Qian Xiaoyi kept working, his head lowered as he spoke unhurriedly. "I'm not familiar with the various schools of magic in Southeast Asia, but we have similar spells where I'm from. These kinds of wicked arts all follow the same basic principle: harming others to benefit yourself. This version of Raising Little Ghosts, using black Buddha amulets, follows a similar path. The wearer doesn't try to dispel the ghost's resentment. Instead, they find ways to make it more vicious, letting it affect the people around them to create the illusion of 'good luck.'"
Inuyama Heita stared at the jade pendant, confused. "It can really do something like that? It sounds unbelievable. How does it work, exactly?"
Qian Xiaoyi blew the sawdust off the wooden plaque in his hand. "It's simple. These little ghosts interfere with the emotions of people around their host. They might make them space out now and then, have nightmares and sleep poorly, or make the wrong choice when faced with a decision. It doesn't sound like much, but if the effects continue for a long time, people may find it hard to concentrate and start having what you'd call bad luck. They might trip, forget to turn off the gas, or leave their keys behind. Things like that can happen, and they'll only get worse.
"That's when the little ghost's host can take advantage. Since the other person has been affected by the ghost, they'll misjudge the host, pushing things in the host's favor. A gambler might lose big, for instance, or someone might suddenly find the ghost's owner very attractive. But there's a reason these are called wicked arts... Hey, assistant, help me move that table into the storage room. Just set the flowers aside."
"Oh, sure." Inuyama Heita looked where Qian Xiaoyi was pointing. A small table with a vase on it stood there. He moved the vase to the coffee table, then picked up the waist-high square display table and followed Qian Xiaoyi to the storage room. Qian Xiaoyi opened the door, revealing pipes running across the ceiling and all sorts of clutter piled inside. The storage room was cramped and had no light. A tangle of water pipes ran right overhead, low enough to hit your head if you jumped. There was just enough room for one person to squeeze through. Qian Xiaoyi cleared out the things inside, then motioned for Inuyama Heita to bring in the table and set it at the very back.
As soon as Inuyama Heita set the table down, he noticed dark brown stains scattered across the wall at the back of the storage room. They looked like something dirty had splashed against the wall, spreading out in a radial pattern. He asked, "Mr. Qian, there are obvious stains on the wall here. Could a pipe above be leaking? The shape is a little strange, though."
"That? No," Qian Xiaoyi answered from outside. "The pipes are fine. I checked. Those stains were left by the previous owner of this office. I heard the guy was a private investigator. He got caught up in some serious business and was killed in the office. You're standing at the murder scene. I guess the landlord figured no one would notice the back of the storage room, so he couldn't be bothered to repaint it."
"Huh?! A... a murder scene?!" Inuyama Heita stumbled back in fright, nearly falling over. He cried out in surprise, "S-someone died here?!"
"Where hasn't someone died?" Qian Xiaoyi said dismissively. "If this place weren't haunted, there's no way I'd have gotten such a great location near the Roppongi business district. Besides, don't forget that you can see ghosts. If the place were haunted, you'd have noticed by now, wouldn't you? So what's there to be scared of? And even if it really were haunted... don't forget what I do for a living."
"R-right." After hearing Qian Xiaoyi's explanation, Inuyama Heita felt a little calmer. He was still somewhat creeped out, but he understood that there really wasn't anything to be afraid of here.
"All right, come out. It's too cramped in there for two people." Qian Xiaoyi pulled him out, holding some things, then squeezed inside himself and instructed him, "It's too narrow to move around in here. I'll leave the toolbox by the door. Just pass me the tools; I'll handle the rest. Start by handing me the hammer and nails."
Inuyama Heita passed the tools in as instructed. Before long, the sounds of woodworking came from inside.
Qian Xiaoyi stayed in there after that, banging away at something. Inuyama Heita stood by the door, occasionally handing him a tool. Feeling a little bored, he suddenly remembered what they'd been talking about earlier and asked, "Um, Mr. Qian, you hadn't finished explaining why they're called wicked arts. Do these little ghosts end up affecting their owners, too?"
"Affect them? Of course they do," Qian Xiaoyi replied from inside the storage room. "When you get down to it, their owners are just ordinary people who don't know how to keep the little ghosts in check. At first, when they aren't very vicious, the ghosts might obediently cooperate with their hosts. But like I said, the 'good luck' these people experience is actually created by other people's misfortune.
"If there's misfortune, then naturally other people will become resentful. And little ghosts, being both children and spirits, are easily affected by these negative emotions. Under their influence, they grow increasingly wicked and greedy, until they eventually take over and start seeing themselves as above their hosts.
"They become addicted to bringing misfortune to others, simply because it makes them happy, and that misfortune gives them power. You know how innocent and cruel children can be if they aren't taught any better. It's a vicious cycle. By the time it reaches that point, the people raising little ghosts will know what regret feels like."
After hearing Qian Xiaoyi's explanation, Inuyama Heita pictured something that sent a chill down his spine. But he had another question. "If that's the case, once the little ghosts are out of control, wouldn't they bring disaster on their owners? Why would the Lucky Mutual Aid Society use them to deceive its followers? Aren't they afraid of being exposed?"
"I'm not one of them, so I can't claim to know exactly what they're thinking," Qian Xiaoyi replied. "But I can think of two possible reasons. One, they never planned to deal with the consequences. They just wanted to milk the followers for everything they had, then run. Two, they have a way to keep the ghosts in check. Once the ghosts start to run wild, they can use the claim that 'misfortune has struck again' to deceive the followers and control them that way, keeping the profits coming in over time. I'm more inclined to believe the second explanation... Whew, done. Heitaro, bring me the incense burner and incense sticks. They're in the drawer of my desk. I'm just about finished here."
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