Ghost of a Chance

After School Hex (Part 4)

"A zuso!?" Bou-san exclaimed, surprised, when Naru filled him and the others in on his latest theory once they had all arrived.

"Correct. Someone has been using spells to put curses on other people here. That's what has been causing all the psychic phenomena," Naru explained.

"Spells... is that really possible!?" Mai asked.

"Are you saying someone's been hammering nails into wara ningyō?" Bou-san asked.

"Close, but not quite," Naru replied.

"What does a zuso have to do with spirits?" Ayako asked.

"Spells caused by hammering nails into a doll originally came from the way of Onmyou," Naru stated. "To explain it simply, so Mai can understand..." A vein mark popped up on Mai's head showing she was clearly annoyed by his little barb. "In the way of Onmyou, there's a method of cursing people called 'enmi'. One must use a doll or a belonging from the person you want to cast a spell on. Actually, hammering nails into a wara ningyō is one of the enmi spells. Normally when you think of a wara ningyō, it's assumed that the grudge of the person hammering the nails gets passed on to the other person, and that is how they get hurt. A jusha, the person who is casting the spell, will hammer nails into a hitogata and call upon gods or spirits to deliver their curse. The gods or spirits then accept the request and will begin to torment, or even kill, the subject. Basically, by using enmi, a jusha calls for spirits of psychic energy, and eventually they end up manipulating the evil spirits." They all stared at him in astonishment.

"Then... the ghost in the art prep room and the hand that appeared at Yoshino-sensei's house were all caused by evil spirits summoned by this curse...?" Mai asked.

"Yes. I'm confident that the psychic phenomena happening at this school are happening as a result of the enmi," Naru replied. "Someone is putting curses on the school's faculty and students by using hitogata. I believe what Hitomi saw was actually the psychic energy that was used to summon the evil spirits, a manifestation of the energy of the curse. The evil spirits don't have the capacity to kill their subjects overnight, so they torment their victims little by little until they gradually drive them to their deaths. This is still just my theory, though."

"As a result of these psychic events, and after hearing the 'ghost rumors', many people at this school have become paranoid," John added. "Rumors like these can easily influence emotionally sensitive people, making them concerned something may happen to them next."

"Like the girl who was supposedly possessed by a fox spirit?" Hitomi asked.

"Right," Naru said. "And so, that's why the whole school has been thrown into a panic."

"... Then, who would do such a...?" Bou-san started to ask.

"The answer is obvious," Masako said. "It must be Kasai-san."

"What!?" Mai said incredulously.

"Let me see..." Ayako said thoughtfully. "Not only would the people here not believe she had psychic power, but they also punished her for it. Also, they're still punishing the teacher who tried to support her. And she threatened to kill someone with a spell, right? She must be performing zuso to put a curse on them."

"Ka-Kasai-san is innocent!" Mai said.

"How do you know that?" Ayako asked her. "Then, who else could have done it?"

"Ah... I don't... really know, but..." Mai said, beginning to falter. There was a tightening in her chest as she spoke. 'Huh? What was that feeling I just had?'

"Our primary suspect would be Kasai-san," Naru stated calmly. "One of those victims, Yoshino-sensei, was the very person who called her out in front of the everyone at the morning assembly."