Ghost Hunt:Volume4 Chapter3

Chapter 3 - Blue Silhouette

1

On the second day, we collected the equipment from the classrooms where no changes were recorded, and added them primarily to the LL classroom, with the remainder going to the Printing Room and the Sickbay.

We bustled around the school compound where lessons were still going on, collecting and checking the data. We also discussed our next move and our plans for exorcisms.

I, ordered to collect tapes, stormed out of the Meeting Room.

I was furious and did not plan to follow Naru’s orders just now. Yeah, forget it. It’s more relaxing to run errands.

I jogged in the corridor; just as I was about to cross the terrace, “How’s it going? Is the exorcism complete?” an unexpected voice addressed me. I turned back; it was Matsuyama.

Yuck. I’ve run into the irritating bastard.

“We are currently trying our very best.”

Matsuyama smiled crookedly.

“This morning a fire occurred.”

“Ah…”

“You lot are unable to exorcise a single spirit, are you?”

He’s right… all the exorcisms were failures.

I had no retort to that; Matsuyama continued speaking. “There aren’t any spirits to begin with. So mind your behavior, understand? It was all just a temporary hallucination on the part of the students. So hurry up and get lost.”

“There are flaws in your argument, Sensei.”

“What?!”

“You bastard, do you believe in existence of spirits, or not? Could you spell that out for me?” Although that was what I thought, “it’s no use to preach to pigs”. I gently lowered my head.

“Nothing. Excuse me.”

I hurried away; Matsuyama bellowed behind me, “You are mesmerized by spirits and other nonsense, and you even end up skiving! Do you want me to tell you what would happen to people who blindly follow foolish superstitions?!”

I turned back. What did he want to say? It couldn’t be…

“What would happen?”

Matsuyama smiled.

“There was also such a person in our school. One who was fascinated by the occult and met a tragic end.”

“You are talking about… Sakauchi-kun?”

He was the first year student who committed suicide. He had written “ghost hunter” as his future aspiration.

“Be careful not to end up like him. Sakauchi is regretting it in the next world.”

“That’s saying, Sensei doesn’t think Sakauchi-kun’s death was regrettable?”

“What?”

“ ‘Such things happened because he was fascinated by nonsense, he got what he deserved.’ Is that what you mean?”

“Who said that?”

It was you…

“That was just what I understood from what I heard.”

All I heard were words delighting in the misfortune of others. Could such a person still be considered a teacher?

“What’s that, you… What’s that insolent attitude about?”

F**k…

“I still have work to do, excuse me.”

I nodded to him once more, turned and walked away from him.

Is there anything that can be said to one such as him?

“Hey, wait a second.”

The furious Matsuyama reached out.

I will hit you if you touch me!

At that moment, loud noises and the sound of many people screaming came from the classroom in front of me.

Immediately past the terrace was the Art Room.

I ran into that classroom. Matsuyama was right behind me.

“What happened?!”

I jumped in shock when the door opened.

All the students were standing. There were a few people squatting. Shards of broken glass littered the classroom - shards that were slightly curved and milky white.

I looked to the ceiling.

There were 3 rows of 4 fluorescent lamps side by side. There was not a single fluorescent tube up there.

“What happened?!” Matsuyama asked the students and the teacher who sat fallen on the teaching platform.

The fluorescent lights had fallen down. All the fluorescent lights in the classroom.

I suddenly recalled – immediately beneath this Art Room was the Geography Room.

2

All the students evacuated the Art Room.

A vacant classroom. Tables arranged haphazardly. Blood-stained glass shards scattered all over the floor.

Most of the students were slightly injured in one way or another. They received treatment in their respective classrooms.

“It’s my fault,” whispered John who stared blindly at the classroom.

John had conducted the exorcism in the Geography Room.

“This isn’t something you could have done anything about; we would never have expected them to escape to the classroom above.” I tried to console John. He silently shook his head.

Naru picked up a shard that had fallen on a table.

“All the fluorescent tubes fell out at the same time…?” Without moving a muscle, he surveyed the shard.

“Don’t you think that the spirit got more powerful?”

Indeed…

Normally, only one fluorescent light would fall out in the Geography Room; never before had 2 lights fallen out simultaneously.

Within my mind, a scene took shape.

