Zhenxie Guiqi

Gathering his thoughts, Bai Yuze looked at the monster outside. It was still standing there, showing no intention of leaving.

"Well, well! Is it attached to me now?"

Bai Yuze smiled and toyed with the kitchen knife in his right hand. When the monster saw it, it actually left.

"What kind of knife is that? Could Zhu Daqiang be possessing it too?"

After seeing how the knife had intimidated the monster, Yukino was also intrigued by the knife in Bai Yuze's hand.

"It's just an ordinary kitchen knife, but this house has given it a different kind of value."

"Value? Is it rare?"

Tuanzi curiously examined the knife, but no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't tell what made it different.

"How should I put it? Do you remember me saying that each floor could only accommodate one supernatural entity?"

"Wasn't that a lie you made up to trick Zhu Daqiang?"

Yukino looked puzzled. Could a lie actually become reality?

"Hahaha, you're giving me too much credit. No matter how quick-witted I am, I couldn't just make up a convincing lie on the spot. Unless that lie..."

"Was adapted from the truth in the first place. That's called a 'Montage Lie.' You used that method to instantly come up with a lie that Zhu Daqiang believed without question, right?"

"Uh... Xiaoxue... what's a Montage Lie?"

Tuanzi looked completely bewildered. What was this, showing off how smart you were?

"Every sentence you say is true, but you lie by rearranging the order of events. For example, 'I saw the whole crime happen, but I didn't see the killer's face' really means 'I'm the killer.'"

"Wow! That's so scary. Xia Ze, you wouldn't use that trick to deceive innocent girls, would you?"

Bai Yuze: ???

"Nice one! Tuanzi, I'll pay for your graduate school entrance exam!"

Bai Yuze had imagined how Tuanzi might react, but he never expected her to pull a stunt like that. Sure enough, humanity had barely scratched the surface of Tuanzi's potential.

"Enough fooling around. I think you swapped out a few words while using that Montage Lie, didn't you?"

Yukino was exhausted. Why did the two people around her act like children? Especially Bai Yuze—he was obviously clever, yet sometimes he seemed like a little boy who'd never grown up. Was what the books said true? That men's psychology fell under child psychology?

"Fine, I did swap out a few words. Take 'each floor can only accommodate one supernatural entity,' for example. What I actually said was, 'each floor has one thing that can restrain supernatural entities.' I call these things Zhenxie Guiqi."

"Something that can restrain supernatural entities? Zhenxie Guiqi? You mean the kitchen knife in your hand?"

"Exactly. There's also the scalpel on the first floor. Both of them intimidate supernatural entities and can protect us from their attacks."

"It's kind of like..."

Yukino had a word in mind, but she couldn't quite say it.

"A dorm supervisor. There's one on every floor, and the 'key' the supervisor carries is the Zhenxie Guiqi we're looking for."

Bai Yuze put Yukino's vague thought into words. He had the same impression: each floor had its own order and rules, and each one managed its own territory.

"Then that's strange. Why are there two supernatural entities on the second floor?"

Tuanzi couldn't make sense of it. If there was one supervisor on each floor, then it made sense for Zhu Daqiang to be the only supernatural entity on the second floor.

"Because the second floor is too easy to clear. The rules assigned Zhu Daqiang and Yuan Xing the identities of residents, so Zhu Daqiang doesn't count as the supervisor. At most, he's the dorm head for those few rooms."

"Then the monster on the first floor is a dorm head too?"

Tuanzi made the connection, but the answer wasn't as simple as she thought.

"No. There are two supervisors on the first floor, but the real one is the receptionist. As for the other monster, I suspect it came from the fourth floor—the basement."

Worry was written all over Tuanzi's face, her brows knitted tightly together.

"Don't look so worried. Frowning gives you wrinkles! You won't look good with a wrinkled face."

"Honestly! I was worrying about our plans for the future, and you're teasing me, Xia Ze. You're so annoying! You big dummy!"

Bai Yuze's teasing finally lightened the mood. All three of them were essential to the team, though Yamauchi Haruki was still asleep.

"By the way, it's almost ten. Should we go back to Room 202?"

"No need. We just have to close the door. Zhu Daqiang and Yuan Xing are dead, and nobody lives here anymore. We can stay wherever we want."

"Since that's the case, let's discuss what to do next."

Yukino quickly steered the conversation toward their plans. She never took part in an action without a plan. In this supernatural world, even having a plan was considered an adventure; going in without one was practically suicide.

"Yukino's right. We've got what we needed from the second floor. Next, we need to go to the third floor and get its Zhenxie Guiqi."

"Should we bring the scalpel from the first floor? Another weapon means more strength."

Yukino glanced at the knife in Bai Yuze's hand. If it could intimidate supernatural entities, then it could hurt them—or even kill them.

"Better not. That artifact is keeping the receptionist in check, so it can't hurt us for now. And we still don't know whether the Male Corpse in Room 102 is good or bad.

"If we remove the artifact that's holding it back, we could end up caught between two enemies."

"So we're just going to sit around?"

"I've got it!"

Tuanzi suddenly had an idea. She'd thought of a game that could pass the time without being boring.

"Hehehe, since we've got nothing to do, why don't we share our dreams?"

"Ow!"

Bai Yuze flicked Tuanzi on the forehead. She glared at him, cheeks puffed out, clearly expecting an explanation. Her little canine teeth trembled as if she were about to turn into a tiger and pounce on him.

"What time do you think it is? We should enjoy this rare chance to rest. And talk about our dreams in a place like this? I don't want to tempt fate and set a death flag!"

Bai Yuze reached over and pinched Tuanzi's cheek. Once he'd gotten his fill, he lay down and closed his eyes to rest.

"Hmph! What a bore."

Tuanzi huffed and turned away, calculating how long she'd ignore Bai Yuze.

(Hmm... a day! No... that's too long... Maybe an hour. Tsk... that's still a bit long. I've decided! I won't talk to him for one minute! Just one minute! Hmph!)

Watching the two of them, Yukino couldn't help rubbing her forehead and sighing. Still, she didn't dislike seeing them like this.