Chapter 14: Secrets
Tokyo, July 2007
Gene changed into his clothes at the back of the donut shop after his shift.
As per his usual routine he grabbed his cell phone out of his bag and absent-mindedly scrolled through several notifications from his friends, mostly his classmates.
Then his eyes stopped at one unusual name.
A missed call from... Miss Barber?
Gene frowned.
"Didn't she retire?" he muttered to himself. "Pretty sure Martin mentioned it."
Miss Barber was Jack Dorey's former secretary. Dorey went to live in an elderly home about three months ago. From what Gene had heard, the man was no longer able to walk by himself. On top of that, his vision had become considerably cloudier, which was the reason he had suspended all activities as SPR's advisory researcher. Miss Barber had been honourably dismissed but kept close contact with her former employer.
Suddenly, a message arrived just as he was about to call her back.
Gene pressed it open.
Dear Eugene,
I hope you are doing well in Japan. Unfortunately, I have an urgent message to pass on to Lin, Oliver, and you. I was informed by your father that Oliver is on an investigation, so I will tell you instead; Sir Dorey's health condition has deteriorated over the past couple days. His GP says there is a slim chance of complete recovery given his age. Sir Dorey himself also believes he doesn't have much longer to live, a couple of months to a year at most. He wishes to see you and your brother as soon as possible.
Could you convey this to your brother ASAP?
Gene re-read the message several times. After answering Miss Barber with a short reply, thanking her for the information, he closed his phone, ignoring the other notifications.
They had already planned to return to England during summer holidays to visit their parents, but neither Noll nor Gene felt inclined to go back.
However, this was yet one more reason for them to go. Sir Dorey was fond of him and his brother. It would be nice if they could grant the old man's last wish, …even if he had rubbed them the wrong way sometimes.
With a pensive look on his face, he left the donut shop.
A few minutes later, Gene returned home. He dropped his bag on the floor near the sofa and headed straight into the kitchen to microwave yesterday's leftover food. There wasn't anyone else at home. He sat down on the sofa with a heated-up plate of food in hand and stared in front of him with an absent-minded gaze.
How long was this going to continue?
A couple of days ago, Noll and Lin had left to investigate a house just a couple of hours away from Tokyo. It worried Gene sometimes that he couldn't do much for Noll from such a distance, but at least some information had trickled in from the 'hotline' between them; the monk and the miko from the case in April had joined the investigation. It wasn't exactly reassuring, but at least having them around was something. This time a real haunting seemed likely after hearing some of the details from Noll. From experience Gene knew that spirits usually hid themselves on the first day of the investigation. If the spirit had such a strong reaction on the first day, it meant they were obviously repulsed by the presence of outsiders.
While eating in front of the television, Gene couldn't help but worry about the case, and of course, there was also the matter of Sir Dorey. He needed to inform his brother and Lin.
Gene closed his eyes and imagined himself rapping his knuckles on Noll's 'door'.
(Knock knock!)
Noll 'opened' the door.
(Could you stop that?)
Gene grinned.
(Don't you mean I should knock it off?)
He could feel Noll groan on the other side of the line.
(Sorry, bad pun.)
His brother went straight to the point.
(What do you want.)
(I want to hear what is going on over there, but before you do, I have something important to share you from Miss Barber.)
(Miss Barber?)
Gene could sense Noll's surprise.
(Sir Dorey is on his death bed, or so the old man claims.)
There was a long pause on the other side.
(...I see.)
Gene continued.
(Well, he'd like us to pop over before his body expires. What do you say to going back in August?)
(Hmm.)
(Luella and Martin would be happy to see us too.)
(Right.)
Noll's lack of enthusiasm was so palpable that Gene couldn't help but feel sorry for the people back home.
(And how about you pay Jean Vianney a visit? He's getting old too.)
(Probably.)
Gene could sense that his brother was warming up a little.
(Oh, and that woman in Wimbledon. Then you've covered all your old people bases!)
Now he finally discerned a spike of interest on the other side of the line.
(Indeed. It's right around that time of the year.)
