2-11 – Ghost Hunting! (4)
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 "Since it's Medium and we have a Ground Zero, the ghost is unlikely to leave the house. If you feel like anything's about to go wrong, run outside. No objections."

"Just ignore him... Ignore him..."

Syny paced around in a circle as Keith arrogantly drawled on about what to do next.

Of course, it was useful to have someone that was knowledgeable, but not at the expense of fun!

She wanted to play a horror game and figure out things herself. She wanted to have a special moment with Rae, and it was a huge bonus that Jish showed up. They could always look things up online if they ever got stuck. What was the fun of knowing everything?

She ignored the walking answer key and looked at Jisha instead. It was much more relaxing.

Unfortunately, Jisha looked like she was asleep with her eyes open.

"Okay, maybe that's *too* relaxed..."

Meanwhile, Rae vigorously nodded at everything Keith said.

"Make sure to always keep your light sources alive, whether it's a torch or a candle. It's not a complete failsafe, but it will prevent the ghost from sneaking up on you girls too fast."

"Mhm!"

"I’ll find clues around the house to determine exactly what kind of ghost it is. It could be a Residual-type, which means it won't leave the place it died. It probably died in or near this house, so I’ll have to be on the lookout for the spot."

"Yes!"

"It's also good that we have a Salt-"

"That's great! Let's go, Jish!" Syny said with her eyebrow twitching in frustration.

"Wait! Scion, I know you were cautious about splitting up earlier. What's gotten into you? This is the important part. We can't split up here."

Syny was struck with the same choice again. A scary ghost or an annoying chatterbox?

"Grrr..."

The ghost... was probably worse. Reluctantly, she decided to remain with the group. At least she wasn't stuck with the worst-case scenario - being alone with this guy.

"Keith," Jisha suddenly said.

Everyone turned to look at her with surprise. Jish spoke up on her own? Was she growing up? Sometimes Syny felt like an older sister or a mother - if Jish could overcome her social anxiety, how fulfilling would that be?

"Let's figure things out as we go along."

"What- What do you mean, Princess?"

"We're playing a horror game for a reason, right? What's there to be scared of if we know everything? I know you're trying to be helpful, but in this case... Just tone it down for us, okay?"

"Jish..."

Syny wiped fake tears from her eyes. That was such a long sentence! And all for her sake? How considerate! Jish was growing up!

"O- Okay. If you say so, Princess," Keith said, bowing his head slightly.

"Hm..."

Syny narrowed her eyes. Jisha could speak in long sentences now, but did she have a danger response to this kind of thing? Keith's behavior obviously just changed...

No matter. It was *her* duty as the social butterfly to pick up on these cues and keep the KY* safe!

"So..." Keith's voice trailed off.

Syny took advantage of this to take the reins herself!

"Jish, Rae, let's go!"

 

---

 

Rae was a bit conflicted. What would Keith say if she left him? Would he doubt her love for him? Ultimately, she steeled her resolve and chose to follow Syny into the house. After all, it was her decision to play Ghost Hunt alongside a friend, and Keith was only invited as insurance - someone they could lean on if things got *really* bad.

The four of them approached the house, and Rae had to careen her head backwards to see the tippy tops of it.

It was quite large for an above-ground structure from the early Industrial Age. Was it a mansion? Obviously, in the present day, mansions were quite a bit larger than this. However, the first Industrial Age was over 6000 years ago at this point, so this was quite an impressive structure.

The door was appropriately massive, reaching almost 10 metron in height.

*CREEEEEAK*

The rusty hinges complained as the rotten door slowly swung open.

A wide-open lobby greeted them. It was so vast that the feeble glow of their torches barely reached the farthest walls and ceilings.

A long, ornate carpet unfurled before them, stretching towards a wide staircase. It rose until it reached the back wall, splitting in two as one turned left and one turned right. In the right corner near them were some couches and a table adorned with a smattering of items.

Towards the left was another wide hallway that none of them could see the end of.

*SLAM*

""Eek!""

