Vol 2 Chapter 4 Part 5

After that, we stuffed our faces with rice balls, ate delicious grilled meat, and chatted around the fire. It was a lot of fun.

At 8:50 p.m., we excitedly gathered in front of the TV. We’d finished cleaning up, and Akihito’s program about Kyoto was going to start at 8:55. I sat on the floor with my knees up, the way you would in gym class. My heart was beating fast as I watched the commercials. Even though it’s not me, I’m really excited! It was going to be my first time seeing someone I know on TV.

“I-I’m kind of nervous.”

“D-Don’t be silly. I’m the nervous one here,” Akihito said, whirling around to face me. I flinched.

Holmes chuckled and said, “But it’s not your first time appearing on TV, right?”

“It’s not, but before it was always a quick glance. This is my first time being the main focus.”

Then, the screen changed to a view of autumn foliage with music playing in the background.

“Classical music arranged in jazz style. Very nice,” commented Holmes.

“R-Right?” Akihito seemed proud, but his response was awkward because of his nervousness.

As the familiar-sounding music played, the camera slowly panned from the beautiful red leaves to Nanzen-ji Temple’s Sanmon gate. Akihito stood in front of the gate, wearing a dark gray kimono. The kimono was very chic, making him look even more attractive and removing any sense of his frivolousness.

“W-Wow, a kimono! It really suits you, Akihito!” I exclaimed.

Akihito gave an embarrassed laugh. “W-Well, it was the first episode, after all. I had to look good.”

“Nanzen-ji Temple is the highest ranked of all of the Zen Buddhist temples in Japan. When I first saw this towering gate, I was overwhelmed by an indescribable aura. It’s even more exceptional in autumn. Look at these wonderful red leaves.”

There was a refined smile on Akihito’s face as he looked up at the foliage. Then he walked up to the balcony, and the screen was filled with red leaves and the city of Kyoto. It was presented beautifully—even an amateur like me could tell that the camerawork was great.

“Now, this Sanmon gate is known for being the location where Goemon Ishikawa says ‘A magnificent, magnificent view’ in a kabuki play. However, it was actually built after Goemon Ishikawa had already died. Nevertheless, the people of Kyoto must have been so fascinated by the view from here that they incorporated it into a play,” Akihito said passionately, gazing down at the landscape.

“As for the aqueduct, which was a great accomplishment of the Meiji era…” Next, he talked about the beauty of the aqueduct.

And finally… “Nanzen-ji Temple was also known for once being haunted. The emperor at the time was at a loss. He asked Fumon Mukan, a Zen priest from Tofuku-ji Temple, to drive the ghosts away somehow. It is said that even though the priest merely did the same things he did regularly at Tofuku-ji Temple, the ghosts disappeared. The priest said that ghosts cannot win against virtue, and evidently that was the case. Next time, I’d like to introduce you to Tofuku-ji Temple.” Akihito smiled as the camera zoomed out with the music playing in the background. The program came to an end.

The footage was so beautiful that it touched my heart, and Akihito did a really good job of making me want to go there. But…he was totally imitating Holmes, right?

A commercial came on, and we automatically looked at each other.

“Akihito, you were totally imitating Holmes, right?”

“Akihito, if you misrepresent yourself to that extent, you’re going to have a difficult time in the future.”

“N-No I won’t! I’m an actor performing my role on the show!”

“An actor performing his role… That’s a good way to put it.” Holmes chuckled, smiling knowingly.

“Why don’t you go on the show, Holmes? You’re just as good-looking as Akihito.”

“H-Hey, Aoi!”

“No, I’m not interested in television work. After my grandfather’s clash with that business, I decided that I wasn’t suited for the world of show biz. I don’t like to be in a public-facing position.”

I see. Since he’s so perceptive, he might’ve instantly realized that he wasn’t suited for TV after experiencing it through the owner.

“Ahhh, since I was so nervous, now I gotta go pee. I’m going to the bathroom.” Akihito stretched and left the living room.

“Gotta go pee”… So much for being an attractive actor.

Some time after Akihito had left, the lights suddenly went out.

“Huh?” It wasn’t just dark. It was pitch black, possibly because of the light-blocking curtains.

“It looks like the power went out,” Holmes said calmly in the darkness.

“R-Really? Did we use that much electricity?”

“I’m not sure. It’s a good thing we have the lantern that we used for the barbeque.” Holmes picked up the battery-powered lantern from the floor and switched it on.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Suddenly, a piercing scream came from the hallway—more importantly, it was Akihito’s voice. The living room door opened with a bang.

“W-We’ve got a problem!” Akihito barged in, his eyes wide.

“You’re overreacting. It’s just a power outage,” I sighed, exasperated.

“I can imagine a sudden blackout being scary when you’re in the restroom of an unoccupied house, though.”

“N-No! That’s not it! After I left the bathroom, a doll came walking at me from the other end of the hallway, and it was laughing,” Akihito said, sounding like he was struggling to breathe.

I froze. “A-A doll?” Holmes and I exchanged glances.

