"Everyone's here."
Kazusa Touma set down the two suitcases, raised her hand to brush back her long hair, and when her gaze swept over Saki Kawasaki and Marin Kitagawa sitting together, she merely nodded slightly in greeting.
But when she saw Yukino Yukinoshita sitting on the sofa, her slender, elegant eyes sent a slight chill, and her voice grew much colder.
"You're here too?"
Yukino Yukinoshita retorted without backing down.
"What, can't I be here? I arrived before you."
"Heh, who arrived first isn't necessarily certain."
Seeing Yukino and Kazusa about to start fighting again, everyone present reacted differently.
The smile on Marin Kitagawa's face froze, hesitation appearing in her large eyes with coloured contacts as she lightly bit her lip, attempting to step forward and intervene.
Saki Kawasaki maintained an indifferent expression.
As for Keika Kawasaki...
This innocent young girl, just like that meme, had only one thought in her mind.
'Fight, fight!'
Despite her young age, Keika Kawasaki already understood the importance of competition.
Drive Kazusa to devour Yukinoshita, then let her own sister profit from it.
What a perfect development.
Unfortunately, things didn't proceed as Keika Kawasaki had hoped.
"That's enough."
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Kazusa Touma snorted lightly, glared irritably at Yukino Yukinoshita, and didn't continue the confrontation.
"Kazusa, come with me into the room."
"I-into the room?"
Hearing this, Kazusa Touma's face flushed slightly. She glanced at Marin Kitagawa and the others sitting in the living room, pursed her lips and said.
"This... with so many people present... isn't it inappropriate?"
Ye Xing looked at her speechlessly and pointed at the door.
"The room I meant is the study. Where did you think I was asking you to go? The bedroom?"
"Oh, so it's not the bedroom..."
While Kazusa Touma breathed a sigh of relief, the slight disappointment in her eyes was also quite evident.
Noticing her expression, Keika Kawasaki couldn't help but frown slightly. She jumped onto the sofa, patted her sister Saki Kawasaki's shoulder, and, under the other's puzzled gaze, sighed with profound concern.
"Sister, you really need to be more competitive."
...
After entering the study, Ye Xing turned to face Kazusa Touma and smiled.
"Kazusa, I'll probably be going out frequently over the next few days, and it won't be very convenient to bring Yukinoshita and the others along. So when I'm not here, I hope you can accompany them."
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Kazusa Touma frowned slightly, her expression showing some displeasure.
"Kitagawa and Kawasaki are one thing, but Yukinoshita? I don't like being around her."
Ye Xing's thinking was simple.
Marin Kitagawa, like Yui Yuigahama, belonged to the gyaru-style fashion type of beautiful girl, even more so than Yui Yuigahama in her gyaru styling, completely fitting the selection criteria of the Sunny Doll Killer.
And if Marin Kitagawa were in danger, then Saki Kawasaki, who often acted together with her, and Keika Kawasaki, who often went out to play with her two older sisters, would also have their safety compromised.
This was when Kazusa Touma needed to make her appearance.
Kazusa Touma was an insider who knew the truth about the world, and there was one most important point.
Between her and Ye Xing, they had signed that contract - whenever she encountered danger, she could use the contract's power to summon Ye Xing to her side.
Simply put.
Ye Xing hoped Kazusa Touma would serve as a teleportation point, acting as the final layer of insurance before the Sunny Doll Killer was eliminated.
"I refuse."
Kazusa Touma wore an unhappy expression, crossing her arms over her chest, her tone clearly dissatisfied.
"I originally thought I was coming to your place to discuss playing music together, but when I arrived, I found Kawasaki and that little girl, plus Kitagawa-san here. That already made me quite unhappy."
"And now you're saying you want me to babysit them alongside you, including that Yukino Yukinoshita whom I don't even like?"
"Have you considered my feelings at all?"
Listening to Kazusa Touma's clearly dissatisfied, even angry complaints, Ye Xing simply smiled. He stepped forward, placed his hands on her shoulders, looked directly into her eyes and said with a smile.
"Please, Kazusa."
This direct use of her given name made Kazusa Touma feel as if her heart had momentarily stopped beating.
Facing Ye Xing's smiling gaze, she instinctively turned her face aside to avoid his eyes, but couldn't help stealing a glance back. A faint blush appeared on her fair, delicate cheeks as she whispered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"Well... since you're asking like that... it's not completely impossible..."
Then Kazusa Touma quickly added.
"But... you have to promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
Kazusa Touma raised her head, her slender, elegant eyes sparkling brightly.
"This summer vacation, no matter what you do, you have to bring me along. And when you have time, you need to play piano with me."
Ye Xing nodded with a smile.
"Fine."
"Really?"
Kazusa Touma couldn't help showing a hint of a joyful smile, saying softly.
"Alright then, you go do what you need to do. Leave this to me."
"OK."
...
At noon, in an outdoor grassy park.
"Everyone ready?"
Before anyone else could respond to Ye Xing's question, Rio Futaba frowned slightly and pulled Ye Xing aside.
