Not a detective

Chizuko explained, "After all, it's impossible for an Onmyoji to know everything. When they encounter something they can't handle, they ask for their help. It's just something that can't be helped."

What about the costs?

The thought of completely renovating the music room is terrifying.

"Of course I won't pay for it myself," Chizuko said matter-of-factly. "Once all seven mysteries are solved, and even after dealing with Aoandon, we'll write a report on this and submit it to the official organization. It will be considered an achievement for [Exorcism], and they'll send someone to verify the authenticity of the incident and provide compensation based on the level of danger. This money is considerable; it's one of our main sources of income as Onmyoji. Since this incident happened at a school and involved minors, I think it will definitely be no less than this amount..."

The girl chuckled and gestured with her hands to make an exaggerated number.

This was the first time Asakawa Riku had ever heard of an official system for issuing missions and accepting bounties, or of an organization he had never heard of before.

This made him realize with a profound sense that his previous explorations were completely futile...

But a more pressing question remained: "So that's why you wanted to solve the Seven Mysteries, senior? And you even get paid for it? I've never heard of that before."

"Ah, this..."

Chizuko suddenly realized she had let something slip and laughed awkwardly, "I also need to set aside a portion for the Yorozuya. This money is for important club activities."

"After deducting necessary expenses, I'll get half of the final amount." Asakawa Riku said emotionlessly, "Club activities are just about going out for desserts, don't embezzle public funds, club president."

"How could you do this! I'm the club president! I'll provide you with meals..."

"Otherwise, I'll quit. I did half the work."

"Damn it... Fine, fine."

And so the dirty profit-sharing agreement was settled.

Chizuko sighed helplessly: "By the way, Asakawa-kun, aren't you curious why putting the portrait and the piano together can solve this ghost story?"

"Well, why?"

Actually, Asakawa Riku was very curious, including about what Chizuko-senpai said at the end, but he didn't have time to ask earlier due to time constraints, and now he wanted to hear it.

"Thanks to your reminder, well done! If you hadn't reminded me of the story behind the creation of 'Für Elise,' I probably wouldn't have been able to solve this strange tale."

Chizuko pulled out the small notebook and began to recount: "In the 4th century, when Beethoven was active, one of his students was Therese Malfatti. Beethoven developed feelings for this female student, and once, in a very pleasant mood, he wrote a piece called 'Bagatelle in A minor' and gave it to her, and inscribed on the score, 'Dedicated to Therese, April 27, 1810, in memory of her.'"

“This song is—” Asakawa Riku seemed to understand something.

“Yes.” Chizuko nodded and continued, “After that, the score remained with Theresa. Beethoven didn’t keep a copy, so this piece wasn’t listed in his catalogue of works after his death. It wasn’t until the 1860s, when the German musician Noel was writing a biography of Beethoven, that the manuscript of this piece was discovered among Theresa Malfatti’s belongings. In 1867, when Noel published the score in Stuttgart, a city in southwestern Germany, he mistakenly wrote the original title, ‘Für Theresa,’ as ‘Für Elise.’ From then on, the piano work began to circulate widely throughout the world under the name ‘Für Elise,’ while the original title, ‘Für Theresa,’ was forgotten.”

"I see."

Riku Asakawa realized that the last words Chizuko uttered, "Goodbye Therese," actually meant this.

"I suddenly thought, 'Why are the other ghost stories set in different places on campus, but these two are set in the music room?' Then I made a lot of connections. The piano was played by Beethoven, and the blood and tears were from a portrait of Beethoven... So, these two ghost stories are actually one ghost story."

Chizuko grasped the crux of the problem: to solve it, the piano and the portrait could not be treated as two separate things.

They are actually one entity.

"The one playing 'Für Elise' must be the spirit of Therese Malfatti. That's why Beethoven's portrait weeps upon hearing this piece, which once represented a love that ended without fruition. The ghost story doesn't explain why one dies after listening to the piece three times, but it's probably because when the time is up, the pool formed by the blood flowing from the portrait will drown the person. That's the principle. Although this story may not be historically accurate, it was passed down by students, and Aoandon created ghost stories based on this story... That's probably it."

She explained in detail, analyzing almost all the principles and rules of the ghost stories.

Asakawa Riku smiled wryly: "In other words, if we had taken the portrait from the beginning, we could have solved the problem much earlier. We'll have to use our brains more in the future..."

Perhaps it's because I relied on brute force to solve the problems with Hanako in the toilet and the human model in the biology classroom a few days ago, which has created a habitual way of thinking.

If we analyze the rules carefully, we might be able to find a more efficient way to deal with those two strange tales.

