CH 56

Academy Ghost Commotion (4)

Senior’s curly hair was cold. His hair, which was blowing from the wind, gave off a nice smell and looked smooth. Perhaps because it was night, senior’s black hair looked thicker and it gave a more refined impression than usual. 

Then, he seemed odd as the water on his face dried up. Senior closed his eyes after tilting his head back so that I could dry his hair better. As I was drying senior’s bangs, he frowned as if something had gotten into his eyes.

“Oh, sorry.”

“It stings.”

“Open your eyes. I’ll have a look.”

After hastily stopping the wind magic, I looked into senior’s blue eyes. I was startled by the clear eyes that stared back at me but regained my focus to senior’s eyes. There was a spot in the pupil, possibly that senior’s long eyelash had fallen inside. I wasn’t sure how to take it out, so I simply looked at it blankly, but senior continued to stare. Senior’s gaze, which stared at me without blinking, was intense.

“……W-What’s wrong?”

At that moment, a drop of tear fell from senior’s eye. D-Did it hurt so much that it made him cry? I hurriedly activated the wind magic again to remove the eyelash, but senior tilted forward.

“Ah, I did it.”

Senior’s voice spoke calmly as if nothing had happened. I was wondering what was going on, but he had shed tears to remove the eyelash. I was feeling somewhat helpless and didn’t say anything, but senior tilted his head back to me.

“……?”

“……Not continuing?”

“It’s……all dry.”

“Oh.”

Senior slightly stuck out his lips with a regretful expression and stood up from his seat. Then, he ruffled his curly hair as though to make sure that his hair was all dried up.

“It’s actually all dried up.”

Then, did you wanted it to stay wet all the time?

“Your hands were pretty good.”

“Oh, everyone says that. My hands feel incredible. I’ve even brought a dead frog back to life with these hands.”

Senior smiled at my story and glanced at the library again. While drying his hair, I had forgotten the real purpose for coming here. I came here to search for senior’s pocket watch. We tried looking for it yesterday, but it was hard to search around the library with all the lights off. 

Unlike me, who was a little hesitant, senior held out his arm to me as though he did not find the darkness scary.

“Hold me if you’re scared.”

I held onto him because I was scared. As I held him tightly, senior walked into the library.

“Be careful.”

Climbing up the stairs under the darkness was also a struggle. Senior and I, who climbed while holding the wall to avoid falling, finally arrived on the fifth floor. When we reached the study room, we lit a torch and looked around to find the watch like yesterday.

However, the watch that was not visible yesterday, was also not visible today. Senior murmured that it was strange that the watch could not be found.

“Maybe someone picked it up?”

“No, this room is only meant for our study group members. I’ve asked Vivian and Bona just in case, but they told me they had never come here either……”

“Maybe the janitor might have found it.”

“Then, it would usually be in the storage room, but it’s not there.”

Then it meant that it must be somewhere here. I was concentrating on looking for it again, but I heard the sharp sound of the wind blowing against the window. I didn’t pay any attention to it at first, but the sharp sound grew louder and louder. Then, as the window shook, I raised my head and approached it.

As I approached it, the wind that had been blowing strangely stopped, and the window no longer shook. Confused, I opened the window and stuck my head out, but there was no wind outside and it was quiet. Come to think of it, didn’t I draw a magic circle when I dried Senior Jimbo’s hair because there was no wind outside?

Suddenly, goosebumps ran down my spine.

“Senior, you’re not scaring me right……Senior?”

When I turned my head, there was no one at the spot where senior was supposed to be. 

“Senior?”

“…….”

“……Stupid Jimbo.”

But it was still quiet.

It was then, I felt something approaching me. There should only be walls and a window behind me, but I felt a strange and dark presence behind me. I had chills as I felt the cold wind. As my body stiffened, someone caught my hair from behind. 

“Kyaaaa!”

I screamed in surprise and rushed out of the room.

“Bree?”

Then, I heard senior’s voice urgently calling me as I saw him in front of the hallway. I hurriedly grabbed his arms.

“S-Senior. There you are! W-Where were you?!”

“I thought it might have fallen in the hallway…but what’s going on?”

“T-There’s someone in that room.”

“What?”

At my words, Senior Jimbo’s face hardened. He grabbed my arm and reassured me before he approached the study room where I felt uneasy earlier. 

