Case 002: Haunting corridors: Prologue

"Are you sure this is alright, Chiharu?" a short middle school girl asked, clinging to her friend's arm.

"Don't be such a scary cat, Akemi," the other girl replied.

Both girls wore their summer, sailor-like uniforms. Chiharu was taller, and her long black hair was tied up in a ponytail. Akemi was smaller, shier, and with short hair. The girls were using their phones' flashlights to lit their way through the dark corridor.

"School is scary at night. Maybe this was a bad idea..."

"Akemi, do you want the class to keep bullying us?" Chiharu answered, "The story says that if we complete the trial, we can ask the ghost to curse whoever we want. You want to get rid of Futabe-san, don't you?"

"I do! But...is this alright?" Akemi asked, rubbing her arm.

"It is alright," Chiharu answered. "Everyone knows Futabe-san is the worst. She treats everyone like trash. It is time that someone teaches her a lesson..."

Chiharu looked at Akemi meaningfully. The girl only nodded and took a deep breath.

"Ready?"

"Uh..."

My eyes opened lazily, and it took me several minutes to remember where I was and what I was doing.

"The meaning of the word Curse varies between cultures, locations, religions or beliefs, and even times. However, the intention of the curse always remains consistent: to conjure a supernatural power to inflict misfortune or punishment on a target. A curse, sometimes known as a jinx, hex, or dark spell, can be verbalized, written, or sometimes cast through an elaborate ritual. Regardless of the mean, the aim is to see harm befall the recipient..." the professor said, passing the slide.

Curses. Yeah, that was today's subject. No surprise I had ended up dreaming about it, but then again, there was an upsetting feeling about the dream that made me wonder if this was one of those dreams.

"Whether curses are real or only pure fable, people have always feared them. From a bad day to a deathly disease, even nowadays, you may find people who blame their misfortunes on curses from a rival or a resentful acquaintance. Even I am mindful of students who might try to curse me for putting them a bad grade..."

The class laughed.

"Alright, for next class, please read chapter 15, and write an essay about the curse-culture in Japan, and its evolutions through the eras. That would be it for today..."

The students began to pick their things and leave the class, so I did the same, still thinking about my dream. Today I had to be at Naru's office, and even though it was early, I rushed my way to Shibuya, buying a quick snack on the way and picking some for Lin and Naru as well. I wasn't sure if either of them would eat them, but I hoped they would consider it.

"I am here," I announced, closing the office's door behind me. "Naru, Lin-san. I bought some pastry from that nice bakery near the train station. I think they would go really nice with tea and..."

I stopped in my tracks. Lin and Naru were in the living room with a third person that I didn't recognize. It was a middle-aged man, wearing a gray suit and a tired look.

"Ah! I am so sorry!" I said, embarrassed. "I didn't know we were attending a client!"

"Oh, don't mind me. I just came in," the man said with a friendly smile. "You are..."

"This is Taniyama Mai. Another of my investigators," Naru answered for me. "Mai, pour us some tea."

"Ah? Ah! Of course!"

"What were you saying, Watanabe-san?"

"Ah, yes...like I was saying," the man sighed, "I came on behalf of the school, where I teach. Some upsetting situations have been happening recently, and we have run out of logical explanations for them. Naturally, ruling the events as paranormal was not our first thought, but the situation has escalated until even the most skeptics in our staff are starting to believe."

"I see," Naru said, "and what exactly has been happening?"

"It began three months ago," Watanabe answered, "after an incident with one of our students."

"What happened to her?"

"She jumped from a rooftop and died," Watanabe said. "Ever since that incident, strange things happen all over the school."

"What sort of things?"

"Well, at first, they were silly things. The students claimed to hear voices, see shadows, and alike. We thought it was the shock of the accident, so we didn't pay much attention to it. Butt as time passed, things became more violent. Several of our students experienced a breakdown and attempted to commit mass suicides. "

I covered my mouth in horror. Massive suicides? That was terrible!

"It sounds more like a case of stress," Naru said, frowning.

I glared at him. After all this time, Naru was still a dork when it came to having tact.

"We all thought the same," Watanabe-san admitted. "but when we questioned the girls involved, none of them seemed aware of what they were doing. The last thing they remember was hearing someone knock at their bedroom door, and that's it. The girls seemed convinced that everything happened because of the spirit of the deceased student."

"I see," Naru said, scribbling something in his notebook. "Aside from the suicide attempts, had it been any other paranormal disturbances?"

I looked at Naru, feeling apprehensive. I wasn't sure if the suicide cases would be enough to catch Naru's picky eye.

"The nightshift guard has seen shapes moving through the corridors at night; lights that flicker and things moving from their original places. Some teachers have heard voices whenever they stay after hours, and one even saw someone jump from the building's roof but found nothing afterward."

Naru rubbed his chin, but he finally put down his notebook and sighed.

"Mai...call the rest of the team. We have a case."