The Disappearance of Mai Taniyama
Hi. I'm Mai Taniyama. Former 16-year-old, happy-go-lucky assistant at Shibuya Psychic Research, or SPR for short.
Key word being "former".
Now I'm a lonely, depressed 23-year-old college student working at a rundown old tea shop.
You're probably wondering how that happened. Well, it all started with Naru leaving. He shut down SPR, and I lost my job. Lin left too, but I didn't know him very well.
Next, John went back to Australia. One of his family members got sick and he was the only person with enough time to take care of them. He planned on coming back. If he did, he hasn't visited anyone.
Then, Masako went back to being the pampered TV star she was before life at SPR.
After that, Ayako went to work at her parents' hospital. She tried to call once in a while. Unfortunately she didn't have the time.
Yasu went back to college. I haven't heard from him in 8 years.
Monk tried to keep in touch. He really did. I guess, after a while, he just forgot about me.
They all forgot about me.
One sec. Breaks over and I can't be late getting back to work or else I'll lose my job. Again.
" " " " " ''
Well. I just got fired. Some moron tripped me just so he could look up my skirt and I got fired for breaking the stack of plates I was carrying.
I don't know how I'll find another job. No one will hire me. Heck, I barely got that job at the tea shop.
I have to go. Need sleep if I'm going to go job hunting tomorrow.
" " " " "
It's been . . . 3 weeks? And I have been turned down by 5 places. Not only that, but I'm starting to get behind on my rent.
Plus, the other people at my college have taken to calling me "The Sob-Story". They aren't very off on that assumption, either.
~sigh~ I'm gonna have to cut this entry short. Gotta get ready for another lecture. I'll write more when I get home.
" " " "
Back again. There are finals in a few months. And to top it off, someone put slugs in my bag.
. . .
I'm going to bed.
" " "
Finally got a job! Yeah. After a month of searching. At a cosplay café.
It pays sorta well. Enough to keep my apartment for a few months.
Be back soon. The phone is ringing.
" " " "
You remember the finals I was talking about last month? Yeah.
I failed.
Between looking for a job, the bull sh- um, bullying, and taking care of myself I didn't have any time to study.
" " "
Hey. Back again. After 2 months.
So, I'm writing this journal entry from a police station.
Some bastard broke into my house and stole all my rent money.
I have put up with all this crap for long enough. I'm done being the sweet little princess. This is bull shit.
" "
I am f***ing tired of this. I just got kicked out of my college because some kid I don't even know fell down the stairs and he says I pushed him. They think I pushed the damn imbecile down the stairs when I was nowhere near him.
"
I just lost my job. Again. Three times in one f****ing year.
I'm tired of this.
Don't expect any more entries.
- (Mai's POV)
I walked by my desk where my journal was still open. Weird. It has dust on it.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
"I'm late!"
I rushed down to the newly reopened SPR building. Naru had come back a few months ago and the family was back together again. I ran up the steps to the office and got through the door a second after 5:00.
"You're late, Mai." Naru called from his office.
"By one second! You can't be mad at me for one second!" I yelled shock evident on my face.
"I can. That was one second more that you could have been working. Therefore, I can be mad at you for it." He explained in an ice cold tone of voice. I walked to my desk and set my bag down, getting out a thermostat of my bosses favorite tea. I sped into the kitchen and quickly grabbed a tea cup, emptying the contents of the thermostat into the porcelain container.
"Mai, tea."
I sighed and walked into the ice kings office, setting down the still-hot cup of tea on Kazuya Shibuyas' extremely expensive looking desk. When I didn't get a word of thanks or even an acknowledgement I stomped out of the room. After 2 hours of filing, making tea, and being bored the bell on the front door rang.
"Oh! Hey Yasu!" I greeted happily.
"Heya Mai-chan! It's almost time for your lunch break, right?" Yasuhara asked after adjusting his glasses. I nodded.
"Yeah! Why?"
"Let's go to the park!" my best friend exclaimed. I smiled the brightest smile I had since Naru went back to England.
"Sure."
- (later)
"Oh! Mai! You're absolutely soaked!" Ayako screeched worriedly as she fussed over me. Of course she got even more worried when I sneezed.
"And you're sick. What happened?"
"We were in the park and mai fell into the pond." Yasu explained as I sneezed again.
"Mai, you are going right home and rest!" Ayako
"Ayako! I'm fine!" I whined, but the red headed priestess was not taking no for an answer.
"No, Mai. You are going to go home and rest. No argument." I sighed.
"Yes Ayako."
- (POV change)
"Mai? Mai?" Masako called from the front hallway of Mai's apartment. It was eerily quiet and there was a thin layer of dust on everything.
"Oh! Masako! How nice of you to visit! I'm in the living room, okay?" Mai's cheery voice called from seemingly every direction and yet nowhere. If that weren't creepy enough, the sight that greeted Masako when she reached the living room was absolutely terrifying.
"Hey Masako! What brings you here?" Mai asked from her spot on the sofa. She seemed completely oblivious of the blood on the floor, and the rotted corpse in the idle of it.
"Mai. W-what is this? What happened?" Masako screeched, mai just looked at her.
"What's what? I don't know what you're talking about."
"What do you mean you don't know what I'm talking about? This room is covered with blood!" Masako yelled, and then it hit her.
That corpse, all that blood.
They were Mai's.