The next day, Duanmu Huai met with Kana as before. This time, however, it wasn't just Kana; there was another person. The latter looked a bit older than Kana, and she was also a college student. She was dressed rather maturely, and when she saw Duanmu Huai, her expression turned quite unpleasant. But Duanmu Huai didn't care about such trivial matters.

After all, he wasn't really planning to be a father.

This time, Kana had chosen a high-end restaurant again, but Duanmu Huai didn't mind. He directly sent her to order the food and then looked at the woman in front of him. The latter stared at him with a nervous expression.

"Alright, I won't say much nonsense. You should have heard about the situation from Kana. I just want to ask how much you know about the rumors of this midnight Yoko."

".........…Who are you really?"

The woman did not immediately answer Duanmu Huai's question but stared at him and asked.

"Why are you investigating this? What does it have to do with you?"

At first, the woman thought Duanmu Huai just wanted to experience being a father, considering she had worked before and knew that those rich and idle people truly enjoyed seeking thrills. She also suspected Duanmu Huai might be a journalist for some magazine, investigating gossip to report sensationalized stories.

But now the woman didn't think that way. Just looking at Duanmu Huai's appearance, she knew he wasn't easy to mess with. He wasn't like the usual frivolous fathers seeking excitement. And as a third-rate reporter, it wasn't possible either; a meal here would probably cost more than a month's salary for a small journalist. If he was simply seeking thrills or gathering information, this seemed too extravagant.

Besides, judging by the car he drove, he was undoubtedly wealthy or influential.

But why did he care about this?

"I'm looking for a certain monster."

Duanmu Huai wasn't even bothered to laugh it off and went straight to the point.

"And I heard about the rumors of this midnight Yoko. The victims' behaviors seem very similar to those who have encountered such monsters, which is why I entrusted Kana to investigate."

"..................…"

Hearing Duanmu Huai's candid reply, the woman's expression froze. She sat there, staring at Duanmu Huai without saying a word.

"Are you serious?"

"I've said it, anyway. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

The Judge never needed to explain to others. I revealed my identity to ask for your cooperation. You either cooperate, or die.

Of course, Duanmu Huai wouldn't go that far in this world, mainly because he was confident— he had already taken a photo of this woman, and if she was unwilling to cooperate, he could also ask Shadow for help.

"Monster… monster…"

The woman muttered to herself, then looked at Duanmu Huai, contemplating for a moment.

"Do you really believe there are monsters in the world? Even if there were, what does it have to do with you?"

"That's so fresh; what you just said is amusing, just like criminals. There are criminals in the world; what does it have to do with the police?"

"Because the police are supposed to catch criminals, aren't they?"

"Then that's settled, isn't it?"

With one sentence, Duanmu Huai decisively killed the discussion. The latter froze there again, and after a while, she confusedly stared at Duanmu Huai.

"You wouldn't happen to be from one of those secret organizations like in the movies, would you?"

"I'm here to ask you, miss, not for you to investigate me."

Duanmu Huai had no intention of playing question-and-answer games here.

"......…Alright, I understand."

The woman stared at Duanmu Huai for a moment longer, seeing his calm demeanor, she didn't say more, just nodded.

"I think you've heard the story from Kana, right?"

"Yes."

"Actually… that story was spread by me. I'm Aiko's… sister."

"Oh?"

This was really unexpected.

Then, the woman told Duanmu Huai what she knew — she hadn't experienced it firsthand; she only heard it from her sister, and unlike the story, the woman's account was more detailed.

For example, when A-ko met with her dad, she felt that this dad seemed a bit off. Like when he took A-ko to a fancy restaurant and said, "You really liked this place the last time we came here." But A-ko couldn't recall ever being at this restaurant with her dad. Also, later, dad looked at the bag A-ko was carrying and asked why she wasn't using the one he had bought for her before — did she not like it?

But A-ko couldn't remember her dad ever buying her a bag!

Honestly, A-ko thought something was off back then, but she just figured maybe her dad was mistaken. After all, many dads have multiple families, and as they get older, their memory fails them; it's possible he mixed up events with someone else.

