The next day, all of us were facing Yuasa High School. The team was made of seven people: me, Naru, Lin-san, Bou-san, Masako, Ayako, and John.
However, it was at Naru's request that everyone had gathered here today. I wonder if they have a lot of free time... It's hard to imagine, but is it because of Naru's popularity?
Naru entered our small conference room and started to explain the circumstances. So far, our tasks seemed simple.
"Anyway, there are a large number of incidents, so we can't spend much time on every one of them. Just try to exorcise as many as possible, and if that's ineffective we'll think of another plan."
"John and Bou-san, go here, okay?"
Naru passed the memo regarding the cursed desk victim's hospitalization to them.
"If a spirit is there, do you want us to exorcise it?"
Naru nodded to John in response. The foreigner's hair was a fair, gold color, and his eyes were blue like the sky. When we first met, he spoke with a Kansai accent. (At that time I thought if he were to keep talking that way, it'd be like listening to a different kind of Japanese.)
"And now, Hara-san."
"Please just call me by my first name, Masako. I don't mind."
The clad-in-kimono Masako smiled with her round, red, doll-like lips.
"Always making that request."
Who was that, that voice just now.
It seems like Masako really likes Naru. Someone with a graceful appearance. Someone with strong attacks. Other than Masako, the only other person capable of such a sarcastic remark is...
Naru let out a small sigh.
"Please take a look around the school. For the time being, perform an exorcism in the art preparation room. Afterwards, do the same thing for the seat that's causing accidents and for the locker room in the track and field team. Matsuzaki-san, please accompany her. If you encounter any spirits, please exorcise them."
"I wanted you to call me by my first name too, but you didn't care, remember?" Ayako pressed.
Naru's cold gaze met with hers.
"If you have the energy to joke around, then I would really rather see your exorcising abilities. How about gradually showing us your exorcism skills so we can respect you?"
...That's right. Why did you sigh to Masako when she asked a question, and why did you retort back to Ayako?
Ayako complained about this too:
"What the hell. Why do you discriminate between me and Masako?"
"She is capable, so I'm only giving her the respect she deserves."
"You make it sound like I'm not capable at all, although I do regret that I have not been able to prove myself yet, can't you at least show me a little respect?"
...Yeah, that's true. Ayako barely showed her exorcism skills.
Suddenly, Ayako glared at me.
"Just then, you said that in your mind."
"Be polite to your elders, okay?"
"Hand over the driver's seat in the car[1], okay?"
"Hey, you—" I grumbled. "Aren't you being irresponsible?"
Naru's cold, matchless voice sounded, "If you two want to play, then how about going home?"
"...I'm sorry."
Afterwards, Naru glared at Ayako and me. "I see."
There were some receivers lined up on the table.
"Please take one. Here, Mai will be able to receive information. As long as you are on school grounds, the signal will get through."
We will use the night vision camera as well as the thermograph. The psychics will have to rely on their sixth sense and receivers for ghost hunting.
"Got it."
Ayako nodded reluctantly.
"What about you? What will you do, Naru?" I asked.
"I will continue to investigate with Lin."
"I see," I said. "Good luck. I hope things go well."
Followed by a completely sarcastic tone.
"Don't get your hopes up."
...So am I the only one not doing anything? Oh, well—that's just the way things are, I guess.
Those were some clearly confident orders. Exactly what a prestigious narcissist would say.
Ayako glared at Naru.
"Masako, let's go!" she declared.
Masako was violently dragged out of the room. This acted as a cue for the rest of the members to stand up and leave.
I sat down in front of the large receiver.
I hope this case runs smoothly.
Even though I was thinking that way, I still had to organize the information that we collected yesterday.
I organized a large amount of notes regarding the incidents, their locations, and what happened according to the witnesses. I quickly started on my tedious task and ordered them into a big folder.
I don't have psychic powers, so of course things turned out this way. Still, I can't help but feel that this everyday routine is a chore. Yeah, even once would be good; I just want to look cool performing an exorcism.
...Then Naru might also take a good look at me—No, that will never happen, right? The social difference between a CEO and a part-time worker is too great.
It was certainly something to think about. Alone, I grumbled to myself when all of a sudden,
The conference room door opened.
".........!"
Shocked, I shot up from my seat. Takahashi-san looked even more surprised than me.
"...You surprised me..." I uttered.
"Same here. ...I didn't think that would happen. Where's Norio?"
"Who?"
Norio...who's that?
"Takigawa-san."
"Bou-san? So 'Norio' is basically just Bou-san's nickname?"
"It's written as 'Hounama', but read as 'Norio' , but it looks like it's right. But it isn't, right? Are you the only one here?"
"Yes. Bou-san left to do some exorcisms. Would you like to sit down?"
"I'll sit."
Giggling, Takahashi-san energetically entered the room and sat down with a pat. What a friendly person.
"Here's some tea. How's class?" I asked.
"Thanks. ...We have to teach ourselves the material because our teacher is in the hospital."
"Since a lot of our teachers have been hospitalized, everything is self-taught. I feel grateful. By the way, Taniyama-san, I think that's about it."
"Please, just call me Mai."
"Well then, you can call me Taka. Everyone calls me that."
"Okay."
I guess I can call her Taka-san even though she's my senior.
"Mai, why are so many incidents happening here?"
"Work."
"It's a strange job."
"If you could be understanding, why do these incidents keep occurring?"
"Of course, you can talk about it. I'll listen to you."
Hee hee hee. I really like this person.
"Actually—"
I talked about the circumstances of the case as I arranged the notes. Taka-san also helped out.
"Well, life is tough, isn't it?"
"Guess so."
"Well, it's a good thing this job isn't dangerous, y'know?"
"It's not a job where you feel at ease though, right?"
"So they're not hauntings?"
"Right now we're not sure."
"Is that so—"
I decided I liked her strange manners.
Like a boy, she crossed her arms. "What's wrong with this school. Must be because it's a really haunted school. Curses, ghosts, and psychic powers. If an UFO comes along..."
...Eh?
"Taka-san, what did you say just now?"
"It's Taka. —It's all because of this huge assembly gathering on psychic powers. The existence of curses, ghosts, and psychic abilities..."
"Stop! Who's this person with psychic powers?"
"Oh, you didn't hear about it? It's Kasai Chiaki."
"Oh."
Taka tilted her head.
"In this school, there's a third year. She has psychic powers."
"Whaa?"
"It's Kasai Chiaki-san. Lately there have been these TV programs. Programs about spoon bending. Spoons were being bent."
...I see.
"I think it immediately started right after summer vacation. It became really popular overnight. A lot of people went and saw her do it. I went and saw it too. Anyhow, the craze soon died down."
Taka chuckled. "Bending the spoon by the neck. It's amazing. I was really impressed by it, but some people believed it was fake. And then, for a while it became a hot topic. The school became divided up into believers and non-believers. Spoon bending became popular for a moment, but..."
"But what?"
"Things became serious. Even the teachers were dragged into the strangeness. Everyone wanted to put an end to this and find out whether or not it is fake, so Kasai-san was asked to go to the stage in a morning assembly."
"...And that's when things got worse."
"Then Kasai-san's friend, Sawaguchi-san, lost her temper. Her friend became an overwhelming figure when that happened. And then the guidance counselor, Yoshino, asked Kasai-san to bend a key in order to prove her powers."
"Did everyone see it?"
"Yes. In the assembly in front of the entire school."
"Hehh."
Mysterious...
"And then well, the teachers and Sawaguchi-san attacked Kasai-san. Saying stuff like, psychic powers don't exist, you're trying to escape reality, this is fake, how dreadful. Seriously."
It was a very likely reaction.
"And now Sawaguchi-san refuses to go to school. And also, Kasai-chan became furious. She said 'I'll curse you to death' to the teacher. It became hectic."
