Marunouchi,
Tokyo

Today is a cheerful day at our agency. Shibasaki-sensei brought a lot of the souvenirs he got during the trip. We are all very excited, except Sakuya who is busy with the computer and Naomasa who is busy with files on his desk. They both seem not interested.

"How can you get a lot of things like this, Sensei?" Ayako asked while taking and placing the items on the floor.

"I don't know myself," Sensei murmured, "People give me things, I accept things, always like that. I think I'm quite popular," he laughed.

"It's a lie. You only accept whatever is given," Naomasa said in a cold tone while focusing on the file on his desk. He didn't even turn his eyes on us. We just laughed.

"But, why bring it here, Sensei? It should set it in Sensei's house," I said, "For example, this painting, you can display it in the front door or in the dining room. This wall clock is also unique, is good to be placed in the living room," I suggested.

"Well, I don't have time to do it all. I'm very busy," Sensei nodded his head with a serious tone.

"That's a lie. Sensei just wandered all day. Sensei hasn't even touched a single twin of paper in this office." Naomasa coldly said. We just chuckled.

"Naomasa-kun, don't be too hard with me," Sensei took a deep breath.

DING !!

The office door opens with someone entering. A middle-aged man.

"Welcome ... oh Komura-san," I was a little surprised to see Komura-san.

Komura-san is the owner of an antique shop that is across the street. You can say that he is an antique expert, not only that, he can also repair all types of antique items, and restore them to their original shape.

But, Komura-san's work is a little different.
I will give you an example.

One time, a customer came with a green bowl. He told Komura-san, the bowl should have two goldfish carved there, but somehow the two goldfish disappeared from the bowl.

Komura-san then asked if there is a fish pond at the customer's house, the customer answers yes, and the next day Komura-san brings the bowl to the pond, putting it on the ground. Then, take out a birds sculpture.

With a touch from Komura-san's fingers, in an instant, the bird's sculpture suddenly flew. Heading, towards the fish pond, and a few seconds later, the birds grabbed something from inside the pond.

The birds caught the two goldfish from the pond. Komura-san then took the bowl, and let the birds put the fish into a bowl. In an instant, the two goldfish back in the bowl carving once again.

That's how it is, Komura-san's work. It sounds strange, but some objects, indeed have their own soul.

"Please sit down, is there something you want to talk about?" Sensei smiled, "Judged if this is you, I expect something unusual,"

Komura-san smiled, "You're always sharp as always, Shibasaki-san" he took a breath, "I want to discuss something about the customers at my shop. Something strange happened to her," Komura said while sitting on the couch.

"It seems that lately many people have always experienced strange things," Sensei smiled, "What strange thing that happened to your customer?"

"Well, one of my customers feels there is something strange about the doll she got from her late grandmother," Komura-san told us, "Her grandmother is a dolls collector, because of that, there are so many types of dolls in her grandmother's house. From children's sized dolls to adult size dolls. People say that her grandmother not only keeps the dolls but raises them," Komura-san smiled.

I have a bad feeling about this. We then looked at each other.

"Raising a doll?" I looked at Komura-san in confusion.

"Yes," Komura-san nodded, "She took care of her dolls like her daughter and son. She gave the dolls food, bathed them, changed their clothes, and even take them to the beauty salon. Whatever was eaten by her grandmother, was also given by her dolls," Komura-san explained.

"HEH? !!!!" Everyone shouting in shocked. Except, Sakuya and Kiyoharu.

"It's not an ordinary thing," Sakuya said, "Many people doing that. Dolls are often used as a media by some people with various purposes,"

"Yes ... that is true," Kiyoharu muttered.

"I also think like that," Komura-san sighed, "Then, what if the food given to the dolls get eaten?" Komura looked at us.

"You...mean, the doll...is alive?" Ayako asked carefully.

"It was a story that was told by a maid who worked in her grandmother's house," Komura-san said, "Of course, my customer didn't believe it. When her grandmother died six months ago, she inherited the house to her, including her dolls and advised her to keep all the dolls well,"

A house full of dolls and the dead owners. Even though without a strange story, the house itself is strange. "What strange event happened to your customer?" I asked.

Komura-san took a breath, "One night she woke up hearing something. Then, when she passed the living room, a doll sat there, in a rocking chair in front of the fireplace, there was a cup of tea and a plate of cake on the table in front of the doll. Also, the classical music played at that time," Komura-san said.

"Oh my!! I don't want to imagine it," Ayako shook her head.

"Maybe someone put the doll there?" Rui said, "Don't you say that the doll treated like humans?"

"My customers also feel that way. But, the maid says they don't know anything. They think my customers did it because the late grandmother will," Komura-san said, "According to the maid, my customers' grandmothers always drinking tea with her dolls while listening to classical music," Komura-san said.

"Are you sure the grandmother doesn't have a mental disorder?" Naomasa asked. Everyone looked at him with a various expression on their faces. Naomasa then took a deep breath, "Did any dangerous things happened before? I mean after your customer's grandmother died?" he already gave up. Naomasa always think logically despite working in a paranormal field. I wondered why he's wasn't affected?

"There is nothing to harm anyone," Komura-san said, "It's just that, my customer brings the doll to his niece's house as a gift, but strangely the next day the doll disappears,"

"Did the doll go back to your customer's grandmother's house?" Sakuya asked.

Komura-san eyes widened when he looked at Sakuya, "Yes, exactly. My customer did it several times, carrying the doll out of her grandmother's house, but the doll always came back again,"

"How do you know, Sakuya-kun?" Ayako surprised.

"It's a classic story. About dolls that always come back to their owners. Generally, the dolls left behind by the owner will do the things they did when the owner was still alive. Most likely, that was the spirit of the doll owner that possessed the doll," Sakuya said.

"Well, dolls were originally made to contain spirits. They were hollow inside, so spirits could easily possess them," Kiyoharu said, "Did something strange happenings to all the dolls?"

"No. There is only one doll," Komura-san said, "A human-sized doll that looks like a Japanese girl. You know, like an Okiku doll. A 5-year-old child like, having long black hair, and wearing a red floral kimono,"

I don't know why, but I can feel that everyone looks tense.

"That's why I don't like dolls. They are spooky. I mean, having a doll about the size of a 5-year-old child," Ayako sighed. "When I was little, my mother's mannequins often scared me. I'm always felt they lived and looked at me, "

"Well, some medium indeed doesn't like dolls," Kiyoharu said.

"Komura-san, have you seen the doll yourself?" Shibasaki-sensei asked.

"The doll was given to me a week ago," Komura-san said, "My customer asked me to repair the doll because the doll fell off the stairs and broke the leg," he sighed, "She said that her nephew had come to play in the house and accidentally dropped the doll. When the doll fell, my customer nephew said that there was a lot of blood coming out of the doll, but when my customers checked it there was nothing," Komura-san explained.

Blood? Even when the doll is possessed, how there is blood coming out? I don't believe we talking about a doll...

"Actually when the doll came to my place and when I was going to fix it, I myself saw blood marks all over the doll's kimono," Komura-san said, "Two days ago she disappeared after I finished fixing it. My customer called and said the doll was already at home," Komura-san sighed.

"Wow ... the doll is very economical. The owner no longer has to bother coming to get it. The doll can go home by herself," Rui said it jokingly. We just chuckled as well as Komura-san.

"My customer asked me to find someone who could do the purification of the doll. Day after day, she said the doll looked more alive," Komura-san said, "According to my customers, for some reason, she always lost her lipstick. And when she looked for it, she found it between the kimono sleeve of the doll. Even the doll's lip was seen wearing the lipstick," Kimura-san sighed, "She wanted to give it to someone else or sell it in auctions, but as you know the doll always returns to that house again, "

"I see," I took a small breath, "How about it, Sensei?" I asked Shibasaki-sensei.

"Why not," Sensei nodded, "I also want to see dolls that can use their own lipstick," he then chuckled.

"That's not funny at all, Sensei," Ayako glared. But Sensei only smiled softly.

"Thank you very much. I will arrange the meeting as soon as possible," Komura-san sighed with relief, "And Sakuya-kun, the black one never left your side?" Komura-san smiled.

"The black one?" I asked. We all looked confused.

"Oh, I mean Sakuya-kun's Shikigami," Komura smiled at him.

Is there a Shikigami in this room?

"He is always like that. Just leave him alone," Sakuya took a deep breath. Everyone looked around. But, we can't see anything?

The legend told, if the master treats his Shikigami well, they will obey the master. But on the contrary, if the master was inexperienced, let alone having low spiritual power and acting harshly on his Shikigami, then the summoned Shikigami would not be able to be controlled. Will even turn to attack his master and kill him.

Sakuya-kun must have a powerful spiritual power, ifs not, he will not be able to control a five Shikigami at once.

And also about Komura-san's cases, I wondered if the spirit of the owner possessed the doll? Or is there another spirit that haunted the house?

***