Capítulo 2: Befriending Idiots

XXXXXXXXXX

It's not much later that we're watching Ayako's ritual. It's beautiful, and the redhead does seem to have power of some kind. She also takes her role seriously. But, again, I don't feel anything here. The bad feeling gets worse, and I'm starting to sweat, my fingers tense on the arm I'm holding.

A hand touches the back of mine. Lin. The older man dips his head closer to mine. "What's wrong?"

After several sincere apologies on Lin's part, and even more assurances on mine, I told Lin he had to be my Seeing Eye Buddy for this case as penance. This was more a way to assuage his guilt than anything, but he is a terrifyingly sincere fellow, and took it very seriously. I wouldn't have fucked with him so hard if I knew he would fee so bad. Hindsight is bullshit when you're literally blind and psychic.

I shake my head, letting long bangs cover my face as a whisper into his ear, "Someone's going to get hurt. I don't know how or who, but soon."

He stiffens, and after a moment, passes the message on to Naru. They converse so quietly I don't hear much, but I do hear Naru tell him to wait at the ready. Lin gently detangles himself from me, seemingly prepared to do something. It's just as Ayako finishes and the principal, his assistant, and her try to leave that a lightning bolt hits me. "Watch out!"

The warning comes late, and the windows shatter. Screams fill the air, and an echo of pain hits me from Ayako and the two with her. The men run over to give aid, but blood is spilled, and an ambulance is called. Fuck, I botched that. Nothing I could do, I know that, but still. The guilt burns.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are they okay?" I ask, John the Exorcist.

"They're ok. It's all just minor injuries." He reassures quickly. We share relieved smiles and I decide I really like him.

"Do you prefer people to call you Father?"

He beams like the sun. Fuck, my eyes! Too bright! "Just John is fine."

"Tsukiyo is fine for me. As is English if you would prefer." He seems delighted. The man is like really good weed to my empathic abilities, radiating warmth and gentle kindness.

"Would you mind?" I gesture to his arm, and he's a smart cookie, and probably did a shit ton of volunteer work, and immediately understands what I'm asking. He holds his arm out and leads me perfectly to the group. Ah, a man with skill. Not too overbearing, and not running me into shit either. An expert has appeared.

"Hey, that room didn't have a chair in the middle of it yesterday, did it?" I tilt my head, another bad feeling coming on.

After confirming no one went in there, Naru plays back the recording. The scrape of a chair across the floor has ice dripping down my spine, and dread flooding the room. I grit my teeth, trying to block out the others. I'm not scared. For many, fear originates from a desire to avoid pain, and often Death, but He is an old friend and I'm used to pain, so very little has the ability to scare me. That said, I'm overwhelmed easily. While many of the others aren't scared per se, they are unsettled. I focus on John next to me, calm and steady compared to Mai, who I'm most emotionally connected to, but is actually rather freaked out.

A debate starts on whether or not a poltergeist exists here. While several criteria for it have been met, such as doors closing, objects moving, and glass breaking, the temperature readings on the chair are off. I bite my lip, confused and nervous because I can tell more blood is going to be spilled. Carefully, I release John and pull Mai closer to me, just in case. Many abilities of mine are reality specific, but Magic has gifted me more than visions that have permanently become a part of my skill set. My defense is unpracticed, but it's there.

"Alright, I'll try once more. I will sense them if there are any spirits here." My head whips up, alarms going off.

"Ms. Hara, I strongly advise you not to go alone. You will get hurt." I speak, before I can register what I'm saying, and the room goes quiet.

"You and I both agree there is nothing here. Your concern is noted and appreciated, but I'm a professional." Masako shuffles off, and I shoot an alarmed look at Mai.

"Naru! Can't we do something?" She asks, gripping me tightly. I squeeze her back, the dread climbing, and her own worsening mine. It seems that I'll have to build resistance to others' influence again. I had enough for everyday life, but when I'm tapping into my abilities like this, the backlash in this world is pretty bad.

