How I was Murdered by a Fox Monster Read online

  “I see, so you were adopted by Kousuke Matsumoto, that's pretty cool,” said Taisei. “But also kind of creepy that you have the same name,” he added.

  “So he's not actually related,” said Kurumi. “That's kind of disappointing.”

  “Didn't I say you were going to be disappointed,” said Itsuki.

  “But if you're the adopted son of Kousuke Matsumoto then you should know all about the Obake?” asked Taisei.

  “Of course,” I said. I thought back to all the tales of Obake that Grandpa told me as a child. I found it odd that these people also knew about his Obake obsession. I'd never considered that he may have been a well-known Obake expert.

  “That's good,” said Taisei. “So I guess we don't have to hide that we're exorcists from you.”

  “Exorcists?” I muttered in confusion. Unless I'd misheard, I was certain he'd claimed they were exorcists. I pictured all five of them dressed up as priests with a cross in one hand and a bottle of holy water in the other. I'd seen a few movies about possessed people who called upon the help of exorcists to drive out the devil inside, but I never knew that such people could also be high school students.

  “So you deal with possessed people?” I asked sceptically. I had a feeling they were either making it up, or it was one of those role-playing clubs were people dressed up and pretended to be fantasy characters.

  “Sometimes,” said Taisei. “But we usually exterminate Obake.”

  “Oh so you exterminate Obake,” I decided to play along. I once got into an argument with the class nerd who used to believe he was an alien and I didn't wish to repeat the experience. “That's nice.”

  “Yeah, pretty much. Hey do you want to see some pictures?” He asked.

  “I suppose,” I shrugged.

  “Hey Taisei, I'm not sure if you should do that,” said Itsuki.

  “Relax Itsuki. It's cool,” Taisei whipped out his phone and began sliding his finger around the screen. He found what he was looking for and handed me his phone.

  I expected to see them all dressed up in fake costumes, but the graphics were exceedingly good and almost lifelike. It appeared to be a giant raccoon, except it was the size of a person. Its teeth and claws were sharp, long, and dripping what looked like blood.

  “Hey this is pretty good, that blood looks almost real,” I said.

  “Of course its real. Man that guy got me good, I have this whole scar now and everything,” Taisei pulled up his sleeve to show me a bandage that extended from his wrist to the elbow. “But you know that chicks always dig battle wounds,” he said while winking at Kurumi, who in return scoffed and looked away.

  No they couldn't be serious, it couldn't be true. I thought. I stared at the pictures, and then at Taisei's arm, then back at the screen, and then at his arm again. I repeated this for almost a minute, until the realization finally hit me.

  “OBAKE ARE REAL!” I screamed.

  “Keep your voice down,” hissed Kiyori as he looked over his shoulder and scanned the area for people.

  “I thought you knew already,” whispered Taisei.

  “No, I thought they were all stories.” I felt quite distressed and Taisei had to pry his phone out of my fingers because I refused to let go. “I didn't think they actually existed.”

  “Great one Taisei,” said Kurumi. “Just wait until Akito hears about this. You're going to get grounded,” she added in a sing-song voice.

  “Does that mean there's really a raccoon monster, and a naked fox lady who will eat your heart out?!” I asked.

  “Geez,” moaned Taisei. “I really thought you knew already. Especially since Kousuke Matsumoto was a well-known exorcist.”

  “GRANDPA WAS AN EXORCIST?!”

  “What! You seriously didn't know about Kousuke Matsumoto either,” said Itsuki. “Idiot!”

  “I was only a little kid when he died!”

  “I suppose it's not your fault then,” said Taisei. “It's a shame though, Kousuke Matsumoto was pretty famous. He wasn't as famous as Daisuke Matsumoto, but he still had a good reputation back in the day.”

  “DAISUKE MATSUMOTO WAS AN EXORCIST TOO!?”

  “Hey will you shut up already,” said Kiyori. “I'm pretty sure the classroom above us could hear you. You're almost as loud as Souta.”

  “No one told me that my brother Daisuke was an exorcist,” I whispered.

  “He was the best there ever was,” said Kurumi. “We have to read up on him all the time.”

  “Akito made me write a report last week as punishment for missing my curfew, it really sucked,” said Kiyori.

  “What were you doing out that late?” asked Kurumi.

  “I had stuff to do, and then I missed the bus and had to walk the rest of the way.”

  “Yeah that happened to me too, but there's another bus that comes from the opposite side of the road, and it goes until about elev-”

  “Hey!” I interrupted, trying to get them back on track. “Do you think you could tell me more about Daisuke Matsumoto?” I always wanted to know more about the guy I was named after. Sis always got depressed if I asked, and sometimes cried. It was like her not so secret weakness.

  “Daisuke Matsumoto was pretty famous fifteen or twenty years ago,” said Taisei. “Some people believe he may have been the strongest exorcist there ever was. There wasn't an Obake out there that he couldn't beat. Cats, dogs, raccoons, rats, and pigs all fell before him.”

  “But then he was trying to pick up a girl and it turned out to be a fox Obake,” added Kiyori. “She plunged her hand into his chest and ripped out his heart before he even had time to reach for a protection charm.”

