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The man sighed for the umpteenth time. The woman remained sitting in a corner of the room and stared at her lap. Their son was upstairs and didn"t come down. He had been cussing before he ascended the stairs.

Night had already pa.s.sed and it could already be said to be early in the morning, but the pair remained sitting in the living room without a stir. They didn"t think of lying down or sleeping.

"... ... What if they really sue us?" The man whispered.

The woman looked the other way as if sulking.

"I told you they weren"t going to. -- It"s all because of you. They said it was fine or something like that."

The man grimaced. He heard that line many times.

The man"s name was Sasakura Takeshi.

The facial expression of his wife Kazumi, who frequently went to visit the neighbours to check up on the situation, had changed.

Since the day before yesterday people frequently started going in and out of the neighbouring Agawa house. Were they moving, perhaps? Or was it something else. -- With that in mind Kazumi visited them. But she didn"t consider that their movements were being observed.

Takeshi sighed and avoided Kazumi"s glance. His gaze averted to the bottom shelf of the cupboard, where he discovered the power supply of a hidden appliance.

He stood up, cut off the power and closed the cupboard. It was a secondhand wireless amateur radio that his son received from a cla.s.smate. It was an old thing, but it was useful. -- Up until now.

"If we get sued, it"s the end, you know?" Kazumi abruptly told him and Takeshi grimaced. She had returned to saying the same things again.

"I know that already even if you tell me."

If they truly accused them, they would lose a lot. Very little would be left of them.

"That"s why we should have borrowed money from my family from the very beginning."

"Shut up," Takeshi said over his shoulder.

Thirteen years ago he desired to move to a detached house. Although he bought the house he liked after many meetings and consultations, he hated it once he moved in.

It was old and narrow at any rate. The garden was wide, but instead there was hardly any s.p.a.ce in the bedrooms. He had wanted it rebuilt, but he couldn"t afford to do so. At that time the neighbours were also people he detested and the small quarrels didn"t cease.

While his patience was tested, the inhabitants over the neighbouring house were rapidly replaced. Farewells sparingly occurred as there had been no pleasant inhabitants, so he was thankful that they just left. However, he envied that they could afford to move out with ease. There had been a person who obtained and moved to a brand new house in the suburbs. There was also someone who bought an apartment in the metropolitan area and possibly also a person who moved into an inexpensive rental house with nice facilities. Only Takeshi and his family had remained here for good.

When their son Masaru entered elementary school and high school, he appeared to want his own study room. Currently he had his own room on the second floor, but the 4.5 tatami mat room was not to Masaru"s liking. He may have disliked that it adjoined Takeshi and his wife"s bedroom. Perhaps he also disliked that Kazumi used his room to pa.s.s through to dry washed clothes because it faced the balcony.

Kazumi often told him "Let"s move out", but they couldn"t afford it. He couldn"t endure bowing his head for Kazumi"s parents. He"d much rather prefer to rent the neighbouring house. In that case his ill feelings for the neighbours would also disappear.

However, he practically could not afford to do so -- Masaru"s school expenses and Kazumi"s extravagant habits put pressure on the family finances. -- Their patience was being tested on this area. All the while, people moved in and out of the neighbouring house.

"Wouldn"t the house become cheaper to buy if other people were not able to settle in?" Kazumi once told him. Around that time the rumor spread there was something about that house, because no one could get settled.

"The neighbouring house is more s.p.a.cious. If we are able to buy that house, then it"s possible for Masaru to have a study room. Why don"t we buy that house and sell this one?" Kazumi said, and added, "Aah, we have a mortgage loan on this house, so it"s better not to buy the neighbouring house. For the time being we need to remove the wall and be able to go in and out. If we save up money then we can reconstruct it. If we have a plot for two buildings, we can build a very large house."

That didn"t seem like a bad idea. If they could pay a rent, then it"s better to pay a loan. If it became theirs, he would get used to being somewhat patient.

"If we did that, then we wouldn"t be troubled by the neighbours any longer, right? For some reason only unpleasant people move into that house."

The thought of the neighbours leaving pleased Takeshi a great deal. He proposed to buy it from the current owner of the neighbouring house. They bluntly refused it.

If the inhabitants settled down, it would make it harder to buy it. If there is resistance to them settling down, the owner might also be inclined to let go of the propriety. It"s quite possible to strike a hard bargain.

At first they pa.s.sed on rumors that "It is haunted" to the inhabitants who moved into the neighbouring house. They didn"t believe it very much, so they started pulling tricks on them. They"d knock on the window of the neighbours with the tip of a rod and throw stones on the roof. It gradually escalated. They"d spill some water on the tatami by stealthily going through the backdoor. Or displace things in the house. Throw filth under the floor. Pull tricks on the electronics --.

They didn"t feel the pain of conscience. Takeshi -- as well as Kazumi and Masaru -- altogether detested the neighbours. They were nothing but noisy and arrogant people. Kazumi and Masaru proactively cooperated with him in doing these tricks. A little bit of hara.s.sment would relief anyone of stress, Takeshi and his family gradually became skilled at doing it and up until now it went well.

-- Up until now.

The shape of his mouth crooked as Takeshi remembered the neighbours. Agawa Reiko and Midori. Both were arrogant and intolerable women. Midori graduated from a famous law school and commuted to a reputable company. The mother and daughter boasted about that accomplishment. The likes of them seemed to look down on Takeshi and his family.

-- It"s all because of that company.

Takeshi set his gaze on the wall of the living room and stared at the gloomy s.p.a.ce.
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