373. Is Anyone Still Stockpiling Chapters? You're Going to Let It Die!

"Um?"

Shizuka Hiratsuka discovered that her Heavenly Demonic Qi was not full.

When did I ever use up the gas?

Her expression was serious; she knew something must have happened yesterday that caused her to unleash her Heavenly Demonic Qi in response, and then write this note.

She felt uneasy, and suddenly realized that she had been feeling this way for the past few days.

But that feeling is fading quickly.

"Something's definitely not right."

Shizuka Hiratsuka glanced at the note, then forced herself to call Shuya.

During the conversation, Shizuka Hiratsuka couldn't quite remember why she had called him in the first place, so she casually asked him about the club.

After hanging up the phone in a daze, she saw the note on the table again.

What the hell is that?

This time, Shizuka Hiratsuka only glanced at it, then curled her lip, casually crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the trash can.

"Ha! I remember now, yesterday, after being provoked by Sister Ying's question, I suddenly had a strong urge to find a man again, and after getting drunk, I wrote that note..."

She scratched her head. "I actually called that guy just now. Am I just too lonely lately?"

Shizuka Hiratsuka shook her head, drew back the curtains, stretched lazily, and said, "But... I feel especially good today? I was worried about something a few days ago... Hahaha! Whatever!"

Bathed in sunlight, Shizuka Hiratsuka, whose memories had been rewritten by an unknown force, revealed a refreshing smile.

Section 391, Chapter 373: Is anyone still raising books? They're about to die!

Let's return our attention to Shuya's house.

Shuya and Yukino discussed the matter that Shizuka Hiratsuka had mentioned.

Yukino indicated that she understood. "If Teacher Hiratsuka said that, then it can't be that someone is secretly plotting something, right?"

She said, "In fact, I never thought from the beginning that someone was secretly behind it."

"That's true."

"Um."

Shuya nor she had any sharp tongues or sarcastic remarks.

Since it wasn't designed by someone, the matter comes full circle back to the very beginning.

What exactly is causing my subconscious anxiety?

In a daze, one of them played on their phone and the other read a novel, but in reality, they just sat there blankly until noon.

Neither of them wanted to cook.

Eating every day isn't a necessity, it's just a habit.

It's about time to go out and take some photos.

Although they knew they hadn't actually planned to take photos yesterday, it was already arranged, so there was no need to back out.

They were in a bad mood and lacked the motivation to fly directly to the filming location, so they chose to take the train.

They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

According to Hirai Ryuji's plan, today's photography will be divided into two parts.

Instead of taking photos at the cinema, we went to outdoor locations.

Upon arriving at the filming location, Shuya and Yukino discovered that only Hirai Ryuji and Shidaifu were present, with no other models in sight.

"Is it just us today?"

Shuya asked.

"Yes."

Hirai Ryuji said, "There wasn't originally a filming schedule for today, but since you asked me out, and Yukino- chan is here too, I decided to lead the team just to film you guys."

"Thank you so much."

Yukino said apologetically.

"No trouble at all. You're rare guests, and I wasn't even off today; I was just planning to work in the office."

Hirai Ryuji shrugged.

The scholar-officials also chimed in:

"It's been a long time since I filmed Shu-chan, I'm really looking forward to it."

"I'm a huge fan of Yukino- chan, so coming out for a photoshoot isn't a problem."

"How could it be troublesome to film Shu-chan?"

The scholar-officials spoke with great emotion.

"Alright, alright, hurry up, you guys go do your makeup first."

Hirai Ryuji called the makeup artist who was waiting on the side to come up.

After they finished putting on makeup, he gave them clothes to change into in the car.

He personally took charge, resulting in a fast-paced filming process.

Shuya and Yukino were both very skilled, Hirai Ryuji worked together very well, making it easy to get satisfactory photos.

But it wasn't over yet; we still had to drive to other places.

We worked hard until after 5 p. m. to finally finish shooting the outdoor scenes, and then it was time to go back to the company's photography studio for the next shoot.

