Chapter 106 Another Detective?

That night, Tsukino and Chiya had a rather long conversation with Ohma Kokichi.

Weekends are shorter than weekdays, but even weekdays bring a sense of relief for Tsukino and Chiya when they are free from strange occurrences.

Indeed, sometimes happiness is something that needs to be compared. Just like someone with a severe cold might feel less miserable when they see someone lying in a hospital bed on their deathbed; and no matter how much someone dislikes the taste of food, they won't feel more miserable than someone who is starving.

To be honest, Tsukino and Chiya didn't really like this kind of talk that seemed to imply, "There are many people in this world who are more miserable than you, so you are not miserable at all and therefore have nothing to complain about."

However... although they didn't like that way of putting it, Tsukino and Chiya also admitted that compared to the days of running around dealing with strange incidents, this peaceful daily life seemed even more precious and worth cherishing.

It's wonderful to be able to relax and enjoy peace without having to wander around in places where life and death could be at any moment.

Although it was merely the calm before the storm.

Is that so...?

Two weeks have passed since then—the day Tsukino and Chiya met Hinata Hajime during the day, visited Tsurumori Shrine in the afternoon, and then unexpectedly encountered Ohma Kokichi at their dormitory in the evening.

Two weeks of peace and tranquility, two weeks of calm and normalcy... two weeks.

Today is another workday.

Tsukino and Chiya sat in their seats in the classroom, yawning while looking at Hinata Hajime, who was being called on to answer the teacher's question.

Having acquired the memories of the future and all of his Ultimate Talents, a sudden question in class was naturally no challenge for Hyuga Hajime. Tsukino and Chiya listened attentively for a few minutes and found Hyuga Hajime's answer to be clear, logical, and easy to understand.

The teacher standing on the podium was indeed very satisfied with Hinata Hajime's answer. After praising Hinata a few times, he asked him to sit down again and then continued to explain the next question.

For students, everything that is happening in the classroom is perfectly natural and expected.

Unlike the special case of the undergraduate dormitories across the street, where "talent is all that matters, and attendance doesn't matter," this kind of daily routine that hasn't changed much in over a decade is what most people consider normal.

Even so, Tsukino and Chiya still had a vague feeling that something was not quite right.

Isn't this kind of normalcy a bit too abnormal? Did he originally live in such a relaxed environment?

Of course, the reason why they had such thoughts and feelings might be that Tsukino and Chiya themselves were a little more anxious than before.

He was aware of this himself.

Tsukino and Chiya remembered the purifying arrow they had brought back from the shrine, which they had already placed away.

A weapon needs an object to be used. Otherwise, even the most powerful weapon won't be effective against thin air. And since it's a weapon designed to target Aurora, it's naturally meant to be used after Aurora appears.

But the problem is that... that doll hasn't appeared in front of Tsukino and Chiya for a long time.

Tsukino and Chiya once felt that Aurora was a persistent ghost, and because of the mark on their bodies, they had long been prepared for the possibility of encountering that strange doll in various situations at any time. But perhaps sometimes, life is just like that—unpredictable. Things that are commonplace in daily life often disappear when most needed.

It's like being in a hurry and not being able to find a taxi without passengers, having an upset stomach and not being able to find a public restroom, or accidentally not having an umbrella and then encountering a rare rainy day... It's something that makes you anxious but you don't have a good solution for the moment.

Could it be that the doll sensed something and deliberately stopped appearing in front of them? — This thought had crossed Tsukino and Chiya's minds after they realized they hadn't seen Aurora for a while, but they quickly suppressed it.

Although those puppets appear and disappear mysteriously, it doesn't mean they are omniscient or omnipotent.

Their power is indeed formidable, but not so powerful that humans are completely powerless against them. Otherwise, Kazuo Yashiki, who was involved in two consecutive unnatural events, would not be alive today.

Even so, one must prepare for the worst; after all, it's better to be safe than sorry...

The bell rang, signaling the end of the last class of the morning. Tsukino and Chiya put the ballpoint pens they were holding into their pencil cases and tidied their desks as they thought.

It's just that we haven't encountered any strange events for two weeks. As for what happens next, let's take it one step at a time.

And then, just like that—

Another period of calm and tranquility has passed.

Wait a minute, hasn't this been a little too long? Is this right?

Before they knew it, it was time for the undergraduates across the street to prepare for their practical exams, and then the holidays would be just around the corner. As it turned out, Tsukino, Chiya, and Ohma Kokichi hadn't encountered any strange events along the way.

To be precise... they didn't encounter any truly strange events. They'd traveled to quite a few places lately because of various rumors, only to find that most were just misunderstandings. The only time they did encounter something truly unnatural... was because of monsters that fed on humans causing trouble.

That matter was eventually handed over to the Hidden God Drum Eight Thousand, who was also a monster, to handle.

"So, what happened in the end?"

On the rooftop of the preparatory school building, Wang Ma Xiaoji lazily leaned on the edge of the railing, gazing into the distance, and asked a question.

"Are you asking about the man-eating monster we encountered that day?"

Tsukino and Chiya pulled the tabs on their cans.

“Mr. Yinshen said the matter has been resolved… Didn’t you ask him? You would know more about this by asking the person involved.”

"Of course—I asked. But Uncle Yinshin was too vague; it was obvious there was more to it than met the eye, so I thought it would be more convenient to ask you and Kozuki."

"It must have been the fox who got involved in that matter."

Tsukino and Chiya admitted that they didn't actually know much either.

"Involving foxes, in a sense, means danger. Although Mr. Hidden God is currently cooperating with foxes, that cooperation is not solid, which is why he probably doesn't want us to get too involved with the monster society. And..."

"And that's a thoughtful thing to do, isn't it?"

Wang Ma Xiaoji picked up the conversation quite naturally.

"We're already struggling with all the weird stuff, and if we get involved in anything related to monsters, it'll just make things worse... Well, that's true."

Wang Ma Xiaoji sighed softly.

The purple-haired boy, who had been gazing at the sky, turned around and took a few steps to sit down next to Tsukino and Chiya, who were sitting on the steps.

Tsukino and Chiya handed over a can of beverage that hadn't been opened yet. Because it had been refrigerated, water droplets had condensed on the bottle and slowly slid down, leaving a small water stain on the ground.

Wang Ma Xiaoji took the drink and, after pulling it open, complained half-jokingly, "But we haven't encountered those things in a long time, have we? Ugh—it's so annoying."

"It feels like when you were a kid and you planned to go out and play with your friends, but you were still worried about the pile of homework you hadn't finished at home. Even if you wanted to play, you couldn't have as much fun as you wanted!"

"What do you think, Kozuki? How come Aurora has been gone for so long? Are we going to go back to the state we were in before we enrolled? — That kind of state where we know we have a mark on us, but the mark hasn't had any effect."

Tsukino and Chiya took a sip of their drinks: "Well... judging from the current situation, that's certainly the case."

If it weren't for the marks on their backs and the marks on Wangma Xiaoji's collarbone, Tsukino and Chiya would have almost suspected that Aurora had encountered some accident while advancing her game and was already "dead".

"However, even though we haven't encountered or resolved any issues for quite some time, and the mark hasn't reacted yet, we don't need to worry about the time limit for now. More importantly..."

Tsukino and Chiya asked curiously.

"Your undergraduate practical skills exams are about to start, right? Wang Ma, are you ready?"

He was genuinely curious about this.

After all, Tsukino and Chiya really wanted to know how Ohma Kokichi would demonstrate his talent as the "Ultimate Leader".

"Hehe, no~ Do we even need to prepare for this kind of thing? We can just go for it! After all, I'm the evil leader of an organization with tens of thousands of members, this kind of thing is no challenge for me at all."

"So instead of worrying about some unimportant practical exam, I've already started planning where to go and cause trouble during the holidays... cough, where to go and have fun!"

Tsukino and Chiya: "Ohma, you were just saying you weren't having enough fun because of the mark... never mind."

For the first time, Tsukino and Chiya began to feel distressed because they were not Ultimate High School Level.

However, this might also be one of the things that Ouma Kokichi was hiding. Some time ago, he had talked to the other party one night... After some things, Tsukino and Chiya did not plan to continue to ask too many questions about these things that were not important to Aurora's Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

"Hey, Kozuki, do you have any plans for the holidays?"

Faced with Ouma Kokichi's excited gaze, Tsukino and Chiya nodded: "Yes, although everything has been normal recently, I'm still investigating the doll matter. Then, I found someone who might know something about dolls."

"After the holiday, I plan to go to another city to see him and talk to him."

"Huh? Who is it?" Wangma Xiaoji's eyes widened, his face full of curiosity. "Could it be some kind of Onmyoji or exorcist? What's their name?"

"No, that's not it. That person, like Mr. Mashita, is a detective, and his name is..."

Tsukino and Chiya spoke in a gentle tone, casually dropping a bombshell.

"—Ayatsuji Yukito."

"ah……"

Upon hearing the name, Wang Ma Xiaoji, who had been quite enthusiastic, suddenly became subtle in his expression and tone.

"Kazuki, the place you mentioned you're planning to go to, it wouldn't be Yokohama, would it?"

Tsukino and Qianye: "?"

How did you figure that out? Ouma Shokichi shouldn't know Ayatsuji Yukito... right?

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Author's Note: This is a transitional chapter. What Qianye and Xiaoji discussed in detail will be revealed in later chapters. [Applause]