Takezawa's Ghost - Episode 17
“Good morning.”
………
　Machida glared at me with that evil look in his eyes that only comes with waking up.
　Then he rubbed his eyes vigorously.
“…Ah. It was you.”
　I was sure he would scold me for being an outsider entering the operating room, but Machida’s reaction was rather nonchalant.
　He yawns loudly and gets off the operating table.
“And? Is there something that’s bothering you?”
“Yes”
　Answer immediately.
　Because I’m in so much trouble.
“I am being harassed by Machida-san’s stalker.”
　He then let out a long sigh and muttered, “Haaaa.”
“…I guess I couldn’t fool you after all.”
　oh.
　This means that Machida’s detailed theory about Kunekune (tentative name) is becoming more and more likely.
“What happened between you and Machida-san?”
“…It’s troublesome, but I have no choice but to talk.”
　He scratches his head vigorously and begins to speak listlessly.
　From now on, I will share with you what I imagined after listening to Machida’s story.
　Some parts may not be factual, but I would appreciate it if you would read this with an open mind.
……..
　Machida Marine.
　Her first name is surprisingly cute, and her previous job was as a psychic.
Ever since she was a child, she had been troubled by her ability to see ghosts, so she decided to use this troublesome trait to make money and set up an office to solve spirit-related problems.
Among his clients, there were quite a few who should have sought medical treatment unrelated to spirits, but Machida would often declare that it was the work of the devil and perform exorcisms by imitating what he saw.
　To her credit, she has, of course, helped clients who were suffering from genuine spiritual problems.
　In such cases, unlike exorcism, it is a mundane job of trying to communicate with the spirits and find a compromise.
　And so, as he worked as half con man, half psychic, one day he found himself communicating with an extremely evil spirit.
“My 15-year-old daughter suddenly started acting strange and wouldn’t come out of her room.”
　This is what an exhausted female client in her 40s said.
“I asked the school case worker for help, but it was not very effective… Then I came across this website. Could you please help my daughter?”
“Understood. Let’s head there right away.”
　Machida said this to the desperate client with a serious expression. However, inside, he was grinning to himself.
(This is money either way.)
　Machida’s experience tells him that in most cases, consultations about hikikomori are mental issues that have nothing to do with ghosts.
　In that case, if you play exorcism, the other party will feel relieved and will be grateful. Then, even if you set a high price, they won’t complain.
　And, although the possibility is extremely low, even if it is a spiritual disturbance, it will usually turn into money.
　Machida heads to the client’s house with a light step.
　He says he still regrets that.
…………
　As soon as they arrived in front of their daughter’s room, they kicked down the door.
　It is now common sense to proceed with caution when dealing with people who are reclusive, but that didn’t matter to Machida at the time.
　Do the work quickly and get the money quickly.
　That was Machida’s principle of action, and he didn’t care about other people’s feelings.
　He ignores the client who is screaming at Machida’s unreasonable behavior and looks at the person involved.
“I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad, I’m not bad.”
　The woman crouching in the corner of the room and muttering these words to herself didn’t look like she was 15 at all.
　The bags under his eyes were terrible, his hair was long and unkempt, and he hadn’t even taken a bath, so the whole room smelled like an animal.
　She looked like an old woman.
…….
　When Machida saw the presence behind his daughter, he realized he had drawn the Joker.
　That’s because he was the Squirrel, who was considered extremely troublesome and despised among psychics.