Day 3

Having spent another night falling in and out of sleep, Mai was up before everyone, so she prepared a batch of tea when she heard the first signs of movement coming from the bedroom.

"Thanks, jou-chan." Bou-san yawned as Mai placed the tea down onto the coffee table. He glanced up, frowning as he took in the dark under eyes. "You—"

"I'm fine." Mai cut in, seeing the concern on his face. "I had a dream last night, so I didn't get much sleep."

Naru brushed by her towards his work set up. "Once everyone is gathered, we'll discuss that."

"Mai." Bou-san called out before she could get too distracted and she turned, meeting his serious gaze. "If you're having trouble sleeping, you let me know right away, okay?" Mai hesitated before she nodded slowly, and when he was sure she understood him fully, Bou-san eventually turned away to pour himself a glass of tea.

Mai tried to ignore the observant gaze of Naru on them during their interaction, not missing a thing.

Yasu was the last one to the living room, and when he entered he looked worse than Mai. His hair was disheveled and he looked like he did when he was studying for final exams. "I'm here, I'm here." He announced with a yawn, falling down beside Mai. "Anything to debrief?"

"We've confirmed there is a presence at the tunnel. Hara-san suspects it to be a young girl, which fits the description of Sasabe Izumi." Naru explained, flipping through his notebook. "The interviews didn't provide any new information and Sasabe Izumi's father hasn't been contacted yet since we were given the wrong information. And, last night Mai had a dream." All eyes fell onto her and Mai laughed awkwardly. "Would you walk us through it?"

"Well, for starters it was a first person dream—"

"First person?" Masako asked, her eyebrows raising. "You haven't had those since…"

"Since we found Gene's body." Mai filled in for her, sensing the awkward trail off of her sentence. "Another thing, I'm pretty sure Gene hasn't passed on and he is acting as my spirit guide again.

"WHAT?" There was a resounding exclaim from the majority of the group, snapping them out of their sleepy states.

"How do you know?" Lin frowned.

Mai signed softly, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm just… sure. Baku was all tense yesterday because he felt something on my astral plane and I heard my name being called, and I thought it was Naru, but… I think it was Gene. The fact that I had a first person dream last night also points to him being here."

Lin nodded slowly. "It could be that he's having trouble contacting you because of Baku. He could be keeping him away thinking he's a threat."

Mai blinked as she thought about his words. "That makes sense. I didn't think of that."

"Getting back on topic," Naru cut in sharply. "What happened in your dream?"

"Right… uh, I was running through the forest uphill with three other girls. They were young, about the age that Sasabe Izumi was when she died. The mountains were flooded with water and we came to a stop in front of a tunnel." Mai's voice faded as she tried to remember when the tunnel looked like. "The entrance was boarded up and it was situated in the middle of the trees. I couldn't see the end of it."

"That sounds exactly like the tunnel we saw yesterday." Bou-san hummed, his hand on his chin. "It was boarded up but there was a section at the top still open."

Mai nodded. "That's how it was in my dream too. There was a girl I was following, she had black hair and was wearing the same uniform as me. She climbed up first and then I went up next… and then I was suddenly underwater, drowning."

"Oh my." Ayako's hand came up to cover her mouth in horror. "So… you think you experienced Izumi's death?"

"Yeah…" Mai bit her lip anxiously. "That's not all. Before I woke up, the last thing I heard was a voice saying 'this is my job, as a Nakamura.'"

"As a Nakamura?" Yasu repeated in thought, before his eyes lit up and he was scrambling to stand up.

"Yasu?" John asked as the boy rushed to put his shoes on. "You okay?"

"I'm okay! I just have to go research something. I'll be back later tonight, and I promise I'll have something interesting for you then, big boss!" Before Naru could even reply, the door was slamming shut behind Yasu as he left.

