A/N: Here's a new chapter! It's Naru's turn to be exposed! The next chapter is the date. Look forward to it! I'll be waiting for all your feedback. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ghost Hunt.
[Not Edited]
-oOo-
"What is going on?" Ayako asked as she stared cluelessly at her friends one by one. She was asking questions through her eyes but nobody spoke to explain it to her.
"I am a bit busy. We could talk some other time." Naru answered them but Yasu and John already secured the door to stop his escape. Mai watched them and tried her best to hide her playful smirk.
'You can't escape Naru. I thought I'm the only one who will be exposed today but I didn't expect Bou-san and the others to figure things out. I wonder what gave the idea?'
Masako both looked worried and panicked. This move was not what she had expected. She thought they're hiding it well but Bou-san noticed something. She was worried and thought of the scene where Naru used his PK while saving Mai.
'Did they see it?! But I tried my best to stop them that time!'
Bou-san smirked and stood up to borrow Naru's laptop that was placed on the table. He opened it and plugged in a flash drive. After a few clicks, a video appeared on its screen. It was the video in the infirmary. John previously installed a camera with Yasu to monitor Mai because they're afraid that the ghosts that attack her would come again. They never thought that the camera would capture something else.
They watched as Mai and Masako stumbled towards the exit in the video and also captured the noises coming from the ghosts. The camera's feed shook as the camera capturing the scene suddenly fell down the ground. The floor under them collapsed and then that's the time where Naru came. It had not been in the video but the sounds were captured. The video continued until the floor above them collapsed. The lense was covered by the debris after a few moments but sounds were still audible. They can hear Naru and Masako screamed for Mai's name.
"MAI!"
"Mai!"
".... M-Mai, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Wake up! Mai!"
Ayako and Mai's eyes widened in surprised. They're the only ones who did not saw or watched what happened. They did not expect that desperate voice to belong to this cold narcissist. It was like he begging and crying for Mai. A strange feeling bloomed inside Mai's heart as she listened to Naru's string of 'sorry's and 'wake up's. She was very stunned by this. Her reactions did not go unnoticed by everyone inside the room.
Lin was also stunned by the video Bou-san just played. Lin made sure that he erased that clip after he sent Mai and Naru to the hospital. So how could they eat a copy of it? Simple, The trio's curiosity was one step ahead of him. Yasu and Bou-san mischievously grinned at him while John gave him an apologetic smile.
The debris covering the camera was suddenly lifted. The camera also moved upwards like someone raised it up. But it was gently moving up and down as it was raised. The next second, the video showed the whe situation inside the room. Ayako, who is the most clueless, gasped at the sight. In that video, she can see Naru cradling Mai's body while begging. And the debris around them.....
"It's levitating!" Ayako cried as she pointed to the screen. The others didn't answer and they didn't take their eyes away from the screen to watch the next scene. They heard Masako's plea afterwards.
"Naru! Naru! You have to calm down. Some people would be here at any moment and would discover you using your abilities! Naru please calm down. We still need to bring Mai to the hospital!"
Then they saw Masako standing up and run to the right. That was the time where Masako went to stop them. A few seconds after, Lin came running and stopped for a second to register what happened. He jumped down and quickly snatched Mai from Naru. And what he did next stunned all of them. Even the three who watched it first still flinched when they saw Lin slapped Naru in the video.
"What are you doing, just sitting here?! Mai's life is in danger but all you do is cry?! Where did you rational genius brain go?!"
This is their first time hearing Lin's scolding voice so they were a bit scared by it. Lin's scary when he just stood there but he's even scarier when angry. The video stopped when Naru withdrew his PK and the camera fell to the ground. So all in all, there are numerous surprises in the video.
One, Naru has PK.
Two, Masako knew Naru has PK.
Three, Lin got angry.
Last but not the least, Naru's in love with Mai. It's clear since he almost went ballistic when Mai was covered in debris.
These are the most shocking they ever found. Bou-san quickly pulled out the flash drive in case Naru snatched it away. Yasu had a teasing smirk as John just smiled helplessly at them. Ayako stopped as if her brain was loading while Mai's face was comparable to a tomato. Masako bowed her head while Lin and Naru emotionlessly stared at the laptop screen.
"And that's another demonstration of Psychokinesis, ladies and gentlemen." Bou-san said as he played with his flash drive. He turned to the teenager who's face was livid after watching the video.
