Chapter 3 – Obsession

That night, sleep wouldn’t come easily. Once again, I had to rely on the “therapeutic” tea my psychiatrist had prescribed. At the very least, it always relaxed me, pushing me gently into slumber.

I awoke with the first rays of sunlight filtering through the window. My body felt heavy, sore, as though the exhaustion of yesterday still pulsed through my veins. A sedentary life comes with its own price…

I couldn’t stop thinking about my daughter. Was it really her? Or was there some secret hidden within the lake? A “mystical” being mocking me… or perhaps just my mind, worn down by fatigue and the mountain air?

I had to know. Maybe the innkeeper’s wife could offer me some clue. After all, she always talked plenty in the mornings.

Determined, I went down to the common room.

“Mizuno-san, how good to see you so lively this morning.”

I caught my reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall. Lively? Hardly. Dull skin, dark hollows beneath my eyes… years of cigarettes and countless all-nighters had stolen the best of me.

“Thank you, Mrs. Yamamoto… The jasmine scent in the futon comforts me at night.”

Her brows furrowed.

“Jasmine, you say? That’s strange. I don’t remember using anything with that fragrance when I washed it… though perhaps my husband did. He takes care of those things.”

An uneasy silence fell between us.

“Could it be just a coincidence?” I muttered, more to myself than to her. “Maybe I only imagined it… but yesterday, I thought I saw a little girl running by the lake.”

“A girl?” Mrs. Yamamoto’s eyes widened, as if I had startled her. “That’s strange… There aren’t any children living here.”

Her words froze the blood in my veins.

“But… it could have been another visiting family, right?”

“I don’t think so. This village is small. We all know one another. And everyone knows you’re here, Mizuno-san.”

I wasn’t surprised. This wasn’t Tokyo.

“Then… maybe it really was just my imagination.”

She hesitated before continuing:

“Tell me… before reaching the lake, did you pass under the torii?”

“Torii? I didn’t see one along the way.”

Her expression changed. Nervousness flickered in her gaze, and when she spoke, her voice trembled.

“Well… I suppose it’s nothing. As long as you’re safe, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Hardly reassuring words.

“Why do you say that?” I asked, a knot tightening in my stomach.

The woman lowered her voice to almost a whisper.

“There’s a legend… They say that to visit the moon goddess who resides in the lake, you must first pass beneath the torii.

“But if you don’t… the water spirits may mistake you for an offering. They’ll try to drag you under, claim your soul… seducing the weak with happy memories of their past.”

I sat in silence, hands clenched on the table. Her words echoed in my head: “Seducing the weak with happy memories of their past…”

What was I supposed to say to that? It was absurd. Nothing more than mountain superstitions, stories to frighten children—children who no longer even existed in this aging village.

“I don’t believe in that nonsense,” I said at last, though my voice came out shakier than I wanted.

She only gave me a weary smile, as though she’d heard that same answer far too many times.

“That’s fine. What matters is that you’re careful, Mizuno-san.”

I nodded, more out of courtesy than conviction. I finished my tea, but the warmth that should have lingered in my body dissolved instantly. A chill had settled in my chest, as if her words had opened a door I could never shut again.

At breakfast, I could barely swallow a little rice and soup. The food was tasteless. My mind was filled only with the lake—still, silent, waiting.

The rest of the morning passed in unease. I tried to draw, but my hands trembled too much. The pencil could only scratch out the faint outline of a child’s face before crumbling on the page. Mari. Always Mari.

By the time I set my sketchbook aside, my decision was already made.

I had to return to Lake Tsukuyomi.

It didn’t matter what Mrs. Yamamoto had said, or the ridiculous legends of the torii, or the threat of spirits claiming souls. The only thing that mattered was confirming what I had seen… or thought I had seen.

After breakfast, I left the inn with firm steps, as though obeying a force I couldn’t resist. The path to the lake awaited me.