booktalesy Chapter 27 The Club
Chapter 27 The Club
In May of 1986, summer arrived unusually early in Tokyo.
Even before the rainy season has arrived, the air is already filled with that sticky, suffocating heat and humidity. Cicadas chirp incessantly in the treetops, as if foreshadowing the restlessness that summer is about to begin.
Minato, Azabu Juban.
It's just a stone's throw from Roppongi, a place brimming with desire, yet it feels like two different worlds. Here, there are no disco clubs where people party all night, only winding, undulating slopes and secluded mansions hidden behind lush, ancient trees.
A black Nissan President sedan slowly climbed up a steep slope called "Darkness Slope".
"The cicadas here are much louder than back home."
Satsuki sat in the back seat, holding a sandalwood fan and gently fanning herself. Today she wore a light purple dress with white lace at the neckline, like an iris blooming in the shadows.
Shuichi was looking through a property document when he heard this. He looked up and glanced at the dense canopy of trees outside the window that almost blocked out the sky.
"Because the trees here are old," Shuichi said casually. "This area of Azabu has been the residence of daimyo since the Edo period. Some of the trees are probably even older than the Saionji family's history."
The car stopped in front of a rusty black iron gate.
The iron gate was very tall, about three meters high, and decorated with sharp spearheads at the top, like a row of imposing guards. It was covered with withered vines, so dense that the original metallic luster was almost completely obscured.
On the stone pillar next to the gate, where the nameplate used to be embedded, only a rectangular groove remains, filled with moss.
A middle-aged man in a striped suit, constantly wiping sweat with a handkerchief, stood by the door, anxiously checking his watch. Seeing the car stop, he quickly ran over and opened the door.
"Mr. Saionji! Miss! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"
The man bowed while wiping the beads of sweat that kept pouring from his forehead with a handkerchief. He was Sato, a real estate agent specializing in luxury homes in the Minato Ward, and usually a haughty and arrogant person, but at this moment, standing in front of this gloomy mansion, he appeared unusually awkward.
"Sato-san, you're sweating a lot."
After fixing the car and straightening his cuffs, he didn't rush inside. Instead, he stood by the roadside, examining the tightly closed gate.
"It's...it's just too hot," Sato said with an awkward smile. "And there are...a lot of mosquitoes here."
"There are so many mosquitoes because there's no human presence."
Satsuki lightly jumped off the carriage, closed the small fan in her hand, and pointed to the unfathomable green glimpse peeking through the crack in the door.
Is the door locked?
"Ah, it's locked, it's locked." Sato hurriedly pulled out a large bunch of keys from his briefcase, his hands trembling slightly as he searched for the largest brass key. "Um... Mr. Saionji, there are some things I need to say upfront."
He stopped what he was doing and looked at Xiu Yi with a troubled expression.
"This house... has been on the market for five years. Many people have come to see it, some of them are big real estate developers, but in the end none of them bought it."
"Because it's too old?" Xiu asked.
"It's not just old." Sato lowered his voice, glancing around mysteriously, "This place... is a bit 'that'."
"Which one?"
"It's just... not clean." Sato swallowed hard. "This used to be Count Kyogoku's villa. After the war, the Kyogoku family fell into decline, and the house was abandoned. I heard that a maid once hanged herself on the third floor, and later... the tenants who moved in all said they could hear the sound of high heels walking in the corridor at night."
"Some people also say that they can see will-o'-the-wisps in the windows of the third floor at midnight."
After Sato finished speaking, he couldn't help but shiver, even though the temperature was 28 degrees Celsius.
"So, the neighbors all call this place 'Ghost Residence'."
After hearing this, Xiu Yi did not show any fear on his face. Instead, he showed a look of nostalgia.
"The Kyogoku family..." he murmured to himself. "No wonder this gatehouse looked familiar. My father brought me here to a fair when I was a child."
He turned his head and looked at Satsuki.
"Satsuki, are you scared?"
Satsuki covered half of her face with a fan, revealing only her smiling, curved eyes.
"Father, what are ghosts compared to being poor?"
She walked to the iron gate and gestured for Sato to open it.
"Besides, ghosts don't charge rent. If there really are ghosts here, then the prices must be very cheap."
