ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ AKEMI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
"What should we do?!" Noriko sobbed as she realized she cannot run away from any of this. Ayami laying on her bed, asleep while Naru, Mai and Akemi stood around the related family with somber expressions,
The crew already checked how Ayami was doing after the pond incident and the best they can do is to put her to sleep in hopes to give her at least some rest from such a traumatic experience while Akemi reminded Mai to change herself out of her wet clothes before meeting up with the others.
So far, Akemi has yet to tell the others what happened to her earlier but right now, Ayami's safety is much more important. That is what they've decided,
"Please calm down," Naru spoke up from where he stood, a few steps away from Akemi and Mai that hovered around Noriko in hopes to calm her down. "-I did some research on the previous homeowners and I found out that your family moved into this house 10 months ago but before you, the Watanabe lived here for three years. They sold the house due to a job relocation..."
Naru's words perked up the attention of many, even Bou-san who stood way back in the room— supervising them, straightened up.
"-Not because of a poltergeist?" Mai asked, fully confused and curious at the same time.
"No," Naru shook his head and crossed his arms. "-Previous to that, the Nogi family lived here and their 9-year old girl died of an illness while in this house." Akemi frowned as an image of a small girl appeared on her head.
"-Before the Mogi family was the Onuma family. They lived here but their three children died in a matter of only half a year-"
"All three?!" Even Akemi found herself gasping at the tragedy, she could just imagine— losing a child is heartbreaking but all three? Not even a broken soul would compare.
"-They were 10, 8 and 7 years old. Two boys and one girl. They died of illnesses and accidents, and afterwards the Onumas decided to get rid of the house."
Mai could understand why, even she wouldn't dare to stay on a house where her dead children started dying.
Despite their dreading thoughts, Naru continued his report and Akemi was glad that he did, knowing that there was something more to share.
"-Previous to that was the Murakami family. They had a 15 year old daughter but she was fine," now that made Mai and Bou-san crinkle their brows in confusion. 'Nothing bad happened to her?'
"-before the Murakamis it was the Taniguchi family. Their three teenage children were all fine but one of their cousins, a 10-year old boy died here while visiting. Before them it was the Ikeda Family— they lost their youngest daughter who was only 7, but it was shortly after moving to another house and finally, the original builders of the house was the Tachibana family. Their 8-year old daughter also passed away here."
"That's everyone..." Akemi muttered to herself, her hand placed on her chin as she thought of how their ages seemed to have a standard. "-It only affects children below the age of 10?"
Naru nodded at her question to herself, "It seems that way."
"So that means its dangerous for an 8-year old to live on this house?" Mai glanced at the peaceful Ayami laying next to Noriko, who patted the girl's head gently.
"What should I do?" Noriko finally asked, lifting her worried gaze to Naru.
Akemi showed an empathic smile, she could feel how this situation seemed to age Noriko atleast a few years— this paranormal activity was starting to take a toll on her and it worried Akemi.
"Let us call in an expert— if you're planning on moving, please at least wait until he comes." Knowing that this was her cue, Akemi lifted her phone and called some of their friends that could help while Mai looked at her sempai and Naru in confusion,
'An expert? Naru's gonna call an expert? '
~~~
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ MAI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
Mai stood in the base with the others. Already feeling a few drops of sweat trickle down her forehead as she watched Bou-san passionately theorizing about the spirit to Naru, who just regarded him with his impassive expressions.
"Their contradicting ways of expressing themselves sure are entertaining~" Mai heard her sempai say next to her, making Mai glance to see Akemi-sempai holding a tray filled with cups of tea, again— A graceful close-eyed smile plastered on her face.
'If anything, you and Naru are more contradicting, sempai...' Mai sweat-dropped as she watched a radiant Akemi handing a stoic Naru his tea.
Her sempai must have said something to Naru as Mai saw Akemi let out a chimes of chuckle but Mai couldn't hear what the topic was— making her feel a bit out of place while Naru remained unruffled at Akemi sempai's words but he did slightly turned to face Akemi's way.
