by Ono Fuyumi
"Are you hurt?"
Shibuya asks him.
"Yes..."
He mutters.
Below the long forelock that is covering the upper part of his face, there is a red line flowing down.
My voice gets nervous.
"……Did you cut yourself somewhere?"
The blood falling from his chin is forming a circle of dots on the floor.
What should I do!
"I am very sorry! I was surprised and..."
I quickly try to give him a hand, but Shibuya stops me.
Using his perfectly calm hands, he is checking the state of the fallen man's injury.
"It's a small cut... Anywhere else?"
"I am alright."
The injured man gets up. He bends a little when his weight gets to his legs.
"Can you stand? How are your legs?"
"……Everything is okay."
But still he has quite a sickly look on his face. A thick layer of sweat is running down his forehead.
Not knowing what to do, I just stand there nervously.
"I am really sorry. But suddenly hearing your voice I was totally surprised..."
"He already told you, it's okay", Shibuya says in a cold voice.
I counter with an even colder look.
"We met yesterday, didn't we?"
"That's right."
But is it alright for me to give him such a grave look? After all this man got injured because of me getting surprised.
"That's right, but what's more important now is, is there a hospital or a doctor nearby?"
"Right after the school gate..."
"Take me there."
Saying this, Shibuya supports his friend with a shoulder.
I also try to help him, but he pushes off my hand with his arm.
What's with this guy!
Glaring at me he says:
"I'm fine. Your help is unneeded."
...This guy... What's with his attitude. In the first place all this happened because you scared me like that. And I, like a kind person, lent you a hand...
"Lin, can you walk?"
"Yes, I am okay."
Shibuya takes a look at me.
"What's your name?"
"Taniyama..."
"Then, Taniyama-san, I will be alright from here on, you can return to the classroom."
"But.."
"I should let you know that the school bell just rang."
Heh?
I got up early and I'm still late?
Getting up early, being scared to death, these two guys almost freaking me out and on top of that I'm late for school?
Ah, I should have never approached the old building.
As I thought, this place is full of bad luck!
2
Even though I ran in all my haste I was totally late for school. And as if to finish me off, the teacher had to scold me in front of the whole class... It couldn't get any worse. Thanks to this I was in a bad mood throughout the whole day.
School ended.
And when I was about to go home, Keiko and the others gathered around my desk.
"Hey, Mai, are you going home?"
"Why?"
"Weren't we going to meet with yesterday's exchange guy?"
"Shibuya?"
"Yes, let's meet him."
Don't joke around. I don't want to see that guy's face for a while.
"I'm going home." I made it clear to them that I won't go.
"Whyy? Mai... You've changed."
Even Michiru nods.
"What a weirdo you are. That guy's got a godlike coolness, don't you think so?"
No, I don't. They are too excited. I too, think he's got a pretty face, but that's all.
Recognizing me as a weirdo, Michiru says,
"Well, that's fine. The lesser rivals, the better."
"That's right. We'll be the only ones to enjoy his enchanting eyes."
Keiko is really happy.
"You really don't want to come?", Yuuri adds in mistrust.
"Are you sure? You were quite interested yesterday."
With these words Michiru smoothed down her uniform, having nothing more to say.
Keiko too gives up on me and changes the topic.
"But I was really surprised yesterday. The atmosphere was so tense wasn't it? I thought that ghosts had appeared for real."
"Me too."
"Today, we'll tell stories again."
"But where? We won't get in the right mood here. What about we borrow the A/V room again?"
You're really into it, aren't you?
"Yeah, it isn't dark enough here. The A/V room? The school's mixer room."
"That sounds okay."
...Just when they were talking about this...
"Wait a minute."
The voice we heard is that of our class rep, Kuroda Naoko-san.
Somehow, she always looks nervous. It's been half a month since I entered this school, but I still haven't even talked to her.
"Ah, Kuroda-san, good-bye." Yuuri turns to her with an innocent smile.
"It isn't goodbye. What were you talking about just now?"
Kuroda-san seems to be in a bad mood.
But we didn't insult you or anything.
Then I replied,
"We're going to tell ghost stories today. That's what we were talking about."
Keiko poked me.
I feel Kuroda-san's murderous intent.
What's with her?
At exactly that moment, Shibuya shows his face from the door.
"Is Taniyama-san here?"
Kuroda-san turns to his direction.
"What year are you? What are you doing here?"
"Ah, I had an arrangement with these girls..."
"Arrangement? About the ghost stories?"
"That's right...?"
Hearing Shibuya's answer, Kuroda-san turns at us without fail.
"Didn't I tell you to stop doing this?!"
...Ah? What's with this girl?
She angled her eyes.
"No wonder I've been having headaches since this morning."
"Ha-a?"
I incline my head doubtfully. What is she talking about?
