Chapter 4

The next day at school, Hotaru was simply brimming with excitement at the prospect and couldn’t concentrate on her studies or even stay still in her seat. Minami also found herself distracted as well. Was it really coincidence that she stepped in front of the PsiCo facility and met people like Takara, Yukiko, and Kaede?

Kaede said that people who develop their psychic powers late are usually the most powerful ones, Minami thought to herself as she twirled her pencil around with her fingers. She also said that poltergeist activities can be caused by adolescents testing their new powers. But I’m already fifteen…I’m going to be sixteen soon, in May. What if…I just don’t have it in me?

Hotaru must have noted the look on Minami’s face, as she passed a slip of paper between their desks. Minami opened it and read: Cheer up, Minami-chan! I hear that we’re getting two new transfer students today!

Minami was about to write Hotaru back before the teacher stood up and opened the door to let in two students. Both of them had curious white hair and red-violet eyes that were slightly different hues from one another. The girl looked rather delicate, wearing a black and white scheme dress that was reminiscent of Gothic Lolita style, while the boy was sharply dressed, with not so much as a wrinkle in his crisp suit. Minami couldn’t help but catch herself staring.

“All right, class,” the teacher said as she began writing the twins’ names on the board. “Let me introduce you to Miyazono Tsubasa and Suzume. Would you like to introduce yourselves?”

The girl, Suzume, put a delicate hand to her chest and spoke, “My name is Suzume…I’m in love with the European culture and I particularly like reading Gothic literature. I do like a good cup of tea; my favorite is jasmine. I also like walking through cemeteries and graveyards.”

The class nodded after Suzume’s introduction, before whispering amongst themselves. The boys were enamored with her beautiful white hair and fancy dress style, and the girls thought that Tsubasa was cool and mysterious. Minami thought the girl a little strange--it sounded like she was into rather morbid things. Gothic literature? Cemeteries and graveyards? Minami would pass on those things.

Tsubasa was next. His introduction was succinct. “I don’t really like anything. I don’t have any dreams or aspirations. I’m here to keep my sister safe.”

“Oh wow, he’s so cool!”

“So handsome.”

“He must be really devoted to his sister. How nice!”

“Miss Miyazono, Mister Miyazono, take a seat, if you’ll please. The topic that we’ll be discussing today is the nervous system of the human body. We will discuss the brain, which is full of many mysteries and wonders of the universe. Now I would like for you all to write down these terms; synapse, hypothalamus, amygdala, etc.”

This is boring. This is stuff I already know. But those two…they seem so strange. I wonder who they are, really?

“Suzume, Tsubasa! Would you like to sit on the rooftop with us for lunch?”

“That sounds absolutely splendid, thank you. I should like to be in the fresh air once in a while.”

“Great! Minami-chan and I eat up there all the time. It’s nice to be in the company of friends, isn’t it?”

“So what’s it like, in Europe?”

“Oh, it’s a wonderful place, it’s just so…well the word that I’m thinking of is cultured. It was an illuminating experience going there, it has a lot of history behind it. I’m glad that I got visit it while I had the chance. I don’t get to travel very often.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“My sister often gets ill. I’d prefer it if she weren’t on the rooftop and stayed inside—“

“Oh, Tsubasa, a little fresh air will do me good. Besides, I’ve always wanted to eat up on the rooftop, just like this, while talking among friends. Don’t you agree?”

Tsubasa made some non-committal grunt in response, though Hotaru took it as a sign of approval from the overprotective older brother. She took both twins’ hands within her own, before saying, “All right, to the rooftop it is! You’ll have to tell us everything about yourselves.”

Once they made their way to the rooftop, the sky was a gorgeous shade of blue and the clouds drifted peacefully in their dream-like way across the cerulean backdrop. Minami felt as though she could stare up at the heavens and then fall asleep right on the spot, especially with the sunshine warming her skin as she faced the sky. They gathered around and shared their o-bento with one another, and the conversation happened to spur onto the supernatural (since that was Hotaru’s favorite topic, after all), and it led to something very interesting.

“Have you ever visited any haunted castles in Europe?” Hotaru said as her eyes gleamed with anticipation about all kinds of delicious stories that Suzume could possibly tell her. “Oh, how about Edinburgh castle! I hear that’s the spookiest haunting sight of them all!”

