In the detective agency, in order to drink an extra bottle of soda, Edogawa Ranpo is working hard on the commissioned mission.

But it's not entirely true to say that he was working entirely for soda.

Soda itself is indeed a delicious drink, but what attracted Edogawa Ranpo more was the fact that he could get extra snacks from the president in a legitimate way, as well as some possible compliments, which was also his goal.

After finishing the previous conversation with Fukuzawa Yukichi, the young detective had a strong desire to vent in his heart, and he wanted to make Fukuzawa Yukichi acknowledge his ability.

Maybe he can't bear to see himself working so hard while some people are just slacking off.

After the detective finished all the cases on the table, Dazai Osamu, who had been slacking off on the side, was immediately caught by the angry detective.

"Dazai, since you are so free, please go get me a bottle of soda." Edogawa Ranpo righteously ordered Dazai Osamu, and he did not feel guilty at all about ordering him to do odd jobs.

Although they are both people who cannot see ghosts and gods, Dazai Osamu is able to get rid of the influence of ghosts and gods to a large extent due to his special ability. He is often able to participate in such missions, which has long made Edogawa Ranpo a little dissatisfied and envious.

"Aren't I working, Mr. Ranpo?" The black-haired young man in a light-colored windbreaker waved the documents in his hand at the detective and gave an innocent smile, which made Edogawa Ranpo very unhappy.

“Tsk.”

The detective groaned in dissatisfaction and, with his keen observation skills, mercilessly exposed the lies of the new detective agency member.

"You're obviously so bored that you're teasing an old man."

The detective, who had only recently been able to vaguely see these so-called ghosts and gods, immediately caught his colleague's mistake and said triumphantly.

"What? - So Ranpo-san can already see ghosts and gods?"

After hearing this, Dazai Osamu complained in a sticky tone, and seemed to be very interested in the fact that Edogawa Ranpo could see ghosts and gods.

"Of course, I'm a person with special abilities!" The detective's expression immediately became proud.

But soon his voice dropped again, and his eyes drifted away, as if he was a little embarrassed, muttering softly: "Although it happened in the past few months, and I can't see what the president is talking about at all."

"That being said, I am innocent. I never took the initiative to tease these little guys. It's obvious that they came to me on their own initiative."

Dazai Osamu looked at the wrinkled ghost named Old Man who looked like a sprouted potato without changing his expression. He suddenly appeared at his feet, and after moving away from him because of an obstacle, he quickly disappeared into the air and showed an innocent smile again.

"After all, I really can't see anything." Ignoring the black-haired detective's jumping around, the black-haired young man spoke to himself.

"And if you can really see it, what on earth is a slug?"

********

The death of Officer Tateda itself was shrouded in mystery, and the disappearance of the jade pendant and the involvement of Mrs. Hachisha made the truth of the case even more confusing.

Haiyin Temple Suyou made many guesses in his mind, but he denied them one by one.

It is not known whether Mr. Tateda's previous mission was related to his death, but according to the situation at the scene, it seems that it was Lady Hachisha who took away the Jade Bodhisattva, and this ghost's obsession with the wooden earrings in Haiyin Temple seems to give us some clues.

But there are still some questions that cannot be resolved.

"But why? This doesn't make sense. Why do ghosts and gods need things to ward off evil?" Haiyin Temple Suyou was puzzled.

Lady Hachisha's greedy look at the wooden plaque he wore was still vivid in her mind, but this made the logic of the ghost's actions even more difficult to understand.

Under normal circumstances, there are only a few possible paths for ghosts and gods to take.

To satisfy their need for food, they devour their own kind or humans who can see them, while some of the more powerful ghosts and gods have a more terrifying pursuit, which is to gain faith.

Neither wooden amulets nor jade Bodhisattvas appear in the recipes of ghosts and gods, so it seems that the only explanation is the power of seizing faith. The fact that Lady Hachisha has become this level now is probably related to its hunting behavior over time.

"But why?" Even though he had guessed Lady Hachisha's purpose, Kaiinji Suyou still didn't understand how this ghost gained faith through such behavior.

It was also at this time that another idea came into his mind.

