Ever since they arrived at this villa, something felt off to her.
Whether it was the lavish estate or the pricey mask collection, none of it seemed like something a talent agency president should have.
Putting that together with everything else she'd noticed, Haihara Ai—the sharp-witted, science-minded girl—started piecing together a bold theory…
If she was right, then Fujino had once again been played by a woman!
Of course, she had no clue about Fujino's real thoughts or his plans for tonight.
She just figured he'd stumbled into another evil woman's trap…
Kind of like that scheming lady from last time.
Though, to be fair, that cunning woman had bribed him with money and a fling—Fujino got paid, and with Ai tagging along, there wasn't much harm done. It was… tolerable.
Recalling a certain grim reaper kid's tactics, Haihara said flatly, "Don't you think this place is way too extravagant for someone who's supposedly been doing charity work for free all these years?"
"So that's what you meant by 'weird,' huh?"
Fujino rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. "If you put it that way, it does seem odd. Sure, she used to be a famous singer, and now she's the head of a talent agency, but even then, she shouldn't have *this* much money to build a mansion like this… or collect all these expensive masks."
Haihara nodded in agreement.
At the same time, a flicker of anticipation sparkled in her eyes as she looked at him.
*Finally, my big detective's catching on!*
"Maybe Ms. Suou just likes living it up a little?" Fujino said with a grin, sounding totally serious. "I mean, she's getting up there in years, no kids to worry about—she deserves to enjoy herself, right?"
Haihara: "…"
She figured Fujino wasn't the best at sniffing out manipulative women, but this? This was next-level cluelessness.
Was he *pretending* to be dense?
"Just kidding."
Seeing the confused look on the little lolita's face, Fujino let out a soft laugh.
He knew exactly what Haihara was getting at.
Honestly, he was a bit surprised she'd picked up on it so fast.
But then again, this was the girl who could spot him from miles away back in the day—the human radar of the Organization.
She might not flex her deduction skills often, but when it came to observation and intuition, she outshone most detectives.
Even he felt a little outmatched in the perception department.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Fujino reached out and ruffled Haihara's fluffy short hair, lowering his voice. "Don't worry, I've actually been looking into this for a while now…"
Feeling the warmth from his hand, Haihara's usual cool expression softened a bit. She gave a short, "Mm," in response.
"Sorry to interrupt!"
The Shimokasa sisters glanced at the time, set down what they were doing, and stepped into the middle of the living room. Hands clasped in front of them, they said in perfect unison, "Guests, this mansion has a rule: the mask collection room gets locked after midnight. Once it's sealed, the east and west wings can't connect, so please return to your rooms and rest before then."
"Alright."
Fujino pulled his hand back and murmured, "I was just teasing earlier… Can't say too much out loud—walls have ears, you know."
Haihara nodded, still savoring the moment a little.
*That head-pat thing… feels weird, but kinda nice… Wait, why am I even thinking this?!*
She shook her head, tossing that terrifying thought into the trash.
She got what Fujino was going for—she'd probably been overthinking things just now.
But hold on. If he was worried about eavesdropping, why only mention it *now*?
Then it hit her.
That little tease earlier? He was messing with her, wasn't he?
Haihara reached up with her small hands, silently smoothing out her freshly tousled hair, and shot Fujino a quiet, sidelong glance.
Haihara Ai: [(ˉˉ)]
---
Since he'd brought an extra person, Fujino and Haihara ended up sharing a room.
But before heading back, Fujino made an excuse and slipped off to the bathroom on the villa's west side.
He was here for one reason: to assassinate Suou Akako.
That wasn't changing.
He'd already made airtight preparations before coming.
---
Inside the bathroom:
"Almost midnight, huh?"
Fujino pulled out his phone and checked the time.
He took a deep breath, pocketed it, then closed his eyes and focused, shifting his consciousness into the soul puppet on the other side.
Even from a distance, controlling the soul puppet was no issue.
Once he confirmed it was active, Fujino opened his eyes and pulled a lotus badge from his inventory space.
For something shady like this, he needed a cover—an alibi.
And the soul puppet was the perfect tool for that.
**[Soul Puppet Origin · Activated]**
With a system chime, the lotus badge in his hand glowed with a soft green light.
It wasn't harsh—more gentle and warm.
After a brief shimmer, a tiny seed formed from the light.
The seed quickly grew, morphing into a human shape—Fujino Akemi.
Fujino studied the soul puppet, pausing for a second.
The Soul Puppet Origin skill was seriously handy.
Only downside? It couldn't teleport clothes along with it…
"No big deal, though—it's here, and that's what counts."
Fujino took a deep breath to steady himself.
Coming back to his senses, he stripped off his own clothes.
Then, controlling the puppet, he dressed it in his black suit.
Using the **[Puppet Play]** skill, he morphed its face and body to match his own perfectly.
"Should be good now."
Fujino nodded, satisfied with the identical soul puppet standing before him.
With that done, he pulled out a black stealth outfit and assassin's robe from his inventory, slipping them on.
With a flick of his hand, a sleeve sword materialized.
The silver-white blade slid out of its sheath, glinting faintly under the bathroom's dim light—like stars twinkling in the night, sharp and brilliant.
