The Elf Is a Freeloader

The evening is still in the early morning hours of dawn.

Elementary school students and two boys remembered walking in and out of the woods with a flashlight in one hand.

"Hey, you there?

"Just. Look at this."

A smaller plastic case was placed by one boy in front of his companions.

In it, a few beetles were put in.

"Wow, Suru!! There were three of them?

"One female for two males. As always, don't come all the way to this tree."

That said, the boy looked back at the cucumber tree behind him.

There is a distinct alcoholic smell standing in the area.

That was the smell of sap coming out of a quail tree.

"This is all the sap out there. Even beetles get together."

"There's gonna be a bunch of tin bees, so we need to be careful."

This is in a forest in the territory of a shrine. It's not that deep a forest though, and even children can get in relatively safely.

There are sidewalks around the woods, and in a little more time, visitors will show up for early morning walks and dog walks.

Still, there are dangerous organisms such as snakes and hundreds of feet, so the children were also solidified in summer yet long sleeves with long trousers, as well as rubber boots and heavy equipment.

When it comes to dangerous organisms, it is the tin bees that appeared in earlier conversations that must not be forgotten. Suzume bees are inherently daytime insects, but sometimes even at night they are in trees with sap. Naturally at that time, I've never crossed the line to stay away because it's dangerous.

"What do we do? Want to go a little further back?

"Sure, there was a tree out there with sap in the back too... yeah, let's go"

The two boys walk further down the sidewalk. It's a forest that surrounds the shrine, so the more you go behind it, the thicker the trees, and the worse the outlook.

The children's footsteps were naturally lighter due to the fact that they were still not alone and the expectation that beetles and quails might be caught.

"Wasn't it around here?

"I'm sure you did..."

At a previous visit, the two point the flashlight light into the woods, looking for a proven tree that has caught a beetle.

"Is that it?"

"What's up?

"Something now... like the light of a flashlight reflected and glowed..."

"Isn't there an empty can or something falling?

In the direction of one pointing the light of a flashlight, the other also try pointing his own flashlight.

But I don't see anything like reflecting light.

"... Isn't that some kind of mistake?

"Hmmm... I wish they would say that..."

While twisting his neck, the boy runs the flashlight light left and right in the woods.

Unique smell of sap all around. There is definitely a tree of purpose nearby.

It was then.

There was certainly something hard reflecting in the light of the flashlight that ran through the woods.

Returning the light reflexively, in the white circle of light in the LED, the sole was clearly floating.

".................. HI!!"

Which of the two of you was the one who zeroed the screams that drew you.

Reflecting the white light of the LED was a rusty, floating, blurry sword.

The arm holding that sword is all skin and muscles falling off and only bones remain.

The same goes for the shoulders and torso that connect the arms.

The torso is wrapped around something like a decaying fine chain. If whoever saw it had some kind of knowledge, he would have realized that it was the remains of armor called claddock.

Katakata Katakata Katakata...

The sound of contiguous meetings of the castanets echoes through the unknown forest.

The two boys could not finally realize that it was the only monster in the bone in front of them - the sound of the skeleton rattling the jaw bone.

A vain orbit with no eyeballs is pointing still, and the two boys unknowingly buttocks on the spot.

Kasari.

The skeleton took a step toward the boys. Under legs with only bones, a few leaves fall and are trampled to pieces.

"Ugh, wowwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!"

At this time, the boys' brains finally decided that the sight in front of them was real.

The two boys manage to escape as they crawl, scattering tears, snot, saliva and urine.

But the skeleton doesn't go after the boys, it just snarls at the spot and jaw bones.

Katakata Katakata Katakata...

In the woods, where no one was there, he said the sound had been heard forever...

"I hear there's been a rumor lately that...

All of a sudden.

The public entered the summer vacation.

Summer break. That's a finite paradise for students only. Nevertheless, I can't even just play.

It is your doctrine to almost finish your summer or winter homework in the first half.

For this reason, even today, near the border between July and August, the beginning of the summer vacation, Yasushi was taking his homework seriously.

Suddenly, a friend called me.

He's not as good a friend as Aya Ryu, but he's a good friend from time to time, and sometimes he calls like this.

Most of all, the content of the call really doesn't matter as much as it does today.

"If it's just such a nasty errand, we're hanging up now? I have a part-time job in this afternoon, so I have to complete my homework for today in the morning."

"Keep it up, don't say that. 'Cause it's funny from here."

"From here?

"Yes, the suspicion itself ends with what we just talked about, but the shrine that's on stage... it's in the neighboring town of Higashigo, it's like an Asama shrine."

"Asama Shrine? There's a small pond right in front of you, and there's a middle school right around the corner, that shallow shrine?

"Yes, yes. It looks like the Asama Shrine."

Behind Yasushi's brain emerges the view of the Asama Shrine in question.

Yasushi has actually been to the place.

