PSC Series: The Haunted Celebrity | 3/XX
Title: PSC Series: The Haunted Celebrity
Chapter: 03
Author: アキ
Fandom: the GazettE, SCREW, Alice Nine, more to come
Disclaimer: I don't own the guys. Just the story.
Pairings: AoixRuki, ByouxRui, probably more to come
Genre: AU, horror, supernatural
Rating: PG, for now
Summary: "PSC, which stands for Paranormal Studies Center, is an institution whose main object is to investigate various paranormal and supernatural events. This is the Department of Investigation and Recovery, where all investigative tasks are being done. My name is Kai, and I am the head of this Department. Welcome. How may I help you?"
Chapter 3
Monday morning, nine a.m., the Department of Investigation and Recovery was already bustling with noises. Kai was sitting behind his desk, a cup of latte in front of him, and a bundle of contract papers in his hands. He had spent his weekend summarizing his meeting with Shiroyama Yuu, which hadn’t been that difficult to do because everything was still fresh in his memory. Page four to five in the contract consisted of his conclusion of Shiroyama Yuu’s story, compiled in several points. The last page was still unsigned-that’s why they had agreed on an appointment today. Yuu should be here around ten a.m.; he told Kai that he would be able to make a quick stop before going to work. But before he arrived, Kai would like his assistant to read the papers once again to check for mistakes.
Speaking of which, he hadn’t had the chance to talk to Ruki since they left the office Saturday night. He was still curious as to what had come over his usually-usually calm assistant the other day. Looking across the small space between his desk and Ruki’s, he could see the young man was absorbed with his little black agenda book-the book that he carried almost everywhere. The dark pair of eyes behind those large-framed glasses seemed so focused at whatever he was reading in his book.
Deciding it was best if he did not postpone any longer, Kai called his assistant. “Ruki, I need you to check this out.”
Ruki rose up from his seat, carrying his agenda along, and walked toward Kai’s desk. He sat before Kai and reached out for the papers. Kai handed the whole bundle to him, but just before Ruki began reading, he lowered his voice and asked him what he had been meaning to ask.
“About the other day,” Kai said, making sure no one else but the two of them could hear his voice. “What was wrong with you?”
Ruki stuttered, “W-what… There’s nothing wrong with me.”
Kai shook his head, unimpressed. Did Ruki really think that, after all these years, Kai hadn’t already memorized his behavior? And moreover, Ruki was probably the worst liar Kai had ever met in his entire life. His smallest action betrayed his effort in hiding his feelings.
That’s why Kai had never considered putting him in Undercover section.
“Well,” Kai drew a deep breath, hoping it would give the effect he wanted on Ruki. “Forgive this fussy man for worrying about you. I just thought you might be stressed out or something.”
Kai lowered his sight, pretending to type something on his laptop, secretly watching Ruki’s reaction. And just as he had expected, Ruki looked restless-as if he was feeling guilty for making Kai worried, like Kai said he was. If Kai was to be honest, it was a little cruel of him to be playing with Ruki’s emotion like this, but it was purely for Ruki’s own sake. The last thing Kai needed in his office was a staff who couldn’t concentrate with his work, especially Ruki, considering his important role as Kai’s assistant.
“I’m sorry, Kai-san,” Ruki said.
Kai lifted his gaze, and nearly shocked himself seeing the color of Ruki’s face. The young man looked as if someone had slapped him hard across the face; his cheeks were bright red and Kai swore he could feel the heat coming from them despite the cold air blowing from the air conditioner above his head.
“It’s embarrassing, really,” Ruki continued. “Aoi-I mean, Shiroyama Yuu was my senior in high school. I was just shocked of seeing him again after such a long time.”
Kai nodded. “Why didn’t you just greet him the other day?”
“He wouldn’t recognize me,” Ruki answered, a hint of dejectedness in his voice. “It’s been years since graduation, which was when I last saw him. I don’t think he knows me by my name-on second thought, I don’t think he even knew me even by my real name. I was such a recluse in high school, no one ever bothered to talk to me, let alone him.” He sighed, “Anyhow, you’re the one who doesn’t allow us to reveal our identities to anyone, even the clients.”
