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Chapter 7 — A Night at the Villa

As the conversation with Tōuko-senpai went on, our meal came to an end, and I received another message from Kazumi-san.

«I might not be able to make it to Okinawa today. You should go ahead to the villa.»

Naturally, Touko-senpai also seemed a bit puzzled.

«It’s okay. Although it’s a bit early, let’s head to the villa. We should go back to the airport and rent a car.»

We returned to the airport via the Yui Rail, and there we decided to rent a car. It was better to choose at the airport because there were several car rental companies.

With the rental car, we headed to Onna village through the Okinawa Expressway.

TL/N: Onna (恩納村, Onna-son, in Okinawan: Unna) is a village located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of October 1, 2015, the village had a population of 10,652 and a population density of 209.7 persons per km². The total area of the village is 50.8 km². Source Wikipedia.

Touko-senpai drove the car. Her face, illuminated by the streetlights, made it difficult to read her expression.

While looking at her face from the side, I thought.

(Touko-senpai, how does she feel about spending the night just with me… What is she thinking?)

My heartbeat increased ever since I heard that «Kazumi-san might not be able to come»…

(Or perhaps she doesn’t see me as a man?)

I remembered her previous words, «like a younger brother.»

I was trapped in thoughts about ‘Touko-senpai’s first love’ again.

I shook my head to dispel those thoughts.

Midway, the rain started falling again after we exited the highway.

The villa we were heading to was located on the seaside, somewhat far from the downtown area.

«Here we are.»

Using the address recorded in the travel planner, Touko-senpai parked the car in front of a villa.

«The other places seem similar.»

There were no walls separating the buildings. Each villa was detached, and the buildings were similar to American houses.

And surprisingly, even though it was the summer holiday season, there were no signs of many people in the other buildings.

«It seems like this is a villa area developed by a company in a joint project. It looks like the management is also handed over to the same company.»

Touko-senpai and I got out of the car together.

The rain grew heavier. The wind also blew strongly.

She checked her phone while looking at the house number posted in front of the villa.

«Yes, this is it.»

She said while entering the code into the electronic door lock.

«Beep, and an error sound was heard, Touko-senpai said, ‘Eh? It won’t open.'»

(The code couldn’t be wrong, could it?)

I felt a bit anxious. If the lock didn’t open, we would have to go back to a place with hotels, and it was uncertain if we could find accommodation at this time.

Finally, the sound of ‘zip, click,’ was heard, and the door opened.

Relieved. Was Touko-senpai also a bit nervous?

After entering, in front of the entrance, there was a corridor leading to the living room.

The living room was connected to the dining room and kitchen, very spacious.

There was an open space up to the second floor that provided an open atmosphere.

«It seems there are only two rooms on the second floor. They are probably the bedrooms.»

«So, the first floor is just this room, a bathroom, and a toilet, right?»

«Yes, and it seems there’s a storage outside. Let’s put our things away first.»

Touko-senpai said so while holding her bag.

«Isshiki-kun, the room before the second floor is for you. I’ll use the one at the back.»

Saying that, she went up to the second floor.

(Of course, it’s impossible to have the same room here.)

Although I agreed, I felt a bit disappointed. While half sighing, I put my belongings in the second-floor room.

After that, I returned to the living room and sat on the comfortable L-shaped sofa.

(Ah, of course, money can make everything, huh?)

I thought so, and Touko-senpai came down.

She also just put her things in the room without changing her clothes.

She sat on the sofa, leaving one seat between us.

«There’s no TV here, huh?»

I said so, and Touko-senpai took out her phone.

«Yes, not many provide TVs in villas like this. Some people choose to enjoy the real nature, or because they usually don’t have time with their family, they want to feel family togetherness at least in the villa.»

Indeed, the feeling of wealthy people. It feels different from ordinary people.

«But it seems Wi-Fi is available.»

That’s not a problem. I prefer the internet over TV.

«If Kazumi-san and the others can’t come tomorrow, what will we do?»

I looked out the window. The rain and wind seemed to get stronger.

«I guess it’s unlikely to happen, but… Let’s find out what’s around here.»

Touko-senpai said so while operating her phone.

«Since Onna Village is famous as a beach resort, there seem to be various marine activities here. Diving, sea kayaking, SUP (stand-up paddleboard).»

«Ah, if everyone comes, I’d like to try some of them.»

«Kazumi might not like things that cost. She’s quite tight with her wallet… Oh?»

«What happened?»

«Could this be about the villa here?»

Touko-senpai said that and showed me her phone.

As I leaned in and peered into the phone, there was an article like this.

[O Village, Okinawa Prefecture: Massacre of the «Invisible Killer» in the Villa Area]

O Village, located in the central part of Okinawa Island, has attracted attention as a resort area in recent years.

However, a few years ago, a horrific family massacre occurred in one of the villas here.

During a family holiday in this villa, the owner, a company president, was attacked by someone.

The attacker is believed to have used a large crowbar and a splitting axe as weapons.

First, the eldest son on the first floor was hit in the head with an axe.

Next, the president and his wife in the bedroom on the second floor were hit with the crowbar and tied up.

When trying to escape at that time, the eldest daughter was found.

The attacker captured the daughter and is believed to have strangled her in front of her parents.

After that, the attacker injured both parents with the axe and crowbar before killing them.

Due to the brutal nature of the attacker’s methods, the police suspect someone with a strong hatred towards the president’s family, but the perpetrator has not been found.

After the incident, the villa was sold for a while, but no one was interested.

Then, at a very low price, a couple came forward interested in buying it.

The couple proposed to stay as a trial, and they spent one night in this villa.

The next day, when they didn’t come out even after the agreed time, the villa’s guard visited the villa. The wife was found strangled, and the husband was stabbed to death with a knife.

Looking at the photos on the site, the background and license plate at the villa were mosaic, but it clearly resembled the villa we are staying in now.

«It can’t be…»

I responded like that, but based on those photos, I couldn’t say «it’s definitely different.»

«Kazumi mentioned it. The president who bought this place decided to do so because the price was very cheap.»

«You can’t conclude just from this article. Let’s look for more information.»

So, I tried some searches with the same keywords.

Quite a lot of pages about the ‘Villa Massacre’ came up.

Some of them posted photos that seemed to be from this villa as crime scene photos.

I opened one of them, ‘Urban Legend in Okinawa,’ from those pages.

Among various nonsensical reasons like ‘the spirits of the massacred family appear’ or ‘the perpetrator was not human,’ there was one post that caught my attention.

‘The villa that was the scene of the crime has fingerprint stains on the walls and bloodstains in the shape of a Y on the floor.

Right after that, for some reason, my phone lost signal.

«It seems we can’t use the internet anymore.»

Touko-senpai, who was peeping at my phone, pointed to the wall in front.

«Those stains on that wall, don’t they look like fingerprint marks?»

Looking where Touko-senpai pointed… indeed, there was a smooth oval stain.

It was the size of a palm, but not enough to be called a fingerprint.

«Now that you mention it, it might look like that. But for bloodstains, the color seems too faint.»

«A real estate agent wouldn’t leave bloodstains like that when selling a villa. They would clean it thoroughly, wouldn’t they?»

«Could it be remnants that couldn’t be cleaned?»

«That’s also a possibility.»

«What about the Y-shaped stain on the floor?»

«It might be there, but there’s a carpet, so we don’t know. Maybe that part was thoroughly cleaned.»

«Could it be that Touko-senpai is scared?»

I was a bit surprised.
Touko-senpai, known for her rationality and logical thinking, scared of a B-grade horror story.

After disliking snakes, could it be she also doesn’t like ghost stories?

However, hearing my words, Touko-senpai seemed a bit annoyed.

«It’s not that I find it scary! Well, if this was the actual crime scene, it would be creepy, but…»

«But if this story is true, there should be newspaper articles or search results, right?»

When I said that, Touko-senpai seemed relieved.

«Yes, you’re right.»

Saying that, she fanned herself with her hand on her chest.

Somehow, I also felt the humidity.

I sweated quite a bit today since we walked a lot.

I felt uncomfortable with my sticky body.

«Eh, Touko-senpai. If you don’t mind, do you want to bathe first?»

I couldn’t say, «I’ll bathe first,» leaving a woman behind.

Touko-senpai showed a contemplative gesture for a moment but said, «Thank you. Then, I’ll go first.»

After going to the bedroom once, she entered the bathroom carrying a bath towel.

Meanwhile, I looked at the photos I took today on my phone, which lost its signal.

For now, my relationship with Touko-senpai should have improved.

But I can’t be too happy. Advancing this relationship one step further is the goal of this trip.

Suddenly, I glanced outside the window.

The weather was getting worse. Now there was a thunderstorm.

The sound of thunder, which was heard from afar, gradually approached.

(With weather like this, even if a plane takes off from Haneda, it might not be able to reach Okinawa).

While looking outside the window, I unconsciously thought about it.

(If, by chance, Kazumi-san and Ishida don’t come tonight…)

Just Touko-senpai and me.

Earlier, after reading the online article, Touko-senpai seemed quite scared.

Could it be that after this, Touko-senpai will say something like «I’m scared, let’s sleep together»…?

(No, no, that’s impossible.)

I found my own unreasonable imagination.

Rather than that, now is the perfect opportunity to give Touko-senpai her birthday present.

I couldn’t give it to her during the day, but now we’re just the two of us.

Touko-senpai doesn’t need to worry about the gaze of others, and she can accept it.

(Yes, let’s do it. I’ll give it to her after Touko-senpai comes out of the bathroom)

I thought about it and stood up from the sofa.

In an instant, a loud thunder roared.

Immediately after that, the lights went out.

Looking around hastily, even the street lights outside the window were out.

Inside the villa, and outside, it was pitch black.

(Is the entire area experiencing a blackout? Maybe the last thunder was the cause).

With conditions like this, it would be difficult to go upstairs to get candles.

And I was worried about Touko-senpai.

However, I couldn’t enter the bathroom while she was bathing.

The wind was blowing very strongly.

Occasionally, tree branches made a loud noise as they swayed.

Without doing anything, I just stared dimly at the stormy scene outside the window.

How much time had passed?

There was a sound, different from before, «gatan.»

(What’s this?)

In the darkness, where my own hand could not be seen clearly, instinctively, I raised my upper body.

Amidst the sound of the wind, I felt like I heard a woman’s voice.

It became somewhat creepy.

«Aahhh! A rat!»

A scream came from the bathroom.

«Touko-senpai!?»

I unconsciously stood up.

Trying to head to the bathroom, I accidentally bumped my foot into the table.

Despite that, ignoring the pain, I headed to the bathroom in the dark.

In front of the bathroom was a changing room.

The door was not locked.
«Touko-senpai!»

I yelled while opening the door, and someone bumped into me from inside.

«Touko-senpai?»

«Isshiki-kun!»

Instinctively, I reached out to hold her as if to embrace her.

«What happened, what happened?»

In the darkness, I could barely see anything, but her body was wet.

And it seemed she had a towel wrapped around her body.

She hadn’t had the time to look for clothes in the changing room in her hurry.

«Outside the bathroom window… someone’s head…»

«Really?»

While still holding her shoulders, I opened the bathroom door.

The bathroom window was quite high. If someone wasn’t nearly two meters tall, they couldn’t peek through it because of the building’s foundation height from the outside.

«Let’s go back to the living room for now. You have spare clothes, right?»

«Well, in my rush, I accidentally dropped the laundry basket… I only managed to put it at the bottom, but I don’t know where the rest is.»

In the unfamiliar darkness, it seemed impossible to find her clothes.

«Then, let’s go back to the room and get new clothes. It seems faster.»

Saying that, I carefully returned to the living room while still holding Touko-senpai’s shoulder.

Now, my foot, which bumped earlier, started to throb.

«There should be a table around here, so be careful not to bump into it.»

I said that, and then, Touko-senpai pointed to the front window glass.

«Oh, that…»

Perhaps because I came back from the pitch-dark changing room, the outside seemed a bit brighter.

Therefore, I could see that something was on the window glass.

Approaching and checking it out, it turned out…

«Could this be a handprint…?»

I thought the same thing.

What was stuck on the large sliding glass window was… handprints.

Many wet fingerprints were stuck there.

«Does this mean someone came here and tried to peek inside the room?»

Touko-senpai said with a frightened expression.

(Who could it be?)

If Kazumi-san came, there’s no reason for her to peek inside like this.

I also felt a tension creeping up on me unconsciously.

Once again, lightning struck.

On the edge of the garden, something like a shadow of someone reflected.

«!»

Could it be that Touko-senpai also saw it?

She gripped my clothes tightly.

… Could it really be a murderer?

(It can’t be true!)

Although I thought so in my head, the fear seeped into my heart due to the darkness.

Touko-senpai seemed to feel the same. She had been clinging to me since then.

There was tension in my arm holding her shoulder.

In the darkness, we both huddled together, silently waiting.

After some time…

Jingle, jingle, jingle.

A noisy sound came from the direction of the entrance.

Was someone trying to open the door?

«There’s a sound from the direction of the entrance…,»

Touko-senpai murmured in a soft voice.

«It’s not the sound of the wind…»

«No… I’m scared…»

Touko-senpai hugged me even tighter.

«This place has an electronic lock, right? Can the door be opened when the power is out?»

When I asked that, Touko-senpai answered with a trembling voice.

«Kazumi said it could be opened with a key. So, if there’s a duplicate key…»

Oh, I see… If the perpetrator has a duplicate key, they could get inside.

(Touko-senpai, I really have to protect her no matter what… Is there any weapon here?)

I groped the table.

But there was no object that could be used as a weapon…

Instead, I found the rental car keys.

While keeping Touko-senpai behind me, I hid behind the sofa.

«Touko-senpai, if someone enters, I’ll confront them. At that moment, please run out from the window, Touko-senpai.»

I said that while giving her the rental car keys.

«But… what about Isshiki-kun?»

«Don’t worry about me. The important thing is, I’ll make sure Touko-senpai can escape. First, we think about escaping with the car…»

«Isshiki-kun, that’s too…»

Touko-senpai hugged me with her whole body.

Remembering that she was only wearing a towel and underwear.

I quickly took off the shirt I was wearing.

«For now, wear this. Later we’ll see the situation…»

When I handed my shirt to Touko-senpai…

Ding! The front door opened.

(Someone, came inside…)

I braced myself. Meanwhile, Touko-senpai put on my shirt.

In the darkness, there was the sound of footsteps heading towards the living room.

And not just one person.

(This is bad. Facing several people, can I ensure Touko-senpai can run away?)

But… I had to do it.

No matter what, I had to protect Touko-senpai.

Click! The living room door opened.

I tried to jump, crawl, and…

«Don’t!»

Touko-senpai whispered softly while hugging me again.

With this, I couldn’t go out.

I pressed Touko-senpai’s shoulder.

At that moment, suddenly the lights turned on.

I saw the figure of the intruder.

And he also saw me.

«Why are you here?»

He, Kazumi-san, was surprised.

And behind him, for some reason, were Meika-chan and Karen.