Ghost Hunt:Volume 8 Chapter 14
Chapter 14 - August 14th 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm[edit]
1 [edit]
Why is Mori-san here?
I soon understood why. Heedlessly following after Naru, who hurriedly went toward Mori-san, I caught sight of three people who were a little distance off.
—That’s…
Two people were talking with Lin-san. A middle-aged man and woman. Moreover…
I unconsciously stopped walking.
They’re f-foreigners…
—Why are foreigners here?
I felt as though I vaguely understood the answer. This was actually soon confirmed given that Naru rushed directly over to the pair.
The woman hugged Naru close. The man also put his arm around Naru’s shoulders.
It was obvious who could do something like that without fear.
“Long time no see.”
Mori-san suddenly appeared beside me.
“It has been a while. —Mori-san, are those people Naru’s mother and father…?”
After smiling softly, Mori-san looked at Lin-san, who had similarly appeared beside me unnoticed.
“—I wonder if it’s okay to introduce them?”
Lin-san nodded to her question.
“Good. —Taniyama-san, I’ll introduce you. A little later.”
I see. That time Lin-san said, “I heard they’ll depart from over there soon,” he was talking about Naru’s parents...
I don’t know how long it takes to travel from England to Japan. Still, I definitely think it was probably a very difficult trip. This place is where the body of their missing son is resting. Due to that fact, they’re reuniting with their other son who otherwise wouldn’t live separately in such a distant foreign country.
“Is everyone well?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Then, maybe I should go briefly welcome them.”
Mori-san momentarily looked off to the side, so I looked in the same direction. Naru’s mother seemed to be crying.
“Let’s not disturb them.”
“You’re right.”
When I returned to the bungalow with Mori-san, everyone was still there hanging around.
“Mori-san!”
“Wow!”
“Long time no see!”
Mori-san smiled at everyone’s voices and spent some time catching up with them.
“What brings you back all of a sudden?”
In response to Bou-san’s question, she explained that she was acting as a guide for Naru’s parents. While everyone was chatting animatedly, I pulled Masako aside.
“Hey, hey.”
“What’s wrong?”
“At one point, when you were captured, didn’t Naru go to where you were and cheer you up?”
After covertly looking around for a moment, Masako spoke in a hushed voice.
“...Yes. What about it?”
“Did you know that wasn’t Naru?”
“It was Naru.”
“No. It was his older brother.”
“That’s not possible. Because it was Naru.”
Yeah, I understand the feeling of saying that.
“No, it was his older brother… his twin.”
“Twin!?”
Masako cried out and the voices behind her suddenly stopped.
“Who are twins?”
Yasuhara-san asked and Mori-san laughed.
“Ah, Naru and Gene, right?”
“His older brother is his older twin brother?”
“Right. They’re identical twins.”
‘Whoa,’ Yasuhara-san muttered,
“...there were two of that face. That must have been a sight to see.”
D-definitely.
“Even though they’re called twins, aren’t there some that don’t look that similar?”
Mori-san gently laughed at Ayako’s comment.
“They were similar. When you line twins up side by side, there are things that are unexpectedly dissimilar, but those two were very similar. I think twins that similar are rare.”
I wonder what it would be like to have a twin brother. I don’t really know, but I somehow feel like it would be much more intimate than a regular brother.
“I wonder if Naru’s personality become like that… because his brother died.”
It seemed sort of reasonable, but…
“Nope.”
Mori-san looked surprised.
“Naru’s always been like that.”
...gah!
“A-always? It's not because he’s carrying around a dark past and being cynical or something like that?”
“I don’t think so. I heard he’s been like that since he was little. Since Gene said it, I think it’s true.”
...Yikes.
Mori-san looked at the ceiling for a moment as if trying to remember something.
“You know… twins with looks that incredibly similar may be rare, but I think brothers with such different personalities is equally rare.”
“When you say different...”
“Exactly opposite.”
Ack! If one side is like that, then that means the opposite is…
Gentle, good-mannered, kind, modest…
“Like an a-angel?”
“A little different from that as well.”
Mori-san laughed.
“...Actually, Gene’s personality was probably normal, but because his other half was like that, he seemed like an incredibly good child.”
Well, naturally.
“Unlike Naru, he was the cheerful type. And he was friendly.”
Uh-huh.
“He also had a mischievous side. The twins often exchanged places and fooled the people around them. Naru doesn’t mess around like that, so that sort of thing was probably Gene’s suggestion.”
“...That’s a p-pretty surprising personality.”
It makes my head hurt when I think of someone with the same face as Naru doing that.
“He was just a bit like you, Taniyama-san. ”
Mori-san said so and gave me a warm smile.
...eh?
“Me?”
“Yeah. Although, it seems like he was a bit more of the quiet type.”
I’m sorry. I’m a noisy person.
“Lin also said so. That you’re similar.”
“...Huh?”
“Taniyama-san, you immediately sympathize with clients, right? You become completely absorbed with the people involved and laugh or cry with them?”
...Yeah, I have that sort of personality.
“He was similar in that regard. For that reason, everyone opened up to him...”
“Doesn’t that make him perfect?”
It Yasuhara-san who said this.
“With those looks, if his personality was good, he had nothing to fear.”
Mori-san smiled a somewhat wry smile.
“A child like that tends not to live long… Such is life.”
A somewhat sad tinged silence descended upon us. The sun had mostly set and everything in the room was covered in shadows.
2 [edit]
“Surely, despite all that was said, they must have been close.”
After I said that to nobody in particular, Mori-san once again gave a wry smile.
“Hmm… I wonder about that. Gene was certainly the closest to Naru, though.”
“Were there brotherly quarrels?”
“All the time. But, for the most part, Naru would get angry one-sidedly.”
Ahh.
“...Yeah, Naru seemed to dislike Gene.”
“Even though they were brothers?”
“Yeah. Basically, Naru doesn’t like to be bothered by others. Whether it’s his brother or parents, I guess he’s the type who wants to be left alone. That kid’s only happy when researching and he seems to think everything apart from that is a hindrance.”
Hmm…
“But, while strangers will leave you alone, that’s not going to happen when it’s your family, right? If you seem sick, they’ll worry, and if you do something bad, they’ll scold you.”
“It’d be the end of it if you told them it was none of their business, right?”
“I don’t think that’ll work with family. Even if you don’t want to, you see them every day. If you cut ties with someone else, that’s the end of it, but you can’t do that with family.”
...Well, that’s true.
“So, if Gene hated Naru, they would have ended up being brothers who didn’t get along, but Gene was a child who fundamentally didn’t hate anyone.”
“Hmm...”
“—So, to be honest, when Naru announced that he was going to search for Gene’s body, I was surprised. I didn’t expect him to do something like that.”
To make Mori-san say so, that boy must’ve been staunch.
“When did he come to Japan?”
“I think it was about three months before Taniyama-san started working part-time. Around then.”
“Umm, Mori-san, what kind of relationship do you have with Naru?”
*clenched fists*
Mori-san looked at me.
“Background check?”
“Yes. Openly and unashamedly this time.”
When I said this, Mori-san gently laughed out loud.
“I’m, well, to put it simply, Naru’s boss.”
B-boss!?
Bou-san leaned forward slightly.
“You mean at ‘SPR’?”
“Yes. Within ‘SPR’, there’s what’s known as Pratt Laboratory. I’m the chief of field research there. For now.”
Whoaaaa.
“Then, is Naru a researcher there?”
“Right. Both Naru and Lin.”
After saying that, Mori-san gave a somewhat mixed smile.
“And Eugene.”
...I see.
“So that’s why you were Naru’s master.”
“Right, back in the day. I instructed him starting with how to handle cameras, but before I knew it, he was better than me. As a result, it’s now my job to gather all the documents Naru sends and present them to the higher-ups.”
“Really?”
He’s certainly no match for his boss and master. Neither Naru nor Lin-san.
“Is Lin-san’s home also in England? Not Hong Kong?”
“That’s right. Lin’s family is part of the group that fled Hong Kong. Originally, the clan lived in England and it seems only Lin’s household remained in Hong Kong. Since the family over there is obstinate.”
“Obstinate?”
“They hate the Japanese, and they also hate the British.”
Hmm. I heard he hated the Japanese, but does that mean he hates the British? I wonder if he’s bearing a grudge over the Opium Wars. ...Either way, it’s unfortunate that Lin-san always winds up going to countries he hates.
“London, then?”
...When all is said and done, though, I don’t know many of the names of the other cities in England.
“Lin’s family lives there. Lin himself lives in Cambridge, though.”
I don’t know where that is or what kind of place it is.
“Isn’t ‘SPR’ in London?”
Bou-san cut in and Mori-san nodded.
“Yes, the main office is in London. The lab is in Cambridge. Lin was a researcher at the lab and a graduate student at Cambridge, so that’s why.”
“Really? ...So then, Naru, too?”
“Right. His father is a professor at Cambridge.”
Oh, I see. Cambridge where there’s Cambridge University, maybe?
“How was Naru handling school while in Japan? Leave of absence?”
“Right.”
“High school student?”
“University student. Of course, he went through the admission procedures, but he’s never gone.”
“Cambridge, perhaps?”
Cambridge University is a school where incredibly smart people go. I know that much.
“That’s right. Trinity College. Wittgenstein's junior.”
“Huh?”
“Cambridge University is a generic name for over thirty colleges.”
“Hoowee. At seventeen? I guess he really is smart...”
Mori-san tilted her head slightly.
“Over there, they go to college from about the age of seventeen.”
“But he’s been in Japan the whole time, right? What about the entrance exam?”
“Ah, it was certainly a little earlier than usual to have qualified for admission to the university. He had already qualified when he arrived in Japan.”
“Is it similar to the University Entrance Qualification Exam?”
“Something like that. It seems there’s nothing like the entrance exam in Japan. He has three A Level qualification exams and achievements as a researcher, so I think he was exempted.”
