Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume4 Chapter1 (section)

===1===

We set off to Ryokuryou High School. This was the second day.

It is 3 hours away from the office by car. After passing through Funabashi and Chiba, with a view of Yokosuka and its surrounds across the ocean, is the school's compound. 

This time the investigators include Naru, his assistant Lin-san and me. Regretfully Taka and Chiaki-sempai remained in the office.

And there were the usual 4 psychic users. 

The Monk, John, the Miko and Masako.

Although these members have worked together often in the past, this was the first time we started a case with the intention of cooperating. The shocking thing is this time, Naru contacted them, saying "I hope to have your help".

After checking everyone's schedule, we made our plans. First to enter the school was Naru, the monk and myself. Based on our preliminary investigations, we would discuss what equipment we would need, and Lin-san and the Miko would bring them. Masako and John had plans they could not get out of, and would come the next day.

Ryokuryou High School is a rather dislikable school.

Although I say that, I don't mean that it is an eerie place or anything like that.

First, when we arrived at the back gate at the appointed time, there was a teacher waiting for us. However, that teacher's attitude was terrible. Even when we greeted him, he didn't even acknowledge us with a nod. 

After entering the back gate, the teacher took us to the principal's office. The principal was even worse. His attitude was incredibly arrogant, his tone very impolite. Furthermore, although he requested our company to do an investigation, he did not trust us and made no attempt to hide it.

And then, the finishing blow was the guidance teacher Matsuyama-sensei.

"Are you the head?" he asked Naru as he brought us to the meeting room that was to be the headquarters of our investigation.

How could that person speak like that to someone he has just met?!

Matsuyama-sensei looked at us judgmentally - "All this commotion about spirits - there's nothing more nonsensical and stupid." - and flung out such a line.

That bastard, who does he think he is?

Matsuyama-sensei glared at us with naked contempt while we were too shocked to reply. His gaze finally settled on Naru.

"Just how old are you anyway?"<!--(using impolite language)-->, he asked.

"Seventeen."

"What about Senior High?"

"Please use your own imagination."

Matsuyama-sensei snorted in laughter at that and turned his head to look at me.

"And you?"

"Sixteen. First year of Senior High."

"Don't you have school today? Playing truant, aren't you? Where's your school? Let's hear it."

So what if he knows which high school I go to? Contact the school and have them give me demerit points? Firstly, even if I told you the name of the school, would you even know where the school was?

<!--[TL/N: this was accurately translated from the Chinese raw. My guess is that it was supposed to be in reverse, ie, "even if I told you where my school is, would you know which school it is?]-->
"I have already been granted permission by my school."

When I said that, Matsuyama-sensei showed me a hate-filled glare.

"It's a really leniently managed school, to be so lax."

Don't you stick your nose into other schools' business. I really like my own school.

Matsuyama (I will address him without an honorific from now on) hurried through the school's corridors.

"Belief in the supernatural is a recent fad; when one thinks like that, one gets lazy, hence its popularity. When brats who have not even completed their compulsory education are bound by such beliefs about super powers and UFOs, they use these non-existent things to escape from reality. Furthermore, taking advantage of the situation, conmen come to mingle. Youths these days for no good reason, can't seem to do work reliably."

...Conmen. Was that referring to us? How dare he call us, well-behaved and honest workers, conmen?!

Come on Naru, hurry up and refute him. When, if not now, are you going to use that normally poisonous tongue of yours?

But Naru was silent. Even the monk made no reply.

Matsuyama sneered at us mockingly.

"Recently amongst these fraudulent neo-religions, it looks like even girls have been implicated in these malicious situations, right?"

Hmph... Just as I was about to express my displeasure, the monk started speaking in a seldom used, quiet, extremely polite tone.

The monk, Takigawa Housou, age 25, is a monk from Mt. Koya. He has a day job as a studio musician. He manages band activities on one hand, and is a psychic power user on the other. In other words, he is multitalented. 

"If we are talking about the recently popular small scale religious groups, I think it is more accurate to call them New Rising Religions." <!--[新新兴宗教]-->

"What?"

Matsuyama looked unprepared for that attack.

The monk continued his act and said, "that is to say, recent - in what they call the Third Age of Religion that we are currently in the midst of; about the rapidly spawning witchcraft based small scale religious groups, they should be called New Rising Religions to be accurate."

Matsuyama looked like he was about to say something, but the monk did not give him a chance to interrupt.

"And if we are discussing these New Rising Religions, these are the ones that came chronologically after the Second Age of Religion. This is common knowledge."

"Such small details don't matter!" roared Matsuyama. The monk smiled a satisfied smile. 

"So it is. But, don't you feel that arguments based on mistaken knowledge are meaningless?

"No, Sensei might have only been slightly misinformed; but if you are really unaware, I can enlighten you. Even though you are an educator; to allow you to persist in your misunderstanding is unthinkable."

Instantly, Matsuyama was speechless.

Success. Well done, Monk.

"As long as people don't mess up the essential parts in life, that is enough! What the heck, you people! I don't know if it is the attraction of boring religion, or if there is something strange going on in the depths of your minds; a student like you who is clearly skiving, and a man like you who keeps his hair long and messy will sooner or later wind up on the wrong path!"

That... What? Is he trying to say that we're walking a path forbidden to man?

That bastard!!

"Is it here?"

Naru pointed to a door; above the door hung a sign, "Meeting Room".

"Yes."

Matsuyama said as he violently opened the door. 

<!--[tl/n: Help! The monk spews tons of pseudo religious crap. I really don't think there is a proper term for 新新兴宗教, even within the original language or culture. Hence the coining of "New Rising Religions". I'm not too sure what he is actually trying to say, so if anyone knows better, please edit.] -->