Standing outside the black Toyota LC80 SUV was a foreign man wearing a reddish-brown jacket with a SLR camera hanging around his neck. He looked like a photographer who came to the forest to take pictures.
Fujiwara Yu rolled down the car window and asked directly in English without knowing whether the other party could speak Japanese:
"Hello, what can I do for you?"
"Hello, sir. I'm taking pictures of this forest that I miss so much. I came here because Mr. Takeda took care of me before, but I accidentally got lost. I wonder if you could give me a ride?" The foreign man spoke fluent Japanese without much of an accent, which made the three people in the car wonder if this guy had lived in Japan since he was a child.
Mr. Takeda? Fujiwara Yu raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect such a coincidence to meet someone who was also going to the Takeda family. He pointed to the back seat of the car and explained:
"Sir, if you don't mind, you can get in the car first. We don't know the direction of the Takeda family, so we plan to call someone for help."
"Oh, thank you so much!"
Hattori Heiji, who was sitting in the passenger seat, pushed open the door the moment he saw the foreign man open the back door. Under the surprised gazes of Toyama Kazuha and the foreign man, he pointed directly at the passenger seat and said coldly:
"You are a guest, go sit in the passenger seat!"
Fujiwara Yu, who was watching the show with his chin in his hand, took in this scene and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Young people nowadays have extremely strong possessiveness, and they are not even allowed to sit together.
The foreign man who got on the bus was very talkative. He introduced himself with a smile:
"Hello, I'm Rob Taylor from the United States, a photographer who loves nature. What are your names?"
After Robert Taylor introduced himself, the three people in the car also said their names.
Fujiwara Yuu opened the car door and was about to get out to call for help when he heard the sound of a car engine from behind. Squinting, he saw a white truck approaching. He hung up the phone and waved his left hand toward the truck.
The truck driver obviously stopped the car after seeing someone waving. A man with a flat head and a cigarette in his mouth stuck his head out, glanced at the SUV and asked:
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the car?"
"No, we just got lost in the forest. Excuse me, sir, do you know how to get to the Takeda family in Puppet Peak?"
The man with the flat head was stunned when he heard this. He looked at the purple-haired young man with a strange expression for a while, and did not rush to answer the question. Instead, he asked:
"What are you going to do at the Takeda residence?"
When Fujiwara Yu heard this question, he realized that the other party knew the location of the Takeda family. He patiently began to explain the matter of the letter of commission, while not forgetting to observe the changes in the expression of the flat-headed man.
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When he heard one of the adjectives, the flat-headed man couldn't help but chuckle. He flicked the ash from his cigarette and said with a smile:
"Huh, this is indeed the current situation of our family. Because of a series of unfortunate events that have happened in recent years, the residents nearby have given us a nickname, saying that we are the Spider Mansion of Puppet Peak. If you don't want to be cursed, it's best not to get close to us. Do you understand?"
Toyama Heye, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, immediately showed a frightened expression. She never liked horror legends like monsters, let alone those related to spiders. The thought of it made her spine chill.
"Sir, are you from the Takeda family? Do you recognize the handwriting on this letter?" Hattori Heiji pushed the door open, got out of the car, and handed the letter of commission directly to the man with a flat head. He came here just to return the commission fee and to travel to Tottori Prefecture at the same time.
The man with the flat head took the letter of authorization and looked at it for a while. He shook his head and said:
"This handwriting doesn't look like it belongs to our family, but if you have nowhere to go, you can come to our house."
"Then please lead the way. We will pay for your accommodation after we leave."
"Heh, there's no need to pay for accommodation. Just don't be afraid of the rumors about Spider Mansion."
The mountain roads in the forests of Tottori Prefecture were not easy to drive on. After passing through several forks in the road, we finally arrived at the Takeda family residence halfway up the mountain.
After parking the car, Fujiwara Yuu surveyed the Japanese-style building before him. From its exterior, it was clear the Takeda family was wealthy. He walked towards Robert Taylor, carrying his satchel. He seemed to be communicating with a dark-haired woman, looking quite excited.
As soon as he approached, he heard the black-haired woman explain to Robert Taylor with a look of regret on her face:
"Yes, two or three days after you left, Misa hanged herself on the second floor of the puppet warehouse."
"Is it suicide?" Hattori Heiji, who was standing aside, asked hurriedly.
"Well, and a few days later my sister-in-law, Misa's mother, also hanged herself in the same place." The black-haired woman sighed softly when she said this, obviously finding the continuous suicides quite unacceptable.
Fujiwara Yuu's brow furrowed as he heard this. If it were just one suicide, it would be fine, but for it to happen so frequently it didn't make sense. He couldn't help but think of the contents of the letter of commission, and he stepped forward and asked:
"Hello, can I ask why Misa's mother committed suicide?"
"I'm not sure about that, and I don't know if it's like this..."
"Is there anyone else committing suicide?"
"Yes, just a week ago, Mr. Negishi, who often took care of my eldest brother, also hanged himself on the second floor of the puppet warehouse. He took advantage of the fact that our family was not at home during the day and sneaked in to commit suicide."
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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