A comic book, but a librarian

"Is this why you almost made her explode and then left without a care in the world? As a result, she ridiculed and exposed us? Yukinoshita spilled her drink... and then I realized that she was actually the daughter of a county councillor."

"I am still Chinese. Do you think there is anything special about me?"

"There are too many, okay... Are all the Chinese people psychic?" Hikigaya curled his lips. He didn't know how many people of high status he could see, but he must not have seen many people who could see spirits.

"That's not the case, otherwise the world would have been in chaos a long time ago... Do you feel that there's something wrong with Jing's eyes?"

"What do you want to say? Isn't it just the look of an older single young woman? Jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards are nothing more than that."

Sometimes Uesugi Sumire admired Hikigaya's words. At least he didn't dare to say such words that would put himself in danger near Hiratsuka Shizuka, not to mention that at this distance Hiratsuka Shizuka was very likely to hear something.

"Uesugi...and Hikigaya!! You two come to my office after class!!!" Hiratsuka Shizuka broke the chalk in her hand and said with an expression and voice that made Hikigaya Hachiman look deathly pale, trying her best to suppress her anger.

So, with everyone's gazes as if watching a death row prisoner walking to the execution ground, Uesugi Sumiya and Hikigaya Hachiman came to the teacher's office again. There were not many people in the teacher's office at the moment, but Uesugi Sumiya still didn't want to get too close to Hiratsuka Shizuka's desk. It was not because he was afraid, but mainly because the cigarette butts in the ashtray on the table showed that the teacher was a heavy smoker, and he didn't want to breathe secondhand smoke.

Hikigaya Hachiman agreed to Hiratsuka Shizuka's request under her 'gentle' and 'kind' voice and actions, and looked like a zombie as he walked out of the office with dead eyes, leaving Uesugi Sumire to talk to Hiratsuka Shizuka.

"You know how many things I want to ask you... But I also know that you don't tell the truth. You wouldn't want to ask me anything. I only want to ask the most important question: Can you guarantee the authenticity of what you sent last night?"

"Do I have to photoshop my photos to frame my classmates just for money... Jing, I'm just short of money. I'm not a super villain. I'm not a psychopath either."

"Oh!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka's hands were in close contact with the table. Facing Uesugi Sumika who looked like he was trying to persuade her earnestly, she felt that Hikigaya Hachiman wasn't so hateful after all.

"Alas, I am so unlucky to have met a student like you in my eighth life. I hope you can keep the matter of Kawasaki Saki a secret. After all, you should understand."

Uesugi Cheng nodded. He didn't care about this. After all, he might occasionally take some abnormal part-time jobs. Why would he go and target Kawasaki Saki?

"Don't worry about what happens next. I'll talk to her in person. I won't expose you."

Then Hiratsuka Shizuka received a look from Uesugi Sumire as if she was a fool.

"Teacher, you talked to her right after I met her. Is she a fool or..."

Uesugi Cheng didn't say anything, but the expression of shaking his head and sighing said it all.

"Don't... worry... I'll pretend I don't know anything!!" Shizuka Hiratsuka's face was about to turn red, but Uesugi Sumiko just shook her head.

"It's useless. Unless you can find her a better job, you can only wait for her to figure it out herself."

Hiratsuka Shizuka was silent for a while, and seemed to be touching her cigarette box, but when she found it was empty, she angrily threw the cigarette box into the trash can.

Uesugi Sumire was silent for a while, and seeing that Hiratsuka Shizuka seemed to be lost in thought, he simply turned around and left. But before he had gone far, Kawasaki Saki, who had her school uniform jacket tied around her waist and was dressed in a somewhat bad way, walked up to him.

Chapter 48 Chasing the Past

"......"

The silent atmosphere gradually turned into awkwardness. Saki Kawasaki wanted to speak, but she felt an extremely bitter taste in her mouth, and even her throat seemed to be hoarse.

