Chapter Twelve, in which my Life Decides it can Afford to Have a Few More Ghosts in It

* * * *

I wiped my face, hands, and hair as best I could with a rag I kept in my pack, but nothing short of ten or twenty baths was going to make me feel even remotely clean. Unfortunately I had a whole lot of other issues to deal with first—and they all had to do with ghosts.

I sat down, feeling sick from how drenched in blood my body and kimono were. Granted it wasn’t real blood, so I was probably going to be all right—and if the stuff was bound to fade away in time then in theory my clothes would be okay too. I still intended to change into my spare kimono in the meantime, but first I had to speak with the shrine maiden.

“Are you all right, Akita-san? I take it you were the one who managed to seal the door there. I certainly didn’t know which of your ofuda to use, or their accompanying mantra.”

It took a while, but eventually a voice in my head responded. Yes. I didn’t understand what was going on, but I knew we were being followed by Mishima-san. I had to act quickly…

“It worked, so I’m glad you did,” I said. “Also, probably thanks to you, I can sense the ghost’s presence just outside the door.”

He’s waiting, Akita-san said. He has to build up his strength again before he can try to remove the sealing.

“So we have some time to come up with another plan.” I folded my arms and wondered just how I was going to get out of this mess. But before I could decide where to go from here, I needed to make sure I had everything straight concerning the shrine maiden.

“You can stop possessing me now, Akita-san. I’d rather speak to you face-to-face, if that is still manageable.”

The shrine maiden stepped out, appearing just in front of me with her back to me. She turned around and sat down, her face and hair dripping with blood. I gave her a rag, and she made a brief effort to clean herself off. She looked on the verge of tears for a moment, but seemed to fight back with an ever more cross and stern countenance.

“I don’t understand,” she said once I sat back down. “Why… am I a ghost?”

“You don’t know how or when you died?” I asked. I had a strong suspicion I knew the answers for those questions, but I was surprised Akita-san was unaware of what she was in the first place. “I had assumed you were just hiding it from me.”

“No. I never died. I couldn’t have. I would know that. I was just on my way here. I came to deal with the ghost at this mansion. How could I die? I can’t die yet. I can’t let everyone down. It’s finally time for me to prove myself. I have to rid my family line of this mansion’s curse. The ghosts… I’ve been preparing for years to deal with them. They’re suffering. Everyone’s suffering.”

“Yes, and I think you’ve revealed why you’re lingering on,” I said. “You died, but you were so focused on this mission of yours that you simply couldn’t accept the fact you were killed. You couldn’t rest until your work here was done. You’ve been saying something to that effect this entire time I’ve interacted with you.”

“That…” Akita-san placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. “I remember coming here… I knew… I knew it was Mishima-san. I had figured that out, and I was so close to exorcising him. Was I just… not even good enough to manage this one ghost hunt?”

Tears formed in her eyes, clearly against her will, so she bowed her head and clenched her fists. It was impossible to imagine how she felt, having to come to terms with the fact that not only was she dead, she had died failing to do the very thing she had been working so hard for her whole life.

“I’m sorry,” I said. And I meant it. Though I had passed through a barrage of emotional events with Kijimuta-san the past few days, it didn’t make this situation feel any less painful. How long had this shrine maiden been struggling to free the mansion of its impurities, completely unaware of the fact she was a spirit herself? She was bound to this mansion just as much as Mishima-san.

“I don’t get how I could be…” Akita-san began, but she had trouble finishing it. She shut her eyes tight to force the tears out for a moment, then sat up straight with an air of sheer defiance.

“How could I possibly be dead?” she yelled. “How could I possibly be here, breathing, talking to you, doing everything a shrine maiden can, and not be alive? I may have been killed, but I can’t just lie down and die! I won’t settle with becoming some pathetic, lowly spirit! As soon as I deal with Mishima-san, I need you to exorcise me! Can you do that, Onmyoji-san?”

“We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” I said. “And I imagine your attachment to this world will dissipate once you have dealt with Mishima-san, assuming that is who we’re dealing with.” It was clear the ghost was dressed as a priest, but I wasn’t about to take anything for granted at this point. For example, there was a chance the ghost was the first priest—Mishima Takumi—who was killed by the onmyoji about a century ago. Though arguably less unfortunate than his brother’s subsequent death, it could still be considered entirely tragic.

“The ghost is definitely Mishima Ichiro,” Akita-san said. “I had figured that much out at least.”

“But you don’t even remember being killed by him.”

Akita-san frowned. “You think that’s what happened then?”

“Yes, I’m almost certain you must have drowned in his blood about fifty years ago. When you were concentrating on the topic of blood and Mishima-san, that triggered some subconscious reaction on your part. The whole ordeal with you coughing up blood.”

Akita-san looked like she had an epiphany when I explained this. “Ah, you’re right! He did do that… Once I made the ghost visible to me, he ended up doing that… How did you guess all this?”

“The pieces came together when you were bound by the ofuda,” I said. “Your ofuda bind spirits, not living people. But before that there was also the fact you couldn’t leave this mansion. I witnessed a very similar experience with another spirit at this mansion. She had become bound to the mansion somehow—probably an effect of Mishima-san’s lingering presence. But at any rate I was able to bring the spirit out by letting her possess me. That’s what gave me the idea for getting you out of that room.

“But looking back now, there were other hints, such as the fact you were already here at this mansion even though I never heard your arrival—and you likewise hadn’t heard mine. I’m going to guess you only awoke when Mishima-san made his return, as you sensed his presence. You also wouldn’t drink the water I offered you after you coughed up all that blood.” There were also her exaggerated personality traits, and her deep focus on the attachment which caused her to become a bound spirit in the first place. I didn’t want to incite her with such facts now, however.

“I do have a few questions though,” I added. “First of all, I don’t understand why I’ve been able to see you this whole time.”

“You’re an onmyoji, aren’t you? You’re supposed to be able to see spirits.”

Maybe so, but the fact was I couldn’t.

Akita-san went on. “I probably could have rendered myself invisible, since I’m a shrine maiden and have apparently had fifty years to continue building upon my innate spiritual powers. But I wasn’t aware that I was a spirit, unlike Mishima-san.”

And he had a hundred years to work with. I supposed there was some sense to this—if Akita-san had a connection with spiritual elements before she died, perhaps that enabled her to be visible to other people, and to even interact with them. The fact she thought she was still alive the whole time likely played a role in that as well. And then it was probably also important to note she was a bound spirit rather than a wandering one, which was a key difference between her and Kijimuta-san. Once Kijimuta-san’s home was burned down, she became a wandering spirit—at least until she was bound for a brief time at this mansion. But that didn’t last long, and she never had an affinity for spiritual matters—nor had she ever convinced herself that she wasn’t a ghost.

“All right, so I grasp you being visible and Mishima-san being invisible,” I said. “You thought you had just arrived to exorcise the impurities of this mansion, so you weren’t about to do anything ghost-like yourself.”

“What bothers me though,” Akita-san said, “is how you were fooled this long. Could you not sense I was a spirit at all?”

Fortunately I had a good excuse for this mix-up. “I was confused because the priest at your village told me a shrine maiden was on her way to this mansion to deal with a ghost. I decided to head back to inform her I had already freed the spirit in question. The priest said her family name was Akita, so when you responded to that name I assumed you were that shrine maiden. Apparently she hasn’t arrived yet though, which makes sense since the priest said she tends to get lost easily.”

“My family name is Akita though, so you were right to call me that.”

“Which also makes sense, since the priest told me his grand-aunt had been killed at this mansion. The cause of death was unknown, but I think it’s safe to say you drowned—a fate nobody would have guessed if they simply found you lying in the middle of a room somewhere, with no sign of you actually being harmed. Any ghost blood on you likely faded away by the time anyone showed up to check on you.”

Akita-san shook her head miserably. “It’s really been fifty years then…”

“The shrine looked like it was in good condition,” I said. “I don’t know much about your family line, but the current priest at least seems to be doing well.”

She smiled a little at this, but it was a rather sad look for her. “What was the shrine maiden’s name?”

I tried to remember. “Akita Mi-something. Mitsuki? Mizuki? Maybe Miu?”

