Chapter 352 Strange Brain Supplements Added
In the dimly lit small woods, the thin black-haired girl silently followed behind the young man, a helpless expression on her cold little face as she looked directly at Sato Shinichi walking ahead.
The time was not too late, around six to seven in the evening. After all, the villa owner had mentioned that it was not recommended to play in the back mountains at night due to potential safety hazards, and this timing was already the limit allowed by the teacher.
However, due to the dense foliage, the light within the woods was noticeably dimmer than outside, making it feel like the middle of the night. The atmosphere was no different from exploring a haunted house game at midnight.
None of this made any difference to Kazumi. Rather, being in an environment shrouded in darkness, even though the girl’s abilities were still recovering, she inexplicably felt a sense of peace and comfort.
The robust blond young man naturally stood at the front, his gaze sharp, head held high, and chest puffed out. One hand was extended forward, ready to deal with any sudden situations, while the other was placed behind his back, protecting his girlfriend who was by his side.
Of course, if one ignored the boy’s cautious, step-by-step slow pace and his attentive observation of his surroundings, he was still… quite reassuring, wasn’t he?
“Shinichi…”
Seeing her boyfriend’s almost turtle-like speed, the girl finally couldn’t help but pat her forehead and call out.
“Hm? Kazumi, if you’re scared, you can come closer to me.”
The young man turned his head, a picture of reliability with his confident smile, and looked at the girl behind him gently, like a perfect boyfriend who confidently controlled everything and always paid attention to his companion.
“You’re on the wrong side.”
The look of disdain on her face intensified. Kazumi’s hand slid from her forehead to her face as she pointed towards where the boy was and said coldly.
“…”
“No… Kazumi… I think… it’s better to be cautious…”
The gentle, Yasashi expression instantly broke, replaced by boundless panic and awkwardness, as well as skin that instantly turned red up to her neck and hands that were so flustered she didn’t know where to put them.
Admittedly, he was quite cute.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, let’s go.”
After appreciating the dog’s embarrassment for a moment, Kazumi nodded with satisfaction, walked to Sato Shinichi’s side, and tugged at his clothes, interrupting his flustered stillness.
After all, Kazumi’s reason for participating in this courage-testing event was to see the dog’s frightened reaction and to learn more about Shinomiya Mai’s Shikigami. The former was incredibly effective; he was already this flustered before they had even officially entered. As for the latter, she would need to actually encounter the Shikigami used to scare people to find out.
“Okay.”
It wasn’t until he truly came to his senses that Sato Shinichi realized Kazumi had already dragged him several steps forward. He looked at the girl in front of him, who was holding his clothes and striding forward with a nonchalant expression.
He suddenly felt that this courage-testing event seemed… different from what he had imagined.
…
It had to be said that the designer of this game had put a lot of thought into it, or rather, had a good understanding of horror films.
The goal of the two was to go to a mountain spirit temple a little deeper in the back mountain, retrieve a designated item, and then return the way they came. The path was not too long, but the dim environment and quiet atmosphere were enough to make one’s hair stand on end. Coupled with the occasional eerie “rustling” sounds and the mental preparation for impending scares, people couldn’t help but tense their bodies, waiting for the ghosts that might appear at any moment.
[Can it control wandering spirits? Is it a derivative power of Shikigami or the Psychic’s own ability?]
Compared to the nervous young man beside her, Kazumi clearly saw further. Her jet-black eyes gleamed, looking directly at the several semi-transparent spiritual bodies floating around the bushes, making noises.
Although her abilities were still recovering, thanks to her semi-undead physique, Kazumi could easily detect these spirits that were hiding in the surrounding environment and causing trouble. As for the true Shikigami, she hadn’t found any yet.
Moreover, perhaps it was due to the mutual restraint of energy attributes, or perhaps beings like Shikigami were inherently closer to the ghost type among undead creatures. Even in places out of the girl’s sight, she could sense the opponent’s next move through energy perception.
Silently recording the observable information in her mind, Kazumi believed that this seemingly useless intelligence could be compiled into useful information and play an important role at some point, especially for opponents like Psychics who greatly restrained her own abilities. It was never too much to prepare for defense.
“Kazumi…”
Just as the girl was walking engrossed, a low voice with a hint of concern called from behind, interrupting Kazumi’s thoughts.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
Kazumi stopped her forward movement and turned to look at Sato Shinichi, who had been cautiously following behind her.
“You… aren’t you scared?”
His sapphire-blue eyes flickered a few times, finally meeting the chilling jet-black eyes of the girl. The young man slightly parted his lips and voiced his question.
“I’m used to it.”
The boy’s somewhat childish question made Kazumi pause for a moment. She laughed self-deprecatingly, then slowly sighed and replied.
As if answering Sato Shinichi’s question, or perhaps reminiscing about something.
The girlfriend’s light words were exceptionally crisp in the quiet environment, but the content of her words was so heavy.
The girl who was originally close at hand seemed to be pushed far away all of a sudden. She stood alone on the spot, tragically and lonely, swallowed by the boundless darkness, just as the girl had experienced throughout her life.
“Used to it.”
These were three simple, yet weighty words. How much profound darkness must one experience to speak so casually and freely?
The young girl, who should have been hiding in her partner’s arms and acting spoiled, now responded with surprising maturity and depth. In the boy’s eyes, there was only heartache and reluctance.
Taking a deep breath, the last trace of fear in his heart was dispelled. Perhaps for Sato Shinichi, so-called fear was only a small part of it; after all, as a professional hero, he was no stranger to killing and corpses.
What he truly worried about was only appearing foolish in front of the person he liked due to unknown scares.
But none of that mattered anymore. Compared to his so-called persistence, the boy didn’t want to see his girl exhibit the sad, reminiscent expression that only adults had.
He took the girl’s small hand and gently pulled her into his embrace. Sato Shinichi looked at Kazumi, whose expression seemed a little taken aback, and lowered his head, earnestly stating his vow.
“From now on, I won’t leave you alone!”
“???”