"-It has to have something to do with this doll!" Bou-san continued his rant, after taking a slight sip of Akemi sempai's exquisite tea. "I've dealt with this case before, the girl died and possessed her doll after her death. Then her spirit made the doll walk around her house!"
"The problem is not the doll itself, Bou-san." Akemi said, placing the tray back to a vacant table and petted Oliver who successfully guided her unharmed. "-It's that the spirit trapped in the house has possessed Minnie."
Mai noticed how Bou-san stared at her sempai, she couldn't understand what his expression meant but she didn't bother to learn more on it as something else distracted her.
DING DONG
'Ahh! It must be them!' Mai cheerily thought to herself as she volunteered to let the guests in, already leaving the room before anybody else could.
"John! Masako!" Mai smiled as she greeted the familiar faces by the door.
Akemi sempai already informed her of who Naru meant as the expert. When Mai found out it was the other ghost hunters she met back in school, Mai was ecstatic.
"Long time no see!" John returned her cheerful greeting as he and Masako walked inside, but they weren't fully inside yet did Masako already felt disturbed.
"What's going on here...?" The psychic muttered to herself, lifting her kimono covered hand close to her lips as she inspected the place with furrowed brows.
"Masako?" Mai noticed the lack of footsteps, she turned along with John to glance at the sickly girl.
"This is terrible... I've never seen a haunted house this intense..."
~~~
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ NARU AKEMI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
"We're at our base now, are you okay?" Akemi felt Oliver let out a soft bark next to her— tugging lightly on his leash making Akemi turn her head to glance at Mai but her gaze focused more on the staggering Masako beside her.
"Masako? Hey, what's wrong?" Ayako stepped up and placed a worried hand on Masako's shoulder and forehead.
"Masako, let me see your condition..." Akemi meant to walk towards Masako to check up on her but it seems the psychic has different ideas as she clung forward to Naru.
'Wha...?! What are you thinking Masako!'. Mai gritted her teeth as she watched Masako strategically feigned innocence. Akemi and the other people in the room sweat dropped at Masako's 'tactical' ways.
"Hara-san?" Naru glanced at the girl clutching on his chest with a slight frown on his lips but nobody was able to notice.
"What's wrong with this house...? This is worse than a cemetery... It feels like a nest for evil spirits." Masako shivered as she saw images of children in pain and crying.
"-Children's spirits are all over this house. They are all suffering from pain... They're crying and saying they want to go back to their mothers...also this house is attracting spirits... They are all spirits of children.." As if her body and mind had enough, Masako staggered back and Akemi was close enough to catch her.
"Masako!" Akemi held Masako on her shoulder while touching Masako's hand in worry using her other hand.
"Oh my ghosh you are so pale!" Mai and Ayako stood next to Masako's pale form, concerned for the psychic.
"..." Was all Naru could say as he thought of Masako's words, his cold indigo eyes glancing at a worried Akemi.
His lips tugged to an even deeper frown as he noticed her porcelain skin looked even more fragile as he realized she too, was pale and breathing faster than normal.
~~~
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ AKEMI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
"I said some prayers for her. It should be a little better now anyway," John said to Noriko and the others as he finished praying over Ayami-chan's protection.
'With this, Ayami-chan would be safe from any other spirit that wishes to harm her...' Akemi actually found herself smiling genuinely for once in Ayami-chan's presence as the idea of her being safe delightfully eased her worries.
"Thank you very much..!" Noriko bowed at John and the priest calmly smiled at her before turning to Naru with a solemn expression.
"Shibuya-san, please take care of the doll..." At the mention of the doll, rapid footsteps was heard by the stairs before Bou-san opened the door with a slight worry etched in his face.
"Naru!" Bou-san panted, "-Minnie's disappeared! I left it sitting in our base and while we weren't paying attention it snuck out."
The people in the room— Mai, Noriko, Naru, John as well as Akemi were silent but only Naru and Akemi appeared to be calm.
"They're anxious," Akemi spoke up— her words gaining attention but Akemi didn't pay them any mind as she seemed to stare of at a distant, her eyes wandering around the room. " -Minnie and the other spirits have a connection with her and we broke it off with John's blessing. Our actions must have riled them up somehow,"
Naru gave out a thoughtful expression, pressing a hand at his chin, pondering over Akemi's words. His eyes showed a dark confidence. "It'll show up, I have no doubt..."
