Case Three—Part 3

Different muffled voices could be heard in the background as his consciousness waxed and waned. Varying degrees of light flashed across his eyelids as he was tossed around from one area to another.

Oliver remembered hearing Mai's worried voice betray her exhaustion, followed by Bou-san and Lin's voices.

His consciousness wavered after that, briefly returning only to hear Mai talking to someone—someone only she could hear. A hard object was then placed in his hand before the sound of the EMS workers overwhelmed his senses.

He instinctively clutched the object tightly before he lost consciousness again, a recognizable presence in his periphery. The weakness he felt faded as a familiar energy overwhelmed his body. He subconsciously manipulated the energy before sending it back to the source out of habit. This exchange played out on the outskirts of his mind, barely registering before he eventually blacked out.

That was a close one there, Noll. You're welcome, by the way!

The hospital ceiling stared back at him when he finally woke in a haze. Prodigy or not, even his brain struggled to recollect what happened. The last thing he remembered was sitting with Mai in the sewer when the evil spirit appeared.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his room door. The nurse announced herself before entering to check on him and his vitals. He seemed to have landed himself a talkative nurse because she carried the conversation by herself without much input from him.

"It really was quite peculiar. EMS reported that you had bradycardia and was severely hypotensive at arrival—yet, it resolved on its own with no explanation. We completed some tests, but Sensei didn't find your values off," she said, a pleasant smile on her face. "You're very lucky, young man. You must have a guardian spirit watching over you."

She recorded his vitals, noting how stable they were. Before she was called out to attend to another matter, she gestured toward his nightstand where various belongings of his sat. "We left your belongings over there, including that mirror you were holding onto for dear life. You had quite the vice grip on it! I'm sure it must be very important to you."

Seeing his less than enthused face, she finally got the message and smiled wanly. "Well, please ring the bell if you need anything." With that, she bid him a good day and left.

Oliver's face remained expressionless as he computed the social interaction he had just been subjected to. He glanced at his nightstand in curiosity considering her comment—Mai's pocket mirror sat perched on top of the dresser.

The faint memory of Gene's presence reared its head in the back of his mind. What was that?

He reached over for the mirror and turned it in his hands as he laid back. Why did he have it? Did Mai leave it with him? And for what purpose?

Opening it, he studied the interior. His pale stoic—but still handsome—face stared back. There were no abnormalities that would indicate anything worthy of note.

So, how did Gene reach him? Could it have been that he was close to death, allowing his deceased twin to contact him? Or did this mirror have a special ability? It was inhabited by a deity, after all.

He snapped the mirror shut and debated using psychometry on it. Even if he did, he still couldn't see the spiritual intricacies he desired. He lacked that type of clairvoyance.

The curiosity was too strong for the scientist within him, however.

Oliver closed his eyes and opened his senses. Despite his years of experience, his control faltered as a stronger force pulled him through the series of visions—like snapshots flashing before his eyes.

A thriving shrine with flourishing greenery and many tenders. Ancient Shinto rituals with an autumn foliage backdrop as the moon hung overhead. Worshippers paying their respects on Otsukimi, their styles of dress changing throughout the centuries. The number of visitors dwindled with time until it sat forgotten by most, only visited by a few elderly citizens who would come to clean before they too fell from age. Years of war followed before modernization diminished the vegetation while the buildings grew taller.

And then came Mai.

Her curious face eclipsed the sky as she peered into a wooden box. Then came her huffed expression as she stomped away from him during their first meeting at her school. Visions of an ethereal rabbit, white as snow steadily inching closer to her until it sat beside her on equal footing. Mai's countless nights of restless sleep where she would wake up in sweat or tears.

Lastly, there stood the brunette on a plane of warm yellow, orbs of various colors floating. On one side stood Usa-sama. On the other was a blurred individual, hidden by what he could only describe as a glitch in space.

Who…?

He was abruptly torn out as voices called out to him, his vision congealing.

"Davis-san, can you hear me?"