Wow. This is a serious matter.
"And he lectured specifically on this matter in the school assembly, saying there's no such things as psychic powers or ghosts. He and his long speech."
"Poor him."
"I feel bad for him too. Thank you. But, since then, strange things have been happening, and people have been talking. It's only gossip, but there have been some talk that it's because of Kasai-san's curse."
"How unlucky..."
What's happening here? Psychic abilities and curses and rumors...
I took the mike. "Naru, Naru. Can you hear me?"
While calling him, I heard some static, as well as some other common sounds.
"What."
"Come back. You see, I found some useful information."
There was some static in the background.
"Come back now," I repeated.
After Naru listened to Taka's explanation, he contemplated.
"...I don't know the details about it, but..." Taka replied.
"How are those two now?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know, but—Sawaguchi-san rarely comes to school. Sometimes Kasai-san would be invited to do new things, but lately that hasn't been happening at all. After she was made fun of in the morning assembly, Kasai-san rarely talks now. The thing is, everyone wants to see what tricks she used. Though this is what you'd expect."
"I see..."
"If I remember correctly, Kasai-san and Sawaguchi-san were both in the Biology Club. Kasai-san might still be in school. She should be in the room where the Biology club was in, the Bio-preparation room."
"Thank you. We'll go there and take a look. —Mai, come on."
"Okay..."
Regarding work, Naru takes his job seriously, which is why he's such an expert. After a crude explanation on using the equipment, he let Taka moniter the machines. He took me along with him, and I left the conference room behind me.
The Biology preparation room was lined up with some other science courses. It was in the class right beside the lab room. As we approached the door, we heard voices coming from inside. The moment Naru knocked, the voices came to a halt.
"Yes?"
A woman's voice.
Naru opened the door.
"Excuse me for intruding, but would Kasai-san be here?"
There were some desks and shelves inside, along with a schoolgirl and a female teacher.
After hearing the name "Kasai", the pair's expressions changed immediately.
"What business do you have here?" asked the teacher.
The teacher looked at Naru. She was a young schoolteacher with a gentle voice. She listened with business-like attention to Naru.
"I want to speak with Kasai-san. —Are you Kasai Chiaki-san?" he asked.
When Naru saw the girl, she stared back at him.
"...Now what?"
It was clearly hostility. It was the first time the girl saw Naru.
"The principal had called us in. I'm Shibuya from 'Shibuya Psychic Research'."
Kasai-san turned her head to face us. She wore an expression of disinterest. The teacher looked slightly embarrassed.
"...Please take a seat. I'm Ubusuna Kei, the Biology teacher."
"Ubusuna...It's quite an unusual name," Naru commented.
Ubusuna-sensei smiled gently in response.
"Since it's about Kasai-san... That must mean you want to hear about the incident in September."
"Yes. I would like to ask her about the circumstances."
Ubusuna-sensei, what now? She looked at Kasai-san's direction.
"I don't want to." Kasai-san's face was turned away from us. "It has nothing to do with me. Leave me alone."
"But, you should talk to them so that they don't misunderstand," the teacher coaxed.
"........."
Kasai-san looked outside the window.
"I don't want to. They're just call me a liar."
Ubusuna-sensei walked over to Kasai-san.
"They're paranormal researchers. The CEO will not dismiss what you have to say."
The teacher tried to get Kasai-san to answer. Then she let out a small sigh.
"...Well? What do you want to ask about?" the girl finally said.
"I heard that you're connected to the strange incidents happening in the school from a student here. You also had an argument with your friend, Sawakuchi-san."
"I have nothing to do with the incidents happening in the school. Mizuo also—"
"Mizuo? Do you mean Sawakuchi-san?" Naru asked.
"Yes. Sawakuchi Mizuo. Lately she hasn't been coming to school. She shuts himself in her room and refuses to go out or even answer the phone. I didn't make her do that, because I didn't even meet with her this month."
Naru nodded slightly.
"Sawakuchi-san heard about the mysterious power you had and made an announcement to the entire school in the morning gathering."
"...That's right. But she didn't believe it."
It's amazing how humans are not to be trusted. The hair on Kasai-san's whole body practically ruffled up.
"Can you bend spoons?"
Upon hearing Naru's voice, she gave him a stern stare.
"Yes I can. You probably don't believe it, and you must think I'm being selfish."
"You don't need all the commotion around you, isn't that right?"
A biting, suppressed smile spread onto Kasai-san's features.
"After all...You don't believe in psychic powers anyway, right?" she pressed.
"Why would I? Even I can bend a spoon."
Eh?
Ubusuna-sensei, I and even Kasai-san were shocked as we stared at Naru.
"You can?" the girl asked.
"I can. There are no paranormal researchers that do not believe in PK."
"—Can you do it easily?"
"...Yes..."
And then without any warning, the girl immediately said, "Show me."
As he stood up, the glass on the shelf pierced into him as he reached for a spoon.
...Naru, are you okay?!
Naru accepted the spoon from the girl. There was a complicated look on his face. He seemed to be hesitating.
"Can you do it? Can you really?"
If Naru can't do it, then Kasai-san won't trust us. And then we won't be able to hear the entire story. However, if she's already changed into that kind of person, then she won't be able to trust anyone else.
Naru's glance fell toward the spoon. He looked at the spoon, then at Kasai-san.
"I wonder if you do not know how."
He muttered something. As the tip of his finger touched the spoon, the spoon's neck became bent and fell down.
Clink! The sound of the metal echoed throughout the room.
We quietly took in a breath.
Then he handed the headless spoon, which was now a mere stick, to Kasai-san. She timidly accepted the bent spoon.
"Amazing..."
"Do you believe me now?"
"...Yes."
Kasai-san tightly grasped the spoon handle.
"It all started when I saw this TV program in the Summer," Kasai-san said. "I just happened to see this late night program about spoon bending. I ended up thinking about it afterwards, and I tried to bend one by myself."
The girl picked up the fallen head of the spoon and joined it to the handle. This created a five degree angle.
"I don't have anything amazing to show you though, not at my level."
Shrugging her shoulders, she tossed the broken spoon onto Ubusuna-sensei's desk.
"The next day, Mizuo bought spoons and called lots of people. Then I bent the spoon, though I couldn't do it as easily as you. It took me a long time to bend the spoon in one shot."
".........?"
Kasai-san stopped talking to Naru. Ubusuna-sensei then continued for her.
"Back in the day, a psychic named Uri Geller appeared in a broadcasting. Some of the viewers began to bend spoons, and that's when this whole commotion about psychic powers started. Those who discovered their psychic powers back then were called 'Gellerini'."
"You know this very well."
Ubusuna-sensei smiled.
Naru directed his question to Kasai-san.
"Can you still bend it?" he asked.
Kasai-san's expression seemed constrained. Naru's words appeared to send her a challenge.
"Of course I can!" Kasai-san shouted as she grabbed another spoon.
Her right hand grasped the spoon in front of her face, as her left hand reached out for the spoon's neck.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
Naru was silent while the girl stared intently at the spoon. The tip of her finger touched the spoon. However, her power seemed to concentrate in her shoulders. Focusing her mind and feelings, she stooped forward. Her body was almost completely bent forward into the chair.
"Don't do that."
Naru gripped Kasai-san's shoulder.
The girl shot him an unhappy look. Her face was pale.
"...What."
"I know what you're doing. When you do that, you're doing the same thing some of the Gellerini did."
...What things?
Kasai-san's face was white as Ubusuna-sensei turned around.
"...Sorry. But this child isn't lying. It's just, sometimes she can't bend it," Ubusuna-sensei explained.
...You say so, but we didn't see that.
"...Um," I timidly cutted into their conversation.
Naru slowly turned around.
"That was a trick. While your body was bent, you tried to bend the spoon with the chair."
"Ehh."
"Placing the spoon into your shadow, you'd bend it—against the hard edge of the chair."
What?
Naru's eyes were serious as he spoke.
"The majority of the Gellerini nearly lost all their psychic powers in a short amount of time. As a result, they had to resort to tricks in order to cover up the loss of their powers. Some of the Gellerini were caught and labeled as impostors. Right then, it looked like you used one of the typical tricks that the Gellerini used."
.........
"But I really can bend it!" Kasai-san shouted.
"If you are caught using that kind of trick, you will lose your credibility. Got it?"
"...Yes."
"The Gellerini's powers were terribly unstable. Every paranormal researcher knows this fact. If you can't do it, then just say you can't do it. Don't pay any attention to those people who do not believe because they never believed in psychic powers from the beginning."
"I understand."
"Because of the Gellerini, Shelby Meyer of Switzerland also had a worldwide reputation from her PK. ...Never again was it given such recognition."
Kasai-san looked small.
"I'm the one who taught her that." Ubusuna-sensei placed a hand by her mouth as she apologized. "Some teachers put her in situations where she had to bend spoons to prove her powers. Kasai-san's powers are unstable...Everybody's suspicion grew stronger, and they wanted to make her cower."
Naru nodded. "You are a very understanding teacher."
Ubusuna-sensei didn't answer, but smiled slightly instead.
Kasai-san spoke in a low voice, "...Lately, I haven't been able to bend spoons."
"That's possible."
"I talked to Kei-sensei, and she taught me that trick. I haven't been able to bend spoons recently. Even if I can do it, I only bend it slightly, so I use that method instead."
"...I see."
"...Mizuo constantly taunted me. I learned how to concentrate on bending spoons from Kei-sensei, and I practiced it. So then I tried to use that method hastily, but I can't do it at all."
"What about Sakauchi-san? Did he think you could really do it?"
"...Mmm, he kept finding fault in me. He did that countless times. And then...in September, I was called to the front of the school in the morning assembly— The guidance counselor, Yoshino-sensei, came and went on about how psychic powers is nonsense, and then he complained about me being an idiot and a lowly woman. At that time, Mizuo got angry because I could do it, and he told me off."
"You bent the teacher's key..."
"Yes. It was Yoshino-sensei's car key. And that's just the beginning. But, I opposed the teacher in front of everyone, y'know? Since then, the teacher's criticism was relentless... I became quiet, and coming to school has been hard with all the gossip. But Kei-sensei has been nice to me despite all the criticism she has to face. Just what is the Biology Club doing, and other stuff like that. The members of the club have been sending me glares, and afterwards a lot of them left the club. I...made them quit the club. That's why I've been idle lately; I just can't help but think about this."
After Naru listened to what Kasai-san said, she stuck out her tongue.
"I see. Did you also say: 'I'll curse you to death'?
"After he said all those mean things to me, I flew into a rage. I couldn't help but get angry."
"So you were just saying it?" Naru said to Kasai-san and Ubusuna-sensei as he looked at them.
"It's possible that...something like cursing him to death would be hard to do."
"Yes, that's right," Naru agreed in a dull voice.
When Naru and I returned to the conference room, we heard lively voices from inside. Everyone had returned.
"Did they just come back from exorcising?" I asked casually.
"Mai."
"What."
"I have a favor to ask of you."
...F-f-f-f-f-favor?! Naru wants a favor from meeeee?!
"...P-, please go on."
"About my bending the spoon earlier."
"Yeah?"
"Keep it a secret from everybody."
"Why? It was amazing."
"Please. Especially from Lin."
...Wha. O-okay. But why?
I really want to ask him about the details. But Naru looked truly worried, so I decided to let the matter drop.
"Of course," I assured him.
It's not bad to have the upper hand for once. I'm grateful, Naru.
Light-headed, I bowed slightly, while Naru opened the door to the conference room. For a moment, he looked like his real age. But just as quickly, the expression reverted back to his beautiful, emotionless state.
Inside, Ayako and Bou-san were in the middle of a lover's quarrel.
"Why are you so incapable and useless?" asked Bou-san.
"How am I useless!"
As usual, their relationship seemed good.
"What's the problem?" Naru asked as Ayako looked the other way.
"...What's wrong?" I absently asked Taka and Bou-san in a cheerful voice as I turned to face them.
"Instead of helping out, this idiot is doing nothing but standing around, not to mention trying to run away as well."
"Where did you guys go?" I asked.
"The room with the poltergeist."
Oh.
"Hold on a sec', Ayako, you're being reckless as usual, aren't you," I remarked.
Ayako shot a cold glare at me. "It's not a joke! It was scary! Because I was like hey, and then Masako said that nothing was there..."
"Just to be on the safe side, shouldn't we exorcise all of them, since we don't know what to expect?"
"If only she weren't such a flirt. Anyway, it's because Masako said nothing was there," Ayako grumbled as she faced John.
"But...that can't be," murmured the boy with sunlight-colored hair and a white bandage.
"John! Why's that?!"
"Ah, is that it? It's nothing important. It only happened for a short time anyway," John chuckled as he turned to Bou-san's side.
"A spear was thrown at us."
...A spear.
"By spear, do you mean the kind of spear in spear throwing?!"
"...That's right."
"But, in reality it's because someone was trying to hurt us."
...But isn't that really dangerous?!
Naru's calm voice boomed like thunder. "Can you be more specific?"
Suddenly looking worried, John turned to Bou-san for help.
"When we were coming back from outside, we opened the door and looked into the track and field team room and saw a spear flying towards us. Of course, no one else was in the room," Bou-san explained.
...It was that dangerous... Moreover, is the bandage the reason to aim at their heads? Just thinking about it makes me shiver.
Naru replied in a hard voice, "And? Did you eventually get some exorcisms done?"
Ayako decided to be mean.
"...Masako said that she has not seen even one ghost around the school..."
Naru looked back at Masako. "...Is that true?"
"Yes." Masako looked up and nodded. Her face was brimming with confidence.
"...That can't be."
"But there aren't any. I thoroughly looked all around the school, and there were also no spirits in other places."
Bou-san interjected, "You'd expect there to be spirits here, right? But there aren't any at all. It's natural to think that since this is where the curse is taking place. And because four accidents had already occurred, more will continue."
"Then they're deceiving us," Masako stated.
"The whole school?! Stop joking."
"It's a fact."
The deathly silent Masako turned the other way.
Naru looked at Masako and let out a sigh.
Then Bou-san and John both asked, "Over here? Why?"
"Maybe they're failing. No one looks happy here."
...Could that be it? Yeesh. I wonder if I can just believe that.
John looked a bit apologetic, "But that girl who was possessed can't be faking it. The exorcisms weren't effective. Takigawa-san and I alternated our exorcisms numerous times, but in the end we had to struggle to do it, and they came back anyway."
"I see..."
Naru appeared to be deep in thought.
"These extremely strong spirits are very lucky now. Tomorrow, if that girl calms down, you can ask her questions again."
"No, it's okay," Naru dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "Go see the girl at the hospital."
Bou-san looked confused. "The hospital... You don't mean the one in the neurology section?"
"What's wrong?"
"Oi, oi."
"Doing something like that. It's not the ghost's fault though."
Followed by an emotionless voice:
"What seems to be an evil spirit could just be a neurotic disease. In actuality, when consulting a neurologist, there would be many symptoms and different methods to deal with them. Of course, we can't just deny the possibility of possession. If the girl so far as goes to a temple, then the counselor would be concerned, right? One would assume the possession is responsible for a hysterical personality."
"Ah..."
