cough cough sorry I've been sick for the whole past month


Thursday, November 6

Mai subconsciously rapidly tapped her pencil on her desk as she watched the clock tick down the seconds until her untimely demise.

Today was her first official day as an SPR employee. Well, temporary employee.

"Don't be so nervous," Gene turned in his seat to face the anxious brunette. They had a small break in between classes. Only one more class remained before Mai would have to spend additional time with possible the worst company on the face of the earth - Naru.

"You're really good at reading emotions! Is that some sort of psychic ability?" Mai looked at him slightly stunned. Gene placed his hand over her tapping pencil, silencing the rapid taps.

"I believe you don't understand just how easy your actions give away your emotions," Naru chimed in from the side. Mai stuck her tongue out.

"No one asked you," she muttered.

"Empath is what you're referring to," Gene removed his hand from overtop her writing utensil, "someone who can feel the mental or physical state of another."

"That's so cool…" Mai wondered what it must be like to share someone in their emotions. She wondered if that's what twins have, how when one is in pain the other can feel it. She felt bad for Gene though, because since Naru never has emotions he never gets to feel that.

"I know which ability Naru doesn't have," Mai whispered to Gene with a smirk, "if anything he must have the complete opposite. Like a sociopath!" Gene let out a small laugh.

"I also believe you don't understand how loud your whisper is," He held up with head with hand and looked tiredly out the window. Mai was about to refute but their teacher entered the room. Their conversation would have to wait until later, they would have plenty of time at the office together to duke it out.


Mai reluctantly climbed the steps up to the SPR office. Flashbacks of her previous visit flooded her mind. She made a mental note not to touch anything expensive looking this time, not wanted to lengthen her sentence. She dragged her feet on the ground and walked as slow as humanly possible to prolong her fate. She exhaled deeply as she placed her hand on the door knob and twisted it. She was greeted by Naru's ever happy visage.

"You're late."

"What are you talking about?" Mai looked around for a clock to reference, and when she spotted one, she pointed at it.

"5:30, right on the dot!" Typically, she was never on time. But the one time she was, she was going to make sure she got credit for it.

"5:00 was your time, Mai," Naru pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No way, this is some strange hazing thing, right?" Mai laughed nervously.

"This is a place of work, not an American college fraternity," he stood up and crossed his arms, obviously not pleased at his newest employee's lateness.

"I swear to you, the message said 5:30!" Mai reached to grab her phone and prove to him she was right, but he interrupted her.

"You can do that after your work, I don't care to witness you realize your own stupidity."

Mai almost growled at him, but kept it inside.

"Your desk is over there," he pointed to a corner of the room near the door. There was a filing cabinet behind it, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was the fateful cabinet that caused her to be here.

"There's paperwork for you to fill out and also some filing for today. You may leave after you finish it," he turned to walk down the hallway that had two doors on the right and one on the left.

"If you have questions, Gene will be here shortly," and with that, he entered one of the doors on the right and left Mai alone in the greeting area. Mai was slightly stunned by the abrupt training, if you could call it that, but plopped down at her desk and took off her jacket. She swiveled in her chair and giggled a bit – she always loved swivel chairs.

After quickly getting over the excitement about her seat, she found herself rather bored, the tick of the wall clock felt almost like torture, every second seeming to go by slower than the last. Most of her paper work consisted of employee information – address, birth, insurance. All of that fun stuff.

However, skimming through the stack of seemingly endless papers on her desk, she found a few report papers, which she assumed to be the ones that needed to be filed. They caught her eye though, on almost all of these papers the word 'DECLINED' was stamped boldly at the top. She couldn't help but question this word, who declined these, and why? Upon further reading, she found that these were declined cases, each with a description of the claimed paranormal activity, as well as the contact information of the client.

Descriptions of haunted buildings, objects moving, strange dreams, and creepy dolls made her feel sympathetic towards these unknown people denied assistance. Her reading was cut short when the door opened and the bell chimed.

"Hey, Mai," Gene greeted as he hung his coat on the rack next to the door.

"Oh, hey," she greeted without looking up, continuing to study the documents before her. Gene stood in front of her desk for a second, looking down at the piles of paper around her. He sighed, mumbling, "Leave it to my brother to give her so much work on the first day."

