Disclaimer: Santa wasn't kind enough to give me the rights to Ghost Hunt.

Make sure to check the previous chapter because all the installments are done! I'm looking forward to comments and reviews by the way! It's getting kinda lonely.

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 her 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.

"Hey, little lady, wake up!" She heard a familiar voice called. She woke up to see three blurry images: a blonde, a dirty blonde and a red head. She smudged the sleep and confusion out of her eyes.

"What-" Her throat was dry and her voice was raspy. How long was I out? Another figure appeared in her vision. He handed her a bottle of water which she gingerly accepted. She gulped down the contents and thanked the man. "Thank you, Lin-san," she smiled at him and he acknowledged with a slight nod.

"We thought you were a goner," said the Monk. He was teasing but felt like genuinely concerned.

"You really had us worried there," this time it was the miko who spoked softly. She just gave them an apologetic smile.

"What time is it?"

"You were out cold for quite a while. It's a few minutes before 5." She sat up and straightened out her clothes before handing the monk his jacket.

"Did Naru ever come back?" The look on their faces were all the answers she needed. So it was a dream. Figures, the narcissist king himself won't smile like that. It was a pretty amazing sight though. What imagination I have. Still, it doesn't mean she couldn't be disappointed, "Oh."

"Where's Kuroda-san?"

"She went home which come to think of it, isn't a bad idea. The exorcisms didn't have any effect at all," the miko was looking downward while holding her chin.

"You're running away?" She huffed.

"Might I remind you that it was your own boss that ran away first?!"

"Lin-san is here so it means he's just off doing some research or something," she narrowed her eyes at her. She didn't really know why his other assistant was there but she hoped he wasn't there to pack up and leave for their boss.

"If I know, he's at home crying since last night," the miko was really sometimes unreasonable. Although that would be an amusing scene to see.

"I don't need to tell you how ridiculous that sounds."

"Well, maybe he ran away because we were kind of ganging up on him yesterday."

"Yes, you did but remember that we're talking about the most swollen-headed, self-assured, stuck-up, world's-greatest-holier-than-thou narcissist," she pointed out.

"That's quite a colorful vocabulary to describe your boss," Monk grinned at her and returned the gesture.

"Maybe Shibuya-san went home and made straw effigy dolls in his rage," John suggested and they just stared at him and started to laugh. He isn't that petty.

"Oh, damn it! I have school today! Well, see you later!" Running was not new to her but she seemed to be doing more of it these last few days. Before scurrying away, she first looked for Lin-san who was inside the van, typing again. I hope he wasn't transcribing our conversations.

"Lin-san, uhm, could you deliver a message to Naru for me?" The stoic man looked at her and it made her flinch. She was already used to Naru's intimidating demeanor but she needs a few more days to get used to Lin-san's. "Ano, tell him that the shoe cabinet was warm when it fell on me," she wondered if she should explain what she meant but he gave her a knowing nod and dismissed her by typing again. She gave him a slight bow and continued her sprinting.

This girl is interesting. She seems to know her way around. I wonder what the chances are that the young idiotic scientist meeting her.

She bathed and changed into school uniform with ease. She wanted to make tea but she didn't have the time for that or breakfast. She hadn't eaten since last night and her stomach was voicing its rants. She reached school with a few minutes to spare and her friends bolted to her sides once they saw her come in.

"Mai, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Michiru's acting like a protective mother hen again.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us about the old schoolhouse!" Keiko's like the bratty sister she never had.

"What?"

"Kuroda-san's been bragging about it all morning. She said you got hurt," Michiru answered with a slight sneer.

"But guess what happened to us!" Keiko squealed. Hot guy alert.

"What happened?" I've given up on guessing a long time ago.

"Shibuya-san called us up out of nowhere! We talked all night! Well, more like ten minutes but we talked," Michiru joined Keiko who was floating in midair.

She grabbed Keiko's shoulders. She'll deal with the fact that Naru, her boss was out and about talking to high school girls while she was busy working for him. "He called? What did he say? When was this? He was missing since yesterday!" Her friends could tell that she was worried and a little ticked off so they came back down to Earth.