"We can't help those who don't want it. She is an expert. She won't trust someone she hasn't seen at work, unfortunately. We'll watch through the cameras."

I zone out as another fucking argument starts, (professionals my ass), focusing on my gut. I start fiddling with the edges of my bangs, worrying for the celebrity doll on her own. Lin appears next to me just as a vision breaks through.

"Fuck, Lin! Naru! She's gonna fall!" I squeak out. Both whip towards me, just as creaking is heard above us. Then, a scream shears through the air and my stomach drops. Too late again.

XXXXXXXXXX

"But accidents keep happening here, that's why they say this place is haunted!" Mai says to Naru. According to him, both by his measure, and Masako's own, she was simply careless. "Tsukiyo, didn't you see anything?"

I wince at the sudden attention, to where I'm leaning silently on a wall. I don't mind causing the occasional scene, but I tend to need mental preparation before I handle attention well, I've simply forgotten how to.

"Ah, yes. That's twice you managed to sense danger, although your timing was lacking." Oh, no the fuck she didn't.

I turn my head slowly, giving Ayako my coldest look, truly angry for the first time in a while, "I'm not a god, and I cannot control the actions of those around me. Don't project your own feelings of inadequacy on me and lash out, or you'll find out what other abilities I have." A spike of fear goes through several people, although respect follows it, including a whistle from the monk, Houshou. Ayako winces, and then surprises me.

"You're right. I apologize." She even tips her head. I squint, but nod my head in acceptance, going back to staring at the ground. Maybe she isn't completely a fool. On a side not, what the fuck is happening here?

Once again, dread fills me. Another accident is coming.

XXXXXXXXXX

The creaking starts as John does his exorcism. It's quiet at first. Barely noticeable, but it grows louder by the second. It's only now that I finally get a vision to explain the fear in my chest.

John turns to the door, Mai shouting at him, just as rumble rains down, burying him. Blood spills- I yank myself out violently. "Three ceilings caving in on him!"

Mai, who trusts me unconditionally, is the fastest to react, taking off down the hall for John, something I hate and love. "Damnit, girl, it's dangerous!"

It's only now that Houshou, Lin, and Naru bolt after her. I dart to the cameras, grimacing at the shitty visual and bright ass lights. I hear a crash and the whole building shakes, panic rippling through me from everyone, but I feel no pain or death. That's a pretty good sign, and the feeling is thankfully gone.

Deciding "Fuck it," because I can't see the bloody screen, I dart to where the others went, managing not to trip on anything. I rush down the hall, turning a corner, skidding.

"Is he ok? Do we need an ambulance?" I call out, nearly tripping on a loose floor board. I stumble to a stop in front of the group, noticing John, who's awake and seemingly fine.

John smiles his sunshine smile. "I'm just fine, thanks to you and Mai."

I groan, the adrenaline leaving me shaky and exhausted. I've been hypervigilant all day, fucking hell. I lean on a door, and immediately regret it, but I don't have the energy or reflexes to fix it.

I go tumbling straight through, into the adjacent room with an embarrassing squeak of shock, landing straight on my poor bum.

"Whoa!"

"Shit!"

"Tsukiyo!"

"I'm good," I say a bit weakly, "managed to save my hand. My arse is gonna be fucking sore though."

It's only Lin's choked noise, Naru's face palm, and John's scandalously full blown wheezing that reminds me that there are many English speakers in our midst. That said, I probably would have only held back out of respect for Father John, but his reaction has tossed that idea out real quick. As for the rest? I have no shame so it isn't an issue. I shrug. I've been enabled.

XXXXXXXXXX

We get sent home for the night on the basis of safety. I sense that Naru and Lin will be fine, so Mai and I go to the store, and then home. Sora's knocked the fuck out in the living room, so I cover him with a blanket, and head to our room. Maybe we'll have enough for 3 bedrooms soon. I shower and curl up into my empty bed, somehow both happy and sad by Sora's empty spot.

