EDITED

Just like Mai remembered, the following day had nice weather and the sakura trees on the road to school formed a beautiful white tunnel.

She felt happy. The rising sun filled her with energy. As she passed through the sukura tree tunnel, Mai came across the old school building. It was exactly as she remembered it.

Standing on the opposite side of the sports ground facing the new school building. It was wooden and half-demolished. A building that had many bad rumors going around about it but not one single ghost. Everyone considered it a haunted mansion even when it wasn't.

Mai approached the old school and peeped in through the window.

"There it is, that stupid camera, exactly where I remember it being."

The camera was set on top of a tripod.

Mai opened the door with a creak and entered the building. As she approached the camera at a slight distance from side opposite to the shoe shelves, she heard Lin Koujo for the first time in this repeated life.

"Who is it?"

Lin's voice was sharp, just like she remembered it. A wave of nostalgia flowed through her. Wiping her eyes, Mai turned to greet Lin with a smile as he stalked towards her.

"Hi Lin-san. You might want to move away from those shoe shelves if you don't want a sprained ankle. They'll be coming down any minute now and will crush the camera."

Lin stood there, looking at her visibly shocked. At that moment the shoe shelf swayed turning around. Quickly Mai moved around the camera and pulled Lin away from the shoe shelves to safety as they collapsed onto the camera.

"What... What just happened? How do you know my name?"

Taking a breath of relief, Mai turned to face Lin just like a rogue would in front of two monks. Some things never change.

"Are you alright?" Mai asked, completely ignoring Lin's question.

Lin nodded and at the same time they heard a voice. "What's wrong?"

'Naru's voice.' Mai smiled as she turned to Oliver.

"Good morning Naru-chan. Just saving your assistant from a sprained ankle. Though I should be going now if I don't want to be late to class. Bye Lin-san! Have a good day! See you this afternoon Naru-chan. "

Both men watched as Mai skipped out the door with a grin on her face. Their own faces were full on curiosity.

"Lin?" Oliver started. "What happened?"

"Ah, that's……" Lin stopped. He wasn't even sure what had happened himself.

"I found her standing here staring at the camera. When I rushed over to ask what she was doing here, she called me by name and told me I should move if I didn't want a sprained ankle. When the shelves started to tumble, she quickly pulled me out of the way. Who was that? How'd she know my name? And did she just call you Naru-chan? I thought you were going by Shibuya while we're here?" Lin's face turned stern then.

Oliver shrugged. "That was Mai. I met her yesterday. She was telling ghost stories with her friends. She told a rather interesting story too while she was at it. I introduced myself as Shibuya. Her friends lapped it up. She snorted and said 'not' like she knew it wasn't it. Told me to have fun with the 'non-ghosties'. She knows something about why where here but I never told her a thing. Next thing I know, she's calling me Naru-chan as she left. Which reminds me, she also said to tell you hello when she left last night. She knew your name then too."

Lin looked concerned at that. "We should be careful around her, Noll."

"You know the old adage, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Let's try and get her to help us with this case."

...

Unlike Mai's past life, she got to school in time for class. Remembering how the day went previously, she was pleased to have avoided all the bad luck she had on this day in the past.

School ended. Keiko and the others gathered around Mai's desk as she packed, fully knowing that the day's ghost stories wouldn't be told.

"Hey, Mai, are you going home?"

"Why?"

"Weren't we going to meet with yesterday's exchange guy?"

"Naru-chan?"

"What's with the Naru thing? Let's meet him."

"He'll be here soon. I saw him this morning. Though he's not an exchange student despite what he let you think. Not that we'll be telling ghost stories today."

"Whyy? Mai... How'd you get to meet him?"

Even Michiru nods.

"What a weirdo you are. That guy's got a godlike coolness, don't you think so?"

Mai rolled her eyes again at their excitement. 'Poor things.'

Recognizing Mai as a weirdo, Michiru says, "Well, that's fine. The lesser rivals, the better."

"That's right. We'll be the only ones to enjoy his enchanting eyes."

Keiko is really happy.

"You really don't want to come?", Yuuri adds in mistrust.