"Last night. We just talked about random stuff, this and that, the old schoolhouse." She let go of Keiko's shoulders and tried to appease herself. It's for research. Damn hell, it should be for research!

"Yeah, but he did ask a lot of questions about Kuroda-san," Michiru's confusion was also evident in her voice. It's for research, it's for research, it's for research and he was not just doing that to flirt and get information on Kuroda.

"I would like to perform an experiment on everybody who was involved in the case." He gave the man in charge a black folder. "They are namely Matsuzaki-san, Takigawa-san, Brown-san, Hara-san, Kuroda-san and Mai." The principal did not miss the sense of familiarity between the young ghost hunter and the high schooler.

"Do as you please, as long as we are able to demolish the old schoolhouse as soon as possible," the principal answered.

"I already had my other assistant contact the others. The ones left to be given noticed would be your students."

"I will see to it at once," the principal called in his assistant and told her to fetch Yukimura-sensei for him. "May I ask who your other assistant is? I was under the impression that Taniyama-san was your only assistant at the moment."

"Mai is rather a new recruit under specific circumstances. I had given my other assistant Lin Koujo days off as of late." The old man smiled kindly at him, as if he was reliving a memory. He looked at him curiously but kept his face impassive.

"I had rather grown fond of Taniyama-san myself. Life was not kind to her but she still finds reasons to smile and laugh. Actually, I think it's not just me. The whole faculty had come to admire her. We tried to help her as best we could but she always refused, saying that she doesn't want anyone to pity her," he smiled at the recollection.

"What do you mean?"

"I know I am not in any place to tell you this but Taniyama-san is an orphan. She has been supporting herself for years now. The school is sympathetic to people like her so we allowed her to take jobs and have flexible school hours. That is why I would like to thank you, Shibuya-san." He looked to the younger male. "Recently, she has been fired from her previous job so she was struggling but I assure you, she is hardworking and honest."

"I came to treat her as my own daughter, heaven knows she deserved to be taken care of," he smiled then bowed slightly. "I leave her to you. Please take care of her."

He could see how dear his assistant was to the man. He respected her more after hearing a bit of her life. He nodded at the old man and the other felt relieved. Yukimura-sensei's voice asked for entrance behind closed doors. He was followed in by the other members of the team. The principal instructed Yukimura-sensei to call Kuroda and Mai while the young boss told the team to take a seat.

Yukimura-sensei entered the classroom and the students began to settle in. "Kuroda-san, Taniyama-san, come to the principal's office," she hadn't even put her bag down but obeyed anyway.

They were in front of the principal's office debating what's in store for them behind the doors. Mai decided to knock and peek in slightly. She saw that the others were there and there were only two seats left vacant. Her boss was also present which didn't really surprise her. She smiled sheepishly at them and made her way to one of the empty seats with Kuroda behind her.

"This will only take a few minutes," the young boss said as he started to close the drapes. It slightly annoyed her that he acted like nothing had happen on the day before but dismissed it since this was work-related.

He then turned on the contraption in front of them which made it glow a red light. The light slowly fades in then fades out. "I'd like everyone to focus on the light." They followed.

"Control your breathing so that it's in sync with the light," he further instructed. This is strange, I feel sleepy looking at it.

"Very slowly. Breathe. Relax your shoulders," his voice was lower and she could barely hear it.

"Concentrate on your breathing." She complied through heavy eyes. I must be tired because of what happened yesterday.

"Now, start counting your breaths. One, two, three…" He sounded like he was drifting away from her or was it the other way around? His voice was almost inaudible.

"Tonight, the chair in the old schoolhouse will move." Chair?

"Tomorrow night, we will all meet at the laboratory." Chair… Laboratory… She was about to completely close her eyes when a blinding light startled her. She adjusted her eyes and found that everybody else was confused too. What was that?

"That's all. You may go back to your rooms or things you would normally do this hour." The jerk didn't even say thank you.

"I'm sleepy," the monk yawned. Not minding that the principal was just right there.