~~~
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ MONK MAI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
"I just can't understand it..." Mai perked up, glancing at the muttering Monk beside her.
"Eh? Bou-san?"
Right now all of the crew were present at the base except for Masako, who was still feeling nauseous and was resting in a vacant guest room close to the base.
The crew were off doing their own thing— well particularly, Naru, Akemi-sempai and Lin were off with the monitors and computers discussing between themselves— it seemed more like Naru was inquiring Akemi-sempai of something and taking note of it while the rest were on the sides just waiting, Ayako and John sat by the couch while Bou-san and Mai stood somewhere near and Oliver was sleeping next to Lin's feet.
Well, the gang were drinking another cup of tea that Akemi-sempai made to be honest,
After the show of Naru being logical enough to figure out about the land subsidence back at the High School— it seemed reasonable enough for the rest to have him as the one who makes the calls for now hence why all of them were waiting.
"Bou-san?" Mai pressed again, staring at the Monk in confusion as his eyes continued to drill at Akemi-sempai's back. "-is something wrong?"
It took a while before Bou-san could reply at Mai's question but when he did, it sent Mai even more confused.
"Don't you think something's going on with Maruyama-san?"
'Ehh? Something wrong? With Akemi-sempai?' Mai glanced at her sempai that continued to speak with Naru and Lin.
At the sight of the graceful woman, Mai shook her head. "I don't see anything particularly wrong about sempai— oh! Bou-san what are you doing?!"
Mai confusingly became frantic while Ayako and John followed Bou-san through their confused gazes, why was Mai panicking about Bou-san making his way towards Naru and the other two?
And their question were answered as Bou-san stood behind Akemi, who managed to reach his shoulders with her tall slim build— but she remained unaware of his presence while Naru curiously glanced at the Monk behind her.
"Ano... Maruyama-san?" Bou-san awkwardly tapped Akemi's shoulder but purposefully staring at her.
The porcelain woman jumped at the sudden touch and rotated with precision and alert— after finding out it was just one of her acquaintances, Akemi let out a noticeable relief— placing a hand over her beating chest as a graceful smile passed her lips.
"Ara~ Bou-san, it was just you!" Akemi chimed with a short laugh, "-Do forgive me for my reaction— it's just that, you surprised me..."
Bou-san sheepishly scratched the back of his head, letting out a short airy laugh as he too apologized for scaring her,
The crew except for Lin were focused on the two people in confusion, 'Just what is going on?'
While Naru quietly watched Akemi and the Monk, smiling at each other.
TICK
"Is something the matter, Bou-san?" Akemi asked as they placed their apologies aside, "-do you want more tea?"
TICK
"-Ah! No... No... actually—" Bou-san went to deny but Naru cut him off—
TICK
The paranormal researcher, crossed his arms and leaned against the table next to Akemi. Facing the two.
"Why don't you just say what you want to say, Bou-san?" Naru asked, "-Akemi asked what is it that you want?"
TICK
Bou-san sweat dropped at Naru's cold demeanor. 'I was gonna get to it, Naru-bou!'
"Bou-san?" Akemi tilted her head, waiting for the Monk.
TICK
Bou-san cleared his throat, feeling a bit shy for being this forward. "Maruyama-san–"
"Please, Akemi is fine." Akemi smiled, making the Monk nod at her words.
TICK
"H-hai... Akemi-san," the more Bou-san stuttered, the more Naru's frown and the crew's confusion deepened.
Until the Monk finally got the courage to ask,
"Akemi, is there something you and Naru aren't sharing with us?" Silence.
Total silence.
'EHHH?! BOU-SAN WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?' Mai panicked, glancing between Bou-san and Akemi before it changed to Akemi and Naru— seeing their close statures beside each other. Something inside Mai snapped. 'No...no no no are Akemi-sempai and Naru—?! TOGETHER'
Akemi tilted her head in confusion, blinking innocently at the monk in front of her. "Hai...?"
