[September 8th, Sunday, 8:20 AM]

"We’re back!"

The shout that woke Duanmu Huai came from Banai, her excited scream as she pounded on the window, pointing outside.

"Look, we’re back!"

"Hmm?"

Duanmu Huai rubbed his eyes and sat up, gazing out the window. Outside was no longer the fog-shrouded, eerie world; they could clearly see the fields and houses beyond.

We really came back?

"Hey, everyone...!"

Soon, everyone gathered at the doorway, looking at the familiar street outside, and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"I thought we’d never come back."

"So, what should we do now?"

"Should we report it to the police?"

Having returned to the real world, everyone started thinking about other issues, while Chief Ooyama looked at Duanmu Huai, who shrugged his shoulders.

"You’re the police, you decide."

"Let’s report it."

Chief Ooyama thought for a moment before making a decision.

"Our situation is so incredible, even if we say it out loud, people will think we’re crazy. But the police investigation won’t immediately pin the crime on us as long as there’s no evidence proving we did it, so there should be no issue."

It sounded like he was admitting to the crime himself.

"Anyway, let’s first check on Miss Sakurai’s body...... we don’t even know if her body is still there."

Duanmu Huai stayed silent, simply nodding, then the group headed back to the dining room. The others were too scared to enter, only Duanmu Huai and Chief Ooyama stopped at the entrance and pushed the door open.

"......"

"Surprised?" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"No, not at all."

In the empty dining room, Duanmu Huai and Chief Ooyama silently exchanged glances.

Sakura Kahi’s body, which was supposed to be there, was nowhere to be seen.

"I thought so too. Could it have been eaten by that atmospheric monster?"

When the atmospheric monster destroyed the entire Western-style house, and since Sakura Kahi’s body wouldn’t have run away on its own, it wasn’t impossible that it was eaten.

"So?"

"Report her missing, just say that they’re gone and we couldn’t find them after searching."

"Fair enough, it’s definitely easier than explaining a body, let the police handle the rest."

After Chief Ooyama reported it, the police arrived quickly at the scene. They questioned everyone about where the missing people had gone, but everyone had already corroborated their story with Duanmu Huai, saying they didn’t know their whereabouts—this was natural since these people didn’t know each other, and their only common point was attending the house opening ceremony.

The police investigation was very thorough, they searched every corner of the Western-style house, but didn’t find any clues. Naturally, Fat Otaku Gongben and Professor Sato were gone, as well as Sakura Kahi and Mr. Ueno. The cars in the parking lot were not driven away, and there were no footprints around, as if they evaporated into thin air.

By the time the police finished their investigation, it was already evening.

"When can we leave?"

Sitting on a chair not far away, Chitanda asked anxiously, looking around with unease.

"What’s wrong? Are you nervous?"

Watching Chitanda, Duanmu Huai turned to her, and Chitanda nodded.

"I, I’m very uneasy. I’ve never seen so many police, and I’ve never been questioned by police. But......"

"But?"

"To be honest, I, I’m very curious."

Chitanda lifted her head, gazing at Duanmu Huai, her eyes sparkling.

"Did Mr. Ueno do all of this? Why did he do this? I’m really curious......"

"Yeah, indeed......"

Gazing at Chitanda, Duanmu Huai nodded, then he reached out, grabbing Chitanda in front of him.

"So, who exactly are you?"

"...... Ah? What, what are you saying, Ai?"

"You’re not planning to answer, are you."

Watching Chitanda in front of him, Duanmu Huai lowered his gaze, then lifted his head again, swinging a punch.

"—————!!"

Chitanda’s head flew high, spinning several times in mid-air, then hit the ground with a bang. And the headless body lost its strength, collapsing backward onto the chair, blood spurting from the neck, splattering across the wall.

"Ah?"

The sudden scene left everyone present stunned. But Duanmu Huai’s actions didn’t stop there; he grabbed Banai’s head, twisting it forcefully, slamming her into the wall, even before she realized what happened.

"Hey, what are you do......!"

Chief Ooyama leapt up, reaching out to grab Duanmu Huai, but Duanmu Huai kicked him in the chest, sending him flying. His bulky figure slammed into Composer Maekura standing in shock beside him, both of them crashed into the wall like flies hit by a swatter, blending together with a splat.

"Aaah—————!!"

Blood sprayed everywhere, and at this moment, Spicy Girl Ueda screamed loudly.

"What happened? What’s going on!?"

Hearing Spicy Girl Ueda’s scream, the door was flung open, and police rushed in, dumbfounded by what they saw.

"Th-they’ve all been killed by that murderer!"