23. She isn't sure if she wants to love someone else quite yet. Not that she's in any way still pining after Naru. She just knows an emotional attachment requires time, energy, and commitment, all of which she's more than willing to give, but what if that doesn't make her happy? What if she can't make Shizuo happy? After all, she is out of town constantly, chasing one ghost after another. Everything in her life centers around work now. It's where she spends most of her days, her classes are the basic backbone of the paranormal, and she spends much of her free time reading into it, studying relentlessly. Shibuya Psychic Research had become her life, without her even realizing it.
Mai sighs, and rolls onto her belly, lying sprawled on Izaya's black sofa with her feet in the air. A mountain of paranormal books, two laptops, old case files, a number of magazines and newspapers, and a haphazard stack of audio and visual recording CDs have concealed the coffee table, but she's not interested in any of it. In truth, her heap of craziness is there partially for the intent of annoying Namie, one of the few activities she and her obnoxious roommate both enjoy.
If it weren't for people like Takigawa, Ayako, Masako, John, Yasu, Celty, Shizuo, and even Izaya on occasion, she'd be trapped in her office all day. Perhaps it makes Naru happy that she's so focused, but it isn't Naru she wants to please. She doesn't love him, nor does she feel any form of infatuation for him anymore. It's actually embarrassing to look back on it now, and sometimes it instigates some uncomfortable silences between them when they meet at the Shibuya Branch.
No, she's glad she's met Shizuo. But she doesn't know if she wants to risk their friendship or risk hurting herself again.
She sighs.
And she resolves to say nothing.
-0-0-0-
Author's Notes: The third party needs to straighten these two out.
Ghost Hunt is owned by Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.
Durarara! is owned by Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Akiyo Satorigi.