The Ghost Story of Ono Yoko

The Ghost Story of Ono Yoko~

1:30 p.m.

In the reception room of the Keqin Exorcist Agency, Yamagishi Eiichi sat with a troubled expression. His clothes were disheveled, and he looked nervous and uneasy.

He picked up the coffee on the table in front of him and brought the cup to his lips. He could already smell its rich aroma, but he sighed and set it down again, anxiously looking out through the glass window of the reception room. He wished Shu Yunwen would appear before him right that instant.

Ono Yoko hadn't been having a good time these past two days. In fact, things had been... downright awful.

The police didn't leave the scene until eleven on Thursday night. And since Ono Yoko had no intention of staying alone in the room where someone had just been killed, Yamagishi Eiichi booked a room at a nearby hotel.

But after going through such a terrible experience, even with Yamagishi Eiichi there with her, Ono Yoko didn't fall asleep until four in the morning. Not long after she finally drifted off, she woke up in terror and knocked on Yamagishi Eiichi's door. From Ono Yoko's stammered explanation, Yamagishi Eiichi got the gist of what had happened.

Ono Yoko had had a nightmare.

She had only just fallen asleep when Fujie Akiyoshi appeared in her dream. Covered in blood and holding a knife, Fujie Akiyoshi chased after her, shouting, "Why?" At last, she was cornered. Fujie Akiyoshi lunged at her with a menacing expression, knife in hand, and she finally woke from the nightmare.

After waking up, Ono Yoko was too afraid to stay in her room alone, so she had no choice but to wake Yamagishi Eiichi.

At the time, after listening to Ono Yoko, Yamagishi Eiichi figured she had simply been frightened. People dreamed about what was on their minds, so it made sense that she'd had such a nightmare. He offered her a few words of comfort but didn't think much more of it.

But even if he didn't think much of it, the same thing kept happening.

Because the case was confidential, the media presence was limited, and the impact on Ono Yoko was small. She still had to keep working.

On Friday morning, during an ad shoot, Ono Yoko tried to get some rest in the dressing room while they were preparing. Less than two minutes later, she screamed and fled the room. She'd closed her eyes for barely a minute and hadn't even fallen asleep, yet the image of Fujie Akiyoshi wielding a knife had appeared before her—and he'd been swinging it right at her.

That afternoon, Ono Yoko attended an event. Afterward, she dozed off in the work van, only to wake with a start again, having dreamed of Fujie Akiyoshi, covered in blood and holding a knife.

The same thing happened all day Saturday. So last night, he and Ono Yoko went to see a psychiatrist. After hearing what had happened, the doctor said that Ono Yoko had simply come under too much psychological pressure after suddenly being caught up in a murder case that involved her. She had begun to convince herself of things, which was why she kept experiencing these episodes.

After that, the psychiatrist recommended that Ono Yoko undergo therapy. Soothing music played, and the therapy had barely begun when, after closing her eyes for only a few minutes, Ono Yoko saw Fujie Akiyoshi before her again. She leapt out of the therapy chair in fright and ran from the room.

Ono Yoko didn't sleep at all Saturday night, either.

This morning, because Ono Yoko was in such poor spirits, the agency gave her the day off.

Yamagishi Eiichi treated Ono Yoko like a daughter he'd just welcomed into the world. So even though Ono Yoko had suggested that he take the day off, the exhausted Yamagishi Eiichi still took it upon himself to look after her.

Close to noon today, Ono Yoko and Yamagishi Eiichi were in a room arranged by the agency. While Yoko was washing her face in the bathroom, the strange occurrence happened again. The faint image of Fujie Akiyoshi appeared in the mirror above the sink—and this time, Yamagishi Eiichi was standing right beside her. He saw it clearly.

He was certain this wasn't some bullshit psychological suggestion or hallucination.

That was Fujie Akiyoshi, who was already dead!

This was a haunting!

After Fujie Akiyoshi died, he'd become a ghost and started haunting Yoko!

That was when Yamagishi Eiichi remembered what Shu Yunwen had said at the crime scene. He also remembered the Matsushita vice president of the Keqin Exorcist Agency, who had given Ono Yoko his business card there.

Afterward, Yamagishi Eiichi left Ono Yoko in the care of someone from the agency and came in person to the address on the business card. He was worried that if he called, Shu Yunwen might not take the matter seriously enough and delay helping them.

Given Ono Yoko's current state, they couldn't afford to delay any longer. If they did, someone might die.

Yamagishi Eiichi was still mulling it over when two familiar figures passed by the reception room's glass window. His eyes lit up, and he hurried to his feet, practically jogging out of the room. "Lord Shu Yunwen, Vice President Matsushita, hello. I'm sorry to intrude. I'm Yamagishi Eiichi, Miss Yoko's manager..."

Shu Yunwen smiled and nodded. "Mr. Yamagishi, I remember you. I had Matsushita-kun give Miss Yoko my business card, but you were the one who took it."

"That's right, Lord Yunwen." Yamagishi Eiichi nodded quickly. "I'm sorry. Miss Yoko was too upset at the time. Please forgive her if she said anything inappropriate."

