I'm back! Sorry for that long hiatus! After the last update, I started helping in a translation project which ended up lasting the rest of the year, and afterwards, it took me a long while to get back into the writing groove. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it? ^^;
Also, thank you SO MUCH to all my new readers for your wonderful reviews! They really made me happy~~
Chapter 9
It came as no surprise to Mai when she could barely concentrate on finishing her homework that day. She barely payed any attention during her evening class either. And at night, it took her forever to fall asleep, as she unwillingly replayed the conversation from that afternoon over and over in her head.
When she did sleep, it was fitful; marred by anxious dreams she could only dimly remember, like catching fleeting glimpses of a movie. A pale hand sticking out of rubble. Picture frames flying off a mantel. Water on a tile floor. And an enigmatic smile.
The next morning, Mai woke groggy and staggered to class ten minutes late. Once again, she had to ask herself how she, just a normal college student, got mixed up in all this. And of course the answer would be that she wasn't so normal after all, if Naru were to be believed. That was little comfort. And yet she was pretty well off in comparison, so she could hardly complain, could she? Oh god, what was she going to say to him today?!
She still couldn't muster the nerve to visit the library that afternoon, but by evening, she finally forced herself to climb up those steps. She couldn't put it off forever. Any longer, and Naru would know she was avoiding him, and he might think it was for the wrong reasons. She had to get this over with for her own sake too; her grades were going to take a nosedive at this rate.
Once inside, Mai found an unoccupied table, laid out her things, and opened her notebook to a blank page. Writing out what she wanted to say might help. She got started.
Hi, I met your brother yesterday, and he told me...things.
She scratched that out.
So I heard you have telekinetic powers-
Way too blunt.
Start off with a joke? Ha. As if that would work on him.
Start off with an apology? That was probably most safe. And the rest would depend on whether he accepted it or not...
She had jotted down about a page of possible lines by the time 8 PM rolled around. Mai braced herself. For once, she was prepared. Whatever happened, she could do this.
But what she didn't expect was that she wouldn't have a chance to say anything at all.
An hour passed.
Naru never showed up.
Mai clutched her head. After an hour of restless waiting, her nerves were now shot. What did this mean? Was he avoiding her now? Did he hate her? Or worse, what if they'd decided it had been a bad idea telling her after all, and they'd packed up and left?
She got up from her seat. She had to know if he was still here, at least. And even if he didn't want to talk to her anymore, as long as she could just get this off her chest, she could deal with it. Besides, just sitting there worrying wouldn't accomplish anything.
So she began wandering the aisles, looking for him.
As she searched, Mai sighed. Despite her worry, she couldn't help but wonder if she might be overthinking things too. What if he didn't even care?
Ever since she came to this country, all she had wanted was to make a friend. She'd thought she saw hope for that in her last conversation with Naru, and her conversation with Gene only cemented that hope. But maybe she was being presumptuous. What if Naru only began sitting with her because he thought she might have ESP? And now that he'd satisfied his curiosity, maybe he didn't have a reason to hang out with her anymore. Maybe he'd even forgotten about her already, and she was doing all this worrying for nothing. She didn't know what would be worse.
Mai shivered, as a cold draft suddenly blew through. She was just about to turn back to go retrieve her coat, when she saw it.
A book was floating down the aisle towards her. Mai froze.
At first she thought she might be seeing things, but no, it was definitely levitating in midair. Mai edged over to the side of the aisle as it moved to pass her.
"Charlie...?" she whispered nervously.
No response. The book kept on floating.
Could it be...no, it was definitely a possibility. But how to make sure...?
Gulping, Mai crept underneath the book. Then, gathering her courage, she reached up and snatched it out of the air.
She flinched, expecting a reaction of some sort. But nothing happened.
Mai looked at the book in her hands. The cover felt warm.
She had read something about this. Objects moved by poltergeists have been observed to have a rise in temperature, feeling warm to the touch...
It was Naru. He was here.
Mai clutched the book to her chest and began searching for him again in earnest. She moved quickly, peering down each aisle with a glance. She nearly missed him when she finally did find him, sorting books in a cart at the far end of an aisle.
Naru's expression was blank, eyes focused on the books in front of him. But his movements were slow, as if distracted by something.
Mai took a deep breath and approached slowly. She came to a stop when she was right in front of him. He didn't notice at first. She shifted on her feet awkwardly and cleared her throat.
