A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back again with another update. I hope you enjoy the changes!

*Trigger Warning* At the end of the chapter: Elements of suicide, depression, and bullying.

I will note when it appears.


Case Four—Part 2

Previously…

"Ma..do…ka?" she tested the name in her mouth, not realizing it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Yes?" The woman said, spinning around to address whoever called her. Unsure what to say, Mai fumbled for words, embarrassed.

"Mai, how do you know Madoka?" Naru asked, suspicious.

Madoka's eyes flickered between the two with raised eyebrows.

"Ohoho~ what do we have here?"

.

"Uh…" Mai laughed nervously, at a loss for what to say. She didn't know how to answer the question. Well, it was more like she didn't know why she knew.

Naru continued to watch her, noting the confusion on her face. Was this another side-effect of the soul-merging? Could it be a carryover of his knowledge over to her? Or was it post-cognition?

With all eyes on her, even Lin's, she fidgeted. "I saw you in a dream, Madoka-san," Mai started, addressing their guest.

"Not a man calling me the woman of his dreams, but I'll take it, I suppose," Madoka shrugged. "Now, are you the elusive Taniyama Mai I've heard about?"

"Oh, um, yeah. It's nice to meet you." Mai sent Naru a questioning glance, who gestured his head in Lin's direction. The man in question, who had stopped working to eavesdrop, conveniently started typing again.

"What do you mean by seeing her in your dreams?" prompted Naru, crossing his arms.

Mai shifted from foot to foot nervously, rubbing at her forearms behind her back. "For the last few months, I've been dreaming of this mystery person's memories on and off. This used to happen all the time when I was younger, but it was never the same person's memories every time."

"What else do you see in these dreams?" asked Madoka, eyes glimmering with interest. She pulled out a chair to sit and leaned an elbow on the table.

"It's fuzzy. I usually forget by the time I wake up." Mai closed her eyes to focus, hoping to recall anything. Blurry images flashed through her mind. "There's a kind couple. They look like Westerners. The woman likes baking and having tea parties, while the man reads a lot. He's always wearing reading glasses."

Her companions shared a look.

"And when do you see me?" asked Madoka.

Mai shuffled through her brain some more. "You've only more recently shown up," she started. "You're usually interrupting 'me' while I'm reading for some kind of nonsense, or forcing me to do something I don't want to." She used finger quotations to denote her figurative self in the dreams.

Realizing that might have sounded rude, she quickly covered. "When I say nonsense, I mean from the point of view of my host."

Madoka's face remained blank for a moment before she erupted into laughter. She cackled with such fervor that she nearly fell back onto the table. "Koujo, isn't that so accurate? I love it!"

Lin turned around and cracked the most microscopic smirk known to man.

Ignoring the two adults, Naru continued interrogating, "What else have you seen?" His eyebrows furrowed as his jaw repeatedly pressed together on and off.

Had he looked this tense earlier?

Mai leaned against the wall as she thought. Then, she remembered the very first vision that she had seen. It had stood out in contrast to the warm memories that followed.

"Well, there was something with a filthy apartment. I remember the feeling of starving to death—can't say it's something I want to remember," she recalled, frowning.

"The next I remember, I was at an orphanage. That's where I met that lovely couple I mentioned earlier. After that, everything is scattered, like little memories. I could be reading for a whole vision or… I don't know, learning magic tricks? I remember a deck of cards."

Naru stared at her intently before directing Madoka and Lin to leave the room without taking his eyes off her.

Madoka grumbled, complaining about missing out on the good part. Lin sighed and shook his head, beckoning her out of the room with a hand on her back.

After the adults left the room, Naru sat down and gestured for Mai to sit across from him.

"Has Gene ever shown up in those visions?"

Mai widened her eyes. For some reason, she never thought much about Gene not appearing in the visions. She figured maybe he wasn't privy to this type of memory-dream. "No, he hasn't. Is he supposed to?"

"If the memories you're viewing are mine, then yes," Naru said bluntly, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his seat.

She blinked for almost a full minute, the cogs turning rapidly in her head as she computed what he said. "Your memories?"

"That is what I said."

"This whole time… I was seeing through your eyes?!"

A flood of memories rushed through her mind now that she understood their meaning—the unkempt apartment, the crippling starvation, reading by himself as the other orphans played, finding acquaintance in a man who taught magic, and the kind adoptive parents who welcomed him into their home.

Mai looked down at her hands, conflicted. Aside from those sadder moments, she had allowed herself to revel in his life. At what he had, and she didn't. She had crossed a boundary he hadn't been ready for her to.

"I feel like I've overstepped. I'm sorry, I didn't realize," she said, tightening her fists on the table. Before he could say anything, she continued. "It might sound weird, but I did enjoy seeing your memories. It was like living a life that I didn't have, y'know? Coming home to people waiting for you. Having parents again."

She looked back up and smiled wistfully.

Naru's eyes softened before he exhaled deeply. "Don't apologize. This wasn't your doing."

She tilted her head, urging him to continue.

"I should apologize. I'm the reason this happened," he started, uncrossing his arms. "Recall when I rescued you from the mountain?"

Mai's eyes widened, not expecting him to breach the topic she'd been trying to for so long. "Yeah. I'd been meaning to ask you about that. What happened?"

"You had died that night—rather, while your body remained in our world, your spirit was trapped on the spiritual plane. That was the result of being spirited away by a resentful Zashiki-Warashi. His intention hadn't been to kill you but out of pure mischief."

Her jaw sat ajar.

"To save you, he, as well as the forgotten deity of the mountain, offered to help so long as I could call you back to your body. I don't recall what transpired, but the spirits had warned me our souls would become one for a short period," he explained, leaning his chin in his hand. He watched her jaw open and close repeatedly.

Our souls did WHAT?!

Takes two to tango, friend, Gene answered.

"Your dreams and the telepathy are likely side-effects of that merging."

She blinked. "What telepathy?"

He watched her for a moment longer. "I should apologize for not telling you sooner. I planned to inform you after I fully understood the circumstances," he said. When she continued to stare eagerly at him, he continued, "I have been hearing your thoughts irregularly, likely for as long as you've been dreaming of my memories."

Her eyes nearly bulged out as she leaned across the table. "You've been hearing my thoughts?! And for months?!" she exclaimed, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "What did you hear?!"

"Nothing worthy of note. Most thoughts are about your dinner plans, grocery list, or miscellaneous sentiments without context to make sense. I tend to ignore them," he said nonchalantly.

"How long were you going to wait before telling me?"

"Once I studied the phenomenon long enough to understand its mechanism."

She wanted to melt into the floor and disappear into the depths of the earth. Maybe she was being overdramatic, but she didn't know how else to react to this news. She was annoyed that he was keeping this from her, yet her annoyance didn't change the fact that this wasn't in his control either. Who knew if she would've had the courage to tell him immediately if she had been the one in his shoes? Well… she did have to remind herself that there was a big difference between needing courage and being a mad scientist.

Sinking her head to the table and face-planting, she groaned. "'Once an idiot scientist, always an idiot scientist,'" she quoted Gene.

She heard him sigh. "Like I said, I understand that it wasn't professional conduct."

Scoffing, she looked up at him from her pathetic position. "Professional? I think this goes way past professionalism at this point." She sighed. "Let's just say we're even now."

The room was silent as they allowed the new information to sink in. Mai continued to have her cheek planted on the table as she thought of what to do next.

Meanwhile, Naru got up and started fiddling with something. Mai couldn't tell with what as she stayed facing away. The next she knew, a teacup entered her field of view. Telling from the scent, it was—

A cup of hojicha.

She wanted to continue being annoyed, but the smell was enticing.

Giving in, she sat up and meekly sipped at the tea. It was mediocre at best, but she appreciated his gesture.

"Thanks," she mumbled, glancing up at him.

Naru's expression softened as he watched her, his eyebrows relaxed. "I haven't heard anything warranting your embarrassment. Nothing is embarrassing about wanting to melt into the floor."

…Was he teasing her?

Her cheeks tinged pink as she set the cup down. Two can play at that game.

"Yeah, nothing embarrassing about bumping into a wall and apologizing, huh?" she pulled out from the recesses of her subconscious.

Naru's eyes narrowed.

A roar of laughter erupted from the hallway as a muffled, "That'll humble him! I still remember when Gene told me that story!" was heard from Madoka.

"I told you she handles him well," said Lin's muffled voice.

Mai groaned, now actively embarrassed.

Naru stood up abruptly and slid the door open firmly with a thud. He didn't say anything, but Mai could only imagine the glower pasted to his face.

"Oops, was I too loud?" Madoka giggled, nudging Lin with her elbow.


"So, let me get this straight. Mai-chan is an astral projector who has been communicating with Gene since you met. But you've only recently discovered this. A few months ago, Gene had contacted you because Mai-chan was dying. To save her life, you underwent some ritual that bound your souls together. Now, you can hear her thoughts and she dreams of your memories."

The last bit hadn't been disclosed to Madoka. She had sourced the information solely from eavesdropping.

"Correct."

"And do you still talk to Gene?" she asked.

Mai nodded. "Yeah, he buds into my life all the time."

That's a rude way to put it."Right now for instance," said Naru.

"Wait, can you hear Gene talking too?" Mai asked, worried. Hearing her thoughts was one thing, but hearing Gene's teasing too? That would be too cruel.

Naru shook his head. "No, but I can tell merely by looking at your face. You tend to look up to the upper left quadrant or roll your eyes whenever he says something."

Again, rude."I see what you mean," nodded Madoka, as if observing a new specimen. Then, she turned to Naru, a smirk on her face. "Although, I find it interesting how observant you are of others now."

What she didn't voice was how interesting it was that he noticed Mai's tendencies. He must have spent time watching the other girl because he barely remembered people's hair color let alone their habits.

