Oni Tengu's Curse
It was after ten o'clock on March 4th that Hinami noticed the terrible incident that had occurred in the [detached building].
Employees working at Sakuradani-kan get up early in the morning. There is only one guest, Motonobu, but the folk art displayed throughout the inn will quickly accumulate dust if not taken care of. It is essential to clean the open-air bath, which is filled with fallen leaves, at least every day.
That day, after Ran, an apprentice, finished her usual duties, she headed to the [detached building] through the main building's hallway to take care of Yukiko, as usual. Then, for some reason, the door was locked from the inside.
Ran was confused. If she turned the pull handle on the sliding door, it should open. But for some reason, it was locked from the inside that day.
Believing that the sliding door was not slipping properly, Ran called her colleagues who worked at Sakuradani-kan and struggled to open it with all their might.
Meanwhile, Reiko, the village doctor, arrives with a replacement IV drip from the clinic. Suspicious of the door that wouldn’t open, she began looking for other places to enter and exit, like the window and back door.
The only person inside the [detached building] is Yukiko, who is in a coma. But maybe someone else was there and they locked the door. The employees raised their voices and called out from outside. There was no reply.
The [detached building] has become a completely closed room. The only way to get in. They had no choice but to break the window. However, in that case, permission from the proprietress is required.
Since the proprietress, Yukiko, has not woken up, in this case, they have no choice but to ask her daughter, Hinami.
"The sliding door is locked, so we can't enter the [detached building]. Hinami Ojousama. I'm sorry, but we'll have to break one of the windows."
The person who made the offer was a surly employee who was participating in the meeting.
Although she is in charge of organizing the employees, she is much younger than the proprietress, Yukiko. She seemed to be the oldest of the new hires, but was probably still in her late twenties. She called herself Sayuri.
Although she is beautiful, she never smiles. She was always a moody woman.
Hinami replied that there was no problem. At first, she thought that somehow the inside lock of the sliding door had fallen off.
After finishing breakfast, Hinami finished preparing to go to the Isaka family to question Sousuke, who had blurted out something meaningful at Oni Tengu Shrine. Just after she left Sakuradani's main building, she heard a high-pitched girl's scream.
After having the glass of a small window broken with a hammer, Ran went into the [detached building], which was locked. She was the smallest, and she fit in through the small window.
Ran unlocked the front door and headed to the bedroom where Yukiko was sleeping.
During a later interview, Ran tearfully told the police about the situation at the time:
[The door was locked. I thought the proprietress had woken up in the middle of the night and locked the door herself. I've never locked the door without permission before. She has been bedridden for over a week, so I thought the proprietress might be confused when she woke up... But, in the bedroom, what I saw was...!]
In conclusion, Yukiko remained asleep. But. There was another human in the [detached building]. He is not breathing and is hanging from the ceiling.
[Sousuke-san's corpse looked like it was glaring at me and the others... It looked like a demon had possessed him... It was terrifying.]
It is said that the hanging corpse of Sousuke Isaka was looking down at Yukiko with hatred.
Hinami, who was about to go to the Isaka family, headed towards the [detached building] after hearing Ran's screams.
Then, she saw the corpse of Sousuke, who had been alive until dusk yesterday. The situation was chaotic and everyone was confused by the abnormal situation. Hinami was also stunned.
Lives are at risk. Sousuke had just warned her. However, the sense of urgency is completely different when she hears about it and when she actually sees a dead body.
Reiko, the village doctor, confirmed Sousuke's death and contacted Ayumu at the police station using the phone in the main building.
A hanging corpse in a closed room. All doors and windows were locked.
This fact was confirmed not only by the employees at the inn, but also by Reiko, the village doctor, and the gardeners who happened to be present. Hearing the commotion, Motonobu, who was in the main building, rushed to the scene.
Yukiko sleeps and does not wake up, but there is an oni tengu mask by her bedside.
It was 3:00 pm when prefectural police dispatched from the branch arrived at Sengatake Village. The old road was too narrow for police cars to pass, so they rode into Sengatake Village on mopeds.
