Okay, this took me longer than I wanted it to, mainly because my computer crashed when I was a good third of the way through and I lost everything. Luckily I managed to rewrite everything to pretty much what it was before if not probably better! Which doesn't normally happen to me lol. This case is nearing its end, depending on how the next chapter goes it may be the last for this incredibly long case. Things aren't going to get any easier for Mai but it will all turn out better in the end. Just please be patient. Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 6-Nothing
January Day 4, 6:42 P.M.
"Hey, Lin," Monk greeted the tall Chinese man as he walked into the lobby. "Something wrong?"
"Naru sent me out here to check on a camera," he answered and walked over to the camera in the corner. "How long have the group of you been in here?"
"A few minutes, why?" All eyes turned to the Chinese man in the corner. Well, all eyes but the blind medium.
"We've lost visual with two cameras at Base." Lin continued to examine the wiring. "One in here and the other being the one down that hallway over here."
"And? What aren't you telling us, Lin?" The Chinese man held up the cable from the camera.
"It's been cut clean through, just like the wires in the headset that Mai used earlier this week." He continued to inspect the camera itself for damage. "It's just the wire that sends the feed to Base. The camera itself is in perfect condition."
"I'll go check the other camera," Monk offered heading over to the other camera in the hall. "Same thing over here, the camera seems fine." He held up the cut cable. Monk stood up and walked back into the lobby. "You guys don't think that it might have been one the crew members, do you?"
"It's possible, you would need cable cutters, but I'd be surprised if there wasn't a pair backstage," John agreed. Looking to the medium sitting next to him. "But, with the activity and the spirit present, why would anyone try to sabotage our investigation?"
"Good point, also why is it Masako can only sense the spirit here when it wants her to?" Monk added, catching the taller man's attention.
"Hara-san, you sensed the spirit since yesterday's attack?" he asked her. The medium nodded.
"Yes, just a few moments ago," she took a deep breath and kept her head down, as though she were looking at her hands. She just didn't want to feel their gaze on her blind eyes. "It was the same heavy dark presence as yesterday. As when it took my sight."
"When did this happen?" Lin turned to Monk.
"Just a few seconds before you showed up, you don't think that the spirit attacked by cutting the cables, do you?" Lin crossed his arms in response.
"Couldn't have been." He shook his head. "Even for me if takes longer than a few seconds to get all the way out here from Base. The cuts look recent but not that recent." He turned back to the medium. "How long did the sensation last?"
"Not long at all, half a minute maybe," she answered.
"I left Base before you even sensed it, and with what we've seen thus far I doubt the spirit would make itself known just to cut a few cables."
"Okay, but where might have the spirit attacked? For the most part we should have been able to hear anyone shouting." Monk crossed his arms as well. "No one's calling for help, and if Star had another light almost dropped on her head Fuyumi would have them checking exits right?"
"Perhaps, but so far this thing has taken Masako's sight and tried to hurt your sister, Takigawa," John countered. "It also seems to be able to block out sound."
"What do you mean?"
"Earlier this week, Mai set up a camera on the bridge backstage. Everyone was accounted for and back there, but we couldn't hear her shouting when the headset wires were cut," Lin explained.
"You don't think-" John never finished. The two men had already raced out of the lobby.
A whoosh of air finally filled her lungs after what felt like an eternity. They expanded in her chest and felt almost foreign from the miniscule activity they just went through. She rolled to her side and began coughing and wheezing, trying to gain back the breaths she had lost. Blood pounded loudly in her hears, thumping in her skull, she felt like she could throw up. Her coughing subsided, turning to big heavy breaths. Mai! Mai! She kept her eyes closed, fearing that if she were to open them she would end up just like the medium. "Mai! Can you hear me!"
Finally, she opened her eyes, her vision was slightly blurred, but she could still make out her employer kneeling next to her. He dropped something as he leaned closer. He must be calling for help…she told herself. "Mai! Can you hear me?" Yes. I hear you Naru, stop shouting.
