Chapter 2: Ghostly Shenanigans
I
Kotone woke up that morning to find the ghost hovering over her. She closed her eyes again. Was she dreaming? She had to be. It was the only rational explanation.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but please, I need your help!” said the ghost. “I really, really need your help! I wouldn’t bother you otherwise, but this is really important, and you’re the only person who can do this for me!”

“You’re not real!” Kotone shouted at the ghost. “Stop bothering me and go away already!”

“Please, just listen to what I have to say! I’ve been searching everywhere for a solution an-”

“No!” Kotone said, before she lashed out at the ghost again. Again it went flying through the wall.

After that incident, Kotone undressed from her pajamas and put on her sailor uniform, complete with the shirt, skirt, tie, and stockings that went with it. Once she was satisfied that the tie was knotted correctly in place and there was not a wrinkle anywhere to be found on her dress, Kotone ate a quick breakfast and went outside to meet up with Megumi, who was cheerily waving at her, as always.

“Hey Kotone-chan! How are you this morning?”

“Much better. I’m feeling charged up to do important things today.”

“That’s the spirit!” Megumi said, and they began walking towards the school together.

“So how was your night?” Kotone asked to spur on a conversation with her friend.

“Oh uh, you know, studying...the character dynamics in the various anime that I watch late at night?” Megumi said with a goofy smile on her face. “Oh, and did I tell you that Ayano-chan told my fortune? Everything was 100% correct! She even predicted the twists in the newest anime that were airing, as well! Isn’t that cool?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that it’s particularly amazing. Anime has become increasingly more predictable these days. Fortune-telling is a just scam that other people try to persuade other people into believing to make money off of them. There’s no such thing as being able to predict the future, that’s just silly.”

A draft whirled out of nowhere, and Kotone braced herself against the freak wind. Her hair streamed behind her, messing up the straight part she carefully combed. Her eyes then widened and she glanced down. She was wearing a skirt. The wind lifted up her skirt for all the world to see. A flush crept across Kotone’s cheeks, staining her cheeks a deep crimson red despite the fact she tried to remain as dignified as possible. She cleared her throat when she noticed Ayano approaching her.

“That’s fancy underwear that you’re wearing, Kotone-san,” Ayano said.

“S-Shut up!” Her cheeks reddened considerably.

“Ufufufufufu…”

A prominent chord stood out. Kotone’s eyes narrowed then darted back and forth between the white-haired girl and the seemingly empty space behind her.

“Ufufufu!”

Kotone gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. It’s probably that damned ghost from before. She shook her head. No, even if there was a ghost - which there most certainly wasn’t - she had another matter to attend to, such as the strange girl that caught her in an inopportune moment.

“Good morning, Ayano-chan!” Megumi said.

“Good morning. May I walk with you to school?”

“Of course!” Megumi said. “The more the merrier, right, Kotone-chan?”

“I suppose it’ll do no harm. Do what you like.”

Megumi wrapped her arms around Ayano’s shoulders and clasped her tight against her. “Thank you so much for telling my fortune yesterday! You’re like the most adorable fortune-teller ever!”

“My tiny size is full of concentrated cuteness,” Ayano said.

“Doesn’t she look just like a pretty little porcelain doll, Kotone-chan?”

Kotone rolled her eyes. “Sure, whatever.”

Kotone muttered something under her breath, still fuming about Ayano seeing her black laced panties. But it wasn’t enough for Kotone to acknowledge the spirit’s existence. Ghosts simply didn’t exist. What just happened was just an unfortunate incident. She would fix that soon enough. After all, she, Takada Kotone, was an industrious worker.

Once they made it to class, Kotone straightened into her seat and took out her notebooks and pencil. She would remind Ayano that she was a competent class president, that she knew her stuff, that she was an intelligent and well-educated young woman who was serious about her career.

“Today we’re going to learn about mitosis,” the teacher explained as he wrote down notes on the whiteboard. “Mitosis the process of nuclear cell division. The nucleus of the cell divides, resulting into two sets of chromosomes… And is so….”

Kotone went to write her notes down, but her pencil snapped cleanly in half. She ground her teeth together. A tic started to form in her right eye, though she took a deep breath. She had to keep her composure; it was a school environment, after all. She got out another pencil, but it too snapped when she tried to write down the notes. She swore something underneath her breath.

“Ufufufu...how do you like that?” said the ghost.

Kotone took out a pen and scrawled some notes down on a fresh sheet of notebook paper. Success! The pen didn’t snap! She allowed herself a quick smile. Ghost or no ghost, she would not be outwitted.

Her victory, however, was short lived. Her seat collapsed on one side, nearly toppling her over onto the white tile floor. Her hands slammed onto the desktop to brace herself from falling. This was just a minor setback. She still had things under control. She just needed to keep calm and maintain her dignity throughout this trial.

Yet the desk itself unhinged and collapsed onto the floor with a crash. Kotone knocked her head dead center in the middle of the desk. Her brain whirled in ever decreasing circles. What in the name of God, Buddha, or whatever entity out there had some vendetta against her for her lack of faith? She didn’t deserve this!

The seat made one final wobble before it too unhinged and collapsed. Kotone’s bottom bumped the floor. A jolt shot up on her tailbone.

“Takada-san, are you alright?” asked the teacher.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Except for her broken dignity. A series of unfortunate events happening one after another. She just couldn’t catch a break. Nevertheless, she had to remain calm. After all, she was the model student and class president.

Kotone caught a fleeting smile on Ayano’s lips. Was Ayano laughing at her misfortune? Her cheeks reddened again. Ayano would forever remember her as the girl whose skirt got flipped by a freak wind and wears fancy underwear.

“Takada-san, we will replace your desk and chair as soon as possible. For now, go to the infirmary and see if there are any bruises that need mended,” the teacher advised.

Kotone made her way towards the infirmary, where she explained the situation about a collapsing desk and chair. The nurse clucked her tongue sympathetically and bid Kotone rest a little while. She folded her hands upon her chest and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, there was the ghost, floating above her. Her smile was that of a cat who caught a canary. “Did you like my little performance back there? I could do all sorts of things with my ghostly powers. I wonder what I should do next…?”

“You’re being a nuisance.” She threw an arm across her eyes.

“Oh, I could be even worse than that. I could get nastier. Pretty soon I will be throwing furniture around the room, causing heavy machinery to accidentally drop on you when you least suspect it, and flickering the lights on and off. I could do those things, you know, but I haven’t needed to go to drastic measures.”

A sigh escaped from her lips. “What do you want from me? If you want me to say that you’re real, then you’re real. You’ve proven your point.”

The ghost floated down to the floor and put a spectral hand against Kotone’s bedside. “What I want is to move on from this place.”

“And how do you expect me to help you? Couldn’t you have gone to a shrine and have some spiritualist purify you or whatever? I don’t dabble in the supernatural.”

“I can’t exactly enter a shrine because I’ve committed a great crime in the spiritual world and you’ve drawn me.”

“What crime?”

The ghost averted her gaze and tugged at her braid. Was it Kotone’s imagination, or did the ghost shrink to a smaller size. The ghost paused for a moment, realized what she was doing and cleared her throat. “...I… I committed suicide.”

Kotone’s stomach churned when the ghost mentioned her suicide. The ghost must have summoned up a lot of courage to say that to her. Damn it! She had been so insensitive this entire time! She could’ve listened to the ghost in the first place, but she was so adamant against acknowledging the supernatural. Sometimes, Kotone’s stubborn nature got the best of her.

Still, she was no spiritualist. She was simply an ordinary sixteen year old girl that wanted to become a lawyer in America. Just what exactly could she do for this poor spirit? Even if she now acknowledged that the ghost girl was real, that didn’t make her an expert on the paranormal or ghosts. She dealt with the rational waking world rather than the deep subconscious of cyclopean menageries that dominated dreams.

“I don’t know what I can do, but I’ll try to help you,” Kotone decided. “I’ll try to think of a solution after school. But no more ghostly business!”

Hana put a hand to her face, eyes wide and shimmering. “I’m in you debt, truly. I shall leave you alone for now and let you think of how to let me pass on.”

The ghost girl then faded away into the background, blending into the colors of her surroundings. Kotone blinked, then shook her head. Just what was she going to do?

--x--

Kotone left school around 2:30 pm after catching up on her lost notes from Megumi. She thanked her friend for being diligent about her note-taking this time, even though the notes had distracted drawings of flowers and hearts on them. Still, it was better than nothing.

Once Megumi departed towards her house, Kotone felt a tug at the sleeve of her uniform. She turned to see little Ayano glancing up at her. “Can we talk a moment, Kotone-san?”

Kotone nodded. Just what she needed. If the girl really was a specialist in the supernatural, then she would prove to be a helpful ally. Kotone followed after her, preparing questions in her mind as they walked.

The area they went to was renowned for its parks, which were full of greenery and lush life that the elderly in the neighborhood enjoyed to spend their days there, along with the fresh clean air that embodied the atmosphere. Kotone would sometimes wander to these parks to clear her head and think.

Ayano sat on one of the empty swings in the park, swinging back and forth. “You can see ghosts, can’t you?”

Kotone’s muscles turned rigid and her feet became rooted to the spot. She paused, uncertain on how to best respond. Should she tell the truth, or should she come up with an evasive answer? Could she see the ghost as well? That was one thing that they shared in common, if it turned out to be true.

“Yes,” Kotone finally answered.

“I know the name of the ghost that is following you,” Ayano announced, her expression rather calm. “Hana Yurizuka.”

“Really now?” Kotone said and then a pain formed in the back of her throat. She never even asked for the ghost’s name. Who exactly was Hana Yurizuka? Why did she commit suicide? Had she been bullied to the breaking point? Did she simply get tired of living? Did something traumatize her so much that she believed that suicide was the only way out? Or did she lose everything that she had in life? Whatever it was, it made her stomach twist in knots.

“I can help you, if you wish,” Ayano said.

“You can?”

Ayano nodded. “I have a lot of experience with the paranormal. I have come to give you a forewarning, Takada Kotone.”

“And what would that be?”

Ayano turned to look at the infinite blue skies above them then glanced at Kotone with a somewhat sad gaze. Did the girl pity her? Did this girl, someone she hardly knew, actually pity her?

“There are so many futures and possibilities,” Ayano softly explained. “Overlapping one another, interweaving, converging and diverging into two different timelines, sometimes, three, four, and then they all merge together again. I’m not sure how to explain it all to you in this short amount of time. But your life is in danger, and I must do everything within my power to make sure that you survive. You are an important piece in all of this, my Catalyst.”

“My life is in danger? Everyone’s life is always in peril the day that they’re born. And you know what we do about it? We just live life the best we can, struggle through each second to second, make it through each day, rinse and repeat.”

“That’s admirable, but don’t be so hasty in risking your life. Your spiritual powers are awakening. That means more entities and the like will be attracted to you. I know that your heart is set on helping Hana, but once you delve into the paranormal, there’s no going back to a normal life.”

Kotone flinched upon hearing Ayano’s words. She would no longer be able to live a normal life? She wasn’t cruel enough to refuse help to someone who desperately needed it, though she wanted to live free of ghosts and spirits and the like. Hana was supposed to be a one-time thing.

“Why is this happening to me?” Kotone asked.

Ayano gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. “It’s because you’re my Catalyst.”

“Catalyst? What does that even mean?!”

“It means that you can change the fates and destinies of others. I myself am an Oracle. I can see the different timelines and possibilities that a future may hold. It’s constantly shifting, ever changing, though with you, I cannot see your future at all. You’re very interesting, Takada Kotone.”

“Why me, of all people!? Why do I have these spiritual powers? Why are these supernatural entities attracted to me?”

“You always had these great powers of yours. It’s just your stubborn nature and refusal to believe in the supernatural prevented you from seeing the spirits and ghosts that follow you around.”

“I haven’t changed at all! That’s ridiculous! What you’re saying is complete nonsense and I’m not going to stand for it! I’ve always been the same that I’ve always been, nothing’s changed. Even if these paranormal things are happening, I’m still me.”

“You’ve changed whether you acknowledge it or not. You are my Catalyst. It’s as simple as that. Whether or not you’ll prove worthy is a different matter, though I’ll give you some time to adjust. It is a rather life-changing experience, knowing that you can see ghosts and learning more about the spiritual world.”

Kotone paused for a moment and reconsidered everything that Ayano said. Then she stiffened.

