The House in Which Nightmares Dwell 10.2

[touchturnfly]

2

"You are having a laudable conversation to my surprise," a voice suddenly interrupted.

When they turned their heads they saw Masako standing in the doorway with a wry smile on her face.

Takigawa waved his hand.

"Well, that happens once in a while. -- How's Mai?"

"She has calmed down for the time being. Midori-san is watching over her."

"She won't come down?"

"I feel it's better if she doesn't see Naru's face until she has truly calmed down."

Naru merely shrugged, but Takigawa tilted his head and Lin also seemed doubtful.

"What happened just now? Is it the usual dreams? I don't understand why it got her upset like that."

"... ... Even Mai has various things on her mind."

"Various?"

Takigawa look at Naru and Masako. The one who opened his mouth was Naru.

"Lin found something in the room beside it."

Naru gazed at Lin. Lin picked up an old carton box from the shelf near him and handed it to Takigawa.

"I found it above the ceiling of the closet."

Takigawa opened the box.

"Ooh. Aren't these Rider cards? How nostalgic."

Naru looked at Takigawa.

"We used to have stuff like this in the past. Characters of a children's show are printed on these. When I was in elementary school all of the boys from the upper classes collected these."

"Ah, I see... ..."

"-- Did you do psychometry on this, by any chance?"

"Psychometry?" Hirota asked Takigawa.

Takigawa smiled at him as sarcastically as he could.

"It's a psychic ability you don't believe in. Naru-bou knew about his elder brothers whereabouts with this."

Hirota frowned.

"So did you use it? How was it?"

"-- When the child was sleeping in his room, someone broke into the house. He went towards his parents' room and after he caused trouble there, he went to this child's room."

"... ... Kosori."

When Masako muttered that, Naru nodded.

"The owner of those cards is a boy. That child realized that something had slipped into the house. He called that something 'Kosori'."

"Mai also said the same."

"Indeed. -- It appears that we saw the same dream."

Takigawa inclined his head.

"So... ...?"

"My vision was transmitted to Mai. ... ... By someone."

"And that someone is?"

"Judging from past experiences, it's Gene. Because that guy seems to be posing as Mai's guiding spirit. Mai very often has spiritual visions in the shape of dreams, but these are somehow transmitted by Gene."

"Hey, but... ..."

Takigawa knit his eyebrows. Eugene's body was discovered this summer. Even if his spirit was still wandering about, wouldn't he theoretically have been purified when he was returned and buried in his homeland?

Naru wryly smiled.

"He seems to be very worried about Mai."

"Isn't he also worried about his dawdling younger brother?"

Takigawa received a hard-hearted glance back after he said that.

"By Gene you mean, Eugene? The one who died?"

Masako nodded at Hirota's question.

"Indeed. No matter how much Hirota-san denies it, he was wandering this world for a long time. He is right beside Mai -- Or, beside Naru, I wonder. -- In any case, he is beside Mai and seems to be lending her his powers."

"Lending his powers?"

"He transmits what Naru sees in his dreams and various other things. I don't think Hirota-san will understand even if I explained it in detail."

"Well, sorry about that," Hirota grumbled.

"-- His body was found in the summer, even though everyone thought that he ascended, what is happening  right now is the same as before. That is the reason that Mai became so upset."

"Is that so... ..."

---

Back to Chapter 10.1 | Forward to Chapter 10.3

Note

Rider cards: Takigawa is talking about cards from the Kamen Rider franchise.