Finally, Inuzuka Yukari could no longer hold back, and a low, suppressed laugh escaped from her mouth.

Her laugh was so subdued that her fair cheeks turned bright red from holding it in for too long.

Inuzuka Yukari turned over and pulled up her sleeve.

Under the bright light, her arm was full of scalds and bruises.

Some areas still hurt to the touch, but Inuzuka Yukari could not suppress the surging, twisted gray pleasure.

However...

Inuzuka Yukari pushed herself up from the ground and took out her phone.

On the phone screen was a chat record of Otomoto Ai comforting her on LINE—

Otomoto Ai: "Yukari, there's no need to be sad. With Senior Beichuan and Senior Shinkai, Shintaro's issue should be resolved soon. For now, you just need to quietly wait for good news from both of them."

Looking at this comforting message, Inuzuka Yukari took a deep breath and raised her hand to reply:

"Thank you, Ai, for your words of comfort. I just thought of my brother and couldn't help but cry. I'm truly grateful for your consolation."

After typing, Inuzuka Yukari sent it out, and a twinge of unease flickered through her previously stable emotions.

Beichuan Si...

That young man was not right...

Really not right.

As a lone individual, being able to take down seventy or eighty people... Such a thing was undeniably illogical.

This is bad... really not good.

And it was this illogical person who had now started to investigate Fukuda's case...

"If they haven't returned to Tokyo by tomorrow... I'll go and sound them out again. Anyway, it's necessary to be prepared for what needs to be done."

Inuzuka Yukari murmured to herself, and then walked over to Inuzuka Shintaro's desk.

She reached out and pulled open the desk drawer, and a roughly polished black box jumped into view.

Just looking at the black box sent a chill through Inuzuka Yukari's body and it seemed as if various whispers were barely audible to her ears.

This was the box of disaster that Beichuan Si and Shen Gu Mirai had been looking for all along—

Just as Inuzuka Yukari was about to reach out and touch the black box.

Her phone, which had been in her hand all along, suddenly began to ding and dong.

A call?

Inuzuka Yukari looked down, subconsciously glancing at the name on the phone screen.

Then...

Inuzuka Yukari's pupils contracted and her breathing became involuntarily rapid.

On her phone screen was the glaring name.

Beichuan Si.

"Why would it be you?!"

She stepped back two paces in panic, her hand holding the phone starting to tremble slightly.

Just now, Inuzuka Yukari had been thinking about Beichuan Si, and in the blink of an eye, he had called.

Was this, in a sense, a self-fulfilling prophecy of bad luck?

No... don't panic.

Inuzuka Yukari shook her head hard.

Her disguise was perfect.

Whether it was the sorrowful tone when talking about her brother or the image of an active collaborator... she was flawless.

Perhaps Beichuan Si was just coming to her for some verification?

How could a clueless Beichuan Si possibly know what she had done?

With this thought, Inuzuka Yukari's mood began to stabilize again.

Considering that it might seem unnatural not to answer the call, Inuzuka Yukari lowered her voice and spoke hesitantly to create an impression of timidity, "Senior Beichuan, may I ask why you are calling so late?"

Beichuan Si on the other side did not hesitate and said in an even tone:

"There are some things I'd like to ask you about. Is Miss Inuzuka free now? Could you come out to meet?"

Wanting to ask me some things?

Inuzuka Yukari narrowed her eyes but sounded a bit troubled: "But Senior Beichuan, it's already seven o'clock in the evening."

"This may be related to the death of your brother, so if possible, please come over. I have also called Otomoto, we will all be waiting for you at Uekawakko Park."

"..." Inuzuka Yukari.

Beichuan Si had already brought up Inuzuka Shintaro, and if she were to refuse now, it would seem suspicious.

The collaborator image she had built in front of Beichuan Si and the others might also be shaken.

Inuzuka Yukari thought for a moment and then spoke, "Alright. It's at Uekawakko Park, right? I'll be there straight away."