“When you’re paranoid, even a willow tree will look like a ghost. I’m sure that your fear from the blackout made you think you were seeing the doll walking and laughing,” Holmes said.

“N-No way! This is completely different from a tree looking like a ghost! Go and see for yourself!”

“If anything, I’ll check later when I do need to use the restroom.”

“Seriously, what the heck was that? I need to know!”

“Like I said, I’ll check later.”

“No, please do it now. I’m begging you, Holmes. Zen priest Holmes!” Akihito knelt on the floor and clapped his hands together, trying to get Holmes’s attention.

“Sorry, I’m not a Zen priest; I’m a sheltered boy,” Holmes said with a smile. He was always more open with his black-hearted, “wicked Kyoto guy” side when it came to Akihito.

But now that it’s come to this… “U-Um… I need to use the restroom too…” I said quietly, looking down. It’s really embarrassing, but I’m scared to go alone now.

“All right,” Holmes said. “I’ll take a look then. You stay here, Akihito.” He picked up the lantern and stood up.

“Wait, you’re taking the light with you?” Akihito asked.

“Of course. I’m also going to check the breaker, so please wait here.”

“O-Okay.”

“Don’t worry, Akihito. There’s nothing to be scared of.” Holmes patted him on the back a few times.

“Y-Yeah.” Akihito looked really conflicted about Holmes’s mocking form of encouragement, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Now then, let’s go, Aoi.”

“O-Okay.”

I left the living room with Holmes. Moonlight shone in from the hallway window, so it was brighter there, much to my relief.

Holmes checked the breaker in the foyer and said, “The breaker is fine. Perhaps it’s an issue with the wiring.”

“I see…” I looked towards the other end of the hallway and flinched when I saw a doll. “H-Holmes, the doll is there!” Maybe Akihito was right!

Holmes silently picked up the doll. It was a boy with the face of Fukusuke, a traditional china doll associated with good luck.

“Ah, this is a mechanical doll.”

“M-Mechanical?”

“Yes, so there’s nothing strange about it moving. There’s nothing to be afraid of, so take your time. I’ll wait right here.” He smiled gently.

Okay, so there’s nothing wrong with a mechanical doll moving. But why did it suddenly start moving in the first place? I decided not to dwell on it.

“I-I’ll go now, then. Sorry.” I bowed and was about to go into the restroom when Holmes said, “Take this. It’s scary when it’s dark, right?” and offered me the lantern.

“Th-Thank you.” Holmes really is nice.

Still nervous, I used the restroom, washed my hands, and came back out.

“Sorry and thanks again,” I said.

“Let’s go back.”

The moment I passed the lantern to Holmes—

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Akihito’s scream rang out again. Did something else happen?

I stiffened up. “Holmes…”

“Really, that man… He might be suited for a suspense drama,” Holmes said, exasperated. I relaxed a bit hearing him say that, feeling the fear subside.

“What happened, Akihito?” Holmes opened the living room door. Inside, Akihito was clinging to a big stuffed animal. “Really, what on earth happened to you?”

“Th-There was…a white silhouette of a woman! It showed up for a second and then disappeared,” Akihito wailed.

“Wh-What? Really?” I asked.

“Yeah! It happened after you two left!”

Hm? Something felt off, but before I could figure out what, the sound of noisy footsteps came from the second floor. Akihito screamed again, and I froze in place. Wh-Why are there footsteps coming from the empty second floor? This place really is haunted!

“It’s okay. Don’t be scared,” Holmes whispered in my ear before the fear could set in. My heart skipped a beat.

Wait, huh? Something’s definitely not right.

“Th-This is weird,” I said. The other two looked at me, surprised.

“I-I know it’s weird! This place is swarming with evil spirits!” Akihito exclaimed.

“N-No, that’s not what I mean. After your show ended and you went to the bathroom, the power suddenly went out and a mechanical doll started moving once you went into the hallway… Then, when Holmes and I were in the hallway, a white silhouette appeared in the living room…” It’s almost as though they were trying to spook Akihito without letting me see anything scary. “I don’t think this is the work of spirits.”

“Wh-What is it, then?!” Akihito raised his voice, clearly panicking.

There’s…only one person who could do this.

I gulped and turned around to look at Holmes.

“Holmes, this was your doing, right?” I declared.

The living room fell silent for some time.

Akihito was the first to speak: “Wh-What are you talking about, Aoi? How could Holmes make spirits show up?”

“I-I don’t know, but it wouldn’t be impossible for him.”

I stared fixedly at Holmes. He looked calm, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking from his expression. He received the house key in advance, so he could’ve come here beforehand…and most importantly, he made it so that I wouldn’t see any of the ghosts. That way, I wouldn’t get scared…

“But why would he do that?!” Akihito lamented.

Right… Why would he do that?

Then, Holmes chuckled and clapped his hands. “Well done, Aoi. I slipped up at the end there. Rather, it’s hard for me to be ruthless when there’s a girl present, so my cover was blown.”

