A/N: Bow down and thank my wonderful beta-reader TitanWren who got this back to me very quickly, despite fighting laryngitis—which, if anyone's ever suffered from, is not fun. Twenty-eight reviews with one chapter! Wow! I didn't think this would be so popular. This story started as baby plot bunny when I saw a picture in manga six, I think it was. Be doubly happy: this chapter happens to be a combination of both chapters two and three. Anyhow. Quite a lot of you seem to think that Masako Hara is the antagonist. I didn't realize how much Ghost Hunt fans disliked her. Well, I'm not telling you all; you'll just have to wait and see. A few reviewers have commented about Lin comforting Mai. I can only say this: something definitely changed with Lin; a barrier broke, one might say—after the Blood-stained Labyrinth arc. That said let's move on.
Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt. Just thought I'd let you all know. No CLAMP in this chapter, folks.
Chapter two: File one: a new case.
It's…it's working! It's actually working! I've never been so happy! Seeing her suffer, seeing her fear, it's like magic!
I told you I would help you.
I never imagined it would work this well!
Did you doubt me?
She paused and stared into the mirror. At first, she admitted.
Pale arms draped around her shoulders and a chin nestled the crown of her head. Why?
She hung her head. It seemed too good to be true.
The arms around her tightened. I see.
Is that all that's going to happen? The flowers, the chocolates, the sappy notes, and confessions? Is that all she's going to experience?
The arms loosened and left her shoulders. A slim, manicured hand pressed against the mirror briefly. But the notes aren't sappy anymore. Look.
She leaned closer to the reflective glass. Heat blossomed across her cheeks. Incredible, she whispered.
And then there's this. Again, she looked into the mirror and saw the ruckus that had recently happened. A slow, twisted smile spread across her face. That was a thing of beauty, she crowed happily.
Wasn't it?
Can we do more?
More? A predatory smile flashed in the mirror. Child, it's like you read my mind! But you'll have to help me.
Of course! Anything.
Close your eyes and dream of your hatred.
Her eyes slid shut and she slumped forward onto the vanity.
.........
Naru did as Lin said and took a seat where he was facing Mai, since Lin had taken the seat next to her. That too was odd. Normally, Lin chose to sit next to him where he could observe the client. He studied her as he waited for his associate to return. She studiously avoided his scrutiny, but he could see the dried tear tracks on her cheeks. He took a sip of tea; it didn't escape his notice that she was washed out in the fluorescent lighting. Naru had never seen her look like this: even when Kenji had possessed her she'd looked more alive, and that was saying something because she hadn't been there at all.
Weird, Mai thought. The entire day had been surreal. She hadn't made it through the school day—instead she'd left early. She'd been showered again with flowers and chocolates, chased all the way to SPR, and saved by Lin-san. Truth be told, when she'd realized that Naru wasn't in the office, she found herself relieved. The young president of SPR would only tease her and make her feel worse. Lin-san was clumsy when it came to comforting people, but he hadn't lectured her or made her feel guilty, and that helped her enormously—more than he could ever realize. But now Naru was back—that sick feeling she'd had in her stomach suddenly returned with a vengeance; it was through sheer willpower that she didn't clamp her hands over her mouth and bolt to the bathroom, but it was tempting to do so—oh, so tempting. She glanced at him and quickly looked away again; she wasn't quite ready to face his ridicule just yet.
"Mai…" Naru began.
"I'm back," Lin announced unnecessarily, laptop in hand. Retaking his seat, he opened the computer and said, "I'm going to record everything into the computer for our files. That's going to include what happened earlier, all right, Taniyama-san?"
What happened earlier, Naru wondered. No matter—he'd know soon enough.
Mai blinked when she realized that she would have to recount everything that had happened thus far. She nodded, keeping her eyes averted from the gazes of both Paranormal Investigators. Naru looked at Lin and received a bland look in return—'patience,' he thought it said. Might as well conduct this like a case proper, Naru thought. If Lin thought Mai had brought them something, he'd go with it.
"Please start at the very beginning and go through the events chronologically," he said, slipping into investigator mode.
