Naru: Don't you have schoolwork to do?
Me: It's fine, this was suppose to come out on the weekend but due to difficulties with the site and logging in it's coming today instead.
Bou-san: school work's not that important anyways
Naru:... Have you ever wondered why the only jobs you've had are as an exorcist or a singer?
Bou-san: Hey be nice
Me: That's not happening anytime soon. Speaking of nice I want to thank everyone that reviewed to chapter 20, so thanks to Nekokittygirl, xSaphirexRosesxFanx, Angel-chan1212 and the two guests. I would normally pm you guys but since I couldn't log on till today and I'm already updating I'll put it here instead
To Nekokittygirl Thanks for the tip, I thought Naru mainly called him Yashura which is why I kept writing that when ever Naru talks to him it'll start progressively changing soon
To xSaphirexRosesxFanx I'm not sure who to reply to this review so instead I hope you enjoy this chapter
To Angel-chan1212 you're definitely on the right track but you've got some things that are slightly off and Thanks I try my best to give you guys a good mystery it's one of my favorite genres
To the two guests I really appreciate these reviews even if they're anonymous. I'm glad you think I have good skills at writing, and that you two will continue to read the story. So Thanks! Sorry I combined this reply to the two of you I'm just to lazy to write them separately today
Masako: This is getting irritatingly long
Me: Right so to stop talking I don't own ghost hunt and enjoy the chapter
"Whaaat? What do our track team and that desk have in common...?" Yuko repeated, sitting stiffly in her chair and scratching her cheek in thought. Lin was sitting nearby taking notes, Mai stood beside Gene who was listening for the girl's answer. Everyone else was somewhere on the school grounds still looking for the hirogatas.
"Who was the first person to sit at that desk?" Naru questioned from across the desk.
"The first semester I can't remember who it was but someone named Murayama sat there second semester," Yuko replied taking a moment to remember who it was. Lin made note of the name while Mai and Gene moved closer to the man to see his notes.
"When did she start and for how long was she sitting there?" Naru asked right after, trying to get as much useful information as he could.
"Ummm... we change seats in the beginning of September and... at our school we change seats on the very 15th of every month so... because we had a summer break, I guess she sat there from July 15th to September 14th," Yuko explained to the group.
"She was also involved in an accident. When was that?" Naru inquired.
"Ummm... I think it was two or three days before we changed seats," Yuko replied.
"..That means the Jusha probably hid the hirogata inside the desk sometime between July 15 and September 11th or 12th," Naru thought aloud as he got up from his chair. Yuko looked extremely confused wondering what a hirogata was so before Naru got on a roll Mai gave a very brief explanation about the doll with a few helpful tips from Gene to explain it better in the short time she had.
"We don't need too worry about anyone else who sat at the desk before Murayama as the incidents have only been happening since mid-September. Murayama must have done something during that time to upset the Jusha. The Jusha was upset with Murayama so they must have met somewhere before. Which means I wouldn't need to worry about teachers from other classes and students from different grades," Naru continued stating the facts as he thought of them.
"Not necessarily. Sometimes we have different teachers come to our class as substitutes. Students from different grades also visit for extracurricular activities..." Yuko corrected Naru.
"Also regarding Murayama..." Before Naru continued Yuko had an expression as if she realised something.
"What's wrong?" Mai asked when she noticed Yuko's thoughtful and concerned look. Lin looked up from his notebook to see what Mai was questioning about before looking down again prepared to write down the answer.
"...um... well... during the Kasai panic... my classmates and I asked Kasai to come to our classroom and show us how she could bend spoons. But right after Murayama said...'will you please stop that non-sense you're making me sick! Psychic power! How stupid are you?!' and not only that she also complained to Miss Ubusuna..." Yuko said hesitantly.
"Murayama didn't believe in psychic power at all, huh?" Mai commented with a sigh as Gene patted her back in understanding.
"Ah! By the way now that I think about it, the track didn't really believe in psychic power either. The teacher in charge didn't believe in things like that. That's probably why the entire team was against it too," Yuko added holding her figure up once she remembered. After a few more questions from Naru and the occasional comment from Mai, Yuko was excused to go.
"...There were many students in Kasai's class who used to belong to the track team and apparently they were pretty mean to her. The seniors weren't there because they had to retire from their extracurricular activities by the summer," Mai read one of Yuko's statements aloud to Naru, Gene and Lin. As the other three also looked through some of her other statements.
"...The track team teacher was the one who saw a ghost while on his horse, thus having it rear up and injure him , as Miss Takahashi said everyone who didn't believe in Kasai were the ones involved in accidents. Based on the information we've gathered now there's even more reason to believe that Kasai may really be the one..." Surprising it was Lin that voiced these thoughts aloud first; seeing as Naru didn't look like he was going to say anything, Mai still wholly believed in Kasai's innocence and in Gene's case Mai would be the only one to hear him meaning he would just get shouted at.
"Wha... Well what about Miss Ubusuna? I hate to say it, but doesn't she have a reason to hurt them too?" Mai stood up abruptly before Naru could continue what Lin was saying.