“I see. As expected, he’s intelligent.”
That doesn’t surprise me. Uh-huh.
However, Mori-san laughed.
“Basically, he just wants to research what he likes as soon as possible. As you might expect, he was studying hard before the qualification exams. While reading a textbook, he was walking through the lab corridor and ran into a wall.”
…bbbbbft.
“N-no way!”
Mori-san winked mischievously.
“What I said is a secret.”
“Okay.”
Naru ran into a wall! *giggle*
“It‘s amazing he didn’t demolish the wall in anger.”
“I don’t think he noticed at the time. Because he apologized to the wall.”
“Straight-faced?”
“Straight-faced.”
It’s no use. That’s comical.
3 [edit]
As I was convulsing with laughter, I suddenly came to my senses and felt a cold gaze.
...Huh?
Many of the others were looking at me coldly.
“What’s the matter?”
As Bou-san sat cross-legged and rested his chin in his hand above his knee,
“You’re good friends, aren’t you...”
“Yeah. Do you want to join the club?”
“Want to join...”
Come on. It’s okay to be honest.
“There’s one thing I want to ask, Miss.”
“What is it?”
“In the demonstration video...”
“You're changing the conversation to serious topics like that again!”
*fuming*
“Mai’s conversation is just gossip.”
“Nya! That’s why you reek of old man!”
“You’re a child!”
“Teehehe. You’re jealous of my youth, huh?”
“Shut up!”
After saying that, Bou-san suddenly said,
“Which reminds me, Miss, how old is Lin?”
Mori-san laughed out loud.
“I’m sure he’s older than you, Takigawa-san.”
“That’s a relief.”
Saying that so seriously is evidence you’re an old man. You’re glad you’re not the oldest, huh?
“—That’s not what I wanted to talk about. Didn’t Naru-bou collapse that time he filmed the demonstration video? It would probably be extremely exhausting to throw a 50-kilo mass.”
...You really changed it to a serious topic. Old people are persistent.
Mori-san momentarily searched for words.
“...How should I say this… There’s a reason Naru gets exhausted.”
“Oh?”
“It wasn’t necessary for him to get that exhausted before. That is to say, Eugene functioned as an amplifier.”
“How’s that?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand it well, either. However, when Naru tossed ch’i to Gene, he amplified it and sent it back. It seems it was that sort of phenomenon. As they repeated the toss over and over, the ch’i grew. Therefore, I don’t think it was necessary for Naru to exhaust himself too much.”
...Hmm.
“In truth, I don’t really know. Naru didn’t do too many psychic ability experiments. Even if he did an experiment, it was too extraordinary and couldn’t be analyzed. It seems he himself isn’t too interested in psychic ability research, either.”
“Oh.”
“Also, it seems there was quite the supernatural phenomenon between those twins, but that also wasn’t clear. The pair didn’t talk about it and it was only possible between the brothers, so they almost never did experiments with it. Luella— their mother hated them being used as guinea pigs.”
...I don’t really get it. But Mori-san is also an expert.
“I see...”
After nodding to Bou-san’s voice, Mori-san became slightly serious.
“Just to be sure, please keep this to yourself. It would be trouble if it reached the ears of the mass media.”
“...I understand your feelings, but you don’t have to be so serious.”
If it’s Naru, I think a TV interview will be cut short by that sharp tongue.
“It would be trouble if photos happened to appear in the mass media.”
“Why? Well, girls will make a racket in no time flat...”
“That’s not it.”
Huh?
“Gene died in this country. If you believe Naru’s testimony, you might say he was murdered.”
“...Yeah.”
“The culprit is probably someone from this country. What do you think the culprit would do if she saw the same face as the person she murdered?”
“—Oh.”
“It depends on who the culprit is, but it could possibly be extremely dangerous, right? Therefore, I want to keep it a secret from the press.”
I see. You’re right.
...It’s serious.
‘By the way,’ Mori-san said in a very light tone, attempting to lift the heavy atmosphere that had suddenly descended, and looked at Bou-san.
“I heard Takigawa-san is a fan of Naru’s.”
—Huh?
After everyone tilted their heads to the side, we all burst into laughter simultaneously.
“Uh-huh. Bou-san is a huge fan of Dr. Davis.”
“Yay! That’s great. I can tell you a bunch.”
“Don’t you want to get his signature?”
“He's someone you know, so it’s an easy victory.”
“You even exposed yourself as a fan to the Doctor. You praised him a lot in his presence.”
“That’s right.”
Bou-san clutched his head in his hands.
“Please, I’m asking you, don’t say that. ...I'm trying really hard not to think about it.”
He seemed to be truly miserable, lol.
He would have been happier not knowing. Mm-hmm.
It happened as we were stupidly laughing. There was the sound of a knock, to which Ayalo replied. Lin-san was the one who opened the door.
“Is Madoka here?”
“I’m here!”
Mori-san smiled and before she could raise her hand, Lin-san spoke sternly.
“—They found him.”
Everyone rose to their feet.
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