Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 8 Chapter 9 (section)

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I went out into the corridor and stopped for a moment. I stared at the closed window.

When I gently reached out my hand and tried to move it, it creaked, but opened a little regardless. The gentle night breeze drifted in. I was greeted by the smell of wet grass.

I smiled complacently and this time opened the window with all my might. The old, hard to open window got caught, but opened wide nonetheless.

“Hehehe...”

The school yard was also drenched in a downpour of moonlight and was very bright.

I climbed out onto the window frame.

“Aiiee!”

I shouted and jumped off into the school yard.

I landed somehow and immediately started running. I ran through the wet grass, then looked back.

My eyes swept over the entirety of the wooden schoolhouse.

The tiled roof appeared silver in the moonlight. The windows looked like black holes and the walls were gray. A pleasant breeze was blowing. There was the high-pitched hum of insects.

“Oi!”

At the same time as the voice cried out, the second floor window loudly shattered and fell.

“Ehh?”

Accompanying the wild shout, Bou-san’s figure appeared from the window frame.

“Bou-san!”

As I waved my hand, something troubling occurred to me.

—Would he do that?

“What’s up?”

“I’m thinking about the problem of age and method.”

Bou-san’s voice carried a long way.

“What’s that?”

“Oh well, nevermind.”

As soon as I said this, he lightly climbed over the window frame. Of course, before I could tell him it wasn’t something an old man should do, he jumped from the second floor window. Certainly, it was the proper execution for the method, but he lost points for staggering upon landing.

“My, you’re still young, aren’t you?”

When I heard this and looked, Yasuhara-san’s face appeared from a window at the end of the second floor.

Bou-san looked back at the school building.

“Yo, why don’t you show me the skills of a true young man?”

“Eeeh? You expect me to jump down, too?”

“You’re young, aren’t you?”

“Will you catch me?”

“I refuse.”

“What kind of shameful things are you doing?”

Ayako called this out as her face appeared from a window on the first floor.

“Yay! Ayako! Long time no see!”

“It really was a long time, huh? I was wondering where you disappeared to.”

I laughed.

“I didn’t disappear. You’re the one who was gone, Ayako!”

“Don’t quibble!”

“Ahahaha!”

It’s the truth, though!

The door to the entry hall opened. Naru was the first to come out from there. When I waved, he looked away in seeming indifference. —Tch.

Following him out was Lin-san’s tall figure.

“Lin-san, you too, long time no see!”

When I called out, he stopped as if a little startled, then nodded to me. Next, Masako came out with quick little steps.

“Mai!”

“Yoo-hoo, Masako! How have you been?”

“What in the world happened? It’s you who I should be asking—”

Masako started to say this, then stopped walking. It seemed like she was going to come running over here, but she changed direction and rushed over to Naru. Such is why a woman’s friendship is fragile.

“Mai-san, were you alright?”

Saying that, John jumped down from a first floor window and actually rushed over to me.

John is truly kind. *tears*

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

“I’m glad. —Everyone, too.”

I looked around at the figures coming over in small groups.

Ayako and Yasuhara-san, who had given up on jumping out the window, came out from the entry hall.

—With that, everyone was together.

“So then? Who did it?”

Everyone tilted their heads at Bou-san’s words.

Hehehe. Only I know that.

“Seeing that you asked that, I guess it wasn’t you, Takigawa-san.”

Bou-san choked at Yasuhara-san’s words.

“It definitely wasn’t you, Shōnen.”

“If I did it, wouldn’t that cause everyone to lose face?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“It couldn’t possible have been… Shibuya-san. Seeing as he’s walking and standing all right like this.”

Naru lightly shrugged his shoulders.

“I would confess, however it was not me, either.”

This was said by Masako.

“I do not think it was Lin-san or Brown-san, either. It was a purification rather than an exorcism. Since I saw the light of purification.”

John nodded.

“Indeed. I couldn’t do anything.”

Then, everyone’s gaze turned to Ayako.

Of course, I’m a good-for-nothing…*mumble mumble*

“Me!?”

After opening her eyes wide, Ayako pointed at herself.

“Tch, no! There aren’t any trees I can rely on in this area.”

There was a momentary pause. Then, glances were exchanged.

Hey, why are you ignoring me?

“...there’s only one person left.”

This was said by Yasuhara-san.

“No way! I vote that they purified themselves.”

Ayako was the one who said this hateful thing.

“Well, are we going back?”

So cruel! *sob* Even Bou-san!

Then, while walking in the direction of the car, Bou-san ruffled my hair. Ayako and Masako also patted my back. Next were John and Yasuhara-san’s smiling faces and Lin-san’s auspicious smile. And then Naru spoke a single phrase.

“...Thanks for the hard work.”

—Well, whatever.


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