I used to go fishing for black buses and carp in a small pond in front of the shrine, and at an early age, like an elementary school student who appeared suspicious, I caught a beetle in a forest in the country.

"Sure, there's a depressing forest spreading around that shrine... but you've never heard of a skeleton coming out, have you?

"That's what's happening recently. The skeleton."

The forest that spreads around the shallow shrine in question is certainly a bleak and somewhat creepy place with not many street lights around it.

Still, it's a shrine all over town, never a wide forest. There are also private houses around.

I can't believe Yasushi has skeletons like that.

"Isn't there some kind of rumor that some kind of mistake came with a tail on it?

"Well, I guess that's the plausible part"

My friend over the phone also agreed, and then when we always exchanged stupid stories with no content like we do in school, the sound of knocking on the door of the room sounded.

"Yastaka. I made cold tea. Is that it? Were you talking to me?

It was Elle, of course, who opened the door, saying so in fluent Japan.

Daily efforts had borne fruit, and Elle was able to speak without problems if it was a routine conversation.

Of course, I don't know difficult rhetoric, unfamiliar words, kanji with a lot of pictures, etc., but if I were to live a normal life, I wouldn't need the help of magic equipment (magic items) anymore.

Only those who write seem to be as bad as those who speak or read.

"Oh, come on!! I just heard a woman!! Who is it!? Now, it's not Kimura-san, is it? She called you" Yasutaka ", but now her voice was" Mr. Yastaka "?

"It's my sister-in-law, not mine."

"Hey, sister!? You never had a sister!?"

"He's the one with the family situation. I recently did."

"Hey, what? Yeah eh!? I didn't hear you say that!? So, is that new sister cute? Lovely!? I heard that twice because it's important!?"

Asked so, he placed a glass of tea on his desk and looked up at Elle as he tilted his neck.

- I don't care what anyone says, I'm so cute.

Keeping an eye on Elle's neat beauty, Yasushi tells his friend across the phone.

"Yeah, well... isn't that normal?

I don't know how to honestly tell my friend about Elle's beauty. Yasushi accidentally said that.

"What? Are you sure it's normal?

"That's right. It's really normal. Then I'll hang up because my sister-in-law's calling."

"Oh. Say hello to your new sister."

Turn off your smartphone call and keep it on your desk.

"What's normal?

"Nothing."

Laughing at the strange Elle, Yasushi sips the tea Elle has brewed for him.

This summer is unusually hot. Still, I felt comfortable putting in the cooling in the morning, and Yasushi put up with just the fan.

In the meantime, the cold tea made by Elle is delicious.

When I drank the tea in the glass all at once and looked up at Elle again.

She stared at Yasushi's smartphone, which had been placed on her desk.

"What's up?

"Huh? Oh, yes, that was magic equipment that I could talk to you about anytime, anywhere... it wasn't, it was kick-ass, was it?

"Oh, yeah, but?

Even while asking Yasushi that, Elle's gaze is set on her smartphone and she doesn't move.

You can have conversations anytime, anywhere, Kikai. That was like a dream for Elle.

Usually, Elle is often alone at home. Because Yasushi, the only cohabitant, is often not home at school or part-time.

Again, I just miss being home alone a little bit.

But as long as there's this kikai named Kataidenwa. If you speak to this little Kikai, you can hear your voice anytime, anywhere.

"Nice......"

Yasushi's ears were firmly picked up when she groaned so pompously.

"Does Elle want a cell phone, too?

"Pia!? No, not that I want anything else, but that..."

"Right. Even Elle might as well have a phone than live in this world. Yeah, I'll ask your father or your mother next time."

It is El, who is once to be a minor. No cell phone can be contracted without the approval of your parents, Yasushi.

But Yasushi's parents are now as adorable about Elle as their real daughter, and if that Elle says she wants to have a cell phone, she won't disagree.

About part of the cost of maintaining Elle's cell phone is also going to be paid for by Yasushi.

"All right, next time my dad or my mother comes home, let's go get my phone together"

"Yes!"

Elle smiles happily. Watching Elle like that makes me feel somewhat happy even to you.

"So, Mr. Yastaka?

"Hmm?"

"Which labyrinth do you challenge to get Kataidenwa?

I'm pretty used to this world, El. But there was still a lot I didn't understand.

Once again his smartphone played a light melody when Yasushi explained to Elle that his phone was normally sold in the store.

"This ringtone... dude"

Yasushi takes up his smartphone and plays the key to the call at his fingertips.

"Hey, Yasushi! I just heard some funny stuff!!"

"Maybe it's not a skeletal suspicion going out to Asama Shrine, is it?

"Is that it? Was Yasushi listening too?

"I knew..."

That's why I love horror. So Hayashi thought that if there were familiar and suspicious rumors, he would definitely eat them.

So the words that Aye would say were largely predictable to him.

"Then we'll talk fast. I'm going to do a liver test soon!