(August, then.)
(I'll inform Lin about our plans.)
(Okay. Let's talk about the details later. How's investigation going now?)
(It's calm now, so I went out to do some research. A lot of children seem to have died here.)
Noll briefly recounted what happened after the fire in the kitchen. Whatever was behind that temperature drop in Ayami's room, couldn't possibly have been caused by a humans or other natural causes.
(How about I come over and visit?)
Gene had an inkling the situation would become increasingly more dangerous.
(Don't you have work tomorrow?)
(I could pop over as a spirit.)
Gene had a feeling that Noll would turn that offer down, but it didn't hurt to try.
(That's even worse,) Noll said, (and how would you even find me?)
(Over our hotline of course.)
(...Have you tried this before?)
(I guess. Mostly back in Cambridge,) Gene said, then after some thought he added, (I'm willing to experiment more.)
There was a short pause, but he could already sense Noll's dismay.
(You'll be vulnerable at such a distance,) he said. (We can handle it ourselves.)
(You don't know that.)
You don't know what I'm capable of, Gene thought to himself.
(Don't even bother.)
Noll's words were firmly implanted in his mind.
Gene sighed.
(Alright, alright, dear brother. I was just going through all the options.)
(It's not necessary.)
(Sure, but… at least, try to call Masako? She sees something right?)
Extreme irritation slipped through the line.
(I don't think she's necessary either.)
Then to his surprise, a wall went up; Noll had cut off the communication between them.
Gene groaned.
"What the hell's going on with that stubborn idiot? Does he think he can do this without any help?"
He looked at the clock on the wall.
If he tracked Noll through the hotline, his brother would notice. Especially after that offer. But Gene still had Mai. Perhaps there was enough of a 'bond' between them... He knew their connection was flimsy at best, but he could make it work!
Gene lied down on the sofa and closed his eyes.
"Mai, where are you..."
After what seemed to be hours of searching, Gene opened his eyes and began to stroll down on an unfamiliar street. Realizing it was a 'dream', he looked down at his hands to focus his blurry vision. The connection to his corporeal body felt faint to the point that his surroundings appeared fuzzy and unclear. Judging from the lack of buildings on the horizon, he was able to tell that he was far from Tokyo.
Gene was able to detect Noll; the channel between them felt more tangible than in Tokyo, but still rather on the thin side. It meant Noll wasn't around in the neighbourhood.
He continued to walk until he was able to pinpoint where Mai's presence was. It took a few blocks of houses until he found the familiar van parked in front of a large house.
"Not bad. I got pretty close."
Then Gene focused again and began to deconstruct his vision. He frowned at what he saw in between the outlines. This house didn't look good; it was haunted by various spirits. Gene blinked once, returning his original sight, then stepped forward.
He moved through the front door, then waited in the entranceway. He didn't want to cause a disturbance by making his own presence suddenly known to the other spirits. Once he felt that the coast was clear, Gene began to pace slowly through the hallway. At one point he passed by a full-length mirror.
Gene stopped and frowned at it for a moment; mirrors in the astral plane always seemed to vaguely reflect his appearance. He never understood why it happened, and it wasn't something he ever brought up to anyone, but now that he thought about it, he had never seen it happen to other spirits either.
Perhaps it was just him?
Gene decided to put that trivial matter aside and focused on his own appearance in the mirror. He needed to find Mai and warn her, but he couldn't do it while 'dressed' in jeans and a bright green shirt. He recalled the clothes Noll packed into his bag.
Perhaps he should go with a black shirt and some grey slacks.
Gene changed his appearance in the mirror, but there was another major difference he had to take care of.
He pulled at a lock of hair. "Goodbye brown."
At once, his hair faded into a darker colour.
Gene scrutinized his new appearance again. Perhaps he did look much better with natural black hair after all. In any case, he should retain this form for the time being. Satisfied with his new look, Gene turned on his heel, only to be face to face with a child standing in the middle of the hallway.
A young boy wearing a kimono.
"Mother. I want my mother back," the boy sobbed.
