The sun set in the west, and as night approached, the temperature began to drop, but Kiyomi Liuli felt a warm radiance within her body, convinced there was nothing more comforting than the silent guardianship of a friend.
She was so moved that she found it difficult to extricate herself from the emotion, but in addition to being moved, she also felt a sense of bewilderment.
So there really were guardian spirits in this world—could it be that ghosts and deities were not figments of imagination but actually real?
Could science not always be right?
Having her worldview turned on its head left her at a loss, and although she instinctively wanted to express doubt, she found herself without the words to do so.
Kota was her best childhood friend, a large dog that had grown up with her, passing away during her fifth year of primary school, and now, even the neighbors who remembered him were few, let alone Nanahara Takeshi, a stranger to her.
Besides, drownings from eleven or twelve years ago and traffic accidents from her elementary days were not things one could discern from appearances, so even with her worldview shaken, she couldn't think of any doubts—spiritual mediumship was the only logical explanation, unscientific as it might be.
It turns out the fool was me all along, speaking nonsense because of blind faith in science...
"Thank you, and... I'm sorry, I apologize for my rudeness before," said Kiyomi Liuli. She might have had a bit of a young girl's petulance, but her upbringing was indeed good, and she wasn't the type to stubbornly refuse to admit fault. Realizing she had misunderstood someone, she immediately lowered her proud head, even feeling a bit stricken, and from then on, dared not call herself "Higashitama Town Intelligence Support," "Famous Detective Miss Liuli" or "Future Famous Detective Chief Inspector Liuli."
Nanahara Takeshi sat on a chair, generously waved his hand and said with a smile, "To know your mistake and correct it is the greatest virtue. We're classmates, after all. Don't worry about the past; it's not worth dwelling on."
"Then, I take my leave, and thank you once again," said Kiyomi Liuli. Though she felt humbled, her service was paid for, but she still thought it right to thank Nanahara Takeshi; otherwise, she might never have known Kota's spirit was still with her, nor would she have noticed Kota's alerts and care.
Nanahara Takeshi smiled and waved, "No problem, goodbye."
Kiyomi Liuli nodded, grabbed her backpack, and turned to leave. After a few steps, looking at the familiar Town District Park, she suddenly felt it to be peculiar—realizing that science couldn't explain everything, and there remained many mysteries in this world that science had yet to solve.
She couldn't help but look back at Nanahara Takeshi and saw him leaning on the back of the chair, observing passersby with interest, his eyes slightly narrowed, a smile playing on his lips. Just from the aura exuding in the dim light, he seemed like a sly fox on the lookout for plump prey, stirring her curiosity once more.
Wait a minute, when he helped that upperclassman "communicate with spirits," she couldn't understand how he did it. Now that he had done the same for her, could there be any deceit involved?
No, she had to figure out exactly what was going on!
With that thought, she spun around, taking two steps for every three, rushed back to Nanahara Takeshi's table, slapped her wallet down on the table, and said earnestly, "I want to purchase the question-and-answer service!"
Nanahara Takeshi looked at her, quite speechless, and asked, "What do you want this time?"
"I want to know how you did it just now!" Kiyomi Liuli insisted with determination on her face. "I'm paying, and I want the truth!" Then she threatened, "You can definitely tell I'm very curious. If I can't figure it out, I'll come to find you every day until I do. You won't have a single day of peace!"
Nanahara, with his peculiar life experience, had never seen a girl quite so... unique as Kiyomi Liuli. He watched her for a moment and then couldn't help but laugh softly.
His target customers were never students—what money did they have, after all? Setting up a stall was only to make a name for himself and increase his fame. Once he had established a reputation and gained some degree of social credibility, he could figure out how to make big news, land on newspapers, and use that as a stepping stone to participate in a few TV variety shows, securing a golden signboard to become a star-level "mystical spiritual medium."
Only then would he have the chance to find real plump prey and rake in the money—students at most had only a few thousand yen in their pockets, and his expenses were high—such a sum was practically useless to him.
He was looking for wealthy bastards, not poor students who hadn't done anything wrong.
Furthermore, he and Kiyomi Liuli did have some connection, teasing her a little was fine, but there really was no need to treat her like a cash cow and fool her.
He chuckled and said, "Alright, but you have to promise not to get angry, and you promise not to mess up my business in the future."
Kiyomi Liuli just wanted to get to the truth and immediately said, "As long as your answer satisfies me, I promise not to be angry, promise not to tell anyone, promise not to ask for the money back, and promise not to affect your stall in the future!"
Truth was more important than money, as long as she could get to the truth, she wouldn't have to rebuild her entire worldview.
Nanahara Takeshi saw her promise and immediately smiled, "The president of the Higashitama Town District Autonomy Committee, Mrs. Kiyomi Koko, is your mother, right?"
If the Town District Autonomy Committee were in China, it would probably be equivalent to a neighborhood office + residents' committee + property management center, but the membership is by election, and mostly consists of housewives (men are busy working), so sometimes it's also called the Mama Club.
Kiyomi Liuli's mother, Kiyomi Koko, is the president of the Higashitama Town Mama Club. It's not that her mother was particularly capable, but because she had a higher social status and was easily respected—which, in Japan, certain professions like teachers, doctors, lawyers, and authors are regarded as "people who can help others" and are often addressed as "teacher" and accorded much respect. Her father was a university professor, the ultimate form of a teacher, and also a part-time author; her mother, by association, became known as the "teacher's wife," so her election as president met with general approval, and she naturally took on the role.
But, what about it?
Kiyomi Liuli, utterly confused, said, "What does my mother being the president of the Mama Club have to do with what's happening now?"
And you want to use that brain for deduction, maybe you should consider changing your hobby, right?
Nanahara Takeshi looked at her speechlessly for a while, then further explained, "There are two types of mind-reading skills: one is cold reading, which I've explained to you before; the other is hot reading skill where you investigate the background of the target person ahead of time, fully understand the target, and thus guide the conversation in a targeted manner during interaction, making it easier for her to accept your psychological guidance."
Kiyomi Liuli's mouth slowly fell open, "You mean..."
"Exactly." Nanahara Takeshi pulled out a "Stall Occupancy Permit," pointed at the personal seal at the bottom with a smile, "I moved to Higashitama Town the day before yesterday, and I visited your mother on the same day. Madam was very hospitable. When she heard I was also going to be enrolled in Private Ikuei High School, she mentioned you, showed me your family photo album, and shared quite a few anecdotes about your childhood."
No wonder you, bastard, knew so much, even events from eleven or twelve years ago—it was all told to you by my mother. You're a charlatan who deserves to be burned by Hell's Karma Fire for a thousand years!
Kiyomi Liuli finally got the picture, and remembering how she had been fooled to the point of tears before, she immediately felt a mix of shame and anger, and her fists clenched hard!
Nanahara Takeshi, with sharp senses for danger, quickly leaned back in evasion and reminded her, "You promised you wouldn't get angry, are you going to break your word now?"
Kiyomi Liuli's frustration was palpable; she wanted to hit him but was unable to do so, and she said through gritted teeth, "You big con artist!"
Nanahara Takeshi sighed, "Why don't you understand? I am a spiritual medium, and a spiritual medium speaks for the departed. If Kota were still alive, he would definitely say the same things to you, remind you to be attentive to traffic safety, not to stay up late often, and to focus on your academics. What's wrong with that?"
"But... but..." Kiyomi Liuli's lips started to quiver, "but my feelings earlier... what I felt then..."
Nanahara Takeshi said, "Forgetting is the beginning of death. As long as you remember him, he is your guardian spirit; nobody can prove his non-existence. So as long as you believe he is still here, he will always be with you."
This was something Kiyomi Liuli couldn't deny. She was utterly out of retorts, and as Nanahara Takeshi saw it was safe, he comfortably sat back down in his chair, ready to finally dismiss her, the troublesome spirit. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, he swiftly pulled her aside, and whispered a reminder, "There goes a cash cow, no, I mean a customer coming. You promised not to ruin my business, remember your own words."
Kiyomi Liuli turned her head in surprise and saw a stylishly dressed middle-aged woman approaching the stall, with two men in black suits following her.
Then she heard Nanahara Takeshi's enthusiastic greeting, "Madam, are you looking for someone?"