He plucked the sheet of paper from her hands, snapping her out of her daze.

"What- Give me that back!" she reached to snatch it back, but he held it out of her reach.

"What are you doing with these?"

"Obviously I'm –" she paused.

"What am I supposed to be doing with these…" she curiously looked around her and furrowed her brows, "Oh right! Filing!"

"I see you've managed to accomplish a lot," he said sarcastically with a laugh.

"Hey! I almost fully filled out this employee contact or whatever form. That was like, half of my task," she crossed her arms against her chest. Gene pulled a chair over and sat across from her.

"Look, I'll start putting these in alphabetical order, and then you can put them away. Okay?" He grabbed the stack of papers from her desk.

"I haven't finished reading them yet…" She mumbled, almost sadly.

"Don't worry, you'll have a lot of free time here to read them," he started the thumb through the numerous pieces of paper.

She nodded and grabbed her contact sheet to continue filling in the blank lines.

"So. How's it been going so after?" Gene said in a gossipy tone.

"Pretty quiet, actually. Maybe I should check to see if he's alive in there," she looked over to the closed door. "Actually…" Mai tilted her head in thought. The better parts of Naru's death seeped into her mind. Gene taking over the business, not having to deal with his rude comments, no more staying open late at the café after one of his random visits. They all seemed very good to her.

"On second thought, I think I'll just stay here," she said with a shrug.

"That's normal, actually. He stays cooped up in his office most of the time, working on hell knows what."

"When does he do homework?" Mai asked, flipping the page of her packet of forms.

Gene shrugged, "He's a night owl, I suppose."

"I guess he does seem like a night kind of person," Mai pondered the thought.

"By the way, did he happen to mention a case to you?" Gene asked as his picked a paper from the middle of the pile and placed it on top. Mai shook her head.

"No, why?" She tilted her head to the side as she wrote. Her hand was starting to cramp.

"We might be taking on a case soon, I wasn't sure what he was going to do about it yet," Mai made an 'oh' shape with her lips.

"You're going home to your apartment tonight, right? Are you excited?" Something in Gene's voice sounded nervous, but Mai didn't pick up on it.

"Yup! I can't wait to just relax in my own bed. Not that I didn't enjoy staying with you two, but there's no place like home," she said with a smile.

"If you ever need anything, just know our doors are always open. Did they ever find out what happen with that guy who was found dead?" He pushed a strand of hair out of his face that had fallen out of line from the rest of them.

"They said it was suicide, but that doesn't seem very plausible. A shame really, they blamed the whole thing on him. Said he went crazy or something."

"Did you know him?"

"A little. Everyone knows everyone in our building. It was just not like something he would have done."

"No one truly knows anyone, I guess," Gene said with a shrug.

"That's the scary part about humans. Trust is everything."

He plopped the stack of papers down on her desk. "There, all done. Now all you have to do is put them in the cabinet behind you, and you should be good to go. After the forms too, that is." He glanced up at the clock and stood up, then placed the chair he took in its original place.

"Thank you!" Mai smiled, relieved she had less work to do now.

"I have a call with a client in a few minutes, so if you need anything you'll have to ask Naru. Sorry, but he's not as bad as he comes off, you know," Gene started to walk down the hall and entered the room next to Naru's. It closed with a soft clink.

Once again, she was left in silence, minus the ticking of the clock. She had to restrain herself from peaking over at the case sheets, because she knew she would become too enwrapped in them again.

"Mai!"

Her head perked up and swiveled over to the hall, questioning if she heard what she did. She reluctantly pushed herself out of her chair and made her way in front of Naru's office door. She reached for the door knob and twisted it, pushing it open. She peaked her head inside.

"Did you call for me?" She spoke softly.

"I wasn't aware you lacked the fundamental understanding of knocking," he sat behind is desk, pen in hand, a small smug look on his face. Mai puffed out her cheeks and pushed the door opening the remaining way.

"Is there something that you are in need of?" She attempted to sound as not flustered as she could manage, but bits of her irritation managed to seep through.

"Tea," he spoke as he rested his chin on his hand.

"Huh?" She looked at him, head tilted slightly in confusion, "you know this isn't the café right? I'm not working there right now."

