It's evening. The ambulance left the school. The people standing in front of the old school building were bathed in the orange glow of the sunset.
Masako had fallen from the classroom on the west side of the second floor.
That classroom was old and worn. There was no wall on the west side of the classroom. There was only a wooden plank, worn down by the weather. That wooden plank cracked and broke.
Masako had fallen from there... She fell three meters before hitting the ground.
The metal pipes that were placed there during the investigation remained in the same place.
Thank goodness she fell onto soft ground and not onto the metal pipes.
"Exactly what happened?" the principal questioned Naru, "I called you here so you could exorcise the ghost. Before, your assistant was injured, and now someone else is injured. Those rumors are..."
Naru interrupted the principal. "My assistant was injured because of a brainless student of yours."
...Are you talking about me?
"Before Hara-san shifted into unconsciousness, she insisted that there are no ghosts here. She said this was an accident due to her carelessness. Don't worry."
"But..."
"I will go back and continue to investigate."
Naru bowed, then left for the old school building.
...Accident? Masako did say that's what it was.
Still...
"That's just Masako being stubborn," Miko-san asserted.
Before we knew it, the lab room became our base room.
"I think there's a ghost here," Miko-san repeated.
"Really? Then Ayako must've been unsuccessful in exorcising it," Bou-san retorted.
After hearing Bou-san, Miko-san blushed in embarrassment.
"...Okay, I admit it. My exorcism failed. This place is dangerous."
I couldn't help but ask, "Dangerous?"
Miko-san crossed her arms in frustration. "If an exorcism fails, the ghost will act like an injured bear: it'll act fierce..."
"Then, it's your fault Masako's injured!"
"No it's not!"
...But, isn't that what you're saying?!
Naru interposed. "Don't jump to conclusions. The camera recording revealed it as an accident. It's exactly what Hara-san said: she was careless."
True. Masako didn't seem to know that the wall wasn't firm. She didn't know it was only supported by a rotten wooden plank.
She accidentally leaned on the wooden plank, making it crack. The camcorder recorded the entire incident.
Still...
"Hey, Naru? Aren't places considered haunted because bad things like accidents or suicide happen there? Whether it's an accident or a suicide, don't both happen for a good reason? But in the end, people still believe those places are unlucky..."
When I said it that way, Naru crossed his arms, contemplating the matter deeply.
"True. But... This building is strange. I don't understand."
"Why?" Kuroda asked, her tone blunt and frank.
"There have been no responses to the equipment. There have been no temperature declines, no ion deviations, and no electromagnetic wave abnormalities. All of the data appear normal."
"Then, why did Miko-san get locked up? Why was I attacked? Why did the camcorder recording vanish? Why did the windows break? And how come the chair moved by itself?"
"That's why I said I don't understand."
Bou-san interrupted, "Maybe you don't know about this kind of ghost. It could be a ghost strong enough to hide its presence."
Naru pondered the idea. "So you think that..."
"It's a Jibakurei," Bou-san finished the sentence.
"I bet it's a tsukumogami," Miko-san added.
"A tsukumogami?" I asked.
"Sometimes inanimate objects will be possessed by a ghost. For instance, a table, a chair, or even a house. Those inanimate objects absorb human emotions in its environment and then become possessed."
Oh...
"This building probably absorbed the emotions of the students and teachers, especially their fear of this place."
...What the... That's scary.
Thankfully, Masako isn't seriously injured. But...
Bou-san shot Miko-san a look of disgust. "Then where did that earth spirit of yours go?"
"Of course, part of it is the earth spirit's fault."
"This building is a gathering place for spirits. The spirits absorb the negative emotions of the people and then become tsukumogami."
"Oh~."
Naru asked, "What do you think, John?"
"I'm not sure. But this place is dangerous. I'll perform an exorcism."
"Really..."
"Naru, what do you think?" Bou-san inquired.
"I'll withhold my opinion for now. I'm going to investigate this from a different angle."
"Oh.~"
"Mai."
"Yes."
"I'm going back to the van. You stay here. If anything happens, call me," Naru-chan said, pointing to a microphone. "This microphone is linked to the van."
