Not a detective

In this situation, who can remain completely calm?

"Can I really live a good life from now on?"

He couldn't help but smile wryly.

The head, torso, left hand, right hand, left foot, and right foot were divided into six parts, as precisely as a cake. The dissector was either an expert in the butchering or autopsy industry or a perfectionist measuring with a ruler. Moreover, the dissection was done very cleanly, with no unclean blood on the skin, which made it all the more beautiful.

The Asakawa Riku in the mirror is undoubtedly Asakawa Riku himself, either from his previous life or this young man in this life.

Moreover, judging from his appearance, he did not become a young man, nor a middle-aged man, nor an old man... but was disintegrated under a completely similar appearance.

This "future" may be just around the corner.

Maybe in a few years, maybe in a few months, or maybe even tomorrow!

"It's so scary..."

Riku Asakawa murmured.

After calming down, he no longer felt as extremely shocked and fearful as before, and now he feels okay.

But after calming down a bit, what welled up inside me was even more confusion and curiosity—

Why was it dismantled?

He wasn't arrogant enough to say, "I can't be killed." Having embarked on the path of a martial artist, Asakawa Riku was already mentally prepared to die in battle. He was slightly stronger than the average person, but only to a limited extent. After all, he didn't possess any incredible shikigami, spells, or superpowers; he was just an ordinary mortal.

Asakawa Riku assessed his own body and found that he had reached the level of "indestructible" and "impervious to water and fire," able to withstand ordinary sword and blade damage as well as high and low temperatures.

However, it is still impossible to completely block the essence of modern weaponry – firearms.

A standard 9mm pistol bullet, if fired with sufficient accuracy, could take his life.

It sounds easy, but it has to be outside his dodging range, which is a very demanding condition.

Nevertheless, Asakawa Riku still felt that he could die at any moment. After all, the world had confirmed the existence of various incredible supernatural phenomena and strange abilities. No one knew what unexpected things might happen. He could accept his future of "death," but he couldn't understand why he would be "dismembered."

Is there any reason why the body must be dismembered?

Since a person could be pierced through the body by a pistol, theoretically they could also have their hands and feet cut off by a high-voltage chainsaw, but that is actually impossible.

Because Riku Asakawa wouldn't just stand by and watch himself get cut open.

He confirmed that there were no bullet holes in his own body in the mirror, so it was impossible for him to have been dismembered without any resistance.

If it was done so "beautifully," there must at least be traces of struggle and resistance, right?

"Looks like a formidable opponent..."

Unbeknownst to him, Asakawa Riku's words carried a hint of a smile, and his mood had gradually changed.

If I can't figure it out, I'll just put it aside and stop thinking about it.

He's just a simple-minded, muscle-bound idiot, not a detective, right?

He had confirmed his death, but he was not defeated by his despairing fate. As a martial artist, he had always paved his own way with his fists.

These three mirrors reflect: in the center, you are at this crossroads; on the left, your past life that you missed; and on the right, the future that is about to arrive.

"I don't believe in superstitions. Anyone who wants to cut me open... come and try."

Aoandon's Autumn: Chapter Twenty-Six - A Dreamlike Haze

"Hey... Asakawa-san." Chizuko-senpai's voice came from downstairs: "Are you alright?"

Asakawa Riku then realized that he had been thinking for a long time without realizing it, and perhaps the other party was getting a little impatient, so he stood up and replied:

"No problem, I'll come down now."

He jogged down the stairs, and the two met again in the corridor on the fifth floor.

"Senior... what's wrong?"

As soon as I went downstairs, I saw Chizuko with a big smile. Generally speaking, a beautiful girl's smile can make people feel happy, but to be honest, her smile was a bit disgusting.

Chizuko said in an exaggerated tone, "Oh my, I saw something incredible... I never imagined the future would be like this... Hehe."

It seems she has envisioned a future that satisfies her.

Then, she tilted her head again:

"On the contrary, why do you look like you've seen a ghost, Asakawa-kun?"

"...It really is a ghost." Asakawa Riku was speechless.

Should I tell her what I see in the mirror? Let's forget about what happened before I traveled through time on the left, and as for the gruesome scene of being dismembered on the right, telling her that would probably only scare her.

After thinking it over, he decided to keep it in his heart:

"I won't go into too much detail, but I will find a way to change that future."

"Then let's keep the future a secret. I also want to maintain an air of mystery."

Sensing there was something to hide, Chizuko didn't press for details and simply said, with her hands behind her back.

He was about to leave the school when he was suddenly called back: "Wait."

"Ok?"

Asakawa Riku turned around, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong? Is there anything you haven't finished?"

"Break the mirror." Chizuko's smile faded, and she became serious. "Let me remind you, you haven't forgotten, have you, Asakawa-kun?"

"Of course, it's shattered beyond recognition."

Asakawa Riku tried to pick up the shards of glass scattered on the ground, but they no longer reflected anything, so he could only put them back where they were.

No wonder the ghost stories say that such a mirror has a seductive magic... If it hadn't shattered after seeing that scene, Asakawa Riku might have been unable to resist continuing to look.

"That's good~"

Chizuko cheerfully patted Asakawa Riku's back and said, "Don't be so lifeless, let's go back and have a late-night snack!"

...

Nothing happened on the way home. Yukie was delighted to see them return, and then they all had a meal together.

Chizuko talked to Yukie about the mirror (although she didn't mention the word "youkai," the ban on Yukie was slowly being lifted, allowing her to gradually come into contact with such things, which was said to be part of the treatment). Yukie's eyes lit up as she listened, regretting that she should also go and see for herself, wanting to know what the future held.

"However, there are only two mirrors there, so only two people can use them."

Asakawa Riku was eating silently when he suddenly interrupted the conversation.

Seeing the future isn't necessarily a good thing, and not everyone can return satisfied like Chizuko. He didn't want Yukie to experience that fear as well.

Yukie didn't seem to notice his bad mood, and just smiled and said "Oh, I see," and then didn't mention it again.

That night, Asakawa Riku had a nightmare, something he hadn't experienced in a long time.

He hadn't had a dream in a long time since he started practicing martial arts, let alone a nightmare, but today's dream was exceptionally vivid.

He dreamt of himself, transformed back into his former self, the one from his past life who wore glasses and was slightly thin...

Perhaps it was because he hadn't seen himself in a long time that the sight of the scene stirred up his emotions, and he even dreamed of the "accident" that led him to time travel sixteen years ago...

It's an experience he really doesn't want to recall. When he was eighteen, on the eve of his college entrance exam, he was unfortunately affected, which ultimately led to his current situation.

He also dreamed that he was dismembered by an unknown killer, cut off piece by piece starting from his hands and feet, but surprisingly he felt no pain, as if he had been given anesthesia.

After practicing "meditation," Asakawa Riku can now clearly confirm that he is dreaming, and he can get out of it at any time if he wants.

But he didn't do that. His main reason was to explore the deeper meaning of the dream, and even to see if there were any clues...

He wanted to see the killer's face clearly, but he couldn't make it out through a hazy veil. The person hadn't used a machete or a chainsaw.

Instead, they said things like "cut off the left hand"... "cut off the right leg"... the voices were indistinguishable between male and female, like subtitles in a comic book.

With each word he utters, his limbs break apart, and he is completely unable to resist or stop it.

Until the very last sentence, "sever the head."

...

Asakawa Riku lost consciousness and then regained it. He woke up with a start, touched his messy hair, and realized that he was back in reality.

Recalling the dream I just had, I suddenly realized how ridiculous my idea of ​​looking for clues in it was. After all, dreams are also my own creations, and they don't contain information I don't know.

The scenes and characters inside are abstract and distorted, as if the rendering module has crashed, presenting a crudely made shape.

For example, the invisible criminal and the oral description of the dismemberment method mean that he doesn't know who the criminal is or how the method was done, right?

"...I still can't completely ignore it."

After all, with the threat of death looming, who can remain completely calm?

Asakawa Riku stretched lazily, feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep. Perhaps the unease and confusion from last night had all dissipated through this dream.

Perhaps this is also a way of self-healing, relieving boredom through dreams, a trick taught to him by Mr. Tapir.

He is now slowly returning to his optimal mental state.

"Very good." After washing up, Asakawa Riku looked at himself in the mirror, water droplets slowly sliding down his cheeks, his eyes clear and clean.

That's who I am now, no doubt about it.

He walked out of the room and into the living room downstairs. It seemed that the two sisters had gotten up very early and had been making a ruckus downstairs all morning.

"Good morning."

Good morning, elder brother.

"Morning!"

The two greeted each other in their own way. Yukie was placing a steaming hot breakfast on the table and inviting Asakawa Riku to come and eat.

Chizuko had already taken her seat. She wasn't wearing a sock on one foot, her pajama bottoms were pulled up, and she was crossing her legs in an unseemly manner.

"Don't put your feet next to the food."

Asakawa Rikuma regretted initially viewing her as a well-mannered Yamato Nadeshiko.

Her smooth little feet were unconsciously positioned, completely ignoring the lecture, while her hands were fiddling with something, seemingly adjusting her prosthetic limbs.

"It's okay, it's okay, I don't mind."

Chizuko, without a hint of arrogance, said with a smile, "Today is the last incredible one, Asakawa-san, are you ready?"

Aoandon's Autumn: Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Thirteen Steps at Night

Although they got up very early, they still set off at night.

Perhaps I've developed a path dependency. Actually, there was no time limit for today's incredible stories, but I always felt that the atmosphere of the ghost stories was more intense at night.

"I hope we can get through today peacefully as well," Riku Asakawa said.

Their adventures over the past few days have left the biology and music classrooms in a complete mess. The girls' restroom is alright, but the two mirrors on the roof are all shattered.

Although it was done with good intentions, the principal must have thought there was some annoying kid causing trouble at school.

"Everything can end today."

Chizuko had an indifferent expression.

Today is Sunday. It's great that I can solve all the ghost stories over the weekend. That way, I can immediately present my "achievements" to the student council as soon as I go to school tomorrow.

"I won't let the mystery club disband," Asakawa Riku emphasized heavily. "Otherwise, where am I supposed to eat lunch every day?"

"You're not reluctant to part with my food, you're reluctant to part with me, aren't you?"

Chizuko laughed heartily, and the two walked into the schoolyard at night amidst this lighthearted atmosphere...

...

The sixth of the seven incredible things about the campus: the thirteen steps at night.

At midnight, the school stairs will automatically add a step, changing from the usual 12 steps to 13 steps.

If you step onto the added 13th step, you will be taken to the underworld and disappear without a trace.

...

Since the seventh mystery was originally the "mystery club's paranormal disappearance case," it has now become the "first-year high school student with superhuman strength," so there is no need to investigate it anymore.

After eliminating those, the "thirteen steps at night" is naturally the last thing to do.