Noon
---
"Whoa, all the guys better watch themselves around you Mai!" Madoka said, smiling. Mai shifted uncomfortably under the attention.
"Jou-chan! Get your butt down here!" Takigawa called up the stairs.
"Coming!" She looked to Madoka and smiled, then hugged her tightly. "Thank you again."
"It was no problem Mai. It was on sale anyways."
Mai headed down the stairs, her sneakers creaking on the old wood. She rounded the corner to the living room and ran into Takigawa.
"Mai, Naru wants you. He's in the cellar, setting up–" He looked up from the clipboard. His eyebrow arched. "Hey, who are you and what have you done with Mai? Not that I'm complaining." She scowled and hit him. "Seriously though, you look great!"
"Thanks, Madoka got it for me."
"It's not for a certain morbid teenage boss, is it?"
"He wishes." She grinned and walked away. All the compliments on her appearance had gotten to her. For once, she felt confident, a rare achievement. She sauntered halfway to the door before she awkwardly caught her sneaker on the edge of a rug.
"Yeah he does." Takigawa said with a sly grin. One day, those two would work it out.
Mai squinted into the bright sunlight, easily spotting the sole dark outfit. She trekked through the neat lawn, ducking through the working decorating crew, and tried to ignore the looks she was getting. Naru had his back to her, observing some aspect of the cellar doors.
"Yes master? What is thy bidding?"
"Mai, good, you're here. T–" He turned, and the order for tea died in his throat.
The noon sun shone brightly above, casting her pale skin in a warm glow. Her hair, pulled into a loose ponytail, sent stray locks gracefully framing her face. The peach colored dress hugged her in every right way, yet it so innocently framed her, there was nothing risqué about it. [1]
"Naru? Are you alright?" For a moment, he was shocked into silence.
Mai. Dress. Wow.
He blinked. Regained and tried to reorganize his thoughts into something coherent.
"Yes, I'm fine. Now stop standing there, and come here." Mai scrunched up her nose in discontent.
"What's so interesting about the doors? Is there a super secret molding with a rose on it?"
"Very funny, but you're forgetting those roses helped save your life." He ignored her halfhearted grimace. "Anyways, see this?" He ran his hand along the far corner of one of the doors. "They don't fit in the doorway, which means it isn't original. They've been moved from somewhere else."
"Well, couldn't the original doors have broken in the earthquake or damaged or something?"
"Possibly. But if they had, wouldn't these have been fitted perfectly? And look," He opened the door, revealing a small black crest on the back. "The family seal, dated 1869. Usually, if something's broken and you use a replacement, you don't stamp it with a seal from the year the house was built."
"Okay, so what does that mean?"
"It means that this isn't the original cellar."
"Where did you get these sudden detective skills?"
"You'll always find something if you know what you're looking for." Mai gave him a blank stare. "I used to read Sherlock Holmes novels back when I lived in England."
"Who?"
"Sherlock Holmes. One of the greatest detectives in history."
"Well call him in, maybe he can help." Naru suppressed a smile and sighed.
"Nevermind, Mai. Get back to work. And change your clothes. You look like you belong at a tea party." She huffed and stalked off to help Ayako, who was currently threatening to turn Takigawa into a tree if he misplaced another flower arrangement.
Naru watched Mai walk away and tried to ignore the part of him that thought she should belong in the dress the rest of the case. His careful eyes took in the workers staring at her and an innate jealousy rose within him. He looked at one of the ladders they were using and it began to shake, jostling them back to their work, instead of his staring at his pretty assistant.
It was becoming more and more evident that staring at her was his job, not theirs.
---
The night was calm and cool. A soft breeze wafted through the trees. Mai breathed in the fresh air, her dress billowing around her knees. She walked down the stone balustrade, reveling in the night air before the next few hours revealed whatever chaos the house had in store for the team. The dark maze loomed before her, the arched entrance like a monster's wide open mouth, ready to devour her.
She wandered into the maze, the fragrant smell of flowers blooming in the air. She walked through the winding dark path, illuminated by strings of hanging lightbulbs. She roamed with an inane curiosity, merely trying to kill time before the investigation began.
The center of the maze ended in a small alcove, an ornate stone bench sitting in front of the dark golden water. The high shrubbery walls made it almost invisible from any other angle except straight ahead, on the other side of the pool. The soft light from the hanging lightbulbs cast a shadow on the person sitting on the bench. A stray twig snapped under her feet and the shadow turned, Kasai's face thrown into relief from the lights. His eyes shone brightly in the dark.
"Oh, hello Mai-chan. How are you tonight?"
"I'm well. How are you?"
"A little stressed, but I can't complain." She sat down beside him, watching his gaze, focused on the water.
Tell him. He deserves to know.
"Kaisai-san," His brilliant eyes turned to her. "I…I know about your mother. What she did." His eyes darkened.
"Did Miyu tell you?"
"No! No, she didn't tell me. I–I found out in a book in the library."
"Ah, yes, in the psychology report."
"Yes." A moment of silence.
"Did you see mine?" He asked quietly.
"No." He remained silent. She didn't know what to say, much less make of his question. "I'm sorry, Kasai-san, I didn't mean–"
"Please, just call me Kasai. That honorific makes me feel like my father." He smiled weakly. "I don't blame you, Mai-chan. In fact, I figured someone would find out eventually."
"I'm still sorry. I only wanted to find out about Jane."
"Did you know how?" Mai shook her head. "My mother was always one for theatrics. She put on make-up to look like a kabuki model, put on a Vivaldi record, and ate a cyanide capsule. She even gave one to the dog, so she wouldn't be alone. But that's not even the peak of my mother's vanity. She commissioned for someone to paint her portrait upon her death so when we found her body, the artist was already halfway done. The painter had known she was dead before we did." Mai was struck speechless. She didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry I withheld that story from the team."
"No, Kasai, you shouldn't be sorry. That's something personal, something we wouldn't have expected you to share." His luminous eyes turned to her.
"Say my name again, please. Without the honorific." Mai hesitated, unsure of what he wanted.
"Kasai." He sighed. Shut his eyes. His shoulders relaxed. He opened his eyes, gazing intently at her in a way she had never been looked at before. Her stomach clenched as he leaned forward.
Cupped the side of her face.
And kissed her.
[1] Mai's dress, save for the color, is up to your imagination.