, right? Whether it's sooner or later, I didn't think dying was scary.

　If it meant everyone could be happy, then that was fine.

　But being all alone in a dark place is scarier than I thought. I never imagined that having no one around could be this terrifying. Don't leave me all alone. I'm lonely. I can't see anyone. Where are you? Is anyone there? Hey, can you hear me?

　No one notices me.

　Did everyone manage to be happy? Is everyone smiling? Someone, tell me? I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I don't know anything. Where is this place? Hey, is anyone there? Hey, someone, tell me, tell me...

　Was there any meaning to my death?

"

　Murasame stood up on both feet and took two or three steps before falling. It might be more accurate to say he stumbled and put his hands down. Datsueba laughed at the way he puffed out his cheeks at his lack of success.

“What are you doing?”
“...Shut up!”

　Murasame, his face turning bright red, cursed at the old hag and turned his face away. Until a little while ago, he had been a cat walking on four legs. He wasn't used to human bipedalism yet. Walking on two feet was surprisingly difficult.

　However, he did not give up. He stood up unsteadily, and not only that, he lifted his left foot into the air. He spread his arms wide to support his wobbling body—to the point where it made the observer nervous—and looked at Datsueba proudly. He had the face of someone who had won. Like a child. No, he was, in fact, a child.

“Lady Datsueba...”

　As they were having this exchange, a woman who served Datsueba arrived. She was, so to speak, Datsueba's secretary and took care of her personal needs. Murasame thought it was strange how she would appear out of nowhere like this whenever something happened.

　Something must have happened today as well. With a look that said it had nothing to do with him, he went back to practicing standing on one leg. He caught a glimpse of her whispering something into her ear. And as soon as she disappeared from sight, Datsueba called him.

“Murasame.”

　It was a quiet voice. But, startled, Murasame fell over with a thud.

"Ouch, what the hell, you old hag..."
"It's work. Go and devour the souls in the eastern lands."

It was so sudden that I didn't understand what she was saying, and I just stood there blankly. It really was out of the blue.

Murasame had indeed become a guardian of the path of the intermediate state. Dead souls that do not cross the Sanzu River wander the earth and run wild. It is the guardian's duty to stop them.

However, he had no idea how to stop them. Datsueba hadn't explained it in detail, only saying, "You'll know when you're in front of a soul," and to begin with, what did it even mean to "devour negative emotions"? He couldn't even imagine it.

She was always so sudden.

"But, what am I supposed to do..."
"Go."

She didn't listen to people again. Datsueba put her middle finger and thumb together, like she was about to flick someone's forehead, and held them in front of Murasame's brow. Then, with a sharp flick of her finger, the scenery around him changed.

It felt as if space had bent and twisted. Perhaps gravity was all messed up, too. One moment he felt pushed from the right, the next he felt something rising from below, a sensation of floating.

It was nauseating. The moment he thought that, his body was slammed into the ground. "Ow," he muttered quietly. (That old hag, I'm definitely going to kill her someday.) He lifted his head while thinking that. And then, a sight he never expected spread out before him.

"Whoa..."

He was captivated in an instant. Brilliant chestnut and vermilion buildings lined the streets, overflowing with light. The glittering city lights continued far into the distance. Looking closely, they were all different shapes. Some were large circles, some were long and thin, and some were covered in square red frames.

Happy music could be heard from afar. Flutes, drums, and perhaps bells? A cheerful sound, like "chin-chin, don-don," that made one want to start dancing right then and there.

Drawn by the sound and light, Murasame walked toward the city.

It was like a dream. Men and women in gorgeous clothes were laughing together. Adults and children alike were smiling happily. Did such a world really exist?

With his expression naturally softening, Murasame looked around at his surroundings.

"How about it, young man? It's fine silk."
"Come on in! Come on in! What we have here are stories of a wondrous land, come on in!"
"Hey, welcome! How about some freshly grilled fish?"

