Not a detective

Page 35

"Just like Chizuko said..."

He easily broke free from Mr. Matsuyama's strong pull and walked forward.

"Ah Lu, you can't go!" Haoji immediately grabbed him: "Then, then..."

His voice was filled with fear.

—That couldn't possibly be something from this world.

"In short, you can't go."

"But……"

Perhaps, as Chizuko often said, it's impossible to observe incredible things without inspiration.

If she belongs to this world, it is by no means inconceivable.

However, this is not the world we live in.

Therefore, she does not belong to this world.

If she doesn't belong to this world, then...

The girl stood still for a moment, facing this direction.

Her eyes were lifeless, and her face was expressionless...

No, the girl is glaring at them.

He stared at them with eyes that had no pupils.

Time stood still for a brief moment.

No, I can't leave this place.

Asakawa Riku averted his gaze.

When he looked back, the girl was gone.

"what……"

—It's a monster.

—Treat her like a monster.

I see. What you said isn't entirely unreasonable, Chizuko.

For some reason, I started to feel intensely envious of her.

Summer of the Snow Woman: Chapter Thirteen - The Situation Inside the House

After returning to the room, the intense dizziness gradually subsided.

Everyone made way for the three who had gone out on the adventure to warm themselves by the fireplace. Teacher Matsuyama and Hiroki were both quite cold, and their skin was red.

Asakawa Riku remained silent. He glanced at the seated Yukie, then looked away.

...very similar, but not the same person.

The girl dancing in the snow and the serene shrine maiden share some similarities in appearance, and although their hair colors are different, they are often mistaken for each other.

However, the two have completely different temperaments and their eyes are also completely opposite. Moreover, Yukie stayed in the house the whole time and did not go out, which means that they are definitely not the same person.

Are they twins? Or two people who look very alike?

Is it a yokai that has transformed into Yuki's appearance?

Those clear eyes glanced at Asakawa Riku, tilted their heads slightly in confusion, but offered no answer.

"Without a way out, and without equipment and supplies, it's impossible to survive in a blizzard like this."

Mr. Matsuyama gave his summary with a grim expression, and everyone's expression turned grim as well.

No one could have imagined encountering such an unexpected disaster in the summer. Everyone was wearing either T-shirts or shirts and couldn't help but shiver.

The atmosphere of despair made the temperature even colder.

Principal Komiya was silent for a moment, then clapped his hands: "Everyone, let's look for equipment and supplies in this room, maybe we'll find some..."

This is everyone's last hope.

"Yeah, with such a big house, they might even have winter clothes or something, haha." Haoji laughed awkwardly twice.

So Principal Komiya, along with those who were still able to move, began searching the house.

It took about thirty minutes, but since there was no clock, the exact time may not be accurate.

This house has three floors. In addition to the first floor hall, dining room, and kitchen that I mentioned earlier, and the eight rooms on the second and third floors, there is also a small attic.

However, there was practically nothing in the attic. The clutter and discarded furniture were covered in a layer of dust, making it dark and rotten, as if no one had been up there for a long time.

There was no basement in the house, or at least no entrance was found. It's also unclear whether there was a hidden room, as the structure suggests it doesn't exist.

In short, the search results for this house were not ideal:

First, there was no cold-weather gear, thermal clothing, down jackets, or anything like that. The thickest thing we had was a blanket to cover ourselves, but that couldn't completely keep out the cold.

Secondly, just as Asakawa Riku said, the power to the room was cut off, and the lights couldn't be turned on. It would probably be pitch black at night.

Third, there was no electricity, but there was still water. Turning on the tap, water would flow out, although it was cold and bone-chilling, but at least there was no need to worry about dying of thirst.

"Even if the water supply is cut off, we can still shovel snow, melt it, and drink it."

"Ah."

Fourth, there was no food.

Water is not a concern; food is the most terrifying thing.

After opening the refrigerator in the kitchen (although refrigerators can't work without electricity), I found that it was completely empty.

Principal Xiao Gong led everyone to search from the first floor to the third floor, but still found nothing edible, including canned food, reserve food, compressed biscuits, and the like—nothing at all.

In an instant, his pale face turned ashen.

The crowd looked at each other, the silence overwhelming everything, and a terrifying pressure fell on everyone's hearts like a blizzard.

They got lost yesterday, which means they haven't eaten for two whole days. They slept through the night in agony, and if they still can't get food today...

...They're probably going to starve.

The sounds of rummaging through things grew louder and louder. He picked up something, quickly dropped it in disappointment, and it hit the floor with a discordant sound.

The emotional distress caused by low blood sugar will gradually escalate, and the despair of not being able to fill one's stomach is more urgent and anxious than the lack of rescue.

If this continues, thin women may faint first, and the consequence of burning fat will be further hypothermia, or even loss of consciousness.

If this continues, it could very well lead to a mad ending of "cannibalism," as hunger will awaken people's most primal instincts and desires.

Can't wait any longer.

“Everyone.” Asakawa Riku stood up, wanting to break the atmosphere of despair.

However, no one paid him any attention, because everyone was still helplessly searching every corner of the house, looking for something to stuff into their stomachs.

In this situation, positive speeches are useless; to get everyone up and running, we must take some concrete actions.

"Just wait a moment."

So he said that, without any explanation, and walked out of the room.

It wasn't until the door to the room rang that everyone turned around and glanced at it. Asakawa Riku had gone out? Why? Nobody knew.

Some people seem to have seen him walk into the blizzard without even putting on a blanket.

...

boom.

The door was opened.

As the cold wind rushed in, a heavy sound rang out; it was Asakawa Riku throwing the things he was carrying on his shoulder onto the floor.

He said, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

It turned out to be a deer.

It was as big as a person, with soft fur. Whether it had fainted or died, it stood upright and motionless, attracting everyone's attention.

Ignoring the surprised looks on everyone's faces, Asakawa Riku slowly shook off the snow from his body. It seemed that there was no blood on his body, and pure white snowflakes fell down.

Like a big dog that has just finished pulling a sled.

But the prey before him indicated that he was not such a benevolent species, but rather more like a ferocious wolf that had just finished hunting.

“This is… a deer from the mountains.” Yukie stood up, looking surprised.

"Yes, I went hunting. Most animals hibernate in winter, so it's not easy to find suitable prey."

Asakawa Riku explained, and he patiently asked, "Would this violate any taboos of your shrine?"

"It's alright... as long as it's for people's food, it should be eaten with gratitude."

Yukie clasped her hands together and bowed deeply, expressing her gratitude not only to the dead deer but also to Asakawa Riku who had returned from the hunt.

"That's good."

Riku Asakawa doesn't actually care about the taboos of the shrine.

In this emergency, even if Yuki expresses her objections, she cannot overcome people's hunger. In order to survive, rules and such are irrelevant.

He casually tossed the rabbits he was holding onto the floor: "Now, that should satisfy our food needs for a while."

"Asakawa-kun..."

Mr. Matsuyama stood up.

At first, he thought he was the only one acting strangely, but looking at the expressions on the faces of the others, they also seemed to be filled with surprise and uncertainty.

That's ridiculous. Asakawa Riku was only gone for a little over ten minutes... He didn't have a bow and arrow, a spear, a hunting rifle, a trap, or any hunting tools.

How did he manage to bring back so much prey in such a blizzard?

"How...how did you do it?"

Summer of the Snow Woman: Chapter Fourteen - A Feeling of Loss

Asakawa Riku's answer was: With enough training, it is possible to do it.

Although few people took his words seriously, they were not actually lying.

His physical condition was sufficient to make him immune to cold under normal circumstances, including the extreme low temperatures of blizzards, which he could not withstand. His senses were so keen that he could detect the scents in the air and the footprints in the snow to determine the habitat of wild animals. This is how Asakawa Riku found the location of his prey.

He slowed his pace, lowered his body, and silenced his breathing to reduce his presence. This was child's play for him, as he moved through the snow like an assassin.

The snow falling on my body became the best camouflage in this white paradise.

The boy in white walked step by step to the oblivious deer and stood beside it for a while, but the deer still did not notice that something was approaching.

The man and the deer walked side by side in this strange and mysterious otherworldly forest, like a beautiful natural painting.

"Sorry." Finally, Asakawa Riku smiled and punched the startled deer, knocking it unconscious.

Hunting is actually that simple.

Of course, Asakawa Riku didn't explain these details to them. He was experienced; he knew that if he said these things, they would probably just be taken as a joke.

"Thank you so much..."

"You are amazing."

"God—"

In truth, no one wanted to investigate. To the starving crowd, Asakawa Riku, who brought back food, was like a savior.

They thanked him profusely, some even with tears in their eyes. Several adults were no exception, and even Mr. Takagi, who had maintained a stern expression, bowed his head to express his gratitude.

"Thank you."

"It's alright. As for the cooking, I'll leave it to everyone."

He smiled, guessing that even if he said he conjured the food using magic, no one would care.

Teacher Matsuyama and a few others skinned and butchered the deer. The cooking was handled by two women, Yukie and Komiya, but Yukie was the one who did the cooking.