Half an hour later, both Naoya-san and Ryuga stopped in front of a modern white concrete two-story building.
"So, this is the place?"
"Yup, this is it. Let's go inside, they must be waiting."
"Cool house. What do they do?"
"Business. They own a restaurant in Kurokami."
"Hmmm… never heard of them. Even though it's my birthplace."
"There are a lot of things you've never heard of. Sometimes I get scared of your cluelessness. And trust me when I say, lack of common sense is frightening."
"I don't see how those two statements correlate. If you're trying to ragebait me, do better, unc."
"Fuck you. Go inside!"
Ryuga shrugged and stepped forward. His eyes swept over the neighboring houses and the people wandering by in fashionable clothes.
The whole district radiated wealth. Only successful, well-off families lived there.
'By these standards… they kind of fell off. Hah! Must suck being the poorest one here.'
Knock! Knock!
Naoya-san knocked on the door after ringing the doorbell, just in case it didn't work. From experience, he'd dealt with enough cases where such a small thing wasted far too much time.
Thankfully, this time he didn't have to wait an hour before someone came to answer. The door opened to reveal Mr. Kurodo, a middle-aged man dressed in formal attire.
He looked kind and composed, yet his expression was downcast. Dark circles sat beneath his eyes, and his complexion was pale and strained.
The moment he saw Naoya-san, a faint spark of hope lit in his dull eyes, and a tired smile tugged at his lips.
Smiling softly, he gestured for them to come in. "Please, come inside. My wife and I have been waiting for you."
Naoya-san and Ryuga both bowed politely and took off their shoes before stepping into the house.
"Mr. Kurodo, this is Kami Ryuga," Naoya-san introduced. "He's my subordinate and a specialist in dealing with the supernatural. I know he may look young and unreliable, but you have my word, he's the real deal when it comes to this kind of thing."
Ryuga casually waved. "Hello, nice to meet you. You have a really nice house. I loved the architecture, especially how well the lawn's maintained. Did you plant those peony flowers? They look awesome."
From casual waving, Ryuga stepped closer and shook Mr. Kurodo's hand. A proud smile tugged at Mr. Kurodo's lips now, different from the strained hopeful one he had earlier.
"Haha, it's nice that someone appreciates it. Please, come inside. Would you like some tea, coffee, or perhaps juice?"
Naoya-san shook his head. "No, no. No need for such formali—"
"How about we have an evening snack? Maybe even a light lunch wouldn't hurt."
Ryuga cut him off smoothly, maintaining a calm and peaceful smile under Naoya-san's sharp glare. Which was quickly averted.
Mr. Kurodo was taken aback by the bluntness but didn't seem to mind. Gesturing politely, he led them toward the living room.
"Please, go this way. I'll get the snacks ready."
"Ah, and one thing. Make sure to invite your son. That's the most important part."
Mr. Kurodo understood exactly what Ryuga meant. He nodded once and went deeper inside to prepare the snacks.
In the living room, Ryuga sat leisurely on the sofa with his legs crossed. Beside him, to his right Naoya-san sat still, lost in thought.
That look on his face caught Ryuga's attention. "What's with the expression? Did you find a clue or something? Don't tell me that supernatural crap is finally getting into your head."
"No, nothing like that. I was just… thinking about the mansion from the other day. The one with the dead body you found."
"Hmmm… what about it? Any clues? Any idea who the body was? From the looks of it, she seemed young, probably a university student."
"The police might know, but they're gatekeeping the info. There's not much I can do."
"Then what's with the tension?"
"It's just… the way it was preserved. The way the whole place was kept intact, and how the place remained so clean. It's eerie. Almost as if the killer kept coming back… to maintain it. Like they had some purpose… some other purpose with the body."
Ryuga's eyes widened. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Naoya-san snapped out of his stupor instantly, his entire attention now fixed on Ryuga. The reaction had clearly taken him by surprise.
"What did I say? Didn't you, yourself, turn the place upside down to look for the body? I don't believe you didn't notice how absurd it was."
"That's the fucking point. It was a rundown place—filled with cobwebs, dust, and dirt. Infested with insects and their carcasses. It wasn't pristine!"
Ryuga couldn't believe what Naoya-san had just said. He and his group had searched that place themselves. The room being the dirtiest of all had been mentioned during their discussion, and not one of them had pointed out anything unusual.
Which meant he wasn't hallucinating. The room was dirty.
'Wait a minute…'
There was one way to truly confirm it. The video footage of their search was the biggest piece of evidence.
He quickly pulled out his phone and messaged Souta, asking for the footage. Coincidentally, Souta was online and sent it right away.
Ryuga didn't waste a second. He fast-forwarded the video until it reached the part where they were ransacking the bedroom.
"Look. Take a look at this. That place was dirty as hell, what the fuck are you talking about?"
He practically shoved the phone in Naoya-san's face, showing the exact scene where he, Ryouma, Souta, and Daichi had searched the filthy room.
Seeing it, Naoya-san swallowed hard. He didn't say a word, only took out his own phone and played a video.
The moment it began, Ryuga's eyes trembled. The place in the video was all too familiar. It was the same room… the same fucking bedroom where they had found the body.
But the difference was staggering. The entire place was spotless. Not a speck of dust remained. It looked as though someone had wiped it clean down to the last grain of dirt.