Chapter 53. He couldn't contact Shinmura Kou anymore. ...
Dinner time was certainly not just used for idle chatter.
Tsukino and Chiya also briefly explained the information they had finally managed to obtain about the Chishima family.
Yes, it was indeed very difficult to get my hands on it.
Unlike previous situations where information could be obtained easily from Shinmura Kou, who possessed exceptional computer skills, despite the high cost, this time, when Tsukino and Chiya returned from the Sarayashiki and, as usual, sought Shinmura's help, a slight mishap occurred...
He couldn't get in touch with Shin-chon Kwang.
This is unprecedented. Although that guy's obsession with money is to an odd degree, he is, after all, a wealthy man with countless assets, so maybe he just suddenly wants to take a vacation.
Or perhaps, being astute as he was, he sensed something amiss and, not wanting to get involved, proactively cut off contact?
With a hacker of his caliber, as long as Shinmura Kou doesn't want to be contacted, it will be very difficult for others to find his whereabouts.
Or perhaps...
However, after losing contact with Shinmura Kou, investigating the Chishima family again is no longer so simple.
If possible, Tsukino and Chiya would also like to possess excellent computer skills, so they wouldn't have to spend so much money and effort. Unfortunately, he had tried to learn related knowledge before, but ultimately gave up; he really couldn't learn it.
So now, what should we do to find out about the Chishima family in a timely manner?
After confirming that they could not contact Shinmura Kou, Tsukino and Chiya thought for a while and then took action again. Although it took some effort, they finally managed to get the information.
The person who provided him with accurate intelligence this time was named Watanabe Tsuna Bandai.
Like Shinmura Kou, he is also a talent proficient in internet technology. Moreover, not only in the internet field, he is also a genius in manufacturing, having invented many impressive things.
Although Watanabe Tsuna Bando sometimes seems eccentric, others are tolerant of him because of his genius. It is said that Hope's Peak Academy invited him shortly after he started high school, but he declined.
More importantly, unlike Shinmura Kou, Watanabe Tsuna Bando is a good person in the conventional sense. That is to say, he wouldn't be as unscrupulous as Shinmura Kou in his actions for money.
No matter how you look at it, Watanabe Tsuna Bandai seems to be a better choice than Shinmura Kou if they were to be partners.
But the reason why Tsukino and Chiya chose to ask Shinmura Kou for help was actually because...
First of all, Shinmura Kou, who doesn't have a high sense of morality, will only do things for money and won't ask Chiya the reasons for investigating those things.
Secondly—
Before last night, Tsukino and Chiya didn't actually know Watanabe Tsuna Bandai.
He had only heard of the somewhat famous genius, Tobira Tsuna, before. The person he actually knew was the young man named Minamoto no Yoriden, the son of the current Prime Minister of Japan.
Watanabe no Tsuna no Manyo was a friend of Minamoto no Yoriden.
Through this connection, Tsukino and Chiya finally managed to get in touch with Watanabe Tsuna Bandai, and after some negotiation, they successfully obtained his help and information about the Chishima family.
However, these twists and turns have nothing to do with the Sarayashiki and the Death Seal, so there's no need to explain them to Ouma Kokichi in detail.
"...So, the one who is probably the original form of the 'Ghost of Sarayashiki' is not Okiku, but a primary school student who just started first grade not long ago?"
No, it was clear from the beginning that it wasn't Kiku at all.
While silently complaining to themselves, Tsukino and Chiya softly hummed in agreement.
"His father, Chishima Hikari, works in the sales department of a car company. His mother, Chishima Rumi, works in a supermarket. Their only son, Chishima Yu, is a first-grade elementary school student. Although he is not particularly cheerful or outgoing, he does not behave strangely in class and is just an ordinary elementary school student."
"They got a white cat at the beginning of this year. Chishima Yu found it on the roadside and it's being taken good care of now. By the way, its name is 'Nobunaga'."
“Apart from that,” Tsukino and Chiya said, “according to the information we’ve gathered so far, the Chishima family of three is harmonious and happy. Even if there are some minor frictions that are unavoidable in the family sometimes, they are not major issues. In other words—as of now, there are no bad rumors circulating about the Chishima family.”
“Eh…” Wangma Xiaoji, holding a soda in his hand, repeated meaningfully, “'For now’.”
However, judging from the conversations they heard outside the door when they sneaked into the Senyashiki last night, the Chishima family clearly wasn't without bad rumors, otherwise someone who was probably the child's teacher wouldn't have come to their door specifically to find out what was going on.
"Oh, right," Ouma Kokichi continued, "Where's Sakura?"
"It was also investigated."
Tsukino and Chiya knew that he was asking about the identity of the little girl who seemed to be named "Sakura" from the voice they heard outside the door that day.
"Chishima Yu doesn't have any friends named 'Sakura' yet, nor any classmates with that name."
"Of course, there is indeed a child named 'Sakura' in that elementary school, but in some ways it doesn't quite match what we heard that day—for example, there is no older sister in the family; and for example, a fifth or sixth grader is unlikely to become friends with Chishima Yu, who is only in first grade."
"However, the person I asked to investigate eventually succeeded in finding Sakura."
As Tsukino and Chiya talked, they lowered their heads slightly and reached out to open the can of coffee.
"First, it is known that the anomalies caused by Aurora's influence actually originated from the future. Therefore, at this time, the tragedy that would have caused the anomalies to appear has not yet occurred. Second, although it is not yet clear why the anomaly of Yoshiko Morikawa, who did not die at Hope's Peak, appeared in Hope's Peak's preparatory course... in general, the places where anomalies linger are usually related to their obsession with death."
"So the ghost of Sarayashiki is most likely the one who died in the haunted house we've already visited sometime in the future."
"The Chishima family hasn't moved into that Sarayashiki yet. The person I asked noticed during their investigation that the Chishima family's current residence is quite far from that Sarayashiki. Similarly, the elementary school that Chishima Yu is currently attending is also quite far from that Sarayashiki."
Tsukino and Chiya raised the hand holding the can and took a sip of coffee.
"So I guess that Sakura might be a friend of Chishima Yu after the Chishima family moved to the Sarayashiki before it became a Sarayashiki, and Chishima Yu transferred schools because of this."
"So I asked the person in charge of the investigation to keep an eye on the residential area near Sarayashiki, as well as a girl named Sakura in the elementary school who has at least one older sister and is the same age as Chishima Yu. In the end, we were pretty much sure of our target."
"—Watanabe Sakura, that's the child's name."
Although he shares the same surname as Watanabe Tsuna Bandai, it is merely a coincidence.
She was a first-grader, just like Chishima Yu. Compared to the slightly introverted Chishima Yu, Watanabe Sakura was a very cheerful and lively girl. Her parents and older sister loved her dearly and raised her very well.
Although only in first grade, this child already displays a thoughtful and gentle nature in daily life. It's quite normal for a child like that to become friends with Chishima Yu and even take the initiative to come to the future Chishima's house to try and play with Yu.
Even knowing this information, they still couldn't know what the future Watanabe Sakura would give to the future Chishima Yu, based on what they overheard outside the door that day. After experiencing or hearing about many strange incidents, Tsukino and Chiya would subconsciously wonder if similar keywords were the key to making the supernatural beings let go of their obsessions.
We'll just have to go and look for it on the second floor, which they haven't explored yet.
However, speaking of birthdays...
"Actually, there was another very coincidental thing."
Tsukino and Chiya finished tidying up the trash. He reached out and opened the shopping bag. After Ouma Kokichi threw in the empty beverage bottles, he tied the bag and packed them together, then threw them into the trash can near the bench.
"That is, Yuu Chishima's birthday..."
"—Today."
*******
"Everything seems to be in place right now, even the birthday seems like fate is on our side! But, speaking of which, Kozuki and..."
"What's wrong?"
"We still have a very serious matter to resolve."
After Tsukino and Chiya had taken him back to the vicinity of the house that did not yet belong to the Chishima family on their motorcycle, Ohma Kokichi jumped off from behind after the motorcycle came to a stop.
"What if we encounter that kind of psychological attack again once we get inside the house? Is there any way to deal with that?"
"...Does it count if I brought motion sickness medication?"
"It seems there's no way to deal with it then."
"Um... I'm sorry, but this kind of mental attack is indeed very difficult to defend against." And there are no effective ways to deal with it.
This kind of attack, which is sometimes completely irrational, is one of the strange and terrifying aspects of it.
Fortunately, judging from yesterday's events, the stimulating laughter won't last long. After a short while, the ghost of the Sarayashiki will quiet down and then officially begin to act as the seeker in the game of hide-and-seek.
Although the dizziness I felt at that time couldn't completely subside so quickly, it wasn't unbearable.
So it should be fine, right...?
However, even if there are problems, there's no turning back now. This is probably why the wicked and bizarre like to set time limits in such situations.
The two of them once again arrived at the house under the moonlight.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Minamoto no Yoriden and Watanabe no Tsuna Bandai are both from "Kaibutsu Jihen," making them rare (?) human characters in this work.
Shinmura Kou: I've been sent to play the Werewolf game, don't mention it (this is just background information and won't be mentioned in the main text).
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com