"Taniyama-san, I am sensitive to spirits. I have headaches when a lot of them gather. I am having headaches today. Spirits have definitely gathered here."
"……Ha-a……"
"Didn't you know? When you tell ghost stories spirits gather. These are mainly low-level spirits. But even if they are low-level ones, when a lot of them gather they attract stronger spirits. You will be in trouble if that happens."
"..Haa..."
……WHAT'S WITH THIS GIRL?!
"So you shouldn't think of telling ghost stories as 'fun'."
Then she turns to Shibuya.
"It would be quite troublesome if senpai did it too. I'd have to do an exorcism," Kuroda-san says that with a thoughtful expression.
Shibuya shrugs his shoulders.
"Isn't it just your imagination?"
"That's why people who can't sense spirits are annoying."
Her tone is persistently intense.
Shibuya looks at her with a strong intent.
"You, if you really can sense them then do you sense something from the old school building?"
"Old school building? Ah, it seems spirits of those who died during the war are gathering there." Kuroda-san says quickly.
"Died during the war……?"
"Right. I often see a man's shadow looking at me from the windows and it looks like a man from the war"
"Heeh, which war?"
"Of course, the World War II. During the war there was a hospital on that place. The spirits of the dead nurses can be seen there. It had been air-raided once. Therefore a lot of injured spirits can be seen too."
"Awesome."
Shibuya says with a sarcastic smile.
"I didn't know this was a hospital during the war. I heard that this school was here sin
ce pre-war days. And before that there was a medical faculty, wasn't there?"
……A really hard personality……
Kuroda-san purses her lips. Then her face gets red.
"I woudn't know such a thing. Anyway, I've seen them. A person unable to sense them wouldn't understand."
Kuroda-san doesn't give up until the end.
"The school principal is bothered that the ex-building's demolition failed and was complaining. Are you here to exorcise it?"
"...it isn't so simple。We'll do it when possible."
"I see."
Shibuya responds coldly, and turns to us.
"Since here is no good, let's go elsewhere?"
"Still continuing with such a thing!"
Kuroda-san snaps at Shibuya with incredible force.
But Shibuya completely unconcerned comes to us making Keiko and the others restless again.
"Let's……"
This extremely timid voice is Yuuri's.
"Let's put it off for today?"
"I agree...I'm not in the mood for it."
Keiko loses her enthusiasm too.
What's happening? No one is even looking at him, they will miss the chance for an intimate experience with their cool senpai.
But still Michiru says, "...Shibuya-senpai, sorry. After all..."
"I see."
Shibuya nods in assent.
"Then some other time."
Saying that, he raises his hand. Looking at the seemingly-pleased Kuroda-san he says,
"You are satisfied too, right?"
"...What are you talking about?"
"It's okay if you don't know. ――Taniyama-san, please."
Shibuya invites me.
Keiko and the others throw a surprised glance at me.
"What is it?"
"Do you have a spare minute?"
He says with a smile on his face. Keiko and company do not notice his negative expression. My back is being watched reproachfully while leaving the room.
3
"Who's that girl?"
Shibuya asks me while walking in a brisk step before me, where is he taking me I wonder.
"I don't know. Today was the first time I spoke with her. She seems suspicious to me for some reason."
"Yeah. Is she really a medium?"
He asked with a thoughtful expression.
"Well, she said it herself, didn't she? By the way, is the person from this morning alright?"
"About that."
Shibuya turns to face me with his cold, indifferent expression.
"He sprained his left ankle. It is apparently in very bad condition, so he won't be able to stand for a while."
"……Oh…… I'm really sorry……"
I say this, but still I wonder if I really should be apologizing to him.
"Well…… Is he an acquaintance of yours?"
"Wasn't it obvious?"
Shibuya glances at me with ridicule in his eyes.
"What kind of acquaintance?"
I ask.
He was giving me a strange feeling. That guy from the morning was over the hill no matter how you look at him. That same person was talking to his partner, the sixteen year old Shibuya, in a polite manner, while on the opposite side Shibuya was always talking in an excessively rude way. Isn't this a reversal?
Shibuya replies with his peaceful voice in a casual manner.
"Assistant."
Oh. What an arrogant assistant this is. Would you normally talk to your master in such a rude tone?
"Your boss seems to have a rather strict personality."
I say this with a grain of sarcasm. I don't know if it was a sprained ankle or a broken bone, but I had already relieved myself from that responsibility by lending him a hand.
"But it wasn't only me who was responsible for your master's injury. He was the one who surprised me--"
"It's the opposite."
The opposite? What is? I didn't surprise him for sure.
Shibuya speaks curtly—
"I am the boss. He is the assistant."
Eh!?
EEEEHH?!
……What the heck? This is a serious matter.
A sixteen year-old using an adult for his assistant? What in the world is this guy? I stare at Shibuya with an ‘are you serious’ expression. He looks at me with all his pale glory.
"My assistant being unable to move is troubling. Don't you think you have a responsibility to take on, Taniyama-san?"
"Hey, don't joke around! Just to make things clear, I'm a victim too. Not only was I startled to death, but I was late for school."
All the world's cold is gathered inside his eyes.
"He was hurt. And how are you?"
"...That is... I'm pretty lively."
"Moreover, the camera was broken."
Ah, that video camera. Now that I think about it, it fell really badly. And it's a fragile precision instrument...
"Lin... I mean, my assistant, tried to prevent you from touching it, which lead to our current situation."
"That is……really……"
A really bad situation. That was inevitable. It wasn't my fault. Even if I say so, it doesn't feel like he'll understand.
"I would have liked for you to pay compensation for the camera, but……"
Compensation!? Are you joking!
"It isn't like I broke it intentionally!"
"Didn't they teach you not to touch other people's stuff without permission?"
……But…… I felt like…
"Why in the world is there a video camera in such a place?..."
"And, how much is the compensation……?"
What Shibuya estimated was an unbelievable sum of money. Such a great cost that only exists in dreams.
"Cut it out with the jokes! Why is that video camera so expensive?! This can't possibly be true!"
"That video camera was custom-made, produced in Germany. Would you like to see the certificate?"
Foreign order. Custom-made, at that. My eyes went black. What am I going to do?
Shibuya said:
"If you don't like this..."
……What? I can apologize for not being able to pay!
"Would you mind taking the place of my assistant?"
"By this…… You mean I'll be working as your assistant?"
"Exactly."
"I'll do it."
I'll do it, be it an assistant's job or a maid's job. Shibuya nods his head in agreement.
At the same time I asked him a sudden question.
"By the way, what kind of work are you doing, Shibuya-san?"
Second-year, high school student. 17 year-old student, has an assistant, using an incredibly expensive camera. What the hell is he doing?
"Ghost Hunter."
"Haa!?"
"Or in other words, ghost extermination. We've come here to investigate the old school building by the request of the principle. We are called 'Shibuya Psychic Research'."
"Pusai..kkiku... risaachi?"
"Haven't you taken any English lessons?"
I have. Well, excuse me. For being bad at English.
"A psychic phenomenon investigation service. And I am the head of it."
Wha……Whaat. Head, this fellow, with the social standing of a sixteen year-old!
Not only that, but what...? Investigation of the old school building? Psychic phenomenon investigation service!? This is a joke, right!?
Chapter 2 - Storm Approaching
1
"If you’re interested in listening, I can briefly explain the circumstances?"
Shibuya-san says as he sits on the bench near the shrubs of the old school building.
"If I don’t listen, I won’t be able to do my job."
My voice was sullen. What a thing to be caught up in.
"The principal heard that the old school building is haunted, so a week ago he asked me to come investigate. Apparently, he wants to rebuild the gymnasium. For that he wants the old school bui
lding demolished."
Ah, come to think of it, that was written in the pamphlet I got at the time of my admission into the school. Soon, a big gymnasium will be built.
"However, it seems that the many times in the past that they had tried to demolish the old school building, they had to stop the demolition because of the accidents that happened."
"Ah, and they wanted an investigation so they asked you?"
"That’s how it is."
"I see, and so you transferred schools for that?"
You went through a lot of trouble. But Shibuya-san is staring at me with contempt.
"Who said I was transferring for the investigation?"
"But…yesterday, you said you were a transfer student."
"When I said ‘something like that’ and intended to be ambiguous?"
……Certainly……
"That is what I said."
"Liar." I said in a small voice.
Shibuya-san gave me a frosty look.
"You were going to tell ghost stories. That’s why."
"I see. When we were telling ghost stories you might have brought up the old school building story, right? Then if you did that, it would be collecting information."
"Oh, so you have more wisdom than a monkey?"
Shibuya-san said, impressed. You jerk. Don’t compare a person with their ancestors and ancestry.
"I was collecting the rumors between the students. Yesterday when you were telling ghost stories, did a story about the old school building come up?"
"Yeah, but Michiru told it."
"What’s the story? Can you remember it?"
'Did you forget it?' his tone seems to say.
"I still remember it. I’m not so out of it that I can forget what happened yesterday!"
Hmph. Rude jerk.
"Weeellll……"
"Wait."
Shibuya-san inserted a hand into the inside pocket of his black jacket. He pulled out a small tape recorder.
“Begin"
He said as he pushed the record button.
Hmm. Well isn’t that interesting. Despite what I was really thinking, I began talking about what Michiru had told me concerning the old school building.
2
After I finished the story, Shibuya stood up and asked:
"Now then, can you take a walk with me?"
"To the old school building?"
"Where else?"
He does have a point there.
"How much of Michiru's story do you think is true?"
If it's all true, then I don't want to go to that old school building again.