Chapter 71
Chapter 71
The Bat God, Part 2
Katagishi stared up at the sky in stunned silence.
Rain dripped from the white frame that resembled giant ribs and the tattered black cloth stretched between them.
The umbrella sagged, as if it had no intention of protecting anyone from the rain, bringing to mind a bat perched on a branch.
"What is that...?"
At some point, Umemura had stepped out of the car and was now gazing up at the sky beside him.
"There are gods that big, and some do descend to human settlements, but one floating so blatantly like that is pretty unusual..."
"What kind of effect is it having on human life?"
"So far, it seems to just be floating. But there's a rumor that's been bothering me."
Umemura patted Katagishi on the shoulder.
"That ragged umbrella won't offer any shelter. Let's head back to the car and ask around. I've got a few leads."
Katagishi looked up at the umbrella again. At the very top of the distant sky, there was a small round ornament. It looked like a skull.
When he pushed open the thick brown wooden door, a brass bell clanged.
An elderly woman in an apron greeted them with a smile and a 'Welcome.' The café was dimly lit, and jazz was playing softly from the radio.
As Katagishi brushed the water droplets off his coat, he glared at Umemura.
"Weren't we supposed to be asking around?"
"This counts as asking around. Local cafés are usually only visited by regulars—perfect for info. Besides, I haven't had breakfast."
"That's your real reason, isn't it?"
While Katagishi sighed, Umemura was already seated at a booth in the back.
As they sat at a table under a stained-glass lamp casting shadows, a server came to take their order.
"I'll have pizza toast and coffee. How about you, Katagishi?"
"Same for me, that's fine."
After the server walked away, Umemura slid the glass ashtray toward Katagishi.
"You smoke, right, Katagishi?"
"Yeah. How about you, Umemura?"
"I quit. I used to smoke Ark Royals, though."
"That's pretty heavy stuff."
"I picked it up from someone else. After I got married, my wife told me to quit."
"For your kid's health?"
"No, even before we had a kid. She never said anything before we were married. Must've been woman's intuition."
"I'll stop asking there."
As Katagishi raised a hand lightly, their thick toast with loads of tomatoes and bell peppers and coffee arrived.
When he bit into the burnt cheese, which made his fingers greasy just from picking it up, the doorbell rang.
Three elderly men, soaked from the rain, tumbled into the café.
With familiar ease, they raised a finger and said, "The usual," before sitting at the counter. They seemed like regulars.
"It's Bat Pass again. That makes five now, right?"
At the mention, Umemura stopped tearing his bread.
Katagishi also perked up his ears.
"All kids, too. My son's wife is so scared she won't even take the grandkid out anymore."
"But it's fine if it's not raining, right?"
Katagishi called over the server who had just come to refill their water.
"I'm working in the area—has something happened at the pass?"
"That place... it's kind of dangerous. People who pass through there sometimes go missing. But only kids, and only on rainy days."
"Like today?"
"Exactly. We thought it might be a crime, but there's no evidence. So on rainy days, everyone avoids going through there."
Wiping his hands and mouth with a cloth, Umemura spoke.
"Sounds more like a ghost story than a case. Do you know anything about it, miss?"
"Oh, don't call me miss. I moved here three years ago after retiring. I'm still new. Those gentlemen probably know more about the area."
The server's face lit up as she pointed to the elderly men at the counter.
Umemura quickly stood and started chatting with the old men. Soon, laughter filled the air.
"Wow, he's way more suited to fieldwork than me."
Katagishi gave a wry smile and stood up.
An old man in a baseball cap animatedly told Umemura a story with gestures.
"People new to the area probably don't know, but even when we were kids, that place was considered dangerous. Supposedly, a ghost woman appears there."
"You've always believed in that stuff, huh?"
The bespectacled old man laughed it off.
"A ghost woman? Not the umbrella?"
The old men were briefly confused by Katagishi's interruption, but quickly continued.
"Yeah, a young woman in a kimono. She shows up on rainy days without an umbrella. Then she finds a kid using one and snatches them away."
Katagishi frowned.
"So using an umbrella is the trigger?"
"Right. That's why, no matter how hard it rains, you're not supposed to use one."
"Could be because the cliff on the other side of the pass is dangerous—if your hands are full, you can't catch yourself if you slip."
Umemura nodded.
"Turning it into a ghost story is more effective than just warning people."
The old man hiding behind a racing form peeked out with just his eyes.
"That's not the only reason."
The two other old men widened their eyes.
"What? Didn't expect you to tell that kind of story."
"Once in a while's fine. My grandma used to tell the Bat Pass ghost story all the time."
The old man folded his newspaper and placed it on the table.
"There used to be a mansion around here, and the head of the family doted on his only son. A girl from out of town came to work as a maid. They always walked hand in hand."
His low voice slithered through the café.
"But one day, while walking through Bat Pass with the child, they got caught in a downpour. She had an umbrella in her right hand and heavy groceries in her left. The child, usually holding her hand, was walking slightly behind. That's when he slipped and fell off the cliff."
"...And then?"
"The mansion's couple were furious and told her not to come back until she found the child. They chased her out into the rain. On that pitch-black, muddy cliff, she slipped the same way and died. Even now, she appears, searching for the child."
Katagishi and Umemura gasped softly and looked at each other. Noticing the glance, Umemura clapped loudly.
"That was amazing! That was seriously scary."
The once-silent old men softened their expressions.
"He's always had a taste for creepy stories."
"You make me sound terrible."
As the old men began sipping their coffee, Umemura casually asked,
"There was a stone monument at the pass. Is that for the girl?"
"That's probably what it is."
"I heard it's been there even longer than that, actually."
Umemura leaned in to whisper into Katagishi's ear.
"What's the field investigator's opinion?"
"...Even a sardine's head becomes sacred with enough faith. A common ghost story, but if belief builds, it could become a Territorial Divine Offenses."
"Makes sense..."
Umemura stepped away from Katagishi and stood up.
Before he could stop him, Umemura had already paid for both of them and was reaching for the door.
"Let's go, Katagishi. Not that we can do anything but document it. It's a pain, really. Maybe in the old days we could've destroyed it."
"Are you the type who can't learn a lesson unless it's wrapped in a ghost story?"
"I've seen and heard enough scary stuff to last a lifetime."
Katagishi shrugged his shoulders.