Interlude: Serendipitous

Ever since they recovered Mai, Gene had as good as disappeared. There was some solace knowing he would still be nearby, at least.

Oliver had originally brought Mai for immediate care at a local hospital before transferring her to Matsuzaki's family's hospital. He wasn't her healthcare proxy, but considering she did not have immediate family or anyone else, the hospital accepted his condition as her employer. Not to mention he had Lin and Matsuzaki pull a few strings—he wasn't yet an adult either.

Due to the transfer plan, he held onto her pocket mirror and other belongings to prevent misplacement. It also allowed him time to study the item more closely now that his brother was involved. He and Lin oversaw her care for the first day until she was stable. After that, despite having no plans to, Oliver would find himself reading at her bedside after work. He wasn't sure what compelled him, but he wouldn't say it was a nuisance.

Just the sound of her breathing was reassuring, especially after that night he found her breathless.

When he and Lin arrived at the sight of her sitting up and conversing with the others, the tension dissipated immediately from his body.

"Ah, hello, Shibuya-san, Lin. Good to see you've been well." John was the first to greet them.

Oliver nodded, "… You as well."

He glanced over at Bou-san and Matsuzaki, for some reason unable to make eye contact with the person they surrounded. "I see you two are still the same."

"And here I thought you would've reached enlightenment after your gallantry," the redhead scoffed.

Unlike usual, he humored her. "Inconceivable. As a narcissist, no enlightenment is needed to reach my highest potential. You, however, would benefit from a trip of self-discovery."

It was Bou-san's turn to scoff. "The only self-discovery she's going to find is the number of wrinkles hidden under her makeup."

Before a spat broke out, Mai interjected. "Guys! Can I get a moment of peace here?"

"Naru-bou started it," said Bou-san, jabbing a thumb in his direction.

It seemed he had earned a new nickname.

Suddenly, the brunette man grinned and changed the subject. "You know what, why don't we go grab some food? What do you want to eat, Jou-chan?"

Mai blinked in surprise at his query. She tilted her head in thought as she usually did, looking up to the ceiling. "Yakisoba pan with a winter melon milk tea sounds good right now!" she said. After another moment of thought, she also added, "And if you can find any… I want to try mint dark chocolate."

Oliver glanced at her but didn't comment.

"There's a new chocolate shop a few blocks from here," noted Matsuzaki, smiling. "I've been meaning to check it out."

"That sounds nice," said John in happy agreeance. "I could find some gifts there to send to my family."

"Shit, I haven't even done any Christmas shopping," Bou-san remembered, scratching his cheek. "This might be a good opportunity."

Matsuzaki chuckled. "It's not like you have many to shop for. No girlfriend after all."

"Yeah? And what about you?" the brunette monk rolled his eyes. "I don't see men lining up at your feet either."

The redhead didn't retort surprisingly, instead mumbling something that only Mai was close enough to hear.

As the group's trivial conversations continued, the sound of Mai rummaging through the nightstand drew his attention. "My wallet's not here," mumbled Mai.

"I have it. I held onto it during your lateral transfer," he said, finally addressing her since arriving. "Regardless, I will cover the food expenses today."

Everyone froze and looked at him as though he'd grown another head.

"Should I check your vitals too? Or maybe I should check my own," questioned Matsuzaki, bewildered. "Maybe you really did reach some kind of enlightenment."

Bou-san laughed. "Either that or he has a secret twin we don't know about," he joked.

Silence.

Mai conveniently timed a coughing fit then, clutching her bruised ribs in the process. She waved off the irregulars when they were ready to jump to action and cleared her throat. "Uh, well, if Naru's paying, I'll take a yakisoba pan, an extra-large winter melon milk tea with pudding and jelly, and mint chocolates."

"Glad to see you've worked up an appetite while recovering," commented John. "I suppose we should head out before the shops get crowded." He sent Mai a look, which she returned with a grateful one.

Oliver raised a brow at their silent exchange.

With that, the irregulars headed out. Oliver sent Lin with them for payment purposes. Coincidentally, that left only him and Mai—not that he minded.

He claimed his usual chair at her bedside and pulled out his notebook. He wasn't sure if she wanted to talk, or if she wanted to use this opportunity to rest more. Mai remained sitting up but didn't say anything. She would glance at him periodically from the side of her eye when she thought he wasn't looking. Annoyed, he looked up.

Ignoring her jump in surprise, he said, "If you're tired, you should lie down." If she felt awkward with him sitting there, he wanted to reassure her that she didn't need to stay up to entertain him. He would prefer if she rested.

"Oh, um, okay, if you don't mind." She then quickly slipped under the blankets and got herself comfortable. He returned to his writing, noting the sounds of her breathing as his pen scribbled along the page. They sat in silence for a bit before she started fidgeting. Breaking the silence, she rolled to her side to look at him. "Naru?"

He lifted his head.

"I heard you were the one who found me. Thank you for saving my life," she said, a soft smile spreading on her face.

He didn't reply immediately. Instead, he preferred to study her. The way the light reflected off her eyes, color returned to her cheeks, and how he much preferred to see her well.

When he didn't look away or respond, Mai's cheeks turned pinker and her eyes darted around the room to anywhere but him.

How amusing.

"If you stopped getting yourself into these situations, I wouldn't have to save you all the time."

That reverted her back to normal. "It's not like I ask for this stuff to happen to me," she grumbled, puffing up one cheek.

"Sometimes I wonder about that." He couldn't help the smirk that made its way onto his face when she stuck her tongue at him. How immature.

"How did you even end up there? Did Michiru call you?" She glanced at him, sliding her hand under the pillow to support her head.

Oliver exhaled, shutting his notebook closed, and looked out the window. He would have been fine waiting to discuss this, but since Mai brought it up herself…

"No, Gene contacted me."

Her breath hitched.

The sound of the bedsheets filled the room as she undoubtedly sat up again. When he heard a sharp inhale, his head immediately snapped around. She sat on the edge of the bed sulking while rubbing her sore sides.

He sighed. "Don't move around so much, dummy."

She ignored him and instead gripped the bed sheets apprehensively. "Who… did you say contacted you?" she asked.

"My dear twin brother. The spirit guide you've been traipsing around with this whole time," he said, leaning his arm on the table beside him and bringing his hand to his chin.

"I see," Mai chuckled nervously, suddenly finding the window much more interesting. "And how did he do that?" she asked, feigning nonchalance.

"He borrowed the powers of your deity companion to speak to me through a mirror," he answered, observing her nervous mannerisms. "He also explained to me the whole story."

She gulped. "Are you angry?"

"Did you do anything to warrant my anger?"

"Oh, um, I don't know. Not intentionally, anyway. I just thought you'd have a bone to pick that we hid this from you."

"I won't lie, I am irritated at Gene's selfishness," he started, shooting Mai a stern look. "But, it would be a waste of energy to perseverate," he explained. After having four days to mull over the situation, Oliver didn't find any use in remaining annoyed.

She almost sighed in relief, but he wasn't done speaking.

"Despite that, I am angry that you got yourself in such a predicament that a deceased person had to beg a deity to save your life." His glare must have surprised her because her theatrics looked like a gust of wind had pushed her off kilter.

"I thought Keiko went missing!"

"So, your natural course of action was to put you and your other friend in danger by entering the mountainous forest at night? During a snowstorm?"

"Hey, Michiru chose to go! I would have gone alone," she grumbled.

That was what she got out of it?

"And this is supposed to help your case?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Had she no safety awareness? Scratch that—he knew the answer.

She opened her mouth, paused, and then closed it. Oliver couldn't help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch.

Hopeless.

After a moment of silence, she met his eyes again. "Hey, Naru, I'm grateful that you came for me—but why did you go so far out of your way to help me? Yuzawa is a far drive."

He frowned, the question rubbing him the wrong way for some reason. Why wouldn't he have come to help her?

"Would you have preferred if I didn't come for you?" he said, his voice hard.

Her eyes widened, clearly not expecting his response. Her face quickly changed to an expression he couldn't read.

"No, of course not—"

A knock on the door was heard as the nurse announced herself.

They both looked away.


After her strange interaction with Naru, the nurse arrived with her PM pain meds as well as a slew of questions. By the time she was done, the crew of irregulars had already returned with the food preventing them from continuing their conversation.