...What do those difficult words mean? Ayako also looked confused.
"Sometimes a hysteria fit will look as if the victim is possessed by a spirit. This could be the case with her, right?" Bou-san replied.
"So you think it was a hysteria fit? Hysteria could be the cause..." Naru nodded.
"That could be the reason. It could just be a misunderstanding."
"Huh...?"
Naru turned towards the priestess and me.
"'Hysteria' is a medical term. It could be an explanation. The girl, however, was relaxed and not serious at all. So as a matter of fact, it's the exact opposite. 'Hysteria' is a term used in nerve medicine. Generally the term 'hisuterii'[2] is used... The word 'hisu' is derived from that word. 'Hysteria' alone can be the cause, which means that one could say 'hisu' is the cause."
"Oh. I've heard of that before."
"Someone with hysteria would try to suppress their extreme desires, instead of carrying them out. Apart from an explosion, I can't think of a way to place a limit on all these strange occurrences."
...My poor brain was not excited.
Bou-san said, "So what you're saying is this? For example, if a girl really likes a guy, society will always view the guy as a lecher. I always limit variations."
...Hey hey Bou-san, what kind of example is that.
Naru shrugged.
"It's the closest thing I could think of even though it is a bit different," the monk admitted. "Basically, I'm saying that most couples break up instead. Well, if I say something difficult, then Mai wouldn't understand, so I simplified it..."
...That's too much help right there. Please if it's because of the suppression, then I also think the suppression caused hysteria.
"The superego would be influenced by others and changed as a result. 'Convulsions' would be considered typical. Someone may want to behave violently, but then suppress the feeling so that he or she doesn't explode in anger. In this case, 'Convulsions' would be one of the many symptoms."
"Ohh."
"As for that girl, she might be possessed by a spirit. She was suppressed, although this could hold true for all Japanese students. She did the Kokkuri and is now seized with the idea that 'it's a curse'. Thinking about that brought about the trigger for her bout of hysteria. Generally she'd explode on her parents or teachers. The spirit possessing her had distorted her mind. She behaves as if she were possessed. If she unconsciously acts possessed at home, she would be calm there."
Oh...
"So what are you trying to say?" Bou-san asked Naru. "Unless she's possessed by a spirit, she has hysteria?"
"I fear that's the case. If she gets visitors while she's in the hospital, then things would be clear."
"Then what about the others? What about the hand coming out of the desk and the knocking sounds? Are all those due to sicknesses too?"
Bou-san looked back at Masako, who had a look of satisfaction on her face.
"...So there are no ghosts here."
Naru shrugged. "If I were a neurologist, I'd conclude that there is a mass breakout of hysteria in this school..."
He muttered something, and then glanced down at his feet.
"You can't think anymore?" asked the monk.
Hearing that, I instinctively listened.
"Ah, Mai didn't know? Even though things may appear this way, as a parapsychologist this is my conviction."
...Sorry about that. For the most part, I was listening.
"What a troublesome case..." Naru said as he looked out the window.
John nodded in agreement.
"So it’s come to this."
"Really?" Bou-san asked in a persistently carefree manner.
Naru shot Bou-san a disdainful stare. "Out of all the complaints we’ve received, how many do you think actually happened?"
"Well, at a glance there seems to be some misunderstandings," the monk responded.
"Strange incidents continue to occur in this school. No one feels comfortable anymore, and everyone feels like prisoners," John said to Naru.
"Since everyone feels so uneasy and frightened, they might experience hallucinations. This could be the reason why the girl possessed by a fox spirit became such a wreck. I know this sounds vague, but something similar to a curse must be causing this―At least, that’s what I think. If this situation continues, the uneasiness will increase, and people will believe the school is haunted or that there’s a curse. And then the clumsier people may panic."
"Right," Naru agreed.
"We can’t determine whether or not these incidents are due to spiritual phenomena because of all the possible exceptions and the sheer amount of incidents that has occurred. Moreover...even if that’s true, the amount is still abnormal. There must be a reason behind all this despite the fact that incidents only occur to those related to the school. Still, I haven’t the slightest idea what those reasons could be..."
Everyone seemed deep in thought.
"Now the only one we can rely on is Hara-san..." Naru muttered indifferently.
Hara-san raised an eyebrow before responding, "...There are no spirits in this school."
Naru let out a sigh upon hearing Masako’s voice.
"...So that’s your conclusion. Have we reached a dead end this soon?"
"Maybe Masako is right?" asked Ayako.
Masako turned towards her. "Matsuzaki-san is undoubtedly correct."
"Exactly. However you think about it, if the ghosts aren’t there, then there’s no way they are the cause." Ayako’s remark was thickly coated in sarcasm.
Masako turned toward Naru. "Kazuya-san believes me, right?"
Right. I... I’m absolutely disgusted with you saying "Kazuya-san" like that. I hate it when you do that!
And then I instinctively replied, "Well that’s obvious, isn’t it?"
Everyone’s gaze fell onto me. Especially Masako’s sharp one.
"...Why can Taniyama-san say that? As for the *freebie, please be quiet."
Freebie?! Freebie—?!
You’re infuriating me on purpose. You’re making me lose it. Just because I carelessly let slip something.
"There are spirits here. It’s just that, Masako can’t sense them," I stated.
Masako began to laugh. "Taniyama-san’s spiritual ability is non-existent."
"But, they do exist here. I can feel it in the atmosphere."
Ahh, some words can be bought.
"Such talk is meaningless." Masako giggled as Ayako raised her voice.
"I agree with Mai."
...Ayako?
"I think so too," came another voice.
Masako scowled at us. "There aren’t any here. I believe I am correct."
"Really? If there were ghosts here, what would you do?" asked Ayako.
"In one way or another, everything will be okay," Masako replied.
"So, from now on, you’ll stop helping Naru with his cases, right?" the older woman challenged.
...What are you talking about, you.
We forgot about our situation and just stared at her with blank looks on our faces.
There was a faint smile on Masako’s face. "Ara, Matsuzaki-san, why must you speak so roughly?"
"There’s a problem with this team."
...A problem with the team? You mean from the very beginning?
Masako replied, "It’s okay. I get it. Because of this change, I win. Kazuya-san is mine."
Naru struck the desk, the sound echoing throughout the room. "Don’t just do what you want and bet on others like that!"
...Look out. He’s angry. Naru was clearly in a bad mood.
"I know what Hara-san is saying, and I know what Mai is saying too. But we can’t tell whose judgment is correct as of now, so this argument is pointless. This case is meaningless," he stated ruthlessly.
...This is how Naru acts when he’s angry. If anything, this was quite natural for him. Masako and Ayako turned around. Ayako stomped towards her acquaintance, John, her shoes clanking against the floor.
"John, let’s get back to work! We should quickly exorcise the spirits."
"Huh...? That..."
"Well! Let’s go!"
...Poor John. He was dragged out of the room by Ayako again.
Bou-san scratched his head. "...I’ll get back to work too..."
He went out the door. Masako spoke to Naru and proceeded to shoot me a glance before walking out. Now the only ones left behind were a very confused Taka, me, a bored Naru, and an expressionless Lin-san.
Naru was casually looking out the window, his bitter expression still in place.
"...If only," he murmured.
"Eh?"
When no reply came, I shook my head.
"If only...a psychic with abilities that we can trust were here. –Lin, let’s get back to work as well."
"Okay."
Naru and Lin also left the room.
Stiff and dazed, Taka sighed. "Is it always like that?"
"...Yeah."
"Mai constantly undergoes hardships."
"You think so?" I asked.
"Of course. If it were me, no one would be able to rely on this service anymore."
"...For a moment, I was thinking the same thing."
"Don’t feel bad about it."
Taka gently patted my head, comforting me for the moment.
