CHAPTER 6

4/9

Despite the few isolated occasions of weirdness, Noriko already felt that she could get into a good routine in her new home for the year. She'd wake up early (or at least a lot earlier than she used to), enjoy a nice breakfast and some words with Daisuke (bowls of non-sugary cereal, fry ups and pancakes were a treat) and then he'd give her a lift up to school. Following today's set of these events, Noriko was readying her things on her desk just as the morning bell rang to signal the start of homeroom. As soon as the first sound of the bell rang out, the door slid open and a stormy faced Masayume-sensei stalked in and over to the teachers desk, placing a folder, purple pencil case and a steaming thermos in front of her.

"Alright all of you, in your seats. Welcome to the first proper day of school. Obviously, not much has happened in the 12 or so hours since the last class, so I don't have any announcements to give. So, study, chat amongst yourself, do whatever, just do it quietly."

And with that, taking a long, drawn-out sip from her thermos, she settled back in her seat, closed her eyes, and appeared to almost immediately fall asleep.

After a few moments, a low murmur slowly built up in the room as students singularly and in pairs plucked up the courage to make any noise at all, turning to friends next to and behind them. Turning to look left, Noriko saw Yuzuri had taken a rather thick book out from her bag and had begun to read it, taking notes in a small leather-bound pocket notebook.

"What are you reading?" Noriko asked, leaning over slightly to get a glimpse. The book had writing on the page closest to her which she couldn't make out, but on the opposite page was a drawing in a traditional style of a ladies head with a forked tongue on the end of a long coiled snake body.

"Nothing," came the hurried response from the quiet girl as she quickly shifted the book, so Noriko's view of its contents was broken. "It's just some stuff for uh… History class."

"Yeah right," Noriko pressed on, a grin coming to her face. "You're researching that toilet ghost story aren't you. I thought you told Yoshi you weren't interested in that sort of stuff."

"I never said I wasn't…" she replied. "I just said I didn't know what he was talking abou… I mean, I'm not interested in 'that stuff', I'm simply curious about it from a purely academic standpoint."

"Sure, I believe you," Noriko drawled sarcastically. "Well then, 'from a purely academic standpoint', what do you think is haunting the toilet?"

There was a moment pause as Kitami seemed to look Noriko up and down, as though she was trying to get an idea whether to share, before shifting in her seat once more, though this time to grant Noriko an easier view of the books contents.

"This thing is a type of Yokai called a Nure-onna. It's supposedly a form of water spirit that eats people. They would request people to hold a small baby-like bundle for them, and if the person tried to put it down, it would turn to stone and stop them from escaping from them. They're supposed to only inhabit large rivers and the sea, but I think if it is one that the tank the toilets empty into is acting as a replacement."

"Wow," Noriko said, glancing at the cramped writing visible in Kitami's notebook. "You've certainly done your research."

"Well…" Kitami began, but whatever she was about to say was cut off as the bell sounded once more.

"Alright, alright," grumbled Masayume. "Back to your seats, work hard now."

Resolving to continue the conversation as soon as the opportunity arose, Noriko and Kitami both sat back in their seats and prepared for the rest of the day.


"Alright class, listen up," called out the teacher. Taking a seat at the desk at the top of the room was an elderly woman with sharp ice-blue eyes with iron-grey hair held in a tight geisha-style bun. "My name is Mrs Sumida Ano. You will refer to me as sensei, and nothing else, understood?"

Following some scattered affirmations, Noriko began to hear a strange sort of hissing sound. Glancing around the room for a few seconds, she suddenly realised that it was coming from the teacher, whose nostrils seemed to have turned to slits and whose face seemed to be beginning to flush.

"I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME CLASS!?"

With the slightest of delays as some students, including Noriko, jumping at the sudden scream, the class replied as one, "YES SENSEI."

"Good," came the far quieter reply. "Children these days, they've no respect for tradition. Japan had a culture far before rock and punk and all this Western guff was imported. What I wouldn't give for a return to the true classics. I doubt any of you have any true appreciation for the Japanese arts."

"In fact, let's see," the teacher continued, running her finger down a page in the notebook on the desk in front of her. "Let's try… Miss Orio."

"Y-yes mi- Sensei?" Noriko said, quickly correcting herself. 'Oh come on, why'd you have to pick on me?'

"I don't suppose a city girl like you has much knowledge of our proud traditions. Tell me, are you aware of the three primary repertoires of gagaku court music?" the teacher asked, an almost evil smile forming on her lips.

'Wait, I think I know this. Dad was a sucker for that stuff. Ummmm, it was Shinto religious songs, songs based on folk poems and… songs based on Kabuki plays?'

.

.

.

'No no, Kabuki was different, the third one was songs based off Chinese and Korean court music.'

Hoping she'd remembered right, she repeated what she'd thought to herself to the teacher.

