Zongman I fight weirdness in everyday world

Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head, her eyes filled with an indescribable complexity. She gave a self-deprecating laugh, held her forehead, and muttered to herself.

"What exactly am I doing... In the end, trying to force myself to attract someone's attention isn't something I would normally do. This isn't me at all... Besides... he just left like that, which means I have no hope, right...?"

"No, wait a moment."

Hearing Yukino Yukinoshita's self-deprecating words, Yui Yuigahama placed her hands on her shoulders, and with a rare serious expression, slowly said.

"Whether or not you are forcing yourself is a question for another time. That is your own choice."

Saying this, Yui Yuigahama suddenly changed her tone, pointed to the empty beach chair in the distance, and said with great momentum.

"Precisely because Yozora left like that, your chances of winning have actually increased!"

"Huh?"

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned slightly.

"What's the logic behind that?"

"Heh heh, you wouldn't understand, would you?"

Yui Yuigahama revealed a meaningful smile, as if she were an experienced senior teaching a fledgling rookie, patting Yukino Yukinoshita's shoulder while confidently saying.

"Although I knew this a long time ago, Yozora-kun isn't someone who judges by appearance, nor is he the type who particularly values figure. He always teases you about a certain underdeveloped area, just like he teases me for being an idiot, which proves that he doesn't care about these small flaws. If he really cared so much about oppai size, he would have invited Komachi to join the club on the first day he met her, right?"

Hearing Yui Yuigahama's analysis, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but be stunned.

This seems... not like the usual nonsensical group talk, but there seems to be some truth to it.

Could it be...?

There's still a chance?

...

Later that evening, Yozora and Touma Kazusa, who had already changed their clothes, were walking on the streets of Okinawa.

"It's been a long time... since we went out alone together."

Hearing Touma Kazusa's words, Yozora, who knew her personality well, knew that these words sounded like a complaint, but if Touma Kazusa said them, they didn't have any special meaning, just a simple exclamation. After all, Touma Kazusa, with her straightforward personality, always said what was on her mind.

If she felt that they weren't spending enough time together, she would take the initiative to ask. If she felt that their relationship had become distant recently, she would take the initiative to get closer.

This was Touma Kazusa, a seemingly tsundere loyal dog.

"Yeah."

Yozora looked down at the hand he was holding with Touma Kazusa, then raised his head to look directly at her profile, and said with a smile.

"However, we can always go out alone whenever we have time."

"That would be great, of course."

Touma Kazusa didn't pretend to be reserved, but nodded directly, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"This is the area where the first missing person was last seen."

Hearing Yozora's words, Touma Kazusa raised her head and looked at the street in front of her. Even though it was almost twelve o'clock, it was still brightly lit, exuding a decadent atmosphere. Faint music and singing could be heard from the buildings on both sides, and the air was filled with the smell of alcohol. She couldn't help but frown slightly.

"I don't like places like this."

"I don't really care. I'm just here to investigate anyway."

Yozora scanned the pedestrians on the street, locked onto a building in the distance with a flashing neon sign, and said softly.

"The first missing person was a hostess. This type of job is usually not done by locals. This missing person was the same. She came to Okinawa City from another place alone to work. Moreover, the nature of her work was so special that when the supervisor found out that she hadn't come to work the next day, he didn't take it to heart. It wasn't until almost half a month later, when the third missing person appeared, that he reported the case. So, in terms of the order of reporting the case, this is the third missing person, but in terms of the timeline, she was the first to disappear."

"I see..."

Although Touma Kazusa knew the reason why Yozora brought her here, she couldn't help but show a little resistance when looking at the street in front of her.

"Do we have to go in?"

"No, we don't have to."

"Eh?"

Seeing Touma Kazusa's surprised look, Yozora just shook his head and said indifferently.

"This is the area where the missing person was last seen, but it's not the scene of the incident. To be able to take a living person and avoid so many surveillance cameras, so that Ryuzaki can't find any clues from the surveillance footage, this is not something a normal human can do. There are many possibilities. The simplest one is that the evil spirit directly devoured the missing person on the spot, and it had to be done very cleanly, without leaving any traces. With the intelligence of evil spirits, I highly doubt that they would have the idea of covering up traces."

Touma Kazusa nodded, making a gesture of trying to give an analysis, but after her brain spun rapidly for a full second, she decisively shook her head and directly began to give up.

"My brain isn't my strong point. You analyze it yourself."

"Seriously, I'm too lazy to think too..."

Yozora also wanted to give up, but looked at the time displayed on his phone. By now, Futaba Rio should have already gone to bed, and L was currently conducting a reasoning about the identity of that mysterious man. After all, he appeared in the headquarters of the Overload Society, Kyoto City, so naturally, it was much more important than this disappearance incident in Okinawa City.

"There's no way, I can only analyze it myself."

As a professional exorcist, Yozora has always had the attitude of doing as little as possible, but he still has this level of intelligence analysis ability. After all, in the early days when there were not enough people, the combat personnel, logistics management, intelligence analysis, recruitment of new members, and the not-so-successful image ambassador, all these responsibilities were borne by him alone.

"There are no 'gates' in Okinawa City... which means that it is impossible to avoid the tracking of surveillance cameras through the reverse side of the world. In this case, to make a person disappear out of thin air... it must be related to spiritual abilities. The identity of the second missing person... a bartender, the third missing person... a female college student who fell into the trap of overspending and had serious financial problems, the fourth missing person, a thirty-year-old white-collar worker who became addicted to gambling... as expected..."

After sorting out the information about the identities of the missing people, Yozora once again confirmed the similarities of the missing people.

