Not a detective

Page 163

"47."

"Itsuki said calmly."

Takeshita was almost completely overwhelmed; his legs went weak, and he didn't know what to do.

The number exploded in my ears like a gunshot, and Asakawa Riku's footsteps were even more frightening. I felt like he was almost there, but no matter how I looked left and right, I couldn't see him anywhere.

Assassins... the assassins are here!

It was just a game avatar, but at this moment it felt strangely fitting, and an invisible killing intent enveloped him, making it hard for him to breathe.

"48."

It was as if a knife was already at his throat, and with just a slight touch, blood would spurt out and his head would fall to the ground.

The pressure overwhelmed Takeshita. He began to regret why he had played this game, why he had chosen the "Statue" role. He shouldn't have done it this way...

Run away! Yes, I have to run! I have no choice but to run! It will be too late if I don't run now!

"49."

Takeshita's mind was filled with this one thought. In a split second of rapid thought, he remembered that the assassin's condition for victory was to "touch the wooden figure's body."

Yes, it was a moment of inspiration. If he had run fast enough, he could have hidden himself or avoided Asakawa Riku and not been touched by him.

He wins if he can stall for 999 seconds!

Asakawa Riku could only move one step per second; he was too slow, there was absolutely no way he could catch up with him… absolutely no way…

"50."

"Okay, it's over."

All thoughts abruptly halted as Takeshita turned around.

A hand reached in through the window and pressed an acupoint below his shoulder, freezing him in place and rendering him unable to move an inch.

Zashiki-warashi no Aki: Chapter Thirty-Six - The Unknown Path

"...You...you're outside the window...how is this possible..."

Tomoya Takeshita was completely dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at Asakawa Riku, who had climbed in through the window, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Yes, the view outside the window is also part of this floor, so I shouldn't have violated any rules."

Asakawa Riku smiled gently and patted his shoulder again: "If it's just a touch, then I win, okay?"

Takeshita was both angry and ashamed, and wanted to push his hand away, not wanting to be so intimate.

But to his astonishment, he found that he couldn't even lift his hands, let alone walk. His body was completely stiff in place, and he had no control over it at all.

It felt like my soul had left my body; I desperately wanted to move, but could only tremble involuntarily, as if I were locked up by something, which was extremely uncomfortable.

"You...what have you done...! You bastard!"

"Ah, sorry sorry."

Asakawa Riku smiled sheepishly. He then used his fingers to tap the other person's body again, releasing the blocked acupoints.

He was really afraid that this guy might accidentally slip away, so he used acupressure to seal his body and forgot to undo it: "It's fine now."

"What...what is it?"

Takeshita staggered and almost fell. He quickly took two steps back and looked at Asakawa Riku as if he were a monster.

He had no idea what this guy had done to make his body move one moment and then be unable to move the next; it was simply incomprehensible!

"I won, senior. Do you have any other comments?"

Asakawa Riku was still asking.

Takeshita couldn't accept this fact. He thought to himself, "What a joke!" and quickly reached for the window to look outside: "How is this possible? Where did you come from?!"

The view outside the window is five stories high, which might even make someone with a fear of heights feel uneasy. There are no ropes, no flat surfaces to walk on, and nowhere to put your feet.

How could footsteps make noise in a place like this... in a place like this?!

"Just hold onto the window frame and walk on the wall. Even rock climbing experts can do that, it's not difficult, right?"

Asakawa Riku replied matter-of-factly, "I was afraid you'd find out. Why couldn't you figure it out?"

His words were sincere, but they sounded so harsh to Takeshita that he immediately blushed and gritted his teeth to hold back.

"How could an ordinary person do that! Are you kidding me? You must have used some kind of trick!"

Without any skill, how can you hold onto the edge of a window with your fingers and walk on the outside while suspended in mid-air?

This wasn't just a second or two; he persisted for fifty seconds, moving forward slowly through the air, little by little, without even seeming to exert much effort.

