WORLDVIEW

Hello, everyone. Yuki Hirasaka here. Today, I’ll be taking you all to places that I personally have been curious about.
I’ll call it “The Mystery Tour of Okunezato at Night”.
Hm? Why am I taking you at night, you ask? We’d be raising some eyebrows if we were to be seen by anyone.
Well, consider it a test of courage, and follow me, please.

…It seems Yasu won’t be butting in, and Yuzuki isn’t here to loom over us, either.
So without further ado, let’s keep our voices down and set off…

Okunezato is shaped like a crescent moon, but the north and south areas are quite distinct from each other.
The main street and Fuurinkan Hotel are located in the south.
There are shopping streets, and buses pass through there as well, making the area relatively modern and crowded.
In the north, on the other hand, lies the old town, which is lined by houses that have definitely seen better days.
It’s hard to tell whether people actually live here or not due to combination of large homes and little foot traffic.
It’s not very well lit at night, so some areas are pitch dark, making the place pretty eerie.
Apparently, it’s called the “old town” because the area actually used to be a bustling hot springs district long ago.
It died out for some reason, and was reduced to this ghost town-like state you see today.
I actually ask Yuzuki why things became this way pretty often, but…he simply won’t tell me.

Let’s move on. Do be careful not to make any noise.

This is a run-down house in the old town. There are quite a few houses that have been abandoned like this throughout the area.
Among those many homes, this house in particular has been empty for as long as I remember, so no one goes near it now.
How do I describe this..? I don’t really understand it myself, but there’s a strange air surrounding the building..
…You want to go in? No thank you! I-It’s not because I’m scared or anything, all right?!
If you really do insist, then by all means, come to Okunezato and explore it to your heart’s content!

Hold on, did anyone else see someone in the shadow of that building over there?
…Never mind, it must have been a trick of the light.

This is a candy store located in the old town. I came here many times as a child.
Hm? I’m still a child, you say? Please don’t treat me like one.
It seems the owner’s quite the free spirit, since the store doesn’t have set hours or business days.
Sometimes it’ll be open, but then it’ll be closed when you think it won’t be…
Actually, I’d say it’s closed more often than not.
What is available around the clock, though, is the pay phone in front of it.
It’s a red telephone with an old-fashioned dial, amazingly enough.
Have any of you seen one? I actually tried using it the other day and got pretty upset.
You can’t call anyone unless you have 10 yen coins on you. Isn’t that just ridiculous?!
Though I suppose it may be worth coming here, even if it’s just to experience that.

Hm…? Did you hear something just now? …It must be the wind.
Sorry about that. It’s nothing.

When you step out of the Fuurinkan Hotel, you’ll see some lovely natural scenery spreading before you.
This unpaved country road continues until you emerge onto the main street.
This particular vending machine lights the road at night, and sells a pretty rare drink.
What is it, you ask? The town’s exclusive Okunezato Ramune, of course!
The Okune Panda is incorporated into the can’s design, and it’s so popular that enthusiasts are buying up the entire stock, to the extent that it’s becoming quite a problem.
The taste definitely won’t disappoint, so please do give it a try.

…It kind of feels like we’re being followed…
I’m sure it’s just my mind playing tricks on me, but…let’s hurry back to Fuurinkan Hotel.

…Phew. Sorry for scaring you.
This might sound strange, but there have been several times where I feel like I’m being watched.
It’s been happening even more often as of late …
Oh, sorry. That was rude of me to say to future visitors, wasn’t it?

Come to think of it, I haven’t taken you to Kamiki River or Otonashi Pond yet, have I?
It’s just, I feel like we would be treading dangerous waters if I were to introduce anything else related to Okunezato to outsiders beyond this.
It’s just a hunch, but still…

We’ll continue this another day.
All right then everyone, please do take care during your visit.