join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr
People go missing every day in the world.
Simple disappearances are one thing, but a person vanishing into thin air and even being forgotten by everyone—such a bizarre situation immediately made Yukinoshita Yukino think of the previous incidents where kaidan invaded reality.
Upon realizing something was wrong, Yukinoshita Yukino didn't try to tough it out alone; instead, she decisively called for help. If she herself encountered a kaidan, she might have silently endured it due to her proud personality.
But now, the person who disappeared was her older sister, and her sister was just an ordinary person, without even the ability to resist if she encountered a kaidan.
Therefore, they had to find her sister as quickly as possible; every second of delay would make it more dangerous.
"My sister's apartment hasn't been thoroughly checked yet; perhaps there are clues we haven't found," Yukinoshita Yukino let out a soft breath, biting her pink lips. "Shall we go there?"
Amamiya Natsuki nodded in agreement and said:
"Let's go then."
Without delay, the group quickly set off.
On the way to the apartment, Yukinoshita Yukino took out her phone and introduced:
"This is a picture of my sister; take a look."
Amamiya Natsuki looked over curiously and saw a black-haired girl on the phone. She looked sunny, had a sweet smile, bright eyes, and white teeth, appearing to be a very popular type of girl.
"Is this Yukino-chan's sister? She's very pretty," Fujiwara Chika asked curiously, "What's her name?"
Yukinoshita Yukino softly said:
"Haruno… Yukinoshita Haruno."
Shinomiya Kaguya blinked, her gaze falling on Yukino, then glancing at Haruno's chest. She asked curiously:
"How old is your sister this year?"
Yukinoshita Yukino: "Twenty years old, a sophomore in college."
"That's good."
The Sheltered Young Lady's lips curled slightly upward, and a mysterious confidence suddenly arose in her heart.
Yukinoshita Yukino was flat as a board, a foregone conclusion, but her own older sister, Haruno, was so well-endowed. What did that prove?
It proved that some girls just develop late and aren't flat-chested their whole lives!
Her future was promising!
"That's not necessarily true," Amamiya Natsuki sat beside the Spy Maid. Seeing the Young Lady's micro-expression, he knew what she was happy about, so he quietly complained in a voice just loud enough for Hayasaka Ai to hear, "Yukino's sister is wearing clothes, maybe she stuffed something in there."
"Senpai, I didn't quite hear you," Hayasaka Ai crossed her arms, tilted her head, and looked over with a sweet smile. "What did you just say you stuffed?"
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head to look. This Hayasaka wasn't wearing her school uniform today, but a white shirt with a cartoon dolphin pattern on the chest. The dolphin's eyes were wide, its curves shapely and graceful, clearly indicating good development. He couldn't help but quietly complain:
"Did you stuff steamed buns?"
"Who would stuff something like that?!" Hayasaka Ai gritted her teeth in anger. "I said it wrong, I didn't stuff anything!"
Don't lie, I've seen your flat appearance before, how could you wear a shirt with that kind of volume!
Amamiya Natsuki said faintly:
"It's not like we haven't seen each other naked; I know your size very well… By the way, isn't it hot stuffing so many things?"
"Pfft!"
It's summer now, of course it would be hot stuffing those things!
But the junior, Hanamori, whom she first impersonated, was a well-endowed girl. If she suddenly became flat, she would definitely be suspected!
There was no other way.
No matter how hot it was, she could only silently endure it.
Hayasaka Ai glared at him in annoyance, her pretty face still smiling, but her right hand quietly reached for Amamiya Natsuki's waist, whispering in his ear:
"Is the perverted Senpai very curious about what's inside?"
Amamiya Natsuki nodded: "I am a little curious."
"You can," Hayasaka Ai smiled, "As long as the perverted Senpai kisses my foot, I'll tell you what's inside."
Amamiya Natsuki returned the smile: "Then I won't be polite."
Hayasaka Ai: "…"
Miscalculation!
This perverted Senpai was becoming more and more lewd; kissing her foot couldn't stop him anymore!
The Spy Maid put on a stern face, trying to threaten: "I'm not washing my feet today."
"It's okay," Amamiya Natsuki was not afraid at all, "I'll kiss you after I kiss your feet."
"Pfft, perverted Senpai, don't even think about it!" Hayasaka Ai's eyes showed disdain.
Amamiya Natsuki said unhurriedly:
"Did you forget Time Stop? Whether you want to or not isn't important; it depends on whether I want to."
Hayasaka Ai: "…"
Talking all the way, they soon arrived downstairs at the apartment building.
Everyone got out of the car and, led by Yukinoshita Yukino, went to Haruno's apartment.
"This is it," Yukinoshita Yukino took out the key and opened the door. "Everyone, come in."
Upon entering, they immediately saw a pile of salt on the floor. In Japan's folk customs, salt piles have the effect of warding off evil. When Miko first saw the evil spirit, she had placed salt piles in her home.
The facts proved it was useless.
"Everyone, in pairs," Shinomiya Kaguya softly said, "Let's thoroughly check the apartment to see if any clues were left behind."
"Understood."
Amamiya Natsuki raised his hand in a salute.
The apartment inside hadn't been tidied up. Besides the salt pile at the entrance, there were many cluttered items, such as crucifixes, garlic strings, Bibles, and even bagua mirrors and peach wood swords… Clearly, Yukinoshita Haruno was well aware that she had encountered a mysterious existence that science couldn't explain.
Unfortunately, these items had long been verified by players to have no effect; only items produced by the game could counter them.
Amamiya Natsuki walked to the cabinet, where several photo frames were placed. One of them was a summer swimsuit photo of Yukinoshita Haruno, and he couldn't help but look at it a few more times.
Blue sky, white clouds, sea, beach, and swimsuits with cleavage…
Even though they were biological sisters, the difference between them was too great.
Could Yukinoshita be a potential stock with a promising future?
"Perverted Senpai, do you just stop in your tracks when you see a pretty girl now?"
Hayasaka Ai couldn't help but complain.
"Not at all," Amamiya Natsuki put down the photo. "I'm just confirming something."
"Eh, what is it?"
"Yukino's sister really didn't stuff anything."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki pointed to the desk calendar next to the photo, then said:
"There are only women's shoes of the same size in the shoe cabinet, proving that Haruno lives alone. The day circled on the desk calendar was naturally Haruno's action."
In Japan, even today, every household still has a desk calendar. Any important events or arrangements are circled on the calendar for marking and reminding.
"Five days ago?" Hayasaka Ai pushed her glasses up her nose and pondered, "That would be last Monday. Yukino's sister had an important appointment that day. What exactly was it?"
"I don't know, but at least we have a direction for investigation."
"…"
"Natsuki, Natsuki," Kitagawa Marin poked her pretty face out of the bedroom, her voice clear, "There's a computer in the bedroom, and after turning it on, there are many search records inside."
Everyone walked into the bedroom.
Yukinoshita Haruno's disappearance wasn't a complete erasure of all traces of her life, but rather a special kind of forgetting power. Yukinoshita Yukino had already conducted an experiment, randomly showing Haruno's photo to ordinary people, and in less than a minute, they would forget the photo's content with a blank look.
In other words, traces of Yukinoshita Haruno's life still existed, but ordinary people would forget them instantly upon seeing them; only players were unaffected.
"Look."
Kitagawa Marin opened the browser and looked for search records.
Yukinoshita Haruno apparently didn't have the habit of clearing her search history. After opening it, her past search content immediately appeared.
What to do if you encounter a spirit away?
Urban kaidan that make people's presence disappear.
How to avoid being harmed by kaidan.
"The earliest search record related to kaidan is four days ago," Amamiya Natsuki said calmly, "The day circled on the desk calendar is five days ago. Clearly, your sister encountered a certain kaidan five days ago."
"Five days ago?"
Yukinoshita Yukino bit her lower lip tightly with her pearly teeth, clenching her fists, as self-reproach surged in her heart.
During these five days, she had never sent Haruno a message or called her. Her sister had been enduring fear and torment all alone.
If only she had found out sooner…
"Yukino-chan, this isn't your fault," Fujiwara Chika hugged Yukinoshita's arm. "The most important thing now is to find your sister quickly."
If alive, they needed to see her; if dead, they needed to see her body.
If something unfortunate happened, revenge was even more necessary.
"Yukino-chan, there are many videos and photos on the computer. Do you want to take a look?"
Kitagawa Marin asked.
Yukinoshita Yukino let out a soft breath, then said: "Let's all look together."
Now, Haruno's safety was the most important thing; privacy could only come second.
"Okay."
There were many videos on the computer. A small portion were movies and documentaries, but most were various videos and photos taken by Yukinoshita Haruno, with food videos and cute pet photos being the most numerous.
"So many dog photos, Yukino-chan's sister must really like dogs, right?"
"The food photos are also very beautiful."
"Eh, there are even cosplay photos! It's Freya from Redo of Healer, so pretty."
"And further on… these are Yae Miko and Raiden Shogun cosplays, amazing, the eyes have so much feeling!"
"…"
Yukinoshita Yukino remained silent.
She didn't know anything about her sister's favorite pets, the dishes she often ate, or her love for cosplay.
Koyasu Tsubame curiously poked Amamiya Natsuki and whispered:
"Natsuki-kun, what is Redo of Healer? I've never heard of it."
"Hmm…" Amamiya Natsuki pondered for two seconds, then gave his assessment, "It's an anime about getting revenge and feeling good about it. Do you want to watch it, Senpai?"
Koyasu Tsubame nodded and said:
"I am a bit curious."
"Alright then," Amamiya Natsuki said meaningfully, "When we get back to Tokyo, we'll watch it together."
"Natsuki-kun's eyes are strange…" Koyasu Tsubame immediately became wary. "It's not some weird anime, is it?"
Amamiya Natsuki was about to speak when he suddenly heard a strange thumping sound coming from the computer.
"Eh, eh, eh?!"
The girls' embarrassed exclamations immediately rang out.
Everyone had been gathered around the computer, looking for clues together. Now, seeing the terrible video on the screen, all the girls' faces turned red, and they quickly turned their heads away.
"It, it has nothing to do with me!"
Kitagawa Marin's pretty face flushed crimson, and she quickly explained, "I just randomly clicked on a video!"
This Succubus Girl had played the R-rated version of the Sheltered Young Lady Academy with Amamiya Natsuki, so she shouldn't have been so easily embarrassed. But now, under everyone's watchful eyes, her sense of shame was completely uncontrollable.
Fujiwara Chika covered her face with both hands, her voice full of shame: "Marin-chan, quickly turn off the video!"
"Ah… okay."
Kitagawa Marin fumbled, reaching for the mouse.
"Wait, wait a moment." Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly called out, biting her lip, her pretty face flushed like fire. Suppressing her shame, she forced herself to look at the computer, "That woman… also has short hair."
Amamiya Natsuki continued to look at the computer. Due to the angle, he could only see the woman's fair back and her swaying short hair, but not her face. Just looking at her back indeed made one suspicious.
The others also reacted one after another.
So… it could be Yukinoshita Yukino's sister?
Juju turned her head, stealing a glance, her small face burning hot, a thought surging into her mind.
"Could it be Yukino's sister and her boyfriend's selfie?"
Social death!
If Yukino's sister were here, being watched by so many people, she would definitely jump out the window!
It's decided! From now on, no matter how Stupid Natsuki begs, even if he prostrates himself, it will be useless. She will never let him film videos!
Tsubame's pretty face was flushed and hot, and she couldn't help but remind her:
"Marin-chan, turn off the sound."
"Okay."
Kitagawa Marin quickly agreed, fumbling to turn off the sound.
As silence fell, all the girls breathed a sigh of relief.
Yukinoshita Yukino bit her silver teeth tightly, endured her shame, and took a deep breath, saying:
"You all go out first…"
"No need." Amamiya Natsuki said, "This isn't your sister."
"Eh, how does Natsuki know?" Kitagawa Marin looked over curiously, "That girl hasn't shown her face yet, right?"
Amamiya Natsuki coughed twice, then said:
"I've seen it before, she'll show her face later… it's a study video recommended by a junior high friend."
Hayasaka Ai's eyes showed disdain: "Senpai really loves to study."
Amamiya Natsuki's expression didn't change: "Thank you for the exaggeration."
It's normal for a physically normal male high school student to have some study materials on his computer. Anyone who says they're not interested is 100% lying. This kind of thing is an instinct engraved in the genes of male animals.
"I'll fast forward to the end to take a look."
The Succubus Girl's acceptance level was much higher than the other girls. She held the mouse, dragged the progress bar, and the short-haired teacher quickly showed her face.
"Hoo…"
Yukinoshita Yukino hugged her hands to her chest, her bright eyes unblinking. At this moment, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't her sister.
It was just an unfamiliar stranger.
"But… why would sister's computer have this kind of thing?"
A new question surged into her mind.
Yukinoshita Yukino quickly bit her lip, pushing the question to the back of her mind.
Sister was already a twenty-year-old university student, and her coming-of-age ceremony had already been held. It was normal for her to be in a relationship with someone or to collect such videos, there was no need to make a fuss.
The most important thing now was to find her sister.
The search continued.
Next, they didn't see any more strange things. Finally, they found a clue in a few photos.
"The photos show a script-killing store… the time was exactly five days ago."
"That's it."
"…"
The group left the apartment and headed straight for the script-killing store.
During the ride, the Sheltered Young Lady sat beside Amamiya Natsuki and whispered:
"President, don't watch those terrible things anymore."
Amamiya Natsuki said seriously: "This is Japan's economic pillar industry…"
"Anyway, it's not allowed!" Shinomiya Kaguya's pretty face stiffened. Remembering the scene she had just seen, her face still felt hot. That kind of thing was much more impactful than manga. "That kind of thing… is too disgusting!"
"Those perverts who grope on trains and stalk elementary school student must have committed crimes because they watched too much of that stuff, right?"
Hey, hey, don't lump everyone together. Even if those perverts don't watch study materials, they'll still commit crimes. External factors are at most just inducements!
Amamiya Natsuki said faintly:
"I actually haven't watched it in a long time, but now that you mention it, I suddenly feel…"
"Feel what?"
Shinomiya Kaguya hugged her hands to her chest and smiled at him.
"Suddenly felt shame and guilt." Amamiya Natsuki said with profound regret, "It corrodes one's will and weakens one's body. I've decided, I'll never watch it again from now on."
"…"
Talking along the way, they soon arrived at the script-killing store.
"Hello, welcome…"
The front desk lady in a suit bowed, her smile standard.
"Hello." Yukinoshita Yukino stepped forward, her voice cool and direct, "We'd like to see the script-killing surveillance footage from a week ago."
Regular script-killing stores like this, similar to cinemas, have surveillance cameras installed inside. Not only can they check information, but they can also directly view the surveillance.
"Eh?" The front desk lady was startled, then quickly shook her head and refused, "I'm sorry, we can't let you view guests' privacy."
Amamiya Natsuki stepped forward and said:
"Yukino's sister mysteriously disappeared. Before she disappeared, she mentioned coming to play at the script-killing store, which is why we need to see the surveillance video. Please make an exception."
"I'm sorry." The front desk lady hesitated for a few seconds, but still shook her head, "If you wish to view the surveillance, you can ask the police to come and investigate."
Yukinoshita Yukino furrowed her delicate brows.
Haruno's disappearance wasn't ordinary; it was a direct disappearance. Even if they called the police, the police would forget about it immediately and wouldn't come at all.
"Miss, I believe you are well aware of the police's work efficiency. We can't wait any longer." Amamiya Natsuki said, taking out his wallet and using his money ability, pulling out a few Fukuzawa Yukichi bills. "Please help us. We just want to watch the surveillance. You don't have to leave; you can stand by and watch."
The front desk lady widened her eyes: "Uh…"
"Five minutes." Amamiya Natsuki took out another stack of Fukuzawa Yukichi. "We'll only watch for a maximum of five minutes."
Facing the onslaught of Fukuzawa Yukichi, the front desk lady ultimately couldn't uphold her bottom line. She quickly accepted the money and said in a low voice: "O-okay then… please be quick, and I must watch from the side."
Amamiya Natsuki smiled: "Of course, no problem."
Yukinoshita Yukino: "…"
Bribing others with money ability is not right at all.
The front desk lady waved and called another person to cover for her, then said in a low voice:
"Follow me."
Everyone stepped up and followed her to the surveillance room.
"About what just happened… thank you." Yukinoshita Yukino tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and thanked him softly, "I'll pay you back later."
"Let's talk about it after you find your sister."
Upon arriving at the surveillance room, they retrieved the surveillance video from five days ago. It didn't take long before they found the surveillance video of Yukinoshita Haruno playing script-killing. Besides Haruno, there were five other unfamiliar people.
"Strange…" The front desk lady stood by, her tone puzzled, "Why are there only two people playing script-killing?"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr