This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 164 - 158. Satisfied (Vote for monthly ticket! 4000 words!)_2

Chapter 164: Chapter 158. Satisfied (Vote for monthly ticket! 4000 words!)_2

The voice paused.

"At first, the work hours at the Sanmu Puppet Factory weren’t short, but that wasn’t the key issue. According to the recollections of several former workers, I noted down the most frequently mentioned words from their testimonies,"

"The atmosphere was eerie."

"Eerie atmosphere?"

Beichuan Si repeated the words that Shen Gu Mirai had said, looking up at her with a lack of understanding.

Shen Gu Mirai was obviously prepared for this, and she very reliably pulled out a photograph from her notebook. Her supple body leaned conscientiously towards Beichuan Si, and she said in a gentle tone, "Look, Mr. Temple, this is a photo of the doll factory workshop back then."

Beichuan Si finally understood what Shen Gu Mirai meant by ’the atmosphere was eerie.’

In the photo, the workers were immersed in their tasks, changing the molds and sanding the eerily white joints of the dolls to a polished finish.

At first glance, it seemed to be a normal workshop photo, but—

Above the brightly lit workshop hung countless dolls.

Yes.

They were everywhere, as dense as could be.

The realistic human hands and feet dangling from the ceiling were so unnerving that they made your scalp tingle at just a glance.

In the middle of this terrifying scene akin to the hell of Asura, the workers’ faces looked numb, their eyes filled with a lifeless void, as if they were walking corpses.

This entire photo emanated a chill that reached down to the very soul, making those so-called ’spiritual photos’ found on the internet pale in comparison.

"Workers laboring in such an environment, experiencing hallucinations and auditory hallucinations, is very normal," said Shen Gu Mirai with a shrug, "But back then, the working conditions at the Sanmu Puppet Factory were good, so there weren’t many workers thinking about resigning."

"It’s all for the sake of living," Beichuan Si said succinctly.

Indeed, everything was for the sake of living, and for people working in Tokyo, this was especially true. Many people think that working, settling down, and living in a big city is a desirable lifestyle, but it’s only once they’re deeply involved that they realize the pressures that follow one after another.

Mortgage payments, car loans, daily living expenses, the exhausting overtime without a glimpse of tomorrow, the almost depleted paycheck at the start of the month, the nearly foreseeable straight line between home, work, and back home—

Why is it said that people living in the present are more prone to various bizarre mental illnesses? It’s all because of the pressure.

"After that incident, another concerning matter occurred, the case of the missing workers from the Sanmu Doll Abandoned Factory," Shen Gu Mirai sighed, "It’s just that the newspaper records from that time can’t be found anymore. After I asked the local residents..."

"You called Sister Liangzi?" Beichuan Si impulsively took over the conversation.

"Umm—"

Shen Gu Mirai’s eyes flickered, and she started fidgeting with her palms, uneasily: "I asked Sister Liangzi about the specifics of the disappearance cases and... I might have slightly used my relationship with you, Mr. Temple."

She overlapped her index finger with her thumb, emphasizing the word ’slightly,’ which was of trivial importance, with a guilty conscience.

Slightly used her relationship with me?

Beichuan Si looked at her with a puzzled expression before finally saying, "You told Liangzi you were my girlfriend?"

"Cough cough... Actually, I could have gotten the information without that relationship..." Shen Gu Mirai’s voice grew softer, "I, I just wanted to say it that way."

"Hmm?" Beichuan Si gave her an odd glance.

The young girl’s speech had suddenly become so low that even he could only catch snippets of it.

Shen Gu Mirai frantically slapped the table:

"It’s nothing! Sister Liangzi just told me when she was in the mood for talking that three workers had gone missing from the Sanmu Puppet Factory back then. While the disappearance case was still under investigation, the factory was consumed in a huge fire. It was said that the fire started inside the factory, and fortunately, production was on halt that day, with only the factory owner’s family inside."

Beichuan Si seemed to not care about this matter at all and shook his head,

"No problem, keep going."

Gangye Yoshiko was still as discordant as ever.

It was one thing to drag him to a bar last time, but now she had taken the tender-looking Shen Gu Mirai to that sort of place frequented by middle-aged sleazy men.

Beichuan Si speculated that if Gangye Yoshiko hadn’t always done her job impeccably, and apparently had some family background in the police force, she probably would’ve been fired long ago.

Shen Gu Mirai breathed a great sigh of relief: "Anyway, Sister Liangzi told me everything while enjoying her drinks. She said that initially three people disappeared within the Sanmu Puppet Factory. And while the missing persons case was still being investigated, the Sanmu Puppet Factory burned down. It was rumored that the fire’s origin was in the factory, and luckily there were only the factory owner and his family inside that day."

"Three people disappeared... and there was only one family at the factory...?" Beichuan Si murmured to himself.

The feeling indeed bore the suspicion of a personal vendetta, an arsonist acting out of malice, otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen such a tricky timing.

But on second thought, it would have been impossible to set the factory on fire during working hours with people coming and going.

So could those three missing people be related to the incident?

"Exactly," Shen Gu Mirai’s eyes sparkled, and her chubby face blushed as she said, "She didn’t tell me the names or home addresses of the three missing workers because it’s private, and I am not clear about what happened after that."

Beichuan Si simply voiced his own impression, "Always leaving people hanging, that’s Sister Liangzi’s style."

Beichuan Si then recalled the private message that someone called ’Corpse Puppet’ had sent him.

Could it be true as Corpse Puppet suggested, that the Sanmu Puppet Factory was targeted for revenge, maliciously set on fire and destroyed?

"No matter what, we must clear up the matter in the next few days."

Including the incident with the white spherical blob back then.

Beichuan Si was resolute in his heart.

"Mr. Temple, Mr. Temple."

Shen Gu Mirai gently poked his shoulder with her pale fingertips.

"What is it?"

"Praise me."

"..." Beichuan Si.

Beichuan Si glanced at her.

The documents on the table were neatly arranged, and the notebook was filled with things to investigate and Shen Gu Mirai’s deductions.

He had to admit, she was indeed reliable.

In that case,

"You did very well, Shinkai, thank you, you’ve been a great help."

Beichuan Si said sincerely.

Expressing gratitude towards someone isn’t such a difficult thing.

After all, Beichuan Si just had a cold disposition, but he wasn’t someone who couldn’t even utter a word of thanks.

"Hehehe..." Shen Gu Mirai giggled, touching her small head, her face flushing like she was drunk.

For some reason, she was just very happy.

Having stayed up late nights since before the spring break and having spent continuous days investigating in the Ogao Mountain Area after it, only to have gathered all sorts of information by this morning, hearing Beichuan Si’s thanks made the sourness in her eyes dissipate significantly—

It was significantly reduced.

Shen Gu Mirai felt like someone was pressing down on her head.

"Close your eyes."

Beichuan Si’s voice, light as a feather, drifted over.

Shen Gu Mirai subconsciously closed her eyes.

A cool breeze flowed over the top of her head, slowly settling in her murky eyes.

Shen Gu Mirai’s body relaxed involuntarily.

Somewhat comfortable.

She mused internally.

After a while, Beichuan Si finally released his hand.

"You can open them now."

Hearing Beichuan Si’s words, Shen Gu Mirai obediently opened her eyes.

Her eyes... felt incredibly clear and refreshed, which made her involuntarily blink.

"Mr. Temple, just now—"

"I treated you with qi from the dead."

Beichuan Si took a sip of the tea beside him, looking at her eyes that had regained their brightness, feeling quite pleased with himself.

He was satisfied with the improvement of his branch skill in the qi of the dead that healed.