So, the site is currently messing up with the reviews, so I couldn't reply to those who left one directly. For once I'll do it here:

rosaji: thank you very much! I'm delighted to see you enjoyed the story and found it good enough to read it in one go!

TheDestinyWitch: ahaha, yes, Ayako saw them. Mai is probably the one who would suffer the most if the word spread about it (a woman's reputation was far more fragile than that of a man unfortunately...), but it spices up things a little!

JIJIadorbs: I'm happy to read you don't miss Wickham too much in this story. I think there is enough material to make a decent plot without him (I tried to keep it simple enough, my first plot was so convoluted I could have written an actual book about it, and well, I don't think I've the time for that unfortunately). Concerning this little scene and your interpretation of it...let me say you are a very smart reader! You are somehow right for both of your takes on it. Obviously Naru isn't immune to Mai's charm, but the reasons behind his behavior are a little more complicated than just flirting. Still some chapters to go before we unravel the truth...

Krissy2lip: thank you! Hope you'll like the rest too :)

Also many many many thanks to those who are showing interest in this story in one way or another. Special shoutout to TheDestinyWitch and JIJIadorbs who are bearing with me since the very beginning, and grace me without fail with their always insightful comments.

My dearest readers, your feedback is an incredible motivation to continue to write!

Ghost Hunt doesn't belong to me, obviously.


Mai wished for the ground to open, swallow her whole and put her out of misery. She had been so mesmerized by Naru and so caught up in her indignation after his stunt that the obvious fact that Ayako was supposed to come back had managed to totally slip her mind.

How could she have been so forgetful? How could she have agreed to stay alone in the secretive darkness of a garden in the company of a gentleman she wasn't even affiliated with? A gentleman who was indecently close, so close she could actually breathe his scent and feel his warmth! How had she not realized her reputation could be ruined in an instant by such foolhardy behaviour? How could she…

The baritone voice of Shibuya snapped the brown-eyed girl out of her panicked state.

"Miss Matsuzaki, what a great timing. Miss Mai," he added in consideration of her far too pale complexion, "I highly suggest you sit down on this rock."

Then, very gallantly, Naru took hold of her arm and guided her to the makeshift seat. Mai followed his lead mechanically on unsteady legs, her anger now mostly drained by the shock and fear of being compromised, her mind refusing to process the frenzy of emotions she was drowning into. Fear, anxiety, shame were disputing irritation and disappointment, but above all, she felt tremendously grateful for Naru's superior self-control.

She just stupidly sat and watched him deal with the impending disaster, because she found herself unable to even think. She was positively sure that if she tried to talk, the only thing that would come out of her incredibly dry mouth would be inarticulate sounds and high-pitched noises.

The gentleman, on the other hand, appeared miraculously unfazed. His slightly scrunched eyebrows were betraying some displeasure, but his features were set in a composed expression, and his voice was steady and laced with confidence. If she hadn't been very well aware herself of the impropriety of the situation, Mai could have been fooled by his behavior and thought that their little private encounter was a perfectly commonplace occurrence.

Ayako, however, was far less gullible than that. The incongruity of the scene she had been the witness of hadn't gone unnoticed, and the auburn-haired woman was now directing a very fierce, shocked and resentful glare to Shibuya, who she was fairly certain was the instigator of such inappropriate setting.

"Are you alright, Mai? I think I heard some shouting» inquired her friend tensely, her suspicious gaze never leaving the tall man's frame. « Mister Shibuya, I shall insist you give an immediate answer about what is going on here."

Mai simply nodded, as she didn't trust herself to speak, while the young gentleman tightened his jaw and hardened his features after hearing Ayako's injunction. Apparently being doubted, suspected of harassment along being addressed in such a commanding tone didn't agree well with the prideful man.

"Miss Matsuzaki, » he began, aggravation colouring his voice, "I do not appreciate being…"

Before he had any chance to finish his undoubtedly scorching reply, the energetic voice of Yasuhara rose from behind a nearby thick hay of bushes. He appeared the next second, closely followed by his sister.