"Mai!" Naru? Seriously, it's hurting my head.
"Mai! Are you okay! Answer me!" That caught her attention. What? I'm okay. She looked up at him curiously. Was he serious? "Mai, I need you to speak up." At least he was quieter now.
She sat up quicker than she should have. But she didn't have time for that now, even as she fell forward into her boss. She had other things to worry about. Her pulse raced and her breaths quickened. Naru! Can't you hear me? She shouted at him. Yet not a sound escaped her lips.
Naru steadied her and helped her into the chair she had been sitting in prior to the attack. Her hand reach instinctively up to her throat. He kept his calm yet worried eyes locked with the terrified wide ones. "You need to calm down. Take slower breaths. You weren't breathing for a bit," he ordered, placing a hand on her shoulder, she replied with three long deep breaths. "Okay, can you answer me? Are you okay?"
Yes, I'm fine. She felt the air pass her lips, but again not a single sound. Naru?
"Okay good. You're breathing is starting to regulate." She was pretty sure he said that more for his benefit than hers. "Mai, do you remember what happened?"
What was this guy thinking? It was obvious that she couldn't speak! She had been practically screaming at him since she woke up and he still did get the picture. Well, not much different than if she could speak really. This whatever this thing was, it took her voice just like it took Masako's vision. Now she can't see spirits, so how was Mai supposed to give Naru an answer-wow. Though she hated to admit it. She was sure dense sometimes.
Slowly, she nodded, memories of the attack coming back to her. "Do you know why you weren't breathing?"
Mai gave a sort of head bop side to side. She sort of knew why. How could she communicate that? She took the hand at her throat and moved it up to her lips and released her fingertips into the air.
Naru, being a man of few words himself, not as few as his taller Chinese assistant, of course, got the gist of what she was saying. "Something took your breath away."
Mai nodded, glad she was getting somewhere here.
Key of the light. Chain reaction. Mitsumeru. Red Eye.
"Yasuhara-san!" Naru hissed as he bent down to pick up his phone. "Moshi, moshi."
"Hey! Big Boss!" Yasuhara's chipper voice chimed in loud enough for Mai to hear it. "I hope you guys over there are onto something!"
Naru put the phone of speaker so Mai could listen in. "What did you find?"
"Quick to point. What I always liked about you!" the college student chitchatted. "Well, I really wish I had something sufficient to report. I have found no blind actors or writers involved with the theater or any of their performances."
"Did you search for plays involving blind characters?"
"Ah, great minds think alike I suppose." Mai could tell that Naru was started to get impatient, and to be frank, so was she. "I thought the same thing and searched for any scripts involving blind characters or the mentioning of one with performances done by the theater. And…duh duh-duh duh!"
"Yasuhara!" Naru's patience was gone.
"I got nothing, Naru, sorry," he apologized and let out a breath. "That's why I called you. I was hoping you guys might have figured out another clue."
"Were there any plays that involved the Three Wise Monkeys?"
"Sanbiki no saru? Not that I recall." Mai gave her boss most likely the same puzzled look her researcher friend was giving the phone at that moment. "Anything you want to clue me in on?"
"Just before you called, Mai was attacked. It looks like the spirit residing here took something from her just like with Hara-san. This time her voice."
"And if Ayako or Hoshiko are attacked next and their hearing is taken we have the trifecta." Mai could practically see her friend nodding. "I'll look into it again. I'll be back to the theater in an hour or so to show you what I've found."
"See you then." Naru hung up and turned his attention back to his assistant. "Do you remember anything else of the attack?"
Mai thought for a second, only to recall the pounding of her head and the slight ringing in her ears. The nausea returned as well. Her eyebrows knitted together as she tried to concentrate on remembering what happened. She felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You did stop breathing for a bit, it's okay if everything is fuzzy," he assured her. This was new. Normally, he presses for information. "Lean against the table and try to keep your breathing steady. No sudden movements until the dizziness goes away."
