Kaguya-sama: Love Is War wants me to turn myself in.

Yukino Yukinoshita gripped her phone tightly: "So, you really did know why my sister disappeared, right?"

"..."

After exchanging a few words, Yukino Yukinoshita put away her phone and said softly:

"She told us to come to her apartment and she would tell us more about the strange events we encountered then."

Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said, "Then let's go."

Speechless all the way.

Following the address, the group quickly arrived at the foot of a high-end apartment building.

On the Japanese island, ordinary families live in detached houses, while only the wealthy live in high-end apartments. Ordinary people need to sort their garbage and also need to consider the days when throwing it away, but high-end apartments usually have garbage disposal rooms where garbage does not need to be sorted. Just throw it in the disposal room and someone will sort it for you.

Clearly, birds of a feather flock together, and Yukino's friend is also a wealthy woman.

Arriving on the third floor, I rang the doorbell.

Yukino Yukinoshita took out her phone at the same time and sent a message: "Ms. Kousaka, we have arrived."

After a while, light footsteps were heard from inside the room. Then the door opened slightly a crack, and a woman wearing glasses looked out. She was the girl who had been playing a murder mystery game with Yang Nai in the surveillance footage.

Unlike in the surveillance footage, the girl with glasses now had disheveled hair, listless eyes, thick dark circles under her eyes, and her left hand was wrapped in bandages. She looked somewhat neurotic.

"Nice to meet you, I am Yukino Yukinoshita," Nekonoshita introduced herself, her voice cool and aloof. "I am Yukino Yukinoshita's younger sister."

"I saw you on Yang Nai's phone..."

The girl with glasses had a slightly hoarse voice, and her eyes looked nervously at Natsuki Amamiya and the others.

She thought only Yukino Yukinoshita had come, but seeing so many people, she was clearly surprised, and a hesitant expression appeared on her face.

“They are all my friends.” Yukino Yukinoshita paused, observing the situation, and continued, “And they all remember my sister.”

Hearing this last sentence, the girl with glasses finally opened the door: "...Come in."

"excuse me."

Everyone entered the apartment one by one.

The girl with glasses apologized softly, "Sorry, there aren't that many slippers in the apartment..."

"It's alright." Fujiwara Chika took off her shoes, standing in the entryway in black stockings, and said in a clear voice, "We can just go in. Haruno-nee's safety is more important."

The girls entered the house one by one, with Natsuki Amamiya staying behind. After taking off her shoes, she closed the door behind her.

In Japan, it's common to take off your shoes and change into new ones in most places. It's perfectly normal to go barefoot if there are no spare slippers.

It's worth mentioning that many people on the Japanese island also have smelly feet. This is a problem that transcends race and nationality, so in many places, incense is burned to mask the odor.

What can I do if incense can't mask my foot odor?

Then we'll just have to put up with it.

There was only one sofa in the apartment, which wasn't enough, so everyone sat in a circle in the living room.

Glasses-wearing girl Kosaka exclaimed excitedly:

How come you remember Haruno?

“Probably because we’re a bit ‘special’,” Yukino Yukinoshita replied, then immediately asked, “Where is my sister now? What happened to you? Why did everyone forget about her?”

"I have no idea……"

Is my sister safe now?

"I don't know!" The bespectacled girl, Kosaka, scratched her messy hair, her expression one of despair, like a small animal caught in a trap, helplessly watching death approach step by step. She was already on the verge of hysteria. "I really don't know what happened!"

"Don't get agitated, Kousaka-nee," Fujiwara Chika comforted her. "Take your time and talk things out."

"It's not like you're going to disappear, of course you're not excited!"

Amamiya Natsuki turned to Hayasaka, her eyes gesturing: "Shoot her, calm her down?"

"No." Hayasaka Ai shook her head in refusal. "Senpai, you're probably just trying to take this opportunity to do something lewd, aren't you?"

This is a serious matter; who's really thinking about this?

"call……"

Fortunately, the bespectacled girl, Kosaka, took a deep breath and calmed herself down, then said with a wry smile, "Sorry, I lost my composure just now."

