Chapter 57 The Monster at the Crossroads (Part Two)
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko stood dejectedly in the center of the white fog. He had traveled all the way back to Yokohama, but hadn't even seen the beautiful scenery he wanted to see. What a loss!
As he had anticipated, the three people X had left with him would appear in the fog, while the middle-aged man in a pink and green uniform who had been brought along would disappear.
However, Mori Ougai appeared in the fog, and only Yoshihide remained of the trio; the other two had disappeared.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko looked at Mori Ougai, who was still unaware of the current situation, with a knowing expression and said, "You're an esper?"
Unlike the three who clearly understood the workings between Long Yan and the others.
Mori Ougai only knew that this Mr. Shibusawa, who was very likely albino, had a supernatural ability that could accurately determine whether a monster was a product of supernatural powers.
The supervisor even went out of his way to borrow him from the brown-haired foreigner.
But the supervisor never said that Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's ability would filter out ordinary people without abilities!
And just like that, without any warning, Mori Ougai was caught off guard and his ordinary person persona was suddenly revealed.
In the pervasive white mist, all was quiet. Liangxiu looked at him with great interest, his rich purple gaze meeting the crimson that seemed to contain blood mist.
Finally, Purple silently looked away. He was in the wrong; after all, he had concealed his identity.
"Miss Ryoshu, it was just for inspection..."
Mori Ougai tried to take on the work and perform well so that he could explain to his supervisor that he wasn't intentionally hiding his special abilities.
Before he could finish speaking, Mori Ougai felt a sudden gust of wind coming from behind him.
Right behind him, Ryoshu had already gripped the greatsword wrapped in white bandages, named Justice Arbiter.
As Mori Ougai shifted his body slightly, Yoshihide seized the opportunity and swiftly swung his sword, decapitating the blonde girl.
Without hesitation, the greatsword pierced the girl's forehead, and the supernatural crystal on it shattered instantly.
The supernatural ability that had just been stripped away by Long Yan returned, and a potential crisis was resolved in seconds.
Mori Ougai also looked thoughtfully at the long pink trench coat he was wearing.
Just now, when he was dodging, his body felt as if it wasn't his own, incredibly light. Is this what they call EGO?
Mori Ougai recalled how X had rummaged through a room that looked like a storage room before leaving, and then casually pulled out this outfit.
Is this kind of generic stuff sold at Lobotomy Corporation?
...
The two people waiting there saw that Mori Ougai had not only returned on his own, but had also brought someone else with him—a person covered in blood.
Logically speaking, the Special Abilities Division should have already evacuated everyone, since Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, who is targeting weapons for superhumans, couldn't possibly have escaped.
Noticing Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's gaze, Mori Ougai introduced, "This is Lord Fukuzawa Yukichi, who has also come for the monster at the crossroads."
"What's strange?"
Is this asking if the monster is still around? Mori Ougai wondered.
He carefully chose his words before speaking: "Just as the supervisor predicted, the monster disappeared along with the ordinary people."
Upon hearing Mori Ougai's words, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko withdrew his supernatural ability. Since the phenomenon was not caused by his supernatural ability, it was no longer of any use.
As the white mist dissipated, the surroundings were no longer deathly silent, but were once again filled with tiny sounds full of life.
Several other people, dressed in equally strange clothes but with a similar style to Mori Ōgai's, appeared in the same spot.
Why didn't you show up this time?
The glass-like red light shone towards the two people who did not appear in the mist as they had last time.
The only one who entered the fog, Liangxiu, also gave him a strange feeling. She didn't seem human, but rather like someone with supernatural abilities. His intuition told him that this woman had a human-like superpower.
"It's probably because Sinclair and I aren't superpowered."
The long-haired youth still had a smile on his face, and the blond boy beside him kept nodding in agreement.
The members of the Special Abilities Division, who were observing from outside the fog's range, notified X, who was still some distance away, as soon as the fog dissipated.
As the one who lent out Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, Dante felt that Shibusawa might cause trouble, so it would be better to just take X away.
X thought it would be incredibly convenient to use Shibusawa's special ability to screen for the "monster's" composition.
Monsters caused by supernatural abilities will appear in the fog, while those not caused by supernatural abilities will disappear. In this world, monsters not caused by supernatural abilities are likely to be related to his profession.
On this trip, he assumed that the other party might be a completely new anomaly or a twisted being. Apart from Dr. Mori, who was extremely familiar with the area, the others he brought were all sinners, making a perfect team of six.
Not counting Shibusawa Tatsuhiko and Dante who came along, those two are considered outsiders.
The biggest advantage of sinners is that they are not afraid of dying suddenly outside. As long as they are alive, they can be brought back, unlike other employees who are truly dead if they die outside.
As long as we keep an eye on Mori Ougai, there's no hope if he dies outside.
As soon as X reached the vicinity of the intersection, he saw two strangers, a monster standing still, and... a group of trembling gang members.
"Hello, I am Fukuzawa Yukichi, and he is Edogawa Ranpo."
The silver-haired swordsman was kindly given a handkerchief by Honglu, and the bloodstains on his face had been mostly wiped away, so he was no longer the same as when he first came out.
He then introduced himself to the newly arrived group.
The boy wearing a beret had bright green eyes that looked around the crowd before finally settling on the black-haired young man in a white lab coat who was deep in thought.
Finally, as if he had confirmed something, he tugged at Fukuzawa Yukichi's blood-stained sleeve, and after the middle-aged swordsman turned his head, he said:
"President, we can go now. They are helpers specially found by the Special Abilities Division."
His eyes narrowed again, looking at Mori Ougai, who had naturally blended into the group of strangely dressed people.
"As for Uncle Fox over there, President, you don't need to worry about him at all. He's adapted very well."
Edogawa Ranpo didn't lower his voice at all, and Mori Ougai heard everything he said clearly.
The doctor, who had adapted very well, wanted to complain but couldn't find the words. Was he really adapting well? He had no choice but to adapt!
X over there has already sent out its number one player—no, its number one sinner.
Upon being called upon, the black-haired youth stepped out from among his colleagues and gave the golden-eyed youth a faint smile.
The golden-eyed youth smiled and nodded to the young man who was about to die.
As if finally at ease, Li Xiang walked straight toward the monster that was still standing there blankly.
This is a completely unreasonable demand!
Even though they were recognized as professionals by Ranpo, but...
The silver-haired swordsman clearly saw that the manager in the white coat had a smile that didn't reach his eyes, yet he easily fooled the employees who worked for him.
Seeing that the black-haired youth wearing a uniform similar to Mori Ōgai was already walking towards his target, he didn't even have a decent weapon in his hand; he only carried a snake-headed cane.
Fukuzawa Yukichi was about to stop him, to stop this thin young man.
Does this mean that in this day and age, everyone who wears a white coat is a bad person?
The club president, surrounded by two people in white coats who weren't exactly good people—or rather, one of them wasn't in a white coat at all—felt a bit overwhelmed.
He was about to grab the black-haired youth who was going to his death when he was stopped by Edogawa Ranpo.
The boy didn't speak, but slowly shook his head.
Trusting the boy, Fukuzawa Yukichi restrained his impulse to grab the suitcase and became more vigilant.
If the monster makes any unusual movement, he will rush forward to prevent what happened earlier from happening again.
X was unaware that he had suddenly been labeled as "not a good person and deceiving employees".
If the poor supervisor could read minds, he would definitely cry out that he was wronged.
He was just doing his job. As for the smile not reaching his eyes... he was more inclined to think it was just a matter of appearance. He wasn't forcing a smile at all!
X watched as the suitcase dressed in "Moonlight" approached the creature that seemed more like a twisted entity than an anomaly.
The creature of unknown origin turned its three heads simultaneously and looked at Li Xiang.
Li Xiang was prepared to be asked questions.
He decided to try ignoring it first. According to the information, ignoring the monster would prevent anything from happening.
However, something completely contradicted the information provided happened.
Everything went smoothly at first, and the monster asked the same question as always.
The six eyes on the three heads were also darting around haphazardly in their sockets.
Until—the left side of the head seemed to have seen something.
Li Xiang saw it clearly.
The pupil of the eye on the left side of the monster's head contracted violently, as if it had seen something terrifying.
This makes its already terrifying appearance even more ferocious.
It completely altered the recorded pattern and trajectory of its movements, walking step by step towards the direction where the crowd was gathering, ignoring the suitcase in front of it.
There's something over there that's attracting him!
X was holding his terminal, intending to record all the monster's rules, when he saw the monster heading towards him.
Huh? Why is it moving?
Isn't this wrong? Isn't there supposed to be a quick Q&A session?
He was prepared for Li Xiang's head to be bitten off, so why didn't he ask?
The "monster" has completely forgotten its problem; it—no, it is.
He could only see those golden eyes, his "master".
Did that person finally forgive him?
Am I still that obedient, good child?
Have I truly been reborn?
Although he felt that the "Lord" holding a board was somewhat different from the one he remembered.
But! Without a doubt, this is that person!
Fukuzawa Yukichi, who was already prepared to rescue people, was the closest person to the monster besides Li Xiang, and he was also the first to receive the monster's words.
Even if you can't understand the sounds at all, the meaning comes directly into your mind.
Words, almost indistinguishable, echoed in his mind; he could only sense the monster's boundless joy.
The middle-aged swordsman's attention remained focused on the monster and the chest of luggage.
What he didn't notice was that before the monster had even fully approached them, his "good son" Edogawa Ranpo had already run up to Mori Ougai and was saying something.
At this point, he was already affected by the monster's emotions and was somewhat dazed.
Until—a dark hand from Mori Ōgai struck him hard on the back of the neck.
Before his memory faded, he saw Mori Ōgai's genuine smile and Ranpo looking relieved.
"you……"
Before he could even speak, his vision went black and his phone was forcibly shut down.
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Author's note: It's burned out; this time it really is a two-day break. [pigeon][pigeon]
I was laughing the whole time I was writing this chapter, sorry, boss.
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