Naru acted like nothing was amiss, so she also pretended nothing happened and resumed her usual behavior. Regardless, Mai still wondered if she had offended him. She had only been curious about why he tried so hard to help her. It made more sense for the police to have handled the situation. Yuzawa was at least a two-hour drive all things considered.

Unless there was something she didn't know about?

Gene was holy unhelpful, but he did make a good point. "What would you have done if the roles had been reversed?"

She replied without a moment's hesitation, "I would have done the same."

"See! There you go. Everything's resolved," cheered Gene, nodding his head in satisfaction.

Mai frowned. "Why do I feel like there's something I'm missing?"

Gene stared at her intently before shrugging. "Beats me."

She had as good as forgotten about the whole thing as life resumed.

When it was confirmed that her health was stable, the hospital agreed to release her the next day much to her delight. Her lone condition was that she would be staying with Ayako for the time being until she was cleared at her follow-up appointments. Given the circumstances, Ayako was made aware of her orphan status. She wasn't sure about the other members, but if they knew, they didn't say.

Staying at Ayako's place took quite a bit of getting used to. Compared to her dinky apartment, Mai had to be careful moving around lest she bump into one of Ayako's ornamental pieces. The redhead was more of an art appreciator than she thought.

Well, that's what she initially assumed anyway.

"My parents like to go to auctions. They got me some pieces to decorate the apartment. Knowing you, I should have put them away."

"Hey! I'm not that much of a klutz!"

Ayako raised a brow. "You sure? The glass swan in the sunroom is 2,000,000 yen if you break it."

Mai's jaw dropped. "If I could afford to spend that much on something, it better cook me dinner, wash my dishes, and wipe my butt!"

Ayako had laughed and rolled her eyes at her dramatics.

Luckily, no art pieces were damaged. Mai took extra care to tread methodically lest she be in debt for the rest of her life. Aside from the monetary threat, staying with Ayako was quite fun. It was like girls' night every night—facial massages, 10-step skin care, manicures and pedicures, and ordering out nearly every day.

Seeing as her friend could afford such a lifestyle, Mai wasn't surprised Ayako's family casually bought house decorations at exorbitant prices. Rich or not, they seemed quite generous. They sponsored quite a few health and wellness campaigns for the poor, some services of which Mai had used when she was younger.

They must have also covered her hospital stay. When she had checked out, it was revealed she would owe nothing.

So, it was surprising when Ayako didn't accept the thank you letter to her family.

"Although we would have been happy to, we didn't cover your stay," said the redhead, handing back her letter.

Mai scrunched her brows in confusion. "Then, who did? I always leave with some kind of bill."

"Naru covered it. He didn't tell you?" Now it was Ayako's turn to scrunch her brows.

"No… he didn't say anything," she said, frowning. As if his list of kind deeds couldn't get any bigger.

At this rate, she would owe the guy her firstborn child!

She wasn't sure how she would repay him for all his trouble. He wasn't very materialistic and likely wouldn't take a normal gift. With Christmas around the corner, she would have to act fast. There were the Buddha beads, of course. But she wanted to give him something more substantial.

She was thinking of blessing a special button or something. With some input from Mackerel-kun and Gene, she finally decided on a pen. The fancy kind of pen that cost a good chunk of her paycheck. Naru constantly carried one with his notebook so it was the perfect conduit for a blessing.

Ayako's apartment came in handy for this kind of job. Considering the less-than-ideal conditions outside, Mai would've had one heck of a time trying to find a good place to meditate. The sunroom that held the ridiculously priced swan was filled with mini trees that the miko tended to. The comfortable temperature and serene atmosphere were perfect for her spiritual needs—Mai often saw Ayako pray there.

Usa-sama—and Gene—taught her how to personalize her blessings for the individuals she meant them for.

"It requires the purest of intentions," Gene explained. "Usa-sama says to think about the recipients, why you care for them, and how you wish to care for them. And then pray to Usa-sama on their behalf."

"How do I know if it worked?"

"You won't. You just have to trust in your will to protect them," he smiled, looking at the crafted beads Mai had strung together, including the gift she'd gotten for Noll. It appeared her abilities had gotten stronger since her near-death experience. She could now project objects to and from the astral plane freely. "You don't need to worry about it, honestly. These charms should be even stronger now."

"Huh? Why's that?"

He shrugged casually. "Oh, you don't remember?"

She glared at him. "How could I when you're selectively choosing what to tell me?"