Kaguya Shinomiya spoke calmly:

"Ms. Kousaka, please describe the strange incident in detail. Perhaps we can help you solve it."

“It’s no use.” The girl with glasses lowered her head, her voice filled with despair. “Police, witches, exorcists, priests… we’ve searched them all, but nothing worked.”

“They probably don’t remember Sister Yang Nai, right?” Zi An Yan said from the side. “But we can remember, so please trust us for now.”

The girl with glasses looked up, a hint of expectation on her face, but the light in her eyes quickly faded, leaving only despair. Her voice was low and mournful as she said:

"The story begins a few days ago..."

This girl's name is Kosaka Miyuki. She is twenty years old this year, the same age as Haruno. The two are high school classmates and both graduated from Soubu High School. She is a quiet and lovely student. Her father is not a member of parliament, but a successful businessman... In short, the two are very good friends.

After graduating from high school, the two did not attend the same university, but their relationship remained close, and they would often get together to eat, drink, and have fun.

One of Miyuki Kousaka's hobbies is playing murder mystery games.

Last Monday, she invited Yukino Yukinoshita and a few other friends to a murder mystery game arcade. It was just a normal gathering of friends, but they encountered a bizarre event that could not be explained by science.

"During the murder mystery game, Kobayashi suddenly received a strange message on his phone, saying he had ten minutes to dance in front of everyone. Completing the task would earn him a reward, but failing would result in a bloody punishment." The bespectacled girl recalled, her voice low. "At the time, everyone was playing the murder mystery game and thought it was a prank, so no one paid any attention. But ten minutes later, a prop cup suddenly shattered for no apparent reason, cutting Kobayashi's left hand, and blood immediately started flowing..."

(PS: The previous chapter about Zhu Zhu was blocked. The content has been completely revised, so there may be some inconsistencies. I'm sorry. Tomorrow is the weekend, and I don't know if the reviewers will be working. It's frustrating.)

Chapter 554 I am Zhang Wuji of the Ming Cult

"At first, no one cared. Everyone thought the broken cup was an accident. Kobayashi's hand injury wasn't serious either; it was just a small cut. After a quick rinse and bandage, everyone continued playing the murder mystery game..."

The bespectacled girl, Kousaka, murmured, lost in memories.

"After the murder mystery game ended, it was already dark. We all went to eat barbecue together. It was the barbecue restaurant that everyone liked in high school. This time, I received a mysterious message... that I had to eat a spoonful of wasabi in one go. If I didn't complete the challenge, I would choke on my food."

Wasabi, as anyone who's tried it knows, is a bright green blob that looks a bit like matcha. It has a pungent and spicy flavor and is usually eaten with soy sauce and sashimi. Eating it on its own is unbearable; it's like an electric current running from your tailbone to the top of your head, making you feel like you're flying to the sky.

"At the time, everyone thought it was a prank, so I refused and didn't take it seriously." As she said this, the bespectacled girl, Kosaka, showed a hint of fear on her face. She took a deep breath and continued, "But ten minutes later, a piece of grilled meat suddenly got stuck in my throat. I almost died. It was only thanks to Haruno's Heimlich maneuver that I was able to vomit the meat and finally survive."

"The first time was an accident, and nobody paid attention. When the second accident happened, everyone started to have doubts, but there was no evidence, until the third challenge appeared..."

At this point, the bespectacled girl, Kousaka, pursed her lips and looked at Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Is it...my older sister?"

Yukino Yukinoshita is incredibly intelligent and instantly understood the other person's gaze.

Amamiya Natsuki sat to the side, not interrupting.

“That’s right, it was Haruno-chan.” The bespectacled girl, Kousaka, took a deep breath, nodded, and continued, “Everyone had already finished eating the yakiniku (grilled meat), and the other four friends left first. Haruno and I were planning to find an izakaya (Japanese pub) to continue drinking…”

In Japan, the most popular activity for adults is drinking at night. Many people even drink several times a night. The first time is with their bosses and superiors, then with their close peers, and finally with their juniors. It is quite common and not surprising.

As for why I could drink so much... a plate of salted edamame, a bottle of sake, and the rest of the time was spent chatting, so the amount was actually not that much.

Glasses-wearing Kosaka continued:

"On her way to the izakaya, Haruno received that text message. There was no sender's name or phone number, only the word 'unknown.' The challenge required Haruno to kick a cat within twenty minutes. Completing the challenge would earn her a reward, while failing would result in her being injured."

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned slightly, remained silent, and waited for what was to come.

"Because we had received two mysterious messages before, and both accidents were confirmed, everyone was already very concerned. After receiving the message, Haruno didn't kick the cat, but decided to verify whether the punishment for not completing the challenge would really occur." Glasses-wearing Kosaka said, taking another sip of water, her voice dry. "We thought the injury was likely caused by a falling object, so the original plan remained unchanged, and we continued to go to the izakaya for drinks. It was only nine o'clock at night, and we planned to stay at the izakaya until eleven o'clock before going home."

"And then..." the bespectacled girl's voice trembled slightly, "and then the chandelier in the izakaya suddenly fell down. There was no warning, and no one touched it. It just fell down for no reason, and Hino happened to be sitting under the chandelier."

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but speak up:

"Is your sister injured?"

"Hmm." The girl with glasses nodded. "Yang Nai didn't have time to dodge, so he could only raise his arm to block above his head. As a result, his arm was hit and injured, and it got a big bruise."

"..."

Yukino Yukinoshita silently bit her lower lip.

It was five days ago that I was injured by a falling chandelier.

During those five days, Yang Nai never told her what had happened, and she never took the initiative to send a message to her sister.

"Once is an accident, twice is an accident, and the third time can't possibly be an accident either!" The bespectacled girl, Kosaka, put down her cup and said excitedly, "Although it's incredible and can't be explained by science, you must believe me, we have indeed encountered an unbelievable event!"

"Kousaka-nee, don't get agitated." Fujiwara Chika said gently, holding the bespectacled girl's right hand. "We believe in you."

Amamiya Natsuki said from the side:

“In fact, we have encountered similar incidents.”

"Really, really?"

The girl with glasses, Kosaka, brightened her eyes for a moment.

“I’m not lying,” Kaguya Shinomiya said softly. “We did encounter a similar mysterious event, and the proof is that we can still remember Hinata.”

There's no need to go into details; simply mentioning that you've encountered similar situations can quickly build rapport. This bespectacled girl is now like a drowning person, not thinking about anything else.

The girl with glasses calmed down and continued:

"After being injured by the chandelier, Yang Nai and I lost our interest in drinking and took a taxi to the hospital together. Later, we received calls from other people... Everyone who was playing the murder mystery game at the time encountered an inexplicable and mysterious event."

“Everyone was terrified at the time and wanted to call the police for help immediately, but it was no use… Apart from ourselves, everyone else would have said it was just a coincidence, that we were just unlucky.” The bespectacled girl, Kosaka, bit her lower lip. “We tried to show the mysterious message we received on our phones to other people, but they couldn’t see it at all.”

"The only thing we can do is go to the shrine together and ask exorcists and shrine maidens to help exorcise evil spirits... It's no use, it's all useless."

"The phone still receives challenges, and the challenges are getting more and more bizarre and difficult to complete. For example, Kobayashi received a task to urinate in a public swimming pool..."

I didn't realize that the weirdness behind you guys was so disgusting.

At this moment, Kitagawa Kaimu raised her hand and asked curiously:

"Ms. Kosaka, why don't you just throw your phones away? If you throw them away, you won't receive messages anymore."

“We’ve tried this method before, but it still doesn’t work.” The woman with glasses shook her head with a wry smile. “We tried getting a new phone, but the new phone still receives mysterious messages. When we show it to others, they still say there’s nothing on the phone. We tried removing the SIM card and turning on airplane mode, but it still didn’t work. Later, some people even threw their phones away, but the crows on the telephone poles formed words, and the water in the cup turned into words… There’s no escaping it, there’s no way to escape it.”

Clearly, once you're entangled with something strange, it's not easy to get rid of it.

Yukino Yukinoshita spoke: