Qingxiao did not go straight to the shopping complex. First, he followed the direction Nanami had chased in earlier for a while.
The trail ended in a residential neighborhood. The other party had been cautious and left few traces.
He was just about to turn back when he looked over and saw two figures sitting on the stone steps by the river.
It was Itadori and a boy in a school uniform, who was probably Junpei Yoshino, the boy connected to the missing persons case.
The two were engrossed in conversation. Itadori gestured animatedly about something, while Junpei smiled with his head lowered, much of the gloom between his brows gone.
Ijichi's car was parked beneath the shade of a tree nearby. Ijichi was peering at them through binoculars, muttering to himself:
"They're really hitting it off... At this rate, we should be able to get some leads, right?"
Qingxiao said nothing. He silently opened the car door and settled into the passenger seat, waited two seconds, then drawled:
"What leads? Let's hear them."
With a clunk, the binoculars in Ijichi's hands dropped straight onto his legs.
He whipped his head around and saw Qingxiao leaning against the seat, twirling a set of brass knuckles. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest:
"M-Mr. Gu Yue?! When did you get in? How did I not hear a thing?"
"You were so focused on the kids. How could you have heard me?"
Qingxiao lifted his chin toward the river:
"Where's Nanami? Did he go after that Cursed Spirit?"
"I... I don't know. Mr. Nanami told us to make contact with him, but he didn't tell us what he was going to do."
Ijichi pushed up the glasses that had slipped to the tip of his nose and hurriedly picked up his