April, Thursday

✛幽霊∞✛∞シリーズ✛

Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.

✛幽霊∞✛∞シリーズ✛

"So then, they say that the girl brought a policeman back to the public restroom. Then, shortly after she went inside like the policeman told her to, she heard the creepy voice once again! Do you want me to cover you with a red coat? Without realizing it... Y-Yes... the girl answered. And then... suddenly the policeman heard a loud scream! The policeman hurriedly opened the door, and the girl lying dead, covered in dripping blood, almost as though she were covered in a red cape. There were small holes all over her body as if someone had repeatedly stabbed her with a knitting needle."

"No!"

"Mai, don't use that scary voice!" That day, in the audiovisual room, three students had stayed after school again to tell ghost stories. Every time one of them finished a story, they would turn off their flashlight, and then, when counting off at the end, there's supposed to be an extra person. Supposedly, that extra person will be a spirit.

"You're up last, Michiru," Mai said. Michiru let out a sigh, reluctant to go on after hearing Mai's story.

"Okay, I'm going to tell you about the old schoolhouse."

"The old one? You mean that half-collapsed wooden one?" Keiko asked. Michiru nodded in confirmation.

"It didn't collapse. Construction work on it was stopped. Because of a curse. There have been a lot of people that have died in that old schoolhouse. Frequent fires and accidents, a student's death, a child's dead body, including a teacher, who committed suicide. So, when they were going to build the new school, I heard they were working to knock it down, but then... the roof fell through the second floor and everyone on the first floor was killed. So, the work was suspended. When the new school building was built, they tried to completely demolish the old building again but many of the demolition workers became sick or got into accidents. Equipment broke down... Last year, they started again, to rebuild the gymnasium, but then, a truck went out of control, and crashed onto the field where they were having class and a student died."

Mai and Keiko backed up a bit in fear. This story was just getting more creepy and terrifying with every word that came out of Michiru's mouth. She wasn't done yet, though."What's more, and I heard this from one of the senpai's, but one night as she was passing by the old school... She looked up and saw a ghost staring down at her before it disappeared."

Mai and Keiko gasped. That was just creepy. "I'll turn it off," Michiru warned. With a small click, the light went out and they were engulfed in darkness.

"Here goes... One." Michiru started off the countdown, her sight focused on Keiko.

"Two..." Keiko added, a bead of sweat slide down the side of her face.

"Three..." Mai said, cautiously glancing around the room.

"Four." A deep, unknown voice echoed in the pitch black room.

"Five..." The next voice that spoke up was more soft and quiet. All three girls skin started to turn into a sickly pale color. There was more than one ghost in the room.

"Eeeh! Kyaahhhhhh!!"

"Nooo!"

"A ghost is here! It's here!" All three girls began to scream and panic, scrambling around the room to keep away from the spirits. Mai's movement was restricted, however, as Keiko latched onto her as if she were her safety line, squeezing her so tightly that Mai was starting to have trouble breathing properly. The lights were turned on in the room and seeing that there wasn't a pitch of darkness anywhere Keiko released her grip on Mai, allowing Mai to fill her lungs with sweet, sweet air. Keiko and Michiru glanced towards the door to see who had flipped the light switch. Standing beside the door, with his hand still on the switch, was a handsome man with dark black hair and dark indigo eyes.

"W-was that you just now?" Michiru questioned.

"Was I out of line?" He replied calmly. He examined each of the girl's faces, watching their expressions. Each of them started calming down except for Mai, still trying to catch her breath, before she realized something the rest didn't seem to notice.

"W-Wait, then whose five?" All of the girls tensed up again, but he quickly dismissed it.

"That would be her." He answered. Each girl looked at him confused on who "her" could be. He couldn't be mentioning one of them, right? Sensing their confusion, the boy stepped to the side revealing the person behind him. A beautiful girl with long black hair and blue-grey eyes. She wasn't much shorter than him but with his height, he towered over the girl enough to cover her when she stood behind him.

"I'm sorry for the small scare." She replied in a soft tone.

