Naru look at the brunette sighing beside him. She has dark circles in her eyes and a haggard face. He can see that she's really tired. Seeing that she's hardworking just to help him, Naru suddenly form a small smile on his lips and rub Mai's head. Mai's eyes widened as she look at the cold narcissistic boss of hers.
"Good job, Mai."
"W-w-ha... T-than-nks!!"
Mai blushed at the sight of this handsome big boss. What the devil is wrong with him? Why is he praising me all of a sudden? He can do better than me since he's The Great Oliver Davis!
The next day, Mai returned but Naru didn't. Lin and Mai is the only one in the house since Takigawa-san, Matsuzaki-san, Masako-san and John went to check on the Morishita Family at the hotel. Mai walk towards the base when she suddenly felt a hand on her feet. It's cold and Mai trembled at the touch. Before she could even look at her feet, she was dragged to the living room, to the well and fall unconscious.
"Kyaaaah!!!!!"
"Mai!"
Lin saw the scene and ran to the living room. Lin's heart race as he look at the dark well. He immediately grab his phone from his pocket and called Naru.
"Lin, I'm already done and was about to go back. How are the things there?"
"Something happened. Mai was dragged to the well a minute ago." Lin said in a calm voice but deep inside, he is really worried about the lass. That girl is an important candidate in melting that Cold Narcissist's ice coated heart. He promised Naru's parent that he will do it and he believed that Mai is capable in helping him, though he is a bit annoyed with her.
"... I'm going back. Fetch Mai and keep her safe." Naru said and hang up.
*
Mai slowly opened her eyes as she hear some droplets of water falling. She was in a traditional Japanese house and saw a little girl playing a ball beside a lake.Suddenly, a man in black coat walk towards her and extended a hand towards the girl. Mai had a bad feeling about the man and tried to stop the girl from grabbing the hand but her hand just slip through.
The girl left with the man and they disappeared. Mai suddenly felt loss and she almost felt a huge stone pressing into her heart as she suppressed herself not to cry.The surrounding went black and the setting changed. A woman, similar to the woman that traps the children's souls, appear running towards the lake shouting a name.
"Tomiko!... Tomiko! Tomiko!"
"Aaaaaah!!!!!"
The woman went insane when she can't find her daughter. After that, the woman went to the well and committed suicide by throwing herself in. It was the same well where she entrapped those children's souls.Mai sighed as the setting went black again. Will-o'-the-wisps appear everywhere and her eyes widened at the sight of this.
"...Astral plane..."
It is where a spirit travel when she or he leaves the body while sleeping. And she is currently in her astral state.
"I didn't know that you can do astral projection on your own."
A warm voice sounded behind her as she turn. She saw a man in his teens wearing black walking towards her. He has the same face as her boss, same hair colour but she noticed that they have different eye colour. Naru's eye is dark blue while this one is indigo.Mai wonder who is he as she scrutinized the guy in front of her. That man laugh as he saw her expression. Mai's brow raised as he laugh and wait for the man to talk again.
She always felt that there is something fishy with this guy and tried guessing his identity. At first, she thought that he is a kin of Naru but she didn't dare to investigate further since she will be invading the person's privacy and there will be a risk of being found out by security if she persist on investigating.
Also, the doctor's information is so secretive and is no joke. If she probed further, she would be caught by the system protecting his files. She had guessed his boss' identity after being with him for weeks but she is a bit unsure about this. It seems surreal.So Mai concluded that this spirit in front of her may be using her boss' face to make her comfortable talking with him.
"I didn't pull you in here. You know how to project (astral) with your will?" The man asked her.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Oh come on. Just spill the beans. I'm your guardian spirit.."
"When? I don't recall having a guardian spirit. We just met recently. And why is a spirit like you have the face of my boss? Even if that guy is handsome, he's just an annoying narcissist."The man laugh at what she said.
"Narcissist, you say? Yeah he sure is! But I like that guy so don't sweat it. Well, Nice to meet you Mai Taniyama-san. I'm Gen...Genie!"
"Seriously? Genie in the lamp? Like the one in Alladin?" Mai said sarcastically as she stare at Genie. She knew that he is not telling the truth about his name. But like she cares though.
"Tsk! What ever." Genie shrugged his shoulders and smile at her.
"Well, Mr. Guardian. I'm going. See you around."
*
Mai woke up and slowly sit on the couch she's lying on. Her head was hurting and she noticed a bandage on her head. And band aids on her knee and legs. There are also bruises on her arms.
Lin who is in front of the monitors noticed her waking up so he look at her and gave her some water. Some moments later, Naru came opening the door and taking off her coat.
"Welcome back, boss." Mai said as she drank all of the water.
"What happened?"
"Something dragged me to that room and pulled me to the well. And I'm fine now. Thank you for your concern." Mai answered sarcastically and opened her laptop.
"Lin, call the others from the hotel. The case will be solved tonight." Naru said as Lin nodded at his orders. Later that night, the others came and Mai finished her research.
"Hey, Naru-bou! I heard the case will be solved tonight. Is there a solution?" Takigawa-san asked the moment they enter the base.
"Yeah. Hara-san, may I ask what are the spirits' doing?" Naru said as he sip his tea.
"They are still in the living room. They haven't gone to the hotel yet." Masako answered him covering her mouth with her sleeve.
"That woman has so many children spirits that working for her to block our exorcism. She's also the heart of the problem. In order to reunite the two, we need to disperse the spirits around her."
"How will we unite them?" Ayako asked but she was ignored.
"Matsuzaki-san, please make some charms against evil spirits and hang the on the walls. We will create a Kekkai to limit the traffic of the spirits. Our main goal isn't preventing spirits near Ayami but to lock them up in the house. Then we open up a Kimmon." Naru said and was about to continue but Mai interrupted him.
"Excuse me, what is Kimmon?"
Naru glared at her but Mai just shrugged her shoulder and stuck out her tongue lazily to him. He sighed and continue to explain.
"It's the northeastern quarter. The direction where it's easiest to evil spirits to pass. If it's difficult for them to pass everywhere else, then they'll pass through the Kimmon. Bou-san and Matsuzaki-san, I want you to wait for the spirits to exit through the Kimmon and disperse them."
"Okay but they won't just go right back to the Kimmon?" Matsuzaki-san asked.
" They only need to be dispersed in a short while. If we reduce the spirits around that woman, it should work. John stay in the living room and disperse the spirits in there."
"Okay." John said firmly as he nodded. They were about to do their tasks when Bou-san stopped and look at Naru.
"Hey wait... Who's gonna perform the exorcism?"
They look at Naru with curious eyes but her just smirked at them while holding his black notebook.
"No... Way..."
"Let's get started."
*
Bou-san and Matsuzaki-san are on their position. Naru, Mai, John and Masako are in the living room as John is chanting what is in his sacred book. Masako is feeling uncomfortable so Mai need to be with her side. Naru observing while leaning on the doorframe and Mai sighed while watching the girl beside her tremble and wrinkle her clothes from her tight grip.
"I really hope Naru wouldn't use Jorei in this Matter. Jourei is an exorcism where a person talk to the spirit and help them through issues they have from the past life but this could only be done by a medium. Naru is not a medium so he's trying to exorcise the spirit using Jorei where he will destroy the spirit completely. I really hope he wouldn't perform a Jorei. At least not in front of me..." Masako said with a bitter smile.
Mai look at her and realised that Masako is a Psychic Medium. For her, Humans and spirits are all the same. She was about to pat her shoulder when a sudden force yank her arm that throw her a meter away from Masako.
"Mai!"
"I'm fine!" Mai said and regain her composure however, she can feel pain from her shoulder. Her bones are dislocated. She hissed in that sharp pain but look at Masako to see if she's hurt.
"Hara-san. How is it going?" Naru asked.
"They're leaving the living room. They are also slowly reduced." Masako responded as she hold on to Mai but Mai flinched since she touched her dislocated shoulder.
"Sh-she's coming!!!"
Masako trembled and gripped Mai's arm even more tighter. Pain is what Mai feel at that moment but she didn't show it in her face and just hold the trembling Masako. Mai grit her teeth and just look at the woman emerging from the well. Mai is really annoyed that she really want to throw things at that ghost. Masako was about to speak but Mai knew her words will offend the woman so she cover the petite girl's mouth with her other hand. Masako look at her in confusion but Mai just shook her head.
Naru put down his hands and start to walk towards the well where the woman float. The woman look at him with grudge but he look so calm as he brought out a wood carved into a figure of a person. There are writing on that figure but Mai is a bit far from him so she couldn't read it.
"Tomiko is here. Take the children you gathered and leave this house." Naru said and throw that wood in the air.
Although, Mai isn't a medium, she can feel the warmth that was brought by that wood and the face of the woman became even more brighter. A figure of a child came out of the wood and Mai recognize it as the child she saw in her dream.
"Tomiko!"
The woman exclaimed as she extended her arms to welcome the girl on her bosom. They hugged and the children are being purified. They, one by one exited the house and returned to their mothers. The temperature return to normal. And with that, the case of the Doll house is solved.
