"It looks like an apple seed."
Meng Fan pinched it between his fingertips and examined it.
"Um, Meng Fan, what did you learn in the dream just now?" Himeno asked.
"The devil told the noodle shop owner to find him at a church."
"Which church?"
"He didn't make it clear. All he said was 'big.'"
"Are there any churches with 'big' in their names?"
"Tokyo St. Mary's Cathedral is a twenty-minute drive from here," Aki Hayakawa said.
"A cathedral," Meng Fan repeated. The Chinese word did contain the character for "big," and it was nearby, too.
"All right, let's go to Tokyo St. Mary's Cathedral. The mastermind behind the apple case might be at the church."
Once Meng Fan finished speaking, the three turned to head for Tokyo St. Mary's Cathedral.
But when they looked back, Meng Fan was still standing there.
"Why aren't you coming?"
"You go ahead. I'll catch up in a bit."
"Then we'll wait for you at the entrance," Himeno said.
The three then walked farther and farther away.
After they had gone some distance past the corner,
Himeno suddenly stopped and grabbed Aki Hayakawa. "Let's go back and see what Meng Fan is up to."
Aki Hayakawa paused in surprise, but he was curious, too.
After all, they had seen Meng Fan secretly fiddling with things at crime scenes many times.
So the two returned to the corner to investigate.
But as soon as they poked their heads around it, their vision began to blur.
Their bodies slowly went limp and sank down.
Himeno fell facedown first.
Aki Hayakawa followed, landing on Himeno's back.
The two slept in a heap.
"Hey, what's wrong with you two?" Denji patted Aki Hayakawa's back.
"They're fine. They're just having nightmares."
"Master, you gave them nightmares!"
"That's right. That's