"If you don't mind, let's talk about it after school. Standing in the corridor will only allow more people to see the inexplicable scene and eventually turn it into a new rumor." Uesugi Cheng nodded gently and spoke in a soft voice. He smiled as he saw the blue-haired girl opposite him nod.

In fact, Saki Kawasaki had originally intended to go her own way, but after communicating with Yukinoshita and the others a few days ago, she realized that perhaps her choice was the wrong one, so with the mentality of giving it a try, she decided to find the mysterious transfer student.

The sun was gradually moving slowly below the horizon. Their school was dismissed a little late, and Uesugi Sumika had agreed to meet even later, so she had to give up her plan to continue working at the convenience store this afternoon. Although she felt a little uneasy, she seemed to agree with this decision mentally and physically.

"Hey, Kawasaki-san? Why are you here?"

Saki Kawasaki was startled. Her aimless thinking made her not realize that she seemed to have walked to the door of the Service Club. Yuigahama Yui looked at Saki Kawasaki's panicked expression curiously.

"No, nothing, just passing by."

Saki Kawasaki nodded, said hello to Yuigahama Yui, and prepared to rush to the meeting place mentioned by Uesugi Sumiya, but she still increased her vigilance. After all, Uesugi Sumiya chose an empty classroom. If he really intended to talk to her about that kind of work, Saki Kawasaki guaranteed that her fist would fall on that guy's face.

"Good afternoon, you look good, don't you?"

Unexpectedly, in the afterglow of the setting sun, Uesugi Sumiko was wearing a white apron over her school uniform, which was covered with various paints. The messy colors looked a little dazzling. The whole classroom was very empty, with tables and chairs piled in the corner. A layer of newspaper was spread under the drawing board in the middle. Uesugi Sumiko was standing in front of the drawing board, facing the blood-red light of the setting sun, seemingly thinking about something.

"Are you... drawing?" Saki Kawasaki asked softly. She herself didn't know why she lowered her tone. Perhaps it was just because of the atmosphere, or maybe the scene was really too weird.

"Yeah, what color do you think fire is?" Uesugi Sumiya didn't look back. He held the paintbrush as if it were the sharpest sword of a knight. The aura he exuded was completely different from the silent Uesugi Sumiya who had just been in class.

"Of course fire is... red?" Saki Kawasaki subconsciously wanted to answer red, but she hesitated halfway through her words.

"Even red has many different shades, such as blood red, magenta, pink, and light red. The division of colors is indeed very clever... Are you here to ask about the job I mentioned?"

Saki Kawasaki was stunned for a moment. It was obvious that she did not expect that Uesugi Sumiko would suddenly return to the previous topic after talking about this and that. It seemed that she had been fooled by this tactic once.

"I'll make it clear in advance that I won't agree to do anything excessive..."

"No, the job is simple. Come and help me."

"what?"

"Hey, come over and help clean up the room later, then we'll do other things. The money is on that table. If you don't trust me, you can take the money away in advance."

Saki Kawasaki saw the banknotes on the small table next to her, was silent for a while, and then put her hair up.

"How to do it?"

"Throw all this away."

Uesugi Sumire spoke expressionlessly. Kawasaki Saki glanced at the contents on the drawing board. It was as if a raging fire was burning. The painting on the drawing board made her feel as if she was standing in the middle of a fire. The flames were burning her skin, and the billowing black smoke rushed into her nasal cavity, making her cough uncontrollably.

"what is that?"

After a long while, Saki Kawasaki covered her throat and got up with difficulty. She did not expect that she would be frightened by a painting, and she did not expect that a painting could have such power.

"Fire." Uesugi Cheng opened his kettle and took a sip, looking a little tired. "But the color is wrong, so it shouldn't be considered fire."

"Isn't the color wrong?" Saki Kawasaki blurted out. If she hadn't reacted, she might have really thought that she had fallen into a fire without knowing when.

"Even I don't know what color fire I want to draw... Let's not talk about this. Have you heard about the recent rumors about Tonghe?" Uesugi Cheng crumpled up the drawing paper into a ball, preparing to take it home to burn it, and at the same time study what kind of fire he wanted.

