Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

Asami-senpai was female, and also a stranger, so relatively speaking, being the same gender would make it more convenient for her to approach that group of high school girls; conversely, as a male with stronger legs, he could reach the patrol officers and security checkpoints more quickly.

Of course, while sprinting toward his destination, he naturally wondered what Asami Yuko had noticed. Following the detective girl’s hint, the Novelist quickly perceived what was “not right.”

‘None of them are carrying bags… I see.’

Whether handbags, school bags, or backpacks, all members of that now-distant group of girls were completely empty-handed.

Regardless of whether they were attending a group activity, returning home, or going to school, since they chose to take the subway, there should be considerable distance to their destination, yet not one of them carried any belongings.

This was abnormal for typical high school girls. Unless…

Their destination was the subway station itself.

Of course, as far as the sudden insight suggested, and considering the number of high school girls, it matched an ominous figure in his memory.

…

Apart from the Novelist and Asami Yuko, none of the bustling passersby near the subway transfer station entrance seemed to notice anything unusual.

These high school girls appeared completely normal, holding hands with each other, talking and laughing intimately, without showing the slightest tension or worry in their expressions.

The girls linked arms, moving forward collectively and without hesitation toward the platform.

Should he shout at this moment…?

He shook his head while running, quickly rejecting this answer.

Putting aside whether their shouts would be noticed or believed by passersby; even if people trusted them, it would only cause panic in the crowd, creating complications in stopping the girls rather than getting help from others.

Moreover, if these high school girls noticed their intentions in time, they might do something even more desperate—

Before reaching a reasonable solution, a polite yet inhuman female voice abruptly pierced the Novelist’s eardrums, like plunging a cold metal block into boiling water.

“Train approaching, please stand behind the yellow line—”

The moment that voice sounded.

The world reflected in the Novelist’s pupils moved slowly frame by frame, like a slow-motion sequence in a film.

Asami-senpai’s frail, small frame desperately pushed forward through the crowded people, trying to get closer to the girls at the front. Shouting “Wait—”, her long hair swaying behind her waist;

The nearest patrol officer was dozens of meters away. Leaning against the corner of a newsstand, his head drooping to his chest, nodding off, appearing drowsy;

Standing outside the yellow line that represented danger, the high school girls instinctively extended their arms, one after another, affectionately linking arms with those on their left and right;

Just like the preparatory movements during a physical fitness test, they collectively assumed a crouching position ready to jump. From here, their expressions couldn’t be seen, but one could imagine they wore excited and expectant smiles for the future they longed for.

…It’s too late.

Only at this moment did the rational conclusion belatedly enter his mind.

The Novelist recalled seeing people on television, hand in hand, joyfully jumping into the calm waves of the ocean; the image of cute girls in swimsuits frozen in the camera lens.

The difference was that the former jumped into the sea, splashing large waves; the 13 high school girls falling into the tunnel stirred up blood like a river flowing backward, like an inverted waterfall.

What we call a train is a steel monster racing through the intestines of the earth, and human designers wouldn’t consider mere flesh and blood. The massive metal block moving at ultra-high speed naturally crashed the high school girls into scattered chunks of flesh, haphazardly throwing them up into the air by kinetic energy, or dropping them beside the tracks.

The amount of liquid in the human body exceeds common imagination. The blood and flesh of 13 people caused artificial rain with mismatched paint colors to fall on the platform, with internal organs and severed limbs plopping down, sliding down along the glass windows and train doors.

After a brief pause in time, terrible screams erupted from the crowd. Just like when they arrived, passengers desperately retreated, trying to escape the hellish disaster scene.

Just standing here, one could already see the horrified expressions of passengers inside the train after witnessing the tragedy. The fluid, organs, and massive body parts sprayed from the girls’ bodies violently struck the outer walls, doors, and windows. People could only tremble and move away from the windows, motionlessly waiting for the train to stop.

And the one who remained, truly standing in place, was only one person.

Asami Yuko.

She had rushed to the platform first, yet in the end couldn’t prevent anything, stopping beside the tunnel.

Standing in the blood rain falling from the sky, Asami-senpai’s clothing, hair, and appearance were quickly soaked through, but she still stood motionless on the deserted platform.

…

“Senpai…?”

The Novelist was extremely concerned about her mental state.

Asami Yuko stood silently in place, her overly long hair, wet with sticky blood, completely covering her cheeks, making her expression unreadable.

…This was no time to hesitate.

He strode forward, his feet feeling as if stepping into glue. Trying his best to ignore the environment, his feet possibly treading over sticky mounds of flesh and slippery internal organs—just pretend not to notice!

The ground seemed covered with a thick, soft fungal carpet. One could easily slip. When he finally managed to walk to her side, the girl began speaking.

Though her voice was faint, his ears caught it immediately.

“Is this… a challenge?”

…?

For a moment, he couldn’t understand what she meant.

“The killer has issued a challenge to the detective.”

Asami Yuko leaned toward him. But her expression showed no weakness or compromise. Her pink lips curved upward extensively at both corners, revealing snow-white teeth, like a crescent moon.

“Very well. So that’s it, indeed that’s it. Then, this case…”

She placed both hands on the Novelist’s chest. The girl in his arms with parted lips looked like she was smiling, but in reality her expression wasn’t smiling at all.

“I, Detective Asami Yuko—”

She used her fingers to toss away the fragments stuck to her hair and cheeks, such as what might be ears, noses, eyeballs, or other organ tissues, casually throwing them to the ground.

“Will solve it personally.”

Asami Yuko raised her face, revealing pitch-black pupils.

In the moment their eyes met, one involuntarily experienced the illusion of seeing flames burning in a deep valley.