Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume2 Chapter3 (section)

===4===

"What is that guy doing?!" Bou-san shouted. 

"...What does he want to do anyway. It's almost dark." 

Bou-san said to Ayako in a sarcastic manner, "It doesn't matter what he wants to do. In the end, he always puts all his effort into his work." 

Then he looked up. "Well, let's just do this then. Tonight Ayami-chan should sleep in a hotel." 

"Wouldn't that create problems?" 

"At least it'll be safer than sleeping at home. John can stay at the hotel. Last time, John's prayer gave that guy a hard time finding Ayami-chan. If the distance is greater, it might be more effective. Make a charm, get Ayako to help, and place the charm on the hotel room. That way, those spirits won't be able to enter." 

"Okay." 

"Ayako, go to the hotel and help John. I still haven't seen you be useful yet. Can you really exorcise ghosts?" 

Ayako replied gruffly, "...Perhaps I have something up my sleeve." 

"Then you can be John's partner. Masako, go with them." Bou-san turned around and looked at Masako. 

"Me?" 

"These two idiots are too susceptible to the ghosts. If things end up like before, we'll really be in trouble. Go with them. If a ghost shows up, wake the two up." 

"I got it." Ayako stood up. "Then, what about you?" 

"Since the prayer seemed to be effective, I'm going to try an exorcism." He said before shooting a glance at me. "Jou-chan, help me prepare." 

It was already dusk, and the night was imminent. I would have to be faster with the preparations than usual. 

Noriko-san packed up and took Ayami-chan with her to a hotel. 

Before they left, Ayako had made a protective charm— With a pen, she wrote some strange characters— Right now, Ayami-chan is holding it. 

"This way, those spirits won't be able to see Ayami-chan." 

Skeptical about Ayako's charm, I asked Masako, "Do those things work?" 

"Those charms seem to be effective. —Don't worry. Those ghosts didn't even notice." 

We saw the five people off, then started to prepare for the exorcism. We spent a good amount of time moving all the furniture out and setting up the altar. 

"Hey, Bou-san, what's a Chuute?" 

I asked him while taking out some equipment. 

"The crevice between the living world and the after world." 

"I don't get it." 

Bou-san sighed. "You still don't understand anything— Give me those three handles." 

"This?" 

"It's a crevice. In Buddhism, after someone dies he will stay in this place for forty nine days after his death. It's a place where one cannot be cleansed. It's like a bridge between the living and the dead. Now do you understand?" 

"Kind of." 

"This doesn't always happen to people facing death. It's like going around the Gates of Hell and then coming back. Haven't you heard of this before?" 

"Yeah, I did." 

"The experience of near death. Some people will say they've experienced something like this: They're standing beside a river, and there's a bridge. Many people are crossing the bridge, but they themselves do not cross it. Then they wake up." 

"Yeah, yeah." I've heard that before. 

"So in the end, when the deceased person crosses the bridge, he goes into the other world. After crossing the bridge, he will forget all the pain he's experienced in this world and start a whole new life in the next world. But some people do not want to cross the bridge because they have some unfinished business." 

"Like finding your daughter..." 

Just like that woman who's trying to find Tomiko. 

After dying, your spirit stays in that place. 

Since you didn't cross that bridge, you can't forget the pain you suffered when you were alive. Your hardships and fear can't be forgotten either. 

"So that's what a ghost is...?" 

"Correct." 

"Since that woman wants to find her daughter, she didn't cross the bridge, and that's why she called all these children here. She's not releasing the children, and that's why they aren't able to see the bridge." 

"...Isn't that infuriating?" 

"Don't be angry," Bou-san said. 

I looked into his eyes. 

Bou-san managed to put a smile on his face. "Aren't we trying hard to get her to see the bridge?" 

"I guess so." 

After helping out Bou-san, I went over to Lin-san and moved the equipment in Ayami-chan's room to the living room. After I finished moving the equipment, I went to base to help Lin-san make preparations. When we finished making all the wire connections, Bou-san started his exorcism. 

Good luck~ Cleanse that woman, set the children free~ 

And let Ayami-chan live a normal life. 

A few moments after Bou-san started his exorcism, sounds filled the room. At the same time the temperature dropped. 

The cold air accumulated along the floor. In the thermography graph, the floor was blue. 

The video camera moved too, and combined with the thermography chart, we could see the places where the temperature was the lowest. 

The video cameras faced the middle of the room and the floor right in front of the window. 

...The temperature is lowest at... 

Suddenly a sound came from the living room, a rapping sound. It was almost like a shock wave. The floor rocked, as did Bou-san. 

And then a sound vibrated through the entire room. 

Stomp, stomp, stomp... The sound of somebody running. A smoky substance started to fill the room. The thermography chart showed a dark blue color. 

The altar swayed, then fell to the ground. 

"Bou-san, forget it! Leave the living room!" 

I shouted into the microphone. 

"Idiot! How can you ask a man to run away!" 

Is now the time to argue about that? 

The smoke thickened, and Bou-san's body became hard to see. The mournful cries of the children filled the room. 

I stared at the TV. 

A black shadow appeared in the middle of the room, behind Bou-san. It slowly started to form into a shape. 

"Bou-san! Your back! It's that woman!" 

Bou-san turned around and looked straight through the black figure. 

It's dangerous! He can't see her! 

I quickly stood up. 

"Taniyama-san, don't go!" Lin-san shouted as he tried to stop me. 

How can I not go! 

I ran to the living room and opened the door. 

And just like yesterday night, the room was covered in smoke... 

"Bou-san, are you okay?" 

"Idiot! Why did you come!!" 

Because... 

The room swayed violently. I lost my balance as the floor distorted. 

It's dangerous! 

"Bou-san! Hey, you have to leave!" 

I walked into the room. 

I can't see... The dark figure... What do I do? I could only see it through the video camera. I weakly walked toward Bou-san. 

When my hand reached out toward him, it felt like my hand went through something. 
The air felt cold and sticky. 

And then I heard some words in my mind. 

...Do not hinder me. 

...How dare you. 

...This is inexcusable... 

Suddenly my body froze, and my hand, which was reaching for Bou-san, wouldn't move. 

A pair of hands encircled my neck... Icy-cold hands. 

Her? ...Is it her? 

I grabbed the woman's hands around my neck. 

Bou-san turned around and pulled out some golden beads. 

"Na u ma ku sa man da baza ra dan kan!" 

The hands clutching my neck disappeared, and all that was left was a cold feeling. 

"Are you alright?" 

I nodded and grabbed Bou-san's hand. "Let's go! Forget it! It's too dangerous!" 

This time he stood up and ran toward the door. Because now, the floor was swaying so much it was almost impossible to stand up. 

The floor was rocking, distorting. 

Ah—! Suddenly my feet caved in. 

I tried to crawl as if I were swimming. The floor beneath my feet was giving away. 

"Mai!" 

When I was trying to crawl forwards, the floor cracked again. 

Bou-san steadied me and pulled my hand. He then tossed me to the door the way someone would toss a cat or dog. 

After Bou-san left the room, the noise in the living room stopped. 

We were speechless as we sat almost paralyzed in the hallway. 

The smoke in the room faded away too. 

After the smoke faded away, we noticed there was a hole on the floor in the middle of the room, right in front of the windows. The floor cracked open, revealing a huge hole. 

It was the place where the thermography indicated was the coldest. The origin of the cold. 

Bou-san abruptly ran out. 

"Bou-san?" 

"I'm going to call Ayako. Those ghosts might've gone to find Ayami-chan again." 

"Ayami-chan's location... Why..." 

"When I ran out of the room... What was that! It felt like I went through that woman's body." 

...Ah! Me too! 

"That woman just came in all of a sudden. Maybe she knows where Ayami-chan is."