Shinrei Tantei Yakumo - Volume 10 Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Translated by Niulili

Makoto, who parted from Eishin, visited a real estate company.

A company called Otone Real Estate, which sold an example at the condominium, had an office at a station three destinations away.

She made an appointment in advance, so when she entered the store, she was immediately urged to take a seat in the corner of the counter.

“Thank you for waiting. I’m the person in charge, Miyama.”

A man, who seemed to be in his thirties, smiled and stood in front of Makoto, holding out his business card.

Miyama was a thin-faced man with a smile attached. The suit he wore was slender, and his wristwatch was unbalanced.

“I’m Hijikata, from the Hokuto Shinbun”

Makoto also stood up and offered her business card.

Then Miyama’s face looked like “Oh ?”

“You came for the Signpost property, right?”

Miyama said with a suspicious look.

She had made appointment in advance, but the only purpose was to say “I would like to ask about the condominium called Signpost.”

Perhaps Miyama thought she wanted to buy the property. It was said that he was confused by her suddenly business card from the newspaper.

“Yes. That’s right. But I don’t want to buy it.”

“Is it different ?”

“Yes. Actually, I wanted to talk with you about some of the strange phenomenon occurring at Signpost.”

“Strange phenomenon? What are you talking about ?”

Makoto dared to lower her voice and asked.

“What ? Don’t say anything strange so suddenly.”

Miyama said with a smile, but his expression was awkward.

“Before I came here, I did a lot of research. There was a psychic phenomenon in that apartment. And not one or two. There are quite a few complaints here as well.”

Makoto made an assertive statement.

“No, please stop it. We have nothing …”

“If you say nothing, I will write an article based on the testimony of the resident, but is that okay ?”

She thoutght, it was an unpleasant phrase.

It was a threat. Moreover, the complaints to the real estate company was only speculation. In the first place, you could not post an article about ghosts in tabloid or newspaper.

However, it seemed to be effective, as Miyama gave up after a long sigh.

“It is true that we are receiving such complaints, whether they are true or false.”

The talk was heavy, but if she could talk up to this point, the rest would be manageable.

“Specifically, what kind of complaint was it?”

“The electricity suddenly turned on, noise could be heard … Even if it wasn’t an earthquake, things might have fallen… Also, children are wandering around”

“I think there’s some reason why that happens …”

“Please wait a moment”

Miyama controled Makoto’s words.

“I’m sorry, I hear such a story, but I have not actually confirmed the phenomenon.”

“Did you go for confirmation ?”

“Yes. Several times … but nothing happened.”

Miyama had a bored tone.

Perhaps the spiritual phenomenon of that property was swayed around for a long time.

“Do you think such a phenomenon is a mistake ?”

When Makoto asked, Miyama gave an affirmative reply, “Well, that’s right.”

“But more than one person is experiencing some kind of psychic phenomenon. Could it be cleared up by a mistake ?”

“Even if you say so …”

“Did an accident happened in that property ?”

When Makoto asked, Miyama burst into laughter.

“Please excuse me. It’s been half a year since the property was built. Nobody’s dead yet. Besides, recently, we have to announce any accident property. The rules around that are well followed.”

He had a tone that made Makoto stupid, and there were some parts that make her angry, but she understood what Miyama said.

If it was only six months old, most of the residents would be those who moved in at the time of the new construction.

Even if an accident occured in the property, it must had be announced by now.

She thought it would be possible to find out the cause of the psychic phenomenon if there was an accident in the property, but it did not seem so easy.

But in Makoto’s head, another possibility arose.

“What happened before the apartment was built ?”

Even if nothing happened in the apartment, something might have happened before that.

In other words, wasn’t it possible to think that the ghost possessed the land, and not the rooms nor the building ?

We often heard about the story that when the land readjustment was carried out on the Torii gates and Jizo, a variety of strangeness occurred eventually they were put back together.

You could find out various things, such as a shrine in the valley, a building or a mound in the middle of a rice field.

It was Makoto’s idea. The psychic phenomenon started to occur when something get moved when this condominium was constructed, which should not have been moved.

“There was a shopping center.”

Miyama said lightly.

“Eh ?”

“Well, it was a shopping center.”

“Is that true ?”

“It’s true. Well, about 35 years ago, the company I ran was crushed and left in ruins. Since the dismantling cost was not a fool, it was hard to find a buyer… ”

That place was not far from the station and the location was good. She could nodify that it was a shopping center.

Even though it wasn’t the town where she grew up, she thought she should remember it if there was a shopping center, but if it was destroyed 35 years ago, it was natural that she didn’t remember it. Makoto was not born yet.

“Recently, the railway company revised the timetable and the land prices around that station suddenly increased. So we were told to build an apartment.”

“So that’s it”

She was satisfied in her voice, but her inner thought was complicated.

When it came to shopping centers, it was hard to think that something could be the cause of the psychic phenomenon that happened.

No, she couldn’t said so yet.

“Did any incidents or accidents happened at the shopping center ?”

“Come on, I don’t know that was long time ago.”

“But don’t you think that something happened at the shopping center that triggered a psychic phenomenon in the current apartment ?”

“Maybe it’s true, but if you’re worried about those old times, you can’t build a property. If you go back in the past, someone is dead everywhere.”

Miyama gave a shrug.

That was a point for him. If she traced back endlessly, someone was dead in most of the land.

When she thought it was over, an old man working at the desk behind the counter walked up to them.

“That land is cursed.”

The old man said with a pot.

Apparently he was listening to the story so far.

“It is cursed ?”

“Oh, yes. So I was opposed to build an apartment over there.”

The old man said in a bitter tone.

“Yamashina-san. You don’t have to say anything extra.”

Makoto held him down, “Please wait”, while Miyama tried to drive away the old man.

“What do you know ?”

When Makoto asked, the old man called Yamashina sat on the chair next to Miyama.

Miyama didn’t like it, but maybe he decided that it was useless to say any more, so he pursed his mouth and shut up.

“There were various things when they tried to build a shopping center on that land.”

“Various ?”

“My big brother was involved in the construction, but during the work the machine broke down, he heard strange voices, and that sort of thing. It was all creepy.”

“That is …”

“Somehow it was completed, but after the opening, there was a lot of talk like a child’s voice from the guard room, the electricity that was supposed to have been turned off suddenly turned on…”

It was the same phenomenon that was happening in ther apartment now. That would have happened over thirty-five years ago.

If it was the same ghost’s work, she felt that he had a tremendous grudge.

“Sure enough, it was crushed within years.”

That was how Yamashina concluded.

In summary of the current story, the cause of the psychic phenomenon was that the shopping center was built in the past.

“Hmm … What happened to the place in front of the shopping center ?”

Makoto asked Yamashina said “I don’t know that much”, and shook his head.