Ayako brandishing her jade rosary. The will-o’-the-wisp escaping. The spirit escaping to other locations, tangling with the smaller wisps there. Wisps swirling around each other as though in battle. And then the larger wisp devouring the smaller one.

“This morning’s fire, too, was more severe than those previously reported. Luckily there were people near the Broadcast Room… otherwise it wouldn’t just be a small fire.”

Hearing Naru’s words, I could not help groaning.

“The Art Room… what strange rumors happened there?”

The monk answered in reply, “Indeed it was… ‘The Plaster Model that Changed Direction’. The plaster model’s direction changed suddenly. It suddenly turned to face the back on its own or something.”

“I don’t think that will happen again.”

“Mai?”

Everyone looked at me, surprised.

“I think the spirit that was here has already been devoured by the spirit that escaped from the Geography Room. Hence that spirit became stronger. It must be so.”

Naru looked at me darkly.

“Is that Mai’s intuition?”

“Yes.”

Masako and Ayako looked at me with complicated expressions.

It was like they wanted to tell me to shut up. But that was what I felt. The monk knocked my head.

“What should we do, Naru-chan?”

“Perhaps… it might be better to put off the exorcisms…”

“Yes. It would be troublesome if those spirits escaped again.”

Just as the monk agreed to Naru, “I will continue exorcising.” Ayako declared loudly.

“Hey hey, that’s not too good.”

“To prevent the spirits from escaping, I will erect a Kekkai (barrier) before exorcising. There shouldn’t be a problem with that?”

“Would such a simple solution work?” Naru asked calmly.

“I will show you.”

“In that case, please slowly exorcise those smaller, harmless spirits. If the spirit here was to escape again, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

A furious Ayako was rooted to her spot. However, Naru ignored her.

“If what Mai says is true… we have already let them escape once, if they escape again our reputation would be in danger.”

I felt a chill down my back.

If… spirits consume other spirits and grow, and that continues on and on… what would happen in the end?

If in the end only one spirit remains…

Just at that moment, Masako started shrieking.

“What’s wrong?!”

“What happened?!”

Masako, green in the face, squatted on the floor. Everyone rushed to her side.

I, too, walked towards Masako. – Suddenly, that appeared.

All of a sudden my vision inverted. Brightness disappeared; darkness descended. The floors and walls turned transparent. Quickly my field of vision widened, and in front of me was a view of the entire school. I know. I know it all: exactly what is happening at what location. Then I heard a sad cry. It was not Masako’s cry. Who is it… which other person?

It was the second floor of the South Block. That was the 2-4 classroom. A black will-o’-the-wisp waited.

A dark pit opened in the floor, white spirits were sucked into it.

What was that?! What happened?!

Suddenly the white spirit took on human form. It was a human figure that let out sad cries as it was engulfed by the black pit.

That was… Sakauchi-kun?!

It was Sakauchi-kun. Hands outstretched, as though grasping at air, he was slowly engulfed by the will-o’-the-wisp. The dark flames surrounded him, and he sank slowly into the sea of fire.

Stop it…

I closed my eyes, blocked my ears.

Even then I could still see, hear.

Please… somebody stop it!

Please!

As quickly as it appeared, my vision suddenly went back to normal.

Masako and I sat on the ground, green in the face. Everyone else observed us blankly.

“What exactly… happened?” The monk asked urgently.

Before I could answer Masako spoke.

“Sakauchi-kun… has disappeared.”

Tears rolled down her doll-like face.

“It was just as Mai-san said. The spirits here are feeding on each other. Sakauchi-kun… had been devoured.”

Masako cried, looking at me. Her trembling hand grasped my arm.

“You saw it too, Mai?”

“En…”

With a trembling hand I held Masako’s hand.

“It was really scary.”

“Yes.”

“What happened to Sakauchi-kun?”

Masako continued weeping and did not reply.

He was eaten…

and he had not been purified. Just like that, to never rest in peace, to be eaten by that monster…

3

“This is an abnormal situation.” Naru announced.

Not long after we witnessed that cruel vision, in the midst of lessons in that classroom, a giant black dog appeared.

That dog mysteriously appeared, knocked the tables into a mess, and used its sharp claws and pointed fangs on the escaping teacher and students, then, like the wind, it vanished. 6 were slightly injured, 1 severely so.