Mai propped her elbows on the table and held her head in her hands, eyes closed and her leg fidgeting beneath the table. Her head throbbed and stomach churned, what was wrong with her?
"Whoa! Naru, what happened to the monitors?" Mai heard Monk's booming voice enter the room.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out right now." She didn't have to look up to know that the monitors were all full of static.
"Hey, Mai? Are you not feeling well?" She didn't look up. Just like Naru said, 'No sudden movements.' I'm FINE.
"Mai was just attacked a few minutes ago. Like Hara-san, the spirit took something of hers. This time, her voice."
"Looks like more than just her voice is affected," Monk commented placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you-" Mai swatted his hand away and continued to count her breaths. I'm fine. Please, just leave me alone.
"What did you find when you checked on the cameras?" Mai heard Naru ask. She didn't have to turn her head to know that Lin was standing in the doorway.
"The cables were cut, which explained why we had no visual." Her head continued to pound. "However, when I got there Hara-san felt the presence of the spirit that took her sight."
"That was probably when Mai was attacked…" The three men continued to bounce off information to one another while Mai sat there and felt persistent throbbing with their every word. The room felt like it was making a slow monotonous spin around her. Her stomach churned with the spinning, though she didn't open her eyes to see it. She felt that maybe she should put her head on her knees, that was supposed to help, right?
Jeez, is this what Masako felt last night after her attack? She wondered silently. Weird, I don't remember her complaining about nausea. Maybe she was too upset about being blind.
She began to rub her temples, hoping to soothe the pain. She felt some discomfort on her stomach, but she didn't care, everything was hurting at once. She didn't care that she could feel the eyes of her coworkers on her. She wasn't listening but she knew that they were talking about her. She really didn't care about that right then, after all she couldn't answer them. Couldn't tell them her side. Then again, what would that accomplish? Did they ever really listen to her? All she wanted to do was lie down.
Ayako was sitting backstage, just watching the rehearsal. The play was really coming together. They were practicing the scene changes with the crew and prop switches to ensure seamless transitions. The priestess remembered seeing a movie about this play a few years back, she wasn't really impressed with it, felt as though the storyline was too forced. The film made the accounts seem like they were improbable, so she never really did much research on the story itself. She had seen the real thing at a young age, she was more interested in that than a legend and some superstitions that have been around for almost two centuries.
However, after seeing all the work that had gone into the play from behind the scenes, Ayako was starting to convince herself to go see the play on their opening night. That is, if they could figure out what was causing the activity here.
"Hey." The voice startled the priestess, but she did her best not to show it.
"You're sister is very good, I'm actually looking forward to seeing the play in its entirety next week." She kept her arms folded against her chest and her legs crossed in the seat. She looked up at the monk. "What's up? I thought you had to stay away from your sister to remain impartial or something."
"Well, you were right, John needs a break and…" Monk went on to briefly explain how Mai was attacked. "Basically, we think the next target could either be you or Star."
"I assure you, Houshou, your sister is safe with me," she said looking back to the stage. She could have sworn she felt the air around them grow cold. She looked back at him. His mouth was a thin line and his eyes weren't the playful monk she's known.
"I'm not just worried about that," he admitted. "I'm worried that you'll be attacked and then it'll go after her."
"That's ridiculous." The priestess shook her head. "Please, tell me you aren't serious." He didn't answer. "And this is why you shouldn't be back here, go help the others with the cameras. Or send John back here and I'll go and help-"
"I already told Naru, and he agreed with me." She somehow found that hard to believe. "Look, John's been playing babysitter since the beginning of the case, he deserves some time away from the cattiness. You said, I don't know how the acting world works, now I can observe and see where you might have thought someone was trying to sabotage the play."
"That's the biggest load of bull I think you've ever said to me," she said, but closed her eyes and sighed. She stood up. "Since you're so adamant about this, fine, go ahead, stalk your baby sister. But let her fight her own battles. And don't embarrass her, at all. And if Naru is pissed off you are taking the blame on this."
