Author's note: So sorry for the super long wait! I'll try to update sooner this time. Also, it's been pointed out to me that the translated version of the manga I was transcribing from differs from the anime in regards to whether Ohashi-san himself is the client or not, so I've decided to go back and change it to match the anime, because I think it makes more sense now that I've reread it. Special thanks to everyone still reading, I hope it was worth the wait!


Previously:

"… Masako? Are you all right?" Hitomi asked when she noticed how tired the medium looked.

"What's wrong? You look pale," Mai said.

"Something's… I've felt an anxiety since we entered this house," Masako said. "There's—the scent of blood in here." Hitomi frowned slightly with worry, while Mai's eyes widened a little in recognition.

"… Uh. I see…" she said quietly.

"Mai?" Hitomi said, concerned. That look on her face… Did Mai also…?

"What is it?" Naru asked.

"For a moment, at the entrance… I thought I smelled blood," Mai said.

"What!?" Ayako exclaimed as she and Bou-san whipped their heads around to look at her, too.

"Hey, you should have said something sooner!" Bou-san scolded her. Stuff like that could be important.

"But… I thought I was imagining it," Mai said defensively.

'But Masako also sensed the smell of blood,' Hitomi thought warily. 'An old mansion with rumors of spirits and missing people… What's lurking here…?' she wondered.


Case 7: The Bloodstained Labyrinth (Part 3)


"…" Mai looked around in astonishment as she explored the strange mansion with Bou-san and Yasuhara-san. "… Wow." There was a random set of steps mounted on a wall directly under the ceiling. "Wow—" There was also a low door that was made to look as though it cut off halfway where it met the floor. "Wow…" There were even doors on the ceiling in a couple of places. And this was all just in one hallway. "This is so surreal…" Mai said, sweat-dropping. Why put a door there?

"It feels like we're in a painting," Yasuhara said.

"Hey, that's it!" Bou-san said, looking up as he continued walking. "The owner's father and grandfather must have been artists."

"Ah! Bou-san!" Mai gasped when she spotted danger. "Watch your—"

"Huh—Wha!?" Bou-san cried out in alarm as he tripped over a large beam that had been built in across part of the floor.

"Uh… You okay!?" Mai asked, sweat-dropping, as she checked on him to make sure he wasn't injured.

"…" Bou-san said, mortified that he had taken such an embarrassing spill. Fortunately, the only thing wounded was his pride.

"What's this beam doing here? Ahaha, how naïve. Cheer up, Takigawa-san… you're so tense on the job," Yasuhara said brightly.

"It's because you're the president's stand-in," Bou-san retorted, chagrined. "How can you be so cheerful in a place like this…?"

"He's even weirder than Naru…" Mai remarked wryly.

"Shall we start in that room just ahead of us?" Yasuhara suggested cheerfully with a smile, seeming completely unfazed by their strange surroundings.

–∞–

Meanwhile, Hitomi was investigating another part of the house with John and Ayako while Masako rested in the base, to give her a chance to adjust to the unpleasant atmosphere, with Naru and Lin. The two groups had spread out to explore opposite sides of the mansion.

"What's with this house?" Ayako said with a frown. The way this place was built was really confusing. "All of the rooms feel so surreal…"

"Yes, it's like one of Escher's works," John agreed, taking the room's temperature. "I can see how it would be easy to get lost." There was no sense of order.

"It also feels like we're in an RPG with all the twists, turns, and dead ends," Hitomi agreed wryly when she opened a door and found a closet within closet. She made note of that in the binder she was holding. "This place reminds me of the Winchester Mystery House."

"The what?" Ayako asked.

"Ah, the one built by the widow of the gun magnate in America?" John said.

"Yes," Hitomi said, nodding. "That house was also repeatedly built onto. It's a Queen Anne style Victorian mansion that's renowned for its size, its architectural curiosities, and its lack of any master building plan. She didn't use an architect and added on to the building in a haphazard fashion, so the home contains numerous oddities such as doors and stairs that go nowhere, windows overlooking other rooms and stairs with odd-sized risers. Many accounts attribute these oddities to her belief in ghosts."

