Chapter 32

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“Shouma-kun! What are you doing out there like that! Come back quickly!”

When looking over, they saw Miki running through the rocky shore, towards them, her face blue and pale.

After a little while, both the employer and his employee were taken back halfway to the beach by the coercive girl.

After releasing their hands, Miki let out a crying-like sound.

“I’m so glad. We thought you had an accident because you were nowhere to be seen. The waves are so high and the current is so fast in that area…”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you…”

“It’s all right. I’m glad you’re okay.”

Miki smiled, looking relieved.

“What were you doing there, by the way? There’s nothing around there, is there?”

“Well…”

Shouma looked up helplessly at Tendou, wondering what to say. He simply smiled back at his gaze.

And then, to Shouma’s astonishment, he only said bluntly, “I’ve been researching those drowning accidents.”

“What?”

“You sure you wanted to tell this to her, Tendou-san?” whispered Shouma to the man.

“No problem. I can’t investigate any further on my own, anyway. So now I’ll have to seek some cooperation from the outsiders.”

Tendou said this as if it was a simple matter of course.

It would be, if it might be some normal water accidents, but these drownings could be connected with the kaii. At least that’s what Tendou seemed to imply until just now. Then it is more likely that an ordinary human being would be useless at this point.

Miki knitted her brows together.

“Why would you do…”

“I knew the kids who disappeared here. So I really want to get to the bottom of it…”

This time, Tendou simply lied.

Even the sorrowful expression he put on his face was impressive. The quality was such that Shouma wondered if he’d make more money as some con man or fraudster.

Perhaps influenced by the look on the man’s face, Miki also muttered “I see” with an equally pained look on her face.

“For this reason, could you perhaps, tell us what you know? It would be helpful if you could tell us where that place is where the disappeared ones were taken by the waves?”

Miki hung her head, as if to think for a moment, then looked up as she had made up her mind.

“There is a big cave behind the rocky shore you’ve been to earlier. All the kids who didn’t return, all of them went there and never came back…”

“Why did they go there?”

“It is a famous haunted place. There is a rumor from long ago, that people can see a woman’s spirit in there. It was even featured on TV a while ago.”

A young man went there half-jokingly to test his mettle, but he never came back. It was the sort of thing that unfolded in the usual plots of horror movies.

“Albeit, that the cave-system is complicated and it’s easy to get lost, when the tide is high, it sinks under the sea level. That’s why the police said that the missing children might have gone deeper into the cave and haven’t been able to return since the tide must have risen in the meantime. They said the bodies were probably washed straight into the sea from there…”

“Could you show me the way there?” asked Tendou.

“No, I can’t”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s dangerous!”

Miki’s voice was stained as if it was nothing more than a natural thing.

“I’m asking you, in the awareness of the hazard.”

“I cannot.”

“…I understand”

Seeing Miki’s stubborn stance, Tendou turned on his heels as a means of giving up. His toes pointed towards the rocky shore where they had just been.

“Then I will look for it myself. I’m terribly sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you.”

“What? No, please wait!”

Miki impatiently pulled on Tendou’s arms.

“Why? Despite how perilous it is?”

“As I said before, I really want to understand this whole situation.”

When Tendou showed that he was refusing to budge, Miki hesitated for a while then sighed as if she had finally given up.

“I’d rather take you there than let you go looking all by yourself. Since there is a risk of you slipping on the rocks and falling into the sea…”

“Is that so? Well, then, please do.”

“…Yes”

Miki replied in a faint voice with her head lowered down. She looked pale and even the palms of her hands were white.

“Follow me, then.”

Miki turned to lead the way back to the rocky shore.

Shouma tried to go with them, but…

“You should go back to your part-time Shouma.”

Tendou gently pushed him back.

“What? But…”

“I think I can manage on my own this time. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

Smiling cheerfully, Tendou walked away with Miki by his side.

Shouma, who was left behind, all alone, could only watch their backs as they walked away, and slowly disappeared from sight.

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