After Inuzuka Yukari finished speaking, she hung up the phone and then looked at the box of disaster lying quietly in the drawer.

She struggled with her emotions, but eventually, she took it out of the drawer and stuffed it into her pocket along with her cellphone.

After making these preparations, she put on a long-sleeved shirt, took only the keys, and headed downstairs.

As Inuzuka Yukari passed the living room, she paused momentarily, then greeted her parents sitting there idly, "Father, mother, I'm stepping out for a bit."

No one responded.

They just stared blankly at the table, like zombies.

Seeing this scene, Inuzuka Yukari didn't say anything else. She silently moved to the entrance, changed into her shoes, and opened the door.

The cool night breeze penetrated her marrow, chilling her body and causing Inuzuka Yukari to instinctively shiver.

She lifted her head.

Outside, it was empty and dark.

Beholding this sight, Inuzuka Yukari felt an inexplicable illusion.

As if once she stepped out of this door, she could never return.

Inuzuka Yukari hesitantly retracted her foot.

But then—

Thinking of the way her parents showed no concern for her just now, a self-mocking smile appeared on Inuzuka Yukari's face.

She stopped hesitating and bravely stepped out the front door.

Under the night wind and streetlights, Inuzuka Yukari's quiet murmuring also began to sound:

"After all... I never really belonged to this family."

...

Uekawakko Park was actually not far from the Inuzuka home.

It took Inuzuka Yukari just over ten minutes to get there.

At the time, the park's street lamps on both sides were emitting a dim glow, the smooth ground laid out the park's infrastructure.

Seesaws, horizontal bars, slides...

This utterly quiet atmosphere was completely different from the daytime bustle, creating an indescribable contrast.

Between the lifeless ornamental trees and bushes, there seemed to be slightly moving black shadows, making one's skin crawl.

But then—

"No one's here either?" Inuzuka Yukari couldn't help but mutter.

Indeed, the park was deserted, and at first glance, she couldn't see Beichuan Si or Otomoto Ai anywhere.

Could it be that Beichuan Si was playing a joke on her?

Inuzuka Yukari couldn't help but think.

But the next moment—

"What are you doing?"

A young man's voice suddenly rang in her ear, Inuzuka Yukari's hair stood on end, and she quickly looked behind her.

A young man was standing there.

His face was unclear because he was backlit, shrouded in an ominous black mist that seemed to suck away all warmth from the air with each swirl.

His bloodthirsty, cold gaze felt like a rasp, piercing through her flesh and scraping against her bones inch by inch.

Seeing this, Inuzuka Yukari couldn't contain the terror in her heart and screamed out loud:

"Ah! Ah! Ah!!!"

Seeing Inuzuka Yukari's expression, the young man silently took two steps forward, revealing his stern face under the light.

Upon seeing his features, Inuzuka Yukari gradually stopped screaming, her voice full of disbelief:

"Be, Beichuan senior?!"

The sudden appearance of Beichuan Si had given her quite a fright, for a moment, Inuzuka Yukari almost thought she had encountered a psychopathic killer.

Now that she had a clear view, her mind relaxed somewhat, and she looked behind Beichuan Si but did not see Shen Gu Mirai or Otomoto Ai.

Seeing this, she opened her mouth, asking in confusion, "Uh... I'm sorry, Senior Beichuan, where are Senior Shen Gu and Ai? Weren't they supposed to be here too?"

"Not to worry."

Beichuan Si waved his hand, his tone calm, "Before they arrive, I have some questions for you."

"Questions...?"

Inuzuka Yukari blinked in confusion, then gave a dry laugh, "But I've already told you everything I know, Senior Beichuan, even if you suddenly say..."

"No... The question I'm about to ask, you definitely know the answer."

Beichuan Si shook his head slowly.

Looking at Inuzuka Yukari's puzzled expression, he asked word by word:

"I want to ask you... what did it feel like to indirectly kill your own brother Inuzuka Shintaro and Fukuda?"

"Inuzuka Yukari... oh, no, I mean... Hayakawa Yukari."

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