Content Warning: This story explores themes of suicide and mental health.

PART 2: THE HOUSE OF DAYDREAMS

CHAPTER 6

Though the SPR office didn't officially open to the public until 10:00 AM on Saturday mornings, Lin always arrived at a respectable 8:00 AM for administrative work. Someone had to stock the kitchen, maintain the equipment, and process the company's records. As the only official employee of the JSPR branch with proficient reading and writing skills in both English and Japanese, he served as the primary link between the activities happening in Japan and the British money that funded those activities.

After all, someone had to order the teas and coffees that kept their team awake on late night cases, and that was streamlined when Lin was the one to process those orders.

Once all supplies and equipment had been accounted for, Lin checked the bin on the wall outside of his office where Naru, Mai, and the others would deposit papers intended for him when he was out or his office door was closed. The pile of papers waiting for him each morning had been shrinking each day since they'd returned from the Midori case and the office had settled into its new routine with Naru returned as its head.

Yesterday, however, that cycle had been broken when a request for a meeting in-office had appeared in his box to be approved. It wasn't everyday that a potential client travelled all the way from a small town in the Yamanashi Prefecture just to meet with their team in person. Noll had neither shown interest nor disinterest when Yasuhara had gotten the call. Lin, however, had been intrigued, and so he'd accepted the meeting on Naru's behalf. If a potential client were willing to travel nearly two hours to meet with a paranormal research team, they must either believe deeply that their problem is paranormal in nature or be in desperate need of any help at all, a last resort. So, Lin had taken it upon himself to pencil them into the company's schedule for noon today.

At 9:55 AM just barely before the office would open, Yasuhara and Mai walked in, laughing at an inside joke as they hung up their jackets in the entryway. Yasuhara settled into his desk, and Mai puttered into the kitchen to prepare morning tea for the group, as had become their Saturday morning routine.

"We're in for a long day, Mai-chan! Big boss' office door is sealed shut!" Yasuhara hollered across the lobby as the front door clicked open.

"Hopefully the seal is airtight to hold in the fumes of his anger!" Mai yelled back from the kitchen.

"Mai-chan, I don't think…"

"We're all used to him being up his own ass, but he's been up all of our asses ever since he got back here!" The kettle began to boil, and Mai switched to pouring the tea. "Maybe we'll be able to get our work done without sweating straight through our clothes today. Right, Yasu?"

When she didn't get a reply, Mai picked up the tea tray and moved to the lobby. "I said, 'Right, Yasu?'" But she stopped at the threshold when she saw who had just walked into the office.

At 9:59 AM on a Saturday morning, less than a minute before the office formally opened, their boss walked in just in time to hear what his assistants really thought of him. This was the first day that Mai had ever arrived to work before Naru. When she daydreamed of this moment, Mai expected to receive one of his cheeky compliments that, to outsiders, would sound like an insult. She didn't expect to be the one flinging insults at him.

Lin watched the lobby from his corner of the room as no one moved. He saw the calm expression that Naru maintained as he removed his outer jacket and hung it up next to the others' on one of the remaining pegs. He noted the way Naru kept his head and neck upright in a show of confidence but averted his gaze to the floor to avoid eye contact as he walked to his office. He saw the shadows under his eyes that would not improve with sleep for several weeks.

He did not see how Naru spent the next two hours in his office before their clients arrived at noon. He did not see the way his charge rested his forehead against the closed office door for ten straight minutes because that was how long it took for his breathing to return to normal. He did not see Naru clench his hands in his pockets when every other method failed to keep them from shaking.

But when their 12 o'clock meeting finally came and Naru sat down in the lobby with hand-written notes rather than his prized laptop, Lin remembered from his own experience how difficult it was to type with trembling hands, and he chose to just ignore it.

Despite the late morning sunlight filtering in between the blinds, the office was dark when Naru entered. Once his breathing had settled, he pulled out his planner and read over the list of tasks he needed to accomplish for the day.

Finalize training schedule with Mai.

Send updated case file to Madoka.

Outline subsequent sections of next publication.

Meet with potential client at noon.

As it turned out, his first task of the day was to cross out everything on his to-do list that he could get out of. Though he didn't need the silence to get any work done today, he kept his office door closed anyway.

He heard the front door open and Bou-san call for coffee. He listened to everything Ayako had to say about the turn in weather and the approach of flu season and the importance of everyone getting their seasonal vaccinations. He heard each member ask why their boss wasn't joining them for their Saturday morning breakfast and weekly office meeting, and he heard each excuse that Yasuhara gave.

Naru was used to being the most important person in the room, but lately it was getting harder to convince himself that he belonged in the room at all. So, he stayed back. He listened to the group laughing and was comforted that they were able to have fun amongst themselves when he wasn't in the room with them.

He gave up trying to type his notes for the meeting when his fingers wouldn't stop shaking and settled for hand-written notes in his black leather journal instead. Most of the group had to leave before noon, but Ayako and Bou-san decided to stay back for their meeting with their potential client. With busy schedules and fulltime jobs outside of SPR, they would need the most notice to clear their schedules if they decided to take the case.

There was a strange comfort in knowing that something you were doing was contributing to the leisure of others. In school, Gene had insisted that Naru go along on each and every outing that his brother had planned with his friends. It didn't go unnoticed to Naru that Gene always made friends when he was on his own and didn't have to go to extensive efforts to include him.

In spite of his efforts, it just ended up annoying both himself and the friends when Gene insisted he be involved in everything his brother did. But by being quiet and standing slightly apart from the group, Naru succeeded in satisfying both his brother, who wished he'd stay, and his brother's friends, who were better able to ignore him.

There was a strange comfort in knowing that the answer to so many things: controlling your powers, keeping a secret identity, being a good friend and a good brother, was to do nothing at all. To feel nothing.

So, why, in spite of doing everything he could not to care about what others thought of him, were his hands still shaking anyway?

The first thing that Ayako noticed about the Inoue family was the smell. As soon as the husband and wife walked into the office, the aroma of cypress and pine filled the room. Petrichor emanated from the couple as though they, themselves, were the calm after the storm.

The second thing Ayako noticed was the stern expression that seemed irrevocably chiseled on Mrs. Inoue's face. The woman stood with her back straight and her chin parallel to the floor. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek bun at the nape of her neck, and the collared shirt she wore tucked into a shin-length skirt was pressed so that there wasn't a wrinkle to be seen. Though she stood at a below average height, the quiet intensity of her stare made everyone in the office feel as though she were looking down at all of them.

Mr. Inoue stood a head taller than his wife. Though his mouth sported the same reticent expression, his eyes were kind compared to the skepticism in the woman's gaze as her eyes scanned the office.

"Good afternoon," Yasuhara greeted, bowing to the couple as they stood in the SPR entryway. "Are you here for a consultation?"

"Yes, sir. I am Isamu Inoue, and this is my wife, Shiho. We have an appointment at 12 o'clock."

His words were sharp, but his tone was polite. Ayako was almost disappointed at the missed opportunity for Naru to disprove yet another pessimistic client with his signature flair.

"We've been expecting you. Please, feel free to sit down at any of the available seats here in the lobby. We'll prepare tea and let our boss know you're here. Please be advised that we cannot confirm whether we'll take your request today, but we should get back to you within three business days."

Isamu seemed to relax into the couch as Mai placed the tea in front of him, but Shiho kept her spine perfectly straight as she removed her coat and walked to the sitting area. She pulled her elbows back as she sipped tea from her own cup as though she were following the steps to a dance she'd spent her entire life memorizing. She moved as though simple daily activities like walking and sitting were an art that must be practiced in order to get them right.

"My name is Mai Taniyama," she introduced after sitting down with her own cup of tea. "I'm one of the investigators on our team. This is Yasuhara, another office worker," she indicated each person in their group, "and these are two of the spiritualists we frequently work with."

"And what services does this company provide, exactly?" It was the first time Shiho had spoken, her syntax and tone snapping down on them like a whip.

"We investigate potential psychic phenomena, problems that have a high likelihood of being paranormal in nature. If we believe your disturbances are caused by spirits or other forces, we work with spiritualists such as Bou-san and Matsuzaki-san to perform the required cleansings and exorcisms. If the problem is purely physical, we will develop a plan with you to put an end to it another way," Mai explained.

"Do you find that the cases you take are typically paranormal or explainable?"

Mai took a sip of her tea before answering. "There hasn't been a case that I've been on so far that we haven't been able to explain. Sometimes, the explanation is a paranormal force. Other times, it's caused by a human. I'd say about half of our cases are caused by a spirit, half are caused by humans, and most are caused by psychic phenomena."

"How does that measure? If half are caused by spirits and half human, then how are most psychic phenomena?" Isamu asked.

"If there's one thing I've learned since working here, Inoue-san, it's that both humans and spirits alike are capable sources of supernatural phenomena."

There was a small moment in which Shiho lost her composure: when she turned her head a beat too quickly to share a mutual glance with her husband. Between one eye blink and the next, her placid expression had returned, and Ayako turned a raised eyebrow on Mai. Her returning look indicated that Mai had obviously found the moment strange as well.

It appeared that none of the others noticed the couple's exchange; their collective attention turned to the space behind the couch as Lin exited his office and rounded the space to sit. Following him a second later as though they'd coordinated their entrance, Naru firmly shut his office door behind him and took his place in the armchair at the head of the coffee table.

The room remained quiet as he crossed his legs, opened the black notebook to a blank page, and tapped a pen against his knee before making introductions.

"I am Shibuya. Please, continue."

Mai bit her lip before looking back down at her own notes. She'd done this plenty of times on her own, but it always got harder when Naru was in the room watching her. Ayako saw it in the way Mai followed Naru's directions without looking at him. Averted her eyes then covered her mouth. Then once she finished flipping through her notes, she licked her teeth, held her chin high, and enunciated each syllable as though reading from a script.

"I just have a few housekeeping questions to run by you before hearing about your situation. In the case that we take your request, do you mind if we use a room of the building in question as a base where we put out our investigation equipment? We'd be using quite a bit of electric power."

"You're welcome to as much space as you'd require."

"Can you guarantee a source of electricity?"

Inoue-san swallowed. "You're welcome to use as much power as the building offers, but I fear the space that needs investigating is outdoors and quite vast."

This time, Mai and Naru turned to meet each other's gaze, and Ayako sighed. Leave it to those two to be awkward one moment but get right down to business when the situation demanded it.

"We also ask potential clients if it's possible for us to stay for overnight work."

Shiho interrupted in a snap. "Arrangements can be made for anything you might require."

Mai's back curved in by just an inch, and she held her notebook closer to her chest. She turned to Naru. "In that case, it's your turn to ask questions, boss."

Naru nodded, "I understand your case involves some unusual circumstances."

Isamu Inoue turned towards his wife, and she nodded for him to begin. "Our family operates a nature center and gift shop at one of the entrances of a popular tourist destination in the town Fujikawaguchiko.

Ayako stiffened. Without looking, she felt Bou-san's back straighten in the seat next to hers. She didn't dare draw attention to herself, but the look of dread that she saw pass over Mai's face confirmed her thoughts: the entire group realized in that moment that this would be no ordinary case.

"Which location?" Neither Naru nor Lin looked bothered at the mention of the town's name.

"One of the caves outside Lake Saiko that sits just off of the expressway. It's one of the five lakes surrounding Aokigahara at the base of Mount Fuji and serves as the entrance to one of the trails that hikers take through the forest."

No one blinked, only stared as their own shock settled.

"What activity have you been experiencing?"

"I'm sure I don't need to recount the site's reputation." He made eye contact with each SPR member in turn. "I'm sure you are all familiar with the ongoings of the suicide forest. But since midsummer, things have made a turn, and we fear they may be paranormal.

"Bodies have been appearing closer and closer to the trail until recently when multiple hikers have found victims hanging in plain sight as they walk."

"How is this different from the average situation in your area?" Lin asked, choosing his words carefully at the sensitive subject.

"We do not wish such a tragedy on any person, but forgive me for being blunt: one does not enter the suicide forest without knowing exactly what they're there to do," Shiho answered.

"Victims are typically found on a sweep that members of our town volunteer for once a year with the help of the local police department. The forest can be quite dangerous if you don't stay on the path, which is why hikers take the trail while those with other intentions tend to go deep into the sea of trees," Isamu added. "It is very rare that a victim is found so close to the trail, let alone hanging on a branch over the pathway."

Naru entwined his fingers and rested his chin atop. "Have the police been contacted?"

"When this first started happening, we had security cameras installed along the trail. But the cameras always seemed to glitch just as victims appeared. This past week has been the final straw; we've closed the shop and this entrance into the forest to the public for the time being. It hasn't stopped the bodies from appearing, but it has protected the innocent from finding them."

"And no other businesses that operate on Aokigahara's tourism have had similar problems?" Lin inquired.

Isamu sighed, hunched his shoulders forward as though in defeat. "This phenomenon has only occurred within a 10 km radius of our home. It appears we are the epicenter of this...activity."

Naru leaned back into the couch, crossing his arms. "You didn't answer my question before. Have the police been contacted?"

"Of course," Shiho snapped. "We installed security cameras and closed off the entrance to the public at their behest. They believe it's business as usual, but they don't know what happens in the forest."

"Please, enlighten me," Naru smirked. "What is it that happens in the forest?"

Isamu leaned forward slightly. "When you spend a lifetime staring into the forest, you find that the trees begin to stare back. We can easily spot the three types of visitors that Aokigahara calls to: the trekkers, the macabrely curious, and those souls who don't plan on leaving. There's no shortage of the first two, but there must be something happening within the forest that started recently that's holding onto souls who don't want to stay on their own."

His words sent a chill down Ayako's spine. They all knew about Aokigahara, a forest whose lore went about as deep as the volcanic ash it sat atop. She was lucky to have never treated a failed suicide attempt during her time at the hospital, but doctors talk. She's heard enough stories to know the power that forest wielded.

It was apparent to Ayako that Naru did not hold the same reverence for Aokigahara that the native Japanese of the group clearly did. Even Yasuhara hadn't interrupted with one of his ill-timed jokes during the entirety of the meeting. She couldn't imagine Aokigahara going un-researched by Dr. Oliver Davis. He had to have done at least a surface-level reading on the place in his time as a paranormal researcher.

"So, the authorities have ruled them to be suicides."

"They say they hang themselves," Shiho cut in, and the group blanched. "But they don't see the details. How can a person hang themselves from a tree branch they can't reach? No foothold in sight?"

"The knots, as well," Isamu added. "The noose is always tied in a particular way. These knots couldn't have been tied by the victims on their own necks."

"Even so, why not take these concerns to the authorities? What makes you believe this is paranormal?"

"The cameras lose connection only when new bodies appear. It's a case of here one minute, gone the next. The wind howls, though no wind blows. The forest doesn't lure people into it, only comforts those who wander in. There is something luring people now, and it is not of this plain."

"You seem very sure of yourself," Naru narrowed a glare at Shino Inoue. "Have you any idea of what it could be?"

"I know not the problem nor the solution. Only that a problem exists. Besides that, I defer to experts such as yourselves." She bowed her chin slightly and closed her eyes. "Please, consider providing us with your services."

Naru closed his notebook with a snap. It didn't go unnoticed by Ayako that he hadn't written anything during the entire meeting.

"We have your contact information. Expect a response from us within three day's time."

Unlike so many other clients, the Inoues stood swiftly, bowed to the group in gratitude, and left the office.

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief, able to relax for the first time since the couple had entered. Ayako, Bou-san, Mai, and Yasuhara exchanged unsure glances as Lin and Naru conversed about the case.

"What are your thoughts?" Naru asked, directing his question to Lin.

"Strange occurrences under strange circumstances, but that in no way means a paranormal cause," Lin replied.

"Precisely."

"It is interesting, to say the least. Especially when you consider the fact that the clients travelled nearly two hours for an in-person meeting."

"So," Naru crossed his arms and leaned back against the couch cushions, "you believe them to be earnest."

"I believe something has unsettled them enough to ask a group for paranormal researchers and spiritualists for aid. As to whether things are happening as the client describes it, we can't be sure until we investigate."

As Lin pulled up additional files he'd gathered before their meeting, Yasuhara and Mai stared at one another across the coffee table, unsure of what to say. The lore surrounding Aokigahara was as deeply implanted in their brains as the roots that anchored the forest's trees to the ground. Perhaps their being a team of spiritualists led them to placing the forest in higher regard, if only for the spirits who dwelled there; both Lin and Naru, however, presented a casualness when discussing this case as though the forest were any other Japanese tourist attraction. Their irreverence led them to believe that the foreigners didn't feel the gravitas associated with the site that they did as native Japanese.

Lin continued. "The Inoue family operates a gift shop and information center just outside one of the three caves that serve as scenic landmarks along the hiking trails through the forest. It's a three-story building; the shop is downstairs, and the family lives on the two upper floors. When they first called, they reported that the household was only made up of three: Isamu-san and Shiho-san, the husband and wife respectively, and a fourteen-year old daughter called Mirai. She started boarding school this term after what's been happening around their home, so it should only be the two elders if we investigate."

"What of the forest surrounding the area?" Naru asked.

"Aokigahara forest rests on the northwest face of Mount Fuji that spans across the Yamanashi prefecture. There are plenty of entrances that visitors can choose, but the town the Inoues come from, Fujikawaguchiko, is perhaps the most visited."

"And how many visitors would that be?"

Lin scrolled through his notes for a moment before switching to flip through his paper notes. He scrunched his eyebrows, looking for the number.

"Don't bother." It was Bou-san who spoke up, tone grim. "You won't find any numbers related to those who visit Aokigahara."

Naru's eyes narrowed on Bou-san with an icy stare. "And why is that?"

"The locals do a sweep of the place every year. They used to pull a couple hundred out every time."

"People," Yasuhara interrupted. "He means they search the forest annually to recover the bodies of those who took their own lives."

"You won't find any numbers because the prefectural police force hasn't divulged how many victims were found there since 2003 out of concern that it would only encourage more people to go there for similar purposes," Bou-san clarified.

"So, that's why these events have no media coverage." Naru said, resting his head in his hands. "The entire area has been fending off notoriety for years."

"Try decades," Bou-san said. "Every few years or so, something happens there to fling the forest's reputation back into the public spotlight. Recently, it's been American film companies drumming up attention about the place in the west. I'm actually surprised you two haven't done your own research on it purely out of interest."

"The Yamanashi prefecture has had a suicide rate of about 36 per capita for the last five years in spite of the entire country's rate remaining at about 18 per 100,000," Lin interrupted. "For comparison, that of Tokyo is 27. It appears that the suicide forest skews Yamanashi's suicide statistics."

"And they say the problem is not that more suicides are occurring, but that the victims' behaviors are leading to regular discoveries of bodies," Naru said as though in conversation with himself.

"The forest is very dense with trees. It's advised that hikers don't stray off of the path or else they'll get lost," Ayako added. "From what the couple said, people go deep into the forest to…" she held her tongue at speaking of suicide in such a clinical way. Even as a medical doctor, it wasn't an easy task. "It does seem strange that suddenly victims are being discovered near daily in plain sight of those visiting for other purposes."

"And what was it that they said about the police investigations? Apparently they only look self inflicted," Bou-san remembered.

"Lin, let's just say there were a number of bodies mysteriously appearing hanged throughout these forest trails, eluding all security cameras and live witnesses. Could an individual or even an organized group be responsible for such acts?"