His earrings were specially obtained by his parents from a famous Zen master at Sojiji Temple, and the Bodhisattva statue of Officer Tate was also obtained from Sojiji Temple.

Such a coincidence gave Haiyin Temple Suyou some other ideas. If it was really as he thought, and the problem lay with Zongji Temple, then the situation might be more complicated and terrifying than he had imagined before.

If something goes wrong at Sojiji Temple, one of the three major psychic clubs in Yokohama, things will become extremely troublesome.

But no matter what, Haiyin Temple has its reasons for finding out the truth. He has been involved and cannot escape.

Calming himself down, he continued to observe the situation over there using his disguised identity.

The little king's arbitrary actions did attract the attention of the priest.

"So, what exactly is your purpose?" the priest couldn't help but ask.

As far as he was able to understand, there was no information about this child. Even though he was repeatedly reminded to be careful, it was human nature that could not be avoided, and inappropriate curiosity still arose in his heart.

"ha?"

The boy who was sitting at the dining table, observing the body of Officer Tateda without any fear, finally paid him a tiny bit of his attention.

"Of course I came here to fulfill the wishes of my people and claim my reward, but I found out that I was beaten to it by a malicious guy. I, Lord Michel, am very, very unhappy."

The blond boy turned his face away. The policemen's gazes made him somewhat depressed. The boy held his chin in his hand, swinging his legs angrily and complaining.

Because of this venting movement, the little king's dress was glowing with a dark glow that only Fukuzawa Yukichi, the priests, and the bullet screen could see. It made him look like an angry glowing night light. His cute appearance attracted screams from the bullet screen.

"I can also make a wish using the power of the vest, right?" Haiyin Temple Suyou suddenly had an idea and asked the system.

[Of course.] The reply in the red notebook was very crisp.

The little king who called himself Lord Michel suddenly stood on the table. The boy raised his head, and his short golden hair like the sun swayed slightly with his movement.

Such a vibrant color, set against the dark light floating around the boy, reveals a decadent vitality.

"Well, but it can be combined now."

The little king took a critical look at the dead man and muttered as he took off the necklace from around his neck.

After leaving the boy's neck, the radiance emitted by the uniquely shaped necklace seemed even more eye-catching.

At least that was what Fukuzawa Yukichi saw, but the silver-haired swordsman noticed that the police officers around him who did not have psychic abilities did not seem to notice this bizarre and strange light.

The boy easily hung a necklace made of two large snakes, one black and one white, around the neck of the man who had been dead for a long time.

The police officer who was examining the body nearby should have stopped the boy, but he was stunned for a moment when the young Wang Liuli's blue eyes swept across him.

When he came to his senses and wanted to take another action, he was stopped by the priest standing beside him, so he had to give up.

"What do you want to do with this corpse?" The priest looked calm, but he was still respectful to the younger party.

"Of course, I will let my beloved people fulfill their wishes themselves."

The boy with sunshine-like hair took a step back, holding his head and looking at his achievements carefully. He seemed satisfied as he spoke, and the traces between his brows also relaxed a little.

The success of getting the necklace on the man's corpse seemed to have made the little king feel a little better, and his tone became much lighter.

The white and black light was like some extremely smooth silk, starting from the pendant and slowly covering Officer Tateda's entire body, like a strangulation expert in the rainforest tenderly wrapping his prey.

The materialized light filled all the gaps and edges of the corpse, expanding evenly and invading gently, transforming the adult's body into a smooth and original shape.

A return to simplicity and nature constitutes the form of all things in this world.

A cell of this universe.

An "egg".

A round "egg" covered with flowing light and full of life.

It was like the end of an absurd tragicomedy, and the actions of all the police officers present seemed to be suddenly paused.

Everyone held their breath and watched the movements coming from the "egg", afraid of missing any moment.

The shell of the "egg" does not seem to be as hard as imagined, but soft and elastic.

And something inside was pulsating slowly, just like a fetus moving its limbs in its mother's womb, creating a moving bulge on the belly of that great woman.

Suddenly, as everyone held their breath——

A hand belonging to an adult man tore off the "shell" and exposed it to the cool night air.

A terrifying concept came to the minds of the police officers at the same time.

Officer Tateda, who had been dead for a long time, came back to life.

In other words, "born" again.