"A funeral…?"
When they arrived at the home of Morishita, a friend of the three victims, they were shocked by the sign hanging outside.
"Did we get here too late…?" Yukinoshita Yukino's face darkened slightly.
"I'll go ask around." Nitta Akira said to the group before jogging toward the Morishita household.
A moment later, Nitta Akira returned with a heavy expression and let out a sigh. "Just like the other three, he was killed outside his house. Even though he was back in his hometown and didn't have an automatic door, he still died outside the entrance. Morishita once came home to find the door unlocked, but he couldn't open it."
"This is getting troublesome." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I asked Morishita's mother, but she doesn't know much about his connection with the other three. This lead is pretty much a dead end."
Yukinoshita Yukino thought for a moment. "Maybe someone is watching us in secret, deliberately trying to sabotage our investigation."
A white-haired girl suddenly flashed through her mind—the one who had followed Hayashizaki during the battle in Shinjuku but then disappeared.
"For now, let's check out the school."
The group drove to Urashima East Middle School.
Even though class was in session, two delinquent boys were squatting in the hallway, smoking in the courtyard.
Yukinoshita Yukino frowned.
Itadori Yuji and Kugisaki Nobara, who had been comforting a discouraged young assistant supervisor, immediately perked up when they saw the two delinquents.
"Two easy targets!" Nobara grinned, stomped over, and pointed her thumb at them. "Let's beat them up and ask questions later!"
"Huh!? Who the hell are you, you country bumpkin!?"
One had dyed yellow hair, the other had a slicked-back pompadour—both wearing classic scowls and speaking with thick accents.
But the moment they saw the four others approaching, their expressions changed in an instant, as if they had just seen a ghost.
Both straightened up at once, bowed at a full ninety-degree angle to Kugisaki Nobara, and shouted in unison, "It's been a while! Thank you for your hard work!"
Nobara and Itadori froze for a second before playing along.
"Well, well, looks like someone knows how to show respect."
"Aura like mine just can't be hidden."
Then the delinquents finished their sentence: "We haven't seen you since we graduated, Fushiguro-senpai!"
The heroic scene Nobara and Itadori had imagined in their minds shattered instantly. They turned their heads with annoyed expressions and glared at the spiky-haired boy standing at the back.
Fushiguro Megumi looked away. "I… went to middle school here."
"That's surprising and all, but not the point! Look at me!"
"What the hell did you do!? What kind of middle schooler were you!?"
The two grabbed his head and forced him to turn back toward them.
Ignoring their antics, Yukinoshita Yukino walked up to the two delinquents with a cold gaze. Her voice, icy as a Siberian wind, sent chills down their spines.
"First, put out those cigarettes."
The two trembled and, without thinking, obeyed the fairy-like girl in front of them, hurriedly snuffing out their cigarettes.
I have a feeling this pretty lady is even scarier than Fushiguro-senpai...
"We have some questions for you. Please answer truthfully," Yukinoshita Yukino said.
"Y-yes, go ahead," the two boys stammered under the pressure of the black-haired girl.
"Kaneda Taichi, Shimada Atsushi, Yamato Hiroshi, Morishita Ryoji. Do you know who these four are?" Yukinoshita Yukino asked.
"Never heard of them," the blond delinquent shook his head.
"Me neither... Wait, Morishita Ryoji—I think I know that name! I might have heard it from my sister!" the pompadour-haired delinquent said.
"Your sister is?" Yukinoshita Yukino asked.
"Fujinuma Shiori. She was in the same year as Fushiguro-senpai. I'm Fujinuma Kyoshi," he answered honestly.
"Fushiguro-kun." The black-haired girl turned and called out, rescuing Fushiguro Megumi from the torment of Itadori Yuji and Kugisaki Nobara.
"Morishita's funeral was held near our home, but I don't know much else. I'd have to ask my sister," Fujinuma Kyoshi said, shaking his head.
"Then let's not waste any time. We'll go to your house now," Yukinoshita Yukino said decisively.
"Huh? Right now?" Fujinuma Kyoshi looked surprised by their urgency.
Just then, an elderly man with graying sideburns and glasses noticed the group gathered in the courtyard hallway.
"Hey, who are you kids? Students from other schools aren't allowed on campus without permission," the old man called out while jogging toward them.
But as he got closer, his steps slowed. His gaze landed on the spiky-haired boy, and his eyes behind the glasses widened slightly.
"Is that… Fushiguro-kun?"
"…Hello, Mr. Takeda," Fushiguro Megumi nodded slightly.
"It really is you. So, are these all friends of yours?" Mr. Takeda adjusted his glasses, his stern face softening into a smile.
"We have permission to be here." Standing beside him, Nitta Akira pulled a document from his suit pocket.
"Oh, so you're the ones," Mr. Takeda nodded, then turned his gaze back to Fushiguro Megumi. "Seems like you're not just here for a school visit, huh?"
After Fushiguro Megumi and Mr. Takeda talked for a bit, the two delinquents also added some information, leading the group to a crucial clue—
Sendai City's infamous suicide spot, Hachijuhachi Bridge.
It was said that among delinquent groups, there was a well-known test of courage called "The Trial." The challenge? Bungee jumping off Hachijuhachi Bridge.
Kaneda, Shimada, Yamato, and Morishita had all taken part in this trial. Afterward, they were found unconscious beneath the bridge, only discovered a day later.
"So, our next lead is Hachijuhachi Bridge, the suicide hotspot," someone said.
The fog was slowly lifting, as if revealing the truth beyond.
The group then followed Fujinuma Kyoshi to his house to meet his sister, Fujinuma Shiori—a girl with short bangs and freckles on her face.
"You're investigating Hachijuhachi Bridge?" Fujinuma Shiori's expression turned uncertain, as if recalling something. "…Does this have to do with Morishita's death?"
"Do you know something?" Yukinoshita Yukino asked directly.
"I… I've been there," she said, her voice trembling. "One night in my second year of middle school, I went to Hachijuhachi Bridge."
"Has anything strange happened at home recently? Something only you could sense, like an eerie feeling or something off?" Nitta Akira asked.
At that, Fujinuma Shiori's fear deepened. "…Our family runs a local specialty shop. But for some reason, when I come home, the automatic door keeps opening by itself. My parents say it's just a coincidence, but I know… there's definitely something there!"
She hugged her arms tightly. "I'm scared… Scared that I'll end up like Morishita, murdered..."
"N-no, you're probably just imagining—" Nitta Akira started to dismiss her concerns, but Yukinoshita Yukino interrupted him.
"Thank you for sharing. Our university club studies paranormal phenomena. We're very interested in these kinds of things. If you could tell us more about anything else strange, that would be great."
For the first time, the cold-faced girl showed a stunning, faint smile.
"By the way, how about letting this girl stay with you tonight? You should tell her every supernatural experience you've ever had." The black-haired girl patted Kugisaki Nobara's shoulder.
"Is… is that so…" For some reason, after hearing that Yukinoshita Hayato was a member of the paranormal club, Fujinuma Shiori seemed to relax a lot. She was no longer on edge.
Being alone would still feel a little scary, and since she had to take the night shift for her family tonight, she nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, Fujinuma Ku is in your hands tonight," Yukinoshita Yukino said to Kugisaki Nobara, blinking at her.
The message was clear: Take care of her.
By tomorrow, this matter should be resolved.
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(End of Chapter)
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