Faded

9. Plain of blue trees | 青木ヶ原

Izumi:

I had never been in this forest before. It didn't pique my interest, even though it was a famous sight in Japan.

That morning, I felt a strange excitement. But when I met you at the station, it all disappeared. We looked as if we were just going on a hiking trip or a picnic, nothing more.

At the entrance, the guards warned us. They told us not to deviate from the path, not to climb over barriers, otherwise we would get lost. You nodded, but you knew we would break the rules.

Leaving the tourist trail is a kind of suicide. It's rare to find your way back, even if you venture just a couple of trees further. This forest is a damn cursed pit of death. It's like it's enchanted.

"Did you bring everything we need?" I asked.

"Yes. Don't leave my side," you replied.

You had a red ribbon with you. When we turned off the main path and got into the thicket several kilometers later, you started tying that ribbon around the trees we passed by. A sure way not to get lost, like the golden thread of Ariadne.

You navigated the forest so confidently, holding my hand so firmly, that I felt safe. Little did I know that the main danger was you.

And we continued to walk. Along the way, we engaged in simple, lighthearted conversations about nothing in particular. You assured me that there was nothing to fear in this forest.

"It's the second most popular suicide location in the world. You're quite optimistic," I joked grimly.

"For someone, it may be a place of death, but certainly not for us. Here, it's more about life and everything associated with it," you smiled. But at that moment, I didn't fully understand what that statement meant.

We often stopped. We looked around, picked up some trash, and then threw it back. I tried to focus on finding any traces of the boy with mint-colored hair, but it was all in vain. It was foolish to hope for something like that. Even large groups of volunteers couldn't find anything that could be remotely linked to the missing person, and here we were, just the two of us, expecting to discover something? It was absurd. Part of me felt like we had come here not so much to help but simply for the thrill of it.

But you played your role skillfully. You carefully examined every tree, every bush, as if you were genuinely interested in the life of my acquaintance.

I always considered myself someone who had a firm grip on reality, with a healthy mind, inclined to think and analyze, with critical thinking skills. I always believed that I couldn't be deceived. How truly foolish I was to fall for your trap. You didn't take me by force, didn't threaten me, didn't use any special techniques.

You simply took my hand and led me deeper into the forest.

"I think we should turn back," I said when I saw someone's old rotten shoe.

"Are you afraid?" you asked.

"No, I just feel uncomfortable being here," I honestly replied.

"Why? If it weren't for the bad reputation, you wouldn't even think that there's something wrong with this forest. Understand already, everything you're afraid of is just people's fabrications. Foolish and spineless ones. They're gripped by a herd mentality. One person hanged themselves here, and that's it. The wave started. People are easily influenced. Don't believe their tales about voices in this forest or ancient spirits whispering to them to kill themselves. There's nothing like that here," you argued.

"I read a bit about this place last night. They used to bring old and feeble people here in ancient times to die."

"So what? Are you afraid of the dead?" you openly mocked me.

"No, I'm not afraid of anything. I just don't like it here. Plus, I feel like I'm losing my ability to hear."

"It's a characteristic of the forest's location. It's as if it's nestled at the foot of the mountain. The trees grew densely due to volcanic eruptions, creating this effect of deafening silence. It's completely explainable. Shout something," you said.

I screamed. But the sound of my voice seemed to be swallowed by the forest.

"You see? A natural peculiarity. It's deadly quiet here."

"Let's go back," I said.

"Let's take a short walk and then head back downhill, okay?" you suggested.

I reluctantly agreed.

"Overall, it's quite picturesque here, don't you think? Ancient trees, wild foxes. Wolves. There are snakes too, of course, but I don't think we should fear them. I brought my flute, in the worst-case scenario, we can try to tame them," you joked, trying to lighten the mood.

The smell of damp soil and pine needles was starting to get on my nerves. It was getting darker. The fog slowly descended upon the mountains.

And then I noticed that you had stopped tying the tape around the trees.

"How are we going to go back?" I asked, feeling anxious.

"Don't worry," you replied shortly. A shadow of a smirk appeared on your beautiful face.

I was scared of getting lost here. Scared not only for myself but also for you. At that moment, I thought about how no one, except the group of volunteers, will search for us, just like nobody would for the boy with mint-colored hair. They certainly wouldn't come this far. We would disappear if we truly got lost.

But you kept walking and pulling me along by the hand.

"Wait. Let me see roughly where we are," I stopped to open my backpack.

Taking out a compass and glancing at it, I was slightly baffled. It was broken. The needle was spinning uncontrollably, not stopping. I tapped the compass a few times, tried turning it in a different direction.

And you stood there, watching me without trying to help.

"It's broken," I almost muttered to myself.

"No, it's not broken. Compasses cease to function in Aokigahara," you calmly replied.

"Why?"

"There are large deposits of iron ore underground here," you shrugged and smiled.

I sighed irritably.

"How could you forget about the tape?"

"I didn't forget."

At that moment, I didn't understand anything.

"What kind of foolish joke is this? Why are you finding this situation so amusing? People die here, just recently a guy went missing, and now everyone considers him a suicide! Do you even realize what could happen to us?" I was at my breaking point.

You tightly griped my wrist.

But the smile never left your face.