"Why would she do that?" Ayako asked dubiously. Wasn't one house like this enough?

"Well, tabloids from the time claimed that some point after her infant daughter and husband's death a Boston medium told her, while supposedly channeling her late husband, that she should leave her home in New Haven and travel West, where she must continuously build a home for herself and the spirits of people who had fallen victim to Winchester rifles. So, Sarah left New Haven and headed for California," Hitomi explained. "Though it's possible she was simply seeking a change of location and a hobby during her lengthy depression, other sources claim that Winchester came to believe her family and fortune were haunted by ghosts, and that only by moving West and continuously building them a house could she appease these spirits. I wonder if something similar happened here…?"

"You seem very informed on the subject, Hitomi-san," John said, impressed.

"Well, it helps that I took the tour with my parents during a family vacation…" she said with a small smile, scratching her cheek.

"Wait, so you've actually been there? Were there really ghosts!?" Ayako asked.

"Well, I wouldn't really know… I couldn't see them any better than most people back then…" Hitomi said wryly, sweat-dropping. "It was a strange house, but I never felt threatened."

"Do you feel threatened here?" John asked, concerned.

"I wouldn't say 'threatened', but… I do feel uneasy. This place is creepier somehow," Hitomi replied after taking a moment to consider. 'Especially since Mai and Masako both smelled blood…' she thought. They all looked up as the door opened.

"Oh. Hello…" the young man who was part of Minami's group said. He looked surprised to see them there. "You're with Shibuya Psychic Research, right?"

"Yes, and you're Atsugi-san?" Hitomi said politely with a smile.

"Ah, yes. Wow, you're all so young!" he said, with a wry smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm surprised your parents let you skip school," he told her.

"Pfft!" Ayako laughed, while John and Hitomi smiled wryly and sweat-dropped.

"Atsugi-san… I'm 19, and John is nearly 20…" Hitomi said with a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Oh!" Atsugi gasped. "I-I'm sorry, that was rude of me… I thought you were much younger…" he apologized quickly. It was sometimes hard to tell with foreigners… "But you're only about four years younger than me." He seemed genuinely repentant.

"It's all right," Hitomi said with a small smile.

"It happens a lot, actually," John admitted wryly, smiling a little self-depreciatingly.

"Yes, it's a mistake anyone could make," Ayako said, still amused. Hitomi sweat-dropped.

"Are you on your own, Atsugi-san?" Hitomi asked.

"Yes. We spilt up to cover more ground. Right now we're taking the temperatures of each room," he explained.

"So are we, but… don't tell me you're using that?" Ayako asked dubiously, eyeing the glass thermometer in his hand.

"Yes. Is that a digital thermometer you're using? Your equipment is really impressive," Atsugi praised them.

"Atsugi-san, why don't you come with us?" Hitomi suggested. "It probably isn't a good idea for anyone to wander around on their own."

"Ah, thank you! To be honest, I was a little nervous about that," he admitted a little bashfully. "This place seems really easy to get lost in…"

–∞–

"This is the strangest room yet," Yasuhara remarked as his group entered another.

"I feel like a lost child," Mai said, sweat-dropping.

"What a weird house. This room has random corridors that lead nowhere. It feels like an RPG," Yasuhara added.

"With a real dungeon?" Bou-san asked. "Mai, take notes on the exact layout of the rooms!" he reminded her.

"Roger!" Mai said. That was the reason Naru had sent them out, after all.

"Those people vanished in here two years ago," Bou-san said.

"That's what Ohashi-san said," Mai agreed, starting the digital thermometer.

"If they got lost that long ago, don't you think they'd already be dead? You don't think we'll discover a corpse just by walking around?" Yasuhara said thoughtfully with a serious expression on his face. Mai flinched and cringed at the thought.

"That makes no sense!" said Bou-san as he opened some shutters. "Anything we could find, the police would have already—Uhaaah!?" he suddenly yelled, startling Mai.

"Eeek! What is it!?" she asked nervously, dreading the answer. "A corpse!?"

"Hmm?" said Yasuhara. Fortunately, it was nothing of the sort. The monk was just surprised to find another interior room where there should have been a window to the outside.

"Why does this window open into another room instead of outside?" Mai asked as she peered in, sweat-dropping. "This house is just as weird as we thought."

"These shutters must've been added during renovations," Bou-san said.

BIIP! BIIP!

"Oh!" Mai said when the thermometer beeped.

"What happened?" Bou-san asked as she crossed the room to check it.

"The entire room… its temperature just sank about four degrees," Mai replied. That was certainly unnerving. "Okay. Maybe we should move to the next room. Uh, which way did we come in?" she asked. The monk and Yasuhara each turned and pointed in a different direction. "Seriously, which way, guys?" she asked, sweat-dropping. She was really beginning to wish they had gotten some chalk or string like Hitomi had suggested before they began…

"It's like the Winchester House," Bou-san said as they entered the next room.

"The Winchester House? What's that?" Yasuhara asked.

"It's this convoluted 'mystery house'," Bou-san explained. "There was a legend that claimed that misfortune would befall the owner once she'd finished building the house, so she just never stopped renovating it."

"Is that this story's house, too?" Mai asked.

"The Winchester house is just a myth!" Bou-san said, pausing when he spotted something interesting. "Hey, come over here." Mai and Yasuhara followed him over to a random box-like structure with a door that had been built in the middle of the room and appeared to be something like a standing closet. "A room within a room… I don't get it…" he said, sweat-dropping.

"I don't get why it's here," Mai said, also sweat-dropping as Yasuhara opened the door to peek inside.

"If this room's a dungeon, then there's gotta be something inside!" Bou-san joked.

"Yeah!" Yasuhara agreed with a grin. "Like a treasure chest, or level mini-boss, or…"

"Oh, yeah, yeah," Mai said, sweat-dropping. Unfortunately for the gamers, the small room was empty.

KRIKKK.

Mai started when the door they had used to enter the main room creaked open. Fortunately, the culprit was a human.

'That's… Minami-san, the one who knows so many famous mediums,' Mai thought.

"Hey, aren't you… the Shibuya Psychic Research team?" Minami asked as he entered the room with his two female assistants. "Oh, a digital thermal sensor… are you measuring the temperature?" he asked, noticing the device in Mai's hand. "That's good. It's key to psychic investigations. The temperature drops in places where ghostly phenomena occur. Your president-san may be young, but he knows a lot. Hahahaha!"

"Thank you…" Mai said wryly, sweat-dropping. "Are you doing the same, Minami-san?"

"Yes! I'm using the methods Dr. Davis passed down to me," he said, waving around an old-fashion glass thermometer.

'Hey! Don't drop an alcohol thermometer!' Mai thought warily, flinching nervously.

"We shouldn't have trade secrets, so feel free to use any of my techniques if you like. Humans were born to learn," Minami said proudly.

"Oh, thank you…" Mai said, not sure how she should feel hearing that from him. 'Is this guy… really a researcher…?' she wondered. He didn't seem very well prepared. He had a thermometer, but it didn't look like they had a clipboard or anything to record their findings…

"President… I sense something beyond this room," Shiraishi said.

"Ah, I see," Minami said, immediately turning to leave.

'Huh? They're done already!? Did they even measure anything!?' Mai thought incredulously, flinching in shock.

"Well, let's all do our best. The spoils go the exorcising team that wins. Hahaha!" Minami said as he left with his team, laughing rather obnoxiously. Mai, Bou-san, and Yasuhara just stared after them, dumbfounded.

–∞–

"—That's what I think. We've done everything by the book," Mai said, pouting, after she had finished complaining about their encounter with Minami once they had returned to the base.

"Is that so?" Naru said mildly, preoccupied with checking the data the groups had collected.

"The doctor wasn't with them?" Hitomi asked, wondering what the fake Dr. Davis was doing all on his own. She wondered if he was finishing setting up a base like Naru and Lin were, or resting like Masako, because he actually was a psychic and needed to get used to strange energy in the house? Or maybe he was just there for show and had no intention of helping Minami's team with the actual investigation...

"Nope. We didn't see him," Mai answered, crossing her arms, but then she grinned as she spun around to face Bou-san. "Aw, Bou-san… that's too bad… the doctor isn't here…" she leered suggestively.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean!?" Bou-san said, blushing as he flinched, clearly taken aback. "Don't look at me like I'm a freak!"

"Aren't you such a fanboy of his?" she teased. "Why him, when you're surrounded by so many other amazing people…?"

"But—that's not it! It's just rare to meet such a meticulous researcher!" Bou-san said defensively, looking flustered.

"Why are you embarrassed?" Ayako asked with a smirk while she and Mai snickered.

"Heh, whatever you say," Mai told him with a wide grin.

'O.M.G. These guys seriously have no idea…!' Hitomi thought, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Well, he's an amazingly diligent man," Bou-san said seriously, coughing to clear his throat. "He writes his theses like they were regular scientific theses."

"Huh?" Mai said. When was a thesis not a thesis?

"There's this book, Supernatural Systems, the doctor wrote," the monk continued. "The preface to it went something like this: 'It's a subject of controversy whether the study of the supernatural is legitimate science or a fraud. The author believes that it's not a science—yet. Therefore, I think we must first conduct our research in such a way that supernatural research will be acknowledged as a science.'"

'Wow, he almost quoted it word for word...' Hitomi thought, impressed, resisting the impulse to glance at Naru, the real author, who was actually in the room with them. She had only recently gotten ahold of a copy of that particular reference book herself. Naturally, she had also found it impressive. Naru had raised some pretty interesting questions in it.

"In other words, since the study of the supernatural is not yet considered a science…" Yasuhara mused, holding his chin, "we must conduct our research in a scientific manner."

"… Oh," Mai said, sweat-dropping. Now she got it.

"Those who believe in the supernatural phenomena insist that, intellectually, it is a 'science.' On the other hand, the opposition calls their work fraudulent. Since the doctor himself is a psychic, well, that's how he knows that psychic phenomena exist."

"?" Mai glanced at Hitomi for further clarification and confirmation.

"I suppose you could compare it with early research into the germ theory of disease. It's accepted as fact now that disease is caused by microscopic organisms, but it took many experiments to gather a wide collection of data and physical evidence using the scientific method to prove this. In order to prove the existence of something people normally can't see with their own eyes, you need to be able provide well-documented and consistent evidence. Most people need proof they can see or touch for themselves before they can accept ideas that don't mesh with their own view of the world. Experiments with conditions and results that can be understood and replicated by others can help prove that the data gathered wasn't simply a fluke," Hitomi added in agreement.

"Now I understand," Mai said. She remembered the germ theory from when Hitomi helped her study it for a previous exam. It seemed like a pretty good parallel to her.

"That's good," John said with a smile. "Actually, that book is a thoroughly accurate research tome."

"So he conducts research properly, like Minami-san?" Mai questioned a little sardonically, remembering his high and mighty attitude toward them.

"Yeah, but unlike him, the doctor has a decent personality," Bou-san said, sweat-dropping.

"Does he, now…?" Hitomi asked, unable to resist the impulse to steal a knowing sideways glance at Naru while trying to suppress an amused expression. Lin coughed to cover a laugh when he noticed the look she was giving him from his station at the computer typing up the notes Naru had already made.

But Naru didn't share their amusement, and he actually seemed quite annoyed. Hitomi quickly realized the reason when she noticed that a couple of cameras seemed to have disappeared from where they had left them lined in a row by one of the walls, waiting to be set up. Apparently, he had decided to get started without them. Hitomi sweat-dropped and decided it might be a good idea to help.

"Finally ready to work, I see," Naru remarked when she grabbed a tripod and followed him out the room.

"Well, you could have said something, you know..." she retorted a little weakly, feeling slightly guilty for not noticing sooner. He just stared ahead instead of responding. Hitomi sighed. "Sorry. I got caught up in the conversation, because I thought it was interesting… I'm curious. I've realized I don't know much about you, and you never really talk about yourself, so…"

"If you want to know something, you should just ask," he told her bluntly.

"You won't get annoyed?" she asked a little skeptically, surprised.

"… I might," he admitted frankly, making her smile wryly and sweat-drop. "But you should try asking the person himself first, before relying on information from a third party."

"I suppose that's true," she said reasonably. "I was just under the impression that you didn't like to talk about your past, so I was trying not to pry… although, in the end, I guess I just couldn't keep my curiosity suppressed," she sighed with a small shrug as they reached the first room.

"Well, what did you want to know?" he asked while she set up the tripod.

"Well, I'd like to know more about your likes and dislikes, what you like to do besides work, your family, friends… stuff like that," she replied honestly.

"I thought you didn't want to pry," he said, raising an eyebrow at her, while he programmed the camera.

"You wanted to know what I wanted to know," she retorted, pouting a little, until she noticed the hint of the smile he was almost giving her—not a smirk, an actual smile—and she gave him a full one back in return. "You don't have to tell me all at once, of course," she said as they headed back to the base to get the next set. "Learning little by little is fine."

"Doesn't it seem like Minami is a little bit sketchy?" Ayako asked as the others continued the conversion, still oblivious to their actions and side conversation. "I have a feeling we can't trust him."

'Her instincts are actually right on the dot, this time,' Hitomi thought as she and Naru quietly returned to retrieve more equipment, considering Minami was, at the very least, lying about the identity of that imposter he had brought along with him.

"Speaking of 'the doctor'…" Hitomi ventured cautiously as they left again, making sure no one else was listening. "You didn't seem very surprised to see him here. Does it have anything to do with why Madoka-san, whom I'm assuming really is with the British SPR, came all the way here to see you?"

"Yes…" Naru answered after deciding he might as well tell her since she already knew the man was an impostor anyway. "The real case she assigned us is to investigate the sudden appearance of that 'Dr. Davis'."

"Yeah, I guess you can't have a fraud running around ruining your reputation with scams, huh?" she mused. "You don't seem overly concerned, though."

"I don't particularly care one way or another," he replied, "but those at the main branch seem to think it's a problem."

"I see…" she said, smiling wryly. He was unexpectedly laid-back about his identity theft. She would have thought he'd be more upset. He smirked when he saw the mildly surprised expression on her face.

"Don't think you have me pegged just yet."

"No, like I said before, I'm perfectly well aware of how little I know about you..." she replied wryly, sweat-dropping and blushing slightly despite herself. It was a little unfair how good he looked like that, especially with his sleeves rolled up to reveal the lean, well-toned muscles in his arms that were usually hidden beneath his blazers. Scratch that, it was completely unfair.

"Yes… but… the doctor earned his degree at the Londenberg Foundation. Even among Western foundations devoted to psychic research, it's been notable for its aggressive research program. It created a special degree for its most accomplished researcher. The winning researcher was also awarded a university lecture position," John was explaining to the others as best he could as they reentered the base room. "Dr. Davis earned that doctorate… which is a little different from an ordinary doctorate."

"..." Hitomi stared at the young priest, careful to avoid looking directly at Naru again. So that was how Naru got his degree… and on top of that, he was basically teaching at a university? She was amazed John knew so much about his background, despite not having a clue that the actual person was in the room with them.

"Hmm," Yasuhara hummed thoughtfully, holding his chin.

"???" Mai said, breaking out in a nervous sweat as she realized she had no idea what he was talking about. "Is that why there was such a fuss over the doctor's appearance today?"

"That's right," John answered. "Plus, he's a famous psychic in his own right."

"Whoa… He's an amazing man."

'That amazing man is listening only a couple of feet away...' Hitomi thought.

"He is amazing," Ayako agreed. "Because he's a spirit researcher, he doesn't exercise his own supernatural powers much, but… "

"Just one time, some years ago, he did do a PK public experiment," Bou-san cut in excitedly. "It was done in a real lab, so a video probably exists. He smashed a huge aluminum mass against a wall. I haven't seen it myself, but…"

'Aluminum?' Mai thought, sweat-dropping as she pictured a giant box of aluminum foil bouncing off a wall.

"Then he really gained notoriety when he found an American Millionaire's kidnapped son. They found him underground, buried alive!"

