Kishi Yuusuke

SECTION ONE: SEASON OF YOUNG LEAVES Chapter 1 Sometimes at night, after the surroundings have quieted down, I lounge in my chair and close my eyes. The scene that comes to my eyes has always been the same. A fire burns on the Homa altar as the Temple lingers in the darkness. Orange sparks sputter as if to interject with handclaps in the deep, resounding recitation of the mantra. Every time, I wonder why it is always this scene Twenty-three years have already passed since that night, when I was twelve years old. Much has happened since then things more sad and fearsome than what I had previously imagined to be possible. Every belief I had held until then should have been completely undermined, without exception. But I wonder, why is it that my first thoughts are of that night? Was the hypnosis I was subject to that powerful? Even now, I sometimes feel that I havent yet escaped the throes of the brainwashing. ===== There is a small reason why I have decided to note the details of this series of events now, of all times. Ten years have passed since that day, when much turned to ash. There is not a great deal of meaning behind the number of years. That said, with a sort of irony, doubts about the future have started to grow, just as the mountain of issues regarding the new establishment were solved. My exploration of humanitys past in my spare time has only served to reaffirm the fact that humans, no matter how many tears are shed in convincing them, forget lessons as soon as the worst has come and gone. Of course, no-one will ever forget that day; those feelings beyond words, that oath we swore that the tragedy might never be repeated. Id like to believe no-one will. However, in a far-off future when peoples memories of this have faded away, perhaps our foolishness will allow us to repeat those same mistakes. This is a feeling I cannot shake.

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Kishi Yuusuke

Thus, I picked up my pen and started work on the rough draft of this memorandum, but many times I have stopped in puzzlement. There were places, here and there, where my memories have become full of holes and the important specifics are lost to time. I sought help from the people involved in those times, but it seems that the holes in peoples memories are reinforced with fabrications. I was surprised to see that shared experiences were sometimes manifested in differing accounts that together formed an inconsistent dialogue. For example, the reason I was able to find the Faux-minoshiro on Mount Tsukuba was because I was wearing red shades, having damaged my eyes just prior to the event. This, I still remember in vivid detail, but Satoru, for some reason, proudly proclaims that I hadnt been wearing such a thing. Whats more, his words seemed to imply that it was he who had found the Faux-minoshiro. That wasnt true at all, of course. Somewhat out of stubbornness, I started interviewing as many people as I could think of, attempting to put together the various odds and ends of their memories. During this process, I was made aware of a certain fact: There was not one person that had twisted their memories in a way that would cast them in an unfavourable light. With a pitying smile, I wrote down this new discovery on the foolishness of man in my notebook, but it then occurred to me that there was no reason to exclude myself from this law. Viewed from anothers viewpoint, I must also be twisting my memories to suit myself. Thus, I must note that this memorandum is my account of the matter, and it may very well be a story twisted to meet my own needs for self-assurance. This is especially important when one considers the fact that our actions may very well have caused the death of so many later on. Conscious or not, a motive for doing so exists. That said, I am prepared to dig up my memories and deal with my emotions in a sincere manner, in order to describe with as much accuracy as possible the specifics of these events. Further, by mimicking the techniques employed in ancient novels, I wish to recreate what my emotions and thoughts were at the time.

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Kishi Yuusuke

This draft is written on non-oxidising paper purported to last a thousand years, with non-fading ink. When it is finished, I shall put it in a time capsule and bury it deep underground, without showing it to anyone (perhaps I may show it to Satoru, to get his opinion on the piece). I am planning on making two separate copies, and leaving only three to the world. If, in the future, something similar to the old establishment is revived, and there comes a society where all documents are censored, the existence of this memorandum must be kept a secret. Taking that into consideration, no more than three copies can afford to exist. That is to say, this memorandum is a long letter addressed to my comrades a thousand years into the future, whence it shall be apparent whether we ourselves have changed in the real meaning of the word, and have been able to embark on a new path. ===== I havent introduced myself yet. My name is Watanabe Saki. I was born on December 10, year 210, in Kamisu Town 66. Immediately before I was born, the bamboo groves said to flower only once in a century, bloomed. For three months not a drop of rain fell from the skies, but summer brought snow, and every conceivable meteorological anomaly occurred with regularity. On the night of December 10, the world became enveloped in a pitch-black darkness, when many witnessed a flash of lightning, lighting up a dragon covered in golden scales swimming through the clouds That was precisely what did not occur. Year 210 was an exceedingly average year, and like all other babies born in Kamisu Town 66 in that year, I was very average. It must have been different for my mother, however. When she became pregnant with me, she was in her late thirties and felt that she would not have any more children in her lifetime. In our times, this would be considered a very late maternity. What compounded the problem was the fact that my mother, Watanabe Mizuho, worked as a librarian, a crucial occupation. Her decisions shaped the future of the town, and sometimes lives were even at stake. Taking part in pre-natal training while coping with the pressures of her job must have been a considerable hardship for her.

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At the same time, my father, Sugiura Takashi, was the mayor of Kamisu Town 66. This was probably a pretty busy job as well, but at the time, the job of a librarian carried a far heavier burden than that of the mayor. That hasnt changed now, of course, but the difference probably isnt as considerable as it was back then. My mother went into labour in the middle of a conference on how to classify newly-excavated documents. This was over a week earlier than was expected, but since her waters had broken, she was immediately transferred to a maternity clinic on the outskirts of town. It was only ten minutes later that I first saw the light of day. However, by a stroke of bad luck, the umbilical cord had wrapped itself around my neck, and I could not even cry. The delivery assistant was a young person for whom this was his first job, and he almost fell into a panic, but luckily the umbilical cord was easily removed, and I was able to take my first breath of oxygen into my lungs and produce a healthy cry. Two weeks later, at the same maternity clinic, another girl was born. This girl was Akizuki Maria, and she would later become my close friend. Maria was not only premature and breech-born, but like me, had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. She was in a much more delicate state than I was, and was virtually in a coma upon being born. Her delivery assistant was able to deal with it in a calm manner, having had experience with me. They say that if he was slower to remove the umbilical cord by even a small amount, she surely would have died. When I heard this story for the first time, I felt much joy in the fact that I had indirectly saved my friends life but remembering it now, my emotions are mixed. If Maria had not been born into this world, so many lives would not have been lost