Looking at Yui Yuigahama standing there with Hina Amano, Mai Sakurajima, and Miko Yotsuya, wearing a sweet smile, Rio adjusted her glasses, her eyes showing concern.
"The others... I won't comment, but having Yui participate in this plan, too, isn't that a bit dangerous? After all, she's just an ordinary person."
Rio Futaba knew this plan was different from previous ones.
Their opponent wasn't merely evil spirits, but humans with twisted, insane souls who possessed evil spirit power and high intelligence.
Not to mention them psychics - even Hina Amano, who couldn't perceive evil spirits, possessed the special ability to pray to gods and summon lightning.
In comparison...
Yui Yuigahama, being just an ordinary high school girl who also fit the Sunny Doll Killer's selection criteria with her gyaru-style fashion, would be in too much danger if she participated in the operation.
"Futaba."
Ye Xing said seriously.
"You need to believe in the bonds between Yui and us!"
Rio Futaba: "...Alright, I'll trust you on this."
As the chief strategist of the Supernatural Society, Rio Futaba clearly understood her own strengths and weaknesses.
Her strength was her ability to maintain rational, calm thinking without any personal emotions, arriving at the most likely conclusions.
And her weakness...
Similarly, it was a rational and calm train of thought, devoid of any emotional factors.
In Rio Futaba's calculations, she never factored in individuals' inner feelings.
After all, quantum mechanics is objective and rational.
When it came to matters like the awakening of Soul Materialisation, Rio Futaba generally refrained from offering opinions.
The human heart is far too complex to be grasped through calculation.
Soul Materialisation, a power rooted in idealism, represents a path entirely different from the rational thinking Rio Futaba excels in.
Rio Futaba had already begun to vaguely guess what Ye Xing intended to do.
This operation...
Could it be the catalyst for Yui Yuigahama's awakening of spiritual power?
By the time Rio Futaba and Ye Xing returned, a woman in a pure white wedding dress had already approached Hina Amano, her face etched with anxiety.
"Excuse me, are you the so-called 'Sunny Girl' mentioned online?"
Before Hina Amano could respond, Ye Xing pointed at her and said calmly,
"She is the Sunny Girl. The others are not."
"Oh, I see."
The woman in the white wedding dress grasped Hina Amano's hands, her expression full of urgency.
"Please, you must help make the weather clear. Today is the most important day of my life. I want to hold the wedding outdoors—the venue was booked long ago—but look..."
At this point, the bride pointed at the overcast sky, which seemed ready to rain at any moment, and said worriedly,
"If it rains, everything will be ruined."
Before Hina Amano could reply, Ye Xing remarked dryly,
"You knew it's been raining a lot lately, yet you still insisted on an outdoor wedding. That's just asking for trouble."
The bride was taken aback and mumbled awkwardly,
"Well... It's more romantic to have it outdoors..."
Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses and feigned nonchalance as she casually added,
"Having a wedding outdoors... does sound quite nice."
Miko Yotsuya nodded in agreement.
"Mhm, wearing a wedding dress under the sunlight, being with the one you love, surrounded by so many friends and family—just thinking about it feels so blissful."
Mai Sakurajima chimed in,
"However, holding a Western-style wedding indoors also has a solemn and sacred feel. You don't have to worry about whether the weather is comfortable—just pick your favourite wedding dress."
"Actually, traditional Japanese weddings are lovely too. I've never worn a kimono before."
"Then let's all wear kimonos and go to the fireworks festival together."
"Sounds great!"
Seeing the conversation drifting off-topic, Hina Amano sighed helplessly and said,
"Where are you all going with this? Let's focus on the matter at hand."
Hearing this, Mai Sakurajima and the others looked somewhat embarrassed.
They weren't usually like this.
It was mainly because Ye Xing was here today for once, and seeing the wedding setup had stirred their emotions, making them start dreaming about the future.
"Please don't worry."
Hina Amano wore a sweet smile, clasped the bride's hands, and replied earnestly,
"I will definitely make the weather clear."
After saying this, Hina Amano brought her own hands together, lowered her head slightly, and slowly closed her eyes as if in prayer.
Seeing this, the members of the Supernatural Society team remained quiet, allowing Hina Amano to concentrate fully.
Hina Amano took a deep breath, parted her lips slightly, and whispered.
"Please be sunny."
As her quiet utterance fell, a bright beam of light suddenly projected down from the sky.
Everyone looked up to see that the thick, heavy clouds which had completely obscured the sky were now splitting apart from the middle.
The hot summer sunlight streamed down through the widening gap, giving people a feeling of warmth spreading throughout their bodies.
"Amano's ability..."
Miko Yotsuya watched the gradually clearing sky and couldn't help but marvel.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's always so awe-inspiring."
Weather manipulation.
Such an ability was profoundly impressive and wondrous even to psychics like Miko Yotsuya and the others.
Although Hina Amano couldn't help eliminate evil spirits - after all, she couldn't even perceive them - her ability to change the weather at will alone confirmed that she was undoubtedly a genuine psychic with extraordinary talent.
"Hah..."
Within just over ten seconds, the previously overcast sky had transformed into complete clarity.
