Section 4: A Curse, a Grudge, and a Video Tape (2/2)

All right, now that we're all rested up, let's get back to investigating that mysterious house.

？！

Hm?

I swear...why do I have to... investigate the cottage...in this condition?

Yu Mei-ren, would you please not leave things on the floor once you're done examining them?

... ...

If I may, my lady, I would also ask that you refrain from taking every opportunity to remind us that you do not want to be here.

Ugh, I know, I know.

So, we're looking for records like journals and documents, right?

There was nothing like that on any of the shelves.

All I could find were some old bestsellers and magazines.

How about you, Lady Murasaki?

There certainly don't seem to be any rare books or grimoires to be found here.

If there were, I'm sure they would have reacted when I made the Bounded Field.

？！

What is it, Master? It looks like...some sort of sign?

The paint is so faded that it's hard to make out what it could have been...

I can't tell if it looks familiar or not.

？！

Hmm. Maybe it's the sign from a bus stop?

That's it!

Oh, yes, I see it now. But what was it doing out here?

...I think I can just make out a small part of it.

It looks like the Japanese character for "come" and "visit," but there's something different about it...

Maybe it's read "rai"?

Well, it could be some kind of clue. Let's photograph it for evidence, Master.

？！

I wonder if there's anything else.

Records, records... What else can be used to record information?

Maybe there's something disc-based?

Hang on. I just thought of something.

There we go. I figured we'd find one of these old formats for storing records here.

That's right. I'm impressed you knew what it was.

These things might be obsolete now, but they were all the rage back in the day. And while they might be analog, they still qualify as a storage medium.

Guess you're too young to know...

This is a VHS tape. It's an analog storage medium primarily used for video. VHS was all the rage about thirty years ago.

Oh wow. I had no idea anything like that existed.

... ...

Is something wrong?

Oh, no, I'm fine, haha. Just took a little mental blow there is all.

(...Why?)

？！

So, what do you do with that?

We could play it if we had a VCR, but since we don't, I'll have to hold onto it for now.

Why's that?

Well, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one here who knows what a VCR looks like, let alone how to use it, so.

VC...R?

...Please stop looking at me like that. I'm honestly worried I might end up dying of shock.

I hear you, brother.

All right, I suppose we should get going. Who's going to stay behind and watch the cottage?

Oh, I can do that.

No, it's better if you come along, Murasaki.

We'll need your knowledge of horror movies if we run into another enemy like the last one.

W-well, in that case, I guess I can

Don't kid yourself, Illya. There's no way you could handle being here all by yourself at night, especially in these circumstances.

I'm afraid I have to agree with that.

Phew! You're right, I honestly didn't know what I would do if you asked me.

Ahh, Christine. Christine... I will watch over the cottage. I swear it on my very soul.

？！

Ahh... There is a great void within me...

？！

There is a gap inside my mind, Christine. I cannot remember what I did, Christine.

However, I do remember my mission now.

I will keep this mansion safe. I will keep this house of yours safe.

It's a cottage, not a mansion.

Well, whatever. If you're willing to keep an eye on the place, then go for it.

Thank you, O fair maiden!

See that, Kouhai?

Sometimes, you just need to let a Servant know they're doing a good job.

？！

Hey! Don't think I can't tell sarcasm when I hear it!

Hahaha, now, now.

Hmm. In that case, I think I'd better stay behind and keep an eye on things here, too.

See you all later!

Byyye! If you want to make me really happy, you can always bring me back a present.

Of course. You don't have to worry about me. I'm a magical girl, remember?

？！

Okay, let's get going.

It shouldn't be too dangerous during the day, but you could also run into darkness traps just about anywhere.

So please do be careful, Mr. Master.

？！

'Kaaay.

... ...

Yes?

You cannot fool me, young girl.

The sun may be high in the sky right now. It may not be moonless night right now.