Interesting indeed.

"Tell Gene I said 'hi.'" Madoka smiled, a hint of sadness betraying her cheerful exterior. "He was always a trooper, and I'm glad he managed to find a medium to keep him safe for the time being. Thank you."

Mai shook her head. "Not at all! Honestly, I'm sorry I can't do more for him," she said, playing with the end of her skirt. "If only I was a more experienced psychic, maybe I could be of more use."

"If what Koujo's been telling me is true, you're more than qualified!" Madoka patted her on the shoulder. "Gene was also one of my students, so he learned from the best. He has a good nose for talent! Same with this one," she said, jutting her thumb at Naru.

"If you're done meddling, I'd like to return to my work." Naru walked away from them to survey the monitors.

"Since I took a cab out here, I may as well help with the investigation. Besides, I want to see how my student is as a lead investigator." Madoka grinned as she got herself comfortable, standing next to Naru.

"I don't believe my client will be keen on an uninvited guest."

"No worries, I already got permission from the principal as your superior," she said, winking.

Naru's scowl grew deeper, and Mai couldn't help but chuckle. Serves him right.

As the two debriefed, Mai pulled out her journal to jot down what she learned. Her conversation with Naru replayed in her mind as she scribbled away. How would she know he heard her thinking? Maybe through some kind of secret code? And what about Naru's memories? Did he want to know when she saw them?

Do I need to keep a filter on my thoughts now?

Naru glanced back at her. Well, that answered her first question. Had he been doing that the whole time and she never noticed?!

She felt her cheeks warming as he turned away. Placing a hand on her face, she attempted to collect herself. Since when did she blush so much? Shaking her head, she got up and left the base, announcing that she was heading to the library. She sent Yasu a quick text before meeting up with him.

"Need some help?" she asked once she found him.

Yasu turned around in his computer chair. "What brings Mai-chan here?"

"Just wanted to get out of the base for a bit. Did you find anything interesting?"

He nodded. "I asked around in some of the clubs and it looks like Orikiri-sama started with the art club."

She widened her eyes. "I was just talking to them! They said that Sakauchi-san would teach them about all things ghost-related."

He placed a hand to his chin in thought. "I wonder if Sakauchi-kun was the one who introduced the game to them. It would make sense since he was familiar with all this."

"Want to go ask them?"

Thus, the two headed toward the art club only to find an empty room. Some of the students' belongings remained, so they knew they would return later. Mai looked around, heading toward the window to see if they headed outside.

"Maybe they all went to paint flowers or something." She shrugged, mentioning the first possible scenario that made sense for art enthusiasts.

Yasu didn't seem satisfied with that answer. He surveyed the room, noticing what appeared to be a portfolio with a familiar paper sticking out. Opening it, his suspicion was confirmed. There were multiple copies of the Orikiri-sama board in the folder. The boards must have been circulating from the art club, but how were they printing them? There was a 3D printer but not a regular printer.

"What are you looking at?" Mai peeked from around his shoulder. "Wow, there's a bunch of them. I wonder how they got them all?"

"It seems the art club must be the main distributor."

"Main distributor?"

"It might be a wild guess, but I believe they create the design and then print it elsewhere," he said, trailing off. "Maybe the newspaper club?"

He took one of the sheets and stowed it away in his jacket before leaving the room with Mai trailing behind.

He'd make a good detective. Or a businessman, she thought. No wonder Naru had him running research!

Luckily, the newspaper club was meeting this weekend. The pair found them in their clubroom as expected. Because of his senpai status, the students were more than willing to answer Yasu's prodding questions. Not to mention that the guy had a way of getting info out of people through flattery and wit.

It turned out that his hunch was correct. Upon asking the club members, they even showed him what they used to mass print the boards.

Mai thought it was peculiar that two clubs were so involved in this operation. It was like there was more to this than just Ouija boarding for fun.

As Yasu continued his investigation, her phone buzzed. It was Naru.

Return to base when you're done.

Sure.

As she put her phone away, Mai's ear perked up when she heard the mention of Sakauchi-san's name.

"He helped organize everything. He was a pretty cool guy for going out of his way to bring all the students together," said one of the club members.

"You're saying he was the one who started this?" she asked, now entering the conversation.

The student nodded. "He was always passionate about his hobbies, and he just wanted to do something to get the student body together. I think it worked because this whole fad has been a blast. We had to be careful talking about it in the paper though. Otherwise, those darn teachers would try to ruin the fun."

Another student approached them. "We don't want his death to be in vain, so we've been working with the art club to keep his legacy. Please tell me you're not trying to shut us down!"

Mai hesitated, not sure what she should say.

Yasu jumped in at that moment. "I think it's honorable for you all to keep his legacy. We're just trying to make sure no one will come into harm from this. Notice all the hauntings happening around the school? Or how hellhounds have bitten students? We need to make sure the boards aren't aggravating the hauntings."

The students nodded in understanding.

"Ouija boarding is no joke. You can conjure some really bad things. They follow you home sometimes too," she added for good measure.

The pair took their leave after that, leaving the students visibly shaken.

Out in the hallway, as they headed back to base, she gave Yasu a smack on the back. "How'd you pull all that out of your ass? I was almost moved."

He adjusted his glasses, the glare shining around the lenses. "People don't tell me I have the makings of a politician for nothing."

Just as the base came into view, the iconic feeling of dread invaded her senses. Her heart palpitated in her chest as her body went into fight or flight. She stopped in her tracks and whipped her head around in all directions, her brows scrunching as she tried to figure out why.

Yasu tried to call out to her but his voice was tuned out.

Unsure of what to do, the bespectacled teen entered the base to recruit help from people who understood the situation better. Naru followed him out and stepped up behind Mai with Madoka trailing further back.

Looking at her body language, her boss immediately picked up on her silent message—something was seriously wrong.

Taking out her pocket mirror, she opened it up to speak to Gene. "Do you know what's going on?"

Gene's expression was grave as he spoke, It's the classroom with the hellhound. That spirit's in danger!

Sakauchi-san!

Without answering anyone, she sped towards the classroom in question, finding that Ayako and Masako were heading there as well.

"Mai? What are you doing here?" asked Ayako, taken aback by Mai's sprinting toward them.

"Did you also sense the disturbance?" Masako inquired. "Sakauchi-san's spirit is distressed."

"Can you see him?"

Masako shook her head, stating that he wasn't on this plane, but she could still sense him.

When Naru arrived with Yasu and Madoka, Mai turned to him. "Sakauchi-san's spirit is in trouble. I'm going in."

She slid the door open before waiting for a reply and walked inside. Like a punch in the gut, she felt nauseous and dropped to the floor while cradling her abdomen. Her spirit was being called. It felt like static and friction rubbing on her senses.

"Mai!" Masako crouched beside her, touching her shoulder. "She's not responding."

Naru kneeled before the brunette and held her shoulders, guiding her to face him. Her eyes were hazy. "She must be projecti-"

Before he could finish his sentence, his psychometry activated.

"Mai-san, please save me! I can't disappear yet!" Sakauchi called out, reaching for Mai as he was slowly pulled toward a dormant fox fire. The fox fire resembled an embryo surrounded by dark energy as it clawed at him.

Mai watched in horror as the energy pulled him closer and fed on his spirit.

What could she do?

"MAI-SAN!" His curdling scream shook her out of her fear. She had to try something at least.

Calling for Usa-sama's assistance, she chanted the deity's prayer for protection as she readied the mantra of the Immovable One. Pulling out the spare Buddha bead bracelet she planned to give Yasu, she stepped forward and began reciting the full mantra Bou-san taught her.

"Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan senda makaroshada sowataya un tarata kan man," she chanted firmly, growing in confidence as the energy shrunk away as she moved closer.

Usa-sama's fur bristled as he grew the stronger Mai's resolve became. His teeth sharpened as his eye narrowed, no longer fitting the appearance of an innocent rabbit. Steeling herself, Mai shoved the beads forward, solidifying her intention.

"Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!"

Her deity companion shot forward in a beam of light, striking the dark mass in multiple areas and freeing Sakauchi's spirit. The mass shrieked as it disintegrated, a small portion of its energy fleeing.

She collapsed to her knees from the relief and dormant fear. Usa-sama landed next to her, returning now to his unsuspecting rabbit form.

"I-I… underestimated you," Sakauchi said, calming his breathing. "Thanks for saving me."


When she came to, she was surprised to find herself looking straight into Naru's face. Sweat beads could be seen on his forehead as though he had just expended significant energy.

"Mai, what was that?" Masako asked from beside her, hand still on her back, eyes wide.

Mai didn't answer her, instead tilting her head in curiosity. "Did you see all that?"

"...I did. Sakauchi-san's spirit is stabilized now," Masako stated after a period of silence. "The suffocating energy from this room has also been cleansed."

Sighing in relief, Mai fell back onto the other girl as Naru released her shoulders. Masako caught her reflexively and helped her into a better position.

Sitting back in a more controlled manner, Naru brushed his bangs back as he stabilized his breathing. He looked tired. Mai wanted to ask what was wrong but Masako beat her to it.

"Naru, are you okay? You seem unwell." Masako moved toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine." He gave her a look Mai couldn't quite understand, but the other girl seemed to read it just fine.

Mai's brows scrunched ever so slightly as she watched them.

"So… what happened?" asked a confused Yasu. Madoka nodded from beside him as she and Ayako approached them.

"We should return to base first," Naru said, standing up. Masako helped him up, a hand on his back and one on his arm. Mai was surprised he didn't brush her off or move away. Well, she guessed it would make sense if they were going out—not that it was any of her business anyway.

But now was not the time for that.

Yasu extended a hand to her as she moved to stand. He had his usual smile, but she could tell he was confused about what had transpired. "Thanks," she said, letting him pull her up to a stand.

When the entourage returned to the base, they called for John and Bou-san to discuss what happened.

"So, let me get this straight. Jou-chan's spirit was called out of her body, and Masako-chan channeled the vision?" Bou-san leaned against the table and crossed his arms. "And when that kid's spirit was about to be devoured, Jou-chan swept in and saved him?"

Mai and Masako nodded.

"How'd you manage that one?"

"Not sure to be honest," she said. "I didn't know what I was doing, but I knew I had to do something."

Masako sent her a nod of respect for protecting Sakauchi. "Mai used a Buddhist mantra to cast it away with the help of her guardian," added Masako.

"Which mantra?"

Mai tilted her head in thought, trying to recall the name. "It's that long one you've been making me memorize. The 'Immovable One,' or something."

"Is that right? I told you it'd come in handy one of these days," Bou-san smirked, tone laced with smug satisfaction. "Well, congrats on your first exorcism," he said, ruffling her hair.

While Mai swatted playfully at his hand, Naru brought a hand to his chin in thought. "It didn't disappear completely. It looked as though a portion of it fled elsewhere."

Mai's eyes widened, turning her head to face him. "You're right, but how do you know that?"

"I saw it in a vision when I came in contact with you."

Now that she thought about it, Naru's hands had been on her shoulders while she projected. Maybe that was another side-effect of their new connection?

What she didn't know was that it was partially psychometry, which only Madoka and their resident medium knew about. However, seeing spiritual visions wasn't normal for him either. So, to say it was partly due to his and Mai's connection wasn't improbable.

Before further discussion could be had on the topic, John piped up, "If it fled, what does that mean for our exorcisms? What if we're merely repelling them?"

"You got a point there, John." Bou-san adopted a thinking pose. His eyes landed on Mai and his eyebrows raised as an idea reared its head. "Jou-chan, why don't you project during our exorcisms and see what happens?"

"A full projection? I have to sleep for that!"

Completely disregarding her, he grabbed a spare pillow and shoved it into her arms. "Then be a good girl and go sleep!"

"I'm not tired, Bou-san!"

"Well, I am interested in how your projection works, Mai-chan." Madoka raised her hand, adding to the peer pressure.

And that's how she ended up on the cot with a pair of Ayako's earplugs and a sleep mask.

This has to count as workplace harassment… right?

"Define workplace harassment," said Naru from over by the monitors, still loud enough to hear from over her earplugs.

"Who asked you?"

"You. My employee."

"Whatever," she grumbled, turning to her side.

She heard Madoka's muffled giggle, followed by, "Is this normal for you two?"

"Yes," was Lin's unsolicited reply.

Tuning them out, she imagined herself floating through the astral plane, floating amongst the orbs of light. Before she knew it, her eyes opened to the ceiling of the astral SPR office—the office bathroom to be exact.

Gene stared down at her with a raised brow, Usa-sama propped over his shoulder. "Nice spot. Five out of five."

She rolled her eyes and sat herself up. "Do you guys clean in here? Don't know how I feel about laying on the bathroom floor."

"Do spirits get dirty? That's the real question," he said, sniffing his underarms and shrugging.

Ignoring his antics, she took Usa-sama from his shoulder and thanked the deity for his assistance earlier. "Didn't know you could be so lethal."

Usa-sama licked at her arm, sending her into a ticklish frenzy.

"On his own, Usa-sama's power is based heavily on Shinto practices, which excel at warding and protection. Offensively, exorcisms in Asia are heavily based on Buddhist practices, which was what you used."

"If Shinto isn't used for offensive power, what does Ayako do?"

Leaving the bathroom, Gene plopped himself on the waiting area couch. "It's more like repelling the spirits than destroying them when she does her ritual. Compared to the others, Shinto is more passive. Meanwhile, Buddhist and Christian exorcisms are more forceful."

"I see." She sat on the couch beside him, Usa-sama now licking at her shirt.

"That doesn't mean Shintoism doesn't have some tricks up its sleeves," he added. "In fact, Ancient Shintoism was more like Buddhism. They played well together. There were even stories of Shinto priests and priestesses eradicating yokai."

"What changed?"

"Modernization and an overall decrease in belief. Take Usa-no-Kami for example, or the forgotten deity on that snowy mountain. The difference is that Usa-sama now has us as makeshift worshippers—maybe even the whole SPR gang. They believe in you, after all. Meanwhile, the other deity's worshippers are long passed on."

She nodded, letting the information sink in. Gene's natural presentation of the info reminded her that he had a high intellect despite his usual jokes and goofiness. She never fully forgot about it, but having Naru around made her accustomed to all the brilliance.

The wetness on her shirt brought her attention down to the supposed deity in her arms, who was still licking away at her shirt. Similarly, to her thoughts about Gene, sometimes she forgot Usa-sama was once a revered deity. Looking at him now chewing on her shirt, he looked no different than a pet rabbit.

Gene chuckled at the spectacle, flicking at the rabbit's tail.

"By the way, good work saving that spirit earlier," he said, his proud smile quickly dropping to one more serious. "You should be careful though. The entities here are dangerous; some would not hesitate to return the favor. You should ask Matsuzaki to teach you an offensive spell or something."

"You know, I never thought to ask."

"I'm not the brother of a prodigy for no reason," he said, winking. He sat back and placed his legs on the coffee table.

Remembering why she projected in the first place, she explained to him the aim of the earlier peer pressure.

"Oh, yeah, I've been meaning to look at how Madoka's doing. Kill two birds with one stone!" Gene led Mai out of the office to the rest of the astral plane.

With a destination in mind, the orbs fled past them rapidly before the space was reformed to show Ryokuryou High School. They stood midair near the clock at the center of the building's façade. Mai was surprised to smell the overwhelming stench of rotten flesh, much more potent than in Yasu's homeroom.

Usa-sama climbed onto her shoulder as she held her nose. Fox fires, or "wisps," littered the school, possibly in over 20 rooms. At the forefront was a giant embryo-like creature enveloped by a visually noxious energy that invoked dread from the pit of her stomach. The energy leeched out to the smaller energies within the building, feeding on them.

When she peered inside, she saw the irregulars were already back to work exorcising. It looked like Naru had them targeting rooms with the most activity that hadn't already been hit. John, Bou-san, and Ayako worked independently while Naru and Lin directed them from the base. Yasu recorded their progress on a clipboard. Madoka looked to be researching on her laptop. Lastly, Masako traversed the building to alert Naru of any changes from the exorcisms.

Just as John was at the tail end of his exorcism, the wisp in his room quickly fled to an unoccupied room. Interestingly, upon entering the space, the preexisting wisp that had already been there quickly consumed the fleeing wisp. Others followed suit following the next series of exorcisms.

They weren't just absorbing. They were devouring each other in a cruel game of, "eat or be eaten."

Goosebumps trailed up her spine as the satiated wisps pulsated and grew.

"That one's just about ready to hatch," said Gene, his brows scrunching in concern as he pointed out to one. "You can tell by its rapid energy."

"How long will it be?"

He shrugged. "Can't tell. It could be any moment now."

Masako must have noticed something was amiss in that room too. She immediately alerted everyone before heading over herself.

As if on cue, one of the ceiling lights exploded and a chair fell over, alerting Naru and Madoka to investigate.

"You don't go over when things go bump!" Mai wanted to rip her hair out watching this. "I have to get back and warn them."

"Kinda concerned when you're the voice of reason."

She rolled her eyes and ditched him, quickly pulling herself back to her body. Without a moment to wake up first, she shot up from the cot and ran out of the base. By the time she caught sight of them, it was too late.

An explosion shattered the classroom windows, had the desks and chairs flying, and threw the three SPR members back to a nearby wall. Mai yelled in shock and ran, her heart palpitating rapidly.

She cautiously approached the classroom, taking baby steps at a time in fear of what she may witness. "Na.. ru?" she called the first name that came to mind.

"We're okay," Naru replied, sounding like he had the wind knocked out of him.

The three sat against the same wall, shattered glass surrounding them.

Madoka winced, rubbing at her lower back and hip.

"Are you okay?" Mai asked.

"I think I might have bruised something but nothing horrible," Madoka said, rubbing at her right side. "Now I feel like one of those old people in the commercials for hot patches." Cracking a smile, Mai helped her up and inspected her for cuts.

Luckily, there weren't any aside from a few bruises here and there. Oh, and an odd burn on the back of her hand. Mai frowned and shared a perplexed look with Madoka.

"Did something hot in here explode?" she asked, looking around the room. There wasn't anything in there that could've been the cause—no kettles or burners.

Naru scowled and scanned himself for any burns while Masako followed suit.

"Are there any others?" Naru asked Madoka.

"I don't think so, thank the heavens." The said woman inspected her wound and opened and closed her hand to test her sensation. "Only takes one to hurt like hell."

"But where did it come from? There's nothing in here that could've burnt you like that." Mai and Naru continued to inspect the room, careful not to step over the glass remnants.

"Could it be a spiritual burn?" Masako brought a sleeve to her chin. "From the spiritual energy, perhaps?"

"That may not be an impossibility," Naru noted, adopting his thinking face.

He led everyone back to the base so Madoka could get first aid for her burn.

As they walked, Madoka sighed. "What rotten luck that only I got burnt." She pressed her mouth together to express her lack of amusement.

Masako lifted an arm to allow her sleeve to fall slightly, revealing a Buddha bead bracelet decorated with violet accents. "Maybe Mai's protection charm lessened the impact for Naru and me?"

"It may very well have."

Mai blinked in surprise, having forgotten about the charms' abilities. She had figured they were closer to good luck charms when she made them—yet here, they proved to have a stronger and more valuable effect.

It's because of your faith in Usa-sama and care for your friends that they're so effective, mentioned Gene. If you had made them haphazardly, I doubt they would've done more than waste space.

I didn't expect much when I was making them. I didn't know if they would even do anything, but… I'm so happy they worked. She outwardly smiled. It's like I did something to help protect them.

Naru glanced behind him and briefly made eye contact with her, nodding his head in a quiet acknowledgment.

If Masako noticed, she didn't say anything.

"You make protective charms as well? How do you source your power?" Rather than questioning that she could do that, Madoka instantly entered researcher mode.

Before Mai could answer, Lin came around the corner, likely on his way to the classroom to inspect what happened. Madoka ignored him and focused on Mai leaving Naru to fill him in.

"I have a pocket mirror that's possessed by a rabbit deity. I pray to him for protection on cases. He helped me bless the charms."

"Interesting… Koujo forgot to mention that in his emails," Madoka said, narrowing her eyes at the taller man. "We'll have to talk more later."


When everyone reconvened, Naru debriefed them on what had transpired in the classroom.

"How did the projection go?" asked Bou-san.

Mai tilted her head as she reviewed what she had seen. "It's like every time one of the wisps escapes an exorcism, it gets eaten by another. 'Eat or be eaten' is what it made me think of. They'll keep eating each other until only one giant powerful wisp is left! Who knows what'll happen when that thing wakes up?"

Naru's eyes suddenly widened as he pondered on her words. He whipped his head towards Lin who nodded his head.

"What are you thinking?" asked Madoka. "Perhaps a hex?"

Naru nodded. "A kodoku using spirits."

He then explained the ancient Chinese curse of using a kodoku. One gathered insects in a clay pot to fight amongst themselves until one insect remained. Regardless of the species, the winner would be deemed "a golden silkworm." If the pot is left at someone's home, the recipient wouldn't know to feed the silkworm and be devoured.

"Could the Ouija boarding have anything to do with this?" John mentioned. "Maybe that was the method to collect the spirits in one place."

"That may just be the case," Madoka agreed. "But there is still the mystery of how the hex was set up."

Mai rested her head on her arms, looking between everyone when she and Yasu made eye contact.

"Mai-chan, didn't you say the board used looked different than usual?"

She pondered for a minute. "Yeah. Instead of a Torii gate, there's a stick figure in the middle. And the whole board is encircled by the 'demon' character. Kinda weird."

Lin spun around in his chair. "Do you have a copy of this board?"

Yasu pulled out one from his folder and laid it on the table. "Not to mention that you have to bury it under a shrine and recite some kind of nonsense to dispose of it."

Upon looking at the board, Lin's face turned grave. "This is a cursed charm—to bury it at a crossroads to induce insanity. To bury it beneath a shrine, to murder someone."

"So, when this hex is complete, someone will die," Madoka finished.

"Who is this someone?" asked Ayako, crossing her arms.

"Hideharu Matsuyama."

The room turned quiet.

"Despite the students producing them and completing the rituals, it would require hundreds of them to complete this. A single of one these boards could have killed him if someone with my experience used it." Lin placed the sheet on the table and looked to Naru for direction.

Mai felt her heart drop to her stomach. Did the students know what they were doing? There was no way they could've known… yet, the newly induced nausea told a different story. Recalling what she and Yasu had discovered earlier, Sakauchi-san had been the one to introduce and spread the use of these boards. He had been the one to initiate the curse.

Without saying anything, she stood up and left the base.

"Mai?"

Ignoring the voices behind her, she sped down the hallway. Hopefully, the art club students were back by now given that some time had passed.

Knocking on the door, she slid it open to find that a few had returned, including Sakaguchi.

"Taniyama-san?" the teen in question asked upon sighting her.

She nodded in greeting before allowing her face to betray the seriousness of the situation. "Orikiri-sama… do you know the motive of it?"

Sakaguchi's eyes narrowed as the students behind him whispered amongst themselves. "What motive?"

Mai was careful with her words, ignoring the footsteps approaching from the hallway. "Did Sakauchi-san ever mention the purpose of the boards? That the intention was to kill someone?"

A student from the back stood up abruptly. "Kill someone?! No way that could be true. Sakauchi-san said it was only for bad luck, not to kill him!"

Sakaguchi frowned, silencing the student with a look. He turned back to Mai and crossed his arms. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Through the experience of a Taoist spiritualist." Naru walked forward from behind her. "This Sakauchi character may not have been the man you knew him to be. He intended to use you all to drive Matsuyama-sensei to his grave," he said, unadulterated as always.

He paused, before looking at them all squarely in the eyes. "That is, if you weren't in on it to begin with."

Sakaguchi stood up taller. "I will admit that we were led to believe this ritual would curse him with bad luck, and I'll take responsibility for that. But I swear that none of us knew anything about a death curse."

The other students nodded, fear written plainly on their faces.

"What will happen now?" asked a student. "Will Sensei really die?"

"Yes, if the ritual is completed by enough students."

"Is there a way to reverse it?" asked Mai.