“Well, I’m Akita Kazue. From now on I’ll give people my full name, to avoid confusion.”

“It’s possible your next generation relative will show up at some point, but again the priest did say she takes a long time to get anywhere. I don’t think we can hold out and hope she comes in to save us at the last minute, as convenient as that would be.”

“Yes, and Mishima-san is probably more determined than ever now to wreak havoc to this place. The source of all his misery.”

“Is there anything more you can remember regarding his death?” I asked.

The shrine maiden leaned back and placed her hands on the floor to either side of her. “It’s difficult to remember many details… I was simply told the story of what happened. There was nothing to read about it, and I don’t recall getting any answers from Mishima-san’s ghost.”

“Do you know how he killed himself?”

“He had a sword, so he committed seppuku.”

Stabbed himself through the stomach. That did seem to fit his character, from what little I knew of him.

“Do you know anything about the onmyoji he killed? The man responsible for his brother’s death?”

“Not really. I can’t even remember the onmyoji’s name… I think it had the kanji for leaf in it. Leaf and a thousand. Or maybe the other way around. So probably Chiba.”

I wished there was more than that to work with, but I felt there was some significance to this name. Had I heard it before? I had heard many stories of various ghost hunters over the years, but I wasn’t sure I had heard of this particular man before.

“If we knew more about the circumstances behind Mishima-san’s death, there’s a chance we’d be able to help him,” I said. “But maybe he’s beyond saving at this point.”

“Exorcising him is saving him,” Akita-san pointed out.

I knew that, but I still wanted to believe there was a way to reach this ghost, the way I had been able to reach Kijimuta-san—and now Akita-san, too.

“Are you sure you wish to exorcise him though?” I asked. “The fact is… once Mishima-san is gone, this mansion will finally be cleansed. You will no longer have your reason for lingering on.”

“I know,” she said. “I am ready to pass on, Tsunoda-san. In fact, the sooner the better. I’d hate to turn into a vengeful yurei myself.”

And that was a point I felt was key for Mishima-san as well. Deep down, I didn’t think he wished to corrupt this mansion either. But he had to be dealt with somehow.

“Let’s get a plan put together then,” I said, standing up.

Akita-san quickly stood up after me. “Right! My soul won’t rest until this mansion is free of spirits. It’s what I died for, and I have to see this through to the end.”

“If Mishima-san is building up his power again, then now’s our time to act,” I said. “I have a plan forming in my head, but I’d really like to change first. Do you have spare clothes? I have a kimono in my pack, though I don’t know if that would work for you.” Mainly because she was a ghost. I really wasn’t sure what the status was of the various things she had been handling this whole time. I assumed there was a spiritual quality to the possessions she died with.

“Don’t worry, I packed another outfit,” Akita-san said. “I wasn’t sure how long I would be here when I left, after all.”

She ended up spending fifty years at this place, so it was a good thing she prepared at least a little bit.

Fortunately there was an ornate folding screen in the corner of the room, which could provide some amount of privacy. Once I got that set up, I let Akita-san change on one side while I changed on the other. We each had only a couple rags and some water from our canteens, but it was enough to get the majority of the blood off of us.

The whole while neither of us said anything. I had to admit I never expected I would ever end up undressing in the same room as a shrine maiden, but that hardly seemed strange at this point. Given everything that happened today and the past few days, it barely even registered as a memorable interlude.

* * * *

Once we were changed I took a look over all the tools we had at our disposal. We didn’t have the enchanted bow and arrow anymore, and most of the shrine maiden’s shikigami had been spent. Fortunately she still had her paper streamers to purify with, as well as her bell and staff for the miko’s kagura dance. There was no reason to summon Mishima-san now—but there was another ghost I was hoping to bring here.

“I mentioned a spirit I already dealt with at this mansion,” I said. “Would you be capable of summoning her?”

Akita-san walked over and stared at her tools, apparently contemplating something about them. “It might be possible. Is she associated with Mishima-san in some way?”

“No, not really,” I said. “I was hoping to speak with her though, and I think she might be able to help us out.” I was probably going to have to give good reasoning for bringing Kijimuta-san into this, but I hadn’t decided on the best course of action to take yet. I mainly just wanted to speak to her again, especially if this was the last chance I was going to get to do so. Either I was going to die in the next hour, or Akita-san was going to disappear following Mishima-san’s exorcism.

