A/N: Hi! For transparency, I reuploaded this chapter because I didn't get my usual "chapter updated" email. Knowing FF's track record with emails, I decided to reupload it in case the emails never got sent! If you got a notification twice, then I'm glad you got it!
On another note, remember to enable emails for updates! I don't know why this is even a thing, but FF will auto-disable you getting update emails after a certain amount of time (which is non-sensical, but y'know).
Edit: I'm dumb and didn't enable my emails . Carry on everyone...
Reply to Guest (1 of 2): Regarding your question about whether Chizu is part of the light novels or not, Chizu is not canon! She's an added character of mine for another layer of interest. Thanks for asking!
Bolded Italics = Gene talking in Mai's head
Case Three—Part 2
The following day, Mai somehow got roped into walking Masako to every fox fire left unexorcised. Unlike in the first case, Naru now expressed some doubt about Masako's reliability. Fortunately, he maintained some courtesy and refrained from saying so to her face. He still trusted her abilities but was not satisfied with her inconsistency.
Mai couldn't help feeling bad for the other girl. Mai was inconsistent, but she wasn't a renowned medium with a reputation to uphold—the team didn't rely on her nearly as much.
It was times like these that the brunette was grateful for being a greenhorn. The pressure didn't sound very appealing.
Thus, Mai assumed this current walkthrough was likely for confirmation. If Masako could sense anything around the fox fires, that could be their next lead.
After attempting conversation with little success, the lighter-haired girl just about gave up. Sometimes, the medium reminded her of Naru. Her answers were short, she was reserved, and she gave off a feeling of self-importance. Despite being harder to understand, Mai could at least relate to her more than she could to Naru because, behind all the fame and prowess, Masako was just a teenage girl.
She noticed the other girl had started wearing lip gloss more and donned a new perfume, just like other high school girls. While still distant, Mai felt more in her element with her.
A loud bang shook her out of her thoughts as they approached the track team's locker room. Dread infiltrated her senses, and she looked to Masako. The other girl looked just as alarmed. Cautiously approaching the locker room, Mai peeked inside and found some equipment had fallen.
"Some crossbars just fell over," she informed her companion. "Do you sense anything?"
Masako followed her in as she stood the bars back up against both their better judgments. "No. There are no spirits in this building."
Mai unconsciously adopted Naru's thinking pose. She trusted Masako's word but also had to listen to her instincts. There was something here, whether it was a spirit or not. Shrugging, she followed the other girl to the door. They were both cut off when the door slid shut in their faces.
Mai used all her might to force the door open to no avail. Really? Again?!
Unlike last time, there wasn't a human girl nailing the doors closed.
Rubbing her aching hands, Mai stepped aside as Masako pounded on the door to get someone's attention. The area was empty as all the sports teams were outside, and the school understandably did not allow cameras in the locker room area.
In the worst-case scenario, they would have to wait until the students returned from their club to let them out. They'd left their phones at the base, with Mai charging hers and Masako never carrying her phone during walkthroughs.
"You don't think we could shove the door down, right?"
"I don't believe Naru nor our client would be happy if we damaged school property."
"True, true." Sighing, Mai crossed her arms and leaned against the door. "Guess we'll just wait. Either we get attacked, or someone comes by."
Masako perched herself diagonally to Mai's left on the opposite wall and folded her hands together. "I'm sure Naru will come when he realizes I haven't returned," she huffed.
The brunette raised a brow but shrugged it off in favor of investigating the room. It looked like any other sports club locker room. Equipment was strewn along the walls with loose belongings on the benches.
Dread was still evident in her senses, but it didn't feel nearly like when she'd encountered the shadow figures before. Hopefully, that meant no funny business while they were locked in here.
"Do you feel anything, Mai?" Masako suddenly asked.
"Kinda, but I'm nowhere as good at sensing things as you are."
"And you would be correct," the other girl said, haughtily sticking her nose up. "I only ask as you are the group's only other clairvoyant."
