Mashiro and the Paranormal Livestream / Bad News for the Little Girl?
The puppets were simply longing for the girl, for the time they spent together in that room, and wanted to hold onto her—nothing more. Perhaps it was the girl's deep affection for them that gave the puppets new spirits and consciousness.
Their intense feelings for the girl drove them to action, but it was all just a dream; the girl was no longer there.
After countless years, the spirit, nurtured by emotions, awoke in a daze, but in this environment...
At that moment, upon seeing the girl's drawing, the puppet's spirit came to life. It remembered the girl's appearance and realized that the person on the bed was merely an ordinary doll. Everything they had done before was wrong and in vain.
Clatter, clatter...
The puppets inside the house stopped moving, lost their power, and sat motionless on the floor, returning to their original state. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes; puppets were never meant to move on their own, and this was simply a return to their original form.
The spirits within the puppets have fallen into a deep slumber. Perhaps one day, if someone feels lonely, they will be awakened once more. But for now... they lie quietly, peacefully... comfortably... entering a state of hibernation.
Although it's unknown whether the puppets' spirits dream, their expressions all seemed very peaceful. They were no longer wrinkled, nor did they have the previous dark and ferocious look with tightly furrowed brows. They had returned to the cute and simple appearance that little girls would like.
"It wasn't all for nothing. Your feelings, everything you've done, definitely have value somewhere," Mashiro said to the sleeping dolls.
Inside the House of Dolls, they defeated the doll monsters inside, and by the time everything was resolved, it was already afternoon.
"Humans and dolls really can't communicate," Mashiro said with some regret, squatting down and touching the scattered puppets on the ground with her pen.
"Then, let's go home," Shirou said.
"Hmm." Mashiro nodded and said.
"Unfortunately, we didn't encounter any real evil spirits this time," Shirou said.
"No, this experience was also very valuable, and I will use it in my future works. I want more people to know about Mr. Puppet's hard work." Mashiro shook her head and said.
Shirou nodded in agreement, "Yes! That's right, I'll try to go look for it too."
"Hmm?" Mashiro blinked in confusion.
As the two pushed open the door and walked outside...
At that moment, the door lock clicked automatically!
Shirou, on high alert, thought another ghost had appeared and was causing trouble! He instantly pulled Mashiro into his arms, Projection a long sword with his other hand.
"Ah..."
"Ah!"
The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man who looked somewhat familiar appeared, sporting an exaggerated afro. It turned out to be the Explosion Head Uncle I had seen on television this morning.
They blocked the entrance from both sides, staring at each other.
"Hello..." Shirou quietly deactivated the Projection sword in his hand and greeted the other party.
The Explosion Head Uncle outside saw Shirou and Mashiro, scratched the back of his head, and said in a nonchalant tone, "What? Someone's already come to explore. If nothing happened, does that mean this place is fake?"
"How's it going, Explosion Teacher?" asked the cameraman carrying the camera outside.
The man with the afro turned around and said, "It's nothing, just some young people adventuring here. It doesn't seem like there will be anything spectacular today, but let's proceed according to plan."
"Really? No problem! Let's make up for the rest with everyone's efforts! Props team, please follow up!" the director chimed in, then called out to the people in the car not far away.
"Yes, yes!" A group of staff carried various props used in horror movies into the House of Dolls. Everyone moved very skillfully, obviously having done this more than once or twice.
They are preparing for tonight's live broadcast.
Chapter 839 Mashiro and the Supernatural Live Stream
The rest of the TV station staff went inside the House of Dolls to inspect it, leaving only the Director team outside with the tent set up. A chubby man emerged from inside; he was the program's Director. He called out to the Explosion Head Uncle, "Explosion Teacher, tonight we'll be relying on your acting skills too!"
"Sure thing! My acting skills are professional-level!" the Explosion Head Uncle replied with a smile.
"But this place is pretty eerie. Are there really no ghosts or monsters here?" The Director peered into the strangely decorated house and asked with some concern. As the Director of a paranormal program, he was the kind of person who had encountered ghosts while walking alone at night, so he still believed in the psychic abilities of the Explosion Head Uncle and others.
"Director, you can tell what's going on just by looking at these two young people who came here on adventure. If there were really any danger inside, they wouldn't have come out so energetically," the man with the Explosion Head Uncle said, pointing at Shirou and Mashiro.
