Previously:
"All's fair in love and war," Hitomi agreed.
"Go ahead, then," Masako told them. "While you play dirty, I'll be a good girl. You can even ridicule me."
'Uh… who's the one who's blackmailing him?' Hitomi thought, sweat-dropping.
"Do you think the prince will choose Cinderella?" Mai said with a smirk, acting like one of the older stepsisters from the story.
"Of course," Masako said with a smile.
"Have you really considered the prince's personality!?" Mai asked.
"… That's true," Masako said seriously, sweat-dropping.
"Right?" Hitomi said. The three of them laughed.
The Forgotten Children (Part 1)
"What?" Mai said as she was riding in the car in the back seat with Hitomi and Masako and Bou-san and Ayako in the front. "He's discharging himself!? So Naru just decided on his own that he's leaving the hospital today?"
"Yes. Naru stated that he was leaving, and the doctors didn't stop him," Masako said.
"He couldn't be talked out of it," Hitomi said.
"Whaaat..." Mai said, sweat-dropping.
"Well, I'm sure the doctors would've stopped him is he was actually in bad condition," Ayako said. "Naru's so selfish."
'Look who's talking,' Bou-san thought.
"I know," Mai said with a wry smile. It had only been half a month since the Yoshimi family case. Naru fell unconscious during their investigation and was hospitalized, but he was getting discharged that day. So they all went to the hospital to help. Yasuhara and John were discharged earlier, too, and were home recovering. Yasuhara broke his ribs and was currently wearing a corset.
'When Naru fell unconscious, he wasn't breathing. As soon as he arrived at the hospital he was placed in intensive care and he barely escaped death. I was so worried… that he was going to die,' Hitomi thought. 'Is it really okay for him to leave the hospital before the doctor releases him?'
"By the way, you're awfully quiet today," Mai said to Bou-san. "You usually talk a lot, even when driving."
"Hmm? Even I have times when I am deep in thought," Bou-san said, smiling wryly.
"Oh, you're worried about your income because you had to take off work for this investigation!" Mai said.
"That's right. I don't know how i'll pay for gas," Bou-san said, sweat-dropping. "Hey, what makes you think I think only about money?"
"You don't?" Mai asked. Bou-san stopped the car.
"You can walk from here," he told her.
"Ack! I'm just kidding!" Mai said, sweat-dropping. Hitomi laughed a little. "But lately you don't look too cheerful. I know some of it's because you're injured… but you often chitchat with Yasuhara-san and John when you have time."
"That's true, you three have been staying apart from the rest of us to talk..." Hitomi said, a little suspcious. She knew something was going on, but she couldn't say what. 'Could it be because Naru revealed his PK…? Could they be onto him?' she wondered.
"It's not that I'm down. We're speculating," Bou-san said. "Aren't we grown-ups?"
"What? It just totally isn't like you," Mai said.
"But seriously, are you okay?" Hitomi asked him.
"Isn't your back hurting? You had fifteen stitches," Mai said.
"Bah. I'm just tired from babysitting," Bou-san said with a smirk. "Now I know how teachers who direct students during field trips feel."
"Who are you calling a baby?" Mai asked with a smile.
"Hmm, I wonder?" Bou-san said with a grin.
"Grr! I'm going to kill you!" Mai said with a vein throbbing on her head.
"Hey, don't choke me!" Bou-san exclaimed when Mai grabbed him from behind.
"Stop, guys," Ayako said.
"You'll have an accident if you aren't careful," Hitomi chided them.
—∞—
"I nearly became a ghost myself," Bou-san said, massaging his throat as they stepped into the hospital. "Oh." They could see Lin at the counter. "Hey, paying up?" Mai gasped when she saw all the cash Lin had handed over.
'Wow. Could that be for Naru's hospital bill?' Mai wondered.
'I guess he doesn't have insurance… or maybe he's not using it?' Hitomi thought. 'He did check in under his alias...'
"So he's really leaving, eh?" Bou-san said as they started walking with Lin to Naru's room. "Is he going to be okay?"
"That's what he says," Lin said.
"Hey, Ayako, Hitomi-sempai," Mai whispered. "Did you see? I didn't know hospitalization costs that much. I'm so surprised."
"Oh. Naru doesn't have insurance, so he paid for everything out of pocket," Ayako said.
"Huh. Why!?" Mai asked. "He should have insurance."
"I don't know why he doesn't have insurance, medical costs can get really expensive," Ayako said. "So you better be careful with your health. You're so poor."
"Shut up! Don't call me poor!" Mai snapped.
"She is right that you should be careful, though," Hitomi said.
"Hitomi-sempai… not you, too!" Mai said. Masako watched them quietly. Lin opened the door to Naru's room.
"Naru. I'm done," he announced.
"Yeah," Naru said, shutting the binder he had been looking at.
'He's still working...' Hitomi thought wryly. He could at least take a break on the day he was leaving the hospital.
"I'm going to go say goodbye to the nurses, so can you hold on?" Ayako said, heading back out the room.
"Sure," Bou-san said.
"Then let me pour some tea," Masako said.
"Are you done packing?" Hitomi asked Naru.
"Would you prefer cold tea?" Masako asked him.
'Hmm, what should I do?' Mai thought, glancing around. Hitomi was helping Naru collect the files he had been looking at. His eyes met Mai's.
"Um, I'm glad you could leave now," Mai said with a smile. Naru looked away without answering.
"… Hey," Mai said, clenching her fist. She sighed. 'Sheesh. He's still a little pale.'
"You're still a little pale," Hitomi remarked, making Mai flinch because she thought she'd said it out loud for a moment. "Are you sure you want to leave now?"
"I'm sure," Naru said.
'Naru had fallen unconscious before… but this last time his condition was worse,' Hitomi and Mai thought.
'I guess the more he uses his PK, the worse it is...' Hitomi thought.
'That everyone canceled their plans to stay with Naru shows just how worried we all were,' Mai thought. 'Masako would come back from Tokyo at night when she had work. Last time, Naru told us not to visit him at the hospital, but he didn't this time. Maybe he was lonely.' She stole another glance at Naru. He was still flipping through that binder while Hitomi packed the rest of his materials up for him. 'Doesn't look like it,' Mai thought, sweat-dropping. "Oh," she said as something occurred to her.
"What's up?" Bou-san asked, drinking the tea Masako was handing out. Mai quickly covered her mouth.
"Uh, nothing," she said a little nervously. 'Come to think of it… no one from Naru's family came to visit. Even yasuhara-san's mother came to visit when he was in hospital. And Hitomi-sempai's grandpa and older cousins came to check on her. Wouldn't you think… at least one of his parents would show up? I don't think they could possibly not know Naru was in the hospital. I've been working with Naru for over a year now. But I still don't know anything about him. Where does he live? What kind of family does he have? Does he have siblings? It might not mean anything to Naru, but… Even if I ask, he'd never tell me,' she thought, pouting at the end. 'Even though it seemed like Hitomi-sempai knows something… sometimes...'
"I'm back," Ayako said. "We're good to go."
"Okay, then. Let's go," Bou-san said. "Naru-bou, can I take this?" he asked, picking up a box.
"Yeah," Naru said.
"Naru, you don't have to hurry. Walk slowly, okay?" Ayako said.
"You didn't forget anything, did you?" Masako asked.
"It's all packed up, right?" Hitomi said.
"..." Mai stared at the scene before her. 'Looking at the situation in perspective...'
"Hmm, I guess I can throw everything in the trunk," Bou-san said. He seemed like the dad.
"The fridge is empty. Hand me that trash over there," Ayako said, reminding Mai of a mom. Mai giggled a little bit.
'Then I guess that makes Hitomi-sempai, Masako, and me the daughters,' Mai thought.
"What should I do with the leftover tea?" Masako asked.
"Give it to me. I'll take care of it," Hitomi said. Lin was closing the curtains.
'Then Lin-san would be a grumpy uncle. Sorry Lin-san,' Mai thought. 'John would be the oldest son. The easy-going one. Yasuhara-san would be the middle child. The grounded one. And Naru… would be the baby of the family. Spoiled. Wow, that's an interesting family...' Mai held her sides while she tried and failed not to laugh too much.
"Hey. Stop giggling and help out," Bou-san told her. "Can you go put this in the car?"
"Okay, Daddy," Mai said. She took the bag and ran.
"What? Daddy?" Bou-san said, sweat-dropping. What the heck was that?
"Just kidding. " Mai said brightly.
—∞—
The next day… they left the Yoshimi family.
"What is with Masako!? Did you see her attitude? It ticks me off!" Ayako said with a vein throbbing on her head, sitting in the back seat of Bou-san's car with John and Mai, while Bou-san and Yasuhara were in the front.
"Yeah, yeah," Mai said, sweat-dropping.
««« Flashback «««
"I can only fit five in this car," Bou-san said. "I need two people to ride with Lin, but who wants to..."
"I'll go with you," Hitomi told Naru, stepping forward.
"Ah!" Mai gasped. She was just about to volunteer herself, too, when Naru said something unexpected.
"Hara-san, would you like to ride with us?" Naru asked as he opened the van's side door for Hitomi.
"Of course," Masako said sweetly, as if it were only natural.
"What!?" Mai said.
"!!" Ayako furrowed her brows.
»»» End Flashback »»»
"She had the look like she was so special. And what's up with Naru, too!? Why did he ask Masako!?" Ayako raged.
"You're just going to regret riding with them anyway," Mai said. 'I wanted to ride with them, too.'
Mai was right. At that very moment, Masako was regretting the seating arrangement. Hitomi sat in the back with Naru, while she sat in the passenger seat next to Lin, who was a wall of silence. Naru wasn't talking either, but at least Hitomi got to be next to him.
"That's not the point!" Ayako said.
"You just want to be the special one, right?" Mai said. "It''s not like he chose the prettier one."
"Of course not!" Ayako said.
"Should I kick them out?" Bou-san asked Yasuhara.
"Now, now," Yasuhara said, smiling wryly.
"I think it's because Hara-san is the smallest," John said gently with a smile. "They only had so much space."
"I see. So you're saying that I'm fatter than Masako?" Ayako asked with a dangerous tone.
"No, that's not what I meant," John said quickly, waving his hands and shaking his head, clearly panicking because he sensed the danger.
"You're much taller than her, so of course you're bigger. Idiot," Mai said. "Don't pick on John."
"Shut up!" Ayako said with a vein throbbing on her head. "Hey! Why are you driving so slow? Pass that car in front of us!" she yelled at Bou-san. "Come on, move it, move it!" She leaned forward and honked the horn for him.
"Hey! Don't honk the horn, it's dangerous!" Bou-san said. "Can't you see the yellow line!?"
"I see it! But that car should let us pass!" Ayako said.
"Don't be reckless!" Bou-san told her.
"Ayako..." Mai said, sweat-dropping.
"Haha, this is fun," Yasuhara said, laughing.
"..." Lin said when they turned right instead of left. He followed them and started honking.
HONK. HONK. HONK.
"What is it?" Naru asked.
"We're going the wrong way," Lin said. I'm trying to get them to stop.
HONK. HONK. HONK.
They all watched as Bou-san's car continued on regardless.
"I bet someone started an argument, and they can't hear us..." Hitomi said.
"Idiots," Naru said.
"Who knows? Maybe they know a shortcut," Hitomi said.
—∞—
By the time they stopped, they were in a wooded area.
"Hey, where are we?" Ayako asked Bou-san.
"It's all because you distracted me!" Bou-san yelled back. "How am I supposed to see the road signs with you driving from the back seat?"
"Hmph. You have no sense of direction," Ayako said, turning away from him.
"Do you want to walk from here?" Bou-san asked.
"We thought it was weird that you turned left instead of right," Masako said.
"If you noticed, I wish you would've told us," Bou-san said, sweat-dropping.
"Lin-san honked at you many times. But you still ignored us, so we thought you knew a shortcut," Masako said.
'I guess we couldn't hear with all that racket...' Mai thought, sweat-dropping.
"Anyway, we should return to the highway," Yasuhara said, consulting the map. "Let's see… If we continue on this road, there's a campsite. From there we can get to a road that connects to the highway."
"I guess that's our only option," Bou-san said with a sigh. "We can't turn around here." They refolded the map and got back in their cars. "Come on, let's go," Bou-san told Mai, who was taking the opportunity to stretch while she could.
"Okay," she said.
—∞—
This time Lin took the lead. They drove through more woods and over a river where people were fishing and camping.
"Oh, they're camping," Mai said. They drove through more woods.
"Ah, I see the street," Bou-san said with a sigh of relief when they saw a paved road leading past a mountain.
"This is…" Naru said, tensing when he began to recognize the scenery.
"What is it?" Hitomi asked. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he had seen a ghost.
"Hey. Those camping sites looked fun," Mai said in Bou-san's car.
"That's true," John said.
"No way. There are bugs," Ayako said.
"Stop the car!" Naru said urgently. Lin was stopped abruptly.
SCREECH!
"Ow!" Ayako said as he hit her forehead against the side window. "What are you doing!?"
"It's not my fault," Bou-san said. "They stopped all of a sudden. What did we make a wrong turn again?"
"We shouldn't have..." Yasuhara said, consulting the map.
"Naru?" Hitomi said when he unbuckled and jumped out of the van. She unbuckled too to follow him.
"Huh? Naru..." Mai said, seeing him exit the van. "Oh, maybe he's feeling sick?" She opened the car door and saw Hitomi hurry over to Naru. "Naru! Are you okay?"
"Naru…?" Hitomi was about to ask him if he was okay, too, when she caught sight of the scene before them. A lake surrounded by mountains. She took another look at the expression on Naru's face and her eyes widened. "This is…!?"
"What's wrong?" Lin asked, coming over to join them. Mai approached them as well. Naru gripped the railing. Lin looked from Naru out at the lake to see what he was looking at so intensely and his eyes widened too. "!" he gasped. "Is it here!?"
'Huh?' Mai thought, confused by their reactions. 'What… is going on?'
"… Finally..." Naru said. "… I found it..."
'Naru?' Mai thought.
—∞—
"What's going on?" Mai asked. "We came back to the campsite and now you're saying that you want to stay here? What happened?"
"I have business to take care of," Naru said. "You guys should head back to Tokyo."
"Head… back?" Mai said, glancing at Hitomi and Masako. "But..."
"You're in the way. Go home," Naru said bluntly.
'Ugh. So that's the truth,' Mai thought, sweat-dropping. "… When are you going back?"
"I don't know," Naru said.
"You don't know? But what about the office?" Mai asked.
"Close it," Naru said.
"What? Close?" Mai said.
"Mai, you should look for another job," Naru told her.
"Huh?" Mai said, shocked. Hitomi was shocked, too.
"When I get back, I'm closing that office down," Naru said, shocking everyone.
'That's right… Naru only started that office because he came here to look for his brother...' Hitomi thought, suddenly very worried. 'Does that mean Naru has to return to England… and he isn't coming back!?'
'Closing?' Mai thought numbly. 'Closing… closing… that means...'
"Closing!?" Ayako and Bou-san yelled.
"Whoa," Mai said, flinching a little.
"You mean you're closing the business!?" Bou-san asked.
"Why?" John asked.
"Explain yourself!" Ayako demanded.
"Are you tired from the summer heat!?" Yasuhara asked.
"I can hear you even if you don't yell," Naru told them. "Can you keep it down?"
"Um, I have a question," Mai said, raising her hand. "Closing the office means you're not going to run it anymore? Why?"
"I have my own reasons," Naru said.
"Please explain those reasons," Mai said firmly. "I'm losing my job, so I think I have a right to know. Right, Sempai?"
"I don't think it's necessary to explain," Naru said. Mai glared at him. He stared back. She was about to let him have it, when Hitomi spoke up.
"Does it really have to close?" she asked. She didn't want to lose him.
"Yes," Naru said.
"Permanently?" Hitomi asked, feeling like she was about to cry.
"..." Naru could see he was hurting her.
"I've already given up," Bou-san said.
"Huh?" Mai said.
"I've given up on summer this year," Bou-san said. "I'll get the bungalows, so those who are staying raise your hand."
"Bou-san, you're in the way," Naru said.
"I can accommodate you all the time," Bou-san said. "So what? Is everyone going home?"
'I don't... get what's going on,' Mai and Ayako thought, exchanging a confused glance.
"I'll stay," Yasuhara said, raising his hand. John also raised his hand.
"John, too!?" Mai said.
"Masako-chan? Hitomi-chan?" Bou-san asked.
"I was going to stay either way," Masako said.
"Me, too," Hitomi said.
"Okay. Ayako and Mai?" Bou-san asked.
"Hey. Mai, what should we do?" Ayako asked.
"Huh?" Mai said. "Uh, I don't know..." Masako and Hitomi looked at each other. They nodded. Masako tapped Mai on the arm.
"Say you're staying," Masako told her. "If you go home, you may never see him again."
