Chapter 11: The Coming of Spring
Tokyo, March 2007
Loud footsteps and muffled voices from the hallway came and went.
The boarding house was unusually busy this morning, but Kazumi was able to sleep through the commotion with ease.
Several weeks ago, some of her fellow boarders had decided to go on a weekend trip to Kyoto. Kazumi had declined to go with them as she had to work a part-time job in the evenings.
Then there was one more thing... She had promised to help the old lady this morning.
But what was it again?
"Kazu-chan~! Are you up?"
Kazumi groaned into her pillow, then opened her eyes.
Faint light filtered through the curtains.
"Kazu-chan! Could you help our new boarder out for a minute?"
Oh, that.
Kazumi proceeded to drag herself off the futon.
"I'm coming. Give me a minute!"
After entering the sanitary room in a hurry, she fixed up her hair and brushed her teeth.
"Kazu-chan!"
She spit out the contents of her mouth.
"One more minute!"
Kazumi returned to her room, passing the empty room next to hers.
Her old classmate had gone and left for a different town, leaving an empty space for a new boarder.
Another orphan, just like her.
Kazumi changed into her home outfit: a simple hoodie and grey trousers. It didn't look presentable, but that didn't matter at all. That girl was going to see this side of her every day of the week.
What was the new kid's name again? Tanikawa, or something?
The landlady yelled again.
"Kazu-chan!"
Kazumi yelled back.
"I'm coming right now!"
She rushed down the hallway and went down the stairs.
"Ah, there you are, Kazu-chan."
In the entranceway she found Akiko standing next to an unknown girl in an unfamiliar school uniform. She was petite, and her hair was short and brown. The girl was very ordinary looking at first sight.
They were surrounded by several cardboard boxes of various sizes. Some of them looked very heavy. The landlady's cat had perched itself on top of a smaller box and yawned contently.
Akiko put a hand on her hip.
"What took you so long? You know I can't move heavy boxes upstairs anymore."
Kazumi chuckled, somewhat embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, I stayed up late last night reading this amazing book," she said, then looked at the girl. "Hi, my name is Kazumi. And you are?"
The girl bowed her head.
"I'm Taniyama Mai. Pleased to meet you, Kazumi-san."
Kazumi waved her hand down.
"Whoa. Don't be so stiff!" she said, "We're gonna live together, so just call me Kazumi, okay?"
"Or Kazu-chan," Akiko supplied with a grin.
"K-Kazu-chan?" Mai said, obviously trying not to giggle. "Is that okay?"
She let out a dry laugh.
"...Yeah! That's fine too," she said, wearily. "Just think of me as your older sister."
The landlady coughed.
"Well, don't just stand there. Help Mai get her luggage up to her room."
She saluted.
"Yes, granny~"
Kazumi helped the girl carry all the boxes upstairs.
She hadn't heard much about the girl from Akiko. Only that Mai had been offered a scholarship at her alma mater, which is how Kazumi ended up here as well several years ago.
The high school had assigned all students with that particular scholarship to a boarding house like this one, and paid two thirds of their rent while they were still enrolled. Most girls left as soon as they graduated from the school, but Kazumi had stuck around.
It didn't take long for Mai and Kazumi to finish moving all of the luggage into the room.
Kazumi stretched her arms upwards.
"Well, there you go."
"Thank you!" Mai said. "...I'm sorry you had to help out."
She made a sheepish expression.
"Nah, don't worry about it. I promised to help out today, plus, it's good morning exercise."
Mai snorted.
"Morning exercise?"
"Yeah." She grinned. "I'm all awake now."
The girl laughed. That was the first time she smiled since they met.
It was a wonderful smile, Kazumi thought.
I bet she'll be popular at school...
Mai crouched down, then opened a box.
"Wait," Kazumi said. "Before you unpack, can I show you around for a minute?"
She blinked.
"Of course."
After heading out of the room, Kazumi pointed out who lived in the other rooms. Eight women lived in the boarding house, including the landlady. Most were high schoolers like Mai, but Kazumi and another graduate lived there too. She also showed a sanitary room, which only contained a toilet and a sink.
"This building is very old, as you can see." Kazumi knocked her knuckles lightly against the wooden wall. "It was built right after the war, so it doesn't even have a proper bathroom like in most modern homes."
Mai grimaced. "...Yeah, the landlady warned me about that."
Kazumi closed the door.
"It's not the type of building anyone would want to live in these days, so most girls get out of here as soon as they can."
"I see." Mai inclined her head. "How about you, Kazumi-san? How long have you lived here?"
"Me? I've been here since I graduated from middle school for about... two years already? So, five years in total. I've seen a lot of girls come and go."
"That's kind of long."
"It is, but I'm not in a hurry to move," Kazumi said.
Mai looked at the door of her own room.
