Dear Iwate, The strange phenomenon that is currently living next to us

I'm Ema. I'm a system engineer by trade. I've been busy with the release coming up, so it's been a while since I last wrote. Last time, I talked about the standard yokai, the kappa, but this time I'll talk about a modern supernatural phenomenon.

I'm sure you're all familiar with the word "bug." The word bug has become widely known along with mobile devices. It has also spread into the Japanese language. Originally it was an English word meaning insect, but it is used to describe when a machine or other object malfunctions and doesn't work as expected. I think this can also be considered a new kind of yokai (although since it originated overseas, it may be a mischievous fairy).
Of course, there are many cases where the system has a mistake and bugs. It's a painful thing to hear. But other than that, there are also cases where the computer freezes when you press the K key, even though there is nothing strange in the program and it has been working without any problems until now. For example, your smartphone suddenly goes black.
In reality, there may be a problem with the software or hardware. It may be that something is being used in an unexpected way. It may just be a series of coincidences. But all of these things are collectively called a bug. He's a troublesome kid who loves machines and also likes to play pranks. Seriously.

By the way, since ancient times, humans have feared uncontrollable great powers and mysterious events beyond human understanding, and have given them names and shapes. They could be gods or monsters. River gods, mountain gods, or sea gods. Tengu and Yamauba who kidnap people, Kappa who cause trouble in rivers and toilets, and Yuki-onna who take away freedom of movement on snowy nights. Even now, rivers can burst their banks when it rains heavily. Volcanoes can erupt. However, many mountains now have GPS and smartphone signals, and rivers can be controlled to a certain extent with dams and levees. Toilets now flush, and even if you go out on a snowy night, as long as you have a heating pad and winter clothing, you won't be unable to move due to the cold within your living area. The pitch black night roads that were unavoidable in the past are now relatively bright. The range in which humans can live has expanded compared to the past.
Some people say that this is why the yokai were chased away from their homes. However, I don't think so. Don't you think it's possible that the accusations were false? Someone went missing in the mountains. They blamed it on a tengu or a yamauba. Someone drowned in a river. They blamed it on a kappa. Someone froze to death on a snowy night, unable to move, and died. They blamed it on a yuki-onna. Perhaps yokai were simply used to sort out unfortunate accidents. As time passed, it could be said that humans now coexist with the things that were once feared as yokai.

Even now, youkai may live everywhere, blending in with humans. In the era when many stories of youkai were told, they lived in a form appropriate to the times, so isn't it possible that they have adapted to modern times? Tengu and Yamauba who go hiking on their days off, Kappa who enjoy fishing on the riverbank and having barbecues, Yuki-onna who is weak to heat, and Bugs who love both software and hardware. We may have passed each other somewhere. And tomorrow I will face a new strange phenomenon called a Bug.