Editor: Atlas Studios
Beichuan Si had just arrived in Yashan City and did not want to stir up trouble, so he soon went to the guesthouse he had booked online in advance. After a al, he took a hot spring bath under the enthusiastic guidance of the hostess.
Of course, while bathing, Nishijou Kurenai, who had been clinging to his shoulder, was left in the room to play.
He did not yet have any intention of harming minors.
"Whew..." Amidst the misty hot spring, Beichuan Si let out a heavy sigh and began sorting his thoughts as usual.
Now that he was in Yashan City, what he needed to do next was very simple.
Beichuan’s thoughts were spinning.
First, the abandoned Xucha High School was a place he had to check out. If possible, it would be best to enter during the day, as visibility was good, and he wouldn’t have to carry a flashlight, leaving his hands free.
The second thing was for Beichuan to et with a forr teacher from Xucha High School.
The other day, when he asked Gangye Yoshiko to investigate the files, it wasn’t just about the Xucha High School fire but also to get contact information for the teachers who dispersed to other schools after the ergency closure.
Ten years had passed, and everything had changed.
Beichuan contacted people through various ans, but he could only reach one of the old teachers from that ti.
That old teacher now lived in Yashan City, saving Beichuan the ti to travel elsewhere.
The third thing was investigating the graduates of that class from Xucha High School.
Since Xucha High School was closed urgently after the fire, so paper records might have been left in the school’s library. Beichuan’s investigation might yield unexpected results, so going to the library was an inevitable choice.
As Beichuan pondered silently, he suddenly heard sothing splashing into the hot spring.
Beichuan focused his gaze and discovered that at so point, a little girl doll wrapped in small white cloth strips was floating on the surface of the hot spring.
Those eyes, seemingly alive, appeared to sense that Beichuan had already noticed her. The doll’s body trembled and quickly floated across the water, drifting toward the depths of the spring.
Her speed had a sense of cutting through waves.
"..." Beichuan.
Without changing his expression, Beichuan pulled his towel from the small stool behind him and wrapped it around his waist.
After doing all that, Beichuan got up and walked to Nishijou Kurenai, tugging at her doll’s small ears. He stepped out of the hot spring, opened the door, and, expressionless, tossed her out.
Having swiftly completed this sequence of actions, Beichuan no longer felt like continuing to soak in the hot spring. He roughly dried himself off and then changed into the yukata from the clothing basket.
By the ti he opened the door again, Nishijou Kurenai had already vanished down the corridor.
Beichuan paid no mind to this. After the hot spring, he only wanted a good night’s sleep to prepare for tomorrow’s scouting.
He opened the door and discovered Nishijou Kurenai leaning against the wall, her doll’s small head watching the television replaying the Red and White Song Battle for who knows how many tis, her body entirely drenched.
Although the room had heating, being like this wasn’t good for one’s health.
Beichuan rubbed his chin.
He didn’t know if the Spiritual Body would catch a cold or show other symptoms of discomfort, so he simply took a hairdryer to Nishijou Kurenai’s doll.
Sensing Beichuan’s actions, Nishijou Kurenai seed to act like she was sulking, her doll’s head humanly tilting to one side—
Only to be picked up by Beichuan and blown with the hairdryer.
Even from a few centiters away, Beichuan could sense the surprise in Nishijou Kurenai’s gaze.
He didn’t care, using the hairdryer to warm her as he said,
"Your mother asked to take good care of you. Since I promised her, I must do it."
"Perhaps you haven’t accepted in your heart yet, but this is already the reality. So whether or not you hate , I won’t let you grow crooked and beco useless... a ghost. I will treat you as I would my sister and teach you."
"Of course, apart from , no one else can bully you."
"I promise."
Beichuan sat on the tatami mat, his eyes clear and his gaze earnest without a hint of deceit.
He sat upright, releasing his grip on Nishijou Kurenai, staring at her intently, waiting for her response.
After a long ti under Beichuan’s gaze, Nishijou Kurenai’s doll’s small head slowly turned, her round little feet clumsily standing up, taking step by step toward him.
She slowly climbed onto Beichuan’s lap, struggling to tug at his yukata’s long collar, climbing to his shoulder, and finally, her chubby little hands gently hugged Beichuan’s cheek.
Beichuan’s face was nestled against Nishijou Kurenai’s little face.
Beichuan could feel the slight tremble of the doll.
With her mother gone, and following Beichuan all alone, no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t find peace.
"..." Beichuan remained silent.
He knew that nothing he said at this ti would help, so he simply reached out and patted Nishijou Kurenai’s small head.
After a while, Nishijou Kurenai finally released her chubby doll hands, plopping onto Beichuan’s right shoulder with a soft sound.
"Sleep now," Beichuan said in a calm voice.
This made Nishijou Kurenai relax further, and the entire little doll lay quietly.
Once the doll was completely quiet, Beichuan put her into the bed on the other side, feeling a bit emotional inside.
Nishijou Kurenai was truly pitiful. Her mother, Nishijou Misaki, vanished after avenging herself, leaving only her behind.
The evil had been punished, but the scars left behind were impossible to erase with ti.
Beichuan rubbed his temples and glanced at the ti.
It was already past ten o’clock at night, the wind howling outside the window, and the warmth inside the room was hypnotizing.
Whether the world was warm or cold, Beichuan could not care less.
He stretched lazily—
Just wanting to rest quickly.
...
The next day, Beichuan got up as usual, putting Nishijou Kurenai, who sohow ended up on him, into the closet before changing clothes and then retrieving her after she repeatedly knocked on the closet door.
Feeling the slightly resentful expression on the doll’s face, Beichuan remained indifferent.
He had to change clothes, after all. He couldn’t let a little girl like Nishijou Kurenai see that.
So in that regard, he was justified and confident.
"Let’s go," Beichuan said, placing Nishijou Kurenai into his scarf, leaving only a small part of her head exposed.
From a distance, nothing in Beichuan’s scarf was visible.
After doing all this, Beichuan brought his wallet, slid open the Japanese-style door, and decisively left.
Today’s goal was straightforward and simple.
Set off to scout Xucha High School!
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