"Me too," the priestess rubbed her eyes. Everybody stood up to leave. Mai on the other hand followed her boss out.

"Hey, Naru! Where did you go yesterday?" She was more curious than annoyed.

"Here and there. I heard from Lin that you got hurt," he looked at her briefly then continued walking.

"Well, yeah. Did Lin-san tell you my message?"

"Yes. It was useful. Now, stop following me around and go to class."

"It can wait. I have one more question to ask."

"Skipping class? Are you deliberately trying to be stupid?" He inwardly smirked. He hadn't tease her in hours.

"Am not! It's just that… Did you come back last night?" Although she already knew the answer.

"To the school? No. Why?" They were at the entrance and he was putting on his shoes.

"Oh," still it was still a shock. "No reason. Okay, bye. Take care." He gave her a calculated gaze before stepping out the door. So it was just a dream? When did he enter my subconscious thoughts? Ne, it means I was just dreaming of my jerk of a boss! It would inflate his already swollen ego if he knew! She vowed to keep the dream to herself as long as she lived.

After class, she went straight to the van. She didn't see the tall raven-haired man anymore. She was left alone with her boss. I was dreaming of him just a while ago. She unconsciously reminded herself. She chastised her inner self, saying that the memory and any thought related to it should be buried. She didn't realize what her physical body was doing while she was commanding her thoughts.

"Mai, I told you that it's rude to stare." She just blinked at him a few times before she realized she was indeed staring.

"It's not like I meant to, jerk! I was just thinking!" She glared at him.

"I didn't realize you were capable of such as action," he smirked.

"Jerk! I even thought to set up cameras and a microphone on the second floor yesterday while you were gone. You wouldn't be watching and listening to any footage right now if it wasn't for me!" She boasted. About time, I one up you.

"I think my genius have rubbed up on you. Nevertheless, the equipment picked up some interesting sounds." Arggghhh!

She was about to retaliate when she caught sight of a blonde. "Oh, hey John, what are you doing here?" I guess it's okay to drop honorifics. We're kind of friends now, I guess.

"I asked him to help us with an experiment. Shall we?" He handed Mai a few lighter materials while John and he carried the heavier ones. They reached the second floor and entered the laboratory classroom. He placed a chair in the middle of the room and asked Mai to draw a circle around it with a chalk while John set up a camera in front of it. He was setting up the radar when his assistant came to observe.

"What is that for?"

"This is a radar."

"That's not what I asked, jerkface." Ha!

"It's crucial to the experiment that I don't tell you."

"But I'm your assistant!"

"Yes, and as my assistant, you shall board up the windows and doors of the room with the plywood over there." He handed her a small hammer. She felt a vein pop in her head. She considered ramming her boss' skull with the hammer he gave her. She stomped and walked away.

She took out all her frustration and annoyance about her boss on the plywood.

"Stupid-" Pound.

"Secretive-" Pound.

"Arrogant-" Pound.

"Self-absorbed-" Pound, pound.

"Narcissistic-" Pound.

He could hear every word that accompanied every clack of the hammer to the nail. His assistant found it necessary to release all her pent up frustration using the tools he gave her. It was amusing for him to watch how determined she was to hurt the nail. He chuckled internally at how immature the girl was. She exhausted her vocabulary after boarding up the windows and doors. It gave her some relief.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes, I doubt anybody could pry these boards open with Mai-san's… passionate hammering," the blonde smiled at the young boss.

He held out a red and black marker. "Sign your names on the boards. Make it big." Mai rolled her eyes at him but grabbed the marker. They were done after a few minutes. He put a large white paper and taped it between two boards where the door was before. "After you sign your name here, you can go home, Brown-san."

The blonde nodded while the brunette just assumed there was more work for her to do. She quietly cursed. She was so pissed at her boss that killing him tonight was not so out of the question. John bid them goodbye a few minutes after they finished preparing everything on the second floor.

"What else should I do for you, your majesty?"

"Lead me to your home."

"Eh? Why?"

He shrugged, "Impromptu home inspection."