He looked up.
Their eyes met.
Mai opened her mouth to speak.
But her words were drowned out by a sudden cacophony of noise.
The screeching wail of heavy wood scraping against floor. A series of loud crashes. A resounding thud. And then, screaming.
The two of them stood staring at each other, eyes wide. Mai's mouth hung open, words she'd meant to say now forgotten.
Naru moved first, dashing towards the direction of the noise. Mai followed on his heels.
When they arrived on the scene, it was easy to see what had happened. A bookcase had toppled over and collided into another bookcase, and then another, in a domino effect. In all, three aisles worth of bookcases had fallen, sending dust into the air and scattering books all over the floor. It was a great mess.
Not only that, a young woman's incoherent screeching could be heard from beneath the last toppled bookcase. A young man, who had apparently narrowly missed being pinned himself, was shouting "Holy shit! Miranda!" and futilely trying to lift the bookcase by himself.
"Oh my god," Mai gasped, before rushing to the other side of the bookcase to help lift it. Of course, her strength wasn't enough to make much difference, and with the added weight of the other bookcases, it would be impossible without a large group effort.
"Hang in there, Miranda! We'll get you out!" the man wheezed.
Mai's hands already hurt from the strain. They needed help, fast. She turned her head towards Naru. "Naru, help! We-"
But he stood frozen in place, wide eyes seeing but not seeing the scene before him. She called for him again, but he still didn't budge. He might not have even heard her.
The lights flickered on and off. She heard more screaming. The bookcase in her hands began to vibrate and Mai let go in surprise, only to see all the books around her rise into the air.
"What the fuck! What the fuck!" the young man was shouting.
All the bookcases around them now rattled violently. Books shot across the room, forcing people to duck their heads. Tables and chairs danced across the floor, crashing into people and other furniture.
As everything rattled and shook, screams filling her ears, it reminded Mai of a really bad earthquake. But earthquakes subsided. This only kept building. Building and building...until...
Images flashed in her mind. A hand sticking out of rubble. Blood-splattered walls. Her breath caught in her throat.
She turned to Naru again, and the scream that left her throat sounded desperate even to her own ears. "NARU!"
Then with a small gasp, he snapped out of it. His eyes briefly met hers, then took in the situation with a glance. Clenching his hands, he then jammed his eyes shut and began taking long, deep breaths.
'What would that do?' she thought, but it seemed to work. The rattling began to die down. The books around her dropped to the floor. That's right. He needed to be calm. Her panicking wouldn't help matters at all.
"It's okay...it's okay..." she began saying, like a mantra. She'd meant it for the benefit of everyone around her, but when she thought back later, she would realize that she had been saying it in Japanese. So it might have been only her and Naru who understood the words.
Nevertheless, the disturbance soon came to a stop, leaving them all shaken, but alive.
Hearing the commotion, the head librarian and other students from around the library soon gathered at the scene, and they were successfully able to free Miranda from under the bookcase. Thankfully, she was not injured, but by then, Miranda was in hysterics. She sat on the floor sobbing in her boyfriend's arms.
For a while, everyone still lingered at the scene, perhaps in shock, staring at the aftermath. The whole area was a complete mess.
"What the hell was that? An earthquake?"
"On the east coast?"
"It's not impossible."
"But the ground wasn't shaking, was it?"
"I didn't feel anything..."
"It-it wasn't an earthquake!" Miranda cried. "It was the ghost! It tried to k-kill me!"
Her boyfriend let out a nervous laugh. "Y-yeah right. Don't be ridiculous, Miranda. There's no such thing as...ghosts."
"Then what was that?!"
A hush fell. The librarian floundered for words, seemingly unsure whether to confirm or deny the claim. Mai glanced at Naru; he was silently righting an overturned table, face turned away.
When the boyfriend spoke again, his voice had risen an octave. "I'm sure there's a...perfectly reasonable explanation. Seriously, Miranda. You're being silly."
"Oh, screw you!" Miranda shoved him away. "I'm getting out of here!"
"Wait! Miranda!" The boyfriend grabbed her purse and chased after her.
More murmurs followed their exit.
"You know, maybe she's right..."
"I thought this place seemed weird."
"What else would make things move like that?"
"God, I'm getting the creeps. Let's get out of here."
"I know I'm never coming back again."
"Yeah, same here."
