Chapter 11: Chapter Eleven: Summer Rain (Please Collect!)

After a conversation with Izawa Ayane and encountering Minazawa Yuu's "enthusiastic" tailing service, Niino Li had barely planned anything for the day before time slipped unknowingly into the afternoon.

Fortunately, Minazawa Yuu was kind enough to send Niino Li a location link—just tap it to see where he was.

No need to waste time reading street signs anymore.

Checking his belongings, Niino Li stared at the small notebook in his hand, hesitated a moment, then slipped it into his pant pocket.

The scorching sunlight of yesterday was blocked; low, leaden clouds pressed down, the air thick and suffocating, as if rain were coming.

Niino Li opened his phone and, following the AI's guidance, walked slowly along the street below.

"How the hell did he find Okura Sa'u's home address?" He took a few steps forward, then turned to dodge hurried commuters.

And he hadn't received any distress text from him—had he been hiding at home all along, missing the encounter with the mantis?

Minazawa Yuu's location wasn't far; after rounding a few corners and following a quiet road up a flight of stairs, he was nearly there.

Before Niino Li stood:

A gray horizon and the silhouette of distant hills, a dimly lit, empty road, rows of detached houses glowing with lights, even the sound of a passing train audible.

The location was correct, but Niino Li scanned all around him—no slender, well-proportioned figure, no black hiking backpack.

Instead, he saw Okura Sa'u, his face twisted in misery, relentlessly mocked by two boys his own age.

"Okura, when did you get so cowardly? We planned to go karaoke together, and you've already delayed it two days!"

"You met a beautiful girl, but she turned into a mantis trying to eat you? You're a senior now—time to stop watching so many DVDs."

Their laughter was merciless, loud enough for Niino Li to hear clearly even from over ten meters away.

"Niino-kun!" Okura Sa'u's face flushed crimson from their taunts; just as he opened his mouth to retort, his pupils locked onto Niino Li's figure and he dashed toward him in three quick strides.

If this person was here, then it proved he hadn't lied.

Watching Okura Sa'u's agitated state, Niino Li's expression grew complex; he sighed silently in his heart, thought for a moment, then chose to respond.

The source of this hatred came from the mantis—he had directly borne all its pain, but that didn't mean he had to inherit its will and kill Okura Sa'u.

"Are you going out?" Niino Li set aside his search for Minazawa Yuu and asked casually.

"Okura, is this your acquaintance?"

Before Okura Sa'u could answer, one of the muscular boys beside him stepped forward, his gaze sharp as he sized up Niino Li.

No tattoos, no earrings—just an ordinary high school student.

"I'm Ishida Kawakami, Okura's friend. Nice to meet you," Ishida Kawakami smiled and gave Niino Li a standard self-introduction.

The other boy, a thin, glasses-wearing student, grinned and said, "I'm Takagi Ryosuke. You heard what we were talking about, right? What do you think? Do you believe his story about the girl turning into a mantis?"

Gazing at Taniguchi and Takagi's expectant, mocking eyes, Niino Li glanced again at Okura Sa'u—the boy's pupils trembled slightly, his breathing rapid, utterly consumed by a desperate need to prove himself.

Niino Li thought for a moment, then raised his finger toward the sky, where the clouds had dimmed further.

"Well, it looks like it's about to rain."

At these words, all three men froze.

First to react was Ishida Kawakami—he slapped his head and laughed, a look of urgency crossing his face: "Right! If it rains and ruins tonight's plans, that'd be bad—let's hurry!"