Chapter 12: She's the One

Tokyo, April 2007: Day 4, Saturday

The sun began to set against the horizon.

"Should I send a television crew first thing in the morning?"

"No. There's nothing there."

Kimiko closed the curtains, then glared at the girl sitting in the hospital bed.

"Even after what happened?"

Masako huffed and looked away.

"Like I said, it was an accident. The wall broke on its own. There were no spirits involved."

Kimiko sighed.

Her niece had fallen from the second floor of an old school building. It appeared to be haunted, and yet, Masako wouldn't budge from her initial observation.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am."

Kimiko sighed again, loudly this time.

"Fine," she said

She folded her arms and stared at the kimono that was hung over the back of a chair.

The nurses had tried their best to wash away much of the stains, but to no avail. It would be a pain to pay for the cleaning costs, but at least it wasn't one of the more expensive kimono she had given to her niece. Kimiko didn't want to save up for another kimono; she had just bought a new car to replace her old one.

She would complain a little more if it had completely messed up this week's schedule, but in terms of television appearances only one small segment had been cancelled. According to the doctors, Masako hadn't been too badly injured, so at least she would be able to make it to the usual shootings later in the week.

Kimiko had reassured the show runners that Masako would be fit to go by then.

Come to think of it...

She thrust a hand into her handbag.

"By the way, Adachi-san gave me these."

Kimiko pulled a pair of tickets out and held it up in front of Masako.

The girl blinked in confusion.

"Adachi-san?"

"He managed to nab some extra tickets and told me to give these to you as a recovery present," Kimiko said. "He told me you were a fan."

Masako took the tickets and looked down with wide eyes.

"No way..."

"I didn't know you liked her."

"I told him once during a talk show..."

Kimiko hummed and sat down on a chair. She folded a leg over the other.

Adachi was one of the hosts in a minor talk show. Masako had been invited to talk about her paranormal gift a few months ago. The segment she'd appeared in was complete fluff, so Kimiko hadn't paid much attention to it at all.

"In any case, it wasn't necessary for you to stick around in a place with no ghosts," she said. "So why did you insist on staying at that school? Usually, you'd be begging to leave right away."

Masako remained silent.

Kimiko raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"...I was curious about something."

"About what?"

"A person."

She frowned.

"Who?"

Masako's gaze shifted to the side.

"...Shibuya-san."

The boy who ran Shibuya Psychic Research? According to Masako, he claimed to be a ghost hunter.

"What about him?"

Masako shook her head.

"It's nothing much. He merely seemed familiar to me," she said. "But he told me we never met."

"Then, perhaps he is a minor celebrity?"

"That's not it..."

Kimiko had seen the boy from a distance, when she'd dropped Masako off at the school. While very good-looking, enough to be a model or an upcoming actor, his face didn't ring any bell.

"True, I'd have remembered that kind of face as well."

Masako sighed.

"I'll give up then."

Kimiko snorted.

"Give up? On a good-looking guy like him? Ask Shibuya out on a date and perhaps you'll find out who he is."

"I'm not interested in him like that."

She shrugged.

"Well, you'd make a nice couple. It would make the headlines."

Kimiko could already imagine the tabloids.

Spirit medium Hara Masako is dating handsome mystery guy.

Masako frowned.

"Aunty..."

"If you hadn't turned down Mitsuru-kun..."

Mitsuru was a young and popular actor. It seemed like Masako was his type of girl; mysterious and polite.

However, her niece had turned down his invitation for a date.

"I was not interested."

"Because he wouldn't 'understand' you?" Kimiko laughed. "Naive girl."

"We've had this conversation before." Masako sighed. "It's not the real me he is seeing during the shows."

Kimiko shrugged.

"Isn't that obvious? The same goes for Mitsuru-kun. You will find out who he is once you date him. Vice versa. And what about Shibuya-san? Wouldn't he understand you perfectly? You'd be worth something in his eyes with that gift you have."

Masako crumpled the bed sheet in her hands.

"He wouldn't understand either..."

"And another medium would?" Kimiko said. "Even if Shibuya-san were a psychic, it's not guaranteed that he would understand you."

"I know, but..."

"Now that's just silly, Masako-chan," she said. "I mean, where in the world would you find another psychic of your age and fall in love with them?"

Right after she spoke those words, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Kimiko said.

When the door opened, a cold gaze fell upon her. Kimiko got up instinctively from the chair and straightened her skirt.

Sanae and Tatsuo had arrived to see their daughter.

"Kimiko," her sister said.

