Uzuki was walking along the pedestrian street when she suddenly caught sight of a man’s retreating figure. Even with only his back visible, Uzuki identified him with absolute clarity—it was the prince charming of her heart. She never imagined that in a city as vast as Tokyo, she would run into him on the street.
“Sijin!”
The man walking ahead abruptly turned around. Uzuki broke into a delighted smile. It really was Gao Sijin.
Perhaps in the eyes of others, Gao Sijin was utterly unremarkable, but to Uzuki, he was exceptionally easy to pick out. He wore a clean white dress shirt, the collar slightly open, making him look a bit slender. His hair was neatly groomed. What Uzuki loved most about Gao Sijin was his sincere and gentle smile.
The distance between them was about fifty meters. Uzuki broke into a jog, quickly closing the gap.
“Uzuki, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Neither did I! I’m so happy.” Uzuki smiled sweetly. She recalled that her cousin Rio had recently gone abroad due to family matters. However, even with Cousin Rio absent, Uzuki would never dare to act out of line. She was not as outstanding as Rio, nor as ruthless. The only thing she could do was hang her head low and secretly cherish her feelings for the man who had pulled her from that abyss.
“Every time I see Uzuki, she seems more and more cheerful,” Gao Sijin said, looking at Uzuki, who was half a head shorter than him, as if she were his younger sister. “Fate brought us together. How about we go sit in the nearby McDonald’s?”
“Sure, I was just thinking I’d like to chat with you, Sijin.”
Uzuki walked alongside Gao Sijin. Running into him on the road today was an unexpected delight. Compared to a prearranged meeting, an encounter was far more romantic, as if the God of Fate had invisibly strung a red thread between them. In many of the romance dramas Uzuki had watched lately, love stories often began quietly with such encounters.
Though, despite such thoughts, Uzuki only let her imagination run wild in private. She never dared to openly confess these feelings. She was not qualified to enjoy such pure love. Hanging her little head low, she followed Gao Sijin inside McDonald’s.
Inside, a few patrons caught sight of the tattoos on Uzuki’s body and cast disgusted, fearful glances her way.
“Are you alright, Uzuki?”
“It’s fine. I’m used to it, hehe.” Being hated simply for her tattoos was not something that could wound Uzuki.
Gao Sijin ordered two combo meals, carried the tray, and sat down with Uzuki in a corner booth on the second floor.
“By the way, why is Sijin here today?”
“I just came from the Editorial Department,” Gao Sijin said, squeezing out some ketchup to dip his fries in. “My second volume is about to be published, you know? Today’s Sunday, so I went to see Editor Mishima to do some final wrap-up work.”
“As expected of Sijin. You’re so amazing…”
Uzuki’s eyes shone as she deeply admired Gao Sijin’s work as an author.
“It’s really nothing that special. If Uzuki wanted to write, you’d definitely produce something even better than mine.”
“No, I have absolutely no talent for that,” Uzuki said, shaking her head with a mixture of awe and trepidation. She took small bites of her pineapple pie. “I’m really looking forward to your second volume.”
“Your anticipation is my honor.”
The two continued chatting casually about publishing-related topics, with Uzuki’s gaze fixed on Gao Sijin’s face the whole time. Uzuki possessed exceptionally sensitive eyes. She kept feeling that Sijin was somehow different from usual, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on what had changed.
“Sijin, do you have something on your mind?”
“What makes you say that?”
“It’s nothing specific… I just have this feeling you’re hiding some kind of worry. It would be nice if I could help.”
Uzuki’s eyes stared intently at Gao Sijin’s face. He gazed absently out the window at the cars rushing past.
“It’s nothing, really.”
What happened last night—being forcibly kissed by Yu Qingxue in the ocean—was still vivid in his mind. She had also said many things that sounded completely ludicrous at first, leaving Gao Sijin unable to fully recover even now. His heart was currently consumed by a sense of immorality. He kept the secret because Yu Qingxue had claimed that she would die if it were ever revealed. But this way, he had no idea how to face Rio. Qingxue also claimed that Rio was deeply harming herself, and that even his own memories were fake—altered.
All these absurd claims, comparable to the wildest fantasy tales, left Gao Sijin unable to calm his heart. The reason he hadn’t gone straight home after leaving the Editorial Department today was precisely to take a walk and clear his mind. He wondered if Uzuki might also be part of constructing this “Truman Show World.”
“By the way, Uzuki…”
Just as Gao Sijin was about to speak, Uzuki’s phone vibrated. She quickly pulled it out and read the message carefully.
“It’s from Aoi.”
The message read:
Meeting at the school gate tonight at 11:30 PM. Remember to bring flashlights. We are going to verify the authenticity of the Seven School Mysteries one by one. The team will be divided into three groups. Once all groups have confirmed their findings, we will regroup at the entrance of the Old School Building. If anyone is scared and does not want to come, reply immediately so I can reassign people. Over.
Seeing Uzuki so intently focused on the message, Gao Sijin had no choice but to keep quiet. The sender seemed to be one of Uzuki’s friends. Uzuki’s attachment to her friends was far more obsessive than that of an average person.
After reading it, Uzuki looked back at Gao Sijin. “Sijin, what were you saying just now?”
“It’s nothing. But Uzuki, your complexion turned rather pale while reading that message. Did something happen?”
Uzuki pressed her dry, pale lips together and said, “Does Sijin remember the Seven School Mysteries I mentioned before? Tonight, one of my friends is organizing an investigation into their authenticity.”
A few days ago, after leaving Hayabusa’s apartment, Gao Sijin and Uzuki had talked about the Seven Mysterious Events. Several of them sounded terrifying just from description. Looking at the young girl before him, Gao Sijin swallowed and said, “Can you not go? I’m a little worried about you.”
“It’s fine, Sijin. You don’t need to worry about me.” Warmed by his concern, Uzuki spoke softly, “There’s no such thing as real supernatural entities in this world.”
“What if something bad happens?”
“It definitely won’t. And I’m quite interested in the Seven Mysteries myself. If I don’t go, I’ll definitely regret it,” Uzuki said, feigning calm.
“Uzuki, you actually don’t want to go either, but if you skip out, you’re worried your friends will ostracize you, right?” Gao Sijin could tell she was lying. If she truly liked it, she wouldn’t be trembling slightly, her face suddenly pale, her lower lip taut.
“Sijin, if you already know what’s on my mind, you should understand even more why you shouldn’t stop me. I’ve finally managed to join my friends’ inner circle. I have to treasure it. I absolutely refuse to go back to being alone again!” Uzuki clenched her fists, speaking with fierce determination.
“How about this, Uzuki? Take me along too. I’ve been writing supernatural-themed stories lately. Joining in would be perfect for gathering material.”
“I’m sorry, Sijin. My classmates and I are in the same circle, and we’re all girls. If I rashly brought you along, I’m worried I’d upset them,” Uzuki shook her head, rejecting Gao Sijin’s request to accompany her.
She looked back at her phone. Everyone was eager to explore the Seven Mysteries tonight, because none of them believed the supernatural truly existed. Only Uzuki had genuinely witnessed it with her own eyes—her mother had been brutally killed by a supernatural entity.
But that didn’t mean the school would have any. Uzuki tried to convince herself with this self-suggestion.
