Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Oral addiction.
Wang Ma Xiaoji did not rush to follow Yueye and Qianye into the room.
Tsukino's residence... well, it was a residence, not exactly small. But right now, including Ouma Kokichi, there were only three people in the house. Plus, the door to the room Tsukino and Chiya went to wasn't closed, so even though Ouma Kokichi didn't immediately follow, the sounds from inside the room still reached his ears clearly.
"Why is he like this... could he be dead?"
"Wait, wait, is it appropriate to ask your father such a question in such a calm tone?"
"Oh, you're not dead."
"Huh? That's strange. Is it just my imagination? Why do I think I can detect a hint of regret in my voice?"
"...That was definitely an illusion."
"?? When did you learn that? This is terrible. If Chie Minoru hears this, she'll probably say I'm corrupting the children."
"So does this count as going astray? If so, then Yangming, who keeps saying 'Eh-do' all the time, is really a terrible adult."
"I have no intention of denying that..."
It was another unfamiliar man's voice. And... based on what the person who took Tsukino and Chiya home said, it wasn't hard to tell that this person was Tsukino and Chiya's father.
Wow, this is such a sudden, one-sided meeting with the parents!
Although this "one-sided" means that only Ouma Kokichi can see them, while they cannot see Ouma Kokichi.
Looking around at the living room that he had entered from the entrance hall, Wang Ma Xiaoji thought to himself.
The man—Tsukino and Chiya's father—sounded quite young. Even when his unlucky child bluntly asked him "Is he dead?"—a question that would likely have gotten him a beating on other brats—his voice didn't sound angry at all.
For now, their relationship seems quite good. And... even in just a few words, you can see that the father-son relationship is quite intriguing.
Um……
Wang Ma Xiaoji couldn't help but touch his chin.
Judging from Tsukino and Chiya's behavior when they were kids, this guy wasn't born with a blank expression. At least the little expressions Ohma Kokichi showed not long ago were quite lively and cute. So, his later demeanor was indeed intentional?
When investigating the strange occurrences at Sarayashiki, Ouma Kokichi had wondered if Tsukino and Chiya maintained their expressionless demeanor to prevent others from discovering their true thoughts. If so, what kind of dire straits had Tsukino and Chiya endured in the past?
But now it seems...
It didn't take long to look around the entire living room. Wang Ma Xiaoji could tell that it was indeed a very ordinary apartment with a lively atmosphere; traces of three people living there could be seen everywhere, revealing a touch of warmth amidst the ordinariness.
Is that so?
Wang Ma Xiaoji didn't rush to draw a conclusion. After observing the living room, he went to the room that Tsukino and Chiya had entered earlier.
—As things stand, Kazuo Kozuki's living environment seems quite normal; it's not at all like a living hell.
Could it be that the story will unfold that way? Following the usual tropes of some works, childhood happiness is often a prelude to greater misfortune later; the pain of losing happiness is all the more intense because of it. And isn't it a common trope that a sudden, major upheaval during a period of happiness can completely transform a person's personality—at least superficially?
Well, actually, it doesn't seem very likely.
Moreover, Tsukino isn't the kind of character with a heavy heart or deep-seated hatred. Rather than carrying some kind of blood feud, Ohma Kokichi feels that Tsukino and Chiya are just like the wind—unpredictable yet mysterious and free—because they don't have too many things on their minds. It's as if nothing can bind them. Every time they stop, it's because they want to stay, not because they are forced to move forward by anything.
Even... the Hyakki Yagyō incident, which seemed to be forcing Tsukino and Chiya to take actions they had no choice but to do, was the same.
Although Tsukino and Chiya like to emphasize that "I'm just an ordinary person," who says that ordinary people can't yearn for extraordinary events? This series of supernatural and bizarre events... were Tsukino and Chiya really just dragged into it? Are they really completely uninterested in these kinds of things? Do they really... have no intention of actively getting involved at all?
That's why I say, Kazuo Kozuki really is a liar.
Besides, he had seen this man before.
It was during my time in Yokohama.
