Chapter 2470: Chapter 1653: The Haunted House of Folklore (I Want to Eat Something Tasty)

After this, the group went to find Mr. Ueno’s third disciple, Miyamoto.

Miyamoto looked like a typical fat otaku, both chubby and reclusive, with thick glasses, as if an anime otaku had crossed over into reality.

His personality was also similar to an otaku; when he first saw Duanmu Huai and Banai, he was too nervous to speak. Only after taking the initiative to move a coffee table’s distance away did Miyamoto’s expression relax a bit, although he still spoke stutteringly.

"You, you were talking about food, those strange tales... Actually, like the teacher said, in Japan’s ancient legends, there are many like that. For example, the famous... Yahyabichu."

"Ah, I know this one too!"

Banai clapped her hands.

"I remember the legend says Yahyabichu saved a mermaid, and then the mermaid, to repay her, gave her its flesh to eat, and Yahyabichu became immortal, right?"

"Yes, yes, that’s right, but... the important thing isn’t Yahyabichu, but the mermaid..."

Saying this, Miyamoto’s chubby face showed a strange smile.

"What, what do you think a mermaid looks like?"

"Hmm? Isn’t it a human upper body and a fish lower body?"

"Hehe... haha... that’s Western fairy tales. Be-because of the popularity of the mermaid animation, everyone thinks so..."

"Isn’t that so?"

Chitanda curiously inquired, and Miyamoto nodded vigorously.

"No, no, no. Actually, the legends say very clearly that Yahyabichu encountered a mer-mer-mermaid. Not a beau-beautiful mermaid."

"???"

It’s just one word difference, what’s the difference?

"Japanese ancient mermaid legends... actually say the mermaid had a fish body and then, the head of a baby."

Saying this, Miyamoto opened his tablet and showed them an image that looked like an ancient painting. Indeed, as Miyamoto said, the mermaid in the painting had a human face and fish body, looking particularly bizarre and terrifying, completely unlike the pretty little mermaid from the cartoons.

"Eh? Is this what Yahyabichu encountered?"

Chitanda looked like her beautiful dream was shattered; perhaps in her imagination, Yahyabichu and the little mermaid sister were chatting by the seaside.

But replacing the mermaid with this thing, now it’s just eerie.

"Ah, I see, no wonder!"

On the other hand, Banai had a sudden realization, clapping her hands.

"Anan?"

"I was actually always curious; in the legend, it says the mermaid offered Yahyabichu its flesh to eat, but how exactly did it happen?"

"........."

Come to think of it, given Banai’s headspace, she couldn’t have thought of anything else.

"If it were the beautiful mermaid form, it would feel like cannibalism, wouldn’t it? Yahyabichu wouldn’t want to eat it, but if it’s this form, it’s not a problem. Just cut off the head, and it looks like an ordinary fish, doesn’t it?"

"......"

Your words are starting to sound like a horror story; so Yahyabichu didn’t save the mermaid but chopped off its head, turned it into sashimi, and gained immortality?

Watching Banai enthusiastically discuss with Chitanda how to grill or fry it, Duanmu Huai had nothing to say.

Perhaps if Banai encountered this kind of mermaid, she would eat it without hesitation.

"But, but unknown things shouldn’t be eaten casually..."

At this time, Miyamoto interjected.

"I, I have a story related to food as well."

"Ah......"

Speaking of which, the previous one doesn’t count.

"The story I know is about not eating unknown foods. The legend says a group of climbers went mountain climbing and accidentally discovered an abandoned village. Curious, a few climbers went to check it out, and found strange trees in the village. They were about two meters tall, with white flowers and yellow fruits, giving off a very sweet fragrance."

"Hmm, and then?"

As expected, when hearing about food, Banai’s eyes were wider than anyone else’s.

"And then, out of curiosity, those climbers picked a few fruits. Their outer skin was like mangoes, and when peeled, had pink flesh inside. Someone couldn’t resist taking a bite and found it sweet and delicious, so the others also ate the fruits. But there was one person who thought such wild fruits shouldn’t be casually eaten, so he didn’t eat any."

"Hmm, and then?"

"And then those who ate the fruits started feeling very uncomfortable. Just when the person thought they might have upset stomachs, suddenly those people opened their mouths, and from their nostrils, ears, and mouths, many tiny insects started pouring out. Their bodies shriveled like empty sacks... actually, those weren’t fruits, but insect eggs. The people ate the eggs, which hatched inside them, consuming their organs and flesh, then emerged... and that person who didn’t eat the fruit eventually burned those insects, along with the bodies of his companions and the entire village..."

"Ugh......"

Although Miyamoto’s storytelling ability wasn’t great and he stuttered, the content was enough to make someone nauseous. At this point, Chitanda turned pale, covering her mouth and wobbling, while Banai tilted her head in confusion, thinking.

"So eating raw is not okay, I wonder if cooking them is fine?"

In a sense, Banai is quite a unique character.

"In conclusion... unfamiliar foods shouldn’t be easily put in your mouth..."

Even Miyamoto couldn’t keep up with Banai’s thought process, so he had to say this.

Anyway, we gained quite a lot this time. As expected of a domestic folk study expert, just some insights are enough to make our club feel satisfied.

"Thank you for the guidance."

Duanmu Huai said to Miyamoto, who scratched his head awkwardly.

"No, it’s nothing. Oh, Miss Duanmu... I’m a fan of yours. May I have your autograph?"

"No problem."

"Wonderful!"

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s response, Miyamoto quickly took out a postcard and a pen from his pocket. The postcard was from a horror movie Duanmu Huai had starred in before, with a photo of a girl in a long dress standing in the middle of a lake, looking like the protagonist.

Yes, actually this was a promotional trick. During the promotions, they used this method to make people believe Duanmu Huai was the protagonist. Along with the poster where she rarely showed such a forlorn, pitiful look, many viewers thought Duanmu Huai had turned over a new leaf, going from being the scarer to the scared.

So they all bought tickets to see what this actress, who loved to scare others, would look like when frightened.

In the end, Duanmu Huai showed them that who says someone looking pitiful can’t be a killer...

Recalling the cries of the fans who were deceived into the cinema, and their reluctant leaving as Chang Ghosts trying to pull others to die together... well, it was somewhat amusing.

Duanmu Huai took the pen and signed her name on the back of the postcard.

"Th-thank you! I will treasure it as a family heirloom!"

No need to be so exaggerated.

"Is Xiao Ai’s autograph hard to get?"

Looking at Miyamoto’s delighted expression, Banai asked curiously, and Miyamoto nodded vigorously.

"Of course, because Miss Duanmu rarely attends events and doesn’t interact with fans. To get her autograph, other than at premieres, you need luck. This postcard, I took it out of a safe after learning Miss Duanmu would be here!"

A safe, really...

"By the way, Miss Duanmu’s autograph can be sold for tens of thousands of yen online!"

"What———!?"

"Only those with too much money would do that."

Duanmu Huai silently remarked, since rarity increases value. Duanmu Huai, from debut till now, only has signed fewer than ten thousand autographs herself, not counting contracts.

Though Duanmu Huai doesn’t mind signing autographs for others, there’s a condition.

That is, they must first find her.

Whether Miyamoto uses it as a family heirloom or resells it, Duanmu Huai doesn’t care.

"Uh, uh-huh."

After carefully storing the postcard, Miyamoto looked again at the three of them.

"You, you guys should be careful too, be-because this mansion is also part of a weird legend."

"Oh?"

To be honest, upon hearing this, even Duanmu Huai paused for a moment.

"Baixue Hall?"

"Uh... I’ve heard it’s a notorious haunted house... This building was built during the Meiji Era, then every owner died unnaturally... Everyone says the house is cursed..."

"Hmm..."

Hearing this, Duanmu Huai narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, while Banai frowned slightly, looking somewhat uneasy.

"You mean, this house itself is a type of urban legend, and Mr. Ueno mixed so many folk tale items into it?"

Is this considered fighting poison with poison?

"Can you tell me what the specific legend is?"

"Uh..."

Faced with Duanmu Huai’s inquiry, Miyamoto thought for a moment.

"Ac-actually, I’m not completely sure. There are rumors that people living here will be killed by another version of themselves..."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai perked up immediately. She had encountered similar situations in another world; in that world, shadows could kill and replace the original. But besides that, many worlds have similar legends, such as doppelgangers — seeing another version of oneself means you will die soon.

Different people interpret it differently.

For example, Caiyi thinks the saying stems from humans having a spirit and a soul; another self might be a soul leaving the body. Without a soul, only spirit remains, which naturally leads to death. In China, there’s the ancient concept of soul-calling, where shocked and unconscious children are thought to have lost their soul, and parents take them out to call the soul back.

Frieren believes such tales are mere coincidence, much like survivor’s bias; many see another self, but few get killed. Of course, it also might be some magic effect.

Lumiaire views it as purely illusionary, or possibly due to a disease affecting the brain, causing hallucinations. Generally, brain diseases are hard to cure, possibly being at a late stage, leading to death, thus spawning the legend.

Overall, similar situations occur in various worlds, but the causes vary widely.

"Can you elaborate?"