Chapter 9 Head Balloon (2) These past few days, Sato Yota has been feeling...
These past few days, Yota Sato has been feeling uneasy.
He washed his face in the bathroom, looked at the dark circles under his eyes in the mirror, and muttered a curse under his breath. Lately, he's been getting woken up by his dreams whenever he's resting.
The scene that happened a few nights ago lingered in his mind, and he even had the same dream for several nights in a row.
In his dream, in the shadows beyond the streetlight's glow, something bobbing up and down slowly approached him. Sato Yota knew perfectly well that it wasn't an ordinary balloon; what was approaching him… was a head without a body.
The head's eyebrows, contours, and the mole at the corner of its eye were exactly the same as Nishimura Yuko's. What impressed Sato Yota the most was its face—a pale, bluish face with sunken eye sockets that looked like two black holes. When the wind blew, the face swayed in front of Sato Yota, giving him the illusion that it was scrutinizing him.
Whether it was a misperception stemming from Sato Yo's excessive nervousness or not, ever since that day, there had always been an invisible gaze following him. At home, it was alright; drawing the curtains lessened the feeling of being watched. But as soon as he stepped outside, the gaze became exceptionally intense.
Sometimes he would suddenly turn around to check if anyone was behind him or nearby.
But most of the time, every time he looked back, there was no one there.
Just like today.
Not long after Sato Yota left, he felt a strong gaze again, so he turned around warily once more.
The only things on the road were trash bags blowing in the wind. He looked at the telephone pole, but there was no one behind it. But the moment he turned back, that gaze fell on Yota Sato again.
Despite it being the sweltering summer heat, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
"You'd better pray I don't catch you." Sato Yota cursed under his breath, quickening his pace. Sensing his gaze, Sato Yota staggered in a panicked manner.
He didn't notice that just after he crossed the street corner, a child on the roadside was holding his mother's hand, looking up at the sky with his little face.
"Mommy, Mommy!" The child tugged at the woman's sleeve, his voice filled with excited curiosity, and pointed in the direction of Yota Sato, "Look at that uncle! He has a balloon on his head following him!"
The woman smiled and ruffled the child's hair. Looking in the direction the child pointed, she saw only a few wisps of clouds drifting across the sky, and her expression was puzzled.
She pinched the child's cheek, her tone tinged with helplessness: "Are you kidding your mother? There's clearly nothing there."
The child puffed out his cheeks unhappily and retorted, "It clearly exists."
"Okay, okay, Mom believes you," the woman said coaxingly.
*
"I spent a lot of money again today." Zhu Yi walked home carrying bulging shopping bags, her fingers clutching the crumpled shopping receipt, pondering how to spend her recent expenses, the food she bought, and the remaining money.
There's nothing I can do. Ever since I transmigrated to this world, I've been penniless. After taking on some commissions, I have to be very careful with every penny. The system, besides giving you a legal identity, doesn't give you a single cent.
If I hadn't transmigrated and met a key figure whose identity seemed to be quite extraordinary, I probably would have starved to death on the roadside.
I'll make cat food for Xiaohua today. I hope you won't mind my cooking skills.
As Zhu Yi passed by the river, he was immediately attracted by something on the surface of the water. On the shimmering surface of the water, a dark shape was floating with the waves and getting closer and closer to him.
What is that?
Garbage? Fragments of people stuffed in sacks? Kappa? Water ghost?
All sorts of thoughts popped into Zhu Yi's mind.
It wasn't until the thing drifted closer to Zhu Yi that Zhu Yi could see clearly what was floating on the river.
Holy crap, that's a person!
Zhu Yi's eyes widened slightly. Without thinking too much, he grabbed the bag and rushed towards the grass under the bridge. He threw the bag on the ground, took off his shoes, and plunged into the water.
He doesn't know any other swimming styles; he only knows the breaststroke, and he doesn't care whether his form looks good or not.
So, with a kick of his legs and a paddle of his arms, he swam towards the other like a piranha.
He reached out and grabbed the other person's collar, then quickly switched to a backflip breaststroke, kicking his legs and paddling with his arms, struggling to drag the person to the shore. Once on the shore, he used a lot of effort to pull the other person ashore, and Zhu Yi was so exhausted that he was panting heavily on the bank.
After Zhu Yi recovered, he was able to see the other person's face clearly. Water droplets fell from the other person's black hair onto the grass, and a few strands of hair clung to the handsome but pale face. The other person's chest rose and fell slightly, and the bandages wrapped around the neck and hands were extremely familiar to Zhu Yi.
And the large red characters spelling out "Key Person" above the other party's head.
This is Dazai Osamu, whom Mr. Kunikida kept mentioning on the phone, who had somehow slipped away and gone into the water.
He discovered that key figures were generally very good-looking, and their personalities and personas were quite distinct. Some even had multicolored hair. Could it be that key figures were selected based on their looks?
What should we do now? Takeichi stared at Dazai Osamu on the ground, lost in thought.
It is said that Mr. Kunikida would occasionally complain to himself about the other party's behavior.
Even if he didn't want to know about Dazai Osamu, in his phone calls and text messages with Mr. Kunikida, he repeatedly mentioned that the other man had committed suicide somewhere, or that he had skipped work to find someone to commit double suicide with...
It's hard not to want to understand each other, which leads to Takeichi having a somewhat stereotypical impression of Dazai Osamu.
Now that I've rescued him, will it ruin his public image? What if he blames me when he wakes up?
This won't do; I still need to farm Ghost Stories Points.
Throw him down?
That's not very ethical. What if someone finds out I threw him down and mistakenly calls the police that I was trying to murder him? That would be a huge crime.
Just as he was struggling with this, the person on the ground suddenly sat up with a "whoosh," startling Zhu Yi so much that he almost jumped up.
"Did you save me?" Dazai Osamu turned to look at him, his face expressionless and his tone indifferent.
Zhu nodded, then quickly shook his head, frantically pulling out his phone to call Kunikida Doppo.
Dazai Osamu stood up, grabbed his hand, smiled gratefully, and stopped him from dialing: "Thank you so much, I don't know how to repay you."
"Haha. No need, no need, it's just a pleasure to help others." Zhu Yi tried to pull his hand back, but after a few tries, he couldn't pull it out at all.
Takeichi was completely unaware that his opponent's physical skills were only at a lower level. In this world, lower level physical skills were not particularly remarkable, but Takeichi himself was just an ordinary college student without any physical training. Given this difference in physical skills, Takeichi would find it difficult to resist.
"How about we go to the Armed Detective Agency for a chat?" Dazai Osamu suggested.
"No, no, I need to go home and feed the cat." Zhu Yi tried again to free his hand, but it remained motionless, and he could only manage a stiff smile.
"Alright then." Dazai finally let go, and Takeichi breathed a sigh of relief, but then he heard the other speak again, and his heart jumped again.
"Do you know about the rumors that's been going around online lately, Takeichi-kun?" Dazai Osamu looked at him with a smile: "I heard that sometimes a balloon appears in the sky and floats there, and some people even say they saw a human face on the balloon."
“I know.” Zhu nodded and said, “I’m investigating it too. I think it’s also a strange tale.”
Although Takeichi answered like that, he was actually panicking inside. Could it be that the other party found a loophole in what Sakaguchi Ango said, so they came to his door and suspected that I was the one who did it?
Okay, I did it.
This time, he wanted to expand the influence of the ghost stories, and he had confirmed that the obsession with the human head balloon was not malicious and would not hurt people indiscriminately.
Zhu Yi's thoughts began to jump around, and he thought of the background information about the human head balloon on the system panel.
My feelings are a bit complicated.
Rather, it's more accurate to say that the other person is a pitiful child.
Seeing Takeichi deep in thought, Dazai Osamu blinked and waved his hand in front of Takeichi's eyes: "Takeichi-kun—are you still listening?"
When Zhu Yi came to his senses, his nose tingled. He turned his head and sneezed, then raised his hand to rub his nose before mumbling, "I'm listening."
It's so uncomfortable to be soaking wet all over.
“This rumor has generated a lot of buzz, causing unrest among the people of Yokohama through its spread online. Normally, this would be handled by a special agency, such as the Special Abilities Division, but they can't directly intervene. Therefore, we've chosen the Armed Detective Agency to conduct the initial investigation,” Dazai Osamu explained. “We want to collaborate with your agency, after all—”
Dazai Osamu smiled meaningfully: "You know more about ghost stories than any of us."
Zhu looked at him for a long time before saying, "I have a request."
Dazai Osamu had anticipated this: "The money won't be small."
Takeichi smiled with satisfaction; even Dazai Osamu's appearance seemed much more pleasing to the eye now.
“Of course, no problem! I’m honored to work with your company. Would you like to visit my office, Mr. Dazai?” Takeichi said in a lighthearted tone.
“Okay.” Dazai Osamu did not hesitate at all, and Takeichi’s smile froze again.
"Then I'll have to bother you, Takeichi-kun." Dazai Osamu showed an expression that suggested he couldn't refuse someone's kindness.
No, isn't that just being polite?
You just agreed like that? Shouldn't we at least exchange pleasantries and then go our separate ways?
“Mr. Dazai, your clothes are soaked, you’re very likely to catch a cold,” Takeichi said gently.
Dazai Osamu looked down at his soaked clothes, then looked up with a touched expression: "Does Takeichi-kun care about me that much?"
"Mr. Dazai, you jest." Takeichi forced a smile, but his expression remained one of concern. "I think it's most important for you to change into some dry clothes first, and take a hot shower while you're at it. If I may be so bold, walking there will make you very susceptible to illness."
Just as Dazai Osamu was about to say something, he was interrupted by a sudden, angry roar.
"Dazai Osamu!" Kunikida Doppo stormed toward Dazai Osamu, each step radiating intense resentment.
His entire day's plans were ruined by Dazai Osamu's truancy, and he even wasted half a day looking for that jerk!
Thinking of this, the black aura surging around Kunikida Doppo almost solidified, and even faintly exuded a murderous aura.
Dazai Osamu froze, forced a smile, and quickly said to Takeichi, "You're right, changing my clothes is the most important thing for me now. Please stall Kunikida-kun for a bit."
After saying that, the other party turned and ran without hesitation, and Kunikida Doppo roared again and chased after him.
Zhu Yi picked up his belongings from the ground and smiled as he watched the two figures chasing and fleeing.
You wouldn't believe it, but you secretly sent Kunikida your specific address through the system.
There's no way to stop them, you're kidding. They're the kind of ruthless person who knocked down ghost stories in the mirror illusion.
A note from the author:
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