Anything but Japan — that was what Jonathan had always thought since he woke up in this world. It's no surprise that Japanese cinema holds some of the most terrifying stories, as their kind of horror can be felt straight from the atmosphere itself.
And without a doubt, Asian folklore was among the most dangerous — if not the worst.
If Jonathan were ever to face that culture, he hoped to be a hundred times stronger than he currently was.
Wednesday, on the other hand, didn't think the same way. She was fascinated by this case, in which she would truly be helping as an investigator.
While the case was being examined, she searched the Order's secret network for similar cases where everything began with water. There were many ways to detect whether something was a supernatural case, but in a sense, they had control over when and where contact with the supernatural would appear.
And Wednesday found one — directly connected to this very case. The victim in that case was Yoshima Matsubara, who was originally supposed to move to this location, but after her divorce, she rented a ruined apartment far from here.
But before going to that place, Jonathan went straight to the suburban park to investigate and question the staff working there, as well as the tourists.
Taking a recorder as his work tool, Jonathan asked Wednesday to record all the interviews he conducted throughout the day.
And only after a single day of investigation, both returned to the hotel to draw conclusions.
"[You mean that lake? I haven't heard of anyone dying there since I was young.]"
Jonathan switched to the next recording as soon as he finished analyzing that one.
"[This lake isn't very deep, and as you can see, there are always people around. If someone really fell by accident and didn't know how to swim, some of the people nearby would immediately run to rescue them. I've been taking care of the ducks in this lake for years and I've never heard of anyone dying. One day, a little girl fell into the lake, but she was rescued right away, so it didn't end in tragedy, thank God.]"
"[No, not at all. No one has ever committed suicide here, if that's what you're trying to ask. Our park has been here for decades. There used to be a well, but it dried up. After a long time, it was decided to make a lake in that same spot. This lake was dug after the park's transformation into a forest park. The older folks live nearby — if someone had killed themselves here, we'd know, because those old men are always playing chess under those trees. Ha ha ha, are you really a detective?]"
"Then, what about accidents? Have none ever happened?"
"[No, no. What newspaper did you say you worked for? I'll tell you right now — this report is going to be a failure.]"
"[Hey, are you here to ask about the dead in this lake?]"
"That's correct, ma'am. Have you heard of anyone dying in the lake, or any urban legend related to it?"
"[They're not dead people. There are… ghosts here! I'm telling you quietly because it's bad luck to say it aloud. This place is evil! Don't be too curious — you'd be much safer at home than here!]"
"Ma'am, I'm here to work. I can't afford to go back empty-handed, do you understand? If I don't get any results today, it'll be worse for the people than for me. Listen — if you tell me something useful, I won't have to keep coming back. Of course, if you know nothing, then there's no problem."
"[We agreed never to speak of this…]"
"What if I invite you to lunch while you tell me?"
"[Oh my…]"
"Now, what do you know about that lake that others don't?"
"[I don't know where to start…]"
"Keep it brief…"
"[I know much more than anyone else. For better or worse, this is my hometown, and I grew up right here. Long ago, this land was used for farming, but later it became a factory. The land this park sits on was much larger than you can imagine, and at that time, a factory was built here that made some strange kind of drink. I remember working in that factory when I was young. Back then, the factory was doing well — schools and hospitals were built, and even a smaller park similar to this one was made…]"
"So, what happened?"
"[Back then, no one knew things would get worse. The hospitals and pharmacies suddenly became very crowded. At that point, those of us who worked in that successful factory had fun together every day.]"
"Alright, when did everything start to change?"
"[Well, this place started to get chaotic due to the increase in workers. You could see so much life every night. Even when it was dark, if you walked just a few meters, you'd run into someone.]"
"What happened after that?"
"[After that, the factory shut down because it went bankrupt. The government took over the land. There must have been some kind of activity we didn't know about at the time. Anyway, the government wanted to build a park, so they demolished the factory and turned it into what you see now. Even though it wasn't called the same, we did have a park back then.]"
"So, what ghost are you talking about?"
"Ma'am, nothing will happen. I'll take full responsibility… Can you tell me about that ghost?"
"[That ghost… actually… I don't know much about it. I was working at the factory then, and I heard… I heard that someone saw a ghost in the forest of the newly built park! It was so dark, but they said they saw it among the leaves. They said its face was completely white, and its hair was messy.]"
"White face, black hair? It appeared among the leaves?"
"[That's what they said…]"
"Did anyone die after seeing that ghost?"
"[Oh… oh, that wasn't the case. There were just legends and stories made up with different versions.]"
"[I see. Has no one ever investigated this matter? Maybe someone played a prank to deliberately scare people?]"
"[How could that be investigated? There's nothing to investigate from just seeing a ghost. No one would have time for that, except you people who are interested in these kinds of things from the past.]"
"I like the past — old stories tell chilling events like great massacres that most people ignore nowadays." Wednesday's voice came through, making strange comments without hesitation.
"We'll cut that part…"
"What's wrong with it?"
"The investigation… never mind. Ma'am, were there more rumors?"
"[Yes, many truly believed it was a ghost from some urban legend and brought monks to bless the place. I moved away for the same reason — after clearly seeing something that wasn't human, one feels fear.]"
"And you're not afraid now?"
"[What should I be afraid of? Those things shouldn't exist, and if they do, I'm too old to fear anything. I've worked all my life — even after seeing that female ghost, I'm in the last stage of my life now.]"
"Thank you very much for your time."
Jonathan frowned as he listened to that interview and began thinking of a more refined way to solve this problem.
He now had to investigate the lake and its surroundings in search of a corpse, a cursed object, or signs of a ritual. Even though the priests had found nothing, that demon must have already fully formed.
According to archival records, before 1973, the forest park was located on farmland owned by the rural commune of the county. After the 1973 reform, the city government and the community jointly financed the establishment of the Three Kings Brewery.
By mid-1979, the Three Kings Brewery expanded its area, and as a gesture of gratitude, the park was created.
No deaths were recorded during the time the factory operated. There were no serial murder incidents in the town, nor had there ever been any strange cases on record.
Jonathan gathered all the new and old information. He needed to focus on questioning the oldest residents, since they were the ones who truly knew the things he was looking for.
The next day, Jonathan managed to get in contact with an old man named Billy, and he listened to his words.
"It's been a long time since then, but I remember it like it was yesterday… I haven't told anyone else. If it weren't you investigating this, I'd probably have taken those things to my grave."
Jonathan reviewed the documents and notes in his files and said, "From what I've been told, your brother was the one who saw the ghost in the park."
"That's right, my brother told me he saw that ghost…" Billy nodded as he heard the question and recalled the events of the past.
"How did it happen?"
Jonathan was running out of leads — if he didn't find anything concrete, the investigation would drag on.
"This… is a little hard to explain, and it sounds crazy."
"I like crazy. I'll pay you."
"Well… he was chatting with a girl at the factory back then. The young men from the factory liked to gather in the park and look for girlfriends. My brother was no different from any other young man his age. That night, I remember he went out and didn't tell us what he was going to do, but we all knew he was heading to the park to talk with friends and maybe meet a girl he liked."
Pausing, Billy continued, "Usually, my brother didn't come back until after ten at night. But that day, he came home very late and was covered in sweat — a cold sweat brought on by terror. We thought he was sick and asked him, but he didn't answer. He was studying to become a detective, and even then, I could tell from his eyes that he had experienced something truly horrifying."