"I am quite aware. However, in the kitchenette there is tea," he motioned his hand in the direction of the small cooking area near the main room.

"So, you want me to make you tea. Like I do at my other job?"

"Is that not what I said?"

"Just clarifying."

With a dry smile, she turned in her place and made her way back out into the small hallway.

"Oh, and Mai," he stopped her. She turned her head back around.

"Make sure it isn't cold."

The side of her nose began to twitch, and she pulled the door closed with more force than intended.

"What a jerk," she mumbled in her state of vexation.

"I can still hear you," he said from behind the closed door. She stuck out her tongue to the door and stomped over to the kitchenette. She poured water into the kettle and set it on the stove top.

"He still asks me to make tea even when I'm not a server. It's not even like a new job," she mumbled.

While waiting for the water to boil, the bell on the door chimed.

"A visitor?"

"Woah, it's so quiet in here," she heard someone whisper. Curiously, she peaked her head out, wondering if she should greet whoever was here.

"Welcome to- Oh! It's you guys," she smiled brightly as she realized the visitors were just Monk and Ayako.

"There you are, Mai! I've missed you so much," Monk wrapped her up in large, almost suffocating, hug.

"Get off of her!" Ayako whacked him, "You saw her, when was it, yesterday!" she stood tall with her hands on her hips. The man retreated backwards, rubbing his injured head.

"What do you carry in that thing!" He stumbled backwards, rubbing the site of injury. He plopped down on one of the couches, Ayako sat on one adjacent.

"Tea?" Mai questioned before moving into the kitchenette. The pair nodded.

"Aren't you two supposed to be working downstairs?" She questioned, raising her voice a bit so they could be able to hear her. She took the kettle off the stove and added more water into it.

"We wanted to make sure you were doing fine here," Ayako crossed her legs and looked around, "and by the looks of this place, you might be needing some entertainment."

Mai leaned on the side of the kitchenette's doorway while she waited for the water to boil.

"It's fine here. No visitors or anything, so it's actually kind of relaxed. I do appreciate you guys checking in, though," she spoke with a radiant smile.

"What exactly do you do here?" Monk inquired while standing up to read the spines of the book on the shelf, "and why?"

"Yeah, Mai, if you're unhappy with your pay at the cafe you can always talk to us and- " Ayako began, but Mai cut her off.

"No, no, no! I love working in the café, don't get me wrong! I just… I got into some trouble, that's all," she rubbed the back of her neck nervously. Ayako furrowed her brows and Monk snapped his head over to her.

"What kind of trouble?" they spoke in unison, as if rehearsed.

"I kinda broke some equipment and injured the assistance and hearing it out loud sounds really bad, but I promise it isn't!" She reassured the two.

"Oh, Mai," Monk said as he exhaled, most likely from relief that she was not in serious danger.

"Anyways, this place is like a ghost hunting business. It's like exterminating rats, but there's no rats. Just ghosts," as Mai explained, she saw something spark in the two's eyes.

"Wow, that takes me back," Monk mumbled out while scanning the books, Ayako nodded grandly in agreement.

"Back to what?" Mai furrowed her brows.

"I was raised as a Shinto priestess, but I become a doctor to follow in my parent's footsteps. I'd almost forgotten that time in my life, until now," she spoke with an air of calmness around her, as if a switch had been flipped and all the energy in the room was turned into silk. It was almost pure.

"Shinto priestess," Mai mumbled, not wanting to forget this new information.

"Reminds me of my days as a real monk, you know, before I got kicked out. I remember talking much about exorcisms, or cleansing rituals as they liked to refer to it as. I wonder if I still got it in me sometimes," he lifted up with hands to look at his palms, as if his powers could be made visible through them someway.

"But those days are over now," Ayako said with a huff as she leaded back into the couch.

"Yeah, you got too old to be a priestess so they kicked you out," Monk chuckled to himself.

"What did you just say?" Ayako's face turned almost as red as her hair, the anger slowly swelled in her gut until it was about to surmount on the surface.

"H-hey…" Mai tried to stop what she knew was about to happen.

"I heard the younger girls used to call you grandmother since you had so many wrinkles," he made out in between stifled laughs.