The next day, all of us were facing Yuasa High School. The team was made of seven people: me, Naru, Lin-san, Bou-san, Masako, Ayako, and John.
However, it was at Naru's request that everyone had gathered here today. I wonder if they have a lot of free time... It's hard to imagine, but is it because of Naru's popularity?
Naru entered our small conference room and started to explain the circumstances. So far, our tasks seemed simple.
"Anyway, there are a large number of incidents, so we can't spend much time on every one of them. Just try to exorcise as many as possible, and if that's ineffective we'll think of another plan."
"John and Bou-san, go here, okay?"
Naru passed the memo regarding the cursed desk victim's hospitalization to them.
"If a spirit is there, do you want us to exorcise it?"
Naru nodded to John in response. The foreigner's hair was a fair, gold color, and his eyes were blue like the sky. When we first met, he spoke with a Kansai accent. (At that time I thought if he were to keep talking that way, it'd be like listening to a different kind of Japanese.)
"And now, Hara-san."
"Please just call me by my first name, Masako. I don't mind."
The clad-in-kimono Masako smiled with her round, red, doll-like lips.
"Always making that request."
Who was that, that voice just now.
It seems like Masako really likes Naru. Someone with a graceful appearance. Someone with strong attacks. Other than Masako, the only other person capable of such a sarcastic remark is...
Naru let out a small sigh.
"Please take a look around the school. For the time being, perform an exorcism in the art preparation room. Afterwards, do the same thing for the seat that's causing accidents and for the locker room in the track and field team. Matsuzaki-san, please accompany her. If you encounter any spirits, please exorcise them."
"I wanted you to call me by my first name too, but you didn't care, remember?" Ayako pressed.
Naru's cold gaze met with hers.
"If you have the energy to joke around, then I would really rather see your exorcising abilities. How about gradually showing us your exorcism skills so we can respect you?"
...That's right. Why did you sigh to Masako when she asked a question, and why did you retort back to Ayako?
Ayako complained about this too:
"What the hell. Why do you discriminate between me and Masako?"
"She is capable, so I'm only giving her the respect she deserves."
"You make it sound like I'm not capable at all, although I do regret that I have not been able to prove myself yet, can't you at least show me a little respect?"
...Yeah, that's true. Ayako barely showed her exorcism skills.
Suddenly, Ayako glared at me.
"Just then, you said that in your mind."
"Be polite to your elders, okay?"
"Hand over the driver's seat in the car[1], okay?"
"Hey, you—" I grumbled. "Aren't you being irresponsible?"
Naru's cold, matchless voice sounded, "If you two want to play, then how about going home?"
"...I'm sorry."
Afterwards, Naru glared at Ayako and me. "I see."
There were some receivers lined up on the table.
"Please take one. Here, Mai will be able to receive information. As long as you are on school grounds, the signal will get through."
We will use the night vision camera as well as the thermograph. The psychics will have to rely on their sixth sense and receivers for ghost hunting.
"Got it."
Ayako nodded reluctantly.
"What about you? What will you do, Naru?" I asked.
"I will continue to investigate with Lin."
"I see," I said. "Good luck. I hope things go well."
Followed by a completely sarcastic tone.
"Don't get your hopes up."
...So am I the only one not doing anything? Oh, well—that's just the way things are, I guess.
Those were some clearly confident orders. Exactly what a prestigious narcissist would say.
Ayako glared at Naru.
"Masako, let's go!" she declared.
Masako was violently dragged out of the room. This acted as a cue for the rest of the members to stand up and leave.
I sat down in front of the large receiver.
I hope this case runs smoothly.
Even though I was thinking that way, I still had to organize the information that we collected yesterday.
I organized a large amount of notes regarding the incidents, their locations, and what happened according to the witnesses. I quickly started on my tedious task and ordered them into a big folder.
I don't have psychic powers, so of course things turned out this way. Still, I can't help but feel that this everyday routine is a chore. Yeah, even once would be good; I just want to look cool performing an exorcism.
...Then Naru might also take a good look at me—No, that will never happen, right? The social difference between a CEO and a part-time worker is too great.
It was certainly something to think about. Alone, I grumbled to myself when all of a sudden,
The conference room door opened.
".........!"
Shocked, I shot up from my seat. Takahashi-san looked even more surprised than me.
"...You surprised me..." I uttered.
"Same here. ...I didn't think that would happen. Where's Norio?"
"Who?"
Norio...who's that?
"Takigawa-san."
"Bou-san? So 'Norio' is basically just Bou-san's nickname?"
"It's written as 'Hounama', but read as 'Norio' , but it looks like it's right. But it isn't, right? Are you the only one here?"
"Yes. Bou-san left to do some exorcisms. Would you like to sit down?"
"I'll sit."
Giggling, Takahashi-san energetically entered the room and sat down with a pat. What a friendly person.
"Here's some tea. How's class?" I asked.
"Thanks. ...We have to teach ourselves the material because our teacher is in the hospital."
"Since a lot of our teachers have been hospitalized, everything is self-taught. I feel grateful. By the way, Taniyama-san, I think that's about it."
"Please, just call me Mai."
"Well then, you can call me Taka. Everyone calls me that."
"Okay."
I guess I can call her Taka-san even though she's my senior.
"Mai, why are so many incidents happening here?"
"Work."
"It's a strange job."
"If you could be understanding, why do these incidents keep occurring?"
"Of course, you can talk about it. I'll listen to you."
Hee hee hee. I really like this person.
"Actually—"
I talked about the circumstances of the case as I arranged the notes. Taka-san also helped out.
"Well, life is tough, isn't it?"
"Guess so."
"Well, it's a good thing this job isn't dangerous, y'know?"
"It's not a job where you feel at ease though, right?"
"So they're not hauntings?"
"Right now we're not sure."
"Is that so—"
I decided I liked her strange manners.
Like a boy, she crossed her arms. "What's wrong with this school. Must be because it's a really haunted school. Curses, ghosts, and psychic powers. If an UFO comes along..."
...Eh?
"Taka-san, what did you say just now?"
"It's Taka. —It's all because of this huge assembly gathering on psychic powers. The existence of curses, ghosts, and psychic abilities..."
"Stop! Who's this person with psychic powers?"
"Oh, you didn't hear about it? It's Kasai Chiaki."
"Oh."
Taka tilted her head.
"In this school, there's a third year. She has psychic powers."
"Whaa?"
"It's Kasai Chiaki-san. Lately there have been these TV programs. Programs about spoon bending. Spoons were being bent."
...I see.
"I think it immediately started right after summer vacation. It became really popular overnight. A lot of people went and saw her do it. I went and saw it too. Anyhow, the craze soon died down."
Taka chuckled. "Bending the spoon by the neck. It's amazing. I was really impressed by it, but some people believed it was fake. And then, for a while it became a hot topic. The school became divided up into believers and non-believers. Spoon bending became popular for a moment, but..."
"But what?"
"Things became serious. Even the teachers were dragged into the strangeness. Everyone wanted to put an end to this and find out whether or not it is fake, so Kasai-san was asked to go to the stage in a morning assembly."
"...And that's when things got worse."
"Then Kasai-san's friend, Sawaguchi-san, lost her temper. Her friend became an overwhelming figure when that happened. And then the guidance counselor, Yoshino, asked Kasai-san to bend a key in order to prove her powers."
"Did everyone see it?"
"Yes. In the assembly in front of the entire school."
"Hehh."
Mysterious...
"And then well, the teachers and Sawaguchi-san attacked Kasai-san. Saying stuff like, psychic powers don't exist, you're trying to escape reality, this is fake, how dreadful. Seriously."
It was a very likely reaction.
"And now Sawaguchi-san refuses to go to school. And also, Kasai-chan became furious. She said 'I'll curse you to death' to the teacher. It became hectic."
