"I found this record in Kaga's study on the second floor. It was repaired last year, so I couldn't show it to everyone."
After dinner, everyone still gathered in the lounge.Sasebo took out an old celluloid LP and put it on the record player. He treated it like a treasure, and was very careful in every move.I heard that this record was put on the record player in the study.
"According to my estimation, it is very likely that Kaga Yingji has heard this record before and after the incident. Please listen carefully."
Since he reminded so, there is no reason for everyone not to concentrate and listen.However, just as everyone held their breaths and prepared to listen carefully, there was no sound from the record player for a long time.Suddenly, a soothing violin solo sounded from the speakers.
Tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack
The melody is very sensational and powerful, the violin plays the jumping notes like the lively and active nature of the Italians, and after a pause, it is like a concerto, and other strings also join the ensemble.Then came the high-bass ensemble of two violins, and the thick timbres were separated by half a beat, echoing each other.
Tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack
Then, with a slight change of tempo and interval, it turns into a variation, which is also mixed with a festive noisy atmosphere.
clack clack - clack - clack - clack clack
The sound of music flowing from the speakers installed on the ceiling filled this small concert hall, reverberated on the surrounding walls, and hit the eardrums of the audience, making people feel as if they were there. As real as a neat band playing right here.
"The melody of this piece seems to have the style of Mozart's Violin Sonata, but although it sounds very similar, the two are not the same, and the scores are also different... Which composer and what work is this?" Shimahara said carefully Appreciating carefully, he asked.As soon as the music was played, he listened very carefully. Unexpectedly, Shimabara had a lot of experience in classical music.
Sasebo seemed to have expected that someone would ask this question, so he replied confidently:
"This is the first piece of the string octet composed by Kaga Yingji - 'Nocturne'. The name 'Nocturne' must have been heard by everyone, but 'Nocturne' is not much See. The player is, of course, the St. Valentine's Octet."
After hearing these words, everyone couldn't help feeling a chill run down their spines.It turned out that such beautiful music was played by the murderer who had already died unexpectedly and the victims. The more I listened to it, the more goosebumps I could feel.First each player takes turns playing the same melody, then, suddenly, a "duet" between the two violins.
clack clack - clack - clack - clack clack
Perhaps it is because of the subtle psychological changes after learning the truth, the melody that was full of masculinity at the beginning now sounds so deep and quiet, which makes people think about it.In fact, the melody itself has not changed in any way, only the timbre and the suppressed volume have changed.Several violins change the speed of sound in turn, change the interval persistently in a narrow range, and play the same melody one after another.A Mozart-style ensemble rattles off tunes already familiar to the listener.The tense and strong rhythm constantly hits the depths of the audience's senses, causing intense reverberations on people's heartstrings; like the bubbles formed on the surface of water, they are born and died repeatedly, repeating generation, destruction, regeneration, and regeneration. The cycle of destruction repeats itself.
Tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack-tack
The joy of the festive atmosphere experienced in the music has evolved into a sad funeral farewell song at some point.
"Usually the CDs are on the market, but at the personal request of Kaga Yingji, the publisher made this set of LPs for him to enjoy."
"There are many people who think that the timbre of CDs is not as good as the old LPs. Maybe Kaga is one of these people? But in my opinion, there is actually not much difference between the two." Hirado Said.In fact, at first he didn't pay attention to the music at all, but after learning that the piece was composed by Kaga, he turned to listen carefully.
"But, Brother Sasebo..." Hearing the lonely duet repeating the same gloomy and sad melody more than ten or twenty times, Omura finally couldn't help asking, "Didn't I hear that his melody was not finished until he died?" ? Why can I find the recording of this song again?"
"No, Kaga was composing the second piece of his string octet before he died. The subtitle of this piece is 'Praise', which is meaningful, right? As I said just now, the second piece was not only unfinished, Kaga died before even the score was finished. As a result, it became a veritable work of fantasy, never to be heard."
"It's a pity. If the second piece of music can survive, it will become the treasure of this haunted house."
Hirado expressed his regret, but Sasebo showed disapproval and said:
"Even if his second piece of music survives, I don't know the music score. Wouldn't it be a useless treasure! I should have known that one day, when I was in elementary school, I would follow my neighbor's Qiu Hui to learn on the electronic piano no matter what. Go to class for a few days."
This unexpectedly straightforward confession made Hirado stunned for a while.The curator, who is so obsessed with the collection of Ruying Museum's items, is not interested in Kaga's posthumous works at all, which hardly seems to be spoken from the same population.In this regard, Shimabara, who had the same doubt, went on to ask:
"As long as the draft of the score is still there, I can always think of various ways to remedy it, such as asking someone to continue writing the unfinished movement, asking a professional orchestra to perform and make a recording... Wouldn't it be easy for Brother Sasebo to do this kind of thing? "
When Sasebo heard this, he hurriedly replied: "Of course these methods are feasible, but let it dream about the dream song. I think this is not a bad choice."
As if to cover up Sasebo's flustered answer, at this moment, the sound of the cello from the speaker suddenly increased in volume—maybe it was the turn of the indomitable Yuzahiro to appear, and the melodious and majestic sound of the cello rushed straight to the audience. The ear drums of the crowd.However, this powerful solo didn't last long, and soon gradually turned into a slightly muddy bass, which slowly sank down and disappeared completely after a while.Then, the long-suppressed sad melody sounded again, just like the life of Mozart who barely pretended to laugh in depression-everyone can feel this feeling after hearing it.
"Because the performance does not stop, it is difficult to distinguish where the boundary between the two movements is. But I think that since the cello started playing, it has entered the second movement?" Sasebo explained to the crowd.
The works of Mozart and Beethoven often make the audience feel the difference in atmosphere when they enter new chapters, but this piece of music does not change significantly when the movement is changed.The speed is also gentle Adagio, and the melody is basically the same as the first movement, but the musical notes have been slightly changed, which even makes people feel that the range is getting narrower, which sounds a little awkward.It just repeats the reincarnation between life and death repeatedly. Could it be that this tense and suffocating performance until the end of the music will not stop until the end of the music?Everyone gradually became uneasy.
