Midterms, midterms, midterms.
Mai sighed as she listened to the teacher drone on about the never ending topic of the most sophisticated form of torture that the school system called midterms. Although they were horrendous and stressful, Mai perked up as she remembered that there was light at the end of the tunnel.
"Summer vacation." She let out a satisfied sigh.
"Yes, Mai. Summer vacation is coming up too." The teacher responded, causing giggles to erupt from around her. As the brown haired girl ducked her head in embarrassment, the teacher smirked. "Try to keep your thoughts to yourself."
"Yes, sensei." Mai replied meekly.
Ding
The lunch bell rang and she rose from her seat, reaching into her bag to grab her bento.
Keiko turned around in her seat, looking sad. "You're not eating with us again?"
"I prefer having air conditioning." Mai said to her with a smile and waved goodbye as she left the classroom, headed for her usual lunch spot. She didn't have the heart to say that it felt awkward eating with her and Michiru now that they both suddenly had boyfriends.
Watching them be all lovey dovey made her cringe.
"And she's here again." Ayako rolled her eyes when the nurses room door slid open, revealing Mai's smiling face. "Don't you have friends?"
"I do." The younger girl responded, falling into the spinny chair. "But they have boyfriends and I do not. So you're stuck with me until one of them gets their heart broken."
Ayako glanced back. "Very pessimistic of you. Surprising, considering all you do at home is watch those romance dramas."
"You like them too! Don't think that I can't see you standing in the door way watching." Mai retorted as she put her feet up on the desk, struggling to stick the straw through the hole in her koolaid jammer. "You think you're so sneaky pretending to make tea while you peek around the corner to see what's happening."
Ayako's hands landed on the back of the chair and she stared down at her with an annoyed look. "I don't do that."
"Do too. You even cried when—wah!" Ayako jerked the chair back and Mai found herself slouching further into the seat, her body stretched out with nothing but her feet on the desk and her back on the chair keeping her from falling. "This is kind of comfortable, actually." Mai said, annoying the red head further as she took a long sip of her koolaid.
The door slid open and Mai turned, her eyes immediately falling on the sight of a tall black haired boy standing in the doorway.
Naru blinked at her, unsure of what he was seeing.
"Wha...?" Mai shifted to sit up but the movement caused the chair to slide out from underneath her, and she tumbled to the floor.
Ayako tried to hide her amusement as she walked towards him. "Is everything okay?"
Naru's eyes lingered on Mai for a moment before he motioned to his side. "She's not feeling well."
That was the moment Mai realized that there was a girl with him. She scrambled to stand up, adjusting her skirt as she watched them from the corner of her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Ayako asked.
The girl frowned, placing her hand against her head. "I'm feeling very faint."
"You can lay down in one of the beds." As the girl moved forward, she suddenly swayed and fell back into Naru's chest. Ayako jumped forward to help her, looking concerned. "I can help you—" The girl clutched onto Naru's shirt, looking up at him expectantly.
Naru hesitated, before he wrapped an arm around her and started to help her over to the bed.
Mai would've felt sorry for the girl, if she hadn't seen the look on her face when she lowered her head to hide her blushed cheeks.
Was she...? No way. No one would pretend to be sick to this extent.
"What's your name?" Ayako asked as she grabbed her chart.
"Hara Masako."
Mai tried to tear her eyes away from them, but she couldn't help but stare at the way she was clutching onto Naru like that. Were they together? Mai wouldn't doubt it now that she was getting a better look at the girl.
Masako was very pretty, with her black short hair and striking eyes.
"Are you sick?"
Maybe she was Naru's type. His rejecting her would make sense then, seeing as Mai was nothing like the elegant quiet girl.
"Mai?"
Masako's eyes flashed up to her suddenly, snapping Mai back to attention.
Naru stared at her, questioning.
"Huh?" She asked, confused.
Naru frowned. "I asked if you were feeling sick?"
"O-oh! No, I'm not..." Mai replied, blinking. She wasn't expecting him to talk to her.
The black haired boy glanced at the desk, where her bento was laid out. "Do you eat lunch in here?"
