Mirror Mirror (self-insert #9)

Chapter 6

"So in the end, what did I come here for?" Bou-san demanded exasperatedly.

I sat back and let Yasuhara handle him.

"If you want to help out, we'll need people to recover the equipment." The bespectacled boy said easily.

"I prefer doing something that will improve my abilities."

"It'll improve your physical abilities."

The grown man out his head in his hands and faux-sobbed. "I don't want to." He whimpered.

Yasuhara was unmoved by his acting. If anything, his bright eyes sparkled with amusement, and it was at times like these when I remembered why he was one of my favorite people. "Faking your tears will only make me pity you."

Bou-san batted his eyes. "Youngster, will you take pity on me?"

"I'll give you all the pity you want. I'm definitely generous, benevolent, and kind, right?"

"This...this guy..."

Yasuhara chuckled. "What did you expect?"

I leaned back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling. My stomach rumbled.

"Why don't you eat something?" Lin asked.

"I'll wait 'till dinner is made." At Naru's instruction, Midori had asked me about what it meant to have a halal meal, then worked with me and her mother to write a recipe for Muslim-friendly curry. Needless to say, I was excited. "Though maybe I could eat a cookie or too."

The lights went out. Someone gasped loudly—definitely Mai.

"The fuse tripped." Naru said from somewhere in the darkness, more irritated than startled. "Lin, go and change it. We must not let this house have a blackout."

"Yes."

A second later, a scream rang out.

Mai was out of the room in a flash, fumbling blindly for her slippers. "Was that Midori-san?!"

Lin rooted around underneath the table for a flashlight and rushed out, gently pushing Mai out of his way as Naru called her back inside, his voice razor sharp. "Wait here. Lin is more than capable of taking care of whatever it is."

"But..." She began, then sighed and obeyed, albeit a little reluctantly.

It wasn't long before the lights flickered on, and Lin returned with the news that the breaker was fixed and would remain so unless the Sasakuras returned. Naru sent Mai to deliver the news to Midori and her mother, and meanwhile Lin related what Midori had said she'd seen.

"A man holding a hatchet, huh?" Bou-san glanced at Yasuhara. "Did anything happen in this house before?"

Yasuhara was frowning as he scrolled through his notes. "This is strange...there shouldn't be anymore incidents."

"Okay, setting the house aside, maybe there were problems before it's construction? Let's start from there."

Yasuhara looked up and pinned him with a long look. "You sounded very relaxed when you said that."

The monk grinned. "Isn't it your job, young detective?"

Yasuhara sighed, gathering up his bag and coat. "If senpai is putting it like that, of course I'll do it. I'll use a different approach in my investigation. I'll contact you as soon as I find anything."

Naru nodded, glancing at Bou-san. "Takigawa, you're not going home?"

"The incident has entered my area of expertise, so I want to inspect the situation."