Chapter 188 Five Fingers
“Are you saying that traces of the appearance of [Underworld] were found in West City?”
The blond young man leaned against the railing of the small balcony at the end of the corridor, his body slightly tilted to the left, frowning at the tall Mai Shinomiyai in front of him.
This is the small balcony at the end of the classroom corridor. Even the boisterous boys wouldn’t run here during breaks. It’s usually a place for teachers to smoke and rest during their free time.
However, because it was early morning self-study, there were no subject teachers, so this area was probably the best place for the two to discuss matters.
“Yes, I’ve already sent the specific details to Grandpa Hamano using a shikigami, but I felt it would be better to tell you in person. Grandpa Hamano should be very busy lately.”
The young girl’s emerald eyes darted, and her fingers moved slightly, activating an obscure incantation. A faint gray energy film formed around the two of them.
“Well, the Heroes Association has also had some changes recently. My master didn’t return until very late yesterday after going there for a meeting.”
Sato Shinichi’s curious gaze lingered on the incantation for a moment, then he quickly withdrew it and looked at the girl in front of him, nodding in response.
“You should know the public cemetery in West City. The breath of death I saw yesterday emanated from there. I estimate that someone wants to use it as a place to open the gate to the [Underworld].”
“The cemetery is close to the river and is in a low-lying area, so the breath of death easily accumulates. In addition, … in simple terms, all the corpse bones in the cemetery have been stolen by humans.”
The young girl explained to Sato Shinichi as she recalled yesterday’s scene, but she quickly realized that the technical knowledge she was explaining wasn’t easily understood by him, so she quickly switched to a more colloquial explanation.
“What?!”
This time it was Sato Shinichi’s turn to be surprised. After all, whether as Hamano Tsukasa’s adopted son or as the hero Takeru Kamikami, the young man had experienced quite a bit in his growth and heroic activities.
Especially as a hero of the Heroes Association, he had a lot of knowledge about criminals who possessed evil abilities and enjoyed violating order.
Those guys who were not mentally stable often had disordered and frenzied abilities, and many of them were lunatics with abilities related to corpses.
However, being able to steal all the corpses in an entire public cemetery and use it as a plan or to enhance their own abilities was something Sato Shinichi had never encountered in his not-so-short heroic career.
“Shinomiyai? Are you sure it was stolen by the other party? Do you have a way to confirm that their true purpose is only to open a passage connected to the [Underworld]? Also, what is the situation there now?”
The information Mai Shinomiyai provided made Sato Shinichi’s relaxed expression immediately serious. He couldn’t help but lean forward and ask the girl in front of him several questions earnestly.
“Yes, we can basically confirm it was stolen by the other party. There are very obvious drag marks in the tomb, and there is a passage extending to a nearby park. According to the excavation marks, it happened more than a week ago. However, the other party should have special means to prevent tracking. The clues in my spiritual sense broke off near the park.”
Mai Shinomiyai did not feel displeased by the young man’s sudden closeness. She reached into her pocket, took out her mobile phone, switched to a few pictures taken at the scene, and handed them to Sato Shinichi, while continuing to answer the young man’s questions.
“Such a dense breath of death can only be left by beings in the [Underworld]. The person behind it must be someone who can control the power of the [Underworld]. There is too little information now. Their specific purpose can only be temporarily deduced for now, but the cemetery has been completely protected by our people. Grandpa Hamano also said that the Association will send people to watch over it.”
Frowning, Sato Shinichi looked at all the pictures on the mobile phone in his hand and returned the phone to the girl opposite him. The solemn expression on his face slightly eased. No matter what the other party’s purpose was, as long as the Association intervened, the safety of the surrounding public would basically be guaranteed.
“Then, Shinomiyai, since the other party’s objective is there, are you still going to investigate in Shikoku?”
Nodding to himself, Sato Shinichi looked at the girl and continued to ask. After all, from the information exposed so far, it should be more reliable to investigate the real culprit by starting from the public cemetery in West City.
“Of course. The guidance of Great God Sangfu will never be wrong. The real culprit, or rather the clue, must be in this school.”
The girl’s firm answer was somewhat unexpected to Sato Shinichi. The worship of deities by such believers was indeed hard to describe, but thinking of her ability to perceive the hidden power within him, Sato Shinichi’s worries slightly eased.
“Alright, then, if you need any help in the school, just tell me directly. If you find anything, don’t act alone.”
As if remembering the girl’s behavior of following him home alone, Sato Shinichi scratched his head with some distress and looked at the girl, whose personality was different from what she appeared, and warned her.
“Mm-hmm, if you’re free after school today, can you come with me to the cemetery? Grandpa Hamano definitely won’t have time to come. Talking about some small problems with you should be the same, right?”
Mai Shinomiyai, completely unaware of his concern for her, shook her head and said.
“Hmm, after school? … Can it be later? I still need to take Kazumi home first.”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. We know you have a good relationship with Kiyomizu-san, and it won’t take you long. Let’s go, class is about to start.”
Waving her hand, Mai Shinomiyai dispersed the soundproof barrier around them that was used to prevent eavesdropping. The break time wasn’t very long, so explaining the matter briefly was enough. The young girl intended to explain the specifics to Sato Shinichi in detail when she went to the cemetery that night.
“Uh…”
The blond young man stood behind, looking at the girl who had already left in front of him. He touched his nose somewhat awkwardly, but also followed her towards the classroom.
However, within his body, where no one could see, the phantom of a dry and withered large hand slowly condensed at the young man’s heart, reaching forward as if exploring something, and finally, with satisfaction, touched the throbbing red object.
Then, bizarre purple energy gathered in the palm, and the five fingers tightened and squeezed fiercely.
