The Bizarre Hikizuri Siblings: The Seance, also titled Sleuth Kids: Assembly of the Fallen Ghost, is the fifth chapter from volume 13 of the Horror World of Junji Ito collection, The Circus is Here.
Plot[]
This story again follows the Hikizuri siblings from the previous chapter: Kazuya, Kinako, Shigorou, Narumi, Hitoshi and Misako.
Whilst pretending to be at work (when in reality he does not have a job), Kazuya meets a young woman named Sachiyo at the pond. She claims that several children have drowned in the pond and she is trying to get a photo of their ghosts. Kazuya tells her the Hikizuri house is haunted; and invites her over. However, he gets jealous when his brother Shigorou insists on showing Sachiyo around. Sachiyo takes some pictures and then leaves, declining Hitoshi's invitation to stay. The whole family argues over dinner and Misako physically attacks Hitoshi.
Kinako and Kazuya talk about Misako, who has been suffering the most since the Hikizuri parents died. Kazuya suggests they hold a seance so that Misako can speak to their parents again. Sachiyo agrees to take part in the seance, saying that all the photos she took in the Hikizuris' garden show spirit-like entities in the background. Kazuya is upset that Sachiyo invites her boyfriend Sawano, who is also interested in the supernatural.
Kazuya brings the family together for the seance, minus Hitoshi who has once again been attacked by Misako. Shigorou begins to convulse and then vomits up ectoplasm. He has been possessed by the spirit of their father, Gouzou; who asks how his children are faring. Gouzou accuses Kazuya of lying about going to work, and appoints Shigorou as head of the house instead. Kazuya gets angry and smashes up Gouzou's gravestone, while Shigorou uses his newfound psychic powers as an excuse to spend more time with Sachiyo in future. As Sawano walks Sachiyo home, he reveals that he kept some of the ectoplasm, and plans to run tests on it since he is a physicist.
Back at the Hikizuris' house, Shigorou orders his siblings to run around after him now that their father has appointed him the man of the house. Misako is angry that her mother didn't appear, so Shigorou says they will hold another seance the following evening. He demands that Kazuya fetch Sachiyo and make sure she doesn't bring Sawano. Kazuya goes over to Sachiyo's house but she's angry that the seance was faked; Sawano has discovered that the "ectoplasm" is udon flour. An enraged Kazuya goes home and confronts Shigorou.
Hitoshi, who has been very quiet and still, suddenly opens his mouth and an ethereal cloud of ectoplasm comes out. It takes the form of the real Gouzou Hikizuri, and chases the kids through the house before vanishing back into his grave. Hitoshi regains his senses and asks what happened, as his terrified siblings back away from him.