Fifty-Seventh Spell: Weakening Resolve
"Did you see that?" Haru said to Hikari.
"See what? You looked like you were getting dizzy," Hikari said.
"I saw Shō-Sensei," Haru responded. "She was looking at us from down the hallway."
Hikari looked at where Haru was pointing.
"There's no one there now," Hikari noticed. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Maybe I should see Popuri-Dono…."
"You do that. I'll let Sabe-Sensei know about your absence."
As Hikari walked away, Haru muttered, "Thanks."
Looking back, Hikari huffed. "I'm not doing this because I'm your friend, so don't get the wrong idea!"
"Right."
Upon arriving in the Healers' Wing, Haru told Popuri what happened in the hallway and showed him the omamori charm Dōmeki-Sensei gave him.
"It seems the charm's effect is weakening," Popuri determined after examining the omamori charm. "Because if it was working properly, you shouldn't have heard the voice."
"Well, I did and the charm glowed, which followed after a brief chest pain," Haru explained, failing to hide his irritation.
On instinct, he gripped his left shoulder that was still cold from Daichi's touch. Popuri immediately noticed this.
"May I look at your left shoulder?" Popuri asked. "You seem bothered by it."
"No! Leave it alone."
Haru immediately got up and ran out of the Healers' Wing. In the Byakko Wing, he laid down on his bed and used the Firelighting Charm to warm up his shoulder without burning his robes.
"You've been doing that for several weeks now," Heshi said as she slithered out of her bonsai tree. "Is it really helping?"
"It's better than not doing anything about it," Haru muttered.
"Maybe you should tell someone," suggested Heshi. "You've told me that friends should always talk to each other."
Realizing he was being a hypocrite, Haru decided to speak to Rui about his recent condition after he and Koi served detention with Fuwa-Sensei later that day, which consisted of repeating simple spells over and over again for an hour. He also told Rui of what happened at the Shrine of Idesei on the first night of Obon.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Rui asked after Haru finished speaking. "Is it because you were embarrassed?"
"There was a lot to process, so I didn't want to talk until I sorted the information out," Haru said. "But even then, I still don't know what to think or even if what I did was right."
"You wanted to see your family again, and Obon was the perfect time to do it. So don't feel ashamed of that."
"Even so, I put Shō-Sensei and myself in danger because I accidentally brought Daichi into the shrine. Maybe I really am suffering from an Onryō Curse…."
As Haru touched his left shoulder, Rui placed her hand over his. "We'll find a way to cure it. There has to be."
"I hope so. But when I'm not thinking about this shoulder, I think of what my stepdad said…that Higa was present in the house where my stepparents were killed and he didn't stop Warumo from killing them."
"Spirits don't always remember things as they actually happened. If they're an angry spirit, they only focus on the bad parts."
"Then you're saying my stepdad's spirit might have been lying?"
"No, I'm not saying that. But he could be misremembering what happened when he and your stepmom died."
"Higa might know, though I'm not sure if I can trust anything he says to me anymore."
"Didn't he say everything he's done was for your protection? So he could have fudged with the truth to cover his shame over his inability to save your stepparents."
"Maybe, but he was also in that nightmare I had with Warumo. I saw him stepping out of the shadows and thrusting his katana towards me. He claims he doesn't know who killed my birthmother, though I think he does and doesn't want to tell me for some reason!"
When school ended for the day, Haru marched to the cottage where Higa lived. Inside, a gray cat with black stripes and a bobtail hissed at Haru as he entered.
"Fuan!" cried Higa. "I told you not to hiss when people enter! Bad cat!"
A moment later, Higa emerged from a second room to the right that had a bed of straw. When he saw Haru, though, his irritated expression softened.
"Didn't expect to see you here," Higa admitted. "I was just catching up on sleep after Dōmeki-Sama had me do another late-night patrol of the school's parameter."
"Is it because of the stuff that's happening with the island's animals being mysteriously injured?" Haru guessed. "Have you found out what's causing it?"
"Sadly, no," Higa said with disappointment in his voice. "Whatever it is has been eluding me for weeks. And I'm no closer to determining if it really is caused by an onryō, let alone whether the onryō is actually Daichi's spirit or not. On top of that, the bigger animals are starting to get sick as well as the smaller ones. So if it is an onryō, its power is growing stronger."
"How can we stop it?"
"The Appeasement Ritual would be the fastest way, but I don't think it's the right way to get rid of an onryō."
"Why?"
"Because when an onryō gets sent to the afterlife via the Appeasement Ritual, and the onryō's unfinished business hasn't been solved, their soul will be forever tormented in the afterlife. Plus, it's better for the person connected to the onyrō to use the Appeasement Ritual instead of some random stranger."
This information made Haru look down at the floor. "So if it is Daichi, you're saying I should be the one to send her to the afterlife and not Shō-Sensei?"
"Once her unfinished business has been fulfilled, yes, but I doubt Dōmeki-Sama would allow you to put your life in danger like you did at the Shrine of Idesei during Obon."
Flinching, Haru gripped his left shoulder. "Who told you about that?"
"Shō-Sensei," Higa explained. "And based on what she said, it confirms Daichi has come back as an onryō which means she's most likely responsible for what's been happening to the island's animals. But until I confirm that myself, it's still speculation. If it's true, though, your shoulder's condition will grow worse unless Daichi's spirit is laid to rest."
To be continued…