“Is there such an evil spirit on this Earth?!

The monk paced the Meeting Room, frustrated.

“You call it a spirit?! Let’s not joke here; at this level it should be called a monster!”

It was the first time I had ever heard of something like this, too: spirits attacking people. The result of that were inexplicable cases of sickness and happenings. The spirit took on substance, and dealt out real damage to people.

Naru moved equipment into the freshly blood-stained classroom. Just as he was about to complete moving the equipment, Naru’s actions stopped.

“There’s no reason for this…”

Naru frowned.

“First, I have never heard of spirits cannibalizing on each other.”

“Because it is a monster.”

Ayako sighed. The monk suddenly turned back.

“If it is a monster, isn’t that under the jurisdiction of a Miko?”

“You’ve got to be joking. Isn’t that mainly managed by Monks?”

Is this the time to argue over this detail?

Naru looked at his notebook. It contained the notes about the investigation in the school.

“The response in 3-1 has also disappeared. The initial response was so clear too.”

The real, abnormal response that had been present up till this morning had completely vanished. Of course, the stench was also gone. It had completely disappeared.

“Was the spirit there also consumed…?”

Naru said that and lapsed into silence.

Just as everyone was lost for words, Yasuhara appeared.

Yasuhara probably felt the strange atmosphere about us.

“Could I say a few words?”

I don’t even know if anyone was listening.

“That… some terrible things have happened.”

“Young Yasuhara, your news is really up to date.” (sarcastic)

Yasuhara replied the monk’s comments with a bitter smile.

“Everybody in the school knows what happened. An ambulance was even called. Besides these, I heard some more slightly worrying news.”

“What news?”

Naru’s voice was a little gloomy. Yasuhara wore an apologetic expression. “Perhaps it is something unrelated; if you are busy it can wait…”

“There’s nothing much going on now. Please tell us.”

With renewed vigor, Naru sat on the chair. Unconsciously Yasuhara shirked.

“That… it’s actually like this; I tried tracing the origin of Kokkuri.”

What?

“Yesterday during my discussion with Taniyama-san, she said the Kokkuri we play here was really too strange. I asked those who had played Kokkuri before whom they learnt it from, and traced it backwards in that order…”

Oh, did he really investigate it?

Naru’s expression turned deep.

“Then, did you find anything out?”

“Nothing that is very clear. I only found out that we started playing Worikiri-sama sometime after the second semester. And about the source, there are 2 possibilities. Some say they heard it from a first year student, others say they learnt it from someone in the Aesthetics Department.”

Saying that, Yasuhara’s expression turned bleak.

“And, what is more worrisome is, amongst the first years in the aesthetics department, that…” Yasuhara said, stammering.

“Perhaps this is completely meaningless; the late Sakauchi was from the Aesthetics Department.”

Everyone was mildly shocked.

Naru had sunk deep in thought.

“It’s really incomprehensible… Does this have any meaning, or not?” Naru muttered. He lightly tapped the table with his fingers.

“Anyway, it was after the second semester, and it started from a first year or from the Aesthetic Department… And then it gained popularity in the school and an uncountable number of summonings were performed. Subsequently those summoned spirits…”

Naru gently shook his head when he finished.

“As expected it is still very strange. Even if an infinite number of summonings were performed how can completely untrained people, even after a thousand or two thousand summonings, succeed in calling forth a cannibalistic spirit?”

“That…”

Yasuhara hummed and hawed.

“I don’t know if it has any relation to that?”

“That?” Naru questioned.

To which Yasuhara replied, “Haven’t you heard? This school is built on a cemetery.”

Eagerly anticipating his reply, everyone was immediately very disheartened. The monk said, “That’s nothing much, it is very common.”

He sighed, and tilted his head backwards.

“Ah, you think I’m lying. No, this is true. This place is called the Ryokuryo Ruins, it became a cemetery in the Nara era. If you dig in the field, tombstones and human remains can be found.”

We shared a glance.

“Is this true, Yasuhara-kun?”

“It really is true. Will this have any connection to this incident?”

Naru sank deeper into thought.

“So that’s how it is… The so-called Old Tomb is the place where the Kekkai was erected to prevent spirits from trawling the Earth and causing hauntings. The spirits bound in the ruins have emerged in large numbers… that shouldn’t be the case. The floating spirits summoned into the school are unable to leave due to the Kekkai… there’s a possibility that it’s like that. Then, there are large numbers of spirits floating around the school. Indeed… the spirits could even follow a person and that person might even bring it home… I’ve never heard of this theory before.”

“It is like this.”

I was taking notes. Indeed, there hasn’t been a theory about the spirits causing strange incidents within and also outside the school.

Naru tapped the table with his finger.

“With this we can account for half of the incident. But, there’s the other half… Why are the students here capable of summoning so many spirits with such ease?”

The monk said, “Could it be that somewhere in the ruins, there is something that can summon and attract spirits?”

“En… Right from the start the props used in spell casting have an innate ability to affect spirits… But, what is going on here? This is a place where the spirits are sealed.”

“If it is used to attract spirits…, there are small special differences from those used in spell casting.”

“So it is. The spirits are enclosed in the grave, the grave is then sealed; perhaps there are places where such spells are used. If spirits are gathered around it always feels different. Nothing seems to work here, in this school.”

Naru groaned softly, crinkled his brow and sank deeper into thought.

4

The darkness of night settled over the school. Thinking carefully about it, a “school” is not a place well suited for night. Such a large and vast emptiness filled with darkness, while said to be dangerous, it makes one feel lonely.

I, who remained alone in the Meeting Room, was ordered by Naru to retrieve the tape from the LL classroom.

The school, completely devoid of human life; endless corridors; lifeless windows side by side; dim light.

I left this building and walked towards the first floor of the East Block. I progressed through the long corridors depending on the light of a torch. It was the innermost classroom in the East Block, just before the turn into the South Block.

Opening the door, the night vision camera and thermometer were clearly visible. I stood quietly and continued working. I bent down next to the camera’s recorder, and extracted the rectangular tape. No, I planned to extract the tape.

At that moment, as though it had been sucked out, the light from the torch extinguished.

“What?”

The room was pitch-black. I was terrified, and I thought to retrieve the tape quickly. I pressed the eject button, but the machine did not respond. Had the power source been severed?

“A power outage?”

As the words left my mouth, I decided that was impossible. A torch and a power outage have got nothing to do with each other.

It’s not good…

I stood up hurriedly. I had to leave this place. Just as I straightened, a chill went down my back. Damp, icy cold air caressed my back, and left me shivering.

I could see a blue glow in the distance. That was the light of the emergency exit. From there, there would be a corridor leading back to the North Block.

I ran through long corridors towards that light. My footsteps echoed hollowly through the school compound.

With a final spurt, I used all my strength to open the door and dash onto the terrace.

There was the narrow space of the corridor. Looking from the window, I could see the field lit by external lighting. It was such a vast and empty space that it felt like there would be a sound the very next second. And it was brighter than inside; perhaps it would be a little better if it was dark.

I found my unreasonable fear pathetically funny; I leaned against the closed door half panting and half laughing at my own uselessness.

In front of me was the entry to the North Block. The school compound was as dark as pitch. Over there was a tightly closed glass door. There should be an emergency light over the door. It exuded a green glow.

Suddenly my vision was pulled to, and caught at that place.

There was a small silhouette of a person. That – who was that? – that child’s two hands were against the window as he looked towards where I was. There couldn’t possibly be a child in this place, in this school so late at night.

Then, what was that? It was a clear black shadow of a person. That person had both hands on the glass, and was looking here with his forehead plastered to the glass.

Silently lamenting, I ran back to the East Block. Before I shut the door, I clearly saw the door to the North Block at the other end open.

There were stairs next to the door. I dashed up the stairs.

I want to go back. I want to go back to the Meeting Room.

After I reached the second floor I sprinted to the third. I swiveled on the landing and ran on. ‘Hurry back to the Meeting Room.’ I thought as I grabbed the railing of the stairs. I could see the wall of the third floor above and in front of me as I looked up the dark stairwell.

There was a blinking green light that looked like an emergency light. And, there, was the small figure of a person.

My heart thumped loudly.

The figure squatted at the top of the stairs, looking down at me.

Due to the back light I could not clearly see the person’s features. But, it was a child. That was the only thing I could tell clearly.

The child squatted at the top of the stairs, gazing quietly at me. With the light behind him I could see a little of his face. The outline of his face looked like he was smiling.

I maintained eye contact and slowly backed down the stairs. Suddenly I turned and ran as fast as I could down.

I ran down one flight of stairs, and sprinted towards the second floor corridor. Checking the stairs behind me while I planned on opening the door, I suddenly ran into something that set me into instant retreat.

It was very bright outside the door. There, stood the dark figure.

It was about as tall as my waist. It had slender arms and slender legs. It was obviously the figure of a child. But, if it was a child, did it have such a large head?

I retreated one step at a time. The child’s shadow stood there unmoving.

Two steps, three steps backwards. Then the figure moved.

One thin arm rose and settled on the door handle.

Stumbling, I ran to the right, into the dark corridor. Behind me, I heard the heavy sound of the door opening.

It’s catching up…

It was getting difficult to breathe, my legs felt like they were tied up.

Where is everybody?

Is anybody around?

Looking out of the window from the corridor, a pale light lit the corridor from an angle. On both sides were identical rows of windows. Window. Window.

I felt like I could not take another step forward.

I could not help looking behind. As I turned my knee felt like it had been shattered.

He was there.

The shadow of the child walked slowly from the door.

I wanted to run. Suddenly I saw the emergency light at the very end of the other side.

My heart thumped once loudly.

The green glow of the emergency light. Immediately beneath that there would be somebody there. Who would be there? The child, of course,. He would be squatting there, hugging his knees. The green light glowed brightly, but it felt darker than black.

I turned my head.

There too… was the silhouette of the child.

He was walking slowly towards me. Deep in my head I could hear the soft sound of a child’s laughter.

What should I do?!

Coincidentally I was standing right in front of a classroom door. I leapt towards the door and rushed into the classroom. As I entered, I noticed the sign “Biology Preparation Room” above the door.

Were the curtains drawn, or were there no windows at all? I could not tell in the absolute darkness.

I shut the door and collapsed on the floor, and searched with trembling hands. On the inside of the door there was a lock. It was just a very simple latch lock. Even that was better than nothing. Clatter clatter, I locked the door and finally let out a sigh of relief.

It doesn’t matter…

It shouldn’t matter anymore…

As my breathing started to slow my stomach started to hurt . As my heart was beating very fast, I felt my ears ringing. My throat felt like it had be sliced open as I gasped for breath. “I’ll wait here for a while”, I thought as I hugged my shaking knees.

What should I do? I’m trapped in a corner. Is there anyone nearby?

Once my breath was calm, I tuned my ears to pick up any activity outside. I wanted to see if I could hear anyone’s voice, or if I could feel any activity, etc.

Suddenly the sound “Ka Dong” rang out.

I jumped in shock. It was like something had hit the door, creating that loud noise.

Clatter… Ka Dong.

It was the sound of something hard being moved, very near to where I was, probably right within this very room!

Where was it? My legs were already unable to move. My arms and legs were like they had been tied in dead knots; they didn’t feel like a part of my body.

Clatter… Ka Dong.

It was very near. Just somewhere in this room… somewhere up there… just a distance right in front of me.

I surveyed the darkness before me. Vaguely I could see the outline of the shelves at the 2 ends of the room. And from a shelf, came the noise.

Clatter.

The soft sound continued to resonate; then it became an ear-splitting sound of something shattering.

What?!

It sounded like glass breaking. At the same time a whiff of a saccharine sweet smell wafted over.

This is…

I leapt towards the door.

It was the smell of formalin !

Without care for what was on the outside, I grabbed the door handle and tried to wrestle it open.

Behind me came the sound of more glass shattering. Small droplets of liquid splashed on my feet.

The smell of formalin got stronger.

“Naru! Naru! Help me!”

Is there no one? Anyone, anyone will do, let me out of this place!

With a crash came the sound of yet more glass shattering.

The sweet smell intensified. I started to feel dizzy…

Is there no one at all?! Save me!

Formalin! The things which are stored in formalin in bottles in the Biology Preparation Room!

No, No!

Behind me the sound of glass shattering continued, unrelenting. Because of the smell of formalin I could not breathe, my ears started ringing. I was dizzy and nauseous.

The floor suddenly started shaking, and the ground hit my body

No… not like that…

It was me… I fell onto the ground…

I…

… … … …

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