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He checked on his assistant after he noted that it has been ten minutes after she left. She forgot to take the cup he used but he hardly saw anything since the cup was not directly attached to her. She seemed to have got home alright because he only saw bed sheets and yellow pajamas. He continued on with his work, typing the data gathered for that day and analyzed it.

She woke up with the sound of a muffled alarm clock. Through half-lidded eyes, she found it under her pillow. She thought it was funny. What a silly clock, hiding under my pillow when it's already 7:54 AM.

"Crap! I'm late again!" She just took a quick shower, the quickest shower as humanly possible and grabbed the shirt nearest to her. No time to find matching pants! So she just settled for a dress and flats. She knows it's inappropriate to go running about and for ghost hunting but if Hara-san can wear a kimono then, she's wearing a bright yellow sundress with a sweetheart neckline with short sleeves.

She ran for her life, just hoping that the dinner she made her boss would be enough to receive a little consideration from him. When she got to the base, she was panting and sweating profusely and was greeted by everyone. Damn it, why is everyone so early? This makes it too obvious that I'm late.

"You're late," the young man who was dressed in yet another black long sleeve shirt tucked under matching black trousers and black shoes announced.

She scratched a non-existent itch on her cheek, "I overslept."

He tore his eyes from the monitors to frown at his assistant; instead he just raised an eyebrow and eyed what she was wearing. It was too bright for his liking but seemed suitable for his assistant. "Your sleeping habits are none of my concern but you are expected to arrive to work at a definite time or are you too stupid to comply with these simple responsibilities?"

"I wasn't late yesterday and I just started working for you then!" Could he be so stuck-up that he can't let this one slip by him?

"I distinctly remember that you were also late for school yesterday but as a scientist, it is still early to conclude that you are always late but if my previous observations are correct, you will also be late tomorrow," he smirked.

"You bet your sweet ass that I won't be late tomorrow, Naru! Just you see," she glowered at him. Never have she been so pissed at anyone like this before.

"Now, now, kids. Playtime's over," the Monk intervened.

"Oh, Bou-san, your hair isn't tied up today," she pointed out.

"Bou-san? As in Mister Monk," he laughed. "You really got a way with nicknames, don't you, kid?"

"Then what does Naru mean?" Matzusaki-san asked, while checking her nails, not really looking interested.

The girl grinned at them then at her boss, "Naru short for Narcissist! Naru the Narcissist," she answered smugly.

Everyone thought it over momentarily then agreed.

"Seems appropriate."

"Seems about right."

Brown-san, on the other hand, was visibly uncomfortable and was just chuckling nervously. It was obvious that he did not enjoy wounding the narcissist. She understood that it was because he was a Catholic priest while Hara-san was just covering her mouth with her kimono sleeve. What's up with that? Oh, well. She thought she didn't need to see the other teenager's mouth just to know that she agrees.

Naru, on the other hand, just rolled his eyes at the informal baptism of his nickname. Pleased with everyone's reaction, she went up to her boss to observe the monitors with him. "Ne, Naru, there wasn't a chair there yesterday," she pointed at the screen that showed a chair in the middle of the classroom.

"Did anyone go to the room yesterday?" He received a resounding no from the makeshift team. He rewound the tape and found out that the chair moved exactly when the glass from the window shattered. Simultaneous gasps could be heard. They just stared at the screen until Naru decided to look at it again. He cursed himself for not noticing the chair yesterday.

"Was that a… ghost?" The brunette asked doubtfully.

"It looks to me like a poltergeist," Kuroda-san popped up out of nowhere.

"'Noisy ghost?'" Mai whispered to herself but the silence intensified every sound they made.

"They are manifestations that can influence and move objects," the teen draped in a long checkered A-line skirt that reached her ankles and a green sweater said while fixing her glasses, haughtily.

"That is correct, but I don't think that is what we are dealing with," Naru shot down the amateur. "Quite often objects that are manipulated by a poltergeist are warm to the touch. From the temperature readings picked up by the equipment, we can see that the chair is not radiating heat."

"E. Tisane," the brunette blurted out again. She mentally scolded herself for not having a filter.