Gene remained frozen in his place and began to stare at the wall, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. He hoped this spirit would not consider Gene a new presence.
Not another outsider. Just that idiot scientist staring at a wall for no reason.
Thankfully, the child turned around, seemingly having lost his interest.
Gene smirked.
"A switcheroo has never failed me," he quietly said to himself.
He followed the child to the living room, where it was pulled down into a large hole by a female spirit.
Gene observed the situation for a moment.
"So this is the root of all problems..."
It seemed rather busy down there. If it were up to Gene, he would have tried to convince the spirit to let go of the children, but it didn't seem like a good idea to intervene. The connection to his own body was too thin to even consider attempting a purification; he could easily be pulled into the pit by a much stronger spirit.
Gene decided to leave the woman alone. He turned and went to look for Mai.
Where could she be?
He needed to find her quickly, not wanting to risk too much time in this place.
However, his attention was caught by a young woman entering the hallway. She carried a tray with a plate of snacks into the direction of the stairway. Gene decided to follow her upstairs.
Perhaps he would find another clue.
His curiosity had paid off. The woman visited a bedroom of a young girl with a doll. He looked through the gap, then stepped away at once.
"This is bad," Gene muttered. "That child needs help as soon as possible."
He checked the other rooms on the floor. In one of those rooms, he found a sleeping figure in a bed near the window.
"Mai."
Gene waited impatiently. He felt the connection to his body gradually grow weaker.
"Mai. Listen to me."
Mai stirred. Not her physical form, but her spirit. She could hear him. Mai was listening.
A moment later she sat up in bed and stared into Gene's direction.
He opened his mouth, speaking as clearly as possible.
"Ayami-chan is in danger."
Mai frowned.
"What, what do you mean?"
"Ayami-chan is in danger."
Then, as if a string had come loose, the connection broke; Gene was pulled out of the house, then slammed back into his body on the sofa. He sat up immediately, reaching his throat, gasping out loud. His palms were sweating. Then his head began to ache so much that he couldn't help but drop back on the sofa.
"Holy... I really pushed my limits there."
He continued to pant, and after finally regaining his composure somewhat, a grin appeared on his face.
"But it worked. It really worked!"
He got up from the sofa and immediately fell over on the floor. His knees were weak.
Gene turned on his back and stared at the ceiling.
"Wow, so dizzy... Need a drink"
After a few minutes he wobbled to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water, then headed back to the sofa. It took ten minutes to return to a normal state.
Gene took the remote control and changed the channel.
Truthfully, he wasn't sure whether he made an impact. A part of him felt somewhat disappointed that he couldn't convey much to Mai, but at least he felt a bit useful.
"Hopefully she'll take the hint."
The next morning, Noll briefly reported to him about the doll named "Minnie".
Minnie didn't seem to be the cause behind everything, according to Noll's reading of the doll, but it did move on the camera. It also seemed like the spirits were tampering with the camera... How clever, Gene thought. It appeared that there was some progress on Noll's side, however, Gene couldn't shake off his worries. He was particularly worried over Ayami-chan. If anything happened to her... But then he reminded himself, he had to trust Mai on this. Mai had potential and it would only be bad if Gene continued to involve himself even more.
For that reason, Gene spent the rest of the day concentrating on his daily life, going to school, working his part-time job. He would move up to the final year of secondary school after summer, and right now Gene was in the middle of debating which A Levels he wanted to take to the final year of secondary school, and which ones to drop. Japanese, computer science, drama and theatre studies, mathematics, and psychology. He found all quite interesting, and he excelled at each, so it was a difficult choice. Perhaps he could keep all subjects if his schedule allowed him to. These thoughts kept him mind occupied from the case, however, the next day that followed seemed to be uneventful on Noll's side, so rather than worrying about the case, Gene was turning impatient.
"What's taking him so long!" He muttered under his breath. "If I was there, I would have solved the case within a day or two!"
If nothing happened tomorrow, Gene would speak up his mind in the morning at once, but for Noll's sake, he held his tongue.
