Chapter 49 The Ghost Hotel is in an uproar!
"I don't know how to tell you this, but although Karasuma Renya has chosen me as the organization's successor, I don't actually know much about the organization. I spent many years in school." Takanashi Chinatsu tried to make Rai understand that if he tried to learn about the organization's secrets through her, he would be making a big mistake.
"I understand, but I still hope you can break free from the organization's control."
Chinatsuko: ...
No, it seems that Ray still doesn't understand.
Detaining her would not only prevent us from controlling the organization's intelligence, but would also likely invite retaliation from the organization, which would be entirely detrimental.
“Lay, what you’ve done not only harms MI6, but also you and the FBI behind you will not benefit. You are not an irrational person.”
Lei looked at Takanashi Chinatsu with a complicated expression and asked, "You still don't believe me, do you?"
Chizuru Takanashi pursed her lips.
"Black Cherry, you have to believe that there are people in this world who are kind to you without any ulterior motives."
“I believe there are indeed people in this world who are unconditionally good to me, but that person is not you,” Takanashi Chinatsu said firmly.
He is her adoptive father, he is Gin, but he can never be Ray.
Ray is too calculating. Even his relationship with Mingmei was based on scheming. He may be righteous and correct, but it is impossible for such a person to give his heart to someone without any rationality.
"Qianna..."
"I'll consider your suggestion, but could you give me some time?" Takanashi Chika interrupted him.
Lei nodded, got up and left.
Kenji Hagiwara immediately followed him out, then ran back with a "Wow!" to complain: "He locked the door!"
Chinatsu Takanashi wasn't surprised at all. That's just the kind of person Rae is—self-centered, arrogant, and always feeling that what he says is right and what he does is correct.
Kenji Hagiwara was right. This kind of man couldn't be trusted. She had to escape, and escape immediately.
Walking to the window, Chizuru looked down at the ground from the eighth floor.
hiss--
So tall!
"Chika, don't be impulsive. Light some rhinoceros horn incense, and I'll help you remove the lock." Kenji Hagiwara flexed his wrists.
Chika Takanashi, however, focused her gaze on Spring-Heeled Jack in the corner of the room.
"Second-year graduate student, hasn't Spring-Heeled Jack been around for quite a while?"
Kenji Hagiwara immediately understood what Chika Takanashi meant and nodded with a smile: "That's right, this legend has been around for one or two hundred years."
"So his energy can touch reality?"
“He can briefly connect with reality. He used to use this ability to scare people and even kidnap girls.” Kenji Hagiwara beckoned to Jack with his finger.
Chinatsu also revealed a sly smile.
Spring-Heeled Jack: ...
Even though it was a ghost, I still felt a chill run down my spine.
Ten minutes later, Chika Takanashi rode on Spring-Heeled Jack's neck. Spring-Heeled Jack pushed off with his legs, and with a "crash," they smashed through the glass and plunged towards the ground.
"Wuhu~"
With a cheer, the door was flung open, and Ray quickly ran to the window to look.
After landing, Spring-Heeled Jack disappeared again, and Rye could only see Takanashi Chinatsu standing downstairs.
Chinatsuka Takanashi noticed him too, even giving him a smug chin nod and waving her hand while mouthing: Bye-bye~
Ray's pupils trembled slightly. He couldn't fathom how Takanashi Chika had jumped off the building and landed safely. By the time he had chased after her, she had already hailed a taxi and left.
"The situation has changed, wait for my message." After saying this into his headset, Lei quickly drove off in the direction the taxi had gone.
"Chinats, let's kiss~" Kenji Hagiwara sat in the car and happily kissed her cheek.
Even though she could only touch the air, Chinatsu Takanashi still cooperated with his movements and pressed herself against him intimately.
After sticking the sticker on, Takanashi Chinatsu returned to reality and whispered, "He will definitely come after me, and he will definitely send people to catch me everywhere."
Kenji Hagiwara nodded repeatedly and said quickly, "So let's go back to Japan!"
Takanashi Chika looked at him in astonishment.
Kenji Hagiwara showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Despite his seemingly affectionate nature, he was ruthless and decisive in his actions: "I think he's quite capable. He should be able to handle those faked deaths on his own. Let's go back to Japan first and leave everything to him. Even if there are any mishaps, it will be his own problem. It's too dangerous for you to stay here."
"That's not a good idea." Takanashi Chinatsu felt it wouldn't work; if she suddenly returned to Japan, the organization would definitely become suspicious.
"Be a little more willful, Chinatsuba-chan!" Kenji Hagiwara winked.
Chika Takanashi immediately understood.
When Kenji Hagiwara mentioned "willfulness," he didn't mean she should be willful and only care about herself; rather, he meant what she would say after returning home.
A willful girl is capable of anything.
For example, she might dislike the British weather or the British food. Whatever it is, if she says it out of spite, given her usual image, the organization is very likely to believe her.
It won't put her in danger, nor will it cause trouble for Ray.
But if she doesn't come along, the organization might monitor this mission more closely, making things more complicated for Ray.
There are advantages and disadvantages; it all depends on her choice.
“Although I hope we can successfully rescue people this time, Chika, the situation has now threatened your personal safety, so you must put your own safety first.” Kenji Hagiwara placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Hmm... let me think about it." Takanashi Chinatsu was unable to make a decision for the time being.
On the first night after Takanashi Chika ran away, Rai reluctantly went to see his mother, only to be given a severe scolding.
It was one thing to scold her, but her mother was exceptionally sharp-tongued and full of sarcasm.
"I hadn't seen you for so many years, I thought you would have made some progress by now, but it turns out you can't even keep a woman. All you've got is long hair, no brains?"
"Mom." When Lai was being scolded by his mother, he was no different from other children his age; he seemed weak and helpless.
"Why did you tell her in advance?" Mary Akai was quite dissatisfied with her son. "Once things were resolved, we could have just detained her and it would all be over. Why did you have to go through all this trouble?"
“That’s not the end!” Ray retorted immediately. “We’re just detaining her without saying anything, without even asking her opinion. Do you think that’s right?”
"What's wrong? She's a criminal!"
“She didn’t commit a crime; she even went to great lengths to save people.”
“Even so, she’s still a member of the organization. Even if she’s never done anything illegal or disorderly before, she’s always been enjoying the organization’s resources.” Akai Mary glanced at her son, trying to bring him to his senses.
Ray shook his head and calmly stated, "Let's keep things separate. Don't try to pressure me with your MI6 tactics. We didn't agree to arrest her. The fact that you agreed to my suggestion to protect her in seclusion means that you've analyzed the situation and understand that she's innocent. Perhaps she can be a breakthrough for us in our fight against the organization. She's enjoying resources? It's not because she wanted to. She's clearly a victim of the organization."
"Are you telling me all this now that it doesn't matter if she runs away? You want to detain her, but can you guarantee she won't betray you and report your identity to the organization?" Akai Mary's anger stemmed primarily from her worry about her unfortunate son.
Lei said firmly, "She won't."
"What guarantee do you have? I told you not to join the FBI, but you wouldn't listen, and now look what's happened. Shuichi, you've never listened to my advice."
“So I won’t listen to your advice now.” Rae acted very independently, or you could say rebellious.
Looking at Mary Akai's fiery eyes, Rae's gaze softened with amusement, and a vibrant energy seemed to burst forth from his green eyes, a fiery intensity that seemed capable of engulfing everything.
Mary Akai suddenly fell silent.
As a mother, she knew her son well. He would show such a joyful expression when he encountered something that interested him, and he would even risk his life for a moment of interest.
Of all the children, the one Mary was most at ease with was Shuichi Akai. He was truly remarkable, possessing exceptional skills, a sharp mind, courage, and unwavering perseverance. Most of the time, he displayed a maturity and composure far beyond his peers.
Of all the children, the one Mary worries about the most is Shuichi Akai. After all, he is too much like his father. Although he is calm, he is adventurous and it seems that risking his life is his norm. Shuichi is like someone who has been bewitched by death. His strong curiosity will take his life sooner or later.
“The matter of Black Cherry cannot be widely disseminated. Although this is your home turf, I don’t want the people of MI6 to know about her. So I’m asking you, Mother, to find a few reliable friends to help me search for her privately in England, is that alright?” Rae asked with a smile, her hands clasped together.
“I suggest we restrict her from leaving the country first. Once she leaves the UK, things will be irreversible.”
Lay immediately refused: "But that would alert too many people, and I don't think she'd leave the country. You don't need to worry about her reporting me. With cell phones so convenient these days, she could report me even without going back. Besides, the organization completely trusts her. Restricting her from leaving the country will only make things worse."
Black cherry...
That person is lucky; luck gives her confidence.
That person was also kind, but sometimes kindness can become a constraint.
Lei smiled slightly. Kind people are the easiest to exploit.
Should good people be held at gunpoint? Takanashi Chinatsu took a nap and woke up completely the next day.
Come on, Shuichi Akai!
Come on, MI6!
Takanashi Chika let out a cold laugh. She had spoiled Rai too much, which made him act recklessly and even try to scheme against her.
"I've made up my mind, I'm not going back to my country!" Takanashi Chinatsu said fiercely. She never held grudges and would settle scores on the spot. She was going to get her revenge right now!
Although Kenji Hagiwara was still worried, he understood that it was difficult to change Chinatsu's decision, so he smiled and asked, "What are you going to do? I'll help you."
"First, we need to know where Ray lives."
Kenji Hagiwara raised his hand and answered loudly, "I know, he's still staying in the same hotel room!"
Takanashi Chinatsu was even angrier. She gritted her teeth. That bastard Lai Yi not only didn't respect her, but he was also waiting for her to go back to the hotel by herself.
Okay, then she'll go back.
Chinatsuka Takanashi looked at Kenji Hagiwara and asked, "Kenji-chan, have you made a lot of new friends?"
Kenji Hagiwara, a humanoid succubus who exudes charm at all times.
That was a joke.
However, Kenji Hagiwara has a very high EQ. Although he suppressed the group of ghosts who initially tried to gang up on him, he later gained a group of friends thanks to his high EQ, and almost became a goodwill ambassador for the ghost world from Japan to the UK.
"Does China need their help?"
Chinatsu nods repeatedly, then whispers her prank plan in his ear.
Kenji Hagiwara's smile grew more and more kind as he listened, and finally he gently patted Chinatsu's head. What a good child. He was only being treated like that because they wanted to tease him. Compared to that, Rai really went too far.
Lei felt something was wrong.
He had a feeling that as long as he stayed where he was, Takanashi Chika would come back to him on her own. He was willing to accept whatever came his way, whether it was out of friendship or revenge, since he had indeed gone too far.
Can……
That's not quite right.
No, that's very wrong.
It was summer, and the hotel room had the heater on, but he still wrapped himself tightly in his clothes, a strange chill slowly creeping into his body.
"Achoo!" Lei sneezed violently, incredulous.
Have you caught a cold?
In the middle of summer, wearing such thick clothes and with the heater on, I still ended up catching a cold?
This is simply unbelievable.
This hotel is haunted.
Half an hour earlier, realizing that the temperature had suddenly become abnormal, Lai immediately became alert and prepared to leave the hotel.
But he walked out of the room, went downstairs, and then turned back.
It turned back again!
The elevator remained stationary on the 8th floor. He ran up and down the stairs, but no matter how many floors he ran, he could only see the sign for the 8th floor.
The air was getting colder and colder, and he tried to save himself by knocking on the doors of other rooms on the same floor.
But when he knocked on the door, no one answered.
He rammed the door open with his body, only to find himself in his own room.
It's a ghost wall!
Without a doubt, this is the ghost wall that often appears in ghost stories!
Helpless, Lai could only return to his room. Even though the room was already 30 degrees Celsius, he was still freezing like a Chihuahua experiencing its first winter in Northeast China, with his muscles trembling all over.
The cold is a natural bodily reaction. At first, Lai tried to control himself, but later he couldn't care less.
He raised his hand and touched his hair, and found that the strands were already frosting over.
Ray: ...
He draped himself in every blanket he could find in the room, but the thin blankets offered no warmth whatsoever, and the chill still pierced his bones with a dull ache.
Terrifyingly low temperatures, terrifying paranormal events.
Ray is very confident in his skills and marksmanship. He is not afraid of even ghosts and monsters. He can take them down one by one, or two by two. But what if they don't come?
It was invisible and intangible, yet it was already close to killing him.
This despair of being powerless and forced to watch one's own death was something even someone with a strong heart like Ray couldn't bear.
Where Ray couldn't see, Kenji Hagiwara was shouting commands to his ghost friends.
"One, two, three, stick it!"
The ghosts that had been circling around Lai immediately stuck to him.
Lei shivered violently.
"One, two, three, stick it!"
The ghost briefly separated, then pressed against him again at Kenji Hagiwara's command.
When Lei sneezed, his face started to frost over.
He should be thankful he doesn't see any ghosts, otherwise he would see his room crammed full of ghosts, many of them strangely shaped.
Kenji Hagiwara himself didn't touch Laiyi, after all, compared to his good friends, his training time was still too short, and he could only bring Laiyi a slight chill.
"Everyone, put your strength to the test! Imagine it's a Siberian winter here, let's send this wretched FBI agent to dig potatoes!"
"Dig potatoes!" all the ghosts shouted in unison.
Lei felt even colder; his hands and feet were already numb.
Realizing that Rae would freeze to death if things continued like this, Kenji Hagiwara felt much better. He clapped his hands and happily announced, "Now, please welcome Her Highness the Princess!"
"Bang--"
The door was wide open.
A gust of wind howled, and the ghosts worked hard to create an atmosphere.
Ray was even colder. His hands were still gripping the gun, but he had little confidence in his aim anymore; his fingers were completely frozen.
After the howling wind comes the flowers.
It was huge bunches of rose petals.
Bright red petals drifted down, resembling vibrant butterflies in mid-air. As the butterflies fell with gravity, they were gently lifted up by the wind, gradually forming a vortex near the entrance.
The dense petals made it impossible for Lei to even see what was on the other side.
Is it finally going to show itself? Ray's hands trembled as he raised the muzzle of his gun, struggling to aim.
With a "smack," his hand felt as if it had been slapped hard across the face.
The pistol fell to the ground, and a ghost next to Ray glared at him angrily before suddenly opening its arms and giving him a tight hug.
"Hiss—" Lai gasped sharply, feeling as if the air he inhaled was about to freeze.
Cold cold cold cold cold—
It's so cold!
The swirling petals gradually fell to the ground, and as fewer and fewer petals fluttered down, a figure that was all too familiar to Lai appeared in the center of the petals.
Black cherry?
Lei closed his eyes tightly for a moment, the frost on his eyelashes fell off, and when he opened his eyes again, he could still clearly see the black cherry, and even saw several black shadows behind the black cherry.
The phantom was humanoid and elongated, its body twisted and flailing, as ferocious as black flames.
These are naturally Kenji Hagiwara's ghost friends; they appear and disappear at different times, striving to create the terrifying aura of Chinatsu Takanashi.
"You..." Lei opened his mouth, but a gust of cold wind suddenly rushed into his mouth, and he immediately closed it in a sorry state.
The ghost beside him blew a cold gust of wind, which was also Kenji Hagiwara's instruction to completely seize the initiative in this negotiation in Chinatsu Takanashi's hands.
"Shuichi Akai," Chinatsu called out the other person's real name.
Unlike before, Ray might have felt a jolt of fear before, but never such a profound sense of dread. The light in the room flickered, and although it wasn't completely dark yet, there was a feeling that the room could plunge into darkness at any moment.
This is not an illusion.
Ray looked out the window.
Outside the window, everything was peaceful and clear, with gentle sunlight shining down and warmly illuminating the earth.
Inside the window, the light and darkness alternated, as if it were the dead of winter, and ghostly figures could be seen walking around the room from time to time.
Ray was certain that he was indeed being targeted by the devil, and that the devil might be connected to the black cherry in front of him.
"When you joined forces with MI6, did you ever think about this day?" Takanashi Chinatsu approached him step by step.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the chill seemed to dissipate as Takanashi Chika approached.
"Quickly, quickly, move aside, don't let Chinat get cold!" Kenji Hagiwara hurriedly directed.
"Tell me, you still want to live, right?" Takanashi Chinatsu extended her index finger and gently lifted Rai's chin.
This was an extremely frivolous gesture, carrying a strong sense of insult, as if it were directed at a brothel or as if it were training a dog.
Kenji Hagiwara excitedly took out his phone and snapped nine photos in a row. Wow, so cool! His Chinatsu-chan is amazing!
Chinatsu's eyes were filled with pleasure, and a mocking smile curled at the corners of her lips. Despite being shorter than average, she looked down on Rai, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
The warmth of their fingers traveled through their skin to Ray, and the sudden warmth made him shudder, even making his blood flow more vigorously.
At this moment, Takanashi Chika is like a god who has come to save her, bringing warmth, bringing warmth, and more bringing warmth.
Physiological instincts caused Ray to lunge forward and pounce on Takanashi Chinatsu, hugging him tightly.
The shadowy door behind Takanashi Chika froze, the ghosts that had been twisting and turning froze, the ghosts that had been precisely sending cold air towards Rai even though they had moved some distance away froze, and the ghosts that had been rhythmically blocking the sunlight from the window froze...
Kenji Hagiwara let out a sharp, explosive sound!
"Chinatsuba-chan—"
Before the anger arrived, there was the cold touch on Lei's body.
His long hair was covered in frost, and when it encountered warmth, it turned into a trickle of water, instantly soaking Takanashi Chinatsu's clothes.
Only then did she realize that Kenji had gone too far, so she stopped the ghost from lunging at her with a look and signaled to Kenji to ask his friend to leave temporarily.
At this moment, Kenji Hagiwara was like a cat with its fur standing on end. If it weren't for the fact that his training wasn't up to par and he couldn't touch Rai, he probably would have already started fighting with Rai. After seeing Chika Takanashi's signal, he reluctantly did as she asked, but he also told his friends to wait outside the door. If Rai dared to bully Chika, he would wave his hand and have his ghost army teach Rai a lesson.
After the ghosts left, the temperature in the room quickly returned to normal.
Lei's body was no longer so stiff. As if he had finally come to his senses about what he had done, he slowly released Takanashi Chika beneath him.
"I'm sorry, I lost my composure." He stood up and extended his hand to Takanashi Chinatsu.
With the help of his hand, Takanashi Chinatsu stood up, staggered back a step, and was then steadied by Rai's hand.
Lai placed his hand on Takanashi Chika's shoulder and stood beside her. His voice, which brushed past her ear, was lower and deeper than usual, mellow and husky, like a lover's whisper.
"Thank you for saving me, my goddess."
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Author's Note: Kenji Hagiwara: Chinatsu-chan, don't be fooled!!!
Lei's mouth can make a whole pot of soup rot!
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