"Huh?" "You have something you want Naru to investigate?" "Mm-hmm." "It happened earlier, when I was on a date in the park." "As we were walking, all of a sudden, this water rained down on us." "What was it?" "It wasn't someone's prank?" "Mm-mm, there wasn't anyone else around." "Oh, Michiru!" "What were you two about to do with no one else around?" "Sorry." "This is really bothering you, huh?" "Mm-hmm." "That park was the first place the two of us ever dated." "Yet ever since, it's been too creepy, and I can't go near there." "So it holds memories for you." "In that case, I could ask Naru about it." "Really?" "D-don't expect too much." "Naru doesn't take any cases he's not interested in." "So that's the story." "She's better off taking that to the police." "I knew he'd say that." "If that's all you needed, make some tea." "Okay." "It's been half a year since I started working here, and Naru really is strange." "I'll leave it here, okay?" "Yeah." "He doesn't seem to go to school, or watch TV, or listen to music." "As for what he reads, it's always psychic-related books." "Did you still need something?" "For crying out loud, you could at least say thanks one in a while!" "Lin-san..." "Yes?" "Lin-san is even more shrouded in mystery than Naru." "I still don't know anything about him, except that his name is "Lin-san. "" "Did you need something?" "If you like, Lin-san, I could make you some tea, too" "No thank you." "After all, he's always like this." "Maybe he just doesn't like me." "Good afternoon." "Masako!" "Long time no see." "How are you?" "Is Naru in?" "Right to the point, huh?" "I'm here today because I have a job request for Naru." "So, what sort of request is it?" "Someone from the TV studio asked if you would investigate a strange phenomenon that is occurring during the shooting of one of their dramas." "It's been said for a long time that spirits appear in film studios." "That's just it." "The location isn't the TV studio, it's the park." "Whenever they're shooting there, without fail..." "What was that!" "?" "...water rains down on them." "That's the same thing Michiru said!" "You know about it?" "Actually, a number of these same sorts of incidents have occurred at this park over the last six months." "I would think it's just some simple mischief." "But if someone were flinging something filled with water, there should be some sort of evidence left behind, right?" "Since there hasn't been any, no one has been able to find the culprit." "They may not necessarily be nearby." "That's what I told them, as well." "Don't give me that!" "This water seems to suddenly appear from nowhere, and everyone is afraid that there's something going on here." "Please, Masako-chan!" "And there you have it." "Could I prevail upon you?" "I'd recommend you change shooting locations, or halt shooting altogether." "I don't think they can." "There are issues with the script, and the actors' schedules." "It's none of my concern." "I owe the man a favor, so I would like to do this for him somehow." "You understand how I feel, right?" "It's no use." "He won't give any case he's not interested in a second" "What's the location?" "Why, why, why!" "?" "He rejected me when I asked him, so why does he accept when it's Masako!" "?" "However, my anger was pushed off to the side, and the investigation began at once." "This is the park, huh?" "You know, I can't believe this." "Yeah, a spiritual phenomenon that attacks couples..." "We haven't yet determined that it's a spiritual phenomenon." "That's what we're about to investigate, right?" "Where's Matsuzaki-san?" "We contacted her, and everything..." "You know her." "She'll show up saying "this is the work of a sitebound spirit" or something." "Monk, that was perfect!" "This is the work of a sitebound spirit." "W-what?" "You're not being very friendly." "We're all here now, so let's start the investigation at once." "This case is about something that only occurs under specific conditions." "Thus, everyone will need to" "We know, you don't have to dress it up." "We drive the spirit away, right?" "I'm not about to do that out here." "Unfortunately, we are not driving the spirit away." "So then, what exactly are we doing?" "I'd like you all to become lures." "Lures!" "?" "That will be the fastest way to draw the spirit out, after all." "That was your goal in the first place, huh?" "Fortunately, we can form three teams of lures." "Good for you." "This is your chance to score a date with Naru, isn't it?" "H-he's right." "Okay..." "I accept that proposal!" "Well..." "Me and Naru will be one couple, okay?" "What was that, Ayako!" "?" "I'm the only woman who's a match for Naru, after all." "What can you do?" "Okay, come along and date Big Sister, Naru-chan." "Hang on..." "What is this?" "Are you angry that I twisted your arm into accepting this?" "Hara-san, do you sense anything?" "I do sense a somewhat faint presence." "Damn that miserable Masako." "How does she come up with being a lure?" "Naru-chan..." "No." "Matsuzaki-san, you and Naru would only look like brother and sister." "Instead..." "That was her plan from the start, wasn't it?" "Are you still griping about that?" "Well, yeah." "You think that Masako has something on Naru?" "Otherwise, he'd naturally choose to go with me." "That's just not possible." "That's just not possible." "I have to admit, I'm surprised that Shibuya-san accepted this case." "Yeah." "I thought that was strange, too." "When I asked, he turned me down, but when Masako asked, he accepted." "Sure enough, she's got something on him." "People..." "Please take this more seriously, or we can't summon the spirit." "You're saying we should really start making out?" "What about you, Masako?" "This is your big chance, so why not kiss him?" "W-what an improper thing to suggest..." "D-don't tell me she's really planning to kiss him, is she!" "?" "In any case, the spirit will not appear like this." "Please divide up into groups, and act independently." "At least if Lin-san were here, that would be some motivation." "Ayako, you like men like Lin-san?" "He's handsome, isn't he?" "Lucky for Lin-san, he's holding down the fort." "You're kidding!" "That's a surprise." "We ended up playing rock-paper-scissors to choose couples," "with me and Monk, and Ayako and John acting as lures." "John, run!" "with me and Monk, and Ayako and John acting as lures." "Is there a special place where the spirit phenomenon occurs?" "I don't know." "All I heard was that the shooting location was here." "Which means that it's certain to take place here, is it?" "Maybe it is a sitebound spirit." "Naru, it's here!" "Hara-san!" "Aww, they left." "It sure got quiet all of a sudden, huh?" "Nobody's here." "Look again, it's just a cat." "Oh..." "What is this!" "?" "Hara-san!" "It's here." "Behind Mai." "A female spirit." "Still quite young- maybe in her mid-twenties." "Hara-san!" "What's happened?" "I don't know." "She suddenly collapsed." "Hara-san?" "Serves you right!" "Serves you right!" "W-what's come over Masako?" "Did she fall wrong, and knock herself silly?" "She's been possessed." "The spirit has taken over her body." "Wow, how cute!" "I wish I could have gone out with a cute guy like this just once while I was still alive." "She's quite outgoing, huh?" "It's so funny, what with her having Masako's body." "It's not funny at all!" "You're going to pay if you touch Naru any more than that!" "This works out perfectly." "Please tell me, are you the culprit that has been raining water down on people that come here?" "Yes, I am." "They can all catch cold and suffer from pneumonia!" "Why would you do that?" "Because I'm mad at them." "They go around all flirty-flirty in front of me, while I'm hurting so, so much..." "W-what is it that hurts so much?" "You want me to tell you?" "Fine." "I'll tell you the whole tear-jerking, heart-wrenching story of the end of my love!" "This park is where I first met him." "You dropped something." "It was a meeting of destiny." "Oh, I'm so clumsy..." "It was a meeting of destiny." "Over leeks?" "For that matter, is that worn-out old trick making a comeback?" "After that, we would often come here for dates." "Indeed, those around us were jealous of how close we were." "And yet..." "He... he..." "Well, how about we go catch a movie or something?" "It can't be..." "He was two-timing you, huh?" "What a lowlife!" "Yes!" "He spoiled this beautiful, memorable place for me!" "So then, why water?" "Hey, who is this woman?" "Don't just stand there, say something!" "Shut up, will you?" "You're being a pest." "W-what was that about!" "?" "How galling!" "Isn't it?" "Isn't it?" "Completely shocked and dejected, I decided to put myself, along with the beautiful memories of my memorable place, to eternal rest." "You mean, commit suicide?" "I did try to, but..." "You there!" "What are you doing there!" "?" "Everything I tried failed." "Then, when I gave up and started home..." "That was half a year ago." "Half a year ago would match our figures." "When I came to, I was like this." "Well, why don't you go right up to this man and haunt him directly?" "That's not a very good thing to do." "That guy should be frightened up a little bit." "That's what I thought, so I tried to." "But..." "Curse you..." "Curse you" "Yeah, you're right." "Curse you..." "And my stuff was strewn around worse than anyone else's..." "Curse you!" "It didn't work on him!" "He must be a fairly insensitive man, huh?" "So then I thought that I'd just put the people who were flirting in this park through the same thing that I went through, instead of him." "Hey!" "We're not even a couple." "Serves you right!" "You can't do that!" "Doing something wrong just because you're distraught over something that guy did, will make you