by Ono Fuyumi
I explained the situation to her.
"Since this building was built on damp soil, it's not very sturdy and is now falling apart. That's why it seems that ghosts are here."
"But... Then, what about the ghost who attacked me?" Kuroda asked, her gaze turning to Naru.
That's— Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. That's... How can that be explained?
Naru coldly replied, "Perhaps it is a wandering spirit that follows you around."
"...How can that be," Kuroda said.
A wandering spirit. Ah... Is that so.
"Then, are you done with your work?" she pressed.
"Not yet. I will be after I finish writing my report today."
...It's all over.
That's right. Naru's a ghost hunter who came here to investigate the old school building. Keiko and them will be disappointed. We'll never see him again.
Ha ha ha. Keiko and the rest may be disappointed, but I know I'm not. I'm so happy~ I won't have to get tangled up with this guy again. So happy...
…………?
"I still think there's a ghost here," Kuroda insisted.
"There is none."
"How confident. This place may have land subsidence, but a ghost could still be here."
Kuroda was stubborn, unwilling to accept Naru's words.
"There are none. My investigation has showed me that there are no ghosts here."
"You could've made a mistake."
"Kuroda-san."
There it is again. That cold look in Naru's eyes.
"Well then, you can exorcise it. I believe my work here is done, so I'm packing up."
Kuroda looked timid for a moment. She turned around to avoid Naru's piercing gaze.
I whispered, "This sucks."
"Because I'm about to leave?"
...Who said it was about you!
"You narcissist! Why would I feel sad about you leaving! Stop joking around! You're just a..."
"So you're okay with me leaving?"
"...Well it's like the end of a dream."
"Huh?"
"The old school building is in the corner of the school. No matter how you look at it, it seems like something's there, and that's how the rumors about the ghosts started. ...Doesn't that seem sort of romantic?"
"But aren't you scared of it?"
"...That's two different things. It's a scary feeling, but it's also a happy one. Do you understand this kind of feeling? But... Since everything was caused by land subsidence, it doesn't feel romantic at all. At least say you're running away from the earth spirit. It would be bearable if you say that. Soon the old school building will fall down and be replaced by a gymnasium. All the rumors will eventually fade away too... It's kind of sad. Even though I wouldn't like it if people died here, I still like talking about ghost stories."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes, it is."
And at that time...
Crack..!
A sharp sound. The windows in front of us Cracked.
"Mai! Get away!" Naru shouted.
"Okay!"
The building's falling?!
But my legs won't move.
The windows shattered, with the glass flying out the window because the curtains prevented them from flying at us.
And at the same time, there was a knocking sound.
A knocking sound...?
...No, it can't be this feeling. This is...the sound of someone knocking on the wall...
Who's doing this?! Who's making this loud noise?!
"What's happening?" shouted Miko-san as she ran into the room.
"...Is it collapsing...?" asked Naru hesitantly.
This was the first time I heard Naru speak without confidence.
Who can be knocking on the wall so hard? The sound seemed to be coming from all directions. And with each knock, the building shook. Dust drifted down from the ceiling.
"Is someone knocking on the wall?"
Naru didn't answer Miko-san's question.
Bang!
Suddenly the door shut itself. It was scary, especially since it happened right after the glass windows had shattered.
The door opened and closed by itself.
No one touched it.
It just automatically opened and closed.
When the door closed one more time, the windows completely shattered, covering Kuroda's body.
Kuroda screamed.
Bou-san and John's voice came from somewhere inside the building.
Naru grabbed my hand, then turned to help Kuroda stand up. He opened a window and motioned to it. Then he turned to Miko-san. "Go outside!"
"Through the window?!" she cried out in panic.
"Now's not the time to fight!"
I went through the window since it was impossible to go through a constantly moving door like that.
Naru grabbed Miko-san's hand.
"Hold on, let go!" she protested.
Not listening to her pleas, Naru continued to pull Miko-san. Then he looked at me, shouting:
"Hurry up and run! It's not safe!"
...The building is falling apart. And now, this big mess happened. The knocking sound on the wall, the door opening and closing... I wonder what's doing all this.
If it's not because this building is unsturdy, then it must be...
Holding Kuroda's hand, I ran away from the building.
I kept running until I was far away.
4
We quickly ran out of the building, followed by Bou-san and John. Afterwards the building became quiet.
We gazed at the old school building.
The sounds had stopped. We were finally able to think about what happened.
I felt a sharp pain in my hand. I looked down and noticed the cuts and scratches in my palm. Was this from when I climbed out the window?
How's Kuroda? The glass practically shattered into her. When I turned to look at her, I saw the gashes on her body.
"Are you okay?"
Noticing little pieces of glass in her hair, I reached my hand out and removed them.
"Don't move. Are there any glass shards in your clothes?"
Kuroda shook her head.
Miko-san wiped off some of Kuroda's blood with a handkerchief.
Bou-san looked at Naru. "...What was that?"