But I can still see the exhaustion weighing heavily on your eyelids. Now, sleep. Sleep, and be at peace.

Oh! I guess I was sleepier than I realized.

Thank you, Phantom. I'll go take a nap right now.

...Sleep. Sleep.

... ...

There we go. Now to clean this room as quietly as possible.

I'll have to make sure it's beautifully decorated as well.

Fooou...

You too, weak creature. Go on, go to sleep...

Oh wow. The cicadas are really making a racket, aren't they?

Those are min-min cicadas. They're arguably an essential part of summer in Japan.

Well, maybe not all of Japan, since there aren't too many out in the western side, but nonetheless.

Honestly, I don't see a whole lot of difference between cicadas and people.

Here we go...

Well, I guess when you've lived as long as you have, everything with a finite life span can sort of blend together.

Oh, wait, I know. Humans are more resilient and much, much greedier than cicadas.

Harsh, but fair.

What? It's a compliment. ...Hm?

Is something wrong?

...It's nothing. I just got distracted for a moment.

Anyway, is that the house there?

？！

...Well, I can see signs of habitation, but they're pretty old. I think it's safe to say the place is abandoned.

Urk. It's so dusty in here.

I think I'm gonna... Achoo!

Aww, that was a cute sneeze.

Who asked you!?

Choo.

Are you okay? Do you need a handkerchief?

I-I'm fine.

Well, if we're going to be going through this house anyway...

...I'm sure no one will mind if we do a little cleaning while we're at it.

？！

And look for clues as we go.

Hup. Phew.

Wouldn't it be faster if I just blasted everything clean all at once?

Oh no, you don't! We're here to look for clues, remember!?

Hmm...

Not a whole lot of books here, especially for how big the shelves are.

I agree. There would seem to be far too few books.

What a tremendous waste. So much shelf space, and so few books to fill it...

You seem very captivated by those magazines, Lord Emiya.

？！

It's not that, Master. Though that's not to say you're wrong. I never could resist the pull of a good shounen manga.

But in this case, I wasn't reading the magazines. I was just checking their publication dates.

They're pretty old and beat-up, but I can still make out the era name.

Check it out. They're from the Shouwa period, which means they're from the 80s at the latest.

Yikes. You weren't kidding when you said they were old.

I've only ever seen magazines like these in my social studies textbook.

Oh, uh, right. I guess you would have, wouldn't you...?

(Hey, Kouhai, why's Emiya look depressed now? Is there something I'm missing?)

(?)

The generation gap does have a way of hurting older people when they least expect it, doesn't it?

(Flashing back to her painful court days.)

Hmph.

Please don't say things like that, Master. You'll only make her angrier.

I strongly suggest that you treat her more gently.

It might help if you try thinking of her as, say, a living bottle of nitroglycerin.

Hey, I'm not THAT volatile, am I?

？！

Suffice to say, this house has been abandoned at least thirty years, and probably more.

Unfortunately, that's all we can determine for now.

If we find any journals and such, we might be able to learn why it was abandoned...

...but even if we do, it's still anyone's guess as to whether that'll tell us anything about this Singularity.

... ...

Master, could I say something?

？！

I may have an idea. Could I ask all of you for your help?

Of course. What do you need?

Do you see these bookshelves? ...Hup.

You'd like us to carry them?

Oh no, nothing that strenuous. I was just hoping you could help me move them aside.

Understood. Shall we, Lord Emiya?

Sure thing. On three. One, two, three.

Aha, I knew it. Come, everyone, this way.

Hm? A bunch of handwritten books?

And quite a number of them at that.

Aha, now I get it. So the bookshelves were a secret door.

That's right. I thought the shelves felt strangely shallow, and it seems I was right.

These books are really packed in. There's definitely enough to go around here. And they're all the exact same type, too.

I think they're a series of journals. ...And they're all really old, from the looks of them.

Even the newest one looks like it was written around forty years ago.

And the oldest one seems to be over a hundred years old.