"Oh... I was so scared, I couldn't move!" Keiko exclaimed, releasing Mai and putting a hand on her heart, feeling it's steady beat. Mai gave her friend a look. If that were true, she wouldn't have been struggling for her life earlier when Keiko grabbed her. The thought of it made Mai cringe a bit and massage her sore neck, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Excuse me, it was so dark, I didn't think anyone was in here, but then I heard voices, and couldn't help myself." The boy in black responded, with a small smile. He stepped into the room more, the light showing his face more clearly. Forget, handsome, he was gorgeous. Having a proper look at his face, Keiko and Michiru were instantly charmed by the mysterious boy dressed in black.

"Not at all! That's okay!" Keiko exclaimed. Both Keiko and Michiru quickly got up and rushed over to him, both relieved that there was actually no spirits in the room, but also that they were lucky enough to speak to such a good looking guy. "Are you a transfer student?"

"Sort of." He answered in a nonchalant way.

"What year are you?" Michiru asked.

"I'll turn 17 this year." He replied, in a polite manner. He glanced over at the girl, who stayed quiet the whole time."She turned 16 not too long ago."Michiru and Keiko looked over at the girl who came in with him and suddenly felt conscious of themselves. Seeing her in the light, the girls could clearly see how beautiful she was. Compared to Kazuya dressed in all black, she wore a white, short-sleeved cheongsam blouse with light pink cherry blossom patterns from her waist to the hem. Along with it, she wore a matching pink skirt and white Mary Jane's with a three-inch heel. She looked like a doll.

"Then, you're one year ahead of us, huh?" Keiko said, breaking out of her trance and breaking the silence from staring at the girl. Mai, however, had a suspicious look. Huh? Wouldn't you usually say you're a second year or first year? Mai glanced at her friends watching them fawn all over him. They didn't find what he said even a little suspicious. Ahh... Just because you think he's cute, you guys don't have to get so excited. Mai looked at the boy out of the corner of her eye and felt her cheeks heat up a bit. Ahh... He is actually kind of cute... Maybe very cute... But... I don't know... Something about them bothers me...

"We were telling ghost stories." Michiru pitched in.

"I see. I wonder if you'd let us join in?" He asked politely.

"Huh? Senpai, you like ghost stories, too?" Keiko asked, her eyes filled with excitement. A good looking upperclassman that also likes ghost stories. Can the day get any better?

"Sure." He replied. Keiko and Michiru squealed with excitement.

"Of course not, please do," Michiru answered. "Um, could you tell us what your name is?"

"Shibuya." He answered back." Shibuya Kazuya." Kazuya looked down at Mei-Lin and nudged his head towards them, signaling her to introduce herself to them.

"Lin. Lin Mei-Lin. "She answered, her cheek going a bit red in embarrassment. She didn't hate her name but in Japan, her name could be misinterpreted. From the looks on their faces, she was right. Keiko and Michiru looked at each other in confusion. Why did this girl say her surname three times? Not to mention, her surname was a bit weird.

"Um, Shibuya-san, Lin-san, what is it you're doing here?" Mai asked. She didn't know why, but she felt something off about the two of them. Mei-Lin and Kazuya both turned and looked her in the eyes. On the outside, they might have been smiling but his eyes said it all. They weren't really smiling. Just as I thought... That's a fake smile! He's not really smiling, just faking it... That means... He must be scheming something. When Mai stared into Mei's eyes, she felt a chill run down her spine. Her eyes seemed so cold, as if she couldn't stand being near them, I better not say anything... If she thought Kazuya was up to something bad, there's no telling what this girl was up to. And the thought scared her.

"There's something I needed to take care of," Kazuya answered.

"Then, shouldn't you get to it?" Mai asked, unlike her friends she refused to let some guys good looks hide the truth.

"Ehhh?!" Michiru and Keiko gasped. They couldn't believe that Mai was going to waste this golden opportunity to get to know a handsome upperclassman? The two of them weren't even bothered about Mei-Lin, she looked a lot like Kazuya so they believed it was safe to assume they were siblings. The things that the human mind will do to you...

"Mai! Please ignore her, senpai. What errands do you need to be done? We'll help you!" Michiru suggested, with Keiko eagerly nodding her head in agreement.

"Uh..." Mai looked over at her friends and couldn't believe their complete change in attitude.