"That's a lame excuse," she crossed her arms above her chest.

It was really an impulse. After hearing stories about her life, he wanted to check her living conditions to know how she was doing. "It is what it is. As your boss, I need to know your state of living."

She gauged his expression. He was giving her nothing to work with. If he was lying, she couldn't tell yet so she just sighed in defeat, "Fine." He locked the van and they walked silently. She was walking a few steps ahead of him while he was assessing the neighborhood she lived in. They were in front of a grocery store when she grabbed his wrist. "What-"

"You're staying for dinner, right?" She gave him a sly grin so he just let her drag him around while jumping from aisle to aisle for ingredients. She didn't miss the glares thrown at her by the female community and the lustful stares and squeals they gave her boss.

When they reached the counter, he refused her to pay. After checking out their purchases, they walked silently again before reaching an old apartment building. They entered and she took her key out of her bag and slid it into the keyhole.

She turned on all the lights and went straight to the kitchen. "This would take time so, just sit on the couch while you wait. The bathroom's down the hall if you need to use it." He observed the small apartment. Considering she lived alone, the size was okay. Still, a 16-year old girl shouldn't be living alone at all.

She was busy in the kitchen while he looked around. The apartment was clean but it didn't pass his standards. He was always called a neat freak. She had a small television, a small refrigerator and almost every necessary appliance. He found the book she borrowed on top of the coffee table.

"Oh yeah, I finished the book. The author was brilliant like you said." She must have forgotten all her frustrations since she put a cup of tea in front of him. She scooted back into the kitchen and continued cooking. The air smelled of miso soup and tempura.

"Uhm, Naru," she called from the kitchen. He followed her voice. "Do you mind setting the table?" He shook his head slightly and she pointed at the cupboards. He proceeded to the small dining table and set the plates and utensils. He noticed that there was a picture frame on the table. It was of a male and a female and a new born baby.

"Those are my parents," she smiled at him while setting down the dishes she prepared. She made meat and potato stew, brown rice, cucumber salad along with the miso soup and tempura. He was amazed how she managed to do so many dishes in a short amount of time. They sat down, "Itidakimasu!" The girl exclaimed before diving in to her food.

"Where are they?" She stopped chewing and smiled. "Well, my father died when I was young. My mother said I was just one year old then."

"And your mother?"

"She passed away when I was in middle school. She got sick and didn't get better." She just continued eating but there was a lump in her throat. She told this story countless of times when she's asked. She tried not to make it a big deal out of it since she didn't want anyone pitying her. By this time, she was unaffected anymore but she just can't shake the feeling that sooner or later she'll let out a sob.

"You live alone?"

"Yep! Pretty independent, right?"

He looked at her. He didn't know what to feel but he admired the girl for not succumbing to loneliness.

"Don't you have any relatives?"

"Not that I know of. My father and mother had none. When my mother died, neighbors were the ones who visited," she said it so nonchalantly. He just nodded. He didn't really know what to say.

"Mai," she looked at him. "Tea." She just rolled her eyes and made tea while he gathered the plates and put them in the sink.

They sat on the dining table again, sitting across each other, cup of tea in hand. It was silent. Maybe I shouldn't have told him about my parents.

"Yours was the first home-cooked meal I had in months," he broke the quiet.

"Eh?"

"Yes. Now, close your mouth unless your objective is to catch flies." He smirked at her as she fumed.

"You are not allowed to be a jerk in my home!"

"Oh? I guess, I should be leaving now. Don't be late tomorrow," he said as he stood up. She saw him to the door but before he left, he lifted his hand to her head. It stayed there for a few seconds before he started to gently pat. She just froze because of the initial shock then relaxed into the gesture. She looked up and smiled at him. He stopped patting and brought his hand to her cheek to wipe away a stray tear that she didn't realize had fallen.

"Bring tea tomorrow," and with that he was out the door. She smiled at the closed door, wiping her eyes. "That jerk."

He walked back to the van. He was contemplating if the gesture was enough to soothe the girl. He never did anything like that in the past. Never had he been so willing to touch another human being before. He saw someone do that when he was little in the hopes of comforting a crying girl.