"Then what about the person who lived here previously?"
"Ah, that's Hikaru, my old classmate." Kazumi sighed. "We stuck together for a long time..."
Mai made a sad smile.
"You must have felt sad to watch her go..."
Kazumi tilted her head and frowned.
"Well, it can't be helped; she got a job offer in Fukuoka. And we still keep contact, so it isn't the end of the world."
"...Right."
They headed back to Mai's room.
"So, um, can I ask you something?" Kazumi said. "About your past circumstances? I'm a bit curious."
Mai blinked.
"Sure, ask away."
Kazumi let out a deep breath.
"Let's sit down."
Even though it was something all the girls at the boarding house had in common, it remained a delicate topic. It could be something they could bond over, but Kazumi had learned that some girls did not like talking about their past. She knew and understood that, because in the end, a common past was only one fraction of the basis of their friendship.
Still, it was something that they could talk about. The earlier she breached the subject, the easier it was to bond. She could judge how things would go from there.
At least very least, Mai didn't seem to mind.
After they sat down on the floor, Kazumi said: "What's your story?"
Mai furrowed her eyebrows. "My story?"
"Well, how did you end up here? Where did you live before this?"
For some reason, Mai's gaze shifted to the box next to her. Clothes peeked out of the gap on top.
"Um, do you mind if I unpack my clothes while talking?"
Kazumi raised an eyebrow.
"Go ahead. I don't mind."
Damn, maybe I was too direct.
Nevertheless, she let Mai talk.
In short, Mai's father had died from an illness when she was a young child, and her mother had died in an accident.
Going by the shakiness in her voice, her death was still fresh in Mai's mind. After all, only a few years had passed since then. There was no doubt in Kazumi's mind that Mai has had a very tough time since then.
With a weak smile, Mai explained how she went from living with a teacher to living on her own in a boarding house.
"Oh? Was it anything like this one?"
"That house was also an old building, but... I felt a little out of the place there."
"How come?"
"Well, all the others were college-aged or working women."
"I see..."
Kazumi tried to picture a middle schooler hanging out with young women of the age of twenty and older in her mind. She could imagine that didn't mesh well.
"All of them were friendly people though. The landlord and his wife were really nice too. I felt sad about leaving them behind."
"Well, on the bright side," Kazumi said. "now you have people closer to your age, all good people, and there will be lots of new friends at school. So don't worry about not fitting in here."
Mai's face brightened up at hearing that.
"I look forward to seeing the others," she said. "And I can't wait for high school next week. ...I wonder what my classmates are like."
Kazumi liked Mai's way of thinking. It was a new and exciting phase of her life. Focusing on the future would help not to linger in the past and forge her own path.
"Well, as your senpai, you can always run to me for advice!"
"Huh? You went to the same school?"
She laughed.
"Of course! All of us have. ...Except granny."
Mai slapped a hand against her forehead.
"Oh, I forgot about that. Sorry."
"It's no big deal," she said. "But I should say sorry too. I should have talked about myself first instead of asking you out of the blue."
Mai shook her head.
"No, it's fine! I'm the new one here after all."
Kazumi smiled.
"Well, as for me...My parents died young too. To be honest I don't quite remember them well. I got taken in by my aunt, but me and that old-fashioned woman didn't get along. I wanted to hurry and get out as soon as possible. And that's how I ended up here."
"I see." Mai blinked. "It sounds like we've been in a similar situation."
"Hmm. Sort of."
Kazumi sighed.
"Well, I won't keep you from unpacking. Let's talk later okay? I'm going to grab some food too..."
"Of course" Mai said. "Thank you very much for helping... Kazumi-sa-, I mean, Kazu-chan."
"Ahahaha! No problem, Taniyama!" Kazumi said. "I'm heading out to work after this, so let's have dinner together, okay? I bet granny will make us something delicious!"
"I'd love to!"
After leaving Mai in her room, Kazumi went downstairs to the kitchen. She found Akiko pouring tea at the counter.
"Is the tea for Taniyama?"
Akiko turned around.
"Yes. I'll take it upstairs," she said. "Your breakfast is on the table."
"Oh~Thanks, Gran."
"Kazu-chan, you seem to have taken a liking to her."
Kazumi grimaced. Was it that obvious?
"Well, yeah... She seems like a great girl."
The old woman frowned a little.
"What's the matter, Kazu-chan?"
Akiko seemed to have noticed the bitter smile on her face.
"She doesn't have any other living family members, does she?" Kazumi said.
Akiko nodded with a sad expression.
Kazumi sighed and headed to the dinner table. She sat down and ate slowly.
For some reason, Mai reminded her of Hikaru. She had a bright smile and a cheerful disposition, but when it came down to parting ways with people... she was very sentimental.
