Not a detective

"I...I'm going to run away!"

She knew that if she stayed there, she would definitely be killed.

“No, you won’t run away.” Asakawa Riku smiled. “Because people who want to run away wouldn’t make such a statement.”

"How...how do you know I won't run away? I can teleport outside! But how are you going to catch me?!"

She's right. Spider-Woman's swapping ability is probably the best way to escape.

As long as she can teleport outside, and then keep dodging, no one in the world should be able to catch her.

But the reason why Riku Asakawa was so calm was because of this:

"You won't run away... because you actually have paranoia, don't you?"

"What……"

“I noticed this as soon as I entered. The room is completely enclosed on all sides, with nothing but vents and drains. There are no doors or windows. It’s more terrifying than a prison. A normal person would not be able to stand it after a few hours, but you consider this place home, which means you think this place is safe.”

Asakawa Riku looked around and said slowly, "You are afraid of the outside world and afraid of other people's gaze, so you dare not go out. Even if you kidnap students and commit crimes, you only use them as Vtuber skins. People say that virtual streamers are skin people, but you have added another skin inside a skin. You are really a representative of extreme insecurity."

"Spider, do you know that if you were a person who could run away, you would have run away when I broke your first hand? But you clearly hate what I'm saying, yet you stay here and have no choice but to listen. Do you think the outside world is more terrifying than me? Is it because you're afraid they'll see your body, or that they'll study your superpowers?"

The Spider Woman's pupils contracted sharply, and she trembled all over: "No...don't say anymore!!"

She didn't scream this shrilly even when her arm was broken.

"It seems that what the senior said was not entirely wrong. In a sense, you are indeed a [Earth Spider], a primitive tribe driven into the mountains, an alien species afraid of being besieged. You are afraid of external threats, so you hide in your spider nest, covering yourself with countless skins to hide."

Asakawa Riku's smile was icy, devoid of any warmth: "But let me tell you, you are not a monster, because I can see you. You are just a [prisoner]."

"No, don't come any closer, don't come any closer... So you are... you're the one from the [organization], you're here to take me back!"

Spider Woman screamed in panic, "I'm a superpowered person, but so what? I didn't want to become like this! I also want to live the life of a normal high school student! I also want to be admired like them, I also want to be a star like Orizumi Juju! I don't want to be dissected and studied, I don't want to be locked up and have my blood drawn and dissected!"

Asakawa Riku didn't listen to her; in the end, it was just the ramblings of a person with paranoia.

He replied dismissively, "Yes, I'm from the organization. Haven't you realized it yet? You're surrounded. You can't escape now."

"Nonsense! Impossible! This place is very well hidden. You were also suddenly teleported here, there's no way you could know where this place is!!"

Even so, Spider Woman was starting to panic. She nervously twisted her neck and frantically checked the surrounding walls.

It seems much easier to defeat her with words than with fists.

Don't believe me? Listen—

Asakawa Riku suddenly smiled and opened his arms.

"one."

A voice came.

The sound caused the Spider Woman's expression to freeze, gradually evolving into terrifying horror.

"two."

Surrounding the room, seemingly from some unknown direction, they appeared everywhere, yet nowhere to be hidden.

This nest is clearly the spider's territory, and she knows everything inside perfectly well, but now, something she cannot see has intruded.

"three."

The sound came from inside the wall, yes, from inside the wall.

But how could it be inside the wall? Could it be that they've already discovered the cellar's location and are digging it open—

"no, do not want!!"

The Spider Woman screamed in terror as she tried to get away from the wall behind her, which now seemed scalding hot and untouchable.

But right in front of him was that boy, standing still, with nowhere to hide.

"...six, seven."

We've counted down to the last few numbers.

Why would you think it's one of the last few numbers? It's not a countdown; it didn't stop counting up to three, it didn't stop counting up to five, so why would you think it is...?

It seems like I subconsciously felt that the last number should be "ten".

The ten that wasn't counted.

"Eight, nine."

The deadline is approaching.

The Spider Woman teleported around the room at a dizzying speed, sending all the trash flying.

But she couldn't escape the room no matter what she did.

"...Huh, where's the tenth one? Where's the tenth one?! Where's the tenth one?! How could it be... how could it be gone... how could it be, how could it be, how could it be?"

The sound gradually turned into a sharp howl, which, without exaggeration, was louder and more terrifying than the Spider Woman's voice, and was also accompanied by a sorrowful and resentful cry.

An immense sense of despair and pain was conveyed, piercing the heart through the walls.

Then the two of them screamed together.

"Aaaaaah...my finger!"

One of the fingers on one of the Spider Woman's hands fell off for no apparent reason.

The thumb fell to the ground.

There were no wounds, no pain, and it couldn't compare to the terrifying stimulation of Asakawa Riku tearing off his arm, but this eerie feeling was even more unsettling.

The room seemed to shake from the two screams, but thanks to the anesthetic, the seven students did not wake up.

Spider-Woman's attempt to snap her fingers was abruptly halted; she trembled and knelt on the ground, trying to pick up her thumb...

"Don't go, don't... my hand, my fingers..."

Amidst the cries of two women, Kazamatsuri Chizuko emerged from the wall.

Embracing her was the enormous, transparent ghost, who was also weeping. So that's why; the one who had been counting "one, two, three..." was that ghost.

She curled up inside the ghost's body like a baby, perhaps that's how she could pass through the solid walls.

Then Chizuko turned her head and saw Asakawa Riku.

She smiled and waved, "Asakawa-kun, are you playing Ryoumen Sukuna?"

Spring of the Earth Spider: Chapter 42 My Tenth Croquette

“This is ‘Earth Spider,’ your prisoner.”

Asakawa Riku said to Chizuko.

"Tsuchigumo?" Chizuko stared at the spider woman with a missing arm, who grew increasingly panicked: "This doesn't look like the Tsuchigumo I know at all."

“Yes, because your reasoning was wrong, senior.” Asakawa Riku laughed: “The culprit isn’t a monster, but a [superpowered person].

"There are such people?" Chizuko tilted her head.

"In my opinion, the way you appeared is more like that of a superpowered person."

In his view, Chizuko-senpai suddenly emerged from the wall.

How to describe it... it's like Link using the Sky Piercing Technique.

He couldn't see the ghost's shape, nor did he hear the terrifying "one, two, three" count or the final, horrifying scream.

However, the fact that Spider Woman's finger suddenly fell off is indeed strange.

"Anyway, let's defeat this guy first... Senior, does your exorcism magic work on espers too?"

"Asakawa-san, do you know anything about exorcism magic?"

Asakawa Riku was taken aback by the question.

He realized that he was the only one maintaining a tense fighting stance, while Chizuko-senpai, who had just arrived, was completely nonchalant, casually saying:

"Exorcism magic is a kind of magic that uses the power of shikigami to fight. In the end, it is the power of yokai, so if yokai can do it, I can do it too."

"...Can't we talk about this later? Senior, let me remind you, the other party's ability is 'Unjust Game'."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chizuko's body disappeared from the spot.

She was teleported in front of the Spider Woman, who yelled, "No... don't count anymore!"

The sharp blade of the dagger was about to pierce her cheek when Asakawa Riku grabbed something from the ground and threw it at her.

But even faster than his throw was the Spider Woman being sent flying by an invisible hand, slammed hard against the wall, and struck twice with force.

It is the invisible hand of Asakawa Riku.

And there are sounds he can't hear.

"Nine, ten...where is the tenth one?!"

It turned out that when Chizuko greeted him, the ghost counted to ten again... This time, the spider woman's other finger also fell off, accompanied by a terrifying scream.

"Aaaaaah!" With her hand already severed, the Spider Woman now only has one tool left to snap her fingers.

Without considering the feet, is it really possible for someone to snap their fingers with their feet? Asakawa Riku expressed doubt.

“In ancient times, Okiku was originally the daughter of a bandit. Because her father was captured by Aoyama Shuzen, who lived in Edo, she was taken to Shuzen’s house and became a maid.”

Chizuko remained standing in the same spot, recounting the story in a slow and unhurried manner: "The master and mistress of this house were very harsh on Kiku. One day, while she was doing housework, she accidentally broke the master's beloved plate. The master caught her, cut off one of her fingers, and locked her in a dark little room, claiming that he would kill her in a few days."

"When Aju learned about this, she was overcome with fear and despair, so she secretly slipped out and committed suicide by jumping into a well."

“From that day on, strange things began to happen in the Aoyama household. First, the son born to the head chef's wife was missing a middle finger. And every night, a sinister light would emerge from the well where Kiku jumped in. Passersby would hear someone inside counting from one, two, three, until they reached nine, at which point they would let out a mournful sigh and weeping.”

"My tenth finger! Where did my tenth finger go?!"

“Since then, Aju has become a ghost. Now, you have locked her in this dark little room, triggering her painful memories. Now her rage is beyond my control. You can only pray for yourself. Anyone who hears the lament of the missing tenth finger will lose a finger and end up in the same situation as her.”

"This is the power of Okiku."

As the Spider Woman listened to these words, her trembling became more and more pronounced: "You...you are the real monsters! What monsters and ghosts? I've never even heard of them!"

In her ears, that number is probably approaching ten again.

Asakawa Riku still couldn't see the ghost or hear its voice, so from his perspective, it was as if Chizuko-senpai was just fooling him.

The atmosphere is a little weird.

As he pondered, he became captivated by the atmosphere and suddenly realized that he seemed to have forgotten something.

There's one more thing I need to mention. I looked up and said, "Oh, right, senior—"

late.

The Spider Woman locked eyes with Chizuko-senpai: "Since that's the case, I'll take your body. Come on, I'll make you experience this ugly life... I want your cute, doll-like body. I'll use your body to run away, so I won't have to be a virtual streamer anymore. From now on, nothing can bind me anymore...!"

Asakawa Riku forgot to remind her that the Spider Woman's superpowers were not only the "Unjust Game" that allowed her to switch places, but also the ability to switch consciousness and possess bodies.

In an instant, the Spider Woman and Chizuko rolled their eyes as their consciousnesses were being exchanged.

"Trouble..."

Asakawa Riku frowned, but he didn't dare to interrupt the process rashly, worried that it would have a bad impact on Chizuko-senpai.

He could kill the Spider Woman's body immediately after the exchange, but that might not solve the problem.

What if the Spider Woman runs away with Chizuko's body and never comes back...?

"Oh no." Just as he was thinking of a solution, something unexpected happened.

"Uh... ah..."

The Spider Woman let out a dry, guttural cry, like a frog dying in a summer field, on its last breath.

Suddenly, Asakawa Riku saw bright red liquid flowing from her eyes; it was blood tears, sliding down her cheeks.

"Senior, what happened? Are you alright?"

He immediately went over and helped the Spider Woman up.

To be precise, the Spider Woman was irrelevant, but he didn't understand things like souls and consciousness, and worried that the blood and tears might be proof that Chizuko's mind had been damaged.

But her body just kept trembling. Even though Asakawa Riku pressed her down with great force, she struggled desperately, as if she wasn't afraid of tearing her skin.

"Your senior is behind you."