You say this is a love game?

Now that he had just gotten rid of Mai Yajima's entanglement, he went to meet Rika Nishimura.

In the dessert shop, the girl ordered two drinks and a few small desserts, then looked at Mizutani Makoto who was sitting opposite her.

Mizutani Makoto was also looking at her.

Nishimura Rika seemed a little hesitant at this time, so he took the initiative to ask: "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, I didn't encounter any difficulties, it's just..."

Nishimura Rika's eyes, which had once looked a bit fierce, now revealed a hint of melancholy. She hesitated for a long time before sighing, "I'll just tell you, Mizutani-san."

"Didn't we have a feud with Zhenyi before?"

"I heard that you went to the student council to participate in the questioning at noon today, and Yajima Shion was among them, right?"

"She was the one who ordered me to have a conflict with Mai..."

Amid the sweetness of the exquisite desserts, Makoto Mizutani listened to Rika Nishimura's story.

"I feel like her attitude towards Mai is very bad. She's calling you over for a private talk... I'm afraid you've been tricked by her, so I wanted to talk to you in person."

The girl looked quite depressed as she re-exposed the dark history that she had finally put behind her.

Of course, Mizutani Makoto would not delve into this matter any further.

He asked Rika Nishimura some more questions, but Rika Nishimura couldn't give any clear answers.

The "Yajima family" is more troublesome than imagined.

It is not a specific person, but an entire family and power, which is the most difficult thing for Mizutani Makoto to deal with.

On the way home, Mizutani Makoto connected everything he had experienced today, and even tried to connect the clues in the cracks, trying to deduce the truth, such as that Mai Yajima was gifted with an innate holy body, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't understand why Mai Yajima was valued and at the same time was suppressed and bullied.

What kind of treatment is this?

Mizutani Makoto used his super intelligence to think.

He found his super intelligence troublesome and felt it would be better to use super force.

But as for super power, a man should know his own limitations. His power cannot be called super power, and it is far from reaching the level of a superstar who insults the whole world.

——【Youth Training Manual】

He looked at his son again.

Well, a training manual.

The path to salvation of super intelligence lies therein.

But just when Mizutani Makoto thought that his day would be spent in another day of hard work, he received unexpected news.

[Hai Shui: Mizutani-san! I encountered a ghost here!]

[Hai Shui: I encountered a ghost of a child near my house... I thought it was an ordinary child, but when I told others about it, I realized that only I could see it.]

[Hai Shui: Could you please come over here for a moment? I don't know what to do...]

The sea water is naturally Panasonic.

Ghost of a child?

Mizutani Makoto immediately frowned.

[Blue-haired water monster: Where's your address? I'll be right over.]

Chapter 136 [Side Quest: The Returning Child] Honglianzi will stay.

Panasonic Qi was aware of his own abnormality.

After being rescued by Makoto Mizutani, he kept in touch with Makoto Mizutani and even developed a friendly relationship with him. Makoto Mizutani would also take the initiative to greet him and introduce him to other classmates.

Mizutani is a man who, at certain moments, is so dazzling that it makes others feel ashamed of themselves.

The in-depth interactions with Mizutani Makoto also allowed Matsushita Kei to gradually understand some more detailed things, such as the monster heart in his body is called "Guchun", which is a tree monster with surging vitality. In theory, this will have a considerable impact on his body, and even cause him to mutate into some special abilities.

Matsushita Kei was a little scared at first.

He didn't have any dreams of being a superhero. On the contrary, he was a little worried that his body would be deformed under the influence of the ancient Chun spirit core. If the human form changed, he would undoubtedly become an alien ostracized by human society, which would be a very uncontrollable trend.

However, several days passed and there was no obvious change in his limbs. He personally felt that he was more energetic and his body seemed stronger, which was all within an acceptable range.

Until today, he encountered the "ghost".

"elder brother?"

Perhaps this name touched him, he stopped, turned around and looked at the child in the middle of the road.

That was not his sister, but a boy.

The child, about eight or nine years old, was wearing a slightly loose sports jacket and holding an old football in his hands. He was looking at him confusedly, as if he felt he was a stranger.

"What's your name?"

"Yoshida Akira."

Matsushita Kei didn't know from the beginning that the child was a ghost. On the contrary, Yoshida Akira treated him as an ordinary lost child and chatted with him for a long time until a passerby walked past him with a surprised look on his face. When the passerby asked him curiously, he realized that he was talking to a ghost.

This child is a ghost that others cannot see.

Yoshida Akira still remembers his name and that he was about to go out and play with his friends, but when asked about what happened after that, he can't remember clearly.

The moment he realized something was wrong, Matsushita Kei's decision was quite correct. He knew nothing about exorcism, and the only thing he could do was to ask for help from the "experts".

"Brother, who are we waiting for?"

The little boy raised his head and looked at Matsushita Kai eagerly.

"Wait for a friend of mine."

Matsushita Kei lived with his parents in an apartment building. He was standing downstairs, in front of a small park for the elderly to relax. Pedestrians were hurrying along, and no one would stop to notice a bespectacled boy standing there in a daze. He wasn't used to being in the spotlight, so he retreated to the shade of a tree.

The young man held onto the rough bark, feeling the "familiarity" coming from it. His eyes suddenly showed confusion, making him look a little absent-minded.

The little boy followed him closely, holding the football. His little figure didn't go anywhere, he just wanted to play with him.

"Brother? Brother? How about we play for a while?"

The little boy pulled at the corner of his clothes, his voice soft and a little coquettish.

Matsushita Kai looked down at the little guy and sighed softly.

Mizutani Makoto hasn't arrived yet.

Should he help stabilize this little ghost now?

If I scare this little guy away...

"Want to play football?"

Matsushita Kai squatted down and asked in a gentle tone.

Yoshida Akira tilted his head slightly: "Huh? Isn't football your favorite thing, brother?"

"My brother made a lot of friends when he started middle school. He hangs out with them every day and never plays with me... That's why I came out to find you."

As the little boy spoke, he kicked the ball. His movements were clumsy, but he was serious, as if he was trying to prove that he could do it.

"Look, I can learn to play football too!"

He kicked hard—

The old football flew out immediately.

Unfortunately, the force was too weak and the ball didn't roll far. It drew a crooked arc and finally stopped at the feet of a figure.

The man was walking from the corner of the street with steady steps. His British-style suit and school uniform were flowing elegantly, and the corners of his clothes were fluttering in the wind.

Looking up, there was a trace of fatigue and thought on his face. Who else could it be but Mizutani Makoto?

He raised his foot and stepped firmly on the rolling football.

The sunlight shone on Mizutani Makoto, giving him a light golden outline.

Mizutani Makoto looked down at the ball at his feet, then looked up at the two people not far away.

The little boy was stunned for a moment, then he shouted in surprise: "Oh! You found my ball!"

Mizutani Makoto didn't respond immediately, but instead raised his foot and gently kicked it towards them. The old football was immediately kicked up, and with just the right amount of force, it flew swayingly into Yoshida Akira's arms.

The boy immediately jumped up in surprise, yelling "Hand of the Devil!", and intercepted the fool-like flying ball in a super exciting tone. As soon as his feet landed on the ground, he started laughing foolishly.

"Nice catch."

Makoto Mizutani happened to be walking over here and patted the little ghost on the head.

This action made Yoshida Akira stunned for a moment, and then he became a little hesitant and alert. He hugged his old football and hid behind Matsushita Kai's thigh.

"Brother, there seems to be a very strange person..."

Kei Matsushita looked at Makoto Mizutani and couldn't help showing an embarrassed expression.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Mizutani Makoto waved his hand.

"No, no, Mizutani, you came very quickly."

Matsushita Kei quickly shook his head and made way for him. He originally wanted to show Mizutani Makoto the little ghost hiding behind him, but he never expected that the little boy was holding his thigh tightly. When he moved a step, the little ghost also moved a step.

"Is this the ghost you encountered?"

Makoto Mizutani bent down and looked at the ghost in front of him with interest.

Judging from his appearance, he is a little boy of eight or nine years old. He looks thin and weak, but his cheeks are a little round, which makes him quite cute. However, he seems to be very shy. Now he is looking timidly at the boy in front of him who suddenly squatted down and stared at him.

Yoshida Akira is undoubtedly a ghost.

Mizutani Makoto had lost his [Jizo-no-san's Buddha-head Bead], but with his current spiritual power, his psychic vision was impervious to even weaker monsters. In Mizutani Makoto's vision, Yoshida Akira was like a "highlighted" figure, glowing faintly in the sunlight, like dust particles in the air coated with a faint silver edge, making him stand out.

"Well, I met him on my way home."

Matsushita Kai answered softly, with an indescribable emotion in his tone.

"I was walking alone and he suddenly called me 'brother', so I looked back - and I saw him in the middle of the road."

"I was afraid he would be hit by a car, so I took him to the side of the road, but I found out he was no ordinary person."

"I didn't know how to handle it, so I subconsciously thought of you, Mizutani. I thought if you were to handle it, you would probably be able to do a better job than me."

Panasonic Kai scratched his head.

There was only so much he could do.

He didn't know what was happening to Yoshida Akira in front of him, nor did he know what to do.

Is it like what was expressed in some TV dramas or stories he had recently been catching up on, to help the ghost realize his wish so that he could become a Buddha?

If Yoshida Akira really wanted to become a Buddha, what should he do?

He had no idea what was going on. Many thoughts raced through his mind, and he decided to give the decision-making power to Makoto Mizutani, whom he knew. He didn't want to ask Makoto Mizutani to do anything. It was just like the situation when Akemi Ota encountered Tubi and the ghost doll. They both encountered things beyond their abilities, so they subconsciously turned to Makoto Mizutani for help and asked him to make the judgment.

"You did the right thing."

Mizutani Makoto pondered for a moment, stood up straight, and turned his gaze to Matsushita Kei.

He spoke seriously, without a hint of perfunctory. The world was far from peaceful, especially with the recent chaos surrounding Night Light City. Ghosts like Yoshida Akira, actively approaching humans and even willing to speak, were a cause for concern and investigation.

What is the situation with Yoshida Akira?

Having previously encountered Yoshiko Satori who was stuck in the form of a vengeful spirit, Makoto Mizutani had specifically consulted Ryohito Kurosawa, so he had some understanding of this type of ghost.

But just as Mizutani Makoto was secretly speculating, a pop-up window of Tongzi appeared in front of him.

It is a "task" that has not been triggered for several days.

[Side Quest: The Returning Child]

Mission Description: The riverbank is always filled with the sound of a flute, the scent of maltose. A street performer in a green shirt pins a wild daisy to the brim of his hat, followed by children who dance around. They draw rainbows on the cobblestones with crayons and stuff dandelion seeds into glass jars like they're storing stars. At dusk, the flute music becomes even more ethereal. Ah, it's time to go, children. Let's step through the puddles and follow our reflections to our homes.

[Quest requirements: Revenge for the children who became "caged birds"]

"...?"

Tongzi's mission description is still quite abstract.

This time I simply found a fairy tale about a piper and made up a story for him.