Chapter 48: I Knew It... I Knew It...
The Hour of the Dog. Seven-thirty in the evening.
Haruto arrived at an ordinary apartment building with Kaguya, a box of snacks prepared by Yotsuya Miko tucked under his arm. He knocked on the door, but the ensuing silence was absolute. Peering through the crack, he saw only darkness within; not a single light was on. It was clear the owner of the house had yet to return.
"They didn't move, did they?" Kaguya asked, weariness etched plainly across her face.
"Probably not," Haruto replied. "Komachi's book of karma didn't mention any recent plans to move."
Despite his words, he opened a narrow gap into the apartment's interior and activated his phone's flashlight, sweeping the beam across the room. After confirming the telltale signs of recent habitation, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Then should we go in and wait?" Kaguya suggested.
"No! That's trespassing," Haruto declared, shaking his head with an air of righteousness. "You can go in if you want. I, however, am a youkai with integrity."
In a Gensokyo where ancient, powerful women ran rampant, a man had to cling fiercely to his principles. He had to guard what little integrity he had left.
"...I was just joking." Kaguya managed a tight smile. She considered herself a person of great integrity as well and was certainly not about to lose to Haruto in that regard.
Ten minutes later, the two of them were sprawled across the sofa, having skillfully located the remote to turn on both the air conditioner and the television.
Thus, when a woman returned home half an hour later, she was greeted by a peculiar scene—two gorgeously dressed children lounging lazily on her sofa, munching on snacks as they enjoyed the cool air, their eyes glued to the TV with rapt attention.
"Who are you?" she asked subconsciously, a flicker of wariness crossing her eyes.
The question seemed to flip a switch. Haruto and Kaguya sprang up from the sofa in perfect sync as invisible spotlights seemed to descend upon them.
"Since you've asked so sincerely!" Haruto boomed.
"Then we shall tell you, out of our great mercy!" Kaguya chimed in.
"To prevent the world from being destroyed!"
"To protect the peace of the world!"
"To carry out love and—"
Pfft—
Listening to the two of them trade lines with increasingly exaggerated movements, the last trace of wariness in the woman's eyes vanished completely. She couldn't stop a laugh from escaping.
"What are you laughing at!" Haruto shouted, feigning dissatisfaction. "This is a super cool entrance! Where's the joke?"
"Exactly, exactly," Kaguya added, nodding in firm agreement.
"Sorry, sorry," the woman chuckled, covering her mouth. "You two continue, please. Auntie will wait for you to finish your performance."
With the mood so thoroughly broken, Haruto and Kaguya were far too embarrassed to continue their grand speech. After all, they had their integrity and reputations to uphold.
Seeing that the performance was well and truly over, the woman finally got to the point. "Are you two children from my husband's side of the family? I don't believe I've seen you before. And those outfits... is that what young people call cosplay? They're very beautiful."
Her tone was exceptionally warm and gentle, as if she hadn't spent time with children in a long while.
"We are friends of Uncle King Chen," Haruto said, his expression turning serious. He placed a model box on the coffee table. "We apologize for the intrusion. We're just here to deliver a birthday gift for Uncle King Chen's daughter on his behalf."
"Friends?" The woman was taken aback, a hint of surprise in her eyes. She had assumed they were just some relatives' children. But looking closely at Haruto and Kaguya now, she could see an air of nobility in their bearing, their features, and their immaculate clothing. They were clearly children from a wealthy family.
She truly couldn't fathom how her husband had befriended two children, let alone two children as... unique as these.
But when her gaze fell upon the Silver Dragon Gundam on the table, her doubts evaporated. This was the exact toy her daughter loved—the out-of-print 1990 model she had been pestering them to buy just a little while ago.
"I'm sorry for the trouble you've gone through," she said, her voice softening. "Would you like something to drink? I'll go get you a glass."
"Orange juice, please."
"I would like a cola."
The two answered one after the other.
Fortunately, she had both at home. The woman poured the drinks into paper cups for them before carefully setting the Gundam model aside. An indescribable light flickered in her eyes as she murmured softly to herself.
"I knew it... King Chen always had his daughter in his heart."
She looked up at the two of them, as if needing to confirm something of immense importance. "Did King Chen... have any words he wanted you to pass on to me?"
Haruto hesitated for a moment before speaking gently. "He said not to worry. He has always loved you."
The woman's quiet hope was confirmed, and her eyes suddenly turned red. Realizing the two children were watching her, she hurriedly turned her face away, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand.
"Sorry," she said, offering an apologetic smile. "I lost my composure."
"It's fine," Haruto said. "Oh, right. We have another friend, but she couldn't come because she was busy. She made some snacks for us to bring over." He handed over the box Miko had prepared.
"Really, there's no need to be so polite." The woman had regained her composure. She opened the lid of the snack box, and a gentle smile touched her lips. "It looks delicious. Let's all eat together."
Haruto and Kaguya naturally didn't stand on ceremony. It had to be said, Yotsuya Miko did have some skill. Back at the Mermaid Pension, she had probably just been unfamiliar with the cooking tools and limited by the scarce ingredients.
"Where is your daughter?" Haruto asked between bites. "We haven't seen her."
"She's missing," the woman said, her gaze falling. The exhaustion on her face was stark. "It happened last week, the day after my husband left."
Haruto was slightly stunned. "Missing? Did you report it to the police? Could she just be traveling with friends?"
"The police have already looked... and Qinqin has always been a sensible girl. She would never leave home without saying a word. Even if she were going on a trip with friends, she would definitely tell us first." Her eyes reddened again, and her voice trembled. "That day, she was clearly in her room, and the door was locked... but when I finished cooking and called for her, there was no response. When I forced the door open, the room was empty..."
Death Game.
The term flashed through both Haruto's and Kaguya's minds. They exchanged a look, reading the same grim conclusion in each other's eyes, and both fell silent.
What could they possibly say? Tell her the truth? Tell her that her daughter had been dragged into the Death Game and was likely in grave danger?
After a moment's hesitation, Haruto offered what comfort he could. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to your daughter. I might know where she is. If I happen to run into her, I'll help you look for her."
A flash of joy appeared in the woman's eyes. "Really? Is she in the same place as my husband?"
Haruto froze for a second. She had likely guessed something. He sighed softly. "They are in the same area. That place is a bit dangerous. Do you have a photo of her? If we meet, we'll do our best to look after her."
"Thank you." The woman didn't doubt Haruto's words. She didn't know why, but even though it was her first time meeting this child, her intuition told her he could be trusted. She hurried back to her room and returned with a photograph of her daughter.
"Her name is Chen Qin. I'll have to trouble you."
The girl in the photo wore a high school uniform, her expression bright. She stood half a head taller than the girl next to her.
"Wait a minute." Haruto's eyes caught on a familiar figure. He pointed to a person sitting not far behind Chen Qin in the photo. "What is this person's relationship to you?"
"Liu Xiaoliang, my younger sister," the woman said softly. "She's been on a business trip with my husband lately."
Haruto and Kaguya were both stunned. The person in the photo was none other than King Chen's teammate—the one who had cooked a meal for them inside the instance.
It all made sense now. As long as one cleared the novice instance, they could bring one person from reality into the game. Most people would choose someone they trusted.
"It's getting late. You should stay for dinner," the woman said, wiping the corners of her reddened eyes. Her tone was gentle but firm. "It's not good for children to always eat snacks."
With that, she turned and disappeared into the kitchen.
Haruto and Kaguya quietly stayed for dinner. Before they left, they secretly placed all the money they had brought for their outing on the table and departed without a word.
Long after they were gone, the woman remained seated alone at the dining table. She stared silently at the spread of empty dishes. After a long, long time, she finally couldn't hold it back anymore. Large tears rolled down her cheeks, and a raspy sob broke the silence of the apartment.
"I knew it... I knew it. How could you possibly hate me, hate this home... You bastard! You were lying to me again! Always using such a clumsy excuse... Did you think... did you think I would actually believe it!"
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