Rumi didn’t think of herself like a Ghostbuster; she didn’t go chasing down psychic phenomena in person. Not if she could help it. Most of the time, she would use her impressive store of knowledge to pinpoint the cause of the problem, figure out an appropriate solution, and contact a specialist to carry it out. That ability to make connections where no one else could was her true strength. Aoyama had never once seen her fail. In all the dangerous situations he’d been in since the possession, Rumi had always been there to bail him out.
There was one downside—Rumi believed evil was drawn to the beautiful. If there was no one more attractive than Aoyama around, then he would be used as bait to draw out whatever evil presence was causing trouble. In other words, she was often the one who put him in danger in the first place, so he really didn’t owe Rumi any gratitude. But he was a fundamentally good-natured guy and still considered her a brave, kind, and borderline angelic human being.
A couple of months back, they’d taken a case to rescue a young woman from some kind of new age religious group. The leader of the cult commanded supernatural powers, and the incident had turned out to be much larger in scope than they’d expected. It had even been on the news. And once again, Rumi played the decisive role in saving the victim, one Emi Shimamoto.
When Aoyama had first seen Emi, her confidence had been so low that it seemed like her entire sense of self was in danger of fading away. Now, though, she was making her own decisions and moving forward with her life. She’d become an active member of the church’s Bible-study group and came by to help out on her days off work. That, too, was proof—if proof was needed—of Rumi’s inherent goodness, so far as Aoyama was concerned. Anyone who knew her would surely agree.
“No? I think you two would make a great couple.”
Shouko continued to tease her brother, enjoying how bashful he was being.
“Don’t get me wrong, I had my doubts about her at first. Where did this strange lady get off luring my adorable little brother away from his family calling? But I’m okay with it now. Even with the weird job you’re doing, you could still be a minister someday. Besides, most people think of running this church as a pretty weird job, too. And Rumi might be a little strange, but she’s fun with it, and she’s about a billion times more together than you.”
“Just because you think it’s a good idea doesn’t mean she’d feel the same.”
“Oh-ho, I notice you purposely avoided mentioning your thoughts on the matter. Come on, tell Big Sis how you really feel. You like her, right?”
Shouko rolled up the pile of church flyers she was carrying and poked Aoyama under the arms several times. He was about to tell her to knock it off, when something interrupted him.
“Hey, Kouki!”
There was a thud as someone charged into him from behind.
“Heh-heh, did I surprise you?”
“Nanaka… That hurt, you know.”
A broad smile spread across Nanaka Yokozawa’s face. She was the one who had tackled him at full force. Nanaka was a fourth-grade elementary school student, and her parents were regulars at the Pádraig Aoba Church. She regularly attended the Bible studies and English classes held at the church every week. Normally, she was a polite, earnest girl who took care of the younger boys in the congregation. She only really showed this more childlike side around Aoyama.
“Well, I don’t want to get in your way. I’d better be going,” Shouko said, giving Nanaka a pat on the head. Aoyama heaved a sigh, relieved to be free of his sister’s persistent questioning.
“I kinda wanted to see Shouko, too, but it’s mostly you I need to talk to today, Kouki. This should work out fine.”
A serious look came to Nanaka’s childish face.
“If it’s something you don’t want other people overhearing, should we go to the reception room?”
She didn’t say anything and just nodded. The reception room was where Aoyama’s grandfather, in life, had taken people to hear troubles they couldn’t tell anyone else, listening on the other side of a latticed screen. People didn’t often go there for advice anymore, and the room was mostly used for the children’s Bible-study group and other activities.
They should probably let her parents know where they were going. Aoyama cast a glance around, but the girl pulled on his arm and shook her head.
“Mom and Dad aren’t with me today.”
“Oh, really?”
Hesitating for a moment, he remembered something. Back when his grandfather had done exorcisms, the man would set up security cameras so the victim’s relatives would be able to watch what happened. The cameras weren’t in use anymore, but they were probably still around. In this day and age, you couldn’t be too careful—a grown man taking a little girl away into a separate room without parental consent was bound to raise some eyebrows.
Aoyama found his sister, who was still chatting with some of the visitors, and asked her about the cameras. Sure enough, they were no longer in use. He told Shouko that Nanaka wanted to talk to him about something in private. She nodded in agreement. The whole time, Nanaka didn’t say a word, her mouth a firm horizontal line. It was hard to believe this was the same girl who’d playfully barged into Aoyama just a short while ago.
When Aoyama and Nanaka entered the reception room, Nanaka didn’t go to the round, red plastic chair she usually used. Instead, she sat down on one side of the wooden lattice screen that the adults used. Maybe she was trying to show how serious she was about this. Aoyama went along with it and settled on the other side.
“What’s on your mind? You can tell me anything.”
That was how his grandfather had begun these sessions. Aoyama did his best to imitate not just the words his grandfather would use, but also the man’s kindly manner as best he could.