Sensei pointed at a piece of paper sticking out of my jacket pocket.
“What’s that paper with writing on it, Akira?” she asked.
“This? It’s a talisman called an ofuda. I got it from a local shrine back home,” I explained.
“A talisman?”
“Yes, it’s for exorcizing and warding off ghosts. It seems to be effective here too.”
Sacred talismans had been some of the items I’d always brought with me ever since diving here for the first time. While I carried them, wraiths stopped charging at me at full speed, and Haunters stopped trying to possess me. They actually had some effect.
“Hmm, I do sense some power from it,” noted Sensei.
“I guess my local shrine is the real deal.”
Thank you, local shrine.
I didn’t know what god was being worshiped there, but I was technically a believer in Ameithys, so all I could do was thank them. As I was thinking about donating a thousand yen or so the next time I walked by the shrine, Sensei spoke up.
“Hey, are you trying to move that thing close to me?”
“Huh? What do you mean of course I wouldn’t do that ha ha ha oh come on Sensei you always make me sound like a bad guy sheesh,” I blurted quickly.
“I’ve always told you: your flaw is that big mouth of yours.”
“B-Begone, evil spirit!” I shouted.
“Who are you calling an evil spirit? Anyway, I actually want to see what would happen if you stick one on me.”
“Do you think it’ll be effective against those things around you?” I asked.
“It isn’t powerful enough for that. The effect would be negligible if anything.”
“I see.”
I’d suspected Sensei was in this state because of some sort of curse, and that seemed to be the case. Thinking the talisman might be effective against it, I stuck one on a black band coiling around her.
“Hmm, I feel like it got smaller, or thinner... Maybe a little bit,” I said.
“Yeah, it really is just a little bit though,” agreed Sensei.
“Maybe if I stuck a bunch of them on you, I could see through the bands.”
“That sounds like a perverted comment.”
“Well, actually, this is an important component in solving this mysterious mechanism. Since I’m assigned this issue, I’ll need to investigate through trial and error using high-priority ideas. Though we’ll, of course, need to reach consensus. I won’t be able to achieve a resolution without acquiring evidence in that manner.”
“Akira, using big words isn’t gonna make you sound any smarter,” said Sensei.
“Nothing gets past you, Sensei,” I said.
She grabbed the talisman with a black band and tossed it aside, then she continued inspecting my belongings.
“What’s in that bag?” she asked.
“Salt,” I said. “Just some sodium chloride from the market.”
“Salt? What? Are you gonna cook or something?”
“No, no, I’d throw it at wraith-type monsters,” I said.
“Sounds like a waste.”
“Actually, this is generally how salt is used for purification. And salt is cheap in my world.”
“Salt is cheap, huh? Wars have been fought over this stuff,” pointed out Sensei.
“That was true in my world a long time ago too. Nowadays, salt manufacturing technology is so advanced that we stopped fighting over it,” I said, then reached into a bag with the name of an island from the Seto Inland Sea on it.
“Anyway, eat this purifying salt!” I shouted as I threw a fistful of salt at her, but she easily swatted it away.
“Hmm. Unfortunately, it seems ineffective against these things of mine,” said Sensei with disappointment.
“Seems so...”
The talisman had somewhat worked earlier, but the salt was a complete flop. The parts that had touched the salt were unaffected too. I wondered if smoke from burning sage wouldn’t have any purifying effects either. What exactly was this thing afflicting Sensei?
“Okay, it’s time to get going,” she said.
“Got it. But first...” I reached into my backpack and pulled out my main weapon for the day, then I called out with a hoarse voice like that from the original cat robot show, mimicking a familiar jingle, “Ta-da-ta-da-da-da! Instant camera!”
“What weird gizmo did you bring this time?” asked Sensei.
“It isn’t weird,” I said. “I got this from the antique shop my uncle runs.”
“Oh? And what exactly is it?”
“You just click this thing, and it does this.”
I pointed the camera in a random direction and pushed the button, setting off the flash, then a black film emerged from the camera after a pause. We waited for a bit, then the film gradually revealed the shot I’d taken moments before.
“Ah! Interesting. So it copies scenery onto paper,” observed Sensei.
It wasn’t actually paper, but I was impressed by how quickly she’d figured out the camera’s function, considering photographs weren’t even a thing in this world.
“But how is this gonna help us?” she asked.
“We’re gonna take pictures of wraiths with it!” I said. “Come on out, ghosts! Now’s your chance! I welcome you now and now only!”
“Easy to say when you’re hiding behind me. You really are a coward.”
I couldn’t help being scared of scary things. The strong wouldn’t be afraid to admit things like this—though I fell under the “weak” category.
I continued calling out to the monsters while staying behind Sensei. It didn’t take long before a Slender—which I hated with every fiber of my being—responded.
“Aaaaaah!” I shouted. “Get your stupid face outta here! I wasn’t calling for you!”
I felt like I was gonna faint.