Edited
When the second group consisting of Ayako and Lin arrived, it was already night.
As soon as she arrived at the Meeting Room base, Ayako exclaimed, "Don't we have a guesthouse?! What in the world is this situation?"
"It can't be helped. We are still good, with only 2 people in a room. The pair of us have 6 tatami's space." Mai replied.
"How dare they not even have heating?" Ayako grumbled on.
"That, too, can't be helped. Or maybe you should forget it and just go home?" When she heard Mai say that, Ayako refused to look at her.
Oliver, wearing an indifferent expression was discussing the case with Lin. "Anyway the number of sightings is really too large and our equipment and resources are a little lacking." Oliver said looking highly dissatisfied.
"Tomorrow we will have Hara-san do an inspection for spirits, and confirm the presence of the spirits. If there are spirits, we will have the Monk, Matsuzaki-san, and John conduct exorcisms. Lin-san and I will investigate the more suspicious locations. As for Mai…"
Saying that, he turned to face Mai. "Basically, stay at the base and collate and organize the reports. Maybe try another sensing? See if anything has changed."
"Ye~es"
"But, if anything is discovered, you must report at once."
"I would have anyway, Naru. The real question is, are you listening." Mai's tone was sarcastic.
"What does that mean?" Oliver looked frustrated.
Mai ignored him and turned to Lin. "Did you make them?"
Lin nodded. "I have around 60% of them made. I'll finish the rest as the case progresses."
"Thanks Lin. I have a copy of the talisman when you're ready to see it."
"Thank you. I'll let you know when I'm ready for it."
"So you are withholding information about the case!" Takigawa yelled at Mai.
"What do you mean?" Mai looked at him questioningly.
"Aren't you the woman with the 6th sense?"
"... I've already given Naru and Lin the information I have on the case so far. It's not my problem if he ignores it or doesn't pass it on to the rest of you." Mai responded.
"Naru-chan~ this fellow just won't do ~~"
"Forget it. It's nothing new that Mai is useless on the field. The last time was just a special case." Ayako's tone was sarcastic.
"So, the truth is you are envious; just because you have never been useful." Oliver retorted. "Mai has solved several cases for us. Some of which we never even bothered calling you for."
Ayako's face was flushed with anger.
Looking at the parties glaring at each other, Yasuhara started smiling. "I had always thought psychic users etc are much darker and deeper people."
"Our group here is special. Oh yes, Yasuhara-kun, don't you have to go home?" Mai laughed.
"En, don't judge me by my looks, I think I am capable of the basic chores and errands. Right now I am thinking of staying to help out." Yasuhara said, smiling.
The monk's expression turned pathetic. He was imagining a scenario of 5 men squeezed into 6 tatamis.
"Please don't worry; I have borrowed a sleeping bag." Yasuhara added.
"Yasuhara-kun." Oliver's tone was severe. "I really appreciate your offer to stay back to help, but it is better if you did not stay over. It is very dangerous."
"Definitely, if you feel I am getting in your way, please tell me, and I will go home." Yasuhara said, smiling widely.
A glimpse of a smile appeared on Oliver's lips. "If that's the case, then please provide us with your help. Do you have confidence in your strength?"
"Please leave it to me."
Oliver nodded and said, "Then, go with Lin and Mai and move the equipment."
One by one they went to the van parked in the school's car park to collect the equipment.
"LL classroom, 2-4, 3-1, the Locker Room, the Music Preparation Room – set up cameras in these 5 locations. Place microphones in the other places where the other strange stories were reported."
They followed Oliver's instructions and moved the equipment to their designated locations and set up. Running back and forth between the car park and the school compound, Yasuhara was dazzled. "It's really incredible. The modern day psychic makes use of this type of equipment!"
Yasuhara and Mai went to the Chemistry Lab where footsteps were heard and installed a microphone. She opened her senses just a little, no more than a couple of meters away from herself to practice.
"It's only our group that is special." Mai smiled bitterly.
"To tell the truth, I had thought that supposed psychics would look and feel more dangerous, they would raise their hands and chant incantations."
"There are also people who do that. But at least, Naru is does not call himself a psychic."
"Is that so?" Yasuhara looked very shocked.
"We prefer the term ghost hunter. Naru tends to look at things through a scientific view."
"Ah, if that's the case I get it."
"That's rare… Normally one wouldn't know this type of thing."
Yasuhara's expression was complicated. "Because this previously became a topic of discussion…"
"Because of Sakauchi-san?"
"Yes. Sakauchi, not long after enrolment he wrote this in the survey of his aspirations. He said he wished to become a ghost hunter in the future. But that might have been only written as a joke."
"It wasn't a joke. Sakauchi was the male student who died in summer…?" Mai glanced up at the doorway.
There was a teenaged male spirit standing there at the edge of her open senses watching them, listening to their conversation.
'Sakauchi...' Mai offered him a sad smile before turning back to Yasuhara, who was looking between her and the door curiously.
"Yes. According to what I know, his was the first death of a student since the founding of this school. There was a period when everyone was discussing that incident." Yasuhara looked pained.
"I can't help feeling… we shouldn't keep quiet. We pass each other in the same school, spend half the day in the same space, and might have unknowingly brushed pass each other in some corridor. If it was fated, we might have become friends. That's what I think."
