Chapter 41 The Massacre of the School.
Although Tsukino and Chiya both define Masashige as a "good person," Masashige is not actually the kind of adult who, knowing that they are going to investigate a potentially dangerous location, stubbornly believes that other people should not be involved.
Moreover, Tsukino, Chiya, and Ouma Kokichi were already involved.
So after dark, the two of them followed without any obstacles.
Tonight, the three of them will go on a nighttime raid on the school that Makoto Shinji mentioned.
During their time dealing with the supernatural, both Shinjiro and Kazuo Yashiki have come to realize that sometimes solving cases truly cannot be done alone. The identity of one's companion is crucial when conducting investigations.
For example, in situations where it's necessary to work together to move heavy objects to obtain clues, having a strong companion is ideal; when the door is locked, a companion skilled in lock picking is needed; sometimes, the supernatural being may show leniency towards companions with certain special qualities because of its past identity...
If there really is something strange about this middle school, then Tsukino, Chiya, and Ohma Kokichi, who are students, might sometimes be able to do things that Shinjiro, as an adult male, could not.
It would obviously take some time to get to other places from such a remote location as Kujokan.
This time, the driver truly understood.
He directly borrowed the car that Yashiki Kazuo and his companion had used to take many Indians from haunted locations to safety, and drove with the two high school students in the back seat to the middle school he was targeting.
Sitting in the back seat, Tsukino and Chiya turned their heads to look at the night view outside the window, feeling that the scene seemed somewhat familiar. It was the same situation when they left the mansion where the ghost painter appeared in the car before, but now the driver was not Kenji Hagiwara but Satoru Mashita.
Although they have solved two strange occurrences since the start of the semester, it hasn't actually been that long since they solved the ghost painter incident; they've only been in school for less than a month.
And speaking of the ghost painter, that is... Eiichiro Saiyama...
Suddenly remembering something, Tsukino and Chiya subconsciously turned on the phone he was holding.
The sudden bright light in the dimly lit car was a little dazzling, so the black-haired boy quickly dimmed the light and then opened his contacts.
Tsukino and Chiya's fingers paused for a moment over the words "Officer Matsuda," but they eventually turned off their phones.
...Let's wait until this matter is resolved before contacting him.
The car drove smoothly, the streetlights illuminating the empty ground; there wasn't much to see in the surrounding nightscape. Wang Ma Xiaoji stared blankly out the window for a while, then turned his head and shifted slightly to the right.
Noticing the movement of the people around them, Tsukino and Chiya turned around, realizing that Ohma Kokichi was definitely going to do or say something and was waiting for the other party's next move.
"Speaking of which, I suddenly thought of a good question."
Wang Ma Xiaoji, who had settled into the middle of the back seat, reached out and held onto the edge of the driver's seat, then leaned his head towards the front seat.
"Mr. Mashita is a detective who accepts cases to investigate paranormal phenomena, right? So, can we also send a case to Mr. Mashita about the marks on me, Kozuki, and the other person?"
“Well, if you have a request to come to my door, then I have no reason to refuse,” Makoto replied while driving. “However, if you really have that intention, you can only wait until I come back to make the request.”
"return?"
"Is Mr. Masashita going on a long trip?"
Faced with questions from the two high school students in the back seat, Makoto explained, "That's right. You remember this afternoon when Hachishiki said he was going to discuss going to sea with some people, right? I'll be going with them then."
"Eh—" Wangma Xiaoji drawled, looking expectant as if to say, "Tell me more, please." "It sounds like there's a very interesting story behind this."
"We're going to investigate the truth of a strange tale from the sea. If you're curious about the details, you can come back and ask Hachishiki. I have no obligation to explain to the brat."
Zhenxia simply reduced the whole matter to one or two sentences, and thus easily glossed over it.
"In short, this voyage is expected to take quite a while. So you probably won't be able to find me and Hachishiki for a while afterward, so don't come back empty-handed if anything happens."
Tsukino and Chiya nodded slightly: "I hope that by the time you return, the marks on Ohma and me will have been removed."
“I think I’ve found a good opportunity.” Wangma Xiaoji’s focus was unusual. “If Uncle Yashiki forgets to lock the door when he goes on this trip… no, that’s not right.”
The purple-haired boy gave a mysterious smile: "It doesn't matter if the door is locked."
Sometimes, Tsukino and Chiya really wished they hadn't learned so quickly: "...Because you can pick locks?"
Makoto paused for a second: "It's impossible to ignore what you said in the past. If you've done anything illegal, then you can slowly confess your crimes while facing the silver handcuffs."
"Oh dear, I haven't said anything yet! This is all just baseless speculation from Kazuo Kozuki."
Wang Ma Xiaoji withdrew his hand, leaned back on the back of the seat, and crossed his legs with practiced ease, striking a boss-like pose.
"Mr. Mashita's remarks just now immediately brought to mind his previous profession. So... why did Mr. Mashita resign? Was it to pursue his dreams?"
Pursuing dreams? ...Hmm, it feels a bit strange to think that this applies to Mr. Mashita.
Upon hearing this, Tsukino and Chiya subconsciously glanced at the driver's seat.
Because of his seat, Chiya couldn't see Makoto's complete face from his current position; he could only notice the former detective's sharp eyes through the rearview mirror.
...Your dark circles are quite noticeable. Mr. Mashita, have you been staying up late investigating some case again? No, that's not the point.
Since Masashita Satoru didn't speak up to stop them, Tsukino and Chiya, with his tacit approval, truthfully stated, "Mr. Masashita didn't resign voluntarily. Rather... well, because he made some mistakes at work."
"What? You argued with your superior because you upheld justice?"
“The official explanation is ‘harassment of women,’” Tsukino and Chiya winked knowingly, “but the actual situation… is more like what you’re thinking, Ohma.”
Given his personality, there aren't many people who can get along with him completely harmoniously, though Yashiki Kazuo is one of them. Undoubtedly, back when he was a detective, he offended his superior at the police station for some reason, and then… well…
"So that's how it is. It really is a dark reality."
Wang Ma Xiaoji sighed, as if he were genuinely regretting it.
"If only Mr. Mashita had met me sooner. That way, Mr. Mashita could have become an informant planted in the police force by my organization. With the support of me, the evil mastermind, we could have easily made Mr. Mashita the Superintendent General of Police."
Tsukino and Chiya nodded seriously: "Hmm, it sounds good, but the topic seems to be getting more and more dangerous."
If he hadn't been driving, Mr. Mashita would definitely have glared at him.
"You two seem to be having a lot of fun singing in harmony."
The car gradually slowed down, and Zhenxia Wu, whose tone was not friendly, stopped the car on the side of the road.
"Alright, let's get out of the car. It's a little distance from here to the school, but if we stop too close, it might attract the attention of the guards and security personnel. Let's walk from here."
"So, the need for this sneaking around means—we're acting without authorization this time?" After getting out of the car, Wang Ma Xiaoji stretched. "Then how are we going to get in?"
Zhenxia's explanation was concise and to the point: "Climb over the wall."
This former detective was, in a sense, the kind of man who would stop at nothing to investigate, and there was nothing he wouldn't do, such as taking students to climb over the school gates without permission at night.
"How can you bypass the Great Firewall without permission? Honestly, that's really impolite!"
Wang Ma Xiaoji raised a finger and said righteously and solemnly.
"There were clearly other ways!"
Upon hearing this, Shinji looked over, his reason telling him that Ohma Kokichi probably wouldn't offer any serious solutions: "For example?"
“I can pick locks. But if it’s always like this, I, the evil mastermind, will soon be reduced to a free locksmith… No, next time I need to think of a price that matches my status.”
Tsukino and Chiya tilted their heads in thought: "Pick locks? Politeness?" These two words can actually be connected?
He suddenly realized: "Hasn't this turned me from a free locksmith into a full-fledged locksmith?"
Wait a minute, something doesn't seem right. If he spends too much time with these two kids, he'll start to develop into a sarcastic character, and his persona will become weird.
The adult with dark circles under his eyes clicked his tongue, deciding to cut his losses: "Alright, any method will do, as long as we can get in without attracting attention. Oh, and besides that, just in case..."
"I'll keep watch outside for you." Having worked with Yashiki and Masashita before, Tsukino and Chiya, who knew the two's routines well, chimed in sensibly, "It would be bad if the guards found out, so I'll keep an eye on things for you."
*******
Going out for fresh air is actually a very boring thing.
Upon learning that he would be temporarily teaming up with Masashige Gotoku for this mission, Ohma Kokichi shared his thoughts. Masashige Gotoku, seemingly annoyed, said "Come on" and went inside first.
The purple-haired boy waved cheerfully to Qianye, who remained standing, and then quickly caught up with her.
Because he was going to infiltrate and search, Ouma Kokichi's voice wasn't loud. However, looking at his back, Chiya could clearly see that he was trying to strike up a conversation with Mr. Mashita.
Soon, the two figures completely disappeared from Qianye's sight.
"..."
After the purple figure disappeared, the world seemed to fall silent. Tsukino and Chiya stood alone in the night, suddenly feeling a little out of place.
Back when the Hidden God Detective Agency was still in the early days of school, I would sometimes sigh inwardly at how noisy it was.
Habits are a terrible thing, but not unpleasant.
