Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 5 Chapter 4 (section)

===6===

We chose to perform the summoning where Igarashi-sensei had performed the séance. To prepare for the summoning, Lin-san and Naru left, leaving us to set up the equipment. I set up the equipment as we had during the previous séance, while I asked Bou-san:

“How do you think Lin-san will summon the spirits?”

“Summoning spirits is separated into letting the spirit possess one’s body with ‘possession’, and summoning the spirit itself with ‘Speaking to Spirits’. Masako’s is ‘possession’.”

… he.

“Lin also said he won’t let the spirit possess his body, hence it should be ‘speaking to spirits’.”

“Can this type of thing be done?”

Bou-dan shrugged.

“Normally, it can’t be done. ‘Speaking to spirits’ is also called ‘calling back spirits from the dead’; it is considered a Chinese witchcraft method. – Lin also said he is a Chinaman.”

“… Ah.”

“Although we’ve always thought Lin is an Omnyouji, if things are like this now, then the situation is slightly different. I’m afraid Lin isn’t actually an Omnyouji, but a Taoist priest practicing Chinese curses. If that’s the case then summoning spirits should be a piece of cake for him.”

… he.

“ ‘Posession’ is also known as ‘Spirit Absorbtion’; normally, compared to ‘Spirit Absorbtion’, ‘Calling back Spirits form the dead’ is more difficult to perform. The levels of the Taoist priests are completely different.”

That is to say, compared to Masako, Lin-san is even more gifted?

“… If that’s the case, even if we don’t rely on Masako, isn’t it enough if Lin-san is around?”

What the heck. That made us worry that besides Masako no one could hear the spirits speak. In the past because of that we were led in circles too.

Bou-san tilted his head.

“You can’t say that either. With this so called ‘calling back spirits from the dead’, it’s not any old spirit who can be called back. Lin has said so too right? The only spirits he can summon are those of those three people only.”

“… If, assuming the three of them are already dead, like this.”

Because there’s the possibility they are still alive.

“Anyway, whichever way doesn’t matter. To actually call a spirit back from dead, the summoned spirits’ name, date of birth and other detailed information are required. Then, at this point we only have the information about these three people. That’s why besides those three, other spirits cannot be summoned.”

Ah, so that’s the way it is.

After a while, Lin-san returned carrying a bundle. He did not change his clothes.

“Is the cleaning done?”

“It’s done.”

Before Lin-san returned, he had instructed us to clean this room beforehand. Before we set up the equipment, we scattered salt in the room, cleaned the floor, and wiped the tabletop with a fresh rag thrice.

Lin-san nodded then opened the bundle. He undid the thin yellow cloth, and retrieved a box from within. Opening the whitewood chest, there were many boxes in it. From the largest box, Lin-san took out a golden bowl then gently placed it on the table. Following that was a gold colored tachi (tl/n: long sword); two gold colored incense pots; two candlestick holders; two candles.

I somehow felt now wasn’t the time to speak; we all silently watched these on-goings. Lin-san carefully opened a sealed whitewood box. Momentarily, from inside, overflowed a tea-leaf like scent. Lin-san placed those things into the incense pot and lit it. From the incense pot, a thin smoke rose, and the air was filled with an indescribable fragrance.

Lin-san retrieved a flat box; after raising the lid he placed it besides the bowl. From it appeared an inkwell. Lin-san retrieved a piece of paper-like paper and unfolded it, carefully tidied up the things on the table, then used the water we had prepared previously and started to slowly grind ink.

The smell of the incense filled the entire room; just as Lin-san finished grinding ink, Naru finally returned.

“Who do you want to summon?”

Lin-san asked. Naru placed his notebook on the table.

“Suzuki Naoko-san.”

Naru held what looked like Suzuki-san’s blouse in his hand. Lin-san received the blouse then carefully folded it within the bowl. Then he looked at the notebook while writing on the paper. He wrote the name, the birth date, then looked back at Naru.

“What about the date of death?”

Naru thought for a moment.

“The second day since she disappeared… approximately this time.”

Lin-san nodded, and wrote on the paper as Naru had instructed. Then he placed a completed protection seal on top of the folded blouse.

“I’m going to start.”

Lin-san placed a stick of incense in the other incense pot, lit the candles, then nodded to Naru. Naru switched off the lights in the room.

The glow from the two candles illuminated the dark interior of the room. Lin-san placed the tachi on his knees as he sat in seiza, then he gently started speaking.

An indescribable sound was produced from Lin-san’s mouth.

I could also hear the speech like sound like ‘he’. From Lin-san’s mouth came a low sound. Those sounds, in time with his breath, came forth from his mouth; that was the feeling one got from it. When he lamented it was a clear, touching sound. When he whistled it was a gentle, low pitched sound.

Lin-san slowly enunciated each sound. In this progression, the pitch changed a number of times, just like singing a song. It was high at times and low at times, strong at times and weak at times. Vibrating, reaching outwards, repeating. From his throat each sound sprung. It was an indescribable, touching sound made just of that.

I couldn’t help being enthralled by the sound. There aren’t any other such unimaginable touching sounds. I felt that I had almost attending a concert. Hence when I heard the sound of panting, I still thought that was unconsciously produced by that person – pant because of being touched by that sound.

Lin-san stopped the sound.

Once again came the sound of panting. I heard an extremely pathetic sigh.

I nervously glanced around me and realized there was a shadow on the wall directly facing Lin-san. A deep shadow cast by the weak glow of the candles. On the surface of the wall one could vaguely see the shadow of a person. This wasn’t anybody’s shadow. There wasn’t anybody in a position to cast a shadow in that location.

As I was looking around, the shadow deepened. One could tell that was a person; the shadow of a female in profile.

… Who? It couldn’t be.

Color seeped out from the shadow, gradually revealing a person. Everyone held their breaths; there wasn’t a sound to be heard in the room.

“Naru.”

Lin-san continued sitting in seiza and shouted without turning his head.

“The day’s no good. Not only can she not speak, she can’t stay that long either.”

Naru nodded. The shadow had already taken the appearance of a young girl. It was dark, it looked a little transparent; although one could definitely tell there wasn’t anything solid there, there was indeed the figure of a person, and one could tell it was the missing Suzuki-san. Suzuki-san lowered her head, faced us in profile, with her gaze fixed on her feet.

“You are Suzuki-san, right?”

Naru spoke to her. She continued staring at her feet, and nodded.

… She’s already dead…

I felt extremely unhappy. As expected, Suzuki-san had already died.

“There are others besides you in this house, right?”

Suzuki-san nodded.

“Besides us and Igarashi-sensei, and the other psychics, there are other people, right?”

Her reply was still a speechless nod.

“Whether it is them or you, you are all already dead. Do you know?”

Suzuki-san suddenly lifted her head. She looked at Naru with an unfathomable expression. 

Aah, Suzuki-san did not know – that she was already dead, that the others were already dead.

“Do you know why you are dead?”

She continued to stare at Naru, then shook her head.

“Then, was there someone who did something bad to you?”

Suzuki-san nodded. Her expression turned slightly twisted.

“Who is that? Is it someone else other than us?”

She nodded with an extremely pained expression.

… As expected, the spirits in this house are the criminals…

“Do you know a person called Urado?”

Suddenly, Suzuki-san’s body exaggeratedly swayed backwards. Her face twisted. Her mouth opened as though she was saying something. Not able to make a sound, she desperately lifted her hand and grasped her throat. She lifted a hand, as though to write something in the air.

“You know, right?”

Suzuki-san nodded, then shook her head. She twisted her body, moved both hands as though swimming, just like a child throwing a tantrum, using all the action in her body to say something. She stamped hard on the floor, twisted her body. Suddenly a clear high sound rose from somewhere in the room.

I unconsciously searched the surroundings for the source of the sound. Continuous intense sounds rang. Noise. “Naru, we’re at the limit.”

As though in reply to Lin-san’s gentle voice, Suzuki-san’s shadow gradually turned thinner. Suzuki-san opened her mouth wide, as though desperately shouting something, but we couldn’t hear that sound. In place of that unheard sound, was deafening high pitched noise.

Naru didn’t even have the chance to ask a question. In a flash the color disappeared, and Suzuki-san’s figure returned to being a shadow. Even as a shadow, Suzuki-san’s body still continued to twist. Then, the shadow rapidly dissolved in the darkness and vanished. Simultaneously, the noise also stopped, then there was only silence left in the room.