"Difficult in this school though."
"Ok. Where should we go next, Captain?" Yasuhara lifted the stand up.
"It is, 'the Gym Storeroom with Sound of the Cat's Mewing'. Yasuhara-kun, don't call me 'Captain' or whatever."
"For that, if you want me to be less formal then I shan't call you that. The real Taniyama-san should be a livelier person."
Mai smiled at him. "Just call me Mai, Yasu. Everyone else does."
"Yasu, huh? I like it."
"Ah, me too."
"We really have quite a lot in common, Boss."
"Yes, yes, Yasu. Before we get scolded by that super narcissistic big boss, let's go to the next location." Mai rolled her eyes.
"Let's do that."
In the school filled with wild rumors, Yasuhara and Mai walked briskly, smiling.
...
The first night was spent setting up equipment. Night vision cameras, temperature recorders, microphones etc; they set them up in order at the locations of the strange rumors and at places where spirits were more frequently seen. Because they did not have enough extension cable to cover the entire school compound, the machines were left at the various locations to record pictures and sounds. So they had no choice but to retrieve them one by one to examine them in the meeting room.
By the time they finished the work and turned in, it was about midnight, 3am. Ayako, who did not help with the set up, had turned in much earlier and was already snuggled in blankets in the workroom. Even when Mai entered the room, she did not stir. Mai changed quietly and dived beneath the cold sheets and fell asleep.
Mai was walking in the school at night.
Dark classrooms; dark corridors. There was not a soul in sight; it was a completely silent school compound. It was pitch black.
She studied her surroundings and noticed a door in front of her. Instinctively, she opened the door. A cool breeze blew. This was the roof.
Scanning the roof, she saw a figure at one side.
"Sakauchi-kun?" Mai asked.
Sakauchi turned his head. He was not tall, and he looked vulnerable. He looked at Mai with lifeless eyes then his line of sight returned at once to look away from the roof.
He grabbed the railing, and stared unmoving at the ground.
"Are you watching the results of your death curse?" Mai walked to his side and asked.
He whispered in reply. "Yes…"
Mai followed his line of sight and looked. He continued to stare unmoving at the school compound. For some time, the two of them, together, stared at the school compound.
Dark, black windows. They could see something white floating within them. White lights. They easily passed through the windows and floated around. They were round, dragging a very long tail. They appeared weightless; the white lights looked like they were flowing.
The white lights also appeared at the level beneath that too. And in the next level. They were in the next window and the window after that too. Turning to look behind, Mai saw they were also on the field.
In an instant, the school was filled with spirits. Leaving a white tail of light, they flew all over the place. They were also all around them. It looked like it had been heavily.
"Are you pleased with what you've done?" Mai asked the silent boy who looked.
He nodded. A slight smile appeared at the corners of his lips.
"Are you not afraid?"
"I'm very happy."
"Happy? About this type of thing?"
Sakauchi glanced back at Mai with a satisfied smile. "Extremely happy."
"You know you will be swallowed up just like the rest of them right?"
Suddenly his expression was hidden by a dark shadow. He looked steadily at Mai, lips parting. Those steady eyes flashed a dark radiance. He was smiling. The corners of his lips rose. It was a sinister smile. "I'm extremely happy. There is no feeling better than this."
Suddenly Mai was awake. She sat up, her surroundings were still dark. She could hear Ayako breathing softly. She glanced at the watch next to her pillow. She had not even slept 10 minutes.
Mai fluffed her pillow, and lay down once more. This time, her sleep was plagued with the memories of the other spirits wandering around on the school premises. It was a restless night.
...
Already exhausted by the previous night, the girls were rudely awakened by someone early in the morning. Grumbling, Mai opened the door.
Outside the door stood a few girls; they had heard of the psychics' arrival, and had run to ask for news before classes started.
Mai explained the situation to them. "Yesterday was only preparing for the investigation; the official investigation would start today, so any exorcisms would only begin after that."
After dismissing the dissatisfied group of girls, Mai got dressed. There was no point in trying to get back to sleep now. She had just finished when someone else knocked on the door.
It was the 5 groups of students they had spoken to the day before. Thanks to them, Ayako was well and truly roused.
The series of unfortunate events did not end there. When Mai went to the equipment she had set up yesterday, to retrieve the data collected, there was a large crowd of people gathered around. They grabbed hold of her and she was interrogated.
Furthermore, in a crowd all dressed in uniforms, the SPR outsiders were even more eye-catching. When they walked around to check on the equipment they would constantly be stopped by curious students.
They all wanted to know even the smallest development. As Yasuhara had said, everyone in the school felt unsettled. There were conspicuous empty seats in the classes. The seats belonged to students who were sick due to the season, and students who were too afraid to attend school. The school was completely lifeless. Students gathered in small groups, and spoke softly, as though at a funeral.
They were unfortunate to be stopped by the students. But the real misfortune, was to be spotted by Matsuyama. If they were seen by Matsuyama, he would make sarcastic comments. He would say a lot of words that would more than make their blood vessels burst, and he would leave wearing a self satisfied expression.
Mai was further terrorized by constant flashes if spirits eating spirits wherever she went. Even keeping her senses tightly shut didn't help prevent them.
