Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume2 Chapter1 (section)

===1===

Afterwards not many people came. I started to organize the books on the list. All of them were about parapsychology. Organizing them became part of my job. 

I picked up an unbelievably stinky book, "Naru, what category is 'The Parapsychology Battlefield'?" 

Naru picked up the book and flipped through it. "Parapsychology, Thesis." 

"Got it~" 

Right when I was going to write that on a card, the door opened, and a young lady entered. 

She looked to be about twenty years old. Although she wore subtle clothes that adults usually wear, she gave me the feeling that she faced many difficulties lately. 

"Do you need help with something?" I asked, walking toward her while she gazed uneasily back at me. 

"Please excuse me... Is this SPR?" 

Oh, a guest. 

Slapping my business smile on, I directed her to the sofa. 

Naru also stood up and greeted her. Today his temper was worse than usual. And no wonder. We had so many annoying customers today. And not one of them had a reasonable request. 

I whispered mentally to myself, then went to the kitchen to pour tea. 

"...Is something troubling you?" Naru still used his angry tone. 

Noriko Morishita... Lowered her head, not looking up at Naru. 

"...Well, strange things have been happening at my house," she admitted. 

"What kind?" 

Naru's tone seemed to say, most likely an incident occurred the day you bought the house, and you're just not used to the house yet. We've been getting these kinds of requests rather often. And Naru usually rejects them. 

Noriko quietly responded, "There are strange sounds." 

—Oh? 

"Sounds of someone knocking on the wall and climbing onto the bed will come from empty rooms. The door opens and closes by itself..." 

A glimmer of light flashed in Naru's eyes. 

"The door opens and closes with no apparent reason?" he restated. 

Noriko nodded uneasily. "Objects in the room won't be in their usual place. The room often shakes. At first I thought it was an earthquake, but it wasn't..." 

...A real customer has arrived. 

Naru's eyes gleamed. That means he's interested. 

"Can you be more specific on objects not being in their usual place?" he inquired. 

"Um... The flower vase moved, things I put in the drawer aren't there anymore, and they all end up in places they shouldn't be in." 

"And the earthquake?" 

"It kind of feels like an earthquake. The furniture emits a rumbling sound. And then there's this swaying feeling..." 
Naru signaled to Lin with his eyes, who then pulled out a cassette recorder to tape Noriko's account. Afterward, Naru asked her more questions. 

"First of all, can you tell us about the other inhabitants?" 

After Noriko-san left, Naru immediately started discussing the matter with Lin-san. It seemed like they'll accept Noriko's request. 

Naru's really picky with requests. If he has no interest, then he'll definitely reject it. Out of the three months that I've worked here, this is the first time I've seen them ready to accept a request. 

The rest of the SPR members joined us three days later. Luckily it was the summer holidays for all public schools in the country so I didn't need to go to school. 

It was a two-hour drive from Tokyo. The house was built in an old architectural style. Noriko-san lived in a tall house near the woods. The first impression she must've gotten from the house was that it was dark. Dark and gloomy. Almost like it was completely foreign. The trees in the backyard nearly covered up the entire rooftop. The brick walls were covered by a painting of a mountain tiger. The vines had even started to reach the windows. 

It really did seem like an old house. Even if I don't have any proof of it. 

"What's wrong?" Naru turned around and asked. 

"It's just..." I murmured 

How can I talk about the house looking really dark and creepy with Noriko-san standing right there. When it was finally quiet, Noriko-san smiled, "Are you surprised that it's so old? They say that this house was built before the war. It always feels a bit lonely to me." 

"...Oh." 

The wind blew, rustling the leaves in trees. 

"—Come in, come in," she ushered us. 

At Noriko's request, I went inside. 

The house looked so cool. The white walls and brown furniture gave it a quaint look. 

"What a cool house..." 

Noriko smiled at me and said "Thanks." Then her expression suddenly changed to a serious one. "It would be better if those strange things didn't happen..." 

...True. No matter how magnificent a house may look, they usually sell cheap because something bad happened there. 

"My older brother's not here, so the place always makes me uneasy." 

Oh. Noriko's older brother is the owner of the house, but right now he's overseas on a business trip. When he was away, many strange incidents had occurred. It must've been scary. Right now there are three females in the house, including Noriko's sister-in-law and niece. 

Noriko smiled slightly, "My sister is waiting for everyone so please come along." 

We entered the guest room. 

"Ah!" 

"Ge!" 

"Eh?!" 

The moment we entered, I let out a yelp. We had some guests. 

"...Long time no see." 

"Sly one, huh." 

A man and woman, both of them about twenty years old. 

...Why are you guys over here— 

"Do you know them?" a bulky women asked curiously. 

"This is Kana, my sister-in-law," Noriko introduced. 

Kana-san bowed. 

Naru answered her earlier question, displeasure evident in his blunt tone, "We've done business together before." 

"So that's how it is... In that case, an introduction would be unnecessary." 

"That's right." 

Is an introduction really necessary? The man with the stupid look on his face is a former monk from Mt. Kouya. The woman wearing the flashy dress is Matsuzaki Ayako, a priestess. 

The old school building was rumored to be haunted. It was at that time when they came over to investigate. They're horrible people with no abilities. 

So, why are you guys over here anyway—? 

Not long afterwards, a little girl followed Noriko, who was carrying tea, into the room. 

...Cute... 

The supple girl almost looked like an angel or doll. Wearing a white dress, she was cradling an outdated doll with her tiny fingers. She looked like she came from a painting. 

"This is my niece, Ayami," Noriko introduced. 

Even though Noriko's older brother Morishita-san is still young, he owns a company. Ayami-chan is his daughter. Ayami-chan's mother isn't Kana-san. Her mother had divorced with her father a long time ago. It's been nearly a year since their marriage took place. 

Oh— Ayami-chan's mother must've been a beautiful woman— 

Noticing that everyone was looking at Ayami, Noriko let out a small laugh, then introduced us to the woman carrying dishes, "This is our housekeeper, Shibata-san." 

"So is that everyone?" Naru asked calmly. 

Of course, Naru only enjoys looking at himself in the mirror. 

"Right," Noriko-san answered Naru, "but Shibata-san doesn't live here." 

Naru nodded, "I have some questions for you later. Kana-san, would it be alright if you prepare a room for us? A base for us to investigate from." 

"No problem. Please come this way," Noriko raised her hand and guided us to another room.