spr | The House in Which Nightmares Dwell 4.5

"... ...That was the sixth time."

Mai looked up at Naru who returned to the base and showed her raised fingers.

The clock pointed at three in the morning. Midori and Reiko went to the second floor at 11 in the evening. After that, Reiko had complained six times about abnormal things in the space of four hours.

There are people here, I can hear voices and other sounds. -- She complained like that, but the equipment didn't report any abnormalities. Whenever Naru went to explain it to her, she would calm down, but that would repeat again soon.

"If she's in such a state, won't she catch any sleep at all up till now?"

"Looks like it."

The returned Naru sighed. With three people, furniture and equipment inside a room, there wasn't much space left. Just until now Hirota was up as well, so it had been even more cramped.

"What should we do? She keeps thinking about those things."

"It would be better if we can give her some peace of mind," Naru pondered, "Perhaps prescribe her some medicine. ... ... Give her a placebo."

"Medicine? What's a placebo?"

"So ignorant."

"Geez, I'm sorry about that."

"It's fake medicine, I guess."

"Ehhhh," Mai said and thrusted a finger at him.

"I don't think that kind of deceitful act is good at all!"

Naru disagreeably waved that hand away.

"I don't mean it like that. Keep quiet if you don't know anything."

"But."

The one who interrupted them was Lin.

"-- How should we do it?"

"It's probably better if it's done in a flashy way. -- Can you do it?"

"I don't think I'm qualified though."

"That's true... ..."

"Hm? I can't follow your conversation though."

Naru ordered Mai who inclined her head.

"Mai, the first thing you do this morning is contact Bou-san."

"Bou-san has medicine?"

The person who was called 'Bou-san', is like what his name implies a monk, a medium so to speak, and also a cooperative worker of Shibuya Psychic Research.

Naru nodded.

"People of her era probably have a profound familiarity with Buddhist and Shinto ceremonies. Either is fine, but Bou-san has a better persuasive power by appearance."

Mai laughed.

Among the cooperative workers there was also a miko. The monk didn't look like a monk either, but the miko all the more didn't look like the type.

"A long-haired monk and a miko with heavy make-up. There's just a scant difference huh," Mai chuckled and nodded. "I see, you don't know whether there are any psychic phenomena, but you just want an exorcism to give the mother peace of mind?"

"Hm. You finally understand."

"Of course. -- Geez, don't think you can fool people the whole time."

"Isn't that the truth?"

"Yeah, yeah. Say whatever you want. -- I'll give him a call."

"Isn't it better to watch the clock?"

"There's no way Bou-san is asleep at this time. If I call him in the morning, I'll wake him up when he's sleeping in," said Mai as she left.

As he saw her off, Naru faced Lin.

"-- What do you think?"

"A placebo might be surprisingly effective."

"There was some talk that there has been a person who committed suicide in this house."

"The year isn't specific, so it's not clear to me either. Shall I investigate it? I don't think it's very essential though."

"Just ask Yasuhara-san to investigate it."

On one of the monitor screens, they could see Mai on the phone. The sound was off, so they didn't hear her. The phone was in the living room. At Mai's feet they saw Hirota wrapped in a futon.

"Does the equipment indicate any abnormalities?"

Lin showed a somewhat bitter smile to Naru's query.

"Paranormal curiosities? -- None."

At that time they caught Mai facing the camera and saying something to them. She pointed at the infrared camera placed in the living room.

"Lin, speaker. -- What is it, Mai."

Sound came into the speaker. They could hear a bell of the phone's ringing.

"What should I do?"

"... ... Pick it up."

Facing the infrared camera, she nodded and picked up the receiver as ordered. An awake Hirota sleepily looked at Mai.

"Lin, the sound of the telephone."

Lin operated the machine. He had been granted permission by Midori to record incoming calls and connected the machine to the line.

The telephone's sound came in the speaker. The incredibly jarred noise and Mai's voice calling out. The voice on the other line was distant. Because there was so much jarring, they couldn't hear it very well.

"-- Are you recording this?"

"I started recording as soon as we were connected to the line."

The two listened carefully to the speakers' sound. The telephone cut off at about two minutes.

"Can you cut out the jarring and extract the voice?"

"I'll do it."

When he looked at the clock, it was already close to half past three in the morning. In normal circumstances, it wasn't a time in which another person makes any calls to someone else's house. -- To say nothing of Midori and Reiko as the receivers.

"If there is a call, make sure to record it. Late at night, switch any telephone calls to us."

"-- Yes."

Afterwards, the telephone rang four times in one hour.

"The mother is asleep, and now the phone's ringing..."

Mai's grumbling was ignored.

Midori woke up at seven to go to work. Reiko followed soon, and after that they broke the seal of the room that was used for the investigation.

The statue of Hanuman, that was set up last night, had not moved from its place at all.

Back to Chapter 4.4 | Forward to Chapter 5.1

Note

坊主 (bouzu) is the Japanese word for a Buddhist monk. The honorific is 坊さん (bousan) or even more respectful, お坊さん (obousan).

Bou-san is written as ぼーさん (boosan or bousan) in the text of this story.