"What rumors? Do you think I will pay attention to those?" Saki Kawasaki was very honest and began to pick up the newspapers used to protect the floor. The smell of paint came into her nose, making her twitch her nose a little uncomfortable.

"In the junior high school, there are rumors that a strange ghost has been seen wandering around the sealed-off old campus... It is said to be related to a disappearance case many years ago."

Uesugi Cheng glanced at his watch. The dusk light was undoubtedly as soft as a gentle hug, but the gradually approaching darkness seemed to remind them of the passage of time.

"Is that so? You're really a rich man. You're actually curious about such supernatural things?" Saki Kawasaki didn't expect that her transfer student was actually a paranormal enthusiast, but these were not as important to her as money.

"If it's just curiosity... Saki, your work today is to go with me to do a field investigation. Do you have any objections?" Uesugi Sumiko stretched out his hand.

"What objection can I have, boss?" Kawasaki Saki thought that since she had even taken the money, this kind of thing shouldn't be a difficult matter, so she simply stretched out her hand and shook hands with Uesugi Sumire.

[Saki Kawasaki's assistance]: Good morals, poor family background, and high military strength. (2 blades, 2 hearts)

Saki Kawasaki carried her schoolbag. Uesugi Sumiko said he would pay for tonight's dinner. Although it was not quite her style, since the boss had asked, she would not be stupid enough to ignore his request.

"So...is this matter important to you?"

After the meal, the two of them became familiar with each other. Saki Kawasaki couldn't help but ask out of her curiosity.

"It's not important to me, but it's very important to someone who can help me." Uesugi Cheng's words made her a little confused.

Chapter 49: The Forgotten Disappearance

"Thanks for the treat. So what exactly do you want me to do? Someone like you who can hang out in bars like that, you shouldn't look down on my body, right?" Kawasaki Saki wiped her mouth. She was still confused. Although Uesugi Sumika said that he wanted to hire her to do something, so far she had only helped to clean up the debris and was treated to a meal. According to her limited social experience, usually when this happens, there will be some segments that are not suitable for broadcast on TV.

"No, Kawasaki-san is still quite good, isn't he?" Uesugi Sumi replied casually, completely unaware that Kawasaki Saki was about to explode. She looked as if she was facing a great enemy. Perhaps she really underestimated the bottom line of Uesugi Sumi in front of her. When she thought of this, she regretted accepting the money so easily.

"It's time to go. We have things to do tonight."

Uesugi Cheng didn't quite understand Kawasaki Saki's changes, but he did not lie. Kawasaki Saki's sexual appearance was still quite good. Whether it was necessary to use various methods to temporarily increase her sexual appearance or to train her for a long time to grow, it was relatively simple. As for the things that would take a whole night...

"Can I say this is beyond my imagination? Uesugi-san...what on earth is going on?"

Saki Kawasaki swallowed hard. What she had thought might turn into a paid dating experience suddenly ended up back at school late at night. This made her a little confused. Could it be that the man in front of her actually liked this kind of wild atmosphere?

"Although I don't know what you are thinking, we may face some dangerous situations tonight, so I have to solemnly remind you that what we are about to face is unknown, and perhaps there will be some remnants of the past."

Uesugi Sumire's words suddenly became literary, and Kawasaki Saki didn't react for a moment, so she spoke again with her doubts in her heart.

"So...what should I do? And what is this so-called legacy of the past?"

Then she saw the other two people sitting in the classroom waiting, and she couldn't help but open her eyes wide.

"Hikigaya? And Yotsuya-san? Why are you here?"

"Hey, are you calling me by my last name? Am I so unrespectable?" Hikigaya protested helplessly with his dead eyes wide open, but no one paid any attention to her. Yotsuya Miko looked even cuter with her glasses on. The notebook in her hand was full of words, and it looked like she was still studying.

