1
“—Will you remain silent to the last?”
Bou-san said sullenly and looked up.
“Then I’ll simply keep going. Let’s move on to the next.”
“Next?”
There’s m-more!?
“Yes. Another thing I was insanely curious about was how he got that much equipment. How much do you think it all costs? I’m telling you, it’s in the tens of millions. Hundred millions, probably. It’s not an amount securable by a kid of seventeen or so. No matter how rich of a family he comes from, there should be a generous patron. —Will you answer this if I ask, Naru?”
“...It would be bad if I stole Bou-san’s rare moment of spotlight.”
That being said, Bou-san lightly scowled.
“You’ve got nerve to say that. —Another thing. The matter of whether the office really belongs to Naru himself. As I said earlier, Naru-bou is still a minor. The management company of the building containing the office, the bank with the office account, and so on, would they agree to anything with a director that’s underage?”
...hmm.
“Also, I further wondered why Mai can’t answer calls. She also can’t open letters. In fact, she’s not allowed to touch the mail. It’s handed over to Mai after Lin completely sorts it. Mai, have you seen the mail that comes to the office in its original state?”
“...No.”
“The truth is, the typical work of an office clerk is to answer calls and sort letters. However, you’re not allowed to do that. Why?”
...Now that you mention it, it’s certainly strange…
“It seems as if he’s trying to keep others away from the mail and phone calls. If that’s so, then why? There is only one possible explanation for this. The mail and phone calls most often contain information that shouldn’t be known by others. If we consider the case of a letter, there’s the possibility that something he doesn’t want known is written in such a thing as the address, postmark, or return address.”
“Oh, I see!”
I unintentionally clapped my hands.
“In other words, because he’s using an alias, right? If ‘Shibuya Kazuya’ is an alias, then there’s the possibility that his real name is written on the letter.”
Bou-san lightly shrugged his shoulders.
“Except, that’s not going to happen. That place is an office. In general, mail personally addressed to Naru won’t come. If it comes, the majority should be letters addressed to ‘Shibuya Psychic Research.’”
“Oh, I see.”
...Hmm.
“Well then, maybe he wants to hide mail that comes from a foreign country? There’s no need to do that. Books are sent to us from abroad, but that hasn’t been hidden.”
“Is that so? Would it seem suspicious in the case where just a letter addressed to the office comes from abroad? A phone call? Nowadays, international calls are the same as long distance calls. There’s no exchange. It’s just a matter of getting the caller to keep silent about something.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s why I just gave free rein to my imagination. For example, what if the addressee’s name on the letter was wrong? In all likelihood, this guy is using an alias. What if the name of the office, ‘Shibuya Psychic Research’, is also an alias? If so, wouldn’t there be a need to hide it?”
2
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 ‘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, ‘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… 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.
3
While he looked after Naru, who left everyone without a word, Bou-san cried out in discontent.
“At this point, he’s feigning ignorance.”
It was Lin-san who replied to that.
“Naru said there was no need to reply.”
Lin-san smiled just a bit of a wry smile.
“That means, after having come this far, it’s not necessary to reply.”
“Then, it’s as I thought…?”
I looked between Lin-san and Bou-san. It was Bou-san who nodded.
“It seems like.”
...Now I understand…
Bou-san sat down on the spot with a thump.
“Oliver Davis is a parapsychologist belonging to the ‘SPR’, an up-and-coming researcher who acquired a doctorate in parapsychology at a young age. If you write the ‘V’ with a ‘ヴ’, it’s Orivā Deivisu. Normally, he’s introduced following the famous spiritualist Andrew Jackson Davis as Orivā Deibisu or Oribā Deibisu. Owing to the fact that he almost never makes an appearance, his profile is unclear. What little is known about him is that he has the ability of psychometry and possesses strong PK. It’s also certain that he’s siblings with the superior spiritualist Eugene Davis.”
“Okay.”
“This Eugene Davis disappeared on an island country in the Far East. Dr. Davis came to Japan to look for his sibling. It would be an uproar if the mass media knew about it. Like when Peter Hurkos came to Japan, he would literally be followed around endlessly by TV, magazines, and those searching for missing persons. So, he hides his identity.”
“...I see.”
“So then, Naru knowing the terrain of this place and not it’s name is explainable without any trouble. Naru-bou used psychometry. By way of a vision, he witnessed his older brother thrown here, but there was no further information. So, he virtually had no choice but to travel here.”
“Then, is that why he had Masako’s comb during the investigation that one time?”
“I guess that’s the case. He had the comb to confirm what had become of Masako. Put simply, whether she was alive or dead.”
Bou-san scratched his head somewhat apologetically,
“—Unfortunately for Masako-chan.”
Masako simply gave a slight shadow of a smile.
“I was aware that it was the case.”
“But, why did you know, Masako-chan?”
“Because I saw a video.”
...Video?
“When I was invited to America by the ‘ASPR’, I saw a video there.”
Bou-san leaned forward.
“By any chance, was the video… that famous one?”
“Yes.”
I pulled on Bou-san’s shirt. I didn’t understand what was being talked about.
“Previously, Dr. Davis did a PK experiment. There’s a video of it. I told you before. About an extremely rigorous experiment...”
“Where he threw a 50 kilo block of aluminum against a wall?”
“Right. That video must be in some kind of major psychic-related laboratory where it’s something never removed from the premises.”
“Really...”
“It was quite an impressive video, so I remembered it. Therefore, when I first met him, I thought I had seen his face somewhere...”
Oh, I see…
“I remembered it after that case. That is why, after I told Naru, he said he wanted me to keep it secret...”
I briefly glared at Masako.
“Then you threatened him with the information, didn’t you?”
“Huh, I wonder what you mean?”
Bastard, so that’s why.
Ayako applauded half-heartedly.
“Anyhow, I feel relieved. Now he can do as he pleases and go back home to England or wherever. —Not too bad, you depraved monk.”
“Shut up! My head’s not a decoration, unlike yours.”
“Well, yours isn’t worth decorating.”
“Well, you have bad taste.”
Ah, there they go again. Paying that no mind, Yasuhara-san,
“Takigawa-san seems like he’s not paying attention, but he’s surprisingly observant of the details.”
Yeah. True enough. Saying he’s observant is a compliment, but I can also tell you he’s annoyingly nitpicky.
“When Takigawa-san first talked about this, I wondered if he had gone senile due to the heat.”
“I’m old, after all.”
That is an undeniable fact.
‘Anyway,’ I said to Bou-san and Yasuhara-san, then looked around for John.
“When I was wondering what you were hanging out and whispering about, you were talking about this stuff, right?”
Bou-san smiled in a slightly wry manner.
“There was nothing else to do with our free time.”
After saying so, he became a little serious,
“To tell the truth, it didn’t click until after Naru-bou collapsed just recently.”
“Huh?”
“He displayed his insane Qigong, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know much about Qigong, but still, even if that was Qigong, I don’t know that it’s that insane. His style is also unusual for Qigong.”
“...Yeah. Lin-san said it was similar, but different.”
“Well, that’s why I thought it was PK. Originally, there was a theory that Qigong = PK.”
Hmm.
“Still, PK or whatever, that was extraordinary. When I thought so, I remembered that the Doctor is said to have extraordinary PK.”
“I see.”
“When I think about it, there are a lot of strange things that stuck. Including the spoon bending you saw previously. What we saw was a guy using tricks, but when you saw it, Naru-bou broke the neck of the spoon. If that’s true, then it was legitimately PK.”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“Also, Naru-bou is excellent at gathering information. His intuition is strangely accurate.”
“Huh?”
“Which case was that? You know, the case involving the doll.”
“Minnie?”
“Right. He was strangely confident at the time, saying the doll wasn’t the problem. Even during the case at one of those schools, while walking in the classroom, he suddenly asked, ‘Have you been doing seances?’”
W-was there something like that?
“Masako’s comb, etc. If you take all of that into consideration, it seems a lot like either psychometry or post cognition. On top of that, there was that investigation of the ‘fake Davis’ some time ago. Why did he need to do something like that? Even if Naru and Mori-san were officials of ‘SPR’, for some reason I wasn’t satisfied. —Well, when I think of it like that, many things are suddenly suspicious.”
“Yeah.”
‘Still,’ Bou-san said, scratching his head.
“I didn’t really know what Naru was a nickname for. Even though I borrowed a dictionary and tried to look it up, it wasn’t listed. Then I tried asking Shōnen and John.”
Yasuhara-san nodded meekly.
“Brown-san told us ‘Noll’ was a nickname for ‘Oliver’ and when we took that into consideration, everything was suspicious. In fact, how had we been fooled until now? —I blame Taniyama for this matter.”
“M-me?”
“Right.”
Speaking tersely, Yasuhara-san thrust his finger at me.
“It’s your fault, Taniyama-san. ‘Naru-chan the Narcissist’ fit too well, so I didn’t think to question it and unthinkingly accepted it.”
Aaaah… Well, excuse me…
4
Chuckling, Bou-san looked towards Lin-san, who had been quietly refraining.
“—Any problems with this, Lin?”
Once again, Lin-san smiled a slightly wry smile.
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
“There’s one thing I want to ask. Why was it necessary to set up the office?”
...I also really want to know that.
After Lin-san pondered for a moment,
“There were hardly any clues to search for Gene… Eugene...”
“Gene? A nickname for Eugene?”
“Yes. It was undoubtedly going to take time to look for him. It was impossible to go back and forth from England, so it was necessary to secure a foothold somewhere, but whatever the situation, the issue of funds remained.”
“The cost of living is high in Japan.”
“There’s a limit to personal sojourns. That’s why, as an interim measure while examining all quarters, we decided to establish a branch office under the pretext of investigating the present condition of psychical research and spiritual phenomenon in Japan.”
“I see, no wonder the request fee is cheap. Naturally, there’s no sense for profit. You can’t conduct business in an ‘SPR’ branch office.”
“Exactly.”
“Then, is Naru-bou your boss in the branch office?”
“Yes. More or less, Naru is the division head.”
Really?
“Even though Naru-bou is younger?”
“Age is irrelevant. Naru has performance in his favor, so as a researcher, he has seniority.”
“—While we’re at it, can I ask another question?”
“If I can answer it.”
“Nationality, is it English?”
“Naru? That’s right.”
Bou-san looked towards John for a moment.
“I heard that Naru is an American pronunciation.”
“Naru lived in the United States until he was about eight.”
“Then, are both his parents Japanese emigrants?”
“Professor Davis is a natural-born Englishman. Naru and Eugene were originally adopted.”
—Huh?
I looked at Lin-san's expressionless face once again.
“The two were orphans. Professor Davis adopted them.”
...I see. Naru was also an orphan.
Although, unlike me, Naru had an older brother. But still… that older brother is dead…
“Originally, only Eugene used the name Naru.”
I wasn’t the only one who was a little stunned.
“Then, Naru will return to England once he finds his older brother’s remains.”
I murmured so, not expecting a response.
...Therefore, like Masako said, we won’t meet again…
“I have yet to hear anything regarding the matter.”
“But, he’s going to close the office, right?”
“That was a convenience for the sake of looking for Eugene. It was also used as an explanation for those who were assisting us in our stay.”
“If he finds his older brother, there’s no reason for him to stay in Japan.”
Both his parents live in England and his home is also there.
“I’m very sorry, but I’m unable to—”
For a moment, Lin-san was about to say something, but ultimately closed his mouth. He briefly looked around at us.
“May I ask a favor of you?”
"By all means."
Lin-san bowed slightly at Bou-san’s voice.
“I would like you to please keep this secret.”
Bou-san answered, ‘You got it,’ but Ayako raised her voice in protest.
“Hey, why are you so worried?”
“Because the Japanese media is greedy. They have no integrity or moderation. It would be humorously dramatized and it’s not likely to be pleasant.”
“That’s true, but...”
To that, Lin-san looked at the floor.
“Psychometry is perhaps the most inconvenient of all extrasensory perception abilities. The media will quickly grow bored, but there are some people who will not lose interest.”
“...?”
“Before coming to Japan, do you know how many letters a day were generally sent to Naru?”
...fan mail?
“At least twenty and as many as fifty. All of them were letters seeking aid, wanting him to look for a close relative who disappeared.”
“Oh...”
“It’s not a problem to search if the person is alive, but it’s often someone who’s dead. The people who send the letters are usually desperately hoping their relatives are alive somewhere.”
“That’s probably true...”
He really should try to avoid the media.
“Moreover, Naru is too capable. If the person he’s looking for is dead, it’s fine if he only sees it as mere information. But if the synchronization with the target is intense, he apparently experiences it as if it’s his own personal experience.”
Ayako and Masako looked back at me simultaneously.
“Mai had a dream like that once...”
Is it like that?
“Sometimes, in severe cases, he actually gets injured.”
“Injured?”
‘Yes,’ Lin-san nodded.
“When experiencing a vision, a severe bruise is produced in the same spot where the person he’s synchronizing with was injured and a strong paralysis develops... Therefore, Naru will not use psychometry unless the situation is serious. He sent back all the letters without opening them.”
...Really? That’s dreadful!
“Also...”
Lin-san started to say, then shook his head.
“Anyway, please.”
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