"Okay."
How sly of you. So the narcissist is the only one leaving?
Naru left the lab room.
Bou-san asked Miko-san, "What's up with that guy?"
"What's wrong?"
"He brought in lots of expensive equipment, but does he really know what he's doing?"
"How would I know?"
"He's much better than you two," Kuroda retorted.
"Well, young lady, aren't you going home?"
"I want to witness your incapability before going home," she chuckled, "now what are you guys going to say? It sure would be nice if you could actually exorcise the ghost."
Bou-san and Miko-san's eyes filled with anger and hostility.
...You don't need to go around making enemies.
John stood. "My turn."
"Ah.. What a huge honor, Exorcist," Bou-san mocked.
John nodded slightly.
John doesn't look for a fight. He's a nice guy, unlike you guys.
"Do you need help with anything?" I asked John.
"No. But when I start praying, keep an eye on the equipment. There might be a response."
"Okay."
...Don't scare me like that.
The TV screen gave a view of a room on the second floor that was rumored to have a ghost.
It was also the room where Masako fell down. The sunset's afterglow shined into the classroom.
Suddenly the TV's connection was cut, leaving the screen filled with static.
...Huh?
The screen was filled with black-and-white static. Something was wrong with the video camera. Even the angle it was recording from changed.
In a panic, I quickly fumbled for the microphone that was connected to Naru's car.
"Naru."
"What's wrong?"
"The TV screen is all static."
"That's all right. Once it's dark, the videocam changes its recording mode. How's the situation?"
"John said he's going to perform his exorcism... Ah, he's here."
John changed into priest robes, which looked great on him. His stunning blonde hair gives him a mysterious air.
Walking into the classroom, he lifted a cup filled with water. He dipped his finger in the water and drew a cross on the altar with it. After he drew the sign of the cross on the altar and wall, he placed the altar, some gray candles, and a cross onto the platform. The room brightened after he lit up the candles. Then John placed his hands together, bowed his head, and prayed.
A faint sound came from the microphone.
"Heavenly God, please allow us to worship you."
John scattered the water. So that must be holy water. Then he opened his bible.
"God, your soul becomes our heaven and the earth."
The TV screen was recording this smoothly. There was nothing out of the ordinary.
"In the beginning was the word. The word was with God. The word was God..."
After constantly staring at the TV screen, Bou-san finally stood up. "I'm going out for a walk."
"I'm going too."
Miko-san also stood up.
...Where are you two going.
"Kuroda-san, you're not leaving, right?"
"If you're scared, I'll stay here with you."
"Stay here with me...?"
Ah— How embarrassing. But it can't be helped that I'm scared.
The sky grew darker and darker.
The light from the TV screens was the only thing that kept the room from being swallowed up in darkness. Even though there are lots of TV screens, the room was still dark and forboding.
Bou-san was in the TV screen, walking in the corridor of the first floor. Dressed in monk robes, he walked towards the room on the far left, his hand holding an object. John continued to perform his exorcism in the classroom above.
He took some white sand from a container and scattered it around the floor. Is that salt?
"The word was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made."
John suddenly stopped praying and started looking around.
...What happened?
I increased the volume of the speakers.
In the midst of John's prayer, a snapping sound could be heard.
"It's noise made from a poltergeist," Kuroda stated.
"In Him was life, and that life was the light of men," John continued.
He constantly lifted his head to look at the ceiling.
"The light shone in the darkness. But the darkness could not comprehend the light..."
The ceiling...
"Ah!" I shouted.
I looked at the classroom ceiling on the west side. Near the room with the wooden plank. It's right under the room where Masako fell from.
The wood on the ceiling was bending.
It's almost like something's trying to penetrate through the ceiling.
It's dangerous!
I suddenly pounced up from my chair.
"Taniyama-san?!" Kuroda cried out.
I rushed out of the lab room.
When I ran near the room John was in, I heard a loud cracking sound.
"John! John!"
I forcefully slid the door open, leaving a surprised John staring at me.
"Mai-san..."
"John, it's dangerous. Come out now!"
"Eh?!"
Not even a second passed after I pointed toward the crack in the ceiling that the ceiling came crashing down, rocking the floor. With the candle knocked over, the room was pitch black.
The flashlight flickered, then lit up.
The rubble covered up the entire classroom. Pieces of wood and stone were scattered all over the floor.
...The west side of the roof completely collapsed.
"If Mai-san didn't call me, I would've been in trouble," John said, his voice quivering slightly.
Naru picked up a piece of rubble and examined it.
He looked like he was in a trance.
"Since this place is dangerous, let's go down instead," Bou-san advised, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Miko-san crossed her arms in a cold manner. "...I'm leaving today."
"You sure get scared easily," Kuroda laughed.
Miko-san appeared unaffected by her remark. "Your life is the most important thing. Masako would've died if she fell onto a slightly different place. John almost died too. I'm smart, so I'm retreating before that happens to me."
"Are you scared?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm calling it quits for today. I'll continue tomorrow."
...How can you do that.
"She's correct," Naru stated silently.
"Hey, hey, Naru-chan," Bou-san exclaimed in shock. "You're not scared by this too, are you?"
"Say what you want," Naru replied. "But this time, Miko-san is correct... Mai, you can go home."
"Really?"
Ah, I accidentally let out a laugh.
"Right, you should also..." Naru paused, throwing the rock he was tossing around back into the pile of rubble. Then he faced Kuroda, saying, "Kuroda-san, you should go home too."
"Hey hey, so if I'm not a girl, then..." Bou-san nagged.
Naru sent a deathly glare at Bou-san's direction. "I suggest that all of you go home now."
John sighed. "I... Guess we should go home then."
"How obedient," Bou-san said, smacking his lips, "forget it, let's just call it a day."
Ah, so you're the only one left now. Are you scared... Hmm..
We were all ushered out of the building by Bou-san.
Naru-chan waved to us from the entrance hall. "Good-bye."
"Naru, what about you? You're not going home?"
"I have to investigate more."
...You want to stay here? ...You're a courageous one.
We left the building under Naru's gaze.
It's evening. The ambulance left the school. The people standing in front of the old school building were bathed in the orange glow of the sunset.
Masako had fallen from the classroom on the west side of the second floor.
That classroom was old and worn. There was no wall on the west side of the classroom. There was only a wooden plank, worn down by the weather. That wooden plank cracked and broke.
Masako had fallen from there... She fell three meters before hitting the ground.
The metal pipes that were placed there during the investigation remained in the same place.
Thank goodness she fell onto soft ground and not onto the metal pipes.
"Exactly what happened?" the principal questioned Naru, "I called you here so you could exorcise the ghost. Before, your assistant was injured, and now someone else is injured. Those rumors are..."
Naru interrupted the principal. "My assistant was injured because of a brainless student of yours."
...Are you talking about me?
"Before Hara-san shifted into unconsciousness, she insisted that there are no ghosts here. She said this was an accident due to her carelessness. Don't worry."
"But..."
"I will go back and continue to investigate."
Naru bowed, then left for the old school building.
...Accident? Masako did say that's what it was.
Still...
"That's just Masako being stubborn," Miko-san asserted.
Before we knew it, the lab room became our base room.
"I think there's a ghost here," Miko-san repeated.
"Really? Then Ayako must've been unsuccessful in exorcising it," Bou-san retorted.
After hearing Bou-san, Miko-san blushed in embarrassment.
"...Okay, I admit it. My exorcism failed. This place is dangerous."
I couldn't help but ask, "Dangerous?"
Miko-san crossed her arms in frustration. "If an exorcism fails, the ghost will act like an injured bear: it'll act fierce..."
"Then, it's your fault Masako's injured!"
"No it's not!"
...But, isn't that what you're saying?!
Naru interposed. "Don't jump to conclusions. The camera recording revealed it as an accident. It's exactly what Hara-san said: she was careless."
True. Masako didn't seem to know that the wall wasn't firm. She didn't know it was only supported by a rotten wooden plank.
She accidentally leaned on the wooden plank, making it crack. The camcorder recorded the entire incident.
