Supernatural Investigation 101: Chronicles Of Nakashima Wakana

Minami Sei takes a deep breath of relief when he sees the metallic symbol glow pale blue. Her clothes still have the imprint.

 "It is reacting to the imprint," Nishimura Soichiro says calmly.

"I will activate the tracker." Minami Sei types on his keyboard to take a look at the record. He frowns when the access is denied. Why can't he find Wakana through her imprint? When he enters Wakana's name, her profile pops up on the screen. 

"It doesn't match with hers." Staring at the screen, Minami Sei mutters, "Why doesn't it match?"

"Who does it match then?" Nishimura Soichiro asks him. 

"We don't have access." Minami Sei leans back, closing his eyes in frustration. "It doesn't have any record of Wakana's gifts. Then, who is it reacting to?"

"Activate the tracker," Nishimura Soichiro commands him. "Her gifts haven't completely awakened yet. So, they might not have added her imprint officially. We should be able to track her as long as we have an imprint. Hurry! It will work as long as the imprint lasts on her clothes."

Minami Sei activates the tracker in the laptop. He glances at the leather map on the table. A faint blue dot appears at one location. It flickers a few times before appearing at another place. In the next moment, the faint blue dot keeps moving from one location to another.

"What is going on?" Sei's eyes follow the blue dot as it changes locations. "She can't move from one place to another that fast."

"If someone is teleporting her like this," Nishimura Soichiro replies, "it's possible. We have to contact the handlers to tackle this."

And the dot is suddenly gone.

"What just happened?" Minami Sei stares at the location where the dot disappeared. The detector is still reacting to Wakana's clothes. His heart drums against his c.h.e.s.t. "Why is it gone?"

"This machine is antique." Is she already dead? Nishimura Soichiro turns off and on the tracker. He tells him nervously, "Don't think too much. I am sure that nothing happened to her. Wakana was a detective."

Judging from Nishimura Soichiro's tone, Minami Sei senses that something is wrong. He checks the address of the location where the tracker disappeared. "Nishimura-sama, I will go to this place and look for her."

"Call me if you find her." Nishimura Soichiro dials a number on his phone. "Don't go near her if she's awakened." That might be another reason why the tracker went off. If her gifts are fully awakened, the imprint would also change. 

Minami Sei ignores the warning and runs out of the door.

***

Matsuda Yuji stretches his arms lazily. "Oh, this body is so out of it."

He's in the hospital. This guy has been in a comatose state for a long time. These kinds of bodies are easiest to take over. Since the soul is weak, it's easy to kick the soul out of the body. They usually come without any attached string. If someone is in a coma for a long time, he can easily pretend that he has no memory of the past. Behaving differently won't make this guy's relatives suspicious of him. He can start anew and live his life in any way possible.

"Why is nobody here yet?" Matsuda Yuji snickers. "This guy finally woke up after ten years. The doctors and nurses should be thanking the god. I am some rich man's son now, right? This is boring as --" 

He shuts his mouth when he sees a grey-haired man standing in the corner of the room. The man is tall. His turquoise eyes have a strange glow. In one glance, Matsuda Yuji realizes that the man is not an ordinary human. Without a delay, he tries to escape from the body. 

"Argh!" He winces in pain, holding his head. A stifling pressure grips his mind. He peers at him. "Why?"

"You made me wait for you." Choi Minho walks to him and grabs his hair. "I have been waiting for your soul to come out and take over a body." 

He drags Matsuda Yuji from the bed and grasps his arm, twisting it. With a low and smooth voice, Choi Minho continues, "I am tired of creatures like you. If you have a gift like that, you should live a good life. I don't care if you continue to switch bodies until the end of time. Why must you touch something that you shouldn't have?" 

Matsuda Yuji realizes that he can't move his mouth. This person is controlling his body through his mind. This gift… he knows about it. That woman is related to this person? Matsuda Yuji laughs. "The boy who became immortal… I have heard about you. You are Choi Minjae's younger brother."

He releases Matsuda Yuji's hair and bends down on his knees, looking at the man calmly. "Bring her out of that place."

In fact, he's been able to track Wakana. But even if he's an immortal, he can't go into a closed space without the owner's permission. It's rather troublesome. So, he's been waiting for this soul to come out of that place. 

"My instinct was right." Matsuda Yuji puts his elbow on his raised knee. "That woman is special. In fact, I was wondering why her scent was different. Did I feel better when I was close to her? Yes, I do feel better. My soul has gained some strength. She's not even a soul summoner or a witch. Why do I feel better, Choi Minho?"

Choi Minho purses his lips. What else does this man know? He can't let this parasite live anymore. First of all, he has to save Wakana. "Did you hurt her?"

His question isn't answered. Instead, Matsuda Yuji looks at the closed door. Nobody would come as long as this immortal man is here. "Your brother was a legend. I met him once."

"I am not interested in chitchat." Choi Minho straightens his back and puts his hands inside his pockets, watching him with a cold gaze. "Release her right now."

"If I do that, you will kill me." Matsuda Yuji smiles at him. "I know that look in your eyes. Your brother also had the same look when he tried to kill me. It's ridiculous. Why do both brothers want to kill me?"

"This is the last time I am asking." Choi Minho tightens his hold on Matsuda Yuji's mind, making him wince in pain. He yells at him, "Bring her out of your space."

"I don't want to." Matsuda Yuji looks up at him and chuckles. "You are still a little boy. Do you think that you are invincible because you are immortal now? Immortality is just a gift package with some perks. Say, aren't I the same?"

"Matsuda Yuji, you think?" Choi Minho stares at him. "Should I send you to a place where you belong?"

"You don't have the authority to." Matsuda Yuji yawns. "This body needs physical therapy. I wonder if your woman also needs therapy after that. That is a crude method to awaken someone's gifts."

"What do you mean?" He grips his shirt. "What did you do to her?"

"She's awakened." Matsuda Yuji says to him, "I can sense it. Her gifts are rising exponentially. You were hiding something that wonderful, Choi Minho. An R graded gift? They would be happy to receive this gift."

Choi Minho's face becomes pale when he hears those words. His hands shake, loosening the grasp on Matsuda Yuji's shirt. The hold on Matsuda Yuji's mind quiver for a moment. 

The soul slips away; the body drops on the floor.

He's been trying to prevent this for so long. Why did this happen now? Is it impossible to avoid fate? Choi Minho brings out the tarot card. The card is only a piece of paper, unreadable. It's the same. After that day, her sister-in-law was never able to read his brother's future.