"Yeah, um... I like the air conditioning." Mai smiled, though her attempt at casual conversation suddenly felt awkward considering Masako was drilling a hole through her head as they spoke.
Ayako glanced back with a teasing look. "And she doesn't have a boyfriend."
Naru's eyes went up in surprise and Mai sputtered, trying to explain. "M-my friends have boyfriend's so... they always eat together. I don't like being the third wheel."
"What about Yasuhara-san?"
"Yasu?" Mai tilted her head, thinking. Why didn't she eat lunch with Yasu? "I guess I could eat lunch with him. I never thought about that."
"Are you two not dating?" Naru asked calmly, watching as she jumped.
"No!" Mai shook her head, mortified. "Does it seem that way?!"
Masako yanked against his shirt, drawing his eyes down to her and cutting their conversation short. "I'm feeling better."
Ayako's eyebrows twisted. "You're feeling better?"
"Yes." Masako nodded and stood. "Thank you."
"You're welcome?" Ayako said confused as she watched Masako walk towards the door, latched onto Naru's arm.
"Hara-san," Naru paused, reaching for her hand, causing the girls face to light up. "If you're feeling better than there's no need for me to help you walk." He gently lifted her hand from his arm.
Masako turned, giving Mai an accusing stare just as the door closed.
Flabbergasted and offended, Mai scoffed. What did she do?!
"Are you close with him?" Ayako suddenly asked, coming to sit down.
"No." Mai said too quickly, causing the women to give her a questioning look. "We're just apart of the same club."
"Could've fooled me." Ayako shrugged. "He calls you by your name."
That's right, Mai realized with a pondering look. He seemed closer to Masako yet he called her by her surname.
An image of Naru that would never be real flashed through her head. Of him standing in front of some cheesy pink background, with flower petals falling behind him, like in a shoujo manga. "Mai." He says, with sparkling eyes and puckered lips—
"GO AWAY!" Mai clenched her eyes shut as she screamed, making Ayako jump in her seat and hit her funny bone on the desk.
Arm tingling painfully, she turned and swatted Mai on the back of the head.
"Go back to your classroom!"
Mai went back, pitifully crying as she rubbed the spot.
There were two things she noticed when she entered the club room.
First, was an ouija board.
Mai pointed, looking pale in the face. "What is that?"
Yasuhara was sitting in front of it, the light glaring off his glasses hiding his eyes from view. "This is how we're going to speak to the ghost."
"No." Mai immediately denied as she turned her attention to the second new presence in the room.
Hara Masako was sitting at the table, her chair pulled close to Naru's as he read over his notes.
Gene noticed her line of sight. "Have you two had the chance to meet before? She's in the same year as you and Yasuhara."
"Uh, not really." Mai scratched the back of her head, bowing slightly to the black haired girl. "Nice to meet you, I'm Taniyama Mai."
Masako returned the greeting quietly, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she spoke. "Hara Masako."
Trying to not let the odd interaction with her at lunch influence her too much, Mai attempted to get to know her better. "What class are you in? I'm in Class 2-B with Yasu."
Masako's eyes glinted, like she had learned something useful. "I'm in Class 2-A." She said, raising her chin and staring at the other girl straight in the eyes.
Yikes.
Class 2-A was a college prep class, which only the best students were able to get to.
That made Masako pretty and smart. And she seemed well aware of it, seeing as how her lips had curved upwards into a small smile. Mai got the sense that she was laughing at her.
Gene watched the two girls carefully, his eyes bouncing back and forth between them as they spoke. Judging by the way Mai's smile was becoming strained and Masako's smug expression, they didn't seem to like each other.
Not good.
"Should we try the ouija board then?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work, as Mai's expression soured further. "O-or not?"
"Are you scared?" Yasu asked her, bumping his elbow against hers.
Mai frowned. "I mean... aren't ouija boards like, dangerous to use? What if a spirit follows us home?"
"Then I'll protect you!" Yasu grinned, throwing his arms around her tightly.
Naru glanced up and Mai remembered his question from earlier on in the day. She shoved Yasu off discreetly, walking forward to look down at the ouija board a little more closely.
"What about Naru?" Yasu asked.
Naru continued writing as he spoke. "It makes no difference to do it or not. Ghosts are not real."
Masako turned her head up, speaking under her breath. "So childish."
Mai's eye twitched. "Actually, let's do it!"
Yasu and Gene jumped up, high fiving.
The pitter patter of rain fell against the roof of the old school building, creeping down the windows of the club room and distorting the image of the dark clouds outside.
"Shall we start?" Yasu asked quietly, looking at everyone one by one.
They were all gathered around the table, each of them with one finger on the edge of the planchet.
"Forgive me, father." John whispered with a lowered head, his hands coming up to do a cross across his chest.
Bou-san rolled his eyes. "Let's just get on with it."
Mai sent him an annoyed glance. "No one's forcing you."
"But then I'd miss all the fun." Bou-san chuckled and looked down at the ouija board. "I haven't done one of these since I was kid."
"I thought you were a monk?" Gene raised an eyebrow.
As they started bickering, Mai noticed for the first time that Masako hadn't joined them around the table. "Are you not playing?"
Masako shook her head. "My oba-san would roll in her grave if she knew I was doing such a thing."
Gene started to explain for her when he saw the way Mai's eyebrows twisted in confusion. "Her grandmother was a famous medium back in the day, so she tries not to play around with this kind of stuff out of respect for her."
"Oh, wow." Mai blinked in surprise. That was pretty cool. Maybe the girl was also sensitive to spiritual stuff too.
Naru let out a small breath, and although it was barely audible, everyone heard it and snapped back to attention. He was getting bored, which meant if they didn't start soon then he would back out.
"Okay, okay, so this is how it works—" Yasu took the initiative to explain the rules to them. He would be the only one asking questions, they all had to keep their finger on the planchette no matter what, and they had to say goodbye before ending the session otherwise, "...spirits will follow you home."
Mai shuddered, regret filling her as she watched the planchet move around the board. They had to make a circle with it before starting, apparently.
The planchet stopped in the middle of the board and Yasu's lips parted. "Is anyone here with us?"
Everyone waited with baited breaths, watching the planchet intently.
Then, it moved across the board slowly.
Hello
Gene's eyes widened. "What the fu—"
"Someone's moving it." Mai accused, disbelieving.
Standing next to her, Naru smirked, his blue eyes seeming much more intent with their proximity. "Where did all your confidence from yesterday go?"
Before she could respond, Yasu started speaking once more. "How many spirits are present?"
Mai's breath caught as the planchet started to move once more, and she stared intently at everyone's fingers to see if anyone was purposely pushing it.
"One." John whispered as it stopped over the number.
Yasu's expression fell slightly and gone was the playfulness from earlier. He swallowed hard. "Are you female?"
Yes
"How old are you?"
1
6
"Sixteen years old. How long ago did you die?"
3
0
"Thirty... years?"
Yes
This couldn't be real. No way this was actually happening right now.
There was a pause as Yasu took in a shaky breath, hesitantly asking his next question. "Were you... a student here?"
Yes
He was sweating now and seeing the usually composed boy become scared only made Mai spiral further.
"W-where did you die?"
D
E
S
K
2
"Desk two?" Yasu repeated, then his eyes widened. "You mean the second des—"
"It's not done." Bou-san cut in.
The planchet started to move once more without Yasu asking another question.
W
H
Y
D I D
NO ONE WAKE ME UP
Suddenly it picked up pace, flying from each letter faster and faster. Mai screamed, jerking her hand back and bumping into Naru, who also removed his hand to balance himself.
"Put your fingers back! You can't—" Yasu's sentence stopped short as Bou-san slowly lifted his hand away as well, followed by Gene and then John.
With only Yasu's finger on the planchet, they all watched on in terror as the piece moved back and forth in jerky motions.
W HY DID NO ONE W A KE ME UP
Yasu lifted his hand from the board too, his expression slack with shock.
No one was moving it. Mai's heart dropped in her chest. It really was moving by itself—no, a spirit was moving it.
creeeeeek
The ceiling made a noise, like someone was stepping on the floorboards and everyone's heads snapped upwards.
"What was that?!" Gene cried out.
Thunder struck at that moment and the lights flickered before going out completely.
A pale hand reached out, stopping the planchet in its place.
Masako's eerily calm voice rang out though the darkness, officially ending the session. "Goodbye."
Silence passed as everyone stood frozen, trying to process what had just happened.
"That was terrifying." Gene eventually said into the darkness.
Bou-san tried to flick the light switch to no avail. "Powers out."
A light shone through the room from Yasu's phone. "Everyone okay?"
"I'm fine." John replied with a relieved tone, happy to see light after the creepy experience. He glanced around and narrowed his eyes when he noticed the missing figures. "Where are Naru and Mai-chan?"
Mai didn't think. She just ran.
Leaning over with her hands on her knees, she sucked in deep breaths. The rain had picked up slightly, but it was nothing terrible. In fact, the coolness of the water on her face and chest was calming her down.
Footsteps approached from behind.
"I didn't realize you were an easy scare."
Mai turned, meeting Naru's gaze as he held out her school bag for her. She took it from his hand, careful not to let their skin touch as she grabbed the handle.
Standing in the rain with him left her feeling nostalgic and she smiled weakly. "No umbrella this time?"
Something strange passed through his eyes, like he was surprised, and she turned away. She shouldn't have said that. They never acknowledged their past encounters before and she thought it might be because to him they held no significance.
It was different for her, which made his rejection and his sudden attention to her sting so much more.
"Are you close with the school nurse?"
Mai furrowed her brows. "Huh?"
Naru stepped forward and she unconsciously followed him. "You seem to know each other more than a student and teacher would."
Oh. She guessed to someone who didn't know their situation it seemed a bit odd she would talk with Ayako like that. "She's my legal guardian." Mai told him and he raised an eyebrow, so she hurried to explain. "Ayako was my mom's closest friend, so I grew up thinking of her like an aunt. When my mom passed it seemed natural that she just took me in."
He paused. "Your dad?"
"He passed when I was young."
"So, you're an orphan." He said it like a statement, with nothing other than general curiosity.
Mai felt the tension release from her shoulders at the simplicity of his words. Most people started to apologize when she revealed both her parents passed, like it was somehow their fault. She knew it was the polite thing to do, but over time she found it tedious having to reassure others after they pried about her personal life.
Something occurred to her at that moment. He was taking the initiative to ask her something personal, which meant if she asked questions about him, it wouldn't be weird. She peeked at him from the corner of her eyes as he walked beside her.
"You're half Japanese?" She started and he nodded. "Are your parents one of those stereotypes, like an old white man marrying a young Asian girl?" Naru stumbled, his eyes widened slightly as if he was caught off guard and Mai laughed. "S-sorry, I'm just wondering."
Recovering quickly, he looked up to think. "Now that I think about it... they were."
Were? He must have seen the unspoken question because he continued.
"We have the orphan thing in common." Naru told her and watched as her mouth parted in surprise. "We were adopted when we were eight though. I don't know much about my birth parents."
Wow, she did not expect that. That would explain his nonchalance about her situation.
"So are your adoptive parents Japanese?"
"They're English."
"How did you end up in Japan then?" His Japanese was fluent, so much so that if he and Gene didn't have English names, she would have thought they were born here.
"My adoptive parents thought it was important we experience it. Gene and I are living with a family friend while we go to school here."
"So, you're going back to England once you graduate?" She tried not to let the disappointment creep into her voice.
"We're planning to go to university here too."
"Oh, that's good—by the way, where are we going?" Mai came to an abrupt halt as she realized that they were just walking aimlessly down the street.
Naru stared at her. "I'm walking you home."
"Oh."
"You live this way, right?" He asked hopefully.
"Actually, I have no idea where we are right now."
Naru sighed, pulling out his phone and bringing up google maps as Mai started to giggle. She felt all warm and fuzzy inside as she watched him turn his phone around, trying to figure out where the heck they were.
She could have walked until they reached the end of the Earth if it meant she could keep talking to him.