The group returned to the company by car.

Hirai Ryuji's company wasn't as large as Inoue Hikoo's or Hanazawa Sakura's; there were other companies on the same floor.

After Shuya and Yukino took some photos at the company's photography studio, Hirai Ryuji announced a break, giving them an hour for lunch before resuming filming.

Shuya took Yukino to a chain restaurant near the company for a quick bite before heading back.

Sitting in the lounge, Yukino poured herself a glass of water and drank it slowly.

She didn't say a word all afternoon; whenever she had a moment to herself, she would just space out.

After Shuya sat down, he kept looking around.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he stood up.

Yukino looked up at him. "What's wrong?"

I have a hypothesis.

Shuya's eyes flashed. "There should be a clue here."

Why do you say that?

Yukino puzzled.

"A warning from the Power of Will, an activation of the subconscious."

Shuya explained his reasoning.

"The Power of Will..."

Yukino frowned, gradually understanding.

They sensed something was wrong starting yesterday and realized something was happening.

But they couldn't find anything wrong with it.

At that moment, Yukino subconsciously said that she wanted to take photos.

This seemed like an unrelated matter, but upon closer reflection, the thought came from her subconscious and was blurted out without thinking.

This is driven by the Power of Will; it's the answer from the subconscious.

Her subconscious knew that this place held clues related to "bad feelings."

At the time Shuya refute her; instead, he cooperated with her to take photos, which was also due to this influence.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have come along, as he's currently in a period of inactivity and doesn't want the hassle.

Shuya only just realized this now.

He also knew that this seemingly coincidental realization was most likely influenced by the current environment and inspired by his inspiration.

In other words, this company holds the secrets that the two of them want to know.

Where does this anxiety come from?

You can find related things here.

Yukino thought for a moment and understood what Shuya wanted to say.

Her expression brightened, and she stood up. "That's right, we should look for this company more carefully."

"Right."

Shuya and Yukino split up and began observing the company, searching for clues bit by bit.

Shuya one of the bosses, so his movements are naturally not restricted; he can see anything.

"Shu-chan, what are you looking for?"

Hirai Ryuji seemed a little confused.

He happened to go back to his office for a quick visit and saw Shuya and cabinets inside.

Are you pretending to be a hero?

Shuya, flipping through the documents, casually said, "I'm looking for something."

Hirai Ryuji tentatively asked, "What are you looking for? Should I help you?"

You might not believe it, but I don't even know what I'm looking for.

Shuya replied.

Hirai Ryuji: "???"

Shuya put down his watch and asked, "By the way, have you noticed anything strange lately?"

"... What exactly are you talking about?"

He still looked completely bewildered.

He wanted to ask: Does it count if I feel something's off about you now?

Shuya rubbed his forehead. "Do you think you've done anything unusual these past few days? Like things you wouldn't normally do?"

This problem is something he concluded from the current situation.

When the subconscious senses something is amiss, it will take unusual actions, just like when he and Yukino suddenly came to film.

Shuya thought about it more deeply and realized that since there were clues in this place, there was a high probability that Hirai Ryuji, one of the owners, was involved.

That's why he asked that question.

Hirai Ryuji scratched his head. "No, really? These past few days have been pretty ordinary – taking photos, editing pictures, work... nothing special."

Shuya nodded, not entirely believing him.

He learned from Shizuka Hiratsuka's words that the feeling of unease did not occur simultaneously in everyone.

Some come early, some come late.

If Hirai Ryuji's attack has already passed, then he will not remember.

So Shuya grabbed him and wouldn't let him leave, questioning him one by one about the purpose of the items in his office, hoping to find some clues.

Hirai Ryuji was puzzled, but seeing Shuya's serious expression, he answered them one by one.

When asked about the documents, Hirai Ryuji pointed out each one as a collaboration with a specific person and company.

Next are photos taken over the past few days; they are all within the normal working range and there are no abnormalities.