The story revolves around Shiro, a young boy who becomes fascinated with the Japanese legend of Kuchisake-onna, also known as the Slit-Mouthed Woman. She is a vengeful spirit who asks people if they think she is beautiful, and those who answer "no" are killed. As Shiro grows up, he becomes increasingly obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the legend, especially after his father's disappearance, which he believes is connected to the spirit.
Shiro meets an old man who claims to have encountered the Slit-Mouthed Woman and survived by telling her she was beautiful. However, the old man was left with scars on his cheeks, similar to the spirit's own disfigured mouth.
Years later, Shiro is married with children, but on the anniversary of his father's disappearance, he becomes fixated on the legend again. One night, while walking home from a tavern, he encounters the Slit-Mouthed Woman. To survive, he tells her she looks "fine" and "average," which seems to confuse her. He then offers her hard candies as a gift, which she accepts, allowing him to escape.
Shiro returns home to his family, vowing to pass down the stories of the spirits to his children and teach them how to escape them, knowing that the Slit-Mouthed Woman is still out there.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The story is about a Japanese legend called Kuchisake-onna, or the slit-mouthed woman.
2. The legend is about a vengeful spirit who asks people if they think she is beautiful.
3. The spirit is said to be the ghost of a woman who was horribly disfigured in life.
4. The spirit is known to kill people who answer her question incorrectly.
5. The story follows a character named Shiro, whose father was killed by the slit-mouthed woman.
6. Shiro's mother is a devout woman who believes in the old ways and warns Shiro about the supernatural.
7. Shiro's father is an unbeliever who only believes in sake.
8. Shiro encounters the slit-mouthed woman as a child and witnesses her kill his father.
9. Years later, Shiro meets a man who claims to have encountered the slit-mouthed woman and survived.
10. The man tells Shiro that the only way to survive an encounter with the slit-mouthed woman is to tell her that she is beautiful.
11. Shiro researches the legend and finds that there are many different stories about the slit-mouthed woman's origin.
12. Some versions of the legend say that she was a woman who was mutilated by her husband or a doctor.
13. Others say that she is a supernatural creature with a natural mouth full of sharp teeth.
14. Shiro becomes obsessed with the legend and spends years researching it.
15. On the anniversary of his father's death, Shiro encounters the slit-mouthed woman again.
16. This time, he answers her question by saying that she looks "fine" or "average".
17. The slit-mouthed woman is taken aback by Shiro's response and does not attack him.
18. Shiro offers her hard candies as a gift, which she accepts.
19. Shiro is able to escape and returns home to his family.
20. Shiro promises to remember his mother's teachings and pass down the stories of the spirits to his children.