The first day we conducted an investigation, we didn't get much information. Sakuya and Kiyoharu also didn't find anything significant. The temperature is lower in certain spots, but it is still in a normal phase.
Paranormal phenomena sometimes don't appear on the first day. If there are ghosts, usually they are still hiding because there are strangers coming. But, I do feel there is something in this school. The spiritual energy was huge, as if there were a lot of spirit hanging around in this school. Then, why did a strange incident occur after the summer break?
We tried to interview Kaname-sensei, but that day he was in a outdoor activity with the students.
After hearing from the student, we trying to find more information about the school. I'm bit concerned about Kaname-sensei, so I ask Naomasa-san to help me while I and Yui, continue our research in the local library.
"Is it true Hyaku Monogatari will curse?" Yui said while checking several articles before her. The artiekel is an important article or news from a year since the school was established.
I takes a deep breath while opening a page of ancient books about rituals from the past, "That's what one of the students said. She heard it from her grandmother, so maybe there a record about the legend, " our table is filled with stacks of books and newspapers.
"I never played Hyaku Monogatari or another candle games before. So, I actually concerned too. It's true that tell each other story in specific condition will gather spirit. But, usually it's an only a psychic medium who can do that, " Yui opened sheet after sheet of the old newspaper. She did it slowly so as not to damage it.
"You are right. In the student's cases, they not exactly seeing the ghost. Most of them just hearing and feeling. Even the anatomy that walks, it's only a vessel, " I nodded.
"Hearing the spirit is Clairaudience and feeling the spirit is Clairsentience in medium ability. But, the ability to communicate with the spirit is a gift from heaven, you can't just become one, " Yui too a small breath while taking another newspaper.
I put down the book I read and looked at Yui,"Yes. And about Kaname-sensei, suggesting the student to playing Hyaku Monogatari, while every day telling a ghost story, don't it look like he already planned that?" I just guessed. Because the students seemed very enamored with the ghost story Kaname-sensei told. Why not make a paranormal club?
"Do you think that Kaname-sensei is psychic? That's why he knows a lot of ghost story?" Yui asked.
"Even normal people know a lot of ghost story. If he's psychic, he should know that telling each other ghost story could invoke the spirit, " I took one of the books that look old, "Ah!! I found it! The legend about Hyaku Monotagari," I shouted, then looked around. Luckily the library was very quiet that day. Yui looked at me and shook her head.
She gets closer to see the book, "Oh, it's an old book. A lot of record about the legend about Japanese folklore. Is there is something about Hyaku Monogatari,"
I opened the sheet from the book and stopped in the middle of the book, "Look. The Cursed of Hyaku Monogatari, " I put the book on the table and started reading it.
A long time ago, there a group of young samurai that playing Hyaku Monogatari for a test of courage. The game begins at the New Moon.
Prepare three rooms. These rooms should be adjacent, they should also form an "L" shape when viewed from above. They must rid each room of any weapons or dangerous objects.
In the third room, place 100 lanterns made of blue paper and place a mirror on the table. Ensure all three rooms achieve complete darkness.
Gather together all storytellers and enter the first room. Storytellers should be dressed in blue and unarmed. Take turns telling the strange and unusual tales.
At the conclusion of each story, the storyteller must travel, in darkness, from the first room to the third one. Upon reaching the third room, the storyteller must extinguish one lantern and look at himself in the mirror. Only then may the storyteller return to the first room.
Storytellers may continue the ritual while the previous storyteller is travelling. When the final lanterns are extinguished, true darkness will descend, and spirits may be summoned.
"It exactly likes what the Keijo students do. The concept is the same, although the students using a candle, " Yui murmured.
I nodded and continued reading the story.
After playing the game, one of the young samurais feels like someone following him. And when he turned back, he saw a woman with white kimono and long hair stand behind him.
He runs as fast as he can. After that, he tells the other samurai about that. But, none of them experiences something like that. That time, he realized and confessed that he actually lying when he told about a ghost of a woman with white kimono and long hair when they are playing Hyaku Monogatari.
"That's why you shouldn't lie when playing Hyaku Monotagari?" Yui asked, looked at me.
I continued reading the next story, "There another one. The cursed of Hyaku Monogatari, "
Longtime an ago. A group of the merchant, stay at one of the ruins for taking a break. When the night comes, they playing Hyaku Monogatari for test courage.
Since the day the playing Hyaku Monogatari, they always haunted by the ghost. But, none of them telling the lie. The story they tell just passed their family for generation.
After that, they talk to the priest, and the priests said the place that they playing Hyaku Monogatari is the ruin of cemetery area a long time ago.
"Cemetery ruin??" Yui said in surprise.
I thought about it for a moment, "Maybe...the Keijo school is built in cemetery ruin? You see, like when you playing Ouija Board, you are forbidden to play in the cemetery, right?" I said.
I feel bad. Something not right here.
Yui pulled one of the files in front of her, "Let's take a look the map. When the school was built?" she murmured,
Yui always acts so fast. Especially about gathering information from the book or article. Shibasaki-sensei always gives Yui books, he said she can use that for meditation.
I'm still, don't understand that. Especially about her special ability. Yui is Psychometry. But sometimes she using post-cognition. And she's easy possessed by spiritual energy.