"Now that we've debriefed, I'll assign everyone's tasks for today." Naru said after a moment of silence, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Obviously, Yasuhara-san will be continuing to research. Lin and Bou-san will interview the hydro workers at the dam about the interferences with their cars as well as drive past the point themselves to see if there is another explanation for it." He glanced up to the two, watching as they nodded. "Mai, Father Brown, and myself will be going to the tunnel today. I want to see if exorcism will work or draw out the spirit."

Mai's eyebrows rose in surprise, ignoring the uneasy feeling in her stomach as she thought about going to the tunnel herself.

Ayako frowned. "And me and Masako?"

Naru turned to her. "You will be staying with Hara-san here today."

"What, why?" Ayako turned to the younger girl and took notice that her complexion seemed a little pale. She leaned forward to place her hand on Masako's forehead, her lips pulling downwards when she felt that it was hotter than it should be. "You're sick!"

Masako pushed her hand away. "I'm fine." She insisted stubbornly. "I think the rain yesterday made me a little ill, but I can work just fine."

"You can't." Naru said firmly and watched as Masako's expression darkened. "You need to take care of your health properly. The last thing I want is for you to overwork yourself."

"Okay…" Masako relented after a moment, her cheeks turning pink. Mai wasn't sure it was the fever or the fact that Naru was being so outright about his concern was the reason for her blush.

"—and I don't need someone hindering our work because they're ill."

And there it was.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Should've stopped at you don't want her overworking." She mumbled as she stood to get ready for the day.

"Kimura-san will be here in an hour to take us up to the tunnel, so be ready." Naru called after her.

Genta was late, again.

In an attempt to escape Naru's growing impatience and foul mood, Mai took it upon herself to walk over to the office down the road to see what the hold up was. "Sorry for the intrusion." She bowed her head as she walked into the small building, "I'm looking for Kimura-san?"

The row of people sitting at their desks looked at her silently, apprehension clear in their eyes.

The locals really weren't friendly at all.

Thankfully, a familiar figure rounded the corner from one of the offices, and his eyes lit up as he saw her. "Taniyama-san, good morning!" Arima smiled politely as he approached. "You must be here for Kimura-san. He should be ready any minute now."

"Oda-san, good morning." Mai greeted and took notice of the way one of the older men in the office looked at him with scorn as he passed by.

Arima glanced over his shoulder before laughing in an embarrassed manner, motioning for her to follow him as he left the office. He took a seat on a bench outside under the sun, letting out a long breath. "Sorry about them. The older generation here are not fond of outsiders, and since I've brought you guys here the attitude toward me has shifted."

Mai frowned. "But… you're doing a good thing. If incidents keeping happening someone else can get hurt."

"Ah… yes." He looked a little guilty and she waited for him to continue. "You see—"

Arima went on to explain that ever since a movie had been made about the tunnel, they had some tourists come through wanting to explore the tunnel themselves, but with it being blocked off, they couldn't. He thought that if they could make it safe for tourism, then they could bring in some revenue.

"—I'd like for there to be more stores and services here in Oguni, since most of our population are elderly and travelling down to Miyako often can be a burden for them." Arima laughed awkwardly. "Unfortunately, they only see it as me being greedy."

"Hmm, that is unfortunate." Mai agreed sympathetically and they shared a smile. "But, they'll eventually come to understand."

Arima sighed again. "I don't know about that. I was not the mayor when Sasabe Izumi died so I was surprised to see how unwilling the elder council members were to cooperate. They do not like to talk about the tunnel or anything that happens in it. They think even mentioning it will bring them misfortune."

"Misfortune?"

"Yes. They are very superstitious here. My grandmother used to stay up day and night praying if the sky looked even the slightest cloudy. She thought rain meant the Gods were angry at them." Arima laughed as he looked up thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, that might have something to do with the Sanriku Earthquake. She was alive when it completely devastated the—"

"Taniyama-san." Both Arima and Mai turned, finding Genta standing beside them by the office door. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Mai answered and turned to Arima one last time. "Before I go, I just wanted to let you know that the contact information we got for Sasabe Izumi's father was outdated."

"Is that so?" Arima tilted his head in confusion. "That's strange. I thought it was the correct one. I'll have that for you guys by the end of the day."

Mai couldn't help but notice that Genta seemed a bit disturbed as he turned away.

Odd.

Mai underestimated the hike to Inunaki tunnel from the road.

"Wah!" She let out a shriek as her foot got caught on yet another dislodged tree root, flying forward and right into the person in front of her.

Naru let out a noise as she made impact with his back, reaching his arm around to steady her against him. "Are you okay?" He asked, raising a brow as he glanced back.

Mai cleared her throat in embarrassment and his hand fell away as she pushed herself upright. "S-sorry."

"Careful." He said, continuing forward when he was sure she wasn't going to fall over again.

Mai nodded and they continued the trek downwards. The hike to the tunnel wouldn't have been so terrible if the ground wasn't at a steep downward slope. Unfortunately for them, they would have to trek upwards on the way back, meaning this was most likely the easy part. Slowly but surely, the slope evened out until they were walking on mostly flat ground.

Just as she was about to ask Genta how much further the tunnel was, she felt that familiar prick at the back of her neck that made her feet come to a halt.

Childlike laughter echoed through her head as she looked around the forest, familiar with the path they were walking on. This was the path that Izumi had taken in her dream. Mai glanced down at her feet, remembering the way the water had been flowing past them from the flood, then back up ahead of them.

They arrived.

The tunnel was exactly as it had been in her dream. A long concrete structure, with the opening boarded up and covered in graffiti. In the middle of the forest, it was the only remainder that a road had once run through the overgrown trees.

John's voice drew her back to the present as he approached the tunnel, eyeing the rickety ladder that was leaned against it. "Did Masako really climb this yesterday?"

Mai couldn't believe it either. She probably would have trouble climbing it herself.

Genta watched them observe the outside of the tunnel, shifting on his feet awkwardly. "Um, should I come inside as well?"

"No. You're not needed." Naru responded coldly. He was obviously still annoyed that he was late to pick them up. He turned to John. "Start preparing to exorcise. I want to get this over with as quick as possible."

John nodded and started to dig into his backpack, where he had stored his robes and tools needed to exorcise. When he was dressed and ready, Naru took the lead in climbing into the tunnel, then John went, and Mai was the last.

As she threw her leg around the top, she got her first look inside. It was damp and dark, the walls were covered with graffiti as well, and way at the end of the tunnel she could see light peeking through from where it ended.

Naru was waiting at the bottom, standing on uneven rocks with his hand outstretched for her. Mai blinked at him in surprise but reached out anyways, and his fingers curled around hers, guiding her off the ladder and holding until she had her footing.

"Thank you." She said quietly and he nodded, letting go. "This place is creepy." She couldn't understand how Arima planned to turn this rundown tunnel into a tourist attraction.

"Father Brown?" Naru looked at the blond, who was looking around with a curious expression. "Anytime you're ready."

"Right." John nodded, opening his bible to a bookmarked page. He took a few moments before letting out a breath. "Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name—"

As he performed the exorcise, Mai started to speak quietly to Naru. "You don't want to try making contact with her first?"

Naru shook his head. "No. It would be useless to draw her out since there is no equipment to collect the data from any activity." Mai rolled her eyes at the reply, which he caught. "I'm sure you don't want to be up here longer than we have to be either."

That was true. But she still had so many questions.

"Besides," He started, eyes focused on John. "If Sasabe Izumi really is the cause of all these incidents, then I'm positive one exorcism will not be enough—" His words cut off because at that moment, a sudden gust of strong wind blew through the tunnel, creating an eerie whistling noise.

The hair on Mai's arms started to stand and she shuddered, glancing behind her cautiously.

John didn't stop and the wind picked up, blowing his robes up with it as he began sprinkling holy water around the area.

"T-that is not normal wind, right?" Mai asked but Naru remained unmoving, looking ahead with a steely gaze.

Mai glanced down and happened to catch a glimpse of the puddle at her feet, where a face that was not her own looked back at her in the reflection. Her breath caught, preparing to call out to Naru when John said the last words of the prayer.

"—deliver us from evil."

The wind stopped suddenly, and the girl's reflection disappeared, replaced with her own.

The sound of soft pitter patter started, letting them know it had started to rain, but the tunnel was quiet now.

John glanced back with an unsure expression. "It's done?"

They stood for a moment longer as Naru waited, looking around the space with a blank expression. Then he nodded. "We'll see. For now, let's head back."

Mai and John shared a look, both unbelieving that it had been so easy.

John was the first out of the tunnel, followed by Mai at his feet, while Naru stood at the bottom of the ladder waiting. As she placed her foot on the first step, she just happened to glance to the right and see writing on the wall, and she froze.

Sasabe Izumi

"Mai?" Naru asked as she dismounted the ladder and walked to the wall. He followed her gaze and stopped on the name. "Is that...?"

"One of the boys I interviewed yesterday said that it was a trend for kids to come here and write their names on the wall but…" Mai stared at the name intently, feeling like something was amiss. She turned to glance back at Naru. "… didn't Izumi fall entering the tunnel?"

Naru's eyes widened slightly, and he moved closer to look at the name. "She did. Which means she wouldn't have had time to write her name."

Mai swallowed, feeling uneasy about the direction of their conversation. "Unless she came here before she died? Maybe she wrote it then—Naru?" He was reaching up towards the wall, his fingers hovering right over her name. "What are you doing?"

Surely, he wasn't going to use psychometry.

His fingers made contact with the wall and Mai watched as he closed his eyes. He stood deathly still for a moment before his face twisted and his eyes snapped open, letting out a sharp breath and snatching his hand away.

She hesitated before asking, "What did you see?"

Naru turned, his eyes searching the hundreds of names on the wall before stopping on one. His hand rose again, pointing at one a small distance away from Izumi's name, written in the same white marker.

Mai's eyes widened as she saw it.

Morino Hibiki, it read.

"Her. I saw her."

It was at that moment Mai suddenly remembered the sensation of hands around her neck and Naru watched as she reached up unconsciously to the area, looking horrified. "Sh-she—"

"Sasabe Izumi didn't slip."

"What do we do?" Mai asked frantically, feeling her breathing starting to shorten in that panic inducing way. They had just uncovered something terrible. "...she was murdered."

That little girl...

John's voice called out for them from the other side and Mai let out a gasp, looking upwards with wide eyes. "We have to tell them!"

"No." Naru shook his head and she turned back to him with a shocked look.

"What do you mean? Kimura-san is a council member he should know that—"

"Mai." Naru tried to get her attention, but he could see that she was losing composure. Her chest had started to rise and fall quickly, taken over by panic. "Mai." He said sharply, drawing her eyes to him. "Can you do something for me? Breathe. In through your nose and out your mouth—exactly like that, good."

Mai swallowed, looking at her boss with a stricken expression. "What do we do?"

"Don't say anything yet." Naru told her quietly. "Can you keep it together until we get back?" She nodded and he watched as she composed herself. "Let me do the talking when we get out."

Mai nodded, starting to go up the ladder. Her fingers were numb and shaking, and as she climbed out, she knew that her expression didn't look good.

She dismounted the ladder, avoiding John's questioning eyes as he asked if they were okay.

"I…" Mai choked on her words. She hesitated, trying to find something to say when Naru approached from behind, and she felt his hand just barely brush against her back in a reassuring manner.

"We're okay." Naru answered calmly, his hand falling away as he walked past her.

He was answering John, but Mai knew he was also speaking to her, and she felt warmth spread throughout her chest as she watched his back.

It's going to be okay. She nodded to herself, took a deep breath, and moved forward.

They started the hike back to the main road, with Genta leading them, followed by Naru, Mai, and John at the back of the group. They walked mostly in silence, the only sounds were the branches under their feet and the sounds of rain hitting the leaves above.

The light drizzle started picking up suddenly, followed by a gust of wind that sent a cold shiver down her spine.

"Did you guys exorcise her?" Genta suddenly asked without looking back at them.

Naru answered. "We performed an exorcism, yes."

"So she's gone?"

"From what I observed, it seems so." Naru watched the older man's back as he walked up the slope. Genta had lived in this town his whole life, and he had a daughter who seemed around the same age as Morino Hibiki. He considered his words carefully, before deciding to just go for it. "Kimura-san, if you don't mind me asking, how old is your daughter?"

Genta suddenly came to a halt. "Why?"

Naru came to a slow stop behind him. "I'm curious about a girl named Morino Hibiki. Would your daughter be familiar with her?"

Silence followed his words as the man stood completely still, his shoulders stiff in an uncomfortable manner. He had yet to turn around and face them since he had stopped.

Mai stared at Genta, feeling the tension creep up onto her.

"Kimura-san?" Naru reached out for him, trying to grab his attention, but the moment his hand landed on his shoulder Genta jumped, lashing out with his arm as he spun around.

"Naru!" John cried out as he lost his footing and fell back down a steep slope to their right.

Mai watched as he tumbled, hitting against a large rock and smacking his head on it. "Naru!" She gasped, horrified. "What the—"

"I d-didn't mean to…" Mai spun back to Genta as he started to speak, his voice trembling with fear. He was staring down at Naru before his attention turned to her and he lunged forward. Mai flinched away, letting out a scared noise as he grabbed her shoulders tightly. "I didn't mean to!"

"O-okay!" Mai stuttered out, staring at him fearfully. His fingers tightened on her, and she swallowed, trying to calm herself enough to fake a smile. "It's okay… It was an accident, right?"

John hesitated, glancing down at Naru and then Genta. He raised shaky hands, his voice coming out in a soothing manner. "Let's... let's just calm down."

"Mai…" Naru's pained voice called out. He was slowly pushing himself to stand, his hand coming up to his bleeding head. "Get away from him."

"It was an accident!" Genta screamed down at him and Mai stiffened. She didn't want him to get more upset.

John's hand landed on top of Genta's, which was clenching onto Mai so tight that he was shaking. "Kimura-san, you need to let go of her."

Genta snapped to attention, seeming to realize how bad the situation looked and that he was outnumbered. He finally let go of Mai and John pushed her behind him cautiously, his eyes remaining on the man.

Genta backed away, shaking his head. "I-I'm sorry!" He said before turning and running, stumbling through the trees.

As soon as he was gone, Mai ran down the slope to where Naru leaned against a tree, trying to stand. "You're bleeding!" Mai reached up to push his hair from his forehead. He had a gash on his hairline, but it wasn't gushing blood, so she hoped it wasn't too deep. "Do you feel dizzy at all?"

"No." Naru shook his head, wiping the blood and rain away from his eyes. He glanced up at her, looking over her carefully. "Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine." Mai reassured him, squinting through the downpour.

With John's help, they managed to get him back up the slope, each of them slipping as the mud began softening with the rain. By the time they made it back to the road, they were soaked, muddy, and shivering from the rain.

Genta's car was nowhere to be seen.

"He left us." Mai laughed bitterly, hugging her arms around herself. "Fucking asshole."

John reached into his pocket, fumbling for his phone. He looked at it before his shoulders fell. "No signal."

The three stood in the middle of the road, just staring at each other blankly as they processed their situation and what just happened. Naru eventually turned, beginning to walk down the road without a word. Mai and John shared a look of despair.

Absolutely nothing was okay about this.