The elderly man slowly released both hands from the teacup, but to our surprise, it remained suspended in mid-air and did not fall.

“What?!” I exclaimed in astonishment.

“Well, well. It seems you’re skilled in magic,” my senior said, rubbing his chin in admiration.

“The bigger one is honest and cute. You, on the other hand, are twisted,” the former mayor remarked.

“Well, the magic trick was quite impressive considering the flow of the conversation. It created a fertile ground for believing, making the effect even more effective,” my senior replied.

He was right. After hearing that story, I was almost convinced that it was a genuine display of supernatural abilities.

“Is this the modus operandi in the village you heard from your friend?”

“It’s half-right, although it’s a bit off the mark. First of all, that friend is me,” said the former mayor, pointing to himself with a carefree smile, like a mischievous child who has succeeded in a prank.

Meanwhile, the teacup was still floating. How is he doing it?

“That was surprising. So, you were the only survivor of the village then?”

“Not exactly. The survivors of that village are me, Jin Sakurazaka, and his older sister Yae.”

As soon as he mentioned their names, a tension ran through the room. I glanced sideways and saw a serious expression on my senior’s face.

“Why did you mention their names? I haven’t said a word about them.”

“They are from Nanagami Shimokita district. I am aware of everything about the people from the village,” replied the former mayor.

I had heard that the information network in the countryside was very strong. So, it wouldn’t be strange if there was someone who knew everything about their relatives. And as the child of the leader, it might be natural to know such information.

“I see, and there is one more person, the survivor of the clan. I am staying in this place under that person’s orders,” the former mayor continued.

“Orders?” my senior replied with a calm demeanor.

While pretending to be composed, my senior looked around the surroundings.

This could be a dangerous situation. I crouched down and put strength into my legs, ready to move at my senior’s signal.

“That detective over there knows about that person too, don’t they? They’ve been investigating them recently, right?”

Senior’s waist lifted slightly off the chair.

How did he know that Senior was a detective, not a journalist?

“The name of that person is Mikishima Heito. He used to go by the name Nanakagami Hirato.”

“Iwaro!”

“Yes!”

“As Senior and I jumped out at the same time, we grabbed the former mayor and a villager in a double hold.

I was in charge of the villager, but they didn’t put up much of a fight and were caught easily.

They didn’t seem to be putting much effort into resisting. It was anticlimactic, but we remained vigilant.

“Hey hey, what are you doing to an old man like me?”

The former mayor turned to Senior standing behind him and accused him in a carefree tone.

“If you’ve gone too far, I’ll expect an apology later. But you seem calm in this situation. How did you know about my profession? Did you ask Mikishima Heito?”

“That’s right, Mikishima told me. They said there’s someone investigating me and the siblings recently.”

Regarding the siblings, it was true, but Senior had only mentioned a slight reference to the accident regarding Mikishima Heito.

Despite that, why such caution up to this point?

Could they be caught up in an unimaginable situation…?

A creepy feeling, as if something unknown was crawling all over my body, making my skin tingle.

“I never thought I’d hear that politician’s name here. And to think they were from the Nanakagami clan too. Hey, hey, it’s starting to sound like a suspense drama,” I said

Despite the situation, Senior’s profile looked pleased, and they even licked their lips. Perhaps the detective blood in them was excited.

On the other hand, I had no room for such composure.

“Well then, let’s stop the exposé here. I was itching to talk to someone about it, but if I say any more, I’ll anger Mr. Hirato.”

“Oh no, you’re already at that level.”

“Sorry, sorry. As I get older, I long for someone to talk to. But in just another half month, the world will be transformed. It’s too late for anything else.”

“The former mayor and the villagers don’t seem to be bothered by being captured, which is unnerving and gives me chills.”

The previous statement was also ominous: “In half a month, the world will change drastically.” What does it mean?

Despite the lack of details, the instinct to sense danger that I have developed since childhood is screaming, “We should back away! We should run!”

“Senior, this is getting too dangerous!”

“Well, if you say so… Can’t be helped. Thank you for the valuable information!”

At the same time, Senior pushed the former mayor and the villagers away from the window and hastily put on the shoes he had placed there, then started running.

“Don’t let them escape!”

As they run, they hear the angry shouts of the former mayor behind them. At the same time, countless figures appear around the community center.

Two people with farming tools such as sickles and hoes stand in their path.

There seems to be no other escape route, and they are completely surrounded. At a glance, there are at least thirty people.

As they run, one of them exclaims, “Hey, this is getting serious. I’ve seen this scene in spy movies before!”

The other responds, “Why are you so happy!? We’re in a big, big, big trouble without even knowing what’s going on!”

“Sorry for dragging you into this. If we can get out of here, I’ll treat you to anything you want!” the first one says, still talking big while not slowing down.

Without a break in their stride, they charge towards the villagers holding farming tools in their path.

“Take me to the most expensive steakhouse in town and I’ll buy you a Chateaubriand!”

They dodge the swinging scythes, grab their opponents, and toss them aside while making sure to secure their promise.

…………….

“I wonder if Senior is safe…”

Since then, all roads leading to the village were blocked off. To our surprise, even the police were cooperating.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Senior tried to get help from the police chief using his smartphone, but there was no signal. It had been working at the inn.

After that, we climbed up the mountain and moved while avoiding people, but on the way…

“What was that?”

At first, we were being chased by the villagers, but as night fell, we began to notice something strange about the people pursuing us. Previously, most of the pursuers had been armed in groups of three or more, but now many were unarmed and wandering aimlessly around, making unintelligible moaning sounds.

From a distance, we couldn’t see their faces, but it was clear they lacked any semblance of intelligence. It was unsettling, but it made them easy targets to gather information or use as hostages, so I launched a simultaneous attack with my senior.

However…

“Ouch, it hurts!”

At that moment, my arm that was bitten by the attacker began to throb in pain. Despite easily grabbing them from behind and trying to subdue them, the attacker displayed an incredible strength and easily threw me off. The attacker was smaller than my senior in terms of physique, but their strength was far beyond what one would expect.

Despite facing significant resistance, I somehow managed to neutralize the threat. However, during my hasty retreat, a few new adversaries emerged, and I ended up getting separated from my senior colleague.

According to my senior, “Their eyes were bloodshot, and they didn’t seem to be in their right mind. They were wielding an extraordinary power, and it seemed like they were under the influence of some dangerous drugs. Maybe this village has been secretly cultivating narcotics, and Mikishima was involved in it as well. Furthermore, it’s suspected that the Nanakagame clan is also implicated in this, and they were keeping a close eye on the Sakurazaka siblings, who could potentially expose their secret activities.”

I had a suspicion that the talk of psychic abilities was likely just a fabricated story to cover up the drug cultivation. It was impressive to see someone’s mind work so clearly in such a chaotic situation. I couldn’t help but respect that.

As I walked, amazed by their quick thinking, I suddenly felt dizzy.

“Phew. I feel so sluggish… and I have the chills.”

I didn’t feel well. My lips and skin were dry and chapped. It could be because I hadn’t been drinking enough water.

Moreover, I suddenly felt like my head wasn’t working properly, and something gruesome seemed to be circulating throughout my body.

“Huh? Ahh!”

My head was shaking, and my vision was blurred. I couldn’t focus my thoughts properly.

I need to pull myself together. I made a promise to Diya-san and Jin-san that I would help them.

My throat felt dry. I wanted to drink something.

My body was itching.

Senior…

I feel dizzy.

Help…