Day 2

Mai spent most of the night staring up at the water damaged ceiling, listening to everyone's breathing as they slept. She didn't have the courage to see if her suspicion was correct. The thought of Gene not having moved on yet left her feeling conflicted.

A hand fell onto her shoulder and Mai jumped, her chopsticks clattering against her bowl.

John stared down at her. "You okay? You've seemed a little distracted since you woke up."

"N-no, I'm okay." Mai reassured him with a small smile, though she knew he saw through it. "Really, I'm fine. I'm just recovering from the long ride here."

With everyone's attention now lost, they returned to eating their breakfast around the small table in the living room. She was going to tell them about Gene after she confirmed it, but she wanted to speak to Naru privately about it first.

"Is everyone finished eating?" Naru asked, his voice cutting through the conversations.

"Not really—"

"Good." Naru cut her off, pretending not to notice the glare she flashed at him. "I want to get started on what everyone will be doing."

"Let us know what you need us to do, Naru-chan." Bou-san grinned, crossing his legs as he waited.

"I want Mai, Matsuzaki-san, and Father Brown to begin interviews." Naru pulled out a file of papers, sliding them across the table to the three of them as he spoke. "Oda Arima believes the phenomenon surrounding the tunnel is caused by the death of Sasabe Izumi."

Mai glanced down at the paper, reading the information provided about the drowning incident. Izumi had been exploring the tunnel with three other unnamed youth when it was reported that she slipped and fell into the flooded tunnel. The coroner, Morino, ruled her death as accidental, citing the gash on the back of her head. She hit her head on one of the many rocks in the tunnel when she fell. Izumi was thirteen years old when she died.

"We're unable to get the contact information of the three others who were with Sasabe Izumi when the incident happened. Their names were retracted from the documents because they were minors at the time. However, we do have her father's address, so I want to hear from him." Naru flipped the page, and the three of them followed his movements as he moved on. "Next, is the two boys who were at the tunnel recently. One of them attacked the other and had no memory of it, except seeing Sasabe Izumi before he blacked out. Oda-san has provided us with the names of these boys and their contact information."

"Should we all interview separately?" Ayako asked with a lost look. She had never done interviews before.

Naru shook his head. "No, I'd like you to do it together. I want Mai to lead the interviews." Mai snapped to attention when his focus fell on her. "I've prepared a list of questions I want you to ask, however feel free to ask more as you see fit."

"How about me, boss?" Yasu raised his hand.

"I want you gather any information you can about the history of the tunnel. Whether it be rumors from the locals or historical documents. Anything you can find, I want it."

Mai glanced at the people who hadn't been assigned jobs yet. "What will you guys be doing?"

"Kimura-san is going to be taking Hara-san, Bou-san, Lin, and I up to the tunnel today. I want Hara-san to confirm if there is a presence there, as well as figure out the situation with what equipment we can use." Naru explained and let the information sink in.

Bou-san nodded. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as Kimura-san arrives." Naru replied and he glanced at them all individually as he continued. "It is unusual that we will be doing everything separately, however I want you all to communicate as much as possible during this investigation. Something you think is important might not be to someone else, so challenge each other and keep an open mind. We will debrief when we return to base."

With the jobs assigned, everyone stood to begin preparing. Mai turned away to speak to John and Ayako but stopped as her name was called.

"What is it?" She asked, meeting Naru's gaze.

He remained seated, his expression serious. "While you are doing the interviews, watch them. Body language speaks louder than words. This is why I want all three of you present. Three pairs of eyes is better than one."

"Okay." Mai nodded but hesitated as she started to leave, turning back to him. "Be careful, Naru."

"I will."

Mai, John, and Ayako started with the two teens first, since they already had their contact information.

"Kira-kun really doesn't remember doing it. He would never attack me." Was the first thing out of Ando Daiki's mouth when they sat down to do the interview.

Mai smiled at him. "I believe you."

Daiki's stared, his eyes piercing through her as he decided whether she was being genuine or not. He seemed a bit defensive, but his immediate reaction to protect his friend was a positive to Mai. He just needed some trust between them before he opened up.

"You see, Daiki-san, we're not here to accuse you or your friend of lying. We just want to hear about your experience because it could possibly help us prevent it from happening again. I realize that you might have experienced suspicion about the event from others however..." Mai motioned to John, and then Ayako. "John is a Catholic priest, Ayako is a miko, and I'm a psychic. We literally hunt ghosts for a living, so I promise you that anything you say will not be strange to us."