Still...
"Hey, Naru? Aren't places considered haunted because bad things like accidents or suicide happen there? Whether it's an accident or a suicide, don't both happen for a good reason? But in the end, people still believe those places are unlucky..."
When I said it that way, Naru crossed his arms, contemplating the matter deeply.
"True. But... This building is strange. I don't understand."
"Why?" Kuroda asked, her tone blunt and frank.
"There have been no responses to the equipment. There have been no temperature declines, no ion deviations, and no electromagnetic wave abnormalities. All of the data appear normal."
"Then, why did Miko-san get locked up? Why was I attacked? Why did the camcorder recording vanish? Why did the windows break? And how come the chair moved by itself?"
"That's why I said I don't understand."
Bou-san interrupted, "Maybe you don't know about this kind of ghost. It could be a ghost strong enough to hide its presence."
Naru pondered the idea. "So you think that..."
"It's a Jibakurei," Bou-san finished the sentence.
"I bet it's a tsukumogami," Miko-san added.
"A tsukumogami?" I asked.
"Sometimes inanimate objects will be possessed by a ghost. For instance, a table, a chair, or even a house. Those inanimate objects absorb human emotions in its environment and then become possessed."
Oh...
"This building probably absorbed the emotions of the students and teachers, especially their fear of this place."
...What the... That's scary.
Thankfully, Masako isn't seriously injured. But...
Bou-san shot Miko-san a look of disgust. "Then where did that earth spirit of yours go?"
"Of course, part of it is the earth spirit's fault."
"This building is a gathering place for spirits. The spirits absorb the negative emotions of the people and then become tsukumogami."
"Oh~."
Naru asked, "What do you think, John?"
"I'm not sure. But this place is dangerous. I'll perform an exorcism."
"Really..."
"Naru, what do you think?" Bou-san inquired.
"I'll withhold my opinion for now. I'm going to investigate this from a different angle."
"Oh.~"
"Mai."
"Yes."
"I'm going back to the van. You stay here. If anything happens, call me," Naru-chan said, pointing to a microphone. "This microphone is linked to the van."
"Okay."
How sly of you. So the narcissist is the only one leaving?
Naru left the lab room.
Bou-san asked Miko-san, "What's up with that guy?"
"What's wrong?"
"He brought in lots of expensive equipment, but does he really know what he's doing?"
"How would I know?"
"He's much better than you two," Kuroda retorted.
"Well, young lady, aren't you going home?"
"I want to witness your incapability before going home," she chuckled, "now what are you guys going to say? It sure would be nice if you could actually exorcise the ghost."
Bou-san and Miko-san's eyes filled with anger and hostility.
...You don't need to go around making enemies.
John stood. "My turn."
"Ah.. What a huge honor, Exorcist," Bou-san mocked.
John nodded slightly.
John doesn't look for a fight. He's a nice guy, unlike you guys.
"Do you need help with anything?" I asked John.
"No. But when I start praying, keep an eye on the equipment. There might be a response."
"Okay."
...Don't scare me like that.
The TV screen gave a view of a room on the second floor that was rumored to have a ghost.
It was also the room where Masako fell down. The sunset's afterglow shined into the classroom.
Suddenly the TV's connection was cut, leaving the screen filled with static.
...Huh?
The screen was filled with black-and-white static. Something was wrong with the video camera. Even the angle it was recording from changed.
In a panic, I quickly fumbled for the microphone that was connected to Naru's car.
"Naru."
"What's wrong?"
"The TV screen is all static."
"That's all right. Once it's dark, the videocam changes its recording mode. How's the situation?"
"John said he's going to perform his exorcism... Ah, he's here."
John changed into priest robes, which looked great on him. His stunning blonde hair gives him a mysterious air.
Walking into the classroom, he lifted a cup filled with water. He dipped his finger in the water and drew a cross on the altar with it. After he drew the sign of the cross on the altar and wall, he placed the altar, some gray candles, and a cross onto the platform. The room brightened after he lit up the candles. Then John placed his hands together, bowed his head, and prayed.
A faint sound came from the microphone.
"Heavenly God, please allow us to worship you."