"Maybe they should call the Ghostbusters? Am I right?"
"Shut up, it's not funny."
"Or maybe it was aliens?"
"I said cut it out!"
People began milling out. At the same time, the librarian finally snapped back to her senses and began ushering the remaining students out of the library.
As the area emptied, Mai headed over to Naru, who had in the meantime righted the toppled bookcases and begun shelving books.
She'd only meant to ask if he was okay. After all, that was a lot of PK. She went to his side and opened her mouth to speak.
"Hey, are you-"
WHOOSH. The books flew off the shelf again.
"Eeep!" Mai jumped.
Naru let out a frustrated growl and stalked off at once.
Realizing her mistake, Mai called after him weakly. "S-sorry!"
But he was already out of sight.
Mai slapped a hand to her forehead. What was she doing? That wasn't even a proper apology.
Besides that, he was angry, wasn't he? Yes, he was definitely angry. His reaction just now proved it. And he was hard enough to deal with on a good day...
Sighing, Mai looked at all the books littering the floor. Well, maybe she could at least help clean up.
She knelt and began gathering books in her arms, then placing them haphazardly back on the shelves. Many of the books were warm to the touch. In the cold library, they felt surprisingly nice in her hands. And to think just earlier, she had been scared of it.
That's right. She had been scared. Having heard how much the brothers had been rejected in the past because of Naru's PK, she didn't want to be one of those people who reacted only in fear. But in reality, it wasn't so easy. Gene had been right. Seeing it happen before her eyes was scary.
Mai sighed. She knew it couldn't be helped. But she still felt disappointed in herself.
Once she'd finished picking up most of the books, and did an admittedly sloppy job of putting them back on the shelves (she would leave the rearranging to the pros), Mai dusted herself off and thought of what to do next. Should she go after Naru again? She didn't want to just leave things the way they were...but maybe now wasn't a good time.
Still pondering, she began wandering back towards her table for the time being. The library was eerily quiet; quieter than usual, anyway. It seemed to be deserted now, which was hardly a surprise. If she didn't know what she already knew, she'd want to get out of there as soon as possible too.
But perhaps only because it was so quiet, she was able to hear it. Soft voices. Mai paused and looked around. Then, peering across a row of books, she spotted what looked to be the head librarian and Naru standing a few aisles down.
Mai didn't mean to eavesdrop. But her curiosity got the better of her. Silently, she crept closer, until she was standing right behind the bookcase nearest to them.
"Do you think Charles is angry about something?" the librarian asked anxiously. "It's never been this bad before...what if it continues?"
"It's too early to say. He's never been violent before. Unless we see a trend, it could be that he was just momentarily upset."
"But what could have caused this? I'm just worried...someone could have been seriously injured tonight. I think it might be best to close the library until we get this all sorted out."
"I don't think that would be necessary." Naru took a deep breath. "...But if you'd like, I can ask my brother to come tomorrow and see what the problem is."
"Oh, please, could you? That would be a great help." The woman relaxed visibly.
He nodded.
The librarian sighed. "I just hope nobody sues over what happened. I don't know how any of this would hold up in court."
Naru remained silent.
Mai bit her lip. Was it always like this for him? Unable to take responsibility, but still doing whatever he could to fix the situation...always by himself.
Maybe there was something she could do. No, there had to be. Since she was partly responsible this time, it was only fair that she shared the burden.
The librarian went on. "In any case, I still think we should close the library for tonight. It just seems safer, don't you think?"
"That would be wise." A pause. "I can close up as usual. I'd like to clean up more before I leave."
"What? Are you sure that's a good idea?" The woman sounded nervous again. "Staying here on your own...what if something happened?"
Naru let out a small sigh. "I honestly doubt anything else will happen tonight."
"But how can you be sure? No, no, I can't let you do that. I'll call my husband...let him know I'll be late..."
"Um," Mai spoke up, stepping out from behind the bookcase. Suddenly both their attentions were fixed on her; Naru's expression tightened visibly.
Mai gulped. Unable to stand just watching anymore, she'd jumped out without thinking, but now what?
"I-I'm sorry, I overheard...but I think he's right. Charlie was upset, but he seems to be over it now. He wasn't trying to hurt anyone either. It was just...an accident."
The librarian stared at her, wide-eyed. "How do you...?"