Wow. This is a serious matter.
"And he lectured specifically on this matter in the school assembly, saying there's no such things as psychic powers or ghosts. He and his long speech."
"Poor him."
"I feel bad for him too. Thank you. But, since then, strange things have been happening, and people have been talking. It's only gossip, but there have been some talk that it's because of Kasai-san's curse."
"How unlucky..."
What's happening here? Psychic abilities and curses and rumors...
I took the mike. "Naru, Naru. Can you hear me?"
While calling him, I heard some static, as well as some other common sounds.
"What."
"Come back. You see, I found some useful information."
There was some static in the background.
"Come back now," I repeated.
After Naru listened to Taka's explanation, he contemplated.
"...I don't know the details about it, but..." Taka replied.
"How are those two now?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know, but—Sawaguchi-san rarely comes to school. Sometimes Kasai-san would be invited to do new things, but lately that hasn't been happening at all. After she was made fun of in the morning assembly, Kasai-san rarely talks now. The thing is, everyone wants to see what tricks she used. Though this is what you'd expect."
"I see..."
"If I remember correctly, Kasai-san and Sawaguchi-san were both in the Biology Club. Kasai-san might still be in school. She should be in the room where the Biology club was in, the Bio-preparation room."
"Thank you. We'll go there and take a look. —Mai, come on."
"Okay..."
Regarding work, Naru takes his job seriously, which is why he's such an expert. After a crude explanation on using the equipment, he let Taka moniter the machines. He took me along with him, and I left the conference room behind me.
The Biology preparation room was lined up with some other science courses. It was in the class right beside the lab room. As we approached the door, we heard voices coming from inside. The moment Naru knocked, the voices came to a halt.
"Yes?"
A woman's voice.
Naru opened the door.
"Excuse me for intruding, but would Kasai-san be here?"
There were some desks and shelves inside, along with a schoolgirl and a female teacher.
After hearing the name "Kasai", the pair's expressions changed immediately.
"What business do you have here?" asked the teacher.
The teacher looked at Naru. She was a young schoolteacher with a gentle voice. She listened with business-like attention to Naru.
"I want to speak with Kasai-san. —Are you Kasai Chiaki-san?" he asked.
When Naru saw the girl, she stared back at him.
"...Now what?"
It was clearly hostility. It was the first time the girl saw Naru.
"The principal had called us in. I'm Shibuya from 'Shibuya Psychic Research'."
Kasai-san turned her head to face us. She wore an expression of disinterest. The teacher looked slightly embarrassed.
"...Please take a seat. I'm Ubusuna Kei, the Biology teacher."
"Ubusuna...It's quite an unusual name," Naru commented.
Ubusuna-sensei smiled gently in response.
"Since it's about Kasai-san... That must mean you want to hear about the incident in September."
"Yes. I would like to ask her about the circumstances."
Ubusuna-sensei, what now? She looked at Kasai-san's direction.
"I don't want to." Kasai-san's face was turned away from us. "It has nothing to do with me. Leave me alone."
"But, you should talk to them so that they don't misunderstand," the teacher coaxed.
"........."
Kasai-san looked outside the window.
"I don't want to. They're just call me a liar."
Ubusuna-sensei walked over to Kasai-san.
"They're paranormal researchers. The CEO will not dismiss what you have to say."
The teacher tried to get Kasai-san to answer. Then she let out a small sigh.
"...Well? What do you want to ask about?" the girl finally said.
"I heard that you're connected to the strange incidents happening in the school from a student here. You also had an argument with your friend, Sawakuchi-san."
"I have nothing to do with the incidents happening in the school. Mizuo also—"
"Mizuo? Do you mean Sawakuchi-san?" Naru asked.
"Yes. Sawakuchi Mizuo. Lately she hasn't been coming to school. She shuts himself in her room and refuses to go out or even answer the phone. I didn't make her do that, because I didn't even meet with her this month."
Naru nodded slightly.
"Sawakuchi-san heard about the mysterious power you had and made an announcement to the entire school in the morning gathering."
"...That's right. But she didn't believe it."
It's amazing how humans are not to be trusted. The hair on Kasai-san's whole body practically ruffled up.
"Can you bend spoons?"
Upon hearing Naru's voice, she gave him a stern stare.
"Yes I can. You probably don't believe it, and you must think I'm being selfish."
"You don't need all the commotion around you, isn't that right?"
A biting, suppressed smile spread onto Kasai-san's features.
"After all...You don't believe in psychic powers anyway, right?" she pressed.
"Why would I? Even I can bend a spoon."
Eh?
Ubusuna-sensei, I and even Kasai-san were shocked as we stared at Naru.
"You can?" the girl asked.
"I can. There are no paranormal researchers that do not believe in PK."
"—Can you do it easily?"
"...Yes..."
And then without any warning, the girl immediately said, "Show me."
As he stood up, the glass on the shelf pierced into him as he reached for a spoon.
...Naru, are you okay?!
Naru accepted the spoon from the girl. There was a complicated look on his face. He seemed to be hesitating.
"Can you do it? Can you really?"
If Naru can't do it, then Kasai-san won't trust us. And then we won't be able to hear the entire story. However, if she's already changed into that kind of person, then she won't be able to trust anyone else.
Naru's glance fell toward the spoon. He looked at the spoon, then at Kasai-san.
"I wonder if you do not know how."
He muttered something. As the tip of his finger touched the spoon, the spoon's neck became bent and fell down.
Clink! The sound of the metal echoed throughout the room.
We quietly took in a breath.
Then he handed the headless spoon, which was now a mere stick, to Kasai-san. She timidly accepted the bent spoon.
"Amazing..."
"Do you believe me now?"
"...Yes."
Kasai-san tightly grasped the spoon handle.
"It all started when I saw this TV program in the Summer," Kasai-san said. "I just happened to see this late night program about spoon bending. I ended up thinking about it afterwards, and I tried to bend one by myself."
The girl picked up the fallen head of the spoon and joined it to the handle. This created a five degree angle.
"I don't have anything amazing to show you though, not at my level."
Shrugging her shoulders, she tossed the broken spoon onto Ubusuna-sensei's desk.
"The next day, Mizuo bought spoons and called lots of people. Then I bent the spoon, though I couldn't do it as easily as you. It took me a long time to bend the spoon in one shot."
".........?"
Kasai-san stopped talking to Naru. Ubusuna-sensei then continued for her.
"Back in the day, a psychic named Uri Geller appeared in a broadcasting. Some of the viewers began to bend spoons, and that's when this whole commotion about psychic powers started. Those who discovered their psychic powers back then were called 'Gellerini'."
"You know this very well."
Ubusuna-sensei smiled.
Naru directed his question to Kasai-san.
"Can you still bend it?" he asked.
Kasai-san's expression seemed constrained. Naru's words appeared to send her a challenge.
"Of course I can!" Kasai-san shouted as she grabbed another spoon.
Her right hand grasped the spoon in front of her face, as her left hand reached out for the spoon's neck.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
Naru was silent while the girl stared intently at the spoon. The tip of her finger touched the spoon. However, her power seemed to concentrate in her shoulders. Focusing her mind and feelings, she stooped forward. Her body was almost completely bent forward into the chair.
"Don't do that."
Naru gripped Kasai-san's shoulder.
The girl shot him an unhappy look. Her face was pale.
"...What."
"I know what you're doing. When you do that, you're doing the same thing some of the Gellerini did."
...What things?
Kasai-san's face was white as Ubusuna-sensei turned around.
"...Sorry. But this child isn't lying. It's just, sometimes she can't bend it," Ubusuna-sensei explained.
...You say so, but we didn't see that.