"Zuso is not something just anyone can accomplish successfully. One has to have the power to succeed," Naru stated the facts bluntly making his brother sigh at his lack of tact.
"..Such as psychic powers," Mai realized looking distressed and annoyed at the same time.
"Correct. Or someone who's had the proper training," Naru replied before pausing and placing his hand under his chin in a thinking pose.
"...what's wrong?" Mai questioned with her hands still on the table in front of her.
"...no... but anyway, why would she want to put a Zuso on me?" Naru changed the subject.
"Well... because you're in her way? Since you're here to solve the case, she must've felt the need to get rid of anyone in her way," Mai suggested, Gene nodded along in agreement with Mai but he felt like there was something missing.
"Then she should have put a curse on each of us right?" Naru replied, making Gene switch over to Naru's side since his argument made more sense.
"I see," there was a moment of silence as Mai took on her own thinking pose. Lin was nearby listening to the two's conversation in silence, not speaking unless he needed to.
"I know! A zuso is the way of the onmyou-ji isn't it? So that means...an onmyou-ji should be able to break the zuso, right? That's it!" Mai put her fist in her palm as she told this to Naru with a finger up.
"...Get to the point," Naru deadpanned not seeing where this is going since everyone in the room knows that Lin is the onmyou-ji, not him.
"What I'm saying is you're the prince aren't you, that means you could use connections to find an omyou-ji, so you're especially in her way since she doesn't know about Mr Lin-"
"...Wait a minute. How would she know that?" Naru questioned pinning Mai down with an accusing stare.
"That you're the prince?" Mai asked in response, there was another moment of silence.
"You weren't supposed to tell anyone that," Naru stated blandly, Lin sighed at the fact Mai could keep secrets but it seems like she was very selective of them.
"...Oops?" Mai rubbed her head sheepishly making Gene laugh.
"That's it?" Naru waited for Mai to continue.
"...But... but I thought it wouldn't matter much Gene said it was so you could avoid the girls and Kasai didn't seem like the type so-"
"You believed Gene completely," Naru interrupted with a disappointed sigh though he did look amused at Mai's frantic state. Lin gave the girl a deadpan stare while Gene gave an indignant shout though he didn't seem too offended if the grin on his face was anything to go by.
"...Eh? ...What? So then Gene... you lied," Mai stuttered out giving an astonished look towards Gene.
"I guess you could say that but it's not like it was a complete lie. Really you should take the things people say with a grain of salt surely you'd understand something like that," Gene reprimanded with a chuckle making Mai hang her head down in shame.
"This means...that there's even more reason to believe that Kasai may the Jusha," Naru said as Mai looked up at him with guilty eyes.
"But... I'm just wondering...is it possible to perform a zuso unconsciously...without even realising it?" Mai questioned hopefully.
"Not a chance. Especially with enmi," Naru stated bluntly, Gene and Lin nodded in agreement with his words.
"He doesn't even hesitate," Mai muttered to herself though one of the others heard her.
"It's sad but he can be worse at times when it comes to tact," Gene commented causing Mai to let out a small smile knowing it was probably true.
"...Then as I said before, Kasai is not the one causing the psychic phenomenon. I know she's not that kind of person," Mai said to Naru, thinking about her belief in Kasai's innocence even if it's merely her intuition. Her stance screamed meekness as she looked dejectedly at the ground.
"...Fine then. But I'm only giving you one more chance... If we find one more piece of evidence that would lead us to believe that she's the one, then that's it," Naru replied after looking at Mai for a minute. Both Gene and Lin looked at him in surprise, Gene ended up grinning thinking of all the teasing he could do once he was revived while Lin sighed once again. Naru placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward to get out of his chair unaware of Gene's and Lin's thoughts on his one statement.
"I'm going to go check up on something. Mai, please go help the others look for hirogatas," Naru added in. Gene followed after him since he was still in more danger then Mai currently while Lin went in a different direction due to Naru's orders.
"Roger," Mai replied looking a little cheered up as she saluted to him.
Elsewhere
"We'd like to make negations with you to obtain the necklace you stole a little over a month ago," Marin stated professionally to the phantom thief in front of him.
"Sorry, but I don't make deals like that," Dark replied casually, losing interest in the two which could be seen from the way he turned around and prepared to leave.
"Wait! Please! That necklace could save my son!" Luella cried out making Dark turn around in bewilderment.
"I'm still-"before Dark could continue, three people came out of the bushes nearby and stopped him.
"I'd like to hear more about this, please follow us," A dark haired man said stepping up to the bewildered couple and leading them towards a rather large building. Once there the man and others introduced themselves to the couple.
"Hello, my name is Martin Davis and this is my wife Luella," Marin greeted the group properly now that they seemed willing to listen. The group's eyes widened when they realized just who the man and woman in their living room was.
"What would a king personally come here to ask for a jewel that has no less value then the ones he already owns," Dark questioned with an expression of mild curiosity.
"Unless, you know about the power of this necklace," Kousuke Niwa said seriously surprising the other occupants of the room.
