April
Friday

The welcome back party for Naru and Lin ended after a couple of hours, and Mai returned home without talking to her boss too much.

The next day at work she couldn't help but feel a little awkward and she was thankful for Madoka's presence in the space. She was always there to be a buffer during awkward situations when Naru came out of his office to ask for something. Seeing as how Naru had taken his office back, Madoka took most of her work to the seating area and Mai could see the pile of papers in front of her slowly dwindling throughout the work day.

She wondered what the woman would do when the pile was fully dealt with.

Madoka was sitting in one of the armchairs across from Naru and Lin when Mai and Yasu returned from their lunch break, and she felt her stomach twist uneasily.

"Hello." Mai greeted them politely.

Naru simply nodded in return while Lin returned her greeting quietly.

Mai shared a look with Yasu, both taking note of the quietness that surrounded them. She looked at the table, where Madoka's pile of papers was now gone and she was sitting still.

It wasn't like the cheerful women to not greet her loudly. "Is everything alright?"

Madoka lowered her head with a sigh, smiling sadly. "I guess it's no use in beating around the bush when you can tell somethings off immediately." She patted the space beside her. "Come sit, you two."

Mai swallowed and moved to sit next to her, flattening her skirt over her thighs nervously. "What is it?" She asked, brown eyes looking imploringly up at the older woman, trying to read her expression.

"You see... now that Naru has come back, I think it's time for me to return to my work." Madoka started to explain slowly and watched Mai's face.

"You're returning to England?" Mai clarified, blinking.

"Yes." Madoka smiled brightly, happy that the younger girl seemed to take the news well. "I've been running things from Japan while I was away but some things can only be done in person. Now that Naru's no longer there to do my work for me, it's time for me to go back."

Mai nodded slowly.

Yasu frowned. "So... when will you be coming back?"

Madoka's face dropped, and she tried to hide the sad expression. "I'll only be coming back to Japan to visit. I'll be staying in England from now on."

Hair fell in front of Mai's face as she lowered her head, and she pushed it behind her ear with shaky fingers. So that was why she had a bad feeling. "That makes sense."

"Yes." Madoka swallowed thickly, eyes full of sorrow.

Mai didn't raise her head. She didn't want the two men across from her to see her pitiful expression. But then her shoulders started shaking, and she saw her vision blur. Tears fell down her cheeks and she saw that Madoka had also started to cry.

Lin had the decency to turn away while Naru simply watched the two embrace. Madoka was just as outgoing as Mai, if not more, so he had no doubt that the two had grown close over the past couple years.

Mai pulled away after a few minutes, sniffling. "W-when will you leave?"

"My boss requested I come back as soon as I can, so my flight is booked for tomorrow." Madoka wiped her tears with a laugh and reached up to brush the stray drops on Mai's cheeks. "Of course, we'll see each other in the future but we won't be working together in an office like this. I assume I'll see you in September and of course I'll come for visits to check in."

Mai nodded, and although she wanted to ask about what she meant about seeing her in September, her phone started to ring. She smiled at Madoka apologetically and pulled her phone from her pocket. Keiko was calling her. She looked up at Madoka, wondering if it would be okay to answer it.

"It's alright, I have to compose myself anyway." Madoka waved her hand, and she turned away to wipe her nose.

Mai answered, speaking quietly. "Hey, Keiko."

"What time are you off?" Keiko asked immediately.

"Uh... eight."

Madoka motioned to get Mai's attention and she grinned. "You can leave at six!"

Mai returned her smile, not bothering to acknowledge Naru's annoyed glare. "Six, actually." She corrected.

Keiko cheered. "Yay! Then me and Michiru will meet you at your apartment."

"Okay, sounds good." Mai replied. "See you later."

"Okay!" Michiru replied happily and the line went dead.

Madoka finished wiping her face of snot and tears, turning to look at Mai with wide eyes. "I almost forgot because of all this sad going away talk but you'll be going to a graduation party tonight, right?"

"Yeah, we're going to a restaurant not that far from here." Mai said brightly.

Lin stood just then, giving Mai a nod. "Congratulations on graduating, Mai. Have fun tonight." With that, he retired to his office.

Naru looked to Madoka dispassionately. "Don't know why you needed us here to tell her you were leaving."

Madoka huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Oh, lighten up. I wasn't sure if I could say it without crying so I thought one of you might have to explain."

Naru sighed, standing as well. "I'll be getting back to work."

Mai, Yasu, and Madoka shared an amused look.

Saturday

Friday came and went in a blink of an eye.

Although the graduation party was fun and Mai spent most of the night laughing, Madoka's impending departure lingered at the back of her mind like a dark shadow. The dark shadow stayed even as she lay in bed all night, falling and out of sleep, and as she dragged her tired body out of her apartment when Bou-san arrived to pick her up.

Mai cried on the way to the airport. And when they arrived. And when they waited for Madoka to check her bags.

"Oh, Mai." Madoka sighed, pulling her into an embrace. "You'd think I was going away forever."

She sniffled, wiping at her nose. "I'm going to miss you."

"I know." Madoka smiled softly and placed her hands onto the younger girls cheeks. "I know that you're going to have a hard time getting back to normal for a while after too, because I saw how you were for weeks after Naru and Lin left."

Mai swallowed, nodding.

"But," Madoka started, tilting Mai's head up to look at her. "I know that you, and everyone else at SPR, missed them very much. So, just do your best to remember that this is good. It's a terrible habit to reject change."

"You're right." Mai nodded pitifully.

"So, take good care of him for me." Madoka whispered, kissing her forehead and then taking a step back.

Mai watched as she said her goodbyes to the others as well, giving them each a warm hug as she went down the line of people. By the time she was done, she looked a little teary eyed herself and they listened to the announcement that her plane was ready to board.

"Goodbye, everyone!" Madoka waved, walking backwards. "I'll miss you all very much."

A hand landed on her head. "Let's go, Jou-chan." Bou-san pulled her into his side in a comforting manner. "We should get some lunch. Unless you're too miserable to eat?"

"I'm not miserable." Mai retorted weakly.

"Then why do you look like the world is ending?" Bou-san chuckled as the two approached his car. He paused, hand squeezing her arm in a comforting manner. "Have you at least welcomed him back?"

Mai paused before she glanced to the side, finding Naru's figure as he opened Lin's car door.

"Uh, Naru?" She called out, smiling nervously as he turned her way. "I didn't say it yet, but... welcome back!"

He nodded in acknowledgement and Mai let out a long breath, looking up into the clear sky.

Madoka was right. She shouldn't be so sad, because this was a good change. The only issue was believing it herself.

Next Chapter: Oda Arima, the fresh faced mayor of Oguni Village, seeks SPR's help in solving the strange phenomenon surrounding what locals call The Howling Tunnel.

The next update will uploaded next Thursday!