"Are you done embarrassing me?" Naru asked in a menacing voice as he glared at Bou-san and the other two. It's fine to expose his feelings for Mai but is it necessary to exposed it in front her?! Who would not feel embarrassed about this?!
"Uhm. I'm sorry, Big boss! Bou-san, I already told you it's not a good idea to play the video!" Yasu yelled out the first sentence but nervously whispered the second. Though they have been together for a few days, Naru's angry face is still scary! Bou-san coughed and cleared the nervousness in his heart.
"So Naru, who are you?" Bou-san asked as Naru raised an eyebrow at him. He didn't answer so Bou-san continued to asked.
"Is your name really Shibuya Kazuya?" Bou-san waited for him to speak but Naru didn't open his mouth. Bou-san scratched his head and sighed.
"Okay. Let's do it this way. Everyone, don't you think it's weird that the name of the director at Shibuya is named 'Shibuya'?" Bou-san asked as he looked at his friend's faces.
"Is it not a coincidence?" Ayako, who is the most curious, asked. She's the most clueless among all of them.
"Well, there are three possibilities. One, it's a mere coincidence. Two, he made the office in Shibuya on purpose and lastly, it's an alias. If it was me, the second ones would be possible but for Naru, it isn't. Then the most probable reason is coincidence but there's something that bothers me. Mai.."
"Ye-yes?" Mai asked as she woke up from daze. Her ears and cheeks are slightly pink. Yasu giggled at her while Naru watched her.
"Do you remember what Naru said when we first met?"
"What he said...." Mai tried her best to remember Naru's exact words but she knew what Bou-san is pointing at but Mai pretended not to know. It would be a surprise at the end of it. She recited those exact words after a few seconds.
"There is no reaction. There's not much that we can do but Mai's sempai.."
"You dare to call me without honorifics!"
"You did the same a while ago, right?"
"That's correct. It was a weird sentence so I clearly remembered it. Mai called him by his nickname, 'Naru the Narcissist' but it didn't mean she called him without honorifics. And one more thing, why does Lin call him that too? Isn't it weird? Lin isn't the type to call his boss, 'Naru the Narcissist'. If the 'Naru' really came from the word, 'Narcissist', then Lin wouldn't call him that since it's similar to insulting him. Lin wouldn't do that to Naru right?" Bou-san asked as Ayako nodded while Mai went back to her dazed state.
"It's really weird for me so I laid out a theory. That maybe 'Shibuya Kazuya' is an alias and that 'Naru' is his real name."
"Real name..." Ayako whispered as the room went silent for a while. The others are just listening quietly. Naru returned his attention to Bou-san from Mai and smirked. He couldn't read what's inside Mai's mind so he gave up and turned to Bou-san, who's laying out many theories.
"Don't imagine too much." He said but Bou-san just scoffed.
"Oh please, the fun hadn't even started yet. So back to the topic. If your real name is really 'Naru' then it wouldn't be weird for Lin to call you that. When I think about it and remembered, there is no proof that 'Shibuya Kazuya' is really your real name.".
"Isn't that the same for everyone?" Ayako asked but Bou-san waved his finger to her.
"Yes but it was different from Naru. Do you remember Naru being hospitalised on our case in Yuasa Highschool? When we visited his room, there is no name tag on his door. They write real names on the tag but his were blank. But this time, in the one of the hospital's branch, there is a name tag that said 'Shibuya Kazuya'." Bou-san asaid as he pointed at the name tag on the door frame. 'Shibuya Kazuya' was just below Mai's name.
"Also, he refused to accept visits on his first day in the hospital. That means that in the first time, he used his real name and put a blank name tag to hid it." Bou-san added.
"That means the doctors and nurses knew his real name so he didn't want us to visit when he was first hospitalised or else we would've find out. This hospital is also a branch of the first hospital he was in so they must've requested the director to do them a favour." Ayako said while analyzing the data she received. Bou-san suddenly remembered something and asked.
"This is your family hospital, right? Why didn't you know?"
Ayako said in the passing that she's actually a daughter of Hospital owners. That left a great impression to him so he asked.
"Yes but I'm working in a different hospital as a resident until I am fit to inherit my father's position. It's a tradition in our family." Ayako answered as they nodded in understanding.
"Those are just assumptions but I personally thinks that 'Shibuya Kazuya' is really not your real name. Naru, am I right?"
"I have no need to answer you questions."