"Do you know what this thing does?" Emiko Niwa questioned, pulling said necklace from her bag rapidly to show it to the guests. Of course she wouldn't let the two take the item away from her hand but her family still sweat dropped at her antics.
"We do, it gives a constant stream of energy to the wearer," Luella stated as seriously as possible.
"Stream of energy... that makes sense," Dark commented, getting lost in his thoughts right after.
"We haven't asked the most important question yet. How will this save your son?" Mr Niwa questioned. Martin and Luella looked at each other before explaining the situation to the family and thief, since they were their only hope of fixing Gene. The group moved to a separate room to discuss with each other what they should do as Martin and Luella waited in anxiety.
"...No hirogata here either," Mai stated dusting off her hands after looking through a bush.
'I've dug everyplace I've gone but... I wonder how everyone else is doing' Mai thought arching her back to stretch. Before she could continue pondering she heard a sob from somewhere behind the fence she was standing in front of, which marked off where the construction was happening for the new student hall. Mai took a step closer to the fence noticing the sign that told her to keep out, but she ignored it in favour of scanning the surroundings.
'A child crying?' Mai noted in her thoughts as she searched harder for an abnormality taking notice of the school bag on the ground.
"Ah is...anyone out there?! Hey..." Mai trailed off as the sobbing continued. Though she sweat dropped at the fact that no one replied she gripped onto the fence and climbed over, it seemed the sun was starting to set as well.
"...Hey. Where are you? Please tell me. Hey," Mai called out as she treaded through the tall grass.
"...Ow I bumped my shin earlier...it hurts... I'm cold too," Mai muttered before calling out again to the crying voice.
"...Over here," A weak voice replied from behind her, Mai turned around to see a sewer grate.
"...Wha... Why is it here... ugggh," Mai walked over and used most of her strength to move the grate. She looked down the deep hole to see a little girl, still sobbing illuminated at the bottom of the pitch black hole.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? I'm coming down to help you," Mai bent over the hole to shout at the little girl.
'Now that I think about it didn't dad warn me to stay away from holes... he was just kidding...probably' Mai reassured herself as she put her feet on the ladder. Before she could continue she heard something by the fence.
"Mai?! What are you doing?!" Naru shouted from his position by the fence, one hand holding onto the metal wire in front of him. Gene was floating around beside him but upon seeing Mai near the man hole proceeded to float over to her.
"There's a small child in here!" Mai shouted back to him, her arms were on the ground in front of the man hole as she prepared to go down.
"Mai, get out here it's not safe!" Gene yelled as he got closer to her and glimpsed into the man hole.
"But Gene there's a kid in here!" Mai shouted at the spirit above her, consequently loudly enough for Naru to hear as well.
"A child?" Naru repeated in confusion looking and listening for any signs that a child was around.
"Yes! Look over there you can see her school bag... or not..."Mai looked wide eyed at the spot where she saw the bag earlier. She tried to take Gene's advice and get away from the manhole her foot slipped from one of the prongs of the ladder.
"MAI!" The twins yelled in panic. Naru quickly opening a gate to reach her as Gene watched on in worry doubting he had the strength to pull her up on his own.
"Oh... I didn't know there was an entrance there...shoot... I...I'm okay..." Mai called back to Naru after she finished her musings on the gate to herself. She was barely staying above the ground her arms keeping her from falling in completely.
"Hold on tight Mai," Gene encouraged the girl.
"Well I don't exactly feel like letting go anytime soon," Mai replied in good humour though there was some worry slipping into her tone. Suddenly Mai felt a pull on her leg causing her to lose her grip so only one arm was holding her up. Looking down Mai saw the figure of a little girl wrapping her arms around her leg; the ghostly being gave a grin as she tugged once more on Mai's leg causing her to start falling.
"...NO...!" Mai shouted as she tried to reach for the ledge again. She closed her eyes preparing herself for the fall only to open them again when she realised she wasn't moving. Looking up she saw Naru grabbed her wrist halfway bent into the manhole as he held her. Gene was beside him looking at the two of them with relief in his eyes.
"Geez...You idiot...!" Naru exclaimed a little out of breath from the running he did to reach her in time.
"...Na..."
"...You're okay. Calm down. Put your foot on the ladder. You can do that right?" Naru said interrupting her.
"Y...yes..." Mai replied holding on to one of the prongs of the ladder with her right hand as she carefully started to put her foot on the ladder. There was a slight squeak before the ladder snapped shocking the three as Mai started to fall down.
'I'm a goner!' Mai thought as everything went black.
"...We've made a decision," Mr Niwa announced re-entering the room with the Davis' were sitting in.
"That's right so in exchange-"
"You allow us all to go to the ball your holding!" Eniko declared cutting off her father Daiki Niwa. This surprised Martin and Luella while the others in the room sighed.
"Done!" Luella shouted in glee while Martin nodded but added the condition that they don't steal anything.