TICK
It took a while before Mai noticed how Akemi's cheeks flushed pink, seemingly getting the same idea as Mai.
The graceful woman turned to a blushing school girl, stuttering out noises and glancing between Naru and her.
At the sight of Akemi-sempai's messed emotions, Naru let out a sigh before standing up straight while Bou-san seemed to understand Akemi-sempai's thoughts and waved his hands to calm the heiress.
"No– no! I didn't mean that!" Bou-san then started to let out a long explanation on how Akemi seemed more different and how she is contributing opinions with such detail and confidence. "-Those kinds of words are something you don't hear on people without any special experience..."
"But didn't Akemi-sempai said that she loves to watch paranormal T.V shows?" Mai spoke up, wanting to at least defend her sempai as well as indulge her curiosity.
Bou-san shook his head at the high-school girl, "Even a fan of paranormal activity can't immediately conclude things out of nowhere."
Hearing Bou-san's explanation, Akemi-sempai eased down her flaming cheeks and the crew finally realized what Bou-san was going through.
They did took note of how the graceful woman seemed to know things some of them couldn't know right off the bat— Akemi was the first to theorized the spirits being children on just the first show of poltergeisting. She was positive of the spirit being in the house instead of the doll, at first they thought it was because Naru said so but they realized she said was the one who believed that thought to be a fact. The monk didn't even forget to mention how firm she was back in the high school that there were no spirits whatsoever despite a few 'poltergeist' like phenomena that made even some of them professionals doubt.
Bou-san didn't know but he was just getting the feeling that there was something more to Akemi Maruyama than she let's on.
~~~
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ AKEMI NARU ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
"Akemi did say about how the spirits are anxious back in Ayami's room," John joined in.
And seeing how observant they were, Akemi let out a smile. "Ara? I thought you all knew of my predicament?" Akemi placed a hand to cover her mouth.
"Predicament?" The monk, the priest and the high-school girl repeated in confusion.
Akemi didn't bother to answer them for now and glanced at Naru, "Naru, I thought you already told them before we came here?"
Naru tilted away from her gaze, placing his attention on the recording monitors. Akemi sweat dropped at his behavior.
'Mouh...' she pouted before turning to face her friends with a calm demeanor.
"Gomen~ for not telling you guys this— I just thought that Naru or Ayako-chan already said this to you guys before we came here..."
"Ayako-chan?!" They once again repeated and it seemed to offend Ayako, as she crossed her arms at Bou-san and Mai but decided to remain silent.
"Hai~ Ayako's parents is a family friend— so they knew this before hand, it wasn't really a secret so I told Naru and Lin on my first day on the job." Akemi sighed, while the oblivious crew waited with baited breath on what the 'secret' is.
'What's taking her so long to say it?!' Bou-san and Mai thought to themselves as they were itching to know the bits.
Until Akemi finally told them the dirty bits.
"You see," Akemi smiled like it was nothing. "I died at a young age and it gave me these abilities that deals with paranormal activities."
.
.
.
"EHHHH?!" Akemi let out a laugh at their shock gaping mouths, nodding at them to confirm their thoughts and continued explaining. Making sure that they figured it was not a joke.
"I was premature when my mother gave birth to me by C-section, the doctors said that everything went perfectly well and I was healthy— despite coming in early, until I died the next day." The heiress was speaking so calmly that Mai and the others couldn't process how unnatural her words are but nevertheless, she continued.
"According to my grandparents— I was dead for at least a whole day before I miraculously woke up and started crying. That was when the theory of me seeing and hearing the paranormal started happening."
"You started seeing ghosts, Akemi-sempai?!" Mai gaped, " -how did you know?"
Naru watched as the sleeping Oliver by his space, suddenly woke up and went to sit beside Akemi. Naru watched the dog in fascination as Akemi started petting it.
"-Well to be honest, my mother's side of the family has generations of shamans and psychic— my grandparents said that even her and my Aunt were capable of such things but I found out the truth of my abilities when I got into... An accident when I was young," Akemi pointed to her purple orbs. "-it rendered my eyesight really blurry but somehow there were some beings that was all too clear for me to see..."