She had spent weeks being happy that she got the job she had always dreamed of, and yet, a few nights ago Hikaru had cried her tears out before she left to Fukuoka the next day. She confessed to hating leaving everything behind and starting all over again. Hikaru was scared of losing contact with everyone in Tokyo.
Kazumi swallowed and put her chopsticks down.
Ah, that's right. Hikaru was all alone too.
Tokyo, April 2007: Day 1, Wednesday
Lin opened the door to the balcony of his bedroom. It was somewhat rainy, but otherwise it was a fine Wednesday morning. Generally, he preferred optimal temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees celsius. Not too warm and not too cold. So he had longed for the first rays of sunlight in spring. These days, the early mornings were no longer chilly for a morning smoke, so he stood outside, looking at the sky.
He took a deep breath of fresh air.
Spring, at last.
Winter had never been Lin's favorite season. That's why he always reminded himself that spring would not be far behind as a famous poet once said.
Lin pulled a cigarette pack and a lighter out of his pocket.
He didn't want to reflect on it much, but... the months after Christmas could accurately be summarized as 'hell'.
Lin wished he had requested a raise before Martin and Luella had returned to England.
Each and every day Lin was reminded of the fact that he was taking care of two teenagers. Teenagers who were unleashed in a country faraway from their parental units.
Martin and Luella were two people, but Lin was on his own.
Noll was the sole reason that Lin had considered returning to Japan. For a boy of his age, he almost behaved like an adult. However, the occasional stubborn childish behaviour was enough to make Lin forget that Noll was mature for his age. Not to mention that Noll could be even grumpier than Lin himself during the cold weather. Their common dislike for the cold weather also added to the somberness in the household, which affected Gene to the point that he would try to 'cheer' them up.
A lost cause, Lin thought while blowing out the smoke from his mouth.
The greatest surprise of the winter wasn't anything paranormal; rather, it was when Gene had come out as bisexual.
At first, Lin had nodded, simply because he didn't know how else to react.
After all, it didn't change his perception of Gene (who was truthfully still a teenage brat).
However, Gene was obviously fishing for some verbal reaction. Martin and Luella were already made aware during their stay in Japan, but Gene had taken another a month to tell Lin. He could only guess it must have been quite difficult for Gene, so Lin complimented his courage to tell him and the others. It had been awkward, but apparently it meant a lot to Gene who preferred to be favoured by the people he liked.
At Lin's suggestion, Gene informed Madoka as well a few days later. She had joked about setting him up with some nice boys she knew, after which Noll prompted to extend Gene's dating ban by another full year.
If Lin hadn't been present during that Skype call, Gene would probably have throttled his brother on the spot.
As far as Lin knew, Gene had not given into temptation yet. But, he had whined, he had whined a lot.
Gene was the resident popular boy who couldn't cope without flirting or dating people.
Eventually, both Noll and Lin had told him off for being a nuisance.
He sighed.
No need to think about it anymore. It's spring, enjoy the spring.
Lin looked down at the neighbourhood and grimaced at the asphalt.
After learning about the incident which had occurred nearly a year ago, not a single day went by without thinking:
It happened here.
The police had ruled out murder suicide, but even Lin couldn't help but think about the alternatives. He had considered asking Noll to perform a reading on the balcony railing, but when he brought up the topic in front of Gene...
"No, don't let him."
It was a simple curiosity, but some things were better left alone.
So he never brought it up again.
Lin put out his cigarette and returned to his bedroom, where he deposited it in the ashtray.
Then he stepped out of the bedroom and found Gene on the sofa.
He was munching on a piece on bread, zapping channels in front of the television.
"Gene, could you take care of the laundry today?"
"Good mornin' Lin, and sure."
The household duties were divided over the three of them, though Lin did most of the cooking.
It had been clear from the beginning that the twins had little experience with cooking. On the bright side, they improved admirably. Lin guided them wherever he could, but he was mostly hands off with his approach. Gene usually chose the dishes and recipes, while Noll helped with doing the menial tasks.
Lin found the person in question studying some notes at the dinner table.
Yesterday, the principal of a certain high school in Tokyo had knocked on their door and requested an investigation. Noll deemed the case as 'somewhat promising', though Lin was fairly sure that the boy was starting to get bored rather than deeply interested in whatever this case had to offer scientifically.
"Should I come with you?"
"That won't be necessary," Noll said. "You can simply drop me off at the school."
"Then I'll wait for you in the van," Lin said.
"Do as you wish."
Gene passed by the table.
"Is this a preliminary investigation or are you guys going all out?"
"The former," Lin said. "Noll will be meeting the principal to discuss some practical matters, in addition to visiting the old school building."
"Well, that sounds promising," Gene said. "When's the appointment?"
"In the afternoon," Noll replied.