？！

Are they written in Japanese?

No, or at least not any kind of Japanese I know. The handwriting's fine, but the grammar's pretty screwy.

It doesn't seem like they're written in Japanese or Chinese...

Let me see that.

Hm. I can read them fine.

Oh my. I'm very impressed!

Knowing how to tell different characters apart is the first step to long-term survival. Remember that the next time you work on your language studies, Kouhai. Hehehe.

？！

She's got a point, Fujimaru.

Knowing English gives you a big leg up, but you should still know some Chinese and Arabic as well.

Though of course, ultimately, how you communicate is more important than what language you use.

But anyway, I think we've gotten off track. Could you read that diary for us, Yu Mei-ren?

Yeah, okay. Let's see...

Shanren... I think that's an old word that means "mountain people."

Magecraft, divination, curses... Maybe this used to be a village of mages.

Whoever this writer was, they mentioned science, too.

And who's the girl that showed up at the end? She seemed to come out of nowhere.

Beats me.

Oh, wait. Now that I look closer, I think this girl it's talking about might not actually be a living creature.

Hmm... Sorry for interrupting. Would you mind reading the rest?

Yeah, yeah.

That's the long and short of it.

So, whoever lived here was studying immortality...

Ughhhhhh! I have all the time in the world, and I STILL can't believe I wasted it reading that utter garbage!

(Uh-oh. Of all her sore spots for these journals to touch on...)

Forget it. I don't even care anymore. Maybe I can just blow up and solve this whole mess that way.

I know, I know. I was just venting.

Unfortunately, I don't think it will be that easy...

Even if it did, Lord Xiang Yu would never allow it.

(I'm not so sure about that...)

？！

At least now, we have a solid lead we can pursue.

If this village was studying immortality, that could well be the source of this Singularity.

I don't know about that. People in every corner of the world have been trying to figure out how to become immortal for pretty much all of human history...

...so that alone may not be enough to generate a Singularity.

That may be, but it's still unusual that such research was being carried out up to the present day, no?

...Hmm, you do make a good point. As far as modern history goes, the Shouwa period is pretty recent.

Pretty. Recent.

Eep! I'm sorry! I don't know why I'm sorry, but I'm sorry!

No, it's okay. I'm sorry for bringing it up. Getting back on topic...

Science has given up on immortality for the time being, leaving it as a problem for the future...

...and magecraft has used various approaches to get close, but never all the way.

...Which I guess explains why this village was mobilizing such diametrically opposed methodologies to crack its code.

(Realizing she has nothing to do now that the conversation is too complex for her to follow.)

(Realizing she has nothing to do now that the conversation has shifted to something she couldn't care less about.)

(...)

But then... In that case...

However... Yes, that's true...

Generally speaking... Thinking analytically...

Hm?

Hey, Yu Mei-ren? What's this?

How would I know anything about a machine some human cooked up?

Oh, right. I'm sorry.

...Wait, hang on.

I actually might know what that is. Just give me a second.

'K-kay!

I think this is...you know.

A streaming box? I didn't know they used to make them so big.

No, no, not that. This is that thing he wanted.

Huh? What?

Hey Emiya, got a minute?

Hm? What's up Whoooa!

A VHS player! It's perfect! This is exactly what I was looking for!

？！

Exactly.

Hang on, let me take a quick look.Yes, it works!

Done. Now I just connect its RF cable to this old CRT TV...

Just as soon as I've finished fixing the frayed bits of cable, of course...

You're really enjoying this, aren't you?

Well sure. Lots of people like to do pet projects on summer vacation, right?

...There. Now I just put in this VHS tape we found earlier...

... ...

(Huh? Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?)

...and hit "Play."

Wh-what WAS that video!? It was super scary!

(At least, I think it was! I had to close my eyes for the last half!)

(That last character looked like)

O-oh gosh, oh gosh...

Everyone, hold up! Take a look around!