He pretended to think about it, turning his head left and right like a confused owl. "Well, I suppose your blessings are stronger now because your soul has been touched by a zashiki-warashi," he said.

"Since when?!" She stared at him in disbelief. This was all news to her!

"Since my brother brought you back from the dead."

"I was dead?!"

Gene decided this was the perfect time to get up and complete his daily stretches. Spirits dealt with stiff joints sometimes!

"Gene!"


With Gene dropping bombs on her periodically, Mai ran herself into a wall trying to piece everything together.

From what she could gather, she understood that she had died and something must've transpired that saved her. But what was this business about a zashiki-warashi? Were they real? How did one find her? And where did Naru fit into all this?

As if her confusion couldn't get any more profound, there was the matter of her weird dreams.

She didn't have them every night, but when she did, she would forget most of the content save for a few details. Just when she thought she would remember a name, by the time her eyes opened, all recollection was gone.

It was unlikely they were related to a client, but she didn't feel like they were memories of a random spirit either. The energy of the visions just felt… familiar. Of the things she remembered, the most notable were the two Westerners who felt like parents to her, er, this individual. They reminded her of what she once had with her own. It was strange for her to admit, but because of the comfort she felt seeing these memories, she didn't mind experiencing them.

She felt like she had a family again, even for just a moment.

Gene seemed to not have noticed these visions, and Mai was content to leave it that way. She needed some sort of privacy after all, and these dreams felt very intimate to her.

Oddly enough, sometimes when she woke up from the dreams, she'd be greeted by a text from Naru—nothing substantial, really. Sometimes it was a reply to a previous text, and other times he would surprise her by asking about her health. He always did it as bluntly as possible, but she wasn't about to complain about him being courteous.

That was another mystery to her bag of questions. While Naru was largely the same, he seemed less guarded now. Perhaps, it was their connection through Gene, knowing he wouldn't have to hide it anymore. Whatever it was, she was surprised to find that she liked it. She had always been comfortable with him, but now she was as at ease with him as she was with Gene.

Naru allowed her to come back on light duty for a few hours each day to maintain the office after she whined about being bored. While their interactions were like usual, something just felt different between them. When she was delivering snacks to his office, she sometimes lingered longer than she needed to. Naru could've interpreted it as her waiting for a "thank you," but it was anything but.

It was hard to admit, but she liked being in his presence. It was less lonely. Yes, she had Ayako's company and the constant presence of her spirit guides—but it wasn't quite the same for some reason.

Before, just emailing or texting Naru was enough, but now…

"So, what do you think of the scone?" she asked Naru during one such visit. "It didn't seem that sweet so I thought you'd like it."

He raised a brow at her, wondering why she was making idle chatter suddenly. She usually brought in snacks and tea and left promptly. He was always under the impression that conversing with him wasn't her preferred activity of choice—not anyone's. Even so, he didn't see any harm in humoring her. Breaking off another piece of the scone, he tried it again. It was a blueberry scone with a light texture and buttery flavor, different from the usual found in the UK. Of all the scones Luella made, he liked her blueberry ones the most.

Unbeknownst to him and Mai herself, she had chosen this flavor due to a subconscious recognition.

"It's not sweet like you said," he said, unsure of how else to comment. When she continued to watch him in anticipation, he sighed. "It's nice."

"You like it?"

"Is that not what I implied?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You're not much of a sweets guy, so I'm just happy I found something you like."

He studied her, resting his chin in his hand. Why would she be happy about something like that? Mai would be the type who cared about that sort of useless information. She was always thinking of others and probably kept everyone's birthdays logged on her phone somewhere (and he was correct).

Playing with the tray in her hands, she bounced from one foot to the other. "So, uh, Gene told me something interesting recently."

He nodded, waiting for her to continue.

As she opened her mouth, a knock on the door diverted her attention to the source. With a turn of the knob, it opened to reveal Masako. She had a brighter-colored kimono on and more makeup than usual. "Are you ready, Naru?" she asked, her voice as graceful as ever.

Masako's eyes widened when she opened the door fully and saw Mai. "Oh, I didn't realize you were having a meeting. I can wait out here."

Mai waved her hand in the air to object. "Not at all! It wasn't anything important, really," she said, already heading toward the door. She paused in front of the other girl, smiling. "Um, thanks for the mochi!"

