x
The sun's rays nearly blinded me when I opened my eyes and the cold air took me by surprise. Sitting up and looking around, discovered I was in the park far away from the school's haunted auditorium but my body was in pain.
Stinging pain.
"Ugh, how did I get here?"
"I carried you here." said a familiar voice.
Looking around, I see the kitsune sitting next to me.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" It asked.
Confused I looked across the field and realised it was talking about the sun rising behind the trees from the horizon bringing the birds to life as they chirped.
This for some reason made me smile. "Yes. It is."
The kitsune sighed. "Too bad moments like this don't last long."
"What do you..."
A truck honking loudly passed us followed by the greetings and yelling of people and students in uniform walking to school.
"See?"
I chuckle. "Yeah, I see. This reminds me of my hometown. My parents always woke me up to watch the sunrise."
"And I am glad you remembered that without having a headache."
This confused me. "What do you mean?"
It's silence as my answer.
"So, how do you feel?" it asked changing the subject.
I tried moving but the pain stopped me. "Sore."
"You are lucky she didn't attack you so hard." it stood up and began to walk away. "Just sit in one place and it will go away."
"Why hasn't the Imperial Blade healed me?" I ask.
It stopped and looked back. "It's lost most of the power when you were fighting with Jake."
I recall what happened in the labyrinth. "When we were fighting, he..."
"...transformed and cut your weapon in half?"
My eyes grew to the size of saucepans.
"Once he did that, all the spirit power you have been collecting had been released and the only way you can get it back is by vanquishing spirits."
"You mean, I have to start from scratch?"
"Yep."
Now I was starting to regret picking a fight with him in the labyrinth. I honestly thought I was going to win and like Gwen, I underestimated him. "How was he able to do that?"
"To do what?"
"To transform himself into that?" clasp my hands to stop them from shaking. "How was he able to do it? He was so...so strong!"
"Remember what I told you about spirit energy and what our soul does to our body?" It asked swishing its tails.
I nod and silence takes over. Quickly connecting the dots, I realize what just happened. "You mean..."
"He tapped into his spirit energy. That's how he grew stronger."
"Was that how he was able to make his weapon powerful enough to cut through mine?"
It nodded and gave a little shake. "As I said, once you tap into the power of your soul, you are capable of doing the impossible. He must have tapped into his earlier than yours and his quest to win your heart must have been the determination behind his spirit cultivation."
For some reason, this caused me to panic. "How was he able to do that?"
"Determination. He wants to make you his no matter what."
"Was that how he got his weapons?"
The kitsune tilted its head to the right. "What weapons?"
"The two weapons he was holding when he transformed? Where did he get it from?"
It hummed and shook its head. "I don't know but I promise to give you more information on him but for now.."
It hopped off the bench and trotted towards the road, disappearing the minute a black car parked right in front of me. Stepping out of it was none other than Raibaru.
"Emma? I got your text. Is anything wrong?"
I just stared at her and this prompted her to grab my shoulders.
"Did you see her? Did you see Osana? Say something!" she yelled shaking me to and fro causing pain all over my body.
"Ms. Fumestu..."
"Yeah?"
"I am sorry but...can I get something to eat? I am starving."
And to complement my statement, my stomach growled.
A few minutes later...
Sitting in a cafe eating a sandwich with bubble tea, I watched Raibaru replay the video over and over again until I was tired of hearing the word 'Idiot'.
"So you did see her," she said.
I nod and she reached out to grab the collar of my shirt.
"Why didn't you take me with you? Why?" she asked shaking me again.
"Ms. Fumestu..."
"I would have seen her! I would have talked to her! Why did you go alone? Why?" she asked again.
'Yeah. Why didn't I take you with me? You would have been in the same pain I would have been right now.' I think ruefully ignoring the strange looks the partons gave us.
"I am sorry Ms. Fumestu but I think you should know why by now," I say.
Her eyes widen and she releases me. "I see."
Straightening up my shirt, I sigh and show her the picture on my phone. "This was how I saw her when she attacked me. What do you see in this picture?"
She stared at it and frowned. "Nothing but my late best friend."
"That's where you are wrong." I lean forward and zoom in on the picture. "On top of the school's stage, there is a place for someone to operate the stage's lights, and besides there is a railing to prevent students from falling over."
"So?"
"Look at the position of the rope. If she were to hang herself, she jumped over the railing, the rope would be over the handrail but the rope is tied between the bars of the railing."
The shocked look on her face said it all.
"Not only that, look at her wrists." I zoom in on the picture. "See the red lines there?"