"Thanks, Ayako, you old hag." Monk gave a playful smile at the insult he gave her.
"Whatever, you dirty old monk." She walked off. Monk just continued to watch the rehearsal.
Mai sat still for far longer than she thought anyone could. Her head still pounded and her nausea never went away. She was starting to wonder if she was just hungry, but food was the last thing she wanted to think about. She needed to get out of there, get up and move around. Get away from the watchful eye of Naru who was concentrated on the monitors.
She stood up and made her way to the door, doing her best not to stumble with the dizziness. "Where are you going?" The voice made Mai stop in her tracks.
She turned around to look at him. Most of the monitors were fixed and recording live once again. John, Ayako, and Lin sure work fast. She mouthed the word "Bathroom" and crossed her arms. She silently hoped he was good at reading lips.
Luckily, he was. "Okay, come straight back here. Yasuhara should be back by then, we'll come up with our next step then."
Mai wanted to argue with him. Wanted to give a witty retort that would usually result in her boss demanding tea. Then maybe a remark about her intelligence. But no, he was trying to include her. How dare he? How dare he think-
She stopped her thoughts and nodded, walking out. She ignored the actors she passed as she made her way to the restroom. Not that they really paid her much attention to begin with. This case she didn't feel the need to really make friends or talk to any of them. She really hadn't spoken much to Hoshiko since their second day there. Now it looked like she wasn't going to be able to form any type of relationship with anyone.
She finally made it to the restroom. She selected the stall furthest from the door, entered it and locked the door behind her. It was then, that the nausea that had plagued her finally reared its ugly head. She wasn't sure if she was grateful she didn't eat much at lunch or upset that her stomach continued to churn.
"That should be the last one," John commented, turning on his radio. "Kazuya, how does camera nine look?"
"We have visual, that's the last one." Naru's voice came in over the radio. "Make note of any room where Hara-san feels a presence and come back to Base. We'll plan our next move."
"On it." He turned the radio off and offered his arm to the blind medium who was keeping her company. "C'mon, Masako, Naru wants us back in Base."
"Okay." She responded weakly, taking his arm and allowed him to guide her. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of figuring out where I am. We're in the attic, right?"
"That's right, and that's good." John smiled, helping her down the stairs. "Although, I don't think you'll have to completely adapt to this situation. I'm sure that once this case is solved youre sight will come back."
"I certainly hope so," she sighed, her head pointed down as though she were looking at the steps below her. "John?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you think my sight was taken?"
John thought for a moment as they slowly descended the stairs. "Honestly, I'm not sure," he finally answered. She knew he would say that. It's what anyone would have said. What was she expecting? "But it could be because you already investigated here." She turned her head to him to continue. "Maybe this spirit has been hiding from you since you first investigated here in order to see what would rile you up."
"Then, why would it attack Hoshiko? Why didn't it just attach itself to me?"
"Not sure, but this is just a theory." He made her aware of the final step and steadied her so she didn't misjudge it. "By the way, Naru wanted to know if you felt anything in any of the rooms we've been in."
She shook her head. "I haven't sensed anything since the incident in the lobby. And now Mai can't speak like I can't see."
"You don't think this is your fault, do you?" Masako just shrugged.
"My cleansing of the property wasn't successful, how else should I feel?" John stopped their pace and looked at her.
"Masako, you made a mistake, we all have done it a time or two. Even Naru." Masako just sighed. "We'll get through this, the team's with you and have been from the beginning."
"Thank you, John," she said, but she wasn't sure if he was right. Or if he even made her feel better.
January Day 4, 8:01 P.M.
"Are you serious? We have nothing?" Ayako complained as everyone, minus Monk was present in Base.
"Unfortunately, I am," Yasuhara replied, opening his notebook of research. "I found no connection between Masako's blindness and the former actors or productions of this theater. When I heard about Mai, I tried to see if there might have been a connection with muteness. I even tried to see if any of the plays performed here had any connection to the three wise monkeys folklore. And if there was anything behind the folklore of that itself. But I still couldn't find anything remotely possible."