He even started to wonder if Ohma Kokichi, after the search was over, would sneak up behind him and give him a fright.
Oh right, take advantage of this time...
Why don't we contact Officer Matsuda?
*******
Shinjiro and Ouma Kokichi's search was not slow.
Before Tsukino and Chiya could even notice something was wrong and call to warn the two who had sneaked into the school to come back, he received a call from Masashige Go.
The former detective informed him that he and Wang Ma Xiaoji planned to come out from the other side of the school, and that Qianye could go directly back to the parking lot to wait for them and meet up with them.
Tsukino and Chiya returned to the car first.
The streets were deserted, with only one or two cars parked on the side of the road, belonging to Yashiki Kazuo.
The black-haired boy stood by the car waiting, his gaze inadvertently falling on the car window—in the pitch-black car window due to the deep night, besides his own reflection, there seemed to be a blurry human figure faintly visible.
? !
Having heard nothing but the chirping of insects, Tsukino and Chiya instinctively turned around, only to find no one behind them.
The extra figure on the car window also disappeared, as if what Qianye had seen before was just an illusion.
The time they had noticed that figure was too short, and it was too dark, so even after trying hard to recall, Tsukino and Chiyo couldn't remember any noteworthy features.
However, in many cases, if something unscientific appears, it can be temporarily ignored as long as it does not cause any harm to the human body.
Just as Tsukino and Chiya realized they couldn't come up with a solution and decided to give up, he heard two footsteps nearby.
Shinjiro's face was expressionless, but his naturally sharp features made him appear to have a cold expression.
Wang Ma Xiaoji, on the other hand, was exceptionally relaxed in both his expression and gait. When he saw Yueye and Qianye looking over, he waved to them as he had when they left to say goodbye.
Tsukino and Chiya thought for a moment, then raised their hands and waved.
*******
"No?"
On the drive back, Tsukino and Chiya listened to the other two's findings from the trip, which were—nothing was found.
“That’s right, it looks no different from any other school. We didn’t find anything unusual, and we didn’t see the corpses that were rumored.” Wang Ma Xiaoji yawned. “Oh dear, student corpses…”
His purple eyes gazed out the window, and perhaps he was a little sleepy. His usually cheerful voice sounded light and airy: "Without realizing it, seeing the students' corpses has gradually become something from a long time ago for me."
"This is another one of your nonsensical lies, isn't it?"
Although it was their first meeting, it was clear from their time alone that Makoto had already experienced the Ultimate Leader's habit of lying as naturally as breathing, so he didn't hold back when questioning him.
"However, just as Wang Ma said, we didn't find anything unusual at that school. Perhaps the story is just a rumor, but it could also be because we haven't met one more condition."
Wang Ma Xiaoji, who had been questioned about lying for who knows how many times, just smiled ambiguously, neither admitting nor refuting.
As the only person present who hadn't entered the school, Tsukino and Chiya's gaze lingered for a moment on the purple-haired boy's slightly upturned lips before turning to the driver's seat: "You mean... it's because today isn't a weekday?"
In that school ghost story, the teachers and students who "saw ghosts" at school all witnessed unscientific and terrifying scenes at night after school.
Of course, this wasn't really a key point in the entire ghost story, so at the time, Tsukino, Chiya, and the other two didn't pay much attention to it. However, now that their investigation hadn't yielded any results, and they were re-examining the story, they couldn't help but speculate... Could it be that "after-school nights" were also a necessary condition?
"Anyway, before I leave Japan, I will come back on Monday night to check things out again."
Zhenxia made the final decision.
"I will inform you whether there are any new discoveries or not. You two just need to wait patiently at school."
"I'm not the kind of person who just cowers behind others and waits for the outcome. Even during those war-torn days, as the leader, I would personally go to the front lines."
Amidst Tsukino and Chiya's questions, "Where exactly is this battlefield?", Ohma Kokichi suggested, "I don't have the same attendance requirements as Tsukino and Chiya. It's fine if I don't go back tomorrow. Uncle Yashiki shouldn't mind if I stay a few more days. Besides..."
The purple-haired boy paused mysteriously for a moment, then said, "I can do things that Mr. Shinji can't."
"That is—I can perfectly gather information among the students. And as long as I successfully borrow the school's uniform, I can even disguise myself as a student and blend in perfectly. In this respect, Mr. Mashita, who is already an adult, really can't do it, right?"
Zhenxia pondered for a moment.
He never denied that he wasn't very good at dealing with children, but smiling at students to investigate the truth wasn't something he couldn't do... although it would certainly be better to have someone else in charge.
but……
Makoto bluntly pointed out the reason why it was not feasible: "Do I need to remind you of the true value of the 'Ultimate High School Level'? Are you sure you'll be able to sneak in smoothly, instead of causing unnecessary commotion and attention?"
"There's really nothing I can do—"
Wang Ma Xiaoji said, looking helpless and distressed.
"Sometimes being too famous has its troubles. Even though I've been trying to keep a low profile, my identity as the head of an evil secret society just can't be hidden. But that's the consequence that people in my position have to bear. So even if it's a pity, there's nothing I can do about it."
"What about Kazuki Kozuno?" After marveling at his own fame, Ouma Kokichi turned to Chiya sitting next to him. "Is Kazuki Kozuno going to try to sneak in?"
"this……"
Tsukino and Chiya hesitated briefly.
However, considering that he had arranged a time with Officer Matsuda via text message while waiting for people and exercising, if he went to H City that day, he probably wouldn't be able to make it back in time for the appointment...
In the end, he refused.
"I have other things to do that day. So let's contact each other again later."
Tsukino and Chiya said, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Mashita. If the investigation later confirms that the strange occurrences are true, please let me help you."
*******
Then--
On the day that Shinjiro brought news that none of them had expected.
That was the day after Tsukino, Chiya, and Ohma Kokichi returned to H City, which was another Monday.
Tsukino and Chiya are reporting on the strange incidents caused by a woman named Morikawa Yoshiko, who was haunting the preparatory school building.
The same after-school time, the same meeting room, the same two people.
In fact, the report could have been completed over the weekend, but Ms. Huang Ying from Hope Peak, who was in charge of liaising with Qianye, obviously did not want to sacrifice her weekend time, so she chose to sacrifice a short period of time after school on weekdays instead.
The report's content was largely accurate, except that Tsukino and Chiya deliberately omitted certain parts.
For example, the true identity of the haunting monster, and the Western doll that revealed the name "Aurora"... In short, Hope's Peak was unaware of his true experiences those nights, and coupled with their lack of understanding of the supernatural world, they were unable to detect the fact that Tsukino and Chiya had partially omitted parts of the report.
"Oh, that's really well done, Tsukino-kun."
Huang Ying Gongyi did not say whether he believed Tsukino and Chiya's words or not... After all, as a homeroom teacher of a school, and even Hope's Peak Undergraduate, he should not believe in ghosts and gods, right?
However, apart from being a little lax in his attitude, Huang Ying Gongyi was extremely businesslike in his actions... Well, he was probably in a hurry to finish get off work and go for a drink.
Ultimately, those who truly control Hope's Peak are the board members behind the scenes. Koichi Huang is a teacher at the academy, while Tsukino and Chiya are students entrusted with the task. Regarding the entire matter concerning the paranormal incident, they only need to do what they are supposed to do.
"In short, the matter has been resolved. I also have a general understanding of the situation."
Huang Yinggong reached out and picked up the printed report that Tsukino and Chiya had placed on the table.
"In any case, if nothing else happens after this, that would be a really good thing, and it would be a relief."
"Hmm..." The black-haired boy made a calm sound as a response.
Tsukino and Chiya remembered Natsukawa's "disappearance." This matter had not been widely publicized yet; only occasionally would classmates recall Natsukawa's whereabouts and talk about him, but the matter would remain unresolved because no one knew the cause or the outcome.
There's been no news from Xia Chuan's family... Perhaps Hope Peak has done something.
"Anyway, once the school has confirmed everything is correct, the commission fee will be transferred to your account. Besides that... um?"
Tsukino and Chiya calmly took out their still-sounding phones: "Um, sorry, I forgot to put it on silent."
"It's alright, it's alright." Huang Yinggong waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway, I've said almost everything I wanted to say. It's time to get off work and leave school now. Yueye and your classmates, do as you please. Just close the door behind you when you leave."
Tsukino and Chiya nodded: "Then I'll be leaving now."
As he turned to leave, he glanced down at the caller ID on his phone, somewhat surprised... Why would Mr. Mashita contact him at this time?
Although Zhen Xiaowu did say he would visit that middle school again today... it's not evening yet, is it?
With that in mind, Tsukino and Chiya connected on the phone.
“Hello? Really…” Mr.
"Tsukino Kazuya, have you been watching the news?"
Makoto Shinichi's slightly distorted voice rang out almost as soon as the call connected. The man's voice was much more hurried than usual, and seemed to contain a hint of bad emotion... like anger?
"No...what's wrong?"
As Tsukino and Chiya raised their questions, Makoto's clearly upset voice came through again.
Something happened at that school.
"Someone massacred everyone who came to that school today, including teachers, security guards, and students..."
"—almost all of them lost their lives."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Qianye: ? ? !!! !
The school massacre is a plot point from Danganronpa [eating melon emoji] (Danganronpa world is truly brutal!)
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