She nods.
"This shows signs that she was restrained." turning off my phone, I looked into her eyes. "I am sorry Ms. Fumetsu but I think Osana was murdered."
There was a silence that lasted for a long time. "H...how did you know that? Did she tell you?"
Shaking my head, I say, "Someone told me most vengeful spirits are victims of homicide or murder when they were alive which is why they haunt certain places, and from the looks of things, Osana is a vengeful spirit."
She gulped. "Will...so...she won't talk to me?"
"I am not sure Ms. Fumestu but after what happened when I encountered her in the school's auditorium, I don't think she's the talking type."
Raibaru bowed her head and looked like she was about to cry so I reached out to pat her hand.
"But I did make a promise to you didn't I?"
She looks up with tears in her eyes.
"Don't worry. I will find a way for you two to communicate."1138Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYHVpJ5UcN
She gave me a smile and I bit my bottom lip because my sincerity was backed up by curiosity. Before I wanted to know why her friend took her own life and things had gotten interesting now that it's turned into a murder case.
'Maybe I could find out who killed her and bring her soul to rest?'
'Let's hope you will gather enough information to bring the criminal to justice.'
'I hope so too but first things first...'
I wait for a few minutes before lacing my fingers together in thought. "Ms. Fumestu, can you tell me about your relationship with Osana Naijimi?"
My question shocked her. "Wh...why do you want to know?"
"Vengeful spirits can become less hostile when the person who murdered them is brought to justice or killed," I explain. "To find out what happened to her, I need information on who she is and what happened before she died because I came empty-handed when I looked her up on the internet."
She gives me a nervous look and sighs.
"Osana and I were best friends back in Akademi High. We walked to school together, talked together...we were inseparable." she fiddled with her fingers. "One day she told me about her crush on Taro."
That caught my attention. "Taro Yamada?"
She nods. "They had been childhood friends since middle school and she wanted to confess her feelings for him but she was too nervous to talk to him and whenever she did talk to him, she would end up scolding or insulting him over the littlest things." she chuckled. "Their interactions were funny, especially that time she gave him a homemade bento. I encouraged her until..."
She paused and I waited impatiently for her to speak. "Until what?"
"Until she started seeing someone else."
'Oh. Things are getting interesting.' I take out my notebook and start writing. "Keep going."
"It all started when I was invited to join the Art Club in school so we weren't hanging out like before. Suddenly, she was hanging out with Ayano Aishi and stopped pursuing Taro."
"Really?"
She nods. "I asked her about it but she didn't give me a concrete reply. Then she started dating this guy called Kyuji Konagawa."
"Kyuji Konagawa?"
"Yeah. Anytime I am with Osana, I see him. I ignored him for a while until he started hanging out where Osana and I used to go like the pool, the school's roof, the Gardening Club...anywhere she went he was there and when they started dating, he changed himself to be her boyfriend."
I cocked an eyebrow at the growing venom in her voice and concluded that she hated this person.
"How did he change himself to impress her?"
"He pierced his ears, did a spray tan, and cut his hair." she scoffed and looked away. "She may look or sound hot-tempered but she was naive when it comes to boys and that's why I encouraged her to pursue a relationship with Taro. Taro would never change his looks to impress Osana because she likes him just the way he is yet she stopped pursuing him to date that...that...ugly wretched thing!"
Feeling the sweat drip down my neck, I decided not to probe any further because she hated him.
"Could it be part of the reason why you fell out with her is because of her new love interest?" I ask.
This surprised her. "What? No! I respected her decision when she stopped pursuing Taro."
'She's lying. Something tells me she is still sore about it.'
"So what caused you guys to fall out?"
Raibaru bit her bottom lip and sighed. "It was when I joined the Art Club. She was angry because we didn't hang out as we did before because of the club activities and told me Ayano Aishi was better than me and..."
Tears welled up in her eyes once more and I decided to end the conversation here.
"It's okay Ms. Fumetsu," I say. Then shutting my notebook I stand up from my seat. "I will call you when I find a way okay."
She sniffs and just as I was about to walk away, she calls after me.
"Talk to Taro Yamada. Maybe he would know what happened to her."
I nod and walk out the door.
An hour later...
'Well, this has been an exciting day.' my inner voice said as soon as I walked into the apartment.
I bleched. 'Yeah. I even got a free meal although, I am still hungry.'
'Why won't you be hungry? The sandwich and bubble tea didn't even hit the bottom.'
This made me chuckle. 'To tell you the truth, I am happy we are on good terms now.'
There was a long pause. 'Yeah. Me too.'