The tired-looking police officers questioned the circumstances under which Sousuke's body was found, and murmured that there was a high possibility of suicide.
First of all, the [detached building] was a completely closed room, with all windows and doors locked. Many people have confirmed this.
Second, if this was a murder case, the only person who could have committed the crime was Yukiko, who was in the room. However, Yukiko has been in a coma for over a week. Moreover, Sousuke weighs about 70 kilograms. It was impossible for a woman to hang him alone.
Circumstantial evidence strongly rules out murder.
There is only one man in Sakuradani-kan who is strong enough to strangle Sousuke to death. He is Motonobu, a mysterious novelist who claims to have impregnated Yukiko.
With his large physique, he could lift Sousuke up. However, a closed room cannot be created. There was no gap in the [detached building] that a big man like Motonobu could fit through.
Strangulation in a completely closed room. The only way to explain it was suicide. Sousuke had killed himself. That was the only explanation. But Hinami instinctively knew part of the truth.
――Sousuke was killed by someone.
◆ ◆ ◆
After hearing rumors about the mysterious incident that occurred at Sakuradani-kan, the men of Sengatake Village began to talk about it.
"Did you hear? The village chief's prodigal son hanged himself."
"Sousuke... He's always been an evil raven who destroyed my fields in the past. But I feel sorry for him. I heard he left Sengatake Village because he was afraid of the curse. So this is how it's going to be. Scary."
"Sousuke hanged himself in the [detaced building] of the Sakuradani-kan. I heard from the head gardener that the door was locked from inside. The police who came from outside tilted their heads. They said it was suicide, but there's no doubt about it. It was the work of Oni Tengu-sama."
"I'm sure. It's said that before he died, Sousuke approached the grounds of Oni Tengu Shrine. He wasn't allowed to enter the sacred area. That's why he died."
"Sousuke broke the ban sixteen years ago. That incident happened two years ago when he told Adashino about it. The Oni Tengu-sama is angry."
"Yeah, there's no doubt about it. It's Oni Tengu-sama's curse. Sousuke's soul was eaten."
"The village chief, Taisuke, is also in trouble. He has gone into hiding and cannot be found. The prefectural police are pouring in from the branch office. His son is dead, but where is he?"
"It reminds me of the fire that happened two years ago when Saemon died. It was just as bad back then."
"Ten people were devoured two years ago. Oni Tengu-sama must be hungry now. There may still be more deaths."
"It's because it angered Oni Tengu-sama. Because the shrine was not rebuilt, the proprietress of the Sakuradani Inn was also cursed...!"
"Once the prefectural police pulled out, let's prepare to sacrifice the shrine maiden. All we have to do is use the shrine maiden to please Oni Tengu-sama. Hinami has just come back."
"That's true. Isn't it exactly the right time for an offering? It was originally the Sakuradani family's mismanagement. It would be a problem if the young lady didn't take responsibility...!"
"Wait. Sending a shrine maiden from the Sakuradani family now would be too cruel. Both mother and daughter have suffered. You just have to choose an outsider woman and has no regrets. What about Ran, who works at the Sakuradani-kan? She's an orphan who hasn't gone to school. She can't run away from anywhere, so it's convenient.
"Ran...? She's still a child."
"Does it matter? A woman is a woman. That’s why Saemon sheltered runaways in the first place, isn’t it? The Sakuradani family doesn’t want to send out shrine maidens. Let's go along with Saemon’s plan."
"I don't think any house would like something like that to happen. Even a guy wouldn't want to send his wife or daughter away."
"Then, what about the Isaka family? They have a daughter around that age. Ayane, the youngest daughter. They've been monopolizing the position of village chief for a long time. We need to get a shrine maiden from the Isaka family."
"That cheeky girl..."
"At the critical moment, Taisuke, the village chief, went into hiding. Isn't it okay for the Isaka family to do so? We'll all support the house that sent out the shrine maidens. It's not a bad deal."
"In any case. It depends on Oni Tengu-sama's will. The choice is not for us."
The population of Sengatake Village is approximately 500 people. They carved out mountain ravines and built beautiful rice terraces. The lifestyle based on self-sufficiency continues unchanged.
The deity worshiped by the villagers is a demon called Oni Tengu who lives in Sengatake. While it is a plague god that brings disaster, it also serves as a guardian god for those who worship it generously.
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[Introduction of characters]
▼ Yukiko Sakuradani
The young proprietress of Sakuradani-kan, a long-established hot spring inn.
She lost her husband and became a widow. She is raped by someone from Sengatake Village and she becomes pregnant.
▼ Saemon Sakuradani (deceased)
Yukiko's late husband. Burn to death in a fire. He has a severed relationship with Sousuke.
▼ Hinami Sakuradani
Yukiko and Saemon's only daughter. She left Sengatake Village and entered a girls' school in Tokyo. Until recently, she was studying abroad.
She reunites with her mother for the first time in two years and is told that she is pregnant.
▼ Sousuke Isaka
The prodigal son of the Isaka family, who monopolizes the position of village chief in Sengatake Village.
He was an old friend of Yukiko and Saemon, but they had a rift over a certain incident and their relationship became strained.
He takes out [Saemon's will] and claims that he got Yukiko pregnant.
▼ Koshiro Himura
A bank employee at Yamatoku Mujin Bank. An obese, ugly middle-aged man.
Although he is the exclusive representative of the Sakuradani family, he was despised by Saemon when he was alive.
He brings out [Yukiko's love letter] and claims that he got her pregnant.
▼ Motonobu Matsudaira
Self-proclaimed novelist. A guest staying at Sakuradani-kan for a long time.
He claims that Yukiko approached him and they had a physical relationship.
▼ Misaki Reiko
A female doctor who works at a clinic in Sengatake Village. She diagnoses that Yukiko is pregnant.
▼ Ran
An apprentice who works at Sakuradani-kan. She is a twelve-year-old girl, but she does not go to school.
▼ Yoshiharu Sakuradani (deceased)
Yukiko's father. He doted on his granddaughter, Hinami. He trusted Koshiro and valued him.
He and the Isaka family are bitter enemies. He opposed the plan of a ski resort.
▼ Taisuke Isaka
The village chief of Sengatake Village. His son is Sousuke.
He has been at odds with the Sakuradani family for several decades over a plan to build a ski resort.
He has a grudge against the Sakuradani family, the large landowners who are hindering the development of the village.
▼ Ayumu Higashiyama
A police officer stationed in Sengatake Village. He is a beautiful young man with fair skin and an androgynous face.
Although he keeps his distance from the people in the village, he is liked by Ran.
▼ Adashino (deceased)
Former police officer. He was familiar with Sengatake Village, but committed suicide with a pistol two years ago.
There is a rumor that he was guiding the Hokuwakai.
[Records of Sengatake Village]
▽ 1966
Winter: Grandfather Yoshiharu Sakuradani dies of illness
▽ 1974
One day in April: Hinami enters a girls' school in Tokyo and leaves Sengatake Village.
July 7th: Saemon was burned to death in a fire.
July 8th: Adashino's corpse is found at the police post.
August 24th: Saemon's 49th memorial service, rape photo taken of Yukiko
Late August: Yukiko's emotions become disturbed and she begins to kick out the old employees.
▽ 1975
A certain day in July: Sousuke returns to Sengatake Village.
A certain day in September: Yukiko becomes pregnant by the rape demon's seed (♥︎)
September 25th: Yukiko and Koshiro's marriage registration is submitted(?)
▽ 1976
February 24th: Hinami returns home and is told that her mother, Yukiko, is pregnant.
February 25th: Influential people from Sengatake Village gather for discussion.
March 3rd: Handwriting analysis results arrive from Tokyo.
Sousuke calls Hinami to Oni Tengu Shrine.
March 4th: Sousuke hangs himself in a locked room inside the [detached building] ☠️
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