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Kishi Yuusuke

Lets get back on topic. Embraced by the plentiful nature of my hometown, I lived my childhood days in happiness. Kamisu Town 66 was comprised of seven hamlets, scattered around an area with a circumference of approximately fifty kilometres, with the Ropes separating the outside world from the town. Ill include an explanation of what these are, as they may not exist a millennium from now. The Ropes are a long, Hacchou-jime type festoon, with many paper chains hanging from the rope, used to block outside evils from invading the settlement. Children were strongly warned to never step outside the Ropes. They were told that various evil spirits and monsters roamed on the outside, and that if a child dared to venture outside the boundary alone, they would suffer a horrifying fate. But whats out there thats so scary? I remember asking my father this question one day. It was probably when I was six or seven years old. My words might have been slightly more immature. Lots of things... Raising his gaze, my father looked away from his documents. Touching his long chin, he gave me a gaze full of affection. Those caring, brown eyes are still burned into my memory. My father never scolded me. There was one time that he yelled at me, but that was because my careless meandering about would have landed me in a big hole in the field unless he had warned me as quickly and directly as he did. Saki, you should already know about this. Havent you heard about Goblin Rats, Faker-cats, Balloon Dogs Mum said that those were just stories, they dont really exist. Well Goblin Rats, at least, are real. The nonchalance of his speech shocked me. Liar Im not lying. The town ordered a whole bunch of Goblin Rats to do some work not too long ago. Ive never seen one. Theyre being hidden from the eyes of children. My father didnt then tell me why, but I imagined the Goblin Rats were too ugly for children to stand looking at.

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But if they follow our orders, arent they not that scary? My father put the document he had been looking through on the sitting-table and waved his right hand over it. When he muttered some spells in a deep voice, the thin fibres of the paper rustled together and a complex pattern appeared as if it was written in invisible ink. This was the monogram that sealed decisions made by the mayor. Saki do you know the phrase Judas kiss? I silently shook my head sideways. It means that theyre friendly and cooperative on the surface, but theyre actually thinking something else. So theyre actually not? Theyre plotting to trick and betray you. My jaw slacked. Nobody does that. Right... People betraying other people is absolutely impossible. However, Goblin Rats are very different from people. For the first time, I felt a slight chill. Goblin Rats consider humans with Force powers to be gods, they worship us so theyre absolutely obedient. However, theres no knowing how theyll act towards children, who have no Force powers of their own. Thats why we have to make sure children dont come into contact with Goblin Rats at all costs. But if youre having them work on things, theyre coming into the town, right? Whenever they do, an adult is always around to supervise them. My father placed the documents inside the letterbox and waved his hand over it once more. As I watched, the letterbox and lid became one and turned into a hollow block of wood painted in lacquer. Nobody else knows what sort of image the Force wielder had in mind when using his Force powers, thus it is difficult for someone other than my father to open the letterbox without breaking the lid.

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Anyway, you should never venture outside the Ropes. Inside it, the strong barrier will protect you, so youll be safe. Once youre outside however, no Force powers will protect you anymore. But, Goblin Rats are Its not just the Goblin Rats. Youve been told the stories about demons and deed-devils in school already, havent you? I became lost for words. We were taught stories about demons and deed-devils over and over again, with each lesson corresponding to our level of development, so that they became deeply ingrained into our subconscious. The tales we had been told then were but a childish version of the stories, but they were still nightmare fuel. Are there really demons and deed-devils outside the Ropes? Yes. My father kindly smiled, as if to comfort my fears. They said it was an old tale, and that they dont exist anymore Correct, they havent appeared at all in the last century and a half. But you have to be prepared for the worst. Saki, you dont want to have a sudden encounter with the Devil like that herb-gatherer boy, do you? I nodded quietly. Now, let me introduce the outline of the story of the Demon and the story of the Deed-devil. This wont be the fairy-tale version told to younguns, but the complete story as studied in the Academy of Enlightenment.

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Kishi Yuusuke

===== The Tale of the Demon About 150 years ago, there was a boy picking herbs in the mountains. So absorbed he was, in his search for the herbs, that he came upon the Ropes. Most of the herbs on the inside were picked, but gazing beyond it, the boy found that a great amount of herbs remained unpicked on the other side. He had been warned by the adults to never go beyond the Ropes. If he absolutely had to, an adult needed to be with him at all times. However, no adult was nearby. The boy considered this for a moment, before deciding that a little trip beyond the Ropes couldnt hurt. Indeed, the herbs were right in front of him. He would dash out, grab the herbs, and come right back. The boy carefully crossed the Ropes. The papers that hung from it shook and made a rustling noise. At once, the boy felt very bad about crossing the Ropes. Besides the fact that he had broken the rules, he felt a grim uneasiness beyond anything that he had felt before. Trying to convince himself that nothing was wrong, he closed in on the herbs. It was then that he saw the Demon closing in on him from a distance. The Demon was around the same height as the boy, but its mere appearance instilled pure terror. A rage so vigorous that its heat turned everything into ash appeared as a swirling, burning aura about the Demon. In the Demons wake lay the remains of flora, torn, exploding, burning. All colour left the boys face and he backed away quickly, desperately trying not to cry out in horror. If he crossed the Ropes and returned to the inside, he shouldnt be seen by the Demon. However, at that moment, a crackle of breaking twigs sounded at his feet. The Demon turned to face him with a blank expression. It stared at him, as if it had finally found what it wanted to be angry at. After crossing the Ropes, the boy ran as fast as he could. He thought he would be safe once he was on the inside. Imagine his horror when the Demon came in with him! It was then that the boy realised that what he had done was irreversible. He had invited the Demon inside the Ropes.

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Kishi Yuusuke

The boy ran along the mountain path, crying. Wherever he went, the Demon chased him. The boy ran alongside the Ropes, away from the village, heading for a mountain stream. Looking back, the face of the Demon was visible through the leaves. Eyes gleaming, on its face was a smirk. The Demon wants me to lead it to the village. I cannot do that. If I take this demon back to the village, it will probably be wiped out. When the boy came out of the woods, a precipitous drop appeared before his eyes. From the depths of the valley echoed thunderous roar of the river. Crossing the gorge was a single newly-built rope bridge. The boy chose not to cross it, and began running upstream alongside the cliff. Turning back, he saw that the demon had just come to the entrance of the bridge and had discovered him. The boy ran with all his might. After a while, he saw another rope bridge ahead. Getting closer, the rope bridge, a black shadow amidst the backdrop of the cloudy sky, swayed precariously, having been long exposed to the elements. This bridge wont last long he thought. It hadnt been used by the villagers for over a decade and the boy had always been warned by the villagers never to go across it. The boy carefully began his journey across the bridge. His weight caused the ropes to creak in an uncomfortable way. The wooden planks at his feet were mostly half-rotten, and they seemed as if they could break at any moment. When he reached the middle of the bridge, the ropes suddenly tensed. Looking back, the Demon had just begun his crossing. As the Demon neared, the swaying grew wilder. The boy took a brief look at the dizzying depths of the ravine and raised his head, seeing the Demon closing in on him.

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When its repugnant face came into full view, the boy took out his hidden axe and swung with all his might, severing the ropes supporting the bridge. The planks of the bridge were now perpendicular to the ground, and the boy nearly fell off, but was able to hang on from the other rope. Had the Demon gone? When the boy looked, the Demon was also hanging. It slowly turned its gaze to him. He had already dropped the axe. The remaining rope could not be cut. What should I do? the boy despaired, praying to the heavens. I dont care if I have to give my life please dont let the demon near the village. There is no knowing whether the boys wishes were heard by the heavens, or if the tattered rope was unable to bear weight regardless. The rope bridge was suddenly severed and fell to the abyss below. Boy and Demon both were to be seen no more. And from then, until this day no Demon has ever appeared. ===== Several lessons are hidden in this story. Even a small child should easily understand the moral that one should never venture outside of the Ropes. When they get a bit older, they might pick up on the theme of self-sacrifice, of putting the village before oneself. However, the smarter the child, the more obscure the real message is. Who would think that the aim of this story is to convince them that Demons exist, indeed?

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===== The Story of the Deed-Devil About eighty years ago, there was a boy who lived in the village. Despite his considerable intellect, he bore one crucial flaw. As he grew older, the fault became clear to everyones eye. The boys pride in his intellect was such that he looked down on everyone else in the village. On the surface, the boy appeared to listen in school, to the adults in the village with intent. However, he never truly learned the important moral lessons. The boy laughed at the foolishness of adults, and began to scoff even at the ethics of life. Arrogance sows the seeds of a sinful karma. The boy began to distance himself from his friends solitude became his friend, his only companion. Solitude becomes the seedbed of that sinful karma. The lonely boy started to dwell more and more in his thoughts. His thoughts turned to the unthinkable, his questioning to the unquestionable. Sinful thinking breeds a sinful karma. Thus did the boy gather countless sins and become something inhuman a Deed-devil. The village, out of fear of the Deed-devil, had already emptied. Although the Deed-devil lived in the forest, it too emptied of life. Whatever place the Deed-devil walked, plants twisted into unimaginable shapes, rotting alive. Whatever food the Deed-devil touched became deadly poison. The Deed-devil wandered this strange forest of death. It finally realised that it was not meant to be. Going through the dark forest, the Deed-devil came upon a clearing, and was engulfed by light. It had arrived at a deep lake in the mountains. The Deed-devil went into the lake, hoping that the pristine waters would wash away all of its sins. Instead, the waters of the lake quickly turned an inky black even the waters of the lake were corrupted to poison by the presence of the Deed-devil. Deed-devils are not meant to be. With this thought, the deed-devil quietly disappeared into the depths of the lake. =====

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The lesson here should be clearer than the last one. That said, we didnt realise what it really meant at least not until that day, when we saw amidst our bottomless grief and despair, the true nature of the deed-devil. ===== When I write of these matters, it seems that the waves of memories and emotions get out of hand. Let us return to my childhood As stated earlier, Kamisu Town 66 is comprised of seven hamlets. The centremost hamlet, and the one where the parishs various administration facilities were located, was the Cogon-ring Hamlet, on the east banks of the Tone River. To its north was the Pine-wind Hamlet, which large mansions dotted the forest, and in the eastern seaside area was the White-sands Hamlet. Directly south of the Cogon-ring Hamlet was the Water-wheel Hamlet. On the east banks of the Tone River there was the Lookout Hamlet with a good view to the northeast; going south, the Golden Hamlet was in the middle of a rice-growing area, and to the farthest west lay the Oak-woods Hamlet. The home of my birth was in the Water-wheel Hamlet. This name bears explaining. In Kamisu Town 66, a network of several tens of waterways, carrying water meticulously diverted from the Tone River cross the town in a grid-like pattern, and people use boats on these waterways to get around. People worked to keep the water clean enough to wash ones face in, although one might hesitate to drink from it. Right in front of my house, also, carp of vivid scarlet and white swam, and there rotated many of the water-wheels that gave the hamlet its name. There were water-wheels in every hamlet, but they were particularly numerous in the Water-wheel Hamlet, and the sight of them was impressive. Overshot, backshot, undershot, breastshot these are the types of water wheels I remember seeing. Perhaps there were more. Each water-wheel was assigned a specific task, such as polishing rice or milling wheat, thereby releasing people from the burden of labour too mundane for concentration.

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The water wheel with the metal blades that was noticeably larger than the rest was the water wheel used for the generation of electricity, with there being one for every hamlet. The valuable electricity from it was used to broadcast messages from the loudspeaker on the roof of the hamlets community centre. Using electricity for any other purpose was strictly forbidden under the Code of Ethics. Every day at dusk, the same melody would pour out from the loudspeaker. The name of this piece of music was Going Home, and it was said to be a part of a piece of symphonic music that a person with a strange name called Dvok wrote a long time ago. The lyrics we learned in school went like this: The Sun sets beyond mountains far away In the sky are the stars; glitters in the night Were all finished with our work today Relax we shall; rest our minds and unwind Feel the breeze blowing at the dusk today Lets have fun, gather round; gather round the fire Gather round the fire Through the night, the flame that burnt, a beacon in the dark Dies down, basket cold, there is not a sound Sleep well, sleep tight, rest in peace Gently pushing us on as it goes Let the calm and gentle hands keep us safe and snug Lets have fun, sleeping tight, seeing dreams of joy Seeing dreams of joy Once Going Home played, the children playing in the fields would all have to be on their way home. Thats why a certain evening landscape comes to mind whenever I recall this song, almost as if by nature. The rows of buildings in deep orange. Long shadows cast on the sands by pines. Tens of mirror-like rice paddies reflecting the dim, graying sky. Groups of red dragonflies flying about. However, the thing that I remember the most clearly is the setting sun, seen from the hill with a clear view. Closing my eyes, a specific scene floats into focus. It is either the end of summer or the early autumn. The air was beginning to grow colder.

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Weve got to go home. said a voice. Pricking my ears, I noticed the wind was carrying a faint melody. All right, its a draw. said Satoru, making the kids come out of their hiding places and start gathering in threes and fives. Everyone was aged between eight and eleven, and we had all been playing a large game of capture-the-flag. This was, in a way, an extension of the snowball fights in winter. People were split into two teams that ate away at each others territory, with the winner being the team that grabbed the flag standing on the other teams base. That day, my team was on the verge of losing, due to an early mistake by our team. No fair! Were about to win! complained Maria. She had a paler complexion than anyone else, and in her wide-open eyes were lightly-coloured irises. What stood out above all was her fiery red hair, which had a unique radiance to it. Hey you, forfeit already! Yeah, we have the upper hand. said Ryou, pulled along by Maria. By this age, she already had the makings of a Queen. What makes you think we have to forfeit to you? Annoyed, I shot back. Were winning. said Ryou, repeating his claim. I looked over at Satoru. Its a draw. he proclaimed. Satoru, arent you on our side? Why are you helping them? barked Maria. Well, thats how the rules go. Come sunset, its game over. The sun hasnt set yet! Thats only because were on top of a hill. I tried to persuade Maria without raising my voice. She was usually a good friend, but at times like this, she would get on my nerves. Hey, weve got to go home! said Reiko, anxiously. We need to get going as soon as we hear Going Home, you know? Like I said, they should forfeit! said Ryou, repeating Marias words.

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Cut it out already hey, Ref! Becoming impatient, Satoru called out to Shun, who was admiring the view from the top of the hill, some distance away from the others. Next to him sat Subaru, his bulldog. What? After a brief pause, he turned around. What do you mean, what? This is the referees job! Call it a tie. Yeah. Todays match is a tie. said Shun, before returning his gaze to the scenery. Well be going now. With that, Reiko and the others shuffled down the hill. They needed to get a ride on boats going to their respective hamlets. Dont go. Its not over yet! Were going. If we stay outside for much longer, the Faker-cats will come out. Maria was visibly dissatisfied, but the game fell apart at that point and ended. Saki, lets go home. said Satoru, but I walked closer to Shun. Arent you leaving? Mhm. I am. Despite those words, Shuns eyes were fixed on the scenery, as if his fascination had gotten the better of him. What are you looking at? Hey, lets go! said Satoru, impatient. Saying nothing, Shun pointed ahead. There. See it? See what? Shun had pointed at the Golden Hamlet, around where the rice paddies gave way to the forest. Its a Minoshiro. We all had been taught to be careful with our eyes, more than anything else since we were little, and everyone was gifted with good eyesight. I was able to make out the white shadow of a creature moving slowly on a paddy footpath, at least a few hundred meters away, where the light and shadows made by the setting sun crossed each other.

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Youre right. So what. Minoshiro arent that rare. The voice of usually cool-headed Satoru seemed unhappy, for some reason. However, I didnt move. I didnt want to. The Minoshiro turned form the pathway and crossed a grassy field at a snails pace, before disappearing into the forest. Though my eyes followed the Minoshiro, my mind was on Shun, who was next to me. At that time, I didnt know what to call the emotion that I held within myself. Just staring at the twilight-coloured hamlet with Shun filled me with a sort of sweet, yet suffocating feeling. Maybe this too is a scene fabricated by my memories. One that is a dramatised version of several events mixed together, topped with a sprinkle of the spice called sentiment Even if that is the case, this scene has a special meaning for my current self. This is the last memory of when I lived in a perfect world. A world where everything was neat and orderly and I didnt feel uneasy about what the future might bring. The memories of my first crush still emit radiance like that of the evening sun even if everything would soon be swallowed by an unending sadness, and the loss of all the values we held to be true.

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Chapter 2 Ill expand a bit more on my childhood. In Kamisu Town 66, elementary schooling started at the age of six. The school I went to was called the Waki-en. Two other schools existed in the town; Yuuai-en and Tokuiku-en. The population of Kamisu Town 66 at that time was just over three thousand people. This is something I found upon later research on the ancient education system, but it seems that having three elementary schools in a settlement of this size would have been considered unconventional. This is the most telling characteristic of the society I grew up in. To give another figure, it is known that half of the adult population were working in an occupation with some sort of connection to the education system. This would probably be unthinkable in a society with an economy based on money. However, in our money-free town, where cooperation and volunteer work formed the core of society, the system allowed for a natural distribution of personnel to areas where they were truly required. Waki-en was around twenty minutes from my house on foot. It took less time if one used the waterways, but since children could only move the boats using large and heavy oars, walking was much less tiring. Elementary schools stood in quiet places some distance from the town centre. Waki-en was located in the far south of the Cogon-ring Hamlet. The old, blackened wooden building had one storey, laid out in the shape of the letter A. Upon entering the front entrance on what would be the horizontal line of the letter, the first thing that came into view were the words Wa-wo motsu-te tatsuto-shi to na-su, inscribed on a piece of wood hanging on the opposite wall. This was the first line in the Seventeen-Article Constitution written by an ancient sage who was known as Master Shoutoku, said to be read as Harmony is of sacred value. From this maxim did Waki-en derive its name, but I do not know what words hung at Yuuai-en and Tokuiku-en. Along the horizontal line were the staff room and some classrooms, and going to the right, the vertical part was also lined with many classrooms. There were only around a hundred and fifty students in the entire school, but there must have been over twenty classrooms in all. The left wing housed the administration offices, and students were not allowed inside.

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In addition to a sports ground and playground equipment such as the horizontal gymnastics bar, the schoolyard in front of the A-shaped building had an enclosure to breed many animals in, such as chickens, ducks, rabbits and hamsters. Taking care of the animals was a job for the students, with a rotating roster used to determine who had caretaker duties. In the far corner of the schoolyard stood a wooden instrument shelter, painted white, all by itself. I did not know its purpose, and during the six years I attended Waki-en, not once did I see it being used. The courtyard, surrounded on three sides by the school building, was a place of extreme mystery. Students were strictly forbidden from entering it, and never were the students directed to enter it. Since there were no windows facing the courtyard, save those in the administration offices, there was no chance of getting a glance in unless one of us happened to come across a teacher opening the door leading to it. So, guess what was in the courtyard? said Satoru, glancing around with the unsettling hint of a smile on his face, making everyone gulp. Hold on, its not like you saw this yourself, did you? I said, deciding that he was full of shit. Yeah, I didnt see it. But there really is someone who did. scowled Satoru. Who? Saki, you wouldnt know him. So hes not a student? He was, but he graduated already. Yeah, right. I replied, clearly sceptical. Forget about that, tell us what he saw already! said Maria. A murmur of agreement arose. Okay, well if you dont believe me, you dont have to listen Satoru gave me a sarcastic glance, which I pretended not to notice. I could have left at that point, but I too wanted to hear his story. You know how teachers never open the door leading to the courtyard when there are students around? You know, the oak door closest to the admin offices? However, there was one time that a teacher opened the door without checking to see if anyone was behind him.

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We already heard that said Ken, impatiently. And when he looked inside he could hardly believe his eyes, because there were so many graves there! It was obviously bullshit, but everyone was easily convinced. Woah No kidding! Im scared As for Maria, she was using her hands as earmuffs. Fed up, I asked a question: Whose graves were they? Huh? Satoru, smirking because everyone had bought his bullshit, was taken aback. I said, whose graves were those? I dont know, but there really were lots and lots of them! Why would they need to have graves in a courtyard in a school, of all places? Jeez, I dont know! It seemed like Satoru was going to get away with the sneaky act of handwaving what he didnt know by the fact that hed only heard it second-hand. Maybe the graves were for students? said Ken, and there was a sudden silence. Students? From when? Why did so many die? asked Maria, in a low voice. I dont know, but Ive heard that there are some people that disappear without graduating from Waki-en All three elementary schools in our town had common entrance dates for each year, but for reasons I shall explain later, graduation dates differed from person to person. At any rate, Kens words seemed to touch upon a profound taboo for us, and the conversation came to a halt. It was then that Shun, who had been reading a book in a seat some distance away, turned to us. The light from the window revealed his long eyelashes. There arent any graves.

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Shuns words made all of us relieved, but a big question mark immediately popped into our minds. What do you mean, there arent any? How do you know? I asked, on behalf of everyone. Shun answered coolly. When I looked, there wasnt anything there like that. What? Shun, you got a look? No kidding? Youre lying, arent you? The dam had broken, and a flood of questions assaulted him. Poor Satoru, ex-star of the conversation. I think Ive already told this story, but oh well. Remember the time when some people were slow to hand in their homework last year? The research project for science, I mean. The teacher told me to come when Id finished collecting everybodys homework, so I went inside the administration offices. Forgetting even to breathe, we all awaited what would come next, but Shun made a point of slowly putting his bookmark on a page in the book he was reading. I saw the courtyard from the window of a room with a lot of books inside it, but all I could see was a rather strange thing but it wasnt a grave. He was going to end it there. Preparing to stammer out ten questions at once, I took a big breath. Bullshit. Quicker by an instant, Satoru spoke in a threatening voice, the likes of which I hadnt heard before. What do you mean, a rather strange thing? Explain that, will you? You didnt do any explaining yourself I thought, but since I wanted to hear what Shun had to say, I said nothing. Hmm, I dont know what to say. All there was was around five storehouse-like things made out of bricks in the far corner of a wide area, all lined up. They had a big wooden door on the front. Shuns answer didnt really explain anything, but the words carried a strange realism. Satoru clicked his tongue, unable to pick at the topic any longer. So, Satoru... What were you saying that one of the graduates saw?

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When I drove it home, Satoru, understanding that he was at a distinct disadvantage, faltered a bit. Like I said, this is only something I was told, so I dont know details. That person could have been wrong, and maybe there were graves back then. This was probably what they meant by digging your own grave. All right, why are the graves gone now? I dont know but dyou know? The graves arent the only scary thing he saw. Satoru, cornered, changed the subject. What did he see? Predictably, Maria took the bait like a stupid fish. Now, dont ask him too quickly. Weve got to wait for Satoru to think up a scary story. When I poked fun at Satoru, he got a little worked up. Im not lying. This person actually did see it. That said, its not in the courtyard, but Whatever. Go on, whats this scary thing he saw? said Ken, not able to bear the suspense. Satoru was probably smirking internally, but he erased all emotions from his face and said bluntly: It was the shadow of a huge cat. Again, there was silence. Things like this make me admire Satorus narrative skill. If there was an occupation involving making up stories to scare people, Satoru would no doubt be an expert at it. Not that such a job would have a place in any sort of society, of course. Do you mean a Faker-cat? Maria asked the obvious, cueing the rest of to start talking at once. Ive heard that Faker-cats often appear near elementary schools. They say they usually come in autumn, and at dusk Sometimes they come to your house, but its usually midnight when they We were all afraid of the darkness and fascinated with it at the same time. We loved scary stories with all sorts of evil spirits, but the Faker-cat gave us the shivers. Its description had been greatly embellished as it was told from one child to another, but the basic shape of a Faker-cat was that of a cat around the size of an adult human. It had the face of a cat, but its legs were curiously long, and it followed the child it had targeted like a shadow.

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Reaching a deserted place, it would stretch up from behind the victim and grab their shoulders with its front paws. When that happened, the child would become unable to move, as if in a trance. The Faker-cat would bite at the childs neck with a mouth that opened up to a hundred and eighty degrees, and take them away to places unknown. Not a drop of blood would remain, and the abducted child would never be seen again, not even its corpse and so on. Go on. Where did that person see a Faker-cat? Theres no knowing if it was actually a Faker-cat or not, since he only saw its shadow. Satoru said this confidently, his previous uncertainty nowhere to be found. But the shadow was seen right near the courtyard. What do you mean, near? There isnt any way of getting into the courtyard from outside of the building, right? It wasnt outside. What? I was always sceptical of what Satoru had to say in his stories, but this time, for some reason, a chill went up my spine. He said he saw the shadow at the end of the hallway leading to the administration offices. It disappeared around the door to the courtyard Nobody could speak a single word. Alas; Satoru had had his way in this conversation. But this was just us kids telling horror stories to scare each other and back then, we still believed that to be so. ===== Looking back, I think my days at Waki-en were happy ones. Just being able to go school and meet my friends was enough to make me look forward to each and every day. Beginning in the morning, there were classes for boring subjects like Math, Japanese, Social Studies and Science. There was another person in the classroom besides the teacher, the academic supervisor. He kept track of everyones understanding of the subjects, and explained to us what we didnt understand with great care, so that nobody was left behind. On the other hand, there were many tests, and I remembered being made to take tests once every three days or so. However, since most of those were unrelated to the subjects and involved completing short sentences like I am sad. This is because, it wasnt too much of a burden.

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Rather, the hard part was the tasks of self-expression. Drawing pictures and moulding statues out of clay was enjoyable, but being made to write compositions almost every day was very frustrating. Indeed, it may be because of that training from back then that I can write this memorandum with relative ease. After we had finished the boring classes and tasks, we would finally be able to enjoy the fun afternoon playtime. In addition, we did not have school for the two days of the weekend, so we were able to run around outside as much as we wanted. When we first entered Waki-en, we would explore along the gently-curving waterways and gaze at the straw-thatched houses, but eventually we extended our exploration to the Golden Hamlet. The name came from the view of the rice fields in autumn with countless ripe ears, but the place was the most interesting from spring to summer. If you looked into the a rice paddy, you would see the water striders on the surface of the water; under the water would swim loaches and mosquito fish, while at the bottom, tadpole shrimp that stir the mud and prevent weeds growing would move around. In the irrigation channels and reservoirs, you could find insects such as giant water bugs, Japanese and Chinese water scorpions and diving beetles, as well as fish such as the crucian carp. One time, some older children taught us how to catch crayfish using wool thread and dried squid, and we spent a day catching a whole bucketful of them. Many birds also came to the Golden Hamlet. Spring brought echoes of the skylarks cries, and until the early summer when the rice had grown, many crested ibises (with a slight pinkish tinge to their bodies) taking flight at once was truly a sight to behold. Birds that were also often seen included large kites (that rarely came down), bulbuls, great tits, turtledoves, fat sparrows and triumvirate crows. It wasnt a bird, but sometimes we would also see Minoshiro. Supposedly, Minoshiro venture out from the forest onto the footpaths near the rice paddies, as they scavenge lichens and small animals. Minoshiro were not only protected as a beneficial beast that improved the land and got rid of insects and other pests, but they were treated with care by farmers, who believed them to be Gods messengers, or good omens. Normal Minoshiro were from some tens of centimetres to around a metre in length, and the King-Minoshiro kind grew to over two metres long. Their stature, combined with the many tentacles that wriggled as they undulated forward gave them a gravity appropriate to their nickname of the Godly beast.

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Some other animals that had garnered faith included a white kind of the rat-snake and a black kind of the striped snake, but the Minoshiro would eat them both upon coming across them. How this fact was explained by the folk religion of the time is a mystery. When children reached a higher grade, they would go on expeditions to places like the Oak-woods Hamlet in the westernmost part of town, the Hasaki shores, with the beautiful sand dunes to the far south of the White-sands Hamlet, and the river banks up the Tone River where flowers bloomed all year long. Spoon-billed sandpipers and herons lounged at the waters edge, and cranes sometimes flew in. We had fun looking for reed warbler nests in the reeds of the river, and climbing to find thatcher nests in the fields of plume grass. In particular, the fake eggs of the thatchers made perfect toys for mischief-loving children. However, no matter how diverse it all seemed, the area inside the Ropes did not contain nature in its true form, and was a sort of miniature garden. In that sense, perhaps it could be said that the fenced-off areas of the zoo which used to exist in our town were no different from the outside. The elephants, lions and giraffes we saw there were pseudo-elephants, faux-lions and giraffe-oids; merely creatures created with the Force. Even if they happened to break out of their cages, there was zero possibility that they could cause harm to humans. Similarly, the environment inside the Ropes was thoroughly kind to humans. Although we would be taught a harsh lesson later on, we didnt think anything of not even being stung by a bug, to say nothing of being bitten by a poisonous snake, no matter how much venturing into the wilderness we did. There was not one pit viper or tiger keelback living inside the Ropes, and only non-threatening rat-snakes of the regular, four-lined and forest kinds, as well as keelbacks, oriental odd-tooths and rosary snakes. Also, the varieties of the hinoki and hiba cypresses that grew in the forest had been giving off an excess of a certain strong-smelling substance in order to kill off things like mold spores, mites, chiggers and various bacteria, which were detrimental to human health.

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On the topic of my childhood, I shouldnt forget to mention the regularly-occurring functions of the year. In my town, there were many festivals and events that had been passed on for generations, and they formed a pattern in our lives unique to each of the four seasons. Off the top of my head, there was the Exorcism, the Appeasing of the Flowers and the Planting of the Rice in spring; the Ghost Festival, the Festival of Fire and the Meeting with Spirits of the Dead in summer. Fall brought the Gifting Festival and the Harvest Festival and winters attractions were the Snow Festival, New Years festivities and the Bonfire. Growing up, the Exorcism ceremony was ingrained into my mind the deepest. The Exorcism was also called the Riddance of Monsters, and while this cannot be proven, it was said to be one of the oldest ceremonies, dating back two thousand years. On the morning of the festival, both adults and children would be rounded up in the square. We would wear the Mask of Innocence, which had chalk smothered over undried clay, participating in the rite as the Good Younglings. Since I was young, I was very scared of this rite. This was because the masks of the two monsters looked truly terrifying. One of the masks, that of the Demon, had a striking expression of evil laughter. I would later look into its origins after information regarding the ceremony had been declassified, but they remained unclear. The mask most resembled the Snake, a Noh mask of ancient times. This was one of the three Noh masks used to depict the passage from human to monster; the last stage into the transition of The Unripe -> Hannya Demon -> The Snake On the other hand, the mask of the Deed-Devil contrasted with that of the Demon, with a viscid face, as if it were melting in agony, barely retaining its original human features. The rite central to the Exorcism began as thus. White sand would be spread on the square, and two torches would be placed, one to the east and one to the west. Twenty to thirty Younglings would then appear, parading around while chanting Monster begone. Monster begone to a distinct tune. Then the Exorcist would come down to the square, wearing a costume reminiscent of the days of the ancients and bearing in his hand a large spear. However, the most eye-catching feature was his golden mask with four eyes.

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The Exorcist would chant Monter begone along with the Good Younglings while spinning around and scattering beans said to expel evils and drive away calamity. The beans would be thrown at spectators as well, and the recipient would put their palms together when catching them. And then, abruptly, a frightening scene would begin. The Exorcist would suddenly turn toward the Good Younglings and drop all of the beans he was carrying. The Exorcist would yell loudly: Impurities inside!, followed by the Good Younglings, chanting Impurities inside in unison. With that as the cue, the two children in the roles of the monster would take off their Masks of Innocence. This would reveal the aforementioned masks of the Demon and the Deed-Devil that they had been wearing underneath. Participating in this rite as one of the Good Younglings, this scene was so terrifying for me that my breathing would stop. One time, the Good Youngling right next to me suddenly turned into a Demon. The Good Younglings would then scatter like baby spiders, leaving the two monsters behind and I am certain that they were all driven by genuine fear. The Exorcist would then chant out with impurities while driving the two monsters before him. They would pretend to struggle, but as everyone started chanting out with impurities, they would be driven somewhere out of sight and the rite would end at last. I still remember the time I looked at Satorus face after he took off his Good Youngling mask. I shuddered and said: You look ghastly. Satoru shook his purple lips. Heh. Look at yourself. What we each saw in the others eyes were our innermost fears. Opening his eyes wide, Satoru pointed behind me with his chin. Turning, I saw the Exorcist coming offstage about to remove his mask. The role of Exorcist in the Exorcism must be performed by a person acknowledged by everybody as having the strongest Force powers and, to my knowledge, Kaburagi Shisei had never resigned from this role.

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Kaburagi Shisei noticed our gaze and smiled. Strangely enough, he had been wearing a different mask under that of the Exorcist, covering the upper half of his face. Rumour had it that few had ever seen his face. His nose and the area around his mouth seemed normal, but since both of his eyes were hidden under pitch-black glass, there was a certain air of unsettling coercion about him. Were you scared? said Kaburagi Shisei in a deep, penetrating voice. Satoru, reverent, nodded. Kaburagi Shiseis eyes then turned to me, but not before pausing for what seemed to be an amount of time slightly longer than was natural. Youd be the curious one. Not knowing how to reply, I froze up. I wonder what fortune will come good, or ill? Leaving behind a suppressed chuckle that seemed oddly flippant, Kaburagi Shisei departed. We were left standing, enchanted by the experience. After a while, Satoru spoke. I heard that he has enough Force power to split this planet in half if he concentrated really hard Although I didnt take Satorus words seriously, the memory of this experience lingered with me for a long time. ===== All happy times must come to an end. My childhood days were no exception, but in an interesting twist, my worries of the time had to do with the fact that they were extended slightly. As noted previously, the date of graduation from Waki-en differed from person to person. The first in our class to graduate was Shun. The boy with wise, adult eyes and grades better than that of anyone else suddenly disappeared one day, and our homeroom teacher, Maeda-sensei, proudly declared his graduation to the remaining students. After that, my sole wish was for me to graduate quickly and go to the same school as Shun. However, I had to watch as my classmates left one by one. When even my close friend Maria graduated and I was the only one left who had not graduated, my feelings were such that no amount of explaining could do it justice.

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When the cherry blossoms scattered and the twenty-five members of my class had dwindled to just five, Satoru and I were among those left. Satoru was drained of cheerfulness and the daily boasting stopped. We lead those days making sure every morning that the other was a straggler as well, and sighing in relief. If possible, we wanted to graduate at the same time and if that wasnt possible, we each secretly hoped that we would be the first to do so. However, my modest hopes were completely betrayed. When May came, my last source of reassurance, Satoru, graduated. Two more students graduated shortly afterwards, and only two remained. This may seem strange, but I cannot seem to remember the name of the other student. I believe that the student in question was the slowest in the class to complete any task and did not stand out, but that wasnt the reason for my forgetfulness. It is a more likely reason for my forgetfulness that I have unconsciously sealed off my memories so that I cannot recall the students name. Even after returning home from school, I talked less and less, and my days were spent locked up in my room. My parents were probably worried. Saki. Theres no need to feel rushed. said my mother on one of those nights, while gently smoothing down my hair. Graduating early doesnt mean anything. You might be a bit lonely, now that your friends have graduated but dont worry, youll see them again soon. Im not lonely I said, my head down on the bed. Now, now. Graduating from Waki-en early doesnt make them any better. Its not related to the strength of the quality of their Force powers at all. Did you know that your father and I were pretty late graduating too? But not the absolute last in the class, right? True, but I dont want to be a dropout. You shouldnt use words like that! My mothers voice became stern, which was rather uncommon. Who did you hear that word from? I said nothing, burying my face in the pillow. The timing of our graduation is decided for us by the gods, so all you need to do is wait. Youll catch up to them in no time.

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What if What? What if I cant graduate? My mother was rendered speechless for a moment, before laughing cheerfully. Oh dear, you were worried about that? Dont be silly. Youll be alright. I promise youll be able to graduate, sooner or later. Arent there some people who cant graduate? Yes, but theres no chance that youll be one of them. I sat up on the bed and looked into my mothers eyes. I somehow could feel that she was ill at ease Mum, is it true that a Faker-cat will come get me if I cant graduate? Dont be silly. Theres no such thing as a Faker-cat. Youll be an adult soon youll be laughed at for saying things like that. But Ive seen one! A look crossed my mothers eyes unmistakably terror. No you havent. You must have been imagining it. But Ive seen one! I tried one last push to make sure of her reaction. I hadnt lied. It was true that I thought I had seen one but it had been only for a fleeting second, and even I thought that it was probably a product of my imagination. Yesterday, when I was coming home at dusk, I turned around at the intersection and I saw something that looked like a Faker-cat cross the road. It vanished quickly, though. My mother sighed. Did you know that withered plume grasses sometimes look like ghosts? If you keep thinking that something is really scary, everything you see is going to look like that. Im sure what you saw was a regular-sized cat or a weasel. When it gets dark out, it gets harder to judge how big something is. My mothers behaviour had returned to normal. When my mother bade me good-night and turned off the lights, I fell asleep, feeling safe. However, when I opened my eyes at midnight, peace was nowhere to be found.

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My heart was pounding, my limbs were cold, and I was sweating all over. The sweat was of a nasty variety. It seemed like something evil was rustling around above the planks on the ceiling. There was a small sound, almost inaudible, as if a sharp nail was gnawing at the wood. Was this the Faker-cat? For a while, I could not move, as though my body had been bound. After I regained control over my body through what felt like a curse being lifted, I quietly slipped out of bed and opened the sliding door gently so as not to make a sound. I walked the corridors lit with moonlight streaming through the windows. It had already become spring, but the floorboards that stuck to the underside of my foot felt cold. I was almost there. My parents bedroom was just ahead of the bend. It was then that I noticed the light from the phosphor lighting spilling out into the hall from the cracks of the bedroom door, and I sighed in relief. Just as I was about to open the door, I heard a voice from inside. It was my mothers. Her voice was filled with a serious anxiety that I had never heard before. My hand stopped in midair. Im worried. If nothing happens Being so worried will only have a bad influence on her. My fathers voice was also terribly downtrodden. But, at this rate do you know if the Education Committee has made their move yet? I dont know. You realise that its hard to influence the Education Committee from the Library, dont you? Youre responsible for finalising decisions in this town, so cant you do something about it? The Committee is independent. I dont have the authority to interfere, especially as Sakis father. I dont want to lose any more children! Not so loud! But Sakis said shes seen a Fell-cat! Maybe she was imagining it. And what if it wasnt? I quietly backed away. The content of my parents conversation was beyond my understanding, but it was clear that I had heard something I shouldnt have.

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I made the return journey back to my bedroom without making a sound. Waiting for me was an emperor moth on the outside of the window. The sky-blue coloured moth the size of my palm seemed like a messenger from the underworld, bearing ill tidings. My body was shaking, and not from the cold. Whatever will happen to me? For the first time in my life, I felt as if I had been thrown out into the world naked, completely helpless. What on earth is going to happen to me? The ceiling planks made a spine-chilling creak. Something is coming It felt as if something dreadfully gigantic was already nearby. Ah! Its almost here! The emperor moth left the glass and disappeared into the darkness. The next moment, the window frame started to shake violently, even though there was no wind. The shaking continued stubbornly and instead of quieting down, it got louder. It was as if someone outside was trying to rip the windows off. The paper screen opened on its own, and then closed with a loud bang. I gasped. Choking, I tried to breathe air into my lungs. Ah, its over. Its coming. Its coming. Its coming Suddenly, everything in the room started to fly around. My chair and desk galloped like a runaway horse, and writing utensils flew like arrows, tearing their way into the paper screen. The bed slowly began to float. I screamed. Hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor. My parents voices were calling out my name. The sliding door flew open. An instant later, my parents barged into my room. Saki! You finally did it! said my mother, hugging me tightly. Whats whats this? I yelled. Theres no need to worry. Its the celebratory spirits! Theyve finally come to you! This is it? What was almost a giant invisible monster making a ruckus in my room had been gradually calming down since my parents arrival. This means that youre an adult now, Saki said my father, with a smile of relief. Then, did I? Today, you graduate Waki-en. Youll be attending the Academy of Enlightenment starting tomorrow.

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The books floating in space suddenly lost their energy and dropped to the floor. The bed, still leaning, landed with a thud, as if the rope hanging it had broken. My mother hugged me so tight it hurt. Thank goodness! Theres nothing more to worry about! A warm tear trickled down my neck, and I closed my eyes, relieved from the bottom of my heart. However, the echoes of my mothers pained scream I dont want to lose any more children! kept on ringing in the depths of my mind ===== End of Chapter 2

Shinsekai Yori (From the New World), English version by Aidoru Translations