Edited
Takigawa and Mai went to the van to retrieve thermometers and small blackboards. Following that, together with Substitute Head Yasuhara, who was alone, the three of them went to various rooms to measure the temperature. It is said that in locations where paranormal activities take place, the temperature of that location would be lowered.
They discussed what Ohashi had said as they walked.
"Is it really alright~~?"
Yasuhara mumbled while he opened a closet.
"What's alright?"
"I say… the incident where people disappeared here happened 2 months ago right? If those people got lost in here, they would definitely be already dead."
"… perhaps."
"I don't want to discover corpses while wondering around this place."
Mai shuddered, remembering much worse than stray corpses.
"And in this type of old building, there are definitely mice around. Do you want to encounter corpses badly eaten away by mice and cockroaches?"
"The mice and cock roaches would be a much nicer alternative to what really happened to them."
Mai muttered.
Takigawa smiled expansively.
"We couldn't possibly find those bodies while walking around here. The police ''have'' already searched this area."
"What they could of it anyway."
Mai answered.
"However, it is also possible that they simply got lost."
This huge house does indeed have a strange and complicated structure. The corridors twist and wind pointlessly; even the width of the corridors change from wide to narrow randomly. Short flights of stairs appear at random locations, sloping up or down. One would lose sense of direction in an instant.
If they hadn't been drawing a simple map of the house on the blackboard used to record temperatures, perhaps they too would have gotten lost there.
"Eh~. It feels like playing an RPG."
Yasuhara said, looked around the irregularly shaped room with walls jutting in and out all over in a # shape.
"I wouldn't know."
"Eh? Taniyama-san, don't you play PC games?"
"I don't have such things. Are they interesting?"
"They are passable, perhaps. The two major games are "DQ" and "FF". If new products of either game are released around January or February, University would definitely take a second place."
Takigawa poked his head out of a window in a corner.
"Ou~~ Incredible. This window opens into the neighboring room."
It was only a normal window with nothing special – except for the point that the window opened into the next room instead of into the gardens.
"And blinds were also put up…"
"It should have turned out like this because of the renovations or additions… it looks like a weird 3D dungeon."
While Takigawa said that, Yasuhara suddenly clapped his hands.
"Are you a fan of PC games too? Have you played 'Megami Tensei' before?"
"Now that you mention it, I haven't played it since the second series. When I am immersed in magic and beasts, I lose sight of my original goals."
"I completely understand."
Mai shrugged. She never played a PC game in her last life and had no intention of playing one this time. She ignored the 2 people talking excitedly while she set up the thermometer. The thermometers they used weren't like the alcohol thermometers used in school, but specialised ones.
4 degrees centigrade. The temperature was rather low, similar to all the rooms around this area. Mai recorded the temperature onto the blackboard. Because they didn't know what room this was, Mai had assigned numbers to the rooms on the map.
Not that she really needed the map itself any more. It was more of a convenience for Oliver and the others. Between her memory and her currently expanded aura sensing, Mai could 'see' where everyone is. Although she was very careful not to expand to the lower level for now. She wasn't ready for that just yet. She had also closed her cleansing aura for now. It was too tiring to have it going all day and she'd barely made a dent in what she had cleansed earlier that day.
"It's OK. Let's head to the next location."
" "Did we come from that direction?" "
Both Yasuhara and Takigawa pointed in different directions.
Mai giggled at their confusion.
Opening each door to check, Takigawa said.
"This is practically Winchester (Mystery) House."
Yasuhara replied with a question.
"Is the 'Winchester' you mention the Winchester of the Winchester Rifle?"
Takigawa nodded.
"Yes. It is the family home of the Winchesters who invented the Winchester Rifle. I don't remember too clearly, but it was a strange and complicated house like this one. It had windows that cannot be opened, stairs that lead to nowhere, and doors that were impassible."
"Ah, exactly the same."
"Yeah."
Yasuhara had a strange expression of comprehension.
"I really don't understand the thinking of rich people. Why do they all like this type of building?"
"Apparently there was a reason for Winchester House. The truth was, if inauspicious events occurred after the construction of the house, it was not completed and renovated endlessly."
"He~~. Then perhaps there was also some reason for this building."
"It'd just be a joke of a house if there wasn't a reason. Ah, this is the one, a room that we haven't been in before."
Takigawa randomly opened a tall door. That room, now numbered 8, was an even stranger room.
In the very center of the large room was a small room about 2 tatamis large. Furthermore, the height of the floor was different only in that location.
Mai measured the temperature in the small room (numbered 8.5?) as the guys continued talking about games.
"If this was a maze there would be something in this type of room."
"Right. Something like a treasure chest or a small box."
"The maze is below the house."
Mai commented before leaving Yasuhara and Takigawa who were talking apparently very happily about such leisurely topics behind.
3 people had gathered in a group in the larger room. Mai rolled her eyes at the sight of Minami before pasting a fake smile on her face.
Minami looked at Mai and smiled.
"Oyo oyo. The little miss has already started work."
"That's what I'm employed to do."
Minami looked at the small blackboard Mai was carrying.
"You are measuring temperatures, right?"
He said that while nodding non-stop.
"That's really good. The measurement of temperature is the basis of paranormal investigation. That Otaku head of yours, despite being so young, does know quite a bit."
Minami, who was chattering non-stop, held an alcohol thermometer in his right hand.
