Anime Crossover: Master is Not Here Today

Huang Gongxiao frowned slightly, deep in thought, and said:

"That seems to be the case..."

"?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka and the other two exchanged glances. The strange reactions of Koukou Akatsuki and Tsukigaoka Karen made them realize that something was wrong.

"Are you discussing our affairs?"

Just then, a clear, cold voice suddenly came from the restaurant entrance. It sounded like a soft murmur, yet it could be clearly heard by everyone.

Upon hearing this, the group looked in the direction of the sound and were instantly captivated by the voice.

She was a serene and stunningly beautiful young woman with long, flowing black hair that cascaded down to her thighs, and bright, light green eyes that resembled a pool of spring water.

Her beautiful face and calm expression gave her a cold impression, but the sailor uniform she wore added a touch of youthful vitality.

Despite looking like a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, she inexplicably possessed a powerful aura.

"Teacher Xia Yan, Ren Hua-chan, you're back!"

A joyful cry came from nearby, and only then did Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others notice the man standing next to the girl—

The other person had slightly messy short black hair, above-average looks, wore a grayish-blue yukata, and a red scarf around his neck. He seemed a bit introverted and socially awkward.

"We're back."

Fukami Natsuhiko nodded slightly in response to Tsukigaoka Karen, then looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and the other two sitting across the table. He was momentarily stunned, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes.

Immediately afterward, his expression became reserved, and he nervously asked Tsukigami Karen:

"Miss Tsukigaki, um, may I ask who these people are...?"

"Ah, they are—"

Halfway through her sentence, Tsukigaki Karen's voice abruptly stopped, her gaze instantly becoming blank, and she sat motionless in her seat like a doll that had lost all feeling.

Not only Tsukigaki Kaoren, but also Kou Kōkyō sitting next to her, and Nanfang Rihe across from her, were the same.

At the same time, the whole world seemed to fall silent instantly.

"Eh? Miss Tsukigaki... Master Kou...?"

The sudden and astonishing change startled and surprised Fukami Natsuhiko. He subconsciously looked at Renka beside him, only to find that she had somehow appeared in front of him and was shielding him behind her.

"Lotus Flower, hey, what's this...?"

"Don't speak!"

Lianhua stopped the bewildered Fukami Natsuhiko, her gaze fixed on the only two unaffected people in the room besides him—Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu—and questioned them in a wary, low voice:

"Who are you people?!"

To be precise, her biggest concern was Fujimaru Ritsuka.

At this moment, a few beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, and her heart trembled slightly with fear.

What kind of monster is that?

Although Fujimaru Ritsuka is more like an ordinary person than Mashu beside her, from her perspective, one can clearly see the enormous and terrifying 'emotions' entangled around her.

Even using the word 'entangle' to describe it seems inaccurate; a more fitting description would be 'wrap'.

That immense and intense 'emotion' formed a huge, solid sphere, enveloping the other person within it, which seemed utterly extraordinary to her.

You should know that the 'emotions' that can be entangled in an ordinary human being are at most just a few threads!

Meanwhile, Fujimaru Ritsuka is unaware that she has been labeled as 'extremely dangerous' and 'inhuman' by the other party.

After carefully observing the situation of Hizuru Minakata and the others and confirming that they were not in any immediate danger, Mashu reported to Ritsuka Fujimaru.

"Senior, Miss Hizuru and the others' vital signs are within the normal range."

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded, then looked at the wary Renka and the bewildered Fukami Natsuhiko, and explained with a smile:

"We actually came here by chance. We heard rumors about Zashiki-warashi and wanted to find out more details. We didn't mean anything by it."

"Zashiki Warashi..."

Upon hearing this, Fukami Natsuhiko glanced at Renka with concern, and Fujimaru Ritsuka continued:

"As for their identity, they are probably people who specialize in handling mysterious events."