“D-Don’t go.”

Panicked, I caught senior. It was clear that there was a suspicious being there, but I couldn’t let senior go there alone.

“You stay here.”

“B-But.”

“It’s alright.”

After removing my hand, senior tried to enter the room. Looking at senior’s back, I eventually chased after him. Senior told me not to follow, but I couldn’t bear to let him go to that dangerous place alone.

Senior Jimbo quietly opened the door. A strong wind was felt along with a sharp squeaking noise. All the windows in the room were opened, and the curtains fluttered wildly. There was nothing strange about it, but I had a feeling that someone was looking at us. Senior also prepared to draw a magic circle in the air as he felt the unusual energy.

The wind blew strongly again. The curtains moved and soon a blue spirit was visible. It was a man’s soul. His eyes were transparent and his lips were pale as he smiled mischievously. I could tell right away that he was dead.

“G-Ghost!”

It was my first time seeing a dead person. Senior immediately tried to use magic to seal the dead, but the dead was faster. He let out a grotesque laugh and sent a gust of wind to drive him back. Under the strong magic, senior’s body hit the wall hard.

“Ugh!”

“Senior!”

I was next. As I trembled, the ghost approached me with a grin. Perhaps he had intended to tease me, he touched my hair and even slyly placed his hand into my body.

At this rate, my body would have been taken away. I had learned in class about how troublesome things could get when your body is taken over by the dead or becomes possessed. It was said that it could leave substantial trauma. However, the problem was that I was not taught sealing magic. Although I learnt black magic from Professor Hartz’s liberal arts class, unfortunately, sealing was still beyond the covered syllabus. 

“Bree! It’s dangerous!”

I pictured a light magic circle in my mind, but I couldn’t actually draw it. However, suddenly, a light burst in front of me and kept the dead from approaching.

“……What.”

I thought it was Senior Jimbo’s magic, but it wasn’t either. It was no doubt since clearly, the light was coming from my hands. There was no way it should have been possible to emit light without a magic circle. When I was still stunned by the unexpected light, the ghost who had been immobilized screamed and left the room. 

“Bree, are you okay?”

“We have to go after it! Come on, chase it!”

At my words, Senior Jimbo rose from his position and rushed after the dead. Without any delay, I followed after him and saw the dead man in front of me. The kid in my class was right. Not only was there a ghost, but it was also sly as it tried to possess my body. The dead man had to remain in the library and be sealed away before it could try to possess another kid’s body.

Fortunately, the dead could not leave the library because of the barrier. When the dead went down the basement, Senior Jimbo and I followed without hesitation.

“Damn it.”

Senior gritted his teeth and began to draw a magic circle in the air while running. But he was struggling to concentrate. Not only was it not easy to calculate the formula, but the shape kept messing up as he drew the magic circle while running. After glancing at senior, I looked ahead again. Then, a familiar person caught my eye. It was Professor Hartz.

【Engilical!】

A bright light appeared in front of me at the same time as the loud cry echoed. I stopped walking and frowned at the blinding intensity of the light. The scream echoed through the basement of the library as if the soul of the dead was burning. The light lasted for a few seconds, then it went quiet again as it faded. Carefully opening my eyes, Senior Jimbo and I found Professor Hartz standing alone in front of us.

“You– Why are you guys here!”

Professor Hartz stared right at us and exclaimed in a low voice. Unlike me, who had yet to grasp the situation, Senior Jimbo immediately wrinkled his brow and glared at Professor Hartz.

“Then, what are you…..!”

“I asked first. Jimbo.”

“I don’t care.”

I was surprised to see Senior Jimbo talking back to Professor Hartz without hesitation. But it seemed like a normal occasion. Senior Jimbo looked at Professor Hartz while brushing his clothes, and Professor Hartz also looked back while lowering his hand in the air.

As the strange tension flowed, another strange sound was heard from above.

“It’s coming out endlessly.”

When Professor Hartz murmured, Senior Jimbo, who heard it, looked at him suspiciously.

“You know something. About that dead man.”

“…Well, Miss Pierre would know.”

To avoid Senior Jimbo’s words, Professor Hartz mentioned me. In an instant, Senior Jimbo’s gaze turned towards me.