"Blurry?" Bou-san spoke up, asking Akemi.
"I was practically as blind as a bat with an ears like one too and the doctors don't know what's wrong with me since everything is normal," Akemi smiled before taking out a bottle of her medication prescribed to her. "-these medications help me. In someway, it clears my eyesight just a bit for me to see your faces however, it blurs my abilities instead. By blur my abilities, I mean it stops it completely— making it hard for me to seeing spirits, hearing ghosts, visualizing events and replaces it with headaches and dizziness sometimes eye pains."
At the sight of Oliver, Akemi then added another explanation. "-I was still using my medication back in the High school but when Naru hired me for the SPR, I stopped taking them and brought Oliver with me to be my guide since I'll be back to being a bat— so far, I'm still dealing with withdrawals."
'So that's what Akemi-sempai meant by train...' Mai thought and walked towards Akemi sempai in curiosity before lifting up two fingers.
"Mai, I can tell you're lifting up two fingers— my sight is blurry not blind." Akemi laughed making Mai let out an embarrassed chuckle while Naru just sighed.
BAM BAM
"AHH!"
~~~
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ MAI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
"Naru! We're picking up something on the mic!" Lin said, stopping their conversation early.
"Turn it up."
"AHHHH...AHHH..AGGGGGHHHH!" the sound spiraled around the room, where everybody could hear it loud and clear.
'Huh?'
"Children...screaming...so many of them... I wonder how many..." John spoke up, shocked and saddened at the thought of the endless children in the house.
"You guys can hear it?" They all turned to Akemi in confusion, they have been pretty confused these past few days of staying here.
'ehh?' Mai turned to her sempai.
"Ara~ I thought I was the only one hearing this— I've been hearing it since the beginning, maybe Masako too." Mai blanched at the reality, realizing that this was actually how her sempai perceive things. Being able to see and hear things they didn't.
"They sound as if they're calling for Ayami-chan..." Mai said as she listened to the recording they got, feeling something in her crush at the sound of the cries. 'Akemi-sempai has been hearing this ever since the beginning?'
"If John's prayer was effective, Kekkai may become useful..." Mai heard Bou-san next to her,
"Kekkai?"
"It's a spell that prevents evil spirit from entering." Before Mai could learn anything else the wails of the children ceased. It was too silent that it became unnerving.
"...What? I wonder what just happened..."
"Shibuya-san!" They all turned to see Noriko holding a bundle in her arms, her eyes panicked and scared. "Minnie came to see Ayami-chan!"
"What?!" Ayako stood up,
"I've got it in here, I noticed something at the end of Ayami-chan's futon so I flipped it up and there it was!" By her words, Noriko turned the bundle in her arms and there they saw Minnie gazing at them with her vacant eyes.
"Is Ayami-chan okay?" Akemi and Ayako asked as they neared Noriko— Akemi taking the doll in her arms.
"...yes."
'So the screaming stopped because she found Ayami-chan!'. Mai shuddered, not completely used at what was happening. It scared her to be honest.
'Just what are we going to do now, Naru?' Mai glanced at the stoic boy not far from her, a frown plastered on his face.
"Oh Father in heaven, I pray to you, our GOD, to take pity on us, to shed happiness on us." Akemi stood beside John as he prayed over at the close-eyed doll, as if it was sleeping on them. Akemi frowned at the sight. "-I pray that you will shine your heavenly light on us."
John took out his cross, placing it down directly at Minnie's forehead— the contact with the holy thing snapped its eyes open which made Mai jump and Bou-san flinch.
"Uh..."
"No...!" Mai yelped as she turned to clutch on the person beside her in fear, which happens to be the monk.
"First there was the word and the word was GOD, from GOD there was the message..." John read from the bible, spraying out his dose of holy water unto the doll— hearing it let out a burning hiss from both the cross and the holy water. "-The light shines in the darkness, the darkness didn't absorb the light..."
After a while more verses, the burning hiss ceased and Akemi for once finally lifted her eyes off the doll and gazed at Naru and John.
"Yuki Tachibana is not on the doll anymore but she hasn't been destroyed," Akemi confirmed their suspicions before taking a hold of the doll.
"I recommend that we burn the doll so the spirits can never possess it again." John nodded at them, while Mai left to get the matched.
This time Minnie the doll, completely burned into ashes.
"I think the true character of Minnie was the spirit trapped in this house. I wonder if it was the spirit of all the children who died here?" Bou-san asked as they stayed once more in the base.
"Most likely," Naru nodded in agreement, quickly glancing at Akemi's direction who had her eyes closed. "-But why would they only want children?"
"huh?" Bou-san turned to Naru.
"If they're so lonely why wouldn't they take anybody with them? Those who could potentially become their mothers like Akemi, Ayako, Noriko-san or Mai? Why would Minnie want to get rid of the adults?"
"Ah, good point—"
"Because it isn't the children's doing..." They all turned to see Akemi, her eyes deep in thought.
"What do you mean, Akemi-sempai?" Mai asked as she kneeled beside the angelic woman.
"I don't know...but somebody else is at play here," Akemi turned to glance at the boys in the room. " Somehow, I'm getting a mother..." Akemi winced before letting out a huge sigh of disappointment.
"—It all still a blur, the medication is still on effect, gomen... That's all I could get for now." Naru nodded without saying anything else before he turned to Mai.
"Mai, how is Hara-san doing?"
"She still feels ill, she's lying down."
"I see..." Naru was a bit disheartened, he thought he could at least get a second or third opinion from this matter, especially after hearing Akemi's words.
"Bou-san, let's perform an exorcism."
"Me?"
"The first child who died in this house was Yuki Tachibana— the. One that was possessing Minnie, Akemi said she was still around." Naru said as he took some of the papers by Lin's table and handed the Monk some of it. "-Here are the years of her birth and death, and her Kaimyo— she belonged to the Jodo sect. of Buddhism."
"Wow... This information dates back 70 years. I'm impressed how well you researched it." Bou-san read every information his eyes could get, he gaped at how detailed everything was.
"It was easy." Naru dismissed before turning his back on them and faced the monitors next to Lin.
'Seriously... He has so much confidence in himself.' Mai pouted as she narrowed her eyes at Naru's turned back but her heart couldn't help but flutter in admiration.
~~~
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ AKEMI MAI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
"Really...do you think we'll be safer staying at a hotel?" Noriko asked in hesitation as she held the bags for Ayami and hers, already ready to leave.
"It should be better than being in this house," Naru said as he extended his hands to hand some of the charms Ayako made. "-Here are some charms for you and to be on the safe side, Ayako-san and John-san will be staying with you." Noriko silently accepted the charms, nodding at Naru.
"Princess Akemi onee-chan, Mai-chan, you're not coming with us?" Ayami asked as she tugged on Akemi's pants, wearing something different for the new day.
"No...I'm sorry." Mai and Akemi kneeled in front of Ayami, giving her a sad smile while Akemi whispered something on Ayami's ears that made the little girl beam a smile and eyes sparkling in wonder as she placed her attention at Naru in admiration.
Naru's brow twitched at the sight, wondering what Akemi had said this time to get the little girl so happy.
Naru turned to ask Akemi in silence but the woman only shrugged her shoulders, her eyes beaming in laughter as she snickered at him.
"Hara-san, anything?" Naru decided to turn away,
Hearing her name, Masako turned to glance at the house trying to sense some malice in the air but so far none of it was coming off. "The charms seem to be working. I don't sense any spirits around them."
"Okay...let's get started." And with that they all went to work, Naru not paying Akemi any heed while the woman herself smiled at Naru's behavior.
"Where is Bou-san going to conduct the exorcism?" Akemi asked Naru when they all went back to base while the Monk in question went off to change his outfit into something more appropriate for a monk.
"Where do you think?" Naru kept walking and Akemi made sure to follow his steps.
"The living room?" Naru stopped, Akemi stopping along with him.
"The living room?" He repeated and Akemi nodded.
"Yuki Tachibana might be in the bedroom but this somebody else that I informed you about— I could feel her more in the living room..."