"Oh. I see. Then let's move on. It's not only his name that is weird. His lifestyle is also a mystery. Do you know why he doesn't tell anyone his address or even his phone number? We asked him but he didn't answer is whenever we asked. There is no meaning to hiding only his home if people knew where his office is. Then I have an idea. Maybe if people find out where he lives, they would find out what he wanted to hide." Bou-san said as he enjoyed laying out his theories. But his excitement dropped a little when Ayako dropped an unrelated bomb.
"What? He's hiding a body in his house or something?"
"No! Not that! I'm saying that maybe he's hiding his identity!" Bou-san answered her. Ayako was about to bicker with him when Yasu and John stopped them. It would be troublesome if they argue like an old couple now. They still need to uncover Naru's identity!
"Well, he's obviously hiding his identity. However if they found out where he live, they might as well know his identity. Right, Naru?" Bou-san sked but Naru just grinned at him.
"Next! Why do he hide his phone number?"
"People will look it up in the directory!" Ayako went back to to answering Bou-san questions like a loyal student.
"If it's like that, then he can just not put his number in the directory. Then... What if Naru don't have a real phone number?" Bou-san answered.
"Like a disposable phone or something?" Ayako asked, confused.
"Yeah!"
"I can't imagine him like that." Ayako added making Bou-san chuckle.
"That's true. But If someone who doesn't know his address called him or a family or friend picks up the it would be bad. Because the person who picks up might say something accidentally. He could probably make sure that people would not talk about his identity but he can't do that so he doesn't give his number.
"Then why don't he just get a personal line? Naru even have his own income so that won't be too hard. And it's impossible that his family doesn't allow him to do so since he's a manager of his own company. His family definitely knew what he is doing and are not opposed to it. " Ayako theorised as Bou-san clapped at her.
"You're finally in the same page. It's also possible that the landlord said no but I don't think so. If he can't get a personal line even though his family isn't against it. Then it means that wherever Naru is living in, they put him under a contract. Meaning he's living in a place where he isn't allowed to get a personal line."
"Oh. Crap.." Ayako finally said as she realized what was happening in 'Naru's address' topic.
"Yes. He's living in a hotel. And if he lives in a hotel, it would be bad to give out his number his the front desk would pick it out. It's troublesome to explain things to the front desk so he chose to not tell us his number. And if he's really living in a hotel then Naru isn't from Tokyo or maybe, he's from another country. And the latter makes more sense than anything else. Think. He doesn't know a lot of expressions and proverbs, he also cannot read Kanji. I've seen him reading Japanese but I've never seen him write in Japanese." Bou-san said as Ayako nodded.
"I've never seen him write in Japanese too. What about you Mai?" Ayako asked and looked at Mai but the brunette is still on his dazed stated. Bou-san, John and Ayako chuckled before continuing the discussion.
" So if I tied the 'He had an alias' theory and this one, then it could be said that Naru is not a Japanese. That would make sense on why he told Mai that she did not use honorifics when she called him Naru-chan." Bou-san dropped the bombed as the room went silent again with their attention solely rests on their young boss.
"Well, he might look like a Japanese and speak out the language but it's doesn't always mean, he's really a Japanese. If you think of it that way then it makes sense why he doesn't go to school and if he's living in a hotel then it means he hasn't taken care of the papers to transfer here. So where is Naru from? I know he's not going to answer so I'll keep going. Another strange thing is that.... How he got all of his equipment. How much do you think everything is worth? And even if he's rich, it isn't something a seventeen years old teen could afford."
"Then let me ask you one more question. Is the office really Naru's? Do you really think the landlord would rent the office to an underage kid? And Mai, you awake yet?" Bou-san asked Mai again and saw her flinched for a second before nodding. Her face is still red.
"Does Naru let you pick up the phone calls or sort out mails?"
"I can pick up calls in the office from time to time but Lin was the one who usually do it. Lin's also the one checking out mails and every mails that I sort out is inspected by him." Mai answered slowly as she shook her head. It's obvious that she's still absorbed in the video that shows Naru's desperate calls for her.
"Those jobs should be Mai's job as a part-timer but they didn't let her do that. It seems like they're trying to keep outsiders away from phone calls and mails. Because in the case of letters, there would be return address and information that he don't want people to find out, so he and Lin hides it right?"
"I see. If 'Shibuya Kazuya' is not his real name, then his real name would be on the letters. But that place is an office so all mails goes to 'Shibuya Psychic Research'. If it's not sent to Naru's address then he doesn't need to hide it!" Ayako said, confused and look at Bou-san, asking for answers. Bou-san doesn't realized himself laughing, thinking she's a bit cute and gave her what she wanted.
