Warning this case chapters might involve the mention of mature themes such as cannibalism and is inspired by a true event.
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ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ MAI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
It was just one of those days where Akemi wasn't present in the office. Mai sat by her desk as she waited for potential clients while Naru and Lin stuck around their Office. It was quite boring to be honest, Mai seriously grew dependent on Akemi.
CHIRIING—!
At the sounds of the door opening, Mai perked up seeing two girls walk inside the office with slight hesitation.
'They look... exhausted, ' Mai thought to herself,
The girls wore casual clothing and stood slightly taller than Mai but not enough to reach Akemi. One of them have brown hair tied into two low buns with her eyes matching her hair, wearing a simple light pink sweater dress that reached an inch above her knees that is under a black cardigan with white high boots to match the thin belt on her waist. Although her hair were a lighter shade of brown, Mai noticed how the girl's eyes hold a more darker color of dread Mai couldn't take note off. The girl stood with her arms wrapped around herself, almost as if she was hiding while the other girl has her hand wrapped on her shoulder to give comfort.
"Hello, Welcome to the SPR!" Mai smiled at the two, standing to greet them more closely in hopes to the awkwardness that could come.
The other girl stood with tanned skin and short hair that came closely to Mai's own style and the high schooler can't help but stereotype her as the type to surf or anything sporty. The girl donned herself with a white branded Japanese band tucked in her jeans that was oddly stitched with black roses on the part where her knees should be and covered her with a dark overcoat that Mai was strangely noting exquisite designs of white Kanji sayings and even artistic drawings and patches.
It looks so cool that Mai thought of buying one.
"What can I help you with?" Mai continued, gaining the attention of the other girl comforting her shivering friend.
"Hello...um a friend of ours told us that this was the Office for Ghost Hunters?" The other girl asked, just to confirm the location.
Mai let out a wry chuckle but nodding nonetheless. "I know the place doesn't look like much but yeah! This is the Shibuya Psychic Research office where we listen to clients about their paranormal experiences."
The other girl stood just a few inches taller than the shivering girl, or was it only because she was hunched over? Mai couldn't tell for now but the other girl look concernedly worried and it was shown on her dark nearly black eyes.
"If that's so, I'm Yokoyama Moe and this is Suda Hiroko." Moe pointed to herself before gesturing to her friend, Hiroko as Mai showed them their seat.
"-but you can just call us Moe and Hiroko."
Mai nodded in understanding, " And I'm Taniyama Mai, so what is the case you guys are here for, Moe-san? Hiroko-san?"
As they sat, for the first time Mai has seen them, Moe was the one looking disturbed while Hiroko let out a wince as the silent shivering girl clenched her hands on her lap.
Hiroko sighed, defeatedly before turning to gaze Mai with utmost seriousness. "You see, Taniyama-san... It's about the dorm Moe and I are currently staying in..." Hearing their story, Mai stood straighter and started taking notes on the folder she carried along when Clients came in.
"We are freshmen students from Reddohiru Gakuin University and somehow on this year, the campus opened the old dormitory after finishing the renovation. Some of our female classmates and other female students were sent to move in the newly renovated dorm and were expected to have our current roommates to each have their own bedroom while the males where to stay on our old ones." Moe noted how Mai brightened at the thought and let out an amused chuckle.
Moe pointed at Mai's bright eyes, "We got the same reaction, we thought it would be like having an apartment but..." Moe shook her head. "We've been experiencing it for months now— we were afraid that if we face it... It might actually be real.." Moe finished, her brows contorted in worry.
"Experience what?" Mai asked, this time Hiroko spoke.
"At first it was nothing, the lights would turn off on their own, we would smell something rotting, the food on the fridge would keep smelling bad and we wouldn't be able to eat the food in there anymore or our books would be open and left around the living room as if someone was using them..." Hiroko and Moe glanced at each other before Hiroko continued. " -We both know it wasn't us because we keep our own books on a shelf that was with the dorm but at first that was what we thought so we left it off for months until...." Hiroko hesitated,
"Until what?"
Mai received no response, only Moe taking out her phone and touching a few things on her screen before handing it to Mai.
Mai confused, took the phone and saw it was set to a video. She played it and saw that it was placed on a hidden corner facing the shelf the college girls were talking about.
She thought it was nothing but that was until the shelf started to shake a bit before a book was pulled out and soon the others followed and being thrown on a table nearby, after a while with a dozen of books off the shelf, it stopped. Mai found it eerie that nothing was happening after such an event.
"That's not all..." Moe spoke up, gesturing to the phone in Mai's hand.
On cue the books continuously opened and flipped until one last book was opened.
The video ended and Mai handed the phone back to Moe, "At first we thought the other one is at fault because our books were continuously being ruined so I confronted Moe about this..."
"After learning it was neither of us, the hauntings started getting worse..."
"How worse?"
Moe looked at Hiroko, nodding her head at her while Hiroko hesitated just a second before reluctantly agreeing on their silent plea.