As she spoke, she handed over a business card from her firm. Lianhua watched her warily for a moment, then used her power to pull the card in front of her. Fukami Natsuhiko also leaned over to read it aloud:

"Chaldea Mystery Agency..."

"Huh—there really is such an agency?"

"it hurts!"

Upon seeing the above description, Fukami Natsuhiko suddenly became somewhat excited and couldn't help but sigh. Then, he suddenly felt a pain in his foot, and his face immediately contorted.

Then he saw Lianhua glare at him fiercely, her expression speechless.

Fukami Natsuhiko then realized that now was not the time to be amazed by such things, so he looked at the other person, nervously swallowed, and mustered his courage to say:

"Um, Zashiki-warashi are benevolent yokai. Even a professional shouldn't harm a good yokai, right?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded and smiled:

"indeed so."

Come spicy!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 382 The Truth About Zashiki-warashi, The Shrine That's Both Real and Fake?

"Miss Renka, you must be that Zashiki-warashi, right?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at Renka and smiled:

"If it's you, then there shouldn't be any problem."

Hearing her say that, Lianhua, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke and asked:

"why?"

"You should know that I am not a Zashiki-warashi at all, right?"

"Ah."

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded slightly, then scratched her head and chuckled:

"However, it has nothing to do with whether she is a Zashiki-warashi or not. The main reason is that Miss Renka doesn't have that kind of bad person's aura, so there's no problem."

"……Eh?"

Hearing such an unexpected answer, Lianhua was finally stunned for a moment, revealing an expression of some incomprehension.

Mashu, who was standing nearby, explained:

"What you mean is that Miss Lianhua doesn't have the resentment of an evil spirit, and the power she uses is very clean and not mixed with evil, so she shouldn't be a bad person."

“…Is that so?”

Lianhua lowered her eyes, as if acknowledging the other party's statement.

The next moment, Tsukigaki Karen and the others suddenly regained their senses and continued their previous conversation as if nothing had happened.

So the two sides briefly introduced themselves again. It was then that Fukami Natsuhiko was surprised to find that Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others were actually their partners who would be conducting the investigation with them!

Then, he looked at Lianhua with some concern.

Although she appears to be a cold and aloof girl, she is actually a sharp-tongued and beautiful girl who loves to tease people. She often makes jokes in a serious manner, and her conversations are filled with banter and teasing.

But now, Lianhua is unusually silent.

Although he didn't know the specific reason, he had a feeling that Renka seemed to pay close attention to Fujimaru Ritsuka and was quite wary of her.

Are Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu really that strong?

"Speaking of which, Renka-chan has seemed a bit listless since earlier."

At this moment, Tsukigaki Kaoren also looked at Renka, who was sitting silently to the side, and asked with concern:

"Has something happened?"

"nothing."

Lianhua clearly didn't want to talk any more, and seeing this, Shenjian Xiayan quickly smoothed things over, saying:

"She's probably a little upset because she lost to me in the guessing game earlier."

"Is that so?"

Tsukigaoka Karen believed it immediately and said to Fukami Natsuhiko with a coquettish tone:

"Teacher Xia Yan is really something, actually arguing with a little girl."

"As the saying goes, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit..."

Seeing Natsuhiko scratching his head and chuckling awkwardly, he thought he had gotten away with it, but at that moment, Lianhua suddenly spoke up:

"No, I won."

"Lying is no good. I won the guessing game, didn't I? You couldn't even answer one of my questions."

"Eh?"

"Teacher Xia Yan, is this true?"

Fukami Natsuhiko's face stiffened, and when he saw Tsukigami Karen's curious gaze, his expression immediately became awkward.

"How should I put it? Perhaps I could."

"Pfft."

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Lianhua finally couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, making a show of having successfully pulled off a prank.

Seeing that Renka had returned to her usual self somewhat, Fukami Natsuhiko, who had been teased, also laughed.

The atmosphere finally returned to normal, and everyone started talking about serious matters while eating.

"……ah,"