Chapter 8: The Person Trapped in the Sea of Fire (Please Collect!!!)

"Niino-kun?" Minazawa Yuu looked at Niino Li with concern.

His eyes were hollow, head bowed, standing there like a puppet frozen in place.

She had seen this eerie state only once before, on a man haunted by resentment, driven insane after being terrified by a Ghost Spirit crawling out from under his bed.

They said his end came when, in the middle of the night, he frantically clawed at his own throat with his fingernails until his blood vessels burst and he bled to death.

Suddenly, Niino Li snapped back to awareness, his eyelids opening to see Minazawa Yuu's face—her large eyes blinking up at him—

Too close!

He instinctively stepped back two paces, his brow furrowed: "What are you doing?"

"What else? You took down a spirit-form mantis with your bare hands—anyone would worry if you suddenly stood there like a statue!" Minazawa Yuu shot him a glare.

Is this guy hypersensitive, or just naturally immune to beautiful women?

Good looks should give you a social advantage—sure, I spend my days dealing with urban legends, but I'm not that ugly, am I?

"My apologies," Niino Li replied bluntly, using it as an excuse to change the subject and avoid further scrutiny of his earlier state.

Touching the residual image of a slain Ghost Spirit lets you glimpse fragments of its memories—note that down in my notebook later.

Niino Li looked at Nagasawa Yuki lying on the ground, her dark hair clinging to her forehead, her face pale, eyes tightly shut, as if struggling against a nightmare.

"Don't worry—I already used a spirit talisman on her while you were zoning out. She'll wake up after a little more rest." Minazawa Yuu clicked her long spear apart into three segments without looking back and shoved them into her black backpack.

On the other side, Okura Sa'u stirred groggily awake, staring at the pitted, cratered stone path beside him—as if a typhoon had torn through it—and couldn't fathom what had happened.

"Niino-kun, what's going on?"

He pushed himself up on legs weakened by fear, his expression blank.

"Nothing. The mantis is dealt with. Go back and wait for the next round," Niino Li replied coolly.

He and Okura Sa'u were barely acquaintances—no need to act overly friendly.

His tone and expression didn't register with Okura Sa'u, who awkwardly nodded to him and Minazawa Yuu before quickly leaving Inotori Park.

"Isn't he your friend? Why do you suddenly seem different?" Minazawa Yuu, experienced in human interactions, sensed something off.

"Nothing. There's a bench not far ahead—let's take Nagasawa-san there first."

Niino Li hastily masked his inner turmoil—

It hurts so much.

While experiencing the mantis's brief life, the endless pain and its ultimate hatred nearly pulled him under.

If Minazawa Yuu hadn't been there, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't have killed Okura Sa'u outright.

Inotori Park was a recreational area marketed as "natural ecology," its dense greenery and tidy environment drawing many families for parent-child activities and filling it with cheerful energy.

Someday, the trees, flowers, and shrubs there began growing wildly, unnaturally, cloaking the park in an eerie, sinister atmosphere.

Add to that rumors of children getting lost, hearing strange laughter, and smelling foul odors—and Inotori Park gained an even darker reputation.

"Actually, I came here before to investigate the urban legends online—spent two full days searching every inch, and found nothing."

Minazawa Yuu glared at Niino Li's back as he carried her black backpack, then tightened her grip around Nagasawa Yuki's waist and grumbled: "Why do I have to carry her?"

"Then add another backpack?"

Niino Li shot back casually, feeling the weight on his shoulders and silently marveling at her strength.

The distance wasn't far—after about ten minutes, they spotted a few scattered benches.

She brushed off the fallen leaves, then leaned Nagasawa Yuki against the backrest and let out a long sigh.

She still wasn't used to taking care of people.

Rubbing her foggy head, Nagasawa Yuki opened her eyes to see two pairs of bright eyes staring at her.

"You're..."