It was bright but it was welcome. Her heart fluttered at all the cream colored decorations and walls. She felt overjoyed as the warmth of the event suggested it should be how she felt. She could feel herself smiling, it was a reflex action. How could she not? She was staring at someone's lips before her. He was smiling as well. He? He seemed like a he. She was so entranced by the pair of lips that she didn't even bother looking at the mysterious person's other features. That smile was enough to enrapture her and send her to a trance: an earnest blissful spell. His smile broadened and she swore, her body, her whole body blushed. His lips were of a pale pink, slightly rosier than his skin tone. She felt like she was smiling like an idiot because she didn't know how else she could react to that enchanting flex that his mouth did.

She woke up with a contended smile. Today's going to be great! She jumped out of bed and went to shower and change. She had beaten her alarm clock today that allowed her to eat breakfast and prepare lunch, as well as the requested tea.

She hummed as she walked and skipped to school. She went straight to the old schoolhouse, to the van.

"You're early. You finally did something right." He glanced at her and so did his other companion. She smiled at both of them. Not even you can ruin this day for me.

"I brought you tea. Let me just pour a cup for the both of you." He looked at her again. She seems uncharacteristically calm and happy today. She handed them both a cup. "Are you okay now, Lin-san?"

The stoic man stared at the girl before nodding. She cringed. Keep it together, Mai. He's not a paid assassin. You're okay. Today's going to be great. She cooed.

"So what's going to happen now?"

"You'll find out later. Go to class and come back after." She did what she was told.

"Hey! I'm back." She's in a really good mood today, how odd.

"The others will be here soon enough." She answered with a cheery okay.

It didn't take long for the others to arrive. The young boss directed them to the laboratory classroom on the second floor, along with Lin holding a camcorder.

"So what are you going to show us today, Naru-bou?" The monk playfully asked.

"Let's hope for your sake that you don't embarrass yourself this time," the priestess was a little smug today than usual. The teen ghost hunter paid them no mind.

"Brown-san, Mai, can you confirm that the paper you signed yesterday hasn't been tampered with?" The two people named looked closely at the piece of paper and said that it was pretty much what they left yesterday.

Naru then held up a crowbar and started to tear down the planks they used to seal off the room in a few swift movements. Woah, he's strong! I'm pretty sure my anger did a good job of boarding the place up.

He smirked when he saw the inside of the room. The rest followed him. Mai and John gasped simultaneously when they saw the room.

"The chair… it's moved," John pointed out. The chair that was supposed to be inside the circle was now on the back of the room and wasn't upright anymore.

"Yes, it has," the pursuer of all black clothing answered as he walked over to the laptop that was connected to the video camera in the room.

"So what exactly are we looking at here?" The miko didn't see the relevance of the experiment.

"I would like to inform you that I will be finishing the case today. You are all dismissed." Mai turned her head violently at this. It caused her to be a little light headed but she didn't care. She will not be left in the dark! She growled at him, "Explain."

He sighed, "If I must, for your sake." Her glare grew more intense.

"All of the issues that the principal presented to me can be explained by land subsidence."

"This aga-"

"Shut up!" Mai snapped at the Miko. If they were battling for impatience, she would win no contest. "Continue."

"The events that happened yesterday, however, were from poltergeisting."

"You're not making any sense!" The monk was getting worked up.

"What else what could he do? We know that he can't exorcise it." Mai was silent. She was thinking of the new information that was given to them.

"There's no need to. The poltergeist was caused by a human," she looked up at Naru. She missed the confused reactions that her answer elicited. Very good, Mai. He smirked at her and motioned her and the others to come close to the monitor. It displayed the chair inside the circle and how it began to shake then slide backwards then turn and finally, falling.

"What was that?" Kuroda asked, fear laced in her voice.

"That was a full-pledge poltergeist," the monk replied without taking his eyes from the screen.

"Humans are to blame for over half of poltergeist phenomena reported every year," the boss started.

"Like a prank? But no one could get in here. The doors and windows were shut," the miko really wanted to understand what was happening.

