Ghost Hunt Volume 1 Chapter 5
Oct. 4th, 2017 06:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sera131Table of Contents
Chapter 5 - Maximum Wind Speed 68 Knots
1
It was nearly dusk on the sports field.
An ambulance exited the school gate.
The late afternoon sun shone brightly on the faces of the people watching the old school building from a distance.
Masako had fallen from the classroom on the west end of the second floor.
The classroom on the west end had been left half demolished. Although there weren’t any walls on its west side, it was more or less boarded up with plywood to keep out the wind and rain. That plywood had split open.
Masako was thrown from there… She fell to the ground three meters below.
Iron pipes and old construction tools had been left on the west side.
By chance, Masako managed to fall on some soft ground in between those things, but what would’ve happened if she’d fallen on the tools?
***
“What’s going on!?” The principal said reproachfully to Naru and the others. “I called you to get rid of ghosts! Your assistant was injured in an accident earlier, too. And on top of that, after this, even more ominous rumors will…”
Naru quelled the principal. “My assistant was injured because of a scatterbrained student.”
...Are you talking about me?
“Prior to losing consciousness, Hara-san said there aren't spirits here after all. She herself said what happened was an accident caused by her own carelessness. I hope you won’t worry unnecessarily.”
“But…”
“I shall resume my investigation.” Naru bowed, then went inside the old school building.
...An accident? Masako certainly said so.
Still…
***
“I think that was just a bluff of Masako’s,” Miko-san said harshly.
We drifted into the lab, which was being treated like a meeting room.
“There’s an evil spirit in the old school building. That’s what I think.”
“Yeah, one that you failed to exorcise, Ayako,” said Bou-san.
Miko-san puffed her cheeks sulkily. “...Okay, I admit it. I failed to drive away the spirit. It’s dangerous.”
I couldn’t help asking, “Dangerous?”
Miko-san shrugged her shoulders. “A spirit that fails to be exorcised is the same as a wounded bear. It turns extremely vicious…”
“Then, isn’t Masako’s injury your fault!?”
“What!?”
...But isn’t it!?
Naru intervened. “Don’t be too hasty. Judging from the video, it was nothing but an accident. As Hara-san said, it was an accident caused by her own carelessness.”
Yeah. It seemed like Masako had no idea that wall was made from a piece of plywood.
She absently leaned against the plywood, then it split and she fell. The whole series of events was captured on video.
Still…
“Hey, Naru? People say haunted houses are bad luck because accidents and suicides happen over and over again, right? There might be legitimate reasons for the accidents and suicides, but the place is bad luck because they somehow keep happening...”
After I said that, Naru folded his arms. “That’s certainly true. But… there’s something strange about this schoolhouse. It doesn’t add up.”
“Why?” Kuroda-joshi questioned bluntly.
“There’s not enough of a response from the instruments. There aren’t any temperature drops, nor ionic polarization. The level of static electricity is normal as well. The data is showing completely normal values.”
“But what about Miko-san being locked up? What about me being attacked? What about the video that cut out, or the glass and blackboard that broke, or the chair that moved?”
“That’s why I said it doesn’t add up.”
Bou-san cut in. “Maybe it’s a pattern you don’t know about? It’s possible there’s a powerful spirit here and it’s powerful enough to pretend it’s not.”
Thoughtfully, Naru asked, “What’s your opinion, Bou-san?”
“Jibakurei.”
“I suspect it’s a Tsukumogami,” Miko-san interjected.
“Tsukumogami?” I asked.
“Even if a thing’s not living, a spirit will sometimes dwell inside it. Desks, chairs, even an object as large as a house. Over a long period of time, objects that don’t have spirits naturally absorb the emotions of the humans around them and develop a spirit.”
Really?
“I think this schoolhouse absorbed the emotions of the teachers and students who studied here and developed a spirit. Especially absorbing the fears related to this schoolhouse.”
...How scary.
Fortunately, Masako’s injury wasn’t that big a deal. But…
Bou-san looked at Miko-san contemptuously. “Where’d your opinion about the Chirei go?”
“The Chirei also plays a part in this, of course. The Seirei of this land became the core, taking in the negative emotions of the humans here and transformed into a Tsukumogami. ...I have a feeling it’ll be tough to beat.”
“Ohh.”
Naru ignored the pair of them. “What about you, John?”
“I don’t know. But I do agree it’s dangerous. I’ll do an exorcism.”
“I see…”
“What about you, Naru?” Bou-san asked, trying to gauge Naru’s facial expression.
“I… I’ll hold off on an opinion for now. I think I’ll change my angle of investigation a bit.”
“Oh?”
“Mai.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going back to the van. You stay here and watch the equipment. Call me if there’s a change.” Naru pointed at a switch on one of the machines. “This mic connects to the van.”
“O~kay.”
How sneaky. You’re leaving the schoolhouse all by yourself?
2
After Naru left the lab, Bou-san said to Miko-san, “How about that boy?”
“What about him?”
“I mean, he brought in all these fancy machines and he’s putting on a big show, but I wonder if he’s actually capable.”
“How should I know?”
“He’s more capable than you two, isn’t he?” Kuroda-joshi said challengingly.
“Which reminds me, young lady. Don’t you have to head home?”
“I will after seeing your incompetence,” she sneered. “Who’ll do what this time? I hope it works out.”
Bou-san and Miko-san glared at her, their eyes full of animosity.
...Joshi’s deliberately making enemies at every opportunity.
John stood up. “Me.”
“Oh, the exorcist is finally making an appearance?” Bou-san said teasingly, but John just nodded lightly.
John won’t rise to the bait. Unlike you, he has a nice personality.
“Do you need any help?”
“I’m all right. Rather, pay attention to the instruments when I begin my prayer. There may be some response.”
“‘Kay.”
