Shen Gu Mirai hadn't spoken all this time, but as she watched the direction Beichuan Si was heading, she began to get a sense of it.
Wasn't this the way to Lake Park?
Although she wondered why Beichuan Si would be going to Lake Park at this time, she followed closely behind him with a hint of anticipation, her face full of curiosity.
She couldn't remain quiet for more than a few minutes before she started chattering away,
"Mr. Temple, am I the only one who knows about your extraordinary abilities?"
"Yes."
"What? I noticed you seem to be wary of the police officer, so why not me? I could easily spread the news about you having such abilities."
A thought struck Shen Gu Mirai.
Out of so many people, she was the only one who knew that Beichuan Si had some special abilities. Did this mean he trusted her already?
Very possible!
Her heart was filled with joy. She hadn't expected the stern-faced, broad-browed, big-eyed Beichuan Si to be such a reserved person.
"Geez, if you trust me, you should have told me sooner—"
"You can announce it to the world, for all I care," Beichuan Si said flatly as he glanced at Shen Gu Mirai, "whether others believe it or not is another matter."
Uh—
Being struck by Beichuan Si's nonchalant remark, Shen Gu Mirai almost choked.
After all, everyone wasn't foolish. If Shen Gu Mirai really made a big fuss about it, people would probably just think this girl, who usually had her head in the clouds and loved supernatural stuff, had gone crazy.
Very frustrating.
The key issue was that she didn't know how to argue against Beichuan Si.
"I could even manipulate supernatural energy right in front of you to record, but would anyone believe it?" Beichuan Si looked at the girl, whose face had turned beet red, and shook his head.
This was the twenty-first century, a materialistic world, an era where such transformations weren't supposed to occur post-nationhood.
It was the same in Japan.
Beichuan Si had posted so many short videos and photos on the supernatural webpage, but few really believed that mysterious and bizarre things existed in this world.
After all, girls like Shen Gu Mirai were rare. Even Beichuan Si was occasionally slightly amazed by the girl's ability to accept the strange and new.
"Humph! One day, I'll definitely make everyone in the world believe these things exist!" Shen Gu Mirai huffed and didn't dwell on the topic any longer.
"Good luck," Beichuan Si replied coolly, his tone void of any emotion.
Yet, it was precisely his calm demeanor that left Shen Gu Mirai feeling inexplicably displeased.
However, regardless of her displeasure, aside from the police, Beichuan Si was the only person she could rely on now.
Moreover, given Beichuan Si's abilities, besides her curiosity, she also held a bit of reverence.
After pondering for a moment, she suddenly turned her gaze towards Beichuan Si,
"Mr. Temple, if—"
"No ifs."
"I haven't even finished talking yet!" Shen Gu Mirai stomped her foot.
"...," Beichuan Si.
Beichuan Si gave Shen Gu Mirai a deep look and calmly said,
"In any case, your 'ifs' would be something like, 'If I became your girlfriend, could Beichuan show me that again,' or 'If I handed over my underwear, could Beichuan keep me with you forever?' something like that."
"You're spewing nonsense!" Shen Gu Mirai was so angry she shook all over, her face flushed.
What a joke! Did she look like someone who'd casually become someone else's girlfriend?
"Isn't it?" Beichuan Si asked curiously.
"No, actually what you said was right!" Shen Gu Mirai placed her hands on her hips and nodded confidently.
"...," Beichuan Si.
No longer paying attention to the girl whose brain seemed miswired, Beichuan Si turned and continued towards Lake Park.
"Wait! I could fetch other girls' stuff or introduce some pretty girls to you as girlfriends!"
"...," Beichuan Si.
Beichuan Si already felt a headache coming on, wondering why he brought along such a character.
Perhaps he should forgo the remaining fifty thousand yen?
...
Lake Park was much the same as yesterday, rusty chains holding swings, run-down seesaws, and a children's slide.
As dusk loomed, the scene appeared extraordinarily eerie.
Upon entering, a cold wind rushed over them impatiently from above, skimming over Shen Gu Mirai's scalp and causing a tingling sensation. She buried the lower half of her face into her scarf, while her delicate, petite nose twitched.
The air seemed to carry an underlying scent of blood.
Moreover...
Shen Gu Mirai couldn't tell if it was just her imagination.
It felt as though someone was watching her from the shadows.
"Mr. Temple," Shen Gu Mirai instinctively drew closer to Beichuan Si, her face tightened, "what's the plan now?"
"We're going to find whoever attached malevolent thoughts to you," Beichuan Si answered offhandedly, leaving Shen Gu Mirai dazed.
To find the person who had attached malevolent thoughts to her?
Wasn't that Hoshino Nana? But wasn't Hoshino Nana already dead?
Questions surfaced one after another, yet Shen Gu Mirai tried to stay calm.
She was the kind of girl who knew when to be quiet and when to be talkative.
Thanks to her sensibility, Beichuan Si wasn't distracted by answering her questions and remained focus on surveying the surroundings.
The ghostly energy roiled before his eyes, pulling scarlet threads apart.
The resentment at Lake Park had visibly diminished, likely because the female bodies had all been moved back to the police forensic department.
But there was a spot that seemed different.
Across the lake, resentment soared, as if some entity lingered there.
"It should be over there," Beichuan Si remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Shen Gu Mirai, who appeared raring to go, "do you want to come along?"
"Of course!" Shen Gu Mirai nodded confidently.
"I can't guarantee your safety."
Uh...
Shen Gu Mirai's head shrank back a bit, and after a while, she complained, "You can't say that. We're in this together, aren't you being irresponsible?"
"Let's go," Beichuan Si replied blandly, brushing aside her words.
After thinking for a moment, he unlocked his phone and handed it to Shen Gu Mirai, "When Hoshino Nana's evil spirit appears, I need your help."
"To help you?" Shen Gu Mirai looked bewildered.
How could a girl like her help Beichuan Si? Was she supposed to take his phone and hit the spirit on the head? Could it be that Beichuan Si's phone had some special abilities?
As Shen Gu Mirai mulled it over, she reckoned it might be possible.
Her excitement grew at the thought of testing if Beichuan Si's phone could actually harm evil spirits.
"I mean, you can help by taking a few photos when it happens," Beichuan Si said, his voice calm and unwavering.
"Huh?!"
Shen Gu Mirai opened her mouth, taking her time to recover, "No wonder you aren't interested in my underwear... your type is female ghosts..."
Hearing her words, Beichuan Si didn't answer Shen Gu Mirai. He simply looked at her steadily.
Looked at her steadily—