"What is the person who it's addressed to is different? What if 'Shibuya Psychic Research' is also a fake name?"
"Aaah?! Then if the name of the office is different then the mail wouldn't arrive! It doesn't make sense!" Ayako complained like a child and angrily look at Bou-san. The latter laughed at her adorable face while Yasu and John cleared their throats.
'Ahem. We're glad you're on good terms at this moment but please don't flirt in front of us and finish this discussion first!'
Bou-san blushed when he got what their stares are saying and continued the discussion. Ayako obviously didn't get it and maintained her cute demanding face. She's a bit old to be called cute but her confused look is really adorable for Bou-san.
"That might be true but we also call the office, 'SPR'. Between 'Shibuya Psychic Research' and 'SPR', one of them must be the real name right? Besides, the office have to be registered so I'm wondering which name is registered on the paper. The mail doesn't need a recipient name as long as the address is right. And what if 'SPR' is the real name of the office and 'Shibuya Psychic Research' is just a pretence?"
"So in other words, there's no meaning to 'Shibuya Psychic Research'. It wouldn't matter what the meaning was as long as it can be just abbreviated to 'SPR'. They can sent mails to the office if they just put SPR as recipient name. And Naru probably named the office as 'Shibuya Psychic Research' to cover up the real meaning of SPR, is that what you're saying?" Ayako asked whe Bou-san nodded happily.
"If you think 'Shibuya Psychic Research' is a fake name but SPR is the real one, what's the meaning of this abbreviation?" Ayako asked again.
"Think again. The office's real name is SPR, Naru's hiding his identity and Naru's from another country equals...?" Bou-san asked waiting for Ayako's answer. Naru just stared at her and waited for this to finish. He look at Mai but he still couldn't get a reaction from her. Though, he's satisfied with Mai's blushing face, he really wants to know what she is thinking about this.
"Ah! Society for Psychical Research!" Ayako exclaimed.
"Exactly. It's an old paranormal activity investigative organisation in England. 'Shibuya Psychic Research' is just a disguise to hide the fact that the office is a Japanese branch of 'SPR'. If Naru's one of the members of BSPR then it would make sense why he had this office and those expensive equipment he had. If someone knew this, it would gather tons of attention. We all know Naru isn't the type to like gathering attention so he hid his identity and the fact that he is a member of BSPR."
"So tell me, Bou-san, what is Naru's real name?" Mai asked for the first time. Her lips are slightly hooked and her eyes looked as if he's challenging him.
"Mai's finally with us!" Bou-san said and laughed. But for Naru, Mai's question mean something else. Her eyes are telling something else. Naru widened his eyes and slightly flinched. Lin also noticed it and look at Mai.
'Don't tell me she—'
"If Naru is from England the he's an Englishman. So it's natural for close person to call him without honorifics. For Japanese, showing affections by calling one's name could be done if we add '-chan' after a person's name or we can just not use honorifics. But for other countries like England, they can call someone affectionately by using nicknames. So when Mai called him Naru—which is his real name, he said she called him without honorifics. And that means Mai called him by his nickname. John!" John nodded in agreement as he began speaking.
"Naru's pronunciation is similar to Japanese pronunciation of 'Noll'— which is 'Noro'. And if it's the nickname Noll, then the whole name must be Oliver."
" And who is one figure in BSPR who was named 'Oliver'?" Bou-san asked while looking at Mai but he never saw her react to this. Bou-san narrowed his eyes and began to think for a while.
"Crap! It's Oliver Davis!" Ayako interrupted with her yell.
"Even if he's name is Oliver, it doesn't always mean he's Dr. Davis. You might say this so I need to explain." Bou-san said and turned to Lin and Naru.
"The video I had showed you is an undisputable proof that Naru has PK. Oliver Davis is a parapsychologist and one of the youngest and brightest members of BSPR that possessed psychometry and PK abilities. Naru's a parapsychologist too and although I don't have an evidence that he could use psychometry, he was undeniably capable of using PK. Who could fit Naru's true identity candidate beside Oliver Davis?" Bou-san said finishing his theory discussion.
The room went silent again for a few seconds but Mai suddenly disrupted the silence by clapping her hands. She laughed while almost all the people inside the room stared at her—ckearly baffled by her reaction. Only Bou-san and Yasu are looking at her without confusion.
"Besides Masako, you knew right? And from Naru and Lin's reaction, they didn't know you knew." Bou-san said while smirking. This moment of really exciting!