"Who's that?" Bou-san asked. She looked at Naru and he just nodded. He was slightly impressed that the girl knew this much. She really does have a knack for the paranormal studies.

"E. Tisane was a French policeman who first classified poltergeists. Uhm, shaking objects, opening and closing of doors, making noises, knocking and so on which made up nine criteria in total," she told them what she read in books a while back.

"Woah, you really know your stuff, little lady," she smiled awkwardly at the praise.

"If we apply the phenomenon to the old schoolhouse, we could see that there have been a number of them to appear on the site," Naru exclaimed.

"That's right! We have doors closing, inanimate objects moving and glass breaking. We have three right there," Matsuzaki-san affirmed.

"But what about me getting attacked? That should be on the list too!" Kuroda-san butted in.

"That is merely your imagination," the medium placidly stated.

"Stop playing games with me and admit there's a ghost here that you failed to recognize!" Kuroda's hands made a fist at her sides while the medium walked in front of her.

"Hara-san." She understood what the young boss wanted her to do. The medium, however, was irritated by his claims thinking that her achievements alone should be enough basis for him to believe her. "I'm going on a final walkthrough and leaving after as I am absolutely sure that there are no spirits here."

"If we really are dealing with a spirit here, and Masako fails to sense them, that would be quite a shock," John finally spoke up about the matter.

"There is no evidence to prove that there are spirits here," Mai looked at her boss. Oh! He's defending Masako. Maybe her lame pick-up line worked in the end!

"You're just a sucker for a pretty face, Shibuya-san! Why else would you be sticking up for her?" Kuroda indicted.

He didn't even glance at the girl, "I am simply just familiar with Hara-san's work. I firmly believe that she is one of the best in her field. All I am doing is giving her the respect her title commands, and physical appearances play no part in that as I am uninterested in such trivial details."

"Mai, measure the rooms and corridors again and take their temperature," she gave him a salute and followed his orders.

"I'll help you with that Mai-san," Brown-san offered. She smiled kindly at him and handed him a measuring tape. They were almost out the door when they heard cracking sounds above them; they froze, not one even dared to breathe until they heard a scream.

"Masako!" They dashed over to see Masako on the ground. She fell from the second floor of the building but it was a good thing that the ground was relatively soft. An ambulance reached them in a few minutes while Ayako accompanied the young medium to the hospital.

The rest of the group went back to base. "This is getting serious. If there are no indications from the equipment then maybe we are dealing with a highly intelligent spirit who knows it's being hunted," the monk thought aloud.

"If that is so then Matsuzaki-san's exorcism just wounded the spirit, at best. I guess, it's my turn now," Brown-san looked to Naru for approval.

"Do as you wish but Hara-san herself said that she was being careless and it was an accident. The portion of the eastern wall that has been demolished was boarded up with weak plywood and by no means structurally sound. She must have leaned on it causing it to break under her weight," he impassively said.

"Did you just call Masako fat?! That's rude, Naru!" She scolded the young man. He just rolled his eyes at her while the others snickered slightly.

"Do you still think it's a residual haunting, Takigawa-san?"

"Of course, it is! How do you explain Matsuzaki-san being trapped in that room or I, being attacked upstairs? Something also moved the chair and broke the glass! I don't understand why you just can't accept that there is a ghost here!" He was losing patience with this girl, ignoring her

seems to be ineffective.

"There just isn't enough evidence to support that claim. There aren't temperature fluctuations, ionic polarizations and the EMF readings are normal. The proof just isn't there but if you could produce verifications out of thin air then please do. If you cannot, it would be better for you to just restrain yourself from speaking," he snapped at her. Mai could feel the tension in the room as she saw Kuroda biting her lip and fighting the urge to cry from frustration.

"So, Brown-san, what do you think?" She was desperate for a distraction.

"Well, while it is true that the equipment didn't pick up anything, I think it would be safe to perform an exorcism just in case," he friendly replied.

"What about you, Naru-bou? What do you think?" The teen just disregarded the honorific. He knew it was a kind of teasing.

"I'd like to hold off my opinion for now," he simply stated and walked out of the room. They just assumed that he went to check on the equipment.

"The kid knows how to put on a show will all these fancy gizmos but I'm curious if the boy wonder really knows what he's doing. What do you think?" Mai overheard Bou-san ask the young priest.

"I am not yet sure but he is serious about his work. Well, I better get started then," Brown-san's eyes showed determination though he was smiling kindly.

On one of the screens, Brown-san was showed at the center of an old classroom wearing a black clerical robe that went down to his ankles with a violet stole draped around his neck reaching the top of his thighs. He was also wearing a rosary on his neck and carrying a bible. He looked nowhere near 19 years old.

Ayako has returned from the hospital and reported that Hara-san was fine and resting. They were all at the base watching Brown-san on the monitor as he started to pray.

"The teenage exorcist finally makes his appearance," Bou-san commented.

"Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name," he was spurting water from a white bottle.

"Is that water?" Kuroda asked. "It's holy water," Mai answered, not taking her eyes away from the screen.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," he read from the bible but was slightly shaken when he started to hear scraping sounds. Mai turned up the volume. He just resumed, "All things were made by the Word, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In the Word was life; the Word was in the world, and the world was made by the Word, and the world knew not the Word."

She looked closer at the screen and hey eyes widened. The ceiling. "The Word came unto his own, and his own received him not." She all of a sudden rushed out of the room.

"Hey, little lady! Where are you going?" Bou-san called after her but he wasn't in earshot anymore. They just heard her shouting at John from the monitors.

"John!" He stopped to look at her. "Mai-san?"

"Look out! The ceiling's coming down!" She entered the room and grabbed his hand before the ceiling came crashing down while the people at the base were at the edge of their seats from what they were watching.

They immediately went upstairs to check on the two teenagers. They found them on the floor, barely recovered from the incident. They helped them up and the two started dusting off their clothes. They went in and started to inspect the area when they heard a distant clacking of shoes.

"What happened here?" It was Bou-san who explained what happened to the young boss.

"If Mai-san hadn't reacted so quickly, I would have been seriously injured," he looked at the girl and bowed. "Thank you, Mai-san," the girl, in turn, blushed and waved off the gesture saying she was just trying to help.

Naru entered the classroom, shining the flashlight on the ruins of the ceiling. "In the interest of safety, I think we should call it a night. Mai, you can go home."

"Well, I wouldn't argue with that. I'd be back bright and early tomorrow then," the priestess announced.

"Just admit you're scared," the monk teased but followed her out.

"Seeing that I almost lost my head there, I'll be calling it a night too," John waved goodbye.

"The spirits are getting more powerful," Kuroda declared.

"It's late, Kuroda-san, I'll walk out with you," Mai offered, knowing that Naru could snap again at the poor but delusional girl.

She hurried home again but she arrived later than yesterday so she just changed and made tea. She opted to get take out instead since she didn't have the time and it was sort of nice to have someone to talk to while eating. She just bought two boxes of sushi then made her way to the van.

"Naru?" She called. She didn't see him at the back of the van. He went out of the school covered in dirt. "Ne, what happened Naru?" She walked up to him and inspected him for injuries.

"I was just inspecting the room from earlier when the rest of the ceiling gave out. What are you doing here, Mai?" He wasn't really expecting her tonight since it was late.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Did anything fall on you?" She stood on her tiptoes and cupped his face turning his head side to side then grabbed his shoulders and turned him. He just let her though he was tensed at the touch. He was never one for physical contact. She must have noticed after she had inspected him since she backed away a few steps. "Sorry, but it's a good thing there are no visible injuries. Does anything hurt?"

"I'm fine, Mai. I can take care of myself. I'll ask you once more, what are you doing here?"

She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him, "Well, I'm sorry for being worried about you, you big emotionless narcissistic jerk!"

"Why are you here, Mai?" He was losing patience. Repeating himself was not something he found pleasurable.

Mai just pouted and pointed to the takeout boxes. "I brought dinner." They walked over to the food and sat down. Again? "If I remember correctly, you told me that you had a budget to keep. Why do you insist on bringing me dinner? From the looks of it, this was bought rather than made which would fair more costly than home-cooked."

