A comic book, but a librarian

Uesugi Sumire didn't expect that Inudo Ranko would tell the truth so readily. He squinted his eyes, adjusted his posture and leaned against the wall, as if he had relaxed his vigilance.

"So you just watched the disappearances happen and did nothing."

"The Police History Compilation Office has basically no say in the Metropolitan Police Department. After all, how can people who have never seen those things believe in their existence? That's all. I just happened to rescue the boy next to me because he fell near the track."

Inudo Ranko looked a little helpless as she lit a cigarette for herself.

"If you are looking for something, you have to hurry up. There is less than an hour left before this place is destroyed."

Inudo Ranko sighed, and she looked very helpless, but after she finished speaking, she left without looking back, and it seemed that she had no intention of stopping Uesugi Sumire.

Uesugi Sumire immediately turned around and nodded to Hikigaya. They had no reason not to believe the countdown that Inudo Ranko mentioned, so next Hikigaya must find the missing piece of his soul as soon as possible.

The further Hikigaya walked, the more he felt that the underground passage here was even more suffocating than the pitch-black tunnel. The dim light and the locked iron doors standing next to it made his chest begin to feel heavy, although Uesugi Sumiko next to him didn't seem to feel anything.

"Right here...be careful!"

Uesugi Sumire spoke, and Hikigaya looked up. Countless figures in white surgical gowns looked at them with empty eyes. The moment he saw them, Hikigaya Hachiman's head felt like it was about to explode. He fell straight towards the door next to him and actually pushed open the door that seemed to be locked very tightly.

"I'm fine..." Hikigaya Hachiman wanted to say something, but he saw his own corpse. The person who looked exactly like him was sitting on the chair, his chest was cut open to reveal a huge hole, and everything inside was dug out.

"I...?!" Hikigaya Hachiman suddenly felt that everything around him was silent. The corpse seemed to start moving. His lifeless eyes turned to Hikigaya, as if he wanted to say something.

"No... I'm right here... Uesugi said I'm not dead..." Hikigaya Hachiman comforted himself, but even he could feel his own uneasiness, and even some kind of doubt that should not have appeared had gradually grown in his heart.

"Am I...really?"

Hikigaya Hachiman looked at his hands which were covered in blood without him knowing when. He looked up blankly, and at this moment his perspective had shifted to the corpse that looked exactly like his own. Originally, he was lying on the floor at the door, with an expression of surprise on his face.

Chapter 89: The Case of the Disappearance at the Unknown Station

Hikigaya had never expected to see such a scene. He had thought of countless possible situations when he saw the fragments of his soul mentioned by Uesugi Sumire, but he had never thought that he would see a dead self, or even control this dead self.

"Hikigaya, you're really hopeless if you keep thinking about it!" Uesugi Sumiya's loud voice rang in his ears. Hikigaya Hachiman came to his senses instantly. He was lying on the dusty floor. There was no body of his in this room. Some of them looked like they had traces of life in the past, but now there seemed to be no breath of any living person at all. Hikigaya stared blankly at Uesugi Sumiya who was still standing at the door of the room.

Finally, or from another perspective that was not human, he finally saw another appearance of Uesugi Sumika. That could be regarded as the soul of a huge monster, with countless colors mixed in it, as if countless Uesugi Sumis made up a complete him. Hikigaya even saw through this wonderful perspective that a part of Uesugi Sumika seemed to have noticed his peeping.

"You've found your soul but haven't completely returned to normal? This situation is really tricky. Hikigaya, you've seen enough. Get ready to leave. They say this place is about to be completely buried, so those who should leave should never stay."

"What about them...?" Hikigaya asked subconsciously, and then wiped his sweat in surprise. He didn't know why he felt a kind of sadness so faint that it was almost imperceptible flowing in his chest.

"Some of them plan to stay here until the last moment, and some plan to leave... maybe to go out and take a look, or just want to see the sun. I personally respect their choices, so they also respect us and don't plan to stop us from leaving here, but you have to know that time is running out."

Hikigaya thought that the spirits here would never have the courage to stop such an incredible guy with a terrifying soul, especially with such a dazzling light that even just looking at it would cause harm to the spirits. The spirits in this underground facility probably wanted to stay away from Uesugi Sumire.

"but......"

Hikigaya Hachiman saw again the white figure that appeared in front of him not long ago. It seemed to be the ghost of a child, trying to guide him somewhere.

"How much time is left?"

Hikigaya Hachiman asked.

