Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume4 Chapter5 (section)

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Naru left the room to persuade the principal once more. ‘At least let us have a little more time’ was the message. If the investigation was aborted, and we were evicted from the school, there would be nothing that we could do.

During this period of time the few of us gathered together and discussed whether anyone had found any clues to resolve the problem.

“More investigation is necessary, but the problem is how to investigate, and what we are going to investigate.” The monk grumbled.

“If we are not able to enter the school, our hands would be tied.”

“As you say.”

Ayako sighed.

“How should we proceed now?”

“Don’t just ask others; use your own brain to think a little.”

“Thinking about it you’re the one… sorry, Ayako doesn’t have a brain that can be used.”

“Hey, what do you mean by that?”

Are the two of you not clear about our current situation? Now is not the time for friendly squabbling.

The monk sank into thought, muttering to himself, “Let us try re-organizing this situation.”

Saying that, he raised his hands, clenched as fists.

“Since about the end of the summer vacation, Kokkuri-san has been very popular in the school. This is the start.”

Ayako followed the Monk’s words.

“The summoned spirits loitered around the school.”

“Because by chance the school happens to be a place which can enclose spirits…”

After Yasuhara finished, John followed on and spoke.

“The spirits fed on each other, and the school has turned into a situation of a kodoku.”

Is this a game of continue the sentence<!--(original 传话游戏 which is pass the message)-->?

“Indeed.”

The monk scratched his head.

“I somehow feel there’s something odd – this part about summoning the spirits.

“There shouldn’t be this possibility. Non-psychics perform ten or twenty thousand summonings, and even succeed in calling forth a cannibalistic spirit. There is definitely something hidden in all this. To summon spirits with so little ease, right? … did Naru put it this way?”

That fellow is unable to maintain the tense atmosphere.

“Hey,”

I tried asking.

“Isn’t the so called  Worikiri-sama really very strange? It’s the first time I’ve heard of a Kokkuri-san like this.”

The monk nodded.

“En, it’s my first time hearing of it too.”

“I’ve regularly heard of Cupid-san, etc godly manifestations and the like.” 

Ayako also tilted her head.

“However, the method of summoning and the rest…”

“Is completely different, and the way it is performed is also very strange, right? 

“Ah, right, Ayako hasn’t seen it before, that piece of paper.”

“Paper?!”

“En, the paper used in Worikiri-sama.

“There are the Fifty Sounds, numbers, and ‘yes’ and ‘no’ drawn on top – all of these are very ordinary, right?

“Look, if it is Kokkuri, don’t they usually draw a Torii in the middle? The difference with Worikiri-sama is that a strange symbol is drawn instead.”

“Ke~ What is it like?”

“En~ I can’t remember too clearly. It looked very complicated. There were words written in a circle… the word used was ‘鬼’ (oni, demon). It was creepy.”

“En~ that’s really strange.”

When Ayako was grumbling, Lin-san, who had listened unmoving to our conversation, suddenly grabbed my forearm.

“Did you say the word was ‘鬼’?!”

After asking me that somewhat interrogatingly, Lin-san hurriedly let go of my arm.

“What’s up? Is there anything?”

The Monk’s face was filled with shock.

“What was that paper like? Please try your best to recall that in detail.”

“I don’t remember it. Oh yes, what about Yasuhara-kun? Haven’t you played it before?”

Yasuhara sank deep in thought.

“I also only played it just once before…”

He said that while he took out a loose sheet of note paper.

“That, there is a circle made up of the word ‘鬼’. Then in the middle there are 2 checkered patterned pictures(???)…”

Yasuhara drew the picture out as he thought.

The circle made up of the word ‘鬼’, and inside that were 2 4-cornered (zigzag?)dividing lines. And in the middle of that was the shape of a man.

“There were some words written inside here… I don’t quite know.”

Yasuhara showed his picture to us.

“Yes… it was really like this.”

Lin-san looked like he was squinting, then he spoke in his deep voice.

“Can’t you get hold of this paper?”

“I think I might be able to get something out of catching and intimidating some of the nearby students. Is there a problem with this?”

Lin-san did not answer. Yasuhara picked up the paper with the drawing, and very neatly started writing something on it.

“Yasuhara-kun, was that like this?”

Exactly like this…

“That’s right. Here and here…”

Yasuhara pointed to the blank spaces on either side of the human figure.

“There are some words written here.”

And that is?

“Worikiri-sama… it’s called that, right?

“The way of calling it is from an incantation, right?

“ ‘on, onikilitei, meiritei, meiwayashimaire, sowaka’…”

“Ah, it is this one!”

“Then, after using the paper, it has to be buried somewhere.”

“Yes. That’s what is said to be done. What with being only able to use it once. After using it one has to properly take it to the shrine or something.”

“Shrine…”

Lin-san softly repeated those words, and then he looked straight at Yasuhara.

“Do you know where the shrine is located?”

“Not clearly… but there is only one shrine nearby.”

I glanced out of the window. In the place where the trees flourished was the shrine. I had seen it in my dreams. In the thick fog… Maybe.

“Please bring me there, hurry.”

Wait a moment, Lin-san…

“Hey, Lin.”

Lin-san ignored the Monk’s voice trying to stop him.

Dragging Yasuhara, Lin-san sprinted out of the Work Room.