Chapter 69, is this a live version of Final Destination? A bit…

We can't keep being this busy forever.

After the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons caused by Aurora ends, how about taking a good rest for a while? ...Hmm, doesn't that sound a bit like a flag?

Let's not overthink it for now. Okay, business comes first. Next…

After learning the general details of the paranormal events surrounding the old school building from a man they had never met before (but it didn't really matter since he was sent by the school), Tsukino and Chiya briefly discussed the next steps with him before leaving the meeting room.

It was getting late. After leaving the conference room, Tsukino and Chiya didn't rush to leave. Instead, they stood in the corridor and looked out at the sky.

After finishing their duties, they talked for a while in the meeting room about the entrusted matters. Now it was almost dusk, and the originally blue sky gradually darkened and was tinged with a faint orange-red.

However, it's still daytime. While there are strange occurrences that can move during the day, they are still rare.

In other words, although the commission came somewhat suddenly, they still had some time to prepare and did not need to rush into the old school building to investigate immediately.

Perhaps because they had dealt with the ghost of Sarayashiki just yesterday, Tsukino and Chiya were not seeing any illusions at the moment... That's right, those illusions were not always present.

The illusions will become more and more severe as the time limit represented by the mark approaches, and they will disappear as the strangeness is resolved, only to slowly become severe again.

After admiring the clear, unillusioned sky for two seconds, Tsukino and Chiya started walking forward.

In short... we need to inform Wang Ma first.

After all, at least when it comes to the bizarre, they're pretty much a good team, right?

I wonder what that guy will think when he hears that "an incident just ended yesterday and he's already back with another one today".

*******

Hope Peak undergraduate dormitories are located in the South Campus. In addition, there are bookstores, convenience stores, and even a shopping mall… all designed to serve undergraduates with exceptionally high-level talents.

It is indeed very convenient.

So generally speaking, if Komaeda Nagito needs to buy something, he will buy it directly from these shops in the South Ward, which makes it very convenient to bring the purchased items back to the dormitory.

However, there are always exceptions. Especially for Komaeda Nagito, there are so many exceptions that it has become his daily routine.

Or to be more precise, it would be strange if there were no unexpected events in Komaeda Nagito's life.

After all... he's just that kind of incredibly lucky.

That being said, today's unexpected event is not a big deal.

...Well, it's really not a big deal, right?

A week ago, Komaeda Nagito bought some necessities through a TV shopping channel. Today, as the goods were delivered, Komaeda learned that he had also won a prize in the TV shopping lottery.

To be honest, Komaeda Nagito himself wasn't very surprised by this result.

He has experienced winning the lottery countless times since he was a child... and because he has experienced so much, he doesn't even feel the same joy that ordinary people would feel.

Because that's normal, right? After all, even though he's a nobody who can't compare to the other brilliant students... he's still "Ultimate Lucky One," isn't he?

However, this time the prize wasn't some multi-day trip to Europe, free luxury ferry tickets, or anything like that. Instead, it was a one-day free shopping voucher for a supermarket in the basement of a newly opened shopping center not far from Hope's Peak Academy.

Haha, actually it's not bad at all?

Because of various fortunate events that have occurred throughout his life, Komaeda Nagito, despite his young age, is not short of money. For him, problems that can be solved with money are not problems at all.

So for Komaeda Nagito, the allure of free shopping wasn't actually that great. What he was more looking forward to was whether he would encounter something special because of his luck on the way to the shopping center, during the shopping process, or on his way back to school.

Well then... let's go. He also has some things to buy. Besides personal items, he can also buy some things to bring back to his classmates.

Recently, under Ms. Yukizome's guidance, the previously loose relationships in Class 1-B have improved. When everyone gets together to play or study, wouldn't it be better to have some snacks and drinks? Of course, food... everyone with exceptional talents has already planned to prepare it, plus there's a "Ultimate Culinary Master" in the class...

Thinking about it this way, his actions seemed a bit presumptuous. However, even so, even as a piece of trash like himself, he hoped to do something for his classmates. It would be best if he could help them better showcase their talents in a comfortable environment!

With that in mind, Komaeda Nagito went to the shopping center.

It's said to be not far from the school, but it still takes some time to walk there. However, Komaeda Nagito doesn't have anything special to do lately, which means—he's quite free.

He wasn't so free a while ago. Back then, he was more interested in the most mysterious and subtly talented "Ultimate Mastermind" in the class... In other words, he was diligently investigating the massive, evil secret organization that Ouma Shoji always talked about.

If there's anything else besides that... it must be the strange attitude I noticed from Wang Ma on the day I ran into him.

Of course, Komaeda Nagito didn't find out anything.

Well... because Wang Ma is the kind of person whose words are hard to decipher, so investigating him is indeed very difficult. Moreover, he's a smart person, so with him intentionally hiding his past, investigating him becomes even more challenging.

Having given up on one thing, Komaeda Nagito, suddenly finding himself with plenty of free time, successfully arrived at the shopping center. Nothing unexpected happened along the way, making him appear no different from the ordinary pedestrians on the street.

That's perfectly normal. Even with "Ultimate Luck," you don't experience unexpected events every single moment because of that "luck." However, sometimes, the calmer things are, the more they're setting the stage for even more intense luck... or misfortune.

Along the way, he had already decided what he wanted to buy.

Now that we're here, let's go first...

…………Um?

*******

After sending a message to Ohma Kokichi, who was still at the undergraduate level, Tsukino and Chiya did not suggest discussing countermeasures with Ohma Kokichi immediately. Instead, they planned to go to a shopping center near the school to replenish some supplies that might be useful when exploring haunted locations.

Although he really wanted to meet Ohma...

But everyone gets tired eventually, right?

It seems that Ohma and Kokichi are no exception. Just a few nights ago, the two of them were still on high alert, exploring the house every night because of the Sarayashiki incident. Yesterday, Ohma even fell into the well... and Tsukino and Chiya themselves also had several injuries.

It would be impossible for them not to be tired after all that running around.

But the mark's expiration date was still looming over them. Rationally, they both knew that unless they dealt with the culprit, Aurora, they probably wouldn't get a single day of real rest.

However, rational understanding is one thing, and emotional feelings are another... Even Tsukino and Chiya, who considered themselves to be relatively calm and restrained, had a fleeting thought of "Ah, no way, let me rest for a day" after receiving a new request.

So if possible, he didn't want to leave Wangma Xiaoji with the impression that "meeting with Tsukino and Chiya means I have to work again"... So after a brief exchange on the phone, he and Wangma Xiaoji set the meeting time for dinner.

And now—

Tsukino and Chiya stopped in their tracks.

The shopping mall had a much wider selection than the convenience store. Furthermore, since this shopping mall was recently opened, there were many events taking place, which is why Tsukino and Chiya chose it as their shopping destination today.

However, something seems to have gone wrong here?

Not long after arriving at the shopping mall, Tsukino and Chiya stopped because of a sudden commotion.

What's going on?

Although he wasn't the type to particularly enjoy joining in the fun, he thought it best to find out what was going on if something serious happened... With that in mind, Tsukino and Chiya, who were heading towards the noisy area, quickly noticed what had happened.

A white-haired boy whom Tsukino and Chiya had never met before... well, actually, he was known only to Tsukino and Chiya. At this moment, he was being held hostage by a masked man who appeared to be a thug, and the situation looked quite dangerous.

The surrounding crowd was stunned by this sudden turn of events. Some were afraid, some were just there for the spectacle, and some wanted to call the police but were afraid of being targeted by the thugs' accomplices, so they didn't dare... Tsukino and Chiya mingled in the crowd, watching the boy being kidnapped by the thugs, and became conflicted.

Should we offer to help rescue them?

However, Tsukino and Chiya didn't really like to draw too much attention to themselves in public. But when it came to someone's life, being conspicuous was secondary.

With criminals guarding the area, it's unknown whether any of the innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire tried to secretly call the police. Even if the police arrive, it will likely take some time. During this time, the lives of both the hostages and those around them are in danger… after all, the criminals are armed with both knives and guns.

Nobody wants to experience the power of a bullet firsthand.

Tsukino and Chiya scanned the crowd to confirm the number of thugs.

Besides the two men who were clearly visible, there were two other thugs disguised as passersby mingling in the crowd. Although their weapons were somewhat problematic, and there were already quite a few people around who could be used as hostages, their numbers were not too bad.

So what's next... um??

What's that noise?

Tsukino and Chiya, who were originally about to take action, paused.

Immediately afterwards, he watched as a truck suddenly flew in, falling from the sky and directly hitting another robber who was in the open.

While everyone stared in disbelief, the truck also sent items flying from the shelves. Two bottles flew out and struck two other people mixed in with the crowd.

Seemingly stunned by this sudden development, the masked man who had kidnapped the white-haired boy stood there blankly for two seconds before suddenly clutching his chest and collapsing to the ground.

At this point, all four thugs lost their strength and ability.

Tsukino and Qianye: "..."

Tsukino and Chiya fell silent.

What is this? A live version of "Final Destination"? Interesting.