Amuro couldn't figure it out. The only explanation he could come up with was: wild animals have low IQs and no understanding of biscuit boxes.
Just then, Jiang Xia walked around from the other side of the car. "What's wrong?"
As he spoke, his eyes landed on the shredded tire. He blinked. "Did mice get into your car?"
"No." Amuro frowned. His car was always clean—no reason for rats. And besides… "That doesn't look like rat bite marks."
He crouched down to take a closer look. The longer he looked, the more it seemed like… a human bite?
…but come on, that's absurd. Who in their right mind would bite a tire?
The dark forest around them didn't help. The more Amuro thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
He decided to shelve that thought and focus on their current situation.
The car was undriveable. Both tires were completely wrecked.
He pulled out his phone to call for a tow… and, of course, no signal. Figures.
Across from him, Jiang Xia was casually scoping the area. He pointed toward a building down the cliffside, faintly lit in the darkness. "Looks like someone's living down there. Why don't we borrow their phone?"
Amuro nodded. Not like they had other options.
He gave the tire one last conflicted glance, then locked the car and headed toward the building with Jiang Xia. It sat by the waterfall, looking like it had been glued to the cliff.
As they got closer, Amuro realized it was a temple. A plaque above the entrance read "Shani Temple."
Next to it was a towering waterfall. In daylight, the place might've even been considered "picturesque."
Amuro, still unnerved from the tire incident, had been suspicious of the houses at first. But seeing it was a Buddhist temple made him feel a little better—secluded, peaceful, far from the world.
Too bad the abbot was the most un-Buddhist thing in sight.
The old monk rubbed his hands together and smiled as soon as he heard they were stranded tourists. "Of course, you can stay here. We provide lodging for just 10,000 yen a night." Then he added, "The phone is for guests only."
Translation: If you want to make a call, cough up for a room first.
Jiang Xia followed behind and, hearing this, looked like he was about to compliment the abbot on his entrepreneurial spirit—but he held back.
Amuro, on the other hand, was less impressed.
He checked his watch, did a quick mental estimate, and realized that even if someone brought them a new car immediately, he still wouldn't make it to the pottery class before it closed.
…Whatever. Might as well stay the night. The architecture was kind of cool—hanging on the cliff like that. Could be considered a tourist spot, technically.
The abbot's face lit up when Amuro pulled out his wallet.
Honestly, 10,000 yen a night was steep for such a humble setup. But Jiang Xia didn't mind. In fact, he was kind of loaded.
Still, he remembered his "working boy" persona for the detective agency and decided to stay in character.
So Amuro heard him murmur under his breath like a ghost in a horror movie: "This'll be reimbursed."
"…Are you seriously worried about spending money on a work trip?" Amuro side-eyed him, giving him the kind of smile that said, I'm being polite, but also, please shut up.
Then he handed two 10,000 yen bills to the abbot.
Eh, it could be reimbursed through the organization anyway. No waste, no waste.
——
Despite the vibe of strong-arm tactics, the abbot at least took reputation seriously. The service at Shani Temple was on point.
After Amuro made his call, the abbot summoned four apprentices. Two were selected for their "chattiness" to give the guests a tour. The other two went off to prepare dinner.
Except… the "chatty" ones turned out to be just a pair of excitable gnomes.
They led them through the temple, stopping before a giant gilded Buddha statue. Amuro managed a halfway respectful, halfway dazed "Wow, stylish."
One of the monks grinned and said cheerfully, "Wouldn't this be a great place to hold a funeral? We offer a 20% discount for couples!"
Amuro: "…"
He didn't want to be paranoid, but… he had a really bad feeling.
This forest. This temple. These monks.
Something here just wasn't right.
He even found himself staring at the guide's huge white teeth, trying to figure out if they looked strong enough to bite through rubber.
Realizing what he was doing, Amuro forced himself to stop and rubbed his temples.
Material world. We live in a material world.
——
After making a full loop around the temple, Jiang Xia had memorized the layout.
Dinner was ready surprisingly fast. It was all vegetarian, but Jiang Xia found it surprisingly appetizing.
Mostly because the ghost child clinging to the abbot was… very unsatisfactory.
The ghost child clearly didn't enjoy being stared at. It tried to hide under the table but peeked out again after a few seconds, only to find Jiang Xia still watching.
Cornered, it put its little hands together, gave Jiang Xia a trembling bow, then slowly slunk back behind the abbot.
Jiang Xia frowned slightly. The ghost fetus looked… odd.
It had something on its back, and its body shape wasn't like a normal ghost. But it was hidden well enough that Jiang Xia couldn't see clearly.
…Whatever. No rush.
He'd get a good look eventually. And when he did, it'd be time to not just look, but to pick up the plate.
Jiang Xia stabbed moodily at his bowl of rice.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 12/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS*