“I suppose being scared can be fun sometimes.”
Aoyama tried to offer an explanation, but Ms. Akino only replied that she hated anything scary.
“Well then, I’ll go and get the children.”
Aoyama watched Ms. Akino leave, then took off his jacket. Despite having gone to this school when he was a kid, this was the first time he’d been in this room. It didn’t look like it was used very often; the air felt dusty. Against one wall was a cabinet with a horse ornament on the top of it and a stone commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the school’s founding.
More than fifteen years had passed since Aoyama was a student here. His grandfather’s genes had skipped a generation, making him look considerably more Caucasian than his father. Combined with his slight figure, that had made him a target for teasing but nothing that could be called bullying. He’d had friends, and the teachers had mostly been nice, too.
He thought of Rumi. What had she been like in elementary school? Probably just as knowledgeable and passionate about the paranormal as she was now. A bright, lively girl. If he’d met her back then, he’d definitely have liked her. They probably would have become friends, and then maybe he wouldn’t keep overanalyzing what he meant to her like he did now.
A knock at the door jolted him out of his fantasy.
“Come in.”
Aoyama was scheduled to talk to a total of five kids, including Miki, for ten minutes each. Under the guise of providing counseling, he’d be alone with each of them while Ms. Akino waited at the door. He was used to dealing with children from his work at the church, but he was also aware that they were all churchgoing kids. They were probably a little different from the average grade schooler. Kids could be cruel sometimes. Maybe they would think of him as some creepy old guy and refuse to tell him anything.
Still fretting over these imagined scenarios, he waited for the first child to come in, but the door remained shut. He was just stepping forward to open it himself, when there was another knock, much louder than the last one.
“Y-yes, I’m coming.”
Even as he spoke, he could tell that something was wrong. His hand stopped on the doorknob. Another three knocks. “They can’t enter without permission,” Rumi had told him once. The knocking became faster, louder. “Evil presences need permission to enter your space.” The knocking stopped. He jumped away from the door like his life depended on it.
The knocking was replaced by a grinding sound, like two hard surfaces rubbing against each other. The doorknob turned. He covered his ears, but it was no use; the sound seemed to be welling up from beneath the ground. He had no idea what to do. If they come in anyway… What did Rumi say next? He couldn’t remember. What should he do?
“I—I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth…”
A desperate prayer came spilling from his lips. The grinding didn’t stop.
“…and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord…”
The grinding was getting closer.
“For Th-Thine is the Kingdom, and the p-power and the glory…”
His head felt heavy. He couldn’t think straight. The grinding was all there was. He knew praying wouldn’t help him now. He knew because he was a doubter. Prayer only worked for the truly faithful. It was just like with kokkuri-san—if you didn’t believe, nothing would happen.
He could hear laughing now. A sharp, grassy scent assaulted his nostrils.
Krsh, krsh, krsh…
What did it want?
The knob slowly turned, and the door opened…
“Oh… Are you all right?”
Aoyama opened his eyes to see Ms. Akino standing in the doorway. She looked worried. Behind her was a girl in a brightly colored dress. She was also staring at him intently.
“I thought I heard chanting coming from in here. Could it be…? Is there really…?”
Ms. Akino had turned pale. She started muttering again that she couldn’t stand scary stuff. Whatever Aoyama had experienced just now, it almost definitely qualified as a paranormal phenomenon. Whether it was directly related to Haruko or not was another question. Either way, confirming this to someone as excitable as Ms. Akino wasn’t a good idea.
Not for the first time, Aoyama found himself wishing he could be more like Mononobe. He’d felt that way almost constantly since the link between them was formed. Although now that he’d seen kind of the hellish scenery the other man had to endure, that attitude felt more than a little disrespectful. He forced himself to put on a smile.
“Oh, no, this is just a bit of routine work. I do it all the time. Sorry, did you find it disturbing?”
He imitated Toshihiko with a coy tilt of his head. It always looked incredibly charming, but he had no idea if it would have the same effect when he did it.
“No, I’m sorry, I just got a little flustered.”
Ms. Akino let her shoulders sag, clearly a bit embarrassed. Apparently, “the look” had worked after all.
“I quite understand; it’s a stressful time for you. I wish there was something I could do… For now, may I get started with my interviews?”
“Y-yes. Well then, Yuzuki, would you have a talk with this nice man?”
The girl nodded and sat down on the sofa.
“I’ll be waiting just outside, so let me know when you’re finished.”
The girl visibly exhaled once the teacher was out the door. She stretched out her legs and relaxed.
“Hey, mister, are you mixed-race or something?”
Clearly, she wasn’t shy about speaking her mind. Aoyama had met kids at the church who talked that way, too.
“I suppose you could say that. My great-grandfather was Irish.”
“Huh, you’re like Matty.”
“Matty?”
“He’s a TikTokker. Haven’t you heard of him?”
“I don’t think I have…”
After staring at Aoyama a little longer, Yuzuki took a breath and began speaking.