"Great, we're back to square one." Ayako shook her head and crossed her legs in her seat.
Yasuhara wagged his finger and made tsk sounds. "Oh ye of little faith," he said. "I may not have found any specific connections there, but I did find some other information that may be useful."
"What did you find?" Naru was starting to become impatient.
"Contact info for the last two suicides, Oshiro Kyou and Ueno Masuyo both still have family living in Tokyo. I have their addresses and I'm going to pay them a visit tomorrow morning to see if maybe they have the connection that we missed."
"What kind of connection do you think you'll find?" Masako asked.
"Anything, maybe one of them was very interested the folklore of the monkeys, or interested in blind and mute people, maybe they had family members who were either blind or mute and you and Mai just so happened to remind them of such family members," the college student rambled. "Either way, I was able to contact them and they agreed to meet with me tomorrow to discuss it."
"Hey, is Mai all right?" John asked, noticing the girl had her head down on the table. She lifted her head up and put her hand on it. My head hurts.
"Matsuzaki-san, would you mind housing both Hara-san and Mai?" Naru asked.
"I wouldn't mind, but I have no room and my apartment is a bit of a mess," she admitted.
"Yes, I was lucky I didn't trip over the mounds of clothes everywhere," Masako quipped, causing a snicker from the researcher in the room.
"Why you little-"
"Actually, Naru," Yasuhara piped up. "If you don't mind, I have a couple of personal things to take care of tonight. I'm sure Mai just wants to go home a rest, I can give her a ride."
Naru seemed to think quickly about the notion. "That's fine, Mai, Lin will pick you up tomorrow at nine, be ready."
Mai had gotten home, Yasuhara stayed in the parking lot until Mai texted him that she made it to her apartment. She changed into some pajamas and took some medicine for her headache. She lied down on her bed with the lights dim. Not necessarily trying to sleep but to make herself a little more comfortable with the pulsing in her head.
Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz.
Shouta… Mai rolled to her side and grabbed her phone from the floor. Sure enough that was who had texted her. He probably wants to plan a date tomorrow. How do I tell him that a deranged spirit stole my voice? This isn't a Disney movie! Nevertheless, she opened the message.
I miss you.
Mai rolled her eyes. For whatever reason, that wasn't what she wanted to read from him. Still, she responded with and appropriate, "Miss you too."
Are we on for tomorrow? She saw it coming. Quick, time to cover. If she told him about the incident and how she was still to report to work, he would insist that Naru was abusing her. If she told him that the case was still ongoing, he would still say that her boss was abusing the power he has over her. It was a lose-lose situation.
Sorry, Shouta. The case hasn't been solved yet. Maybe we can meet up Sunday for lunch?
Perfect cover, Mai! She mused to herself. But what if the case isn't solved and I still don't have a voice?
Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz.
Can't get out? Damn I really hate that guy. She saw that one coming too. She didn't like lying to her boyfriend. She didn't like lying to her boss, either. She wasn't sure which was worse at the moment. I was going to surprise you with dinner out. Any way you might be able to get out?
She wasn't sure if their case would even be solved before lunchtime on Sunday. Not likely, you know how these cases can get.
You mean how Kazuya can get. There it was. She hated when he put down her boss like that. She hated how right he seemed to be. Mai this is borderline abuse. You haven't had a day off since last Thursday. I know with a case you get paid more, but you're going to burn out.
He was right. She hadn't had a day off in over a week. Granted, so long as the case was solved the next day she wouldn't have to report to the office until Tuesday. But with a case on top of classes, it could be overwhelming. I know, I'll be fine. He let me go home a little early because of how much I've been working. He wants my help in finishing this case.
Sounds like he needs your help a lot more than you need his. He's supposed to be the expert, he doesn't really need two assistants, does he?