Well, here goes nothing. "I can see ghosts too." It wasn't a total lie! "N-Not as good as Gene, though...I'm not sure what the problem is exactly. It's just a feeling..."
The librarian raised her eyebrows and looked to Naru for confirmation.
Grudgingly, he nodded.
"Well!" the librarian said in surprise. She looked between the two of them. "I suppose that does explain things. I thought you two seemed close."
The dead silence that followed that statement made it sound like a cruel joke.
Sensing the awkward air, the librarian said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, did I jump to conclusions?"
"In any case," Naru said, pointedly ignoring the question, "I will be quite fine on my own. You don't need to stay on my behalf."
"Yes, but..."
"It's been a stressful night," Mai said, wringing her hands together. "I think we should all go home and rest, or it could...affect Charlie's mood." Oh god, what was she saying? Did that sound even remotely convincing? She smiled nervously at Naru. "So you shouldn't stay for very long either."
He looked away, but sighed. "...Fine."
"Well...if you say so..." The librarian still looked unsure. "I'll go get my things, then..."
Once the woman left, Mai let out a huge sigh of relief.
Beside her, Naru huffed. "For someone who just wants to live a normal life, you're sure quick to pretend you're a medium."
Really? That's the first thing he says to her? "I'm not doing it for fun!" she retorted, but he had already walked away. Gah! Couldn't he stay still for just one minute?!
A moment later, the librarian was back, holding her coat and purse. "Oh? Where's Oliver?"
"He went off somewhere..." Mai sighed.
"I see." The woman smiled, and offered her hand. "I'm Joanne, by the way. You are...?"
"Mai Taniyama. I'm studying abroad for the semester." Mai smiled back and shook her hand.
"Oh, only for that long? Shame. And I was almost considering offering you a job."
Mai giggled. "You really must be short-handed."
"Well, we lose staff every time something like this happens." She shook her head. "You'd think being a librarian would be a relaxing job, but it's given me more gray hairs than I bargained for."
Mai's smile faded. "Oh. That's..."
"And it doesn't help that I don't know what to believe." Joanne's smile turned wry. "I'm afraid you aren't a very convincing liar, Mai."
Mai froze. Oh...crap crap crap crap crap! What had she been thinking? This was his boss. She was going to ruin everything!
"Now, I've seen things I can't explain, and both Oliver and his brother have been very reliable in the past. So if he says you are what you say you are, then I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. But I need you to be clear on this: Are you sure there's no more danger tonight?"
She nodded, throat tight.
"All right. In that case, I'm curious to know why you're so eager for me to leave this evening."
Mai took a deep breath. She could not get away with telling another lie. "The...the truth is, there is something that I would like to discuss with Oliver...privately. So I was trying to find some time alone..."
Which was true. She wanted to talk to him properly after all. And if Naru was going to freak out every time she tried, better to do it with no witnesses.
"Ahh, so that's the reason." Joanne nodded to herself.
"I-I'm sorry for lying!" Mai bowed, red-faced.
"Well, it's not like I can't understand. I have been in your shoes before."
Mai highly doubted that, but she decided to keep her mouth shut this time.
"Anyway, how about we put this behind us?" Joanne smiled kindly again. "I do feel better knowing you'll be here with him. And I'll need all the help I could get with this little...ghostly problem."
"I don't know how much I could do, b-but yes. Sure." Mai bowed again, reflexively.
"Wonderful. I'll be off then. Please tell Oliver not to stay too late. And," she added, winking, "good luck."
As she watched Joanne leave, Mai groaned to herself. What did she just get herself into? One thing was clear, though: she would not underestimate that woman again.
Sighing, she set off to find Naru once more. If this attempt failed too, she would just have to call it a night. Jeez. Why did he have to make this so difficult?
Since he'd wanted to clean up, Mai headed for the scene of the incident first. She imagined he was probably grumbling over her slapdash work by now. But instead, she caught sight of him on the way there.
Just as he started swaying on his feet.
Mai let out a gasp and dashed forward, but he managed to catch himself on a nearby table.
She hovered worriedly over him for a moment. He looked even paler than usual now. Oh no. What if he needed to go to the hospital? Was it that bad? How bad was a 'bad' accident?
"Naru, you don't look so good. Maybe you should..."
She reached for his arm.
But he stopped her with a cold glare.
"What. Are you doing."
Mai quickly backed away. "W-well I..."
"No one asked you to stay."
"I know, but...I thought I should stick around to, you know...help."
"Why."
"I...guess I feel kinda responsible. For what happened tonight. I mean, if I hadn't startled you..."
"I was not startled."
Okay, bad choice of words. "But all the same, it was my fault. So I should at least do whatever I can."
Naru huffed, then pulled out a chair and sat down heavily. He rubbed his temples. "...The library is closed. You are not an employee. You have no reason to be here."
"Oh, who cares about that! It's not like this is the first time I've been here after hours!"
Of course, he couldn't deny that. Instead, he sighed. "It seems Gene has neglected to inform you of a few ground rules," he said bitterly.
Mai blinked. "Rules?"
"Rule Number One: Do not assume you know what I am feeling. Because in all likelihood, you don't."
"Okay?" Great. It's not like he was easy to read in the first place...
"Rule Number Two: If I tell you to leave me alone, you will do so. No questions asked."
Well, maybe that made sense...for safety reasons...
"Rule Number Three: Do not coddle me. I don't need your pity."
Mai stared. It took a moment for what he said to sink in, but when it did, it felt like a slap across the face. "Pity?" she repeated hollowly. So that's what he thought this was? "...Pity?" But hurt quickly turned to anger. "You think this is pity? What's wrong with you? Can't you tell when someone's worried about you?!"
He blinked. "...I can tell that you're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
"Of course I am! After what happened, isn't that only natural?! I don't know about you, but when I see someone in need, I can't just turn away and mind my own business!"
"It sounds to me like you're only trying to clear your own conscience."
She flinched. It was true, guilt did play a part...and she did feel sorry for him. And if that was all it was, then he would be right. But there was more to it. She cared about him. At times like this, she truly wondered why, but she couldn't deny it. He wasn't just a stranger to her anymore.
Not that she could admit it, though. Not with his attitude. It's not like she couldn't understand, either. She didn't usually tell people she was an orphan because she didn't like being treated differently. But she knew they only did so out of concern.
She wasn't looking for appreciation or anything, but still, was this any way to treat someone who was just trying to help? How ungrateful could you be?
Mai balled her hands into fists. "And so what?! Is that really such a bad thing? Even if helping people makes you feel better, that doesn't change the fact that you're helping them! Isn't that what really matters? Besides, you could say that about just about anybody! Even your own brother!"
"Yes," he said, with no change to his tone. "I could."
"Wha..." This took her aback for a second. Wait, he didn't really believe that, did he? But before she could think further, he went on.
"In any case," he said coldly. "I never asked for any help. So if you expect me to aid you in some self-serving need to feel nice, then I'm not interested."
And now she wanted to scream again. "Why is this such a big deal?! Can't you just accept someone's help without questioning their motives?!"
He let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't need help. Go home. I can handle things here."
"As if! You looked like you were about to faint! If there's anyone here who should go home, it's you."
He scowled and looked away. "I'm fine," Naru said, voice chilling even further.
Jeez, what was with him? Couldn't he just admit it?
Then it hit her. He was embarrassed. Now that she thought of it, it seemed obvious. It must be humiliating, for someone so controlled on the surface, to have his emotions manifest in such a public way, beyond his control. And then to have someone know it was him...
At any other time, she might have found this sad, or even funny. But right now, it just ticked her off.
She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, I see what this is now. You're just being sulky because you can't fool me into believing you're just an aloof badass anymore. Well I'm sorry for diminishing your cool persona, but don't you lash out at me just because your pride's injured!"
"I'm not-" he began, but she wasn't done yet.
"And for the record, there's nothing wrong with being emotional! It only proves you're human! Sure, in your case it might cause some problems, but it's still not something to be ashamed about!"
And now he turned to glare at her. "You talk as if you understand. But you're only going off of hearsay. You know nothing of what it's like."
This almost made her hesitate. A part of her knew she was going too far, but she was too worked up now. "Of course I don't! But does that mean I shouldn't try? Why do you think I've been chasing you around all night? How am I supposed to understand if you won't even talk to me?!"
The shelves around them began to rattle, but she took no notice.
"And sure, maybe I shouldn't have heard all that from Gene! Maybe you didn't want me to know at all! But what's done is done! Unless you can erase my memory, you'll just have to deal with it! I mean, it's not like I'm blabbing your secrets to everyone or trying to hurt you! I'm just trying to help!"