Masako returned her smile. "I hope you enjoyed them. I'm glad to see you've recovered well," she said, her eyes sweeping over her body.

"Yeah! My ribs are hardly noticeable these days." Mai's eyes also wandered to Masako's ensemble. Her hair was pinned back with a flower, and Mai couldn't help but admire the other girl's natural beauty. "You look great. Are you going to a party or something?"

Masako covered her face with her sleeve and glanced behind Mai at Naru.

Mai tensed up ever so slightly, turning her head to follow Masako's gaze. When her eyes met Naru's, his gaze bored into hers for a second too long before looking away. "I will be ready momentarily, Hara-san. Please wait outside."

Taking that as a hint to leave his office, Mai tried to hurry out but not before he called her name.

She didn't turn around.

"We'll talk again later," he said.

"Okay," she agreed before shutting the door behind her.

As Masako sat herself on the couch, Mai busied herself in the kitchen doing nothing of importance. She didn't know why she felt the need to hide in there, but it did give her a moment to understand the situation.

Were they going on a date? Did something happen while she'd been in the hospital? Why did it feel like life skipped a chapter?! Naru had never reciprocated Masako's advances—er, anyone's advances—so what led point A to point B?

She quickly sent Ayako a text before practicing some deep breaths and walking back to the waiting area.

Mai casually tidied up her desk, her thoughts running amok. She glanced over in Naru's office's direction.

What a waste of a nice scone. He barely touched it and probably didn't have time to finish it. It won't be good if I wrap it up for later, she internally whined. For reasons unknown, the thought of throwing out the scone she got just for him in mind made her chest ache even just the littlest bit. It was such an insignificant thing but it bothered her nonetheless.

When Naru finally came out of his office, he nodded to Masako who got up to join him. Mai noticed he had replaced his usual trench coat with a more expensive-looking one.

"You can head home, Mai," he regarded her.

"Uh, thanks," she said with an awkward smile. "Have fun on your date."

Masako blushed, covering her face once more. "Thank you. We're going to see a play. Hopefully, it's a good one," she said. She laced her arm around Naru's. "Have a good night, Mai."

"Thanks. You too."

With that, the two left, but not before Naru caught her eyes again before shutting the door.

Weird.

Ignoring the ache in her chest, she headed into Naru's office to clear up the food on his desk. Her eyes widened when she found the empty plate and teacup. Imagining Naru stuffing the scone in his mouth and downing the tea had her giggling.

The ache that had come on so suddenly quickly disappeared.


On Christmas Eve before she and Ayako left for Shibuya, Mai expressed her concerns about giving Naru his gift.

After the date incident, Ayako informed her that Naru and Masako went on dates regularly, and how had she not noticed until now? Mai wasn't sure herself. Had they really been doing this for that long?

"You probably didn't care enough about it before to pay attention," Gene told her when she'd brought it up during one of their chats.

"What makes me care more about it now?"

"You tell me. I can't answer that for you," he said, sending her a sympathetic smile.

So, here she was stressing on Ayako's bed as she stared at the wrapped gift in her hands. "Would it be weird to give him a gift if he is dating Masako?"

Ayako raised a brow and crossed her arms. "Nonsense. You could even think about it as a 'thank you' gift," she said, walking out from the bathroom with her eyelash curler still working on an eye. "Besides, I don't think it's real dating."

"What do you mean?"

The redhead removed the lash curler and shrugged. "My bullshit radar just tells me there's something fishy about it. Not to mention that a few of the events they've gone to have been sponsored by Masako's family."

Mai made an "o" shape with her mouth and then looked back down at her gift. This is just a 'thank you' gift, anyway…

When they arrived at the office, they were greeted by Naru, John, and Bou-san talking in the waiting area. While Ayako budded in immediately, Mai placed her gifts under the mini tree—she was surprised to see most of her decorations survived. She looked around the room and noticed someone missing.

Maybe Masako's still on her way? She thought.

"Hara-san will not be coming today as she had a prior engagement," said Naru.

She frowned and sullenly placed Masako's gifts under the tree. She'll just have to give them to her next time.

Naru then cleared his throat. "In any case, I didn't call you all here to have a party. Father Brown has requested our assistance."

