I've often heard the saying, "All ghosts, when examined, are just withered flowers." However, in this modern era, people are unable to grasp the idea of romanticism even after looking it up in a dictionary, withered flowers are rarely treated as ghosts, and apparitions in this world are revealed in succession to be nothing more than withered flowers. It would probably be difficult for us to notice a real specter if it kept its true form.

I was saying that on a bus that was traversing a mountain path in August, when the lingering summer heat was still severe. Fukube Satoshi, who was sitting next to me, nodded in deep thought.

"Interesting. A metaphysical repudiation of the merit of the idea, in the form of a witticism. It really suits you, Houtarou."

Ibara, who was sitting in front, turned around even though she wasn't called. She raised her eyebrows.

"I don't like that way of thinking. I guess I'm not the type to only use my head for everything."

I listened to their responses, took a short while to digest them, and quickly shouted a denial.

"Hey, I said nothing of the sort!"

I was actually intending to bring up some urban legend similar to UFOs and Nessie, or in other words, an extremely common topic of discussion. Specifically, I wanted to talk about the story on TV yesterday, "Reporters on the scene! The truth behind Hamana Lake's giant eel, Hussie[1]!" My phrasing might have been rather indirect, but I didn't think that my words would be misinterpreted so willfully. Just as I was about to explain myself, Chitanda, who was wearing a dress and sitting next to Ibara, turned around and smiled.

"I'm also curious about the true nature of the withered flowers."

It seems that everyone misunderstood. I didn't really want to force everyone to understand what I was saying, so I shut my mouth.

There are four members in Kamiyama High's Classics Club.

And why were all members of the Classics Club on the bus that was making its bumpy journey on the mountainous road? The answer to that, of course, lies in the bus' destination. The final stop, Zaizen Village, is a village in a ravine famous for mountain hiking and hot springs. I would never go hiking, so by process of elimination, we were heading there for the hot springs.

The groan of the bus' engine became louder as the path grew steeper.

It was summer break in August, and actually taking a break during a holiday fits with my personal beliefs. However, thanks to the Classics Club President, Chitanda,I had to go to the hot springs.

During this summer break, all of us in the Classics Club worked together to solve what Satoshi calls "The Hyouka Incident", which was really important for Chitanda. After solving the mystery, she thanked us, and to reward our efforts, she planned a trip to the hot springs. By default, I just wanted to stay at home, so I definitely would not agree with the plan, but somehow my resistance was broken and it was decided that I would participate.

Zaizen Village was one and a half hours from Kamiyama City by bus. We did not have to pay for our accommodations, as Ibara's relatives were running na inn, and since they were currently renovating and were accepting no customers, they were letting us stay for free.

I'm not especially weak in taking transport, but perhaps because the mountain road was too steep, I got car-sick right before we arrived. After that, we were picked up at the bus stop in a van by Ibara's relatives and we finally reached Seizansou. I sat down by the window of my allocated room and enjoyed the amazing scenery, which dissipated my discomfort.

The room was twenty tatami mats in size, which was really large for just me and Satoshi. I opened the large window, and was surprised that we were so close to the mountain, which was covered in a deep foliage. There was white fog rising up here and there, probably steam from the hot spring. Along the winding prefectural road, there were a few inns and private houses. I could see a school a little further away. Since there were few students, the elementary school was combined with the middle school. I'm definitely not a person of plentiful sensitivities, but I'm not so stolid as to not feel anything while traveling.

"This room has a pretty good view, huh?"

Satoshi's voice came from behind. I replied without turning around,

"I guess this kind of thing isn't bad every now and then. I might be asking too much, but it would be more dignified to come here alone."

Satoshi sniggered.

"Houtarou, traveling alone? Stop joking around, you're definitely not the type of person to voluntarily do something elegant like going to the hot springs. Don't forget that you're here because Chitanda planned this trip and Mayaka used her connections."

As Satoshi intended, I was sullen with silence. The one with the most poisonous tongue in the Classics Club was Ibara, but Satoshi's eloquent speeches could be quite insulting, too. What made it worse was that he was right. There was no doubt that I wouldn't even think of going to Zaizen Village on my own.

That's why I should be thankful to Chitanda for causing me to actually go to Zaizen Village and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

I heard footsteps in the corridor, and soon after, there were a few rough knocks on the door.

"Dinner!"

That was Ibara's voice.

Next came Chitanda's voice, which sounded like she was imitating Ibara.

"It's time for dinner!"

"Hear that? Let's go!"

As prompted, I left the area near the window. While it's certainly not a bad thing to be at the hot springs, I somehow felt ill at ease knowing that those guys would be near me all the time. There was the smell of cheese wafting down the corridor. Dinner would probably be stew or gratin, with the dark horse being cheese fondue. Yeah, I guess that would be it. I took a deep breath.

Seizansou consists of two buildings: the annex, which we were currently using, and the main building, which was undergoing renovation.

Both buildings were almost equal in size. They were connected by a passageway, and if you look at the inn from a bird's eye view, it would look like the character コ(ko). Each building had two floors and was made of wood; the floorboards in the corridors creak when stepped on. There was only one staircase in the whole inn. Chitanda and Ibara's room was at the very end of the second floor, while Satoshi and I were one room away. Those large rooms could fit all four of us, or even double that, and have extra space remaining, but that's that.

The stairs were quite steep, so I had to concentrate when going down.

There was supposed to be a dining hall in the first floor of the main building, but it was being renovated, so we were to have dinner in a Japanese-style room on the first floor of the annex. I opened the sliding screen which had Mount Fuji painted on it, and saw that Chitanda, Ibara, as well as the two sisters had already taken their seats.

Chitanda and Ibara were sitting opposite the sisters, and the seats at the head and front of the table were empty. They had not started eating yet; it seems that they were waiting for us, as etiquette dictated. I sat on the floor cushion nearest to me, so Satoshi had the seat of honor. No one was taking any notice of the seating order in this setting, though.

The table was actually quite cramped with all six of us sitting around it. On the table, contrary to my expectations, there was a salad of fresh vegetables, fried shishamo[2], cold cuts of pork, and a miso soup with tofu and radish. Rice ad already been scooped into wooden rice bowls. There was definitely the fragrance of cheese. What could it be from? I scanned the room and murmured,

"Is a cheesecake being baked?"

"Ah, how did you know?"

A girl with centered hair grinned. The cushion she was sitting on was low, but she was short in stature. With her frameless spectacles, large eyes, and her jubilant smile, she somehow gave off the impression of an excitable person. She wore a thin T-shirt and knee-length denim shorts. When put together with Ibara, they would totally look like siblings, but then again they are related by blood. Furthermore, Ibara was also wearing a shirt and denim pants.

Speaking of which, Ibara's appearance hasn't changed a bit since elementary school. She would look like a younger sister when put together with anyone, but I can't say that to her face.

That recklessly sociable girl was one of the sisters of Seizansou, Zenna Rie.

"Amazing! It's just like what Maya-neechan said!"

What did you tell them, Ibara!

Next to Rie, there was a ponytailed girl sitting well-manneredly. To put it more accurately, she was shy. IT seems that she hasn't gotten used to us yet. I unnecessarily wondered if she could get on with being in a family that was running an inn.

Even without considering her shyness towards strangers and her frail appearance that I could not imagine a smile on, she was not like her older sister. I saw both of them standing up earlier, and noticed that they had around the same height. Although her long sleeves were thin, she looked warm wearing them in the middle of summer. She would be graduating to middle school next year, but her stature was similar to that of Rie, who would be in the second year of middle school next year. She must have grown really fast for her age. Her name was Zenna Kayo.

"Let's eat!"

Ibara, who was acting more like a host than a guest, said. Everyone then separated their chopsticks successively and started on their meal. Chitanda clasped her hands tightly in prayer, which was normal. The sisters' parents weren't in the room; they were probably eating in the main building, for this room definitely couldn't it another two people.