"How many movements is this piece of music divided into?" Isahaya asked.
Sasebo replied that it was divided into four movements, with a total duration of thirty-two minutes.In other words, it will take twenty minutes to finish listening to the whole piece of music.Isahaya looked around and saw that Omura was pretending to be intoxicated by the listening, but he was actually covering one ear with his hand.His mood is completely understandable.Looking a little further away, I found that only Sasebo and Shimabara were paying attention.Sasebo listened quietly with his eyes closed, while Shimabara seemed to be devoting himself to the music, staring intently at the slowly turning record player, as if he could feel the sound with his eyes.
But this piece of music was not finished in the end.When he heard the end of the third movement, Sasebo pressed the stop button and raised the needle.Immediately, the passage part of the fourth movement that had already started rang a few times before disappearing into the speaker in the corner of the ceiling with a puff.
"Unfortunately, there are several scratches on the record of the fourth movement, and it cannot be played any more. Because the scratches are too deep, I asked someone to repair it several times but it was not fixed." Sasebo explained politely, while turning the record player I put the record back in its box, being careful not to touch the surface with my fingers.Everyone obviously didn't notice when they took out the record. In fact, there was an expressionist night scene picture printed on the box of the record, which seemed to fit the mood of the music very well.
I was suddenly liberated from the drowsy atmosphere, and there was still a heavy pressure in my heart.After everyone glanced at each other, they found that everyone was the same as themselves, with a very painful expression on their faces.
"This piece of music is really disappointing." Sasebo said, "It hasn't changed much in the fourth movement, it's still extremely dull, unlike the famous "Symphony of Destiny" and "Ninth Sonata", which have a bright and cheerful sound. At the end, it just ended in silence. It is said that the second piece of music also inherits the style of the previous work, and the structure of the whole piece is like interpreting the proposition of "death and salvation". With the subtitle of "hymn", how much do I see It’s a little bit of a struggle. If you still want to finish listening to it, I still have a CD here, so you can play it and listen to it.”
However, no one answered.After all, no one is willing to listen, maybe it is the same with other listeners.The reason why no one wanted to listen to the end and hastily stopped playing the music before it ended was because everyone didn’t want to think about the tragedy that happened in this museum and the fact that Kaga Hotaruji had heard this music before and after the murder.
Regardless of everyone's attitude, Sasebo still took out the CD from the valuables storage box next to it, and played it from the last fourth movement.
Suddenly, the gloomy undercurrent that disappeared once again filled the entire lounge.
"How is it? The time is almost up, let's try our courage?" Just after nine o'clock, Sasebo urged everyone with a mysterious smile on his face.There seems to be some purpose hidden in his smile, which makes people have to beware.The violent storm hitting the glass ceiling didn't look like it was going to stop at all, on the contrary, it hit harder than before, and the speed at which it hit the ceiling was much faster.
"It's raining too much this time," Shimabara said, looking up at the ceiling worriedly.
"What are you talking about? It's so easy to provide you with this precious opportunity, why don't you try your guts? Anyway, in this rainy day, you can't even watch fireflies if you want to."
Sasebo is still the same as last year, and the tone of last year is still the same, as if carved out of the same mold.In fact, if you dare to live in this house, you have enough guts... I remember that I raised objections when I came here last year, but in the end I succumbed to Sasebo's arrangement and bit the bullet and took the guts test.It seems that this year, no matter what, this level cannot be avoided.
"Okay, that's it!"
After Sasebo firmly blocked different opinions, he began to announce the rules word by word.The rules are actually very simple, that is, after turning off all the lights on the second floor, let everyone carry a flashlight, and search for the things that Sasebo has hidden in advance from room to room, and the one who takes the shortest time wins.Sasebo had already placed six or seven playing cards in each room where the murder tragedy occurred, hiding them under the pillows, and everyone drew lots to decide which one they had to find.In this way, if you are lucky, you may be able to find it in the first room, but if you are unlucky, you will have to search all the rooms to find the required card in the last room.
The above rules are exactly the same as last year, but because last year's rules were too simple, the actions after entering the room lacked changes, and there was no climax, so some changes were specially made to the rules this year.Among them, the biggest difference from last year is that it adopts the form of two-person confrontation and conducts reverse elimination trials.That is to say, the winner can be out and no longer participate in the competition, while the loser will participate in the next round of competition until the last one is determined.The overall shape of the second floor is a U-shape. After the game started, the two participating members started from two different diagonal corners and started looking for each room. The first to find the poker cards they needed was the winner.Since the two people are looking for different goals, there is a possibility that they can find the goal in the first room entered at the same time, and there is also a possibility that one of them can't find it until he finds the last room in the opposite direction.It's all about luck.The loser may have to participate in several rounds, and finally the remaining two losers will participate in the final to determine the last place.The last player must take a penalty and play another game.In addition, a new trick has been added this year, that is, the contestants can not only concentrate on finding their own goals—then it is just luck; Victory creates conditions.Any form other than violence is permissible, depending on the wisdom of each.
During the time when two members are participating, the non-participating member must remain in the lounge, so there is no possibility of manipulation. "Even if you don't play tricks, this kind of competition is scary enough." - These are the original words of Sasebo.Indeed, as he said, these rooms are reminiscent of the murderer's insane atrocities and seven innocent lives, and entering these rooms will definitely make people creepy.Unlike previous expeditions I've been on, murders have actually occurred here.
In addition to the host Sasebo, there are six participants, divided into two groups, and each group selects a seed player, that is, Hirado and Omura, who are the highest grades.The seeded players won the first round without a fight and went directly to the second round, and the younger students couldn't complain.Compared with the number of times they participated in the competition, they were more worried about the punishment for being the bottom one.Since the punishment was what Sasebo had planned long ago, it must not be easy for people, right?In addition, everyone knows Sasebo's temper, and he will never laugh it off at that time.