"… thank you. Are you measuring the temperature too, Minami-san?"
Mai asked with a smirk. Minami smiled contentedly.
"Yes. Our methods are passed on directly from Professor Davis. Eh, because it is a trade secrete I can't mention it. But it is for the sake of the development of paranormal research, so if you wish to steal my teacher you are welcome to try. One is never too old to learn."
"Uh huh. You do realise that the real Professor Davis isn't an old man and doesn't use alcohol based thermometers?"
Minami frowned at Mai before he roughly shook the thermometer, and then placed it on the dust-covered furniture.
"I have no idea what you are talking about. Of course he is the real Professor Davis."
"Keep telling yourself that."
Mai shrugged and ignored him.
A woman and a younger woman stood on both sides of Minami. Both of them had their eyes closed and held their palms together. The woman suddenly opened her eyes and spoke.
"Boss, I've felt something in the room diagonally opposite this one."
"Ah ah, have you?"
Minami grinned, picked up the thermometer and wrote the temperature on a note. Then he nodded to Mai.
"Anyway, let's all work hard. Apparently there is a prize for the group that succeeds in exorcism."
"... Yeah, good luck with that."
Waving his hand gently, Minami and the ladies left the room.
Mai placed her on thermometer on the stand Minami had placed his thermometer and measured the temperature. She looked at her watch while counting the accurate countdown time. Put simply, the 'countdown time' is the time needed for the thermometer to measure the temperature accurately.
...
After measuring the temperatures in the 10 rooms close by 3 times, Mai, Yasuhara and Takigawa went back to the base. The huge room was piled with equipment.
"How is it?"
When asked by Oliver, who was adjusting a camera, Mai handed the small blackboard to him.
"There isn't any location where the temperature is particularly low. However, if there isn't a class for drawing up floor plans, I dare say somebody will get lost."
"I don't need it, but it looks like someone does."
"Oh and I met Minami in Room Number 8. He was actually using a very crude method to measure the temperature."
"You met Minami-san? When?"
It was Takigawa who asked.
"In Room Number 8. It was when Bou-san and Yasu… ah... no... sorry.. Boss were in that little room playing."
"And the Professor?"
"He wasn't there."
"… whatever."
Takigawa looked somehow rather dejected.
"Doesn't he care a lot about the Professor's work?"
Ayako giggled and looked at John who was by the side.
"Because Takigawa-san respects the Professor greatly."
Takigawa looked mildly embarrassed, muttering things like 'hey', and 'really'.
"The Professor is such a great person."
Mai said, her eyes twinkling in amusement with a side glance at Oliver.
Takigawa scratched his head embarrassedly.
"At the very least, such strict investigators are very rare…"
"Rare huh..."
"Yeah. He is an extremely serious person. He writes papers just like the normal scientific papers."
"He certainly does produce a lot of them."
Mai commented with a smirk.
"About that, just writing alone won't do it. Foreign researchers are more serious; amongst the Japanese researchers there are those who don't even write citations.
The Professor had a composition, called 'Paranormal Systems'. The foreword of that book had a sentence like this, 'With regards to research into the paranormal, there is an argument as to whether it is scientific or the tricks of a fraudster. I still do not believe it is scientific. Therefore, I believe research into the paranormal should start to be recognized and researched scientifically.'
People who believe in paranormal phenomenon insist that it is all scientific. The opposition, allowing for no explanation, denounces it as fraudsters' tricks. The Professor has said something really acute. Because the Professor himself is a clairvoyant, he knows that paranormal phenomenon does occur."
John nodded.
"It is like that. The fact is, that book is a very serious reference book."
"Is that so… however, compared to what you all have just said, claiming he was taught directly by the Professor, Minami was measuring the temperature very crudely."
"That's because Minami-san's personality is that careless."
Ayako cut in.
"However, that person called Minami, don't you think he is a little suspicious?"
"You think so too, Ayako?"
"Yes, yes. I can't help feeling that he lacks integrity and can't warm up to him."
"He certainly lacks that."
John carelessly tilted his head slightly.
"Although I have never met the Professor before, I do remember hearing that he is a very young person."
Takigawa looked a bit angry.
"Whatever, are you suspecting him? Being a 'Professor', isn't he very young?"
"What that actually is… The Professor received his title from the 龙电巴古财团. There are many organizations that assist in psychical research in the west, and the 龙电巴古财团 is one of them set up recently specially for this sort of research. On one hand it gives out the title of 'Professor' to outstanding researchers, on the other hand it organizes lectures at universities teaching this type of subject. Professor Davis has this sort of title, that is to say it is slightly different from the regular title of 'Professor'…"
"And if the Professor came to Japan, shouldn't it cause a huge uproar? I haven't heard any rumors of the Professor ever coming to Japan."
Mai chocked back a laugh as Takigawa was frowned.
"You've got a point…"
"It is like this, leaving the rest aside, the Professor is after all a famous psychic."
"I'm sure he would rather be acknowledged for his research than his psychic ability though."
Mai responded.
"The Professor did perform a public PK experiment some years ago. That experiment was also recorded. Initially only official research institutes are able to access this tape. Apparently it is an experiment where a large piece of aluminum was flung onto the wall."
"I wonder if he regrets making it a public experiment now..."
Mai muttered.
