A Story of How I Went to Commit Suicide, but Ended Up at a Mysterious House and Got Pampered by a Motherly Beauty - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

In the end, I returned to my room and decided to sleep. The lack of exercise until recently had taken its toll. My legs were shaky, barely able to move properly. The physical exhaustion was overwhelming, and the moment I lay down, I passed out.

“Gu… oh… my body…”

When I woke up, blinking, the first thing I felt was full-body muscle soreness.

My body’s creaking…

Having disposed of my bedding, sleeping on the bare floor was a mistake. But there was a strange sense of refreshment. Probably because I exercised and slept deeply. I feel invigorated. But…

“…I’m starving.”

I had fallen asleep immediately after returning yesterday, so I hadn’t eaten. After that intense climb and seeing such tantalizing food in the mountain, my hunger was even stronger. But if I wanted to take the train back to the mountain, I couldn’t afford to buy anything. As I pondered what to do…

“Hm…?”

Something felt odd. My room felt unusually cramped. Of course, the room had always been small. I couldn’t afford a spacious room after all.  But with all the furniture gone, it should feel bigger, and it had. Yet…

“…What’s this?”

Enough with the denial. I had noticed it since waking but couldn’t accept it mentally or emotionally. How could I? My supposedly empty room was filled to the brim with supplies. The floor might collapse…

“No, no, that’s not it. What is all this…?”

My mind was still in disarray. Who brought all this stuff while I was sleeping? The supplies were varied: heaps of rice, vegetables, fish, meat—all looked large and delicious, but I didn’t recognize any of it. And then…

“This is bad…”

What caught my eye, making my cheeks twitch, was something that seemed to glimmer. Yes, koban coins. Like something from a historical drama, packed tightly in a box. Not just koban. Various gold and silver treasures were piled up there too.

“…Did I sleepwalk and rob someone?”

I trembled. If that was true, I had done something terrible. To think stress and exhaustion could drive me to this…

“No, no, calm down. Even if I robbed someone, the existence of koban coins doesn’t make sense.”

Yes, stay calm. The gold and silver treasures crammed in my room were absurd. I might have stolen food out of hunger, but koban? Where would I even find those? They wouldn’t be in a jewelry store.

Sure, Japan might have had such things long ago, but I’d never heard of them existing today. Even if they did, they wouldn’t be somewhere I could sneak in and steal so easily like that.

“Then what is all this…?”

Fear crept in. The delicious-looking ingredients were tempting, and I was hungry, but I didn’t touch them. Did someone plant this to frame me? Why? I was already at rock bottom. What was the point of dragging me lower? 

I don’t recall earning anyone’s grudge. Though, I suppose everyone says that…

“Hmm…”

I crossed my arms, pondering. Why would something so extraordinary happen? Only one thing came to mind.

“The mansion from yesterday…?”

That was the only strange thing I could think of. A grand mansion in an unmaintained, remote mountain where no one ventured was bizarre enough. It was well-kept, with horses and chickens, so someone must be maintaining it. But no one answered my calls… And those dishes… The delicious-looking food, left as if someone was about to eat. What was that about…? As I racked my brain, a phrase surfaced from the corner of my memory.

“mayoi-ga…”

Yes, wasn’t that what they called such a house? I vaguely recalled it from a book or TV show. A house that appears suddenly while wandering in the mountains, empty but with traces of recent human presence. Animals being raised there, too…

That’s it. They say if you encounter a mayoi-ga and leave without taking anything, you’ll be rewarded with riches.

Since I took nothing, that must apply. But…

“I went there to die, so I wasn’t going to take anything anyway…”

It would be odd to go for suicide and think about taking something. I wasn’t some virtuous person, so I didn’t deserve this.

“…I’ll return it.”

The train fare would hurt, but keeping this would be a waste. These should go to someone more deserving. I couldn’t carry everything filling my room, so I’d start with something manageable. I could make multiple trips. My real worry was whether my savings would be able to handle multiple trips…

“Alright, let’s go.”

This time, not to die, but to return the treasures. I headed to the same mountain.

♡♡♡

“Haa, haa… It’s still tough as ever…”

Breathing heavily, I climbed the unmaintained mountain again. It had only been a day, and my body was still aching.

“I came to return this, but where’s that mansion…?”

I realized while climbing that I didn’t know its exact location. But I wanted to return this and die soon… For now, I had packed my backpack with as many koban and treasures as I could carry. They were heavy.

“Phew, phew…”

I feel like I’ve climbed a lot…

Panting and moving forward, I thought to myself.

“Oh…?”

A thick fog spread suddenly. Yes! The fog appeared yesterday before I found it. This might be a prelude to encountering the mayoi-ga. I stopped, waiting expectantly for the fog to clear. After a while, it slowly lifted, and I began walking again. Then…

“Ah, good…”

The grand mansion appeared before me again.

Thank goodness. Now I can return the treasures.

I approached the splendid outer wall and easily found the entrance. This was my second time, after all.

“Pardon the intrusion.”

I knew it was empty, but entering such a grand building made me want to announce myself. I saw the horses and chickens again, staring at me. What was it? I couldn’t read animals, but they seemed shocked somehow.  Anyway, I’d return the koban quickly. I could come back for more trips.

I’ll leave them on the engawa for now.

As I headed there…

“Ah…”

Someone was there. Unlike yesterday, a person was present. Long, wavy black hair, skin pale to an almost sickly degree. Only her face and hands were exposed, the rest adorned in a beautiful kimono. Puffing on a kiseru, exhaling purple smoke, she looked perfectly suited to it. She embodied the timeless beauty of Yamato Nadeshiko.

“Hm?”

She noticed my unabashed stare. Her striking red eyes locked onto me, freezing my body. Her expression, bored and lonely, shifted to surprise.

“What’s this, you came back?”

“Uh, um… Yes.”

That was my first conversation with her… Nanaho-sama.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー