A/N: Hello, everyone! I came with a new update but I'm afraid it's was a bit long. I'll be updating the 'DATE' chapter soon since the case was done. But please make do with this for now. I hope you're all safe and alright. Please enjoy the chapter!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ghost Hunt.
[Not Edited]
Lin pressed 'send' and let out a sigh of relief. He is a bit tensed writing his daily report to his employer. Naru was sent to the hospital twice while living in Japan and he knew the professor would again convince Naru to return home. The last time Noll went to the hospital caused a ruckus and Luella even tried to visit him personally. It was a relief that Madoka saw Luella and tried her hardest to convince her not to worry. Naru also assured her that he's fine before the poor mother set her worries free.
Lin also apologizes for not figuring out the case sooner before Naru and Mai was sent to the hospital. He could've noticed something if he saw that Orikiri-sama sooner. If he had not put all his attention to the technical work, he could've prevented all this mess. With a sigh, he mocked himself while watching his laptop screen.
Lin was sure the professor and his wife would worry for this young brat after reading his email. The guradian prayed that Naru would have prepared his explanation for this incident. He hates to make excuses and cover up for his charge. This time, Naru should explain to them what happened including his feelings for Mai. Lin smirked at this thought while closing his laptop.
'That would be interesting to watch. I would pay a million pound just to see him confess something as personal as having a crush on a girl.'
Naru forcefully discharged himself from the hospital and left after paying their services. He took a taxi and went to the school. He then learned that the rest had convinced the principal to let them stay. He gave them one more chance to solve the case and demanded them to save his favourite employee's life. Bou-san said that while convincing the principal and Matsuyama-sensei in the office, a paranormal activity occured and scared the hell out of the two. After experiencing supernatural, they had also believed the curse that was targeting Matsuyama-sensei.
Matsuyama-sensei was waiting for him to save him from a curse. The teacher's state is unstable and his appearance was a mess. He looks like he had aged 10 years and he was currently kneeling in front of the teenager he had once insulted. Mai would've been glad to personally witness this scene. Unfortunately, she was stuck in the hospital. John and Yasu pulled the teacher off the ground and gave him water to drink.
"It is all that brat, Sakauchi's fault! If I—"
"Matsuyama-sensei, it would be better if you don't place the blame on the deceased student. If not because of you and this school's trash administration, then that student wouldn't have placed this curse to punish you. Remember this, Matsuyama-sensei, this is your fault." Naru said to him in a very cold tone and expression. Matsuyama-sensei was loss for words and gritted his teeth.
"What do we do now, Naru-bou?" Bou-san asked him, ignoring the teacher.
"Lin, is it possible to reverse the curse?" Naru asked his guardian as Lin turned his attention to him.
"It's possible but should we?" Lin answered.
"Reverse the curse?" Yasu confusedly asked him.
"It is so turn back the curse to the conjurer. Once the spirit has devoured everything, they will run out and the Kodoku would be competed. If that happens, death awaits Matsuyama-sensei. And I doubt the Kodoku would stop there. If we do nothing now, it would be possible for this place to be more dangerous than it was now. It could kill any living that will enter the Kekkai barrier. So before that happens, we need to reverse the curse to put an end to the Kodoku." Naru examined to them as Bou-san and Ayako nodded in agreement.
"But Sakauchi-san is already dead. How could we reverse it back to the dead? And he's been devoured by the curse." Bou-san asked him but Naru just sat down to rest his legs before answering.
"I get your point but he's not the one who invoked the curse in the first place." Naru answered before screwing the cap of a mineral water bottle. He's feeling a bit dizzy after rushing here from the hospital. He may look a bit like normal but he just woke up from his sleep. He also used his PK after that incident. Lin noticed his fatigue and went to him.
"Naru, are you okay?" Ayako asked worriedly as she checks his complexion.
"I'm alright. Back to the topic. If we reverse the curse, the the curse will be reflected back to the original conjurers. In other words, we would return the curse to the students who performed Orikiri-sama." Naru stated making everyone in the room loss for words. Even Matsuyama-sensei didn't utter a word and just listened to them.
"If you reversed the curse, what will happen to us?" Yasu asked breaking the silence in the room. He looks calm and serious, an opposite to his usual joyful mood, but he was feeling very nervous behind his perfect facade.
"A lot of students had invoked the curse. So many that I think the power of the curse reversal will be split and the effect on each person will be limited." Naru answered him with equal seriousness.
"Let's pray that's true. Have Mai agreed on this method?" Yasu asked him, making Naru stopped for a second.
"I did not inform her about this but I promised her I will bring back good news." Naru answered.
"Then I will agree on this one. Please instruct me what to do." Yasu answered and bowed in front of him.
"Then that's settled. I will tell you the details later. For now, I will talk to Lin and plan the next steps." Naru nodded and stood up but staggered a little. It was a good thing that Lin was there to prevent his fall.
"Continue packing and tell the students not to do that Orikiri-sama. From now on, Orikiri-sama is forbidden in this school. Tomorrow, we will finish this case and go." Naru left a few instructions before leaving the base with Lin assisting him.
"Oh... My... Gosh.." Ayako spit the words out one by one in amazement. Even John, Masako and Bou-san, who stood beside her, had the same expression on their faces.
The whole gymnasium floor was filled with hitogatas! They had just got here from the base and this is what they saw! A few hours ago, Naru ordered Yasu to gather all the students in the gymnasium before Lin began the reversal. They thought that the students really gathered in one place and rushed here to check on their well-being. But instead of the expected students, they saw hitogatas.
"It's done. Let's get to work. Bou-san and Father Brown, I want you to verify the hitogatas. Matsuzaki-san and Hara-san, would you please gather the nametags of the unharmed hitogatas and make a list of the names. Also check on those individuals after this. Once we all gathered the hitogatas and made sure all of the students are safe, we will burn them and throw it to the river like the last case." Naru came in with Lin and started his instructions.
The SPR simultaneously nodded their head as they stare at the pieces of woods scattered on the ground. They knew Naru had a solution and promised Yasu their safety but they never knew his solution is like this. They thought he'll distract the curse from the students and Matsuyama-sensei and put it somewhere else. But it's unexpected for him to use hitogata. They also perfectly knew that some hitogatas cannot harm but to use it as a stand-in for students and carrying the curse reversal for them, it's unbelievably amazing. They really wanted to open up Naru's brain and see how it works.
"Okay. You never had played Orikiri-sama, right?... Okay, okay. Promise me not to do it again?... Alright, thank you very much!" Masako smiled gently as she placed the telephone down.
"That's the last one! We did it! They're all safe!" Ayako exclaimed and hugged Masako tightly.
The two of them still bucket sometimes and always got on each other's nerves but at this moment, they celebrated their success happily together. John and Bou-san smirked and gathered the collected hitogatas. Yasu also came to help them and smiled in relief. As Naru predicted, they had really finished the case in that day. Lin and Naru went to report to the principal.
The curse that was reversed unto the students who invoked the Orikiri-sama was performed entirely on surrogate hitogatas. As a result, some were damaged. Some limbs are broken, some heads were cracked and some were cut in half. Seeing those damages really sends chills through the spine. If the hitogatas aren't there as a substitute, some students would've been dead and the gymn would be painted in blood. Some hitogatas aren't damaged. It's the hitogatas of the students who didn't invoke the Orikiri-sama.
The principal and Matsuyama-sensei were relieved and accepted the explanation. They're too dumfounded and scared when they saw the live feed from the gymnasium during the ritual. Naru let them watch with him as a proof and they were shaking from head to toe while watching the hitogatas cracked by itselves. The stingy principal also gave them a generous pay. After burning the hitogatas and throwing the ashes to the river, Yasu and the SPR went straight to the hospital to visit Mai.
"You're back?! How is it? Are they all safe?!" Mai asked the minute they came in her hospital room. Her eyes are twinkling in expectation and a bit of worry. But spoke in English and her voice is not the only one that they heard. When they set their eyes on the cellphone placed in a tripod in front of her, they realized that she's talking to someone on the phone.
"Yeah. All students including Yasu here are safe and we also stopped the Kodoku! The spirits used in the Kodoku also vanished." Bou-san answered and sat in front of her, facing the back of Mai's cellphone.
They still couldn't see the one who's Mai is talking to a while ago. The ready of the SPR members including Lin and Naru also settled down around her. Naru drank some water while Lin opened his laptop to write another report.
"So how did Meifu solved the case?" Mu Lin Yuan asked in his mother tongue through the phone making Mai choked on her spit. Lin also stopped and flinched at the word 'Meifu'.
'W-who is he calling Meifu?'
(NOTE: 'Meifu' is translated as 'Younger Sister's Husband' or in other words, 'Brother-in-law'.)
"Senior Brother, you bastard! Don't call him that!" Mai retorted as the rest of the SPR except Lin stared at her in puzzlement. The one on the phone and Mai suddenly switched to another language.
Yasu clearly heard the voice and hurriedly went to Mai's side and smiled at the camera. Mu Lin Yuan also smiled seeing his favourite buddy's playful face. They actually got close to each other after video calling a few times 2 years ago. But lost connection when Mai left. Yasu waved at him and called the older man in fluent English.
"Da-ge! Hi! Long time no see!"
(NOTE: 'Da' literally means 'first' and '-ge' or '-gege' means 'big brother' so 'Da-ge' can translated as 'First Elder Brother'.)
"Ah-Su! Glad you're still in one piece after the reversal of the Kodoku! Say hi to your mom for me." Mu Lin Yuan said and also waved at him. He also got close to Yasu's mom after receiving a whole big box of local delicacies.
(NOTE: 'Ah' and 'Er', as a prefix and suffix to one's name, are endearment. So Mu Lin Yuan calling Yasu 'Ah-su' and Mai as 'Mai'er' means that he is close to them. 'Ah' was pronounced first before the name so in Yasu's case, Mu Lin Yuan just picked the 'Su' in Yasuhara's name and put 'Ah' as a prefix. While he just added 'Er' to Mai's name.)
"I will! Are you the one that helped us in solving the case? Thank you! I will send you a bunch of local snacks later so be sure to get it!"
"Don't you dare renege on your word. That's promise!"
"So, where is Mei—ahem... Where did Naru go? I wanna know how he did it." Mu Lin Yuan asked as he cleared his throat.
He didn't call out his new nickname for Naru because Mai's been glaring at him menacingly. Although Yasu couldn't understand that word like the others, he knew Mu Lin Yuan was teasing Mai like usual. He chuckled and adjusted the tripod for everyone to see what's on the screen. The SPR saw a handsome man waving hello at them on the screen.
"Hello! I'm Mu Lin Yuan. I'm sorry I couldn't converse with you in Japanese but it's a pleasure to meet you! Mai had been talking a lot about all of you these days!" Mu Lin Yuan happily greeted in English as the SPR smiled at him.
Fortunately, all of them knew at least Basic English and understood what the man had said. John took the lead in introducing himself and he was followed by the rest. Lin was a bit shocked when he saw the face on the screen. He had met this man on a conference some time ago in New York.
And of course, he also remembered his name. He is the successor of the famous and capable Onmyouji, Fang Yuan Zheng, in Mainland China. He is also known for his introverted and eccentric personality. His face is unknown to many and he is also lucky that he caught a glimpse of what he looked like. But Lin never knew he would see him again as Mai's Senior Brother. When Mu Lin Yuan saw Lin, he also was a bit stunned to see him.
"Gosh! I can't believe it! You're Lin—" Mu Lin Yuan exclaimed but Lin quickly interrupted him in continuing his sentence.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Mu. It's been a long time."
Mu Lin Yuan was silent for a few seconds before smiling mischievously at the camera. Mu Lin Yuan understood what his actions meant. He nodded and placed his attention to the young man in black.
"Meifu! How did you do it?! Tell me! Tell me!"
"I said don't call him that!" Mai screamed to the phone and her face began to turn red in embarrassment the moment she saw Naru's confused look. Lin twitched his lips when he confirmed who Mu Lin Yuan was calling. Naru and the rest was still in the dark but they didn't ask.
Naru began explaining what he did and Mu Lin Yuan was happily taking notes. The older man also asked permission to use this method and clapped in excitement when Naru gave him what he asked for. Mu Lin Yuan chatted with them for a few moments before ending the call in haste. This is one way to make that hermit leave his cave. Once someone gave Mu Lin Yuan new ideas or he discovered something, he would be excited and wouldn't wait to try things out.
The call ended and Mai thought it's over when Naru suddenly cleared his throat and look at Mai seriously. The brunette suddenly had a bad premonition. They stared for a fe seconds before Naru took the initiative to speak.
"Mai, is there anything you want to share with us?"
'Dang it! I knew this would happen!'
"So uh... Yeah. He's Mu Lin Yuan. He's the sole successor of the known Onmyouji in Mainland China. And I was mentored by the same master as him." Mai told then truthfully as she squirm in nervousness on her seat.
"What?! An Onmyouji? So you were saying, you're taught by an Onmyouji?" Ayako asked her. Though she's a bit stunned, she asked in a soft voice.
"... Yeah and I learned all about supernatural from him together with Senior Brother LinYuan." Mai answered.
