Vacay (self-insert #6)

Chapter 7

"...ra. Nira."

I groaned and swayed upright, staring blearily at my laptop. I'd left it open all night, so once I'd cleared my eyes of crust I was welcomed by my sleep driven theory that shiki were seen as 'empty spirits' since they were devoid of any will to act of their own volition. It was pretty solid even in the light of morning, but not what we needed right now. "Lin. Where's everyone?"

"Matsuzaki-san went to try an exorcism, and the others went to observe."

'The others' clearly meant Bou-san, John, and Mai. Masako and Yasuhara were munching away on a light breakfast as they flipped through the notes he'd gathered. Seeing that I was awake, he flashed me a smile. "Good morning!"

"Where are the Yoshimi?" I asked, wincing as my stiff back cracked.

"They moved to a room nearby. Lin-san set up a kekkai there."

That was a relief. After checking on the Yoshimi's—still sleeping—I got washed up and returned to the base. I was just attacking a plate full of various kinds of bread when Yasuhara leaned forward, completely solemn. "How's Shibuya-san?"

"He's fine."

He gestured for me to lower my voice. "Hara-san and I were talking about his situation. The chance that Matsuzaki-san will be able to pull the spirit from Shibuya-san is very low, so..." He offered a smile. "Why don't you try?"

I glanced over my shoulder to check where Lin's attention was before answering. "I'm sorry, what?" I whispered.

"It's worth a try." Masako said softly. "What's the worst that could happen at this point?"

"Uh, death?"

"Not if Lin-san is here."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Death by Lin." I muttered, but I couldn't argue that it was a compelling idea. Why wait for the others to produce results when I could do it myself? I munched on my last slice, then stood up with a sigh. "Lin. If you need me, I'll be checking on His Royal Narcissist."

"Okay."

Yasuhara made no effort to hide his grin, though he did sneak me a thumbs up as I passed him.

Being mature and dignified, I stuck my tongue out at him.

Inside Naru's room, I dished up a bowl of porridge before setting it down next to me. Taking a deep breath, I began to recite in a low whisper. From what I knew, Muslims recited the last three chapters of the Quran to expel a possessing Jinn. If my theory was right, this should work despite the whole 'Naru is supernaturally stubborn' thing. Even so, I almost expected to feel...something, like the resistance I'd heard John mention. I felt nothing aside from the rumble in my stomach that informed me that after a long night, bread was not enough.

I finished reciting with a sigh, then opened my eyes...and froze.

Naru stared at me. The scarlet sleeping spell that Lin had painted on his forehead had melted, sending a thin line of red trickling towards his temples. I blinked a bit. "Naru?" I whispered, suddenly slightly teary. It had been...no, it had felt like an eternity, but still. He was awake.

He stiffly sat upright and used the futon's quilt to wipe away the ink before snatching up the glass of water and drinking greedily. He wiped his lips and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you?" His voice still kind of raspy from lack of use.

My tears dried up. "You can eat your stinking porridge."

"I don't want it."

I did not miss this. "Does it look like I care?"