The Memory

**"The Memory"** (誰 (スイ) 憶 (オク) , *Suioku*) is the sixty-fifth chapter of the *Fukigen na Mononokean* manga series, written and illustrated by Kiri Wazawa.

## Overview

Hanae and Haruitsuki discover the true identity of the yōkai. The yōkai requests the two to collect the photos in a room. In these photos, Hanae ends up catching one that is of importance to him.

## Plot

   Hanae and Haruitsuki open the rattling door but the two find no one inside the room. The two suddenly hear a buzzing noise in the room which shocks Hanae. Hanae asks where does the sound come from, to which Haruitsuki replies it comes from the stuff on the desk in the room. The two and Fuzzy check it out and finds a closed laptop. Hanae comments on the laptop's intense buzzing and Haruitsuki infers that the laptop intends them to open it. Hanae opes the laptop which suddenly starts typing by itself.

Words appear on the laptop's screen, welcoming the trio to the laptop's home. Words further appear on the screen which ask why Hanae and Haruitsuki have a photo of its family. Haruitsuki asks the laptop if by "family", it meant the people in the photo. Hanae recalls the mother and the child in the ghost photo. Haruitsuki tells the laptop that they received the picture from the family and heard about the ghost photo phenomena, so he and Hanae have come to investigate the true identity of who is behind it.

   The laptop asks if they know its true form and who it is. Haruitsuki replies that after speaking with the laptop, he is now certain of its identity, as there’s someone close to him who’s the similar to it. Hanae realizes that Haruitsuki is referring to the Mononokean and that the entire house is a yōkai whose thoughts is conveyed through the laptop the same way the scroll does for the Mononokean. Haruitsuki says since it uses hiragana in communication, the yōkai is probably younger than the Mononokean.

Words appear on the screen again: the yōkai confirms it is the house and asks what the Mononokean is like, to which Haruitsuki describes it as a four-and-a-half tatami mat tearoom. Haruitsuki further adds that they operate a yōkai exorcism service through the Mononokean and that he is the Master. The trio introduce themselves to the yōkai. The house comments that the Mononokean has a family, and adds it also apparently has a family but it’s never met them. Hanae asks why it's never met its family.

The house yōkai narrates that when it gained consciousness, the first thing it saw was the remains of its own body. In the rubble, it saw something it knew it was something that its family has left behind, and picked it up. Haruitsuki asks what has its family forgotten. The yōkai answers it's an album filled with photos of its family. The house continues that it has never met the family in the photos, but would feel nostalgic looking at the photos and desired to return the album. But it realizes it's transparent to the family and that humans can't see it so it can't invite its family in to return the album. The yōkai however decided to decided to stay and wait for someone to notice. The house says it doesn’t mind to be exorcised it, but states that it has a request first: for them to return the album to its family. Haruitsuki accepts the job and asks where the album is. The house answers that it'll show them to a room on the second floor and asks them to unplug the laptop.

   The house guides them to a room with pictures floating and scattered through the air. Hanae asks why the pictures are floating. The house explains that the contents of the album fell off when it picked the album up but since it can't put the pictures back together, it made the photos float so they wouldn’t get dirty. Haruitsuki, with a solemn face, concludes that he and Hanae are expected to be the ones to clean them up. Hanae agrees that it is the case. The house, through a trembling laptop, apologizes for not being able to collect the pictures on its own. Hanae frantically reassures the house that they’re not mad and that Haruitsuki's face is just his usual. Haruitsuki also clarifies he is not and and wonders what expression did he have.

Hanae energetically cheers for the cleanup to commence while Haruitsuki only half-heartedly goes with the cheer. Hanae asks Haruitsuki if he'll increase his salary if he ends up collecting more pictures than the latter. Haruitsuki answer he will consider it. Hanae and Haruitsuki collect the photos and notice that some of the pictures are taken from the same one angle. Hanae guesses the pictures must be records of the growth of the boy in the photos. Haruitsuki adds that that must be why there were taken in the same place. The house gives them exact details on when each of the photos were taken. Hanae expresses his surprise on the house remembering those details. After a moment of silence, the house wonders why it remembers, why even though it has not met the family in the album it picked up, it feels nostalgia, why it wants to return the album to the extent it has waited alone for someone to come. Haruitsuki explains that it is because those memories are the house's connection to the family, that the memories of the family were recorded by the house and that those are what gave birth to the yōkai. Upon hearing Haruitsuki's words, the yōkai seems to be overwhelmed with happiness.

    Hanae and Haruitsuki resume collecting the photos. Hanae thinks about how the yōkai had no idea what it itself was, knowing nothing about itself. Hanae recalls the times he used Influence and mutters that the yōkai must have felt it were creepy. Haruitsuki asks if Hanae said something to which Hanae says he was just talking to himself. Haruitsuki notices the picture in Hanae's hand. He recognizes that the picture is of Aoi and Sakae.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

Characters in **bold** denote the characters' first proper appearance.

* Hanae Ashiya
* Haruitsuki Abeno
* Fuzzy
* House Yōkai
* Mononokean (mentioned)
* Sakae Ashiya (photo)
* Aoi (photo)

## Chapter Highlights

* Among the ones from the album of the yōkai, Hanae ends up getting a photo that is of Aoi and Sakae.

## Navigation

 61 • 62 • 63 • 64 • **65** | 66 • 67 • 68 • 69 • 70 | 71 • 72 • 73 • 74 • 75 • 76 | 77