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spr2014-02-23 10:24 pm
The House in Which Nightmares Dwell 6.2
Hirota placed the tray roughly on top of the tatami mat and looked over the four people inside the room.
I knew it, he thought. That's why they didn't say anything. They didn't put any confidence in their colleague who was a medium. Both Midori and Reiko were in imminent danger of becoming easy marks.
"As I thought, you guys did have that kind of intention."
When Hirota glared at them Naru took a light breath.
"... ...What do you mean by that?"
"You're tactfully deceiving Midori-san and her mother with the intention of swindling their money, aren't you!"
"We're not doing anything like swindling, our reward comes from contributions."
"Do you think you can trick me with that kind of talk!"
"You will receive the documentation of the request from Agawa-san. It's precisely specified on there."
"If you think you can deceive me with those things, then you are greatly mistaken!"
When Hirota shouted, a carefree voice coming from behind almost dejected him.
"-- What's with the uproar?"
When he turned around, he found Mai blankly holding a cup and standing in the corridor.
Without minding her, Hirota walked over to Naru's side with rough and noisy footsteps.
"-- As I thought, you intended to trick the Agawa family. You planned to use a mysterious man, have him make a performance with props, then say an exorcism was done in order to swindle away your rewards. Am I right?"
"Huh? Wasn't Bou-san going to do a placebo?" Mai interrupted and Hirota looked back at her.
"Placebo?"
He stared at Naru whose collar he almost grabbed.
"-- What's that?"
Naru frankly seemed to be gloomy.
"I will explain it now. -- Why are all of you so simple-minded?"
"Hey!"
"-- Please sit down."
Hirota unintentionally felt pressured after being watched with stern eyes. Reluctantly he sat down in that place.
"There are idiots who mistakenly understand the thing called placebo as a mysterious thing," Naru said and glanced into Mai's direction. "As a matter of fact, it's harmless even as a mysterious thing. It's an accepted medical and pharmacological term. To a patient it's a pharmacologically inert substance. -- For example, there have been cases of patients being cured from the psychological effect of drinking distilled water, lactose, starch or a physiological salt solution that was given under the pretence of medicine."
"Could that perhaps be," Takigawa spoke up. "the placebo effect?"
"Indeed. You could say it's the placebo effect. The medicine given is called a placebo. In the case of taking in large quantities of the medicine may have dangerous side effects or in the case of addictive drugs, it's possible to mix a percentage of that into the placebo, thus becoming beneficial to the patient. -- This placebo is also used in new medicine experiments. Mixing up medicine and placebo, then extracting the mental effects is for the sake of ascertaining the actual effects."
"Oh, I see," Mai said. "Because of that Bou-san has to do a placebo."
"Teacher," Takigawa meekly raised a hand.
"I will explain it now. -- The client's mother, Reiko-san, has become psychologically wrecked due to the mysterious phenomena ever since they moved. Even at the sound of wind she is alarmed that there is something is there. Reiko-san's state is the client Midori-san's greatest unease as well. Because of that I want to give her a placebo and give her peace of mind. That's why it's better to make the ceremony as flashy as possible. It's for the sake of leaving a strong impression that an exorcism was done."
"I see," Takigawa muttered. "So that's why. But you couldn't possibly be telling me to go home only after faking a prayer? -- Even I have some pride."
Naru shrugged at Takigawa's words.
"I don't think I require help from Bou-san in this case."
"Oh."
"For example," Naru pulled out small electrical parts from inside the paper bag. "This is the cause for the breaker falling out frequently."
"What's that?"
"The switch of the breaker. When I analyzed and examined the breaker of this house, the internal parts were nothing but 5 amperes regardless of the fact that it was labeled 30 amperes."
"Oh I see," Takigawa muttered, but Mai inclined her head.
"How much is 5 amperes?"
Naru bluntly made a disagreeable face.
"What are you learning at school."
"Girls are usually weak at electricity."
"The product of electric currents and voltage are equal to the electric power. The voltage of families in Japan are 100 volts and 500 watts. The breaker falls out one to four times of the electric current, so if two coolers operate at the same time the breaker is expected to break."
"Wooow."
"The color irregularity is due to a magnet. If you open the frame, you'll find a strong magnet put inside. The noise of the screen is due to the corrosion of the antenna circuit. This is evidence that it was corroded with ill intentions. The other troubles of the electrical system are similar as well. Either way it has been disguised very well so that people wouldn't know just at first glance."
"In short, that means someone has been intentionally tampering around?"
Naru nodded at Takigawa's words.
"The telephone noise and the TV screen's beat impediment is due to radio waves. The image interference confirmed the adding of fundamental waves. Even so, there is no source for the voice. I cannot imagine it was simply due to the radio waves."
"Hm."
"From simple work to elaborate work. It's clear that someone did this with ill intentions. This is troublesome."
"Aside from the electrical system?"
"It's not like I have investigated thoroughly, but from the example of the electrical system I think it would be similar. At least, within the scope of Midori-san's complaints, troubles that weren't caused intentionally didn't occur."
"That means, what?" Takigawa put his arms together. "Someone deliberately broke in? Trespassed inside the house?"
"Something like that I suppose."
"But, for what reason?"
Naru shrugged.
"You won't know until you ask the offender," Naru said and looked at Yasuhara who was sitting down by the wall seemingly cramped.
"-- Yasuhara-san, how was it?"
Back to Chapter 6.1 | Forward to Chapter 6.3
Thank you! :)
(Anonymous) 2014-03-12 06:44 am (UTC)(link)THANK YOU so much for translating this Ghost Hunt book into the english language!
I am amazed you take the effort to do so, from one language to another, when neither are your first language. I live in Canada, and am a huge fan of the series (books translated/manga/anime-- all of them), and am always so disappointed when I find out that a series is completed/continues, but is simply not translated into english (the only language I speak fluently)---and it was especially so with Ghost Hunt. I have tried in the past to learn other languages (and will continue to do so), but it is a long process (I'm not very good at remembering it all), so I really admire that you have been able to learn other languages to the extent of translating a book through them.
So, the least I can do is tell you this: YOU are awesome, thank-you thank-you thank-you, and when you feel like giving up- please keep going!!! (though I'll understand if you stop- and if you need a break, totally do so- I've waited this long, I can wait some more :P). I do not comment much (I don't even bother having an account), and I am sure there are many more like me who just read and don't say anything- but I wanted to let you know so that I can try and make you a little happy for making me very happy :D
Thank you!
Nicole (your grateful canadian reader)
Re: Thank you! :)
Also, I'm very much a lurker myself so I understand. :D But I must say that receiving comments gets me going faster!
Re: Thank you! :)
(Anonymous) 2014-04-17 08:28 am (UTC)(link)-nicole
Thank you!
Re: Thank you!
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(Anonymous) 2014-03-30 04:30 pm (UTC)(link)Keep it up! You're doing a great job! Just don't stop, 'kay? I'm gonna die if you do.
-Meep
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