Chapter 69: Silver Soul (Earth Chapter)

In horror films, those who talk the most and are overly curious are usually the first to raise the flag of death. Whenever something seems wrong or a strange phenomenon occurs, it's best to leave the scene as quickly as possible.

“Aaah—! I can’t take it anymore, I don’t want to stay here!” Shinpachi screamed, dashing to the door. He tried to open it and leave, but no matter how hard he pulled, the doorknob wouldn’t budge.

“Huh? What’s going on? It won’t open!” Shinpachi said with a strained voice as he tugged at the handle.

“Let me try,” Take Okakura said, stepping over and giving the handle a pull. It felt as if something on the other side was holding the door shut, making it nearly impossible to open.

“Miss Okakura…” Shinpachi started trembling even harder than before. “I think… something is coming out…”

Take Okakura turned around. From within the bedroom, she heard the sound of something crawling, accompanied by the unsettling click of bones shifting.

“No way! Are we really encountering that kind of thing?” Shinpachi wailed, clutching his head in despair.

“We have no choice. This is the only way!” With those words, Take Okakura raised her leg and kicked the door open.

In an instant, the bright light from outside flooded the dark, eerie room, the stark contrast as dramatic as heaven and hell.

“Let’s get out of here first!” Without another word, Take Okakura grabbed Shinpachi by the collar and dragged him out of the room.

Bang! The door slammed shut behind them as soon as they left…

Creeeeak—a sharp sound of fingernails scraping across the door drifted out from within the haunted house. Take Okakura and Shinpachi, still shaken, stared at the door, then finally decided to leave.

What they didn’t see was that, inside, lines of bloody writing appeared once more on the door panels...

Save me, Take-chan, Shinpachi! Don’t leave me!!

Pickled kelp! I want to go back and eat pickled kelp!

Atsu! Run!

Mayonnaise! Mayonnaise!

Hijikata, go to hell!

……

But these bloody messages were soon covered by a large, bloody handprint.

At last, the haunted house fell silent.

“So scary… It was really so scary… Miss Okakura, what do we do? Gin-san and the others are really trapped in that haunted house,” Shinpachi said, panting and panic-stricken.

“If it’s really that kind of thing, the two of us won’t be enough. We need to find someone who specializes in this. Shinpachi, do you know anyone who deals with this kind of filth?” Take Okakura asked.

“Huh? Let me think. The only ones who can handle this sort of thing are probably monks or exorcists. But it’s probably hard to find a monk or exorcist who can actually expel that kind of thing these days,” Shinpachi said, frowning.

“We have no choice. Let’s go back and do some research first,” Take Okakura suggested.

By now, dusk was already settling in. Shinpachi and Take Okakura agreed to meet at the Odd Jobs office the next day to discuss a plan.

“Miss Okakura, please be careful. I heard that kind of thing can appear at any time,” Shinpachi said worriedly.

“Don’t worry, Shinpachi. You take care too,” Take Okakura replied, then took her leave.

After getting into a taxi, Take Okakura glanced back at Shinpachi standing outside the window. For a split second, she thought she saw a dark figure standing behind him, but when she looked again, it had vanished.

Was it just her imagination… she wondered.

When Take Okakura returned home, she found a stack of documents piled on her desk. It seemed Ohsai had come by to deliver some paperwork.

Take Okakura sighed. Troubles really did come in droves.

She picked up the documents and glanced through them—sure enough, they were all matters requiring her decision. Judging by the number of files, she should be able to finish them tonight, but before that, she decided to take a bath.

Whew—a chill wind suddenly swept through the tightly closed room as Take Okakura entered the bathroom, scattering a few pages of the documents on her desk…

Inside the bathroom, Take Okakura began to undress: first her uniform jacket, then her shirt, next her trousers, and finally her underwear.

Thud. Something sounded behind her. Take Okakura turned around and saw that the bottle of body wash had fallen from the shelf. It was odd, since she’d left it resting securely. How could it have fallen?

She didn’t dwell on it. Once she removed the last of her underwear, she turned on the shower and began to bathe.

A gentle mist of steam quickly filled the bathroom.

Just as Take Okakura started to wash her hair, she sensed something was off. She had the distinct feeling that something was there with her. Could it be that thing from earlier had followed her here…?

At the thought, a cold gleam flashed in her eyes. Did such petty spirits really think they could scare her to death? She was no cowardly curly-head afraid of ghosts.

Take Okakura finished her bath quickly and went to the mirror in the washroom to tend to her hair. As she combed her hair, she glanced absently at the glass door beside her, then noticed something strange: besides her own reflection, there was a shadowy figure.

She turned to the mirror. The sight made her eyes go wide in shock! That silver-haired, curly-headed man was standing right beside her! But he was looking down, his bangs covering his eyes so she couldn’t see his expression. He radiated an oppressive gloom, completely different from his usual aura.

Take Okakura quickly looked to her side—no one was there; she was clearly alone. When she turned back to the mirror, only her own reflection remained.

“That guy! Even as a ghost, I can’t forgive him—how dare he watch me shower!” Take Okakura’s teeth clenched in fury, and in her heart, she gave that curly-haired fool—no matter if he was human or ghost—a sound thrashing.

After leaving the bathroom, Take Okakura decided to call Shinpachi and share what had just happened, and to see if he had made any discoveries.

She still remembered the number for the dojo. The phone was quickly answered—by Otae.

“Hello, this is the dojo.”

