As expected, Haruhi made a face as though realizing she’d just swallowed an onion thinking it was roast beef as she gazed bleakly at that mansion (Haruhi called it a villa).
“This isn’t what I imagined. The looks are an important factor, did the architect even refer to previous experience when building this?”
I stood beside Haruhi on the deck, looking at the view of the island. I was forcefully dragged out there by her, by the way.
“Kyon, what do you think? It’s a lone island, yet the building looks so ordinary. Don’t you think it’s a pity?”
I was actually thinking, they didn’t need to build a mansion so far away. It’d take more than an hour by private speedboat to get to the nearest convenience store and return. What would you eat if you were to get hungry in the middle of the night? There don’t seem to be any vending machines for drinks either.
“I’m talking about the atmosphere! I always thought it’d be one of those eerie villas, but from the looks of it, this is just a vacation mansion! Our objective isn’t to come to some rich friend’s place to have fun.”
I brushed away Haruhi’s hair, which was being blown by the wind and was stinging my face.
“That’s what they call a field trip. What were you expecting? Going out on an adventure? Or did you want to simulate being stranded on a deserted island?”
“Hmm, that’s not a bad idea. I’ll include exploring the island as part of the itinerary. Who knows, we may be the first to discover a new species.”
Oh no, I’ve just increased the glitter in Haruhi’s eyes. Oh, island, I beg you, please don’t come up with anything funny.
As I was praying to the green island……
“The islands around here were apparently formed by ancient volcanic activity.”
Koizumi said as he walked out slowly.
“Besides new species, we might even pick up some ancient artifacts. There were artifacts left behind by the ancient Japanese on other islands. It’s quite dramatic, isn’t it?”
I don’t see any connection between the works of the ancients and this new mansion, but I’m not that interested in searching for Tsuchinoko or digging for treasures. Why don’t we split up? Haruhi and Koizumi can go explore the island, while I’ll stay behind with Asahina-san and Nagato and have a stroll by the beach. Now that’s a nice idea.
“Huh? There’s someone over there!”
Haruhi pointed to a newly built pier. It seemed to be built specifically for this speedboat, since there were no other boats parked. A person stood at the edge of the pier waving at us. Seems like it’s a man.
Haruhi instinctively waved back.
“Koizumi, is he the owner of the villa? He looks quite young.”
Koizumi waved and said,
“No, he’s another guest who was invited besides us. I believe he’s the owner’s brother. I’ve only seen him once before.”
“Koizumi,” I interrupted, “You should’ve told us this earlier! I didn’t hear anything before about any other visitors besides us.”
“I only just found out now as well.”
Koizumi shrugged it off calmly.
“There’s no need to worry! He’s a nice person. And of course, the owner Tamaru Keiichi-san is also a nice person.”
This Tamaru Keiichi-san is quite an imaginative person. He built a mansion in such a remote area just so he could live in it during the summer. He’s a distant relative of Koizumi’s, something like his mother’s cousin on her father’s side or something like that. I’m not too sure of the details, but I hear he’s been quite successful in the field of biotechnology, and is now reaping the rewards of his success. His wealth must be so enormous that he doesn’t know how to spend it all, otherwise he wouldn’t have built such a mansion.
The speedboat gradually slowed down as it approached the pier, until we could see the person’s face. He was dressed in youthful attire, probably in his twenties. He’s probably Tamaru Keiichi’s brother.
The butler is Arakawa-san, the maid is Mori Sonou-san.
That leaves the owner of the mansion, Tamaru Keiichi-san.
Is that the entire cast for this trip?
We spent a few hours being rocked on the boat, so thanks to that, by the time we got onto land, we still felt as though the ground was moving.
The young man had a pleasant smile, and ran towards the speedboat to greet us.
“Ah, Itsuki, it’s been a while.”
“You too, Yutaka-san. Thanks for coming over.”
Koizumi replied, then he began to introduce us one by one.
“These are the friends that have been taking good care of me in school.”
I don’t remember ever taking good care of you, but Koizumi pointed at us, lined up in a row.
“The cheery girl here is Suzumiya Haruhi-san. She’s an incredible friend. She’s pretty easy going and very energetic. I ought to learn some of her assertiveness.”
What kind of introduction is this? A cold sweat dropped from my back. And Haruhi, you too. Why are you wearing that fake courteous looking mask? Have your brain cells been damaged from being rocked too much on the boat?
“I’m Suzumiya. Koizumi here is an irreplaceable member of my brig……I mean association. He was the one who invited us to this island. He’s a very reliable vice-command……I mean deputy-chairman. Hee hee.”
Koizumi ignored the cold steam being emitted by me and went on to introduce the other members, such as:
“This is Asahina Mikuru-san. As you may see, she’s the cute and beautiful idol of our school. Her smile is enough to bring peace to our world.”
Or:
“This is Nagato Yuki-san. Her grades are so good she’s seen as an encyclopedia never seen before in this world. She doesn’t talk much, but that’s her charm.”
He went on and on with his exaggerated introductions of all the members, as though he’d read them from some blind date agency client file. Of course I was included in his cheesy introduction, but I’d prefer to gloss over it here.
With a smile befitting of Koizumi’s relative, Yutaka-san said,
“Welcome everyone, I’m Tamaru Yutaka, right now I’m just an employee helping out at my brother’s company. Itsuki always talks to me a lot about you. I was very worried for him when he suddenly had to transfer schools. It’s great that he’s made so many great friends.”
“Well, then.”
Arakawa-san’s cheerful voice boomed from behind.
Turning around, I saw the butler and Mori Sonou-san carrying our luggage and getting off the boat.
“The sun’s a bit bright here. May I suggest we move to the mansion?”
Yutaka-san nodded and said,
“You’re right, brother’s waiting for everyone. Let’s bring the luggage in as well, I’ll help.”
“We’re fine. Could you go help Arakawa-san and Mori-san instead? They bought a lot of groceries from the main island.”
Koizumi smiled and said. Yutaka-san also replied with a smile.
“I’ll be looking forward to the meal!”
After the niceties, we followed Koizumi’s lead and headed for the mansion at the top of the cliff.
Thinking back, things were already beginning to get strange then.
Of course, this is all spoken in hindsight.
At the end of the staircase, as steep as Mt. Fuji, lies the mansion. This probably sounded bad to Haruhi, for the mansion ahead looked absolutely normal, not the sort of villa or Japanese-style inn she had expected.
The three-story building gave the impression of flatness. Perhaps because it looked a bit wide? I even wanted to count how many rooms there were. I guess this mansion could hold up to two football teams with room to spare. The mansion seems to have been built after leveling out the dense woods on the hill, but how did they ship all those building materials? A lot of logistics were probably needed. I’m really perplexed at how the rich operate.
“This way please.”
Koizumi led us to outside the
entrance hall like a butler. We stood in a row. The moment had come for us to meet the owner face to face.
Save Haruhi, who stepped forward like a horse not following its herd, rearing its head out suddenly. I understood how eager she was for this moment, she even stuck her tongue out on her lips and placed it back in many times. Asahina-san cutely combed her hair, trying to give a good first impression. While Nagato stood still, as usual, like one of those lucky cats by store entrances.
Koizumi turned and looked at us, a small smile growing on his face, as he very casually pushed the button on the intercom near the door.
Someone replied, and Koizumi went through a lot of niceties again.
Ten seconds later, the door opened slowly.
Needless to say, the person welcoming us wasn’t wearing an iron mask, nor some funny hat with shades, neither did he suddenly attack us, or say some very puzzling remarks. Just a normal middle-aged man.
“Welcome!”
I don’t know if Tamaru Keiichi-san became wealthy suddenly or gradually, but right now this middle-aged man was dressed in just a golf shirt and working trousers, stretching out one of his hands, beckoning us to come in.
“Itsuki, and everyone else, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time now. Frankly, this place is really boring, you’ll get frustrated after staying for three days. The only other person to accept my invitation besides Itsuki was Yutaka. Oh my!”
Keiichi-san’s vision moved to my face, then towards Asahina-san, Haruhi and Nagato.
“Itsuki, you have such cute friends! I heard from Itsuki, but you are prettier than I thought. You’ve certainly injected some life into this lonely little island. You’re most welcome.”
Haruhi smiled heartily, Asahina-san bowed her head politely, while Nagato remained motionless. Three people with three different reactions, yet they all had the eyes of someone seeing a music teacher appear during history class, looking at Keiichi-san, who was welcoming us from the bottom of his heart. After a while, Haruhi stepped forward and said,
“We’re very grateful you could invite us here. It’s an honor to be able to stay in such a luxurious mansion. On behalf on everyone, I’d like to express my gratitude.”
She spoke in a higher pitch than usual, as though reciting a speech. Does she intend to put on that appearance for the whole trip? I suggest before she sheds her sheepskin and reveals her wolf fangs, she ought to take off that invisible mask on her face.
Perhaps Tamaru Keiichi-san was thinking something like that as well?
“So you’re Suzumiya-san? Hmm, you’re different from what I heard. Itsuki told me you’re a more……um……how should I say this, Itsuki?”
The ball got bounced into Koizumi’s court. Without flinching, he said with ease,
“A frank person? I do remember saying that.”
“That’s it! He said you were quite a frank girl.”
“Ah, really?”
Haruhi promptly took off her mask, and put on a smile that she rarely showed outside the club room.
“Nice to meet you, mansion owner! Allow me to ask frankly, have any strange events happened in this mansion before? Or maybe some frightening rumors from the locals about this island being haunted? These sort of things interest me the most.”
Don’t go around declaring your interests to someone you just met for the first time. To be precise, don’t say stupid stuff about what happened in the past to the owner. What would we do if we were driven away?
However, Tamaru Keiichi-san was simply such a nice person that he only smiled and said,
“I’ve got similar interests to yours, though I’ve not heard of anything bad lately. Besides, this island used to be uninhabited.”
He kindly pointed his hand towards the back,
“Well, don’t just stand there, come in! This is a western style mansion, so you don’t need to take off your shoes. I think I’ll show you to your rooms. I wanted Arakawa-san to show you around, but it seems he’s attending to the luggage, so I guess I’ll be your guide for now.”
Keiichi said and led us into the mansion.
I wish I could provide everyone with a blueprint of the mansion to show where the rooms are located, but I’ve known I had no talent for drawing ever since I was in first grade, so I won’t bother. To put it simply, our quarters are all on the second floor, Tamaru Keiichi-san’s bedroom and the guest room for Yutaka-san are on the third. Maybe this represents their family ties. The butler Arakawa-san and the maid Mori-san each have a room on the first floor……
That’s about how it is.
“Does this mansion have a name?”
Haruhi asked; Keiichi-san smiled wryly and answered,
“Right now we haven’t come up with one, but if you have any suggestions for the name, I’m all ears.”
“Well then, why not call it the House of Fear or the House of Horrors? What do you think? And we could name every room as well, like the Bloodsucking Room, or the Cursed Room?”
“Hmm, that’s a great idea! I’ll come up with some room names the next time I invite someone.”
I have no intentions of sleeping in a room with a name that gives me nightmares.
We crossed the hall and climbed the high-class wooden stairway up to the second floor. The interior was designed like an inn, with a row of doors lined up next to each other.
“The rooms are all about the same size, they’re divided into single and double bedrooms. Pick any you like.”
What should I do? I wouldn’t mind sharing with anybody, but there’s five of us. If we had to share, there’d be an odd one out, and no matter how hard I tried, I could only think of Nagato being the one left out. If I loudly announced my roommate priority, I’m sure Nagato wouldn’t mind, but I’d probably be killed by Haruhi’s instant backfist.
