Choice

Tomorrow at noon, they would have to submit their hiding-place forms. In this small room, there were plenty of places to hide: under the bed, in the wardrobe, inside the TV cabinet, on the bathroom window ledge, in the ceiling, under the table, in the bathtub filled with water, behind the vanity...

There really were lots of places to hide, while the killer could only choose three places to search. As long as they didn't find the lamb in any of those three spots, the killer would have to return to their room. The odds were eight to three...

Heming was thinking it over, while Rie was practicing converting magic power with complete ease. She had already decided to hide wherever Heming did. This kind of game simply wasn't her strong suit.

Heming thought that their hiding place couldn't be somewhere other people would easily think of, nor somewhere they would find hard to think of, since either could have a high chance of being chosen as a search location. The best hiding place would be somewhere no one could anticipate. But what sort of place would that be? Hmm... Simply being unexpected wasn't enough, either. If someone suddenly thought of it in a moment of inspiration, they would definitely write it down.

Under the bed was definitely a place other people wouldn't expect. By ordinary logic, most killers would think the lamb wouldn't hide under the bed. To avoid wasting a search, they wouldn't choose it. But that was just ordinary logic. Who knew how many abnormal people there were here...

Heming ruled out under the bed. Next was the wardrobe. It was somewhere an ordinary person could hide. Whether in movies or TV shows, wardrobes were among everyone's favorite hiding spots, and also one of the most unexpected places. But a wardrobe was too easy to think of, so the odds of it being searched certainly weren't low...

The TV cabinet was an extremely concealed spot, but it was so hidden that people could easily think of it. And if it was easy to think of, the odds of it being searched would surely be high!

The bathroom window ledge was a good spot. It wasn't conspicuous, people wouldn't notice it easily, and they wouldn't think of it often. It could be considered a fairly suitable hiding place.

The ceiling was good, too. It was another place people wouldn't expect. What killer would walk in and look straight up at the ceiling? But the chance of this place being searched was high... Of course, that was just Heming's feeling...

Under the table didn't even need consideration. It was the place people would least expect, but the odds of it being searched were definitely the highest. Many killers would casually check under the table when they went to kill someone. It was probably the same here.

The bathtub filled with water was hard to say. Surely very few people would hide in there, right?

Behind the vanity was a conspicuous spot, but the chance of it being searched might be fairly high, because girls really liked hiding in places like that.

Heming had already decided where they would hide. But being who he was, he would definitely ask for the other person's agreement first. He woke Rie and said, "I've figured out the best place for us to hide!"

Rie put away her wand and asked softly, "Where? It's not under the bed, is it?"

Heming smiled and shook his head. "No, no. We'll hide in the bathtub filled with water. I think that's the place least likely to be searched!"

Rie was startled and asked, a little embarrassed, "Then... do we have to take our clothes off?"

Only then did Heming realize the problem. Rie was a girl, after all. How were they supposed to hide in there...?

Ah... right...

Heming scratched his head and said, "Oh, you don't have to take your clothes off. I've got a way. Here, take this." He took off the Chain of Ming and handed it to Rie, then continued, "This is the Chain of Ming. It lets you breathe in fresh water. Wear it, and you'll be able to breathe underwater. It also keeps water away from your body, so your clothes won't get wet. And I have the Pitch Black Heart Method..."

Rie's face had been red, but it slowly returned to normal after Heming finished explaining. It wasn't that she was unwilling to be unclothed in front of him...

"Then practice controlling your magic power some more. I'll practice the Pitch Black Heart Method, too. We should go to bed early, then talk to Zeng and Deng tomorrow morning!" After Heming finished speaking, he immediately began practicing the Pitch Black Heart Method...

Perhaps he was trying to avoid something...

That night, Heming went to bed early. Perhaps it was the longest he had slept since he started practicing the Pitch Black Heart Method. He slept for seven hours and didn't wake until six the next morning. Rie had already washed up and was waiting to go out.

"Come on, wash your face. I know you'd be fine even if you didn't, but washing up will make you feel much better." This was the first time Rie had taken the initiative to tell Heming to do something...