What the...!? I-it's already nighttime!? And this place looks even more dilapidated now!

I-I'm so sorry! I messed up!

I didn't realize we were in a different horror movie world from the one we went through yesterday!

We are!?

And if I'm not mistaken, I think this one involves possession by a cursed object!

？！

？！

Hey!

？！

You didn't go anywhere. You just couldn't see us.

That was close. You'd have been taken away if I hadn't stepped in.

？！

Listen to me, Kouhai. You've got to keep it together.

The fear of darkness is a deeply rooted instinct.

But you're human, and you have the intelligence to illuminate darkness...

...so you'll be fine. Just grit your teeth and get through it.

We're surrounded. Are you back to your senses now, Master?

Then hit us with your orders!

？！

Roger that!

...That stopped the attack. But we're still surrounded.

I'd like to just charge in and secure a route back to the cottage, but

Hang on. Lady Murasaki?

Could you tell us more about the genre you mentioned?

Of course.

This is a classic type of Japanese horror film...though there have also been numerous Western adaptations as of late.

Their stories revolve around supernatural events that take place when someone interacts with a cursed object, such as a doll, a video, a mask, and so on.

...Well, seeing how cursed objects really do exist, I guess it makes sense that someone would've made a movie based on them.

The evil spirits in these movies are far more tenacious than those still bound to Earthly desires, and will haunt those who incur their wrath till the end of time.

They bear no personal grudges of their own, but home in on anyone who happens to come in contact with their cursed item.

...That's the basic outline of the genre, save for one more important element.

An evil spirit like this is even more difficult to defeat than a slasher from a Hollywood horror movie.

Even if the protagonist takes the necessary steps to appease the spirit, the rules of the curse can't possibly be changed.

Th-then...does that mean we're all gonna die!?

Maybe if we really were following movie rules. But this isn't a movie, and Servants are basically made to break rules. Isn't that right?

Yes, breaking the rules might work...but I'm afraid I don't know how we could do that.

Oh man, oh man... Is there anything ghosts are weak against?

In Japan, most measures against spirits involve reciting sutras, sacred fire, shrines, and temples. Would those work?

Nnn. I'm not sure.

Actual dead spirits are one thing, but spirits from movies tend to be invulnerable to things of that nature.

Even if they seem to work at first, they usually end up having no effect.

Eventually, the characters usually realize that not even the most virtuous priest stands a chance against the spirit.

...I see.

The dead spirits that appear in movies have to come across to the audience as incredibly powerful forces...

...which is why there are so many scenarios where the characters can't win, regardless of how strong or weak they may be.

Kind of funny that a movie ghost would be even more trouble than the real thing...

Hey, get ready! We've got another wave coming!

Damn. I guess time isn't on our side, either...

We should at least try to get away from this area and back to the cottage.

We'll never stand a chance against them if we remain in their home territory!

Got it.

Let's not lose our focus on Master and Illya. I'll bring up the rear. Prince of Lan Ling, would you lead the way?

Understood. I'll do my best.

Yu Mei-ren, Murasaki, you two handle the center. Everyone good with that?

？！

All right, let's run for it!

Follow me, everyone! I'll clear a path back to the cottage!

？！

Try to stick together! Don't look backjust keep moving forward!

Here, Fujimaru, hold my hand!

？！

(There's even more of them than I thought possible... I hope we can make it through this!)

Here I come!

We managed to make it through...but I don't think we're out of the proverbial woods yet!

We should be near the cottage now, but I still can't see it anywhere!

Th-this fog is so thick I can't make heads or tails of where we are!

Can't you scan the area or something, Ruby!?

Wum wum wum... Nope, I got nothing!

Sorry, but it doesn't look like I can scan our way out of this one!

Then I'll try blowing all the fog away for a split second!

All of you, get down!

？！

There's the cottage! We just need to keep heading this way!

Ahh, Christine! My songstress. My song.

