Chapter 878

"Welfare facility? Ranch? Where did all these resentful spirits come from?"

Uesugi Muneyuki furrowed his brow, confirming he hadn't misseen.

It's a welfare facility, not a morgue or a funeral home!

Where did all these resentful spirits come from? They've already begun to solidify!

Asuka was still waiting for him at the elevator entrance; seeing his expression change, the fatigue and drowsiness from earlier vanished, replaced by the sharpness she knew from his investigations. The elevator doors opened, Uesugi Muneyuki stepped inside, and Asuka followed behind.

"What's wrong, Muneyuki~" Asuka whispered, her small head bobbing, her face full of curiosity.

"Those resentful spirits seem to have come from the ranch." Uesugi Muneyuki pressed the elevator button, his voice calm, but his tone carried an undeniable certainty: "Strange, where would resentful spirits come from a ranch? Aren't they just raising animals?"

"Ranch?" Asuka blinked her big eyes.

"Hmm. A facility certified by a social welfare corporation." Uesugi Muneyuki paused: "That sign on the building—I've seen it many times. Places with such signs usually take on part of social welfare and relief. How could so many resentful spirits appear there, and head toward the hotel?"

"Hah, welfare institution." Asuka snorted: "If welfare institutions were truly trustworthy, you wouldn't have opened the Sakurada-mon hearing, Muneyuki~" "You know so much~" Uesugi Muneyuki smiled, ruffling Asuka's little bird head: "Leave the rest to me and Mai. You rest well."

The elevator reached the first floor; the doors opened. From the hallway came the excited voice of the hotel manager: "Exactly, exactly, that pit—take more photos, from every angle! When you post, remember the hashtag—#ShirakawaMaiExorcismRitual#AomoriHotel#HolySitePilgrimage!"

Uesugi Muneyuki shook his head and walked toward the hotel lobby.

Asuka followed behind him, her steps lighter than before, unsure if it was because she wasn't sleepy anymore or because being with Uesugi Muneyuki made her feel at ease.

Uesugi Muneyuki took out his phone and began sending a message to Tsugaru Nobumoto, polite but direct: "Mr. Tsugaru, regarding the ranch next door, there are some matters I'd like to inquire about. If convenient, could we arrange a meeting tomorrow morning?"

Tsugaru Nobumoto replied quickly, with just one sentence: "Is Mr. Uesugi also interested in philanthropy? Or perhaps in our Aomori products? Though this ranch's yield doesn't compare to Yonezawa beef."

"Just a bit concerned." Uesugi Muneyuki replied: "Could you look into the ranch's history for me?"

"Since Mr. Uesugi is interested, I dare not refuse."

Asuka sat quietly beside him.

Tonight she had endured too much—one terror after another, crying, surrounded by resentful spirits, her eyes burned by the light of the demon-breaking arrow, squatting on the ground until her legs went numb. She thought she wouldn't sleep, but now sitting here, watching Uesugi Muneyuki's thoughtful profile, hearing his steady breath, drowsiness welled up like a tide.

She leaned back in the chair, closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep.

Uesugi Muneyuki did not wake her.

The night in Aomori was cold enough to freeze one's breath into ice.

The hotel's heating was on full blast; a thin layer of moisture condensed on the windows, and outside, the ranch flickered in and out of the mist and night like a silent, unwilling-to-waken dream.

After all the afternoon's filming wrapped up, Uesugi Muneyuki and everyone enjoyed a feast of Aomori Prefecture's local specialties, then everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

Uesugi Muneyuki was still thinking.

Why would so many resentful spirits appear in the welfare facility? Why would they come knocking on Aragaki Yui's door?

Interesting.

He began researching materials using his Huawei Salvation Y9000P high-performance laptop.

The local historical records housed in the Aomori Prefectural Library.

As for that ranch's history, it can be traced back to Showa 40.

The ranch was built in Showa 40, originally an ordinary dairy farm.

In the first year of Heisei, the current ranch owner bought the land from the previous owner and began transformation.

His first act wasn't expanding the cow sheds, but constructing a "facility for disability employment support."

The materials contain contemporary news reports and local government bulletins, phrased in that standard, watertight official style: "Promoting disability employment," "Achieving a symbiotic society," "Local economic revitalization." One report even included a photo: the young ranch owner standing before the newly built facility, smiling brightly, beside him several disabled persons in work uniforms, also smiling.

Black-and-white photo, low resolution.

Promoting disability employment—what a good thing.

How could promoting disability employment lead to a large group of resentful spirits?

Uesugi Muneyuki thought this ranch was suspicious.

But it's still too early to judge; wait until tomorrow's investigation.

Moreover, the Tsugaru family's attitude is also strange—they seem to have known all along what I wanted to ask.

These local bullies have already divided all the local interests among themselves; I'm just an ordinary passing forensic pathologist—what do they want to do? At that moment, the door knocked.

Standing in pajamas at Uesugi Muneyuki's door, holding a pillow in her arms, hair disheveled, the girl wore a set of burgundy pajamas, her feet clad in thick black silk stockings and slippers, stepping on the hallway carpet, toes curled, as if cold, or perhaps nervous.

When Uesugi Muneyuki opened the door, she lowered her head, her voice soft as a mosquito: "Muneyuki……A-shu did well today, right?" "A-shu did great today! Performance was excellent!" Uesugi Muneyuki smiled, ruffling her little head, gesturing for her to come in.

Asuka walked in holding her pillow, sat on the bed's edge, legs together, toes still curled, three parts proud, three parts coquettish, shoulder against his arm, hair brushing his chin. Her hair was soft, carrying a faint scent like strawberries and milk. "So, a reward!" the girl said softly.

"Very well." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded.

She smiled, a light smile, as if afraid laughing loudly would summon something.

She placed her pillow beside Uesugi Muneyuki's, pulled back the covers, slipped in, wrapped herself into a roll, only her eyes exposed, those eyes gleaming in the dark, gazing at Uesugi Muneyuki: "Hurry up, Mai-sama will be here soon!"

The light was turned off.

The room darkened, only a sliver of moonlight seeping through the curtain gap, drawing a fine white line on the wall.

However, barely ten or so minutes had passed when Uesugi Muneyuki's door knocked again.

Asuka snapped her eyes open, hurriedly pushing Uesugi Muneyuki, gesturing for him to open the door.

Uesugi Muneyuki rose to open the door; this time standing outside was Shirakawa Mai.

She also wore pajamas, with an open cardigan over it, her hair casually clipped with a hairpin, her face still carrying the steam from just having washed.

She glanced at the curled-up Asuka on the bed, then at Uesugi Muneyuki, her expression unchanged, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. "Asuka is here." She said, her tone as if saying "The weather is nice today."

"Mai-sama……" Uesugi Muneyuki's face turned green.

"Hmm." Shirakawa Mai nodded, walked in, and naturally sat down on the other side of the bed: "Nothing, I just came to take a look" "Did I come at a bad time?"

"No, Mai-sama, you came at just the right time!" Asuka giggled wickedly under the covers: "We can……"

The door knocked again.

Uesugi Muneyuki resignedly sat up, walked to the door, and pulled it open.

Miyawaki Sakura stood outside the door.

She wore a light pink nightgown, the hem reaching her knees, her legs clad in white lace thigh-high socks with butterfly-bow garters, her feet in fuzzy slippers, Sakura's hair loose, her face still flushed, and upon seeing Uesugi Muneyuki, her cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered: "Muneyuki, Sakura tried really hard today! Won't you reward Sakura a little?"

……Reward, anything can be rewarded!" Uesugi Muneyuki glanced toward the bedroom, finally slapping his chest: "No need to go, the showdown

until dawn, tooth sound!"

"Hehe, I just knew Muneyuki you loved Sakura the most! Mai-sama! Your Sakura has come!" Sakura let out a strange cry and slipped inside: "Mai-sama, I'll take care of pushing!"

She seems to have recovered well, Uesugi Muneyuki took a deep breath.

Tonight's settled!

However, he didn't know that just not far from his door in the hallway, Aragaki Yui wore a dark blue bathrobe, the belt tied tight, her hair not fully dry, as if she had just come out of the bathroom.

Her complexion wasn't good, with obvious bluish-black under her eyes, and her lip color very pale.

Seeing this scene, Aragaki Yui stared wide-eyed, then her face showed an expression of disdain.

No wonder she's the pervert of Sakuradamon!

Scum! Traitor! Harem man!

You dare not……

"GAKKI-san!" Just then, a voice called out from behind her, filled with unstoppable shock: "You too???"

"No wonder she's the pervert of Sakuradamon!"