There are going to be 2-3 more chapters before the canon timeline starts.
I do not own Ghost Hunt.
oxoxoxo
The funeral was a small, quiet thing. My mother's ashes were placed at our family tomb upon her passing. You could find me there burning incenses every day for a week straight in Kimiko Taniyama's honor. I promised myself this week for grieving and isolation, after that I would live as happily as I could.
After the funeral I moved in with Yukimura-sensei and her husband. I am so grateful to them for taking me in. My bed, bookcase and a desk of my choosing were placed in my new room. The rest of the stuff from my old house was packed and sent to a private storage unit my mother prepared for this scenario. My bookcase was filled with many types of books: picture books, novels, school manuals, history books, French, English and Japanese dictionaries and paranormal research books in all three of the aforementioned languages.
Yukimura-sensei, or Miyuki-san as she insisted, was incapable of having a baby so she was glad the room that was reserved for a child that would never come, was occupied by one that needed it. Because at this moment, that's what I was, a child.
I could move out when I was 14, so in two years I would have to be self-sufficient and live on my own again.
But for now I need to focus on finishing my last year in junior high school. My friends and I were not in the same class since I skipped two grades, but I made two new friends in my new class. At the beginning a few curious people asked me questions but they held an underline of jealousy and condescension so I answered bluntly and did not initiate much conversation. At the end though I met a bubbly and bright girl named Akane, who dragged me to her best friend, a girl named Shizuka and asked her "Can I keep her?"... The ensuing conversation was, in my opinion, highly entertaining. It kind of went like this:
"No."
"Please? I'll take care of her?"
"No, she's a person ask her."
"But you're like my mom, so I have to ask you. Plus you told me to ask you if I could bring someone to your house before I bring them to your house."
"You are not bringing her to my house"
"Please?"
"No."
"Pleaaaase?"
"NO!"
I couldn't help it and giggled at them. When I noticed they were staring at me I smiled and introduced myself.
"Hi, my name is Taniyama, but you can call me Mai. It's nice to meet you."
That was the start to our friendship. Akane was innocent and naïve, Shizuka was a bookworm and I was an overachiever, but we all fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
Akane wasn't very good in school so Shizuka and I tutored her often and at some point afterwards I confessed to them that I was interested in parapsychology. They didn't make fun of me like I thought they would, they didn't even laugh it off like my other friends did. They just accepted it and listened to me when I told them of some of the research I was interested in or they would tell me about things they heard or read off the internet about the subject.
When I asked why, it was Shizuka who answered.
"I believe we are all unique in our own ways, and if ghosts are youre thing, then so be it. I dont believe in ghosts but I know you wouldn't talk to us about them if they weren't real, you wouldn't be passionate about something that doesn't exist. And frankly, you don't seem like the type that enjoys deceiving people. Ask Akane, she agrees. I still might not completely believe in ghosts but I believe in you and that's enough."
I felt warm inside so I smiled and hugged them both.
Xoxoxox
My birthday is on July 3rd. I'm going to be 13 and next April I'm going to start high school. Since I'm an orphan, certain schools offered me a scholarship, so my tuition is free. Akane was moving so her school was going to be 3 hours away and Shizuka was going to a private academy, so no matter what school I choose I won't be able to see them on a regular basis. With that in mind I chose a random school that was near where I live and accepted their offer, I'm not entirely sure why but it felt right and I knew in my heart that I would not regret it... and I have awesome instincts.
For now though, I'm going to spend time with my friends.
You could probably imagine my surprise when I noticed it was the same school that the original Mai went to.
Xoxoxox
I got a part time job at a library, so after school, 5 times a week, from 3:00 to 9:00 pm, I work. The salary was good and all I had to do was sort books and register those that people wanted to borrow. I made a lot of money and I barely spent it except for necessities and the occasional treat.
I had a bad feeling one day about my job and I wanted to be able to support myself in case something happened to the library so I asked Yukimura-sensei and she helped me look for any potential jobs in case I got fired or if I wanted a higher salary.
Nothing happened for a while and so I doubted my intuition. Before the end of the school year though, in January, there was a fire and the library was burned down to the ground. The perpetrator of the event was caught and it was soon found out that the man was a mentally unstable pyromaniac that had stopped taking his medication. The workers who, luckily, were out on break when the fire started were unharmed. All employees were let go, but I quickly found a job at a restaurant. I was completely forbidden from cooking because I was still so young, so basically I was the jack of all trades in the restaurant. Clearing tables, cleaning, serving foods and drinks, preparing tea like an expert... which is how they discovered I made amazing tea so I was always in charge of making it if it was requested by a customer and that's how my name was known in the restaurant: Mai, the tea girl. I decided I really liked my new job. The people were nice like at the library, but here they were closer. It was a family run restaurant, but they had a bunch of employees because of how successful they were over the years. Its so humbling, to work so hard and to see it succeed.
Mai is going to turn 13 in the next chapter, but it's a bit confusing so I'll show you the basic Japanese school system.
Junior high school
Basic age VS Mai's age
12-13VS 10-11 grade 7
13-14VS 11-12 grade 8
14-15 VS 12-13 grade 9
High school
15-16 VS 13-14 (next chapter is here) grade 10
16-17VS 14-15(in the manga, Mai's friends thought Naru was in) grade 11
17-18VS 15-16(Mai's grade when plot line will start) grade 12
I hope it clears some confusion
;)
Good night.