"Tsuki-née?" I look up at Mai, pillow in hand, head poked through the cracked bedroom door. I huff, and scoot over, freeing up space that she immediately throws herself onto.

"You did good today. Proud of you, Mai. She tucks her knees into my side, wrapping her arms around one of mine, the uninjured one thankfully.

"Is-is it our fault?"

"What?" I say a bit sharply, merely because I have no idea what the hell she's talking about.

"Is Karuda right about how we made it worse with ghost stories?" Mai asks, voice strained.

I pat her head. "No, that's not how it works. Stuff like that requires intent. That's partially why Ouija Boards are so dangerous. Things are deliberately called, and not sent back, or taken care of properly. You need the intent, skill, and ability to force something back, and it all has to be stronger than the spirit's intent, skill, and ability that's opposing you. It's easy to call spirits though, because that's what they want, mostly." That's what I concluded from the research I did when I wanted to start training Mai, although some of that is based on my own experience from other lives, so I can't be sure.

"Why do I naturally dream then without intent?"

"I think that's just natural ability, but that's just how you start. Focus on what you want to see or know, and once you become skilled, you'll be able to dream what you want consistently. Hard work makes a lot of difference, regardless of how you're born."

"That's why you always tell me to focus before sleep!" I give her a scrutinizing look.

"You…didn't get it the first time I explained this, did you?" She laughs nervously, and I spend a few minutes trying to smother her with a pillow.

"Sorry, I'm sorry!" I huff, plopping down, wincing at the pain in my ass and palm. I glance up at the ceiling, listening to the evening out of our breaths again.

"Mai," I say, very serious. My friend stills, hearing the gravity. "You can't leave your mind unguarded like that anymore. The more we interact with the paranormal, the more visible to them we become. Those with abilities are like beacons to the paranormal, and like I just said, your abilities grow with practice. If you dreamwalk aimlessly, anything, anything,can find your dreams and enter them.

Many entities gain power through attention. They want to be seen. They feed of your fear, or any strong emotion really. They will find you, and they can hurt you. You can't be reckless, especially not anymore. Understand?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'll work harder, promise." Mai says quietly. Relief fills me, and I relax.

"Now, sleep. We have work tomorrow. Focus only on the school house and let me know if you see or feel anything."

We drift off quickly, exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster of a day.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Naru? Lin? Did you guys sleep here last night? That's really not good for you."

"Hey Mai, Tsukiyo. What are you guys doing here at this hour?"

"Mate, it's brunch time." I deadpan, already resigning myself to having to monitor these fools' health from now on.

The others show up, and try talking shit about Naru running scared because he doesn't know what's up with the old school house and doesn't want to look bad. Clearly they weren't paying enough attention. As young as he seems, he acts old, and he oozes professionalism to the point where they subconsciously follow his lead. Let me do this before an argument breaks out.

"No, I'm leaving because I already solved the case," Naru states. That's my cue.

"Stop." Every head swivels to me. "Bitch at each other later. First we eat." I death glare any protest into silence. My death glare is good, too, naturally because I learned it from Death.

Mai helps me pass out the plates and utensils. I set a blanket one the ground, and open various Tupperware containers. One has a fat stack of crepes, and the rest various crepe fillings like strawberries, chocolate, and banana. I watch the first bites intently, loving the shock flashing in the auras, the awe, and even the sudden greed.

"Holy shit, you made this?" I smile at the monk, nodding happily.

"It's better than some professional places I've been," Ayako states in between quick bites. Yes, I can tolerate her yet, I think.

"Dear Lord." I snort at John, handing him a cup of coffee.

"Mai helped and made the tea as well." I tell them, handing out more cups. "It's her specialty." She blushes embarrassed, her face vivid even to me. Brunch goes pretty smoothly after that, although, someone nearly gets stabbed over the whip cream bottle.

