Mirror Mirror (self-insert #9)

Chapter 5

Hirota glared down at us. "'WE'LL THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATE WHATEVER APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO SPIRITS.' THAT'S COMPLARS NONSENSE. YOU ONLY SAID THAT TO GAIN MIDOR-SAN AND AUNTIE'S TRUST AND THEN AFTERWARDS, YOU'LL ASK FOR A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY AS A REWARD."

Not true. Midori had privately expressed her concern that Naru was charging too little.

Not that I was going to say that to someone being so shouty.

Mai popped her head in, the picture of innocence. "Hirota-san, is everyone okay with green tea?"

"YOU TOO!" He rounded on the poor unsuspecting girl. "AS EXPECTED, YOU WERE ALL JUST SCAMMING THE AGAWA FAMILY, WEREN'T YOU? AND TO GO AS FAR AS ACTING ALL FAMILIAR WITH THEM, TOO?"

"What, did Midori dump you or something? Is that why you're so upset?" I asked, irritated by the commotion.

"Don't you start, too." Lin breathed. Hirota turned to yell at me but changed his mind when he saw who I was sitting next to. Heh. Coward.

"TO THINK I WAS ALMOST TRICKED AS WELL. TO MAKE THIS SUSPICIOUS MAN USE PROPS AND ACT LIKE A SPIRITUALIST JUST TO LET US SEE—"

"Eh?" Mai asked, tilting her head. "Isn't Bou-san the synthetic drug?"

I snickered.

Hirota stared at her. "Synthetic drug? What's that supposed to mean?"

Naru sighed disparagingly. "I was going to explain it just now. Seriously, why is everyone thinking like a single-celled organism?"

"WHA..."

Naru fixed him with a stare. "First, sit down."

Hirota sat.

"Even if you're a fool, how could you think artificial medicine is something strange? Obviously, it's terminology used in medical pharmacology. In pharmacology, there are many highly active substances—for example, starch is sometimes disguised as saline so it's easier for the patient to take. The patient would think that they've already taken the medicine, and these thoughts can help improve the patient's condition even more than actually taking the medicine. And like so, giving the patient ineffective medicine is called creating synthetic drugs."

Understanding dawned on Bou-san's face. "It's basically like medicine for the heart, right? So that's how it is."

"What do you mean, 'so that's how it is'?" Hirota demanded.

"Strange things were happening ever since Agawa-san moved in this house. Her mentality should be highly unstable right now. So even if something like blowing wind would cause the windows to make some sort of noise, it would make it feel like it's haunted." Naru stated. "Midori-san is also extremely worried about her mother's condition, so I thought we should use the idea of synthetic drugs to make her feel at ease. For that, we need to make the exorcism as grand as possible so her subconsciousness would think the spirit had already been exorcised and has left."

Bou-san made a face. "Don't tell me you expect me to pretend to pret and then just leave? You know, I have my own pride as well."

"I don't think this case is bad enough to need Bou-san's help."

"Eh?"

Naru tugged the paper bag toward him and reached inside, producing a black box with a switch on it. "For example, the reason why the electrical circuit breaker always trips is because of this."

Mai tentatively accepted the proffered box. "What's this?"

"An electrical circuit breaker's switch. I disassembled and examined this house's electrical circuit breaker. Even though the outer part is labeled 30 amperes, the inner component itself really only flows at 5 amperes." He explained. "Japan's average household electricity consumption is about 100 volts and 500 watts per output. On average, one to four times of the electric current would automatically make the power switch turn off. In other words, if two air conditioners are on at the same time, then it's possible for the breaker to trip."