Mai's eyebrow twitched. "Talking to you is like talking to Naru."
Masako widened her eyes and almost looked pleased. A slight blush tinged her cheeks pink, and she promptly hid behind her sleeve. "I see nothing wrong with that."
The lighter-haired girl brought a finger to her chin. "I guess you're not wrong, but the guy could learn some tact." She then paused as she observed the other girl's reaction.
Why was she all flustered?
"You okay? You're looking a bit pink. You're not possessed, right?" Mai approached her in worry.
"Of course not."
"Then, why are you so pink?"
Masako turned her face away, resulting in Mai tilting her head in confusion. The gears in her head turned until she figured it out. Adopting the playful façade she used around her school friends, she innocently asked, "Could it be that you like Naru?"
"And what if I did?" Masako defended, likely embarrassed from being found out.
Mai smiled, "Nothing wrong with that. Having a crush, I mean."
The medium studied her before clearing her throat and returning to her usual demeanor. "You mean to tell me that you are fine knowing this?"
Should I be bothered? It's not like Naru's the dating type anyway. He's too busy dating his work and himself.
But that's also not a 'no?' Gene inserted his unsolicited tease.
Mai opened her mouth to reply when a yelp replaced it as the ceiling light exploded. Simultaneously, one of the lockers tipped over and nearly crashed on top of Masako had she not dodged it. The other locker doors began to shake as well.
The two girls huddled to the floor in the corner of the room where Mai began chanting.
The activity halted, leaving them both to sigh in relief. "You okay?" she asked the dark-haired girl.
Masako nodded, accepting Mai's hand when she offered. She was tugged back when her kimono got caught on the floor. After gently pulling it up, both girls crouched to see what it had caught on—a crack in the tile separating the corner from the rest.
"That's weird?" Mai scanned the area. The floor was uneven, like there was something underneath. A strangely cut wood plank lay against the dirt foundation when she removed it.
"A hitogata," stated her companion. The two glanced at each other before Mai took one for the team and picked it up.
So, this was what a hitogata looked like in person—Naru had only mentioned it briefly on the last case. Telling from Naru's pictureless textbooks, she imagined it to look more like the shape of a person, but not everyone could be a genius in craftsmanship.
Flipping the effigy over, her eyes widened when she found a name written on the back. She showed Masako, and the two shared a look.
The muffled voices of Bou-san and John could then be heard from down the hall. The girls ran to the door, pounding and calling out for the two men.
Bou-san and John helped tidy up the locker room before the four escaped. Seemingly, there had been nothing physically wrong with the door—the guys opened it without a problem.
Mai collapsed on a chair as soon as they returned to base while Masako went on to retell what happened. She emphasized to Naru how frightening it all was for her.
"It is good to see that you are unscathed, Hara-san," he said, studying the hitogata.
Pssh, scoffed her head gremlin.
"Please, it's okay if you call me Masako." The medium covered her mischievous smile with a sleeve.
Ayako made a noise from the other side of the room. "I didn't realize you two were so close," she commented offhandedly.
Naru glared and placed the hitogata firmly against the table, causing Mai to jump at the sound. "Rather than talk about trivial matters, I'd prefer to discuss this case. Unless you'd like to be useless elsewhere?"
Bou-san cracked a laugh to the side, earning him daggers from Ayako.
Looking at the name written on the effigy, John was the first to contribute to the topic. "Isn't Yoshino Takeshi one of the teachers?"
"You're right. Takahashi-san mentioned that Yoshino-sensei was the teacher who called out Kasai-san at the assembly. He's currently in the hospital due to a recent car accident."
Bou-san crossed his arms in thought. "I would gander to say the Kasai girl cursed him."
"Then what about everything else going on?" asked Mai. "You don't think she's been making straw dolls of everyone and hammering a nail through?"
"Not unless we're dealing with a zuzou." Naru looked over to Lin, who was now on full attention.
The tall man nodded. "That very well may be."
"Yes, it would seem that someone at this school is using enmi to initiate the curses."