"You've had plenty of time out. It looks like you've recovered the missing part of your soul. How do you feel?"

"It's quite amazing. To be honest, I never thought that I would become a psychic one day." Hikigaya Hachiman moved his shoulders. The torn soul was not so easy to be pieced back together, but the gradually merging spirit body allowed Hikigaya Hachiman to gain some abilities that he himself had not expected.

"In that case, let's go up and see what he wants to take us to see."

Uesugi Cheng glanced at his watch and found that the hour hand was running faster than the minute hand. Under the influence of this strange underground facility, their timekeeping tools had basically lost their meaning.

So the two of them walked forward along the path of the facility. The white figures that had originally occupied the road made way for Uesugi Cheng the moment they saw him, and lowered their heads as if in worship.

The child finally disappeared in front of a black iron gate. Uesugi Cheng took a deep breath and opened the iron gate.

Inside was a child's room with some toys and books, as well as a photo that was almost too old to make out anything. The photo showed a little boy smiling brightly at the camera. Perhaps even he himself had not expected that he would end up becoming an earthbound spirit.

These were not the most shocking things in the room. In the middle of the floor, there lay a blonde girl. She seemed to be having a sweet dream. The corners of her mouth were raised and she looked so deep in sleep that it seemed as if she was lying on the most comfortable bed in her own home instead of on the cold floor here.

"Hayasaka Ai? Why is it you?!"

Uesugi Cheng racked his brains but couldn't figure out what the standard for seducing others was in this place, but Hayasaka Ai now clearly seemed to be breathing. Although her body seemed a little weak, she was definitely still alive.

"you know?"

"We know each other, right? Let's get him out first, and then we'll see how to solve this problem." Uesugi Sumiya carried Hayasaka Ai on his back without saying a word, and walked out of the room with Hikigaya Hachiman. However, when they wanted to leave, another problem came to light and was placed in front of them.

Even if the spirits here did not block the way, the special nature of the underground facilities used to study [Artificial Ghost Attack Methods] destined it to be complicated. In addition, the long-term influence of these earthbound spirits caused the sense of time and space of all those who came here to decline rapidly, and they might even circle around in several corners and kill themselves.

At least they had seen a dried corpse wearing the Xiuzhi school uniform on their way back.

"Now Shirogane doesn't have to worry about it. Just think about how much work he will have after school starts." Uesugi Sumiko sighed helplessly. However, this facility will soon be destroyed and buried, so he felt that at least the deceased would not be exposed in the underground facility.

"Hikigaya, do you remember what I told you at that time, that I would give you extra lessons later?"

"No, my brother Uesugi, this place is about to be bombed, how come you still have the mood to mention this?" Hikigaya Hachiman suddenly realized that Uesugi Sumire was either very capable or had already started, otherwise why would he bring up this matter when they were trying to find an exit.

"That's because I'm going to show you what I'm going to teach you."

Uesugi Cheng smiled. Hayasaka Ai behind him seemed to have shown signs of waking up, but he didn't care.

Night Wandering is the knowledge of the roads and paths that transcend the mundane. More precisely, it is about the opening and finding of doors, walls and roads.

Hikigaya Hachiman unconsciously opened his eyes again to see another world. He felt as if he had become a ghost again. Uesugi Sumika beside him was like a huge signpost, guiding him to find the right path accurately in this chaotic space.

"In the end, we managed to get out before anything happened... Isn't this wasteland too deserted? Even if we want to take a taxi, we may not be able to find a driver, right?"

Hikigaya Hachiman complained helplessly. It was almost dusk. He looked at the setting sun and the facilities that were emitting their final screams. The only thing on his mind was how to cover up the fact that he had left the hospital at will.

After all, he told Komachi that he would only be out for half a day at most.

Chapter 90: The Case of the Disappearance at the Unknown Station

"Ah, generally speaking, we have managed to resolve the matter perfectly this time."

Still in the hospital, the bandage on Hikigaya's head had been removed, but it could be seen that he still seemed a little out of spirits. Uesugi Sumire put down the fruit knife, put the apple into his mouth and took a bite.

"Yeah, I'm the unlucky guy who not only ended up in the hospital, but was also almost discovered by Komachi and reported to my parents for another mixed doubles match." Hikigaya Hachiman lay on the hospital bed with his eyes squinted, looking weak, but if you look closely at his eyes, you'll find that the pupil of one of his eyes was motionless, while the other one was moving around.

