"What? Naru and Akemi are still not back from their trip?" Ayako crosses her arms, feeling the leather seat of the sofa she was sitting on— a pout plaguing on her lips. She rarely gets to see Akemi on normal days, and with her working with Naru— Ayako just glared harder— especially after the events of the scary missing people eating mansion, Naru suddenly starts bringing Akemi along with him and now, the two rarely hanged out.
Mai sighs, shaking her head, sitting next to the pouting Miko. "Not yet. All Akemi-sempai said was they're coming back today." Mai slumped at being reminded.
The high school student wanted to come with them but Naru left before she could ask and even Akemi denied her on joining, saying that it was not her place to invite anyone.
"I'm surprised he's coming back this early—" Bou-san ignored the slumped figures of the two females, already used to their reactions whenever he comes around learning that Akemi or Naru— oftentimes both, are not present at the Office. "It seems Naru's been going off somewhere."
'That's why Lin's been babysitting.' Mai wryly thought in her head,
"I can't believe him." Ayako huffed, picking herself up and crossed her arms tighter across her chest. "- He's probably outside sight-seeing, don't you think?"
"Or maybe a date with Akemi?" Bou-san added, humming in thought since they have been getting closer— close to being domestic even— but one particular girl gaped at the idea.
"N-no way! That's just your over-active imagination!" Mai shook her head, trying her best to remove the image that her mind was already quick on conjuring. 'Just because Akemi-sempai admitted on also liking Naru doesn't mean that she'll do such thing, right? Right?!' But yet, Mai did notice how Akemi often teased Naru and her skin paled, 'No!'
"He's free to do anything thanks to his social status, and with Akemi with him, they could go anywhere without any restriction." Ayako shakes her head, as though already accepting that thought. That girl knows a lot of people.
The phone then started to ring and the professional visitors found themselves astounded when Mai left the machine to get the call, as Lin was the ones to handle personal cases as well as the letters and packages whenever Akemi is not around— though the heiress also rarely handles the calls compared to getting the letters to avoid her voice being known to reside on the SPR Office.
Bou-san and Ayako gaped at founding out Mai's occasional salary when all she does is entertain the clients that personally visit the Office. At first, Bou-san and Ayako thought of Naru's closeness with Akemi and how she often keeps the place intact when he is not around— they have thought she would hold superiority over the amount of salary but by going through Mai's, they found out that Akemi might just be having a lesser amount compared to the slacker!
Before they could dug even more deep in the conversation of unequal treatment between employees— the door to the Office rang open and a gloomy Naru stride in with a meek Akemi following slowly behind.
"Oh! Naru, Akemi-sempai! Welcome back!" Mai brightened at the sight of the two, while Bou-san and Ayako felt the cold presence of Naru's mood and hesitated on staying further. Akemi closed the door behind them, giving the three people a small smile.
"Hey, don't mind us..." Bou-san started to greet but they all froze when Naru's cold eyes turned to them.
"W-wait-!"
BLAG—!
They all remained still, keeping their eyes focused on the closed Office door whose view lingered its cold presence of the man inside. No one dared to utter anything nor get close enough on its space,
Akemi weakly sighs, removing her outer coat and stretching her tensed shoulder. Keeping herself quiet, even she was not in the mood to converse— now the heiress could understand why Naru often acts that way whenever he comes back.
The utter desperation and disappointment just seeps in that even she doesn't know how to deal with it.
"Why's he in such a foul mood?" Ayako mutters, keeping her voice low in hopes to not let the ticking time bomb hear— all six eyes moving to seek answers to the woman Naru came along with, but Akemi weakly smiles while Mai answered nonchalant.
Shrugging her shoulders, Mai picks up the bag Akemi came back with— opening it up with a thank-you. "He's always like that whenever he comes back from his trip" Taking a bite out of the few snacks Akemi brought from their trip,
KLIKK—
"Uhh- Welcome!" The people inside the Office turned to look at the man who just opened the door from the outside, he paused when 8 eyes looked at his direction.
"Um... Good afternoon," A man nudged a little girl inside, eyes hesitant to come in once he saw the interior of the place. His eyes glancing towards Akemi's before back to Mai and the others. "You are... what one would call 'Mediums', right?"
Mai was about to correct that it was more of ghost hunters, though the idea that Naru was in a (haughty) mood made her rethink if she should entertain them and have them come back tomorrow but Akemi places a hand on Mai's arm.
"Yes, we are. Please have a seat~" Akemi welcomed them, her professional smile being placed in her lips, gesturing to the seats Ayako and Bou-san were occupying— the two quickly standing up to give their place.
"Why hello~ What's your name?" Akemi comfortably leans down towards the little girl and the Uncle gave out his own weak ones, trying to keep a brave face and encourage the girl out of her fear.
"Hazuki, she's asking you..." the little girl looks up at the man but at his encouraging nod she answered shyly.
"Ha- hazuki..."
Akemi brightened, "Ara~ Hazuki-chan! that's a beautiful name! How old are you?" Akemi kept the little girl busy— where with every little question, the little girl slowly got out of her Uncle's to fully interacting with Akemi as Mai went to the kitchen to fetch the clients some drinks as well as call over Naru.