Come, let us celebrate your safe return togeth

Hi everyone. Welcome back. ...Um, is something wrong?

Is everyone all right?

？！

S-sure... I-I'm perfectly...fine...

Yes...I think so...

Those things were damn persistent, but I think we managed toHm?

Where's Yu Mei-ren, aka the literal bombshell we should never leave unsupervised?

(Laugh-induced coughing fit)

Sorry about that. And please don't tell her that I l-laughed. At any rate, she was just here not too long ago...

？！

...Stop looking at me like that, Kouhai.

I'm dead. They twisted me into a pretzel and bam. Dead.

Again!?

Oh wow. Perhaps it's unfair of me to say this, since Yaobikuni became immortal from eating mermaid flesh...

...but is it a good idea for you to die quite so much?

It's fine. I'll be back to my old self soon enough.

They're here!

But now, we're in our territory. We should be more than capable of fending them off.

But we're still missing the last piece we need to defeat them!

...I don't know if this'll help or not...

...but one of those ghosts has Mystic Eyes she can use to twist anyone she sees into literal knots.

I don't think she needs to actually see you to do it, either.

She certainly didn't have a problem mangling me in that fog even though we couldn't see a thing.

Mystic Eyes, huh? ...That's going to be a problem.

Mystic Eyes... Sight... Fighting back conceptually...

Ngh, I'm so close, but I can't quite seem to connect the last few dots...

What about mirrors? They've long been a staple of combating Mystic Eyes.

Th-that's not a bad idea...but I have a feeling ordinary mirrors simply won't be enough.

How about this magic mirror I projected ahead of time?

I feel like I'm watching one of those cooking shows where the chef already baked a cake before putting the one we're making in the oven...

There's really nothing you can't do, is there?

All right, let's try fighting back with this!

(Something is still nagging at me about this, but I suppose we don't have any other choice!)

Damn, it's not working!

... ...

I knew it. It was TOO much of a staple!

Wh-what do you mean!?

It works in reality, which is why it isn't working here!

Like I said earlier, this explains why exorcisms and reciting sutras aren't working against her, either!

If this were a movie, we'd be in the second act, where we get our hopes up for a moment only to have them dashed again.

If we're going to have a good ending, we need something that takes things one step further!

Something wild and unexpected that our opponent would never see coming!

？！

Are you kidding me!? How can you be hungry at a time like this!?

？！

Oogh. That reminds me that I haven't eaten anything since lunch, either.

... ...

That's it!!!

Huh!?

What's it!?

The best way to ruin a scary scene in a movie is by having another, stronger feeling make you forget your fear!

For example, if the person sitting next to you at the movies were to suddenly start acting strangely, or "freaking out" as they say, that would completely ruin the horror movie!

Okay, so what exactly do we have to do here?

M-maybe...cook something? Smelling something good out of nowhere might jolt the movie viewers back to reality!

You want me to cook something!? Under these circumstances!?

Y-yes, that's right...

I suppose that is a lot to ask, isn't it?

What's more, it would be best if it were some kind of junk food with a powerful, enticing aroma.

Something like pizza, or french fries, or corn dogs!

Hmm. I guess we do have the ingredients on hand...

All right, challenge accepted. As long as they have the ingredients, a true cook can cook anything anywhere!

Just buy me some time...

...and I'll cook up a calorie storm that's perfect for summer vacation!

What else... Maybe, to cancel out the sight of something scary...

...we need the sound of something not scary?

Maybe something like...music?

Yes, that may work. If we had some music playingmusic powerful enough to stand up to the girl's fear...!

？！

Christine... Christine.

You called for me, so I shall sing. You sang for me, so I shall play in accompaniment.

Yes, I think I should take it from here.

Phantom!

Listen now, young girl, to the song of my love, and the melody of my wickedness!

Let the show begin, Christine!

Ahh. Ahhh. Ahhhh.

I can't believe it! Singing and eating while fighting her actually worked!?

Oogh. I ate too much while I was still recovering from coming back to life...

A-are you okay?

What the hell did I just eat? I swear, you humans come up with the weirdest ideas.

I didn't even know it was possible to deep-fry bacon. It's yummy, but I can actually feel the grease hardening in my arteries... Urk.

Ahh, your song of grief echoes throughout my heart! Ahh, my beautiful ghost. Even your vomit glistens like the stars in the sky!

I haven't thrown up anything! And knock it off with the weird songs, already!

What a bizarre and incomprehensible spirit... A strange creature, through and through...

(Sigh)

I lost, didn't I?

Looks that way.

That's too bad. I still wanted to twist more people into knots.

Dead spirits are supposed to take down their opponents quickly, quietly, and stealthily.

Not much chance of that now that you've ruined the atmosphere with food and music.

I guess someone was using me for their own ends. I'm sorry for bothering you.

Aha, now I see.

I don't know who you are, but thanks to you, I now know there's more than one way to skin a cat.

Thank you for that.

... ...

?

So... I don't suppose you know anything about this Singularity, do you?

I know about the masks.

？！

Yes, masks. They're very important. In fact, they're the key to this Singularity. Remember them.

And one more thing. Be wary of dreams.

？！

Both the girl who rejects dreams and the woman who manipulates them are equally dangerous...

...but they're also very much at odds with each other.

That's all I can tell you.

It wasn't any trouble trying to twist you all into knots, since that sort of thing is my unlife's work...

...but I have gotten kind of tired of haunting people for no good reason...

I'll come pay you another visit once things have calmed down. Good day.

Huh, didn't even realize it was already morning.

Guess this means we made it through another night.

So this tale of the cursed video tape is finally over, huh.

You know, I still don't know what the deal was with that video.

Beats me, too. Though I do remember seeing a mask in it.

Seven.

Huh?

Didn't they show the number seven right at the end?

You mean those countless mysterious symbols? I suppose they did somewhat resemble sevens.

Ah well, don't worry about it. It's probably just in my head.

(Sigh) More importantly...

It's nothing, Kouhai.

Hm?

Oh, it's just... Well, you know.

I was just thinking how I almost never died twice in quick succession like this, even during the many years I was actually alive.

？！

Ugh, I hope I don't end up dying in a dream or something tomorrow. That would really suck.

Um, Lady Yu Mei-ren?

I believe what you've just done is commonly known as tempting fate.

... ...

Shit! I knew that, and I still ran my big mouth!

Ugh, I swear, what the hell is this lake's problem!? It better not be cursed or anything!

Why yes, it is cursed.

!!!

Hello, lovely Master.

Teeheehee.

Does it really matter who I am?

？！

Say, could I ask you all something? How do you distinguish dreams from reality?

The fact that, when you wake up from a horrible dream, everything's back to the way it was?

Oh, no, no, no. I won't have it.

When living things die, they return to the earth. This is an immutable truth of the universe.

After all, if not for that inevitable fact, we humans would just give up on life.

We would forgo making the most of our short lives, and fall straight into depravity.

That goes for you as much as anyone, Master.

The more depraved you let yourselves become, the more likely you are to lose the spark that gives your lives meaning.

Oh my.

... ...

...Just like the people who used to live on this mountain.

So I'm going to protect you from that fate.

I'm going to devote every fiber of my being to keeping you safe forever.

Oh, yes, my name is Abigail Williams. I'll see you around, Master.

She's gone.

I suppose that was her way of declaring war.

I think it was.

Be honest, Fujimaru: You attract trouble like a magnet, don't you?

He does, doesn't he?

Not at all. Hey, how about we grab a cup of tea later? (Secretly delighted to have found someone else who understands what he's been through.)

Poor Master...

... ...

(Still, it does give me a good story idea. I'll have to write it down later...)

？！

...Dreams, huh.