"And then, when a son of a rich family was kidnapped, the Professor rescued that child. This story is also quite famous."
John nodded.
"Yes. It was the son of the boss of a large American automobile company. The Professor realized that the child was buried alive by some people. Then that tycoon gifted a very large research facility to SPR."
While they were discussing these things, someone suddenly spoke from behind Mai.
"Everyone, it looks like you're chitchatting very happily."
It was an unhesitating, ice cold sound but Mai smiled when she heard it.
Turning back, Oliver stood there with a sarcastic smile on his face. Looking around, the number of cameras lined up on the ground had decreased.
"Yo, Naru-chan. When did you get here? Where did you go just now?"
Takigawa, with a numb expression, raised his hands, and faced Oliver's cold gaze.
"Of course it was to set up the cameras. Because I am here to work."
"Want some help, Naru?" Mai asked after kissing his cheek.
Oliver's gaze softened as he looked down at her.
"Yeah, thanks Mai."
...
"Where do you want the camera to be placed?"
Everyone asked while they hefted the video recorder while walking.
"In any case, use our living quarters as the center, then gradually expand the radius to ascertain a circle of safety."
Takigawa, apparently very frustrated, spoke loudly.
"Hey hey, if it is like this, how much time will it take to completely investigate this entire building?"
"This too can't be helped. Or do you want to run away home, Takigawa-san?"
Withdrawing from the truth presented by Oliver, Takigawa hugged his head.
"… I'm sorry. It is my mistake, can you speak to me as you normally do, OK?"
An extremely sarcastic smile appeared on Oliver's face.
"Because this time it might develop into a long battle, this too cannot be helped, right?"
Takigawa gave up and turned to look at Mai.
"Right, Mai. I've always wanted to ask you, do your parents say anything with you not being at home for such a long period of time? You don't attend school too, right? You'll get reprimanded by your teacher like this."
"I say, you're asking me this only at this point in time? We've already known each other for over a year, right?"
"No, I've always wanted to ask you."
"There isn't anyone whom I have to account to at home."
"Oya, you've such a complicated family environment."
"Yeah. Because I am an orphan."
Silence. Everyone's gaze barring Oliver and Lin had centered on Mai although a few of Lin's shiki did settle on her in comfort.
Takigawa nervously asked. "Orphan?"
"Yeah. It is just like that."
"Uncles and Aunts etc?"
"Not a single one. I am an unfortunate girl without any relatives. Did I shock you all?"
"… I'm shocked."
"Look, not only did my father die before I knew him, my mother too passed away while I was in secondary school. Really, if it weren't for a kind hearted teacher who let me board at his place, I would have ended up on the streets as a secondary school student."
"… and then?" Takigawa asked.
"What?"
"How do you live now?"
"Ah ah. I currently earn my own living. That's very incredible right?"
"Incredible…"
"I'm exempted from paying school fees. Our school is very kind to poor students. My living expenses depend on my scholarship and the money I get from wages. Because my salary has increased recently, my life has become more comfortable~~."
Takigawa suddenly hugged Mai's head.
"Hey hey hey~~!"
"You can cry in my arms."
"I don't need to, can you let go?"
"You can tell me at any time whenever you feel tired of life. I will willingly marry you."
"Mai is already taken." Oliver pulled Mai out of Takigawa's reach and into his own arms.
"Not cute at all."
Mai poked her tongue out at Takigawa safe in Oliver's arms.
"You knew, Naru?"
"Obviously."
"Your school only allows you to work because it is like this, Mai?"
"Ah, from the start our school allows students to work. In my case, because it is to survive, my school has given me leave."
Takigawa nodded.
"If when you oversleep, you tell the school you've gone to work…"
"I'm not late for school, though, and I can't remember the last time I actually slept in."
...
With the corner of the second floor which was our living quarters as the center, there were 4 night vision cameras and automatic temperature recorders placed around. And besides that, there were 12 microphones set up all around. After the Mansion Explorer Team trio of Takigawa, John and Yasuhara left with tape measures and compasses to construct a floor plan, the others adjusted the equipment at base. Even if it was only adjusting the cables, deciding and checking the camera angles, it was soon nearly twilight.
That day, other than Mai who had used her aura sensing, they did not know what the other psychics were doing. After they had dinner they had a meeting at base; then after exorcising and cleansing each room they went to bed early.
Although Oliver was adamant about SPR not conducting investigations at night, the others apparently continued investigating deep into the night.
...
The next morning Mai woke up early and then went with the other girls to the Dining Room, gobbled down breakfast before gathering at the base.
Lin, as usual, was replaying the tapes that were recorded last night. There wasn't a single tape which caught anything out of the ordinary. Occasionally it caught the image of a passing psychic peering curiously down the camera, and that was contrarily rather strange. The tapes recorded by the microphones were the same. The temperature records also appeared normal. None of the equipment showed signs of abnormalities.
"Is there nothing going on?" Yasuhara asked.
Oliver nodded.
"The first day is just like this. There probably isn't any danger around the area where the equipment was set up last night."
Oliver has and will always be of the prudent type.
Ayako looked a little dissatisfied.
"Is this alright? When we are leisurely doing this type of thing, the credit will be snatched away by the others."
"I don't particularly wish to achieve any accomplishment."
"Then, why do we doing this type of thing?"
"This is what we call volunteers. – Yasuhara-kun, Bou-san, John. You lot and Mai, continue to construct the floor plan."
Masako, who started acting together with us since this morning, said.
"If there is anywhere I can help…"
"Please go with Matsuzaki-san and check if there are any suspicious places. You said you've smelt the smell of blood, right? Find out where that smell is the strongest etc. You all have to be extremely cautious, even if you find a suspicious location, don't enter it carelessly. Report to me first."
"Understood."
"Everyone must return here in the afternoon. Right, at 11:30. Let us calibrate our watches; everyone must not be late."
Despite the efforts of Takigawa, Yasuhara and John yesterday, the floor plan was still mostly blank. With great effort, the corner of the Dining Room, the Base and their living quarters was drawn. They first measured the corridor to the north of the Dining Room that was skipped yesterday. They roughly measured the corridors' length, width and direction then drew it on the paper. Following that they also measured the rooms on either side of the corridor.
Just like that they started measuring from one end of the building, this time entering every room.
"Take a look at this, guys."
Mai recorded the measurements while tilting her head.
"What's up?"
Takigawa walked over and looked at what Mai had recorded.
"The measurements of this room don't add up."
The room was about as large as a classroom. Because the room was surrounded by corridors on three sides, and the corridors and the adjacent room had already been measured, the external measurements of the room should be very clear. If the room was measured on the outside, this room should be a rectangular room. But somehow, when the room was actually measured on the inside it was practically square shaped.
Mai finished explaining. Takigawa couldn't help smacking his lips.
"Not again. Ai, we have to re-do the measurements."
The trio of Takigawa, Yasuhara and John left the room to measure the room's external. The three people who came back shortly after had their heads tilted in incomprehension.
"… How is it?"
"The external measurements are accurate just like this."
"It isn't possible. Even without measuring, I can tell this room is square. The actual measurements also show it is practically a square-"
"But there isn't any mistake outside either. This is the second time we've measured so there is definitely no mistake."
Mai looked at the wall without a door.
"Ah... I remember now. This is the wall blocking the access to the lower levels."
Yasuhara pointed towards the wall.
"A hidden room."
"Yeah, and it leads to the maze you two were joking about yesterday." Mai answered. 'Thinking on that... doesn't the floor slant too?'
The guys looked at Mai strangely as she stared at the floor, then stared back at the wall.
"This issue will be resolved if we open a hole in the wall."
It was Takigawa who spoke such extreme words.
John talked sense into the pair of them.
"… anyway let's leave this and continue to measure. Perhaps when we measure some other parts we can find out where we had made a mistake."
"We'll be going in there soon enough as it is."
Mai muttered before turning away. She decided not to drop her pen to test the floor just yet. It's not like they were really ghost hunting on this case. Oliver haf a different purpose for being here.
Just like that they continued working. Mai began recording when possible hidden rooms were placed on the map whenever measurements didn't add up. They repeated the measurements multiple times just to make sure. But Mai refused to let them get frustrated over it, simply stating there were probably just more rooms that had been blocked up by a wall instead of a window or door.
Throughout it all, Mai kept her aura sensing open and even allowed her cleansing aura to provide an escape tot he spirits surrounding them. Occasionally, Mai sensed that creepy entity watching her. He appeared annoyed at the release of his spiritual prisoners.
After many trials they had finally completed the floor plan of the first floor. By then it was almost 11:30. When they got back to base they handed the completed part of the plan to Lin, who entered it into the computer. In the mean time they ate lunch very hurriedly, and after agreeing to meet again at around 3 o'clock teatime, they set off once more on our Mansion Exploration Journey.
In the morning, when they started their investigation, the other psychics were all asleep. They had finally risen one by one and started their investigations. A man with a white beard hanging down to his chest held a rosary made up of beads that were as large as a fist and walked around chanting.
"Isn't he Mihashi-san from the xxx association?"
It was Yasuhara who asked.
"Oh oh, no wonder you're a freshman at an institute of the highest level of education. Such a clever boy."
"You really know how to exaggerate, aren't you a university graduate yourself, Takigawa-san?"
Takigawa showed a very unhappy expression.
"Is the fact that I hold a bachelor degree from a university something that is so strange, ai?"
"Should it be? Even I plan to go to university, Bou-san."
Mai shrugged her shoulders.
"I say, in Japan they let monks attend university."
"He~~"
Yasuhara said,
"Are there early lessons in the morning as usual? Look, don't Catholic schools in some places hold Mass or something in the mornings, right?"
"Are there still this type of schools today? My school wasn't very religious. At most the tea served in the canteen on Hanamatsuri (Vesak Day, or Buddah's Birthday) would be sweet tea."
"That doesn't count-"
Takigawa stopped at the turn of the corridor on the second floor.
The northerly corridor on the second floor was very narrow. Hence John and Yasuhara ran into Takigawa's back. Mai, knowing what was coming, stopped with plenty of space.
"Ouch. What's up?"
Takigawa silently looked down the corridor. There were 4 figures there. Of those two people were squatting on the floor with their foreheads touching the ground, going in circles. Standing aside watching these was the man over thirty, and Ohashi.
"… who?"
John secretly asked Yasuhara.
"Isn't that 圣-san of the xxx association?"
The two squatting persons made circles that were the full width of the corridor, there was no way to pass. Just as they were looking at these, troubled, 圣-san lifted his head and looked their way.
"You can't pass this way."
A smile of ridicule was beneath his moustache.
"Just as you can see, an important revelation is about to occur."
Mai snorted and turned around.
"Have fun with that."
Everyone returned to the corridor they had come from.
The four of them, armed with tape measures, measured each room in sequence. What they knew after completing the measurements for the first and second floors was that the interior of this building had a lot of strange rooms. Entering the building, the rooms inside did not have things called windows. Even when there was, if it didn't open into the next room, it opened into a wall. Even though there was electrical lights in the interior rooms, most of them were pointless bulbs, so they could only rely on the two torches they carried.
"The previous generation that renovated this place, never intended to live here at all."
Takigawa used the torch to illuminate the surrounds of the room. This was a room about 4 tatamis large. Only a door to what was apparently a regular storeroom could be seen. There was no furniture.
"Exactly. I don't think that anyone would want to live in this type of room."
Yasuhara looked around the room.
"That's because this place was designed to keep something in it. Not for anyone alive to live here."
Mai responded while continuing to work.
The second floor was more or less complete before the 3 o'clock tea time, so they returned to meet at the base. While Lin entered the details of the recent investigation into the computer, the guys sat down to have tea. Ohashi and his staff presented cakes and sandwiches etc; this touched them greatly.
Mai sat down with paper, pens and a ruler and continued adding to another partly drawn plan, unnoticed by the others.
"Talking about it, it really is a very large house."
Ayako looked around. There was no one in the Dining Room besides them.
"Aren't there around 20 people running all over this house? But I practically did not meet anyone."
"Exactly. We met a few, that~~, Mihashi-san and 圣-san."
"We met him also, that 圣. Because Masako was mocking them, a fight nearly broke out."
"And then, we also met a don't-know-what's-his-name-san. It was like he was carrying some machine and walking."
"He~~"
After finishing tea, they set out once more to construct the floor plan. When they got to the third floor and was measuring a room, they met a bald man coming from the entrance to the attics.
It was the monk called Imura.
"People from Shibuya Psychic Research?"
"Yes, we are."
Yasuhara, representing them, lowered his head.
"Collecting children one by one – can that have any use at all?"
It was such a vulgar tone, but Yasuhara took no notice of it at all. He smiled and spoke, tilting his head as though he was speaking of someone else.
"Who knows how it is. We will try our best."
"What psychics talk about is experience. What can little children do?"
Yasuhara nodded like a model student observed by a teacher.
"We will try even harder."
Imura sneered.
"How old are you?"
Like a model student, Yasuhara answered smartly.
"Me? I am already 332 years old this year."
Mai covered a smirk. Takigawa looked slightly stunned.
Imura was momentarily stunned. Then his face turned completely red.
"Whatever, you fellow, do you take me for an idiot?"
"Not at all. Because longevity runs in my family."
Yasuhara smiled a model student smile.
"What year were you born, tell me."
"Ai, me? I was born in the 8th year of Hooreki. Or according to the Sexagenary cycle, the Boin year."
"You are just talking nonsense here."
Imura glared at Yasuhara, but Yasuhara didn't look the least concerned.
"How annoying, you doubt the words of your elders. When I was young, if I spoke such to my elders I would get a beating. Ai ya, young people these days are really fortunate~~."
By this time, Mai was desperately holding back her laughter.
"Talking about my youth, I have experienced the Great Tenmei Famine. Youth these days don't know what famine is like~~.
Recently there was some uproar about trade friction between Japan and America; when I was young we were still fighting about whether or not to open the country's borders. Really, at that time I thought that the future was pitch-black."
Ignoring Imura, who was gnashing his teeth while glaring at him, Yasuhara nodded to himself and continued speaking.
"… Every time I speak of these things, I would get scolded by my parents. They say things like 'you're clearly just a green child but you sound like it is crystal clear'. How should I put it, my parents were born around the Kenmu era. Their pet phrases are 'the Onin war was such a catastrophe', 'young people nowadays really don't understand hard work' etc. And if my grandfather were to speak, he would probably say that ''that'' was nothing compared to the Genpei War or something. My grandmother on my father's side would then say only the Jinshin War was really scary. Hey, hey, are you listening?"
Imura's shoulders were shaking; he didn't have the opportunity to shout.
"My great-great-grandmother on my mother's side had her home burnt during the fall of the Yamataikoku. Until she passed away she has always said that it was very sad, it really was etc. – Aiya? Imura-san, where are you going? And then, there's my great-great-great-grandfather on my father's side~~"
Face completely blank, Imura stomped back to the corridor.
When Imura's figure couldn't be seen anymore, everyone burst out in laughter.
"That was as good as I remember it." Mai said softly as she wiped away laugh tears.
...
In the evening, before sundown they had more or less completed measuring the third floor and the attic, and they returned to base. After they handed the drawing to Lin they went for dinner. While they were completely absorbed in eating, suddenly somebody addressed us.
"Erm, Shibuya-san?"
It was the teacher from the What's-its-name University.
Yasuhara hurriedly raised his head.
"… yes."
"I'm really sorry to disturb you while you are having your meal."
"It's nothing much, please don't mind."
She held a cup of coffee, and sat straight next to Yasuhara.
"The equipment placed in the corridors are your belongings, right?"
"Yes."
"It really is rather scientific."
"Passably so."
A generous and gracious smile hung on the Sensei's face.
"I feel that you don't look like a strange psychic, that's why I've come to ask your help. I want to try holding a séance tonight. If possible, I hope to receive the help of you and everyone here."
Yasuhara thought for a moment.
"… I understand. Let me offer our help."
Just as Yasuhara nodded in agreement, 圣-san, seated across the table, started speaking loudly.
"If you need a medium we have some very good ones around, do you need our help?"
Sensei smiled.
"I don't need it."
Because Sensei used such definite lines, 圣-san appeared a little angry. However, Sensei did not appear the least concerned. She smiled at Yasuhara and continued.
"9 o'clock, is that all right?"
"Yes. And the location?"
"Because this place is too noisy, we'll be in a vacant room somewhere nearby."
"I understand."
"Ah... Sensei..." Mai interrupted then.
The woman turned towards her. "... Yes?"
"Do you mind if we bring our own recording equipment?"
"Not at all, please do."
The woman courteously bowed her head and left the Dining Room; the SPR team nodded and watched her leave. At this point Oliver, who had just passed by the woman, and Lin, entered.
Yasuhara shot a glare at圣-san then raised his hand.
"Narumi-kun."
"Yes, is there anything?"
"Just now Professor Igrashi said that she will hold a séance tonight. I will attend; what about you?"
Oliver thought slightly.
"Let me attend too. Anyway there aren't any important jobs that need to be done tonight."
"Excellent. Mai also asked permission for us to record the session. So we need to decide which cameras to use."
"That's fairly simple. Night and thermo. We need sound as well." Mai stated and Oliver nodded his agreement.
After dinner and all the way until the start of the séance, all of SPR gathered at the base.
Oliver, who had quietly followed behind Yasuhara, underwent a 180 degrees change in his attitude the moment the base's door was closed. Using his usual arrogant attitude, he ordered Lin to present the floor plans for everyone to see.
Lin operated the computer, and the floor plan appeared on the specialized display. The floor plan that everyone had worked so hard to construct appeared.
"How many rooms are there?"
"Including the attic there are 106."
"Actually there is a whole floor below that we haven't gone to yet." Mai commented quietly to Lin as she pulled out the last plan that she had been quietly working on and handed it to him. She had finally used her aura sensing to try to get an accurate measurement of what was below.
"You'll need to enter this later. It's not exact, just what I can remember and sense."
Lin nodded as he quietly looked at the floor plan.
Oliver stacked pointed at the display. Blue lines surrounded the floor plan which was drawn in white. "This is the buildings' external surroundings."
"Doesn't it completely not match?"
Oliver's cold gaze was directed at them.
"There are a series of rooms that have hidden ones behind the walls. We measured repeatedly each time to make sure, and came up with the same results each time. Without breaking down the walls, we won't know what's behind it."
Mai responded.
Questioningly, he turned to look at Takigawa and the rest. Although everyone nodded in agreement, Oliver wouldn't accept that saying because of that. Indeed, the external measurement of the building and the outline of the floor plan did not match at all. More exaggeratedly there was 3 rooms worth of empty space between the floor-plan and the external measurements.
"Start talking. This is?"
There were some blue spaces between the rooms drawn in white. That was the parts that were left despite the measurements of the rooms not matching.
"That's the entrance to he lower level. There are no doors to access it without breaking down this wall."
Mai calmly explained the situation to Oliver and pointing at one of the walls.
Oliver thought for a long time, then said,
"It's really a thorny problem."
After saying that,
"Tomorrow repeat the measurements accurately to check."
Mai shrugged while the others groaned.
...
At 9 o'clock they all gathered at a room approximately 8 tatamis in size next to the Dining Room. A round table and quite a few stools had been moved into the room. Igrashi sensei and her assistant, Minami and Professor Davis and a lady assisting had already gathered there.
"Ah…"
The one who said that was Takigawa, who had turned bashful the moment he saw the Professor. Mai ignored him and began setting up their equipment with the help of Oliver and Yasuhara.
Looking as though it was a matter of course, Minami was setting up a camcorder. He had also apparently said that he was going to record the proceedings of the séance. The camcorder in question was just a very ordinary camcorder for home use. Looking at the monitor, Minami said.
"It's a little dark. Can't we have a little more light?"
When Igrashi heard him, she momentarily glared, wide-eyed, at him.
"What are you saying about increasing the brightness? During the séance we will only be using candles."
"Ee? Is that so?"
"This is a matter of course. Because spirits dislike bright lights. A single candle will be used, just that."
"That really is troubling…"
"Don't you have a night vision camera? I only requested your presence because you said you had a camera capable of recording the events as evidence."
Minami said viciously,
"No, I just didn't bring that this time…"
Igrashi turned to Mai then.
"Thank goodness you asked if you could also record."
Mai smiled and nodded in response.
"This really is some impressive equipment."
Igrashi's eyes gleamed at the sight of this. Yasuhara maintained a generous, witty expression throughout.
"Thank you very much for your appreciation."
The equipment was finally set up at around 10 o'clock. Candles were lit on the round table, the lights switched off, and then the séance begun.
"Professor Davis, Minami-san, Shibuya-san, please take a seat by the table."
The 3 persons mentioned by Igrashi approached the table. Besides them there was also Igrashi and her disciple Suzuki. The summoning was to be done by these people. The rest of the occupants hung back around the walls to observe.
Candles and white paper were arranged on the table. Suzuki wore a blindfold while holding a pen.
"Please hold the hand of the person besides you."
The 4 people seated at the table other than Suzuki held each other's hands, forming a circle of joint hands disrupted at Suzuki's position.
"After breathing deeply please summon the spirit here. Summoning the spirit within this room…"
It was so silent that one could have heard a pin drop. There was the sound of the automated chase camera adjusting its mobile arm after finding a focus, the sound of the motor of the constantly running cameras; the only sounds that could be heard were only these minute noises.
"To the ones living in this building, please borrow the hands of this girl and let us hear your inner voices."
The silence was deep. Suzuki didn't respond at all; her hand holding the pen was trembling slightly. Igrashi used a calm voice to call out a few times, and a long period of time elapsed. It was so long that it made most of the observers by the side frustrated. Mai shuddered as she felt movement from the wall behind her.
Silently, a squeaking sound suddenly rang out. More intense than the sound, was the pen in Suzuki's hand hit the paper. Everyone held their breaths; Suzuki's hand moved in large strokes, writing black words on the B4 paper.
Everyone but Mai leaned forward. Igrashi lifted sheet after sheet of paper beside her. The pen continued to move. Mai couldn't see the words on the paper but she didn't need to. She remembered them perfectly.
Then, there was a sudden bang. It was as though the room was hit from the outside. A thin haze of dust floated down from the ceiling.
"… what's going on?"
Minami stood up. Igrashi spoke in a severe tone.
"You can't move now. Don't be shaken, calm down."
Despite that being said, everyone couldn't help feeling unsettled. Only Suzuki and Yasuhara were seated at the table calmly.
The sound of ice shattering resounded through the room. It was a clear cut sound like 'piack'. 'Dong', was the solid sound of one side of the table was lifted and set down again, wobbling. At the same time the candles were toppled and their faint light was extinguished. Mai felt Minami at the table toppling a chair with the table's intense movement in the darkness.
"There's no problem. Please, don't move…"
Igrashi lamented.
As though that sound was a sign, the room resounded with knocking sounds on the walls or the floor.
Suddenly there was a gentle pounding on Mai's shoulder. She turned her head even while knowing there was only a pitch black room. Mai saw the outline of many spirits around her. They were all reaching towards her. Some patting her shoulders. Other's touching her hair. They all looked at her worried. Mai smiled gently and reassuringly at them allowing them to cleanse through her aura.
"It's OK. We'll stop him. This place will burn to the ground and you'll soon be free."
They smiled back at her, glowing gently, although no one else saw them. Before looking up and disappearing quickly.
When Mai turned back to the table, she could see the one they were scared off standing there. She glared at him and began to raise her hands. He looked back at Mai curiously and began heading towards hers.
Before he had taken more than a step, Takigawa's voice filled with awkward shouts.
"Naumakusanmandabazaradankan."
All at once the sounds stopped. The previous uproar was as though it hadn't happened. Following that the lights suddenly turned on. It was Oliver who turned on the lights.
"… What was that just now…?" Ayako said.
Minami was underneath the table, Professor Davis was also glued to the wall, and even Yasuhara was holding the edge of the table, wearing a stiff expression.
"It should be that the sprits were successfully summoned."
Suzuki was still wearing the blindfold in a daze. Igrashi stood up and removed the blindfold. Suzuki looked completely ignorant of what had happened.
In the end, in the course of that disturbance, of those seated at the table only Yasuhara did not stand up, and the only ones who did not lament fearfully were us, the members of "Shibuya Psychic Research". The calmest of all of them was Mai who slowly lowered her hands again since the demon was gone.
Yasuhara picked up a piece of paper on the table, then passed it to Oliver. Oliver took the paper, on which was wrote,
"Please Rescue Me".
There were only 3 words.
Gathering the papers which were scattered on the floor; only those 3 words were messily written on those papers.
"Please Rescue Me…?"
"Hey."
Takigawa showed Mai the paper he had picked up. On it was written the words,
"I don't want to die"
And it was even written in red lines. Just like blood.
Checking everyone's hands, there wasn't a single person who was injured.
"Boss, let's replay the camera footage taken just now."
After Oliver said that to Yasuahara, they returned to base. Igrashi and Suzuki also came along. Minami and Professor Davies left while they had been collecting the gear.
Oliver and Lin expertly set up the tapes and discs containing the data. Very soon the scenario of the séance was playing on the television on the stand. Very strangely the picture turned white, and it felt like the size of the grains was a special artifact of the ultra-sensitive video recorder.
The time from the start until Suzuki's hand started moving, and although it felt like a long time had elapsed, it was only 6 minutes, according to the clock on the picture.
"What type of sensation was that?" Igrashi asked.
Suzuki tilted her head.
"It was like my hand was pulled by the pen. If I let go of the pen I wouldn't know where it would end up, it was approximately that sensation."
An intense noise was projected by the loudspeakers. Simultaneously, the image of room and the ceiling from the thermo-integrator changed bit by bit into deep blue. The thermo-integrator is a piece of equipment that assigns a color to regions of the same temperature and combines it into an image. Places that were yellow had the highest temperature, places that were blue had low temperatures… Comparing the image to the scale on the side, it could be read that the temperature had descended to approximately 3 degrees.
In the image the table rose high and started shaking. Although the glow from the candles had been extinguished, the camera continued recording, depending on the ray of light that leaked in beneath the door from the corridor.
Pieces of paper fluttered down from the table. Despite that, Suzuki's hand continued moving. Depending on the momentum of the moving pen, the papers dropped piece by piece from the table. Looking at the recording, they could clearly see that it was Minami who had knocked over the chair, and it was Professor Davies who shouted and screamed. Yasuhara was motionless, as though rooted to the ground.
"Young man, you're really the cool one." Takigawa said.
"He he he. Because I've got a delayed reaction." Yasuhara puffed up his chest with an unreasonable arrogance.
"Stop."
Oliver suddenly raised his sharp voice. Lin stopped the play-back.
"Rewind to the scene at 53 seconds and replay that."
Lin rapped on the keys of the computer. The images appeared in reverse, and the piece of paper jumped back onto the table.
"What is it?"
"That piece of paper."
Then, the picture stopped. The paper slowly floated down. It was a blank white paper flipping over.
10:16:02pm. The blank white paper turned over, and when it turned back once more, a few words were written on it. Despite the grainy picture they could tell it was words written in a row; it was the piece of paper on which "I don't want to die" was written.
There wasn't a scratch on anyone's body. That was to be expected, because that wasn't something written by a human in that room.
"That guy is a creep."
Mai shuddered.
...
Once again they set up equipment in the room that was used for the séance, and then they left that place. Oliver resolutely forbade his team to conduct investigations at night. Igrashi looked at their equipment for a moment, then sighed regretfully, then turned to return to their room. Mai stopped them quickly.
"Suzuki-san, please don't wander the hallways on your own. Wait for Igrashi-sensei before you leave your bedroom."
"Why is that?" Igrashi asked curious.
"Anyone under the age of 25 years is vulnerable in this house and should always be with someone older. Never alone."
"We'll take your words into consideration, thank you."
With that Igrashi returned to their bedroom with Suzuki following her.
Oliver gave Mai a questioning glance but said nothing. Unlike in the past, she wasn't giving them as many clues this time around and he wasn't sure why. He'd looked over at the plan she'd handed to Lin earlier in curiosity. While not complete, it had a clear path way through a maze to an inner building located underneath. Mai had marked the location of the door that they needed to access to reach it and when he had placed it on top of the other plans, it had fit perfectly into the blank area in the center. He watched her leave with the other women in the group silently.
None of the women spoke as they walked through the halls towards their room. After returning to the bedroom, they finally took turns to shower in the bathroom with hot water. While Ayako was taking her turn in the bathroom, Mai turned to Masako.
"Masako, how are you?"
Masako wore a dragonfly patterned pajama and buried herself in her covers.
"Are you feeling ill?"
"I can smell the stench of blood."
"It's a constant stench, isn't it." Mai stated.
Masako stared at her.
"Not only do I smell it. It's like my body and my hair are all drenched in blood. How can everyone behave as though everything is all right?!"
"I've grown used to it. There is nothing I can do to get rid of the smell, so I can only put up with it."
"That room… was clearly so smelly I wanted to vomit."
"That's because the demon was in there with us."
Masako opened her eyes and stared at Mai.
"Demon?"
"Yeah, demon. Hey, have you seen the spirits yet? There are a lot in this place."
"I've seen them. But it's just a vague feeling and I can't see them clearly. When I think I'm going to see them, I smell the stench of blood and I can't concentrate…"
"The demon has them trapped here."
"… it might be so."
"What about you, Mai?"
"Ai?"
"… Have you felt anything?"
"I've seen the spirits. They were really strong in that room at that time, though I helped them to escape this place when the demon appeared. They were worried for us though. Anyone under the age of 25 is at risk here."
"Under 25? Why?"
"Because that's who the demon takes. The demon wants to live forever. To do that he bathes in the blood of people who are under the age of 25."
Masako turned her head away unhappily.
"How do you know this?"
"I've been dreaming of this case for the last month."
Mai gave the most simplistic answer available. Masako would only look at her as if she were crazy if she told the real reason.
"Is this so… Then perhaps this place is as dangerous as I imagined."
"More than you think. Just don't leave the room by yourself."
As Masako tilted her head slightly in thought, Ayako returned from the bathroom after her bath.
"What's up? You're getting on well."
"You must be joking. I couldn't get on well with this type of person." Masako snarked.
Mai rolled her eyes.
"Isn't calling me 'this type of person' to my face very discourteous?"
"I couldn't possibly have used such uncouth language. 'This type of person', was what I said."
"I am 'this type of person', I'm really sorry for that."
"I didn't mean to say you're a bad sort. This is what is called 'ingrained prejudice'; you think others are just out to antagonize you."
"Your personality isn't the least bit cute."
"But I'm beautiful and capable."
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
"I'm more beautiful than you!"
"Whatever. You really need to get over your jealousy."
The women went to sleep.
Of course, SPR were the only ones who did not investigate and slept. The other psychics continued investigating through the night. Many times various footsteps passed by their door.
Waking up after after another dream-filled sleep the next morning, Mai heard the news that she had reluctantly expected to hear.
Despite Mai's warning to her, Suzuki Naoko had vanished.