This requires not only extraordinary finger grip strength, but also the psychological pressure of falling if one missteps. Falling from a height of more than 20 meters would at least result in permanent disability.

How did Asakawa Riku manage to do that...? Takeshita leaned out and carefully examined everything, but couldn't see any trace of any props.

Could it really be... that's how it happened?

"Is that how it is? Can I demonstrate it for you again?"

Asakawa Riku patted him on the shoulder, which startled him, and he quickly backed out of the window.

He even felt like he was the one walking outside, almost falling and dying.

"No... no need."

But he still couldn't accept it. It was one thing to be able to do something like that, but how on earth did Asakawa Riku come up with such a method...?

Not only did it evade his deadly "zero-second check," it even exceeded expectations, approaching from an unimaginable position.

How could someone as simple-minded and physically strong as Asakawa Riku possibly be driven to this point!

"Did you teach him?"

Takeshita stared at Higashigumo Sugetsuki with suspicion.

It seems only this woman could have come up with this method.

“No, that’s not it.” Dongyun Sueyue quickly shook her head and immediately retorted, “He came up with this himself, it has nothing to do with me.”

She wasn't lying. Before the game even started, she was worried that Asakawa Riku might be trying to throw the game away quickly.

However, when she saw his note with the number "999", she instantly understood Asakawa Riku's intention and strategy.

So she immediately calmed down and began to host the game.

"He's my assistant, how could you possibly defeat him? Of course you'd lose miserably, how pathetic."

Mo Yue remained sharp-tongued, showing no mercy as she spoke.

Asakawa Riku's progress was indeed terrifying. Through learning in the previous two levels, he had already mastered the detective's method of "exploiting loopholes in the rules" and how to lure opponents in impossible directions, and unexpectedly set up a trap in the early stages, gradually approaching victory. This victory was absolutely exhilarating.

Thinking back to the beginning, he seemed to be helping Shinonome Suetsuki get some fresh air, but the window he opened unintentionally was already part of his whole plan.

This way, the sound of opening the window can be masked, and once the game starts, you can climb out without being noticed by the opponent.

To be honest, even Shinonome Suezuki herself had to admit that she was also deceived at the beginning and never expected Asakawa Riku to do this.

Having a brain isn't enough; you also need the physical ability to support this plan. If you can't "walk in mid-air" like him, then there's no point in even talking about it.

This was a way of moving forward that only Asakawa Riku could come up with, a plan that only he could complete.

"Do you know why they still chose to send me out for the previous three trials, even though they knew I wasn't a student at this school, instead of Asakawa Riku?"

Dongyun Sueyue sneered: "If it were me, it would be a normal battle of wits and psychology. But if he were to take the stage, he would win using a weirdo's methods, and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

"This doesn't sound like a compliment..."

Asakawa Riku was helpless.

He clearly won through legitimate means and with his brain.

But this didn't stop Moyue; she continued her relentless barrage of attacks, almost as if she had triggered a deadly rhythm:

"Do you know why you lost? Because you didn't treat Asakawa Riku like a human being the whole time. You looked down on him, so you couldn't even imagine what he would do. Instead, you clung to your 'winning strategy' and thought you would win. Let me guess, why are you so hostile? Is it resentment? Is it jealousy...? Is it because you have someone you admire, but she falls for Asakawa Riku? Ah, judging from your expression, I guessed right. But that's exactly why you lost. You were blinded by jealousy, but you can't see anything, can you?"

It seemed the headache was making her irritable and unable to control her emotions. Seeing Dongyun Sueyue's increasingly sour face and mouth, Asakawa Riku had no choice but to forcibly pull her away.

"Sorry... Senior, shall we go over there then?"

He smiled and made a gesture, then walked past the bewildered Takeshita Tomoya and up the last flight of stairs.

Zashiki-warashi no Aki: Chapter 37, Level 5

Asakawa Riku helped Shinonome Suetsuki up the last step and headed towards the rooftop.

Along the way, he also saw an empty wall at a corner, where there should have been a mirror, a real mirror that could predict the future, but unfortunately it had been broken.

He wasn't in the mood to think about those things right now. Mo Yue, who was beside him, seemed to be in a bad state. Her breathing and heartbeat were unusually fast, and her hands and feet were ice cold.

The woman had lost her usual vitality (although she used to be languid), looked sickly, and had a furrowed brow.

Asakawa Riku seemed to empathize with her pain. Headaches and toothaches are probably the two most unbearable types of pain. Although they are not intense, the long-term torment makes one feel like there is no end in sight.

He suggested that we stop being stubborn and go back, but Moyue insisted that there would be medicine there.

In that instant, Asakawa Riku suddenly understood something.

The rooftop door, which had been firmly secured with seals and locks, was finally opened. It was slightly ajar and could be pushed open easily, allowing Asakawa Riku to step inside.

The first thing I felt was the cool autumn breeze, the girl's skirt fluttering slightly in the wind, and the look in her eyes as she turned around.

"Asakawa-kun, you really came."

"You really are the student council president."

Yes, the final boss standing there is none other than Hoshimi Kohae.

Her blonde hair was styled into a pretty side ponytail, which added a touch of fashion to her ordinary school uniform.

Since returning from her summer school trip, she has stopped wearing wigs. Although this initially surprised many of her classmates and teachers, she insisted that it was dyed hair (even though it was her original hair color). Moreover, without colored contact lenses, her bright blue eyes were very noticeable, highlighting Hoshino's original charm and making her even more adorable.

Perhaps she wanted to "be herself" and stop pretending.

Does this school allow hair dyeing and colored contact lenses? I've rarely seen Asakawa Riku wearing them among my classmates. Is it a privilege reserved for the student council president?

"I've always been the president, starting this year."

Xingyu turned her whole body around, causing her ponytail to sway gently.

It was dusk, and the autumn evening was full of the charm of sunset. The reddish-brown sky was painted with color, and her eyes, like snowballs in the sunlight, shimmered quietly.

That's the feeling of the sea, silent and still, only when you realize its boundless vastness:

"You just didn't notice me, didn't you, Asakawa-kun? You didn't realize I was a classmate at first, and now you don't realize I'm the student council president. You've been ignoring me all along. I'm so sad."

"A year ago, you were a freshman in high school, right? You joined the student council then, and became the president in your sophomore year?"

Asakawa Riku sighed helplessly, "Most people wouldn't have thought of that."

He still remembered how difficult it was to get into the student council of this school. Class representative Kato had to work hard just to maintain his position as an accountant. If he remembered correctly, the vice president was a senior in high school.

Why did Xingyu become the president so easily?

"because--"

"I'll talk," Dongyun Sueyue finally spoke, her voice tinged with resentment as she interrupted, "Could you give me the medicine first?"

Asakawa Riku suddenly felt a little embarrassed, because the fact that "the president is Hoshino" was a bit unexpected, and he had accidentally forgotten that the detective was still in a state of emergency.

Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out, but Xingyu was clearly taken aback: "Medicine?"

Then, Mo Yue pointed, and Xing Yu fumbled in his pocket before realizing what was going on:

"Oh, this one, here you go."

She tossed over a slender, transparent medicine bottle, which Asakawa Riku caught precisely. He twisted off the cap and poured two or three pills into Suezuki's palm.

Mo Yue was still not satisfied. As if looking at a cafeteria aunt with shaky hands, she lifted the end of the medicine bottle again, squeezed out a few more pills, and quickly poured them into her mouth.

While she chewed and closed her eyes to rest, digesting the effects of the medicine, Xingyu continued her narration:

"But I am indeed the student council president. I was the one who pushed for the handling of the Kasahara Shizue incident last year. I not only found out the truth about the school bullying, but also protected Kasahara, who was bullied, and got the bullying group that started it expelled from school. It didn't cause a major public opinion incident. The school and parents were very satisfied, so they put me in charge."

"You actually did this?"