A brief laughter escaped Kai’s mouth. “You’re good at getting back at me,” he said light-heartedly. “But will it be okay? I was planning to put you in this case since it’s most likely your expertise, but if you think you’re not comfortable with the job-or the client, in this matter-then I’ll get someone else.”
Ruki quickly shook his head. “No, Kai-san, I’ll be fine. I can’t let something like this affect my work.”
Kai smiled. As expected of his assistant, he always pushed himself so hard. That was probably the reason why Kai had always trusted him with most of the Department’s work, and why he had appointed him as assistant in the first place.
“Alright then,” Kai nodded, deciding he should just give up on the matter. If Ruki said he could handle it, then Kai was sure he could handle it. “You can take the papers and see if there’s anything I need to add. You should get prepared because Shiroyama Yuu will be here anytime soon. Oh, and will you please ask Byou, Hiroto, Ayame, and Shou to join us for the meeting? We’ll probably need Uruha too, but where on earth is that guy?!”
***
At fifteen minutes past ten, Kai and his staff had gathered in the meeting room. Uruha, who had just shown up five minutes before, was sitting beside Ruki, a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes. It wasn’t hard to guess that he had spent the night before doing what he liked best: drinking. Especially after every weekend, he usually showed up at the office swaying from a hangover, slightly grouchy and unresponsive to anyone, but thankfully, to this point it had never affected his work. He was one of the best Séances that the Department currently employed, so it was almost impossible not to involve him in every case that the Department had ever handled.
Right in front of Uruha, across the desk, was Shou. As usual, he looked perfectly styled. He was wearing a royal blue shirt with black vest, his caramel-colored hair was gently teased, and a dazzling smile was stretched wide on his face; he looked almost like a model plucked right out of a fashion magazine. At the moment, he was smiling at his cup of latte as if it was the most wonderful thing in the world.
Despite his appearance, Shou was a very competent Exorcist-a rather heartless one, in fact. If Kai was to be honest, Shou scared him sometimes, but of course he never let Shou or any of his staff knew this. He was keeping it as a precaution, so that he would make the mistake of underestimating Shou’s ability.
Right next to Shou was one of the three female investigators in the Department, who went by the name Ayame. She was a woman with childish features-thin body, small face, and large, doll-like eyes-which was the reason why people often mistook her as a teenage high school student. But she was far from being a teenage high school; no one would have ever guessed that she was actually a mature, twenty six year old woman, and she had been working in PSC for four years. She hadn’t always been in Kai’s Department, but she started in the Administration Department first before everyone realized what an excellent Analyst she would make. And that’s what she was now: an Analyst, and one of the best people that the office had ever employed.
Next on the list of the staff Kai had invited to join the meeting were Byou and Hiroto. Both of them were representatives from their specialty, which was Astral Aura Detection. Byou was invited because he had been present when Yuu visited Saturday night, but since Kai couldn’t trust Byou to be focused throughout the meeting (that’s just how Byou was), he invited Hiroto as well. Hiroto was three years Byou’s junior, lacking of experience, but at least he could keep Byou on track.
Inside the meeting room, both of the Astral Aura Detection agents were sitting side by side around the table, Hiroto busy chirping like a bird, constantly nudging Byou to tell him what had happened last Saturday. Byou looked quite irritated that, if Kai didn’t start the meeting soon, he would soon reach for the nearest ashtray and smash it against Hiroto’s face.
As if an answer to Kai’s worries, the actor himself showed up on the door, large sunglasses covering almost half his face. He wasn’t wearing his hat this morning; Kai suspected he didn’t want to ruin his very neat hairdo. He had on a black, long-sleeved shirt, black denim pants, and a long chain of gothic-looking necklace hanging down to his chest. He looked… well, he looked just like what he was: a celebrity; and Kai bet that he must have a shooting or something to do later today.
“I’m sorry I’m a bit late,” said the actor. “I wasn’t expecting the traffic to be so awful.”
Kai smiled, shaking Yuu’s hand and led him into the room. He took a seat right next to Uruha, who immediately turned around and stared at Yuu, flabbergasted. But before Uruha could say anything, Hiroto butted in loudly.
“Aoi! You’re Aoi, right?! Oh my God, I love your latest movie!”
