Teito Monogatari:
The Tale of the Imperial Capital
Part 1: Great Spirit of Tokyo
Author: Hiroshi Aramata
Part 6: Those Who Command Shinigami
Chapter 31: Yukari Speaks of her Symptoms
Big brother,
You're being run ragged with work at the Ministry of Finance, aren't you? Please get some rest! Today, Mr. Narutaki came to see me for the first time in awhile, and I received a most delicious get-well gift. Mr. Narutaki says it looks like he might fail the year, and it isn't even June yet! I said it's too early for him to give up on self-improvement.
I imagine the recent incident must have caused you no small worry. I'm so sorry. I don't want to be a burden, especially to you, busy as you are with your work. I'm sure you have heard the outline of what happened from our parents—or if not, then from your friend Mr. Narutaki.
It must have been around mid-April, I think, when I heard the voice of that loathsome belly-worm again. A terrifying voice reverberated from inside my body. At first, it felt like there was a storm swirling within me. My stomach made terrible sounds, and then I lost consciousness.
When I awoke, I felt like my entire body was vibrating. My teeth would not stop chattering. I felt like I was being stabbed and clutched at my abdomen, writhing in agony. I had no control over my lips or tongue, so I could not even cry out for help.
Gathering all my strength, I pulled the cord of the emergency call bell that Dr. Morita gave to me. A shrill jingling carried to the outside of the hospital room. The sound mysteriously eased the pain. The nurse came and gave me an injection of a sedative. I feel stronger with the doctor's care; I believe that he will do his utmost to exterminate the worms in my belly. Since entering Sugamo Hospital, I believe I have been troubled by the belly worms five times. Each time I endured it, I felt as though both my mind and my body were recovering after.
But that changed recently. One night, I was attacked by the belly worms for the sixth time. I said to myself that being tormented by such pain was my fate, and I endured it as I usually did. But this time, I heard a man's voice. It was Lieutenant Kato's voice: I recognized it.
"Come!" he commanded. Just one word. He repeated it over and over again.
I felt like I had just been doused in cold water. Then I awoke. The window was open, and a warm wind washed over me and stole my breath. The white curtains billowed like great waves and robbed me of my sight. I gasped like a mermaid about to drown, thrashing about even under the covers.
Then I turned my eyes to the wide-open window. Ah, my dear brother—how can I ever put into words the terror I felt at that moment?
There he was, beyond the window: Lieutenant Katō. He kept staring steadily at me and did not speak. He smiled horribly, baring ice-cold, sharp white teeth. Why?! Why must Lieutenant Katō hound me like this? Brother, please tell me.
I screamed and fainted. Just before I lost consciousness again, that horrible man told me, "Come."
Brother, since then I have been depressed in spirit. Please come visit me at the hospital again as soon as possible. Your little sister needs courage. My brother whom I trust more than anyone in this world, when you have read this letter, please come to the hospital at once.
Your sister,
Yukari
Postscript (A note hastily scribbled in pen at the end of Yukari's letter by Dr. Morita Masatake):
The patient’s condition is currently stable.
However, First Lieutenant Katō broke into the hospital room on the first day she came here. She shows no desire to help herself, which is critical for the recovery of mental illness.
Although we have not informed the patient, in automatic writing experiments under hypnosis she continues, as ever, to write lines upon lines of her self-created characters. At present we are in the midst of attempting investigative research to see if we can somehow decipher these created characters. Also, her habit of sleepwalking in the middle of the night still has not ceased. The frequency with which the patient develops the fictitious abdominal pain she calls “belly worms” is also increasing.
Today, upon reading her letter to you, I noticed something: the patient, Yukari Tatsumiya, harbors an abnormally strong admiration and trust for her older brother. Perhaps her relationship with her brother partially caused her case of confusional mania. At the same time, I note the fact that the best means of relieving the patient’s hysterical symptoms is a visit from her brother. There is a possibility that we may discover something that will be useful for treatment if we keep observing the situation.
Dr. Morita's Observations, recorded on May 25
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