Early the next morning, Fengchuan Xiangzi, who had taken leave, returned with her father.
Everyone else had also returned.
As theoretically the only eyewitness present, she very seriously reported to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department that a supernatural event must have occurred, but she concealed the existence of Keli and the other two, only saying that the Shadow Adult naturally dissipated after she hit it with a wine bottle.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, on the other hand, stated that she was too tired and took the initiative to arrange a two-week recuperation leave for her at Tsukinomori. They also wrote a letter of thanks to the school, stating that student Fengchuan Xiangzi showed outstanding performance in the collective new hallucinogenic gas attack that occurred in the apartment, responding intelligently and reporting it promptly. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department would severely crack down on such cases and had already submitted a request for funding to the assembly to establish a special response team, hoping the assembly would approve it for the safety of the general public, and so on.
However, there were no substantial rewards.
Xiangzi, who was still unaware that this action might attract the concern of some important women, helped her father through the door.
The examination results showed that nothing had happened; Xiangzi's father had only fainted, and the other residents in the apartment who were unconscious were merely in a deep sleep and had not suffered any harm.
People who could afford to rent such an apartment had no time to rest, and some even complained that since nothing bad happened, Xiangzi had unnecessarily sent them all to the hospital, and now they had to pay, which was truly meddling.
Fortunately, Xiangzi was already able to withstand this level of verbal abuse. At most, she would shed tiny tears when she remembered someone in the middle of the night while drawing the curtains, but she would never show it in front of her father.
Upon returning, Xiangzi was just about to take advantage of the holiday to look for more work; she couldn't waste such a long time.
However, as she stepped out, she saw Keli, dressed in a different outfit, wearing a mask, and carrying a musical instrument case, leaving the building.
"Uh… Good day."
She awkwardly greeted him on the spot, using words that only young ladies or students from a church girls' academy would use.
She glanced at the guitar case on Keli's back. If she remembered correctly, inside it should be a magnificent blunderbuss and a small scythe that she couldn't forget after just one look.
Keli also nodded, glanced at his phone, and walked towards Akabane East Ichiban Street.
According to today's plan, Kirito would monitor the surveillance, Kazuma would wander around looking for why an invisible thing suddenly appeared last night, and Keli would go find the old man.
Since they had a lead on the person who hired delinquents to keep them from going out, they naturally had to investigate the situation.
Watching Keli leave, Fengchuan Xiangzi's eyes drooped in disappointment.
Actually, before she left, she had hoped: "Do you think there's a possibility that I'll meet the three people from that dark band today, and then it turns out they're government-backed professional demon fighters? Because I saw everything last night, they'll specially invite me to join them, and then the government will pay me eight million yen a month, and I'll become a special person. Afterwards, when my grandfather sees me, he'll regret saying such harsh words?"
Regrettably, that possibility did not happen. She was going to try a life insurance company today, to see if she could become a telemarketer.
Though it was called Akabane East, it was actually the street next to JR Akabane Station. Walking along it, one could see Akabane Hachiman Park and the Akabane Grand Hotel.
Walking along the way, one could feel the obvious changes in eras.
Akabane West was like an old town, while Akabane East was a bustling modern urban landscape.
Perhaps it was because Akabane West was unharmed when the Americans attacked back then.
After all, it is well known that most of Tokyo's prosperous areas and commercial centers only flourished after being destroyed and rebuilt by the Americans.
And when Keli entered the street, he felt an even greater surge of people.
Although Keli had avoided meal times and rush hour, there were still many people coming and going on Ichiban Street at this time.
Keli only realized when he arrived that this was a famous "drinking street" nearby. At a glance, it was full of tiny izakayas and bars, and there were also many Chinese restaurants on this street.
"Strawberry Mapo Tofu, Milk Tea Flavored Cheong Fun, Chocolate Sweet and Sour Pork…"
Keli stopped in front of a restaurant, looked at the blackboard hanging inside, and read out the menu in Chinese. He then looked at the Chinese text next to it, which indicated support for UnionPay and Alipay.
"Oh! Little brother, your Chinese is very standard! I specifically went to Guangzhou to study cooking with a master chef for three years, and I've also tasted the legendary cooking of the descendants of Chef God Liu Angxing. Would you like to try it? It's just that I don't know why Chinese tourists don't really like to come to my shop."
It seemed the shop owner behind the door had heard Keli's voice and called out to solicit customers.
Keli felt that if he didn't have something important to do today, he would really drag this person back to Guangzhou to make him kowtow to his master chef and apologize to Kikuka-rou.
A few more steps forward, and a signboard ahead became clearer.
Kurata Japanese Eatery.
That was today's target. According to surveillance, the old man ran a shop here.
Keli pushed open the door and walked in, casually finding a seat.
"Little brother, is this your first time? Please move seats, this spot is reserved for old Sato. He just messaged me saying he's coming. This glass of ginger ale is on me."
In Japan, many diners, especially the elderly, particularly like to frequent one shop and always sit in the same spot.
This has even led to a culture where several regular customers often meet and chat together. So, if you're traveling and suddenly encounter an old man who says you've taken his seat, it's probably not just him looking for trouble.
But unfortunately, Keli was here to cause trouble today!
So he took the soda handed to him by the owner, didn't move from his seat, and instead began to survey the shop.
An incredibly narrow row of seats, a partition that must have been added during some previous period and hadn't been removed yet, and tables that, while clearly well-maintained, couldn't help but show the passage of time.
And the yellowed walls. There was only an old man and an old woman in the shop; they were probably a married couple, and the old man was Keli's target today.
Actually, Keli had originally intended to go directly to his house to confront the old man, but it seemed the old man wasn't on that street last night. Keli wandered around the entrance for a long time without any success.
"Hmm… Uncle, you look very familiar. I've received a lot of care from you before."
Hearing Keli's abrupt words, the old man raised his eyes and scrutinized Keli, who had entered the shop and removed his mask and hat. He suddenly reacted, his eyes widening.
"You! You're the one who lives in that white house?"
He first glanced at the calendar, then his expression hardened.
"I don't know what you're talking about! Get out! Get out! We don't serve customers who come looking for trouble!"
Keli unhurriedly opened his jacket pocket and made a gesture for him to look.
"You! What are you doing?!"
Seeing the pistol lying there, the old man's expression changed several times as he spoke with a fierce but inwardly weak tone.
Then Keli pulled out a piece of paper from his chest and slapped it on the table.
"What do you mean? Even if you're the police, you don't have the right…"
The old man spoke in resistance while picking up the paper and scanning it.
"Psychiatric diagnosis certificate?!
You!… Shimizu-ko, please attend to the customer. I have something to discuss with this young man."