"Onee-san, I was just getting ready to leave."

Kimiko didn't like dealing with her sister; she always felt like walking on egg shells around Sanae. As a result, their relationship had been strained since childhood.

Her brother-in-law smiled nervously. "Then we'll wait outside."

Kimiko rolled her eyes.

"You could come in now. It's your daughter after all."

Sanae sighed.

"And she was in your care."

"Like I said before, she went out by herself," she said, pointedly staring at her older sister. "Don't blame me for her own faults."

Save for the footsteps pacing in the room, everyone was silent.

Kimiko pulled the kimono from the chair and folded it. After grabbing her handbag, she turned to look at the girl in the bed.

"Well then, Masako-chan, I'll see you tomorrow about the new schedule... Masako-chan?"

Her niece was absent-mindedly gazing down at the tickets in front of her.

She muttered something.

"So it's him..."

"What?"

"I..."

Masako looked up, then blinked at her parents as if she had only noticed them just now.

"...It's nothing."

Then she gazed at Kimiko.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Tokyo, April 2007: Day 5, Sunday

Kazumi grumbled at hearing loud footsteps on the staircase and down the hallway. She put her pencil down and opened the door of her room.

"Hey, stop running around— Oh, it's you."

Mai clapped her hands together in an apologetic gesture.

"Ahhh, Kazu-chan. I'm really sorry~."

Kazumi sighed.

"Be careful next time. This house is gonna fall apart at this rate."

Mai's jaw dropped.

"Uh oh. Is it that bad? Will it collapse?"

Did she take that seriously?

Kazumi almost burst into laughter, but the serious look on Mai's face stopped her from doing so.

"Nah, it's just old," she said, waving a hand up and down. "What's wrong? You seem to be in a hurry."

The girl groaned.

"It's just... that guy, he went up and left. I have to go back, and set up the microphones and tape recorders in the old school building."

Kazumi frowned.

Oh, that strange kid who ran a paranormal bureau. Shibuya something, was it?

"...Why did he leave?"

Mai looked down at the floor.

"Well, he was wrong about something... and then he got mad at himself."

"Huh... What happened?"

Mai sheepishly smiled.

"I don't think you'd believe it though..."

She briefly explained the situation to Kazumi, who could only nod and listen.

Wait, does that mean...

"There are ghosts there?!" Kazumi yelled.

Mai shrugged.

"We... don't know yet," she said. "So... I hope he'll come back soon."

Kazumi couldn't help but feel excited.

"Ahhh, tell me when there's more development, okay? It sounds really interesting."

"Sure, it's just... a lot of work." Mai laughed weakly.

"Really?"

"Yeah."Mai held up a plastic bag. "Anyway, I just picked up some food at the convenience store to eat here, then I'll go again."

Kazumi turned to look at the window in her room. It was going to be dark soon.

"Should I walk you there?"

"I'll be fine. Thanks."

"Alright, be careful."

Gene tapped restlessly against the counter as the last customer left.

He had tried to check up on Noll through the hotline, but his brother wouldn't let him in for some reason.

...Which meant something had happened, and Noll wasn't pleased about it.

Gene wished Noll would open up during those moments and not close up entirely to the rest of the world, including Gene himself. He could only hope that nothing serious had happened.

Fortunately, the store closed up early on Sunday. After he finished cleaning up and said his goodbye to the owner, Gene went outside and headed into the direction of his home.

"Hey Gene, how's work coming along?

Gene turned to the source of the voice and found Christopher standing in an alleyway.

What is he doing there?

He smiled at his classmate.

"Hey Chris, why are you—"

His gaze moved down to the hand moving to the front of his chest. The thing between his fingers caught Gene's attention.

A cigarette. He was already halfway done.

"This?" Christopher said. "Don't tell my parents about it."

"...Of course," Gene said.

He looked to the left and right before walking into the alleyway.

"Well, it wasn't very busy today. What have you been up to?"

"I finished up my homework at the library," Christopher said. "Wanna talk for a while? Or do you need to go home right away?"

Gene thought about Noll for a moment.

No, he should be fine.

"...I can stick around for a minute."

Gene leaned against the wall beside him, then stared at the cigarette.

Christopher never brought cigarettes to school, so he never knew.

"You smoke often, Chris?"

"No, I tried one out for the first time just now."

"Huh? Then why?"

"I found this pack in my bookcase yesterday. I think my cousin stashed it in there," he said, handing over a green-coloured pack over to Gene.