On the sixth day there was finally some progress. They had exorcised the doll and managed to burn it. Still, just thinking about Noll and this case exhausted Gene. It was so frustrating not to be able to say anything.
After returning home again, Gene dropped down on his bed and closed his eyes.
He had enough.
Gene reached Mai again without trouble, but once again Noll was nowhere to be seen.
A hole had opened in the living room. The female ghost still dwelled there. Gene almost considered talking to her, but then remembered not to interfere. Considering the circumstances, it might be difficult to convince her. Perhaps, Lin could...
He wandered over to the base and found Lin in front of the equipment. Mai napped on the sofa nearby. His eyes wandered down to the bandage on her knee.
"She's injured! What happened?"
Gene came closer. This time, Mai opened her eyes without being prompted by anything.
He smiled down at her.
"Naru?" Mai asked.
Gene tilted his head. She still was convinced that he was Noll?
Mai's lips bent downwards.
"I saw Tomiko's mother... I tried to save her, but I couldn't. She threw herself into it."
He frowned. Did she see the ghost's memory?
"Naru. Can we save Ayami-chan?"
Gene wasn't sure how to answer this. He didn't want to upset her anymore. They would have to trust Naru to solve this problem.
"Everything will be fine." He hoped these words would reassure her.
"Did you go on a date with Masako?"
He blinked. Now this took him by surprise. Why did she bring that up?
"Date?"
Mai showed a sad expression.
"Yeah, Masako told me you went to see movies and concerts with her..."
If he recalled correctly, they went to dinners and movies. But a concert? He never heard anything about that from Noll.
He smiled again. "You're mistaken."
Then, Mai slipped back into unconsciousness, as if seemingly satisfied by his answer.
He turned his head at the opening door, which revealed his brother's form. Noll approached Lin to inquire about the latest happenings,
Gene watched them for a while. "You'd better make solve this case soon, Noll."
Then he turned and left through the wall.
Noll wasn't surprised at Gene's cold welcome as their brief telepathic conversations in the days prior to their return had been rather curt. At first Noll was relieved that his brother didn't bother him with unnecessarily long interrogations, but he could also sense Gene's impatience. It wasn't so much that Gene was feeling lonely and was craving for attention (they had been away for nearly a week, after all), but it seemed to relate more to the admittedly slow progress on the case.
Gene's face was neutral to the point of disconcert while Noll and Lin briefly recounted the case during dinner. When Noll reached his conclusion, Gene put his chopsticks down and said, "What took you so long to call Masako?"
Noll grimaced. He knew that issue was going to come up.
Lin cleaned his mouth with a tissue, said, "The others asked for Masako too, but Noll refused multiple times," and gave the latter a long side-eye. Noll frowned at the man.
"Why?" Gene leaned forward, staring at his brother. "You could have solved the case much earlier if you had asked for her help."
"I thought it was unnecessary to call her in. She is a busy person, remember."
"Busy? I'm sure she'd have come right away."
Noll looked away. It was true. Masako had been very eager to come.
Gene continued, "People got hurt. You need to think of your clients first. Right, Lin?"
Lin nodded. "I agree."
A tiny smirk appeared on Gene's lips. He had Lin firmly on his side.
Noll let out a sigh.
"Fine. I admit I misjudged the situation."
Then, for the first time since their return home, Gene showed a pleasant smile.
"Well. Are you going to invite Masako to the cases next time?"
"I'll consider it."
Gene's mouth twitched but gave no reply.
Noll frowned. "What?"
Instead, Gene pushed the chair away from the table, picked up some empty plates and headed to the kitchen. His lips were pressed into a thin line as he washed the dishes.
Noll brought a palm to his face. Gene was most definitely not satisfied with his answer, but Noll couldn't find it in himself to argue his point further. Without saying another word, Lin finished up and headed to his room, so Noll also took the opportunity to get some much-needed rest instead of enduring Gene's silence. This was one of those rare moments silence was uncomfortable.
Noll changed his clothes in the bedroom, then took a short nap.
He woke up fifteen minutes later and found Gene sitting on the opposite bed.
