Chapter 4: Curses and a blessing

The girl walked in a brisk pace up to the tree with a slight frown on her face and passed right through a horrified Gene, who was standing in order to greet her. He made a dramatic drop to his knees and wailed, "Nooooo, she can't see me!"

Seeing this Naru tried his best to suppress an amused smile on his lips, but it didn't go unnoticed by the girl.

Mai frowned in suspicion and said, "Why are you smiling so creepily?"

"No reason," Naru said, and sighed when she handed him a can of chilled green tea. "This tea is disgusting. Bring me something better next time."

Not deigning a response, Mai simply gave him a long stare of disapproval. Behind her back, Gene looked equally stern. His brother didn't even say thanks. Ignoring their stares, Naru clicked the can open, and drank. It really was disgusting.

"Were you just talking to someone?" she suddenly asked. "I think I heard you talk."

Gene froze.

"No one," the younger twin replied.

Naru did little to explain what he had been doing while she was away. Mai didn't seem convinced, but let it slide in favour of another topic.

"Right. Well, what about your o-mikuji?"

He blinked.

"Mine?"

"Yes, that woman should have given you one too." she said.

He distinctly remembered something being thrown at his forehead. It must have dropped on the grass. Ah, there it was. He handed the paper to Mai. She unfolded it. Gene looked over her shoulder and grinned at his brother.

"Oh, how awful!" she said, holding a hand over her mouth. "Great curse."

Mai stared at Naru with a look of great pity and slowly unfolded the paper. A pleased Gene floated back into the tree.

She continued, "Lost articles... Near small blessing."

"I don't care about that. What about the business dealings?"

"Great curse."

"Ha! Serves you right!" Gene exclaimed from above.

"You're doing even worse than me in the romantic department," Mai mumbled, "Great curse."

"Wonderful."

Mai continued, "Marriage proposal. Great curse."

"Does that thing hate me?" Naru inquired.

Mai ignored him, but his bemused brother said, "I think it does."

"There's only one great blessing... pregnancy."

Gene started cackling.

"That's it?" Naru said.

Mai gave him an annoyed look.

"What's with that's it? Pregnancy is a big thing you know?"

"Obviously it doesn't apply to me."

She shrugged, "Well, you could make a woman pregnant."

"I wouldn't impregnate someone if I failed in the romance and marriage departments. It doesn't make any sense."

"Perfectionist," she muttered under her breath, rolled up the piece of paper and handed it back to him. Naru wasn't very sure what to do with it. Unconsciously his fingers reached for the book, but he stopped when he took the paper's writings into consideration. That wouldn't make for a nice present. He shoved the paper in the pocket of his trousers.

"But it would make sense if..."

That got Mai's full attention.

"If what?"

He sighed.

"….. if I wasn't able to marry the woman I loved."

Up in the tree Gene became terribly concerned. His younger brother the idiot scientist can't possibly have thought up a romantic tragedy all by himself like that?! Even Mai had a hard time believing he said that. "Wha-, what?"

Naru quickly recovered himself and pushed the subject far away from his mind.

"Shouldn't you be attending your classes?"

Mai seemed confused and shrugged a little, "Um, it's fine. I'm too tired. I want to stay here."

"If you don't want to stay dumb, you should go. Don't you want to avoid your arranged marriage?" Naru said, but regretted it the instant it left his mouth. Mai just glared at him.

That did it. He was going too far. Gene had wanted to punch his brother right there. He yelled, "Idiot! Girls like her are very sensitive about marriage. Especially when they hear that sort of thing from the boy they like!"

His younger brother shot him a glare and telepathically said, (Go away).

Gene was still pissed off and folded his arms. Mai noticed Naru's facial expressions. Was he looking at the tree just now? She looked up. There wasn't anyone there.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"You're apologising?"

"Yes and you can have this book."

He offered her the book. Mai stared at what she had in her hands. A look of surprise crossed her face.

"...but... you were reading this..." she said and took it. "What is it about?"

"It's about a married man who meets a girl from the future on top of a hill. He falls in love. They meet a few times, but one day she stops coming," he explained, "I think you'll like it too."

"Thank you..." she said and looked very happy.

They didn't say anything for a while. Gene was still staring down at them. They were enveloped in a strange and awkward atmosphere. His younger brother seemed expectant of something, but Mai appeared to waver.

The tension broke when she turned to him and quickly kissed his cheek. Completely flustered, she got on her feet and took off without looking back.

Gene dropped his jaw.

A startled Naru heard him say, "I have no idea what you did, but you did it very well, Noll."

He was sorely disappointed to find his brother still sitting in the tree.

(You're still here?)

Gene floated back down again.

"What made you think I was gone? Got caught up in the moment huh?"

Naru sighed.

(So we can communicate telepathically too like in the old days...)

"Yeah."

Handy, Naru thought. When Gene died, his wavelength had changed. Now he could talk to Gene without looking like an idiot.

"Does that mean our link is fixed?"

(Who knows,) he replied.

Gene sat down next to him.

"So what is going on between you guys? Mai quit her job, but what happened after that?"

Naru sighed.

(A while ago she confessed to me again. I didn't believe her and we had a bit of a fight. I thought she was only staying, because of you,) he said and looked at Gene, who didn't say anything. (In the end she retorted that my argument was as valid as me keeping her around, because she is similar to you.)

His brother smirked, "So you started believing her."

Naru nodded.

"... and you answer was?"

(I never expected her to confess again, so...)

"...you didn't know how to answer back then," Gene finished. "You like her, don't you? Why don't you confess to her?"

(I just did.)

"What?" Gene blinked.

Naru looked annoyed. (Do I need to repeat myself?)

"What. You confessed right under my nose and I didn't know about it?"

(Have you read the Dandelion Girl?)

"Yes, but... Oh, oh."

His memory of the book dawned upon him. The ending was quite touching.

Naru said, (Madoka lent it out to Mai, because she wanted to read a short story in English. She knows how it ends.)

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"So let me get this straight. You confessed using a book?"

(Yes.)

"Noll, you're such a nerd," Gene laughed.

Naru shrugged and went to stand.

(I'm going back to the office. I won't have any work done if I waste any more time on you.)

True to his word he didn't even waste any time saying goodbye. His little brother left the barren tree and his twin behind.

However, Gene smiled and leaned against the tree with closed eyes.

"It would be nice if I could stay here though. I'm tired of being sleepy," he murmured.

Author's note

Ah, our little Mai trilogy has ended. From now on Naru will be visited by a lot of other people in the park.

This chapter was rather difficult to write, hence the delay. I have some doubts about it. Also, I'm not sure if I wrote Mai well. She's a tricky person. Gene was being difficult as well. I had to restrain him, because he tends to steal the scenes from his younger brother.

Ah well, hurdles like these are there to overcome!