Shiki: Volume 2

by Fuyumi Ono

  "Well, dear me."

  "Fuki-san was the same with only a few minor differences. All alone, as the one that had stayed with her, Shuuji-san, had died. Of course, Fuki-san did have friends, so it was much better, but." Kanami's brows furrowed. "Somehow, it's like the deaths keep coming this year. They say that a lot at the shop you know, that it's a terrible arrangement of fate. Anyway, about Fuki-san's case. Her older brother and son went, then ultimately she herself went. Do you suppose some terrible disease is spreading, is what some are thinking too, you know."

  Seishin secretly held his breath. Kanami was watching him intently , but, it seemed that she herself didn't believe those words. A bittersweet smile rose to her face.

  "You can't take even a summer cold lightly, huh? Gigorou-san was off, they thought, you know."

  "---Ohkawa's?"

  "Yes. Now when was that, I wonder? I caught sight of Gigorou-san getting off the bus. He looked sickly, and was wavering awkwardly, you know. I called out to him, but he didn't seem to notice. Then that news of what happened spread. I thought, I knew something was strange back then."

  "When might that have been?"

  "Wasn't that at the end of July, I suppose?" Kanami looked into the air as if searching her memory. "---Yes, at the end of July. After that, I'd heard that Gigorou-san and Hidemasa-san seemed sick, you know. It seems like it was Mieko-baa-chan who said that when she came down to do some shopping. Getting sick deep in the mountains like that, it'd be scary if it turned serious, I thought, then that's exactly how it went. It's unsettling."

  "Can you remember approximately which day?"

  Kanami tilted her head. "What day was it, I wonder? I heard that the two seemed sick, you know. That was when I thought, come to think of it... Just a few days before that, I'd seen Gigorou-san, huh, I thought...."

  "It was the very next day that Gigorou-san left," Tae added. "First thing in the morning, he got on the bus saying he was going out somewhere. That next day he came back, so he must have stayed out somewhere overnight, and I remember wondering where he could have gone to."

  "You'd said as much," Kanami nodded with a smile. "Mom gets up early. She happened to see Gigorou-san at the bus stop. She said he was at the bus stop headed for Mizobe. Then the next day he came back, she said, on--which day was that, now, I wonder? I heard that he seemed sick. They were talking about that in the shop...." Suddenly, Kanami's brows furrowed. "That's right, when he heard this, Shuuji-san suddenly said he would go to pay a get-well visit."

  Seishin felt something had him by the heartstrings. "Shuuji-san did?"

  "Yeah. Just that night, he came to drink. He'd already drank quite a bit, we told him to give it a rest, but 'I'm fine', he said. He called his house from here to say he was going to be late, since he was paying a get well visit. It was already pretty late, if you go to pay a visit at this hour, you'll just be troubling the patient, won't you, I had thought, but." Kanami said and gave a single nod. "Yes---That's right. Then it was six days later, that we had heard Shuuji-san had died. Shuuji-san hadn't come to the shop since then. It was rare for that person not to come for more than three days straight, so when we were wondering if something happened, it turned out he'd died."

  Seishin stared at the grains of the wooden counter. The day Shuuji died was on August 6th. If it was six days before, then that would mean the 31st. On the 31st Shuuji went to Yamairi. But, the 31st---or around the early morning of the 1st was the estimated time of death. If they could believe police opinion, when Shuuji went to Yamairi, there was the possibility that Gigorou had already died. It was likely that Hidemasa and Mieko were also having their outbreak---.

  Seishin felt unease. Shuuji ultimately might not have met with Hidemasa and Mieko. If he went into the house, he should have noticed that his uncle was in an extraordinarily poor state. If so then naturally he would have called somebody, right? On top of not contacting anybody, Shuuji must have come back without meeting with Hidemasa but, ---but, Mieko also didn't contact anybody. Her husband was dead beside her and yet she herself died without contacting anybody.