“My whole point of existing right now is to do away with spirits,” Akita-san said. “Bringing in another spirit is the last thing I wish to do. And it’s a moot point in the first place if you already exorcised her, so trying to summon her would be a wasted effort.”

I was afraid she was going to say that.

“Let me give you a little background at least. Kijimuta-san, the spirit I helped, was only lingering at this mansion by happenstance. She just needed to make amends with her parents, and as a medium I was able to transfer the things she wished to tell them before she passed on. In the meantime though, she took a liking for me and might be willing to return if that means spending some more time with me. And she will be instrumental in my plan to deal with Mishima-san.”

Akita-san turned around with her arms crossed, a trace of a smirk on her face. “I wouldn’t rely on a ghost like that. If this ghost left you willingly, doesn’t that mean she wasn’t so attached to you?”

I couldn’t help but look away. What she said was the same thing I had thought before. “I… don’t know. I was hoping to find out. It’s kind of difficult to say, since my job was freeing her from this realm in the first place, and she could never really be at peace if she lingered on forever.”

“So it all worked out then,” Akita-san said. “I’m sure she also felt it necessary to move on, if she was still of sound mind. Besides, there’s no reason for a ghost to grow close to anyone numbered among the living.”

I looked back to the shrine maiden and frowned. I already knew everything she was saying, but I couldn’t help but feel there was something wrong with it. “Kijimuta-san did grow close to me though. She said she wasn’t planning on it—that it was an act to get me to help her at first—but she meant it later on. She said she loved me.”

Akita-san looked like she was stifling a laugh. “Are you sure that wasn’t all just in your head? Maybe this ghost said some nice things to you, but any feelings you may have felt from her might have just been your imagination. Your type existed during my time as well, you know. Lone traveling onmyoji who walk outside of society, never able to fit in anywhere. So I can understand why you want to summon this ghost, but the fact is I only have so much spiritual energy left. You’ll have to do it yourself, if you’re that desperate. And if you succeed, I’m going to exorcise her myself as soon as you’ve finished your little talk with her—or at the first sign of danger.”

I should have expected this degree of resistance from someone like Akita-san, but we didn’t have time for this. I had to persuade her to cooperate with me quickly.

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“Akita-san, how about I make a deal with you,” I said. “I will set everything up to enable you to exorcise Mishima-san, so you can fulfill your one great desire. In return, all you need to do is summon Kijimuta-san for me. I can’t do it myself, so I need you to bring her to me. It will be worth your time and effort, because she will be able to guide Mishima-san to where we want him. But we need to start quickly, if we wish to use this chance against him to our advantage.”

The shrine maiden bit her lip and looked away from me. “You have a plan then?”

“I have a plan.”

“Fine, I’ll help you, but only on one condition,” Akita-san said.

“What’s that?”

“As soon as Mishima-san is exorcised, I will immediately proceed to banish this Kijimuta-san. If she has any connection with this place, I can’t risk her remaining to haunt people for centuries to come. I find it possible this spirit is using you, and had planned to return here from the very beginning.”

It was a stretch, but there was likely a lot more sense to it in Akita-san’s eyes than there was in mine. And if this was the only way to get the shrine maiden to work with me, then I had to accept her demand.

“All right, I will let you do your duty.” Upon agreement, my head filled with conflicting thoughts. Would I be able to tell Kijimuta-san everything I wanted to by the time Mishima-san was dealt with? What did I even want to tell her, anyways? It was probably cruel of me to bring her into all this in the first place… I was the one using Kijimuta-san at this point, and in all likelihood she probably wouldn’t take well to this sort of afterlife intervention at all.

But if there was a chance she wanted to stay with me, if only for a little longer… was there a way I’d be able to stop Akita-san? It was just one more thing for me to worry about—and right now I needed to focus on the much bigger problem of not being killed by an insane ghost.

“Good, then I will prepare for the summoning,” Akita-san said. “I can’t promise it will work though, if you are correct about the spirit’s attachment having already been resolved. I also have to question if this location will hold enough significance to her.”

