This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 113: Hidden World

Chapter 113: Hidden World

Dubian Mayi was dumbfounded.

Dubian Qiansui was also somewhat dumbfounded.

Unaware, both of them had stopped using their chopsticks, staring at Beichuan Si, who had already helped himself to three large plates of rice.

With one pot of curry, they barely ate anything, as it mostly ended up in Beichuan Si’s stomach.

"...I thought Mr. Beichuan was joking, but now it seems... this pot might indeed not be enough for us," Dubian Mayi murmured in astonishment.

It wasn’t that he minded the curry, but Beichuan Si’s appetite was simply terrifying.

Key to this was the calm and methodical way in which Beichuan Si ate.

It was very strange.

Beichuan Si ate the most, yet he had the most refined manners.

This odd contrast made Dubian Qiansui lose her appetite after just a couple of bites of curry, prompting her to ask curiously, "Brother Beichuan, do you always eat this much?"

"About the same, this amount is fine, fills about 60% of my belly, and doesn’t hinder my movement," Beichuan Si replied blandly.

Hearing this, Dubian Mayi couldn’t resist teasing, "Mr. Beichuan must eat with the rice cooker traditionally."

But he didn’t expect Beichuan Si to nod deeply in agreement, "Indeed, sometimes refilling the bowl is troublesome. I could consider buying another rice cooker to use as my bowl."

Uh—

Dubian Mayi blinked.

Dubian Qiansui also blinked.

The two hadn’t anticipated that Beichuan Si was actually considering implementing this bizarre idea.

"I’m just kidding," Beichuan Si said, glancing at Dubian Mayi with a blank expression.

A joke?

The problem is this joke...

Dubian Mayi and Dubian Qiansui forced a couple of laughs for Beichuan Si’s sake, feeling oddly colder.

After the meal, Beichuan Si took the pots and dishes to clean up and returned them to the Dubians.

After all, he had eaten their meal uninvited, so least doing this was expected.

As Beichuan Si handed the dishes to Dubian Qiansui, the girl suddenly let out a small scream, pointing at Beichuan Si’s shoulder.

"Brother Beichuan, on your shoulder..."

Beichuan Si looked over his right shoulder.

Apparently, at some point, Kelian had perched herself on his shoulder, the small doll’s head particularly conspicuous.

"Is this... a doll?" Dubian Qiansui asked, looking curiously at the little Kelian on Beichuan Si’s shoulder.

Beichuan Si nodded, "This is an amulet."

Using a doll as an amulet...

Is this common in Tokyo too?

Dubian Qiansui wondered, but suddenly the little doll that was perched on Beichuan Si’s shoulder raised its round little hand and waved at her.

Ah...

She blinked in surprise and blinked again only to see the little doll maintaining its original position on Beichuan Si’s shoulder.

For some reason, even though the face of the doll on Beichuan Si’s shoulder was fierce, it didn’t scare her at all. In fact, on this cold night, it even gave her an indescribable sense of familiarity.

"Miss Chiansui, you should probably go to sleep soon, I won’t bother you further," Beichuan Si said.

"If you don’t mind, Brother Beichuan, you could spend the night here with us. My father’s tent is quite large and the wind is strong at night here. Using just a sleeping bag might get too cold, and it would be bad if you fell ill," Dubian Qiansui attempted to detain him.

"No need, imposing further wouldn’t be good," Beichuan Si declined politely.

Dubian Qiansui watched Beichuan Si head back to his own campsite, moving her mouth silently, ultimately giving up.

The cold wind howled, chilling to the scalp.

The night... was still long.

...

Beichuan Si woke up amid the pitter-patter of restless noises.

He clearly heard the strained voice of Dubian Mayi calling out.

"Chiansui! Can you hear me?"

"Sister Chiansui! Where are you?"

Dubian Qiansui was missing?

Beichuan Si opened his eyes after maintaining a light sleep.

The entire campsite began to stir.

Many tourists, informed of the situation by Dubian Mayi, started searching with their flashlights.

Beichuan Si quickly turned over, causing poor little Nishijou Kurenai, who had been quietly lying on his chest, to suddenly fall to the ground with a smack.

He picked up Nishijou Kurenai, slung his backpack on, and approached the flustered Dubian Mayi.

"Mr. Dubian."

"Mr. Beichuan, you’ve come just in time! Help me look for Chiansui, I woke up and found her missing from my side," Dubian Mayi was frantic.

Dubian Chiansui was just a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, and girls her age disappearing in these mountains almost certainly had no chance of survival.

Not to mention it was winter, and the nighttime weather was extremely cold, definitely not something a young girl could withstand.

"I understand, I’ll help," Beichuan Si nodded, but at the same time, he felt something strange.

It was still the middle of the night, where could Dubian Chiansui have gone alone? What did she want to go out for?

Why would she leave the campsite late at night?

A twelve or thirteen-year-old girl should understand the dangers of losing her way in the mountains.

Hirasaka Hikari... Dubian Chiansui...

If it was as he suspected.

Darkness swirled in Beichuan Si’s eyes.

He looked towards Dubian Chiansui’s tent.

Sure enough, over the small tent, a strand of malice was rising.

"Just as I thought," Beichuan Si’s eyes flickered.

He followed the lingering malice through the dense forest towards the river’s upstream, stepping one step at a time.

...

Dubian Chiansui saw...

A crowd bustling, lining up and surging into the mountains.

A priest holding a faint blue flame.

The flame flickered with a captivating light.

Along the way, there were odd, low chants from a woman, and the ringing of ritual bells.

Merging with the mountain...

Merging with them...

Yes...

When Dubian Chiansui came to her senses, she found herself already swept along with the crowd, walking step by step deeper into the mountains.

There was no way back—

Dubian Chiansui walked in a daze, feeling extremely cold as if immersed in ice water.

Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, but her feet wouldn’t stop.

They just wouldn’t stop.

Ahead was the torii gate, perhaps stepping through it meant she could never return? Escaping into a hidden world, completely cut off from the real world...

Dubian Chiansui didn’t want that, but her feet moved forward on their own, and her body grew colder.

Then—

"Sister Chiansui!"

Someone grabbed her hand.

In that instant, Dubian Chiansui felt her senses return to normal, and the dreamlike vision of the torii gate shattered before her.

When she fully regained consciousness, her body trembled again.

The scene before her was chilling to the bone.

Ahead was a dark, bottomless mountain abyss, and she was just one step away from falling into it.

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