"Are you sure? You were quite interested yesterday." With these words Michiru smoothed down her uniform, having nothing more to say.

Keiko too gives up on me and changes the topic.

"But I was really surprised yesterday. The atmosphere was so tense wasn't it? I thought that ghosts had appeared for real."

"Me too."

"Today, we'll tell stories again."

"But where? We won't get in the right mood here. What about we borrow the A/V room again?"

'Keep thinking that. Once Karuda-san starts off you won't be interested.' Mai thought darkly.

"Yeah, it isn't dark enough here. The A/V room? The school's mixer room."

"That sounds okay."

...Just when they were talking about this...

"Wait a minute." Kuroda Naoko. Miss desperate-for-attention, herself.

'She looks as nervous as always.' Mai sighed as she turned to her.

"Ah, Kuroda-san, good-bye." Yuuri turns to her with an innocent smile.

"It isn't goodbye. What were you talking about just now?"

Kuroda was in a bad mood.

Then Mai replied, "We were going to tell ghost stories today. That's what we were talking about."

Keiko poked me.

Mai could feel Kuroda's murderous intent.

'So what else is new.' Mai kept a steady gaze back at her.

At exactly that moment, Oliver showed his face from the door. "Is Mai here?"

Kuroda turned in his direction. "What year are you? What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I had an arrangement with these girls..."

"Arrangement? About the ghost stories?"

"That's right...?"

Hearing Oliver's answer, Kuroda turns to the girls without fail. "Didn't I tell you to stop doing this?!"

"Here it comes." Mai muttered with an eye roll and picked up her bag.

"No wonder I've been having headaches since this morning."

"Uh huh." Mai replied with a shrug. "You should see the school nurse about that."

The other girls giggled in shock and even Oliver had a small smirk.

"Taniyama-san, I am sensitive to spirits. I have headaches when a lot of them gather. I am having headaches today. Spirits have definitely gathered here."

"Riiiiight! You have something, but it ain't ESP." Mai started to walk around Karoda towards Oliver.

"Didn't you know? When you tell ghost stories spirits gather. These are mainly low-level spirits. But even if they are low-level ones, when a lot of them gather they attract stronger spirits. You will be in trouble if that happens."

"First I've heard of it. They're just stories. Not like we're playing Kokkuri-san. Got any scientific proof?"

"What?!" Karoda's voice was high pitched from shock. Then she turned to Oliver ignoring Mai completely.

"It would be quite troublesome if senpai did it too. I'd have to do an exorcism," Kuroda said.

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. "Isn't it just your imagination?"

"That's why people who can't sense spirits are annoying." Her tone is persistently intense.

Oliver looked at her with a strong intent. "You, if you really can sense them then do you sense something from the old school building?"

"Old school building? Ah, it seems spirits of those who died during the war are gathering there." Kuroda says quickly.

"Died during the war……?"

"Right. I often see a man's shadow looking at me from the windows and it looks like a man from the war"

"Heeh, which war?"

"Of course, the World War II. During the war there was a hospital on that place. The spirits of the dead nurses can be seen there. It had been air-raided once. Therefore a lot of injured spirits can be seen too."

"Awesome." Oliver said with a sarcastic smile. "I didn't know this was a hospital during the war. I heard that this school was here since pre-war days. And before that there was a medical faculty, wasn't there?"

"There was no hospital in the old school building and there are no ghosts. At least, not of the spirit variety." Mai snarked from beside Oliver.

Kuroda purses her lips. Then her face gets red.

"I woudn't know such a thing. Anyway, I've seen them. A person unable to sense them wouldn't understand."

Mai looked at her pityingly and patted her on the shoulder. "You keep believing that, Karoda-san. Just know that you don't need to pretend to be special. You have powers. Just not ESP. You should try bending a spoon instead. It'd be more effective for you."

Karoda finally fell silent then, staring wide-eyed at Mai. So were the others for that matter. Mai sighed.

"So anyway, you're here to investigate the rumours of the old school building being haunted at the principal's request, right Naru-chan?"

"...Right." Oliver responded coldly, and turned to Mai and her friends. "Since here is no good, let's go elsewhere?"

"Still continuing with such a thing!" Kuroda snapped at Oliver with incredible force.

