When everyone finally gathered inside the house, their eyes wandered curiously around the place. If they had not heard about Grandma Yume's mysterious disappearance, they might have thought she was still living there, quietly taking care of her home.
Because the place looked so clean and tidy, almost as if someone had been maintaining it daily.
Ren quickly looked around the place and spotted a big table on the side. Without hesitation, he dragged a chair over and took his seat.
"Alright. Jamie will be the first from my team. Choose yours," he said to Blake, swinging one leg over the other, already acting like he'd be the master at the end of the day.
On the other hand, Blake glanced at him with a slight twitch of his lips. He's definitely single-minded, isn't he? Here they were, inside a house where rumors said someone had vanished or probably died and this blonde was still eager to 'fight.'
Maybe it was a sibling thing, but the curiosity flickering in Blake's eyes seemed to reflect in Nina as well. Instead of taking a seat, her feet carried her to the photos mounted on the wall. Her gaze lingered on the pictures with an unreadable expression, but Blake could tell his sister was intrigued.
Ace and Rumi, noticing Nina wander away from the 'fighting arena' sneered at Ren.
"Look, your teammate's already running off before the start," Ace said with a mocking smile.
Rumi chuckled and joined in the mockery, but their effort went to waste as Ren brushed them off like buzzing mosquitoes. He stood up from his chair and followed after Nina.
"What's up?" he asked, hands tucked casually into his pockets. He joined her in observing the photos on the wall. Soon enough, Blake walked over too, curiosity pulling him in.
Behind the trio, the other members of both gangs exchanged glances with one another. But like loyal guards, they followed their leaders, their eyes flickering toward the photos.
"Grandma Yume," Kai muttered blankly, as if speaking any more would cost him extra breath.
Nina turned toward him. "How do you know?"
With his mountain-like frame, Kai looked down at the petite girl in black and replied simply, "Saw her photo in the candy basket."
Nina nodded in understanding. With Grandma Yume selling candies at the front gate of their school, Kai must be a frequent visitor to her considering his liking for sweets. Moreover, he got a little sister at his home who would sell her soul and brother for a piece of candy.
"Grandma Yume was ugly in her childhood," Ren commented out of nowhere, tilting his head with a hand on his chin, his face full of thoughtfulness.
A series of eyes instantly turned his way. Did he really have to be so straightforward? If Grandma Yume or her ghost was here, they'd be thrown out the window for his bluntness.
But then, in perfect unison, everyone turned back to the photo. They squinted, leaned in, tilted their heads at all the possible angles, and then… yes.
She did look ugly, they concluded.
In the end, the two gangs conveniently forgot the purpose of why they came here and pulled into investigation mode. Every corner of the small house was dust-free, and nothing inside the house was out of place.
The group began to suspect that Grandma Yume might have rented this place out to someone or appointed someone to take care of it. But if that were the case, more than eight people barged into the house already. If the caretaker was here, he should have come out by now to greet them… or at least chase them out.
None of these happened, so in conclusion…they shrugged.
They don't know what happened.
Rumi, Kai, and Ace wandered off to the kitchen and bedroom, inspecting the place to find out any clue about Grandma Yume's disappearance. Meanwhile, Jamie refused to move away from the hall, his eyes fixed solemnly on the entrance door, making sure nothing, neither the wind nor someone would close it from outside just like in those horror movies.
Jason, tagging along with his leader Blake, observed the photos. He swiped his slender fingers along the surface of the table and inspected them.
"It's spot clean. Somebody must be here to clean the house daily," he said with narrowed eyes.
Blake looked keenly at the photos mounted on the wall. "There are no photos of Grandma Yume's son or her grandson in this house," he remarked.
"Hmm. Suspicious, isn't it? I never heard her mention anything about her son, considering she was at our school gate most of the time."
"Fair enough," Blake nodded.
Just then Ren's voice thundered from upstairs.
"Kai! Jamie! Get up here….we found something!" he yelled from upstairs.