“Hmm, I think one person per room isn’t too bad.”
Koizumi concluded.
“Since we’re only in our rooms while sleeping anyway. We can just walk between the rooms as we please. I’d like to ask, can the doors be locked?”
“They sure can.”
Tamaru Keiichi-san smiled and nodded.
“The keys are placed on the cabinet by the bed. The doors won’t lock automatically, so you don’t have to worry about being locked outside your rooms by accident. But take good care of the keys and don’t lose them.”
I won’t be needing a key. Even before sleeping, I might just leave the door ajar. Maybe Asahina-san will come sneaking in for some reason after everyone’s fallen asleep. Besides, I didn’t bring any valuables worth stealing, I don’t think anyone would dare steal when the suspect list is so narrow. Even if there was, the goddamn thief would definitely be Haruhi.
“Then I’ll go see how Arakawa-san is doing. You can take your time walking around. Please don’t forget where the emergency exits are located. I’ll see you later.”
Keiichi-san then went down the stairs.
This is how Haruhi described her impression of Keiichi san,
“It’s because there’s nothing strange that makes him even more suspicious.”
“Then if he did look suspicious, how would you explain that?”
“Just from how he looked, he’d have to be a strange person!”
According to this girl’s subjective logic, there is nothing in this world that is not strange. Her standards would shock even the ISO. Maybe you could work for JARO. I bet you could work hard feeling fulfilled every day there.
After leaving our luggage in our rooms, we met in the double bedroom Haruhi had chosen as her room. It’s so like Haruhi to occupy a double bedroom all by herself. The words courteous and modest do not exist in her vocabulary.
The three girls sat on the bed, I sat at the make-up table, while Koizumi leaned against the wall and crossed his arms looking relaxed.
“I know!”
Haruhi shouted suddenly, and as usual, I instinctively asked,
“Know what?”
“The suspect.”
Haru
hi said promptly. Her face now had the aura of a Great Detective, for some reason.
I hesitantly spoke for the other three,
“What suspect? There isn’t even a case yet, we only just arrived!”
“From my instincts, the suspect is the owner of this place. I think his first target will be Mikuru-chan.”
“Eh!?”
Asahina-san seemed to be really scared. She trembled like a rabbit at the sound of an eagle’s wings flapping, clutching onto Nagato’s skirt. Nagato said nothing.
“……”
Only fixing her gaze towards some spot in mid-air.
“I’m asking you, what suspect?” I asked again, “Or more like, what kind of criminal are you trying to mold Tamaru Keiichi-san into?”
“How should I know? From his eyes, he seems to have something planned. My instincts are usually correct. By then, we’ll be involved in some shocking event.”
It would be fine if it was just a normal surprise party, but Haruhi was expecting something way beyond that, not some messy party where she would only play a bit role.
Think about it. The image of Keiichi-san removing his nice guy appearance, his eyes flashing with insanity, and carrying a sharp butcher knife trying to cut all the guests’ stomachs open. Just because he accidentally stumbled upon some ancient grave deep within the island forest, and got possessed by a murderous ghost.
“Can something that dumb really happen?”
I waved my hand horizontally in mid air, making a “don’t get yourself into trouble” gesture.
No matter how hard you think about it, it’s impossible that someone Koizumi knows would turn into something like that. That “Organization” group is not completely stupid, they probably did a lot of background checks beforehand. Koizumi had his usual harmless smile, and Arakawa-san the butler, Mori-san the maid, as well as Tamaru Yutaka-san all looked very far from the image of a scary person. By the way, Haruhi is hoping for a mystery, not some interference from the magnetic field, right?
If things were to happen, it would just be one to two murders at most, right? Besides, I don’t think such things would happen just because she wished it so. The weather’s great outside, and the sea’s calm. This island is no closed circle.
Volume 3 - The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi Page 15