The next day, Ayako's still in bad mood. She's still angry at Naru and the others.
"Mai!" She called the brown-haired assistant. "Can't you stop him from reversing the curse? We are here to help the students, not to endanger them! His method is wrong!"
"I'm sorry, but this is the only way we found. Or are you telling me that we should let Matsuyama get killed?"
Ayako huffed "He's the reason why this was happening in the first place! The students don't like him!"
"I know, but if we do that, we are no different from being a murderer." Mai sadly stated. She understands Ayako's concern, but Naru has a point too.
"It's rare for you to say something that makes sense, Taniyama-san." The two turned around and saw Masako in all her glory. "And Matsuzaki-san, you better leave the team if you don't have enough trust on Naru."
The miko twitched her eyebrow. "You know what? Why won't you leave? You haven't done anything useful anyway."
"Said the one who only good at making charms."
"What did you say?!" She angrily exclaimed.
"Hey, stop it!" Mai yelled, stopping the two. "Naru and Lin are in the adjacent room performing the spell. They will appreciate it if you both shut up!"
"Masako started it!"
"I only stated a fact."
Before another argument will break, the door opened revealing Bou-san and John.
"Hey ladies! They're done, and Naru asked us to go to the gymnasium." The monk announced. The three didn't utter another word, and followed them.
Ayako gasped when she saw numerous hitogata scattered on the floor.
"Hitogata? What's the meaning of this?"
"Naru used hitogata as the students' replacement." Mai explained as they help the others took the wooden dolls.
"If you are using dolls as substitutes, wouldn't just making a hitogata for Matsuyama do?"
"Four spirits versus one person or versus six hundred people, which do you think is safer?" Mai asked the miko.
"You should have told us so earlier." Ayako pouted. She sighed, feeling ashamed for doubting them. "If you had told us that you were transferring it onto the dolls…"
"Transferring the curse is very difficult. Even Lin cannot guarantee saving everyone." Mai explained.
Naru entered the gymnasium and scanned the place. Some of the dolls got broken, few were not.
"Mai." The said lady turned and faced her boss. "I want you call everyone and check on them."
"Okay." She gave him a salute.
"And we have a meeting with the principal later." With that, he walked back to the school.
Ayako and Mai just finish the call on the last student on the list, she said she was unharmed and thanking them. They both sighed in relief.
The guys finished packing the equipment too.
The team stood before the principal and Matsuyama-sensei, while Naru explained everything. Matsuyama-sensei blanched when he heard about the death curse seal.
Matsuyama-sensei shouted loudly. "Is it Sakauchi?! It is Sakauchi! Why would that idiot do such a thing?! Why would I…"
Naru glared at him. "Don't you understand?"
"Understand what?"
"Sensei, do you really not understand the reason why?"
Matsuyama-sensei was silent.
"Sakauchi-kun left a suicide note. 'I am not a dog.' This was the prologue of his suicide note. The school plans to train the students like dogs."
Matsuyama's face flushed bright red upon being chided by Naru like this. Matsuyama-sensei expression changed to one of fury. The principal glared at his faculty staff who was about to scream in anger. He needed to think about what he should do next, now that he knew that he caused the student's suicide.
"B-but... everything is fine now, right? Right?! I won't be killed by the stupid curse?" Matsuyama-sensei started laughing softly. It was a laugh of relief. It was a laugh of having pleaded with people whom he had called con-men, and being saved by those very people.
Naru looked severely at Matsuyama-sensei. "You are the cause of this problem. Please remember that." Matsuyama ceased his laughter and turned to avoid Naru's gaze.
"By the way, where's Gene?" Bou-san looked around and noticed the missing twin.
"He has something important to do." Mai replied. The two were surprise to see Yasuhara leaning on the van, waiting for them. He waved the moment he spotted them.
"Shounen! Why are you here?"
"Ah, I just wanted to personally thank you for what you did."