As I thought, the supernatural incidents were Holmes’s doing.

“S-Seriously, Holmes? Why would you do this? Do you hate me that much?” Akihito asked with tears in his eyes. I felt so bad for him.

“No, not at all. If I hated you and wanted to make you suffer, I wouldn’t use such a bothersome method. I’d find an easier, crueler, more brutal way,” Holmes said, nonchalantly mixing in those mean words. “What happened tonight was my doing, but I’m not the main culprit.”

He did it but he wasn’t the main culprit? “Huh? Does that mean there’s a mastermind?” I asked.

“Yes. Someone asked me to do this.”

Someone asked him…? Suddenly, I remembered the phone call he received at Kura. The person on the other end also said they’d call him again later…

“Is the mastermind Akihito’s manager?” I asked quietly.

Holmes nodded. “Correct. That day, he said to me, ‘Akihito was great in that program, but he was trying too hard to imitate someone, and none of his own personality came through. I do think it was a good fit for that episode, though. That said, it’s definitely going to be a problem down the road if the viewers are under the impression that Akihito is such a well-behaved man. So, I want to show the viewers his true self. I’m going to show them what that elegant Akihito Kajiwara is really like, and I could use your help.’”

Akihito and I gulped. So that was the truth.

“Wait, but…does that mean…”

“No way, right?”

We inadvertently looked around the room.

“Correct: this is a TV prank. By the way, he said it’ll be aired as a New Year’s special. Oh, and don’t worry, Aoi. Our faces will be hidden,” Holmes said nonchalantly.

Akihito and I gaped.

“Wh-What? Does that mean they’re going to show me being humiliated?”

Holmes nodded. “Yes. Those screams were quite impressive, so it might lead to more work.”

“Are the staff waiting around somewhere?” I asked, quickly looking around the room.

“No, he said they couldn’t spend that much money on a beginner like Akihito. There are only hidden cameras and the tricks I set up in advance. I was the one operating them.”

“H-Hmph.” Akihito looked unhappy to be told that they “couldn’t spend that much money” on him, but he also seemed relieved. He plopped himself down on the sofa. “Thank god that’s over, though. You’re not gonna pull anything else now that the cat’s out of the bag, right?”

“Yes. I had more prepared, like a doll falling from the ceiling and a child’s crying voice, but unfortunately, now that it’s been spoiled, the fun’s over. I did get some great reactions out of you though, so I think your manager will be satisfied. You have a good partner.” Holmes smiled warmly.

“I-I guess.”

Then, the gonging sound of a bell rang out, making us flinch.

“Dude, stop it with the tricks!”

“Yeah!”

Holmes shook his head. “No, that wasn’t me.”

“H-Huh?” Akihito and I reacted in unison.

“That was Tofuku-ji Temple’s late-night ‘sending’ bell,” Holmes said with a smile.

“Sending bell?”

“Yes. It rings eighteen times every night at 11:45 p.m.”

“Th-This late at night?”

“Yes. The late-night bell has been a tradition since the temple’s founding. The head priest at the time, Enni, was also the head priest of Kennin-ji Temple, so he would go to Kennin-ji when he finished his business at Tofuku-ji. When that happened, Tofuku-ji would send him off with the ‘sending’ bell, and Kennin-ji would welcome him with the ‘receiving’ bell. It’s been seven hundred and fifty years since then, and the tradition is still kept alive.”

The gonging continued. I couldn’t believe that they’d ring a bell in the middle of the night when it wasn’t New Year’s Eve. And it was every night… But then again, this local tradition has continued for seven hundred and fifty years. I was impressed that Kyoto was able to protect it for so long, and I hoped they’d continue to do so. I felt unexpectedly moved when I encountered these local customs.

“Now then, my mission is over, so let’s have another toast to Akihito’s future success.” Using the light from the lantern, Holmes poured wine and juice into our glasses.

“Y-Yes, let’s.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

The three of us raised our glasses. “To Akihito’s success! Cheers!”

We toasted as the bell rang out. The chimes being sent from Tofuku-ji to Kennin-ji felt like they were symbolizing Akihito’s journey into another world. The bell stopped after exactly eighteen chimes.

The three of us exchanged glances and laughed.

“Man, that was really scary, right, Aoi?” Akihito said, taking a swig of his wine.

“Yes.” I nodded. “The footsteps upstairs scared me a lot. After we found out the truth, I thought there were staff on the second floor.”

“Ah,” Holmes said, looking at me. “I actually didn’t set up the footsteps upstairs.”

“Huh?”

“It’s possible that I upset some apparitions with my man-made phantoms.”

“Wh-What?”

“Well, when Tofuku-ji Temple’s former head priest Fumon Mukan drove away the ghosts at Nanzen-ji Temple, he said that ‘ghosts cannot win against virtue.’ So, as long as you keep that in mind, you should be fine.” Holmes grinned, placing his hand on his chest.

Akihito and I looked at each other and screamed, “Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

I’ll never forget this long autumn night.

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