A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 1195

Chapter 1195: Chapter 813: Trouble Arises Again Chapter 1195: Chapter 813: Trouble Arises Again The next morning, as expected, Shoujin held a school assembly. At the venue, the plump principal announced to the entire school that Koji Nishi, a third-year student, had died in an accident, with a grief resembling the death of his own father.

It must be said, for the students, the stimuli this term had been far too great. First, a classmate's failed suicide attempt by jumping off a building, then a teacher was exposed for bullying students, and now a student had died in an accident… The chatter was rampant, leaving everyone feeling restless.

Fortunately, the principal did manage to do something human; he hastily announced that to soothe the students' emotions, the school had invited a psychologist to provide counseling services–of course, in Duanmu Ai's view, he was likely trying to avoid another death at the school, fearing that a few more deaths making the news could cost him his job as principal.

And naturally, this incident became the main topic of discussion in the class. Duanmu Ai took this opportunity to join in and gathered some gossip. Overall, Koji Nishi was an ordinary student who, in everyone's memory, hadn't made any enemies. However, a student from her club mentioned hearing rumors about Koji Nishi, such as her father owning a grocery store which started losing business to a supermarket that had opened nearby, becoming so deserted it was on the verge of closing down. Yet, as the shopkeeper's daughter, Koji Nishi took a job at that very supermarket, leading to frequent arguments with her father.

It seemed that, unlike the case with the Gang of Thieves, no one in the school had a motive for harming Koji Nishi.

However, just as Duanmu Ai was about to leave with the information she had gathered, suddenly, a student spoke up.

“Ah, now that you mention it, I think I saw Koji-senpai on a TV program last night.”

“A TV program?”

“Yes, it was either late at night or early in the morning. I was doing homework, and before I knew it, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I found the TV still on in my room and saw someone who looked a lot like Koji-senpai desperately running, as if she was trying to escape from something…”

“Wow, is this some kind of ghost story?”

“You must've had a nightmare, right?”

Hearing this student's story, the others showed complex expressions.

“I clearly remember… Ah, never mind, it might've been a dream.”

“Let's not talk about it, Koji-senpai just passed away, it's bad luck to say such things…”

“………”
Though the content was sparse, Duanmu Ai still took note of this and headed straight to the office after school. No sooner had she opened the door than she was greeted by Lumiaire.

“Great Judge.”

“Is the task complete?”

“Yes, I've found the evidence.”

While speaking, Lumiaire took out a tape recorder and pressed the play button.

Soon, several voices were heard from the device.

“There's no way to restore Banmu to his former self; he will change a lot. Can you accept that?”

A calm voice quickly responded.

“He's consumed more than just art; there are many talents as well. Without a reckoning, there's no future to consider.”

Then another voice emerged.

“Don't be so hard on yourself.”

“Sorry, I just…”

Following that, a girl's voice sounded.

“It's fine, we just thought that if Yuki didn't feel that way, we shouldn't either. Since you've come to realize this, we have nothing to say.”

Then a lively voice appeared among them.

“Good, then let's get moving, Gang of Thieves!”

“Uhm…”

After listening to this conversation, Duanmu Ai reflected for a moment.

Among those voices were Takemaki Ann, Yugong Lian, and the last, fidgety one was Sakamoto Ryuji.

So, who were the other two voices?

Lumiaire quickly provided an answer.

“One of them is Yoshikawa Yuki; he is Banmu's Disciple.”

“The other?”

“Uh… a cat?”

“A cat? You mean General Cat?”

The General Cat Duanmu Ai spoke of was also a form of Electronic Demon, from the tale “Cat in Boots.” It had the appearance of a cat wearing boots and a hat, wielding a Western Sword, and was considered a rather powerful Electronic Demon.

“No, just an ordinary cat.”

“Ordinary cats can't talk, can they?”

“At least from what I can tell, it didn't seem like an Electronic Demon, nor did it have the vibe of one.”

“Hmm…”

After hearing Lumiaire's answer, Duanmu Ai pondered for a moment.

“Good, keep an eye on them.”

“Should we put a stop to it?”

“No need. This tape only becomes useful if Banmu really changes. If he truly confesses or shows remorse, this tape will be solid proof. When that time comes, we can take action. Besides, a mere painter's life and death is not my concern…”

“Ding-ling-ling…”

At that moment, the phone rang. Duanmu Ai nodded at Lumiaire and walked over to her desk to pick up the receiver.

“Hello.”

Soon, Dort's voice of despair came through the line.

“Duanmu, we're in trouble.”

“Speak human.”

“We've just investigated Koji Nishi and found out that she's a witness in another case!”

Chapter end

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