Ghost hunt volume6, p.4
Ghost Hunt:Volume6, page 4
part #6 of Ghost Hunt Series
My heart was pounding. Once again, I looked around carefully. Then I noticed a lump on the corridor wall a short distance away towards the corridor of the main building. The lump was around waist height and about the size of a soccer ball.
“...san”
A quiet, secretive voice reached my ears.
“Is someone there…?”
Something thin extended from the lump, beckoning several times.
“...Oneesan.”
A child? Is it a child? The voice seemed like that of a child. When I looked harder, the lump seemed to be a child’s head. But, the corridor is straight, so there’s no turning point there.
“...Oneesan...”
Frightened by the whispering voice, I was just about to return to the base, and then I remembered there were lattice doors lined up along the walls. They were probably leaning out from inside the lattice door.
I took a breath of relief, then began to walk toward the child.
“Who is it?”
The child was beckoning. They came out into the corridor. One— Two people.
When I approached, it was definitely children. A boy and girl dressed in summer pajamas. They were either first graders in elementary school or below. In that case, these children were probably Katsuki-kun and Wakako-chan. Wakako-chan was just a little bigger.
“What’s wrong? You’re Katsuki-kun and Wakako-chan, right?”
When I stopped in front of them and asked, the pair stared at me. They whispered something to each other secretively. Then Wakako-chan said,
“...how many of you are there?”
That was what I heard.
“Eh?”
Wakako-chan repeated it to include bite.
“How many are there?”
“There are five of us.”
I was getting ready to ask them if it was okay for them to be up this late at night when the pair began whispering again.
“...five people...”
“That’s a lot...”
“...that’s bad....”
I very faintly heard these words. They were discussing something secretly. Then, they abruptly turned away in unison. They began to walk toward the main building.
“Wait a minute. What’s wrong?”
Wakako-chan looked back.
“Five, right?”
“That’s right. Hey, what’s up?”
“It’s really nothing you need to worry about.”
Laughing quietly, they scurried away.
Dumbfounded, I vacantly watched the direction where the pair had disappeared for a short while.
...What was this uneasiness? I didn’t know what was so strange in particular, but… I could understood why it seemed difficult for Akifumi-san to talk about it. It was difficult to convey this feeling to others. Still, something was very strange…
I breathed out and attempted to go fix the camera angle. That was when it happened.
—Screams could be heard from the end of the corridor.
Chapter 2 - Unforeseen Circumstances
1
Voices were heard from the direction of the main building. Naru and the others rushed from the base, and as we all hurried towards the main building, the uproar rapidly increased. There was the violent sound of a voice shouting something. And then, as we rushed in, we were confronted with the figure of Eijirou-san, who was raging and grasping a kitchen knife.
The room appeared to be a living room. Taizou-ojisan and Kazuyasu-san were holding Eijirou-san under the arms from behind. In the corner of the room, crouching and attempting to embrace each other, were Hiroe-obasan and Teruka-san, who had frightened expressions.
Eijirou-san’s face was red with blood. There was a deep cut on his forehead and from there blood flowed down, staining half his face, however, Eijirou-san didn’t seem to notice. The tip of the grasped knife was broken and the broken tip was sticking out of the TV frame. Foam had accumulated at the corners of his mouth and he was shouting something, but he wasn’t speaking clearly and I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He was struggling with his whole body, trying to shake off his restraints. Though both Taizou-ojisan and Kazuyasu-san appeared to be considerably heavy people, the momentum seemed liable to shake off the pair who were clinging to him.
“Lin.”
When Naru spoke in a low voice, Lin-san walked up to Eijirou-san without a word. Moving very naturally, he didn’t seem particularly nervous or enthusiastic. Eijirou-san glared at Lin-san. He raised his voice menacingly and bared his teeth. He raised his right arm, which was holding the kitchen knife. Taizou-ojisan, who clung to his right shoulder, was pitched forward and fell.
“Lin-san—”
I was the one who involuntarily cried out, but the truth was there was no reason at all for me to raise my voice. Lin-san shifted his body and with a *pop*, swept away Eijirou-san’s right hand, which he had thrust out. With excessive force, Lin-san wound his arm around Eijirou-san’s neck, causing him to slump forward, and that was the end of it. ‘Be careful,’ I wanted to say, however, before I could voice it, Eijirou-san’s neck was being embraced by Lin-san and Eijirou-san had fallen on his backside.
Lin-san expressionlessly looked back at us, who were unable to react to the impromptu action.
“I think it would be better if we tied him with something.”
Akifumi-san moved to bound and ran off.
“What exactly happened?”
It was Naru who calmly spoke. At last taking a breath, Hiroe-obasan and Teruka-san stood up again. Teruka-san spoke in a trembling voice,
“I’d like to know precisely what happened here. It happened without warning.”
Her tone was as if she was blaming Naru.
“He suddenly became violent?”
“Yes. When we were talking here, he suddenly stood up and… it was a small argument.”
“May I ask about the details?”
Raising an arm full of small cuts, Teruka-san brushed her hair back.