Sato paused for a moment, then smiled wryly and inserted the key into the lock.
"Click."
The rusty lock cylinder made a screeching sound, and Sato twisted it a few more times before a dull thud was heard as it unlocked.
The heavy iron gate was slowly pushed open.
A cold wind, carrying the scent of rotting leaves and damp earth, blew out from under the door.
……
The yard is very large.
Or rather, it is a primeval forest.
The once meticulously manicured English garden has been completely swallowed up by weeds and shrubs due to decades of neglect. The weeds have grown to knee height, and the once precious rose bushes have now turned into thorny brambles, blocking the path haphazardly.
The three of them trudged along the flagstone path, the surface of which was now barely visible. (Because Satsuki had come to view the house without an appointment, no one had come to clean it beforehand.)
Through the dense foliage, you can see a Western-style building standing not far away.
It was a typical Western-style mansion in the "Taisho Romantic" style. Red brick exterior walls, bronze pitched roof, and dormer windows that looked like open eyes, coldly watching the intruder.
The walls were covered with ivy, almost completely enveloping the building in green vegetation, with only tightly closed blinds visible.
"The skeleton is still very sturdy."
Satsuki stopped in her tracks, not looking at the dilapidated appearance, but staring at the structure of the building.
"Houses from that era were built with very solid materials. The walls were at least 50 centimeters thick, so the sound insulation should have been quite good."
"Yes...yes." Sato said, using his briefcase to deflect the outstretched branches. "The main structure is fine. It's just that the interior is completely rotten. If we want anyone to live there, we'll probably have to hollow it out and rebuild it from scratch."
He glanced at the gloomy entryway and tentatively suggested, "Actually, if we demolished this house and just sold the land..."
"No demolition."
Satsuki interrupted him.
She stepped onto the moss-covered steps and reached out to push the heavy oak door.
The door wasn't locked.
"Squeak—"
The door emitted a long, sickening whistle and slowly opened inward.
Of course, no bats flew out; only countless tiny dust particles danced in the beam of light.
The lobby was very dark.
All the windows were boarded up, and only the light coming through the front door barely illuminated the parquet floor beneath our feet.
A strong musty smell permeated the air; it was the smell of time fermenting.
At the very center stands a wide, two-way staircase with exquisite carvings on the handrails. Though covered in dust, its former luxury is still evident. Above the staircase, a huge crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling, its surface covered in cobwebs, resembling a giant white cocoon.
"Here..." Shuichi looked around, his voice echoing in the empty hall, "We used to hold balls here often."
He pointed to an archway on the right.
"That should be the banquet hall. I remember there was a Steinway grand piano there."
Satsuki followed his finger and walked over.
The banquet hall was very large, over a hundred square meters. Although the floor was slightly warped, it was still level. Several oil paintings, now blackened, hung on the walls, their subjects illegible.
The piano was still there, but the lid was covered with a thick layer of dust, and one of its legs was broken, leaning crookedly against the corner of the wall.
Satsuki walked to the center of the hall and closed her eyes.
She didn't hear the sound of high heels.
She heard a different voice.
That was the "pop" of champagne being opened, the rustling of silk rubbing together, the low whispers, the exchange of power.
There is only one entrance and exit.
Satsuki suddenly spoke.
"What?" Sato didn't react.
"Besides the main entrance, does this house have any other exits?" Satsuki asked.
"Uh... there's a back door over there in the kitchen that leads to the servants' quarters, but the door is small and it's been sealed off," Sato replied. "In these old-style houses, the windows on the first floor are very high and have iron bars for security."
"very good."
Satsuki nodded, a satisfied smile curving her lips.
"This is exactly what we want."
She turned around and looked at Shuichi.
"Father, what does this place remind you of?"
Shuichi thought for a moment: "Like... a fortress?"
"That's right. A fortress isolated from the world."
Satsuki walked to the window and looked out at the towering wall through the gaps in the wooden planks.
"High walls, deep courtyards, one-way entrance and exit."
"There's no need for sunlight here. Because the transactions that will take place here are all shady dealings."
She turned around, her eyes shining brightly in the dim light.
"For truly important people, so-called 'mansions' are everywhere. But a place that is absolutely safe, absolutely private, where even a fly flying in would be detected, is priceless."
