Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mai hadn't always had "trippy" dreams or inklings of the unexplainable. In fact, her first years of life were uneventful—not that she would have recalled much as a toddler anyway.

The odd dreams began at the tender age of four. They usually involved the discombobulated memories of strangers. Though initially infrequent enough that she hardly remembered the contents, they became progressively recurrent and clearer with age. Her parents didn't pay the dreams much attention since they were seemingly harmless. Not to mention their skepticism of the whole ordeal. 

Well, that is until one specific dream—

A young lady, who vaguely reminded Mai of the nice Obaa-chan next door, had been softly weeping. It looked like she was saying her goodbyes to a handsome gentleman of the same age. She remembered his smile as he whispered into the lady's ear and placed a violet floral brooch in her hand. His whispers were too quiet for Mai to hear, but she thought even they deserved a little privacy from the ears of an intruding four-year-old. The man kissed the lady softly before leaving, allowing one stray tear to fall before the vision ended.

Mai could still recall how beautiful the brooch had been when she peeked at it on her tippy-toes. It had flower-shaped silver with violet gems for petals and a small engraving she couldn't make out on the back. She couldn't understand everything the people in her dreams had to say but didn't need to—she had a basic understanding of their body language and facial expressions.

She told her Okaa-san about the dream the next day while making onigiri. While her mother thought it oddly specific, she didn't question it much, assuming Mai had seen a similar storyline during a daytime drama. Thus, it ended up getting forgotten about entirely.

That is, until Mai's mother told their neighbor about it in passing over tea and rice crackers.

Higashi-san, known as "Obaa-chan" to Mai, had been frozen mid-tea-serve upon hearing about the dream. The old woman recounted the entire backstory of the dream and visited the Taniyama residence at the end of the school day with a small box to confirm her suspicion.

"Mai-chan, is this what you saw in your dream?" The elderly lady dropped to Mai's height and opened the box. Inside revealed a silver brooch shaped into a flower with gems of amethyst.

Mai stared in awe at the brooch, taken by its beauty in person. "Yeah! There were words on the back too, but Mai can't read them yet." She flipped the brooch over much to the horror of her mother—sticky child fingers were not compatible with valued jewelry.

"Hiro-oji-san said he's sorry he couldn't make it back and that he loves you."

Higashi-san smiled cheek to cheek, patting the child's head. "Thank you, Mai-chan."

Mai's parents paid closer attention to her dreams from then on. Since most of her dreams were unconnected or about trivial events, they continued to listen with a grain of salt. Mai's first recurring nightmares prompted her mother to take some advice from a coworker to visit the local shrine. She got a talisman that warded negativity. The talisman worked well enough throughout Mai's childhood but ended up missing during her moves later on.

The next pivotal point in her life was not a positive one. This came in the form of the untimely death of her father.

At the time, Mai, aged 7, recalled a restless energy she couldn't shake—the oppressive feeling of dread. She had been unable to fall asleep at her usual time that night, tossing and turning until she gave up.

Her mother surmised that she had "the jitters" because her father had recently left for a business trip and she probably missed him. Mai fell asleep an hour to two after a cup of tea and a short story.

She didn't expect her father to visit her that night.

He had ruffled her hair like always and kissed her forehead, hugging her and apologizing for leaving so soon. He pulled the blankets up over her shoulders before fading away. She sometimes wondered if she'd been dreaming or if he truly appeared in her room.

The following morning, she awoke to the sound of her mother sobbing over the phone, and the feeling in her gut told her exactly what she needed to know.

The next time she experienced intense dread was one morning when she couldn't shake the urge to stop her mother from leaving the house. Her mother had laughed it off, wondering what her daughter was so worried about. It would've been a waste to not go to work and eat the bento Mai had proudly made for her. Ultimately, Mai couldn't convince her and eventually stopped her insistence—and yet, the voice inside her pushed her to continue.

She should have listened.

Middle school left her with a fear of what her dreams could reveal. On occasion, she would experience brief snippets of her parents' lives in nightmares—both the good and the bad—followed by memories of her last moments with them.

While apprehensive, Mai still involved herself with the paranormal in some form, albeit not always intentionally. She understood that, at the very least, she was more sensitive to the other side than other people. She didn't care to explore her abilities further aside from helping the occasional spirit. And that was whether she was aware of them being dead or not.

She didn't call herself a medium either. She wasn't like that doll-like girl on the one TV show. Hara Masako, was it? Sometimes, she wished she couldn't tap into the other side at all. Sure, it had its benefits but also its caveats, like that one time in middle school.

She had been with a few friends who were too curious for their own good. The idea of an old property that was the scene of a brutal murder was too interesting to pass up. So, they thought it was a good idea to investigate the decrepit building, all safety awareness out the window.

This was only the first of many instances of Mai's decision-making deficit.

Since most of her friends were chickens, they never had the gall to explore the inside of the home. They opted to walk the perimeter of the yard, Mai wanting to run for the hills but teenage pride holding her back. She remembered feeling watched by something from the second-story windows. Despite several glances, she never caught anything. Her one friend was also pushed into some dead bushes by seemingly nothing—she had cut up her arms and legs with dull but plentiful scrapes.

When they finally left, almost everyone unscathed, Mai felt the hugest wave of relief.

If only she knew.

Night terrors plagued her every night for the next month, appearing at least five nights a month from then on. The visions were sometimes from an outside view… and sometimes from a first-person perspective.

Thus, began Mai's habit of taking sleeping pills upon the recommendation of her peers.

She knew it was a bad habit to start, but she didn't believe the adults in her life would understand her predicament, so she resorted to friends under the guise of "insomnia."

Despite avoiding her dreams, she couldn't completely ignore the paranormal—especially when it found its way to her.

.

"Um, is this it? Seems like no one's been here for a long time," Mai whispered to her companion as they approached a small worn-down shrine.

The structure was surrounded by small round stones embedded into the ground. They had various faces engraved into them almost like little spirits. Two rabbit statues stood guard at the front of the small stone platform that the shrine stood upon. With the sun drifting lower and casting a shadow over the area, Mai reminded herself how she even got wrapped up in this situation in the first place.

She had been merely trying to mind her own business on her way to the train station after school. That was when she noticed a miko on the corner attempting to catch the attention of several pedestrians. Everyone seemed to disregard her—or rather, they couldn't see her.

The miko adorned the traditional white kimono under a red hakama. Her midnight black hair was in a low ponytail tied with a small white ribbon. What differed from the usual miko attire was the small red crescent moon marking on her forehead.

I've never seen her around here before.

Mai debated crossing to the opposite side of the street to avoid contact with this suspiciously ethereal figure and whatever shenanigans she brought with her. Noting the distress of the maiden though, something told her she needed to help.

That she was meant to help.

Thus, cue her current predicament. The miko, known as Hiroko, claimed that she was running out of time—for what, Mai could only assume. Hiroko explained she was in a hurry to find some ancient artifact that she had a duty to watch over.

She had been in a slumber for the past few decades following the world war and was only now awake. She woke beneath a nearby plum blossom tree with no recollection of her general orientation. Being the nice person she was, Mai begrudgingly agreed to help. The duo spent a good hour or two searching different shrines in the area in hopes of finding the artifact. It wasn't until they came across a promising trail did their escapade feel worth it. 

A large shrine had a nearly hidden trail that led into the woods. Having no qualms about her safety, Mai marched right in. The trail revealed the small abandoned shrine they were searching for.

Hiroko approached Mai from behind, floating herself to the left. "Yes! This is indeed the one," she said. "Should you lift off the head of the tanuki stone, there will be a key. Please use that to unlock the box in the shrine."

Scrunching her face in doubt, Mai followed her directions. "You sure this is okay? I don't want to get cursed or anything. I have enough on my plate as it is."

"Surely not! This will be a blessing!"

"If you say so," she mumbled. With reluctance, Mai retrieved the key. She was careful not to drop the stone head lest she angered whatever spirit inhabited it. She picked up the small wooden box nesting in the shrine and noted the wear on the corners as well as the fading of the body.

Unlocking and lifting the top, the rusted hinge broke off, leaving the lid to clatter against the ground. Inside was a small foldable pocket mirror that remained well protected from the elements. The mirror featured an intricate design of red, white, and gold embroidered into the top and bottom pieces. It resembled the ancient Chinese robes she had seen in her history textbooks.

Cloud designs bordered the perimeter followed by a pattern of what looked like white rabbits closer to the middle. Even closer to the center were ancient characters wrapped around that she couldn't quite read. She could only make out the character for "moon." The gold clasp was a full circle, leading her to think it was supposed to represent the full moon.

"Wow, this is beautiful! Looks like it could have belonged to Chinese royalty or something." She stared in awe at the beautiful piece of work as it lay in its box. Considering the circumstances of the whole ordeal, a thought crossed her mind. "I'm not going to open this and find a ghost or something in the reflection, right?" she asked, not daring to pick up the object.

Hiroko rolled her eyes. "You must jest. This is a sacred item believed to have been gifted from the heavens. It has been enshrined here for years, forgotten with the ages." Her face betrayed a wistful smile as she stared from over Mai's shoulder. She glanced back at the larger shrine that they stood behind, allowing herself to reminisce. "I have protected this treasure for centuries at Tsukiyano shrine. I will surely miss it." Smiling warmly, she dipped her head in a bow. "Thank you, Mai-san. For I wish that you will care for the artifact well in my absence."

Alarmed by her words, Mai spun around only to see the view of the trees and the shrine in the distance. "Wait! I thought you just wanted me to find it? I didn't know I'd have to take responsibility for something so important!" she yelled out to no one.

The space where Hiroko once stood showed no indication of the miko's presence. The wind blew against the trees, lending the scent of jasmine to her nose.

Well, that was kind of cheap. Way to push your job onto someone else! Mai sighed, cursing herself for being too nice. What else was new.

Remembering the box in her hands, she studied the mirror—conflicted between keeping watch over the item or finding another shrine, or even a museum, to drop off the item.

As if to answer her question, the mirror unlatched itself, remaining ajar.

Feeling her breath hitch in her throat, she closed her eyes and attempted to calm herself down. Of course, it has to be haunted!

After what felt like half an hour of debating, she ultimately decided to take the object with her. What happened after that, she would have to figure out later. Given that the original storage box was out of commission, she neatly placed the pieces back into the safety of the shrine. With some thorough mental preparation, she picked up the mirror and shut it before sliding it into her coat pocket.

Feeling her phone buzz in her other pocket, she pulled it out. Popping up on the screen was her reminder about the ground beef sale at the grocery store by the school.

I completely forgot! I hope they don't run out. I even have a coupon!

Unfortunately for her, she was in the complete opposite direction and would have to pass by the school again. In normal circumstances, she would have just given up and cursed her forgetfulness. However, beef was a luxury and she'd been looking forward to hamburger steak for lunch. If she could stretch it on a good deal, distance be damned. Humans were created with legs for a reason!

Running off, the speed of her takeoff fluttered the nearby leaves. Her presence marked the last sign of life on the vacant plane before it closed off.

When Mai reached the platform of the larger shrine, she paused and glanced back. Her eyes widened when she spotted that the trail was gone. No evidence existed that the small shrine in the woods even existed. Now that she thought about it, the woods had seemed much denser and more remote than what Tokyo would allow.

Goosebumps traveled up from the tips of her extremities to her back. Not wanting to dwell in the area any longer, she scurried off, set on beating the grocery store's hours.

By the time the school gates and old schoolhouse entered her line of vision, the sun had begun to set. It cast a yellow-orange film over the buildings and trees, reminding her of her "late" night.

Switching her run to a speed walk after she got tired, she pulled out her phone to check the time. It was already 7 pm and it was getting dark. She needed to get on the train soon before the schedule switched to hourly. As she put her phone away, a text from Michiru had her pulling it back out. She was asking about ghost stories tomorrow after school. Thursday was their usual day, but they almost skipped this week since Michiru had a risky date scheduled.

I guess that didn't work out, huh?

Mid-reply, Mai failed to notice someone standing on the sidewalk observing the old schoolhouse. She promptly collided with their side, nearly knocking them both over and successfully dropping her phone as well as knocking the stranger's folder onto the sidewalk.

"Eeeh, I am so sorry! That was my fault for not paying attention."

The stranger—a handsome black-clad teenager—grunted briefly. "I know it was," he said. "You shouldn't stare at your phone while you're walking."

Feeling embarrassment creep up her cheeks, she redirected her attention to his scattered papers. "Here, let me help you," she said, already crouching down to help.

"It's fine. I had organized them in a fashion that would be too complicated for you, anyway."

Am I hearing this right?!

"And what is that supposed to mean?" When her reply received no response, she huffed and picked up her phone, stomping away. "That's what I get for being so nice today," she grumbled.

The mystery individual paid her no mind as he gathered his dropped reports.

That's when he noticed something.

Where the girl had been standing not too long ago was a small circular item. It was a pocket mirror, but not like an item casually carried around by teenage girls. Perhaps a family heirloom of some sort?

By the time he realized he didn't have his handkerchief and had to pick it up bare-handed, she was long gone out of sight.

Sighing, he inspected the mirror, hoping to find a name. Instead, he was pulled into a vision—one of the same girl as she stood amongst floating orbs in an otherwise black space. A small luminescent white rabbit stood off in he distance as though watching her. What the vision meant to convey, he wasn't sure. He would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a bit intrigued.

Oliver studied the outside of the mirror once more, identifying small Chinese characters. He could ask Lin about them later if he cared enough to know. For now, he had work to do.

He would return it the next he saw her—she was wearing this school's uniform after all.

Chapter Text

After Mai's encounter with the rude guy, she quickly stocked up at the store only to realize the mirror was missing upon searching for her wallet. Retracing her steps back to the old schoolhouse, she cursed herself for being so unaware. She could have dropped it at any point during her run from the shrine to the market!

Come on, Mai! You gotta be better. Who knows where it could have landed? The more she thought about it, the worst she felt. If some greedy good-for-nothing pawned it off for drug money, she would never be able to live on in peace. Heck, her family and ancestors must be turning in their graves right about now!

Above all else, she felt that she had done a great disservice to Hiroko and the Tsukiyano shrine, ashamed of her obliviousness.

As it was too dark out to reasonably look further, her only course of action would be to wake up early the next day in hopes of retracing her steps. That way, she could feel like she made it up to them in some way. Or at the very least, say that she tried her best.

The next morning, just as promised, Mai woke up for school much earlier to start her search. The forecast called for rain in the late morning until evening, so she made sure to pack an umbrella.

Tucking one side of her hair behind her ear as she usually did, she said her goodbyes to her parents' portraits before heading out.

From the train station, she started her search at the shrine, once again noting the disappearance of the trail. Still feeling perturbed about the whole thing, Mai diverted her attention back to the remaining path that she had taken to school the day before. Virtually nothing was amiss, and no special treasures were found.

Mai groaned at her failure, disappointed that her venture was fruitless. At least I can say I tried, she thought to herself. She wondered if the mirror knew she would be such an inadequate caretaker that it ghosted itself back to the spirit realm.

With that chapter in her life seemingly closed for the time being, she forced herself to resume her day as normal. Her group's weekly ghost storytelling that afternoon served as her only source of solace that day.

"Mai! You ready?" Keiko asked, approaching her desk after the class had started filtering out.

"You bet I am," Mai grinned, shoving the rest of her books in her bag haphazardly. "I got a good one today. I've been thinking about it for the past week."

Michiru pulled up beside the two, a nervous smile on her face. "Can't wait to not sleep tonight," she joked. "I'm not going to lie, I completely forgot to prepare a story today."

"Too sad about your date?" Mai teased. "Just tell us about some creepy things you've heard! Doesn't have to be in story format."

After the three girls finished packing, they headed to the vending machines for Keiko to get a milk tea before heading to the usual lab that they used. The rain was pouring heavily outside, lending the perfect atmosphere to tell their stories.

While not fully aware of the extent of her experiences, Keiko and Michiru had an inkling that Mai was "one those people with a knack for spiritual stuff," as they put it. This became apparent when Mai would occasionally suggest avoiding certain places or doing certain things on a given day. She was never direct about it, always offhandedly making a comment here and there. Whenever they brushed off her suggestions, something would always happen that indicated that they should've listened.

Sometimes when they were all hanging out outside of school, Mai would be caught glancing at something over their shoulders. When they would turn to look, they never saw anything. At first, they assumed it could've just been her breaking eye contact during a normal conversation. Yet, sometimes her attention would be on whatever it was for a tad too long to just be nothing.

Whenever they asked Mai about those occurrences, she would merely shrug and say it wasn't important. At times, she almost seemed a bit uncomfortable acknowledging that she'd been caught.

She never did deny their suspicions, though.

Considering they all had an interest in the paranormal, even if only through ghost stories, neither Keiko nor Michiru were freaked out—there were plenty of stories on TV about people who could speak to spirits and whatnot! Mai just happened to be one of those few individuals.

Apparently, the girl in question had been subjected to ridicule by a few peers, and even a teacher, in the past because she said "a few strange things." To counteract the previous reactions, Keiko and Michiru opted to do what they understood was best for Mai. And that was to not react at all.

From what they knew about Mai, she liked to be comfortable. Living an uneventful teenage life, even if only for appearances, was one such comfort.

Perhaps, due to teenage insecurity or fear of the unknown, Mai preferred to not talk about her abilities much. She believed they weren't relevant to her daily life; or maybe, she just didn't want them to be relevant in her life.

Setting up the chairs and retrieving their flashlights, the girls prepared for their session to begin. They turned off the lights and got into place. Keiko took an anticipatory sip of her milk tea and tightened her pigtails before clearing her throat.

"So, this is something I heard about a long time ago on some after-midnight special. According to sources, there was this guy who inherited a huge farmhouse from a distant relative who passed away. Because the man had no family of his own, he lived all alone in this house," Keiko started, setting the scene.

"Every night, he would hear scratching sounds coming from the hallway. Of course, when he would check, he never saw anything. One night, fed up with the sounds, he followed it all the way to the end of the hall where there was only a dead-end. Hearing the scratching even closer now, he placed his ear against the wall and waited," her voice grew quiet.

"The scratching started up again, directly on the other side of where his ear was pressed! Freaked out, the man checked the nearby rooms adjacent to that wall and found nothing, not even a door to enter the space. Realizing that there was an area of the house with no access to it, he got his axe and smashed the wall down," she paused. "What he found were markings scratched into every inch of the room. 'I miss you, my darling. You're always in my thoughts. When will you come for me?' were some of the markings etched into the walls, as if someone had used a stick to scratch every single character. There was no one to be found in there. Except for a small pile of bones, hidden underneath a blue dress in the corner of the room."

Michiru let out a gasp. "Eeh, I don't like that one." Mai nodded her head in agreement, goosebumps lightly covering her arms.

"Heh, right? Isn't that creepy?" agreed Keiko. "After I heard it, I begged my brother to sleep in his room, but all he told me was to suck it up. So mean."

Keiko clicked off her light. "Okay, your turn, Mai!"

The sound of rain pelting against the window and roof provided the perfect suspense as Mai prepared her own story.

She cleared her throat, leaning into the table for theatrics. "One night, a security guard at an apartment complex is forced to come into work for the overnight shift. Like any other night, he made his rounds, nothing out of the ordinary… that is, until he saw an office lady in a white dress suit wandering the halls searching for something.

"Approaching the woman, he asked her if she needed help. She told him that she was afraid to walk to her apartment alone, because she thought she had someone stalking her. The guard surveyed the area first and then asked her which apartment she was staying in. He offered to walk her back to make sure she was safe. 'Thank you. I'm in apartment 444,' she said. He could have sworn that they didn't even have an apartment that number, but walked with her anyways. When they reached the fourth floor, she led him all the way to the opposite end where, without a doubt, was room 444."

Mai's voice lowered to almost a whisper. "The door was ajar, so the security guard told the woman to wait outside, so he could check the apartment. Upon entering with his flashlight, nothing was amiss at first, but then he saw it. The same woman he had been walking with was on the floor with multiple gunshot wounds through her head and chest, laying in a puddle of her own blood, staining her white dress suit completely. Alarmed, the guard swiveled around to the hall only to find that the woman with him was gone.

"When he turned back to where the body was, it was also gone. Terrified, he ran right out of the building. The next day, his coworker told him that on the CCTV, he hadn't been talking to anyone the whole time, and that the 'apartment' he had gone into had always been a storage room!" She said with a sinister affect, intent on spooking Keiko.

The girl in question made a high-pitched noise, backing away from the table slightly. "I hate when you use that voice!"

Mai laughed, promptly turning off her flashlight.

"Shh, don't be too loud, guys. Someone will hear us!" Michiru said, nudging her friends in the side.

"Okay, okay, sorry—anyways, it's your turn, Michiru."

"Right… I guess I'll tell the story about the old schoolhouse."

"You mean the crusty one that's falling apart across from us?" asked Mai.

"Oh, but it's not only crusty and falling apart," Michiru replied, now deepening her voice, "but also cursed. They say that even when it was still running, there would be frequent unexplainable fires, some that people claim to have seen start all by themselves. Following a murder case that was being investigated in a neighboring town, a student had found blood oozing out from under one of the stalls… when her friends dared her to opened it, they found a little girl's body from the waist down propped up as if someone had set her up like a doll.

"A teacher hung themselves soon after, being found dangling in one of the classrooms as the students began coming in for class. Finally, when the new schoolhouse opened, they had tried to take down the old building only for strings of construction workers to fall ill, all with the same symptoms. Some say that they were coughing up blood, with a few men having to be hospitalized! If it wasn't the illnesses, then it was the many incidents—when they tried to demolish the west wall, it fell through the second floor and killed everyone on the first floor. Soon after, a bus driver lost control of his bus, claiming that it ran itself straight into the schoolhouse, running over students who were outside as well as the students inside.

Michiru leaned in, as if telling a secret. "Not to mention, there was a night where my senpai was leaving her sports club late and happened to walk by the schoolhouse on her way home. Feeling like she was being watched, she glanced over at the old schoolhouse only to find an apparition of a man staring right at her through the window!"

Keiko jumped back from the table, her chair screeching loudly against the floor. "That's creepy! I didn't even know all that happened. I mean, Mai, you've never seen anything there, right?"

Mai shook her head. "Nope, nothing. The building looks like it could have something, though."

Michiru clicked off her light, depriving them of their only source of light.

"One."

"Two.."

"Three…"

…

"Four."

"Oh my god, one's finally here to kill us!"

The girls shrieked, nearly jumping out of their chairs with Keiko actually jumping onto Mai.

Overhead, the lights suddenly flicked on, causing Mai to squeeze her eyes shut at the brightness. She blinked several times before her eyesight corrected itself, lending to an image of a black-clad individual standing at the lab door… a familiar black-clad individual, at that.

Michiru responded first. "Oh, please tell me that was you!" she exclaimed, relief clearly written on her face as she plopped back in her chair.

"Sorry, did I scare you? I couldn't help but listen in on your ghost stories," Mystery-individual said, his voice fairly deep and smooth. He flashed an astonishingly handsome smile, instantly blinding her two friends.

"Oh, um, that's okay!" Michiru and Keiko quickly ditched Mai to go welcome the new—good looking—presence. "Are you a transfer student? What grade are you in?"

Why does he look way too used to this type of attention? Mai quirked her brow. She could admit that he was sort of handsome… okay, definitely handsome now that she could see him clearly compared to last night.

"I turn 17 this year," he said, her friends beginning to chat him up.

Mai tilted her head in thought, feeling that something was off about him. Kind of a weird answer. Why not just say second year? Finally deciding to leave her spot at the table, she loudly let the chair screech against the floor. She approached with caution, remaining a good distance away.

Catching her movement, he flickered his eyes up to her in recognition.

"What's your name?" Keiko asked.

Bringing his attention back to the two in front of him with another charming smile. "Shibuya Kazuya."

Definitely fishy! That smile is so fake.

She could always leave it to her friends to lose all reason just because some cute guy walked into the room from who knows where. Mai narrowed her eyes at him in challenge. "So, Shibuya-san, or whatever, what business do you have here?"

"I was simply running some errands when I heard your interesting stories," he said, narrowing his eyes an almost negligible amount.

"Well, you might as well get to it, since we're all done now," she challenged.

Keiko shot her a look of betrayal, quickly trying to rectify the situation. "A-ah, that's okay, Mai. A short chat would never hurt anyone." She shyly twisted the end of one pigtail in her fingers. "Um, Shibuya-kun, since you liked our stories, would you like to join us next time?"

Curse Keiko for being so thirsty.

"I'd be delighted, but only if you don't mind?"

Michiru—who was already kind of seeing a guy, by the way—immediately agreed, "Of course not! We could do tomorrow in our classroom?"

As Mai rolled her eyes as her friends shamelessly flirted, her attention was suddenly drawn to something in the hallway. Glowing with a soft ethereal light, it took the shape of a white rabbit. She walked closer to the door, trying to get a better look from around the commotion, but it had started to hop away down the hallway. It left a trail of white glowing paw prints against the dark floor that seemed to fade the further the rabbit moved.

"Shibuya Kazuya" switched his attention over to Mai when he noticed her staring intently at something behind him. At first, he ignored it, assuming another student was out in the hall—and yet, she continued to inch closer to the door, as if studying something unusual. Briefly chancing a glance back, he found nothing worth noting. Whatever it was, it piqued her interest enough that she slipped around them to head down the hall.

"I'll be back," she quickly mumbled to her friends.

"Wait, Mai, where are you going?" called out Keiko. Michiru stepped into the hallway, peering out the door.

Mai kept her eyes forward, afraid to lose sight of the rabbit. "I'm just gonna check something out. I'll be back in a few, I swear!" she said, waving her hand back at them.

Michiru brought her hand up to her chin in thought. "Wonder if she saw something weird?"

Oliver's brow twitched ever so slightly.

"We should probably grab our stuff and follow her. It's getting late, anyways," Michiru said, turning around.

Keiko nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess you're right." The two grabbed their bags, Keiko picking up Mai's bag. "Sorry about that, Shibuya-senpai! We'll see you tomorrow then? Our classroom is room 1-F!"

.

Later that night, Mai was preparing her lunch for the next day. Her mind drifted back to earlier when she had chased that spirit rabbit—or whatever it was. When she had almost caught up to it, her friends ambushed her from behind. That caused her to look away for only a mere second, resulting in the rabbit completely disappearing. Unless her school suddenly had an animal haunting, she couldn't make any sense of the whole thing!

But, wait.

If she remembered correctly, the pocket mirror had little rabbits embroidered into it. What if, as punishment for losing it, the animal spirit came back to curse her for all eternity?!

She groaned at the thought, fluctuating between brushing off the notion and finding it plausible enough to mourn her luck. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself a momentary pause of self-pity.

She blamed it all on that Shibuya Kazuya character, or whatever his name was.

Sure, she was being a little dramatic, not to mention unreasonable for blaming him... but if it made her feel a little bit better at that moment, then so be it. Besides, what was up with him anyway? Yesterday, he was a total ass crack to her, and then today, he was all gentlemanly and suave with Keiko and Michiru! What a fake.

The scent of moderately charred meat broke her out of her internal rant, drawing her attention back to the hamburg steak she was frying, er, burning. "Crap!" she turned off the stove and slid open her window wider to let the smell out. Sighing, she gave the steak a few pokes with her chopstick.

The sad part was that she was probably still going to eat it, anyways.

Come the next day, after she wrapped up her extra crispy bento lunch, Mai headed out for school a tad earlier than usual. The rain had stopped last night, leaving her with a crisp spring morning accompanied by the nostalgic scent of dew that she loved.

The sakura trees were also in bloom, leading to a very pleasant walk to school. She lived only a few train stops away from the school, so the journey wasn't very far.

As she passed the old schoolhouse, she couldn't help but let her mind wander back to the stories Michiru shared the night before. Were there really that many deaths here? This place never struck me as anything but a crummy old building.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she walked through the old school gate and approached the entrance. Noticing a camera propped on a tripod through the front door, she pressed her hand against the glass for a better look. She didn't get a particularly bad feeling, but her gut told her she probably shouldn't mess with it.

She was about to turn away when she caught sight of the rabbit from yesterday, sitting a little further into the hallway.

Her next move was likely going to be the dumbest thing she did this year, but she just had to figure out why it was appearing to her. Slowly creeping into the building, she moved a little closer to the hallway. Trying not to get into view of the camera that sat to her right, she kneeled to a lower level. Inching closer, she said, "Hello there, little guy. Is there any reason you're suddenly showing yourself to me?" No answer. "Or are you here to punish me for losing the mirror?"

The rabbit blinked, telling Mai that must have been some kind of intelligent answer.

"I can't explain how sorry I am. I'm… not the most organized person, and I probably wasn't the best person to entrust it to—well, I'm sure you're aware of that by now. If there's any way for me to make it up to you, please show me a si-"

"Who's there?"

Startled, Mai shot up in a clumsy mess, accidentally stumbling into the camera beside her and knocking it smack into the floor. She cringed at the sound of plastic and glass cracking as it hit the floor. She internally kicked herself for proving her own point!

A tall man walked towards her, immediately dipping down to the ground to inspect the, now probably broken, equipment. He glared at her through the one eye that wasn't covered by his bangs. "What were you doing in here?" he questioned coldly.

"Uh, I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to. I, uh, saw a rabbit in here and was trying to get it out of the building," she impulsively answered. Ugh, way to go. That was the single most suspicious answer you could have come up with! It wasn't a complete lie though…

Footsteps were heard approaching from behind, followed by a familiar voice. "What's going on over here?"

Mai turned to find Shibuya, or whatever, from yesterday approaching, his eyes flickering between Mai, the other man, and the camera.

The tall man inspecting the camera spoke up first, "The camera is damaged, but the footage may still be salvageable,” he said, before promptly standing from his crouch. He was easily four heads taller than her!

"I'm sorry, I knocked it over by accident," she quickly piped up, not sure who to address in this situation.

"We met yesterday, right? What's your name?" Shibuya, or whatever, asked.

She nodded her head. "It's Taniyama Mai."

"Well, I thought I should let you know that you're going to be late as the morning bell just rang for your first class."

Everything paused at that moment, the sound of the bell playing in the distance. "What?!" Forgetting the whole debacle, Mai made a quick escape, running at full speed towards the school.

Oliver watched her sprint for a few seconds, before turning his attention to the camera. "How does it look?"

His associate, Lin Koujo, shook his head. "We will have to get it repaired, or replaced. I was able to remove the footage—would you like to review it?"

Oliver nodded. "Yes. Did she say why she was in here?"

"Apparently, she had seen a rabbit enter. I had left the doors closed before leaving for the van, so that possibility is slim. It could have just been an excuse."

Later upon review of the footage, the two sat in equal perplexity as they replayed the audio. They listened as Mai addressed something that they couldn't see. What was curious to Oliver was that she mentioned the mirror she had dropped the other day. Oliver hadn't been able to return it to her as she had practically run out of the classroom yesterday night.

To make sense of the situation, he pulled out the pocket mirror from inside his jacket, now wrapped up in his handkerchief. "Lin, I believe she was talking about this," he said, assuming his assistant understood. "Can you decipher the characters?"

Lin studied the mirror, noting the rabbit design. He took a few moments to interpret the characters written on the cover. "This is written in ancient Chinese, which I am not as proficient in. In basic terms, 'Under the protection of the moon, we shall thrive,' is what it says."

"Interesting," Oliver noted.

Perhaps, she could be of some use in this case.

.

The school day came and went, completely draining the energy out of her. When the final bell rang, Mai's head comfortably became one with the top of her desk. She stretched her arms out, practically croaking at the amount of dread flowing in waves within her knowing that eventually Shibuya, or whatever, was going to hunt her down about the camera.

A finger poked her from the side. "You okay, Mai? That sound you just made was ghastly," asked Michiru.

"I totally get it, though. The number of projects we just got assigned this afternoon should be illegal!" Keiko exclaimed, quickly sweeping the area to ensure their sensei was out of earshot lest she lost even more favor with her instructor.

Mai sat up, finally deciding to put away her books and head out. She didn't feel like telling stories today, cute guy or not—she already had her fill of him for the week.

"Wait, are you heading home? We're supposed to tell ghost stories with that cute guy, remember?"

"Nope, not interested." Mai continued to pack her bag, very intent on avoiding further shenanigans for the day.

"Oh, come on, Mai! It'll be our only chance to tell ghost stories with someone so cute!" Keiko challenged.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard approaching them from the classroom entrance. "So, it's been you guys? Telling ghost stories every day? No wonder I've been getting migraines. When you tell stories like that, it attracts groups of low-level spirits that attract stronger ones, giving me these awful headaches." Standing at the door was… Kuroda, was it? She was from class 1-C. She was someone who usually kept to herself. So, why she was here bugging them, Mai couldn't say.

"And you're blaming us for that? I don't think that's how that works," Mai retorted, not feeling in the mood for this.

Kuroda didn't take that response well, if the scrunching of her eyebrows and deepening of her frown was any indication. "I'll have you know that when you entertain yourself with these little stories of yours, it attracts hordes of spirits, putting me at risk, because of how sensitive I am!" She crossed her arms, the lights reflecting off her glasses.

Cry me a river. Mai didn't know if the Kuroda truly had powers or not—and it really wasn't her right to say, anyways—but for someone who supposedly did, she flaunted about them an awful lot.

"If you claim to be as sensitive as you are, do you sense anything in the old schoolhouse?" A voice interrupted. Everyone turned to find Shibuya, or whatever, leaning against the other classroom entrance in all his handsome glory.

Kuroda turned, redirecting her attention. "Is this your doing? Putting these girls up to telling these ridiculous ghost stories?"

"I don't quite follow," he feigned ignorance, "and, you didn't answer my question. Perhaps, your abilities aren't as you say?"

Kuroda frowned, tightening her hands into fists. "I'll have you know that there are countless spirits in there who died from the war—in fact, I have seen many injured spirits in there, so I'm positive that the schoolhouse used to operate as a hospital."

Keiko and Michiru both spared Mai a glance, almost as if to confirm. The girl in question ignored their looks and opted to study her dry cuticles instead.

"I wasn't aware of a hospital being present, but because the school was built prior to the war, perhaps, it was a medical school?" Shibuya, or whatever, inquired.

Appearing to have struck a nerve with her, Kuroda raised her voice. "Look, I don't know, but I really do see spirits. If you don't have psychic powers, you wouldn't understand."

"Um, sorry, Shibuya-senpai. Maybe we could do this another day," Keiko said, piping up before Kuroda became angrier.

Michiru nodded. "Yeah, I don't really feel like telling stories, anymore."

"Fine, perhaps another day," Shibuya, or whatever, nodded, already making his way out of the room. Mai—almost—felt a sense of relief as he began to leave, but as with her luck, he paused briefly before directly addressing her. "Also, Taniyama-san, could I speak with you for a moment?"

That's going to have to be a 'no.'

Swallowing, she nodded reluctantly, following him into the hallway as she heard her friends huff in envy in the background.

The two walked down the hall, away from the likely prying ears of the other three girls. A bit tense, Mai found the shadows in the hallway to be the most interesting things she had ever seen. With neither of them saying anything, her eyes flickered between his back, the floor, and the windows—the awkwardness of the situation fully sinking in.

"So, um, what were you two doing in the old schoolhouse?" she broke the ice.

"We were working,” he answered, continuing to walk ahead of her, giving Mai only a view of his back.

Mai nodded her head, beginning to put the pieces together. "I see! Are you his assistant then?"

"Not quite. He's the assistant and I am the boss. That camera that you knocked over earlier is part of my equipment and it's now broken.” He turned to her, eyes cold as ice.

She flinched.

"Why were you leaving a camera around like that, anyway?" she grumbled to herself, but still loud enough for him to hear. She had broken it by accident when she was startled. So a part of her felt that, in good faith, he could conveniently let her go? Or... she could be mature and hold some accountability. The latter thought leaving her with a little less guilt, she forced out, "Can I pay you back in some way?"

"If you're able to afford 500,000 yen, by all means, but I highly doubt it."

Mai's eye twitched. "Okay, then is there another option I can take?"

He paused. "You can start by working off your debt as an extra hand to my assistant and me."

The suggestion, er, demand, almost sounded reasonable. Too reasonable. "You really think someone like me with no experience should start working for you?"

"That is what I said."

Brushing off his rudeness, she instead eyed him suspiciously. "And what is this 'work' that you do?”

"I am what you would call, 'a ghost hunter,'" he answered, turning to face her fully. "I specialize in researching psychic phenomena reported through cases, and exorcising spirits. The principal at this school hired Shibuya Psychic Research to investigate the old schoolhouse."

"Psychic research…," she tested the words in her mouth. Her English was far from the best, but she was at least a little familiar with the words—Japanese people on the internet liked to use English jargon here and there on their websites and blogs. "So, you're in contact with spirits almost daily?"

"That is what the title entails," he said, condescension oozing from his tone. He studied her a few moments. "Will that be a problem?"

He's so hateful.

"Not at all!" Internally, she plead to the gods of whatever universe about why she was the forgotten one who missed their blessings. All in one day, she accidentally gained some debt, landed a for-free-labor job, and now must work with one of the most confusing people she's ever met, while also being thrown right into the slew of whatever spiritual mess was at the schoolhouse—she did have the sneaking suspicion that there wasn't anything there, but who was she to say? She was just some random girl with no real experience.

He raised a brow. "And as I am the president, you will be working for my company," he made a point to add.

Albeit still annoyed at his holier-than-thou demeanor, Mai would be lying if she said that she wasn't at least impressed. She supposed she should start addressing him as something better than, "Shibuya, or whatever."

As she was reevaluating her judgment of his character, Kazuya paid her no mind and simply reached into his pocket, pulling out an item wrapped in a black handkerchief. "I believe this is yours."

Curious, she took the item from his hand and unwrapped it, revealing the same pocket mirror that had caused her so much distress for the past few days! "No way! You had this the whole time?" She inspected it for damage, tracing her hand along the design. "And I traveled all the way back to that creepy shrine for nothing. You owe me big time," she grumbled quietly to the mirror.

He studied her in interest as she spoke to the item as though it were animate. "How a high school girl came to be in possession of a valuable artifact, I don't know, but do take care to keep it safe."

Unsure of how she should respond, she opened her mouth a few times only to have nothing to say. Should she thank him for his suggestion? Or get annoyed that he assumed it couldn't have been a family heirloom or something?

He did research this kind of thing, though… so, she wondered if it would be better to have him watch over the item in her stead?

Holding the pocket mirror to her chest, she half-lidded her eyes. The voice inside her told her that she should keep it, but her mind wondered if someone as irresponsible as her had the right to possess such a sacred item.

Kazuya having turned partially, glanced back at her, noting her internal struggle. "That mirror belongs with you. Doubting yourself is time wasted." Without waiting for a response, he began walking down the hallway, likely to begin his work at the old schoolhouse.

Mai watched his back as he walked away, resolve settling in her chest. That was kind of okay advice? Maybe he can be nice, in his own off-handed way…?

Perhaps, it would do her some good to doubt herself less and listen to her gut more.

Holding the mirror tightly in her hands, she followed after him, feeling a little more open to working with him for the time being.

Chapter Text

After accepting her new fate, Mai helped with unloading the company van. Kazuya gave her a summary of the case as well as the history of the building. What Mai understood was that there were exaggerations throughout Michiru's story. Some parts held true but hadn't been recounted accurately.

"I believe the paranormal occurrences here are merely the work of fiction. The stories are dramatizations of the actual events. According to the evidence found, most reports have a rational explanation," Kazuya explained, turning into the classroom that they would be using as "base."

Mai readjusted the equipment in her arms as she followed behind. There was an impressive amount of research he had done that explained the events here. To make such a conclusion this early though was a bit hasty in her opinion. Then again, that's why they were even doing this. He was so confident in himself that all he needed was evidentiary support.

That's probably how he was able to start a business so young, she thought. She dropped off the heavy equipment she had been hauling up the stairs. She took care to not drop anything lest she wanted to add to her debt. Noticing Kazuya's tall assistant already in the room setting up the computer, she attempted to greet him only to be spared a mere glance.

Glad to see her new work environment was so welcoming.

"This is my assistant, Lin Koujo," Kazuya introduced.

To be polite, Mai bowed her head in a more proper greeting. "Nice to meet you, Lin-san. I'm Taniyama Mai. I hope to work well with you."

This time, he had the decency to nod his head in acknowledgment. "To you as well."

Following their awkward exchange, Kazuya had her help assemble the shelves and tables while he and Lin set up the technology. This was apparently due to her lack of affinity with expensive equipment.

"I see you have different types of cameras. What do each of them do?" she asked, studying the various ones he had perched on the shelves.

"The ones you're looking at are for infrared and thermal imaging," he explained, placing his hand on one of the cameras. "They're used in addition to my night vision cameras to identify anomalies in the dark. I have an additional camera that uses Kinect technology to demarcate active movement of an apparition compared to an otherwise static background—however, more testing and research needs to be conducted to confirm the validity."

He wasn't lying when he said he was a ghost hunter. To have all this equipment, he must have been very serious to start this business!

All she needed for her ghost encounters was bad luck, it seemed.

"Being able to manage all of this and also record all of your findings sounds kind of tedious."

"For you, maybe, but my brain works more efficiently than yours," he said, casually checking his monitors.

She huffed, holding back a retort. "Okay, but with all this knowledge and technology, why choose ghost hunting then?"

"Because I'm needed. Someone has to do it," he answered without a moment of hesitation.

If he was able to find a place for himself working with the spiritual side, maybe she could find a place too? Or at least find a compromise of some sort? She tried to pretend her sensitivity was no different from an auntie's sensitivity to neighborhood gossip, but she always knew that it played a larger influence in her life.

Still, there were times she would be more sensitive to spirits than others. Sometimes she saw and sensed them clearly, and other days she couldn't see or sense them well at all. Those rarer occasions gave her a glimpse of a different life.

Lost in thought, Mai followed Kazuya's movements around the room. He had been aware of her stare from the start, but chose to ignore it. That is until he noticed her lack of chatter.

"Am I so dashing that you can't take your eyes off of me?"

Her face immediately warmed up. "Handsome, sure, but not enough to tempt me."

"You think I'm handsome? At the very least, you have good taste," he commented. He even had the audacity to look smug.

Mai blinked in astonishment. For one, did he have to add "at the very least?" Two, while his title and accomplishments were amazing, the most amazing thing about this guy was the extent of his narcissism!

Naru-cissistic Naru-chan, it is!

"I have no comment," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. Instead, she opted to direct her attention to the remaining unloaded box. Considering how loquacious her company would be for the rest of the night, working seemed the most appealing.

Her temporary boss and coworker didn't seem to mind. The two professionals soon left to set up cameras around the building, anyways. She was left to watch over the base and clean up. After everything was finally finished, the newly-named Naru finally dismissed her.

"See you tomorrow."

Heading out of the schoolhouse, her head bowed in defeat at having to come in again. Her Saturday class was finally done for the semester and she still had to come in.

A bright light suddenly flashed in her face, making her squint. She raised her hand to block the light. The wielder of the light was none other than Keiko with her cellphone flashlight. Michiru followed further back. Her friends' cram school was nearby, so they probably walked together since it was dark out. Mai happily greeted her friends, divulging her current woes.

"Wow, a ghost hunter? Who would've thought?" said Keiko, taking a bite out of her taiyaki.

The three girls reconvened at their favorite taiyaki stand near the train station to review the events of Mai's "kidnapping." Mai rested her head on Michiru's shoulder as she nibbled on her own smaller taiyaki.

"He's technically a 'paranormal researcher.' He studies spirits and weird phenomena for a living."

Michiru giggled. "This must be fate. Maybe he can put a stop to your 'curse," she said, mischief laden in her voice.

Mai shot up from her resting position. "You have got to be kidding me. Even thinking about Naru-chan in some kind of romance manga plot would ruin the whole story."

Keiko narrowed her eyes. "Naru-chan?" She poked Mai's side repeatedly, earning a stifled giggle and a finger smack.

"Naru-cissistic Naru-chan—the guy's ego is bigger than his head."

"Um, Taniyama-san?"

Surprised, all three girls turned to their right as Kuroda approached them. She went to the same cram school as Keiko and Michiru. She must have stayed later for her to able to meet them here, or so Mai thought.

Kuroda smiled politely, "Since I'm sensitive to spirits myself, I was wondering if you would introduce me to Shibuya-san? I could be of some help."

"Since Naru-chan is a professional, I'm sure he'll contact a medium if he needs one. And you could always introduce yourself," Mai said, adding her own polite smile. Her intention wasn't to be rude, but Kuroda didn't seem like the type to have issues injecting herself in situations that weren't her business—an example being earlier in the classroom.

"I'm not some amateur you know! I've been sensing spirits for years!" Kuroda glared at Mai.

Michiru frowned at her raised voice. "You're not the only one with abilities, Kuroda-san," she said, standing up from the bench. "Come on, Mai, let's go." The three girls fled the scene, leaving Kuroda on her own.

As they walked away, Mai couldn't help but feel a bit bad for the other girl. If she truly did have powers, perhaps she was the type who needed others to acknowledge them. Whereas, Mai preferred to keep hers discreet.

"Sorry, Mai. I probably shouldn't have brought that up, but the way she snapped at you really bothered me," Michiru apologized.

"Yeah, she doesn't know everyone's situation, and she just runs her mouth all 'woe is me,'" agreed Keiko, crossing her arms. "She's been saying she's had these powers since elementary school and plays it off so much."

Mai glanced back as Kuroda's figure moved further as they walked. "It's okay, guys. Everyone deals with things differently, and maybe this is her way."

"Well, sounds to me, like therapy might be a better way."

.

That night before bed, Mai placed her bottle of sleeping pills back into her medicine cabinet. She was now two weeks free of them and hadn't had any freaky dreams. Truthfully, she didn't even have "those dreams" all the time—she chose to use the pills more so as a preventative measure. She knew they weren't exactly good to use long-term, so this was a start.

It took her having to see a health report on TV on the side effects to finally acknowledge her denial. Oh, and the fact that when she took them, the next morning would result in her waking up feeling like she had been run over.

Opting to have a cup of hojicha* as an alternative, she settled in for bed.

Before she even realized that she had fallen asleep, she was already opening her eyes again. Not to her room, but to what felt like static on a television. She saw a blurred haze of colors as if she were looking through someone else's eyes. That's when she knew this was very much one of those dreams.

Before long, the haze settled into a bleary view of a lake illuminated by the moon. What was initially a static image soon morphed into a flash of bright light from behind. The flash shrouded the entire vision into complete darkness.

The dream was as alarming as it was cryptic with no clear message of what she was supposed to be seeing and why. The next moment that she was lucid enough to remember was when she found herself lying in a dark space. Nothing occupied the space save for the floating lights suspended throughout. Her recent rabbit visitor sat no further than an arm's length away.

Sitting up abruptly, she scanned her surroundings, frantic. Fear overwhelmed her person. She had never had this happen before—either she dreamt or she didn't, never did she wake up inside her dream. Was it even a dream at this point?

Turning to the spirit rabbit, she asked, "Do you know what's going on? Why am I here? What was that vision I had?"

As if sensing her anxiety, the white rabbit hopped closer. It sniffed her cautiously before moving to her side as though to comfort her. Upon contact with the animal, Mai felt her body begin to release its previous tension. The rabbit couldn't appear to answer her questions, but its presence proved to at least be reassuring. She hesitated before lifting a hand to stroke the rabbit's head, appreciating the softness of its fur. Now at ease, her body was slowly consumed with lethargy, prompting her eyes to flutter closed. Once again, she plummeted into darkness.

The next she awoke, she was met with the sight of her bedroom ceiling and the sound of her alarm. The relief she felt coursing through her body drew a sigh from her that she didn't even realize she had been holding. With her alarm turned off, she sunk back into bed in one big heap.

What the hell was that dream? She was rarely "herself" in dreams—she was the spectator in these visions, not the protagonist. The cloudy vision was also questionable. Seldom when she was viewing a scene, would there be no insight. There was a term she looked up the other day to explain it. Clairvoyance, was it? Well, that was supposed to kick in!

And then there was that peculiar rabbit. Allowing it into her space, she didn't feel a negative impression from it. In fact, its effect on her was rather palliative, mitigating her anxiety at the time. Maybe it was time to finally call it something other than, "the rabbit." Since it was likely related to the pocket mirror, the name should be respectful.

"Usagi-sama?" she mumbled, dragging herself to the edge of the bed to start her day. Stricken with sudden inspiration, she shot up. "I'll call it Usa-sama. Short and respectful." Deciding not to waste any more time, she started her morning routine.

By the time she was ready and at the schoolhouse, it was approaching noon. No doubt, Naru would give her crap for not being there earlier… to her unpaid job.

"Good morning, Naru-chan!" she greeted, coming up behind him from around the van, not at all surprised to see him working diligently on his laptop.

Expecting no acknowledgment from him, she was startled when he whipped his head around and regarded her with a hard stare. "Where did you hear that?"

She blinked at him, taken aback by his question. "That's not the first time you've heard that? Glad to see Naru-cissistic Naru-chan is the consensus then," she said, satisfied that other—imaginary—people had reached the same conclusion as her.

Before he could reply, they were joined by two young adults, a man with a ponytail and a red-haired woman with a smug smile on her face.

"That's an awful lot of advanced equipment for a couple of kids to be using," Smug-lady stated, her hand on her hip. Her hair was styled delicately and her clothes looked to cost more than Mai's monthly rent! The man that she arrived with didn't look nearly as haughty, but he did nod his head in agreement. He had light-brown hair and seemed like the more approachable one of the two.

"And you are?" said Naru, unfazed by her patronizing comment.

"Matsuzaki Ayako. I'm a miko the principal hired to exorcise this building."

Mai tilted her head, mentally comparing this Ayako character to Hiroko, the spirit miko from the other day. "So, this is the standard for mikos nowadays? How far we've fallen."

The brown-haired man let out a laugh, not even attempting to conceal it.

"I was under the impression mikos were supposed to be pure maidens," added Naru, relentless as he sent an utterly sweet smile her way.

Ayako seethed. "Aren't you two sassy little-"

"And who are you? You don't look to be Matsuzaki-san's assistant." Naru cut her off, directing his attention turned to the tall man.

"Takigawa Houshou, a monk from Mt. Koya."

"Odd to see a monk with long hair." Mai nodded in agreement.

Ayako snorted, turning away before mumbling under her breath. "Must be an outlaw."

"I just happen to be taking a hiatus is all!" the now introduced Bou-san defended. "Either way, play time's over. The principal hired us professionals after he realized the age of your company's 'president.'"

"The principal is overreacting. I'll be more than sufficient," declared Ayako, brushing her hair off her shoulder.

"We'll see about that," Bou-san smirked. "And what's your name, kid?"

Naru, who had stopped paying attention long ago in favor of typing away on his laptop, answered without even looking up, "Shibuya Kazuya."

As Ayako and Bou-san added more arrogant remarks, Mai noticed someone approaching from the corner of her eye. Kuroda had managed to find them, begging the question of why she was here on a Saturday. Perhaps, she had a Saturday class she was skipping… but then why come to school at all then?

"Ah, Taniyama-san, who are these people?" asked Kuroda, a friendly smile on her face. How convenient of her to be so friendly now.

Mai shrugged. "A miko and a monk who were hired to exorcise the spirits here."

Kuroda lit up. "That's great to have some help. There are so many evil spirits here. You see, I'm very sensitive-"

"Save me the details. You're just seeking attention, aren't you?" Ayako didn't even hear the whole spiel and was already over it. Intuitive lady.

"You don't have to say it like that," said Mai. Okay, yeah, Kuroda was the antithesis of bashful, but did Ayako have to be rude about it?

"I'm right though, aren't I? I doubt she even has powers."

Kuroda's expression darkened, her mouth tightening. She glared daggers at the miko. "Don't underestimate my spiritual powers. I'll summon spirits at will to curse you," she spat before swiftly turning and leaving. "You'll regret this, you fake miko."

Mai awkwardly studied her cuticles, genuinely alarmed at Kuroda's intimidation. She didn't believe the girl would be capable of actualizing her threat, but who knew, maybe enough negativity could attract exactly what she wanted.

A few moments passed with Ayako huffing from being threatened, Bou-san smiling awkwardly at witnessing a low-scale catfight, and Naru, who probably didn't even realize something went down.

"Ah, hello, how are things coming along? I would like to introduce one more guest," The principal approached the group. A young blond-haired foreigner looking to be not much older than Naru followed from behind. "I'd like you to meet John Brown."

"Hello," John greeted with a bright smile. "It's nice to meet you all," he said with a stark Kansai accent. Completely oblivious to the chuckles erupting from the group, he bowed in the traditional Japanese fashion.

"It seems Brown-san learned his Japanese in the Kansai region," clarified the principal. "My apologies, I must excuse myself now."

Naru, the only mature one in the group, nodded to John in greeting. "Where are you from, Brown-san?"

"I'm from Australia. Are you all psychics?"

"You could say that."

Naru then led the group up to SPR's base. It turned out that John was already an exorcist at the age of 19. Ayako and Bou-san, who originally couldn't take him seriously due to his accent, immediately stopped upon recognizing his proficiency. Mai wasn't completely familiar with the processes of Christianity, but to be promoted higher than a priest required skill. To be so young, John must be a prodigy!

Once at the base, the newcomers studied the equipment SPR had brought with them, readily impressed by the setup—or at least Bou-san was. Ayako, instead, commented on how it would be all in vain, and then proceeded to fail at flirting with Lin, before stomping off to pout, er, "complete a walkthrough." Bou-san left soon after, leaving John with SPR.

Despite the less-than-stellar role models, Mai was interested to see what "real" psychics did during true investigations.

"I was hoping we could all work together. If you don't mind me staying," asked John. So far, Mai liked him the best out of these paranormal enthusiasts, not that there was much of a competition.

"Please do." Naru returned to viewing the monitors. The two who had just left now appeared on the various screens.

Mai joined in on watching the monitors, scanning from the normal cameras to the thermography camera, and then to the infrared. "So, Brown-san, do you have any spiritual sensitivity?"

John shook his head. "Please call me John," he said, smiling. "And I can't say I do. I specialize in blessings and exorcisms, not of the demonic sort."

"I don't know much about Christianity, but does that mean that there are tiers of exorcism?"

"Exactly right. In Catholicism, demonic possession is considered rare and requires special approval from the bishop before proceeding."

Mai nodded her head, hand on her chin. "I see. I guess we don't hear much about demonic possession here in Japan. The most common possession is usually by onryo*. At least that's what the stories say." And she would rather keep it to just stories.

"You seem rather informed on the subject, Mai-san. Since you're here with Shibuya-san, are you a psychic?"

Not sure how to answer that, she kept her attention on the monitors. "Uh, I don't know if you could say that, really." Suddenly, she noticed new movement from the camera near the entrance. "Wait, who's that?"

A girl about Mai's age donning a formal kimono was seen entering the front doors. If she didn't know better, she would've mistaken her for a spirit. She almost looked like the celebrity, Hara Masako, but there was no way she'd be here at her school.

Leaving Lin to man the base, she, Naru, and John headed downstairs to greet the new guest.

It turned out that her initial guess was right—Hara Masako was indeed in the building. Naru looked to recognize her as well.

Before they could even formally introduce themselves to her, Ayako's yell for help reverberated throughout the schoolhouse. This prompted everyone to rush to the source. They met up with Bou-san in front of the room she was stuck in. Naru attempted to slide open the door but was unsuccessful.

"Guess we'll have to kick the door down. Move back, Ayako!" Bou-san announced, readying himself.

"Don't call me by my first name!"

After they managed to help her escape, the group gathered in the base to discuss the events. Ayako was dead-set on a spirit trapping her, while their new celebrity guest instantly refuted, having sensed no spirits at all.

Ayako huffed in disbelief. "And who do you think you are?"

"A well-renowned psychic medium. And you are?" Masako hid her smirk behind a kimono sleeve.

"At least I'm a professional, unlike a fake medium who only got popular because of her looks!"

"Why thank you for your compliment."

Aside from the pettier side of their argument, Mai had to agree with Masako on this one. Usually, if there was something, she would've at least caught a whiff of it—or felt it, in other words. Spirits found their way to her. Of course, her senses were hit or miss, so who was she to say? Would any of them even consider what she said? She wasn't a professional, nor an official medium.

She chanced a glance toward Naru while Ayako, Bou-san, and John debated about the type of spirit they could be dealing with. She noticed he was casually rotating a large nail between his fingers. She didn't recall him having it earlier. Unless… could it have been what got the door stuck? But then, how did it get stuck there in the first place?

Likely feeling her gaze in his direction, he glanced over at her. He caught her staring at the nail in his hand, to which she tilted her head and eyed him questioningly.

"In any case, it must be earthbound spirit. I'll just have to get rid of it myself tomorrow. I can't hang out here all day with you people," said Ayako, promptly leaving for the day.

"What a shame as there are no spirits here," Masako said to the remaining group, scanning the new faces in the room. Her eyes then landed on Mai. She observed her, or rather, the area around her. When she raised her eyes to meet the other girl's gaze, Mai raised a brow at her. "You seem to have a presence with you. Not quite a spirit, however. It feels much more animal-like than human."

Mai's eyes flashed in recognition, an image of Usa-sama flashing in her mind. "It's a rabbit," she answered without thinking.

"Is this the same rabbit that compelled you to break my camera, Mai?" Naru goaded.

Mai shot a glare his way, noticing the faint twitching of the corner of his mouth. "It was an accident and you know it! And what's with calling me so casually?"

"You did the same with me earlier," he answered, matter-of-fact.

Mai opened her mouth but realized she had nothing to say to that.

Masako, instead, cleared her throat and took it as a chance to inquire Naru. "I've been meaning to ask, but have we met before?"

Something in Naru's eyes hardened briefly before returning to their usual stoicism. "No, I don't believe we have. This would be the first time."

"Is that right?" She didn't look convinced but didn't question it further.

If that was her attempt at picking up Naru, it missed the mark, Mai smirked.

"The sun is beginning to set," Lin announced, making eye contact with Naru. They stared at each other for a second before Naru nodded his head. Mai wondered if they could read each other's minds.

With the first official day settled, the group disbanded to reassemble the next day. Mai and John helped Naru and Lin move the equipment to the second-floor classroom before leaving.

Mai opted to stop by the convenience store to get some dinner before heading home. Considering that Masako had sensed Usa-sama earlier, she wondered if it was present even now. It must be, so long as she had the mirror on her person. Masako must have not been able to see it since she was only able to identify it as "animal-like" in nature. That prompted her to ponder on the many strengths and limitations of different psychics. Was she considered a real psychic? Sure, she was sensitive, but a full-blown psychic? She wasn't trained or anything, and up to this point, the thought had never even crossed her mind.

Once she returned home, she prepared for bed with a cup of hojicha just like the night before.

Her dream that night started with her waking up in the same dreamscape she had been in last night. This time, rather than pitch black with floating orbs, the background took on a more inviting soft yellow. Expecting it to appear, she searched around for her rabbit companion. She soon found it sitting nearby watching her.

Rather than remaining still, it started to hop away. It turned back only to make sure she followed. Not sure where this would lead her, but having no other idea of what to do, she opted to tag along.

Oh, did she regret it.

The scene changed to that of a road overlooking a lake. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a beautiful reflection across the water. She examined her surroundings, trying to get an idea of where she was. She walked along the side of the road, careful not to get too close to the railing should she fall off the side. Usa-sama had disappeared, ditching her the instant she was placed in the vision.

Further ahead, she caught sight of a dark figure walking along the side just as she was. The shape looked to be male. He was nearly out of view due to a turn in the road, so she started to jog in order to get a better glimpse. Mid-jog, she heard a car speeding from behind her, a bit too fast for such a windy road like this.

Dread sank into the pit of her stomach as the car's wheels screeched against the road. The red car skid off the road and made direct contact with the figure that she had been watching. She screamed in horror. She felt sick to her stomach as she watched the driver run over the body another time rather than attempt to help the pedestrian. Tears escaped from her eyes as she struggled to breathe. Her shock was quickly converted into anger. How could someone be so cruel?

Feeling resolve settling in, she sprinted as fast as her feet could take her to stop the driver from dragging the poor person into the trunk of their car.

Before Mai could reach the scene, the ground gave out from under her feet, cracking the road in the process. She lost her footing and toppled down into a dark abyss.

.

When she opened her eyes next, she half-expected to wake up to the sight of her bedroom ceiling—not to the face of her boss-in-debt. She rubbed her eyes a few times, not trusting her eyesight.

"You shouldn't have had to see that. I'm sorry."

Hearing the familiar voice, she blinked up at the figure in question, shooting up so fast she nearly smacked her head into the other person's incorporeal one.

Did Naru die? Why was he showing up in her dream?

She stared at him in shock, unsure of how to react. She didn't know Naru well, but she already had a "feeling" that she could use to identify his presence. If this was him, he certainly felt dead. So then, how come he felt so unfamiliar to her? Unless…

"You're not Naru, are you?"

Not-Naru smiled wistfully, shaking his head. He offered her a hand and she took it, surprised at how warm his hand was. Now standing, she studied him closely—same handsome face, but much softer in appearance. Unless Naru's soul was as dead as he made it out to be, the only other explanation for this was that maybe he had a relative—a brother from the looks of it—who passed away?

Her heart instantly hurt at the thought of Naru having lost a family member, pain from her own losses fueling her compassion. She could only imagine how this spirit felt, watching as his loved ones continued living on.

"That vision I saw… was that yours?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry you had to see that, I didn't expect you to tap right in," Not-Naru said, chuckling.

Mai smiled sadly at him. "That tends to happen. Sorry, if I invaded your space. I was just following this rabbit spirit that's been showing up lately."

"More like sorry I invaded your space," he shook his head, his expression morphing to a more casual one. "Do you always follow things with no idea where they're leading you? Seems kind of risky."

"Er, not the first time I've done that, and probably not the last either." She hung her head. Even a spirit had to call her out on her impulsivity. Remembering the situation though, she lifted her head. "Anyways, I don't usually meet spirits in my dreams like this. So, um, do you need help passing on?"

Not-Naru stared at her for a few seconds before doing the unthinkable—he burst out laughing. He laughed enough for tears to creep out from the corners of his eyes.

Mai frowned in confusion, raising her brow.

"Sorry, sorry, I just thought of how ironic it is for a medium to need help crossing over," he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"So, you were a medium then?"

Not-Naru straightened up, clearing his throat to appear serious. "You could say that. Are you one? Your wavelength was the easiest for me to match. You don't feel like a run-of-the-mill medium, though."

"Me? A medium? No way! I just have a little sensitivity. Nothing like what Hara Masako does!" she responded, rapidly shaking her head.

He placed a hand on his chin, just like how she had seen Naru doing. "I wouldn't say ‘just a little sensitivity,’" he grinned. "Did you know that you're out of your body right now?"

"… What?! You mean like astral projection, or whatever they call it?"

"Correct! You just up and floated right out of your body," he said. "It looks like you do that every time you have a spiritual dream. No worries though, you've been doing well floating back."

"Okay? But what happens if I don't make it back to my body?"

"Well, I would assume that you'd be stuck here until you make it back, but we can talk about that later. You should wake up now, Mai," he said.

Mai shook her head. "Wait, not yet! I haven't even figured out what's going on."

He sent her a bright smile. "Since we're on the same wavelength now, I'll be able to seek you out again. We can chat then—besides, you've already overslept. I'm sure he wouldn't be thrilled if you're too late." He waved to her as she noticed her dreamscape slowly beginning to fade. "See you later, Mai."

"That's so unfair! You know my name, but I don't know yours!" she exclaimed, watching as he replied with a grin before everything faded into darkness.

She woke up in bed with a strong flinch, her eyes shooting open. Did that really happen? Had she really been astral projecting this whole time? Was that Naru's brother? How did he find his way to her? And why her and not Masako?

One thing she knew though was that she now knew more about Naru than she was supposed to. Despite having just met him, she could relate to him much more now, assuming he really did lose a family member. Either that, or she was drawing conclusions too soon.

Regardless, she didn't really have the right to know any of this. She thought it would be best to not breach the topic further to respect his privacy. If she ended up meeting Not-Naru again and he just so happened to enlighten her on what was going on, then that would be a whole other matter.

Checking the time, Mai groaned as 11:00 am stared back at her. Not-Naru wasn't kidding when he said she overslept. Naru didn't give her a specific time to come today, but she could assume he wouldn't be pleased if she took her time. She hurried and got washed up, fixed up her appearance, ate a quick breakfast, and ran out the door.

When she reached the schoolhouse huffing and puffing, she was surprised to find that neither Naru nor Lin were in sight. None of the other spiritualists were for that matter. Maybe they were already doing their rounds elsewhere in the building?

When she entered the base, Kuroda was already in there poking around. "Oh, hi, what are you doing here?" Mai said as she entered the base.

Kuroda turned to her carefully before pushing a braid over her shoulder. "Nothing much. I wanted to see how the investigation was going," she said. "How did yesterday go?"

"The Miko-san from yesterday got trapped in a room 'cause the door got stuck. It didn't really seem ghost-related though," Mai recalled. "And then Hara Masako came and claimed that there are no spirits here."

"That TV medium? She's a fake. She only got popular because of her looks," Kuroda said, saying the exact same thing as Ayako had. "And what makes you think a spirit didn't trap that fake miko?"

Mai wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but Kuroda seemed to watch her words carefully with her question.

"Well, there wasn't necessarily anything to prove that it was a spirit either."

Kuroda's stare hardened. "What about you? Are you the one your friend was saying had abilities?"

"Maybe, but what does that have to do with anything?" Mai instantly stood on edge. She wasn't sure where the other girl was going with this.

"Do you feel anything here?"

"Not really. I never have," she replied, deciding to be honest.

Kuroda's shoulders tensed up. "Well, you're just not strong enough to detect them, then. You and your friends were the ones to bring them here, so I guess you have at least that much power."

Mai frowned at the condescension seeping through her words. Or maybe it was insecurity? "What do you gain from hanging around and saying stuff like that?"

The other girl glared at her. "I'm only trying to help solve this problem with the spirits because these 'professionals' aren't reliable." She walked up to face Mai directly. "And what are you doing? Your ghost stories are the cause of this mess. If you're not going to do anything to help, then stay on the sidelines."

Mai returned the glare. "Excuse me-"

"What going on here?"

Chapter Text

Naru stepped into the room, eying both girls warily. His eyes flickered between the two before landing on Mai. She wasn't sure how long he'd been listening, but he seemed to be aware of the turbulence. She liked to think her scowl communicated enough.

"Kuroda was just wondering if we found anything yesterday," Mai answered, attempting to sound nonchalant.

He appeared to consider her words for a moment before glancing at Kuroda. The other girl's brows raised. She was surprised that Mai hadn't mentioned anything else that had transpired. "I heard that medium, Hara Masako, couldn't sense any spirits—but I know she's wrong. I was even attacked earlier."

Mai scrunched her brows. "You didn't mention that earlier," she mumbled.

"What happened?" Naru inquired.

According to Kuroda's—alleged—story, she had her hair pulled before being forced into a chokehold. The spirit had targeted her because of the strong psychic energy she possessed.

Mai would've given her the benefit of the doubt if it had not been for their previous exchange. For whatever reason, Kuroda was fixated on ensuring everyone knew she could detect spirits here. So then why did she sound so defensive when claiming Mai wasn't strong enough?

To assess her claim, Naru jumped right into reviewing the footage. The recording was normal up until "the attack." Conveniently, the recording was cut off to static briefly before returning thereafter. Since ghosts were notorious for messing with electronics, she couldn't necessarily disregard that the attack happened, but something still felt off about it.

Naru brought a hand to his chin in thought, mirroring the spirit in her dreams from last night.

Catching her staring at him, he raised a brow. Mai rolled her eyes. He probably thought she was enamored again. "Since Masako said there weren't spirits here, do you think there could have been some other interference with the cameras?" she asked.

"Yes, but it's also not abnormal for female mediums to have an off day," he said, directing his attention to Kuroda. "Or, perhaps, the spirit who attacked you may be on the specific wavelength you are."

Kuroda's face brightened instantly.

Lin came up soon after their discussion to tell Naru that Ayako's exorcism was beginning. She had adorned traditional miko clothing, making her look more the part. Confident as always, she sent their group—now joined by Bou-san, John, and Masako—a smirk as though she had already exorcised the spirits. Mai's principal and vice-principal joined in on the ritual and seemed thoroughly convinced by her confidence.

The ritual, while interesting, was uneventful. As there was seemingly nothing to exorcise, it was just for show. Although her mother did partake in basic Shinto practices, Mai had never seen a ritual for this purpose. Bou-san was surprisingly helpful in explaining the history of the specific prayer Ayako was using.

Noting her curiosity, Naru offhandedly made a comment telling her to pay closer attention to better her self-development. Mai responded promptly with an eye roll.

After Ayako was done reciting her prayer, the school officials offered their own prayer to the spirits before showering the miko with unadulterated praise.

Bou-san stretched and joked about going out for drinks to celebrate. If most of the group weren't underage, the idea had promise. Naru opted to remain skeptical, stating that he would stay overnight for good measure. As everyone began filtering out, Mai froze mid-walk. She blinked in place as her heart started pounding in her chest.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Bou-san as he noticed Mai's behavior. He went to reach out for her shoulder when the sound of shaking glass caught his attention. Before he even had time to process the noise, all the windows on the doors shattered. Everyone pulled their arms up to guard themselves, while Bou-san moved to block Mai, Naru, and Kuroda—who stood nearby—from the blast.

"Thanks," Mai smiled at Bou-san. He grinned in return, happy to help. He was much nicer than he made himself out to be.

"Is everyone okay?"

The school officials, who ended up with a few shallow grazes, made sure everyone was okay before getting spooked enough to run off.

Kuroda scoffed. "Guess you failed. Even the principal got injured because you couldn't eliminate them," she provoked Ayako. "Now the spirits are angry."

"I know I got rid of them," Ayako defended, her face turning red from embarrassment.

Masako made a point to mention that what had happened was just a fluke. There still weren't any spirits there.

Mai was unsure how to feel. She couldn't explain the glass shattering, yet she also couldn't say it was a spirit's doing either.

"If this was the spirits retaliating, more evidence would be caught on the cameras," Naru reminded everyone.

When they returned to base, Lin was already sitting at the computers monitoring the cameras. He immediately pointed out that a camera had detected some motion coming from one of the classrooms—that a chair was caught moving from the edge of the room to the middle all on its own. This led to a frenzy of theories once again. Ayako and Kuroda agreed for once, both trying to convince Masako that there were spirits there.

"I think you're being paranoid," Masako held her ground.

"Why won't you just admit there are evil spirits here?" challenged Kuroda, crossing her arms.

Ayako mirrored the same action without realizing it. "Just admit you made a mistake."

While everyone debated amongst themselves, Mai snuck out of the room to poke around. She located the classroom with the chair and stuck her head in. Finding no danger, she casually inched over to the chair, nudging it with her toe. She surveyed the room, noting nothing out of the ordinary. Even if she couldn't physically see the spirits, she could at least tell that they were around. Here, it was all radio static.

"What are you doing in here?"

Why she jumped as much as she did, she didn't know. Peering back to see Masako at the door, Mai sighed in relief. "It's just you."

The medium must not have left that much later than Mai. She was probably fed up dealing with the loud mouths of the group.

Masako covered her mouth with her sleeve before approaching. "Were you expecting someone, or something else?"

"No, not really. You just surprised me," Mai said, waving her hand for emphasis. She returned to looking around the room. "For a room that just had 'spirit activity,' it's not chilly at all. No cold spots either."

Masako nodded, looking around the room. "Did you come here to investigate on your own?"

"Kind of. With all the arguing, I wanted to see for myself," Mai said. "I'm on your side for this one. I don't think there's anything here."

Masako regarded her carefully. "Why? Everyone else seems convinced that there are spirits here. Except for maybe Shibuya-san." Her hand lightly brushed along the wall as she walked.

"If there were spirits here, wouldn't they want to be acknowledged? Especially to you since you're an actual medium." Mai followed the other girl's movements from the middle of the room. That is until she noticed a familiar white rabbit materializing out of nowhere. Usa-sama looked to be gesturing toward the floor, but she couldn't make out anything. Squinting her eyes, she found a growing crack in the floor.

Masako eyed her in question.

Suddenly, the classroom door slammed closed as a cracking sound grew in volume, warranting the two girls to look at each other in question.

"Masako, get away from there!" Mai lunged forward and yanked Masako away from the wall by her wrist. The crack on the floor where she had been standing traveled upwards toward the wall, causing pieces of rotted wood to break off. A minute later and Masako's weight would've fallen through had she leaned any more. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I would be better had you not yanked my arm so hard," Masako said, rubbing her forearm.

Mai's eye twitched. Sorry for preventing injury!

Seeing as she was fine, Mai instead diverted her attention back to the spirit rabbit. Usa-sama watched them silently for a moment longer before disappearing.

Mai, then, remembered that the door had been shut on them. She walked over and attempted to slide it open but was alarmed to find it was stuck shut. Even after a few uncouth kicks, as Bou-san had done earlier, the door wouldn't budge. "Lovely."

"Will it not open?" Masako stood at her side. After seeing Mai's futile display of physical abuse, she opted to not make her own attempt.

"Nope," Mai shook her head. "I wonder how it managed to clos-"

She was interrupted by a cry. It sounded like Kuroda's voice. Placing her ear against the door, she heard some fumbling before the sound of someone falling to the ground. "What's going on?! Are you okay?"

There was silence. A group of footsteps pattered through the hallway, stopping somewhere around the corner out of their view. From the sounds of it, Kuroda was attacked again. "Is everything okay out there?" Mai called out.

"Mai, where are you?" That sounded like Naru.

"We're stuck in the classroom with the moving chair around the corner!" Masako replied for her. Mai tried waving at them through the classroom windows.

While John and Ayako brought Kuroda back to base, Bou-san ended up jailbreaking them out with Naru in tow. "Are you two okay?" He asked to which they both nodded.

"What happened?" Naru was quick to ask.

The two girls shared a glance. Mai explained what had transpired before they had heard Kuroda's cry in the hallway. Unlike when Ayako had been trapped, Naru openly checked the doorframe for external intervention, which Bou-san questioned him about. When he stood up, he carried a large nail with him, much like the one she saw him finicking the other day.

"You think someone locked them in?" Bou-san said, inspecting the sill where the nail had been jammed into.

"Naru, didn't you find one last time too?"

Naru nodded and assumed his usual thinking pose. "It seems we have some human interference. Let's return to base."

When they entered the base, Kuroda was in the middle of recounting her story. Upon seeing Mai and Masako, her eyes narrowed briefly. Naru asked her to repeat herself now that they had all returned.

Apparently, after noticing Mai and Masako had been gone for a while, Kuroda went to search. Right before rounding the corner, she was yanked back by an unseen force. When she tried to free herself, she lost her footing and fell to the floor. "I think it was the same spirit as last time."

They would've liked to review the footage, but that specific camera—conveniently—had been offline. Whoever replaced the SD card earlier placed it incorrectly. This was surprising as Naru and Lin were scrupulous about each component of their investigations.

"Why would a spirit want to attack you?" Ayako snorted before diverting her attention to the other high school students. "And what happened to you two?"

Once again, Mai had to repeat their story. "A second longer and Masako would've fallen out of the building! I think the building's starting to fall apart."

"A cheap veneer must have been used during construction."

"It might be the same spirit as yesterday who trapped me in the classroom," Ayako noted.

Surprisingly, Bou-san cut in this time. "I'm not too sure about that anymore. It looks like this was planted to keep the door shut." He held up the nail for the group to see. "Another one was found when Ayako was stuck," he said, ignoring her glare for using her first name.

"You're saying someone purposely stuck them there?" asked John, concern laden on his face. "Why would anyone want to do that?"

No one said anything at that moment but many ideas that fell along the same lines were running through their heads.

"To create the illusion that there are spirits here when there are none," Masako broke the silence.

"But why go to such lengths?" questioned Mai.

"To prevent being discredited," Naru said, glancing briefly at Kuroda.

She sent a glare Naru's way. "I don't know what you're implying, but I know that there are many spirits here. I don't need to stoop to tricks to prove that. I wasn't even in that area." She glanced around the room at everyone, focusing mainly on Ayako, Masako, and then Mai. "It's unfortunate that this group of spiritualists are either fake, or too weak to sense them."

That struck a nerve with Mai. "How can you go on saying that?" Sick of the Kuroda’s vilification, she stepped forward. "Masako has been sensing spirits professionally for years. Sure, she has off days, but it's not fair for you to say she's fake. And everyone else here has at least been working as a professional up till now. You may have abilities, but what gives you the right to criticize others who do too?"

Kuroda didn't expect to be called out because her confident façade began to crack. Her fists tightened and untightened while a flush crept up her face. Rattling could be heard as the windows and doors began vibrating against the walls. The doors began to open and shut rapidly on their own. Banging was heard in all directions of the room. Before anyone could react, the windows exploded, showering everyone with glass.

A few pieces grazed Mai's arms and legs, while one piece lodged itself into her thigh. She gasped, reflexively covering the wound with her hand. She flinched back at how warm the fragment felt.

"What is all this?" Someone asked as the banging and sliding doors continued with the same fervor.

"Is it collapsing?"

Masako was one of the first to notice the blood running down Mai's leg. "Mai!" This garnered everyone's attention.

"We should get out of here. It's not safe anymore," Naru stated. "Mai, can you walk?"

The said girl nodded, determined to not hold them back. Masako lent her a hand, allowing Mai to lean on her while she limped outside. John wasn't too far behind, staying close to make sure they were both safe.

As they made their exit, Masako quietly mumbled, "Thank you for earlier."

Mai scrunched her brows. "What for?"

Masako didn't reply immediately. Instead, she took a few moments to push her pride aside. "For saving me earlier, and for defending my abilities," she admitted. However, she was still quick to add, "Although, I am perfectly capable of standing up for myself. I appreciate it nonetheless."

Ignoring the latter part, Mai grinned. "Not at all! You've worked too hard to be called a fake." In her glee, she unconsciously extended her injured leg and bore full weight into it. "Ow, ow, shouldn't have done that."

Her response was a chuckle at her side.

Once everyone was safely out, Mai sat on the van's trunk where Lin retrieved a first aid kit. Naru initially mentioned bringing her to the hospital or a clinic, but Mai was vehement about her decline.

She didn't need to mention that she has had a few visits in the past due to shenanigans she got herself into—ghost-related or not. Considering that she was a minor who lived alone, she didn't need her sense of agency threatened any more than it already was. She was grateful no one questioned her further, especially about telling her parents.

Ayako, who turned out to have some medical prowess, took over Mai's treatment instead.

"Careful, when I put my hand over the wound earlier, the glass was hot."

"Did you feel it burn the injury?"

Mai tilted her head. "I guess not enough to burn but enough to surprise me."

"You said the glass was hot?" Naru inquired, moving to stand closer to her.

She nodded. "I could feel the warmth before I even touched it." She flinched as Ayako took that moment while she was distracted to extract the shard. "Now that I think about it though, why would it be hot? Nothing exploded, I don't think?"

"That sounds like poltergeist activity," mentioned John.

Naru nodded. "For Mai's sake, I'll explain," he said, ignoring her glare. "Poltergeist activity requires significant energy. When a human is the cause, it's usually done unintentionally. Whenever this type of phenomenon occurs, the objects involved will emanate warmth due to the energy consumed. This activity is most common in teenagers and young adults, especially females."

"All this activity couldn't possibly be just poltergeist activity, right?" Ayako asked, simultaneously wrapping Mai's leg. "And who would it be?"

Naru crossed his arms. "I believe I have a picture of what's going on. However, there are still a few matters I want to approach before sharing my findings. I think we should call it a day. The building is unsafe for so many people to be inside."

Everyone agreed on that one. Something Mai noticed upon everyone leaving was that Kuroda was nowhere to be seen. She must have fled the scene, scared after that incident.

Mai received a few offers to help her get home, but she politely declined. She didn't want them to go out of their way for her when she could still make it home in one piece. Besides, it wasn't that late. She chose to stay and help Naru with his less intensive work for a bit longer.

He sent Lin to record measurements, pressure values, and other specifics, while he input the data into the computer. He had her help with organizing his research as well as gathering the graphs he developed. She had no clue what any of this was, and when she asked, he wrote her off.

"I'll explain tomorrow."

"Ah, so everyone can hear together."

"I just don't feel like explaining more than once."

"How efficient of you."

The two worked in silence for another 15 minutes until Mai broke the silence once again.

"Do you think the consensus has changed now? Everything we found today points toward human intervention. Except maybe those attacks that Kuroda claimed to have." She was talking to herself at this point since Naru's concentration on his work didn't even falter. "I'm not a professional or anything, but I don't believe there were ever any spirits here, even before the exorcism. The place always felt so stale."

He raised a brow, noting the certainty in her voice. "Why mention this now?"

"I didn't think my opinion mattered. I'm not a professional after all, so why consider what I say?"

"Regardless, it was imperative that you had told us your impression. We only have a few sensitives here—Hara-san, possibly Matsuzaki and Kuroda-san, and then you."

"You're counting me?!"

"Am I wrong?"

Mai looked away. "Well, no—but I hadn't done anything noteworthy for you to tell."

"As I said earlier, my brain works differently than yours," he said as if it was obvious. "In any case, tell me whenever you detect anything in the future."

"Okay…"

Apparently, Naru considered the case as good as solved as he and Lin started dissembling the shelves and bringing out the equipment from inside the building. They didn't openly forbid her from doing heavy manual work, but they did assign her to cord and wire duty instead. She remained outside for the most part, while the males did the lifting.

When it was just her and Naru working behind the van, her mind wandered off to Not-Naru.

Glancing briefly at him from the corner of her eye, she wondered if Naru was always this focused, or if maybe it was a result of his recent loss. She didn't necessarily want to spring the topic up on him right away—but maybe she could test the waters in the event he wanted to talk about it. Unlikely, but she'd shoot her shot.

"So… do you have any siblings?" She broke the silence. Maybe she could pose it as simple small talk.

The way he froze and the air became frigid told her immediately to abort the mission. He sent her a cold stare, making her flinch. Okay, too soon.

"O-oh, just thought I'd get to know you some. I'm an only child and thought you might be one too. Sorry, if that was too personal," she lamely covered.

His gaze remained on her for a few more seconds before his shoulders ultimately relaxed. Without answering her, he returned to his work.

Mai released the breath she'd been holding. Her heart was still pounding in her chest from the nerves. At least she learned two things from this—first, Not-Naru must be his brother, and two, Naru probably didn't like to talk about himself much.

The two continued to work silently, and eventually, their previous atmosphere was restored. If Lin noticed any tension when he returned from his trip into the building, he didn't say.

.

Mai returned home that night exhausted. She collapsed on her bed face first and sank into her pillow. She was still kicking herself for mentioning such a sore topic with Naru earlier—but what if he needed to relay a message to his loved one? Or the other way around? And wouldn't he be angry that she was in contact with his brother and didn't tell him?

But then again, she didn't know him well. Who was to say they would have any relations after this case was done? Maybe his brother will drift off to the next available sensitive nearby?

Her myriad of thoughts grew fainter as she worked herself to sleep.

Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the floating orbs she was growing accustomed to seeing. "Three days in a row now," she mumbled to herself. She lay there for what felt like half an hour, too lazy to get up.

"Welcome back, Mai," Not-Naru greeted her with a smile as he crouched down. A white rabbit was nestled in his arms receiving head scratches.

She blinked, her eyes shifting from his face to Usa-sama. "Since when did you two become friends?"

"When we came to a mutual understanding," he grinned. "This poor little guy is a forgotten deity. Since you have his possessed artifact now, he's kind of like your guardian—or a spirit guide and protector."

"And what about you?" She asked, sitting up.

"…I'm just here for the ride," he shrugged, handing Usa-sama over to Mai. She reluctantly took the spirit, appalled by Not-Naru's casual handling of the deity. She waited for him to continue speaking, but he remained silent, leaving her with no answers. Again.

"Could I at least get your name? I don't want to have to call you 'Not-Naru' forever."

He snorted. "You can call me Gene! Nice to officially make your acquaintance."

She returned the smile, finding his energy contagious. "Nice to meet you, Gene," she said, shifting Usa-sama in her arms. "Now seriously though, why are you here? I don't want to invade your privacy or anything, but you said you don't need help moving on. Spirits don't just pop up without needing something."

Gene pondered her question, carefully crafting his answer. "Let's just say there are a few things I want to see before I move on. You just happen to be the only one I can match wavelengths with."

"You can't even come in contact with Masako?"

"Nope. We're on two completely different planes. You're more open—concerningly so, by the way—so it's easier for me to find you."

Mai nodded, understanding a bit better. She absentmindedly started petting the rabbit in her arms. Speaking to Naru earlier wasn't a great plan, so what about speaking to Gene now?

Feeling resolve in her heart, she faced him. "Do you… need me to relay anything to your brother?"

A gentle but sad smile crossed his face. "No, not now. Not yet, anyway. Thank you though."

The clenching in her heart came back, much like when she first realized Gene was Naru's family. If she could be the anchor for Gene until he resolved whatever he needed to, then she would be more than willing. "Well, welcome to my dreams then. To your left, you'll find our resident deity. To the right, a whole bunch of nothing. And straight ahead are visions I have no business seeing," she cracked a smile, hoping to boost his spirits.

He chuckled. "He's going to have a lot of fun with you." He gestured to take Usa-sama from her. "Off with you now. Time to wake up!"

Mai opened her mouth to object, but he ignored her. He poked her forehead, sending her backward into a spiral. Before she knew it, she was waking up back in her bed with a flinch. Again.

At that exact moment, her alarm went off. Ah, that's right. Today was a school day.

She got herself ready quickly, tucking one side of her hair behind her ear as usual. She took a painkiller and changed the wrapping Ayako made yesterday to a less obvious bandage before leaving.

The school day was average, aside from telling Keiko and Michiru about what had transpired. One of their friends from Kuroda's class had mentioned during lunch that the said girl was currently gloating to everyone in her class about the events over the weekend—including how she was the only one who could detect the spirits.

Nearing the end of the school day, the principal called both Mai and Kuroda to the office. Inside revealed every member of the team already seated. Naru didn't waste any time, of course—without even explaining, he began his test. They were to stare at a red light as he gave several suggestions to them.

By the end of it, whether due to her forgetfulness or the test itself, Mai could swear she already forgot about every suggestion he made.

When the group met after, Ayako mumbled quietly to Mai, "Why is she here?" She gestured her head toward Kuroda.

"Naru told her to go back to class, but she wanted to see what that test was all about," Mai whispered back. To be frank, that was just her assumption. Kuroda didn't seem very interested in talking to her anymore.

"How's your leg, Jou-chan?" Bou-san inquired.

She smiled, happy that he cared enough to ask. "It's okay! Just a little sore when I'm running or going upstairs."

They were interrupted when Naru cleared his throat.

She rolled her eyes, All business!

Naru explained to them that many of the events that happened were due to land subsidence, something she would never have even considered. He provided the graphs and data that he had her organize yesterday. They provided visuals to indicate the sinking of the land the building sat on as well as the moisture levels and instability. After Mai had left yesterday, one of the ceilings collapsed. Luckily, neither Naru nor Lin was inside at the time. They had all but cleared out most of the equipment at that point. No one seemed to question these findings since he presented them with scientific support, except Kuroda.

"But what about all the knocking, door slamming, and the windows shattering? That can't just be land subsidence."

"Didn't we confirm yesterday that was poltergeist activity?" Ayako said.

"Human poltergeist activity," Bou-san clarified.

"I have a plan to either confirm or rule that out—however, I have complete trust in my assessment," Naru said. "Unless any of you would like to do manual work, I suggest you head home and return tomorrow for the results."

His suggestion easily chased away Ayako and Masako, and reluctantly, Kuroda since she wouldn't be getting her answers today anyway.

That left SPR, Mai, Bou-san, and John.

"I'm not interested in any manual work, but I'm curious about what you have planned." Bou-san crossed his arms, ready to hear about "the big plan."

In the end, Naru didn't explain anything and somehow roped John and Bou-san into boarding up the windows and door to the classroom for his test. Inside the classroom sat a chair in the middle of a chalk circle. He had set up not only an infrared camera and one of his regular cameras but also a radar. He then stapled sheets of paper to the boards after they were nailed. They were then told to write their names across the pages. As usual, he didn't explain anything when she asked about all of it, even when Bou-san made a few snide comments. When everything was finished without much trouble, they all called it a day and left.

When they reconvened the next day, the group met in front of the boarded classroom. Ayako had a few snarky comments regarding the boards, but Naru disregarded her and only addressed the three that wrote their signatures. "Do any of these sheets look tampered with? Including your signatures?"

"Nope."

Ayako was about to question the point of all of this but was quickly silenced when Naru pried the wood apart with a wrecking tool.

Satisfied with his work, he peered inside. A small smirk appeared when he entered the classroom. The chair that sat inside the chalk circle had been knocked over and dragged outside the circle. "As I thought."

"But how does this test confirm that the phenomenon is due to a poltergeist?" asked Bou-san, leaning on the teacher's desk as everyone crowded in.

Naru explained how his test from yesterday worked by providing a suggestion for them to follow. As the room was inaccessible without the boards showing signs of being tampered with, the culprit would have to be someone from this group.

"The other day, we discussed the motives of the person using the nails to simulate a haunting. The nails and this poltergeist activity are both related. As human poltergeists are usually caused by young females under mental stress, the likely candidates would be Hara-san, Mai, or Kuroda-san."

"Me?!" Mai questioned to no avail. Bou-san chuckled and patted her head.

Naru spared her a glance. "As Hara-san is known to be a medium that would rule her out. Mai does have psychic abilities, but they're of a different nature than those required to cause a poltergeist. Thus, the most likely answer would be Kuroda-san."

"Why me?" Kuroda's face was flushed with embarrassment.

Naru explained how her stories didn't coincide with the history of the building or Masako's findings. The activity had been poltergeist-like since the beginning. In this case, the manifestations arose from the simple will to garner attention. Naru had even spoken to Keiko and Michiru about Kuroda to reach his conclusion. He found that she was able to gain popularity in middle school because of her spiritual powers—she had more to lose if word got out that there weren't spirits here. Out of the strong desire to not be proven wrong, her wishes were embodied as poltergeists.

Hearing that, Mai would be lying if she said she didn't sympathize with Kuroda.

She got to be the center of attention, but not in the way she wanted.

"I… think it's a fine desire to have. Everyone wants to be accepted, but to also distinguish themselves from others. To have something special to only them," Mai smiled. She reached out to Kuroda, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Kuroda looked down in shame, one from being the one perpetrating the activity, but also for her attitude, especially toward Mai. "I'm sorry."

"I opt to tell the principal that there were many war spirits, but we had successfully exorcised them."

"Why not tell the truth?" asked Masako.

"Kuroda-san feels bad enough. I don't think we need to make things harder for her."

To say she was surprised was an understatement. She didn't expect that from Naru. The same Naru who had been cold, rude, and calculating during this time she worked with him. Yet, it was also unfair to say that he hadn't shown some kindness. He didn't openly say it, but he didn't have her do any physical tasks after her injury the other day. And when he spoke about the poltergeists, he didn't openly call Kuroda out either.

He could be blunt, but he wasn't unkind.

"Who will we say did the exorcism then?" Ayako asked. She had been the only one to perform an exorcism, but everyone had worked on the case together.

"We accomplished it as a team. No one has a problem with that, right?" answered Naru without a moment's hesitation.

Mai smiled, happy for everyone.

"You're a good guy," said Ayako, her tone completely changed now. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

That was quick! Mai snorted.

"There's only enough room for me in the mirror," Naru smirked before walking away.

Mai and Bou-san glanced at each other and then fell into a fit of chuckles. Masako hid a smile behind her sleeve while John scratched his head in second-hand embarrassment.