"Nah. Instead, would you let us join in the next time you tell ghost stories?" Kazuya asked, adding a charming smile for more of an effect.

"Of course! You're most welcome!" Keiko exclaimed, they may have another girl but at this rate, they will do anything just to spend some time with him. "How about tomorrow after school?"

"That's fine. Where?"

"In our classroom. It's 1-F." Michiru spoke, her grin never leaving her face. The girls chatted amongst themselves in excitement as they parted ways with the mysterious upperclassman and his friend. They were so busy talking to each other that neither of them noticed the look Mai gave them over her shoulder. There's definitely something fishy here. Something's up with these guys...

When all three girls were gone. Mei-Lin glanced up at Kazuya from the corner of her eye. "Kazu, are you positive that this is a good idea?" She asked, speaking for the first time in a long while since the conversation.

"You heard them too, Mei. The story about the old schoolhouse." Kazuya replied, dropping the charade, revealing his true self to his assistant. He turned around and looked at her properly. "We need to investigate everything we can about the school, even what the students say about the rumors surrounding the place." Mei-Lin sighed and looked away from his gaze, her hand unknowingly turning into a fist.

"How long do you think this investigation will take?" She asked. Kazuya let out a small sigh, that was barely noticeable. He should have expected this though. Mei-Lin takes right after his other assistant, Lin Koujo. Her father. Just like her father, she didn't exactly like the Japanese and being in a high school in Japan, she was bound to feel annoyed.

"As long as it takes." A small pout formed on Mei's lips before she let her hand relax and picked at the ends of her hair. As long as it takes less than a week...

                                                                             ✛幽霊∞✛∞シリーズ✛

                                                                                             Friday

                                                                            ✛幽霊∞✛∞シリーズ✛

"This weather is great!" Mai cheered, stretching her arms over her head. The sky was clear and blue, a gentle breeze blew softly, and the cherry blossoms in the trees were in full bloom. "I was right to get out early. I've got the cherry blossoms all to myself." Mai came to a sudden stop when she looked to her side and saw the old school building. The stories she heard from last night started coming back into memory. Her once good mood was starting to drop until it almost reached zero. A nervous smile graced Mai's lips. Slowly she took a chance and started to approach the haunted building. As long as she didn't enter nothing bad would happen... right?

Looking at it like this, those stories sure do ring true, huh? Mai thought to herself with a sweat drop. Mai stood in front of the door and leaned closer, taking a peek at what the inside looked like, through the dirty glass. Inside, Mai saw a stand and what appeared to be a camera on it. What's that? A TV camera? The camera appeared to be professional but also very expensive, Did someone accidentally leave it behind? Mai slowly opened the door and glanced at her surroundings as she entered the creepy building. Upon closer inspection, sure enough, the object she spotted through the window was indeed a camera.

"That's what it is, all right. This? But why would it be in a place like this?" She wondered out loud. "Did someone leave it behind? No, that can't be right." Still, it was probably for the best to bring it to the school in case someone did leave it. Mai slowly reached out a hand to grab the camera...

"Who's there?!" A deep voice called out suddenly in the dark room. The sudden cry of the voice startled Mai and made her jump. Mai let out a small yelp as she backed into one of the old shoe lockers with a force strong enough to make it sway.

"I'm sorry, I was just, um..." Mai stuttered, trying to think of a reason for why she was here. Mai didn't seem to notice the swaying shelf until she felt the pressure of it on her back."N-No way!"Mai let out a small scream when she suddenly felt a force push on her shoulders and out of harm's way. Mai slowly replayed what just happened, as though it only happened in slow motion. She was perfectly fine... She couldn't say the same for the camera and her savior, however.
"A-Are you okay?!" Mai asked in concern as she rushed towards the strange man's side. He let out a small groan but made no movements. Oh no, what should I do? Somebody...

"What happened?" Kazuya demanded as he stepped inside the old building. Not too far from him was Mei-Lin, however, instead of the blank canvas she expressed yesterday, her face was full of concern, and anger. Why was Lin on the floor? Why was the camera broken? Why was a student here? So many questions but no time to ask them.

That guy and girl from yesterday? Mai stared up at the two, wondering why they were here. "Fùqīn{1}!" Mei-Lin shouted as she rushed to his side, quickly moving parts of the shelves off of him.

"Lin, what happened?" Kazuya asked once more when Mai didn't answer his question, kneeling down to check on the older man with Mei-Lin fretting over him. Mai watched with wide eyes as blood dripped onto the floor when Kazuya and Mei-Lin helped him sit up. "You're a bit cut up. Can you stand?"

"Yes," Lin replied in a calm manner, despite being in pain.

"U-Um, I'm really sorry." Mai cut in quickly. "I suddenly heard him call out to me, so I..."

"Never mind the explanations. Are there any doctors around here?" Kazuya asked in a calm manner, taking control of the situation at hand.

"There's one as soon as you get out of the school gate," Mai explained. She reached out to help the two pick up the older man, but as her hand reached out, Mei-Lin slapped her hand away, glaring at her harshly.

"No thank you. I do not need your help." Lin stated coldly, glaring at the girl.

"I believe you've done enough," Mei-Lin added, no longer looking at the girl, but rather the injured man in her arms. Huh?! What?! Mai stared at the two in shock as she held the hand that Mei-Lin slapped away. Never had she received such a harsh glare? She knows it was her fault but they didn't have to be so rude.

"You're the girl I met yesterday, right? What's your name?" Kazuya asked Mai, breaking her thoughts on the duo.

"Taniyama Mai." She answered with slight hesitation, holding her hand close to her chest. The slap it got earlier still stung a bit.

"Well then, Taniyama-san, out of the kindness of my heart, I must tell you that the school chimes sounded a moment ago," Kazuya informed her. Mai's eyes widened a bit as she stared at him in shock. With everything that went on, she completely forgot about school, not to mention it most likely rang when the shelf fell over.

"Y-You're kidding! I'm tardy!" She yelled as she ran towards the school and hightailed out of the old building. Aw, man! What's with those guys? That's one unlucky place all right! It's true! That building is cursed!

✛幽霊∞✛∞シリーズ✛

Mai let out a sigh as the final bell rang and quickly proceeded to pack her bag so she could go home and forget this day ever happened. "Mai, you're going home?" Michiru asked. She had to admit she was a little surprised that Mai was packing up. She was in a hurry to go home today on all days. "What about our engagement with Shibuya-senpai? Don't you want to stay?"

"I don't care," Mai answered. In fact, she would rather avoid him for the rest of the day, the same for that girl.

"No way! I can't believe you!" Keiko whined. "This is a chance to tell ghost stories together with him!"Mai just ignored her friend's words. Why couldn't they see that there was something fishy about those two?

"Do you think he'll really come?" Keiko asked Michiru when she noticed Mai was ignoring her.

"He sure did scare us yesterday." Michiru replied ."I really thought he was a spirit." The two girls laughed together, deciding not to let Mai dampen their moods. Well, if it wasn't Mai, it was the thoughts of the other girl. "Wait, what about that weird girl who said her last name a bunch of times." Michiru and Keiko then started to look a bit worried. They convinced themselves that the two were just relatives but being in the same room with a beautiful girl... They didn't feel as confident now. Keiko was about to answer to bring up both of their spirits but before she could say anything a voice interrupted her.

"Ghost stories, you say?" A voice with a somewhat annoyed tone rang out. All three girls turned to see who the voice belonged to and saw a girl with braided pigtails and glasses with an annoyed look on her face.

"Oh, Kuroda-san, we were just leaving," Keiko said, smiling in a polite manner, as she tried to excuse herself and her friends.

"Is that what you've been doing every day?" Kuroda questioned them. "No wonder my head has been aching for so long. I am very spiritually sensitive. When spirits gather together I get headaches."

"You're saying it's our fault?" Mai asked, not liking the direction this conversation was going.

"Of course it is," Kuroda answered. "Don't you know what you're doing? When you tell ghost stories, low-level spirits come together. Then, that summons stronger spirits and it's bad news when that happens. That's why you can't entertain yourselves by telling ghost stories."

"You there..." Kazuya spoke, interrupting the conversation, of course, Mei-Lin was by his side as well. The two had arrived earlier to speak with Mai but held back when they started hearing Kuroda speak about spirits and being psychic. "If you are spiritually sensitive, then do you sense anything about the old schoolhouse?"