Everyone still remembers what happened when they explored the Ikoma Tunnel in May this year.The Ikoma Tunnel is a famous place for adventure, and it is very scary.Under Sasebo's proposal, everyone took a small gamble.They agreed in advance that the winner would be determined by drawing lots, and the loser must walk 20 meters ahead of the team alone.As a result, a freshman named Chuanbo lost. When he was so frightened that he cried and bowed his head to beg for mercy, Sasebo was unmoved and refused to give up the previous agreement.
"Didn't it be agreed a long time ago?" Sasebo yelled, and kicked Chuanpeng's ass hard, and finally forced him to lead the way in the dark tunnel.After returning, Chuanpeng proposed to withdraw from the membership for this reason, but Sasebo didn't feel any responsibility at all.He even said angrily: "If you lose, you lose. Do you still want to play tricks? You don't cherish this kind of good opportunity to practice bravery alone? Then why do you want to join the Achilles Club?"
Everyone could see that Sasebo was really angry that time.Therefore, everyone has long expected that Sasebo will definitely come up with some harmful tactics to tonight to torture the unlucky loser.
"Okay, let's start now."
Sasebo turned off all the lights on the second floor first, then returned to the lounge, slapped each of Asahimahara and Chizuru on the buttocks, and said, "There is one rule that must be strictly followed. Unless you feel danger, you must not run. Can walk fast."
Shimahara pretended to be indifferent, and walked briskly to the side of the stairs, humming a little tune, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"So, can we start?" Shimahara turned his head and asked Sasebo loudly.He held a flashlight in his hand, and all the lighting depended on it.I don't know if he was brave enough or really not afraid, but Shimabara patted his waist twice heavily with both hands, then exchanged a glance with his competitor Chizuru, and then set off towards the stairs.The duel between the two first-year freshmen has officially begun.
"Shimabara-kun, you have to hold on, don't faint from fright, I can't do it alone!" Qianzuru said to Shimahara in front of him, perhaps to give Put some pressure on your opponent.Then she, too, strode toward the stairs.Shimabara sneered disapprovingly, and climbed upstairs silently, not listening to the other party's words at all.
"These two people have always been timid, so nothing really happened, right? This guy Sasebo must have thought of a lot of tricks to torment them, and he will never let them complete the task smoothly." Hirado buried himself on the sofa, mouth Li Buwu whispered worriedly.With one hand he nervously tugged at the few sparse mustaches on his chin.
"Hirado, what are you talking nonsense about? Where did I mess with them?"
"Brother Sasebo didn't move his hands and feet, but his hands and feet. I don't believe you didn't do your hands and feet beforehand. I heard you regret it several times. Last year's courage training game was too simple, and the result was not at all. It's lively, everyone is coming back for the first time, and I don't have the nerve to torment them. Didn't you say this yourself?"
"At first I really thought so, but then I thought about it, to practice courage is to practice courage, and you can't do anything crooked, so I gave up. Only in this way can the atmosphere be happy. However, after the final place is decided, I really want to Punish him well and let him suffer a little. Of course, this should be regarded as my prerogative as the master." Sasebo retorted confidently with a sneer on his face.
"It can be seen that you still set something for them. I think it's not enough to scare people to death. Don't frighten them until they foam at the mouth and pass out on the ground. Am I right, Isahaya-kun?" Hirado said He glanced at Isahaya.
"Whoever is the last one will definitely be punished, and we should be more careful. It's raining so heavily outside, I don't think even an ambulance can come..." The two of them looked out the door in a darkened state of worry. Isahaya replied after glancing at the lobby.The door of the lounge was left open all the time because I was afraid that there would be an accident upstairs, so that everyone could catch up after hearing the sound.
"Everyone, please don't worry, if something serious happens, there is still a ready nurse here."
"A ready-made nurse? Could it be that Brother Sasebo has obtained the qualification of a nurse?"
"Haha, I'm just joking with you. However, I participated in the Kawafuji Expedition the year before last and went to Borneo Island in Malaysia. Before the trip, I participated in first aid training. This is something that explorers must master if they want to come back alive."
"If you want to come back alive... So, the expedition team has to go into the underground stalactite cave to fight the two-headed giant tortoise there? I heard that the giant tortoise there can grow up to a full two meters long. Those wouldn't be Made it up?" Hirado was taken aback, and stood up from the sofa, which surprised him so much, which shows that this matter is extraordinary.
"Of course it's true. It sounds like it's made up on purpose, but it's all true. The most precious giant tortoise on that island is known by the British as the 'Gandy Marsh', which only grows in a few rivers and rivers in Borneo. On the swamp. Unfortunately, there are two countries, Malaysia and Indonesia, and those giant tortoises have been plundered by the Indonesian government. Since these disputes involve political and religious disputes between the two countries, this case has not been publicly disclosed. I I think, soon some TV station will invite me to be a guest on the program of anecdotes and strange things, let’s talk about it.”
"Yes, of course I believe it." Knowing that Sasebo never told lies, Hirado nodded in admiration, and said, "So, the legendary golden mongoose actually exists?"
"Are you talking about the giant mongoose that can ooze gold sand from its sweat? Of course it is true. What's more dangerous is that that kind of mongoose has a bad temper, and it will jump at people when it sees them and bite them. The one we went with The thumb of one team member was bitten to pieces. But these things are not allowed to be disclosed. Later, because the insurance clause did not cover this form of injury compensation, the injured and the insurance company went to court. Anyway, It was not the little finger that was bitten off; once the thumb is missing, it will inevitably affect life in the future. I heard that the second batch of expeditions will go soon, but the personnel have undergone a lot of changes. Many people have experienced the danger. I don’t dare to participate anymore. I’m not very scared, but because I have to go out to buy firefly specimens recently, I didn’t sign up to participate again.”
After listening to this unreported anecdote for about ten minutes, I saw Shimabara hurried back to the lounge.He stood at the door first, looked inside nervously, and after confirming that Qianhe had not returned, he was greatly relieved, his face returned to normal, and he cheered loudly: "Oh! I won!"