"Noll."
Noll groaned and sat up. He was in no mood for a conversation.
"What is it?"
"Masako could see them, right?"
"Yes," he said, draping his legs over the edge of the bed, "and she was possessed by a spirit too."
Gene kept his eyes on the floor. "Then why do you keep her at a distance?"
"I'm not keeping her at a distance."
He gave Noll a pleading look.
"Then trust her abilities."
Noll could only sigh in response. It's not that he didn't trust her abilities. After this case, he'd be a fool not to rely on her more. It was just…
Gene continued, "You're... dating her, right?"
Noll almost rolled his eyes at that stupid question.
"You know I'm not doing that of my own volition."
"Right," Gene said, "but that's why you should try trusting her more."
"What?"
He sharply looked at his brother.
"You're doing all that stuff for her, so she should be able to return the favour at least."
Noll tightened his grip on the blanket below his hands.
"We don't even know her ulterior motives, so why should I trust her?"
"Well, I gave it some thought, and I feel like I do know what she wants." Gene folded his hands together. "What's the chance of Masako knowing another person like her? If I was her, I'd be jumping for joy if I met someone like you."
"What do you mean?"
Gene sighed.
"Idiot. I think she wants to be around someone who is just like her. It's lonely being different... Think about her feelings for a moment."
Noll frowned.
"You're telling me to keep her feelings in mind?"
"Yes, I know it's hard for you to-"
"Gene." He lowered his voice. "She never thought about my own feelings. Not even once she considered my situation."
Gene groaned. "Ugh, I knew you wouldn't understand." He leaned forward. "Or perhaps you're taking my presence for granted."
Noll wanted to respond, but he remained silent. He knew what Gene meant. Up until now they had each other and could rely on the thought that there would be at least one other person who would understand what it was like to be psychic. The thought of being utterly 'alone' in that aspect didn't occur to him until last year.
"That… doesn't make it right, at all," Noll finally said. "She should know that people like us are taken advantage of our abilities."
Gene scoffed.
"Well, then screw that rule of not putting me on the case."
He frowned. "So that's what you're after..."
"Look," Gene lunged forward, tightly grabbing his shoulder, and stared into his eyes. He whispered harshly. "I can't stand being on the side-lines while you are investigating somewhere without knowing you are safe. Do you know how it feels to know you and other people get hurt when I am perfectly capable of dealing with that kind of stuff? It drives me crazy that I can't help you!"
Noll removed the hand from his shoulder.
"But then people will know..."
"I don't care!"
"I'll survive," Noll said placidly. He was sure of it. If he could spend at least a year investigating cases without Gene around, then...
Gene looked unconvinced.
"You don't know that. For one thing, it's dangerous if you use your PK without me around. It will take ages depending on the distance."
Noll sighed.
"There's at least one certainty, if someone reveals my identity and location, either Hara-san or someone else... People all over Japan and the world will flock to the Shibuya office like they did back home or in London. They'll pester us with letters, visit the office, the laboratory and even stalk me."
"I know that!"
Noll groaned again. "Then why won't you understand that I can't allow you on these cases."
"Because I—" This time Gene grabbed both of his shoulders. "I just don't want you to die on me."
He looked into Gene's eyes and knew those words were meant in earnest. His points were completely valid, and yet.
"Gene, I need you to let go of me."
His eyes became watery. "I... can't."
"There's at least one person out there who wants to take advantage of my ability." Noll showed a thin smile. "If I could delay that possibility, all the better."
I need you to trust me, Noll thought.
Gene stared long at his expression, and as if not knowing how to respond, he let go of him with a sigh. He sat down next to Noll on the bed. Their shoulders touched.
"I know it's goddamn selfish of me to say this but." Gene sniffed. "I feel left out, and it hurts."
"I'm not doing this because I want to hurt you."
"I know that..."
They went silent.
"I don't want put myself at a disadvantage either," Noll said after a while, remembering the many times he thought that Gene's presence would make the cases far easier, but he didn't want to give Gene the satisfaction of saying that aloud.