Mai's eyes met with John's and he nodded in confirmation. Naru noticed their silent communication but didn't comment on it.

Thus, the group, including Lin, headed for John's parish to meet with Father Tojo. Once there, John and the Father explained to them the recurring problem they encountered. Every so often, a series of possessions would occur among the children. They had identified the spirit as a boy named Kenji who had passed away decades ago before this current church was fully constructed. Father Tojo identified him because he tended to play a game of hide-and-seek adapted for his mutism.

He had always been the best at hiding to a fault. On the day he disappeared, the children had been playing the game as usual. Kenji had won but never came out of his spot. The whistle the Father had given him previously had been found in front of the church with a snapped lanyard. Without a stick or his whistle, there was no way for him to let them know where to rescue him. The adults had released a search party with no luck.

Hearing the story left a deep sorrow in Mai's heart. She could only imagine how scared Kenji must've been, whatever had happened to him.

Because she was still on light duty, she was instructed to not run off to prevent further injury to her healing. And for once, she obeyed. Naru originally wasn't even going to let her come. That quickly changed after a bout of complaining about boredom and discrimination. So, rather than running off when something was off, she waited for someone else to initiate before she followed.

Naru, of course, had to comment on how impressed he was that she could manage at least that much. She rewarded him with her usual glare followed by an eye roll.

Figuring that Kenji was unable to move on because his body was never found, the group searched the entirety of the property for potential accident-prone areas. Not to mention that the child Kenji had possessed still needed to be found. As they investigated, the sound of Kenji's stick reverberated throughout the woods surrounding them.

Why don't you try what we've been practicing? Gene piped up in the back of her mind.

Oh, right! she nodded, looking around slowly for a place to sit. She could try it standing but sometimes she got bouts of vertigo if she closed her eyes. Bou-san, Naru, John, and Lin were still within eyesight from the tree she sat under, so she figured it would be fine. Naru turned his head in her direction as if aware of her movement. He turned back to what he was doing, seeing that she was resting nearby.

Sighing in relief at finally being able to relax for a moment, she crossed her legs and leaned her back against the tree.

She closed her eyes and entered what Gene dubbed, "50% mode." She was already getting better at sensing energies, so Gene wanted her to focus now on identifying their location in relation to her body. That's why he named it what he did. She was essentially pulling her spirit out halfway.

A mental map of the surrounding area appeared in her mind's eye. On the other side of the church was a shed. Kenji's host could be seen crouching behind it.

Mustering up all her power to slink back into her body, her breathing deepened. Being 50%, it was sometimes hard to get herself back.

"Did you discover anything?"

She blinked her eyes open slowly, not bothering to look at whose legs were beside her. "He's behind the shed on the other side."

Naru instructed the others to head over there first.

When he didn't leave, she finally looked up at him. With the way his bangs cast a shadow over his blue eyes, he couldn't have looked any more handsome.

"Why aren't you heading over there too?"

He put his hands into his coat pockets and leaned his back against the tree. Ignoring her question, he posed his own. "Are you unable to stand?"

"No, it's not that. I just used a new technique Gene's been teaching me. I get a little tired after using it." Maybe her body still wasn't back to normal, even if she felt like it was. This much walking was likely taking its toll on her body. "You don't have to stay here with me."

Naru was silent before revealing a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Would you prefer I carry you?"

Feeling her face get warm, she looked away. For some reason, the-princess-carry flashed into her head and she just wanted to be absorbed into the ground right then and there. "I'm fine, let's go," she mumbled, forcing herself up and refusing to look at him.

He watched her stomp away in amusement before following.

When they met up with the others, they were met with the unlikely image of a child, a boy named Thanat, glued to Lin's leg. The tall man looked less than enthused but allowed it.

Mai's jaw dropped, rubbing her eyes. She shared a look with Bou-san who offered a goofy smile and shrugged.

The group went back to the church to collect their thoughts. There, they found Ayako who had escaped the cold to help with baking rather than do her actual job. Mai found Naru's leniency with her unbelievable.

While the other children helped with baking, the SPR crew stayed in the playroom with Thanat and Lin. Father Tojo explained that Lin happened to resemble Kenji's father.

When Naru considered having John drive out the spirit, Mai's gut told her otherwise. She wasn't sure why but that just didn't seem the most effective way. If Masako had been here, she could have channeled the spirit instead.

As if sensing her inner conflict, Naru turned and inquired her with his eyes. It was as if he was saying, If something's bothering you, care to share?

"Could I try talking to Kenji?" she asked.

Everyone looked to Naru, who nodded. Out of self-consciousness, she practically pushed everyone out of the room save for Naru and Lin.

Her boss was interested in her method, while Lin was there for Kenji's comfort.

Unfortunately for Naru's research, she didn't even know what she was doing. She was rolling with the punches according to everything Gene had taught her about his life as a medium. Knowing Kenji couldn't speak, she wondered if connecting with him on the spiritual plane would be better.

That was what she did best, after all.

Approaching the small boy seated on the floor, she smiled and crouched down. "Hi, Kenji-kun. My name's Mai, nice to officially meet you. Could I talk with you?" she asked, extending her hand out automatically. He looked from her face to her hand and then to Lin.

The stoic man nodded as if telling him it would be okay, much like how a parent would.

As soon as Kenji's hand met hers, she pulled him into the spiritual plane. Thanat's body fell against Lin's but remained unconscious. She was operating on "50% mode" again it seemed. While her mind communicated with Kenji, her body was speaking aloud.

"You want to see your Otou-san, right? Your real Otou-san."

The black-haired child in her mind's eye nodded his head. At least he was aware that Lin wasn't his real father.

"If you want to see him, you have to pass on. He's waiting for you on the other side," she urged. Kenji seemed hesitant, tightening his fists on the edge of his top. "It's okay to be scared. I get scared all the time!

"When the time comes, I'll walk with you over there, okay? I can't go all the way, but I'll go as far as I can," she smiled softly, looking over to the light and taking both his hands. "Could you help us find where you are? You must have been cold."

He squeezed her hands before adopting a look of determination on his face.

Mai couldn't quite interpret what he wanted. "Was there something else you wanted to do before you left?"

Kenji nodded. The image of the Christmas festivities flashed into her head. Her heart ached. He just wanted to do everything he never got to do with his real dad when he was alive.

"You just want to do what you couldn't with your real Otou-san when you were alive, right?" she repeated aloud so Lin and Naru would understand. She felt Lin nod his head beside her.

Then, another idea came to her. "I'm sure Thanat would like to have fun too. Why don't you use my body? You have to pinky promise to give it back after though."

"Mai," said Naru with a scolding tone.

She ignored him and stuck her pinky out for Kenji. The little boy agreed and wrapped his little finger around her own.


Oliver sighed in exasperation. Why was she like this? She was still recovering and he wasn't sure what toll a spiritual possession would have on her body.

He stood in the corner with Bou-san as Matsuzaki and John helped with the children. The man beside him must have noticed the tension in his shoulders as he watched possessed Mai roll out dough with Lin's help.

A chuckle left Bou-san's mouth. "You worry too much, Naru-bou. She wouldn't have offered if she couldn't handle it."

"I wonder about that," Oliver said, once again releasing an exhale from his nose.

"It is funny seeing Lin-san amongst a bunch of kids. He looks so uncomfortable."

Lin had his usual flat face on, perhaps a tinge more sour than usual. He was once again roped into Mai's shenanigans, directly this time.

Oliver did have to admit it was amusing to see the tall man cutting out star-shaped cookies or painting ornaments. Under normal circumstances, it was too much of a hassle, but he couldn't help but casually pull his phone out for a picture.

He promptly sent it to Madoka.

After the festivities were over, as promised, Kenji in Mai's body led the group outside to show them where he was. He pointed to the top of the church, at the landing the statues of the Saints sat on.

Oliver nodded in understanding, a sense of sorrow briefly squeezing its way into his heart before being harshly blocked out. He didn't have time for emotions.

Kenji in Mai's body reached for one of Lin's hands with both hands. Flashing him with the brightest smile, Mai's mouth opened. Instead of her voice, the weak voice of a meek little boy was heard for all to hear.

"Thank you."

With that, the faint light of a warm yellow emanated from Mai's body. Oliver wondered if Mai was walking Kenji toward the light at this moment—in a way, he could practically see it.

After the light faded, Mai fell forward into Lin who reflexively caught her.

Matsuzaki and Bou-san immediately started worrying, while Oliver simply checked the time on his watch. It was still quite early, so maybe he had some time to type up the report before dinner.

Mai groaned and rubbed her head, her eyes groggy. "I'm never gonna get used to that," she mumbled. She pushed herself off of Lin and brushed off the two fussing people beside her. "Kenji-kun is with his Otou-san now. He came to pick him up." She smiled sadly and looked up at the church.

"I'm happy for him," said John. "Thank you for coming to help, everyone. Especially on Christmas Eve."

"Glad we could help! It's not like any of us have dates or anything, right Ayako, Bou-san?" Mai smirked.

"Hey! What's with singling us out? Speak for yourself," Ayako complained.

"Yeah, that's cold," Bou-san feigned hurt. "I was going to offer a piggyback ride if you weren't feeling well, but I'm thinking you're feeling just fine."

Mai laughed. "You're sounding more like a neighborhood 'uncle' every day."

"Okay, that one actually hurt."

Oliver cleared his throat. "If we're all done here, I'll take my leave," he said, already walking away.

"Not so fast!" His head whipped around when Mai grabbed his hand. "Don't be a Scrooge. It's Christmas Eve! I have gifts for everyone."

"We could pick up some food," suggested John.

"Fried chicken does sound really good right now." Bou-san folded his arms behind his head. "If Jou-chan's treating, I'm in!"

With some laughs and peer pressure, the group returned to the office for their impromptu party. Despite saying otherwise, Bou-san ended up treating the group to food. Oliver allowed them to party in the SPR office but was more comfortable hiding away in his own.

However, unlike before, he kept his door open.

Mai handed out everyone's gifts who were seated in the waiting room. She went to Lin's office next to deliver his gift before making her way nervously to Oliver's. Despite his door remaining open, she knocked on it before entering.

He looked up from his computer, light reflecting off his glasses.

Her breath hitched as she approached his desk, gift in hand. "Uh, this is a thank-you gift for everything you've done. Ayako told me that you covered my hospital bills." She placed the gift on his desk and waited in anticipation for his reaction.

Realizing she was waiting for him, he pulled off his glasses. He regarded the rectangular box with curiosity. From what he overheard, the others had received blessed Buddha-bead bracelets in addition to something else. Here, his gift seemed to be much different.

Lifting off the top of the box was an onyx black pen with a metallic finish and gold accents. It was well-made and undoubtedly expensive.

When he looked up, he was greeted by Mai with a nervous smile and pink cheeks.

"With the help of Usa-sama, we blessed it together. Please keep it on you for protection," she said, shifting from one foot to the other. "Well, write with it too, if you want."

He chuckled at her nervousness before smiling. "Thank you."

Her face got pinker as she glanced to the side awkwardly. "You're welcome. Um, we still have cookies the church gave us, so please have some." With that, she quickly made her way to the door.

Could I just melt into the floor? She thought.

Oliver watched her leave with his chin in hand.

He couldn't help but think that he probably wasn't meant to hear that.


A/N: Hello friends! Not as much action in this chapter, but I do say we've had some developments. Mai's affection meter is now a 5 out of 10! The Mai of this universe is so consumed with Gene's situation, training, and SPR cases that she forgets that she's a teenage girl. At least she has had her priorities straight!

Edit**: Forgot to mention, hope you guys paid close attention to Naru's reactions to Mai this chapter! It's all related to the comment at the end ;)

"At this rate, she would owe the guy her firstborn child!" = No worries, Mai. It'll all check out ;) takes two to tango after all~!

I have another NaruMai fic brewing in my head, but I don't want to start it before finishing this one (fellow writers understand I'm sure). But the plot bunnies are too strong ; ; it's a historical romance but with spirits! I wanna share the premise SO badly but should refrain until I develop it more hah!

Anyhow, I wanted to thank my usual commenters—the ones who comment on every chapter or almost every chapter (you know who you are)! I get so excited to hear from you and sometimes worry when you don't come around :') Love you guys!

Thank you to everyone who's been checking for updates, engaging in other ways, and reading! I know sometimes there's not much to say, or there's comment anxiety, just know that I'm thinking about you guys too! If you ever just wanna pipe in and say hi, I'm all for it!

Please let me know how you liked the chapter and I'll see you next time~!