Lin paused. "If the null hypothesis is that they are simply suicide victims, then my first alternate hypothesis would be human involvement."

Ayako and Bou-san's eyes widened at the way Lin and Naru spoke of such a grievous topic. They never considered that such a simple word choice, such as referring to them as victims of suicide or bodies, could change the entire ambiance of the conversation. Just like that, they went from people to points of data.

"I admit that I'm intrigued," Naru declared. "There isn't an obvious paranormal explanation, but neither is there a rational one. The idea of a ragtag team of vigilantes in the woods seems just as absurd as a poltergeist would sound to others."

He turned his eyes onto Mai. "You've been quiet for this entire conversation." Her head had been down, watching as she twiddled her fingers in her lap. "Anything to share?"

Mai's eyes stayed down for the span of a few breaths. Ayako, Bou-san, and Yasuhara felt the same heaviness in the air that Mai surely felt, so they gave her room to collect her thoughts before responding. If Naru or Lin felt impatient, they didn't say anything to that extent.

She picked up her head, and her eyes were glassy. Her eyebrows slightly scrunched as though trying to decipher a code, but the glazed look on the rest of her face just made her appear sad.

She exhaled deeply before speaking. "I think these people are being tormented by the lingering shadows of those who have lost their lives, one way or another. I don't just mean the Inoue family. I'd be willing to bet that such a small town has been reeling with recent events. The police can't make heads or tails of it, and as Lin explained in meticulous detail," her eyes narrowed at the man as she said it, "that area seems adept at having plenty of spiritual activity all in its own right. Whether or not it's related to the struggles of the Inoue family, we can't be sure. But I agree with you that it's an interesting case and an opportunity to help a town who doesn't know what else to do."

Naru and Mai maintained eye contact in the silence that followed her words. His expression remained impassive as he scanned her face, seeing only complacency with a hint of apprehension in the way she began to worry at her lip.

"Would one week be enough time for everyone to prepare?" Naru asked, never once breaking eye contact with Mai.

He saw their nods out of his peripheral vision, and she was the last one of the group to nod her chin once in affirmation.

He spoke to the group, but it appeared to everyone else that he was directing his words at Mai alone. "Everyone is to keep their wits about them, should you decide to go on this case. We all need to be self aware of our own thoughts and motivations as well as those we can extrapolate from others."

"We have to monitor our emotions," Mai finished his thought. He kept staring, and her eyes moistened. "We need to prepare emotionally to be there so we don't get lured in ourselves."

Naru quirked an eyebrow. "Instincts?"

She sniffled in an effort to keep her composure. Of all times, the present conversation about maintaining rationality would be the utmost worst moment to fall into emotional dysregulation. So, she settled for nodding.

When Naru turned to Yasuhara, he had to blink a few times before continuing. "Relay this to Hara-san and John when you call them in addition to the other details of the case."

And as the meeting adjourned, the members of SPR prepared for their trip to Aokigahara.

By the time SPR arrived at their case, three new bodies had been hanged above the trail. One male, two female. Ages 22, 21, and 19. In the span of just one week, the suicide forest had claimed three more lives.

For a human mind, the pain of death lasts for only a second. For a spirit, it never stops.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental illness, please know that you are not alone. You can always reach out to a family member, friend, teacher, counselor, or community member. In addition, below are some major hotlines and crisis resources. Please note that these lists are NOT exhaustive. In addition to phone hotlines, many of the resources also offer a text or chat option. Visit the websites for more information. Some resources offer 24/7 crisis support, while others provide information and referrals in non-crisis situations.

National Suicide Prevention Helpline: 1 800 273 8255 or suicide prevention life line dot org
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1 800 799 7233 or the hotline dot org
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1 800 656 4673 or rainn dot org
SAMHSA National Helpline: 1 800 633 4357 or samhsa dot gov
National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline: 1 800 950 6264 OR Text NAMI to 741 741 or nami dot org
Trevor Project TrevorLifeline: 1 866 488 7386 or the trevor project dot org