"Well, you certainly aren't helping now."
"That's because you-"
"You're being a nuisance. Go. Away." He said it in a low growl that left no room for questions. He wanted her gone, end of story.
At once, her anger seeped away, leaving her feeling only empty.
"...I'm sorry," she said quietly, and ran away.
First she had her heartfelt concern thrown back in her face. Then her intentions were doubted. And now, a very clear rejection. Like a kicked puppy, Mai retreated to the restroom to lick her wounds.
She spent about half an hour in there, sniffling and wiping her eyes with paper towels. As she did, she couldn't help but think back to what Kendra had told her, weeks before: 'It's like he judges you for everything you are...actually, it's like he can see right through you.'
She could understand what that meant now. His words cut straight to the bone, and they stung, all right.
Why did she even think she could get along with a cold guy like him? She knew this would happen. Was she a masochist?
If only...if only he hadn't been kind to her the other day. If only he'd never started sitting with her. Then she wouldn't have had any expectations. No...false hopes.
Mai smiled bitterly at herself. She'd thought the same thing after her boyfriend dumped her, years ago. She really hadn't learned a thing.
Finally, tired of feeling sorry for herself, Mai washed her face and emerged from the restroom. And then, she hesitated.
She ought to go home. That was what Naru wanted, after all. She really had no business being here any longer.
...But dammit, she was still worried. She knew it would bother her all night if she didn't at least check on him one last time, to see that he was okay. And, well, tonight was already a disaster. If he got mad at her again, so be it.
Cursing herself, she made her way back to where she'd left him.
He was still there. Only now he was slumped over the table, head in his arms, motionless.
Her stomach dropped in dread, and she nearly ran to his side again, but she stopped herself this time. She looked more closely.
His back was rising and falling, just slightly. Which meant he was breathing, at least. And by the slow pace of it, he seemed to be asleep. Just asleep.
Mai let out a sigh of relief. Jeez, don't scare her like that.
But even so, she couldn't just leave him like this. What if he didn't wake up? And even if he did, what if he still needed to go to the hospital after all?
No matter what he said, she couldn't just not worry. She'd leave him alone, fine. But she would still watch over him, from afar.
Having decided that, Mai returned to her table at last. But the first thing she saw when she got there was her page of notes. Groaning, Mai sat down, laying her head in her arms.
"Ugh...I suck."
She was supposed to apologize. Instead she insulted him and told him to get over it. What was wrong with her? She practically ambushed him at a vulnerable moment and that was how she reacted?
"Stupid...stupid...stupid..." she said, knocking her head against the table with each repetition. Who was the insensitive one here? He was right. She had just been forcing her feelings onto him. How she felt didn't matter. She wasn't the victim in this situation.
Sighing, Mai sat there with her forehead against the table. She felt exhausted. Two nights in a row with very little sleep, all that stress from worrying, and now eyes dried out from crying made her eyelids feel heavy. All of a sudden, she didn't care. Or, to be more accurate, she was just so sick of herself that she didn't want to think about it anymore.
Right. She should stop thinking about it. She would just close her eyes for a moment now, and slip away...into...nothing...
The next thing she knew, she heard an incredulous voice from beside her. "What are you still doing here?"
"Nwah?!" Mai straightened with a jolt, then winced at the bright lights of the library and the sting of her forehead being ripped from where it had been plastered against the tabletop. After a moment, she realized she was drooling too, and hurriedly wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
Only then did she realize who the voice belonged to. Naru stood beside her, looking thoroughly exasperated.
Oh. This was awkward. Not to mention embarrassing...
"If you're so tired, might I suggest you go home and sleep? I'm sure it would be more comfortable." This almost sounded reasonable if not for the sarcasm dripping from his voice.
But Mai still felt too guilty to get properly riled up. She huffed halfheartedly. "You fell asleep too."
He sighed. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"No. Should I?"
"It's half past midnight."
She paused. "...Seriously?" So much for not staying late.
His eyes narrowed. "Do you honestly plan on walking home at this hour?"
"Well, yeah. Guess I'll have to, huh? Sucks."
"You're naive. A young woman walking around a deserted college campus alone in the early morning hours is just asking for trouble."
She frowned at him. "I don't need you telling me that. I know the risks, okay? I'm not a child."
"You should have come with a friend."
"It's not like I was expecting to stay this late!"