I like feeding people, when they appreciate it. It makes me quite happy, and cooking is a skill I worked hard on and spent many years practicing. That kinda recognition is very fulfilling. I absorb the praise and observe the mess gleefully.

As we clean up, most of the group partially in food comas, the topic comes back up. "So, what did you find, Naru?"

"I compiled my experiments last night. The school house is sinking. In fact, it sank .2 in just last night."

"Ground subsidence," I breathe, eyes wide. Holy shit, does that actually cover everything?

"Correct." I tilt my head, wondering why that feels right, but incomplete. Ducking my head, and making sure no one else can hear me, I whisper. "Mai, are you getting a feeling?"

"It feels like we aren't done." She whispers. I nod, placing my finger on my lips and returning to watch the group.

"It might come down any day now." A shiver runs down my spine. Shit, what the fuck now?

XXXXXXXXXX

We're packing up the rest of the equipment when Karuda storms in, actually throwing a fit. My second hand embarrassment has me ducking behind John. Naru handles her, though it's less brutal than I thought he'd be. It's around then that I get sucker punched by incoming negative energy. It's so sudden and sharp that I have no clue where it came from.

I must have made some kinda distressed noise because my field of vision is suddenly filled with blonde. "Tsukiyo? Can you answer me."

I wheeze, "D-danger. Ev-v-veryone…out."

John's a good lad, so he doesn't hesitate. Wrapping an arm around me, he yells out, "Incoming danger, everyone out!"

Most react pretty quick, but the knocking starts almost immediately. Doors began to move on their own and knocking fills the air, screams following. We're near the door when I catch another feeling. "Duck and cover," I croak, genuinely struggling to breathe in the weight of the dense emotional atmosphere. John echos me for the others, helping shield my head, but Karuda only barely reacts in time. Yelling fills the air, and I grit my teeth under the rising panic. Fear, worry, concern, confusion, panic, pain, anger?, dread- I pull myself out with a snarl. Not now!

The doors slamming and opening are trapping us, but Houshou busts through using a chair. Go monk, I think a bit woozily. We make it outside with minor injuries and I detach from the rest to force back down my breakfast, crouched behind a tree and shaking rather badly. That was a fantastic, expensive breakfast, I'll be damned if I have to waste it. Fuck that!

Lin appears, mercifully calm, handing me a cup of tea. I plop down, taking it carefully, and we both watch the liquid vibrate. Fuck, it will be bad if I can't control this soon.

"Can you explain why you got sick, please?" Naru asks, quietly coming over with the rest.

"A spiritual attack?" Monk asks. I wave it off, shaking my head.

"Too much strong negativity in too close a proximity. I wasn't ready for it. My bad." I rasp.

"An empath too, huh?" Ayako murmurs. Then, she whirls on Naru with the rest as they start tearing apart the land subsidence theory. I just drink my damn tea, keeping focused on Lin. It takes me a minute to realize Naru is pissed, the air turning cold around him. But, it's not at the group. Guilt, self loathing, anger, Naru. Icy energy rising like a frozen tsunami, avalanches starting to fall, the ground beginning to shake from the force of earthquakes, roiling mounds and chaotic blizzards-

"I'm so mad at myself I could throw up," he hisses. Dramatic. I roll my eyes.

"Mai, go help the others. Stay with them, always. You," I point at my Boss from my spot on the grass, switching to English for privacy sake, "come sit your fool self here, before you litterally blow us all up with your angst. Fucking brat, ugh."

Naru glares, teeth nearly bared, but sits down as Mai disappears. "You do realize I'm your boss, right?" He nearly growls.

"Mate, I don't have the energy for this pissing contest. Let's hold off." His shoulders curl, his guilt and self loathing getting stronger. "Stop that."

As Lin hands him the last of the tea, I take his hand again, once again using my magic to touch his, but he's too riled up for me to do anything safely. "With the evidence that you had at that time, was there any other logical conclusion you could have drawn?". He pauses, surprised by the shift in conversation. "You made the decision with your professional opinion based on the facts of the case and your experience. Don't disregard your own humanity by thinking yourself infallible, it does you no favors or justice. That arrogance is useless, so calm down, reset, and think again. What's the missing element?"

Naru untenses slowly, falling into a very focused state, concentrating quite hard on something. I'm too strung out to be so precise, so I just put some energy in rather than pull any out, as that is significantly more risky. It helps, and Naru starts to carefully cycle his energy on his own. I let out a sigh of relief as the danger fades away significantly.

"Good." I pull my hand back, and Lin helps me to my feet. I stretch, trying to shake the weakness from my limbs. I ruffle Naru's hair from where he still sits on the floor, ignoring his swatting, and yes, it is as soft as I thought. "You weren't wrong, the ground is sinking, but something else is happening. You'll figure it out, I have no doubt."

"Such faith in your boss already. I'm touched." He snarks, a hint of embarrassment hiding underneath bravado. The gratitude, however, is completely undisguised.

"The faith is in my own instincts. Didn't you hear me tell you to stop being so arrogant?" I call back without bothering to turn around. Now, time to track down a pseudo sibling.

XXXXXXXXXX

Watching Monk perform his ritual is pretty fascinating, although Mai is feeling salty and shooting major sideeye. I can feel the genuine power from the ritual, sure, but it just passes through the building without resistance, further indicating that there isn't anything here. It's a bit messed up, but I'm kinda excited to be stumped like this. Knowing the future can get boring.

Additionally, because I thought this was a quiet universe, my powers are significantly rusty and unrefined. It's why I think my visions are leaving me such a short time frame to react, and why my empathy is kicking my ass. I wasn't concerned for my safety, so I honestly spent more time training Mai than myself. Her abilities are far more dangerous to her then mine are to me, and she doesn't have a built in defense.

I'm unimpressed with the adults making excuses for themselves, though. They are confused and scared, and have resorted to grandstanding, but it's not classy. I know that part of it is the fact that spiritualists have to constantly defend the existence of their own powers, naturally making them guarded and defensive about it, but it's still annoying.

Mai's fed up as well, exploding on the monk and Miko about their excuses and dismissals, and how quick they were to attack Naru. I'm watching the show like a tennis match, proud as fuck of my friend, when the mental alarms start ringing. Motherfucker, again?

"Incoming! We need to go." I state, tugging Mai and Karuda towards the door quickly. The others seem to have finally caught on, bolting after me just as the whole building starts to shake. I push the two girls in front of me, dodging a bookshelf by the skin of my teeth. We make it out, the building still rumbling behind us.

This is getting exhausting.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day, we get called to the principal's office. Naru's waiting for us, and I'm intrigued. Someone's got an idea. I smirk.

"This should only take a few minutes." He turns on this weird light thing and tells us to focus on it. I… don't do that. I very much hate the idea of being hypnotized or influenced in any way, and frankly, even if I don't feel anything dangerous, I won't risk it. I take the chance to examine the innate energy from the others in the room.

Monk feels like a cliff side. I see large and sturdy boulders, capable of packing a punch, but generally just calm and unmovable. They rest high up in fresh mountain air, basking in warm dappled sun from above. The sky is clear crystal blue, and the wind rustles through the greenery, both insistent and playful, matching the best of distant bass and drums, a song of nature. Strong willed and reliable. A defender and protector.

Ayako is different. She feels like a clearing surrounded by trees at sunset, a sky painted with reds, oranges, and trees are vibrant and lush with strong trunks and have stood for hundreds of years and will stand for hundreds more. A breeze blows quietly through the warm grass, and the trees sing softly to each other, delicate bells ring. Complex, but determined. Surprisingly gentle underneath that layer of self defense. A caretaker? Wow, didn't see that coming.

