The next moment, as if he had heard her inner muttering, Ogata's Second Son seemed to remember something and looked around. "Speaking of shadows, where's my older brother? That scream just now was so terrifying—he should've heard it too."
Mr. Ogata thought of his difficult eldest son. "Who knows? Maybe he didn't want to come over."
No sooner had he spoken than there was a sudden loud clatter—something heavy had fallen in a distant room. Even through layers of paper doors, they could hear the noise.
Mouri Ran jumped in fright and timidly shrank between her two classmates. "Where did that sound come from?"
Mr. Ogata identified the direction. "Over there! It sounded like it came from the room where my mother kept her Guzheng before she passed away."
Jiang Xia stepped past them into the corridor. "I'll go take a look."
As soon as he left, the homeowners could hardly just stand there watching and hurried after him. With fewer people left behind, the girls grew frightened too. They exchanged glances, then quickly got up and followed.
Curacao: "..."
She fell silent for a moment, then set aside the pride of an Organization Cadre and smoothly blended into the group of delicate girls.
When they arrived, Jiang Xia slid open the paper door with a rustle and swept his eyes across the room. In the darkness, he saw a human figure.
—Ogata Family's sharp-tongued eldest son was lying stiffly on the floor, pinned beneath a heavy Guqin. One corner of the instrument was stained with blood, and its strings had snapped. It looked as though it had fallen from somewhere high up and landed directly on his head.
"...Minoru?!" Mr. Ogata hurried past Jiang Xia. The instant he saw his son in the room, he was horrified. Ogata's