Note:
I lied. New content begins in this chapter.
The entire story will be written from Mai and Takigawa's point of view.
AFTER 30 YEARS
Chapter 2
The next day I came back in the afternoon in a hurry after I did some quick grocery shopping the morning. As I went up to the stairs I heard a conversation taking place in the hallway. This was highly unusual as it was quiet in this place around these hours.
"Don't worry about it."
A familiar voice calmly said that to someone else other than me in the hall.
"As long as we press on, he'll definitely be convinced."
"Somehow I doubt that this... tactic will work," a hesitant reply came. Both were young men, but the first one sounded to be older.
"Why do you still doubt me? It has worked before, so..."
"Not with him, he's not... easily convinced by perseverance alone."
"You are such a damn pessimist!" the elder of the two complained, "You never know. Wait for a miracle to happen!"
"Miracle? Only bad things happened ever since that..."
"Like I said, it's already a miracle we arrived at this place and at this point of time."
"But we don't have time for that... why we just don't go do it ourselves! It should have been easy to find someone who can do the job other than the people in this place... Why do you rely on them so much?"
"Because... they are reliable. Remember, a hundred percent rate! For years! That said, isn't time your specialty? If anything should happen, we still have you..."
"We can't keep doing these things like this... Honestly, we only need that guy and nobody else."
Hesitantly I turned around the corner and found there were two people. I hadn't expected to discover this to be waiting for me. Indeed, it was Jonathan, dressed in a remarkably black outfit. Though not businesslike when compared to Naru, I guess he did look a bit like those men in Gothic Lolita fashion magazines Keiko regularly looks through. I mean that bloody long black coat he was wearing could make Naru trip if he ever tried to walk in it. At least those refined looks make up for his fiery personality. However, both were practically sitting on the floor as if they were waiting for someone. They couldn't be serious.
Scratch that. They were serious!
Jonathan tilted his head slightly to my direction before he questioned me.
"Ah... who are you? Were you just listening in on us?"
The same tone as he spoke to Naru yesterday. Oh boy.
"N-no, I work here," I stuttered, and then took my cue to speak back, "More importantly, who are you? What are you doing here? ...and why are you two camping in front in our office?!"
"Ah, now I remember," Jonathan said, completely ignoring my assault of questions, "The one who fetched me the coffee yesterday?"
"...yes, I'm the office lady..."
A sheepish smile managed to appear on my face. He noticed his brown-haired companion had averted his face to the floor.
"And the one to whom my friend spoke to two days ago..?"
I blinked in surprise.
"Ah then you must be Jin-san...?"
He nodded and looked at me with a blank expression. So that's him, he was really nice on the phone, and he did look fine on the outside too. Compared to Jonathan he was dressed in light colors, a pair of brown jeans and a gray fedora hat. His brown-dyed short hair stuck out at the sides.
So they knew each other... which meant, they probably came for the same reason.
"Yeah..."
"Your name is?" The other asked.
"Ah, I am Taniyama Mai."
The two stared at me for unreasonably long seconds and then at each other, then back at me. What's going on?
"Ah ah, is there something wrong?"
They shook their head and simultaneously said.
"Please treat us well, Taniyama-san!"
I shook off the urge to grimace. What were they just thinking?!
"Well, nice to meet you-"
"Mai! Quit loitering on the hallway and come inside!"
Ah. Ah- It was Naru calling from inside the office. Did he hear us talking?
"Ugh, not him!"
Before he even had the chance to order me to do something - I bet you all know what it is, I do not need to say it here. Naru is that predictable (sometimes). Make a good guess - I slammed the door open and to my surprise we were already face-to-face. If he had been within one meter of the door, I might have hit him hard in the face.
Late!
"Shochou, please greet Jin-san from two days ago and his honorable friend you kicked out yesterday."
I grinned.
The boss was not amused.
Yes, the exact same poor boy you yelled at on the phone two days ago. Can we say awkward? Jin held his breath; in fact we were all holding our breaths until somebody said something. Someone? Anyone?!
I noticed Naru's fingers drumming against the door handle. Ohohoho, someone's in a pinch! It was his fault anyway! I had the urge to stick my tongue out at Naru, but solely managed an obnoxious smile. A smirking Jonathan seemed evenly amused by this at the expense of Jin, who kept staring at the carpet floor, unable to face anyone.
"I think my friend here wants to have to have a little chat with our gentleman CEO over there. Why don't we get inside and have a nice cup of tea?"
Drinking the same thing? What a kind thing to suggest while inviting your humble self in.
So the two seated themselves in the same seat in which Jonathan had been sitting in one day ago. Naru took the seat across them, directly facing Jin, while an imposing Lin lurked in the background. The foreign looking young man didn't seem bothered in the slightest, but the Japanese boy appeared completely nervous in the presence of my boss. Isn't that called overreacting? I guess he really is shy.
As I went to the small kitchen in our office, pleasantries were exchanged between Naru and his potential client. All the while I was being concerned over Jin's wellbeing... Naru didn't make for a good first impression and surely the boy must have heard in which manner Lin had made way for Jonathan's exit the day before.
Lin is totally hardcore. Don't tell him that though. He'll just raise an eyebrow at me and pretend I don't exist. …do I exist for him?
On the other hand Naru seems completely aware of my being in the kitchen.
"Mai, don't keep me waiting!"
Bad mood! Bad mood! Someone needs his tea! Help, someone save me!