She was tired so, she just retorted weakly. "Glad you appreciate it. I hardly see you drinking or eating anything, you must be hungry so just accept this act of kindness and stuff your face."

"My, that's an elegantly crafted sentence," she just grinned at him returning her sarcasm. They started eating again in silence. "Tea," it wasn't a request, it was demand. She was slightly irritated. "How did you know I made tea?"

"I didn't but you are fairly easy to read," he said coolly. She rolled her eyes, "Stupid evil narcissistic know-it-all." He just smirked, as expected.

She handed her him his tea. "So, what do you think happened earlier?" He let the aroma of freshly brewed Earl Grey tea permeate his nostrils then took a sip. "I am still not sure but the equipment's results are definite, it is not a work of a spirit. And you? What has your very few brain cells concocted?"

She glared at him but she looked thoughtful for a minute. "The floors are uneven and the building is old so it is understandable that the foundation is weak. The timing of it all is what fascinates me, and that chair moving."

"Do you think it's a poltergeist?" She started to gather the takeout containers while he started typing on his laptop again.

"I don't know. I read about poltergeists a long time ago and can barely recall it. From what I remember, poltergeists can be a form of unconscious telekinesis, right?" She looked at him while he was doing his thinking pose – hand on chin, other hand on elbow while looking at the ground. "There are a few chapters about poltergeists on that book you borrowed, read it and feel free to ask questions… if your brain fails to understand."

"You know what mystifies me the most? How can someONE LIKE YOU CONTINUOUSLY THROW INSULTS AT ME AFTER I'VE BEEN NICE TO YOU?! DON'T YOU HAVE AN OUNCE OF KINDNESS OR EVEN MANNERS IN YOUR BODY?!" Smoke was probably coming out of her nose and ears.

"There's no need to shout, Mai. I am at most three feet away from you, and I am not deaf." He was taunting her.

"Really! I have never despised anyone this instantly!" She was aggravated but all she can do was pout.

"You should go home, Mai. If my hypothesis is correct, you will be tardy tomorrow. You wouldn't want that, would you?" He smirked. He was challenging the young immature girl. Of course, she will fall into his trap.

"Fine! Have fun talking to an old building! I hope you catch a cold, narcissist!" She huffed and started walking away when she was stopped by the wrist. He handed her money, "Here."

"Eh? What is this for?"

"For the food."

"You don't have to pay for the food, it's my treat!"

"Then, it's an act of kindness. Take it."

"But Naru! This is too much."

"Use the rest to buy tea. I fancy tea tomorrow."

"Slave driver!"

"You're going to be late tomorrow." That was the last straw; she took back her wrist, stuck her tongue out and ran home. She had something to prove to her arrogant boss the next morning and she can't do that if she was sleep-deprived.

It was dark but she didn't mind. She felt a sense of content; she finished what she came here for after all. She was crossing the street, not bothering looking around since it was almost 3 in the morning and the streets were pretty much deserted. She was humming idly while her hands were casually in her pockets. It was late October and it was fairly freezing.

She heard a screech and light assaulted her eyes. The next she knows is that she was on the ground, the cold having no mercy on her. The pain was excruciating but she couldn't find it in herself to scream. She didn't have enough energy to call out to anyone. She heard footsteps, clacking of heels. She heard muffled sobs and hysterical cries of apologies over and over again from the woman wearing a green skirt staring at her mangled body. "Help," was all she managed to say before the woman ran back to her vehicle.

She heard the vehicle roar once again. Was the woman leaving her there to die? Maybe she was going to get help. Her wishful thinking was disrupted when mind-numbing pain covered her body. She felt her knees giving out; she was never going to walk again. She felt her rib bones break; she was never going to survive this, not for long. She was still conscious but was paralyzed by the pain. She was mentally cursing herself; she searched her mind for any indication earlier that day that it will come down to this.

She was wrapped in a yellow cloth. She couldn't distinguish the material but assumed that it was kind of rug. The woman dragged her body to her car; her labored breath accompanied the sound her shoes made. She was in the trunk, she expected.

The car stopped. This was it, she thought. She was praying for her family, for her friends, her workmates, that they would be okay after she had left this world. She cried, although no tears fell. Her body was no longer reacting to commands from her brain. "I can't believe I'm doing this to you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to see this. I'm sorry you had to feel this. I'm sorry that you're the one who has to tell mother and father. I'm sorry. It turns out I'm stupid after all. Tell mum and dad that I'm sorry."

Before she knew it, they were in the middle of a lake. The woman seemed to know that there was a boat around here. She felt piercing pain when her body hit the unforgiving water. She felt her consciousness slipping, as well as the oxygen in her deformed lungs. She was completely numb, couldn't move even if she wanted to, and couldn't cry even if she needed to. This was it for her. She resigned to her fate. "I'm sorry for giving up like this but there's no way to fight anymore. It's sad that you'll see me at my weakest. I hate to admit defeat but you're right. I love you, you idiot. Tell mum and dad I am proud to call them my parents."

Mai woke up sometime after 3:40 in the morning. She just cried until she couldn't anymore. She didn't understand the dream but she would think about it later. Right now, she felt like a broken ragdoll. Apart from the pain she felt physically that made her insides shake, the emotional torture from her dreams had a heavier toll on her. She felt the love bleeding out of her; she felt guilt from not finding the will to live. She was wretched from leaving everyone she ever loved. She was shivering although it was April. Her breath was uneven and quickened that she soon was breathless but she didn't move. She just sat on her bed, hugging her knees, weeping for someone else's lost.

She didn't fall asleep after that. After she had stopped crying, the pain never left her. Her alarm clock went off and she just turned it off. Her body seemed to be in autopilot as she took a bath and dressed. She didn't bother to prepare breakfast since she knows that she would just throw up but she did prepare tea as per her boss request.

She was dressed in khaki pants and a black long sleeve shirt. She was mourning, so it seems. Her mind still didn't want to process her dreams. One too many emotions still occupied it while her body still was lightly shivering.

She had no idea how she reached the old schoolhouse but she was 20 minutes early. No one else was in the base and some of the equipment were packed up. She went to the van to find her boss sleeping, his back leaning to the van while his head was hanging. His suit jacket covered him. She didn't have the heart to wake him up or tease the young boss today. She was both physically and emotionally drained.

Mai just sat in the space left in the van. She stared at her boss and another course of pain struck her heart for an unknown reason. She closed her eyes and let tears flow until she drifted into sleep.

He woke up a few seconds before his assistant to a red-haired woman and long-haired blonde both clearing their throats. When did she get here? She opened her eyes and stared at the miko then the black-clad director. She was dazed from sleeping and didn't notice that she was staring.

"Mai, it's rude to stare." He then noticed that her eyes were lined with red puffiness.

"I was not staring! I was just half asleep, you big jerk!" She replied the best she can even though she was still exhausted from this morning.

"Seems someone had a rough night," the miko commented. She assumed she was talking to her since she knows she looked horrible while her boss still looked sharp and handsome as ever. It was unfair, really. She slept in a bed, showered and got dress properly while her boss slept in the back of a van in yesterday's clothes and still he looked immaculate.

"It looks like someone's trying to leave early," the monk chimed it.

"Oh, there you are. I saw some of the equipment packed up," John walked over to the rest of the group.

"You're right," he answered plainly. His assistant on the other hand got out of the van and stretched.

"What does this mean, Naru?" She was confused like the others.

"I'm leaving because I determined the case as solved."Huh?

"You exorcised the whole schoolhouse on your own?" Bou-san was clearly lost.

"No, I didn't. There was no need to do so." I think this guy needs some facial exercise or something. His face muscles must be stiff from not being used.

"What do you mean?" It was Bou-san who asked again.

"Last night, I compiled all the results of my and Mai's measurements with comparison to the original blueprint of the building," he was tapping away at his keyboard then showed it to the group. "These are some surveying results."

Mai looked at the graph one by one then gasped. "The schoolhouse is sinking?" There was a chorus of "What?!" from the three others.

"Yes, in fact, it sunk 0.2 inches last night."

"It's land subsidence?" Mai asked, they all looked at her. He was again surprised by his assistant. She seems more capable than I thought. He bit down the urge to make a satirical comment about this since he was still explaining to three clueless idiots.

