Chapter 01. The Six Sisters

In a city near Japan during the 2000s, there was a wealthy family with six daughters. Then one day, the husband said to his wife.

Husband: “How about this: if the seventh child you give birth to is a son, I kill the six daughters and leave all the wealth of this house to him?”

The husband immediately ordered six white coffins made of cedar wood. Then, having prepared burial bedding by lining the bottom of the coffins with paulownia wood shavings and fine fabric, he placed a hemp pillow in each for the daughters to rest their heads upon. After doing so, he quietly enshrined those coffins in the basement of the mansion.

The husband entrusted the key to that basement to his wife and warned her never to tell anyone about it. Because of this, the wife felt anxious day after day.

 

One day, the youngest daughter, Shiho, asked her mother:

Shiho: “Mother, what is making you so sad?”

Then the mother replied:

Wife: “The current situation is top secret.”

Curious and persistent, Shiho badgered her mother until, unable to withstand it any longer, the mother finally opened the basement and showed Shiho the six coffins filled with wood shavings, saying:

Wife: “Your father had these coffins made for you and your five older sisters. If a son is born in the future, all of you will end up inside those coffins.”

While telling this story, the wife wept bitterly once again. Then Shiho encouraged her:

Shiho: “Do not cry, Mother. All of us will escape this mansion, and we six sisters will find a way to make our own living.”

Then the mother said:

Wife: “Go with your older sisters to the back village. Every day at 12 noon, take turns going secretly to the mansion's courtyard to keep watch. If I give birth to a daughter, I will plant a green flag in the courtyard. Then you may return home.”

The mother continued:

Wife: “However, if I happen to give birth to a son, I will have a red flag planted, so upon spotting that flag you must evacuate immediately. May the Buddha protect you. The temporary dwelling where you shall live is a small house in the back village where a friend of mine used to live. Live comfortably there and pray to the Buddha every day.”

Bestowing her blessings upon her six daughters, the mother told them to pack their bags and leave. Around 12 noon, they stealthily sneaked into the mansion where they used to live and watched the courtyard behind their father's back. On the fifth day, when it was Shiho's turn, a single flag was planted in the courtyard. However, it was not a green flag, but the red flag foretelling their death. Upon hearing that news, the older sisters cursed and condemned the situation bitterly.

Older sisters: “Why should we have to face death because of some single boy? We must never meet that fellow. If he contacts us, we will block him unconditionally.”

The six daughters truly evacuated to the back village. The small house where the mother's friend used to live, as described by their mother, was cozy and comfortable. As soon as they entered the house, the bad-tempered second older sister said:

Second older sister: “We shall live here. Shiho, since you are the youngest and timid, you will guard the house. The rest of us will go out and find jobs to earn food and the necessary supplies.”

 

The five older sisters adapted to modern society and lived on in their own ways. The first and third sisters found employment in nearby shopping arcades and restaurants to earn living expenses, while the second sister worked as a cleaner and occasionally looked after the household chores and security thoroughly with her characteristic rough personality. The fourth and fifth sisters worked at convenience stores, and Shiho shared the burden of domestic chores.

 

Although their sense of betrayal towards their parents and resentment toward their younger brother ran deep, the sisters relied on one another and gradually became independent. The mother friend's small house had somehow become the warmest and safest haven where the six sisters could escape the cold and fear. Meanwhile, a long time passed, and it had already been 14 years since the six daughters began living in the back village.

 

Meanwhile, the seventh-born son grew up sturdily and became a 14-year-old boy. He possessed a kind heart and a handsome appearance. One day, among a pile of accumulated laundry, the boy discovered six garments that the daughters used to wear and asked his mother:

Son: “Whose clothes are these? They are all women’s clothes.”

The mother replied gloomily:

Wife: “Those are the clothes your six older sisters used to wear.”

Son: “I have six older sisters? Where did they go? This is the first time I’m hearing that I have older sisters.”

Wife: “Only the Buddha knows where those sisters are. Those children must be wandering somewhere in this world.”

The mother took the son down to the basement where the coffins were kept, opened the door, and showed him the six coffins, each containing wood shavings and a pillow.

Wife: “These coffins were made to put your older sisters' corpses inside. However, I evacuated them just before you were born, so they are not in our house.”

The wife told the son the detailed story. After hearing the whole story, the son said:

Son: “Mother, do not cry. I will go out and look for my sisters.”

So the son packed up the six pieces of women's clothing and went to the back village where his sisters supposedly lived. The boy walked hard for 12 hours and arrived at the small house where his sisters lived. Upon entering the small house, he met a young woman. She asked:

Young woman(Sister): “Where did you come from? Why have you come here?”

The young woman was greatly startled upon seeing the boy's handsome appearance, his attire resembling that of a wealthy young master, and his fair skin.

