Ghost Hunt:Volume3 Chapter5

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Chapter 5 - Hitogata

1

I searched for everyone first. The group of psychics was currently investigating around the gymnasium. John materialized from beneath the gym’s floor precisely when I had found Ayako and run up to her.

"John! Isn’t it muddy in there!?“

"Well…” As soon as John came crawling out from the narrow air vent on all fours, he got up with a troubled expression. “It’s no good. There’s nothing here as well."

Ayako and Masako sighed in unison.

Bou-san also came crawling out after John.

"Does it really exist? A hitogata, I mean."

I told the doubtful Ayako about the discovered hitogata from the demon’s seat and track-and-field clubroom. Everyone pondered.

"So it’s Enmi after all…? Can’t be helped then.” Bou-san groaned and surveyed us. “We’re done under this floor. Seeing as there’s nothing in here, it might be somewhere on campus. We’ve got no choice but to split up and search thoroughly."

Ayako cried out, "Seriously, why must I do something so unseemly!? My clothes will get dirty, and my nails will break too."

"Well, we’re on the same boat.”

"Oh, I don’t want to be like you. How much do you think these clothes cost? It’s *Inge after all. I can’t possibly get a cleaning fee from this school, can I?"

"Oh my, it isn’t only wool that will need one,” Masako sarcastically said. “My clothes are made of some kind of silk.” She looked down at her kimono. “It’s worse to wear such a thing in this sort of place. I can’t move, and I have to use my *ki."

Masako also grew indignant when she was told by the body-conscious and high-heeled Ayako.

Because the two women had started quarreling about what they’re wearing, I decided to throw a shocking fact about that guy. "By the way, Naru said he’s not an onmyouji."

They halted in an instant.

See? The uproar subsided.

"Naru’s… not an onmyouji, you said? "

"Yeah. He said the onmyouji is Lin-san."

"No way.”

"I’m telling the truth.“

Bou-san leaned in towards me. "Then what is he? What is Naru useful for?"

"I don’t know, but isn’t he always useful?"

"That’s true. But is that what he does? He’s in charge of mental work, and we’re responsible for manual labor…”

"Isn’t that how it should be?"

We looked like foolish *cross-talk comedians from somewhere.

"Why must I be used by someone who can’t even do an exorcism all by himself?"

Couldn’t it be because Naru’s smarter than you?

"Oh, so am I!”

Well, Ayako was the kind of person who’s exploited when she’s in love.

"Now, now.” As his habit, it was John who handled the situation. “Shibuya-san is a parapsychologist after all. Since he’s the one and only legitimate researcher here, don’t we balance him?”

Bou-san and Ayako appeared to be dissatisfied.

I slapped John’s back. “It’s just as he said. Now, let’s go look for hitogata, John.”

When I suggested that, Ayako said, "Oh yeah, there’s one more useless person here."

"Ooh, do you mean me? I’m not useless~"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Hahaha. I’m the woman with a sixth sense.” Even Naru praised me. I was useful this time. “Now, John, let’s go~"

Pressing the astonished John’s back, I left that place after him.

2

I parted with John on the way and searched the school grounds alone.

Somewhere in the school, there must be a hitogata being used for Enmi. I went to look at the campus thoroughly. In the shade of plants and even flower beds. I should recognize it simply by seeing it. At least, Naru’s hitogata should have been buried just recently.

I walked along the western fence and turned up at the vacant lot on the other side of the sports field. Although formerly there seemed to be a student center, that’s demolished now and had merely become a vacant lot. The tall weeds had withered. Canada goldenrods clustered around there. At that place was abandoned concrete rubble, and moldered rebars protruded.

I took a short rest here. Leaning against a fence, I studied the weathered scenery. The wind blew, and the weedy grass made a dry, rattling sound.

This place is also a part of the school grounds, isn’t it? Should I search on this empty lot? That’s too troublesome.

After all, there’s a fence to keep anyone out just in case. I wondered if it’s better to search the whole schoolyard.

The afternoon sun shone. It would be sinking soon. I gazed at the vacant land with that in mind.

”…?“ I turned my head abruptly. I heard a child’s cries from somewhere. I tried walking along the fence. In the shade of goldenrods, I spotted an abandoned red randoseru. I leaned forward and shouted, "Is someone there!?"

The cries grew slightly stronger.

"Hey, what’s wrong!?"

There was no response. I looked around. There’s no tear on the fence. Ugh. I climbed up the wire mesh that’s taller than I am. Once I forcibly jumped down, I ran to the randoseru.

"Is someone there!? Where are you!?” When I called out loudly, I heard a faint voice nearby. I stood up and surveyed my surroundings. Right near me, I found a spot where a concrete floor that looks like a building wreck is sprawling over.

I felt like I heard the voice from that direction, so I sprinted there.

There was a large crack on the surface of the concrete floor; a crevice about five centimeters wide stretched approximately three meters long.

I swept my eyes around me again.

"…Help me…“

It’s the feeble voice.

I brought my ear near the crack. "Is someone there!? Who’s there!?"

”…“ The weak voice said something, but it was inaudible. Yet, I was certain someone’s in there. Could there be a basement down here?

As I wondered what to do, I glanced about. There must be a stairway going down to the basement.

I pushed away the cluster of weeds that are sprouting to cling to the concrete. The stairs should be somewhere… While walking aimlessly, my feet touched something hard. When I looked at it, I saw a manhole.

How could there be a manhole in this kind of place? Its heavy-looking iron lid got dislodged halfway.

”…Someone there!?“ I honed in and screamed into the manhole. A small voice replied from inside.

It’s here!

Someone had fallen down in here. It’s probably the owner of that randoseru. An elementary school girl.

"Are you okay!?” While calling, I pushed aside the heavy lid. Light streamed inside.

The inside of the hole wasn’t so spacious. Its area was about one size bigger than a four-and-a-half-tatami* room. However, it’s deep. I couldn’t see the bottom of it due to the lighting condition. An iron ladder led the way down from the manhole, and a small figure was crouching in a corner of that space. It was gloomy and I couldn’t see that well. But it’s a child.

“Are you alright!?” When I called out once again, that child raised her face.

“Help me,” came her small cry.

Was she hurt that’s why she couldn’t move? Even raising her face was a powerless motion.

“Why are you in such a place…? Wait for me; I’ll call someone right now! “

She screamed to stop me. “Help me, help me, help me! "

I stumbled a step or two forward. It’s easy to go down because there’s a ladder, but I couldn’t climb up the ladder while carrying that child. “Wait for me! I’ll get some help immediately!”

At my voice, the girl’s wails grew louder.

What should I do? Should I go down below? It’s pitch black in the hole, and she’s alone in this kind of place. Moreover, she’s hurt so it’s probably unbearable. I should go down and climb up after I cheered her up and calmed her down.

With those in mind, I sat on the edge of the hole and lowered my foot inside—

"Mai!?“ a strong voice called out from far away.

I looked around. Naru’s figure was on the other side of the fence.

“Stop loafing around. What are you doing?”

“A child had fallen in here!"

Naru slanted his head a bit. “…A child?"

“Yes! That…” I tried to point at the randoseru, and gaped.

…It’s not there.

That’s absurd. It was certainly there earlier. There was a red randoseru near the grass over there…

At that moment, I missed my footing on the iron ladder.

“Kyaaa!” I immediately braced out my hands. Propping up my elbows on the rim of the manhole, I held out against falling.

Wait a minute, this isn’t a joke! Falling down to the bottom of a hole and a well once in life is enough!!

“Mai!” Unnoticed, Naru, who had crossed over the fence, rushed over to me.

I reached out my hand for help at once. “…Na…!!"

—I’m so dumb!

The moment I held up my hand, the strength I supported my body with reduced in half.

With a jerk, I tilted and hit my back on the edge of the hole. Thereafter, the strength from my arm slipped away the instant pain caught my breath.

What was supporting my weight suddenly disappeared.

”…Kyaa! “ I frantically grasped for the rim of the manhole. The concrete’s splintered surface scratched my palms. Pebbles fell from close at hand in sprinkles, and I reflexively closed my eyes and turned my face away.

Abruptly I sensed my balance crumbling. My hands that seized the rim failed to catch what I was relying upon.

…No way.

I’m falling.

Only my surroundings were in slow motion. The second all color quickly drained from me, I flung against a wall. There was a dull thumping sound.

…What?

My arm hurt. Creaking shoulders resounded.

I wasn’t falling. I was in the air. A force pulled my arm. A hand fastened to it.

”…Naru!“

”…This… idiot…! “ Leaning his body forward almost through the hole, Naru was pulling my arm with both hands. His jacket sleeve loosely slipped out of place. He’s about to fall. The feel of Naru’s hands that are digging into my arm got firmer. "Calm down and search for a foothold,” he said in a hollow voice.

I seemed heavy. Strangely, I felt calm. I’m heavy, aren’t I? I’m forty *kilograms after all. Naru had been carrying equipment of that weight fairly well on his shoulder, but that’s vastly different from carrying something suspended in the air. Either way, it must be painful for skinny Naru’s slender arms.

When I pondered that calmly, what vanished rapidly returned. Yet in a flash, I felt bloodless, and all my hair stood on end. "I’m falling, I’m falling, I’m falling!”

"Calm down… Find a foothold!”

A foothold? Foothold?

I fumbled around the space with my feet. The tips of my toes caught the rough concrete wall surface.

The shoulder Naru was pulling tight seemed to come loose. Turning my wrist over and gripping Naru’s arm, I desperately stretched out my feet. With a steady curve of my body, my toes touched something hard. I checked it. It looked like an iron rod.

Oh right, there’s a ladder.

"There’s a ladder.”

Once I said that Naru lifted his downcast face. “Can you climb on it?"

”…Yeah,” I said and hoisted my feet on the ladder. I grabbed the ladder’s link with one free arm. Relieved, I put my weight on it, and the rung of the ladder gave away in no time. I was swiftly thrown back into the air again, and then shock went through my unbalanced arm.

Naru, I’m sorry for having you carry a heavy person like me.

The second I felt at ease, I started falling magnificently as I clutched Naru’s arm.

3

The pain caused by the strong impact on my back returned me to my senses.

I wonder if that’s the manhole’s opening…that appeared vacantly white.

From above, I was appalled to be near it. I should have jumped down bravely.

I stood up, making crunching sounds. “My body is throbbing, but there’s nothing wrong with it,” I said, and at the same time a shadow also rose beside me.

"…Are you all right?“

Ack. Naru.

”…Yeah. How come you also fell down?“

"If you had let go of my arm, I wouldn’t have fallen too.”

…Sorry about that. "Are you all right as well?"

"…Think about how much you weigh."

...I’m sorry.

Naru grasped his shoulder and squatted down.

"Is it hurting? Where does it hurt the most?”

“You’re loud.”

…I’m very sorry.

I looked around. The narrow space consisted of concrete. Through the hole, if I had fallen all over the place, I would have ended up on the clusters of concrete and zigzagged rebars that looked like hell’s mountain of needles. I felt deeply horrified. Naru and I fell on the space in the middle of such debris, where there was nothing but pebbles. If we hadn’t, we would have fallen on top of the rubble strewn about.

My eyes got used to the darkness. There’s a manhole on the ceiling, and from there the ruins of the ladder led below. The ladder that was torn apart and cut off wasn’t even more than about a meter from the opening now. Approximately another meter of the ladder’s remnants touched the bottom, and despite not using a lot of force, it could fall into pieces. The height from below up to the ceiling exceeded four meters. It’s impossible to climb up the ladder in this state.

"Hey, Naru, someone will come to help us soon, right?“ I turned to Naru who was still holding his shoulder and crouching down.

"Is someone coming…? Eventually.” He raised his head at last, his hair clinging to his forehead.

"‘Eventually’…!“

"Did you tell anyone you’re coming here?“

”…I didn’t.“

"Me too.”

…Tha-That means… “Why are we trapped in this place?”

“It just turned out like this.”

"Hey"—I looked up at the torn-apart ladder overhead—"if you step on me, you could climb up, right?“

"Perhaps later.”

"…Does your arm hurt so much?“

"Don’t bother about it.”

I hung my head in silence…

Nevertheless, the ladder was corroding, so it’s absolutely unreliable. And even if Naru were to stand on top of my head, he wasn’t tall enough to reach the opening with his hands.

So, what now? Does this mean we’re going to be stuck here until somebody finds us?

What are we going to do? Beyond the ground above was a spacious vacant lot. Nobody could hear our shouts from here.

Still, I tried shouting, and my cries reverberated. Once the echoes died down, only the resounding voice of the wind could be heard.

…Drinking water, none.

…Food, of course, none as well.

My eyes grew prickly and hot. It’s my fault. What should I do?

"Is there anything I can do?“

At the sound of my voice, Naru looked up. "Can you see well in this condition?”

"…No, I can’t.“

"Why did you come to this kind of place?” asked Naru in an indifferent voice, and I explained the situation that rattled me. He listened motionlessly with his eyes closed. And then he said, “…So you’re finally targeted as well.”

…Me?

A child was crouching in the hole, but nobody’s here any longer.

There’s no way that was human. I couldn’t see through the darkness underneath, and yet from that child’s appearance alone, why didn’t I notice anything strange?

Again I shuddered in horror.

If ghosts appeared in this school as they had said, then this was bound to happen. That was an evil spirit. It was summoned here through Enmi.

All of a sudden, tears ran down my face. It’s not something to cry over with, but I couldn’t stop myself.

"Do you think crying will change our current situation?“ came Naru’s colorless voice.

"It won’t.”

"Then, stop crying.“

"Cold-hearted.”

"Be reasonable.“

"That’s cold of you! If we’ll die in here like this, how can we still be reasonable??”

At this rate, it would be nighttime, and that child would appear once more! It might clearly expose its malicious intentions this time. In fact, Naru was being targeted as well. If that woman appeared, coupled with that child, what should we do!?

…Ah, this makes me angry! I got it, but I couldn’t help it.

Naru fell silent, looking weary. Since then, he wouldn’t even turn his head my way.

Damn it, this guy! Return and restore my youth! I’m not working part-time in order to die in this kind of place!

That’s right. In the first place, it’s Naru’s fault. Because he came here and started working on this case, he got hurt beside me. …I didn’t go to work for the sake of committing double suicide with him…

Hm? Hold on.

Isn’t it just Naru and me in this dim passage?

Oh my, I might be lucky.

Unexpectedly, Naru let out a chuckle. “Have you cheered up?”

”…I have.“

Naru laughed.

Ahh, it’s such a shame though; he resembled the Naru in my dreams if he softened his eyes some more like that.

“You knew I would cheer up?”

“I do. At first, you’ll feel down. After that, you’ll get angry. Then, your mood improves and becomes positive.”

"…How could you know that so clearly?“

"Because it’s written on your face.”

Naru’s laughter—I-I see; so it’s because my face tells so much? How embarrassing.

He was observing my unrepressed face.

"Mai,“ Naru called and lifted his head. He was holding up a 500-yen coin by his fingertips.

”??“

"Would you like to meet my pet?”

"Pet?” He has something like that?

"Right here.” Naru’s gaze turned to the coin.

…Your pet? That coin is? How hopeless you are.

Naru drew the coin into a bow with a tap.

"…Just a moment—” Could this be some kind of joke? If that’s the case, then you better stop, Naru. Telling a joke doesn’t suit you. The joke would terribly fail to elicit a laugh.

"You thought I’m foolish.“

"Of course I did.”

"This is why stupid people are troublesome.“

"What did you say?!”

Naru clasped the coin. “Now, come out,” he summoned, and shortly the coin appeared from the loop of his clenched fingers.

…Now see here, I could also do that.

The coin immediately sank back into his hand.

"Oh? I wonder if it’s because it doesn’t like you.“

"…What are you talking about?“

"It hid itself.”

"…It’s in your hand.“

As though saying, ‘Is it?’ Naru unclenched his right hand, but it’s not there.

"Ehh, that’s impossible!“

"And yet it’s gone. I forgot to mention it, but this child has a special ability: teleportation.”

"Nooo. You hid it~!“

"I didn’t.” Naru deftly flipped over both of his hands. It wasn’t there.

"No way.”

"Come now, show yourself,” Naru prompted, and once again it materialized by the thumb of his lightly clenched fist.

"Eehhh.“

As soon as Coin-kun emerged, it hid inside Naru’s clenched fist again. So Naru spoke to it. "This elder sister here is irascible, rash, and foul-mouthed, but she won’t eat you up,” he coaxed, and it revealed itself in the gap by his thumb.

"Hey~“

It slipped back into his hand in an instant.

"Didn’t it hide because of your frighteningly loud voice?”

"Nooo. It’s not my fault~“

"Come on out.” As Naru called, he patted around himself in search for it. “Found you.”

It was on his arm, around his elbow.

"There, there,“ said Naru, and when he stroked the coin, it came out.

"Whyyy?”

“It’s because this child can distinguish those who are nice.”

"You’re lying~“ Naru couldn’t possibly be nicer than me!

"Am I? Alright then, go to Mai,” he said to Coin-kun and tossed the latter in midair with a flick of his fingers.

I braced myself to catch it.

…But it’s gone. It vanished.

"Naru, you meanie! You didn’t throw it!“

As though saying, ‘Didn’t I?’ Naru turned his hands over.

Coin-kun was nowhere to be seen.

"Ehh, whyyy!!?“

"Because you’re terrifying.”

That’s not true~!

Hm? …Aren’t I becoming serious about this? Isn’t this… what you call a magic trick?

This time, Naru took out the coin from behind his collar.

"…You’re really good,“ I said.

"Oh? You think it’s a magic trick?”

“Isn’t that what it is?”

As if to say, ‘What do you think?’ Naru looked back at the coin.

And then, “Hello.”

Ack! …The coin spoke!

“Did you hide because Mai is scary?” asked Naru, and a seemingly shy, child-like voice replied feebly, “…Yup.”

"Hold up, saying I’m scary…!“ My mouth hung open.

"You don’t have to be afraid. The more you look at Mai, the more you’ll see she’s not a scary person.”

“…Really?”

"Really.“

Isn’t he just saying whatever he wants to say?

This… Isn’t this that apparently impossible feat called ventriloquism? Amazing! Even though I knew what I was seeing, I’d never heard of a coin speaking before! A ventriloquist who carries a puppet and makes it talk didn’t often appear on TV. I knew this would sound awful, but that sort of trick paled in comparison to Naru’s!

With a flick of his fingers, Naru tossed the coin again.

It fell on my lap with a thump. "Amazing…”

Naru gave a weak laugh.

"Will you do more if I ask you to?“

"No.”

"Please~!“

Naru leaned against the wall. "I can’t do anything more complex at this time.”

"Is your arm… hurting?“

"I don’t have the tools to do it.”

Having said that, he looked pale.

What a stubborn guy. He ought to say something when he’s in pain.

"Hey? Supposing I kicked you… would you get angry as expected?” If I used him as a boost.

"I would,” he said in a flat tone.

So I muttered, “What a useless guy.”

"We’ll be all right. Stop worrying. The others aside, Lin will be able to find us here.”

”…Really?“

"Yeah. As soon as the sun sets, everyone will gather, and if he notices that we’re not there, I think he’ll be suspicious at least. We’ll be fine,” said Naru, reclining against the rubble. He shut his eyes, but right away knitted his eyebrows and stared up at the ceiling.

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