Episode 37 - The Ghost's Identity
I am a golem.
It's not uncommon for
the reaction you expect from someone to be different from the reaction they
actually have. When I gave Sebastian a thumbs-up, I had a faint hope that he
would give me a thumbs-up back with a smile.
I had thought that even
if he didn't give me a thumbs up, he would at least smile and nod, but I didn't
expect him to be there. In the beginning, I could feel his eyes on me. He could
have waited for me for an hour or so. I shook my head as if to sigh, and walked
towards the mansion again.
{Log: Disappointment
has been resolved due to the effects of [Enlightened one]}
But I wonder why it was
fixed. The doorknob, the gate... Do I actually have that kind of power?
Could it be the effect
of the skill [Restore]? If that's the case, I'm pretty amazing, aren't I? It
may take some time, but I can repair doorknobs and doors. If you're looking for
a way to fix up a slightly damaged house, please let me know, and I'm sure you
can make a fortune. But I don't have any money to spend, so I'll stop. I don't
have the communicative power to interact with customers.
Now, let's get
ourselves together and enter the house. I stood in front of the door and turned
the doorknob with a click. I wondered what I would do if the door was locked,
but it was not. I said in my mind, "I'm sorry to disturb you," and
walked into the house.
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
Oh, the ghosts started
attacking again. It hadn't happened before. Then I saw Sebastian in front of
me. He was standing on his knees with his hands on his hips.
The Kaiser's beard made
Sebastian look very intimidating. It was as if Sebastian's body was overflowing
with an invisible fighting spirit.
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
To humans, golems are a
type of demon, so it is understandable that they are wary of them. It would be
no use for me to force my way in at this point. With my strength, it would be
possible to push my way through. But I will not do that. My noble soul will not
allow such a thing!
{Log: Excitement has
subsided due to the effects of the [Enlightened One]}
Let's give up for now.
With that in mind, I walked out of the mansion and closed the door softly. I
walked straight to the garden and glanced towards the mansion to see Sebastian
looking at me from the first floor window. He must have noticed that I was
looking back at him, because he waved his hand at me. You've got pretty good
eyes, Sebastian.
I'd like you to show
some consideration by offering me a cup of tea since I've fixed the door and
the gate. I can't drink, so I'll decline.
I sluggishly left the
mansion.
--That night...
If the front door
doesn't work, there's always the back door. If you can't push it, try pulling
it. I won't give up so easily!
When I first circled
the house, I made sure that there was a kitchen door. No problem. I'm on top of
my game. The moon is out today, so it's not a good day for covert action. It's
also daytime, so if I were to sneak in today, Sebastian may suspect me. No, he
will be convinced that it is me.
You need to wait for
the right time to get things done. There is no hurry. I made sure that there
was no light at all in the house, and then I disappeared into the forest.
Now is the time to wait
so that I can get my brushes.
--Three nights later.
I was a person who had
a reputation for being patient. This has not changed even now that I have
become a golem. Finally, the night of the new moon came when the moon was not
visible.
I've been observing
this mansion for three days, but there are no lights on at night and no people
coming or going. I wondered how Sebastian was living there. It takes a lot of
courage to live alone in a mansion with ghosts, that bearded butler.
I sneak towards the
kitchen door. I quietly jumped over the wall of the house. I peek in through
the window near the kitchen door. Hmm, he's not here. I put my hand on the
kitchen door and gently pulled it open without a sound.
Hmmm... this mansion
has become so straightforward. Perhaps this house feels indebted to me for
fixing the door and gate. Well, then, let's go! I entered the house through the
kitchen door.
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
The moment I stepped
into the room, I was met with this. I knew you'd come, Ghost. Your attacks
won't work on me. So I'll let you live until the search is complete. With that
in mind, I turned around and saw Sebastian with his arms crossed.
Oh, geez.
I raised my right hand
and waved it slowly, hoping that he would understand that I was saying,
"Hello, it's been a while”. Sebastian glances at me with a half-lidded
stare, brushing his magnificent beard.
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
It's like my fault. I
have nothing to be ashamed of. All I'm doing is disposing of unused tools on my
behalf. Good intentions. This is a good intention! My feelings are not conveyed.
Sebastian waved his
hand at me, just as he had done before. If I back down now, it will be the same
as last time. What do I do? What should I do?!
I look back at all that
I've done. Pinky, Ichiro, Jiro. Lend me your strength!
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
!!!
I remembered. What was
going on with me, Ichiro and Jirou? We were high-fiving, hand in hand. It made
me happy, and it made Ichirou and Jirou happy too. Their tails were wagging all
over the place! Even Roof was smiling as he watched them.
That's right! Hand to hand, even if you can't communicate with
words, you can communicate with feelings!
A smile is the magic
that binds us all together! I'm sure me and Sebastian can do it too!
I'm sure he will
understand what I'm thinking.
With the passionate desire
of "Give me the brush!", I reach for Sebastian's steadfast hands.
Hi, Touch!!
Our hands don't touch
each other, and I'm tripping forward. Why is it that aren’t our hands supposed
to touch each other?
