7CH Ghost Story: The Sea of Trees and Attaining Buddhahood
Mimata Chieri had begun the takeover process for East Weapon, while I started preparing for the trip I'd promised my friends. Just in case we ended up camping, I packed a tent and some basic cooking supplies. The itinerary didn't include any overnight stays, but knowing how those two could dash off in any direction, I prepared anyway.
"You'll be careful out there, won't you?"
"Of course, Yukiko. You haven't forgotten about our trip the week after next, right? I'll make sure it's incredibly enjoyable for you."
When I mentioned I was heading to the notoriously dangerous Jukai Forest to retrieve Kiyohira, Yukiko looked deeply worried. I reassured her by building up her anticipation for our upcoming getaway.
"Of course...! I'm really looking forward to it. This is my first time traveling alone with a man since my honeymoon."
Saburo had been far too neglectful, father or not. Never taking a single trip throughout their entire marriage? Feeling a pang of sympathy, I kissed Yukiko on the forehead before climbing into the car.
Since the route to Shizuoka and Mount Fuji took us through Tokyo anyway, I picked up Kazuhiro on the way. He emerged from his apartment near Tokyo FC, waving enthusiastically and shouting "Boss!" as he spotted me.
"Training in Aokigahara... How retro can one guy be?"
Kazuhiro grumbled as he slid into the passenger seat. The Jukai—also known as Aokigahara—on the northwest side of Mount Fuji was one of Japan's infamous haunted realms. It had long been plagued by ghost stories about being a prime suicide spot, though in truth, heavy CCTV coverage and police patrols meant far fewer incidents than the rumors suggested.
But during World War III, with law enforcement stretched thin elsewhere, the place had transformed into a genuine demon realm. Most cameras were destroyed, the local police outpost lay in ruins, and maintenance had completely ceased. Jukai Forest had become Japan's premier haunted destination, drawing suicide seekers, cult members, and occult fanatics in droves.
"Hardly anyone goes there these days. Too scary."
"Exactly. So why don't we get some proof we're actually doing it?"
At my suggestion, the natural attention-seeker Kazuhiro grinned and pulled out his smartphone. He was planning to post on 7Channel, Japan's top anonymous community. Since he was transferring to the US soon, I told him to do everything he'd been wanting to do while he was still here.
"Now that you're heading to America, live it up. Does that mean our travel diary's going online?"
"Aokigahara does sound interesting."
"Whatever you want, man."
Maybe it was the racist national team coach blocking his selection that had left him starved for attention. Kazuhiro happily snapped photos of the scenery outside the window, already imagining the online reaction. With the transfer window open and no matches scheduled, he wouldn't get much spotlight until his new club was settled. This seemed to satisfy his craving for eyes on him.
The drive from the Human Resources Development Center to the Jukai Forest near Mount Fuji took nearly four hours. I drove for about two before pulling into a rest area.
"Let's grab some food first. It's already past noon."
We'd left a little after ten, so it was perfect timing for lunch. Kazuhiro and I ordered at the rest area and started eating. Japan's service areas were as well-stocked as Korea's, with plenty of options. I went for kitsune udon, a katsudon bowl, and some meat skewers, while Kazuhiro chose curry. The moment the food arrived, he excitedly started taking pictures.
"Check this out. The comments are blowing up."
Kazuhiro showed me his phone mid-meal. The post he'd made had attracted quite a few replies. Apparently the idea of heading into Jukai Forest was pure bait.
Thanks to Kazuhiro using his own name as his username, the thread quickly abandoned any talk of Jukai Forest and exploded into chatter about him instead. He looked genuinely pleased that the conversation had shifted to him—especially after seeing a fan of rival team Verdi Tokyo praising him in such an over-the-top way.
"Give it back. I need to upload that lunch photo I took earlier."
Kazuhiro took the phone back and typed: The food at this rest area is delicious. My friend who's with me is a huge eater and just put away three portions by himself. He attached the picture of the food. Then he sent the exact same photo to his girlfriend, Kagawa Umi. Their LINE chat was so sickeningly sweet that my recently eaten lunch threatened to make a reappearance, so I looked away from his screen and asked him something.
"You've been together a pretty long time, huh? Back in high school you used to dump girls after like a week."
"She's smart, and she has what I don't. It just feels like we fit together really well."
They'd been dating for over four months now—his longest relationship by far. In high school, anything past a hundred days had been a record. Every day with Kagawa Umi seemed to break a new one. From what I could tell, she was just as into him, so they really did seem perfect for each other.
"Let's call Genba."
"Yeah, we should figure out where to meet up ahead of time."
I agreed with Kazuhiro and dialed Kiyohira. But the guy didn't pick up. It just kept ringing.
"Not answering. Is he still deep in training or something?"
"If that's the case, I'm beating his ass when we find him. His older brothers are driving all the way out here personally—he should answer the damn phone."
"Let's buy some coffee and get moving. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can kick his ass."
"I'll have a zero cola."
Typical soccer player, always watching his health. I bought coffee and a zero cola from the small convenience store in the rest area, handed him the soda once we were back in the car, and resumed driving.
We left the rest area, continued along the highway, then took National Route 139 toward the Jukai Forest. Kazuhiro snapped a photo of the route marker as we passed. He was obviously planning to upload it to 7Channel too. Here I was doing all the driving while this attention whore kept playing influencer...!
"It's really starting to feel like a forest now."
Route 139 cut straight through the Jukai Forest, so the trees grew thicker and denser. Kazuhiro excitedly photographed the changing scenery again.
I drove into the parking area and stopped the car. It was probably meant for hikers on the Aokigahara trails, but after the war it clearly hadn't seen any maintenance. Several dust-covered vehicles sat abandoned in the lot. They likely belonged to people who had never intended to leave the forest again. The sight of all those ownerless cars gave the whole place an undeniably creepy atmosphere.
"Ugh... This is actually kind of scary."
Even as he complained about how frightening it was, Kazuhiro was frantically taking pictures of the parking lot. The reactions online had apparently exploded. Netizens seemed shocked that we'd actually gone through with it.
"Let me see that."
My curiosity got the better of me and I took the phone from him. The comment count had jumped from the teens to the eighties.
The rear window of the black car? I looked at the photo Kazuhiro had uploaded. There was definitely a hazy shape, but nothing that proved it was a ghost. It was probably just a bad angle or lighting error.
"Whoa, I actually captured a spirit photo? Pretty badass, right?"
"Isn't it just a bad shot?"
"No, look closer. Here's the eye, here's the mouth, and here's the hand."
When I dismissed it, Kazuhiro got worked up and pointed it out again. Sure enough, once he outlined it, the shape did resemble a human face. Still, even if it really was a ghost, it didn't scare me much.
I was the man who had caught the attention of the Daughter of the Abyss—something hundreds of times more dangerous than any mere evil spirit. A lowly ghost had no chance of frightening me.
"Stop staring at your phone. We need to find Kiyohira now."
"Good thing you gave him that GPS watch, boss. Otherwise we'd be searching this forest all day."
When Kiyohira announced he was coming here for training, I'd given him a wristwatch with built-in GPS. If the guy ever went missing, at least his close friends would come looking for him. That's why I'd made sure he had it.
"I had a feeling it would end up being used like this."
"Your foresight is impressive, boss."
"Because Kiyohira's so damn careless."
I opened the app linked to Kiyohira's watch on my smartphone and began searching for his signal.