First was the miso soup, which I slurped continuously for a really long time. It was delicious, as expected for a business. Next, I tried the shishamo. It probably wasn't actually shishamo, but I still liked it since it had a nice popping texture.

Rie was really interested about Ibara's high school life and was asking her about it. On the other hand, Kayo was hesitatingly asking Chitanda about her name. Satoshi would occasionally interrupt a conversation with a smile on his face, while I would just move my chopsticks in silence, pleased with the shishamo which I hadn't tasted in a long time.

"...And then it was like this..."

Rie, being immersed in the conversation, started drawing in the air with her chopsticks. That was improper dining etiquette, but I shouldn't worry about the home discipline of another family.

Rie reached out for the bamboo ladle in the salad bowl while Kayo was moving her chopsticks towards the pork. Sine they moved at about the same time, Rie's arm struck Kayo's hand. Kayo's chopsticks, which was holding a slice of pork, jolted a bowl of miso soup. Having witnessed that scene from beginning to end, I wanted to warn them, but it was too late.

Some soup spilled from the bowl. Kayo squeaked.

"Ah!"

"Aah, what are you doing!"

Rie scolded while frowning. From my point of view, they were both at fault, but...

"So-sorry, Onee-chan!"

Kayo apologized, and reached for the tablecloth. Since it was a little far away, Chitanda passed it to her.

"Here you go."

"Th-thank you very much."

Rie told Kayo to be more careful next time. After Kayo had wiped up the spilled miso soup, I extended my chopsticks to get more shishamo. I actually wanted to taste some mountain vegetables, but I suppose that would be asking too much.

After enjoying Rie's handmade baked cheesecake for dessert, we all went about with our separate activities. I went back to my room, but Satoshi, who should have gotten back already, wasn't there. Has he already gone to the bath house?

Being alone in the room, I retrieved a manga from the shoulder bag I usually use. Satoshi said that it was really outstanding for a manga about the Warring States period[3], so I borrowed it from him. Indeed, it was quite a realistic portrayal with a good range of human emotion, and the artwork went into the minutest details, so it was readable. Satoshi sure has interesting taste.

The story was set in the climax of Oda Nobunaga's[4]?attack on the Asakura Clan. Nobunaga was about to secure the victory when he received a gift from his little sister. It was a pouch tied at both ends, with adzuki beans inside. On seeing this, Nobunaga declared, "This signifies that we're trapped like rats! Azai[5]?has betrayed us!" It was the episode where Nobunaga's sister, who had married into the Azai family, covertly informed her brother about his predicament.

It made me wonder how Nobunaga realized that he was betrayed with only one pouch, but I thought that it was fundamentally a good story. Would my sister help me without a moment's delay if I'm in such a pinch? That would be a sight worth seeing.

After reading for about half an hour, my eyes got tired, so I stopped for a while. The lighting in the room was quite dim, which would be normal for a hotel, but not for an inn.

What should I do if not read manga? There was a TV in the room, but it would be even more painful for my eyes.

As a result, I had a lot of time to kill. If I don't feel like doing anything, I would usually lie down and sleep, but since we were at a hot-spring lodge, I thought that I might as well go down to the hot spring. I carried a towel which was provided in the room and went out to the hallway. That was exactly when I ran into Chitanda.

"Ah, where are you headed to?"

Chitanda also had a towel with her.

"Same place as you."

"It seems that there isn't a mixed bath here."

"No one said anything about that."

We walked together, and the flat sounds of our slippers alternated with the creaking of the floorboards. After thinking for a while, Chitanda asked,

"This may seem a bit random, but what kind of person is your sister?"

What? That's seriously random.

I recalled that Chitanda was an only child. I took a little time to choose the words for my answer.

"My sister, huh? By some definitions she would be an oddball, and by others she would be a genius. I doubt that I could be better than her at anything."

"Ah."

"Though I've never really cared to be... Why ask about my sister all of a sudden? Is it because of the Zenna sisters?"

Chitanda nodded slightly. She smiled shyly and answered in a small voice.

"The truth is, I've always wanted a sibling. An older sister or a younger brother. Don't you think it's wonderful to have someone you can go to for anything to be always by your side?"

I was slightly amazed by those words, and I shrugged instead of giving an answer. It seems that this young lady has the tendency to think too highly of others. And doesn't she also believe in ghosts?

The annex does have a bath house where one can be immersed in a hot spring, but apparently it was as narrow as a normal bathroom. According to the others, there was an open air bath house nearby, so we headed there. I may believe in conserving energy, but I'm not so unrefined as to decline two or three minutes of walking and give up on a larger bath house.

After exiting Seizansou, we descended down the slope. It seems that the open air bath house, which could be seen after going round the bend, was managed by the inns and hotels in the area. There was a middle-aged woman collecting money at a bamboo counter, but she let us pass when we told her that we were guests of Seizansou.

Chitanda and I went our separate ways. There would have been a serious problem if we hadn't.

The changing room was unexpectedly small. I didn't see any other people there, but it seems that there was already someone inside, for there was a set of clothes in a basket at my feet. On closer inspection, I recognized the cargo pants in the basket. The person inside was most likely Satoshi.

I entered the bath house after taking off my clothes. The bathing area was made entirely of artificial rock so that it would look like a natural hot spring, and it was larger than I expected it to be. The water was white and cloudy, giving off the appearance of an actual hot spring, rather than normal hot water. The area was surrounded by a tall bamboo fence, so I couldn't get a good view of Zaizen Village. Well, I guess it would be troubling if people could peek inside with a lower fence. I scooped some water using a bucket, poured it on myself, and quickly stepped into the bath.

The water temperature was just right. I made my way to the interior of the spacious pool and found that there was a large rock in the middle. I touched it, and it felt real.

I could see someone on the other side of the steam. It's probably Satoshi. I raised a hand, and the figure languidly waved back. The person used breaststroke to swim, pushing his way through the water to get to me. During that time, I was leaning on the rock, and my whole body from the chin down was immersed in the water.

"Houtarou! You've come! This bath is great! It's practically flowing through my body!"

"Getting your blood diluted with water is dangerous."

"It's something to do with osmotic pressure, right? How boring. Well, I guess it shows that you're relaxing."

With that, I kept quiet, while Satoshi also silently enjoyed the hot bath. I could hear the sound of someone getting into the water. That would probably be Chitanda.

It was evening. The soft rays of the sun slowly faded, as dusk noticeably fell over us. The stars started shining, and the warmth of the water gradually permeated my body, in proportion to the passage of time. I felt sleepy, probably because of that uncomfortable bus ride.

Before I knew it, Satoshi had left the bath to wash his body, while I was still drifting in the hot water.

My vision's going dark...

Mm.

I can't move?

I really have to thank Satoshi for bringing me back to the room safely. If I had been alone, it would have been a case for the hospital, or even a matter of life and death. At the sight of me returning to Seizansou while being supported by Satoshi's shoulder, Ibara shouted sharply.

"What happened, Oreki!"

I was in no state to reply. Satoshi answered in my place.

"He got dizzy from the hot water."

"......"

"It's kind of pathetic, really. He hadn't even been there half as long as me, but when I turned around, he'd almost passed out."

Ibara massaged her eyebrows.

"Oreki, you really..."

Thanks for worrying about me. I was carried into the room, while Ibara quickly laid out a futon and opened the window. I lay spread-eagled on the futon and breathed deeply.

"...Sorry about this, both of you."

"Don't mention it."

"You're just so pitiful...it's like you're fated to never enjoy an event."

With that, the two of them left the room. As Ibara unnecessarily stated, I was seriously pathetic. I might not be what you would call a tenacious person, but I at least had some confidence in my physical capabilities. I was probably still sick from that bus ride.

As I lay sprawled on the futon with my eyes closed, someone came into the room. From the scent of the shampoo, I could immediately tell that it was Chitanda. She knelt down by the side of my futon and quietly spoke.

"Oreki-san...are you alright?"

"Not really."

"Should I bring a towel?"

A cold towel would certainly help me feel better, but I didn't feel like asking for Chitanda's assistance.

"No, it's okay. Sorry for throwing cold water on your carefully planned trip."

"It's fine. Anyway, we're going to tell ghost stories in a while. Would you like to join us?"

I smiled weakly. Isn't that a really old-fashioned way of spending summer nights? I was somewhat interested, but it was impossible for me to participate in this state.

I opened my eyes to find Chitanda's face to be much closer than expected. This young lady's sense of personal space is lower than the average person's. This is not the first or second time I've been startled by her. All I could see was her cherry-colored cheeks and her sparkling, wet hair. I instinctively looked away.

"Ah, I'll just go to sleep."

"I guess it can't be helped. Hope you get better soon."

The door closed, leaving only the smell of shampoo.

I checked my watch, and found that it wasn't even eight.

I could hear some strange sounds coming in from the window. I thought for a while, and concluded that they were probably the croaking of frogs. There was also a taiko[6]?beating out a rhythm somewhere. Moreover, because we were on high ground, I could hear the chirping of insects, even though it wasn't August yet.

And then...

After a short while, Rie's suppressed voice reached my ears. It seems that the window next door is also open. I wasn't paying much attention, but I could catch her words distinctly...

"You know that the inn is separated into the main building and the annex, right? Actually, we don't need the annex. There is a secret as to why it was built.

"A long time ago, when my grandma was managing the inn, a gloomy customer came to stay. He was put in room seven in the main building. However, he told them, 'I don't need meals or room service. Just stay away.' But he'd already paid in advance, and it was the busy season, so his conditions were accepted.

"Then, that night, a piercing scream echoed throughout the inn. Grandma was shocked and ran outside. The guests who were taking a stroll pointed at room seven and said that there was an indistinct shadow of a hanged man swaying in the breeze... It turned out that the customer had embezzled money from his company and run away.

"Ever since that incident, guests staying in room seven have been saying the same things. They say that there's something in the room and that they see shadows at night. And the ninth guest to stay in that room suddenly succumbed to an unknown illness in the middle of the night!

"That's why Grandma asked for an exorcism. However, she felt that alone wasn't enough, so she had the annex built to stop bad rumors from spreading. You can see room seven right across from this window. It's the room furthest in on the second floor. We live on the first floor, and we're told to stay away from the second floor...

"This story is strictly confidential! Don't talk about this in front of other customers, okay?"

I sniggered into my futon. That was seriously old-fashioned.

I wanted to sleep peacefully, so I somehow managed to move my uncontrollable limbs and crept out of my futon to close the window. I could tolerate the heat.

I thought I saw a shadowy figure in the courtyard while I was grappling with the window. However, I didn't manage to confirm the existence of that figure, for I immediately slipped into the futon and slept soundly until morning.

I slowly opened my eyes. It was already eight, according to my watch. Wow, I've slept for about twelve hours. My head still hurts a little, but I don't think it's because I'm still dizzy from the bath, but because I've simply slept too much.

I suddenly noticed that Satoshi was sleeping right next to me. I was careful not to wake him up as I took care of my personal appearance. I went down to the first floor while steadily tapping the side of my head, which was still feeling a little fuzzy.

Rie and Kayo were already in the living room, but breakfast was not on the table yet. I was about to ask about Chitanda and Ibara's whereabouts when both of them entered the room.

Ibara was acting strangely. She was clinging onto the sleeve of Chitanda's dress. She then looked at us and said,

"It, it appeared..."

I observed that scene coolly. Just what appeared?

Ibara drew closer to Rie with a jerk and said in one breath,

"A warm breeze in the middle of the night woke me up. When I turned over, in the room across from ours, I saw the shadow of a hanged man vaguely swaying back and forth, like this!"

Haha, this is thoroughly old-fashioned... It's pretty rare to see Ibara panicking like this, though. Too bad you're not here to see this, Satoshi.