Mai tested the term in her mouth quietly. Had she read about "enmi?" Was she supposed to know what it was?
As if sensing her confusion, Naru sighed. "For Mai's sake, I'll explain. Enmi is a spell used in Onmyodo for cursing someone. Praying to malevolent spirits to enact a curse on the person represented by a hitogata is an example of such a spell. The media usually portrays this as hitting a nail into an effigy doll."
"Then it's obvious. That Kasai girl is making good on her threat," said Ayako before turning to Mai. "Didn't you say the girl knew about the paranormal?"
"Yeah… but I don't think she'd know how to use enmi."
"How would you know she doesn't? She obviously wouldn't tell you."
Mai leaned her cheek on her hand and watched Naru's index finger as it tapped the table. "I guess you're right…" she scrunched her brows in thought. "But I know it's not her."
"Is this your instincts talking?" interjected Naru.
She nodded, her face betraying nothing but certainty.
He crossed his arms and studied her. "Then, I'll continue with the case assuming that notion."
"Great, but how should we approach ending the curse before anyone else gets hurt?" added Masako.
"We will start with searching for any other hitogata."
And so, the crew was dismissed to search the school while Mai was tasked with finding Taka. Simultaneously, Naru and Lin left to search the classroom with the cursed desk. Taped to the roof of the desk's inside was a hitogata without a designated name. It was simply meant for whoever sat there.
"Who was the first to sit at the desk?" asked Naru, straight to business as soon as Taka was seated in the base. He and Lin sat across from the two girls.
Taka pondered the question. "To be honest, I don't even remember. I do know Mirayama-san sat there next."
"Do you know when she started sitting there?"
"Probably on September 15th. We change desks every 15th of every month."
Naru crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair. "When did she have her accident?"
"Around the time of the seat change, I think?"
"I see. Then, the hitogata must have been placed inside the desk between the seat change. Likely a few days before. The student who sat there previously probably wasn't connected."
Taka scrunched her brows in confusion. "Hitogata? Connected?"
Naru stood up to look out the window in thought. "Mirayama-san must have done something to anger the hexer. The culprit is likely someone she knows. So, we can rule out teachers she's never had and students from other grades."
"Well, we do get some substitutes here and there, and then there are a bunch of clubs—oh, you know what, I just remembered something. It happened during the Kasai panic. Apparently, Mirayama-san had gotten so fed up with the supernatural talk that she called out Kasai-san in front of a bunch of students. Kasai-san's sister got caught in the altercation since they're in the same club. Mirayama-san was so bothered that she went to Ubusuna-sensei about it."
"Why Ubusuna-sensei?" asked Mai.
"I would guess it's because she's kinda known for being into all this supernatural stuff. She knows a bunch about psychic powers and whatnot. Not to mention she's always been close with the Kasai sisters, so no one batted an eye when she defended Kasai-san."
Naru turned around and leaned against the windows. "Ubusuna-sensei is close with both sisters? I was under the impression that Kasai Chizu only occasionally attended the biology club."
"Um, yeah. Now that I think about it, they've only been close recently since the panic. Kasai Chiaki knew Ubusuna-sensei from before because she'd always been part of the biology club. I see Ubusuna-sensei with Chizu-san sometimes, but y'know what… Kasai Chiaki is never with them."
After speaking with Taka, Naru shooed Mai away to help search for hitogata. She ended up finding Bou-san and Ayako in the courtyard mid-grumble. According to them, they'd been paid a visit by each Kasai sister at different times.
That only supported Ayako's assumption, but Mai didn't feel like opening that can right now. She tried to detract but opened a different can instead.
"Jou-chan, why didn't you tell me Naru wasn't an onmyoji?" Bou-san half-assedly kicked over a stone. "I thought he was some prestigious master. That's why I'm doing grunt work!"
"Well, it's not exactly a fact that I know he isn't one… but he doesn't feel like one either."
"How could you possibly tell?" Ayako crossed her arms. "You're only a novice."