  They all hung their heads as though taking a moment of silence. “It's a hard lesson for all male exorcists,” said Taisei.

  “That any hot chick could actually be a monster plotting to rip your insides out,” added Kiyori.

  “It happened to my uncle too,” said Souta. “He even married her without realizing. One day she got hungry and he refused to go to the convenience store to buy her anything. She was still munching on his leg when they were discovered the next day.”

  “Ewww, Souta that so gross,” said Kurumi. Her face screwed up in disgust. “I thought I told you to stop telling that story in front of me.”

  I stood there with my mouth open in horror. It was like all my childhood fears had suddenly become reality. I used to think that Souta was pretty annoying, but given what was to occur months later, I now wish I'd paid more attention to his horror stories.

  Taisei must have seen the terror on my face because he attempted to lighten the mood. “On a happier note, all exorcists in the area go to this school, so there's no need to worry about man-eating Obake here.”

  I knew he was trying to console me, but I didn't feel better.

  “It's not like we had a choice though,” said Itsuki. “I don't understand why we have to go to this dump.”

  Kiyori groaned. “Not this again.”

  “We already went through this Itsuki,” said Taisei. “This is the only high school sponsored by the exorcist organization.”

  “Yeah it's not so bad man. There's no need to moan about it all the time. You should just relax more,” said Kiyori. “Take advantage of the situation.”

  “Wait,” I interrupted. “This high school is sponsored by your organization?”

  “Yeah it's pretty difficult for us to do well in school when we have to stay up all night hunting Obake,” said Taisei. “It's almost impossible for us to get our homework done in time.”

  “And then there's exorcist studies,” said Kiyori.

  “And weapons maintenance,” said Kurumi.

  “So the organization donates money here to help us pass high school,” said Taisei.

  I thought that sounded nice. I couldn't help thinking that it wouldn't be so bad if someone paid the school money to give me good grades, but then I realized what that would mean.

  “Wait! Isn't that bribery?!” I yelled

  “N
o of course not,” said Taisei. “But now that I stop and think about it.”

  “Are you seriously saying that you don't have to do your homework?” I asked.

  “But it's not like we don't want to, it's just not always possible,” said Kiyori. “But Itsuki here is the family smart arse so he always gets everything done.”

  “Great going Itsuki, you're making the rest of us look bad.” said Kurumi. “Now Akito expects us to finish our homework.”

  “I had to stay up until three!” said Souta.

  “Well, maybe if you didn't spend so much time doing your make up in the morning, you'd even get to school on time Kurumi,” muttered Itsuki.

  “What would you know Itsuki. Do you understand the importance looks are to a girl, what would everyone think if I arrived at school with no make up. It would be social suicide.”

  “But he does have a point Kurumi. You have spent a lot of our funds on hair products,” said Kiyori

  “What's that supposed to mean?” she snapped.

  “Nothing, I'm only implying that we could buy other useful things with the money you spend on hairspray.”

  “Like what Kiyori, hamburgers?”

  I watched as they slowly fell into an all out argument. Taisei attempted to intervene, but his voice of reason couldn't be heard over Kurumi's shrill insults. Itsuki stepped back, whipped out a set of flashcards, and began memorizing them like nothing was happening. Maybe he was used to this sort of situation.

  The cogs in my head began turning. So the exorcists didn't have to follow the school rules. Did that mean that if I joined them, I could also sleep until nine and not have to worry about handing my assignments in?

  “Hey, hey!” I yelled while trying to get their attention. “Do you think that maybe I could also become an exorcist?”

  Part of me already expected to be shot down. Like the time I tried to join the cool group in elementary school. What I didn't expect was for them to all stop arguing and begin simultaneously laughing.

  I felt confused. “I don't get it, what's so funny?” I asked.

  “You, an exorcist?” Laughed Itsuki.

  “Check this out,” said Kiyori. “It looks like Daisuke Matsumoto, suddenly wants to be like, wait for it, Daisuke Matsumoto.”

  “I'm sorry to disappoint you,” laughed Taisei. “But not just anyone can become an exorcist, there are conditions.”

  “Really! Like what?” I asked sceptically. It couldn't be that hard, the five of them didn't look that special.

  “Condition number one,” he held up one finger to emphasize his point. “You have to actually be born into an exorcist family. Not adopted into one.”

  “But-”

  He cut me off. “Condition number two, you need to possess the minimum requirement of spiritual power. Just because your parents are exorcists doesn't mean that you can be too. And condition number three, you have to begin training from age five.”

  “There used to be another condition saying that only men could join, but they've eased up on this recently,” added Kurumi.

  “Five, isn't that a bit young?” I couldn't imagine Hikaru having the attention span to begin training for anything.

  “But it's necessary for the development of spiritual power,” said Taisei. “You need to begin training while your body is still pliable. If you wait a few more years it's already too late.”

  “Which is why it's already too late for you, even if you meet conditions one and two,” nodded Kiyori.

  “Yeah but,” I stuttered. “It might be impossible to become an exorcist, but maybe I could do something else. Like carry your weapons, or take better pictures with your cell phone?”

  Taisei was quiet for a moment and began to mull it over. “I suppose you could be our slave if you really wanted, but the guys back home don't like to involve normal people in exorcist affairs. They like to keep everything as secretive as possible. We would all get into a lot of trouble if they ever found out.”

  I felt deflated. A wonderful opportunity to increase my fun at high school suddenly appeared, and was then mercilessly ripped away from me. I was in the middle of thinking up another way I could be useful to the exorcists, when the bell rang. It was the end of lunch time.

  “We should all get to class, you wouldn't want to be late,” said Taisei. He made a shooing action with his hands and the others turned and began to make their way back. “And one more thing,” he grabbed me by the collar and shoved me against the fence. “No matter what, don't tell a single soul about what happened here today. If you breathe one word of this to anyone I will personally make your next year of high school a living hell,” his eyes were cold and serious, and I had no reason to doubt him.

  Chapter 5

  I discovered there were seven exorcists at school. There was Itsuki and Mana, who were both in my class. Kiyori (the big guy) and Souta (the awkward one with curly hair) were both in second year. The blonde girl Kurumi, and Taisei (who seemed like their leader) were both in third. Nina was also in the third year. She wasn't at school the day I met the other exorcists, but I saw her once in the hall. She looked a lot like Sis, but I'll tell you more about that later.

  Everyone seemed to find Souta annoying, but he was the only one who was willing to tell me anything. Whenever I talked to the others they'd freeze up and tell me to go away, but Souta let the secrets spill like there was no tomorrow.

  “Obake are animal spirits which live in the natural world,” he explained to me.

  “I knew that already,” I said while remembering the stories Grandpa told me as a child. “What else?”

  “Hmm, Obake usually pretend to be different animals and then transform back into monsters and eat humans. Lots of murders are actually done by Obake instead of people. No one thinks that the cute kitty they find on the street is going to eat them when their back is turned.”

  “I knew it!” I didn't feel so stupid anymore for treating every animal with caution as a child.

  “But different types of Obake often disguise themselves as the same animal so you never know what you're going to get until it unveils itself. Sometimes its just a talking cat, or a giant cat with massive claws, or a half cat half person thing. It makes exorcising really hard. When I started we had to run away a lot, but now Taisei and Kurumi are pretty good, and Itsuki is probably the best.”

  “Itsuki,” I snorted. I could feel my anger begin to rise up already. I'd made a few attempts to be nice to the guy, but he ignored me completely. “I don't get it, why is that Itsuki guy such an arse all the time?”

  “Don't worry about Itsuki, he's still mad about having to go to this school. Itsuki actually made it in to a really good high school but they refused to let him go. He's been angry since then.”

  “Still, that's no excuse to be a dick to everyone,” I muttered.

  “Don't say that, Itsuki's a really loyal friend. He might be angry now, but he's normally fun to hang around.”

  “Maybe,” but he had still gone out of his way to build a wall between Mana and I. “So what's the deal with him and Mana?” I asked

  “Itsuki and Mana, huh? They're the same age so they've always been close. Mana was bullied in elementary school, but Itsuki would always rush in and save her. Just like a knight in shining armor.”

  “I see,” I wasn't sure how I was going to compete with that.

  “He helps her with school work at home a lot too.”

  “What! Home? So he goes to her house?” The thought of the two of them alone in Mana's bedroom made me want to puke.

  “Yes, sort of, we all live together.”

  “Really?” That wasn't as bad then. “All of you, as in all the exorcists, like together, in one house?”

  “Yes. Taisei, Kiyori, and I have to sleep in the same room. Taisei snores and Kiyori farts all night.”

  “And your parents are there too right?”

  “Nah, our parents are back home, we just live here during our training.”

  “Wow that must be tough
,” I tried to imagine what it would be like the live far away from Sis, Shuro and Hikaru.

  Souta shrugged. “At first, but I've been here since middle school so I don't really mind anymore. But Kiyori was really angry. I think he sometimes sneaks off and goes home when he's not supposed to.”

  I soon discovered that Kiyori was probably the biggest guy at school. I'm really glad that he wasn't trying to beat me up because I don't think I would have survived. The two of us got along pretty well for a while, until that incident.

  Taisei was the oldest and the leader of the group. He was also Mana's older brother, so I had to be nice to the guy if I wanted to date her. This meant I had to try not to spill their secret.

  I tried talking to Mana a few times since the first day, but Itsuki would always slip himself between us and foil all my plans. Therefore she couldn't go with me to the cinema, the mall, the water park, or all the other fantastic date locations I came up with.

  I considered asking my sister about her father and older brother but I decided against it. Sis always got depressed when we talked of them. I was also paranoid of what Taisei would do if I told her there were exorcists running around my school. I probably should have told her immediately. Maybe I was too stupid to see what was coming, but perhaps Sis could have saved me.

  ***

  I began to wonder if I would have been an exorcist if Grandpa hadn't passed away. If I had a famous guy like him as a mentor I could have been an awesome exorcist by now. Surely awesome enough to make those other guys take me seriously. Maybe even awesome enough to rival the first Daisuke Matsumoto.