"...Agreed," Dark sighed in surrender, knowing he couldn't win a fight against Mrs. Niwa. Mr. Niwa also requested they speak about the necklace for a bit and how they found this information on it, Martin suggested he talk to some of the researchers in his employ when they come to the ball. Mrs. Niwa and Luella got along swimmingly and became fast friends while Dark questioned if he could bring anyone else with him. Martin agreed and with the necklace and a promise to see each other again they departed to the inn to wait for Madoka and Yashu to tell them the good news.
The two researchers mentioned had finished the work they needed to do to the Suchimo kingdom, though they were unable to enter the capital city, nick named the Sibyl System. After finding the Hikari family and speaking briefly with them they came to an agreement if they somehow managed to successfully recover the necklace they could keep it since it was simply an item bought and put with the rest of the family's artifacts. They were also rather pleased with what they found out about Mai from Kiri and her father.
"It was such a surprise when we actually found out Mai's family's name, Hey Madoka do you know who the Taniyama's are maybe we can meet them on the way back," Yashu said cheerfully as he and Madoka rode side by side on their horses.
"That's not possible Yashu, the Taniyama's have both died," Madoka stated sadly, her eyes blearing with a few unshed tears.
"...I see,"
"Arrgh... Geez I fell into a well in our last case too...Why me again? It looks like dad was right," Mai murmured as she rubbed her head. She took notice of the cloth that was underneath it realising it was a black jacket.
"...Are you okay?" Naru asked causing Mai to gasp in surprise and snap her head in his direction.
"Huh?! You fell too?!" Mai exclaimed in shock.
"If you had only let go off my hand... I wouldn't be here right now," Naru replied while leaning on the wall holding onto his right arm with his left hand.
"Oh no, I-I'm sorry," Mai apologized sincerely as she crawled to the place beside him.
"Mai, you don't need to apologize he was holding your wrist and fell down with you," Gene commented tiredly from the side. Mai having not realized he was here as well turned to her other side to get a good look at the spirit.
"Gene?! Are you alright?" Mai questioned in panic causing Naru to snap his head to her. The reason Mai was so concerned was because Gene was looking extremely weak leaning heavily on the wall to her right.
"Mai, what's wrong with Gene, didn't he leave to find help?" Naru demanded an answer from the girl who was staring at the wall intently.
"Let me answer, I'm fine I just used up a lot of energy so did you and Naru over there. That's why you were out for a while and sadly I don't really have the strength to find Lin at the moment," Gene chuckled weakly as Mai told Naru what Gene said.
"Useless medium, I would've been fine on my own," Naru murmured making Gene laugh.
"As if little brother," Gene smiled when Naru gave a frown in his direction once Mai repeated his words.
"I didn't expect the ladder to break," Mai added, silently grateful they didn't land near any of the debris all the while making sure the two twins didn't start an argument.
"...Actually now that I think about it I wonder where Angel is, I haven't seen for a while. Have you two?" Mai questioned the twins, Naru shook his head while Gene stared at her in disbelief.
"You mean you don't know?" Gene questioned with surprise to which Mai only shook her head no. Gene sighed not bothering to explain to Mai.
"Maybe Noll's right, you are an idiot," Gene stated making Mai splutter as she attempted to form a good come-back, though after a minute or so Gene stopped waiting. Naru questioned Mai on what she was talking about with his brother that would get her so flustered but the girl refused to answer him choosing to cross her arms and look away from Gene.
"Hmm I'm gonna take a nap so I can get some strength back..." Gene told the girl who informed his brother sulkily. He then closed his eyes in what Mai assumed to be peaceful sleep since he still seemed to be smiling.
"Ah...hey someone will come to help us soon right?" Mai asked still pouting from what happened before, but it was easy to see that she was truly worried that they'd be stuck for a long time.
"Did you tell anyone you were coming here?" Naru asked, Mai shook her head no in response.
"Me neither," He added calmly. Mai needing something to do grabbed the jacket she was lying on earlier and turned left, to Naru to give it back.
"Is there anything we can do to get out?" Mai questioned, shivering as she still found it was still a little cold.
"Does it look like it? Put on the jacket before you catch a cold a sick assistant can't do much. What in the world were you doing anyways?" Naru asked grabbing the jacket to drape around her shoulders when she continued to try and give it back to him.
"...Well, I... I heard a small child crying...and when I looked around I saw a little girl in here..." Mai replied guiltily before pausing in thought. With a gasp Mai realised the girl wasn't anywhere around.
'The bottom of the manhole was pitch black and I couldn't see anything but I could see that little girl clearly!' Mai thought covering her mouth in shock.
"...it seems you're being targeted as well," Naru commented casually making Mai turn to back at him.
"...I am? ...No way..." Mai said with some tears in her eyes.
"You think crying is going to help?" Naru stated making Mai rub her eyes furiously with her sleeve. She looked at her damp sleeve in surprise.
"It's been a while since I last cried," Mai said softly before falling into her thoughts.
'Damn it... I should be staying calm... but the sun's about to set...!... Oh no what if once it gets dark that woman and little girl appear again... This time even Bou-san wouldn't show up to help us not to mention that dad's left!' Mai thought her face showing the depressed thoughts she was thinking.
