Kisaragi Station || Apocalypse Paradise #3

209: We Can Clear the Confusion With a Fight

"To clarify, let's call the Reno with a mark on his wrist Reno 1. The Reno by your side will be Reno 2. Upstairs, the Rena with the dirtied sock is Rena 1, and the one with the clean socks is Rena 2."

Chalk drawings of four small human figures appeared on the blackboard within the building, two upstairs and two downstairs. Each figure was labeled with their respective names and numbers.

"You encountered Reno 2 and Rena 2 when the elevator opened after you went to the ground floor to look for them. Reno 2 also witnessed your dead body in the bathtub. Upon hearing a flushing sound, you rushed upstairs and met Reno 1 and Rena 1, who both demonstrated their abilities.

"You have some suspicion about Rena 1's ability, so we can't confirm she is the real Rena. But, right now, we are sure that Reno 1 is the real Reno since his [Did you check your almanac before leaving your house today?] is a very rare ability. Is this right?" Mrs. Manas asked after organizing the information they had.

"Yes," Lin Sanjiu replied.

Mrs. Manas kept quiet as if she was deep in thought. Seeing that, Lin Sanjiu pulled herself out of her [School of Higher Consciousness]. Looking around, she noticed that Reno was still scribbling on his piece of paper with his head down. While he wrote, he bit his nails. His brows were tightly knitted, and he would pause now and then.

That 'why?' from Lin Sanjiu set him thinking as he tried to formulate an answer. Rena did not close the apartment unit door properly when she went in to search for her accessories. Lin Sanjiu and Reno could hear her pattering footsteps as she moved around the room. Reno felt pressured every time he heard her footsteps. Finally, he finished what he was writing and checked the door before he showed his message to Lin Sanjiu.

His handwriting was as messy as before. He had crossed out a few words, so black smudges were everywhere. Despite that, Lin Sanjiu managed to read the two sentences he wrote.

She called me a coward. What is that? We don't have that word in Red Nautilus.

My sister has no starfish ear studs. I made that up! I think she is possessed by something!

'What's going on?' Lin Sanjiu felt like she was going to explode. She wanted to ask more questions but suddenly heard footsteps drawing closer. Rena opened the door the very next second and peered out. Meanwhile, Reno had already crumpled up the paper and stuffed it in his pocket.

"I searched, but I can't find it anywhere," Rena didn't show any unusual signs. She pouted. "Now that I think about it, I didn't have those ear stud when we arrived at Kisaragi Station... Maybe I forgot them at Red Nautilus."

Reno did not reply; he glanced furtively at Lin Sanjiu.

"It's weird. Why would a guy like you notice a small ear stud?!" Rena suddenly glared at him, sounding suspicious. "Besides, I wear so many accessories... If anyone were to point it out, shouldn't it be Lin Sanjiu?"

"She's right!" Mrs. Manas shouted. Due to her excitement, the teacher had forgotten that she was not supposed to speak. Lin Sanjiu quickly scanned the faces of the two people around her with her Higher Consciousness. She wanted to see if their expressions changed, but neither moved. Lin Sanjiu couldn't figure out which one was trying to conceal their reaction.

"Can you keep your opinions to yourself? We'll speak when I enter the school again!" Lin Sanjiu shouted back at Mrs. Manas.

Whenever Lin Sanjiu entered her [School of Higher Consciousness], she used her ability actively. As Mrs. Manas was part of her ability, others could not hear her during this process. On the other hand, when [School of Higher Consciousness] was not activated and Mrs. Manas spoke directly to Lin Sanjiu, the spirits could hear the teacher.

However, Mrs. Manas couldn't be blamed for it this time, as Lin Sanjiu had the same sentiments. A guy who didn't wear many accessories would rarely notice what his sister usually wears, let alone Rena, who had over 100 accessories all over her body. It was unbelievable that he even remembered his sister didn't have starfish ear studs and that he made up that statement.

Reno began to feel anxious; he glanced at Lin Sanjiu and said, "Bullshit! I... I'm your brother! I..."

But after he repeated "I" for a long time, he couldn't find any words to explain how he noticed that his sister didn't have a pair of starfish ear studs.

Rena harrumphed and leaned against the wall. She narrowed her eyes and stared at him.

"Honestly speaking, brother. Since we entered this building, I've felt something off about you. Even though you like playing pranks on others, you shouldn't make such jokes in the corridor!"

Reno looked up with a puzzled face. "Jokes?"

"What's wrong? Did you forget you tried to act as if you were possessed when you stuck your head out in the corridor and scared me?" Rena frowned. The look of distrust on her face became more obvious.

"When did I..." Reno replied, then changed his answer stiffly. "Oh. Oh. You mean that. I know..." Anyone could see from his pale face that he did not know what Rena was talking about.

The corridor fell into complete silence. After some time, Reno suddenly stood up. "I'll go wash my hands," he said softly. Rena appeared slightly guarded as she shifted from the door, watching him closely as he entered the apartment unit. Following that was the sound of the bathroom door closing.

'This Reno doesn't know about the prank,' Lin Sanjiu thought.

After a few seconds, Rena woke Lin Sanjiu from her bewildered state with a soft voice. "Lin Sanjiu, I need you to help me," she said, biting her lips. "My brother is acting suspicious. I don't think he was playing a prank in the corridor. I think he's possessed."

Lin Sanjiu was stunned.

"I mean, that explains why he can't remember what happened." Rena sighed softly. "If he's possessed, I don't know if my ability will work on him. So, can you help me?

"When he comes out from the bathroom, we can try to make him fall. Then, I will try to tie him up. We can adapt to the situation if we meet any trouble."