Chapter 158: Super-Quant Club's Field Investigation, Twisted and Crazy Soul
Hearing her sister Haruno's name, Yukino's expression changed obviously.
Just as Haruno seemed indifferent on the surface but actually cared very much about her sister Yukino.
As the younger sister, Yukino's feelings for her sister were very complicated, but one point was undeniable.
Although she didn't want to become Haruno, she also admired Haruno, who could solve everything smoothly and possessed excellent talents.
Yukino always had a doubt in her heart.
Why did a sister with such a personality become lovers with her classmate Yoru?
How did the two meet?
Not only Haruno, but even her mother's attitude when talking to Yoru was different from treating ordinary people, not a superior treating a subordinate, but an equal negotiation.
The truth of the world?
Yukino felt she was only one step away, just the last piece of the puzzle, to put all these things together.
"The aptitude sufficient to become an internal member you mentioned..."
Yukino asked in a plain tone.
"Refers to what?"
Yoru waved his hand, replying nonchalantly.
"Regarding this point, you need to show it to me during the investigation process yourself."
Yukino's eyes looked somewhat conflicted. She raised her hand to tuck her black hair behind her ear, thinking silently in her heart.
What is certain is that this Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Investigation and Research Club is not as simple as she originally imagined.
What exactly is the true goal of this club?
What kind of role does her sister Haruno play in it?
Finally, Yukino made up her mind.
"I can assist your investigation."
But immediately after, Yukino had a very solemn expression, her tone exceptionally serious.
"However, you must promise me that during the investigation, you will not do any dangerous things that will draw fire to yourself. Even if you really track down the identity of that Teru Teru Bozu Killer, notify the Police Department immediately and leave these things to professionals, can you do that?"
Hearing this, Yoru chuckled and teased.
"Yukinoshita-san, are you concerned about my personal safety?"
Unexpectedly, Yukino actually just hesitated slightly, then nodded and admitted directly.
"Mmhmm, yes."
Noticing Yoru's slightly strange gaze, Yukino blushed slightly, turned her face away, maintaining a plain tone, but her voice was somewhat nervously twisting.
"Please don't misunderstand; I just think because of you, such a club exists."
"You also told my mother that this club is an important reason I can stay in Sobu High."
"I don't want to transfer to Private Shuchiin Academy, so this club must continue."
"It's not out of personal concern; I... I just want to stay in Sobu High, don't overthink it."
Facing Yukino's consecutive explanatory sentences, Yoru just used that familiar, seemingly rotten, dragged-out ending tone to reply with one word.
"Sure~"
"You guy..."
Yukino bit her silver teeth lightly, glaring at Yoru hatefully, thinking this guy's reaction is so calm, making it seem like she is making a guilty confession.
Just as she wanted to say something, a very light sound rang in the living room.
Grumble~
Hearing this sound, Yoru looked at Yukino, whose face was flushed and looked very embarrassed, and smiled.
"Hungry? Then let's go out to buy something to eat."
"...Okay."
Yukino stood up. When following Yoru to the entryway, she noticed a can of Pepsi Cola and a crystal ball that didn't look very expensive but was very beautiful placed on the cabinet beside.
"This can of Cola... is from the first day of school..."
Halfway through speaking, Yukino already knew she misspoke and immediately shut her mouth.
Unfortunately, what a sharp figure Yoru was. He immediately found her flaw and delivered a fatal blow.
"So Yukinoshita-san has been secretly observing me since the first day of school?"
Yukino snorted lightly and said faintly.
"I just have the habit of observing everyone around me."
"Sure."
....
Next afternoon, Sobu High, inside Class 1-A classroom.
"After school later, the summer vacation officially begins."
Hiratsuka Shizuka stood behind the podium, looking at the students in the classroom with a smile.
"This semester, I am very satisfied with everyone's performance. Although summer vacation is free, you must also pay attention to safety, minimize going out at night, especially girls, do you all understand?"
"Understood."
Hearing the students' uniform answer, Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded with satisfaction.
"Good, then see you next semester, everyone."
As a teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka had good points and bad points.
The good point was that compared to students' grades, she valued the cultivation of personal thoughts and morals more.
The bad point...
Hiratsuka Shizuka liked to rot (slack off).
If it were in the past, whenever students had a vacation, she would be overjoyed, enjoying the long free time.
But this time...
Before leaving the classroom, Hiratsuka Shizuka glanced at Yoru sitting in the corner by the window.
A summer vacation as long as two months made her feel so long for the first time.
.....
Half an hour later, inside the Super-Quant Club room.
Seeing Yukino also join today's internal meeting, Rio's gaze carried a bit of doubt, tentatively glancing at Yoru.
The moment their gazes met, she understood the opponent's meaning.
Can talk, but can't talk about everything.
What is called tacit understanding?
This is tacit understanding.
"About the matter mentioned before..."
