I suddenly became a yakuza boss.

Yukino Yukinoshita had deliberately interrupted Isshiki's call with Li Xuan.

It seems that Isshiki also knew that Yukino must have been nearby when the call took place.

That phone call was a small-scale contest between them.

Shh...

The rain was pattering down. Iroha Isshiki, who was dragging her feet, suddenly said, "Senior Yukinoshita, you... seem to care a lot about Senior Gen."

"!"

Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly raised her head and glanced at Isshiki in surprise.

"Don't talk nonsense."

Yukino replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry. But, I'm a little bothered by it."

Isshiki Iroha said to Yukino, as if she had something on her mind.

Yukino looked at Isshiki with surprise. She had initially felt that Isshiki seemed to have some kind of emotional tendency, but this was the first time Isshiki had expressed it.

"...It's not what you think, but, Isshiki-kun, you like..."

Yukino Yukinoshita asked unexpectedly.

Iroha Isshiki immediately smiled and shook her head, denying it, saying, "No, no, it's not what you think, Yukinoshita-senpai. I'm just a little concerned about the relationship between you and Gen-senpai."

"Although Senior Xuan's personality is a bit awful, and he doesn't show any mercy to women—completely different from Senior Hayama and Senior Hachiman—he does have his merits. Unlike Senior Hayama, who was unclear about his own intentions, and unlike Senior Hachiman, who had someone he liked from the start but kept his feelings hidden, this person is starting from the same point, cautiously approaching girls from different worlds, still observing, not yet touching any emotions that can truly move his wary heart. In other words, he currently doesn't belong to anyone..."

Isshiki Hachiman said with a calm smile.

"But a good man, once you've touched him, you'll definitely have that feeling. And you'll feel very safe with him, right?"

Yukino Yukinoshita knelt on the wooden board, holding a mop in one hand, looking at Isshiki with a shocked expression.

"Girls... are all cautious. Even if it's not called liking someone, it's just a little bit away from it. Yukinoshita-senpai, I also cherish that senpai very much."

Isshiki Iroha looked somewhat somber, gave a bitter smile, and said to Yukino.

In the awkward atmosphere, the rain made the sky even darker.

The two girls in the attic looked at each other.

Yukino Yukinoshita was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's continue cleaning."

"Yes, Yukinoshita-senpai."

Isshiki Iroha readily agreed.

Despite the vague wording, Yukino understood Isshiki's meaning perfectly.

Japanese girls are ultimately conservative when it comes to love.

Even if you have a good feeling about someone, it doesn't really mean you like them.

Even while hesitating, Isshiki wouldn't stand by and watch the person she cherishes be taken away.

This tactful way of putting it was more like a heart-to-heart talk. She didn't want to ruin their relationship, but choosing to say these things might have been out of interest, since Isshiki had always enjoyed this kind of self-destructive behavior. Or perhaps, Isshiki genuinely valued this senior.

The two girls dressed as waitresses finally finished their work, leaving only the pile of boxes to check and decide whether to discard or keep them.

Iroha Isshiki glanced at Yukino, then at the box in the dark corner, and asked with a serious expression, "Yukinoshita-senpai, don't you think something's a little strange?"

As if the awkward atmosphere from before had never existed, Isshiki continued to treat Yukino Shimo as always.

Yukino asked, "Strange? What's strange?"

"I'm wondering why they sold this guesthouse for only 2700 million yen, and why it's always been so dirty and doesn't meet the requirements for a guesthouse at all."

Iroha Isshiki analyzed the case, saying, "Based on my reasoning, the former manager must have been hiding a secret in this guesthouse. This musty smell is a trick to cover up some kind of crime. It's very suspicious. The body might be hidden in a box in the attic."

"By some coincidence, Yukinoshita-senpai, Yuihama-senpai, and I, at Gen-senpai's invitation, went to an old mountain inn that we had just bought. Just as we were having a great time, some subtle details made me realize that this old inn was hiding a secret. But no darkness can hide from the light of the law. Detective Isshiki will definitely find out the truth!"

Iroha Isshiki excitedly recited lines from a certain anime to Yukino.

"Then, Miss Detective, you're in charge of opening all the boxes and checking them."

Yukino Yukinoshita, with a cold expression, smiled and said to Isshiki.

"Just kidding, I actually don't dare to get close at all."

Iroha Isshiki hid behind Yukino with a forced smile and said in a cowardly tone.

Two girls stood together in front of this row of boxes.

However, as Yukino was about to open the box, images of various murder cases from the novel and bloody scenes from movies flashed through her mind. Amidst the lightning, the thought of some terrifying movie scenes made her hesitant to approach the box.

They were just two unarmed high school girls; if they were to encounter such a situation, it would be a nightmare for life.

The atmosphere in the attic was always strange, with a kind of eerie feeling of exploring an ancient castle, and Yukino never dared to approach the boxes.

Eeya...

Eeya...

Suddenly, a sound came from the surrounding area of ​​the wooden planks being squeezed by something.

"Wait, there's something here. Ugh, it feels like it's getting closer to us!"

Shiro Iroha was so frightened that she clung to Yukino's arm and said in fear.

Ghosts in horror movies seem to always like to hide in attics.

Houses in Japan really do have a creepy atmosphere...

The electric light was dim, and Yukino listened carefully, only to find that the sound was coming from the wooden wall next door.

Out of curiosity, she tried to push the box open, but the cardboard box was unusually light and was pushed open easily.

There was a hole hidden behind the box.

Yukino and Iroha leaned down curiously to see what was going on with the hole.

As a result, inside the cave, they saw a disheveled woman crawling towards them, moving her body unnaturally!

"Aaaaaaah!!"

Iroha Isshiki hugged Yukino tightly and screamed in terror.

"Isshiki-kun, stop hugging me all the time..."

Yukino sighed and said.

What's wrong with you?

Shiori Sagamiya, emerging from the cat hole, looked at the two girls, both of whom looked rather pale, with a puzzled expression and asked.

Covered in dust, Shiori Sagamiya was in charge of tidying up the other side of the attic. While doing so, she heard noises and faint voices from next door, so she peeked through the cat door. In the light from there, she realized that the passageways were connected...

"Forehead......"

Isshiki was so frightened that his legs went weak and he sat down on the ground.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Yukino sighed, glanced at the expressionless Shiori Sagamiya, and asked.

“…”

Shiori Sagami remained silent. Yes, she had indeed deliberately scared them.

This guesthouse is remarkably clean in a way.

※※※※

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

The girls were exhausted after finally cleaning the guesthouse properly.

Yukino glanced at the clock and decided to head back first.

"Xiaoxue, are you going back? Don't you plan to stay here for a while? There are hot springs here."

Yui Yuigahama blinked and asked.

"No need, my home has very strict access control."

Yukino smiled and looked at Yuigahama Yui.

However, the rain was still falling on and off.

Li Xuan had just returned from the warehouse. He had just finished interrogating the two thugs and confirmed that their gang was just a small, harmless local gang. He then threw them out the back door and saw Yukino preparing to go back when he returned.

"Hmm? Miss Yukinoshita, are you going back?" Li Xuan asked.

"Hmm, are you staying here for the night?"

Yukino looked at Li Xuan and asked.

Li Xuan had just dealt with two thugs and was feeling a little uneasy, so he asked, "It's raining, after all. Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?"

"It's okay, we can just take the bus and go to the tram stop."

Yukino smiled faintly and said.

However, Yukino stood in the rain with her umbrella waiting for the village bus, but after a full twenty minutes, no bus came by.

Yukino glanced at the bus sign and realized that the buses here stopped running at 3:30.

Public transportation in rural areas is very inconvenient and cannot be compared to that in the city.

Left with no other choice, Yukino returned to the guesthouse.

She had another option: she called her older sister, Yang Nai, and asked Yang Nai to drive over and pick her up.

Li Xuan was relieved to hear about this way of getting home.

The group waited at the guesthouse until six o'clock. When the door opened, Li Xuan and Yukino saw Yang Nai making a dazzling appearance carrying large and small bags!

"Yukino-chan, I'm here!"

Haruno greeted Yukino happily.

"..."