"Darn it Naru why didn't you let go of my wrist if you did you two wouldn't be down here with me!" Mai exclaimed upset as Gene shifted a little a frown showing on his features.
"You would've died if I weren't here," Naru stated.
"You don't know that there's no debris here, I've fallen down a hole before I would have been fine," Mai continued to protest even if when she did fall she felt differently. Naru didn't grace her with an answer so Mai continued in her thoughts.
'I can take care of myself I've been doing so for years, he should've trusted me to be on my own. Friends trust each other, don't they? ... But at least he cared enough to help and I guess it's better than being down here alone,' Mai thought a small smile breaking out on her face as her thoughts took a turn for the better.
"Are you feeling better?" Naru questioned taking a sideways look at her with some amusement.
"...Yeah," Mai replied. Naru then smiled a little making an expression that reminded Mai of Gene.
"You noticed I was feeling better?" Mai questioned kneeling in Naru's direction.
"I did. First you get depressed, then you get upset but after that you start to feel better... and start to think positively," Naru replied stunning Mai for a short minute.
"Is it really that obvious?" Mai questioned blushing in embarrassment.
"Yes you're very predictable," Naru replied with his eyes closed. Mai turned away feeling her cheeks heat up more. Gene was no longer frowning and instead had a smile in place as he continued to peacefully lean against the wall.
"Mai make sure Gene's asleep," Naru commanded much to Mai's confusion. Though she did as told and began double checking by poking him several times, other than the pout that formed on his face he seemed to remain blissfully in sleep.
"I don't think he's awake," Mai replied hesitantly as Gene shifted closer to them.
"Good... then let me introduce you to my pet," Naru stated making Mai turn her head back to him in surprise. On the side Gene snorted but Mai didn't pay much mind to him instead preferring to concentrate on Naru.
"...Huh?" Mai gave a deadpanned stare to Naru even rivaling his usual blank expression. Naru simply rolled his eyes at her face before looking back at his hand which was in a fist.
"Hey, come out and say "hi"," Naru continued as a coin poked out from his hand.
"You... you're not telling me your pet is that coin...?" Mai asked in concern getting closer to place her hands on the back of his head for a bump of some sort as she did so the coin disappeared from her sight.
"He hid himself because you made fun of him," Naru said swatting her hands away to show her that he was perfectly alright.
"No way, he must be in your hand," Mai exclaimed forgetting to keep her volume down. Naru quickly shushed her so she didn't wake up Gene who was still sleeping with a grin on his face.
"Where?" Naru asked opening his hands for her to see once Mai assured him Gene was still asleep.
"Huh?" Mai whispered out in shock.
"I wonder where he went?" Naru questioned rhetorically patting parts of his shirt to find the coin. Mai watched on with child like awe reflected in her eyes.
"...ah here he is," Naru said as he patted his right elbow and a coin popped out between his fingers.
"How did you...?! Hey let me see that!" Mai said sticking her hand out in excitement.
"Here you go," Naru flipped the coin to her direction.
"Oops, ah... what? He's gone," Mai opened her hands to see there wasn't a coin in sight even after looking at the ground where she thought the coin fell onto when she missed the catch. She looked up at Naru in annoyance as he gave a small laugh.
"Hey! You didn't really throw him! That's not fair!" Mai exclaimed while Naru merely opened his hands for her to see that there was nothing in them.
"...What now?"" Mai questioned bringing her hand up in confusion.
"It seems like he got scared and hid because you raised your voice," Naru stated amused at her confusion.
"I- I didn't raise my voice!" Mai replied loudly.
"You just raised your voice again, didn't you?" Naru pointed out making Mai gasp and cover her mouth. She also glanced at Gene to make sure she didn't disturb him and seeing as he was still grinning nearly laughing in his rest, turned her attention to Naru once again.
"Oh. He was hiding here," Naru commented placing his hand on his left shoulder before revealing the coin to Mai.
"Wow... you're a good magician," Mai commented in astonishment.
"You really thought that was magic?" Naru questioned.
"It wasn't?" Mai asked back tilting her head in confused.
"No I'm not," The coin said in a higher pitched voice shocking Mai into falling backwards on to Gene. Said boy seemed to be shaking so Mai sat closer to him in hopes of keeping the boy warm, though she was confused on why a spirit would feel cold enough to shiver in the first place.
"Are you scared or Mai or something?" Naru asked the coin.
"...yes," it replied hesitantly Mai was stunned into silence as she watched the conversation.
"You don't need to be scared of her. Mai's not as intimidating as she seems," Naru said to the coin in his hand making said girl pout at him.
"...really?" The coin questioned sceptically.
'Impressive...! Isn't this what's called ventriloquism?! Even though I know it's not real, it seems as if the coin's really talking...!' Mai thought as Naru turned and gave her a sly smile. He held out the hand holding the coin and placed it in Mai's open palms.
"Ah. Huh... please show me more magic!" Mai pleaded.
"I can't really do anything more complicated right now," Naru replied.
"Are you hurt?" Mai questioned in concern getting closer so she could examine him.
"I just don't have the tools," Naru said while waving her away from him.