"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "It started Monday. I spent the weekend catching up on schoolwork that I'd missed. When Monday rolled around, I went through my usual routine in the morning: get up, shower, get dressed, eat, brush teeth, and go to school. Before class started, I was talking with Michiru; we were trying to figure out the answer to a biology question that wasn't anywhere in our books or notes. Then Akira-kun came into the class."
"Who's that?" Naru asked.
"Michiru's older brother. Michiru was the one who asked me to tell you about the ghost that was dumping water on people in the park."
"I see. Go on, what happened next?"
"Let's see," she said, touching her chin with her index finger. "He talked to Michiru for a few minutes—I don't know what about, I wasn't paying attention. I was still trying to answer that stupid biology question. When Akira-kun finished talking to Michiru, he came over to my desk."
………
Stupid teacher! Mai thought, shutting the book with an audible snap. She put her chin in her hands and glared at the blackboard. That answer isn't even in the book! What's she thinking? I'll bet she'll quiz us on it, too! That's totally rotten!
"Mai-chan."
Mai looked up from her grousing and into the grinning face of her friend's older brother. "Akira-kun!" she said, smiling at him. "How are you?" she asked, placing her chin back on the heel of her hand.
"I'm doing good! How's your part-time job?"
"Ah, creepy as ever," she told him. "But Naru gave me this week off to catch up on the schoolwork I missed when we were working on our latest case." Shivers ran down her spine simply thinking of the thing that had been in that house. Stop, she ordered herself sternly.
"Naru? I thought your boss's name was Shibuya."
"Mmhmm. Naru's what I nicknamed him; he's such a narcissist, it fits him perfectly. He once told Ayako that there was only room for himself in his mirror."
Akira stared at her before starting to laugh. "Mai-chan, promise me you won't say that to his face," he said, leaning against her desk and grinning at her.
"Eh? He already knows," she said.
"Geez, you sure have guts, Mai-chan." He looked at the clock. "Oh, I have to go! The teacher will arrive and start soon. Ah, before I take off, can I ask you a quick question?"
"Sure," Mai said. "Do you need me to baby-sit sometime soon?" She mentally started to review the calendar so she could let Naru know. Maybe she'd drag him along with. It'd do him good to learn to deal with children, Lin-san too. And unlike Ayami-chan, Takumi—or "Streaker," as he was nicknamed—fought back when he was yelled at.
"Will you go on a date with me this weekend?" he asked quickly.
Her eyes grew wide. "Eh?"
………
"He asked you out on a date?" Naru asked incredulously. Even Lin had stopped typing and was peering at her with faint surprise.
"Yeah," she said nodding. "That's when I first started to think that something was off."
"How so?"
"Well… Akira-kun just broke up with his girlfriend a little over a month ago. When I asked Michiru two weeks ago how he was doing, she said he was still really upset—they'd been dating since freshman year. He hasn't been the same after the break up, she said. And then suddenly, he asked me out. I've known him since junior high—he treats me like a little sister, why ask me out?"
"Is that your intuition?"
"Mostly," she replied.
"What do you mean?"
Mai huffed. "It's also common sense," she said, annoyed.
Lin was doubtful that common sense existed in situations such as these, but wisely held his tongue.
"Even Michiru was surprised," Mai told them. "He dated his ex-girl friend for two years and then one month later he asks someone else out at a completely random time. After he left, Michiru told me that it was unlike Akira to act so impulsively."
"It could also be that he just wanted to start dating again," Naru said pragmatically.
"Why would you ask someone out that you treat like a little sister?" she asked stubbornly. "Why ask someone like me out?"
"None of us are experts on high school and the romances that occur therein," Lin said, intervening before an argument broke out. "Leave debates about that subject to people who are. And don't sell yourself short, Tainyama-san," he told her reverting back to her family name with the distant honorific. "You may indeed have known him for quite a while and once upon a time, he may have seen you as a little sister, but people change, and so do their views. He may see you as a very attractive young lady, rather than a younger sister."
"Lin's right."
"Eh?" she said, turning to Naru and staring at him in surprise.
"Did anything else happen that day?" Naru asked, crossing his arms. He was certainly not about to repeat or elaborate on what he'd just said.
Sobering, Mai resumed. "I told Akira-kun to give me some time to think about it and then put it out of my mind. When lunchtime came, my friends and I went to our favorite spot: the big sakura tree on the grounds. While we were eating, two more boys approached me and asked me out."
"Two more?" That was a bit odd.
"Yeah. I refused them right off the bat because I know they both have girlfriends."
Or had, as the case may be, Lin thought, typing away.
Mai continued, "By the time the day ended, some fifteen-to-twenty guys had confessed their feelings for me, including two teachers, and the principal tried to set me up on a date with his oldest grandson in hopes of having great-grandchildren soon because he was, and I quote, 'too old for me'."
Both men stared at her. "And that was just Monday?" Lin asked, making certain.
"Yep. I thought it was a joke. Perhaps the school had decided to try and rattle me seeing as I'd been away for so long. When I arrived at class Tuesday morning, there were boxes of chocolates on my chair and flowers all over my desk; it was like an American Valentine's Day, or something. I got angry. I moved the flowers and chocolates to a desk in the far corner as the guy who sits there now tends to skip biology. But he came in that day with a small bouquet of flowers and more chocolate; he also confessed feelings for me. I started feeling sick, so I went to the nurse; she sent me home. Later, Michiru came by with Akira and dropped off the work I missed, along with all the flowers and candy—which, by this time, had doubled—no, tripled in quantity.
"Wednesday wasn't much different," she continued, clasping her hands, "except for two things. The first fight occurred—fights, I should say."
"Describe them," Naru said.
"The first one happened in my second class; that's History. The teacher was writing notes on the board and two of the boys took advantage of her back being turned and started discussing which one of them I'd go out with; it quickly escalated into a fist-fight. During lunch, there were two more fights, both fights had started with the same topic: whom would I go out with? I was asked to leave the school, but the fighting didn't stop. When Akira and Michiru came by again to deliver the multitude of flowers and candy, Akira-kun told me that there was a fight in his classroom… almost two. Another boy had tried to pick a fight with him for defending me. By then, it was all over the entire school that he'd asked me out," she said, smiling ruefully.
Ask a girl out in a full class and hope the entire school won't know? Naru thought. Wishful thinking. "And the other incident?"
"Eh?"
"You said two things, Mai. What's the second?"
Damn, she'd hoped he wouldn't remember. It was embarrassing, truth be told.
"If you didn't want to tell us, then you shouldn't have specified," Naru told her bluntly when he saw her hesitate.
"He's right," Lin said. "Besides, we can't help you if we don't have all the details. You know that, Taniyama-san."
Stop calling me that, please! I hate it! Can't you just call me Mai, Lin-san? But they're right; I'm being stupid. I came to them for help. She let out the breath she'd been holding. "The notes started, too."
"Notes?" Naru asked.
She nodded slowly. "They're attached to the chocolates or included with the flowers. Actually, they started on Tuesday, but those were mild. The one's I got Wednesday, however, were a bit more…" she trailed off, searching for the right word.
"More what?"
"Explicit," she said finally.
"How so?"
"It's better if I show you," she said, getting up and going over to her book bag. Opening the small pocket on the back, she pulled out two small cards: one white, one red. Returning to the couch, she sat down again and handed Naru the white one.
Taking it, he examined it before opening it. There seemed to be nothing unusual about it. Just an ordinary card found in a flower shop or maybe a drug store. Flipping it open, he read the endearing, shy words that clumsily proclaimed budding feelings. "Fluffy," he said, handing it Lin.
The older man took it, read it, and rolled his eyes. 'Fluffy' was a perfect description. Mai smiled faintly. "I wish I could take a picture of you two. Stupid, isn't it?"
"Very," Lin agreed, putting it on the table.
"I don't know why boys think that comparing girls to food that makes them gain weight is romantic. Like I said, that one was mild. Check the other one out," she said, handing Naru the remaining note.
There was something about her tone that made the young ghost hunter suspicious. Warily, he took it from her. It was almost identical to the first one, simply a different color. Opening it, he started to read. As he did, he felt all the color in his face draining away. Whoever wrote this is sick, he thought, abruptly shoving it at Lin.