“It was because of his moodiness at mealtime today, I just asked him the reason why. He insisted it was nothing, so in a moment of anger I said, ‘If it’s nothing, then why did you have such an expression?’ and then he suddenly stood up and left the room. Just when I thought he had immediately come back, he was carrying a kitchen knife… I was certain that he had taken leave of his senses.”
Eijirou-san reached out. Lin-san removed his necktie and fastened Eijirou-san’s arms behind his back.
“Do you have any idea why Eijirou-san was in a bad mood?”
“I don’t know. He was normal before the meal. Even in the itaba...”
“Itaba?”
“It’s the kitchen. My husband is a chef. Ordinarily, with my father, the pair always prepare the dishes. They completed the preparation from start to end, then he left saying he was going outside for some fresh air. When he returned he was like that.”
Akifumi-san came back with a first aid kit and cargo rope. While seeing to the first aid, Bou-san said,
“I wonder if it’s spirit possession.”
Naru nodded.
“I’m sure it is. Looks like we’d better call John. Or—”
Naru looked back at Ayako and continued.
“Matsuzaki-san, can you expel it?”
“It’s not impossible, but… it’s not quite my specialty.”
Oh? Is there something that’s your specialty?
“Bou-san?”
“I might be able to. I mean, it would be my first time doing it on anyone human.”
Tch. Don’t rely on that guy.
“Are you confident of a success?”
“People are supposed to improve after there is a failure for the first time.”
Ayako bluntly ridiculed him.
“That is to say, you’ve never removed a possessing spirit up to now. You’re a terrible spiritualist.”
“If you’re so inclined, maybe we should leave it to you and the nine syllable cuts? But no matter what, I don’t take responsibility.”
What’s known as the ‘nine syllables’ is a type of repulsion magic. Since you cut the air nine times while chanting nine characters, it’s called the ‘nine syllables.’
“What do you mean?”
“I’m saying Buddhist powers shouldn’t be used on a person directly.”
“In what way do you mean?”
“I don’t know. There’s no one who’s done it.”
Huh?
“For that reason, I also haven’t expelled a spirit that’s possessed a human. There was a time I expelled a spirit possessing a vase.”
Bou-san scratched his head and spoke again.
“The spirit came out, but the vase was also shattered. I would probably have an uneasy conscience.”
It was a problem before your conscience!
“Ah! But there was a time I cut the nine syllables towards Taka. She asked me if I could show her.”
Bou-san lightly poked me.
“Don’t do it again. Because it was Mai-grade, nothing happened.”
“Okay.”
Hmm, exactly what kind of mechanism is it?
Naru directed his gaze towards Ayako.
“For the time being, will you try to do it?”
“Okay... Since it’s just expelling, I think I can do it for now. But, I don’t know if it will possess again.”
“It would be better than leaving it possessing Eijirou-san. Since it seems to be an extremely violent spirit.”
...definitely. If they were unlucky, both Hiroe-obasan and Teruka-san could have been killed.
I nodded inwardly, and then had a sudden thought. The people who died in an accident in the past. Did everyone really die in a mere accident?
2
Eijirou-san, who had lost consciousness, was carried to a storeroom in the immediate vicinity of the living room, which appeared to be safe even if he rampaged again. While Naru was contacting John, Ayako prepared for the exorcism. It was actually a little past eleven o’clock when the prayer began.
“Can John come?”
When I asked Naru, he replied,
“Yes. He said he’ll depart from the other side on the first plane tomorrow with Hara-san.”
Wow. With Masako, huh?
I knew John (John Brown, Exorcist) wouldn’t be a problem, but he also called Masako (Hara Masako, Medium).
“You also called Masako?”
“I don’t want to be outmaneuvered. This way, we’ll avoid trouble.”
...hmm. I’m not so sure.
“I reverently offer this prayer for thy presence...”
Ayako’s chant began.
“In this unhallowed place without thy enshrined aura and I ask that my request be heard and answered, purify these many vessels and may peace and calm be granted.”
She spoke in a believable tone, but it was very doubtful whether there really was an effect. After all, until today, not one person has witnessed a time when Ayako was useful.
We were watching Ayako and Eijirou-san in silence. The equipment was put in the corner, and the expressionless eye of the video camera was fixedly staring at Eijirou-san.
Before long, Ayako snapped her fingers and Eijirou-san, who had been lying limp until then, opened his eyes. He tried to get up as if repelled, but unfortunately for him, his body was wrapped in cargo ropes. Eijirou-san ground his teeth and, as he rolled around like a caterpillar, he began to growl. The sound rumbled in the back of his throat like what a dog issues when intimidating an enemy.
“...is this safe?”
When I asked Naru in a low voice, his answer was an expressionless, ‘Dunno.’
“Isn’t it beyond Ayako’s abilities, after all?”
“Perhaps. At any rate, John will arrive tomorrow.”
“Why can’t Lin-san do it?”
Lin-san is something like a Taoist of Chinese sorcery. He should be capable of a lot of things.
“Because we don’t know the true identity of our opponent.”
...unfortunate.
Just as I thought so, Naru widened his eyes.
“...Mai. Step back.”
