Editing Ghost Hunt:Volume 8 Chapter 12 (section)

===<center>2</center>===

I tilted my head to the side.

“That’s impossible. If the office name is wrong, then we can’t receive mail, right?”

When I said so, Bou-san grinned.

“That’s not necessarily the case.”

Huh?

“There’s the office name ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’. At the same time, there also exists the abbreviation ‘SPR’. Right?”

“I guess.”

“Which is the official name?”

Eh?

“I… I don’t understand your meaning.”

“It’s a difficult topic for someone like you, Mai, but after opening an office, it’s necessary to register it. You need to report it properly. The name of the office used on that registration is either ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’ or ‘SPR’.”

“...Oh.”

“As for the mail, ultimately, it will arrive with whatever name. If you want to make it more reliable, you can just put a nameplate on the mailbox. That’s how it is. Still, you can’t brazenly hang up a sign for ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’ for a place that’s registered as ‘Tanaka Psychic Research’.”

“Is...is that how it is?”

“That’s how it is. Even if it’s registered as ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’ and you put up a sign for ‘SPR’, well, it’s not very problematic. The reverse is also true. Even if it’s registered as ‘SPR’ and you put up a sign for ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’, it’s not likely that it will be too much trouble. If you write ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’ small across it.”

“O-okay.”

Talk about a difficult topic.

“Therefore, I wonder which is the official name. —Will you also remain silent about this?”

Bou-san looked at Naru, but once again, Naru didn’t reply.

“Umm… I still don’t really understand what you’re getting at...”

When I spoke timidly, Bou-san,

“In other words, ‘SPR’ is not an abbreviation for ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’. Rather, it’s more that ‘SPR’ gave form to ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’.”

…??

“I don’t understand the meaning at all.”

Bou-san smiled wryly.

“In conclusion, the official name of that office is ‘SPR’. Phone calls and letters get addressed to ‘SPR’. Not wanting that to be known by you, Mai, you were deliberately being kept away from the phone calls and letters.”

“Huh?”

“Moreover, the name ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’ has no meaning. The words can be turned into the abbreviation ‘SPR’. Even ‘Sasaki Psychic Research’, ‘Stroll Psychic Research’, ‘Saury Psychic Research’, or anything would be all right. The word was made Shibuya because the place where there happened to be an office was Shibuya. —How was that?”

Bou-san looked at Naru. Naru smiled thinly.

“Even if that’s so, don’t you think that’s not worth hiding from Mai? Even if the letters were addressed to ‘SPR’, I expect Mai wouldn’t care.”

...Yeah.

“I don’t. In fact, the bank’s transfer notice is also ‘SPR’ and there are such items among the mail as well.”

“If it’s ‘SPR’. But what if another name is written? ‘SPR’ is, of course, an abbreviation. An abbreviation of what? Let’s say, for example, it’s ‘[[Ghost_Hunt:Volume8_Translator's_Notes#Shimauma_Panda_Rakko|Shimauma Panda Rakko]]’. What if the official name of the office is ‘Shimauma Panda Rakko’ and ‘SPR’ is the abbreviation? And what if, rather than the abbreviation, the official name was on a letter? If the addressee was ‘Shimauma Panda Rakko’, how suspicious would even you think it was, Mai?”

...I would think so. Certainly, I would think so.

“Come on, join in. This ‘SPR’, extremely expensive equipment, and Naru seemingly not being Japanese. When you shake and mix, one answer comes out.”

“Oh!”

Ayako cried out. Bou-san nodded at that and,

“Right. ‘Society of Psychical Research.’ It’s the oldest authoritative spiritual investigation organization in the United Kingdom. Don’t you think so? ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’ is a disguise to hide from the public. In fact, don’t you think that office is the Japanese branch of that ‘spiritual investigation organization’?”

“...”

“If Naru is an official investigator of that ‘spiritual investigation organization’, then it would also explain that equipment. That equipment belongs to that ‘spiritual investigation organization’. It doesn’t personally belong to Naru. Moreover, this hypothesis comes with another bonus.”

“Bonus?”

“Right. Assuming Naru is someone from ‘SPR’, I can also guess why he uses an alias to hide his identity.”

“Hey, hey, why?”

Bou-san grinned.

“This guy was called ‘Naru’ by Mai and used the phrase, ‘without honorifics.’ If our assumptions are correct thus far, and we decide this guy isn’t Japanese, this also has one interpretation.”

“What is it?”

“Hint: ‘SPR’, Naru. ”

“I don’t know!”

“Tom is a male name, but it’s also a nickname. Do you know what it’s a nickname of?”

Huh? An English pop quiz?

“...Umm, Thomas?”

“Right. Mike?”

“Michael.”

“Tony?”

“Anthony.”

“All right. This time it’s a little difficult. Dick?”

“Umm...”

Ayako answered,

“Richard.”

“OK. Then— Naru?”

...Eh?

Bou-san laughed a little at me, who was staring hard, then returned his gaze to Naru.

“Let’s assume Naru is, for example, an Englishman. In other words, he’s someone from an English-speaking country. Then, even siblings, for example, hardly use terms like, [[Ghost_Hunt:Volume8_Translator's_Notes#Niichan.2FNeechan|‘Niichan’ and ‘Neechan’]]. Generally, they call them by their names without honorifics. Friends and acquaintances, also.”

“...Okay.”

“Well, they’re tolerant of being called without honorifics. In other words, with ‘John-kun’, ‘kun’ is attached to the word, ‘John.’ Well, what would you use in the case where you want to address someone very close in a friendly manner without honorifics?”

“...Is it a nickname?”

I looked at John. John smiled elegantly.

“—Exactly, in the case of ‘John’ it’s ‘Jack’. ...A special nickname, a special middlename. His nickname, perhaps. In other words, practically upon your first meeting, you suddenly called Naru-bou by a certain nickname only used by someone from his most inner circle. That’s why he said, ‘Addressed me without honorifics.’”

—Is that so? I see.

“But, what is Naru?”

“Tell her, John.”

Under Bou-san’s gaze, John hesitated as if slightly troubled.

“...If it’s Noll, it’s a nickname for Oliver… [[Ghost_Hunt:Volume8_Translator's_Notes#Oliver|Orivā]].”

...Orivā?

“Oliver-san of ‘SPR’. There’s one. An important person who must hide his identity.”

...That’s....

“Dr. Davis...?”

No one opened their mouth. The words I softly spoke abruptly fell within the silence.

“Is that so?”

Falling under everyone’s gaze, Naru smiled wryly.

“I don’t think there’s a need to reply.”

After saying so, he suddenly moved his body from the glass door that his back was leaning against and turned toward the entrance.

“It’s been fifteen minutes.”

That being said, Yasuhara-san moved away from the front of the door. Passing by him, Naru went outside. —Without any facial expression, either.