Chapter 8: Hidden God (Part )Conan perked up and slowed down his browsing speed. He knew that the thing he was most curious about was right below. [Police (interrogation): Child? Are you serious? What's going on? How did you get to know him or contact him?] [Hongshu Motoda (dazed): Before I lost my job, I often went to a izakaya to drink. One time when I was drunk, I heard someone calling me in a daze…] ## 1989, Hokkaido. Creak~ The old wooden door flipped inward, and through this fleeting gap, a few wisps of cold air with sporadic snowflakes mixed into the turbid air in the house. Is there anyone else here? This store is doing really good business! Yuan Tian Hongshu thought with some envy. He put down the half-drunk glass and stared at the light and shadows reflecting the hazy atmosphere under the dim yellow light, trying to empty his mind. Just today, he got the news that the company was going to lay off employees. His wife was a stay-at-home wife, and his daughter had just been admitted to college. The life of the whole family was on his shoulders, so he didn't want to lose this job anyway! He slammed the rest of the wine down his throat. The spicy feeling rushed into his stomach, but it couldn't suppress the anxiety in his heart. He had been planning to give a gift to his boss today, but he heard the news that his boss was also in trouble. He had no access to higher-level leaders at all, so he had no way to pay tribute. He was just a low-level employee with no special skills. Anyone could do his job, and he had no confidence that he could compete with those young people.
He pressed the clothes on his arms on the slippery table top. He no longer cared about his wife's complaints when he got home, and he lay down on it. Maybe it was because of the alcohol, his mind was dizzy and there were blurry afterimages in his eyes. But it’s better this way. After getting drunk, I won’t think about those troubles that I can’t do anything about. "This gentleman." He closed his eyes and seemed to still feel the temperature of the light on his exposed skin, which was warm and comfortable. "This gentleman." It's so noisy! Who are you calling? Hurry up and tell him to shut up! "This gentleman!" The voice became louder, and his hazy consciousness became clearer. He raised his head, and it took him a long time to realize that someone was calling me! "This gentleman!" Following the sound, he finally saw the person sitting across from him at the same table. It was a very pretty child, with a milky white skin under the dim light, and red pupils as warm as jade, staring at him brightly. However, he was not tall, and even if he couldn't see him, Yuan Tian Hongshu could imagine the scene of his two legs dangling in the air without touching the ground. "Haha, kid, are you here to steal some wine?" Yuan Tian Hongshu sprayed a breath of alcohol on the face of the child opposite. Perhaps because he saw something beautiful, his anger at being disturbed in his sweet dream subsided a lot. The child raised the cup beside him and said seriously: "No, I'm here to drink milk." Yuan Tian Hongshu was amused and laughed and teased: "So you are still a little brat who hasn't been weaned! Baby, where is your mother? Didn't she come with you?" The child did not show the embarrassed expression he imagined, and counterattacked lightly: "At least, babies who have not been weaned don't have any worries." Yuan Tian Hongshu's laughter was choked back, and he thought of the troubles during the day, and immediately muttered unhappily: "You are so unlovable, you little brat!" After this incident, he no longer felt sleepy and immediately stood up shakily, ready to pay the bill and go home. "Wait a moment sir."
The child suddenly called him, and when he turned around, he looked at him seriously and said, "Sir, do you have the courage to face misfortune?" "Huh?" "Depending on experience and psychological feelings, we sometimes have a premonition of what is about to happen, just like the moment before the teacher calls your name in class. However, this premonition is unstable and has a premise, just like only when teachers and students are familiar with each other can they let you notice that the teacher is observing you through a glance. But I am different. Since I was a child, I can clearly feel the happiness and misfortune around others." "what are you saying." "I want to say that the misfortune around you is as huge and dazzling as the sun." Yuan Tian Hongshu understood, and he asked loudly: "Are you cursing me?!" The child shook his head and said calmly, "I don't believe in curses. They are just an illusory thing that relies on faith. I have seen people curse others non-stop, but they were unable to change their happiness or misfortune in the slightest. Of course, if it were me, I could magnify the misfortune of others and bring disaster to them." Crazy! Psychopath! Yuan Tian Hongshu cursed in his heart. He wanted to turn around and leave. Yes! Why should I listen to the stupid fantasies of a middle school student with second-year syndrome? If I have this time, I might as well go home and sleep! However, those eyes as red as gems made his legs seem to be rooted and he couldn't move at all. His lips moved, and Yuan Tian Hongshu wanted to say something... But what could he say? Should he kneel down and ask him if there was any hope for him, like those old ladies who were deceived by the "fortune teller"? How ridiculous! It seems that the pressure from the company is too great, which makes me want to believe this kid's nonsense. Yuan Tianhongshu comforted himself and drove the words that the little devil said out of his mind. But then the child pushed a card onto the table. I don't know what I was thinking at the time, but when I came to my senses, the card was already in his hand. It was a very clean card, like a business card, but there was no name on it, only a phone number. "If you need help, you can call me at any time. But I have to remind you that my fee is very high." Yuantian Hongshu grinned. As expected, this kid was here to cheat people out of money! But for some reason, he still stuffed the card into his clothes. Maybe it was his sixth sense, or maybe it was just for comfort. He staggered towards the bar to pay the bill, but on the way, he suddenly looked back. The child sat quietly on the chair, out of tune with the noisy atmosphere around him, as if there was an invisible wall separating him from the world. He sat in the light, looking at him with pity and indifference, as if looking down at the god of his believers. He was in a trance for a moment, and asked in a hoarse voice after drinking: "Hey, what's your name?" "Shenyin." The child smiled, raised the milk, and made a farewell gesture like clinking glasses: "My name is Shenyin." Yuantian Hongshu hesitated for a moment, and took a final look. Just as he had guessed, the little short legs hanging in the air shook his head, pushed open the door, and walked into the biting wind and snow. ## [Police (speechless): ...Are you telling a story? ] [Hongshu Motoda (dazed): A story?... Now that I think about it, it really is like one of those ghost stories that are passed down from mouth to mouth... In the ice and snow, the gods predicted the traveler's unfortunate future and signed a contract with him. When the traveler has the courage to pick up a sword and dye himself red with blood, the gods will come at the call and take the traveler's soul and the body of the sacrificed person...] [Police (suspicious): ...Are you trying to pretend to be mentally ill to avoid punishment? ] This is yesterday's. It's late. I'm going to code today's now. Sorry.
(End of this chapter)