Episode 12 – Convenience store
Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817139558323866579/episodes/16817330669175371793
On my first day back to work after the New Year, I was with the store manager.
That was unusual. Perhaps someone who usually worked there had called in sick.
The manager of our convenience store is a man in his forties with a potbelly named Toeda.
He divorced five years ago, and he looks forward to receiving letters from his daughter every few months.
“Takara kun, could you take a look at this?”
“Yes?”
After the usual tasks had settled down, the store manager called me over.
Maybe I had made a mistake.
Judging by his expression, he didn’t seem angry, but I stopped what I was doing with a slight sense of tension and went over to the store manager.
However, contrary to my expectations, the store manager had called me over for a completely personal matter.
“It’s a New Year’s card from my daughter.”
“A New Year’s card?”
“Is there something odd in this?”
The card the manager showed me was a fairly standard New Year’s card. It featured a family photo on the upper half, surrounded by a zodiac design, with New Year’s greetings written on the lower half.
In the photo were a gentle-looking woman—presumably his ex-wife—and a young girl around elementary school age who resembled her, along with what appeared to be the grandmother and grandfather.
The photo was taken in what appeared to be a garden. Everyone was smiling in front of the veranda of an old-fashioned Japanese house.
It would have been a cheerful family photo, but the store manager seemed to notice something peculiar.
He pointed to the sliding door at the back of the veranda.
It’s hard to see unless you look closely at the photo, but through the narrow opening in the sliding door, it looks like a large eye is peeking out.
If this is really what was captured in the photo, then there must be a face with eyes of that size on the other side of the sliding door.
“Maybe I’m just worrying unnecessarily, but I wonder if they sent it to me on purpose, knowing it was strange.”
“On purpose…why would they do that?”
There was no sign of any customers coming in. Well, it’s okay to talk for a while.
When I asked him, the manager hesitated for a moment, but then decided to speak.
“I think my daughter knows that there’s something strange in the house. This New Year’s card was sent by my daughter for me, and the fact that something like this is in the photo makes me feel like there’s some kind of message…”
Midway through his story, the store manager glanced at my expression and smiled awkwardly.
I was aware that I had unconsciously adopted a skeptical expression.
It’s not that I find it strange that there’s something odd—probably not human—in the house. In fact, there’s something similar right next to me.
The fact that such a thing is depicted in the New Year’s card his daughter sent him might have some meaning.
Still, I can’t help but think I’m overthinking it, probably because everyone in the photo was smiling so broadly.
It felt like the relaxed expressions themselves were saying, “There’s nothing to worry about.”
But I also think it’s natural for the store manager, as a father, to be overly concerned about his daughter.
If a strange thing was photographed in the New Year’s card sent to show her healthy appearance, it’s only natural to feel anxious.
“But New Year’s cards aren’t something you make one at a time, and if it’s the same as the ones sent to other homes, it’s not really an unusual occurrence worth worrying about—it’s just a strange reflection that makes it look that way.”
“No, that’s not it. This is something my daughter asked my wife to prepare just for me. I don’t think she even told her she was taking it to send to me.”
I don’t know the details, but as the store manager, he seemed to think this was a message with some kind of hint.
Well, if he’s going to say that, it’s not good to deny it outright. I’ll go along with it and keep the conversation going.
“Um…when you say a message from your daughter, does she have some kind of problem with this mysterious presence? Like, she doesn’t want to stay in this scary house and wants you to come pick her up?”
“I think…that’s probably what it is…”
The manager seemed troubled, muttering hesitantly.
It didn’t seem like the right time to interrupt, so I waited for him to continue.
Perhaps to distract himself, the manager moved his hands as he spoke with a sigh.
“The reason for the divorce was that my in-laws suddenly started making a fuss. My wife was the only one who talked to them on the phone, so I didn’t hear everything, but basically, they kept insisting, ‘Divorce immediately. You and your daughter must return to your parents’ home.’
They seemed like kind people to everyone, and I thought our relationship was good, so it came as a complete surprise. They were so stubborn that I even suspected they might have some kind of illness. You know, given their age…but it doesn’t seem to be that either…”
“So, you never found out the reason?”
“No. No matter what I said, they just kept insisting that we cut ties and separate. My wife was confused at first, but after talking on the phone several times, we decided to ‘separate for now.’
Even when I asked them to tell me if there was a problem, they wouldn’t say anything. We ended up in this situation without understanding why. In that context, I can’t help but think that there must be some meaning behind them sending this.”
“Hmm, I see…that’s definitely concerning…”
Given that background, it’s understandable to be sensitive to any unusual details.
However, there’s one thing that’s bothering me.
“Um…by the way, why are you telling me this?”
I had a hunch, but I wanted to hear the reason anyway.
I asked with a wry smile, and the manager also smiled slightly, trying to avoid the question.
“Because Takara kun, you live there, right?”
“There” refers, of course, to that apartment building.
The manager knows where I live because my resume lists my address.
Since the room number is also listed, he probably knows which floor I live on as well.
“I’ve been working here for quite a while, but the people who live in that apartment building really do start acting strange in no time at all. Before Takara kun, there were two or three others who worked there as part-time employees in that accident-prone apartment. A twenty-year-old kid suddenly looked like an old man, or someone who was skinny became several times fatter than a normal person, then lost weight again and disappeared. There are various stories like that. Things have improved in the past few years, apparently since someone named Kandou san came along. But I don’t know the details, and I don’t want to know them either.”
The manager glanced at me and whispered, as if sharing a secret.
“Takara kun, aren’t you some kind of amazing psychic? That’s why you’re so energetic, right?”
“No, no, I’m just an ordinary person…”
“Huh, so you can’t perform exorcisms?”
“I’ve never done it before….”
“Oh…I see…”
The store manager, who had asked the question with a voice full of expectation, dropped his shoulders in disappointment.
It seemed he had been talking to me seriously, expecting me to help. Well, when it comes to consulting someone about such an inexplicable incident, the only person who could be trusted would be someone involved in something equally inexplicable.
I could understand that mindset. But in reality, whether I could solve the problem was a completely different matter.
“……..”
But maybe someone else could solve it.
Manager Tobe has the arrogance and coldness typical of his position, but he’s not a bad person.
The situation itself, where a girl who is probably still in elementary school is living with something unknown, is worrisome.
After thinking for a moment, I made a suggestion to the manager.
“Well, but my employer is Kandou san, who you mentioned earlier…I might be able to have him look at the New Year’s card.”
“Really?”
The manager brightened up suddenly, and I nodded with an ambiguous smile.
I had no idea if it was okay to make such a casual promise, but since there was actually someone like that coming anyway, I thought it might be worth trying.
The manager nodded several times with a satisfied expression after receiving the New Year’s card I had repackaged in an envelope.
“I see, Takara kun is apprenticing under Kandou san. If you’re still an apprentice, it’s not appropriate to use your real name, right?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
I stated the facts, but the manager seemed to have interpreted it differently.
“Ah, right, people in that line of work have a lot of secrets, so they can’t tell outsiders, can they? Sorry for prying. Anyway, leave it to me !”
The store manager said cheerfully, clasping his hands in front of me as if in prayer. His expression was smiling, but somehow awkward.
This cheerfulness was probably just a way to distract himself.
I wanted to believe that consulting a psychic would be okay, or rather, I wanted to believe that.
Well, I’m not a disciple of a psychic at all.
It’s uncomfortable to be convinced by information that isn’t true. I thought I should correct it once, but unfortunately, a customer came in at that moment.
In the end, I couldn’t find another opportunity to bring it up.
◇ ◆ ◇
January 6th.
I welcomed Inohira-san into my room. It was about the mochi rice cake.
“You’re Takara kun, right? You’re surprisingly tall.”
Inohira san laughed as he said that, but he also seemed taller than average. He was probably around 180 centimeters tall.
Since it was my first time meeting an actual psychic, I had imagined he would be dressed in some unusual way, but he was wearing a very ordinary suit. His briefcase and overall appearance were those of a typical office worker you might see on the street.
His short black hair and silver-framed glasses were distinctive, but if you saw him without knowing his profession, he probably wouldn’t leave a strong impression.
One unusual thing about him was that he looked much younger than someone nearing forty.
In fact, he looked younger than his younger brother, Kandou san.
Additionally, the brothers didn’t look much alike. Kandou san had a gentle, kind uncle-like appearance, but Inohira had a sharpness about him that made him seem untrustworthy.
I wondered if they took after their mother or father, or if there was some other reason. But I didn’t feel like asking for details.
“I can’t offer you much in the way of hospitality. Um, would you like some tea or something?”
“No, thank you. I’ll be leaving soon.”
The room was so small that it really didn’t seem possible to offer much in the way of hospitality.
I was a little flustered because I didn’t know the proper etiquette for welcoming guests, but Inohira san didn’t seem to mind and waved his hand lightly.
I placed my bag by the wall and immediately approached the mochi rice cake displayed in the room.
“Is this the mochi you received?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
“I see.”
I spent some time observing it.
Inohira san, who had been thinking about something with his hand on his chin, turned around to look at me standing behind him and said with a reassuring smile.
“It’s nothing special, so you can eat it if you want.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll eat it when the time comes.”
It was both a relief and a disappointment.
I nodded with a subtle expression, and Inohira smiled as if he understood everything.
“On the other hand, I won’t get angry if you don’t eat it, so you can just make up an excuse and throw it away. Say it’s moldy and can’t be eaten.”
“What? If that’s okay, then I’m grateful, but…it was supposed to be a gift…are you sure it’s okay?”
“If you’re worried, just make a promise for next year. It’s a hassle to manage, so just send me a pack next time.”
I asked Inohira san, who said it so casually, with my anxiety still intact.
He continued in the same light tone of voice.
“If you’re really worried, just eat a bite. That way, it’s a fact that you put it in your mouth.
Just to clarify, the gods—well, they’re not really gods, but let’s call them that for convenience—like to play with children. There have been cases where adults who scolded children playing with a Kannon statue were scolded by the gods themselves. From that guy’s perspective, Takara kun is just a child, so he’ll probably be forgiven for minor things.”
I look like a child.
Hearing that, I remembered what my neighbor had said at Christmas.
“…I was told the same thing when I received a present. I guess that’s how it is when you’re seen by such beings. Twenty years old is still a child.”
If that’s the case, then the longer I live here, the more dangerous it becomes.
As I muttered to myself, thinking about such things, Inohira-san tilted his head slightly.
“Ah…no, that’s not what I meant.”
He stood across from me, blinked slowly once, and turned his gaze toward me, though he didn’t seem particularly interested.
“To be honest, Takara kun looks like he’s five or six years old.”
“…Huh? No, that’s a bit much, isn’t it?”
I’m a grown man over 170 centimeters tall.
How could anyone think I look that young?
Faced with my confusion, Inohira san continued in a calm voice.
“Of course, I know you’re twenty, and I understand that your body has aged that much. But to me, you look like a child of that age, and I’m sure he sees you that way too. And I understand that it’s strange. That’s why it gives you mochi. So that you can grow old healthily.”
“Um, I don’t really understand what you mean.”
“Is that so? You must have some idea of what I mean. When someone tells you that you don’t look your age after a certain point, can’t you think of any reason why?”
His words were like a series of clues to a puzzle, and I paused to think.
Perhaps the age he was referring to wasn’t physical, but rather something more spiritual, or even something like the soul.
I don’t understand the specifics at all, but I can’t say I have no idea what it means.
If my guess is correct, I feel like there must be many other people in this world who, to the untrained eye, look like children…
But I couldn’t bring myself to put it into words just yet.
In the end, it felt like facing myself.
So, instead, I continued the conversation by asking the question I needed to ask.
“So, if I look like I’ve reached an age that matches my physical appearance, does that mean she won’t be as tolerant as she is now?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know…?”
“Well, as for what we’re talking about now, I can’t say for sure what will happen in the future. To be honest, even if I had hired someone like you, I didn’t think it would work out this well.
So, in the end, it all depends on you, Takara kun.”
The eyes behind the lenses stared at me calmly.
“Just because you saw a little bit of logic in dealing with that incomprehensible thing doesn’t mean you understand everything. Besides, you came here because you didn’t care what happened to your life, right? If you say, ‘I saw that and contacted you, but I’m worried because the future isn’t guaranteed,’ I can’t take responsibility for that.”
That was certainly a valid point.
I came here after seeing that incredibly suspicious and sloppy recruitment ad, and I pushed past Kamito-san’s advice to stay away and moved in.
It’s a bit odd to bring it up now.
I know that. I shouldn’t have shown it in my attitude just now.
But still, I want to make some kind of excuse.
“I wasn’t trying to complain…”
“Oh, your face looked like you were. I’m sorry if I made you feel bad even though I didn’t mean to.”
Inohira san smiled softly, as if to suppress my self-reflection and slight dissatisfaction, which had caused me to furrow my brows.
I’m probably looking like a sulky child right now.
I don’t mean to, but I can’t help it.
It’s hard to explain, but Inohira san’s atmosphere definitely has something to do with it.
“I get it. You don’t want to die. I don’t intend to be cold to someone who’s doing this well. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. And if you really want to leave here, I can help you get out safely.
What I just said was just a list of facts. There’s almost nothing in this world that humans can understand.”
Inohira san muttered in a voice tinged with resignation.
“If anything happens, just contact Hikari. As your employer, I’m willing to help you out.”
“Um, is it okay right now?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“I heard a strange story at my part-time job and brought something with me…”
I hurriedly rummaged through the backpack hanging on the wall, and Inohira looked at me with a slightly surprised expression, blinking a few times.
In front of him, who raised his eyebrows in surprise, I opened the bag.
Currently, the only bag I use regularly is this backpack.
I bring it to work, and the New Year’s card I received from the store manager that day was in this bag.
“This is it.”
While showing him the family photo, I told him the story I had heard from the store manager.
His wife had divorced him for some unknown reason and returned to her parents’ house with their daughter, and the New Year’s card had been sent from her parents’ house at the daughter’s request.
And in the photo, there were those large eyes peering at us.
Feeling uneasy about the mysterious situation, I wanted to consult a psychic.
Inohei, who had been listening without much interest as I laid out the details, took the New Year’s card, checked the address on the front, and muttered, “Okayama.”
He muttered that much, looked at the photo again, took a photo of the front and back with his smartphone, and returned it to my hand.
“You can return this to the owner. I don’t know what will happen, but I’ll stop by on my way back there, and if anything happens, I’ll contact you through Hikari.”
Inohira san said only that, then cut off the conversation as if it were over. There was no sign of it continuing, so I couldn’t help but speak up.
“Eh. Um, is that okay?”
“What?”
“Well, I mean, as a reward for solving it…or maybe it would be better to pay something “n advance…”
“Ah, it’s fine. I only take money when dealing with humans.”
“But there are transportation costs and such. I think the manager would give you that much if you asked…”
Inohira san seemed unwilling to accept anything, but I felt it would be rude to give him nothing.
Even though Inohei said it was fine, I couldn’t quite back down, so he said indifferently,
“Oh, well, then go to xx Shrine next time and report that ‘Inohira san helped me.’ Hikari knows the location.”
I didn’t quite understand, but since he said, “That’s more important than money” I nodded in agreement.
By the way, it seems better for me to go than the manager.
“So? Is there anything else I should mention?”
“No, nothing else. It’s fine.”
“Are you serious?”
“Eh, what…Oh !”
Inohira san’s eyes were fixed on the kitchen shelf as he held his bag, so I remembered the photo just in time.
I walked over and took out the photo from the shelf, which I had been opening for no reason lately.
Incidentally, I was careful not to let the surface come into view.
“This is a photo I got from him. I think there’s something to it, but I don’t know how to handle it.”
“I see. By the way, do you remember what was in it?”
“Um…it was someone’s feet.”
Inohira san took the postcard-sized photo and checked the surface as he received it,
“You can see the mouth, can’t you?”
He muttered in a voice that seemed unsure whether he intended to be heard or not.
Still, it was loud enough for me, sitting across from him, to hear clearly.
I quietly looked away, trying not to think about it, but the meaning of “you can see the mouth” wouldn’t leave my mind, so I closed my eyes for a moment.
If my memory is correct, it was supposed to be a photo of legs up to the knees.
The word “mouth” is strange because there is no such thing in the photo.
“……….”
I glanced over, and Inohira san, still facing the back of the photo toward me, shook it lightly.
“Want to see?”
“No.”
“Oh, well. It won’t kill you to look, though.”
He probably didn’t mean it seriously. Inohira-san casually put the photo back in his bag.
Then, after packing up to leave, he turned around with a light greeting. I saw him off to the entrance, and then I remembered there was one more thing I needed to ask.
“Sorry, there’s one more thing.”
“The bed one is impossible.”
Inohira san said bluntly while putting on his shoes.
“Does that mean it’s so evil that it can’t be exorcised?”
“No. It’s harmless, but it can’t be caught, so it’s impossible. You’re leaving that one alone too, right?”
He pointed to the neighboring room with his thumb. Since that was indeed the case, it seemed I had no choice but to give up on the bed.
Well, just having the mysterious photo dealt with was more than enough. Apparently, there was something like a mouth visible in it. What is a mouth? I definitely don’t want to know.
“Um, thank you. For the New Year’s card and the photo. I don’t think I could have handled it on my own.”
I bowed my head, and Inohira-san furrowed his brow slightly, looking a bit uncomfortable, then said with a slightly exasperated expression.
“You’d make a good friend.”
“…Should I be happy about that?”
“No, I’m not complimenting you.”
“I see.”
I see. There wasn’t much else to say.
It was indeed a bit of a delicate fact to use as a compliment.
“Well, I guess we’ll say goodbye for now.”
Finally, Inohira san took my hand, made a couple of unusual gestures, and left.
I watched the door close, and then suddenly realized something.
Even though we had just parted ways, I couldn’t remember Inohira san’s face at all.
“……………….”
It’s a bit unsettling when you can’t remember something you’ve just seen. Mainly in terms of practical brain issues and such.
But well, this is beyond my area of expertise, and I understood that it was done that way because it was necessary.
I wish he had told me before doing it, though.
In terms of annoyance, maybe he’s similar to that neighbor.
Kandou san’s words, “He’s not a good person, but he’s not a bad person either” floated vaguely in my mind.
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