"Ah, it's Shibuya-senpai!" Michiru and Keiko squealed in unison, happy to see the boy in black once more.

"Are you the one who put these girls up to telling ghost stories?" Kuroda questioned, turning her attention to Kazuya. "What grade are you in? What are you doing here? I would expect you to know better senpai, I'll exorcise for you just in case."

"Will you please answer my question?" Kazuya said, gently."If you can really sense spirits, that is." He was provoking her, it was clear as day.

"I can sense them! There are a lot of spirits of those who died in the war gathered in the old schoolhouse. World War II, of course. I'm sure that long ago, that place used to be a hospital. I saw a lot of injured spirits there, too."

"I did not know there was a hospital here during the war," Mei-Lin spoke up. Kazuya looked down at Mei-Lin, curious about what she would have to say. As for Mai, Michiru, and Keiko, they stared at her in shock. This girl who didn't say a word the whole time was actually talking right now. "I had heard that the school had been here before the war. Perhaps it was a medical school then?" Kuroda's eyes widened, taken aback by the girl's knowledge about the school, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger. The tone Mei-Lin used when she spoke sounded as though she was challenging her.

"I don't know! But I did see them!" She snapped at the girl defensively. "Someone who isn't spiritually sensitive wouldn't understand!"

"The principal mentioned that he's upset because the spirits in the old building are preventing him from demolishing it. Why don't you exorcise the spirits for him with your 'Psychic powers'?" Mei-Lin suggested with a sickly sweet smile. Mai sweat dropped and let out a soft sigh. The two of them were out of control, Mei-Lin may have been able to keep up the sweet act but there was no evidence of it in her voice. If anything, it sounded sarcastic.

"Shibuya-senpai, how about we call it off for today?" Keiko said, putting an end to the argument.

"I'm not really in the mood, either," Michiru added. Both girls were beginning to take Kuroda's words seriously. What if they really do end up summoning stronger spirits? Just the thought of it sent chills down their backs.

"No? Well then, another time." Kazuya told them, putting on the nice act again, as he turned to leave. Before he could take a step outside, he turned his attention back to the girls in the room, specifically Mai. "Taniyama-san..." Mai tensed up, praying that this wasn't about the incident from earlier. "Might I have a moment?" Mai opened her mouth to say no, but the look in his eyes clearly said it all. No wasn't an option.

"Sure..." She reluctantly answered, with tears streaming down her cheeks, while her friends looked at her with envy. If only they knew the trouble she was in.

✛幽霊∞✛∞シリーズ✛

"Is she one of your classmates?" Kazuya asked when they were out of listening distance from the room.

"Yeah, but... I've never really spoken to her today. She seems a bit weird." Mai confessed. She wasn't one to talk about people behind their backs but after what happened earlier, well...

"I wonder if she's really psychic..." Kazuya said absently, saying his thoughts aloud.

"I certainly didn't get that feeling," Mei-Lin said. It was only her opinion on the matter but an honest one.

"That's what she says, so maybe she is," Mai answered with a small shrug of the shoulders. "Um, how is that man from this morning?"

"Yes, about him. He's sprained his left leg." Kazuya spoke, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Mei-Lin's grip on the black book in her hands tightened and was trembling. "He won't be able to stand for a while."

"I-I'm terribly sorry..." Mai apologized, feeling guilty for being the cause of it all. "So, Shibuya-san, Lin-san, how was he involved with you?"

"Assistant." Kazuya casually answered.

"You mean, Shibuya-san, Lin-san, you help him with his work?" Mai asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"The opposite." Kazuya corrected, stopping in his tracks and turned around to face her properly. "They're the assistants and I'm the boss." Mai stayed quiet and stared at him in shock. What?! This guy, who was only a year older than her, was in charge? Of what exactly? "Now one of my assistants can't move. I believe that you have an obligation here."

"J-Just a minute! I happen to be a victim too! He scared the heck out of me and made me late for class!" Mai protested, but started regretting it when Mei-Lin turned around and glared harshly at the girl.

"He got hurt... What happened to you?" Mei-Lin questioned in a dissonant tone, annoyed with the girl. The worst thing to happen to her was being tardy for class. As for Lin, he could have died, he was just lucky it only happened to be a sprain. Mai stepped back a bit, feeling guilty now for speaking up. As much as she would hate to admit it, and how deadly the girl's glare was, she was right. Kazuya looked down at Mei-Lin and noticed her annoyance and decided to cut in before an argument started.

"The camera is broken too," Kazuya added in. "He was trying to stop you because you were touching the camera, and this is how it turned out." Kazuya's words were the same as putting in the final nail in her coffin. Mai shut her eyes and covered her face with her hands. She just couldn't believe how much she managed to screw up in a day. The entire situation was a tragedy. To make matters worse she had no excuse. "You may choose to pay me back for the loss, but..."

"But I didn't mean to do it... Besides, you shouldn't have left a camera in a place like that... So that's... Why..." Mai started spouting excuses and protests but then she noticed the dark aura surrounding the two. Kazuya gave her a look that basically said should she really be protesting when it's all on her. As for Mei-Lin, it was a mix of annoyance and anger, mostly the latter. "By the way, um... how much was it?"

"Probably more than you have," Kazuya stated bluntly.

"In Japanese yen, approximately one thousand man yen{2}" Mei-Lin said the price in a blunt manner, as if it were the cheapest price in the world. Mai started feeling faint hearing how much the camera cost before standing straight and facing the black-haired beauty.

"No way!! How can a camera be so expensive!?" Mai shouted.

"It was custom made. From Germany. I can show you the warranty if you like?" Mei-Lin calmly answered and held up her folder which most likely had the warranty for the camera inside of it. Mai quickly shook her head and looked down in defeat, her skin turning pale. A thousand man yen... A thousand man means... How many large orders of french fries would that get me... Let's see...

"You mean, um..." Mai couldn't continue with the calculation. The number was just too much and it scared her.

"You couldn't reimburse me, which means, there is only one course that you can take." Kazuya finished the sentence for her. "I want you to be my substitute assistant." Kazuya's words shocked not only Mai but Mei-Lin, even though she was told this was the best course she wasn't that fond of the idea.

"Y-Your assistant? Shibuya-san you want me to help you in your work?" Mai asked, feeling a bit apprehensive. While relieved that she wouldn't have to empty out her bank account, still, to be suddenly told to become a substitute assistant.

"Isn't that what it sounded like?" Kazuya asked rhetorically. Mai backed up a bit, the whole situation seemed a little suspicious.

"So, what is your work?" Mai asked.

"Ghost hunting," Kazuya replied in English.

"Huh?" Mai raised a hand to her ear, believing she misheard him.

"The direct translation would be "ghost exterminator," I suppose," Kazuya explained. "I'm from Shibuya Psychic Research, which was hired by the principal to investigate the old schoolhouse.

"'Saikiku Risachi.'" Mai asked. Kazuya and Mei-Lin looked at her with a look that clearly voiced their frustration. It was starting to become a pain to have to explain the simplest things to her.

"Is that a question? Aren't you taking English classes? You have a terrible pronunciation." Kazuya criticized. Mai sweat-dropped at the blunt statement and couldn't help but feel angry at why he was mean to her all the time. "'Psychic' means shinrei ("spiritual"). 'Research' means chousa("investigation"). In other words, Shibuya Psychic Research is a spiritual phenomenon investigation bureau." Kazuya turned around to face her, looking Mai directly into the eyes to show how serious this business was. "And I am its manager."

  ✛幽霊∞✛∞シリーズ✛  

Friday, evening

✛幽霊∞✛∞シリーズ✛

The sun casts an orange glow over the school grounds and old school building. Kazuya opened the back of the van, revealing multiple screens, poles, camera's, and so much more. "Amazing!" Mai shouted in awe.

Kazuya and Mei-Lin paid her no mind and focused on the job at hand. Kazuya began to explain the job description he received from the principal as they headed towards the old school building. "A week ago, the principal hired us."

"The thing is, there's this weird rumor that the old schoolhouse is cursed." The principal said.

"When I looked into the records, I was able to verify that up until 18 years ago, while the old schoolhouse was still in use, there would be one or two people that died there, every year," Kazuya explained as he handed Mai supplies and Mei-Lin looked through her notebook and made small notes. Growing curious about what the black-haired beauty was writing, Mai slowly crept closer and peeked at her notebook. Wow! I can't read the writing!! Mai stared at the girls handwriting in shock, it was written neatly but also looked like it was in English. Before Mai could attempt to decipher what she was writing, Mei-Lin, walked over to Naru and gave him the notebook before grabbing a few supplies herself. "It's also true that when construction crews were tearing down the east side of the school, there was an accident where the roof collapsed. However, no workers, in fact, died as a result. The construction ended with only a third of the demolition that was originally planned ever completed."

"There were five who were injured, but the cause was a workplace mistake," Mei-Lin added in. "Since then... And this was six years ago... The body of a dead child was discovered in the old building. She was a seven-year-old who lived in the neighborhood. She had been kidnapped for ransom. The criminal was caught and arrested one month after her body was found. And it's also true there was a teacher who committed suicide, but..." Mei-Lin picked up the notebook with one hand once more and skimmed through it before stopping at a page. "He suffered from Neurosis. They found a suicide note he left behind." She read.

"Also the runaway truck last year was caused by drunk driving. That's when construction was brought to a stop. The stories that we've heard appear to have been a factor, too." Mei-Lin closed the book shut and gently placed it back down in the van before adjusting her grip on the supplies at hand.

"According to my feasibility study, the presence of spirits here is nothing more than stories." Kazuya finished. "For a place as unlucky as this is, all the accidents have plain explanations."

"Ahh... Excuse me..." Mai spoke up. The two turned around and looked at her with a questioning gaze. "Do I really have to help you...?" The two of them gave her a blank stare that practically said yes, you do. Mai looked down, tears streaming down her face at the blunt statement, even though they didn't really say it. "Yeah, I know... I obviously do. Okay, I got it, don't look at me like that..."

"Take those microphones down and gather them up. I'll get the mike stands" Kazuya ordered, pointing to a set of microphones as he picked up a set of stands for the microphones.

"What do you use these microphones for?" Mai asked, staring straight at the mike. Wow... It's big... "You're not going to sing, are you?"

"I suppose microphones are generally used to collect sound," Kazuya replied in a sarcastic tone.

"That's not what I was asking... I know that much!"

"It's dangerous to go into a haunted building that you're not yet familiar with. So it's important to first collect as much information as possible from outside the building." Mei-Lin answered, not bothering to look at Mai as she explained the situation.

"So... Aren't you scared of that haunted building?" Mai asked the two.

"Not particularly," Kazuya answered. Mai looked at the two, a bit shocked at how calm and professional the two were about this. This is kind of different from what I expected. After gathering all of the microphones, they were all brought back to the van.

"Okay, I helped you, so was that enough?" Mai asked once everything was gathered. "I want to go now..." Both Mei-Lin and Kazuya ignored her as he opened the back of the van. Mai's eyes widened in slight shock at all of the equipment they had packed in the small van. Packed on sturdy shelves were several monitors, various control systems, camera's, etc.

"Let's carry them out," Kazuya ordered.

"You mean all of them?!" Mai asked incredulously.

"We're going to need everything." He stated calmly. What part of this is "ghost hunting"...Mai wondered.

"Do you really know how to use all this stuff, Shibuya-san?"

"I'm smart, unlike you," Kazuya replied bluntly as he rolled up his sleeves. "Let's go." Mei-Lin didn't hesitate on the order and grabbed what she could carry from the disassembled set of shelves.

"Are we going inside?" Mai asked in a nervous manner. The thought of her going to a possibly haunted or cursed building bothered her more than the insult.

"Of course," Kazuya answered in a matter of fact tone. This should have been very obvious at least. "Don't worry, I won't make you go in by yourself.

You say that now, but... Mai watched the two go ahead of her, heading inside of the building as if it were any other building or house. Why do I have to go through all this? The old building with the scary rumors... This weirdo that came to research the building who calls himself a "ghost hunter" or whatever... A girl who assists eerily looks like a doll and doesn't seem to like me...Wow... What have I gotten myself into?!

{1}Fùqīn=Chinese way of saying, father

{2}One thousand man yen=Hundreds of thousands of dollars