'Never see him again?' Mai thought. 'Naru?' She looked at Hitomi. Hitomi nodded at her. Mai's eyes widened.
"Um, I'll stay too," Mai said. "But..."
"I'll lend you the money to stay with no interest," Bou-san told her, ruffling her hair.
"Thank you," Mai said, smiling a bit sheepishly.
"Hey… Are you seriously going to stay here? There's no hotel? And there are a lot of bugs," Ayako said.
"Then are you going to leave?" Bou-san asked.
"I'll stay!" Ayako said determinedly with a vein throbbing on her head.
"Then it's set," Bou-san said with a grin. Mai glanced at Naru.
'I might not see him again? What could it mean?' she wondered.
—∞—
"So we have to cook for ourselves," Ayako said in the girls' bungalow. "Can you girls cook?"
"My aunt taught me," Hitomi said.
"If it's something really easy," Mai said.
"I… not really..." Masako admitted, blushing.
"That's what I thought," Ayako said. In the end, Hitomi was the most reliable. "We can't rely on the boys. Either way, we need to go shopping." She pulled a notepad and a pen out of her purse. "Have the stupid monk drive out. I'll make a list."
"Okay," Mai said. 'She's quite the mom...' So Mai left and headed to the neighboring bungalow. Naru and Lin's was farther down in that direction. She knocked on the door and opened it. "Hello?" She could hear voices coming from the next room.
"—So… I think Naru is a definite."
'Definite?' Mai thought. She knocked on the then next door. "Um..." The door slid open suddenly. "Whoa!" Mai said, surprised by Bou-san's abrupt appearance.
"Oh, it's you," he said.
"Ayako told us to go shopping," Mai said. "What is this, a secret guys-only meeting?" she asked with a smirk. "How creepy."
"Yeah, yeah," Bou-san said.
"Then I'll help too," John said, standing up.
"Then I'll organize our stuff," Yasuhara said. Mai was a little surprised.
'Actually… they're fidgety, aren't they?'
—∞—
John and Bou-san were waiting by the monk's car when Mai came stomping up to them.
"What did Naru say he's going to do about dinner?" Bou-san asked. Judging by her stomping, it couldn't be good.
" 'We'll take care of ourselves, so don't bother me.' … Is what he said," Mai said, hanging her head dejectedly.
"I see," Bou-san said, patting her on the head. 'As expected.'
"… You know…" Mai said.
"Huh?" Bou-san said.
"I stayed because Masako said that I probably won't see him after this," Mai said.
"I see," Bou-san said.
"Once the office is close, then I guess I won't ever see him again," Mai said, smiling wryly.
"… Hey," Bou-san said. "Remember this: all relationships come to an end." Mai sighed.
"That's true," she said. 'I don't know where he lives. I don't know his phone number. I don't think Naru would ever contact me for anything other than work-related issues,' she thought. '… Just like it's always been.' "Now that I think about it, I don't know where you two live either."
"Huh? Really?" Bou-san asked.
"That's true," John realized.
"We only see each other at the office and when we're together during an investigation… but I don't know what everyone does in their spare time," Mai said. 'When the office closes, I wonder if I won't ever see everyone else again either. Most likely, that's what's going to happen. Hitomi-sempai's the only one I'll be able to keep in touch with. We worked together. We shared so many experiences… but if I were asked if I thought of my other colleagues as 'friends', I couldn't say 'yes'. We didn't hang out outside of work. I thought that would be fine, so I didn't ask everyone and didn't talk about myself. I think everyone felt the same way. That's why… now that I think about it, we actually don't know anything about each other.'
"What's wrong?" Bou-san asked.
"Huh? No, nothing," Mai said, shaking her head. 'But that… doesn't mean I can just get all chummy now, right? Everyone is older. They have their own lives and relationships. Why would they want to hang out with a high school kid? Masako is in high school too, but she has a profession… how lonely.' Mai felt gloomy.
"What's with you?" Bou-san asked her.
"Um. Mai-san..." John said, concerned.
"Hey! When exactly were you planning on leaving!?" Ayako yelled from over by the bungalow. "These country stores close early, you know!"
"Okay, we're leaving right now!" Mai called back.
"Oh, and pick up some bouillon, too!" Ayako said.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Bou-san said.
"You only need to say 'yes' once!" Ayako yelled with a vein throbbing on her head.
"Yes, ma'am!" Bou-san and Mai said, snapping to attention with a salute. John followed their example.
'She heard me?' Bou-san thought, surprised. Hitomi, who was watching from inside, laughed a little.
—∞—
Mai and Hitomi stared out at the sunset, leaning on the railing of the porch on the bungalow. They were both quiet. Hitomi was deep in thought about what to do about Naru. Should she go over and confront him? Would he listen to what she had to say? Should she really try to convince him not to go back to London? He probably had a whole other life over there that was waiting for him to come back. She knew his parents must be waiting for him, at least. They had already lost one son…
"If you stay out there, the mosquitoes will get you," Masako said. Hitomi and Mai turned to look at her.
"We're fine. We sprayed bug spray," Mai said. "Do you need it, too?"
"I am fine. Mosquitoes tend to prefer those who are hotblooded," Masko said, setting down the anti-mosquito incense burner she had brought out with her.
"Well excuse me for being hotblooded," Mai said.
"I didn't say it was a bad thing," Masako said. "Aren't you happy mosquitoes prefer you?"
"Of course not!" Mai said with a vein throbbing on her head. Masako giggled.
"Hey, Masako. Why do you think we won't see Naru again after this?" Mai asked. "You seem to know something, too, Sempai..."
"… I just had a feeling," Masako said.
"You're lying," Mai said.
"… I can't say," Masako said.
"Does it have something to do with the secret you're holding on Naru?" Mai asked.
"I can't say," Masako replied.
"What about you, Sempai?" Mai asked.
"Sorry, I can't say either..." Hitomi said.
"Fine then," Mai said, pouting. Masako sighed.
"I… probably know everything you want to know," Masako said. "Matsumoto-san?"
"I probably don't know everything..." Hitomi admitted.
"But you know enough to be trusted," Masako said.
"… Yes," Hitomi said, looking down. She was trusted, to an extent.
"!?" Mai gasped.
"But we can't tell you," Masako told her. "I promised Naru and Lin-san I wouldn't tell. I'm sure it's the same for Matsumoto-san."
"It is," Hitomi confirmed. "I promised Naru."
"Why… Why do you know it?" Mai asked them.
"I just happened to know," Masako said.
"I guessed," Hitomi said. Mai stared at them.
"Hey. When we first met, Masako said this: 'Have I seen you before somewhere?'" Mai said.
"Did I say that?" Masako asked.
"You did," Hitomi said.
"Is that what you meant? You met him somewhere before?" Mai asked. Hitomi had also wondered about that. How did Masako just happen to know about Naru?
"… I guess one could say that," Masako said.
"Huh? You're so vague," Mai said. "Sheesh."
'She probably can't say anymore without revealing part of Naru's secret…' Hitomi thought.
"Naru's been looking for this place for so long," Masako said. "It was for this purpose that he founded SPR. That's why you might not see him again."
"… Just me?" Mai asked.
"No," Masako said. "Me, too."
"… And me," Hitomi agreed, even though saying it out loud brought her dangerously close to crying.
—∞—
"Naru and Lin-san will say they don't need anything anyway," Mai said when Ayako asked her to invite them to eat with everyone again.
"Can you ask them anyway? You have nothing to lose," Ayako said.
"I do," Mai said.
"What?" Ayako asked.
"Urgh," Mai said.
"Naru might say something mean again, huh?" Hitomi said, cooking the rice.
"See! Sempai gets it! Why can't you go?" Mai asked Ayako.
"Then do you want to cook instead?" Ayako asked, holding up the ladle.
"… I can't," Mai said, sweat-dropping.
"Right?" Ayako said. "Just go. I'm worried they didn't eat last night, too."
"Unfortunately, that's a real possibility…" Hitomi said, sweat-dropping, concerned. "Tell Naru to be sure to eat something, even if it isn't with us. Lin-san, too."
"Okay," Mai said, reluctantly heading out.
—∞—
Mai was close to Naru and Lin's bungalow when she heard voices.
"—I want to make everything clear," Bou-san said.
'Huh? Bou-san?' Mai thought, drawing closer. She could see him standing on the bungalow's porch talking to Naru.
"I have no time," Naru said.
"But that won't satisfy them," Bou-san said.
"I don't care if everyone is 'satisfied'," Naru said.
"You know..." Bou-san began, when they heard the rustling of grass under Mai's feet. They both stopped talking and looked at her.
"Oh," Mai said. "Um… busy?"
"No," Naru said. "What is it?"
"Breakfast is ready," Mai said. "Ayako said to come over if you want to eat."
"… Can you just leave me alone?" Naru said. If he ate with everyone it would give them a chance to pressure him into talking. Mai was hurt.
"Fine. Hitomi-sempai said to tell you to make sure to eat, even if it's not with us! That's it! Sorry for bothering you!" Mai said, turning on her heel and marching away.
"Mai!" Bou-san said, going after her. "Hold it. I'll go back with you."
"Were you talking to him about something?" Mai asked.
"I tried to," Bou-san said. "But Naru-bou won't listen."
"I see," Mai said.
"Oh," they both said when Lin came into view.
"Lin-san," Mai said. Lin nodded to them and continued on his way to the bungalow.
"Naru. They're leaving in two to three days," Lin said.
"Is breakfast bread or rice?" Bou-san asked.
"Both. And there's miso soup, eggs, sausages, salad, and…" Mai said.
"Heh. It's like a bento!" Bou-san said. Mai glanced back at Naru and Lin's bungalow.
'Leaving?' she thought.
"I arranged for divers to come," Lin said. "They should be arriving in the afternoon." Lin shut the door behind him. Mai and Bou-san glanced at each other.
"I wonder why they called divers?" Mai said.
"..." Bou-san said, holding his chin. "Naru was looking for this place, right?"
"Yeah," Mai said.
"So what he's looking for is in the water," Bou-san said.
"In the water… you mean… in the lake created by the dam?" Mai said. They looked back at the bungalow. 'What could… it possibly be?' Mai gripped her arm. 'What is this? I don't have a good feeling...'
—∞—
"Naru called in divers?" Hitomi said when Mai shared the information with her after breakfast while they were washing up. 'Well, I guess he would have to...' she thought. "Thanks for telling me, Mai."
"Any idea what it might be about?" Mai asked. Hitomi looked sad for a moment then smiled apologetically at her.
"I still can't say."
"This is so unfair!" Mai huffed. "Bou-san seems to be up to something, too."
"Bou-san?" Hitomi asked.
"He was talking with Naru when I arrived, saying he wanted to make 'everything clear'," Mai said. "When Naru refused, Bou-san said 'that won't satisfy them'. What do you think it meant?"
"..." Hitomi looked down at the pot she was drying. "I'm not sure." 'Could it be… Bou-san and the others suspect…?'
—∞—
That afternoon, people gathered on the shore to watch the divers work.
"What are they doing?" Mai heard someone ask.
"Who knows?" someone else said.
'Oh, those are the divers Lin-san mentioned,' Mai thought as she walked past.
"Hey, I heard something gross," a young woman said. "The lady at the store told me… that they're searching for a corpse." Mai froze.
"Ick. Are you serious?" the other young woman she was talking to said. "Eww! That's creepy, isn't it? Yuck."
"Let's not go in the water."
'A… corpse,' Mai thought. She clutched her chest as her heart beat faster. 'Naru was searching for this place. Those divers were called in by Naru. That… means… Naru was searching for a corpse?' Mai trembled. 'What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? My heart feels heavy. It's thumping so hard I feel sick. I should call for someone...' At that moment, she saw Naru. He was leaning up against a tree. Naru looked at her then looked back at the lake. Mai stared at him. "Hey. You're the one who called… those divers, right?"
"Yeah," Naru replied.
"I heard… that they were looking for a corpse," Mai said. Naru sighed.
"So there are already rumors?" he said. Mai's heart started beating harder again.
"Naru… you were looking for this place, right?" Mai asked. "So does that mean… you were looking for a dead body?" He looked at her.
"That's right," he said. Mai's eyes widened.
"So… all those times you were looking at maps… and traveling a lot… it was to find this one body?" she asked.
"Yeah."
'So… that's why,' Mai thought. 'I thought it was weird… that he traveled so much, but it never seemed like he visited tourist areas. So his objective wasn't to travel. Naru never took jobs unless he felt like it. He didn't seem to be interested in making money. Is that because this office was established just to find this body? Why would he create SPR just for that? And now he doesn't need the office anymore because his mission is accomplished?' "Um… can I ask what's going on?"
"It's none of your business," Naru told her.
"I know that, but… who is this person?" she asked.
"My brother," Naru replied.
—∞—
Mai tried to ask more questions, but eventually gave up and left. Naru was standing on his own again, when Hitomi came up to him.
"Have you come to ask questions as well?" he asked her.
"I came to wait with you," Hitomi said. Mai had gone back and told the rest of them what was going on. As soon as Hitomi heard, she knew she had to be there for him. She leaned next to him against the tree. "Are you going to tell me I'm in the way?"
"No," Naru said. Her hand found his.
—∞—
Back at the girls' bungalow, the others were still talking about it.
"Naru's brother? In this lake?" Bou-san said.
"Yeah..." Mai said, looking down. Ayako, Yasuhara, and John all looked at each other.
"So he was dead..." Bou-san said.
"Huh?" Mai said.
"Oh. Nothing," Bou-san said, glancing at Yasuhara and John.
'Why is he looking at John and Yasuhara-san?' Mai wondered. "You're lying! What do you mean?"
"It's really nothing," Bou-san said. Mai glared at all three of them. She slammed her hand on the table as she stood up.
"Sheesh! Why do all of you love keeping secrets so much!?" Mai asked, feeling frustrated. 'Masako… Hitomi-sempai… and Naru, too. They should've said something. I didn't know he was looking for his dead brother. Since I didn't know anything… I asked if Naru was enjoying his trip… and many other insensitive questions.' Tears welled up in her eyes. She closed her eyes and shook her head. 'No. I'm not going to cry!'
"—Lin!" Bou-san said when he saw him walking by.
"Have you seen Naru?" Lin asked.
"Oh, I did," Mai said. "He was near the water."
"Thank you," Lin said. He turned to leave.
"I heard that Naru's brother's body is somewhere in the water," Bou-san said. Lin looked back at him.
"Who did you hear that from?" Lin asked.
"Mai heard it from Naru," Bou-san said. Lin looked at Mai.
"Yes, it's true," Lin said.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Bou-san told him. "May I ask how he died?"
"… I hear something unfortunate happened to him," Lin said.
"What was it?" Bou-san asked.
"I don't know the details… Naru doesn't like to talk about it," Lin said. "Only that… he was murdered."
"Murdered?" Bou-san said, startled. "By whom?"
"I don't know," Lin said.
"Maybe it was Naru who killed him," Ayako said. "Or else how would he know that the corpse is here?"
"Ayako!" Mai said.
"Of course not. Naru just knows. That's it," Lin said firmly.
"I know! I'm kidding!" Ayako said, sweat-dropping.
' 'He just knows'...' Mai thought. Naru came walking up to them with Hitomi at his side. 'So that's were Hitomi-sempai was...'
"Lin. There you are. How was it?" Naru asked.
"They are with Madoka, so it should be fine," Line said.
"I see," Naru said.
'Could 'they' be Naru's parents…?' Hitomi wondered.
"Hey. Sorry about your loss," Bou-san told Naru. "Do you think you can find him?"
"… Thanks," Naru said. "The water is pretty murky, so it's going to be difficult. And there are many obstacles at the bottom of the lake." Mai stared at him.
'Naru… He doesn't act different at all,' she thought.
"It is a dam after all," Bou-san said. "I hope you find him soon."
"I'm prepared for it. That's why I think you should go home," Naru said.
"Sorry, but I'm going to do what I want to," Bou-san said.
"Uh… excuse me..." someone said, drawing their attention to two elderly men, who were approaching them. "… Are you from Shibuya Psychic Research?" the old man with glasses asked, wiping some of the sweat from his face with a handkerchief.
"… Yes," Naru said.
"I hear you people are psychic?"
"Something like that, yes.
"And you are?"
"I'm the person in charge of Shibuya Psychic Research."
"You're awfully young..." the old man with glasses said.
"Thank you. What did you need?" Naru asked. The two old men looked at each other.
"I'm sorry to bother you when you're busy… but I have something we need help with," the old man with glasses said.
"A job?" Bou-san said.
"Even out here?" Mai said, sweat-dropping. Naru considered the two men in front of him. They seemed desperate.
"What is it?" he asked.
"!" Lin said. "Naru!"
"Are you sure?" Hitomi asked.
"I don't mind," Naru said.
"But..." Lin said.
"We're just going to be waiting around with nothing to do," Naru said. "Please tell us about your problem."
