"You stay here and guard if you want. I'm not doing it," the chubby security guard huffed. "Scaring me with ghosts? If there's any ghost in this world, it's just me—a broke one!"
With that, he stormed through the security door and headed downstairs.
As he reached the tenth floor, a cold gust swept through the hallway, accompanied by a low, eerie wail.
The chubby guard froze, Shuichi's last words echoing in his mind: "That man's vengeful spirit might just come looking for you both!"
The wail seemed to morph into the anguished cry of a vengeful ghost. Shivering, he turned and bolted back to the rooftop.
"What're you doing back here?" the bespectacled guard asked, bewildered.
"Uh, I just thought it wasn't right to leave you up here alone," the chubby guard said, scrambling for an excuse while nervously scanning the surroundings. "Did you hear that wailing sound just now?"
"What wailing?" The bespectacled guard looked confused.
A sudden gust howled across the rooftop. The chubby guard, thinking the ghost had caught up, collapsed to his knees in a panic. "Brother, I know you died unjustly, but it's not my fault! I'm just a poor security guard. If you want revenge, go after the one who hurt you!"
The bespectacled guard, seeing his partner trembling and muttering to himself, gave him a puzzled kick in the rear. "What's wrong with you? It's just the wind. How'd it scare you this bad?"
"Kneel down!" the chubby guard yanked his partner to the ground, shaking. "When I went downstairs, I heard it clear as day—a wailing in the hallway. It's got to be that guy who jumped, back as a ghost!"
On the tenth floor, Reiko stood by the window, holding Wangcai's muzzle to keep the dog from barking and disturbing others.
"Woof… woo…" The dog, unable to struggle, let out a muffled whimper.
"Reiko, did you see an old man come down?" Shuichi asked, rushing over.
"Yeah," she nodded. "That grandpa even said Wangcai's a good dog."
"Wangcai, do you remember that man's scent?" Shuichi grabbed the dog's head urgently.
"Woof!" Wangcai barked, lowering its nose to sniff the floor. After a moment, it darted toward the elevator.
"Come on, Reiko, let's find him!" Shuichi said, pulling his sister along.
"But, Onii-chan, what about the bloodstains?" Reiko asked, surprised.
"The culprit's already gone," Shuichi said, waving a hand. "Those blood drops are so small most people wouldn't notice them. Even if they did, no one's going to touch them."
Wangcai stopped at the elevator. Shuichi pressed the down button, glancing at the indicators. The building had two elevators—one was already at the second floor, the other just reaching the sixth.
"No time!"
Shuichi abandoned the elevator, pushed open the stairwell door, and raced down.
"Onii-chan?" Reiko hesitated, then hurriedly tugged Wangcai to follow.
Despite their frantic sprint, Shuichi was panting by the time he reached the first floor. Both elevators had already arrived, and Mr. Fujimori was nowhere to be seen in the lobby.
Damn it, he got away! Shuichi slammed his fist against the wall in frustration.
"Onii-chan!" Reiko's voice came from behind as she and Wangcai burst out of the stairwell.
"Wangcai, try sniffing for that man's scent again!" Shuichi said, pointing at the floor.
Wangcai sniffed the lobby floor back and forth for a while, only to look up at its two owners with a blank stare.
"Lost the scent, huh…" Shuichi clenched his fist.
Reiko, sweating and catching her breath, thought her brother was mad at the dog. "Onii-chan, so many people pass through the lobby. Wangcai's just an ordinary dog—it's normal if it can't track that grandpa's scent."
"I'm not mad at it. This is my fault," Shuichi said, blaming himself. "If I'd kept an eye on Mr. Fujimori up on the roof, he wouldn't have slipped away."
"It's okay, Onii-chan," Reiko said, stepping forward to grip his right hand tightly. "The police are coming. They'll catch him."
"Let's hope so…"
Shuichi sighed, leading Reiko and Wangcai out of the building.
The young man's body still lay at the entrance, surrounded by layers of onlookers gawking at the scene.
Shuichi told Reiko to wait outside with Wangcai and pushed through the crowd. Kneeling by the body, he examined it closely and soon spotted a thin ligature mark on the bloodied neck, roughly matching the width of the scratch on the rooftop water tank.
Just as I thought…
Shuichi sighed. With the culprit gone, all he could do now was hope the police would track him down.
A sudden scream—one Shuichi recognized—cut through the crowd. He looked up to see Reiko, hands over her mouth, pale-faced, staring at the corpse.
Why are women so curious…?
Shuichi hurried over, scooping Reiko into his arms and pushing out of the crowd.
"Scared you, didn't it?"
"Y-yeah," Reiko nodded timidly. "It's so… so scary. Way worse than the murder scene photos Mom and Dad bring home. And gross…"
"I told you, didn't I?" Shuichi scolded. "You're definitely having nightmares tonight."
"I'm sorry," Reiko said, hanging her head in regret. "I messed up. Punish me, Onii-chan."
"How do you want to be punished?"
Reiko hesitated. "…How about, next weekend, I'm not allowed to come see you?"
"That's not a punishment!" Shuichi snorted, flipping her around in his arms and giving her bottom two firm smacks. "There, that ought to make you remem—"
He stopped short, noticing Reiko's flushed cheeks and the way she bit her lip, looking more aggrieved than pained. His heart softened instantly. "Alright, it was just two smacks. Why do you look like you're about to cry? My bad, okay?"
Seeing Shuichi apologize, Reiko knew he'd misunderstood. She wasn't close to tears—she was barely holding back an excited squeal. Afraid he'd notice, she quickly buried her burning face in his chest. "Onii-chan, it's not your fault. I didn't listen to you. Smack me a few more times!"
"More smacks? If you actually start crying, I'll be the one feeling bad!" Shuichi said, exasperated, tapping her head lightly.
"Doing something wrong means you get punished," Reiko said, her usual seriousness giving way to a rare playful pout. "I won't cry. Please, punish me some more, okay?"
"Enough of that," Shuichi said, setting her down. "Let's find a place to rest and wait for the police to explain everything."
"…Okay," Reiko replied, her tone tinged with disappointment.
On their way earlier, they'd passed a payphone booth with public benches nearby. Shuichi led Reiko and Wangcai that way.
As they approached, Wangcai suddenly barked excitedly at the phone booth: "Woof! Woof!"
The disciplinary committee member really was behind it…
(End of Chapter)
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