But then he looked away, and it occurred to her that he might actually be worried for her.
She waved her hands. "Honestly, it's not that big a deal! I do it all the time in Japan and nothing's happened!"
"But this isn't Japan," he said edgily.
"Well, what do you expect me to do? I'm already here, it's already this late! I just have to suck it up and walk home, don't I? I'm not happy about it either, but I don't have any other choice!"
Naru was silent for a moment, mulling it over. Then, "I'll take you," he announced abruptly.
"What?" Was she mishearing things? He couldn't have just said...
"Where do you live?"
"...Winston Hall," she answered in disbelief.
He nodded to himself. "Get your things." Then he walked away.
Mai stared after him. Was this really happening? Why the sudden change in attitude? Was this what they called 'tsundere'? No, maybe 'kuudere' was more appropriate for him...or did this even count as 'dere' at all?
She was snapped out of her thoughts as Naru started turning off the lights in the building. Mai hurriedly gathered all of her belongings. Then, pulling on her coat and gloves, she went to wait for him at the entrance.
Naru joined her a few minutes later wearing his black coat. She stood outside, shivering, as he locked the door. "Wow, it's really freezing this time of night," she mumbled. "Do you walk home this late every day?"
"Yes." He pocketed his keys, briskly descended the steps, and began walking in the direction of her residence hall.
"Which way do you live?" she asked, following. "You're not going out of your way, are you?" She hoped not; he ought to rest, not walk an extra mile in freezing temperatures.
But Naru didn't answer. He just stared straight ahead.
...Come to think of it, that morning after the snowstorm, he'd gone off in the opposite direction, hadn't he? With a groan, Mai stopped walking. "Naru, you really don't need to do this! I swear I'll be fine!"
He ignored her, continuing to head in the same direction regardless of whether she followed or not. Mai groaned again in frustration and hurried to catch up.
For all his complaints about receiving help, he sure was stubborn when the situation was reversed. Jeez.
They walked in silence but for the crunching of sidewalk salt beneath their feet, their breaths turning to fog in the cold air. The campus was deserted, cast in shadow and frost. Moonlight reflected on white snowbanks, making them appear to glow, and flickering street lamps lined the path, lighting their way.
The flickering got annoying after a while though. Were they all like this? She could have sworn they'd cast a steady light before...
But then Mai looked around, and realized the street lamps only flickered when she passed beneath them. And then she remembered who she was walking with.
Mai glanced at him. Naru had the collar of his coat turned up, hands shoved deep in his coat pockets. His eyes had a slightly glazed look to them...great, he was tired.
She sighed. "Naru, why are you doing this?"
He blinked, snapping out of his daze. "What?"
"Why are you being so nice all of a sudden..." She averted her eyes. She didn't deserve it, did she? Not after what she'd said...
Naru took so long to answer that she assumed he wasn't going to. But at last, he spoke.
"...Gene sent out my letter yesterday."
Mai looked up in surprise. "What? He did?" She smiled. "That's great!"
He nodded. "I assume you were the one who convinced him. I...owe you for that."
"Oh." So that's what this was about. Mai looked down at her feet, embarrassed. "I wouldn't say I convinced him...I think he was already considering it. He just needed a little...push."
"It's the same thing."
"Yeah, I guess it is..." She fiddled with her coat zipper nervously. "So...you aren't mad that I found out?"
He let out a deep sigh. "...I'm annoyed. There is a distinction."
She laughed at that, mostly out of relief than anything. "Well, I promise I won't tell anyone. And...sorry about earlier."
"I overreacted. It wasn't all your fault."
Mai smiled. She supposed it was best to just leave it at that.
She looked up as they passed under another flickering street lamp. Even though she'd seen it with her own eyes, it was still hard to believe that Naru was causing all this. But come to think of it, it he was affecting the lamps, what about her? Was it even safe to be walking with him like this?
Not that she thought he would put her in danger if there was any risk of that. But still...
"Hey, can I ask you something? Does your PK...affect living things? Like, can it alter cells and stuff?"
"That would be PK-LT. And no, if I were capable of that, I'm sure Gene would have mutated already."
Mai made a face. "That's a pleasant thought..."
"You brought it up."
So she did. That was one less thing to worry about, though.
"Hmm." She put her finger to her chin in thought. Since he was actually being receptive for once, she might as well use this opportunity to ask more questions. "Can you fly?"
