Chapter 154 He didn't think there were two people in the house at all...

Higashigo Miya yawned lazily.

Since there was no one else around, she couldn't be bothered to maintain the gentle and harmless image she always presented to outsiders.

I'm so bored.

Higashigo Miya thought to herself.

I don't know what the other two are doing right now, but they're certainly not like me, watching things unfold that I already know are going to happen.

She wasn't a heartless person; she had simply lived in the Salvation Ranch, a place with extremely strong beliefs, since she could remember. After escaping at less than ten years old, she had been constantly on the run from all sides, witnessing all sorts of stories along the way, including many tragedies.

The story of the Sakuraba family and the dolls wasn't enough to move her. Especially since she had already heard from Tsukino and Chiya about his speculations about the Sakuraba family's plight.

Now it seems that Tsukino and Chiya's guesses were almost entirely correct.

Higashi Mimi casually followed the two people in front of her... "two people" might not be quite accurate, because one of them was a doll.

It was Kazuko Sakuraba and that red-haired doll. Based on the scenes she had seen before, Miyako Higashigo judged that the red-haired doll was still the original "person," not Aurora in disguise.

At this moment, Kazuko Sakuraba is holding the doll's hand, not minding its slow pace at all, and is leisurely strolling around the shrine with it in her hand.

After being sent to this still-intact shrine by Aurora, Miyako Higashigo witnessed many things. She saw Kazuko Sakuraba accidentally break the seal on the red-haired doll, which was already close to its expiration date, and then, by a twist of fate, she unexpectedly became friends with the doll.

To be honest, it was only at this moment that, although I had anticipated this development, Higashigo Miya was still a little surprised... well, only a little.

Are there really dolls that can... form friendly relationships with humans?

Mimi Higashiko didn't really believe it. But she did know a strange being who was friendly with people and even successfully lived in human society. But compared to the Doll Stranger, that Rose Stranger's abilities were indeed far inferior.

Those mysterious, scattered, and sealed doll-like monsters, of unknown origin, appear to be the most powerful and terrifying type among all monsters. Generally speaking, these monsters hate the living and relish driving people into the fear of death. Their power stems from their obsession and resentment… so perhaps, to some extent, the deeper the obsession and the stronger the resentment, the stronger the monster becomes?

However, ultimately, humanity's understanding of the supernatural is still far too limited. The number of supernatural beings they've encountered so far is actually quite small... and that's already considered a lot for most humans. So it's not impossible that there might be doll-like supernatural beings that can coexist peacefully with humans.

Who knows? In any case, these are not questions that can be answered correctly just by thinking about them in your head right now.

Miya Higashigo would only think about these things to pass the time when she really had nothing else to do.

Are you just going to keep watching like this?

Fortunately, there's still someone to chat with. Miya Higashigo was once troubled by the unexpected contract she made with the sheep, but as it turns out, it wasn't entirely a bad thing.

The sheep said in a low voice, "If you want, perhaps it's not impossible to force your way out of here. If you use 'that' calamity, this doll-like monster might not be your match. You can make it die again."

Miya Higashigo shook her head: "Um... no. You know I won't use that ability unless absolutely necessary. Besides, although we have a general understanding of how things are developing, there are some details that I'm actually quite curious about."

For example, how exactly did Aurora suddenly appear, devour, and even replace the red-haired doll?

As she said this, Higashigo Mimi looked at the two girls in front of her again.

A cheerful laugh came from ahead. Because the doll's body was inconvenient to move, and the red-haired doll did not intend to use its ability to teleport directly, Sakuraba Kazuko simply picked it up in a princess carry.

The doll was also laughing. Although it couldn't express emotions like a human, its soft laughter still carried.

Another figure arrived under the eaves of the courtyard corridor, and Higashigo Miya noticed him. He was the shrine's head priest, and Sakuraba Kazuko's father. The man also witnessed this scene, but tacitly approved of his daughter's contact with the dangerous, strange doll.

In the scene that Miyako Higashi had witnessed, she had previously seen the Shinto priest's astonishment and uncertainty after discovering this fact. However, with Kazuko Sakuraba's efforts, he eventually accepted the red-haired doll, believing that it would not cause any harm, and ultimately acquiesced to his daughter's contact with the doll.

It's just a pity.

Although everything before her eyes was still warm and happy, Miya Tougo already knew what would happen next.

Then, Aurora will arrive, secretly replacing the red-haired doll, and then interact with the family in the form and identity of the red-haired doll, and then...

They will all die.

Higashigo Miya sighed softly.

And I myself will witness such a tragedy.

*******

Wang Ma Xiaoji didn't find it boring at all.

What kind of people are Kozuki and her family... Oh, wait, shouldn't we stop calling her "Kozuki" now?

