Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 6 Chapter 4 (section)

===<center>5</center>===

Nao-san hadn’t come back, and it had become a problem since it was approaching midnight.

“It's impossible to not come home until such time without notice.”

Hiroe-obasan and the others began to make an uproar, but when we inquired, no one had seen Nao-san go out.  It turned out that even when we tried searching her room, her purse and such had been left behind and we just could not think of where she had gone. Bou-san and John helped by searching the neighborhood, but the figure of Nao was not found. Bou-san and John returned to the base after one in the morning. The moon couldn’t even be seen through the thick clouds in the night sky.

“How did it go?”

When I asked, Bou-san and John shook their heads.

“If she doesn’t return tomorrow, we’ll submit a search request.”

The mood became deeply somber.

Just as I nodded, Lin-san, who had been watching the equipment, raised his voice.

“Takigawa-san. —Look here.”

Saying so, he pointed out the monitor. It was the video of the camera that was placed in the cave. The entrance of the cave was visible to the left of the screen… there were no abnormalities in particular. Was there something?

Bou-san fixed his eyes on the screen, then he stood up in hurry.

“Lin, is there a flashlight?”

“I put one in the car.”

“John, come on.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Mai, you and the others stay here. Young master, I’m entrusting this place to you.”

After seeing off the three people, who left in a rush, I exchanged a look with Ayako.

Was there something wrong in the video of the cave? I stared at the screen again, but I didn’t see anything abnormal in the cave. Only the deserted space was projected with that strangely pale tone characteristic of the high sensitivity camera.

“I wonder what it is.”

I tilted my head in thought at Ayako’s words.

“....there’s nothing. Even if something strange shows up on video, that doesn’t necessarily mean something strange is going on… ”

I broke off mid-sentence and my eyes fixed on the entrance of the cave. At the rocky stretch outside the entrance, white waves were lapping against the protruding rocks. Something was caught there so that it was being washed by the waves.

“What’s that there?”

I stared further, but I couldn’t tell what it was. It repeatedly retreated and hit the rocks.

As I was desperately straining my eyes, the video showed Bou-san and the others rush in. Bou-san headed straight for the thing that was caught in the rocky area. There was something after all…

Akifumi-san stood up half-way.

I switched over the speaker. Bou-san and the others were keeping silent. No sound could be heard from the speakers except the sound of the waves.

Bou-san pulled the thing up while getting swallowed by the waves. With Lin-san, the thing was carried between the pair.

Ayako screamed. Akifumi-san rushed out of the room.

The video was coarse and I couldn’t see well. Even so, I knew that it was a person. As we watched, the person’s body was washed by the waves without resistance. I don’t think that person is alive.

(—Corpses flow in with relation to the tide)

Nao-san had not come back. We could not think of where she had gone.

I closed my eyes. Please be someone else. Let it be someone completely unrelated.

—Still, I also knew there could not be such a chance.

<font size="4"><center><b>***</b></center></font>

It was undoubtedly Nao-san. She was carried by the tide until it had reached that cave. The police were called and Nao-san was carried away. We heard that she underwent an autopsy.

“I would hate to be dissected by someone… even if it was a woman… ”

I was in the base holding my knees. Ayako patted my back consolingly.

The sound of the waves flowing could still be heard from the speaker. I realized for the first time that the sound of waves was actually a lonesome sound.

Bou-san and the others, who had finished changing their clothes, returned after a while wearing sullen expressions.

“Thanks for your hard work… I made coffee.”

“Thanks.”

No one had anything more to say than that.

I finished distributing the coffee and just as everyone had started to drink, Bou-san spoke at long last.

“Masako-chan.”

“Yes?”

“Can you summon Nao-san?”

Masako looked back at Bou-san with a start.

“I think I can, but… ”

“Lin said it’s a bad day for him. I’m sorry, but will you do it?”

“I will try to do what I can.”

“Mai, go to the main building and ask only for these things.”

After he said this, Bou-san began to write a note. Nao-san’s birthdate, blood type, hobbies, favorite artist, money in her purse, where she went on a trip recently, etc.

“...how should I ask for these things?”

“Go now. Don’t say anything about a seance. They don’t need to know about something they won’t understand. —Masako, is there anything you need to prepare?”