“Today’s horoscope is very promising today. A Gemini like me will have influence over other people today, talking about my ideas and persuading others to see my point of view. As for you, it says that you, as an Aries, are subject to an eclipse. The eclipse is to bring your attention to important matters that you’ve ignored in your life, or things you’ve known about but haven’t acknowledged. Make sure to take advantage of this opportunity for self-realization.”

Could it have been Megumi who changed her? Megumi’s unwavering enthusiasm about the paranormal led to Kotone hearing about all kinds of horoscopes that were dictated by the stars, mysterious unidentified animals, good luck charms, and more. Did all of that have an impact on her thinking? It was too eerily accurate to be a complete coincidence, perhaps, though that’s probably all that it was. Maybe for a moment she foolishly believed in what Megumi had to say, and now that Ayano was telling her about all this, she was being subtly manipulated into believing these things were true and real.

“You can reveal yourself now,” Ayano said as she turned her gaze towards a seemingly empty space in the park. “I don’t have any intention of harming you.”

The air shimmered and then the ghost girl from earlier materialized into being. A downcast expression was on Hana’s face.

“I-I’m sorry,” Hana said while bowing towards Ayano several times. “I just couldn’t help but listen in. Though I suppose you knew I was here the entire time.”

“I’m an Oracle, most people can’t keep things hidden from me,” Ayano said. “Anyway, we’re going to put you to rest. But first, I must ask you one thing: Why did you commit suicide? Suicide is a permanent thing to a temporary situation. And you definitely left a mess behind for people to clean up afterward.”

“Ayano-san, are you trying to make her feel worse about herself?!”

Ayano glanced towards Kotone then settled her gaze on the ghost, who was now wringing her hands. “Suicide is a high crime in the spiritual world.”

“Even if it’s supposedly a high crime in the spiritual world, that was still pretty rude. Honestly, have some compassion for the poor girl. She has her reasons, I’m sure.”

“I’m not going to apologize for what I said. It’s the truth, and I believe in telling the truth, no matter how harsh it may seem.”

Kotone bristled at Ayano’s response, though she took a few breaths to ease her nerves. What she needed now was answers, answers that she could only acquire from this girl.

“So there’s a spiritual world after death?” Kotone folded her arms. “What is that like?”

“There is an influx of souls that are waiting to be reincarnated into their next life, or being judged for their crimes,” Ayano explained.

“What happens to souls that commit suicide?”

“They usually have to serve some karmic debt by performing deeds to pay off for their sins. They have to raise spiritual currency in order to reincarnate into their next life and hopefully not make the same mistake that they did before.”

“It’s true,” Hana said as she looked down onto the ground. “Sometimes souls are judged whether they go to reincarnate or whether they stay in the void for spiritual reflection. I wanted to pay off my karmic debts, though I was afraid that I would be sent to the void at first to confront my past and the reason for my suicide.”

“Reincarnate or go into The Void, huh?” Kotone said. “What’s The Void?”

“It’s what you would call going to Heaven or Hell, I suppose,” Ayano said. “That’s just a simpler way of putting it rather than saying reincarnation or being sent to the void. The spiritual court determines where you go after you explain your situation to them.”

“Spiritual court...?” Kotone perked up a bit. “Is there any way to travel to the spirit world if you’re still living?”

“There is a way,” Ayano answered. “It involves complicated magic that converts the person into ectoplasm temporarily to traverse the intangible world.”

“What happens if it doesn’t work?”

Ayano smiled grimly. “You could only become partially converted, which isn’t a pretty sight. When someone tried to Portal without the proper precautions, they found pieces of him scattered throughout seven parts of the world.”

Kotone’s hands trembled. Being found a mass of scattered body parts that had been dissolved or seemingly liquefied into a mysterious substance would not be a pretty picture at all. Still, she needed to go through with this. Even if the consequences were dire, she was no coward. She wouldn’t shy away from something like this if it meant helping a person who desperately needed it.

“Why don’t I do this for you, then, Hana?” Kotone said. “Why don’t I go to this spiritual court myself and act as your advocate to prevent you from going to the void? I can make some convincing arguments in your case.”

“You’d really do that? For me?”

Kotone nodded.

Hana smiled at this. “Alright, I shall tell you my story.”