"You're too kind, Mr. Yamagishi. I understand what was going on then. Why would I be angry? If anything, giving Miss Yoko my business card in that situation was the real discourtesy." As he finished speaking, Shu Yunwen turned to Secretary Adachi, who was standing at the back. "Adachi-kun, please make me a cup of coffee. Thank you. By the way, Matsushita-kun, what would you like to drink?"

"A glass of water is fine," Matsushita Heisaburo replied.

"Please wait a moment." Adachi Roppei nodded and began preparing the drinks nearby.

Shu Yunwen gestured for the anxious Yamagishi Eiichi to sit down and smiled. "Please, Mr. Yamagishi, have a seat. No matter how urgent this is, a little while won't make a difference, right?"

"No, Lord Shu Yunwen. Yoko-chan is really in danger..."

With Ono Yoko's safety at stake, Yamagishi Eiichi didn't care about being discourteous. He hurriedly recounted what had happened to her over the past three days, then dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor as he begged, "...So, Lord Yunwen, please, you have to help Yoko! As long as Yoko-chan is all right, we're willing to pay any price!"

Shu Yunwen smiled faintly. "Mr. Yamagishi, the way you put that makes it sound as if we'd make some unreasonable demands... We're a legitimate exorcist agency. As long as you pay our fee, we'll take care of the problem for you."

Yamagishi Eiichi immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, Lord Yunwen. I was too anxious and spoke out of turn. Please forgive me."

Shu Yunwen nodded, then picked up the coffee on the table in front of him and took a sip. "Mr. Yamagishi, let me ask you this: so far, Miss Yoko has only seen Fujie Akiyoshi in the mirror, correct?"

What do you mean, 'only'? That's already terrifying enough! Yamagishi Eiichi complained inwardly, then nodded repeatedly. "That's right, Lord Yunwen. I think it's already very dangerous. If this continues, Fujie Akiyoshi's vengeful spirit could very well... do something to Yoko-chan. So, please, Lord Yunwen!"

Shu Yunwen smiled and explained, "Mr. Yamagishi, don't worry. Miss Yoko will be absolutely fine."

As he spoke, Shu Yunwen raised his hand and checked his watch. "It's 2:15 p.m. Miss Yoko won't have any problems before midnight tonight. As for the best time to exorcise the spirit today, that'll be 4:50 p.m. So how about this: you go back for now, and we'll make the preparations we need. Then we can meet up again when the time comes. How does that sound?"

"Well, I..." Yamagishi Eiichi hesitated. But when he met Shu Yunwen's gaze, he worried that if he refused, Shu Yunwen might turn him down outright. He gritted his teeth and agreed. "...All right. Yunwen-san, this is the phone number for Yoko-chan's agency. And here are the pager numbers and mobile numbers for both Yoko-chan and me. I'm counting on you!"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of this for you." Shu Yunwen turned to him. "Matsushita-kun, give Mr. Yamagishi our pager numbers too."

"Yes, Lord Yunwen."

Matsushita Heisaburo gave Yamagishi Eiichi both of their pager numbers. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Yamagishi Eiichi stood, bowed, and hurried out.

He needed to make some preparations, too.

He also needed to inform the agency about the exorcism so they could get ready.

If the ever-present media found out and reported on it extensively, they needed to make sure it wouldn't cause any bad publicity.

Only after Yamagishi Eiichi had left did Matsushita Heisaburo ask, "Lord Yunwen, Mr. Yamagishi said that Fujie Akiyoshi's vengeful spirit can already appear in mirrors. Can you... deal with it?"

Shu Yunwen curled his lip dismissively. "Matsushita-kun, do you know what a vengeful spirit is? A vengeful spirit can appear right in front of ordinary people and attack them. And becoming one is incredibly difficult. Fujie Akiyoshi has only been dead for three days. Even if we put him in a place thick with negative energy, he still couldn't become a vengeful spirit."

"...He's just a slightly stronger newly formed ghost. As for appearing in the mirror, that should be an illusion."

"Just an illusion?" Matsushita Heisaburo asked in surprise.

Shu Yunwen nodded. "Didn't Yamagishi Eiichi take Ono Yoko to see a psychiatrist? The doctor was right about at least one thing. What they saw was all false. What people see isn't determined by their eyes, but by their brains. Fujie Akiyoshi's soul power has been gradually growing stronger because of his obsession. At first, he could only affect Ono Yoko. Now he's affecting Yamagishi Eiichi too."

"...He never appeared in the mirror at all. He simply used his soul power to affect Ono Yoko and Yamagishi Eiichi's brains, making them think they saw Fujie Akiyoshi in the mirror."

"If he really could appear in mirrors, Ono Yoko and Yamagishi Eiichi would already be dead!"

A vengeful spirit that could manifest wasn't something this novice sorcerer could handle. Even though the Ghost Sorcerer had an innate advantage against all ghosts and spirits, he would have to reach the Elementary Sorcerer level before he could deal with a vengeful spirit like that.

Matsushita Heisaburo opened his mouth, then decided not to ask anything else.

That answer from Shu Yunwen had sure sounded impressive!

Well, it did leave him feeling like he'd heard something profound.