"Izumi Saito, huh?" Naru asked Masako. Earlier, she mentioned a possible case that could help further Naru's psychic research. "So... explain in full detail what happened, and I'll consider it." Naru stated, more harsh than he originally intended.
The two were sitting across one another at the Shibuya Psychic Research office, one person on a couch facing the other. Awaiting Masako's explanation, Mai came in with some hot tea, carefully placing it next to Naru. Before Mai was able to say anything, Naru put up a single finger to indicate that she should remain quiet. At least until Masako was done explaining.
"Well, you see..." Masako began, watching Naru as he picked up the hot tea, sipping it little by little, patiently listening to the explanation. "...my station insisted I do at least one live action performance for everyone, like most mediums do. Where we state if we sense a spirit or not, and so on. It's one of those moments where they pressure me to really put on a performance." "I'm a little busy with research of my own, so please with all due respect, I'd appreciate if you got to the point, Ms. Hara." Naru said in a demeaning yet simultaneously respectful manner. Masako cleared her throat and continued, a little agitated yet calm. "The boy, Izumi Saito, who came to see the performance, along with the hundreds already present, showed strange signs upon stories I've told of spirits I've encountered. At first, I thought he was just acting out, as some fans do. But I noticed something strange..."
Naru thought on this for a moment, taking another sip of tea before urging her to go on with a movement of his hands. "Right around when I started talking about one of my paranormal experiences with a ghost, he began showing early signs of possession... yet I didn't sense any spirits..." Mai perked up and decided to contribute to the conversation, asking, "Do you think he was doing that just to get attention? It probably wouldn't be the first time someone has acted up to steal some screen time, right?" Masako kept her hands gently in her lap, looking down and shaking her head slightly. "No," Masako began, "originally, I would have thought that... but what really got my attention was... he began acting just like the spirit aforementioned." Naru cocked a brow, slightly crossing one leg over the other and bringing his hands together, leaning back. He kept his eyes trained on Masako's. "So?" Naru abruptly asked. "I never mentioned how said spirit acted. Nor was it ever televised..." Masako answered.
"So that means... he can read minds?!" Mai exclaimed, a bit confused by this situation. "Don't be stupid, Mai. If someone could read minds they wouldn't have to act possessed to do it." Naru dismissed. Masako curiously stood up straight, her hands still together, asking, "Do you have any ideas?" Naru kept trying to finish off his tea, taking a deep breath before answering. He, too, stood up and said, "Well if you didn't sense any spirits on stage... it could be something different." "Like a specter? They follow people around, right? So it'd be harder for Masako to get a lead on!" Mai stated, once more attempting to contribute. Naru gave a gratifying nod, replying, "I'm glad to see you've been doing your homework. It's possible, and although I don't want to rule that thought out just yet, I still want to explore other possibilities."
Of course... Mai thought to herself in a cynical way.
Eventually, Yasuhara, Ayako, Monk, and even John showed up to the office. After explaining the situation to all of them, they decided to drive over to the client's house. After a knock on the door, Naru stood, waiting for an answer. A middle-aged man answered, looking at Naru and the others behind him. At first he seemed confused, and then a bit relieved. "You must be those ghost hunters that Ms. Hara talked about! Oh thank you for coming! I'm Izumi's father. Would you like to come in?" Naru nodded in answer to the request, turning to the others. "Mai. Yasuhara. Grab the equipment out of the car just in case. The rest of you, come with me.
The home looked like your normal, everyday two-story house hold. The family looked about middle-class and fairly well off. They went into the living room with the father, where his son waited for them. So this was Izumi Saito. He had these dark blue eyes that were nearly violet a little like Masako's, and dark-ish hair. His face and body structure had very feminine features to them. "So tell me what happened from your perspective, Mr. Saito." Naru said, seating himself in a chair across from him. Izumi seemed pretty excited to see these people, especially Masako, despite what happened to him earlier. "Well you see..." his father began, "Izumi has always had an interest in the paranormal and psychics and such ever since he was a teenager and got into some old magazines of my wife's." Naru lightly put a hand on his chin in thought, saying in a curious tone, "Magazines?" The father nervously laughed and explained, "You see... Before she passed away when he just started being a teenager, she was very into the paranormal and psychics. You know... spoon-bending, calling the dead, that sort of thing."
The SPR group all gave each other a look, and then Naru looked back to the father. "Indeed." Mr. Saito then continued, "Anyway, for his birthday I decided to buy him some tickets to Ms. Hara's live performance. He was very excited, to say the least, and... well he was normal up until she began talking about certain, emotionally charged spirits and so forth." Masako stood up and gave a small bow. "I'm sorry that Izumi went through that. I assure you that it was not my station's nor my intention." Masako apologized. The father gave a small, polite bow back, and said, "Don't worry, I was married to my wife long enough to have an idea of what you were trying to do up there. To be honest, Ms. Hara, I had no idea you were so... young... you know my son just turned eighteen-" "Dad." Izumi grumbled, giving his father a light nudge with his elbow. "Yes yes, sorry Izumi. Anyway, I don't know what got into him, Mr. Shibuya. One minute he was sitting next to me enjoying the show and the stories, the next he went rampant."