'I wonder maybe it's because it's dark in here... but Naru looks kind of pale...' Mai thought before looking up towards the entrance of the man hole in worry.
"Don't worry. When everyone gathers and we're not there I don't know about the other member of the team for certain but I know at least Lin would find it strange," Naru soothed Mai's concerns.
"You think so?" Mai questioned pulling Naru's jacket closer around her body when she felt a chill creeping on.
"I do..." Naru reassured her before noticing something and looking up.
"... What's wrong? Is someone here?" Mai asked looking up towards the entrance like Naru, the only things she could see was the darkening sky and the clouds nearby.
"Naru?" Mai questioned as Naru moved from his spot against the wall to in front of her.
"Mai. No matter what happens stay close to me, and don't panic," Naru stated as calmly as possible at this point Gene opened his eyes, and brought himself closer to Mai and Naru.
"Wha..." before Mai could finish her question she saw a light in the corner of her eye. She gave a gasp as she saw hair coming down from above.
'That's the same ghost...!' Mai thought in panic.
"Don't worry. It won't be any different than it was yesterday," Naru said calmly while looking towards the figure coming from the ceiling. Gene still looked a little exhausted even after resting for a few minutes, meaning all he could do was try to support them.
"Don't freak out," Naru added when the woman's large bulbous eyes could be seen while she grinned.
"...Naru... Naru...hey what... her mouth..." Mai trailed off as she watched the woman pull some sort of large stick from her mouth. As the tip of the stick was coming out a blade can be seen arching out of the spirits mouth drawing blood from her lip while she gave a malicious grin to the three on the ground. As the scythe was revealed the blood from earlier started running down her face passing over her open eyes through her hair till it made an ominous sound as it reached the ground. Mai gasped in fear and started shivering harder.
"You don't need to worry," Naru said as he reached behind him to grab onto her shaking arm not once losing eye contact with the spirit.
'Naru...' the woman floated towards them her hair covering one eye as she grinned to them. Her face an unnatural shade of purple thoroughly bringing out the red blood still dripping down her face as she glared down on them.
'Mama, Papa, Bou-san, Ayako, John, Masako, Mom, Dad, Lin, Alex I don't care who... Please help...!' Mai thought squeezing her eyes shut. Just as she thought that the ghost gave a gasp and vanished surprising the three in the well.
"Wha...what? Why all of a sudden..."
"Naru? Are you down there?" A familiar voice called before Mai could finish asking her question.
"That was quick. We need a rope or a ladder, and a flashlight," Naru yelled back standing up while Mai held on to a part of his shirt on her knees relieved that Lin found them. Gene merely grinned happy to see his brother and friend safe from harm.
"Are you sure this is a good idea Hiroki?"
"Positive," Hiroki stated.
"It's so odd seeing you like this, and it'll be difficult to convince her to do something like that," the other man responded while sitting down on a chair in his quaint room.
"Then don't, we both know there are alternative means," Hiroki replied easily from the man's window sill.
"You want me to go to the undertaker, don't you?"
"Don't worry Alex it won't be difficult," Hiroki reassured making said man scoff.
"Easy for you to say, I'm the one trying to get the information I don't suppose Phantomhive would help?" Alex inquired absentmindedly, while thinking up good jokes as a precaution.
"Well Nao was on good terms with their queen," Hiroki stated.
"Yes, they were on good terms hopefully she remembers me and would assist. The real problem is how I would get away to achieve this," Alex noted deep in thought.
"That's simple all you have to do is-"
"Richards where are you!"
"After that just write-"
"Richards!"
"And the rest will work out on its own,"
"I suppose, finding this boy's body won't be an easy task now I must get-
"Richards, can you not hear me?! I demand you get here with my letters now!" The woman's voice vibrated around the room.
"-going, good bye old friend," Alex said before gracefully leaving the room off to find the man with the letters the lady demanded so she would stop shrieking.
"I think his job is going to the hardest of all," Hiroki mused before flipping and jumping out the man's window before he could be spotted by anyone.
"Oh I should have warned him about the girl that's spying for my Lady...well I'm sure he has a good idea who to stay away from anyways," Alex noted to himself out loud before hearing another call from the Lady of the house and rushing to find the man who picked up the letters.
"Wow... whoever it is, I'm impressed they actually made this many hirogatas... I didn't even think to look in the manhole," Bou-san commented at the many hirogata's on the table once the Naru and Mai were back in base.
"Mai," Naru called to the girl being fussed over by Ayako. Once he had her attention he handed her a hirogata that read Mai Taniyama on it. Mai looked up at him surprise but the others in the room didn't think much of it as Naru coughed to bring their attention to him instead.
"My hirogata...and Mr Yoshino were also found in there," Naru commented giving Mai a glance that said they'd talk later.
"So this should stop the power of the zuso, right?" Bou-san questioned with his arms crossed as the others gathered around Naru.
"Correct. All we need to do now is throw the hirogatas in the river or burn them," Naru replied standing up.
"But... I wonder if this will stop the Jusha," Bou-san thought aloud.
"That's right. We still don't know who it is, and just so you know it's not Kasai!" Mai shouted in determination at the man.
"Okay, I got it," Bou-san replied holding up his hands in surrender before musing up the girl's hair, much to her aggravation. Mai stuck out her tongue at the man who responded by giving her a cheerful grin.
"Naru didn't you get hurt too? Let me look at your injury," Ayako said walking over to him with the first aid kit.
"...Naru? What's wrong, don't you feel good?" Ayako questioned when she didn't receive a response from the boy.
"Mai, go over and catch him!" Gene said as Ayako placed a hand on Naru's shoulder. Listening to the spirit Mai quickly went to his side as Naru started falling over quickly catching him before he reached the floor.
"Naru?!" The group yelled in concern with the exception of Mai. Masako had her hands covering her mouth in surprise as the others regarded him with various expressions of shock. Mai put a figure to her lips as a signal for them to be quiet.
"Is he alright Miss Mai?" Lin asked stepping closer to his charge and Mai who was cradling him in her arms.
"Yeah, he's just asleep. He used a lot of energy earlier," Mai said letting Lin take Naru so he could be brought to his room. Mai along with Masako followed after him as the others stayed back to discuss what they should do. Mai was looking visibly upset certain that this was partly her fault but stopped thinking when she felt someone rub her head as another person grabbed her hand.
"Don't worry, Naru will be just fine," Gene gave a tired grin to her Mai looked up at him before turning to Masako.
"I doubt Naru would perish so easily," Masako commented lightly, Mai grinned at the two of them as they entered Naru's room with Lin.
"You two should go help the others," Lin stated as the three of them sat down around Naru's bed. Mai on the edge of the bed by Naru's feet, Masako in a chair near Mai, Lin on the other side of the bed in a different chair while Gene was hovering close to his brother, near Lin.
"I wish to speak with Naru about something once he wakes up, and away from the others," Masako stated calmly raising a hand to cover her mouth.
"...Umm can I stay?" Mai asked instead considering she couldn't think of a real reason why she should.
"It's important Mai's here when we talk," Masako added causing Lin to sigh and nod his head curtly. After a while Naru started to wake up, causing the occupants in the room to stop what they were doing and stare at him. Lin handed him a glass of water as he got up and threw a questioning glance at all of them.
"You passed out, Gene said it's cause of what happened earlier in the man hole," Mai answered his unasked question; he gave a nod before turning his inquiry gaze to Masako.
"I'm here because I know you want to talk to Mai and what it's about and I want to speak about it too," Masako said this caused Gene, Lin and Mai to look at her in confusion while Naru nodded again understanding what she was talking about.
"Your last name is Taniyama," Naru stated as he watched Mai for a reaction. The girl sighed, now understanding what both Naru and Masako wanted to talk about. Lin looked at her in surprise as Gene grinned.
"This is what you both wanted to talk about?" Mai sighed again as she looked up at the two unyielding forces.
'This is as bad as when they found out I slept in the stable,' Mai thought depressingly knowing she wasn't going to escape this one.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Masako questioned.
"I was going to... eventually," Mai said defensively though she trailed off at the end.
"How are you such an idiot?" Naru questioned making Mai bang her head on the table before shouting at him to shut up.
"Anyways, your mom, dad and brother know and apparently so does the Jusha," Mai said as soon as she calmed down again.
"I see," Naru commented in annoyance.
"I would expect their daughter to know more about the supernatural or at least be psychic herself," Masako added in some of her thoughts making Mai groan once again.
"Not you too Masako, I bet the others are going to react similarly," Mai sighed piquing Gene's curiosity.
"Wait you had an idea of how we would react why didn't you tell anyone?" Gene questioned Mai decided to repeat the question to the others in the room before she answered.
"...I didn't particularly want too, I don't mind if you guys tell the others though," Mai rubbed her head sheepishly as Gene whacked her head making the girl pout.
"Anyways I wonder how the Jusha knew my name," Mai sighed for the third time in a row before anyone could answer there was a knock on the door.
"Hey Naru-chan, how are you feeling? As you instructed, we burnt them and also threw the ashes in a river now we just need to find the Jusha..." Bou-san said as he entered the room with the others.
"I think I've figured out who it is," Naru stated.
"Really?" John questioned in surprise
"I'll meet her in person and take care of it. This case is now closed," Naru added on as he closed the notebook he was writing in.
"Aren't you going to tell us who the Jusha is?" Bou-san questioned.
"It's not your concern," Naru stated.
"Hey, Hey! Don't you think I have the right to know? I had an official request from the client before you decided to take the case," Bou-san said.
"Don't all of a sudden start acting as if I'm no longer a part of your team either! Give me a break!" Ayako shouted at him though not as loud as she usually does. Masako nudged Mai's arm to get her to say something.
"Naru... It's really important I know who the Jusha is. The others are part of the team too so can't you just tell all of us?" Mai questioned hopefully.
"Except for Mai and Bou-san, would everyone else please go check on how my parents are doing?" Naru asked.