Then that afternoon, Masako, who came with John in the third group, dropped the most dissatisfactory bombshell.
When John and Masako arrived, it was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. After the pairs' arrival at the base and introduction to Yasuhara, who had came to help out after class, Oliver explained the situation. Mai was at the side organizing the reports collected the day before and checking the data collected by Lin the previous night.
First Oliver asked Masako, "Hara-san, what is the state of the school?"
Masako looked melancholy. Looking lost for words, she was hesitant for a while. With Oliver's encouragement she finally spoke.
"I'm not… quite clear." She dropped the bomb.
In a split second the others, apart from Mai, started clamoring.
"That can't be, Masako, you see nothing?" Takigawa cried out.
Masako ignored Takigawa's words. "It's not like I can't see anything. I can feel their presence."
Appearing worried, Takigawa cradled his head in his hands. Ayako and John shook their heads, they were out of ideas.
Oliver's expression turned complicated. Of all the members gathered here only Masako has this sort of ability, that he knew of. Well, there was Mai's aura sensing ability too, but that was different. If he couldn't rely on Masako, they were as good as blind.
"… and their presence that you can feel?"
When the apparently very frustrated Oliver said that, Masako showed a contrary expression. "Normally, the spirits should be clearly seen, but here… It's like looking at a poorly tuned television channel. There is a great deal of static mixed inside… Do you get what I am saying?"
He looked at her questioningly.
"I can feel the presence of spirits, and there are quite a lot of them. I also know where they are, but… exactly what kind of spirits they are, I'm not too clear. Although there are spirits that can be clearly seen that are present."
Masako said that and lowered her head.
"For me, I have never been good at communicating with wandering spirits. If it is a spirit that has a special connection to a person or a location, I usually have no problem…"
Takigawa sighed. "Anyway… because these are spirits summoned through Kokkuri, it is to be expected they have no great connection to the school or to the students… And this happens, Masako."
He glared maliciously at Masako.
Masako stared at the monk. "This is only a special situation. This time it's not like I can't see or feel them at all!"
"Yes, yes," Takigawa said, contracting his neck.
Masako suddenly slightly creased her brow. "But there is a spirit that I feel particularly strongly here…"
"What kind of spirit is it?" Oliver asked.
Masako squinted, as though looking at a distance. "It is a male, about my age… I can see that male very clearly. I can feel a very strong emotion. That male… perhaps something happened in this school that saddened him. He is currently trapped within the school."
"You're talking about Sakauchi-kun." Mai pointed out.
"Not that he's particularly unhappy with this situation that he deliberately started before his death. In fact he told me last night, that he was rather enjoying himself."
With her eyes closed, Masako ignored Mai, who stood next to her, and tilted her head. "It is clearly not nearby, but its presence is that strong… I believe it must be the spirit of someone who committed suicide. And it happened not long ago."
Mai slumped back against the wall with her arms folded. "Fine, ignore me then. I won't bother telling you anything more about this case."
Oliver opened his notebook and took out a newspaper clipping. "That spirit, is it this person?"
Masako took the clipping and looked at it. She nodded. "It is this person. So his name was Sakauchi…"
Oliver retrieved the clipping from Masako and returned it to its original location and said, "this… hate for the school… is true."
Oliver looked like he was muttering to himself then he immediately turned to Lin, "Lin, what was the situation last night?"
Lin took down his headphones. "There are some locations where the temperature was abnormal. 3-1, 2-4 and the LL classroom had especially low temperatures.
There is nothing abnormal with the visuals; the microphones recorded sounds in 3 locations. Distinctly, they are the Art Preparation Room, 2-4 classroom, and the Gym Storeroom."
Oliver knocked the table with a thump. "So it is like this, we get a response on the very first day."
Oliver swept a glance over all of them. "Commence exorcism with the 5 aforementioned locations as the core. Hara-san, please walk around the school and check the locations where there are spirits. Matsuzaki-san, please accompany Hara-san, and conduct exorcisms to the best of your abilities."
"Ok." Ayako and Masako rose.
Oliver called after Ayako, saying, "It'd be better if you don't look down on the spirits in this place; please be more careful. Mai will keep watch over this place, and actively manage the communications. Bou-san and John."
Oliver looked at the pair. "First, proceed to the 5 locations which had activity last night and conduct exorcisms there. After that go to locations pointed out by Hara-san."
"Yeah."
"Yes."
The pair replied and rose from their seats.
"Lin and I will continue to investigate suspicious locations. Yasuhara-kun, please help us. Mai"
"Yes!" Yasuhara was enthusiastic in his response.
Oliver shot a warm look at Mai. "Try not to fall asleep, please."
"No promises, especially if Nii-san pulls me in."
Mai poked her tongue out at him and Oliver laughed, ruffling her hair and kissing her forehead before he followed Lin and Yasuhara, who had already left the room.
...
In the school where lessons continued as though nothing had happened, everyone set out. Mai was the only one who stayed in the Meeting Room.
Quietly she organized the reports they had collected the day before. The strange stories and their locations. The contents of eye-witness reports. Mai used a very large cardboard and sorted them by type, and could not help yawning.