"… You all seem to be enjoying yourselves," they heard a familiar voice remarked coldly.

"Yo, Naru-chan, where did you two go?" Bou-san asked lightly as he turned to look at their young boss and Hitomi.

"Hitomi and I went to set up the cameras, of course," he replied, squeezing a knot out of his now sore shoulder. "We came here to work."

'Speaking of which, there aren't many cameras left!' the monk and Mai realized, sweat-dropping and flinching in shock at how fast they had disappeared. Whoa.

"Ah, sorry! I'll get set up right now!" Mai apologized quickly as she moved to help, paling in shock and worry, hoping he wasn't too mad.

'Looks like it's a little late for that...' Hitomi thought, also sweat-dropping as the temperature in the room dropped when Naru turned to face her with eyes like frozen steel.

"It's all right, Taniyama-san…" he told her ominously with an icy tone that could freeze hell over. "The work's too heavy for a girl."

"Waaa!?" poor Mai gasped and turned blue in the face with dread and shuddered with fear, holding herself in an attempt to ward off the eerie chill she felt shooting up her spine.

"What am I, a mountain gorilla?" Hitomi deadpanned despite the danger, sweat-dropping and feeling a little chagrined. Was that the thanks she got for actually helping? Just when she thought he was being a little nicer to her, too…

'Hi-Hitomi-sempai/chan!!!???' Mai and the monk screamed internally, fearing for her life. What was she doing poking the bear like that!? Naru turned to look at her, appearing almost surprised.

"Oh," Hitomi said, realizing what she had done.

"What did you say?" Naru asked.

"Oh…" she replied. "It was an attempt to corral that previous statement back into my mouth, but..."

"Are you certain you want him to answer that, Matsumoto-san?" Masako cut in slyly, hiding a superior smirk behind her kimono sleeve.

A vein throbbed on Hitomi's head in response. 'This little…'

'Uwah~! Scary… I feel like I'm surrounded by danger on all sides…!' Bou-san thought when he saw the sharp, steely look in Hitomi's eye. Was it it just him, or did the room temperature drop again? "So… Did you set them up nearby?" he asked cautiously, hoping to distract the girls and praying he wasn't about to step on another landmine.

"For now, we've placed them in the center of where everyone will be sleeping," Hitomi replied grudgingly.

"From there we'll maintain a safety zone and gradually increase the radius," Naru explained coolly. He had said 'girl' for a reason. At 19, he would have thought Hitomi qualified more as a 'young woman,' but she didn't seem to agree, since she took offense so easily. "It's far from here, but that can't be helped."

"Oof!" Bou-san grunted as he picked up one of the remaining cameras and hoisted the strap for its carrier over his shoulder. "But… Mai, you should get in touch with your family to let them know you'll be here awhile," he told her. Hitomi was already a high school graduate, so she was pretty much an adult, but Mai was still just a kid in school.

"There's no need to worry about that, Bou-san," Hitomi told him, going through the checklist with Mai.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Mai agreed.

"But your parents will be worried. Go ahead."

"Ahh… But, I'm an orphan," Mai said calmly. Everyone else in the room froze, stunned by the revelation.

"?" Mai turned to look at them when she realized they had all gone quiet. "What's wrong?"

'I guess none of them realized it...' Hitomi thought somberly. Mai was always so strong and cheerful, you would never guess what she had been through.

"You're an… orphan…?" Bou-san asked as a bead of sweat slid down his face, holding his chin.

"That's right," Mai said, nonchalant.

"Well, what about grandmothers or grandfathers or…"

"Nobody. I don't have a single living relative," Mai replied. "My father died when I was really small… and my mom died when I was in junior high. Some of my teachers helped me out by letting me stay at their houses!" she explained a bit sheepishly with a small smile, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, I agreed and everything."

"… And then what?"

"And then what?" Mai asked.

"Who supports you now?" Bou-san asked.

"I do! It's great!" Mai said proudly, puffing her chest out a bit. "Thanks to my school's generosity to the needy, my school fees were waived," she explained while the others continued to stare at her in surprise. "And my living expenses are covered by scholarships and this part-time job. Especially since the pay's so good!" Naru didn't say anything and kept his back to the others, but Hitomi smiled slightly, knowing that he already knew all of this and had purposefully made Mai's hourly wage higher for that reason. "And any time I want a free meal, I can drop by Hitomi-sempai's house, and they'll put out a plate for me! And they let me watch TV on their big screen!" she concluded with a grin.

"That's right," Hitomi agreed with an affectionate smile, patting Mai on the shoulder. "My grandpa keeps saying you should just move in already, since you're always visiting us anyway."

"I'll take care of you..." Bou-san told Mai, pulling her into a firm hug and holding her head against his chest. "Come, cry on me..."

"No way! Let go of me!" Mai told him, struggling to break free, blushing a little out of embarrassment, while Hitomi smiled wryly at their antics. "This is sexual harassment, you perv!"

"You always tell me life's so exhausting," he said, refusing to let go. "You can be my wife… Wait, did you say you'd rather work?"

"Now, now, Bou-san… my family's already called dibs," Hitomi said brightly.

"I don't want to live in a house filled with dolls either," Mai added frankly. "Going to the bathroom at night is scary..." Passing by the displays with lines of doll's eyes shining and staring at you through the darkness was creepy as hell if you weren't used to it. Plus, she'd like to maintain a little independence, even though Hitomi's aunt's cooking was really good.

"..." Hitomi and Bou-san stared at her blankly for a moment, blinked, and exchanged a glance with each other.

"Oh, well, you're not that cute," Bou-san told Mai with a sigh, giving her light smack on the head for her blunt rejection.

"Not this girl!" Hitomi agreed wryly with a crooked smile, ruffling her sassy kouhai's hair.

"Hey!" Mai protested against the feigned abuse with a laugh, while the others smiled and joined in. 'I don't like their needling sometimes… but I think if I keep working, I'll be fine,' Mai thought happily. Masako sighed quietly and tried to pretend she wasn't amused, while Yasuhara smiled and laughed.

"That's enough now…" John said with a kind but slightly nervous smile, sweat-dropping.

"You should be more docile..." Bou-san scolded Mai playfully, hooking her head under his arm so she couldn't get away.

"Urk..." Mai said, grimacing a little when he pinched her cheek.

"Geez, you're like a stray cat who loves to show up at mealtimes, yet refuses to be tamed…" Hitomi told her wryly.

"You guys are such idiots!" Ayako huffed, failing to suppress a smile. "Is that why you can devote so much to this job?" she asked Mai.

"My school has always allowed me to take time off for work… but not only does this job pay the bills, it feels like I'm on a vacation! Eheh..." Mai laughed with a bright smile, tapping her chin.

"Hmm… Then, any day you want to skip school, you can say you have work..." Ayako remarked.

"Yep, yep. I take breaks only when I need to…" Mai said.

"You..." Ayako and Hitomi said, staring at her.

"Huh? Why do you look so serious!?" Mai asked them, taken aback, sweat-dropping.

"Hmm. I've figured you out…" Bou-san said confidently with a straight face, crossing his arms. "You're only doing this so you can skip school."

"You're going to grow up stupid," Yasuhara concluded firmly also standing with his arms crossed, sounding exactly like their favorite narcissist.

"That was mean! You're just like Naru!" Mai exclaimed.

"Pfft!" Hitomi laughed, covering her mouth. The impression was spot on!

"Oh really, now?" Bou-san said with a devious smirk, deciding to attack next with tickles.

"Hya! Hya! Hya!" Mai screamed through her fits of laughter. No fair!

Naru sighed. It was noisy again, and everyone seemed to have also forgotten their work again.

"Anyway..." he said, getting their attention. "Set up the night-vision cameras and thermographs at five locations, then set up condenser mikes in the same places. When that's done, Bou-san, John, and Yaruhara-san, would you three measure the dimensions of all rooms and corridors? We need to draft our own blueprint. But since the sun is setting, we'll do that later. Hitomi and Mai and the rest, please adjust the equipment." He was gratified when they actually did as they were told and continued to work diligently to get it done without any further distractions.