"How dare you! I have not one wrinkle on my face, and I am still a healthy, youthful age! If anything, you are the old one! Trying to act young with your long hair, it's not fooling anyone I will have you know!" Ayako stood from her seat and pointed her finger at him, the waves of anger almost visibly radiating off of her.

"At least my hair is healthy because it hasn't been dyed to hell and back! Oh, and news flash. That shade of red is so last season!"

"I swear I'm- "

"If you're looking for a place to socialize I believe that would be better suited for your own establishment." Naru stood in the hall, arms crossed with a rather unhappy look on his face. He looked up and glared at the two, his eye's glinted from the light of the street lamps outside. The air in the room seemed to chill.

"Oi, you work here too?" Monk looked perplexed at familiar boy. Naru stood tall with a smirk on his face.

"I'm the boss," he said almost proudly. Ayako and Monk shared a glance, then burst out laughing. Mai looked at the two confused.

"Ha! The kid thinks he's old enough to be a boss," Ayako snickered.

"If you are here simply to undermine my success and intelligence, I suggest you leave now," his tone was strict and unforgiving. The two realized their mistake and stopped laughing.

"You have very rude manners to adults for being so young," Ayako stood with her arm's crossed and stuck her leg out of the side slightly.

"For being an adult you have very childish manners," he countered without missing a beat. Mai and Monk both did their best to stifle the laughter in the chest. Ayako stood with her mouth agape.

"Now, if you don't have any professional business here, I ask that you leave," he said before turning and going back into his office.

"How bratty," Ayako muttered and whipped her head to the side, her hair flipping over her shoulder dramatically.

"He's just… moody. I think it's a full moon, doesn't that have something to do with people's emotions?" Mai shrugged. Taking their cue to leave, Monk and Ayako wished Mai well before exiting and returning to their own work.

She sighed as the door closed, the silence was somewhat comforting after how loud the pair was. The tea kettle began to whistle, which made Mai jump as she had forgotten about it. She now found herself with two extra cups of tea, which had been intended for Ayako and Monk. She quickly downed the one so she wouldn't have to waste it and decided to ask Gene if he wanted the second. She placed the cups on nice saucers and made her way down the hall. In front of Naru's office she went to grab the door knob but stopped, remembering how she was reprimanded last time. She knocked using the back of her free hand.

"Come in."

She opened the door.

"I'm surprised by how fast you are learning," he said as if she were a pet that just learned how to sit.

She restrained herself and walked over to his desk, carefully setting down the cup.

"You are free to go home now," he said as he wrote something down in his book, but she couldn't make out what it said. She nodded and did not spend any second longer than she needed to in his office, hoping to make it home as soon as she could. Her apartment was cleared now and it was going to be her first night back. She was thrilled.

She grabbed the extra cup of tea from the kitchen and made her way to Gene's office. She pressed her ear against the door to hear if he was still on the phone with a client. The sound of a one sided English conversation flowed into her ear, and she sighed looking down at the cup.

Back to the kitchen she went where she poured it down the drain and washed out the cup. She set in on the rack to dry and make her way over to her desk. She suddenly remembered she hadn't finished her filing, but decided if she were fast enough she could sneak out and maybe finish it next time. She quickly grabbed her coat, phone, and keys and booked it out the door. The chilly air had never felt so good on her face.

"Well, they always say the first day is the worst. So maybe it will only get better from here on out," she tried to give herself a quick pep talk as she briskly walked down the streets of Shibuya.

Something in her gut, however, told her that this was only the beginning, and things were just getting started.


Thank you for reading!

Wow, sorry this chapter is pretty crappy. I haven't been able to find the time to write recently with school and being extremely sick, I'm so sorry for the slow updates :(

However, since I'm so far behind now I'm going to try to write as much as I can in the next few days. Thank you for your patience!

On another note, my school's play is all over, but I got invited to work a professional ballet and I'm so excited! It's such a wonderful opportunity and I'm really glad I'm getting to experience it. My holiday break is coming up soon as well, so I'm excited to use that time to write!

I hope all over you are doing well, my best wishes go out to you this season. I hope you find happiness in whatever you encounter :) Also, I hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving, that is if you celebrate it.

Please remember to review, it brings so much joy to my day when I read them.

Thank you again for reading, and I hope you have a lovely night/day. :)