Chapter 11 Now that things have come to this, let's collect the bodies first.

Even now, Matsuda Jinpei doesn't completely believe what those two kids are saying. Of course, Hagiwara Kenji feels the same way.

After all, the idea of ​​something strange sounds too mysterious, making it hard not to doubt its authenticity.

However, Matsuda Jinpei also couldn't think of a way to explain the mark that had appeared on his back without him noticing, and the unpleasant feeling that had just recently... a heart-pounding premonition of impending death.

On the other hand, for Kenji Hagiwara, although he hadn't personally experienced that feeling, he trusted Matsuda Jinpei's judgment and choice. In other words, although he didn't quite believe that explanation, ... since Jinpei said it that way, he must have his reasons! In short, he planned to observe Matsuda Jinpei's actions first.

As for Matsuda Jinpei... he clearly decided to wait and see.

Whether it's true or not, I'll just stick with these two kids for now. That way, if they get into danger, I can try my best to protect these two young high school students. Or if it's all a scam, I can try to pull these two not-so-likable kids out of the mire and then invite them to the police station for a chat.

Matsuda Jinpei is confident that he can uncover the truth behind all these events.

Besides, Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji were also aware that the two children in front of them understood that they did not completely believe the stories about the "strange".

However, none of them explicitly stated this point; at least in terms of actions, the four of them had reached a superficial agreement.

That's enough.

"My recent schedule? Let me think..."

As he spoke, Matsuda Jinpei recalled whether he had visited any suspicious locations in the past few days.

"To be honest, I don't feel there's anything special about it. Tokyo doesn't have bombings every day. My daily routine these days has been just training, but Hagi does the same. If there's any place I've been to that Hagi hasn't..."

Having formed a certain idea in his mind, Matsuda Jinpei made the final decision: "Then it can only be 'there'."

The progress is going much more smoothly than I expected.

Tsukino and Chiya breathed a slight sigh of relief and inwardly exclaimed in admiration.

Actually, he had prepared for the possibility that the other party would not believe him and would be unwilling to cooperate. Among those Indians in the past, there were those who had always tried to firmly believe in science, although that belief was later... well, not completely shattered after witnessing the strange phenomena.

After all, in most cases, science is "normal," while the bizarre is "abnormal." Tsukino and Chiya never doubted the power of science and respected those who believed in it... Of course, they themselves believed in science very much.

Furthermore, these days, dealing with supernatural phenomena is increasingly reliant on science. This includes investigating clues related to the supernatural's past through the internet; conducting scientific research and analyzing the composition of items left behind by the supernatural; and even using physical or chemical weapons to attack them—for example, using insecticides on supernatural beings that can produce insects, or herbicides on supernatural beings that can grow plants…

I heard that the guy at Kujo House once encountered a strange person who would shoot people with a gun.

That's incredibly impressive. These days, even the supernatural are incredibly competitive.

In short, Indians may gather together because of the threat of death, but they will return to their normal lives once the crisis is over. It would be highly inadvisable to abandon science simply because of unexpected situations like the one we are facing now, since abnormal situations are rare, and most of the time people live ordinary daily lives.

Furthermore, in reality, not everyone is a "superpowered individual" or a "calamity bringer." For ordinary people like them without special abilities, the only way to protect themselves from these anomalies is through "science."

At this point, having already decided to cooperate, Matsuda Jinpei, without holding back on the itinerary, revealed an address.

"I didn't expect it to be a villa in a residential area. Is there anything special about it?" Wang Ma Xiaoji asked, giving an example. "Is there some kind of ghost story? A haunted house? Is it reported in a paranormal magazine? But if there really is such a rumor, then I guess no one would want to live in that residential area."

“No, it’s just a very ordinary house.” Matsuda Jinpei shook his head. “So if you’re asking about haunted places, I haven’t been to any of those places. But if you want to know the only place I’ve recently been that’s different from my usual routine and that Hagi hasn’t been to… then that’s all that’s left.”

The other places Matsuda Jinpei visited in the past few days were the same old apartments, police stations, and izakayas... places that Hagiwara Kenji frequented as well, but he had no marks on him.

So no matter how you look at it, that's the most suspicious place, right?

“Oh! That residential area, I see.” Kenji Hagiwara clearly remembered the address Matsuda had given him. “Jinpei was there on a police call the day before yesterday, wasn’t he?”

“But if it’s a police response, there wouldn’t just be one officer on duty, right?” Wang Ma Xiaoji exclaimed, “Huh? So there might be other officers who also have marks on them?”

"Perhaps. But the situation was a bit special at the time." Matsuda Jinpei tried to be brief in explaining the situation at the time, "The criminals took the homeowner hostage and strapped a bomb to her body. At that time, the criminals only allowed one policeman of their own choosing to enter the house to negotiate with them, and I was chosen."

Of course, the situation at that time was far more complicated than the few words Matsuda Jinpei casually mentioned, but since it was a resolved incident, some thrilling rescue details are not so important compared to the current situation.

In just a few words, Tsukino and Chiya understood what happened next—the thugs then tried to escape the mansion and flee to another place while holding the innocent homeowner hostage... Of course, in the end, the homeowner was successfully rescued, and the thugs were taken to the police station for questioning.

In other words...

"So the problem lies in the villa in the residential area?" Tsukino and Chiya pondered, then looked up at Matsuda Jinpei. "If you're going to visit, it's best to give us a heads-up beforehand. Officer Matsuda, do you have the homeowner's contact information?"

Matsuda Jinpei promptly denied it: "No."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that then."

Wang Ma Xiaoji, the only one present who was standing behind the bar, looking like the owner, kindly made a suggestion.

"It seems I'll have to visit without an appointment. Even if the homeowner isn't home, it's fine. I'm in a good mood today and can offer free lock-picking services."

"Hey, Mr. Wang Ma, isn't it a bit too arrogant of you to say you want to pick locks right in front of us police officers?" Kenji Hagiwara coughed twice upon hearing this. Although it's true that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, is it really okay to say it so openly?

Although neither of them were completely well-behaved kids during their school years.

"Is there a problem?"

Wang Ma Xiaoji dragged out the sound, completely unconcerned.

"Besides, if the problem really lies in that villa, the homeowner living there might be in danger at any time."

"If I'm forced to use some special methods at that point, even the police can't really say anything, right? After all..."

Wang Ma Xiaoji's voice became low, and the curve of his lips made his whole face look eerie.

"No matter how you look at it, the homeowner is probably the one who's most likely to die."

"Furthermore, if there really is something wrong with the mansion, then more than two days have passed since the mark appeared on Inspector Matsuda's body, which means the strange thing has been staying at the mansion for at least two days. So... if the homeowner is still living there, then it's probably too late for us to get there now, and we might only be able to collect her body?"

"..."

After a brief silence that lasted a few seconds, Matsuda Jinpei got up from his chair and stood up: "Let's not delay, let's set off as soon as possible, just in case."

Although he still couldn't help but find it absurd... but what if?

Faced with this possibility, Matsuda Jinpei, who had chosen to believe but had not lost his composure, continued, "However, if we really encounter that... 'strange thing' you've been talking about, how do we deal with it? Do we need to prepare anything in advance?"

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation, and he had absolutely no experience with it!

A note from the author:

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Matsuda: I'm fighting monsters, really?