He approached everyone with a smile on his face, sat down abruptly on the sofa next to Hirado, and stretched himself.Then, he took out two playing cards from his pocket and slammed them on the table.
Everyone took a closer look, and it turned out to be the same two Jacks of Spades.
"It didn't scare you, did it?" Isahaya asked.
"Don't worry, this kind of competition is easy for me. I don't know what happened to Matsuura, so I won't fall on the floor of some room and can't get up?"
Shimabara twisted his neck nonchalantly, talking and laughing happily, it seems that his courage is not pretending.
Two or three minutes later, Qianhe walked down the stairs panting heavily and walked into the lounge.She raised her head at the door and asked, "What's the result?" Seeing that Bei Daoyuan was looking at her with a smile, she immediately showed a disappointed expression, and said, "Although I lost, I wasn't frightened at all. But I was a bit unlucky, and found the playing card only after finding the sixth room."
Although it sounded like an excuse for her own failure, there was nothing unusual about her expression, and there was no bloodshot or lifeless look in her eyes.Maybe it's just like what she said, it's just luck.
"Really? When I passed you upstairs just now, I don't think you even noticed me. I saw you stooped and walked softly on tiptoe. You really looked like a A sick cat turned into a monster." Shimabara sneered unceremoniously, with the expression on his face like a child who hasn't grown up.But when I think about it carefully, he is indeed underage, and Chizuru, who has been admitted to university for two years, has passed his 20th birthday, so Shimabara is indeed the youngest member.
"Just make up nonsense. I was walking with my chest straight just now, look, like this."
No matter how she argues, losing is losing, and there is nothing to say.However, Chizuru's unconvinced gaze was still firmly fixed on Shimahara's face.
"Hey, hey, the guts competition has to go on, so stop arguing. Just win the next round, and there will be several more rounds!" Sasebo couldn't see it, and tried to smooth things over.
"Is it time for Nagasaki and I to play this round? It was just two first-year freshmen competing, and this time it's our turn to face off between our two second-year students." Isahaya slammed his knees hard twice, Slowly stood up and said.
Everyone is concerned about what kind of punishment the final loser will receive. If it falls into the hands of Sasebo, it will definitely suffer.If they really lost this year's competition, they might have regrets for the rest of their lives... Everyone wanted to escape the final punishment, so the atmosphere of the competition was of course tense.
"Hey, you are considered seniors anyway, don't let the first-year freshmen see jokes, work hard, even if you are scared and scream, it is a shame and a shame. Even if others forget it in the future, I will three Take it out as a joke. Especially Nagasaki. You guys are usually annoying to breathe heavily, let alone screaming out of fear." Hirado shouted from the side.
"You look down on me too much, Hirado-kun? I'm not afraid, I will win for sure. I've never been short of good luck."
"In terms of luck, I'm not worse than you. Besides, I walk faster than you, and I usually practice running. Although you are not allowed to run according to the rules today, you are so clumsy and fat that you can hardly even walk. Tell you, this Tell me I've won!"
"Hey, don't worry, all the results will be out in less than an hour, and then you will know who to punish." Hirado said with a wry smile.But everyone could see that even Hirado himself was terrified of who would be punished.
Almost an hour passed without knowing it, and the game was coming to an end.What is about to start now is the final between the two members who are ranked last in each group. If anyone loses again, he will be punished.This is simply a more uncomfortable moment than going to hell.The two players who had nowhere to retreat - Omura and Qianzuru who had also lost several games in a row looked more nervous than before.In full view, the two of them disappeared through the door together.The palms of the audience were sweating, and no one was in the mood to say a joke.
"You two, work hard!"
After watching them leave, Hirado calmly yelled at their backs.Anyway, I have already won, so of course I feel a lot more relaxed, somewhat in the mood of watching the fun that has nothing to do with me.According to his opponent Chizuru who had just played against him and lost to him, during the match, judging from the voices he heard, Hirado had never been so calm as today.She wondered if there was some unjust arrangement behind it.
"Get ready—start!" Sasebo's voice outside the door hadn't finished yet, only the hurried footsteps of the two could be heard.Since running is not allowed under the regulations, the two unanimously adopted a method similar to race walking.Since they were in the final crucial battle, the two had no time to appreciate the tense atmosphere of the game. They were only thinking about how to catch the poker card earlier, and their feet couldn't help but speed up.Since everyone had imagined the final punishment to be very terrible in advance, they had long forgotten that this was just a test of courage.
"This is already the final round. I have to prepare the food and drink first, to suppress the surprise for the last loser. There will be a good show tomorrow night." Sasebo smiled meaningfully at everyone, and then walked into the room. out of the kitchen.There was a sudden silence in the lounge, and the result should be announced in a short while.
Hirado went to the toilet, and when he came back, as if he wanted to break the silence, he stood up suddenly from his chair, and said in a low voice: "Hey, Isahaya, do you think Sasebo has a goal this time, and he is in the game. Did you mess up some tricks in the arrangement?" As he spoke, there was an imperceptible and subtle expression on his face.
"No, I don't think so." Isahaya shook his head and said, "Nagasaki-kun, what do you think?"
"I didn't find anything strange either."
"Shimabara, what do you think?"
"I didn't find any tricks in it. I was almost plotted against Matsuura in the match, but I won at least in the end. I found the playing cards in the second room. If I say I won, I was lucky. .”
"So, Matsuura must be unconvinced by the loss, right? How did that guy plot against you?"
"Matsuura hid behind the door and threw something like a tablecloth at me, trying to scare me from the beginning. It happened when I first entered the first room, and I didn't take precautions at that time. It was a real shock."
"This trick is really powerful, just like in a boxing match, a surprise attack is launched as soon as the gong sounds. I will learn to try it next year."
"Is Hirado-kun planning to stay in school next year?" Shimabara asked.Although the first-year freshman spoke freely, the content of the question was indeed embarrassing.