Women who have financial problems and are in financial distress.

He could understand the condition of being female. After all, in many myths and legends, only women are chosen as sacrifices, witches, or divine messengers. For example, Mitsuha Miyamizu and Hina Amano were both special people chosen by a certain god.

But financial problems, even huge debts?

What is the connection between this and the strange disappearances?

Could it be that the mastermind behind this is the God of Thrift, wanting to declare to the world by punishing these people that it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality...?

Isn't that nonsense?

People only believe in gods who can help them or who they think can help them and solve their problems. What kind of god teaches you to be thrifty?

The only thing that comes close is the Snail Girl in Kyushu mythology, but she only does housework and warms the bed, and doesn't kill anyone.

So, perhaps only the female condition is related to some kind of supernatural event, while economic difficulties... are a prerequisite for the mastermind to make these women disappear silently?

"Actually, there is a solution."

Toma Kazusa suddenly had an idea and took the initiative to suggest.

"How about... I pretend to be very poor and see if I can lure the fish to bite?"

"Don't be silly."

Yozora didn't even consider it and rejected Toma Kazusa's proposal, then asked back.

"Not to mention that the mastermind should have spent some time choosing before confirming the target they want to attack. The key is, how can you pretend to be very poor? Have you ever been poor?"

Toma Kazusa frowned slightly: "It's because I haven't that I said I want to pretend."

"You can't pretend."

Yozora shook his head and slowly opened his mouth.

"May I ask, what kind of plant did Hina Amano originally grow at home?"

"Uh..."

Toma Kazusa didn't know the answer to this question, and after hesitating for a while, she tentatively gave her guess.

"Cactus?"

"Incorrect."

"Then what is it?"

"It's scallions."

"Ah? Scallions? The scallions used for cooking?"

Seeing Toma Kazusa's incredulous expression, Yozora shrugged and smiled.

"See, Hina Amano has really been poor. You can't even imagine that someone would grow scallions on their windowsill, right? The house she used to live in wasn't even as big as your bedroom. Even if we really want to do a sting operation, only Hina Amano in our club is a suitable candidate, and you are the least suitable one."

There are many wealthy members in the Hyper Club, such as Yukino Yukinoshita, Rio Futaba, and even Setsuna Ogiso, who owns a two-story detached house in the expensive Kyoto city center, which is much better than ordinary people.

But Toma Kazusa is different from these people.

She has no concept of money at all, and only knows that she can't spend all the pocket money given by her mother, Yoko Toma. In addition, because she has very little contact with people, Toma Kazusa didn't even know that her family was very wealthy when she first joined the Hyper Club, and she didn't have a clear understanding.

Letting someone who doesn't know what poverty is pretend to be poor?

Don't be silly, Toma Kazusa's temperament doesn't look like a poor person at all, and she can't pretend.

"There's not a trace of spiritual power left behind. How is this possible... Could it be..."

As if to confirm Yozora's words and actions, a raindrop the size of a bean fell on his palm, splashing into a cloud of scattered water.

"So that's how it is."

Toma Kazusa didn't follow Yozora's train of thought at all, and asked curiously.

"How is it?"

"Kazusa, what can be found throughout the entire city, that wouldn't make people feel strange, and can disappear without a trace in a short period of time?"

Toma Kazusa thought, is there a riddle-solving session? This is not my forte.

Thinking so, she still shook her head honestly.

"I don't know."

Yozora pointed to the gradually increasing rain in the sky and slowly opened his mouth.

"It's rain, or rather..."

"It's the puddles left after the rain."

Hearing this, even if Toma Kazusa was dull, she finally reacted and suddenly realized.

"You mean... the traces of spiritual power don't disappear directly, but are originally in the puddles after the rain? Because it's the hot summer now, after the rain clears, the traces of spiritual power return to the sky along with the puddles on the ground? But the god who controls the weather has already been..."

"No, incorrect."

Yozora interrupted Toma Kazusa and explained with a smile.

"Rainwater doesn't only belong to the sky, it's also..."

"A part of the sea."

......

Although Yozora's analysis was cool, the rain that was supposed to fall still had to fall.

Because they didn't drive, it wasn't convenient for Shizuka Hiratsuka to pick them up, so the two simply found a hotel to stay in.

"My clothes are all wet..."

Toma Kazusa took off the jacket that originally belonged to Yozora. The white shirt inside was completely attached to her body because it was wet with rain, directly and vividly showing the curves of a certain part that usually looked small but was a hidden attribute.

At the same time, a faint pink color was revealed from the white shirt.

Kyoto's number one eroge shooter keenly noticed an extremely important detail.

"Kazusa, are you... wearing a matching lingerie set today?"

Toma Kazusa calmly nodded while unbuttoning her white shirt.

"Yes."

"Hiss..."

Yozora frowned slightly upon hearing this and slowly opened his mouth.

"Doesn't this mean that you had a plan and intended to plot against me tonight?"

"Eh? Why do you say that?"

"Girls only wear matching lingerie sets when they have thoughts in that direction."

"Is that so?"

Toma Kazusa gently stroked her snow-white chin with her slender fingers. After thinking for a few seconds, she revealed a gentle smile and softly opened her mouth.

"But since I established a relationship with you, it seems like I wear matching lingerie sets every day. After all, I have thoughts about you every day."

Saying this, Toma Kazusa stood up, took off her wet white shirt and short skirt, walked over wearing only a light pink matching lace lingerie set, leaned against the bathroom door, and extended an invitation to Yozora.

"Want to shower together?"