Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume3 Chapter3 (section)

===5===


Both Naru and Lin-san disappeared, so I ended up alone again.

The end-of-classes' chime came and echoed noisily inside school for a while, and time passed like a sea roar fading at that. Then, a silent-as-the-grave after-school came along.

''I dislike after-school; it's cold and lonely. I wonder if Taka or Kasai-san will come…''

Having thought of that, I heard the patter of footsteps. Without a knock, the door opened too. Taka popped her head in, and Kasai-san followed from behind her.

Oh. How timely!

"Yahhoo~"

"Yes~"

"You're alone as usual, Mai. I met Kasai-senpai, so I came hauling her with me." Taka laughed.

"I was waiting, you know? I can't bear being alone after school until I sense it's dusk."

"It's too unbearable, indeed. That's why I thought of coming here to see you. Feeling grateful?" 

"I am, I am. I must make some tea with my feelings of gratitude in it." 

"Yay~" Taka laughed and turned to say, "See?" to Kasai-san.

Well. "Aren't you perhaps treating the conference room like a coffee shop, Taka?" I told her. 

"Oh, I'm busted?" 

"This place isn't a coffee shop after all. I hope you won't linger here thinking otherwise."

"But~ But Mama-san is a good person and comfortable to be with~"

"I would say the same as well," even Kasai-san agreed.

"...Could I be the good Mama-san you're talking about?" 

"Who else qualifies for that role?" 

"Please, take a seat. Would you like to drink tea or something?" 

We drank tea once the three of us had laughed for a while. After a pause, Taka leaned forward as though imparting some secret. "What's Norio up to?" 

"He's in the middle of doing an exorcism."

"Does it look like it's going smoothly?" 

"Hmm... I wonder. The case this time is somehow giving us a lot of trouble." ...Come to think of it, we were always having a hard time though. But, well, the nature of the present case was unknown. So even if something was happening, I didn't know how to feel about it oftentimes.

When I said that, Taka leaned closer. "Hey, how's Norio?" 

"What do you mean by 'How'?" 

"Because—He's a medium, isn't he? Is he dependable?" 

"Who knows...?" From the beginning I also thought that he's useless, among other things, but I wonder what he's really like. "Not bad. He's getting better, I guess."

"Really?"

"Instead of that, what do you think about Bou-san's band?" 

"Okay, band, huh?" Taka folded her arms. "The vocals, you see, aren't very good."

"How about Bou-san's?" 

"He's great at it~ He also composes music though, beautiful songs such as ''Melody Rain''; I love it."

"Really? He's that good?"

"He surely is. He's a studio musician after all."

"...?? Explain your point in less than 50 words."

"Well, a studio musician can't be half-skillful, you know."

"Seriously!?"

"Seriously. It's outrageous to be unskillful. That's why, Norio isn't the problem. Vocals, you see, are firstly about the song and secondly about the looks. The vocals are still lacking, even though he's in charge of it since he writes the song lyrics."

"Heh~"

Taka turned to Kasai-san. "That's right. Don't you write song lyrics too?" 

Kasai-san blinked in surprise. "Me?" 

"Yup. I was told something like, 'Even if no one can write song lyrics, shouldn't you still try it?' Kasai-san, you're very good at writing poetry."

"Eh, is that true?" I asked.

Taka replied, "It's the ''psychic girl's hidden talent''. Heaven bestows two gifts to people like that, right? You wrote the poem for the literature club's bulletin, didn't you? That was an excellent poem."

Kasai-san looked a bit bashful. "...Aah, that. That sort of thing... It's because the members are few, and since the club bulletin wasn't filled, I only wrote to fill the gaps."

"Kasai-san has also joined the Literature Club?"

Not only the Biology Club.

"Yeah... It's a club in the required curriculum, you see," Kasai-san said, her face reddening a bit. "Enough about that talk already. Rather than that, I want to hear the direction of the band's story."

"Eh—Really, senpai, stop being shy~"

"I'm not being shy~"

"But your face is red." Once she had laughed her head off for a bit, Taka carried on, "Well, the songwriting is lacking, and the vocals are also lacking.  I guess the keyboard is also lacking. The guitar isn't really, very promising as well."

"...Only the bass is good in the band?" 

"The drums are also good."

"How come the rhythm sessions are merely like that? Isn't that kind of band unproductive?” I remarked, and Kasai-san agreed a whole lot too. 

Taka stuck out her small tongue and said, "Well, yeah. I might be the only one who thinks like that, but, look at me, I'm into Norio supremacism—"

"Ah, that's how it is~ Heeeh~" What the hell. Isn't this amazing?

"Hehe. Say, Mai, are you by any chance into Shibuya-san supremacism, I wonder?"

I gave a start. "...What are you talking about?" 

I feigned calm as much as I could, but Taka giggled after looking seriously at my face. "It's useless, Mai. You can't escape a woman's intuition."

Even Kasai-san said in a teasing tone, "Heh~ That's how it is~"

...Ah, uuugh.

"...Gotcha?" 

"You got me."

Following Taka, Kasai-san spoke heartily too, "That guy is good-looking after all, right~? He seems pretty nice."
　

Without meaning to, I spouted my tea.

"Wha-What? Is there something wrong?" 

"Kasai-san, you perfectly misunderstood something about Naru."

"But... I thought he's rather nice."

"You jest. If Naru were nice, this world will only have good people. It would be like heaven."

"That... Is that so?" 

"His personality is bad, ''bad''. He's badmouthed and heartless, and additionally he's narcissistic and secretive."

Kasai-san peered at my face. "...But you love him, don't you?" 

...Ugh. Dammit, dammit, dammit. Boohoo.

"Go on and admit it. I won't get angry."

"...Maybe."

" 'Maybe'? It's as if it doesn't concern you."

I drew my face closer to the both of them. "Even I myself don't know sometimes. He often appears in my dreams. Do you think it's like that after all?" 

"Completely. That's your love for that guy speaking," Kasai-san spoke with finality.

...Uuugh. As expected, that's how it is, huh?

"—Your love may have many difficulties," Kasai-san told me earnestly.

"...Right? Bou-san is good on that point." 

''It seems like strait-laced Naru isn't the standard ladies' man.''

When I said that a little bitterly, Taka waved her hands wide. "No, no. Not at all. I'm like his younger sister. I think chasing idols, getting into their dressing rooms, and drawing near them will be lucky. However, if I'm treated as a younger sister as courtesy dictates, I think I shouldn't do those things."

"...I see. You also have many difficulties, huh, Taka?"

“But I won’t lose~ I’ll endure this trial and seize a star’s glory~" Taka clenched her fists tightly in a guts-pose. 

"Do your best, okay~? I’ll be cheering for you in the shadows!” I cried out loud, and Kasai-san did the same.

“Do your best also, Mai~”

“Well~ I'm glad~ I also wish you two happiness!” 

"Mai~"

"Senpai~"

"Taka~"

Gripping one another's hands tightly, we howled with laughter. We were shedding tears and laughing uncontrollably when the Bou-san and Naru in question returned.

Taka and I were very flustered.

Bou-san was gazing at us. "It seems like you had a great time," he said in a reproachful tone.

"Hahaha. ...How did things go on your end?" 

“Horrible.”

"Oh?" 

"Masako has no clue whether or not we could do an exorcism. I feel like I'm fetching water with a strainer."

...Your hard work is much appreciated.