This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 126 - 125. Night is the hidden world

Chapter 126: 125. Night is the hidden world

"I know," Beichuan Si nodded thoughtfully.

He had wanted to bring Magong Tong to Shenzhu Village since his time in Tokyo, after all, the curse she bore originated from Shenzhu Village, and perhaps the solution could only be found there.

But in the end, due to Magong Tong’s parents and various other reasons, Beichuan Si came to Shenzhu Village first.

"I’ve been in Shimadu City for three days now, and there are five days left before spring break ends, which means... Magong should be here in at most two days."

Beichuan Si explained briefly, then casually stashed the stone dew in his backpack, planning to find an opportunity to use it on Nishijou Kurenai.

Upon hearing this, Magong Yongshi gently clapped her hands, her face showing a trace of reminiscence, "That means I’ll see Tong again soon. It’s been nine years, I wonder what she looks like now? Tong used to be very lively and cute."

It seemed that her spirits had lifted quite a bit either because the grudge inhabiting her had been thoroughly expelled, or perhaps because one of the restraints of the Soul Suppressing Twins had been removed.

But—

What does Magong Tong look like now?

Beichuan Si felt subtly uneasy.

Insecure, somewhat foolish, decent-looking, but too gloomy.

Watching Magong Yongshi’s slightly too exuberant demeanor, Beichuan Si just shook his head, choosing not to share these thoughts with her.

A man and a ghost emerged from the underground palace.

Beichuan Si pondered aloud, "Miss Yongshi, your soul has been divided quite a lot, could this affect your own memory?"

Magong Yongshi shook her head, "No, as I’ve mentioned before, all my memories are locked deep within my soul, and dividing the soul from the grudge doesn’t harm the memories. Of course, to recall certain things, I must see something familiar, or else the gate of memory will not open."

"Is that so?" Beichuan Si nodded, not pursuing the subject further.

Looking around at the ancient yet well-preserved buildings, Beichuan Si took out his cellphone, switched to the camera, and began taking pictures one by one.

He was still intent on enriching the page of his Urban Mysterious Tales Office, and somewhat ignored Magong Yongshi’s trivial chatter.

But before Beichuan Si could finish taking all the photos, Magong Yongshi suddenly popped up beside him and snatched his phone, her little face full of surprise:

"What is this?"

Magong Yongshi flipped through the phone, mesmerized by the sleek, small screen.

Beichuan Si, expressionless, took the phone back from her hands but explained, "This is a cellphone."

"Cellphone?!" Magong Yongshi covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes shimmering with intense curiosity, "But isn’t a cellphone that thick device that flips open—with the numbers 123456789?"

As she spoke, her little hands mimicked the classic flip phone design:

"The head of the Magong Family once had a cellphone, brought by a respected elder when the family branch split. It was said that it’s easier to make contact with a cellphone—though the head of the Magong Family told me that in such mountainous areas there is no signal, and the cellphone isn’t much use."

Magong Yongshi shook her head somewhat nostalgically, "Yet, the head of the Magong Family always boasted about his cellphone to me, like a child."

Beichuan Si massaged his temples.

It seemed that even the most secluded villages found some use in good tools.

He didn’t bother explaining the difference between flip phones and smartphones to Magong Yongshi, simply continuing, "This is a cellphone."

"Outside Shenzhu Village, the world is vast, and people are constantly developing and progressing, the kind of cell phone you mentioned has long been phased out by the era."

"Phased out..."

Magong Yongshi’s expression seemed touched.

Isn’t it the same with Shenzhu Village?

This village has always been self-enclosed, maintaining ancient traditions, as long as the rituals are useful, they do not think about other things.

If the Shenzhu Shrine continued to research rituals, perhaps they could find a way to improve the rituals, maybe they could optimize them?

Would Shenzhu Village still vanish then?

But by this time, bringing up these points was like flowers in the mirror or the moon’s reflection on the water, utterly meaningless.

Magong Yongshi’s ability to embrace new things was not weak, after her reflection, she asked Beichuan Si to lend her the cell phone, seemingly intending to figure out how to use a smartphone—

But that was actually impossible.

Beichuan Si watched her levitate the phone with a golden flow of energy, her elegant white index fingers extending and poking at his phone screen, and he couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.

Most smartphones use capacitive screens, and a ghost, being merely a human thought, naturally cannot be sensed.

Beichuan Si shook his head and used his flashlight to glance at his watch.

"It’s after six."

He frowned and looked outside.

The winter sun had already set, and a dark blue sky enveloped everything.

When night fell, Beichuan Si could clearly feel that the entire Magong Main Family had changed.

Dangerous and eerie, a cold sensation lingered around Beichuan Si, and it did not go away for a long time.

"It’s already night," Magong Yongshi emerged from behind Beichuan Si at some point, her slender eyebrows furrowed as she said, "Mr. Temple, you should rest in the coffin room tonight, the Magong Family at night is not the same as it is during the day."

"Not the same concept?" Beichuan Si turned around, puzzled.

"Exactly." Magong Yongshi nodded gravely, "As night falls, the boundaries between the visible world and the invisible world also blur—actually, dusk is the time when the invisible world and the visible world are closest... but dusk is just a brief moment compared to the long night."

Dusk is known as the witching hour in Japan, a phrase most people have heard, but few know the reason behind it.

The reason dusk is called the witching hour is because it lies between day and night, when the sky is about to darken but has not yet darkened, at this time, people can naturally see some things that they cannot see in the everyday.

"If dusk is the moment when the invisible and the visible worlds are closest, then the night in Shenzhu Village is now the world of the invisible."

Magong Yongshi looked at the building opposite.

As if responding to her words, the Magong house suddenly flickered with fire—

The flames flared up in succession, as if someone were still living in the Magong house.

"These are the thoughts of the deceased... during the night, some weak spirits can also materialize out of this force of thought..."

Meanwhile, Beichuan Si watched those somber, flickering flames, and also furrowed his brows.