"How do you feel about your soul? It's very rare to find someone who can tear apart a part of the soul and put it back together without any side effects like you did."

Uesugi Sumire took another bite of the apple and looked very comfortable. Inudo Ranko did not seem to report that they had been in that facility. At least he did not find any strange people or equipment monitoring him.

"I think it's okay. Although I seem to see some things I shouldn't see, as long as I don't communicate with them, it's fine... Are the things you told me really something I can learn?"

"Why not? If you have the conditions, you can probably learn it. But you'd better wait until you go to college and ask me to teach you further. It's enough to learn some life-saving techniques."

Uesugi Sumire threw the apple core into the trash can and put away his notebook. Teaching Night Wandering was not particularly difficult, especially since Hikigaya himself had special conditions to practice what he taught.

[Assistance from the Night Wandering Apprentice Hikigaya Hachiman]: His specialness led him to embark on a completely different path. (2 Quotes 2 Inspiration)

"I didn't expect that these things don't look as outrageous as the ones worn in the books and stories."

"Otherwise, if it's really that outrageous, do you think the world would still be like this? Oh, by the way, you should know that this matter cannot be spread outside, but you can't use it casually in front of others, otherwise it will be quite troublesome. After all, the official doesn't actually know the existence of these things."

Hikigaya Hachiman was stunned for a moment. He turned his head to look at Uesugi Sumika and found that Uesugi Sumika was probably not lying at all, so he swallowed with some difficulty.

"You mean... the official position on this kind of thing should be..."

"That's right. I have no idea. Although the Metropolitan Police Department has a Police History Compilation Office, they don't know that there are still people who possess such complete knowledge and power. You should understand what I mean."

Hikigaya Hachiman's face became even more depressed, as if he had discovered that he had suddenly turned from an ordinary person into a rare animal.

"I see, I see. Speaking of that facility."

"It was blown up completely. I guess there won't be any follow-up. The authorities are always experts in this regard. If there's nothing else, I'll leave first. See you when school starts... I hope everything will be fine before school starts."

Uesugi Cheng took a tissue and wiped his hands, and was a little hesitant when he said the last sentence. After all, they had encountered so many things in less than half a year, and God knew what would happen next.

"I hope so. By the way...how is the girl you carried out of that place now?"

"She is lying in the ward above you. I just managed to solve a troublesome matter. She is my lucky star."

Uesugi Sumiko laughed very happily. Saving Hayasaka Ai was his way of repaying the favor of the Hayasaka family. As for what would happen next, he didn't care much. Anyway, he just did his best to give Hayasaka Ai a mystical examination in the end.

So Uesugi Sumire packed up his things and walked out of the ward slowly. In fact, Hikigaya Hachiman had already recovered both physically and spiritually, but at the strong request of his family, he was still kept in the hospital for observation for a period of time, especially after he slipped out not long ago.

"It looks like this side is more troublesome than mine... Hayasaka, now that you're awake, why don't you stop pretending to be asleep? Tell me what happened."

Uesugi Sumi knocked on the door of the ward, and when he heard no movement inside, he simply pushed the door open. Although Hayasaka Ai on the bed seemed to be still asleep, Uesugi Sumi immediately realized that she was just pretending to be asleep.

"Ahem...it's you." Hayasaka Ai didn't seem to be very grateful to Uesugi Sumire, or rather, she looked sick and had no expression on her face.

"Yeah, if you can't get up, don't get up. Tell me how you got there." Uesugi Cheng took out a small notebook and looked like a policeman who came to question him.

"This matter has nothing to do with you...I..."

Hayasaka Ai was lying on the bed, and seemed to want to drive away Uesugi Sumire with a cold attitude, but when she found that Uesugi Sumire was unmoved, she simply turned around and pretended that Uesugi Sumire did not exist.

"That's all, I've repaid the favor to your family..." Uesugi Cheng didn't intend to argue too much.

"Wait, what does 'repay a favor' mean?" Hayasaka Ai asked a little panicked. She didn't know why Uesugi Sumika owed the Hayasaka family a favor, but she had more or less guessed it a little bit because her mother specifically asked her to invite Uesugi Sumika two days ago. But if this is the case.

"Don't you look like you've already guessed it? Hayasaka...your mother gave me some relevant information. Although it's better than nothing, it's still a favor. By sending you back this time, I've settled the matter between me and the Hayasaka family. That's all."

Hayasaka Ai was no longer just panicking, she spoke through gritted teeth.