Ignoring Ayako's pouting, Naru informed Lin that they will now be pulling out.

Mai wasn't sure what she was going to do now, so she stood and watched as everyone started to filter out. A sense of melancholy overwhelmed her at that moment. She had never been interested in actively pursuing spirits like this before and certainly hadn't been looking forward to working for Naru to pay her debt.

So then why was she sad that it was all over?

Her expenditures with spirits in the past weren't that different from this investigation—at the end of the day, it was to solve a problem or figure out what was happening. Maybe she liked the routine of coming here every day? Or, maybe she liked the company of other people who weren't unlike her? They didn't get to spend a lot of time together, and they could be infuriating at times. But they were still closer to her "realm" than any of the other people she'd met recently.

"Aren't you going to class?" Naru's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Um… I wasn't thinking of going today," she said, shrugging.

Naru stared blankly at her. "It would be in your best interest to try getting smarter."

Still rude to the very end.

"However, if you don't plan on going to class, care to help me pack?"

And help she did. They finished packing up the last bit of equipment needed for last night's experiment. When she expected him to shoo her away now that her usefulness ran out, he popped an unusual question.

"When did your abilities begin manifesting?"

She froze, taken aback by his sudden questioning. This wasn't a question she heard very much, if at all. "Oh, um, when I was really little, I guess. Maybe between four and six?"

"What do they entail?" he continued.

Why did she feel like she was being interviewed?

"Well, I have weird dreams about other people's memories. Sometimes, I just get a feeling I have to listen to. Sometimes I see spirits, but I usually sense them more than anything. And apparently, I've also been floating out of my body this whole time whenever I have these dreams." She couldn't tell what counted as an ability and what didn't at this point. For now, she didn't plan on invoking anything out of Naru by mentioning his recently deceased brother.

"How can you distinguish that you're having an out-of-body experience, rather than just a regular dream?"

For the first time, it felt like he was actually looking at her now—fully acknowledging her.

"Well, I still can't on my own, but recently- uh, I have a spirit guide, of sorts, that's been giving me pointers."

Naru put a hand to his chin in thought. "I see." He was silent after that as the two began walking out of the building. "In any case, now that we're done, you should head to class. Your intelligence will thank you."

Mai gawked, appalled by his complete lack of social awareness and skill with conversation. "Why thank you for your wisdom, Sensei. Don't mind if I do!" With that said, she huffed and stomped away to school.

.

The old schoolhouse collapsed soon after. She could only wonder if Naru and everyone else had left the scene before it happened. They would have been caught in that mess if they had stalled the investigation an extra day.

A few days passed with life moving forwards as usual. Mai couldn't help but wonder what Naru was up to now. She hadn't had any dreams since that final day. Usa-sama's presence was easier for her to notice now, but she didn't know if Gene was still around, or if he had floated off along with Naru. A part of her was relieved to return to her normal life—and yet, the other part missed being a "real ghost hunter" for a few days.

As if on cue, an announcement was made for her to report to the main office.

What now?!

She was told she had a phone call, but who could be calling her?

"Mai?"

Her jaw dropped. "Naru?!"

"You don't have to scream."

"Yeah, sorry, sorry. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"I have a check for you for the work that you did. As well as compensation for your injury. Where should I send it?"

She blinked, not expecting to be paid. The injury compensation was a nice gesture though, especially coming from him. She provided her address and expected him to just end the call, but once again, he surprised her.

"Does your school allow part-time jobs?"

"Yeah, that's no problem."

"Would you like to work for my office then? Someone left, so I have a secretarial position open." He then added, "I also believe it would be beneficial for you to hone your skills."

She hesitated, thinking over his offer. The half of her that yearned for a normal life was steering her one way. While her other more spiritual half gravitated toward Naru's offer.

Well—if she was going to help random spirits anyway, she might as well get paid for it.

"I'll accept your offer!"

Chapter Text

Officially working for Naru was exactly as expected. Mai filed, organized, cleaned, and prepared tea. During her downtime, he had her prepare materials for her personal use during cases.

Quite frankly, she felt like she was being given homework.

She had to read 2-7 chapters in "this" and "that" book with detailed notes in Naru's preferred bulleted format. After all, he couldn't have an assistant who couldn't take basic notes—ignoring the fact that his definition of "basic" was anything but.

Unlike schoolwork, the material was at least somewhat interesting. Many of the topics provided official terms for experiences she was already familiar with. "Post-cognition" was one such term. Along with the readings, she was to document all warnings or "urges" her instincts alerted her to. Her spiritual dreams were also to be logged in detail. Oh, and if she spotted a spirit or suspected someone was one, she was to document that too.

She went from being a dilettante to now dissecting her abilities and studying basic parapsychology. This sudden overexposure was uncomfortable yet relieving at the same time. She could now speak about all this and no one would bat an eye.

If she said anything remotely interesting about the paranormal to her peers, they would swarm up to ask questions—if she said the same thing to Naru, he wouldn't even look up from his computer. If he felt generous with his time, he'd even say something like, "Hm. Good to see you're finally making connections."

Aside from being a smartass all the time, she kind of appreciated the nonchalance.

Then, there was the topic of her incorporeal companions. While Naru made her study and do fieldwork during the day, Gene thought it would be funny to make her squirm outside of work too. Mai didn't always dream every night, so she only got to enter her dreamscape once or twice a week when Gene reeled her in.

Since she had very little control over her projections, Gene took it upon himself to train her.

He didn't realize the amount of explaining he would have to do, though—maybe Naru was on to something when he said Mai was finally making connections.

The first few training sessions involved terminology review, practicing the art of meditation, and grounding.

Meditation turned out to be more challenging than she originally thought. Mai dozed off easily during classes and work, yet her mind would wander off to the depths of irrelevancy the instant she meditated.

"You need to let everything go. Clear your mind and only focus on your breathing." Gene sat cross-legged across from Mai, who mirrored the same positioning. Usa-sama sat in Gene's lap napping during their session.

Mai inhaled deeply through her nose, feeling cool air enter her body.

"Feel as the airflow moves from your chest to your stomach and then back out."

Only the sounds of their breathing permeated the space.

Well, that is until—

"Why does Lin cover his one eye?"

Gene facepalmed.

Following that, Mai was given a schedule during her awake hours encompassing deep breathing and meditation. After a few weeks of meditating before bed every night, she finally got the hang of it. Once satisfied, Gene moved on to teaching her about anchoring herself to a destination to project to. However, she had to heed his warning to never project anywhere but her astral plane or areas she recognized.

Her first assignment was to attempt projecting herself using meditation rather than sleep. Mai wasn't sure what to use for her anchor, so she chose Gene. He had more of an identifiable presence that she could reimagine easily compared to Usa-sama's more powerful yet cryptic energy.

And… that turned out to be a mistake.

Rather than projecting straight to her astral plane, she missed her target and managed to pull herself full-throttle into a vision. Particularly to the vision of Gene's death—the part she had been blocked from seeing the last time. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest when she realized what was happening.

The woman who killed Gene was even more heinous than she originally thought—after she ran him over the second time, she wrapped him up in a tarp and threw him into the lake. She used cinderblocks to ensure that he stayed under. As the events unfolded, Mai had tried to interfere in any way she could from yelling to trying to grab the woman. Her attempts were all fruitless.

She had never felt so powerless in her life. To be a bystander of the crime and not be able to do anything sent fervid rage through Mai's veins. The enmity she held for this woman was unrelenting as she watched Gene's body sink under—her nails digging into her palms and unstoppable tears dripping off her chin. To die all alone like this and still manage to smile and laugh with her in his afterlife... it was unbearable for her.

She sank to the ground, curling into herself as she wept. I'm so sorry, Gene. I'm so sorry I can't do anything for you.

The most she could do for him now was to let him take refuge on her plane. But was she strong enough to help him in the way he needed? Mai didn't realize how easy it would be to throw herself into a vision like this. How could she expect to be a true psychic if she couldn't even handle this much? She had hidden behind sleeping pills before, but now she was face to face with her fear.

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the weight of the situation. If only she was strong enough like Masako, then maybe she would know how to handle this situation—how to help Gene.

A warm hand rested on her back as someone crouched beside her. Glowing white fur entered her vision as she opened her eyes. Two beady eyes peered up at her with a twitching nose. She laid her hand on her rabbit companion for comfort.

"I'm so sorry, Mai," said Gene from beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I didn't realize you would be pulled in like that. I should have taught you how to guard yourself better. My oversight forced you to witness… that."

Mai wrapped her arms around him, crying into his chest. She shook her head rapidly. "Why are you sorry? I'm sorry you had to be alone. I'm sorry this is how everything ended for you. I… I'm so sad for you and Naru. I'm sorry I'm so useless and can't help you."

Gene held her firmly, his eyes closing. His voice took on a softer disposition. "It's okay, Mai. I've accepted what happened. It wouldn't do me any good to hold negative feelings now that I'm a spirit. Allowing me into your plane under yours and Usa-sama's protection is more than I can ask for."

"Even if you can accept it, I can't!" she declared, looking up at him with a myriad of emotions in her eyes. "I-I can't accept it. That was unfair what was done to you." There was truly nothing she could do for Gene and she knew it. She couldn't avenge him, hell, she didn't even know where this location was.

Wait.

She pushed herself away from their embrace to look him directly in the face. "Were… were you ever found?"

He briefly averted his eyes before shaking his head.

"Where are you, Gene? Maybe I can tell Naru and we can alert a search group to find you."

His pained smile broke her heart. "I can't remember."

Why did the air feel so heavy at that moment? Why did being alive feel like such a weight on her shoulders?

"You can't mean…" she said, her eyes widening. That may be why he was still lingering then. Naru needed to know about this—she didn't feel right keeping this information to herself. But then, what would she say to him?

"Naru's searching for me as we speak. Now's not the time to tell him I'm still around, though. He'll only worry." And lose control, was the unspoken piece Gene finished in his head. The air was quiet between the two until Gene popped on a small smile. "After all, the kid sucks at emotions."

Mai couldn't help the chuckle that left her mouth. "That's an understatement." She looked to the ground to find Usa-sama still nestled next to her. Picking up the furry deity, she held him close brushing her cheek against his fur. "You know how you said you didn't need my help? Or at least not yet?"

Gene nodded.

With determination, she locked eyes with him. "I want to help find you. Let me do at least that much."

He seemed reluctant but eventually gave her a nod. "Thank you, Mai."

Smiling, she stood up from her kneeling position. "Now, how do we leave this vision? I don't think any of us can stomach being here any longer." After all that, it would take an equally disturbing vision for her to forget the view of this lake.

"Well, that'll be up to you. How about an impromptu lesson?" he teased, back to his joking ways. "Remember 'the anchor?' You could try making one for yourself instead of using something else. Your plane is yours alone. You can shape it any way you want." He cracked a grin, "I wouldn't mind a couch to sit on. Oh, and a TV with the newest PlayStation."

"Would you even be able to watch or play anything?"

He tilted his head up in thought. "We won't know till we try!"

To meditate, she sat on the grass facing away from the lake. Usa-sama sat in her lap, likely using whatever palliative powers he had to help her remain calm while she concentrated.

Initially, she had a hard time manifesting what she wanted—she didn't even know what it was she wanted. In the end, she opted to imagine the SPR office since she associated it most with the paranormal. The main area, her desk, and the kitchen were the easiest—minus imagining Gene his TV and PlayStation. Naru's and Lin's offices were a bit harder as she didn't go in often aside from bringing tea and reports. Not to mention that Naru had a bunch of books in English while Lin had books in Chinese.

She could almost feel the material of the couch beneath her legs. She thought about the one analog clock that would bother her with its ticking, or the sound of the fridge when it made ice.

The familiar sound of the SPR door and chime jingling broke her out of her meditation. Her eyes shot open to the view of the main area wall. She did it! Her astral plane looked like a replica of the office.

"Good job, Mai!" Gene said as he closed the office door behind him. He looked around, crossing his arms just like Naru as he inspected every nook and cranny. "You can tell Naru and Lin decorated this place. Corporate and professional."

Mai still couldn't believe she did it even as she slid her hands across the material of the couches.

"You could have switched out the couches for something comfier, but this will do!" Gene had long changed out of his brother's clothes and was now donning a regular t-shirt and a pair of casual khakis. "And you added a TV and a PlayStation too!"

"I also added a small pen for Usa-sama in Naru's office," she giggled. Naru would not be pleased. "And this is only on my plane, right? I didn't actually project us to the office, did I?"

"Well, you technically did, but you only altered this realm's office. If you actually projected there, you would be able to see Naru and Lin around," Gene answered. "If you look outside, it's an empty version of Shibuya."

When she peered out the windows, the streets were fully empty just as Gene said. "Wow…"

Gene plopped himself onto the couch across from the TV. Usa-sama hopped up next to him. "I hope you're feeling better now," he said.

She couldn't help but smile seeing him get comfortable. "Yeah. Hope you are too."

"You bet!" he grinned. "Congrats on passing your assignment, by the way! I'm sure Naru will be satisfied if you tell him what you accomplished. Minus me, of course."

Mai shot up as she remembered something. "That reminds me. How do you spell your name? I'm including you in my notes, but only your first initial. I assumed it was spelled J-I-N, but for some reason, that didn't feel right."

He didn't answer right away—he even seemed to argue with himself. Mai wondered if he didn't want to share. He certainly didn't have to tell her, but now she was curious why the spelling of his name mattered so much.

"I spell it with a 'G,'" he finally answered her.

She nodded, not wanting to push it. If he spelled his name with a 'G,' his name would then be pronounced differently. Maybe his parents were trying to be creative, or maybe he was a foreigner. But then, wouldn't that make Naru a foreigner too?

As if detecting her trail of thought, he quickly changed the subject.

.

As promised, Mai started her research on Gene's location. While she didn't have the funds to travel to every lake in Japan, she could at least rely on modern technology. A list of all the lakes in Japan was as simple as a Google search. Luckily for her, Japan was small compared to other countries, so the list was made up of only about 100 lakes.

It would take her a bit to get through the list between work, school, and chores. She started a separate notebook for her research, which she was careful to hide away. Looking at it, Naru probably wouldn't even be interested in the slightest, but she wanted to be careful. She aimed to print out pictures and articles at school for each entry—more so to satisfy her childish desire to feel like a movie detective and less for the scientific method.

She also ensured that the only identification for Gene in all her notes was a simple "G."

Turns out that Naru was too good to read through her chicken-scratch notes anyway, so she probably agonized over all this for nothing.

Rather than reading over her notes, her boss got some sort of sick satisfaction from quizzing her instead. Now, whenever she came with tea or a document, she had to be prepared for an open-ended question.

There was never a, "Thank you, Mai."

Just, "What are five principal measures that you can use to identify the presence of spirits?"

"Don't tell me you're planning on giving me an exam?" Mai joked one day, placing tea and a plate of bunny apple slices on his desk—the boy never ate, so if she didn't leave traces of sustenance, he would no doubt evaporate.

"If I did, would you pass?" he asked, glancing at the plate and then back up to her.

"Depends if you're going to grade fairly or not."

"Either you're correct or not. Grading isn't subjective, Mai."

"You'd nitpick my answers and you know it!" she argued, crossing her arms.

He regarded her for a minute. "Then, perhaps I will give you an exam," he said, sipping his tea. The corners of his mouth just barely turned up. "Now get back to work."

And get back to work she did.

The workday was simple. Her day-to-day duties entailed secretarial matters, such as organizing and answering phone calls. Oh, and making sure that Naru and Lin survived. That wasn't part of the job description, but they rarely left their offices to use the bathroom let alone eat.

Naru used to give her a quizzical brow whenever she brought in snacks. And yet, the plates would be found empty every time she collected them later. That was award enough for her to keep doing it.

As she exited Naru's office, she was pleasantly surprised to find a customer waiting at the entrance. "Ah, welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research! How may we help you?"

"Hello, my name is Morishita Noriko. I have some unexplainable occurrences happening in my home. I was hoping you would be able to help?" asked a young woman with light brown hair.

"You came to the right place! Please take a seat this way."

.

On the way to her first official case, Mai fell asleep in the van and unintentionally projected herself onto the spiritual plane. As usual, she was greeted by the sight of Gene sitting crossed-legged with Usa-sama on the couch playing games—how he was playing games, she would never know. He listened to her rattle on and on about the preparations Naru made her take and the details of the case.

"You remember our lesson on defenses, right?" Gene asked, not even taking his eyes off the TV.

"Yeah… but, I feel like I'm not doing anything when I try it," she mumbled. The technique he taught her was still emerging. In her opinion, it was still nowhere near enough to "keep the creepies away," as Gene had put it.

"It'll work trust me. Besides, you're under the divine protection of the holy Usa-sama!" He made a point by lifting said rabbit in the air like a stuffed animal.

"I know, but I was getting one of those feelings in the van."

"Great then! Count this as your first fieldwork. Why don't you practice getting back into your body before Naru throws a wobbly?"

Wobbly? She raised a brow. She shrugged it off and headed into Naru's office away from the commotion that was Gene's entertainment.

"Good luck!" He called out before cursing as an influx of enemies ambushed him.

This was Gene's current assignment for her—finding her way back to her body. She had only practiced it two times before, but it was already less arduous than projecting out of her body.

Plopping into Naru's office chair, she closed her eyes and concentrated. She willed the imaginary vines she used to pull her taught to the earth tighter. She figuratively placed herself back into the exact spot she sat in the van between Lin and Naru. She imagined the uncomfortable leather seats making her butt numb as her arms rested in her lap. She imagined the road noise of other cars passing. The last thing she heard was the flipping of pages as Naru reviewed the case for the umpteenth time.

Slowly blinking her eyes open, she scanned their location.

"I see you're back," Naru stated from beside her. Wasting no time, he handed her a folder. "Here's a copy of the file. I want you to look over it."

Rolling her eyes at his inability to relax for two seconds, she took the file. It was great fun to have a twin coaching her in her dreams, and the other twin bossing her around during the day.

The remainder of the car ride was uneventful aside from the persistent feeling she had. When they finally pulled into the driveway of their client's home, she inhaled deeply. Naru sent her a side glance.

She was strangely happy to see Bou-san and Ayako again. After dealing with the two workaholics for the past few months, she was relieved to see other humans. She chatted them up briefly to stall having to go inside.

She usually dealt with spirits who stayed outside—never did she trespass into abandoned buildings. Even she knew that was asking for trouble.

So, when the time came to enter, she felt like she had just walked into a private affair unwelcome. Something about the house was beyond suffocating. She rubbed at the goosebumps on her arms as Noriko welcomed them inside and introduced them to her family.

They seemed like a normal women-run household. Mai didn't note anything odd about the family members, other than Ayami, Noriko's niece, being the cutest little thing. Kana, Noriko's sister-in-law, was more on the serious side. She got right to business, asking if they thought there were spirits before they even got to investigate! Shaking furniture, doors opening and closing on their own, and bangs on a wall definitely weren't normal, but they had only stepped in the house for five minutes.

After setting up their equipment, Ayako was quick to share her thoughts. "This is clearly the work of an earth spirit."

"You might be right," mumbled Mai as she scribbled into her journal.

"Aren't you the little ghost hunter now?" Bou-san teased as he peered over her shoulder at her notes. "What's with these notes? They're written in different colors."

"If I have to take notes in Naru's style, I have to make it interesting somehow," she said, showing off her pencil case of pens.

While Bou-san sifted through her colors, Naru inwardly sighed. "Those notes should be for your reference," he said before turning back to the monitors. "While there is the possibility a spirit caused this, we also can't ignore that the activity is also reminiscent of poltergeist activity."

"I almost forgot to tell you," Mai interrupted, "I can feel something very off here. I can't tell exactly what but it feels like we're being watched by a bunch of people."

"Do you think we're working with multiple spirits then?" Ayako assumed a thinking pose.

"Maybe," she replied with uncertainty. It was nice that she could be more helpful now, but she wasn't nearly as trained as Masako was.

"Did you sense anything else?"

"Not yet. Do you want me to try projecting?"

"No. Save your energy." She nodded her head, returning to her scribbling.

"So Jou-san, what can you do? Naru said you were psychic a while back. When you say project, do you mean like astral projecting?"

She stopped her writing, surprised by Bou-san's sudden question. It made sense for him to ask, but now Ayako was looking at her expectantly too. Darn it, Bou-san.

"Um, yeah. I'm not very good at it, though. I can only do it when I sleep, but I've been practicing."

Bou-san looked to be processing her information. "You wouldn't think you were capable of that kind of thing just by looking at you. Well, don't overwork yourself. That'll leave you susceptible to all kinds of nasties."

"No worries! Hey, why don't I go make some tea?" She closed her notebook. When Naru didn't react, she took that as affirmative and left for the kitchen.

Noriko, who was bringing Ayami a snack, bumped into her in the hall and promptly invited her to join. Naru's tea could wait.

On the way to Ayami's room, Mai learned that Kana was Ayami's stepmother. This situation was new for all of them and undoubtedly an adjustment, and then to add a haunting.

"Ayami, I brought snacks. Mai-chan is here too!" Noriko announced as they entered the little girl's room.

Ayami, who was reading a picture book, picked up her doll and ran over to greet the newcomers. "Hello!"

"Hi there! Who's this?" Mai gestured to the doll. Was it her or did the doll seem like it was looking at her?

"Minnie," Ayami said, extending Minnie's hand out for Mai to shake.

"Hi there, Minn-" Mai snatched her hand away the instant she touched the doll. Its hand was burning hot.

Noriko and Ayami looked at her in concern.

"Uh, sorry, just had a sudden hiccup," she said, lamely. Mai cautiously decided to try again, and this time, she shook Minnie's hand with no problems.

Great.

Off to a warm welcome.

Chapter Text

"Wait, hold on a minute. You're saying the doll tried to burn you?" Bou-san asked, leaning his arms against the table.

"Yup."

Ayako shivered. "Ugh, I have goosebumps. I've always hated dolls since I was a kid for this exact reason," she said, rubbing her arms.

"I've heard of this kind of thing before. What if the spirit is a child using his or her favorite doll as a vessel? And when this family got the doll, the doll brought the spirit here?" Bou-san hypothesized.

"Don't forget that there may be multiple spirits here," Naru interjected. He had his arms crossed as he leaned against the counter. "To narrow the possibilities down, we should at least rule out that this isn't a human-made poltergeist."

True to his word, Naru followed through with his test after dinner. They used a vase for this run. The test went according to plan; thus, the night went on as usual for the family.

The rest of the evening for SPR was also equally uneventful. Enough so that Bou-san had time to add comments to Mai's notebook with his now-designated olive-green pen. When given a blank stare from Naru, he defended himself with, "I'm peer-reviewing!"

He wasn't technically lying though. His comments were either recommendations or some other type of supplemental information.

The olive-green accents were a nice touch too!

Pounding footsteps interrupted their "peer development" session. At the base entrance was Kana who quickly ushered them to follow her. Upon arriving in Ayami's room, the furniture and rug had been turned upside down while the window sat shattered along the floor.

Ayami stood in the center of it all with no injuries.

Mai had never seen such an aggressive haunting like this before. When she touched the bookshelf or the cupboard for traces of heat, there was none. The furniture felt like they had been sitting in a cold cellar for months.

"Aren't you people supposed to do something about this?" Kana exclaimed out of fear.

"You sure the little girl didn't do it?" Ayako quickly defended.

Ayami shook her head, holding Minnie tighter to her chest. "Ayami didn't do it."

Mai patted her head for reassurance.

"I don't think there's a human capable of something like this," Naru said, turning over the corner of the rug. "If there was, I'd like to meet them."

"Same here," agreed Bou-san.

Before they even had time to further process, a scream was heard from Noriko downstairs. When they arrived on the scene, the living room furniture had also been turned upside down. Even the chandelier shook ever so slightly.

"How nice of it to give us a warm welcome," Bou-san said, crossing his arms.

"It's already asserting control."

As everyone investigated, Mai suddenly felt uneasy—like they were being watched. She scanned the room carefully. Maybe if she looked close enough, she could find a perpetrator or an accomplice. At first, she had difficulty making anything out. She knew they were there, but where? She raked through her brain for anything useful Gene might've said during their lessons.

"Be like the Buddha!" she heard him echo in her head.

While seemingly unhelpful, it did serve as a reminder to continue breathing. Inhaling, she urged her mind to refocus.

That's when she started to make out their forms—from the silhouettes to their more distinct features. Still unclear, but better than before her training. Peeking through the double doors was a set of two children, one boy and one girl. They hovered over the space, possibly leaning their hands on the glass panes.

Creeping away from the group, Mai attempted to approach the two without causing alarm. However, they quickly fled when they noticed her.

"I just wanted to talk…," she said, puffing out one cheek.

She could already hear Gene making a snide comment about her lack of stealth. Or was that Naru?

"Who are you talking to?" Ayako joined her out in the hall, looking out to see what she was looking at.

"Two little kids were peeking from out here. They disappeared when I caught them spying."

Naru and everyone else gathered by the doors. "Children you say? Are you sure one of them wasn't Ayami-chan?"

She shook her head. "Definitely not Ayami. They're both no longer alive."

Kana rubbed her arms, very clearly disturbed. "I will ask Ayami just in case."

She and Noriko headed to Ayami's room but were surprised to find the little girl watching from the top of the stairs. Minnie was in tow as always.

Noriko apprehensively climbed the steps. "Sweetie, was that you down here in the hall just now? Looking through the living room doors?" She asked as she reached the landing. "It's okay, you're not in trouble."

Ayami shook her head in confusion.

"Are you sure it wasn't you? Mai saw two children peeking in, but it must have been you and Minnie, right?" Noriko persisted as she kneeled to her level. Her voice was shaky, very much shaken by Mai's findings.

Ayami shrunk away and held Minnie tighter to her chest. "It wasn't me!"

Just as her objection was made, Noriko's ankle was yanked out from underneath. She was then dragged off the landing. Kana was quick to react and tried to grab her wrist, but nearly lost her footing.

"Nori-nee-san!" Ayami yelled, dropping Minnie to clutter on the floor.

"Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!"

The dragging halted, leaving Noriko halfway down the stairs.

"Are you okay?!"

Everyone moved to help her as she struggled to sit up. "S-something grabbed my ankle," she said, nearly frozen in fear.

Mai gasped. A bruise in the shape of a small hand wrapped around her ankle.

Mai and Kana helped the injured woman to her room where Ayako wrapped a makeshift brace for her. The group deemed it safest for Ayami to stay in Noriko's room for the time being.

"Don't you think that was way too aggressive for a first day?" Bou-san exhaled loudly. He plopped on the couch and leaned his head back.

"Whatever it is, it's certainly not happy that we're here," Ayako grumbled as she crossed her arms. "I think it's that creepy doll. It was there with the little girl when Noriko-san was pulled—almost looked like it reacted to her."

Bou-san nodded. "For once, I agree with you. The spirit in the doll must be connected to Ayami-chan in some way."

"Maybe an attachment?"

Strangely enough, Naru decided that they should retire for the night. Considering the multitude of occurrences already, perhaps his suggestion wasn't as generous as initially thought.

Mai would be lying if she said she wasn't a little spooked at staying in a haunted house. Her apprehension from just entering the house was multiplied two-fold now that it was time to sleep. Entering her and Ayako's guest room, she debated her next course of action. Shower at night and have something potentially screw with her? Or shower in the morning with the mental support of daylight?

The latter seemed safest. Besides, Ayako already claimed the bathroom. Her intuition told her that the other female probably had an hour-and-a-half self-care routine.

Thus, Mai promptly prepped herself for her pre-bed meditation by donning her matching set of pajamas and washing her face. The only missing piece was her usual cup of hojicha.

Luckily, she was smart to pack some before leaving her apartment that morning.

Paranoid as she was, Mai held Usa-sama's mirror in her hand as she braved the hallway. Aside from the workaholics, everyone else was likely settled in their rooms at this point. She would have to fend for herself should anything happen—and knowing her luck, something would.

Creeping downstairs to the kitchen, she passed the base and confirmed that Naru and Lin were still working. Typical.

"I'm going to make hojicha. Do you guys want some?"

"That would be nice. Thank you," Lin answered, never taking his eyes off the monitors.

Naru looked at her blankly and she returned the favor. He was still hard to read and she wondered what ran through his head at that moment. "Tea, Naru?"

"Is there earl grey?"

"Nope. We'll have to pick some up tomorrow."

"Hm." He then proceeded to return to his typing.

His answer was ambiguous as always. Shrugging, she continued her journey to the kitchen.

She wasn't about to stand there and try to figure out his game of charades.

While the water boiled, she set out three cups and poked around the kitchen for a strainer. A few moments passed when she heard the gas stove flame go out.

Eying the stove suspiciously, she cautiously inched forward. She reached out to reignite it, careful to keep herself at arms-length. The flame returned but was instantly put out with no reasonable explanation. A chill blew through the kitchen sending goosebumps up her back.

That was never a good sign.

Maybe using a flame isn't a good idea, she decided. Instead, she opted to heat her water in the microwave—she was going to have her bedtime tea regardless of ghosts.

Now, she just needed to survive these next few minutes.

"Be like the Buddha!" Gene's voice once again echoed in her head.

Mai took some deep breaths. Looking over the kitchen, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The chill remained, however. She couldn't tell if there wasn't a presence, or if there were multiple.

"Hello?"

It was very faint, but she could make out little footsteps moving down the hall away from the kitchen to the living room. The chill she felt also went with it apparently. Releasing a sigh, she quickly took her water out of the microwave and prepared the hojicha.

She made a swift escape after that, practically speed-walking to the base.

If Naru noticed her hastened breathing and uneasiness entering the room, he didn't say. Her cautious glance back to the hallway did alert him that something must have happened.

However, Naru had clearly made his point known previously that she was to share any experiences she had.

He wasn't about to sit there and try to figure out her game of charades.

Despite that though, he still observed her from the corner of his eye. Aside from her initial apprehension, she showed no other signs of concern. She handed out the cups of tea as usual before sitting on the couch with a huff.

Naru glanced at his cup, now identifying the tea as a green variety. He didn't need Mai knowing that he hadn't known what kind of tea she was offering earlier.

He gave it a preparatory sniff before tasting it. It was fine—he'd have preferred earl grey, but this would suffice.

Seeing as Mai wasn't going to divulge her findings, he wasted no more time and returned to his report. Before he knew it, an hour had passed by without his eyes leaving the laptop. Once signs of eyestrain became too apparent, he closed the laptop in favor of checking on the monitors.

To his surprise, Mai was sound asleep on the couch with a nearly empty cup dangling in hand. Could she be any more careless? He removed the cup from her hand and placed it on the coffee table.

"Here." Lin approached from behind and handed him a blanket, which Naru draped over her.

Maybe if she slept here, he could study her sleep activity—there weren't many astral projectors at BSPR after all.

A noise from the camera footage redirected his attention to the monitors.

From the microphone in Ayami's room and then from the one in the living room, footsteps were heard pattering along the wood creaking the boards. Indiscernible whispers filtered through from Ayami's room, while the temperatures dropped at a rapid rate.

"Lin, more sound," he ordered, half-forgetting the sleeping girl behind them.

More than one child-like voice was picked up, but no intelligible words could be deciphered. This supported Mai's claims of multiple spirits and her findings of the boy and girl earlier. But how did this relate to Minnie? The doll itself was currently tucked between Ayami and Noriko with no inclinations of abnormal activity.

Naru deduced that the doll must simply be a vessel for a spirit within the house, not the source.

His thought process was abruptly broken by mumbling from behind them.

Mai was murmuring in her sleep.

"Leave… property… selling…" she murmured. Her eyebrows were furrowed and twitching ever so slightly.

Naru wondered if she normally slept talk when having visions. He hadn't planned on it, but the idea of starting a "Mai Sleep Observation Log" had promise. Not to mention that he would be able to get more objective data about her abilities while she was asleep—and she would cooperate this way.

Of course, he would just need to remember to get consent lest he incurred Madoka's wrath from an ocean away. Either Mai would be fine with the prospect, or she would make a big deal about it.

It was no contest, between her and Lin, she was easily the more turbulent one to deal with in terms of mood and predictability.

And to be frank, she was someone he'd much prefer to simply tolerate and ignore, like Gene and Madoka. Unfortunately, he had difficulty pretending her presence wasn't there. Especially so since she had abilities he would've liked to study more if not for his current mission.

His thoughts were once again interrupted when Mai shifted in her sleep before flinching roughly. That was either the result of her waking up, or the cause.

She groaned and covered her eyes with her forearm. "Way to send me off…" she mumbled to no one.

That likely wasn't directed toward them.

"If you're going to sleep, you should go back to the guest room," he said, once again scanning the monitors with his back to her.

She shuffled the blanket behind her. "Probably." Groggily, she folded the blanket and plopped it back on the couch. "Have we caught anything?"

"Some disembodied whispers and footsteps."

"Oh, nice!" she said, much too enthusiastic for someone asleep no more than 2 minutes ago. "I had a weird dream just now, but I don't know if it's related to anything."

Naru didn't reply, urging her to continue.

"I'm guessing it was early Meiji, maybe. This newly widowed woman inherited this property from her husband. These businessmen were hounding her to sell them the rights to the land. Her answer was always no."

He expected her to continue the explanation, but when she stayed silent, he turned to face her—irritation radiating off his person.

She was unfazed. "And that's it. I got pulled out of the vision."

"Did someone or something force you out?"

"Probably—I don't exactly have any control over what I see right now," she grumbled mainly to herself. "I don't think it was G- my spirit guide, so maybe that's as much as I'm allowed to see."

He noted her awkwardness with the last sentence but initially brushed it off as a stutter. The rushing of the rest of her sentence and the fidgeting signaled something otherwise. Her behavior beckoned the question of if it was something he should be remembering for future reference.

To add to that, she quickly changed the subject by reminding them to go to bed soon before escaping back to her room with haste.

How curious.

.

The next morning revealed that Naru's poltergeist assessment was negative—the vase hadn't moved at all.

After a quick breakfast, Ayako offered to be the first to cleanse the space. Her ritual was swift, taking no more than 10 minutes. Unlike last time, no windows were shattered this time around.

The miko left the room with her overly confident laugh reverberating through the hallway. To say that Mai and Bou-san were still skeptical was an understatement.

The rest of the day was uneventful, which was no surprise as the activity only escalated at night.

Mai, Bou-san, and Ayako either spent the day taking temperatures, helping with menial tasks around the house, or annoying Naru in the base. During her downtime, she had the chance to do some summer homework as well as more research on Gene's location.

There was a lake nearby that she could try to sneak out to visit, but she would need a better alibi than just a walk.

"I'm going to head to the store to grab some lunch. Any requests?" Bou-san announced conveniently.

Mai nearly shot up at this opportunity.

Ayako did too because she ended up following along also. They took Bou-san's car, and luckily for Mai, he took a scenic route into town where they got a good look at the lake nearby.

It wasn't the one she was looking for but at least she could now cross it off her list. This one was too small and not nearly remote enough.

"You seemed pretty interested in that lake earlier. Did you want to ditch Naru and go swimming?" Their resident monk joked as they walked around the store.

"I wish, but I don't own a bathing suit." She brushed off the notion with a gesture of her hand.

"What? No bathing suit?!" Ayako asked, clearly disturbed.

"I haven't needed one! If it counts, I do have my old school bathing suit," Mai said in thought, a finger to her chin.

Ayako shook her head in disapproval. "I think I need to bring you shopping. You're a teenager and need to have a cute bikini for the summer!"

"So, she can be like you scaring all the young guys away?" Bou-san snickered over his shoulder.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ayako challenged. She glared at him for a few seconds before the Shinto gods dawned something upon her. Smirking, she said, "Oh, I get it. You're just projecting onto me. You couldn't reel in a single girl with your gorilla chest."

"That's a lot coming from an old hag."

And… that's when Mai escaped to the tea section before she died of embarrassment. She attempted to drown out their voices from several aisles away by browsing the shelves. A box of earl grey tea and her favorite brand of green tea made their way into her basket.

Then randomly, she picked up the very faint presence of Usa-sama nearby. Ironic as it was in this field of work, it was kind of nice to never be fully alone—only with familiar and benevolent spirits, of course.

Usa-sama was difficult to sense in such a haunted house like Noriko's, but now that she was outside, the rabbit deity was ever present. She smiled to herself.

"I wonder why Gene never pops up on this plane?" she mumbled. Usa-sama showed up here and there, but her other companion stayed primarily sedentary. Maybe he didn't have enough power to materialize himself.

She'll have to inquire later.

When the trio finally returned from their trip to the store—and maybe the bakery and sweets store next to it—there was reportedly new activity caught on the cameras and microphones.

"What did we miss?" Bou-san asked as they filtered through the door.

"While you three were out gallivanting, we identified a rapid decrease in temperature in Ayami-chan’s room," Naru said, the trio avoiding eye contact with him. "There is footage of the door rattling as banging sounds on the wall were picked up from the microphones."

"What if it was the air conditioner?" asked Ayako as she dropped her bags on the couch.

"The air conditioner had been shut off in that room last night since Ayami-chan has been staying in Morishita-san's room. If you recall, the window was shattered so the temperature should match that of outside. This drastic drop in temperature cannot be explained by human intervention."

.

"I'm not gonna give you all the answers," Gene said, sticking his tongue out for good measure. "This is good training for building your deductive reasoning skills."

Mai pouted. "How can you sound so much like Naru yet contradict everything he exists for?"

He grinned. "Twins, but I'm the fun one, and he's an idiot scientist."

They both sat cross-legged in Naru's astral office, which was now officially converted entirely into Usa-sama's space. Gene liked the idea of making their lagomorphic companion into the head honcho.

"Now, you remember that vision from last night? I believe that was providing context to the real problem at hand—the precursor, you could say."

She nodded, trying to make connections. "So, you're saying that I'll need to continue that vision to find the info I want?"

"For the most part, yes." He leaned back onto his arms. "But to do that, you'll need to open yourself up to allow the vision. Usa-sama has been helping to filter out what you're receiving. That's why you haven't been getting recurring nightmare visions like you used to."

"Is that why I was pulled out of it yesterday?"

"Partly, but the house also had a hand in that. So, now we will start practicing entering and exiting visions. It's the same premise as the 'anchor' exercise you've been doing."

They ended up spending a good portion of the afternoon practicing her "pull factor." According to Gene, the easiest way right now for her to traverse visions and spaces was to pull herself in the direction she wanted to go. She could accomplish this by using an anchor of her choice for each destination.

To say this next assignment was daunting was an understatement. Both brothers needed to remember she didn't have an IQ of 1000!

By the end of it all, Mai lay face down on the couch with Usa-sama on her back laboring her breathing.

"No worries! You'll get the hang of it soon," Gene encouraged.

A muffled groan was her answer.

Suddenly, the air went tense causing Mai to lift her head. "I sense a disturbance," she muttered. Like a rabbit listening for predators, she attempted to poke around with her "othersense" to figure out the source. At least she could do that here, but once she woke up, she was on her own.

"Yeah, something doesn't seem right. You should wake up, Mai."

"I should," she agreed before pausing and turning to him. "Can you come along too? Like how Usa-sama does sometimes?"

"Not quite yet," he shook his head. "Even I have things I'm not good at. Hopefully, soon though!"

"Okay, we can both work hard then! I'll see you later." She then focused her will to return to her body. The process still took a few minutes, but she was getting better at it.

When her eyes blinked open, she was greeted by the setting sun on the horizon from their guest room window. What cozy scenery for such a disturbed house.

Not even within a minute of her coming to was a scream heard from the kitchen.

Jumping out of bed, she stumbled her way to the kitchen where she found Kana sporting pinkish-red skin on one cheek. The same burner she had trouble keeping on last night was now a blazing flame.

Bou-san was quick to extinguish the fire moments after he arrived, but the damage had been done. Charred surroundings up to the wall and ceiling. Dishes lay broken across the kitchen while the cabinet doors swung gently as though there was a breeze.

"Are you okay?!" Noriko and Mai rushed over to Kana who fell to her knees out of shock.

"Y-yeah," the frazzled woman replied. "I was just washing the dishes when the cabinets swung open. Dishes were thrown and then the stove exploded into a large flame out of nowhere."

"Here, let me take a look at you," Ayako called from the entryway. She got a chair for the other woman to sit on while her cheek was examined.

Bou-san cautiously studied the gas range for defects or a gas leak. With the condition it was in, that task proved difficult. He questioned the homeowners about any gas smell recently, or other malfunctions. While they both denied these instances, Mai had to share her experience.

"When I was making tea last night, the flame kept going out on me. It would light for a little bit and then completely go out on its own. This happened a few times, so I just used the microwave instead."

"Is this what made you hide in the base?" Naru questioned, taking advantage of this opportunity.

She laughed nervously with just a smidgen of guilt. "Um, yeah. I felt a chill each time before the flame went out. Then I heard footsteps running from the kitchen to the living room."

"I see." Naru adopted his thinking pose. "There was activity recorded from the living room last night as well. In addition to the furniture incident, the living room may be an epicenter for activity."

"You think another exorcism is due?" Bou-san questioned. Naru nodded, thinking the same thing as their resident monk.

The sudden feeling of being watched ripped Mai's attention away—just like yesterday in the living room—except this felt much more malicious. Her body froze while her breathing slowed down. It was as though if she breathed too fast, she would be caught. Caught by who or what, she didn't know. She tried to gulp the dry lump in her throat but felt like her muscles were too weak.

Sweat beads formed around her temples as her eyes squeezed shut in an attempt to breathe. A voice whispered into her ears, "Don't interfere." She pressed her hand to the base of her neck in a futile effort to release her airflow.

She tried to inhale but it was almost like there was a blockage.

"Mai, are you okay?" Noriko asked, panic in her voice.

Bou-san formed a mudra* with his Buddha beads laced around and started a full mantra.

She felt her throat being released a bit but not enough. Frantically, she searched for her mirror but realized in horror that she had left it on the bed in the guest room.

Naru understood her thought process. "Lin, Mai's pocket mirror!"

Lin was the closest to the exit and was able to traverse the stairs quickly to the guest room. When he returned, he handed the mirror to Mai. She held it close to her chest and prayed to her guardian deity as Gene had taught her previously. Immediately, she was released.

She collapsed to the floor gasping for air.

Everyone crowded around her, but she couldn't hear a single thing they said as her pulse beat heavily in her ears. When she was finally able to speak, the first thing she croaked out was, "Where's Minnie?"

This seemed to surprise everyone as they looked around at each other before focusing on Noriko and Kana.

"I'll check to see if she's with Ayami," Noriko said, simultaneously encouraging Kana to stay with SPR.

When she returned, her face was pale. "Minnie's not there. I remember tucking her in with Ayami, but now she's missing."

Everyone rushed into the base to check the cameras. Ayako gasped when she scanned the living room footage. "Minnie's sitting in the corner of the living room!"

Kana nearly fainted hearing that. Noriko decided that it would be best if they both retired for the night. Thus, the two headed back upstairs to their rooms.

Bou-san went to retrieve Minnie while Ayako gave Mai some water for her throat.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, still mentally recovering.

"What happened back there?" Naru asked once Bou-san returned with Minnie. They placed her on a chair as if for interrogation.

"I don't know… you guys were talking about exorcising the living room and all of a sudden, I felt so scared. I couldn't really move my body and I was too scared to breathe," she recalled while rubbing at her neck.

"Then, my throat froze up and it was like something was blocking my airway. And I think I heard someone whisper in my ear, 'Don't interfere.' Bou-san's chant helped to release it a little, but I needed Usa-sama to free me all the way."

"What made you think it was Minnie?" Naru questioned.

She thought for a second, not sure how to answer. How did she know? Well, that was the thing. She didn't. That was just the first thing that came to her mind.

"I don't know. I guess I just knew."

"Who's Usa-sama?" Ayako asked.

Mai didn't realize she never told them about her past expenditures. "He's the rabbit deity that possesses my pocket mirror. A miko spirit I helped told me to take the mirror with me."

"Ah, so that must be the rabbit Masako-chan sensed that one time," Ayako deduced.

With his hand covering his mouth, Bou-san said under his breath, "Surprising that you'd remember something that far back."

"Of course, I would remember. I'm not an old fart unlike other people," she dismissed him.

"Last I noticed, I think being in the sun added one more wrinkle to your eye bags."

Mai couldn't help but burst out into giggles at their jabs. How was Naru even tolerating this?

She spoke too soon because he cleared his throat loudly. "If you're done wasting time, why don't we get back to work."

After the bickering was quelled, the group threw ideas back and forth regarding Minnie, whom they nearly forgot was in the base. They ultimately decided to place her on Ayami's bed with a camera for surveillance in case she disappeared on them again. Naru was also interested in testing her.

While Ayako went to shower, Mai and the men stayed in the base to monitor the footage. Nothing eventful happened at first. Then, the sound of Naru standing up from his chair abruptly broke the silence.

"What's up?" she asked, following his gaze. She gasped when she saw it.

Minnie had fallen forward to lay prone on the bed. She was promptly dragged by her hair toward the edge of the bed. Her head twisted off to roll along the floor to the ground-level camera.

Minnie's eye stared straight into the lens at them.

Mai gave a brief squeal, trying not to yell with consideration of the sleeping people upstairs. Naru and Bou-san ran upstairs to check on Minnie, while she trailed behind. When they reached Ayami's room, they were frightened to find the doll still sitting neatly on the bed—as if she had never been touched.

.

Following the whole debacle, Bou-san offered to exorcise Minnie but stated that he would have to burn the doll afterward.

As they didn't have consent from their clients, Minnie was spared another day.

Considering the incident earlier, Mai told Naru that if she was going to dream tonight, she would feel safer doing so in the base. He didn't have any qualms about that.

After getting ready for bed, she chose to forgo her hojicha that night. She was too squeamish to go into the kitchen again and didn't want to bother Ayako. The other female looked way too comfortable in bed scrolling through weird videos on her phone anyway.

Instead, Mai chose to write in her journals before going to sleep. Sheepishly entering the base with the journals in hand, she debated her options. To her right was the couch and coffee table that sat facing the monitors. In front of her was the table Naru sat at with his materials laid out.

The coffee table area was dimly lit compared to "the Naru table," which had, well, Naru. Despite that and there only being one chair that didn't have anyone's crap on it, the table would have to do for the sake of lighting.

When she approached said table, he didn't seem to be averse to her presence. So, she bit the bullet and sat down.

If she noticed him giving her the side-eye for being so close, she ignored it well.

It wouldn't hurt him to be humbled occasionally.

Laying her colored pens out, her frantic writing began. Naru continued his work beside her without making a single sound. Before she knew it 45 minutes flew by—she had a lot to say apparently. Snapping her journals shut, Mai stretched her arms overhead and yawned.

No more putting it off now—it was time to project. She didn't know how this would go given Gene's instructions. At least it was his vision she projected to the last time she tried. The uncertainty of where this vision would lead left her anxious.

What if she got stuck and couldn't leave? There was a chance Gene couldn't accompany her to this one, or even find her.

Gulping, she turned to Naru.

Feeling her gaze, he looked up from his work. He was almost surprised to find a serious expression on her face.

"I'm going to try sleeping for a little bit. If… if things get bad, can you wake me up?"

He didn't say anything at first. Despite his expression remaining unchanged, he was taken aback by her pleading look.

"Please?"

What could've made an erratic and impulsive Mai fearful enough that she would be asking favors from him of all people?

He nodded. "Fine."

A relieved smile stretched across her face—one he didn't think would ever be directed toward him.

"Thank you, Naru."

Chapter Text

She was a child in this dream, standing only about 3-4 heads tall. She was still so small.

Her Okaa-san had been receiving many visitors lately. They were usually men in Western-style clothing, which was odd to Tomiko. These men only started showing up after Otou-san left a few months ago. The neighbors next door always hid in their houses whenever these men came by.

Tomiko could only wonder why. She was but a mere four-year-old child. 

One day, while she was playing outside in the back courtyard, Okaa-san left to greet some visitors at the entrance to their property. Tomiko paid no heed and continued playing with her favorite ball. When she heard footsteps, she turned expecting her mother, but instead, found a gentleman in a type of haori she had never seen before. He looked to be wearing the same kind of Westerner clothing she’d seen on other visitors.

He chatted with her and even played some games. He seemed like a nice enough man! He even gave her some rock candy.

After playing with her for a bit, he invited her to join him for a walk. Tomiko wasn’t sure about leaving her Okaa-san. The man reassured her that it would just be for a little bit—her mother had asked him to watch her while she was busy. He even promised to bring her to a new candy shop nearby.

Reluctant and innocent, she agreed to his offer but only for a little while. Maybe she could show him this nice rock she found by the pond behind the house!

When they arrived by the pond, Tomiko heard loud yelling from inside the house. She couldn’t quite make out what was said, but she knew it was her mother’s voice.

“Okaa-san…” she said, looking back to the house.

The man tugged on her hand to hurry her along, but she resisted. Something wasn’t right.

She tried to run away from the man back to her house. He was much bigger though, and easily yanked her back. She kept struggling, determined to free herself.

Ultimately, she bit his hand and he shoved her away in reaction. She stumbled back and tripped, landing on the stone surrounding the pond. A sharp crack was heard when the base of her head fell on a sharp stone.

Her head hurt. It hurt a lot. And yet, she couldn’t feel her fingers anymore.

The last thing she remembered was another man entering her hazy field of vision who said something to the man she was with. Before she could process what was happening, one of them picked her up and tossed her into the pond.

She attempted to struggle but the water was so heavy. Now, she realized why Okaa-san always told her to never play near the pond—it was too deep for a child.

It felt like something heavy was keeping her under the surface. When she couldn’t hold it anymore, she inhaled, water entering her lungs. She couldn’t struggle anymore. Her arms weren’t responding. They couldn’t move.

Her lungs burned as her vision turned dark.

Where was Okaa-san?

.

Mai woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. Tears obstructed her vision and fell in droves.

She could still feel it. The distress, fear, and despondency of Tomiko before her passing.

It was her second drowning vision, but now through the victim’s eyes. Tomiko wasn’t even five yet and her life was taken away within the blink of an eye.

“Mai.”

And Gene wasn’t even 16 yet, and his life was also taken away from him within the blink of an eye.

“Mai.”

How unjust and cruel—to perish in solitude knowing nobody knew.

“Mai, wake up.”

She was pulled out of her daze as her shoulders were shaken vigorously. She blinked, revealing Naru as the one who was shaking her. How did she not notice him there?

He studied her a moment longer before releasing her shoulders.

Mai took in her surroundings—she was sitting up on the couch… and her whole upper body was soaked.

“I had no choice but to use water to wake you,” Naru explained as he moved to a standing position now that she was fine. “But even after you opened your eyes, it seemed you were still in a hypnopompic state.”

“I see,” she said, still trying to compute what happened. She looked down at her hands, more tears threatening to fall. “Thank you for waking me up.” I still saw all of it, though.

“Are you all right?”

No. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.”

He went to say something but paused at the last moment before returning to his table.

She didn’t expect to be comforted by him—it would be out of his character after all. She wiped her eyes and looked around for a tissue box. Instead, she found a neatly folded black handkerchief on the coffee table.

She picked it up and looked to Naru for confirmation, but he had already returned to work. She traced the soft silk with her thumbs. This was his way of comforting her. He could be as aloof as he wanted, but he was kind in his own way. She appreciated it all the same.

She dried her face and was amazed by the softness of the material. “Thank you. I’ll wash it before I return it.”

Seeing as he had no objections, she gently tucked it into her pajama pockets.

Even though Naru didn’t ask, she knew he was wondering what had transpired in her dream. She was still a bit shaken from her first-person experience, but she knew it was important for solving the case.

And most importantly, for laying these spirits to rest.

After she could finally stomach the idea of talking about it, she relayed her vision to Naru and Lin. She purposely left out some details—such as the drowning part—but Naru was inquisitive as ever. He formulated his questions carefully to get the whole story out of her.

She didn’t know if Naru was even aware of Gene having drowned. He lacked a reaction when she mentioned it, so maybe he didn’t. Now that she thought about it, Naru wouldn’t even have the means to find out about that yet.

As far as he knew, his brother was just missing in Japan or could’ve eloped somewhere.

It still didn’t change the implications though.

It never even occurred to her that Naru may not know of his brother’s demise. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

Maybe that was the reason Gene wanted her to keep quiet about telling Naru the situation. It all made sense. If Naru didn’t even know Gene was dead, the sudden news from her would devastate him. She had a hard time imagining Naru devastated, but she had to remember he was only human and Gene was—is—his twin.

Feeling her stare at him again, Naru almost made a snarky comment but stopped in his tracks. Why was she giving him a pitiful look? Whatever it was, he didn’t need her attention.

She really ought to stop that staring habit she’d been picking up recently—either she would zone out in his direction, or she would regard him with some kind of emotion he couldn’t read.

He frowned, glaring back at her in case she “woke up.”

Perhaps, the effects of the vision lingered, which was why she behaved the way she did. He’ll have to note that for later.

.

The next morning started with breakfast with the Morishita family. Well, it was just Ayami and Kana there as Noriko had an appointment for her ankle.

Naru had informed Ayako and Bou-san of Mai’s vision from the night prior, so the SPR team kept an extra close eye on Minnie and Ayami during the meal.

Good thing they did because the small child was acting oddly again. She receded into herself and refused to look up when spoken to.

“Ayami, your breakfast is getting cold. Why aren’t you eating?” Kana asked her stepdaughter.

The little girl didn’t say anything. She held her hands between her knees and kept her eyes down at her hands.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Kana sat next to her and leaned toward Ayami. “I wish you would talk to me more. I made your favorite. Why don’t you have some?”

When Ayami continued to ignore her, Kana gave a frustrated sigh and left the kitchen.

Mai couldn’t help but flinch at the scene. She knew relationships with stepparents could be rough but this was unexpected of Ayami. Granted, she had seen only a handful of interactions between stepmother and daughter. While awkward at times, they were still friendly with each other.

Here, the interactions felt strangely tense.

“Are you feeling okay, Ayami?” she asked.

Ayami didn’t say anything save for a shrug of her shoulders. Apart from Mai, everyone dismissed her behavior and began to eat their meal.

“Don’t eat the food!” The little girl suddenly yelled out. “It’s been poisoned!”

Everyone froze and sent questioning glances to the little girl.

“Minnie told me that my new mother is a witch and that she poisoned the food,” Ayami said, her eyes still down at the table. “She’s trying to get rid of us.”

Naru studied her for a few moments before placing his chopsticks down in favor of grabbing his notebook from his pocket. “What else has Minnie told you?”

Really, Naru? I’m just trying to enjoy my breakfast here!

Ayami opened her mouth but closed it just as quickly. Mai wondered if Minnie was talking to her even as they spoke. Could Minnie’s voice only be heard by the little girl? Ayami averted her gaze, favoring the view outside the window.

“Ayami-chan, your aunt and your new mother have been injured by Minnie. We need to know what she’s been saying.” This time, Naru’s voice took on a sterner tone.

It seemed to work since Ayami adopted the look of a child scolded. It wasn’t enough to get her to talk, however.

Naru stopped hiding his annoyance at this point. “If you don’t tell us, other people will be in danger. Now, talk.”

The poor girl flinched at his tone and looked like she would burst into tears.

“Naru! Just because you’re not getting your way doesn’t mean you can talk to her like that. She’s only a little girl.” Mai glared at him and moved closer to Ayami. He needed to work on his social ineptitude.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if to remind himself he was in the presence of normal people. “Please tell us what you know, Ayami-chan.”

After a bout of sniffles and a few tissues later, the girl was finally willing to speak. She explained that the doll started speaking to her after moving into the home. Minnie said that her aunt and stepmom were evil and not to interact with them. If Ayami didn’t follow her commands, she would be punished—her room would be messed up, or Minnie would set her up to get in trouble. The doll sometimes brought other children here too and they would all meet to “chat.”

Of course, the unspoken piece was that none of these children were alive.

It was clear Minnie had been trying to separate Ayami from her adult guardians, which was a sign of a deeply malevolent spirit.

With some convincing, Ayami finally allowed SPR to take Minnie and deal with her in any way they saw fit. In return, SPR promised to keep her and her family from harm.

Not soon after this agreement was a yelp heard from the hallway. Mai was the first to hurry out and felt goosebumps run up her arms at the sight. They found Kana further down the hallway backed up to a wall. Her tremoring hand pointed to the opposite wall when she saw them approach.

Etched into the wall with what looked like blood was, “I will have my way.”

On its own, the statement already commanded attention. But as the spirit’s motives were unclear, the words felt all the more foreboding.

When Noriko returned from her appointment later, Kana was already packing to leave. She briefly tried to convince her new family to leave as well, but Noriko was stubborn. She wanted to see this through but urged Ayami to go with Kana.

This was where the family dynamics came into play. Ayami was still closer to Noriko than Kana, especially given the damage done by Minnie already. Thus, the little one opted to stay with her aunt a while longer.

Kana was too frightened to be hurt by the little girl’s decision and left soon after.

Mai wished she could help the situation but understood that it wasn’t her place. Their family had to sort this out on their own. 

Bou-san offered to exorcise Minnie as their next step to officially rule out the doll being the source of the haunting. Meanwhile, Naru left to do some research on the history of the property to develop a better picture of Mai’s dreams.

Seeing their resident monk in his religious attire was interesting—there was almost a different air about him.

Compared to Ayako’s prayers, Bou-san’s chants were much stronger in tone. Not quite forceful but with an edge compared to Shinto’s gentle nature. Whether that was Bou-san himself or the nature of Buddhist exorcism scriptures, she’d have to study more to find out.

When he was done with his ritual, Mai left to watch Ayami while Ayako painstakingly scrubbed the blood-like writing off the wall. She grumbled more than she did clean so Mai felt no remorse for ditching her.

Mai remembered catching a whiff of the fire Bou-san was using to burn the doll right before hearing Ayami call out.

“Mai! There was a little girl!” She said, pointing to the spot. “She just fell in the water!”

Mai knew this was likely a trick by the spirit… but what if there actually was a drowning little child? “Okay Ayami-chan, you stay right here with Noriko-san. I’ll go check.”

When she approached the pond, she couldn’t find anything. It wasn’t until she saw the bubbles coming up to the surface and the small hands flailing out that she panicked.

Without a second thought, Mai jumped in. The pond was deeper than she’d thought—she was fully submerged by the time she reached the child.

The girl was small with short black hair with her back turned to Mai, her arms moving about in the water. Mai swam closer, reaching out to grab her arm and pull her to shore.

The journey felt so long like time was in slow-motion. Why was the surface still so far away? And why was this little girl so heavy?

Briefly glancing back, Mai gasped in water when she saw what she was dragging with her. It was the deathly pale corpse of a little girl with gauged-out holes for eyes. Blood pooled out like tears as weeping was heard despite being underwater.

Water infiltrated Mai’s lungs as she struggled to release herself from the corpse, which now had grabbed a hold of her wrist.

“Stay with me, Okaa-san! It’s not safe up there.” The little girl’s wrinkled skin stretched as her mouth widened from cheek to cheek. Visible cracks opened on her ghastly lips.

Mai released her wrist and attempted to get away, yanking at her arm to break free.

“Why won’t you stay?! You keep leaving!” Tomiko wailed, now clawing at Mai’s wrist with her softened nails.

Between fear and lack of oxygen, Mai slowly lost consciousness as everything began to go numb. The burning in her lungs dulled and her body stopped struggling.

Just as her eyes closed, the picture of a healthy and alive Tomiko flashed into her mind.

.

“MAI!”

She shot up with a lurch and expelled the water in her lungs. This sent her into a coughing fit between her heaves for air. Stinging tears hung in the corners of her eyes from the force of her coughs.

She was next to the pond now, it seemed. 

“What were you doing in there?!” Jumping at Ayako’s worried voice, Mai turned to her right expecting to see the redhead. Instead, she came face-to-face with Naru.

Very close to her.

Completely soaked to the bone.

“That was the stupidest thing you’ve done,” he said, his eyes closed in frustration. “What’s your explanation?”

Ayami ran up to them from behind Noriko who stood behind the trio. “It’s Ayami’s fault! Ayami told Mai-nee-chan a girl was in the pond.”

“A little girl?” Ayako questioned, taking Naru’s spot after he stood up.

Mai nodded. “I saw a little girl drowning, so I jumped in to save her.” Now that she said it out loud, it sounded very suspicious. “I think it was the little girl from my dream last night. She pulled me under thinking I was her mother.”

Naru seemed to consider her words for a moment before sighing again. “We’ll discuss this later. If you’re fine now, I don’t need to stay here.”

You would stay here if I wasn’t okay?

He picked up his dry jacket and headed back to the house dripping wet.

“Wait, Naru,” she called. He turned back.

“Um, thank you. Again.”

He held her gaze for a second longer before continuing his way.

As Ayako checked her for injuries, she gave a recap of what happened.

“I was putting away the cleaning supplies when Ayami-chan and Noriko-san were yelling your name. I nearly had a heart attack! I guess Naru returned to base just in time for Lin to catch what happened from the cameras. I swear Naru ran out so fast I nearly missed him. I was surprised, so I ran after him. When we realized where you were, he jumped right in to save you,” Ayako recalled. She paused for a moment before smirking. “Kind of like a knight in shining armor,” she teased.

Mai rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the gentle warmth on her cheeks.

Naru would have done that for any one of them! He just happened to be the quickest to the scene. Noriko still had an injured ankle, Bou-san was on the other side of the property, Ayako was in heels, and Lin was probably going to help but Naru beat him to it.

Helping her up, Ayako walked her to the door where Noriko was waiting for them with towels. Mai dried up and changed clothes before heading to the base. She didn’t know what was more frightening, getting the air sucked out of her the night before, or nearly drowning by some ghost girl.

All she could say was that drowning had to be at the top of the list of deaths that frightened her.

Bou-san started questioning her condition the instant he saw her walk in. She took a gander to say she looked like a drowned rat with her towel draped over her head.

Seeing her glum demeanor, he ruffled the towel into her hair. “Heard Naru saved you like a knight in shining armor,” he teased only loud enough for her to hear.

His goading was successful because she jumped away from him with pink cheeks. “No way! If Ayako told you that, it’s because she couldn’t get to me in time because of her crazy heels!”

“Hey, they’re the Jimmy Choo summer collection! I’m not risking breaking a heel when there’s a perfectly capable younger person to save you,” Ayako defended from the couch.

Hearing that, the two at the door nearly felt their eyes roll far back.

Before either could formulate a response, Naru entered the base. Mai would rather bite her tongue than admit it out loud, but how could a person look that good with half-dried hair?

Some people just had it all.

With everyone there, the group recollected the events from that afternoon starting with Mai’s experience with Tomiko. What was startling was the realization that it happened simultaneously as Bou-san uncovered Minnie from the fire despite seeing her burn to ash.

It became apparent they still didn’t have any connecting pieces—that is until Naru revealed his research findings.

Given Mai’s dream the night before about Tomiko, Naru searched the records for children of that name who resided here. Tachibana Tomiko was the sole daughter of Tachibana Ooshima, a widow who had inherited her husband’s estate and property following his death due to Tuberculosis.

Tomiko was reported missing at the age of four several months after her father’s death. Ooshima was found dead a few days after. Information was lacking on the why or the how.

The future families that resided here after suffered various deaths—either by young children or females ages fifteen and older.

Mai still wasn’t great at formulating conclusions, so she relied heavily on the thought processes of the other members. Given her experience with Tomiko’s corpse, Naru, Bou-san, and Ayako surmised that the hauntings were Tomiko’s doing.

She didn’t feel quite right about it, though. Well, at least for part of it. Something in her gut told her there was something else at play.

They ultimately agreed that it wasn’t safe for the Morishitas to stay in the house any longer. Noriko and Ayami were slated to leave for a hotel that night after Masako and John arrived—Naru had called the other two members given the extent of the incidents.

By the time the pair finally arrived, the sun had begun to set.

Upon entering the house, Masako was immediately pushed back by the negativity consuming it. The space was dizzying to the point that she—conveniently—collapsed into Naru’s arms the moment she entered the base.

The medium revealed that the spirit possessing Minnie was not Tomiko, but Tachibana Ooshima. The despair from losing her daughter caused her to claim multiple children on the property as reparation. Their spirits remained trapped here ever since, acting as her servants.

Aside from Masako’s shameless fainting act, Mai was in awe at how quickly the other girl picked up on the spirits. It was a reminder of how powerless she was compared to the medium. Masako could just come right in and solve the case as quickly as that, while it took Mai multiple visions just to get a bit of context.

She had a long way to go.

“But that can’t be it,” Bou-san said, ripping her out of her thoughts. “Jou-chan had an incident with Tomiko-san earlier. She must have something to do with the hauntings. I’m sure of it.”

“Didn’t the research say that females of the ages fifteen and older were also victims?” added Ayako. “Could it be Tachibana-san attacking the women out of envy? Or maybe Tomiko-san is mistaking these females for her mother?”

Masako shook her head. “I don’t feel Tomiko-san’s presence here.” She placed a sleeve to her mouth and closed her eyes. When her eyes opened, she shook her head once again for confirmation.

“Maybe it’s because she’s in the pond outback,” Mai suggested.

The group followed Mai to the pond where she pointed at the exact area she had spotted Tomiko underwater. The image of the pond from a different time flashed through her mind, effectively causing a bout of nausea.

Masako walked along the perimeter to get a sense of the energy here. “I can sense a presence here but it’s not very clear. The spirit does feel young, however,” she said, looking out along the surface of the water.

“Really? I feel sick just being here,” Mai admitted, overwhelmed by the vacillating emotions of distress and loneliness.

“You may be a better match for Tomiko-san’s wavelength, while Hara-san is more in tune with Tachibana-san’s,” Naru noted as he crossed his arms.

Just like with Gene, she thought. “So, Tachibana-san is looking for Tomiko, and Tomiko is looking for her mother.”

“How tragic. So close yet so far away,” said John. “I gander we should first remove Tachibana-san from the doll. Then, perhaps she will reveal herself.”

Everyone agreed and returned to the house.

John’s exorcism was similar yet different from the other two Mai had seen. While Bou-san used Buddha beads and Ayako used a pair of Gohei*, John used a crucifix and holy water.

When he recited his scriptures, Minnie’s eyes shot open causing Mai to nearly crash into Bou-san’s chest. The doll shook rapidly as the crucifix placed on her forehead seared a mark into the porcelain before breaking off. When they burned her this time, she burnt cleanly.

To accompany the Morishitas to their hotel, Naru sent Ayako and Masako to ensure that they wouldn’t be followed by the spirits. That left Mai, Naru, John, and Bou-san to squander about figuring out the case until the two ladies returned.

“It was amazing what Masako could do the minute she got here,” Mai said as she, John, and Bou-san checked the rooms’ temperatures. “She got all that info within a minute of being here!”

“I agree. I wonder how old she was when she started working as a medium?” asked John as he pulled the curtains closed in the room.

“If I remember correctly, her show started seven years ago. How old are you, Mai?” Bou-san asked.

“16.”

“Then, she would have been eight or nine.”

Mai recorded the temperature in the room before leading the group along to the next one. Why did Naru send three people to complete a task she could’ve done by herself?

“She was probably practicing earlier than that. I remember having weird dreams even when I was four,” she shared. “Who knows, Masako might’ve been seeing spirits way before that too.”

“We’ll never know lest we ask her. On that note, you’re really something too, Mai-san,” John started. “You were able to connect with Tomiko-san and even made physical contact with her.”

Bou-san slapped her on the back, nearly knocking the clipboard out of her hands. “Yeah, that’s no simple feat.”

“But it took me days to get to that point! It’s still hard for me to control my dreams as it is. I have a long way to go until I can get anywhere close to Masako’s level.”

Bou-san and John exchanged glances.

“Every psychic is different. I don’t know much about your abilities, but you and Hara-san have different skill sets. You shouldn’t compare yourself.”

“Exactly. Not to mention, for someone who’s only recently started training, you’re not doing too shabby.” Bou-san ruffled her hair. “Naru mentioned you two being on different wavelengths, so that could affect what spirits you detect.”

She sent a small smile. “I guess you’re right.” The two returned her smile with grins of their own.

She kept thinking about Bou-san’s last statement as they continued through the house. If two spirits were on different wavelengths, did that mean they would never be able to meet? For some reason, she felt like it didn’t work that way. The rule applied to humans and spirits. So, then why couldn’t Tomiko and her mother sense each other?

Wait, what if they were so consumed in their own “drama” that the spirits couldn’t sense anything else? If they could somehow get mother and daughter to listen to them, maybe they could reunite the two and solve the case.

By the time the trio returned to base, Ayako and Masako had returned from escorting the Morishitas. With the use of Ayako’s charms, Ayami was able to leave without being followed, which was a relief.

With the group together now, Mai made quick work to mention her thoughts.

“Your deductive reasoning skills may have improved,” Naru said, hand to his chin. “Looks like the quizzing you whine about has borne fruit.”

He wasn’t exactly wrong, but she glared at him anyway for his compulsive tendency to make offhanded comments. “Should I be thanking you?”

“I don’t need your thanks. Just revel in your newly acquired IQ point.” How he could look so casual saying that, she would never know.

Masako cleared her throat. “What was your plan, Mai?”

Sending one last glare to Naru, Mai turned to the medium and was surprised to find her frowning. “Oh, I was thinking we could try talking to them… and maybe they’ll just voluntarily move on.”

“That sounds good in theory, but would the spirits even be willing to talk to us?” said Bou-san.

Naru nodded. “Spirits consumed with negative emotions are exactly that—unable to see past their death and the world after death,” he added. “However, that is not to say it would be futile to attempt.”

“I agree. I would like to try a cleansing before resorting to exorcism,” Masako agreed. When Mai tilted her head in question, the other girl used this opportunity to educate the ignorant. “When spirits are exorcised, they’re essentially being destroyed, or killed.”

Mai shuddered. Subconsciously, she knew this, yet hearing it out loud was disturbing all the same. To be killed twice… what a tragic existence.

To test this plan, they had to find the location of Tachibana Ooshima.

Naru had Masako and Ayako complete a full walkthrough of the house while Mai was ordered to take a nap—he didn’t phrase it like that, but that was essentially what he was saying.

.

As usual—well, at least as of recently—Gene was cryptic with his “hints.”

“If Naru didn’t tell you what to look for, then he’s probably trying to train you as an investigator. He wants you to figure it out.”

“But I’m not an investigator! I’m a ‘gofer!’” she denied.

“You’re a ‘gofer’ in the same way Lin is a ‘gofer,’” he smirked. “Lin gets Naru all the crap he wants, but he’s also an investigator. You’re not a full one yet, but that doesn’t mean you’re not a trainee.”

She huffed. “Okay, let’s say I am one. Then, I need clear directions! You two need to remember I’m a person of average intelligence!”

“I’m sure Naru is very aware of that.”

“Gene.”

He laughed. “I still want to support the idiot’s lesson plan, so instead I’m going to let our rabbit overlord take this one.”

She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Looking around for Usa-sama, she found him hopping out of Naru’s office over to the entrance. She glanced back at Gene in question and he gestured for her to follow the deity.

Opening the door, she followed Usa-sama into the astral plane. They passed by hundreds of orbs before the scene changed to that of the Morishita house from a bird’s eye view. She nearly got disoriented from the height but remembered that this was all in spirit. She could even see as her coworkers traversed around the house.

“So, this is actual astral projection?” she whispered.

Usa-sama led her into the home where they passed by John and Bou-san in the hallway and she could see her body on the couch in the base.

That’s when she noticed another notable presence. While there were child spirits here, they conglomerated into a “feeling” and less of a presence. This other energy, she felt flickered and burned, emanating pure hatred.

Ignoring her instinct’s warning, she led the two of them directly to it. From the top-left corner of the living room floor, a dark flame-like energy rippled and escaped in droves. She realized then that this was the exact spot where Minnie was found the night before!

She gulped and stepped into the room, immediately feeling like she just walked through a thick dense wall. She felt a tug at her ankles pulling her back. Usa-sama had tugged her sock as though warning her from getting close.

She smiled reassuringly. “I just want to get a closer look. I won’t get too close.”

The rabbit deity didn’t move, as if questioning her common sense. Eventually, he pulled away, but not before giving her a look that said, “If you’re going to be stupid, I can provide some protection, but even I can’t protect you from yourself.”

Never did she think she would be judged by a rabbit. Then again, many things came to be that she thought were impossible. And yet, here she was.

She gave him a nod and turned around, slowly approaching the dark energy. “Tachibana-san?”

The energy rippled as though reacting to her. Swallowing the dry lump in her throat, she raised her voice to sound more confident. “I know you’re looking for Tomiko-chan. I know where she is.”

Within the blink of an eye, the energy mass launched toward her like a bullet, stopping right in front of her face. It manifested into Tachibana Ooshima, the “Okaa-san” she remembered seeing through Tomiko’s eyes. Unlike the vision, this figure looked closer to a horror movie depiction of an Edo ghost.

Mai sucked in a breath as Ooshima hovered over her face with eyes full of contempt. “You’re lying! That’s all you people ever do!” A strong force of wind was blown her way, nearly knocking her over.

“I’m not lying! She’s looking for you! She’s in the pond!”

Instead of hearing what she said like Mai was hoping, the ghost perseverated on one part.

“I see… I knew my poor Tomiko had drowned. They said she ran away… they promised that if I gave them the deed, they would ensure Tomiko a good life even without her father's support. Instead, they drowned my innocent little girl!” Ooshima began wailing, negative energy releasing from her in waves. Children’s cries were heard throughout the house.

A forcefield of light kept the energy from touching her spirit, which Mai deduced was Usa-sama’s doing. Not your best performance there, Mai, she said to herself as she backed away.

She heard yelling as Masako and Ayako ran into the living room. “The spirit is angry. I don’t know what could have provoked her, but she’s here.”

The two didn’t seem to notice Mai’s presence even when she called out to them to get away.

“Do you think you could cleanse her?” Ayako asked.

“She’s consumed with rage, but I want to try,” the medium said, stepping forward cautiously. “Tachibana-san, you must let go of these children. You’re keeping them from returning to their real mothers. Tomiko-san is waiting for you! You must pass on so you can be with her.”

Ooshima slowly turned towards Masako. “Just as I ache for my daughter, so will others!” She swung her arm and sent what seemed like a wave of air Masako’s way. Instead of air, the medium’s kimono was sliced in various areas.

“Masako!” Ayako called, surprised to see damage to the kimono out of nowhere.

“What’s going on here?!” The rest of SPR crowded into the living room.

Ooshima’s apparition was visible enough to the non-sensitive members as they stared in utter shock at the sight before them.

“LEAVE!” The group was pushed back as a force sent them nearly flying.

“Our Father,” John began to recite as he flung holy water in Ooshima’s direction. “Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name-”

“Please don’t exorcise her! I will find a way to cleanse her!” Masako called out.

John’s recitation was enough to make Ooshima retreat, but not before her exit broke the floor to reveal a well underneath the house. Masako was then yanked down by the ankle and swiftly dragged toward the well by small transparent hands.

“Masako!” Mai lunged forward and grabbed onto the other girl’s wrist before she could fall in.

Masako’s eyes widened not only in fear, but now that she could see the other girl. “Mai! Please don’t let go!”

Mai wasn’t sure how much she could do in spirit form, but she could feel herself struggling.

A familiar presence appeared behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Mai, you can’t let your spirit fall in there. Let go of Hara-san. She will be fine.” 

“But Gene-”

He shook his head and signaled something to Usa-sama.

And then, everything faded to white.

Chapter Text

When Mai eventually woke up the next morning, her head felt like it was splitting in half. She could barely stand the light through her eyelids let alone trying to open them up at all.

She expected to find herself at the astral office where Gene would be there to chide her for confronting the spirit. Instead, she heard the chatter of John and Bou-san as they moved around their base.

As soon as he noticed she was up, John got her some tea and an onigiri to help restore her energy.

“You probably expended quite a bit of your spiritual energy. That’s likely the cause of your headache,” he explained.

After Mai was figuratively “knocked out,” her spirit returned to her body. Unfortunately, that meant Masako took a nice fall into the well. Other than having the wind knocked out of her, the medium was pronounced uninjured.

While Naru and Lin had already disappeared somewhere, Ayako was ordered to watch over Masako as she rested. This left John and Bou-san to watch for any other activity.

“We heard Masako-chan call out to you as she was being pulled down.”

Bou-san nodded. “Yeah, it was kind of crazy—like she was frozen in mid-air! Don’t tell me it was you holding onto her?”

She shrugged. “Not for the lack of trying, anyway.”

“No wonder you look like someone ran you over with a truck,” Bou-san said, nodding his head in understanding.

“Gee, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He grinned.

With nothing else to do, she quickly filled in her journals and let John “peer-review” with his chosen pale turquoise pen. After that, she was half-tempted to try contacting Tomiko but wasn’t sure if she was mentally prepared for the drama that would ensue.

Instead, when Ayako left for the store, Mai visited Masako. Even though Gene said the medium would be okay, she wouldn’t believe it till she saw it. When she entered the guest room, she found Masako sitting up in bed looking untouched—not a single hair out of place.

The other girl looked almost delighted when the door opened, but when she saw it was just Mai, her smile dropped and she looked away annoyed.

Mai’s eyebrow twitched in response. “Expecting someone else?”

“Not in particular,” she denied.

Mai raised a single brow, not at all convinced. “Okay… well, glad to see you’re back to normal. Were you hurt at all?”

“Nothing aside from some scratches.” Masako fiddled with the blankets for a moment. “It’s good that you came. I was wondering something.”

“What’s up?” Mai asked as she plopped onto the edge of the bed in one big heap. She promptly ignored the glare she received for her notion.

“Who was that you were talking to right before I fell in the well?”

Mai favored staring at the floor rather than at Masako to appear nonchalant. “You could see them?”

“Not clearly, but I certainly heard him.”

“That was just my spirit guide. The rabbit deity you sensed the first time we met was also there.”

“I see. That would make sense. I could only see them once you touched me.”

When she didn’t say anything else, Masako eyed her carefully. “When I landed at the bottom of the well, I saw Naru down there with me. He checked for injuries and then smiled when he saw I was okay. He disappeared after that.”

Ah. So that’s what she wanted to talk about.

What was Masako’s motive in talking about all of this? Was she just curious and sharing her experience? Or was she trying to confirm something?

There wasn’t necessarily anything to hide, so why did Mai feel like she couldn’t—shouldn’t—talk about it?

It wasn’t like she was the only one allowed to communicate with Gene. If he could have, Naru’s twin would’ve contacted Masako in the first place instead of getting stuck with Mai. The medium was also a professional psychic. She would know how to handle this situation compared to an amateur like her.

And yet, why didn’t Mai want to share this connection that had been exclusive to only her until now? Was she being selfish by not wanting to reveal the connection she had to Naru’s twin?

Mai cautiously nodded but couldn’t muster anything to say.

That was enough of an answer, it seemed. “I don’t quite understand what is going on, but it looks as though we both know too much,” Masako said with an unreadable expression.

Before Mai could question her, she gracefully pushed the covers off and left the room, leaving Mai to ponder what she meant.

.

Naru and Lin eventually came back from who-knows-where, so they began brainstorming their next steps. The most obvious course of action was to reunite the two spirits. Negotiating with Ooshima was out of the picture, so Tomiko would have to be the target.

Because Masako couldn’t effectively communicate with Tomiko, and Mai was still inexperienced, Naru developed another plan—to provide a substitute for both mother and child. Being the worst possible communicator though, there was inevitably some confusion about who or what the substitutes would be. This resulted in mild discourse.

“Naru, I don’t agree with this idea,” Masako said, albeit a bit coyly. “I would prefer to bring these spirits to peace without trickery.”

“Masako’s right! With Tachibana-san and Tomiko-chan here, there’s no reason to trick them into passing on. It doesn’t sit right with me.”

Naru crossed his arms. “Unless either of you can convince Tomiko-san, this may be our only option.”

Masako looked at Mai, which led everyone else to follow suit.

With everyone watching her, Mai instantly regretted saying anything at all. She couldn’t even blame them! She was the only one who had encountered Tomiko, so it only made sense that she contacted the spirit.

Groaning, she dropped her head in defeat. “I can try…”

While Mai was tasked to do that, Naru had everyone else prepare.

Ayako had to make as many talismans as she could to spread around the house. The northeast corner was to be left open to allow easy exit for the spirits. The plan was to scatter the children's spirits with talismans and prayers to lure out Ooshima. If Mai ended up being successful, they would use that moment to reunite the parent and child.

If she didn’t return promptly, Naru would have one of the spiritualists lure out Ooshima and begin his alternate plan.

To say she had performance anxiety was an understatement. It was like she was diffusing a bomb—and for all she knew, she might as well be!

Mai inched toward the pond cautiously, already feeling like puking. Could she really do this on her own?

With all the training recently, it was apparent that her abilities were strongest in spirit form. But how would the crew know she was successful if she chose to confront Tomiko as a spirit and somehow managed to bring her inside the home as such? From what she could tell from the last time, Masako wasn’t able to see her unless Mai touched her with her spirit.

Seating herself on the grass, she sighed and looked out at the pond. “Tomiko-chan?”

The wind blew as normal, sending a ripple into the water as the plants shook. After a few minutes of waiting to no avail, she called out to the young spirit again. “You want to return to your Okaa-san, right? I can help you meet her.”

When nothing changed yet again, Mai felt her confidence waver as doubt settled into her stomach. Crossing her legs, she rested her cheek in her hand and her elbow on her knee. If only she was like Masako who could easily see and speak to spirits! Then, maybe she could be more helpful.

As she was now, she felt like an imposter. Sure, she saw and spoke to spirits here and there, but there wasn’t any consistency.

She never cared about any of this before… in fact, she used to enjoy the “off” days. But now that she could be useful to others, her unreliability felt inadequate.

She perked her head up when she felt Usa-sama materialize beside her. She greeted the deity with a curious tilt of her head, “What’s up?”

The white rabbit placed one paw on her knee. Memories from the past few months flashed through her mind—specific memories of her training with Gene, the happiness she felt whenever she answered one of Naru’s questions right, and the surprising amount of fun she had from learning about the paranormal.

Why was he showing her this?

Out of nowhere came Gene’s disembodied voice inside her head. “You’ve learned a lot. You can do this!”

She jumped a bit from hearing his voice but allowed herself a moment to process his message. Both her guides seemed to think she could do it, but did she think she could do it?

“Just breathe, Mai,” said Gene.

She exhaled deeply and nodded. Giving Usa-sama a head scratch, she smiled. “Thanks, guys.”

Seeing as she wasn’t wallowing in self-doubt anymore, her rabbit companion dropped himself into a loaf beside her.

Mai assumed her usual meditation pose before falling into the pattern of breathing that was nearly second nature to her now. Maybe if she could get herself into a hypnagogic state—as Naru had referred to it—she could utilize her senses better.

There were still some hints of doubt, but she could accept that she now knew much more than she did prior.

The soothing sounds of the wind blew past the trees washing out the faint sounds of everyone in the house. It was comforting, knowing that there were others there with her. The feeling was akin to hearing her parents chatting and watching TV in the living room while she was snuggled in her bed as a child.

How she missed her parents.

“Okaa-san…”

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the faint weeping of a little girl. It sounded like the voice was directly inside her head. The image of Tomiko crouched down to the ground crying flashed into her mind’s eye. Mai’s last vision had been through the little girl’s eyes, so seeing her now as she was when still alive, she could clearly see how young the girl was. Tomiko was short for her age with a short hime-type haircut and a big bow on her head.

“I don’t want to be alone… why won’t Okaa-san come for me?”

Mai had no clue what she was doing, but she took a gander to call out to the girl through her mind. Tomiko-chan, I can help you meet your Okaa-san again. Won’t you come with me? I promise I’m not lying to you.

The little girl shook her head. “I can’t leave the pond.”

Why not?

The image of Tomiko’s tattered hair ribbon stuck beneath the water flashed into her mind. It ebbed and flowed with the water as it stuck out from under a stone. It was surprising that it hadn’t deteriorated over the years.

Can you leave the pond if I find your ribbon and take it with me?

The little girl seemed unsure but it was a risk Mai was willing to take for this poor spirit.

Can you show me exactly where it is? I’ll do my best to find it.

When another image appeared, she noted with relief that it at least wasn’t at the deepest part of the lake. It wasn’t exactly a nice swim but knowing that Tomiko wasn’t trying to drown her this time, she was willing to try.

Breaking out of her meditative state, she mentally prepared herself for what she was going to do next. Mai wondered if her tendency to make questionable decisions would ever stop.

After removing any valuables from her pockets, she dove into the water.

The depth was easily three times her height. She would be forever grateful for her father forcing her to take swim lessons at a young age.

Despite the water being difficult to see through, Tomiko’s ribbon lit up mysteriously for her. At least two attempts were made to swim deeper before she had to return to the surface to catch her breath and regain stamina. By the third time, she finally reached the ribbon but then struggled to remove the stone. Using every last bit of energy she could summon underwater, she unlatched the stone just enough to remove it.

She rushed to the surface and as good as crawled out of the pond. That was the most exercise I’ve gotten all year…

Mai heaved for breath as she relished in the comfort of the ground. She nearly fell asleep but woke up when she heard Bou-san’s mantras in the distance from the house.

Forcing herself to a stand, she regarded the tattered ribbon in her hand. “Tomiko-chan, why don’t we go?” For a second, Tomiko’s apparition flickered beside her—the little girl’s smaller hand replacing the ribbon.

When they approached the house, a tug on Mai’s arm pulled her back. Ayako’s talismans were warding Tomiko away.

She hesitated, worried about what would happen to the spirit if they entered. From what Naru said, the talismans’ main purpose was to prevent the spirits from escaping except through the northeast demon gate. So, Tomiko entering shouldn’t be a spectacle?

Reassuring the little girl, the two stepped in together. There was some resistance toward Tomiko, but otherwise, she was unscathed.

The sound of Masako’s pleading and the increasingly loud recitation of John’s holy scriptures signaled that Tachibana-san was successfully lured. Sprinting toward the living room, she was surprised to find Masako with a torn kimono as Tachibana-san’s apparition hovered over her. John began reciting increasingly powerful verses.

She’s going to be exorcised at this rate…!

“Stop! I brought Tomiko-chan!” Mai ran forward with the ribbon in hand.

When Tachibana-san caught sight of the ribbon, the negative energy around her dulled before fully dissipating. Her expression softened as tears fell from her eyes. What was once a malicious spirit before them was now just the simple apparition of a mother.

“Okaa-san!” Tomiko’s spirit materialized from the ribbon. She drifted to her mother who caught her in a deep hug.

“My Tomiko! I’m so sorry,” wept Tachibana-san. Pain, regret, but also, peace was evident on her face.

A warm light surrounded the two as a comforting calm filled the space.

Tomiko turned to face Mai with a smile. “Thank you, Onee-san.” She snuggled back into her mother’s chest before the two faded. The spirits of the trapped children were also cleansed, filling the house with a warmth Mai hadn’t felt in years.

Mai closed her eyes to allow the feeling to sink in fully. She held Tomiko’s ribbon to her chest before it too vanished into thin air.

Goodbye, Tomiko-chan.

.

After the cleansing was over, Mai instantly passed out, leaving a giant wet puddle in the middle of the living room for someone—Ayako—to clean.

She slept through the cleaning-up process dream-free and woke up just in time to be whined to by Ayako for napping through all the manual labor. Now, that wasn’t to say Ayako didn’t first acknowledge her job well done though.

Through some poking and prodding by Bou-san, it was revealed that Naru’s original plan all along was to use two hitogata as a replacement for both Ooshima and Tomiko. That explained why Naru and Lin were gone earlier this morning.

Bou-san assumed that Naru and Lin may be onmyoji as this class of spiritualists was most capable of creating hitogata. The vibe the two gave him also supported his assumption—not that a “vibe” should count for much.

Then again, as someone whose abilities relied on “vibes,” Mai didn’t have the right to judge.

Naru informed the Morishitas of the success of the exorcism before heading out. Noriko even pardoned the damages taken to the home due to Ooshima’s spirit. Since being at the hotel, Kana and Ayami’s relationship was also on the mend. Their little family was going to be okay.

Masako looked like she wanted to ride with the SPR crew but had an episode to film nearby, so she left first. Not before sending Mai an unidentifiable stare, of course. When Mai sent her an equally perplexed look, the medium turned her nose away and got in her taxi.

Ayako hitched a ride with Bou-san back to Tokyo since they came together, while John joined the SPR crew.

The ride back was much more fun than the ride there due to the inclusion of John. The back seats were unfolded allowing Mai to ditch the two statues in the front.

John ended up retelling stories of his past exorcisms until Mai fell asleep.

Her dreams were clear of any visions and she relished in the rest that she got.

That is until she was awoken by the stop of the van and her companions chattering. She first assumed that they had arrived back in Shibuya but upon scanning the windows, they were on the side of the road.

“What’s going on?”

“It looks like there’s something wrong with the van,” John answered. He gestured to Lin who had left to check things out.

Mai watched as Naru also left the van.

When he came back, irritation was clear as day on his face. “The van needs to be towed to an auto shop, but this area is so remote that most businesses are closed until tomorrow. We’ll likely have to stay at a hotel tonight.” When Mai tilted her head, he added, “We’re still too far from Tokyo to justify the price of a taxi.”

Thus, cue their current predicament of manually pushing the van to the nearest town until some sort of roadside assistance arrived. It was honestly comical for passing cars to see two suited-up individuals, a blond foreigner, and a teenage girl, who didn’t look like she could contribute much, pushing a big van of equipment.

Naru complained that everyone wasn’t pushing hard enough, so Mai made sure to chide his ear off until the van started conveniently moving much faster after that.

Eventually, a few locals came to help, leaving Mai to steer the wheels. Once the van was successfully at the shop, the locals escorted the group to the only hotel—it was a quaint Japanese-style establishment with a surprising amount of clientele.

Partly thanks to being haunted.

According to the locals, the hotel was the main attraction for tourists. Its success was the reason the town nearby continued to do well.

Upon hearing of the haunting, Naru’s irritability decreased by a decimal… and then it increased again two-fold when they found out there was only one room available for a last-minute booking. At least the room was—allegedly—the most haunted.

Great for Naru but awful for Mai.

After a brief discussion with Naru on comfortability, consent, and some other things that Mai didn’t spend too much attention on, they were escorted to their room. The décor and furnishings were nice, likely dating back to at least Edo. Separate futons and yukata were delivered to their room after they arrived and settled down.

“There must be at least a century’s worth of history here,” John said, in awe of the interior decorating.

Mai nodded and scanned the room with uncertainty. Something felt “off,” but she supposed that it would feel that way if the room was as haunted as they say.

They agreed that each member would occupy one corner of the tatami mat portion of the room. The other fourth of the room was hardwood to house a small chabudai* for guests who wanted to sit at a table. It was a shame it was too hot for a kotatsu in her opinion.

Naru and Lin naturally gravitated toward the table to set up their laptops.

Ditching the guys, Mai left for the public bathhouse where she could unwind. Being at the Morishita house left her on edge, so she understandably couldn’t shower in peace. She practically skipped there out of excitement, ignoring the fact that this place was also haunted.

Using the bathhouse reminded her of the times before she moved into her current apartment—low-income housing for students didn’t have private baths to use. Her current one-bedroom apartment now was considered a luxury.

Halfway through washing her hair, a cold draft sent goosebumps along her skin. Ugh…

Mai peeked over her shoulder as she spread conditioner into her short locks. There was only one other lady in there with her and no one else had entered since. She scanned the room with caution before continuing with her detangling routine whilst remaining alert.

Her guard almost dropped when she heard the other lady yelp. She turned to find the other female holding the back of her head, almost like her hair had been pulled from behind.

The lady was so freaked out that she didn’t even bother rinsing the suds before she ran out. She probably didn’t even bother to dry up to get changed before running back to her room. Mai only hoped she didn’t run back naked.

Way to ditch me in here with the ghost!

If Mai had any safety awareness whatsoever, she would’ve also made her exit… yet here she was. There was no way she was going to waste the opportunity to use such nice products! Her hair was absorbing this conditioner, ghost or not.

Luckily, nothing happened after that. She even got to exfoliate her whole body without an incident. After she was done, she changed into her yukata and left feeling like a brand-new person.

Well, except when she attempted to step out of the women’s bath. The collar of her yukata was yanked causing her to stumble. She turned back but found nothing. She continued her walk on alert before feeling an unnaturally cold breeze coming from the bathhouse entrance.

She sped back to the room and quickly slid the door shut. The door made a loud enough noise to have the three males in the room turn their heads.

“They weren’t lying when they said this place is haunted,” she announced to the crew. She explained what happened, much to the interest of Naru.

“We should have brought a camera with us.”

Mai rolled her eyes. “Just use your phone. People post ghost sightings they took on their phones all the time.”

Naru crossed his arms and considered her suggestion. She didn’t want to admit it but the image of him sitting crossed-legged on the floor at a chabudai* with his arms crossed was kind of endearing.

He looked out of place in a traditional Japanese setting, which beckoned her to remember that he and Gene might be foreigners.

“I’m not inclined to believe any of these videos or pictures found online, but the idea of exploring the use of smartphones for gathering evidence is interesting.”

She shared a look and a chuckle with John.

Dinner arrived soon after all the men came back from getting washed up. Naru seemed disconcerted about the lack of showers, but Lin was surprisingly resilient—John too. He was more fascinated than bothered by the cultural differences.

When their meal was finished and collected, Naru and Lin set themselves down to work while Mai and John went to explore.

John looked surprisingly charming in a yukata. The two walked the corridors to see the other facilities the hotel offered and eventually found themselves in the garden.

“Do you think they have koi?” She inched up to the pond warily due to her recent expenditures. She sighed in relief to find that it was quite shallow with only koi and catfish in it. Good, no corpses.

She made sure to take a few pictures to send to Keiko and Michiru who then teased her about being in an anime hot spring special with three attractive guys.

Firstly, there were no hot springs.

Secondly, this place was haunted.

Speaking of which, John tapped her shoulder. “Mai-san, is it me or are we being watched?” he said quietly, cautiously looking around.

Mai closed her eyes to focus but didn’t feel anything significant. “We probably are, but I don’t feel anything in particular?”

He didn’t seem reassured at all by her answer. “This may sound strange, but I’ve had this feeling since we arrived.”

“You sure you aren’t psychic, John?” she teased.

“Absolutely sure,” he laughed nervously.

Mai put a finger to her chin. “Well, I’m not as good as Masako, but I’ll let you know if I feel anything.”

“Thanks, Mai-san.”

They walked more than half of the garden’s perimeter before an idea popped into her head.

“Wait, you know what? There’s this trend lately where people will take pictures of themselves at haunted places to see if they catch anything. Want to try it? Maybe we can catch what you’re feeling.”

He agreed with reluctance but still offered to take pictures of Mai first.

She posed in front of the fish pond as well as by various groups of flowers in the garden. When they reviewed the pictures, nothing was out of the ordinary except for the corniness of her poses. When it was John’s turn, Mai thought it would be fun to record a video to document their work trip.

“Day 142 of working for SPR. Our van broke down while heading home from the Morishita house, so now we’re stranded at a randomly nice but conveniently haunted hotel,” she said as John awkwardly waved. “John feels like he’s been watched since we got here a few hours ago. Why don’t you show us around the garden?”

Poor John shyly walked them through for a few minutes of footage until Mai stopped the video. She took some candid pictures for good measure.

They reviewed the footage back in the room so that they wouldn’t be disturbing the other guests any more than they already were. They both sat next to each other against the wall to watch what they got after their return.

If Naru was annoyed by their chatter and the constant replaying of the video, he didn’t say.

At first, nothing was noted in their footage review—however, after their fourth run-through of the video, John noticed something odd.

“Mai-san, doesn’t that look like something peeking out.” He paused and pointed to what looked like a white figure peeking out from behind one of the shoji doors down the corridor. Then, later in the candid shots that Mai took, there was a transparent hand pinching the end of John’s sleeve.

“No way! I can’t believe we actually caught stuff! That totally looks like a girl’s hand!” she exclaimed, holding the phone close to her face.

“Quiet down, Mai. There are other guests on either side of us,” Naru sighed.

“Sorry, sorry, but I think John has a ghost stalker.”

Chapter Text

With Mai’s claim of their resident priest having a ghostly stalker, Naru asked to see the evidence they had supposedly caught.

Mai grumbled about having to hand deliver it to his majesty but still brought it over anyway. She plopped herself next to Naru and placed her phone between them as she swiped through her footage.

Naru narrowed his eyes at her for leaning so close—if he could smell her shampoo, there was undoubtedly a personal space violation. Unfortunately, he learned a while ago that she was as oblivious to certain social cues as he was.

When she offered for him to take her phone, he gladly obliged and leaned a comfortable distance away… only for her to follow and move even closer now that she had to point to show her observations.

He mitigated his irritability by distracting himself with debunking her claim of spotting orbs. At least compared to other females, she didn’t smell offensive like she was dowsed in perfume.

The two flipped through the photos multiple times before rewatching the video at least five times. “How do you know that wasn’t another guest?” Naru questioned about the photo of the figure peeking from the corridor.

“Well, I don’t know about any humans that are white like that. Plus, I didn’t even see anything while we were there. Did you John?”

The said priest shook his head.

Naru then slid to the photo with the disembodied hand. “This could be a simple trick of the light. It looks like there were garden lights.”

“Yeah, but the sun hadn’t fully set yet so there shouldn’t be a glare?” she said, now questioning what she saw. “It can’t just be the light. You can see the thumb and everything!”

“You should know from your readings that there will always be confounding variables that influence your findings, especially without a controlled environment.”

Mai sent John a deadpan face conveying silently, “You see what I have to deal with?”

John sent her a sympathetic smile in return. “Shibuya-san does have a point, Mai-san. But why don’t we all visit the courtyard to see?”

Thus, the group of three did a walkthrough of the hotel. Lin stayed behind as usual since he wasn’t interested in their shenanigans. Mai was honestly surprised that Naru agreed to come. Normally this kind of “investigation” would be considered too vacuous for his mighty intelligence.

He must have been really bored.

She took candid shots of John throughout their walk to catch more sightings of the spirit following him. Naru ordered her to also take pictures of the corridors for other sightings as they walked.

She raised a brow, wondering if this counted as “on the clock.” She just needed to remember that this job paid for the ice cream she could now afford to have with her friends every week—regardless of her boss’ many demands and lack of manners.

“This is where we took the video,” said Mai as they reached the spot from earlier.

Naru studied the surroundings, even going as far as to note the position of the sunset during their recording. He checked the corridor where the spirit had been spotted—the few rooms in that antiquated wing were uninhabited. In fact, the wing acted as a mini museum to display various artifacts.

He was still skeptical though. There could have been another guest visiting the museum at the time.

As they explored, John’s shoulders started progressively bothering him. He initially rolled them here and there but the soreness persisted. It felt like his neck and upper back were overexerting to keep him from falling back. Even Naru noticed the frequency with which he was rubbing at his shoulders.

Mai scrunched her brows in concern. “You okay, John?”

“My shoulders are just a tad sore, perhaps from pushing the van earlier.” He rolled them again for good measure and massaged his traps. “No worries. I’ll be fine.”

She wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know… you look tired. Maybe we should head back?”

John looked conflicted but ultimately agreed. It felt like he had been dragging his body around since he got here—he felt so heavy. It had only gotten worse as the night went on. “You guys keep investigating. I don’t want to hold you back.”

She shook her head. She wasn’t a fan of the idea of him walking alone. “We’ll walk you back! Right, Naru?” The boy in question wasn’t even near them anymore as he traversed the closed wing on his own. She wasn’t a fan of that either but at least he wasn’t the one with a ghostly stalker.

“Please don’t worry yourself, Mai-san. I appreciate the gesture though.” John shook his head.

She debated it but her instincts told her to walk him back.

Even if he could protect himself with his faith, he couldn’t sense when the spirits were around. Without allowing any protest, she nearly shoved John back to their room. After she made sure her friend would be resting immediately, she left to scout out Naru.

Mai found him looking through the rooms of the closed wing and wondered what had interested him so much. “Are you looking for something in particular?”

Naru didn’t reply at first. He chose to study the displays the hotel had set out for the guests. “This used to be a castle that housed various feudal lords. It dates as far back as the Kamakura period.”

“Wow, I didn’t know it was that old. I thought maybe it was from Edo?”

“The hotel entrance was enough for me to know it dated back to feudal Japan.”

She rolled her eyes. “Pardon me for not knowing ancient architecture.”

“Maybe if you paid better attention in class rather than drawing in your notes, you’d learn that,” he said before casually leaving for the next display room.

Mai could feel her cheeks warming from being called out. “Hey! Naru-”

She stopped mid-chew out when she found a room of Christian iconography and other artifacts of worship. “What is all this?” Mai half-sprinted up to catch up with Naru, taking care not to accidentally loosen her yukata.

“According to the owners of the hotel, Christian missionaries first arrived in Japan from Spain and Portugal during the Muromachi period. To be expected of foreign religions, they were not welcomed with open arms. One daimyo* agreed to house them on his land in exchange for foreign resources, including guns and gunpowder,” Naru said, not even bothering to read the history written about each display.

“Why do I feel like this doesn’t end well?”

“As this was the Warring States era, nearby lords found any reason to start a civil war. The daimyo* of this castle was under suspicion for colluding with foreign powers. Thus, his land suffered multiple attempts at invasion to acquire the resources he was suspected of having and to expel the foreigners.”

“Of course,” she said. “There’s always got to be some kind of a war.”

He crossed his arms and continued. “The hotel owners say that the castle’s hime had fallen in love with one of the missionaries. She had disguised herself as one of them to meet up with him. To be expected, she was caught amidst one of the invasions and killed alongside her lover. It was when the daimyo* ordered to have his family escape that he found out about her death. Stricken with rage, he and his troops killed off the rest of the invading army with the use of the new guns. He would later be promoted as part of the shogunate. When his wife fell ill with syphilis and passed away, he committed hara-kiri*.”

Mai gasped, bringing her hands up to her face in horror. “That’s awful.”

“Knowing this history, paranormal enthusiasts as well as ignorant people come here to perform amateur seances and other means of contacting spirits. The hauntings have reportedly gotten worse over the years. These include the feeling of being followed, hearing cries for help, a weeping man or woman, having hair and clothing pulled, feelings of chest pain, and a negative atmosphere in the south wing bathhouse.”

“South wing? I didn’t know there was another bathhouse,” she said, tilting her head.

“The other one is closed due to several accounts of being grabbed, pushed, or scratched. Under such conditions and the nature of a bathhouse, it was deemed unsafe for public access.”

Feeling a shiver trail up her spine, she inched closer to Naru and glanced behind them in paranoia.  

As they scanned the next set of displays in the room over, Mai frowned when she spotted a painting of the daimyo* and his family.

The depiction of the family looked like any other ancient paintings she’d seen in her textbooks. The hime would be considered a beauty as she had long black hair with pale skin dressed in a colorful furisode*. Now that she thought about it, if Masako had longer hair and dressed in brighter clothing, she could probably pass for one.

A myriad of emotions weighed down on her the longer she studied the painting. She was unable to single out any of them but also couldn’t unlock her eyes either. There was that unmistakable feeling of dread again.

“Do you feel anything?”

Mai jumped at the sound of Naru stepping beside her.

“Um, I can’t tell. I kind of got the idea that there are definitely multiple spirits, but they’re almost like live people to me. Their energies don’t jump at me as ‘ghosts.’ It’s like they’re just living their lives.”

Naru watched her for a minute before turning his attention to the painting she had been studying. “And regarding the painting?”

She tilted her head and squinted at it. “I guess I got a rush of some of their emotions? Like the hime-san’s sorrow, or the lord’s anguish. I don’t know… I’ve been kind of ‘off’ the past few days. I haven’t even seen Ge- my spirit guide much lately either,” she said, quickly clearing her throat. “Connecting with Tomiko-chan earlier was hard. Even now, I can barely sense anything here.”

Naru crossed his arms and studied her from the corner of his eye. A multitude of thoughts ran through his head and he wasn’t sure which to focus on. For one, she often stumbled when talking about her spirit guide. He didn’t have any reason to be suspicious, other than the fact that she seemed so bothered by it every time. He pocketed the thought for now, intent on investigating at a later point.

The second and more interesting thought to him was to train her in the ways that Lin had trained him. She didn’t possess any PK as far as he knew, but adopting a different diet and exercise supported psychic power in general. Call it research.

“Despite your difficulty, you were at least able to pick up on the residual energies—from the painting, for example,” he stated.

“Residual energies,” she repeated to herself.

“In Native American culture, energy is believed to be imprinted on objects and items we come to possess. Paintings and photographs can also hold the energy of those depicted in them.”

“Like those haunted paintings they show online!”

“The amount of online media you consume is concerning,” he noted, a barely noticeable smirk making its way to his face when she huffed. “Most instances shared on social media likely aren’t even true.”

“It’s getting better nowadays! There’s security footage and everything,” she defended. “Just look up ‘the anguished man’ painting. Some guy in the UK who owns the painting set it in an empty room in his home and recorded all this crazy activity.”

Naru raised a brow, In the UK?

While he was still skeptical, he agreed to let her show him later.

As the two made their way back to the room, Mai looked through some of the pictures they got earlier. She was surprised to find a white mist in two pictures, specifically by John’s shoulders and upper back… where he complained of soreness.

Goosebumps crept up her back.

As she scanned through the rest, one photo chilled her to the bone. Resting over John’s shoulders was a transparent half-formed figure seemingly with its arms wrapped around him, hanging from his neck. There weren’t distinct features but that would explain his progressive fatigue—he had been carrying a spirit around his neck all night.

She showed Naru and they both agreed to hurry back to the room. “Lin’s with him, so the chance of him being choked or smothered by the spirit is slim, right?”

When Naru failed to answer, her anxiety skyrocketed. “Right?!”

Luckily, when they returned, they found John sleeping peacefully with his rosary in hand. His bible sat on a pillow next to his futon, indicating that he must have cleansed himself before he went to sleep.

She sent Naru a relieved smile while the teen in question nodded before returning to his “workstation.”

After a brief discussion with Naru and Lin, they agreed to set up their smartphones overnight to survey the room for activity while they slept. Nice hotel or not, the building was still dated in some aspects due to a lack of ample outlets. The workaholics would have to choose: go to sleep and allow the phones to stay plugged in, or keep their laptops charged and continue working through the night.

Since this wasn’t her problem and it was getting late, she brewed hojicha for the group with the kettle in their room and laid out her futon.

She quickly scribbled the day’s contents in her journals before Naru surprised her by suddenly providing his email. She didn’t have his cellphone number so this was a step forward for him—he was learning the ways of human communication!

In all seriousness, he only gave her the email so she could send him the haunted painting videos mentioned earlier and maybe some of the footage she took today.

That wouldn’t stop her from sending other videos or ghost memes though.

By the time she drudged through all the internet threads and sent him the videos, sleep sounded much more appealing than listening to Naru critique each one.

Thus, she allowed herself to drift off to the land of sleep.

.

Mai found herself in a first-person vision.

Her name was Chiyo.

She remembered the day her beloved arrived with the other missionaries from the Western lands. His name was too hard for her to pronounce, so she resorted to calling him, Anata*.

Her father had placed the missionaries in the furthest wing from her court and ordered her to keep away from the area. Of course, she happened to chance upon the area during one of her secret walks away from the eyes of her handmaidens.

Initially, she was frightened to see so many foreign people. While some people shared her characteristics, the others looked nothing like the people she knew—their hair was lighter and their eyes and noses were different.

The clothes were tighter and the colors didn’t appeal to her at all. They could’ve used at least one bright-colored haori in their ensemble.

While she hid around the corner to watch the ritual they were completing, she was startled by someone approaching behind her. It was a young man with light brown hair and blue eyes. He was dressed just as plainly as the other foreigners, but his face was quite pleasant to look at.

She blinked at him in surprise. When he spoke, she was not expecting to hear Japanese. It wasn’t flawless but much better than she could’ve guessed.

“The Hime-sama of this castle is very beautiful,” he said with a polite smile.

Heat crept up her cheeks as she looked away and fluttered her eyelashes. In the end, she couldn’t find any words to say and ran away—she still wasn’t good at talking to men. Flattered and curious though, she started “stumbling upon” the area every few days during her walks.

Sometimes they were just living their lives, and sometimes they were reading or singing. She didn’t understand any of it but found it intriguing nonetheless.

At first, she came by just to observe them from afar. After she got caught watching a few times by the same man, he finally invited her to join them. Eventually, the two started spending time together separately from the group. Technically not allowed but she wasn’t even supposed to be in that wing anyway.

Sometimes they talked about his homeland. Other times they talked about well-known areas to visit in her country. They could talk from dawn till dusk if they had the time, between her classes and his missionary work. While he did share some of his religion's teachings, he also spent time learning about her culture.

They both also bonded over the social structures that they were born into. She was raised and educated to be married off to some lord for the land’s favor, regardless of the lord’s age or demeanor. Meanwhile, his sisters were all sold off to men of dubious intent just for money. And without any fortune or prospects, her Anata* chose to become a man of faith.

Their visits grew more frequent until word reached her father.

As expected, he forbade her from entering that area of the castle ever again. However, he was foolish enough to believe a measly few handmaidens could keep her from rebelling.

A female missionary disguise was easy enough to manage with the help of her more loyal handmaidens. Since many of the female missionaries kept to themselves when not on duty, she likely wouldn’t get caught if she kept her head bowed and didn’t make eye contact.

Suddenly, before the vision could continue, the dream faded out before throwing Mai into a more lucid vision. This time, she found herself in the place of Chiyo while Gene took the place of Chiyo’s Anata*.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins as the scene set itself into motion.

The two had been in mid-escape with the other missionaries as the castle was invaded by a neighboring army. As they hid to plan their escape in a storehouse, one of the missionary men suddenly turned to “Gene.” What started as a stern discussion in their native tongue quickly became a full argument.

While Mai couldn’t understand what they were saying, she had an inkling it was about her. The other man stopped abruptly before sending her a glare. His yelling startled her, beckoning her to back away.

Understanding dawned over her as she watched the other members watch her in fear and distrust, even the other women she had come to know. Ah. Despite being familiar with them, she was still an outsider—a person of the same characteristics as their attackers.

Backing away from Gene, her face betrayed her hurt with a smile. “Go on. You must escape with your group. I am sure my family is searching for me.”

“There’s no hope of you finding them now. Should you be caught, you will become a prisoner, or worst, killed,” Gene argued as his brows furrowed. “Do not fret about my comrades. We are all God’s children. We- I will not escape without you.”

Mai shook her head, flinching away as he tried to reach out for her. She rushed to the doors, knowing he would try to stop her if she didn’t hurry. Maybe if she could act as a decoy to steer the enemy away, then-

Before she could remove the barricade they had made, the sliding door was roughly kicked down to reveal a group of enemy troops. Their swords were smeared with blood while deep red splatters decorated their armor.

“We found the foreigners. Kill them all. We don’t need our land to be tainted.”

The next she knew, Gene yanked her behind him and shielded her in an embrace as a warrior’s sword impaled him. The blade pierced through him and punctured into her chest and lungs. Gasping as the sword was yanked out, the two fell to the floor as their blood pooled under them. Each breath grew difficult as screams erupted behind her as people were slaughtered. Tears blurred her vision as she struggled through the pain of breathing.

Her loved one lay still on top of her, his blood quickly drenching her clothes.

Why did it have to turn out this way?

.

“How did it turn out?”

Mai blinked as lethargy weighed her eyelids down. She was grateful for the darkness that shrouded the room aside from the flickering of the lantern. There was a dull ache in her chest where “she” had been stabbed.

“Huh?”

“You said, ‘Why did it have to turn out this way?’” said Naru from beside her.

She rested her forearm over her eyes to collect what she had seen. Why is my face wet?

“Here, Mai-san.” That sounded like John. He handed her his handkerchief. His brows scrunched as he spoke, “You were crying in your sleep.”

“Ah, that would make sense.” She gladly took his offer and dried her face. “I feel like I just watched a whole season of some historical drama.”

John popped a concerned smile. “That bad, mate?”

“I would’ve preferred a drawn-out fake death with a happy ending,” she mumbled.

Sensing Naru’s growing impatience, she delved into the events of her dream minus Gene’s substitution. She skimmed over the trivial details of Chiyo’s relationship since Naru could care less about the antics of a coming-of-age lady and her secret boyfriend, ghosts or not.

Mai wasn’t sure if this Chiyo character was indeed John’s stalker but it was likely. She explained to them that Chiyo may have identified the same soft demeanor in John that was in her lover. Since John was also a man of faith, it made sense for her to find comfort with him.

Speaking of John, apparently around 3:33 am, he had woken up to the feeling of pressure on his chest and difficulty breathing. He relieved it with his rosary prayer but was awoken further when he heard Mai’s sounds of distress not long after.

Naru had only just laid down when this all began, so he was awake enough to notice. Meanwhile, Lin was a light sleeper, but he didn’t feel the need to socialize and promptly stayed in his futon.

“Since this spirit is attached to the land, I recommend regularly blessing yourself should you feel her presence, Father. We don’t know if it will choose to attach to you or not,” he told John before returning to his futon.

Mai frowned. “Shouldn’t we try to help Chiyo-san pass on then?”

“I have no interest in doing so,” he said with unwavering stoicism. “We can’t save every spirit we encounter just as we can’t save every human we meet. If you cleanse her, will you also cleanse every spirit here?”

“I- well, no… but since she’s made such a huge impression on us already, I don’t want to just ignore her.” Turning to John for input, the priest sent her a thoughtful look.

“While I understand Shibuya-san’s thought process, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t want to help this spirit as well. If my coming here can be encouraging to her, then I would like to try.”

What a good soul—there was a reason why she liked this kid.

A sigh was heard from Naru’s corner of the room. “I expect that we won’t be checking out immediately tomorrow morning.” Meaning that they would have at least the day to investigate.

With that settled, they finally decided to let Lin sleep in peace.

Mai returned to her dreams, this time aiming for her safe space. Once at the astral office, she was greeted by the scene of Gene and Usa-sama napping on the couch. Despite her efforts, the door closed a bit too loudly and woke them up.

“Uh, good evening?”

Gene yawned and stretched while their rabbit overlord followed suit. “Oh, how nice of it for Mai to visit. Glad to see we haven’t been forgotten,” he said to Usa-sama, sarcasm oozing from his voice.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, brother. It’s only been like a day or two. And hey! Didn’t I see you in my vision just now?”

“I was only experiencing the dream with you. There was no, ‘How are you, Gene?’ or ‘I need to confide in you, my most trusted and experienced mentor.’”

If Naru had to deal with this since the womb, no wonder he turned out the way he did.

“Okay then, ‘my most trusted and experienced mentor,’ I would like to request a consultation. Would now be an appropriate hour for your valuable time?” She decided to humor him.

He pretended to think about it and check his imaginary schedule. “Perhaps, I could fit you in since you are one of my cherished disciples. It must be difficult having such a gifted Sifu*.”

“Difficult indeed,” she said with a strained voice as her mouth adopted a tight-lipped disposition. “In all seriousness though, John and I want to help ‘Chiyo-san’ pass on… but I’m not sure if she’s the one following John. It would make sense, but maybe I’m off?”

Gene gave her a serious look. “Honestly, Mai, I think it’d be better to not get involved with this place. Just sleep, wake up, eat, and leave.”

“But what about Chiyo-san? We saw her memories for a reason! I think she wants help.”

“I know you want to help her. I do too but this is something that’s out of your realm. Hell, even Naru’s,” he said, shaking his head. He then picked up Usa-sama. “This guy has been the one protecting you from the big bad. Don’t let it be in vain.”

She crossed her arms. Did he always have to be cryptic? “What’s the big bad?”

Gene looked to be debating in his head and having a silent conversation with the rabbit deity before he sighed. “I’ll show you. Once you see it, you’re not going to want to stay longer.”

It? Mai scrunched her brows in confusion. The group left the office and traveled through the astral plane until the scenery changed to a view of the whole hotel from above. She could see her room where she and her coworkers slept.

Her companion didn’t say anything and allowed Mai to scan the premises herself. Multiple orbs floated around the building. She guessed these were the spirits haunting the hotel.

And then she saw it.

Her breath caught in her throat as everything hit her at once—fear, nausea, anxiety, and oppressive despondency.

At that moment, she remembered what Naru had told her earlier.

“Knowing this history, paranormal enthusiasts as well as ignorant people tend to come here to perform amateur seances and other means of contacting spirits. The hauntings have reportedly gotten worse over the years… a negative atmosphere in the south wing bathhouse… the other one is closed due to several accounts of being grabbed, pushed, or scratched. Under such conditions and the nature of a bathhouse, it was deemed unsafe for public access.”

She gripped Gene’s shirt and whispered, “What is that?”

“It has been merely playing with John all night,” he said, his face grim. “Unless you’re equipped to deal with a demon, I suggest you leave.”

.

Mai shot up in her futon, fight or flight screaming for her to hightail it. Who or what had been around John then? Was it really Chiyo? Or was it the demon in disguise?

Usa-sama had been protecting her this whole time but what about her friends? John had ways of protecting himself but what about Naru and Lin? She wished she knew how to keep them all protected too.

She rubbed her face and checked the time. 8:00 am stared back at her. Lin was already awake typing away but Naru and John were nowhere to be found.

“Ah, good morning, Lin-san. Where are John and Naru?”

The stoic man looked up from his laptop. “I believe they went to the bathhouse.”

She nodded and sighed. They’ll be okay. They’re just at the bathhouse and they’re together. Plus, it’s daytime. No problem. No worries.

And yet, she couldn’t relax.

She simply didn’t know what they were up against.

A while back she saw a few American horror movies where Ouija boarding or some other weird ritual released a demon. It couldn’t be as bad as in those, right? The tourists were probably the ones to release it with all their seances and whatnot—Naru mentioned the activity only got worse as more people came.

Was there any chance they could free the spirits from the demon? John wasn’t even an approved exorcist for this, though.

Sighing, Mai got up to begin her day. She skipped the bathhouse in favor of freshening up and changed out of her yukata into her normal clothes.

As she walked back, her curiosity got the better of her as she passed a sign for the south wing. She peeked around the corner and found it normal enough. She would only be strolling through.

She took a moment to note that, ironically, this area would’ve been where the missionaries resided centuries ago.

It was as she approached the closed bathhouse that her instincts went off. There was a sign in front politely telling residents to use the other bathhouse but no other physical barriers. Anyone could easily not care and prance right in.

Speaking of which, someone was already in there by the sound of the water and movement from the women’s side. She was tempted to let them know the facility was closed but they’d already started. She got her answer when she heard a yelp and the sound of a body hitting the floor.

That can’t be good!

“Excuse me, are you okay?” She called out from the dressing room. She didn’t hear an answer and expected the worst when she peered into the room.

No one was there. The water wasn’t even on.

The room looked like it hadn’t been used in ages. The tiles were perfectly pristine and dry without a soap bottle out of place.

What…?

The hairs on her arms stood on end. She was tricked again.

“You need to leave,” whispered Chiyo’s voice. “It’s not safe here.”

Suddenly, she felt eyes on her, like daggers. A force from behind shoved her forward onto the bathing area’s floor. She yelped and winced in pain when she hit her chin on the tile.

Mai tried to use every ounce of energy she could to sit up but was frozen like incorporeal chains had glued her limbs to the floor. Those cold eyes were still there, circling her like a predator would its prey. She shook from the trepidation as her heart slammed against her chest.

Her voice couldn’t even leave her body, let alone scream for help.

I should’ve listened to Gene!

The lights shut off, casting the room into shadow. She was thankful for the bits of light from the windows. Especially so she could see the black shadow emerging from the floor. The figure looked human but had no defining features aside from the inhumanly long claws on its hands and feet.

She gagged, a whiff of rotting flesh permeating her nose as it approached. She squeezed her eyes shut and recited Usa-sama’s prayer like a mantra. This angered the figure as it growled and swung a clawed arm at her. The prayer nullified some of the damage. Rather than full claw marks, only one claw strike appeared on her arm before the figure was repelled back.

That wasn’t enough. The demon’s enmity remained the same. She couldn’t even blink before it had her pinned on her back, its rancid breath suffocating her.

Before it could do anything else, a small object was flung, releasing its hold on her.

It was John’s rosary.

“Mai!” Footsteps were heard running into the room as the demon receded to the far corner.

She sucked in a relieved breath as Naru helped her sit up. She nearly flung herself into his chest, gripping his clothing for dear life. He didn’t push her away, instead shifting his body to block her view of the evil across the room.

His fist clenched. He was furious. Furious at himself for being so powerless without Gene.

John stepped in front of them, immediately knowing what he was up against. He pulled out a second much larger rosary from his pocket as his face hardened. He began reciting a different set of verses, ones Mai had never heard before. His voice adopted a strength and authority she didn’t know he was capable of.

Mai went in and out of consciousness. She heard and saw only bits and pieces of what happened next.

“…he gave them power against unclean spirits…”

“And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul…”

The last moments she remembered were the increasingly loud and imperious verses from John as ineffable screams erupted inside her head. Was she the only one hearing it?

She rested her full weight on Naru while her head fell to his shoulder. Her eyes fluttered as she struggled to keep them open. Mai then felt him lace his arms under her back and knees before carrying her out as the last of the demonic screams were heard.

“Why were you in there?”

“I… I only came to look, but I heard someone in there. It sounded like they got hurt, so I wanted to help.”

“You’re too gullible.”

“I’m sorry…” she whispered before succumbing to sleep.

Naru glanced down at her and exhaled, his mouth tightening.

He was supposed to be an idiot scientist, so what was he doing?

Chapter Text

“Mai...”

Her eyelids fluttered.

“Mai.”

She groaned and turned away from the voice.

“Mai!”

Immediately, the events that occurred rushed back into her memory. She shot up and nearly took out the person calling for her. She rapidly scanned the room and found herself on the couch at the SPR office face to face with… Nar- no, Gene.

Her hyperventilated breaths calmed until she gave a final sigh. This was the first time she stumbled with identifying each twin. Then again, Gene was endorsing Naru’s usual frown.

Great.

“Before you say anything,” she started, “I know. I know that was stupid and I was dumb for not listening to you.” 

He crossed his arms, further making his appearance to Naru uncanny. “Then why did you do it?”

“I…” She looked down and picked at her cuticles. “I saw a sign for the south wing. It seemed fine enough to walk through at the time—people have entered houses with demonic activity before and left unscathed. Plus, this is a hotel so staff and customers always come and go.”

Flashes of the attack left her frozen in place. “I didn’t expect it to lure me in like that… I’m sorry.” 

Gene sighed through his nose but kept his hard exterior. He understood where she was coming from but wouldn’t soften the lesson just because she was sad. 

“Negative entities will do that. They take advantage of your weaknesses,” he explained. “For you, it's your willingness to help others without a second thought. Not to mention your gullibility. You also tend to put yourself in harm’s way and generally lack safety awareness.”

He almost felt bad when she looked at him like a kicked puppy.

He cleared his throat. “If you’re going to be pulling these stunts anyways, you should learn some warding spells from your colleagues. You’ve used Usa-sama’s prayers well but need to hone your spirituality before you can fully take advantage of its protection.”

She nodded, not unlike a child who was just reprimanded. “Okay, I will.”

Gene kept his hard stare for a moment longer before dropping the act. Guess he couldn’t keep the hard exterior after all—that was Noll’s job, anyway. 

“And… even you do have weaknesses, that’s what makes you Mai. You have good intentions, but your execution needs work.” He smiled. “You are doing great giving my brother aneurysms in my place though.”

“But I don’t want to give him aneurysms.”

“Too late!”

Cue more of the kicked-puppy look.

“It’s fine! He needs to be humbled! You can’t expect Lin to do it and Madoka’s not even here,” he said, shrugging casually.

Mai’s ears perked up. “Madoka?”

Gene realized his slip-up and seemed to debate with himself in his head. “She’s a family friend and Naru’s mentor. A bit of a cheeky character.”

“I can’t imagine Naru having another person around poking and prodding at him,” she said, chuckling. 

“Oh, she does more than poke and prod! Before I died, we always teamed up to plan ways to bother him and Lin.”

Mai smiled, imagining Naru tolerating someone enough to let them pick on him all the time. It must have been fun. She tried to ignore how unfitting the line, “Before I died,” sounded coming from Gene’s mouth. He felt just as alive to her as Naru did. 

Sensing her thoughts, he added, “But you’re here now too! You can be my accomplice—I’ll develop the plans and you can execute them.” He gave her a thumbs-up for good measure. 

“At least you have brother-armor and this Madoka-san has mentor-armor! Nothing’s keeping Naru from ending me,” she countered. 

Gene grinned mischievously. “You have ‘Mai-armor!’ How can anyone end this?” he said, poking at her puffed cheeks with both his pointer fingers. 

“You mean like the malevolent entities that tried to kill me this past week?” 

“Besides them.”

She rolled her eyes. 

After they chatted longer about Gene’s schemes, Mai requested that he accompany her on a personal mission. When questioned, she mentioned that now that the entity was driven off, she wanted answers from a certain spirit at the hotel. 

Gene wasn’t keen on the idea but supposed that it would be better than leaving her to her own devices. In case of any bad juju, he propped Usa-sama over his shoulder and reluctantly let Mai lead the way. This was also to test her abilities to navigate the astral plane—he’d be impressed if she knew where she was going.

And… it turned out that she didn’t.

He decided to spare her after watching her squabble for a few minutes. “Remember the pull factor, Mai.”

“Huh? Oh right,” she laughed nervously. “Will you be able to follow?”

“No problem!” He gestured downwards to a spiritual string he had wrapped around his waist. The other end was wrapped around hers. 

She jumped away in surprise and tried to grab at the string. “When did this get here?” She waved her hand through it rapidly.

“I added a rope so that we would end up in the same place. It’s like a preschool field trip.”

Her straight face instantly morphed into a smile and a giggle. The image of the twins as toddlers—one with a smile and one with a frown—tied to a line of other preschoolers brightened up her mood. 

They had to have been the cutest children. 

With their walking rope in place, Gene walked Mai through the process of navigating the plane. His approach was to give her prompts to follow, while still allowing her to problem-solve what she could. 

She likened his teaching style to “riddle learning” where half the time she felt like she was going in blind. She learned as she went.

Naru’s teaching style was more “slap-in-the-face learning”—memorization, lectures, and quizzes. She learned the foundations before applying the principles to practice. 

With how much they could teach, sometimes the twins didn’t even seem their age. Gene was childish but still incredibly smart. 

Then, there was Naru. He was a whole other level of smart. He could be one of her instructors at school. She thought about it before bed some nights, but what level of schooling has he had? He could’ve skipped a few grades. Maybe he even attended some fancy all-boys school that allowed excursions like this?

But this wasn’t manga. 

Whatever level he was at, he was certainly out of her intelligence league.

Mai finally found her footing after a few fruitless trials in part thanks to Gene’s analogy of imagining herself as a wave in the ocean. She needed to follow her instincts in their purest state rather than overthinking.

Through the empty sea of glowing orbs was a flickering light, not unlike the flame of a candle. Heat emanated from it the closer they got until the scenery was changed entirely. 

Swirling around in surprise, she took in the change. They stood in one of the original castle’s courtyards. Now that she was lucid, she could appreciate the landscaping and architecture.

“If this is the original castle, then Chiyo-san’s quarters are this way,” she said, leading the trio. They searched the area but couldn’t find her. Mai instead redirected them toward the missionary quarters and was relieved to see her sitting on the patio. 

The young lady sat with her legs dangling off the side. She stared longingly out at the plum blossom tree as its branches swayed in the wind. Unlike in her visions, she didn’t adorn the beautifully designed clothing. Rather, she opted for, still expensive-looking, but darker clothing. Her haori was almost black.

She must still be mourning…

The creaking of their footsteps made her jump and twist around. “Who goes there?”

“Uh, hi,” Mai said, waving nervously. “Sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to talk.”

Chiyo studied the group before her gaze landed on the rabbit deity on Gene’s shoulder. Her demeanor changed immediately as she turned her body to face them and bowed her head in respect. 

Mai questioned Gene with a look which he returned with a shrug. Usa-sama hopped off his shoulder and approached the female. They appeared to communicate silently. Eventually, the spirit nodded in understanding before returning her attention to the deity’s companions.

“I hear that my warning had come too late,” Chiyo said, now facing Mai. “I apologize for not reaching out to you sooner. I’m happy to know that your dear friend was able to expel that wretched creature.”

“Dear friend…?” Mai tilted her head in question. “Oh, you mean John! Yeah, I would have been toast without him.”

Chiyo scrunched her brows in confusion at her terminology. “Yes, J-oh-n,” she said, trialing the name quietly to herself. “I recognize that name from the stories my Anata used to read.”

Mai watched as her face briefly betrayed her loneliness. The tragedy must still be fresh for her, even if it was centuries ago. “I’m sorry about what happened to you. Seeing it firsthand, I can’t imagine how you’ve felt this whole time.”

Chiyo gestured for them to sit and looked wistfully out at the courtyard with a thin smile. “The years that pass are meaningless—the pain never hurts any less. You just become numb to it.”

The breeze brushed the plum blossom tree’s branches as they shook gently. 

Mai’s lips tightened. Familiar yet unfamiliar emotions awoke within her—feelings that did not belong to her. Chiyo’s memories replayed in her head over and over until she was perseverating. 

Gene’s hand on her shoulder snapped her back to reality before she allowed herself to be consumed.

“Now that John expelled the demon, won’t you be able to pass on and reunite with your lover?”

The female spirit turned back to her and sent her an unreadable smile. “I do not want to ‘pass on.’”

“How come?! I thought you wanted help. You even sent me those visions!”

Chiyo shook her head. “I did not send those. I believe you picked up on them yourself.”

Mai turned to Gene for confirmation. He merely shrugged. “Your hotel room is in her old quarters. You did leave yourself open.”

“Okay, let’s say I did. Why don’t you want to pass on? Is it because of John?”

“While I was quite taken by your friend and may have followed him for a portion of the night, I am not so attached. His presence was nostalgic to me, comforting even.”

Mai scrunched her brows. “Then what about John being hugged and smothered all night?”

“That certainly wasn’t me either. Do remember that I’m a gentle soul,” she said. “That fiendish creature had always enjoyed impersonating me.” The distaste was evident in her voice even as she hid her face with her sleeve. “However, to answer your original question, I simply don’t want to ‘pass on.’ This was my home and the site of our burial. My servants’ spirits are here as well and I cannot abandon them. I will continue to protect this land.”

A spirit with no living attachments who also didn’t want to pass on? That was a first, at least for Mai. 

She always thought that spirits should pass on and receive help if they couldn’t. So, what about spirits like Chiyo who were not clouded by emotion and could make coherent decisions?

Sensing the malfunction in her brain, Gene explained, “Not all spirits will pass on—we have our reasons. Some have unfinished business making it so they can’t, which you’re more familiar with. Others may have already passed on but chose to remain here. Chiyo-hime-san would be the latter.”

“Wow, they can return? I didn’t know that.” Mai almost forgot that he had been a medium in life, so his expanse of knowledge was far advanced compared to hers. “What about your ‘Anata?’”

Chiyo’s wistful smile returned. “He also has things to protect and he is working hard.”

Mai didn’t quite understand what she meant but felt that she shouldn’t pry further. Any mention of her lover was already a sore spot. In some way, Mai got her answer. Whatever task he had to fulfill must be why Chiyo chose to stay, to wait.

I hope you two can see each other again…

The female spirit sensed the direction of Mai’s thoughts. “Even if I don’t choose to leave, I would like to extend a thank you to your dear friend for his work. Because of him, I was able to see my Anata again, even if just for a moment,” she said with a delighted smile. 

Mai blinked in confusion. While she debated whether to ask for elaboration or not, Chiyo changed the subject. “I also would like to apologize to John-sama. I believe my attention was what garnered that fiend to target him.”

“Oh, no need to apologize. John would understand! Besides, I don’t blame you. If I saw a person who reminded me of someone special, I would probably do something similar.”

Chiyo fluttered her eyes innocently. “Like the gentleman who carried you out?” Gene met her eyes briefly and turned his head to the side to stifle a laugh.

“Huh?” Mai tilted her head as memories rushed back into her head. She didn’t witness the attack, but she saw that?!

 “You mean, Naru? No way—he’s my boss. And I guess, also my friend now too.”

Gene stopped his chuckling and turned to her. “Wait, Mai… you consider Noll a friend?”

Taken aback by Gene’s sudden question, Mai blinked.

“Of course, he’s my friend,” she said, mumbling the next part. “Even if he can be an asshole sometimes…”

Sure, it wasn’t like the conventional friendship she had with her school friends but they had developed a certain tolerance of each other. He wasn’t as easy to get along with as Gene, but he wasn’t unkind either—well, 50% of the time, anyway. 

In fact, she kind of liked their banter. 

Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t sure if Naru even considered them friends. She didn’t expect him to, honestly. He seemed like the type to keep himself in closed quarters. Not to mention that he had more pressing matters than making friends with a bunch of misfits.

Gene’s expression softened.

“I’m just happy he’s made a friend. He’s popular with the ladies because he shares this dashing face,” he said, gesturing to his own smugly. “But his personality scares them away.” 

He wrapped his arm around Mai’s shoulders. “You’re one of the few, if not the only one, who’s been willing to accept him. What a gal.”

Mai playfully slapped his arm off. “I don’t think he considers me a friend, though.”

Gene looked thoughtful for a minute. “You’d be surprised. You’ve gotten away with a lot more than you think,” he said, winking.

When they eventually remembered Chiyo, they found the spirit hiding her face behind her sleeve. Her eyes betrayed her smile.

Ultimately, she ended up shooing them out of her space. Not before ensuring Mai that she had thought carefully about her decision, of course.

“I was partly the reason the fiend’s influence could not reach far,” she clarified. “Should anything happen, perhaps I will reach out to your guardian.”

Mai accepted her answer but still felt like things were left open-ended. Gene explained again that not all spirits wanted, or needed, to pass on officially. Some returned as spirit guides, others as protectors or guardian angels, and so on.

Chiyo paid her respects to Usa-sama before politely escorting them out of her plane. This resulted in Mai being catapulted back to her body.

When she came to, her head and eyelids felt like lead. She could pretend to be asleep for a moment longer, right?

She went to rub her eyes but found that her arms were trapped under a thick blanket. Forcing her eyelids open, she realized that she was back in their hotel room. An orange glow illuminated the room from the open door leading to the patio area. 

“Ah, you’re awake.” John popped into her view, now dressed in his streetwear. “How are you feeling?”

She yanked her arms out and stretched. “Surprisingly okay thanks to you! I would’ve been spiritual toast,” she said. She pushed herself up and noticed a rosary had been placed on her as she slept. 

John shook his head. “Not at all. When Lin-san mentioned that you had been gone for too long, Shibuya-san was the one who knew where to find you.”

“We had talked about the south wing bathhouse the night before,” she clarified. She rubbed at her eyes and scanned the room. “Where is everyone?”

“He and Lin-san went to figure out the van situation.”

Mai sighed in relief.

Gene was stern but still went easy on her. Naru, on the other hand, was unpredictable. 

“Did he seem angry at all?”

John thought for a moment and shrugged. “Not particularly. He did seem quite tired, though. You really worried us there.” He then dropped his smile, adopting a more serious expression. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone what I had done.”

“I promise, I won’t tell anyone. I’m sorry… I forced you into that situation.” She bowed her head down in guilt. 

John shook his head before giving her a reassuring smile. “I could never stand by idly if a friend were endangered.”

Mai’s chest warmed up knowing John considered her as a friend. “Thank you, I would do the same for you.” She sent him a bright grin, which he returned with equal fervor. “Before I forget, Chiyo-san wanted to thank you for expelling the demon.”

“No need to thank me. I’m just happy to help.”

“She also wanted to apologize for stalking you for hours.”

John then erupted into a laugh, making Mai blink in surprise. That was the first time she’d seen him fully laugh. 

Finding his energy contagious, she grinned before joining him in his laughter.

.

Naru and Lin returned soon after, announcing the status of the repaired van. 

Surprisingly, Naru didn’t seem angry. There was a lack of acknowledgment but that wasn’t new. She should’ve asked Gene earlier how to identify signs of an angry Naru.

Regardless, even if he was angry or not, she wanted to thank him for looking for her. If he hadn’t, John wouldn’t have been able to drive the demon away. 

After updating Naru and Lin on her talk with Chiyo, the group packed up and left the hotel.  

Mai paused in front of the hotel during her exit and stared back. She hoped that Chiyo and the other spirits stayed safe. Wherever Chiyo’s lover was, he was probably protecting her too. How else had she remained unharmed by such a malevolent entity?

In fact, while they were packing earlier, she picked John’s brain about certain things she didn’t understand—the main question being, how did John’s exorcism help Chiyo to see her lover again? The priest seemed to immediately understand and she wondered if this was supposed to be common knowledge.

John chuckled when she said that. “I don’t believe Eastern cultures and religions have this concept. We call them ‘angels.’”

He then divulged an explanation of what they represent and that Chiyo’s lover may very well be one. That would also explain why he was referred to as a protector who was “working hard.”

John was right. Shintoism and Buddhism didn’t have an equivalent for ‘angels.’ She didn’t even know what they were until he explained. She’d heard the term before—mainly in anime—but didn’t know the symbolism behind them.  

Knowing that, she could leave feeling a bit more at ease. A part of her still felt a little incomplete though, like she hadn’t done anything to help. But what could she have done?

“You can’t save every spirit, nor does every spirit want to be saved,” Naru interrupted her thoughts as he walked past.

Before he got too far, she called out, “Naru!”

He stopped and turned his head slightly in her direction. Only his profile was visible.

She huffed and hurried after him. He can’t even bother to face me all the way! 

“I just wanted to say thanks… for finding me.”

Initially, Naru stared plainly at her, leaving her to fidget awkwardly. She was about to break the silence when he sighed. “It has dawned on me the severity of your attraction to danger. Do remember that I am liable for your safety during cases.”

Mai bowed her head. “I know… sorry.” When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “I really thought someone was in there, otherwise I would’ve left.”

He closed his eyes. “Your overwhelming concern for other people leaves you blind to the signs of danger.”

“Yeah…”

“From now on, you will start stricter training to improve your senses,” he said, before walking off toward the van. He then briefly paused and added, “And more readings.”

She watched him ditch her with her mouth agape.

This better count as overtime!

And no, it did not count as overtime. 

The coming weeks after their excursion was grueling. Not only did Naru assign readings from multiple books, but she also had the suspicion he was making fun of her by assigning a book about common sense. 

Gene had a party when he heard that. 

Naru also had Mai practice eating vegetarian once every two weeks before eventually changing it to once a week. He and Lin did this twice a week normally, so she had a feeling that would be her objective too. 

This was the less difficult part. Vegetables were cheaper anyways and she could last weeks off rice, natto, bean sprouts, and pickled daikon if needed. She had done it before and could do it again!

There was also an exercise component to this regimen but Naru deemed it unnecessary for her introduction.

Between the readings, meditation with Gene, lake research, office hours, and school, she was exhausted come the weekend. 

And when it came time to sleep, she was burdened by nightmares of her attack from the hotel. Sometimes the nightmares featured different scenarios but the premise would remain the same. 

She would wake up in trepidation and be too fearful to fall back asleep. She would switch her lights on immediately and repeat Usa-sama’s prayers like a mantra. Sometimes the deity would manifest, providing her with much-needed comfort. He usually nestled himself next to her or between her legs from over the blanket. He helped make the nights less lonely.

If only she had his company after her parents had passed away years ago.

While Gene couldn’t provide comfort, he tried to force her out of the nightmares whenever he could. This wasn’t often since it took a good chunk of his energy that he didn’t always have. 

He deduced that the nightmares weren’t even spiritual in nature, thus Usa-sama had nothing to protect her from. They were merely dreams. 

Gene figured that they would hopefully resolve once she overcame the fear, which was much easier said than done. 

Rather than taking sleeping pills again, she let the nightmares pass and just stayed up until she was tired. During this window of the night, she resorted to scrolling her phone despite Naru’s criticisms of her online media intake.

Out of pettiness, she went out of her way to spam emails of obviously fake paranormal videos, pictures, or ghost memes. 

He never replied, of course. But oddly enough, his non-existent presence made the night a little less lonely when Usa-sama wasn’t with her. 

It took the tenth email over the course of a few nights for him to reply finally—

Mai, go to bed. 

She remembered the surprise when she got the notification. She may not have won the real battle, but this was still a victory.

She did have to wonder why he was still awake at 3 am, though.

Sparing him from more emails that night, she resumed the night after but took care not to send as many.

Then, one day when she was delivering tea and apples to Naru’s office, her boss surprised her with a question. 

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

Averting her gaze to anything but his pointed gaze, she stalled, “I must really look like Ayako without makeup on, huh?”

Naru exhaled deeply through his nose. “Explain your incessant nightly emails?”

“Oh, right.” 

Naru sat unenthused with his arms crossed while she stood awkwardly at the side of his desk. Moments passed by as Naru patiently waited for an answer.

Unable to ignore his prying stare, she explained the situation—the nightmares, the progress to finding a solution, and her current plan.

“I used to take sleeping pills every night to prevent nightmares like that, but I don’t want to get back into that habit.”

Why she was divulging so much to Naru, she didn’t know. But it was nice to talk about it with someone other than Gene, even if her current companion wasn’t great on advice or comfort.

Just talking at him worked.

Naru, as expected, didn’t say much after he got his answer before directing her back to work.

It wasn’t until after she returned home that she noticed a new email notification on her phone. Naru had replied to one of her more serious emails about a haunted mirror that reminded her of her own.

His reply wasn’t long, but he took the time out of his oh-so-precious day to criticize her theory and correct it in only two sentences.

To a normal person, that was insulting. To Mai, she was elated that he even replied.

She also found it cute that he wrote completely in Hiragana for certain characters that people would normally switch to Kanji for.

Since Naru hadn’t made any objections, she continued emailing him but slowed it down to an occasional basis. She also only shared potentially real hauntings to discuss. He didn’t always reply, but occasionally, she would be surprised with a notification. Most of the time he debunked whatever it was within a single sentence, but she would add rebuttals to spice things up if she was bored.

She would never admit it to Gene, but she looked forward to Naru’s responses, rare as they were. Gene was honestly surprised, er, impressed, that his brother replied at all.

“Told you he lets you get away with a lot,” he said one night while she was visiting her plane. “Any other person, let alone a girl, and he would have kept ignoring them. You’ve made it!”

Mai didn’t know what she made but let Gene be happy about it anyways.

After a month and a half of meditation with her guides and emailing Naru at night, the nightmares dwindled. John had also gifted her some quartz as a late birthday present. The crystal was supposed to cleanse energy and provide spiritual clarity.

Speaking of birthdays, she didn’t find out until the night before that Naru and Gene’s birthday was September 19^th! It was no surprise that Naru didn’t say anything, but Gene didn’t mention it either.

He’d been glum for the days preceding. The only way she got it out of him was when she and Usa-sama teamed up to confront him the night of the 18^th. He was sad, not for himself, but for his living twin.

“He’s never been big on birthdays,” Gene explained. “Usually, our mother and Madoka would plan some big absurd party, which I’m always about. Naru, though? He’d try to hole himself up in his office or hide.” He chuckled to himself at the memory. “It’ll be rough without me there this year.”

Mai nearly bawled hearing him talk about the memories of past birthdays. With everything different, she knew that neither would want any type of celebration. So, per Gene’s request, her birthday present to the twins was to keep Naru company… from afar.

After school the next day, she picked up some imported Earl Grey from the UK and a few lightly sweetened pastries from a Western-style bakery. All by Gene’s recommendations. He took care not to empty her wallet too much.

Rather than wishing Naru a happy birthday—which he would have questioned how she knew—she left a tray with the teapot and pastries laid out for him on his desk.

If he wanted to be a hermit, at least he would be fed.

He didn’t say anything but raised a brow at her.

“I don’t know, just felt nice today. You’re welcome, by the way,” she teased before leaving him to his work. He was in a bit of a foul mood today, so she wasn’t about to bug him for a “thank you.”

The rest of the night went as normal, except that she fell asleep at her desk. When she eventually woke up and went to make more tea, she found the teapot and dishes all cleaned and lined up on the drying rack.

He enjoyed it! Her face broke out into a huge grin. A victory for today!

.

The weeks following felt like everything was back to normal—no nightmares and no sulking twins.

Some clients came in, but Naru had no interest in their cases. There was even one client whom Naru shooed away in the rudest way imaginable!

A student from Yuasa high school had a friend who had been possessed—allegedly—by a kitsune after Ouija boarding at school. So, leave it to her boss to say her friend was better suited to get help from an asylum than from them!

It wasn’t until Bou-san visited their office that more light was shed on the specific high school. A fan of his, which she still couldn’t believe that he had, also went to Yuasa. She’d requested help from him due to all the unexplainable events at her school.

“I was hoping you’d be interested in taking the case. There have been multiple accounts of injuries by the students sitting at this cursed desk. Even a teacher has reported seeing apparitions. Something just doesn’t seem right about that school,” Bou-san explained. He took a sip of the iced coffee Mai brought him and watched Naru for an answer.

The boss man contemplated but didn’t give an immediate answer.

“Seems kind of weird. I don’t know much about curses but that desk sounds pretty cursed to me,” Mai added her two cents.

“Right? The string of events can’t just be a coincidence.”

Mai nodded in affirmation. “Oh, by the way, nice haircut!” He ditched the ponytail style for a messier chin-length cut. It suited him!

He sent her a cheeky grin. “If Jou-chan likes it, then I can rest in peace.”

“I’m sure Ayako will have something to say abo-”

“Ah, hello,” interrupted a client as he entered the office. “I am the principal at Yuasa high school. I would like to request assistance.”

Naru stood up to greet the client and directed him to his office.

Looks like they got their next case!

Chapter Text

Yuasa High School

It was great watching other high school students be students while she got to hang around “on the clock.” She made tea when needed, listened to a few experiences here and there, and completed her homework. No teachers were breathing down her neck.

A cold gaze pierced her side, interrupting her peace. It was undoubtedly from her unamused boss wondering why she wasn’t being helpful. Before he could question her utility, she practically skipped out of her chair to make some tea. The school day was finally over, so students would no doubt drop by to recount their stories.

Just as the tea was finished, Takahashi Yuko, preferably known as Taka, entered the base with a student following behind her. Taka was Bou-san’s fangirl he mentioned when introducing the case to them a few days ago.

“Hi, I brought Mirayama-san with me,” she said upon entering.

Mirayama entered the classroom with help from Taka. She was one of the students injured from sitting at the cursed desk. Bandages covered both legs, a sling on her right arm, and a crutch nestled under her left arm. Mai could practically feel the aches and pains looking at the poor girl.

Naru sat the girls down while Mai listened from afar as she prepared the tea.

Mirayama’s experiences started with chills when she first started sitting at the desk. Sometimes, it felt like someone was standing behind her, breathing against her ear. This went on and off for the first month and a half. Then, the train incident happened—upon exiting the train, her arm was yanked back as the doors closed, and she was dragged several meters before being freed. Luckily, her life wasn’t severely in danger, but she also wasn’t left unscathed. Scrapes lined along her legs and her right shoulder was dislocated along with a distal humerus fracture.

“I’d like to see this desk,” said Naru.

“Yeah, sure. I can bring you there.” Taka led the group out while Mirayama opted to head back to her club, the track team. Mai assumed she was on stand-by watching rather than participating.

Naru ran his hand along the edge of the desk. “Does anyone sit here now?”

“No, everyone’s way too scared. The girl who sat here after Mirayama-san was hurt so badly she’s still in the hospital. She even said that sometimes a hand looked like it was coming out of the desk. She had stomach aches for days after that!”

“The orientation hasn’t changed?”

“No, same as it has always been.”

Mai studied the desk but didn’t see anything off with it. Why just this desk?

Something about it made her want to stay far away, though. Call it her instincts, or the “bad juju,” according to Gene.

When they returned to base, Bou-san had just arrived. They’d only been gone for a maximum of five minutes and the guy was already swarmed with fangirls.

He really wasn’t bluffing, Mai giggled to herself. Guess he had a reason to act like hot shit.

Naru wasn’t nearly as impressed and chased the flock away with a single glare.

After the girls left, they debriefed Bou-san on what they’d learned. Naru didn’t find any cases particularly noteworthy, but altogether, they were strange. Nothing felt connected.

Their resident monk dramatically dropped himself into a seat and leaned over the table in defeat. “I can’t possibly exorcise everything by myself.”

“What are the chances that each incident isn’t just a coincidence?” she asked.

“Maybe a few being connected isn’t impossible, but this many?” Bou-san brought a hand to his chin in thought. “Want to go on a walkthrough, Jou-chan?”

She blinked, not expecting him to ask. “Yeah, sure. Did you need me here for anything, Naru?”

Her boss reading his notebook with his back to her was the answer she got.

Shrugging, she gave Bou-san a thumbs-up.

They decided to cycle through all the floors from the top to bottom. As they walked, her companion started up a conversation. “How’s your training going?”

“Fine, I guess. After the hotel shenanigans, Naru assigned me twice as many readings! I also have to eat vegetarian once a week, and then every day if we’re on a case.”

“Sounds like he’s giving you proper training… interesting that a ghost hunter would know the intricacies of training psychics,” he mumbled. “I guess if he really is an onmyoji, then it checks out.”

Mai tilted her head in confusion. “Naru, an onmyoji?”

“Remember the last case? How Naru planned to make some hitogata?”

Of course, she remembered, but did that automatically make him an onmyoji? Gene was a medium, so Naru excelling in onmyodo wasn’t improbable—but Naru hadn’t done anything else to make Bou-san’s assumption valid. Knowing her boss, he probably pushed for Lin to do the hard work of making the hitogata.

That would make Lin an onmyoji, then. Another assumption, but she wasn’t going to go around stating it as fact, unlike other people. 

“Maybe?” She shrugged, neither agreeing nor denying.

“I think it’s good that you’re learning more about your powers. You got a pretty stacked resume to keep in check.” He sent her a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile before adopting a mischievous smirk. “Now, what’s this about ‘hotel shenanigans?’ I didn’t think teenagers were so shameless these days.”

Took him this long to react to what I said?!

Mai shot him a glare. “Dirty old man! What kind of degenerate thoughts are in that head of yours?!”

“Nothing at all! I’m a mere innocent monk from the mountain!”

“Well, nothing happened that would taint your innocence,” she said, rolling her eyes and nudging her fist into his arm playfully. “The van broke down, we stayed at a haunted hotel, John got stalked by a spirit, I got attacked, and… yeah.”

Bou-san studied her and wondered if she was leaving something out. It wasn’t his business, so he didn’t pry despite the temptation. “You must be a danger magnet. Did you get hurt in the attack?”

“Not physically, but remembering it bothered me for a while. I’m better now, though!”

“Good to hear it. You should really be careful from now on. If a spirit intends to harm you, they will do it.”

She remembered her body running on overdrive as the memory replayed itself. She certainly would have been severely injured without John’s interference if that demon had its way. It was a testament to how strong John was.

“Oh, I know. That’s not the first time one tried to kill me.” She shrugged. “Actually, I was wondering if you could teach me some warding spells. Maybe something I can use alongside my other prayer.”

He blinked in surprise. “Yeah, sure. What are the other prayers you recite?”

She explained how she prayed to Usa-sama for protection as Gene had taught her. She hadn’t had a specific scripture to recite until recently when she attended the Otsukimi* festival with her friends in September. She visited one of the shrines taking part in the festival and the priest offered her a talisman after seeing her interest—a poem about the moon was written on it.

Gene told her to start using the poem as her prayer. It certainly made Usa-sama happy!

Bou-san seemed fascinated and asked to see the mirror. “You know that you’re already performing your own kind of warding spell, right?” He inspected the mirror and gently ran his thumb over the top. “It’s a more passive approach than what I’ll show you but just as strong. The two should work well together.”

“Really? How?”

“You know the story of the rabbit on the moon?”

“Haven’t heard the full thing in a while.” Usa-sama was probably shaking his head at her.

“Weren’t you just at the festival?” he questioned, sending her a pointed look. She could only shrug sheepishly. He shook his head.

“Well, the story has a Buddhist background and has a few different versions. Long story short, the deity, Sakra, disguised as a beggar and asked for three animals to provide food for him to show their charity, the rabbit being one of them. While the other two animals provided him with piles of food, the rabbit could only provide grass. Instead, he jumped into the beggar’s fire to offer himself as the meal. Sakra was so touched he revived the rabbit and offered him a palace on the moon for everyone to admire.”

Mai listened carefully, never realizing how much she missed from the story as a child. It wasn’t exactly the typical bedtime story, but she remembered enjoying her father’s version of it—after moving into the palace, the rabbit got bored and got a part-time job pounding mochi. Far from believable but cute.

“And how does that help the two warding spells work together?”

“Even though the story has a Buddhist origin, Shinto also has its rabbit deities that might derive from the same tale. Your friend may be one of these worshipped divinities. I don’t know how much you pay attention in class with all your doodling, but Shinto and Buddhism have a history that spans thousands of years.”

Mai glared at him for his nonchalant jab.

Bou-san ignored her and continued. “Okazaki and Saitama still have rabbit deities at their shrines and temples if you’re ever interested.”

She crossed her arms and grumbled. “You sure know a lot for an exiled monk.”

He feigned offense and shook his head in disapproval. “Is this how you treat all your elders?”

“Perhaps,” she laughed.

The two continued their walkthrough of the floor with little to note. Once on the stairway down to the next floor, Bou-san pulled her over.

“Okay, follow what I’m doing,” he said, forming a mudra* for what he explained to be that of the “sword.” She wasn’t about to get a lesson on Buddhism, so she didn’t inquire.

After correcting her hand posture, he instructed her on how to assert her will to protect herself. “And then, repeat the mantra of the Immovable One. ‘Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan.’”

She repeated the mantra a few times before feeling the slightest bit more confident that she wouldn’t stumble on it in the heat of the moment. She did feel more power with this mantra compared to Usa-sama’s prayer, which she considered to be firm but less forceful.

As they walked around the floor below them, her senses alerted her to something off. Nothing seems off though…

“Ah, you must be part of the investigation team,” said someone approaching from behind. “Welcome to our school. We appreciate your coming to help us figure out these upsetting events.”

Nearly jumping out of her skin, Mai spun around to find a lady in her late thirties to early forties with short wavy brown hair. She adorned a polite smile.

Mai stepped aside for her and nodded her head in greeting with her own fake polite smile.

“Of course, we’re happy to help,” Bou-san said, stepping aside for the lady to pass.

The lady nodded to them both before walking past. She entered a room a few doors down that Mai read the sign to say, “Biology Lab.” She must be one of the teachers, likely the biology teacher at that.

Bou-san shared a glance with her before they both shrugged and moved on.

After they finished and returned to base, their resident monk was kidnapped by a few fangirls while Naru and Lin went to set up cameras in the now-empty classrooms.

Other than the strange feelings when that teacher showed up, there wasn’t much else she noted from the walkthrough. Some areas did creep her out for no reason, but she knew Naru wouldn’t be impressed with her vague descriptions. Perhaps, once Masako arrived tomorrow, she’d sense something that Mai missed.

Sighing, she took this time alone to write in her journals—not that there was much to add. There was a lake nearby that she checked out on her way here, but it wasn’t the right one. She could just look at pictures and use the Earth app to view the lakes she couldn’t visit, but it wasn’t the same as seeing them in person.

You don’t have to keep searching, Mai. Let Naru do the hard work. Gene’s voice said from inside her head.

She blinked and sat up straight. “Gene?”

The one and only.

How was he doing this? He normally couldn’t contact this plane without Usa-sama’s intervention.

As if reading her thoughts, he responded, You haven’t been the only one training! Usa-sama beats me up every night but now I can contact you through your mirror. Only your mirror, though.

She pried her mirror out and clicked it open to confirm his words. At first, she only saw her reflection. Closing her eyes and focusing her mind, she opened them again to find the faint apparition of Gene on the mirror’s surface.

Her face broke into a grin. She could finally see him on this plane!

“This is great! Do you think you could talk to Naru now?”

Gene shook his head. Only you can see and hear me. I’m still relying on Usa-sama to do this, after all.

“Aw, man. I thought we were on to something,” she said, sighing.

They had both agreed that if Naru found out about Gene, it would be from Gene himself. He didn’t feel right making Mai a middleman.

Thus, his goal was to become strong enough to reach out to his brother.

“Well, at least now I can talk to you while I’m aw-”

“Hey! Oh- sorry, were you on the phone with someone?” Taka apologized as she held the door ajar.

Mai snapped her mirror shut and placed it back in her pocket. “Not at all! What’s up?”

Taka scrunched her brows and scanned the room before walking in. “Nothing much. Was just wondering if Norio was around?”

“Nah, he’s off with some of his fangirls.”

The other girl seemed to curse her slowness but shrugged it off. “Oh well,” she said, walking over and sitting with Mai. “So… just out of curiosity, who were you just talking to? A ghost maybe?”

Man, this girl is nosy, said Gene.

Mai almost cracked a chuckle but held it in. “Would you believe me if I said yes?”

Taka's head tilted and studied her. “To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised since everyone has supernatural powers nowadays, apparently.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“No one told you?”

.

“The Kasai Panic” started when one girl claimed to be able to bend spoons. The school was promptly sent into a frenzy divided by those who believed this Kasai Chiaki character, and those who were in opposition. The teachers called Kasai out discrediting her, even after she successfully bent a spoon to prove herself. Unfortunately, that led the girl to “curse them to death.”

Thus, she was ostracized from the rest of the school and hid out in the biology room most of the time.

Mai found the whole story ridiculous.

“Does no one have anything better to do than worry about some girl bending spoons?” Mai complained to Naru as they walked toward the biology lab.

As usual, her boss let her complain without providing any input.

When they arrived, Naru knocked on the door and was greeted by a high school girl with black hair cut just below her shoulders. “Is Kasai Chiaki-san here?”

The girl eyed them both. “Why do you want to see my sister?”

Okay, Taka did not tell them Chiaki had a sister.

“Chizu-chan, who is it?” Mai recognized the voice to be the teacher she and Bou-san had run into earlier.

“We are from Shibuya Psychic Research. We heard about Kasai-san’s abilities and wanted to talk to her,” answered Naru flawlessly.

The girl called Chizu stepped aside for the teacher to welcome them in. “Yes, of course. Please, come in. I’m Ubusuna Kei, the biology teacher. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Ubusuna. That’s an uncommon name,” noted Naru.

Ubusuna smiled politely before her eye caught Mai. “I recall you from earlier. Your other friend isn’t here?”

Mai shook her head awkwardly. “He had something else to attend to. Um, it’s nice to meet you Ubusuna-sensei. I’m Taniyama Mai.”

Further back into the lab was a girl with longer black hair sitting on one of the stools. She turned her back to them as soon as they entered. “I have nothing to say to you,” she said.

Ah, that must be Chiaki.

“Chiaki-san, they’re professionals who research psychic phenomena for a living. They won’t ridicule you,” her teacher cajoled. She was successful because Chiaki reluctantly turned around albeit with a face that conveyed nothing but distrust.

Chizu sat next to her and that was when Mai could observe them side by side. They looked almost like twins.

“So, what do you want to know?”

Without hesitation, Naru presented his first question. “I heard that you have the power to bend spoons at will.”

Chiaki glanced at her sister and the two seemed to communicate briefly just through their eyes. Mai wondered if that was how her twins looked like when they were together. “Sure, I can, but I don’t expect you’d believe me.”

Naru crossed his arms. “Why wouldn’t I? Any parapsychologist knows about the existence of PK. You’re not the only one who can bend a spoon.”

That little shit, Gene’s voice suddenly echoed in her head.

Naru has PK?! Her inquiry never got a reply but part of her wasn’t surprised.

Chiaki smirked. “If you can bend one, then prove it.” She handed him one of the metal spoons from the table.

Mai watched on in anticipation and unknowingly inched herself closer. Her boss pinched the spoon firmly and stared at it in uninterest before casually using his index finger to bend the spoon backward like jelly. Even after bending, the neck of the spoon seemingly corroded and broke into two.

The room was silent as everyone stared at the measly spoon head on the floor.

Chiaki relaxed a bit after that.

“We were up late one night this summer and found this talk show covering spoon bending. I thought it was a load of crap until I found some videos online of other people doing it too. I decided to try it and it actually worked.”

Naru nodded. “That is called the ‘Gellerini phenomenon.’” Mai tilted her head in curiosity as did the other high school girls.

“‘Gellerini?’”

“The name derives from Uri Geller, a man claiming to bend spoons on TV in the 70s. He sparked an influx of psychic awakenings, which researchers dubbed as ‘Gellerinis,’” answered Ubusuna.

Naru narrowed his eyes at the teacher, surprised at her knowledge of the topic. “You are well-informed.”

“Kasai-san, can you still bend spoons?” asked Mai.

“Of course I can!” Chiaki reached for a spoon on the table. She directed her focus to its neck, allowing her fingers to rub the handle. Her concentration was so strong that she crouched over.

“Stop what you’re doing!” Naru’s strident command nearly had Mai jumping out of her skin. “You were about to use the chair to bend the spoon. If anyone else saw you, you would have lost all credibility.”

Chizu placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder and glared at Naru. “Nee-san really can bend them.”

“Any paranormal researcher knows that psychic abilities aren’t consistent, so you would’ve been better off admitting defeat. Critics wouldn’t have believed you, anyway,” Naru stated.

“Can you bend them?” Mai asked Chizu.

Chizu’s demeanor changed immediately, not expecting to be addressed by Mai. “Um, no, I’m not into all that,” she denied, waving her hand for good measure.

Chiaki looked down in shame at having been caught. She picked up the piece of the spoon Naru had broken as well as the handle. Placing the two pieces together, the utensil appeared to have fused back together. “Usually, it works, but lately I haven’t been able to do it all that well,” she admitted, showing them the fixed spoon.

She continued, “Because of all this nonsense, Kei-sensei was ridiculed by the other teachers for defending me. Nee-chan wasn’t even a part of this mess and now even she’s being treated differently too.”

“Sometimes it’s because people mistake me for her,” Chizu added. “Other students seem to think because we’re related, I have the same powers.”

“Is that why you said you would curse everyone to death?” Naru asked Chiaki.

“I said it in the heat of the moment, but I couldn’t actually kill anyone, right?”

After they were done talking to the group, Naru and Mai slipped out of the lab to head back to base. They walked in silence for most of it while Mai ran through all the details in her head. The whole school thought Chiaki was the culprit, but the girl could barely bend a spoon. But what about her sister? She wasn’t sure if they were twins or not, but that wouldn’t be the first case of psychic twins, that’s for sure.

“What are the odds that Kasai Chizu has powers?” she asked. “I don’t know how it works with siblings but wouldn’t it make sense if one has it, then the other would too? If they were twins, I mean.”

“That is an interesting point, but there is a lack of research on the subject. There have only been a handful of reported cases of siblings with psychic powers.”

Entering some dangerous waters, Mai! Her head gremlin was right—she needed to abort the mission.

Pretending to pick lint off her sweater, she racked her mind for topic changes.

“That was cool how you bent that spoon back there. I didn’t know you had PK.” She remembered reading about it during her assignments.

“Do you remember what it stands for?”

“Of course, I do!”

“Then state the difference between macro-PK and micro-PK,” he said, a corner of his mouth quirking upward as he watched her face take on three different emotions as she fumbled through her memory.

He easily distracted her from asking more risky questions by bombarding her with an onslaught of quizzes. She wasn’t even fazed by them anymore and he was almost impressed at her progress. Not every answer was right but her circumlocution exhausted him enough that he didn’t bother picking on her about it.

When they finally arrived back at base, he stopped in front of the door and turned to face her. “Mai, don’t tell anyone about the spoon bending, especially Lin,” he said, before adding, “Please.”

She blinked in surprise. If he was adopting manners suddenly, he must’ve been serious about keeping it a secret. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

He turned away, hiding his face from view.

“Thank you.”

.

On her way home that night, she stopped by the convenience store to pick up some vegetarian instant foods—she wasn’t about to cook tonight… or for the rest of the case.

She checked for nearby pedestrians before pulling out her mirror when she got to her street. She snapped it open and stared intensely into the reflection. If anyone had told her she would be seeking out a ghost in a mirror months ago, she’d have called them insane.

Gene’s apparition didn’t show up immediately, but when it did, she couldn’t be happier to see his goofy smile in the reflection. She could see him clearly despite only having the moon and streetlights to go by.

“I still can’t believe I can talk to you face-to-face now.”

He nodded. All thanks to our rabbit lord and savior!

“Can I see him too?”

He can just poof into that plane, remember? He doesn’t need a mirror.

“Oh, right,” she said, simultaneously checking her surroundings. This area wasn’t unsafe and yet some nights she couldn’t help feeling paranoid.

And tonight was one of those nights.

Isn’t there anyone you could walk with, so you’re not alone every night? You know, so you aren’t just a lone teenage girl walking down a dark street.

“Ever since my Kaa-san died, I’ve had to walk around alone at night all the time. Other students do it too.”

Gene grumbled and crossed his arms. Maybe if my idiot of a brother had any ounce of chivalry, he’d give you a ride or walk you home.

She chuckled, adjusting the bag of groceries on her elbow. Looking up ahead, something strange at the next intersection just before her apartment piqued her concern. A figure stood in the middle of the intersection. There were no features to this figure even with the streetlights shining overhead.

“That… doesn’t look right,” she mumbled.

Gene scrunched his brows in concern. You okay?

Her eyes lingered on the figure even as she dipped her head down to address Gene. “Suspicious individual at the intersection before my apartment. Don’t think it’s a person, though.” She rummaged through her pockets for her phone and promptly took a picture. “What are the chances it’ll leave me alone?”

Can you go a different way?

She tried the next block around only to find a suspicious shadow on the ground at this intersection too. The closer she got, the more the figure would rise from the ground. She even took a video to try and catch what she was seeing. At the nearest streetlight, she quickly sent Naru the picture and video in an email just in case.

Snapping her mirror shut, she braced herself for what she was about to do. Her fists tightened as her breathing hastened.

She could do this.

Good thing this never happened before SPR. She wouldn’t have known what to do… not to say she knew what to do now either.

Holding the mirror in her palms and adopting Bou-san’s mudra* from earlier, she recited the mantra of the Immovable One quietly to herself. She treaded cautiously toward the intersection. When she neared, the figure turned to follow her movements. Her eyes stayed straight ahead while keeping the figure in her periphery. Her uneasiness grew as she felt a presence manifest right behind her shoulder.

She whipped around quickly and recited, “Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!” The black figure that had been creeping behind her dissipated into thin air. Not staying longer to see what happened, she sprinted to her apartment as fast as her legs could take her.

Mai slammed the door shut behind her and leaned back against it. She dropped her grocery bag to the floor and sighed in relief.

You did a good job, Mai.

“Thanks, but I don’t think it’s gone for good, though,” she admitted.

After locking the door, she as good as collapsed on her bed, long having lost her appetite.

The rest of the night was less eventful. She requested Usa-sama’s presence for the night and spent most of it finishing her homework and trying to get Gene to help her with her quadratic equations. She ended up staying up late to ensure she didn’t have any rude awakenings, which was fortunately the case.

Her sleep wasn’t dream-free, however. She met up with Gene at Yuasa and witnessed her first fox fires. They were laid out throughout the building beckoning the question of why each location. Was the whole school haunted, or was there something else at play? Gene’s riddles implied that he believed the fox fires to not be spirits at all, so Mai didn’t know what to think.

When her alarm went off the next morning, she felt instant regret for having stayed up so late.

Even with a touch of makeup, Ayako and Masako, who had arrived with John, deemed it important to point out the bags under her eyes.

Oh, how she missed them.

“There are no spirits here,” Masako said as she entered the base with Ayako. “There must be some kind of scheme going on here.”

“And the whole school is in on it? There’s got to be something here, at least with that desk,” Bou-san argued.

While the rest of the crew discussed, Mai sat at the table and rubbed her nose bridge as her head pounded. The lack of sleep must have given her a tension headache. It wasn’t excruciating but still hard to ignore.

Someone stepped beside her and she deduced it was Naru telling from his energy. “Was that your footage in the email last night?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said, yawning and allowing her eyelids to close for a moment. “I didn’t watch it yet. Did you see anything?”

“You caught what appeared to be a shadow figure. Good work.”

Her eyes opened and she scrunched her brows in confusion. Did he just praise her?

“Um, thanks.”

“What are you two talking about hush-hush over there?” Ayako asked, her arms crossed.

Mai rolled her eyes. “I just ran into a shadow figure last night on my way home.”

“Do you think it’s related to this case?” asked Bou-san.

She shrugged and tilted her head in thought. “I don’t know—this is the first time I’ve ever had this happen.”

“I think it could be related. It’s not like Masako’s word is always truth,” quipped Ayako.

Masako narrowed her eyes and covered her mouth with her sleeve. “At least my word has more reliability than yours. I don’t recall you being very helpful last case.”

“Why you-”

Naru cleared his throat. “Did anything else happen, Mai?”

Mai went on to explain her dream last night about the fox fires but left out Gene’s deduction since she had no backing for it. This gave the team some leads for where to begin their exorcisms. Interestingly, some of the fire locations matched the reports they had gotten from the students.

Their resident medium was adamant that there were no spirits. She left first to do another walkthrough with Ayako. Why Naru assigned the two when they always butted heads was beyond her. That left John and Bou-san to begin their exorcisms in the rooms she noted.

Meanwhile, Naru and Lin left to investigate further, leaving Mai to watch the base.

Like yesterday, she took the time to write in her journals and plug away at her homework. All was boring until her instincts acted up. Goosebumps lined her arms and she had the sneaking suspicion the same shadow from yesterday would pop up again.

Standing up and leaving the base, she pulled out her mirror. “Gene, you there?” she whispered.

Yeah, good thing you left. Bad juju over there.

She aimlessly walked down the hall, watching as students participated in their clubs outside. “Well, now I don’t know where to go. You think it left yet?”

Gene shrugged, Use your senses!

“Right…”

“Who are you talking to?” Mai jumped out of her skin, snapping the mirror shut and spinning around.

It was Chiaki’s sister, Chizu.

“U-uh, to myself! It’s a habit I gotta stop,” she laughed nervously.

Chizu quirked a brow at her but shrugged it off. “Okay… well, are you investigating right now?”

“Sorta. Were you heading to a club or something?”

“Yes and no. After this whole Kasai panic thing started, I haven’t exactly been welcomed in my club. I’m part of the track team and they were the first to start trouble with my sister.”

“Oh, sorry. Sucks that you guys had to deal with this over some spoon-bending,” Mai sympathized. “It doesn’t explain all the weird things happening though. Have you had any experiences?”

Chizu brought a hand to her chin. “Not particularly.” Her aloof demeanor changed when she moved closer to Mai. “So, do you have psychic powers, Taniyama-san?”

Mai blinked, taken aback by her sudden question. “Oh, um, why do you ask that?”

She studied her for a moment before shrugging. “I just assumed that a group of paranormal researchers would have a few psychics, especially ‘cause your boss has PK and you called Hara Masako here too.” She then brought herself only within Mai’s earshot. “And you weren’t just talking to yourself either, right? You’re an esper, maybe?”

Mai’s eyes widened.

Chizu smiled. “No need to be surprised—I just think it’s cool. Anyway, see you later!” As fast as the girl had come, she disappeared down the hallway.

Unsettled, Mai sped back to the base, relieved to find that the weird energy from earlier was gone. She barely had the chance to sit back down before the other Kasai sister knocked on the door. Mai sighed and let her in.

“Hey.”

“Uh, hey.” Mai gestured for the girl to sit down. The two stared at each other in silence until she broke the silence. “So, what’s up?”

Chiaki kept her face as expressionless as possible and Mai couldn’t help but wonder how both girls could be so different in their mannerisms.

“How’s the investigation going? Bet there are a lot of spirits here.”

She shook her head. “Actually, Masako says there aren’t any.”

Chiaki widened her eyes. “There aren’t any? There’s no way! What about all that crazy stuff happening?”

“I can see why you say that, but… I think Masako’s right," Mai said, shrugging.

Chiaki didn’t respond right away, choosing to observe instead. “What about you and your boss? Can you guys sense anything?”

Mai thought about her walkthrough yesterday—she could feel some negative energy here and there, but nothing to support the happenings to ghosts. “I’m not a medium like Masako, but I don’t feel that there’s anything here either. No spirits, anyway. Naru’s not sensitive like that. He’s more of a researcher. How about you?”

Chiaki shook her head. “I don’t have any ESP. I only have PK, PK-ST at that.”

“I see—you know quite a bit about parapsychology I take it.”

“Kei-sensei taught me all about it,” she said with fondness. “She was the only one to defend and support me this whole time aside from Nee-chan. I feel so bad for putting her through this.”

Mai leaned her cheek on her hand. “Ubusuna-sensei seems really caring—kind of cool that she’s into this kind of thing. What about your sister?”

“Nee-chan doesn’t care about any of this. She only comes to the biology club because she’s bored. She’s more into competitive things, like sports.”

Odd. Chizu expressed plenty of interest earlier. “Oh, okay. She did tell me before you came that she’s part of the track team.”

Chiaki scrunched her brows. “How much earlier?”

“Like two minutes before you showed up?”

“But she told me she was already at track…” Chiaki mumbled barely audible to Mai. “Maybe she was running an errand.”

Interesting.

.

“It must be that Chiaki girl cursing the school,” stated Ayako after Mai told the group about her encounters.

Mai frowned and tapped her fingers on the table. Even if Chiaki said she’d curse people, she didn’t seem capable of that—ability-wise and personality-wise. She didn’t talk to her for long, but her gut told her Chiaki hadn’t done anything wrong.

“She only has PK-ST, she said,” Mai defended. “Wouldn’t she need the other one? The one for living things.”

“PK-LT?” John answered.

“Yeah, that one.” She felt the piercing stare of Naru on her and found him with a raised brow. His eyes read, Shouldn’t you know the name? She pretended she didn’t see him and looked at every other point of the room.

Bou-san put a hand on his hip. “You’re not wrong, Jou-chan, but some psychics like Nina Kulagina can use both PK-ST and PK-LT. I mean, it is rare though, no matter how strong the psychic is. Do you know that British psychic, Dr. Oliver Davis? He is one of the strongest PK-ST users, being able to throw a large aluminum ball into a wall. Even so, he hasn’t been able to use PK-LT.”

“Wow… Oliver Davis, huh? I’ve had a reading or two from his one book. Seems like a smart guy,” Mai commented. Masako chuckled while hiding her face to the side. Did she say something funny?

“Uri Geller—the one who popularized spoon bending—claimed to have both PK and ESP, which is just as rare,” added John.

“Okay, then this Kasai girl probably has both,” stated Ayako, like it was a fact.

“The girl can barely bend a spoon.” Mai got up to make tea while everyone shot out theories.

“If she has latent PK-LT, she may be fulfilling her curse unintentionally. Whatever the case is, we should continue what we have been until further leads arise,” said Naru, sitting at the table.

As everyone filtered out to resume their exorcisms, or to adjust the cameras in Lin’s case, Masako glanced back at Naru and Mai before reluctantly closing the door behind her.

Mai set Naru’s tea in front of him before taking a seat beside him. They shared a comfortable silence as she sipped her own cup.

“Kasai Chizu gives me strange vibes,” she started. She rested her cheek in her hand and traced the lip of her cup. Although Naru was still focused on his laptop, she could tell he was listening. “She says she’s not interested in all this… and yet, she came by to ask me about the psychics on our team. She even figured out that I have ESP.”

“We don’t know her intentions, but we should proceed with caution.”

“Noted!” She went to take another sip only to notice something off. She squinted her eyes at the corner of the room. There was a shadow that didn’t belong.

Her suspicions were confirmed as the shadow looked to be pulsating, slowly rising from the ground. “Naru,” she whispered, tugging on his sleeve. He followed her gaze and stood up, standing in front of her.

The lights flickered before shutting off entirely, the sound of the door lock engaging.

“Is that the same shadow figure from last night?” he asked, slowly ushering her away from the shadow as it grew. She held onto his arm, trying to tug him back.

“Yeah.”

The shadow opened its eyes to reveal two distorted pupils. Mai gasped and tightened her hold on Naru’s arm.

It reminded her of the demon that attacked her from the hotel.

Naru glanced down, seeing the terror on her face. Understanding, he backed them both away from the figure. “Mai, you need to focus. Use your warding spell.”

Taking a deep breath, she nodded and called for Usa-sama. Protect Naru, please.

The shadow figure never took its eyes off her, slinking toward them. Mai stepped in front of Naru and positioned her hands. She started by reciting Usa-sama’s prayer before steeling her will.

“Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!”

The shadow hissed before disappearing, just like last night.

Mai let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “It was so close…,” she said, a hand on her chest. “Are you okay, Naru?”

“Yeah.” He crouched to the floor and studied the area where Usa-sama stood. He waved a hand over the space and adopted his thinking pose.

She couldn’t help but watch him, enamored. His curiosity was endearing considering that he probably couldn’t even see the deity. A small smile made it onto her face.

Feeling her staring at him, he turned over. “What are you doing?”

Heat crept up her cheeks and she quickly averted her gaze. “Nothing! And I see you met my friend, Usa-sama,” she changed the subject. She picked up the rabbit deity. “Usa-sama, this is Naru. Naru, Usa-sama.”

“Interesting,” was all Naru said. Within a second, he took out his phone and snapped a picture, surprising Mai. He studied it carefully before allowing her to see it when she made a fuss.

It looked like she was holding onto air while making the most ridiculous face imaginable.

“I hope you’re deleting that.”

He smirked.

“Don’t worry, this will only be used for research purposes.”

“NARU!”

Chapter Text

The following day, Mai somehow got roped into walking Masako to every fox fire left unexorcised. Unlike in the first case, Naru now expressed some doubt about Masako’s reliability. Fortunately, he maintained some courtesy and refrained from saying so to her face. He still trusted her abilities but was not satisfied with her inconsistency.

Mai couldn’t help feeling bad for the other girl. Mai was inconsistent, but she wasn’t a renowned medium with a reputation to uphold—the team didn’t rely on her nearly as much.

It was times like these that Mai was grateful for being a greenhorn. The pressure didn’t sound very appealing.

Thus, Mai assumed this current walkthrough was likely for confirmation. If Masako could sense anything around the fox fires, that could be their next lead.

After attempting conversation with little success, Mai just about gave up. Sometimes, the medium reminded her of Naru. Her answers were short, she was reserved, and she gave off a feeling of self-importance. Despite being harder to understand, Mai could at least relate to her more than she could to Naru because, behind all the fame and prowess, Masako was just a teenage girl.

She noticed the other girl had started wearing lip gloss more and donned a new perfume, just like other high school girls. While still distant, Mai felt more in her element with her.

A loud bang shook her out of her thoughts as they approached the track team’s locker room. Dread infiltrated her senses, and she looked to Masako. The other girl looked just as alarmed. Cautiously approaching the locker room, Mai peeked inside and found some equipment had fallen.

“Some crossbars just fell over,” she informed her companion. “Do you sense anything?”

Masako followed her in as she stood the bars back up against both their better judgments. “No. There are no spirits in this building.”

Mai unconsciously adopted Naru’s thinking pose. She trusted Masako’s word but also had to listen to her instincts. There was something here, whether it was a spirit or not. Shrugging, she followed the other girl to the door. They were both cut off when the door slid shut in their faces.

Mai used all her might to force the door open to no avail. Really? Again?!

Unlike last time, there wasn’t a human girl nailing the doors closed.

Rubbing her aching hands, Mai stepped aside as Masako pounded on the door to get someone’s attention. The area was empty as all the sports teams were outside, and the school understandably did not allow cameras in the locker room area.

In the worst-case scenario, they would have to wait until the students returned from their club to let them out. They’d left their phones at the base, with Mai charging hers and Masako never carrying her phone during walkthroughs.

“You don’t think we could shove the door down, right?”

“I don’t believe Naru nor our client would be happy if we damaged school property.”

“True, true.” Sighing, Mai crossed her arms and leaned against the door. “Guess we’ll just wait. Either we get attacked, or someone comes by.”

Masako perched herself diagonally to Mai's left on the opposite wall and folded her hands together. “I’m sure Naru will come when he realizes I haven’t returned,” she huffed.

Mai raised a brow but shrugged it off in favor of investigating the room. It looked like any other sports club locker room. Equipment was strewn along the walls with loose belongings on the benches.

Dread was still evident in her senses, but it didn’t feel nearly like when she’d encountered the shadow figures before. Hopefully, that meant no funny business while they were locked in here.

“Do you feel anything, Mai?” Masako suddenly asked.

“Kinda, but I’m nowhere as good at sensing things as you are.”

“And you would be correct,” the other girl said, haughtily sticking her nose up. “I only ask as you are the group's only other clairvoyant.”

Mai’s eyebrow twitched. “Talking to you is like talking to Naru.”

Masako widened her eyes and almost looked pleased. A slight blush tinged her cheeks pink, and she promptly hid behind her sleeve. “I see nothing wrong with that.”

Mai brought a finger to her chin. “I guess you’re not wrong, but the guy could learn some tact.” She then paused as she observed the other girl’s reaction.

Why was she all flustered?

“You okay? You’re looking a bit pink. You’re not possessed, right?” Mai approached her in worry.

“Of course not.”

“Then, why are you so pink?”

Masako turned her face away, resulting in Mai tilting her head in confusion. The gears in her head turned until she figured it out. Adopting the playful façade she used around her school friends, she innocently asked, “Could it be that you like Naru?”

“And what if I did?” Masako defended, likely embarrassed from being found out.

Mai smiled. “Nothing wrong with that. Having a crush, I mean.”

The medium studied her before clearing her throat and returning to her usual demeanor. “You mean to tell me that you are fine knowing this?”

Should I be bothered? It’s not like Naru’s the dating type anyway. He’s too busy dating his work and himself.

But that’s also not a ‘no?’ Gene inserted his unsolicited tease.

Mai opened her mouth to reply when a yelp replaced it as the ceiling light exploded. Simultaneously, one of the lockers tipped over and nearly crashed on top of Masako had she not dodged it. The other locker doors began to shake as well.

The two girls huddled to the floor in the corner of the room where Mai began chanting.

The activity halted, leaving them both to sigh in relief. “You okay?” she asked.

Masako nodded, accepting Mai’s hand when she offered. She was tugged back when her kimono got caught on the floor. After gently pulling it up, both girls crouched to see what it had caught on—a crack in the tile separating the corner from the rest.

“That’s weird?” Mai scanned the area. The floor was uneven, like there was something underneath. A strangely cut wood plank lay against the dirt foundation when she removed it.

“A hitogata,” stated her companion. The two glanced at each other before Mai took one for the team and picked it up.

So, this was what a hitogata looked like in person—Naru had only mentioned it briefly on the last case. Telling from Naru’s pictureless textbooks, she imagined it to look more like the shape of a person, but not everyone could be a genius in craftsmanship.

Flipping the effigy over, her eyes widened when she found a name written on the back. She showed Masako, and the two shared a look.

The muffled voices of Bou-san and John could then be heard from down the hall. The girls ran to the door, pounding and calling out for the two men.

.

Bou-san and John helped tidy up the locker room before the four escaped. Seemingly, there had been nothing physically wrong with the door—the guys opened it without a problem.

Mai collapsed on a chair as soon as they returned to base while Masako went on to retell what happened. She emphasized to Naru how frightening it all was for her.

“It is good to see that you are unscathed, Hara-san,” he said, studying the hitogata.

Pssh, scoffed her head gremlin.

“Please, it’s okay if you call me Masako.” The medium covered her mischievous smile with a sleeve.

Ayako made a noise from the other side of the room. “I didn’t realize you two were so close,” she commented offhandedly.

Naru glared and placed the hitogata firmly against the table, causing Mai to jump at the sound. “Rather than talk about trivial matters, I’d prefer to discuss this case. Unless you’d like to be useless elsewhere?”

Bou-san cracked a laugh to the side, earning him daggers from Ayako.

Looking at the name written on the effigy, John was the first to contribute to the topic. “Isn’t Yoshino Takeshi one of the teachers?”

“You’re right. Takahashi-san mentioned that Yoshino-sensei was the teacher who called out Kasai-san at the assembly. He’s currently in the hospital due to a recent car accident.”

Bou-san crossed his arms in thought. “I would gander to say the Kasai girl cursed him.”

“Then what about everything else going on?” asked Mai. “You don’t think she’s been making straw dolls of everyone and hammering a nail through?”

“Not unless we’re dealing with a zuzou.” Naru looked over to Lin, who was now on full attention.

The tall man nodded. “That very well may be.”

“Yes, it would seem that someone at this school is using enmi to initiate the curses.”

Mai tested the term in her mouth quietly. Had she read about “enmi?” Was she supposed to know what it was?

As if sensing her confusion, Naru sighed. “For Mai’s sake, I’ll explain. Enmi is a spell used in Onmyodo for cursing someone. Praying to malevolent spirits to enact a curse on the person represented by a hitogata is an example of such a spell. The media usually portrays this as hitting a nail into an effigy doll.”

“Then it’s obvious. That Kasai girl is making good on her threat,” said Ayako before turning to Mai. “Didn’t you say the girl knew about the paranormal?”

“Yeah… but I don’t think she’d know how to use enmi.”

“How would you know she doesn’t? She obviously wouldn’t tell you.”

Mai leaned her cheek on her hand and watched Naru's index finger as it tapped the table. “I guess you’re right…” she scrunched her brows in thought. “But I know it’s not her.”

“Is this your instincts talking?” interjected Naru.

She nodded, her face betraying nothing but certainty.

He crossed his arms and studied her. “Then, I’ll continue with the case assuming that notion.”

“Great, but how should we approach ending the curse before anyone else gets hurt?” added Masako.

“We will start with searching for any other hitogata.”

And so, the crew was dismissed to search the school while Mai was tasked with finding Taka. Simultaneously, Naru and Lin left to search the classroom with the cursed desk. Taped to the roof of the desk’s inside was a hitogata without a designated name. It was simply meant for whoever sat there.

“Who was the first to sit at the desk?” asked Naru, straight to business as soon as Taka was seated in the base. He and Lin sat across from the two girls.

Taka pondered the question. “To be honest, I don’t even remember. I do know Mirayama-san sat there next.”

“Do you know when she started sitting there?”

“Probably on September 15^th. We change desks every 15^th of every month.”

Naru crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair. “When did she have her accident?”

“Around the time of the seat change, I think?”

“I see. Then, the hitogata must have been placed inside the desk between the seat change. Likely a few days before. The student who sat there previously probably wasn’t connected.”

Taka scrunched her brows in confusion. “Hitogata? Connected?”

Naru stood up to look out the window in thought. “Mirayama-san must have done something to anger the hexer. The culprit is likely someone she knows. So, we can rule out teachers she’s never had and students from other grades.”

“Well, we do get some substitutes here and there, and then there are a bunch of clubs—oh, you know what, I just remembered something. It happened during the Kasai panic. Apparently, Mirayama-san had gotten so fed up with the supernatural talk that she called out Kasai-san in front of a bunch of students. Kasai-san’s sister got caught in the altercation since they’re in the same club. Mirayama-san was so bothered that she went to Ubusuna-sensei about it.”

“Why Ubusuna-sensei?” asked Mai.

“I would guess it’s because she’s kinda known for being into all this supernatural stuff. She knows a bunch about psychic powers and whatnot. Not to mention she’s always been close with the Kasai sisters, so no one batted an eye when she defended Kasai-san.”

Naru turned around and leaned against the windows. “Ubusuna-sensei is close with both sisters? I was under the impression that Kasai Chizu only occasionally attended the biology club.”

“Um, yeah. Now that I think about it, they’ve only been close recently since the panic. Kasai Chiaki knew Ubusuna-sensei from before because she’d always been part of the biology club. I see Ubusuna-sensei with Chizu-san sometimes, but y’know what… Kasai Chiaki is never with them.”

After speaking with Taka, Naru shooed Mai away to help search for hitogata. She ended up finding Bou-san and Ayako in the courtyard mid-grumble. According to them, they’d been paid a visit by each Kasai sister at different times.

That only supported Ayako’s assumption, but Mai didn’t feel like opening that can right now. She tried to detract but opened a different can instead.

“Jou-chan, why didn’t you tell me Naru wasn’t an onmyoji?” Bou-san half-assedly kicked over a stone. “I thought he was some prestigious master. That’s why I’m doing grunt work!”

“Well, it’s not exactly a fact that I know he isn’t one… but he doesn’t feel like one either.”

“How could you possibly tell?” Ayako crossed her arms. “You’re only a novice.”

Mai shuffled through a bush as she formulated her response. She never thought about it closely before. The feelings just were.

 “It’s not really something I can explain. I guess you could call it energy?” she started. “Naru feels too closed off and sturdy to be a spiritual person.” Sturdy yet ready to burst at the same time somehow.

“Okay then, what about me?” asked Bou-san out of curiosity.

“Your energy comes off as firm, kinda woody. Reminds me of summer in the mountains. There’s a sense of calm.”

“Mountains, eh? I’ll take it.”

“What about me?” Ayako flipped her hair back. “My energy has to be soft and refined.”

“More like a fire.” Mai giggled. “It ripples like a flame, but there’s something kind of pure about it.”

“Pure?” Bou-san raised a brow, earning him a glare. “You sure you’re reading the right energy?”

Before Ayako could drop-kick him, footsteps from behind alerted them of someone approaching. “You’re quite talented, Taniyama-san.”

Whipping around, the group of three found themselves face to face with Ubusuna-sensei. She must’ve been finishing up for the day as she carried her suitcase of paperwork over her shoulder.

She smiled politely and greeted them with a bow of her head. “I take it your entire crew is made up of psychics?”

“No, it’s just Mai-chan and Hara-san. The rest of us are spiritualists,” answered Bou-san.

“I’m just an amateur, though,” Mai added.

Ubusuna-sensei blinked at her sudden clarification but readopted her soft smile. “Even so, I think that you’re quite impressive. You must have a good mentor.”

Mai awkwardly laughed. “I guess you could say that!”

“Have you found any leads yet?” the teacher suddenly asked.

“My boss seems to think there’s a curse going on,” Mai started. “By who, we don’t know.”

Ayako scoffed. “It’s obviously that Kasai Chiaki girl. She did say she’d curse someone to death.”

Ubusuna-sensei frowned at the accusation. “I certainly hope you all don’t share that sentiment. Chiaki-san would never do such a thing. What she said wasn’t right, but she’d been stressed then.”

“I don’t think she would either. Having talked with her, I can tell she’s not that kind of person,” defended Mai.

This answer seemed to satisfy the teacher because she nodded to Mai before excusing herself. The other two were still skeptical about the situation but returned their focus to the original task.

Mai and Ayako searched through the campus garden while Bou-san checked around the sports fields. She nearly forgot the objective while trailing through the many plants the school was growing. She was about to move on when Ayako called her over. One of the bricks lining the perimeter was crooked, while the rest looked carefully in line.

There was no way…!

Removing the brick revealed a fresh-looking hitogata etched partway into the soil. Whoever had placed it tried to push it deep into the ground but had been clumsy with removing and replacing the brick. Any perfectionist would’ve noticed the offset.

They—as in Mai, since Ayako wasn’t about to ruin her acrylic nails—dug it out. When she flipped it to read the name, her gasp was drowned by the recipient’s scream in the distance.

Written on it was Hara Masako.

.

“I should’ve known better. It must have been targeting Masako when we were in the locker room!” Mai kicked herself for not realizing it sooner. The poor medium had just been sent to the hospital after being found at the bottom of the stairwell. Having been with her then, John accompanied her to the hospital.

“No use beating yourself up about it, Jou-chan.”

Ayako nodded. “None of us thought about it either.”

The door opened, revealing the return of Naru and Lin. “I found something interesting with this hitogata,” said Naru as he entered the base with Lin trailing behind. He placed the effigy on the table for the team to study.

Mai noted nothing strange about it and shared a look with Ayako, who looked to Bou-san for answers.

Naru internally shook his head at the subpar observation skills of his team. He reached into his pocket for the first hitogata they found and placed it beside the other one. Seeing them side by side, Mai’s eyes widened in realization.

The new one they found was much rougher in quality. The most notable difference was the quality of the writing. While the first one was pristine, almost like a printer had etched it on, the other lacked the same precision. As if—

“Two different people made these,” Bou-san verbalized what everyone was thinking.

“The second hitogata lacks the craftsmanship of the first. The handwriting is different, too,” added Ayako.

Naru crossed his arms and leaned against a table. “This means we now have potentially two culprits—an experienced hexer and possibly a pupil. So far, the only ones in our team who have been targeted are Mai and Hara-san. Hara-san is a celebrity, so finding her name is not hard. Mai, who have you told your name to?”

The said girl placed a finger to her chin as she recollected. “Taka and some of her friends, a few staff members, Kasai-san, and then her sister.”

“It has to be Kasai and her sister, then,” Ayako said as though it were obvious. “We caught them both snooping around earlier!”

Mai glanced at Naru to see what he thought of the whole ordeal. His stony face remained the same, and she wondered why she expected to see anything different. “Didn’t her sister say she didn’t have powers, Naru?”

“Mai, you should be careful trusting everything people say. She could easily be playing you.” Ayako sighed, shaking her head.

Naru kept a hand to his chin, deep in thought. “In any case, we should continue searching for more hitogata. Lin and I will investigate the hexers,” Naru dismissed them.

Mai inwardly groaned as she walked off. There were so many places to look. Finding one was already an off-chance occasion, let alone having to find an indeterminate amount?! She wandered off on her own to bug Gene about the situation. She whipped out her mirror when she found a vacant area of the schoolyard. When her spirit guide’s image eventually manifested in the mirror, she quirked her brow at his salute.

What can I do for you, Boss-lady?

Chuckling, she greeted him with a smile. “What if I just wanted to say hi?”

Gene dipped his head down and looked her squarely in the eye. While on a case? Yeah, right. Now, out with it.

She quickly glanced around to ensure she was alone and asked, "Well, Naru wants us to find all the hitogata on the premises to put out this curse. There’s gotta be a bunch of them! Can you sense where they are?”

I’m not some computer program, you know, he chided jokingly. Use your instincts. You are your own built-in radar. Follow it, and it’ll lead you there eventually.

Great. Gene was back to being vague. It was probably better that she stopped relying on him all the time for cases, but she was still a novice with this whole thing.

“Should I just wander around or something?”

If that’s what your heart tells you. He winked playfully and faded away, leaving Mai to stare back at her reflection.

And so, she was left to her own devices. Unsure where to start, she searched the sports fields and some equipment sheds with permission. When she was done looking through all five areas, the sun started casting an orange hue as it set.

She was ready to turn in when something caught her eye. Mai hadn’t noticed her before, but Kasai Chizu sat alone by the track field. Most students would have left by now.

Approaching her quietly, she looked to be meditating. Her legs were crossed, and both hands lay prone on her knees.

You need to be doing more of that, joked her head gremlin.

Mai ignored him and hid behind a tree to continue observing. She knew how creepy this was, but what else was she supposed to do?

“You can join me if you want,” called out Chizu.

Mai squeaked in surprise. So much for hiding!

“Uh, hi. Sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you,” she said, leaving the safety of her tree. She sat next to Chizu and stretched out her legs against the grass. “What are you doing out here meditating? Wouldn’t that be better somewhere less dangerous?”

Chizu opened her eyes. “No, not really. At home, there are people around to distract me.”

“I see. Um, did your sister go home yet?”

“Probably.”

“Does she know you stay here?”

“She thinks I’m practicing for the next track meet.”

Huh. How come the more she talked to the sisters, the less close they felt?

“Why lie?”

Chizu looked over to her and shrugged, a tired smile on her face. “I guess, sometimes I want to do my own thing. She doesn’t need to know my business all the time. We’re close in age, so we’ve always done everything together. Bet you probably thought we were twins, but we’re not. Everyone treats us like we are, though. Nee-san is also older than me, so it’s always, ‘Chiaki and her sister.’ I’m always ‘the sister.’ She’s also smarter and more accomplished than me, so our parents expect more from her.”

Mai never even would have thought of that. Both sisters seemed to care so much for each other, and Chizu came off to her as the more outgoing of the two—not at all overlooked.

Sounds like self-esteem issues…

“I don’t know you well, but I didn’t get that feeling! You’re both very different people with different talents… like I’m sure you’re more athletic. You can excel at things she can’t, and vice-versa.”

“That’s funny you say that. Ubusuna-sensei said the same thing. She’s the one who helped me find something that only I can do.” Chizu smiled at the thought of her teacher. “But, now I almost feel bad… but maybe that’s part of the responsibility.”

Mai tilted her head in curiosity, feeling like the conversation had taken a different turn.

“What do you mean… ?”

Chizu looked conflicted and almost apologetic. “Let’s say I wanted to test something,” she said as she stood up. “The chance to have this many psychics here again is slim. Anyway, I gotta go! Can’t miss dinner!” With that, she sped off, leaving Mai even more confused.

She trauma-dumped and then ran off.

“In her defense, I did ask.”

You asked one question, and she unloaded her issues.

“That’s fine! Girls do it all the time. You don’t know how often they complain about their siblings being treated better or being liked more than them.”

Gene was silent after that, but she brushed it off as him being uninterested in girls’ insecurities.

She stood and brushed her pants off before returning to the main building. On her way, she caught sight of Naru inside one of the fenced-in areas for utility purposes. He just stood there staring down into an open manhole. What’s up with him?

Opening the fence door, she walked up to him. “What’re you doing?”

Naru ignored her as usual, so she stepped beside him to peer into the hole.

Nothing. Just darkness. “Nar-”

“What are you doing?” Naru asked from over by the fence. She blinked and shook her head. How could he be over there if he was standing beside he—

Mai whipped around as fast as her body allowed.

The space was empty.

Goosebumps ran up her arms as the breeze blew by. How many times is this going to happen?!

Knowing you, it definitely won’t be the last time! Gene added.

Gee, thanks.

The sound of the manhole cover moving caused her to jump. “Did that just slide by itself?” She got her answer when it slid again, widening the opening. Her feet were frozen to the ground so she couldn’t move away. The shadow from the hole slowly extended, far faster than the sun could set.

She squeaked and began to panic. “Uh, shadow-thing’s made a comeback!”

Naru’s footsteps in the grass hastened when one of her ankles was yanked, pulling her into the manhole. He was quick on his feet, grabbing both arms before she could be pulled in. She scrambled to hold onto anything, finding her grasp landing on his dress shirt.

While he tried to pull her out, her ankles were tugged in opposition.

If she held onto Naru, he would be yanked down with her. Bracing herself, she released her hold on him.

“Don’t even think about it,” he grated out with a glare. He pulled her tighter, and before they knew it, down the hole they went.

When Mai came to, she expected aches and pains but was surprisingly comfortable. Squeezing her eyes, she wiggled around and noted the lack of cold floor against her body. She must have hit her head and was on the astral plane.

“Stop moving.”

Snapping her eyes open, Mai shot up and nearly had a heart attack when she realized she’d been on top of Naru and rubbing up on him. Did this count as workplace sexual harassment? Probably not, since it wasn’t intentional. Wait, did that mean Naru protected her from the fall? He’d already saved her life once before… in fact, he usually showed up when she needed help. Despite his coldness and harsh words, he was a kind person.

She already knew this, but moments like these solidified it further.

Her eyes unconsciously trailed over their environment, and she caught sight of a pile of rubble with broken pipes sticking out. Good thing we didn’t fall on that!

“Feeling better?” he mumbled softly, still lying on the ground. When she glanced down at him, it almost looked like he was smiling—not unlike one of Gene’s smiles. Seeing it on Naru felt different, though. It was the first time she saw him do that, and she couldn’t help the warmth that bubbled in her chest.

“Yeah, I do feel better. How’d you know?”

He must have realized he was caught because he immediately dropped the smile in favor of staring up at the ceiling. “You follow a pattern. First, you get depressed, and then you get mad. You usually bounce back quickly after that.”

“I didn’t know I did that.” She could feel her cheeks heating up. “Um, well, thank you for trying to help. Looks like I got us stuck down here,” she sighed. “Do you have your phone on you? I forgot to unplug mine.”

“It met a certain fate on the way down here.”

She flinched, only imagining the state it was in. “Sorry… hopefully someone will come looking for us.”

Noticing that he was still on the ground, Mai got worried. Had he broken something? When she moved to help him up, a sharp pain radiated up her leg. She must have landed on it wrong. How they even survived was beyond her.

Naru pushed himself up with difficulty, and he and Mai shuffled to the wall to sit. “I’m not injured. I’m just tired,” he said when he noticed her concern.

“That doesn’t make me feel better.” She frowned but didn’t push and leaned against the wall.

The two sat in silence until Naru broke the silence. “Want to meet my pet?”

What in the nonsense was he talking about?

In his hand was a 500 yen coin. Quirking her brow at him, she looked back at the coin to find it had slid away.

“What the heck? Where’d it go?”

“You were scrutinizing him, so he got scared.”

“Let me see it!”

Naru showed her both his empty hands. “He must have run away,” he said before reaching for her wrist and pulling it out again. “Ah, there he is.”

“That’s a cool trick! I didn’t know you knew magic. You get more impressive the more I learn,” she chuckled.

He observed her for a minute before a completely different voice surprised her. “You think he’s impressive?” asked the coin, supposedly. Naru’s mouth didn’t even show movement.

“Now that you also know ventriloquism, yeah!” she grinned, enjoying his act.

His lips curved up slightly. The coin then magically poofed away back into his pocket.   

“That was amazing! Once we get out of here, I want to look at your coin.” She sat back against the wall, now in a better mood. She glanced over at her companion and noted how pale he looked. Was it just fatigue?

“Why were you over here anyway?”

“I thought I saw you standing there, but it was another trick. Nothing new here.”

Naru was silent for a moment. “I came over because I heard you calling for help, but seeing as you were fine, I was also tricked. I likely have a hitogata now as well.”

Remembering what happened before she saw his mimic, she explained to him what Chizu had told her earlier. “Isn’t that a little weird?”

He didn’t reply and instead formulated quietly in his usual thinking pose.

They sat like that for another minute until Mai quickly sat up. Naru sensed it as well and stood to scan the area. Footsteps in the water were heard moving closer. Naru collected Mai and helped her hobble back toward the entrance.

From the sewer water erupted an ominous apparition. It took on the appearance of a woman with a slit mouth and black holes for eyes. Her head veered toward Naru, indicating she was probably here for him.

Naru shielded her by pushing her behind him.

Taking a deep breath, she recited Usa-sama’s poem. The deity in question stood before them, effectively staving off the spirit. Mai didn’t have enough energy for Bou-san’s verse, but she hoped that what energy she did have, she could hold out until someone found them.

Naru stumbled beside her, and she nearly lost her focus. She continued her prayer but kept an eye on her boss, worry beginning to creep up as he swayed.

Eventually, he leaned all his weight on her, nearly knocking them both down if she hadn’t guided him to the wall so they could slide down. Her ankle still screamed at her, but she couldn’t worry about that right now.

“Naru?!” She shook him, panic in her voice. He had passed out.

The spirit continued her approach. If Mai acknowledged how much broader her mouth slit got, she would probably pass out too.

Usa-sama was the only thing keeping her away from them. Mai held onto Naru to protect him, cradling his head in her arms. She squeezed her eyes shut and recited her prayer incessantly.

I need help!

Chapter Text

Different muffled voices could be heard in the background as his consciousness waxed and waned. Varying degrees of light flashed across his eyelids as he was tossed around from one area to another.

Oliver remembered hearing Mai’s worried voice betray her exhaustion, followed by Bou-san and Lin’s voices.

His consciousness wavered after that, briefly returning only to hear Mai talking to someone—someone only she could hear. A hard object was then placed in his hand before the sound of the EMS workers overwhelmed his senses.

He instinctively clutched the object tightly before he lost consciousness again, a recognizable presence in his periphery. The weakness he felt faded as a familiar energy overwhelmed his body. He subconsciously manipulated the energy before sending it back to the source out of habit. This exchange played out on the outskirts of his mind, barely registering before he eventually blacked out.

That was a close one there, Noll. You’re welcome, by the way!

The hospital ceiling stared back at him when he finally woke in a haze. Prodigy or not, even his brain struggled to recollect what happened. The last thing he remembered was sitting with Mai in the sewer when the evil spirit appeared.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his room door. The nurse announced herself before entering to check on him and his vitals. He seemed to have landed himself a talkative nurse because she carried the conversation by herself without much input from him.

“It really was quite peculiar. EMS reported that you had bradycardia and was severely hypotensive at arrival—yet, it resolved on its own with no explanation. We completed some tests, but Sensei didn’t find your values off,” she said, a pleasant smile on her face. “You’re very lucky, young man. You must have a guardian spirit watching over you.”

She recorded his vitals, noting how stable they were. Before she was called out to attend to another matter, she gestured toward his nightstand where various belongings of his sat. “We left your belongings over there, including that mirror you were holding onto for dear life. You had quite the vice grip on it! I’m sure it must be very important to you.”

Seeing his less than enthused face, she finally got the message and smiled wanly. “Well, please ring the bell if you need anything.” With that, she bid him a good day and left.

Oliver’s face remained expressionless as he computed the social interaction he had just been subjected to. He glanced at his nightstand in curiosity considering her comment—Mai’s pocket mirror sat perched on top of the dresser.

The faint memory of Gene’s presence reared its head in the back of his mind. What was that?

He reached over for the mirror and turned it in his hands as he laid back. Why did he have it? Did Mai leave it with him? And for what purpose?

Opening it, he studied the interior. His pale stoic—but still handsome—face stared back. There were no abnormalities that would indicate anything worthy of note.

So, how did Gene reach him? Could it have been that he was close to death, allowing his deceased twin to contact him? Or did this mirror have a special ability? It was inhabited by a deity, after all.

He snapped the mirror shut and debated using psychometry on it. Even if he did, he still couldn’t see the spiritual intricacies he desired. He lacked that type of clairvoyance.

The curiosity was too strong for the scientist within him, however.

Oliver closed his eyes and opened his senses. Despite his years of experience, his control faltered as a stronger force pulled him through the series of visions—like snapshots flashing before his eyes.

A thriving shrine with flourishing greenery and many tenders. Ancient Shinto rituals with an autumn foliage backdrop as the moon hung overhead. Worshippers paying their respects on Otsukimi, their styles of dress changing throughout the centuries. The number of visitors dwindled with time until it sat forgotten by most, only visited by a few elderly citizens who would come to clean before they too fell from age. Years of war followed before modernization diminished the vegetation while the buildings grew taller.

And then came Mai.

Her curious face eclipsed the sky as she peered into a wooden box. Then came her huffed expression as she stomped away from him during their first meeting at her school. Visions of an ethereal rabbit, white as snow steadily inching closer to her until it sat beside her on equal footing. Mai’s countless nights of restless sleep where she would wake up in sweat or tears.

Lastly, there she stood again on a plane of warm yellow, orbs of various colors floating. On one side stood Usa-sama. On the other was a blurred individual, hidden by what he could only describe as a glitch in space.

Who…?

He was abruptly torn out as voices called out to him, his vision congealing.

“Davis-san, can you hear me?”

When his vision finally cleared, he blinked up to the faces of the nurse from earlier and what he presumed to be one of the doctors. 

Bathed in sweat, Oliver mustered up his energy to utter an exhausted, “Yes.”

“You’ve been unresponsive for at least three minutes,” said the doctor. “We were alerted that your breathing had stopped and your heart rate had slowed.”

After what felt like hours of triage, they eventually left him to rest. Now, would have been a convenient time for Lin to be here.

Fidgeting with the mirror in his hand, he closed his eyes for a moment of repose. Thankfully, he had their case figured out with those few hours he had to research earlier. At the very least, that wouldn’t have to be a concern tonight. Not to say he wasn’t going to continue working anyway.

Unfortunately, Gene’s presence was still a mystery, however.

Even in death, his brother couldn’t make things easy for him.

The vibration of his phone—which miraculously turned back on despite the huge crack in the screen—alerted him to a message, likely from Lin. Eight notifications stared back at him.

One was from said guardian saying that he would be in soon. The second was from Madoka, making a big deal after hearing what happened, and debating whether she should let his mother know or not.

And the rest were emails from Mai. To read or not to read.

Accepting his fate, he braced himself. Her emails ranged from apologizing for getting him in the situation to chastising him for not saying anything if he was feeling unwell, then to her usual nervous nighttime ghost-related shitpost emails. It was the latter that had him bracing for his mental health—Mai’s emails were typically dubious in quality.

Debunking a few of her emails because he felt generous, he was relieved to see Lin arrive soon after with his laptop and casefiles.

Perfect. Time to get back to work.

.

It may have been a bad idea to leave the mirror with his brother, but it was the only way to stabilize Noll until he received medical help. Even if Gene couldn’t be there to help in person, being able to do this much was fulfilling enough.

How could he fault Noll for using PK to save himself and Mai? He was proud of him for his altruistic act. His twin wasn’t—completely—soulless and uncaring, yet he also wasn’t the first person to jump up and save someone else’s life at the expense of his own.

Noll was much more calculated than that.

Unfortunately, his act of heroism could be to his detriment. Out of the two, he was already the feebler one because of his workaholic lifestyle. He didn’t work out much, barely ate, and ran on hardly any sleep. So, yeah, a psychic-induced fainting spell was not ideal. That wasn’t to say Gene was the most fit guy either, but at least he lifted a little bit, did his cardio, and had a healthier lifestyle. In Noll’s defense, the scientist did tai chi in the form of qigong—lean muscles were still muscles!

The ghostly twin had been worried that after his death, Noll’s habits would only get worse.

He wasn’t wrong… but, the severity wasn’t worth reanimating himself. All thanks to Mai. He was surprised by the sincerity of her actions without him even needing to ask her. She made sure both Noll and his equally bad guardian ate throughout the day, checked on them at night during cases, stimulated them enough to prevent learned non-use of their already struggling social skills, and nagged Noll when no one else would.  

He also had the sneaking suspicion that Noll, not just tolerated her, but genuinely liked her. She may have joined the ranks of pumpkin people*, even! That was no easy feat. The guilty part of his brain had fun imagining romance, but his brother probably couldn’t tell the difference between attraction and a stomachache.

Speaking of Mai, Gene had to wonder about the nature of her relationship with Noll. She clearly viewed him as a friend, but sometimes, he questioned her reactions.

For shits and giggles, he liked to watch the living realm through his TV on Mai’s plane. He thought it endearing to watch Mai’s concealed glee when Noll replied to her emails, or when she replied to them out loud before typing her response. If he had enough energy, he’d check on Noll to find him rolling his eyes or even cracking a smirk at her responses.

Curious indeed.

.

The vibration of her phone had her nearly jumping out of the bathroom—as good as her sprained ankle allowed—with a toothbrush in her mouth, and toothpaste dribbling out.

When Naru’s email flashed on her screen, she let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“He’s okay,” she said, words muffled as her toothbrush wiggled in her mouth. Without waiting, she opened his replies. His responses were status quo until she reached the last email—

Mai.

Your messages are cluttering my email. I’m permitting you to text, but do contain your excitement.

Only three texts per day.

Remember that the team will be meeting tomorrow in my hospital room at noon. Don’t be late. Now go to bed.

Her toothbrush cluttered to the floor as her mouth hung open. At the bottom of the email was his phone number.

She hadn’t believed Gene when he’d told her Naru would eventually give in if she poked at him enough. Was this what it felt like to get a stray cat to trust you? What a time for Gene not to be able to make unsolicited comments!

Saving Naru’s number to her phone, she sent him a text to nag him to stop working before continuing with her night. Lethargy practically rolled in waves over her from how much energy she expended earlier, but her routine held strong.

Pulling out her journals, she reflected on her hectic night. Just when she thought she and Naru were going to be spirit food, Bou-san and Lin came just in time to scare away the spirit.

Upon helping them escape, the two adults took it upon themselves to inspect the sewer. They auspiciously found the remaining hitogata piled up in a heap further down the tunnel, including a newly made one for Naru. Lin disposed of them by burning and spreading the ashes into the river.

Again, after skimming through them, there was a notable gap in quality. Only four were made by the assumed apprentice, while the remaining two dozen were made by the more experienced hexer.

Between Naru’s complexion, barely noticeable breathing, and remarkably low blood pressure and heart rate, Ayako had them call for an ambulance.

Gene tried to calm Mai down to no avail. Instead, he instructed her to leave Usa-sama’s mirror with his brother. He didn’t explain why, rather implying that he would be able to stabilize him for the time being. How that worked, Mai wasn’t sure, but she followed his order all the same.

Telling from his demeanor, he seemed to want to tell her something but refrained in the end. Before she could press, EMS arrived and checked Naru’s vitals again. Fortunately, this time every value was stable. He was brought to the ER anyway to determine the cause of his fainting spell and erratic vitals.

Lin sent everyone home, even after they all pushed to stay.

Mai was just relieved that Naru was fine—she would never forgive herself if she allowed him to get fatally harmed, physically or spiritually. Gene assured her that Naru knew what he was doing and was the only one responsible for his actions.

For now, she felt better knowing Usa-sama was watching over him.

Later that night around 3 am, she woke up to the faint sounds of scratching. Half-asleep with her eyes barely open, she blearily scanned her room. It didn’t sound like it was coming from here.

There it was again, a scraping sound coming from the living room. Now would have been a great time to have Usa-sama with her or even Gene’s input. Whatever her spirit guide did for Naru earlier, it completely wiped him out. So, she didn’t want to bother him in her dreamscape tonight.

Sighing in defeat, she turned on her light and grabbed her phone. Opening the door ajar, she peeked into the living room and found nothing abnormal. Turning on her phone’s flashlight, she followed the scraping sound to her front door.

She held her breath and pressed her lips into a straight line. Is this worth it? I could just go back to bed and pretend I heard nothing.

The scratching continued, now directly on the other side of her door. Sucking in a breath, she peeked through the peephole.

Nothing there.

Should I just get used to this by now?

A knock on the door had her hitching her breath. She froze in place and waited. Each second lasted what felt like ages as her heart pounded in her chest, expecting the worst.

Bringing her hands together into the mudra of “the sword,” she quietly recited the seal of the Immovable One. As the doorknob started to jiggle like someone was trying to get inside, her hands shook in fear.

Could she do this without Usa-sama? And without Gene? She’d been successful warding before because of her deity companion, but what about now that it was just her power?

The doorknob continued to jiggle vigorously as she struggled to steel herself. Then, she spotted a shadow emerging from outside the living room window through the blinds.

The mantra isn’t working! I… don’t think I can do this by myself.

Suddenly, the memory from when Bou-san taught her the mantra replayed in her head.

“When protecting yourself, you can’t falter. You have to stand strong and assert your will.

“What if it’s not working? Or the spirit’s too strong?” she asked.

“Don’t be scared—know it within yourself that you can do it. That will be your greatest weapon.”

Mai inhaled deeply. She needed to do what Gene always said, “Be like the Buddha.”

Glaring at the door, she brought her hands together again and began her chant. This time, determination and anger from being messed with fueled her resolve. “Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan. Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan.

“NAUMAKU SANMANDA BAZARADAN KAN!”

The doorknob froze and returned to its original position. She stared at it for a few seconds longer before finally allowing every muscle in her body to relax. Tip-toeing up to the door, she once again checked the peephole. Clear. She discreetly looked through the blinds for any shadow figures and sighed in relief when there was nothing in sight.

After calming down and scrounging around online, Mai sprinkled salt at her door to hopefully prevent any uninvited nasties.

As she tried to fall back asleep, a thought ran through her head.

Why did it come for me?

.

The next morning, Mai trudged her way out of bed looking like someone had just pissed in her congee. Despite her grumpiness, she managed to brew some tea for Naru before leaving for the hospital.

When she arrived, Kasai Chizu stood by the elevator as if waiting for her.

Mai eyed her. “Hello. Funny seeing you here.”

Chizu waved with enthusiasm. “Hi! I was waiting for you before I went up.”

“… Are you also visiting someone?”

“Your boss asked for me to come,” she replied, stepping onto the elevator. Mai hesitated, looking between the doors and Chizu. When the other girl sent her an expectant look, she followed suit. “He also invited Taka-san, my sister, and Kei-sensei, but they’re on their way.”

“I see.”

The doors closed and the girls stood in silence as they ascended.

“So,” the other girl started, “congratulations for making it. It’s been interesting.” When Mai snapped her head toward Chizu in question, she was surprised to find a hitogata handed to her.

Mai Taniyama was engraved onto it.

Mai looked up in surprise, taking the hitogata from her hand. “Where did you find this?”

“I made it!”

Is she really admitting this right now?

The elevator doors dinged open, and Chizu stepped off casually with a bounce to her step. She held her hands behind her back as she walked backward to face Mai. “It’s not that great, but it’s not too bad for a beginner, yeah?”

Mai stayed silent, instead opting to follow her cautiously. “Why are you telling me this?”

The other girl’s eyes brightened. “I see no reason to hide it. You’d find out eventually.” She shrugged and turned away from her as she walked. “Besides, I kind of like you. You’re a little younger than me but have some pretty cool abilities. Thought I should tell you myself.”

What was wrong with this girl?

Their conversation ended when they arrived at Naru’s room. It didn’t have a name in front for some reason, so Mai went in first.

Bou-san and Ayako stood to the left of Naru’s bed, looking like they were in mid-argument with the teen before she showed up. What else was new?

They moved away to stand across from his bed with Lin to accommodate the newcomers.

“Naru! How are you feeling?” Mai asked as soon as they were inside.

“Lower your voice,” he glared. “I’m fine.” When she stared at him as if waiting for an explanation, he glanced away with a sour expression. “I’m just overworked,” he lied.

Mai scoffed. “Overworked by no one except yourself! I’ve been telling you to eat and take breaks. You don’t even sleep.  I know ‘cause you reply to my emails at like four AM,” she scolded. Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out the thermos she brought. “Here, I have tea.”

“Glad to see you’re feeling okay, Shibuya-san. Your girlfriend takes good care of you!” Chizu said, making herself at home on one of the seats laid out by the wall.

Mai and Naru shot her a glare while Bou-san shared a glance with Ayako before the two smirked.

She looked around the room in confusion. “Am I wrong?”

The door opened, saving everyone from having to elaborate. Taka entered with Chiaki and Ubusuna-sensei trailing behind. “Ah, Chizu-san, you beat us here,” Taka said.

The three newcomers sat down after greeting the group. Ubusuna-sensei had brought a bouquet, which she placed in her lap.

“I hope you’re feeling better,” the teacher said with a smile.

“I am,” Naru said, opening his notebook. “Now that everyone’s here, I would like to confirm something.

“Takahashi-san, Chiaki-san, Chizu-san, did Mai tell you about her abilities?”

Taka shrugged. “I was the one who asked her about it, but she didn’t say much.”

Chiaki stiffened slightly. “Yeah, she did. And Nee-chan hasn’t even talked to Mai, so I don’t see why you brought her here.”

Naru raised a brow and glanced at Chizu.

The said girl smiled and casually swung her legs. “Mai-chan didn’t really tell me anything, but I had a hunch!”

“Did any of you tell anyone else?”

Taka shook her head, while Chiaki glared at him. “Why does it matter? Rather than asking questions, just come out and say what you’re thinking. You think I’m the culprit, right?”

Naru closed his eyes, likely to keep his composure. “I’d like you to answer the question.”

She pressed her lips together and averted her gaze.

So stubborn, Mai thought.

Ubusuna-sensei tilted her head. “I suppose she did tell me.”

“I see,” said Naru. “On the topic, Sensei, may I ask where are you from?”

“Fukushima prefecture, but is that related to this?”

Naru snapped his notebook shut, grabbing everyone’s attention. “That’s all I needed. I believe I can close this case now.”

“Just from that?” Bou-san questioned.

Kasai scrunched her brows and sat up. “What do you mean? How did any of these questions even help? You mean to say that I was behind all this, right? Then just come out and s-”

“Nee-chan.” Chizu sent her a stern look and yanked her down.

“Don’t worry, it isn’t you,” he said. “You don’t have the knowledge or ability to perform a zuzou, but there are those who do.”

“Then who?” asked Ayako as she crossed her arms.

“Yeah, who is it?” Bou-san added.

“Our main hexer is Ubusuna Kei.” The whole room went silent.

The teacher scoffed but tried to cover it up for a chuckle. “I don’t know what you mean by ‘hexer,’ or even what a ‘zuzou’ is.”

“For someone so well-informed in the area of parapsychology, I’m surprised you don’t know that terminology.” Naru was challenging her, seeing how his brow flickered upward for a second.

“I have no need to know anything of that sort. Your accusation is false.”

“There is no other explanation than you. You are the primary suspect who influenced this whole scheme.”

Chiaki sat forward. “No! It was me! I’m the hexer,” she said to save her teacher.

“You aren’t. The victims were those who ridiculed and argued against the idea of supernatural powers—most notably Mirayama-san and Yoshino-sensei. This provided a motive for the hexer.”

Ubusuna-sensei didn’t falter. “Considering those findings, wouldn’t it be more likely that Chiaki-san would be the likely suspect? After all, it was her powers they denied.”

Chiaki sucked in a breath beside her. She turned to her teacher with a betrayed expression, while the adult in question didn’t bother to acknowledge her.

How awful…

“What about the other hexer?” asked Bou-san, his brows scrunched together as he attempted to piece everything together.

Naru glanced at Chizu, who unabashedly grinned.

“Yours truly,” she said, no remorse evident.

“Nee-chan?! Why?” Her sister was distraught.

“Unlike other people, I’m not ashamed to admit it. Originally, I wasn’t interested in all this supernatural stuff—er, to be honest, I still don’t care. But I found out that I have a knack for spells and curses and all that.” She casually crossed her legs as she explained. “I’m still an amateur so I’ve only made a few hitogata, and that’s only the most recent ones. I just liked the idea of seeing who the better psychic was out of the group. Could my curse beat them first, or would they beat me?”

Mai remembered how Chiaki mentioned her sister was more interested in competitive activities. Could this really be the reason?

“All this for a game? Masako was pushed down the stairs, and Naru and I nearly got seriously injured down the manhole!”

“Told you I felt bad about it. But I got my fix and that’s why I’m confessing all this. It’s not like you can arrest me or anything. The police aren’t going to believe any of this as evidence,” Chizu said, shrugging. “In fact, your boss caught me first after asking around about me. The art club ratted me out for practicing my woodcarving. Even after he knew, he didn’t do anything.”

Mai looked to Naru for confirmation. He maintained the same stoic face, indicating to her that Chizu was telling the truth. She is a horrible person!

“There, with Chizu-san admitting to it, it would only make sense for both sisters to be involved,” Ubusuna-sensei said, an unnerving smile crossing her face.

Rather than reacting the way Chiaki had, Chizu continued to cross her arms and smirk. Mai couldn’t understand her. Her teacher just threw both her and her sister under the bus.

“It can’t be her because she personally knows Mirayama-san. The same goes for Chizu-san. The original hexer for the cursed desk had simply cursed the person sitting there. If the hexer knew her already, then they wouldn’t have had to use a roundabout way.”

“Nonsense. I could have just asked for her name if it came to that.”

“At the time, all students and staff were avoiding you and the Kasai sisters. Would you have been comfortable asking students so freely?” Naru narrowed his eyes. “We should also account for the fact that Chizu-san would’ve needed someone to teach her the spells and curses. It would make the most sense to be you as you have the closest relation to both sisters. Sources say that you had built an abnormally good rapport with Chizu-san following the panic’s start. You could be seen together quite often.”

Chiaki widened her eyes. “That’s right! There’d be times when both of you would just disappear and I couldn’t find either of you. Don’t tell me you were off making effigies!”

“What would even be my motive?”

“As said earlier, all the victims at the beginning were people who ridiculed Chiaki-san, disbelieving that she could bend spoons.” He eyed the teacher.

“And…?”

Naru pulled out an old newspaper. Ubusuna-sensei’s eyes flashed, recognizing the tabloid.

“I remember reading about an incident years ago during the era of a Gellerinis. Many kids were claiming to have psychic powers by bending spoons to get media coverage in the press and on the news. One of which, was a young girl by the name of Ubusuna Kei from Fukushima prefecture who had been revealed to be a fake.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the teacher.

Ubusuna-sensei gripped her bouquet tightly, her eyes hardening. “I wasn’t a fake! I actually had psychic powers, and I could bend those spoons… but sometimes I could make it work, and other times I couldn’t. I was just so nervous. If I couldn’t do it, the news reporter would never believe me. So, just that one time, I used a trick a friend had shown me where they used the edge of the chair to bend it.”

“A technique you would later teach to Chiaki-san.”

She bowed her head down and stayed silent. “I didn’t have someone to tell me that it was okay to admit it if you couldn’t do it.”

Naru placed the paper on his night table. “It’s unfortunate that this was left in the hands of the media rather than an authoritative research organization to test your veracity.”

She was quiet as she stared down at the floor. “I only wanted to defend Chiaki-san’s talents. But then other teachers would say things like, ‘Shouldn’t you provide her better guidance? You call yourself a teacher?’”

“So, that’s why you started this.”

She slowly lifted her head and smirked. “It was just a little prank.”

Mai widened her eyes. She’s just as crazy as her student.

That wasn’t it apparently, because she continued. “Then, Chizu-chan approached me on her own about witchcraft and creating curses. I had her try a few spells and realized that she had a natural talent for it—prodigious even. It was a waste to not have her hone those abilities if that’s what she wanted.”

“You act as if you weren’t the one to push me,” Chizu said, a frown on her face. “I’m not even a fan of crafting or wood-making, but you made me make hitogata. I had my motive, yeah, but it wasn’t like you had nothing to do with it either.”

“Are you implying that I forced you to make those hitogata? Laughable. You had just as much interest in it.”

“Yeah, because I thought I could do something about the situation! But things only got worse!”

Mai frowned. Weren’t they both just refusing accountability?

Chiaki continued to sit with her head bowed down, either from disappointment or shame that two people so close to her would stoop this low. Mai couldn’t help but feel bad for her. The teacher she respected so much threw her under the bus, and her sister hid so much from her.

“That’s why people should learn to respect the paranormal and things they can’t explain,” said Ubusuna-sensei. She walked towards the window and placed her bouquet in the vase. “You never know what may be waiting to bite you,” she said, as she rearranged the flowers.

Naru narrowed his eyes and shared a look with Lin. “Stop what you’re doing!”

Lin ran over and snatched the bouquet from her. She didn’t give it without a fight, though. Ubusuna-sensei yanked it back causing the flowers to fall hopelessly on the floor. Amidst the stems was a hitogata. Shibuya Kazuya was carved neatly on the back.

“It would be best that you never do this again. It must be tiring creating so many, wouldn’t you say?”

A tired smile made it to her face. “I suppose you’re right.”

.

Following the confrontation, the Yuasa High students and teacher left the hospital room. Mai debated following them to see how they would make out. Ayako shook her head, explaining that just like in the last case, there were things that only they could rectify amongst themselves.

“I didn’t know that having powers like this can make people so crazy...” she said.

“Not everyone uses their gifts in good faith,” shrugged Bou-san. “It sucks, but it’s the truth. I only hope they hold to their word not to do anymore.”

“They are their own people. We cannot dictate what they will or won’t do,” Naru said. “At the very least, I don’t think they would have the audacity to continue with this venture.”

Mai picked off some lint from her sweater. “You think so? Kasai Chizu seems kind of unpredictable.”

“Yeah, something about her creeps me out,” agreed Ayako. “She seems like the type who would curse an ex-boyfriend or something.”

Bou-san chuckled. “I can see that! She’s got those crazy eyes.”

After sharing a few laughs, the crew dispersed. The two spiritualists headed home while Lin disposed of the last remaining hitogata. Mai stayed behind for a bit longer to ensure Naru had everything he needed.

She was about to leave when Naru called out to her, “Mai.”

“Hm?” she turned her head. He held out her pocket mirror, which she gladly took. “Thanks.”

He kept his gaze firmly on her. “Why did you leave it with me?”

“I… I thought having the extra protection would be good,” she said, not exactly lying.

Naru didn’t seem convinced. “Have you encountered any spirits that you’ve had longstanding communication with?”

She scrunched her brows and tilted her head. “I don’t get what you mean. I guess maybe my spirit guide.”

“Do you know the identity of your spirit guide?”

“I…”

She knew his first name, that he was Naru’s twin, and his favorite games. But did she know Gene? She wasn’t even sure how he spelled his name or what his family name was.

Shibuya Gin? That didn’t seem right. The Japanese pronunciation of Gin wasn’t the way he referred to himself. Unless that was just a nickname?

And why wasn’t “Shibuya Kazuya” displayed at Naru’s hospital room door? Every other room had a name, so it seemed fishy that they would forget only his. Unless that wasn’t his real name?

That begged the question—

Who were these twins?

“I guess… I don’t know who my spirit guide really is.”

Chapter Text

Previously…

“Do you know the identity of your spirit guide?”

“I…”

She knew his first name, that he was Naru’s twin, and his favorite games. But did she know Gene? She wasn’t even sure how he spelled his name or what his family name was.

Shibuya Gin? That didn’t seem right. The Japanese pronunciation of Gin wasn’t the way he referred to himself. Unless that was just a nickname?

And why wasn’t “Shibuya Kazuya” displayed at Naru’s hospital room door? Every other room had a name, so it seemed fishy that they would forget only his. Unless that wasn’t his real name?

That begged the question—

Who were these twins?

“I guess… I don’t know who my spirit guide really is.”

.

The weeks following their case at Yuasa High were less eventful. Mai returned to her usual routine—she went to school and headed to SPR after. She continued plugging away at Naru’s egregious list of readings as well as making time for meditation with Gene. Between her psychic ventures, secretarial job, and schoolwork, she hardly had any downtime.

Even so, she found Naru’s question creeping into her mind during free moments.

“Do you know the identity of your spirit guide?”

She’d been tempted to ask Gene outright but had the feeling he would withdraw himself. She was a big supporter of waiting until he was ready to talk… but was also an antsy teenager who didn’t like being left in the dark.

That’s how she found herself visiting John’s church one afternoon on her way home. Naru let her out early since he and Lin were going on an errand run and would be closing the office for the evening. There was the sneaking suspicion he was going “Gene-hunting”—said spirit dubbed this himself.

As she approached the church, the piercing wind nipped at her legs through her thigh-high socks.  Mai shrunk into her scarf, holding her coat closer to her body.

Cold or not, the church's children were still content to play outside. When they noticed her, they flocked up to greet her as John smiled and waved from the entrance.

“Hi, Mai-san. How are you?”

She beamed. “I’m doing okay! How about you? Looks like you have your hands full here,” she said, ruffling the heads of a few children.

“You bet,” he chuckled. “Okay, children, please give Mai-san some space.” The orphans nodded and ran back to their spots to continue playing. “To what do I owe you for this visit?”

“What if I just wanted to be in the presence of a dear friend?” she joked.

One of the recent lessons Gene had taught her was closing herself off from spirits. For periods at a time, she could keep them from invading her space, ironically preventing Gene from sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

Perfect for this kind of situation.

John led her into the church, introducing her to Father Tojo, and then leading her to sit with him at one of the pews in the front row. Christmas decorations were already making their way onto the altar and around the church’s interior.

They started by chatting about the church’s preparations for Christmas and the events they will be hosting. Mai also bounced off a few Christmas gift ideas with him since she wanted to get an early start this year.

Noticing the children returning inside for dinner, Mai finally gathered the courage to ask her question.

“So, I came here because I wanted to ask you something. It’s probably a dumb question, but it’s important to me.”

John nodded. “Of course, if I can be of any help.”

“I have a friend who goes by, ‘Gene.’ In Japanese, that is spelled as ‘J-i-n.’ But my friend says he spells his name with a ‘G,’ which would make his name pronounced differently. That is unless he’s a foreigner. Do you have any ideas?”

John made a thoughtful face and brought a hand up to his chin. “In English, ‘Gene’ with a ‘G’ is a nickname. It’s short for ‘Eugene,’ spelled ‘E-u-g-e-n-e.’”

Her eyes widened. She didn’t know how she knew, but “Eugene” just felt right.

“That’s it! Thanks, John. That’s exactly what I was trying to figure out.”

“Not at all! I’m glad that I could help,” he said, smiling brightly before tilting his head a smidgen. “Um, pardon me for asking, Mai-san, but could you not have asked him directly?”

She shook her head. “It’s a bit complicated. Let’s just say that I thought I knew these people, but in the end, I knew nothing.” Her fingers fidgeted with the end of her scarf as she sighed. “If it counts as a confession, I’m kind of snooping right now.”

“I couldn’t tell.”

Was that sarcasm? Glancing at him, he had a slight upward curve to his mouth.  

Mai couldn’t help but laugh. If she had to share her current concerns with anyone right now, it’d be John. He was a great listener, trustworthy, and passed no judgment. Could she spill the beans with him? Would that count as a betrayal of Gene’s and Naru’s trust?

She took that as a negative as John and “betray” didn’t work in the same sentence. Besides, Gene never said she couldn’t tell anyone else. Naru didn’t even know she knew about him keeping secrets.

“Can I unload on you the most convoluted situation ever? Please don’t share it, though.”

“Of course.” He nodded.

And so, she unraveled the entire storyline to him from the beginning, including the events during cases.

John adopted a thinking pose. “From what you’ve told me, I don’t think you should feel bad about snooping. The twins seem to be withholding quite a bit from you. Now, that doesn’t mean I condone snooping normally.”

Leave it to him to be the responsible one. If she’d told Bou-san the same thing, he probably would get fired up and help her snoop.

She was taken out of her thoughts when John mumbled, “That makes more sense now…”

“What makes sense?”

He hesitated for a moment. “I’ve had the suspicion that Shibuya-san may not be who he says he is. He is particularly adept in English and has even lent me a book or two—all his texts are in English.”

“We got Gene’s name but what about Naru’s?” Mai asked, throwing her head back in exasperation.

“It may be easier to figure out than you think.”

When she sent him a questioning look, he smiled and looked away apologetically.

Has he already figured it out?

“I won’t say much more, but I hear that Shibuya-san assigns you many readings. Perhaps, you may find your answers there.”

Great, now even John’s giving me riddles!

Suddenly, one of the children entered the chapel and ran up to John, tugging on his shirt. The child didn’t say anything but gestured to the dining area.

“Perfect, thank you for letting me know. I’ll be in soon,” he ruffled the child’s head, who nodded and returned to where they came.

Mai eyed them, tilting her head in curiosity. Why were her senses going off? She still had herself manually closed off from the spirit world, so technically there shouldn’t be anything passing through her “filter.”

Unless she could still feel, but they couldn’t sense her? Probably a question for the twins.

“Something’s off with that kid,” she whispered to John as they stood up.

He scratched his cheek. “So, you’ve noticed?” He looked toward the child, and she followed his gaze. “Father Tojo wanted to leave it be, but the situation is starting to concern me.

“I was thinking of bringing it up to Shibuya-san at some point. For now, we’re going to continue monitoring things.”

“Does the spirit eventually leave the child?”

“Yes, but the time it’s taking is beginning to stretch.”

She absentmindedly nodded. “Well, because it’s you asking, Naru might agree to help.”

.

The temperatures continued to drop as Tokyo approached December. SPR had only taken minor cases, which didn’t warrant much attention from her. She instead focused on her coming exams and Naru’s assignments. She still wasn’t sure what she was looking for in the readings, and John was no help. Gene didn’t seem to be aware of her intentions, so she continued to act as normal.

She paid closer attention to scientists’ and researchers’ names in the readings but none of them rang a bell—they all sounded like they’d be old farts.

That’s how she found herself active in the paranormal forums of Threaddit. It started as research, but somehow ended up as a new mode of interaction. She soon forgot her objective and began sharing experiences in the threads and arguing with random people on the internet.

Oh, but she also made a friend!

While sharing a story about the Yuasa case—their client anonymous, of course—a student from another high school shared the hauntings occurring at their school. Nothing too crazy, just haunted classrooms, unexplainable odors, and hellhounds.

Mai ended up having a lengthy discussion with them about the occurrences. His username was LeftoverMackerel, so Mai dubbed him as “Mackerel-kun.” Their thread got so long that they eventually moved over to private messaging because they were starting to lose track.

Gene joked that she was replacing Naru with her new friend.

“My poor brother! Being two-timed by leftover goods,” her spirit guide feigned betrayal and flopped onto the astral couch.

Mai rolled her eyes. “He’s like a pen pal. We only talk whenever something crazy happens at his school, or if I find something cool and haunted. He seems pretty smart and has some interesting ideas.”

“Ahh, so you’ve found a muse! And to think, this gorgeous face wasn’t enough to inspire you.”

Ignoring him, she picked up Usa-sama and nudged him with her knee to make room on the couch. “Anyway, I wanted to pick your brain about some Christmas gifts for the crew. I was thinking of handmaking something.”

Gene sat up and placed his feet on the coffee table. “Do you have any skills?”

“I can get away with some things, but I’m not good at any one of them.”

“True… I saw those cookies you made for Keiko’s birthday, or that patched pillow case you botched.”

Cue the glare she sent his way.

Usa-sama lifted his head and blinked at Gene, likely communicating telepathically—they could do that now apparently.

“Usa-sama is suggesting you make protective charms, like those talismans Matsuzaki makes.”

“How do I do that?”

“By the power of prayer! With Usa-sama’s blessing, you’ll be making the best warding charms around!”

She nodded down at the deity in her arms and gave him a good head scratch. “Do I need to do paper talismans, or could I use something else?”

Gene leaned his arm on the back of the couch. “You can use whatever! For the best utility, I’d recommend using Buddha beads.”

“Like a protective bracelet?”

He nodded. “Sure!”

Mai liked the idea. Sometimes she felt it was unfair that she was the only one with protection during their cases. If she was successful, this could be her way to protect her friends. “Maybe I can ask Bou-san to sell me some beads!”

And so, that’s how she ended up meeting with Bou-san a few days later for okonomiyaki*. He waved her over to his table upon seeing her enter the restaurant.

“How’s it going, Jou-chan?”

She shrugged off her coat and scarf and slid into the booth across from him. “It’s going! Just trying to survive exam season. How about you?”

“Same old, same old. We do have a few gigs coming up, so the band’s been practicing a lot.” He dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a fabric drawstring bag. “Here are those beads you were asking for.”

“Thanks for bringing them! How much do you want for them?”

“Nothing. You can have them,” he said, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t feel good asking for money for Buddha beads, let alone from a high schooler.”

What a good soul, said Gene.

“You sure? I really don’t mind.”

Bou-san smiled. “Of course!” The waitress then came to take their order. After she left, he turned his attention back to Mai. “So, what’re you planning on doing with them anyway?”

She pretended to think about it before giving him a mischievous grin. “It’s a secret,” she said, sticking her tongue out.

“Not sure if I should be worried or not,” he joked.

The two continued to chat as their drinks and okonomiyaki ingredients came out. The topics ranged from school, coming plans, this kitten Bou-san took in recently, and Mai’s new online friend.

“You sure the kid isn’t some kind of creep?”

Mai rolled her eyes. “No way! We both just have an interest in the paranormal. He told me he didn’t know anything about it until things started at his school. So, I’ve been introducing him.”

“You know what school he’s from?”

She brought a finger to her chin. “I never thought to ask. Mackerel-kun didn’t say either, but I have a feeling it’s in the Tokyo area.”

“Mackerel-kun?” he asked, pouring the seafood plate onto the batter with his chopsticks.

“His threaddit user is ‘LeftoverMackerel.’” She shrugged, throwing some veggies onto the skillet. “Not the weirdest thing I’ve seen.”

His face suddenly adopted a sly grin. “So, you’re telling me that you’re cheating on Naru with a fish dude?”

Her head gremlin cackled impishly in her head.

Mai’s jaw practically dropped to the floor. “What’s with everyone thinking that?! There is no cheating to be had!”

The tables around them turned to look at her from her outburst. She blushed and shrunk into her seat, glaring at Bou-san in the process.

“Oh? That’s not the first time you heard that?” he teased, leaning his chin on his hand. “Aren’t you though? Don’t think I don’t know about your messages with Naru.”

She narrowed her eyes. How would he know about that? The only one who knew was Ayako! And Ayako only found out because she was salty after seeing that Mai had his cellphone number—and then she proceeded to snoop through her messages.

Wait. Did that mean Bou-san was talking to Ayako outside of work?

This time, it was Mai who had the sly grin. Her companion’s face dropped in suspicion.

“Well, aren’t you and Ayako chummy these days?”

“Hey, don’t try twisting this around on me.”

She tapped her fingers on the table in a rhythmic fashion. “Am I wrong though? You guys must be hanging out a lot if she’s gossiping with you.”

He huffed and took her plate to serve some of the okonomiyaki. “We just had a few jobs we did together on the side. Now eat before your food gets cold,” he grumbled, placing her plate down.

“Yeah, yeah!”

.

A week and a half before Christmas, Michiru invited Mai and Keiko to visit her aunt’s onsen for the weekend. Michiru secretly invited her now-official boyfriend, so they were the coverup.

Not that they minded, though.

Keiko needed some relaxation away from her siblings, and Mai didn’t get to travel much for leisure so she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity. She could afford it now too! It was still a bit of a stretch monetarily, but unlike before, she could manage to make it work.

Oh, and the onsen was conveniently near a lake. Kill two birds with one stone!

The onsen was not far outside of Tokyo in Niigata prefecture. It was seated on a small mountain with a great view of the surrounding mountains. Forest covered the rest of the area before revealing a mountain lake nearby. The snowfall painted a comforting scenery for them upon arrival.

The trio dropped off their belongings in their room before Michiru apologized and snook off to her boyfriend’s room. The remaining two girls shared a look and laughed.

Like the hotel she stayed at with SPR, this onsen was of the traditional kind with tatami mats and separate bathrooms. Mai only hoped there weren’t any rude paranormal disturbances during her trip.

She wanted to use this time to prepare her Christmas gifts. The relaxing atmosphere was perfect for meditation and spiritual development.

You could even meditate in the snow! Some people like to take ice baths too. It’s humbling, said Gene.

“Nope, I’m good,” she mumbled.

Keiko popped her head up from rummaging through her bag. “What was that?”

Mai brushed it off with a wave. “Don’t worry about it. Hey, I’m going to head to the springs. You wanna come?”

“I’ll be over in a bit! I want to take some pictures first,” the pig-tailed girl said, pulling out her camera. “The newspaper club asked me to take some for them.”

With that, Mai shrugged and found her way to the springs. She didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary much to her relief. Mai quickly undressed and pulled her shorter-than-shoulder-length hair back into a small ponytail. No one else was there so she practically jumped into the water.

Sighing in bliss, she sunk herself until her chin was submerged. Her eyes closed and she concentrated on the sounds around her—the faint sounds of men talking from the other side of the wall, the flickering of the torch flames, and the bustle of people moving about inside.

The sound of humming from behind her sent goosebumps up her back. She jumped around and found no one.

Great.

Maybe it wasn’t the land. Maybe it was her who was haunted.

Sighing, she shook her head and continued relaxing. The humming would happen on and off from then on, switching between a man's and a woman’s voice. Feeling uninterested in any of it, she tuned out the voices by closing off her othersense.

Instead, she concentrated on her other five senses. The water was nice and hot. The rolling steam moistened her face and warmed her airways. The bottom of her ears hit the surface of the water.

“Are you okay, dear?”

Mai’s eyes shot open and she swiftly sat up, her hold on her senses relinquishing.

In front of her were two middle-aged women. Telling by their gray hairs and smile lines, they were likely at the tail end of their age bracket.

Is this ageism I hear?

You know I didn’t mean it like that! And I know you’d think the same thing as me!

“I’m okay! Thank you for asking,” she said, unsure if the heat creeping up her face was from embarrassment or the springs.

One of the ladies with her hair in a bun put a hand on her cheek. “That’s good to hear. We were worried because you sat there so still without a twitch and you kept sinking lower. We thought you’d passed out.”

Mai waved her hands frantically to deny their claim. “Oh no! I was just so relaxed.”

“Sorry we interrupted your peace,” said the other woman with a wavy bob. “You know what they say with all those people being found unconscious around these parts. We’re just happy you’re not one of them.”

That piqued her interest. She could tell Gene was on attention too.

“I never heard of that. Is that common around here?”

The two women looked at each other in concern. The woman with the bun spoke first, “Only since a month ago. There have been seven incidents where people have gone missing only to return a few hours or days later unconscious.”

“They weren’t found with any injuries, but they all woke up without any recollection of what happened. All they can recall is something about a little boy,” said the wavy-haired woman.

Sounds like the plot of some supernatural young adult TV show.

“Good to know. Was there a pattern that they followed?”

“I don’t think so. They were just wandering around the forest near the shrine.”

The bun-haired lady shook her head in worry. “Fortunately for the victims, they were found before snowfall. I can’t imagine being lost in the forest with all the snow we’ve gotten recently. Just be careful, dear.”

Mai nodded and stood up. “Thank you for telling me! Hope you enjoy your stay.”

“You as well. Have a good night!”

When she returned to her room, she brushed out her hair and thought about what the two women had told her. Could it be paranormal? Or maybe a deranged individual who liked kidnapping people, bopping them in the head, and then leaving them for dead? And what about the kid they were talking about?

Sounds real paranormal to me, she thought. “But… not my problem!”

“What’s not your problem?”

Mai glanced over her shoulder to find Michiru at the sliding door.

“I just heard a weird story about people getting kidnapped and then returning with amnesia or whatever.”

“Oh, you heard that rumor? Some people are saying that the victims were ‘spirited away.’ My aunt and uncle don’t believe in that kind of thing, so they kind of forgot to mention it. Sorry about that, Mai. Hope it doesn’t ruin the trip for you.”

Uh, kind of an important thing to forget about!

Mai shook her head. “Don’t worry about it! It’s not enough to scare me.”

Michiru smiled apologetically. “Plus if it were anything paranormal, you’d probably be the most likely to survive out of the three of us.”

“You think? My coworkers would say otherwise,” she grumbled.

The two girls left soon after to check out the amenities at the hotel and returned just before the workers laid out their dinner.

“Is it okay if Akira-kun joins us for dinner?” Michiru asked as she slid open their room door.

Mai shrugged. “I don’t mind! Keiko’s still not back yet?”

“Where has that girl been this whole time?”

“She went to take pictures for the newspaper club about… four hours ago?” Mai counted off her fingers. The longer she thought about it, the more sweat she felt forming on the back of her neck.

What if…?

“Do you think she went outside? We didn’t even run into her at all during our walk.” Michiru frowned and slid the patio door open to check the court area.

Mai quickly threw on her coat and scarf. “I… I’m going to go look for her. Maybe she just got lost.”

“Wait, I’ll come! I’ll make Akira-kun look for her too.”

.

They tried calling Keiko multiple times only to realize that her cell phone was left in their room. To not alarm Michiru’s folks, they searched amongst themselves first. They did well to stay together for the first hour... and yet, Mai still found herself wandering off from the group.

Mai sighed, watching her breath blow with the wind as she shivered. She scanned her surroundings, squinting her eyes as snow fell onto her eyelashes.

How could she get so far away from the group?! She couldn’t even see their flashlights or hear their calls. What’s up with that?

They had been following the main trail when Mai noticed footprints branching out from the trail. She thought she told them she was going to check them out, but maybe they didn’t hear her. Still, how did she manage to get so far away?

Her phone vibrated and she quickly reached into her pocket. “Michiru? I went down a trail and got a bit lost. Stay where you guys are and I’m going to backtrack.”

“Do I even want to know?”

Not Michiru.

“Oh, Naru, hi,” she laughed nervously. “What’s up?”

The other line was silent for a moment too long for her. “Where did you put file 046?”

She tilted her head in thought, absentmindedly heading back to where she came from. “I think I left it in the topmost right drawer. I still need to go through it so don’t put it back in the file cabinet yet.”

“Fine,” he said.

He didn’t say anything after that but didn’t hang up either. Surprisingly, she didn’t mind. Her footsteps in the snow were the only sounds to break the silence.

She blinked as a small shrine came into view. Her breathing must have hitched because Naru noticed.

“Mai?”

“I just found a shrine… but I don’t remember seeing it before.”

“Where are you?”

“Remember how I was going to Michiru’s family’s onsen? Well, Keiko’s been gone for five hours now, so we went looking for her.”

“And you wandered off on your own and now you’re lost,” Naru finished for her.

She inwardly groaned. “Yup,” she said, checking out the shrine. She gasped upon getting closer.

It was ravaged.

“Hey, Naru. What are the chances of someone getting ‘spirited away?’”

His reply was distorted and muffled before the reception was lost altogether. “Naru? Naru!”

Staring back at her phone as the end-call tone played, she noticed a missed call and several messages from Michiru 20 minutes ago. Had she been lost for that long already?

Goosebumps ran up her spine. Part of her was so relieved that Keiko wasn’t missing. The other part was starting to freak out because now she was the one missing.

Mai, stay alert. You gotta find a way back.

“Easier said than done,” she sighed. She took another look at the shrine and couldn’t help the sadness she felt for the deity there. The least she could do was tidy up what she could.

She picked up the spilled vase of flowers and stood it upright. She then brushed off some of the debris on the altar and placed the small statues in their rightful places. Something scraped her ankle and she nearly jumped.

It was a small broken tombstone. The writing was too worn to make out, especially at night with only the flashlight. She stood it back up and brushed off the snow. There wasn’t much to offer, but she left a few snacks she had in her pocket as an offering to the spirits. Clapping her hands together, she prayed that they found peace.

“Okay, now for getting out of here.” She scanned the area again for her footprints but panicked when there were none.

“There’s no way the snow fell so fast my footsteps are covered,” she mumbled to herself. Rubbing her arms vigorously, she tried to calm her rapid breathing. “Usa-sama, can I get some help?”

Static silence.

A light in the distance caught her attention. Her eyes squinted at it and she inched closer. Could that be Usa-sama?

At this rate, she was willing to take what she could get. Running after the light, she nearly slipped a few times—she wasn’t exactly equipped for thick snow. When she finally approached it, she saw a little boy barely the age of six. He stood on a ledge overlooking the far-off lake.

Knowing her luck, he was probably a ghost.

“Hello?”

The boy turned, revealing a sunken-in skull on his left side, blood oozing from the laceration. His skin was pale as snow. She took a sharp inhale and hesitated moving closer.

She steeled herself. “Uh, hi. I’m kind of lost could you help-” Mai ran up to him, perhaps too fast, because he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Silence.

“Hello?!” she called out to no one as she circled the ledge. The boy didn’t come back and she was once again standing there by herself. Turning around to face the lake, she let out a yell in frustration. “This is so screwed! I just want to go back!”

Catching her breath, she took a moment to look closely at the lake. She almost stopped breathing.

It looked so similar, and yet...

She trudged further down the mountain for a better view but had to stop at a ledge on the side of the mountain. From here, the lake still looked eerily similar. However, this town was known for cooler temperatures, so she was skeptical. Her visions showed the lake during warm weather without nearly as many pine trees.

“Gene, what do you think?”

Silence.

“Gene? Usa-sama?”

When her companions didn’t reply, Mai felt her stomach drop. She rummaged through her pockets for her mirror. Looking into the reflection, there was no trace of her spirit guides. It was only her distressed face staring back at her, illuminated by the new moon. Her hands shook, her fingers rigid from the cold, and her hold on the mirror slipped.

With a shaky reaction, she lunged her arms forward to try and grab ahold of the mirror only to feel the ground begin to waver.

Before she knew it, the snowbank broke apart and she found herself tumbling down the side with a scream. Pain shot up all over as her body hit the concealed rocks under the blanket of snow. She could only wonder how much longer it would go on before she was put out of her misery.

Finally, her body slowed down to a stop as she hit the bottom with a crack of her head. Warm moisture slowly oozed out, staining the white snow beneath her.

Would she be joining Gene now?

Before she fell unconscious, she heard the faintest whisper of a woman’s voice in the wind.

.

Gene was worried. Mai couldn’t hear him at all.

One would think that her traversing further into the spirit world would make it easier to contact her. Not a chance. Even Usa-sama couldn’t contact her because she was in another deity’s domain.

He paced the astral plane back and forth.

While the area didn’t feel malevolent, she was still a teenage girl lost in the mountains with no means of communication.

What made him even more stressed was knowing that despite her situation, she still took the time to check out the lake for him. She would always think about others first. This whole situation happened because she was worried about her friend. It was a great quality about her but also to her detriment.

Suddenly, he watched as the ground under Mai’s feet gave out and she screamed. “MAI!” He called out, knowing full well she couldn’t hear him.

She tumbled down the slope, cursing himself for being dead. The growing pool of blood shook him to his core, his hands trembling.

It was too soon for her to join him. Not yet, not now.

She didn’t even know his real name. Gene knew she was beginning to question everything, but he was selfish and withheld the secret. Why? Why did it matter so much? Was he protecting himself, or was he protecting Noll?

Wait, Noll! He needed to contact Noll.

Gene tightened his fists. He had wanted to speak to his twin using his own power, on his terms. But Mai needed him right now—he couldn’t afford to be selfish.

“Usa-no-kami, please, I beg for your help.”

.

When Mai’s words were muffled by static and the phone promptly hung up, Naru blinked down plainly at it.

Half of him didn’t care and figured Mai could take care of herself, while the other half remembered her track record.

It likely wasn’t anything though. She probably just lost service and would meet up with her friend soon. Nothing to worry about.

Thus, he ignored the nagging feeling in his gut.

Walking over to her desk, he checked the drawer she mentioned the file being in and frowned in annoyance. It wasn’t there. He wanted to get this part of his study over with tonight. He wasn’t going to halt his productivity because Mai couldn’t get her shit together. Checking the next drawer, he located the file but also noted the content underneath it. Various printouts on lakes in Japan sat at the bottom of the drawer.

He was tempted to look through the rest of her desk, but he couldn’t allow himself to stoop so low.

Ever since the last case ended, his question for her continued to echo in the back of his mind. Mai never gave him a straight answer, and since then, they’d been dancing around the elephant in the room. For weeks.

Not only that, he wasn’t burdened with her emails or texts as much as usual. Naru didn’t mind since that was less spam on his part, but it was abnormal behavior for her.

He was tempted to interrogate her about what she was hiding, but Lin reminded him that wouldn’t go over so well with her. She would undoubtedly chew him out.

Naru shook his head and sucked himself back into his work.

Around 9 PM, he decided to finally eat something. Lin had the same idea because he entered the office with a bag of takeout.

Naru headed to the washroom. When was about to leave, he noticed something off about his reflection. While he had a stoic expression, his reflection had a sad smile.

Placing his hand on the mirror, his eyes widened.

“Long time no see, Noll.”

Chapter Text

Oliver stared in disbelief as the image of his late twin stared back at him. Unlike him, Gene had a dimple on his right cheek and lacked the faint darkness under his eyes from all-nighters.

“How?”

Gene’s wistful smile turned grave. As much as I’d love a jovial chat, Mai needs help right now.

Oliver’s eyes instantly hardened. “What happened?”

Our friend got herself ‘spirited away,’ fell from a ledge, and is currently fighting frostbite somewhere in the mountains.

“Do you know her location?”

I remember her saying something about Yuzawa. I don’t know which hotel she was at, though.

Naru’s lips tightened as he brainstormed. He knew too little about the situation to make an informed decision. He would have to act fast and contact one of Mai’s friends. The elements were more dangerous than spirits at this point.

Before he fully lifted his hand off the mirror, he met his brother’s eyes. “Can we stay in contact?”

Hopefully, keep a mirror nearby.

Nodding, he closed off their connection, acknowledging the possibility that they may not be able to speak again. There was more he wanted to say, but Mai was the priority right now. While Gene was already dead, Mai had the chance to be saved.

Making a beeline for Lin, he briefly alerted him of the situation. His guardian sent him a questioning look but didn’t vocalize his concern.

Lin very well knew that look.

While Lin prepared the van, Naru scrounged through his files for Mai’s friend's contact information. Considering Michiru was the one Mai had been with at the time, she would be most useful. Upon calling her, she greeted him with a shaky voice and sniffles as though she’d been crying.

“How did you know she’s missing?” Michiru asked after he explained what he knew.

“Mai had called me right before she disappeared. She hasn’t replied to my messages since,” he threw in a white lie. It wasn’t exactly false.

“Oh, okay. Well, we still can’t find her! I’m really starting to think she was taken away by a spirit like the rumors,” said Michiru’s quivering voice from over the phone. “We’re thinking about calling the police.”

“The police may be able to find some leads,” he started. “However, if this is paranormal like you say, you will need my help.”

Michiru hummed in agreement. “Any help would be great. I don’t know what else to do.”

“What is your location?” After she provided the address, he added, “She had mentioned a small shrine before she cut out. That would be a good place to start.”

“Sure, I’ll ask my relatives about it. Please be careful driving up the mountain. It’s coming down hard here.”

He was about to hang up when Mai’s memory surfaced, Thank her, you self-important recluse!

Inwardly sighing, he sat silently for a few seconds before uttering a,“… Thank you.”

“Oh, of course. We’ll see you soon, then.”

“Yes. Good luck.”

.

Yuzawa was about two and a half hours away by car. Depending on how vigorously Lin wanted to drive, they could shave about 10 minutes off. Hopefully, the search police would’ve had enough time to find leads in the meantime.

The atmosphere was noticeably thick while the two SPR employees prepared for their sudden trip. Neither muttered more than a few words to each other. Lin could practically feel the temperature in the office lower several degrees the longer Noll ruminated.

Lin didn’t comment on it as he valued his serenity—what little he had left, anyway.

He understood from the little information given that Taniyama-san’s life was in danger. Somehow Gene was also involved. With no other pertinent details, Lin was left to his imagination to fill in the blanks. The teenage girl either willingly rushed headfirst into the situation, or she had attracted the danger in her usual way.

And to his dismay, the natural order of events dictated that Noll also rush headfirst to save her.

If Madoka had told him a year ago that a girl would be the cause of frequent mental strain for Noll, he would have given up his family name. Yet, here they were. If she was trouble for Noll, then she was also trouble for him. That wasn’t to say he found her a hindrance. She had a useful skill set as a psychic and was generally amiable aside from being Japanese. If she had been in contact with Gene like Noll suspected, then she would prove to be more useful than originally thought.

Whatever the situation was, he hoped for her well-being. Having watched Noll this past year, he knew the normally stoic teen would be devastated if anything happened to her. Noll would be too prideful to admit it. Gene’s passing had already taken its toll on him. And for him to lose a real friend, he would undoubtedly blame himself just like he had for his brother’s death.

Lin could still recall the distress of the Davis family when they had first discovered the news. Luella’s pain at Noll’s departure in search of Gene’s body had been hard to watch. Even now, the twins’ adoptive mother hadn’t returned to her normal self.

Now with Gene potentially within their reach, he wondered if they could finally receive closure.

He glanced briefly at Noll. To any bystander, he appeared no different than usual. To Lin, the younger man’s body language was nothing less than tense. His brows were etched together, lips tightly pressed with a death grip on the pocket mirror in his hand.

What was running through his liege’s head right now? Had Gene’s presence shaken him up? Or was it Taniyama-san’s predicament that had him worried?

Noll wasn’t exactly uncaring, but he also wasn’t the first to concern himself with other people’s wellbeing—especially that of someone outside of his inner circle. To have progressed this much, Lin was proud of the boy. It was possibly the silver lining of their situation.

He could only hope that everyone got out of this unscathed physically and mentally.

.

To say that Oliver was unpleased was an acute understatement. Bristling and stiff, he scowled at the mirror in his hand. His reflection remained the same no matter how long he glared.

Leave it to his brother to ghost him.

His lack of control of the situation was greatly irritating. He had to resort to waiting idly until Gene came knocking. He was aware of his impatience—his mother chided him for it often—but it was warranted for this situation.

Mai could be lying in some ditch in the mountains, maybe not even on this plane anymore. How that girl managed to get herself into these dubious situations was beyond him. It was common knowledge that mediums attracted spirits, except that Mai received training from her “spirit guide,” whomever that may be. Perhaps the simple answer was that she was a magnet for danger, paranormal or not.

Oliver felt the ghastly presence of anxiety creeping into the pit of his stomach. Part of him wondered why he felt so inclined to go out of his way for her. While the other part was convinced it was because she was his employee and he couldn’t have her perishing on him. Who would maintain the office space? Make the tea? Passively leave food for him and Lin? Keep the irregulars entertained? Or send him annoying messages during the dead hours of the night?

He knew better than that, even as cold and methodical as he was.

Mai had wheedled her way into a category he couldn’t explain. She wasn’t a pumpkin*, but she also wasn’t exactly a pumpkin person either. She also wasn’t in the inner circle.

For a scientist, you really are an idiot. Just admit that she’s your friend!

Glancing at the mirror, he glared at Gene who shrugged nonchalantly. About time you showed up.

Yeah, yeah, I know. His twin waved him off. I can only sustain this for so long, y’know. Sorry, I can’t hold your hand, dear brother.

Cue another glare.

Gene’s smirk then dropped as his face adopted a grim expression. I checked on Mai. Looks like she’s bleeding out from her head. I don’t know how long she’ll last.

Oliver glanced at the GPS on Lin’s phone. They still had 2/3rds of the trip left and he was starting to think they may not make it in time. Has the injury clotted yet?

It has slowed down, but there’s a lot of blood, Noll, Gene replied, frowning. I noticed the presence of other spirits, but I couldn’t get any specifics on them. Luckily, they don’t seem malevolent.

Gene hated feeling this useless, only able to watch from afar.

I see. Oliver dug the tips of his other hand into his leg. They would have to wager on the bleeding stopping on its own. Can you identify the area?

Oliver hated being this useless, relying on his dead twin to provide reports on Mai.

There’s a small shrine on the path she was taking that has a tombstone at its base. She was… near a cliff that overlooked the lake when she fell.

The sterner twin perked up when he heard the slight falter in Gene’s speech. Why had he hesitated? Oliver’s eyes narrowed in question.

What was she doing when she fell? He demanded.

Averting his gaze, Gene bit his lip in guilt. I told her she didn’t have to keep doing it, but she wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

Eugene, what was she doing? 

His twin sighed, his frown never leaving his face. This lake looked eerily like the one I drowned in. She’d been trying to get a closer look. Being the klutz that she is, the snowbank broke on the ledge she was on, and she went with it, Gene explained. She had been searching for my lake on her own this entire time.

Oliver widened his eyes. Images of the lake printouts in her desk drawer flashed in his mind. He had understood the implications upon seeing them, but part of him feigned ignorance. Perhaps he was in denial of how much she knew. To think this whole time, she was studying the same lakes as him with the same objective.

If she had just told him what she knew, they could have combined their efforts to find Gene sooner.

Wait.

Several questions dawned on him. How much did she know? Why would she have to search for the lake when she could just ask the spirit herself? How close were Mai and Gene? Why hadn’t Gene reached out to him?

Sending Gene an inquisitive look, he folded his free arm under the one holding the mirror. He lifted a brow and waited, not unlike a scolding parent waiting for an explanation. Gene would get the message.

And understood he did.

The spirit scratched his cheek, unsure of where to start. Honestly, he was just pleased with how well Noll had been taking all this. Maybe it was the exposure to unexpected situations while in Japan that conditioned him. Or maybe it was the unexpected repercussions of being an acquaintance of Taniyama Mai. Gene was almost regretful that he wasn’t there to witness the development in person. And now, Noll was ready to hear the whole story, but Gene wasn’t sure if he was ready to tell it. He had wanted to tell his brother when he was strong enough to reach out on his own.

Alas, there were many things he didn’t get to prepare for.

So, what do you want to know?

Everything. Start from the beginning.

With one deep inhale, Gene unloaded on him the story of Mai, Gene, and Usa-sama, starting from their first encounter on the spiritual plane. He explained how Mai’s spiritual plane was a safe space for him until he passed on. Usa-sama’s presence helped to maintain his spiritual purity while adding another layer of protection. He described it as, “If bacteria flourish in warm, moist environments, then I flourish in safe friendly planes like Mai’s.”

Other than finding his description distasteful, Oliver did feel some semblance of relief knowing Gene was safe while he remained here.

His employee and twin brother spent quite a bit of time together it seemed. During the mundane moments, he helped her with her homework, gossiped, provided unsolicited life advice, and set up spiritual assignments for her.

To think you’re the revered spirit guide she speaks so highly of. Oliver’s face remained stoic, but his voice was laced with amusement.

Of course! She’s mentored only by the best, Gene winked, his smile returning to his face. He continued his story, noting the changes in reaction as his brother listened. On more than one occasion, Oliver’s brow would twitch. These rare moments were whenever he brought up the extracurricular activities he partook in Mai’s daily life.

If he didn’t know better, it almost seemed like he was a bit… what was it, jealous? Gene inwardly smirked. He would have to stow that away for later.

When he brought up Mai’s self-induced mission to investigate his area of death, Oliver scowled.

Why did you not disclose your location?

Gene awkwardly scratched his cheek. I would if I could remember. I have no recollection of where I was.

Ah.

Trauma-induced memory loss. Oliver couldn’t fairly get mad at Gene for that—dissociation was common for trauma victims and given the circumstances of his death, it was logical. Why didn’t you or Mai inform me of your situation? The process of finding your body could’ve been much faster if you two weren’t so keen on secrets.

Hey, don’t get mad at Mai. It was my selfish request. I told her not to tell you, Gene said, waving his hands in disagreement. When his twin narrowed his eyes, he quickly realized that wasn’t the best thing to say. I wanted to tell you myself. I had been training with Usa-sama so I could contact the material world. But as you can see, I still have to rely on him to talk to you even now.   

While that didn’t fully placate him, Oliver sighed and chose to overlook it for now. After they rescued Mai, he wanted to hear her side of the story. He couldn’t fairly be angry with her either. She had only been respecting Gene’s wishes.

But that also didn’t mean he was pleased that she had been in cahoots with Gene behind his back for nearly a year.

Before he could respond, Gene’s apparition faded from the mirror’s surface. His energy must have been expended. Catching Lin’s glance, Oliver realized he couldn’t very well keep his guardian in the dark indefinitely.

With a sigh, he reverberated the story from the beginning.

.

Upon arrival, Naru called Michiru to get an update. The police had found footprints in the snow leading up to a small shrine fitting Gene’s description. However, the prints disappeared right in front of it. The police had blocked off the area to investigate further, but Naru paid their barricades no heed.

Before entering the mountains, they asked Michiru’s family members about the history of the area. Skeptical as they were, her aunt and uncle knew a surprising amount about the folklore. As far back as the Edo period, there were tales of a woman white as snow who would find lost travelers in the mountains and deliver them to the property that the hotel now rested on. Initially thought of as a Yuki-onna, the locals built a shrine to worship her in hopes that she would never turn malevolent like how she is usually depicted in stories of old.

The tombstone at the base of the shrine allegedly belonged to a victim of usugoro* who was originally buried on the property of the hotel. While some thought it to be good luck in the form of a zashiki-warashi*, Michiru’s extended family found the tale appalling. Thus, they had the grave relocated in the 1940s. Any adversity they experienced after was chalked up to being bad decision-making, or even luck.

Without wasting any more time, Naru and Lin scoured the area, away from the eyes of the police. They found a vacant area where they inconspicuously snuck through the barricade. Gene had yet to make a reappearance, so they relied on their investigation skills. The police had marked Mai’s footsteps to distinguish them from their own.

Naru was hardly prepared for the adverse conditions. The wind blew the snow into his eyes, while his trench coat hardly protected him from the chill factor. He could only imagine with anxiety how Mai had been faring for the past few hours.

“Noll, here is the shrine,” pointed out Lin. He stepped aside for Naru to scan the area with his flashlight.

Both the shrine and the tombstone were dilapidated and had possibly been vandalized. A few fresh-looking candies and wrapped rice crackers sat by the small tombstone. “That must have been Mai’s doing,” Naru mumbled to himself. Grabbing one of the candies, he rolled it around in his hand, attempting to pick up on any psychic energy.

Finding a lead, he mentally tugged on it and allowed himself into a vision. Fortunately, the vision lacked a green border—however, it instead had a faint gray to it, which he had never seen before.

The scene started right after Mai’s phone lost service earlier. She had checked her texts before putting her phone away in favor of cleaning up the shrine. She brushed the snow off the altar and rearranged the statues and bottle of dead flowers. After putting the broken tombstone back together and placing some snacks, she clapped her hands in respect.

Naru had to close his mind off when Mai felt compelled to spin around four times when she realized she had lost track of her old steps. Before he had time to recover, she spotted something in the distance and sprinted off for it. The force of her movement pushed him out of the vision.

“Did you see anything?” asked Lin after he opened his eyes.

Naru looked past Lin toward the direction Mai had run off to. “She ran down there.”

Lin nodded and allowed him to take the lead. Following Mai’s trail from his vision, he moved ahead of Lin, leaving his guardian behind. The end of the trail led to a cliff providing a vast view of the land around the mountain, including the lake Gene had referenced earlier.

He took in a sharp inhale when he saw it. Almost identical in shape, the lake was jarringly close to the one Gene had drowned in. It was not surprising that Mai had rushed to get a closer look at it.

Naru tightened his hands into fists. She had gotten into this predicament because of him and his brother. Of all the reckless things she had done to put herself in danger, this was by far one of the stupidest. He would have to give her a mind-numbing Davis lecture after he found her.

Trying to put himself in her shoes, he studied the area. Where would she go to get a better look at the lake?

There.

He ran down a hidden trail that ran along the side of the mountain. He moved as fast as his body could take him, ignoring Lin’s calls in the distance. Amidst the pristine trail, he found an area along the ledge where the snow bank had been disturbed. He shot his flashlight down the side and squinted against the chilling winds.

Glinting against the light was a shiny object sitting in the snow a bit further down. Bracing himself, he carefully slid his way down while using nearby trees for stability. When he was close enough, he picked up the object. The very familiar object.

“Mai’s pocket mirror,” he said aloud. Squeezing it in his hand, he flashed his light around the area to see where Mai had landed.

With no time to ponder, he pushed himself forward, desperate to move faster. His dress shoes dug into the snow, the insides completely soaking through his socks to his freezing skin.

Then, in the distance was a body, nearly covered in snow. A sizable pool of blood contrasted with the white.

Widening his eyes, he rushed forward. “Mai!” he called out. He nearly slipped five times trying to reach her, but when he finally did, he dropped himself to his knees beside her.

He finally found her.

Inspecting her head, he cursed at how severe her condition was. He checked for a pulse and his blood ran cold when he couldn’t find one. Maybe his hands were too cold. Maybe he wasn’t checking the right spot. “Mai, can you hear me? Open your eyes.”

Her eyelids remained still. Pressing his lips together, he tried to listen for breathing. When he heard nothing, he quickly removed what he could of her coat and placed his ear against her chest.

No heartbeat.

Suddenly, the snowflakes froze midair. The wind halted. The trees stood still.

All that could be heard was Naru’s rapid breathing as he hyperventilated. Why wasn’t she breathing? Where was her heartbeat? It couldn’t be.

Not Mai.

“Noll!” Lin’s voice called out at the top of the ledge.

Naru couldn’t even make a sound—his voice was stuck in his throat. No matter how fast he breathed, it felt like he was suffocating.

Collecting Mai into his arms, he pulled her to his chest as his hair covered his face from the wind.

He was late… yet again. He should have come with Gene to Japan, then maybe Gene would still be alive. Then Mai would still be alive.

The world was cruel. It always had been.

Lin’s voice called out again in the distance. This time, Oliver mustered what strength he had to reply. “I… found her.”

“What’s her condition?”

“We were too late,” he said, his voice cracking. “Go alert everyone!”

When Lin tried to protest, Naru held the girl in his arms tighter into his chest. “I said go!” This time, there was no reply—just the rapid movement of Lin’s footsteps.

Naru allowed himself a few more moments to sit still, not a single sound or movement was present. His body wouldn’t move. His lungs were frozen. He could hardly breathe.

An irregular breeze caressed his bangs, chilling the skin underneath.

“You poor thing,” whispered the voice of a woman.

His head shot up, expecting to see someone standing beside them. No one.

Another breeze brushed against his ears. “She still has time,” said the voice. Naru narrowed his eyes and rapidly scoured the area in search of a body to assign this voice.

“Who are you?” Distrust laced in his voice.

“I am but a forgotten deity,” she said. “If you wish to save her life, I can help you. Her spirit has been left on the spiritual plane.”

He hesitated, still skeptical. “Why would you be willing to help?”

“Because she was nice to us,” answered a young boy, materializing beside Naru. He peered over at Mai with a sullen expression. “She cleaned my grave and left candy.”

When Naru didn’t say anything, the boy bowed his head in remorse. “The recent disappearances were my doing. I didn’t mean for her to die.”

“What do I have to do? To save her,” Naru asked cautiously.

“We are not as strong as we once were, but we can use you to call her spirit back to this plane,” the female spirit started.

“Beware, should you do that, your souls will be one momentarily. What happens after that is unknown.” The boy-spirit warned him, his face stern.

“Are you not able to return her yourself, considering you were responsible for the recent disappearances?” Oliver asked the boy.

The woman answered on his behalf. “Not if her spirit completely separates from her body. We do not encounter astral projectors often.”

Naru nodded, taking the answer as is. “Fine. Tell me what I have to do.”

They had him lay her down on the ground. He placed her pocket mirror in between both her hands and held them together with his own. Resting his forehead on top of their hands, he began to pray. He had never prayed before and could only hope he was doing it right.

You’re doing just fine, Noll. Call her to you, Gene’s voice interjected. His presence faded away right after.

As he called for her, he felt his mind shifting as if he were activating his psychometry. Different memories flooded into his mind haphazardly—memories of her parents before their deaths, nightmares of channeled death experiences that were not unlike his own, talking to spirits on her walks home from school during her younger years, meeting up with the SPR irregulars, and seeing himself through her eyes.

Mai, return to your body. It’s not your time yet.

That vision of Mai he saw when he first met her popped into his mind. This time, as he spoke, she appeared to be listening. Her back was to him, but her head was rotated toward him as if hearing what he had to say.

Don’t be stupid, it’s too early to join your parents. They’d want to see you live a full life. You promised Gene you would help find him. Are you going to abandon your promise?

The taunt worked because she instantly whipped around and yelled at him. “As if, you stupid narcissist! Do you have so little faith in me? I bet I could find him before you do!” she retaliated, marching over to give him a piece of her mind.

Good. Do your best, he said, a rare smile stretching across his face.

The last thing he remembered before the scene faded was the surprise on her face as pink tinted her cheeks.

Naru’s forehead was drenched with sweat when he returned from the vision despite the frigid temperatures. Quickly inspecting Mai, the weight on his shoulders lifted when color returned to her face, and he could hear her breathing again.  

He closed his eyes and let out a slow exhale of relief. “Took you long enough, dummy.”

Looking around for the two spirits, they were already out of sight. Having learned from Gene and Mai, he nodded his head in silent gratitude before turning his attention back to the injured girl before him.