"Hah..."
Hina Amano wiped the sweat from her forehead, her face showing clear exhaustion as she took several uneven breaths.
Clearly, the ability to pray to the gods for clear weather took a significant toll on her.
"Thank you so much!"
Witnessing the legendary Sunny Girl actually change the weather, the bride's face lit up with joy as she pressed a thick envelope into Hina Amano's hands, expressing her gratitude.
"Thank you so much for saving the most important day of my life!"
"You're welcome. I'm happy I could help you."
Seeing the bride's delighted expression made Hina Amano genuinely happy, too.
Initially, she had taken on Sunny Girl commissions just for the money.
But throughout this process, watching clients break into happy smiles as the weather cleared, Hina Amano had gradually come to appreciate something more important.
This sense of fulfilment from bringing joy to others had become her primary motivation for continuing this work.
"Cleared up..."
Hina Amano lifted her head to look at the bright sun in the sky, either because the sunlight was too dazzling or because she was observing something, and she raised her right hand to shield her face.
Just then.
A young woman wearing a halter top and hot pants, with an extremely attractive figure and fashionable appearance, approached the group.
"Yahallo yahallo, is this young lady the legendary Sunny Girl?"
Hina Amano blinked in surprise, hesitating slightly.
"Legendary... that might be overstating it. May I ask... what can I do for you?"
The young woman tossed her hair back with a graceful, poised gesture and smiled openly.
"Well, I'm Natsumi Suga, a writer for a small editorial studio. I'd like to conduct an interview with the legendary Sunny Girl. Would that be alright?"
"This..."
Hina Amano showed hesitation, not answering directly but instead turning her gaze towards Ye Xing, who was standing nearby.
As a writer, Natsumi Suga was quite perceptive and immediately realised that this handsome boy who looked high school-aged was the one who truly held decision-making authority within this group.
"Hello."
Upon realising this, Natsumi Suga immediately extended her hand, smiling warmly.
"I mean absolutely no harm. I simply wish to conduct an interview. I can even omit names and such details."
"Hello."
Ye Xing lightly shook Natsumi Suga's hand, then, under the intense gazes of Mai Sakurajima and the others, he didn't linger, releasing it after only a brief contact.
"An interview is fine, but there's one condition."
"Condition?"
Natsumi Suga asked curiously, "What condition?"
Ye Xing smiled and slowly spoke.
"I want the interview content not only published in the magazine, but also released in an online column. Moreover, it must clearly and accurately mention the names of everyone present here."
"Eh?"
Hearing this, Natsumi Suga couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
As a media writer, this was the first time she had ever heard such a request.
Typically, interviewees would request anonymity to protect their privacy.
A demand to specifically mention everyone's names – this was truly her first encounter with such a thing.
"Alright, no problem."
Seeing Natsumi Suga agree, Ye Xing continued.
"There's one more thing."
He showed a friendly smile and said softly.
"During the interview, I hope you'll also mention the Sunny Doll Killer incident that's been widely circulating in Kyoto recently and has caught everyone's attention."
"This..."
Natsumi Suga completely failed to understand the intention behind this request from the rather handsome boy before her.
However, after just a brief moment of confusion, she immediately realised.
Sunny Doll Killer?
This was a perfect opportunity to grab attention!
Linking the recent online sensation Sunny Girl with the cruel murderer who kills girls and turns them into Sunny Girl dolls, while also interviewing the 100% Sunny Girl herself about her stance on the matter.
This was practically free publicity delivered right to her doorstep!
But...
Natsumi Suga frowned slightly, a conflicted and hesitant expression on her face as she glanced at the Supernatural Society members present, then looked back at Ye Xing.
"Let me warn you first, if this interview gains a lot of attention... the killer himself might see it. Plus, with you insisting on mentioning everyone's names, it could very well attract the murderer's attention and bring danger."
"That doesn't matter."
Ye Xing smiled meaningfully.
"Rather, I'm looking forward to exactly that scenario."
...
That same night, in a certain small apartment.
A pair of bloodshot eyes scanned across a computer screen.
A voice filled with excitement and madness, like a hellish evil spirit, echoed continuously through the room.
"Next... next... next..."
Just then, a news headline caught the attention of those blood-red eyes.
'The Genuine 100% Sunny Girl, The True Weather-Clearing Ability User, First Exclusive Interview!'
"Sunny Girl... true ability user..."
The owner of the bloodshot eyes muttered these words, his expression suddenly turning extremely ferocious, twisted with malice, his voice becoming abnormally frenzied.
"It's me, it should have been me!!!"
Then, his voice turned unusually detached.
"How interesting."
He moved the mouse and clicked on the news article.
The first thing that caught my eye was the most prominent Q&A at the forefront.
Reporter: "Miss Sunny Girl, what are your thoughts on the recent Sunny Doll Killer incident?"
Sunny Girl: "I share my classmate Ye Xing's perspective."
"His exact words were..."
"'The so-called Sunny Doll Killer is merely a giant infant engaging in trivial acts, craving attention through violence, and demanding society's notice...'"
"'...a manchild.'"