"Hahaha, you're right. As expected, Explosion Teacher is different from those fake spirits; he's very reliable." The Director glanced at Shirou and Mashiro, his eyes lit up, and then he laughed in agreement.
"Hahaha, of course! Director, you don't need to worry. My inspiration is among the best in the entire Japanese Psychic Association, but there's a barrier between the human and underworld realms. For a spirit to meet a human, there's a compatibility issue. It's not something you can just do whenever you want. If it were me, I'd probably have a one-in-three chance! The other weaker spirits sense my powerful energy and all hide and run away! Wahahahaha!!!"
'No, no... My child here is 100% a summoner. If possible, I'd really like to switch with you, Uncle. But speaking of which, your show is definitely made with special effects, isn't it?' Shirou thought to himself.
The Explosion Head Uncle glanced at Shirou, seemingly noticing his gaze. Although he didn't know what Shirou was thinking, he still felt a little annoyed. So he spoke in a lecturing tone, "But speaking of which, young people these days are really reckless. If you're so eager for excitement, how about going to a love hotel? Going to places where bad things might happen will only bring you bad luck someday."
"There are genuine items here," Mashiro said, a little slow to react.
"Huh?!" The Director and the man with the Explosion Head Uncle Mashiro surprise.
"The rumors are indeed true." Although Shirou didn't want to get involved with these people, since Mashiro had said it, he could only help explain.
"Huh? The real thing? Wasn't it said that when we came in, there would be a strange-looking puppet butler to greet us?" The Explosion Head Uncle looked around and said doubtfully.
"Yes, because the matter has been resolved, the spirits of the puppets here have let go of their obsession with their master, so things have calmed down now and they shouldn't cause any more trouble in the future," Shirou explained.
"An obsession with one's master..." The Director nodded, resting his chin on his hand; Shirou's words seemed to have given him some inspiration.
"Kid, do you mean you solved the paranormal events here?" The Explosion Head Uncle laughed and asked Shirou.
"No, I only let the puppets know the truth; they chose to fall asleep on their own," Shirou said honestly.
"Huh? Pfft~ Hahahaha! Do you still want us to invite you, this psychic genius, to help us solve the paranormal events in this house?" The Explosion Head Uncle blinked, then chuckled, and then burst into laughter.
He was laughing because Shirou was pretending to be a ghost, probably hoping that if he succeeded, he would be noticed by the production team, invited to be a guest on the show, and eventually become famous and a big star.
"I've already said the matter is resolved. Now, all the puppets need is peace and quiet," Shirou said calmly.
"Haha, you're so young. These young people nowadays really have no bottom line when it comes to fame. Don't try to show off your limited skills in front of a true expert like me." He just thought Shirou was a young guy trying to save face in front of his girlfriend.
"Think what you want! Oh, and... please don't damage the facilities inside, and don't touch the puppets on the second floor. This house still has an owner." Shirou thought for a moment and then reminded them.
"Anyway, it's an empty house that hasn't been returned to for almost ten years since I went abroad. I don't need your opinions. Hurry up and get out of here, you clueless brat. I'm the expert in this field!" The Explosion Head Uncle glared at Shirou and said with a mocking smile.
"If you're going to stick to your own opinion, then so be it." Shirou pulled Mashiro away from there. He wasn't someone who cared too much about what others thought, and he probably wasn't qualified to preach any grand principles to others. It was just his personality; he couldn't help but lecture those close to him.
The two sides couldn't agree on anything, and so they passed each other by.
However, the chubby Director next to them came out and caught up with Shirou and Mashiro with a smile.
"Hello, we're from CH TV! I'm the Director of this program. I think you two have great looks. If you have the chance, you can apply to our station. We hope to see you on the show someday." The director said with a smile. Although the program is currently supported by paranormal professionals like the Explosion Head Uncle, regular guests can be added or changed. After all, the primary task of making a program is to attract viewers, so they would be happy to have more attractive young men and women join.
"Ah, thank you, I'll take the business card." Shirou took the business card and replied. Although he had absolutely no interest in it, since the other party had already handed him the card, he politely accepted it, but he didn't intend to leave his contact information.
"Then we'll be leaving now, goodbye." Shirou pulled Mashiro aside, said goodbye to the Director, and left.
"Hehe, okay, goodbye." The Director smiled indifferently. He was just looking for guests who could bring ratings to the show, but he hadn't decided whether to actually invite them, so he wasn't insisting.
In fact, Shirou's nonchalant demeanor actually made the director think more highly of him. Perhaps this young man truly possessed real talent. The Director watched the young couple leave, silently contemplating this.
Chapter 840 The Little Girl's Tragic News?
Red and gold clashed incessantly in the sky, the wind squeezed the clouds, birds clutched insects and flew back to their nests to hide, and then... the purplish-gray night covered everything.
In this sparsely populated place, a dark shadow lurked, a ghost that shouldn't have been there. Its skin was translucent, seemingly there yet not there, before finally solidifying into a terrifying form. The Slit-mouthed Woman, Himeko, and all sorts of other monsters and ghosts appeared one after another, their numbers constantly increasing.
However, the homes of humans were also brightly lit, and the hotels and restaurants on the streets were bustling with activity. As for what was happening in the dark places, basically no one knew. Although darkness and light were mixed together, they each had their own lively atmosphere.
Meanwhile, in Shirou and Mashiro's home, the lights were on. In a room on the second floor, Mashiro sat at her workbench, diligently sketching her day's events with her pen. She wanted to do something for those lonely puppets. Shirou, in fact, felt the same way.
That evening, a thrilling live broadcast of a large-scale supernatural adventure was broadcast on TV, and the Explosion Head Uncle that Shirou and Mashiro had encountered in the afternoon appeared on the big screen.
"This episode is unexpected! It's about the urban legend that's recently gone viral online: a haunted house where no one is inside, but the puppets move on their own!"
"According to our on-site investigation, we found that this house may be a curse left by a sick girl who died in this house. Because of her loneliness, her pitiful soul, and her attachment and resentment towards the human world, she was unable to become a Buddha."
So it took up residence inside the puppet's body, controlling other puppets and constantly luring humans into the house to become its new companions! Now, let our exorcism expert, Mr. Afro, lead us on an adventure inside!
The program featured a deep male voice narrating the introduction.
At this moment, at the entrance of the House of Dolls, the Explosion Head Uncle was standing at the door, waiting for the signal from the Director team that everything was ready.
Today, he's taking several guests inside for an adventure. Inside are popular young actors who play the male lead in TV dramas, as well as famous female idols from an idol group of over forty members. Since it's been confirmed that it's safe inside, all he has to do is cooperate with the props team and perform.
However, this also means that he, as an expert, will have much less screen time. In such low-risk situations, in order to ensure viewership ratings, the production team will invite guests who can attract fans.
Sure enough, the TV station's live camera was pointed directly at the handsome men and beautiful women in the rest area's tent.
"Don't worry, Miss Saki, I'll protect you!" the young male actor comforted the female idol beside him.
"Thank you, Yuma-kun!" The female idol said to the male actor with an admiring smile, her hands supporting her chin.
The man with the afro curled his lip. He had already seen more handsome and good-looking young men than these two that afternoon.
At that moment, a flashing signal light appeared behind the camera.
"Alright! Let me, Explosion Head Uncle with the afro, deliver this poor girl's soul!" The TV played rousing background music. Explosion Head Uncle long cape, grabbed the rosary hanging around his neck, raised it high above his head, and shouted with high spirits.
In the living room, Sengoku Chihiro, who was eating dinner and drinking, was watching TV when she asked her cousin, "Ah! Isn't this the place you went to today, Mashiro?"
"The program we're seeing is different from what we've seen." Mashiro nodded, then shook her head, saying with some confusion.
Even though the spirit inside the doll had clearly stopped causing trouble and was completely asleep, the television still broadcast footage of the doll attacking humans, only to be exorcised by the Explosion Head Uncle with exaggerated exorcism gestures. However, the program, for the sake of sensationalism, still had the Explosion Head Uncle perform the exorcism, and then heavily promoted his achievements on the show.
"Ah, so this is what TV programs are all about. It's all the same old formula. It's nothing special. If everything were to be realistic, no one would watch it," said the older cousin, taking a sip of her drink.
"Ugh... I already told him to stop talking nonsense. Is this kind of irresponsible behavior really okay?" Shirou said, frowning.
"Huh? What's going on? Isn't that an empty house?" Sengoku Chihiro raised her eyebrows and asked in confusion.
"Because that girl is still alive." Mashiro and Shirou spoke at the same time, revealing the truth.
Yes... there were signs of packing in the girl's room, and the water and electricity hadn't been cut off. The production crew completely missed this crucial detail; the others...
On the morning of the second day, Shirou received a commission to investigate and obtained the results.
Actually, before watching TV last night, he had already investigated the family through Inujin's connections and eventually found information about the owner of the House of Dolls. Since the owner had only gone to America to do big business and wasn't hiding, he quickly obtained their contact information.
It's currently a little past 8 AM in Japan, which would be around 7 PM in the US. If you're going to school or work, you'd probably be home by now.
"Oh dear," came the voice of a kind and gentle woman on the other end of the phone.
"Excuse me, are you Auntie from the Sabou family? My name is Shirou Emiya, and I'm actually looking for my daughter," Shirou said.
"Haha, you jest. I'm Yoshida, a maid from the Sabou family. You sound like a very young master. Could you be a friend of the young lady from her time in Japan?"
"Excuse me, Aunt Yoshida, it's been a long time. Actually, Sabou left something with me back then, and I only found her contact information today, so I wanted to contact Sabou to confirm it," Shirou replied. Of course, the thing he left behind referred to the dolls that missed the little girl.
"Well, I didn't expect Miss to have a boyfriend in Japan. It's rare that you still think of her, Young Master. But she's not home right now," the maid said teasingly.
"Um... how is Sabou doing?" Shirou asked.
"Thank you for your concern, young master. Actually, young lady..." The maid paused for a moment for some reason.
"..." Shirou's heart skipped a beat. Was his guess wrong? The little girl's wardrobe had many empty shelves, clearly indicating a large amount of clothing had been removed—enough for a long-term trip. Therefore, he deduced that the girl had moved. Could it be that the girl's illness had worsened after the move?
Chapter 841 Miss Alice
At that moment, on the other end of the phone, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the villa where the maid worked. A tall, stylish, and beautiful woman, who looked like a college student, walked in and asked the maid, "Good evening, Aunt Yoshida. Who's calling at this hour?"
"Ah! Welcome back, Miss. This is your childhood friend from Japan, he's a boy," the maid said with a mysterious smile.
"Classmate?" The woman blinked in confusion. Because of her illness when she was a child, she had hardly attended school and had never made any close friends.
"Here, take the phone." The maid eagerly handed the phone to the young lady.
"Hello, this is Alice from Sabou. May I ask who you are...?" The woman answered the phone, asking with a puzzled look.
"You're alright? That's great." Shirou breathed a sigh of relief. His guess was right; the little girl the dolls longed for was indeed still alive.
"What's going on? Who are you? When did we meet?" The woman sensed something was wrong and asked with a frown.
"First of all, congratulations on your recovery. Who I am is not important anymore. Actually, I'm just here to remind you of something important that you've forgotten. You can go online and watch the paranormal adventure program on Japan's H TV. The answer I'm going to tell you is there," Shirou said.
The little girl from that time was later sent to the United States. Japan's basic medical welfare is among the best in the world, especially in cancer prevention and treatment, where it has achieved the highest level of excellence. Benefiting from this, the Japanese have become one of the countries with the longest average life expectancy in the world.
However, when it comes to top experts, cutting-edge equipment, and the latest drugs, the United States is still the place to go, provided you have enough money.
When the little girl was in elementary school, her parents sent her to a major hospital in the United States for more than three years of treatment, and she eventually recovered.
However, she had gotten used to life there by then, so she simply settled down in the United States with her parents. She was still very young at the time and had been suffering from illness, so she didn't remember much about her family.
As she was able to go to school, realize her dreams, and make good friends, the puppets of her childhood were gradually worn away by time amidst the monotony of treatment, games with friends, and the busyness of schoolwork.
Although they were very precious at the time, how many children can actually keep their favorite childhood toys and cherish them for a lifetime?
Now she has grown into a very graceful young woman, and she has a lovely name in America: Alice.
This puppet house was originally maintained by a nanny because it was where the little girl lived, but after the daughter was taken to the United States, it was simply left vacant.
As the girl's parents' business grew larger and their work became busier, they simply didn't have time to manage the property, nor were they willing to sell it for a small amount of money. Therefore, the property remained in the family's name, though they had no idea it would become a haunted house in urban legends.
The girl has grown up and is now a student at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (Rhode Island). During her studies, she has completed several works and is now a well-known doll maker in the American art and design community.
She has now established her own studio, designing all kinds of high-end and exquisite dolls. From the torso, face, and clothing, everything is designed by herself and made entirely by hand. The finished works can sell for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of US dollars, which is completely different from the Barbie dolls that cost one US dollars each in Chinese factories.