  (What is this, this similarity....)

  Seishin was caught in his thoughts when Kanami raised her voice to say "That's right. I remember. The day before Gigorou-san went out, that was the day Motoko's child had the accident."

  Seishin lifted his face.

  "Right, the Junior Monk was at the hospital, weren't you? Shigeki-kun's mother."

  "Aa....."

  Seishin recalled Motoko's neurotic, erratic state.

  "She was in my same class. She helps with the evening preparations. Motoko's child was hit by a car on July 27th, wasn't it? The next day on the 28th was when Gigorou-san went out, and he came back on the 29th. I heard that he was sick, and Shuuji-san went to pay a sick visit, that was six days before he died."

  July 31st, Seishin nodded. "Had you seen Gigorou-san before that?"

  "The time before that was---when was it, I wonder, when I saw him when he came back, I had thought it had been a while, so I don't think I'd seen him for some time."

  "I wonder if Gigorou-san often went out traveling or any such like this?"

  To that, Tae shook her head. "Not Gigorou-san. That person rarely left the village. After all, he didn't have any way to get around aside from his scooter. Hidemasa-san had a car but the only one who could drive a car was Hidemasa-san, so I'm sure it was a hassle for him to leave the village, wasn't it?"

  "And Hidemasa-san?"

  "That person, too, has a heavy bottom, you see. As far as traveling, I think it was pretty rare for him, you know. When was it? Once I met with Mieko-san at Fuki-san's place, and Mieko-san was saying how she'd like to go to a hot springs once in a while. She was saying 'how many years has it been since we last went on a trip', or something like that."

  "I wonder if he had felt like taking a trip this July, or...?"

  "He didn't, I don't think. There's the rice fields and the vegetable fields, after all. Those people were living on a pension, they had to cultivate the fields to eat, you know. Maybe if it were a season when farmers could slack, but this wouldn't be the season for them to travel, don't you suppose? And this year especially, see, there hasn't been any rain. They must have had to use the pump and water the fields, people couldn't very well leave their fields at a time like this."

  That's true, Seishin thought. This year there was a heatwave and a water shortage. The day before yesterday, there had been rain enough but there was ultimately little effect on the river's water levels. It wasn't too serious a problem for the village but, downstream there wasn't enough water, and even in Sotoba they had to pump water from the rivers and lakes. The village farmers had to draw water from the swamp and wells to spread over the fields. Certainly with things being what they were, they couldn't have gone out traveling anywhere.

  Then, thought Seishin. The three were contaminated in Yamairi. Or else----?

  5

  Toshio's worries bore out. The next day, in the middle of morning examination hours the phone call from Yasumori Mikiyasu came. Nao wasn't breathing, he said while crying. Told to come quickly, when he'd hurried to the contracting firm, Nao was gone. Her pupils were already dilated, and in her mouth the froth of a lung hemorrhage was visible. Pulminary edema caused by heart failure made choking the cause of death. August 17th, at 11:20.

  The one Seishin received word of death from was Tamo Sadaichi. It was late afternoon, Seishin alone in the temple office with his manuscript spread before him, toying with superficial thoughts.

  "The contractor's Nao-san has died!" Seishin held in his 'I knew it' at the sound of Sadaichi's voice at the other end of the receiver. Misunderstanding that silence, Sadaichi continued. "Mikiyasu-kun's wife. She was 26, or right around there. It's very sudden. It seems there was a problem with her lungs but, with things what they are, I will be taking charge of the assistants."

  "Ah, ..... yes."

  The contrators' Yasumori Tokujirou was Monzen's Mourning Crew mediator. Duri
ng these cases where the mediator's family had a misfortune, the head of the assistants acted as the agent. The head of the assistants wasn't a specifically assigned position but each community had their own rankings of a sort, and who the head of the assistants were was determined with an unspoken sense of agreement.

  "The heat is still severe but, as sorry as I am to pressure you, I thought we should try to do the all night vigil tonight. Tokujirou-san's family by blood and marriage live together in this area, so there's nobody who would have to hurry in from far away."

  "Yes."

  "So with that said, if you could do the bedside sutras as soon as possible."

  "I understand. I will speak with the head."

  In the same community of Monzen, the Yasumori industries weren't on a lot that far from the temple. The eldest son of the Yasumori industry's Yasumori Tokujirou was the Maruyasu Sawmill's second son. Tokujirou founded the independent Yasumori Contracting firm, going into real estate from construction, with a scope that spread out to public works as well. In the present, the position of successor to the contractor's firm was now Mikiyasu's, with matters of real estate falling to Tokujirou's little brother who lived in the city, and the baton of public works were passed along with the city office to Tokujirou's adopted son-in-law.

  It was a country business, and it might not have amounted to much compared to other personal success stories but Tokujirou himself was on the verge of 70 and an ever vigorous person himself still. None the less, when Seishin visited, that very Tokujirou had seemed beaten down where he sat by his daughter in law's bedside.

  "Tokujirou-san, in these trying times...."

  When Seishin spoke out to him, he wordlessly bowed his head. He grieved as if he had lost his own true daughter. Sitting in the chief mourner's seat, Mikiyasu held the small child and kept his eyes cast heavily downward. He could hear hidden sobs. Facing him, Setsuko, with red eyes, patiently stroked him.

  Nao was his daughter in law, not Tokujirou's daughter. Setsuko was his second wife, so there was no blood between Setsuko and Mikiyasu. None the less, Tokujirou's household was one that anybody could be envious of. Both Mikiyasu and Nao were both like their blood children, Seishin knew he had been told.

  "Setsuko-san, Mikiyasu-kun," Seishin spoke to both, going blank when he met the child's gaze, at a loss for words. Nao's first born son was Susume. Indeed he shouldn't have been more than three years old. "--My sincere condolences."

  Without understanding the meaning of losing his mother, probably not understanding what was happening around him, Susumu tilted his head; watching his simplistic demeanor, only perfunctory words could come forth. This very young child had lost his mother.

  Tokujirou too, and Mikiyasu and Setsuko also seemed unable to let out their voices while holding in their wails. They gathered wordlessly, only bowing their heads deeply.

  Seishin again could not make further words come. Seishin turned his eyes to Mikiyasu who let out a sob. His arms tightly holding onto the child were of course protecting the child, but there was something about it that also appeared as if he were clinging to the child in order to support himself. He'd seen an arm like that before. It was like that at the Shimizu house too. That had been tragic, and at the same time it looked foreboding. These people did not realize that something dangerous had entered into their own house.

  ---Where the children cry, the oni come.

  In the village spread 'The Risen;---The legend of the oni were no doubt a metaphor for a plague. The oni had penetrated the Yasumori family. Those touched by the oni were infected with death, and death spread on out from there.

  He felt like telling them to take care. I understand the feeling of wanting to mourn the departed. But, you mustn't cling to the body. Hurry, we have to put the body in the coffin and seal it up. He wanted to confess to everything, to tell them to take proper precautions, but.

  But, reason whispered. If this is a plague, it's too late to warn them. Nao was dead. If this death was to continue then the Oni had probably already seized its next sacrifice.

  6

  That night after the all night vigil at the Yasumori house had ended, Seishin visited Toshio. At that time, Toshio was in his private room just looking over Nao's test results.

  "Yo."

  Toshio motioned Seishin who came through the rear courtyard as usual to come inside.

  "Was Nao-san----as expected?"

  To Seishin's question, Toshio nodded.

  "Most likely, yeah. Nao-san came into the hospital on the 24th, and died this morning on the 27th. She was sick from the 23rd it seems, which would made it four days until she died. Overall no subjective symptoms but she got tired easily, her head was heavy, and she said she was spacing out. Anyway, as far as the exam went, it was thought to be anemia, and the test results said anemia. Other than the anemia there was nothing particularly wrong."

  "That is like Megumi-chan was...."

  "Right, the same pattern," Toshio nodded. "Really seemed spaced out, no matter what you asked, she didn't give any answers that hit on anything. Even using her mouth seemed troublesome, or maybe there was more the impression her attentions were diffused and she couldn't get her thoughts in order. This is like Megumi-chan's case, too."

  "I see...."

  "The blood tests on the 24th didn't show anything out of the ordinary besides the anemia. In normocytic normochromic anemia, all types of blood cells are fewer, looking at the net red blood cell counts. All kidney and liver functions were within normal ranges; we looked for internal bleeding but we didn't find any of that either. On the other hand," Toshio motioned to the results pinned to the medical record. "These are the results from when she came into the hospital on the 26th. They came in today. Looking at this, everything's wrong all over. The kidney and liver functions are hugely out of normal ranges. Her anemia improved some but just the opposite everything but that got worse in exchange, it's like. And this morning she died. Looking at the corpse, she was slightly jaundiced, dropsy, ascites, and had other trends towards blood loss, with signs of liver and renal failure. She presented as if she'd been choking; in truth, when suctioning her respiratory tract, there was a froth of blood frmo the lungs in her airways. Respiratory failure due to a pulmonary edema due to heart failure. But, we took a EKG of this before too. At least the first time she came into the hospital, there was nothing to show signs of heart failure. There were no problems aside from the anemia, as few as three days before. From there she had a full body breakdown. The cause of death was suffocation from heart failure but, the heart failure itself was just what happened to become the trigger. Looking at the way it progressed, it wouldn't be strange if the liver or kidney or something else became the trigger. Rather than heart failure, it's like MOF---Multiple Organ Failure."

  "....The chances of it being an epidemic are?"

  "None. At least, according to the test results, they all turn up negative."

  "It's that, then, huh...."

  "More than likely, yeah. The first problems with her condition were ones you couldn't help but think were her suffering from the summer heat or a summer cold. From there it took a sudden, fatal turn for death but, its transition is obvious. From the time until it turns deadly to the first signs being anemia, it's incredibly similar to Megumi-chan's case."

  "It begins with anemia?"

  "The odds of that are high, I think. It might've been better to tell Ishida to rewrite the leaflets to say that anemia is common and to be careful. To list anemia's objective symptoms and what it feels like, and to come to the hospital right away if it looks like that."

  Seishin nodded.

  "I was barely able to ask her, and after asking Mikiyasu and putting it together, it doesn't seem like her original family had any chronic illnesses that fit the bill. Nao-san's real father was a deadbeat, and the ones who raised Nao-san were her uncle and his wife, but anyway as far as what I could get from Mikiyasu, I don't think there were any hereditary problems. I can't think of any particular lifest
yle habits she'd had that would be a problem. She was a social drinker, and didn't smoke. She basically stayed in the village during her daily life, and aside from when she might have gone to Yamairi, she didn't go into the mountains. At most she'd go to Mizobe to do some shopping."

  Seishin looked at the notebook page where Toshio had written 'Yasumori Nao.' As a doctor he'd asked all he could of the person and the family, and indeed nothing was left unchecked.

  "The contractors don't use well water. It's not all from the above ground lines but only the air conditioner in the office uses ground water. It's the same as at the Maruyasu sawmill."

  Seishin took notes while nodding. Yamairi didn't have waterworks. Gigorou and the Murasakos both used well water. At the Gotouda household, the drinking water was from the waterworks, but the bath water and laundry used well water. In Shimo-Sotoba where Megumi lived, most houses used waterworks but for farm works ground water was used, and just before Megumi had died she had been seen climbing the western mountains. If she had a normal habit of going into the mountains like that, she might have drank water from the swamp there. Putting those lines of thought together, it was possible to think that the source was in the water, but.