Lin wasn't sure he wanted to read this after seeing Naru's reaction; he almost didn't, but forced himself to at the last minute. He wouldn't be of full use to the case without knowing all the facts; he knew this. Still… Steeling himself, he opened the note and began to read. His eyes widened after the first few sentences and he gasped. The note contained an explicit, detailed account of what whomever had written it was expecting of Mai, including where, how, and positions he desired her in. Good gods, he thought, disgusted.
Putting the letter down, he reached for the other one and read through the clumsily written note. The handwriting was different—that was unhelpful. The content was different in both notes, obviously. He didn't think the contents would help. Or maybe they would. The white note contained sap; the red one contained the graphic content. And then there was the twenty-four hours between the two that made all the difference. No, he thought, less than that. Twelve, fifteen hours at the most.
"Lin, what is it?"
"The contents and colors of the cards used changed in a short time."
Naru caught on right away. "White versus red, purity versus something more potent. Whatever we're dealing with grew stronger in that period."
"Twenty-four hours?" Mai asked.
"No, less than that. Try about twelve to fifteen hours," Lin said grimly.
"That soon?" Mai asked horrified.
Lin nodded.
"This is worrisome," Naru said, staring at the two notes. "Mai, have there been any changes since the explicit notes?"
"Eh? How do you mean?"
"Have they gotten more graphic, less graphic, or remained the same?"
"Oh. The same," she said. "Why?" she asked.
"Stagnation?" Naru asked Lin.
"It's possible," the Chinese man replied, with a nod.
"What's that?" Mai asked. "And what's up with the color discussion?"
Naru sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll explain," he said.
"Don't strain yourself," Mai muttered.
Naru glared at her and Lin simply smirked. "All it means," Lin said before Naru could say something scathing in return (he could see the younger man itching to), "is that whatever is going on has ceased to progress. As for the colors—they have different meanings: white generally indicates chastity and purity and red stands for something stronger… love or lust—in this case, however, I'd assume lust."
"Hmm," she said, her expression thoughtful as she reached over and took the notes from him, looking at them appraisingly. She hadn't thought about that. It did make sense, she supposed.
"What happened Thursday?" Naru asked.
She looked at him. "Much the same," she said, shrugging, "except I became the new school slut, apparently. Girls were coming up to me by the dozens and asking me to leave their boyfriends alone; or at least be more discreet about all the guys I was sleeping with," she told them, a ferocious frown decorating her face. "But Friday—sorry, today was the first time…" Mai trailed off. She really didn't want to re-tell today's events.
"First time, what?" Naru asked.
"First time that whatever's been going on has been able to influence boys such a great distance."
"How do you mean?"
"Well… the effects on the guys have usually had a limit—a few miles away from school. When I'm about four miles away, the men that aim catcalls and ask me out while I'm walking home stop. But if I take a detour to… say an arcade that's a few blocks from the school to play a few games, men who want to buy me something immediately start hounding me. However, SPR is a good distance away; it's never had an effect this far before."
Not liking the thought that was going through his mind, Naru stood abruptly and disappeared briefly into the research room. When he returned, he had a road map and red marker in hand. Opening it, he spread it on the table and marked on the map where the office was and then marked where Mai's school was located; a good ten miles at least, he estimated, fifteen upon closer inspection. "Mai, where's your apartment?" he asked, handing her the marker.
Taking it, she went over to his side and scrutinized the small blocks before leaning over and circling her general neighborhood. Capping the marker, she put it on the table, returned to her seat, and picked up her lukewarm tea.
"You're a little over two miles away from the school."
"Yep."
Naru was willing to bet there was a flower shop and probably an all-purpose shop along the way that sold chocolates; she didn't live very far from a small shopping plaza. "How far would you guess the influence stretches?"
"Umm… probably four, five miles from the school."
"Do they bother you at home?"
"No. If I don't want to answer the door, I won't. But they haven't visited me there. Most of them don't know where I live."
For now, at least, Lin thought recording that in the computer. And that was only a matter of time.
"What happened up until Lin came into the picture?" Naru asked, leaning back in his seat.
"Today was like Thursday, no drastic changes; I decided last night that I would bring this to SPR, seeing that the situation's completely out of hand. Getting back to today… I was asked to leave class during the third lesson and I decided to leave school early, telling them that my boss had called yesterday and told me to come into work. I decided to take home the first bouquet and chocolates I received in the first class and then come over to SPR. But I had to change my plans abruptly. There were two boys waiting just at the gates for me, neither inside nor outside: Aki Kichiro and Isamu Takahiro. They're second years and hold the same reputations as the Weasley Twins from Harry Potter."
Lovely, Lin thought with a grimace. I'll bet the school authorities simply adore them.
"They just wanted to talk, they said. I didn't, and I didn't like the look in their eyes."
"What kind of look was that?"
Mai pursed her lips, trying to find the right words. "Feral," she said at last. "Like I was prey."
"Go on," Naru said.
"The minute I saw them, I changed my mind about going home first. I started walking towards SPR; it was a nice day for a walk, anyways. I figured that once they were far enough from the school, they'd stop and start wondering what they were doing following me and leave me alone when they couldn't figure it out. But that didn't happen. They followed me all the way here and even chased me when I started to run. And…" here she found it hard to continue. She closed her eyes—it was easier if she couldn't see either Naru or Lin-san—Mai wrapped her arms around her midsection and leaned inwards, trying as hard as she could to pull herself into a fetal position without actually curling up on the couch.
Both men watched her try to wrap herself into a ball and frowned. But there was little they could do to comfort her.
"And, what?" Naru asked, his voice softer and less clinical.
"And they caught up," she whispered finally, tears starting to fall from her eyes. "Takahiro caught up first and grabbed me, he's the one that held me captive. Kichiro was the one who tried to kiss me first, he said that it was just a kiss—but we'd see where it went from there."
"That's when I came into the picture," Lin said, sparing Mai from having to say more. "They stopped what they were doing when they heard me, and Taniyama-san was able to break away. Once she made it to where I was, I told them I was one of her employers and that they needed to get lost."
Naru nodded. Before he could say anything else, the phone rang. Opening her eyes, Mai disentangled herself and moved to answer the phone; Lin stood up and waved her back.
"You're not supposed to be here," he told her. "Remember?" She nodded reluctantly. Making his way over to her desk, Lin picked up the receiver. "Shibuya Psychic Research, Lin speaking… Of course we remember you, Satsuma-san. No, Taniyama-san's not here right now, I'm afraid. Can I take a message for you, perhaps? Oh? Yes, you're in luck. Shibuya-san walked in just a few minutes ago. Yes, of course, hold on please and I'll transfer you." Putting his hand over the mouthpiece he said to Naru, "The vice-principal of Taniyama-san's school."
Getting up from the couch, Naru went to Mai's desk and took the phone from Lin. The Chinese man returned to the couch and placed what he hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder. Mai smiled at him and he did the same. It seemed he wasn't as bad at offering comfort as he'd originally thought.
"This is Shibuya," Naru said. "How are you, Vice Principal Satsuma? That's good to hear. I trust that the old building demolition went without a hitch, yes? It fell on its own? Really? Yes, I've heard that spirits can weaken foundations." Just not on a massive scale such as that building had been, he thought. That was land subsidence, you fool. "No, Mai's not here. If you'd like, I'll put you back through to Lin and he can take a message for you…you're glad she's not here? Why?" he asked, tucking the phone between his shoulder and neck and crossing his arms. "Are you afraid she's listening in? I assure you, I've never found that to be a problem. She's not even here—just to reiterate. Unless of course, you think both Lin and I being dishonest… oh, that's good," he said. "I'd hate to discontinue contact with you over something so trifiling, you know. Is there a particular reason for this call? You have a job for SPR? Of what nature?"
Mai felt a shiver go down her spine at the verbal parley. "She hates me," she told Lin quietly.
"Who?"
"The vice principal."
"Why?"
"I wish I knew," Mai said, shrugging.
As if to confirm what she said, Naru suddenly snapped, "Did you call about a case or to accuse Mai?" Catching Lin's eye, he put the phone on speaker.
"Of course I called about a case, Shibuya-san," the vice principal said hurriedly, as if she knew that she'd started to tread on very thin ice. "But the problem, you could say, revolves around Taniyama. Working for you, I'm certain she may have found a way to somehow cause the circumstances that are taking place."
A warning glance from Lin caused Mai to think twice about saying anything; she really wasn't supposed to be at SPR—not at that moment, anyhow.
"True, I won't deny that perhaps she could have—we do have quite a lot of material here, but I don't think she's smart enough to understand things that are in dead languages."
Mai glared at him and he smirked back.
"I suppose you're right," the vice principal replied.
Naru smirked and voiced the opinion that he was, indeed, correct. He knew his employee, after all.
It ended with Lin placing his hand over her mouth to keep Mai from making a racket and tossing Naru a particularly nasty glare. Honestly, he thought, giving into the urge to roll his eyes. I should lock Naru and Mai in a room together; it would probably save my sanity! He should know better than to aggravate her right now—wishful thinking on my part, I'm sure. Really, where did his parents go wrong?
"Why don't you tell me what's going on at the school," Naru suggested, growing tired of dealing with the lady on the other end of the line; it was amusing to tease Mai, of course, but he did need to focus on the so-called client, and Lin's glare had reminded him of just what the man was capable of. He hadn't liked dealing with the vice principal the first time he'd been at the school, either, come to think of it. He closed his eyes and leaned against Mai's desk. Haltingly, the vice principal gave an account of what had happened at the school since Monday; her story matched what Mai had been telling them. "Thank you, Satsuma-san. My team and I will be there tomorrow morning. Please have a room we may use as a base prepared. Until then."
"Tomorrow? But Mai will be at school, too."
"Of course she will. She's part of my team; she works for me and I'll need her help. Besides, this is probably affecting her, as well and as such, I'll probably have to consider her a client, and I rely on my clients for help, too."
"Affecting her? I think she's enjoying this," the vice principal said darkly.
Mai began to tremble with rage; Lin put his hand back on her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.
"You think so?" Naru said coolly. "I wouldn't think that anyone suffering that level of harassment would enjoy themselves in the least. Until tomorrow." Turning off the speakerphone, he hung up the receiver. "Mai," he said looking at her, "when you can, come to the base room that we'll have at the school and be prepared to help. We're taking your case."
"Okay," she said, nodding.
"For now, I want Lin to take you home. Lin," he said, focusing on his associate, "take a camera and get some pictures of the flowers and the notes. Let's see if we can find some clues in them or establish a pattern of some sort. The rest of us will meet you there."
"Right," Lin said, standing and disappearing into his office and returning with his coat. "I'll get a camera; grab that laptop, please, Taniyama-san."
Mai looked at Naru. "I'm sure Bou-san will give you a ride—he knows where I live, so you don't need to give him directions."
"Pardon?" Naru asked.
"What?" she returned, confused.
"Never mind," he said, picking up the phone again.
"Okay," she replied, picking the laptop up and cradling it against her chest. She looked at Naru who was already on the phone. "Thank you for believing me."
"Don't think I'm not angry with you."
"Eh?"
Naru didn't answer her; he was in a conversation with Monk-san.
Why's he being so cold, she wondered. What had she done to upset him this time? It's always something, she told herself, I can't seem to do anything right by his standards, she thought, squeezing the laptop against her chest, a few tears dripped from her eyes and landed on it. What right did he have to be angry with her? He wasn't the one receiving flowers, chocolates, and graphic notes. He wasn't the one that had been asked out by just about every male in the school. And he certainly wasn't the one that had been chased from school by two boys who'd been intent on something more than kissing! She clutched the laptop tighter and tighter until it started to hurt her chest, making it hard to breathe—she focused on that pain; it kept her from screaming and raging like she wanted to do. Oh, she wanted to kill him! Naru, you selfish bastard! she thought, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Taniyama-san."
Lin's voice shook her from her musings. She looked at the tall man standing at the door waiting patiently for her, a camera case in one hand and car keys in the other. "Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm coming," she said. "Just let me get my book bag." Going over to the counter it sat on, she grabbed it. "Keep the chocolate," she said, not looking at Naru. "I won't even ask for a return gift." That said, she joined Lin at the door and followed him out.
The Chinese man glanced at his boss and shook his head, so much for not upsetting Mai.
………
Climbing into the black SUV that was used when there was no equipment to haul around, Mai told Lin, "He's angry with me."
"He's not angry because you came to SPR on your week off."
"Then why, Lin-san?" she cried, clutching the laptop as if it were a stuffed animal. "Why does he have a right to be upset?"
It's a good thing that laptop's insured, he decided. "Because you waited so long to come to us," he said, backing out of the driveway.
"What?" she asked.
"You should have come to us when the notes became more graphic—no, before that," he told her sternly. "It should never have progressed to you being chased from school to SPR. You've worked for us long enough by now to know that situations always get worse before they get better. That's why he's angry. I'm not happy with you, either. I'm glad I was able to prevent whatever those boys were aiming to do, but I'm not at all pleased that it even got that far; it shouldn't have. You should have come to us Tuesday at the latest."
Mai flinched. She'd expected Lin to be a bit more sympathetic. You're a fool, Taniyama, she thought, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she whispered, burying her face against her book bag and starting to sob.
Ah, damn! Lin thought. Fabulous job, Koujo, he congratulated himself. That's the exact opposite of what you set out to do in the first place. Why bother telling Naru not to upset her when you just did? "Taniyama-san, I'm sorry; that was harsh and you've been through enough, today."
But he's right, she thought, keeping her face buried against her book bag.
Mai didn't answer and Lin couldn't blame her. He sighed. If we're not careful, Naru and I—especially Naru!— I think Mai will quit, he thought, maneuvering the jeep and watching her wipe away her tears. And what we would do without her? She pulls her own weight and then some, he thought, too wrapped up in his thoughts to hear or process what she'd said, assuming that he'd heard correctly. Then there's the fact that she's been injured in just about every one of our cases-- and that speaks volumes; she hasn't run away, either.
"Uh, Lin-san? Lin-san!" she called again, grabbing his sleeve and tugging on it gently. Geez! What's a girl gotta do to get someone's attention these days? "Lin-san!"
Mai's insistent pulling on his sleeve snapped Lin from his musing. "Hmm?" he murmured, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
"You're going the wrong way. I live north of SPR. Didn't you hear me when I told you to turn left?"
Lin sighed. …And I need to learn to pay attention!
………
Mai's apartment was what he expected of a single person or, in her case, an orphan. It was neat as a pin, except for the flower petals littering the area; he was willing to bet that broom he saw in the kitchen was getting daily use. The kitchen was connected to the living room and contained a low, rectangular coffee table that she probably used for homework. Around it sat a comfortable looking sofa and matching love seat. Lin wondered if they hadn't been given to her by one of the teachers who'd allowed her to stay with her when her mother died. Or a neighbor gave them to her, or friends, perhaps? Maybe she inherited them? He shook his head; it didn't matter, there was no reason to be so curious. There was a small breakfast nook in the kitchen where a circular table that sat four stood. He assumed that down the hall was her bedroom and bathroom. And just as she had claimed, every available, flat surface was covered with flowers and boxes of chocolates—they were all un-opened and sat on the floor, neatly stacked. A few piles even acted as stands for some of the smaller vases.
What a mess, he thought, trying unsuccessfully to prevent a sneeze. He wasn't allergic to flowers, but the sheer amount in the room was overwhelming, even for him.
"Bless you," Mai said, looking up at him.
"Thank you. Taniyama-san, I hate to impose, but you wouldn't happen to have any allergy medicine, would you?"
"I do; I'll be right back. Glasses are in the cabinet right over the sink," she said, heading down the short hallway. "There's soda or tea in the fridge, help yourself."
Taking out his cell phone, he sent Naru a text message and went into the small kitchen to pull a glass out and fill it with water.
"Here you go," she said, returning with a bottle of anti-histamines. "Oh, are you sure you don't want any iced tea, Lin-san?" she asked, handing him the bottle.
"Perhaps when the others arrive," he told her taking the allergy medicine with thanks. He downed two pills, wondering if he shouldn't have taken three, instead. "Shall we get started?" he asked, handing her back the glass and small white bottle.
"Sure," she said. "What do you need me to do?"
He pulled out the digital camera and turned it on. "Can you clear a space for the laptop and plug in the battery cable?"
"Roger!" she said.
Focusing on the display screen, he began to take pictures of the flowers. He couldn't help but think that this case was going to be complicated beyond belief.