...Hopefully it’s nothing threatening.
***
The classroom on the second floor was displayed on the screen. It was the room where Michiru’s senpai saw the silhouette.
The sun had fallen in the classroom. It was lit by a faint afterglow.
Suddenly, the screen cut out, then the video turned black and white.
...Eh?
The black-and-white video was coarse-grained. It looked like the camera had changed; the angle at which the room was being displayed had also changed.
I quickly switched on the mic leading to the van.
“Naru.”
“What is it?”
“The video screen turned black and white.”
“Don’t worry. It got dark, so it switched to the night vision camera. How’s it going?”
“John said he’s going to start his exorcism… Oh, he just showed up.”
John had arrived at the classroom. He’d changed into an old-fashioned outfit (a priest’s uniform, perhaps?) and a glistening cloth was draped about his neck. His blonde hair was shining in the afterglow, giving him a majestic appearance.
After he entered the room, he took out a bottle of water. Wetting his fingers, he drew a cross on a pillar with the water.
After he finished drawing crosses here and there on the walls and pillars, he set up a small altar on the teacher’s podium. On it, he placed a silver candlestick and a silver statue of Christ.
When John lit the candle, the area brightened. He laced his fingers together and bowed his head.
A faint voice came from the speaker.
“Our Father, who art in Heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. —Amen.”
John sprinkled some water.
Is that holy water?
Finally, he opened a Bible.
“Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations…”
There weren’t any changes on the screen. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
Bou-san, who was looking at what was happening on the screen, stood up. “I guess I should go attend to business, too.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Miko-san stood up as well.
...You’re going somewhere?
“Kuroda-san, you’re staying here, right?”
“I can stay if you’re scared.”
“Can you stay…?”
Ah, I’m pathetic. But scary things are scary. It can’t be helped, right?
3
It had fully grown dark.
The only source of light inside the lab was the light shining from the TVs. It was fairly bright due to the sheer number, but it was a somewhat unsettling brightness.
Bou-san appeared in the video of the first floor’s western corridor. He was changing into his Buddhist priest’s uniform as well. He was holding some kind of bag and went inside the farthest classroom on the west.
Right above that class, in the western backroom on the second floor, John’s prayer continued.
He grabbed a handful of something like white sand from a silver bowl and scattered it on the floor. Could it be salt?
“In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God…”
Suddenly, John’s eyes wandered. His words broke off for a moment.
...What?
I raised the volume of the speaker.
Interspersed between John’s words were the distinct sounds of something snapping.
“Aren’t those rapping sounds?” Kuroda-joshi leaned forward.
“...The Word was in the beginning with God. All things were made by the Word; and without the Word was not anything made that was made…”
Was something happening?
I peered into the screen.
Something…
“...In the Word was life; and the life was the light of men…”
John cast his gaze to the ceiling several times.
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not…”
The ceiling…
“Ah!” I stood up without thinking.
The ceiling of the classroom on the west end, around the wall with the plywood board, exactly above the area of the hole where Masako fell—
That ceiling was bending inward…
Something was going to break through the ceiling and fall.
Oh no!
I kicked my chair.
“Taniyama-san!?”
I turned my back to Kuroda’s voice and raced out of the lab. I ran up the stairs at full speed.
When I got near the western classroom, I heard a violent noise inside the room from the corridor.
“John, John!”
When I opened the door to the classroom, John turned his head in surprise.
“Mai-san…”
“John, it’s dangerous, get out!”
“Eh!?”
With no time to spare, I pointed at the bending ceiling.
The boards made an unpleasant splitting noise. There was a rumbling and the sound of objects falling violently. Dirt and dust rose in a surge and the floor shook. The candlestick fell over, extinguishing the light, and all went black—
4
The beam of flashlights intertwined.
A mountain of rubble buried the west side of the classroom. It was full of boards, timbers, and broken roof tiles.
...The roof had fallen.
“I’d’ve been in danger if Mai-san hadn’t called out to me.” John’s voice trembled slightly.
Naru picked up one of the broken timbers. He stared at it.
“It’s dangerous here, let’s go downstairs.” Even Bou-san’s voice was tense.
Miko-san was hugging her shoulders as if cold. “...I’m going home for the day now.”
“You’re a real coward, aren’t you?” Kuroda-joshi laughed.
Miko-san didn’t care. “It’s not worth risking my life for! The place where Masako fell could’ve been worse; it was a close call! The same for John. I’m smart, so I know when to quit.”
“So you’re chickening out?”
“Say whatever you like. Anyway, I’m withdrawing for the night. I’ll continue tomorrow.”
...Whaaat?
“That’s probably best,” Naru murmured.
“Really, Naru-chan,” Bou-san said in a surprised tone, “even you’ve lost your nerve?”
“Whatever. Miko-san’s right this time. ...Mai, you can go home.”
“Really?”
Oh wow, even I have to admit my voice sounded cheerful.
“Really. You, too—” Tossing aside the timber he’d been holding, Naru looked back at Kuroda-joshi. “You should go home for the day, too, Kuroda-san.”
“Wait a minute. I’m not a girl…” Bou-san began to insist, but stopped at Naru’s gaze.
“I think you should take my advice and withdraw for the night as well, Bou-san.”
John let out a sigh. “I’ll... take your advice and return home for today.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Bou-san lightly clicked his tongue. “Can’t be helped. Guess I’ll leave for the night.”
Oh, are you scared to stay all alone?
Prompted by Bou-san’s words, we piled out of the classroom.
Once we went down the stairs and out to the entryway, Naru raised a hand. “Bye.”
“Naru? Aren’t you leaving?”
“There’s something I want to investigate for a bit.”
...You’re staying? ...You sure are brave.
Being seen off by Naru, we left the old school building.
Collaborators: bebekgulings
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