Chapter 53

Chapter 53: There Must Be Some Unspeakable Secret

Taking a self-driving trip in the 1980s meant unexpected road conditions were something that absolutely had to be considered.

Fortunately, regardless of the era, as long as one had money, very few problems were truly unsolvable.

On a morning in mid-June, Nagayama Naoki drove out of Tokyo.

In less than an hour, he arrived in Kamakura. At this time, the famous “Slam Dunk” scene that later generations would rush to visit had not yet appeared. Naoki mainly visited the famous Great Buddha of Kamakura at Kotoku-in, and also toured well-known Buddhist temples such as Engaku-ji, Meigetsu-in, and Kencho-ji.

Without the added influence of religious belief, the scenery itself was honestly just average; at most, the statues simply carried a sense of historical age.

After leaving Kamakura, a long coastal landscape finally unfolded before him.

Listening to lively music from the car stereo while enjoying the seaside scenery, Nagayama Naoki felt as if he had stepped into the world of a manga.

Brilliant sunlight, cool sea breezes, relaxing music, and an endless expanse of blue sky and ocean brought an overwhelming sense of freedom to someone usually trapped in a steel-and-concrete city.

If not for the last trace of embarrassment holding him back, he might have started singing out loud.

Time passed quickly while immersed in the scenery. Without even needing to step on the brakes, more than an hour of coastal views seemed to flash by in an instant.

Around noon, Naoki arrived in Hakone and visited Lake Ashi. However, he did not witness the famous view described as “the jade fan hanging upside down over the Eastern Sea.” Mount Fuji in summer, without its snow-covered peak, looked little different from an ordinary mountain.

Next came Atami, famous for its hot springs. With temperatures rising during the day, it was not the best time to enjoy a bath, but simply having a kaiseki meal was already satisfying.

After passing Atami, he entered the eastern Izu Peninsula. Memories of “The Dancing Girl of Izu,” starring Momoe Yamaguchi, instantly surfaced in his mind, even making him briefly consider searching for a traveling performance troupe.

His former self truly had been a devoted fan of Momoe Yamaguchi.

Driven by that impulse, Nagayama Naoki went to find the Old Amagi Tunnel and took photos to commemorate the past and reminisce about youth.

He also did not miss the famous Kawazu Seven Waterfalls. At each of the seven waterfalls, large and small, Naoki left behind photographic memories.

After all the sightseeing, two hours passed quietly.

When he checked the time, half the afternoon was already gone.

Naoki quickly resumed driving, still hoping to reach his hometown that very day.

Earlier, when passing through Inatori, he had bought several locally famous red fish, said to be exceptionally tender, planning to let his family try them.

Shimoda, at the southern end of Izu, was the place where the male and female protagonists parted in “The Dancing Girl of Izu.” Naturally, Naoki would not miss such a meaningful location and took plenty of commemorative photos.

At Cape Irozaki, the southernmost point, the scenery appeared even more beautiful under the afternoon sunlight.

After passing Matsuzaki Town, his hometown in Shizuoka seemed almost visible across the sea.

As evening clouds gradually turned crimson, the coastal scenery took on a dreamlike quality, as if wrapped in an unreal veil.

Finally, just before sunset, Nagayama Naoki returned home to Shizuoka.

Houses in small towns rarely had garages, but parking spaces were plentiful. He parked the sports car beside a fork in the road near the house. Having called ahead to inform his family of his return, he picked up the water tank containing the red fish along with several local specialty gifts and stepped into the entrance.

“I’m home.”

His mother, Nagayama Nanako, was delighted to see him.

“Naoki, welcome home.”

She quickly came out of the living room and took the items from his hands.

“Naoki, what did you bring? It feels heavy.”

“These are red fish from Inatori. I heard they’re very famous, so I brought a few back for everyone to try.”

Looking around, Naoki noticed only his mother was home.

“Is Father and big brother still at the shop? And Tsuruko hasn’t come back yet?”

Nanako carried the water tank into the kitchen, already preparing to check the fish.

“The shop gets busier as summer approaches. As for Tsuruko, she’s probably at club activities.”

“Oh? She joined a club? That’s nice.”

Naoki himself had been rather dull in the past, always going straight home after school.

“I think it’s something like a paranormal research club,” his mother’s voice came from the kitchen, slightly unclear, though she sounded very satisfied with the fish.

After chatting for a while, it was already past five o’clock. As a full-time housewife, Nanako began preparing dinner in the kitchen.

With the fish Naoki brought, dinner would be especially rich today.

Naoki returned upstairs to his room to rest, organizing souvenirs and separating the gifts he had prepared for each family member.

“Mom, there’s an ultra-luxurious sports car parked outside our house!” Tsuruko’s energetic voice came from downstairs.

“Oh? We’re having fish today?”

Naoki came downstairs carrying several gifts.

“Tsuruko, I’m back.”

“Ah, gifts!” Her eyes immediately locked onto the packages in his hands. “What is it? What is it?”

“You’re not even going to call me ‘big brother’ first?”

Naoki felt speechless as she eagerly grabbed the gift bag and began opening it.

“Okay, okay, welcome home, big brother,” she said perfunctorily, completely lacking sincerity before returning to the important task of unwrapping presents.

“Whoa! It’s a Sony Walkman! And it’s red!”

The portable cassette player, released only a couple of years earlier, was still a relatively new product in Japan, and even rarer in a small town.

“Thank you, big brother!”

With this gift, Tsuruko did not even bother helping in the kitchen. She rushed upstairs immediately to find suitable tapes to try it out.

The silk scarf for his mother and the tea leaves and handmade fishing float for his father and older brother were casually placed in the living room.

After dinner was ready, Naoki went upstairs to call Tsuruko down. The girl was completely immersed in her new Walkman.

Only three people sat at the dinner table. During this period, his father and older brother usually ate at the izakaya, since they still had to work the evening shift.

They typically returned home after ten at night and had to go back around ten the next morning to prepare for lunch service. Every bit of their income came from hard labor.

The red fish from Inatori proved exceptionally tender and delicious.

“This fish is really fresh today. Mom, where did you buy it?”

“Naoki brought it back.”

“These are Inatori red fish. They say it’s a specialty only found at Inatori Port.”

“Is that really true?” Tsuruko sounded skeptical. “Then our paranormal research club has a new research topic.”

“What kind of club is a paranormal research club?” Naoki could not help marveling at the imagination of high school students. “You study ghost stories?”

“Ghosts are only one direction. There are also rooms that eat people, forests where people mysteriously vanish. We research all the strange phenomena that truly exist in this world and try to solve their mysteries.

Like this red fish. How could it exist only at Inatori Port? There must be some unspeakable secret!”

Nanako immediately interrupted.

“Don’t talk about such strange things while eating.”

People of her generation still felt uneasy about supernatural topics.

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

The two quietly sped up their eating.