Life In The Reverse World

A crimson glow seeped through the classical shoji door. Standing before it was a humanoid female statue, almost human, yet not quite, dressed in a plain, form-fitting Western-style dress. Her face was pallid, long straight black hair spilling over her shoulders and down her back. Clinging to her were four or five female ghosts, each reduced to only their upper bodies, their thick, frizzy hair wrapping around her like coils.

As an eerie, mournful Japanese melody slowly began to play, the ghost statue’s eyes gradually opened, turning toward the tourists lined up at the entrance. The trembling notes of the shamisen in the background music felt as though they were being plucked directly against the visitors’ hearts, sending chills down their spines.

“How about… we just switch to another attraction?”

Turning to look at his younger sister, Ayaka, who had already unconsciously pressed herself against his shoulder, Harutaki made the suggestion as gently as he could.

Given Ayaka’s awkward, stubborn personality, he knew better than to expect her to speak up on her own at times like this. And if the idea of leaving came from him, it would be less likely to hurt her feelings or her pride.

“I–I’m not scared at all… idiot a–… idiot Harutaki, you’re not scared, are you? Heehee. If you’re a coward, just say so. Even if we leave now, I won’t laugh at you.”

“Alright then. When we go in, Ayaka, you’d better guide me through the whole thing. I’ll probably be too scared to keep my eyes open the entire time.”

Seeing her put on such a brave front, he went along with it and cracked a joke, only to earn himself a fierce glare in return.

“Not properly experiencing it would be a waste of the ticket! This haunted house only lets you go through once per ticket, you know! Buying one separately costs 820 yen! And besides…” Ayaka paused, then continued, “…when you’re on a date with a girl, idiot Harutaki, how can you back down because you’re scared? This is exactly the moment to show your manly side. You’re supposed to take care of the girl you’re with!”

Even though, in Ayaka’s opinion, her brother didn’t really need any special “moment” to show himself off, after all, he radiated kindness at all times, like the sun in a clear sky, bringing warmth and light to those around him.

“If it were Shihou-senpai, you could even use the chance to get closer to her. When she gets scared, you could pull her into your arms, protect her, comfort her…”

If possible, she thought, you could treat me like Shihou-senpai too, you know.

“Isn’t that just taking advantage of a girl?”

That was true, but—

“Whether it counts as taking advantage depends on how the girl feels. A handsome guy like you, idiot Harutaki, just hugging someone probably wouldn’t make anyone uncomfortable.”

“Girls really are… mysterious creatures.”

Harutaki couldn’t help complaining about his sister’s logic in his head,

Isn’t this exactly that saying: When an ugly guy flirts, it’s harassment; when a handsome guy flirts, it’s called charm?

Still, as someone who benefited from this double standard, he couldn’t exactly argue back. All he could do was nod in agreement.

Just like the difference between “top students” and “problem students” in a teacher’s eyes, double standards between girls and boys, and boys and girls, were everywhere.

And the most obvious factor behind them was often appearance.

“Before entering our ‘Grudge Spirit Zashiki,’ we’ll need you to read through the precautions.”

At that moment, a staff member approached the queue and handed out pamphlets to the guests who were about to enter.

“If you have time, please also read the background story on the back. It will help enhance the realism of your experience.”

Though it was called a “pamphlet,” what they received was essentially an A4-sized piece of stiff paper. The front was printed with an overview of the Grudge Spirit Zashiki’s flow, along with various health warnings. On the back was the haunted house’s background story,

A woman named Yoruameko was disfigured and brutally murdered by her husband, who conspired with his mistress. Together, the husband and the other woman killed the wife and buried her body beneath the floor of the mansion, ultimately giving rise to a bound, vengeful spirit.

“What an incredibly cliché setup…”

After finishing the background story, Harutaki’s expression turned rather subtle.

According to the setting, if the visitors entering the Grudge Spirit Zashiki were a man and a woman, they would be treated as the husband and mistress who once murdered the wife, and thus be targeted by the spirit’s hatred and attacks.

He was supposedly practicing for a date with Shihou, yet here he was, holding hands with his own sister Ayaka as they stepped into a haunted house mansion…

The husband-and-mistress role assignment just kept feeling stranger the more he thought about it!?

“I–I think it’s… still okay, I guess.”

After reading the story along with her brother, Ayaka’s forced composure was starting to crack.

An abusive husband and his mistress, wasn’t that sense of déjà vu way too strong?!

Even though she had never once thought about hurting Harutaki or Shihou-senpai, the “turn my brother into a scumbag” plan she had come up with earlier… the more she thought about it, the more it resembled the role of a scheming third party intruding on a marriage.

“Ayaka…”

“Harutaki…”

They turned to face each other, and upon noticing the awkward expressions mirrored on their faces, both of them burst out laughing at the same time.

“This scumbag jerk persona feels awfully familiar somehow. Huh? Didn’t I see someone like that in the bathroom this morning?”

As always, he made himself the butt of the joke, speaking in an exaggerated tone.

“Pfft, haha… idiot Harutaki, that’s paper, not a mirror, you know~”

Leaning against her brother’s arm, Ayaka laughed until her shoulders trembled. Her cherry-pink, silky long hair swayed with the motion, like a cherry tree in Shiba Park stirred by the spring breeze. As the branches quivered, her adorable laughter seemed to drift through the air like falling petals, spiraling gently down.

Jokes aside, she knew very well that Harutaki and the husband in the background story were complete opposites,

One was a selfish, irredeemable piece of trash.

The other was a gentle, considerate idiot of a “scumbag” who would rather get hurt himself than fail to protect the people he cared about.

About five minutes later, the short line quickly reached Hoshikawa Harutaki and Hoshikawa Ayaka.

“Right this way, please. Before entering the mansion, kindly store your shoes in the changing room.”

The staff member at the entrance platform guided them toward the inner changing area.

Because of the setting involving a body buried beneath the floor, visitors to the Grudge Spirit Zashiki were required to remove their shoes beforehand, in order to enhance immersion.

Perhaps because the atmosphere had been built up just right, this time Harutaki didn’t even need to reach out, Ayaka grabbed his hand on her own.

Following a stone path designed to resemble a traditional estate courtyard, the two of them arrived at the tightly shut front door of the haunted mansion.

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