Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 6 Chapter 2 (section)

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Voices were heard from the direction of the main building. Naru and the others rushed from the base, and as we all hurried towards the main building, the uproar rapidly increased. There was the violent sound of a voice shouting something. And then, as we rushed in, we were confronted with the figure of Eijirou-san, who was raging and grasping a kitchen knife.

The room appeared to be a living room. Taizou-ojisan and Kazuyasu-san were holding Eijirou-san under the arms from behind. In the corner of the room, crouching and attempting to embrace each other, were Hiroe-obasan and Teruka-san, who had frightened expressions.

Eijirou-san’s face was red with blood. There was a deep cut on his forehead and from there blood flowed down, staining half his face, however, Eijirou-san didn’t seem to notice. The tip of the grasped knife was broken and the broken tip was sticking out of the TV frame. Foam had accumulated at the corners of his mouth and he was shouting something, but he wasn’t speaking clearly and I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He was struggling with his whole body, trying to shake off his restraints. Though both Taizou-ojisan and Kazuyasu-san appeared to be considerably heavy people, the momentum seemed liable to shake off the pair who were clinging to him.

“Lin.”

When Naru spoke in a low voice, Lin-san walked up to Eijirou-san without a word.  Moving very naturally, he didn’t seem particularly nervous or enthusiastic. Eijirou-san glared at Lin-san. He raised his voice menacingly and bared his teeth. He raised his right arm, which was holding the kitchen knife. Taizou-ojisan, who clung to his right shoulder, was pitched forward and fell.

“Lin-san—”

I was the one who involuntarily cried out, but the truth was there was no reason at all for me to raise my voice. Lin-san shifted his body and with a *pop*, swept away Eijirou-san’s right hand, which he had thrust out. With excessive force, Lin-san wound his arm around Eijirou-san’s neck, causing him to slump forward, and that was the end of it. ‘Be careful,’ I wanted to say, however, before I could voice it, Eijirou-san’s neck was being embraced by Lin-san and Eijirou-san had fallen on his backside.

Lin-san expressionlessly looked back at us, who were unable to react to the impromptu action.

“I think it would be better if we tied him with something.”

Akifumi-san moved to bound and ran off.

“What exactly happened?”

It was Naru who calmly spoke. At last taking a breath, Hiroe-obasan and Teruka-san stood up again. Teruka-san spoke in a trembling voice,

“I’d like to know precisely what happened here. It happened without warning.”

Her tone was as if she was blaming Naru.

“He suddenly became violent?”

“Yes. When we were talking here, he suddenly stood up and… it was a small argument.”

“May I ask about the details?”

Raising an arm full of small cuts, Teruka-san brushed her hair back.

“It was because of his moodiness at mealtime today, I just asked him the reason why. He insisted it was nothing, so in a moment of anger I said, ‘If it’s nothing, then why did you have such an expression?’ and then he suddenly stood up and left the room. Just when I thought he had immediately come back, he was carrying a kitchen knife… I was certain that he had taken leave of his senses.”

Eijirou-san reached out. Lin-san removed his necktie and fastened Eijirou-san’s arms behind his back.

“Do you have any idea why Eijirou-san was in a bad mood?”

“I don’t know. He was normal before the meal. Even in the itaba...”

“Itaba?”

“It’s the kitchen. My husband is a chef. Ordinarily, with my father, the pair always prepare the dishes. They completed the preparation from start to end, then he left saying he was going outside for some fresh air. When he returned he was like that.”

Akifumi-san came back with a first aid kit and cargo rope. While seeing to the first aid, Bou-san said, 

“I wonder if it’s spirit possession.”

Naru nodded.

“I’m sure it is. Looks like we’d better call John.  Or—”

Naru looked back at Ayako and continued.

“Matsuzaki-san,  can you expel it?”

“It’s not impossible, but… it’s not quite my specialty.”

Oh? Is there something that’s your specialty?

“Bou-san?”

“I might be able to. I mean, it would be my first time doing it on anyone human.”

Tch. Don’t rely on that guy.

“Are you confident of a success?”

“People are supposed to improve after there is a failure for the first time.”

Ayako bluntly ridiculed him.

“That is to say, you’ve never removed a possessing spirit up to now. You’re a terrible spiritualist.”

“If you’re so inclined, maybe we should leave it to you and the nine syllable cuts? But no matter what, I don’t take responsibility.”

What’s known as the ‘nine syllables’ is a type of repulsion magic. Since you cut the air nine times while chanting nine characters, it’s called the ‘nine syllables.’

“What do you mean?”

“I’m saying Buddhist powers shouldn’t be used on a person directly.”

“In what way do you mean?”

“I don’t know. There’s no one who’s done it.”

Huh?

“For that reason, I also haven’t expelled a spirit that’s possessed a human. There was a time I expelled a spirit possessing a vase.” 

Bou-san scratched his head and spoke again.

“The spirit came out, but the vase was also shattered. I would probably have an uneasy conscience.”

It was a problem before your conscience!

“Ah! But there was a time I cut the nine syllables towards Taka. She asked me if I could show her.”

Bou-san lightly poked me.

“Don’t do it again. Because it was Mai-grade, nothing happened.”

“Okay.”

Hmm, exactly what kind of mechanism is it?

Naru directed his gaze towards Ayako.

“For the time being, will you try to do it?”

“Okay... Since it’s just expelling, I think I can do it for now. But, I don’t know if it will possess again.”

“It would be better than leaving it possessing Eijirou-san. Since it seems to be an extremely violent spirit.”

...definitely. If they were unlucky, both Hiroe-obasan and Teruka-san could have been killed.

I nodded inwardly, and then had a sudden thought. The people who died in an accident in the past. Did everyone really die in a mere accident?