"Oh my, miss Matzusaki, I am most afraid you have caught us in a terrible moment."

If Ayako seemed fairly taken aback by the presence of the two siblings, Mai was on her part completely stupefied. What exactly were the Yasuharas doing here? And why hadn't they let themselves known earlier?

She turned to Naru, her eyebrows quirked into an interrogative expression, silently asking for any explanation he could offer. The gentleman let an exasperated sigh out at the sight of his friends, but didn't graced her obvious inquiring with a response.

"Mister Yasuhara, Miss Yasuhara, » replied the auburn-haired lady in a much more hesitant tone, « I, hum, I had no idea you were here too. Shall I ask what exactly led to this…situation?".

The two siblings flashed her symmetric candid smiles in unison, both the very image of innocence and sheepishness. Mai would have been convinced if it weren't for the identical intelligent gleam in their eyes, which was speaking more of mischievousness and sheer amusement than probity and righteousness.

"Shibuya, my sister and I were strolling in the gardens to admire its wonderful scenery and get some fresh air when we spotted miss Taniyama, being alone" explained Yasuhara, stretching the last word dramatically to emphasize how unbelievable he found the fact.

Ayako visibly deflated, losing some of her superb knowing she has been the thoughtless one, putting Mai in an awkward situation by letting the young lady on her own.

"We were about to go in her direction to offer some company, when we heard a very worrying sound from the edge of the gardens." continued the gentleman. "It was probably some huge animal, I personally bet on a wild boar, well, whatever it was it scared my dear sister greatly."

Madoka, taking her cue from her brother, closed her eyes and gripped his arm in distress, and frantically waved her fan for good measure.

"Do not remind me, brother, it was horrifying" she muttered with appropriate shivering. "So scary…and to think that miss Taniyama was alone, maybe facing an unknown peril…I still shudder just thinking about it."

Yasuhara patted his sister's arm reassuringly. Mai couldn't help but applaud inwardly at the display of such a consummate art of acting. However, that planted the seed of suspicion in her mind about the siblings. The two of them were far too skilled at pretending and scheming. Could it be…Could it be that they were the ones behind her inappropriate encounter with Shibuya? If possible, her eyes grew wider when the idea hit her. They couldn't have set that up, could they? They couldn't have been spying, right?

"It is over my dear Madoka, do not fear, everything is alright now" soothed the gentleman, oblivious to Mai's dubiousness.

"As you can see," he addressed Ayako, "she is still very affected. She almost lost consciousness back then, and I stayed at her side to attend to her. But we couldn't reasonably let miss Taniyama by herself with a lurking danger, so Shibuya had to make sure she remained safe. I am perfectly aware that the situation may have appeared quite improper, but I am sure it was the best course of action, considering the circumstances."

Mai genuinely wondered if they were actually telling the truth. Their explanation, though a bit sketchy, wasn't totally unbelievable…They seemed so sincere and convincing that her previous doubts wavered. Why were people around her so secretive and complicated and their characters so difficult to get a grasp on? Ayako still appeared a bit leery though, so Madoka delivered the final blow.

"I am so embarrassed about my losing my nerves" almost sobbed the older lady, "everything is my entire fault! My weakness obliged them to stand in such an unbeffiting position… I feel so ashamed of myself!"

In front of such authentic despair, Ayako dropped her last suspicions, and, apparently not subjected to any lingering skepticism, tranquilly assures the Yasuharas that everything had been done for the better indeed. The story behind the scene she had witnessed was plausible enough, wild boars at night weren't uncommon in the area. That left only one mystery to solve. She finally turned to Mai for a last clarification.

"I perfectly understand the reason why mister Shibuya had to stay by your side, Mai, but pray tell why you two seemed to be in an argument?"

Mai felt Naru stiffen noticeably at her side. He knew she was a horrible liar, and would probably ruin the Yasuhara's hard work. Thankfully the siblings' little act had given her some time to recover from her shock, so after a sharp inhale she was pleased to hear her voice coming out relatively calm and steady.