Gathering her into his arms, he mustered what strength he could to stand up. He needed a moment to loosen his knees due to the rigidity of the cold. Making sure Mai was secure, he began his trek back up. He cursed his dress shoes for not providing enough traction—he found himself slipping quite a bit as he walked. His mother would have a wobbly if she knew he didn’t bother purchasing any winter attire.  

Movement in his arms alerted him to look down. Mai had shuffled closer into his chest and mumbled something incomprehensible. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing hazy pupils.

“Gene…? Am I dead? My head hurts…”

Naru’s breath hitched. He understood that she likely wasn’t of sound mind and couldn’t see much in the dark… yet, something in him bristled at her mistaking him for Gene.

As if sniffing him, she made a noise that he could only interpret as confusion. “You smell just like Naru,” she whispered, chuckling to herself. She then dug her face into his trench coat. “I swear I saw him smile earlier too… it was nice. Must be a dream…”

Suddenly, his anger dissipated. Somehow, he felt like he shouldn’t have heard any of this.

“Go back to sleep, stupid.”

.

Mai felt like she was floating.

Floating through memories—ones she didn’t recognize as her own. A dirty neglected apartment in Boston. The feeling of crippling starvation as she waited for the police to break into her apartment. Reading in the corner by herself as other orphans played around her. A smiling man named Martin reading with her. A kind woman named Luella offering her mint dark chocolates, her favorite.

Whose memories were these?

“I think she’s waking up!”

“Stop yelling! She has a concussion, bozo.”

“Follow your own advice, you old bag.”

“Uh, mates, I think she’s opening her eyes.”

At this point, she didn’t know if she wanted to.

She blinked her eyes open, the bright artificial lighting straining her eyes. She went to rub her eyes and was surprised to feel bandages wrapped around her head.

What…?

“W-what happened?” she asked, surprised to hear how rough her voice sounded.

Ayako stood to the left of the bed, Bou-san to the right, and John at the end of the bed.

Ayako smiled softly. “Naru told us you fell off a ledge during your trip. You lost quite a bit of blood when you hit your head so they gave you a transfusion. Your ribs have a few contusions, but no fractures,” she explained. Patting Mai’s head gently, she added, “Count yourself lucky, missy.”

“Yeah, you’ve been out for four days straight, Jou-chan. Must have been one heck of a fall,” said Bou-san.

“How do you feel?” John asked, moving to stand beside Ayako.

Like shit.

“Could be better, but I’ll be okay,” she said, looking around the hospital room. It was snowing outside when she looked out the window. The snow made flashes of memories wrack through her brain—the dream of Naru’s scent infiltrated her mind.

“Hey, you’re looking kind of pink. Let me get a vitals cart,” noted Ayako, already leaving the room despite her protests.

Bou-san grinned. “She was really worried about you, y’know? She’s forcing you to stay at her fancy-ass apartment until you recover.”

Mai didn’t have the energy to argue, realizing it was probably for the best. When Ayako returned with a vitals cart she stole from the nurse’s station, Mai couldn’t help but smile.

“Thank you for coming.”

The group returned her smile with an endearing one of their own. “Of course,” replied Ayako, gesturing for her to open her mouth for the thermometer.

“Hara-san came earlier but had to leave for a shoot,” said John. “She brought some nice mochi.”

“And Naru comes a lot too,” Bou-san quickly added with mischief laced in his tone. “At first, he was just showing your friends to the room, but I have a feeling he comes on his own. He’s a nice kid when he thinks no one’s looking.”

Warmth bubbled in her chest at the thought. She didn’t expect that from him, but it was yet another reminder of his unsuspecting kindness.

“Yeah, he was the one who saved you,” smiled John.

Ayako tapped her chin, sending her a suspicious look. “I thought you were going to the onsen with your friends. What was Naru doing there?”

“Do tell,” added the menace that was Bou-san. Even John was trying to hide his curiosity!

Mai honestly couldn’t even remember. Had he been the one to save her? How did he know to come?

If it wasn’t just a dream, did that mean she actually sniffed him…?

A knock on the door diverted their attention away from her, and she let out a sigh. The door opened to reveal Lin, and following closely behind was none other than the devil himself.

Chapter Text

Ever since they recovered Mai, Gene had as good as disappeared. There was some solace knowing he would still be nearby, at least.

Oliver had originally brought Mai for immediate care at a local hospital before transferring her to Matsuzaki’s family’s hospital. He wasn’t her healthcare proxy, but considering she did not have immediate family or anyone else, the hospital accepted his condition as her employer. Not to mention he had Lin and Matsuzaki pull a few strings—he wasn’t yet an adult either.

Due to the transfer plan, he held onto her pocket mirror and other belongings to prevent misplacement. It also allowed him time to study the item more closely now that his brother was involved. He and Lin oversaw her care for the first day until she was stable. After that, despite having no plans to, Oliver would find himself reading at her bedside after work. He wasn’t sure what compelled him, but he wouldn’t say it was a nuisance.

Just the sound of her breathing was reassuring, especially after that night he found her breathless.

When he and Lin arrived at the sight of her sitting up and conversing with the others, the tension dissipated immediately from his body.

“Ah, hello, Shibuya-san, Lin-san. Good to see you’ve been well.” John was the first to greet them.

Oliver nodded. “…You as well.”

He glanced over at Bou-san and Matsuzaki, for some reason unable to make eye contact with the person they surrounded. “I see you two are still the same.”

“And here I thought you would’ve reached enlightenment after your gallantry,” Ayako said in a grumble.

Unlike usual, he humored her. “Inconceivable. As a narcissist, no enlightenment is needed to reach my highest potential. You, however, would benefit from a trip of self-discovery.”

Bou-san scoffed. “The only self-discovery she’s going to find is the number of wrinkles hidden under her makeup.”

Before a spat broke out, Mai interjected. “Guys! Can I get a moment of peace here?”

“Naru-bou started it,” said Bou-san, jabbing a thumb in his direction.

It seemed he had earned a new nickname.

Bou-san suddenly stopped, eying him and Mai before raising his brow. “You know what, why don’t we go grab some food? What do you want to eat, Jou-chan?”

Mai blinked in surprise at his query. She tilted her head in thought as she usually did, looking up to the ceiling. “Yakisoba pan with a winter melon milk tea sounds good right now!” she said. After another moment of thought, she also added, “And if you can find any… I want to try mint dark chocolate.”

Oliver glanced at her but didn’t comment.

“There’s a new chocolate shop a few blocks from here,” noted Matsuzaki, smiling. “I’ve been meaning to check it out.”

“That sounds nice,” said John in happy agreeance. “I could find some gifts there to send to my family.”

“Shit, I haven’t even done any Christmas shopping,” Bou-san remembered, scratching his cheek. “This might be a good opportunity.”

Matsuzaki chuckled. “It’s not like you have many to shop for. No girlfriend after all.”

“Yeah? And what about you?” Bou-san rolled his eyes. “I don’t see men lining up at your feet either.”

She didn’t retort surprisingly, instead mumbling something that only Mai was close enough to hear.

As the group’s trivial conversations continued, the sound of Mai rummaging through the nightstand drew his attention. “My wallet’s not here,” mumbled Mai.

“I have it. I held onto it during your lateral transfer,” he said, finally addressing her since arriving. “Regardless, I will cover the food expenses today.”

Everyone froze and looked at him as though he’d grown another head.

“Should I check your vitals too? Or maybe I should check my own,” questioned Matsuzaki, bewildered. “Maybe you really did reach some kind of enlightenment.”

Bou-san laughed. “Either that or he has a secret twin we don’t know about,” he joked.

Silence.

Mai conveniently timed a coughing fit then, clutching her bruised ribs in the process. She waved off the irregulars when they were ready to jump to action and cleared her throat. “Uh, well, if Naru’s paying, I’ll take a yakisoba pan, an extra-large winter melon milk tea with pudding and jelly, and mint chocolates.”

“Glad to see you’ve worked up an appetite while recovering,” commented John. “I suppose we should head out before the shops get crowded.” He sent Mai a look, which she returned with a grateful one.

Oliver raised a brow at their silent exchange.

With that, the irregulars headed out. Oliver sent Lin with them for payment purposes. Coincidentally, that left only him and Mai—not that he minded.

He claimed his usual chair at her bedside and pulled out his notebook. He wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk, or if she wanted to use this opportunity to rest more. Mai remained sitting up but didn’t say anything. She would glance at him periodically from the side of her eye when she thought he wasn’t looking. Annoyed, he looked up.

Ignoring her jump in surprise, he said, “If you’re tired, you should lie down.” If she felt awkward with him sitting there, he wanted to reassure her that she didn’t need to stay up to entertain him. He would prefer if she rested.

“Oh, um, okay, if you don’t mind.” She then quickly slipped under the blankets and got herself comfortable. He returned to his writing, noting the sounds of her breathing as his pen scribbled along the page. They sat in silence for a bit before she started fidgeting. Breaking the silence, she rolled to her side to look at him. “Naru?”

He lifted his head.

“I heard you were the one who found me. Thank you for saving my life,” she said, a soft smile spreading on her face.

He didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he preferred to study her. The way the light reflected off her eyes, color returned to her cheeks, and how he much preferred to see her well.

When he didn’t look away or respond, Mai’s cheeks turned pinker and her eyes darted around the room to anywhere but him.

How amusing.

“If you stopped getting yourself into these situations, I wouldn’t have to save you all the time.”

That reverted her back to normal. “It’s not like I ask for this stuff to happen to me,” she grumbled, puffing up one cheek.

“Sometimes I wonder about that.” He couldn’t help the smirk that made its way onto his face when she stuck her tongue at him. How immature.

“How did you even end up there? Did Michiru call you?” She glanced at him, sliding her hand under the pillow to support her head.

Oliver exhaled, shutting his notebook closed, and looked out the window. He would have been fine waiting to discuss this, but since Mai brought it up herself…

“No, Gene contacted me.”

Her breath hitched.

The sound of the bedsheets filled the room as she undoubtedly sat up again. When he heard a sharp inhale, his head immediately snapped around. She sat on the edge of the bed sulking while rubbing her sore sides.

He sighed. “Don’t move around so much, dummy.”

She ignored him and instead gripped the bed sheets apprehensively. “Who… did you say contacted you?” she asked.

“My dear twin brother. The spirit guide you’ve been traipsing around with this whole time,” he said, leaning his arm on the table beside him and bringing his hand to his chin.

“I see,” Mai chuckled nervously, suddenly finding the window much more interesting. “And how did he do that?” she asked, feigning nonchalance.

“He borrowed the powers of your deity companion to speak to me through a mirror,” he answered, observing her nervous mannerisms. “He also explained to me the whole story.”

She gulped. “Are you angry?”

“Did you do anything to warrant my anger?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know. Not intentionally, anyway. I just thought you’d have a bone to pick that we hid this from you.”

“I won’t lie, I am irritated at Gene’s selfishness,” he started, shooting Mai a stern look. “But, it would be a waste of energy to perseverate,” he explained. After having four days to mull over the situation, Oliver didn’t find any use in remaining annoyed.

She almost sighed in relief, but he wasn’t done speaking.

“Despite that, I am angry that you got yourself in such a predicament that a deceased person had to beg a deity to save your life.” His glare must have surprised her because her theatrics looked like a gust of wind had pushed her off kilter.

“I thought Keiko went missing!”

“So, your natural course of action was to put you and your other friend in danger by entering the mountainous forest at night? During a snowstorm?”

“Hey, Michiru chose to go! I would have gone alone,” she grumbled.

That was what she got out of it?

 “And this is supposed to help your case?” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Had she no safety awareness? Scratch that—he knew the answer.

She opened her mouth, paused, and then closed it. Oliver couldn’t help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch.

Hopeless.

After a moment of silence, she met his eyes again. “Hey, Naru, I’m grateful that you came for me—but why did you go so far out of your way to help me? Yuzawa is a far drive.”

He frowned, the question rubbing him the wrong way for some reason. Why wouldn’t he have come to help her?

“Would you have preferred if I didn’t come for you?” he said, his voice hard.

Her eyes widened, clearly not expecting his response. Her face quickly changed to an expression he couldn’t read.

“No, of course not—”

A knock on the door was heard as the nurse announced herself.

They both looked away.

.

After her strange interaction with Naru, the nurse arrived with her PM pain meds as well as a slew of questions. By the time she was done, the crew of irregulars had already returned with the food preventing them from continuing their conversation.

Naru acted like nothing was amiss, so she also pretended nothing happened and resumed her usual behavior. Regardless, Mai still wondered if she had offended him. She had only been curious about why he tried so hard to help her. It made more sense for the police to have handled the situation. Yuzawa was at least a two-hour drive all things considered.

Unless there was something she didn’t know about?

Gene was holy unhelpful, but he did make a good point. “What would you have done if the roles had been reversed?”

She replied without a moment’s hesitation, “I would have done the same.”

“See! There you go. Everything’s resolved,” cheered Gene, nodding his head in satisfaction.

Mai frowned. “Why do I feel like there’s something I’m missing?”

Gene stared at her intently before shrugging. “Beats me.”

She had as good as forgotten about the whole thing as life resumed.

When it was confirmed that her health was stable, the hospital agreed to release her the next day much to her delight. Her lone condition was that she would be staying with Ayako for the time being until she was cleared at her follow-up appointments. Given the circumstances, Ayako was made aware of her orphan status. She wasn’t sure about the other members, but if they knew, they didn’t say.

Staying at Ayako’s place took quite a bit of getting used to. Compared to her dinky apartment, Mai had to be careful moving around lest she bump into one of Ayako’s ornamental pieces. The redhead was more of an art appreciator than she thought.

Well, that’s what she initially assumed anyway.

“My parents like to go to auctions. They got me some pieces to decorate the apartment. Knowing you, I should have put them away.”

“Hey! I’m not that much of a klutz!”

Ayako raised a brow. “You sure? The glass swan in the sunroom is two million yen if you break it.”

Mai’s jaw dropped. “If I could afford to spend that much on something, it better cook me dinner, wash my dishes, and wipe my butt!”

Ayako had laughed and rolled her eyes at her dramatics.

Luckily, no art pieces were damaged. Mai took extra care to tread methodically lest she be in debt for the rest of her life. Aside from the monetary threat, staying with Ayako was quite fun. It was like girls’ night every night—facial massages, 10-step skin care, manicures and pedicures, and ordering out nearly every day.

Seeing as her friend could afford such a lifestyle, Mai wasn’t surprised Ayako’s family casually bought house decorations at exorbitant prices. Rich or not, they seemed quite generous. They sponsored quite a few health and wellness campaigns for the poor, some services of which Mai had used when she was younger.

They must have also covered her hospital stay. When she had checked out, it was revealed she would owe nothing.

So, it was surprising when Ayako didn’t accept the thank you letter to her family.

“Although we would have been happy to, we didn’t cover your stay,” said the redhead, handing back her letter.

Mai scrunched her brows in confusion. “Then, who did? I always leave with some kind of bill.”

“Naru covered it. He didn’t tell you?” Now it was Ayako’s turn to scrunch her brows.  

“No… he didn’t say anything,” she said, frowning. As if his list of kind deeds couldn’t get any bigger.

At this rate, she would owe the guy her firstborn child!

She wasn’t sure how she would repay him for all his trouble. He wasn’t very materialistic and likely wouldn’t take a normal gift. With Christmas around the corner, she would have to act fast. There were the Buddha beads, of course. But she wanted to give him something more substantial.

She was thinking of blessing a special button or something. With some input from Mackerel-kun and Gene, she finally decided on a pen. The fancy kind of pen that cost a good chunk of her paycheck. Naru constantly carried one with his notebook so it was the perfect conduit for a blessing.

Ayako’s apartment came in handy for this kind of job. Considering the less-than-ideal conditions outside, Mai would’ve had one heck of a time trying to find a good place to meditate. The sunroom that held the ridiculously priced swan was filled with mini trees that the miko tended to. The comfortable temperature and serene atmosphere were perfect for her spiritual needs—Mai often saw Ayako pray there.

Usa-sama—and Gene—taught her how to personalize her blessings for the individuals she meant them for.

“It requires the purest of intentions,” Gene explained. “Usa-sama says to think about the recipients, why you care for them, and how you wish to care for them. And then pray to Usa-sama on their behalf.”

“How do I know if it worked?”

“You won’t. You just have to trust in your will to protect them,” he smiled, looking at the crafted beads Mai had strung together, including the gift she’d gotten for Noll. It appeared her abilities had gotten stronger since her near-death experience. She could now project objects to and from the astral plane freely. “You don’t need to worry about it, honestly. These charms should be even stronger now.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

He shrugged casually. “Oh, you don’t remember?”

She glared at him. “How could I when you’re selectively choosing what to tell me?”

He pretended to think about it, turning his head left and right like a confused owl. “Well, I suppose your blessings are stronger now because your soul has been touched by a zashiki-warashi,” he said.

“Since when?!” She stared at him in disbelief. This was all news to her!

“Since my brother brought you back from the dead.”

“I was dead?!”

Gene decided this was the perfect time to get up and complete his daily stretches. Spirits dealt with stiff joints sometimes!

“Gene!”

.

With Gene dropping bombs on her periodically, Mai ran herself into a wall trying to piece everything together.

From what she could gather, she understood that she had died and something must’ve transpired that saved her. But what was this business about a zashiki-warashi? Were they real? How did one find her? And where did Naru fit into all this?

As if her confusion couldn’t get any more profound, there was the matter of her weird dreams.

She didn’t have them every night, but when she did, she would forget most of the content save for a few details. Just when she thought she would remember a name, by the time her eyes opened, all recollection was gone.

It was unlikely they were related to a client, but she didn’t feel like they were memories of a random spirit either. The energy of the visions just felt… familiar. Of the things she remembered, the most notable were the two Westerners who felt like parents to her, er, this individual. They reminded her of what she once had with her own. It was strange for her to admit, but because of the comfort she felt seeing these memories, she didn’t mind experiencing them.

She felt like she had a family again, even for just a moment.

Gene seemed to not have noticed these visions, and Mai was content to leave it that way. She needed some sort of privacy after all, and these dreams felt very intimate to her.

Oddly enough, sometimes when she woke up from the dreams, she’d be greeted by a text from Naru—nothing substantial, really. Sometimes it was a reply to a previous text, and other times he would surprise her by asking about her health. He always did it as bluntly as possible, but she wasn’t about to complain about him being courteous.

That was another mystery to her bag of questions. While Naru was largely the same, he seemed less guarded now. Perhaps, it was their connection through Gene, knowing he wouldn’t have to hide it anymore. Whatever it was, she was surprised to find that she liked it. She had always been comfortable with him, but now she was as at ease with him as she was with Gene.

Naru allowed her to come back on light duty for a few hours each day to maintain the office after she whined about being bored. While their interactions were like usual, something just felt different between them. When she was delivering snacks to his office, she sometimes lingered longer than she needed to. Naru could’ve interpreted it as her waiting for a “thank you,” but it was anything but.

It was hard to admit, but she liked being in his presence. It was less lonely. Yes, she had Ayako’s company and the constant presence of her spirit guides—but it wasn’t quite the same for some reason.

Before, just emailing or texting Naru was enough, but now…

“So, what do you think of the scone?” she asked Naru during one such visit. “It didn’t seem that sweet so I thought you’d like it.”

He raised a brow at her, wondering why she was making idle chatter suddenly. She usually brought in snacks and tea and left promptly. He was always under the impression that conversing with him wasn’t her preferred activity of choice—not anyone’s. Even so, he didn’t see any harm in humoring her. Breaking off another piece of the scone, he tried it again. It was a blueberry scone with a light texture and buttery flavor, different from the usual found in the UK. Of all the scones Luella made, he liked her blueberry ones the most.

Unbeknownst to him and Mai herself, she had chosen this flavor due to a subconscious recognition.

“It’s not sweet like you said,” he said, unsure of how else to comment. When she continued to watch him in anticipation, he sighed. “It’s nice.”

“You like it?”

“Is that not what I implied?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You’re not much of a sweets guy, so I’m just happy I found something you like.”

He studied her, resting his chin in his hand. Why would she be happy about something like that? Mai would be the type who cared about that sort of useless information. She was always thinking of others and probably kept everyone’s birthdays logged on her phone somewhere (and he was correct).

Playing with the tray in her hands, she bounced from one foot to the other. “So, uh, Gene told me something interesting recently.”

He nodded, waiting for her to continue.

As she opened her mouth, a knock on the door diverted her attention to the source. With a turn of the knob, it opened to reveal Masako. She had a brighter-colored kimono on and more makeup than usual. “Are you ready, Naru?” she asked, her voice as graceful as ever.

Masako’s eyes widened when she opened the door fully and saw Mai. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were having a meeting. I can wait out here.”

Mai waved her hand in the air to object. “Not at all! It wasn’t anything important, really,” she said, already heading toward the door. She paused in front of the other girl, smiling. “Um, thanks for the mochi!”

Masako returned her smile. “I hope you enjoyed them. I’m glad to see you’ve recovered well,” she said, her eyes sweeping over her body.

“Yeah! My ribs are hardly noticeable these days.” Mai’s eyes also wandered to Masako’s ensemble. Her hair was pinned back with a flower, and Mai couldn’t help but admire the other girl’s natural beauty. “You look great. Are you going to a party or something?”

Masako covered her face with her sleeve and glanced behind Mai at Naru.

Mai tensed up ever so slightly, turning her head to follow Masako’s gaze. When her eyes met Naru’s, his gaze bored into hers for a second too long before looking away. “I will be ready momentarily, Hara-san. Please wait outside.”  

Taking that as a hint to leave his office, Mai tried to hurry out but not before he called her name.

She didn’t turn around.

“We’ll talk again later,” he said.

“Okay,” she agreed before shutting the door behind her.

As Masako sat herself on the couch, Mai busied herself in the kitchen doing nothing of importance. She didn’t know why she felt the need to hide in there, but it did give her a moment to understand the situation.

Were they going on a date? Did something happen while she’d been in the hospital? Why did it feel like life skipped a chapter?! Naru had never reciprocated Masako’s advances—er, anyone’s advances—so what led point A to point B?

She quickly sent Ayako a text before practicing some deep breaths and walking back to the waiting area.

Mai casually tidied up her desk, her thoughts running amok. She glanced over in Naru’s office’s direction.

What a waste of a nice scone. He barely touched it and probably didn’t have time to finish it. It won’t be good if I wrap it up for later, she internally whined. For reasons unknown, the thought of throwing out the scone she got just for him in mind made her chest ache even just the littlest bit. It was such an insignificant thing but it bothered her nonetheless.

When Naru finally came out of his office, he nodded to Masako who got up to join him. Mai noticed he had replaced his usual trench coat with a more expensive-looking one.

“You can head home, Mai,” he regarded her.

“Uh, thanks,” she said with an awkward smile. “Have fun on your date.”

Masako blushed, covering her face once more. “Thank you. We’re going to see a play. Hopefully, it’s a good one,” she said. She laced her arm around Naru’s. “Have a good night, Mai.”

“Thanks. You too.”

With that, the two left, but not before Naru caught her eyes again before shutting the door.

Weird.

Ignoring the ache in her chest, she headed into Naru’s office to clear up the food on his desk. Her eyes widened when she found the empty plate and teacup. Imagining Naru stuffing the scone in his mouth and downing the tea had her giggling.

The ache that had come on so suddenly quickly disappeared.

.

On Christmas Eve before she and Ayako left for Shibuya, Mai expressed her concerns about giving Naru his gift.

After the date incident, Ayako informed her that Naru and Masako went on dates regularly, and how had she not noticed until now? Mai wasn’t sure herself. Had they really been doing this for that long?

“You probably didn’t care enough about it before to pay attention,” Gene told her when she’d brought it up during one of their chats.

“What makes me care more about it now?”

“You tell me. I can’t answer that for you,” he said, sending her a sympathetic smile.

So, here she was stressing on Ayako’s bed as she stared at the wrapped gift in her hands. “Would it be weird to give him a gift if he is dating Masako?”

Ayako raised a brow and crossed her arms. “Nonsense. You could even think about it as a ‘thank you’ gift,” she said, walking out from the bathroom with her eyelash curler still working on an eye. “Besides, I don’t think it’s real dating.”

“What do you mean?”

The redhead removed the lash curler and shrugged. “My bullshit radar just tells me there’s something fishy about it. Not to mention that a few of the events they’ve gone to have been sponsored by Masako’s family.”

Mai made an “o” shape with her mouth and then looked back down at her gift. This is just a ‘thank you’ gift, anyway…

When they arrived at the office, they were greeted by Naru, John, and Bou-san talking in the waiting area. While Ayako budded in immediately, Mai placed her gifts under the mini tree—she was surprised to see most of her decorations survived. She looked around the room and noticed someone missing.

Maybe Masako’s still on her way? She thought.

“Hara-san will not be coming today as she had a prior engagement,” said Naru.

She frowned and sullenly placed Masako’s gifts under the tree. She’ll just have to give them to her next time.

Naru then cleared his throat. “In any case, I didn’t call you all here to have a party. Father Brown has requested our assistance.”

Mai’s eyes met with John’s and he nodded in confirmation. Naru noticed their silent communication but didn’t comment on it.

Thus, the group, including Lin, headed for John’s parish to meet with Father Tojo. Once there, John and the Father explained to them the recurring problem they encountered. Every so often, a series of possessions would occur among the children. They had identified the spirit as a boy named Kenji who had passed away decades ago before this current church was fully constructed. Father Tojo identified him because he tended to play a game of hide-and-seek adapted for his mutism.

He had always been the best at hiding to a fault. On the day he disappeared, the children had been playing the game as usual. Kenji had won but never came out of his spot. The whistle the Father had given him previously had been found in front of the church with a snapped lanyard. Without a stick or his whistle, there was no way for him to let them know where to rescue him. The adults had released a search party with no luck.

Hearing the story left a deep sorrow in Mai’s heart. She could only imagine how scared Kenji must’ve been, whatever had happened to him.

Because she was still on light duty, she was instructed to not run off to prevent further injury to her healing. And for once, she obeyed. Naru originally wasn’t even going to let her come. That quickly changed after a bout of complaining about boredom and discrimination. So, rather than running off when something was off, she waited for someone else to initiate before she followed.

Naru, of course, had to comment on how impressed he was that she could manage at least that much. She rewarded him with her usual glare followed by an eye roll.

Figuring that Kenji was unable to move on because his body was never found, the group searched the entirety of the property for potential accident-prone areas. Not to mention that the child Kenji had possessed still needed to be found. As they investigated, the sound of Kenji’s stick reverberated throughout the woods surrounding them.

Why don’t you try what we’ve been practicing? Gene piped up in the back of her mind.

Oh, right! she nodded, looking around slowly for a place to sit. She could try it standing but sometimes she got bouts of vertigo if she closed her eyes. Bou-san, Naru, John, and Lin were still within eyesight from the tree she sat under, so she figured it would be fine. Naru turned his head in her direction as if aware of her movement. He turned back to what he was doing, seeing that she was resting nearby.

Sighing in relief at finally being able to relax for a moment, she crossed her legs and leaned her back against the tree.

She closed her eyes and entered what Gene dubbed, “50% mode.” She was already getting better at sensing energies, so Gene wanted her to focus now on identifying their location in relation to her body. That’s why he named it what he did. She was essentially pulling her spirit out halfway.

A mental map of the surrounding area appeared in her mind’s eye. On the other side of the church was a shed. Kenji’s host could be seen crouching behind it.

Mustering up all her power to slink back into her body, her breathing deepened. Being 50%, it was sometimes hard to get herself back.

“Did you discover anything?”

She blinked her eyes open slowly, not bothering to look at whose legs were beside her. “He’s behind the shed on the other side.”

Naru instructed the others to head over there first.

When he didn’t leave, she finally looked up at him. With the way his bangs cast a shadow over his blue eyes, he couldn’t have looked any more handsome.

“Why aren’t you heading over there too?”

He put his hands into his coat pockets and leaned his back against the tree. Ignoring her question, he posed his own, “Are you unable to stand?”

“No, it’s not that. I just used a new technique Gene’s been teaching me. I get a little tired after using it.” Maybe her body still wasn’t back to normal, even if she felt like it was. This much walking was likely taking its toll on her body. “You don’t have to stay here with me.”

Naru was silent before revealing a glint of mischief in his eyes. “Would you prefer I carry you?”

Feeling her face get warm, she looked away. For some reason, the-princess-carry flashed into her head and she just wanted to be absorbed into the ground right then and there. “I’m fine, let’s go,” she mumbled, forcing herself up and refusing to look at him.

He watched her stomp away in amusement before following.

When they met up with the others, they were met with the unlikely image of a child, a boy named Thanat, glued to Lin’s leg. The tall man looked less than enthused but allowed it.

Mai’s jaw dropped, rubbing her eyes. She shared a look with Bou-san who offered a goofy smile and shrugged.

The group went back to the church to collect their thoughts. There, they found Ayako who had escaped the cold to help with baking rather than do her actual job. Mai found Naru’s leniency with her unbelievable.

While the other children helped with baking, the SPR crew stayed in the playroom with Thanat and Lin. Father Tojo explained that Lin happened to resemble Kenji’s father.

When Naru considered having John drive out the spirit, Mai’s gut told her otherwise. She wasn’t sure why but that just didn’t seem the most effective way. If Masako had been here, she could have channeled the spirit instead.

As if sensing her inner conflict, Naru turned and inquired her with his eyes. It was as if he was saying, If something’s bothering you, care to share?

“Could I try talking to Kenji?” she asked.

Everyone looked to Naru, who nodded. Out of self-consciousness, she practically pushed everyone out of the room save for Naru and Lin.

Her boss was interested in her method, while Lin was there for Kenji’s comfort.

Unfortunately for Naru’s research, she didn’t even know what she was doing. She was rolling with the punches according to everything Gene had taught her about his life as a medium. Knowing Kenji couldn’t speak, she wondered if connecting with him on the spiritual plane would be better.

That was what she did best, after all.

Approaching the small boy seated on the floor, she smiled and crouched down. “Hi, Kenji-kun. My name’s Mai, nice to officially meet you. Could I talk with you?” she asked, extending her hand out automatically. He looked from her face to her hand and then to Lin.

The stoic man nodded as if telling him it would be okay, much like how a parent would.

As soon as Kenji’s hand met hers, she pulled him into the spiritual plane. Thanat’s body fell against Lin’s but remained unconscious. She was operating on “50% mode” again it seemed. While her mind communicated with Kenji, her body spoke aloud.

“You want to see your Otou-san, right? Your real Otou-san.”

The black-haired child in her mind’s eye nodded his head. At least he was aware that Lin wasn’t his real father.

“If you want to see him, you have to pass on. He’s waiting for you on the other side,” she urged. Kenji seemed hesitant, tightening his fists on the edge of his top. “It’s okay to be scared. I get scared all the time!

“When the time comes, I’ll walk with you over there, okay? I can’t go all the way, but I’ll go as far as I can,” she smiled softly, looking over to the light and taking both his hands. “Could you help us find where you are? You must have been cold.”

He squeezed her hands before adopting a look of determination on his face.

Mai couldn’t quite interpret what he wanted. “Was there something else you wanted to do before you left?”

Kenji nodded. The image of the Christmas festivities flashed into her head. Her heart ached. He just wanted to do everything he never got to do with his real dad when he was alive.

“You just want to do what you couldn’t with your real Otou-san when you were alive, right?” she repeated aloud so Lin and Naru would understand. She felt Lin nod his head beside her.

Then, another idea came to her. “I’m sure Thanat would like to have fun too. Why don’t you use my body? You have to pinky promise to give it back after though.”

“Mai,” said Naru with a scolding tone.

She ignored him and stuck her pinky out for Kenji. The little boy agreed and wrapped his little finger around her own.

.

Oliver sighed in exasperation. Why was she like this? She was still recovering and he wasn’t sure what toll a spiritual possession would have on her body.

He stood in the corner with Bou-san as Matsuzaki and John helped with the children. The man beside him must have noticed the tension in his shoulders as he watched possessed Mai roll out dough with Lin’s help.

A chuckle left the Bou-san's mouth. “You worry too much, Naru-bou. She wouldn’t have offered if she couldn’t handle it.”

“I wonder about that,” Oliver said, once again releasing an exhale from his nose.

“It is funny seeing Lin-san amongst a bunch of kids. He looks so uncomfortable.”

Lin had his usual flat face on, perhaps a tinge more sour than usual. He was once again roped into Mai’s shenanigans, directly this time.

Oliver did have to admit it was amusing to see the tall man cutting out star-shaped cookies or painting ornaments. Under normal circumstances, it was too much of a hassle, but he couldn’t help but casually pull his phone out for a picture.

He promptly sent it to Madoka.

After the festivities were over, as promised, Kenji in Mai’s body led the group outside to show them where he was. He pointed to the top of the church, at the landing the statues of the Saints sat on.

Oliver nodded in understanding, a sense of sorrow briefly squeezing its way into his heart before being harshly blocked out. He didn’t have time for emotions.

Kenji in Mai’s body reached for one of Lin’s hands with both hands. Flashing him with the brightest smile, Mai’s mouth opened. Instead of her voice, the weak voice of a meek little boy was heard for all to hear.

“Thank you.”

With that, the faint light of a warm yellow emanated from Mai’s body. Oliver wondered if Mai was walking Kenji toward the light at this moment—in a way, he could practically see it.

After the light faded, Mai fell forward into Lin who reflexively caught her.

Matsuzaki and Bou-san immediately started worrying, while Oliver simply checked the time on his watch. It was still quite early, so maybe he had some time to type up the report before dinner.

Mai groaned and rubbed her head, her eyes groggy. “I’m never gonna get used to that,” she mumbled. She pushed herself off of Lin and brushed off the two fussing people beside her. “Kenji-kun is with his Otou-san now. He came to pick him up.” She smiled sadly and looked up at the church.

“I’m happy for him,” said John. “Thank you for coming to help, everyone. Especially on Christmas Eve.”

“Glad we could help! It’s not like any of us have dates or anything, right Ayako, Bou-san?” Mai smirked.

“Hey! What’s with singling us out? Speak for yourself,” Ayako complained.

“Yeah, that’s cold,” Bou-san feigned hurt. “I was going to offer a piggyback ride if you weren’t feeling well, but I’m thinking you’re feeling just fine.”

Mai laughed. “You’re sounding more like a neighborhood ‘uncle’ every day.”

“Okay, that one actually hurt.”

Oliver cleared his throat. “If we’re all done here, I’ll take my leave,” he said, already walking away.

“Not so fast!” His head whipped around when Mai grabbed his hand. “Don’t be a Scrooge. It’s Christmas Eve! I have gifts for everyone.”

“We could pick up some food,” suggested John.

“Fried chicken does sound really good right now.” Bou-san folded his arms behind his head. “If Jou-chan’s treating, I’m in!”

With some laughs and peer pressure, the group returned to the office for their impromptu party. Despite saying otherwise, Bou-san ended up treating the group to food. Oliver allowed them to party in the SPR office but was more comfortable hiding away in his own.

However, unlike before, he kept his door open.

Mai handed out everyone’s gifts who were seated in the waiting room. She went to Lin’s office next to deliver his gift before making her way nervously to Oliver’s. Despite his door remaining open, she knocked on it before entering.

He looked up from his computer, light reflecting off his glasses.

Her breath hitched as she approached his desk, gift in hand. “Uh, this is a thank-you gift for everything you’ve done. Ayako told me that you covered my hospital bills.” She placed the gift on his desk and waited in anticipation for his reaction.

Realizing she was waiting for him, he pulled off his glasses. He regarded the rectangular box with curiosity. From what he overheard, the others had received blessed Buddha-bead bracelets in addition to something else. Here, his gift seemed to be much different.

Lifting off the top of the box was an onyx black pen with a metallic finish and gold accents. It was well-made and undoubtedly expensive.

When he looked up, he was greeted by Mai with a nervous smile and pink cheeks.

“With the help of Usa-sama, we blessed it together. Please keep it on you for protection,” she said, shifting from one foot to the other. “Well, write with it too, if you want.”

He chuckled at her nervousness before smiling. “Thank you.”

Her face got pinker as she glanced to the side awkwardly. “You’re welcome. Um, we still have cookies the church gave us, so please have some.” With that, she quickly made her way to the door.

Could I just melt into the floor? She thought.

Oliver watched her leave with his chin in hand.

He couldn’t help but think that he probably wasn’t meant to hear that.

Chapter Text

It was one of those dreams again.

Rather than the usual Western man and woman, there was a new face this time—a woman around Bou-san and Lin’s age. She was of Asian descent with pink-brown hair that Mai figured was dyed, if current trends told her anything. She had a bright personality, was very outgoing, and maybe a smidgen obnoxious. She often interrupted Mai’s host’s reading for little pranks or pushed her into annoying situations. The original viewer must’ve been close with this woman judging from their tolerance of her mischief.

According to the feelings of the person whose shoes Mai walked in, this woman felt akin to a family friend. Perhaps a teacher as well, or so she interpreted. She wondered why she felt that way when the woman had never shown any inclination that she was a teacher. Perhaps, that was a detail only the original viewer knew. 

Unlike Luella and Martin, whose names Mai only remembered during these visions, the pink-haired lady was never designated one. That was the difficult part about having these dreams. They were so scattered—some had voices, others didn’t. Some had details, others were vague. Mai had to piece it all together herself. Considering that she couldn’t willingly recall much when she woke up, the task was difficult. Sometimes the dreams felt eerily uncanny like she was living another life, not just witnessing someone else’s memories.

A part of her was content to leave the situation be. Would she be happy to find out whose memories she was seeing? Assuming they were dead, she knew learning more about them and what they lost would pull at her heart. 

She knew they deserved to have their story known. But for now, she would allow herself the luxury of ignorance. 

At least for a little bit.

.

Life resumed as normal following the winter break with Mai returning to her apartment. One of her concerns was her little aloe plant, which her landlady graciously checked for her. She was happy to find it still alive when she entered the studio apartment after what felt like a month. 

Ayako missed having her around and would crash at her place occasionally. She even left a toothbrush and some skincare. Mai didn’t mind though, since it made things livelier in her quiet little apartment.

While she continued to recover, she decided to slow her research regarding the twin brothers. She got fatigued easily these days and their whole situation had her head spinning.

The priority was still finding Gene’s body while finding Naru’s real name came after. She knew the latter was prying—an indulgent curiosity she didn’t necessarily have a right to know. 

She wondered if Masako knew who he was. Perhaps that was the “dirt” Ayako mentioned? She doubted the medium would tell her if she asked. It was like asking Michiru for personal information about Akira-kun. It wasn’t her business. 

Yet, she was still curious. He probably had his reasons, like he always did. After all, why did Gene have to hide his full name too? 

These were the thoughts she pondered on during her more mundane moments. She didn’t dwell on it long since she struggled to catch up with daily life as it was. “Stressing about other people’s business gave people headaches,” or so the one neighborhood aunty always told her. 

If only the aunty followed her own advice.

Something that was related to Mai was the matter of her actual accident. After running some reconnaissance, she surmised that Naru had called Michiru after Gene’s initial contact. Meaning that Michiru hadn’t asked Naru to come. 

He initiated the idea himself. 

It almost warmed her heart until she realized Gene wouldn’t have contacted him unless it was the last resort—that Gene believed Naru was the only one who could save her. She liked to think she knew Naru enough now that if he could help someone, he would. Well, if it was a life-or-death situation, anyway. There were plenty of other situations he wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about. 

Unfortunately, fate wasn’t on her side because every time she tried to bring up the topic of the accident, there would be some interruption. She was beginning to wonder if she wasn’t supposed to find out. Was Naru intentionally hiding it? Or maybe he didn’t think it important enough to mention? Or was there something about the situation that he wasn’t comfortable speaking about?

Either way, something in her gut told her that she would inevitably find out soon enough. It would happen when she least expected it to knowing her luck. 

Besides, with other priorities at present, she could afford to file it away for later. 

.

Feeling lazy… maybe I’ll stop by Family Mart for dinner. Grilled onigiri sounds good right about now.

Oliver sighed and pulled off his glasses. He had to start getting used to Mai’s menial sentiments interrupting his thoughts. Unlike his and Gene’s telepathy, he was still trying to figure out this new connection. While the twins’ telepathy was natural—something they didn’t need to learn—his current predicament with Mai was not so straightforward. There weren’t any boundaries at present, and he couldn’t “close” off the connection the way he knew how.

Telling from his observations, the link wasn’t reciprocal. Only he was able to hear her thoughts. Ethics dictated that he should inform her, yet the researcher in him didn’t want to influence the connection. For all he knew, if Mai found out, she would close herself off unintentionally and not know how to open it back up. He planned to tell her eventually, but he wanted a short period to study the phenomenon independently first. 

This was an opportunistic situation to study a paranormal rarity without confounding variables. 

Besides, he could only hear her thoughts sporadically. Most of them were without context so he didn’t pay them heed anyway. He also had no way of willingly listening in, nor could he block them out. Following nights of research reflection, he deduced that—

This was a side-effect of his and Mai’s souls merging during her revival. 

He could hear her thoughts without distance restrictions at any frequency—none, once, twice, thrice a day.

And Mai thought about food, often. Particularly what she felt like eating for her upcoming meals. At the very least, it provided insight into why she worried so much about what he and Lin were ingesting.

With the first two points, he could only wonder if she had started experiencing anything new herself. He planned to study her side effects following his own case study. The events on the mountain were a blur for him, possibly from the myriad of conditions against him at the time. Stress, urgency, inclement weather, and spiritual intervention didn’t translate kindly to his memory. 

What he did remember clearly was the aftermath. 

Once Mai was safely in an ambulance, Naru and Lin resolved the persistent issue in the area. It was a simple solution. One that most non-superstitious individuals wouldn’t think of. With the combined consultation of Bou-san, Matsuzaki, and Lin, the owners of the hotel were instructed to transport the grave of the zashiki-warashi back onto the grounds of the property. Incense was to be burned along with offerings and a ritual from a local priest or priestess to beg for forgiveness. Offerings would have to be provided regularly in the form of candy and treats. 

As a scientist, Oliver remained skeptical about the existence of the creatures from folklore. However, even he couldn’t deny what had been witnessed on that mountain. 

There were quite a few nights where he had tried to recount the events in full in his notebook to no avail. He wrote down snippets at a time but failed to fill in the missing pieces. Occasionally, his dreams replayed the scene in its entirety, but he would forget upon waking up. 

Lapses in his short-term or long-term memories were rare—save for useless information or people. Either he forgot due to the high stakes of the situation, or there was a supernatural intervention. 

Whatever the case, he had another puzzle to solve.

.

Winter came and went with nothing noteworthy at work. There had been several clients since the church case but most of the cases were easily solved without Mai’s intervention. Most of the time, Naru had her watch the office while he and Lin investigated. They weren’t even gone very long before their sourpuss faces returned to relieve her of her boredom. 

With Gene no longer being a secret, both brothers ganged up on her and combined their assignments into one big heap. Not to mention that meditation with Lin was also a new demand added to her arsenal.

After her concussion was debunked as an excuse, Naru’s iron fist got ever stronger now that he acknowledged her utility. Thus, she started officially training as an apprentice investigator. She normally would’ve complained if not for the raise he gave for her new title. Her eyes nearly popped out when she saw how much—was she really that helpful?! 

When she asked Naru about it, he answered, “You have demonstrated some competency within this area. I’m merely compensating you appropriately.” 

Emphasis on the “some.” Given his indifference, she figured that this raise wasn’t anywhere near what actual investigators were paid (and she was correct). However, it did beg the question if paranormal researchers were that high in demand to be paid such salaries. 

When she asked Ayako about it, she got a generic response and a shrug. And then Mai remembered that Ayako was a trust-fund kid and likely didn’t care much about pay. Rather, the miko changed the subject and insisted on a shopping trip to celebrate the raise.

Typical. 

She somehow managed to get Bou-san and John roped into the spree as well—Mai had the sneaking suspicion Ayako just wanted some extra set of hands. 

Since she was obviously disinterested in the question, Mai turned to Bou-san and John for answers.

“Informal ghost hunters set their rates and they can come with a hefty price if they have experience. Take me for example, my freelance rate is whatever I feel like depending on the case,” Bou-san explained, his eyes unconsciously following Ayako’s erratic movements around the store.  

“I’m asking for industry standards, Bou-san,” Mai said, sniffing a perfume she found on a display. 

He scoffed. “Industry standards? What kind of high schooler are you? And I am giving you a standard answer. The rates are based on experience and expertise. Ghost hunters set their rates according to what level of service they can provide. Meanwhile, big guns like BSPR charge far more for their services.”

“BSPR?” She absentmindedly placed the perfume bottle back on the shelf with a thud.

John answered this time, “The Society for Psychical Research. They’re a formal organization that addresses paranormal research and field study. The main branch originates in Britain, hence ‘BSPR.’ They also have a branch in the US, known as the ‘ASPR.’”

BSPR… Alarms went off in her head and she couldn’t fathom why. Flashes of the faces from her dreams appeared in her mind’s eye. She scrunched her brows in concentration to no success.

“Are you okay, Mai-san?” John’s concerned tone ripped her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m fine. The name sounds familiar, so I was trying to figure out where I'd heard it before."

“Considering all those textbooks Naru-bou has you reading, I wouldn’t be surprised if BSPR was mentioned more than a handful of times.” Bou-san nodded his head at his deduction, crossing his arms.

“I guess you’re right.”

The three continued to chat as she looked through the store at a steady pace, trying to catch up to Ayako. She couldn’t help but wonder if Ayako was the one who got promoted instead, telling by how many things were in her shopping bag.

While Mai had always been frugal out of necessity, she did like to peruse stores from time to time. Her mother used to emphasize treating herself when she could afford to. Cheaper but stylish clothing wasn’t as hard to find compared to when she was younger, so she was able to stay fairly on trend during her middle and high school years. Her ensembles were simpler, but she still felt good in them. 

Thus, she came out of this trip with new clothes to replace older articles that were ready for the rag bin. Just when she thought they were done, Ayako prowled over with a set of colored makeup items. 

“I want to get these for you,” said the other woman.

Mai argued, “It’s okay! I already have plenty of makeup.” It may not have seemed like it, but she wore makeup every day. Just not noticeable amounts like Ayako.

“It never hurts to have more! Besides, you’re young so it’s fun to experiment.” When Mai continued to frown, Ayako rolled her eyes. “Think about it as a late Christmas gift.”

“You already gave me a gift!”

Ayako ignored her. “Besides, adding a little more color to your complexion can help brighten up your skin. And who knows, maybe you’ll catch the eye of some boys,” she said, winking. 

Mai recalled the last few confessions* she received at school and groaned. She did not need any more eye-catching. She glanced at the set in the other woman’s hands. The colors were subtle but fresh—perfect for spring. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t intrigued. 

Her school was lax compared to others about the makeup code, so she could probably get away with a bit more…

“Boys or not though, when you look good, you feel good. Look at Masako! She’s been wearing more makeup too,” Ayako added. She was right. Masako had been sporting colored lip glosses and tinted balms lately. 

She sighed, looking at her friend in defeat. “Fine! If you insist.”

And so, began her journey of experimentation. She tried to apply the products lightly to keep her makeup natural-looking, but her school friends noticed immediately. 

“I like that color on you,” Keiko said one day during lunch. “It brightens up your skin! When I try the same one, it makes me look dead.”

I guess Ayako knows what she’s talking about!

“Yeah! It’s a nice shade,” agreed Michiru before smirking. “So much that Takata-kun’s been sneaking glances all day.”

Mai rolled her eyes.

“No, seriously. He’s looking right now.”

When she turned in the direction her friends were gesturing, Takata was indeed looking. 

Shit. 

Pretending she didn’t see anything, she quickly turned around and poked at her bento. “Maybe I shouldn’t wear so much if it’s that noticeable.”

“Nonsense! It’s not like you’re caking it on. Just the right amount of enhancement,” Keiko encouraged. She patted her cheek in thought. “Has your boss noticed?”

Mai scrunched her brows. Naru didn’t seem to care about that kind of thing. When she first started wearing more, he didn’t react in any notable way. Sure, he’d been much more tolerable lately but not enough to dish out random compliments. “I don’t know. He doesn’t seem like the type to notice.”

Michiru leaned her chin into her hand. “Hmm, I think he might… if it’s you,” she mumbled the last part. Michiru still remembered the night Naru came to save Mai, particularly the way he held her to his chest. If she didn’t know better, she’d suspect something was going on. 

Keiko had the same thoughts. The idea was solidified after witnessing his behavior when Mai had been hospitalized. She remembered coming to visit on her own and finding him reading at her bedside… multiple times. It was like seeing a scene from some drama. 

“Pay closer attention next time and let us know,” the pig-tailed girl suggested.

Later that day when Mai got to the office, she mulled over what her friends had said. She brushed them off at the time but the curiosity piqued her interest. Would Naru notice? Even if he did, what was the likelihood he would comment? 

I don’t know how I’d react if Naru said anything about it. 

She sighed and hung her coat up. Realizing she was being ridiculous, she shook her head and got to work. She started by sorting through the mail and checking the answering machine. She then brewed some Earl Grey tea she’d been craving before bringing the tray to Naru’s office. 

Upon entering his office, she noticed his glasses were off. He must have slept well enough last night for the eye strain to not be as bad today. She also noticed the pen she had given him sitting on top of his documents. Her chest warmed every time she saw him using it.

Naru examined the teacup she placed on his desk. “Earl Grey,” he stated, almost posing it as a question.

“Just felt like making some today. Did you want something else?” That would be odd since Naru’s favorite was Earl Grey.

He stared at the cup intently for a moment longer with a scowl before taking a sip. “It’s fine.”

Mai raised a brow and crossed her arms, not buying it.

Gene thought the same because he awoke from whatever slumber he had been in to interject. What a liar.

“It seems I’ve displeased his Highness,” she joked. 

Naru glared at her and continued drinking his tea. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“My job is to attend to the needs and comforts of your Grace,” she grinned. “Shall I brew you a pot of green tea instead? Or maybe Oolong?”

His glare intensified at her teasing but eventually faded in favor of closing his eyes and sighing. “Green.”

She blinked in surprise. “What? You actually want green tea?”

“That is what I said.”

Huffing, she retreated to the kitchen to prepare His Majesty’s green tea. She just needed to remind herself that she was getting paid more for basically doing the same things as always. 

While she prepared the boiling water, she heard Naru leave his office. 

“Did you file through the mail?” 

“Yeah, it’s in the mail bin.” 

The sound of the water boiling and Naru’s flipping through the mail left the office in a comfortable silence. Soon the sound of the door opening with the customary bell chime broke the silence. 

Mai came around the corner to greet the customer only to freeze in place.

“Welco- Takata-kun?!” 

Standing at the door was her classmate from school, the one she had caught staring at her earlier. For a normally outgoing guy, he seemed quite nervous now. He held a small bundle of flowers in his hand.

Don’t tell me he’s here for me?! 

He definitely is! Gene rubbed salt in the wound.

“Can we help you?” Naru’s sharp voice cut through when her own was frozen in her throat.

Noticing the other person in the room, Takata bowed in greeting. “Sorry to impose, sir. I’ll be quick. I wanted to speak with Taniyama-san.” When he straightened, his face was one of determination. 

He turned to her, pink tinging his cheeks. “I’m sorry for bothering you at work. You left school before I could get a chance to talk to you,” he started. “I wanted to tell you that you looked really nice today. Um, well, you always look lovely.” 

Ignoring the piercing stare from the side, he quickly handed her the flowers with a nervous smile. “Please accept these!”

Mai awkwardly smiled and took the flowers. “Uh, wow, thank you. These are beautiful.”

He beamed, his grin stretching from cheek to cheek. “I hope you like them. I thought I would be the first to approach you. Have a great night and I’ll see you tomorrow!” With that, he hurried out the door. 

The first? She blinked, in shock at what had just happened. 

The sound of the kettle shrieking broke her out of her stupor. Struggling where to put her flowers, her eyes found Naru whom she promptly gave the flowers to while she headed to the kitchen.

Unbeknownst to her, her unamused boss stared at the flowers in disdain. What does she expect me to do with these? 

She set the tea to steep and pondered how she would rectify the awkward atmosphere. It was one thing if Naru returned to his office, but he stood around to witness the whole scene. Not only was it embarrassing, but she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. 

Don’t worry, Mai. I think he knows you’re not thirsty for a relationship. Heck, you hang out with a ghost regularly. Your hobby is the paranormal, you hang out with spiritualists in your free time, you help random ghosts on the street, and you’re probably just as obsessed with them as he is. She could imagine Gene shrugging with a smug look on his face. He’s probably the one person who’d understand you best!

You make me sound like a weirdo.

The whole lot of you are. Myself included! But I actually had a social life. 

I have a social life!

Yeah, with other paranormal enthusiasts.

John’s normal!

But also an exorcist.

I hate you.

Sulking, she got out the set of Japanese tea cups and a glass for her flowers. As brutally truthful as Gene was, he did help her feel better. 

To pretend like nothing had transpired, she changed the topic. “Have you watched the news recently, Naru?” she asked. When she got radio silence for an answer, she continued. “A local high school’s been the victim of some crazy hauntings! I didn’t get to read it thoroughly but thought you’d be interested.”

No answer.

Mai popped her head around the corner to see if he was still there. Surprisingly he was still standing where she left him. He was leaning against her desk turning the flowers around in his hand like he was studying them. A giggle couldn’t help but escape her lips. Why did he look so repulsed by some flowers? 

Maybe her resident hermit needed to take a field trip outside.

“Never seen flowers before?” She joked, walking up and taking them back. Both their eyes snapped to her hands when her fingers brushed against his. “Thanks for holding them,” she said, quickly transplanting the flowers into the tall glass she took from the kitchen. 

She gave them a sniff before placing the glass on her desk. The flowers were beautiful—a shade of blue she always liked. Her eyes trailed away before making eye contact with Naru. 

Yup, that shade.

Before she realized she’d been staring, Naru spoke up. “I hope that won’t be a regular occurrence from now on.”

“Huh?”

He averted his gaze to the window. “I can’t have my business bombarded by your suitors.”

She shook her head vigorously. “Trust me, I don’t want them to come. At school is one thing,” she sighed, placing a hand on her head. “I don’t know why they’re suddenly showing up at work now too.”

Naru glanced at her again before heading back to his office. “Perhaps it’s the cosmetics you’ve been wearing,” he stated in passing before disappearing. 

Mai spun around and watched him go, her mouth agape. So, he did notice! 

Ohoho, her head gremlin cackled. 

“Shut up, Gene.” Slamming her mental wall in Gene’s face, she headed to the kitchen to get the green tea to distract herself. 

When she entered Naru’s office next, she avoided eye contact with him at all costs. Luckily, it was easy since he was busy looking through the mail from earlier. She placed the tea on his desk without a word and was about to leave when she caught sight of an envelope she didn’t remember sorting through.

The sender’s attention read “BSPR.”

Her eyes widened in recognition. Before she had time to process it, the jingle of the front door opening signaled the arrival of a client. Whether intentionally or not, Naru covered it with a document before following her out.

“Welcome! How may we help you?” she greeted the newcomer, a high school student—one not from her school thankfully. He was rather tall with glasses and a polite smile. 

“Hello, my name is Yasuhara Osamu. I’m the student council president at Ryokuryou High School. I came on behalf of my principal to seek help with the paranormal activity at our school.”

Naru nodded at him in greeting. “Hello, I’m Shibuya Kazuya. I run this establishment. I believe I have spoken with your principal already. Your school has been covered extensively in the media recently.”

Yasuhara scratched his head. “Yes, that’s right. I understand that you have already declined our request. That’s why I’m here—to ask you to reconsider. I’m sure you’ve heard of the incidents. They’re now worse than before. A hellhound has been attacking and biting students in the middle of class.” 

That sounds familiar! 

Naru glanced at her, but she didn’t notice. 

“Is that also the school with the Ouija boards and the classroom that smells like natto and rotten fish?” she asked the student. 

Yasuhara looked at her confused. “Yes… but that hasn’t been covered in the news extensively. Do you happen to know a student from Ryokuryou?”

“I might. I have an online friend who attends a school with similar incidents.”

He blinked at her for a moment before pushing his glasses up in curiosity. He looked to be debating something before finally saying, “Kame-”

She knew instantly. “-hame…”

“-ha!” they both said in unison. It was their code should they ever meet in person.

“Mackerel-kun! What a small world,” she smiled brightly. She looked him over and patted him on the shoulder. “You look super smart! What the heck!”

“I don’t just look it, Tofu-chan,” he smirked. “And to think I was talking to a cute girl this whole time! For some reason, I imagined you as more of the ‘alternative’ type.” 

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Taniyama Mai at your service!”

“Nice to officially meet you, Mai-chan. Call me Yasu,” he said with a smile. 

Clearing his throat, Naru crossed his arms. “Care to get back on topic?”

.

“Is it me or are the adults running the school a bunch of pricks?” she murmured only loud enough for Bou-san and Yasu to hear. The principal’s rudeness and lack of formality left a bad taste in her mouth.

“Nah, not just you,” Bou-san said, watching as one of the teachers, Matsuyama Hideharu, led them around like they were a group of delinquents needing supervision.

Matsuyama glanced back at Naru. “How old are you?”

Naru adopted his typical couldn’t-be-bothered face and exhaled through his nose before humoring him, “Seventeen.”

“Shouldn’t you be in school? Children should be studying, not running around playing games with all this ghost nonsense.”

Mai glared at the back of his head, unconsciously marching up beside Naru. What a piece of shit! How dare he talk to him like that! He needs someone to rip him a new one.

A tug at her sleeve had her whipping her head toward the source. Without saying anything or looking at her, Naru had reached out for her sleeve. 

Did he think she was going to say something?

“Here’s the room you’ll be using,” Matsuyama ushered them in. He made himself at home in one of the chairs, crossing his legs and arms. “Well, get to it. I don’t have all day.”

Her eye twitched, ready to kick him across the Pacific Ocean. Naru took that moment to let go of her sleeve. “That won’t be necessary. Unless you have reported incidents of your own, you won’t be needed here and should proceed with your day as normal.”

Matsuyama’s eye narrowed, obviously taking offense at being told what to do by a teenager. “I don’t see why a bunch of amateurs are here to do a man’s job.”

“I implore you to ask the principal then.”

Bou-san chuckled, turning his face to the side to hide his disrespect. “He’s not wrong. Go ask your boss.” 

Mai nodded defiantly in agreeance. 

Matsuyama got up and marched to the door. “I’ve had enough of your insolence. I’m not just going to sit around and let a bunch of kids tear down the school,” he said before slamming the door behind him. 

“He says as he abandons his post,” Mai said, glaring daggers at the door. She looked toward Yasu in disbelief. “And he’s supposed to be a teacher? More like a correctional officer at some boot camp!”

Bou-san nodded. “Yeah, I’m impressed at how well you kept your cool, Naru-bou.” 

“It’s no use lecturing a pig,” Naru said, already tending to the equipment. 

Yasu grinned. “It’s like you already know him.”

Naru then had Mai do a recount of any rooms she walked by that stood out to her, including any voices or apparitions. Quite frankly, the school was a medley of all things bad and ugly. It felt very crowded but not with spirits. More like things. “Things” wasn’t what her employer wanted to hear, but she would have a stronger inclination after fully projecting later. Whatever the case was, they felt closer to demons than spirits.

With Yasu’s help, they gathered the affected students to document their experiences. At first, the stories were status quo and none of them stood out to her. They sounded like run-of-the-mill ghost stories from any high school aside from the hell hounds—the haunted bed in the nurse’s office, the unopened locker, and the piano that played by itself.

Then, came the elusive tale of the student who had committed suicide last fall by the given name, Sakauchi. Students claimed to have seen him roaming the halls during after-school hours, sometimes even during the day. A notable detail about him was that he had left behind a note before he succeeded. 

“I’m not a dog.” 

Under discussion between her, Bou-san, and Yasu, they figured it was the strict conditions that the students were under. None of them could express themselves without ridicule. Many were punished for it even. Sakauchi was one such student. According to Yasu, he had written on his career survey, “ghost hunter” as his primary choice. Of course, his choice was met with derision.

“I can’t imagine feeling comfortable at a school like this. All the pressure for expressing yourself,” Bou-san said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Not even a single kid with bleached hair, either. Crazy I tell ya’.”

Mai chuckled, joining him at the window. “That’s not really ‘in’ anymore, y’know.”

“You’re making me sound like an old fart.”

“You’re not?” Bou-san glared at her while she laughed.

“I bet for the small amount of makeup I have on, they probably think I belong on some street corner,” Mai jested, leaning against the window. 

Yasu feigned offense, backing himself into the table. “How vulgar, Mai-chan. My sheltered ears can’t take anymore.”

It’s like having an in-person Gene around, she thought as she watched his theatrics.

Bou-san looked between the two and tilted his head. “Aren’t you two awfully comfortable with each other for people who just met?”

Mai and Yasu shared a look before smirking. “Bou-san meet Mackerel-kun.”

Bou-san was silent for a moment before he remembered where he’d heard that nickname before. Snapping his head toward Yasu, he said a few octaves too high, “Oh, so you’re the fish dude Mai’s been cheating on Naru with.”

She would’ve dropkicked him if she could. 

Her stomach dropped as heat crept up her face. She could feel it now, the embarrassment taking a toll on her life energy. She prayed that Naru hadn’t heard. His back was to them so she had no way of knowing. 

When Bou-san smiled smugly, she pinched his arm and glared. 

Yasu blinked at the interaction before the pieces aligned. “Ah, I see. Your boss is also your boyfriend. And here I thought I had a shot.” He nodded his head as if everything made sense.

Usa-sama, please kill me now. Her cheeks burned hotter as she redirected her glare. 

That’ll be 500 yen, please! Tips not included, Gene interjected. 

“It’s not like that! Bou-san, stop feeding him delusions!” Where was John when you needed him?

“Good one, Shounen. I think we’ll get along just fine,” Bou-san said, patting him on the back as they both grinned at her misery. 

“If you’re all done wasting time, I’d like to get back to work,” Naru’s sharp voice cut through the light atmosphere like a hot knife. Yasu and Bou-san instantly straightened while Mai let out an exhale. “Yasuhara, would you be able to show us to the classrooms with the most activity?”

“Ah, yes, of course,” the said teenager agreed, already re-adopting his professional façade.

Coincidentally, a scream let out just as they entered the hall. A cacophony of screams, shuffling desks, and scrambling feet sent the group into a sprint. Once on the scene, they saw a female student scrambling backward out of the classroom on all fours, blood seeping out a bite wound on her leg.

Inside the classroom was a non-corporeal apparition resembling that of a large dog breed. It bore its blood-stained fangs with a questionable acidic saliva dripping from its mouth. As it made to lunge again, Bou-san stepped forward with his enchantment and Buddha beads. The amount of force from his voice blew the hound away in midair. 

The teacher was rattled as he shook like a quivering puppy on his desk. Seeing as the rest of the class was in chaos, Yasu quickly jumped in to redirect the students. 

Mai crouched down to the girl to inspect her wounds. The punctures were deep, surprisingly so for a spirit attack.

“How frequently do the hellhounds appear?” Naru asked Yasu after the students were cleared out.

“There’s no pattern from what I noticed,” he started, thinking deeply. “It started at once every two weeks. Now, a couple of times a week. Twice in a day, even.”

After delivering the injured student to the nurse’s office, Yasu led the group to another classroom. “I wanted to share my own experience. This is the classroom with the putrid smell. We were sitting in class one day when the smell came out of nowhere, and it’s been that way since.”

When they entered the room, the smell practically smacked her in the face. If she wanted to be vulgar, Mai compared the smell to a woman’s bathroom trash bin in the summer that’d been left for weeks. Oh, and a tank of rotting frogs. 

“Damn, that’s rancid,” said Bou-san as he nearly took a nose-dive out the open window. Mai shared his sentiment, not commenting as she afforded herself a few clean breaths before heading back into the warzone.

Even Yasu who was used to the smell, covered his nose. “Told you it’s pretty rank.”

Naru, ever the resilient statue, continued with business as usual while ignoring his dramatic crew. He scanned the room until his eyes landed on a group of girls staring at him. They blushed when he looked their way, or rather at the sheets of paper in their hands. 

“Would those be the Ouija boards Mai mentioned when you first came to the office?” he addressed Yasu.

Nodding, the other teen affirmed, “I didn’t realize they were Ouija boards until Mai-chan pointed it out. We call it ‘Orikiri-sama.’”

The girls whispered amongst themselves as they overheard. Yasu politely asked them to show the “board” used. 

“Do you often play in this classroom?” asked Naru.

The girls looked at each other before nodding. “Nearly every day. It’s not like the other games, though. It’s supposed to summon gods and stuff. They, like, tell you your love fortune.”

“Ouija boarding is not good, no matter what you’re summoning. It’s all the same. You’re opening a gateway for dangerous entities,” Bou-san educated. His brows furrowed as he continued to look at the boards. When the girls argued, his irritation increased two-fold. “Don’t ever do this again. It may seem like a silly game, but you could open a door you wish you hadn’t.”

The girls shared looks, unsure of what to make of the information. To break up the awkward atmosphere, Yasu charmed the girls into giving them their board for research using his status as senpai. 

Uninterested in anything else, Naru led them back to the base without another word. 

“Do you guys think Orikiri-sama is the reason for all these hauntings?” Yasu asked as he laid the paper board on the table. 

Mai peered over to get a closer look. She scrunched her brows in confusion at all the extra nonsense on it. A typical game of Kokkuri-san usually had a Torii gate drawn on top. In contrast, this one featured a human figure encircled by the character for “demon” around it, which already rang alarms in her head. She had nothing to back to the idea other than finding it odd. She was no expert in Ouija boards, so maybe each of them had a different marking.

“That’s a possibility. However, I don’t think something as menial as that could be the cause of the multiple purported incidents,” said Naru. “Just because a few amateurs successfully held a seance doesn’t mean the spirits summoned are strong enough to cause mass disturbance.”

“Sounds to me like you don’t buy into the ancient art of Ouija boarding,” said Bou-san, crossing his arms in amusement. 

Naru shook his head, trailing his fingers along the table. “There are too many unaccounted variables to declare that it’s solely due to spirits. There may be some true cases, but most cases of a planchette moving are likely human intervention.”

Mai didn’t comment, never having held any interest in playing one. Keiko had been adamant about trying one at school last year, but Mai hadn’t been interested—if her reluctance about connecting with the other side in the past said anything. 

Now, she didn’t even need a Ouija board to stir up trouble.

Imagining Gene haunting her through a board, she figured he would spell out something inappropriate for shits and giggles and then finish it up with, “Lol.”

You’re not wrong, but why do I still feel offended?

Unintentionally, she let out a disrespectful scoff aloud. 

When the other members looked at her with raised brows, she shooed them away with a hand. “The pestering voice in my head.”

Yasu scrunched his brows and tilted his head. “Should I be worried?”

Bou-san laughed. “Very. Jou-chan is one of the best Ouija boards around. You’re bound to attract troublesome spirits while she’s around or your money back guaranteed.”

The bespectacled teen blinked at the monk plainly as he computed the new info. When it finally hit, he whipped his head toward her. “You’re a psychic?!”

Taken aback by his outburst, she jumped back. “Um, yeah. Something like that.” 

Naru scoffed this time, jotting something in his notebook.

.

“You’re really telling me that there’s no hotel?!” Ayako shook Mai by the shoulders. “And I have to sleep on a cot in a room with no heater?!”

Adopting the look of someone whose soul had drifted out of her body, Mai groaned. “Yup.”

“You don’t understand the hardship I had to endure, Mai,” Ayako cried out in defeat. “That long ride with Lin had me wanting to jump out the window. The guy’s a statue! He didn’t talk at all or turn on any music or the radio. It was maddening!”

You’re preaching to the choir here! I ride with him and Naru.

“Hey, at least it’s just you guys and Masako-chan in that room. Us guys have a room smaller than yours,” Bou-san added.

Ignoring their whining, Naru addressed their resident council president, “Yasuhara, while we appreciate your help thus far, I don’t want to keep you so late. Things can get dangerous at night.”

He was right—the sun had already set and the other students had all left already. 

“Thanks for your consideration, Shibuya-san. However, I would be more than happy to help since it’s the weekend, but please let me know if I’m overstepping,” Yasu offered. 

Naru gave it some thought before nodding. “Perhaps, we could use the extra hands,” he said, turning to the other members of the crew. “I’d like for you to show Bou-san and Matsuzaki around the building to set up cameras and microphones. Matsuzaki, I want you to get a feel of the building as you go.” 

“Of course!” Yasu was eager to help because he didn’t know Naru well, but Bou-san grumbled about doing grunt work while Ayako complained about working so soon after arrival. 

As the trio got their equipment and were about to exit the room, Bou-san eyed Naru and Mai. “And what about you two?”

“We will be tending to the cameras on the other side of the building. You’d best get to work because we have a long list of areas that need to be equipped.” Naru was straight to the point, leaving room for further questions.

Groaning, Bou-san left with his group, grumbling something incoherent.

That left Mai, Naru, and Lin. While Lin directed where the microphones and cameras would go for both groups, Naru had Mai follow him. 

“I want you to find the classrooms that stood out to you most, and we will set equipment there.”

“Should we do floor by floor?” 

He sent her a fake smile. “You’re catching on,” he said, handing her a clipboard.

While Bou-san’s group handled the rooms they had already identified, this wing was left largely unexplored. The students had mentioned the language lab, gym, music room, and the nurse’s office, so they would be checking those areas in their travels.

The pair worked efficiently together, Naru allowing Mai time to assess her surroundings while he helped guide her senses much like how Gene did. The difference was rather than riddles, the stoic twin used his preferred quiz-style format. 

With the other rooms covered, they finally approached the nurse’s office. She instantly felt a shiver run up her spine. This room felt very off. A few others had as well but this one had her experiencing flashbacks to the hotel-demon incident from this past summer. 

“What’s wrong?” asked Naru as he slid the door open, looking back at her.

She gulped, following him. “There’s something very malicious here, but it doesn’t feel… active. Like it’s sleeping?” When she took a step inside, a chuckle from the hallway alarmed her. She quickly grabbed Naru’s sleeve to keep him from entering further. 

Without a word, she peeked out into the dark hallway, checking both sides.

Nothing.

Then, she felt a whisper on the back of her neck, “I wouldn’t go in there if I were you. It’s almost ready.”

Hitching her breath, she reminded herself not to show fear. “Who are you?” she asked, goosebumps trailing along her skin. 

“The boy who wanted to be a ghost hunter.”

Feeling her eyelids suddenly begin drooping, she slowly sat herself down on the floor and leaned against the door, knowing what was coming. “Naru, I’ll be back in a little. Sorry.”

And then the world faded to black. The next time she opened her eyes, she woke up on the roof of the school—or rather, the spiritual manifestation of the school. Unlike on her plane, numerous orbs floated up from the ground. They danced around like snowflakes during a storm.

“This isn’t a place for girls to be playing around,” said a dark-haired boy leaning on the railing in front of her. “It’s gonna get pretty ugly soon.”

She joined him at the railing and peered over. “What do you mean?”

“If things work out as planned, anyways,” he chuckled, watching endearingly at the orbs. “You’re lucky, y’know? You get to be surrounded by spirits constantly, but you try to block them out.” 

She wasn’t sure how to reply to him. Instead, she changed the subject. “You shouldn’t hang around so long either, Sakauchi-san.” She turned to the boy, noting the hollowness under his eyes. “If things turn out ugly, you’re going to get caught in it too.”

He frowned. “I have unfinished business. I’ll move on once I see that through.”

“What is it? Maybe I can help.”

“Neither you nor your spirit guide would understand. If you know what’s good for you, leave this place alone. It’ll take care of itself. I have things under control.”

What did he mean by that? Under control?

Before she knew what was coming, the scene sped away from her as she was pulled away. The next she knew, she was rolling herself out of the cot she laid on from the impact of her spirit landing in her body. She rubbed at her aching limbs as she looked around, realizing she was in the base.

“How are you feeling?” asked Lin from the computer. 

“Just dandy,” she said, standing up. “Where is everyone?”

As if on cue, everyone flooded through the doors, including Masako and John.

Naru went straight to business, having Lin recount the EVPs and sightings from last night while everyone settled down. 

“Did you see anything, Hara-san?” asked John once everyone was seated.

“I didn’t see any spirits,” she started. After Ayako and Bou-san looked like they were about to comment, she added, “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t sense them. They’re littered throughout the building.”

“Well, that’s going to be a pain to get rid of,” said Bou-san. It was info they already had an inkling about, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear the scale of their enemy.

The medium looked upward in thought, a sleeve covering her mouth. 

“There is a very strong presence—a teenager of about my age. He’s had some kind of traumatic experience here.” 

“Could it be-” Mai started to say when Yasu pulled out a newspaper article from his journal.

He slid the excerpt onto the table. “Did he look like this?”

Masako nodded. “His name was Sakauchi-san.”

“Mai,” Naru called out to her. “Is that who you were speaking to last night?”

She nodded in affirmation. “I had a freaky conversation with him in my dreams right after. He didn’t say anything important, but I feel like he’s got a hand in some of this.” 

“Yasuhara, did you do any more research on him?”

Yasu nodded, sharing with the group that Sakauchi was a first-year student. He wasn’t the most outgoing student but had made himself a good friend group in the art club. According to his classmates from the second semester, he had been called out in class for having books about the paranormal. 

“Hmm,” was all Naru said in reply. “In any case, I would like Hara-san to complete a walkthrough while the rest of you prepare for exorcisms. Yasuhara, please investigate Orikiri-sama and find its origins.”

“Sure, Big Boss.” Before anyone could comment about his nickname, Yasu left the room, ever so diligent.

When Naru turned to Mai, he stared blankly as if trying to decide what to do with her.

“Mai… just watch the base.” 

And so, despite her huffing and puffing, that was how she ended up on watch duty.

“Gene, this is so lame,” she said aloud, dropping her cheek into her hand. “What happened to training as an investigator?”

Her spirit guide chuckled, To think, you used to shy away from all the action.

She opened her mouth to reply but couldn’t say anything. He was right. She hadn’t realized how normal this all was to her now. Back when she first met everyone, she wasn’t nearly as open to the paranormal. A lot had changed in that span of almost a year. Her abilities changed dramatically too—they had gone from walking blindly with her hands out in the dark to now knowing where to look.

Naru’s just trying to keep you out of trouble after that debacle yesterday.

“I wouldn’t call that a debacle but okay,” she said, rolling her eyes. 

Suddenly, the sound of students’ footsteps and chatter in the hallway caught her attention. It was the weekend, so only select clubs were meeting. 

Bored and nosy, she crept over to the door and peeked out. From the sounds of their chatter and bags of supplies, they must have belonged to the art club. Their club room was at the end of the hall. 

…It wouldn’t hurt to ask them some quick questions!

After they filtered into the room, Mai approached them, knocking on the door to alert her presence. “Uh, hello. I’m here with the paranormal group investigating the school. I was wondering if I could ask a few questions?”

The students looked at each other before one of the male students stepped forward. “Sure, come on in.” 

“Thanks! The name’s Taniyama Mai.”

“Nice to meet you. You can call me, Sakaguchi. I’m a third year,” he said, sitting down. “What did you wanna know?”

Mai sat down across from him as the other members moved to their usual seats. Rather than begin with their usual activities, they all sat and stared her down. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t unnerved. 

“Well, I was just curious about a student who had passed away recently. Some of the other students mentioned seeing him in the halls sometimes.”

“What made you come here to ask about him?”

She mulled over her words before vocalizing aloud. “I heard Sakauchi-san spent a lot of time with the art club, so maybe you would be able to tell me about him.”

Sakaguchi studied her before smiling. “I don’t know much about ghosts, but I remember he was a cool guy. We all looked up to him with how passionate he got with his hobbies.”

“I heard he wanted to be a ghost hunter.”

Suddenly, the air turned tense.

“He did. We all thought it was interesting,” he said. The other students nodded in agreement. “He taught us a lot about what he knew and we were eager to hear what he had to say. You know, just out of curiosity of the unknown. At a school like this, we don’t get to explore things like that often.”

Another student spoke up, “Yeah, because of that rotten Matsuyama-sensei.”

The other students didn’t contribute but their faces said it all. Matsuyama was not popular among the students.

“Sakauchi-kun was the only one who dared to talk back. Honestly, he was inspiring to us for having the courage to do that,” Sakaguchi said. “Because of it though, Matsuyama-sensei would purposely target him for all matters of nonsense.” 

Mai was disturbed, to say the least. Hazing from other students was one thing but from a teacher? 

As she walked back to the base, she heard talking from inside and remembered that she was supposed to be on watch duty and not snooping around. 

Naru’s going to kill me!

She cautiously slid the door open with an excuse on the tip of her tongue but ended with her voice caught in her throat.

“Why are you here?” Naru questioned an oddly familiar figure, the woman’s back facing the door.

In a bubbly tone, the mystery woman replied, “A black birdy hinted that some interesting developments had been made while you were here. I happened to have some business in Japan, so I thought I’d check on my beloved student.”

Naru shot Lin a glare, who promptly spun himself around to conveniently check the cameras.

Meanwhile, none of them noticed Mai’s entrance. 

The pink-brown hair… just like the woman she’d seen in her dreams. Who was she? Mai wracked through her head for a name, anything. 

“Ma..do…ka?” she tested the name in her mouth, not realizing it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Yes?” The woman said, spinning around to address whoever called her. Unsure what to say, Mai fumbled for words, embarrassed. 

“Mai, how do you know Madoka?” Naru asked, suspicious. 

Madoka’s eyes flickered between the two with raised eyebrows. 

“Ohoho~ what do we have here?”

Chapter Text

Previously… 

“Ma..do…ka?” she tested the name in her mouth, not realizing it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Yes?” The woman said, spinning around to address whoever called her. Unsure what to say, Mai fumbled for words, embarrassed. 

“Mai, how do you know Madoka?” Naru asked, suspicious. 

Madoka’s eyes flickered between the two with raised eyebrows. 

“Ohoho~ what do we have here?”

.

“Uh…” Mai laughed nervously, at a loss for what to say. She didn’t know how to answer the question. Well, it was more like she didn’t know why she knew. 

Naru continued to watch her, noting the confusion on her face. Was this another side-effect of the soul-merging? Could it be a carryover of his knowledge over to her? Or was it post-cognition?

With all eyes on her, even Lin’s, she fidgeted. “I saw you in a dream, Madoka-san,” Mai started, addressing their guest.

“Not a man calling me the woman of his dreams, but I’ll take it, I suppose,” Madoka shrugged. “Now, are you the elusive Taniyama Mai I’ve heard about?”

“Oh, um, yeah. It’s nice to meet you.” Mai sent Naru a questioning glance, who gestured his head in Lin’s direction. The man in question, who had stopped working to eavesdrop, conveniently started typing again.

“What do you mean by seeing her in your dreams?” prompted Naru, crossing his arms.

Mai shifted from foot to foot nervously, rubbing at her forearms behind her back. “For the last few months, I’ve been dreaming of this mystery person’s memories on and off. This used to happen all the time when I was younger, but it was never the same person’s memories every time.” 

“What else do you see in these dreams?” asked Madoka, eyes glimmering with interest. She pulled out a chair to sit and leaned an elbow on the table.

“It’s fuzzy. I usually forget by the time I wake up.” Mai closed her eyes to focus, hoping to recall anything. Blurry images flashed through her mind. “There’s a kind couple. They look like Westerners. The woman likes baking and having tea parties, while the man reads a lot. He’s always wearing reading glasses.” 

Her companions shared a look.

“And when do you see me?” Madoka asked.

Mai shuffled through her brain some more. “You’ve only more recently shown up,” she started. “You’re usually interrupting ‘me’ while I’m reading for some kind of nonsense, or forcing me to do something I don’t want to.” She used finger quotations to denote her figurative self in the dreams.

Realizing that might have sounded rude, she quickly covered. “When I say nonsense, I mean from the point of view of my host.” 

Madoka’s face remained blank for a moment before she erupted into laughter. She cackled with such fervor that she nearly fell back onto the table. “Koujo, isn’t that so accurate? I love it!” 

Lin turned around and cracked the most microscopic smirk known to man. 

Ignoring the two adults, Naru continued interrogating, “What else have you seen?” His eyebrows furrowed as his jaw repeatedly pressed together on and off. 

Had he looked this tense earlier?

Mai leaned against the wall as she thought. Then, she remembered the very first vision that she had seen. It had stood out in contrast to the warm memories that followed.

“Well, there was something with a filthy apartment. I remember the feeling of starving to death—can’t say it’s something I want to remember,” she recalled, frowning. 

“The next I remember, I was at an orphanage. That's where I met that lovely couple I mentioned earlier. After that, everything is scattered, like little memories. I could be reading for a whole vision or… I don’t know, learning magic tricks? I remember a deck of cards.”

Naru stared at her intently before directing Madoka and Lin to leave the room without taking his eyes off her.

Madoka grumbled, complaining about missing out on the good part. Lin sighed and shook his head, beckoning her out of the room with a hand on her back. 

After the adults left the room, Naru sat down and gestured for Mai to sit across from him. 

“Has Gene ever shown up in those visions?” 

Mai widened her eyes. For some reason, she never thought much about Gene not appearing in the visions. She figured maybe he wasn’t privy to this type of memory-dream. “No, he hasn’t. Is he supposed to?”

“If the memories you’re viewing are mine, then yes,” Naru said bluntly, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his seat.

She blinked for almost a full minute, the cogs turning rapidly in her head as she computed what he said. “Your memories?”

“That is what I said.”

“This whole time… I was seeing through your eyes?!” 

A flood of memories rushed through her mind now that she understood their meaning—the unkempt apartment, the crippling starvation, reading by himself as the other orphans played, finding acquaintance in a man who taught magic, and the kind adoptive parents who welcomed him into their home. 

Mai looked down at her hands, conflicted. Aside from those sadder moments, she had allowed herself to revel in his life. At what he had, and she didn’t. She had crossed a boundary he hadn’t been ready for her to. 

“I feel like I’ve overstepped. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize,” she said, tightening her fists on the table. Before he could say anything, she continued. “It might sound weird, but I did enjoy seeing your memories. It was like living a life that I didn’t have, y’know? Coming home to people waiting for you. Having parents again.” 

She looked back up and smiled wistfully. 

Naru’s eyes softened before he exhaled deeply. “Don’t apologize. This wasn’t your doing.”

She tilted her head, urging him to continue. 

“I should apologize. I’m the reason this happened,” he started, uncrossing his arms. “Recall when I rescued you from the mountain?”

Mai’s eyes widened, not expecting him to breach the topic she’d been trying to for so long. “Yeah. I’d been meaning to ask you about that. What happened?”

“You had died that night—rather, while your body remained in our world, your spirit was trapped on the spiritual plane. That was the result of being spirited away by a resentful Zashiki-Warashi. His intention hadn’t been to kill you but out of pure mischief.”

Her jaw sat ajar. 

“To save you, he, as well as the forgotten deity of the mountain, offered to help so long as I could call you back to your body. I don’t recall what transpired, but the spirits had warned me our souls would become one for a short period,” he explained, leaning his chin in his hand. He watched her jaw open and close repeatedly.

Our souls did WHAT?!

Takes two to tango, friend, Gene answered. 

“Your dreams and the telepathy are likely side-effects of that merging.”

She blinked. “What telepathy?”

He watched her for a moment longer. “I should apologize for not telling you sooner. I planned to inform you after I fully understood the circumstances,” he said. When she continued to stare eagerly at him, he continued, “I have been hearing your thoughts irregularly, likely for as long as you’ve been dreaming of my memories.”

Her eyes nearly bulged out as she leaned across the table. “You’ve been hearing my thoughts?! And for months?!” she exclaimed, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. “What did you hear?!”

“Nothing worthy of note. Most thoughts are about your dinner plans, grocery list, or miscellaneous sentiments without context to make sense. I tend to ignore them,” he said nonchalantly. 

“How long were you going to wait before telling me?” 

“Once I studied the phenomenon long enough to understand its mechanism.”

She wanted to melt into the floor and disappear into the depths of the earth. Maybe she was being overdramatic, but she didn’t know how else to react to this news. She was annoyed that he was keeping this from her, yet her annoyance didn’t change the fact that this wasn’t in his control either. Who knew if she would’ve had the courage to tell him immediately if she had been the one in his shoes? Well… she did have to remind herself that there was a big difference between needing courage and being a mad scientist.

Sinking her head to the table and face-planting, she groaned. “‘Once an idiot scientist, always an idiot scientist,’” she quoted Gene. 

She heard him sigh. “Like I said, I understand that it wasn’t professional conduct.”

Scoffing, she looked up at him from her pathetic position. “Professional? I think this goes way past professionalism at this point.” She sighed. “Let’s just say we’re even now.” 

The room was silent as they allowed the new information to sink in. Mai continued to have her cheek planted on the table as she thought of what to do next. 

Meanwhile, Naru got up and started fiddling with something. Mai couldn't tell with what as she stayed facing away. The next she knew, a teacup entered her field of view. Telling from the scent, it was—

A cup of hojicha.

She wanted to continue being annoyed, but the smell was enticing. 

Giving in, she sat up and meekly sipped at the tea. It was mediocre at best, but she appreciated his gesture.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, glancing up at him.

Naru’s expression softened as he watched her, his eyebrows relaxed. “I haven't heard anything warranting your embarrassment. Nothing is embarrassing about wanting to melt into the floor.”

…Was he teasing her?

Her cheeks tinged pink as she set the cup down. Two can play at that game.

“Yeah, nothing embarrassing about bumping into a wall and apologizing, huh?” she pulled out from the recesses of her subconscious.

Naru’s eyes narrowed.

A roar of laughter erupted from the hallway as a muffled, “That’ll humble him! I still remember when Gene told me that story!” was heard from Madoka. 

“I told you she handles him well,” said Lin’s muffled voice.

Mai groaned, now actively embarrassed. 

Naru stood up abruptly and slid the door open firmly with a thud. He didn’t say anything, but Mai could only imagine the glower pasted to his face. 

“Oops, was I too loud?” Madoka giggled, nudging Lin with her elbow.

.

“So, let me get this straight. Mai-chan is an astral projector who has been communicating with Gene since you met. But you've only recently discovered this. A few months ago, Gene had contacted you because Mai-chan was dying. To save her life, you underwent some ritual that bound your souls together. Now, you can hear her thoughts and she dreams of your memories.”

The last bit hadn't been disclosed to Madoka. She had sourced the information solely from eavesdropping.

“Correct.”

“And do you still talk to Gene?” she asked. 

Mai nodded. “Yeah, he buds into my life all the time.”

That’s a rude way to put it.

“Right now for instance,” said Naru. 

“Wait, can you hear Gene talking too?” Mai asked, worried. Hearing her thoughts was one thing, but hearing Gene’s teasing too? That would be too cruel.

Naru shook his head. “No, but I can tell merely by looking at your face. You tend to look up to the upper left quadrant or roll your eyes whenever he says something.”

Again, rude.

“I see what you mean,” nodded Madoka, as if observing a new specimen. Then, she turned to Naru, a smirk on her face. “Although, I find it interesting how observant you are of others now.”

What she didn’t voice was how interesting it was that he noticed Mai’s tendencies. He must have spent time watching the other girl because he barely remembered people’s hair color let alone their habits. 

Interesting indeed.

“Tell Gene I said ‘hi.’” Madoka smiled, a hint of sadness betraying her cheerful exterior. “He was always a trooper, and I’m glad he managed to find a medium to keep him safe for the time being. Thank you.”

Mai shook her head. “Not at all! Honestly, I’m sorry I can’t do more for him,” she said, playing with the end of her skirt. “If only I was a more experienced psychic, maybe I could be of more use.”

“If what Koujo’s been telling me is true, you’re more than qualified!” Madoka patted her on the shoulder. “Gene was also one of my students, so he learned from the best. He has a good nose for talent! Same with this one,” she said, jutting her thumb at Naru.

“If you’re done meddling, I’d like to return to my work.” Naru walked away from them to survey the monitors. 

“Since I took a cab out here, I may as well help with the investigation. Besides, I want to see how my student is as a lead investigator.” Madoka grinned as she got herself comfortable, standing next to Naru. 

“I don’t believe my client will be keen on an uninvited guest.”

“No worries, I already got permission from the principal as your superior,” she said, winking.

Naru’s scowl grew deeper, and Mai couldn’t help but chuckle. Serves him right.

As the two debriefed, Mai pulled out her journal to jot down what she learned. Her conversation with Naru replayed in her mind as she scribbled away. How would she know he heard her thinking? Maybe through some kind of secret code? And what about Naru’s memories? Did he want to know when she saw them? 

Do I need to keep a filter on my thoughts now?

Naru glanced back at her. Well, that answered her first question. Had he been doing that the whole time and she never noticed?!

She felt her cheeks warming as he turned away. Placing a hand on her face, she attempted to collect herself. Since when did she blush so much? Shaking her head, she got up and left the base, announcing that she was heading to the library. She sent Yasu a quick text before meeting up with him. 

“Need some help?” she asked once she found him.

Yasu turned around in his computer chair. “What brings Mai-chan here?” 

“Just wanted to get out of the base for a bit. Did you find anything interesting?”

He nodded. “I asked around in some of the clubs and it looks like Orikiri-sama started with the art club.”

She widened her eyes. “I was just talking to them! They said that Sakauchi-san would teach them about all things ghost-related.”

He placed a hand to his chin in thought. “I wonder if Sakauchi-kun was the one who introduced the game to them. It would make sense since he was familiar with all this.” 

“Want to go ask them?” 

Thus, the two headed toward the art club only to find an empty room. Some of the students' belongings remained, so they knew they would return later. Mai looked around, heading toward the window to see if they headed outside. 

“Maybe they all went to paint flowers or something.” She shrugged, mentioning the first possible scenario that made sense for art enthusiasts.

Yasu didn’t seem satisfied with that answer. He surveyed the room, noticing what appeared to be a portfolio with a familiar paper sticking out. Opening it, his suspicion was confirmed. There were multiple copies of the Orikiri-sama board in the folder. The boards must have been circulating from the art club, but how were they printing them? There was a 3D printer but not a regular printer. 

“What are you looking at?” Mai peeked from around his shoulder. “Wow, there’s a bunch of them. I wonder how they got them all?”

“It seems the art club must be the main distributor.”

“Main distributor?”

“It might be a wild guess, but I believe they create the design and then print it elsewhere,” he said, trailing off. “Maybe the newspaper club?”

He took one of the sheets and stowed it away in his jacket before leaving the room with Mai trailing behind. 

He’d make a good detective. Or a businessman, she thought. No wonder Naru had him running research!

Luckily, the newspaper club was meeting this weekend. The pair found them in their clubroom as expected. Because of his senpai status, the students were more than willing to answer Yasu’s prodding questions. Not to mention that the guy had a way of getting info out of people through flattery and wit. 

It turned out that his hunch was correct. Upon asking the club members, they even showed him what they used to mass print the boards.

Mai thought it was peculiar that two clubs were so involved in this operation. It was like there was more to this than just Ouija boarding for fun. 

As Yasu continued his investigation, her phone buzzed. It was Naru.

Return to base when you’re done.

Sure.

As she put her phone away, Mai’s ear perked up when she heard the mention of Sakauchi-san’s name. 

“He helped organize everything. He was a pretty cool guy for going out of his way to bring all the students together,” said one of the club members. 

“You’re saying he was the one who started this?” she asked, now entering the conversation. 

The student nodded. “He was always passionate about his hobbies, and he just wanted to do something to get the student body together. I think it worked because this whole fad has been a blast. We had to be careful talking about it in the paper though. Otherwise, those darn teachers would try to ruin the fun.” 

Another student approached them. “We don’t want his death to be in vain, so we’ve been working with the art club to keep his legacy. Please tell me you’re not trying to shut us down!”

Mai hesitated, not sure what she should say.

Yasu jumped in at that moment. “I think it’s honorable for you all to keep his legacy. We’re just trying to make sure no one will come into harm from this. Notice all the hauntings happening around the school? Or how hellhounds have bitten students? We need to make sure the boards aren’t aggravating the hauntings.”

The students nodded in understanding. 

“Ouija boarding is no joke. You can conjure some really bad things. They follow you home sometimes too,” she added for good measure. 

The pair took their leave after that, leaving the students visibly shaken.

Out in the hallway, as they headed back to base, she gave Yasu a smack on the back. “How’d you pull all that out of your ass? I was almost moved.”

He adjusted his glasses, the glare shining around the lenses. “People don’t tell me I have the makings of a politician for nothing.”

Just as the base came into view, the iconic feeling of dread invaded her senses. Her heart palpitated in her chest as her body went into fight or flight. She stopped in her tracks and whipped her head around in all directions, her brows scrunching as she tried to figure out why. 

Yasu tried to call out to her but his voice was tuned out. 

Unsure of what to do, the bespectacled teen entered the base to recruit help from people who understood the situation better. Naru followed him out and stepped up behind Mai with Madoka trailing further back.

Looking at her body language, her boss immediately picked up on her silent message—something was seriously wrong.

Taking out her pocket mirror, she opened it up to speak to Gene. “Do you know what’s going on?”

Gene’s expression was grave as he spoke, It’s the classroom with the hellhound. That spirit’s in danger!

Sakauchi-san! 

Without answering anyone, she sped towards the classroom in question, finding that Ayako and Masako were heading there as well.

“Mai? What are you doing here?” asked Ayako, taken aback by Mai’s sprinting toward them.

“Did you also sense the disturbance?” Masako inquired. “Sakauchi-san’s spirit is distressed.”

“Can you see him?”

Masako shook her head, stating that he wasn’t on this plane, but she could still sense him. 

When Naru arrived with Yasu and Madoka, Mai turned to him. “Sakauchi-san’s spirit is in trouble. I’m going in.” 

She slid the door open before waiting for a reply and walked inside. Like a punch in the gut, she felt nauseous and dropped to the floor while cradling her abdomen. Her spirit was being called. It felt like static and friction rubbing on her senses. 

“Mai!” Masako crouched beside her, touching her shoulder. “She’s not responding.”

Naru kneeled before Mai and held her shoulders, guiding her to face him. Her eyes were hazy. “She must be projecti-”

Before he could finish his sentence, his psychometry activated.

“Mai-san, please save me! I can’t disappear yet!” Sakauchi called out, reaching for Mai as he was slowly pulled toward a dormant fox fire. The fox fire resembled an embryo surrounded by dark energy as it clawed at him.

Mai watched in horror as the energy pulled him closer and fed on his spirit.

What could she do? 

“MAI-SAN!” His curdling scream shook her out of her fear. She had to try something at least. 

Calling for Usa-sama’s assistance, she chanted the deity’s prayer for protection as she readied the mantra of the Immovable One. Pulling out the spare Buddha bead bracelet she planned to give Yasu, she stepped forward and began reciting the full mantra Bou-san taught her.

“Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan senda makaroshada sowataya un tarata kan man,” she chanted firmly, growing in confidence as the energy shrunk away as she moved closer.

Usa-sama’s fur bristled as he grew the stronger Mai’s resolve became. His teeth sharpened as his eye narrowed, no longer fitting the appearance of an innocent rabbit. Steeling herself, Mai shoved the beads forward, solidifying her intention. 

“Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!”

Her deity companion shot forward in a beam of light, striking the dark mass in multiple areas and freeing Sakauchi’s spirit. The mass shrieked as it disintegrated, a small portion of its energy fleeing. 

She collapsed to her knees from the relief and dormant fear. Usa-sama landed next to her, returning now to his unsuspecting rabbit form. 

“I-I… underestimated you,” Sakauchi said, calming his breathing. “Thanks for saving me.”

.

When she came to, she was surprised to find herself looking straight into Naru’s face. Sweat beads could be seen on his forehead as though he had just expended significant energy. 

“Mai, what was that?” Masako asked from beside her, hand still on her back, eyes wide.

Mai didn’t answer her, instead tilting her head in curiosity. “Did you see all that?”

“...I did. Sakauchi-san’s spirit is stabilized now,” Masako stated after a period of silence. “The suffocating energy from this room has also been cleansed.”

Sighing in relief, Mai fell back onto the other girl as Naru released her shoulders. Masako caught her reflexively and helped her into a better position. 

Sitting back in a more controlled manner, Naru brushed his bangs back as he stabilized his breathing. He looked tired. Mai wanted to ask what was wrong but Masako beat her to it.

“Naru, are you okay? You seem unwell.” Masako girl moved toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m fine.” He gave her a look Mai couldn’t quite understand, but the other girl seemed to read it just fine. 

Mai’s brows scrunched ever so slightly as she watched them.

“So… what happened?” asked a confused Yasu. Madoka nodded from beside him as she and Ayako approached them. 

“We should return to base first,” Naru said, standing up. Masako helped him up, a hand on his back and one on his arm. Mai was surprised he didn’t brush her off or move away. Well, she guessed it would make sense if they were going out—not that it was any of her business anyway.

But now was not the time for that. 

Yasu extended a hand to her as she moved to stand. He had his usual smile, but she could tell he was confused about what had transpired. “Thanks,” she said, letting him pull her up to a stand. 

When the entourage returned to the base, they called for John and Bou-san to discuss what happened.

“So, let me get this straight. Jou-chan’s spirit was called out of her body, and Masako-chan channeled the vision?” Bou-san leaned against the table and crossed his arms. “And when that kid’s spirit was about to be devoured, Jou-chan swept in and saved him?”

Mai and Masako nodded.

“How’d you manage that one?”

“Not sure to be honest,” she said. “I didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew I had to do something.”

Masako sent her a nod of respect for protecting Sakauchi. “Mai used a Buddhist mantra to cast it away with the help of her guardian,” added Masako.

“Which mantra?”

Mai tilted her head in thought, trying to recall the name. “It’s that long one you’ve been making me memorize. The ‘Immovable One,’ or something.”

“Is that right? I told you it’d come in handy one of these days,” Bou-san smirked, tone laced with smug satisfaction. “Well, congrats on your first exorcism,” he said, ruffling her hair.

While Mai swatted playfully at his hand, Naru brought a hand to his chin in thought. “It didn’t disappear completely. It looked as though a portion of it fled elsewhere.”

Mai’s eyes widened, turning her head to face him. “You’re right, but how do you know that?”

“I saw it in a vision when I came in contact with you.” 

Now that she thought about it, Naru’s hands had been on her shoulders while she projected. Maybe that was another side-effect of their new connection?

What she didn’t know was that it was partially psychometry, which only Madoka and their resident medium knew about. However, seeing spiritual visions wasn't normal for him either. So, to say it was partly due to his and Mai’s connection wasn’t improbable.

Before further discussion could be had on the topic, John piped up, “If it fled, what does that mean for our exorcisms? What if we’re merely repelling them?”

“You got a point there, John.” Bou-san adopted a thinking pose. His eyes landed on Mai and his eyebrows raised as an idea reared its head. “Jou-chan, why don’t you project during our exorcisms and see what happens?”

“A full projection? I have to sleep for that!”

Completely disregarding her, he grabbed a spare pillow and shoved it into her arms. “Then be a good girl and go sleep!”

“I’m not tired, Bou-san!”

“Well, I am interested in how your projection works, Mai-chan.” Madoka raised her hand, adding to the peer pressure.

And that’s how she ended up on the cot with a pair of Ayako’s earplugs and a sleep mask.

This has to count as workplace harassment… right?

“Define workplace harassment,” said Naru from over by the monitors, still loud enough to hear from over her earplugs.

“Who asked you?”

“You. My employee.”

“Whatever,” she grumbled, turning to her side.

She heard Madoka’s muffled giggle, followed by, “Is this normal for you two?”

“Yes,” was Lin’s unsolicited reply.

Tuning them out, she imagined herself floating through the astral plane, floating amongst the orbs of light. Before she knew it, her eyes opened to the ceiling of the astral SPR office—the office bathroom to be exact.

Gene stared down at her with a raised brow, Usa-sama propped over his shoulder. “Nice spot. Five out of five.”

She rolled her eyes and sat herself up. “Do you guys clean in here? Don’t know how I feel about laying on the bathroom floor.”

“Do spirits get dirty? That’s the real question,” he said, sniffing his underarms and shrugging.

Ignoring his antics, she took Usa-sama from his shoulder and thanked the deity for his assistance earlier. “Didn’t know you could be so lethal.”

Usa-sama licked at her arm, sending her into a ticklish frenzy.

“On his own, Usa-sama’s power is based heavily on Shinto practices, which excel at warding and protection. Offensively, exorcisms in Asia are heavily based on Buddhist practices, which was what you used.”

“If Shinto isn’t used for offensive power, what does Ayako do?”

Leaving the bathroom, Gene plopped himself on the waiting area couch. “It’s more like repelling the spirits than destroying them when she does her ritual. Compared to the others, Shinto is more passive. Meanwhile, Buddhist and Christian exorcisms are more forceful.”

“I see.” She sat on the couch beside him, Usa-sama now licking at her shirt.

“That doesn’t mean Shintoism doesn’t have some tricks up its sleeves,” he added. “In fact, Ancient Shintoism was more like Buddhism. They played well together. There were even stories of Shinto priests and priestesses eradicating yokai.”

“What changed?”

“Modernization and an overall decrease in belief. Take Usa-no-Kami for example, or the forgotten deity on that snowy mountain. The difference is that Usa-sama now has us as makeshift worshippers—maybe even the whole SPR gang. They believe in you, after all. Meanwhile, the other deity’s worshippers are long passed on.”

She nodded, letting the information sink in. Gene’s natural presentation of the info reminded her that he had a high intellect despite his usual jokes and goofiness. She never fully forgot about it, but having Naru around made her accustomed to all the brilliance.

The wetness on her shirt brought her attention down to the supposed deity in her arms, who was still licking away at her shirt. Similarly, to her thoughts about Gene, sometimes she forgot Usa-sama was once a revered deity. Looking at him now chewing on her shirt, he looked no different than a pet rabbit.

Gene chuckled at the spectacle, flicking at the rabbit’s tail.

“By the way, good work saving that spirit earlier,” he said, his proud smile quickly dropping to one more serious. “You should be careful though. The entities here are dangerous; some would not hesitate to return the favor. You should ask Matsuzaki to teach you an offensive spell or something.”

“You know, I never thought to ask.”

“I’m not the brother of a prodigy for no reason,” he said, winking. He sat back and placed his legs on the coffee table.

Remembering why she projected in the first place, she explained to him the aim of the earlier peer pressure.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve been meaning to look at how Madoka’s doing. Kill two birds with one stone!” Gene led Mai out of the office to the rest of the astral plane.

With a destination in mind, the orbs fled past them rapidly before the space was reformed to show Ryokuryou High School. They stood midair near the clock at the center of the building’s façade. Mai was surprised to smell the overwhelming stench of rotten flesh, much more potent than in Yasu’s homeroom.

Usa-sama climbed onto her shoulder as she held her nose. Fox fires, or “wisps,” littered the school, possibly in over 20 rooms. At the forefront was a giant embryo-like creature enveloped by a visually noxious energy that invoked dread from the pit of her stomach. The energy leeched out to the smaller energies within the building, feeding on them.

When she peered inside, she saw the irregulars were already back to work exorcising. It looked like Naru had them targeting rooms with the most activity that hadn’t already been hit. John, Bou-san, and Ayako worked independently while Naru and Lin directed them from the base. Yasu recorded their progress on a clipboard. Madoka looked to be researching on her laptop. Lastly, Masako traversed the building to alert Naru of any changes from the exorcisms.

Just as John was at the tail end of his exorcism, the wisp in his room quickly fled to an unoccupied room. Interestingly, upon entering the space, the preexisting wisp that had already been there quickly consumed the fleeing wisp. Others followed suit following the next series of exorcisms.

They weren’t just absorbing. They were devouring each other in a cruel game of, “eat or be eaten.”

Goosebumps trailed up her spine as the satiated wisps pulsated and grew.

“That one’s just about ready to hatch,” said Gene, his brows scrunching in concern as he pointed out to one. “You can tell by its rapid energy.”

“How long will it be?”

He shrugged. “Can’t tell. It could be any moment now.”

Masako must have noticed something was amiss in that room too. She immediately alerted everyone before heading over herself.

As if on cue, one of the ceiling lights exploded and a chair fell over, alerting Naru and Madoka to investigate.

“You don’t go over when things go bump!” Mai wanted to rip her hair out watching this. “I have to get back and warn them.”

“Kinda concerned when you’re the voice of reason.”

She rolled her eyes and ditched him, quickly pulling herself back to her body. Without a moment to wake up first, she shot up from the cot and ran out of the base. By the time she caught sight of them, it was too late.

An explosion shattered the classroom windows, had the desks and chairs flying, and threw the three SPR members back to a nearby wall. Mai yelled in shock and ran, her heart palpitating rapidly.

She cautiously approached the classroom, taking baby steps at a time in fear of what she may witness. “Na.. ru?” she called the first name that came to mind.

“We’re okay,” Naru replied, sounding like he had the wind knocked out of him.

The three sat against the same wall, shattered glass surrounding them.

Madoka winced, rubbing at her lower back and hip.

“Are you okay?” Mai asked.

“I think I might have bruised something but nothing horrible,” Madoka said, rubbing at her right side. “Now I feel like one of those old people in the commercials for hot patches.” Cracking a smile, Mai helped her up and inspected her for cuts.

Luckily, there weren’t any aside from a few bruises here and there. Oh, and an odd burn on the back of her hand. Mai frowned and shared a perplexed look with Madoka.

“Did something hot in here explode?” she asked, looking around the room. There wasn’t anything in there that could’ve been the cause—no kettles or burners.

Naru scowled and scanned himself for any burns while Masako followed suit.

“Are there any others?” Naru asked Madoka.

“I don’t think so, thank the heavens.” The said woman inspected her wound and opened and closed her hand to test her sensation. “Only takes one to hurt like hell.”

“But where did it come from? There’s nothing in here that could’ve burnt you like that.” Mai and Naru continued to inspect the room, careful not to step over the glass remnants.

“Could it be a spiritual burn?” Masako brought a sleeve to her chin. “From the spiritual energy, perhaps?”

“That may not be an impossibility,” Naru noted, adopting his thinking face.

He led everyone back to the base so Madoka could get first aid for her burn.

As they walked, Madoka sighed. “What rotten luck that only I got burnt.” She pressed her mouth together to express her lack of amusement.

Masako lifted an arm to allow her sleeve to fall slightly, revealing a Buddha bead bracelet decorated with violet accents. “Maybe Mai’s protection charm lessened the impact for Naru and me?”

“It may very well have.”

Mai blinked in surprise, having forgotten about the charms’ abilities. She had figured they were closer to good luck charms when she made them—yet here, they proved to have a stronger and more valuable effect.

It’s because of your faith in Usa-sama and care for your friends that they’re so effective, mentioned Gene. If you had made them haphazardly, I doubt they would’ve done more than waste space.

I didn’t expect much when I was making them. I didn’t know if they would even do anything, but… I’m so happy they worked. She outwardly smiled. It’s like I did something to help protect them.

Naru glanced behind him and briefly made eye contact with her, nodding his head in a quiet acknowledgment.

If Masako noticed, she didn’t say anything.

“You make protective charms as well? How do you source your power?” Rather than questioning that she could do that, Madoka instantly entered researcher mode.

Before Mai could answer, Lin came around the corner, likely on his way to the classroom to inspect what happened. Madoka ignored him and focused on Mai leaving Naru to fill him in.

“I have a pocket mirror that’s possessed by a rabbit deity. I pray to him for protection on cases. He helped me bless the charms.”

“Interesting… Koujo forgot to mention that in his emails,” Madoka said, narrowing her eyes at the taller man. “We’ll have to talk more later.”

.

When everyone reconvened, Naru debriefed them on what had transpired in the classroom.

“How did the projection go?” asked Bou-san.

Mai tilted her head as she reviewed what she had seen. “It’s like every time one of the wisps escapes an exorcism, it gets eaten by another. ‘Eat or be eaten’ is what it made me think of. They’ll keep eating each other until only one giant powerful wisp is left! Who knows what’ll happen when that thing wakes up?”

Naru’s eyes suddenly widened as he pondered on her words. He whipped his head towards Lin who nodded his head.

“What are you thinking?” asked Madoka. “Perhaps a hex?”

Naru nodded. “A kodoku using spirits.”

He then explained the ancient Chinese curse of using a kodoku. One gathered insects in a clay pot to fight amongst themselves until one insect remained. Regardless of the species, the winner would be deemed “a golden silkworm.” If the pot is left at someone’s home, the recipient wouldn’t know to feed the silkworm and be devoured.

“Could the Ouija boarding have anything to do with this?” John mentioned. “Maybe that was the method to collect the spirits in one place.”

“That may just be the case,” Madoka agreed. “But there is still the mystery of how the hex was set up.”

Mai rested her head on her arms, looking between everyone when she and Yasu made eye contact.

“Mai-chan, didn’t you say the board used looked different than usual?”

She pondered for a minute. “Yeah. Instead of a Torii gate, there’s a stick figure in the middle. And the whole board is encircled by the ‘demon’ character. Kinda weird.”

Lin spun around in his chair. “Do you have a copy of this board?”

Yasu pulled out one from his folder and laid it on the table. “Not to mention that you have to bury it under a shrine and recite some kind of nonsense to dispose of it.”

Upon looking at the board, Lin’s face turned grave. “This is a cursed charm—to bury it at a crossroads to induce insanity. To bury it beneath a shrine, to murder someone.”

“So, when this hex is complete, someone will die,” Madoka finished.

“Who is this someone?” asked Ayako, crossing her arms.

“Hideharu Matsuyama.”

The room turned quiet.

“Despite the students producing them and completing the rituals, it would require hundreds of them to complete this. A single of one these boards could have killed him if someone with my experience used it.” Lin placed the sheet on the table and looked to Naru for direction.

Mai felt her heart drop to her stomach. Did the students know what they were doing? There was no way they could’ve known… yet, the newly induced nausea told a different story. Recalling what she and Yasu had discovered earlier, Sakauchi-san had been the one to introduce and spread the use of these boards. He had been the one to initiate the curse.

Without saying anything, she stood up and left the base.

“Mai?”

Ignoring the voices behind her, she sped down the hallway. Hopefully, the art club students were back by now given that some time had passed.

Knocking on the door, she slid it open to find that a few had returned, including Sakaguchi.

“Taniyama-san?” the teen in question asked upon sighting her.

She nodded in greeting before allowing her face to betray the seriousness of the situation. “Orikiri-sama… do you know the motive of it?”

Sakaguchi’s eyes narrowed as the students behind him whispered amongst themselves. “What motive?”

Mai was careful with her words, ignoring the footsteps approaching from the hallway. “Did Sakauchi-san ever mention the purpose of the boards? That the intention was to kill someone?”

A student from the back stood up abruptly. “Kill someone?! No way that could be true. Sakauchi-san said it was only for bad luck, not to kill him!”

Sakaguchi frowned, silencing the student with a look. He turned back to Mai and crossed his arms. “How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Through the experience of a Taoist spiritualist.” Naru walked forward from behind her. “This Sakauchi character may not have been the man you knew him to be. He intended to use you all to drive Matsuyama-sensei to his grave,” he said, unadulterated as always.

He paused, before looking at them all squarely in the eyes. “That is, if you weren’t in on it to begin with.”  

Sakaguchi stood up taller. “I will admit that we were led to believe this ritual would curse him with bad luck, and I’ll take responsibility for that. But I swear that none of us knew anything about a death curse.”

The other students nodded, fear written plainly on their faces.

“What will happen now?” asked a student. “Will Sensei really die?”

“Yes, if the ritual is completed by enough students.”

“Is there a way to reverse it?” asked Mai.

Naru turned back to Lin who explained, “I will be able to reverse it, but it will be reversed back to whomever initiated and enacted the ritual—whether that be the students or Sakauchi-san, I am not sure of.”

“Reversing… you mean that all of us will take the blows? How will that work?”

“Say you take the toll of death and divide it evenly amongst all the students,” Naru said. “You would be lucky to escape with only scratches.”

Mai shot him a glare for his tactless delivery.

The students gasped, and a girl even started crying. Sakaguchi exhaled deeply and bowed his head. “If it comes down to it, you reap what you sow. We have to take accountability for what we started.”

How honorable, Mai thought.

Something still didn’t sit right with her though. The students had to pay the price, but what about Sakauchi who led them to do this? Where could he take accountability? He may have passed, but his actions while he was alive were still his own that he needed to take responsibility for.

If Naru noticed the turbulence in her heart, he didn’t say. Rather, he told the students there was no guarantee what would happen, but to be prepared nonetheless.

Returning to base, Mai was silent as the other discussed. She opted to look out the window to sort her thoughts.

It was unfair.

Matsuyama, who was a piece of trash, got to go scratch-free. As for Sakauchi-kun, she felt it was only right that he also shouldered the responsibility. But it would be ideal if everyone could stay unharmed.

She knew at this point that nothing was ever that convenient.  

“Is there somehow a way to know who will take the brunt of it?” she asked, facing the group.

“No.”

“What about Sakauchi-san? What would happen to him if he took the hit?”

“His spirit would likely be devoured as compensation,” answered Lin.

Masako didn’t seem to like this situation any more than she did, telling from the frown on her face. “Mai, Sakauchi-san is present. I can’t communicate with him directly but perhaps you can. I would also like to know his stance on this.”

Mai scanned the room for affirmation. Observing their faces now, she realized they weren’t taking the news any better than she was.

“I don’t think it would hurt to see,” said Bou-san. “Maybe the kid’ll even know how to make things work.” She knew he was just trying to make her feel better.

And so, Mai found herself meditating in the corner with earplugs in. The crew was courteous enough to stay quiet enough for her to concentrate. Finding the energy that she knew was Sakauchi-san, she pulled on it, pulling herself out onto the astral plane.

**Trigger warning**

The next she blinked, she was back on the school rooftop facing Sakauchi’s back.

“So, you know now, huh?”

She nodded. “And I’m sure you know what will happen now, right?”

“I can’t expect a bunch of strangers to understand how I felt. This was the only way that I could teach that pig a lesson, and now you’re going to squander my efforts all because of some moral holier-than-thou bullshit.”

“You can’t just kill people because you dislike them, even if they had done us wrong.” She didn’t even sound convincing to herself. “It makes you worse than them.”

“Then, what about me? He practically killed me himself with his badgering and hazing. He’s a vile man who deserves nothing but to rot in hell!”

Mai froze, biting her lip as his anger grew.

“Now what? You expect me to die a second time? Is that what you call justice?! The kid who gets bullied to the point of suicide gets to die a second time while the bully gets to run free?” Sakauchi’s form started to change, warping between a darker energy and what she initially recognized as “him.”

Alarm bells rang in her head. This was going to get ugly.

“Sakauchi-san, if you don’t calm down, you’ll become what you hate most,” she tried to reason. “I know it’s unfair, and I want to help you. I just have to figure out how.”

“Let the ritual run its course. Or let the students face the consequences.”

Now, she was angry. “How can you say that?! They all looked up to you and spoke so highly of you! How could you throw them away like that?”

“Where were they when Matsuyama harassed me? They just stood around, too scared to do anything. Only Sakaguchi spoke up once, but even then, it was a weak excuse for help.” His voice began to distort as he wallowed in his misery.

She tried to approach him, but the negativity seared her spirit.

A crack in the plane opened to reveal a line of golden paw prints leading her to the opening. Gene’s voice reverberated from the inside. “Mai, you need to get out of there. It’s not safe anymore.”

She nodded and followed the paw print trail. Before exiting, she turned back to Sakauchi. Pity was laden on her face as he wallowed in the negative space he’d made for himself.

She didn’t know how to help anymore.

Chapter Text

After encountering Sakauchi, Mai had trouble falling asleep that night. Worry gnawed at her, and she spent more time staring at the ceiling than relaxing. Careful not to wake up the others, her feet led her to the base where only Naru, Lin, and Madoka were still up.

She did this so often on overnight cases that Naru didn’t bat an eye at her arrival.

“Couldn’t sleep?” asked Madoka. She sat at the table with her laptop open and a cup of coffee. A few case files sat sprawled around her. While she appeared to be working, Mai could’ve sworn she had several online shopping tabs on her laptop. Mai released a “pfft” and made a beeline for the kettle.

“Yeah. I kept thinking about what Sakauchi-san said.” She sighed, filling the kettle with water. “Tea, anyone?”

The three other occupants didn’t object. She settled for making a caffeine-free tea, hoping that her workaholics would sleep at some point that night. Glancing toward Madoka, she wondered if the woman was like the other two. Was she also a hermit? A workaholic?

Telling from her relaxed demeanor and online shopping interest, Mai figured the answer was no.

“Gene said ‘hi,’ by the way. He was curious how you’re doing,” she said, addressing the other woman.

“Oh, I’m surviving, but you can tell him Sir Squiggles is thriving!”

Why did she feel that “Sir Squiggles” was not human?

Noticing her look, Madoka chuckled. “Mine and Gene’s office pet. He’s a turtle with a habit of squiggling when you give him food,” she shared. “Martin found the idea of an office pet preposterous but has since seen the positive effects of having an animal for morale.”

“Martin-san…” Mai repeated the name quietly to herself. He was the man from her dream—Naru and Gene’s adoptive father. What she knew of him was that he liked to read, preferred coffee over tea some days, seemed like the more practical type of person, and played cards for money without his wife’s knowledge every Thursday night.

“If he met you, he’d chat your ear off about your abilities,” Madoka said.

“He’s also into paranormal stuff?”

If Mai noticed the warning glance Naru sent Madoka, she didn’t say.

“He’s a professor, so he likes to stay educated on all matters.” Madoka smiled, albeit a bit strained. She wasn’t exactly lying.

“Guess that makes sense. What about Naru’s mother? What does she do?” Mai asked, leaning forward. When Madoka cracked a smirk, she quickly backtracked, realizing how nosy she sounded. “Not that it’s any of my business! No need to answer that!”

Madoka stared at her for a second before giggling. “Luella is also a professor, but she’s not nearly as interested. She’d much rather read about regency-era romances.”

Ah! That’s it! Luella’s the name!

When she tilted her head in curiosity at the genre, Madoka chuckled. “Stays, noble scandals, and gentlemen—ever heard of it? I’ll have to unload it on you some time!”

Talk about shallow and one-note. Gene scoffed.

What, you or the genre?

Rude.

“Just to spite Gene, I’d love to try reading one sometime,” Mai said, a mischievous smirk plastered to her face.

“You can ask the twins for recommendations. Luella made them read three novels each and write a twenty-page report as punishment when they were ten.”

“Were they any good?” This question was directed toward Naru, who ignored her.

Madoka brought a finger to her chin. “I think Luella kept the reports if you want to read them sometime. I hear they were very analytical!”

The two shared some laughs before the room fell into a comfortable silence.

Mai finished preparing the tea and handed out the cups, placing one in front of each person. She settled in and drank her tea quietly.

Halfway through her drink, Naru’s voice broke the silence. 

“Lin, feed in the sound.” 

Audio from the announcement room revealed scratching sounds along the walls without any explanation. The broadcast suddenly turned on, filling the hallways and classrooms with an echo of microphone screeching. As if the night hours weren’t already haunting. 

Then, the camera feed cut out. Mai held her breath in anticipation only for the monitor to display that the SD card memory was full. She let out a sigh she didn’t know she’d been holding.

“You should consider a cloud feed. Would save you a lot of trouble,” Madoka suggested before sipping her tea.

“I can change it,” Mai offered as she stood up. She didn’t wait for Naru to answer her before taking the initiative to get a blank card.

Madoka noted the less-than-pleased expression on Naru’s face. It was nothing more than a mere narrowing of his eyes, but she knew him well. She pushed her chair back when he didn’t say anything or act. 

“I think I’ll go with her!”

Mai waited for her at the door before the two headed out. 

“That Naru, leaving a girl to walk around alone in a volatile place. I know Luella taught him better than that!”

Mai chuckled, imagining Naru getting scolded by Luella. It shouldn’t have been so fascinating, but the idea of Naru in everyday domestic situations amused her. As cold as he could be, he was still just a son when it came to his mother.

Madoka’s short heels clacked loudly against the floor, bringing her out of her thoughts. 

“In his defense, he can be chivalrous when it counts,” she said. 

Madoka’s brows waggled. “Oh? How so?”

Mai shrugged. “He always shows up when I’m in trouble. He pulled me out of a pond when a spirit tried to drown me, fell into the sewers with me, and saved me on that mountain,” she listed from the top of her head. The look on Madoka’s face bothered her, so she looked away awkwardly. “But he does that with all of us! With Masako too!”

Why she felt the need to mention the medium, she didn’t know.

“I guess he’s built a good reputation while here. Say, how do he and Hara-san get along?”

Mai blinked and tilted her head. What kind of question was that?

“Good, I would think,” she said, remembering their silent communication earlier after she had saved Sakauchi. “They understand each other well. They’re both cool and collected. Kindred spirits or whatever they call it. They make a good pair.”

“Hm… do they?” Madoka didn’t say anything further, instead opting to observe the girl as they arrived at the announcement room.

Mai completed her task quickly and sped out as fast as possible—the room sent shivers up her spine. She wouldn’t be surprised if something happened later.

She glanced back into the dark room one last time before Madoka shut the door.

“Got a bad feeling?”

“Yeah.”

Later at 4:32 am the announcement room lit into flames. 

When they investigated the next morning, the group noted in relief that the fire hadn’t made it far. There was at least a third of the room that was untouched. 

“Looks like your camera’s toast, Naru-bou,” Bou-san said, poking at the now-extra-crispy camera. 

“That’s fine. All the equipment is insured.” 

Mai’s ears perked up. “Is it now?” 

Naru pretended he hadn’t heard anything and continued looking around the room without a care. Huffing, she stomped over and looked him right in the eyes.

“So, you’re telling me the camera I broke when we first met was insured? Were you just trying to get free labor?!”

The sly smirk on his face looked so punchable at that moment. 

Her anger quickly dampened when the room started rattling, the equipment shaking like in an earthquake. The other team members had the same idea apparently because they all ducked for cover toward the walls. 

Yasu, closest to the door, looked out the window into the hallway and instantly shot up into standing. “It’s not an earthquake!” He alerted everyone.

As soon as he said that, items flew off the shelves and out of the cabinets. Everyone dodged the items well. It wasn’t until they tried getting out that one of the speakers hit Mai squarely on the back of the head. Ayako and John helped her up and they ran to the door quickly. Yasu and Bou-san took turns slamming on the door to get it to budge.

“Sakauchi-san, you have to stop this!” Masako called out.

“Why should I? You all are just trying to get rid of me so that demon can live,” said Sakauchi’s disembodied voice.

“We’re trying to do what we can. Give us some time to figure things out!”

The spirit didn’t respond, but the activity stopped and the door opened easily. Everyone sighed in relief, flooding out of the room.

“You okay? That was a pretty heavy-looking speaker.” Ayako frowned in worry and palpated Mai's head. 

Mai flinched as she hit a tender spot and rubbed at her head. “Definitely not having a party.” 

“You should rest in the infirmary.”

Suddenly, a male scream down the hallway had everyone’s fight-or-flight back in gear. Bou-san moved first, rushing to the source as everyone else followed. Mai, Ayako, and John trailed further back.

Arriving on the scene, Matsuyama was halfway down the hall dragged by his neck. No physical marks were there, but the indentation on his skin indicated his attacker wasn’t of this world.

“What are you standing around for? Help me!” He squeezed out despite being mid-choke.

Bou-san sprinted to action, chanting as he thrust his beads forward. The grip on Matsuyama’s neck loosened, dropping him to the floor in a big heap. His body shook as he caught his breath.

“Are you hurt?” asked Yasu, crouching down to help him onto his feet.

Matsuyama cleared his throat and brushed off his pants before looking Naru squarely in the eye. “Your team better figure this out soon before you tear down the school! Don’t think I didn’t hear about that fire earlier.”

“We save him and the first thing he does is yell at us,” Mai grumbled to John and Ayako. 

Naru was silent as Matsuyama continued to rattle on about their presence. Wasting enough time, he cleared his throat loudly. “Considering your grievances, you’ll be interested to find out that you are in fact the motivation for all of this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember a student by the last name Sakauchi?”

“Of course, the kid who committed suicide. He had so much potential, but he wasted it on fantasies instead of looking at a real future.”

Mai tightened her hands into fists. She could feel Ayako’s and John’s grips tighten as well. “You should be ashamed saying that about someone who passed away,” she said. 

“Why should I? I’m only pointing out the truth.”

“Reports from the students and staff say otherwise. I hate to inform you but because of the treatment you subjected him to, Sakauchi enacted a death curse on you,” Naru said.

“What?! I can’t die yet! You have to do something!”

“But I thought this was a work of fantasy? After all, to the public, it would seem no more than a heart attack, massive stroke, or maybe even a fatal accident.” Naru tilted his head back in repugnance. His voice was level yet the weight of his words was as heavy as dropping a block of ice on Matsuyama’s head.

“You have to save me, please!”

Bou-san scoffed, placing a hand on his hip. “For someone who has ridiculed us this whole time, you sure have a lot of gall pleading to us now.”

“Start with an apology,” Mai said, stepping away from Ayako and John. “Not to us but to Sakauchi-san.”

“Will that break the curse?”

“Don’t do it because it could break the curse. Do it because you owe it to him. Who knows, maybe that’ll dampen his wrath,” Madoka suggested. “After all, he could easily kill you before the curse goes through. Think about it.”

Matsuyama’s mouth sputtered, nothing coherent leaving his mouth. 

“Let us know your decision,” said Naru before turning his back on the man and leaving.

Not long after they turned the corner, Matsuyama called out to them. His face conflicted while his fists repeatedly tightened. 

“I… will talk to him.”

.

The group convened in the nurse’s office so that Ayako could check Mai for any head trauma and anyone else who had been hit in the announcement room. 

Mai squinted as Ayako flashed her mini flashlight between both eyes. She could practically see stars at this point. 

“No abnormalities. Doesn’t mean you didn’t knock something out of place in that head of yours,” said Ayako, clicking her light off and storing it in her pocket. “Rest for a bit.”

Mai followed her instructions and plopped herself down.

“What now?” asked Yasu from the bed next to hers. Bou-san, John, and Masako sat around him.

“I would like to try having Matsuyama-sensei reconcile with Sakauchi-san,” said Masako. “It may not affect the outcome, but I would like Sakauchi-san to be sent off without resentment if we can.”

“What about the hex, Naru-bou? Any ideas?” Bou-san leaned back onto his hands.

“Hm,” was Naru’s reply. 

“Seeing as you’re fine, we should prepare for the seance. I want Hara-san to identify where Sakauchi lingers the most. Father Brown, please accompany her. Bou-san, you will be on standby in the event of more attacks on Matsuyama.”

“What? Why me?” 

Naru’s look silenced him quickly. “Matsuzaki will stay with Mai. Yasuhara, come with me,” he said. He turned to look at her. “Mai, just stay here.” 

Without another word, he left the room. Everyone trickled out behind him.

“When are they doing the seance?” Mai asked.

Ayako shrugged and made herself comfortable in the nurse’s chair she pulled over. “My guess is sometime tonight. Maybe at dusk?” She crossed her legs and pulled out her phone. “We have some time if you want to nap.”

“You don’t have to stay here the whole time.”

Ayako looked up from her phone and eyed Mai for a few moments. “I don’t know… knowing you, something will happen.”

Mai rolled her eyes and got herself comfortable under the covers. “I can protect myself!” she said, a pout on her face. The more she thought about it, the more she questioned herself. “Okay, most of the time.”

The other woman wasn’t convinced, her lifted brow telling all.

“Here, I’ll teach you a spell. It’s called the Nine Cuts. Five horizontal cuts and four vertical cuts.” She readied her hands to demonstrate. “Rin, pyo, to, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen.”

Mai tried to follow her demonstration but mixed up the syllables and directions. How the hell is anyone supposed to remember this?!  

It turned out that Ayako was a strict teacher. She had her practice the sequence repeatedly until she memorized each one. Mai could’ve sworn there were sweat beads on her forehead by the end of the lesson. At least with Bou-san, he wrote it down and let her study it. Ayako was persistent!

“I think I’m ready for a nap now,” she said, feeling her soul figuratively float away. 

“Good.” Ayako smirked and patted her head. “I’ll stay here for now, but I’ll check on you on and off later. No dizziness or lightheadedness, right?”

Mai rolled her eyes. “Should’ve asked me that before that lesson,” she mumbled. 

“Just rest, Mai.” 

And rest she did. No dreams plagued her initially and she slept peacefully for the first few hours. At some point during her nap, anxiety crept into her chest causing a state of unrest. 

When she awoke on the astral plane above the school, she whipped her head around to take in her surroundings. The sun began to set, coating the environment in a muted blue overcast. Ayako was true to her word. She was seated at her bedside preparing talismans for the seance. 

The building was littered with foxfires—those that weren’t originally there. Were the students still playing Orikiri-sama? It was probable since not every student knew about the game’s true nature.

“The sheer amount of negative energy here is attracting other spirits,” Gene said, stepping beside her with Usa-sama on his shoulder. The grimace on his face as soon as he saw the giant embryo left her feeling unsettled. 

They both had the same idea—it looked ready to hatch. Perhaps, even tonight.

She scanned the building to search for Sakauchi. She gasped when she caught sight of him on the rooftop. His lower body had been enveloped in a black energy that resembled tar. The edges looked like hands clawing at his legs. The energy festered and pulsated as it slowly climbed up his legs. 

“What is that?”

“He’s been feeding it to expedite the process. Quite literally striking a deal with the Devil.” 

Mai’s brows furrowed, fear taking over her senses. “What should we do?! It might be too late by the time we do the seance.”

“I actually don’t have any ideas. It might even be too late to reverse it,” he said, scratching his head. “I hope my brother has a plan. He usually does.”

To make matters worse, the foxfire wisps rapidly scattered without warning. Like fish flocking to food in a pond, they collected themselves around the larger foxfires to be consumed. The satiated foxfires then pulsated as if ready to hatch. One was in the teachers’ office where a few people sat unsuspecting about what would come. 

“That’s not good! I have to let someone know!” 

Before Gene even had the chance to get another word in, she was gone. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. 

In her anxiety, she forgot to note the hatching foxfire in the nurse’s office.

“Watch out for yourself too, idiot.”

.

Mai shot up in bed, scaring Ayako out of her wits. “What the?!”

“Ayako, you need to head for the teachers’ office! One of those things is hatching!”

“I can’t leave you here by yourself.”

Mai shook her head. “You taught me that new spell, remember? I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about those teachers who don’t know anything.”

Ayako looked reluctant but ultimately nodded. She placed some of the talismans she made on the bed. “Use these with your usual prayers,” she said, before leaving the room.

Mai sighed in relief, hoping Ayako would make it in time. Picking up the talismans, she studied them carefully before placing them in her pocket. “Hopefully, I won’t need them.”

She swung her legs off the edge of the bed and put her shoes on. Telling from the windows, she had been sleeping for a while. It was a wonder why Naru let her doze off for so long. 

As she went to stand up, the lights shut off abruptly while the blinds closed. 

When her eyes finally adjusted, she identified three shadow figures—one, two beds away, and the others standing by the door and in the furthest corner. 

This is hardly fair! Three against one, she complained to herself. 

“Calm down, Mai. You have all the tools. Just use them,” she whispered to herself over and over. 

…Was it her or were the figures getting closer?

She quickly reached into her pocket and gripped her mirror for dear life and began praying. She never took her eyes off the figures as they slowly approached. Her eyes shifted around the room as she plotted an escape. What if she tried booking it for the door? She would have to pass them, but maybe they wouldn’t react fast enough to do anything.

It was no use thinking about it, she just had to do it. 

Sucking in a deep breath, she made a run for it. She only got a little further than the end of the bed before something tripped her. She hit the floor with a thud. 

Shit!

Stumbling to her knees, she looked up to find all three figures were gone. Footsteps and crackling surrounded the perimeter of the room. If they wouldn’t let her run, maybe she could crawl for the door. Sucking in a breath, she crawled as fast as her limbs could take her toward the exit and quickly stood.

The floor collapsed before she could slide open the door, knocking the wind out of her.

“Ah!”

She groaned and gave herself a minute for the pain to subside. “Talk about bad luck,” she whined. 

The sound of something sliding against the floor alerted her to sit up. What was that? It almost sounded like a body dragging against the floor. Breathing against the back of her neck caused her to whip around. The view that greeted her froze her in place. 

Sakauchi’s apparition dragged itself toward her from the back wall. The same tar-like substance clung to his legs—the black hands pierced his skin leading to trails of blackened blood against the floor. Once sharp and skeptical, his eyes were now nothing but black holes. 

It’s the depravity, said Gene’s voice in her head.

“I thought you would understand me but you’re no better than everyone else!” His voice distorted to something inhuman, not unlike talking underwater.

He quickened his pace, the skin on his arms rotting away as he crept toward her. 

I have to move! Why won’t I move?! MOVE!

“Mai!” 

The door slammed open, breaking her from her trance. Faster than she knew she could, she threw one of Ayako’s paper talismans at Sakauchi, stunning him. She followed up with the Nine Cuts. Not knowing what to expect, her eyes widened when the last cut shredded his apparition into two. 

With a shaky breath, her body trembled rapidly as she brought a hand to her chest. Her heart pounded while she tried to hold down the bile that rose in her throat.

“Mai, can you stand?” Naru’s voice brought her back to reality. She found him crouched at the doorway. 

“Oh, um, yeah,” she said, her voice cracking. She winced at the stiffness of her knees as she attempted to stand.

“Woah, what happened here?” Yasu popped out from behind Naru, likely heading over after hearing the commotion. “I knew you were trouble but this is another level, Mai-chan.” 

She couldn’t even muster an eye roll.

Naru reached out his hand but before he could pull her up, cracking sounds and falling debris redirected their attention upwards. Within the blink of an eye, the ceiling fell through and panic infiltrated Mai’s body. 

Moving automatically, she let go of Naru’s arms to prevent him from getting caught in the mess and squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation.

Rather than pain, her body collided with the floor in a dull thud.

“Are you guys okay?” called out Yasu.

“We’re fine.”

Naru?

Blinking her eyes to adjust to the darkness, she shifted and noticed the warmth above her. Her eyes cleared to reveal Naru’s face mere inches away from hers. She breathed in sharply as her heart palpitated—a little too loudly—in her chest.

Naru pushed himself onto his elbows, effectively easing some of the collapsed ceiling off his back. His leg brushed her own and she had to look elsewhere lest he saw her blush.

Mai, now was not the time for that.

Movement beneath her head alerted her to his arms’ positions. Had he been trying to protect her head and neck in the fall?

But, wait.

How did he end up in here with her to begin with? She recalled releasing him so that he wouldn’t be dragged in. Her chest swelled with an emotion she couldn’t quite place. With everything that had happened, she desperately quelled the urge to hug him.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded like a frantic chicken.

He studied her for a moment longer before officially trying to push the rest of the rubble off them.

More voices approached and what sounded like people jumping down were heard. Bou-san and Lin lifted off the largest piece weighing them down, revealing most of the crew standing around them.

Masako noted the proximity between them and frowned. The glare she sent had Mai feeling like she’d just been caught sneaking around. It wasn’t like she asked him to cover her!

He… did it of his own accord.

A-and it’s not like Naru and I are even like that. She’s the one dating him, not me!

You got that right! She has no reason to be jealous, Gene commented, something off about his tone.

Why did it feel like he was teasing her?

.

Ayako briefly examined them both when they returned to base. “Within a few minutes of you being alone, this happens. I knew I shouldn’t have listened to you,” Ayako said, slapping a bandage on Mai’s forehead, ignoring her yelp. “You’re lucky you got away with only a few scratches.”

“How would I have known the building would come apart?” Mai rubbed at her sore forehead. “Besides, Naru probably took the brunt of it.”

She glanced to the side. He had a few bandages wrapped around his wrist and hand but nothing was broken. It wouldn’t be surprising if he had some moderate bruising, but there was no way he was going to strip in front of them for her to see.

But… would he strip for her in private? But only to inspect for bruising, of course.

Blushing at her audacity, she immediately kicked the thought out. It was bad enough the guy could hear her thoughts. She couldn’t continue with life if he caught wind of her degeneracy.

She swore she could feel Gene’s smirk. He had enough grace not to comment but his mischievous energy was ever present.

Amidst her inner conflict, Masako’s unreadable stare went unnoticed. 

“What should we do now? Do we have a plan for reversing the curse?” asked Bou-san, his arms crossing as he leaned against the wall.

No one responded, instead opting to look between each other. 

What could they do? The curse was nearly fulfilled—it was just a matter of time. 

“The curse is almost completed. Sakauchi’s been feeding his energy to that thing to expedite the process,” she said. “We figure it’ll be any moment now.”

The atmosphere in the room went from low to abyss levels.

Madoka turned to Naru. “You think it’ll work?” 

“You got an idea?” Bou-san removed himself from the wall. 

Naru was silent at first, his face deep in thought. “Success is questionable,” he said, almost to himself.

“Care to share? Before I do something else stupid,” Mai joked. 

His eyes flickered to hers and the corner of his mouth twitched. “Glad to see you’re self-aware,” he said. 

She rolled her eyes but stuck her tongue out playfully.

“In any case, Lin has created a hitogata for Matsuyama in case the curse is completed before we devise another plan. Moreover, that may very well be our only choice now. Because Sakauchi is feeding the curse himself, I’m unsure if the hitogata will be enough despite the accuracy of Lin’s method.” 

Masako’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean there is a chance the hitogata won’t be able to handle it?”

He nodded, tapping his fingers on the table in thought.

“Feel like the old fart kind of deserves it,” Ayako mumbled for only Mai to hear. They both made eye contact and chuckled.

“That’s why I think it’s a good idea to have Matsuyama-sensei talk to Sakauchi-san,” John piped up. “Perhaps if he can lessen the malice, the final impact won’t be as severe.” 

Suddenly, the door to the base slammed open. “Help! We were in a meeting when all the lights exploded and Matsuyama-sensei was thrown out of his chair! He’s being held against the wall and choked by nothing.”

So much for that plan! 

The teacher led them down the hallway toward the conference room where Matsuyama’s struggle could be heard. When they arrived, he was suspended off the floor and held against the wall halfway to the ceiling. He clawed at his throat and flailed his legs in the air.

Mai and Masako could distinctly see the distorted shape of a physically unrecognizable Sakauchi. While his hands choked Matsuyama, a miasmic-type energy suffocated his victim from the inside. Sakauchi intended to harm before, but now, it was pure malice. 

He’s going to kill him this time. I know it! 

Lin stepped forward, whistling loudly with his fingers and summoning something Mai couldn’t see. 

Whatever they were, they collided with Sakauchi much like how Usa-sama had with the foxfire the other day.

Matsuyama dropped to the floor in a big heap, coughing aggressively with tears in the corner of his eyes. 

“He’s still here,” Masako said, looking around the room. 

Naru instructed Mai and Yasu to close all doors and windows before having Ayako place talismans around the room to prevent Sakauchi from escaping. Bou-san set up a separate barrier for extra measure. The room shook vigorously as a loud pulsating sound echoed in Mai’s ears. No one else could hear it.

She covered them in pain as they continued to pulsate. “It’s going to start soon!” she alerted everyone. Turning to Matsuyama, she said, “If you're going to talk, do it now!”

“I-I-” 

Seeing as he couldn’t form coherent words, Mai went to speak for him but was beaten by Masako. “Sakauchi-san, I understand you hold resentment, but will you really be fulfilled if you kill him? At the expense of your peace?”

No reply.

She continued, her face pleading. “Don’t you want to pass on as ‘you?’ Not as the demon you’re becoming?”

Sakauchi snorted. “I already know it’s too late for me. I knew the consequences when I began feeding it,” he said, his voice distorted. “I will only feel at peace once he’s gone. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A life for a life.”

“All I did was to better your future. I’m sorry you couldn’t see that,” Matsuyama said as John helped him stand. 

Not exactly the apology we wanted but okay, Gene said in her head.

“Better my future? By humiliating me in front of everyone and going out of your way to make me miserable every day?”

“Those with foolish ideas need to learn that the real world isn’t kind to those who don’t conform.”

“How could I expect you to understand? To you, students are all just scum if we don’t have high grades and awards. That’s all you adults care about. But what about after high school? All we have waiting for us is to slave way through college and to work ourselves into the ground.”

Matsuyama’s lips pressed together tightly as he listened. “I know people who had dreams like yours that learned the hard way that they were nothing but fools. You can’t support yourself let alone a family without money. You can’t get money without a good job. You can’t get a job without a skillset and an education. Letting you kids waste your time on these fantasies is just signing you up for failure.”

The pulsating in Mai’s ears from earlier quickened before stopping abruptly, leaving her lightheaded. 

Sakauchi’s apparition rematerialized, this time, the tar-like energy covered his eyes, like two hands clawing into his orbital spaces. What was left of his face revealed a grin. “Doesn’t matter now. It’s ready.” His voice echoed as all the furniture in the room collapsed or broke in half.

Finally, he allowed the energy to swallow him whole despite Masako’s protests.

Mai panicked and looked towards Naru and Lin. While Matsuyama and Sakauchi had been exchanging words—if it could be called that—Lin had set up Matsuyama’s hitogata in a circle of rice and black salt. During the entire exchange, he had been reciting an incantation while holding an unfamiliar-looking amulet.

Before she could process what was going on, an intense pressure brought her to their knees. Intense dread and nausea swept through her, leaving her body heavy and her knees like mush. The nausea nearly made good on its threat but she forced herself to breathe, Gene’s “be like the Buddha” line repeating in her head.

While others had also felt the pressure and were similarly on their knees, Lin, Naru, John, and Bou-san remained standing. The latter two followed Lin’s example by reading their scriptures. Ayako stood by Matsuyama in case anything attacked him directly. The man in question had crouched on the floor with his hands up to cover his head, quivering in fear.

The room continued to shake with items flying off the shelves, smashing into the walls and narrowly missing the SPR members. 

Can we really hold it back for much longer?

She slid along the walls, trying to dodge what she could. Suddenly, she was yanked to the side as a book smashed into the wall where her head had been. Her face collided with someone’s chest and she barely had time to process it when disembodied screams erupted, one voice sounding like Sakauchi’s.

The person beside her didn’t falter, holding onto her shoulders firmly and whispering into her ear. “Lin’s almost done. I need you to help by praying.”

Not thinking twice, Mai reached for her mirror and followed the command. She had difficulty ignoring the cacophony of sounds around her, especially when Ayako’s and Yasu’s voices were heard in distress. When she nearly stopped to see what was going on, the grip on her shoulders tightened, grounding her. 

After what felt like hours, Lin finished his chant with a mantra she’d never heard. The screams turned into a single shriek before the hitogata exploded into pieces, one of them crossing far enough to strike Matsuyama in the face.

“Ah!” He called out, holding a hand to his eye. Ayako had him remove it to see the damage revealing a jagged cut from the inner corner of his orbital space to his cheek. It bled profusely, running into his eye and down his face. 

Lin’s amulet cracked in half, signaling that it was finally over.

They relocated to the base for Ayako to disinfect Matsuyama’s injury. “The cut is deep. It’ll likely scar,” she said, flattening the edges of a bandage.

“Weren’t you people supposed to prevent this?!”

“You’re lucky to have both eyes,” she said, silencing him with a glare.

“The objective was to keep you alive, which we succeeded in,” Naru said, his face cold. “That scar is the legacy of Sakauchi’s curse—what people call ‘karma.’ Continue to live your life, but realize you will never forget what transpired today.”

Matsuyama was quiet, his face revealing the smallest amount of remorse.

“Our job is done. We’re leaving.”

.

They took Lin’s broken amulet and buried it beneath the nearby shrine where the Orikiri-sama boards had been taken after use. When asked about it, he stated that the amulet absorbed Sakauchi’s negative energy during the curse’s awakening. This was to lessen the impact and allow Sakauchi to go as a human spirit, regardless of his demise. 

Surprising to everyone, Matsuyama offered to bury it. 

Even if he hadn’t learned the wrongs of his ways, something must have shifted in him that day.

To say the principal was outraged by the amount of damage was an understatement. Fortunately, they were still compensated after Yasu’s and even Matsuyama’s testimonials. Not to mention that the principal couldn’t deny that there weren’t any more incidents after they left.

All returned to normal after that with spring coming to full bloom.

Meanwhile, Mai’s dreams of Naru’s past continued. The longer she had them, the more details she could remember. Gene started showing up now too, whereas before he was missing from the scenes.

There was one specific dream that had her stomach churning upon waking up. In this memory, Naru had been barely a preteen when he was tasked to help with a missing child case. She couldn’t remember the specifics but Naru demonstrated a psychic ability she didn’t know he had. It was psychometry or something like that. He had experienced the entirety of the boy’s death, including the fear and loneliness of being buried alive. She recalled how sick Naru had gotten after the vision, emptying his stomach, and nearly fainting. Luella had been livid at Martin for allowing him to participate in the case.

He barely ate anything and didn’t talk for two weeks after. 

When she woke up in a cold sweat, she sped for the bathroom and followed the exact actions Naru had. This wasn’t her first vision of a murder, but at least her first had been at the tail end of middle school. Naru had barely been out of elementary school when he helped with this case. It was no situation for a child to be involved in. 

Anxiety plagued her for the rest of the night, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep any time soon. There was a high risk of disappointment, but she wanted to talk to Naru.

Her heart pounded as her phone rang against her ear. Panic set in when she remembered the time. Naru stayed up late but what if he went to bed early that night?! Before she could abort the mission, he picked up.

“Why are you still awake?”

“Hello to you too,” she said. “I just had a dream that bothered me. One where an 11-year-old boy helped the police locate a missing child using his psychic powers.”

Silence.

“My heart hurt, for the boy who was kidnapped, and for the boy that helped find him.”

“That was years ago. It doesn’t affect my life anymore.”

She frowned, picking at her blanket. “Still, you didn’t eat anything or speak for weeks. Please tell me you didn’t help with any more investigations.”

More silence. 

“I know it’s all in the past, but it still bothers me.” She didn’t say anything immediately after that, and he didn’t either. They sat quietly together until he broke the silence with a sigh.

“You also had similar visions when you were younger.”

“Yeah, but they weren’t in live investigations! Ones where I met the family members and worked with them,” she argued, sitting up. “I didn’t know you had psychometry either.”

She heard a page pausing mid-turn. “...I see you remembered your vocab,” he said, ignoring her huff. “It is not something I use often.”

“I’m surprised Luella-san let you help with more investigations. She was furious after this first case.”

“I chose to help.”

“Even after all that stress?”

“Martin and Luella attempted to keep me from these investigations, but after the constant pleading from families, I agreed.”

So self-less, she thought absentmindedly. If Naru heard, he didn’t say.

“Wasn’t it emotionally draining?”

“Eventually, I had to stop due to the condition I was left in each time. Often, families would blame me for not finding their loved ones soon enough.” His voice was devoid of all emotion and she wondered if she reminded him of traumatic memories.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring back those memories. I just… wanted to talk,” she said, not vocalizing, “to you.”

He didn’t respond initially. She nearly thought he got distracted by whatever he was reading, but then she heard an exhale. “Do you feel better now?”

Her breath hitched, a smile spreading across her face. “Um, yeah, actually I do.”

“Then you should head to bed before your brain shrivels up anymore.”

Scoffing, Mai rolled her eyes in good nature. “Good night, Narcissist.”

“Hm.”

After she hung up, she stared at her phone momentarily, smiling dumbly.

Someone’s happy, Gene said. Talk about a one-eighty!

Mai reached for her pocket mirror beside her pillow and flipped it open. “I’m just happy he opened up to me—well, at least a little bit.”

Gene studied her with a hand to his chin. I’d only been joking this whole time, but now I’m starting to wonder... actually, I’ve been wondering about it for a while. 

She tilted her head in curiosity. “About what?”

He looked conflicted like he was debating asking or not. After a sigh, he looked her straight in the face.

Do you have feelings for my brother?

Not expecting the direction of his question, she blinked, her cheeks warming. She went quiet, averting her gaze.

“…Probably.”

Chapter Text

Previously…

Gene studied her with a hand to his chin. I’d only been joking this whole time, but now I’m starting to wonder... actually, I’ve been wondering about it for a while. 

She tilted her head in curiosity. “About what?”

He looked conflicted like he was debating asking or not. After a sigh, he looked her straight in the face.

Do you have feelings for my brother?

Not expecting the direction of his question, she blinked, her cheeks warming. She went quiet, averting her gaze.

“…Probably.”

.

Gene widened his eyes, his bottom jaw-dropping. He wasn’t sure why he was so surprised. He’d noticed the signs way back when, starting from her blossoming friendship with Noll through the emails and texts.

Normally, Gene would call it a lost cause and help her move on, but… to be honest, he was surprised at how responsive Noll was to her. Despite what Mai thought, he didn’t initiate with Masako.

He initiated with her.

And that was coming from the idiot scientist’s womb buddy. Noll had never been easy to read, especially when he was showing affection. One thing for sure was that he preferred gestures and actions to words. In Mai’s case, Gene could easily name more than ten times she’d been on the receiving end. Whether Noll was aware of it or not was a mystery that Gene was inclined to answer “no.”

Mai’s indifference was one of the reasons for their relationship’s organic development—she didn’t fall for his facade. Then, to add her innate talent for finding danger, ability to ignore Noll’s boundaries, and presentation of rare psychic abilities, it was virtually impossible for him to ignore her.

What about Mai? How did she end up catching feels for Noll? He didn’t seem like the type of person she would typically go for.

Or was he?

Having observed the two bozos for the last year, Gene at least knew that her feelings didn’t stem from infatuation—they were something deeper, built from all they had gone through together. While he had already noticed a change in their relationship prior, there was a noticeable shift after the mountain incident.

Were her feelings quite love? Gene wasn’t sure, but he didn’t think it was too far off either.

“How long have you been aware?” he asked her, watching her fidget from the other side of the TV screen.

After seeing her smile to herself after talking to Noll, Gene couldn’t help the warmth in his chest. He’d always worried that Noll would be a loner, studying his life away and burying himself in research—but maybe there was some hope. 

“Honestly? Since now,” she said, smiling sheepishly. She rested her hands in her lap and leaned against the wall. “But I did notice things haven’t been the same. It’s different now whenever he gets close, or looks at me.”

Gene nodded, not responding so that she could process her feelings. She glanced at him before hiding her face behind a plushy. “It’s kind of embarrassing telling you this.”

“Hey, I’m the emotionally intelligent one. You’re safe with me,” he grinned, hoping that would ease her embarrassment.

She sighed, tucking a bang behind her ear like she always did. “I guess it doesn’t matter if I talk to you about it since he’s with Masako. Better to get it off my chest.”

That made him frown. “I wouldn’t say that. I can tell you he doesn’t feel the same way about her,” he said. He debated bringing up the blackmailing he knew was at play, but decided against it. 

“Doesn’t mean he feels the same way about me either.” She kept her gaze ahead, not looking at him. “Besides, our goal is to find Gene. I didn’t take this job to get with his twin,” she said with a goofy smile. 

Gene smiled, a tender one from the bottom of his heart. “Don’t use me as an excuse, you goof,” he said. “I’m sure he appreciates that it wasn't your priority. You don’t know the number of girls who throw themselves at him for that purpose until they find out about his awful personality. That’s where I came in to soothe their souls.” He smirked, ignoring Mai’s eye roll.

“Oh, please.” She laughed, looking at him again. “I’m sure you both were heartstoppers. Did you have any girlfriends?”

“A few,” he said, “but they were only short-term.”

“What about Naru?”

He gave her a joking stink-eye. “What do you think?”

She laughed. “I’ll take that as a ‘no.’” Suddenly, her demeanor changed to something meek. “So… since you’re his twin, do you think Masako is his type?”

He blinked a few times. “Pfft!” He burst out laughing, more so after noticing her pout. “Why do you want to know if you’re not planning anything?”

“Can’t I be curious?”

He gave her a knowing look. “You would think Hara-san is his type, but in my opinion, his type of girl is more bubbly, loud, kind and generous, doesn’t let him get away with crap, is not too proud, probably some kind of psychic, and is the poster child for trouble, someone he can protect,” he said casually, fingering his bangs for good measure. Did ghosts need trims?

“That’s kinda specific,” Mai said, tapping her chin. “Not that I’m planning to become his type or anything.”

Oh, for the love of-

“Don’t think about it too much or your head will implode,” he said, rubbing his temples.

She glared. “That was so uncanny I almost got offended.” 

“Go to bed. You have school tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

.

The rest of the spring semester flew by quickly. Life was busy between studying for exams, having Madoka at the office, and Naru potentially hiring Yasu after his exams.

Madoka had family in Japan and visited them when she wasn’t working. Otherwise, she took over Lin’s office doing who knows what. When Mai asked what company she worked for, Madoka had merely brushed it off as “some small foreign company.”

Mai was doubtful, but it wasn’t her business anyways.

Aside from that, having another woman in the office was nice—someone else who forced the workaholics to eat and take breaks. In fact, Madoka often accompanied her to get tea and snacks as an excuse to get out.

“Ooh, those are Naru’s favorites,” Madoka commented when Mai picked out two blueberry scones. “Luella makes the best ones.”

“Really? I didn’t know,” Mai said, surprised. “I kinda just got the inkling to get him some one day. He liked them enough, so I’ve been getting them since. It goes well with Earl Grey.”

Madoka smiled with a glint in her eye, turning her attention back to the other pastries. “Do you always experiment with different things to see what he likes?”

Mai tilted her head in thought. “I guess I do? Only with snacks though. I know he likes apples, grapes, blueberries, and persimmons but only if they’re not too soft. He hates bananas and tolerates pears,” she said, a finger on her chin. “I was craving mint dark chocolate once, so I put a bowl on my desk. They were gone by the next week and I’d barely eaten any, so I think he likes those too.”

“You sound like a mother hen, or maybe a girlfriend.”

“I-I do the same for Lin-san! Let’s see, he likes candied beans, plums, and oolong tea!” Mai tried to cover, making her sure she faced away from the other woman. 

Nice, said her head gremlin. 

“I think it’s cute that you look out for them,” Madoka said, placing a strawberry roll on their tray. “It’s either me or Luella who usually does that. She’ll be happy to know someone’s here to nag them.”

“I can only nudge them,” Mai said, rolling her eyes. “Doesn’t mean they always eat what I give.”

Madoka giggled. “Man-children, they are. Martin’s the same way.”

The two finished at the bakery and picked up some tea leaves before returning to the office.

As they walked, Mai fidgeted with her bag as she debated asking her question. Eventually, she built up the courage. “What was Naru like back home?” Maybe she could gather more info on where “home” was.

Madoka seemed to ponder on the question, running through her answers. “About the same. A workaholic with only eyes for research. He worked under me, actually!”

“Wow. What about school? Doesn’t he attend classes?” That was a question Mai had always wondered about. Gene never said anything about it and sometimes she forgot Naru was only 17. Considering how smart the guy was, she wouldn’t be surprised if he was already done with high school.

“Let’s say he has skipped a few grades,” Madoka said as they ascended the stairs toward the office, a finger to her lips.

Once inside, they cleaned up, made the tea, and plated the pastries, intent on snacking in the waiting room.

“Let me ask Koujo if he wants any,” Madoka said. “Knowing him, he’s probably fasting or something.”

“Okay.” Mai figured this would be the best time to bring Naru’s tea. She balanced the tray in her hands carefully as she walked over. Before she knocked, her fist froze mid-air when she heard another voice inside. It was noticeably female—she wondered if it was Masako. Curious, she knocked. “Naru, do you want tea? If not, I’ll leave it in the kitchen.” 

There was a moment of silence before he told her to come in.

Shrugging, she let herself in and found Masako seated in front of him with a delicately wrapped box on his desk. Treats, maybe?

“Hi,” she said awkwardly. She placed the tray on his desk, avoiding eye contact despite being keenly aware of his gaze on her. “Masako, I didn’t know you were here. Do you want a cup?”

“That would be lovely, thank you.”

“Sure. I also got pastries if you would like some? I have a bunch in the kitchen if you want to pick something out.”

Masako glanced at the blueberry scone on the tray. “I’d like to take a look,” she said, following Mai out. 

As they walked by, they didn’t notice Madoka’s eyes following them into the kitchen as she sipped her tea.

“I got some pastries from Paris Croissant down the block. They have a good selection,” Mai said, getting the other girl a teacup from the cupboard. “Do you want Earl Grey or green? I made both.”

“Green, please,” said Masako, quietly looking over the pastry selection. After plating a tart, she broke the silence. “What does Naru like to eat?”

Mai blinked, not expecting her question. Wouldn’t she know this stuff already?

“Oh, um, he likes blueberry scones and mint dark chocolate. He doesn’t like bananas and prefers apples to pears. Blueberries and firmer persimmons are good too,” she said off the top of her head. “Why?”

“I would like to start bringing in food and snacks for him,” Masako said, her eyes determined. “That way, you won’t have to worry about it.”

Mai felt herself freeze up. “It’s never been a problem, really! I’ve been doing it for so long it’s second nature,” she said, hoping her nerves weren’t evident in her voice. 

Masako smiled. “Mai. I want to do this for him, please,” she said firmly. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Lacking a coherent response, Mai nodded reluctantly, her fingers gripping the kitchen counter.

“Thank you.” With one last look, Masako took her teacup and plate and left. 

Mai stood in place for a few moments longer, listening as Masako’s footsteps disappeared. 

Guess that was a bad time for me to check up on you, said Gene. Was it just me, or was that kind of tense?

That got a wry smile out of her. It wasn’t that bad. I was just surprised to hear her ask that.

…Didn’t it bother you?

Well, yeah, but she is his girlfriend.

I don’t know. Seems fishy to me.

Ayako said the same thing. Technically, she got to him first and I know not to cross that line again. 

Again?

Let’s say I got into a fight over some guy in middle school. The same guy called me a freak the next day when he caught me talking to a ghost.

You dodged a bullet there!

And that’s why I’m not desperate for a boyfriend.

Even though you have admirers at school?

That’s only according to Michiru and Keiko! And I don’t even know why. They’d all be scared off if they found out that I talk to ghosts daily.

You don’t know that. Heck, I think that Takata guy wouldn’t care. He knows about your job, after all. 

Mai didn’t respond, mulling over his words. He wasn’t wrong, and Takata seemed like a respectable guy. 

Madoka suddenly popped her head around the screen, making Mai jump. “Geez, you scared me!”

“You were here for a while after Hara-san left, so I was worried something happened.”

Mai waved her hand to dismiss the concern. “Nothing to worry about! I was talking to Gene,” she said, leaving the kitchen. “Let’s have our tea before it gets cold!”

Madoka watched her as she passed by, a single brow lifting. “So, something did happen,” she mumbled to herself.

.

“You’re not going to get into college with that work ethic,” said Yasu, playing with the straw in his drink. 

Mai, whose face was planted on her notebook, groaned. “We’ve been at it for hours.” She looked up at him, chin resting on her book. “Break time?”

Yasu chuckled. “Did you get through at least half of the questions I wrote for you?”

She nodded.

“Hopefully, you used the right equations. Otherwise, I’ll make you do them again.”

Her jaw dropped. “Why is everyone around me a tough teacher? What happened to the gentle approach?” she complained, sitting up and rolling her shoulders.

He grinned. “Sounds to me like the universe wants you to study.”

The two packed up and left the cafe they had perched themselves at since 8 that morning, heading for a nearby park Michiru had told Mai about earlier in the week. Something about paranormal downpours—it sounded simple enough for Mai to investigate herself.

After all, she used to go on paranormal expenditures by herself all the time. Her last one gifted her a blessed mirror and a guardian deity. She would be surprised if future escapades yielded her as great of results.

“Michiru said that she and her boyfriend randomly got drenched out of nowhere last weekend,” she told Yasu who tagged along. “There wasn’t rain or anything. She was so spooked she wouldn’t come back until I checked it out.” 

“A special case with the boss!” Yasu pumped his fist.

Mai laughed. “Don’t be expecting a paycheck,” she said, rolling her eyes at his fake disappointment. They continued their idle chatter throughout the rest of their journey, only stopping when they spotted their destination up ahead.

“Is it me, or does that group of weirdos look familiar?” Yasu said quietly, leaning down to her ear.

She squinted, attempting to get a better look. She sighed having identified a head of red hair and a blond foreigner. “That’s because they are.”

As if on cue, another familiar head of pink hair popped out and waved towards them. “Hey! I thought you two were off today.”

Mai waved back. “We are,” she said, looking around to see who was present, “but my school friend asked me to check out this park.” The group was Madoka, Naru, Masako, John, Ayako, and Bou-san.

“Are you doing private investigations now, Jou-chan?” Bou-san asked, interested.

“I used to go around helping spirits out all the time before I met you guys,” she said, sticking out her tongue playfully. She shrunk back when Ayako leaned toward her and Yasu suspiciously. “What?”

“And what were you two doing? A date, perhaps?”

Yasu grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Totally! Went to a café and everything!” he said, ignoring Mai’s pointed look.

“To study,” she corrected, poking at his arm.

Someone’s throat cleared, redirecting everyone.

“If you’re done socializing, I’d like to get this case over with.” The now-official object of her affections crossed his arms. Telling from the tone, Mai knew he was annoyed—she figured he didn’t like them standing around chatting idly.

“Is it the same situation Mai-chan came to investigate?” asked Yasu.

“If it’s about couples being spontaneously drenched, then yes,” Masako answered. “A family friend asked for my help because they’re trying to shoot a drama here.”

And Naru is your help? Talk about overkill and a waste of resources. And why does Madoka-san need to be here for this too?!

Naru raised his brow, which she returned with a half-shrug vocalizing silently, “Am I wrong?”

The faint twitch of his mouth as he looked away was affirmation enough.

Eyes flickering between the two, Masako wrapped her arm around Naru’s. “We devised that acting as decoys would help lure the spirit out,” she said before clearing her throat.

“As Naru and I are the best-looking couple, it’s only natural that we’re paired together.”

Ayako scoffed. “You look like siblings to me,” she said, flicking her hair back.

“Well, I’m just here for the entertainment. Care to join me, Brown-san?” Madoka smiled, mischief laden beneath. John, being the sweet guy he was, went along for the ride. The two perched themselves on a nearby bench to feed the birds. The exuberant one of the two sent a peace sign with her hand.

“Since Mai-chan and I are off the clock, we’ll just go about our business~”

“Now, wait just one minute, Shounen,” Bou-san said, pulling Yasu over to the side and undoubtedly lecturing him about some nonsense Mai would rather not know.

Pleased with the pairings, Masako smiled smugly before walking off with Naru. From the look she sent, Mai wondered if she was trying to taunt her. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. At least Naru looked uninterested as always.

Grumbling from beside her diverted her attention to Ayako’s pouting. “Of course, she takes the cutest one, but whatever. They won’t lure out the spirit that way. They look like brother and sister!”

That got a smile out of her. So petty, but she’s not wrong.

The last two pairings ended up being Mai with Yasu and Bou-san with Ayako.

“Why did I have to end up with her?” Bou-san stared soullessly into the distance, not unlike someone from an old R&B music video.

Mai giggled, giving him a comforting pat on the back. “I don’t know, Bou-san. You two look kinda cute,” she teased.

“WHAT?!” Both adults yelled. She and Yasu flinched away to save themselves the saliva shower.

“It’s like in one of my sister’s manga. The handsome rocker gets tamed by a feisty rich girl, unveiling both of their hidden soft sides.” Yasu added fuel to the fire, a hand on his chin.

That ended up yielding a louder reaction than expected.

Mai stuck her tongue out playfully at them. “How does it feel to be on the receiving end of the teasing? Not so fun, is it?” She grabbed Yasu’s wrist before booking it, knowing her next line would have them seething.

“Have fun on your date, you lovebirds!”

Madoka and John, who spectated from their cozy bench, chuckled at the group’s antics.

.

Meanwhile, further away, Masako shook her head at the ruckus. She brought her unoccupied sleeve up to her face. “How rowdy.”

Naru didn’t reply, instead watching the scene, his eyes unconsciously following the hand Mai had wrapped around Yasu’s wrist.

Masako’s grip on his arm tightened, bringing his attention back to her. “We should go somewhere quieter.”

He nodded.

“I was recently contacted to investigate one of the ex-prime minister’s homes. Did you also receive the same request?”

“I did.”

“I hear they also invited the British psychic, Oliver Davis,” she said, her voice taking on a mocking tone. “Laughable don’t you think?”

“The shameless will do what they can for attention.”

“Indeed.” They walked in a comfortable silence, the rest of their team’s voices in the distance. Masako exhaled, allowing herself to enjoy Naru’s company.

She knew what she was doing wasn’t right, yet, she couldn’t let him go.

He was Oliver Davis, a psychic prodigy with a doctorate under his sleeve. He was as blessed appearance-wise as he was brilliant. What started as admiration had grown as she continued to work with him, seeing slices of him that not many in their space could—his brilliance, work ethic, and especially his unexpected kindness towards spirits and even to other people.

She identified with him the best out of everyone she’d met. They were both reserved, accomplished psychics with years of experience despite their young ages, and were both good looking. They were the perfect couple. Not to mention that she was only one who knew his identity.

It only made sense that they got closer.

But then, there was Taniyama Mai.

At first, Masako didn’t view her as a threat. She actually liked the girl, not that she would admit it out loud. It wasn’t until she caught glimpses of Mai’s interactions with Naru that she started to question the extent of Mai’s feelings for him.

Mai also seemed to know more about Naru than she let on, though, Masako wasn’t sure of how much. For that reason, Masako couldn’t give up her hold on him just yet.

As esteemed as she was, Hara Masako didn’t have what Taniyama Mai had.

.

Mai brought a finger to her chin, looking around the park. Whatever spirit was here didn’t feel very strong. Honestly, she could barely feel anything at all. She closed her eyes and scrunched her brows, trying to get anything.

“Feelers not working?”

She raised a brow. “Like on a bug?”

“Yeah. Is that not what it’s like when you use your sixth sense? Like using metaphorical antennas to feel out your environment?”

Her mouth opened, about to argue until she thought on it. “I guess when you put it like that.”

Hmm… he might be on to something.

Mai couldn’t help but imagine how the two would’ve gotten along if Gene was still alive. Initially, the idea sparked joy in her but was quickly overtaken by a deep sadness, almost like regret. But why? Regardless, she shot it down quickly before either of her companions noticed her change in mood.

Strangely, even though neither Yasu nor Gene had noticed, something in her gut just knew that Naru had felt it. But how? Was this a new development in their weird connection?

She’d have to test out her theory later somehow.

Yasu’s hand waved in her face, bringing her back to reality.

“I guess I’ll have to get used to that,” he said, a thoughtful hand on his chin. “I’d like to think you heard from our perp, but now I’m unsure.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving him off. “Honestly, I haven’t felt anything here. But that’s not my forte. Masako’s better at that.”

Yasu looked thoughtful as they aimlessly walked, drawn in by a fountain nearby. “I’m trying to remember from my readings about the different psychics. Hara-san is spiritual medium. And you’re some other anomaly, right?”

Oh, that was right. She forgot that Naru was having him do readings in preparation for his full-time position. It was kind of inconvenient considering Yasu also had to study for his exams, but this was Naru—he wouldn’t have him do it if he didn’t think he could.

She glared at him. “Who are you calling an ‘anomaly?’ You sound like Naru,” she said, playfully swiping his arm.

Yasu indulged her and pretended to be wounded. “Hey, it’s not my fault if I’m learning from the best!”

And before they even had a chance to blink, they yelled out in shock as water poured over them. They blinked at each other astonished until they both burst out laughing.

“How dare you be all cute and then laugh off my punishment!” said a mysterious woman’s voice, one only vocal to Mai’s ears.    

Footsteps approached them from behind along with the rustle of a paper bag.

“Taniyama-san?!”

Mai turned around, expecting to see someone from SPR but was surprised to see her classmate. “Takata-kun? What are you doing here?”

“I was taking a shortcut through the park when I heard your yelp,” he said, scratching his head, his other hand holding a bag of groceries. His eyes flickered between her and Yasu. “Why are you all wet? Did he try to pull something on you?!”

Before she could answer, Masako and Naru ran into the clearing with the other members in tow. “Naru, I feel it over here!” Masako said, getting more sluggish the closer she got. Abruptly, her knees gave out mid-sprint, sending her to her knees.

“Masako!” Mai called, running over. Before she could get close, two unexplainable downpours drenched her from head to toe. “Wha-”

“That’s what you get, you two-timer!” Masako stood and pointed a finger at her. Telling by the unfitting voice and theatrics, the park’s spirit must’ve possessed her. “It’s people like you who are the scum of the earth!”

Not-Masako looked at Yasu and waved her hand, drenching him too. “And you should be ashamed, you homewrecker!”

“Why am I the homewrecker?! I was here first,” Yasu objected, shaking his head at the clear injustice.

“Uh, what’s going on here?” Bou-san’s brows scrunched in confusion as his eyes flickered between them.

Ayako, Madoka, and John stood to the side with their hands covering their mouths like they had just witnessed a scandal. Naru looked extra unamused—if that was even possible.

“Ohoho~ I didn’t realize you were such a heartbreaker, Mai-chan,” said Madoka.

“Nothing is going on!” Mai yelled in frustration, pulling off her cardigan and squeezing out the water. She pointed her finger at Not-Masako. “You need to get your eyes and ears checked. Neither of them are my boyfriends!”

Takata looked around at the group and sighed in relief when he spotted Naru. “Oh, I see! You’re working. For a second there I thought you were on a date, Taniyama-san.”

Not-Masako looked at Mai pointedly, gesturing to Takata. “Not for long they aren’t.”

As oblivious as he was, Takata picked up the meaning of her words and blushed.

Embarrassed, Mai unconsciously adopted Naru’s habit of rubbing the bridge of her nose. This has to happen on the ONE day I’m off.

Speaking of Naru, he exhaled deeply through his nose, a tinge of a scowl on his face. “Enough of this nonsense,” he said bluntly. “We’re here to complete a job.”

“And who are you to be-” Not-Masako stopped mid-sentence when she finally got a glimpse of him. Her face flushed and she practically floated over and latched herself to Naru’s arm, rubbing her cheek against it. “No one told me someone so handsome was here!”

Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, Mai couldn’t help but feel her frustration simmer upon seeing Naru’s already unamused face turn increasingly sour. Nothing was better than having the attention turned to someone else, even if it meant some other girl ogling Naru.

“You would have known if you weren’t so quick to give me crap!” Mai huffed, squeezing water out of her hair. “We only came to find out why random couples were getting drenched out of nowhere.”

Not-Masako finally glanced around at the group, her brows raising. “Are you guys in some kind of weird paranormal club or something?”

Everyone laughed nervously to themselves.

“Anyway,” Mai started, brushing off the comment, “why are you going around pouring water on random people?”

“Because it’s unfair that these couples are all happy while I hurt so much!” Not-Masako said, crying into Naru’s sleeve.

Ayako put one hand on her hip with her other in the air. “What happened to you that you’re lashing out your anger at other people?” she asked.

Not-Masako instantly lit up, abandoning Naru’s arm to stand at the center of attention. She promptly delved into the story of her ex-boyfriend who she had met in this exact park when a leek had fallen out of her grocery bag. After their meeting, he took her on dates and they frequented the park often. That was until she saw him with another woman while taking her usual short-cut.

“I confronted them, and he laughed at me and poured a water bottle over my head,” she said, sniffling as she recounted the memories. “I was so depressed at the state of my life, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

Mai’s face softened as she listened to the various ways the spirit had tried to take her own life. Her heart hurt with the same sadness that she’d felt for Gene earlier. She continued to listen as the spirit explained how she finally succeeded after hitting her head on the curb in just the right spot after a fall. After death, she attempted to haunt him, but it only proved how insensitive the guy was. Thus, she was stuck in limbo without getting the revenge she wanted.

Anger blazed in Mai’s heart at the unfairness. It was a shame the spirit felt life was not worth living, over some guy no less. It just served as another reminder to Mai why romance was too much trouble. 

“I’m sorry,” Not-Masako suddenly said turning to Mai. She then explained why she’d been so quick to target Mai. Takata had reminded her of herself. He was softer in nature, had been walking through the park with a bag of groceries, and had caught Mai “two-timing.”

“But it’s okay. I shared my woes with you all, so I can pass on.” Not-Masako sighed in relief with her story finally off her chest.

While the others cheered her on for choosing to move on, Mai couldn’t shake the feeling that things were left unfinished.

“Now, hold on a minute. Good for you choosing to move past it, but it doesn’t sit right with me to leave things as they are.” Mai crossed her arms, a ferocious expression on her face.

“What are you saying, that she takes revenge?” asked Bou-san.

“If she’s willing to let it go, you shouldn’t egg her on,” said Ayako, a scolding tone.

“While I agree with Matsuzaki-san,” said Madoka. “I can see where you’re coming from, Mai-chan. How would we go about that though?”

Just then, Not-Masako gasped, pointing in the distance. “It’s him!”

Everyone rushed to look at who this heartstopper was that led this poor woman to her death.

Upon landing her eyes on him, the only thought in Mai’s head at that moment was—

Why is it always some average looking bloke with a weird haircut?

“Bloke?” I bet you learned that from a Naru-dream, Gene teased. By the way, it’s hard being a dude! You gotta do whatever you can to stand out, compensating when you need to.

Not if you’re a pair of twins blessed with the looks of the Gods themselves.

Why, I’m flattered, Gene chuckled, pausing for a moment before adding, but maybe not as much as my dear brother.

Mai’s eyes unconsciously searched for the person in question, landing on Naru whose face had a faint hint of smugness to it.

Great, I fed his ego. She rolled her eyes, unable to help the endearing twitch of her mouth.

“Should we ambush and beat him up behind that sketchy Takoyaki shop?” Bou-san’s ill-intentioned suggestion brought her attention back to the group.

“That’s an awful idea. Just let me talk to him,” Ayako suggested, her hand bent back to illustrate the superiority of her idea. “I’ve had experience with these kinds of men in the past.”

“No surprise there. You don’t strike me as the type to attract healthy relationships,” Bou-san mumbled offhandedly.

“At least I’ve had boyfriends!”

“Emphasis on ‘had.’”

Madoka cleared her throat. “Why not just scare the wits out of him?” she suggested. “Stage something to teach him a lesson without getting physical. I don’t know about you, but I’m not interested in a lawsuit.”

No one could argue about that. Thus, began their plotting.

While the group divulged a plan, barely anyone noticed Takata spectating to the side. He smiled as he watched Mai in her element. His grocery bag had been left forgotten next to the fountain where he had laid it. He didn’t participate in the discussion since he was at least that self-aware, but he was content to see how everything played out. Plus, he appreciated seeing this side of the daydreaming girl from school.

The one person who did notice Takata’s presence was Naru, who was not pleased to have a stranger intruding in his company’s business.

The two stood to the side as everyone shot ideas back and forth.

“So, I was just wondering something.” Takata started. “You’re Taniyama-san’s senpai at work, right?”

Naru didn’t answer, almost acting as though he hadn’t heard anyone. Takata didn’t falter, leading Naru to answer out of desire to be left alone. “I’m her boss,” he said, simply.

“Ah, yes, boss then. Either way, that helps answer my question,” Takata said, scratching the back of his head nervously. “I was worried you had something else going on with her. That time I came in, you really scared me with that look. But I guess it was kinda rude of me to barge in during work hours. Sorry about that.”

The corner of Naru’s eyebrow twitched as Takata continued rambling on despite receiving no acknowledgement. It was akin to Mai’s lack of awareness when she babbled to him about whatever was on her mind regardless of his engagement or not.

“Is there a reason you’re telling me this?” Naru interrupted the rambling.

Takata blinked, smiling sheepishly. “I’ve been thinking of asking her out but didn’t want to mess up anything. Looks like I’m all clear though!”

Naru didn’t reply but finally turned to regard him. It was subtle, but the intensity in Naru’s eyes had Takata flinching, the breeze feeling suspiciously chilly for late spring.

“Well, uh, wish me luck!” With that, Takata scurried away to the group to catch what was going on—and to avoid whatever that was.

Amidst the tension, the girl in question had no clue what had transpired. Rather, she, like everyone else, had invested her full attention to the ruining of some guy.

Ultimately, it was decided that the teens, minus Masako, would wait to the side while Ayako, Bou-san, John, and Madoka would take part in the scheme.

Ayako lured the guy over by playing the part of damsel in distress when something “accidentally” fell from her—Takata’s—grocery bag. As planned, he couldn’t ignore a lady in need.

After some orchestrated flirting back and forth, Ayako asked casually, “For someone so handsome, it makes me wonder how many girls you meet by chance like this?”

“You’d be surprised how many ladies drop their groceries. None of them were as gorgeous as you though.”

Mai nearly puked from her hiding spot behind a tree.

“Really? You’ve never met a catch?” Ayako tilted her head innocently.

“Never. They were all quick flings. You though, you’re something special,” he said, giving her a smoldering grin.

“Is that so?” Cue Ayako’s crazy eyes. She suddenly widened her eyes and attempted to bulge them out with an unnatural grin on her face. “What about the ones you cheated on and led to suicide? Were they not special either?”

He jumped back, freaked out by her change in demeanor. When he tried to run away, he was cornered by Bou-san, John, and Madoka, all with their faces downturned for dramatic effect.

“Have you not learned your lesson?”

“Shall we teach you one?”

He backed up, whipping his head around at them. “What the hell is going on? Who are you people?!”

Not-Masako stepped in front of him and shoved him into the ground. Her chin turned up in contempt as she mustered the most deranged smile she could muster. Before he had a chance to say anything, she poured a water bottle over his head just like he had done to her in life.

“Remember me?”

He seemed to get the message, crouching to the ground with his arms covering his head. “I’m so so so so sorry!! Please don’t hurt me!”

Not-Masako took slow steps before leaning over to his ear to whisper something. The next thing they knew, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.

She poked him a few times to test.

Bou-san crossed his arms, disappointed that it ended so quick. “What an idiot.”

No one disagreed to that.

.

After dumping the guy on a park bench because they were good Japanese samaritans, the group said their good-byes to Not-Masako’s spirit.

“Thank you everyone!” She smiled brightly, waving both hands in the air as she floated off.

Mai sent her off with just as much enthusiasm, happy to see another spirit move on peacefully after their last case.

As soon as the spirit was gone, Masako woke up with a groggy hand to her head. “What happened?”

“You got possessed-” Mai started to say.

“And snuggled up to Naru and kissed him!” Ayako cut her off, clear mischief on her face.

Masako reddened immediately, holding her cheeks. “You can’t be serious!”

“You rubbed your cheek right up to his arm and everything,” Bou-san said, smirking.

“You said some embarrassing things too.” Madoka giggled evilly, unable to resist throwing something in.

While Masako was busy being teased, Takata pulled Mai to the side much to the curiosity of Yasu. If Naru noticed, he didn’t say.

“I’m gonna head out now. If this is what work is like normally for you, it must be fun,” he said, gesturing his head back at the rowdy group.

“You can say there’s never a dull moment,” she agreed, watching her team fondly. “Guess I’ll see you at school. Sorry for getting you wrapped up in all this.”

He shot her a grin. “No worries. It was interesting!”

She didn’t buy it but shrugged it off anyway and gave him a friendly smile. “Well, see you later. Safe walk home!”

“Thanks!” He started to turn, but then paused. “Say, um, Taniyama-san, would you like to meet up to study for exams some time? I’m having trouble in… English, and I hear you’re doing really well.”

Mai blinked, not expecting his question. Her inability to deny someone in need of help had her agreeing before she could process the intention of his question. “Yeah, sure. Though, I don’t know how much help I can be.”

“Keiko-chan says that it’s one of your best subjects,” he said, shrugging. “Could I have your number? That way we can plan something?”

She nodded, automatically inputting her info into his phone when he handed it to her without batting an eye.

“Thanks again. I’ll reach out to you later! Have fun at work.” Takata gave a quick wave of his hand and was off.

It wasn’t until they returned to the SPR office and Yasu announced it to everyone that Mai realized the implications of what she’d just done.

“That was the oldest trick in the book, Mai-chan! I thought you knew what he was doing,” Yasu said, shaking his head. He had an arm folded on the back of the SPR couch, leaning his head into his hand.

Bou-san’s ears perked up. “Jou-chan scored a date?”

“We’re studying!”

Ayako scoffed. “I have to say, the kid’s got balls to ask for a one-on-one study date.”

“What if I brought Yasu?” Mai asked, quickly trying to figure out how to rectify the situation.

Yasu shook his head rapidly. “Don’t suck me into your problem. I’m a homewrecker, remember?”

Madoka, who had disappeared down the hall, erupted into a fit of laughter.

“I’m sure he has good intentions. He did say Mai-san is good in English class,” said John, the only one with reason. “Is that true?” he asked, switching over to his native tongue.

“I hate you guys,” Mai said with an accent, her face planted into her folded knees.

Amidst her embarrassment, Naru’s office door opened revealing him and Masako looking more cleaned up than usual. They were arm in arm and looked to be heading out somewhere.

“Have a good night, everyone,” Masako said.

“And where are you two going?” asked Ayako.

Masako smiled, moving closer to Naru. “We have a dinner reservation tonight, but maybe we’ll see a movie after too.”

Mai really wanted to wipe the smug look off her face. Mainly because Masako made direct eye contact with her as she said it. What was her deal?

As the couple headed out, she inadvertently made eye contact with Naru. Their gaze lingered for a moment too long before Mai ripped hers away.

Whatever.

Once the door clicked in place, Ayako crossed her arms. “Yup, something suspicious about that. I bet she has dirt on him.”

“What are you thinking?” asked Bou-san, peeking out the window at the couple as they walked down the street.

“Perhaps Hara-san’s father is Shibuya-san’s patron?” John suggested.

Mai sat up straight at that. “A what now?” Yasu, Ayako, and Bou-san all had smirks on their faces, no doubt thinking something dirty.

“Hara-san’s father is probably a sponsor for Shibuya-san’s company.”

“Oh, I see. That would make sense why he’s able to afford quality equipment like that.” Bou-san nodded as the pieces fell together. “And Masako-chan’s using that as blackmail so she can score some dates.”

While this new development did make Mai feel better about the situation, there was something else that bothered her. “I don’t know if that’s all, though? There’s something more to it.”

“Like what?” asked Yasu.

“I don’t know. I can’t place my finger on it,” she said, thinking. “What I do know is, it seems like they get along well since they’re so similar. Knowing Naru, wouldn’t he make it obvious if he hated it?” Her fingers played with the end of her skirt.

They all thought about it, nodding. “Guess you’re right about that,” Bou-san said, studying her for a minute. He was good at pretending not to notice things, but Mai’s demeanor bothered him. “Gotta say though, because they’re so similar, I don’t think they’d click for real.”

Mai pretended not to perk up at his comment.

“Yeah, she’d never challenge him. What he needs is a beautiful woman to put him in his place, someone like me.” Ayako tossed her hair back and sat up straighter. “If only he were a few years older.”

“Oh, thank god, I thought we were going to enter cougar territory over here.” Yasu wiped the invisible sweat off his brow.

“Hey, you’re too new to be making quips at me already,” Ayako said, pointing her finger at him.

“You make it easy,” retorted Yasu, shrugging.

Bou-san grinned. “You’re learning already,” he said. “Say, why don’t we grab some food? I’m starving. There’s a new pho restaurant that just opened a few blocks from here.”

“What? You don’t want that sketchy takoyaki shop you mentioned earlier?” Mai teased, happiness bubbling up in her chest as she watched the antics of her friends—her makeshift family.

This was true contentment, she realized. She hadn’t felt lonely in such a long time after meeting everyone. And thanks to them, she nearly forgot about the Naru and Masako thing.

On her walk home after getting dinner with everyone, she pulled out her mirror to confide in her spirit guide.

Hey, Gene?

Yeah?

Crushes go away eventually, right?

Sometimes.

Well, I think mine can. I’ll make it go away. She nodded her head in triumph.

Gene raised a single brow at her declaration. If Mai couldn’t distinguish between infatuation and real feelings, then he didn’t know how to help her. At least this meant things were going to get interesting.

If you say so, Mai.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Hey, Gene?

Yeah?

Crushes go away eventually, right?

Sometimes.

Well, I think mine can. I’ll make it go away. She nodded her head in triumph.

Gene raised a single brow at her declaration. If Mai couldn’t distinguish between infatuation and real feelings, then he didn’t know how to help her. At least this meant things were going to get interesting.

If you say so, Mai.

.

Despite what her friends liked to call it, her study session with Takata was surprisingly pleasant. First, it was her work family teasing about it, and then as soon as her school friends found out, they couldn’t stop talking about it either. Date this, date that.

It was exhausting.

No matter how many times she told them she wasn’t interested in any relationship, they kept rattling on about it.

Because of their incessant teasing, she met him with apprehension and pre-conceived judgment. All it took was a few minutes of chatting for her to realize that she was being a huge utter fool. He was just a friendly guy. He didn’t shower her with pick-up lines or flirting like she expected.

It just reminded her how ignorant she was about the world of dating—manga and otome games didn’t count.

“I heard this café has really cute latte art,” Takata said, looking at the menu after they set up their study materials. “Morimoto from class D got one of Doraemon and Shin-chan.”

Mai raised her brows. “In the same mug? With what space?”

“It was one of those extra-wide mugs. Here, he sent me a picture,” he said, pulling up the picture on his phone. She leaned forward before eventually taking his phone to zoom-in closer in awe. “Isn’t it cool? I can barely make one cup of coffee yet they can make this so quick.”

She nodded, handing him his phone back. “I never drink coffee, so I didn’t know this café was so known for their art.”

“What do you usually get?”

“Fruit or milk teas. I’ve never been a big fan of coffee, but I kind of want to order one just for the art.”

Takata looked thoughtful for a minute. “I was planning on ordering one anyway, so you can just choose the art on mine.”

Mai shook her head, waving her hands in the air. “N-no, it’s okay! I’m sure you have something else in mind.”

He scratched his cheek. “Actually, I have no clue. I just want latte art, so you’d be helping me out with an idea.”

Mai blinked, suddenly feeling bashful. “Oh, um, okay. Thanks.”

She ended up asking for a bunny latte art in tribute to Usa-sama while she ordered her own matcha milk tea. When the latte finally came, the two “ooh-ed” and “ah-ed” long enough for the drink to cool down.

When it came time to sip, they both made eye contact in anticipation, no one moving. It wasn’t until Takata started laughing that Mai relaxed and joined in out of the absurdity of the situation.

“I’ll be honest,” he started, “I don’t want to drink it. It’s too cute.”

Mai studied him for a moment, resting her cheek in her hand. Before she processed what she was thinking, she blurted out, “You’re a lot different than I thought you would be.”

His brows raised. “What makes you say that?”

Her cheeks grew hot when she realized how rude she must have sounded. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way! I just… I don’t know. A lot of guys at school can be a little arrogant or super boyish, but you’re not like that at all. You’re down to earth, kind of like my friend, John.”

He smiled, shrugging. “No offense taken. I have sisters so they’ve probably rubbed off on me,” he said. “Is this ‘John-san’ the foreigner with the Kansai accent?”

“Yup! He’s like an older brother I can confide in,” she said, smiling at the thought of John’s patience and kindness.

“You seem to really get along with your coworkers. Watching you with them at the park, I would never have thought you weren’t just a group of friends.”

She nodded, mixing her milk tea slowly with a soft expression. “Yeah… I suppose we do get along well,” she said, looking up to find him watching her with a faint smile on his face.

A light blush dusted his cheeks as he averted his gaze after being caught. “Anyway, we should get studying. I’m having a hard time with comma use,” he said quickly, looking down at his notebook.  

Mai absentmindedly nodded, her heart beating faster.

I think he was just watching me.

You think?

What do I do?!

You’ve never been on a date before, have you?

This isn’t a date!

And I’m alive. Just be yourself, Mai. Heck, if you really don’t want to think of it as a date, try studying like he said.

And study she did.

She couldn’t even accuse Takata of using studying as an excuse for a date; his English skills were actually atrocious. And Mai couldn’t even say she was that great at English either. She had merely busted her ass to get this far. She even spent hours on WeTube trying to improve her “l” pronunciation with merely passable results.

“Why do I feel like we’re taking completely different English classes?” Takata asked, comparing their notes. Her notes were far more detailed with paraphrasing and explanations—ignoring the doodles on the margins that looked oddly like her coworkers.

“I try to learn a little on my own too,” she said, shrugging.

“Do you do this for all your classes? I’m surprised you’re not at the top of the class.” He referred to the grade postings displayed on a bulletin board to encourage competition. While Mai wasn’t at the top, she also wasn’t at the bottom either. With all the ball busting she’d been doing, she managed to secure herself in the upper half.

“Not as much as English.”

“Why? Are you planning on becoming an interpreter or something?”

Mai played with the corner of a notebook page as she debated telling him. No one knew about her plans yet, not even Gene.

“I was thinking of studying abroad after high school. Maybe for a year or something, at least for my general classes,” she said, still fidgeting with the page.

“Wow, really? That’s so cool! Won’t it be expensive, though?”

“I talked to a few advisors and they said that if I can get this one scholarship, I could be fully sponsored. I would complete a year overseas and then return here to finish my degree!” she said, excited thinking about the idea. Then, her face dropped when she remembered the requirements. “But I have to take an extra entrance exam and score really high marks.”

Takata sent her a sympathetic look. “Good luck. You’ll need it with all that work, but I know you can do it,” he said, giving her thumbs up.

She grinned. “Thanks. What are your plans?”

“I don’t know… I could help my parents out with the shop, but they want me to go to college and work in a stuffy office,” Takata said, rolling his eyes as he watched people walk by the window. “First, I just gotta survive these exams. Between English and math, I’m gonna be destroyed.”

Mai could understand that sentiment. Mathematics was easily her weakest subject, hence why she relied so much on Yasu’s help. The guy was a genius with numbers!

She had tried to get Gene’s help but was reminded that she was technically at a higher grade than he was. So, it only hurt more when he managed to figure out the problems she struggled with simply by reading her notes.

Some people were just blessed with intelligence.

“I’m struggling with math too. My friend from another school has been helping me study. He’s a senior, so all of this is old news for him.”

“So lucky. All my friends suck just as bad, so they’re no help.”

Mai debated with herself for a moment before mentioning, “If you want, you could join us sometime.”

He perked up at the idea. “Sure! If your friend doesn’t mind.”

“I’ll ask him!”

.

Takata joined her and Yasu for a few study sessions before their exams started. Yasu helped them with math, Mai helped Takata with English, and Takata bought them drinks. Surprisingly, they all got along well. Yasu and Takata were in some of the same academic committees, and they were all fans of this one anime that was airing. They even agreed to meet up for the new movie coming out.

All three of them.

As a group.

As friends.

That seemed to tame her nosy posse, but her school friends would hear none of it.

“I still think it’s utterly cute,” Keiko said muffled, her ice cream spoon sticking out of her mouth. “He obviously has a crush on you and is trying to get to know you better, on your terms.”

Michiru nodded, taking a bite out of her ice cream crepe.

Mai rolled her eyes. As if she hadn’t run through this a million times with Gene. It was only the other night when Gene had to watch her pace back in forth in the astral office as she argued with herself about the whole ordeal. She liked Takata a lot but not in the way everyone teased. Maybe if she lived a carefree life like other high schoolers, she could consider a casual relationship, but right now just wasn’t the time. Between school, friends, work, and psychic trainings, her schedule was full.

“I like him, but you guys know I’m not looking for anything right now,” she said, absentmindedly digging her spoon into her ice cream repeatedly.

Her friends glanced down at the mutilation before looking at each other. “Is there something else going on?” asked Michiru.

Mai shook her head. “Not really. Just busy. No time for a boyfriend.”

“What about a summer fling? Wouldn’t that be fun?” Keiko looked up to the sky, daydreaming some kind of fantasy.

Michiru studied Mai for a bit longer, a quirk to her brow. “Or maybe… you have feelings for someone else?” she said, finishing her statement with a solitary bite of her crepe.

Mai used this time to eat a heaping spoon of ice cream, which quickly backfired with the huge brain freeze that followed.

Her friends didn’t care, of course. Keiko leaned forward in curiosity, her chin in hand. “Don’t tell me…?”

“Is it Yasuhara-kun? Or maybe that Australian guy? He’s pretty cute.” Michiru pried.

That jerked a reaction out of her but not the one they wanted. Mai nearly choked at the thought of John in that way. “Absolutely not!”

There was a moment of silence as they thought, munching away at their treats before Keiko turned to her abruptly, squinting her eyes in suspicion. “Bet it’s Shibuya-kun.”

As hard as she tried to not react, Keiko’s proximity and the intensity of her stare had Mai blushing. Digging her spoon in again, she took down another heap of ice cream.

“Aha!”

Michiru tilted her head in question. “I thought you didn’t like him like that?”

Yeah, I thought you didn’t like him like that? repeated her head gremlin sarcastically.

“I didn’t! Well, not at first.” Mai scraped at the bottom of her bowl before dropping the spoon in defeat. “Honestly, I don’t plan on pursuing it.”

Keiko slammed her hands on the table and stood up. “Why not?!”

“He has a ‘sort-of girlfriend.’ Plus, I don’t know if a relationship like that would even work out between us.” Mai paused for a minute before adding, “At least right now.” 

What she didn’t mention was the fact that the guy was currently on a mission to find his dead brother’s body. And said brother was also Mai’s friend whom she also wanted to help put to rest. 

Not the best circumstances for a relationship, especially considering that he was also her boss. And then there were her plans of studying abroad. It just wasn’t a good time.

Keiko looked like she wanted to say something but was warned by Michiru with a tug of her shirt. She relented, sitting back down. “Who’s the ‘sort-of girlfriend?’ Anyone we know?”

Mai almost snorted. “No one special, just Hara Masako.”

“What?! Really?!” Keiko nearly leapt across the table this time but had enough self-awareness to stop herself. “She’s your competition?! She has a fan club that’s made up of guys that aren’t even into ghosts!”

Michiru sent a scolding look before smiling reassuringly at Mai. “Celebrity or not, you have a bunch of qualities she doesn’t have. Ones, that Takata-kun and a bunch of other guys can obviously see.”

“Sure, sure,” Mai said, waving off Michiru’s need to reassure her. “Anyway, I heard Keiko has a crush on the new teacher…?”

“Shh! Don’t say that out loud!”

.

With exams done and over with, Yasu officially being accepted into university, and Mai starting her sophomore year, the SPR crew took off for their next case at the end of summer. The details were a bit elusive, something about the ex-prime minister’s wife’s great grandfather’s mansion or whatever. Reports stated that when a few college students had snuck in one night, one of them had mysteriously disappeared along with a fireman who had helped search for them.

Mai sighed as she ran through the files for a fourth time as she sat in silence between Lin and Naru in the van. Due to their higher quantity of equipment, she couldn’t enjoy the back seat like she usually did. For that reason, Yasu had to ride in Bou-san’s car with Ayako and John.

Some people were just lucky.

Meanwhile, Madoka sat out of this case despite it being her personal request. She mentioned having something else to take care of but would be open to researching. Mai found the story a bit odd for some reason but didn’t comment.

She was just grateful Masako wasn’t joining them for their ride. Mai probably would’ve been shoved to sit with the equipment while Masako sat comfortably in front with Naru and Lin.

On second thought, maybe that wouldn’t have been so bad.

Suddenly, the theme song of a toilet paper commercial cut through the silence indicating a video call from Yasu. Glancing between Naru and Lin, she shrugged and answered the call.

She didn’t expect to see Ayako’s face interrupting her serenity. “Mai! We have an emergency.”

That woke her up from her half-slump. She sat up straight, noticing Naru pause in the middle of his typing.

“What happened?”

“Yasuhara,” Ayako said, turning the camera to show said teen in the back. “Tell us again the name of the girl you’ve been talking to.”

Cue Naru resuming his typing.

Yasu shrugged, complying. “Chizu-chan.”

Mai narrowed her eyes. “What’s her given name?”

“Kasai.”

Bou-san could be heard in the background saying, “If you’re into crazy, you’ve hit the jackpot!”

“Why? You guys know her?”

Mai scoffed. “Know her? She tried to kill us with her psychopath teacher. Remember that case I told you about with the other high school?”

“That one?!”

She nodded in confirmation, wanting to giggle seeing his face blanch. The other side of the call erupted into chatter about the Yuasa case, and she couldn’t help but envy the liveliness. Naru didn’t say anything, but she could practically feel the irritation emanating from him, so she hung up soon after.

And so, she read through the case one more time before eventually nodding off.

The dream was brief but frightening all the same.

She was scared. Dread filling her body as she traveled from corner to corner of this messed up building. She’d been wandering for what felt like ages, utterly lost. She hoped they didn’t find her. She had to get out of this twisted place. When she caught glimpses of the white clothed figures, she knew she’d been found. She would rather die nine times over than be caught. So, she ran as fast as she could and—

Threw herself over the indoor balcony.

Mai jutted awake at the sound of a muffled scream accompanied by the splattering of viscous liquid hitting the floor, the faint scent of blood lingering in her nostrils. She went into a violent coughing fit as her throat filled with what she initially imagined was blood, heaving for breath.

“Here.”

She glanced to the side, surprised to find Naru standing outside the van with a canister cup of tea extended out to her.

When had they arrived?

She reached for the cup, quickly drinking to rid herself of the imaginary metallic taste. The lukewarm tea was successful in relaxing her, the tension gradually leaving her body.

“Thank you,” she said, handing him back the cup, only now realizing that it was the same one he’d been drinking from the whole ride.

Naru studied her carefully as he screwed the cup back on the canister. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, still struggling to swallow what felt like tar. Unsure if the dream was related to the case or not, she brushed it off, ignoring his inquisitive eye. Luckily, Bou-san chose this moment to approach them, preventing Naru from inquiring further.

The rest of the group gathered at the van before entering the building together. As soon as they stepped inside, goosebumps trailed up her spine as intense dread overwhelmed her senses.

Something’s not right about this place. I don’t think we should be here.

Naru, who walked beside her, leaned in closer. “Continue to pay close attention to your senses. It’s imperative you let me know what you feel,” he instructed quietly as Ohashi-san, the representative they would be working with, greeted them.

Yasu, the “president” of Shibuya Psychic Research, introduced himself. Everyone else introduced themselves as well with Naru going by “Narumi Kazuo,” because that was a thing now, apparently. Their ever-so-valiant boss was skeevy around the media, so he asked—told—Yasu to be his stand-in due to his impressive ability to bullshit. Even Madoka had to comment on Yasu’s acting skills.

“Lin, you say? Are you Chinese?” asked Ohashi.

“Yes, I’m originally from Hong Kong.”

Now, that surprised everyone. There was so little they knew about Lin—well, both Lin and Naru. It did explain where his name came from, and the little intricacies Mai noticed in his office. He preferred oolong and chrysanthemum teas, which she found interesting. He also always kept some kind of Chinese medicinal balm in his jacket, which she’d only noticed when it fell out one day.

“Please follow me,” said a prehistoric-looking maid, leading them to the meeting room where Masako and whoever else they called would be waiting.

Mai scanned the hallway as they walked, eying the odd architecture.

“I wonder if the builder was an artist?” asked Ayako, likely thinking the exact same thoughts as her.

“Like the Winchester mansion,” said Bou-san. “The wife of the owner of Winchester rifles created a mansion just like this to confuse the supposed spirits of the victims of her husband’s rifles.”

“That’s creepy.”

When they arrived through the room’s double-doors, the familiar sound of liquid spilling onto hard flooring made her freeze. She whipped her head around, noting that the hallways were carpeted.

“What’s up?” asked Bou-san.

“Nothing,” she said, glancing down the hall one more time before joining everyone else. “Thought I heard something.”

Mai continued looking around as the representative introduced the other specialists who were called there to investigate. Aside from Masako, there was an Igarashi-sensei from a local university with her assistant, Suzuki, some chief priest from a temple nearby, and then the members of Minami psychic research.

What caught her attention was the introduction of the observer accompanying the Minami group, the alleged Oliver Davis.

She swore she heard Gene scoff.

Her crew erupted into awe and quiet chatter as they admired the “original SPR” from afar, specifically Bou-san who stared like an idiot.

The more she observed this Oliver Davis character, the more things didn’t seem right to her, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. This man couldn’t be the real doctor—

He’s too old.

She wasn’t sure why she thought that, but she knew better than to ignore her gut. Oliver Davis isn’t Caucasian, is he? She asked herself, and maybe Gene.

I don’t know… what makes you say that?

Why did she say that? Nothing she’d read indicated anything about his appearance or race, yet she believed it wholeheartedly.

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice Naru regarding her with narrowed eyes.

.

Oliver unwound one of the bundles of cords, ignoring his team’s chatter as they brought in the equipment. All their conversation leading back to his imposter. It was yet another reminder how his reputation preceded him.

“Don’t you guys think he’s a bit old?” Mai asked, a hint of caution in her voice.

John put a finger to his chin in thought. “I suppose I did think he would be a little younger,” he said.

“I think it’s fitting for someone so accomplished. How much younger did you think he’d be, Mai?” Matsuzaki put a hand on her hip.

Really young, he heard her say telepathically. Maybe even a prodigy of some sort.

“I don’t know… maybe around Lin-san’s age?” she said offhandedly, pulling a monitor out of a box.

Oliver wondered why she felt the need to lie. Did she figure out his identity and was trying to get him to admit it? No, she lacked the ability to be discreet. Knowing her skillset, not to mention her very personal connection to him, it was likely either postcognition or her gut talking. Whether she would put the pieces together was entirely up to her. It was always a gamble with Mai. He could easily underestimate her as he could overestimate—he quit guessing a long time ago.

Right now, the biggest threats to his identity were her and Hara. Mai was less so due to her circle of influence being much smaller. If Hara decided to share his identity to the public, it would be detrimental to his plan of finding Gene and would reveal what had transpired. His parents would be devastated to hear about Gene’s death being leaked over social media. He was certain that she didn’t know about Gene’s death, or Gene at all for that matter. While Gene was a perfect medium with an excellent resume, he didn’t have the research or other publications to make him as well-known as Oliver. One would have to know about him already to search for him.

“Say Mai, are your parents okay with you going on cases for this long?” Yasuhara asked, breaking Oliver out of his thoughts. “It took some convincing for mine to agree.”

Without a falter in her step, she shook her head. “Nope, not a problem at all. My parents passed away years ago, so I make my own calls.”

Yasuhara and Bou-san paused in their work while Matsuzaki and John shared a look.

Oliver and Lin continued their work quietly, not reacting nor indicating that they were listening. Although, Lin did opt to stop typing in favor of mouse-work.

“You’re an orphan, Jou-chan?” asked Bou-san, his face dropping slightly from the news. Oliver was surprised Matsuzaki hadn’t announced it to the world when she found out.

Apparently, Mai had the same thought. “Oh, Ayako didn’t tell you?”

Bou-san eyed Matsuzaki accusingly. “You knew?”

Matsuzaki shrugged, replying, “Wasn’t for me to tell.”

“It’s really not a big deal, so I only told people when it came up. Ayako helped me out after the accident, so she ended up finding out at the hospital.” Mai continued to work as if nothing was amiss, checking equipment off on her clipboard.

“How long have you been on your own?” asked Yasuhara.

“My mom passed away my first year of middle school, but a teacher was kind enough to let me stay with her until I got into low-income housing for special cases like mine. I have my own apartment now though, and I feel like I’m making a place for myself!” She grinned, her face beaming with pride. “Plus, my school’s really generous to students in need, so if I need a day off, I just tell them I have work!”

“Says a lot about your math skills,” Yasuhara joked in good-nature.

Bou-san suddenly enveloped her in a big hug. “Whenever life gets you down, know that Bou-san’s only a call away.”

Oliver exhaled through his nose, a faint aching in his chest as he thought of her situation. Her skirting around the answer didn’t go unnoticed by him. He knew she just didn’t want to make them worry. Her record from the school indicated that she’d been alone for the last four years. She had worked at only one other place, a tea shop, but had to leave due to the shop closing. Since then, she’d been living off her parents’ remaining funds.

Then, a knock was heard from the door and Ohashi entered, silencing the group as Yasuhara greeted him. As discussed, he instructed Oliver, “Narumi,” to direct the questions regarding the mansion’s history. It was revealed that in addition to the information they had received, there were other disappearances as well.

After attributing the college student’s disappearance to the deterioration of the building, they underwent major renovations. During these renovations, a few of the builders had also disappeared. The staff had also reported seeing full body apparitions in the mansion, leading to rumors among the workers as well as in the community. Due to the unrest and suspicion, the prime minister’s family reached out to various mediums to resolve the concerns before any other incidents happened.

Looking through the history of the building, the original owner continually renovated the mansion. New additions were being added every year to the point that there were barely any remains of the original structure.

“Miyama Kaneyuki-sama owned a huge plot of land in the Suwa region where he built a silk-spinning factory. He eventually devoted himself to philanthropy, becoming well-known for his charity hospitals and orphanages.”

“I see. Are there any blueprints of the building?”

Ohashi shook his head.

“Thank you for your time.”

With that, the group was left to their own devices. He stood up and leaned against one of the tables, bringing his pen to his mouth in thought.

“We will need to develop a general floor plan, Lin. For now, we should get temperatures and have everyone map the rooms they visit. Travel in pairs or groups of three or more.”

“Isn’t that being a little over cautious?” Bou-san asked, slumping on the couch.

Oliver shot him a look. “Those are the words of someone looking for an excuse to be lazy.”

Bou-san frowned at the jab before his face morphed into a smirk. “Now, isn’t that a change of attitude from our lowly investigator ‘Narumi-kun?’”

Ayako caught on and played along. “You’re right! I didn’t know Narumi-kun had such authoritative skills. I thought those qualities were meant for our president,” she said with an ugly smug grin.

“He’s usually timid with us. I never would’ve expected this out of him!” Bou-san cackled.

They’re poking the tiger… he heard Mai mumble to herself as she watched, pretending to check her cuticles like she always did in times like these.

Oliver assumed his best fake Gene-smile, dazzling everyone in the room. “I suppose I could concede to my elders,” he started, the first part meant to jab at Matsuzaki. “Of course, if either of you would like to take over, by all means. Matsuzaki-sama? Takigawa-senpai?”

Bou-san and Matsuzaki immediately froze and shivered, grimacing at his sweet tone.

“So, who would like to take charge?”

“We’re sorry…,” they said in unison.

.

Yasu stood at the door with his arms on his hips, taking in the expanse of the space as Mai began taking temperatures. “A room inside a room. Weird.”

“Like a dungeon in an RPG,” Bou-san said.

“You think there’s anything in there?” Mai asked, eying the structure. It was only slightly bigger than a phone booth and stood smack dab in the middle of the much larger room.

Yasu approached it and opened the door cautiously to reveal… absolutely nothing. “Well, that’s boring. In dungeons, there’s usually a chest with treasure. Or an enemy waiting to surprise attack you.”

The sound of nearby chatter and footsteps approaching from the hallway had the three snapping their heads toward the source.

Minami and his colleagues from Minami Psychic Research entered the room. Oh, minus Dr. Davis, much to the disappointment of Bou-san.

“Oh, wow, you guys are here too! This will be such a great learning experience for you,” Minami said, whipping out his traditional thermometer. He winked at Mai. “Feel free to use any of the techniques you see. They were all passed down by the doctor.” He proceeded to spin the thermometer like a magic wand, which had Mai questioning everything about this man.

You can’t tell me this guy is a real researcher. He’s a dumbass!

Pfft.

“President, I sense something outside this room,” said one of his posse.

“Ah, my staff are so talented!” Minami laughed gleefully before turning towards Yasu, who was looking anywhere but at him. “Let me know if you’d like some connections to professional mediums, young man. It really inspires me to see aspiring youngster like you bunch! I hope you can learn a lot from us.”

Yasu suddenly looked over, as if seeing him for the first time. “Oh, I’m sorry. Were you talking to me? In my old age, I’m having trouble with my hearing,” he apologized. “Care to run that by me again, whipper snapper?”

Minami seemed taken aback by that response, instead standing up straighter and adjusting the collar of his shirt. “I don’t find that very funny.”

“Well, I do! Considering that’s the exact same disrespect you just showed us! Youngsters, these days. Letting their egos get the better of them. I’m sure your ancestors are turning in their graves as we speak,” Yasu said, laughing good-naturedly.  

He didn’t even get through the rest of his comments before Minami escorted himself out in a huff, leaving the trio to erupt into laughter.

“How can you bullshit like that with a straight face, Shounen? Impressive work.” Bou-san wiped a tear from his eye.

“Oh, it’s easy. Especially when it’s some quack like our friend, Minami.”

Mai let out a “pfft” before laughing again. “Naru knew what he was doing when he hired you.”

The trio finished up their mapping before returning to the base where the team collected their findings. From their measurements, it seemed some of the rooms should’ve been squares measured from the outside, but from the inside they were rectangles. That left areas of inaccessible space.

“Oh, and then there’s that Minami group,” Mai said, complaining. “The guy whipped out his thermometer and didn’t even record anything! All he did was be condescending until Yasu ripped him a new one, and then left.”

“Yeah. His conduct and methods aren’t exactly in line with Dr. Davis’s teachings,” Bou-san agreed, crossing his arms and leaning against the table. “The doctor emphasizes researching the supernatural in a way that can allow it to be considered scientifically. Meanwhile, Minami pranced in there like the fairy godmother from Cinderella.”

“Are you talking about the stuff from that book the doctor wrote? The systems of something or other?” Mai tilted her head, not quite remembering the full title. For whatever reason, Gene started cackling at this.

In her confusion, she failed to notice the prominent twitching of Naru’s brow at her botched memory of the title.

“’The System of Unexplained Phenomena,’ you mean?” corrected Yasu.

“Yeah, that one.”

“From what you say, this Minami guy doesn’t sound trustworthy. Plus, don’t you find it odd that the entire time, Dr. Davis didn’t utter a single word?” mentioned Ayako.

John nodded. “That is quite odd.”

“Could it be that he’s not used to speaking to younger people?”

John shook his head. “That shouldn’t deter him. After all, he earned a very specialized doctorate from Cambridge University, which was curated just for him as their best researcher. He was even given a lecturer’s position, so he should be accustomed to speaking in front of people of all ages.”

Wow… I hadn’t known he was so impressive. Mai knew of his accomplishments secondhand but never realized the extent of his prowess. For him to be as young as she suspected, he must’ve been a real prodigy with an analytical eye for fieldwork and leadership.

Someone like… Naru.

A memory of Madoka mentioning that Naru had skipped a few grades played in her head. If by few, she had meant the entirety of pre and post-graduate studies, then yeah, he skipped a few grades.

She sat down on the couch as she started to feel lightheaded, leaning back to close her eyes. Everything around her tuned out as she firmly setup her mental walls, her head spinning. Yet again, she asked herself the question that always lingered in the back of her head.

Did she know Naru at all? This person whom she claimed to have feelings for?

She knew he was a foreigner, that he had experience with the paranormal that far exceeded what a teenager should know, that his parents were professors, that he had a twin brother, what his favorite foods were, and his mannerisms.

But not his real name.

After everyone agreed to rest for the night, she quickly retreated to her room with the other girls and pretended to go straight to sleep. Once everyone else was settled, she pulled out her phone to pursue her own research. If Oliver Davis was good at researching psychic phenomena, then she was good at snooping.

Even if she didn’t know Naru’s real name, she had another name she could use to confirm her suspicions.

Just when she thought she had a lead, she was smacked in the face with thousands of people with the same name. Apparently, that was a common thing in the west.

After sifting through, she finally found what she needed after narrowing her search several times. It was in a research database where she found a study on perfect mediums from three years ago. Oliver Davis was cited as one of the researchers, and listed in the study subjects was—

Eugene Davis.  

Chapter Text

Previously…

Even if she didn't know Naru's real name, she had another name she could use to confirm her suspicions.

Just when she thought she had a lead, she was smacked in the face with thousands of people with the same name. Apparently, that was a common thing in the west.

After sifting through, she finally found what she needed after narrowing her search several times. It was in a research database where she found a study on perfect mediums from three years ago. Oliver Davis was cited as one of the researchers, and listed in the study subjects was—

Eugene Davis.

.

Mai felt her heart thump as Gene's full name stared back at her. When she started this search, she was doubtful that she would find the existence of a "Eugene Davis." Yet, here it was, nearly confirming her suspicion.

If Naru's lessons taught her anything, it was that she couldn't conclude anything yet—more info was still needed before she could draw any conclusions. Pulling up a new tab, she searched for "BSPR." From there, she narrowed her search until she found a page listing the members.

Her eyes widened as she scanned the page. Under founders was a "Martin Davis," who conveniently shared a given name with Naru and Gene's father. Even further under their services was an investigator named "Madoka Mori."

Interesting.

Her head spun as she tried to compute all the info that she had found. Maybe Naru and Gene were right when they said thinking too much would make her head implode.

As if they weren't the reasons for it!

Assuming Oliver Davis wasn't Naru, it was awfully coincidental that he knew a Eugene Davis, who was a medium just like Gene. It was also be very coincidental that "Martin Davis" shared the same name as Naru's father. The icing on the cake was how coincidental it was for Oliver Davis to work with a Madoka Mori just like her Naru did.

Very, very coincidental.

And say that Martin Davis was Naru's father, and Eugene Davis was Naru's brother, it only made sense that…

Naru was the real Oliver Davis.

.

She didn't know what came over her, but she needed a place to sort out her thoughts. Was this a creepy ass mansion with spirits in it of dubious intent? Yes. Was that going to stop her from walking around by herself? Nope. Not when she had a lot on her mind.

Intentionally pulling up her spiritual walls to prevent her spirit guides from intruding on her thoughts, she scurried to another room not far from base or her bedroom. She had some sense to find a room with a camera and mic. After all, they were her insurance during stunts like this.

Turning on the lights in the drawing room, Mai leaned against the door and rested her head back.

It was official. Naru was Oliver Davis.

The Oliver Davis.

The one who assisted with crime investigations at age 11, who could lift and throw a 200-lb aluminum ball using only PK, who published what could be considered the paranormal researcher's "bible," who earned himself an honorary doctorate and lecturer's position at a prestigious university, and who was now a business owner by age 17.

But that wasn't the Oliver Davis she knew.

The Oliver she knew secretly only ate apples when she cut them like bunnies, liked his tea steeped for an extra two minutes, who particularly hated Shin-chan memes, who traveled into the snowy mountains in the middle of the night to save her life, whose soul was bonded to hers and could now hear her thoughts, who she had relived the childhood of, who had always been so surprisingly kind, and who she knew so personally yet didn't know at all.

She sighed, closing her eyes.

Whenever it felt like she was a step closer to him, there was always something that set her two steps back.

Perhaps, that was how it was supposed to be. After all, she was just Taniyama Mai—a random girl he hired while in Japan trying to find his dead twin. Compared to his accomplishments, she was just a fledgling whether it was in smarts, looks, or psychic prowess.

They lived in different worlds.

He was from the UK, had a supportive family, and was well off enough to be able to support his pursuits.

Her? She lived a Japanese lifestyle with only herself to rely on, and had been pinching pennies up until he hired her.

Was she being ridiculous comparing apples to apples? Probably, but was she wrong? No. Regardless, he was still her friend, even if it felt like another wall had come between them—or, rather, that she finally noticed the wall that had been there all along.

But why was she so fixated on it now, when she had already known Naru had been hiding his name? Well, if his name was Oliver Smith, she definitely wouldn't have cared as much.

The weight of his true name and the accomplishments behind it were the deciding factors.

The feelings she had couldn't even be considered anger. Rather, it was something closer to betrayal… that neither him nor Gene trusted her enough with the information. Sure, they had their reasons, but if they were friends like she had thought, then couldn't they have confided in her? Okay, sometimes she had trouble being discreet, but this would have been a secret she would've brought to her grave.

And was this the secret Masako had been in on the whole time while everyone else was left in the dark? For some reason, that bothered her more, but she wasn't about to admit it. Not even to herself.

Suddenly, a knock on the door against her back surprised her. She jumped off and turned around, expecting it to open, revealing whoever it was.

Nothing.

Then, another knock came. A bad feeling crept up in her gut. If internet ghost stories taught her anything, if something knocked on the door at night and you weren't sure who or what it was, don't open the door.

"Who is it?" she squeezed out.

"It's me," said Naru- no, Oliver's voice.

Not exactly the person she wanted to see right now, but it was better than being with a ghost. Sighing, she opened the door—

To find no one.

Her stomach sank and she quickly stepped back. Then, the abrupt sound of dripping liquid from down the hallway ran her instincts into high gear. The sound grew increasingly louder like it was getting closer. Her breath quickened as she ran through her options.

Stay here and get cornered by whatever it was.

Or, risk running down the hallway toward base.

Fighting was not on her agenda that night and she wasn't about to encounter something one-on-one while cornered in this room. Steeling herself, she left the room as casually as she could to pretend that she wasn't scared. But as the sounds became louder, the drips changing to splats, she hastened into a speed walk.

Clutching her mirror for dear life, she mouthed Usa-sama's prayer over and over until something blew against the back of her head. Whipping around in alarm, she stared with wide eyes down the hallway. Goosebumps trailed up her arms as she gulped, realizing the splats had stopped. A subtle breeze brought the scent of blood to her nose. If that wasn't alarming enough, what was once as a lit-up area, was now shrouded in darkness. The shadows almost appearing to inch toward her.

"I.. don't… want… to die…"

Mai's breath hitched; a scream trapped in her throat.

Despite her myriad of past experiences, something in this mansion petrified her—like it knew she was aware of its presence.

Shaking, she took a few unsteady steps backward, not ready to turn her back to it just yet. Two grayish-white apparitions began to form at the other end of the hall, like clouds of mist. They approached slowly, forming into human-like structures with arms and legs.

And that was her cue to book it.

She ran as fast as her feet could take her toward base, glancing back to track the figures as they moved at an inhuman speed toward her. The closer they got, the more their forms sharpened. The white turned out to be what looked like surgeon jackets. What surgery they were doing, she was not keen on finding out.

Just as she attempted to run faster, something tugged on her hair multiple times. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to be yanked back and dragged into the darkness.

Instead, she collided with something corporeal.

"Eep!" Her face meeting with someone's chest. Someone who smelled of tea, peppermint, and cologne.

"What are you doing?" The real Naru asked.

At a loss for words, all she could do was look back down hallway, expecting to see the two apparitions that were at her tail.

They were gone.

The swell of emotions from earlier coupled by the chase had her legs nearly giving out. She stumbled into Naru who held her steady. Her arms shook as she recalled the dream from the van. Her pursuers must have been the same white figures the spirit had been chased by. What would have happened if they caught her? The spirit in the dream had been so frightened that she had rather jumped off the balcony than be caught.

"Mai, what happened?"

Mai inched her head up to look at him in shock. Her eyes met his as tears, that she didn't even know were there, made their escape.

She opened her mouth but didn't know where to start. Or rather, how to start. Between her discovery of his identity and the scariest ghost chase she'd ever experienced, she was mentally drained.

Instead of words, all her body would allow her was a choked sob.

Latching onto his dress shirt for dear life, she hid her face in his chest as she cried. He went rigid, freezing up at her sudden contact. She was grateful he didn't push her away, letting her have her moment. He owed her at least this much.

Eventually, he relaxed, the tension releasing from his body. What surprised her was the gentle—albeit reluctant—hand that slid on to the small of her back.

After a few minutes, her crying died down to a sniffle, but she couldn't dare pull herself away lest she face the embarrassment of the situation. His shirt no doubt had a giant wet mark from her tears and snot. She allowed herself a few more moments to sniffle into his chest, relishing in the moment selfishly.

"Sorry…" she mumbled.

She heard him sigh. "Do you feel better now?" he asked, the vibration of his voice against her ear.

She nodded, sniffling again. "Naru?"

"What?"

She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me you were Oliver Davis?"

.

Oliver's eyes widened. She had figured it out after all.

Sliding both his hands onto her arms, he gently pulled her away. Her eyes were still glassy as they blinked up at him, her cheeks pink. He almost found it hard to look at her but quickly shook away the feeling. While this wasn't his first time dealing with a crying female, it was his first time dealing with Mai crying.

"We should talk elsewhere," he said, taking her wrist and leading her to a room adjacent to the base. Once the door was closed, he turned to her. "Why would you think I'm Oliver Davis?"

She blinked in confusion for a moment, not expecting him to question her. Her eyes hardened.

"Doesn't it seem odd a teenager is running a ghost hunting business with professional equipment and a background in research?" she challenged, sniffling.

"I could merely be an enthusiast with a high enough IQ and good sponsors. Or a genius."

They knew both parts were correct.

She continued to stand her ground, only breaking her façade for another sniffle. "Not to mention that you're a foreigner. I can tell from your memories that you obviously don't live here. You also write all your notes in English."

So, she noticed that too.

Sniffle.

Oliver sighed, reaching into his pocket for his handkerchief before dropping it on her head.

He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms as she fumbled with it.

After drying her face, she joined him against the wall, mumbling a quiet "thank you" before continuing with her argument.

"I found out Gene's full given name a while ago, but I wanted to confirm if a 'Eugene Davis' existed. Good thing you were so active in the research world because I found one of your studies."

"Eugene Davis is a common name."

"Is it also common for perfect mediums to be named 'Eugene Davis?' Or related to Oliver and Martin Davis of BSPR?" Mai stared him down, unrelenting. "Also, bit of a coincidence that Madoka-san works for BSPR too?"

Oliver knew when he had lost, though it wasn't often.

He was genuinely impressed that she figured out as much as she did. Although, it wasn't hard to complete research using a search engine. The key was knowing what details to look for. It seemed that she used a mixture of both inductive and deductive research. While it wasn't professional by any stretch of the imagination, he acknowledged her growth.

"Are you angry?" he asked, not exactly sure why he was asking. Whether she was mad or not didn't matter.

…Right?

Mai looked away in favor of playing with the edge of her shirt—a habit she did when nervous, uncertain, or bashful.

She shook her head, lowering her voice. "Yes, and no," she started, tucking her stray hairs behind her usual ear. "I just- I know you had your reasons to disguise yourself so I get why you lied. But… I still feel hurt. I thought you and Gene would have trusted me enough to tell me."

Oliver kept his gaze across the room. He would be lying if he said he wasn't taken-aback by her words. If she wasn't mad about him lying, then why did she care about it so much?

He answered in the only way he could. "The easiest and most efficient way to keep it a secret was to cover our tracks to prevent anyone from finding out."

"Like with Masako?" she mumbled, barely audible. "You could trust her to keep your secret?"

He exhaled, feeling his patience now stretching. "Hara-san and I have a particular situation, but I don't feel the need to explain it."

Mai huffed. "That's just it. You don't really understand why I'm upset, do you?"

He didn't know the best way to respond, so he opted to not say anything at all. She didn't need his input to share her thoughts.

"I thought we were friends. Or, well, at least I consider you my friend," she began, actively controlling her breathing. "Friends listen and confide in each other. They share their worries and burdens. I'm not saying you have to tell me your whole life story, but I wished you trusted me more to share your worries."

Oliver glanced at her, meeting her eyes. While his face remained mostly unchanged, it felt like his voice was stuck in his throat for the first time in his life. Why was he so shocked to hear her say that?

Probably because that was the first time anyone had ever declared him their friend.

According to Gene, Oliver technically considered her a friend too, however loose that label was.

Building relationships had never been easy for him since childhood. He much preferred to read and learn rather than to interact with others, especially when he saw no benefit. In simpler terms, he didn't know how to be a friend. No one had ever demanded that of him before.

"I've never had anyone expect this of me."

"…You've never had a friend before?" she asked slowly, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

"No. Most people aren't worth my time and irritate me."

She stared at him blankly before feeling the corner of her mouth twitch. "Of course, you would say that. Why should I expect any less?" She rocked onto the heels of her feet. "But I suppose you sharing that with me is one step forward."

"I don't understand what you gain from being friends with me? I can't offer the comfort or advice that you need."

She shrugged. "That doesn't matter to me. You're you, Naru. You show kindness in other ways. Plus, we've spent enough time together that it'd be hard not to be friends. I'm pretty sure the others consider you a friend too, y'know."

Well, that was news to him.

He didn't know what he did to garner this. In all fairness, the irregulars weren't quite pumpkins anymore either, except maybe Matsuzaki depending on the situation.

Before he could say anything, Mai interrupted, "Don't think about it too much or you'll give yourself a headache, you idiot scientist," she joked, a small smile adorning her face.

She stepped forward, turning around to face him head on. "With that said, I think I understand things a little better. Just know that you can rely on me," she said, nodding her head slightly with determination on her face. "No matter how we look at it, I'm in too deep already."

Her last statement wasn't exactly incorrect.

He watched her for a few moments longer, causing her face to get pinker as she looked around the room awkwardly.

Finally, she cleared her throat before heading for the door. "I guess we should head to bed. I'm beat."

Without thinking, he said, "I'll walk you."

She glanced back at him in surprise.

He cleared his throat, averting his gaze. "I did say that we should travel in pairs or more. Which you obviously forgot, considering your escapade just now."

"What about you? You have to walk back to base."

He held up the pen she gifted him. "I have this."

Her eyes widened in recognition. He wasn't sure why she was so surprised to see it, but he didn't have any more energy that night to figure out anything more about Taniyama Mai.

She sent him a look he couldn't quite decipher before quickly turning around, almost as if to hide her face.

"Okay, let's go."

.

When Mai woke up at her desk in the astral office later that night, she expected to see Gene and Usa-sama on the couch like they usually were, yet the two were nowhere to be found. She had a lot of questions to ask and it was awfully convenient that Gene chose now to go missing.

"Eugene Davis!"

…Silence…

She slowly surveyed the area, her footsteps being the only noise to disturb the quiet. How ironic that it was she who was now on the other side of the predator-prey equation.

Suddenly, the sound of something tearing and then munching alerted her to Naru's office, specifically, his closet.

She heard frustrated whispering, something on the lines of, "You choose now to chew cardboard?"

She marched right up and swung the closet door open. "Aha!" Inside was Gene cramped in the corner with Usa-sama next to him chewing a random sliver of cardboard he ripped from a nearby box. The deity looked wholly unapologetic about it too.

Mai crossed her arms, a single brow raised. She moved to the side and gestured for him to come out, which he did with a slump to his form and a reluctant rabbit deity in his arms.

He plopped into Naru's office chair. "Before you say anything," he started. "I just want to say that I saw that entire hug montage!" He pointed a finger at her with a catty grin.

She slapped his finger away with a blushing glare. "I thought I shut you out?!"

"Out of your thoughts you did! I got worried so I checked up on you as a ghost," he said, laughing evilly.

"That takes a lot of energy for you. Were you actually worried, or just being nosy?"

Gene's face suddenly turned serious. "This place is dangerous. I had a hard time finding you here—it's like a maze for spirits. And there's so many of them here."

"Like the Winchester mansion," Mai noted, bringing a hand to her chin.

"I honestly think you guys should just drop this case and get the hell out. There's something really nasty here. Usa-sama and I have been having a hard time trying to get to the root of this place, but whatever it is, it's pure evil."

"We can't just leave. This was Madoka-san's request."

Gene shook his head with an eye roll. "She was just being nosy about the imposter Oliver Davis but didn't want to come here herself since she's publicly known for working with Noll."

She thought about how Gene's pronunciation of Naru's nickname sounded a bit different but didn't question it. "So, it made more sense to send the real thing?"

He grinned. "Makes things more interesting, no?"

Mai rolled her eyes. "Figures."

Realizing Gene was distracting her from her true objective, she mustered up the sternest look she could. "Anyway, if you saw us in the hallway earlier, did you hear our conversation after?"

"Nope. Even I know when to butt out. Did things get saucy?"

She really wanted to kick him.

"Gene."

He smiled apologetically.

"My conversation with Naru went much better than this is right now." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, sorry."

"Anyways, I was upset because I thought we were friends enough, at least for you, to confide in me about your identities. I could have helped cover things up or something."

Gene scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I get that. I don't really have any good excuses. I wanted to respect Noll's choice to hide his identity. Trust me, there were plenty of times I wanted to blurt it all out just to be done with it."

She mentally sighed. Why was it so hard to be angry at these twins?

"If it counts for anything, friendship is something Noll is still learning," he said, a gentle smile on his face. "So, hope you weren't too hard on him."

She blew into her bangs. "I wasn't," she said, tracing her fingers along the desk. "Honestly, it felt like we sorta took a step forward—together this time, like he actually heard me."

"That's great." He grinned, offering her a thumbs up.

Mai nodded before bashfully tracing her finger on the top of Naru's desk. "So, on that note… I hope you'll also feel comfortable confiding in me. It's no fun complaining one-sidedly all the time," she said, smiling.

His eyes softened. "Will do."

Mai nodded her head in triumph. "Good!" She then gave Usa-sama a few pets, saying, "And I can't forget the divine protection of the great Usa-sama. Thanks for keeping me safe."

In turn, the deity gave her a nod and a few licks to her hand.

"Anyways, I should get some real sleep now."

Before she could pull herself out, Gene stopped her. "Be extra careful. There's something else at play that I'd rather not discover. Remember, Usa-sama can only protect you so much. You have to play your part in keeping yourself out of trouble."

"I'll try my best!"

The rabbit in question looked as skeptical as a rabbit deity could but humored her anyway.

Mai left her astral space soon after, falling into a deep sleep.

During a period of light sleep, she awoke to the sound of water dripping in the bathroom. She tried ignoring it but it got annoying quickly when it was the only noise to disrupt the quiet.

Sighing, she got out of bed, grumbling something about Ayako not turning off the faucet all the way. Used to walking around her apartment in the dark, she casually strolled in and tightened the nozzles at the sink. And yet, the dripping continued. This time, sounding like dripping into a pool of water.

She slowly turned to the bathtub, getting a bad feeling. She had no reason to believe anything was behind the curtain, but the amount of horror movies she'd watched taught her otherwise. Cautiously, she inched over before taking one large inhale and yanking the curtain open.

Floating in the bathtub was an emaciated old man as he floated atop a pool of blood, only the whites of his eyes visible. Before she could react, his eyes rolled back, making direct eye contact with her.

And then she shot herself up in bed, hyperventilating as she looked around the room. Sunlight filtered through, illuminating areas that the black out curtains couldn't cover.

"It was just a… dream," she said, trying to convince herself.

She couldn't be any more thankful that it was the morning. She'd had enough excitement.

.

The rest of the day came without any other disturbances, thankfully. It consisted of helping Lin with mapping, taking temperatures, setting up more equipment, and completing walkthroughs.

When Mai arrived at the base midday, she was surprised—yet not—to find Masako had already prepared tea for Naru. She even embellished the cup with questionably cut fruits. Mai couldn't help but giggle at the thought that Masako had never cut fruit before, likely having a maid or her mother do it.

It was kind of cute.

Since Mai wasn't in the mood for Earl Grey, she dragged Ayako with her to make green tea. They had free reign of this wing's kitchen, so they also prepared some snacks. Ayako was the queen of fancy snacks, having brought some European chocolates and different colored rice crackers. A weird combo, but for coworkers who always acted like they were starving, it did the job.

After watching Bou-san and Yasu destroy the snack plates, Ayako suggested that Mai learn how to make paper talismans as a layer to her defenses. It was a good idea since Mai's usual methods required mental concentration, which she couldn't always muster up when she was scared out of her wits.

While her brush calligraphy could use some work—okay, a lot work—the premise was like how she made the Christmas charms. She imbued her will and intention into the talismans, praying to her deity of choice. Ayako prayed to the tree spirits and Shinto gods of nature, and Mai naturally prayed to her guardian deity.

As part of the lesson, Ayako had her create a hundred talismans, which the two would split half and half.

"Are you sure you want to use the ones I made?" Mai asked as she handed Ayako fifty talismans. "You don't get a warranty with free stuff, just saying."

Ayako flicked her in the forehead.

"Ow!"

"Do you trust this Usa-sama of yours?"

"Of course."

"Then it's fine." Ayako gave her a confident smile, inspecting the brush work on each one. "I trust you and your deity as well."

Mai tilted her head in question. "So, as long as someone believes in Usa-sama, they can use these?"

"No, only priestesses can."

"Then, how come I can use them?"

Ayako casually checked out her nails, saying offhandedly, "Technically, you're some sort of priestess."

"I'm a what now?!"

Just in time for her outburst, the base door opened as the other members flooded in.

"What's going on now?" asked Bou-san, his brow quirked in curiosity. He, John, and Masako joined them at their corner of the table as the other members moved around them. Yasu followed Naru around with a tablet in hand while Lin checked the cameras.

"Ayako thinks I'm some kind priestess! There's no way!" Mai shook her head in denial. She was nothing like what she envisioned a priestess to be like. Hiroko, the guardian of Usa-sama's shrine, came to mind.

Bou-san assumed a thinking pose as he leaned onto the edge of the table. "I can see it. Obviously, you're not an officially trained one, but in some ways you are. You communicate with a deity regularly, protect his vessel, and utilize his power for protection," he said, shrugging. "You've also kind of helped with broadening his reach." He lifted the charm she gave him for Christmas.

John nodded. "Not to mention that your method of defense is through prayer."

"I guess…" she said, still unconvinced. "When I think of a priestess, though, I think of someone more soft and reserved."

Bou-san scoffed, jutting a thumb in Ayako's direction. "Does this one look anything like 'soft and reserved' to you? I don't think so. You're fine, Jou-chan!"

Ayako snapped her head in his direction and glared. "Who are you referring to as 'this?'"

While the two squabbled, Masako said with a smirk, "I can't imagine you as a priestess either. You're not nearly graceful enough and much too boorish."

Mai blinked in disbelief at the straight disrespect, watching as Masako gave her a smug look. "You want to see boorish? I'll show you boorish!" Picking up her dirty calligraphy brush, she went in for the kill, ignoring John's futile attempts to calm everyone down.

Before she could draw on Masako's face, who was trying to shield herself, Naru cleared this throat. Her hand froze mid-air while Ayako and Bou-san stopped mid-argument.

"This is not a daycare. If you're not here to work, then you can escort yourselves home," he said, his face wholly unamused.

That quickly quelled the turbulence and everyone returned to work without as much as another peep.

It wasn't until after dinner that Igarashi-sensei invited everyone to attend a séance. Naturally, Yasu took Naru's spot.

While he appeared calm and collected like this was a normal occurrence for him, Mai knew better. According to the mess of jumbled screaming texts she got, she figured he was freaking out inside. She couldn't tell if it was from excitement or fear, though.

"Look, it's Dr. Davis," Ayako whispered to John and Bou-san behind her. "Dr. Davis" was already seated at the table.

Mai turned around to poke Bou-san in the stomach. "Don't gawk."

Because he's not the real Davis.

"Could someone lower the lights?" Igarashi-sensei asked to whomever was able.

"Oh, if the lights are too low, we won't be able to capture as much," said Minami, holding up his phone.

He's gonna take a video with his phone? They might have good cameras nowadays but come on.

Rightfully so, Igarashi-sensei was not impressed. "Are you filming with your smartphone? I thought when you said you were recording footage, it would be with a night vision camera. There will only be a single candle lit during the séance."

Minami looked genuinely surprised, muttering a single, "Oh."

Naru wasted no time, sharing a look with Yasu. "Shall I retrieve one of ours, Boss?"

"Please. Thank you, Narumi-kun."

Mai fought the urge to giggle at the interaction.

After everything was finally set up, Yasu sat down with the other relevant folk at the round table. They all held hands in a circle, only broken by Suzuki, Igarashi-sensei's assistant, who had a hand free in order to write the spirits' messages.

"We reach out to the spirits of this mansion. If you would like to speak with us, please use this woman to express your will."

After a few minutes and nothing happened, Igarashi-sensei repeated it again twice.

This time, a breeze swept over the room and the candle in the middle nearly blew out before reigniting unnaturally. Masako's body language shifted before a series of loud banging on the walls and ceiling alarmed everyone. Immediately following, Suzuki flew into rapid writing. She wrote two pages per second, flinging the finished sheets onto the floor.

Everyone watched in fearsome awe as she worked at an inhuman speed, quickly running through the pile of papers.

The banging intensified, now sounding suspiciously close to those standing around the perimeter of the room. Minami freaked out and stood up, knocking his chair back in the process.

"Minami-san, you must calm down!" Igarashi-sensei instructed to no avail.

Meanwhile, Mai's stomach dropped as she felt an unfamiliar presence accompanied by the faint scent of blood. Whatever this thing was, it was no ordinary spirit.

"Something's here!" she called out to alert everyone.

Another set of bangs from the ceiling causing the chandelier to swing vigorously, setting the fear of it falling on those below it.

"Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!" Bou-san announced firmly, adopting the seal of the Immovable One. The turbulence stopped and everything went silent once again. Someone quickly turned on the lights, revealing the mess of papers scattered on the floor.

"Help" was written on nearly every single sheet until Bou-san found an outlier. The sheet read, "I don't want to die" in red ink.

But Suzuki had only been using a black marker.

The group reviewed the footage caught by SPR's camera, revealing that the page had fallen to the floor before the writing appeared—Suzuki hadn't written on it. They replayed the footage over and over, thoroughly studying the frames where the writing appeared without explanation.

Freaky stuff.

.

When everyone separated for the night, Mai quickly got ready and nuzzled into her bed. Ayako claimed the bathroom last since her rigorous skin care demanded aromatherapy and some kind of mud scrub.

Unfortunately, that left Mai and Masako to enjoy each other's presence in silence.

Awkward.

"So..." Mai attempted to break the tension. "Have you sensed anything else since we got here?"

Masako regarded her with a disinterested look before replying, "There's easily hundreds of spirits in this building. It's quite difficult to pinpoint any one spirit. They're all crying in agony."

"Did they say what they died from? Or why they're here?"

"They seem to be mute. It's almost as if their voices have been cut off."

Mai looked down thoughtfully, her eyebrows scrunching in thought. "Can they show you through visions instead?"

Masako shook her head. "I'm not that type of medium. I communicate through telepathy and feelings," she said, studying Mai sharply. "However, you seem to be able to do what I can't. Have you seen anything?"

Mai bit her lip, unsure if the dream she had would be any help at the vague stage that it was. "Kinda, but it doesn't make sense right now."

Masako stayed silent and nodded, prompting her to continue.

"In the dream, I was running away from something in this mansion. Two white figures, I think. I don't know what they were trying to do, but the spirit ended up committing suicide rather than let them catch her," she recounted, a finger to her chin. "And that's it."

"I see. Nothing useful then," Masako said, sticking her nose up.

Mai scoffed. The audacity…!

"Okay, out with it. What's with the sudden attitude lately?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, please! You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Masako turned away with a huff. "I simply don't like you. Isn't that reason enough?"

Mai rolled her eyes. "You were annoying before, but now-"

"Glad to see you ladies are getting along well," Ayako said, coming out of the bathroom. She looked between the two teenagers with smirk.

"As if I could ever get along with someone like her," Masako said before sinking under her blankets and slipping on her sleep mask in protest.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!"

No reply.

Such a brat! Mai huffed and also sank under her blankets, turning away from the eyesore.

Ayako sighed, shaking her head.

Mai heard her footsteps lead back into the bathroom, likely to finish her routine. After the door clicked closed, Mai drifted off to sleep not long after, feeling her other-sense being tugged.

The next she opened her eyes, she found herself in a dark void of the astral plane. A sense of urgency overwhelmed her, the pounding of her heart hastening as she stared into the darkness. Not sure where to go, she followed her instincts. Eventually, the space shifted until it took the appearance of a hedge maze. What was odd was that the maze appeared to be underground.

Or maybe inside somehow, seeing as it looked liked there were walls surrounding the area.

Weird.

As fate would have it, she ended up landing herself right in the middle of the maze. She was never good with mazes as a kid—the memory of her crying in the middle of one during an elementary school fieldtrip reared its unwelcome head. The one good thing was that she was in spirit form, so she could technically walk through everything.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps alarmed her. Multiple footsteps. And the sound of someone struggling. The voice sounded eerily like Igarashi-sensei's assistant, Suzuki.

Taking a deep breath, she floated through the maze to find the source of the noise.

She froze.

It was the two surgeons she'd seen. This time in more detail. They wore surgical masks to cover their faces and had black holes for eyes. They held onto each of Suzuki's arms, forcing her through the maze as if they'd gone through many times.

Suzuki cried as she tried to shake out of their hold, a cloth tied around her mouth to keep her from yelling.

Mai covered her own mouth to keep from yelling, unsure of what to do—what she could do. Would they be able to see her? What if they caught her too?

She was in spirit form, though. Maybe in an ideal world, they couldn't do anything to her? But assuming they were dead, then she was fair game.

The only way to know was to find out.

Following them from behind, she readied her hand in preparation for the nine-cuts. It was a bit hard to do when they were moving but she had to try. Whispering the cuts to herself, she aimed the final cut at the figure closest to her, slashing it into oblivion and freeing Suzuki on one side.

When Suzuki tried to break free of the other figure, she was struck on the back of the head, knocking her unconscious.

Shit.

The remaining figure wasted no time, continuing to drag her toward the decrepit building at the end of the maze. A swirl of mist began to reform, taking on the shape of the other figure she'd destroyed.

"They can regenerate?!" she whisper-screamed to herself. Feeling around at her pockets for any objects she could use, she found a few of the talismans she made earlier. It was no charm but maybe it could ward those things away from Suzuki in the meantime. Using the nine-cuts again on each figure, she quickly ran over before they regenerated.

She folded up her talisman and stuck it in Suzuki's pocket, offering an impromptu prayer to Usa-sama.

Before she had the chance to do anything else, her spirit was tugged harshly back toward her body. As she was pulled, she saw the two surgeons' mists reforming.

Please be okay! She called out one last time, lethargy overwhelming her as everything went black.

.

Oliver stared unamused at his phone as Madoka's texts popped up one by one, all in their emoji and "xx" galore.

He had merely requested her assistance with research, and she sent walls of texts in return. Granted, a lot of the content was his mother's prying, but he couldn't fathom why Luella couldn't just ask him these questions directly.

Then again, the questions were quite… specific, and Luella probably knew the likelihood of him willingly answering them was slim to none.

Closing his eyes and exhaling deeply, he turned the phone faced down. He could worry about their shenanigans later. Approaching the monitors, he stood next to Lin who was still working on the floor plan. The building was expansive yet somehow structurally sound despite the abstract renovations.

"I can standby," said Lin, turning around to face Oliver.

This was Lin's version of encouraging him to go to sleep, knowing full well that he would decline. Lin had to tell Madoka and Luella that he made some sort of effort, after all.

Footsteps in one of the corridors alerted the two's attention to the monitors.

At first, there was nothing amiss. Then, Mai appeared on three different monitors as she walked through the hallway. Initially, they both thought she was heading for the bathroom, but the last time Oliver caught her walking through the halls by herself, she ended up colliding into him later looking like something was out to kill her.

It wasn't until she turned the next corner that he maximized the nearest camera, zooming in. His hunch was right—something was off about her. She appeared to be sleepwalking yet also sobbing heavily.

The sight reminded him of her crying the night before. Oliver scrunched his brows, the corners of his mouth turning down slightly.

Mai continued her trek down the hall, approaching the indoor balcony and the main staircase. Where was she going?

Rather than going down the staircase, she stopped a few meters from the balcony. Her back to the camera now with her face blocked from view.

Uneasiness crept into the pit of his stomach.

Without a word to Lin, he sprinted out of the base and down the hallway. He rounded two more corners before he caught sight of her at the other end of the hall.

…Attempting to climb the railing.

There was no time to think, he sped down the hall faster than he knew he could, nearly throwing himself at the railing. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she teetered off, forcing them both backwards.

His back hit the wall with a thud followed by her weight nearly knocking the wind out of him. They both slid down to the floor as he caught his breath, slumping over her as she rested against his chest unmoving.

She's going to drive me crazy.

.

When Mai eventually returned to her body, the familiar scent of peppermint tea and cologne hit her nose. Being half-asleep, she didn't pay it much mind. More importantly, why did her butt hurt? She didn't remember the mattress being this hard before.

She squeezed her eyes, noting the wetness on her face. Had she been that scared that she cried in her sleep? She tried to bring up a hand to wipe her face but found that her arm was trapped under something. Blinking her eyes open, she was perplexed to find that she was in the hallway somewhere. She scanned the area, further surprised to find a head of black hair against her cheek.

If she hadn't been awake earlier, she certainly was now.

Looking down, she saw two long legs on either side of her and arms wrapped around her waist.

Her heart both dropped and pounded at the same time as she tried to understand how they ended up in that position.

She's going to drive me crazy.

Mai blinked, wondering if she was hearing things. Was that Gene talking? No, the voice was deeper, like Naru's.

Was she so far gone that she was hearing his voice now?

"Naru?"

He didn't answer immediately, instead continuing to rest his head against her shoulder.

"Just be quiet for a minute," he said, his voice vibrating against her body, sending goosebumps up her spine.

She couldn't tell if she should be mad that her body reacted so viscerally to his touch.

But maybe she was further gone than she thought.

Chapter Text

Previously…

She's going to drive me crazy.

Mai blinked, wondering if she was hearing things. Was that Gene talking? No, the voice was deeper, like Naru's.

Was she so far gone that she was hearing his voice now?

"Naru?"

He didn't answer immediately, instead continuing to rest his head against her shoulder.

"Just be quiet for a minute," he said, his voice vibrating against her body sending goosebumps up her spine.

She couldn't tell if she should be mad that her body reacted so viscerally to his touch.

But maybe she was further gone than she thought.

.

Pt. I

Mai tried to slow her breathing, hoping Naru wouldn't notice how frazzled she was. Could he feel how fast her heart was pounding inside her chest? Or how warm she was as he rested his head on her shoulder?

"Mai, what happened on your end?" he asked, his voice low.

Gulping, she cleared her throat before delving into what she'd just witnessed in her dreams.

"I left a talisman with Suzuki-san. I was hoping it could protect her—at least for now," she said, sighing. "But I don't even know if that was the real Suzuki-san I saw."

"We'll have to check her room to confirm. Regardless, by the time we find her, it may already be too late," he said, finally lifting his head off her shoulder. He leaned back against the wall, his arms loosening around her waist.

Mai sighed in relief, trying to calm herself. She wasn't free completely, however. She was still nestled between his legs with his arms on either side of her.

"What should we do then?" she said, attempting to distract herself.

"I will send Lin to survey her quarters first before drawing conclusions," he said, grabbing his phone and promptly sending Lin a message.

While he was occupied, she attempted to slip away from him, not getting very far before he spoke up again.

"Now, what of the past two days? People have gone missing in this building and you've failed to inform me on any of your experiences."

He caught her there.

Mai dipped her head in guilt. She used to be diligent about sharing her thoughts with him, and even with filling out her journals. But lately, she'd gotten too confident and had forgone her previous habits.

"You may be more experienced now, but you're not any less prone to danger. It was crucial that you had informed us on what you detected. If not for your own safety, then think about the team's. What if one of us disappeared because of your insubordination?"

She winced. Once again, he wasn't wrong. She bowed her head in disappointment. She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts, she hadn't realized the implications it had for those around her.

Naru sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. "I recall you telling me to share my worries. It would only be natural that you did the same."

Mai lifted her head, letting his words sink in. She turned around to face him, ignoring their close proximity.

Before she could say anything, he added, "Because we are… friends." He eyed her as he said it. "Am I correct?"

"Y-yeah. You're right."

He nodded, satisfied with her answer. "Now, recount what has happened since we arrived."

And recount she did, starting with the dream she had in the van and ending with her chase from last night.

Naru was quiet as she spoke, bringing a hand to his chin in thought. "I believe you had been possessed while you were dreaming." When she tilted her head, silently asking for more clarification, he slowly inhaled. "By the spirit from your initial dream in the van. She must have been using your body as a vessel while reliving her death."

"That's never happened before," she said, worry creeping into her voice. "I've never gotten possessed like that while projecting."

"She was likely attached to you since your arrival. As soon as you were out of your body, she seized the opportunity."

That sent shivers up her spine at the thought. "Do you think it'll happen again?"

"Potentially. I don't recommend astral projecting here unless you're with someone to watch you."

"The only reliable way to keep me from projecting in my sleep is by taking sleeping pills. I used to take them all the time to keep the nightmares away, but I don't like them."

Naru didn't say anything after that, instead sitting in silence as he thought. After a few moments too long of staring at each other, Mai glanced away toward the floor. That was a mistake, because it only reminded her how close they sat. It was hardly "friend distance."

Naru must have realized that as well. He pushed himself into standing soon after and brushed his clothes off. Mai followed suit. Their next course of action was to touch base with Lin, who had gone to check on Suzuki. Mai had questioned if it was safe for him to traverse the mansion on his own, which Naru informed her that Lin was likely the only person capable of doing so safely.

Thus, they walked back to base in silence.

That is, until Naru spoke up. "Mai."

She paused mid-step and tilted her head at him in question.

"I believe I owe you an apology."

Her eyes widened.

When she sent him a questioning look, he elaborated, "For the deception surrounding my name."

Mai wasn't sure what to say. She hadn't been expecting him to address the matter at all after she pried the truth from him. Yet, it was still nice to know that he cared enough to formally apologize to her—it must have taken him a night or two to think over.

"Um, it's okay. I understood why you had to hide your identity."

Instead of meeting her gaze, he focused on everything but her. "Regardless, it was still deception," he said, stopping beside her briefly. "Just as you needed a reminder on how your actions affected others, so did I."

His eyes met hers for a moment too long before he strode past her.

Mai watched his back in a half-daze, unsure how to interpret his words. She was broken out of her daze when he stopped and turned around.

Unlike before when he would walk off on her—

He was now waiting for her catch up.

.

As usual, Lin was left speechless.

After Noll had sped out of the room, Lin tried to follow after him. Clearly, his tracking skills were rusty in his old age of 28 years because he quickly lost track of Noll's turns.

Or rather, he happened to stumble upon a scene-of-sorts by accident and decided to backtrack to monitor from afar. As long as they were together, he reckoned they would likely be fine. Besides, they were close enough in case he needed to run out from the base.

Due to the quality of their equipment, he could hear them well despite the distance from the microphone. He had the decency to not tell Madoka, and by extension, Luella, any of it, regardless of threats or blackmail.

They were lucky to get a picture of the two sitting like… that… through the monitors. The rest was up to their imaginations.

Did he feel awful for snitching on his liege like this? Not really, especially after Noll sent Madoka the Christmas pictures. Although, he did feel a bit guilty regarding Taniyama.

Now, that wasn't to say he could completely fault Madoka and Luella's suspicions. He had been the involuntary witness to the whole charade since the start of their acquaintanceship, friendship, and then whatever this was. He was by no means an expert in relationships, but he knew more than Noll, at the very least.

And this entire relationship was puzzling—Noll's comfortability while making prolonged physical contact, Taniyama's newfound blushing, the quiet communication through their soul bond, and the hallway embrace from the night before (that they didn't know he witnessed).

Not that he paid much attention to any of this, of course. They were objective observations that were so blatant he couldn't not notice them.

One thing he was sure of was that their relationship was that of friendship—for right now, anyway. So, continuing to fuel Madoka and Luella's singular brain cell with fantasies was marginally cruel.

What was initially wellness updates on Noll, turned into gossip on his adventures in Japan, particularly about his new friend. And when Lin refused to elaborate, Luella threatened to tell his family that he found a Japanese fiancée.

Sometimes, she could be worse than any malevolent spirit he encountered.

Rubbing his nose bridge, he allowed himself a few moments of repose before his phone vibrated.

Check if Suzuki-san is still in her room. Mai dreamt that she was abducted by entities in this building.

So much for a moment of peace.

.

When Mai and Naru returned to the base, Lin confirmed Suzuki's disappearance. They alerted Igarashi-sensei and the staff, sending the entire mansion into disarray.

From the SPR hallway cameras, the footage only recorded up until Suzuki entered her bedroom without footage of her exiting.

When they checked the CCTV footage, there was nothing to indicate her climbing out the window or leaving the premises, lending the idea that Suzuki was still inside. It was at this point that Naru recounted Mai's vision to the group as well as her consistent experiences since arrival.

"Why should we believe an amateur?" asked Minami. "Children should really leave this work to the professionals."

Mai's face hardened, about ready to kick the pompous man's muffin top to knock him off his high horse. Before she would cause a scene, Naru stepped in front of her.

"For someone who has yet to prove any usefulness, you have quite the gall to make such statements," he said. "Mai's observations have proven more reliable than anything you've been able to provide."

Minami gawked, not expecting to be talked back to. "How rude! You can expect that I'll be having a word with your boss."

"You rang?" Yasu popped from behind, adorning a devilish grin.

Minami nearly jumped back in surprise, having forgotten that the disrespectful young man from the other night was in fact, SPR's boss. "No surprise that your whole group knows nothing of respect! Dr. Davis is no doubt appalled by the lack of professionalism."

This time, Masako spoke up. "Perhaps, you should have Dr. Davis use psychometry on one of Suzuki-san's personal belongings," she said, and then in a much lower tone, adding, "That is, if he truly is who you say he is."

Igarashi-sensei nodded her head, pleading further, "Please." She held out a contact lens case. "Suzuki-san is severely near-sided. She wouldn't dare go anywhere without her contacts."

Minami cleared his throat. "I… will ask the doctor," he said, taking the lens case. Everyone watched as he "negotiated" with Dr. Davis, who merely held the case before shaking his head.

"It would appear that this item cannot be used for psychometry. It must be an item that was on her when she left."

"Why not? This is a personal item. It should work regardless." Igarashi-sensei held the lens case to her chest in distress.

"Are you questioning the great Dr. Davis? How insulting," Minami said, scoffing. "For all you know, young people are so easily scared off. She probably just went home."

With that, he marched out with his posse of "experts" in tow.

Mai glared at the group as they walked out, placing a hand on Igarashi-sensei's shoulder as she cried.

"We'll do whatever we can to find her," Mai reassured, not vocalizing her own anxiety that bubbled in the pit of her stomach. If her vision was true, then Suzuki's fate was dubious.

Bou-san nodded. "We'll all take turns searching for her."

.

During lunch, Mai couldn't bring herself to eat much, continually replaying the vision in her head.

"So, Jou-chan, what happened to the spirit that possessed you last night?" asked Bou-san. "Naru-bou mentioned something about that."

She looked up in surprise, having completely forgotten about it since the confirmation of Suzuki's disappearance. "Oh, uh, I don't know. I just woke up and everything was back to normal. I don't feel weird anymore, so I guess the spirit's gone."

"What exactly happened?" asked Ayako this time.

Mai thought about it, realizing that she never actually asked Naru what had happened. "Y'know, I don't remember. One minute, I was in the vision. Next I knew, I woke up in the hallway in Naru's-"

She paused, remembering where his body had been pressed against hers. Fully aware of Masako's icy glare in her periphery, she cleared her throat. "I just remember waking up in the hallway with Naru present."

Ayako and Bou-san both raised their brows, sharing a glance before shrugging it off.

"Do you sense the spirit, Masako?" Ayako asked, turning to address the other girl.

Masako gave Mai a once-over before shaking her head. "She's not actively present right now. However, I do sense her general presence around Mai."

"Well, whatever the case is, hopefully we can find Suzuki-san's location soon. It'll be anytime now."

"Maybe we'd find her sooner if you actually offered to help." Bou-san quirked a brow, casually sipping from his soup bowl.

Ayako rolled her eyes. "I'm exhausted from all the walkthroughs. Right, Masako?"

"Yes, but you sure complain about it a lot more than I do."

"Oh, shut your mouth."

.

Soon after, Mai, Bou-san, John, and Yasu left to survey another wing of the mansion for clues while Ayako and Masako unsurprisingly went to rest.

On their journey, the group of four found an old storage room with wine boxes scattered along the back wall. Telling by the thick layer of dust and numerous cobwebs, the staff didn't come there often, if at all.

"Not an ideal spot to store wine," noted John, reading the labels on the boxes. They were written in English.

"Wonder how much a bottle would cost if we tried to sell it online?" Bou-san picked one up, turning it in his hand as he squinted with his flashlight.

Yasu put a hand to his chin. "Even if the wine inside isn't in pristine shape, just having a vintage bottle to gloat about would probably make people pay a pretty penny."

"People do that?" Mai asked.

Bou-san shrugged. "People in Ayako's family's circle might."

No one could argue that.

Moving to the next rooms, they soon realized that they were all like that in this corner of the mansion. It wasn't until they got to the further most room that Yasu pointed out a small door hidden behind a dresser.

"It may be a servants' door," said John.

"Servants' door?"

"Old houses in the west usually had passageways within the walls for servants to move from room to room faster without getting in the way of their masters and their families."

Yasu took one for the team and tried wiggling the knob. After a few attempts, the door finally loosened enough to open. Instead of a passage way, it revealed a completely separate room. Unsurprisingly, there were more boxes of wine, which Bou-san noted had slightly different labels and a difference in weight. It wasn't by much but noticeable, apparently.

"How can you tell?" Mai asked, her head tilting in curiosity.

"You'll understand when you're of drinking age," he said, grinning. "Gotta make sure you're getting your money's worth."

She and Yasu shrugged, while John scratched his cheek.

They returned to scanning the room with their flashlights before Yasu broke the silence. "Look here, there's a doctor's jacket."

They decided to take their findings and head back to base. Out of curiosity, Bou-san brought back two wine bottles; one from the back room and one from the other rooms.

Once back, they laid out what they found.

Naru looked at the jacket first, searching for tags or items in the pockets. "Miyama Charity Hospital," he read off the tag.

He continued his search, looking into each of the pockets to eventually find a folded up 5 yen bill. He laid it on the table for everyone to see.

Mai leaned over to look at it, noticing faint writing on the top. "Looks like there's some kind of writing on it."

"What does it say?"

She picked it up and read the characters aloud, brows scrunching. None of the characters went together, leaving the line with no meaning. "What's that supposed to mean? And it's so dirty in some spots I can't read all of it."

"Why write on money, though?" Bou-san asked.

"Maybe they didn't have anything else to write on?"

Naru crossed his arms, staring at the bill intently as the group threw ideas back and forth.

Meiji…

Mai blinked in surprise. Was that Gene dropping hints? He did say it was hard for him to reach her, so maybe that was all he could get through to her.

"…Did they write differently in this time period?" she asked as casually as possible. It wasn't implausible for her to notice such a thing—5 yen bills hadn't been in production for decades.

Yasu suddenly stepped forward, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen. "This mansion is from the Meiji era, right? Well, they wrote from right to left. So…," he said, scribbling on the paper.

Turning around, he presented his transcription. He had reordered the characters save for a few blank spaces for undecipherable characters.

Bou-san was the first to attempt filling in the blanks. "The first sentence says something like, 'Everyone who has come here is dead.'"

"Dead?" Mai repeated, more to herself. It really should have been unsurprising to her, but given that she never got a finished look at the vision, she wanted to hold her breath until it was confirmed.

Ayako put a finger to her chin. "Then, the last word should be 'run away.'"

Goosebumps ran up Mai's arms, suddenly feeling very eerie. The more they learned about this case, the more her stomach did flips.

"Urado…" Naru said quietly, catching everyone's attention.

She looked back to Yasu's paper and widened her eyes. That was right. Before the "run away" segment, there were the characters for "Urado."

"Someone's name? Perhaps, someone who knew the Miyamas?" said John. "Doesn't sound like a friend, but maybe an employee."

Naru looked thoughtful before turning to face everyone. "We should continue investigating. Remember to only search in groups."

They all nodded before dispersing.

The bottles of wine brought back left forgotten.

.

The investigations after that ended with slim findings with Yasu joking with Bou-san about, "The RNG being bad." When Mai tilted her head at them, they mentioned something about video games she didn't quite understand.

It eventually got too late with no other findings, so everyone retired for the night. As she, Masako, and Ayako walked back to their room, they encountered Minami's assistant, Atsugi.

"Sorry on behalf of my team earlier. Wish I could have been of more help," Atsugi said, bowing his head.

"Oh, no need to apologize. No worries," Mai said, waving her hands in the air.

He offered a small smile. "I hope we can find Suzuki-san soon. It must be frightening for her. Well, good night."

While her companions continued walking as Atsugi passed, Mai couldn't help but think about his sincerity. He was a lot nicer than the rest of his crew.

"Wait, Atsugi-san," she called. When he turned around, she handed him a talisman from her pocket. "I don't know how much use it will be… but, please keep this on you at all times. It's a charm for protection."

"Thank you."

With that, he continued on his way.

"What was that?" asked Ayako when she caught up to them.

"He seemed like a really nice man so I gave him a talisman," she said. "Wonder what he's doing with a man like Minami, though."

Masako laughed behind her sleeve. "I wonder the same thing about Naru having you for an assistant." Her eyes lost all their humor before she stuck her nose up and walked ahead of her.

Mai sucked in a deep breath. Just crabby Masako being Masako.

Shaking it off, she attempted to finish up her night as usual by beating Ayako to the bathroom and settling in for bed. Before she officially went under the sheets, she looked at the bottle of sleeping pills she'd set on her nightstand after her talk with Naru.

She thought after developing her abilities more, she'd left old habits in the past; yet, here they were creeping their heads up again—her recklessness, forgetting to inform the team, and now her temptation to use sleeping pills again.

Biting her lip, she placed the bottle back on the nightstand.

"It's not wrong to take one occasionally."

Mai straightened up, looking over at Masako who was combing her hair.

"I-I don't want to rely on them again. I need to get a better control of things on my own."

Masako watched her for a few moments before sighing. "There are times when even psychics need a break too."

"Have you ever had to take them?"

Masako seemed reluctant to answer, finishing her combing before placing it on the nightstand. "Yes. It was the only way for me to sleep when I was younger."

Just like me…

"However, I learned to control my abilities a lot earlier than you, so I don't need them anymore."

And just when Mai thought she could relate, Masako just had to be like that. It wasn't like she was wrong, but her haughty tone left a lot to be desired.

What little existed of that conversation died down soon after. They both settled in for the night, turning off their bedside lamps. Ayako's stayed on, offering a soft ambient glow to the room, nearly distracting Mai from what horrors were hidden in this mansion.

She soon fell asleep, the feeling of floating in waves lulling her, like laying in a sailboat as the water rocked her away.

And just like that, she was ripped out of her bed with a gag shoved in her mouth to keep her quiet. Two unrelenting hands gripped her arms hard enough to be bruised. When she chanced a glance at her assaulters, she saw large white coats.

She couldn't even be surprised at this point.

Attempting to rip herself from their grasp, she flailed and kicked with her legs only for one of figures to elbow her in the gut. With the air knocked out of her, she couldn't fight back anymore as they dragged her down a series of hallways. Everything turned black before she found herself at the hedge maze again. Unlike before, the figures dragged her through with ease.

She was led to a smaller mansion, looking reminiscent to Victorian-style houses in the west. There was a small foyer where they turned left at the end of a hallway into a small parlor with a lit fireplace, arm chair, dresser, and closet. Adjacent to the fireplace was shelving for multiple bottles of wine.

While her body recovered, her fear froze her in place. Where were they leading her?

Pushing the closet aside revealed a door with a glass window panel. As they dragged her through the door, she caught a quick glimpse of her reflection in the glass thanks to the light from the fireplace.

Rather than her own face, Atsugi's stared back at her.

Her stomach dropped as she processed the situation. Didn't she give him a talisman? Or was it too weak to do anything? Then, what happened to Suzuki?

Bile threatened to come up as she, or Atsugi, was dragged down a long narrow hallway of cement bricks. The only lighting being torches that lined either wall. Eventually, they reached another building, one much smaller and decrepit. Up the stairs was a long hallway of doors, each room holding stacked bones and… more wine bottles.

Finally, they arrived at their destination—a tiled room with a smell so putrid she wanted to gag. Before she could take in the rest of the room, she was shoved onto her back on an operating table with her head hanging off the edge. The two figures restrained her with straps that didn't budge even when she struggled.

She tried to scream but the gag cut her off, her own saliva nearly choking her.

I'm going to die!

Suddenly a hand yanked her hair, pulling her head down taut to provide access to her neck. Then, a metallic glint caught her attention, to that of a freshly sharpened scalpel.

Her eyes widened in realization.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

The scalpel slowly descended down until the cold metal rested on one side of her neck.

PLEASE STOP!

Her vision grew dark as her mind shut down, the sharp cold piercing of her skin barely noticeable as with the blood that inevitably poured out in droves.

I don't want to die…

.

Her head whipped to the side, jutting her awake as her cheek stung like she'd just been slapped. Her eyes blinked awake as she found her coworkers standing around her bed, Ayako with her hand still mid-air.

Mai's breathing was heavy as she found herself huddled against the head board of the bed defensively, her hands unknowingly grasping at her neck as trembles wracked over her body.

"Are you okay?" asked Ayako, attempting to reach out to her, only to freeze as Mai flinched and drew back into herself.

"What happened, Jou-chan? That didn't seem like one of your normal dreams." Bou-san said in the softest voice he could muster.

She couldn't speak, her voice caught in her throat. Her body continued to shake violently, once again flinching when Masako tried to reach a hand out to her.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you." Masako gently placed a hand on her shoulder, offering a soft smile. "You should move on toward the light. This girl can't help you. No matter how many times you try to possess her."

Mai felt hesitant.

"Go on," Masako said. "Just look around until you see the bright light. You'll be safe there."

As soon as the trembling started, it subsided, leaving Mai to slump back against her pillows. "Thanks," she mumbled, suddenly exhausted. She pushed her hair out of her face, finally realizing how much sweat had beaded up against her forehead.

"That was the spirit that has been attached to you. While you were sleeping, she must have tried to possess you again," Masako clarified.

Mai nodded, only half-processing what she said. It felt like she was in a brain fog, whether through the myriad of emotions, or from the use of so much psychic energy. She had spaced out so much that she completely failed to hear the knock on the door. It wasn't until her signature moon-dancing rabbit tea cup suddenly appeared in her field of vision that she looked up.

Naru stared down at her, his face slightly softer than usual. He stood beside her in his sleepwear, presenting what looked to be hojicha in her favorite cup.

"Thank you," she said silently, gratefully taking it from him. She stared into the cup, her breath hitching for a moment when the image of the cup filled with blood flashed into her mind. She quickly shook her head, returning the cup back to normal.

"Are you alright?"

Mai looked up at him, feeling everyone's eyes on her.

No.

"Atsugi-san… he's gone," was all she could muster before her vision blurred.

She could hear multiple people inhale sharply.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Mai gulped, bracing herself before drinking some of the hojicha. She was just grateful it was actually tea. "I think I might have been experiencing a first person vision. Atsugi-san's experience. I remember being pulled out of bed by the two figures I've been seeing this whole time. They dragged me down some hallways before we got to the hedge maze.

"There was this western looking house at the end of the maze with a drawing room, fireplace, and wine bottles lined up on the walls. The closet opened up to a long hallway where we got to a decrepit looking wooden house. There was a tiled room where they threw me onto an operating table or something and strapped me to it," she said, her voice beginning to shake. "One of the figures pulled out a scalpel and sliced across my neck, right into both my arteries. I could feel the blood drain-"

A hand on her shoulder made her jump, looking up at the source. Bou-san shook his head, his face laden with sadness. "No need to relive it, Jou-chan. That's enough."

.

Once again, the mansion was woken up early.

This time by Minami, who frantically knocked on everyone's doors after Lin had gone to check for Atsugi after Mai's vision.

"All his belongings were in his room. The only thing I found was this paper charm on his nightstand." Minami rummaged through his pockets to present the charm in question—Mai's charm.

Naru recognized her sloppy brush work and turned to her in question.

Mai froze, eyes widening. "I had given him that in the hallway on the way back to my room. I told him to keep it on him at all times…"

"Doesn't look like he heeded your warning," said Yasu.

Ohashi entered the room just then, his face grave as he shook his head. "None of the staff have seen Atsugi-san. As with Shibuya Psychic Research, our CCTV has not caught any evidence of him leaving the premises."

"Does that mean Mai's vision is what really happened?" Ayako asked, horrified.

"Is there any way we could ask Dr. Davis to assist?" Igarashi-sensei pleaded.

Minami averted his gaze from all the on-lookers. "Er, no, but…"

Igarashi-sensei evidently had enough of his hesitation. She stood up, knocking her chair back. "Two people have disappeared, one of which being your own assistant! There is no time to hesitate… that is, unless you were lying about having the assistance of Dr. Davis."

Minami stayed quiet.

"Don't tell me that you had brought an imposter...!" Igarashi-sensei brought a hand to her mouth in disbelief.

"Enough!" Minami stood, firmly slamming his hands on the table. "I will have no more of your slander. We can finish this case on our own!" He waved a hand at the "doctor" and they left without a word.

Bou-san frowned following the spectacle, a hand on his chin. "I'm starting to think we've been duped."

"You think?" Yasu pushed up his glasses.

"There's really no evidence that he's the real thing, huh?" said John, scratching his cheek.

They sat quietly for a few moments longer before Bou-san said in a lower voice, "Do you think there might be some kind of nefarious business going on here?" His eyes darted back and forth. "How come none of the staff have gone missing? Only newcomers?"

Yasu nearly jumped at the implication. "Um, do you mean to say we're stuck in some murder mystery house?"

John surveyed the staff that entered and exited the drawing room, his brows scrunching in thought. "The staff seems to be wiser. If I recall, all of the victims were of the younger generation."

Everyone froze, widening their eyes at the realization.

"Good job," said Naru. "Considering these new conditions, I don't think I need to remind everyone to remain vigilant. As with before, only travel in pairs or more."

No one could argue with that.

After their meal, they returned to searching the mansion. The goal was to find any hidden entrances or exits.

"Don't you think it's odd that all the areas searched are on the outskirts? We have yet to enter the center of the mansion," Yasu mentioned as they walked up a staircase, tablet in hand. He turned it around to show Mai, Bou-san, and John the digital map that he and Lin had been developing. The tablet was updated to mark every location they hit using location services and cloud syncing.

"Good catch, Shounen." Bou-san zoomed in and out, rotating and flipping the map to get a better look. "It's like trying to get to hidden areas in an open-world game."

"Right?" Yasu nodded. "So far, there hasn't been any way for us to breech the center. No doors or windows."

"Hey, look here." John pointed to a small door in the wall. He fiddled with the knob before it eventually gave way. The door way was small, likely only allowing Mai or John through.

When he noticed the fear in her eyes as she peered into the dark space, John offered her a smile. "No worries, Mai-chan. I'll check it out."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I have my rosaries and the charm you gave me for Christmas, remember?"

She wasn't convinced but gave a reluctant nod anyways.

Before heading in, he surveyed the area with his flashlight, noting a small room with an old portrait in a frame. After slipping in, he took the frame off the wall.

"Here, I'll hand you the frame," he called, sticking it out of the small opening.

Bou-san pulled it out, blowing off some of the dust.

"Creepy," said Yasu.

"Was that everything in there?"

They waited for a response but when none came, Mai was the first to push herself past her other companions. "John?!"

She shined her phone light into the space, whipping her head around in all directions when she found no trace of him. Bou-san and Yasu tried calling for him only to be met with silence.

"Come on, man, this isn't funny!" Bou-san stuck his head in this time.

When Mai pushed him aside and tried to slide in herself, Bou-san immediately stopped her. "No, Jou-chan. We can't have you go missing too. Naru-bou would have our heads."

"But what about John?!" She stared in disbelief at the small doorway. "He- He was just there!"

"I know, but we can't go acting recklessly."

Mai clenched her fists, knowing that he was right. She allowed him to help her up as the three of them planned their next step.

"You don't suppose we should return to base? Maybe this portrait could be a clue. With all of our heads working, at least one of us could figure something out," said Yasu, already in the process of texting the SPR group chat.

"Do you think John will be okay?"

Bou-san placed a hand on her head, saying softly, "He'll be fine. He's a priest who's one heck of an exorcist, remember? I'd be more worried if it was this goof." He jutted his thumb toward Yasu, who didn't have the heart to feign hurt.

"He's right, you know."

Mai allowed herself a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. John's really strong."

Yasu put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a thumbs up with his other. "That's right! Now, let's get back to base!"

**

Pt. II

Once everyone reconvened, they crowded around the table pensively. While Naru appeared unaffected by the news, Mai wondered if it was all part of his facade. It wasn't noticeable to anyone who didn't observe him often—not that she was watching him or anything—but his shoulders were hunched with a general stiffness in his posture, indicating tension. He was still human, after all. Even if he didn't necessarily consider everyone a "friend," it didn't mean he didn't care for them at all.

Observing Naru reminded her of his other counterpart, the one who usually had extensive knowledge on what they didn't.

Gene? she called out. Are you there?

Silence.

Mai frowned, fingering her mirror in her pocket. Gene hadn't been lying when he said he had a hard time reaching out to her here. Aside from when they first came, she hadn't been able to sense or hear him since. She would have to do a full projection later to talk to him.

"I reached out to Madoka yesterday to complete some research. She should be getting back to us today," Naru told the team. He then turned around to study the portrait they had brought back with them. He checked for an artist signature before flipping the frame around to look at the back.

His eyes scanned the back until they stopped on the bottom left corner.

"You find something?" asked Bou-san, peering from the side at what Naru had found. "Portrait of Urado."

"Isn't that the name from earlier? On the bill?"

Naru placed the frame down before reaching over to grab the yen bill from earlier to compare the characters. He brought a hand up to his chin in thought.

"I wonder who Urado could be?" Mai asked no one in particular. All she knew was that the man in the picture made her feel uneasy. He had sunken cheeks, appearing sickly.

Suddenly, a knock on the window had Mai nearly jumping out of her skin. She whipped her head around to see the silhouette of a hand knocking on the glass from behind the curtains. Lin, unfazed as always, drew the curtains to reveal Madoka with a shit-eating grin.

Once she was inside, she waved to everyone. "What a huge property! I felt like a trespasser," she said, giggling.

Naru frowned. "I find it hard to believe that you decided the best course of action was to come in person even when you knew people have gone missing."

"Oh, lighten up." She brushed off his concern with a wave of her hand. "I'll only be here briefly. If something happens, you'll just have to rescue me!"

Naru sighed and gave up, retreating to the table they had been around prior to her arrival.

Mai couldn't help but crack a smile at how easily he gave up. Despite the gravity of the situation, Madoka's presence managed to help lighten the mood.

"Not to mention that the danger only lies within the house. There are even kids playing outside in the courtyard. There have never been reports of people going missing outside the building," Madoka revealed. She then made herself at home in one of the chairs. She pulled out a folder filled with copies of old documents she'd found in old databases from the town hall and library.

"I looked into the name, 'Urado' that you had found. Turns out that was actually another name that that the original owner, Miyama Kaneyuki, went by. He was known for his philanthropy, sponsoring multiple orphanages and charity hospitals. That wasn't to say he was the friendliest individual, however. Like any owner of a big corporation, he was meticulous and judged his workers according to their utility—his charity just happened to come with it."

Mai couldn't help but feel like judging people by utility was the exact opposite of being a philanthrop, but she didn't question it.

