mygo, but Cthulhu

After a gunshot, Yamanaka's eyes widened. He looked down at the blood spreading on his chest, gasped in pain, and turned back to say something to Junda Sosuke, but in the end he couldn't make a sound.

Then he fell to the ground with his eyes open.

Chapter 20 Hailing's Past

“…I didn’t mean to do that.”

After a moment of silence, Kurolan slowly spoke, and Juntian Sosuke also sighed deeply.

He leaned over to check Shanzhong's pulse, and after confirming that he was completely dead, he shook his head silently.

"This isn't your fault. It's all because he was too impulsive... When I get back, I'll explain everything to the committee and my superiors."

"That's troublesome,"

Heilang nodded slightly. She looked at the corpse at her feet with a complicated look, sighed silently, picked up the body bag, and walked forward, passing by Junta Sosuke.

After finally walking out of the building through the back door, Heilang subconsciously glanced at the branch where Yaolena was originally, but as she expected, there was no one on the tree now. It seemed that she had been taken back.

Hachiman Kailing walked towards the scheduled meeting point with mixed feelings. In front of her eyes was the angry face of the young policeman and the unwillingness of his death. Although theoretically this was none of her business, she still felt a little sad.

After arriving at the meeting point, she saw that there was already a vehicle waiting there. She walked forward and handed the body bag to the people who had been waiting there. They threw it into the trunk and got in the car and left without any communication with her.

Hachiman Kailing walked silently on a familiar route without any surveillance, and after taking the necessary detours, she found her home. She opened the door tiredly, but did not turn on the lights immediately after closing it. She stood silently in the dark and looked at the empty living room.

"……I'm back,"

After a long silence, she sighed silently and spoke, but as she expected, there was still no response from her family.

Hachiman Kailing closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Since that day, the house has been filled with such silence and coldness. She thought she could get used to it, but until today she still felt uncomfortable.

She silently put her pistol on the table, sat on the chair and turned on the desk lamp. Under the glaring light, she opened the drawer. After a slight pause, her hand took out many photos from it.

The photo was a horrifying scarlet. The scene was still her home, except that her father's body tissue had turned into fragments and covered almost every corner. His head, with a terrified and twisted expression, lay quietly on the table, looking at Hachiman Kailing.

One day a year ago, this was what Hachiman Kairei saw when she returned home from school.

"..."

She gritted her teeth in silence. Even though she had seen this photo many times, she still felt a cold anger. Every time she saw this bloody scene, hatred took root in her mind, making it unbearable for her.

The tragedy had happened without warning, and she didn't remember any strange signs beforehand, and her parents had said goodbye to her as usual... except that her father looked a little sad.

Hachiman Hailing sighed. She tried hard to recall her father's situation at that time, but still could not find any valuable clues. She had to give up this attempt for the umpteenth time.

She didn't know how she managed to stay conscious at the time. She only vaguely remembered that she dialed the police with a trembling voice, whimpered and begged the police to come quickly, and then curled up into a ball, like a frightened puppy.

But the first person to come to her house was not a policeman... but a man in a white mask. He told her that her father's superficial occupation was not real. He was actually a hunter, responsible for searching and cleaning up those strange things that ordinary people had no way of knowing, and keeping the secrets in the shadows.

According to the report her father made the day before his death, he seemed to have found a certain target, and his death was very likely related to that target. Unfortunately, only her father knew the corresponding information, and he had been brutally killed.

Compared to her father, her mother did not suffer much pain when she died. Her heart was pierced and she fell quietly in the kitchen... The hunter recognized

Because her father may have angered the murderer in some way, so he tortured him so angrily.

That day, it was the first time that Hachiman Kairei heard such world-shattering news. She struggled to maintain her sanity amidst the pain and confusion. After sorting out her parents' bodies and thinking about it all night, she asked him her most pressing question.

"I want to track that thing down with you, too. What do I need you to allow me to join?"

"That means you'll have to become a hunter too. Have you thought this through? You'll face the same danger of death as your father. He never told you his secret because he didn't want to involve you."

"My parents are dead. Can I do nothing?"

Hachiman Kailing agreed without hesitation at the time, even though the hunter reminded her that once she became a hunter, she could not go back on her word and that she also needed to maintain the principle of secrecy and do things she didn't want to do, she agreed without much thought at the time.

...how reckless and ignorant,

Hachiman Hailing sighed, stopped herself from thinking about what happened next, put the photo back into the drawer, turned off the desk lamp and walked towards the bed.

After lifting the quilt, the lifelike "Shiina Riki" looked at her with a smile. Hachiman Kailing got on the bed and hugged it. The soft touch brought by the expensive price made her almost forget that it was just a doll, and she couldn't help but hug it harder.

Originally, she couldn't afford a high-end doll of this level, but the hunter's bargaining chips were very generous. He customized it as soon as he got the money. It was not until it arrived in her bed that she could finally sleep well.

Although the doll itself had no temperature, Hailing could still feel the coveted warmth. She slowly exhaled and whispered in its ear,

"Thank you, Lixi."

Chapter 21 Relaxation

After Officer Juntian left, Xiangzi finally felt the fatigue surge up. She staggered a little, and Aine quickly supported her.

"Xiangxiang, are you okay?"

"I'm fine... By the way, what's Xiangxiang's name?"

Xiangzi shook his head subconsciously, but then realized her vulgar nickname and looked at her speechlessly.

"Hmm? Don't you think it's cute, Xiangzi?"

"Not at all,"

Xiangzi shook his head helplessly, and Aiyin sighed regretfully, then thought seriously.

"I see. I thought you'd like it, Xiangzi. How about Xiang Lili? Xiang Zhisuke? Xiang Pu Luo?"

“…Are you serious, Aine-san?”

Xiangzi was silent for a long time before she managed to speak, and Aiyin saw that she was about to explode and quickly raised her hands in surrender.

"Sorry, I was just giving you an example. If you don't like it, forget it... But in exchange, Xiangzi, please stop calling me Aine-san and just call me Aine."

"I'm afraid this is not very..."

Xiangzi was halfway through his words when he saw Aine's expression turn pitiful. She inexplicably had a vision of a big pink-haired dog looking at her with moist eyes, and she couldn't help but sigh in compromise.

"Okay, then, please give me your guidance from now on, Aine."

"Well, thank you for your guidance, Xiangzi!"

Aine nodded vigorously and happily, and Xiangzi's mood also improved a little because of her appearance. She suddenly remembered that Aine had not finished speaking, but when she was about to speak, a gunshot suddenly rang out from upstairs.

"boom,"

The harsh sound frightened Xiangzi so much that she couldn't help but tremble. She instantly forgot what she was going to ask. She looked at the policemen who were rushing up around her and pursed her lips uneasily.

Shots have been fired, so the murderer shouldn't be able to get away, right? If he can escape, then she has to move out as soon as possible. The murderer must have already set his sights on her.

"Xiangzi, don't worry. You just saved me, and I will definitely protect you this time too."

Noticing her uneasiness, Aine earnestly tried to comfort her softly, and Shoko nodded silently. Although she didn't think that Aine, a high school girl like herself, could really protect herself, her heart was warmed a little by this.

After a while, they saw a policeman with blood all over his chest being carried down. Officer Juntian followed behind with a complicated expression. He watched silently as the policeman was quickly sent away, and he didn't even notice the blank looks of Xiangzi and the others.

"Excuse me...what happened?"

Aine spoke cautiously and softly, and Officer Juntian was brought back to reality by her voice. He was stunned for a moment and turned to meet her gaze. He wanted to force an expression of sincere sadness but found that he couldn't do it, so he could only shake his head.

"It's my fault. I didn't realize the murderer had a gun... Although I shot him dead, my junior was unfortunately shot. I hope he can survive."

"Did the murderer actually have a gun?"

Xiangzi glanced at the stretcher going away unexpectedly, and subconsciously felt that something was wrong, but because of exhaustion, he could not find the source for a while.

"Yeah, we haven't encountered such a dangerous person in a long time. According to preliminary investigations, he's probably a madman who kills people randomly. He probably got the gun on the black market."

Officer Juntian shook his head and waved goodbye to them.

"After searching, this place is now safe. You don't have to worry about anything. That guy probably doesn't have any accomplices, so you don't need to worry about retaliation."

"It's quite late now, Miss Fengchuan, you can come to the police station tomorrow to give your statement. I'll be leaving now. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, thank you very much for your help."

Xiangzi and Aiyin thanked them politely and watched the police cars leave. At this time, Aiyin also looked at the clock in Xiangzi's house and sighed after seeing the specific time.

"It's so late, Xiangzi, I'm going to go home first. Let's talk about it tomorrow at school. If you don't go back now, I really won't be able to get up tomorrow."

"Hmm...wait, Aine, are you going back alone?"

Toyokawa Shoko nodded subconsciously, but then she suddenly realized the problem and looked at Aine with a frown.

"Um, not really. I know someone else..."

Aine turned her head and glanced out the window, but then she was confused to find that Lenai was no longer on the tree. She looked everywhere but couldn't see her, and she immediately became worried.

"Wait, where's Lenai-chan?"

"Lena?"

"She's the guitarist in our band, and she's like a wild cat. I only came here because she sleepwalked here in the middle of the night...Is she sleepwalking somewhere else?"

The more Aiyin thought about it, the more frightened she became. She hurriedly tried to go downstairs to find Lenai, but Xiangzi quickly grabbed her.

"Wait a minute, searching aimlessly isn't a good idea. Aine, do you know her phone number?"

"I know, but I was in such a hurry when I left that I forgot to bring my phone."

Aiyin shook her head with a bitter face, and Xiangzi sighed after thinking about it, picked up his mobile phone and handed it to her.

"Then use my phone to call. Although I don't think she has a phone with her, we should at least contact her family first."

"Thank you very much,"

Aine clasped her hands together sincerely and quickly picked up the phone. She quickly entered the number and dialed it. After waiting anxiously for a while, the call was connected.

"Le Nai, is that you? Where are you now? Is that place safe?

Complete?"

"Runa is sleeping at home right now, Chihaya."

But to her surprise, the voice that responded was actually Lenai's grandmother. She didn't sound surprised at all, as if she had guessed her question long ago.

"I can probably guess what happened tonight. You probably happened to see her sleepwalking out, right? I'm so sorry, she's had this problem since she was a child. She can get out even if the door is locked... Fortunately, her sleepwalking routes are always safe, and she always comes back on time. I've gotten used to it over the years."

"Thank you so much for taking care of her tonight. It must be very tiring. If you don't mind, I'm happy to pay you enough..."

"No, no, that's not necessary. Lenai-chan is also my friend. This is what I should do."

Aiyin quickly shook her head, but at the same time she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since Lenai-chan is fine, I'm relieved. Please take good care of her."

"Well, of course I will."

After a few more words, the call was hung up. Aiyin returned the phone to Xiangzi with a relaxed look and waved.

"Lena-chan has already gone home, so I'll go back now too. Goodbye, Xiangzi."

"Wait, you're not planning on going back alone, are you?"

Xiangzi frowned, and Aine blinked. She glanced at the dark night outside and realized that it seemed a little scary to walk back alone.

"Um... Xiangzi, do you have a flashlight or something like that at home?"

"Yes, I'll take you home too."

Xiangzi soon dug out a flashlight from the pile of junk. She subconsciously glanced at her bastard father, but only saw him silently lowering his head. She couldn't help but sneer at her own thoughts.

She actually counted on him? How ridiculous she was! She had already given up hope of him.

She walked outside with the flashlight in hand, but before Aine could sincerely thank her, a tired and familiar voice suddenly sounded behind her.

"Xiangzi, let me take her home."

Chapter 22 Outbreak

"……What did you say?"

Toyokawa Shoko paused, and after a moment's hesitation, she turned back. The bastard father also raised his head slightly at this time. His eyes were not too cloudy, which was unusual for him. He looked at the ground at her feet and responded softly,

"You've been working part-time, haven't you? It's very late now. If you don't go to bed, you'll be very tired tomorrow. Let me take your classmate home."

"...Did you take the wrong medicine? Or did you get into trouble outside?"

After a long silence, Xiangzi finally squeezed out an incomprehensible sound, and Toyokawa Koji also smiled bitterly.

"I just want to help you, Xiangzi. You're too tired. I don't want to see you continue to hold on like this."

"How dare you... Never mind. I don't want to argue with you right now."

Xiangzi was annoyed and subconsciously wanted to say something sarcastic, but when she thought of Aiyin still being here, she tried to suppress her dissatisfaction and coldly stretched out her hand to him.

"I'll assume you're sincere. Now get up from the ground. I'll walk Aine home with you."

She was indeed very angry about his decline over the past year, but now that he had hope of getting back on his feet, she was willing to do her best to help him.

Moreover, although he was like two different people compared to before, he had been drinking and lying at home all day for such a long time. He had never beaten or scolded her, nor had he ever developed any hobbies other than drinking. Although Xiangzi did not think this was particularly worthy of praise...but it at least showed that he was not hopeless.