“Otae, it’s me, Take Okakura. Is Shinpachi there?”

“Oh, Take-chan! Shinpachi hasn’t come back yet, but it’s strange, I did get a letter saying I should go to an apartment to find him. He said he and Kagura-chan are both there. Take-chan, do you know what they’re up to? They’re not having some weird party, are they?”

Hearing Otae’s words, Take Okakura was stunned. No way—even Shinpachi…

“Take-chan? Take-chan? What’s wrong, are you still there?” Otae asked anxiously on the other end.

“I’m fine, Otae, don’t worry. Shinpachi and the others are fine. But remember, absolutely do not go to that apartment. Shinpachi’s planning a surprise for you—just don’t go there right now,” Take Okakura improvised, hoping to reassure Otae. She didn’t want to drag her into this, not with so many already missing.

“I see…” Otae still sounded a bit suspicious.

“Otae, Shinpachi and the others will be back soon. You should get some rest. Good night.”

After hanging up, Take Okakura slumped onto the sofa, feeling dejected. If only she hadn’t parted from Shinpachi that afternoon…

What about those guys now…?

At this, Take Okakura slapped her forehead. She couldn’t let herself stay down. She had to find a way to get them all out.

She quickly opened her computer and began searching online. First, she looked up monks, but most of what came up were Japanese temples. Then she searched for exorcists, and actually found something.

“The Ketsuno family… Onmyoji retainers of the Shogunate, they seem pretty formidable,” Take Okakura mused, reading the information. It was on a gossip forum, so she couldn’t be sure the Ketsuno family really existed—these days, the great families tended to hide behind the shogunate.

Take Okakura decided to investigate through her connections. She thought of someone: Isaburo Sasaki. She quickly pulled out her phone and emailed him.

[Mr. Sasaki, are you busy right now? There’s something I’d like to ask you, if it’s not too much trouble.
Take Okakura]

His reply came quickly.

[Not busy at all, because an elite always manages his time well. Take-chan, what do you want to ask? Saburo will tell you everything he knows (sparkly eyes).
Isaburo Sasaki]

[Mr. Sasaki, do you know the Ketsuno family of exorcists?
Take Okakura]

This time Sasaki’s reply took a bit longer.

[Yes, of course. The Ketsuno family have long served the shogunate as onmyoji. Their influence isn’t what it once was since the aliens arrived, but they’re still on the shogunate’s roster. Why the sudden interest in the Ketsuno clan, Take-chan?
Isaburo Sasaki]

[Lately… people around me have been running into some bad things. I’d like to consult someone in that field.
Take Okakura] After hesitating for a moment, she sent the message.

[Oh? I didn’t expect you to believe in these things, Take-chan. But since it’s you, I’ll help. I know the head of the Ketsuno family; I can put you in touch~ (smug face)
Isaburo Sasaki]

[Really? Thank you so much, Mr. Sasaki! If you can really arrange a meeting with the head of the Ketsuno family, I’ll treat you to dinner.
Take Okakura]

[Take-chan, before dinner, have you thought about what I asked you before? (expectant look)
Isaburo Sasaki]

Take Okakura froze. She remembered now—Sasaki had once asked if she would be his girlfriend. After a moment’s struggle, she replied.

[I’m sorry, Sasaki. You’re a great person, and I enjoy being friends with you. But I’m not the right person to be your girlfriend.
Take Okakura] It was only after sending it that she realized she’d just handed him a “nice guy” card…

[I thought so. You took so long to answer, I figured the result wouldn’t be great. But at least you’re willing to be friends, right? So we’ll start with friendship. I think one day you’ll be willing to try something new with me (smile).
Isaburo Sasaki]

“….” Take Okakura thought, This guy is really resilient.

[Mr. Sasaki, then we’re friends now.
Take Okakura]

[Take-chan, that’s a bit sad to hear. Weren’t we already? You’ve always been my email buddy qaq.
Isaburo Sasaki]

[No, this is a new beginning, Mr. Sasaki.
Take Okakura.]

[A new beginning… Take-chan, new beginnings mean starting over. I hope before long we can have a fresh start.
Isaburo Sasaki]

[I think any relationship needs to be carefully maintained if you want it to last.
Take Okakura.]

[As expected of Take-chan, always finding a way to shut me up. All right, back to your original question. Tomorrow I’ll arrange for you to meet the head of the Ketsuno family. Don’t forget to treat me to dinner afterward (evil grin).
Isaburo Sasaki]

[Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to thank my email friend. Thank you, Mr. Sasaki.
Take Okakura]

After finishing her correspondence with Sasaki, Take Okakura breathed a sigh of relief. She hoped the Ketsuno exorcist would be able to banish those things. Otherwise, would the three at Odd Jobs remain missing forever? And would all those connected to them be drawn in, spreading ever outward until all of Edo was engulfed?

The thought made Take Okakura’s head ache. Once she’d finished the remaining documents, she went to bed.

In the pitch-dark room, as Take Okakura slept, she didn’t see the line of heads rising at her bedside—each one belonging to someone who had vanished up to now, their dark, hollow eyes fixed unblinkingly on the sleeping Take Okakura…

Darkness, whether day or night, will always persist.

Author’s Note: I’ve decided to bring out the Ketsuno family ahead of schedule, since I don’t plan to write the rest of the exorcist arc (just think of me as someone who hates trouble), so the Ketsuno siblings are coming out early, haha.