Naru didn't reply. He just gazed at the old school building, a dazed look in his eyes.
"Was that ground subsidence?" asked Bou-san.
"I wonder..." Naru mumbled to himself.
"What the hell?! Didn't you say that there're no strong poltergeists here!" Bou-san yelled.
Naru had nothing to say. His hand was crimson red. In order to help us escape, he received serious injuries.
"Naru... Your hand," I said.
"Huh?" He looked at his hand, finally noticing his injury.
"It's okay. It's not a big deal."
When Miko-san finished taking the glass pieces out of Kuroda's clothes, she turned toward Naru.
"Can land subsidence do that? That sound wasn't from rotting wood. That was definitely the sound of someone knocking on the wall."
Bou-san laughed, "You're exaggerating. Are you saying a giant was there? You don't know how to explain the feeling, so you just compare it to a huge hand knocking on the walls."
"It could be."
Ah, when it comes to insulting Naru, they're best friends.
Miko-san patted the dust off of her clothes. "How stupid of me. I almost believed this child."
"...Give him a break. It can't be helped. After all, he's still young."
Naru was silent. He just looked at the old school building. His face was void of feeling, but for some reason he still seemed strong.
"I wonder... Get back to work."
"Yeah, we have to at least finish the job here."
What... An annoying guy.
Even though you're not an outgoing guy, you do settle down in these kind of situations.
Those two laughed around, then left. John silently helpe
d Kuroda treat her wounds.
"Naru?" I asked.
"Hm?"
He said in an empty tone. He didn't even look at me.
"If you don't treat your hand..."
The glass must've pierced a big blood vein. Blood flowed down his left hand and dripped off his fingertips, leaving a pool of black blood on the ground.
"It's all right. It'll clot soon."
"But..." I couldn't say it.
Naru didn't even turn around to look at me. His tone was cold, and his face expressionless.
"What I'm saying is..."
"Help bandage Kuroda's wounds."
"Okay."
"As of now, I need to calm down. I hate myself so much I can't stand it."
...Okay.
You... Are filled with pride.
5
After we helped Kuroda bandage her wounds, we sent her home. I don't know when Naru left after that.
"Where did Naru go?" I asked as I stood in the entrance hall of the old school building.
Bou-san and Miko-san looked through every classroom, searching for him.
"Yeah... Where did he go anyway?"
Miko-san laughed in contempt. "How cute. He must've left from embarrassment."
Bou-san laughed too. "True, it sure is nice to be a kid."
...These two—
"It must be a tsukumogami. This time I'll exorcise it successfully," said the tall woman.
Bou-san turned to face her, then retorted, "Oh, didn't you already give up?"
"It was just one mistake."
"You don't have the ability to. It's my turn. Now you can see the difference between me and a little girl like you."
...That's so arrogant. Unbelievable. You didn't do anything today, and when everyone's trying their best, you just complain. Now what?— The difference between you and a ‘little girl’?
Bou-san really did look like he was going to do an exorcism. Dressed in black robes, he had placed the altars up in the room.
"You're not going to watch?" he asked Miko-san.
I listened to Miko-san's reply as I prepared to move the rest of the equipment.
John was helping me. "Is this really okay? Moving all the equipment back?"
"It's all right. If we need to use it again, we'll just move them back. Plus, this place might collapse anytime soon."
Miko-san snickered. "Do you still believe that kid's theory about land subsidence?"
I couldn't help but glare back at her. "Do you have any evidence that he's wrong? If you're going to laugh, at least get evidence that evil spirits are here first."
For a moment she looked insulted, but she didn't say anything. "You really like to stand up for him, huh."
"That's because right now, he's my boss."
...Even though I'm just a replacement, I still am Naru's assistant.
I lifted a video camera and walked out the door.
Seems like Bou-san's starting the exorcism. He was sitting down, his back turned towards me. "On sunba nisunba un bazara un hatta."
Hmph. Can this weird chant really get rid of the ghosts here?
"Zyaku un ban koku."
...Where did Naru go?
When I finished moving all the equipment, I waited for him in the van. Naru still didn't come back.
The sky darkened.
By then Miko-san redid her exorcism. It seems like they're gonna leave now.
It was completely dark.
What now? Do I go home? Or should I wait for Naru?
What do I do?
Chapter 7 - Flood Warning
1
After I went home, I came back and set up the microphones and tape recorders with John.
At first I wanted to set up the camcorders, but I didn't know how to, which sucked.
We placed the 24-hour tape recorders in the west side of the building, the place where Kuroda was attacked, and the lab room.
Bou-san and Miko-san were patrolling the building.
...Is Naru coming back tonight?
I sat on the stairs, pondering this until I noticed a figure walking down the entrance hall.
"Naru?"
The figure came closer. It was a girl. It was Kuroda.
"Kuroda-san..." I called out.
She looked around, "How's the situation?"
"After you left, both Bou-san and Miko-san did an exorcism. Now they're just walking around the place."