Daiki hesitated before he let out sigh, releasing the tension in his shoulders. "Where should I start?"

"Start from the moment you entered the tunnel."

Daiki's story was that as soon as they were inside, his friend Kira immediately looked uncomfortable. He mentioned wanting to leave but Daiki insisted they stay and write their names on the wall.

John blinked. "Write your names on the wall?"

"It's like a test of courage that's popular in my school. If you go up to the tunnel and write your name on the wall inside, you can say that you were there." Daiki explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's... stupid, now that I think about it. A girl died there, so why even go?"

"So, you wrote your name on the wall?" Mai asked, writing down the information.

"I did but when I turned around to pass him the marker, Kira-kun was just staring at the ground and he wouldn't answer me. I tried to shake him to get his attention but then—" He paused, his hand pressing against his throat briefly. "T-then he just grabbed me and started squeezing. If I hadn't been stronger than him..."

"So you managed to get him to stop?" Ayako asked.

"Yeah, and then I just ran. I climbed out of the tunnel and ran all the way back home. Kira-kun came to my house hours later, confused and upset about how I could just leave him there by himself. He didn't remember choking me at all, just said that he saw a ghost and then nothing... and I believe him."

Mai believed him too. Daiki didn't seem like he was lying at all and his confidence in his friend Kira was genuine. The interview finished with the questions Naru prepared and he answered them all easily, and he even apologized about being rude when they were leaving his house.

"Thank you, Daiki-san." Mai bowed her head to him. "If we have any more questions, we'll come see you again." Daiki nodded and closed the door.

"So," Ayako glanced at the house next to Daiki's, where someone had pulled the curtains shut when they were caught watching them through a window. "His house next?"

Thankfully, Daiki and Kira were next door neighbors, and judging by the boy peeking through the window, he was aware they were coming.

An elderly man answered the door when they knocked, and his eyes immediately latched onto John. Many of the locals in the village had been openly staring at the blond haired male and Mai guessed it was because they didn't get much foreigners up to the village.

"You here to arrest Kira?" He grunted, eyes narrowed.

"No, no, nothing like that! We'd just like to ask him a few questions." Mai explained in a panic, raising her hands.

The man eyed them before tilting his head and calling over his shoulder. "Kira! Come down here."

It took a few moments, but eventually a head peeked around the corner of the stairs, brown eyes nervously flicking between the three strangers. By the time Kira managed to make it down the stairs and into the living room, it became clear to them that he was incredibly timid.

No wonder Daiki-san was able to fight him off, Mai thought as she looked at the boy. He was short and skinny. She doubted that he would be able to lift anything heavy, much less choke someone to death. Even if he was strong enough, he didn't seem like he had conviction to do it.

"I-I'll answer any q-questions you have." Kira stuttered out, picking at his fingers in his lap.

His version of events was similar to what Daiki told them. They went up there to write their names on the wall, apparently because the kids at school kept calling him a coward, so Daiki wanted to prove them wrong.

"I remember... feeling like someone was watching me." He trailed off, his hands pausing and a faraway look appearing in his eyes. "I wanted to leave but D-Daiki was writing his name and then... then I looked down and I was standing in a puddle and—" He stopped, face paling.

"And?" Ayako pressed when he didn't continue.

Kira jumped like he remembered they were there. "I-instead of my reflection t-there was a face of a girl. Then... nothing. I felt like I blinked and when I came back, I was standing in the tunnel by myself." He went on to say that he climbed out, thinking that Daiki had ditched him. He walked the road all the way home and when he got to Daiki's house, he learned about what happened. "W-we looked up that girl... Izumi. To see if that was who I saw in the reflection a-and... it was her."

Kira didn't speak much after that. He sat on the couch, staring intently at his fingers with a haunted look in his eyes. As they thanked him and said goodbye, he muttered to himself quietly.

"It was definitely her."

Sasabe Izumi's father was not home when they arrived at the address given to them, and Mai was positive that he would not be home anytime soon considering the house they arrived at was completely run down and abandoned.

After eating lunch, they spent far too long trying to get information from the neighbors around the house, who didn't seem pleased with their presence. They wouldn't say when the man had moved or where to. When the door was slammed in their face for the third time, they called it quits.

"We could find Oda-san or Kimura-san? Maybe they didn't realize he moved." John was saying as they made their way back to base, ignoring the blatant stares they were receiving as they walked along the road.

Mai nodded. "Yeah, I guess we can."

"They're back." Ayako said and they followed her line of vision.

The SPR van was parked outside of the base, meaning that they returned from the tunnel. They picked their pace up, eager to hear about what they had to say about it. Everyone was sitting in the living room when they walked in, and they looked damp.

"How did it go?" Mai asked curiously and took a seat.

Bou-san sighed as he rubbed a towel against his wet hair. "Well, first of all you have to hike to the tunnel from the road. Then it started raining the whole time we were up there."

"And is there a presence there?" Ayako asked impatiently, looking from person to person.

Masako was sitting quietly beside Naru, her hair dripping, and she had a blank expression in her eyes as she looked down. "There is. The spirit of a young girl is there but she wouldn't come out to speak to me."

"Ehhh? So, I guess the car crashes and incidents aren't just a coincidence then..." Mai trailed off in wonder. "What about setting up the equipment?"

Naru shook his head. "Impossible. We'll just have to go off our senses with this one. How did the interviews go?"

"Well, Izumi's father doesn't live at the address Oda-san gave us. None of the locals would really talk to us when we asked about him, so nothing came from that... however we did speak to the two boys who were there recently." Mai pulled out the notes she had taken and passed them over, watching as he read through the pages quickly. "I didn't notice anything off. They seemed like they were telling the truth."

Naru sighed, lowering the papers. "We need to eat." He suddenly said, looking to Lin. "Yasuhara-san let me know that he won't be coming back anytime soon, so we can bring him something back."

"He must've found something interesting, then." Ayako mused.

"I hope so." Mai muttered.

So far, they only had the confirmation of a presence at the tunnel to go off. This case was proving to be incredibly difficult, even though it was only the first day of investigating.

For dinner they decided to eat at the food stall next to Arima and Kimura's office. Before entering, they stopped by the small office in hopes to ask about Izumi's father and his updated address, but it was closed for the day.

Ayako fiddled with the food in her bowl, her mood spoiled. "This place is such a bummer."

"Tell me about it." Masako agreed with a sigh. "I wish there was a good café here."

A loud commotion happened behind them and Mai turned, her eyes falling on a girl sitting at the bar table. She was laughing hysterically, tilted to the side and almost falling off the stool, and a man who seemed to be the owner was trying to steady her.

"Well, we can always get drunk off our asses like her." Bou-san snorted, turning to Ayako with a playful grin.

The grumpy expression on Ayako's face faded and she smirked. "Should we?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea…" Bou-san wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. "You know how I get when I drink sake—"

"Ew." Mai moaned, placing her hands over her ears. "You're going to make me lose my appetite."

"Mine too." Naru spoke up, looking slightly disturbed from across the table.

Ayako and Bou-san shared an amused look, and before they could reply, someone beat them too it.

"Well, food always taste best when you're eating with a cute girl." The drunk girl from the bar appeared at the end of the table where Naru was sitting. Everyone watched in surprise as she slid onto the bench across from him, pushing Lin over without a glance in his direction. "Don't you think so?" She asked cutely, batting her eyes at him.

Mai turned to share a shocked expression with Ayako and Masako. "Is she… hitting on Naru?" She whispered, amusement creeping into her voice.

"She is." Masako's lips pursed, her gaze latched onto the girl.

Ayako frowned. "Did she just imply that we're not cute?"

Naru seemed a little conflicted on how to continue, and everyone watched in silence as he placed his chopsticks down. "Can I help you with something?"

Hibiki winked. "Your number?"

Mai heaved out a laugh, desperately trying to keep it in as she saw the way Naru's eyes widened. Hibiki was a go-getter girl it seemed. Though, Mai wondered if it was because Oguni wasn't really rich in the dating pool.

"I'm Morino Hibiki." The girl introduced herself, smiling flirtatiously at him. "What's your name? I haven't seen anyone new around here in so long."

Mai's amusement faded away at the name, blinking. Where did I hear that name today?

"Morino?" Naru repeated with renewed interest . He seemed to recognize the name as well.

Beside her, John whispered quietly so only she could hear. "The coroner."

That's right! The name of the coroner who dealt with Izumi's death was Morino. Mai's eyes widened and she immediately turned back to look at Hibiki, wondering if she would be able to answer any questions in her inebriated state. However, something else caught her attention.

Naru's expression shifted, and he learned forward with his elbows on the table. "Shibuya Kazuya." He introduced himself, lips curving upwards in a slow smile. A very charming smile.