And unlike the story, A-ko didn't come out of the bathroom in the morning; it was the middle of the night. She wanted to go home, but because her clothes, bag, and phone were outside, she couldn't contact anyone from inside the bathroom. So, after hearing her dad's voice disappear outside, A-ko cautiously opened the bathroom door, intending to grab her things and escape.

She thought perhaps her dad had fallen asleep from exhaustion, but when A-ko stepped out of the bathroom, she heard a slurping sound. She carefully peeked her head out and looked towards the bed, and she was startled by what she saw — her dad was embracing someone who looked almost exactly like A-ko!

At that moment, A-ko was almost dumbfounded, completely unsure of what was happening, even suspecting she was dreaming.

Then, an even more terrifying scene unfolded.

She saw that the "A-ko" lifted her head, looked at her, and then that face twisted grotesquely. From the open mouth and eyes, wriggling tentacles emerged, emitting a piercing laugh!

Seeing this, A-ko was scared out of her wits; she didn't even bother to get dressed and bolted out of the hotel. She ran straight home — she and her sister came to study here together and lived together. Her sister was already asleep, but A-ko's shouts woke her up, and the sister hurriedly opened the door to let A-ko in. A-ko clung to her sister, sobbingly explained the situation, and then fainted.

"... At the time, I just thought my sister might have encountered something terrifying that scared her senseless; I planned to wait until she calmed down to ask what happened. But I didn't expect the police to show up the next day, saying they wanted to ask her about a man's suicide. That's when I found out the man had already killed himself. And the police found my sister's ID at the scene, suspecting she might be connected to the incident... Luckily, the police checked the surveillance and saw my sister leaving; since the timeline didn't match up with the man's suicide, they didn't investigate her further."

With this, the woman sighed.

"The child was already traumatized and was taken by the police for questioning. When she returned, she was a little dazed. I took her to see a doctor, and the doctor said she was severely mentally shocked and needed medication for treatment. But after that, her condition has been unstable…"

"Truly unfortunate."

Duanmu Huai also nodded sympathetically. That poor kid probably caught a glimpse of an Outer God when her inspiration kicked in. Normally, things might have been fine if she didn't, but unfortunately, she did, and saw its true form, which is... unfortunate.

And based on her sister's account, A-ko's condition is currently unstable, improving and worsening periodically. All she can do is send A-ko to a hospital for treatment. However, the doctor said the situation is dire and unlikely to recover easily. Currently, it can only be managed with medication and some therapies.

A-ko's sister initially made up this story to warn others, but unexpectedly, the rumor has gained increasing attention...

Duanmu Huai originally intended to meet with A-ko and ask about the situation, but unfortunately, A-ko's sister said, "The doctor says she needs rest and can't be stimulated" ... Alright, Duanmu Huai didn't need to be told to understand what she meant.

However, as the saying goes, money talks, and Duanmu Huai eventually used money to persuade A-ko's sister to take him to the mental hospital. Her sister brought A-ko out, and Duanmu Huai caught a glimpse of A-ko from afar, took a photo, and then it was enough to ask the Shadow.

A-ko's Shadow's account was similar to A-ko's sister's, but what particularly caught Duanmu Huai's attention was that the Shadow mentioned feeling scared when listening to dad talk, as if someone else was wearing her skin, pretending to be her, and acting with dad… So that night, when she saw another A-ko with dad, she was so terrified.

After gathering all the information, Duanmu Huai returned to report his findings to Xie Sita and Yuko Shionji. After hearing Duanmu Huai's account, both of them frowned, looking distressed.

"You mean, that monster disguises itself as other people to date those dads?"

Even Xie Sita, who usually maintained a calm and composed demeanor, appeared a bit taken aback.

"This is quite troublesome now..."

"Indeed, how are we supposed to find it like this?"

Yuko Shionji also had a headache. They initially thought the monster was just disguising itself as humans, but didn't expect it had this shape-changing trick.

This is not like the shapeshifting of Shoggs, and there are no apparent weaknesses to exploit.

But...

"No worries, since this creature likes to disguise itself, I'll use a Demon Mirror to deal with it!"

Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth as he spoke, picking up his phone and dialing.

"Hey, Shajuye? Are you still at school? Haven't finished classes yet...? Good, I remember the day after tomorrow is a holiday, right? Go invite Yotsuya Miko; tell her I have something I need her help with!"

I refuse to believe it can hide forever!

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