"...Oh. What about Naru?"
"He's not here. He went somewhere else."
"...Really."
"Hey," I said, standing up. "You said there're ghosts here. What kind are they?"
She cocked her head. "I saw many ghosts of injured people here."
"...Is that it? Do you have any evidence of that?"
As long as there's evidence...
I started thinking about it.
There're so many scary rumors about the old school building. But in the end, a rumor is a rumor. I don't have psychic powers so I can't tell if someone who died in this building is still lingering here as a ghost.
"What's wrong?" Kuroda asked as she looked at me.
"I was thinking that there really are no ghosts here."
"I said I saw them."
"...True..."
Hmph. I don't understand this stuff.
I contemplated the matter again. Miko-san was coming down the stairs.
"Well now," Miko-san said, wrinkling her brow as she noticed Kuroda. "This is not the time to be playing games."
"...Was the exorcism successful?" asked Kuroda.
"Is that any of your business?" the older woman retorted coldly.
"Naru said that... My wavelength is the same as the ghost's."
"Really? Is Naru's word reliable?"
...So rude.
Miko-san looked at us. "The exorcism is over. I stayed here because I'm careful. You kids should just go home and sleep."
"That's what you said last time, and you weren't successful then," I retorted.
Miko-san seemed to flare up. "This time it was successful. Now there's no ghostly phenomena."
"Oh?"
...You sure like to babble, idiot.
"The exorcism was unsuccessful," Kuroda persisted.
"Eh? Why do you say that?" Miko-san's eyes were stern and hard.
"I can feel it. There's still a lot of ghosts..."
Miko-san snickered. "Would you like to compare your powers to mine? Even if you have a little psychic power, don't think so much of yourself. Unlike you, I'm a professional."
"You may be a professional, but you sure don't have any amazing powers yourself, right?" Kuroda spit back.
The two glared at each other. At this time John and Bou-san came down from the stairs. When they saw the two girls arguing, they shot each other an understanding glance.
2
After hearing Kuroda say the exorcism was unsuccessful, Bou-san snickered.
"Forget about Ayako. I exorcised the ghost so now there should be no problem. There're no ghosts here anymore."
"What's up with you saying 'forget about Ayako'?" said Miko-san.
"It's the truth."
"Don't take the credit from me."
"There's no need to."
...Here they go again. Do you two only get along when you're insulting Naru?
Those two just can't help but bicker. Turning around, I noticed John was looking up at the ceiling.
So I raised my head to look at the ceiling too.
Hmm? What's that? A stepping sound?
Footsteps from the second floor...
Noticing me and John, Miko-san and Bou-san looked up at the ceiling as well.
Stomp stomp stomp...
Someone's running up and down.
Bou-san stood up. "What kind of sound is it...?"
"Sounds like someone running..." Miko-san replied, looking at us.
Everyone's here. Naru wasn't here in the beginning. But, who's making that sound...?
As the footsteps came closer and closer
, we all stood up.
There was a platform in the middle of the stairs, and from there the stairs spiraled down. We were on the first floor so all we saw when we looked up were the railings.
Step. Step. Step. The footsteps were on the stairs now. They were coming down, towards us. Step. Step. Step. Whoever was making the sounds must be on the platform now, so I looked up and saw...
Everyone else looked up too, but then the footsteps stopped.
The room was filled with silence.
In a rush Bou-san ran up the stairs, looked at the platform, then came down.
We asked, "Was anyone there?"
"...No."
"Well, what about those footsteps we heard?"
"Maybe we heard wrong."
"Heard wrong? How can we hear wrong? I was listening very carefully."
"......"
"Didn't you say the exorcism was successful? Aren't you a professional? Aren't you different from a 'little girl'? Then what was that sound just then?" I asked Miko-san.
Miko-san stared at me.
"It's just the wind."
Bastard. Would Naru use a sorry excuse like that? When you guys were dissing Naru back there, he didn't make any excuses!
Furious, I glared at Bou-san and Miko-san. They turned away.
At this time, the sound of a door opening and closing came from the second floor.
Bang! Bang!
It sounded as if the building would come crashing down.
Then came the ghostly sounds. Such rough footsteps... It sounds like an army is up there, running around. Every door in the building banged, opening and closing by itself.
The floor started to sway.
Suddenly the flourescent light we put up earlier on the ceiling cracked open, and little pieces of glass fell.
We scrambled away into the entrance hall and corridor.
I stood in the entrance hall, then turned around and saw the shoe cabinet swaying. A loud cracking sound came from it.
I pushed against the shoe cabinet to keep it from falling. Not sure why I did though. But it's probably because I was scared it'd fall.
As I pushed against the shoe cabinet, I realized it was warm. Warm as hot water.
...Didn’t Naru say something like this earlier?
Objects that poltergeists touch will be warm to the touch...
Wobbling and swaying, the shoe cabinet fell on me. I tried to block it, but it was too heavy and I soon crumbled under its weight.
I screamed.