Moe started, "The stoves would turn on and off by itself, we would hear thumps on the walls and floor and sometimes Hiroko and I would feel something touching our leg and pain on the back of our necks..."
"-After that we would start feeling weak every morning and...well..." Hiroko lifted her long sleeves with Moe taking off her over coat to reveal bruises on their arms, Mai gasped at the sight.
They look like bite marks.
Moe turned around and gestured for the back of her neck and Mai felt faint, seeing a large bruise on her nape. "We also have scratches on our backs and a few more marks on our sides and leg..."
"-We told it to the School guard or anybody on the building but none of them believed us. Every time we would try to show it to others by staying in our dorm nothing would happen but they would admit that they smell something every night and yet Hiroko and I wouldn't be doing anything." Moe added, Hiroko nodding beside her in agreement.
"...all of these would happen every time Hiroko and I would hear a gun shot..."
"Gun shot?!" Mai gaped, Hiroko solemnly nodded.
"We asked the other dorms but no one heard anything and that's when we found out it was only Moe and I experiencing the hauntings..."
Moe placed a hand on Hiroko's back, each giving their support. "That was until a friend of ours took note of our condition and asked what was wrong, we thought she would laugh at us or won't believe us like the others but she suggested us this place... Something about helping with these kinds of events..."
Mai nodded, letting out a hum of sympathy. "We can help you with this case but...often times it all depends on the Boss, if he deems the case worthy..." A frown on her face, Mai stared at the folder filled with notes about the girls' story.
Moe and Hiroko slumped, "What do you think he would say about our case? Would he also believe us?"
Mai honestly don't know, remembering there were other cases he rejected. 'Maybe Naru would be willing to take the case...?'
Mai shook her head, determined to do the case. If it meant stopping these girls from their torment, then facing the beast head on would be worth it! "Don't worry! I'll speak to my boss about your case!"
Moe and Hiroko brightened, for once hope in their eyes instead of dread.
~~~
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ MAI AKEMI ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
Once again Mai was defeated.
After hearing the case, Naru admitted that it was interesting, however he started drilling Mai with questions if the video was a fake or that it was all some material problem. It irked Mai but before she could defend the girls, Naru stated that he couldn't do the case even if he wanted to because it's a school— a University that needs the permission of the Principal to explore the territory.
Without the Principal's permission they might as well end up in jail.
So Naru told Mai if she was ever interested in the case, call the Principal of said university and inform him of their visit.
The teenager let out a sob as she walked out Naru's office, "He is a total sadist! A sadist!" Mai nodded to herself as she glared at Naru's door.
'Wait till I tell Akemi-sempai!' Mai stuck out her tongue, grimacing at his front door.
CHIRIING—!
"Oh! Welcome to the— SEMPAI!!!" Without waiting anymore second, Mai leaped and hugged Akemi who was holding Oliver's leash. 'hu hu the deities have heard my prayers!'
"Se-sempai! Naru—! hic... Naru—!" Mai sobbed on the girl's chest, lifting her head up to reveal glossy eyes and pouting lips.
Akemi knew the face Mai was making and let out a weak chuckle, 'She always did give me that look when she feels wronged...'
The elegant girl weakly smiled as Kikyo supported the girl's back to avoid her from falling while Oliver remained on the heiress side, waiting for Mai to finish her gushing before his attack.
But it seemed the high schooler was not gonna stop any moment and so the dog walked away from his owner with his leash tugging it on his mouth, signaling his owner to let go.
Akemi let go, watching the golden retriever with curious eyes as the dog walked away from them with his leash and straight to a familiar path that made Akemi wryly smile, her brows twitching.
Akemi sweat dropped at the sight of Oliver scratching his paws on Naru's office door which was opened quietly a few minutes after and closed once Oliver went inside.
'There is something going on with those two...' Akemi giggled at the thought before facing Mai hugging her waist.
Akemi turned to Kikyo with a lifted brow, without any words Kikyo placed a hand on the two and pulled them on where the sofa would be and took the bag of pastries from Akemi's hand to tend them at the kitchen.
It was soon after Mai told Akemi about the girls that came by that Akemi beamed, clasping both of her hands with the tips of her fingers touching, making a mountain hand.
"Ara! That's my school you are talking about and the girls that came by are my friends, I'm the one that suggested this place." Mai brightened but soon her hope went down as she remembered what Naru said.
Akemi sensed the girl's thought and gave a winning smile. "Don't worry Mai, if all Naru needed was permission then let me go talk to the School about this. Why don't you go eat some of the dessert I bought back at the Cosy Bear Cafe for now, hm?" like a kid, Akemi patted Mai's head.
Mai watched her sempai, already stuffing her face with the pastry. "Hai! "
'As expected! Having sempai around the Office is the best! A total God sent!'
As Mai ate, Akemi stood to go by a phone number, she would need to talk to the Principal concerning the mental health of her friends.