Lonely Hearts

Chapter XI: SPR is back in business!

Chapter Author Notes:

Sorry for the delay! Work / heat / crochet / travel for work / occasional seizures have been taking up most of my free time. I've finally gotten around to this. Silly thing is that they're been plotted out with extensive notes for a while but I just haven't found the time to do this.

I've made a minor edit to the end of the previous chapter. When I was mapping it out, I realised that White Day was still a fair way off from when this chapter takes place. So that has been omitted. Any gift(s) Naru sends will be one of those lovely 'for no specific occasion - just because' gifts.

Now let's get on with why you're really here. A new chapter!

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Summary: The SPR office has officially reopened one year after the original closure, as an extension of BSPR under the agreement it remain Shibuya Psychic Research to keep consistent with its business reputation in Japan, and to allow the team some privacy that would otherwise be lost. Lin is back in Japan acting as temporary head of the company as the other suitable candidates (Naru and Madoka) still have commitments in England.

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Mai was sitting on their couch absentmindedly flicking through the television while Yasu read a manga. Both of them had caught up fully with their coursework, had scrubbed their apartment clean and caught up with laundry, and as a result found themselves exhausted from pretending to be adults.

The silence was broken when Yasu's phone rang at the same time as Mai's phone received a text.

As she glanced over, she saw that it was from Ayako, Meet us at the office in an hour! We didn't know if you and Yasu were both at home so Lin's contacted him separately.

Her heart began fluttering as she realised what was probably happening. SPR was probably going to re-open if Lin had reached out to Yasu. Did that mean that was Naru also coming back? Wouldn't he have maybe reached out if he had been planning to return now?

Over the last year they had exchanged a few gifts but she didn't know what to think of it. She had actively tried to avoid thinking about it since she would likely just end up overthinking it or get her hopes up and get hurt in the process.

She reached over to the side table and pulled out the two cards she had received from him, and brought out the third mystery note that had arrived with the last bouquet of flowers she had received on her birthday. As she looked at all three she realised that the calligraphy on the birthday note highly resembled the writing on one of the cards from Naru.

Yasu noticed her looking at the cards and reminded her of what he had said about the cards when she first received them.

"Mai, I know what you're probably thinking. Have you done any of the research I suggested? The Christmas card? The flowers?"

She looked away with a semi-guilty expression, "No.. I don't want to overthink this and read too much into it. What if the card is just that? A simple card with barn owls? The flowers.. maybe they just look nice. It's not like I've heard from him...I wasn't expecting to receive anything from him for my birthday but maybe a call or even email would have been nice to get... I'm just being silly. Forget it."

Yasu ran his hand through his hair and down the side of his face in mild annoyance.

"Mai. Have you really not figured out who sent you that bouquet of flowers on your birthday? Think about it. I love you but you can be just as dense. Let me point you in the right direction. Search for the symbolism of the barn owls. Search under the flower language for the ones he's sent you."