°•○●●○•°
"What's that?" Hazuki went to stand beside Akemi who was already sitting in a single sofa beside Naru. The little girl looking at the cutely baked cake Akemi bought.
"It's a strawberry shortcake, would you like to have one?"
Hazuki brightened, "Yes please!"
While beside the heiress, Naru was crossing his legs and focused on the paper Hazuki's uncle filled out. "I'm Akifumi Yoshimi and this is my niece, Hazuki. I was wondering if you would examine her... I was thinking of just bringing her to a hospital for treatment but-"
"I hate hospitals!" Hazuki yells out but Akemi gently shushes the little girl and have her focus back on eating the cake.
"It's all right— we're not going to one."
Bou-san noting the solemn desperation of the uncle, gave out willing hand. "Naru-chan, it's all right if we examine her, isn't it?"
Even Akemi nods, "It won't take long." With a small smile of her own, she thinks. 'You'll definitely take the case.'
A little more nudging, the Uncle pleaded. "Please help us."
Naru was quiet, turning to glance at the little girl that now boldly sits between him and Akemi— eating her cake.
With a sigh, all he says is. "All right."
"I'm sorry to bother you. Please take a look at this," Akifumi took a breath of relief, standing up from his seat, he touches the ribbon around Hazuki's neck and removed it. Revealing a painful bruise around the girl's neck, making Ayako and Mai gasp at the sight. "This circles around her neck..."
Akemi kept quiet, letting her comforting smile remain when Hazuki looked at her in fear. "Don't worry, Hazuki..."
Though Naru was quick to place something logical, "Skin diseases like that are nothing unusual."
'Or abuse.'
Akifumi weakly shook his head, as though even he was stressed about what he was going to say next. "But that's not all, if it were, we would've just gone to a hospital but..."
Hazuki was then turned around, Akemi giving the little girl a blanket to cover her chest.
"Wha-! What is that?!" Mai gasped staring at the red gashes on the girl's back, it was still red and looked to be burning her skin. 'How horrible...! Wait, it looks like Chinese characters...' "What does it say in the writing?"
Ayako reads out, "Zen Getsu In Rakugoku Dounyo."
"This is a Kaimyou." Bou-san claims, Akemi frowning in thought when she understood what it meant.
"Kaimyou? Do you mean the name given to a dead person!?"
"Right."
"Zen-Getsu means the foolishness of fearing something too much. Rakugoku means descending into hell and Dounyo means girl." Akemi places a hand on her chin, slightly tilting her head as she focused.
Bou-san nodded at her correct interpretation, "The Getsu in Zen-Getsu is probably taken from the same Chinese character used for Zuki in Hazuki. The Kaimyou was branded onto this girl by someone wishing harm..."
With a solemn voice, lacking no humor or any glint of brightened excitement. Akemi states: "This foolish girl will descend into hell."
°•○●●○•°
"I take it we will be taking the case?" Akemi asks as she hands a folder to Naru, who signs it as a new document for the case. The two standing inside his office while Mai and the others kept the clients for more information before letting them leave.
"Hn." was all he said, the sounds of pages shuffling were the only things keeping the room from going quiet for a while, but it didn't last long when Naru without looking away from his desk questioned: "Do you see him?"
Akemi knew who he was speaking of and looked around before shaking her head, "No, he must be sleeping."
Naru frowns, clicking his tongue. "He's always sleeping in."
Akemi tilts her head, an amused smile passing her face. "But wouldn't that be better?"
Naru glares at her but didn't say anything else and went back to fixing his paperwork.
Akemi told Naru of seeing Gene and how she told him he was alive instead of dead— a belief of hers— and Naru was not quick to believe the beliefs of others with just a hearsay but he has been with Akemi for quite a long time now, in some way— deep in his chest he couldn't help but let hope in.
Naru hypothesized that if that were the case then Gene constantly disappearing and appearing would mean he is in between worlds of dying and living. Meaning that Gene is on the brink of 50-50.
This would explain how Gene isn't able to connect with Naru as his wavelength is highly different than Naru's who is a hundred percent alive, Akemi would be able to see him since she can cross any wavelength and his constant 'waking and sleeping' situation would mean his body is fighting to leave but only with a little strength. If he is not present, meant his spirit is residing in his body as it gains strength but if he weakened, it pulls him closer to the other side— closer to actual death, making Akemi see him.
This might also explain how Akemi rarely sees Gene. The dots were slowly connecting themselves, and now Naru found a new motivation to keep looking— time was not on their side, they need to find Gene. Quick and as fast as they can.
Naru even brought Akemi along in hopes to use her abilities but even she was somewhat useless to locating one body in the fields of the whole of Japan.
"Don't worry, Naru. We'll find him— I can feel it." The heiress reassured, placing a comforting hand on Naru's shoulder that he oddly didn't want to push away. Soon a cup of tea was placed on his desk, the door to his office later on clicking close with Akemi no longer in his room.
A/N: Guys I just wanted to say I'm still alive! HAHAHAHA just busy with school. Hope you can continue giving your love~!