Mai shuffled through a bush as she formulated her response. She never thought about it closely before. The feelings just were.
"It's not really something I can explain. I guess you could call it energy?" she started. "Naru feels too closed off and sturdy to be a spiritual person." Sturdy yet ready to burst at the same time somehow.
"Okay then, what about me?" asked Bou-san out of curiosity.
"Your energy comes off as firm, kinda woody. Reminds me of summer in the mountains. There's a sense of calm."
"Mountains, eh? I'll take it."
"What about me?" Ayako flipped her hair back. "My energy has to be soft and refined."
"More like a fire." Mai giggled. "It ripples like a flame, but there's something kind of pure about it."
"Pure?" Bou-san raised a brow, earning him a glare. "You sure you're reading the right energy?"
Before Ayako could drop-kick him, footsteps from behind alerted them of someone approaching. "You're quite talented, Taniyama-san."
Whipping around, the group of three found themselves face to face with Ubusuna-sensei. She must've been finishing up for the day as she carried her suitcase of paperwork over her shoulder.
She smiled politely and greeted them with a bow of her head. "I take it your entire crew is made up of psychics?"
"No, it's just Mai-chan and Hara-san. The rest of us are spiritualists," answered Bou-san.
"I'm just an amateur, though," Mai added.
Ubusuna-sensei blinked at her sudden clarification but readopted her soft smile. "Even so, I think that you're quite impressive. You must have a good mentor."
Mai awkwardly laughed. "I guess you could say that!"
"Have you found any leads yet?" the teacher suddenly asked.
"My boss seems to think there's a curse going on," the brunette started. "By who, we don't know."
Ayako scoffed. "It's obviously that Kasai Chiaki girl. She did say she'd curse someone to death."
Ubusuna-sensei frowned at the red-haired woman's accusation. "I certainly hope you all don't share that sentiment. Chiaki-san would never do such a thing. What she said wasn't right, but she'd been stressed then."
"I don't think she would either. Having talked with her, I can tell she's not that kind of person," defended Mai.
This answer seemed to satisfy the teacher because she nodded to Mai before excusing herself. The other two were still skeptical about the situation but returned their focus to the original task.
Mai and Ayako searched through the campus garden while Bou-san checked around the sports fields. She nearly forgot the objective while trailing through the many plants the school was growing. She was about to move on when Ayako called her over. One of the bricks lining the perimeter was crooked, while the rest looked carefully in line.
There was no way…!
Removing the brick revealed a fresh-looking hitogata etched partway into the soil. Whoever had placed it tried to push it deep into the ground but had been clumsy with removing and replacing the brick. Any perfectionist would've noticed the offset.
They—as in Mai, since Ayako wasn't about to ruin her acrylic nails—dug it out. When she flipped it to read the name, her gasp was drowned by the recipient's scream in the distance.
Written on it was Hara Masako.
"I should've known better. It must have been targeting Masako when we were in the locker room!" Mai kicked herself for not realizing it sooner. The poor medium had just been sent to the hospital after being found at the bottom of the stairwell. Having been with her then, John accompanied her to the hospital.
"No use beating yourself up about it, Jou-chan."
Ayako nodded, "None of us thought about it either."
The door opened, revealing the return of Naru and Lin. "I found something interesting with this hitogata," said the dark-haired teen as he entered the base with Lin trailing behind. He placed the effigy on the table for the team to study.
Mai noted nothing strange about it and shared a look with Ayako, who looked to Bou-san for answers.
Naru internally shook his head at the subpar observation skills of his team. He reached into his pocket for the first hitogata they found and placed it beside the other one. Seeing them side by side, Mai's eyes widened in realization.
The new one they found was much rougher in quality. The most notable difference was the quality of the writing. While the first one was pristine, almost like a printer had etched it on, the other lacked the same precision. As if—
"Two different people made these," Bou-san verbalized what everyone was thinking.
"The second hitogata lacks the craftsmanship of the first. The handwriting is different, too," added Ayako.
Naru crossed his arms and leaned against a table. "This means we now have potentially two culprits—an experienced hexer and possibly a pupil. So far, the only ones in our team who have been targeted are Mai and Hara-san. Hara-san is a celebrity, so finding her name is not hard. Mai, who have you told your name to?"
The said girl placed a finger to her chin as she recollected. "Taka and some of her friends, a few staff members, Kasai-san, and then her sister."
"It has to be Kasai and her sister, then," Ayako said as though it were obvious. "We caught them both snooping around earlier!"
Mai glanced at Naru to see what he thought of the whole ordeal. His stony face remained the same, and she wondered why she expected to see anything different. "Didn't her sister say she didn't have powers, Naru?"
"Mai, you should be careful trusting everything people say. She could easily be playing you." Ayako sighed, shaking her head.
Naru kept a hand to his chin, deep in thought. "In any case, we should continue searching for more hitogata. Lin and I will investigate the hexers," Naru dismissed them.
Mai inwardly groaned as she walked off. There were so many places to look. Finding one was already an off-chance occasion, let alone having to find an indeterminate amount?! She wandered off on her own to bug Gene about the situation. She whipped out her mirror when she found a vacant area of the schoolyard. When her spirit guide's image eventually manifested in the mirror, she quirked her brow at his salute.
What can I do for you, Boss-lady?
Chuckling, she greeted him with a smile. "What if I just wanted to say hi?"
Gene dipped his head down and looked her squarely in the eye. While on a case? Yeah, right. Now, out with it.
She quickly glanced around to ensure she was alone and asked, "Well, Naru wants us to find all the hitogata on the premises to put out this curse. There's gotta be a bunch of them! Can you sense where they are?"
I'm not some computer program, you know, he chided jokingly. Use your instincts. You are your own built-in radar. Follow it, and it'll lead you there eventually.
Great. Gene was back to being vague. It was probably better that she stopped relying on him all the time for cases, but she was still a novice with this whole thing.
"Should I just wander around or something?"
If that's what your heart tells you. He winked playfully and faded away, leaving Mai to stare back at her reflection.
And so, she was left to her own devices. Unsure where to start, she searched the sports fields and some equipment sheds with permission. When she was done looking through all five areas, the sun started casting an orange hue as it set.
She was ready to turn in when something caught her eye. Mai hadn't noticed her before, but Kasai Chizu sat alone by the track field. Most students would have left by now.
Approaching her quietly, she looked to be meditating. Her legs were crossed, and both hands lay prone on her knees.
You need to be doing more of that, joked her head gremlin.
Mai ignored him and hid behind a tree to continue observing. She knew how creepy this was, but what else was she supposed to do?
"You can join me if you want," called out Chizu.
Mai squeaked in surprise. So much for hiding!
"Uh, hi. Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you," she said, leaving the safety of her tree. She sat next to Chizu and stretched out her legs against the grass. "What are you doing out here meditating? Wouldn't that be better somewhere less dangerous?"
Chizu opened her eyes. "No, not really. At home, there are people around to distract me."
"I see. Um, did your sister go home yet?"
"Probably."
"Does she know you stay here?"
"She thinks I'm practicing for the next track meet."
Huh. How come the more she talked to the sisters, the less close they felt?
"Why lie?"
Chizu looked over to her and shrugged, a tired smile on her face. "I guess, sometimes I want to do my own thing. She doesn't need to know my business all the time. We're close in age, so we've always done everything together. Bet you probably thought we were twins, but we're not. Everyone treats us like we are, though. Nee-san is also older than me, so it's always, 'Chiaki and her sister.' I'm always 'the sister.' She's also smarter and more accomplished than me, so our parents expect more from her."
Mai never even would have thought of that. Both sisters seemed to care so much for each other, and Chizu came off to her as the more outgoing of the two—not at all overlooked.
Sounds like self-esteem issues…
"I don't know you well, but I didn't get that feeling! You're both very different people with different talents… like I'm sure you're more athletic. You can excel at things she can't, and vice-versa."