She was struck with a strong bout of sleepiness. For no reason, her throat felt very dry. She began craving a cold drink. Mai recalled there was a vending machine at the end of the building…
She stood up and walked to the corridor.
Mai gazed blankly at her surroundings. The corridor was wide and empty. The vision in front of her was a strange and flat scene. Weak sunlight permeated the windows at the side of the corridor.
The far end of the corridor was shrouded in mysterious darkness. It was covered by a dull black color; it looked like only there, dusk had already fallen. In the midst of the darkness, there was something white moving.The white was the face. Only the face was visible as he wore black colored clothes.
Gene walked slowly towards her. As though in sync with his footsteps, the corridor gradually darkened. In the opaque blackness, only Gene's silhouette could be seen clearly.
"You have really got to change your clothes, Nii-san. I'm pretty sure you would normally have a completely different style to Naru. "
Gene smiled. A slight smile. "I'll keep that in mind."
Then his smile immediately tensed. "This place is very dangerous… Mai, you'd better not remain here."
"I know, but the students need help."
"There are spirits floating all around here."
"Yeah, Sakauchi-kun showed me them all last night. He's apparently having a ball of fun. I've also tried an aura sensing over the school. That was much scarier than how it looks now. I much prefer the orbs I see here than the actual visuals seen through sensing."
Mai recalled the previous night's dream: spirits blanketing the school like snow.
"Yes. Although everyone is conducting exorcisms, there is practically no effect." He said, frowning slightly.
"Look." He extended his pale fingers and pointed to the floor.
Following his fingers, Mai looked at the pitch black floor, sighing."I told your brother that it wouldn't. Thanks to the barrier, they literally have nowhere to go."
When Mai regained her focus, she found that the floor had turned transparent. Beside her foot, it was like white lines had been drawn on the black floor, like the square outline of ceramic tiles. Beneath that, through the transparent floor, the second floor's corridor was visible. There, too, was shrouded in darkness. The floor there was also transparent, and she could see the first floor corridor beneath it.
Mai felt like she was being suspended high in the air. If it wasn't for Gene's hand steadying her, she might have plummeted straight down. "Give me a little more warning before you do that next time."
"Sorry, little sister."
"What has it changed into now?" Mai scanned her surroundings.
The sky was black. The school which was originally grey was now black. Contrastingly, the things that were originally black had changed into white - the windows of the next school building, the trees that were bare due to winter.
The floor and the walls everywhere had turned transparent. Just like the negatives of photographs stacked together. The only people remaining in this negative world were Gene and Mai.
"Look closely. There are a lot of spirits hovering."
Mai looked beside her foot. Beneath her feet the school was transparent - the second floor, first floor, corridors, classrooms.
Over there, floated translucent orbs that gave off a wan glow. They looked just like spirits illustrated in books with their white tails, and moved like they were flowing. 10, 20… they were countless. In the second floor right in front of her, there were 8 of them. Some of the closest ones watched them curiously.
"So many spirits, and they are all devouring each other." Mai sighed. "I'm glad I can't see them all while I'm awake."
"That's right. Look…" Gene raised his hand and pointed towards the window.
Opposite the white outline that remained of the wall was the building containing the Gymnasium. The Gymnasium, too, had turned transparent leaving only a white outline. At the front of the Gymnasium was a small room. That was the Locker Room. There were 2 figures inside. Masako and Ayako.
Masako approached a huge spirit next to some storage shelves and stopped. That spirit looked larger and blacker than the other spirits.
Masako pointed at that spirit, and Ayako started brandishing her jade rosary. The pale black spirit floated weightlessly to escape, and floated out of the window. Neither Masako nor Ayako noticed any of these.
Mai shook her head. "They never listen to me."
Gene gave her a wry smile before pointing at the fleeing spirit.
The spirit continued flying, and escaped to the East Block that Mai and Gene were currently in. It floated to a small room at the end of the second floor, and closed in on a white spirit straying in a corner. That was the Broadcast Room…
The large black spirit and the smaller, rounder white spirit circled each other. Their tails became intertwined. Soon, the smaller spirit was engulfed by the larger one. It felt like the larger spirit grew a little larger, and a little blacker.
"I can never get used to that sight…"
"Yeah. It's a really nasty sight: spirits devouring other spirits. That's why I said… this place is very dangerous."
Mai nodded.
"Just like that they grow… then…" Gene's fingers descended as he pointed beneath his feet.
Through the transparent floor, Mai looked at the room in the first floor. There were spirits in that room too. Quite a distance from her feet, was a darkening, swamp-like patch of an ominous color. And it was immense. It was like a huge pit had opened in the center of the room.
"That is evil… do you understand?"
"Yes. I know. It's the chrysalis for the koduko curse."
Looking at the color alone made Mai's skin crawl. It had an extremely evil will. She stared, unmoving, at the clump of black. The some of the white spirits floating around the school went beside the black chrysalis. The chrysalis pulsated rhythmically like a heart. The burning flames stretched out, ensnaring the smaller spirits, engulfing them. It was just like a carnivorous plant trapping weaker insects and devouring them.
"I wonder if Ayako could clear them with her trees? It might reduce the curse a little removing some of the spirits and their strength..."
"You had better go back." Gene said to Mai.
"Very well. I need to tell Naru what I saw anyway."
Gene looked at Mai worriedly. "You have to be more cautious, and do not go near to the dangerous places."
"I'll try." Mai looked about her feet.
The never-ending strange scenery. Black, large chrysalis' were dangerous. She confirmed their locations. In the first floor of this building there were 2. In the East Block there were 5. The South Block had 4. While Mai was looking at these, the area beside her feet grew dimmer. The previously visible scenery beneath gradually grew fainter, color returned to the ground beneath her.
Slowly the floor came back into sight.
The floor. Brown colored plastic tiles. There was flooring everywhere.
"Mai!"
Mai raised her head and saw Oliver.
He looked worried as he bent down to kiss her. "You were asleep with your eyes open again."
"Technically I'm not sleeping. I'm astral projecting." Mai responded with a yawn.
"Did that idiot medium pull you in again?"
"Yeah. This place is full of spirits and there are about 11 koduko chrysalis to be wary of. The exorcisms aren't doing any good. They're just feeding the chrysalis faster."
Oliver stared at her with frustration at himself as he remembered what Mai had told him would happen. "Did he say anything?"
"Just that the place was dangerous and to stay away from the chrysalis spots."
"How is the organizing going?"
"Someone interrupted me before I could finish."
"Has there been any communication from the others?"
"I think there should not have been any. I didn't see them doing it while projecting anyway."
Oliver nodded, and left after another kiss. He was feeling a touch kiss-deprived since the day before they had been so busy and surrounded by far too many people.
John and Takigawa returned immediately after Oliver left the Meeting Room.
"How is it?" Mai asked them.
"Who knows? It wouldn't be this tough if I knew." Takigawa whined.
John tilted his head. As he marked the school's floor plan on the white board, he said, "For now, although I have said prayers as per Hara-san's instructions, there does not seem to be any effect…"
Suddenly an image crossed Mai's mind. John was scattering holy water. The pale white spirits left that place, and escaped to another location.
"That's because there isn't. They escaped and either ate, or got eaten by, another spirit in a new location." Mai responded.
"Ha?"
"Never mind..." Mai sighed. "Not like anyone is listening, any way."
"Ok. John, let's head to the next place. 'No Rain but Water Drips'…" Takigawa shrugged, retrieving a card that Mai had compiled and looking at it.
"The first floor's Printing Room." The monk's finger searched for the location of the Printing Room on the floor plan on the whiteboard.
"There it is." He was pointing at the printing room.
Mai recalled what Gene said. "That is evil."
"You can't go there." Mai could not help blurting out.
"Eh?" Takigawa and John turned back to look at her.
Mai continued, "Leave that place alone for now. Could you go to the Music Preparation Room first?"
Although Takigawa and John looked flabbergasted, they silently accepted the card she handed them. "'The Music Preparation Room Where Noises are Heard'? John, let's go."
"Yes."
...
Not long later, the Meeting Room's door was opened, and Yasuhara appeared. He was being ordered around by Oliver, and had run all over the place moving equipment.
"Is the job done?" Mai asked him.
"Yes. If you are referring to the errands I was assigned." Yasuhara said, beaming.
"Would you like a cup of coffee?"
"Ah, I'll make it."
"No need, it's always been my job to make the drinks."
"If that's the case then I really should make the coffee. Won't you get bored doing the work that you always do?"
"I don't get the chance to get bored making it." Mai laughed.
"About that, Mai… was the cause as we expected – the Kokkuri?"
"Yeah it is, though the others haven't got to that conclusion yet."
"Hu… It's really unfair. Kokkuri and the type, they are clearly games that are played everywhere. It appears to be very popular in the middle school my little sister attends. But this type of strange things only happens in our school."
"This version of Kokkuri-san isn't a game though. In fact, what you had been doing isn't actually Kokkuri-san. It's a curse talisman and has a much darker purpose."
"Does it?"
Mai nodded. "Sakauchi-kun knew what he was doing when he spread it around."
"How do you know Sakauchi started it?" Yasuhara tilted his head.
Mai smiled. "Have you ever tried investigating where it started?"
"I haven't but that's a good question. Perhaps someone heard it somewhere… It might be interesting to investigate this. 'From whom did you learn how to play Worikiri-sama?' or something similar. There must have been someone who invented it."
"And are there people still playing the normal Kokkuri?"
"There probably aren't that many. About autumn everyone was homogeneously playing Worikiri-sama.
There were people casually calling Worikiri-sama 'Kokkuri-san', 'Cupid-san' etc right from the start. That, isn't there a saying that Kokkuri-san would cause haunting? So nobody still plays that anymore.
Then someone said that Worikiri-sama would not cause haunting, and the steps are very complicated. And they said that if you followed the rules it would be completely safe."
"So that's why you played?"
"My curiosity is very strong. I would always want to try it out once."
"I can understand that… The really curious thing is how would it got to be so popular."
"If we analyze the reasons for its popularity you wouldn't have so much trouble. Perhaps it's like this: maybe it's because the steps are very unusual. Look, didn't you see those papers? That alone is already a little strange. People think it is a novelty."
"Is it?"
Yasuhara's expression turned slightly more serious.
"Although there are other explanations, 'suppressed students looking to vent their stress' and the type, this type of explanations are not convincing; because it would grow into a problem of some sort."
"Yasuhara-kun… I can't help feeling you are very knowledgeable."
"Yes. I've been called a little old man by others. As for my nickname, it is 'Echigo-ya'."
"Eh… Echigo-ya?"
"Yes. They say I have the image of a kindly old man, but they can't tell what I'm really thinking of deep down."
Mai snorted.
"It's today." Yasuhara said suddenly after looking at the calendar.
"Hmm?"
"The twelfth day. Tonight. More accurately tomorrow morning. There will be another fire in the Locker Room."
"… Not in the Locker Room this time."
"Eh?" Yasuhara asked suspiciously.
"... The Broadcast Room…" Mai clarified.
"Are you a person with sixth sense?"
"Ah... Something like that..."
The sun had set, and the surroundings started to turn dark. Takigawa and John returned to the Meeting Room.
Once Takigawa entered the room, he let out a whistle. "Oh, Mai, in a world of your own with your boyfriend? How mature."
Mai raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget who exactly my boyfriend is...?
"Yasuhara-kun is also very quick. Youth is great~"
"Takigawa-san, that's not fair. It was a rare opportunity for us to talk in depth. And Mai, you have a boyfriend, already?"
Mai waved her hand with her promise ring. "100% committed."
"What a pity!" He sighed mournfully.
Upon hearing their banter, John's head hit the whiteboard.
As though imparting a secret, Takigawa placed his hands on Yasuhara's shoulders. "Young man… Have a little chat with me."
"Yes."
"I understand your feelings, but you have to consider the situation and the location."
"Ah, right. Then, next time I'll try my best."
"You have to consider the atmosphere for this sort of thing…"
Looking steadily at Yasuhara, Takigawa said, "Do you like Mai?"
"Yes I do."
Yasuhara winked at Mai teasingly. Mai covered a laugh with her hand. She knew he wasn't serious with his flirting. John's head hit the whiteboard a second time.
"Ah, but I also like Shibuya-san. He is very beautiful!"
John's head hit the whiteboard once more.
"But I like Takigawa-san even more *heart*"
Mai could no longer hold back her laughter as she helped John back up from where he'd finally dropped. It resounded joyfully around the room.
Takigawa looked severely at Yasuhara from the corner of his eyes. "Young man…"
"Yes?"
"You, you are teasing me?"
"Of course *heart*"
With a shout "ai", Takigawa released his fist. In order to dodge the monk's blow, Yasuhara escaped behind the table, laughing himself.
"Don't make fun of adults!" Takigawa yelled at him.
"That's because you were thinking of making fun of children."
"Serves you right for taking a serious discussion about the situation in this school as flirting. What would Naru say if he'd heard you." Mai snarked at Takigawa.
Both Takigawa and John shivered at the thought.
Smiling, Yasuhara poured coffee for the pair of them. "How is the work going?"
Takigawa looked like he had been asked a question he would rather not answer. "I don't feel like answering work related questions."
"It's not going well?"
In response to Mai's question, Takigawa only shortened his neck.
John made a mark on the Geography Room where the fluorescent light dropped during cleaning. He marked it with a sign "J". It meant that the location had already been exorcised by John. While he continued marking other locations, he answered in place of Takigawa. "The volume is too large."
The floor plan of the school was on the whiteboard. Troublesome places were marked with numbers, and the places that have been exorcised were marked with red. After a whole day, only one fifth was done.
"What's the situation with Masako?"
Takigawa sighed. "Although she insists that while she can't see it she can definitely feel it, I don't know what is really going on."
"Hey, hasn't Naru said before that within Japan, Masako is first class? Would something like this happen to a first class medium?"
"Yeah…"
Takigawa groaned painfully. "Masako is good at channeling spirits."
"Channeling spirits?" Yasuhara asked.
"Ah. She summons a spirit and lets it possess her body. Then she can make prophecies, and answer questions. What she does is not too different from Kokkuri."
"Ah, television programs frequently broadcast that."
"Apparently she has got a lot of it right. But…" Takigawa looked pained.
"Yeah... Naru says that the only things spirits know about anything, have to do with death." Mai added.
"I have never doubted this before, but I thought that might be the case. For example, if I let Masako summon my Grandpa's spirit back from the dead. My Grandpa, possessing Masako, not only knows things that only my Grandpa and I would know, but how can he also answer my questions of: 'How will my luck in Love be?' He could only answer with an 'It's only so-so' type answer. That type of conversation."
"Yeah."
"The conversation between the spirit and myself is like that, but what really goes on?"
John cut into the conversation. "Some time ago I was asked to help write an article. There are researchers who say that there are 2 types of mediums."
"2 types?" Yasuhara questioned.
"Yes. Real mediums and ESPers." Mai explained.
Takigawa nodded. "Ah, I'm not sure where but I have heard that before. It should be Professor Davis."
"So you remember. What the Professor said, was, mediums need not have psychic powers." John answered.
Mai smiled. It was funny hearing them talk about her boyfriend, without them realising that they even were.
"That's why… say; the medium can summon my Grandma's spirit, right? Grandma's spirit borrows the medium's body and says things that only Grandma and I would know. There are people who say that my Grandma's spirit need not necessarily have possessed the medium's body." John continued.
"But didn't the medium know of things that only John and his Grandma should know?" Yasuhara asked.
"Yes. But, it might not be the spirit that tells the medium. The medium might have ESP… there's a chance she's a psychometrist." Takigawa answered.
"Psycho…? What is that?" Yasuhara asked.
Takigawa explained. "Psychometrist. That is a person with psychometry. This 'psychometry' is the power to be able to sense the history or related events through an object. For example, you pick up a bag on the street. A psychometrist would be able to see the past and the future of the bag; what type of person the bag's owner was, what he is doing now, what he will do after that."
"Is it like that?" Mai asked, and John nodded.
"Yes. Exactly. Professor Davis himself is a psychometrist, that's why he came up with that theory."
"This Professor Davis, is he that person with psycho kinesis that you talked about in the last school case?" Mai had to cover the knowing smirk on her lips with her hand and lowered her glinting eyes so as not to give the game away.
"Yes. Professor Oliver Davis. He was a researcher in England's SRP. That's the Society of Psychical Research. Not only was he a talented psychometrist, he was also able to use PK. He is of a minority of psychics who is able to use both PK and ESP. Professor Davis had a brother named Eugene Davis, who was a medium. The professor had mentioned before that Eugene Davis was a pure medium. Although Eugene did not know German, if he summoned a German spirit he would speak German; if it was a Greek, he would speak Greek. Such occurrences are very rare. It should be impossible unless he was possessed by a spirit. However, amongst the mediums, there are some who speak Japanese regardless of the nationality of the spirit summoned." Takigawa answered enthusiastically. "Not long ago I saw a program of Itako (a spirit medium in the north east regions of Japan) channeling on television. At that time Itako summoned Marilyn Monroe. To summon Monroe alone is hilarious, but that Monroe could even speak Japanese. Overall, I felt it was very strange and very funny."
"Is it?"
"There are such cases, but on the other hand, there are also mediums like Eugene Davis, Rosemary Brown and Frederic Thompson." John added.
"Oh…?"
Takigawa explained, "Mrs. Brown composed music with the help of spirits. She supposedly had no musical training herself, but could make music through summoning a spirit. The spirits that were summoned include Beethoven and Chopin and other composers, so some of her music was even orchestral styled. The music was completely in the style of the various composers, and from a musical perspective they appeared to be very highly received.
As for Thompson it was drawing. He let the spirit of a painter called Robert Swain Gifford possess his body, and allowed it to draw. The drawings were all sceneries, places that Gifford visited when he was alive; furthermore, they were places he never mentioned a desire to draw to his friends. More incredibly, Thompson had neither visited that location, nor seen a photograph of the place. Of course, the art was completely in the style of Gifford."
John nodded. "Despite all these, amongst the mediums there are those who excel at answering questions and making predictions. Professor Davis also once said, rather than calling users of this type of power 'mediums', they are more likely to be ESPers. Personally, he did not believe answers and prophecies etc were passed on by spirits."
"I don't blame him." Mai said.
"So it was like that." Takigawa quietly muttered.
"Masako would be considered a medium of the latter type. Whether it is answering questions or making prophecies, she is excellent. In other words, rather than calling Masako a medium, she is more likely to be a psychometrist. She also said that she finds it easier with spirits that have a stronger connection."
Yasuhara sighed, looking concerned. "It's really complicated."
"So Masako does not fully have the ability to see spirits?" Mai asked to clarify.
"I'm not saying she is completely incapable of that. But if we consider 'Masako can see spirits', it is more likely that she has a 'clear vision' through an object, the school… although I'm not too sure myself.
That's why Masako need not necessarily be able to see those spirits. Right now, right here we might be swamped by spirits Masako could not feel."
"Hmmmm..."
"Mai, do you understand?"
"Ah… Yes, I'm just wondering what type I would be classified as…"
The monk sighed.
"Do you see the spirits?"
"Sometimes. When they want me to. I've seen Sakauchi-kun several times, though I've also been dreaming of him for the last couple of weeks. It's easier to talk to spirits when I astral project or through my aura sensing though. Most of the time if I'm dreaming, I'm viewing their memories."
"Speaking of which, Mai," Takigawa looked at her. "Have you felt anything yet?"
Before she could reply, Yasuhara blurted out, "Ah, haven't you said it before. The fire would be in Broadcast Room or something like that."
John and Takigawa turned to face Mai. "Mai?"
"I was astral projecting earlier."
"And then?"
"Ayako exorcised the locker spirit. It escaped into the broadcast room and devoured the spirit residing in there."
With a serious face, Takigawa stood up.
"Mai. Go to sleep. Go and sleep now."
"Ha?"
"Your dreams have meanings. It's collecting information. Be a good child now and go to bed."
"That's right. Mai-san, please go and sleep."
"It doesn't work like that, Bakas. Despite the fact that it looks like I'm sleeping, I'm really not. It's more of a meditative state. Besides, I work for Naru. When he tells me to 'sleep', then I will."
"Did you know? This was researched by Charles Tart and others: dreams and ESP have a very deep connection." Takigawa spoke.
"Yes…?"
"Especially the initial cycles of REM sleep. It's known to experience ESP type phenomenon then."
"Yes. A more accurate way of putting it is d-ASC, discrete-Altered State of Consciousness." John added.
"This state of the consciousness dissociating is the strongest, when mediums summon, or when ESPers use their powers of psychometry. Just as Naru said, you have latent ESP. Furthermore you got the part about Ayako doing the exorcism right. Your dreams definitely have meanings. Go to sleep."
"Not my boss, remember? It's not sleeping though, and I already got all the information I need for the moment. I'm only waiting for everyone to come back to tell Naru."
"Forget it." It was Yasuhara who piped up. "Even if it is Mai, it is troubling to be forced by others like this."
"We can't rely on Masako. We were just grasping at last straw that you are, Mai. Perhaps, like Masako's ability to see spirits, you would not be able to accurately predict this situation."
"That's right. The more reports the merrier, that's decided."
"Then tonight we will find out." Yasuhara said with certainty. "Tonight, or more accurately tomorrow morning, if the fire happens we would know to exactly what degree we can rely on Mai's dreams. If a fire occurs in the Broadcast Room, we will be able to believe in your abilities, Mai. If that's the case, Mai will be helping us overall."
Mai merely shrugged. "I already was.The real problem is that nobody is listening."
"Young man, since when did you start to be Mai's manager?"
"From now on."
At dusk everyone gathered. Takigawa and John explained the entirety of the situation. Although Mai had anticipated it from the start, Ayako and Masako gave her cold looks. Contrastingly Oliver and Lin remained expressionless apart from a brief smile in Mai's direction.
Before Ayako could let out her sharp tongue to speak, Oliver raised his hands to ask for silence. "Yasuhara-kun is right. We only need to see where the fire occurs to find out. Lin –"
Oliver turned to Lin who stood at his back waiting like an attached spirit. "Set up equipment in the Broadcast Room."
Mai moved the equipment into the Broadcast Room. Without asking Oliver where to put it, Mai set it up exactly in the position she remembered him requesting in her past life. Oliver nodded in approval.
...
Waiting for the results of the experiment, Mai calmly awaited the arrival of dawn. When the sky brightened, more accurately at 4:32:24 am, flames suddenly spurted from a cool wall.
It was the Broadcast Room.
They happened to be outside the Broadcast Room at that time. As it was about time for the fire to happen, they observed the situation in the room through the equipment.
Of course, the Broadcast Room was not the only one under observation. Lin and John were outside the Locker Room waiting and observing the situation inside.
But the only place where a fire broke out, was the Broadcast Room. Through the monitor, Oliver, Takigawa, Yasuhara and Mai saw the wall ignite with their own eyes. Out of the blue, flames spurted from the wall in the room.
The fire was more intense than those previously reported. In an instant, the ceiling was charred, and the blaze had spread through the room.
"Wow..." Yasuhara said stunned.
Carrying fire extinguishers, Takigawa and Yasuhara rushed into the room.
"Well done." Takigawa applauded Mai. She bowed in acknowledgement.
Oliver wore an exceptionally proud look and asked, "Where are the other locations?"
"The Printing Room and… LL classroom and…" Mai's voice tapered as she recalled the rooms where she saw the chrysalis' while projecting.
"Mai?" Looking at the thinking Mai, Oliver urged.
"The one in the Sickbay felt larger. They're the main ones to worry about, I think."
Oliver nodded.
Masako and Ayako, who had hurried to the Broadcast Room, looked at Mai with extremely complicated expressions. Ayako had a touch of jealousy in hers. She still had yet to prove herself on a case. Masako with a lot more jealousy and a little of envy. Mai was proving more useful than herself in this case and Oliver never talked to her in the warm tone he usually used with Mai.
Mai shifted her gaze. The camera quietly standing in the middle of the Broadcast Room caught her eye. Although the fire was fortunately extinguished immediately, the equipment set up there was a pathetic sight.
"Poor thing…" She caressed the camera that was covered in white by the fire extinguisher. "Just as well you're insured, isn't it, Naru?"
He walked over to Mai and the camera to have a look. "Yes it's ruined. At least we have the footage to show the insurance on how it happened."
Everyone's vision were fixed on Oliver's hands. He held a black colored, rectangular tape.
Takigawa's icy voice came from the side. "This is a real example of a roll of tape being more precious than human life."
Oliver ignored him and turned to Lin. "Lin, set up equipment again."
Mai helped him without complaint while the others grumbled at his coldness. She knew better than to believe Oliver was unfeeling.
...
A little later when Mau was alone in the meeting room, she had another go at spreading her senses over the school. She watched as the irregulars expelled spirits from one location to another.
Thinking again about how they could reduce the effect of the koduko curse, she wondered if she could clear away some of the spirits like she did in the lost children case in her previous life. Getting up and standing in the doorway she expanded her own aura outwards to attract the attention of the spirits near her.
Hold out her hands in supplication, she tried to encourage them to enter the warm golden glow surrounding her and move on. The first couple of spirits who came where out of curiosity. Soon as they moved on, the others in the area surrounded her. Dozens of spirits moved on in that short time. When the area was cleared, Mai closed her senses again and sat back down tiredly.
Even if it was only a little,she was glad to reduce the strength of the curse.
When the others cane back, she said not a single word about it.