{Log: Excitement has
subsided due to the effects of the [Enlightened One]}
Oh, I'm overlapping
with Sebastian right now. I'm overlapping with Sebastian, as if I'm in a 3D
game and there's no hit detection.
What? No way.
Sebastian. You, you're a ghost!
Sebastian even has
legs, and I can see him clearly. Oh, but he has no shadow! Ghosts can't cast
shadows, after all!
{Log: Excitement has
subsided due to the effects of the [Enlightened One]}
Relax, it's a new moon
today and it's pitch black all around, so it's no wonder there are no shadows.
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
Ignoring my
astonishment, the ghost, or rather Sebastian, attacked me as if to confirm my
assumption. It is indeed Sebastian who has deceived me so brilliantly. Now that
he has revealed himself, I have no choice but to attack him. I wave my hand
lightly at Sebastian.
Boom!
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
Oh? One more time, just
in case. Sebastian does not show any signs of avoiding my attack. He fires back
at me as if to match my attack.
Boom!
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
Okay, one last try.
BOOM!
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
{Log: Golem took 0
damage from Ghost}
As I thought, Sebastian
did not show any signs of avoiding my attack. Just as he did before, he fights
back to match my attack. It's no good. My attacks are not getting through. I
can't even use magic, so what should I do?
It is only when one is
cornered that one's true value is revealed. I had a flash of inspiration.
I stepped away from
Sebastian and clasped my hands together.
This is the Japanese
version of the Nembutsu!
"Noumaksan Mandala
..." not good, I don't know the continuation.
I don't have it
memorized, so I can't. I didn't know that the issue of Japan's nuclear family
would come up here. I don't go to funerals very often. It's a last resort. God,
Buddha, and ancestors. Please help me! I thought desperately.
Sebastian, suddenly
motionless with his hands in the air, looks at me warily. It seems that neither
my prayers nor my prayers have any effect on Sebastian.
--Five minutes later
I cross my arms,
Sebastian puts his hands on his hips, and we face each other.
Sebastian seems to have
finally given up, and has stopped attacking me. My attacks do no damage to
Sebastian. Sebastian's attacks are not doing any damage to me either. So we
were both out of options.
I use my body language
to tell him that I need a brush. Unfortunately, Sebastian doesn't seem to be
getting the message at all. I don't know what to do.
I look around the room.
It's all a bit dusty. Even though Sebastian, the butler, is here. Isn't he able
to clean up? Or maybe it's because he's a ghost, so he can't clean. I walk over
to a nearby wooden desk.
Sebastian looks at me
curiously, wondering what I'm going to do.
Don't worry. I'm not
going to do anything rash. I gently trace the top of the desk with the index
finger of my right hand. After my finger traces the surface, the dust is
removed and the desk is clean. Phew. I knew it.
I stare alternately at
the dust on my right index finger and at Sebastian. Sebastian looks really
uncomfortable.
--The next morning.
To get what I want, I
must first get what they want. Sebastian, I'm going to show you what you can't
do. You can see in my eyes the difference between you and me!
I'm standing in front
of the garden of the house, which is covered with grass. Sebastian is also
looking at me from inside the door of the house. It seems that Sebastian is
some kind of earthbound spirit, unable to go out the door of the mansion.
What can I say, I'm a
forced recluse. I wonder how many bad things he has done in his life that he
has to stay in this world without internet, TV and games. He has the appearance
of a capable butler, but maybe he was bullying his maid.
I look at Sebastian,
thinking about this. Sebastian also looks at me. I feel as if our eyes have
met. From now on, every time I see Sebastian, I'm going to give him a pitying
look. I nodded to myself to forget about the maid. Everyone has a past they
don't want touched.
I land in a garden
covered with weeds, and Sebastian is watching me.
Now, behold, this is
weeding.
Buchi, buchi, buchi,
buchi, buchi, buchi, buchi, buchi. I plucked the weeds without a break. I
wondered how much of it hadn't been taken care of. There was an enormous amount
of grass.
After all, the gates
and doorknobs that were broken the other day must have been because they hadn't
been maintained. If you don't maintain them, they'll go bad soon. Thanks to my
visit, we were able to fix them, so I guess Sebastian was overflowing with joy
inside, even though he looked so uncomfortable.
While thinking about
this, I plucked at the weeds with a buchi, buchi, buchi. My mind may be
thinking of other things, but my body is still moving. This is the basis of
working.
I plucked at the grass
endlessly. Buchi, buchi, buchi as I pluck the grass. The fact that I'm making
them buzz and buzz doesn't mean that I'm plucking wildly. I'm plucking the
grass with a light rhythm, but with great care.
I pinch the roots of
each blade of grass and pull them up vertically. It's a simple, yet persistent
task, and I continue to do it silently, alone. I pluck the weeds with a buchi, buchi,
buchi.
The garden of this
house is huge. It's really big. It's so big that I wonder how many studio
apartments I used to live in when I was a human could be built here. I plucked
at the weeds with a light touch.
I have a long way to go
on this grass-pulling road. But there is always an end to this work. Just as
there is no rain that never stops, there is no end to the weeding. With a firm
hand, I plucked the weeds with a buchi, buchi, buchi.
I am the one who never
gives up!
I keep plucking the
weeds with my hands.
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