A supporting character in a romance anime? I became a god using a rat talisman.

"Only he disappeared so cleanly and decisively. It's as if your friendship of the past few years was just a dream. Don't you find that strange?"

Yukino sat back down without saying a word.

As the lights on the front stage came on again, a well-dressed auctioneer walked onto the stage, and the entire venue fell silent instantly.

"It's starting now," Yang reminded her.

"Good afternoon, distinguished guests. Welcome to the July Summer Auction of Jikosai. I am your auctioneer, Suzuki. Today's first lot is 'The Third Generation Otani Oniji's Servant Edo Heibei' by the Edo-period ukiyo-e master, Tōshūsai Sharaku."

Under the spotlight, a well-preserved painting was displayed by the staff.

Yukino didn't know much about art, but she thought the expressions of the figures in the painting were a bit exaggerated.

Yang Nai, who was standing next to her, was watching with great interest.

Kazama Chiba, sitting in the front row, didn't even open the catalog. She just glanced at it before returning to her previous posture.

Clearly, this item was not his target.

"Guest number ten, 1.5 million."

"Number 13, 1.6 million."

Bidding calls rose and fell.

Yukino had lost all sense of these numbers; she was simply observing.

Observe the boy sitting in the front row and at what moment he raises the number plate next to him.

What would be the reason for raising the sign?

"Speaking of which, Yukino," Haruno's voice rang out again.

"Did you and him really drift apart because you went to high school?"

"Otherwise what? Interpersonal relationships change with the environment, which is a perfectly normal social phenomenon."

"Is that so? I think it's because Chiyu-kun is too smart."

Yukino paused for a moment as she flipped through the catalog.

"He's too good at reading people's expressions. So he knows that the youngest daughter of the Yukino family can't stay with an orphan forever. Rather than waiting for you or someone in our family to remind her, it's better for her to disappear on her own and at least save face."

Yang was stating a given fact.

Yukino asked, "Is this how you always viewed him?"

Yang Nai curled her hair

"I'm just stating what I saw. He saw through your thoughts, and he saw through that invisible line, and then he wisely withdrew, which is why I'm curious."

"..."

The auction is still ongoing.

One after another, priceless antiques were presented and then auctioned off.

Kazama Chiba, however, did not raise her paddle.

It's definitely not because he doesn't have the money to buy them; it's just that none of these things suit his taste.

Yes, that's right.

Yukino, standing behind, was lost in thought.

Yang Nai's words reminded her of the day of her junior high school graduation ceremony. She had originally planned to talk to Kazama Chiba about further education and the distance to the future.

But she couldn't find him.

He vanished from her world as if he had evaporated into thin air.

There was no farewell, no questioning, not even a single farewell text message. It was so clean and efficient that it made her feel like the companionship of the past few years had been a false dream.

It turns out, he wasn't slow-witted, but rather too perceptive.

He had already seen through everything and made the wisest choice before she even spoke.

Just then, a new item was brought to the stage, pulling Yukino back to reality.

It was an antique-style ceramic lamp, with a seemingly ordinary stone inlaid on the surface of the box with a mouse pattern.

The ceramic lamp is poorly made, the material is unremarkable, and some parts are even damaged.

"What is this? Did the organizers take the wrong thing?"

Someone in the audience raised a question.

Auctioneer Suzuki was also taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained her professionalism and picked up the information card to take a look.

"Ahem, the next item is a ceramic lamp that the consignor claims was excavated from an Eastern tomb. Its exact date and purpose are unknown. Because of its potentially high historical research value, the starting bid is set at one million yen. Bids will be increased by 100,000 yen each time."

The moment the price was announced, the audience fell silent.

Everyone thought the organizers had gone mad.

A broken ceramic lamp, selling for a million?

"I wouldn't want this even if you gave it to me for free," Yang Nai commented.

Yukino couldn't understand what value this thing had. The seller wasn't even willing to lie and say it was an antique. Did they really want to treat the buyer like a fool?

The auctioneer stood on the stage for a while, but no one raised their paddle, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the gavel and announce that the item had failed to sell.

A voice came from the second row.

One million

In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on that person, wanting to see which scoundrel it was.

That person was none other than Kazama Chiba.

When the auctioneer saw someone make a bid, he grasped at a straw and brought down the gavel with a heavy first thud.

"This gentleman has offered one million!! Any higher bids?"

"Oh?"

Yang Nai's lips curved into a smile.

Yukino frowned.

She didn't understand why Kazama Chiba would spend a million to buy such a thing.

Chapter 2 Auction

unless……

"Could he have been hired by this auction house to act as a shill?"

Yukino couldn't help but blurt out her guess.

Once you accept this premise, everything makes sense.

Besides this explanation, she couldn't think of any other logic to support what she was seeing.

If he's acting for money, then that's in line with his style.

Thinking of this, Yukino inexplicably wanted to laugh.

Even if he was a shill, this acting was so clumsy; what idiot would actually follow something so worthless...?

Two million.

Before Yukino could even fully process what she was thinking, a lazy and cheerful voice reached her ears.

She turned to look at Yang Nai.

???

What are you doing?

The crowd that had been waiting to see the joke fall into a state of collective paralysis once again.

If just now some people suspected it was a shill causing trouble, and everyone could take it as a joke, then now someone suddenly appears and adds another two million.

The nature of it then completely changes.

Could this really be a hidden gem?

The crowd began to doubt themselves, while Yukino felt her cheeks burning.

It turns out there really are creatures in this world who are willing to turn themselves into idiots just to have some fun.

The most devastating thing is that this creature is her own sister.

At the same time, Kazama Chiba, who was sitting in the first row, also began to change her expression.

He held up the sign with a clear conscience, because in the normal understanding of people, it was like snatching a bag of trash on the street; no one would fight him for it.

This sudden bidding war really took him by surprise.

Oh no, there really are idiots in this place.

Aside from an idiot, Kazama Chiba couldn't think of anyone else.

He bought the lamp purely for the rat charm on it.

But apart from himself, the transmigrator, only the criminal organization dedicated to collecting talismans would know the true value of this lamp.

Could it be the Mafia? Or people from District 13?

No matter who

Facing a group of gangsters who not only possessed heavy firepower but also had adult physiques.

Kazama Chiba's chances of winning are basically equivalent to you getting a discount of 100 yuan on Pinduoduo.

Therefore, we must first confirm whether to forcibly seize the opportunity or let it go.

He took a deep breath, and was even mentally prepared to turn around and see Lasu, Afen, and Zhou, the "Three Idiots of the Black Hand Gang," staring at him.

What came into view were two faces that left a deep impression on him.

Yukinoshita was resting her chin on one hand and playing with the number plate in the other, giving him a "Oh no, I've been found out" smile, her eyes like a cat that had seen a new toy.