Rio pushed her glasses frame, took out her phone and placed it on the table, pointing to a news report on it.
"The home address of one of the victims, which is her death scene, has been found."
"News?"
Seeing the obviously secretly taken photo of a single-family apartment in this news report, Yukino couldn't help frowning.
"Isn't reporting such private information prohibited?"
"No choice."
Because of being a former national idol actress, Mai obviously understood the dirty side of media and journalists better than ordinary people, sighing slightly.
"After all, when the corpse of this victim was found, it was hanging outside the balcony on the second floor of her home, and it was in a residential area. Passersby saw it; wanting to hide it was impossible."
Yukino was even more puzzled upon hearing this.
"But shouldn't such reports that disclose the victim's home address and infringe on the privacy of the victim's family bear legal responsibility?"
"Not that simple."
Mai shook her head, disgust showing in her eyes, her attitude towards media and journalists already evident.
"A long time ago, those second and third-rate small media came up with a way to evade responsibility, creating a so-called anonymous submission method."
"Since it's anonymous, naturally the reporter can't be tracked down, and bearing so-called legal responsibility is out of the question."
"As for the small media's responsibility? If the matter really blows up, they will just publish an apology letter, claim their review wasn't strict, and take down that news report."
"But even if the news report disappears, the harm caused to the people involved cannot be made up."
"Media only needs popularity, as for conscience? They don't have such a thing."
The members present heard these words and all showed righteous indignation.
Relatives murdered in such a cruel way, the victim's family in grief, yet suffering harassment from unscrupulous media.
This is simply too...
Disgusting beyond words.
Looking at the photo in the news report, Yoru looked at Miko.
"How about it, can you see anything?"
Miko shook her head.
"Just from this photo, no discoveries."
Yukino aside was very puzzled, thinking could Yotsuya Miko-san's hidden identity be a famous detective?
Otherwise, why did Yoru ask the opponent if she could see anything from the photo?
"Continuing to discuss here is meaningless."
Yoru stood up, looked at the Super-Quant Club internal members in front of him, and said faintly.
"Follow the previous arrangement. Miko, Rio, Tuanzi, Mai, Yukinoshita-san, and I will go visit the victim's family together and scout the victim's death location."
"If we can find clues, gather at Mai's house tomorrow. That's it."
....
An hour later, outside a two-story single-family house in a residential area of Kyoto city.
"This is the place."
Seeing the members really planning to go in, Yukino frowned slightly, hesitating.
"Visiting so rashly like this, isn't it a bit... too offensive?"
Yukino had never thought.
She, who was always outspoken and easily offended people, would actually one day advise others on etiquette issues.
Mainly...
Visiting without any reason like this, and when a relative had just passed away, how could the victim's family have a good face?
This is too outrageous.
"Then you can stay outside."
Seeing Yoru reply casually, Yukino felt very helpless.
With her identity, she indeed had no right to interfere with this so-called investigation.
According to Yoru's abstract personality, doing such behavior that seemed very outrageous in the eyes of normal people, Yukino didn't feel much surprised.
But Mai, Yui, Rio, Miko, these girls who usually looked very normal, why were they also fooling around with him?
Could it be...
They were infected?
Your mental illness also has a transmission effect?
What Cthulhu Evil God?
While Yukino was thinking secretly, Yoru had already led everyone to the door of this two-story apartment and raised his hand to knock.
After nearly half a minute.
The door opened a tiny crack. The crisp sound of the security chain being pulled to the limit could be heard.
From the crack, it was a middle-aged man's face with stubble, looking sluggish and heavy.
The middle-aged man's voice was a bit hoarse.
"Are you... journalists?"
Yoru stepped aside slightly, pointed to Mai behind him, and replied with a smile.
"You should know her, right? Actress Sakurajima Mai, can we go in to talk?"
The middle-aged man hesitated slightly, eventually nodding.
"Okay."
Before opening the door, he had already observed through the peephole.
Yoru and others didn't look like journalists at all, all looking like high school students.
Otherwise, the middle-aged man absolutely wouldn't have opened the door.
After entering, everyone could smell a waft of lit incense floating in the house.
"No need to change shoes, it's fine."
The middle-aged man led everyone to the living room. What caught the eye was a portrait photo of a girl with dyed blonde hair smiling brightly, and an incense stick burning in the burner.
For such a setup, Miko was very familiar.
Just like the one her mother arranged after her father died, it was a utensil used to commemorate the deceased at home.
"May I ask what business you have?"
Looking at the middle-aged man's face, Yui pursed her lips, saying carefully.
"Excuse me... are you Sato Asako's father?"
"Yes."
Sato Asako was the name of this murdered girl.
"Please accept our condolences."
Looking at the middle-aged man's aged and sluggish look, the Super-Quant Club members couldn't help feeling heavy in their hearts.
Losing a daughter in middle age... and the daughter died in such an appalling and painful way, they couldn't even imagine the pain in the opponent's heart.
After Yui said this sentence, Mai actively took over the topic.
"The reason for visiting you so rashly this time is actually because I want to use my identity to call on people in society to work together to find the real culprit who committed such a vicious case."
Hearing this, Sato Asako's father nodded indifferently.
"Oh, is that so..."
His eyes looked as silent as dead ashes, completely without the slightest light.
Mai was obviously also doing such a heavy topic for the first time, but for the goal of this trip, she still continued to speak.
"Could you take us to see... the place where Sato Asako-san was found?"
The middle-aged man waved his hand.
"Just on the second floor, the leftmost room, go up yourselves."
"Okay."
Mai gave a look to Miko. The two went up to the second floor together and came to the leftmost room.
After opening the door carefully, the scene catching the eye was very normal.
Just an ordinary high school girl's room, with a bear-like plush toy placed by the pillow.
The room was cleaned very neatly. Through a transparent glass door, outside was a small balcony.
After closing the door gently, Miko scanned the furnishings in the room and said softly.
"Open your eyes, Hyakume."
Accompanying her call, Hyakume, wearing a kimono and wooden clogs, with a linen cloth tied over her eyes, appeared in the room.
"Take a look if you can find anything."
Hyakume nodded slightly in response: "Okay."
Immediately after, she slowly raised her hand and uncovered the linen cloth covering her eyes.
In her right eye socket was that eyeball belonging to the Slaughtering Ghost.
As a Grim Reaper hunting Yokai, the eyeball of the Slaughtering Ghost possessed very special abilities.
As long as there were traces left by evil spirits, no matter how long ago or how tiny, they couldn't escape the search of this eye.
Plus Hyakume herself also belonged to a Soul True Body inclined towards investigation type.
It could be called a match made in heaven.
"This is..."
Hyakume paced back and forth scanning the room, finally stopping in front of the glass door leading to the balcony, murmuring to herself.
"There are traces, but this kind of trace..."
Miko and Mai walked over, only to see Hyakume pointing to the handle of the glass door, saying faintly.
"On this, there are a few residual traces."
Mai hurriedly asked.
"So to say, it was indeed done by an evil spirit?"
"No."
Hyakume shook her head, the expression on her face showing bewilderment.
"This trace indeed looks very much like the residual aura of an evil spirit, but also a bit different... It seems not just an evil spirit, but also that kind of twisted soul trace..."
"Eh? Twisted soul?"
Mai's pupils shrank upon hearing this.
"You mean... this matter wasn't simply done by an evil spirit... but that kind of evil spirit occupying a human body and able to disguise as a human?"
"Hard to say."
Hyakume shook her head, replying softly.
"Such distortion and madness, whether it's an evil spirit manipulating a human body, or a human taking dominance with a soul and desires twisted to the extreme, I can't tell."
.....
Meanwhile, in the living room on the first floor.
Facing the silence that was somewhat oppressive, Yui hesitated slightly, still couldn't help asking.
"Um... Mr. Sato, may I ask where your wife is...?"
"Oh, you mean Asako's mother."
Sato Asako's father waved his hand, his eyes silent as if dead.
"That day, she was the first to find Asako's corpse."
"When I came home, I saw her sitting paralyzed on the ground, and on the balcony was the dead Asako."
"From that moment on, Asako's mother lost her normal thinking ability and became a mental patient."
"To avoid stimulating her, I sent her back to her hometown for recuperation."
Looking at the portrait photo placed there, the Super-Quant Club members could imagine what a beautiful family this originally was.
Just because of the twisted desires in that serial killer's heart, it turned into this completely broken state.
Rio took a deep breath, her face serious.
"Please rest assured, we will definitely catch the killer."
Hearing this sentence, the eyes of Sato Asako's father finally showed some changes, but he just shook his head, face like dead ashes.
"My daughter is the second victim, but until now, the Police Department still hasn't caught the criminal."
"Moreover, even if caught, so what?"
"Legal sanctions are simply not enough to make such a beast experience true pain."
Facing these words, the Super-Quant Club members could only choose to remain silent.
Although there were many death sentences in Sakura Prefecture, the criminals who actually had the death penalty executed were very few.
Moreover, many criminals would use mental illness as an excuse to reduce their sentences.
Even to the point of finally being able to return to society and commit cruel crimes again.
In such silence, the Super-Quant Club members left Sato Asako's home with heavy hearts.
Yui and Yukino stayed far away. As spirit mediums, Yoru, Mai, Rio, and Miko walked to a distance to discuss.
Miko told exactly the strange traces her Hyakume had just discovered.
"Soul twisted to the extreme..."
Rio pushed her glasses frame. Although her mood was also very heavy, as the chief staff officer of the Super-Quant Club, she still had to put aside emotional factors and think about this matter from an absolutely rational perspective.
"Could it be... a spirit medium like us?"