1

When Hirota returned to the base the day after in the evening, he heard a woman"s high-pitched laugh. At first he was startled and stopped his feet, but when he timidly peeked, a young woman stood in the center of the room. Seeing her, Hirota was about turn around and head the other way.

-- I"m not good with her type.

Hirota was extremely afraid of this type of girl. She wore heavy makeup, the latest fashionable clothes and was quite a beauty: an urban woman who knows that and uses it as a weapon.

"Ah, Hirota-san. How did it go?"

Mai questioned him and Hirota stood stock still in the entrance of the base.

"Well... ... I tried... ..."

Hirota dryly said and Mai raised a voice of objection.

"Huuuh. So it was no good?"

Hirota nodded.

Despite pushing the doorbell, Kazumi didn"t come out. He was certain that someone was in the house as the windows were open. Then he repeatedly rang the doorbell many times over. Just when he thought she had at last opened the door, she closed it in front of his nose.

Then after finally meeting with Kazumi he repeatedly got into heated questionings for nearly one hour. After broaching the topic indirectly, he was curtly rejected. Then for two hours he repeatedly tried to persuade her on the basis of a ma.n.u.script borrowed and created by Mai and John"s hands. But the end result was that she said and cried, "Are you threatening me?". "I will cry, shout and scream". If she went on like that, the police would be contacted by those pa.s.sing by in the neighborhood, so he scrambled back in a panic. In the end, he was only able to tell her half of what he wanted to say.

"Incompetent."

Naturally, that cold-hearted single word was spoken by Naru.

"I"m sorry... ..."

"Is that person Hirota-san?"

That was the voice of the woman who stood inside the room and put a hand on her waist. She gazed at Hirota and laughed flamboyantly.

"I"ve heard about the rumors... ... Nice to meet you."

Now that she told him that implicitly, it meant that she already knew what kind of rumors they were. Hirota nodded in disappointment.

Mai sighed.

"Hirota was utterly defeated, -- And? Ayako is useless too."

Ayako waved her hand.

"Completely useless. I had a look at the neighborhood, but there"s no living tree around. -- With that said, don"t expect much from me."

"Well, why don’t you go home?"

"Looks like you still don"t know your manners, huh?"

"Then, could you please leave?"

"Mai."

"What do you have against her?" Takigawa let out a sigh as if he were fed up. "So, do we break in at the neighbors, after all?"

"I already told you that you can’t."

"Dang."

Instead of the sulking Takigawa, Mai glared back at Hirota.

"But Hirota-san, you weren"t able to persuade them, right? If that"s the case, there are no other methods."

"No."

"But we can"t leave it just like this, right? It can be overlooked if it’s to help someone out… …”

"I said you can’t."

"You blockhead."

"Whatever you say, I won’t permit such an illegal action."

Ayako sighed and declared indifferently.

"... ... You"re putting on the air of a law keeper . Anyhow, you’d probably say this after failing your bar examination after all and having become an administrative official."

Hirota seemed to have heard that. His eyes were unsteady.

"How fussy. If I say you can’t, you can’t. If you try to do this at your own convenience, then I"ll send you all to the prosecutor."

"That’s why the simple-minded ones hold authority… …"

"What did you say?"

"Ah? You heard that? Oh no, I was just talking to myself."

Gazing at Hirota and Ayako who were shouting at each other, Mai took a breath. She looked at John next to her.

"That Ayako... ... What"s with the provocation?"

"Indeed."

"I give up," Takigawa was the one who threw up his hands. Takigawa grimaced and looked at Naru.

"What do we do, Sensei."

Naru sighed.

"Try whether it"s possible to exorcise a building from the outside, I suppose."

"Is that kind of thing possible?"

"But It should be possible to do it at long distance? Do Mount Kouya’s prayers have to be done by taking a trip every single time?"

Takigawa scratched his head.

"Well, that"s true. However, it troubles me that you put it together with prayers for school success and matchmaking."

"Oh yeah," Mai pulled the cuff of his jeans.

"Hey, is that kind of prayer effective?"

Takigawa was unruffled and closed one eye.

"That"s what you call a placebo."

"Hah?"

"I prayed, so it might go well. Because they think like that, an examinee will calmly study, a plain young woman smiles and becomes five times more beautiful."

"In other words, it"s not effective."

"If prayers granted wishes, the monks of Mount Kouya would currently all be government officials, rich and have half a dozen lovers."

"Well, that"s true."

Ayako turned a cold glance towards them.

"Hey, you carefree father and daughter. -- Are you thinking about this seriously?"

"Yes," the two said in unison.

After glancing at them, Ayako looked at Naru.

"For your information, I can"t exorcise from a distance."

"I’ve also never done it before, Sensei."

After Takigawa raised his hand, he looked at Lin.

"How about you, Lin-san?"

The answer to this was short and moreover blunt.

"I have."

"You did?"

"Because we often do those type of things. Perhaps, what is called a prayer all differ in their methods, but I think the fundamental system is the same. So therefore, I don"t think it"s impossible for Takigawa-san and the others either."

Takigawa looked at Lin with upturned eyes.

"Is it... ... difficult?"

"I believe it takes time."

"So for how long?"

"At least one night, I suppose."

"Ah... ..."

After Takigawa said that, he reproachfully looked at Hirota.

"You"re pushing such a difficult thing onto us?"

"Isn"t that your job?"

"I hate you."

"Likewise, you degenerate monk."

"How impolite. Even though I’m living so purely."

Ayako struck Takigawa"s head.

"Pull yourself together! Just how many times will you deviate until you are satisfied!"

"Yes, ma"am"."

Mai looked up at the imposing Ayako.

"Say, Ayako. You"re being unusually proactive. Even though you normally behave like you"re running away."

"Well, once you"re outside there"s no danger."

She clearly said and Mai reflexively dropped her shoulder.

"Okay. We just have to do our best for one night from the outside, right? -- But you can"t possibly tell me that we"re doing it in front of the road?"

Mai looked troubled. To state it plainly, a plan like lining up four mediums on the road and making an effort at an exorcism wasn"t something they could show to the people in the world.

"I don"t think it"s impossible to look for a suitable hotel or shrine."

"Can you make it a hotel if possible?"

"I"ll do my best."