"Well now, I suppose I underestimated you, Miss Noriko," Mrs Sumida said, an odd mix of disappointment, surprise, and the slightest tinge of respect visible on her face. "Yes that's correct. Gagaku music first arrived in Japan in the Yamato period from China, although we put our own distinct spin on it. It makes use of the distinctly Japanese yo scale and has even had an influence on several Western composers of the early 20th century."

'Hoo, I'm just happy I got that right. Guess I know more than I thought.'

With that vaguely uplifting thought in mind, the bell made it's discordant presence known once again, signalling the beginning of lunch.

"Yo Noriko," came a familiar bright voice from behind. Turning, Noriko watched as the grinning Yoshi approached from his seat at the back. "You wanna hang with me and Yuzu for lunch?"

"Sure, if that's okay with you," Noriko replied, finding her face slowly morphing into a matching smile. 'It's impossible to not be happy near this dude.'

"Cool, we've got our own spot just before the sports field behind the building. Come on, I'll show you."


The 'spot' was an old tree trunk that'd been smoothed down naturally over time by both the elements and various generations of students using it as a bench through the years. It was located up against the wall of a supply shed that was, as Yoshi had said, just on the edge of a wide open field inhabited solely by various painted lines on the grass marking racetracks and pitches for various sports. The sun was bright and warming, and a nice light breeze kept the trio cool as they sat and dug into their respective lunches.

"Ahh, now that's the stuff," Yoshi sighed, placing a pair of chopsticks into his recently emptied bento box. "So Noriko, what brings you to our little slice of heaven here? The teacher said you were living with your grandad for the year, but she didn't mention why."

"I'd um… I'd rather not say," Noriko replied, looking down at the uneaten dark crust left over from her sandwich. "It's a… a private matter."

"Oh… Okay then," Yoshi continued, undeterred. "Then what about you Yuzu? Get in any crazy shenanigans over the summer when I wasn't looking?"

"Oh definitely," the olive-skinned girl replied dryly, brushing her hands together after polishing off the last of several rice balls. "Cause there's so much awesome and amazing stuff to do out here in this quiet town."

"Well, you could've gone into the city, seen some crazy ghost in a book..?" Yoshi said, trailing off as though to emphasize. "I know you don't like telling people for whatever reason, but I know you've a thing for legends and stuff, and I saw that book you and Noriko here were discussing, and I know it wasn't anything to do with schoolwork."

"Jeez, you just never take a hint do you," Kitami remarked with a heavy sigh.

"Nope," Yoshi replied with a grin. "Come on, open that sucker up, I wanna hear what you think the toilet ghost is. Please?"

"Fine, fine," came the annoyed response, but Noriko was no longer paying attention. She had caught sight of an individual just over Kitami's shoulder a way down the field who appeared to just be wandering aimlessly, alone, staring off into space.

"Hey," Noriko muttered, patting Yoshi's shoulder with her hand. "Who's that? She seems familiar for some reason."

"Who, them?" Yoshi asked, squinting slightly to try and make out some detail. "Oh, I think that's um… Shina Mazu. I think she's on the cheerleader team. Wonder what she's doing alone, they normally all have lunch together."

"Oh obviously haven't heard," Yuzu said, a hint of sympathy creeping into her voice. "She just got dropped off the team yesterday. Happened right in front of the school apparently."

That was when the clouds cleared in Noriko's mind somewhat. The same brownish hair color, the barest flash of a face screwed up into a mess of tears.

"I think I was there when it happened," Noriko said aloud. "She ran into me on the steps just after she got dropped I think. She was in bits."

"She still looks to be, and I'm not surprised," Kitami said, the beginnings of a snarl forming on her face. "That squad is so centred on the head cheerleader they're all just short of being brainwashed. And the second any of them disappoint her, they're dropped like just so much rubbish."

"Sounds a bit personal there," Noriko said, giving Kitami a concerned look. "This happen to you?"

"What? Oh no, no, not to me personally," she replied quickly. "I just have a distinct dislike for people who think they can make other people's decisions for them. And she runs that cheer squad like it's a freaking hivemind."

"And who is this she you keep ominously referring to?" Noriko asked, keeping her eye on the girl turned lost soul as she asked.

"Mashita Sugure. The queen bee of the school, and the head cheerleader of the cheer squad," Kitami said with a look of great distaste. "She's the niece of the principal, so she's able to get away with anything up to and including murder. She's got half the teachers wrapped around her finger, and… Wait is that..?"

Kitami trailed off as a small group of girls in clearly shortened uniform skirts and majorly stylised hair appeared and approached the wandering girl. She seemed to recoil as they surrounded her, one of them, a blonde whose skin had a clearly fake dark tan to it, taking both her hands. There was a few moments as they apparently spoke to each other, before the sad girl collapsed to her knees and hugged the tanned girls legs, before quickly jumping back up to her feet.

"What the hell's going on over there?" Yoshi muttered, before being shushed by Noriko and Kitami.