"The professor cherishes me as a talent, and he is reluctant to let me go, and persuades me to stay in his lectures for another year." It seems that this lie has become Hirado's mantra.He went on to say, "However, what kind of plan did Sasebo come up with to torment people? It's really impossible to guess."
"That's true. People like Sasebo can do anything, so we have to wait."
"However, I can tell from his face that he must have thought of a lot of dirty tricks. It seems that if anyone loses, it will be over this time."
"Sasebo is just verbally scary, right?"
"No, no, that's not true. Your thinking is too simple, Shimabara, your estimates are too optimistic, too optimistic. You first-year freshmen have too simple ideas about many things, and there is no way." Hirado Seriously warned Shimabara, "If he is serious, he will scare me away from Osaka, no, it is possible to flee from Japan far away, this person is too scary."
At this point, a scream came from the second floor. It sounded like a man's voice, as if tears and snot were gushing out of his throat.The screaming continued for a minute or two before finally dying away hoarsely.
"What the hell happened?"
Everyone couldn't help but looked at each other nervously, hesitating whether they should go upstairs to have a look.It would be easy for Omura if something happened to him, but it would be terrible if something happened to Qianzuru.Just as everyone was staring at the door in horror, Hirado reached out his hand to stop everyone who stood up, and said, "Don't worry, let's see the situation first. This is the final to determine the last place. If the game is affected in the middle , Sasebo should be angry with us. And, if you lose, you have to be punished, so don't affect their full-strength game."
Although the words are reasonable, everyone can't let go of their hearts.Everyone listened to the movement on the stairs outside the hall in silence.However, after the scream, everything had already returned to silence, which made everyone feel uneasy.
Soon, there were hurried footsteps going downstairs.
It turned out to be Chizuru.I saw her rushing into the lounge, holding the playing cards tightly in her right hand.Everyone took a look, it turned out to be two Q of Hearts.
"Great, I still won!"
After finishing speaking, she glanced into the lounge, puffed out her thin chest, and waved the poker cards in her hand excitedly.However, judging from her expression, she seemed to be relieved of a heavy burden rather than happy.
"Hey! It was Matsuura-kun who won! So, Omura is unlucky again, and he can't see any progress."
"What is 'again'?" Shimahara asked puzzled.
"That guy was so scared that his calves were shaking last year. Although he didn't decide the winner last year, it took him a lot of time. He just refused to confess. In fact, he was so scared that he couldn't stand up straight. I don't believe you listen. Hear his screams."
"If you want to put it that way, I seem to have heard Omura ghosts crying and howling wolves just now." Qianhe said loudly.She has a bright light behind her glasses and an expressionless face. She is such a strong and strong girl.
"Did you come up with some strange tricks to scare him like you did when you played against me just now?"
When Qianhe heard this, he shook his head heavily and replied, "I didn't do anything. At least he is my senior, and when I heard him screaming, he was in the opposite corridor."
"It seems that Sasebo must have done it. He must have secretly manipulated Omura." Hirado said, stroking the mustache on his chin with a smile on his face.
"That can only be a move after the start of the game. It seems that Omura must have specially set up obstacles. However, this method is also most effective when used on Omura. As long as you use a little trick on him, he will lose. This is the cruelty of Sasebo. But it is great for you. If you were frightened in the game just now and your legs were weak, and Sasebo thought you were a coward, maybe it is not Omura who is screaming now, but You are Matsuura."
"The reason why I lost a few games in a row just now is just bad luck. I have never been scared. I have explained this to you several times, right?" Qianhe actually recognized the truth, quite unhappy He replied respectfully, "Isn't it clear at a glance whose legs are too weak?"
Everyone burst into laughter.At this time, Omura appeared at the door with a gloomy face and hobbled steps.In sharp contrast to his pale face, his eyes were red and swollen, and his knees were stiff. He walked slowly to the table like a bamboo stick, and looked down at the two playing cards in his hand. .It turned out that although he lost, he did not give up on the way, but found playing cards.However, his outstretched hand was trembling slightly.
"Are you okay?" Everyone couldn't help worrying about him, and they gathered around him and asked with concern.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine!" Omura said while pretending to be strong, and waved his hand.
"What's the matter with you, Omura? You look pale—" Hirado joked loudly with a smile on his face.Although he himself often said that Sasebo was cruel and ruthless, it was really frightening, but when it was the turn of others to suffer, he didn't care at all.