“It is a hotspot of paranormal activity,” Suzume said as she calmly sipped her tea, though Tsubasa was frowning towards his sister as though he didn’t want to discuss the topic at hand. “I’ve visited all the haunted castles and like in Europe…it really is a wondrous place, but also a hotspot for anything paranormal. That’s why I’ve gone visiting there, actually.”

“Oh!” Hotaru said while clasping her hands together. “Don’t tell me that you’re in the supernatural too! Just the other day, Minami-chan and I went to a place called PsiCo to have our psychic powers tested.”

“You mentioned PsiCo?” Suzume said before smiling. “Ah yes, you do know Takara-kun, then, do you?”

“Wait a minute,” Minami said as she spoke for the first time in the conversation. “Do you mean to tell me that you know Takara personally?”

“Well, maybe not quite so personally,” Suzume said with a smile. “Though we are acquainted with one another…mm, yes, we are acquainted with one another, I would say. You see, I am actually a spiritual medium and I have worked with Takara-kun before.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Hotaru’s eyes lit up in admiration once she heard about Suzume’s secret. “Wow! You’re a medium! Like, you can channel ghosts and stuff?”

“That’s none of your business, girl,” Tsubasa finally spoke up, though Suzume shook her head at her brother before clasping Hotaru’s hands in both of her own.

“Don’t worry about what he says. Yes, I am a spiritual medium, you could say. I’ve channeled several spirits before and I have to say…they were very illuminating experiences for me.”

“Can you channel a spirit right now?” Hotaru asked in curiosity, her eyes still gleaming with excitement. Minami noticed that Tsubasa seemed to get even more irritated by the moment.

“Perhaps sometime I could show you,” Suzume said kindly. “But not today. However, I should like to speak to Takara-kun. I didn’t know that he settled down in Japan of all places.”

“You mean he’s been all around the world?” Hotaru asked, and Minami had to admit that she too, was rather curious about this.

“Why yes, he hasn’t mentioned that he’s been to Europe and all the other major paranormal hotspots of the world? I guess Takara-kun is very modest, or perhaps, he just hasn’t thought of telling anyone?”

“He really is,” Minami started to say.

“He truly is,” Hotaru also said after Minami.

“A good, humble person,” they both said together.

Suzume put a hand to her mouth and laughed a bit. “Of course he is. Just like him. Anyway, I have an interesting case to present to Takara-kun…and hopefully he will be able to help us out.”

“What do you need help with, Suzume-chan?” Hotaru asked.

“It seems that there are apparitions appearing throughout this place,” Suzume said as she set down her cup of tea. “We’ve been tracking down these apparitions in Europe, though it seems that the apparitions have led us all the way back to Japan once more. If you could, you two could help us on dealing with these apparitions as well.”

“Apparitions, huh,” Minami said while folding her arms across her chest. “What exactly do you mean by apparitions?”

“An apparition is, say,” Suzume said while putting a finger to her lip. “A ghost, really. A spirit. Or maybe a ghost-like image of someone or something. Does that help explain it?”

“Yeah,” Minami said, “I think that I’m beginning to understand a bit better.”

Unfortunately, the lunch bell rang, indicating an end to their conversation. However, Minami had a feeling that the questions surrounding the twins would be answered once they met together at PsiCo after school.

--x--

“Oh, you’re back from Europe?” Takara asked. “Splendid, how splendid. But who are you again?”

“It’s me, you idiot,” Tsubasa said in a cold voice.

“It’s-me-you-idiot--what an unusual name.”

“Tsubasa, you dumbass. Don’t joke around.”

“Ah, now I remember. You have no sense of humor. So this must mean this lovely young lady is Suzume. How do you do?”

“I’m doing well, Takara-kun. I see you’ve been busy as well.”

“Oh yes, the usual. Tea, perhaps?”

“That would be lovely.”

Yukiko got up to make tea for everyone. Minami accepted a cup of tea, this one being jasmine flavored. They gathered in the lounging room, having this discussion.

“Europe went well, I trust?” Takara said as he sipped some tea.

“It was quite lovely, looking at all the buildings and people. IT was, could you say…exhilarating.”

“Europe sounds charming,” Kaede said. “I wish I could go, but I would feel trapped being miles above the ground.”

“I’d rather not have my sister go, considering her constitution,” Tsubasa said.

