Do You Like Paranormal Phenomena?

第1話

In the past, many people loved stories about ghosts, spiritual phenomena, reincarnation, and aliens—what we call "paranormal phenomena."

However, these days, aside from aliens, it's hard to find many people who truly believe in ghosts.

Perhaps it's because our daily lives have become so filled with the extraordinary—what with the pandemic, missile launches by North Korea, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and military actions by Israel in the Middle East.

Let's forget about these real-life occurrences for a moment and dive into stories about paranormal phenomena.

To begin with, ghosts do not adhere to physical laws.

Therefore, there is no way to prove their existence.

They are entities completely disconnected from gravity, inertia, and all the laws of physics. They likely have no mass, so Einstein's famous equation E=mc² probably doesn’t apply to them either.

But we don’t need to worry. Since ghosts are, after all, spiritual beings, they might be able to create energy from nothing using their spiritual powers.

What I find interesting is how a ghost, which should be immune to physical laws, actually came into existence in this universe. It’s amusing to think of a ghost appearing in the "universe"—instead of a dark alley or an old mansion—because it feels so out of place.

If we were to say that ghosts appeared along with the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, that would be a pretty unexciting story. After all, there were no humans back then, nor even Earth itself.

The whole concept of ghosts begins with the existence of humans.

So, for now, let's focus on the ghosts of today.

Even so, there are still some challenges to consider.

Why, in a universe that is expanding at incredible speeds, with Earth spinning and orbiting the sun, would ghosts be able to exist at specific locations on Earth?

Do they have some kind of high-performance GPS-like spiritual power?

If not, then ghosts would probably end up not on the Earth’s surface but deep in the ocean, buried deep inside the Earth’s crust, or perhaps even emerging from the molten lava.

Or, even worse, they might get tossed out into outer space, unable to keep up with the Earth’s movements.

A ghost wandering in outer space sounds romantic, but they would never be able to get close to a living being to haunt.

Well, perhaps they could find a way to manage it using their spiritual powers.

When talking about paranormal phenomena, we can’t forget about reincarnation.

If souls reincarnate among all living beings, then some of us must be reincarnations of aliens from some distant planet.

The idea of being an alien in a past life sounds like something out of science fiction, and it’s exciting.

But let’s not get carried away. Let’s assume that souls only reincarnate among humans.

In the current world with its exploding population of 8 billion, it’s likely that many people have no soul of their own, which means they aren’t reincarnations of anyone.

This is because the "stock" of souls is limited.

Now that I think about it, it seems that the world has been getting stranger lately. Perhaps it’s because there are more and more people without souls.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing spiritual power can do about that.

If there are no ghosts and no reincarnation, then the main focus of paranormal phenomena in the 21st century would probably be aliens.

Wait, there’s a strong contender here—zombies.

While some believe in the existence of aliens, I doubt anyone believes in zombies.

Today, however, I’m not here to discuss the denial of paranormal phenomena, but rather to share a story about my friend Satoru’s more "spiritual" experiences.

Satoru is a quantum physicist—a scientist who seems completely unrelated to the supernatural.

Recently, he’s been researching the "science of consciousness."

However, Satoru’s research veers into occult territory.

He hypothesizes that the great leaders of ancient times had unique states of consciousness and that their souls, perhaps reincarnating through time, have influenced the course of history up to the present day.

He meticulously analyzes world history, turning it into data, and runs various simulations to test this theory.

One evening, Satoru entered one of his simulations, trying to access the memories of several historical leaders.

The moment he entered the access key, he found himself connected to their consciousness from different eras.

The first to appear was Qin Shi Huang, who dreamed of unifying his empire and establishing laws and order. His powerful will has continued to echo throughout history.

Next, the passion of Alexander the Great surged toward him. He had fought valiantly to conquer the world and blend cultures, driven by an insatiable thirst for exploration. His consciousness, Satoru believes, continues to influence many people in the present day.

Satoru also connected with the calmness of Hannibal, Caesar’s political genius, Genghis Khan’s overwhelming strategic mind, and Napoleon’s ambition and charisma. Each of their consciousnesses synchronized with his, offering him numerous insights.

Satoru believes that these historical figures' consciousnesses continue to exist within the laws of the universe, as eternal consciousnesses that connect with us in the present.

Through his experiences synchronizing with these consciousnesses, Satoru realized that their souls might still influence us today.

His hypothesis suggests that we inherit the knowledge and emotions they gained through their lives in the form of souls, and their spirits continue to affect future generations.

To test his theory, Satoru began conducting experiments using souls (or consciousness) to collect the energy (souls) of historical figures and connect it with the consciousness of modern humans.

He set out to measure the powerful wills and passions of these figures and create a device to track the fluctuations in history and locate the souls’ positions.

One evening, Satoru felt an exceptionally strong energy.

Using his device, he entered another simulation, and suddenly Napoleon’s consciousness appeared before him.

"I wonder what I was seeking," Napoleon’s voice echoed in Satoru’s mind.

For a moment, Napoleon seemed to lose his strength, but Satoru chose to stand by him.

"Your dreams still influence many people today. Your pride and passion live on in modern leadership," Satoru said.

After a brief silence, Napoleon expressed his gratitude. By understanding how his past choices impacted future generations, he felt his burdens lighten.

This experience convinced Satoru that the great historical figures’ consciousnesses continue to speak to us through the cycle of reincarnation. He became more determined than ever to continue studying the science of consciousness.

Satoru’s research gradually revealed the evolutionary journey of consciousness, connecting the past with individual existences.

Yes, consciousness also evolves.

The Feast of History

It’s time to move on to the "story that may or may not be true" that Satoru once shared with me.

One evening, after tiring of his research, Satoru meditated—and suddenly found himself in an ancient Roman tavern.

Before him were Caesar, Augustus, and even Cleopatra, all already enjoying themselves.

"Satoru, why not have a drink?" Caesar called out with a smile.

The table was full of wine glasses, with cheese, fruit, and cakes piled high.

Cleopatra proudly presented a new dessert, a pistachio mousse.

"Wow, this looks delicious! As expected of a queen," Satoru said, immediately tasting the mousse and feeling a surge of delight.

"You have a sweet tooth too!" Augustus smiled.

"I just want to talk about Rome’s history, but with sweets around, the conversation becomes much more fun."

Just then, Alexander the Great appeared.

"Prepare me a mint mojito! I want to drink the wine of the lands I’ve conquered!" he shouted, getting the crowd excited.

Satoru, inspired by Alexander’s passion, shouted, "Alcohol is important, but sweets are just as amazing!"

At that moment, Hannibal chimed in, "Forget about war stories, do something about these sweets!"

He proudly showed off a chocolate tart, claiming it was the best.

Napoleon then joined in, demanding, "Bring me champagne!" as he took a bite of cheesecake, grinning.

Satoru, surprised, said, "Napoleon, I didn’t expect you to be such a fan of sweets!"

Soon, Genghis Khan entered, muttering, "I miss the barbecue and sake from the Viking era."

Laughter erupted, and Caesar responded, "I can’t fulfill that request, but we do have whiskey."

The party grew more animated as various drinks and desserts from around the world appeared.

Alexander shouted, "Parfaits are great, but don’t forget the meat!"

Satoru, with excitement, shouted, "Alright everyone, let’s have a historical drinking party until morning!"

The great figures enjoyed each other’s company, discussing war strategies, love, and politics.

Satoru realized they were surprisingly playful and had a love for sweets.

"Maybe the true purpose of the reincarnation of consciousness is to enjoy moments like this," Satoru thought.

The great figures of history might have been reincarnated simply to enjoy time with their companions.

Thus, Satoru spent time in the midst of a feast filled with wine and sweets, touching the deeper emotions of the historical figures.

The next moment, he returned to consciousness.

He was back in his research lab.

But the joyful experience with the great figures remained in his heart.

A few days later, when he returned to the Roman tavern, the feast was even more lively.

Satoru became more immersed in the conversations with the historical figures.

Every time a new dish or drink appeared, the tavern became more lively.

Caesar raised his glass and asked, "Hey, Satoru. What are you drinking next?"

He downed his wine in one go and shouted, "I want something stronger."

Napoleon, holding a bottle of brandy, declared, "This is France’s finest. But no one stops drinking until they’re convinced this is the best drink."

Alexander retorted, "Then I can’t back down," before finishing off his mojito.

"In the lands I conquered, there were many kinds of drinks, but never such a fun party."

Cleopatra presented a fluffy lemon cake, saying, "This dessert will blow away your stress."

Satoru agreed, "Absolutely, sweets are the best way to relieve stress."

Just then, Genghis Khan shouted, "I still want meat. Get me the best meat!"

The historical figures laughed and said, "Well then, let’s start a BBQ!"

The party continued late into the night, and Satoru couldn’t help but join in.

Satoru agreed, "Absolutely, sweets are the best way to relieve stress."

At that moment, Genghis Khan shouted, "I’m all about meat. Prepare the best meat."

The great figures around him laughed and said, "Then, shall we start a BBQ?" and in an instant, the table transformed into a yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) party.

As everyone grilled meat, they poured drinks for each other.

"This is the true feast of warriors," Hannibal said, and amidst the smoke of the meat, he too joined in with a beer in hand.

Satoru, at this point, felt as if he was truly in the presence of historical heroes gathered together.

"Come to think of it, there were historical figures who loved sweets too," Satoru remarked. Cleopatra replied, "Of course. For example, Marie Antoinette. She said, 'If they don’t have bread, let them eat cake.'"

It seemed Cleopatra was quite drunk.

The feast continued, and Satoru was able to discover unexpected sides of the great figures while the conversations flowed.

When Napoleon said, "I’m good at making special macarons," everyone became intrigued and asked him to teach them how to make them.

"First, let’s make this cookie dough..." As Napoleon explained, Satoru began mixing the ingredients according to his instructions. Then, Genghis Khan said, "Wait. I’ll help too. You need something sweet in between all this meat," and joined in.

This unexpected teamwork was like a dream for Satoru. It was not something you’d see in a history textbook — great figures making sweets together.

Later, the freshly baked macarons were laid out on the table, and everyone tried them.

"This is unbelievably delicious," Cleopatra praised, and the other great figures nodded one after another.

"Indeed, history should also be passed down through taste," said Caesar, to which Satoru responded, "Exactly, it’s wonderful that this historical feast is connected through both drinks and sweets."

As the feast gradually moved into the late night, Satoru began to reflect.

"If this historical gathering can have an impact on the future, it should help my research. Everyone’s consciousness is connected and passed down."

Finally, Genghis Khan suggested, "Let’s discuss where we should go next in time."

As Satoru imagined the next adventure in his mind, he deepened his bond with the great figures.

Thus, Satoru’s quest for "paranormal phenomena" was, it seemed, progressing into a new chapter, colored by fun feasts, alcohol, sweets, and historical figures.

As I was listening to the story, I myself couldn’t help but get excited about what interesting events would unfold at the next feast.