“没什么大不了的。”大村沙哑着嗓子大声回答。
“刚才一定遇上什么可怕的事了吧？连这儿也能听到你的惨叫声。”
“惭愧，走廊里太黑，我只是不小心被绊倒了。好不容易有机会到这种鬼屋来，吓吓倒也有好处。”大村像是不想让人看出自己胆小，坚决地否认道。不过，他说话的声音却暴露了一切。和他平常爱挖苦人正相反，今天说的话总让人感觉出强烈的忧伤。看来他是担心被平户看穿了自己胆小后，拿到外头津津有味地当笑话说。
他的这个想法倒是没错，只可惜来得晚了点儿。
“结果输的还是大村啊！”佐世保手里抱着一大堆啤酒瓶从后面走了出来。就像刚干完什么活似的，他脸上露出满意的表情。
“佐世保大哥，你刚才对大村做了什么手脚吧？”
“嗯？我可没对他做过什么手脚啊！反正明天就有好戏看了。另外，刚才我一直在后头忙着，哪有机会对他做什么手脚？”
“的确，他要想上二楼，必须从我们面前经过啊。”平户歪着脑袋想了想后说道。只有大厅里的一座楼梯通向二楼，而大门、厨房、浴室和楼梯中间都隔着一个酒廊，没有其他的路能绕过去。
“莫不是你从后门出去，又绕到门口回来，再偷偷溜上二楼去过吧？”
“外面正下着大雨，我要是从后门绕出去，身上哪会这么干？”
“噢，说得也对。”平户虽然表示认可他的说法，内心却还不肯相信。
“我不是说过了吗，只不过是不小心摔倒了。夜里太安静了，才显得我的叫声特别大。”大村依然固执地否认被人做了手脚。其实他虽然嘴里没说出来，心里却一直想问“佐世保你真没做过手脚吗”这句话。大村一度平静下来的心跳又加剧了，他摇摇晃晃地走到椅子旁边，重重地坐了下来，椅子发出嘎吱的一声响。
“对最后一名的惩罚内容到底是什么？”岛原毫不顾忌旁人的感受，大大咧咧地问道。旁边的大村一听，不禁双肩发起抖来。
“好戏留在明天再看吧。”佐世保露出天真爽朗的笑容，这也是最残酷的笑容。能听到身边传来大村咽下唾沫的声音。这会儿他也许已经感觉到心跳就要停止般的恐怖了吧？看来明天将要面临的惩罚一定比今天更恐怖吧？这位神经质的大村能忍受得住吗？总不至于连夜从流萤馆里逃走吧……
为了打消大家不必要的担心，平户不失时机地轻轻端起了酒杯。佐世保马上便明白了他的意图，脸上又恢复了正常的笑容说道：“总之，让大家害怕了一场，咱们还像平常一样用酒来压压惊吧！反正我今晚准备的酒多得喝不完。这种天气到外头也看不着萤火虫，想泡个澡的人可以先去泡，反正大家先干一杯，松浦和岛原两位请帮忙往这里端下酒菜吧——”
这句话说完后，酒廊里每天都要举办的晚宴就热热闹闹地开场了，黑夜笼罩下的天花板上又传来雨点的猛烈撞击声，雨越下越大了。
“平户君，你不是说过，鬼屋里要是没有人住，就算不上什么鬼屋了，这话该如何解释？还说自己关心的题目是人鬼之间的共处和拯救，这又是什么意思？”
宽敞的酒廊大厅里，七个人正围坐在桌子边推杯换盏。几杯酒下肚，众人的话也慢慢多了起来，先是说到从厕所换气孔里跳出的鬼一刀砍下路人脑袋的故事，后又说到碎尸后被害人的右手还报了仇的传闻。总之，各种各样的话题聊得不亦乐乎。岛原平常白白净净的脸上也泛起了红晕，连烫得笔直的金黄色头发中也渗出了酒味。岛原的习惯是三杯啤酒过后必须要改喝威士忌，然后再来点儿白酒。从过去几次一起喝酒的经历中就能知道，他的酒量虽然不算大，但属于喝酒比较痛快的那种人。今天他还是按照这个惯例喝了不少酒。只见他亲昵地把手搭在比他高三年级的学长平户的肩膀上，伸着已经不听使唤的舌头问道。看来白天平户说过的这些话他还真放在心上了。
“嗬，这么说，茄子君，你难道认为鬼屋里不必有人住？”平户摆出一副惯常与醉鬼打交道的架势，冷冷地反驳道。他大口大口地嚼着鱿鱼丝，脸色几乎没有变，脑子也非常清醒。至今为止，他的酒量还是个谜。不少人私下里议论过，说是平户平常喝酒净是摆样子，让人觉得他酒量大，其实全是装出来的。有人为了确认这条小道消息的真伪，还专门和他斗过酒，结果挑战者被他云山雾罩的一席话说得迷迷糊糊，反而被平户灌了个人事不省，最终也未能确认。总之，谁也没见过他喝酒醉的样子。而对于大村等人来说，喝醉酒却是常事。
“我并不是主张凶宅不该有人住，而是说居住在凶宅里的人见到那里有鬼魂出没后，通常都会搬走，最终才造成没人住的局面。”这位“茄子君”一边把手搭在平户的肩膀上，一边和他争论。
“你说的情况也许存在，可是这样一来鬼魂必然就会消失，而只有鬼魂经常出没的房子才能称得上是鬼屋。”
“你这话我一点儿也听不懂。”与四平八稳的平户正相反，岛原的双腿几乎已经站不稳了。
“妖怪出没的房子可以没人住，但鬼屋就不同了，如果无人居住就称不上凶宅了。我想，鬼魂这种东西都是由于人的心灵深处渴望得到拯救，而产生出的一种心理上的幻觉。”
“渴望得到拯救……被谁拯救？是想从疾病和不幸中被拯救出来吗？”
“不，应该说是渴望得到根本意义上的拯救。那些最希望得到拯救的，也都是最值得拯救的人。他们早已经被自己打上了活着没有任何价值和意义的标签，因此总在寻找能承认自己存在价值的救世主。”
——最值得被人拯救的人。这句话像刀一样插在我的胸中。
“也就是说，即使并未遇到特别的不幸，但人为了证明自己并非毫无价值，也希望能得到拯救，是这样吧？”岛原说到这里停了停，叉着双手考虑了一会儿后接着说道，“果然说得有理，也许的确像你所说的一样。你这么一说，我也渴望能够得到拯救……不过，这又和鬼魂有什么关系呢？”
“所谓鬼魂，就是那些无法得到拯救的人的象征，就是那些死得冤枉和未能实现心愿而死的灵魂，因得不到超度而在现世徘徊形成的。那些郁郁不得志的人便从中联想到自己，自己将来是否也会这样？因此，越是经常心神不安、恐惧烦恼，越容易见到鬼魂。”
“可是，”岛原不甘示弱地大声说道，“依我看，平常怎么也想不到，直到出事了以后才知道原委的情况也不少。比如说，有人在路上捡了个洋娃娃，拿回家后接连发生了许多奇怪的事，后来一了解才知道，原来这个洋娃娃是家人为了纪念交通事故中去世的小女儿才供奉在事故现场的。你听说过这件事吧？”
“嗨，那不过是传来传去的编出来的奇闻怪事罢了。我根本就不相信。就拿你刚才提到的洋娃娃的事来说，路上能捡到个洋娃娃是件罕见的事，捡到的人就会充分发挥想象力，把这个洋娃娃的背景随意加以想象。这就留下了添加那些让人害怕的内容的机会。”
“听你这么说，平户君是不相信有鬼魂存在，是吗？”
“从某种意义上说是这样。”平户咧嘴一笑，“要不是这样，谁还敢在这种房子里住着？我这个人说到底胆子还是小。”
“这话也说得太绝了吧？不过，越是心里指望被拯救的人，越是容易碰见鬼的道理我是懂了，但我却根本无法接受。那么，'人鬼共存'这句话又该如何解释？就算遇到了鬼，对人来说也得不到任何拯救，是吗？”
“通常状况下是得不到的。不过我们人是善于忘却、安于现状的社会性动物，要是平常已经习惯了鬼魂的存在，那就不必害怕了。那样一来，原来只不过是幻想出来的鬼魂便被赋予了生命和独立的人格。不是也有人把毫无表情的爬虫类动物和饲养的鱼类宠物赋予了人格，与它们进行对话吗？其中的道理是一样的。倒也不是说有多疼爱它，只不过得知它们不会危害自己后，把它们也当人来看就是了。这么想，我才悟出其实活人和死人只隔着薄薄的一层纸这个道理。”
“你是说，这么一来，人就会发现自己活着是有价值的，因而心灵上就获得了拯救。这简直是让人听了泪流满面、感激涕零的不值钱的神话。”岛原像是看不起对方似的，趾高气扬地哼了哼鼻子，从嘴里喷出满口的酒气。
“算了吧，人生在世何必把自己逼得太紧，那样也太累了，人还是需要某种程度的逃避。”
“可是要能习惯于人鬼共存，需要付出极大努力的，是吧？”
“问题不过在于刚开始时如何克服心理障碍。可以说，这是最大的课题。所谓鬼屋，其实本身就包含初期阶段如何克服障碍的解决办法。现实中，在鬼屋里人和鬼相安共处的事例也非常多，也就是说存在解决问题的办法。”
“你这话听起来太夸张了吧？那你说说，这些解决办法具体又是哪些？”
“非常遗憾，这些事我还无法对你解释清楚。我觉得这和屋子里房间的数量以及拐弯形成的死角多少都有关系。要是能够准确地对你说出来的话，我不就可以顺顺当当地毕业了吗？”
不知为何，说这些话时平户显得底气十足。
“也就是说，最重要的这些解决办法，你自己也不甚了了，对吧？”岛原气势嚣张地下了最后结论。
“就算是吧。这座流萤馆里也许就存在着解决办法。这里既是鬼魂出没的最好地方，死角又非常多。到这里来，可以说是个实地考察。你们之中如果有人和鬼魂交上了朋友，那离我的毕业就不远了。”
“那么佐世保又算是哪种人呢？”一旁的谏早压低了声音问道，“他之所以花钱买下流萤馆，又费了那么大工夫把它恢复原状，难道就是为了与鬼魂一同生活，从而得到拯救？”
“怎么说呢？”平户转过头来，慢慢摇了摇头，然后看清了佐世保确实不在场后才说道，“佐世保有他自己的鬼魂观。因此，他绝不会同意我的看法。不过，按我的一贯想法，他的内心也在拼命努力争取得到拯救吧？当然，这些话要直接对佐世保说，那肯定要挨骂的。”
他的话中暗含着不许把话传出去的要求，因为这种话可能影射到佐世保死去的姐姐。
“这样一来，佐世保他果然获得了拯救吗？”
“我也希望他能获得拯救……佐世保的不幸在于他在人生中遭受过失去亲人的打击，他现在的问题是如何面对这些不幸，并尽快从阴影中解脱出来，而不是如何发现自己的人生价值。光是对他进行生命讴歌是解决不了问题的。那样做反而会使他更加怀疑自己不可拯救的处境，收到相反的效果。对他过分进行感情上的移植也不可取……弄不好的话，他经常看见的就不是流萤馆里十年前被害的那些冤魂，而是自己姐姐的幻影，那样就会像动能丧失的微电子那样失去活力，堕落自弃而不可救药了吧。”
话音刚落，四周一片寂静。我不禁偷偷向坐在旁边的大村看了一眼。只见他举着杯子的手在微微发抖。我知道，这并非是喝多了酒的缘故，也不是深夜降低了的气温使然，也许他此刻又想起了刚才测试胆量时惊险的一幕吧？不管他喝了多少酒，心中的恐惧始终无法消除。他原来就微驼着的背此刻显得更弯了，一眼就能看出，大村已经失去了自制力。
“大村君，你不要紧吧？”我担心地小声问道，为的是不想让平户听到。
耳边只听到大村像是呓语般的小声说道：“……其实我真听到过一个女人的声音。当时我刚进入小松响子住过的房间，打着手电筒专心寻找扑克脾，这时从门外突然响起一声……”
“你是说，突然有个女人……”
大村双眼圆瞪看着我，轻轻点了点头，脸上的表情显得格外严肃，不像是在开玩笑或者撒谎的样子。总之，极少见到什么能把大村吓成这样，可见他受到过的惊吓不同寻常。
“莫非这座馆里还真躲藏着一个没露面的女人……”
大村听了后，心虚地瞪着大眼珠，往四周探视了一圈，像是在看有谁偷偷躲在哪个角落里偷听似的。看来，身处这间空荡荡的酒廊，更加引起了他的不安。
我想，这件事不大可能是佐世保干的。也许他听到的只是千鹤捏着嗓子发出的变声吧？虽然千鹤保证过自己什么伎俩也没耍，但保不准她说的是假话。为了让自己胜出，她一定使过什么小手段。