Was he—?

Hibiki grinned, leaning forward to copy his position. "Can I call you Kazuya?"

"Sure. Then, it's only natural I call you Hibiki." Naru replied easily.

Masako's face had turned to stone, seeming to be in a state of shock at the sight of their boss flirting with the girl. Although Mai couldn't help the discomfort from creeping up on her either at the flirty smile on his lips. She hadn't seen him wear that expression since she first met him, when he was trying to woe her friends for more information.

Seeing Ayako and Bou-san flirt was cringey for her but seeing her boss flirt was just downright unnatural.

Mai faked a gag, enticing laughter from Bou-san. "My appetite is gone. Far gone."

Hibiki's voice carried across the table. "Here's my number, cutie." She slid the napkin with her number written on it across the table to him. "Call me anytime, I'm—"

"—where is my daughter?!" A man's voice asked in a hurry, drawing Mai's attention away from her flirting boss. A middle-aged man who was balding was walking into the restaurant, speaking to the owner. He must be the coroner.

The owner glanced towards their table, pointing. "She's right over there, Morino. You better talk to that girl and set her straight. She's gonna drink herself into an early death if she keeps this up."

"I know, I know!" Morino grumbled, waving his hand around.

"I mean it! She's only twenty, she has no need to be drinking so—"

Morino ignored him and stalked over to their table. "Hibiki!" The girl jumped at the sound of his voice, her attention taken away from Naru. "Get up, we're leaving right now."

Hibiki blinked and her face twisted in irritation. "B-but I'm not done here…"

"Yes, you are." Morino yanked her up by her ear and the girl let out a shriek, beginning to cry as she walked bent over behind him.

"Let gooooo!" She cried, stumbling after him as they disappeared from the restaurant.

Their table was silent for a few moments as they stared after them, before everyone slowly turned back to where Naru sat at the end of the table. Gone was the flirtatious smile and instead, a satisfied smirk replaced it as he stared at the number on the napkin.

He turned to everyone, waving it back and forth. "Let's hope she liked me enough to give us some information about Sasabe Izumi."

Masako's expression darkened.

She was running through the trees, giggling as she twirled around branches and through mud puddles.

"Hurry up you guys!" A childlike voice called to her and she glanced up. There was a young girl ahead of her with long black hair. "We're almost there!"

The tunnel came into sight, sitting in the middle of the trees. It was an arched, half circle made of stones and concrete. The opening was boarded up with wood but a small section at the top remained open.

Excitement fading away, she came to a slow stop at the base of the tunnel as the black haired girl began to climb up a makeshift ladder. The trinkling of water made her look at her feet, where water was rushing downhill from above and leaving her uneasy.

"Come on!"

The water was rushing into the tunnel. Then suddenly, into her mouth as well.

"—Izumi!"

She was underwater, struggling. Her lungs were burning as she kicked out desperately, swallowing gulps of water as she attempted to breath.

The pressure of someone's hands around her neck, holding her under, tightened.

"This is my job, as a Nakamura."

Mai gasped, fighting against her blanket to sit up. She untangled herself and clenched her eyes shut, trying to catch her breath.

After she managed to get her breathing calmed, she placed a trembling hand against her throat, shuddering as she remembered how it felt to drown.

"Was it a vision, or a dream?" Naru's quiet voice asked and Mai glanced up. He was sitting up in his futon across the small room.

Mai let her hand fall away from her throat, mind still reeling from the experience. "A vision. A really terrible one…"

It had been a long time since she had a vision in first person like that.

Whenever she had visions now, she was always an outsider just watching in. The last time she had a first person vision was when Gene was her spirit guide.

"Naru," Mai turned to him, barely able to see him through the darkness of the room. Though, his eyes were piercing as always. "I think… Gene is still here."

Naru paused, taking in the information before he let out a sigh. "Well, at least he can help us with this case."

"You're not upset?" Mai asked tentatively.

"No. He's the idiot who can't even pass on properly." Naru laid back onto his futon.

Wow, only Naru would reply like that after finding out his dead brothers spirit was still lingering.

"Why do you think he can't pass on?" There was no reply to her question and Mai frowned. "Naru?"

"Go back to sleep, Mai." Naru told her quietly. "We'll talk about your dream in the morning."

She watched as he turned his back to her before slowly laying back down to go to sleep as well. Though, it was futile because she remained staring at the ceiling for a long while after.

She hated herself for feeling excited to see him again.