Although Kazuki Ozuki's house is full of riddle-solving people (?), even so, Ouma Kokichi can still get a lot of information from their daily conversations.

He didn't know much about the Calamity Society. At most, he only knew the concept of Calamity from Kozuki no Kazuya and had a general idea of ​​the four largest forces in the Calamity Society.

Wang Ma Xiaoji had considered contacting other people in the Calamity Society, but he only thought about it and never actually put it into practice. He knew very well that his most pressing issue was still the mark on his body and what that mark meant.

I really didn't expect that...

Wang Ma Xiaoji looked back and forth at the family of three who were happily shopping in the supermarket.

The man pushing the shopping cart was brown-haired. During this time, Wang Ma Xiaoji learned that the man's full name was "Fang Shi Yangming," a writer with many pen names, and even some of the best-selling works on the market were written by him.

In a world where most of the writers who were once well-known to Wang Ma Xiaoji have abandoned literature for martial arts, and one or two of them no longer want to write but only want to cause trouble with their supernatural abilities, Fang Shi Yangming's outstanding works are all the more precious.

On the other side, the black-haired woman carefully selecting beer is named Serizawa Chie Minoru.

Wang Ma Xiaoji's initial prediction was indeed correct; it turns out that Tsukino and Chiya do resemble their mother more in appearance. Hmm... perhaps the similarities aren't limited to appearance.

Wang Ma Xiaoji recalled the display of martial arts by Tsukino and Chiya in those strange incidents in the past, and then thought about the strength that Serizawa Chie had been subtly revealing recently, and couldn't help but sigh.

Kozuki has a truly remarkable teacher when it comes to combat.

And Kozuki and...

Wang Ma Xiaoji lowered his head, looking at this familiar face whom he could finally look down upon.

The black-haired boy was standing obediently beside his father. Although he wasn't running around, his eyes were fixed on the place where puffed snacks were kept. His goal was very clear, and his eyes were full of longing.

However, not long after, he finally managed to buy the potato chips he had been longing for.

"Little Hui~"

After casually tossing the beer into the shopping cart, Chie Serizawa bent down and easily scooped the boy up.

The two adults clearly knew what their child liked, and they walked very skillfully toward the shelf where the potato chips were placed.

Serizawa Chie reached out and pinched the child's chubby cheeks. They felt so good, so she followed her heart and pinched them a few more times, her tone light and cheerful: "Ah—I'm finally done with my work now. Yangming doesn't need to keep writing manuscripts lately, right? Shall we go out and play tomorrow?"

“Sure,” Fusashi Yomei agreed readily. But after agreeing, his voice hesitated, “Just wait a minute, Chie Minoru. Wouldn’t tomorrow be a bit too rushed? Do you remember the consequences of our last impromptu trip without any planning?”

"It's as if having a plan will prevent us from encountering strange things again."

"That's true, after all, Chie Minoru always attracts some strange beings."

"Hmm? Is it just my imagination? Yangming, are you complaining to me? What you just said was dangerous."

"Hahaha, how could that be? Lady Chie Minoru, you've misunderstood."

They look really happy together, don't they?

It was a warm and happy family home, no different from any other. But Wang Ma Xiaoji already knew very well that the two adults in this family were no ordinary people.

If you ask why...

Wang Ma Xiaoji's gaze fell on the child being held in the woman's arms.

It was getting late, and the family had been out all day. The little boy was finally succumbing to exhaustion, so he didn't participate in his parents' conversation, but instead began to doze off, looking like he might fall asleep at any moment.

When they left the supermarket, the boy had already closed his eyes completely.

Fusashi Hiroaki carried shopping bags, while Serizawa Chie held a child. The two entered the subway one after the other. Then, after they stepped into the carriage, the surrounding environment suddenly changed.

The people who were originally in the carriage have all disappeared.

The lights, which should have been bright, emitted an ominous red glow.

Immediately following, accompanied by a cacophony of roars, something seemed to be approaching the three of them.

"Seriously? I just said I was done with work, and now I have to work overtime again at a time like this?"

Chie Serizawa let out a wail, but her hands deftly shoved the child into the hands of another adult present.

Fang Shiyangming: "Keep going! I'll always support you in spirit!"

Serizawa Chie: "I understand, I understand, but I can't guarantee I can completely protect you. So, if Mr. Yangming encounters any danger, perhaps we should let Xiao Hui go and move around freely."

Fang Shiyangming: "Huh? Are you implying that Xiao Hui is better than me in combat? Isn't that a bit too much...?"

The child in question briefly opened his eyes when someone else held him, but after glancing around, he quickly closed them again.

He closed his eyes not out of fear, but because he felt indifferent. Compared to everything in front of him, it was more important to sleep when he was tired.

The boy had no idea that anything could happen to the two adults in his family.