Ghost of a Chance

The Nightmare Dwelling (Part 16)

"Anyway, let's go outside for a moment," Hirota said. "Out there, we won't be attacked in the dark when the Sasakuras break in. I'll lead you out." Hirota led them to the front door and tried to open it.

"Hirota-san?" Mai said, shining a flashlight for him to see, wondering why the door wasn't opening.

"... The latch won't budge," Hirota said as a bead of sweat rolled down his face. They moved to another door and tried to open it. "It's no use here, too. It won't open. At this rate, they'll get to the windows of the veranda, too. What should we do?"

"..." Naru thought about it.

"Shouldn't we barricade the mirror door?" Hitomi suggested.

"For the time being, we'll do that. We might have to stay indoors a bit longer," Naru said.

"Got it," Hirota said.

"Also, the Sasakuras might have already invaded this house," Naru whispered to Hirota. "I will go this way and examine the condition of the hallways. Hirota-san, please go around the dining room and check that it's safe. If you check the first floor, I'll go examine the second floor. Be careful that Mai and the others won't sense the invasion. The ensuing panic will be troublesome." He thought Hitomi could probably keep a level head, but she was too close to Mai and the others for him to be able to whisper to her. A bead of sweat slid down the side of Hirota's face. They barricaded the mirror door together, and Hitomi retrieved her bow and arrows from the base. Then Naru had the girls and Midori and her mother go up the stairs. "Go to the second floor quietly. Wrench open the shutters of the veranda and escape from there." Mai stepped up onto the stairs and froze. She shuddered.

"Naru... it came," Mai said. "Kosori is there on the door across from us." Naru made them go up the stairs. He and Hirota went up with them. Mai worked to pry open the shutters, but it was easier said than done. "Must hurry up..." Mai flinched when there was a clatter from the first floor. Hitomi removed an arrow from her quiver, preparing to draw. She couldn't use an evil-destroying arrow on a living person, but maybe she could shoot their attackers in the legs to disable them.

"It's all right. That barricade over there can't be so easily climbed over," Naru said. "Continue your work."

"Yeah," Mai said nervously. Naru moved past Hirota to leave the room.

"Shibuya-kun?" Hirota said.

"I'll go look for anything we can use as weapons," Naru said, taking a flashlight with him.

"That's right. I'll try searching this way," Hirota said, taking another flashlight with them. Masako shined a flashlight on the doorway so Hitomi would be able to see what she was shooting at if it came to that.

'All we have is a barricade and Hitomi's arrows,' Naru thought as he searched. 'If they're possessed, a few arrows may not be enough to stop them. It's game over once we are found by those trespassers. Soon, they won't care about what the house looks like. They'll probably make their move. Sasakura will most likely enter with his son, too, so there will be three people. If he is possessed by Sekiguchi, there's a great possibility that he's holding a weapon. I don't know to what extent Hirota-san can be relied upon. As he'd said, should I have let Lin stay behind? Lin has a somewhat brutal arm, but if his shiki were here, it would be easy to force them back. If the Sasakuras' lives were not an issue, Hitomi could defeat them easily with her evil-destroying arrows, but I'd rather not put her in that position... She's too nice. She'll feel incredibly guilty about it later.' Naru looked his hand and clenched it. '... Do I have to resort to drastic measures? If it is to render a human unconscious, I don't need to use that much power. Still, my limit is approximately two people. If I go beyond that, my life will be in danger.' He thought of his brother. '... If he were here...' Naru sighed. He entered the next room, and his eyes widened.

"Did you find anything?" Hirota asked, entering that room. He froze when he found Naru staring intently at the mirror window with one hand on the reflective surface. "... Is this the time to be fascinated with your reflection!?"

"Hirota-san, I'm going down to the first floor. Only you will be coming with me, right?" Naru said, turning away from the window to leave the room.

"Obviously," Hirota said.

"Me, too," Hitomi said. She and the others had heard what was said.

"No, you stay here and help Mai and Hara-san get the Agawas out of the house," Naru told her.

"What are you talking about? It's dangerous! At least take Hitomi-sempai with you!" Mai said anxiously.

"That's right! I'm the only one here who's actually armed!" Hitomi said.

"Once we've descended, throw down clothes and blankets on the staircase, and stay inside for a while," Naru instructed them.

"I told you it's dangerous!" Mai said.

"I'm not letting you go without me!" Hitomi said.

"Afterwards, stack and block the top of the staircase with all the furniture there is," Naru said, ignoring them.

"Naru!" Hitomi and Mai shouted.

"You'll break down the shutters, use the futons as cushions, and jump off from the veranda," Naru continued. "There's no time to spare for relaxing. It would be the end if by some chance this house were set on fire."

"Bu... But what are you and Hirota-san going to do?" Mai asked. "You won't be able to come back upstairs!"

"We'll be all right," Naru said.

"Yeah, because I'm going with you," Hitomi said stubbornly.

"It's better if you stay with them," Naru said.

"How about bringing weapons?" Hirota asked.

"If you're anxious, take anything with you," Naru said.

"I'm talking about you," Hirota said sternly. "I'll be fine because I know martial arts, but—"

"You've got nothing to worry about," Naru said, holding up his hand. "Because I have a stun gun."

"Stun... gun?" Hirota said.

"... Surely not—!" Hitomi and Mai said, worried.

"Don't even think about it!" Hitomi said.

"You can't use your PK, Naru! You absolutely can't use it!" Mai said. "If you collapse again—!" Naru shined his flashlight into the next room.

"—Eugene," he said.

"Eh?" Mai said. Hitomi furrowed her brow as she and Mai looked into the room with him. Mai gasped and held her hands over her mouth. Hitomi's eyes widened. "... It's true."

"Mai?" Masako said, concerned.

"In the mirror... it's not reflecting Naru. That is... It's Gene..." Mai said. The reflection had the same pose as Naru, but its expression was different. Gene had a faint smile on his face.