After putting his bag in his locker, Kiri slipped on a dark‑green worker's apron. Three foreigners entered the library.
Female 1 (excited): "This is a famous place with cursed items and storybooks. I'm so excited!"
Female 2: "Me too!"
Male: clearly dragged along forced a smile.
They stepped up to the counter just as Kiri appeared.
Kiri: "How may I help you?"
Female 1: "Oh, what a cute little girl!"
Female 2: "Sweetie, do you work here?"
Kiri fought back a sigh. Stay calm this happens too often. He cleared his throat.
Kiri: "Sorry to disappoint you, ma'am, but I'm actually male. How can I help?"
Both women blushed.
Female 1: "We'd like a tour of the museum section the old folk‑tale curses."
Kiri: "Please sign here. The fee is thirty dollars."
Male (outraged): "How much?"
Kiri: "Yes, sir. The fee covers access to the cursed artifacts. We're quite famous for them."
The man pulled out his wallet with visible regret and paid.
Kiri: "Thank you. If you already know the basics, you won't need a guide."
All three: "We need a guide."
Kiri glanced apologetically at the man. "That would be an extra twenty though no guide is available right now. You'd have to wait."
Female 2: "We can't wait; we're on a schedule."
Kiri sighed. "All right. I'll guide you. Follow me."
He led them past display cases of myths and legends.
Kiri: "This is a crushed doll. Legend says if you name it, she comes alive, follows you everywhere, feeds on your soul, and eventually drives you insane."
Women (giggles): "That's scary!"
Kiri: "It sounds funny until you realize the artifact is genuine."
Tour finished, he waved them goodbye. A familiar voice called from behind.
Aliya: "Kiri? Did you just handle customers?"
Kiri: "Yeah. The cross necklace the manager gave me actually suppressed my curse. Wait Aliya, you're supposed to be off today."
Aliya: "I was just passing, hold on, don't change the subject. Didn't they freak out?"
Kiri: "The guy nearly cried when he heard the price."
Aliya patted his head. "Enough with the jokes. I'm here now. Let's head inside."
Kiri muttered, baffled, I didn't know she cared… Maybe she's just being polite after last time.
A black BMW 7 screeched to a stop outside. Yumi, still in her suit, jumped out, hurried over, and shoved Kiri into the car.
Yumi (yelling): "No time! Aliya, watch the store, we'll be back soon!"
Aliya, stunned, caught the keys Yumi tossed her. "Be safe… I guess?"
Inside the car:
Kiri: "Manager"
Yumi (overlapping): "The agency's going to kill us"
Kiri (shouting): "Manager!"
She fell silent.
Kiri: "Calm down, please."
Yumi took a breath. "Sorry. Timing's terrible. I spoke to your mother you're staying with me for a day."
Kiri: "You did what? They'll interrogate me! My brother and his girlfriend are at home oh, God."
They drove in tense silence for ten minutes.
Yumi: "Aren't you going to ask where we're headed?"
Kiri (gazing out the window): "I already know. A new commission, right?"
Yumi: "Yes and no. Head office wants us to check on a cursed human subject near a church they think it's being moved."
Kiri sighed. "So much for my paid vacation."
Yumi pouted. "I want a vacation too… How's school? Still missing days?"
Kiri: "Yeah. Work and curses are overwhelming. I don't know anyone, so free periods are boring."
Yumi: "Why don't you try mak"
Kiri: "No."
Yumi: "Eh?"
She parked in front of a seven‑story hotel beside a massive church.
Kiri (amazed): "Why build a hotel next to a church?"
Yumi (surprised): "You didn't know? This is the biggest church in the city and pilgrims come from all over." She sighed. "If my shop were here, I'd make a fortune."
Kiri: "Uh‑huh."
Yumi approached the front desk.
Yumi: "One room, please."
Kiri blinked, then sputtered loud enough for the receptionist to hear.
Kiri: "H‑huh? Wait one room for two people? WHAT?"
His cheeks flushed crimson as the receptionist tried not to laugh.
Kiri stared at the floor, ears burning.
Kiri (hurriedly): "I‑it's not what you think! We're here strictly on business."
Yumi flashed a wicked grin at him, then turned back to the receptionist.
Yumi: "Couldn't agree more. So ready to pay, partner?"
Kiri fumbled for his wallet.
Kiri: "H‑huh? Oh right. Yeah, sure…"
They soon reached their room: small but neat, with a single double‑bed, a writing desk, and a large window that framed the church's towering spires.
Kiri: "I can swallow a lot, but that was my entire paycheck, Manager. And you never pay me for overtime, either."
He slumped, looking genuinely wounded.
Yumi's eyes narrowed.
Yumi: "Oh? And who's been spending her own money making charms and jewelry so you can pass for normal every day?" She folded her arms. "Must be someone else, right?"
Yumi: "Everything aside, we've got a job to do."
She pulled out two binoculars, caffeine pills, and a voice recorder from her bag like she was gearing up for a mission.
Kiri thought to himself, She really came prepared not gonna lie, but this feels like overkill.
Yumi's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Yumi: "So, who's going to stay up for the first night's watch?"
Kiri: "Of course she's got something for this kind of thing, isn't she?"
As night fell, darkness swallowed the city. The stars sparkled in the sky, and while everyone else rested, two souls stayed awake to fulfill someone else's wishes.
Kiri: "Got any movement?"
He kept peeking through the binoculars but got no response. Glancing over, he saw Yumi fast asleep, curled up like a bear in hibernation.
Kiri, visibly annoyed but trying to stay calm, sighed. He gently picked her up and laid her on the bed.
She's heavy as a bear too, he thought, grumbling internally.
The night dragged on. At the front gate of the church, two guards stood motionless, like statues carved from stone.
Kiri grabbed a notebook and jotted down notes.
"No movement from the guards at the front gate," he wrote, glancing between the window and the page. "They don't move or speak... like puppets. This is strange."
Kiri: "Why did she bring so many caffeine pills if she was just going to sleep…?"
The realization stung, and he muttered under his breath, "I hate her."
Morning broke, and though the church was closed, people kept streaming in and out like something big was about to happen. Were they panicking or something?
Kiri: muttered to himself, nursing his coffee. "Are they planning some kind of festival?"
Yumi: stirred awake, stretching her arm. "Good morning."
Without turning, Kiri glanced out the window. "Guten morgen."
She laughed out loud. "You look like a panda." The dark circles left by the binoculars were still stamped under his eyes.
Kiri rubbed his face. "Ha, very funny. But seriously, check this out."
Yumi: peered over. "So the guards don't move, don't talk, and don't even sleep? That's weird. Sounds like they're gearing up for something—probably related to the target or the client."
Kiri sighed. "Who exactly is this client? And why is he going into the church? And more importantly, why are we stalking it? What is this commission about anyways?"
Yumi: Puffing up her chest, a proud smirk playing on her lips. "I don't know who they are, but they're paying well. So I took the job or maybe they just forced me basically."
Kiri: Frowning, disappointment clear in his voice. "Eh wait there's a car pulling up outside. They're taking something or someone inside a box?"
Yumi: Snatching the binoculars from Kiri's hands, she said, "That's not a box, it's a casket sealed with various holy seals and something else."
She narrowed her eyes. "We are going in, Get ready"