The night was deep, and Ai Hayasaka exited the bar, her face calm as she walked back.
Though dressed in a flashy style, she had no real interest in the bar's intense atmosphere, so she merely observed from the side, without any intention of joining the dance floor.
Her outfit gave off a first-glance impression of a party girl, but it was, in fact, quite modest.
Moreover, looking like a high school student, some people in the bar thought she was attractive but avoided approaching her to avoid potential trouble.
"Haven't gathered any information…"
Frowning, Ai Hayasaka walked down the street, contemplating her situation. She wasn't there for fun; she had a mission.
Just thinking of the order given by that man, Oko Shinomiya, made her feel nauseous.
But due to family pressure, Ai Hayasaka had no choice but to comply, leaving her feeling helpless.
"Oh? What information are you looking to gather?"
Although she had whispered to herself, sure no one—even a passerby walking right next to her—could hear, a male voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
Clearly, someone had heard her mumbling.
"What!?"
A hint of panic crossed Ai Hayasaka's otherwise calm face as she turned around, only to feel an eerie force appear out of thin air, pressing her firmly against the wall.
Her hands and feet felt as though they were bound by an invisible force, pinning her back against the wall and rendering her unable to move.
She looked down at her limbs but saw nothing there.
Is this… supernatural?
Ai Hayasaka's expression shifted from panic to terror—even after everything she'd been through, this was her first encounter with something so eerie.
At that moment, she heard footsteps—a boy was approaching her.
It was none other than Shin, who had followed Ai Hayasaka out of the bar and overheard her muttering to herself.
For most people, her voice would have been too soft to hear, but Shin had no issue—he knew a technique from the Turtle Hermit School to hear faint sounds through "Ki."
If he wanted to, Shin could even use a mind-reading-like technique from the Turtle Hermit School. In the original series, Master Roshi had used it to peek into others' memories.
"Who… who are you?"
Looking at Shin standing in front of her, Ai Hayasaka asked while trying to break free from the strange force holding her.
But her struggles were clearly in vain; whatever held her limbs in place wouldn't budge.
If one could see a Stand, they'd see her limbs pinned by foggy hands—Blackbird's "Justice" ability had created fog-like forms to restrain her.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you? Don't answer a question with a question."
Shin looked at Ai Hayasaka and said.
"Now, I'm asking the questions. What's your name? What information are you trying to gather?"
"…"
Ai Hayasaka didn't want to answer, but she knew the boy in front of her was behind her restraints, leaving her no choice.
"My name is Ai Hayasaka. I'm here to investigate rumors about a person named Kiryu with supernatural abilities."
"Ai Hayasaka?"
Hearing her name, Shin immediately understood who she was.
So she's the maid from the Shinomiya family. He remembered Ai Hayasaka as the maid of Kaguya Shinomiya, the Shinomiya family's eldest daughter, but actually a spy for Oko Shinomiya.
Clearly, Kaguya wouldn't have sent her on a mission like this, so this was Oko's doing.
A person with supernatural abilities, Kiryu?
It seemed that Kiryu's strange display of destructive power during his turf war last night had attracted some attention.
This made sense—Kiryu and his subordinate could inflict serious injuries on people or even sever limbs without direct contact, which was definitely something paranormal.
While the underworld might suppress such incidents, major powers would inevitably catch wind of it.
Oko Shinomiya had heard some rumors, sparking his curiosity, though it was mild enough that he only sent Ai Hayasaka to investigate.
Kiryu wasn't in the bar tonight, so Ai Hayasaka had been watching the dance floor all night, only to leave empty-handed.
Yesterday, Kiryu mentioned wanting to establish business connections with prominent families, yet one of them had already come to investigate before he could even make a move.
"Interesting. The Shinomiya family is interested in things like this?"
Shin rubbed his chin. He could understand the appeal.
Supernatural abilities—if real—would certainly attract wealthy individuals eager to get involved.
Yet Oko seemed skeptical of the rumors; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent just Ai Hayasaka to investigate.
What could a high school girl hope to uncover? Oko had likely sent her with a "nothing to lose" mentality.
"You… do you know I'm from the Shinomiya family?"
Hearing Shin's words, Ai Hayasaka's expression grew even more complex.
Her mission was to investigate supernatural abilities, though she doubted the rumors herself.
But now, pinned to a wall by an unseen force, it was clear that the rumors were true. The Kiryu gang did have someone with supernatural abilities!
Moreover, Shin's ability to recognize her affiliation with the Shinomiya family upon hearing her name was impressive in itself.
Shin didn't answer her question. Although he had told her not to respond to questions with questions, this rule only applied to those on the weaker side.
Shin had no need to answer Ai Hayasaka's questions, and what could she do about it?
"You should now understand the nature of the supernatural abilities you were investigating. How do you plan to report back to the Shinomiya family?"
"I…"
Hearing his words, Ai Hayasaka was at a loss.
Shin stood before her, capable of restraining her invisibly. He could easily take her life if he wished.
Should she say, "I'll report honestly to the head of the family"? But what if that angered him and led to her immediate death?
But if she said, "I won't say anything"...
Even Ai Hayasaka found that hard to believe. How could a stranger investigating information be trustworthy?
"I… I don't know. Please, tell me what you want me to do."
Finally, perhaps resigning herself, Ai Hayasaka sighed and yielded, showing her willingness to follow Shin's wishes.
Unable to come up with a satisfactory answer herself, she decided it was best to see what Shin wanted her to do.
To be continued…
Hoi Ningen, FBI is after you after going through your search history. Hand over your Power Stones to me so I can bribe them for you winks.
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