"What?"
"Don't tell me you've never tried it before! That would be so cool!"
"Any number of things could go wrong. I'm not stupid."
"Yeah, but aren't you curious?"
He sighed reluctantly. "...We tested it once when we were kids. All I succeeded in doing was breaking a leg."
"Ouch." While that sounded painful, the mental image made her grin. She could only imagine that Gene was the one who talked him into it.
"Okay, one more question. I know it's probably a bit late to ask this, but...the first time we met...it was you, wasn't it? Not Charlie. You moved the book and bookcase."
Naru frowned. "Yes."
Mai giggled. "So let me get this straight: You tried to help me reach that book?"
He grunted in annoyance. "The sooner you got your foot off the shelf, the better."
"You could've just come over and gotten it for me yourself!"
"It wasn't worth the trouble."
"Yeah, right. You just didn't want to talk to me."
He shrugged.
Mai rolled her eyes. "Well, that's still what you ended up doing anyway."
"Unfortunately."
She stuck her tongue out at him.
It was a shame, though. If he'd come up and reached for the book from behind her, like in a scene from a shoujo manga, it might have set her heart aflutter. But these days she knew better than to expect something so cliche. Besides, being nearly crushed in an avalanche of books was way more indicative of what their relationship turned out to be. She laughed at the thought.
Naru looked at her. "What?"
She skipped ahead a couple steps and turned around to look at him. "Nothing~"
He took a step towards her, frowning. "I don't see what there is to laugh about."
With a giggle, she backed away. "I saaaid~"
But she got no further than that. Her feet slipped out from under her. Half a second too late, Mai realized she had just stepped onto a wide patch of ice.
Before she could fall back, however, an arm caught her around the waist. The next thing she knew, Mai's face was buried in something warm and she was on her feet again.
Once she'd gotten over the surprise, Mai pulled away slightly, and felt her face immediately heat up.
Naru was holding her upright against him, his arm still around her waist. Her face had just been buried in his chest. He looked down at her, and their foggy breaths intermingled.
"Idiot. Watch where you're walking."
"S-sorry!" Flustered, Mai quickly tried to back away, but her feet skidded on ice again, and she slid right back into his arms. She clutched at his coat with an embarrassed squeak.
"You don't learn, do you?"
"Sh-shut up!"
"I could let go, you know."
Face burning, she looked up at him with a whine, halfway between angry and pleading.
The corner of his mouth quirked up briefly. "Hold still," he breathed, placing both hands firmly around her waist.
"Wha-" she started, as he lifted her up, and then suddenly she was floating, light as a feather, until her feet landed gently on a non-icy section of sidewalk a few steps away.
Mai gaped. She pointed a shaky finger at him. "You...you just..."
"Don't make me do that again," he said coolly.
She nodded dumbly.
Smoothly, Naru stepped over the patch of ice, long legs allowing him to cross without effort.
As he passed by her, Mai muttered, "Show off."
He smirked.
They continued walking. Mai spent the next few minutes trying in vain not to think about what just happened.
She wondered if it all might have been a dream. What with her briefly floating like Mary Poppins back there, that wouldn't be so farfetched. But it all felt too real.
She could still recall his secure grip on her waist. His blue eyes and long eyelashes. His warm breath on her face...
SMACK! Mai slapped both hands against her face. Enough!
Naru gave her a strange look. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," she grumbled, cheeks stinging.
Another few minutes later, and they stood in front of her residence hall. Mai turned to Naru one last time before he could leave.
"Um, thanks for walking me. But are you sure you're okay? Gene told me that using too much PK can hurt you..."
"I'll be fine."
"Yeah, but after what happened at the library... And what you did just now..."
"It wasn't much."
"Are you sure? Maybe I should walk you home."
He gave her an exasperated look. "That would defeat the point of this entirely."
"Oh, right. Because something might happen on my way home, so you'd have to take me again, and then I'd have to take you back, and then we'd just be at this all night, huh?"
As if to escape such a fate, Naru promptly turned right around and began walking back.
"Goodnight, Mai," he said.
She was so stunned by this that it took her half a minute to remember to respond.
"Goodnight!" she called loudly, momentarily forgetting that it was past midnight and people might be sleeping.
She saw him shake his head, and then he blended back into the darkness.
Beaming, Mai returned to her dorm.
She just couldn't hate him after all.