Did it ever occur to you that maybe I like my job? She began to type. She stopped herself from hitting the send button. Was it really worth it? It was a stupid argument to begin with. She understood where Shouta was coming from, but she enjoyed helping people. Even if she's butt heads with her boss a time or two. He knew that right? But he was right. Naru had been out of line a few times. And quite a bit in recent cases. Her appointments with Hozumi were helping a little, but not giving her the effects that she was looking for. She really was going to burn out any day now.
Now she faces the question whether or not to send this text. The question of whether or not to really look for a new job. The question of whether or not Shouta was right about this stress. Her pounding head had not ceased during their written conversation and her eyelids were starting to feel heavy. This can wait, she decided, setting up her alarm and deleting what she wrote.
She stood up and turned the light off, before climbing back into bed and putting her phone on "Do Not Disturb". She would get back to him in the morning.
"Oh Mai! How did you get so lucky?" Keiko cooed, sitting next to Mai in their classroom. They had decided to have lunch there instead of the crowded cafeteria. "A hot boss and sexy boyfriend, girl you get all the luck!"
"Seriously! I wish I had been the stupid one to break his camera freshman year!" Michiru added, the twos girls laughed. "A never ending horror flick, being inexperienced you're allowed to grab onto him when you're scared. It's the perfect situation."
Guys, it's not as cool as you think it is. Mai tried to say, but nothing came out of her mouth. Why did she have no voice? She tried to get her friends' attention, but they weren't getting the picture.
"Michiru! You are the only one who would think of that!" Keiko laughed, ignoring her panicking friend. "But you're right, Mai has it great!"
The scene morphed and now she was at work, specifically in the kitchenette making tea. Much like her previous case, she found herself grabbing cups only to have the kettle whistle and dropping the cups to the floor. She somehow even managed to knock over the kettle and the boiling water with it. Her arms and the exposed skin of her legs began to tint red from the heat, but she felt know pain. This has to be a dream.
An annoyed Naru came stomping into the room. "Can't you do anything right?" he muttered, picking up the broken pieces and tossing them. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the sink to dress the wounds like he did a few cases ago, but he wasn't nearly as gentle this time. He was rough in dressing the burn, forcing her arms into the sink and muttering nonsense of how useless she was.
Naru! Why are you saying these things? She knew it had to be a dream, but it still hurt. The Naru in her dream would never say such things.
"You think that because your dreams were right a couple of times that you will always have the answer. You're not perfect."
I never claimed to be!
"You can't even make tea right. Why do you think I haven't been asking for it as much?"
Tears pricked her eyes, but they wouldn't come out. "I don't know why I even hired you!"
Luckily, the scene changed once again, though she wished it had changed sooner. Mai was afraid of what the next scene would give her. She saw Shouta. She should have felt relieved, but she was apprehensive. Would he start to say the horrible things Naru had been?
"Mai, he's abusing his power over you! You can't be blind to this any longer!" It wasn't much different from her conscious conversations with him. "How much longer are you going to put up with this?"
Shouta, stop it! She didn't know why she was still trying to argue. She wasn't able to speak while conscious, why should she be able to during her dreams?
He walked up to her and brushed away a tear that had made its way out. "You deserve so much better than what he's put you through. And you have such a supportive family who love you maybe as much as I do. You can be anything you want to be, as long as we're in this together."
He brought her in for a hug, holding her tight. "I can't let him do this to you, you've suffered enough."
She felt his embrace leave her feeling empty. Opening her eyes she did not expect to see the scene change to this. No longer was her boyfriend in front of her, she wasn't in the office, and definitely not her classroom. No, this place she remembered was just as terrifying now as it was when she dangled over it.
Flames surrounded her, illuminating the cave like walls in an ominously evil glow. Faint moans of agony filled her ears as she notice the being before her. She had only seen him briefly that night, but he seemed to haunt her sleep ever since. He smirked with a menacing laugh.
