Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 7 Chapter 3 (section)

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We all sat on the concrete steps on the vestibule. Although there was a small sheltered table in the vicinity of the entrance, it was very small as it was in the shade. The wind that blew was warm, and not refreshing in the least.

“Mai, do you want juice or oolong tea?”

“Oolong tea.”

Although I was very thirsty, there wasn’t any water at all in the pipes. To drink the murky swimming pool water would amount to a suicidal act.

“Perhaps it’s because of water that it’s so difficult.”

Thinking back a little, this is still the first time we conducted an investigation under our own direction. Although we had brought quite a few bottles of drinks with us prior to coming, it was completely insufficient for so many people.

“Yeah, we did go and buy some during the day, and we still had to come back by this time. – Pass (the bottle).” 

Masako, who holding back laughter, passed over a pretty blue plastic teacup printed with flowers – much like a cup a child uses for tooth brushing. 

“I want some also!”

Bou-san cut in.

“Please go ahead, Takigawa-san.”

“– Whatever, is this the one?”

Bou-san received the cup from Masako’s hands and glanced inside, and immediately appeared extremely disappointed.

“Paper cups are discarded once used, it’s too wasteful. This is Takigawa-san’s cup.”

“This is Naru’s, and this is Lin’s.”

I proudly handed the cups to everyone; everyone’s cups were all different.

“Here, Yasuhara, John.”

When everyone got their cups they were all stunned, their eyes surveying the cups in each other’s hands.

The laughter Masako held back burst forth; Ayako and I were already laughing unstoppably.

“– You fellow, you’re clearly doing this to waste time.”

Bou-san, who spoke restlessly, held the cup in his hands. It was printed with dinosaurs.

“Hey hey hey hey…”

Because the location we had decided to investigate was an abandoned school, the chance that the pipes couldn’t be used was very high. Ayako had said, what would we drink then? That’s why cups are necessary, this was from Masako; it’s too uneconomical to buy paper cups, so let’s buy cheap cups, was what I said.

Hence, when Bou-san went to buy dinner and we passed by the stand selling plastic cups, the three of us couldn’t help exchanging glances.

“How cute, what about this?”

The one with swans printed on it was John’s.

Naru, who was looking displeased, had a cup with foxes printed on it. Lin-san’s had puppies. How about that? Isn’t it fitting?

“You lot never lose that playful spirit, really.” The one with crabs printed on it belonged to Yasuhara, who evaluated. With that he lifted his head and looked towards the sky, “Ah ne, the clouds have come out.”

The thick, grey rain clouds could be seen on the nearby mountains.

“It could be about to rain. Didn’t the weather forecast predict rain?”

When he heard John’s words, Bou-san stood up.

“It’ll be troublesome if it rains; I’ll go buy lunch since it’s still early.”

“Yeah.”

Masako also stood up, followed by Yasuhara.

“I’ll take advantage of this time and go find out any news.”

3 people should be enough to handle buying lunch, so I stayed back to keep watch.

“Then I’m counting on you!”

After Bou-san’s car disappeared, John looked at the sky, slightly worried. “It really is about to rain.”

Naru and Lin also stood up.

“ -? Is the rest over yet?”

“I’m going to the observation spot; if it rains we’ll retrieve the equipment at once.”

Right. It’d be a major issue if the equipment were to be ruined by rainwater.

Ah… ah… it was with much difficulty that I could rest a little.

The sunlight dimmed, it started feeling a little chilly. Just as I took a deep breath, thick clouds covered the sky overhead; a strong wind started blowing, the air was mixed with damp; the other side of the mountain darkened.

“This won’t do, it’s raining.”

John stood up and I hurriedly rose too. When we ran outwards, large droplets started falling pitter patter.

“Hn, we haven’t gotten there yet.”

We ran through the pattering rain, when we arrived Naru had already started keeping the adapters.

“Go to the back gardens to keep the microphones.”

“Got it.”

When John and I walked towards the back gardens, the rain started pouring down. When we got to the back gardens, it had already started coming down for real.

“Ya…”

“There’s no way we can keep it like this.”

John said that as he disconnected the microphone beside him.

“We’ll have to wait for the rain to cease before setting up again.”

“That looks like the only option.”

While we joked and retrieved the equipment, the rain got heavier and heavier. When we carried the microphones back, it was truly raining cats and dogs.