John scattered the water. So that must be holy water. Then he opened his bible.
"God, your soul becomes our heaven and the earth."
The TV screen was recording this smoothly. There was nothing out of the ordinary.
"In the beginning was the word. The word was with God. The word was God..."
After constantly staring at the TV screen, Bou-san finally stood up. "I'm going out for a walk."
"I'm going too."
Miko-san also stood up.
...Where are you two going.
"Kuroda-san, you're not leaving, right?"
"If you're scared, I'll stay here with you."
"Stay here with me...?"
Ah— How embarrassing. But it can't be helped that I'm scared.
The sky grew darker and darker.
The light from the TV screens was the only thing that kept the room from being swallowed up in darkness. Even though there are lots of TV screens, the room was still dark and forboding.
Bou-san was in the TV screen, walking in the corridor of the first floor. Dressed in monk robes, he walked towards the room on the far left, his hand holding an object. John continued to perform his exorcism in the classroom above.
He took some white sand from a container and scattered it around the floor. Is that salt?
"The word was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made."
John suddenly stopped praying and started looking around.
...What happened?
I increased the volume of the speakers.
In the midst of John's prayer, a snapping sound could be heard.
"It's noise made from a poltergeist," Kuroda stated.
"In Him was life, and that life was the light of men," John continued.
He constantly lifted his head to look at the ceiling.
"The light shone in the darkness. But the darkness could not comprehend the light..."
The ceiling...
"Ah!" I shouted.
I looked at the classroom ceiling on the west side. Near the room with the wooden plank. It's right under the room where Masako fell from.
The wood on the ceiling was bending.
It's almost like something's trying to penetrate through the ceiling.
It's dangerous!
I suddenly pounced up from my chair.
"Taniyama-san?!" Kuroda cried out.
I rushed out of the lab room.
When I ran near the room John was in, I heard a loud cracking sound.
"John! John!"
I forcefully slid the door open, leaving a surprised John staring at me.
"Mai-san..."
"John, it's dangerous. Come out now!"
"Eh?!"
Not even a second passed after I pointed toward the crack in the ceiling that the ceiling came crashing down, rocking the floor. With the candle knocked over, the room was pitch black.
The flashlight flickered, then lit up.
The rubble covered up the entire classroom. Pieces of wood and stone were scattered all over the floor.
...The west side of the roof completely collapsed.
"If Mai-san didn't call me, I would've been in trouble," John said, his voice quivering slightly.
Naru picked up a piece of rubble and examined it.
He looked like he was in a trance.
"Since this place is dangerous, let's go down instead," Bou-san advised, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Miko-san crossed her arms in a cold manner. "...I'm leaving today."
"You sure get scared easily," Kuroda laughed.
Miko-san appeared unaffected by her remark. "Your life is the most important thing. Masako would've died if she fell onto a slightly different place. John almost died too. I'm smart, so I'm retreating before that happens to me."
"Are you scared?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm calling it quits for today. I'll continue tomorrow."
...How can you do that.
"She's correct," Naru stated silently.
"Hey, hey, Naru-chan," Bou-san exclaimed in shock. "You're not scared by this too, are you?"
"Say what you want," Naru replied. "But this time, Miko-san is correct... Mai, you can go home."
"Really?"
Ah, I accidentally let out a laugh.
"Right, you should also..." Naru paused, throwing the rock he was tossing around back into the pile of rubble. Then he faced Kuroda, saying, "Kuroda-san, you should go home too."
"Hey hey, so if I'm not a girl, then..." Bou-san nagged.
Naru sent a deathly glare at Bou-san's direction. "I suggest that all of you go home now."
John sighed. "I... Guess we should go home then."
"How obedient," Bou-san said, smacking his lips, "forget it, let's just call it a day."
Ah, so you're the only one left now. Are you scared... Hmm..
We were all ushered out of the building by Bou-san.
Naru-chan waved to us from the entrance hall. "Good-bye."
"Naru, what about you? You're not going home?"
"I have to investigate more."
...You want to stay here? ...You're a courageous one.
We left the building under Naru's gaze.