Some minutes later, Bou-san and Ayako came into the living room and asked what happened. John narrate what happened and Bou-san sat comfortably to think of the solution made.
"Oh! So you made a Hitogata. You took a piece of Paulownia wood and carved out a figure of the person you want to cast a spell on. But I thought it would place a curse on a person since hitogata is similar to a Voodoo doll." - Takigawa-san
"There are black spells and white spells. White spells are used for good cause while the other is to harm people. Often time same type of spell could be us to achieve bother results.." Naru explained to them while Mai is busy on her phone.
"Ah! I got it." Mai suddenly exclaimed as her eyes glued into the phone she's holding.
"Hitogatas are container of spirits. Also,if a person made a hitogata for me, it means it will be my double. If he hurt that hitogata, that means I'll be hurt too. This is how the hitogata is really close to a real person. Naru used a hitogata representing Tomiko-san. The woman thought she is her daughter and she had reunite with her. They is why she had rest in peace."
"That is correct, Mai. I'm surprised you're not as foolish as before." Naru said smirking.
"Ugh! I'm not a fool, you narcissist!" Mai said rebutting him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Wow. I'm impressed you made that hitogata. Is that why you left?"
"Yes. I need to learn about her past life." Naru answered.
"And??" Bou-san asked for he is sure there are some information left behind.
"And that woman's name is Hiro Oshima. Tomiko is her only child. This house is build to where her house used to stand. Her daughter went missing one day and six months later, she was discovered dead in the nearby lake." Mai said narrating what she had researched, completely ignoring Naru's curious stare.
"Tomiko is probably been kidnapped by some syndicate, was tortured and thrown to the lake where she's been playing before. Hiro Oshima went crazy after learning what her daughter has gone through and threw herself in the well. Her head probably hit a sharp stone that caused her death." Mai continued and smile at them.
Naru narrowed her eyes. The latter information are not recorded no matter where and how deep he researched. He was wondering how Mai got all of that. Mai knew what is he thinking but she just keep silent. She can't tell him that she got that information from her dream. She trust that dream since she knew she's a latent psychic and that Mr. Guardian proves it. It's not harmful to use that kind of abilities. Seeing Mai not answering to his stares, he sighed and exited the room.
"I never knew Naru is an onmyouji." Bou-san said as he stood up.
Mai hearing that almost stumble on her way and turn her head towards the monk.
"Huh?"
"An Onmyouji is a master of the way of Onmyou. Onmyou is a type of spell originated from China many years ago. The spell of hitogata is a part of the tradition of the way of Onmyou. Hitogata is also practiced in Shintoism. Summoning Tomiko's spirit by a human charm is very complicated. One would assume that an Onmyouji could use just a technique." Bou-san
"Yeah. It's very cool." Ayako
Mai's lips twitch at the two's assumption of Naru's abilities. Naru is not an Onmyouji, that was her intuition is telling her. But hearing what Bou-san said, summoning Tomiko's spirit is really complicated.
Who made that hitogata?
"Thank you very much. I have consulted my brother and he said he will be coming home this week to be with us." Noriko said.
"Is this really okay? No more spirits?" Kana asked.
"You shouldn't worry. But if it bothers you so much, I suggest you to move to have a peace of mind." Naru said but Noriko smiled at him, seeing the confidence Naru has in his eyes. They're safe.
They were about to leave when Ayami came out of the house and tugged Mai's sleeve who is listening to music through her earphones. Mai removed her earpiece and look at the now lively Ayami.
"Onee-san, will you visit me again?"
Mai smiled at her and rub the child's head.
"Sure. If you invite me over, I'd be happy to."
"You promised?"
"I promised!" Mai said and form a pinky promised with her.
Mai got into the van and sat beside Naru who is reading his book. Mai was about to put on her earphones but she remembered something and look at the black clad youth beside her.
"Hey, Naru. You're not an Onmyouji. Who made that hitogata?" Mai asked as Naru stared at her. Lin, who is driving also glance at her for a while.
"How do you know I'm not an Onmyouji?" Naru return a question.
"Because you don't look like it. And I know you're not one." Mai said lazily and brought out a book from her bag. Naru knew Mai's intuition is sharp so he did not plan on keeping this a secret.
"It's Lin."
"Lin?" Mai asked as she look at the older man who is driving the van. Shee realised it just now but Lin looks like a Chinese Man more than a Japanese. Takigawa-san also mentioned something about China while telling a trivia about Onmyouji.
So Lin is a Chinese?
"What?!"