"Got it..." Following the guidance of the Bagua Compass in his hand, Qian Xiaoyi ambled along with his lunchbox, looking just like someone walking with his head down, fixated on his phone. The only difference was that the compass in his hand didn't glow, making it hard to see in the dark.
He followed the compass's guidance onward, and the surrounding crowd gradually grew noisier. Neon lights of every color shone from the signs as Qian Xiaoyi slowly made his way to a bustling shopping street.
"Trying to shake whoever's following him by heading somewhere crowded?" Qian Xiaoyi muttered to himself. "Clever, but it'll be hard to pull off. Once you've been marked, it's difficult to get away."
Sure enough, even though Qian Xiaoyi wasn't walking very fast, he still caught up with the high schooler who'd been running in a hurry. The reason was that the boy seemed to have gotten into some kind of altercation. A few delinquents... Sorry, when in Rome, you called them juvenile delinquents.
Three delinquents surrounded the high schooler, their tongues clicking expertly as they shouted, "Kora!!! You bumped into someone and think you can just run away? What are your eyes for, decorations? You bastard!"
"Sorry... I didn't mean to," the high schooler replied, his eyes darting away.
"Look at me! Are you trying to run away?" one delinquent shouted, grabbing him by the collar.
As for why the high schooler didn't dare look at him, it wasn't because the delinquents looked especially vicious. They were just a few ordinary brats with dyed blond hair and earrings. None of them was even taller than five foot seven. The reason the high schooler couldn't look them in the eye was...
—The blood-covered ghost stood behind the delinquents, staring at the high schooler with a sinister gaze.
"Please let me go!" The high schooler started struggling.
Passersby watched the farce. The delinquents exchanged glances, then dragged the struggling high schooler into a dim alley nearby. The passersby pretended not to see and hurried on their way. If it had been a serious crime, someone might have called the police, but this was just a few kids. Even if the police were called, they wouldn't be punished, so nobody wanted to get involved. After all, Japan had basically abolished the death penalty, and with its juvenile protection laws, getting stabbed by an underage thug for meddling would be a terrible deal.
"Interesting~" Qian Xiaoyi murmured as he looked toward the dim alley. He put away the compass, took out a lighter, and lit the cigarette he'd been holding between his lips. A wisp of smoke curled into the air.
Inside the alley, the delinquent slammed the high schooler against the wall and had two others block the entrance, cutting off his escape route.
The high schooler seemed terrified. He crouched down with his arms over his head, trembling like a quail.
"Hey, hey~ No need to go that far." The delinquent found it a little funny. "I'm not some big bad guy. You're the one who bumped into me, right? How about you pay me a little compensation for emotional distress, and I'll let you go. There aren't any cameras here. If you don't want to get beaten up, hand over your money."
The high schooler continued to tremble. The delinquent's expression darkened, and he kicked him. "Hey! Answer me, you bastard!" When the high schooler still didn't respond, the delinquent frowned and searched him, finding a wallet. He opened it, only to find a few measly coins inside—less than 1,000 yen altogether.
"What the hell! You're so broke, you can only afford a few drinks..." the delinquent scoffed. He pulled the student ID from the wallet and read, "Inuyama... Heita. School is..."
The other two delinquents were enjoying the show at the entrance when they suddenly caught a strange scent, something like a mixture of incense from a Buddhist temple and cigarette smoke. As they wondered about it, a hand suddenly reached around from behind and rested on each of their shoulders.
"So these are Japanese delinquents? I thought they'd be the type with pompadours. Just wearing earrings counts?" Qian Xiaoyi said with a grin, his cigarette between his lips as he draped an arm over each of their shoulders. Then he formed a strange hand seal and brushed his fingertips over their eyelids.
The delinquent who'd been looking at Inuyama Heita's student ID suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice. He whipped around and saw Qian Xiaoyi with his arms around his two underlings, who were staring at him in utter terror.
"Who the hell are you?!" the delinquent said, trying to sound tough. "Don't stick your nose in other people's business, old man."
"Old man... I've only gone a few days without shaving. I'm in my twenties!" Qian Xiaoyi said, pulling his hands back with a frown. The two underlings beside him were already petrified. In their eyes, the alley that had been empty now teemed with people. They stood scattered throughout it, some pale-faced, others covered in blood. But they all had one thing in common: their lower bodies flickered and wavered like a TV with poor reception, as if they were...
—Ghosts.
"Run! Ryo! Run!"
"Waaaaah..."
The two underlings turned and bolted, leaving the blond delinquent alone.
"Oh, look. Your two underlings ran away," Qian Xiaoyi said with a shrug. "Or are you thinking of taking on an adult like me by yourself, kid? Like you said, there aren't any cameras here."
"Damn you, sticking your nose in my business!" Seeing that things were going badly, the blond delinquent rushed past Qian Xiaoyi. Qian Xiaoyi reacted quickly and snatched Inuyama Heita's wallet out of his hand. "You shouldn't take things that belong to other people," he muttered.
Qian Xiaoyi stuck the lit cigarette into the dirt nearby, then handed the wallet to Inuyama Heita. "Hey, stop shaking."
Inuyama Heita caught a faint, incense-like scent that helped him calm down a little. He raised his head. Before him stood a man carrying a supermarket bag and wearing an ordinary gray hoodie. The terrifying ghosts farther away weren't looking this way anymore. Instead, they'd gathered around one spot, staring at it in a daze, their faces entranced. The scent came from there: a cigarette stood upright in the dirt, burning quietly.
"Th-thank you..." Inuyama Heita gingerly took his wallet. There wasn't much money inside, but it held a lot of important documents.
"Don't go wandering off all over the place, kid. I had to chase you for ages," the blood-covered ghost suddenly said, appearing before him.
"Eek!!!" Inuyama Heita jumped in fright.
"Don't be scared. Your name's... Heitaro, right?" Qian Xiaoyi said. "This guy isn't an evil spirit. Looks like he's only been dead a couple of days, and he's got a strong attachment to something. He's following you because he has some unfinished business, and since you happen to be able to see him, he can only ask you for help."
But if you keep ignoring him, he might turn into an evil spirit. Qian Xiaoyi thought to himself.
"Help?" Inuyama Heita hesitated.
"That's right, Inuyama-kun!" the blood-covered ghost said. "I'm Oda, your next-door neighbor at the apartment! There's something I need you to tell my little sister..." Inuyama Heita examined him closely and realized that he had indeed seen this man before. He hadn't recognized him earlier because his face was covered in blood and his head was somewhat misshapen.
Before you continue