"That's funny you say that. Ubusuna-sensei said the same thing. She's the one who helped me find something that only I can do." Chizu smiled at the thought of her teacher. "But, now I almost feel bad… but maybe that's part of the responsibility."
Mai tilted her head in curiosity, feeling like the conversation had taken a different turn.
"What do you mean… ?"
Chizu looked conflicted and almost apologetic. "Let's say I wanted to test something," she said as she stood up. "The chance to have this many psychics here again is slim. Anyway, I gotta go! Can't miss dinner!" With that, she sped off, leaving Mai even more confused.
She trauma-dumped and then ran off.
"In her defense, I did ask."
You asked one question, and she unloaded her issues.
"That's fine! Girls do it all the time. You don't know how often they complain about their siblings being treated better or being liked more than them."
Gene was silent after that, but she brushed it off as him being uninterested in girls' insecurities.
She stood and brushed her pants off before returning to the main building. On her way, she caught sight of Naru inside one of the fenced-in areas for utility purposes. He just stood there staring down into an open manhole. What's up with him?
Opening the fence door, she walked up to him. "What're you doing?"
Naru ignored her as usual, so she stepped beside him to peer into the hole.
Nothing. Just darkness. "Nar-"
"What are you doing?" Naru asked from over by the fence. She blinked and shook her head. How could he be over there if he was standing beside he—
Mai whipped around as fast as her body allowed.
The space was empty.
Goosebumps ran up her arms as the breeze blew by. How many times is this going to happen?!
Knowing you, it definitely won't be the last time! Gene added.
Gee, thanks.
The sound of the manhole cover moving caused her to jump. "Did that just slide by itself?" She got her answer when it slid again, widening the opening. Her feet were frozen to the ground so she couldn't move away. The shadow from the hole slowly extended, far faster than the sun could set.
She squeaked and began to panic. "Uh, shadow-thing's made a comeback!"
Naru's footsteps in the grass hastened when one of her ankles was yanked, pulling her into the manhole. He was quick on his feet, grabbing both arms before she could be pulled in. She scrambled to hold onto anything, finding her grasp landing on his dress shirt.
While he tried to pull her out, her ankles were tugged in opposition.
If she held onto Naru, he would be yanked down with her. Bracing herself, she released her hold on him.
"Don't even think about it," he grated out with a glare. He pulled her tighter, and before they knew it, down the hole they went.
When Mai came to, she expected aches and pains but was surprisingly comfortable. Squeezing her eyes, she wiggled around and noted the lack of cold floor against her body. She must have hit her head and was on the astral plane.
"Stop moving."
Snapping her eyes open, Mai shot up and nearly had a heart attack when she realized she'd been on top of Naru and rubbing up on him. Did this count as workplace sexual harassment? Probably not, since it wasn't intentional. Wait, did that mean Naru protected her from the fall? He'd already saved her life once before… in fact, he usually showed up when she needed help. Despite his coldness and harsh words, he was a kind person.
She already knew this, but moments like these solidified it further.
Her eyes unconsciously trailed over their environment, and she caught sight of a pile of rubble with broken pipes sticking out. Good thing we didn't fall on that!
"Feeling better?" he mumbled softly, still lying on the ground. When she glanced down at him, it almost looked like he was smiling—not unlike one of Gene's smiles. Seeing it on Naru felt different, though. It was the first time she saw him do that, and she couldn't help the warmth that bubbled in her chest.
"Yeah, I do feel better. How'd you know?"
He must have realized he was caught because he immediately dropped the smile in favor of staring up at the ceiling. "You follow a pattern. First, you get depressed, and then you get mad. You usually bounce back quickly after that."
"I didn't know I did that." She could feel her cheeks heating up. "Um, well, thank you for trying to help. Looks like I got us stuck down here," she sighed. "Do you have your phone on you? I forgot to unplug mine."
"It met a certain fate on the way down here."
She flinched, only imagining the state it was in. "Sorry… hopefully someone will come looking for us."