"The rumor of that 'ghost' is simply a gift from heaven."
Satsuki laughed out loud, her voice clear and crisp, yet sending a chill down one's spine.
"It shielded us from curious eyes, and also from those mediocre people who weren't qualified to enter."
Sato was completely bewildered. He couldn't understand why a twelve-year-old girl would be so interested in such a gloomy place, and why she would talk about "transactions" and "things that can't be seen in the light of day."
This young lady of the Saionji family is indeed a bit strange.
"Sato-san."
Satsuki suddenly looked at the real estate agent.
"What's the current asking price for this house?"
Sato quickly opened the folder: "Uh... the current owner is in a hurry to sell. They only want 400 million yen. If you're really interested, we can negotiate down to 380 million."
Three hundred and eighty thousand.
In a year when land prices in the port area have begun to rise, a Western-style mansion with 1,000 ping (approximately 333 square meters) of land is only priced at this price. It's practically a steal.
That "ghost" did indeed drive the price down to rock bottom.
"There's no need to talk anymore."
Xiu Yi spoke up.
He stood at the top of the stairs, his hand stroking the dusty handrail, as if caressing a piece of lost history.
"Four hundred million. I'll buy it."
Sato's eyes widened instantly: "Huh? No... shouldn't we take another look? We haven't checked upstairs yet... maybe there really is..."
"It's better if there are ghosts."
Shuichi interrupted him, his tone indifferent.
"If the spirit of Count Kyogoku really is here, then I'll treat him to a drink. After all, not many of my old friends from back then are left."
He pulled his checkbook out of his pocket; he had a habit of carrying it with him at all times.
"I'll write the check now. A deposit of twenty million. The rest will be paid in full next week when the property is transferred."
"Also," Xiu looked up at the chandelier covered in cobwebs, "I don't need you to hire someone to clean it. Don't touch a single blade of grass, a single brick, or a single tile here."
"I want to buy it exactly as it is."
Sato held the check, his palms burning. He never dreamed that this hot potato that had been weighing on his hands for five years would be sold in just half an hour. And the buyer didn't even go up to the second floor to take a look!
"Yes! Yes! I'll go back and prepare the contract right away!"
Sato was so excited that he bowed repeatedly, as if he wanted to kowtow to Shuichi.
"Um... shall I wait for you two in the car?" He really didn't want to stay in this gloomy place for another second.
"Go."
Shuichi waved his hand.
Sato felt as if he had been granted a pardon, turned and ran, his footsteps echoing in the empty hall, sounding particularly hurried.
Only the father and daughter remained in the hall.
Silence fell once again.
"Father," Satsuki walked to the piano, extended a finger, and pressed a key.
"Thump—"
A dull, off-key piano note rang out, stirring up a layer of dust.
"This will be the heart of the Showa Rokumeikan."
Satsuki said softly.
"We need to renovate this place. A little renovation of the exterior will suffice; preserving that sense of decay is the best disguise. But inside…"
She pointed to the ground beneath her feet.
"We need to tear up the entire floorboards and lay down the thickest carpet. We need to soundproof all the walls. We need to fix that big chandelier and replace it with the brightest crystal one."
"There will be no daytime here, only eternal night."
"Politicians decide who becomes prime minister here, and tycoons divide up the national budget here. And us..."
Satsuki walked to the middle of the stairs, stood on the high point, and looked down.
"We'll just sit here and watch them dance."
Shuichi looked at his daughter.
In that instant, he seemed to see the dust turn into golden powder in the beam of light. The dead mansion was being resurrected through his daughter's words, transforming into a behemoth that devoured secrets and power.
"Since it's the heart, it needs blood to nourish it."
Shuichi slowly walked up the stairs and stood beside his daughter.
"The membership fee is 100 million yen. I think those who have dirty money to burn will be happy to line up for this ticket."
The father and daughter stood side by side on the dimly lit staircase, looking at the open door.
Outside, the sun shone brightly, and cicadas chirped incessantly.
Inside the door, the shadows were deep and the silence was deathly still.
On this sweltering afternoon, the Saionji family bought a haunted house.
In the coming years, this place will become the most desirable and the most terrifying place in all of Japan.
The legend known as "The Club" has now come to an end.