Heming answered, "Mm," stood up, and walked to the bathroom. As he went, he glanced at the bathtub where they would be hiding that afternoon...

At six-thirty, someone brought breakfast. They could leave at seven.

Heming glanced at the breakfast. It was a lavish spread, with everything from fruit and bread to roast beef and chicken. But he hadn't eaten for a while. Rie was also looking at the table full of food. Neither of them needed to eat...

"Go ahead and eat. It's energy, anyway. Don't waste it," Rie suggested.

Heming walked over to the table, sat down, and said, "Mm, let's eat!"

The two of them chatted and laughed as they finished all the food...

Heming went out and made his way to the fifth floor, stopping in front of Zeng and Deng's room. "Knock, knock." He knocked on the door.

"Heming? Come in, we're inside!" Deng called.

After the two of them entered, they saw Zeng and Deng eating nonstop.

Deng smiled when he saw Heming and Rie come in. "Hehe, sit down for a bit. We'll finish eating soon!"

Heming and Rie nodded and sat down on the sofa.

Five minutes later, Zeng and Deng finished eating, washed their faces, and sat down on the sofa opposite them.

Zeng spoke first. "Your room is the one people most like to visit. Have you decided where you'll hide?"

Heming nodded. "Mm, we've decided. We'll hide in the bathtub!"

Deng burst out laughing. "Haha, Zeng, I told you they wouldn't choose the bathroom window ledge or the ceiling. You just wouldn't believe me!"

Zeng rubbed his head. "The bathtub, huh? I didn't think you'd hide in there. Mm, that should work. I didn't think anyone would hide in a bathtub, either. The bathroom window ledge is good, too, but now that I think about it, the bathtub is definitely better!"

Heming nodded slightly. "At first, I'd chosen the TV cabinet, but the more I thought about it, the less it seemed right. Then I thought of the bathtub. Not many people would hide in a bathtub, and I don't think many people would search it, either. I think it's a place that's really hard to predict and think of!"

Zeng nodded. "I've already decided where I'll search this time: under the bed, in the wardrobe, and under the table. It's still early, and not everyone will be calculating their choices, so I think those three places will have the most people hiding in them. I've even decided on the room: Room 404. Lots of people would think of that number, right? But who would choose such an unlucky number?"

At first, Rie didn't say anything. She just quietly listened to Heming, Zeng, and Deng chatting. She only spoke when Deng suddenly brought up the game.

"Oh, right, Heming. After the three of us caught that Tyrannosaurus Rex last time, I got an Evil Winged Dragon card this time. When we have time, let's go play!" Deng had suddenly brought up the Tyrannosaurus Rex, and the subject immediately caught Rie's attention.

Heming was about to speak, but Rie spoke first. "That Tyrannosaurus Rex you mentioned—is it the one in Dinosaur Hunter, the game you can only play in the United States?"

Deng gave a soft "Ah" and said, "Mm, the three of us caught it together last time!"

Rie's eyes widened. "That's amazing! Are you planning to catch the one-of-a-kind Evil Winged Dragon, too?"

Deng nodded. "Mm, I traded something for an Evil Winged Dragon capture card. If it works out, we'll go try after this game here ends!"

Rie calculated the time and nodded slightly... Someone knew what she was thinking... Mm... There really was someone who knew what she was thinking, but it definitely wasn't Heming.

At last, it was Heming's turn to speak. "Maybe you don't know this, but Rie is really good at games, much better than I am. Mm, last time we played Century Myth War, she charged straight into the enemy ranks by herself and came back without a scratch. At the time, I had no idea what was going on. Then she disappeared, and I worried for quite a while."

Deng and Zeng said at the same time, "No way..."

Rie said, feeling rather embarrassed, "I'm an assassin, so it's better for me to work alone..."

Deng was about to say something, but Zeng reminded them to check the time. It was ten-thirty, and it was time to go back to their rooms and get ready.

As the four of them left the room, they all wished one another luck...

Back in their room, Heming smiled, eager to see whether his idea would work, while Rie's thoughts had wandered elsewhere.