Chapter 6 – First case jitters and a Cookie Monster
It's been three days since she worked at SPR, and she learned a lot of things about her co-workers, like Lin is a diviner and always caged his self in his office; Madoka went back to England – where she lives; Naru's office always dim, she's starting to think that he's a vampire; Gene is always in Naru's office, teasing him until he snapped out. And oh, she also learned that Naru is the same as her, a PK user, but it seems he will be in danger when he used it recklessly, and also, he's addicted to Earl Grey tea.
"Mai, tea" she heard him called, well like today, it's his fifth cup already
She sighed "Coming!"
She's waiting for the water to boil when the phone on her desk rang "Hello, Shibuya Psychic Research, how can we help you?" she listened to the person on the other line, he sounds upset and scared, "I will let you speak to our manager directly sir, please wait a moment I'll put you on hold" Mai said as she wrote down his contact information, she press the number one button, "Naru, there's a client who really wants to talk to you"
"Put it on line three, please" he ordered, and she transfer the call to his line, she went back to the kitchenette and continue preparing the tea. She knocked at Lin's door to give him a cup too, he opened his office door and took the cup, with a simple 'thank you'. She knocked at his boss' door and Gene opened the door for her, she entered and placed the two cups on his table
"Thank you Mai" Gene said with a smile
"You're welcome Gene"
"Mai, please call everyone we will have a case and tell them to meet here tomorrow eight a.m. sharp"
She nodded "Okay" she turned around to leave before she heard him thanking for the tea, she smiled at him "You're always welcome" she said and left from his office
"EH?! Really? You have a case tomorrow?" Akira asked her friend as they walked to their class
Mai nodded "Yup, that's why I will ask our professor if he will allow me to take our exam in advance"
"When will you be away?"
"I don't know. I think it depends on our case, Naru still don't tell us about it"
"So this will be your first case as a member of SPR"
"I'm excited, yet nervous"
"Geez, don't be. You must show to that pathetic kimono clad medium that you're better than her" she said irritably, Mai just chuckled at her friend. They entered their room, and settled on their respective seats; a moment later their professor entered and started the lecture. Mai sighed, this gonna be a long day
The next day, she's already in the office five thirty a.m., she can't help it, she can't sleep well last night. A mixture of excitement and anxiety throbbed on her senses and she can't calm herself down, she's pacing back and forth in the common room when the door opened revealing the twins and Lin, she gave them a forced smile.
Naru was shocked seeing that there is someone who's early than him, it's only six in the morning "Aren't you too early?" he asked
Lin went to his office, Gene sit down on the couch, she clasped her hands "Well, I didn't sleep well last night" she softly said
Naru raised his eyebrow "why's that? Are you really that excited seeing me again?" he teased, he heard Gene chuckled
"Jerk! Who wants to see your ugly face so early in the morning, anyway?" she glared at him, who gave her a teasing smirk in return "well, you might call it a 'first case jitters' it's my first case together with you as an official member, so I'm quite nervous yet excited"
"Don't worry Mai, we experience that too. But, when you're on the actual case, you will have fun" Gene cheerfully said
She smiled at him "You're right" she looked at Naru who's sitting on the couch "You want some tea?"
He nodded "Yes, please"
"Me too Mai, I want some too" Gene added
She went to the kitchenette to prepare some tea, she open the cabinet and saw some flour, she took it and put on the table. She open fridge to get some eggs and butter, and luckily there are cocoa powder too! Now she will bake chocolate cookies.
In the common room, the twins can hear Mai's humming, and Naru can't help but smile "And my little brother is happy" Gene teased
Naru glared at him "Shut up" he looked at his wristwatch "What took her so long" he mumbled, then a smell of new baked cookies filled in the room and his stomach growled in response. Lin went out from his office to the common room, he was lured by the smell of the new baked cookies too.
