Playtime (self-insert #2)

Chapter 1

"The red one next. Plug it in." Lin's disembodied voice came through the wall of metal shelves and monitors between us. Obediently I popped it into the red ringed hole. "Okay. Green is next."

That one was also pretty self-explanatory. "How's it?"

There was a pause and a slight clicking. "Okay, the monitors are working now."

I popped my head out with a grin, only to grimace as Naru spoke. "If only you'd been this useful last case." He remarked as the monitors flickered on one by one, casting their faces in their bluish glow. "It would've saved a lot of effort."

"It's also kind of hard to learn how to do anything when you're trying to defend yourself verbally. Besides, I was busy doing some first-rate detective work." I protested, plopping down in a nearby chair. Everything in the Morishita home was so luxuriously comfortable and I couldn't help but snuggle deeper into the armchair's squishy cushion. "Right, Lin?"

He didn't respond and continued going through the equipment with Naru.

"Based on what Noriko-san said, I wonder if it's a poltergeist?" Mai said suddenly, thinking out loud and thinking hard.

Bou-san, who'd just come in from a bathroom break, grinned at her theory. "Oh! Hey, part-timer, sounds like you're getting the hang of your job!" He remarked. That brotherly remark was such an improvement from the absolute ogre he'd been the last time we'd seen him, so I bit back a sarcastic remark.

"It sounds more to me like a Chirei." Ayako said lightly, studying her well-manicured nails. After a pause, she blew away a nonexistent speck of dust.

I felt less obliged to restrain anything aimed at her, but I decided to let it go this time. Besides, Mai had to give her little lecture. "I think it sounds like something a human would do." She insisted.

As usual, Ayako took the contradiction personally. "Oh, really?"

"Well, listen. Statistics show that humans cause 50 percent of poltergeist cases and they're often caused by women with high stress." She explained. The introductory statistics show was a little convincing, but I had to smile at how gleefully proud of herself she sounded. Next to me, Naru's eyebrows twitched—a sure sign he was disappointed with what he heard. Disappointed, but not surprised. "In this household that would be the woman who doesn't get along with her sister-in-law. Most likely..."

"You mean Noriko-san?" Bou-san yelped.

Even Ayako sounded impressed. "I see. Kana-san does seem like she could be difficult to deal with." She mused as Mai folded her arms triumphantly, proud of herself.

"Exactly what an ameteur would think."

That was Naru for you, wielding his bluntness like a bludgeon. A mistake in his book was not only unforgivable, but it was a personal sin. "Poltergeists are most often caused by younger teens, most likely adolescents. Noriko-san is 20. That's too old to be an adolescent." He went on, his eyes still focused on the monitors as if there was something to see. "True, women with strong psychic energy can sometimes cause poltergeists, but we'll be able to determine that better when we test later this evening."

Flustered, Mai settled for making a dignified escape by striding out. I arched an eyebrow at Naru. "That was nice of you." I remarked, as Bou-san and Ayako settled into some small talk.

"I didn't try to be nice. There's no point. If she's wrong, she's wrong."

I made a face at his back. "One of the screens is fuzzing." I pointed out, standing to readjust the wires. Sure enough, a few cables were loose. "Did we bring in the autosuggestion stuff?"

"We did. Were you going to offer to bring it in?"

"Ha, ha. No."

That night, I waited at the base with Lin and Bou-san as Mai and Naru performed the experiment and mentally went over what Mai had described to me in secret while we'd made tea. Ayami, Noriko's niece and Kana's stepdaughter, was quiet and subdued as if she'd been forced into silence. If Noriko was right, it could be the phenomena. Maybe it was a case of child abuse. Either one was possible.

Seeing how this series usually progressed, it was probably the first.

Mai and Naru returned with the lamp and assurance that the experiment had been completed. Having nothing else to do, we all sat around in a quiet stupor that came with boredom and a hearty meal.

Bou-san yawned.

"Any movement?" Naru asked Lin.

"Nothing yet."

"There isn't a poltergeist." I blurted out as the idea popped into my mind. Naru cast me a sharp glance. "Sorry for remembering so late. But..."

Sharp footsteps cut off whatever I'd been about to say and within moments Kana burst into the room. Her face was drawn. "Come here, hurry!"

"What happened?"

She waved away Naru's question. "Just follow me!"

They obeyed, and after a moment my earpiece crackled to life. "Can you guess what happened, Nira?" Naru asked drolly.

"The furniture is all turned diagonally." I recalled. In the background, I could hear Kana complaining: What's going on? Aren't you here to prevent this kind of thing from happening?! "You'll find the living room furniture turned upside down. Just a heads up. Did I pass the test?"

He grunted before leaving in a crackle of static. I relayed the information to Lin, who tilted his head slightly in thought. "That's pretty organized. Tilting the furniture in the same direction, and then turning things upside down." was his only comment.

Naru returned with a zzz. "What's the plan, Stan?" I chirped before he could say anything.

"Matsuzaki-san has claimed the first exorcism."

I sighed, running a hand over my face before moving to polish my glasses. "Why is she so bent on making a fool of herself?" I muttered.

"It's the one thing she's good at." He agreed over my snickers. I personally knew he wasn't keeping her around for giggles, though. After some research Lin and I came to the conclusion that all of the mediums from the last case had a certain degree of success. "Still, we'll check the vase in the morning to see if you truly pass the test. Be careful as you walk around the house."

"I won't need to be careful. I'm touched, though."

"Humor me." Zzz.

Naru was troubled. Not something that happened often, but when it did it was always best to pay attention.