Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 7 Chapter 3 (section)

===3===

The school building was an elongated block running north to south; on the west side was a long row of classrooms, on the east side was the field; there was a long narrow flower bed surrounded by a fence on the west. The slightly jutting out place on the north was a door; at the south the school hall joined the building in an ‘L’ shape.

There were a total of 6 microphones pointing towards the windows of the first floor recording sound. We positioned video cameras immediately upon entering from the vestibule and inside the main hall. We also placed one in front of the vestibule, and in the corridor connecting the hall to the vestibule.

“So that’s why – when the investigation was at my school the car was parked at the back was for this.” I looked at the equipment and mumbled to myself.

A concrete path joined the hall and the school building, with eaves sheltering it (but there were holes everywhere). Passing through the corridor to the entrance of the hall, there were 3 concrete steps. The door to the hall above these was open, the other side of the door was an empty hall; here, we also placed a video camera facing inwards. On both sides we placed cameras and monitoring devices – this was another point.

The wires of the microphones and the video cameras were stretched a long distance. Although the cables we used for our investigations were very long, there was still a limit. The recording devices had to be closer to the microphones; hence they were placed at two locations this time.

Usually we would set up our base where we placed the equipment, but when there is no base we would temporarily set up such a spot.

In the same breathe, because the power was not on, our power source was connected from the power line by a tradesman. There are many inconveniences investigating in this type of abandoned building.

“Mai, the tape.”

Hearing Naru call me, I hurriedly carried the tape and ran over. Recently we’ve been using cassette tapes and recorders to record sound.

“Have you understood anything yet?”

“I still don’t know right now, the first day we only temporarily monitor the situation, without much expectations either.”

“Wu…”

Yasuhara glanced briefly around, “Is there really something here? I only feel it has a little of that type of atmosphere.”

“I don’t know, - it should clear up once we investigate it a little; in any case we’ve got quite a bit of free time now.”

To pass the time? From our position isn’t this forced labor?

Oh well, I sighed and thought, Naru feels bored because he’s waiting for his brother’s body to be dredged out.

But why is he so insipid, as though nothing had happened. As expected, the structure of Naru’s mind is different from ours’.

Naru spoke into the communicating microphone, “Lin, we’ve completed preparations on my side, how’s your side going?”

“Ok, preparing to start recording.”

“Got it.” When he finished Naru looked towards us, “If there’s anything it’d be recorded, – under normal circumstances, that is.”

With that, his black pupils turned towards the other direction.

“We can’t say there are no places of concern either.”

– Eh???

I felt slightly confused; Yasuhara nodded as well.

“Regardless of what we think, it doesn’t feel like the village chief’s direct, respectful request is for nothing.”

“I concur.”

I tilted my head in thought, “What do you mean?”

“Subsequently I asked the lady who introduced the village chief and co to us. Didn’t they say they haven’t heard rumors of ghosts?”

“Yeah, the other workers also said the same thing.”

But… Yasuhara’s expression also showed slight incomprehension.

“But, if there really were no rumors, why would they deliberately come to make a request? Yesterday, the village chief’s assistant appeared to be continually unsettled.”

Listening to Yasuhara’s analysis, Naru nodded.

“Do you like emulating detectives a lot, Yasuhara?”

“Yes, did you hear that just now?”

Naru smiled slightly and nodded. At this time,

“Ne, do you want a rest?” Ayako said.

Glancing at my watch, it was already past 10. The wind had also risen, there could be a typhoon; it was a humid, uncomfortable wind.

“I’m going to check the video cameras again.”

If they were toppled by the wind, we wouldn’t be able to collect any data at all.

“Ah, I’m going too.”

“Hurry!”

Yeah yeah, aren’t you going then?

Yasuhara jogged into the courtyard and checked the stones holding the camera stands. We picked more stones to hold down the unstable places.

“Yeah! It shouldn’t fall over like this.”

Just as he was mumbling to himself,

( --- En --- ) (tl/n: groan)

We heard some sound – vaguely present; it came from a place near yet far away.

“ -?”

Yasuhara looked around us; there was not a person in sight.

“What’s up?”

“Did you hear something just now?”

“No…?”

Ah ne? Was I hallucinating? – Or was it the sound of the wind rustling the branches?

( --- Ah --- )

It came again.

“Ne, Yasuhara, did you hear something now?”

Yasuhara wore a face filled with regret.

“It sounds like a person’s voice…”

“What is it…?”

Yasuhara gently swept away the dirt and stood up.

“Let’s go… it somehow feels strange.”

“Yeah… let’s go.”

We returned hurriedly. Behind us, the branches creaked and groaned.