OMG! It's been so long since we've updated! I'm so sorry for the wait you guys, but we're back! We're going to update much more frequently! We went through our notes and we finally have an idea of what we're going to do! We only have a few more chapters of this case left, so expect more soon!
The group, minus Lin and Naru of course, were still unnerved by the angry ghost they had encountered during the seance. They were all separated back into pairs, continuing to monitor the zoo while Naru and Lin sat at the base.
Night drew near and the group returned to the base. Mai and Monk were the last to return, and Mai pulled the door shut behind her.
"Does anyone have anything to report?" Naru asked without looking at anyone. He continued scribbling in his notebook, waiting for someone to speak up.
"Temperatures were normal." Monk said from his slumped position against the wall. Mai nodded her head in agreement. "The aquarium was a little cooler than normal, but it wasn't enough to worry about." She added.
"I didn't sense any evil spirits during my walkthrough." Ayako said, strangely subdued. Yasu said nothing, but nodded his head once.
"There were only faint remnants of Kei's presence, he wasn't out in full force it would seem." Masako said softly. John ran a hand through his hair, remaining silent.
"Very well. It would seem that the seance drove the spirit away temporarily. It should return soon." He shuffled some papers and looked up at the group before he continued. "For now, everyone should rest. We'll research the employees here tomorrow and see if we can deduce who this woman is that Kei is so angry with." Naru dismissed them and turned back to his work.
Mai, Ayako and Masako made their way to the room where they would be staying. Mai quickly claimed the shower, and rushed into the small, attached bathroom. She realized after getting undressed and turning on the water, that she forgot new clothes. She shrugged to herself. It would be fine, there were only girls in the room anyway.
She relished in the luxury of the warm water. She had worked up a sweat in the humidity of the day as she and Monk ran around taking temperatures. She let out a sigh of relief as she washed the sweat and grime off of her body and out of her hair before shutting the water off, wrapping herself in a towel and gingerly opening the door, chuckling when she saw Ayako face-down on her bed. Masako was no where to be found.
Mai walked over to her bed, reaching under the bed and frowning when she pulled out an unfamiliar bag. She looked under the other beds as well, but couldn't find her bag of clothes anywhere.
She walked over to Ayako, nudging her slightly to wake her up. "Mmm, what?" Ayako whined.
"Ayako, where is my bag?" She asked. Ayako sent her a glare.
"Under your bed where they're always put, Mai." She grumbled. Mai let out a groan when the woman started snoring.
She returned to the bag she pulled from under her bed, blushing and gaping when she realized that it was Naru's. She spluttered for a moment before taking in her options. She could either A.) Borrow Ayako's clothes, which would be much too long for her, and not comfortable to sleep in. B.) Find Masako and borrow her clothes, which was irrational because who knew when the woman would return C.) put her old clothes back on. Ew. Not happening. Or D.) suck it up and wear something of Naru's.
She let out a frustrated sigh before pulling the first t-shirt off the top, which happened to be black (surprise). She turned to see that Ayako was still asleep before dropping the towel and pulling the shirt on quickly. It reached down to her mid-thigh and she was surprised at the softness of the material.
I can't believe I'm wearing Naru's shirt…. Mai thought to herself. She knew that she would have to go find her bag, but she didn't know what to do. She looked down at herself. She was covered enough to go back to base at least. She steeled herself before zipping up the suitcase and dragging it behind her back to base.
When she pushed open the door, she found Masako, Naru and Lin gathered around a small table. The trio looked up at her entrance, sending her various looks in response to her outfit.
Masako gasped, covering her mouth with her kimono sleeved hand. Lin lifted a brow, but looked back down to their work quickly. Naru sent her a blank stare, taking in her wet kittenesque appearance and the fact that she was wearing his shirt and dragging his suitcase behind him.
"Mai," he started. "Why are you wearing my shirt, and why do you have my suitcase?" She blushed and fidgeted.
"I took a shower, and when I went to grab my suitcase, I realized it wasn't mine, and that mine wasn't in my room. I didn't know what else to do, so I borrowed a shirt so I could come back here. Please don't be mad!" She finished with desperation.
Naru sighed, rubbing his temple in frustration. "Lin, if you could, please go wake Yasu and find out where Mai's bag went." Lin nodded and moved to exit the room. He stopped when Naru spoke up again. "Feel free to do whatever means necessary to wake him." His voice had a sharp edge, making Mai squirm nervously.
Mai sat in awkward silence as she waited for Lin to return. Masako remained silent, but sent chilled glances at Mai every now and then.
After what seemed like an eternity, Mai heard the door click and turned to see Lin shutting it, carrying her bag in one hand. She rushed up and took it from him with a rushed 'Thanks' before dropping Naru's bag by the door and rushing back to her room.
None of the three in the room were likely to forget this incident for a long time.
The next morning, Yasu walked into the base with a lump on his head and a disgruntled look on his face.
"I don't know why you're all blaming me, Ayako was in on it too!" John and Monk followed Yasu in, Monk with a furious glare, and even John wore an unamused expression. Ayako balked as she prepared to enter the room, letting out a nervous chuckle.
"What?! Ayako, you said my bag was were it was always put! You liar!" Mai pointed at the miko accusingly. Ayako crossed her arms and huffed.
"I was tired. I didn't think about it."
Masako entered the room with a peaceful expression. "Why are you so happy? Aren't you pissed that your bags were hidden everywhere?" Monk asked while throwing another glare at the guilty pair.
Masako covered her face and sent him a look. "Not at all. I was able to find all of my belongings with no trouble, so it wasn't much of an inconvenience." She said simply. Mai grumbled. She had spent hours finding her other small bag that was hidden in the microwave.
"Enough." Naru said shortly. Everyone turned their attention to him and waited for him to continue.
"Stupidity aside, we have a job to do." His tone was neutral, but there was a strong undercurrent of hostility that was missed by nobody. "Now, John and Masako, please go to the head office and collect files of all female workers that worked with Kei at any time." The pair nodded and went on their way.
"Ayako and Monk, temperatures." The pair groaned, but left to do their part.
"Mai and Yasu, I want you to go over security videos and check for any irregularities."
"What are you and Lin going to do?" Mai asked curiously. Naru looked at her for a moment before turning away.
"Something much to difficult for your mind to comprehend." Mai was about to throw back a retort when a large book sailed through the air, smacking the narcissist in the back of the head. He clenched his fists, his only sign of frustration. "Sorry." He said quietly before leaving with Lin, slamming the door behind him.
"Is it bad that I kind of wish the ghost would leave him alone for awhile?" Mai muttered.
There was no way she was surviving this case.