“I believe it will,” I said. “This was the room where we first met, after all. And I can give you a memento you can use to channel her spirit.”

I opened my pack and pulled out the paper Kijimuta-san drew on. It was the picture of the two of us holding hands.

Akita-san accepted the sheet and looked it over with a raised eyebrow. “This is… cute.”

“I had to give her ink and a brush to keep her from drawing it in blood… She can control blood by the way, somewhat like Mishima-san. She’s a bit more artistic about it though.”

The shrine maiden didn’t look impressed. “There is one remaining issue. I rather doubt I will be able to serve as a vessel for this spirit, considering how I am a spirit myself.”

“You might as well guide her to me,” I said. “She’s possessed me quite a bit already, so there shouldn’t be an issue with her being able to adapt.”

Akita-san placed the sketch on the ground and tied her bell to the top of her staff. “Take a seat then, Tsunoda-san. As you alluded to earlier, this will take some time and effort. And for your sake, your plan had better work. You are the only one of us whose life is on the line.”

I wasn’t worried about my life at the moment, strangely enough. All I could think of at that point was the fact I was potentially about to speak with Kijimuta-san again.

What was I going to say? I felt anxious and ashamed at the same time, so much so it made me shiver and feel sick to my stomach. But that could have been because I was cold and stained in blood.

Or maybe I was just afraid. It was enough to make me almost want to back out of this makeshift plan of mine. But there was no turning back now.

We were going to be together again.

* * * *

Akita-san’s kagura dance lasted quite a bit longer than I expected, and it wasn’t particularly engaging, to be honest. For the most part, she simply walked from one point to another, taking careful and fluid movements with the pole she carried. At certain times she would ring the bell a bit more forcefully, which I gathered was her way of calling for Kijimuta-san.

I never sat through such a ritual before, but from what I understood it was typically performed to summon a kami. The deity could then speak through the shrine maiden and give the advice the villagers needed. Or perhaps just say what they wanted to hear; I had never placed significant thought on the various functions of shrines and temples. If Akita-san could manage to summon Kijimuta-san though, the ritual would be worth the wait.

In the meantime I tried to focus on how I was going to deal with Mishima-san. There didn’t seem to be an easy solution to that, so I tried running through all the facts I had learned about him and everything I understood about ghosts in general. Rather than rely on what I had read over the years concerning ghost hunting, I focused on the process I approached with Kijimuta-san. I came to an understanding of her situation through her memories. Was there something I could use here that would bring about such a result for Mishima-san?

I realized I did have the tools I needed to deal with this ghost—but this wasn’t going to be something I could manage on my own. I needed Kijimuta-san’s help to make this plan work. And with her help, we were going to be able to make the path Akita-san needed to accomplish her final task.

With the basics of my plan formulated, I turned my attention back to the shrine maiden. Though her dance in general seemed to be planned-out and well-rehearsed, there was still a natural elegance to the way Akita-san held herself. It contrasted with the way she more typically acted, but I had to recognize that her behavior was surely affected by her being a ghost focused on one single attachment for so many years.

At last she set the bell and staff down, and in its place picked up her stick of paper streamers. She knelt down in front of me and proceeded to take long, slow strokes to brush my body off with the zig-zagging tassels. It was an act of purification to prepare me for receiving a spirit. It perhaps wasn’t necessary in this case, given how Kijimuta-san had possessed me without any trouble before, but in theory it was still a way for the shrine maiden to mark where the spirit should go upon summoning.

When Akita-san finished, she backed up a few paces while still kneeling, maintaining stoic composure. She set the paper streamers down and straightened her back, her face as calm as a gentle sunrise. It was a very odd look for her.

Is she done yet? asked a voice in my head.

I smiled. “Yes, if you’re here then the ritual is complete, Kijimuta-san.”

Great! How are you doing, Naoki-kun? She sounded absolutely ecstatic. I assumed that meant she didn’t mind being brought back here.

“She’s here?” Akita-san asked.

“I’m… Yes, she’s here.”

When I left, I was hoping I’d be able to talk to you again someday, Kijimuta-san said. I couldn’t just come back on my own though. I think that core part of me just… wished you would want me to return, I guess.