"I was disagreeing about his presence, stating it was ungentlemanly of him to seek my company in such a time and place. I am afraid I did not let him explain his motives, which are now very clear and more than honorable. Mister Shibuya, I owe you my deepest apologies."

Said man bowed, giving the appearance of accepting the truce she had offered. His stance was slightly less rigid, as he was probably relieved she had provided an acceptable reason for their argument.

However when he straightened up, their eyes met and Mai couldn't prevent a little gasp of surprise. Once again she had been taken off guard by the sheer intensity of his gaze, and what she had seen in his gorgeous blue orbs disconcerted her greatly: a strange mixture of pain, anger, sadness and disappointment, softened by unexpected tenderness.

He looked so much like the man of her dream at that instant, open and suffering and actually human, that for a fleeting moment she wondered if she was asleep. But soon enough his gaze was clouded again, and the man returned to his unreachable self, leaving her utterly confused. Confused because of the enigma that was Naru, and confused because of her own inability to stay away from such a dangerous and tempting man.

"You have nothing to apologize about, miss Mai. Your reaction was most understandable. I am the one wanting to make honorable amends about my conduct" he stated courteously.

The politeness was undeniable, but his tone hold a hint of somberness. The cinnamon-eyed girl tried to decipher his intentions, to no avail. Was he honestly sorry about playing her, about the amethyst? She still felt the small crystal in the palm of her hand, a cruel reminder that she had expected much more than a farce from the gentleman. If only…

"No," she thought to herself, "I won't let myself be fooled again." The gem was a fitting present, she decided, so much like Naru: full of sharp edges, cold and immovable but shining and amazingly beautiful. She absentmindedly clenched her fist tighter around it, letting the dirt smear slightly on her fingers. The stone was impregnated with her body heat, and she realized it was no longer cold. She smiled wryly at the irony: the mineral was now warmer than the man.

Madoka jolted her out of her contemplation.

"You are absolutely right, Shibuya! » exclaimed the lady heartily, « we have to offer compensation, for we are the cause of all this misunderstanding. What do you think, brother?"

"You are the voice of reason Madoka, as always! Since we deprived these lovely ladies of their time at the ball, we shall organize one at Netherfield. You would be the guests of honour, and could set the date at your convenience, of course."

"There is absolutely no need, you are not…" began Mai, immediately interrupted by Ayako who had significantly perked up at the mention of her being a guest of honour. She was undoubtedly weak to flattery.

"Mister Yasuhara, I certainly would not deny you the pleasure of hosting a ball, but please do not feel compelled because of this dreadful evening! However, if you insist, I would be delighted to help you with the invitations."

"Consider the matter settled, then," bowed Yasuhara, grinning "I will address you later for the details."

"As you wish! Oh, and about this embarrassing moment in the gardens… It would be undeniably best to forget it ever happened. Some more conservative people wouldn't be as understanding as I am, and I absolutely do not want Mai's reputation to be stained by such unfortunate chain of circumstances."

"Ayako!" cried Mai, "I didn't do anything that should…"

The young orphan stopped short, her pale cheeks turning crimson. She prayed fervently for the relative darkness to be enough to conceal her blush. She didn't feel she had the right to claim pure innocence on her part. She hadn't done anything reprehensible per se, but if she had been given the chance, she wasn't sure her behaviour would have stayed irreproachable.

"Of course, Mai dear. However, certain things are better left untold. Now, I suggest we all join the other guests in the house. We have spent more time than necessary in the gardens."

Ayako immediately turned her words into action, and began walking toward the illuminated building, the Yasuharas falling into one step behind. Shibuya said nothing but offered Mai his arm to help her get up. She reluctantly accepted it, and they walked in silence, untold sentiments, misunderstandings and secrets hanging heavily like a wall between them.


This chapter was extremely hard to write, this era is a nightmare in terms of etiquette. But it's done, and now I can devote myself to the next one, which will feature another member of the crew. Stay tuned :)