She was frozen to the spot, unable to move or say a thing. She held her breath, the smell of burning flesh and death made her want to throw up. She could still feel the grip of his taloned hand that fateful night.
"This is what you're life will be," the demon laughed, stepping closer to her. "Full of death and mistrust. No one to put faith in. You can see things most can't, but you are powerless against us." He used a talon to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. It felt so real, even a drop of blood seemed to run down her cheek. "You may of gotten away from me last time, but you won't be so lucky again. A pretty thing like you would do wonders down here."
He leaned closer and whispered, "You're one case away from seeing true evil. There's no coming back from it." He chuckled. "I'll see you soon, sweetheart." She felt his tongue lick off the line of blood.
January Day 5, 12:14 A.M.
Mai shot up from her sleep. Beads of cold sweat dripped from her head onto her sheets. The spot where the demon scratched her burned. Her heart raced and pounded in her chest. Her head throbbed. Her hands shook. Her tears fell.
For the first time since this ordeal started, she wasn't sure anyone could help her. Maybe there wasn't a point to talking with Hozumi anymore. Maybe Shouta was right. Maybe she should find a new job.
And for the first time since this afternoon, she was thankful she didn't have a voice. She didn't want to wake the neighbors with her sobs.
Well, I have been reading a lot of ghost books lately which has given me quite a bit of inspiration. (Thank you Ed and Lorraine Warren!) Hopefully, I'm starting to show some improvement in my writing and character developing (I'm learning how to torture my characters and unfortunately Mai is the perfect target!) Well, I figure I may as well answer some of the reviews I'm received from the last chapter seeing as I haven't done that in a while lol.
Ghost loves japan 77: I hope you have some closure from the last cliffhanger hopefully this one isn't as bad! But thank you for your continued support over the last few years I've seen your reviews over the course of 30 chapters or so I'm glad you've stuck around and hope you continue!
bewitchedquill: Aw as soon as I saw your review I couldn't help but smile, I'm glad you were thinking to pm me to see how I doing that was very sweet! I'm glad you're enjoying the cliffhangers and yes its about time they started to worry about their favorite assistant, even though they had noticed her issues a little bit ago, it did take until now to really feel like shit for not doing anything. I hope some questions were answered here and don't worry Hozumi will be back soon and he will be playing a larger role in the next couple of cases. But that's all I will reveal! And thank you as well for your continuous support and reviews you've been around for awhile I hope you stick around!
SSTrans: Yes this case is confusing and difficult to figure out but it will all come together soon, I promise. And don't worry about Mai and Shouta this fling won't last forever, but it will test her loyal nature. We haven't seen Gene in a while, have we? Hmm...And thank you again for your continued support you have reviewed quite a few chapters and I'm very thankful for the feedback!
Naruisawesome: I hope this satisfies you for the time being lol. Shouta's such an ass, right? Thank you as well for the continued support over the last couple years! I hope you stay until the end!
Zer0. A: Yo! Lol I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last one!
LOV3SICKF00L: Thank you for your wonderful review! I assume this is your first time reading my fic? I'm glad you're enjoying it and yes there are several ways that this relationship could end and many of them not the best outcome. I actually have a couple of drafts of that scene and each one would have a different impact on the other characters I'm deciding which one is my favorite. And the gravesite scene is one of my favorites to write I almost cried myself! I hope you continue to enjoy the fic!
ShadeWarrior: Yay! You have no idea how happy I am that someone binge read my story! As soon as I read it I knew I needed to get the next chapter out ASAP! Mai is going to hit quite a few bumps in the road but everything will turn out right, just need to be a little patient! I hope you continue to support this fic!
Also shoutout to everyone who has reviewed in the past! I would list names but there are quite a few lol. Thank you all for your support especially Jade Starlight, AmyNChan, Musical Teardrops, NoCoolNameHere, XxHate's-a-Strong-WordxX, and Damaged Forest Spirit for your support and help throughout the years from the beginning and to the present, thank you!
Hope you enjoyed and please review! :D