---
Midnight arrived.
Snowflakes drifted lazily outside, dusting the dark branches white.
The big clock in the collection room chimed, its hum echoing through the silence.
The twin sisters locked the mask collection room, severing the connection between the mansion's two wings.
East Wing, Second Floor · Guest Room:
Fujino lay on the bed, eyes half-open, staring at the dim ceiling.
He was still awake, faintly hearing soft breathing beside him. Something warm and soft clung to his waist…
Haihara Ai, now in her panda pajamas, slept soundly next to him. Her cool little face somehow looked adorable.
Unconsciously, she curled up, hugging his waist tight like it was her teddy bear at home.
It felt a bit awkward, but he didn't move—didn't want to wake her.
Of course, this wasn't his real body—it was the soul puppet.
Technically, it wasn't *him* being hugged, just his consciousness.
Still feels the same, though, right?
Meanwhile, his real body was carrying out the assassination.
Fujino pushed open the bathroom door, stepping into the pitch-black hallway.
His eyes flashed as Eagle Vision kicked in, the world sharpening into focus.
Following his memory, he made his way to the mask collection room in the villa's center.
Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and thrust forward with all his strength.
*Buzz!*
With a single hum, the sleeve sword's silver blade pierced the wooden door.
He lifted his hand, slicing the door clean in half.
Stepping into the dim collection room, he faced a wall of eerie masks, making the already creepy space feel even more unsettling.
But Fujino stayed cool as a cucumber.
Ghosts and spirits? Sure, he'd just used the soul puppet, so it'd be a little ironic to say this, but he still didn't believe in them.
If there *were* ghosts, though?
Well, as a staunch materialist, he'd whip out a wooden sword and give them a physical exorcism on the spot.
He strolled over to the wooden racks lining the room, packed with two hundred white masks, and stashed them all in his inventory.
Pausing, he grabbed a few less creepy ones as trophies.
Then he pulled out a gum bomb, chewed it a couple times, and planted it on both doors of the collection room.
With that done, he turned and headed toward Suou Akako's bedroom, tracing his memory.
---
Suou Akako was out cold.
Maybe it was guilt or something, but she always took sleeping pills before bed to knock herself out in the dark.
Fujino confirmed her location, sliced the door open with his sleeve sword, and barged in.
Her bedroom was huge, decked out in fancy decor—pure luxury.
"Chabrol masks—each one worth a fortune."
"God knows how many orphanage kids' donations she pocketed to build this place and hoard all these masks."
Fujino muttered to himself, tossing the Chabrol masks onto her bed.
But Suou Akako, deep in her drugged sleep, didn't stir at the noise.
"Since you love masks so much, let them see you off on your final trip."
Fujino's voice was low and cold as he approached the bed, staring at that "charitable" face. A deep malice welled up inside him.
He raised the silver sleeve sword high—but froze mid-motion.
"Phew…"
He paused, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, wrestling with something in his head.
A moment later, steeling himself, he drove the blade straight into Suou Akako's chest.
*Rip…*
The sword made a faint sound as it tore through bone and fabric.
In her sleep, Suou Akako seemed to sense something. Her face twitched and contorted in a bizarre, indescribable way.
Fujino yanked the blade out. Blood gushed, then settled into a steady flow after the brief pressure surge.
Crimson stained the white masks around her, soaking into Fujino's white robe too. The blood on the sleeve sword didn't linger—it dripped off the tip with gravity's pull.
A wave of dizziness hit Fujino's brain, but it faded fast. What followed was his heart pounding hard after tasting blood.
He lifted his hand, glancing at fingers faintly smeared with red. "Yeah… killing still doesn't sit right with me."
After a quiet moment, he let out a long breath and looked out the window.
The snow had stopped, leaving everything outside a pristine white.
The moon and stars, once hidden by clouds, now glowed faintly again.
The dim moonlight cast a ghostly sheen on his blood-stained robe.
---
Meanwhile, another "little shadow" wasn't sleeping.
Aikawa Fuyuya sat on his bed's edge, cigarette in his mouth, staring at the snow slowing outside.
Maybe to calm his nerves, he smoked it down fast, flicked the butt into the ashtray, then stood and crept out of his room.
He'd been prepping for this assassination for two months.
Tonight, it was do or die.
That's what he told himself.
But when he reached the mask collection room's door, he froze.
The white wooden door had been sliced open, leaving a gap big enough for a person to slip through.
Curious, he poked his head in—and saw the dim room's two hundred masks were gone…
Aikawa Fuyuya: "…"
A thief?
*Boom! Boom!*
Before he could process it, two explosions rang in his ears.
He jumped.
Turning, he saw both collection room doors blasted open.
*Crap—gotta run!*
That was his first thought.
Even if this was revenge for his mom, being a "shadow" meant this was dirty work.
Getting caught would be a disaster.
He bolted to the bathroom and hid.
The twin blasts woke everyone in the mansion from their dreams.
Including the two in the east wing's second-floor guest room.
Haihara Ai jolted awake from the loud explosions.
Her eyes fluttered open to a dim room.
She could feel herself clinging to something.
A second later, it clicked.
Realizing she was hugging Fujino, she froze in place.
(End of Chapter)