Kai believed Hiroto would have climbed over the table had Byou not stopped him and kept him on his seat. For a moment he wondered if it had been a mistake inviting Hiroto to this meeting.
“Please calm down, Hiroto, you’re going to scare off our client,” Kai spoke up, eyeing his staff sternly. Hiroto shut his mouth, but obviously he was having a hard time to keep still on his seat. “Now, everybody, I’d like you to meet Shiroyama Yuu-san, our new client-well, he will be our new client as soon as he signs the contract.”
Yuu stood up, took off his sunglasses and bowed. “I’m pleased to meet all of you.”
Kai proceeded to introduce the staff attending the meeting, and then explained what had brought Yuu to their office.
“Saturday night, just as I, Ruki and Byou were cleaning the office after the mess everybody made last week,” Kai emphasized on the last part of the sentence, making sure he glared into everyone’s eyes, “Yuu-san visited and told us of the incidents that he has been experiencing lately. In front of each of you is the summary that I’ve written after the conversation, photocopied from the contract. I want you to read it, and as soon as you’re done, we will continue with deciding our actions and who will be members of the team.”
Kai gave everyone fifteen minutes to read the summary, and afterward, he handed the bundle of contract papers to Yuu.
“You can wait until we’re finished talking about our action plan before you sign it,” he told Yuu, but Yuu shook his head.
“I trust that you are professionals in this matter,” he said, smiling, and skimmed through the papers until he found the page where he should put his signature. There seemed to be no doubt in his expression when he took the pen that Kai offered and scribbled his signature on the bottom of the paper.
Kai smiled wide. “Thank you. We’ll do our best to help you, Yuu-san.”
“I know you will.” Yuu nodded, and sat back, looking elated. He had a look on his face that seemed to be telling Kai the burden-or a small part of it, at least-he had been carrying had been lifted off of his back, just by signing the contract.
***
At exactly eleven o’clock, the meeting was over. Shiroyama Yuu had just got into the elevator that would take him to the basement where his car was parked. He said he had a shooting scheduled at eleven thirty; Kai could only pray that he could get there in time. To be able to cross the distance in today’s traffic would be quite a miracle.
Despite the limited time, the meeting went smoothly. In the end they had agreed on a number of things, like the investigators that would be responsible for the initial inspection, and when they should start. As he had previously told Ruki, his assistant would be in the team, along with Hiroto and Ayame. Tomorrow morning they would visit Yuu’s apartment and did a thorough search-for anything, anything at all that might have been causing any kind of paranormal disturbances there.
Kai estimated the initial inspection, as usual, wouldn’t take too much time. A day would be enough, or maybe even less. And then afterward the team would hold a meeting and report to him what they had found. The day after tomorrow they would be able to determine what they should do about the situation.
The sound of steps was approaching. Someone sidled up to him, and soon enough Kai recognized Uruha’s voice.
“So what do you think?” he asked; in his hands was a cup of coffee-probably vanilla latte, Kai guessed, because that’s usually what he liked to drink.
Kai looked over his shoulder at his staff. “What do I think about what?”
“The result of the meeting,” Uruha said, sipping his drink. He had taken off his sunglasses, and despite his eye-bags being prominent, he looked quite refreshed now. “My opinion still stands. It must be the work of some fans, probably a jinxed gift or something.”
“I didn’t know you’re such an expert in that matter,” Kai laughed. “Well, we’re going to have to wait until the inspection team is done with their work tomorrow before we can jump into any conclusion.”
Uruha shrugged. “I don’t have to be an expert to know that. It’s just too obvious. People like him are bound to have at least a few maniac fans that would do anything just to get their idol’s attention. We can’t forget the fact that he is one of the most popular celebrities in Japan these days. And something like this has happened before, right?”
“Yes, a few times, as far as I can remember. In most cases, we found that the culprits were mostly those overly attached fans.”
“Exactly. I bet it’s the same, too, this time.”
“I’ll be relieved too if it’s that simple,” Kai sighed, “But this seems different. Why wasn’t this jinx aimed straightly at Aoi? Why wasting so much effort just to create these close-to-poltergeist disturbances? Mostly, in similar cases, the victims were immediately affected by the jinx, either physically or emotionally, or both. You know how people suddenly change after touching a jinxed item, don’t you?”