Bou-san grinned. "Nah, its fine! You should thank Naru and Lin." He clasped his shoulders "But man! You are really fine! No injuries or anything."
"Right. I was even surprise when you didn't object to Naru's idea to reverse the curse." Mai stated.
Yasu pushed glasses and smirk. "Because I trust myself that I won't be killed so easily."
Bou-san and Mai laughed loudly. "You're amazing, shounen!"
"What are you idling for?" The voice from behind them made them stopped. They slowly turned around and saw Naru with Masako beside him.
"Err..."
"If you have nothing more to do, then let's leave."
"Yes, sir!"
Mai looked up when she heard the main door opened. Gene walked in with tired expression. He sighed and sit on the couch.
"How was it?" She asked.
He looked at her, and softly shook his head. "Negative. It's not the place."
Mai saddened. "I see."
"Can I have an iced tea, please?"
"Sure." She smiled. "It's about time to for Naru to ask for a tea, too."
She was in the middle of boiling the water when she heard the main door opened again, and Gene greeted their possible client. The medium popped out his head in the kitchen.
"Mai, we have a client. Please make some tea for him too while I'll get Naru." She gave him a nod. She took an extra cup from the cupboard and poured the fresh boiled tea leaves.
She entered the common room and Gene helped her with the tray that she's been holding. When Mai took a seat beside her boss, their client starts telling his problem.
"I'm Suna Hayato, and I'm a host. Last week, I moved to the new condominium that I recently bought. But every night, when I came home from work, I always saw a lady jumping from the rooftop, and everything she landed on the ground, she will stand up and asked 'Why can't I die?' and then she will vanish." He was fidgeting his thumb as he narrates his story.
"And it's happening every night?" Naru inquired.
He nodded. "Yes."
"Is there someone else who saw this ghost too?"
"Y-yes... A friend of mine saw it too." He took a deep breath and said "My friend was also a psychic; he's the one who first saw the ghost."
Naru raised his eyebrow in doubt. "What did he say about the ghost?"
"He said that she was full of hatred."
"Alright, we will be there tomorrow. Give your address to my assistant." He said and gestured to Mai. The client, Hayato, gave his address to Mai, and left after consuming his tea.
"Naru, should I call the others?" Gene asked his brother.
"Not yet." He closed his notebook and asked him. "How's your trip?" Gene answered the same thing with Mai – negative. Naru sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I see." He looked at his other assistant "Lin."
"Yes." The Chinese man handed him a map. Naru took it from him and marked 'X' at the lake that Gene just went to see.
"Any news from the authorities?" Naru asked.
"Unfortunately, none. They said they are still looking." Lin answered.
Naru gripped the map.
Where are you, Diana?
The next day, it was already night time when they arrived at the said condominium and he noticed that Mai and Gene's eyesight were following something that just fell down from the top.
Mai gasped and covered her mouth. In front of her, a bloody and deformed woman with long raven hair, she was crying while looking at Mai.
"Why can't I die?" She asked hoarsely. Then she vanished.
"Oh my God!" Gene exclaimed when she saw the same ghost jumping from the rooftop again, and asking the same question.
Mai buried her face on Naru's chest; she can't stand seeing her, killing herself again and again.
"So you saw her too." They were startled at the new voice. They turned around and saw their client together with a tall, brown-haired man.
"Yes."
"Shibuya-san, this is Miyamoto Kita, the psychic friend that I told you about." Their client, Suna Hayato, introduced as they walked inside the condominium.
They were silent on their ride in the elevator. When they settled in Hayato's unit, Naru start his inquiry.
"Miyamoto-san, Suna-san told us before that you are psychic?" He asked and Lin was typing on his laptop.
He nodded. "Indeed. I can see the spirit of a woman that's full of hatred."
Mai whipped her head on him. Hatred...? She thought. But what I felt was not hatred...
"Do you have any idea who the girl was?"
Miyamoto-san shook his head "No."
Naru turned to Lin. "I want you research of any deaths in this apartment."
"Okay."
"You want me to call the others?" Mai asked him.
"No. Not yet." He looked around the unit and furrowed his eyebrow when he didn't see his twin. "Where's Gene?" He asked at Mai.
"He went to the rooftop."
Naru sighed grumbled softly "That idiot."
Gene was standing in the rooftop, with cold wind brushing his face.
"Hey, can you show yourself to me? I just want to ask you something." He asked softly.
A raven-haired lady slowly manifested in front of him. Although she was bloody, Gene can say that she's quite a beauty when she's still alive.
"What's your name?" She didn't answer, but instead she only sobbed. The medium slowly approached her. "I'm here to help you, okay?" The lady ghost looked at him.
"Why did you kill yourself?" He asked again.
She smiled sadly at him. "If he can't accept me, then what's the point of living?" She stated before she faded.
What she said stuck in the medium's mind. "Who's 'he'?"
He was startled when the door suddenly opened. It was their client's friend and having Naru and Mai in tow, bringing the camera and microphone.
"Miyamoto-san, are you really a psychic?" He bluntly asked.
"Of course, Shibuya-san. Why would I lie?" He answered with a forced smile.
He studied him carefully. He turned his back at him. "Nothing." Gene walked to where his brother was standing and whispered on him. "Let's watch him closely."
"I know." He was suspicious of him too.
But why would he lie?
"Naru, one year ago a girl named Nanase Hikari jumped to her death in this apartment." Lin informed, he was out for a day to investigate the place.
The client went to his job at the moment, and he will be back by morning. Gene already told them about his encounter with the lady ghost earlier.
"Did they tell the reason of her suicide?" Naru asked, with his arms crossed.
"She was a rape victim." The Chinese man said directly.
Gene stiffened from his seat. "What?!" He exclaimed. "So she killed herself because she was sexually violated?"
"That's the angle that we have right now."
Naru clicked his pen as he stared at the monitor. "Did they say anything about her, having a lover?"
Lin scanned the papers, and then shook his head. "No."
The three men suddenly hear an agonized moaned coming from where Mai was sleeping.
Mai was walking in a familiar street, she walked faster when the rain starting to pour. Her heart was beating so fast and she panicked. The scenario was familiar! So familiar, in fact.
No... Not this! This is... not the ghost's memories!
She ran faster as the cold rain hitting her skin, closing her eyes and calling for Gene, hoping that he will wake her up, when suddenly a hand covered her mouth, preventing her from screaming. Her bag and books were tossed to the ground.
"Shut up!" The man hissed. "Pyrokinetic's greatest weakness was water. Right, Mai?"
Mai struggled, trying to let go at the man's grip.
No! She mentally screamed.
When the man threw her to the ground, the scene changed. Instead of being in the middle of rainy night in England, she's now in the dark side of what she think was a park.
The man was groping her everywhere, while the other was holding her arms so she can't struggle.
"Stop! Help! Kita! Help me!" She screamed on the top of her lungs. The man in front slapped her hard.
"Shut up! No one will help you!"
She was crying, and the two men were just laughing as they continue violating her. Her eyes widened when she felt his hand under her skirt.
"NO! STOP!" She tried to kick him but he was fast. "KITA!"
Before she can scream, a bucket of cold water poured down onto her. Mai woke up gasping for air, the first person she saw was Naru.
The ghost hunter immediately hugged her tight when he saw her on the verge of tears.
Then Mai let out her emotions.
She cried.
She screamed.
She wailed.
For herself.
For the ghost.
[A/N]
Yes, I know... I'm Sorry to have kept you waiting. I was thinking for new case that has, somehow, connection to Mai's past.
But of course, that 'past' will be fully revealed in the Side Story mini-series.
I told you right? I'm not abandoning my stories. I will finish it. ^^
Thank you for still sticking to this.
Lots of love,
- BSOL
