Thump, thump, thump.
After finishing his ablutions, Kitahara Makoto heard footsteps coming from the second floor.
He looked up to see Mutsumi, with hair down to her waist, wearing an oversized men's shirt, walking down expressionlessly.
"Makoto-kun, good morning."
Mutsumi greeted him first.
"Morning."
Kitahara Makoto nodded slightly:
"Wash your face, brush your teeth, and eat some simple bread. I'll be going out soon..."
After a brief explanation, Mutsumi immediately looked up:
"I want to go too."
Kitahara Makoto pondered for a moment, then agreed:
"Then let's go together."
The answer book limits each person to one question per day. Bringing Mutsumi along would allow her to be used as a 'questioning tool' at critical moments.
After a simple breakfast, Kitahara Makoto, Mutsumi, and Hana left the house together.
Half an hour later.
The two met Togawa Sakiko at the entrance of a cold drink shop.
"Onee-sama, good morning."
Mutsumi greeted her with a calm expression.
"Mutsumi, morning."
Togawa Sakiko nodded gently, her gaze sweeping over Mutsumi, then she relaxed.
If they had really done that, even if Mutsumi could get out of bed, she certainly wouldn't be able to move as naturally as she did now, right?
"It's hot outside." Kitahara Makoto suggested, "Shall we go inside and talk?"
"Okay."
The three entered the cold drink shop, each ordered a cold drink, and then sat down in an unoccupied corner.
"Sakiko, you can tell me the specifics now."
Kitahara Makoto took a sip of juice and asked softly.
"Yesterday at eleven o'clock at night, I was about to rest when Mrs. Sato suddenly sent a message, saying that a strange incident had occurred at a friend's house..."
Togawa Sakiko raised her right hand, her slender fingers tucking the hair that had fallen to her chest behind her ear, and began to softly narrate the details of the exorcism request.
The client was Mrs. Takagi, who owned a chain of supermarkets and was a typical wealthy lady. In recent days, strange disappearances had suddenly occurred at the Takagi family's villa in the suburbs.
"First, a maid responsible for cleaning suddenly disappeared."
"Mrs. Takagi initially suspected she had left due to an emergency, but her phone couldn't be reached, and she didn't reply to messages. The maid's family also said they hadn't seen her."
"Then the matter simply faded away."
"Next, the night before last, Mrs. Takagi's young daughter suddenly disappeared from her room without a trace. Mrs. Takagi immediately reported it to the police, who rushed to investigate. They reviewed all surveillance footage inside and out, but unfortunately, found no clues."
She paused, Togawa Sakiko picked up her cup, took a sip of juice, and continued:
"To ordinary people, strange tales are still like urban legends, but in high society, many people already know that incredible and terrifying presences have appeared in the real world..."
Kitahara Makoto took over the conversation:
"So Mrs. Takagi suspects that the disappearance of her daughter and the maid was not man-made, but rather encountered some kind of supernatural event?"
"Exactly." Togawa Sakiko nodded gently, "Mrs. Takagi and Mrs. Sato are good friends, and they often have tea together. They had heard about our situation, so after the police proved unhelpful, Mrs. Takagi immediately contacted me, hoping to entrust us with finding her missing daughter."
"I've already negotiated the reward."
"If we find the missing daughter, the reward is 20 million yen."
"And if we can bring the missing daughter back to Mrs. Takagi completely unharmed, the reward can be increased to 50 million yen."
Kitahara Makoto clicked his tongue lightly, sighing:
"It was indeed the right decision to choose the high-end route."
One request could earn 50 million yen; it was truly a case of 'three years without business, one business for three years' worth of earnings!
Togawa Sakiko pursed her lips and looked up:
"What do you say about Mrs. Takagi's exorcism request, Kitahara-kun?"
What to say?
Of course, he'd accept it!
That was a full 50 million yen; if he missed it, he'd surely be too upset to sleep tonight!
"Of course, we'll take the request." Kitahara Makoto clasped his hands, his face full of righteousness, "It's not for the money, but to ensure one less weeping mother in the world."
Togawa Sakiko couldn't help but glare at him: "Kitahara-kun, your ideological awareness is truly exceptionally high."
Kitahara Makoto smiled:
"Thank you for the compliment, Togawa-chan."
Togawa Sakiko wrinkled her delicate nose: "I wasn't complimenting you."
At this moment, Mutsumi, who had been silent beside them, suddenly spoke:
"What about that maid?"
