This Japanese Slice-of-Life Isn’t Lame - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Abandoned Miki Puppet Factory

Translator: Atlas Studios

Editor: Atlas Studios

“Hu…” Kitagawa Tera exhaled heavily after the bath.

The gray icon symbolizing the Spirit Dagger Technique had lit up. The experience that the system instilled into him made him generally understand how to use it. However, he would need to take some time to fully master this skill.

Kitagawa Tera was not in a hurry. He turned on his computer as was his routine, logged in to the homepage, and opened his inbox.

Ding Dong

The sound of received mail.

Kitagawa Tera gazed at it intently. Someone actually sent him an email as early as seven o’clock.

“This is?” Kitagawa Tera looked at the sender and remembered the email he wrote yesterday.

It seemed like the other party was really anxious. Otherwise, they would not have replied so quickly.

Kitagawa Tera pondered and opened the mail.

“Blogger, you’ve finally replied. Considering how you said you had something to deal with in your last email, I’ve tried to make the story short here.”

The other party’s first line showed an urgent but also very organized attitude.

“Do you know about the abandoned Miki Puppet Factory? It is a supernatural spot with a famous urban legend…”

The abandoned Miki Puppet Factory was situated in the Nakano district of Tokyo and was a very famous supernatural spot.

The abandoned Miki Puppet Factory that had been burnt down by a fire. There was a legend… As long as you went into the deepest part of this puppet factory and left your signatures, those who left their signatures would forever live as good friends.

The sender, her friend, and several students from other schools had gone there.

However, because it rained half-way, they did not manage to reach the deepest part of the abandoned Miki Puppet Factory and could only retreat home helplessly.

Strange things happened after they went home.

Her friend started to become claustrophobic and nyctophobic.

At first, she simply did not turn off the lights. Later on, it gradually evolved to gluing newspaper over all her windows and confining herself to her bed. Finally, she did not even go to school anymore.

“These are the original words of Risa: There are countless puppets peeping at her. Once night descends, they would climb to the window with their white limbs twisted, and their savage cold eyes would stare at her viciously. However, I don’t find anything strange when I spend the night with her. Risa sometimes sleepwalks unconsciously. I once followed her and found that she went to the puppet factory alone… I seem to have come under Risa’s influence nowadays, and I will see hallucinations from time to time. Recently, I started having nightmares as well. I can no longer figure out if the one who went crazy is Risa or me.

“Therefore, Blogger, if you are really capable, please come and help us. We can discuss travel expenses, room and board, and even remuneration after everything is resolved. Risa won’t be able to make it if this goes on. My contact information is…”

There were some meaningless words afterward, but they were not important to Kitagawa Tera.

He looked at the contact address left by the other party and was surprised. “Isn’t this just around Kyokuboku High School?”

Could she be a student from Kyokuboku High School?

That would be too coincidental.

Seeing how she left her address, it seemed like this ‘Risa’ was indeed in a critical situation.

Although he would benefit from exorcising wraiths or paranormal phenomena, he really had too many things on hand and did not have the time to investigate the abandoned Miki Puppet Factory.

However, now that Ishikawa Kaito was arrested, he could solve it if this ‘Risa’s’ situation was not particularly complicated.

Kitagawa Tera’s eyes flickered as his thoughts reached this point. He prepared a reply.

The main idea was that his situation also involved human lives, so it was impossible for him to fully concentrate on solving her situation. However, he could make two or three days of free time, and he did not mind helping out if Risa’s situation was not too complicated.

After finishing the email, Kitagawa Tera massaged his temples and exhaled.

He still needed two or three days to handle some things before he left, and this help would only be coincidental.

The troublemakers in school, the leave of absence from school, and the curse on Hitomi Asamiya required his presence.

The troublemakers and the leave of absence were simple. Beating up the troublemakers until they were convinced would not take too much time. And he only needed to come up with a random excuse to arrange a leave of absence from school. It was not difficult.

The most complex matter was the curse on Asamiya Hitomi.

It was a mission that took him some effort to activate. Kitagawa Tera did not want Asamiya Hitomi to die while he was in Hassan City.

This girl was a rather nice person. During school, she brought him around the school without asking anything.

“It seems like I’ll have to find an excuse tomorrow to get Asamiya Hitomi to stay back to check on the curse.” Kitagawa Tera rubbed his chin and went into bed after deciding.

He would first have to rejuvenate for tomorrow.

…

The next day, Kitagawa Tera got up according to his usual biological clock, went out for a twenty-minute jog, and went home to prepare a simple breakfast.

After he finished making breakfast for three, Kamiya Mirai, who had finished washing up and changed, came out of the bathroom, yawning.

She greeted Kitagawa Tera the moment she saw him.

“Good morning, Tera-kun.”

“Un.” Kitagawa Tera glanced sideways at Kamiya Mirai before asking lightly, “Where’s Eri?”

“Eri-chan? She seems to be still asleep upstairs,” Kamiya Mirai replied casually.

“Really?” Kitagawa Tera reached out to untie his apron.

“Uh… What are you going to do?” Kamiya Mirai could not help but ask after seeing his fierce manner.

“Wake her up.” Kitagawa Tera passed by Kamiya Mirai expressionlessly and went straight upstairs.

After three minutes, Kitagawa Eri’s screams tore through the silence of the Kitagawas’ house.

“Tera-niisan? What are you doing? Wait! I know! I’ll get up immediately! Wait! I really will get up now! Wahhhh!!!”

The scream subsided, and Kitagawa Tera walked downstairs.

Kamiya Mirai could not help but suck in a cold breath while looking at him curiously.

Kitagawa Tera pulled the dejected Kitagawa Eri by the collar of her pajamas, like a bunny with straightened feet, and walked downstairs.

“Go wash up,” Kitagawa Tera instructed quietly as he let go of Kitagawa Eri.

“…Yes.” Kitagawa Eri nodded pitifully, not daring to look at Kamiya Mirai. With her head lowered, she went into the bathroom with an aggrieved looked.

Kitagawa Tera’s gaze turned around, coming into line with Kamiya Mirai’s gaze.

Er…

Kamiya Mirai’s words were stuck in her throat, like a duck being choked.

She once envied Kitagawa Eri because she thought that Kitagawa Tera was too indifferent toward her. Now, it seemed like Kitagawa Eri had it far worse than her at home.

“What’s wrong?” Kitagawa Tera asked, seeing how lost in thought she was.

“Nothing! Really nothing!” Kamiya Mirai shook her head hurriedly, indicating there she had no doubts at all.