Within thirty seconds I managed to pour five china cups of Assam tea for us and our guests. However, the first thing I didn't need to hear from our guest was:
"Not bad, you might want to keep in the teabag for another ten seconds before you start to pour the cups though," Jonathan commented, his face revealed nothing but apathy.
Here's a very willing volunteer to kick this person's leg. I don't need a client to tell me how to hone my tea making. No thanks!
Jonathan ignored my scowls completely and regarded my boss once more.
"Shibuya-san, you might be surprised I'm visiting your humble office once more, but in truth I had been speaking for my shy friend here."
Surprised? Weren't you the one to threat Naru yesterday you'd make him regret something?
"I'm only willing to hear your friend out."
The young man blinked at the answer and sighed.
"Fair enough," he agreed, "now, Jin-san, tell this capable person about your problem."
Ten silent seconds passed by before the boy undertook action, so all of us save him grabbed our cups of tea and sipped in anticipation - I don't know whether this is a sad thing. Jin pulled something out of his pocket, and placed it in the center of the coffee table.
"She's my older sister, Hanaka. We call her Hana."
I stared. The portrait was indeed of a girl with short black and messy hair. In fact, Hana fit the description of a tomboy to the t. Cute, okay, she's really cute. Let me squeal for a moment…! I don't think the men would appreciate me if I did that though.
"How old is she?"
"Nineteen," Jonathan answered, "however, the picture is from her senior middle school days."
Lin cleared his throat lightly, causing the young man to abruptly hold his tongue.
"Jin-san, showing us that picture is not relevant at all," Naru said, "what is paranormal about the problem you're having?"
Jerk.
"That is exactly what you need to tell me," Jin quietly said, "before anything will happen."
Naru didn't reply and I stepped in.
"Can we visit her?"
For some reason Jin got nervous again.
"Um-"
"You cannot," Jonathan firmly fixed his gaze on mine.
"Why can we not?" I asked honestly.
"She's in a coma, so it's useless!" he argued.
"Be quiet!" Two voices resounded.
Apparently both Naru and Jin had lost their precious patience with us and settled to glare at respectively myself and Jonathan. I get it I get it! I'll just keep an eye on that idiotic friend and shut up. However the two us watched wide eyed as Naru nudged Lin to speak about something.
"I made a thorough investigation with the information we had been provided with yesterday."
They had been surprised. Perhaps surprised with how bored we really are.
"You did…?"
"I've sought out any data regarding any incidents on that particular crossroad."
One pair of faces went white as snow in front of our eyes. Naru delivered the final blow.
"The result was negative."
Then they were thrown out again and I could only drop my jaw.
* * *
This night's as cold as ever. As an anonymous person I spend my time after the concert in front of the back door.
"Hey Norio."
Yuuko threw me a can as an offering after last night's gig. I stared at it curiously. She's been doing this more often ever since that case.
"Green tea soda," I read the label.
"It's not the one you wanted. The cherry coke was all gone," she said impishly and opened her can.
"Oh," I said, and then stared at the can she was drinking at that moment, "Wait a minute! How dare you take the cherry coke from me!"
Yuuko grinned.
"It was the last one and I think the green tea suits you better, Bou-san."
"Hmph, green tea huh. I don't think it fits me at all," I mumbled.
"Oh poor Norio. Do you want to trade?"
I raised an eyebrow at the cherry coke can she offered me. She already drank from it.
"Tempting as it may be, no thanks."
She giggled and leaned her head against my arm. "You can be so thoughtful, Norio."
Thoughtful eh? It's not that easy... My body abruptly became stiff at the touch.
"What do you mean? I'm anything but thoughtful after an endless series of gigs...." Yuuko leaned away from me when she notices, but I continued, "Tomorrow another one, and the one after that-"
She didn't listen anymore and interrupted me by pointing somewhere in the sky.
"Look, a falling star!"
I was taken out of my rambling and stared.
"That would be a meteor."
"Whatever," she said, "Isn't it pretty?"
A bright fading line was drawn across the sky in a rapid speed. I was surprised to see it was visible in this city full of lights,
"Making a wish?" I asked and she nodded.
With a smile I drank away and thought it would be nice to be childish for once. "I'm wishing I could see..."
"Your girlfriend?"
"Already told you I don't have one. It's something else. Something I'd like to regain from long ago."
"What is it?"
"Not telling. Wishes like these aren't meant to be told, otherwise they won't come true."
"Do you want to know mine?"
"Who said I wanted to know your wish?"
Yuuko laughed.
"You were about to tell me yours... and I'm pretty sure mine won't come true."
"Mine definitely won't come true."
We spent the last minutes drinking and staring at the fading stars.
"It's late, I'm going home," Yuuko stood up.
"Listen up. I'm going to the last concert and you better be playing there, because I'm going to bring you a homemade cake!" she smiled, walking down the stairs.
"Sounds delicious."
"Chocolate or vanilla?"
"Chocolate is my thing," I replied, scratching my head, "Hey if your wish won't come true, then why won't you tell me?"
Yuuko smiled sadly.
"I'm still hoping."
"I see... I'll tell you mine after you give me the cake."
The girl grinned playfully again as usual.
"Heehee. See you then."
"Okay take care," I lifted a hand in parting and saw her leaving the alleyway into the bright main street. The cherry soda was left forgotten on the stairs.
"How sweet," a voice surprised me from behind, "Someone's having a crush."
"You do not need to point out the obvious," I rolled my eyes and whacked the guitarist in the face with the empty soda can.