Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 7 Chapter 6 (section)

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“This cup is mine.”

It was a little girl who held the cup.

…

– This child…

Ah ne, how did I…

“The one with the doggies belongs to 高户(Takaru?)-kun!”

There was an even smaller boy in the direction of the girl’s gaze. I stared blankly at everyone’s faces.

Yasuhara blinked and grinned bitterly.

“We’re in trouble here, how can you space out like this?”

“Ai? – Yeah, perhaps I was spacing out again.”

“Mai nee-san (older sister) is weird!”

Mariko(鞠子=Kikuko/Maiko/Mariko I’m just picking one at random) started giggling.

– Right, this child is Mariko. How did I know? How could I space out again?

“Sorry Mariko, I probably am rather tired.”

“Aren’t you half-sleepwalking?”

Bou-san said with a bitter grin.

“As if! – I’m sorry; Takaru-kun’s is the one with the doggies, here!”

“Thank you!”

I smiled at Takaru-kun. However, for some unknown reason, my heart was filled with panic. What happened here? – What is the meaning of this sort of feeling? I glanced at everyone – all their faces were filled with worry.

“What’s up? Mai nee-san and everyone are all very weired.”

“Yes… indeed…”

As though to dispel something, Bou-san spoke,

“The sun is going to set very soon, if we still don’t think up an effective countermeasure…”

Naru nodded.

“Do not, in any case, fall into their trap.”

Naru’s voice sounded like he was telling it to himself; what I did not expect was to see Naru actually wearing an expression of stupefaction.

“I think the body just now was also a trap.”

“A trap?”

“Because if everyone panicked because of that, and ran blindly out of the classroom, they could have made any one of us disappear!”

Is this so—

Bou-san suddenly started laughing.

“This—could you be over-thinking this? Disappear? How can we disappear?”

I was slightly shocked.

“How can you start joking? Right now, aren’t Lin-san and Aya—”

– Ai?

Mariko looked uncomprehendingly at me.

“Mai nee-san, who is Lin-san?”

“This…”

Bou-san smiled grimly.

“You bastard are completely dream-walking!”

“Ah ne?”

Masako also looked at me, shocked.

“Mai’s the best at dreaming with her eyes open.”

“Oh, shut up; my mind is only just slightly wandering a bit.”

“Only just slightly? You’re mind has really wandered far away, - who said that?”

I inclined my head in thought.

“Who said that?”

“Have you forgotten what you’ve said yourself?”

“This…”

Ah ne –? Who was it who said to come over?

“Let’s ignore this huge idiot.”

Naru said coldly.

“Bou-san, has a barrier been set up here yet?”

“It can be set up; but do we have to go to this extent?”

Naru frowned.

“Indeed, but it’s always better to be more cautious.”

But – it was Yasuhara who spoke.

“If we wait cautiously in the barrier the danger would be reduced, but if we were to leave this place wouldn’t any path be equally dangerous?”

“Yes…”

Bou-san nodded.

“I concur with the young man, Yasuhara. Rather than hiding in here we should take the initiative and attack; I want to hurry up and start exorcising already. To ask this old man to wait here like this for death is simply not possible.”

John also nodded in agreement.

“Yeah… there are also children amongst us, we still have to consider how to set forth.”

Indeed.

I looked at the 2 children sitting honestly in a corner. Mariko was 11, Takaru, 9; we had to protect the two of them regardless.

“There already are safety measures. But when night falls there will be spirits that become active. Shouldn’t we consider a slightly more proactive method of escape?”

After some hesitation, Naru nodded.

“Yeah—First, we have to look for a way out. Fortunately this school is built with wood; let’s try if we can bore a hole.”

Bou-san nodded.

“How should we do it? We don’t have tools.”

“First search each classroom for anything that can be used as a tool, if we can’t find any then we’ll use fire.”

“Burn it? Isn’t that too much?!”

“We’ll just smoke it, to make to wooden boards more fragile. If that still doesn’t work then we’ll look for a way to force the spirits into an impasse.”

“Force them into an impasse?”

“Force the spirits into a specific location, then perform exorcism there.”

“Ah—is that the plan?”

“Everyone will search within the school. Hara-san, can you check out the situation in each of the classrooms?”

“Alright!”