Chapter 54 Happy Birthday.
The first place they arrived at was naturally the courtyard surrounding the house.
The goal was clear: that well.
As they approached, both of them fell silent, speaking nothing and walking quietly. After a short wait, just as they had the previous night, they heard again the faint, intermittent counting coming from the well.
"one two three……"
really.
"Kozuki no Kazu."
After confirming the sound again, Wang Ma Xiaoji stopped trying to suppress his voice.
"Do you think we were just lucky to arrive at the same time twice, just as 'Akiku' finished counting the people in the room, searched through them, and then went back to the well to start counting again from the beginning, or... does 'Akiku' only start counting after someone has arrived?"
“As for me…” Tsukino and Chiya tilted their heads slightly, seemingly thinking, but in reality, they already had a preference for a certain possible answer. “I think it’s the latter. But, is it really okay to speak so loudly?”
They're right next to the well! If they make too much noise and anger the thing inside, they'll have to run away as soon as they arrive.
“I think it’s fine.” Wang Ma Xiaoji looked exceptionally relaxed, not worried at all that something might suddenly climb up from the bottom of the well. “After all, the one in the well is a well-behaved child who, although he counts very slowly, will actually count out a number that is definitely not small before coming to catch people, and he follows the rules.”
"...That's true."
If it were him, unless there were special circumstances, he probably wouldn't agree to play hide-and-seek where you have to count so many numbers before you can start tagging. His stubbornness and eccentricity in unexpectedly adhering to the rules in this regard actually have an advantage over his actions.
After all, this means that before the strange figure whose real name is probably Chishima Yu comes out to catch them, the two of them can act more recklessly in the room.
"Hey, when was the last time Kozuki played hide-and-seek?"
"Hide-and-seek?... Um, I can't quite remember. It was probably in elementary school."
As they talked, the two walked towards the house gate with their backs to the well.
*******
The first floor was thoroughly searched and ransacked yesterday.
So today, when they entered the house again, they went straight to the staircase leading from the first floor to the second floor.
“Speaking of which, the appearance of this house has also been restored,” Wang Ma Xiaoji said. “No wonder, if all the windows on the first floor of this house were still shattered by the next morning, it would probably attract the attention of the nearby police.”
Moreover, the police were already paying special attention to this house because of the ghost stories circulating recently, in case anyone heard about the stories and deliberately broke in to test their courage... I guess it's fortunate that it was restored? Otherwise, their break-in tonight would definitely not have been so smooth.
Of course, the door that had been destroyed by the strange creature last night was also restored to its previous state, which forced Wang Ma Xiaoji to pick the lock again.
And then, now—
"Hahaha, it's Nobunaga! We meet again."
With everything as before, even the white cat that they remembered sitting on the stairs yesterday remained motionless and upright.
It makes one wonder if this cat has been sitting here motionless all day.
However, considering that... this cat is probably also a product of the ghosts and supernatural occurrences associated with Sarayashiki, it is indeed possible.
Wang Ma Xiaoji was bending down and playing with the cat with great interest, while Yueye and Qianye stood aside, looking thoughtfully at the white cat sitting on the stairs.
Logically, to avoid the strange creature finishing its count and coming to arrest them before they finished investigating the second floor, they should have rushed up to the second floor to investigate.
However... in situations like these, being too hasty and overlooking details can backfire. It's precisely in such circumstances that calm reflection is crucial.
Moreover, this cat...
Even though Ouma Kokichi was very close to the white cat, the cat remained motionless, sitting firmly in place. Its reaction didn't seem like it was waiting for someone; rather, it seemed like it was blocking the two from going upstairs.
Next to it was an empty small bowl, probably the cat's food bowl.
...I feel like the intention is quite obvious.
"Wang Ma, wait for me here for a moment."
OK!
Although the white cat is only so small, even if it tries to block the way, it probably won't be able to block much if Ouma Kokichi, Tsukino, and Chiya insist on going upstairs immediately.
However, just in case, it was indeed necessary to...
While they were thinking, Tsukino and Chiya arrived at the innermost storage room on the first floor. The layout inside was exactly the same as yesterday, and the cat food that had been placed inside was still there.
Tsukino and Chiya picked up the bag of cat food and were about to leave, but stopped just as they stepped out the door. He turned back and looked at a certain spot in the corner of the storage room.
Hmm? That's...
"Huh? It doesn't seem to be reacting. Is it expired?"
"Even if you ask me... the production date on the packaging is a future date, and this cat food looks pretty normal, so I can't be sure if it's expired or not."
"But it's okay even if it's expired, since a cat that appears out of the blue shouldn't get sick, right... Hmm, but it doesn't eat this at all, so instead of worrying about getting sick, we should be thinking about our own lives—why do people get stuck at the very beginning of a game?!"
After taking the bag of cat food out of the storage room, Tsukino and Chiya returned to the stairs.
The bowl beside the white cat, like the other items in the mansion, was not only old and worn but also covered in dust. There was no water in the room, and even if there were, it probably wouldn't be very usable. However, Tsukino and Chiya had brought bottled water with them, and after quickly washing and wiping the bowl clean, he poured cat food into it.
but……
Contrary to his initial assumption, the white cat simply watched everything quietly from beginning to end, showing no intention of moving aside or even trying a bite of the cat food.
However, Tsukino and Chiya were not completely helpless because of this.
Seeing this, he took out the toy mouse he had brought out from the storage room earlier and placed it on the stairs. When the cat didn't react, he put it back in the bowl.
"Meow."
Nobunaga let out a happy shout, as if he was finally satisfied.
The next second, the satisfied white cat emitted a dazzling light, forcing the two people who were watching the cat's reaction to subconsciously close their eyes or look away. When the light dissipated, the cat was nowhere to be seen on the stairs.
In its place, where the white cat had originally sat, now stands an exquisite sculpture in the shape of a white cat.
"Oh dear..."
Wang Ma Xiaoji sighed and picked up the small sculpture. Tsukino and Chiya remained as calm as ever, making it impossible to tell whether they were surprised by this development.
"Hehe, it looks like we've won the lottery!"
After getting the small sculpture, Wang Ma Xiaoji didn't rush to hand it to Qianye so he could put it in his bag. Instead, he first examined it carefully from top to bottom.
As it turned out, he actually made a discovery.
The purple-haired boy pointed the base of the small sculpture toward Chiya. Tsukino and Chiya looked closely and, sure enough, there was a line of small characters printed on the base of the sculpture.
Happy birthday, Yu! May you be happy from now on. —Sakura Watanabe
*******
After dealing with the white cat blocking their way, the two of them successfully climbed the stairs and reached the second floor.
Compared to the relatively spacious first floor, the second floor appears smaller and more cramped.
Whether it was psychological or not, Tsukino and Chiya felt that the second floor was darker than the first floor. As a result, the illusions that appeared in his vision because of Aurora's "gift" seemed even more eerie and sinister in the darkness.
Or perhaps... something isn't an illusion?
Tsukino and Chiya shone their flashlights into the depths of the corridor, which seemed even more profound in the darkness.
The flashlight, which should have had a full charge, was unusually dim. While it was still usable for illumination, however…
Tsukino and Chiya: "Ohma, did you see that?"
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "Huh? What? No, I didn't see anything."
Tsukino and Chiya: "Is that so?"
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "That's right, I didn't see any figure standing in the dark depths of the corridor, who looked like a woman wearing a red dress."
Tsukino and Chiya: "...I see." Isn't it clear enough? So it really wasn't an illusion.
Their original plan was to investigate the rooms on the second floor first—a procedure they had followed when investigating the Ghost Painter. But now, with a "living" person standing in the corridor, how could they possibly ignore it?
The figure that appeared to be a red-haired woman stood silently at the end of the corridor, motionless. The flashlight beam was not yet strong enough for Tsukino and Chiya to see her clearly from their current distance.
In the dim light, Tsukino and Chiya exchanged a glance with Ohma Kokichi.
The next second, Tsukino and Chiya tentatively approached the red-haired woman, and behind them came faint footsteps—Ouma Kokichi had followed.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Tsukino and Chiya walked towards the woman in red at a normal pace, watching as her appearance gradually became clearer as they got closer.
I could get right up to her in about four or five steps.
Tsukino and Chiya made this assessment in their minds, mentally preparing for all possible scenarios. However, when he took another step in that direction—
The red figure before him suddenly vanished without a sound.
Gone?
Tsukino and Chiya instinctively stopped in their tracks.
No, that's not right. Rather than saying they disappeared, it's more accurate to say...
In the silence, Tsukino and Chiya suddenly turned around after realizing something.
Behind him was naturally Ouma Kokichi, but behind Ouma, in the place they had originally walked through, which was the other side of the corridor—
The red figure appeared there.
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