Yo! Thank you to all readers so far!
Though still somewhat reluctant, Naru led Mai over to their client's office. And once they were standing outside the door, Naru turned to Mai and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Mai?"
Mai nodded. "I need to do this," she said. She smiled slightly. "Don't worry, boss, I won't let him know what we're on to."
That wasn't what Naru was worried about at all, but unsure of what else he could possibly say, he just relented and knocked on the door. They stepped in when called, and found Akira seated behind his desk, which was completely covered in papers.
...Mai's desk was always a mess like that too.
"Oh, hello," said Akira looking up at them. "What can I do for you?"
Mai froze, staring at the man in front of her, and Naru decided to take the initiative and speak for her, since she clearly couldn't do so herself right now.
"The camera needs to be checked," he said calmly. "The angle needs tweaking and the tape my have to be changed."
Akira nodded. "Of course, please, go ahead," he said, gesturing over at the corner they had set up the camera.
Giving Mai's shoulder a brief squeeze, Naru moved off to the corner of the room, leaving Mai standing where she was on her own.
Mai took a breath, and said, "Kiyoshi-san?"
Akira looked up at Mai, who suddenly found herself struggling to mask her surprise. Akira's eyes, both the colour and the shape were exactly the same as her own. She hadn't noticed it before because she hadn't been paying attention, but now, it was hard not to notice.
"Yes?"
"Do you mind me asking something?"
"Not at all."
"Do you…not have a family?" asked Mai hesitantly. "You know, a wife or kids?"
Akira looked at Mai with interest. "You're a curious young lady, aren't you?"
Relieved by the fact that he didn't seem angry, Mai smiled, which, in turn, caused Akira to frown.
"Is something wrong?" asked Mai.
"No…it's nothing," said Akira, rubbing a hand over his face. "Your smile just reminded me of-of someone."
"May I ask who?"
"My daughters," said Akira after a pause. "They were twins."
"Oh, I-I see." What could she possibly even say to that, Mai wondered.
"They've long since passed away, you see," said Akira quietly, "along with my ex-wife."
"Ex?" asked Mai, feigning surprise. Hiding her pain too. Her father thought she was dead.
Akira seemed a little surprised, as if suddenly realizing that he had spoken out loud. "Yes," he said eventually. "We divorced a long time ago."
"I-I'm sorry about that. About all of it," said Mai sincerely.
Akira smiled slightly, but then said, "I wonder how they all died…? My wife, my son, my girls…"
Mai blinked in surprise and exchanged a glance with Naru, who was still standing by the camera, pretending that he wasn't listening.
"You mean, you don't know?"
Slowly, Akira shook his head. "I have no clue how it happened." He grimaced. "To be honest, I barely even remember those days."
"That must be hard…"
"It is," said Akira. "Very hard. My son was only eight when he died and the girls were both ten when they passed a few years later. I…wish I'd been able to see them one last time, at least. I- I would have liked to be able to tell them how much I loved them."
Noticing the expression on Mai's face, Naru decided that it was time to get out of here. "Thank you, Kiyoshi-san," he said. "We'll be heading back to the Base now."
"Of course."
"Mai, come on." Taking Mai's hand, Naru led her out of the office, noticing and ignoring the saddened expression that crossed Akira's face when he heard Mai's name.
When they had made it down the hall and far out of earshot, Naru turned to Mai and gently, said, "Are you alright?"
Mai nodded, wiping away the few tears that had managed to escape during their short walk. "That was kinda hard," she admitted.
"I can imagine."
"But-" Mai looked up at him. "He said he doesn't know what happened, and that he barely even remembers those days. Does that mean he doesn't know that he was possessed and-and that he was the one who did it?"
"People rarely have any recollection of being possessed," said Naru. "I won't be surprised if he's suspicious of himself. I would be, in his case."
"Yeah," said Mai. "I guess the police aren't suspicious though. Maybe they were bribed into not investigating properly?"
"Perhaps," Naru agreed. "But I also won't be surprised if that has something to do with his name change. Seeing as there are no real records of Hideki Kiyoshi, it's unlikely the change was entirely legal."
Mai nodded, not sure what else to say to that. "So, what're we going to do?"
"I don't know yet," said Naru. "I'll have to see."
Placing a hand on the small of her back, Naru led Mai back to the Base in contemplative silence.
That's it for now. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!