Persona: Devil Summoner

"Then let's allocate beds."

Bai Zhong Zhidou interrupted Fang Zexia's thinking defense and announced the conclusion directly.

Jiang Tianwei slept at the edge, and Yusuke was in the middle. This was easy to understand. Looking at Yusuke's appearance, he would definitely sleep until dawn... Even if he had to get up at night and stepped on Jiang Tianwei's foot with sleepy eyes, he would definitely not feel anything. After all, Yusuke's foot was still weak compared to the mafia's bullets.

On the other side, President Niijima slept in the middle, and Bai Zhongzhidou and Fang Zejin naturally slept on her left and right. Bai Zhongzhidou's head was facing Jiang Tianwei.

"!"

It was not until this moment that Fang Zexia finally understood! Bai Zhongzhidou is truly a strategist!

From a human perspective, under the watchful eyes of the public, no one would want to sleep on the bedclothes that Fang Ze Xia Fei had pounced on and messed up! Men should avoid suspicion, and women generally have mysophobia.

In this case, it is basically confirmed that the man will sleep on the side where Fang Zexia just lay.

Yoshizawa Sumire particularly likes her sister, so there is no doubt that she will choose another bed that is closely connected to the bed her sister slept in. In this case... Bai Zhong Naoto can see how the men arrange the beds and then determine his own position.

If Jiang Tianwei was in the middle, she could say: "As a detective, I should have an overall view of the situation. Sleeping in the middle can prevent anyone from doing anything clumsy."

If Jiang Tianwei slept on the side, he could say, "In order to prevent men from doing whatever they want, the most oppressive president should sleep in the middle."

No matter what the argument is, Shinjima will definitely accept it.

After Yoshizawa Kasumi figured this out, she stared with wide eyes at Shirakari Naoto who was packing the bedding and getting ready to go to bed. Before she could say a word, the time for this body to act had come. She was like Mouri Kogoro who was shot with an anesthetic needle. Her body fell back limply and she sat in the corner, motionless.

Only her final cry remained in the air: "Bai Zhong Zhidou! You plotted against me?! Bai Zhong Zhidou!!!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 360 That’s a true story that happened to my friend

"That's... a true story that happened to my friend..."

This world is full of routines. And the above sentence is obviously a standard template routine opening.

Nowadays, people don’t seem to like routines very much, and they are all looking for anti-routines. Then, because there are too many anti-routines, people begin to become numb. At this time, the original routines begin to seem very fresh again. It is really a sad change.

However, one thing that many people don’t understand is that… routines become routines because people like to watch them. This is also why there are many anti-routine things, because they are too unorthodox and no one watches them.

There is a huge advantage of routines, that is [security]. When you see a very routine opening, you can often imagine the related plots in your mind. When you already know how the future will go, you will have a sense of security that everything is under control.

But sometimes, it may not necessarily be a sense of security.

"Hey... Let's go to bed?!"

Shin Niijima lay on the bed, wrapped himself in the quilt, leaving only a small opening for his face to breathe. He looked very much like the famous Japanese food "Eho-maki" (a long sushi roll).

See, this is the sense of security that routines bring. After the sentence "That's a true story that happened to my friend...", what follows is 100% a horror story or a weird story.

This is also a compulsory course in Japan in summer.

It is said that gathering together to tell ghost stories on summer nights is a Japanese tradition. After all, the weather is very hot, so naturally, something cool is needed. In that era when electrical appliances were not yet popular, if you wanted to cool down, you could either cool down in the courtyard or eat watermelons that had been "drained from the well".

However, a well-greened courtyard will naturally attract a large number of mosquitoes. Watermelon is a very expensive fruit in Japan. In China, it is roughly equivalent to the value of durian. Although it is not unaffordable, it is definitely not worth giving out to children.

Thus, an activity that makes people's backs chill has quietly emerged.

Now, there is even a whole set of rituals that have evolved into this.

For example, now, everyone except Fang Zexia has covered their heads with quilts, and everyone is holding the "flashlight" function of their mobile phone to simulate candles.

This is imitating the format of the Japanese ghost story conference. Participants stand in a circle, each wearing a white sheet and holding a candle in their hands. After telling a story, they blow out the candle...

This is the epitome of summer nights, right? Several students have put their beds together, so of course the next step is the "compulsory course" of the summer trip!

By the way, pillow fights were originally a compulsory course, but think about it, no one can beat Jiang Tianwei. Who would want to play an event where the champion has already been determined?

The person who is telling the story now is Yusuke Kitagawa...

As an artist, he must be exposed to various cultural and anecdotes on a daily basis, using them as material. He accumulates a lot of them on a daily basis, and no one knows what terrible things he will say.

Although Shinjima clearly expressed that she wanted to sleep, and although she was the student council president, Yusuke was not from Shujin Academy, so he naturally didn't need to listen to her.

So, Yusuke continued to speak...

"At the time, this friend and I were in Madarame-sama's studio. At the time, the senior was painting a picture with the theme of autumn. He painted many red maple leaves... It was a very, very bright red, so bright that it didn't seem to be made in this world... It was so beautiful."

There wasn't even a single scary element in Yusuke's story.

But Niijima really couldn't suppress his heartbeat, which was the sense of security I just mentioned. Because according to the routine, after such a plain story, there must be an abrupt "but!!!".

"…Because it was already very late at night, he was going to rest and continue painting tomorrow. I was at the peak of my creativity at that time, so I didn't notice him leaving at all. When I got tired of painting, I just lay down in the studio and fell asleep…"

"You can actually sleep anywhere?! I think you're scarier than a ghost story?!"

Shinjima couldn't help but complain. Yusuke rolled his eyes at her but ignored her, probably still immersed in his own story.

"but!!"

He suddenly raised his voice, which startled Shinjima. Shinjima said: Look, there is a "but" after all!

"When I opened my eyes the next day, the beautiful painting he had drawn last night had disappeared! Only a piece of white paper was left! There were water stains everywhere on the floor! The painting that was as red as blood and blooming like fire just disappeared like that!!!"

“Ea ...

Kitagawa Yusuke cooperated by turning off the light on his cell phone, and Niijima Makoto cooperated even more by screaming and even burying his head under the quilt.

Jiang Tianwei looked at Shinjima Shin with a speechless face: "Isn't this the president? Are you afraid of this?"

Sometimes, as a Chinese, Jiang Tianwei really can't understand the Japanese way of thinking. Let's not talk about this story, let's talk about the traditional Japanese ghost story, someone gave you a box of snacks, and then you opened it and saw that there was nothing inside, the snacks - all stuck to the lid! ! ! What's so scary about this? ! Isn't this a classic transportation error? ! Those who have bought birthday cakes at Pace and then rode bicycles or electric bikes home should have had similar experiences! What's so scary about cakes and other things stuck to the box? !

"Oh? You're not scared at all?"

Naoto looked up and saw Jiang Tianwei's face opposite him. He continued to ask with interest: "Have you found the cause of this story?"

"Although the conditions are insufficient, I made a bold guess - Yusuke, was it raining that night when you told the story?"

Yusuke thought about it and nodded: "It's raining."

"It was just a simple matter. You didn't close the window and it rained! Your friend saw you in the studio and left without paying attention to the window. You were so absorbed in painting that you went to sleep when you were tired. You didn't close the window at all. It rained at night, and the rain soaked the floor and the painting. Then your friend found out in the morning and didn't want to disturb your sleep, so he quietly changed a piece of white paper and prepared to paint again... Isn't that the story!"

“What?! Is that so?! Senior…why, why didn’t you tell me…”

Kitagawa Yusuke clenched his fists, his face twisted with grief. It seemed that he really had not thought of this possibility.

Bai Zhongzhidou said: "You can organize such a speculation in such a short time, so I can give you 80 points."

"Tsk, I thought I could get an A..."

"If you want to get an A, you have to at least learn to take care of people's feelings."