Still, Gene gave him a look of surprise.
Noll continued, "but I realized that I've grown too reliant on you."
His brother chuckled bitterly.
"I see... So that's how it is."
Noll blinked.
"You don't sound surprised."
"Actually, I thought the same thing..."
He raised an eyebrow. "You did?"
"Yeah. It kind of started with us sharing the same bedroom again."
"Hmm."
"We also shared the same bedroom when we were children," Gene said, "I guess we were used to it, and didn't know any better, but having our own spaces brought us more freedom. And I liked that freedom. The freedom of being my own person." Noll could agree with that sentiment. Gene sighed, continuing. "At the same time, I still have hard time letting you go. I know it's not healthy, but it's just too difficult right now. I mean, I don't want you to depend on me all the time, you know?"
Noll sighed.
"Then, what can I do to make it better?"
Gene pondered.
"I'd feel much more at ease if you could depend on others too. That would take a load off my mind."
"Others?"
"Friends."
"Like Lin?"
"I guess? But Lin is also your teacher and caretaker."
Noll looked away. "I don't feel the need to make friends. You know that."
Gene sighed.
"There's nothing wrong with being a recluse, and I'm not going to force you to make friends, but doesn't it feel better if you can count at least one or more people? Other than family and Lin?"
"I feel like I can take care of myself."
"That sounds like you're suppressing your need for companionship."
"I don't think it sounds disagreeable... Just a hassle."
"Well, you don't have to look that far. From what I've heard, the people who joined your investigation don't seem like bad people. And there's Mai too."
Noll turned.
"Mai?"
Gene winked.
"She's around our age. And cute, right?"
Noll groaned. That was pretty much Gene's reaction when he saw her photo in the job form document.
"Or do you prefer Masako after all?" Gene grinned.
He put a hand against his forehead.
"Gene, please... don't even think about it."
His brother shrugged. "If not, you should at least rely on her during the cases."
They had come full circle and there was no way around it. He sighed wearily.
"Noll?" Gene gave him a look. "What did she do to give you that kind of reaction?"
"Nothing," Noll said, but he knew it was useless.
"Does it have something to do with the night you returned from Yokohama?"
Noll did not say anything. He knew that was going to come up sooner or later.
"I knew it. You looked more awful after that night than the other dates!" Gene said, grinning wildly. "Fess up. What did she do?"
There was no way around it, so he decided to spill it now.
"She dragged me to this awful concert..."
"Oh, which one?" Gene said, obviously amused. "Who's responsible for-"
"Ayu," Noll said.
The smile froze on Gene's face. "Who?"
"It was someone named 'Ayu'," Noll clarified. "I don't remember her full name."
Gene sat back, as if in a daze.
"No way."
Noll blinked at the sudden change in behaviour. "What?"
"Ayu? Not that Ayu, right?" Gene faltered. His complexion had turned white.
"I don't understand what you mean."
"Ayumi Hamasaki."
Noll gave a nod. "Yes, that one."
"Tour of Secret?!" Gene said in a high-pitched tone.
He frowned. "...How did you know?"
"I... I tried to get a ticket for that one, but I didn't know how to do it." His brother dropped dramatically to his knees. "And then, when I figured it out, it was already sold out!"
"I… see." Noll slowly said while wondering why the hell his brother would want to go to such a concert.
Gene slammed a fist on the floor, then turned looked up.
"I see? You're a lucky bastard! Why didn't you tell me?! We could have done a switcheroo!"
Noll frowned. "I didn't know she was taking me there. It was a surprise."
Gene's expression fell. He fell over on his elbows and started wailing on the floor.
"Ayuuuuu~ The world is unfair!"
Seeing the forlorn form of his brother, Noll took this as an opportunity to leave the room. He needed a cup of tea.
Lin was also in the kitchen. He had just finished boiling water in the water cooker.
"You too?" Lin held up a tea bag.
Noll nodded and sat down by the dinner table.
Lin glanced at the door of the twins' bedroom. "What happened to Gene?"
"Nothing important. He'll get over it soon."
"...I see," the man said with a slight expression of doubt, then he poured hot water into two cups. "About the England trip. I'd like to stay for three weeks."
"Good. Look for tickets as soon as possible."
"I will." He put the cups down on the table. "And what do we tell Taniyama-san?"
Tokyo, August 2007
"What! It's closed?" Ayako tapped her foot impatiently on the floor, staring at the paper sign on the window. Its message was clearly written in Mai's handwriting.
Why didn't anyone inform her? Okay, she told the others that she'd be occupied with other matters after that one case, but some notice in advance would have saved her this trip to Shibuya.
"Drat!" She spat out. "I came here all for nothing!"
Heavy footsteps and a shadow behind her alerted Ayako of a looming presence. She turned on her heel and watched Takigawa approach.
"Yo. What are you doing outside?"
"They closed up shop," she said, pointing at the paper.
Takigawa gazed it.
"Three weeks. From August 6 until the 25th," the monk read, then protruded his chin, as he scratched the back of his head. Takigawa showed a nonchalant expression. "Looks like I just missed them."
She frowned at his reaction.
"You knew about this?"
Monk shrugged.
"Yeah, Mai told me a few weeks ago." He stretched his hands onto his back, interlacing his fingers. "I forgot to note the dates down though."
Ayako sighed loudly. "God! Now I have to walk all the way back through this awful heat."
Takigawa looked down at the woman for a moment, then said, "About that. Why don't we have a coffee in the cafe downstairs?" He showed a grin. "I also hear they serve some delicious, shaved ice."
Ayako's jaw dropped slightly, before she gave him a scrutinizing look.
"I'll pass," she said with a decisive tone.
Takigawa was taken aback. "...Why?"
Ayako flipped some loose strands of long hair to her back. Her eyes focused down.
"If you're going to ask a lady out, at least dress for the occasion."
Takigawa followed her gaze and stared at his ripped jeans.
"Ugh..."
"See?" Ayako said. "I wouldn't want to be caught dead in a cafe with you dressed like that."
Now it was Takigawa's jaw dropping. How could someone be so demanding?
"Okay, then forget about it! It's not like I was asking you seriously. I didn't mean to cause a misunderstanding." He put his palm against his face and groaned. "Geez, Ayako. You're ruthless."
She huffed.
"Good."
Monk put his hands into his pocket and gave her an angry stare.
"And let's not get uppity about getting going on friendly outings from now on, okay? I was thinking of inviting others too next time."
"Like John?"
Ayako sighed.
"Yeah," he replied.
"If that's the case, then I'll consider it," she said, "but for now I'll take my leave. Goodbye."
Ayako lightly waved her hand as she headed back to the escalator.
Monk held up a hand. "See you later, Ayako."
After watching her leave, Takigawa heaved a sigh. "I guess I need to find another date. Let's see... Who will do?"
He pulled out his phone. After some scrolling, he dialled a number.
"Good evening," said a young male voice.
"Hey John!"
"Hello Takigawa-san!"
"Do you happen to be free right now?"
"Yes, I am," John said. "Is there something the matter?"
"No, I went to the office, but it looks like they already closed for holidays."
"Ah, I heard about that from Mai."
"I don't have anything else to do, so perhaps I can pop over to your place," Takigawa said. "You live in Nihonbashi, right?"
"Yes, and if I recall correctly Takigawa-san lives in Chiyoda."
"Yeah, so that's pretty close. Maybe we could have dinner or something in the neighbourhood," he said. "I want to grab a quick bite before I head out to work tonight. Fancy some tsukemen?"
"Oh, I love tsukemen!"
"Great, so how about we meet up at..."
Takigawa suggested a place near where he lived. It was a neighbourhood restaurant with great tsukemen. He had been there several times before so he could vouch for the quality.
John was already waiting in front of the restaurant when Takigawa arrived.
"Hey John!"
John showed a gentle smile. "Hello Takigawa-san."
They went in after waiting in a line and ordered chicken broth tsukemen. The dipping noodles were always a good choice in the heat of the summer. Their plates of noodles and dipping broth arrived quickly.
