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Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red/Youmu

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5th of the Leaf Month (August), Season 119

Ghost Procession on a Midsummer Afternoon

Speechless from seeing ghosts flying midday with no hesitation


At about 1:00 PM on X/X, occurred a strange incident where a huge number of ghosts flew over Gensokyo.
The witnesses were all surprised that they'd never seen such a huge number of ghosts not even after sunset.
Hearing the news, I chased them with my fastest feet in Gensokyo.

The ghosts numbering beyond my imagination headed for the same direction forming a line.
The inside of the swarm of ghosts was so chilly and I couldn't help feeling the unbelievable strangeness from the difference with the heat of the summer outside.

The one who led the group was Konpaku Youmu (Half-human Half-ghost), who works as a gardener in the Netherworld.
I directly asked her in flight why she led the huge number of ghosts and where they headed for.

"I just came here to take everybody back to the Netherworld. Since the boundary between this world and the Netherworld is thin at the moment, a small trigger is enough to let them cross and hang around in this world. Yesterday the people here made an ancestor-greeting fire all over Gensokyo, because of that, some ghosts confused by the greeting and others that took advantage of this situation entered Gensokyo to play around. That's why I'm here to return them back home."

As she said, it was the first day of Bon Festival yesterday, so they seem to have made an ancestor-greeting fire.
It's ironic that the thoughtless fire called not only their ancestors but also free ghosts.

Also, the gardener called the following attention about ghosts.

"Even if you see any ghosts, don't feed or make them pets. Once ghosts get along with you, they won't part from you easily. And what is worse, you may be possessed for the next three generations. Plus, ghosts are extremely cold so you risk getting frostbite if you touch them. If you find any ghosts, please just ignore them or call Hakugyokurou or a shrine maiden."

Though I felt no feeling of danger or foul play in this incident, it's better not to stimulate or eat any ghosts if they're found floating in the air.

(Shameimaru Aya)

Interview

Aya

Though one year has passed since then, the number of ghosts doesn’t seem to have decreased yet.

Youmu

I’m still doing my best. I’m supposed to be doing my best!

Aya

But this is the result.

Youmu

(Weeping)

Aya

I've already gotten used to ghosts. It's now an ordinary scenery for ghosts to be flying over Gensokyo.

Youmu

Are you trying to be sarcastic?

Aya

I don't mean it at all. In other words, we're more familiar with the Netherworld, you're side by side with death, just like always being at the risk of life, heh?

Youmu

I don't know what you want to say, but it's certain that making a trip between this world and the Netherworld has become easier. These days, alive humans and youkais go down there with no doubt; dead beings come here also.

Aya

Is this situation OK?

Youmu

It's not OK, I suppose.

Aya

You answer uncertainly.

Youmu

The dead belong to the Netherworld; the living belong to this world. Though the natural thing is the most right one, even if it changes a bit, the world still works normally. There's no possibility that the dead rise or the living meet an unexpected death. Then now, I can’t be certain why I have to take the ghosts back to the Netherworld or why the living are prohibited from entering the Netherworld.

Aya

If you're confused, the situation will never be normal, I guess.

Youmu

Plus, the boundary between the Netherworld and this world doesn't look like it’ll be repaired. I can do nothing by myself...

Aya

By the way, you're also an alive human, aren't you? Why do you work in the Netherworld?

Youmu

Me? I've never thought of that. Still, I'm also a dead human so, Hmm...

Aya

Don't take it too deeply, otherwise I'd be troubled. I just asked so that I might get an answer like you got plenty of salary or had a lot of leave.

Youmu

I've never got any salary, and what's the leave?

Aya

Ah, what a pity.

Youmu

Oh my, you don't need any sympathies... I get a snack at 3 o'clock, and I've got sick leave before, I guess...

Aya

What a pity you are...

Youmu

Anyways, I've served the Saigyouji clan since I was born, so it's natural for me.

Aya

I'm starting to question if things natural to you are always actually right.

Youmu

The natural thing is the most right thing. They say it differs by someone, but I’m not talking about the light daily stuff. The dead belong to the Netherworld and the living belong to this world; the Youkai eat humans and the humans defeat youkai. I've been taught the real natural thing is the ultimate truth for anybody.

Aya

And one of your ‘natural’ things is to have no salary and no leave.

Youmu

(Weeping)