“You act like your sister can’t do anything herself,” Minami said with a frown, to which Tsubasa glared at her. Minami was left with the distinct impression that he didn’t like her. Well fine then. She would have to say, in her own humble opinion, that she didn’t very much care for Tsubasa Miyazono either. Who would, anyway? Even though he could be considered handsome, it was stiff attitude and cold reactions to people that deterred her away from him. Minami couldn’t imagine what it would be like to handle a brother like Tsubasa.

“Anyway,” Takara said, no doubt to lighten up the tension in the atmosphere now, “You’ve come back to Japan, I’m sure, because you’ve experienced a bout of paranormal activity here?”

“Yes,” Suzume said. “It seems like no matter where we go, our steps always retrace back to here. Funny how that is, isn’t it? Wouldn’t you say it’s…serendipity? Perhaps?”

“I would certainly say so,” Takara said, before he gestures to Minami and Hotaru. “As you are aware, these are our two newest members for PsiCo. Please introduce yourselves and be comfortable among one another. It wouldn’t do to have colleagues not getting along, wouldn’t it?”

“We’re sort of acquainted,” Minami said while smiling a bit at Suzume, before frowning at Tsubasa, “We met them at school, actually…but I’ve been wondering…Kaede, you don’t go to school with us, do you? Why is that?”

“Oh, me?” Kaede said while clasping her hands together, looking a bit self-conscious. “Well, you know, being a telepath and empath and all, I simply can’t stay in a confined area for too long with a lot of people. I prefer smaller areas like this one. I just can’t concentrate on my studies whenever I’m in a school environment.”

“That makes sense, I suppose,” Minami said, though she still had to wonder if Kaede really did have telepathy/empathetic powers. “It’d be nice if I didn’t have to attend school and could teach myself instead. Aah, the stuff that we’re learning at school is way too easy.”

“I wish I could go there to be among friends, but work keeps me here,” Kaede said with a small smile. “Anyway, I believe that we have something important to discuss. Suzume-san, you have noted that there are paranormal activities happening around this area, correct?”

“Why yes,” Suzume said as she sipped her tea once more. “You could say that it’s a hotspot of paranormal activity? That is why there are Apparitions appearing. Tsubasa and I have to learn more about these Apparitions and perhaps dispel them.”

“Are Apparitions harmful?” Hotaru said with a slight furrow in her brow as she imagined scary ghosts and things.

“Usually they aren’t,” Suzume explained. “Though spirits have a tendency to think differently than humans do. Which is why you always have to be…how shall I say it…cautious when dealing with them.”

“To get to business, though,” Tsbuasa said, his handsome features turned into a frown. “Suzume had been almost completely possessed by a demon that tried to take over her body in Europe while we were exploring the castles and haunted manors. She is still feeling some of the effects of the possession, so we thought that we would use your services to help her recover.”

“We’ll be glad to do anything to help,” Takara said, before he grabbed Suzume’s hand and concentrated for a while. He put back on his gloves and nodded to himself, saying, “It’s a particularly nasty Apparition that took hold of your sister. Though I’m sure with Kaede’s sessions, your sister will turn back to normal. However…I do notice some signs of demonic features on Suzume.”

“Oh dear me,” Suzume said with a frown. “My teeth are just a little more pointier, aren’t they?”

“We’ll find a cure,” Tsubasa said in a stiff tone. “You’re the only guys that can help us. So? What about these two newbies, then?”

“Still freshly discovering their powers,” Takara said with a smile, before he said. “I think that one of them holds a clue to someone that we’ve been trying to track down for a while now.”

“Eh?” Minami said, frowning. “You didn’t mention anything about that, Takara.”

Takara turned to look at her with a most serious gaze, before saying. “It turns out that your memories have been fracturedand tampered with. Something was causing you to resist the paranormal because someone wanted you disbelieving of the paranormal so that you wouldnt’ seek help and that your powers would remain sealed. Your powers may be the on thing that will end up in their ruin…”

“Really? Me?” Minami said, before Hotaru stared at her friend in new found awe.

“I’ll explain more later,” Takara said dismissively, before saying. “But for now, we need to work on Suzume, who has come under teh affliction of demon possession.”

Minami nodded.

“Right. What do you want Hotaru and me to do?”

“What I want you to do is observe this mission carefully,” Takara said as the rest gathered around. “Now…onto the cognitive world!”