That night during exorcisms the dog struck again. John was on the top floor in the middle of his exorcism when he heard a weird noise.
Turning around he was suddenly attacked by a large black dog with red eyes. Hearing the struggle Monk, Lin and Naru rushed to help him. Luckily he managed to push away the spirit but wasn't able to exorcise it, even so he sustained a bite mark on leg.
"It just came out of nowhere," John relayed after. "I turned and I just saw this swirl of black and then I was down."
"There, all bandaged. Just keep it clean," Ayako exclaimed as she finished cleaning up his bite. John thanked her as Naru went through the footage of the attack. Mai noted his wary expression and made her way over to the computers to watch too.
"Do you still see a man?" Naru asked as he played it in slow motion.
"No, that is definitely our dog. I wonder how he does that, appearing as a man to some and a dog to others."
"It could just be that you see things for what they really are, or perhaps he doesn't see you as a threat and appears in his natural form," Naru speculated.
"I'm willing to bet he just doesn't see Mai as a threat," Yasu said snarkily from behind the two. Mai shot him a glare but had to admit, he was probably right. Naru shot Mai a sideways look but kept silent.
"Hey, Naru, where did you put those notes last?" Lin asked suddenly.
"I gave them to Yasu, he was doing research." Yasu glanced up when Naru spoke.
"Oh, yeah, I put them on that table right the-…. That's weird," Yasu trailed off as he pointed to an empty table. "They were right there. Did someone move them?"
"Maybe you lost them," Monk suggested half-jokingly.
"Have you met me? I am king organization. No way have I lost those. I am too good for that," Yasu sniped back.
"Didn't you lose your phone five times in one day?" Ayako added. "And Mai's backpack?"
"Yeah, I still haven't gotten that back," Mai said glumly.
"Okay so maybe I've lost a few things, I know it's hard to believe that someone as perfect as I is only human, but I am. I do know that I didn't lose those case notes though. I had just added a section about one of the latest incidents here, I remember that."
"Maybe you did put them somewhere safe but forgot exactly where," John said kindly.
"I could swear I put them on the table," Yasu mumbled.
"Well, they're not there now," Lin said. Everyone fell silent. This wasn't good, Naru must be furious. A quick glance in his direction confirmed Mai's suspicions. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were narrowed, but he wasn't saying anything.
"Hey, Mai, you have intuition super powers! Do you have an idea of where they are?" John asked, desperate to help. Mai flushed as everyone turned to stare.
"I don't think it really works like that," she admitted.
"Exactly. We just all have to look," Masako added. Mai was about to glare but realized Masako had a point.
"Even so, can't you visualize them maybe?" John refused to give up.
"Uh, I can try." Mai tried half-heartedly to visualize the notes in her mind, thinking of the thick folder with all the papers in it. At first she got nothing. Then, somehow, she started seeing them laying in a hall way. "Yasu, did you leave them in a hallway?"
"No… are you seeing them in a hall way?"
"Yeah, I think so. I'm seeing the folder and I'm also seeing what looks like the hallway flooring underneath it. It could be nothing, though," Mai amended when she caught Monk's expectant eyes. To her surprise he grinned and jumped up, giving her a crushing hug.
"Mai, I think you just saved the day! Everyone, check the hallways!"
"It might not be there," Mai pleaded as everyone started rushing out.
"It's our best shot!"
Sure enough, the notes were in a hallway on the floor, right by apartment 119. Yasu was the one to find them, and he couldn't stop crowing about it even though it was Mai that sent him there in the first place. Nonetheless the mood was considerably lighter as they headed back to base.
Mai was startled when Naru stopped her right before the base door, leaving them the only two in the hallway.
"I swear I'm not the one who lost the notes, if that's what you're thinking," Mai said nervously as he stared at her intensely. To her surprise Naru's eyes crinkled, and a genuine spark shone in them. Mai felt her stomach drop out of her body. Holy, he's so pretty…
"I know. Thanks Mai, we really needed those notes." With that Naru strode inside base, acting as if he didn't just turn Mai's whole life upside down.
Naru's being nice… something is definitely weird at this place, Mai thought with a huff before she followed Naru with a burning face.