Deciding to read one more person, I focus on the quietest of us. Lin reals like an autumn night with frost covered trees of stunning reds, oranges, and golds. Moonlight streams down, causing the frost to glisten and sparkle. There is the occasional cutting cold wind, but it is blocked by soft blankets and a burning bonfire. Disciplined and guarded, and pretty powerful. Maybe even dangerous. But, someone who loves deeply, if you can make it past their walls.

I peel my eyes open to look, and once again, I see several orbs floating above his head. I've caught sight of them, but I still have no idea what they are. They feel like individuals for sure, but neutral at the moment, and are tied to Lin somehow. They feel familiar to something I've encountered lifetimes ago, but I have no idea what. A mystery to solve, yay.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Naru states concluding his little experiment, I hiss, dicking away from the light suddenly pouring in. I shoot him a scowl, but look around, noticing everyone else has been pretty taken in by his hypnotism.

As we clear the room, I maneuver myself to walk by Lin, as Mai runs after Naru to talk to him. "Hey, how's he doing?"

Lin tilts his head towards me. "Better. You scolded him just like his mother when he gets into these moods." I snort, thinking of the fuck ton of children I've raised in my lifetimes. Yeah, scolding properly is a skill hard acquired.

"Naru is an angsty teenager. Noted." Lin ducks his head, shoulders shaking. "And how are you this morning, Lin?"

Lin turns to me, and I can just see the small smile curling his lips. "I'm very well, thank you." I nod my head, pat his arm and wave goodbye, solidly confident in the start of my new friendship.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What's going on, Boss?" I ask quietly, handing Naru and Lin drinks. John and Mai were… boarding up a room, and signing them. Why would…. Ah. "Oh, that's clever."

Naru glances up, sharply. "You figured it out?"

I nod, "Yeah, sorry, I don't let people hypnotise or control me. " Naru's curious, but doesn't ask.

I head over to Mai, giving her a gentle side hug before passing her and John their drinks. "Hey guys. Are you ready for this case to finish?"

"Heck yeah. Naru said we can leave now that we've finished signing, but I don't get what the purpose of this is." Mai gestures to the large piece of paper with signatures on it, gulping her juice down. I take the marker and sketch a small chibi anime witch in robes, waving a wand, snickering at myself.

"It's actually quite genius, " I tell her, handing the marker back.

"You know!" She screeches pointing. "Spill it!"

"Nope!" I say cheerfully, before booking it. John's laughter fills the air with Mai's yell of outrage as she chases me most of the way home.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I didn't get a wink of sleep last night because I couldn't stop thinking about this." Mai grumbles, shuffling along after me. I laugh at her, amused by the sudden reminder that she was, in fact, just a teenage girl.

Generally, I'm not much different in how I develope than anyone else. Your physiology and age significantly impact your muturratity. As a child, I'm still prone to acting childish just like anyone else, past lives be damned. This is because even though you know you should be acting a certain way, that doesn't mean you can actually make yourself do so. That said, at 17, I'm mostly fully physically developed, and it's around this age that I start disconnecting slightly from my peers based on the influence of the memories from my past lives.

"Come on, you're getting answers soon, and then we get our paychecks. Fuck yeah, I'm buying Sora that damn merch for his birthday even if it kills me." Poor kid had been eyeing it silently for weeks, but won't say anything because money is tight. I raised him well, I think somewhere between proud and sad.

We meet up with our boss, and Ayako and Houshou come rolling up, talking a lot of shit to Naru and I can't help the wicked smirk that curls my lips. Damn, I love watching Big Main Character Moments.

"Now, can you confirm the paper you signed yesterday hasn't been tampered with?"

"Yeah, ok. Looks good to me." Mai states, curiously. "What about you John?"

"Fine"

"My drawing is perfectly intact." I say cheerfully. Naru takes the opportunity to break the wood off and open the room, revealing the chair has been moved again.

"Would you care to explain?" The monk asks.

"I'd like to thank you all for your cooperation. I'll be finishing this case today." Naru states neutrally, but I can feel his smugness, and I have to turn away to hide my laughter.

Naru goes on to explain that the original case brought by the client, our principal, can be explained by ground subsidence. That being said, there was also poltergeist activity, in particular, yesterday. When the monk states how much that doesn't make sense, Ayako butts in saying that it's because he can't exercise it himself. Naru carefully doesn't contradict her, though I feel his frustration, and decide to keep my mouth shut about his frankly massive powers. Naru reiterates that there isn't anything to excorsise in the first place.

After showing us a video of the chair moving, Naru explains that humans are to blame for more than half of reported poltergeists every year. It's why he sealed the room off and had the papers signed to prove it wasn't tampered with. It would have been difficult to replicate my drawing and John's english signature.

Karuda, (shit, when did she even get here?), uses this to claim she was right the whole time. The thing is, Naru called us to the office in order to place a hypnotic suggestion. The suggestion was that the chair would move, meaning that this poltergeist is human made, and has nothing to do with the actual building.

"Poltergeists are a form of latent psychic energy, often caused by people with an unconscious craving for attention. When stressed, a self defense mechanism reacts in the brain, meaning hypnotic suggestions can become a reality." Oh my.

The attention rather unanimously turns to Karuda. Yikes. Naru is surprisingly gentle when he explains his reasoning. How he could tell she wanted to impress them, how there was never any evidence of her claims, how her schoolmates shunned her abilities rather than embraced them. He determined that based on Masako Hara, his evidence, and me, which is a bit flattering honestly, that there were no spirits here, meaning the poltergeist was human originating. Children, particularly teenage girls, are especially well known for causing them. When Naru told everyone his theory that this place was completely ghost free, she felt like her abilities were being proved false, and it stressed her out so bad, she unconsciously created the poltergeist out of a need for validation.

Fascinating. I wonder how much of this is a reality in other dimensions with ghosts. My last life was quite ordinary without any supernatural beings at all. Ghosts didn't really hang around there.

"You know, I think I can understand. It's natural really." My best friend speaks up, and pride makes me smile. Mai is growing up to be an amazing person. "Think about it. Everyone wants to believe hey are special in some way, a desire to stand out from the crowd and be unique as a person." Her compassion is endless, and the reason her empathic abilities are growing so rapidly. It's good, but she needs more training or she'll end up crumpling like I am. I huff, annoyed at myself for not anticipating the complication.

"Does that explanation satisfy everyone?" Naru deadpans.

"Not quite. According to that account her elevated stress came after your explanation of ground subsidence or whatever. What about me getting stuck in that room, or the video being erased." Ayako demands, hair swinging around her.

I can't hold back my laughter. "Ah, when you got locked in? That was karma. A prank, nothing more. Just a little harmless payback for verbally attacking a minor."I say cheerfully.

"What?! I never…" Ayako trails off catching a glimpse of Karuda's slightly sheepish expression. She whirls back on me. "You knew and didn't say anything!"

I raise my eyebrows. "No one got hurt, and you kinda deserved it for attacking someone out of nowhere just because. That said, my boss was well aware and it didn't seem pertinent."

Naru huffs, "There was a nail sticking out from the floor. As for the video, that was intentionally erased. When you became trapped, we all left the base to come to your aid. There was plenty of time for someone to slip in and erase the tape without being seen."

By general consensus, it's decided that the principal will get a fake story about how the school was cleared of spirits from the war, Karuda's original story. It will keep her from receiving backlash, and construction can go on, so everyone wins. Earnings will also be split fairly among all. It's rather kind of him, unexpectedly so.

Everything is packed up and the case officially closed. Later, at school, Mai and I both watch from the window as the building collapses. On the bright side, Karuda is doing much better and has even made some new friends.

We start our first day of office work soon after.

XXXXXXXXXX