The girl leaned forward slightly, as though she was intently listening, appeared to ask a question, before vigorously nodding her head up and down. Following this the group, whom Noriko assumed to be the cheer squad, turned and headed back towards the building, leaving a clearly excited and revitalised Mazu behind.

"Well, whatever that was about, she certainly seems a lot happier all of a sudden," Noriko remarked, the three of them sharing a look of confusion and suspicion at the events they had just witnessed. "I'm guessing that was Mashita?"

"Yes," Kitami replied. "And whatever they were talking about, I'm worried for Shina."

"Well, there's not much we can do," Yoshi muttered. "Whatever's going on between those two is well... between those two."


After returning from lunch, the rest of the day past Noriko by with no significant occurrence. With the final bell ringing out, Noriko gave her whole body a long, languid stretch and turned to give Kitami a small grin.

"So, I've got an idea," Yoshi announced, walking up to then crouching between the girls seats.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense," Kitami quipped.

"Why don't we sneak into the first floor ladies after school tomorrow?" he continued. "We can find out if the ghost or Yokai or whatever is real, and if it is, we could have ourselves a little exorcism. What do you think?"

"I think that's one of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever heard in my life," Kitami replied incredulously. "The toilets are off limits, we could get in serious trouble if anyone caught us trying to get in."

"Oh come on, you can't honestly say you aren't a bit curious. You wouldn't have done all that research otherwise," Yoshi fired back. "How bout you Noriko? You in?"

"Oh, I'm sure sneaking into a creepy, doubtlessly smelly toilet with a guy I literally met yesterday would be the epitome of fun," Noriko said with a smirk, Kitami giving a brief snort at the clear sarcasm. "But, honestly, I was planning on just going with the flow and not making any waves for the year."

"Alright, alright, I can hear how dumb it sounds now you've said it back to me," Yoshi chuckled, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly. "Just thought it would be something cool to do to welcome you to town."

"Well, thanks, but no thanks," Noriko said, hoisting her bag up onto her back. "Say, my grandad's probably outside to drive me home. You guys need a lift in that direction?"

"I'm good, I live near enough, and I like the walk," Kitami answered with a smile. "Thanks for the offer though."

"I've got a bike, and I've seen Daisuke's pride and joy, there wouldn't be room for it," Yoshi responded.

"I'll see you both tomorrow then," Noriko said, walking out with a wave.


Reaching the final step onto the first floor, Noriko paused for a moment, the crowd of students parting around her. Taking a deep breath, she walked forward confidently, prepared for the feeling of fear and wrongness to sweep over her at any moment. But, as she stepped out into the late afternoon sun...

Nothing. With a mixed sigh of relief and disappointment, Noriko jogged down the steps and towards the gate before spotting a familiar girl.

"Hey! Sorry, um..." Noriko called out. "Yo uh... I'm Orio Noriko. You kinda, ran into me yesterday."

"Um... sorry..?" Shina replied with a expression that was a major contrast to the tear-stained mess Noriko had seen before.

"Well, I saw you and... Sugure wasn't it, talking to each other," Noriko continued. "And I was wondering-"

"The answers no," came the unexpectedly fast response.

"Sorry? What?" Noriko asked, confused at the bitchy tone of her reaction.

"I'm not gonna put in a good word, or introduce you, or whatever it is you're looking for," Shina sniped.

"That's... not what I was going t-"

"Well, whatever, I've got to get ready for tomorrow anyway," the rude girl interrupted. "It's sure to stink, but it's what I've gotta do."

"What's going to stink?" Noriko asked, an uneasy feeling of concern and worry beginning to nag at her.

"Nothing," Shina scoffed. "Leave me alone bottom-feeder."

And with that last quip, she turned on her heel and strutted with all the gaudy confidence of a peacock.

"Leave it alone Noriko," she muttered to herself, trying to ignore the uneasy knot that had begun to develop in her stomach. "It's nothing to do with you, don't stick your nose in other people's business."


After the ride home, a nice dinner of soba and settling down into her bed, the knot had not settled in the slightest. In fact, if anything, it had gotten even more uncomfortable. Noriko had seen plenty of bullies and abusive friends in her last school, but she couldn't get the image of Shina literally hugging Sugure's legs like a puppy. Turning over onto one side with a sigh, Noriko stared at the wall of her room, pink pillow in her arms. Slowly however, the gentle call sleep dragged shut her eyes and allowed her muscles to relax down into her covers.

She was floating in the calm darkness of a dreamless sleep, when her consciousness was dragged up to a familiar sound of a squeaking wheel and the deep blue surrounds of...

"Not again, no, not this dream again..."

"Hey you, you're finally awake," came the professional but young voice of William.

"Oooohhhhhh, fu-"


Yup, another update, I know. As I said last time, this is pretty much the only big project I've got going on right now, so there'll probably be a few updates in the next days, then another drought when things get busy again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So, folks, what're your thoughts on this Sugure? Anyone else worried about this poor girl Shino? Please, any thoughts or advice, just leave a review.