"Kawasaki-san? Cheng-san actually asked a classmate for help this time?" Yotsuya Miko suddenly became curious about how many talented people there were in her class. Although she didn't know much, she had vaguely heard some rumors. Now she was almost certain that the rumor was related to the blue-haired classmate in front of her.

"So, can someone tell me why you are in the classroom at this time? The door is closed at night, right? We are violating the school rules."

Saki Kawasaki covered her forehead in distress. The people in front of her had no intention of explaining to her at all, which made her very helpless. You know, she didn't know anything except having a meal.

"To put it simply... Kawasaki-san should know that the unified junior high school and the high school we are attending now are not in the same place, right? The junior high school is closer to the old abandoned school district."

Yotsuya Miko rolled his eyes and asked a question.

"Yes, so what? The junior high school and high school have absolutely nothing to do with where we are now."

"Your brother and my sister are still studying in the unified junior high school. That's why I'm here now instead of going back to the dormitory or just going home to sleep." Although Hikigaya still had a dead fish eye, Kawasaki Saki unexpectedly felt that Hikigaya was very serious, even more serious than when he was persuading her.

"So what happened? I always feel that you have no intention of telling me, Uesugi. Although you gave me money, if you want to play tricks on me and waste my time like this, I will give you the money and then I will stop accompanying you."

Saki Kawasaki did what she said. She took out her wallet from her backpack, as if she was planning to return all the salary she received in the afternoon and leave immediately.

"Words alone are meaningless, Kawasaki, come with us, only when you see it with your own eyes will you understand why we didn't tell you about this."

Uesugi Cheng was quite open-minded. He didn't intend to reach out to take it. He just pointed to the Unified Junior High School standing across the street outside the window.

The campus seemed particularly eerie at night. When Saki Kawasaki still had time to chat with her classmates, she once heard them mention that the school Tonghe itself had many strange things. At that time, she thought that her classmates were just making up stories out of boredom, but now she realizes that the land and buildings where Tonghe is located are very suitable for the growth and spread of those scary stories.

"That... is what? This is a joke, right?" Saki Kawasaki's eyes widened. A pale figure was wandering in the bushes in the distance, looking like a ghost moving. Saki Kawasaki had come into contact with many people in her part-time job. She certainly knew that the figures in front of her looked nothing like humans except for their outlines. However, the worldview and common sense that she had shaped over the years still served as the last line of defense.

"I said, I can see it... This thing can't be really..." Hikigaya also seemed a little nervous. He had talked with Yotsuya Miko for a while and knew that even ordinary spirits were not something that someone like him with no talent could see. But now those white figures appeared in his eyes. If those things were not someone's prank, then it probably meant...

"It's an illusion, some special spiritual phenomenon, but it's not the spirit itself that is in this place..."

Yotsuya Miko pushed up her glasses. She had recently started to learn from Uesugi Sumiko what he called the "Silent Technique", which mainly involved the techniques of communicating, expelling, soothing and identifying spirits. She could see that the empty expressions of those phantoms were nothing like those of normal spirits. They were more like a certain moment in the past that was fixed and played over and over again, but this made her even more terrified.

What are those things, why do they do this, what will happen next, countless questions entangled in the mind of this beginner.

Chapter 50: The Forgotten Disappearance

"That is to say... there really are spirits in this world, right?" Kawasaki Saki took a breath of cold air. She finally recovered from her shock and looked at the people behind her. Hikigaya seemed to be trying to use his mobile phone to take pictures and videos to test whether these things could be recorded. Of course, judging from his expression, it didn't seem to be going well. Yotsuya Miko stared at the white shadows and seemed to be talking coherently, but Kawasaki Saki could hear a hint of uneasiness in her voice. And Uesugi Sumire...

He seemed to be the most relaxed one, twirling the pen in his hand, as if thinking about something. She seemed to vaguely understand the purpose of Uesugi Saki bringing her here, but why... She, Saki Kawasaki, was not special at all, so how could she help them at a time like this?

"Yes, although you may still not want to believe it, so next, I plan to go over and inspect it up close. If you are willing, you can come with me to find out."

Saki Kawasaki took a moment to calm her breathing. She watched the white shadows begin to move. Inexplicably, a thin layer of fog seemed to rise between the abandoned teaching building and the nearby barren mountains, as if it was specifically designed to cover up the whereabouts of these shadows.

"I'd rather believe it than not when it comes to this kind of thing. And I don't think my eyes are broken or anything. There's no need for you to go to such lengths to make up such a lie just to tease me. So I have another question now. What impact will these guys have?"

"I don't know. That's why we have to investigate... After all, this concerns the safety of those children and we can't be careless." It was Hikigaya who spoke. He stared at those empty faces, as if he wanted to see the truth of the world from them.

"After all, they might be the students who disappeared fifty years ago... Mr. Kawasaki, you've heard of the concept of accomplices, right? If not, there's an idiom called "serving a tiger as an accomplice" in the neighboring country. I remember we talked about it in Chinese class. You should still remember what it means, right?"

"... scapegoat." Kawasaki Saki's face gradually became solemn. They didn't know why these phantoms appeared recently, but if they didn't hesitate to use the most malicious guess, then the students of Unified Junior High School might suffer the same tragedy as before. "But the disappearance case fifty years ago...what was that?"

"Let's talk about this later. Kawasaki, you stay here and protect them both. I have to go over and take a look. I have to go over and find out what's going on now." Uesugi Sumiko put down the bag and handed it to Yotsuya Miko. There were some exorcism items in it that he had simply enchanted. With Yotsuya Miko and Kawasaki Saki there, the safety issue was not too big.

"Hey! Wait...be careful!"

For the first time, Saki Kawasaki witnessed how outrageous Uesugi Sumika's physical fitness was. She wanted to stop Uesugi Sumika but found that she could not keep up with his movements at all. His physical fitness seemed to be beyond the scope of human beings, and he jumped out almost in an instant.

The remaining three people could only watch as Uesugi Cheng ran into the blocked and abandoned old campus and stepped into the fog.

As soon as he stepped into this blocked place, Uesugi Cheng understood why Unified High School had completely blocked this place since its expansion, and successive principals, no matter how capable they were, no longer did anything about this place.

Cold, uncomfortable, death was like a breeze blowing through his body, taking away some of his warmth. If an ordinary person had strayed into this place at night, a serious illness would have been the least they would have paid.

The unconscious phantoms seemed to be repeating their actions in their previous lives. They took steps forward in vain, heading deeper into the thick fog. Uesugi Cheng originally wanted to go a little further, but all his soul burst out with an unprecedented sense of crisis at this moment, as if if he continued to move forward he would have to cross a certain limit and step into an extremely dangerous place.

"Don't take another step forward." Uesugi Cheng realized this instantly. He began to retreat, but he would never turn around or look back, because he vaguely saw that there seemed to be something waving in the fog. The strange and inhuman feeling gave him goose bumps instantly. Although he didn't know what the thing on the other side of the fog was and what it wanted to do, Uesugi Cheng's sixth sense told him not to respond.

"Hello~~~Hello~~~Hello~~~"

The shouting reached his ears like an echo. Uesugi Cheng closed his eyes and suppressed his consciousness. This was definitely not the time to use his soul to forcibly see what was on the other side of the fog. Rash actions would only anger the other party.

When he opened his eyes again, he was leaning on the barbed wire fence that was used to prevent unauthorized persons from entering the abandoned campus. Uesugi Sumiko turned around without hesitation, climbed up and jumped over the barbed wire fence with ease, and ran back to where Yotsuya Miko and the others were standing.

"Did you just see anything over there?"

"I saw you walking forward and suddenly froze, then started to move backwards, all the way to the top of the wire fence and then flipped back. So, what did you see?"

Hikigaya spoke up and said that the fog and moonlight, the rumors of the dead, the almost forgotten history, and the sudden occurrence of supernatural imagination, all seemed to arouse their interest in the truth, just like someone with a bad taste laying bait to fish.