Anime Crossover: Master is Not Here Today

Chapter 216. The Investigation Team, the Invitation from the Kirishiki Couple, and Explanations

216.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mashu, and Minakata Hitsuru walked through the village streets at night.

Although night had just fallen, the streets were almost deserted compared to dusk.

Inside the village, apart from the main street which is equipped with streetlights, the other roads are almost completely dark at night, and you can't see the road at all without lights.

Fortunately, the night sky was sparsely clouded tonight, and the cool moonlight seemed even brighter than the moonlight in the city, illuminating the road beneath everyone's feet and the distant mountains and forests clearly, yet with a touch of haziness.

Where do you plan to begin your investigation?

Nanakaku asked Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Although nighttime is when resurrected zombies are most active, all they can do for those resurrected zombies is wait passively and see if any foolish creatures will come looking for them.

The suspicious points they could investigate were, firstly, the Tongshi family living on the mountainside; and secondly, the empty houses of those who moved away without a word.

"Um"

Fujimaru Ritsuka hesitated for a moment, but just then, a strange couple suddenly appeared in their field of vision—

They are now in a remote village, but the two people in front of them are dressed in inappropriate Western-style suits, and their attire and hairstyles are flamboyant and different from the rural style.

The two strolled hand in hand along a secluded country path at night. The man's handsome features and the woman's beautiful face created a dreamlike and fantastical atmosphere.

However, the moment Mashu saw them, her expression changed, and she whispered a warning to Fujimaru Ritsuka and Minakata Hizuru:

"That woman doesn't seem to be human."

Upon hearing the information from Mashu, the two felt a chill run down their spines.

But because the other party had also seen them, Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression didn't change much. She spoke in a voice only the two people beside her could hear:

"Let's wait and see what happens."

A moment later, the other person walked up to them. The woman, holding the man's arm and leaning against him, greeted the three of them elegantly:

"good evening."

"good evening."

Fujimaru Ritsuka responded politely, and then the man, somewhat intrigued, asked them with a smile:

Are you taking a walk?

As soon as he finished asking the question, he seemed to belatedly realize that he hadn't introduced himself yet, so he smiled apologetically and said:

"My name is Kirishiki Masashiro, and this is my wife, Chizuru."

"This is the first time I've met people in the village who, like us, enjoy taking walks at night, so I apologize for any offense I may have caused."

Chizuru Kirishiki, standing to the side, added with a chuckle:

"And this is the first time I've seen three such cute and pretty girls in the village."

Kirikiki?

"where."

Fujimaru Ritsuka chuckled and scratched his head, then introduced himself in the same manner:

"My name is Fujimaru Ritsuka. Just call me Ritsuka. Nice to meet you."

Mashu and Hikari Minami also introduced themselves.

After hearing Mashu's self-introduction, Kirishiki Chizuru covered her mouth in surprise and said:

"Are you a foreigner, Mashu? I never expected to meet a foreigner in a village like this. It's quite rare."

"That's certainly rare."

Kirishiki Masashiro agreed in a word of sympathy, then smiled at Minakata Hizuru:

"So you are Miss Nanfang. I heard from the servants at home that a rare tourist had come to the village, and I never expected to run into you here."

"So, you're all here as tourists?"

Nanfang Rihe responded calmly:

"If we're talking about tourism, then I guess you could call it that."

Kirishiki Chizuru tilted her head slightly and said in confusion:

"However, I don't recall ever hearing about any tourist attractions in or around the village."

Before Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others could answer, Kirishiki Masashirou, who was standing next to her, laughed and said:

"For people who are used to living in big cities, a simple and authentic rural village like this can already be considered a tourist attraction."

Kirishiki Chizuru suddenly realized:

"Oh, I see! That makes perfect sense!"

The couple, Kirishiki and his wife, sang in unison and their movements were quite exaggerated, making it seem like they were performing in a play, which left people somewhat confused.

After the performance, the two returned to normal. Kirishiki Masashiro looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and the other two again and smiled:

"Our home is right there, in that Western-style house halfway up the mountain. Although it's already evening, how about coming over as a guest if you don't mind?"

Kirishiki Chizuru also smiled and replied:

"Staying at my house for one night is fine, after all, my house is very big and has many guest rooms."

Judging from their current words and actions, they are just a somewhat peculiar, but very hospitable, modern couple.

After considering their invitation for a moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and nodded, saying:

"Then I'll be troubling you."

"Of course not, we would be very happy to welcome you."

The Kirishiki couple also laughed, and the scene looked very harmonious.

-

Ozaki Hospital, second floor, inpatient ward.

At this moment, Shimizu Megumi, who attacked the hospital, and the young man were already tied up by the crowd. Even though the young man's strength far exceeded that of ordinary people, it was impossible for him to break free.

To be more precise, by this time Ozaki Toshio and the others had already recognized the young man as Tatsumi, the butler of the Kirishiki family who was out running errands during the day.

Instead of questioning them immediately, the group observed them for a while and soon obtained some surprising information.

First, it can be confirmed that Shimizu Megumi, who has come back from the dead, is pale and cold, with no breathing or pulse, and no heartbeat can be heard. In her coma, she is just like a real corpse.

However, a gentle touch reveals that her skin does not become stiff like that of a real dead person.

Recalling the scene just now when she was still alive and kicking, there was no doubt that she was the resurrected corpse they were looking for.

However, Tatsumi's condition was very strange.

His body is different from Shimizu Megumi's; he has normal breathing and heartbeat, and based on his previous performance, he can also be active during the day. From the outside, he looks no different from a normal person.

Of course, judging from the other party's behavior just now, it's safe to say that he's definitely not an ordinary, normal person.

The effects of the anesthetic hadn't worn off yet, and Shimizu Megumi was still unconscious. Tatsumi, who was bound, seemed completely unfazed, only asking Ai Haibara curiously:

"How did you make her unconscious? With an anesthetic? But I don't remember any anesthetic that works on ghouls."

"Really? Then you probably haven't seen enough."

Ai Haibara gave him a curt and sarcastic reply. At that moment, Toshio Ozaki, suppressing his anger, tried to calmly ask him:

"Shiki, is that what you call beings like Shimizu Megumi? What exactly are you? What is your purpose?"

As he asked this question, he failed to notice the slight change in expression on his friend Shizunobu Muroi's face when he heard the word 'shiki'.

When questioned by Toshio Ozaki, Tatsumi smiled generously and replied:

"No, we used to call them vampires, but we only recently changed them to ghouls. As for why we changed the name to ghouls—"

“I think your host, Muroi, knows this best.”

"?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze immediately turned to the silent Shizunobu Muroi in the room.

It's almost the end of the month, please give me your monthly votes, everyone!

I want a thousand monthly votes, waaaaah!

(End of this chapter)

217. Chapter 217

217.

"Jingxin, what did he mean?"

Seeing the varied gazes directed at him, and hearing the question from his friend Toshio Ozaki, Shizunobu Muroi knew he could no longer remain silent. He sighed softly and replied:

"【Shiki】is the title of the novel I'm currently writing, and also the setting for one of the characters."

What he wrote this time is the story of a man abandoned by God, wandering in the wilderness.

The older brother who killed his younger brother was driven out of the city protected by the gods and wandered alone in the wilderness. Later, his deceased younger brother followed him. That's the story for now.

The deceased younger brother did not become a ghost, but rather his corpse resurrected and crawled out of the grave to become a ghost, which he called a corpse demon in his novel.

Clearly, the design of this Shiki (dead monster) is inspired by the legend of the resurrected corpses in the Sotoba Village.

However, the focus now is clearly not on the origin of the word "shiki".

So Shizunobu Muroi continued.

"Some time ago, I met a little girl named Shazi."

Sha Zi was a fan of his books and had read all of his works. She herself found Waichang Village and moved there after reading his descriptions of Waichang Village in his essays.

Although Sanda was only thirteen years old, she had many unique ideas, so they often communicated. It was through this that Sanda learned about the story he was creating and the term "Shiki" from him.

Upon hearing this, Toshio Ozaki vaguely understood the implication of Tatsumi and Shizunobu Muroi's words.

Sako, whose full name is Kirishiki Sako, is publicly identified as the daughter of the Kirishiki couple.