He stared at the packaging. Golden Bat. A Japanese brand.

He shook the pack a little bit. It seemed like there were still plenty of cigarettes left.

"Your cousin?"

His friend frowned.

"Yeah, that bastard came over last summer. His parents don't know that he smokes. If my ma had found this, I'd be in big trouble," Christopher said, "But I thought I might as well give it a try since I can't buy it myself."

As they were still minors, it was difficult to get ahold of them.

"I see..." Gene said. "Are you going to keep these for yourself?"

"Nah, I'm going to throw these away," he said. "I'm not going to risk anything."

"Then can I have it?" Gene said. "It's a waste."

Christopher blinked.

"Uh, okay..."

"Thanks."

Gene opened the pack and pulled one out.

"...Need a flame?" Christopher handed him a lighter. "You can have this too."

"Yeah, that will come in handy."

After taking the lighter, Gene put the tip of the cigarette between his lips.

Suck, breathe out, breathe in.

Strangely enough it was automatism at this point. He hadn't forgotten how to do it.

The taste was a little strange, uneven.

After exhaling, Gene looked at his friend again. He was met with a shocked expression.

"You, you're a smoker?" Christopher said.

In his eyes, Gene must have come off as a well-practiced smoker.

"Not regularly. ...I haven't had a fag since I started living in Japan."

It took Christopher a moment to process this information.

"How did you start out?"

"Hmm, I was fourteen or fifteen? A friend offered me some."

Some? Probably too many.

"...That's early."

Gene smiled wryly.

"Does it surprise you?"

His classmate nodded multiple times.

"Are you mad? You're the top of our year! Anyone would think that you're a good boy who studies all day."

Gene chuckled.

The clean image he had created of himself wasn't intentional.

Sure, he was good at studying. But he didn't use to be this way all the time.

Both his parents and Noll knew that he significantly underperformed compared to what he was capable of. It wasn't until this school year that Gene put some serious effort into studying, and that was only because he wanted to show them he was sincere about staying in Japan. In terms of academic results, he was always a few steps behind his brother.

Gene didn't care. He much preferred hanging out with people and having fun in life, rather than having ambitions.

"Well, I'm not a good boy. That's only what they want to see."

Christopher smiled.

"Now I'm curious. Is there anything else I don't know?"

Gene took another drag before answering.

"Well... I can drive a car?"

His friend frowned.

Gene could almost see him doing the math inside his head.

"...How did you-"

"Back home I snuck out at night with that friend. He borrowed his older brother's car to practice driving."

"...Did your parents find out about this?"

"...No, but my brother did," Gene said after a small sigh.

"What else did you do? Alcohol?"

"Uh, yeah. The same guy gave me some beer too."

Christopher's voice became strained.

"You didn't drive after that, I hope."

Gene shook his head violently.

"No! Of course not!" he said. "I only did it because I was curious."

Christopher frowned.

"Are you sure it's just that? You were really young. You weren't pressured into doing those things, I hope?"

His jaw dropped. That was what he was worried about?

He sighed a little.

As much as he had liked Craig, even Gene had to admit to that the guy had been a bad influence on him.

"No, no. Not at all. I really liked that guy, so I kind of went along with all the things he did?"

Christopher's expression became less tense.

"Okay, if you say so..."

Gene looked down at his cigarette. Nearly all of the tobacco in the cigarette had burned up.

"Do you still talk to him?"

He sighed and flicked the ash off.

"No."

Ever since that one message he had not been in contact with Craig. He didn't feel like it would be a good idea either. Who knows what Craig is up to these days...

Christopher was right. He'd been too easily influenced by an older guy like him.

"Okay, um so. Is there anything else you would like to try?"

"Huh?"

His voice sounded uncertain, so Gene turned to look at him.

Christopher had been staring at him intently again, but he averted his eyes up at the sky.

"Only wholesome things."

Gene had to chuckle.

So he's worried...

"Wholesome, huh? Hmm let me think..." Gene took this moment to take his last drag. There was something he wanted to do, but it would take a lot of courage to make the first step. And he wasn't sure what kind of reactions he would receive. "...Well, there is one thing."

"What?"

He pointed a finger at his head.

"Dye my hair. Have any tips?"

His friend grimaced.

"But you need to touch up your roots. It's annoying. I stopped after my first attempt."

Gene shrugged.

"I know, but I could dye it black after a while?"

"True," he said. "There's a good place I know. My sister gets her hair done there too."

"Thanks," Gene said, stuffing the pack of cigarettes into his bag, "but let's talk about this tomorrow,"

"Heading home now?"

"Yeah. I'm famished."

"Me too. I'll see you tomorrow then."

After parting ways with his friend, Gene headed back to his flat. He opened the door and stepped inside his home.

The shoe rack in the entranceway held several pairs of shoes. Noll's shoes were all present.

So he got home already, Gene thought.

Good.

He let out a drawn out yawn while taking off his shoes. The whole day of working and simultaneously worrying about his brother had exhausted him.

Gene wandered into the living room and found his brother on the sofa.

As expected, Noll didn't budge from his position or bothered to greet him. The only thing that prevented Gene from happily greeting him was the deep scowl on his face. Noll was sulking.

So that's why he wasn't letting him in the whole day. Something did happen.

"What happened?"

His brother didn't reply. He merely scowled at the table.

Gene's gaze moved down. There was a wound on Noll's hand. The blood had clotted already.

"You're hurt," Gene said. "Aren't you going to treat that wound?"

"Mind your own business."

His voice was cold.

He heard Lin's voice in the kitchen.

"I offered, but he wouldn't let me."

He groaned.

"Stubborn idiot, let people help you for once."

Gene sat down next to him on the couch. He took Noll's arm and stared at the wound.

"It's just a small cut—"

Suddenly, Noll froze up.

Gene looked up to meet his eyes. Noll was staring at him with a look of disgust.

(You smell... Did you smoke?)

Gene gulped and inwardly scolded himself. So it was noticeable. He shouldn't have taken up Christopher's offer.

(...My friend smokes.)

Noll sighed and looked away.

He didn't look convinced; he was side-eyeing Gene with a hard expression.

At least Noll had the decency to keep the topic private, even if he was angry. Well, it would have been a different story if he was pissed with Gene, but that didn't seem to be the case right now.

(You're in trouble if Lin finds out.)

Noll didn't say anymore and stared down at the notebook in his lap.

Shit.

Gene glanced back at Lin who stood near the kitchen counter, still with a crutch. Somehow he was able to cook despite the sprained leg.

There was no way Lin would believe his excuse.

Lin himself was a smoker, but he would not hesitate to inform their parents. Luella and Martin practically forbade the twins from smoking.

He rose up from the sofa.

"...I'm going to take a shower."

Without waiting for a response from the other two, Gene headed to his room for a new change of clothes. After his quick shower and brushing his teeth just in case, he joined Noll and Lin at the dinner table. Luckily, Lin didn't seem to have noticed anything.

Noll had bandaged up his hand, but completely refused to talk about the case. It was Lin who quietly updated him on the details instead.

Gene sighed as he seated himself in the sofa. He watched the television, but nothing could interest him.

He could only think about Noll.

His brother hated being wrong. It caused him to be low-spirited and feel anger at himself. Especially if it had dire consequences.

Gene didn't feel the same way about making mistakes. Making a mistake simply meant to keep on trying and bouncing back from the failure.

Gene gazed at the notebook on the coffee table.

What if I...

He began to assess the situation.

The case was far from over, so perhaps he could lend a hand in some way.

I could give it a try.

After Noll headed to bed early to sleep, Gene took took the notebook and paged through it. Luckily, he was blessed with excellent memorization, much like his brother. But Gene had even better spatial abilities. He looked up the location of the school on his laptop, taking note of the notable landmarks.

After he was done, Gene turned off the television and decided to go sleep.

He sat on his bed and looked at Noll who slept on the opposite side.

The injury had looked pretty bad.

Gene stared down at his own hands and bit his lip.

Will it leave a scar?

Eventual scars were inevitable, but for some reason it made him uneasy. Having identical bodies was something that linked them together, something that only the two of them shared. This was only a small injury, but... what if it escalated any further?

He sighed.

To think that he had hesitated about dying his own hair into a different color until a few hours ago...

Gene went under the covers of his bed and closed his eyes.

Tokyo, April 2007: Day 6, Monday

Gene sat up and turned his head to the side. Noll was still sleeping.

He looked at the window right beside him and focused on what was beyond the wall. Thinking physical structures away opened up spaces. After all, the wall didn't exist in the astral plane. He could see an outline of the surroundings beyond the apartment building.

After the case with the dead girl, he had not seen any other significant spirits lingering around. It wasn't likely that anything would try to inhibit his body while he was off on a trip, so it was probably fine to leave for an extended period.

Time to go.

Gene lifted himself out of his body and flew through the window.

After observing his surroundings for a moment, he headed into the direction of the school's location.

The city was enormous.

Enormous, but beautiful.

For that reason, he loved stepping out of his body and go out into the city. He had already explored his own neighbourhood back in Cambridge, which wasn't that exciting, but Tokyo was a different beast. All those unexplored nooks and crannies had filled his mind with possibilities.

But first, he had to find the school.

Fortunately, he was able to find its location with relative ease. Memorizing the landmarks had been sufficient.

Once he arrived, he spotted a familiar van.

I'm at the right place.

Gene hovered above above the van and noticed a small group of people.

Some people were standing or sitting a bit further away from the van. They looked to be half-asleep or sleeping. It didn't seem like the replacement assistant was with them. The beautiful woman who was with them looked much older than a high school girl - the 'miko'. One of the men was a short blonde foreigner — definitely the 'catholic priest'. The taller, somewhat handsome man with medium-long hair appeared to be the 'monk'.

Gene smiled wryly.

Though their job titles did not seem credible, at least they didn't look like bad people.

Still, something bothered him.

The longer he stared at them, the more familiar they seemed. Had he seen them somewhere before?

Gene shook his head. He should get right on the job. There wasn't much time left.

He stared at the old building next to them and proceeded to dissect it until there was nothing left of it but the bare structure.

Hara Masako was right. It didn't contain any spirits. Gene came closer to make sure, but he found nothing.

Gene stood beside the group for a while.

What were they doing there? They could have gone home instead.

He took another look at them, and noticed that the monk's half lidded eyes were locked on the van.

Gene returned to the vehicle. The doors were slightly open.

Could it be?

He peeked into the van and found someone sleeping in the back.

A girl.

Is it her?

Gene paused to look at the girl.

Her astral head lolled around outside her physical body, as if trying to escape from it, but it never did.

This girl appeared to be capable of leaving her body, but she seemed to need a little push to do it.

Should I help her?

Before he could attempt to do so, the girl got up from her body. Her head lifted for a moment, but then settled down again.

He frowned.

If he recalled correctly, she was at least capable of taking a walk outside her body, though not in a lucid state of mind.

But why did she up like this? Had something happened to her?

Without much thought, Gene moved forward and put a hand on her forehead. Something flowed through it. A feeling. A very familiar feeling. It really was this girl.

"Who is it..."

Her voice was weak.

The girl opened her eyes slowly and seemed to become aware of him.

Gene blinked.

"...Naru?"

Ah, Noll's nickname.

Gene was about to correct her out of habit, but she didn't seem to be in a state to handle further confusion. And, what if she mentioned it to Noll? So he would play this part for now.

"It's better not to move," he said.

"But—"

Gene smiled.

A look of surprise crossed her face.

"...It would be great if you'd always smile like that."

He inclined his head. It didn't surprise him that she would think of Noll that way.

She asked, "...Is anyone nearby?"

The others? He couldn't exactly call for the others to come if she asked.

"No," Gene said with a soft voice.

"...Really," the girl said. "...You know, it's a shame. but it does seem to be a poltergeist..."

"I see."

Gene pondered.

A poltergeist, huh. I wonder how she figured it out...

"You shouldn't mind it so much."

So Noll was visibly upset when he left?

Gene shook his head. "That doesn't matter anymore. You should sleep for a while."

"Okay..." She said, making another look of confusion. "...Thank you."

Gene shook his head once again with a dumb smile on his face.

Pretending to be Noll was probably a bad idea in the long run, but given the situation... It was better to gain her trust quickly by using Noll's name, and let her think of it as a dream rather than a reality in the astral plane.

She closed her eyes again.

Gene watched her.

Her face was familiar for some reason, but not only that...

He looked down at his hand.

Something had flowed through it. It had been very familiar feeling. A deep sadness and loneliness.

Why?

The girl groaned and began to regain conscious.

Time to go.

Gene closed his eyes and travelled back to his body. It was faster this way since his spirit had a natural connection to his body. He idly wondered if he could find the girl again by connecting to those familiar feelings next time. There was something between them, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

However, Gene fell into a deep sleep as he thought about those things.

It was already morning when his eyes opened again.

He groaned and rolled over to the other side of the bed.

He found his brother changing into black trousers and a dark pullover.

"Ugh."

Noll turned around at the grunt.

"You're awake already?"

"...What time is it?"

"Six."

Gene groaned.

He should get up after an hour. After all, it was Monday and he had to go to school.

"Will you be alright?"

"I've already found out what it is," Noll said. "A human is responsible for the poltergeists."

"Okay."

Looks like I don't have to tell him what I saw last night.

Gene turned in his bed and continued to sleep.

After getting up, he found Lin sitting in the living room with his laptop.

"Morning Lin."

"Good morning. Noll has already left."

"Yeah, I saw."

Gene trudged to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

It had some eggs, so he decided to make over easy eggs over bread. Just the way he liked it.

"What's the plan?"

"He's going to set up an autosuggestion."

Lin seemed to be in relatively good spirits.

Good.

Gene didn't know whether he would last another day with an overly grumpy Lin.

"...Right," Gene said. "How's your leg?"

"There's some recovery, so I might be able to drive the van back tomorrow."

On his way to school, Gene couldn't help but think about the girl.

He wanted to ask for her name, but Noll would find it suspicious if he did so at this stage.

According to Noll's visions, a girl would come to work in the office, and it had to be her. But at the moment, Noll didn't seem to be aware of her latent ability to exit her body, so Gene wondered why Noll would hire her.

The girl remained in the back on his mind as Monday passed by slowly without much fanfare.

Noll returned late in the evening, after having set up the experiment with the catholic priest and the girl, but he was in a much better mood than the day before.

Tokyo, April 2007: Day 7, Tuesday

On Tuesday morning, Lin claimed that his leg had recovered sufficiently enough in order to drive the van. Somehow Gene doubted it and told them to ask someone for help instead.

However, his advice would be ignored; Noll helped Lin to the train station early in the morning, and a few hours later, Noll relayed a quick message to Gene, saying they had solved the case without much trouble.

In the afternoon, Noll passed another message through the hotline.

The principal had called the office and told Noll that the old school building had collapsed. It had occurred just a few hours after they had solved the case.

Noll had expected the building to deteriorate, but not at such a rapid pace.

To Gene's disappointment, there was still no mention of the girl. He wanted to ask about her if she came up in their conversation, but it seemed like things had ended just like that.

Gene couldn't help but have mixed feelings about this. Even so, they had no reason to reach out to her in the first place.

He was already at home when the other two returned early from the office.

Noll sat down in the living room with a book, and once again, Lin was preparing food in the kitchen.

Gene had offered to help him, but he refused as usual.

So he sat down in front of the television and flipped channels.

He briefly glanced at Noll. There was a visible frown on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"It doesn't seem like nothing."

Noll put his book down and took his cup of tea from the table.

"I asked the principal about the girl."

Gene focused his eyes on him.

"...Her name is Taniyama Mai."

Noll turned toward him with a steady gaze.

"And she's an orphan."

Like us.

"Ah..."

So that's why...

The sadness, the loneliness... Gene understood now. It all made sense.

(Is Mai the one?) He asked through the hotline. (Haruka's friend.)

(She's the one.)

Gene hesitated asking the next question.

(...Then what about the others on the case. Did they seem familiar to you too?)

Noll paused the cup in front of his lips.

(Why do you ask?)

(A gut feeling.)

(...Yes.)

Noll didn't say any more.

So these people... Will they work together with Noll on the cases? And... were they possibly the ones in the room where Noll would have died? And Mai, was she there too?

But first, Mai had to be hired. Would Noll do it? Even after she injured Lin and broke a camera?

Gene stared at his brother.

"Well... What will you do about Mai?"

A faint smile crossed his brother's lips.

"Hire her, of course."

Tokyo, April 2007: Day 10, Friday

Noll sat on the couch at the center of the main room.

There was a book in his hand, but he found it difficult to concentrate on his reading.

A lot had happened during the case at the old school building. Not only in terms of the case itself, but also the people who had crossed his path.

Mai, John, Ayako, Masako and Takigawa.

Noll knew he would encounter them again. Some of them were people who got along with the focus person in Haruka's precognitive visions — now confirmed to be Mai.

And she was an orphan too.

If there was one thing he knew about being an orphan is that it was a particularly bad experience — whether it was bereaved of parents or abandoned by them, he knew what it was like.

That's why he had called her school and asked if she would be interested in a part-time job, and unsurprisingly, Mai had said yes. She would come over tomorrow.

However, since Noll and Gene had each other when they were orphaned, he couldn't fully comprehend how it must have been for Mai who was truly all alone. He wondered how it would have been if Gene was placed in that situation if Noll hadn't survived their childhood home. How would Gene have coped alone?

Noll shook his head.

For some reason he had unconsciously compared Mai and Gene.

It couldn't be helped. Those two were quite similar. And, they'd probably get along well with each other.

Noll reached out to grab the cup of tea from the coffee table.

In the end he understood the reasons for hiring Mai.

At first, Noll didn't think it was truly necessary to take a part-timer. But, if it helped her situation, and rid Lin and him of trivial tasks, then why not? Two in one go.

He let out a sigh and stared at the cup in his hand.

The tea was too bitter for his taste.

Rapid knocks on the door alerted him of a new presence.

Noll looked up to see the door sway open.

The visitor greeted him with a cheerful voice.

"Hello!"

A mop of brown hair poked out of the gap, a boy of the same height, age, stature and face came through the door.

"Tadaa! Thought I'd surprise you!"

Noll found himself unable to reply. His gaze was fixed on the brown hair. It had finally happened without a single warning.

They were no longer identical.

His twin brother proudly ran a hand through his freshly dyed hair.

Noll wasn't able to hide his shock and stared.

"...What's with your face?" Gene asked, raising an eyebrow, then widening his eyes. "Whoa! Watch out."

Noll glanced down at the nearly overflowing cup and steadied it, almost cursing his brother for nearly causing a mess.

"Gene," he said, putting the cup back on the table.

"What?"

Noll looked up again and spoke with as much disdain as possible.

"You look awful."

His brother's face fell.

"...What! This is the first time you tell me that I'm not looking great."

"No, I look great. You look terrible."

Gene rolled his eyes.

"Noll. I only dyed my hair. It's nothing special. People do it all the time."

He shrugged.

"Thank you for confirming that it doesn't suit us at all."

"Whatever you say~"

"Dye it black again," Noll said.

It almost pained him to think he would be seeing this sight for quite a while.

"Yes, I know that's your favorite color right now, but I'm not you," Gene said, walking over to him. "So what's up? Had any new requests?"

"No." He closed his book with a sigh. "Why did you come to the office again?"

Gene leaned against the sofa.

"I happened to be in the neighbourhood... Is it really that much of a problem?" he said. "I mean, I'm fine with telepathy, but sometimes it's easier to drop by and meet face-to-face."

"We can talk at home."

"But, we hardly meet these days."

Noll let out a sigh.

It was true, he had not spoken to Gene very often for about a few weeks. Both of them stayed late at work or school, only coming home to eat or to sleep. Noll had his investigation case, while Gene had been leading study group sessions with his classmates. Apparently, they had organized some, because Gene turned out to be a very good tutor. On top of that his social life seemed to be flourishing.

He got up from the couch, briefly glancing at the data room.

Lin didn't need to hear about this.

"Let's take it to my room," Noll said, walking into his office.

"Alright."

Gene followed and closed the door behind him.

"So, should we meet elsewhere?"

Noll sat down in his chair.

"Where do you suggest we meet?"

"At the cafe downstairs?"

Noll frowned.

"I'd rather not be seen there with you."

Gene tilted his head.

"Okay? Then why don't you suggest a place?"

Noll leaned his elbows on the table and supported his chin with fist.

It had to be a place where they couldn't be seen by the general public or by people who would visit the office.

At this point he found no reason to not introduce Mai to his brother as a potential associate. In the last couple of days he often found himself thinking of letting Gene on the cases — foregoing Haruka's advice. Noll found it hard to replace him by someone else with a lesser ability, and he also wasn't sure to what extent he could trust Masako's ability to see ghosts.

A perfect medium like Gene was hard to come by — his brother always gave him the results he could trust.

Yet, at the same time Noll hated how dependent he had become on his twin brother. On top of that, Gene had become very pushy over wanting to see his psychometric visions. Noll didn't want it. There was no need for him to suffer through things like that.

How frustrating.

Noll looked at his brother, who no longer stood in front of him.

Gene's attention had wandered to the bookcases.

A place, where no one can see us.

Noll opened the drawer of his desk and took out a key.

"The rooftop," he said.

Gene turned with a look of surprise.

"The rooftop? Isn't that off limits for visitors?"

"Apparently not. Some people regularly go up there for some fresh air." He threw the key at Gene, who caught it. "You can have this. Just let me know if you head up to the roof. I'll meet you there."

Gene whistled.

"Not bad! It might have some interesting scenery."

"Don't expect too much. There are a lot of crows up there," Noll said with smirk.

He had never been on the roof, but the previous owner of the keys had seen quite a lot of that nuisance.

"Well, I hope they won't mind some company — Huh?" Gene blinked and looked over at the door. "Lin is leaving?"