Naru frowned at her choice of pronouns, reminding him that this other spirit residing here— that could be the cause of all the children might be a mother. A mother entrapping children, the thought made Naru think there was something more to this.
"Monk-san, change of plans." Naru lifted his head, noticing that the Monk was already finished changing and was about to make his way upstairs.
"Hm? What do you mean change of plans?" Bou-san asked, felt sweat trickle down his forehead at the thought of wasting his time putting all of this clothing on him but Bou-san immediately understood as Akemi stepped up to explain before Naru could.
"The exorcism will be performed in the Living room," Akemi gently smiled. "It seems our goal changed to exorcising Yuki Tachibana to somebody else..." Bou-san remained quiet, hearing their explanation.
~~~
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ MAI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
This exorcism worried Mai,
It worried her a lot more now knowing that her sempai was standing somewhere by the living room door to assist the Monk.
Mai only found out about these change of plans when she found Akemi standing by the doors of the living room— turns out that her family had a shaman and was trained under a shaman; teaching Akemi a few techniques, and so far she was gonna put them to use in case Bou-san needed any help defending himself but for now, her sight was needed.
"Monk-san, are you ready?" So far the ones left stood on the base, watching the Monk sit cross-legged in the middle of the living room.
"Anytime!" The Monk lifted an OK, gesturing the camera where they could see him.
"Mai, keep an eye on him." Naru said, the sudden call of her name made Mai jump— too concentrated at the monitor where she could see the monk.
"Oh, okay!"
"The temperature's dropping, especially on that spot in the room..." Lin announced making Naru check the temperatures; his eyes moving to stare at the spot that was turning down every second.
"Its already down to 35 degrees Fahrenheit around the living room," Lin said as he continued to type away and monitor the changes.
"'How about the mic?"
"Tape's rolling, but so far, nothing." Lin nodded to confirm. "It's unusually quiet." the silenced passed for a few more minutes until the Monk reached the peak of his chant.
"A rapping sound has started and some knocking." And they all just looked away from the monitor's of the temperature for just a few seconds to get a glimpse of what was happening on the other places.
It was just a few seconds; it felt like Mai only blinked and she already saw the change in the living room.
"Naru! The living room!" Mai pointed out, making the stoic researchers— Lin and Naru glance at the temperature readings and the living room monitor.
"Lin, what's the temperature in the living room?"
"-28 degrees."
"Below freezing?"
'Why..why did the living room...?!' Mai fearfully thought, her eyes often glancing at the camera where Akemi stood— Mai noticed how her sempai visibly winced, her hands clenching the sides of her pants rather tight.
'What's wrong with Akemi-sempai...?'
"AHHHH...AHHH...AGGGGHHGH" It seemed that the world wanted Mai to know the answer, and so the answer revealed itself through the wails and cries of children once again enveloped through the comms and into the base.
Mai frowned, feeling her back shudder as the cries seemed more painful than it did when she first heard it. Mai's worried brown eyes glanced at the monitor where she heard Akemi-sempai instructing Bou-san about the spirits.
'Is this what Akemi-sempai is hearing right now?'
"Hey! What the heck is going on?!" The monk sweated as he felt different hands on his body, facing the direction to chant where Akemi pointed him to. "Why is it so freezing in here! Don't come near me, you little—"
'The spirits are in pain... The mantra is causing the spirits of children pain...! I can't stand to watch...!' Mai turned to glance away, unable to take it anymore.
"Child..."
"Huh? I just heard something..." Mai blinked, turning back to the monitors.
"Uhhh... My child..."
'Who's that silhouette...? I have a bad feeling about this...its so scary looking...'
"Tomiko...Tomiko...My little...girl.."
"Bou-san, behind you!" Mai heard Akemi pointing, and Mai felt her eyes widened as her sempai directly pointed at the silhouette. 'She really could see it!'
"What?!" Bou-san swirled around, letting out a confuse noise. "I can't see anything!"
"Darn... He can't see it!" Mai swore under her breath, feeling a sudden impulse to run and leave.
And so she did,
"On your 2 o'clock!"
"Mai! Don't go!" Mai heard her sempai's and Naru's words but she didn't bother stopping her steps and went downstairs to the living room.
~~~
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ AKEMI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
It took Akemi a while to process when the silhouette slowly formed into being, its dark aura formed around her like raven smoke— it appeared saddeningly dark.
This was the same one she saw back in the hallway when she tried to leave as well as the one sobbing in her vision.
This was the spirit that caused all this,
When Akemi saw Bou-san directly facing his 2 o'clock directly where the woman stood, Akemi felt like they could finally get it over with— free the children and cleanse the evil spirit in front of her.
"Bou-san!—" Akemi swiveled to the side in panic, her instincts haywire as Mai stood in the open doors. "-it's not there!?"
"Mai?! What are you doing here?"
'The silhouette what do we do? It's only visible through the camera...' Mai felt cold sweat trickle down her cheek as she couldn't what she saw back in the base.
"Idiot! Don't come here!"
"Hurry... You have to get out of here!" Akemi tried to push but Mai didn't seem to hear her out of panic and fear. This made Akemi click her tongue for once; knowing there was no choice— she has to do this or Mai would be in danger.
Akemi took out one of the things protecting her under her shirt, revealing a necklace out of navy blue beads with a tassel as a pendant and a few sharp things that seemed to be bones.
"A-akemi-sempai?" Mai stuttered as Akemi wrapped the beads around Mai's neck whilst pulling her close to Akemi's figure.
"This should protect you for now," Akemi said to Mai but her eyes stayed narrowed at the silhouette that was moving towards them.
"I won't forgive...those who get in my way..." Akemi took out a piece of paper, Mai couldn't understand the scribbles on it but it resembled what Ayako had made for Ayami and Noriko to protect them, but what was scribbled looked very different.
Without wasting anytime, Akemi threw the paper which immediately clung on the woman after contact. Mai couldn't believe seeing the paper float on nothing but Akemi could see it perfectly as it seemed to burn the woman,
The graceful girl didn't hold any smile at this moment as she moved her hands and arms to form symbols that activated on locking the spirit in place.
Akemi glanced at the Monk, calling him. "Bou-san!"
Without much delay, Bou-san spoke his mantras and the woman disappeared— but Akemi knew she wasn't gone.
"Mai!" Akemi worriedly called out as Mai felt her knees give out underneath her, Akemi letting out a few relieved laughs as she caught a shivering Mai.
"Are you okay?" Akemi asked, gesturing for Bou-san that everything was cleared.
The monk walked towards them, his hands placed on his waist as he shook his head at the two females in front of him, kneeling by the floor.
"So that's what you are!" Bou-san exclaimed as he pointed to Akemi, who only smiled at him wryly. "You should have told me you're an Itako—! I should have known you were an Itako!"
"Let's get out of here..." Akemi sheepishly chuckled to Mai as she helped her up but the high school student glanced at her sempai, confused.
"Itako? What does Bou-san mean, sempai?"
Akemi hesitated at first but figured that it wouldn't hurt for them to know but Bou-san was too in on his obliviousness and explained it instead.
"Ichiko or Orgamisama, commonly known as Itakos depending on the area— are female folk practitioners that have the peculiarity of being...blind. They train on becoming spiritual mediums but most people call them Shamans."
"So is it like Masako and Ayako mixed together?" Mai's question confused Bou-san but when he realized Mai meant about their abilities and status, Bou-san needed to define it in detail that Mai could understand.
Bou-san shook his head, "No... she's more like— Masako's psychic ability with a female occupation like Ayako but uses mantras and sutras like me." It took Mai a while, before she let out a hum of understanding.
Akemi sweat dropped at the two, not bothering to correct the monk on his way of explaining— his explanation in general. Her Itako ways is just one of her Shaman Aunt's training.
They were on their way to leave but Mai stopped mid-step, pointing at a spot in the living room. "Akemi-sempai...Bou-san..."
Now Akemi couldn't really tell what Mai is pointing at but seeing the concentration of the aura she saw on the woman; Akemi could tell that it wasn't good.
"-there's a hole..."