When his vision finally cleared, he blinked up to the faces of the nurse from earlier and what he presumed to be one of the doctors.

Bathed in sweat, Oliver mustered up his energy to utter an exhausted, "Yes."

"You've been unresponsive for at least three minutes," said the doctor. "We were alerted that your breathing had stopped and your heart rate had slowed."

After what felt like hours of triage, they eventually left him to rest. Now, would have been a convenient time for Lin to be here.

Fidgeting with the mirror in his hand, he closed his eyes for a moment of repose. Thankfully, he had their case figured out with those few hours he had to research earlier. At the very least, that wouldn't have to be a concern tonight. Not to say he wasn't going to continue working anyway.

Unfortunately, Gene's presence was still a mystery, however.

Even in death, his brother couldn't make things easy for him.

The vibration of his phone—which miraculously turned back on despite the huge crack in the screen—alerted him to a message, likely from Lin. Eight notifications stared back at him.

One was from said guardian saying that he would be in soon. The second was from Madoka, making a big deal after hearing what happened, and debating whether she should let his mother know or not.

And the rest were emails from Mai. To read or not to read.

Accepting his fate, he braced himself. Her emails ranged from apologizing for getting him in the situation to chastising him for not saying anything if he was feeling unwell, then to her usual nervous nighttime ghost-related shitpost emails. It was the latter that had him bracing for his mental health—Mai's emails were typically dubious in quality.

Debunking a few of her emails because he felt generous, he was relieved to see Lin arrive soon after with his laptop and casefiles.

Perfect. Time to get back to work.


It may have been a bad idea to leave the mirror with his brother, but it was the only way to stabilize Noll until he received medical help. Even if Gene couldn't be there to help in person, being able to do this much was fulfilling enough.

How could he fault Noll for using PK to save himself and Mai? He was proud of him for his altruistic act. His twin wasn't—completely—soulless and uncaring, yet he also wasn't the first person to jump up and save someone else's life at the expense of his own.

Noll was much more calculated than that.

Unfortunately, his act of heroism could be to his detriment. Out of the two, he was already the feebler one because of his workaholic lifestyle. He didn't work out much, barely ate, and ran on hardly any sleep. So, yeah, a psychic-induced fainting spell was not ideal. That wasn't to say Gene was the most fit guy either, but at least he lifted a little bit, did his cardio, and had a healthier lifestyle. In Noll's defense, the scientist did tai chi in the form of qigong—lean muscles were still muscles!

The ghostly twin had been worried that after his death, Noll's habits would only get worse.

He wasn't wrong… but, the severity wasn't worth reanimating himself. All thanks to Mai. He was surprised by the sincerity of her actions without him even needing to ask her. She made sure both Noll and his equally bad guardian ate throughout the day, checked on them at night during cases, stimulated them enough to prevent learned non-use of their already struggling social skills, and nagged Noll when no one else would.

He also had the sneaking suspicion that Noll, not just tolerated her, but genuinely liked her. She may have joined the ranks of pumpkin people*, even! That was no easy feat. The guilty part of his brain had fun imagining romance, but his brother probably couldn't tell the difference between attraction and a stomachache.

Speaking of Mai, Gene had to wonder about the nature of her relationship with Noll. She clearly viewed him as a friend, but sometimes, he questioned her reactions.

For shits and giggles, he liked to watch the living realm through his TV on Mai's plane. He thought it endearing to watch Mai's concealed glee when Noll replied to her emails, or when she replied to them out loud before typing her response. If he had enough energy, he'd check on Noll to find him rolling his eyes or even cracking a smirk at her responses.

Curious indeed.


The vibration of her phone had her nearly jumping out of the bathroom—as good as her sprained ankle allowed—with a toothbrush in her mouth, and toothpaste dribbling out.

When Naru's email flashed on her screen, she let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"He's okay," she said, words muffled as her toothbrush wiggled in her mouth. Without waiting, she opened his replies. His responses were status quo until she reached the last email—

Mai.

Your messages are cluttering my email. I'm permitting you to text, but do contain your excitement.

Only three texts per day.

Remember that the team will be meeting tomorrow in my hospital room at noon. Don't be late. Now go to bed.

Her toothbrush cluttered to the floor as her mouth hung open. At the bottom of the email was his phone number.

She hadn't believed Gene when he'd told her Naru would eventually give in if she poked at him enough. Was this what it felt like to get a stray cat to trust you? What a time for Gene not to be able to make unsolicited comments!

Saving Naru's number to her phone, she sent him a text to nag him to stop working before continuing with her night. Lethargy practically rolled in waves over her from how much energy she expended earlier, but her routine held strong.

Pulling out her journals, she reflected on her hectic night. Just when she thought she and Naru were going to be spirit food, Bou-san and Lin came just in time to scare away the spirit.

Upon helping them escape, the two adults took it upon themselves to inspect the sewer. They auspiciously found the remaining hitogata piled up in a heap further down the tunnel, including a newly made one for Naru. Lin disposed of them by burning and spreading the ashes into the river.

Again, after skimming through them, there was a notable gap in quality. Only four were made by the assumed apprentice, while the remaining two dozen were made by the more experienced hexer.

Between Naru's complexion, barely noticeable breathing, and remarkably low blood pressure and heart rate, Ayako had them call for an ambulance.

Gene tried to calm Mai down to no avail. Instead, he instructed her to leave Usa-sama's mirror with his brother. He didn't explain why, rather implying that he would be able to stabilize him for the time being. How that worked, Mai wasn't sure, but she followed his order all the same.

Telling from his demeanor, he seemed to want to tell her something but refrained in the end. Before she could press, EMS arrived and checked Naru's vitals again. Fortunately, this time every value was stable. He was brought to the ER anyway to determine the cause of his fainting spell and erratic vitals.

Lin sent everyone home, even after they all pushed to stay.

Mai was just relieved that Naru was fine—she would never forgive herself if she allowed him to get fatally harmed, physically or spiritually. Gene assured her that Naru knew what he was doing and was the only one responsible for his actions.

For now, she felt better knowing Usa-sama was watching over him.

Later that night around 3 am, she woke up to the faint sounds of scratching. Half-asleep with her eyes barely open, she blearily scanned her room. It didn't sound like it was coming from here.

There it was again, a scraping sound coming from the living room. Now would have been a great time to have Usa-sama with her or even Gene's input. Whatever her spirit guide did for Naru earlier, it completely wiped him out. So, she didn't want to bother him in her dreamscape tonight.

Sighing in defeat, she turned on her light and grabbed her phone. Opening the door ajar, she peeked into the living room and found nothing abnormal. Turning on her phone's flashlight, she followed the scraping sound to her front door.

She held her breath and pressed her lips into a straight line. Is this worth it? I could just go back to bed and pretend I heard nothing.

The scratching continued, now directly on the other side of her door. Sucking in a breath, she peeked through the peephole.

Nothing there.

Should I just get used to this by now?

A knock on the door had her hitching her breath. She froze in place and waited. Each second lasted what felt like ages as her heart pounded in her chest, expecting the worst.

Bringing her hands together into the mudra of "the sword," she quietly recited the seal of the Immovable One. As the doorknob started to jiggle like someone was trying to get inside, her hands shook in fear.

Could she do this without Usa-sama? And without Gene? She'd been successful warding before because of her deity companion, but what about now that it was just her power?

The doorknob continued to jiggle vigorously as she struggled to steel herself. Then, she spotted a shadow emerging from outside the living room window through the blinds.

The mantra isn't working! I… don't think I can do this by myself.

Suddenly, the memory from when Bou-san taught her the mantra replayed in her head.

"When protecting yourself, you can't falter. You have to stand strong and assert your will.

"What if it's not working? Or the spirit's too strong?" she asked.

"Don't be scared—know it within yourself that you can do it. That will be your greatest weapon."

Mai inhaled deeply. She needed to do what Gene always said, "Be like the Buddha."

Glaring at the door, she brought her hands together again and began her chant. This time, determination and anger from being messed with fueled her resolve. "Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan. Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan.

"NAUMAKU SANMANDA BAZARADAN KAN!"

The doorknob froze and returned to its original position. She stared at it for a few seconds longer before finally allowing every muscle in her body to relax. Tip-toeing up to the door, she once again checked the peephole. Clear. She discreetly looked through the blinds for any shadow figures and sighed in relief when there was nothing in sight.

After calming down and scrounging around online, Mai sprinkled salt at her door to hopefully prevent any uninvited nasties.

As she tried to fall back asleep, a thought ran through her head.

Why did it come for me?


The next morning, Mai trudged her way out of bed looking like someone had just pissed in her congee. Despite her grumpiness, she managed to brew some tea for Naru before leaving for the hospital.

When she arrived, Kasai Chizu stood by the elevator as if waiting for her.

Mai eyed her. "Hello. Funny seeing you here."

Chizu waved with enthusiasm. "Hi! I was waiting for you before I went up."

"… Are you also visiting someone?"

"Your boss asked for me to come," she replied, stepping onto the elevator. Mai hesitated, looking between the doors and Chizu. When the other girl sent her an expectant look, she followed suit. "He also invited Taka-san, my sister, and Kei-sensei, but they're on their way."

"I see."

The doors closed and the girls stood in silence as they ascended.

"So," the other girl started, "congratulations for making it. It's been interesting." When Mai snapped her head toward Chizu in question, she was surprised to find a hitogata handed to her.

Mai Taniyama was engraved onto it.

The brunette looked up in surprise, taking the hitogata from her hand. "Where did you find this?"

"I made it!"

Is she really admitting this right now?

The elevator doors dinged open, and Chizu stepped off casually with a bounce to her step. She held her hands behind her back as she walked backward to face Mai. "It's not that great, but it's not too bad for a beginner, yeah?"

Mai stayed silent, instead opting to follow her cautiously. "Why are you telling me this?"

The other girl's eyes brightened. "I see no reason to hide it. You'd find out eventually." She shrugged and turned away from her as she walked. "Besides, I kind of like you. You're a little younger than me but have some pretty cool abilities. Thought I should tell you myself."

What was wrong with this girl?

Their conversation ended when they arrived at Naru's room. It didn't have a name in front for some reason, so Mai went in first.

Bou-san and Ayako stood to the left of Naru's bed, looking like they were in mid-argument with the teen before she showed up. What else was new?

They moved away to stand across from his bed with Lin to accommodate the newcomers.

"Naru! How are you feeling?" Mai asked as soon as they were inside.

"Lower your voice," he glared. "I'm fine." When she stared at him as if waiting for an explanation, he glanced away with a sour expression. "I'm just overworked," he lied.

Mai scoffed. "Overworked by no one except yourself! I've been telling you to eat and take breaks. You don't even sleep. I know 'cause you reply to my emails at like four AM," she scolded. Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out the thermos she brought. "Here, I have tea."

"Glad to see you're feeling okay, Shibuya-san. Your girlfriend takes good care of you!" Chizu said, making herself at home on one of the seats laid out by the wall.

Mai and Naru shot her a glare while Bou-san shared a glance with Ayako before the two smirked.

She looked around the room in confusion. "Am I wrong?"

The door opened, saving everyone from having to elaborate. Taka entered with Chiaki and Ubusuna-sensei trailing behind. "Ah, Chizu-san, you beat us here," Taka said.

The three newcomers sat down after greeting the group. Ubusuna-sensei had brought a bouquet, which she placed in her lap.

"I hope you're feeling better," the teacher said with a smile.

"I am," Naru said, opening his notebook. "Now that everyone's here, I would like to confirm something.

"Takahashi-san, Chiaki-san, Chizu-san, did Mai tell you about her abilities?"

Taka shrugged. "I was the one who asked her about it, but she didn't say much."

Chiaki stiffened slightly. "Yeah, she did. And Nee-chan hasn't even talked to Mai, so I don't see why you brought her here."

Naru raised a brow and glanced at Chizu.

The said girl smiled and casually swung her legs. "Mai-chan didn't really tell me anything, but I had a hunch!"

"Did any of you tell anyone else?"

Taka shook her head, while Chiaki glared at him. "Why does it matter? Rather than asking questions, just come out and say what you're thinking. You think I'm the culprit, right?"

Naru closed his eyes, likely to keep his composure. "I'd like you to answer the question."

She pressed her lips together and averted her gaze.

So stubborn, Mai thought.

Ubusuna-sensei tilted her head. "I suppose she did tell me."

"I see," said Naru. "On the topic, Sensei, may I ask where are you from?"

"Fukushima prefecture, but is that related to this?"

Naru snapped his notebook shut, grabbing everyone's attention. "That's all I needed. I believe I can close this case now."

"Just from that?" Bou-san questioned.

Kasai scrunched her brows and sat up. "What do you mean? How did any of these questions even help? You mean to say that I was behind all this, right? Then just come out and s-"

"Nee-chan." Chizu sent her a stern look and yanked her down.

"Don't worry, it isn't you," he said. "You don't have the knowledge or ability to perform a zuzou, but there are those who do."

"Then who?" asked Ayako as she crossed her arms.

"Yeah, who is it?" Bou-san added.

"Our main hexer is Ubusuna Kei." The whole room went silent.

The teacher scoffed but tried to cover it up for a chuckle. "I don't know what you mean by 'hexer,' or even what a 'zuzou' is."

"For someone so well-informed in the area of parapsychology, I'm surprised you don't know that terminology." Naru was challenging her, seeing how his brow flickered upward for a second.

"I have no need to know anything of that sort. Your accusation is false."

"There is no other explanation than you. You are the primary suspect who influenced this whole scheme."

Chiaki sat forward. "No! It was me! I'm the hexer," she said to save her teacher.

"You aren't. The victims were those who ridiculed and argued against the idea of supernatural powers—most notably Mirayama-san and Yoshino-sensei. This provided a motive for the hexer."

Ubusuna-sensei didn't falter. "Considering those findings, wouldn't it be more likely that Chiaki-san would be the likely suspect? After all, it was her powers they denied."

Chiaki sucked in a breath beside her. She turned to her teacher with a betrayed expression, while the adult in question didn't bother to acknowledge her.

How awful…

"What about the other hexer?" asked Bou-san, his brows scrunched together as he attempted to piece everything together.

Naru glanced at Chizu, who unabashedly grinned.

"Yours truly," she said, no remorse evident.

"Nee-chan?! Why?" Her sister was distraught.

"Unlike other people, I'm not ashamed to admit it. Originally, I wasn't interested in all this supernatural stuff—er, to be honest, I still don't care. But I found out that I have a knack for spells and curses and all that." She casually crossed her legs as she explained. "I'm still an amateur so I've only made a few hitogata, and that's only the most recent ones. I just liked the idea of seeing who the better psychic was out of the group. Could my curse beat them first, or would they beat me?"

Mai remembered how Chiaki mentioned her sister was more interested in competitive activities. Could this really be the reason?

"All this for a game? Masako was pushed down the stairs, and Naru and I nearly got seriously injured down the manhole!"

"Told you I felt bad about it. But I got my fix and that's why I'm confessing all this. It's not like you can arrest me or anything. The police aren't going to believe any of this as evidence," Chizu said, shrugging. "In fact, your boss caught me first after asking around about me. The art club ratted me out for practicing my woodcarving. Even after he knew, he didn't do anything."

Mai looked to Naru for confirmation. He maintained the same stoic face, indicating to her that Chizu was telling the truth. She is a horrible person!

"There, with Chizu-san admitting to it, it would only make sense for both sisters to be involved," Ubusuna-sensei said, an unnerving smile crossing her face.

Rather than reacting the way Chiaki had, Chizu continued to cross her arms and smirk. Mai couldn't understand her. Her teacher just threw both her and her sister under the bus.

"It can't be her because she personally knows Mirayama-san. The same goes for Chizu-san. The original hexer for the cursed desk had simply cursed the person sitting there. If the hexer knew her already, then they wouldn't have had to use a roundabout way."

"Nonsense. I could have just asked for her name if it came to that."

"At the time, all students and staff were avoiding you and the Kasai sisters. Would you have been comfortable asking students so freely?" Naru narrowed his eyes. "We should also account for the fact that Chizu-san would've needed someone to teach her the spells and curses. It would make the most sense to be you as you have the closest relation to both sisters. Sources say that you had built an abnormally good rapport with Chizu-san following the panic's start. You could be seen together quite often."

Chiaki widened her eyes. "That's right! There'd be times when both of you would just disappear and I couldn't find either of you. Don't tell me you were off making effigies!"

"What would even be my motive?"

"As said earlier, all the victims at the beginning were people who ridiculed Chiaki-san, disbelieving that she could bend spoons." He eyed the teacher.

"And…?"

Naru pulled out an old newspaper. Ubusuna-sensei's eyes flashed, recognizing the tabloid.

"I remember reading about an incident years ago during the era of a Gellerinis. Many kids were claiming to have psychic powers by bending spoons to get media coverage in the press and on the news. One of which, was a young girl by the name of Ubusuna Kei from Fukushima prefecture who had been revealed to be a fake."

Everyone's eyes turned to the teacher.

Ubusuna-sensei gripped her bouquet tightly, her eyes hardening. "I wasn't a fake! I actually had psychic powers, and I could bend those spoons… but sometimes I could make it work, and other times I couldn't. I was just so nervous. If I couldn't do it, the news reporter would never believe me. So, just that one time, I used a trick a friend had shown me where they used the edge of the chair to bend it."

"A technique you would later teach to Chiaki-san."

She bowed her head down and stayed silent. "I didn't have someone to tell me that it was okay to admit it if you couldn't do it."

Naru placed the paper on his night table. "It's unfortunate that this was left in the hands of the media rather than an authoritative research organization to test your veracity."

She was quiet as she stared down at the floor. "I only wanted to defend Chiaki-san's talents. But then other teachers would say things like, 'Shouldn't you provide her better guidance? You call yourself a teacher?'"

"So, that's why you started this."

She slowly lifted her head and smirked. "It was just a little prank."

Mai widened her eyes. She's just as crazy as her student.

That wasn't it apparently, because she continued. "Then, Chizu-chan approached me on her own about witchcraft and creating curses. I had her try a few spells and realized that she had a natural talent for it—prodigious even. It was a waste to not have her hone those abilities if that's what she wanted."

"You act as if you weren't the one to push me," Chizu said, a frown on her face. "I'm not even a fan of crafting or wood-making, but you made me make hitogata. I had my motive, yeah, but it wasn't like you had nothing to do with it either."

"Are you implying that I forced you to make those hitogata? Laughable. You had just as much interest in it."

"Yeah, because I thought I could do something about the situation! But things only got worse!"

Mai frowned. Weren't they both just refusing accountability?

Chiaki continued to sit with her head bowed down, either from disappointment or shame that two people so close to her would stoop this low. Mai couldn't help but feel bad for her. The teacher she respected so much threw her under the bus, and her sister hid so much from her.

"That's why people should learn to respect the paranormal and things they can't explain," said Ubusuna-sensei. She walked towards the window and placed her bouquet in the vase. "You never know what may be waiting to bite you," she said, as she rearranged the flowers.

Naru narrowed his eyes and shared a look with Lin. "Stop what you're doing!"

Lin ran over and snatched the bouquet from her. She didn't give it without a fight, though. Ubusuna-sensei yanked it back causing the flowers to fall hopelessly on the floor. Amidst the stems was a hitogata. Shibuya Kazuya was carved neatly on the back.

"It would be best that you never do this again. It must be tiring creating so many, wouldn't you say?"

A tired smile made it to her face. "I suppose you're right."


Following the confrontation, the Yuasa High students and teacher left the hospital room. Mai debated following them to see how they would make out. Ayako shook her head, explaining that just like in the last case, there were things that only they could rectify amongst themselves.

"I didn't know that having powers like this can make people so crazy..." she said.

"Not everyone uses their gifts in good faith," shrugged Bou-san. "It sucks, but it's the truth. I only hope they hold to their word not to do anymore."

"They are their own people. We cannot dictate what they will or won't do," Naru said. "At the very least, I don't think they would have the audacity to continue with this venture."

Mai picked off some lint from her sweater. "You think so? Kasai Chizu seems kind of unpredictable."

"Yeah, something about her creeps me out," agreed Ayako. "She seems like the type who would curse an ex-boyfriend or something."

Bou-san chuckled. "I can see that! She's got those crazy eyes."

After sharing a few laughs, the crew dispersed. The two spiritualists headed home while Lin disposed of the last remaining hitogata. Mai stayed behind for a bit longer to ensure Naru had everything he needed.

She was about to leave when Naru called out to her, "Mai."

"Hm?" she turned her head. He held out her pocket mirror, which she gladly took. "Thanks."

He kept his gaze firmly on her. "Why did you leave it with me?"

"I… I thought having the extra protection would be good," she said, not exactly lying.

Naru didn't seem convinced. "Have you encountered any spirits that you've had longstanding communication with?"

She scrunched her brows and tilted her head. "I don't get what you mean. I guess maybe my spirit guide."

"Do you know the identity of your spirit guide?"

"I…"

She knew his first name, that he was Naru's twin, and his favorite games. But did she know Gene? She wasn't even sure how he spelled his name or what his family name was.

Shibuya Gin? That didn't seem right. The Japanese pronunciation of Gin wasn't the way he referred to himself. Unless that was just a nickname?

And why wasn't "Shibuya Kazuya" displayed at Naru's hospital room door? Every other room had a name, so it seemed fishy that they would forget only his. Unless that wasn't his real name?

That begged the question—

Who were these twins?

"I guess… I don't know who my spirit guide really is."


Pumpkin People* = As explained in the translations of the light novels (you can find them on tumblr), Naru has a categorization for people. Pumpkins are those he doesn't even acknowledge and usually forgets they exist. Pumpkin people are those he can't seem to forget for some reason and has to acknowledge them. And then there's his inner circle of family/mentors he respects.

A/N: Hi guys! Meant to post this yesterday (Sunday), but I caught a cold. I took a sick day today and managed to finish revising the chapter :').

I didn't want to give an upload schedule before I knew I could manage one, but it's safe to say now that I upload on Sundays/Mondays every 3-4 weeks! I was going hot every 3 weeks for a while but monthly has been the norm for the past few chapters. I like to take my time and reread the chapter and revise it over and over.

Along the lines of this chapter though, it's much more mellow considering the end of the case is mainly dialogue. I did want to try Naru's and Gene's perspectives just to change things up a bit. About Gene's energy transfer, in the OG series, the twins would normally do that before Naru used his PK. In this situation, I felt like there would be residual energy that didn't get expended properly, causing these physiological symptoms (cardiac-related problems). So, Gene stabilizing Naru's unexpended energy in this way just made sense to me. Hope it made sense in your brains too, haha!

The side plot in this chapter is going to be the main driver for the next chapter(s)—which was why I was debating taking the Kenji case out (or making it its own one-shot). I have some ideas that need space to be wedged in, and this time frame is perfect. So we'll see~!

Thank you as always for your support whether through kudos, comments, bookmarks, and subscriptions! They're the motivators that keep me grounded toward my goal, and that is to complete this story! It's the product of years of brain rot, so I want to flesh it out as best I can.

Please let me know what you think of the chapter!