Naru turned back to Lin who explained, "I will be able to reverse it, but it will be reversed back to whomever initiated and enacted the ritual—whether that be the students or Sakauchi-san, I am not sure of."

"Reversing… you mean that all of us will take the blows? How will that work?"

"Say you take the toll of death and divide it evenly amongst all the students," Naru said. "You would be lucky to escape with only scratches."

Mai shot him a glare for his tactless delivery.

The students gasped, and a girl even started crying. Sakaguchi exhaled deeply and bowed his head. "If it comes down to it, you reap what you sow. We have to take accountability for what we started."

How honorable, Mai thought.

Something still didn't sit right with her though. The students had to pay the price, but what about Sakauchi who led them to do this? Where could he take accountability? He may have passed, but his actions while he was alive were still his own that he needed to take responsibility for.

If Naru noticed the turbulence in her heart, he didn't say. Rather, he told the students there was no guarantee what would happen, but to be prepared nonetheless.

Returning to base, Mai was silent as the other discussed. She opted to look out the window to sort her thoughts.

It was unfair.

Matsuyama, who was a piece of trash, got to go scratch-free. As for Sakauchi-kun, she felt it was only right that he also shouldered the responsibility. But it would be ideal if everyone could stay unharmed.

She knew at this point that nothing was ever that convenient.

"Is there somehow a way to know who will take the brunt of it?" she asked, facing the group.

"No."

"What about Sakauchi-san? What would happen to him if he took the hit?"

"His spirit would likely be devoured as compensation," answered Lin.

Masako didn't seem to like this situation any more than she did, telling from the frown on her face. "Mai, Sakauchi-san is present. I can't communicate with him directly but perhaps you can. I would also like to know his stance on this."

Mai scanned the room for affirmation. Observing their faces now, she realized they weren't taking the news any better than she was.

"I don't think it would hurt to see," said Bou-san. "Maybe the kid'll even know how to make things work." She knew he was just trying to make her feel better.

And so, Mai found herself meditating in the corner with earplugs in. The crew was courteous enough to stay quiet enough for her to concentrate. Finding the energy that she knew was Sakauchi-san, she pulled on it, pulling herself out onto the astral plane.

*Trigger warning*

The next she blinked, she was back on the school rooftop facing Sakauchi's back.

"So, you know now, huh?"

She nodded. "And I'm sure you know what will happen now, right?"

"I can't expect a bunch of strangers to understand how I felt. This was the only way that I could teach that pig a lesson, and now you're going to squander my efforts all because of some moral holier-than-thou bullshit."

"You can't just kill people because you dislike them, even if they had done us wrong." She didn't even sound convincing to herself. "It makes you worse than them."

"Then, what about me? He practically killed me himself with his badgering and hazing. He's a vile man who deserves nothing but to rot in hell!"

Mai froze, biting her lip as his anger grew.

"Now what? You expect me to die a second time? Is that what you call justice?! The kid who gets bullied to the point of suicide gets to die a second time while the bully gets to run free?" Sakauchi's form started to change, warping between a darker energy and what she initially recognized as "him."

Alarm bells rang in her head. This was going to get ugly.

"Sakauchi-san, if you don't calm down, you'll become what you hate most," she tried to reason. "I know it's unfair, and I want to help you. I just have to figure out how."

"Let the ritual run its course. Or let the students face the consequences."

Now, she was angry. "How can you say that?! They all looked up to you and spoke so highly of you! How could you throw them away like that?"

"Where were they when Matsuyama harassed me? They just stood around, too scared to do anything. Only Sakaguchi spoke up once, but even then, it was a weak excuse for help." His voice began to distort as he wallowed in his misery.

She tried to approach him, but the negativity seared her spirit.

A crack in the plane opened to reveal a line of golden paw prints leading her to the opening. Gene's voice reverberated from the inside. "Mai, you need to get out of there. It's not safe anymore."

She nodded and followed the paw print trail. Before exiting, she turned back to Sakauchi. Pity was laden on her face as he wallowed in the negative space he'd made for himself.

She didn't know how to help anymore.


A/N: Hope you enjoyed the mega-stuffed chapter, haha!

Mai needs to stop running away without telling anyone what she's doing. Naru and Mai are about to square up with Lin. And Madoka's enjoying her vacation so far.

What are your thoughts on Sakauchi here? I always thought they presented him as ominous when he was first introduced. From what I remember, they didn't give him much screentime aside from being the "catalyst" before having him get eaten. I imagined he would be the type who would have a strong personality on the outside while being sensitive inside. I feel for him, but it doesn't excuse his actions.

Anyhow, thanks so much for reading, checking out the art dump, and commenting as you guys have! As always reading your comments makes it so much more fun to write! I'm so appreciative of everyone, especially the silent readers who came out to leave a comment last update :') It's nice to know you guys are there! It's also amazing to see how many people still return to read and write for GH!

I demand a reboot! :0

Thank you all for reading. Please let me know what you think!