Ghost of a Chance

The Nightmare Dwelling (Part 7)

"The spirit is watching us through that door," Masako said. "It's male. Watching everything that happens in the house. He seems to be holding something like a bat." Midori flinched, scared.

'... This person is calling that dressing mirror a 'door',' Hirota thought, surprised.

"I also heard a spirit's voice," Masako said. "But it seems to have nothing to do with that man. I don't know whose voice it is. It seems to be a male voice, but it also seems female. 'You can't come in! Get out quickly! Once you get out, never come back!' the voice said." Midori looked at her mother. Those were the words she spoke.

"Perhaps that wasn't a hallucination..." Masako said.

"That?" Mai asked.

"When I entered the house, it felt strange," Masako said. "Mai was right in front of me. But it felt like there was no one there."

"Ah... I had the same feeling..." Mai said.

"Me, too..." Midori said. "When I first came to this house with my mother. My mother was right there, but I was wondering, 'Why is there no one here?' I even wondered where my mother went..."

"—This is too absurd!" Hirota snapped. "Why is even Midori-san like this!? How could you let these people lead you on and say this kind of thing!?"

"But I really do remember experiencing that type of situation," Midori said.

"These guys are just going along with what you said," Hirota said.

"No! I've only just remembered this," Midori said. "I have not previously told anyone."

"Then you were fooled by that strange atmosphere to believe that you felt that," Hirota said. "You people should stop now!"

"... What do you mean?" Naru asked.

"Didn't you guys just call that psychic to come and put on a play? Who would believe your outdated acting!" Hirota said angrily. "Midori-san. You don't believe that this little girl is very powerful, right?"

"Little girl, is he talking about me?" Masako asked, unimpressed.

"He's just that kind of guy," Mai said, sweat-dropping.

"She is really quite powerful," Midori said.

"Listen, those guys might have discussed this earlier, and they do not have any special powerful abilities," Hirota said.

"I didn't know anyt—" Masako tried to explain.

"Auntie is always afraid of others spying on her. The dressing mirror was actually a door. And the man whom Midori-san has seen. As long as they discussed this earlier, then she would have already known all of this," Hirota said. "They carried in those strange equipment and said some things that would gain the victim's complete trust and then came up with a creepy act to fool you guys. These are their tricks." Hitomi frowned at him.

"Hirota-san," Midori said. "To be honest, I also did not believe in spirits before. However, it's different now. I saw something that does not exist in this world."

"Midori-san, that was a hallucination," Hirota said.

"No, I really saw it!" Midori said.

"Then what you actually saw was a live person," Hirota said.

"How... There are so many cameras in the house! How could he get in?" Midori asked.

"It could be one of these people!" Hirota said. "That's right... They're probably on the same side. You said that you guys have two other members. Is that man one of the two?"