Editing Internet Shrine Maiden Tsugumi-chan:Volume1 Chapter5 (section)

===Part 3===

“Detective> Hasshaku-sama is a Malign Spirit whose existence was discovered through the internet.”

“Online Shrine Maiden> Hold on. So netlore is the only source here?”

“Detective> Since she has been confirmed as a Malign Spirit, she must be involved in an actual death.”

“Online Shrine Maiden> Do you mean there is some truth to the story, or did the panic caused by the rumors lead to someone dying?”

“Detective> There are a number of variations, but the story generally goes as follows:

“The story’s narrator returns to his rural hometown during spring break. Most versions have the narrator as a student. While in the yard, he sees an exceptionally tall woman over the hedge. He hears the woman say something meaningless like ‘po po po’.

“He only thinks of her as creepy person at the time, but when he tells his relatives about it, the local adults seem really disturbed.

“They let him know she is a local threat known as Hasshaku-sama and they begin taking countermeasures.

“They tell him Hasshaku-sama takes people’s lives and she charms her targets.

The narrator is isolated in one room of the large house while holding a protective talisman and closed in all night with the room sealed with charms and piles of salt. His relatives visit the locked entrance, but he was told Hasshaku-sama can mimic familiar voices, so he just barely avoids disaster by not unlocking the door.

“However, this isn’t enough to eliminate the threat of Hasshaku-sama, so the next day the narrator’s family drives him back to his home in the city, allowing him to escape. Supposedly Hasshaku-sama’s ability to sense her target is dulled when his close relatives are nearby, so his relatives gather around him in the car until they manage to leave the rural village.

“Also, the stories often associate Hasshaku-sama with a broken jizo statue.

“The jizo statue used to keep her from entering the village, but now she can appear wherever she wants.

“The two main points as a ghost story are that Hasshaku-sama spreads death without any way of defeating her and that the familiar relatives are all steeped in old traditions. The way she charms her targets gives her an alluring aspect despite how much of a threat she is, and the return to the countryside and the destroyed jizo statue open up the possibility that anyone could encounter her. That loose end may work to draw people’s interest.”

“Online Shrine Maiden> Now that was a wall of text.”

“Detective> That this one story has spread so wide for so long shows just how many people find this kind of horror attractive. And the countless variations mean the two main points I mentioned have likely been embellished and exaggerated as the story has spread. That Hasshaku-sama remains unbeatable while the Kuchisake-Onna has gained more and more baseless weakness over time says the story is more attractive when she has no weaknesses. Remember, this is all information you can consider, but don’t accept any of it at face value.”

“Online Shrine Maiden> Thank you for all this.”

“Detective> Let’s sum up: The Malign Spirit named Hasshaku-sama is eight shaku tall. A shaku is more than 30 centimeters, so she is quite tall. She’s known for wearing a white dress and a large hat, but there are other versions. Originally, some rural village acted as her territory, but the end of the story tends to release her into the world beyond the village.”

“Online Shrine Maiden> It’s all so vague. The amulet, the charms, the salt, and the proximity of close relatives can all protect you? But it’s usually only your family at home with you, so wouldn’t you generally be safe there? I won’t ask about the star rating, but what does the Malign Spirit do?”

“Detective> Deadly attacks. No, it would be more accurate to say she catches and kills her targets. Sometimes she visits their room, but since there isn’t much reference to direct contact, she can probably ignore distance to an extent. And she targets small children.”

A big X stamp.

“Detective> There is no pattern to her appearances. There is no set time or place and no ritual for summoning her. When she finds a child she likes, she lures them out, captures them, and kills them. Unlike bathroom ghost stories and fortunetelling, she comes to you, so there’s no way for the human to initiate contact.”

“Online Shrine Maiden> She sounds like an awfully capricious predator…”

“Detective> Also, while it isn’t deadly, you mustn’t forget her ability to mimic familiar voices because that can get the victim to break the barrier and leave the room themselves. So instead of using brute strength, she has enough intelligence to confuse a living human. Although the stories say she normally only says ‘po po po’ or ‘bo bo bo’.”



“Okay. Where to begin”? Whispered the online shrine maiden, folding up her trifold phone.

It was 6:30 PM.

Right about the time it started to get dark.

A collection of online information wasn’t necessarily enough to get an accurate profile of a Malign Spirit. When they didn’t even know the star ranking, it was best to take this advance information with a grain of salt.

It was raining outside. This kind of powerful squall was common on New Sea City. It had started raining around five, while they were still speaking in the TV station. The shuttle drones had been grounded due to the possibility of thunder. The straitlaced sister was the capable sort of person who always carried a collapsible umbrella with her, so she was unbothered by the weather.

The less capable gyaru sister pushed her way on under Tsumugi’s rental umbrella.

“You’ll take the job, right? So where are we starting?”

“From where we actually have some solid information.”

Tsumugi wanted to get some reliable information to corroborate the uncertain online ghost story. That meant visiting the drama extras who claimed to have been attacked by Hasshaku-sama and visiting the haunted Apartment of Many Deaths.



“Online Shrine Maiden> I plan to start with the extras.”

“Detective> That makes sense to me. We can’t demand people answer our questions the way the police can. The extras went as far as quitting their jobs. If they’re already scared, it should be easier to get answers out of them.”

“Online Shrine Maiden> I see.”

“Detective> Now, I’d love to help you with the investigation, but I can’t.”

“Online Shrine Maiden> Don’t worry about it. You work on your own case. There’s been progress in the Nagatacho Leaders Case, right?”

A stamp of a bowing puppy saying “sorry”.

“Online Shrine Maiden> Mh. Not bad, detective. That’s pretty cute.”

“Detective> Want me to tell you what I searched on the shop to find it?”

“Online Shrine Maiden> Anyway. You left the police to pursue that case, so don’t give up on it now.”



“He agrees.”

“Well, if we have a pro’s stamp of approval, it can’t be a bad plan, can it?”

Director Kobayashi had given them a list of the extras. Tsumugi doubted they would all be willing to talk right away, but there were a few dozen. It wasn’t a big deal even if the first few didn’t work out.

But if filming couldn’t continue, was it so bad that no one else was willing to take a job as an extra? The story must have spread already.

The sharp hum of a motor passed by overhead.

All sorts of drones, from hobbyist ones to professional ones, were constantly flying above New Sea City, but the white and black painted body indicated this one was an unmanned police patrol drone.

The shuttle drones had been grounded, but apparently the fully unmanned ones could still fly.

“I hate those patrol drones. I can’t relax with the way they fly by buildings and peek in through the windows. And unlike security cameras, I’ve heard they also record the voices of people on the ground.”

The gyaru sister said this from beneath Tsumugi’s umbrella. She had heard. From Chatty maybe?

The smart buildings of New Sea City all reflected sunlight like mirrors, but was that meant to avoid spying like that, or was it just an architectural trend.

“If you’re at the outdoor tables for a chain cafe or something, they say to watch out if a group of well-dressed men suddenly stop talking. That means they’re worried about having their conversation spied on by a drone passing by overhead.”

Watch out for what? For the drone equipped with a shotgun mic, or for the sweet-toothed men?

The gyaru sister pushed her shoulder up against Tsumugi’s to stay under her umbrella and peeked at the paper list of names.

“Anyway, who are we trying first?”

“With the first on the list: Anzai Ima.”

But they got lucky on the first try.

They set out in the rain for the apartment provided on the list, but something was odd. A windowless work van was parked near the entrance with several antennae pointed toward a single window on a higher floor.

The license plate matched the one on the list.

Still under Tsumugi’s umbrella, the gyaru sister peeked inside the driver’s side window.

“What are you doing? Researching UFOs or something?”

“Wahh!?”

A woman of around college age panicked.

Based on the photo on the list, this was Anzai Ima.

She was one of the extras.

“Dbafbhadhfa- it’s really happening!? Hasshaku-sama is here to- huh? Isn’t she supposed to be tall?”

“Yuhi, pull out your phone and hover your finger over the emergency button. If she’s spying, you know what to do.”

“Wait, no!! That’s my room!!”

The woman rolled down the window and leaned out.

“I know Hasshaku-sama has been attacking us extras one after another. She’s suppose to appear by your bed, so going home is suicide. But, but if I watch on from outside like this, I might be able to get a great shot of her appearing, right? Then everyone will believe me and actually try to help me. I might even find her weakness or something…”

The online shrine maiden sighed in exasperation.

Was the work van crammed full of film equipment? It had to be some specialized stuff to fill an entire van.

Just to be sure, she sent a photo to the people who spent all their time on the internet shrine.

Lady Nine Tails happened to be on.

That eccentric took a scientific approach to the paranormal.

“Lady Nine Tails> I see. Radio, infrared, ultrasound, and this must be magnetic. No part-time extra can afford all of this. Did she borrow it from a college club maybe?”

“Do film clubs and drama clubs have equipment this nice these days?”’

No matter how much you tried to deny it, something paranormal was happening. And there were a variety of countermeasures you could take when you were actually attacked. You could cover your room with strange charms printed out on copy paper, or you could try to put your mind at ease by explaining it all scientifically using terms like electromagnetic waves or psychology.

“Lady Nine Tails> But Hasshaku-sama, huh? She captures you and kills you or she possesses you. Either way, there isn’t much room for science there.”

“That happens sometimes. Besides, this case involves a Malign Spirit.”

“Lady Nine Tails> Oh? Like I’ve said before, true spirits do not clash with science at all. The real ones hang out just fine in the gaps between different sciences.”

“?”

“Lady Nine Tails> But there is no science here. …Doesn’t that seem unnatural to you?”

The way she hinted at something more only made it sound more specious. Needless to say, the smug face in the square frame resembling an online meeting program belonged to an eccentric, so maybe it was best not to take her too seriously.

The witness right in front of Tsumugi mattered more at the moment.

The woman was afraid to go home, so she had spent all night curled up in her van to feel safe.

Anzai Ima.

There was no point in asking her if the Malign Spirit existed or not.

She was truly afraid and really believed. So they should be able to get some details out of her.

“I-I knew it was a bad idea. I just knew it would get us in trouble from the moment they gave me the script… I was just one extra among many, but I couldn’t believe the stars had agreed to do such a dangerous job.”

“Yeah, I guess doing a story based on the Apartment of Many Deaths would seem pretty creepy,” said Rainy.

“No.”

The extra shook her head.

The college girl pulled out something like a balled-up vacation guidebook.

Apparently it was the drama’s script.

“That was only the beginning. The real trouble started here, with the Threat Scapegoat.”