I smiled and went to make myself lunch.
'I guess now is a good time to call Mr. Yamada.'
'You mean the oath breaker?'
'Why do you keep calling him that?'
'Why won't I? He cheats on his wife.'
'For some reason, this made me shudder. Taking out my phone, I search for his number.
'It's a good thing I remember the day he called me.' I thought the phone on his end rang. 'If I didn't, I would've forgotten the number.'
He picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Yamada? It's me, Emma."
"Why Emma! What a surprise."
I cringed at his cheerful tone. "Mr. Yamada, are you free tomorrow?"
"Why yes, I am."
"Great! Can you meet me at the restaurant in the mall downtown by 3 PM? I have something to discuss with you."
"Sure! It will be an honor to meet you again. Whoops! I have to go. See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah, goodnight."
I hang up and shiver.
'I bet you two yen he is going to meet you wearing a suit.'
'I pray not.' I say taking off the pot's lid.
'Don't hold your breath. He seemed quite happy when you told him that.'
I devour my lunch, take a shower, and lay on my futon ignoring the fact that it was still early in the afternoon. Closing my eyes, I open them and find myself standing a few meters away from the school’s gate as grey figures walk passed me. It was weird because all of them were colorless figures with different hairstyles and dressings. Some walked in a group holding what looked like their phones while others were carrying what looked like musical instruments like a cello.
‘This is weird.’ I thought walking along with them.
“I can’t believe you overslept again!”
The familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.
“I am sorry.” said a male voice.
I look to my right and see two grey figures talking to each other. One looked like a female with long pigtails and she was scolding a male figure who was sheepishly scratching his head.
'Wait a minute, could that be Osana?'
“Ugh! It’s just like back in middle school! I am not your alarm clock you know.”
'Maybe it's her. Her voice sounds eerily familiar to the ghost that attacked me in the school auditorium and Ms. Fumetsu admitted it was her voice but could it be her?' I step closer to them. 'If so, why is she in my dream?'
I opened my mouth to call her name but it sounded static. Shocked, my heart skipped a beat when both figures turned to look at me.
“Umm, can you excuse us? We are having a private discussion.” said the female putting her hands on her hips.
Okay, I was not expecting that! “Uh…Okay.”
The figure nodded her head and continued to scold the male figure. Turning to my right, I see another female figure spying on them behind a tree.
'Could that be Ms. Fumetsu?' I walked over to her and the words, 'Go Osana.' were heard repeatedly.
'Okay, it is her.' I tried calling out her name but my voice went static again.
'At least she didn't hear me.'
Looking to the side, I see another figure spying on the supposed couple behind a hedge but unlike the others, it was blue with red stains on it.
'Could that be the person chasing me down the hall?' I walked closer to confront said figure but the sky went dark. Wind howling and the air dropping its temperature, I see the hanging figure of Osana hanging from a nose swinging to and fro.
I stared not saying a...
"IDIOT!!!"
Her scream was so loud that I had to cover my ears. Opening my eyes, I sit up and the first thing I see is Julia straddling me.
"What on earth?" I looked down and luckily, my panties were still intact.
Julia batted her eyes at me and put up a cute face. "I wasn't expecting you to be awake Emma."
I violently kicked her out of my apartment and shut the door.
Meanwhile...
"Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Yamada? It's me, Emma."
"Why Emma! What a surprise."
"Mr. Yamada, are you free tomorrow?"
"Why yes, I am."
"Great! Can you meet me at the restaurant in the mall downtown by 3 PM? I have something to discuss with you."
"Sure! It will be an honor to meet you again. Whoops! I have to go. See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah, goodnight."
Beep!
Jake replayed the recording again.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Yamada? It's me, Emma."
"Why Emma! What a surprise."
"Mr. Yamada, are you free tomorrow?"
"Why yes, I am."
"Great! Can you meet me at the restaurant in the mall downtown by 3 PM? I have something to discuss with you."
"Sure! It will be an honor to meet you again. Whoops! I have to go. See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah, goodnight."
Beep!
He replayed it again.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Yamada? It's me, Emma."
"Why Emma! What a surprise."
"Mr. Yamada, are you free tomorrow?"
"Why yes, I am."
"Great! Can you meet me at the restaurant in the mall downtown by 3 PM? I have something to discuss with you."
"Sure! It will be an honor to meet you again. Whoops! I have to go. See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah, goodnight."
Looking up at the ceiling which had the picture of Emma in her swimsuit he laughed and laughed until he cried.
ns 15.158.61.17da2