Son: “I am the seventh-born young master from a wealthy family. I am currently looking for my six older sisters. Until I meet my sisters, I will keep going as long as the sun is in the sky.”

The son showed the young woman the six pieces of women's clothing, and Shiho realized that the boy was her younger brother.

Shiho: “I am your youngest older sister, Shiho.”

The boy was so overjoyed that he embraced Shiho in his arms. The siblings hugged each other tightly, kissed, and the sister said:

Shiho: “However, there is still one problem remaining. We promised to banish any boy the moment we met him. That was because we had to flee the mansion because of a boy.”

Hearing these words, the son tried to leave, but Shiho caught him.

Shiho: “Do not leave. Hide quietly here under the bed until the older sisters return. I will talk nicely to the older sisters.”

The son did as his youngest sister instructed.

 

When 8 PM arrived, the five older sisters who had returned from work came home. Dinner was already prepared on the dining table. They sat in a circle around the table and began eating dinner. One of them asked Shiho:

Sister: “Was there any new news?”

Shiho: “None. Since the older sisters are out making money all day and I am at home, naturally I would know more than the older sisters.”

At this, the older sisters could not hold back and shouted all together:

Older sisters: “Then tell us!”

Shiho: “I will tell you if you promise not to drive away the very first boy you meet.”

They shouted again:

Older sisters: “All right. Now, tell us!”

Shiho: “Our younger brother is here!”

Shiho pulled him out from under the bed to bring him along, holding his hand, and went downstairs to the first floor. Coming down to the first floor, the boy was dressed in the attire of a wealthy young master. He was a very beautiful and handsome boy. The sisters were overjoyed and took pictures of the boy in turn. They truly loved their younger brother.

However, this happiness did not last long.

 

In fact, near that small house, there was a strange shop. That store was a bizarre place selling strange items called the ‘Demon Convenience Store’. To celebrate his eldest sister's birthday, the son went to the ‘Demon Convenience Store’ and purchased six snacks that his sisters might like. In fact, those snacks were "cursed snacks" that cast a curse. However, without knowing that fact, the son placed the snacks on the kitchen table. Upon seeing the snacks bought for a birthday present right on time, the sisters thought they looked delicious and ate them. The moment they ate those snacks, the sisters turned into six snow-white mice!

Now, only the boy was left inside the house. While the boy was crying and putting the six mice into a backpack-style carrier, a certain gentleman approached and scolded him, saying:

Gentleman: “My boy, what on earth have you done? Why did you enter the ‘Demon Conveniece Store’ and purchase items? That shop is a very dangerous place that sells items casting curses.”

The gentleman went to the table, discovered the ‘Cursed Snack’, and sternly admonished him.

Gentleman: “This is a ‘Cursed Snack’. At a glance it looks delicious, but in truth it is a dangerous snack carrying a curse that turns humans into beasts. Without even knowing that, you carelessly bought this snack from there and turned all your sisters into mice, truly!”

The son asked the gentleman while crying:

Son: “Is there no way to save my sisters?”

Gentleman: “There is exactly one way. But this is extremely difficult. From now on, for 9 months, you must stay away from all electronic devices. Smartphones, computers, TVs, and even any devices connected to the internet - you must not touch nor use them. If you use them even a single time, everything will go down the drain. Your sisters will live as mice forever. Even if it is 5 minutes shy of 9 months, you must never use or touch electronic devices.”

The son gave a resolute word of thanks to the gentleman.

Son: “Sir, thank you sincerely. I will accept this method!”

 

The son carefully placed the six sisters who had turned into mice into the backpack-style carrier and set off on a journey. Thinking that the moment even the tip of a finger touched a digital screen, his sisters would remain mice forever, the son wandered aimlessly, relying solely on his footsteps while avoiding smartphones, transport cards, and even the automated payment terminals of convenience stores. Escaping a world full of electronic devices and hiding away in an offline world was the only way to avoid the curse.

 

He walked mountain paths by day and spent the nights in small tents or between paper books in bookstores. Occasionally, large TVs in cafes or the smartphone screens of passing people caught his eye, but the son calmly shoved both hands deep into his pockets. Looking was fine, but he must never touch them, so he always controlled both hands and focused on his sisters' breathing.

 

It was a day when three months had passed since he continued his journey completely cutting off electronic devices. As the son was walking along a quiet country roadside, a dazzling red sports car stopped with a noisy engine roar. The car window rolled down, and a sophisticated and beautiful young lady poked her head out. Captivated by the son's well-proportioned and handsome appearance despite being covered in dust, she approached with twinkling eyes.

Young lady: “My boy, where are you going alone on this deep country road? If you don't mind, would you like to come and live with me at my wonderful home?”

