"Yukiko, your neck…"
Yuka Takahashi shoved off the two girls grappling with her and rushed to Yukiko Fujimine's side, pulling a tissue from her pocket to staunch the wound on her friend's neck.
"Don't worry, Yuka," Yukiko laughed brightly. "It's totally fake! Try it yourself if you don't believe me!"
Caught off guard, Yuka watched as Yukiko swiped the dagger across the back of her hand.
Blood gushed instantly, but Yuka froze.
"This… why doesn't it hurt?"
"Why would it hurt? This dagger's a fake!" Yukiko declared.
She held up the dagger for all to see, pressing down hard on the blade. A stream of dark red liquid spurted from the tip.
"See that, everyone?" Yukiko shouted. "This woman's a fraud! She has no psychic powers whatsoever!"
Her evidence was undeniable. The two girls who'd been tussling with Yuka exchanged a glance, not daring to stir more trouble. They hurriedly helped the psychic up and scurried toward the underpass exit.
"You little brat, this isn't over!" the psychic spat venomously as she fled.
"No wonder those two girls kept praising the psychic's readings and claiming she cured their illnesses," Yukiko realized. "They're in on it—her accomplices!"
"They were wearing Teitan uniforms too," Yuka said nervously. "They might even be upperclassmen. We ruined their scam today—what if they come after us at school?"
"What's there to fear?" Yukiko scoffed. "They're the ones scamming people. If they try anything, we'll report them to the police and spread word of what they did. They'll be the ones expelled."
"I hope so…" Yuka sighed, regretting ever listening to Yukiko and getting mixed up in this mess.
"Come on, don't worry," Yukiko reassured her. "If anything happens, we'll just go to Shuichi. He'll know what to do."
As the two girls talked, the crowd around them, now aware of the psychic's deception, grew furious. Some who'd been swindled stormed forward, smashing the psychic's stall to bits.
Amid the chaos, two officers from the local police box rushed into the underpass. "Freeze! We got a report of a scam here!"
After stabilizing the scene, the officers began questioning witnesses.
Yukiko proudly recounted how she'd exposed the psychic's tricks, her face practically begging for praise.
Yuka, curious, asked, "Officers, was it one of the victims who reported this?"
If so, the psychic would've been caught without their interference, making their efforts pointless.
"The caller wasn't a victim," Officer Kitano said, glancing at Yukiko. "You know him, Miss Fujimine."
"I know him?" Yukiko blinked, confused. "Who could I possibly know?"
"Can't you just spit it out?" Officer Yoshioka grumbled. "It was Shuichi who called us. He tipped us off about a scam in the underpass and warned there might be trouble, so we hurried over."
"Shuichi? How did he…" Yukiko trailed off, realization dawning. "That jerk! He must've followed us here!"
"Calm down," Yuka chuckled. "Shuichi was probably just worried about you, so he tailed us."
"Worried about me?!" Yukiko's face flushed as she protested. "He's just obsessed with sticking his nose into cases. He can't resist meddling in stuff like this!"
"Stop pretending," Yuka rolled her eyes. "You're secretly thrilled, so just admit it."
"I-I'm not!" Yukiko stomped her foot, but the upturned corners of her mouth betrayed her.
Yuka ignored her, turning to the officers. "What happens next?"
"We'll post a notice for victims to report to the police box," Officer Yoshioka replied. "Then, based on the reported losses, we'll issue a warrant for the psychic."
After giving brief statements, Yukiko eagerly dragged Yuka out of the underpass, scanning the street. "Weird, where's that guy hiding?"
Yuka realized her friend had rushed out to find the elusive Shuichi. "It's been over half an hour since you exposed the fraud," she said exasperatedly. "No way Shuichi's still here. He's long gone."
"You said he was worried about me!" Yukiko huffed. "If he really cared, he'd stick around nearby. What if that psychic had more accomplices? I could've been in trouble!"
"Shuichi's too smart for that," Yuka laughed. "He probably checked the area already. Besides, he called the cops. What's there to worry about?"
…
Meanwhile, Hayashi Shuichi, the subject of Yukiko and Yuka's discussion, had just caught up with the girl in red shoes.
He'd been lurking near the psychic's stall, overhearing most of her scam.
When he followed the girl out of the underpass, he'd lingered to call the police from a phone booth, concerned for Yukiko and Yuka's safety.
That delay cost him time, and the girl had gotten far ahead. By the time Shuichi caught up, they were well away from the underpass.
"Sorry, I don't think I know you," the girl said timidly, eyeing him.
"That psychic was a fraud," Shuichi said after a moment's hesitation. "If your stomach pain is from visiting a shady clinic for an abortion, you should get a thorough check-up at a proper hospital."
"You… I-I don't know what you're talking about!" The girl's face flushed, and she turned to leave.
"When the psychic said you caused the spirit's death, you apologized and touched your stomach," Shuichi said gravely. "You want that spirit to find peace—not just to stop haunting you, but because you want a good resting place for it… because it was your child."
(Chapter End)
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.