"The nerve of him, we're all part of his team why do only those two get to hear the answer," Ayako huffed in annoyance as she and the others with the exception of Lin, Bou-san, Mai and Naru stood outside the door.
"I'm sure his highness had a good reason," John tried to placate the woman.
"And what would that reason be?" Ayako asked sceptically.
"Bou-san had a right as a client asked him personally, Mr Lin is Naru's first assistant and Mai... the Jusha knew who Mai is," Masako said shocking the other two.
"Who she is, what do you mean?" Ayako asked in surprise.
"Her last name," Masako replied.
"Eh? How do you know Masako?" John asked politely.
"It was on her hirogata," Masako stated making the other two's eyes widen.
"What is it?" Ayako asked her curiosity killing her to know.
"Taniyama," Masako replied curtly as the three of them left to meet up with Martin's group.
Knock Knock
"Yes? Ah... Miss Taka... Miss Kasai," Mai said as she opened the door to see the two girls standing outside. Taka gave a smile and small wave while Kasai gave a nod, her hands clasping each other in front of her.
"You opened his door," Kasai pointed out while Taka looked confused on what she was saying.
"We're just friends," Mai blushed understanding her implications as she turned to Naru wondering what to do; Bou-san snickered at what Mai said and made a mental note to hound her later and making a second note to tell the others about this. Gene let out a mischievous smile which was took as a signal that this case is going to be the root of a lot of teasing.
"I asked them to come. Please show them in," Naru said from his position in bed.
"Ah... sure...ah... Miss Ubusuna is here too," Mai said to him nervously.
"Miss Ubusuna?" Naru said in surprise throwing a quick questioning look at Lin who shook his head to say he didn't ask for her to come.
"Hi... Sorry should I have not come?" She asked poking her head in, revealing the bouquet of flowers in her hand. Mai and Naru shared a glance, at Naru's small nod Mai guided the three visitors to some chairs as she along with the others stood by the wall.
"Miss Takahashi and Miss Kasai, did you two hear that I was the prince of the Avira kingdom?" Naru questioned. Bou-san watched from the sides with his arms crossed while Mai stood beside him her hands behind her back. Lin sat in the chair next to Naru while Gene stood by Mai and Bou-san.
"You are?!" Taka exclaimed in shock.
"Yes I did," Kasai answered at the same time as Taka.
"Miss Kasai did you tell anyone else?" Naru questioned while Kasai looked confused at the question.
"...yes. I told Miss Kei about it... is there a problem with that?" Kasai asked.
"With our current case, Mai has been very helpful with her intuition... did you hear about that?" Naru continued to question.
"Yeah I think she mentioned it in passing," Kasai replied putting a finger to her lip in thought.
"Did you mention that to anyone?" Naru asked.
"...I told Miss Kei about it... was I not supposed to know about these things? I didn't tell anyone else about them," Kasai added in at the end.
"...I see, lastly Miss Kasai though I doubt this has Mai ever told you her last name?" Naru questioned.
"...No why is that important?" Kasai asked only to receive no answer yet again.
"I'd also like to confirm something with you. What school did you graduate from?" Naru turned his attention to Miss Ubusuna.
"...I graduated from a local university in my hometown," Miss Ubusuna replied surprised at the question.
"If I remember correctly you're from Fukushima prefecture, right?" Naru inquired.
"That's right," Miss Ubusuna agreed with his facts.
"You came here for the first time after you became a teacher, correct?" Naru asked.
"Yes that's correct," Miss Ubusuna replied.
"I've got it now. Thank you for your help. I think I can now solve the mystery of the problems happening at your school," Naru stated putting down a file. His statement caused Taka to gasp as Kasai and Miss Ubusuna watched him seriously.
"Excuse me... what do you mean by 'solve'?" Kasai questioned.
"I figured it out. It was a Zuso. More specifically, an enmi, performed by using hirogatas...which means we just need to get rid of those hirogatas. Then we need to convince the Jusha to stop the zuso," Naru answered.
"...What's this mean? The reason you called us here is because you're trying to say I'm the Jusha?" Kasai asked in worry.
"No way," Naru replied with a miniscule smile.
"Miss Kasai you're innocent. The Jusha is... Miss Ubusuna,"
Bou-san: Wait, wait, wait. Why am I the only one that doesn't know Jou-chan's last name!
Me: Because it's more fun that way.
Dark and the Niwa family and Hikari family are originally from D. N. Angel both a manga and a anime.
Kiri and her father that came by in mention come from Beauty Pop (just a manga)
The nick named capital Sibyl System originates from Psycho pass (Anime and Manga with a season two coming out for the anime) keep this one in mind because it's going to be showing up again with some of the characters from the show. It was requested before but it had to come later since I wanted to plan this one in better.
Undertaker and Phantomhive though only mentioned in conversation come from Black butler/ Kuroshitsuji (an anime and manga though will probably be based off more on the manga)
I think that's it so hope you guys review!
Bou-san: Oi! At least give me a better answer!
Me: Nah
*Mai pats Bou-san's back as he dramatically sobs into his arm*
Me: See you!