Chinatsu Chiyuki looked at his decisive departing figure, and the corners of her mouth twitched.

However, bad things came in threes, and Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi's slightly teasing voice rang out behind her. "Chiyuki, can you now tell me what your relations.h.i.+p with that boy is?"

"Uh…" Chinatsu Chiyuki turned around in amazement, not expecting Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi to see through her story.

Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi's gaze was still very friendly, and she was not angry with Chinatsu Chiyuki for lying to her at all. She looked at her warmly. "I know. Chiyuki must have brought that boy over because of Risa, right? But now that he has left, I have some questions that I have to ask."

Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi had lived a long time and was quite capable of sizing people up. Besides, the j.a.panese adult circle was way more complicated than that of high school students. Chinatsu Chiyuki's poor acting could not fool her.

Under Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi's gentle gaze, Chinatsu Chiyuki knew that she could not hide it any longer. She coughed dryly and said without much confidence, "He is a cla.s.smate at Kyokuboku High School… At the same time, he is also known as the blogger of the 'Office of Paranormal Activities'."

"Office of Paranormal Activities?" Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi blinked in puzzlement.

She was not like the youngsters who liked to watch horror videos or liked paranormal things such as urban legends, so she did not know much about this.

"Well… the simple explanation would be… Kitagawsan came just now to help Risa exorcise… exorcise the grudge." Chinatsu Chiyuki simply came clean.

In fact, Kitagawa Tera had also conveniently drawn the grudge on her out.

Feeling her body was finally light, Chinatsu Chiyuki gradually became confident as she spoke.

"Exorcise the grudge?" Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi furrowed her thin eyebrows and looked at Chinatsu Chiyuki, wondering if she had been cheated.

She had also hired exorcists during the last month, but most of them were frauds that did not have any real capability.

But Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi understood Chinatsu Chiyuki's character. Chinatsu Chiyuki was much more astute than ordinary little girls, and few could swindle her.

But—No point thinking so much. I might as well take a look.

After knowing what was going on, Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi stood up and went upstairs with Chinatsu Chiyuki again.

Standing in front of Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa's room again, Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi hesitated for a bit.

The abnormal cold air was no longer coming out from the room, causing her heart to quicken.

What if it was really successful?

Immediately, she shook her head in self-mockery.

She had already been through many disappointments, so what was being disappointed once again.

But as a mother, who could bear to see her own child getting thinner and weaker day after day?

Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi's hand was shaking, but she still opened the door of the cold room.

The room behind the door had changed.

The afternoon sunlight shone in from the window, bringing a touch of warmth to the cold and cruel room. The newspapers sealing the room had been ripped off and piled up.

The pale-looking Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa was leaning against the headboard, gazing at the scenery outside the window.

She did not know what had happened to her room or why she was not in cla.s.s during the day but instead at home.

She only felt that she seemed to have had a very long dream.

Maybe because she had just woken up, Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa's consciousness was not clear. After sitting there dazed for a while, she turned to look at Chinatsu Chiyuki and Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi, seeming to have just noticed their presence.

"Mom? Chiyuki?" Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa showed a surprised look. "Why are you in my room?"

Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa's voice suddenly stopped.

Because her mother suddenly hugged her without saying anything.

"Mom?" Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa was slightly puzzled but still gently patted her mother's back.

She clearly felt Tsukis.h.i.+ma Ryoumi's body tremble slightly.

What's going on?

Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa was a little confused and appeared to have some memories, but she could not recall them for now.

While Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa was confused, Chinatsu Chiyuki was watching this scene and sniffled a little, but her tears did not fall in the end.

Only at this point did she belatedly understand what Kitagawa Tera meant by 'too troublesome' before he left.

He probably felt that since he had received the remuneration, there was no need to accept the grat.i.tude of the Tsukis.h.i.+ma family.

Kitagawa Tera's expressionless face appeared in Chinatsu Chiyuki's mind, causing her heart to palpitate.

Could this be a deadpan tsundere[1]?

While she was thinking of this, Kitagawa Tera, who was already a distance away, seemed to sense it and turned to take a look in the direction of the Tsukis.h.i.+mas' house.

The harvest this time wasn't bad. Kitagawa Tera turned around.

Not only did he get the 100,000 yen remuneration, but he had also obtained an additional nice little thing.

Kitagawa Tera took the small ghastly white ball from his pocket.

This ball had a smooth surface and holes in the middle on both sides, appearing to be the movable ball joint of a puppet.

It seems like I overestimated the wraith in the abandoned Miki Puppet Factory. Kitagawa Tera pondered.

Although being able to spread grudge through a medium was close to the capability of an intermediate wraith, there was still a gap from attaining that level.

Kitagawa Tera had more confidence in exorcising the other party.

As for the origin of this ball…

He had discovered it under Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa's desk, and it was the source of the emanation of all the grudge. It was also the main culprit causing Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa's and Chinatsu Chiyuki's minds to wander.

This could also explain why Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa was the only one who had mental issues despite the many people who went along.

But why did Tsukis.h.i.+ma Risa go to that kind of place and even bring this thing back?

There might be something else to it.

But it has nothing to do with me. Kitagawa Tera frowned, then shook his head, and placed the ghastly white small ball back into his bag.

After a prolonged corruption in grudge, this ball was the best shelter for wandering spirits.

Kitagawa Tera had encountered so many wraiths and wanted to try to catch a wraith and lock it into the ball.

Could a wraith be tamed? Could he then use it?

If possible, he even wanted to dissect the wraith after obtaining confirmation.

After all, as the saying went, 'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.'

Clearly understanding the structure of wraiths and their weaknesses would be useful to Kitagawa Tera, as he believed he would have fewer problems dealing with these spirits and strange phenomena in the future.

And this ghastly white ball was the best dissection table.

In conclusion, Kitagawa Tera, who had obtained all kinds of benefits, was in a good mood.

And just as he was about to walk home, he saw a familiar figure at the corner of the street.

Isn't that Asamiya Hitomi?

Kitagawa Tera silently followed her.

[1] Tsundere is a j.a.panese term for a character development process that depicts a person who is initially cold before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time.