"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.
"I can't really imagine the local children coming to a place like this." Ayako agreed.
"I mean, they probably were better about the upkeep when there were actual children coming here." I pointed out. "Would you waste money on an empty building?"
"Probably not." Ayako said hesitantly as Mai moved to talk to Masako. She crossed her arms over chest and shuddered. "Still, I don't like the aura this place gives off."
She genuinely looked uneasy, so I decided to lay off for once and idled over to Naru. He studied the building impassively. "Whatcha thinking?" I asked, temporarily forgiving his merciless wake-up call.
"Useful thoughts." I resisted the urge to kick his shin as he turned his head. "Hey, the one chatting over there!"
Mai came to attention. "Yes?"
"Put the sound concentrating microphones around the outside. After that, we need to gather information on the activity using cameras, so find places to put them."
Ayako arched an eyebrow. "Are we putting the cameras outside as well?"
"No one is allowed to enter the building."
Mai saluted and set off, Bou-san and Yasuhara following her. I leaned against the side of the van and yawned. "Need my help, Lin?"
"Would you like to set up a speaker?"
I shrugged. "How hard can it be? Hush, Naru."
He glanced at me. "I didn't say anything."
"I heard you think it. Trust me, I am a pro when it comes to setting up speakers." Mostly because it was the only thing Lin would allow me to do if I spent longer than necessary on the computers.
"I better not hear you asking him for help, then."
"I said I was a pro, not superhuman, geez." I grumbled, scooping up a speaker.
We set up 'base' under a sheet of corrugated metal that served as shade from the unusually warm sun. "Ugh." I said, plopping down on the creaking veranda/porch/thingie near Lin. "Again, I don't see why they don't just burn it to the ground. They could say there was 'something' here—it technically wouldn't be lying seeing how this place is probably overrun with vermin and bugs."
"Lazy."
"Efficient." I corrected.
Shaking his head, Naru went back to reading his notebook for the gazillionth time.
Mai and her lackeys returned a while later, heaving sighs as they plopped down on the weathered wood. "Did you figure something out?" Mai inquired, choosing to stand.
"Perhaps. At any rate, I don't expect to see any activity on the first day." Naru said without looking up.
Yasuhara pondered this. "I wonder if there's actually anything here. The atmosphere alone is appropriate, though."
"I suppose. Over time you develop a sense for such things. Anyway, since you apparently have free time, go prepare some more sites." Yasuhara chuckled as Mai's eyebrows shot up. Naru must not have expected them to actually get up because he added, "In addition, just because we can't sense anything doesn't mean that there's nothing here."
"We need to figure out why the village headman personally requested for us to take this case, right?" Yasuhara asked.
"Exactly."
"Toldja." I muttered. Lin grunted.
Mai blinked, startled. "Wh-why is that?"
Yasuhara adjusted his glasses. "Look, the camping grounds' lady said she hadn't heard anything about it when we asked." He stated. "If she doesn't know about it, then the other staff members probably don't either, right? But in reality, it's just a rumor, so why did they specifically seek us out to make a request? In the case of the headman and his group, a more satisfying explanation is needed."
Naru nodded slowly, then paused and glanced at the boy. "Yasuhara-san, are you pretending to be a detective?"
He grinned. "I am. It's helping me to collect information, right?"
Naru accepted this with equanimity. After all, what mattered to him was if you got the information, not how.
"Heeeeeeeeey!" Ayako's voice preceded her a second before she poked her head around the corner. "Are you all taking a break here?"
Mai pulled out her watch, her eyes widening. "Wah, it's already ten 'o clock? I wonder if it's going to be hot again today."
"Hm? The wind's picking up, though."
I pursed my lips. There was something about that forecast that tugged at my brain, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I chose not to torture my brains about it. "So, are we gonna drive all the way back to the bungalows tonight?"
"We'll see." Naru said absently.
"We're gonna leave all this stuff here in the middle of nowhere?"
"You can stay here if you'd like." He offered.
"Nothing will happen." Lin interjected quietly. "The word will have spread that we're working and people aren't likely to go near a haunted site for fun. Also, the equipment is ensured."
Okay. That made everything a little better.
By now, Masako had joined us as well. Her porcelain cheeks were flushed. "It's rather warm. How are you holding up, Narumi-san?"
"My sweat glands aren't happy." I admitted.
"Let's have a drink, shall we?" Ayako said, tugging the drink cooler towards her, as well as a bag of plastic mugs. "What do you want, Nira?"
"Water, please." I glanced at Lin, who was starting to set up a camera near the doorway. "Want some help with that?"
"I'm fine. You relax."
And this is why I asked Lin if he needed me to do anything. Naru would've probably worked me until I dropped from dehydration.
Mai and Yasuhara returned not long after, followed by Bou-san. "Can I get a drink, too?" He requested, fanning himself with the clipboard.
Masako obliged. "Here you go, Takigawa-san."
"Thank you...but what the heck is this?" He turned his mug to display a triceratops.
She giggled. "That's your cup, Takigawa-san."
I'd been too worn out to notice, but now I saw that everyone had a character on their mugs. Naru was a fox, Lin was a bull (yikes), Yasuhara was a crab, John was a penguin (too accurate), and Mai was a frog. I glanced down at my sparrow. "'Cause I'm a great singer?"
"'Cause you're always acting higher than a kite." Bou-san muttered.
"I'm sorry, what did the old man with the kiddie dinosaur cup say?"
He scowled into his tea.
I was about to take a sip when a huge gust blew my hijab into my face. "Some clouds have come in." Meteorologist Mai reported, glancing at the sky. "It looks like rain, and a very big storm was forecasted, I recall."
"That's inconvenient. Should I bring lunch from town?" Bou-san suggested.
"That's a good idea."
Yasuhara nodded in agreement as he and Masako got to their feet. "Well then, while you're at it, I'll go along and gather some information."
"Buy these things, too." Ayako added, handing him a list.
Plop!
Plopplopploplop...
Mai called from where she was waving off the Food & News Group. "It's starting!"
Naru got to his feet immediately. "Mai, you and John go and make sure the rain hasn't gotten to the microphones, and if it has, please bring them here. Matsuzaki-san, please wait here. You too, Nira."
"Roger!"
Meanwhile, I scuttled just inside the doorway of the school, watching as Lin repositioned the equipment to more sheltered spots as fast as he could without damaging anything. "I can help." I offered.
"It's fine."
Ayako smirked. "Tired of being useless?"
"Tired of being called useless by the most useless person in the team."
"EXCUSE ME?"
By the time the equipment was protected, everyone was drenched as we gathered just inside the doorway. I pouted as I did my best to dry off my glasses. "I hate rain." I muttered, glaring at the fat drops coming in through the doorway. As if sensing my displeasure, the door wobbled before slowly slamming shut.
Maybe it was my imagination, but a chill ran down my spine.