Rae jumped as the door behind them closed by itself.

"It's okay, it's okay..." she muttered to herself.

She had to prove to Syny that she could do her best to stay calm! As for the Princess... Rae had no clue what to make of her.

She looked back at Keith who was wearing an indiscernible expression. What was he thinking? She didn’t mess anything up, did she?

She shook her head and set her sights forwards. There was no need to rely on him right now! He was only there as a last resort, if things got really bad.

Right now, all they'd done was enter the house. How could she give up already?

"Let's go that way," Syny said, pointing towards the right.

No one objected; the items atop the table looked important. Perhaps they had some leads on what to do next?

Rae picked up a piece of paper laying next to a quill.

"'Please exorcize Rosewood's spirit...?' This is..."

It *was* a lead!

Apparently, this mansion currently belonged to an old man. He'd bought it for cheap and planned to live a quiet, retired life in the countryside, away from all the trouble. It was *suspiciously* cheap, but after inspecting the property, he couldn't find anything wrong with it.

However, it didn't take long for things to go amiss.

On the second night, laughter echoed through the halls. Of course, there wasn't anyone in the house but him, so he chalked it up to the wind.

His denial didn't make the laughter go away, though. It was only for brief moments during the night, but the sound was distinct - a cackle belonging to a young woman.

So, he went to investigate.

Where was it coming from? Sometimes it came from the dining hall. Other times it was near the harp in the lobby. And some days it was in the walls.

One night, as he’d do every night, he'd gone to wash up. This mansion was a fancy one. Its facilities included running water - a rarity.

He remembered this incident very clearly. The time he'd washed his face in the sink. His hands covered his eyes. Then, when he could see again - 

A face in the mirror. Right behind him.

He spun around only to find nothing. He looked back into the mirror to find… nothing.

It was gone, but he *clearly* saw something, or some*one*, else in the mirror.

The laughter struck again.

He fled the house, fearing for his life.

After a brief look into the history of the property, he learned that it once belonged to an upper-class family called the Rosewoods, and nobody knew what exactly caused their disappearance.

One or more of the Rosewoods' spirits was wandering the home, and there was no way he could stay safe.

So, he'd called for an expert on paranormal matters, left this note, and went on holiday.

"'... I want to keep this beautiful house. I hope you can deal with this problem before I return. I'll reward you handsomely if you can. Signed - An old man who just wants to live in peace,'" Rae said, finishing reading the letter out loud.

"Oooh, spooky..." Syny said.

"We've burned our Torches' lives for nothing. What a waste of time," Keith complained.

Rae's heart shook.

"Waste of time?" she said. "So I read all that for nothing?"

She thought the letter contained some valuable information. Was she wrong? Maybe she *had* messed up, after all.

"Um, Rae, no... I-"

"It wasn't a waste," the Princess said softly. "That *was* scary."

"Yeah, come on, Mr. Know-It-All. It sets the mood. I'm spooked now too," Syny said, defending Rae. "Besides, there's not *no* information. Look."

Syny pointed to various parts of the letter.

"The dining hall, the harp, and maybe even the walls. Don't you think we can start there?"

Rae looked at Syny with shock.

"You're smart?"

"Wha-? Of course I'm smart!" Syny said, smugly crossing her arms.

Rae gave her a dubious glare.

"What?"

"Okay... I'll believe you..."

"I'm not dumb, Rae... Boo..."

Syny hung her head disappointedly while Rae awkwardly tried to comfort her… and herself.

When Keith said the letter was useless, Rae disagreed. However, she trusted her boyfriend so much that she subconsciously stamped out this sentiment. When Syny pointed out the clues, Rae was like... "why didn't I just say that?"

Was her love and trust in Keith clouding her judgment?

Rae knew she wasn't dumb. Maybe, just maybe... she could voice her opinion for real next time.

 

*KY = "kuuki yomenai" (空気読めない) Someone who can't read the room.

i'm a japanese beginner and this word was useful - rz

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