Decision

And then the rift closed, the light disappearing from the sky, its sudden absence almost as jarring as its presence. For a moment, everything was silent and Naoya could finally take a deep breath. And then the ghosts homed in on him. He struggled to his feet and turned to run. Speeding along the coastline, he ran towards Ikutsushima Shrine, hoping to hide inside a building.

“Don’t run!” someone yelled, but Naoya ignored them.

With the threat of hundreds of vengeful ghosts behind him, he couldn’t do anything but run. But he wasn’t fast enough. One of the ghosts lunged for his feet, making him trip. He rolled along the dusty ground, his hands only saved by the gloves of the uniform. The ghosts in the air turned around and attacked.

An arm sprouted from Naoya’s head and slapped the ghostly apparition across the face. It wailed and faded into thin air. Another ghost was hit this way, then another. It was both completely disturbing and oddly satisfying at the same time to see the hand slap these ghosts around. The force of it knocked him to the ground, just as a strong gust of wind pushed the other apparitions away.

“Get the fuck back in there!”

Naoya could only watch as Aki straddled him and grabbed the ghostly arm. She laced her fingers with the hand and physically pushed the whole limb back into Naoya’s head, pressing him into the floor during the process.

“Don’t be difficult, Mom! I’ll take him out of here.”

That did it. The arm froze for a moment, then shrunk back, until it was gone. Aki was panting in exertion above him. She grabbed Naoya’s hand and with a focused energy impulse, they shifted out of the Deadrealm—landing just behind a group of students, who were luckily distracted by the view of the Otorii in front of them. Aki rolled off Naoya’s body and they both lay panting on the ground, staring up into the brilliant red of a lit-up maple tree.

“They can’t follow us here, can they?” Naoya asked.

“The rift is closed. Whatever you did, it patched it right up. Whatever ghosts are already out here are probably too distracted by the humans.”

“It wasn’t me. It was your mother. She asked if she could help and I agreed.”

Aki turned his head towards him. “She asked you?”

“I could hear her, somehow. I felt that she wanted to help. To do… well, anything.”

“And that anything was unleashing the full force of all the energy you collected in Hokkaido at the rift? I mean, that’s one way to deal with it.”

“Maybe she was a bit… overenthusiastic.”

Aki sat up, put his hand in front of Naoya’s face and flicked his forehead.

“You. Both of you. We want this to turn out well. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but tone it down.”

Just then, there was a loud boom in the sky, and Naoya flinched, but Aki put a hand on his shoulder.

“Look up,” he said.

Above them, above Itsukushima Shrine and the Otorii fireworks bloomed in the dark night sky, shining in all colours of the rainbow. Golden sparkles rained down like a waterfall, and Naoya stared. His eyes filled with tears. All of a sudden, the fear broke through and he started crying.

“Shut up,” Aki said, but held him anyway.

The air behind them flickered while everyone was distracted by taking photos of the fireworks, and Karin appeared. She shifted her mask to the back of her head, looking like a festival-goer.

“Ruri wants you back at HQ,” she said.

“Can you give us a few minutes?” Aki asked.

“Sure,” Karin replied and sat down next to them on the floor to observe the fireworks.

——

“You’re going to be our greatest weapon, or the harbinger of our doom,” Ruri said, leaning back in her chair.

Naoya was once more confined to his cell, sitting on the bed while Bai Rong examined him. He had accepted his fate of ending up in this room time and time again, it seemed, since he was actually glad to be back here, where… okay, bad things had happened here too, but…

After going through a spell of bristly personality, Aki had reverted to his caring persona, hovering around Naoya like a mother hen. He had been adopted within just two days. It was markedly different from how he led his life in university, detached from his co-students, working on his own. It wasn’t bad, he just wasn’t used to it.

“Doom? Why?” Naoya asked.

“Look, I don’t know why, but Hinako seems to have a strong bond with you, which increases her powers beyond what we usually experience. If possessions are exorcised immediately after they happen, you end up with people like us—if they take the deal. Work a while to offset your transgression, and you’re good. But Hinako… she’s different.”

“Maybe it’s Aki’s presence,” Naoya said. “She’s his… their mother. I can feel her love for them. Both Akito and Akie.”

Aki looked at him with wide eyes, but said nothing.

“That might be. Ghosts are powered by desire, and hers seems to be stronger than most,” Bai Rong said.

“Strong enough to curse the host. I didn’t think the Judges would allow her to work. Naoya’s willingness must have tipped the scales,” Ruri added. “But that doesn’t tell us how to go forward. I have an idea, but I would like to hear your opinions first. Kazu?”

The man stood up from the chair in the corner. He had been silent so far, but since he’d been present at both incidents, he was an important witness. Kazu outlined the happenings briefly, going into detail about how Naoya had chanted on Miyajima after Ruri questioned him.

“I think he might be an asset, if managed properly. Or at least with a team that mitigates the risks. Look, I’m not completely convinced, but I never felt any hostile energy from Naoya.”

“So what are you suggesting?” Ruri asked.

“Fixing a rift is like slowly filling up a pool. Naoya just dumps an ocean into it and calls it a day. Is it risky? Probably. But with larger incidents like today, taking that risk could mean saving the lives of dozens… hundreds of people.”

Ruri didn’t respond, but she didn’t look contemplative. She looked like she had a similar train of thought. Still, she addressed Bai Rong next, who was rewrapping the bite wound on Naoya’s arm.

“Tell me about his status,” Ruri said.

“It could be much worse, all things considered. Almost all of his injuries are superficial, skin deep. I won’t be making any guesses about his eye, but it was doubtful he’d be able to keep it, even if he doesn’t perform these feats.”

Naoya reached up and placed a hand over his right eye, which was once more covered.

“I think we should use them,” Aki said, then, into the silence. “Naoya has to absorb energy to keep my… the ghost alive, anyway. Why not capitalize on it?”

“I’m glad your assessment matches what I proposed to the Judges,” Ruri replied. “And I’m even more glad that I have two advocate volunteers, who’ll accompany Naoya on his adventures.”

“I can’t—”

“I’m not talking about you, Bai Rong. Aki and Kazu can be that team. You’ve both witnessed the episodes and can act accordingly.”