They had been waiting for the latest state-of-the-art cameras and other equipment to be made, which is why it had taken so long to take on a case. Lin preferred to purchase cutting edge equipment rather than transferring the obsolete tools from the laboratory in Cambridge over to Japan. By January all equipment needed for a proper investigation had arrived at the office from overseas. It was time to seriously consider taking on requests for investigations.
Lin looked forward to taking on their new challenge and see what it would bring.
"I'm home~"
Akiko peeked through the door gap of her room and looked at the entryway.
Mai was taking off her shoes in the entryway.
"Welcome back, Mai-chan," Akiko said. "How was school?"
"Just the usual," Mai said, putting her shoes on the shoe rack. "I had some fun with friends after school though."
"Club activities?"
The girl smiled awkwardly.
"Ah no, we were telling... ghost stories."
Someone chuckled.
"Ghost stories?" A different voice said. "They still do that in the first year, huh?"
Mai blinked and looked up at the staircase.
"Ah, Azusa-senpai... You've done it too?"
The one who came down was a tall girl with curly hair dyed blonde. Though she looked somewhat like a delinquent by the way she modified her school uniform, she was in fact a hard-working girl who excelled at her studies.
"No, I hate ghost stories," Azusa said. "They give me the creeps."
Akiko chuckled. "That reminds me, you hate horror films. Right, Azu-chan?"
The third year student covered her eyes.
"I hate them, I hate them."
Mai gasped. "Really? I love them!"
"Mai-chan, tell her a ghost story. Perhaps she'll like it."
Azusa crossed her arms.
"Don't tease me, Gran! I won't be able to sleep!"
Akiko laughed.
"Well," Mai said. "Something strange did happen today."
"N-no way."
"What happened?"
Mai put her school bag down.
"My friends and I were in the audiovisual room, and after we were done with telling ghost stories, some guy showed up at the end."
"A guy?"
"We didn't notice him come in, so he really scared us at first."
"...Who is he?"
"A transfer student..." Mai frowned. "Or something like that."
Azusa frowned as well. "Huh? What year is he in?"
"That's the thing. He said he was seventeen this year."
"So a second year student," Azusa said, then paused. "But why did he mention his age instead of his school year?"
Mai shrugged. "That's what I was wondering too."
"That's strange indeed," Akiko said.
"I mentioned it to my friends, but they're crazy for him..." Mai groaned. "They even invited him to tell ghost stories with us tomorrow afternoon!"
"Crazy, why?"
She rolled her eyes.
"He's handsome, that's why."
Azusa grinned.
"Hoooh, I like where this is going," she said. "Tell me more."
Mai sighed again.
"Well, he's tall and as pale as a ghost. His face is really beautiful... He didn't wear a school uniform, but he wore all black."
"Hmm, I haven't seen anyone like that around, but I could ask Konomi about him. What's his name?"
Konomi was a second year student who lived in the boarding house.
"His name is Shibuya," Mai said.
Tokyo, April 2007: Day 2, Thursday
The next day, Noll woke up to gentle snores. He stared at the other side of the room.
Gene wouldn't be up until half an hour later.
Sleeping with his brother in the same room had taken a while to get used to, but now it seemed like second nature.
Noll got up and went to the bathroom. He washed his face and changed into his sweat clothes.
Then he knocked on Lin's door.
"Come in."
Noll opened the door.
"Good morning."
Lin was already awake. Two mats were laid on the floor.
"Good morning. Shall we get started?"
Every morning they exercised in Lin's bedroom. It was the only room in the apartment which had enough place for both of them to stretch. The living room was the biggest room, but it was a bother to move the furniture out of the way.
Noll nodded and took place on the mat.
"Yes, let's keep it short."
Lin smiled.
"Excited for the investigation?"
Noll shrugged.
"I wouldn't call it excitement.
Yesterday's preliminary investigation went as expected.
Noll had been able to wrap up the meeting with the school principal without too much trouble. The principal seemed like a rather proud man who wished for the issue of the old school building to be solved quickly. The practical matters were quickly dealt with, however, it was clear that the principal was suspicious of the fact that Noll was a teenager.
After inspecting the old school building with Lin, Noll went back and talked to some of the students. It turned out to be difficult to walk around as many girls were enamored by his looks.
And so, Noll had decided on the tactic of talking to individuals or smaller groups.
The students that caught his attention the most were four girls in the audiovisual room.
As coincidence would have it, the girls were talking about ghost stories of all things. The girls were engrossed in the stories to the point that they hadn't noticed him slipping in. He couldn't help but listen to them.
Obviously they were incredibly relieved and excited that their intruder was a handsome young 'senior'.
Except for one.
He didn't like the look she gave or whatever she said to him. But at least she seemed less brainless than the other female high school students who were with her.
Not bad, he had to admit.
"Noll?"
Lin gave him a blank stare.
"You were spacing out."
Noll sighed.
"Sorry about that."
After the morning exercise was done, Noll took a shower.
When he returned to the living room he found Gene chewing on a piece of bread in front of the television.
"Morning Noll," he said with a full mouth.
Normally they ate breakfast around the table. It seemed like Lin didn't mind it at all, so Gene had taken full advantage of his newfound freedom.
Luella would definitely have scolded this new habit.
"...Morning."
Noll took his own breakfast from the kitchen and sat down at the table.
He too had taken to reading while eating breakfast. His reading material for today was related to the current case.
After breakfast, Lin and Noll were ready to depart.
"Leaving early, huh."
Gene stood in the doorway to the living room.
"Good luck," he said. "If you need help, give me a ring..."
Gene knocked against the side of his head with a grin.
Noll looked away. Actually, he didn't want to rely on Gene that much.
The drive to the school was uneventful, and more than anything, Lin seemed to be in high spirits.
After all, it would be the first time they would use the new equipment in a case.
The road to the old school building was surrounded by blossoming cherry trees.
Even Noll had to admit it was quite the sight.
When they stopped the van near the old school building, some students were walking by. They threw curious glances into their direction, and when Noll stepped out, he heard some of them whispering.
"Does it have to do with the old school building?"
"Yeah, I heard some strange things about it."
Some other comments were about his looks.
Noll ignored them and met up with Lin behind the van.
Then he paused, and turned his head.
I should have talked to them.
He sighed. If Gene were here, he'd have dragged them back and talked to them about any rumors.
"What's the matter?" Lin asked.
"It's nothing," Noll said, and looked at his assistant. "Set up a camera in the entry hall. Then bring in the other equipment in the room we assigned as the base."
He nodded.
"Understood."
"I'll have a look around and take some measurements of the building."
"Very well."
Lin grabbed a camera and headed into the building.
Noll took a measuring tape and a notepad, and went around the building. After this he would have to measure all the rooms.
What a pain.
He didn't find it the most enjoyable task, but he'd rather do this than carrying in the equipment.
It happened when Noll noted the measurements down behind the back of the building.
A crash from the inside.
A yell that resembled a young woman's voice.
His jaw slacked.
"Don't tell me something has..."
He dropped the notepad and measuring tape, and headed back.
The school chimes could be heard from a distance.
Noll hurried to the entrance, but when he arrived a girl's voice coming from inside the building.
"Are you okay!?"
Who is that?
"What happened?" Noll called out.
A shoe shelf had fallen over. Lin was on the floor, and the girl stood next to him. She turned and gave him a look of surprise.
He rushed over while looking from the girl to Lin.
"Lin?"
Noll looked at the girl and frowned.
She's the one from yesterday...
"What happened?"
"Well, uh..."
Lin's body moved when she was about to answer. Noll looked down at him.
"- Are you injured?"
Lin didn't deny or confirm it, but only muttered something. Blood flowed from beneath his forelock to his chin and dropped down to the floor to form dark spots.
"Um, I'm sorry! I was surprised and-" The girl said, her voice panicked. Then she addressed Lin, reaching out her hand to him. "Are you okay?"
Noll stopped her from doing so and checked Lin's injury. It was a small wound.
"You're a bit cut up. ...Is there anything else?"
"I'm fine."
Lin moved his body, but grimaced when he tried to stand on his feet.
"Can you stand up? How about your leg?"
"...It's nothing," Lin said with a pained expression. Sweat began to form on his forehead.
The girl spoke up again.
"I'm really sorry. You called me out all of sudden and it surprised me..."
Noll frowned. She still had the nerve to put the blame on Lin after all that had happened?
"Never mind your excuse," he said in an icy tone, glaring at her. "You're that girl I met yesterday, right?"
"...Yes."
She obviously seemed bothered by his cold attitude, but Noll wasn't in the mood to fake a smile. He was tired of playing a farce.
"I'd rather have a hospital over excuses. Are there any doctors around here?"
"There's one as soon as you get out of the school gate and turn around the corner..."
Noll lent Lin his shoulder and looked at the girl.
"Help me support him from there."
However, Lin slapped her hand away as soon as she was about to do that.
"No thank you. I don't need your help."
A deep scowl formed on her face. Noll couldn't help but feel irritated by her reaction, but he decided to ignore that feeling.
First, he needed to get Lin to a doctor. He'd deal with that girl later.
"Lin, can you walk?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
Noll turned to gaze at the girl.
"What's your name?"
"My name is... Taniyama."
"Well then, Taniyama-san. We'll be fine here, so please feel free to go to the classroom."
"But..."
"I'll kindly let you know that the bell rang a while ago."
"Huh?"
Taniyama let out a strangled sound, then rushed out of the building.
They watched her go in silence.
After she left their sight, Lin muttered, "That camera took us a very long to get hold of."
Noll sighed.
He should worry about himself first.