"...Um," I timidly cutted into their conversation.
Naru slowly turned around.
"That was a trick. While your body was bent, you tried to bend the spoon with the chair."
"Ehh."
"Placing the spoon into your shadow, you'd bend it—against the hard edge of the chair."
What?
Naru's eyes were serious as he spoke.
"The majority of the Gellerini nearly lost all their psychic powers in a short amount of time. As a result, they had to resort to tricks in order to cover up the loss of their powers. Some of the Gellerini were caught and labeled as impostors. Right then, it looked like you used one of the typical tricks that the Gellerini used."
.........
"But I really can bend it!" Kasai-san shouted.
"If you are caught using that kind of trick, you will lose your credibility. Got it?"
"...Yes."
"The Gellerini's powers were terribly unstable. Every paranormal researcher knows this fact. If you can't do it, then just say you can't do it. Don't pay any attention to those people who do not believe because they never believed in psychic powers from the beginning."
"I understand."
"Because of the Gellerini, Shelby Meyer of Switzerland also had a worldwide reputation from her PK. ...Never again was it given such recognition."
Kasai-san looked small.
"I'm the one who taught her that." Ubusuna-sensei placed a hand by her mouth as she apologized. "Some teachers put her in situations where she had to bend spoons to prove her powers. Kasai-san's powers are unstable...Everybody's suspicion grew stronger, and they wanted to make her cower."
Naru nodded. "You are a very understanding teacher."
Ubusuna-sensei didn't answer, but smiled slightly instead.
Kasai-san spoke in a low voice, "...Lately, I haven't been able to bend spoons."
"That's possible."
"I talked to Kei-sensei, and she taught me that trick. I haven't been able to bend spoons recently. Even if I can do it, I only bend it slightly, so I use that method instead."
"...I see."
"...Mizuo constantly taunted me. I learned how to concentrate on bending spoons from Kei-sensei, and I practiced it. So then I tried to use that method hastily, but I can't do it at all."
"What about Sakauchi-san? Did he think you could really do it?"
"...Mmm, he kept finding fault in me. He did that countless times. And then...in September, I was called to the front of the school in the morning assembly— The guidance counselor, Yoshino-sensei, came and went on about how psychic powers is nonsense, and then he complained about me being an idiot and a lowly woman. At that time, Mizuo got angry because I could do it, and he told me off."
"You bent the teacher's key..."
"Yes. It was Yoshino-sensei's car key. And that's just the beginning. But, I opposed the teacher in front of everyone, y'know? Since then, the teacher's criticism was relentless... I became quiet, and coming to school has been hard with all the gossip. But Kei-sensei has been nice to me despite all the criticism she has to face. Just what is the Biology Club doing, and other stuff like that. The members of the club have been sending me glares, and afterwards a lot of them left the club. I...made them quit the club. That's why I've been idle lately; I just can't help but think about this."
After Naru listened to what Kasai-san said, she stuck out her tongue.
"I see. Did you also say: 'I'll curse you to death'?
"After he said all those mean things to me, I flew into a rage. I couldn't help but get angry."
"So you were just saying it?" Naru said to Kasai-san and Ubusuna-sensei as he looked at them.
"It's possible that...something like cursing him to death would be hard to do."
"Yes, that's right," Naru agreed in a dull voice.
When Naru and I returned to the conference room, we heard lively voices from inside. Everyone had returned.
"Did they just come back from exorcising?" I asked casually.
"Mai."
"What."
"I have a favor to ask of you."
...F-f-f-f-f-favor?! Naru wants a favor from meeeee?!
"...P-, please go on."
"About my bending the spoon earlier."
"Yeah?"
"Keep it a secret from everybody."
"Why? It was amazing."
"Please. Especially from Lin."
...Wha. O-okay. But why?
I really want to ask him about the details. But Naru looked truly worried, so I decided to let the matter drop.
"Of course," I assured him.
It's not bad to have the upper hand for once. I'm grateful, Naru.
Light-headed, I bowed slightly, while Naru opened the door to the conference room. For a moment, he looked like his real age. But just as quickly, the expression reverted back to his beautiful, emotionless state.
Inside, Ayako and Bou-san were in the middle of a lover's quarrel.
"Why are you so incapable and useless?" asked Bou-san.
"How am I useless!"
As usual, their relationship seemed good.
"What's the problem?" Naru asked as Ayako looked the other way.
"...What's wrong?" I absently asked Taka and Bou-san in a cheerful voice as I turned to face them.
"Instead of helping out, this idiot is doing nothing but standing around, not to mention trying to run away as well."
"Where did you guys go?" I asked.
"The room with the poltergeist."
Oh.
"Hold on a sec', Ayako, you're being reckless as usual, aren't you," I remarked.
Ayako shot a cold glare at me. "It's not a joke! It was scary! Because I was like hey, and then Masako said that nothing was there..."
"Just to be on the safe side, shouldn't we exorcise all of them, since we don't know what to expect?"
"If only she weren't such a flirt. Anyway, it's because Masako said nothing was there," Ayako grumbled as she faced John.
"But...that can't be," murmured the boy with sunlight-colored hair and a white bandage.
"John! Why's that?!"
"Ah, is that it? It's nothing important. It only happened for a short time anyway," John chuckled as he turned to Bou-san's side.
"A spear was thrown at us."
...A spear.
"By spear, do you mean the kind of spear in spear throwing?!"
"...That's right."
"But, in reality it's because someone was trying to hurt us."
...But isn't that really dangerous?!
Naru's calm voice boomed like thunder. "Can you be more specific?"
Suddenly looking worried, John turned to Bou-san for help.
"When we were coming back from outside, we opened the door and looked into the track and field team room and saw a spear flying towards us. Of course, no one else was in the room," Bou-san explained.
...It was that dangerous... Moreover, is the bandage the reason to aim at their heads? Just thinking about it makes me shiver.
Naru replied in a hard voice, "And? Did you eventually get some exorcisms done?"
Ayako decided to be mean.
"...Masako said that she has not seen even one ghost around the school..."
Naru looked back at Masako. "...Is that true?"
"Yes." Masako looked up and nodded. Her face was brimming with confidence.
"...That can't be."
"But there aren't any. I thoroughly looked all around the school, and there were also no spirits in other places."
Bou-san interjected, "You'd expect there to be spirits here, right? But there aren't any at all. It's natural to think that since this is where the curse is taking place. And because four accidents had already occurred, more will continue."
"Then they're deceiving us," Masako stated.
"The whole school?! Stop joking."
"It's a fact."
The deathly silent Masako turned the other way.
Naru looked at Masako and let out a sigh.
Then Bou-san and John both asked, "Over here? Why?"
"Maybe they're failing. No one looks happy here."
...Could that be it? Yeesh. I wonder if I can just believe that.
John looked a bit apologetic, "But that girl who was possessed can't be faking it. The exorcisms weren't effective. Takigawa-san and I alternated our exorcisms numerous times, but in the end we had to struggle to do it, and they came back anyway."
"I see..."
Naru appeared to be deep in thought.
"These extremely strong spirits are very lucky now. Tomorrow, if that girl calms down, you can ask her questions again."
"No, it's okay," Naru dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "Go see the girl at the hospital."
Bou-san looked confused. "The hospital... You don't mean the one in the neurology section?"
"What's wrong?"
"Oi, oi."
"Doing something like that. It's not the ghost's fault though."
Followed by an emotionless voice:
"What seems to be an evil spirit could just be a neurotic disease. In actuality, when consulting a neurologist, there would be many symptoms and different methods to deal with them. Of course, we can't just deny the possibility of possession. If the girl so far as goes to a temple, then the counselor would be concerned, right? One would assume the possession is responsible for a hysterical personality."
"Ah..."
...What do those difficult words mean? Ayako also looked confused.
"Sometimes a hysteria fit will look as if the victim is possessed by a spirit. This could be the case with her, right?" Bou-san replied.
"So you think it was a hysteria fit? Hysteria could be the cause..." Naru nodded.
"That could be the reason. It could just be a misunderstanding."
"Huh...?"
Naru turned towards the priestess and me.
"'Hysteria' is a medical term. It could be an explanation. The girl, however, was relaxed and not serious at all. So as a matter of fact, it's the exact opposite. 'Hysteria' is a term used in nerve medicine. Generally the term 'hisuterii'[2] is used... The word 'hisu' is derived from that word. 'Hysteria' alone can be the cause, which means that one could say 'hisu' is the cause."
"Oh. I've heard of that before."
"Someone with hysteria would try to suppress their extreme desires, instead of carrying them out. Apart from an explosion, I can't think of a way to place a limit on all these strange occurrences."
...My poor brain was not excited.
Bou-san said, "So what you're saying is this? For example, if a girl really likes a guy, society will always view the guy as a lecher. I always limit variations."
...Hey hey Bou-san, what kind of example is that.
Naru shrugged.
"It's the closest thing I could think of even though it is a bit different," the monk admitted. "Basically, I'm saying that most couples break up instead. Well, if I say something difficult, then Mai wouldn't understand, so I simplified it..."
...That's too much help right there. Please if it's because of the suppression, then I also think the suppression caused hysteria.
"The superego would be influenced by others and changed as a result. 'Convulsions' would be considered typical. Someone may want to behave violently, but then suppress the feeling so that he or she doesn't explode in anger. In this case, 'Convulsions' would be one of the many symptoms."
"Ohh."
"As for that girl, she might be possessed by a spirit. She was suppressed, although this could hold true for all Japanese students. She did the Kokkuri and is now seized with the idea that 'it's a curse'. Thinking about that brought about the trigger for her bout of hysteria. Generally she'd explode on her parents or teachers. The spirit possessing her had distorted her mind. She behaves as if she were possessed. If she unconsciously acts possessed at home, she would be calm there."
Oh...
"So what are you trying to say?" Bou-san asked Naru. "Unless she's possessed by a spirit, she has hysteria?"
"I fear that's the case. If she gets visitors while she's in the hospital, then things would be clear."
"Then what about the others? What about the hand coming out of the desk and the knocking sounds? Are all those due to sicknesses too?"
Bou-san looked back at Masako, who had a look of satisfaction on her face.
"...So there are no ghosts here."
Naru shrugged. "If I were a neurologist, I'd conclude that there is a mass breakout of hysteria in this school..."
He muttered something, and then glanced down at his feet.
"You can't think anymore?" asked the monk.
Hearing that, I instinctively listened.
"Ah, Mai didn't know? Even though things may appear this way, as a parapsychologist this is my conviction."
...Sorry about that. For the most part, I was listening.
"What a troublesome case..." Naru said as he looked out the window.
John nodded in agreement.
"So it’s come to this."
"Really?" Bou-san asked in a persistently carefree manner.
Naru shot Bou-san a disdainful stare. "Out of all the complaints we’ve received, how many do you think actually happened?"
"Well, at a glance there seems to be some misunderstandings," the monk responded.
"Strange incidents continue to occur in this school. No one feels comfortable anymore, and everyone feels like prisoners," John said to Naru.
"Since everyone feels so uneasy and frightened, they might experience hallucinations. This could be the reason why the girl possessed by a fox spirit became such a wreck. I know this sounds vague, but something similar to a curse must be causing this―At least, that’s what I think. If this situation continues, the uneasiness will increase, and people will believe the school is haunted or that there’s a curse. And then the clumsier people may panic."
"Right," Naru agreed.
"We can’t determine whether or not these incidents are due to spiritual phenomena because of all the possible exceptions and the sheer amount of incidents that has occurred. Moreover...even if that’s true, the amount is still abnormal. There must be a reason behind all this despite the fact that incidents only occur to those related to the school. Still, I haven’t the slightest idea what those reasons could be..."
Everyone seemed deep in thought.
"Now the only one we can rely on is Hara-san..." Naru muttered indifferently.
Hara-san raised an eyebrow before responding, "...There are no spirits in this school."
Naru let out a sigh upon hearing Masako’s voice.
"...So that’s your conclusion. Have we reached a dead end this soon?"
"Maybe Masako is right?" asked Ayako.
Masako turned towards her. "Matsuzaki-san is undoubtedly correct."
"Exactly. However you think about it, if the ghosts aren’t there, then there’s no way they are the cause." Ayako’s remark was thickly coated in sarcasm.
Masako turned toward Naru. "Kazuya-san believes me, right?"
Right. I... I’m absolutely disgusted with you saying "Kazuya-san" like that. I hate it when you do that!
And then I instinctively replied, "Well that’s obvious, isn’t it?"
Everyone’s gaze fell onto me. Especially Masako’s sharp one.
"...Why can Taniyama-san say that? As for the *freebie, please be quiet."
Freebie?! Freebie—?!
You’re infuriating me on purpose. You’re making me lose it. Just because I carelessly let slip something.
"There are spirits here. It’s just that, Masako can’t sense them," I stated.
Masako began to laugh. "Taniyama-san’s spiritual ability is non-existent."
"But, they do exist here. I can feel it in the atmosphere."
Ahh, some words can be bought.
"Such talk is meaningless." Masako giggled as Ayako raised her voice.
"I agree with Mai."
...Ayako?
"I think so too," came another voice.
Masako scowled at us. "There aren’t any here. I believe I am correct."
"Really? If there were ghosts here, what would you do?" asked Ayako.
"In one way or another, everything will be okay," Masako replied.
"So, from now on, you’ll stop helping Naru with his cases, right?" the older woman challenged.
...What are you talking about, you.
We forgot about our situation and just stared at her with blank looks on our faces.
There was a faint smile on Masako’s face. "Ara, Matsuzaki-san, why must you speak so roughly?"
"There’s a problem with this team."
...A problem with the team? You mean from the very beginning?
Masako replied, "It’s okay. I get it. Because of this change, I win. Kazuya-san is mine."
Naru struck the desk, the sound echoing throughout the room. "Don’t just do what you want and bet on others like that!"
...Look out. He’s angry. Naru was clearly in a bad mood.
"I know what Hara-san is saying, and I know what Mai is saying too. But we can’t tell whose judgment is correct as of now, so this argument is pointless. This case is meaningless," he stated ruthlessly.
...This is how Naru acts when he’s angry. If anything, this was quite natural for him. Masako and Ayako turned around. Ayako stomped towards her acquaintance, John, her shoes clanking against the floor.
"John, let’s get back to work! We should quickly exorcise the spirits."
"Huh...? That..."
"Well! Let’s go!"
...Poor John. He was dragged out of the room by Ayako again.
Bou-san scratched his head. "...I’ll get back to work too..."
He went out the door. Masako spoke to Naru and proceeded to shoot me a glance before walking out. Now the only ones left behind were a very confused Taka, me, a bored Naru, and an expressionless Lin-san.
Naru was casually looking out the window, his bitter expression still in place.
"...If only," he murmured.
"Eh?"
When no reply came, I shook my head.
"If only...a psychic with abilities that we can trust were here. –Lin, let’s get back to work as well."
"Okay."
Naru and Lin also left the room.
Stiff and dazed, Taka sighed. "Is it always like that?"
"...Yeah."
"Mai constantly undergoes hardships."
"You think so?" I asked.
"Of course. If it were me, no one would be able to rely on this service anymore."
"...For a moment, I was thinking the same thing."
"Don’t feel bad about it."
Taka gently patted my head, comforting me for the moment.