Wang Ma Xiaoji looked at the man who was most likely Tsukino and Chiya's father and thought to himself.
What a coincidence!
The room that Tsukino and Chiya just entered wasn't a bedroom, but a study. However, compared to the studies in the houses they had explored in the past to extend the mark on their bodies by even a second, this one was a bit messier... but it also felt more lived-in.
While it might be described as messy, it's only relative. Several books were casually piled on the desk in the study, not arranged in any particular order. Wang Ma Xiaoji went closer to take a look and found that they were all mystery novels. These novels were by different authors, and some of them were quite popular; Wang Ma Xiaoji had heard of them before.
Come to think of it, in the previous conversation, Kozuki's father sounded like a writer or someone with a similar profession. Could it be...? And this man...
Relying on the fact that he wouldn't be discovered, Wang Ma Xiaoji openly sized up the brown-haired man who was slumped in the chair in a rather unseemly posture... Although even if he were discovered, he could still openly sized him up without changing his expression.
It really was him.
The day I successfully found Kazuki Kozuki in Yokohama... the man who appeared at the same cafe as Kazuki Kozuki.
At that time, although he had already heard from Kozuki Kazuha about her purpose in going to Yokohama, she hadn't revealed many details because he hadn't actively participated from the beginning. Even so, he still managed to find the café where Kozuki Kazuha was… of course, he had his own methods.
So, it's normal that Ouma Kichi knew exactly which customers were in the coffee shop where the death later occurred when Tsukino and Chiya entered, right?
However, the focus at the time should have been on the murderous detective who brought death. Even Ouma Shokichi didn't expect that man to be Tsukino and Chiya's father.
How amazing. Wang Ma Xiaoji couldn't help but wonder whether it was a coincidence or intentional that this man would appear so precisely in Yokohama, even at the coffee shop where his runaway son was seen.
That said, although Kozuki's father's voice sounds very gentle, it also has a strong sense of monotone delivery... Is this something that can be considered hereditary?
The brown-haired man—judging from Tsukino and Chiya's words, his name should be "Yangming"? So it's Tsukino and Yangming? No, it shouldn't be. Ohma Kokichi thought, after all, Tsukino and Chiya are obviously fake names, and Kotsuki has never hidden this fact from him.
Tsukino and Chiya approached the chair and tugged at Yangming's sleeve without any hesitation. Yangming, however, seemed oblivious, remaining sprawled on the chair as if he had no bones, looking truly half-dead. No wonder little Chiya had greeted him with "Are you dead?"
"Are you that tired?" The black-haired boy tilted his head, looking up at the adult man who was now much taller than him even while sitting in a chair. "So you've finally finished writing?"
"Yes." The man, who had been slumped over, finally made a move. He straightened up slightly, picked up his son who was clinging to the side of the chair, and placed the short-armed little guy on his lap. He quickly returned to his slumped position. "I never want to experience this feeling of being on the brink of life and death again... I'll try my best not to drag it out until the last moment next time."
“Yangming’s efforts don’t seem to be working.” Tsukino and Chiya thought for a moment, then reached out and gently patted the man’s head, as if to comfort him, but their words were so honest that they were quite hurtful: “Because Yangming said the same thing after he rushed to finish his manuscript last time.”
"Um, I don't think I did anything to offend you before, did I?"
"Well, I don't think so."
"Hahaha, really? That's wonderful..."
It really does look like a heartwarming scene. Kozuki and his father seem like any other ordinary father and son, with a harmonious relationship and a peaceful life.
Moreover, it wasn't very obvious at first, but now that the two faces are close together, Wang Ma Xiaoji noticed some similarities in their appearances. However, it's not very obvious, and perhaps Xiaoyueye looks more like her mother.
Eh...
Wang Ma Xiaoji, whose expression had remained unchanged since no one else could see him, suddenly felt his interest piqued again.
Although the scene now seems heartwarming yet ordinary, Wang Ma Xiaoji did not miss the content of the father and son's previous conversation.
So...did Kozuki and "that" learn their verbal tic from their father? If that's the case...
Kazuki's family seems to be more interesting than I imagined.
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