(2/3)
The series of events unfolding across the street had not escaped 's notice.
"Those people… are they detectives?"
immediately reized the group.
His sharp gaze locked onto the three individuals being apprehended, one Japawners.
In an instant, he realized their identities.
The remaining members of the Italian rang.
A cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
He had fotten something crucial.
Looking down at the note in his hand, his grip tightened.
This paper didn't just appear out of nowhere. Whoever had thrown it must have been lurking nearby.
The moment he deciphered the Italian word fold" written on it, his stomach dropped.
This was close. Too close.
No—if those meruly members of the Italian rang, and they had followed him in pursuit of the gold s' location, they wouldn't have let him or the others leave alive.
This wasn't just about getting hit over the head with a club.
A chill ran down 's spine.
Had the detectives not intervened in time and caught those gang members i, he and his friends could have met a grim fate.
"Little one."
Just as the gravity of the situation fully set in, a gentle female voiterrupted 's thoughts.
A mature peared before him.
She reached into her pocket and produced a police ID, holding it up for him to see.
"I'm with the police. The note you're holding may be evideed to the Italian rang. Would you be willing to hand it over?"
"…Yes, here."
"Thank you."
The female officer carefully pced the o a sealed evidence bag before turning to leave.
Even after she was gone, 's friends didn't look pleased.
The most vocal among them was Kojima Genta.
"! Why'd you give the treasure map to the cops?"
"Idiot," sighed. "That's not just some treasure map, it belongs to the Italian robbers. Meaning, whatever's hidden behind it… is the stolen fifteen thousand maple leaf gold s."
"That means it's stolen loot. Even if we found it, it wouldn't belong to us."
"…And more importantly—"
gestured toward the three men being led into the police car.
"They're most likely the st members of the Italian gang."
"If we had actually found the gold s first, we might've been the ones in danger."
"R-Robbers!?"
The three kids, despite their usual bravado, immediately paled at the realization.
They knew what "robbers" meant.
If those criminals had caught them, there was no telling what would have happened.
"Lucky… We're so lucky."
"If they had grabbed us, they probably would've dragged us off and shot us in some dark alley…"
Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko swallowed hard, his face grim as he imagihe horrifying possibilities.
"Or maybe," Yoshida Ayumi said with a shudder, her imagination running wild, "they'd tie us up i and toss us into the river…"
The thought sent visible shivers down their spines.
"Alright, enough of that. This has nothing to do with us anymore. Let's head back."
"…Yeah."
This time, none of them objected to 's suggestion.
The shock of what had nearly happened was still too fresh.
They had practically stepped through the gates of hell aurheir legs felt weak just thinking about it.
As turo leave, something in the er of his vision made him pause.
He instinctively turned his head.
Sonoko.
From a distance, he spotted Sonoko Suzuki standing with a boy he didn't reize.
A stranger.
That meant Sonoko must have approached him first.
knew her personality too well, it ractically a ditioned reflex at this point.
Still, he had no recolle of that boy.
Must be from another school.
"! We're going!"
"…ing."
At Ayumi's call, snapped out of his thoughts and turned away.
Without sparing an Sonoko, he left with his friends.
---
Sonoko watched the whole se py out from afar a out a huff.
"We up his mess, and he doesn't even say thanks. One of these days, that guy's going to get himself into serious trouble with how reckless he is."
"He doesn't know we're helping him from the shadows," Ren replied calmly, shaking his head. "It's only natural that he wouldn't say thank you."
Sonoko clicked her tongue. "If only he'd just stop causing problems, we wouldn't have to step in all the time."
"If it were just him, it wouldn't matter if he ran headfirst into danger. But the other kids…" Ren trailed off.
"Yeah."
Sonoko's gaze shifted to the youive Boys gathered around .
They were just kids. They didn't o be involved in his mess.
"e on," Ren said. "I o expin some things to you."
"…And I'll show you something iing."
Sonoko's eyes lit up.
Ran's ability had something to do with enharength and an absurd appetite.
But Sonoko was more intrigued by Ren's abilities.
"Really?"
"Then I have to see this!"
"Then we shouldn't stay out here any longer."
Ren led Sonoko back to his pce.
---
"Hiss—"
The moment Sonoko stepped into the Amamiya household, a strange, bone-chilling ade her shiver.
Even though she knew about the house's history, she instinctively moved closer to Ren.
"Are you sure it's okay to live here?" she asked warily.
"It's fine."
"But this pce had a serious murder case in the past. And there were three vengeful spirits that—"
"I already dealt with them a few days ago."
"…???"
Sonoko stared at him, dumbfounded.
"'Dealt with'?"
"Then why is it still so freezing in here?"
"Oh, that's on purpose."
"…What?"
Ren spoke matter-of-factly.
"The rent for this house is absurdly low because of what happened here. Otherwise, do you really think I'd be paying only ten thousand yen per month?"
"Not to mention, this is the only house where utilities—water aricity—are pletely free."
"…The rental pany did that on purpose?"
"Yeah. Otherwise, they'd never be able to lease this pce out again. If it sat empty too long, it'd eventually damage their reputation. They need someoo take the house, even if it means absurd iives."
Ren's voice was pletely nont.
"So, if they're already giving it away at a ridiculous price, is it really wrong for me to take advantage of it?"
He made it sound so reasohat Sonoko was left speechless.
She stared at him, stunned.
Just to squeeze every bit of be out of the rental pany…
This guy actually chose to leave some of the lingering "bad energy" untouched.