"This matter... this matter has nothing to do with the Hayasaka family, so..."

"You have no say in this, Hayasaka Ai. I think you should understand that even though you don't admit it, you bear the responsibility and identity of the family... You can't escape it."

Hayasaka Ai looked like she was having difficulty breathing, as if her neck was being strangled. She spoke again with difficulty.

"I...what do you want me to do? I can't just waste my mother like this...so whatever you want me to do is fine, just let me handle this alone."

"You make me look like some debt collection gangster, Hayasaka... didn't I tell you?" Uesugi Sumiko sighed. Hayasaka Ai in front of him looked like she was about to collapse. He could only sigh that her Oedipus symptoms were a little too severe.

"So now we should be able to have a good talk."

He planned to stabilize Hayasaka Ai's mental state first. After all, he didn't want to cause any trouble with such a good thing.

Chapter 91: Disappearance at the Unknown Station

"In other words, you didn't know why you missed your stop and didn't get off. In the end, you followed someone through a non-existent station and into that facility, right? You collapsed there in a state of complete unconsciousness. Can you explain what you dreamed about when you fainted?"

Uesugi Sumire put away the notebook. After the negotiation, Hayasaka Ai told her everything she had experienced very obediently. After inviting Uesugi Sumire to the Hayasaka family that day, she planned to return to Shinomiya Kaguya first. However, she did not expect that in order to maintain her usual disguise as an ordinary student, she would be seduced after taking the subway.

"Um...this...can you not tell me?" There was a barely perceptible hint of pleading in Hayasaka Ai's words. She really didn't want to tell everyone what she had dreamed about.

"Of course, after all, it's probably the best thing for you, right? I think I understand what's going on, but it seems you've forgotten one thing."

"What......"

"Have you said hello to Miss Kaguya Shinomiya? After all, you have been missing for almost a day."

Hayasaka Ai was stunned. She took out her cell phone with trembling hands and turned it on shakily.

"Hayasaka!! What on earth happened!?"

However, things were a little worse than she had imagined. Hayasaka Ai watched helplessly as Shinomiya Kaguya lost her usual elegant appearance and rushed into the ward in a panic, which was completely inconsistent with the family motto of the Shinomiya family. She didn't even knock on the door.

"Are you okay? Why have you been missing for a whole day?" Shinomiya Kaguya no longer had the aura of an unapproachable young lady that she had at Shuchiin. Instead, she looked like an ordinary little girl who was worried about her best friend.

Whether it was acting or natural expression, Kaguya Shinomiya did a very good job in expressing her concern for those close to her, Uesugi Sumiya thought, although he couldn't say how much affection Kaguya Shinomiya had for her own valet, at least the current scene definitely moved Hayasaka Ai.

As for Uesugi Sumiya, he felt that he should not appear in such a scene, but it was obvious that a living humanoid like him appearing in Hayasaka Ai's ward could not be mistaken.

"Hello... Good morning, Uesugi-san."

Miraculously, when Kaguya Shinomiya's hand touched her own cheek, she calmed down almost instantly and turned back into the young lady of the Shinomiya family, polite and well-spoken.

"Good morning. I haven't seen you since I left Shuchiin. How is the work of the student union going?"

Hayasaka Ai turned her face away, frowned and closed her eyes. She clearly saw that Shinomiya Kaguya almost shook when she heard the word "work".

"Of course it's okay. Although your sudden transfer to another school did cause some trouble to the student union, fortunately we still managed to keep it running normally."

This is a lie, Hayasaka Ai thought so. This is not a little trouble at all. Shinomiya Kaguya and Shirogane Miyuki both looked a little shaky when they saw the work left behind by Uesugi Sumire. God knows where this person got so much energy and time to deal with all these miscellaneous things. But there is one thing she is very clear about. These extra work almost sent Shirogane Miyuki to the hospital.

"That's good. I was worried that the note I left behind wouldn't be able to help you."

Uesugi Cheng looked relieved, and then he stood up.

"In that case, let me take my leave first. After all, if you two want to reminisce about the past, I, an outsider, would be disturbing you."

Shinomiya Kaguya did not stop him. She just watched Uesugi Sumire leave, then turned around and asked Hayasaka Ai.

"Why is he here?"

"Ms. Kaguya, in fact... Uesugi Sumire and the Hayasaka family have reached a certain agreement."

Hayasaka Ai took a deep breath and returned to her role as a attendant. She didn't want to disappoint Shinomiya Kaguya.