Kai saw Uruha frown for a moment as if he was trying to remember something, but then the taller man nodded.
“It’s like that woman a few months ago, right?” he asked. “Someone anonymous sent her a… was it a bracelet?”
“A silver bracelet,” Kai confirmed.
“A silver bracelet, and the moment she touched it, she was suddenly enamored by someone she hadn’t even met before in her life.”
“Yes, that poor woman.” It saddened Kai to remember what had happened to that woman before his team managed to fully clean her from the jinx.
Uruha hummed thoughtfully. “If it’s not a jinx, then what could it possibly be…?”
“I honestly don’t know yet, Uruha,” Kai said. “But personally, I hope you’re right, because if it’s a jinx just like you said, the job will be simple and can be done quickly. All we have to do is destroy the item that holds the jinx, clean the apartment from the remaining negative energy, and then it’s over. Except if it turns out that this fan is persistent and keeps sending even more items…”
“Isn’t there some sort of a protection charm that you can use to keep the jinxes out of your residence? I heard Ruki gave something like that to our previous client.”
“Yes, there is. If it comes to that then we can let Ruki do what he does best.”
Uruha smiled. He held his coffee cup in his right hand, and slung his left arm around Kai’s shoulder. “I’m still baffled as to how an actor like Aoi could end up being here, in this institute. I was just going to ask him that when you ended the meeting. Honestly, Kai-kun, did you forget to tell me that we’ve begun putting ads on the newspapers?”
Kai shook his head, laughing. “No, of course I have not begun putting ads anywhere, Uruha. How much trouble do you think that will get me?” he said. “Come on, let me tell you all about it during lunch.”
“You’re buying, right?” Uruha grinned almost from ear to ear, his eyes twinkling in delight.
“Actually, I brought my own lunch. But I made enough for two,” Kai smiled.
“Wait, let me guess. Omelet with mayonnaise?”
Kai stopped dead in his tracks. “How on earth did you know that? You’re a Séance, not a Mind-reader!”
“Oh, Kai,” Uruha giggled cheekily. “It doesn’t take a Mind-reader to memorize what you bring for lunch almost every day.”
- TO BE CONTINUED -
Previous chapters: 1 ; 2
Fanfic list here.
Chapter: 03
Author: アキ
Fandom: the GazettE, SCREW, Alice Nine, more to come
Disclaimer: I don't own the guys. Just the story.
Pairings: AoixRuki, ByouxRui, probably more to come
Genre: AU, horror, supernatural
Rating: PG, for now
Summary: "PSC, which stands for Paranormal Studies Center, is an institution whose main object is to investigate various paranormal and supernatural events. This is the Department of Investigation and Recovery, where all investigative tasks are being done. My name is Kai, and I am the head of this Department. Welcome. How may I help you?"
Chapter 3
Monday morning, nine a.m., the Department of Investigation and Recovery was already bustling with noises. Kai was sitting behind his desk, a cup of latte in front of him, and a bundle of contract papers in his hands. He had spent his weekend summarizing his meeting with Shiroyama Yuu, which hadn’t been that difficult to do because everything was still fresh in his memory. Page four to five in the contract consisted of his conclusion of Shiroyama Yuu’s story, compiled in several points. The last page was still unsigned-that’s why they had agreed on an appointment today. Yuu should be here around ten a.m.; he told Kai that he would be able to make a quick stop before going to work. But before he arrived, Kai would like his assistant to read the papers once again to check for mistakes.
Speaking of which, he hadn’t had the chance to talk to Ruki since they left the office Saturday night. He was still curious as to what had come over his usually-usually calm assistant the other day. Looking across the small space between his desk and Ruki’s, he could see the young man was absorbed with his little black agenda book-the book that he carried almost everywhere. The dark pair of eyes behind those large-framed glasses seemed so focused at whatever he was reading in his book.
Deciding it was best if he did not postpone any longer, Kai called his assistant. “Ruki, I need you to check this out.”
Ruki rose up from his seat, carrying his agenda along, and walked toward Kai’s desk. He sat before Kai and reached out for the papers. Kai handed the whole bundle to him, but just before Ruki began reading, he lowered his voice and asked him what he had been meaning to ask.
“About the other day,” Kai said, making sure no one else but the two of them could hear his voice. “What was wrong with you?”
Ruki stuttered, “W-what… There’s nothing wrong with me.”
Kai shook his head, unimpressed. Did Ruki really think that, after all these years, Kai hadn’t already memorized his behavior? And moreover, Ruki was probably the worst liar Kai had ever met in his entire life. His smallest action betrayed his effort in hiding his feelings.
That’s why Kai had never considered putting him in Undercover section.
“Well,” Kai drew a deep breath, hoping it would give the effect he wanted on Ruki. “Forgive this fussy man for worrying about you. I just thought you might be stressed out or something.”
Kai lowered his sight, pretending to type something on his laptop, secretly watching Ruki’s reaction. And just as he had expected, Ruki looked restless-as if he was feeling guilty for making Kai worried, like Kai said he was. If Kai was to be honest, it was a little cruel of him to be playing with Ruki’s emotion like this, but it was purely for Ruki’s own sake. The last thing Kai needed in his office was a staff who couldn’t concentrate with his work, especially Ruki, considering his important role as Kai’s assistant.
“I’m sorry, Kai-san,” Ruki said.
Kai lifted his gaze, and nearly shocked himself seeing the color of Ruki’s face. The young man looked as if someone had slapped him hard across the face; his cheeks were bright red and Kai swore he could feel the heat coming from them despite the cold air blowing from the air conditioner above his head.
“It’s embarrassing, really,” Ruki continued. “Aoi-I mean, Shiroyama Yuu was my senior in high school. I was just shocked of seeing him again after such a long time.”
Kai nodded. “Why didn’t you just greet him the other day?”
“He wouldn’t recognize me,” Ruki answered, a hint of dejectedness in his voice. “It’s been years since graduation, which was when I last saw him. I don’t think he knows me by my name-on second thought, I don’t think he even knew me even by my real name. I was such a recluse in high school, no one ever bothered to talk to me, let alone him.” He sighed, “Anyhow, you’re the one who doesn’t allow us to reveal our identities to anyone, even the clients.”
A brief laughter escaped Kai’s mouth. “You’re good at getting back at me,” he said light-heartedly. “But will it be okay? I was planning to put you in this case since it’s most likely your expertise, but if you think you’re not comfortable with the job-or the client, in this matter-then I’ll get someone else.”
Ruki quickly shook his head. “No, Kai-san, I’ll be fine. I can’t let something like this affect my work.”
Kai smiled. As expected of his assistant, he always pushed himself so hard. That was probably the reason why Kai had always trusted him with most of the Department’s work, and why he had appointed him as assistant in the first place.
“Alright then,” Kai nodded, deciding he should just give up on the matter. If Ruki said he could handle it, then Kai was sure he could handle it. “You can take the papers and see if there’s anything I need to add. You should get prepared because Shiroyama Yuu will be here anytime soon. Oh, and will you please ask Byou, Hiroto, Ayame, and Shou to join us for the meeting? We’ll probably need Uruha too, but where on earth is that guy?!”
***
At fifteen minutes past ten, Kai and his staff had gathered in the meeting room. Uruha, who had just shown up five minutes before, was sitting beside Ruki, a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes. It wasn’t hard to guess that he had spent the night before doing what he liked best: drinking. Especially after every weekend, he usually showed up at the office swaying from a hangover, slightly grouchy and unresponsive to anyone, but thankfully, to this point it had never affected his work. He was one of the best Séances that the Department currently employed, so it was almost impossible not to involve him in every case that the Department had ever handled.
Right in front of Uruha, across the desk, was Shou. As usual, he looked perfectly styled. He was wearing a royal blue shirt with black vest, his caramel-colored hair was gently teased, and a dazzling smile was stretched wide on his face; he looked almost like a model plucked right out of a fashion magazine. At the moment, he was smiling at his cup of latte as if it was the most wonderful thing in the world.
Despite his appearance, Shou was a very competent Exorcist-a rather heartless one, in fact. If Kai was to be honest, Shou scared him sometimes, but of course he never let Shou or any of his staff knew this. He was keeping it as a precaution, so that he would make the mistake of underestimating Shou’s ability.
Right next to Shou was one of the three female investigators in the Department, who went by the name Ayame. She was a woman with childish features-thin body, small face, and large, doll-like eyes-which was the reason why people often mistook her as a teenage high school student. But she was far from being a teenage high school; no one would have ever guessed that she was actually a mature, twenty six year old woman, and she had been working in PSC for four years. She hadn’t always been in Kai’s Department, but she started in the Administration Department first before everyone realized what an excellent Analyst she would make. And that’s what she was now: an Analyst, and one of the best people that the office had ever employed.
Next on the list of the staff Kai had invited to join the meeting were Byou and Hiroto. Both of them were representatives from their specialty, which was Astral Aura Detection. Byou was invited because he had been present when Yuu visited Saturday night, but since Kai couldn’t trust Byou to be focused throughout the meeting (that’s just how Byou was), he invited Hiroto as well. Hiroto was three years Byou’s junior, lacking of experience, but at least he could keep Byou on track.
Inside the meeting room, both of the Astral Aura Detection agents were sitting side by side around the table, Hiroto busy chirping like a bird, constantly nudging Byou to tell him what had happened last Saturday. Byou looked quite irritated that, if Kai didn’t start the meeting soon, he would soon reach for the nearest ashtray and smash it against Hiroto’s face.
As if an answer to Kai’s worries, the actor himself showed up on the door, large sunglasses covering almost half his face. He wasn’t wearing his hat this morning; Kai suspected he didn’t want to ruin his very neat hairdo. He had on a black, long-sleeved shirt, black denim pants, and a long chain of gothic-looking necklace hanging down to his chest. He looked… well, he looked just like what he was: a celebrity; and Kai bet that he must have a shooting or something to do later today.
“I’m sorry I’m a bit late,” said the actor. “I wasn’t expecting the traffic to be so awful.”
Kai smiled, shaking Yuu’s hand and led him into the room. He took a seat right next to Uruha, who immediately turned around and stared at Yuu, flabbergasted. But before Uruha could say anything, Hiroto butted in loudly.
“Aoi! You’re Aoi, right?! Oh my God, I love your latest movie!”
Kai believed Hiroto would have climbed over the table had Byou not stopped him and kept him on his seat. For a moment he wondered if it had been a mistake inviting Hiroto to this meeting.
“Please calm down, Hiroto, you’re going to scare off our client,” Kai spoke up, eyeing his staff sternly. Hiroto shut his mouth, but obviously he was having a hard time to keep still on his seat. “Now, everybody, I’d like you to meet Shiroyama Yuu-san, our new client-well, he will be our new client as soon as he signs the contract.”
Yuu stood up, took off his sunglasses and bowed. “I’m pleased to meet all of you.”
Kai proceeded to introduce the staff attending the meeting, and then explained what had brought Yuu to their office.
“Saturday night, just as I, Ruki and Byou were cleaning the office after the mess everybody made last week,” Kai emphasized on the last part of the sentence, making sure he glared into everyone’s eyes, “Yuu-san visited and told us of the incidents that he has been experiencing lately. In front of each of you is the summary that I’ve written after the conversation, photocopied from the contract. I want you to read it, and as soon as you’re done, we will continue with deciding our actions and who will be members of the team.”
Kai gave everyone fifteen minutes to read the summary, and afterward, he handed the bundle of contract papers to Yuu.
“You can wait until we’re finished talking about our action plan before you sign it,” he told Yuu, but Yuu shook his head.
“I trust that you are professionals in this matter,” he said, smiling, and skimmed through the papers until he found the page where he should put his signature. There seemed to be no doubt in his expression when he took the pen that Kai offered and scribbled his signature on the bottom of the paper.
Kai smiled wide. “Thank you. We’ll do our best to help you, Yuu-san.”
“I know you will.” Yuu nodded, and sat back, looking elated. He had a look on his face that seemed to be telling Kai the burden-or a small part of it, at least-he had been carrying had been lifted off of his back, just by signing the contract.
***
At exactly eleven o’clock, the meeting was over. Shiroyama Yuu had just got into the elevator that would take him to the basement where his car was parked. He said he had a shooting scheduled at eleven thirty; Kai could only pray that he could get there in time. To be able to cross the distance in today’s traffic would be quite a miracle.