我虽然心知肚明，但并没有说穿，只是回答大村：“这种事不大可能发生吧？莫非你听错了？”
众人也纷纷说道：“一定是你疑心出暗鬼，自己吓唬自己吧？别是输了替自己找借口吧？”
“我还用找什么借口？大丈夫既然输了就敢作敢当，难道你们不了解我的性格吗？我绝不会找什么借口。告诉你们，刚才我肯定听见过女人的声音，甚至闻到了她身上的味道。没准真是小松响子还活着……”
“你可别吓唬我们。去年我们来这里时，不是什么也没发生吗？而且，小松响子的房间还是我在住呢。”岛原说道。
“原来是你在住。”大村一口气把杯子里的酒倒进嘴里，通红的脸上浮现出一丝无力的笑容。他那副酒鬼般的笑容实在让人不敢恭维。
只听他又接着说道：“是吗……我看你还是小心点儿为好。那间房子里一定躲藏着什么怪物。摊上这间房子算你倒霉，明天早上要能见到你还平安无事地活着，就谢天谢地了。”
“你开什么玩笑！用不着你这么热心提醒我。我看你还是多操心自己吧，输了比赛该受什么惩罚谁也不知道，明天就有你好看的。”岛原恶作剧般的说道。
看来大村光顾着谈论女人的声音，把自己即将面临的惩罚忘得一干二净了。一句话把他又拉回了残酷的现实，只见他顿时像泄了气的皮球，嚅嗫着说道：“惩罚就惩罚吧，这有什么大不了的。我知道佐世保决不肯轻饶了我……喂，佐世保他到哪儿去了？”
大村边说边向四周看了一眼。众人也纷纷到处张望，可是若大的酒廊里果真见不到佐世保的身影。看来他在平户和岛原的争论开始之前就悄悄离开了，一直也没有再回来。
“咦？佐世保上哪儿去了？”
“肯定是到二楼去了吧？也许他累了，想休息一会儿，他临走前交代过一句话，说是请大家自便了。”千鹤睁着通红的眼睛回答。也许是酒喝得太多，加上不习惯熬夜，她显得无精打采的。
“他还说，冰箱里有的是酒和下酒菜，想吃想喝可以自己去拿。”
“看来这回也和去年一样，他只喝了一半就困得受不了了。可是佐世保岁数不算大，怎么这两年衰老得不成样子了呢？以前他可是有名的夜猫子，一口气能喝到天亮，第二天一早还能开车带我们去探险。”平户把一块盐渍海带卷丢进嘴里，一边大口咀嚼着，一边感慨地说道。
“这么说，你平户君也不算年轻了，加上原本就不爱运动，平常就无精打采的。这么下去你的关节要不了多久就该完蛋了。”谏早一边敲着桌子，一边说道。
“要你操什么心，我这身体什么事也没有。我几乎每天一起床就听第一遍广播操。”
“你说什么？光听不做？”
“你看，还是你谏早孤陋寡闻吧！广播操的旋律包含着许多高科技的元素，每天只要听上一两遍，就能使身体保持良好的状态。以前听说，只要对着蜗牛这种低等生物播放体操音乐，它的脑中枢神经便会受到影响呢。”平户大言不惭地说道。说完，他又捏了一条沙丁鱼干扔进了嘴里。
“就算咱们阿基里斯俱乐部的人见多识广，可是这么荒唐的传闻我还真没听说过。”
“看来你的脑瓜还是太笨！音乐能给人体带来的好处远远超出你的想象，其功能远远超过负氧离子、红茶和食用菌。”
接着，平户又开始了他那天南海北的胡吹乱侃。诸如在挤得满满的车厢中反复播放一首单调的音乐，为什么会引起乘客们互殴一一而且这首曲子越是为人熟悉，引起的打斗规模就越大，这也是近年来为什么电车车厢和站台上屡屡发生凶杀案的最主要原因云云。
还有，人们在听到汽车的急刹车声音后，为什么会不由自主地停下脚步？这是由于远古时期的人类在进化过程中屡屡听见头顶上直扑而下的猛禽的欢叫声，而留下了恐怖的记忆并遗传下来等等。还有，母亲在进行胎教时，往往喜欢给胎儿播放古典音乐，殊不知听惯了这些音乐的孩子们长大后往往不习惯环境中的各种声音，反倒形成了他们的攻击型性格等等。
众人虽然明知他只是痴人说梦，说的话一点儿科学根据也没有，可是由于时间已到深夜，加上平户绘声绘色的描述，倒也让人听得津津有味。
只听他又接着说道：“可是，最为可怕的，却是那种耳朵听不见的声音。比如房间里时钟的滴答声，有时感觉一点儿也听不见，对吧？这是因为大脑对这种声音已经习惯，失去了敏感，时钟的声音就漏过了听觉的过滤网而直达大脑。也就是说，实际上这种时钟的声音已经控制了人的大脑，人们在不知不觉之中，把所有的行为都暗暗地按照以秒为单位的节奏而进行。这样，整个人就变成了一个在时钟操控下的时钟人。因此，我才无论如何不肯戴手表。因为每个人应该按照自己本能的节奏来行动，不能被石英和水晶的振动频率左右。”
众人都在静静地听着，就连经常插话的岛原此刻也闭口不语。
平户说完，经过数秒，他才佩服地说了一句：“怪不得现在迟到的人多了起来。”
这时，只见坐在旁边的大村突然神色大变，他涨红着的脸瞬间变得非常苍白。
“你没事吧？”我问道，可是听不到他的回答。只见大村的嘴角急剧地蠕动着，像是要马上呕吐出来的样子。
“我得扶大村君上一趟厕所。”说着，我搀扶起瘫软着身子的大村，一起向厕所方向走去。
“看样子这家伙真不行了。那好，就辛苦你一趟吧。想办法别让他死掉了就行。”背后传来平户幸灾乐祸的叮嘱。
其实，对我来说，和醉鬼打交道早已司空见惯。我只是在心里暗暗祈求，希望他在到达厕所之前千万别吐出来……这就是我唯一的愿望。这里和学生宿舍完全不同，我们要走过一段很长的距离才能到厕所。要是像以前那样，被他憋不住吐了我一身可就糟了。
“顶住，大村君！你可千万要顶住，没多远了，你再忍一忍！”
我艰难地搀扶着已经瘫软成一摊烂泥的大村，忍着他蠕动着的嘴巴里喷出的恶臭，死命地鼓励着他一步步艰难地往前挪。
Notes:
Notes: