Now You See Me (self-insert #7)

Chapter 4

"That has got to be the strangest request we've gotten." I noted, leaning against the side of the van as I watched Lin look over the equipment. "They were acting kinda weird."

He didn't respond. I took it as a sign to continue.

"Ya see, a lot of the people who come for a consultation seem either anxious or scared—sometimes both—but those two were being nervous and vague with their answers. Like, how are we supposed to help you if we don't know what the problem is, or if there even is a problem?"

"You think they're hiding something?" He asked, voice muffled.

"Yeah. They're not telling us the whole situation." I said as he straightened to his full height of beanpole. "How's the stuff?"

"In rather good condition given what we just went through." He said. "We probably won't be using the monitors this time—I don't know if the village can afford to give us a separate electricity supply if their future economic stability depends on the school's demolition, so we only have the one generator."

"Mmm." I nodded slowly. "Wow. We really can't do much for them, can we? Why don't they just burn the school building to the ground if they're so concerned about spirits? Saves everyone the trouble."

Lin pursed his lips, thinking. "If I had to guess, it would be because news would eventually get out. Why would they burn it down if they could hire a team to demolish the building in a far safer and environmentally friendly way? In Japan, the more superstitious population would immediately think something paranormal had happened."

"I'm pretty sure fire is safer. Also, I think fire can also restore flora."

He looked at me, well and thoroughly stumped. "Are you playing at being a 'detective inspector' again?"

I blinked, feigning indignation. "Dear sir, I don't play."

He shook his head slightly and shut the van's trunk with a resounding bang. "Let's head back and report to Naru."

"Aye aye, captain."

When we arrived at the bungalow, Naru was in the process of allowing the boys to flatter him. I plopped down on the tatami mat next to him. "You narcissist."

He ignored me.

The next morning, though, he woke up several hours earlier than needed to get ready, woke up Lin nicely, then proceeded to thump on the door until I was out of bed and falling over myself to get to the bathroom. "What is wrong with you?" I demanded, storming into their bedroom/our communal room once I'd washed up and had gotten dressed.

He didn't look up from his book. "Don't you need to pray?"

"I did—an hour ago." I seethed.

"Really? My mistake."

I considered strangling him and claiming it was a mistake, but Lin was smarter than that. Also, I was too hungry to do anything more strenuous than walking. I settled for huffing indignantly and striding off to claim the first breakfast plate.

The others were ready by the time we'd finished up breakfast, so we set out immediately, Masako in the company van once again. She glanced at me. "You didn't sleep well?" She guessed.

"Sleep isn't the problem. It's how I was woken up."

"Ah."

Twenty minutes later, a dilapidated wooden school building came into sight. The wood was discolored and warped, and most of the windows didn't have glass. The ones that did were partially shattered. Swings creaked slowly on rusted chains, the entire playground area surrounded by dirty sand. "What an intense place, huh?" Mai remarked.