In this anime crossover, who stole my module?

"...Luckily, I ran into Natsume, a classmate from the same school. He...he also lived nearby, so he gave me a ride home!"

Seeing that Zi had finished speaking in one breath, she secretly glanced at Natsume Ryo next to her, hoping that he would cooperate.

But to Touko Yotsuya, this guilty look seemed more like the nervousness of a child who had made a mistake.

Toruko Yotsuya knew her daughter well enough to know that even if her phone was dead, she couldn't possibly not know where home was.

Moreover, seeing Zi's guilty look, it was clear that things weren't that simple.

but.

Touko Yotsuya didn't expose her on the spot. Seeing that her daughter's clothes were a bit dirty and messy, but she was fine, she felt relieved.

She then turned her gaze to Natsume Ryo, and with the unique charm of a mature woman, she gave a slight bow to express her gratitude.

"Oh, I see. Thank you so much, Natsume-kun."

"It's so late, and you still went to the trouble of bringing Jianzi back. You're such a kind child."

"It's cold outside, come inside and sit down, have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

As she spoke, Toruko Yotsuya stepped aside to make way for the doorway, making an inviting gesture.

However, when Natsume Ryo arrived, he did not intend to stay long, so he politely declined Touko's offer.

As he uttered the words of refusal, Natsume Ryo's gaze involuntarily lingered for a moment on the profile of the mature woman.

Her long, smooth black hair was tied up and gathered in front of her right shoulder, forming a gentle yet playful one-shoulder side ponytail.

This hairstyle...

A subtle ripple flashed in Natsume Ryo's eyes.

After all, in his mind, this kind of one-shoulder ponytail...

Especially in works involving ghost stories, battles, or various supernatural events, it can signify some kind of ominous omen.

A gentle, married woman or a kind older sister with this hairstyle.

The "casualty rate" is alarmingly high, practically labelling the company as "high-risk".

Madam, your hairstyle is dangerous!

Chapter 7 Mrs. Touko, the Eight-Foot Man

"No, Auntie, it's already very late, I won't bother you any longer."

"Jianzi seems a bit tired today and needs to rest."

This thought, which flashed through my mind, was not uttered aloud.

Looking at Yotsuya Touko's gentle and charming, yet high-risk, one-shoulder ponytail, Natsume Ryo once again politely declined Yotsuya Touko's invitation to come inside for tea.

After all, he really had no intention of staying.

Seeing this, Touko Yotsuya stopped insisting and simply told her daughter to thank her classmate properly, and thanked Ryo Natsume again.

Yotsuya Miko stood beside her mother, head bowed, her cheeks still flushed, and whispered another sentence.

"Thank you, Natsume-kun. See you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Yotsuya-kun."

Natsume Ryo nodded slightly, then turned around, leaving the light of the garden lantern behind him.

……

After watching Natsume Ryo leave, Yotsuya Touko smiled and looked away, gently closing the entrance door.

Click...

After the entryway door was closed.

Touko Yotsuya said this half-jokingly.

"That Natsume-kun is really nice."

"Mom approves."

Although it was only a brief encounter, Natsume Ryo's polite demeanor, clear eyes, and the fact that he escorted his daughter home were all evidence of his good character.

Finally, she thoughtfully reminded her daughter that she should get some rest.

This resulted in Touko Yotsuya having a very good first impression of Ryo Natsume.

"By the way, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"The food Mom just cooked is still warm; it just needs to be heated up a little."

"Um……"

Yotsuya Miko absentmindedly responded and changed into slippers in the entryway.

"By the way, don't stay up this late next time, and remember to charge your phone too."

"Mom was worried for quite a while."

At this moment, Touko Yotsuya gave her daughter a reproachful look, her tone tinged with reprimand but also with a hint of relief and concern.

In her eyes, although it was indeed worrying that she couldn't contact her daughter, her daughter was probably just playing around or hanging out with friends as usual. Being a little late getting out of school was nothing to worry about.

but.

Upon hearing this, Yotsuya Miko's thoughts suddenly sharpened.

Something is wrong, something is so wrong!

She was trapped in that godforsaken place for so long, it felt like at least several days had passed, but how come her mother thought so?

It's like I just came home a little late for quite a while.

A strong sense of disharmony welled up in Miko's heart.

Seeing the tremor in her voice, which she herself was unaware of, she asked cautiously:

"Mother."

How late did I get home?

"About four or five hours? What's wrong?"

Touko Yotsuya was about to head to the kitchen when she heard her daughter's question. She turned back with some confusion and looked at the wall clock, which showed that it was already evening.

Compared to when Jianzi usually comes home.

Getting home at this time is indeed quite late.

Four or five hours?!

Yotsuya was shocked when he saw his son.

……

The light gradually dimmed, with only a few sparse streetlights barely maintaining any brightness.

A cool night breeze swept by, rustling the branches and leaves of the roadside trees.

Natsume Ryo walked leisurely along the street, not in a hurry to use the [/tp] command to go home directly, but instead slowly walked back along the way he came, his thoughts racing.

The activation of the "Urban Ghost Stories" module has been completed.

They also managed to obtain the home address coordinates of a key figure—Miko Yotsuya.

This is probably the biggest gain of the day.

However, we need to be careful about Yotsuya Miko's situation.

In the original work, she is like a magnet, constantly encountering all sorts of things.

She is currently the temporary holder of the [Urban Ghost Stories Module].

It is necessary to ensure her safety.

After all, he is currently the only active module holder.

If something were to happen to her that caused the module to lose its state again, it would be a huge loss.

Although it was troublesome, Natsume Ryo wasn't opposed to it...

Admittedly, it's because Yotsuya Miko's appearance is so endearing that it's easy to feel sorry for her.

Long, smooth, jet-black hair, timid golden eyes. Especially when she was in extreme fear, her body trembled slightly, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. That panicked yet forced composure gave her a unique and endearing vulnerability.

It truly touched upon Natsume Ryo's extremely rare protective instincts.

But this fleeting thought was quickly replaced by more practical considerations.

The desire to protect is ultimately just an ethereal emotional fluctuation.

For him, the more important thing is how to unlock those modules that are in a "lost state".

The activation process of the [Urban Ghost Stories Module] is full of chance.

For a module holder (such as Miko Yotsuya) to successfully link and activate, you must be nearby when the holder experiences a relevant event (such as Tsukishiro Station) and the holder develops an extreme emotional connection (severe dependence) with you.

This activation method is fraught with uncertainty.

"Heavy dependence"? What are the standards? What threshold needs to be reached? Is the trigger condition a specific event, or everyday contact?

Everything was so blurry, like looking through a thick layer of frosted glass, it was maddening.

"However, it can be considered a success story."

Natsume Ryo pursed his lips, thinking to himself.

Complaints aside, something is better than nothing.

The successful activation of the first module, "Urban Legends," marks a breakthrough from zero.

Activate one at a time.

This at least proves that those modules in the "lost state" are not completely unusable, but simply require a specific "key"—that is, a "module holder" like Miko Yotsuya—to reconnect them.

—In other words, those who own modules like "humanoid self-propelled plug-ins" are the strategic focus that needs to be adjusted in the future.

With these thoughts in mind, Natsume Ryo made up his mind.

However, since it was already late at night, the most important thing was to go home first and properly study what the [Urban Ghost Stories Mod] had to offer.

There was no one around, so it was the perfect time to leave.

After Natsume Ryo made up his mind.

With a slight thought, he prepared to bring up the command interface, entered the command 【/tp】, and teleported directly home.

However, just a moment before Natsume Ryo was about to take action.

Boo!

Boo!

Upon hearing the unusual sound, Natsume Ryo paused, turned his head slightly, and looked in the direction from which the sound came—from the narrow gap between two residential buildings across the street.

His peripheral vision immediately caught a glimpse of an unusual white.

"popopo...popopo..."

Accompanied by that strange sound,

In the dim light, the figure of an exceptionally tall woman slowly emerged from the shadows at the alley entrance.

The figure was wearing an inappropriate pure white dress and a large white sun hat with the brim pulled low, almost covering most of her face.

But what is most striking is her height, which is far beyond that of ordinary people. It is estimated to be at least 2.4 or 2.5 meters tall, and she makes that signature "popopo" sound.

Chapter 8 The Eight-Foot Master is Icy Cold

An eight-foot-tall woman.

Upon seeing the other person's appearance, the name automatically came to mind for Natsume Ryo.

This is one of the most famous urban legends in Japan, known for its astonishing height, white clothing, and unique "popopo" sound.

"Ha, it really works immediately."