"Eh?" Togawa Sakiko was slightly taken aback, "What do you mean?"
Mutsumi tilted her head and looked over:
"Mrs. Takagi only requested to find her missing daughter; she's not concerned about the missing maid?"
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
Togawa Sakiko: "..."
If you hadn't mentioned it, we would have forgotten about the missing maid!
But then again, if it were just a maid missing from the house, let alone a 20 million yen commission, they probably wouldn't even bother reporting it to the police.
"Both disappeared mysteriously; it's possible they encountered the same strange tale." Kitahara Makoto cleared his throat twice, "While searching for Miss Takagi, we should be able to find the maid."
He paused, then Kitahara Makoto changed the subject:
"Mrs. Takagi reported it to the police immediately. After careful consideration, the police found nothing. Although the Japan police are always late, they do have professional capabilities. The fact that they haven't found anything proves that the disappearance case is beyond their capabilities and is most likely related to a strange tale."
"Therefore, we cannot take it lightly; we must maintain utmost caution."
"It's best to form a five-person team to maximize the number of questions we can ask with the answer book."
"..."
Currently, there were only Kitahara Makoto and two others. To maximize the use of the answer book, it would be best to call two more people to act together.
Togawa Sakiko nodded gently upon hearing this:
"Kitahara-kun makes sense."
"Let's call Soyo," Mutsumi suggested, "Soyo will definitely be willing to help."
Hearing Mutsumi's words, Kitahara Makoto subconsciously looked up, gazing at Togawa Sakiko opposite him.
Their eyes met.
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly, then she guiltily averted her gaze, biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth:
"Soyo might be busy with other things; we shouldn't trouble Soyo..."
Frankly, Togawa Sakiko didn't want to see Soyo right now.
Especially when she overheard from her phone the day before that Soyo actually wanted all three of them together... Unacceptable!
Her preferences were truly terrible!
"I already asked." Mutsumi held up her phone, her expression calm, "Soyo said she's free today and can help anytime."
Togawa Sakiko: "..."
Since she had already asked, Togawa Sakiko naturally had no reason to refuse, so she could only let out a light sigh:
"Then call Soyo over."
"Excellent, now we have four people." Kitahara Makoto clasped his hands, "We're still missing one."
"Let's call Tomori." Togawa Sakiko took out her phone and began composing a message, "First, let's ask Tomori-chan if she's free..."
Not long after, Togawa Sakiko looked up:
"Tomori-chan said she's free and is with Taki. She said Taki also wants to come along. What do you say, Kitahara-kun?"
Kitahara Makoto naturally had no objections:
"Then let Tomori and Taki come together."
"..."
Half an hour later.
Soyo, Taki, and Tomori, the three girls, arrived at the cold drink shop one after another.
"Sakiko, good morning."
Nagasaki Soyo's voice was gentle as she directly sat next to Togawa Sakiko.
"...Morning."
The complex emotion in Togawa Sakiko's eyes flashed, and she picked up her cup to sip her drink.
Kitahara Makoto looked at the cunning girl and asked:
"What do you want to drink, Soyo?"
Nagasaki Soyo pursed her pink cherry lips:
"A cup of black tea."
Kitahara Makoto nodded, then looked at Tomori and Taki, asking what the two girls wanted to drink.
"I want apple juice."
Takamatsu Tomori said softly.
Shiina Taki naturally sat beside Tomori, her small face full of seriousness and solemnity:
"I'd like a glass of watermelon juice."
"Please wait a moment, ladies and gentlemen."
The waiter bowed slightly and quickly turned to leave.
Kitahara Makoto looked at Togawa and said softly:
"Sakiko, please explain the request."
"Okay."
Togawa Sakiko nodded gently and thoroughly described the content of the request.
Kitahara Makoto took over the conversation:
"Calling everyone for help is mainly as a precaution, after all, the answer book can only be used once. If everyone is busy, it doesn't matter if you don't go, I can find other people to help."
Nagasaki Soyo said gently:
"I don't mind, I'm a bit bored being home alone."
Takamatsu Tomori said calmly:
"I can help too."
Seeing Tomori speak, Shiina Taki naturally wouldn't back down:
"I'll go protect Tomori."
As they spoke, the waiter brought their respective drinks.
"Mmm~"
Nagasaki Soyo sipped her black tea, her bright eyes curving into crescent moons, her hands clasped in front of her chest, her smile bright and gentle:
"So happy."
Shiina Taki tilted her head and looked over: "What is Soyo happy about?"
"The last time everyone sat together in a cold drink shop drinking tea and cold drinks was last year, a whole year has passed in a blink of an eye," Nagasaki Soyo's eyes were bright, truly happy, "A year later, everyone is gathered together again like before, in short, I'm super happy!"
Although Anon didn't join, she is busy filming movies every day now, and being the protagonist is definitely much happier than a demon-exorcising request.
Kitahara Makoto lowered his voice and complained:
"Soyo is happy too early."
"Eh?"
Nagasaki Soyo blinked her eyes, casting a puzzled look.
Kitahara Makoto whispered:
"You'll know then."
Nagasaki Soyo: "…Don't be a riddle person!"
After finishing their cold drinks.
Kitahara Makoto got up, paid the bill, and left the cold drink shop with the girls, taking the subway to Mrs. Takagi's house in the suburbs.
There was no conversation along the way.
Around ten o'clock in the morning, Kitahara Makoto and the girls arrived in front of a villa.
On the way, they had already contacted Mrs. Takagi in advance, and as soon as they arrived at the entrance, they saw a maid standing at the door to greet them.
"Hello…"
Togawa Sakiko stepped forward to handle the negotiation and communication.
After confirming their identities, the maid bowed slightly and welcomed Kitahara Makoto and his group inside.
This villa was very large, fully equipped with maids, gardeners, butlers, chefs, etc., but it was clear that the atmosphere of the entire villa was somewhat anxious and uneasy.
Two people had already mysteriously disappeared in a row, with no trace of them alive or dead, as if they had encountered a divine disappearance. No one knew who would be the next to disappear.
If it weren't for the sufficiently high remuneration and the hiring of several teams of professional bodyguards, some people would have already resigned and fled.
Passing through the villa garden, they arrived at the magnificent hall, where a woman with swollen red eyes quickly came forward to greet them. She was clearly Mrs. Takagi.
"You've finally arrived…"
Mrs. Takagi anxiously grasped Togawa's wrist, like a drowning person grasping the last straw.
Although Kitahara Makoto and his group were all high school students and looked very young, their 'track record was verifiable,' and with Mrs. Sato's endorsement, they immediately gained Mrs. Takagi's complete trust, saving a lot of trouble.
All matters of negotiation were left to Togawa Sakiko, who, as a former young lady, could easily handle various social occasions with ease.
After a brief exchange of their respective situations, Togawa Sakiko quickly obtained more detailed information.
"Takagi Sakura, Mrs. Takagi's missing young daughter, is eight years old today and just started second grade of elementary school…"
Togawa Sakiko held her phone in front of everyone, introducing softly.
Kitahara Makoto looked at the phone, remembering the elementary school student's appearance, then said:
"Let's go check the room."
Mrs. Takagi naturally did not refuse, stepping upstairs first, leading everyone to the second floor.
The missing elementary school student now had her own room, filled with various toys and comics. Other than its large size, there was nothing unusual.
"The police have already checked, there are no signs of forced entry on the doors or windows, and there are surveillance cameras in the hallway, but we didn't see Sakura leave the room. But when I came in this morning, I couldn't find Sakura no matter what…"
As Mrs. Takagi spoke, a misty dampness welled up in her eyes again.
"Madam, please rest assured, we will definitely find your daughter."
Togawa Sakiko gently comforted her for a few moments, then said:
"You go out and rest for a while, leave the rest to us."
"…"
As Mrs. Takagi left, the other girls began to speak.
"Mrs. Takagi is very sad," Nagasaki Soyo pursed her lips, looked up at Kitahara Makoto, and said worriedly, "A mother suddenly losing her child must be a world-ending blow, Kitahara-kun must help find Sakura."
"That's right." Takamatsu Tomori nodded in agreement, "Mother is pitiful."
Shiina Taki crossed her arms:
"If there's anything we can help with, just say so."
The girls all had more or less sympathy, only Mutsumi was slightly different:
"We also need to find the mysteriously missing maid."
"…"
"Since I accepted the request, I will naturally do my best to complete it." Kitahara Makoto nodded slightly, looked down at Hana, "What does Hana say?"
Hana sniffed her nose:
"The smell, it's correct."
Since it was correct, then the mysterious disappearance was clearly related to a strange tale.
Togawa Sakiko asked softly:
"Where is that strange tale hiding?"
The number of questions used was one less each time, so naturally, they had to be saved.
Hana did not disappoint. She raised her small hand and pointed to a nearby desk:
"Inside the mirror."