Madoka continued to explain the thoroughness of Miyama Kaneyuki, going as far as evicting a whole line of family down to their extended family for one family member's embezzlement.

"I also found some things that coincided with Mai-chan's dream. Kaneyuki-san was known for always having two assistants with him."

Mai's eyes widened.

"There was an annex separated from the main building by a hedge maze. It was noted by the gardeners for having the stench of rotting flesh."

Mai grabbed onto Masako's arm in order to steady herself. Her dream was nearly all but confirmed.

"It was supposed to be secret to only those within his family, but he was also a very sickly man. Some believed he was so adamant about visitors staying away from his home in order to not introduce bad spirits that could make him worse. Physicians told him that he didn't have long to live, but that didn't stop him from his endeavors." Madoka pulled out a few documents and presented them to the group.

"After Japan's foreign trade reformation near the end of his life, he took an interest in foreign alcohol, specifically wine. It was to the point that he even hired some westerners to teach him how to brew his own while simultaneously working with western merchants to import wine into his territory with little to no tariffs."

Didn't we bring back some wine bottles? Mai looked around the room until she spotted bottles from earlier. Naru must have heard her because he made eye contact with her, trailing his gaze toward the bottles.

"We've found countless rooms of stored wine. I brought two bottles back," said Bou-san.

"What I don't understand is why he focused on importing, especially with no tariffs?" Ayako crossed her arms. "That's a lot of money to forgo just for a hobby, no?"

"Maybe he wanted to share his love for wine with the rest of his people? I suppose it fits the philanthropist motif," said Yasu, shrugging.

Madoka tapped her chin. "It may have just been another business venture. He did hire those from his orphanages to work in his facilities, even his brewery," she said before moving to the next topic. "Something else interesting I noted in the diary of his wife was Kaneyuki-san's fascination with European tales. Especially those of Vlad the Impaler, or Vlad Dracula of Wallachia, and Elizabeth Bathory."

Mai's eyes widened. "Vlad Dracula? Like the vampire?"

"Bram Stoker's Dracula was inspired by Vlad the Impaler, who was known for his extreme sadism and barbarism during his rule."

"And Elizabeth Bathory was a serial killer from Hungary who's most known for bathing in the blood of young women and girls to preserve her youth. Some even say she was also an influence for Dracula as well," added Bou-san.

Hearing that, she couldn't help the goose bumps that trailed up her arms. Bathing in blood? Why did the idea seem familiar? She wracked through her brain, trying to remember where she might have heard the idea.

The image of an emaciated man floating in a tub of blood flashed in her mind. That was right! The dream she had the other night. She had forgotten about it as soon as she started her day.

Unbeknownst to her, Naru had been eying her from his periphery. He hadn't heard her thoughts, yet the gist of her feelings were clear to him. He turned to look at her straight on, hoping she would share. It seemed she noticed because she blinked before meeting his eyes.

"I don't know if it will help, but I had a dream the other day. There was an older-looking man who was floating in a bathtub filled with blood," she shared. "…But I wasn't sure what it meant."

"You don't think it could have been this guy, do you?" Ayako brought a hand to her mouth in disgust.

Mai looked back at the portrait from earlier, trying to remember what the man had looked like. She'd been so shocked she never got a good look at his face. "He was practically a skeleton when I saw him, so I don't know."

Madoka shrugged. "It could be him. His comorbities grew near the end of his life, shortening his life even further."

A knock on the door had everyone turning their heads over. Lin answered the door quickly before shutting it again, leaving Mai to tilt her head in question. It looked like a staff member of the mansion had delivered something. Lin promptly handed the object, a corkscrew, to Naru who had been waiting by the wine bottles.

When did he even get there?!

Offering no input on what he was doing, Naru took the corkscrew and began opening the two bottles. "Bou-san, just by looking at the bottles, which one came from the back room with the servants' door?"

Bou-san got closer before pointing to the right one. "That one had a slightly different label."

Naru nodded, finally managing to pull off the corks of both. Bou-san immediately scrunched his face when Naru used his hand to waft the scents of both. He then poured each into two glasses that Lin had brought.

"So?"

"See for yourself." Naru stepped aside.

Bou-san reluctantly approached, taking a sniff of both. He grimaced upon smelling the glass from the right bottle. "That's definitely off."

Upon seeing that reaction, Ayako and Masako figured they were better off standing as far away as possible. Mai and Yasu looked at each and shrugged before approaching the table.

While the glass from the left bottle smelled like what she would expect wine to be like, the other was… rancid. She did smell some elements of what could've been wine at some point but everything else about it smelled like rot.

Jumping back, she covered her nose. "That's disgusting. Why is it like that?"

"These must be the bottles that Kaneyuki-san brewed," said Yasu. "His preservation method probably wasn't perfected."

Naru didn't comment. Instead, he poured some of the wine from the right bottle onto a plate. He retrieved their first aid kit and pulled out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

Mai tilted her head, wondering where he was going with this.

"Don't tell me…" Ayako mumbled from behind her.

With a dropper, Naru dropped some of the hydrogen peroxide into the wine plate. Once together, the two liquids bubbled up.

"That's putrid." Ayako covered her mouth like she was about to be sick.

"What is it?" Mai asked, looking around.

Naru raised a brow at her. "If you paid attention in class, you would remember that hydrogen peroxide reacts with blood due to the enzyme within it."

Oh…

"But wouldn't the catalase be denatured by the alcohol?" asked Ayako.

Naru shook his head. "Not necessarily, especially if the alcohol content was in a lower concentration, if present at all."

But what did it all mean?

Bou-san crossed his arms and leaned against the table. "So, let me get this straight. You said that Miyama Kaneyuki was a sickly man destined to have a short life who was fascinated by the tales related to Dracula. John mentioned earlier that all the people who have disappeared are young. The bill from the charity hospital jacket mentioned multiple people going missing. All that coupled with Jou-chan's visions…" he trailed off.

"It would seem Miyama Kaneyuki is still looking for victims," said Naru, his face grave.

Mai felt nauseous as she processed the implications of the findings. He had been bathing in and ingesting blood of the orphans and patients in order to preserve his own life. "All those poor people in the orphanage and hospital… and now, Atsugi-san too. And Suzuki-san and John," she said, hugging herself.

"That's right. What happened to Brown-san?" asked Madoka, her face concerned as she looked around the room.

"John was taken not long before you came," Bou-san answered.

.

Mai sighed, trying to concentrate on relaxing, which was already kind of ironic. It was difficult given their situation, but Nar- everyone was counting on her.

After Madoka left, they all discussed their next course of action. First, was the possibility of doing a séance with Masako to find the missing people's location. Mai was firmly against it.

"I don't want what happened to me to happen to Masako, especially not the death vision." Mai looked Naru squarely in the eyes, pleading with him.

Naru challenged her silently for a moment before crossing his arms. "Then, what do you suppose we do instead?”

And… that's how she ended up in the base with Lin. Her job was to astral project in hopes of finding access to the original building and its annex by extension. Lin stayed behind with her as he had preparations for the séance he would be doing later.

Every time she closed her eyes, fear crept up in the back of her mind. She was scared that the next time she opened her eyes, she would be back in the tiled room again. But, why did she have to be scared now? She needed to find a way there now more than ever.

"Taniyama-san, perhaps this can help."

She opened her eyes to find that Lin had left an incense burner near her with a few sticks lit. Her eyes widened in recognition—sometimes, he burned some during their meditation sessions.

"Thank you."

He nodded his head in acknowledgment before returning to his previous task.

She nestled back into the couch, feeling a little bit more at ease. Everything would be fine. Lin was with her, after all. Closing her eyes, she applied all the techniques she had learned from Gene's and Lin's teachings.

The spiritual string connected to her abdomen tugged as she pulled herself to her destination—wherever that was. Her body shifted as her spirit was lifted out.

She opened her eyes to reveal herself floating from above the mansion, much like when she had been at Yasu's school. She could see the general layout of the building and where everyone was located. It was at times like these that she wished she could sense people's energies or auras in a location. Even as far back as when she met Naru, she already had a sense for recognizing people by their energy. But she'd never been able to seek out energies, like being able to find an individual in a building from their energy alone.

That would've been a useful skill to have on a case like this.

Her brows scrunched as a frown made its way to her face. "What the hell?"

The center of the mansion was pure black, a dark distorted energy emanating from it like smoke. That must've been where the original building was located.

How could they reach it though? It didn't look like there were any openings that led there. They would likely have to destroy a wall to reach it.

Mai tried to get closer to the dark mass but froze when she got too close. Memories of Atsugi's death flashed through her head as a cold sweat started to form and her heart palpitated rapidly in her chest. Beginning to hyperventilate, she dropped to her knees while grasping at her chest.

It's okay, Mai. You're fine. You're the one in control.

Despite all the reassurances, her spiritual body wouldn't listen. She squeezed her eyes as she forced her body listen. It wasn't listening. She was too scared. Then, suddenly, her body was surrounded by a warm presence as her body slowly relaxed—it felt like she could control herself again.

Opening her eyes, a familiar white rabbit sat blinking back at her.

"You found me," she said, offering a tired smile and a pet. "Guess Gene couldn't make it?"

Usa-sama blinked before raising a single paw for her to take. She took it in her hand, closing her eyes as everything faded into white.

She reawoke to the sight of the base's ceiling, the smell of Chinese incense overwhelming her senses. Sitting up, she rubbed at her temples as a dull ache started from the back of her head—it was a problem she had occasionally when she projected.

Mai looked around for Lin, finding him at the computer. "Thank you for the incense, Lin-san. It helped."

"Did you discover anything?"

"Kinda. I know what rooms surround the original building, but I couldn't find any way for us to access it. Looks like we'd have to knock down a wall."

Lin paused his typing for a moment before continuing. "Given the circumstances, we should be able to get permission from Ohashi-san." He got out the tablet that he'd been using to map out the mansion and instructed Mai to mark where the original building was.

Looking at it, she couldn't help but be amazed that what she had seen during her projection was accurate to the floorplan. There was also the fact that Naru and Lin trusted her enough to knock down a whole wall! What if she was wrong?

After she was done leaving her chicken-scratch markings, she noticed a collection of items she'd never seen before. They must've been for Lin's séance.

She looked at the items in fascination. "Lin-san, I didn't realize you were Chinese until Ohashi-san mentioned something."

"What about it?" he asked, his tone noticeably sharper.

She jumped a bit, not expecting his reaction. "Oh, I just thought it made sense. Many of the items you use aren't really things I'm familiar with. Like the incense, or the jade you carry some times."

"And is that a problem?"

"No." She made a face, wondering what his sudden briskness was for. "I'm sorry, did I offend you in some way?"

"Not intentionally," he said bluntly, his face stoic as always. "However, I'm not fond of Japanese people because of Japan's history with China."

That explains a lot.

She frowned, standing her ground. "I get that Japan did a lot of awful things in the past, but the people now had nothing to do with it. I don't think it's right to judge a whole group of people because of sins from the past."

Lin watched her for a few moments before cracking a smirk and a chuckle.

"Uh…" she tilted her head, wondering what she'd said that was so funny.

"That was actually very rational of you," he said. Mai wondered if she was supposed to be offended or flattered by that statement. "Reminds me of something Gene once told me when he was ten." He smiled politely. "I understand that you're not directly responsible, so I apologize. But it is a prejudice I've lived with that I'm still trying to overcome."

"I'll be rooting for you," she said, nodding her head in acknowledgement for his effort. "I gotta say, though, you're a lot nicer to me now than you used to be."

He was quiet before smiling gently. "You've turned out to be more tolerable than I expected," he said before quietly adding, "With some unexpected twists that I couldn't exactly ignore either…"

Mai didn't get to question him about the latter part because the rest of the SPR team chose that moment to barge through the door.

After sharing her findings with Naru, he directed everyone to the séance location where Lin would be contacting the spirits of the missing people. With permission, Naru obtained some personal items of Suzuki and Atsugi in order to draw their spirits here. They hadn't told Igarashi-sensei or Minami what the items would be used for—one, for Igarashi-sensei's sake since she was still so distraught; two, Minami was being too petty to care.

Lin placed two candles on the table, incense, some kind of burning herb that created smoke, and some other unidentifiable objects.

Placing Suzuki's shirt in the center on what she could only describe as a Chinese magic circle, he began to write her personal details onto a sheet of rice paper. Placing the paper on her shirt, he proceeded to light the candles and incense.

Mai held her breath, waiting for something to happen. A soft whistling sound caught her attention and she wondered if it was Lin's doing. After what felt like an eternity with nothing happening, Lin extinguished the candles.

She scrunched her brow in confusion.

"It appears Suzuki-san is still alive."

Mai widened her eyes, her mouth agape. "I can't believe it."

"You said you left one of your talismans with her?" asked Naru.

She nodded.

"Told you your talismans work," Ayako said, giving her a pat on the head. "Good job. You saved someone's life."

Even though she was happy, she couldn't bring herself to celebrate. "Poor Atsugi-san."

"If he had listened to you, then he would still be here," Naru said bluntly before turning back to Lin. "Let's move on to Atsugi-san."

This time, when Lin followed the exact same steps with Atsugi's shirt, the candles cracked and grew in height before maintaining a steady flame.

Then, a barely audible disembodied sigh was heard. The smoke from the burning herb danced unnaturally until it took on Atsugi's sullen form.

Mai sucked in a breath.

"You are Atsugi Kenta, right?"

The spirit nodded.

"Are you aware that you're dead?"

Another nod.

"Did something horrific happen to you?

Nod.

"Do you know why you died?"

Atsugi shook his head.

"Was it 'Urado' who did this to you?"

That got a reaction from Atsugi. He nodded vigorously and pointed to his throat in distress. He was mute just like the other spirits that Masako had seen. Telling from Mai's vision, she now knew why.

"Where are you?"

Atsugi spirit wavered, the smoke making up his form distorting as he tried to speak. Knocks and rattling started along the walls and ceiling while the candles threatened to blow out. The last thing Atsugi could share with them was horrified expression as he pointed at the back wall behind Naru and Lin. Everyone looked over but found nothing.

The bangs on the wall got increasingly louder until the candles blew out of their own accord and Atsugi's spirit blew away with them.

Bou-san ran over to flick the lights on.

"What the-"

Writing littered the walls; all allegedly written in a red ink or blood. What was odd was that the wall that Atsugi had been pointing to was completely bare except for one word, "Vlad."

"Huh?" Mai questioned.

"It must be referring to 'Urado.' That's probably where he got the moniker from," said Bou-san.

Naru nodded. "He likely took inspiration from Vlad the Impaler, who was also known as the 'child of the devil.'"

"Sounds about right. He believed bathing in and ingesting young people's blood would grant him an extended lifespan, after all," added Ayako.

Naru crossed his arms. "Considering Kaneyuki-san wasn't expected to live very long, he likely grew bitter with how his life went. Following the story of Elizabeth Bathory, he must have taken hundreds of sacrifices to satiate his desperation to live."

Bou-san shivered. "To think he actually believed bathing and ingesting human blood would prolong his life. And remember that 5 yen bill we found with the eerie message? He must have been sacrificing people from his orphanages and hospitals for his sick delusion."

"How despicable." Mai glared at the writing on the wall. "How could he murder all those innocent people just to prolong his life. What a monster."

"Whether to classify him as an onryo or a demon is unclear, but it doesn't change the fact that he still remains on this plane," Naru said. "And he is continuing to seek out more sacrifices."

Mai rubbed at her arms, goosebumps running up her arms and back.

Out of paranoia, she subconsciously scanned the room. She froze when she noticed something out of place. Completing a double-take, she counted only five other people. Her anxiety skyrocketed for the millionth time that case as she frantically searched for the missing piece.

"Where's Yasu?"

.

"Just rest, Mai." Ayako placed a warm towel on Mai's head, pulling the blanket over her shoulders. "You've been through a lot of stress lately."

Mai didn't fight it, or more like she couldn't fight it. She was exhausted from whatever breakdown she had. Her head pounded and her eyes red from crying.

Bou-san had sworn that Yasu had been with them on the way to the séance room, which begged the question whether he disappeared before or after they arrived in the room. Naru believed it could have been in retaliation from Urado for their meddling.

She had already been upset about John, but he was at least a spiritualist who knew how to protect himself. Yasu was no spiritualist, and he was still fairly new to the paranormal world. Just the thought of him experiencing what Atsugi had, she couldn't bear it.

According to Ayako, she had broken down into tears and was nearly inconsolable until Naru managed to ground her. It was all a haze, but apparently, he reassured her that because she had given Yasu one of her protective bracelets, he would be safe for the time being.

After she had simmered, he instructed Ayako and Masako to bring her back to the room while the men got permission to tear down the walls.

"Yasuhara will be fine. Like Naru said, your charm will protect him," Ayako said before getting up. "Now, get some rest before dinner. I'm going to use the shower."

That left Masako to watch over her, seated on her own bed. The two sat in a solemn silence, both mourning the situation.

"I hope they're all okay," Mai said quietly as she stared blankly at the ceiling. "Suzuki-san has been missing for days without food or water."

Masako glanced over briefly before glancing back down to her kimono. "We'll save them soon," she said. She hesitated for a moment before adding, "Thanks to the floor plan and your knowledge from projecting, we might have found an opening to find them."

Mai nodded, neither accepting nor denying what she said.

"Naru believes in your abilities," Masako said quietly. "He acknowledges you, relies on you, initiates with you." She averted her gaze to the window, a frown embedded on her face.

Mai normally would've overrationalized what Masako said, but in this period of exhaustion, the picture was suddenly much clearer to understand. Not that Naru actually did any of that, no. Moreso the fact that Masako paid so much attention to it.

"Are you… jealous?"

Masako huffed. "Of course not."

If she had the energy, Mai would've giggled. All she could muster was a tired smile. "That's cute."

"Just be quiet and rest."

This time, Mai let out an exasperated sigh-chuckle hybrid. "Just so you know, there's nothing going on between us. At least in the way that you think."

"You mean to tell me that you have no feelings for him either?"

Mai's silence was an answer enough.

"Even if I do, I don't plan on doing anything about it. There's too much going on right now."

Masako turned to look at her with unreadable eyes. She slid her legs over the side in favor of sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Then, if I pursue him, you won't have a problem with that?"

Now, that was a loaded question—one that Mai didn't have the capacity to answer right now. She wondered why Masako even bothered asking since she would do whatever she wanted anyways.

"Like I said, I'm not planning on doing anything," Mai said, avoiding the real answer.

Masako glared at her, her mouth tightening. She looked angry, but why? Mai was basically giving her the green light.

"You're so frustrating." Without another word, Masako got up and headed for the door. "I want to be alone."

Panic took over and Mai sprung up, yanking Masako back before she could leave. "No! You can't! It's too dangerous."

Masako stopped but didn't turn around.

"Why are you upset? Shouldn't you be happy that I'm not getting in your way?"

Masako pulled her sleeve out of Mai's grip before turning to fully glare at her, her eyes glassy. "You're not even trying and you get his attention. It's taken a long time for him to even truly look at me."

Mai blinked, taken-aback by Masako's confession. It must have taken a lot of courage for someone so reserved with her true feelings to admit this. She'd always thought of Hara Masako as a mature and classy figure, but at the end of the day, Masako was still only a teenager with a crush.

"Trust me, he doesn't feel the same way about me," Mai said, sitting back on her bed. "I work with him, so I have to see him a lot. And we're friends, so it'd be kind of crappy if he ignored me."

Masako didn't look convinced but her shoulders relaxed even just the slightest bit.

"Besides, I feel like he gives you special treatment, not me. If I complained about being tired on a case, you think he'd just let me off the hook like he does for you? He also makes sure you're comfortable on cases and whenever you ride with us. You're both similar and I think you guys understand each other better." Mai listed off what she could think of using her fingers as markers.

"So, you see, he treats you differently than the rest of us."

"You think?" Masako looked hopeful for a minute before readopting a crestfallen expression. "But I don't think it's for the reason you think it is."

Mai tilted her head, looking up in thought. "Maybe try letting go of that 'hold' you have on him and start building a normal relationship."

"You… know about that?"

Mai looked away. "Well, Ayako likes to talk," she said, coming up with a cover story on the spot.

Speaking of Ayako, the shower had been turned off awhile ago, but they hadn't heard any movement. When Mai turned around to look at the door, she noticed that the bathroom light was off. The realization had her jumping up from the bed and rushing over, alarming Masako in the process.

"Ayako?"

No answer.

"Ayako! Please tell me you're in there!"

Silence.

Mai wriggled the doorknob, desperately trying to break in. "Not you too!"

She turned around to find that Masako had the exact same horrified expression on as she brought her hands to cover her mouth.

At that moment, a knock came from the hallway door making the two girls jump. "Dinner's ready." It was Bou-san's voice.

Masako opened the door to find what remained of their team in the hallway. Telling from their faces, her expression must have been grim.

"What happened?" he asked. His eyes widened as he scanned the room. "Where's Ayako?!"

Mai forced herself to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. She pointed at the closed bathroom door, barely getting out, "She never came out after her shower."

Bou-san widened his eyes and rushed over. He shook the knob just like Mai had, calling Ayako's name several times before forcing his way through by slamming the door open.

As expected, the bathroom lights were off as if no one had been in there at all. They checked behind the shower curtains but there was no sight of her. Telling from the towels and toiletries on the sink, Mai deduced that Ayako had at least been dressed when she disappeared.

"You think this was also in retaliation?" Bou-san asked, not facing them.

Naru continued his inspection of the bathroom. "Perhaps. The speed at which Urado is targeting us is noticeably faster. We have permission to tear down what we need, so we should act quickly. Even being separated by a door leaves us at risk."

A shiver ran up her back at the thought of being taken away while in the bathroom.

It's like you can't even pee in peace in this place. Poor Ayako.

"Someone needs to teach this bastard a thing or two," Bou-san said quietly, his voice surprisingly low.

While everyone filtered out, Mai glanced back at him, wondering what he was planning. His reaction was more raw regarding Ayako's disappearance compared to the others. She couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't reacted as heavily as she did with John's or Yasu's.

It wasn't that she liked Ayako any less than the other two. In fact, Ayako was like a guardian to her, like a sister or even a mother sometimes. But, perhaps it was the repeated stress getting to her, that she was getting numb to it.

But Ayako didn't deserve that—she didn't deserve Mai's jaded reaction.

.

The atmosphere at dinner was sullen. The SPR team—or what remained of them—was quiet as they ate.

Everyone had been in favor of skipping dinner altogether, but Naru took advantage of his authority to make them eat.

"You won't be of use to them exhausted," was the way he had worded it. "Them" being their missing friends.

Even though he said it in his usual offhanded way, Mai couldn't help but respect him for it. He had never verbally expressed care for the team so openly before. Everyone must have been touched by this too, because they ate as much as they could.

He was right, after all. They had no chance of saving their friends if they had no energy.

After their expedited dinner, they followed Mai's markings on the floorplan and proceeded to take down the wall leading to the empty space. Given their lack of hands, Bou-san and Lin completed most of the heavy work.

They were able to create a decent-sized hole fairly quickly. When Naru shined a flashlight inside, Mai could see the change in flooring to that of an older stone brick. Lacking any fear, Naru entered the hole with everyone following behind.

"Agh! What a stench!" Bou-san cried, covering his nose.

Naru ignored him and continued through the room until he found a door directly opposite to the wall they had just come from. When he opened it, it revealed yet another stone brick wall. The two windows were exactly the same.

"Naru!"

Turning toward the sound of Lin's voice, he and Bou-san stood next to an open furnace. Mai stayed further back with Masako because she had a strong inkling that she didn't want to see what was in there.

And she was right.

They met with Ohashi-san and the other investigators soon after to inform them of the bodies found in the furnace.

"They must be the bodies of those who disappeared during the college student break-in and the search thereafter," Naru explained. "While we couldn't confirm it prior, the fact that these bodies were found dead, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Atsugi-san is dead."

Minami audibly gasped, sitting back in his chair in fright.

Igarashi-sensei was equally as disturbed. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Do you mean to say that Suzuki-san is also… ?"

"She actually may still be alive. While completing a séance to summon her spirit, her spirit never appeared, supporting that she may very well be alive."

"That's wonderful news!" Igarashi-sensei looked close to crying but from relief this time. Then, she paused, scanning the SPR group. "I recalled you having more members? Are they unwell?"

Naru's mouth tightened ever so slightly. "We are now missing three of our members."

Minami shot out of his chair. "I'm leaving! More people are missing now and turning up dead. My own life is in danger." He started for the door as the fake doctor followed suit.

Mai had heard enough.

She quickly stood and approached the two men. "You're not even going to try finding Atsugi-san, or at least his remains?"

Minami brushed her off. "What's the point? He's already dead. Ohashi-san can just call us when they find his body."

"You're a disgusting excuse for a human being," she said, glaring at him before turning her eyes to the fake doctor. "And what about you, 'Dr. Davis?' For someone so skilled in investigation, are you going to continue to be useless until the end while a bunch of 'amateurs' do your job for you?"

Mai.

While she swore she could hear Naru's disapproval, she definitely felt the disapproving glare on her back, but she didn't care. Her friends were missing, and this riff raff was only in it for themselves.

With everyone's glares at him coupled with Mai's proximity, the fake doctor broke down. He shook his head vigorously. "Stop! I'm not Oliver Davis! I'm just following this man's orders. He was trying to fool you all for attention," he admitted before slamming the door open and stomping away.

That left Minami sputtering as he ran out behind the imposter, screaming some nonsense about being made a fool of. Not that he needed anyone else's help to do so.

Igarashi-sensei brought a hand to head, falling back into her chair.

"We promise we'll do our best to find Suzuki-san," Mai said.

Igarashi-sensei nodded, wiping her eye. "Thank you. I hope you will be able to find your friends as well," she said, looking toward the rest of the team. "Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you."

After the confrontation and Naru scolding Mai for being rash, they returned back to the room from earlier to continue their excavation.

Mai sighed as she watched Bou-san, Lin, and even Naru work to tear down the wall. Apparently, this wall was thicker than the last. She rubbed at her arms in worry, disappointed that she was practically useless when it came to manual labor.

She couldn't help but wonder how they were even going to get rid of Urado. To have this strong of a presence meant he had a lot of spiritual energy to expend. Right now, their only exorcist was Bou-san while she was there only for support. Lin seemed to have something up his sleeve but she hadn't seen enough of his abilities to know what he was capable of.

Turning her attention elsewhere, she glanced over to where Masako was.

Masako sat quietly huddled with her back to the wall. Her head hunched over as her hands bunched up her kimono. Mai realized in that moment that she'd been so caught up in her own angst that she never thought to consider how the others felt.

While Mai had her breakdowns, the other members must have been staying strong for eachother's sakes.

Sitting down beside Masako, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Masako sucked in a breath and shook her head. "Truthfully, no. I'm worried, but I have to believe that they will be fine." Mai noticed the way her fingers picked at each other and wondered if that was a bad habit. Maybe that was why she always hid her hands under her kimono.

Rustling into her pocket, Mai pulled out her old house key. "Here, hold this," she said, handing it to Masako.

"What is it?"

"It's the key to the house I lived in with my parents when they were alive. Whenever I feel uneasy or worried, I fidget with this. It always makes me feel better."

Masako was quiet as she stared at the key before taking it. "Thank you."

"No problem!" Mai smiled, as best as she could in this situation. "Wish we could be more helpful, though. I feel so useless."

Masako chuckled. "You're anything but. You're the only one who has access to them."

Mai's eyes widened, realizing something. "You're right. I could project there and find out if they're okay." Before she got too excited, fear bubbled up in the pit of her stomach. "Not gonna lie, projecting there scared me so much earlier that I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"I understand," said Masako softly, a small encouraging smile on her face.

"But I have to. For our friends."

"Take this." Masako pulled out a beautifully embellished comb. "If you get scared, this will ground you and lead you back here."

Mai blinked, a warmth building in her chest. She smiled brightly, taking the comb carefully. "Thank you. I'll do my best."

With that, the girls sat back as Mai closed her eyes and sharpened her focus.

Once again, her spirit disconnected with her body, getting pulled towards the image in her mind—the old annex with the hallway and the tiled room.

She opened her eyes to the scene of her vision from earlier. She froze immediately in fear, memories of the vision replaying in her head. Sweat beaded up on her forehead as her heart pounded and her hands shook.

Squeezing the comb in her hand, she controlled her breathing and talked herself through. She had to do this for her friends. There wasn't time to falter.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, she pumped her fists in the air. She could do this.

Looking around, she couldn't find anyone but could hear faint chanting. Floating her way to the hallway, she passed through one of the doors.

"Suzuki-san!"

Passed out on the floor was Suzuki who looked sickly pale but alive. Her breathing was quiet but still present.

Why haven't they done anything to her?

The folded charm in her shirt pocket illuminated slightly, alerting Mai to its presence. Usa-sama's energy emanating from it.

Relief overwhelmed her body knowing her guardian deity was present. Thank you, Usa-sama.

Mai continued to the next room over.

"John!"

He sat cross legged with his rosary and Mai's bracelet in hand while reading lines from the bible word for word. He couldn't hear her, but she was just grateful to see that he was fine. He had another rosary stabbed into the door, which made her wonder if the assistants had tried to enter but he blocked them off.

The next room was Yasu's who was still unconscious like Suzuki. The charm she gave him glowed through his jacket pocket, once again alerting her of Usa-sama's presence.

The last person to check up on was Ayako. Her room was across the hallway.

When Mai entered, she found the talismans she made pasted on the inside of the door while Ayako prayed.

"We'll be there soon, Ayako. Just a little bit longer," Mai said, knowing she couldn't be heard.

And yet—

"Mai?"

"You can hear me?!"

"Barely. Are you guys coming? It's cold and creepy as hell here. I hear walking and shifting around outside and all I can do is put up a barrier. I think they had the rooms locked from the outside."

"Do you know where the key is?"

"Like hell I would know. Just… hurry up and come, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I promise we'll be there soon. I'll try to find the key."

Mai peeked her head out into the hall and looked around. Where would a key be? Did evil spirits even need keys? And how many keys would she need? Hopefully, just a skeleton key.

A small ball of light materialized before her taking on Usa-sama's form.

"Do you know where a key would be?" she asked.

Her guardian led her over to the tiled room, gesturing his head at a key that hung on the wall left of the bathtub. As soon as Mai saw the tub, her breath hitched in recognition. She tried to move, but her feet stayed glued to the floor.

Suddenly, something shifted in the tub causing the blood to splash against the edge.

Oh hell no.

Usa-sama looked back at her, assuring her that he would protect her. Her lips pressed together tightly, trying to build the courage. The comb in her hand grounding her, just like Masako has said. Nodding to herself despite her paralyzing fear, she ran for it.

She quickly grabbed the key and put it in her pocket, doing her best not to look beside at her.

The scent of rotten blood overwhelmed her senses, nauseating her. Then, a warm rancid breath blew against her ear and she nearly screamed. A shot of light at her side knocked whatever it was back into the tub with a splash.

While Usa-sama didn't say anything, she understood that whatever it was would only be stunned briefly.

Shutting her eyes and squeezing Masako's comb for dear life, she pulled herself back to her body where the physical comb was.

She shot up from the wall with a gasp. When she felt something touch her, she nearly shrieked and swatted it away.

"It's me, Mai," said Masako.

"Huh? Oh… Masako." Mai swallowed and nodded, regaining her composure. She handed Masako her comb back. "Thank you for this."

"Did you find out anything?" Naru walked over.

Mai pushed herself up to stand. She reached into her pocket, unsure if she had successfully brought the key back with her or not. When she felt the cold metal, her eyes widened.

"Wow! I actually brought it with me!" She stared at the key in disbelief.

"What is it?" asked Bou-san.

"It's a skeleton key. Everyone's locked up right now, but no one's been harmed. Suzuki looks close to death, though. We need to get her medical help immediately."

Mai looked past them toward the wall to see that they had made a big enough sized hole to get through. Her eyes widened. "You're done?"

"We were waiting for you to wake up."

"They're waiting for us!" Mai shot up and headed towards the opening.

Altogether, they cautiously walked through the exact layout Mai had seen in her vision. When they got to the parlor with the mounted display of wine, armchair, and fireplace, she knew what came next. When they got to the hedge maze, she tried her best to guide them through but it still took awhile. Naru ended up solving it faster than she could.

When the annex came into view, Naru grabbed her wrist before she could run off. "Remember what we talked about."

She looked back at him for moment before pulling her wrist out of his grasp.

"Then, come with me," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

He didn't get a say as she led him up the stairs and down the hall until they arrived at the hallway leading to the tiled room. She reached into her pocket to retrieve the skeleton key to start unlocking the doors.

"Mai!" Ayako shot up. "I am so glad to see you."

"We'll talk later. We gotta get everyone else out. Can you help?"

Ayako helped Naru with Suzuki, while John attempted to wake Yasu. The sound of splashing liquid alerted her to their main danger.

While Yasu finally woke up after several shakes, he was still a bit groggy as they helped him into a stand.

"You guys go first and meet up with Bou-san and Lin. I'll- I can hold him back for a bit."

"Him" being the demon rising from the bathtub. Urado rose out of his pool. His skin stuck to his bones like glue, a deranged expression on his face as he smiled unnaturally at them. His mouth spread from ear to ear as he watched them like prey. There was nothing human left to him.

"GO NOW!" She practically pushed everyone down the hall as she prepared her paper talismans. Two invisible hands grabbed her arms and yanked her forward into the tiled room and shoved her against the procedure table in the center, her chest and abdomen slamming against it. Blood from the table splashed onto her clothes and face.

"Mai!"

The door to the room slammed closed. Her eyes squeezed shut in pain.

One of the hands grabbed her hair from behind and forced her head upwards. The rancid breath was back again as it blew against her face. She opened her eyes and immediately screamed.

Urado cackled, his face close enough to lick the blood off her cheek with his shriveled rotten tongue.

"Get away from me!"

Usa-sama's light knocked Urado away as the door behind her was knocked down to the floor.

"You're mine, you piece of shit!" Bou-san bulldozed through and rammed a vajra into Urado's head, reciting his chant.

Lin whistled as two invisible masses made the finishing blow, dissipating Urado's body into a black mist.

"He's not gone yet. We need to go," said Lin from the door.

Mai didn't have any time to process as they all made a run for it.

Bou-san ended up taking Suzuki on his back while Yasu leaned against Lin for faster movement. Mai prayed as they escaped for a layer of defense, while John used what remained of his holy water to keep the assistants away.

Even if she couldn't see him, Mai knew Urado was on their tail.

"We gotta get out," Bou-san said, putting Suzuki down to break a nearby window.

As soon as they were all outside on the grass, everyone fell to the ground in relief. Mai essentially face-planted as soon as they were out, unable to utter a single word as she caught her breath.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Naru, brushing off the dirt from his clothes.

"Mm," was her reply.

They didn't waste anymore time sitting around as they had to get Suzuki medical attention. As everyone got up, Mai couldn't move an inch.

"I… I can't move," she said, her face pink from embarrassment.

"If I was some superhero, I'd carry both you and Suzuki-san on my back," Bou-san joked.

Mai groaned, attempting to sit up—her limbs like jelly.

Suddenly, Naru crouched down to her level with his back facing her. "Get on," he said.

Uhhh…

"We don't have all day, Mai."

Grumbling, she slung her arms around his neck while his hands wrapped under her knees.

Ayako giggled, trying to hide her smirk while Bou-san eyed Naru suspiciously.

Masako looked away.

Mai was so exhausted that the team's chatter faded into background noise as the pace of Naru's walk lulled her to sleep. She laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as she allowed herself to be selfish.

Just one more time.

Chapter Text

(Piggyback scene from last chapter)

The aftermath of the case had been a blur. The last Mai remembered was falling asleep on Naru's back. According to Yasu, she had slept through the entire case's wrap-up.

Naru had informed Ohashi and the other guests of what had happened as EMS assessed Suzuki and prepared her for the ride to the hospital. His instructions were to set fire to the mansion. It was unclear whether Urado was attached to the land or not, but the safest solution was to purify everything with fire.

Because he hunted ghosts, not demons.

His last recommendation was that anyone who remained in the mansion until its burning had to be over the age of 30, lest they suffered the risk of death.

After leaving those eerie instructions, SPR hastefully packed and left.

Mai woke up in the van approximately an hour or two later. Her neck hurt like hell, but she barely had the strength—or motivation—to move. After another 20 minutes of discomfort, she finally mustered the strength to shift herself. As if on cue, the memories of everything that happened flooded back into her head causing her eyes to snap open in alarm.

The clock said it was noon, so they must be heading back to Tokyo. She let out a sigh in relief, closing her eyes and dropping her head back onto its rest. Thank Usa-sama that they were out of that hellish place.

Suddenly, her headrest moved. If she had to take a guess…

It was probably Naru.

She held her breath and opened her eyes. Turning her head ever so slightly, her cheeks warmed when she realized she was resting on Naru's shoulders while his head drooped over hers. Telling by the laptop in his lap, he must've fallen asleep in the middle of typing his report.

How cute.

She fought the hardest urge to giggle. Carefully, she reached over to save the document for him, putting the laptop to sleep before closing it gently. When he shifted, she froze. Eventually, he settled down, so she took a quick peek.

Compared to his usual furrowed brows and flat affect, his expression now couldn't be described as anything other than serene and innocent. No longer was he frowning. No longer were his features hardened by the difficulties of life—no more death visions, no more social burdens, no more facing a world without his twin.

Mai knew Naru didn't sleep well, but she wasn't sure if it was a habit he always had, or if it was how he coped with Gene's death. He was always up late when she texted him, or when she would trek to the base during cases. Some days his eyebags were worse than others, but they never fully went away.

So, he must have been exhausted to have fallen asleep in the van.

Her face softened.

What can I do so that you can sleep peacefully like this more often?

A strangled cough from her left ripped her out of her thoughts. What a time to remember that Lin was with them!

Turning away sharply, she rummaged through her pant pockets for her phone to distract herself—wait, had she always been wearing these sweatpants? And this hoodie?

She could've sworn she had a pair of shorts and a baggy long-sleeve on during her confrontation with Urado. Then, the memory of blood splashing onto her clothes as she was slammed into the operating table flashed into her mind.

Ah. So, someone must have changed her.

She prayed to Usa-sama that it was Ayako. Masako would've been fine, but she didn't need another teenage girl judging her body. Even worse was if Naru had to ever change her clothes out of necessity. Now, that would be the day she melted into the floor for good.

Even though the whole thought process was ludicrous, she couldn't help but wonder what Naru would think of her body…

Mai, don't even finish that thought, she reprimanded herself, covering her face in embarassment as she shook her head.

But really though, did he have a preference? A lot of guys at her school seemed to like girls with larger chests. And what about hips? That one magazine Bou-san forgot to put away—when she and John had come over to play with his cat—popped up into the recesses of her memory.

Damn it. She had been so close to forgetting about it too.

Shaking her head, she tried to ground herself. This was Keiko-level degeneracy.

Ghosts over boys. Ghosts over boys. Ghosts over boys.

Besides, it wasn't like Naru was the type to care about bodies. Half the time, it was like he forgot women even exist. It was probably better that way for her self-esteem. She wasn't particularly blessed, but she also wasn't flat-chested. Then again, she was still a teenager so who knew how she would end up looking as an adult?

Not that it mattered.

She shook her head in frustration again. It was normal to be self-conscious about her body as a teen, but why did it matter what a guy thought? It wasn't like she and Naru would be doing anything anyway. They were friends.

Just friends.

Normally, I can't hear all your thoughts, but for some reason, I feel like I just returned to something that should make me very uncomfortable.

Gene! You're back!

I don't know if I want to be. Am I interrupting your horny thoughts?

GOODBYE.

And she closed off her othersense.

A weak chuckle next to her ear had her nearly crashing into Lin and sending them all to the astral plane. Holding a hand to her heart as she breathed heavily, she blinked at Naru who now sat awake watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"You nearly scared the soul out of me! When did you wake up?"

"After you shook your head for the fourth time. You must have been having a heated debate with yourself."

Heat rose to her ears as she quickly turned away from him. "Why were you watching me?"

"It's like studying wildlife."

Meanwhile, Lin continued practicing his self-erasure techniques. If he practiced anymore, he might finally become one with the background.

.

Oliver glanced as his phone screen lit up for the 20th time that minute.

After the creation of the "SPR Group Chat" for case purposes, the members of his team decided to use it for casual conversation, shopping lists, memes, and what they dubbed as "selfies." Oliver had to wonder why he—or Lin—bothered to stay in the group, especially after Madoka added herself.

Speaking of Madoka, she was slated to leave Japan in the coming weeks. He wondered why she had even stuck around this long. Their benefits package was quite fair, but BSPR didn't offer that much PTO.

To her credit, she was technically a working investigator for his branch while she was in Japan.

On paper.

She had joined them on exactly three and a half cases total. The first was for the Rokuryou high school case, second was helping with research during the Urado case, followed by two other insignificant cases. One of which was only her and Mai. Telling by her word salad of a report, he questioned if the investigation was as involved as she made it sound.

Allegedly, she was also completing reports for BSPR through data analysis and literature composition for her most recent study.

Oliver's phone lit-up once again, breaking him from his thoughts.

Just as he was halfway to turning it face down, he noticed a picture in the message notification. He wasn't sure what compelled him to open it, but he did.

The SPR group chat opened to a string of messages between Yasuhara, Madoka, Matsuzaki, and Mai about her school trip to Kyoto that she was on right now. She was currently at an Otsukimi festival visiting the Okazaki shrine.

The first picture was of the rabbit statues that guarded the shrine.

The second picture was what caught his attention. Mai stood in front of the shrine posing for the camera. Meanwhile, that boy from school she was friends with posed in the background.

Oliver frowned. There was nothing particularly offensive about the picture, but he wondered where her other female school friends were.

Apparently, Madoka was also curious.

Madoka: Who's that? :3 Where are your girlfriends?

Yasuhara: Yeah, who's that? :3

Mai: Yasu, shut up. Madoka, you've met him before!

Yasuhara: :L

Matsuzaki: Isn't that the kid from the park? The one you were two-timing on?

Mai: There was no two-timing!

Madoka: What are you guys doing straying from the group ;)

Mai then sent another picture, this time of her with the rest of her group.

That was all Oliver needed to see before he put his phone on "Do Not Disturb." He had wasted enough time on trivialities. He picked up his tea cup only to scowl at its lack of contents.

Checking the tea pot, his scowl deepened.

Empty.

He exhaled through his nose before forcing himself out of his seat and into the kitchen. While he waited for the water to boil, the jingle of the door alerted him to a newcomer. He came around the corner to find Hara Masako.

She smiled and greeted him. "Hello. I just came by to drop off some sweets I got from a client." She placed the bag on Mai's desk. "Please feel free to share them."

Oliver nodded. "Thank you," he said. Remembering that he should have some semblance of manners, he asked, "Would you like tea?"

She seemed to hesitate briefly before reluctantly nodding her head. "Yes. Please, allow me to help."

After the tea was set, they sat across from each other in the waiting area. It was silent as they prepped their tea, Oliver adding a dash of milk to his.

Unsurprisingly, Hara was the first to break the silence. "There has been something on my mind," she said, looking down to the teacup nestled between her hands. "I… I have been foolish, and I apologize."

Oliver stayed silent, allowing her to find her words. He wasn't sure where she was going with this but now he was curious.

"I don't intend- I've never intended to reveal your true identity," she said, correcting herself.

He raised an eyebrow. "Any reason that you're bringing that up now?"

She averted her gaze, her eyes refusing to meet his. He noticed her grip on the teacup tightening.

Collecting her resolve, she looked him straight in the face, her cheeks slightly pink. "I realized my mistake and I would like to correct it. If you would give me a chance, I would like to get to know you better. Normally, this time."

Oliver raised a brow, slightly surprised. She's gotten bolder.

What had transpired for Hara Masako to be vulnerable like this, he wasn't sure. No girl had ever been interested in him this long enough to make the effort, so he had to give her at least that much credit.

Unfortunately for her, Gene was much better suited for this kind of situation.

Granted, if he had been the Oliver from before Gene's death, he would have outright disregarded her feelings. The Oliver now was surprisingly more patient. Perhaps, with age came maturity.

Imaginary Mai in his head snickered.

"Quite frankly, I don't know what you see in me aside from my appearance," he said cordially.

Hara sat, unfazed. "Despite what you believe, you have many qualities. For one, you are intelligent, accomplished, skilled in what you do, and have demonstrated a strong care for your team. Those are all admirable qualities. I believe we match each other well, given my abilities and reputation."

From a superficial standpoint, she wasn't wrong. The image of a world-renowned psychic researcher in a relationship with Japan's celebrity medium would make headlines in some recluse corner online for those without more important things to do.

"I'm sure you're aware that I am not one for romance."

Once again, Hara was unfazed. "We don't have to be in a relationship, but I would like a chance to get to know you better without the forced obligation of our previous terms. Whether as friends, or not. If anything more develops, fine. If not, I will also accept it." Her eyes held determination, and potentially, another emotion.

Oliver stared at her for a few moments.

He wasn't sure how he managed to surround himself with a group of persistent females. Between his mother, Hara, Matsuzaki, Madoka, and Mai, each one was just as stubborn as the next. Regardless of what he said, he knew they would continue to go about doing whatever they wanted.

While he rather not be bothered at all, he could look at it in an advantageous standpoint. She wasn't intolerable, having a good connection with her allowed for more opportunities in the Japanese paranormal sphere, and if it came down to it, she could scare away any other foolish women. And then, there was that conversation with Mai he had about friendship.

"What if I end up taking advantage of you?" he countered.

She sipped her own tea, placing the cup gracefully back on the saucer. "I have worked with you long enough to know that you aren't one to unfairly take advantage of others," she paused, studying him.

"You think too highly of me."

Hara frowned, tilting her head slightly. "We all think highly of you. Is it so difficult to believe that others may want to get closer to you?"

His brow twitched, a sudden chill brushing through the room.

Oliver exhaled slowly. Her question reminded him of something Martin asked him years ago. His answer back then had been quick, something he didn't have to even think twice about.

Now, the answer wasn't so clear.

He sighed, drinking the rest of his tea before saying, "Do as you please."

Hara's eyes widened, her face lighting up. "Thank you." She then stood to retrieve the treats she had brought, unpacking them onto the coffee table. "Perhaps, Lin-san may want to join us," she said.

Rather than waiting his approval like she would have before, she walked to Lin's office of her own accord.

Oliver's eyes followed her. She never would have asked him something so direct before. Her previous approach had always been through suggestion and implication. It also seemed as if her demeanor had changed as well. She appeared less tense now, her presence lighter. He wondered what sparked the change.

The image of Mai's dumb grin popped into his head.

Of course, it would be her.

.

"Wow…" Mai took in the expanse of the shrine, the moon casting an ethereal glow on the premises. She could only imagine how beautiful the area would be when autumn was at its peak.

It was odd.

Despite being on the other side of the country, the Okazaki shrine felt like another home to her. She felt welcomed here, like she was among family. Usa-sama's glowing form hopped around the shrine with energy, leaving a trail of glowing paw prints.

While her group lingered around the festivities, something drew her to the intricately landscaped pond in the back of the shrine. It was a series of elevated ponds that poured into each other through small waterfalls. Stone rabbits were sprawled along the land.

"Shouldn't you be having fun at the festival, Ojou-san?"

Mai turned to the side, finding an elderly priest with a broom. "Good evening. I was just admiring the pond. It's so serene."

The old man chuckled, nodding his head. "It sure is. Whenever I had problems as a youngster, I would come here to clear my mind. Water is very clarifying."

"I can't argue with that," she said. "Are you the priest of this shrine?"

"Yes, I am. I've been serving this shrine ever since I lost my daughter. It's provided me a lot of clarity and time to heal."

Mai nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry to hear about your daughter."

The man offered her a smile before glancing to the deity at her side. "I see you're not unfamiliar with the gods' blessings."

Her eyes widened. "You can see him?"

"Of course, I can," he said, stepping beside her with his hands folded behind his back. "While you're here, try dipping your hands in the water. There's a tale that spring water that flows here is actually holy water."

"Are you sure I can?"

He gestured his head toward the pond. "Go ahead. You're probably the most qualified."

"Oh, okay," she said, looking at her hands before crouching down. Reluctantly, she dipped one hand in before dipping the other to scoop the water. What felt like spiritual energy flowed from her hands out to the tips of her hair, almost like a static shock. "Is it supposed to feel like electric?"

She glanced over to the man's reflection, realizing that he never had one. Shooting her head up, she blinked as she stared up at air.

"Hello? Oji-san?"

"Who are you talking to, Taniyama-san?"

Mai quickly stood, spinning in a circle as she looked for the old man. "Uh, would you believe me if I said no one?"

Takata scratched his head, cautiously looking around the area. "You weren't lying when you said you talked to ghosts."

That's right. After one thing led to another, Takata found out about her abilities. He wasn't really surprised considering her job and all. What was more surprising was that he shrugged it off like it was normal. He didn't make any comments about her being creepy nor did he want to stop being friends.

It was so weird that she was still trying to get used to it.

"Don't you think that's creepy?" she asked.

Takata shrugged. "Nah, it's actually kind of cool. You're like a manga protagonist."

You kind of are, y'know.

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. Her hands hung in the air, dripping from the pond water. She shook them to remove any excess, not noticing as Takata walked up to her.

He suddenly took them into his own, pulling out his handkerchief. He then gently dried her hands off, the softness of the cloth brushing along her skin.

Mai's heart beat rapidly as she internally freaked out, her voice stuck in her throat.

"Oh, sorry. Did that make you uncomfortable?" He paused, pulling away. "I-I don't know what I was thinking." He took a few steps back, averting his gaze in embarassment.

She turned away as well, her hand over her heart in an attempt to calm it. Why couldn't she say anything? What was she supposed to say?

Was she uncomfortable? No? Yes? She didn't know anymore.

"I'm so sorry!" Takata bowed rapidly, obviously repenting.

Shaking her head and arms, she frantically thought of what to do. "N-no! It's okay! I wasn't uncomfortable. Just surprised!"

He looked relieved as he let out a big sigh. "Oh, good- wait, you weren't uncomfortable?"

She blinked, realizing what she'd said. "Um, no, I guess I wasn't."

He gulped, turning to hide his face, scratching his head.

Uh, what do I do? Gene?

Hey, don't include me in your shoujo-manga moment.

I'm serious, Gene! You're more experienced with this kind of stuff!

She heard her spirit guide sigh. Well, let's start with—do you like him?

Mai blinked, never having considered the question before. Did she have feelings for Takata? Possibly? The more she got to know him, the more she grew to like spending time with him. And she didn't exactly hate his attention either.

She would be lying if she said she didn't feel some semblance of attraction toward Takata, like a crush.

But were her feelings for him the same as her feelings for Naru?

Her feelings for Naru were more like…

They were like what?

She thought they had just been simply feelings of infatuation, but now that she compared them to her crush on Takata… they seemed much more convoluted than she originally thought. And that only meant one thing—

Rather than going away, her feelings had only gotten stronger.

Damn it, Naru.

If only he would stop doing weird things that made her want to melt into the floor! For someone without any experience woo-ing girls, he was doing an awfully good job.

Then, there was Takata who stood with her now. He was the textbook example of a perfectly kind and down-to-earth guy that any girl would be lucky to have. Yet, the idea of pursuing any kind of relationship scared her.

Maybe that was why she was constantly making excuses for why she couldn't pursue anyone. Yes, her current life and future plans played a part in it, but was that really it? Or was it fear? Fear of what, though?

Takata coughed, ripping her out of her daze. She could only see the side of his face, but he didn't look or sound upset. "We should go. Aino just texted me that they're waiting for us at the entrance."

"Oh, um, okay," she said lamely, moving to walk beside him. Usa-sama hopped ahead of them, leading the way. She focused entirely on her guardian deity as they walked, trying to formulate something to say.

Other shrine visitors passed by them, the gentle glow from the lanterns casting light shadows as they moved. The sounds of their chatter and laughter were way too effective at breaking her concentration. Her brain was malfunctioning.

Before they reached the entrance, Takata stopped and turned to her. "You don't have to say anything, Taniyama-san. I get it," Takata said, an understanding smile on his face. "I'm kind of ashamed to admit it, but I accidentally overheard a conversation a while ago mentioning that you weren't sure about a relationship right now."

Mai blinked. That was likely the works of Keiko and Michiru.

He scratched his cheek. "I just want you to know, I think you're worth the wait. Even if you end up finding someone else you like, I'd be happier knowing that I tried," he said bashfully, averting his gaze again. "Because you're a pretty cool person."

There it was again, her heart pounding in her chest. Heat rose to her cheeks and ears as she stared at him dumbstruck. The moonlight illuminating against his hair gave it a blue tinge, masking his warm dark brown with a purplish tone. The breeze swayed his bangs to softly brush against his eyebrows.

His hair grew…

Why was she just noticing this now?

"Guys, what's the hold up?!" Their friends called out in the distance, breaking her out of her trance.

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming!" Takata said, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

What he and Mai didn't hear was Gene's off-handed remark.

Looks like the idiot has a rival.

.

Mai paced in her hotel room, thanking Usa-sama that her friends were gluttons for snacks and sugary drinks.

When her group had returned to the hotel per their curfew, Takata sent her a sheepish smile before heading back with the other boys. And… she felt like a fool when she blushed and her friends picked up on it.

What was even worse was that it felt like utter infidelity.

"Okay, Mai, now you're being ridiculous!" she said aloud. "It's not like you and Naru are in a relationship. You can flirt with as many guys as you want!"

Pfft.

Usa-sama, who was still there for some reason, groomed himself as he listened to his priestess whine about the woes of young human romance.

She dropped onto her futon and groaned into her pillow while kicking her feet.

"Why now…" she said, sighing.

It's not like you didn't know that he was into you, Gene said.

"Yeah, I know." She paused, turning her head to the side. "I just didn't expect him to… you know."

Be that smooth? Know how to make moves on a girl?

"It's embarrassing when you put it like that!"

Take it from a dude. He knew what he was doing. You knock her off-guard a little and then she won't be able to stop thinking about you.

"Please tell me guys don't really think those things. Isn't that like mind-games?"

It's no different than girls giving the cold-shoulder to get attention.

"That sounds like a whole other ordeal. On another note, you sure know an awful lot about this kind of thing for someone who's mentally 15."

Well, Luella likes to watch soap operas.

"Figures."

To take her mind off things, she reached for her phone. A notification from Naru had her shooting up into a sitting position. He'd sent her a message asking for what reason she had to curse him earlier.

Had she been?

You did say, 'Damn it, Naru' earlier.

"Oh, right."

How could she even reply to that? It wasn't like she could tell him that she was mad at him for always doing things that made her want to melt. In the end, all she could muster was a single melting emoji.

The room door then opened to reveal Michiru, Keiko, and their other friend, Eri.

"You feeling better now?" Michiru asked, handing her a milk tea.

She mumbled a barely audible, "Yeah."

Her friends glanced at each other. Keiko squinted at her suspiciously before dropping herself down beside her. "I knew it. Something totally happened with Takata-kun."

"Yeah, you've been weird since we met up." Michiru sat herself down too, opening her bag of rice crackers. "Don't tell me…!"

"Did he confess?!" Eri asked, holding her hands to her cheeks.

Feeling self-conscious with all the eyes on her, Mai closed her eyes and placed the milk tea can on her cheek. Nice and cool.

"He might as well have," she said.

The three girls squealed, leaning in with the eyes of famished wolves.

Mai rolled her eyes, knowing that they would beat the story out of her sooner or later. Thus, she explained what happened between her and Takata.

"This trip was supposed to be for me to find the boy of my dreams." Keiko pouted as she fake cried while suffocating a plushy. "Not for Mai to get the cutest not-confession when she doesn't even want it. So unfair."

Mai rubbed at her temples, not unlike the way Naru would during their team's antics.

"And you already have Shibuya-kun to boot. Leave some for the rest of us!"

Michiru laughed. "Just because you're unlucky with guys doesn't mean the rest of us have to be too." She grinned and put an arm around Eri, the only other girl with a boyfriend.

Keiko glared in envy before diverting her daggers toward Mai.

While Mai was single, she was considered "soon to be spoken for" for whatever reason as if it was a given.

Mai sighed, saying, "You know Naru and I aren't like that. Besides, I already told you guys it's not a good time for dating right now." Usa-sama jumped into her lap at that moment then, receiving a head pat in response.

Keiko stopped her fake crying to subconsciously watch Mai pet the air, before remembering to stay on topic. "At least tell us this, do you really not like Takata-kun? At all?"

When they were met with silence, the girls once again took wary glances at each other.

Mai blew at her bangs, groaning. "I don't know anymore. I guess I might have a small crush on him, but how can I like him and also like Naru?"

Michiru giggled into her hand. "You've been so busy reading ghost stories that you've abandoned all romances, haven't you?"

"Yeah. You can still have a crush even while being in a relationship, you know. You just don't act on it," said Eri, tucking a strand of her black hair behind her ear.

Keiko brought a hand to her chin and narrowed her eyes. "Then, that leaves the question of who you like more? Takata-kun, or Shibuya-kun?"

Mai scrunched her brows as she played with Usa-sama's ears. Who did she like most? Even though her brain couldn't compute it, her gut said otherwise.

"I like them both the same for different reasons," she mumbled, putting her hand to her lips. "I like Takata-kun's patience, kindness, and open-mindedness. He's really thoughtful!"

Her friends nodded, urging her to continue.

"As for Naru," she said, trailing off as she thought. There were a lot of things she liked about him. "He can be a little cold sometimes, but when he lets his kindness show, it means the world. And it's silly to say it out loud, but he's actually easy to talk to. I'm sure he judges some of the things I say, but for some reason, I don't care. It's like I know he wouldn't think of me differently. He's actually been a lot less rude lately too."

When she looked back over at her friends, she made a face when all of them smiled at her weirdly.

"I don't know, Mai," said Michiru, a hand on her cheek. "Sounds to me like you definitely like one more than the other."

Once again, Mai's brain wasn't computing.

Keiko shook her head in disapproval. "To think you were this oblivious."

Michiru shot Keiko a glare before giving Mai a sympathetic look. "What she's trying to say is that you don't just like Shibuya-kun."

Mai tilted her head.

"It sounds more like you're in love with him."

.

Mai yelled into Gene's favorite nap pillow. "This is awful!"

The spirit in question bit at one of his nails, unamused at her theatrics. He pulled his hand away to assess his work. "You're acting like someone burned your crops and poisoned your water supply."

"They might as well have," she said, shoving her face into the pillow. "I was doomed for failure as soon as I caught feelings. Not only do I like Takata-kun, but I might be in love with Naru too! It's a disaster."

He rolled his eyes. "Is loving my brother that bad?"

Mai paused in her whining, the tips of her ears reddening as she gave a muffled, "No…"

"Then, what's the problem?"

"I put in all this work to stay out of a relationship and it was all for nothing."

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Her issue wasn't necessarily about Takata. It was about Noll.

"Just because you love him doesn't mean you broke your own set of ridiculous rules—you're not in a relationship, are you? Besides, I'm actually more impressed that Noll made it this far."

"What do you mean?"

"My dear twin, who is notorious for scaring girls away, has managed to soften the heart of one peculiar young lady. One of a soft heart but a loud mouth."

And she threw the pillow at his face. "Why did I even bother asking?"

Gene laughed, nudging her with his foot so that he could sit on the couch. She sat up to give him room.

"Okay, okay. Say I agree with you that right now isn't the best time for a relationship, but what about later on?"

Mai laid her head on the back of the couch, shrugging. "I'll tell him. Eventually. Doesn't mean he'll reciprocate, though."

Gene placed an elbow on the back of the couch, resting his head on it as he watched her. "What if he does?"

"Then… I'll be really surprised," she said, nonchalantly. It was obvious that she wasn't considering his question seriously, like the idea wasn't even plausible.

Gene pressed his lips together, understanding that no matter what he said, he wouldn't be able to change her mindset. Being as stubborn and in denial as she was, Noll would have to do something so drastically obvious that even Mai wouldn't be able to find an excuse for it.

Whenever that happened, he wanted to be in the front row seat.

.

Autumn began rearing its head starting with Madoka's departure. She had left enough of a mark that the SPR irregulars took her to dinner as a good-bye. Even after she left, she continued to be active in the group chat, much to Oliver's dismay.

In terms of cases, there were a few small ones here and there but nothing interesting. While it was enough to keep the office open without cutting into Oliver's own funds, he wondered if he would have to resort to spending more on the advertising budget. After all, receiving cases outside of Tokyo prefecture made hunting down lakes more convenient.

The sudden movement of something white out of the corner of his eye tore him from his thoughts. He glanced over to the corner in question to find nothing. Used to this phenomenon by now, his eyes scanned his office until he caught sight of the culprit again, this time leaping onto his desk.

Rabbit eyes blinked at him as he blinked back, his face ever stoic.

As Mai's abilities grew, so did the powers of her guardian deity. Thus, it wasn't uncommon for him to see glimpses of the white rabbit whenever she was in the vicinity.

He wasn't the only one seeing him, however.

All of the irregulars had mentioned catching glimpses of him when they came by, including Madoka when she was still in Japan. Sometimes the deity was in Mai's school bag, while other times he could be seen on her shoulder or on her desk. The SPR group chat joked that maybe she should try getting him to possess a stuffed animal.

Oliver found the idea ludicrous.

This was real life, not a TV show.

Speaking of Mai, something else that had changed was her behavior. After she returned from her school trip, she would often get flustered and awkward whenever anyone asked about it.

She would answer with a quick, "It was fine! A completely normal school trip! Yeah!" Even from the shelter of his office, it was hard to miss how "off" her response was.

And then there was the issue of her new habit.

As if on cue, his office door opened unannounced, revealing the source of his perplexity.

Mai sat down on one of his lounge chairs, her head and neck leaning on one armrest while her legs draped over the side of the other. When she got so comfortable around him, he wasn't sure.

This was her new habit—sitting in his office when she had something on her mind. Luckily, it wasn't frequent. She didn't always say what the issue was, and he didn't always ask. Sometimes he would answer her vague questions and then she would leave. Sometimes she vented to him without his input, and then thanked him with more tea.

Somehow, it had become a new normal. He didn't even bat an eye anymore.

"…Is there something you needed?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the research he was reformatting.

He heard her sigh. "No…"

If she didn't need anything, then he was going to continue working.

"Well," she started to say.

So, she wanted to talk, after all.

When she didn't continue her thought, he exhaled through his nose in annoyance before looking at her from around his monitor. Usa-sama—whom he still had a difficult time referring to as such—hopped off the desk in favor of sitting on Mai's stomach.

"Err, I have a personal case that I was asked to help out with," she said, "but I thought it might be better for the group to address together."

Interesting. Mai took on small jobs by herself on behalf of SPR, which he supported since it was good for her development, but she had never requested help before.

"This lady just inherited a house and a bunch of old possessions from her great aunt. She recently moved in but feels like something is off with the house. Apparently, it feels like she's always being watched, even in the shower. Sometimes, she sees a figure following behind her when she walks by the hallway mirror."

Sounded like the typical signs of a haunting—or, the plot for a fictional depiction of a haunting on some TV program.

Oliver rested his cheek in his hand. "And what makes this case interesting enough for SPR to take it? Have you visited the house yourself to survey if it really is supernatural phenomena?"

Mai opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself as she considered what to say. Her mouth opened and closed a few more times like a sputtering fish before she eventually said, "I was actually going to check it out now since we're closing soon. I figured I would ask if you wanted to come along."

He considered it, but the chance of it being a waste of time weighed too much.

"I'll pass. If you find the situation serious enough, schedule an appointment with the owner of the house."

"Oh, okay, sure," she said, shrugging to herself.

Then, the sound of the office door opened, signaling a customer's arrival. Mai hurried to greet them, accidentally leaving his door ajar as she left.

"Mai-chan, are you ready to go?" That sounded like that school boy she was friends with.

Oliver needed to remind her that her friends couldn't come and go as they pleased during work hours.

"Oh, Takata-kun. Yeah, I am! Let me just get my stuff."

"No rush. By the way, thanks for checking this out. Yamada-san will be out for a bit, so I'll give you the tour of the house."

Oliver's ears perked up.

"You said she's your neighbor. You must be close if you can come and go when she's not there," Mai said. "Does she live alone?"

"No, but the family's out right now so we'll have the house to ourselves. That'll be better for your investigation, right?"

"Doesn't matt-"

"I will also be coming," Oliver said as he left his office, causing Mai and Takata to jump at his quiet arrival.

Takata smiled nervously, bowing his head in greeting. "Ah, so you got your boss in on it too, Mai-chan?"

'Mai-chan.' Oliver frowned.

Mai's questioning stare lingered on her confusing boss for a second longer. Before she could say anything, Oliver beat her to it. "Mai is still a training investigator. So, I will be supervising."

"Um, okay then." Takata shrugged.

While Mai gathered her coat in utter confusion, Oliver put on his own trench coat and stopped by Lin's office to let him know of their departure.

"Is this necessary?" Lin scrutinized, lifting a brow.

"I don't understand what you mean," Oliver said, shutting the office door behind him.

Chapter Text

Mai's eyes darted back and forth awkwardly as she walked between the two boys. Ever since they left the SPR office, she couldn't help but feel like the air was a touch off.

Well, at least only on one side.

While Takata led the way, he walked closely beside her on the left, whistling in his carefree way with his hands in his pockets. Meanwhile, she was nearly shivering from the cold air coming from Naru's side on her right. Was there a breeze blowing from between the buildings or something? It was late fall but the temperatures were nowhere this freezing.

Seeing her shiver, Takata stopped walking to unwrap his scarf. "You should bundle up more if you get cold easily," he said, winding it around her neck before she could decline it.

Mai's cheeks warmed up, her mouth opening and closing unsure of what to say. Ultimately, she settled on a small "thank you."

Unbeknownst to them, Naru watched the whole interaction with repugnance. There really wasn't anything wrong with the scene, but he found it rather unappealing to witness. Then again, he had always reacted similarly to other related actions, including those from Luella's soap operas.

It wasn't his business anyway.

The group hopped onto the train before stopping at a more residential area. Takata showed them around, pointing out to certain restaurants and other landmarks.

"Have you lived here your whole life?" asked Mai, scanning the area. It reminded her of the area she grew up in with her parents.

"Yeah," he said, before pointing at a tea shop. "This is my parents' shop."

Mai's eyes lit up, practically glimmering. She pranced over to take a closer look, noticing the more traditional interior. "I didn't know they ran a tea shop. I'll have to come by sometime!"

"You're always welcome," Takata said, smiling warmly. A cold breeze sent a chill up his back and he remembered Mai's boss. "You should come by too, Boss-san! Mai-chan says you're also a tea enthusiast."

Naru grunted in reply, unamused as always. Takata smiled good-naturedly and shrugged before directing them to continue on. They had only took a mere step before someone called out to them.

"Satoru! Take this with you to Yamada-san's." A middle-aged lady, with the same warm dark brown hair as Takata, called out from the door of the shop. Her eyes wandered until they landed on Mai and Naru, lighting up instantly.

"Ah, hello," Mai said in greeting.

Takata's mom practically skipped over to them. "You two must be my Satoru's friends! I apologize for his rudeness. I thought I taught him better," she said, glaring at her son. "Please, come in for tea!"

Surprisingly, it was Naru who replied to her. "Thank you for the offer. We are actually the team that will be investigating your neighbor's home. We should inspect the home before it gets too dark."

Rather than take offense, she brushed him off with a hand. "Nonsense! Ghosts are more active at night, anyway. One cup, I insist!" She grabbed Naru's arm and pulled him into the shop.

Mai couldn't see his face, but she could imagine the unamused scowl. She felt the corner of her mouth twitch as she held in a giggle.

After Takata's mom sat them down, she sent her son a look as she prepped their cups. "You didn't tell me you had such a handsome friend!"

Takata rubbed his face, embarassed. "He's Mai-chan's boss."

As if her face couldn't get any brighter. She quickly bossed her husband in the back to make some tea for their guests before setting herself a chair next to her son to observe Mai.

"So, this is the famous 'Mai-chan,'" she said, resting her head in her hands.

Mai shrunk back at her intense stare, looking around the room awkwardly. "Uh, nice to meet you, Takata-san."

"Please, call me Akemi," Takata's mom introduced herself. "Satoru speaks very highly of you. You are psychic, right?"

Mai nodded, feeling awkward. "I guess you could say I am," she said. If she noticed Naru's lifted brow, she didn't make any indication of it. Doing what she did best when awkward, she quickly switched into work mode. "I heard there have been a bunch of weird occurrences in this 'Yamada-san's' house?"

Akemi made a face at the mention of the house. "I've been friends with Yamada-san for years and I've always thought something was off about that house. One time, I came over to deliver tea to her great aunt, and I swear that I saw a black figure standing in one of the windows upstairs."

"Was anyone else at home?"

"No, at that point, the great aunt lived there by herself." Akemi frowned as she recalled other instances. "I always felt bad for her. Everytime I saw her, she looked more and more ill. I tried delivering food every week to make sure she ate, but she continued to get more frail. She didn't seem to sleep well either."

Akemi's husband came at that moment to serve them their tea and crackers, taking care not to disturb their discussion.

"Could that not have been the work of an underlying illness or simply a case of adult failure to thrive?" asked Naru, his eyes subconsciously watching as a cup was placed before him.

Akemi tapped her chin in thought. "That could be since she was quite elderly living on her own. However, I don't believe she had any chronic illness. You see, I took her to a doctor's appointment once and there wasn't any medical explanation for her frailty."

"Have you ever spent long periods of time inside the house?" asked Mai, sipping her tea before reaching for a rice cracker.

"Maybe twice. Nothing interesting happened, but I did notice that the house was always very dark for some reason. No matter how many lights you turned on, there was a dark cast."

Mai nodded, thinking as she nibbled on her cracker.

Naru tapped his finger on the table quietly before asking, "Have you been to the house after Yamada-san moved in?"

"I went to deliver something, but I never went inside."

The group sat in silence after that, drinking the rest of their tea as Naru and Mai processed the information separately.

"Wow, so that's what you're like in your element, Mai-chan," said Takata, scratching the back of his head. "It was kind of intense, between you and your boss shooting out questions."

Mai smiled bashfully, shrugging. "I guess I'm not that much of a lost cause, huh?" she asked Naru. He gave her a quizzical brow.

The group finished up their drinks before making their exit.

"Thank you so much! It was delicious," Mai said, bowing in appreciation.

"Please stop by anytime! You too, handsome fellow," Akemi said, grinning at Naru who merely blinked at her until finally nodding his head faintly in greeting.

And so, the three continued on their way. Takata apologized profusely for his mom's pushiness.

.

It didn't take long to reach their destination—an externally unassuming two-story home with a stone fence surrounding it with a gate.

It was bigger than most houses and looked fairly old, perhaps having been around since the second World War.

Without realizing it, Mai had clenched her jaw tightly as she looked over the home. Remembering Akemi's story about the shadow in the window, her head bent back as she looked up apprehensively.

"Come on in. We should still have a lot of time before the family comes home," Takata said as he opened the door and welcomed them in.

Naru entered first, turning back to her when she didn't make any effort to move. Mai stood frozen in the same spot, still looking into the second story windows, specifically on the left side of the house. "Mai," he called out, noting her trance-like behavior.

This alerted Takata to also note her odd behavior. He frowned, immediately heading back outside to see what was wrong. "Mai-chan," he said, shaking her shoulder a bit until life returned to her eyes and she blinked.

"Huh?"

"You just totally checked out for a minute there." His face contorted with worry, his brows scrunching. "Did… you see something?"

She tilted her head in thought, pondering on the question. She didn't see anything—it was more so that she had been spiritually drawn to that area. Was there anything there? She didn't know yet, but something rubbed her off the wrong way. Usa-sama thought the same as he popped his head out of her school bag.

After leaving their shoes at the genkan*, Takata proceeded to give the two a general tour of the home taking into account Naru's quiet instructions to leave out any history of the home to train Mai's senses.

Mai took a quick scan of the house as Takata talked. She noted that while it was an older house with tatami mat rooms, there were some other areas, like the living room and kitchen, that were renovated with hardwood floors.

The layout of the home was uncomplicated—the stairs to the second floor were located on the left side, the hallway to the kitchen sat straight ahead of them, and then an open living room was situated to the right.

Mai admired the family photos and array of antiques strewn around. There were a few porcelain dolls that would've chased Ayako out of Japan, but they were nowhere near as threatening as Minnie had been. They were actually kind of charming.

The hallway where Yamada-san had seen something following her in the mirror wasn't very long. In fact, the mirror took up a good third of the entire length. It was as long as Naru's arms outstretched—why she visually measured it that way, don't ask her.

When Takata was about to cross the mirror, he crouched down so that he was out of view before popping himself back up once he was on the other side. Mai raised her brow at him and he looked away embarrassed.

"Isn't this the mirror?" He scratched his cheek.

"You should have stayed outside if you were going to be scared," said Naru offhandedly, studying the mirror at different angles.

Takata straightened up, clearing his throat. "I'm not scared. I just don't like being surprised."

Mai could've sworn she heard Naru scoff, but she wasn't about to point it out. She needed things to stay as cordial as they had been.

Ignoring the two, her curiosity brought her to the second floor in search of the room she'd been staring at from outside. She had to do two rounds before realizing that the room wasn't even accessible.

"What's wrong?" Naru approached her from behind, noting her befuddlement.

"The room I was looking for isn't here."

"It must be in a separate part of the house."

She nodded, tilting her head in confusion.

When she asked Takata about it, he seemed just as puzzled as she was. The three of them went back outside to study the front of the house. Takata pointed out the windows of the rooms on the left side of the home that he could identify. Two of which were occupied by the kids of the house. The third room, flush to the left side wasn't one he recognized.

Mai was reluctant to ask, but now she really wanted to find the room. "Maybe we missed something?"

Takata crossed his arms in thought. "Yamada-san didn't tell me to steer clear of any other rooms. I guess it wouldn't hurt to look around some more.”

In agreeance, they re-entered to scope the house again. Her companions let her take the lead as she sniffed around for dubious intent like a K-9 unit would drugs. Unlike last time, she decided to take a closer look at the back of the house since she had merely skimmed it earlier.

Something she hadn't noticed before was a tatami mat room in the back with a kotatsu*. It seemed to function as more of a family room versus the formal setup of their living room. She resisted the urge to crawl under the kotatsu because it looked so cozy. A few mandarins sat stacked in the middle with either bills or magazines sprawled around them. A TV with various cartoon stickers along the edge sat in the corner in front of the kotatsu.

Mai couldn't help but smile. You can tell a family lives here.

When she eventually left the family room, she came face to face with the kitchen. While before she had seen the kitchen from the hallway, now she was facing it from a different direction and noticed a doorway that was obscured by the fridge.

Peering around the fridge, her eyes widened when she found another staircase. It was cramped in a small dark space with steep old-fashioned steps. Suddenly, her chest became heavier, each breath requiring a deeper inhale. She gulped.

You and I both know this is how people get killed in horror movies, just sayin'.

Normal people, Gene. Not ghost-obsessed weirdos. Besides, I have that guy with me.

"That guy" being the one whose brow twitched as he stepped beside her. Naru looked over the area with indifference, crossing his arms.

Meanwhile, Takata was noticeably more reluctant to follow. Mai had an inkling the paranormal made him a bit squeamish.

When no one made any inclination to move, Takata gulped. "I-I'll go."

Despite his offer, he was practically shaking as he took each step. To help him out, Mai followed him closely, placing a hand on his arm. "You got this," she encouraged.

Naru stood unamused at the bottom the stairs leaning against the wall, his eyes subconsciously watching the hand on Takata's arm.

Their brave martyr finally faced the dreaded door head on, swallowing loudly before giving the knob a wiggle. Takata sighed in relief when it wouldn't budge no matter how much he twisted and turned it.

"Too bad."

Mai sighed. "That's lame. I guess my vibes were off."

Takata shook his head. "I'm sure you were on to something, Mai-chan! Maybe Yamada-san didn't mention this room because they never had access to it and there's actually something in there?"

Naru noted Mai's frown as her brows furrowed. He closed his eyes and exhaled. "For now, there doesn't seem to be anything indicating paranormal activity. We should leave."

As soon as the three were off the stairs, they heard the door knob jiggle. The slow creak of the door opening ajar alerted everyone to whip their heads at the source. Between the crack slivered only a small beam of light from the window.

Takata's eyes widened as he took a step back, extending his arm out to cover Mai in case something jumped out at them like in a horror movie. Naru, instead, took a step closer to get a better look, unintentionally pressing himself into Mai's back.

Mai ignored how claustrophobic she was suddenly feeling and kept her eyes firmly on the door.

When nothing happened after a few minutes, Takata was about to let the tension in his shoulders drop when a misty shadow obscured their light of the window. Despite being mist-like, the shadow's form was nearly opaque.

Telling by the silhouette, Mai wondered if it was a person. Maybe a squatter? In an occupied house, though?

"Hello?" Mai called out, ignoring the look Takata shot her way, practically screaming, "Why would you do that?"

The shadow figure, as if noticing their presence for the first time turned around before dropping to the floor like a drawstring puppet.

Nobody moved nor said anything in the seconds following.

The puppet-like figure contorted itself until it crawled over to the door, a single pale eye visible through the crack as it reflected the kitchen lighting.

And then the door shut before locking.

Takata made a noise akin to a dead animal's last squeal. His face drained of all color, looking suspiciously similar to "The Scream" painting as he fought the urge to jump out the window.

Eying his surprisingly calm companions, he barely managed to screech out, "…I think it's getting late. We should head home."

Naru ignored him and proceeded to climb a few steps to listen closely for movement behind the door. "Are you sure the house is vacated? Yamada-san isn't renting the space out to anyone else?"

Takata was already inching himself away. "Only the family lives here. I don't know about you guys, but I think I'm gonna wait outside!" His dialogue ended with a series of hurried footsteps and stumbling as he practically threw himself down the hall and out the front door.

Mai glanced at Naru, noting his judgmental deadpan expression. "Be nice."

"He's not suited for this."

"I wouldn't think most people are," she said, raising her brow. "You seem to forget that we're the weird ones because we're so used to this crap!"

"You are weird, whereas I am seasoned," he said with a smirk, watching her fume from the corner of his eye as he ascended the stairs.

He shook the doorknob, frowning. It was locked again.

"What's your verdict?" he asked.

Mai's previous pout dropped as she adopted a more serious expression. Normally, they would investigate more to determine if something was a true haunting. However, Naru had been having her scout out possible cases and taking small ones by herself recently to hone her senses. One of her problems was second-guessing herself so often. Naru being Naru had very little patience for her vacillant tendencies.

As much as she would've loved to not be an indecisive blubbering fool, this was simply not a skill she was born with. To compensate, she simply kept her mouth shut until she (somewhat) made up her mind.

"According to my senses," she said while eying Naru as if prematurely reacting to his potential criticism, "there's a high chance this is paranormal. But I can take this case myself if you're not interested."

He didn't respond, putting his hand on his chin.

While she should be able to handle this on her own…

Mai scrunched her brows and blinked. Was Gene talking to himself? It didn't exactly sound like he was talking to her. He had been talking to himself out loud a lot more frequently nowadays.

Maybe he was finally losing it.

"As I don't anticipate this will require the entire team, I will act as support."

Mai blinked again. "What do you mean support?!"

He crossed his arm and extended his head to the side. "You took on this case, so that makes you the lead investigator," he said, watching as she looked about ready to vomit. "I look forward to working with you, Taniyama-sensei."

She couldn't tell whether to grimace, gag, cringe, or shiver. Normally, any girl would be excited to be with him all alone on a case, yet why was she dreading it? Just the image of him nitpicking her methods, quizzing her on the spot… saving her from certain death, catching her, carrying her, holding her, or letting her latch on to him while she cried like in the last case—

All of that had her wanting to lock herself in with the ghost instead.

.

Since Naru approved of the case, they would be meeting Yamada-san formally tomorrow. She was originally going to greet them today, but she ended up being held back at work.

When Mai and Naru left the house finally, Takata looked about ready to collapse from relief.

"You guys made it out alive!"

Mai blinked at him before bursting out laughing. "That was nothing compared to the other things we've been through!"

"You're lying! I couldn't believe something like that happened outside of a movie."

It's not like this world runs by any sort of rules, Gene grumbled in her head.

Mai ignored him, opting to pat Takata on the shoulder instead. "For your first time, you handled that pretty well… for someone who said he wasn't scared," she said, not being able to help herself from teasing.

He looked down at the hand on his arm and blushed, looking away bashfully.

Naru cleared his throat. "We will schedule a meeting time with Yamada-san tomorrow. For now, we should leave."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Takata laughed nervously before glancing at Mai. "In that case, I'll take you home, Mai-chan."

The girl herself suddenly felt embarrassed for some reason, acutely aware of Naru watching them. "It doesn't make sense to make you go out of your way since you're basically home."

She wasn't wrong, but he didn't look like he was going to budge that easily.

Naru exhaled in annoyance. "I will take Mai home."

Mai's eyes widened. "Uh, it's okay, Naru. You don't have to feel obligated. I've been traveling all over on my own for years now." She was taken-aback by the side-eye she got in response.

What? She was ruining his chance to demonstrate that he was a good and considerate boss? Pssh. He never cared before, so why now?

"I'll feel better knowing you're not alone, Mai-chan," Takata said, smiling. She couldn't very well refuse him when he sounded like that. "Here, I'll show you guys to the station."

As he led them off the property, Mai couldn't help but suddenly feel eyes on their backs. Before she crossed the gate, she took a quick glance over her shoulder. She gasped when she saw the distorted face of a deathly pale woman staring out of the farthest left window. Her eyes were black holes while her mouth stretched unnaturally wide.

Unlike with the staircase incident, goose bumps ran up her spine as her body went rigid.

"Mai?"

"Can you see it, Naru?"

Naru followed her gaze, squinting his eyes slightly. I need my glasses.

Mai tensed up in front of him. "It looks like a woman with a slit mouth and holes for eyes," she said quietly, not taking her eyes off it.

"What are you two looking at?" Takata approached them.

Telling by his reaction earlier, Mai broke out of her daze and hastily jumped to grab his shoulders and turn him around. "If you see it, you'll pee your pants guaranteed," she warned.

His face flushed. "Do you have to say it like that, Mai-chan?"

She laughed, giving him a little friendly shove. "Am I wrong?"

Naru watched their interaction, noting that they had seemed very comfortable around each other throughout the night. Even their personalities were similar.

And something about that irritated him.

As they finally walked toward the station, Mai explained what she had seen in the window with as gentle of language as she could. Even so, Takata's complexion still blanched.

"At least you won't have to come back until we figure out what it is."

"Um, actually, Yamada-san asked if I could come by here and there… since I know you better," Takata said, his ears pink while facing away from them.

Naru's eyes narrowed.

Mai didn't think much of it, opting to answer some texts from Keiko instead, completely unaware of the two differing energies surrounding her.

Once they reached the station, Takata waved goodbye before heading back to his parents' shop.

Which left her and Naru.

Alone.

Just the two of them.

It was at this point that Mai realized this was their first time traveling together without any of the others. In fact, she wasn't sure Naru had ever taken the train. He seemed like the bougie type who would take a taxi every where.

Rush hour in Tokyo was actually several hours between students heading home from afterschool activities and workers staying late. She would be lying if she said she wasn't concerned on how Naru would handle dealing with the woes of the common folk.

Gene, do you guys use trains in the UK?

We sure do, but people use the bus more, in my opinion.

She was taken out of her thoughts when it came time to board the train as it pulled up. Despite being a station at a residential area, all the seats were taken so they had to stand. Mai wasn't sure which direction to stand—facing him, the window, or away? In the end, she faced him, getting a good view of his chest and adam's apple.

"You don't have to bring me all the way," she said, trying to distract herself.

Naru looked down at her, noting the way her eyes looked up at him before awkwardly averting her gaze every which way.

He smirked. "You should realize by now that I don't do things half-way."

"You don't have to bring me home at all," she countered, puffing up one cheek. Suddenly, she remembered something. "Hey, why did you come along anyway? I thought you were just going to have me check it out by myself."

"I changed my mind."

"Why?"

At that moment, someone bumped into Mai, jutting her forward into Naru. Reflexively, she grabbed for his coat as he brought an arm out to steady her. Her forehead bumped into his chin, making her wince.

"Ow. Is your chin made out of steel or something?" she said, rubbing the pink spot on her forehead.

He brought his face down to hers, startling her. Her eyes widened as her breath caught in her throat at his close proximity.

"Is your forehead made of cardboard? It shouldn't dent that easily," he said only loud enough for her to hear. He brushed her bangs away before poking her sore spot.

She flinched back and smacked his hand away, her face steaming for a myriad of reasons. Thankfully, the rest of their train ride was quiet as Mai tried to calm her racing heart. He was doing things that made her want to melt into the floor again!

After what felt like an eternity on the train, her stop finally came and the two got off. They walked in silence down the street with Mai glancing at him here and there, debating whether to ask her question.

"Do you have dinner?"

"Hm."

She took that as a "no." He and Lin had been surviving solely on take-out and convenience foods, so dinner was simply a matter of picking it up. Today was a vegetarian day for both of them and she probably had more than enough to share… but would it be weird to ask him to come over?

Didn't that usually imply things?!

Her inner conflict must have stirred Gene's senses because he piped up. Is this a new development I smell?

Go back to sleep.

"Is there a reason you asked?" Naru's question made her gulp.

Gathering the courage, she sunk her face into the scarf Takata lent her. "You're going to be home late because you took me back. Today is vegetarian day and I have enough to share… if you wanted to have dinner with me? Only if you want to! As a thanks for walking me home!"

She really needed a pothole to just swallow her whole.

As usual, Naru didn't reply immediately. She was convinced he always did that on purpose to make her squirm.

"It's okay if you don't want to! Don't feel pressured or anything," she added, sulking a bit.

"Do you need any other ingredients?"

Mai's eyes widened.

"Huh?" She came to a full stop, watching his back with her mouth agape.

He turned around once he realized her footsteps had stopped. "I don't like repeating myself." And that ruined the magic of the moment.

She rolled her eyes. "Guess I should be happy you're replying to me at all," she grumbled. "If you don't mind, I want to grab some more mushrooms and tofu."

And that's how they ended up at the grocery store with Mai's nosy neighbors questioning her about the handsome guy with her.

"Mai-chan, since when did you get such a hot boyfriend?" asked the 22-year-old woman from two doors down who wore too much makeup.

"Friend, not boyfriend."

"Oh dear. Is he going home with you?" asked the auntie next door, a hand covering her mouth.

"Just for dinner."

"You be careful, little miss. Let Oji-san know if you need help." The uncle, who lived on her other side, glared at Naru as he rolled away with his cart.

"We're just having dinner!"

By the time they made it out of there, she had the sneaking suspicion this would be the next neighborhood scandal. Rubbing her nose bridge with her face scrunched in pain due to her bruised pride, she pulled out her keys as her apartment came into view. Before getting closer, she stopped abruptly. She then rummaged into her grocery bag and pulled out a can of tuna. She opened the top and left it under a nearby bush.

"There's a stray and a ghost cat that come by," she answered Naru's silent question.

Without further delay, she led him to her apartment and unlocked the door. She placed her school bag down for Usa-sama to hop out.

"Please make yourself at home!"

.

Oliver sat down at her kotatsu, choosing to sit on the Doraemon-themed cushion—all of her cushions were mismatched. Usa-sama sprawled out beside him, halfway under the comforter. It was odd how clearly he could see the deity. The researcher in him wondered what it would feel like to touch him. Mai seemed to be able to pet him as if he were corporeal.

As Oliver's hand almost grazed Usa-sama's head, he heard Mai giggle as she came from the open kitchen. When he sent her a questioning look, her smile widened. "It's funny, seeing you sitting at a kotatsu."

Sitting at my kotatsu, he heard her add silently.

She set down the tea and turned on the TV. As expected, she'd been watching one of the paranormal channels previously.

"You are aware most of this is fake?"

Mai rolled her eyes. "What do you take me for? A greenhorn?" She paused before adding, "Nevermind. Don't answer that."

She returned to the kitchen thereafter, leaving him to begrudgingly watch the brainrot on the TV. A few show hosts screamed after seeing an obviously edited CCTV recording. Without realizing it, his eyes trailed over to the kitchen where he subconsciously followed Mai as she went about cooking. She wore a rabbit-themed apron and a headband to keep her hair out of her face.

Her apartment was small, but with only Mai in it, it almost looked too big. The atmosphere was calm, lacking the loud bustle and noise of the main city. Coupled with the warmth of her kotatsu, Oliver could feel his body relax as his eyelids began to droop.

"Naru." He felt someone shake his shoulder. His eyes opened up to Mai crouched beside him, a tender smile gracing her face. "Food's ready," she said quietly.

Oliver straightened himself out, blinking his eyes awake as she finished setting up the table. Something soft at his side shifted. Usa-sama, who had moved closer to him for warmth, sat up when Mai gave him a plate of vegetables.

"How is he corporeal?" he muttered to himself, testing it by poking at the deity. It was like there was an actual rabbit here.

"You can touch him?" Mai asked in disbelief as she sat down.

"Apparently."

Usa-sama got annoyed at Oliver's prodding and threw his plate to Mai's side and migrated over.

Mai shook her head, serving Naru his rice. "I'm not that great of a cook, but it's probably better than convenience food. I packed some for Lin-san too!"

Before they ate, she took a picture and sent it to the SPR group chat. That was something new they were doing for whatever reason. Bou-san was surprisingly fast to ask who the other serving was for. Insert an eyebrow raised emoji.

When Mai answered that it was Naru's, the group chat immediately blew up so much that they both had to silence their phones.

"You would think these people have something better to do," Mai grumbled as she shoved a mushroom into her mouth aggressively. "Oh, and how's the food?"

"Better than Lin's."

She grinned. "I'll take it! What does Lin cook anyway?"

"The only things he's remotely adequate at is congee and stir-fried vegetables."

"What do you eat during vegetarian days?"

"Stir-fries."

"Anything else?"

"Congee."

Mai nearly spit out her tea. "You weren't kidding when you said he doesn't cook much," she said, restrained laughter laced with her words. "Do you cook?"

Oliver pretended to not hear her and continued eating, picking up a slice of pickled daikon.

"I recall you mentioning a ghost cat earlier," he redirected.

Her faced brightened up immediately. "Yeah, there's a black spirit cat that Gene said followed me home. I leave food and treats for him and the stray cat all the time. I don't know if he can actually eat it, but I hope it makes him happy at least."

He couldn't help but find it peculiar how the paranormal had fully interwoven itself into her life. Yet, when looking at her externally, she appeared no different than any other high school girl.

They ate in comfortable silence after that, watching the TV. Occasionally, one of them would speak up to criticize the show. It was when Masako's program came on that they began to clean up their dishes. While Oliver was useless with cooking, he could at least assist with clean-up.

Mai cut up some fruit for him to take home and packed it with Lin's food. "Make sure you eat the fruit." She gave him a stern look as she pushed the wrapped food into his chest.

She had to choose the pinkest cloth to tie the containers together.

"Safe trip home," she said from her door as he headed out.

Before he got too far, she called out to him again.

"Oh, and um, thank you for taking me home," she said, fidgeting with her skirt. "And thanks for eating dinner with me. It was nice. So, um, see you tomorrow!" With that, she quickly retreated and slammed the door shut.

Oliver blinked before feeling the corners of his mouth twitch. He shook his head as he walked away.

When he returned to his hotel suite, he placed the food on the counter for Lin and headed to his room. For an unexplainable reason, he couldn't help but notice the missing warmth from Mai's apartment. The image of her waking him up in her apron from earlier flashed back into his mind.

He sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. He needed to get back to work.

After a cool shower.