An Unfortunate Start

(Brain Storage)

"Evidence? My word is evidence!"

The woman planted her hands on her hips and shrieked in an extraordinarily bizarre tone.

"You want to play the hero, huh? Fine! Let's see what you're capable of!"

"Oh? You've even got two women with you? Their hair is dyed all sorts of colors—they can't be anything decent either, right?"

"Birds of a feather flock together!"

"Rumble—"

Suddenly, peals of thunder sounded outside.

Lin Yiyi cried out and turned his head, only to see Ei's violet eyes faintly glowing.

"Hey, don't! This will blow things out of proportion!"

Lin Yiyi tugged at the corner of her clothes, finally making the God of Thunder stop. She frowned and asked:

"Are we really going to let her spout such nonsense?"

Looking at the vicious woman who spewed filth with every word, Lin Yiyi pondered:

"I don't think this was caused by a person."

At last, the woman left while cursing under her breath.

Lin Yiyi then brought Ei and Yae Miko to the two rooms they had booked.

Their rooms were on the thirteenth floor. Led by a hotel attendant, they used the keycard to open the doors.

The double room was numbered 1313, while Lin Yiyi's room was 1315. Thirteen was not exactly a lucky number.

The moment Lin Yiyi stepped into Room 1313, he felt an inexplicable chill that made him frown.

The room had already been cleaned and looked very tidy. However, unlike the hotel where he had stayed with Hu Tao and the others, this hotel used white lighting. A painting hung on the wall, depicting a woman who looked quite kind.

The furnishings were also carefully arranged. Whether it was the chairs, tables, or clothes hangers, everything had been placed with great care. The room looked crowded, yet extremely neat.

When Lin Yiyi sensed an indescribable resentment lingering in the room, he realized that there was something wrong with this hotel.

He immediately asked the attendant, "Did someone die in this hotel?"

The attendant's expression changed slightly before she replied:

"Yes. It was reported in the news."

Lin Yiyi quickly found the report on his phone. Put simply, about half a year ago, a woman had been raped and murdered.

And the room number had been 1313. Ever since then, strange incidents had continued occurring in this room, making people afraid to stay there.

At the same time, it had drawn the curiosity of some people. Those who came specifically for it, however, were rarely able to witness paranormal events firsthand.

There were a few exceptions who had indeed seen something, but there were too few of them, and their accounts lacked credibility, so the matter had never been resolved.

Good. This was right up his alley.

Lin Yiyi looked at the two women standing beside him and could not help smiling.

If something really happened tonight, it seemed he would not even need to make a move. With these two standing here, even ghosts from all directions would flee in panic, wouldn't they?

The attendant then briefly explained the room's amenities and precautions to them before leaving.

Lin Yiyi returned to his own room. After setting down his backpack, he lay on the bed.

That afternoon, Lin Yiyi noticed that young people gradually began arriving at the hotel, ranging from fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds to people around his own age.

After asking around, Lin Yiyi learned that they had booked this hotel in advance because they were attending the convention.

"This convention even has two special guests!"

A girl about Lin Yiyi's age said this to him.

"Who are they?"

"That hilarious Youyu and the super popular Jiang Yehua."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

Youyu was usually known for her comedic, prank-filled style, which had earned her the affection of most fans.

Jiang Yehua, meanwhile, was famous for her unbelievably beautiful face and her high-quality, highly accurate cosplays.

Nothing much happened that afternoon, aside from Lin Yiyi overhearing people discussing the sudden, fleeting flashes of lightning and thunder that had appeared earlier that day for no apparent reason.

So Lin Yiyi reminded Ei not to reveal too much of her divine power, or it would cause unusual weather phenomena.

Ei nodded dully while eating dessert, making it difficult for anyone to connect her with a god.

"Are you two going to the convention?"

That evening, Lin Yiyi sat in Room 1313 and watched television with them.

Earlier, Lin Yiyi had already explained conventions, group dances, and other offline gatherings for anime and gaming enthusiasts.

Upon hearing that people there might be dressed in outfits modeled after her, Yae Miko showed great interest.

"Come on, Ei. A place this fun deserves a proper visit."

"And there'll definitely be sweets there too, right?"

Yae Miko hooked her arm around Ei's, sounding as though she were acting cute, though she did not quite manage to look pitiful.

Unable to resist being tugged along by her, Ei could only nod in agreement.

After spending some time having fun, Lin Yiyi realized it was already eleven o'clock. He returned to his own room and prepared to sleep.

"Rumble! Crack—"

Suddenly, Lin Yiyi was awakened by the sound of lightning flashing.

"Looks like it's going to rain."

Then, he felt the hairs all over his body suddenly stand on end.

"?"

Ordinary thunder should not cause static electricity in someone staying inside a hotel. Lin Yiyi thought it over and felt that something was wrong.

He quickly put on his pants and knocked on the door across the hall.

When it opened, the first thing he saw was a pink-haired woman. Yae Miko had already learned how to wear the hotel bathrobe. Looking past her, he saw a woman in red backed into a corner, while Ei held Musou Isshin in her hand. Violet light flickered along her braid as she looked down at the woman in red.

For a moment, Lin Yiyi could not tell whether she was human or a ghost. If she was human, her skin was unnaturally pale, and traces of blood stained her face.

If she was a ghost, wasn't she having a rather miserable time of it?

Hearing the door open, Ei turned around. After recognizing him, she said:

"Is this a monster from your world?"

"Although it is a little stronger than monsters like hilichurls and slimes, it does not seem to have any other offensive abilities."

The young man sent away the people from neighboring rooms who had come out to watch the commotion, then entered Room 1313 and locked the door.

Lin Yiyi looked at the woman in red, utterly bewildered:

"Where did she come from?"

Ei put away Musou Isshin and replied:

"She appeared suddenly. Presumably because she saw someone had intruded."

Lin Yiyi fell into thought before walking toward the female ghost.

"You're the one behind the paranormal incidents in this room that have been circulating online lately, aren't you?"

The female ghost merely stared at the two of them in terror.

She had originally planned to come out and cause trouble again tonight, only to run into a tough opponent.

Lightning covered her from head to toe, one of the things ghosts feared most.

It was bad enough that there was an utterly terrifying purple-haired woman, but that pink-haired one did not look ordinary either.

Though she was not as powerful as the purple-haired woman, whenever their eyes met, the ghost felt utterly suppressed.

"Tch. I'm stupid for trying to talk to a dead person who doesn't use a phone."

"Whatever. Since you haven't harmed anyone today, climb in here yourself."

Lin Yiyi took out the hotel thermos, drew a taiji symbol on its bottom, and collected the ghost inside.