"I found it! The school is built the year Showa 21, uhm...its mean 1946. Before that, the record said its an old museum and library since the year Taisho 1 (1912). Before that....ahh??" Yui shocked, her eyes widened.
"What??" I approached Yui to see the map, "Cemetery??" I asked.
Yui nodded, "Yes! It's the year Ansei. The school ground once is Ansei cemetery ruin, it's around 1855-1860! It's really cemetery area. That's mean the student playing Hyaku Monogatari in the cemetery area?" Yui looked at me. We both know it was a bad idea.
"It's bad! The school attracted the spirit. Usually, the cemetery area bound by Kekkai, energy shield, to confine spirits so that spirits don't come out of the cemetery area. The student tells each other ghost story, make the spirit coming and accidentally trap the spirit inside the school grounds because the are abound by Kekkai (energy shield), " I said, still thinking about the possibility.
"I don't see the shrine around the school area. If the school ground is cemetery ruin, then there must be a shrine around the school," Yui said while still looking at the map.
"Maybe the school just part of cemetery area. The shrine must be there around the area. Maybe outside the school," I looked at Yui who was busy checking the map.
Yui stopped for a moment and looked at me, "If it's cemetery area, then Rui-kun, don't you should feel anything in the school?" Yui asked.
I took a deep breath and shook my head, "The school maybe not completely the centre of cemetery area. And besides, the spirit usually will hiding when outsider come. If the spirit didn't react when we come, that's mean the spirit, not the intense one. But, even so, if they keep wandering in the school and playing the prank, it's not good either,"
"You are right. A place like a school is manifested a lot of feeling. The spirit maybe absorbs it and become an evil spirit. It's dangerous, " Yui said, she looked tense.
Suddenly my phone rings, " Oh, an email from Naomasa-kun,"
"It's about Kaname-sensei?" Yui asked.
"Yes, " I nodded while opening the file sent by Naomasa, "Let's see. Kaname Ryuji, born on March 2 year Showa 50. Showa 50 mean is 1975, right? After finishing high school, he goes to T University majoring in Literature. He teaches at Subakidachi high school after graduation. Is seven years ago, " I read the file.
"So, he teaches another school before, " Yui murmured.
"He teaches there for 3 years. According to the teachers and his ex-student from Subakidachi, at first, Kaname-sensei is really popular among the students. But, in his 3 years teaching there, there is an accident happened," I continued to pull up the screen of my smartphone to read the file.
"What's that?" Yui asked, "Does it relate to his hobby of telling ghost stories?"
"One of the parents give a complaint about Kaname-sensei. The mother said, her son refused to come to school. His son said he always saw a woman stand in front of the class when all his friends said there is no one there. When she asked her son, his son told her, the strange thing happened since he joined with Kaname-sensei and the other student to tell each other ghost story, " I keep reading the file.
"So, he is doing Hyaku Monogatari in another school too?" Yui took a deep breath, "Even after being expelled from school because of that, he still did it at his new school?"
"It's not exactly Hyaku Monogatari. The teacher and his ex-student said in only a telling each other ghost story. The complaint doesn't stop there. Every day, the student in the school experience the supernatural phenomena and refuse to come to school. One of the students got a traffic accident. So, the principal and the school blame that to Kaname-sensei, but some student stands for him too. But in the end, they force him to resign," I said.
"What happened to the student who gets traffic accident?" Yui asked
" The other student who witnesses that accident said, that the girl suddenly screams and running towards the road even though its red light," I guess, why is he so obsessed with ghost stories? But, more strangely, why are students haunted by spirit? Telling ghost stories is normal. it's like ... for some way, Kaname-sensei ... summoned that spirit to haunt the students?
"Naomasa-san come to Kaname-sensei hometown and meet with the teacher from his elementary school, " I continue to read the file, "According to the teacher, since a kid, Kaname-sensei is the victim of bullying because he always said that he can see a ghost. He always talks to himself and people around him feel that are really annoying. So, no one even what to talk to him,"
"He can see a ghost?" Yui surprised, "He's medium?"
I took a small breath, "Kaname-sensei live with his grandparents. His parents are divorced when he still small. His mom took him with her, but due to job circumstances, he can't stay with his mom, so he stays with his grandparents instead. And according to his grandparents, Kaname-sensei just playing a prank to get attention from people around him,"
"Thera some people using that story to getting attention. But, if you making up too many ghost story, the spiritual energy can manifest around you. Especially, if you the weak type," Yui's face looked worried,
I looked at her, "Like poltergeist? Poltergeist is very often is adolescents who are under the combined stresses of growing up and the hormonal changes occurring during puberty, but adults under stress can be as well, especially, perhaps, if they have unresolved stresses from childhood," I said, "The poltergeist activity arises out of the unconscious or subconscious of the individual in response to emotional stress or trauma. Maybe at the first, Kaname-sensei often caused poltergeist by himself, and thinking that it's a work of the spirit,"
Yui nodded, "And every time he's caused poltergeist, his spiritual energy getting stronger and attract a spirit around him,"
"Don't you think that happened in the schools is a poltergeist and not the work of spirit? But, poltergeist usually seen by everyone, the student said it only happened to them," I'm confused. I can't found the line about this case.
"Let's come back to the school and talk to the principal. I'm a bit worried about Kaname-sensei," Yui said while tidying all the books and files on the table.
What really happened? and who exactly is Kaname-sensei?