"Yes, Mai. It is." She looked thoughtful.

"So what? You think subsidence is to blame for all the phenomena we experienced?" The miko challenged.

"It's enough explanation as it is. I remember this area being a reclaimed swampland which means the soil here is weak to begin with," Mai was the one to answer. They looked at her again. "What? I do use my brain, you know."

"When I looked in the distribution of wells that were once in use, I discovered a large aqua tunnel that passed underneath the schoolhouse," he showed them a geographical map of the area and the tunnels. "But when I checked the wells around the area, I found them all to be mostly dry which led Mai to the correct conclusion. Since the water dried up, there is a hollowing effect happening underground so, naturally the structure built above it will be sinking."

"That explains the chair moving and the ceiling collapsing. I'm guessing that the eastern end of the classroom where the ceiling collapsed is lower that the west end. Is that right, Naru?"

"Yes, it is lower by three inches. It looks like you're less stupid when you don't get enough sleep," he smirked at her. She just narrowed her eyes at him. I'm helping you explain, you dummy!

"Seems like structural failure to me," Bou-san wondered aloud.

"What about the strange noises?" The miko asked.

"It was probably the sound of the building warping. We should have the surrounding area declare it off-limits. It's so structurally unsound that it may collapse any day now," he said closing his laptop and turning his head to look at the old schoolhouse.

The group seems to accept his reasoning since they didn't ask any more questions after that. They just went to the base and helped pack the remaining materials. Mai was plugging cables out of the monitors when she heard footsteps. They turned around and saw Kuroda. She internally groaned.

Kuroda was appalled to see the sight before her. They're leaving without solving it? "What's happening?! I demand to know what's happening!"

"You have no right to demand anything from us," Naru didn't even glance at her.

"Kuroda-san, it was land subsidence. They'll be leaving now since it's not paranormal," Mai explained calmly but Kuroda was still staring angrily at her boss' back.

"This can't be it! Land subsidence doesn't explain what attacked me!" She was desperate for answers.

This time, Naru did look at her, calm and detached. "If what you're saying is true, then maybe it's work of a floating specter that's following you." She was silent for a moment before pleading again. "I'm not lying! Something did attack me! You got to believe me!" She was dully ignored.

"So you're really leaving, huh? Oh that reminds me," she pulled out her insulated bottle and mug. "I wasn't late today and I made you tea," she grinned at him.

"So it seems that you didn't sleep at all," he took the cup of tea and leaned on the wall.

She quietly seethed then felt weirdly nostalgic. "I guess my dream's sort of short-lived." He looked at her. What is she talking about? "I mean, here we are in a creepy old schoolhouse that you'd just assume it's haunted. Not to mention all the ghost stories I've heard about this place. It's kind of romantic in a way," he wanted to smile at that but resisted. Leave it to his assistant to find true to life ghost stories as romantic. She was fiddling with her fingers while she was smiling at the floor. "Now, I don't like the idea of people dying here but the ghost stories really gave this place a sense of mystery and fun."

"But there is a spirit here, I just know it!" She was pulled out of her musing as everybody else who was listening to her.

Naru glared at the girl. He has had enough. "There isn't. I have scientific evidence to support my claim. If you strongly believe that there are spirits here then exorcise them yourself. That shouldn't be a problem with your so-called strong spiritual abilities. As for me, I am leaving since there's nothing left to investigate here," the spite was evident in his voice.

"You're all fools!" Kuroda shouted to the room. Just then, the glass started breaking and shattering towards her. Rapping sounds began and the room was shaking.

"Knocking sounds! That's another criteria!" Ayako shouted. The doors started to violently open and close by themselves. "We need to get out of here, now!" Monk was gathering everyone.

"What about the doors?" Mai was trying to keep herself calm. Monk then grabbed a chair and destroyed a window allowing them to up out from there. They were all covered in cold sweat from panic when they got out of the building. It stopped shaking and the knocking ceased after a few minutes.

Ayako checked Kuroda's injuries and said that they weren't too deep. She wrapped her handkerchief on the girl's bleeding hand.

"What was that?! And don't try and sell me that land subsidence theory, that was a full on poltergeist!" Monk was furious. He was about to believe a kid.

