Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume2 Chapter2 (section)

===6===

Noriko-san let the newly dressed Ayami-chan rest for a while. 

Breathing hard, I rushed toward base. Minnie, the doll that was supposed to be burnt to smithereens... Was sitting on the shelf... 

I couldn't help but shout, "Wha... What happened!" 

Bou-san angrily shook his head. "It didn't burn." 

Huh? 

"The box burned, but Minnie didn't." 

Terror flushed through my body. 

"Even though Naru said it would be no use, I still thought it would work with a doll. I've encountered this situation before. The doll-loving girl died and possessed her doll. Every night, the doll would move and spill water everywhere." 

Naru still held onto his beliefs. "There's nothing wrong with the doll. The problem lies within the spirit that's possessing Minnie. That's all." 

Ayako looked at Naru and Bou-san, then sighed. "Ah... If we had a psychometrist, then everything would be okay." 

Psy... What? 

Seeing the blank look on my face, Bou-san and Ayako shook their heads. 

...Oh, come on. 

Naru looked fed up with me, but answered anyway. "Someone who can use psychometry." 

What a bad explanation. 

"So, this psymetry thing, what is it?" 

"Psychometry. It's a type of ESP. The term was coined by an American scientist, Buchanan. In other words, it's token-object reading. After touching the object, all things about the object can be known. Information on the origin of the object, the past owners of the object, and the present owner can all be known after one touch. Gerard Croiset of the Netherlands and Peter Filis of the U.S. are well known for their ability." 

Oh... 

"This morning, if a psychometrist were here, then we'd be able to know about Minnie's manufacture and her previous owner, right?" 

"Yes." 

"Wow...amazing. That must be really convenient." I sighed, then noticed everyone was laughing. 

"Well, it definitely is convenient," Bou-san laughed sarcastically. "But psychometrists usually end up searching for corpses." 

"Cor-, corpses?" 

"That's right. If they touch the missing person's belongings, then they can pinpoint the location of the missing person." 

Gasp— What a horrible thing to have to do. 

"Whether it's Croiset or Peter— or other famous psychometrists, like England's Oliver Davis and America's Alex Tanous, all of them help the police find missing people." 

"Oh—So the police there ask them to help?" 

"Something like that." 

"Well, we can't get a psychometrist," Ayako sighed. "At least call Hara Masako. She might be able to help. What do you think?" 

"I said that would be unnecessary," Naru refused, his voice stone hard with certainty. Then he stood up. "I'm going to check up on Ayami-chan." 

...Could it be that Naru doesn't like working with Masako? 

Ayami-chan was sleeping soundly in Noriko-san's room. 

Looking at her sleeping face, Noriko-san spoke, "I want to give my brother a call about moving out of this house." 

...Awesome! Ayako and Bou-san won't have this burden on their back anymore. 
Naru's tone stopped her. "Some poltergeists will follow those who move." 

"Then tell me what to do! When will this all end?! Only Ayami-chan and I are left in this house!" 

Naru didn't answer. "Noriko-san... Do you know about the history of this house?" 

"...History?" 

"I've done some research on the past owners of this house." 

Noriko-san looked at him uneasily. 

Naru's eyes seemed to have a dangerous sparkle in it. 

"Ten months before the Morishita family moved here. The owner before this was the Watanabe family, who lived here for three years before selling the house due to work." 

"So he didn't sell the house because weird stuff was happening here?" I asked. 

Naru nodded. "That's right. The neighbors also said they didn't hear of any ghost rumors. The family before that was the Nogi family. Their nine year old daughter died here." 

A nine year old... 

"One year older than Ayami-chan. They say it's because of an illness. The family before them was the Onuma family. In half a year, all three of their children died." 

"All three?" 

"Yes. A ten-year old boy, an eight-year old boy, and a seven-year old girl. All were either because of accidents or illness. And so the Onuma family sold the house." 

"......" 

I felt sick. 

"Before them was the Murakimi family. No one died in that family. They had a fifteen year old daughter, but nothing happened to her. The family before them, the Taniguchi family, had three childen of the ages fourteen, fifteen, and eighteen. Nothing happened to them. However, a child of their relatives came here to play, and he died. He was about ten years old. 

The family before them was the Ikedas. Nothing happened to them while they lived here, but after they moved away, their seven year old daughter died. Children that're about fifteen are okay. The family before them, the Tachibanas, had an eight year old daughter who died here." 

"Hey..." I said, a bad feeling overcoming my stomach. "So what you're saying is... Children about eight years old are in danger here...?" 

"Seems like it." 

...Ayami-chan...! 

"...Then what should I do!" Noriko-san cried out. 

There was a family with a daughter who died after they moved away... It really makes me feel forlorn and hopeless. 

"If you want to move away, I won't stop you. But please wait. As of now, you will be in danger even if you move. I've already called a professional so if you want to move out, at least wait for him to come." 

Noriko-san nodded her head in consent.