Kayo brought us some hot tea. I was about to take a cup when I noticed that it had Rie's name on it, so I chose another one. I thought that Kayo would have also written her name on her cup, but I didn't find such a cup.

Rie smiled and said,

"I didn't know you were scared of stories like that, Maya-neechan!"

"It's not that I'm scared of ghosts, and I don't have a reason to detest them. But when you see something like that, it's just so disturbing!"

Kayo, who was holding a teapot, stiffened.

"Maya-neechan, you saw it?"

"I saw it. I definitely saw it. I really saw it!"

"Onee-chan! You told them the story? Dad said not to tell anyone!"

"Oh, shut up. It's fine, isn't it? It's only Maya-neechan."

As Ibara and the Zenna sisters were talking excitedly about the ghost story, I turned to look at Chitanda, who was kneeling a little further away, and our eyes met.

Chitanda wore a troubled expression and looked like she was brooding over something. Based on past experience, she probably wanted to say something. I spoke softly,

"What's the matter?"

She responded.

"Er... What do you think of Mayaka-san's story?"

"The hanged shadow, huh?"

I smiled.

"Well, these kind of standard, or you might say clichéd, stories live on because they're an indispensable part of life. Just like that time..."

"That time?"

"Ah, never mind."

I swallowed my words at the last moment. I almost said "Just like that time when Satoshi told his story about the Seven Mysteries[7]." That was also definitely classic, clichéd and old-fashioned. And of course, it also made use of the power of suggestion. However, I do not wish to dig up that story. Especially not in front of Chitanda.

Since I had unexpectedly stopped committing myself to my own words, Chitanda peered at my face curiously. This is bad, I thought, but thankfully, Chitanda's interest was totally preoccupied with the hanged shadow.

"... So, do you think what Mayaka-san said is true?"

"Nope."

As I said that, Chitanda looked increasingly troubled and tilted her head in doubt.

"Then perhaps I'm mistaken as well."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

For some reason she lowered her voice and whispered into my ear.

"I saw it too. The hanged shadow that Mayaka-san mentioned."

It was at an unknown time. When Ibara woke up, Chitanda did too. She opened her eyes heavily, and she saw the shadow of a hanged man swaying in the dark.

"However, when I woke up, I was still feeling a little dazed. That's why I thought I was mistaken, but if Mayaka-san said she saw the same thing..."

"Oh."

If it was only Ibara or Chitanda who saw it, then I could conclude that it was just a daydream. However, since both of them saw the same thing at the same time, I would not be able to deny the existence of the hanged shadow. I changed my mistaken theory and said,

"You probably just mistook something else for it. Like Satoshi was saying yesterday, 'The ghost, when examined...'"

"...was just withered flowers?"

But Chitanda was not satisfied with that answer. Her gaze wandered to the ceiling, and then she looked me straight in the eye. Her eyes were filled with energy, showing that she had strong curiosity towards this mystery.

"If so, what exactly did I see?"

Before I knew it, Ibara was right behind us.

"That's right. If you say that we mistook something else for it, then tell us what it was we saw. Isn't it cowardly to deny what Chii-chan and I saw just because you didn't see it?"

...Why did you have to call me a coward?

Chitanda and Ibara were staring at me fixedly. Based on past experience, now that it has turned out like this, it's all too late to do anything.

"Of course, I will not ask Oreki-san to handle everything. Let's investigate together!"

Chitanda forcefully declared without dropping her stare.

I did not reply, because I don't like attempting the impossible, but I would at least have the privilege of acknowledging my situation with a sigh, right? As if dealing the final blow, Chitanda exclaimed,

"I'm curious!"

After a simple breakfast of bacon and eggs, instant soup and vegetable consomme, we returned to the second floor. We passed Satoshi, who was going down the stairs. He didn't know of the incident last night, but that's no problem. He has a kaleidoscope of irrelevant knowledge, but I don't think it would be useful for this case.

Ibara had promised to help Rie with her summer homework.

"Sorry for not being able to help. Good luck, I guess."

"Leave it to us! We'll discover the truth behind the mystery! Right, Oreki-san?" <-->>

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