This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame-Chapter 599 - 375. Shindai Kanari (8000 Character Goal Achieved)_2

Shindai Kanari paused for a moment before lightly responding, "...Hmm."

A hint of sadness appeared on her small face:

"I should...have died a long time ago."

Yes, she had died a long time ago. That was an established fact.

Beichuan Si nodded, "Now that you understand your situation, it will be easier to discuss what comes next. Kanari, do you remember why you died?"

"...I forgot," Shindai Kanari shook her head.

"Why have you been standing with a song card at the entrance of this abandoned longhouse?"

Beichuan Si asked again.

"...Forgot," Shindai Kanari stared at the shadow of Beichuan Si without looking up to meet his eyes.

Her voice had unknowingly become very faint.

"Forgotten, huh..." Beichuan Si murmured thoughtfully.

Under his gaze of dead air, Shindai Kanari carried a heavy obsession.

And it was this obsession that trapped her in this longhouse, unable to break free.

Unlike the ’Earth-bound Spirit’ in novels or comics, this obsession was self-imposed by Shindai Kanari, and unlike the compulsory, inescapable nature of Earth-bound Spirits, she could leave simply by resolving the obsessions within her Spiritual Body.

As the owner of this obsession, Shindai Kanari should have known what her obsession was.

It certainly wasn’t like she ’forgot’.

And coupled with her currently red ears, shifting gaze, and trembling hands and feet—as if she was ashamed of lying... she was indeed hiding something.

It was just that Shindai Kanari didn’t want to tell Beichuan Si.

To be more precise... she didn’t want to tell Beichuan Si, whom she had just met.

"So it is. I understand; it’s very normal to forget things after such a long time." Beichuan Si nodded.

Beichuan Si didn’t want to expose her lies, even though Shindai Kanari was really bad at lying, he still didn’t want to expose her.

Bluntly clarifying everything might be simple and crude, but it was disrespectful to Shindai Kanari.

"Brother..."

Seeing that Beichuan Si truly ’believed’ her, Shindai Kanari muttered with her lips.

She didn’t quite know what else to say.

Under Beichuan Si’s gaze, this overly honest little girl’s eyes reddened with shame and brimmed with pale gold tears.

The poor child was too honest for her own good.

Beichuan Si couldn’t help but think.

It was just a lie.

Everyone behaves in this way.

There is no one in this world who never lies.

He had never before encountered a little girl like her who seemed to want to cry just because she had told a lie.

Such an adorable, honest little girl should be enjoying the pleasures of childhood at her age.

Not standing guard beside the eerie longhouse, dressed in tattered red and white cotton coats, forlornly watching the passersby, upholding some elusive promise.

"No matter what, I hope to be of help to you," Beichuan Si said, softening his gaze, "If you remember anything, feel free to ask me for help."

Having said this, Beichuan Si also got up to take his leave, "Then I should be going now. Kanari, I will visit again when I can."

"Ah... Goodbye. Brother Beichuan," Shindai Kanari responded.

She seemed to have other things she wanted to say, hesitated for a long while, and finally settled for vigorously waving her hand in farewell.

What particularly struck Beichuan Si was her very small figure under the setting sun and the way she bit her lip in shame for lying.

That was the outcome of Beichuan Si’s first meeting with Shindai Kanari.

...

What kind of promise could keep a child, who was barely nine years old, guarding the same spot day and night, waiting for someone to fulfill the promise?

Lying in bed, Beichuan Si didn’t know, nor could he understand.

The child named ’Jing’... no, based on time she should be at least in her teens by now, pretty much a little girl.

So why had this little girl never visited the longhouse?

Maybe she forgot about the promise with Shindai Kanari?

No...there’s also a worst-case scenario to consider.

Beichuan Si turned over and got up.

"It’s not that I don’t want to go, but that I can’t go," he muttered to himself.

He hoped it wasn’t as he imagined.

Beichuan Si dismissed the thought and glanced at Nishijou Kurenai, who was busy sewing clothes on the table.

Her chubby hands held the steel needle, and one foot was placed on the spot she was about to cut with scissors, looking very focused.

But it seemed that because she exerted too much effort, when Magong Yongshi helped pull up the fabric to cut, Nishijou Kurenai was pulled over, and the steel needle was fiercely jabbed into her buttocks.

At that moment, Nishijou Kurenai jumped up two or three meters high.

Beichuan Si watched and nodded.

This was the spirited demeanor that a nine-year-old child should have.

Shindai Kanari’s background was too much to bear.

She had died in such agonizing pain...

The reason why Liangzi had said, "I really don’t know what Shindai Kanari was feeling when she faced the camera with that smile," was precisely because the other person truly was...

But despite that, the nature of Shindai Kanari’s Spiritual Body was more of good spirits, with wandering spirits in the middle.

There wasn’t a trace of resentment visible within her Spiritual Body.

"No matter what, I will visit the Inagaki family tomorrow, I want to ask thoroughly what that arrangement is about."

Since Shindai Kanari didn’t provide an answer, then he would ask the Inagaki family.

Who exactly was the person who made the arrangement with Shindai Kanari?

Why was Shindai Kanari so obsessed with the ’Hyakunin Isshu’ Karuta game?

What would it take to eliminate her obsessions?

These were things Beichuan Si needed to understand.

Only by understanding these could he complete his mission.

Beichuan Si pondered, and then a small doll climbed directly beside his face.

The steel needle stuck in the doll’s bottom had almost entirely gone in, leaving only a tiny end visible.

The shiny gloss made Beichuan Si involuntarily blink,

"Kelian?"

Nishijou Kurenai just tightly clutched Beichuan Si’s collar, her chubby fingers pointing towards her buttocks.

Magong Yongshi’s somewhat embarrassed voice also rang out at the same time, "Mr. Temple, I’m really sorry, the steel needle in Kelian’s bottom... I really can’t pull it out, the harder I try, the deeper it goes, so I was hoping you could help with your ’Mold of the Dead’ skill."

She seemed somewhat reluctant to speak.

For someone from the Magong Main Family, a lady of her standing, saying words like ’bottom,’ ’can’t pull it out,’ and ’the harder, the deeper’ felt utterly unbecoming of a woman.

But for the sake of Nishijou Kurenai, she had to speak.

"I’m truly very sorry for letting you see such an unbecoming sight," Magong Yongshi clenched her teeth, knelt on the ground, and apologized to Beichuan Si.

"..." Beichuan Si.

"It’s okay."

Beichuan Si shook his head and glanced again at Nishijou Kurenai.

The little one was still staring at him with button eyes.

"Be more careful next time," Beichuan Si still reminded Nishijou Kurenai somewhat.

Hearing Beichuan Si’s words, the small doll turned its head resentfully towards the clothing on the table.

It was a set of doctor outfit, a white coat made according to Beichuan Si’s size.

It was deliberately made tattered and torn, with blood plasma sprinkled on the edges.

This was clothing made for Beichuan Si!

That meant Beichuan Si had to at least take half the blame for the steel needle in Nishijou Kurenai’s bottom?

Thinking this, the little one puffed out its chest, its doll face naturally exuding a justified look.

Seeing this made Beichuan Si unable to help but poke her face before he finally reached out and pulled out the needle— 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

It seemed he had used too much strength.

The little one then covered her bottom and jumped up again.