After slurping down some noodles, Takigawa said, "Have you heard from Mai about the reason for the temporary closure of the office?"
John shrugged.
"I asked, but she didn't know the reason."
"Right, that's what she told me too," Takigawa said. "Strange, isn't it?"
"Well, Shibuya-san and Lin-san seem like very private people."
"That's true."
After a few seconds, John said, "Perhaps they went on holidays..."
Takigawa snorted.
"Them? On holidays? Those two seem like workaholics."
John laughed awkwardly.
"Well, perhaps they went on holidays abroad."
"Abroad… But they just don't seem like the touristic types," Takigawa said, "and Mai mentioned that it seemed like a sudden decision made a day right after the case."
"Then what about a parapsychology conference?"
The monk shook his head. "Nah, I keep my eye on those events, but there's none of that going on during these three weeks. At least, nothing of great importance. And don't you think that Naru would mention something like that to Mai at least?"
John pondered.
"Then it must be private," he said. "If it were me, I would want to take at least a week off, and if I wanted to visit my family in Australia, I'd try to make it at least two weeks."
Takigawa found that doubtful in Naru's case. "That's assuming they have family abroad..."
John nodded.
After they resumed eating for a while, John spoke again.
"About the reason you called me... It's not just about that, right?"
John was sharper than expected, Takigawa thought somewhat pleased.
"Yes, it's not just to chat casually," he said. "I felt like talking about paranormal stuff with you."
"Oh?"
Takigawa cleared his throat.
"Are you by any chance familiar with the Parapsychology Forums?"
John tilted his head to the side.
"I don't think so?"
Takigawa let out a long sigh.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh well, I was hoping you were a member..."
John frowned. "So let me get this straight. It's an online message board, right?"
"Yes, it's an international message board."
John showed a sheepish smile.
"Unfortunately, I don't have much time to browse the internet."
"Damn, I figured that would be the case."
Takigawa sighed again.
"I'm sorry for dashing your hopes," John said.
"Oh, it's fine. Don't apologize."
John blinked at the deep frown on the monk's face.
"…Is there something the matter?"
Takigawa gave a small shrug.
"Well, it's a long story," he said. "I joined several years ago, shortly after I read something about a famous psychic user."
"A famous psychic user?"
"Oliver Davis," Takigawa said. "He's from England."
John leaned forward.
"That name sounds familiar."
"Davis is a PK-ST user and a psychometrist."
The young priest's expression brightened.
"If I recall correctly, there was a video of him throwing a 50 kg aluminium block against the wall," John said, and Takigawa nodded. "What about him?"
"Well, the rumoured existence of that video caused a huge fuss on that board."
That was not the only thing that caused a big fuss, Takigawa thought wearily, but he kept it to himself.
"I can imagine..."
"Anyway, back then I created a Japanese-language thread for those who could speak Japanese. I mean, when Davis was announced as a researcher for the Society for Psychical Research, he released some papers. I even tried to get help from some other members with translating. Honestly, my English was pretty bad back then."
"That kind of effort is amazing."
Takigawa shrugged. "Well, it was all I could do at that time."
"But why did you ask if I was a member?"
"Apparently someone started a private parapsychology board. They sent out invites, but I never got one."
John blinked.
"And you were wondering if I got an invitation?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you."
Takigawa gave a slight smile. "Don't worry. It was worth a try."
"Oh, okay." John frowned a little, then returned to finishing the last of his tsukemen.
If it was like this, it would be better to drop the topic, Takigawa thought. He had hoped to meet another forum member in John, since most people in that community were not Japanese.
Still, he had a nice dinner. Following that talk, they switched to some other topics of interest. John turned out to be good conversation partner and Takigawa decided they should do this more often.
And perhaps Ayako would accept his invitation too next time.
Author's note:
Hi again, here's just a reminder/notice that all of my new stories will be posted to Archive of Our Own (AO3) from now on.
The Crows of Shibuya will remain updated on this site until the end of this arc.