"Let's not talk about that now, anyway, we've solved these two unbelievable problems in one go..."

Despite saying this, Chizuko's face showed little joy. She clutched her collar with her fingers; her entire uniform was stained crimson with blood...

Not only that, even their hair was sticky and clinging to their skin. Both of them looked equally disheveled, with a rotten and foul smell, like a male ghost and a female ghost.

"What should we do now?!"

Aoandon's Autumn: Chapter Twenty - Returning Home to Rest

"Ah...ah!"

When Yukie stood in the entrance to greet them, she first let out a soft scream, then covered her mouth and let out an even louder scream.

"Hey, little sister." Chizuko raised her hand and greeted her with a smile, "If I said we're celebrating Halloween early, would you understand?"

"Don't listen to this guy's nonsense..."

In short, before the astonished Yukie, Asakawa Riku went to great lengths to explain that this was not their blood, nor were they injured, before entering his home.

...

After Chizuko made a phone call, the Yorozuya said they could only come tomorrow, so they had no choice but to leave the school.

The blood was even more disgusting after it dried on the clothes, but at least it wouldn't leave drops of blood in the school corridors or leave bloody footprints.

They stealthily passed through the wall and took a shortcut back, trying to avoid being seen along the way. Otherwise, the two red figures emitting a bloody smell walking on the street would surely turn into a new urban legend in Tokyo. There weren't many pedestrians on the street, and Chizuko used her ghostly abilities to avoid taking the usual route, while Asakawa Riku could run at high speed, so it didn't cause any panic.

—With the Tokyo zombie crisis, Riku Asakawa has even come up with a name for the new ghost story.

The Asakawa Riku family home is relatively close to the school, and Chizuko said she wanted to stay there for the night, otherwise the journey would be too long and she was afraid something might happen, and she couldn't take the subway or a taxi in her condition.

But Asakawa Riku felt that she just didn't want to go back.

"Anyway, my sister's here too, so what's the big deal? I'll keep an eye on you so nothing happens to you!"

"...Have you figured out how you're going to explain this to Yukie?"

"Well..."

So, this has led to the awkward situation we see today.

Chizuko (Asakawa Riku, having had enough, decided to stop using honorifics) actually left with the words, "I need to use the bathroom first!" and ran off, leaving Asakawa Riku to explain himself.

Doesn't she have any sense of responsibility as a guest at all?

"...In short, that's it. We've eliminated a potential risk in the school. The blood won't have any impact, it'll just smell a bit."

Asakawa Riku gave a brief explanation, without going into too much detail. He omitted parts including "Aoandon" and only talked about the mystery and the music classroom.

Although it is said that Yukie's "Black Yukie" personality has been cleared away after dream therapy, and she will no longer go berserk even if she hears the word "monster," Asakawa Riku still dares not say it all at once to be on the safe side. The recovery process needs to be slow, and for now, he should try his best to protect her.

"So that's it, I understand."

Yukie nodded. Surprisingly, she wasn't too surprised and accepted the reality.

"Aren't you curious? Why don't you ask more questions?" This made Asakawa Riku a little embarrassed, and he wanted to say more.

"It's alright... After all, I grew up in a shrine, and I've seen even stranger things."

Yukie smiled and said, "I was initially surprised because I was worried that you might get hurt... As long as you and my sister are alright, that's all that matters. Please don't take such risks next time."

Looking into the girl's gentle eyes, Asakawa Riku even felt a touch of maternal care, and a warm current surged in his heart.

Just then, the bathroom door suddenly opened, releasing steam and a small section of a pale arm waving.

"...Little sister! I don't have any clean clothes, can I borrow yours?"

"Okay, coming, coming~" Yukie got up to get her clothes, and before leaving, she turned back, her long hair framing a warm smile:

"Brother, I have already heated up the food. Please eat after you have taken a bath."

"If there are no outsiders present, there's no need to pretend to be siblings."

I don't know how many times I've said it, but I still can't correct this way of addressing him. Even just calling him "brother" would be fine. Adding a respectful title always makes me cringe.

Watching the figure running quickly past, Asakawa Riku sighed inwardly.

Even though they're not blood-related sisters, how come their natures are so different...?

...

Chizuko and Asakawa Riku stayed in the bathroom for a long time until they had completely gotten rid of the fishy smell from their bodies.

Both of the horribly damaged uniforms were stuffed into the washing machine, a large bottle of detergent was poured in, and the powerful setting was turned on without hesitation.

Fortunately, it's Friday today, and we'll have a weekend off tomorrow. No classes, so the smell should dissipate completely in the next two days. The weekend should be enough for Yorozuya to get things done.

Yukie reported to the family on behalf of her sister that Chizuko was spending the weekend here, but Asakawa Riku didn't know what their response would be.

He simply sat at the table and wolfed down his food. Perhaps it was because his appetite had increased after exercising, but the food tasted especially delicious. Chizuko also ate a lot; she had abandoned her pretense of elegant eating and revealed her true form as a gluttonous sea otter. These two strange people seemed completely unaffected by the bloody scene, which was truly unbelievable.

Chizuko praised her sister's cooking skills, shamelessly saying, "You've learned the essence of my cooking."

However, Yuki had a very good temper, clapped loudly, and even said, "I still have things to learn from you."

Asakawa Riku looked at this scene, he felt like he was watching a workplace drinking culture in a TV drama, where subordinates had to flatter their superiors, but Yukie seemed to be genuine.

None of them are normal people.

"You're not asleep this early, are you? When you have some free time later, let's talk about our plans for the future?"

After dinner, Asakawa Riku wanted to talk to Chizuko about things like the Seven Mysteries, Aoandon, and the last few ghost stories.

But Chizuko pulled Yukie aside, saying, "We sisters are having a pajama party! It's been so long since we last saw each other. Don't cause trouble, and you're not allowed in!" As a guest, she was actually excluding the real owners of the house. Asakawa Riku thought about it, but he didn't have a compelling reason to join. Oh well, he'd talk about that tomorrow.

But there was one thing he was still worried about, something he felt couldn't be delayed for too long:

"Are you hurt?"

Asakawa Riku pointed at Chizuko and asked, noticing that from the beginning, the girl had been intentionally or unintentionally covering her chest.

Could it be that the wound was discovered while she was taking a shower? I didn't notice her condition during the intense battle just now. If she's injured, it's best to treat it as soon as possible.

To everyone's surprise, when this was brought up, Chizuko clutched her chest even tighter, and her face instantly turned red.

"...No! Don't ask!"

"Hmm?" Asakawa Riku immediately racked his brains. If it wasn't a wound, then what could it be?

This strange behavior wasn't there when I came back, so why did it happen after I took a shower...?

Chizuko was wearing the pajamas that Yukie had lent her. They were a little loose, and half of her snow-white shoulder was drooping out, while her front was completely flat.

In comparison, Yukie, though younger, seems to be more developed.

The underwear under the pajamas... oh, that one's stained with blood too, probably being washed now...

"Don't try to deduce anything here... and even if you do, you're not allowed to say it out loud!"

Chizuko's face turned as red as it could possibly be, and she was practically steaming. She quickly threw a pillow at him and dragged the puzzled Yukie into the room.

Asakawa Riku caught the pillow, and the door slammed shut.

Aoandon's Autumn: Chapter Twenty-One - The Yorozuya

"Eh...can't I go?"

The next day, as she was about to leave, Yukie's eyes were watery as she pleaded.

Asakawa Riku explained to her, "We're going to complete an exorcism mission. There are only two more mysterious ones left, and we can finish them this weekend. The remaining two shouldn't be too dangerous, at least we won't come back covered in blood. You should know that your sister and I are both very strong, so don't worry, nothing will happen."

"I want to help you," Yukie insisted. "I won't hold you back. I'll hide, and if anything unexpected happens, I can help call for backup."

"Your presence here providing logistical support is the best help you can give us."

Chizuko stretched out her hand and patted her sister's head: "As long as we know that you are still waiting for us and have prepared a meal, we will feel warm, and that's enough."

I never expected that she would sometimes show the side of an older sister.

In fact, if Yukie were to use the "Yuki-onna" ability, her true strength would be no less than his and Chizuko's, and she might even be more lethal. If she were there, dealing with those monsters would be much easier. However, Asakawa Riku had promised Kazamatsuri Akihisa that he would take good care of the child and not let her easily come into contact with the world of monsters again. At least it was not the right time yet.

"I promise you."

Asakawa Riku squatted down, looked into Yukie's eyes, and said, "When I need your help, I will definitely call on you."

But seeing that worried look in his eyes, I couldn't help but say it.

"Okay!" Xuehui smiled through her tears and nodded vigorously. "Then I promise. I will pray for you at home. Please come back safely."

"Of course, you don't even know who your sister is, it's a piece of cake... By the way, what should I wear out?"

Chizuko paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered that her school uniform hadn't dried yet, and she didn't have any clothes to change into at home.

You can't exactly go exorcising demons in your pajamas, that would be too weird.

"Wear mine!"

In front of the mirror, Yukie seemed to be dressing up her older sister like a mannequin, and finally borrowed Yukie's black coat, leather pants and boots.

If she were 20 centimeters taller, she would definitely look incredibly dashing.