When I quickly looked in Eijirou-san’s direction, the shadow of something pale overlapping his figure was visible. Something —it was the form of some kind of beast.
“What... is that?”
There was no reply from Naru. Suddenly, he looked up at the ceiling. Creaking from the house rattling could be heard as it overlapped with Ayako’s chants.
Naru’s eyes moved in the direction of Akifumi-san and the others who were looking inside from the entrance of the storeroom.
“Lin, accompany Mai. Take care of the spectators.”
“Yes.”
With a nod, Lin-san urged me along. I slowly proceeded to walk over to where Akifumi-san and the others were standing in a stupor, visibly surprised. Eijirou-san burst into laughter. I looked back in surprise. Eijirou-san was laughing so hard that he was writhing. The character of his unpleasantly loud laughter was completely empty.
Meanwhile, the creaking also continued. The figure of the beast, which seemed to double in Eijirou-san’s body, gradually became darker. It appeared to be a long tailed beast. Although similar to a fox, it was very large since it was taller than a person. It stooped down and its pair of eyes stared steadily in this direction—
Ayako joined her hands together, making a sound.
“Hail the goddess Marici, I pray to thee, descend here before us and grant thy protection.”
She firmly stated and folded her fingers together. At the same time, the beast sprang up. A muted scream arose in the background.
It was like slow motion from there. Jumping high, the beast passed overhead of Ayako. Visibly surprised, Ayako followed it with her eyes. It was heading straight in this direction. Just as I was about to involuntarily close my eyes, Lin-san and Bou-san stepped forward. The pair were the reason the beast altered its direction of landing. Straight in line of its altered path was Naru. All of a sudden, Naru crouched low as if to square off. It was at that time.
“Naru! Don’t do it!”
Startled, Naru looked at Lin-san just for a moment. About to raise his hands, he suddenly stopped. Almost simultaneously as Naru returned his gaze to the beast, it collided with him.
“Naru!”
I don’t know whose voice it was. At least, I didn’t voice it. Naru’s body was blown back. He immediately slammed into the wall behind, then the figure of the beast disappeared. It looked like time lapse as the head of the beast penetrated Naru’s chest, gradually disappearing until the tip of the tail as if slipping through.
“Are you okay!?”
Bou-san ran over. Naru was kneeling while leaning against the wall. He coughed into his hand.
“Are you injured?”
“...I’m fine.”
I couldn’t move as if somehow paralyzed. Someone from behind put their hand on my shoulder.
“Taniyama-san?”
Akifumi-san looked into my face.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah...yes… I was a little surprised.”
Naru stood up and lightly brushed dust off himself.
“How is Eijirou-san?”
That being said, Ayako rushed over in a panic. Absently, Eijirou-san raised just his head, wearing a blank look.
“Are you alright?”
Hearing Ayako, Eijirou-san looked around restlessly.
“What is this... what happened?”
3
After going outside in the evening, Eijirou-san didn’t at all remember the events of that time onward. I also tried to play the video from during the prayer, but there was a problem where the image got interrupted from around when the figure of the fox-like beast appeared.
“The image doesn’t show up.”
Lin-san nodded.
“It’s probably a spirit barrier. Since the tape is running properly. All the needles on the other instruments are off the scale.”
The screens, which have numbers lined up that I never quite understand, are filled with the letters, “ERROR.” And even the thermography image jumped. This isn’t a trivial matter by any means.
Bou-san spoke in a low voice,
“It appeared to be a mere fox, but it might not be such an easy opponent…”
Yeah. When I nodded, Lin-san looked back with a questioning look.
“Naru?”
Naru was resting his elbow on the table and covering his face.
“What’s wrong!?”
“...Nothing, my back just hurts a little.”
Ah, from that terrible collision.
“Are you okay?”
“Nothing serious. —Lin, I’m sorry, but I’m going to take a nap.”
Lin-san frowned slightly and nodded. His complexion didn’t look particularly bad. Naru stood up and Ayako stood up as well.
“Are you really okay? Are you sore anywhere other than your back?”
While asking those things, she proceeded to follow after Naru. Here, the proper strategy for dealing with Ayako is probably to not interfere.
“I don’t know...”
“What?”
“Ayako. Who does that woman think she is?”
Unreliable?
“There’s no doubt she completely failed that exorcism a little while ago. Have you seen Ayako do something useful?”
That’s true, although…
“Generally, someone who calls themselves a ‘miko’ is suspicious. Does a miko who belongs to a legitimate shrine go around aimlessly performing exorcisms without permission?”
“Huh, really?”
“Really. I’d say Ayako’s ‘miko’ title is merely self-proclaimed. Although there are certainly many spiritualists who become mikos, it’s without permission or it’s just not true. Those kinds of people do exorcisms as part of religious activities. It’s not at all religious to Ayako, but she doesn’t seem to be an ameateur regarding Shinto since she tentatively conforms to the methods of Dual Aspect Shinto. Although, I have no doubt she properly trained somewhere...”
“Hmm.”
“In the first place, why does Naru-bou bring her along if she’s truly incompetent?”
