Kisaragi Station || Apocalypse Paradise #3

210: Damn It! We Finally Got One!

'Maybe he doesn't have his guard up now. This is our best chance,' Lin Sanjiu mused, observing the light reflecting off Rena 2's round black eyes. It was hard for Lin Sanjay to discern whether the girl was anxious or amused by the situation.

"You can wait beside the bathroom. When he emerges, just ram into his ankles. I'm sure he'll fall after a few tries. I'll ambush him from the other side. Once he's down, I have my ways of subduing him."

After a moment's hesitation, Lin Sanjiu nodded.

Lin Sanjiu didn't trust this Rena, but to her, Reno 2 was more suspicious than Reno 1. If they just subdued him and tied him up, it might be easier to find out the truth. After Reno 2 entered the bathroom, it had been silent. They didn't hear any sound of water. It was fairly reasonable since Reno would expose himself to dark matter if he really washed his hands—if he was an imposter, he certainly wouldn't make such a rudimentary mistake. On the other hand, Lin Sanjiu was certainly undaunted when she tried to bathe her body.

Rena 2, who had pressed herself tightly to the wall, looked up and exchanged a look with Lin Sanjiu. Since Lin Sanjiu was just a brain, Rena 2 was probably just trying to console her. For their plan to be successful, Rena 2 had already removed all her accessories.

The door opened slightly, and Reno 2 peeked out. He was not in a rush to get out. He looked from left to right and back again with a single eye. After looking a few times, he finally opened the door a little wider.

Lin Sanjiu could see everything clearly with her Higher Consciousness from where she was hiding. Just when she thought Reno 2 would step out and she gathered her strength, he called out softly, "Rena?"

Rena 2 bit her lip but didn't make a sound. She shrank closer to the corner of the wall.

"Rena? Lin Sanjiu?" Reno 2 was probably getting suspicious, as it was too quiet outside the bathroom. He came out of the bathroom but didn't take a step forward. Instead, he stood at the door and yelled, "Where are you two?"

'If we don't make a sound, he will come out to check the situation eventually.' Rena 2 and Lin Sanjiu both thought as they waited quietly in their hiding places. They didn't move, as they were afraid to make a sound.

"Rena! Lin Sanjiu!" Reno 2 stuck his head out and took a careful step forward. "Gosh. Did they disappear again? What's wrong with this goddamn place?"

'Huh?' a thought flashed through Lin Sanjiu's mind. Even though she didn't capture its significance, Lin Sanjiu trembled slightly. Before she could think it through, she saw Rena gesturing vigorously to her with an anxious face.

Reno walked swiftly to the end of the corridor, heading towards the living room. Lin Sanjiu could already see the tip of his shoes. Almost instinctively, Lin Sanjiu rushed out and rammed herself against Reno 2's ankle. As she had gathered her energy for some time, the impact of that collision far exceeded the other times. On top of that, Reno 2 was caught unaware, so he was knocked over, and the momentum pushed him in Rena 2's direction.

"Bro, don't be scared! I'm just going to punch away that thing possessing you!" Rena 2 said sharply. Next, she used both her hands, which were wrapped in something black, and grabbed Reno's bare arms, not covered by his short sleeves, and pinned him to the ground.

Reno 2 let out a painful howl. His body shook violently like a fish out of water.

Mrs. Manas, observing everything from Lin Sanjiu's mindscape, could not help exclaiming, "There's something wrong with him!" Lin Sanjiu rushed forward. She drew all her Higher Consciousness towards her front and lunged forward.

Rena 2 couldn't react in time and took that blow from Lin Sanjiu's head, her whole body flying backward. Before she could land on the ground, a few vague wisps of smoke rose from her face. She held her face and sprinted toward the main door without saying a word.

Before she could catch her breath, Lin Sanjiu quickly turned around, afraid that the circumstances would change if she let her guard down. She launched another attack at Rena 2, hitting her singlet. The imposter let out a sharp shriek, her upper body changing indistinctly.

At that moment, a yellow paper whirred around the air. Lin Sanjiu turned around and saw Reno. Enduring his shivers, he stood up. Unfortunately, 'Rena' had already sprinted to the main door. She seemed to know that the ability was very powerful, as she crouched, hurried out the door, and slammed it behind her, slipping out of Reno's ability's range.

"Don't... don't worry about me. I'm fine. Just chase that thing!" Reno roared. His teeth were still chattering. Lin Sanjiu stretched her body and slipped through the gap of the door. However, it was silent when she reached the corridor, bathed in yellow light. She didn't see 'Rena' anywhere.

"What happened? How did you know she was an imposter?" Mrs. Manas was startled by that rapid battle, which left no time for a breather. She didn't even check Lin Sanjiu's subconsciousness. "And why is this Reno able to activate the almanac ability, too? If that's the case, both Renos can use that ability!"

In her Higher Consciousness form, Lin Sanjiu didn't need to breathe. However, at that moment, Lin Sanjiu looked like she needed time to 'catch her breath.' After that, she replied, "I nearly believed her. But did you see how Reno reacted when she pinned him to the ground?"

Mrs. Manas checked a few images in Lin Sanjiu's mind and exclaimed, "Oh!"

Lin Sanjiu flew back to the living room and continued, "Yes. His face turned green, and he started shivering. It was like he was feeling an intense cold. His sudden hypothermic-like reaction added to something I remembered. So, there can be no other reason."

Before Mrs. Manas could ask Lin Sanjiu what she remembered, Lin Sanjiu added, "If I'm right, Reno 1 upstairs isn't the real deal," as she slipped back into the living room.

A dark figure was on the sofa, breathing.

"You're back? Did you catch that thing?" Reno asked, sitting up urgently. Before Lin Sanjiu could answer no, a suddenly dim light from the window flooded the room. She saw a small "X" on Reno's wrist.