Now You See Me (self-insert #7)

Chapter 3

Not long after lunch, Lin took me with him to hunt down Naru. I applauded my foresight in changing my hijab to a light summery one. The sun beat down on us, drawing sweat instantly. "Have any idea of where to start first?" I asked, wiping my face on my sleeve.

He chuckled bitterly. Poor guy deserved a raise. Or a vacation. Probably both.

We were just about to head off in the general direction of nowhere when Bou-san called out to him. Lin paused, then shrugged slightly and strode over to where the others had gathered on the veranda of the other bungalow with me trotting at his side. "Have you seen Naru?" Lin inquired before Bou-san could say anything.

"I saw him by the lake." Mai offered, making her way to the railing.

"Thank you." Lin jerked his head, gesturing for me to follow. We were about to move on when Bou-san's question stopped him in his tracks.

"Is Naru's brother really here?"

Lin's head whipped around, his eyes wide. "That—who told—"

"Mai heard it from Naru."

Lin fell silent for a moment. "It's true." He said.

Bou-san sobered. "My condolences. Why didn't you say this earlier?"

"Oh, good question." I said lightly.

Lin shot me a sharp look. I pursed my lips. "I can only tell you the situation."

Bou-san perked up. "Situation?"

"I don't know the details, as Naru didn't tell me anything except that he was murdered."

The blood drained from Mai's face.

Bou-san stared at Lin, no doubt trying to figure how out he'd said that so calmly. "Murdered? Then who's the culprit?"

"Naru didn't murder him himself, right?" All eyes went to Ayako. The miko arched an eyebrow as she lounged at one of the picnic tables. "If not, how does he know the body is here?"

Lin flashed her the stink eye. "Impossible, since that's all he knows."

Technically it was what we thought he only knew, but figured that this wasn't the right time.

"Lin."

I applauded myself for keeping my mouth shut for once. Naru strode across the grass towards us, apparently fed up with watching a bunch of strangers fish for his brother's corpse. He barely spared the others a glance as he came to a stop next to us. "What are you doing here?"

"Telling them your deepest, darkest secrets."

"They're together with Madoka. They're doing fine." Lin reported as if I hadn't said anything. Once upon a time this would've stung a little, but now I was starting to see it as an affectionate gesture. Or something. I wasn't sure.

Naru nodded. "I see."

Before he could even blink, Bou-san spoke up. "I'm sorry for your loss. Did you find him?"

"Thank you. It's going to be tough, as the water clarity is low. There are a lot of sediments at the bottom of the lake."

Bou-san shrugged lightly. "Well, it's because this is a dam, but it'd be great if you could find him quickly."

Something flashed in Naru's eyes, and suddenly I remembered what he'd said out of the blue the night before: There's no secret that will stay hidden forever. It had totally sent Lin into a panic, which had been worth seeing. "I was more or less prepared for that." He said smoothly. "That's why, don't you think it's better if you leave first?"