"Ha ha ha, did I scare you?" The temple caretaker noticed the change in Tatsumi Seimaru's expression and said cheerfully,
"This ancient well had been in use since the temple was built four hundred years ago. Then, in the middle of the Edo period, the water at the bottom suddenly dried up, so it was abandoned.
"Actually, what I just told you was only one version of the legend. Another, more widespread version says that after a girl suffered heartbreak, she cried beside the well for three days and three nights. The water at the bottom all turned into her tears and flowed away, which was why the well dried up—anyway, the meaning was about the same."
Tatsumi Seimaru: "..." They were completely different! One was a tragic love story, and the other was a horror movie... What was wrong with these Tokyo people?!
Either way, it was indeed a good story for passing the time.
As they chatted, the group followed a small path to the base of the Five-Story Pagoda and looked up at the ancient Tower Building.
The temple caretaker gazed up at the Five-Story Pagoda, his expression turning solemn. "Actually, there's also a very terrifying legend about this tower."
Tatsumi Seimaru recalled the previous story. "The woman committed lovers' suicide in the well, and the man committed lovers' suicide in the tower?"
The caretaker shook his head. "This one is a legend from the early Edo period. It's said that after the old head monk of this temple passed away, a young monk who had been highly favored by the head monk took over his duties. But later, he fell in love with a girl who lived at the foot of the mountain.
"The young monk broke his vows and eloped with the girl. But perhaps