ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ AKEMI ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
delighted her win too soon. "Eh~? You guys are paired up as couples?" she blinked, taken aback that Naru agreed to such an idea.
In the corner, Mai solemnly nodded but Akemi couldn't notice such action and placed a hand on her chin,
deeply considering some points.
~~~
ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ MAI ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
"I wish Naru would put his research materials down once in a while, at least at a time like this..." Bou-san muttered shaking his head next to Mai, both sitting by the fountain where they keep feeding the pigeons around them with crumbled breads Bou-san bought for them.
"-So he'd be acting more like we were on a date, but that's Naru you know." Mai hummed at his words, watching Naru with his folder and Masako sitting quietly next to him as the two went back on sitting on the bench where they originally sat. "I wonder how Akemi is doing?"
At the mention of her name, the Monk and teenager turned their gazes to where Akemi stood, walking around the park with her guard, Kikyo. Both seeming to be talking to each other as their mouths moved to speak but with their distance away from them, Mai couldn't hear a thing as to what they are saying.
After finding out of their plan, Naru informed Akemi to instead of joining the plan— she should survey around the area to look for where the spirit could be. Akemi to no surprise agreed and clasped her arms around her guard's and left them behind to walk around, commenting that she would call when she sees even the slightest energy of a spirit. So with her pink long sleeve top and black high-waisted pants, Akemi tied her long wavy light hair to a high ponytail, leaving a few to frame her face and went off with her guard, disappearing with her black inched shoes.
Mai watched as her sempai smiled, waving them a temporary farewell. The high-schooler wondered why her sempai didn't comment on Naru and Masako being the one together, the thought made her pout.
"I'm surprised he accepted a case like this in the first place..." Bou-san followed Mai's gaze as it turned back to where Naru sat, frowning at the two people feigning as a couple.
"I know! I was surprised too!" hearing her response, Bou-san and Mai turned to look at each other before letting out a laugh.
~~~
ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ NARU MASAKO ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
"It looks like Mai-san's team is having a good time." Masako commented, seeing as Mai and the Monk were just across from them but Naru only let out a hum after peeking a slight glance at the corner of his eye, his brow twitching— slightly unnoticed— at what he saw.
Akemi seemingly found herself in a situation of climbing a tree with her condition, softly nudging her hand to a cat while her guard worriedly stood under the tree branch Akemi was currently on, with a sniffling little girl beside her. Both watching Akemi trying to win over a brown cat.
'Just what is that girl doing?' Naru frowned, turning his gaze back on his folder. "By the way Hara-san, there's not a particular spot where the psychic phenomenon would most likely to happen, is there?" He would have to talk about Akemi's actions later.
"None that I am aware of, I just know this is the area that they were shooting in." Naru asked nothing more and wrote on his notes.
~~~
ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ AKEMI ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
Akemi successfully won over Koko, the little brown cat that climbed over a tree after getting chased over by a dog. Akemi hugged the purring cat closer to her chest as she thought of how to get down but seeing as she has no options of using both of her hands, she was in a little disadvantage especially when her sight started flickering over to blur.
It would be soon before she lost her sight to the very thing Naru dedicates his work to.
Thinking over her predicament, Akemi took a calculated move to lift her leg over the side of the branch but the branch her foot stepped on seems to be overly thin as a light touch of her foot made it crack and Akemi felt herself tip over.
"...Eh?" Akemi let out before feeling the air on her back.
"Ojou!"
"Koko! Miss!" Akemi heard them call before feeling arms catch her. The strength it held over her protectively felt familiar and so she calmed down and smiled at Kikyo's accusing face.
"Ah~ Kikyo! domo arigatou~!" Kikyo placed Akemi down, crossing her arms as she was already used to this situations however, it still wasn't enough to stop her from getting worried.
"Akemi-sama, you should be careful with your condition—" Akemi waved her hand off with a light smile, Koko still clutched close to her chest.
"Ma~~ ma~~ All is fair when it comes to pets!" Akemi states, turning to bend towards the sniffling little girl, handing her the cat that continued to purr on her chest as if to thank her. "-especially if that pet is a cat!"
"Such wise words." A voice spoke behind Akemi, making her turn to meet the person who spoke. "...It's been a while Maruyama-san,"
"Osamu Fuji-san?" the brown haired doctor warmly smiled at the sight of Akemi's elegant ones. The familiarity not lost between them.
"Hello, Maruyama-san." Fuji Osamu greeted.
~~~
"Your cousin is worried about you... your whole family," Fuji Osamu said as he walked beside Akemi in the park, the two leisurely talking to each other. Akemi explaining the whole spirit idea on the park making the Family doctor let out a hum.
"The dizziness ceased, so did the headaches and the ringing..." Akemi listed off,
"...and your sight?" Akemi remained quiet for a while before answering, letting her lips form a small smile.
"...Slowly losing it but you already knew that, didn't you?" Osamu remained quiet and that was all the answer Akemi needed.
Akemi was sixteen when she first met Osamu and if memory served her right he was already starting his first year as a doctor, because of this Osamu Fuji became the Maruyama clan's family doctor after his father retired. He continued prescribing Akemi what his father prescribed her but he was curious of Akemi's condition and the two would often meet than usual.
They became quite close.
Akemi smiled, stifling a chuckle. "Well, Osamu-san— you should tell her that your future cousin-in-law is doing fine without the meds," Akemi knowingly smiles, nudging Osamu lightly with her elbow as they walked around the park. Akemi gazing around with their walk.
'Still no signs of a spirit yet, however... there is that lingering sense of a spirit present...' Akemi thought to herself as she continued looking around.
Osamu let out a smiling huff, his head nodding off with genuine care in his eyes. "So she told you?"
"Nonomi-nee tells me everything~" Osamu smiles, placing his hands behind him. "-for what its worth, I fully support the both of you... you both match well together."
Seeing her genuine thoughts, Osamu let out a relieved smile. "Thank you."
~~~
ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ MAI ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
"Who is Akemi talking to?" Bou-san asked as he and Mai glanced to where Akemi and Osamu walked by. 'Is that a potential lover..?'
"I don't know but they seem close..." Mai said, watching Akemi and Osamu laugh together at a joke the doctor seem to have said. Mai continued watching the two figures not far from them with a thoughtful expression while beside her was the Monk letting out a sly grin— snickering to himself as he praised Akemi for her 'catch'.
"She sure got someone as a partner really quick," Bou-san says, "Not really that shocking for a beautiful lady, she has that air around her."
Mai frowned, confused. "Air? What air?"
hearing Mai's question, Bou-san let out a disappointed sigh shaking his head as he went, but it couldn't be helped as Mai is after all a female. "No no no, you are too young to understand the way of men..."
"Eh? Just what are you saying, bou-san...?"
~~~
Minutes passed by, people gawked and brightened at the sight of the first decoy, Naru and Masako while the second decoy went back to sitting by the bench after finishing all of their crumbs. With nothing else to do, the Monk and teenager resorted to telling stories.
And it wasn't long until Akemi saw an aura emitting right above Mai and Bou-san, her smiling face lowered to a more serious stare. 'Over there!' She grabbed Osamu's wrist at the same time signaling Kikyo as Akemi started running towards the laughing second couple.
"Naru it's coming!" Akemi called out, not bothering to glance at where Naru is. "-Right over there!" Akemi pointed to the air right above Mai and Bou-san just as Naru and Masako stood up.
The second decoy didn't hear her words nor Akemi's call. "-Guess what? Keiko asked me to bring a photo of Naru but I told her there may end up being a ghost in it too!" Mai laughed, unaware of the bag they were in.
Bou-san laughed along with tears in his eyes, the monk was practically wheezing. "That's right! You may end up taking the scariest photo in history!" slapping his hand on his leg but their laugh slowly dispersed as Mai and Bou-san felt a drop of water touch their skin.
"Mai! Bou-san cover your—!"
"Huh...rain?"
SPLOOOSH—!
~~~
ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ AKEMI ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
"The spirit is over there, right behind Mai," Akemi heard Masako say as the graceful woman bent to kneel in front of Mai and the monk in worry. "-It's a female. A young woman that is near her early twenties..."
Akemi frowned, the days are closing in to December and the temperature outside is not the best condition to get wet. Kikyo stood next to Akemi's kneeling figure and handed Bou-san and Mai a towel in hopes to dry their dripping hair, Akemi didn't know where Kikyo got it from or where she hid the blankets but she was thankful nonetheless for her guard's care as well for the youngest member.
With Akemi being worried over Mai's wet appearance in public, she missed Naru's voice calling over the psychic medium beside him, Masako keeling over to the ground all of a sudden. "Hara-san?"
"Who said it was like a water balloon? That was more like a bucket!" Akemi wryly smiled at Bou-san's words as she helped Mai dry herself up with a towel.
"Uh... it's cold, my hat..." Mai hissed, taking off her hat to twist it around in hopes to pour the water out, her teeth slightly chattering as she seemed to get most of the water. 'Ahhh.. I'm soaked...'
"Hara-san." Naru calls once again and this time Akemi seemed to have heard him.
Akemi turned to face Naru and Masako only to see a figure bent down on the ground, "Naru..." Akemi called over, walking towards the Boss with her gaze still on 'Masako'.
Only in her sights, Akemi did not saw Masako on the ground but an unknown woman with curled light brown hair and slightly blemished skin. The air around her was gloomy but not dark, her arms and legs were thin and long that could indicate either the spirit was an adult or only tall.
and it seemed she wasn't the only one that noticed the slumped figure on the ground as Osamu kneeled next to Masako, checking her immediately. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure, she suddenly collapsed." Naru said and Akemi finally got close to him, enough to mutter and he would hear.
"Naru, that's not Masako... she's possessed."
"Huh?" Mai perked up the sound of sniggering smug, the sound directing back to Masako's position.
Masako staggers, Osamu helping her up. "I'm...happy to see... your misfortune~~"