Evil Spirit Consultant

Chapter 298 The Black Mist at Dusk

The twilight in Fukuoka always carries a lazy and warm hue.

The setting sun painted the sky with a gradient of orange-red and pale purple, and elongated shadows moved silently along the asphalt road.

The school bell had long since faded away, and students in various school uniforms emerged from the school gates in twos and threes, laughing and joking, joining the surging crowd heading home.

Koizumi Rin walked alone on the sidewalk with her schoolbag on her back.

She didn't go with her friends today as usual, because with final exams approaching, everyone was discussing going to the library or tutoring classes.

All she wanted was to get home quickly and enjoy a moment of peace and quiet.

She was tall and slender, her curvaceous figure barely concealed by the slightly loose school uniform, yet still radiating youthful energy. Her beautiful face was framed by a pair of bright, large eyes that were slightly furrowed, carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry.

Because today, her unusual eyes saw something extraordinary again.

Not far in front of her, a middle-aged man wearing a wrinkled Brazilian suit and carrying a briefcase was moving forward with extremely slow and heavy steps.

His back was hunched, his hair was greasy and disheveled, and he exuded a heavy aura of exhaustion and despair.

This is not uncommon in Japan's high-pressure society.

But what made Koizumi Rin uneasy was not the man's condition, but the faint black mist surrounding him that was invisible to the naked eye.

That was a sign of death.

Koizumi Rin's eyes were filled with the black mist surrounding the man before her. Although it wasn't particularly thick yet, it clung to him like a leech and seemed to be slowly growing.

"Is this person... also about to die?" Koizumi Rin's heart tightened.

This wasn't the first time she'd seen this black mist, but each time she did, it gave her a strange sense of unease.

Although she received guidance from Teacher Yang, she was aware that there was something wrong with her mindset.

But seeing the man's zombie-like state and the black mist constantly emanating an aura of despair, her compassion and sense of justice made her hesitate.

Should we... go up and remind him?
Or at least ask him if he needs help?
Just as Koizumi Rin hesitated, the man had already staggered to the subway station entrance ahead.

That was the subway station that Koizumi Suzu passed through every day on her way to and from school.

The man paused, as if he had exhausted his last bit of strength, then dragged his heavy steps and disappeared at the entrance to the underground platform.

Koizumi Rin watched his disappearing figure, then looked at the sky.

There are many people and suspicious eyes in the subway station, so maybe nothing will happen?
But the unsettling black mist surrounding the man felt like a tiny thorn piercing her heart.

As if possessed, Koizumi Rin quickened her pace and followed them into the subway station.

During the evening rush hour, the subway station is bustling with people, and the air is filled with a mixture of smells.

Using her height advantage and special vision, Koizumi Rin quickly spotted the man in the crowd again.

He was standing in front of the ticket machine, slowly reaching into his pocket, nearly dropping his coins several times.

Those around him seemed to notice his unusual behavior and subconsciously kept their distance from him.

Koizumi Rin didn't approach; she just observed from a distance.

She watched as the man finally bought his ticket, then, as if sleepwalking, passed through the turnstile and headed towards the platform leading to the line she usually took.

"The same line..." Koizumi Rin muttered to herself.

She hesitated for a moment, then swiped her card to pass through the gate. She told herself she was just going that way and wasn't deliberately following him, but her gaze never left the figure shrouded in black mist.

The two walked down the stairs leading to the platform one after the other, and the subway's distinctive wind, slightly damp and smelling of rust, blew in their faces.

There were already quite a few passengers waiting for the train on the platform.

The man walked to a corner near the stairwell, turned his back to the crowd, and stood motionless against the cold tiled wall, like a statue about to crumble.

Koizumi Rin chose a relatively distant spot, pretending to play on her phone, but her eyes were constantly watching the man and the ominous black mist.

Time passed by, and more and more passengers filled the platform.

Koizumi Rin could sense that the black mist around the man seemed to have thickened, and the aura of despair and death was becoming increasingly intense.

Finally, the roar of a train approaching the station could be heard in the distance, and the lights grew closer as the subway train slowly pulled into the platform.

The doors opened, and passengers began to get on and off the train.

The man remained leaning against the wall, motionless, seemingly unaffected by the departing train.

Koizumi Rin breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he was just too tired and probably didn't intend to get on the train.

Seeing the car door about to close, Koizumi Rin subconsciously looked away and also shrank back into the corner on the other side.

Just wait a little longer...

As the last rays of the setting sun disappeared completely, night quietly descended.

The subway platform lights appeared somewhat pale, and the air seemed to carry an inexplicable chill.

The station was getting less and less crowded, and the once bustling station gradually became empty. When the last passenger boarded the subway, Koizumi Rin realized with a start that it was already late at night.

"Oh no! Why is it so late... Dad's going to be angry!"

Koizumi Rin took out her phone to contact her father, but subconsciously glanced in the man's direction and found him still leaning against the wall with his head drooping, as if he had already fallen asleep.

"Was it... that you were too tired and fell asleep?"

As she pondered, another light shone from the tunnel. Koizumi Rin looked up at the electronic bus stop sign, only to find that it was no longer displaying any information.

Is this the last train?

He turned to look at the person leaning against the wall, only to find that the other person had somehow gotten to the car door.

Watching the commuters slowly board the subway, and hearing the buzzing sound of the doors about to close, Koizumi Rin instinctively jumped.

Without having time to think much, she could only stuff her phone back into her bag and rush into the subway.

Perhaps because it was so late, I didn't see anyone else on the train except for myself and another commuter who had just boarded in another carriage.

Although the carriage looked perfectly normal, Suzuko felt a vague unease, as if something was amiss.

Just as she was contemplating whether to get off the bus and walk home, the car door slammed shut behind her.

The sudden closing of the car door startled her, and Koizumi Rin instinctively wanted to do something.

But with a jolt, the train slowly started moving, accelerated away from the platform, and soon disappeared into the depths of the dark tunnel.

(End of this chapter)