"And that means you are like Lin?" Bou-san asked her suspiciously. All of SPR are looking at Mai like she's some kind of steak. Their attention made Mai even more nervous.
"No! I am not an Onmyouji. I was under Master Fang's wings since I was a child but I am not one of his inner disciples and not an Onmyouji. At least not full-fledged? I only learned some spells, supernatural and meditations from him because I...be-because I..." Mai stammered and before she realized it, she had already let the cat out of the bag. Naru frowned and waited for Mai to answer. Yasu also watched her nervous best friend, not entirely sure if Mai's ready to share this secret with the others.
"Because you..??" Masako asked, a bit impatient with Mai's slow response.
"Because I'm frequently targeted by some ghosts and I have psychic abilities." Mai answered in haste, she was surprised by Masako's interval that she let out a panicked answer.
Apart from Lin, Yasu and Naru, the SPR was dumfounded by her answer. They had known Mai for months but they never noticed that she has supernatural abilities. Except for her sensitivity, they never knew the others. They were used to Mai's practical methods and logic that they never thought some of her ideas are from the data she gathered using her abilities. John was the one who broke the silence.
"Okay, I understand. So what kind of abilities do you have? Can you see ghosts like Masako-san?"
"No. I do see ghosts from time to time but only when my senses are high. I'm not a medium like Masako. A-as for what kind of abilities, I have a bit of P-PK and ESP." Mai answered and was followed by her friend's gasps and shocked gazes.
"Are you serious right now? Are you saying you're similar to Dr. Oliver Davis?!" Bou-san asked making Naru flinched a little bit. Lin also put up his guard and prepared himself for what will happen.
"Uhmm.. No, I think my PK is much more weaker than Oliver Davis. And unlike his PK-ST, I have PK-MT." Mai answered as Naru gave her his water bottle.
"Can you show us a demonstration?" Naru asked her as he calmly look at her. Mai noticed his eyes and stared at him suspiciously. He's too calm. He's normally calm but it's impossible to act very calm without a hint of surprise if he really didn't know it.
"You knew." Mai answered as she snatched the water bottle from Naru's hand. Her words are not asking, she's telling him.
"I noticed some hints when we're at our second case in the Morishita Residence. You felt something every time there is a supernatural phenomena. You're always the one who gets there first. You're also too calm in facing all of the supernatural like you have witnessed something like this before. Lin and I also saw you form a barrier to protect Ayami from the ghosts through the camera. Also, no matter how deep I researched on that house's history, it was not recorded that Tomiko Oshima was kidnapped and tortured by some syndicate. According to the police report, she went missing for six months and was found dead by the lake. There was no mention of kidnapping and torture like you had said previously." Naru answered making Mai giggle a little. She almost forgot that this guy's a genius. Of course, he'll notice something.
"I also saw the drawing you drew on a white board in our Yuaasa Highschool Case. Lin noticed that the markings on the board are the places where the activities are frequent but some marking are not. We later realized that they are the locations of the hidden hitogatas. I also watched the footage of you and Yasu setting up the equipment on our first nigh in our last case. You acted like you felt some presences behind you and rushed in front of Yasuhara-san while vigilantly. You're looking at the door but no one was there. You saw a ghost at that moment, right?" Naru continued while observing Mai's changing expressions. She's surprised but she laughed merrily after some time.
"Oh gosh! I should've expected this! You really do observed me closely ever since I entered SPR! As expected of you, Naru!" Mai commented. She's no longer nervous and comfortably sit on her bed. Though she's still worried about the reaction of the others.
"I felt some dangers on the Morishita case and that's explains why I was always the first in witnessing those activities. I used some spells I learned from Master to protect Ayami from danger and yes, supernatural activities are normal to me because I'm exposed to it since I was a child. As for the extra information of Tomiko Oshima, I did not get it from the police or libraries. I dreamed of it." Mai answered, facing her friends' serious and curious stares.
"You dreamed of it? Like retrocognition?" Bou-san asked.
"Yes. That's one of my ESP abilities. As for how I knew the locations of the hitogatas, I think I didn't dream of it. Yeah, I saw it during my astral projection—"
"Astral Projection?! Are you kidding me?!" The SPR screamed at her and stared at her like she's an alien. Yasu chuckled at their reactions while Lin and Naru also showed some hint of surprise. They didn't expect her to astral project too.
"I can't control it sometimes but I can manage it. And yes, I saw a ghost while setting up with Yasu that night. We were talking about Sakauchi-san and you know what they say, 'Speak of the devil and the devil appears.' I saw him that night. And I repeat, I'm not a medium like Masako. I can see them only when my senses are high." Mai examined for them as Yasu nodded his head in understanding.
"Yasu, you knew about this too?" John asked as Yasu smiled playfully at them. It means he knew from the very beginning. Mai just scoffed at him and look at the water bottle that Naru handed her.
"As for my PK demonstration..." Mai slowly let out words and raised the bottle above her head.
She aimed at Naru's face and immediately threw it to him. The force used is at its full power and if Naru don't evade it, his beautiful face will be bruised by it. Ayako and Bou-san stood up in instinct and tried to catch the bottle but the object stopped in mid-air like it was screened by some wall. The moment it stop, the bottle dropped straight towards the ground. Something stopped that bottle before it hit Naru's face. They were amazed and stared at the rolling bottle on the floor. They couldn't believe what just happened.
"That's PK-MT. Thank you very much." Mai spoke seriously, snapping all of them from daze.
"Do you have any other psychic abilities?" Naru asked with equal seriousness.
"I can dream of the future. But it rarely happens. I have PK-MT, retrocognition, high sensitivity, precognition and astral projection. So yeah, like you have previously stated, I'm abnormal." Mai answered. The room went silent again as they processes the information their brain received. Mai was waiting for their rejection but many minutes passed by but they never shown anything of that.
"When Father John asked you if you're a psychic, why did you act like you knew nothing?" Naru asked coldly, his emotions are getting out of control. He was a bit upset that she had keep secrets from him. But he knew he cants be a hypocrite.
"I belong to the Xia Family of Beijing in Mainland China. From childhood, my movements are being monitored. I have so many rivals and enemies waiting to know my weaknesses to bring me down. Though I came here and escaped their eyes, I can't afford to let out my guard down. I also lied about having small businesses because I don't want you all to be bothered by my family's problems." Mai answered him. Lin heard the word 'Xia' and 'aristocratic family' and immediately understood Mai's reasons.
"Mai's mother, Xia Anne, is an illegitimate daughter of the Xia family and she was doted on by the late family head. The Family head, Mai's grandfather, wanted Aunt Anne to inherit his position, properties and business but Aunt Anne didn't want to fight her relatives just because of money so she feels to England. That's how she met Mai's father, Taniyama Ryuu, and had Mai. Right after the death of Mai's dad, Aunt Anne brought Mai to China to introduced her to her grandpa but Mai's half-Japanese blood was rejected by that aristocratic family and was treated badly. I remember Mai saying that The family head and her mother are the only one who treated her fairly. " Yasu took the chance to explain and held Mai's hand tightly as support.
"The family head and his wife died in an accident not long after and Aunt Anne fled here in Japan as an excuse to visit her dying father-in-law. But she died in a car accident while touring Mai around. With both Aunt Anne and his father dead, the fight for inheritance began. In the family head's will, Mai would inherited half of his properties and shares if and only if she survived until her 18th birthday without using the Xia family's name and resources. The same as through with her Paternal Grandfather's will. It's dangerous to stay in Beijing so Mai hid in Okinawa with us to avoid her distant relatives' eyes. Mai was just a 13-year-old girl so they believed she couldn't do a thing and ignored her. But even so, she sti protected by the late family head's private bodyguards. Mai thought it's dangerous for us to stay with her so she left years ago to traveled to Shibuya and live independently with some secret guards, of course. She can only return to China secretly to visit her private residence in Sichuan that was protected by Da-ge and their Master. It was also where her parents are and that place was not known by many especially by those money-grubbing relatives she had. "
The SPR silently stared at Mai after Yasu's explanation. They pitied their brunette friend and offered her an understanding smiles. Mai heaved a sigh of relief the moment she saw their faces. They did not reject her and she was happy! They can still be friends like before! Mai finally showed them a genuine smile and said sorry.
"It's okay, Mai. We understand." John said and flashed his usual angel smile at her. Bou-san, Ayako and Masako also nodded and gave her a comforting smile.
"Well, now that Mai's identify issues are solved, why don't we moved on to Naru?" Bou-san suddenly stated at look at the young man in black.
Yasu and John also look at him while smiling as Ayako showed a confused look. Mai and Masako frowned for a while and realized what Bou-san mean. Naru and Lin was a bit startled by the monk's statement. Lin stood behind Naru while the latter stared at the smiling Bou-san, John and Yasu. It was not long before Naru let out a mysterious smirk.
'They finally caught up? Not surprising. Though I admit it's sooner than I thought.'