"Leave that for later," Noll said. "Let's go to the doctor."
Noll moved, but Lin groaned again in pain.
"It's my left leg."
"This could be a problem..." Noll said and he put Lin's left arm over his shoulder.
It didn't look like Lin could recover after a day and work with him on the case. On top of that he wouldn't be able to drive the van. The doctor confirmed it; the head injury wasn't too bad, so they bandaged up his head, but Lin's leg had been sprained.
Several hours later they returned in the apartment. Lin complained of a dull headache and headed to bed.
Noll made the decision to take him off the case.
He took the keys of the van and left for the old school building.
This was a bad start. A good portion of the day that could have been used for setting up the equipment had been wasted. In addition he had lost a camera and his assistant. It didn't look like he was able to complete everything planned for today on his own.
What to do...
The girl's scowl appeared in his mind.
Taniyama.
Noll smirked. He could make use of her.
Lin stared at the ceiling of his bedroom.
He had started the day in good spirits, and to end up like this... Well, spending the first case almost entirely in the apartment wasn't what he had in mind.
Lin looked down at his sprained leg and sighed.
So much for spring.
He had been rendered useless.
On top of that, one of the custom-made cameras had turned defect. It had taken a very long time to get hold on that type of camera. Lin had looked forward to testing them out himself. To lose one of them... It was irritating and inconvenient.
Noll told him not to think about it too much, and that he should focus on recovering as rapidly as possible.
But, at least they had an insurance.
His eyes closed. There was still a dull pain in his head from the wound.
Soon after Lin fell into a deep sleep in his bedroom.
Hours later he woke up to the sound of an opening door.
Lin opened his eyes briefly. Someone had stumbled into the house. It didn't sound like Noll.
Gene?
There was a knock on the door of his bedroom, but he gave no response.
He heard a muffled voice beyond the door.
"Lin?" the voice said. "I saw your shoes at the entrance..."
He grumbled something back.
The door opened. Gene's head popped out of the gap. His curious glance turned into a worried expression when he noticed Lin's splinted leg and the crutch against the bed.
"What happened?"
"Camera. Broke. Girl," he muttered in English. He didn't feel like talking in Japanese.
Gene made confused expression.
"What?"
Lin turned his head away in frustration. He had a rough day. Couldn't Gene just leave him alone? He wanted to sleep.
"Uh, never mind... I'll check with Noll."
He closed his eyes again. The pain slowly ebbed away.
When he woke up again, the room was already dark. He didn't know how many hours had passed since then.
Lin groaned as he sat up. He wanted to eat; he had not eaten anything since breakfast.
He shifted his leg off the bed with great difficulty, and reached his hand out to the walking stick next to his bed.
Then he slowly paced to the door.
A pleasant smell wafted through the gap when he opened it.
"Gene?"
The boy turned around. He was wearing an apron and tending to something in the kitchen.
"How are you?" Gene asked.
"Fine. All things considered," Lin said, heading into the living room. "Has Noll contacted you?
"Yeah, he told me about what happened. He should be here soon."
Lin sat on the sofa and waited for Gene to finish cooking.
Noll entered the apartment about half an hour later. They had just finished eating dinner.
"How's it going?" Gene asked.
Noll dropped the folder on the coffee table.
"I hired that girl as my assistant for the time being," he said.
Gene blinked.
"Really?"
Lin's irritation increased.
Why her?
Noll had noticed his frown, and said, "I needed help," before wandering over to the kitchen.
"There's a plate for you over there," Gene said. "Put it in the microwave."
After warming up his portion of food, Noll went over to the dinner table with his plate.
"Have you noticed anything off about the building?"
Noll shook his head.
"Nothing in particular."
"Do you need any help tomorrow?" Gene asked.
His twin sighed.
"You have a part-time job."
"Yeah, but it ends at six in the evening. I could check up on you afterwards."
"I can handle it myself."
Gene shrugged.
"I can keep you company."
"It's not necessary for the moment."
"...Or do you want to be alone with that girl that much?"
Noll glared at him, not dignifying an answer.
"It was just a joke!" Gene said. "Well, tell me right away if you need help. ...I'm just worried something is going to happen."
"I know."
"I'm hooome..."
"Welcome back~"
Kazumi was taking her own shoes off when Mai appeared behind her in the entry way.
"It's already dark," she said, putting her shoes into the rack. "Did you have a club meeting?"
Mai sighed.
"I didn't join a club... I had to help out with something."
Kazumi frowned. The girl sounded a little worn-out.
"Help out?"
Mai took her shoes off and put them in the rack as well.
"Um, well. Stuff happened, and one thing lead to another..."
Kazumi raised an eyebrow.
Is she's intentionally being vague...?
A different voice called out.
"Is this about the handsome boy?"