"That is true. I even asked John and Mai to sign their names on the boards and the paper. If someone had broken in here, they would have to board up the place again and replicate their signatures."

"This just proves that I've been right all along!" Kuroda was in between ecstatic and frustrated.

"The glowing orb, that was autosuggestion?" Right now it wasn't important to the brunette if the others could follow their conversation.

"Yes. I placed a suggestion to everyone's mind yesterday that this chair would move before we met this evening. So far this method has not failed me and I have no reason that it will today." Smug son of a devil, that he is.

"That still doesn't explain anything!" Kuroda was half shouting now.

"Poltergeist is a form of latent psychic powers. Often by people who has an unconscious craving for attention," Mai answered sharply.

"When stress is introduced, a stealth defense type mechanism reacts in the brain. Hypnotic suggestions can become a reality in these types of situations," Naru continued.

She, of course, knows by now who the culprit was but she didn't have the heart to actually say it. Everybody was either in shock or in thought, one more than the others.

"So, you're saying that I'm the one who did this?" Kuroda asked weakly. They were all looking at her now.

"From the moment I met you, I knew you were trying to impress me." Please, not so harsh, Naru. Mai's eyes were tightly shut and fists were slightly clenched. "For example, you said you saw spirits here from the war. However, neither there is no evidence about this area being bombed during the war or of this building being used as a hospital nor was it true that there was a hospital built on this land."

He was standing a few inches from the girl. "That means you are either mistaken or intentionally lying."

"I'm not a liar," Kuroda whimpered.

"At first, I thought you were just pretending to be spiritually sensitive so when things started happening that could only be considered as poltergeisting, I became quite perplexed."

He saw Mai's eyes were closed, as if blocking out his explanation. He could see that she was in pain and wondered why but his eyes landed on Hara-san to make his point.

"My scientific experiments and Hara-san's psychic readings both came up clean. We determined there were no spirits here so the haunting was of human origin." Mai felt emotions that weren't hers. She knew very well what this meant. She was feeling self-hatred, anger, confusion and anxiety; at this rate, she is going to pass out. She tried to slow her breathing, along with her heart to try and relax herself.

"Poltergeist activities are commonly caused by children in their early teens. There are numerous cases that involve teenage girls in particular. It's a form of psychokinesis that can occur during period of great stress."

Acknowledge me. Notice me. I'm here. Look at me. The brunette clutched her head. Her thoughts were not her own. The monk noticed this. "Mai? Are you okay?" This was her chance to give the poor girl some peace. Everybody turned to look at her and she sucked in a lung-full of air and exhaled.

"In middle school, you were always known to be spiritually sensitive but when Naru proved that the strange phenomena were actually caused by land subsidence, you lost faith in your psychic abilities. This caused you great amounts of stress since it went against your own beliefs and even if Naru presented evidences, you still wanted to believe that everything was the work of the spirits. You told yourself that there was no other explanation. You had no idea you were doing it," she looked at Naru. She thought maybe she should explain and apologize later for stealing his spotlight.

She looked at the girl and smiled a light sincere smile she reserved on occasions like this, "I understand, Kuroda. I think it's human nature actually, the need to fit in, to belong, but at the same time, to be special and stand out. Everybody wants to be recognized to be good at something, to be noticed and appreciated, whether it's a special talent or just being considered as an honest and kind human being. And for you Kuroda, it was your psychic abilities, right?"

The girl visibly relaxed. There was someone in the room who didn't blame her, that she was normal for feeling this insecurity. Someone believed in her, not in her abilities but her as a person. That was enough to make her blush and she attempted to hide it by looking at the floor. Mai, in turn, also smiled at Naru.

"I firmly believe that you are a latent psychic, someone who has supernatural abilities but is not aware of it. She has some level of PK. I'll just say this for your sake, Mai but PK stands for psychokinesis."

"Hey, wow, information overload. I never should have known," sarcasm was evident in the brunette's voice.

"Glad I could enlighten you, Mai." Mai – 0, Naru – infinite.

"Stupid narcissistic jerk," she muttered.

"That does explanation satisfy everyone?" Which one? The explanation about the old schoolhouse or you being an idiotic egotistical scientist?

Monk seemed to catch her drift and disguised a chuckle in a cough. She smirked at him.

"Not quite. According to that, her elevated stress levels came after you gave us your little subsidence theory. What about me being trapped in that classroom or the video being erased? Explain that!"

"The reason you became trapped in that school was simple. It's because this was stuck into the door's groove," he pulled out a nail from his pocket. What? He just carries that around?

"I, as well as Mai, noticed it that day but I didn't think it was worth mentioning until now."

"Then, someone did that on purpose?"

Guilt. Shame.

The red head turned to the latent psychic, "Was it you?"

The young boss looked at Matsuzaki-san that told her to not make everything worse. "You were just playing a prank on Matsuzaki-san after she verbally attacked you, right?"

"What about the video?"

"The video tape was intentionally erased. When you became trapped, everybody came to your aid leaving the base. There was plenty of time to come in and tamper with the video without being seen."

"This is ridiculous!"

"What are we supposed to do now? The principal hired us to make this place ready for construction."

"I plan to report the following story to the principal: The old schoolhouse was haunted by those who died in the war. They've all been exorcised and the structure is now clean of any paranormal activity. Is that okay with you, Kuroda-san?" His features were still impassive, voice was still monotonous but it was gentler.

The girl gave a little nod. Mai felt herself smile. I was right about the narcissistic jerk.

"That is very kind of you but are you sure you are going to lie to the principal? He deserves to know the truth," the medium stepped forward. This time her kimono sleeve was not covering her face.

"Kuroda-san is doing an excellent job of suppressing her feelings now. I don't think it's necessary to run her down any further," Naru replied. Speaking of suppressing feelings, these two seemed to be experts.

The brunette was looking over Kuroda and surveying her expression. She then turned to look at Naru and felt her sweat drop. Matsuzaki-san had wrapped her arm on Naru's and her face is just mere inches away from his.

"Oh, I had no idea you were sensitive. Do you have a girlfriend?" This is child abuse!

"I'm not sure I fully understand your question." Well? Naru? Do you have any plans to untangle yourself from her?

"I'm saying I wouldn't mind putting up with you even though you are quite young," the miko had no shame flirting with the young boss in front of the rest.

"Although I appreciate the offer, I must decline. I'm too used to looking at myself in the mirror," he smirked at her. Ha! I was so right about my narcissistic jerk of a boss!

Everybody, excluding the parties involved and the tall stoic man laughed his answer. I do hope they get that it was just a joke.

The miko's cheeks were flushed from embarrassment and tried to deflect the attention. "Let's get serious and decide who's taking credit for this job!"

"Everybody contributed equally. Is everyone okay with that?" They looked at each other before nodding simultaneously.

"Mai."

"I'm on it boss!"

"Lin, let's start breaking camp."

The others left except for the members of SPR and the priest. Brown-san helped the stoic men and the hyperactive girl move the equipment back to the van.

"Shibuya-san, if you ever need my services, I would be glad to help," the young priest said.

"Very well then. Give Lin your contact details before you leave," the priest bowed and proceeded to talk to the taller of the two stoic men. Mai saw this as an opportunity to talk alone with her boss.

"Uhm, Naru. About earlier… I'm sorry for kind of stealing your thunder," she said shyly. He just looked at her.

"You were rather helpful. It is difficult to explain some things to people outside of the scientific community. Where did you learn?"

"I just read a lot of books about this kind of stuff," she grinned at him.

"You're a clairsentient," he said with finality.

"What's that?" The priest cut in.

"Clairsentience is the ability to receive intuitive messages via feelings, emotions, or physical sensations. Empathy, feeling the emotions of others is also a form of clairsentience," the boss explained.

"So it seems. It took you long enough though," the brunette was smirking at him.

"That's why you had your eyes closed while Shibuya-san was explaining? And why you were holding your head?" The priest pressed on. Lin was also listening in to the conversation.

"Yeah. I could feel what Kuroda-san was feeling, and I could her some of her thoughts that was interlaced with emotions," she explained.

"How does this work, Mai-san? Do you feel what we are feeling right now?" The priest inquired. He had not come across with this kind of ESP.

"Oh no, no. It doesn't work like that. I'm not sure if it really is clairsentience but from what I read, that could be it but I haven't done tests to confirm. I only sense the strongest emotions in the room like earlier. Right now, you are all relaxed so the only feelings I identify is mine," she tried putting her experience to words. "Does that make any sense?"

"You seem rather adept to it. You haven't done any training?" Her boss' curiosity was also sparked.

"I just learned from experience. I am not attached to everyone's feelings. It's selective but I don't do it consciously. It's like I'm drawn to a person and his or her emotions if I am familiar with them or if there is a sense of resolution," she finished weakly, not really knowing what to say.

"I see. It's late, go home." He will ponder on his assistant's ability later. He had reports to make.

"Jerk. When will you be leaving?"

"Tomorrow after I report to the principal."

"Oh, okay then. I'll see you tomorrow!" She was sad that the case was over and Naru and Lin-san are leaving but she was glad that the mystery of the old schoolhouse had been solved.

"I'll walk out with you, Mai-san." John said before bidding farewell to the SPR team.

The next day morning, the young director gave his findings to the principal. He was currently in the van checking the equipment and the boxes before leaving.

"This is it, huh?" He was expecting her.

"Yes. Why aren't you in class?"

"I was going to send you off," she said with a smile.

"No need. I can handle it. Why don't you hurry back to class? I'd hate to see you plummet further into the depths of dumb. I am still your boss for the next couple of minutes so that's an order," he deadpanned.

"Jeez! You're welcome, by the way. You must enjoy insulting me so glad I could be of service!" She stuck her tongue out and turned around. She stomped angrily away from the van, "See you never, jerkface!"

I can't believe how stuck up that guy is! It's a good thing that I'm never going to see his face again. Seriously, how big is that guy's ego? That's something I'm not going to miss. That jerky jerk face! I just hate him so much!

She was back in class and she was trying her hardest to focus but to no avail. She was thinking about the last few days. The monk, the priestess, the medium, the exorcist, the assistant and the ghost hunter, they were all nice people. They weren't perfect and they did push her buttons especially one narcissistic jerk but they bonded, sort of. The last couple of days were fun.

It was free period and she couldn't rid herself of memories of the old schoolhouse. "Taniyama Mai-san, class 1-F, you have a phone call. Please report to the front office immediately," the intercom buzzed. Who could be calling at this time?

"Could you stop sighing? That's our job!" Michiru was at her side.

"Kazuya-san left and you didn't even ask for contact details! We should be the one feeling down," Keiko was at the other.

"I'm just going to take that phone call then you could rant all you want," she said standing up.

"Moshi moshi," she said lazily to the mouthpiece.

"Mai." I know that voice!

"Oh, hi!" Ew, too eager!

"There's no need to shout, Mai." Condescending prick.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure? Miss me already?"

"Your fee." My what?

"Huh?"

"Your payment for assisting me." Didn't I owe him?

"But don't I-"

"If you don't want it, I could always give it to charity. I'll send out the check today so you should receive it within this week and I already talked to your principal to allow you to work for me as a part-timer. That is if you want the job, it's just office work but it would be good experience for you."

"Didn't seem like I have any choice." She could almost hear him smirk.

"Come down to my office to fill out some paperwork. It is in Shibuya-ku, Dogenzaka. Don't be late, bye." I can't believe I'll be working for that jerk. That's too many hours of Naru! He didn't even thank me after saying that I was helpful another of times! How will I survive working with, no, he just give me orders, so technically, I will be working for him. God forbid that he lets me think that we're equals. Stupid stupid idiotic narcissist! Still... I'm glad.

Before moving on to the next chapter of Mai and Naru's lives, there's going to be an omake. I don't know if it's okay to make the chapters this long so tell me what you think. Please R & R!