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Someone had been to the house.
Although it looked almost the same as when she left, there were subtle discrepancies.
Shen Gu Mirai, a girl with a slight obsession, usually placed her slippers neatly even when she went out, rather than leaving them scattered by the door. The vase near the shoe cabinet also seemed to have been moved; she had a keen sense of discord.
The dark and silent interior amplified her fear.
Shen Gu Mirai's palms began to sweat as a massive sense of dread seemed to compel her to turn and flee from the house.
Yet, Shen Gu Mirai gritted her teeth and stood still, her wide eyes scanning all around.
Behind her was the light from the door lamp, casting a bright glow on the stone path outside the entrance.
The corridor before her was utterly empty, not even a shadow.
The devouring darkness seemed intent on swallowing her whole.
She forcibly suppressed the terror in her heart and reached out to turn on the lights—
In an instant, the entire house became bright, driving away the gloom.
Shen Gu Mirai had never felt so affectionate toward her pink porch light.
She walked directly into the house wearing her boots.
To her left was the living room, and further in on the right was the staircase leading upstairs.
A sofa was placed in the middle of the living room, opposite the television, and in the right corner stood a home air conditioner.
At that moment, the air conditioner was blowing cold air, filling the entire room with an eerie chill.
Indeed, someone had been here!
Furthermore, the person didn't care at all that Shen Gu Mirai would know they had been there.
The air conditioner remote rested on the glass coffee table, but...
Shen Gu Mirai carefully picked up the air conditioner remote.
On the back of the remote, the intruder had haphazardly glued several shiny blades; the sharp edges glinted coldly.
"He didn't care that his clumsy method would be discovered... He simply wanted to express his malice, or perhaps this was just a simple act of intimidation...?"
Through those gleaming blades, she could almost imagine the intruder brazenly breaking into her home, looking around disdainfully before leaving.
Was he trying to communicate "it's no use staying home"?
No matter what message he intended to convey, his purpose truly reached her.
Shen Gu Mirai was curious about everything, but that didn't mean she lacked the fears typical of a girl.
In such a situation, a figure subconsciously flashed across her mind.
Beichuan Si.
What was that guy up to now?
"Tomorrow, I'll find a chance to ask him."
Shen Gu Mirai collapsed onto the sofa, her nerves, which had been tightly wound, finally relaxed.
Anyway, the other person's goal for today had already been achieved; nothing else should happen tonight, at least today was safe.
But the danger still lurked in the shadows, watching her with scarlet eyes—
Unknowingly, Shen Gu Mirai's back was soaked with cold sweat.
...
"Welcome home, Mr. Temple." Beichuan Huili greeted warmly from the doorway.
After today's New Year visit, Beichuan Huili felt much closer to her brother.
She also discovered that Beichuan Si wasn't as eccentric and solitary as she had imagined; he was just a bit silent and reserved.
Overall, Beichuan Si was still a gentle older brother.
Today's New Year visitors were in a throng, and if Beichuan Si hadn't held her hand tightly, she would've been swept away, not knowing where she might have ended up. Later, Beichuan Si even took her to drink sweet sake and draw lots—for the first time since their father's death.
Beichuan Huili got lucky and drew a "medium blessing," but in return, Beichuan Si's luck was not so good; he drew a "great misfortune."
Being a native of Japan, it was Beichuan Huili's first time seeing such a lot.
Written in heavy brushstrokes were:
"The people you meet will not meet you, the things you aspire to will not be achieved, and your thoughts are all illusory."
Although Beichuan Si didn't seem to care much, today, Beichuan Huili came home early, carefully folded Beichuan Si's "great misfortune" lot and her "medium blessing" lot into a triangle and hung them under the eaves, hoping to ward off disaster and bring fortune.
She prayed fervently:
"May the gods protect Mr. Temple."
"Mm, I'm back." Beichuan Si's expression softened somewhat upon seeing Beichuan Huili, and he reached to remove his scarf.
"Mr. Temple, the hot water is ready. Would you like to take a bath first?"
"Let's do that." Beichuan Si had no objections to Beichuan Huili's arrangements, and as he lowered his head to change into slippers, his gaze momentarily sharpened. He asked unusually calmly, "Did someone come to our house today, Huili?"
"Ah... There was a delivery man who came by and left this." Beichuan Huili turned around to pick up a corrugated box from the shoe cabinet, her small, cute face sporting a peculiar expression:
"Um, I don't know what it is, but since it was addressed to Mr. Temple, I didn't open it."
"Mm." Beichuan Si took the box nonchalantly.
Feeling the weight inside, he had a rough idea.
No need to open it now and risk startling Beichuan Huili.
Unhurriedly, he carried the box upstairs, placing it securely before returning.
After greeting Beichuan Huili, Beichuan Si immersed himself in hot water.
The warmth enveloped him, akin to a mother's womb, with the rising steam soothing his entire body.
Having a capable sister was indeed a blessing; she knew precisely what you needed.
Thinking back, his former self was truly ungrateful, coldly ignoring such an affectionate sister, as if afraid that even speaking might cause her to melt away.
Moreover—
"The underwear thief..." The thought of the moniker Shen Gu Mirai had used gave Beichuan Si a headache.
He truly didn't care much about people's opinions, but the idea that the former version of himself might have actually stolen underwear was unsettling even for someone like him.
It was like muddy water spilled on his pants; denying it was difficult.
Granted, it was possible that someone had bullied the former Beichuan Si, but given his silent nature, he was a bit of an introvert possibly.
That was what troubled Beichuan Si the most; he didn't even know if the former Beichuan Si was that kind of person.
Thinking about it now was useless anyway; tomorrow marked the start of Kyubei High School, and he'd consider it then.
After splashing some hot water on his face, Beichuan Si changed into his pajamas and exited the bathroom.
In the living room, Beichuan Huili was watching her favorite animal program without blinking.
Not wanting to disturb her, Beichuan Si quietly went back upstairs and brought out the box.
"It should be that."
Keeping a straight face, Beichuan Si extracted a small knife and cut open the tape on the corrugated box.
Centered inside, cushioned by transparent air-filled plastic, lay something chilling.
Right in front of him were ten pale fingers.
A pair of human arms, cleaned spotless.
They lay within the box like art.
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