It only took me a moment to realize how much sense that made. Kijimuta-san had made it clear multiple times how she felt about me. But she couldn’t stick around as a ghost if I didn’t actually want her to. I had convinced myself that she needed to leave, and by the time we reached her parents she had become convinced of that as well.

And perhaps that was what needed to happen. But perhaps what needed to happen could wait.

“I was hoping to talk to you some more too,” I said. “I felt like there was… more to say.”

Akita-san’s expression had grown considerably less calm since Kijimuta-san’s arrival. “Will she be able to help us?”

“Let me… speak with her,” I said, having to word my response carefully. I got up so I could stand a ways from Akita-san, seeing how it felt strange to carry on a conversation with Kijimuta-san while the shrine maiden sat right in front of me. I wasn’t going to be able to leave the room, so I had to accept Akita-san was going to hear my half of the conversation.

Who is she? Kijimuta-san asked.

“A shrine maiden named Akita-san. She performed the ritual to summon you here.”

She did, didn’t she? I was surprised by that. Were you not able to summon me yourself then, Naoki-kun?

I stood still, my hands behind my back. What was I supposed to say now? I had wanted to speak with Kijimuta-san again, but what did I want to tell her?

That I was sorry?

I lied to her the entire time I was with her, of course. Did it matter that she didn’t know everything about me? Perhaps not, but it felt wrong to let her leave with such a false impression of me. I never used a single onmyoji technique to help her, and the whole time she accepted me as a ghost expert. And now here I was, needing her help, since I couldn’t deal with the threat of an actual vengeful ghost myself.

“Kijimuta-san, I’m not really who I’ve claimed to be,” I said. “Your understanding of me was… disjointed… from the very beginning. And the way I interacted with you remained deceptive, all the way to your departure.”

I don’t understand, Kijimuta-san said, sounding a little worried. What do you mean?

I didn’t look back, but I could hear Akita-san standing up a ways behind me. “What do you mean, Tsunoda-san?” she echoed.

I didn’t respond to her, but instead simply focused on Kijimuta-san. I had to set everything straight with her, even if it meant she’d hate me for it. The possibility made my heart beat faster, made it difficult to breathe. But I had to tell her now, even if it made her sad. And that possibility only made me feel worse. I wanted to back down and say I had made a mistake, that I didn’t know what I was talking about. I didn’t want to take away any of the peace Kijimuta-san had finally achieved after all that suffering she had gone through. The person she had pinned all her hopes on to—a fraud? How could I tell her this now? How could I bring her back now, just to cause her more pain?

“Kijimuta-san… I am not a ghost expert.”

Eh?

That was all she had to say, and I wasn’t sure what kind of eh this reaction entailed. My heart beat ever faster.

Akita-san added in a terse “What?” before Kijimuta-san said anything more. There was a long pause, and I had to just wait it out.

I don’t get what you mean! Of course you’re a ghost expert. You’re an onmyoji aren’t you?

“That’s what I tell people,” I said. “I was… never trained in the spiritual arts. And I had never encountered a ghost before you. I can’t perform any of the skills onmyoji are supposed to be capable of. I make my livelihood helping people who believe they are afflicted by ghosts—but they actually aren’t, so I just make them feel like the ghosts have been taken care of. Ghost stories have become incredibly popular in recent years, so I’ve taken advantage of that trend to make a living. I’m really just a placebo effect expert who has read some books and scrolls on ghost hunting and can put on a half-decent show. And nothing more. I guess this was something I needed to tell you before you left me for good. I’m sorry, Kijimuta-san.”

I expected there to be another long pause so Kijimuta-san could let this revelation sink in, but she responded almost immediately.

Huh? Really? That’s pretty clever of you, Naoki-kun! I had a feeling that was more or less how you started out though.

This wasn’t the reaction I expected at all.

But in hindsight… perhaps this was a thoroughly characteristic response for her.

“Are you saying you knew then?”

Oh, I didn’t know, but it was something I thought was possible—or even likely at times, since you were doing a lot of really weird stuff when we first met. So it’s not a surprise, even if I didn’t completely know it.

“And you’re… okay with that?”

I don’t think it’s a very big deal, Naoki-kun. Maybe you weren’t a ghost expert to begin with, but most people aren’t an expert at anything when they start out. I’d call you a ghost expert now though. You helped me out, didn’t you?

“I may have helped you, but that wasn’t on account of me being an onmyoji. That was me simply… going with the flow and piecing things together along the way.”

And it worked, didn’t it? I think it’s fine to do things your own way. And if you practice some more, maybe you can learn all the regular onmyoji things too? Don’t be so hard on yourself.

It was a bit bizarre to hear this coming from the likes of Kijimuta-san, but perhaps she understood this concept better than anyone at this point. I didn’t think I could ever really be considered a ghost expert, but…

Well, I was in the company of three ghosts. One of them I had already released from the attachment that tied her to this world. And I had put together a plan that would ultimately do the same for the other two. If everything worked out, perhaps that did all count for something.

And maybe it meant I really could live my life in a different way from what I planned.

“I’m surprised you’re sticking up for me like this,” I said, not able to speak in much more than a whisper. “Most people wouldn’t have been so forgiving in your place.”

You know how I feel about you, don’t you, Naoki-kun? I don’t know everything you’ve gone through in your life, but it’s not really possible to know everything about a person in the first place. I like you the way you are though. And I don’t think anyone else would have been willing to put up with someone like me for this long.

“That’s…” …the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me, I wanted to say. But Kijimuta-san had been saying nice things to me for some time now. This time, however, I was hearing her words a bit differently. The way I took it in… Everything felt different. “I don’t think anyone other than you would have been willing to put up with me this long either.”

Someone tapped my shoulder, and I almost jumped before I turned around. And then I almost jumped again, upon seeing just how furious Akita-san looked.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Why did you say you’re not an onmyoji? Are you telling me I’ve placed all my hopes on someone who’s supposed to deal with a ghost, but can’t deal with a ghost?”

“I’m sorry, Akita-san.”

“That doesn’t help,” she said. “You had me fooled, and more importantly you had Mishima-san fooled. I hope for your sake you can fulfill your side of our agreement. Mishima-san is active right now because you are here, you know.”

She was probably right. If Akita-san was awakened because Mishima-san was here, then in turn there had to be a reason for Mishima-san’s awakening. Had I put on such a convincing act of being a ghost expert, that even ghosts were seeing me as a genuine onmyoji?

Or was Kijimuta-san right about me having become a true ghost expert these past couple days?

Whatever the case may be, the fact was Mishima-san was here now—and he intended to kill any ghost hunters that entered his domain. I could only guess how many times this self-fulfilling cycle played out this past century. The people who lived in this mansion surely knew of the past ghost stories that plagued their home. The moment they had a suspicion they were being haunted, they would surely call for an onmyoji or someone from the shrine. And then the house really would become haunted for a time, as soon as the ghost hunters came to investigate.

“Don’t worry,” I told Akita-san. “My plan will work, even if I don’t know all the techniques of an onmyoji. In fact, I’m more confident than ever now.”

What’s happening? Kijimuta-san asked. Did she say there’s a… g-ghost here?

“I’m the only one here who isn’t a ghost,” I muttered. “A priest who died a century ago is haunting the mansion right now though. This shrine maiden and I have to exorcise him before he kills me or tries to seal Akita-san away.”

Sounds scary… Is there any way I can help?

I felt relieved that I didn’t even have to ask. “I believe there is, Kijimuta-san. In fact, let’s go ahead and get the plan underway.”

I turned to Akita-san and asked, “Is Mishima-san still waiting for us out there?”

Akita-san leaned her head toward the door a bit, but didn’t register any kind of reaction on her face. “I don’t sense his presence anymore. I imagine he backed away when I performed the kagura dance, since that could have disrupted his own efforts.”

“Kijimuta-san and I can go out that door then. All you’ll need to do is wait here, Akita-san, and when I call for you, you can come out with your paper wand to exorcise Mishima-san.”

“You make it sound so simple,” Akita-san said.

I had to smile at that. “My methods aren’t flashy, but they get the job done.”

* * * *