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised. Mai's very observant after all." Yasu added while shrugging his shoulders. Mai just ceased her clapping and smirked at them.
"Wow. I thought I'm the only one who's going to be exposed today! I never thought Bou-san would drop a bomb to avenge me!" Mai playfully answered and giggled.
"Well, I didn't actually avenged you. I didn't even know you had such background! Between you and Naru, you're the one who hid her secrets more! It took a genius like Naru to decipher you!" Bou-san answered while complaining. Mai laughed at him and looked at Naru. He returned his poker face but his eyes are asking questions. It didn't take long before he opened his mouth.
"How long?" Naru asked while Lin also looked at her in question.
"Since our first case together in the old school building."
"That long?! And you didn't tell us?!" Ayako asked and pinched Mai's cheeks as punishment. Everyone was utterly flabbergasted by her answer. Bou-san only thought Mai knew it not long before them but she just told them that she figured it out on their first case together! Bou-san felt like he's some kind of an idiot and also joined Ayako in pinching her cheeks
"Come on! It's not my secret to tell." Mai complained and rubbed her reddened cheeks. It hurts so much because the two of them pinched her hard.
"How did you figured it out in just a short amount of time, Taniyama-san?" Lin asked her. He was stupefied when he heard Mai's first sentence. It seems like his worries were useless since the girl had figured it out even before he stared to worry.
"When Naru introduced himself as 'Shibuya Kazuya', my instincts tells me that he's lying. I thought he's scheming something so I paid more attention to him. Then I injured you and learned that you're part of a Psychic Research agency. I also noticed that he wrote in English when writing notes and Naru overreacted a bit when I called him 'Naru the Narcissist' so I thought he's a foreigner and his real name is 'Naru'." Mai answers and stood up from her bed. She slowly walked towards Naru and stopped in front of him.
"And you know the rest. 'Naru/Noll' + English + SPR + paranormal investigator = Oliver Davis! I don't have much evidence at that time but my instincts are telling me that I'm right. I slowly confirmed it when I entered the office and witnessed Naru using his PK in front of Kasai-san and Ubusuna-sensei to convince the girl and make her open up. And I think you also used your PK when we fell into the manhole? That's the reason why you collapsed and was hospitalised, right?" Mai continued as her brown eyes met his blue ones. The rest thought that Naru wouldn't answer but Naru spoke!
"Yes. A smart move, Mai. Even I was fooled by you." Naru honestly praised her as he reached out to Mai's head. He gently rubbed her head as Mai blushed at his action.
"W-well, of course! I-I am a better pretender than you!" Mai awkwardly answered as she took three steps back away from him. Her face is furiously red. Naru smirked in satisfaction and look at the others.
"Congratulations. You proved to me that all of you at least have a brain." Naru answered them confirming all their theories right. Bou-san John and Yasu five-fived each other. Bou-san and Yasu got the clip secretly while they sent Mai and Naru to the hospital and John help them figured out what's the other name for Naru.
"But there is still some things that I don't understand, Naru." Mai said as she turned around to face Naru again. Her serious voice caused Lin and Naru to freeze.
"Why did the both of you come to Japan?"
Naru and Lin didn't answer. Even Bou-san didn't know his reason. He thought about it with Yasu and John but they couldn't find an answer. It's possible that he want to establish an office in Japan but the BSPR didn't say anything about having a branch.
"Let me guess." Mai continued making Lin a bit tense. Naru waited and look at her seriously. Mai smiled sadly and look straight to Naru's blue eyes.
"You're looking for something. You cannot deny this since I've always seen you looking at the Japan's national map." Mai immediately answered, not allowing Naru to deny it.
".....Yes." Naru answered truthfully while Lin suddenly turned his head towards him. He knew Naru liked Mai but he never expected him to tell her the truth of their purpose!
'This man really did fell hard, huh?'
"Now what is it?..... Or shall I asked Who?" Mai asked. Lin admired Mai for her intelligence as she directly hit it. She knew. Naru bit his lower lip, his eyes are never leaving Mai's.
"Is it Eugene Davis?"
Naru clenched his hands as Mai dropped the name. He knew deep inside his heart that Mai would tell him that name. But he also hoped that she did not. If she knew it's Eugene then that means she met him and .... And she... Naru couldn't help but to shake as he thought of something. He couldn't accept it. It would have been better if Mai didn't dropped that name. Despite his thoughts going somewhere else, he managed to nod and answer her.
"Yes."