The son gazed at her steadily and gripped his backpack tightly. Then he opened his mouth in a very firm and serious tone:

Son: “Alright. However, there is one condition you must definitely keep if you want to live with me. Due to my current circumstances, for several months I must never touch nor use any electronic devices with my own hands, including smartphones or computers. I will only follow you if you definitely keep this promise.”

Then the young lady agreed to his promise, had the son get into her car, and took him to the city where she lived.

 

The place they arrived at by riding the red sports car was a luxury penthouse in downtown Osaka overlooking brilliant skyscrapers and night views. The son tightly gripped the backpack-style carrier containing the six mouse-sisters and stepped inside the young lady's house. However, the moment he entered the foyer, the son felt a suffocating pressure. True to a sophisticated and trendy Osaka lady, her mansion was a paradise of all sorts of state-of-the-art home appliances and electronic devices. In the very middle of the living room, a huge smart TV was switched on, and one wall of the living room was packed with top-spec gaming computers, the latest console gaming machines, and laptops arranged by type. Even the lighting and curtains were built into a smart home system controlled via a smart tablet.

 

To the son, that flashy house looked like a danger zone full of ticking time bombs. Looking was fine, but the moment even a fingertip touched the devices, all efforts to save his sisters would go down the drain, and his sisters would have to live as mice forever.

 

The young lady welcomed him, saying she would accommodate his circumstances, but daily life was a series of hair-raising crises.

Whenever she handed him a gamepad saying, “This game is really fun, do you want to play together?” or pushed a screen toward the son saying, “Let's watch a movie on this laptop,” the son would break out in a cold sweat and shove both hands deep into his pockets.

The closer the young lady approached with a smile, the more powerfully the temptation of the electronic devices handed over implicitly pressured the son. The son somewhat regretted meeting the young lady.

 

The son safely enshrined the backpack-style carrier in a corner of his room, and every day, escaping the young lady's eyes, sat alone in his room to steady his mind. Amidst the flashy light and sound pouring from the screens and the numerous electronic devices within arm's reach, the son clenched his fists tight inside his pockets and resolved firmly once again that he would never touch even a single one during the remaining period.

 

Months of time passed inside that hazardous house. The son continued to keep his promise steadfastly without touching an electronic device even once among the numerous devices. However, peace did not last long. The young lady's bad-tempered younger brother began frequently dropping by his sister's house. From some point on, the Osaka lady's younger brother found the handsome boy monopolizing his sister's love and attention an eyesore and felt highly displeased. Furthermore, he thought it bizarre how the boy avoided and sidestepped the state-of-the-art gadgets inside the house as if they were infectious germs. In the end, the younger brother nagged his sister every day, voicing complaints.

Young lady’s younger brother: “Sister, that fellow is really strange! Does it make any sense nowadays that he doesn't touch a single smartphone and won't even go near gaming consoles or laptops? He's definitely hiding something. There has to be a suspicious reason why he extremely hates and avoids electronic devices like that!”

At first, the young lady scoffed at her younger brother's words and refused to believe them. Remembering the promise the son made at first and his serious gaze, she merely sheltered the son, figuring he just had some special circumstances of his own.

 

However, after a fortnight passed, the younger brother's jealousy and suspicion toward the son reached their peak. Eventually, succumbing to his younger brother's persistent instigations and framing, the young lady made up her mind to report the son to the police as a suspicious intruder of unknown identity. Hearing this conversation by chance, the son's heart sank. If he were caught by the police and subjected to investigation, he would inevitably be forced to touch numerous electronic devices during identity verification, fingerprint registration, and luggage inspection processes. If that happened, all the efforts he had endured for the past several months to save his sisters would come to naught in a single moment. The son resolved that he must flee right away. Deep in the night, he waited quietly, holding his breath until the young lady and younger brother fell asleep. Then he packed his luggage containing his clothes and carefully shouldered the backpack-style carrier where his six mouse-sisters were breathing. Stealthily killing his footsteps, he approached the front door handle.

 

However, the quick-witted younger brother had not been sleeping from the beginning and was monitoring the son. Blocking the path of the fleeing son, the younger brother wore a sneaky, bad-tempered expression and sneered at him.

Young lady’s younger brother: “Where do you think you're trying to run? Suspicious bastard, I can't just let you go! I'm handing you straight over to the police!”

Threatening the son with a cold tone, the younger brother pulled out a smartphone from his pocket and began rapidly dialing 110. If the police were dispatched like this, it would be the end of everything. At that moment, the gaze of the son, who had always been gentle and patient, turned fiercely sharp. Gathering courage without hesitation with the single-minded determination to save his sisters.

 

The son struck the younger brother's face hard with his clenched fist! As the younger brother shrieked and tumbled to the floor, the son snatched up the smartphone that had dropped from the younger brother's hand and canceled the call. At that very moment, the exact split second the son grabbed the smartphone, the nine-month period since the son received the curse of the Demon Convenience Store came to an end.

A dazzling light began to leak from inside the backpack-style carrier. The brilliant light bursting from within the backpack-style carrier instantly enveloped the entire living room brightly. As the light slowly receded, the carrier door opened with a rustle, and instead of the six mice, the six older sisters appeared in neat and fine forms one after another. It was the moment when the sincere devotion of the son, who had endured a long and harsh trial of nine months relying solely on his love and will toward his sisters, finally broke the grim curse of the Demon Convenience Store completely.

 

With reddened eyes, the son shared a warm, tearful reunion embrace with his sisters. Watching that scene with a dazed expression, the Osaka young lady was frozen stiff with her mouth open at the unbelievable sight.

 

The son calmly turned his head toward the young lady. Then he explained the secrets he had buried in his heart for the past nine months - why he had had to avoid touching even a single smartphone or remote control in this house filled with state-of-the-art gadgets. Following that, the six sisters, who had returned to human form, also spoke up in unison: about fleeing to the small house in the back village to escape their father, the tragic incident where they ate the ‘Cursed Snack’ from the Demon Convenience Store and turned into mice, and the numerous hardships and moments of crisis they had to endure while holding their breath inside their brother's backpack. Awakening to the full truth, the young lady was engulfed in deep shock and guilt. Bowing her head before the son and the six sisters, she offered a sincere apology.

Young lady: “I am truly sorry. Not knowing there was such a deep and desperate circumstance... Being deceived by my bad-tempered younger brother's framing and lies, I doubted you and even tried to report you to the police, so I have committed a grave mistake. Please forgive me.”

The son and his six older sisters gladly accepted the young lady's sincere apology. Although there were misunderstandings and threats in the process, they knew well the warm heart with which she had provided them a place to stay all that time. Having cleared up their misunderstandings and fully understanding one another, they finally broke completely free from the wicked curse and the scars of the past, living together in one house, cherishing each other, and enjoying a wholesome and happy life for the rest of their days.

 

Meanwhile, as things failed to go according to his wishes, the younger brother's bad temper turned into sheer madness. Humiliated by being punched by the son, and with even his sister taking the side of the son and the sisters instead of his own, he lost his reason to an inferiority complex and a sense of betrayal. The younger brother secretly ran to the kitchen, grabbed a sharp kitchen knife, and went crazy, brandishing and trying to stab his own sister (the young lady) who was caught off guard!

Young lady’s younger brother

However, the younger brother's spooky attempt was thwarted by the quick intervention of the son and sisters present at the scene, and the young lady, who had her life spared, felt profound shock and anger at the true nature of the younger brother she had shielded simply because they shared blood. Pointing at the younger brother as he dropped the knife and sprawled on the ground, the young lady scolded him in a loud, angry voice.

Young lady: “How could you even pull a knife on me, your only flesh and blood! Lacking human skin, how can you be so unremorseful and wicked? Disappear from right before my eyes!”

Even before his sister's stern reprimand and severe condemnation, the younger brother did not repent or regret his crime for a single moment. Instead, he merely spat out wicked, biting curses toward the son, the sisters, and the sister who had abandoned him. Frightened that the police would be dispatched and punish him, the younger brother cowardly fled out into the dark night street. Judging that he no longer had any place to stay within Japan, he packed his passport and plotted to escape to a very distant foreign land where the reach of the police could not touch him. Running to the airport through the night, he secured a ticket for the earliest departing flight to a distant foreign country and hurriedly boarded it. Gazing out the airplane window as it took off, the younger brother harbored a wicked smile, comforted by the relief that he had evaded judicial punishment and entertaining the vain desire to return and take revenge someday.

 

However, a chilling fate of retribution awaited the wicked. Scarcely a few hours had passed since the airplane took off into the high skies over the middle of the Pacific Ocean, when - accompanied by a roaring rumble - an unknown, critical mechanical defect and fire broke out in the airplane engine. The aircraft instantly lost equilibrium and began a vertical plunge straight toward a pitch-black sea battered by a fierce storm. The inside of the airplane instantly turned into a mess of screams and chaos, and amidst the terror of death, the younger brother finally recalled the evil deeds he had committed and wailed in despair. But it was already too late. The bad-tempered, wicked younger brother who refused to repent ultimately met a miserable and tragic end alongside the plane crash right in the middle of the cold sea.

 

The wicked man vanished due to the curse and karmic retribution he had brought upon himself, while the son, the six sisters, and the young lady - having overcome all sorts of trials - enjoyed a peaceful and happy life filled with endless laughter under the warm sunshine of Osaka.