They could hear footsteps, and the sound of a crutch. Lin seemed to be heading to the exit.

Noll shook his head. "No, someone came in."

A muffled female voice could be heard.

"A visitor?" Gene said.

Lin returned and knocked on the door before opening it.

His head poked through the gap.

"We have a visitor," he said, staring at Noll and Gene. "It's Hara-san."

The twin brothers exchanged glances.

For some reason, Noll had a bad feeling about this.

(Stay here,) he ordered.

His brother protested through the line.

(Huh? Why? I want to meet her!)

He glared. Gene took the hint and backed away.

Then Noll returned to the main room, closing the door.

Masako stood in front of the entrance, wearing a kimono as usual.

Her eyes lit up at his presence.

"Shibuya-san, it's a pleasure to meet you again."

"Likewise," he said with a thin smile. "It seems like you've recovered well."

Masako smiled. "Thank you, and yes I did."

"Please sit down."

They sat down on the sofas opposite each other. Lin watched over them behind Noll.

"Why do I owe this visit from you, Hara-san?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"Well."

Masako paused for a moment, glancing from Noll to Lin and back again.

"I think I know who you are."

For a few seconds, no sound other than outside the building filled the room.

Noll stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Your name is not Shibuya Kazuya."

There it was.

He folded his arms.

"If I am not Shibuya Kazuya as you just claimed. Who am I?"

She looked straight at him.

"Dr. Oliver Davis."

There was no hesitation in her voice.

Noll stared hard at her. It was just like Haruka predicted.

Masako started to explain.

"I was invited to ASPR about a year ago. They showed me that video of your PK demonstration... It left a very deep impression on me," Masako said. "...And, it's not often that I see a boy of around my age capable of such a feat."

Noll let out a sigh.

"I see."

That was all he could say to her.

He wished he had not agreed to a recording of that experiment. Or at the very least he shouldn't have shown his face clearly.

"I have a question. Why do you work under an alias?" Masako asked.

Noll gazed at her face again.

"I have my own reasons."

She frowned at his answer.

"And why have you come to Japan?"

"It's none of your concern," he said in a monotonous voice.

Masako tilted her head.

"Is that so?"

"I'm not obliged to answer any of your questions," he replied. "It would make me happy if you could keep that information to yourself."

Masako only blinked at his response.

"Hara-san?"

She put a sleeve in front of her mouth. Her eyes smiled.

"Very well. Then I'll promise to keep it secret for you."

"Promise?"

"Yes, it's a promise."

Masako seemed to enjoy the notion of that, but Noll could only shift uneasily in his seat. Behind him, Lin coughed lightly.

The atmosphere had grown tense, but Masako didn't seem to pick on their discomfort. She stood up with a smile, taking her purse with her.

"In any case, I'll bid you farewell for now... But," she said, "why don't we meet up again?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Meet up? Why?"

"Well, I'd love to talk to you in private."

What?

"I'd rather not..."

Masako didn't listen to his protest.

"As a start, will you accompany me tomorrow night, Shibuya-san?"

Noll widened his eyes.

"Tomorrow?"

"I bought two tickets to a movie."

Noll's heartbeat sped up for a few seconds.

What's the meaning of this...? What would happen if he said no?

He looked down at the floor.

Visions of unanswered letters, entire boxes full of them, unanswered, flashed through his mind.

"Shibuya-san?"

Her voice felt heavy on him. Gene was knocking against the door of the hot line.

(Not now, not now.)

He didn't want to, but, but—

But.

Finally, he let out a deep sigh.

"I'll go," Noll said, looking at her again. "I'll accompany you."

Once again, she smiled behind her sleeve.

"I am very glad to hear that."

He nodded slowly.

"Well then, I will see you tomorrow."

Masako walked back to the entrance, and bowed lightly before she left through the door.

Author's note

Hey! I'm back. 😅

First of all, Masako's parents and aunt Kimiko were taken from the short story "Trajectory of a Satellite" (it's on livejournal), which I highly recommend for further insight into Masako's family background. It will also be helpful to read it before you continue to the next chapter of this fic!

Secondly, to explain my absence... I wanted to focus on some other things, so I took a break from Ghost Hunt. However, it took a bit longer to come back, because I also got roped into becoming a translator for one of the Japanese participants in Produce 48. Unfortunately, I am the only active translator for that fandom, so it got hectic to the point that I wasn't even able to join Nanowrimo 2018. But now that it's settled down a bit, I can finally return my focus to Crows. 😅 At last.