Gene closed his eyes as he sniff "Wow. It smells great" he opened his eyes when he heard his brother's and saw him blushed, he chuckled "this is the first time I heard your stomach growled that loud" he chuckled when he saw Naru blushed and continue 'reading' his notes.
Lin took his notes and turned it before giving it to him again, "You're reading it upside down earlier" he smirked at the simple mistake of his young boss.
"I can read it upside down" he defended
Mai came out from the kitchenette with a tray of tea on her hand, "Gene, can you get the tray of cookies in the kitchen please" she politely asked. But, Naru closed his notes and stood up.
"I can get it for you" before she can answer, he went to the kitchenette.
She carefully placed the tea on the table, and sit on the couch waiting for Naru. Minutes later, no Naru came out from the kitchen, she's tapping her fingers on the table to show her irritation, she's about to stand to check what happen when Gene exclaimed
"At last! You're here. What took you so long?" he asked, he ignored Gene's question and placed the cookies on the table. Gene grabbed some and starting to eat, Lin took some too, surprisingly Naru didn't take one.
"Cookie Monster!" Mai exclaimed, they all pause and looked at her, she's glaring at Naru
He raised his eyebrow "What do you mean?"
"You ate my cookies first"
"What? Did you see me eating?" he said as he continue reading his notes, this time it's not upside down
Mai grinned at him and reached his face, making his heart beat rapidly "Geez, you still have crumbs on your face as an evidence" she said as she carefully wipe the corner of his lips with her hand, he felt his body froze when her hand touched his skin and he felt the blush on his face
"Next time, don't leave any evidence" she teased, "And you can eat as much you can, no need to hide. Understand?" she smiled when she saw him nodded. Unknown to the two, Gene and Lin took a video from the scene before them.
Mai grabbed a cookie and gave it to Naru "Here"
He didn't took it but instead "As my assistant, feed me" he said and open his mouth, Mai felt the blush on her face as she obeyed the demand of her boss, and they are so oblivious and forgot the other two people at room who are enjoying recording.
Naru smirked when he saw her red face "You look like a tomato"
"Because I'm a tomato in past life, you jerk!" she said and looked at him "I bet, you're a teabag in your past life" she said smirking. He's about to tease her back when they heard the door opened and revealing the other SPR members, well of course, the first in their view is the kimono clad medium who glared at her then went to sit beside Naru, the others following her entered and sit on the couch. Surprised was written on their face when they saw, first, the cookies on the table; and second, Lin, hang out in the common room instead of being in his office doing only-God-knows-what.
"So tasty!" Bou-san exclaimed as he eat the cookies on the tray, he grabbed some more and gave it to John and Yasu.
"You want some?" he asked Ayako
"No thanks, I'm on a diet"
He snickered "Whatever diet you will make, you're still fat" wrong move when he faced Ayako, she landed her strongest punch on his jaw
"What was that all about you fat old hag?" he received another punch
"I'm not fat!" she whined, she griped his shirt shook him rapidly
Ignoring the bickering of the two, Yasu asked "So Big Boss, where's our location this time?"
"Wakkanai" he answered without looking at them
"Huh? What do you mean you don't know?*" Ayako curiously asked, still strangling Bou-san
"That's our location" he clarified
They are all silent, trying to digest what Naru just said "WAKKANAI?!" They all exclaimed, except for Lin, Gene, and Mai – the two guys know it already, and Mai don't have any idea where was that
"Naru-bou, that's too far! It's almost at the tip of Japan" Bou-san complained
"Then you're welcome to leave"
Bou-san pouted at his boss' remark, "So, what's the case all about?" he asked
"I got a call from Sanada Kei, the manager of Wakkanai Airport, it seems that the pilots and their assistants saw a man running on the runway and trying to catch the plane, which made them scared and lose control on the plane. Not only the pilots but some passengers saw it too, those who sat on the window side." Naru explained
"So… I assume that the airport is now close?" Mai curiously asked
Masako snorted "Don't be stupid Taniyama-san, of course they will close it now that the passengers are afraid because what's happening" Mai rolled her eyes at her, she's not in the mood to have a useless argument with her, she raised her eyebrow when she noticed Naru glared at Masako.
"So if the airport itself is close, how will we get there?" Ayako asked
Naru looked at her and back to his notes "The nearest airport that we can have is the Asahikawa airport"
"But the ghost will only appear when the plane will land or take off right? What if it will not appear since we don't arrive on Wakkanai Airport?" Yasu asked
"Are you saying that we should rent a private plane and land on there?" Gene asked as he looked at Yasu, he nodded.
"But renting a plane is costly, and I don't think there are airports that will let us rent their plane" John interjected; they are all in their thoughts, thinking a way on how they will land on their location.
"Ah guys…" Mai called their attention, when they look at her she continue "I think we need Akira's help on this"
They are all staring at her, seems confused on what she's trying to say, she sigh when she sense their unspoken questions "What I'm trying to say is, we can rent one of the plane of Yukimura Airport since it's owned by Akira's family, and her brother is a licensed pilot and he's on a break so we can asked him to take us there" she explained
They 'oh-ed' when they digested what she's trying to say, and they are now looking at Naru, he's the boss so the final decision is in his hands. He looked at Mai, and then sigh "Call her and her brother, I want to talk to them personally"
"Sure!" she smiled brightly at him, she went to her desk and called her friend.
"Yasuhara, I want you to research about the airport, look if there are any body count on that place" she heard Naru said. She went back to the couch after making the call, she took the empty cups before she told Naru that they will arrive more or less twenty minutes and went back to the kitchen to prepare another set of tea.
Akira and her brother are already sitting on the couch talking to Naru when she came out from the kitchenette with a tray of tea on her hands. And she heard Masako snorted.
"It suits you well. Holding a tray, and serving the guests" she said with full of sarcasm. Mai smile brightly at her.
"Why thank you Masako, at least I know there is something that I can only do and suits me well" she saw Masako glared at her. Akira thwack his brother.
"Help her, idiot" her brother stood up to help Mai. He took the tray from Mai and slowly put it on the table.
"Thanks Sei-nii" she said and sit beside Akira.
"Honestly Shibuya-san, I'm willing to help you even for free, but the Wakkanai Airport sent us a notice to temporarily halt our transactions with them. And I can't carelessly land the plane in there without some personnel who will professionally monitor the flight. So I guess, you must contact Kei first, and if he will agree, then you have Mai to call me" Seiichi explained to Naru. "And I want Mai to be my assistant pilot" Naru look at him and raised his eyebrow
"I can't let you have my assistant, she's mine!" he exclaimed. The others blinked at his firm statement, and Gene laugh.
Akira chuckled "Relax Shibuya-san, my brother won't steal Mai away from you. Besides, you told us earlier that the ghost was seen by the pilot and their assistant right? So if Mai will be my brother's assistant pilot, she will clearly saw the ghost"
"But –" Bou-san was interrupted by Seiichi
"Is there anyone here who have experienced being a pilot?" he asked, when no one answered he continue "That's it, Mai will be my assistant, I don't have time teaching amateurs"
"But Naru is a fast learner" Gene proudly said, Seiichi looked at Naru and shrugged
"I don't care, if you want my help then comply with my demands" he firmly said making them all dumbfounded. Naru on the other was clenching his fist, he don't want Mai to be with him. He snapped out when he heard Mai calling him, he looked at her and saw her carefree smile that reached her eyes, and told him that it's alright and no need to worry. He looked at her eyes, and he didn't trace any worries on them, he sighed and smile slightly at her and look at Seiichi again.
"Well then Yukimura-san, I will inform you if Sanada-san will give us his permission to use the airport" he close his notes and stood up "You're all dismiss" and he went to his cavern… er… office.
[A/N]
* Wakkanai sounds like wakannai, which happens to mean "I don't understand / I don't know" in colloquial Japanese (or wakaranai in standard Japanese)