They must be merchants. He wanted to stop at every single call. His steps were unsteady, moving left and right, but he didn't stop.

"But, money..."
"You don't need any of that! Around here, if someone laughs, that's the payment. Go on, eat and have a laugh."

Told that, he slowly accepted the fish on a skewer. He smelled the freshly grilled fish. It smelled like ordinary grilled fish, and his stomach growled. He tried taking a small bite, and his eyes widened at the firm, slightly salty taste of the meat. It was delicious; he had never eaten anything this good before. After that, he didn't stop, devouring the fish ravenously, as if he had turned back into a beast.

Once his stomach was full, he felt very happy.

Once again, I wandered aimlessly through the streets. In one corner of the town, a crowd had gathered, watching something with delight. Driven by curiosity, I approached and found an old woman there.

The old woman held a flute and was playing a beautiful melody. The tone seemed to soothe people's hearts and heal their souls. Captivated by a melody that made me feel as if I could forget everything, the words "I want to stay here forever" slipped out. The old woman reacted to that muttered whisper and stopped playing abruptly.

"Do you like this town?"

Murasame, who had not expected to be spoken to at all, was startled. He let out a slightly trembling voice, "Ah, yes," in response to the old woman's question. The old woman, who smiled broadly at his reply, continued.

"This is a good place. You are welcome to stay forever. Forget everything and live here for all time."

He wanted to do just that, but he couldn't. After all, Murasame had things he needed to do. He had to complete the mission assigned by that old hag, Datsueba.

"Grandmother... thank you. But I have things I must do."

Then, the old woman's face, which had been smiling until now, turned cold. The air grew tense in an instant. The cheerful music and laughter stopped, and all the villagers looked at Murasame in unison. A chill ran down his spine.

I know this expression. It was always directed at them.

"Ah..."

I instinctively took a step back. This expression is hostility. It overlaps with the past. It is the same look I was always given whenever I took an action that was deemed wrong. My body won't move. It's as if I'm underwater; breathing is difficult, and even moving my fingertips is hard.

"What are you dissatisfied with?"

No words would come out. I couldn't answer that question. The more I thought about how I had to answer, the faster my heart beat, and I felt like I was going to stop breathing.

"......!"

The old woman's condescending eyes felt like they were piercing Murasame's entire body. Being stabbed would have been better. I felt a chill, as if I had been thrown into a dark space where I couldn't tell if it was day or night.

Perhaps sensing his state, the old woman said this, her expression devoid of life.

"Do it over."

In that instant, the scenery began to change. As if being rewound, like a lantern slide, everything rushed past in a blur. And when I realized it, I was back at the starting point.

"W-what? What does this mean...?"

What I saw there was the same scenery as before. It was a glittering, radiant townscape. Murasame was a little scared. Even so, he walked toward the center of town just as he had before.

"How about it, brother? It's high-quality silk."
"Step right up! Step right up! What we have here are tales from a wondrous land, step right up!"
"Hey, welcome! How about some freshly grilled fish?"

I heard the exact same voices of the merchants.

"Ah, um... but I don't have any money."
"You don't need any! You see, in this place, if someone laughs, that's the payment. Go on, eat up and have a laugh."

The fish was offered to me just like that. When I put a little in my mouth, it tasted exactly the same. What could this mean? I understood that this place was no ordinary town. And once again, I heard the sound of an old woman's flute from a crowd in a corner of the street. This time, I listened silently, without saying a word.

However, when the performance ended, the old woman smiled and spoke to me.

"Do you like this town?"

It was the same. I must have had a frightened look on my face, unable to answer. Seeing that, the old woman looked at me with the same emotionless face as before.

"Let's try again."

With those words, the scenery changed once more, and when I opened my eyes, the same glittering, radiant cityscape was spread out before me.

"You've got to be kidding..."

The repeating sequence of interactions made me feel like my head was going to split open.

I didn't know what to do. But looking up at the dark night sky, he thought that escaping this place was his job.

"What is this place?"

to be continued

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