Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume4 Chapter4 (section)

=== 1 ===

The wind was blowing.

It was a night breeze. I felt gusts of refreshing wind blowing over me. It felt like my body had been blown away.

… but it  was not a very precise sensation.

I opened my eyes.

It was still night around me… wind was swirling; then I was like a bubble in the atmosphere, floating in mid air. That was what I felt.

In the distance beneath me, there were some white lights; weak, un-dazzling white lights. I could feel it.

My consciousness flowed towards the light source, and suddenly I regained my sight. The school was beneath me.

In the night, the school appeared transparent. Illuminated within the school were will-o’-the-wisps or perhaps dark flames.

I was extremely shocked. Their numbers had decreased. The immense amount of floating white spirits had been so quickly and so drastically reduced. Even the original number of black will-o’-the-wisps had decreased. There were 4 which had grown horrendously huge. Compared to this, there were very few little wisps left…

I carefully studied every corner of the school; what I saw was the continued consumption of small spirits.

Even those that were like will-o’-the-wisps - they floated weightlessly, then, attracted to the large will-o’-the-wisps, they were devoured.

Even during my observation, the number of will-o’-the-wisps had visibly decreased. 

Sakauchi-kun was devoured in front of my eyes. That scene rose from my memory.

It was petrifying… A disgusting scene.

Unwilling to see more of those scenes, I shifted my vision. I spotted the figures in the second floor of the East Block.

… I was there: in the second floor classroom, a minute classroom. I saw myself there.

I saw myself lying on the ground and the crowd surrounding me. Ayako and the Monk and Masako, and there was John, Lin-san and Yasuhara, and also, Naru…

Ayako was shaking me. The Monk was trying to stop her. The Biology Preparation Room was flooded with a liquid. And strange things lay scattered throughout that liquid. Shards of broken glass sparkled and glowed.

I was so far away, yet I could see so clearly.

Naru said something to Lin-san. Then Lin-san reached beneath my body and lifted me up.

Tsk, I would have preferred Naru to carry me!

Although that was what I thought, Naru’s slender arms are probably unable to handle my 40kg body weight.

Just like that, my body was carried away. It was quietly carried to the Sickbay at the end of the first floor.

… … … …

Wait a moment!

Isn’t this a terrible situation?!

I am floating in the air, and then I see my body moved away by other people.

Stop joking already! I couldn’t possibly be dead, could I?!

How could this happen!

No! I’m still not ready to die!

My body was laid down in the Sickbay. Naru looked at me, and caressed my cheek. Ah, ah, ah… his face was so close. … It was not what I imagined.

Naru was saying something.

What? I can’t hear it.

What?!

“Mai!”

I blinked.

“Mai?!”

A hand gently tapped my face. Eyes framed with extremely long lashes were right in front of me.

The pair of beautiful clear eyes quickly increased their distance from me. Naru tapped my forehead.

“Are you awake yet?”

I scanned my surroundings. Naru’s concerned face was closest to me. Looking over his shoulder were the Monk and Ayako, Masako and John, Yasuhara and Lin-san. 

“How do you feel?”

Naru sat gently on the side of the bed.

“Mai?” he said, tapping my forehead once more.

“I’m still alive…” I said hoarsely. Suddenly everyone let out their held breaths.

“Of course you are still alive.”

Naru looked gently at me.

“You only fainted because you inhaled formalin vapor. How do you feel?”

Feel?

“Feel like vomiting…”

My chest felt tight. It was like the sensation of severe motion sickness. The world spun.

“How in the world did you end up in that type of a place? I told you to go to the LL classroom.”

Because the electricity in that classroom was cut; when I was escaping, frightened, I was chased by the child; and in the end I could only escape to that place…

“It’s not my fault.”

When I finished, an ice-cold object was placed on my forehead. Ayako had placed a damp towel on my forehead.

“How is it?”

“It’s very comfortable…”

“You really gave me a shock. Why were you wondering around the school on your own?”

“Because I had to take the tape…”

“Naru, you are also too much.”

Ayako glared at Naru. “You actually let Mai go to that type of place by herself!”

Naru shrugged.

Ayako observed Naru’s response indifferently, then bent down beside me. 

“What happened, tell us about it.”

“That…”

I related the entire incident, from the power outage in the LL classroom, to my escape into the Biology Preparation Room, in detail. It’s not like I was purposely trying to scare everyone or evoke everyone’s pity or anything. If I didn’t relate it all, I felt like I would vomit.

After I had finished, Ayako turned to Masako.

“Masako, is that thing still around?”

Masako shook her head.

“No, I don’t think it is here. It’s already fine.”

Hu…

The Monk raised his hand and patted my head.

“You shocked me. You were fainted in a large pool of formalin. For a moment I thought something gory had happened.”

Wu… I don’t even want to imagine that. I don’t want to think of that.

“Really, what did you learn how to exorcise spirits for? Did you not try it?”

“Ah… I forgot.”

“Stupid.”

“You’re right…”

While the Monk and I were conversing, Naru stood up.

“Anyway you are not injured so there’s no problem anymore. Matsuzaki-san, could you please stay with Mai for a while.”

After turning to Ayako he looked at the remaining members.

“Get back to work.”

And abandon me here?

My displeasure probably showed on my face. Ayako looked at me. 

“Aiya… are you not happy with me?”

“There’s no such thing…”

Please don’t leave me alone.

Ayako sighed dramatically.

“Ok, you guys go ahead. Mai has me for company.”

Naru nodded, and everyone left the Sickbay. Ayako watched them leave, and then said, “How is it? Are you still uncomfortable?”

“I still feel like vomiting.”

“Take a short nap. You’ll feel better after that.”

With that, Ayako changed the towels. How comfortable…

“Thank you…”

“Aiya, that was really honest.”

“Occasionally.”

I patted my forehead.

Ayako… thank you.

I smiled and shut my eyes.