Chapter 114: Boldness Born from Power
Every eye in the clearing fell upon Haruto.
The group stood in tense silence, waiting for his decision. Should they risk investigating the scream, or was it safer to stay put?
Haruto considered it for a moment before giving a slight nod. "Let's go take a look."
He took the lead without another word, and the others fell into formation behind him.
Number Six moved with the practiced vigilance of a bodyguard, his eyes scanning their surroundings. Tao Shou's hand went to the cherry blossom leaf hanging from a cord around his neck—a Hakurei-brand talisman Haruto had given him as a bonus. While he possessed a few ghost-repelling artifacts of his own, the charm from their powerhouse leader offered a far greater sense of security. Beside them, Yellow Hair's head swiveled nervously, his gaze darting into every shadow.
However, when they rounded the corner of the cabin, the sight that greeted them left everyone stunned.
The youth in brown was standing perfectly fine in the middle of the front yard. He was leisurely brushing dust from his clothes, looking as if nothing at all had happened.
Hearing their footsteps, he turned. "Why are you all over here? I just tripped over a branch."
Tao Shou's brow furrowed. "You tripped? You screamed like you were being murdered."
A well-timed look of embarrassment crossed the youth's face. "I was just startled, that's all. Thought I'd run into a ghost. This place is so quiet and eerie; the sound must have carried."
Yellow Hair couldn't hold back a curse. "You scared us to death, you bastard, you know that!"
Haruto said nothing, observing the scene with a quiet intensity.
The other party was far too normal—so normal it was abnormal. Based on his previous outbursts, he should have been shouting abuses by now, not making sheepish excuses.
Haruto inconspicuously scanned the expressions of the others. Though they tried to appear calm, a subtle stiffness was etched onto each of their faces. Clearly, they also sensed something was deeply wrong with this guy.
"What are you all gathered here for?"
A new voice cut through the tension. Kaguya strolled over from the edge of the clearing, her expression one of mild curiosity.
"Not sure," Haruto shrugged, though his gaze drifted past her toward the direction she had come from—a dense bamboo forest shrouded in a thick, unnatural mist. "We heard a scream, but when we got here, everything was normal." He turned his attention back to her. "What about you? You said you were stepping out for a bit, and then you vanished."
"I went to take a look outside," she replied simply. "It's too boring here."
Following her gaze, the group looked beyond the bamboo forest, their eyes widening in astonishment.
She went into the bamboo forest?
Was she really that bold?
The mist-filled woods was clearly a forbidden zone, a place outside the established plot points of the instance. Could one really just wander out there?
Just as the thought of exploring began to sprout in their minds, Haruto shattered their fantasies with a single sentence.
"Don't even think about it. You can't do what she does. It really is very dangerous out there."
Yotsuya Miko's eyes, now glowing with a faint golden light, were fixed on the woods. Her expression shifted at once.
"The bamboo forest is full of ghosts," she reported, her voice low. "At least within my line of sight, there are seven or eight of them staring at us. They look like… rabbits. Or some kind of hybrid between rabbits and humans."
As soon as she finished speaking, a collective chill ran through the group. They all took a half-step back in unison, a low buzz of dread filling the air. Only then did they remember the obvious truth.
Kaguya, like Haruto, was a powerhouse. Her boldness was born from overwhelming strength.
If any of them were to step into that forest, it would be no different from walking into a lion's den. It would be suicide.
Haruto's gaze lingered on Kaguya for a second longer before shifting away, landing once more on the youth in brown.
"Now then," Haruto said, his tone dropping the previous levity. "Tell me your name. Tell me what really happened just now. And tell me… are you human, or are you a ghost?"
Finding himself the center of attention again, the youth's face twisted in a flash of fury before he forcibly smoothed it over. "My name is Lu Bowen. I really did just trip. And I am definitely human."
Haruto lightly tapped the back of his hand, his senses focused, quietly gauging the frequency of the man's heartbeat. The instant Lu Bowen finished speaking, Haruto's verdict was delivered.
"You lied."
"I did not!" Lu Bowen could no longer maintain his composure. His face contorted into a hideous snarl, his voice growing louder and more frantic with each word. "You're all just targeting me! Those bastards in the last instance were the same, and now you're doing it too! You all deserve to die!"
No one responded.
They simply stared at him with cold, detached expressions, as if looking at a fool, or perhaps a dead man. After only a short time together, they could already guess why his previous teammates had wanted nothing to do with him.
Being useless was tolerable.
But a teammate who was emotionally unstable and complained all day long was a liability. He was dangerous. Who knew if he would stab them in the back long before a ghost ever got the chance?
Tao Shou shot a pointed look at Number Six.
The bodyguard understood immediately. He stepped forward without hesitation and began to deliver a heavy, methodical beating. As a professional, his employer's orders were paramount, not to mention his life was now tied to the success of the group. If he hadn't been worried about disrupting Haruto's plans, he would have aimed for a killing blow from the start.
On any battlefield, a teammate like this was more lethal than the enemy.
By the time Number Six stopped, Lu Bowen was a bruised and swollen mess, blood seeping from the corners of his eyes as he lay slumped on the ground, wailing incessantly.
Number Six stepped back two paces and looked to Haruto for further instruction.
After getting a quiet confirmation from Yotsuya Miko that Lu Bowen was, in fact, still human, Haruto spoke slowly. "You are indeed human, and your name is Lu Bowen. But you lied about what happened. You know yourself how ridiculous that excuse was. Even a Newcomer on their very first instance wouldn't scream like that from a simple fall."
His gaze shifted toward the cabin's bamboo door, which had swung shut at some unknown point.
"So, I speculate that you made some kind of deal with a ghost, or perhaps another entity. It gave you some benefit, maybe even promised to let you survive this."
Haruto's speculation caused everyone's expression to darken. No one doubted his judgment.
Yellow Hair grew anxious, striding forward and grabbing Lu Bowen by the collar. "Fucking say it!" he cursed, yanking the man's head up. "I really regret kicking you back then; I should have just let you die! Speak! What the hell were you doing just now!"
Lu Bowen just clenched his teeth, his jaw set in stubborn silence.
Driven mad with rage, Yellow Hair rained down punch after punch.
No one stopped him. At this moment, finding out what kind of deal he had made was critical.
But even after being beaten to within an inch of his life, with few teeth left in his mouth, Lu Bowen's lips remained sealed.
"Stop. He won't talk," Number Six finally said, intervening. He could see that even if they beat the man to death, they wouldn't get any answers. He just couldn't understand Lu Bowen's persistence. Had a ghost promised to spare him? But if he were beaten to death right here and now, there would be no escape, let alone survival.
"Stop for what!" Yellow Hair spat viciously, though his fists did halt. "Isn't it more dangerous to keep this menace around? We should just kill him and save ourselves from getting stabbed in the back!"
"Isn't there a well in the backyard?" Number Six suggested calmly. "We can use him to test it. A good way to make use of trash."
The logic was sound, but Yellow Hair still had concerns. "What if he intentionally destroys important clues? And hasn't he already been in contact with Sadako? Even if he goes down the well, Sadako probably won't kill him, right?"
Yotsuya Miko corrected him. "Haruto said he made a deal with a ghost or something else. It might not necessarily be Sadako."
Yellow Hair only then remembered that there was more than one ghost in this place, and the hair on his arms stood on end.
Number Six thought for a moment. "I remember seeing ropes in the house. As long as we tie him up, we won't have to worry about him destroying any clues."
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