They shifted their gazes to the open room across the entry way. The landlady had been listening in.
"Obaa-san!" Mai called out with a blush.
"Handsome boy?" Kazumi said. "It's not even a half a month and..."
Mai crossed her arms in front of her.
"No! It's not like that at all. Really!"
Kazumi frowned at her.
"Hmm, then what's it about? It doesn't help that you're being vague."
Mai let out a deep sigh.
"Oh, alright..."
They sat around the table while Mai made some food for herself.
Apparently, the 'handsome boy' was a so-called 'ghost hunter'. He had been hired by the principal to investigate the old school building. Mai had been roped into helping him after she'd injured his assistant by accident.
"Now that you mention it," Kazumi said. "A senpai once told me about a child who was found dead in the building."
Akiko nodded.
"That was about six years ago. I remember it well."
Mai sighed. "That's so sad."
"Well, at least they caught the culprit," the landlady said. "It was a scary month for all of us here. Especially since it's close to the school..."
Kazumi hummed.
"Now that I think about it, a lot of terrible things have happened at that school," she said. "Could it be a curse?"
"No way..." Akiko frowned at that suggestion.
"Well, one of my teachers committed suicide in that building," Kazumi said to her. "And don't forget the runaway truck from last year. It was terrible." She looked at Mai. "Azusa and the others can tell you all about it."
Mai made a pensive expression.
"But Shibuya-san investigated all the incidents and said the causes were all different."
Kazumi grimaced. "Huh, really?"
"See?" Akiko said, poking Kazumi's arm with a finger. "He has a good head on his shoulders."
"Stop that!" She groaned. "I just thought it would be more interesting if it was a curse..."
"Well, Na- I mean, Shibuya-san seems so sure that it's not as big as a deal. It's all just rumours, he says."
"I see, so that's why the principal called him in," Kazumi said.
Mai laughed dryly.
"It doesn't help when there's someone who says the spirits of those who died in the war are haunting the building..."
Akiko snorted.
"Seriously? There's someone like that?"
"Yeah, my class representative Kuroda. She claims to be a psychic."
Going by Mai's face, she didn't seem to take that girl seriously.
Kazumi leaned back into the chair, humming to herself.
"Now I'm curious. Who's in the right? Shibuya or Kuroda?"
Tokyo, April 2007: Day 3, Friday
Gene woke up and found himself in an empty room. The bed on the other side was vacant.
He threw his blanket aside and got out of his bed.
After a quick shower, Gene found Lin in the living room with a sour expression on his face. It turned out that Noll had left early, without letting his caretaker know.
Gene didn't like bothering Lin too much whenever he was grumpy. Noll probably felt the same. It was difficult to be around him during such times; he could be unbearably silent, even more so than usual. So Gene headed out as soon as possible. He didn't bother making breakfast at home, but stopped by the convenience store for some onigiri.
Today was a Friday. The classes lasted until noon, and Gene worked in the donut cafe until six in the evening.
When Gene returned home from work, he found Lin on the sofa again.
Lin seemed to be alerted for a moment, but quickly calmed down after seeing it was Gene rather than Noll.
"Hello, how was your day?"
Only one word came out of Lin's mouth.
"Fine."
Gene sighed.
It was obvious that Lin wasn't going to make much of a conversation these days. For some reason that man hated not working.
If it had been Gene, he'd be binge watching some anime or playing games on his laptop.
"Have you eaten already?"
"...No."
Gene frowned. Usually they ate around this time.
"You didn't eat anything since lunch?"
"Don't worry. I ate a little in the afternoon."
"Okay. I'm going to make some food then."
Lin nodded. "Thank you."
"No problem."
Gene looked at the fridge. Luckily, there were enough ingredients to make a meal for three people.
"Is pasta okay? I'm going to shred the salmon for myself, but I can substitute with natto..."
"Yes."
"Pasta it is."
Gene began to cut up some vegetables.
While waiting for the water to boil, and preparing the salmon, his mind strayed to his brother.
Lin hadn't mentioned anything about Noll. So nothing serious had happened?
"So have you heard from Noll already?"
Lin answered immediately. "He didn't bring a phone."
"Oh."
Well, that explained it. Lin was worried about Noll.
Noll had a his own cellphone, but he rarely used it. He never needed to call Gene unless they were a long distance away. He most likely forgot to take it with him.
"Okay, I'm going to check if he's still alive."
Gene dropped the pasta into the boiling water.
(Knock knock! Anyone there?)
Noll responded at once.
(Gene.)
(Hey.)
(How is Lin?)
Gene turned around and looked at the man.
(Still sulking. Best not to bother him for a while.)
(I see.)
(But remember to bring your phone next time. I think he was really worried...)
He could hear Noll inwardly sighing over the hot line.
(I'll apologize to him later...)
Gene smiled.
(So what's up? Is it going well on your end?)
(The principal added more rabble to the investigation.)
So the man added more people to the case. It seemed like he didn't trust Noll that much.
(What kind of rabble?)
(A shrine maiden.)
(Sounds legit?)
(She didn't seem like a young, pure maiden.)
Gene grimaced.
(...I don't think you can be the judge of that.)
(That's what the others said.)
(Okay...)
Noll moved on to the next person.
(And there was a monk from Mount Kouya.)
(Wow, that's cool!)
They didn't have time to visit Mount Kouya on their first trip to Japan, so they had to miss out on all those beautiful temples. Noll was one lucky bastard to meet a monk from that place...
(He had long hair.)
(What.)
Gene tried to picture a Buddhist monk with long flowing hair.
(...That's just wrong.)
Noll continued.
(Exactly, and then the principal added another person.)
(That's not all?)
(A catholic exorcist from Australia.)
That sentence did not compute.
(Uh, is it just me or is the principal gathering people from all kinds of religi-)
(He's nineteen years old.)
(Nineteen?! ...How can he be a priest already?! He's totally a fraud!)
There was a sigh from the other end.
(Then there was another one...)
(Noll. Please don't tell me that he flew in a gay shaman from Korea.)
(...Hara Masako.)
His jaw dropped. This conversation was wild on many levels.
(What? Are you having a laugh?)
(No, I'm not.)
Noll seemed dead serious.
Gene took a long moment to process this.
(How did the principal get a hold of her? Isn't she like very famous?)
(Who knows,) Noll said. (She asked me whether she met me before. I don't think we did.)
Gene grinned.
(You idiot. ...She was using a pickup line on you. How exciting.)
Noll ignored his teasing.
(In any case, the shrine maiden got locked into a room.)
(Huh. How did that happen?)
(A high school girl pulled a prank on the shrine maiden. I got a reading on that. She stuck a nail against the door.)
He frowned.
(Wait. It wasn't your temporary assistant, right?)
(No, it's someone else. I believe her name is Kuroda. She claims to have psychic powers. The shrine maiden was arguing with her before that.)
(I see.)
(There have been various incidents since then... glass breaking and a moving chair.)
(Sounds like a poltergeist?)
(And Hara-san fell from the second floor.)
Gene frowned again. His brother added that in like an afterthought.
(Whoa. Is she okay?)
(She was brought to the hospital, but it doesn't seem like anything serious.)
(...Isn't it dangerous? Should I come and check it out?)
(Hara-san herself said she hasn't seen any ghosts.)
(Alright, but still...)
(The ceiling of one room broke. I suspect there's a problem with the building itself or the ground.)
Gene pondered over the situation when Noll didn't say anything.
(One more thing... Is your assistant coping? You haven't mentioned her at all.)
Noll replied after a moment.
(Just fine.)
(I hope you get along with her. Don't be mean because she broke a camera and injured Lin.)
Gene prepared to add the sliced vegetables to a pan.
(She's noisy. That's all.)
(Okay then.)
He had the feeling that Noll wanted to say something more, but hesitated.
(Is there anything else on your mind?)
It took a long moment for Noll to respond.
(...She called me 'Naru'.)
(Naru?)
That's what he called Noll back in the day.
(Naru for Narcissistic Naru-chan. She gave me that nickname based on her impressions of me.)
Gene started laughing. Lin looked at him.
"What's so funny?"
"No, I'm talking to Noll. That girl called him Naru - Narcissistic Naru-chan!"
Lin made a glum face at the mention of the girl.
(Stop laughing.)
(So... aren't you coming back?)
(I'll stay over here and investigate the building for faults. It's a pain to commute back and forth.)
(Okay. Be safe.)
(Don't worry. I'm going to sleep in the van.)
(I know. Good night, Noll.)
(Good night.)
After wrapping up his cooking, Gene stared at the bowl of pasta.
"Ah, that means we've got leftovers..."
"Gene?"
He threw two thirds of the batch into the pan with sauce.
"I prepared for three people... Noll is staying in the van tonight."
Lin groaned.
"That boy..."
"You know, you should have called me. I could have contacted Noll for you instead."
Lin slowly took his seat at the table.
"Yes, I probably should have."
"And you don't stay angry at that girl," Gene said. "I mean, she's in the wrong, but she probably wasn't expecting you and that camera in that old school building."
The man grunted something.
Gene sighed. So Lin was still angry... and understandably so.
Still, he quite like that girl's sense of humor... and the scarily accurate nickname for Noll.
Naru-chan.
Author's note
At last, Mai has returned to the story. It's also the first time the nickname "Naru" has been mentioned.
Kazumi and Akiko are two characters from GENKI, a short story written by the original writer. I'd link you to that story, but alas, a translation is not available yet. I'll make sure to notify you when it's uploaded.
Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter!