Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

Chapter 80, "Playful Relationships," is really good!

"It's awful to feel like I'm not involved at all, because things have already been resolved without my knowledge."

Lin Tingwan, who hadn't appeared for a long time, said this.

After escaping from the Qingqiu Otherworld, the first thing I did was contact her, who had received the phantom thief's warning letter, to inform her that the matter had been resolved.

Although they spent a day and a night in the other world, it was only dusk when they left.

For Lin Tingwan, she was still agonizing over the accidental exposure incident last night, and not long after, she received news that the phantom thief case had been resolved.

It was still the adventure that Bai Ze and that detective girl experienced together.

What's wrong with me? Why do I feel like I'm the only one who can't do it?

"Don't worry about so many details."

In a board game cafe with few customers, Bai Ze played a flip card: "UNO!"

He skipped class and left school. Instead of going back to find Lin Tingwan, he should ask her out.

This is why they leisurely play UNO while others are focused on studying.

Even if I don't care about the specifics...

Holding a stack of cards, Lin Tingwan glanced in another direction.

"Why is she tying a ribbon around her neck?!"

The seat next to Bai Ze was occupied by an object that resembled a rotting mushroom and emitted a dark aura.

But it has the human name Xia Xingzhi.

Mushrooms cannot become human, which is probably why she was trying to strangle herself by wrapping packaging tape from the board game store around her neck.

"I'm in despair. I'm in despair that a world like mine, a useless detective who's been possessed and manipulated by the enemy, could exist..."

He kept muttering resentful words, and even the temperature in the store seemed to drop a bit. The owner, standing on the inside of the counter, looked over with concern.

"It was just a slight blow to my spirits."

Bai Ze had completely gotten used to it since she woke up on her way to see Lin Tingwan.

"How could a slight blow cause this? Did you encounter some Great Old Ones?!"

Lin Tingwan slammed her hand on the table and stood up, taking the opportunity to secretly discard a few cards from her hand.

"Ha, our detective's sanity is known for being only three."

Bai Ze picked up the cards she had thrown away. "You're too early to try and cheat in front of me!"

"Isn't that just like a Yu-Gi-Oh! card with only one attack power? What's there to be proud of...?"

Lin Tingwan reluctantly retracted her discard, while Xia Xingzhi looked like a dog that had just been fed a mouthful of chocolate, as if she were about to die.

"See? It's all because of your verbal attacks that the detective on the field has been ruined and can be sent to the graveyard."

With a heavy heart, Bai Ze reached out and closed the detective girl's eyes.

Unexpectedly, after surviving the fox demon's possession, he ultimately met his demise in the safe board game shop, dying at the hands of the witch he was supposed to protect. It's a plot twist so bizarre it's comparable to Sherlock Holmes suddenly jumping off a waterfall with Professor Moriarty in a double suicide.

As Watson, I will take good care of your sister. Rest in peace, Miss Natsuki.

"You can't die!"

Perhaps fearing she would be convicted of murder by verbal violence, Lin Tingwan put down her cards, reached across the table, grabbed the girl's shoulders, and shook her.

"Ah...does someone like me even deserve care?"

Just as a decaying fungus is reborn in the sunlight, Xia Xingzhi's eyes lit up again.

"If you die here, you'll become a vengeful spirit and cause the board game shop to go bankrupt! We can't cause such trouble for others!"

The sunlight was too intense for Lin Tingwan, turning her into snow-white ashes.

"To make a long story short, her inner awkwardness has been unusually exposed, and she is currently in a state of shame and guilt."

Bai Ze discarded his last card, declared his victory, and explained.

In fact, Xia Xingzhi doesn't have a very clear memory of what happened after she was possessed; for example, she doesn't remember how she was rescued.

But she still remembers clearly the burning jealousy that had consumed her, and how she seemed to have attacked her allies under the influence of that jealousy.

boom!

The girl's forehead slammed heavily onto the table.

"Ugh... Let me become a maggot..."

"Not bad, they evolved from fungi into arthropods."

Bai Ze clapped.

"Why are you being so harsh on me today...?"

She lay on the table, her eyes brimming with tears as she glanced at him sideways.

Shouldn't they be offering comfort?

"Because you're an idiot, starting today, the title of detective is revoked. You'll start training as Sheriff Lestrade."

Bai Ze showed no mercy.

This is a rebuke on behalf of Xia Yunli.

"Then tell me, where do I go wrong with being stupid?"

When it came to a detective's sense of honor, she asked, unconvinced.

"You have time to wallow in self-pity, but you don't join us in the pointless two-player UNO games that we've made possible."

Hearing the unexpected answer, Xia Xingzhi opened her eyes wide in bewilderment.

Isn't it an anomaly that took advantage of the situation and caused trouble for our own people?

"That's right."

Lin Tingwan nodded in agreement, "If there were one more person, I wouldn't lose to a mere Bai Ze."

Xia Xingzhi was slightly confused: "I was bewitched by an abnormality before, and it almost led to a terrible outcome—"

Why can't we just ignore it?

"If this really happens—for example, if you accidentally kill him, I will kill you with my own hands right now and then try to find an anomaly with the ability to resurrect."

Lin Tingwan said calmly, then suddenly smiled, "But isn't everything alright?"

From her perspective, Bai Ze is a new employee of the Spirit Disaster Bureau. Even if he received training from Rhea, his combat power is definitely not as good as that of the detective who is an external aid.

"There's no need to take all the responsibility upon yourself."

Bai Ze pushed the newly shuffled deck in front of her. "Are there any people here who fear your power and would blame everything on you?"

"If we lose the next three-player game, I'll blame it all on Natsumi Hoshino..."

Ignoring Lin Tingwan's threat, the girl fell silent.

Due to the nature of her ability, she has always tended to blame herself, to some extent, for the unfortunate accidents that happen around her.

If she hadn't been there, perhaps this accident wouldn't have happened;

If she is capable enough, she should be able to save others even if she drags them into misfortune.

He only caused the former, but couldn't do the latter, so of course it's all his own fault.

The inevitable conclusion drawn from this reasoning is to sever social ties as much as possible and stay away from anyone who might infect you with your misfortune.

So, I gradually began to fear crowds.

However, the two people in front of me, who were clearly being targeted by a phantom thief and had just escaped from another world a second ago, are now happily playing a board game the next...

And he wouldn't blame her, even though he had caused such a big problem.

Xia Xingzhi pressed her hand against her throbbing heart.

She also vaguely remembered the object of her jealousy when she was in another world.

—As expected, she was jealous of the relationship between the two.

"Speaking of which, now that we have three people, can we play something else that gives Xiaobai a chance to win?"

"Wow, the loser just now has the nerve to say that..."

So, the girl grabbed Bai Ze's sleeve.

"I like you."

The cards Lin Tingwan was holding fell to the ground with a clatter.

"—Because you are an excellent assistant, at least from a detective's perspective."

"Could you please stop panting when you speak?!"

"So, you were referring to the detective and assistant roles all along. When are you going to stop this role-playing?"