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Two Choices – Part 03

Today’s the 10th day, Hikaru mused. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, the spell for crossing worlds would be executed around 10 p.m. tonight, and he would return to the other world while Serika and her friends came back here.

“How are you feeling?” Lavia asked.

“Hmm… Perfect.”

Hikaru squinted at the bright sunlight. They had checked out of the hot springs inn. Once they headed to the Doyama residence, that would wrap up everything.

No contact, huh?

His only concern was that he couldn’t get in touch with Ayano Sasakura. But he was optimistic about that. Since foreign media had started reporting on Tokigawa, he believed Ayano was working on that story too. Even though Ayano wasn’t good with technology, she should be able to manage at least emails.

Seriously. It’s almost a skill to be that bad at something.

He even had a feeling that the lack of contact might be due to her phone being damaged, making communication impossible.

Well, whatever. She’ll handle things on her own.

It shouldn’t be long until the truth came out: that the attackers at Doyama’s mansion were from the Chinese mafia. When coupled with Tokigawa’s movements, a clear picture formed: the Finance Minister was trying to bring capital from China to make money.

Investigating that was the job of the police and the prosecution, while turning it into an article was the job of journalists. Ayano was bound to become busy with this.

We probably won’t meet Sasakura again. If she contributes to international media, she might even become known worldwide.

Then, suddenly, something gnawed at Hikaru’s mind. It felt as if there were still a bunch of unresolved matters.

“Hikaru? The taxi’s here.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Oh well. We’re heading back tonight anyway, Hikaru thought as he got into the taxi.

The taxi driver was the usual talkative one. He was in a great mood, talking about how the town was attracting attention from the whole world, while driving toward the Fujinota Station. He immediately believed Hikaru when he said he didn’t know anything about the incident. The man still hadn’t noticed Lavia.

What a nice person, Hikaru mused.

“You could’ve stayed a little longer. The Prime Minister’s coming, you know.”

Hikaru laughed. “I have other things to worry about.”

“I see. Well then, take care!”

After getting off the taxi at Fujinota Station, Hikaru and Lavia stored their luggage in a locker and then strolled towards Doyama’s mansion. There was a loud whirring sound. They looked up and saw news helicopters flying past.

“Wow… it’s really chaotic.”

When they finally reached Doyama’s mansion, the place was crowded with reporters.

The quiet surroundings of Doyama’s home were unusually noisy. Media vehicles were parked everywhere, photographers were using stepladders to take pictures from the top of the walls, and there were clearly onlookers—many of them foreigners—wandering around. Policemen were also in the area, directing traffic.

“It’s Mr. Doyama!” someone shouted, and all eyes turned in that direction.

The side gate of the estate opened, and old man Doyama appeared. Reporters with microphones and people carrying television cameras rushed toward him.

“Mr. Doyama! Please give us a comment! Word is that new people from another world appeared the day before yesterday?!”

“…”

A crowd quickly formed around Doyama, with many microphones thrust at him like handguns, and over the reporter’s shoulder, digital voice recorders, TV cameras, or even smartphones jutted out.

The pressure must have been immense, but Doyama, with his usual sour expression, said, “You’re being a nuisance in the neighborhood.”

But the reporter wasn’t deterred. “Does your inability to comment mean that the otherworlders told you to not talk?”

Doyama looked at the reporter with eyes that said, “How did you arrive at that conclusion? Can’t you understand Japanese?”

The reporter only wanted the comments they were looking for. Doyama was not accustomed to talking to these types of people.

“What are you talking about? They didn’t say anything like that.”

“So you had a conversation with them? Was it in Japanese? What did they say?!”

“Well, yeah, it was in Japanese. But I don’t know whether they’re from another world or not. Even if they claimed they were, I would take it with a grain of salt.”

“So they’re like Serika Tanoue, who went to another world from Earth and came back?!”

“A scoop!” said one reporter.

“It’s possible that other Japanese people went to the other world! Can we make it into the evening edition?!” another added.

“They never said they were from over there.”

“The magic they used was powerful! You saw it up close, Mr. Doyama. How did it feel?!”

“…”

“Did the police find anything during their inspection?!”

“…”

“Let us take pictures of the garden! We’ll bring experts. We want to see traces of magic!”

“…”

Glancing wearily at the microphones and cameras, Doyama let out a sigh and returned to the mansion through the side gate.

“Mr. Doyama? Mr. Doyama!”

“Give us a comment, please!”

“The whole nation wants to know!”

He ignored them all. He was thinking of apologizing to the neighbors once the commotion settled down.

“What is wrong with those people? They’re blowing this way out of proportion,” Doyama mumbled. “And they want to show the garden to experts? I’ve never heard of experts on magic before.” He entered through the front door. “So tired.”

“Never a moment’s rest, huh?”

When Doyama heaved another deep sigh, the masked boy and girl appeared.

While the reporters were distracted with Doyama, Hikaru and Lavia borrowed a stepladder to climb over the fence and entered the premises. Since they were using Stealth, the people nearby didn’t notice them, but if there were cameras on the helicopters, they would have been caught on film.

“I-It’s you. Don’t scare me like that. You’ll give me a heart attack.”

“We definitely don’t want that.” Hikaru grinned.

“So you’ve come after all.”

“Would it have been better if we hadn’t?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking of talking about the mountain, but now that you’re here… I’ve never told anyone outside of the family.”

“Not even once?”

“Of course.”

“I see. Then you don’t have to tell us.”

Hikaru only gave the suggestion since the old man believed in returning favors. However, if it was too much for him, he had the option not to accept it.

Indeed, there might be secrets on Mt. Midori that the Doyama family felt compelled to protect so fervently. While it piqued Hikaru’s curiosity, he wasn’t that desperate to know about a well-kept secret. There were many wonders in the world, and Hikaru had experienced enough to know that some things were best left as they were.

“When you tell me I don’t have to say anything, it angers me. It feels like I’m being mocked.”

“What do you want me to say then?”

“Well, you’re probably not the kind of person who spreads other people’s secrets, and you yourself look like a bundle of secrets, so I don’t mind talking.” The old man took off his sandals and entered the front door. “Let’s go to Mt. Midori. Oh, and since it’s noisy outside, bring your shoes.”

There was a small path behind Doyama’s mansion leading to Mt. Midori, and Hikaru had assumed they would enter the mountain from there. However, to his surprise, the house had a basement and an underground passage.

“They’ve got a few people lurking around Mt. Midori too. If we go out through there, it’s bound to cause another commotion.”

“Yeah… but is this place safe?”

Hikaru felt a little uneasy. The underground basement felt as though it had been carved out of the ground. Despite it being winter, it felt damp, and the walls were wet.

“It looks like it could collapse in case of an earthquake,” Hikaru said.

“Don’t worry about that. It has stood for centuries. There was a tremor last night, but it’s still fine.”

“There was an earthquake last night?”

Hikaru glanced at Lavia, who shook her head.

“Oh, right. This place shakes when the mountain is restless. Well, perhaps I should say, I can sense the mountain being restless because my house shakes.”

The old man mentioned this at every opportunity.

“If I recall correctly, you said you could tell if the mountain was restless if you lived in this house. Is it like feeling earthquakes or some kind of rumbling? Does it shake only in this house or around Mt. Midori?”

“That’s correct. Now, put on your shoes.”