In this anime crossover, who stole my module?

"No need to trouble yourself, Auntie."

"Let's get straight to business; time is precious."

"..."

Upon hearing these words, Mrs. Narumiya's body stiffened slightly.

Can a high school student really solve a mysterious disappearance case that even the police are baffled by?

The thought only flashed through Mrs. Narumiya's mind for a moment before she forcibly suppressed it.

After all, since Kirie would invite someone so solemnly, that person must have something extraordinary about them.

Moreover, now that things have come to this, she doesn't want to give up even the slightest hope.

"……All right."

Thinking of this, Mrs. Narumiya finally sighed softly, gave up her insistence, sat down on the sofa, tightly clutching the corner of her apron, and recounted in detail all the details before and after her daughter's disappearance.

……

"My daughter... Xiao Kui, went missing five days ago in the evening."

“It was her birthday that day, and I took her to the amusement park in the city center. We had a lot of fun… On the way back, she said she wanted to go to the shrine near her house to watch the sunset. She said that the view of the sunset over the whole city from the steps there was especially beautiful…”

As Mrs. Narumiya recalled that memory, her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened.

“I…I was waiting for her on a park bench below the shrine, thinking it would be good for her to have some peace and quiet by herself…but I waited for a long time, until it was almost dark, and she still hadn’t come down.”

“I called her, but no one answered… I… I panicked and ran up to the shrine to look for her, but… I searched the entire shrine, but there was no trace of her. It was as if… as if she had vanished into thin air…”

In the end, Mrs. Narumiya could no longer hold back. She covered her face with her hands, and suppressed sobs escaped from between her fingers, revealing the heart-wrenching pain of a mother who had lost her daughter.

This made Geng Wujiang and Geng Xizi, who were present, feel a pang of sadness.

Natsume Ryo listened quietly without offering any words of comfort. Instead, he waited until Mrs. Narimiya's emotions had calmed down a bit before speaking again.

"So the last place where we saw her was that shrine, right?"

"……Yes."

Lady Narumiya wiped away her tears and nodded vigorously.

"Take us there to have a look."

"Well, now?"

Lady Narumiya was taken aback.

"Yes, now."

"Some things fade the longer time goes by."

After saying that, Natsume Ryo stood up.

"……it is good!"

……

then.

Under the guidance of Lady Narimiya.

More than an hour later.

The group finally arrived at the shrine located on a hillside on the outskirts of the city.

This is the place where the child of Gengwujiang's distant relative was last seen.

The shrine is built on a small hill and is not large in scale; it requires climbing hundreds of stone steps to reach it.

Natsume Ryo led everyone up the stone steps.

The closer one gets to the mountaintop, the clearer the faint, eerie aura in the air becomes.

As spirits, Geng Xizi and Ying Xizi felt this most acutely, and their expressions both became solemn.

at last.

As you step onto the last step, the entire shrine comes into view.

This is a typical Japanese shrine, complete with a torii gate, a worship hall, and the main hall.

Located in the suburbs and not a well-known tourist attraction, the incense offerings were never plentiful to begin with. The recent spate of child abductions has further reduced its popularity, making it almost deserted.

……

however.

When Mrs. Narimiya arrived at the entrance of the shrine with Natsume Ryo and the others.

However, they discovered that the cordon at the entrance to the shrine, which had been removed long ago, had been put up again, and the area was even wider than before.

"how come……"

Lady Narumiya's heart sank upon seeing this.

To Mrs. Narumiya's surprise.

The yellow warning line, which should have been removed a few days ago after the investigation concluded, has now been re-erected, effectively sealing off the entire God Community domain.

Several uniformed criminal police officers were standing guard at the entrance with serious expressions.

How is this going?

When Mrs. Narumiya saw this scene, her face, which was already haggard from her daughter's disappearance, suddenly turned completely pale.

……

"Please wait!"

"The police are currently investigating this area; outsiders are prohibited from entering!"

At that moment, a young detective noticed their approach and immediately stepped forward, raising his hand to stop them.

"Officer... how could this be... wasn't the cordon here already in place a few days ago...?"

Mrs. Narumiya's voice trembled, clearly not understanding why, after so many days, the place was still under strict police control.

result.

When confronted with Mrs. Narumiya's question, the young detective waved his hand and said:

"Excuse me, ma'am."

"There is an order from above that due to the recent spate of missing children cases, all relevant areas must be sealed off and searched again, and no unauthorized personnel are allowed to approach."

Upon hearing this, Lady Narumiya's heart sank completely.

She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to explain something, but looking at the other person's serious, businesslike demeanor, she could only let out a helpless sigh.

……

"Let them in."

Just as Mrs. Narumiya put on a stubborn smile, looked at Natsume Ryo and the others, intending to listen to the detective's words, she turned away in disappointment.

A voice suddenly sounded.

"Section Chief, this...this isn't in accordance with regulations, is it? The higher-ups have..."

The young detective was taken aback by what he heard. He turned around, and when he saw who it was, he quickly straightened up, saluted, and spoke with obvious hesitation.

I saw.

A middle-aged man, who looked to be around forty years old and was wearing a dark suit, was walking slowly towards them.

He had a square face, sharp eyes, and an imposing aura as he walked.

The man who was the "section chief" ignored his subordinate's doubts and instead looked past him and landed on Natsume Ryo.

He then nodded slightly and repeated it calmly:

"It's alright, let them in, nothing will happen."

"……Yes!"

Although puzzled, the young detective stepped aside to make way.

"..."

Mrs. Narumiya and Geng Wujiang were both stunned when they saw this.

They stared in astonishment at the imposing "section chief," then at Natsume Ryo, who calmly led the way into the cordon. For a moment, they were completely bewildered.

Especially Lady Narumiya, who tugged at Geng Wujiang's sleeve, full of confusion, and asked in a low voice:

"Kirie... just who is this Natsume classmate of yours?"

"..."

Geng Wujiang was equally confused at this moment, and could only shake his head to indicate that he didn't know either.

……

Natsume Ryo ignored this, only glancing at the "section chief" almost imperceptibly as he passed by.

—Another parasite.

Natsume Ryo thought to himself.

He then ignored the complicated looks in their eyes and walked straight through the yellow tape cordon set up by the police.

……

"My lord... the demonic aura here is so strong..."

The cat demon's black cat ears perked up alertly the moment it stepped into the shrine grounds.

"Stop talking nonsense and find the source."

Natsume Ryo glanced down at the cat demon, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"Yes, yes, meow!"

The cat demon was startled by Natsume Ryo's gaze and immediately became even more cautious. It sniffed the air with its small nose, its nostrils flaring rapidly as it filtered the various scents in the air.

at the same time.

The "section chief" quickly followed, standing respectfully half a step behind Natsume Ryo, and lowered his voice to report on the police's current investigation progress.

……

"My lord, according to our swift investigation, there is nothing unusual about this shrine. Neither historical records nor feedback from nearby residents indicate any similar malicious incidents."

"The missing children are as if they have entered a magical barrier and vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of struggle or fighting."

"The officers in charge of the investigation used police dogs to search. But all the scents stopped abruptly and completely when they reached the temple."

As the Parasite Chief spoke, he pointed to the worship hall in front of him.

Natsume Ryo nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the ancient wooden building.

Within the field of vision enhanced by [Superior Spiritual Sense].

Natsume Ryo could clearly see a chaotic and malevolent demonic aura, invisible to the naked eye, swirling around the worship hall, slowly gathering and circulating within it.

……

"Found it, meow!"

At this moment, the cat demon seemed to have smelled something, and immediately let out a short cry of surprise, raising its furry little paw and pointing to the side and rear of the worship hall.

An ancient well, sealed with a shimenawa rope, appears to have been abandoned for many years.

"My lord! The strongest demonic aura is coming from there, meow!"

Natsume Ryo looked in the direction the cat demon was pointing.

"well?"

"It seems like another classic Japanese ghost story is about to unfold."

Natsume Ryo thought to himself, then strode toward the ancient well.

We arrived at the ancient well.

Natsume Ryo's gaze fell on the several sewage ropes that were already rotten and wrapped around the well cover at the well opening.