the one everyone resents, won't it?" "That's just not right!" "Hey, now, what are you getting so worked up for?" "Well after all..." "Bearing grudges, and being begrudged..." "I just can't take any of it." "She's right." "If you keep doing this for too long, you'll end up becoming a sitebound spirit." "Yep." "You'd be happier just crossing over right away." "There's still time if you do it now." "Are you guys psychic otaku?" "No, we're not!" "What about you?" "You can't think that your current situation is a good one." "Maybe it is time..." "J-just a minute!" "Sure, I don't think it's a good thing to hold a grudge, but crossing over like this would still not be entirely worthwhile!" "Huh!" "?" "Huh!" "?" "I mean, it's not fair for that man to get off not knowing anything, and without receiving any punishment!" "He'll get what's coming to him soon enough." "He'll get what he deserves." "She's content to let it go, herself." "Are you sure it's all right?" "I-it's him!" "Sure enough, I want to teach him a lesson, if only just this once!" "But whatever you do to him, he doesn't notice it, right?" "How are you going to teach him his lesson?" "How about this?" "Hold up." "You've done something recently to incur the resentment of another, huh?" "I sense an extremely evil aura about him." "I can see it." "The spirit of a woman who died bearing a grudge toward you." "Who are you people?" "Stop saying such creepy things about me!" "Don't you care that she's dead?" "They say a woman's curse lasts a hundred generations." "You'd better exorcise her as soon as possible." "Are you sure you don't have me mistaken for someone else?" "Why should I have to have an exorcism" "You!" "Hara Masako!" "?" "W-what are you doing!" "?" "It's you!" "They talk about men who are dripping with good looks, right?" "S-spare me!" "I didn't mean anything wrong!" "Spare me, please!" "She did it!" "Whew, that feels better." "Now I've got no regrets to hold me back." "Thank you very much." "With that said, the woman's spirit was purified." "This time, Mai was the heroine." "I have to say, you were hilarious to watch, Masako." "Did I do something?" "You were amazing, hugging Naru like that and Masako, you initiating a kiss like that..." "I kissed Naru!" "?" "Yes." "And not just once, but many times." "She did not!" "Why would you tell a fib like that!" "?" "A fib?" "Are you guys teasing me?" "You did really hug him, though." "But I didn't kiss him, right?" "You think I'd let you kiss him, too?" "You just watch, Masako." "Next time, I'll" "Are you all still here?" "Nothing better to do?" "Well excuse us for having nothing better to do." "And who was it again that finished their investigation as a result?" "I asked you for your help in the investigation, but I didn't think you'd have so much free time that you could afford to waste it by using my office as a substitute for a coffee shop." "What was that!" "?" "Hey, what do you mean by that!" "?" "Naru, I'd like to buy you dinner, to thank you for today." "D-do you think Naru is going to fall for an invitation like that!" "?" "Very well." "Huh!" "?" "You're going!" "?" "You shouldn't be so surprised." "We've gone to movies and concerts together several times." "Let's go, Naru." "Naru, you idiot!" "Why don't you turn her down flatly, like you always do!" "?" "Maybe she really does have something on him." "Could the two of them have a patron?" "Patron!" "?" "It's quite common in Europe and America." "Parapsychology is still not a well-understood field, so it's typical for a research facility to have sponsors, and even large foundations that support them." "Oh, that's what you meant." "That gave me a start!" "Huh?" "John, in Japan, "patron" also has a slightly different meaning." "Remember that." "Although, you may be on the right track." "If he does have a sponsor, it may be Masako's father or someone." "Which would mean he couldn't turn down Masako's invitation." "If he has a patron, he could afford to rent out an office in Shibuya." "Is it really that expensive here?" "And not just the rent, either." "That equipment must cost quite a bit." "The price of one high-speed camera has to be..." "Don't tell me!" "Must be nice to have a date with Naru." "Mai, let's go see a movie together." "Why, so suddenly?" "We're continuing our date." "Then we'll get something good to eat, and cheer you up." "Okay?" "Monk is trying to cheer me up, is he?" "Monk, I love you!" "I didn't think you were the Lolicon type." "Better than being you, who doesn't even have a date, right?" "What was that?" "I do so have one, right here!" "Lin-san is still working." "Not him." "Huh!" "?" "Me!" "?" "It's Big Sister's treat." "If you'd rather not, you'd better turn her down." "He doesn't mind." "Do you, John?" "And with that, --He doesn't mind." "Do you, John?" "Lin-san, you can close up." "Next time:" "File 5, "Silent Christmas" #1"