But Oliver was completely unconcerned waiting Mai's response. Keiko and the others felt restless.

"Let's……" Yuuri's voice was extremely timid voice. "Let's put it off for today?"

"I agree...I'm not in the mood for it." Keiko lost her enthusiasm too.

Then Michiru said, "...Shibuya-senpai, sorry. After all..."

"I see." Oliver nods in assent. "Then some other time."

Saying that, he raises his hand. Looking at the seemingly-pleased Kuroda he says, "You are satisfied too, right?"

"...What are you talking about?"

"It's okay if you don't know. ――Mai, please, could I have a word?"

Keiko and the others throw a surprised glance at Mai.

"Sure." Mai shrugged and followed him out the door ignoring her friends jealous faces.

"Who's that girl?" Okiver asked Mai while walking in a brisk step in front of her.

"Karoda-san? I don't know her personally but supposedly she's been seeking attention since middle school by claiming to be a psychic."

"Yeah. Is she really a medium?" He asked with a thoughtful expression.

"She says she is, but it's more like the human variety of poltergeist if you ask me. Kind of like yourself. How's Lin-san?"

"About that." Oliver turned to face Mai with his cold, indifferent expression. "How'd you know the shelves would fall?"

"You wouldn't believe me, even if I told you." Mai shrugged. "Anything else?"

"The camera was broken."

"Yes, it was, and I'm sure you have it insured."

"Lin tried to prevent you from touching it, which leads to our current situation."

"Nah uh. I never even tried to touch it. Get to the point, Naru-chan."

"That video camera was custom-made, produced in Germany. Would you like to see the certificate?"

"Still insured, Naru-chan."

"Then... would you consider joining us as another assistant?"

"I'll do it. But not to compensate for an insured camera. I'll do it for my own personal reasons."

Oliver nods his head in agreement.

"So, Shibuya Psychic Research, huh?"

Oliver stared in surprise. "How'd you know that?"

Mai shrugged. "I know a lot of things. But again, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. Tell me about your research into the old school building? What have you found so far?"

"If you're interested in listening, I can briefly explain the circumstances?"

Oliver said as he sat on the bench near the shrubs of the old school building.

"Please, do." Mai said lightly, sitting next to Oliver as she waved for him to continue talking.

"The principal heard that the old school building is haunted, so a week ago he asked me to come investigate. Apparently, he wants to rebuild the gymnasium. For that he wants the old school building demolished.

However, it seems that the many times in the past that they had tried to demolish the old school building, they had to stop the demolition because of the accidents that happened."

"They wanted an investigation so they asked you?"

"That's how it is."

"I see, so when we were planning on telling ghost stories you were planning on bringing up the old school building story, right? Then if you did that, it would be collecting information. Except we'd already told stories about it the day we met."

"Oh, so you have more wisdom than a monkey?"

"And you wonder why I call you Naru-chan." Mai said sarcastically.

"I was collecting the rumors between the students. Yesterday when you were telling ghost stories, the story about the old school building came up?"

"Yeah, Michiru told it. But you already heard it. I know you were already listening in by that point."

"What's the story? Can you remember it?"

"Did you forget it?" Mai's tone was hinted that she knew he hadn't.

"I still remember it. I just want to hear it in your own words."

"Weeellll……" Mai waited for his recorder to come out.

"Wait." Oliver inserted a hand into the inside pocket of his black jacket. He pulled out a small tape recorder.

"Begin" He said as he pushed the record button.

Mai began talking about what Michiru had told them concerning the old school building.

After she finished the story, Oliver stood up and asked, "Now then, can you take a walk with me?"

"To the old school building?"

"Where else?"

Mai nodded. "How much of Michiru's story do you think is true?"

Oliver sat down again and pulled out a file. "Many people died in the old school building."

"Really?" Mai asked.

He turned to a page completely filled with writing.

Mai stared at it intently. It was just like a medical record written by a doctor and she barely remembered it. It was all in English, and in the past Mai couldn't understand a word of it. Now she could. She'd worked hard in her previous timeline to do so.

"During the three years that the old building was being used... That is, eighteen years ago, one or two people died every year.

After the new building was built, they made plans to demolish the old one. The roof fell during the demolition of the west wing. They said it was an operating accident."

"Is that true...?"

"Half of it is."

"Only half?"

"The story you heard was that construction workers died, but that's not the truth. Five people were injured, but no one died."

"Then...?"

"The demolition was completed as planned; they stopped after tearing down a third of the building."

"They didn't stop because of the stories?"

"Regrettably, no. At that time, a child died in the old school building. This most recent event occurred about six years ago."

"The child is..."

"The corpse of a seven-year old girl who lived nearby was found in the old school building. The police caught the murderer a month later. He originally wanted to kidnap her. Furthermore, a teacher really did commit suicide there, but he left a suicide note. Apparently he suffered from neurosis."

"That was really good research."

"Of course. Don't underestimate my research ability."

Mai snorted. 'Once a Naru, always a Naru.'

"In order to build a gymnasium in its place, the demolition of the old building began again last year."

"What about the truck that ran out of control?"

"Look at this."

Oliver took out a copy of an old newspaper clipping from his files.

"Nine Students Struck by Construction Truck During Demolition" read the heading.

"The driver lost control of the rubble-filled truck near the school grounds, causing it to skid though the volleyball court, leaving seven injured and two dead."

Below the news report were photos of the two deceased students. 'Poor kids...' Mai couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

Oliver continued indifferently, "There's a plausible reason for it: The driver was drunk."

"...Really."

"At that time the construction had to be stopped. Another reason was because of the rumors that were floating around.

I investigated many claims, but they all turned out to be rumors. Despite being unfortunate ones, there is a clear reason behind each and every one of them. I don't think the old building is haunted at all."

After saying that, Oliver stood up. Mai followed him.

Oliver led the way, walking swiftly along the groves of trees in the front of the old school building before heading around the back. A silver van was parked behind the school building in an inconspicuous area. The trunk was open and most of the equipment was already emptied out.

"Guess saving Lin-san this morning was a good thing for my back." Mai said as she grabbed a box out of the van.

Oliver looked her briefly before grabbing a box of his own and following her into the room that had been designated as base. 'How did she know where we were going to set up?'

It was the former lab room. Lin-san sat in front of a shelving unit covered in monitors. Mai shuddered remembering the windows breaking in her past life. "We should move those shelves further away from the windows or we'll be covered by glass when they break."

Oliver and Lin stared at Mai. "What?"

"On Sunday, those windows are going to shatter and cover us with glass if we don't move them."

Lin looked at the window and remembered Mai's warning about the shoe shelves before they fell. He got up and began arranging to move the shelving unit further back from the windows.

Oliver began helping after a look between them. Mai had already started.

...

Not long afterward, the classroom was completely filled with equipment.

"...You're not gonna stay here tonight, right Naru-chan? Lin-san?"

"Not today." He replied as he opened five tape recorders. The tape recorders used adhesive tape, not magnetic tape.

"If there are ghosts, I won't stay here unless I know what kind they are."

"There are no ghosts here. But the building is pretty dangerous."

"How do you know?"

"I already told you... ."

"If you told me, I wouldn't believe you. Right."

"Some day Naru-chan. I'll tell you. But not today."

...

After Oliver placed equipment onto the table and connected the wires to an electrical circuit. Meanwhile, Mai placed thermometers in different rooms.

Immediately afterward, Mai was given orders to record the temperatures in each room. Lin and Oliver watched her methodical measurements through the monitor.

"She's done this before." Lin observed.

"She does seem to know what she's doing." Oliver agreed. He looked over the results once Mai brought them back.

"Nothing out of the ordinary... None of the rooms are exceptionally cold. Well, the temperature of the room on the first floor is a little low, but not significantly so."

Mai merely shrugged. She already knew there was no ghost here.

Once they'd finished setting up the last of the cameras and microphones around the building, Oliver turned to Mai.

"That must've been tiring. You can go home now."

"I'm going then. Night Naru-chan, Lin-san." Mai called out, waving goodbye.

Oliver's voice shot through the air, "Meet us by the van after school tomorrow."

"Got it!" Mai replied as she left.