Despite the limited time, the meeting went smoothly. In the end they had agreed on a number of things, like the investigators that would be responsible for the initial inspection, and when they should start. As he had previously told Ruki, his assistant would be in the team, along with Hiroto and Ayame. Tomorrow morning they would visit Yuu’s apartment and did a thorough search-for anything, anything at all that might have been causing any kind of paranormal disturbances there.
Kai estimated the initial inspection, as usual, wouldn’t take too much time. A day would be enough, or maybe even less. And then afterward the team would hold a meeting and report to him what they had found. The day after tomorrow they would be able to determine what they should do about the situation.
The sound of steps was approaching. Someone sidled up to him, and soon enough Kai recognized Uruha’s voice.
“So what do you think?” he asked; in his hands was a cup of coffee-probably vanilla latte, Kai guessed, because that’s usually what he liked to drink.
Kai looked over his shoulder at his staff. “What do I think about what?”
“The result of the meeting,” Uruha said, sipping his drink. He had taken off his sunglasses, and despite his eye-bags being prominent, he looked quite refreshed now. “My opinion still stands. It must be the work of some fans, probably a jinxed gift or something.”
“I didn’t know you’re such an expert in that matter,” Kai laughed. “Well, we’re going to have to wait until the inspection team is done with their work tomorrow before we can jump into any conclusion.”
Uruha shrugged. “I don’t have to be an expert to know that. It’s just too obvious. People like him are bound to have at least a few maniac fans that would do anything just to get their idol’s attention. We can’t forget the fact that he is one of the most popular celebrities in Japan these days. And something like this has happened before, right?”
“Yes, a few times, as far as I can remember. In most cases, we found that the culprits were mostly those overly attached fans.”
“Exactly. I bet it’s the same, too, this time.”
“I’ll be relieved too if it’s that simple,” Kai sighed, “But this seems different. Why wasn’t this jinx aimed straightly at Aoi? Why wasting so much effort just to create these close-to-poltergeist disturbances? Mostly, in similar cases, the victims were immediately affected by the jinx, either physically or emotionally, or both. You know how people suddenly change after touching a jinxed item, don’t you?”
Kai saw Uruha frown for a moment as if he was trying to remember something, but then the taller man nodded.
“It’s like that woman a few months ago, right?” he asked. “Someone anonymous sent her a… was it a bracelet?”
“A silver bracelet,” Kai confirmed.
“A silver bracelet, and the moment she touched it, she was suddenly enamored by someone she hadn’t even met before in her life.”
“Yes, that poor woman.” It saddened Kai to remember what had happened to that woman before his team managed to fully clean her from the jinx.
Uruha hummed thoughtfully. “If it’s not a jinx, then what could it possibly be…?”
“I honestly don’t know yet, Uruha,” Kai said. “But personally, I hope you’re right, because if it’s a jinx just like you said, the job will be simple and can be done quickly. All we have to do is destroy the item that holds the jinx, clean the apartment from the remaining negative energy, and then it’s over. Except if it turns out that this fan is persistent and keeps sending even more items…”
“Isn’t there some sort of a protection charm that you can use to keep the jinxes out of your residence? I heard Ruki gave something like that to our previous client.”
“Yes, there is. If it comes to that then we can let Ruki do what he does best.”
Uruha smiled. He held his coffee cup in his right hand, and slung his left arm around Kai’s shoulder. “I’m still baffled as to how an actor like Aoi could end up being here, in this institute. I was just going to ask him that when you ended the meeting. Honestly, Kai-kun, did you forget to tell me that we’ve begun putting ads on the newspapers?”
Kai shook his head, laughing. “No, of course I have not begun putting ads anywhere, Uruha. How much trouble do you think that will get me?” he said. “Come on, let me tell you all about it during lunch.”
“You’re buying, right?” Uruha grinned almost from ear to ear, his eyes twinkling in delight.
“Actually, I brought my own lunch. But I made enough for two,” Kai smiled.
“Wait, let me guess. Omelet with mayonnaise?”
Kai stopped dead in his tracks. “How on earth did you know that? You’re a Séance, not a Mind-reader!”
“Oh, Kai,” Uruha giggled cheekily. “It doesn’t take a Mind-reader to memorize what you bring for lunch almost every day.”
- TO BE CONTINUED -
Previous chapters: 1 ; 2
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