Naoto pointed at Yusuke who was lying on the pillow across from him, reflecting on himself because of his heavy emotions. Jiang Tianwei pouted and said, "Being a detective is so difficult."

"This isn't a detective conference, is it, you two?"

Fang Zexia couldn't stand it anymore and warned him. Jiang Tianwei coughed lightly. According to the position, he would be the next narrator.

"Horror story. Let me tell you a Chinese horror story. It's very scary, very scary...it may even cause you psychological trauma..."

"Gudu..."

Everyone swallowed their saliva involuntarily. Shinjima stretched out his white hand weakly from under the quilt and trembled as if to say no...

"Um, please, please show mercy..."

"Impossible! Accept the most horrible thing in our country!!!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 361 The most terrifying story in this world

"This is a true horror story that happened in my home country."

Jiang Tianwei began his story.

Humans are very strange creatures. They love and fear many things. The typical example is the spicy hotpot in Sichuan and Chongqing. Many northerners will try it when they go to these two places. Then they will be overwhelmed by the spiciness. Then, even though they know it is extremely spicy, they just can't stop eating it. Even if it makes them cry, they will continue to eat it.

Similarly, humans fear the unknown, which is one of the reasons why people often fear the dark. At the same time, people crave the unknown. Once something new and they have never heard of appears, they are often willing to satisfy their curiosity.

Similarly, everyone present became interested in Jiang Tianwei's "Chinese-style horror" - except for Shinjima Shin. To her, ghost stories from any country are all ghost stories, and there is no difference.

You see, this is the president’s vision. It not only eliminates the boundaries between countries, but also ignores the differences between ethnic groups. It directly achieves the state of treating everyone equally and achieving universal peace!

"In my country, there is a group of people like this... They work hard every day. They have to finish breakfast at six or seven in the morning and rush to work during the morning rush. Then they work non-stop until noon and eat the very simple meals provided by the company cafeteria. It is basically not enough rice, and the dishes are basically just stir-fried cabbage or lettuce sprinkled with salt. Then they are told to get off work at 6 o'clock every day, but they are often left to work overtime for various reasons. Not only is there no overtime pay for overtime work - because the boss explains that this is your legitimate working time. Using a similar explanation, there is no double salary on holidays, and vacations can be stopped at will. Some people even cannot rest for six or seven months a year. If you get sick, it will be terrible. Although the company will give you sick leave, one day of sick leave will deduct nearly half a month's salary as a fine. This kind of violation of the labor law is useless even if you report it to the labor bureau..."

When Jiang Tianwei said this, Bai Zhongzhidou suddenly interrupted him and said, "Is this really a horror story?"

"Of course...Put yourself in their shoes. If you were in this kind of workplace, wouldn't you feel terrified?"

Jiang Tianwei's words awakened the dreamers. After thinking about it, several people were terrified. Even Bai Zhongzhidou, who had seen a lot of things, couldn't help but tremble all over: "This kind of workplace is too scary..."

"Senior, let's change the mind of that bad capitalist..."

With tears in her eyes, Yoshizawa Sumire stretched out her arms, passed Niijima Makoto, and grabbed the corner of Jiang Tianwei's quilt.

"Well, it's useless, Sumire. There are tens of thousands of bad people like this in China... and they can't be changed. Hiss, it seems that you are not very satisfied with my story?"

Jiang Tianwei looked at everyone strangely, and felt strange in his heart: If it were me, I would be scared to death if I were brought in. Staying in such a unit would kill me...

"Well, Jiang Jiang, a horror story is made up of two parts: horror and story. Your story is scary, but it's not really a story..."

Fang Zexia complained on the side.

Jiang Tianwei was shocked: "You Japanese are really serious. Okay, I lose. Next one, next one."

Jiang Tianwei had rarely watched horror movies, so he naturally had no horror stories. He thought he could rely on "reality" to make a big turnaround, but...

Now that Jiang Tianwei has finished speaking, he must be the next one.

According to the clockwise order, it should be Baekjong Naoto's turn, but Niijima Makoto was too nervous. She blurted out from under the quilt: "I, I won't say anything. I have nothing to say. Skip me!"

As soon as she spoke, the order was disrupted. But it was a horror story conference anyway, so the order didn't matter. It wasn't that whoever told whose story first would be the scariest.

"Well, let me tell you the story of my sister!"

Yoshizawa Sumire raised her hand like a good baby.

"Your sister's horror story?"

Jiang Tianwei glanced at Fang Zexia who was floating in the air. The latter spread her hands, indicating that there was nothing to be afraid of.

This is true. Except for people like Shinjima who are afraid of the word "ghost", most people in this world will not be afraid of female ghosts like Yoshizawa Kasumi. They have no green face and fangs, no special magic power, and they have a sweet face, a cute voice, and they can play jokes with you. It's like having an extra otaku friend. What's there to be afraid of? Moreover, when they are ghosts, they don't need to eat, drink, or go to the toilet. They can also help you cheat on exams. When your boss scolds you, you can let Yoshizawa Kasumi scold you back. Anyway, you can hear it, but your boss can't, so at least you can hear it to your heart's content.

The more I think about it, the more I feel that this female ghost is so great. What's going on? Fang Zexia is definitely more good than bad as a female ghost, and she is definitely a benefit to society.

"Well! I want to share with you my sister's story..."

Yoshizawa Sumire's voice is very nice, very similar to Yoshizawa Kasumi. It must be said that they are really twins, and they are very similar in every way.

The most similar thing about them is undoubtedly their cuteness.

Sumire Yoshizawa is not a very good storyteller, so she talked a lot, and her stories were very fragmented, such as how she and her sister could get ice cream as a reward if they got good grades, and then because they wanted to eat lots of ice cream, they decided to win the world championship and eat all-you-can-eat ice cream. It was warm, but...

“It’s not scary at all!”

Shinjima couldn't help but lift the quilt and complain.

Her story and Jiang Tianwei's story form a perfect match, one is pure horror without a story, the other is pure story without horror. So if we combine them - let Fang Zexia go to China to work, wouldn't it become a real horror story? This idea is as perfect as the peeing beef ball.

Fang Ze Jin scratched her cheek awkwardly and said, "I, I heard that it was a ghost story, and I thought that telling ghost stories would be okay..."

"My silly sister..."

Fang Zexia lay beside her and used her hands, which could not reach her sister, to caress her little head up and down.

"Looks like everyone has finished talking? Then let me tell you a story to end it. It's scary... but not particularly scary. Just treat it as a story... It's a story about a serial murder case."

The story of Baek Jong Naoto is very long. It tells the story of a serial killer who suddenly emerged in a quiet and peaceful country town.

She is not a person who likes stories, nor is she good at making small talk. If you ask her to do analytical reasoning, then she will do it, but if you want her to tell gossip and ghost stories, then you are asking the wrong person.

So she would only deconstruct her own affairs and analyze them bit by bit.

In the countryside called Inaba City, a strange corpse turned inside out, the only one who found the clues was a high school student, and there was a late-night TV that was only broadcast in the rainy night...

These elements alone are shocking enough, but there are also "surrenderers" who abruptly admit that they are murderers, "murderers" who think they are saving people but are actually accomplices, and "masterminds" who hide behind everything, secretly manipulate everything, and commit crimes simply because they think the countryside is too boring...

A story that is weird but also full of logic, with a mixture of reality and absurdity. With the identity of detective Baek Jong Naoto, this story may not be shocking, but once you savor it, you will feel a chill down your spine...

This is probably what the so-called psychological horror is, right?

Because the story was so long, and Baek Jong Naoto had no experience telling horror stories, her tone was very flat, as if she was telling a bedtime story. Only after she finished speaking did she realize that everyone around her had already fallen asleep.

She herself understands this feeling best: for many things, only the person involved can feel the feeling, but when telling others about it, it is a completely different feeling.