Noticing that he was still on the ground, Mai got worried. Had he broken something? When she moved to help him up, a sharp pain radiated up her leg. She must have landed on it wrong. How they even survived was beyond her.
Naru pushed himself up with difficulty, and he and Mai shuffled to the wall to sit. "I'm not injured. I'm just tired," he said when he noticed her concern.
"That doesn't make me feel better." She frowned but didn't push and leaned against the wall.
The two sat in silence until Naru broke the silence. "Want to meet my pet?"
What in the nonsense was he talking about?
In his hand was a 500 yen coin. Quirking her brow at him, she looked back at the coin to find it had slid away.
"What the heck? Where'd it go?"
"You were scrutinizing him, so he got scared."
"Let me see it!"
Naru showed her both his empty hands. "He must have run away," he said before reaching for her wrist and pulling it out again. "Ah, there he is."
"That's a cool trick! I didn't know you knew magic. You get more impressive the more I learn," she chuckled.
He observed her for a minute before a completely different voice surprised her. "You think he's impressive?" asked the coin, supposedly. Naru's mouth didn't even show movement.
"Now that you also know ventriloquism, yeah!" she grinned, enjoying his act.
His lips curved up slightly. The coin then magically poofed away back into his pocket.
"That was amazing! Once we get out of here, I want to look at your coin." She sat back against the wall, now in a better mood. She glanced over at her companion and noted how pale he looked. Was it just fatigue?
"Why were you over here anyway?"
"I thought I saw you standing there, but it was another trick. Nothing new here."
Naru was silent for a moment. "I came over because I heard you calling for help, but seeing as you were fine, I was also tricked. I likely have a hitogata now as well."
Remembering what happened before she saw his mimic, she explained to him what Chizu had told her earlier. "Isn't that a little weird?"
He didn't reply and instead formulated quietly in his usual thinking pose.
They sat like that for another minute until Mai quickly sat up. Naru sensed it as well and stood to scan the area. Footsteps in the water were heard moving closer. Naru collected Mai and helped her hobble back toward the entrance.
From the sewer water erupted an ominous apparition. It took on the appearance of a woman with a slit mouth and black holes for eyes. Her head veered toward Naru, indicating she was probably here for him.
Naru shielded her by pushing her behind him.
Taking a deep breath, she recited Usa-sama's poem. The deity in question stood before them, effectively staving off the spirit. Mai didn't have enough energy for Bou-san's verse, but she hoped that what energy she did have, she could hold out until someone found them.
Naru stumbled beside her, and she nearly lost her focus. She continued her prayer but kept an eye on her boss, worry beginning to creep up as he swayed.
Eventually, he leaned all his weight on her, nearly knocking them both down if she hadn't guided him to the wall so they could slide down. Her ankle still screamed at her, but she couldn't worry about that right now.
"Naru?!" She shook him, panic in her voice. He had passed out.
The spirit continued her approach. If Mai acknowledged how much broader her mouth slit got, she would probably pass out too.
Usa-sama was the only thing keeping her away from them. Mai held onto Naru to protect him, cradling his head in her arms. She squeezed her eyes shut and recited her prayer incessantly.
I need help!
A/N: Hi friends! Happy early Halloween! Hope everyone's been hanging in there! I still can't believe we're nearly at the end of the year already. I swear it was just February, and I posted the first chapter of this fic a few weeks ago. And here we are 12 chapters and 60k+ words later! Really gotta thank you guys for that because I don't know if I would've been as consistent posting without your encouragement.
I know there was a lack of Gene in this chapter, but this case really didn't need his intervention as much. It's more of a crime investigation if there were any murders. Seeing how close some of these accidents were, there might as well have been some! I'm debating skipping right to the next school case (I want Yasu!), but I have some ideas for a Christmas-related case. I like the Kenji case, but I want to drive this universe's plot a little further, and I'll probably need an original case for that. But who knows? Lemme know what you guys think!
Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and please let me know your thoughts! They drive my life energy lmao