"And those sounds were not merely the building creaking. Something was definitely banging on the wall! For a minute there, you had me believing you. Goes to show that you can't depend everything on technology," Ayako added.

"That means that we've already experience four out of the nine criteria laid out by Tisane," John was still calm.

"Seems like someone bit out more than he could chew. Leave it to the professionals, kid," Monk said as he was walking away.

"You better just go back to school," Ayako supplemented.

That was it, Mai can't hold out any longer. She was furious as her knuckles were white. "Then by all means, explain what just happened! All you did here was complain and doubt Naru when you can't even come up with an explanation. All you had were baseless assumptions! You go around saying you're professionals but had nothing to offer. If it were a spirit then not only did you fail to identify it, you failed to exorcise it as well! Don't blame your lack of ethics and capabilities on someone who didn't fail to give you evidences on his claim! Not everyone gives petty excuses like you two!" She spat out while the two was just frozen in place.

The priestess was about to turn to glare at the girl but when she saw her eyes, she knew she couldn't win. Monk on the other hand felt guilty and didn't dare to look at her. They won't admit it but she was right. They have been told off by a high school student.

"Tss." They continued to walk away. She took calming breaths to slow down her racing heart. She looked at Kuroda, "Are you okay?" The other girl nodded. "I think you should go home," her voice was soft but there was a tone that said you shouldn't argue with her.

She then faced Naru's back. He was still looking at the schoolhouse with clenched fists. She noticed it was bleeding. She walked over to him, "Naru, your hand is-"

"It's nothing serious. Tend to Kuroda-san, instead," his voice was colder.

"But-"

"I will be fine, Mai."

"Naru-"

His shoulders were tensed and his voice was louder, "I would appreciate it if you left me alone for a little while… I'm so mad at myself I could throw up."

"No!" He sent her an icy look but she matched it. "You could be mad at yourself later; I need to clean your wound. I'll leave you alone after!" She pulled on his wrist. He was going to force it back but her grip tightened. Her rage wasn't because of him, he knows. She was angry for him.

She tended to his wound at the back of the van with the small first aid kit. They were silent and they could feel the negative aura coming from the both of them, they were both enraged yet she was still gentle in cleaning and dressing up his wound.

She took another bottle from her bag and handed it to him. It was tea. "You could go after you had a cup. I don't want you unleashing your rage on someone else or yourself. You shouldn't do anything stupid just because you're mad at yourself," she was looking at the ground but she was still fuming.

"I don't do anything stupid, unlike you." Instead of being riled up, she visibly relaxed. "Oh great narcissist, you have graced us again with your presence," she smirked at him while he rolled her eyes in response.

He stood up and started to walk away but stopped in his tracks. "Thank you, Mai." She felt her heart stop when he said those words. I didn't think gratitude was in his vocabulary. She then chuckled lightly at the retreating form of her boss. He isn't so bad. Not at all.

Naru was out of sight within seconds. Mai contemplated what she should do. Should I go home or should stick around?

"Hey, Mai-san," it was John. She forgot that he was still somewhere near the old schoolhouse. She was sure that he was shocked with her outburst.

"Brown-san, gomen-"

"You really believe him, don't you?" He asked smiling at the far off space.

"Yes, I trust his judgment," she answered back smiling at the same space.

"May I ask why?" This time, he looked at me.

"I just do. So far, he hasn't done anything to make me believe otherwise and… I just feel something within me, like in the depths of my soul, that I'm supposed to trust him, with my life even." Then the girl awkwardly laughed. "I don't know, it doesn't make sense but that's what my gut is telling me."

"What is your gut telling you now?"

"That I should do something to help Naru," she answered automatically. She was surprised that the words came out easily when she was undecided a while ago. She smiled at him.

"I saw you struggling earlier so, I thought I'll lend you a hand. It's the least I can do." John was really gentle and kind. He seemed to glow even. "So, what should we do first?"

She thought for a second. "I guess we should set up cameras at the room where the chair moved, with microphones this time." He nodded and helped the girl with the equipment.

When they were done setting up at the classroom, they set up a few monitors at the base after cleaning it a little bit so shards of glass and wood were out of the way. The door opened; they were wordlessly hoping it was Naru. He had been gone for quite some time.

"So I see that you're still buying your boss' explanation?" The miko was there again, along with the monk who was dressed in a white kesa or Kashaya over a blue robe with a white kimono under.

She was still peeved at them so she decided to take a different approach. "If you have any evidences that an evil spirit, please let me see, I would like to validate your claim," she was calm and collected which she knows made her terrifying. It was like how adults talked to small children. It was composed with an undertone of danger. She was challenging them.

The miko growled at her. The young lady looked at her and smirked. Gotcha. The miko stormed out followed by the monk who just shot her an apologetic look. You better come back here soon, Naru. I don't know how long I can hold the fort.

She heard chanting at a distant but ignored it. She was firm to believe that there were no spirits there so it was useless. She was about to check on the cameras they have set up on the second floor when she met John at the base of the stairs. "I just checked the cameras, Mai-san. Don't worry about it. I'm just going around the schoolhouse for a bit."

She nodded, "Well, okay. Be careful." She heard the front door open.

"Is Shibuya-san not here yet?" It was Kuroda-san, she seemed calmer than earlier but Mai didn't want to deal with her now.

"No. Not yet," was her curt reply.

"What's happening now?"

"The others are making rounds. Bou-san is performing an exorcism in that room."

"It's not doing anything. They're still here." Kuroda had her eyes closed as if concentrating.

"Please, the expulsion was a success," the miko went out of the room and leaned on the wall.

"Like I've never heard that before," was the brunette's snarky reply.

"Well, this time. It really did work, okay?" The red woman was flustered and her retort had less flare than she intended.

"Her exorcism might've failed but this time, I know mine did it."

"Excuse me?!" The anger directed to Monk was more intense.

"Well, it's true. Isn't it?"

"Don't credit for my work!" Jeez, and they're supposed to be the adult figures here. The Monk and the miko just kept arguing. Mai was going to have another outburst when they heard footsteps… on the second floor.

They were still for a moment, listening intently. They were sure nobody was there. John in particular since he just went on rounds and got back. It was just as if someone was walking right above them then the sounds they heard were multiple steps, it seemed like a crowd were running down the hallways of the second floor.

Bou-san ran up the stairs to check and hopefully catch the person on the act. They just watched his back running up the stairs.

He looked around. "Is anyone there?" There was no answer. There wasn't ample light but if I figure was there, he would at least recognize it.

He retreated back to where the others were. "There was nobody up there. It must've been our imagination."

"That's crazy! All of us imagined it? I definitely heard something and I'm sure it was the spirits!" Kuroda exclaimed, her right hand clutching the front of her shirt.

She was sure somebody was going to retort and argue with her but the room suddenly started shaking. They heard knocking sounds all over the building that seems to be getting louder and louder, along with their heartbeats. One by one, the temporary lights they've installed shattered to pieces covering them in utter darkness.

"Mai, get out of here!" The girl conceded and grabbed Kuroda on the way out of the door. Pieces of the ceiling began to crack and debris started falling on them. They were hardly making their way to the doors with the little aid they got from the moonlight. Intuition and common sense did not mean they coexist in one human being: that she learned in her years of accidentally falling off, falling down, slipping and whatnot. She tripped on her other foot and lost her balance. The building continued shaking and the banging on the walls were louder. She fell with a loud thud before she could recover, she sensed the movement beside her and through a rush of adrenaline, she managed to lift her arms to shield her face before an old shoe cabinet fell on her. She felt something warm before she passed out from panic and pain.

She was lying on the ground, still dazed. She saw a familiar figure above her. "Naru?" She tried to sit up, only to be pushed gently back down. He smiled at her. He seemed softer and kinder than when they first met. "You just rest, go back to sleep." She wondered aloud, although weakly. "What's with you? Why are you acting so nice?" He just gave him another smile. It easily warmed her up and returned it. "You're more handsome when you smile." She didn't mind that under normal consequences, she would have been embarrassed possibly to death to admit his good looks but this was somehow different. He didn't seem aloof or detached. She closed her eyes, still smiling and fell into another unconscious state.