[137] The Conclusion of Murder Speculation (1)

Chapter 137: The Conclusion of Murder Speculation (1)

The film transitioned quickly.

That night, Mikiya Kokutou arrived at Shiki Ryougi's residence in the rain. The mansion was a somewhat crude imitation of Western-style architecture.

Under the pitch-black night sky, the rain was neither a downpour nor a drizzle.

Mikiya stood in the forest, getting soaked. He held an umbrella in one hand and a thermos in the other, quietly gazing toward the Ryougi household.

"Whoo~"

He let out a long sigh.

Mikiya looked tired, but not because of the rain. It was due to Shiki's strange behavior earlier that evening.

While he was lost in thought, a sudden loud noise reached his ears.

"Splash!"

It was a particularly loud splash.

Mikiya turned his head and saw a girl in red standing in the rain. She didn't have an umbrella and was completely drenched, as if she had been pulled out of the sea. Her short hair clung to her cheeks, and her eyes, hidden behind her black hair, looked empty.

"—Shiki!"

Seeing her, Mikiya was first surprised, then genuinely concerned.

He quickly approached Shiki, offering her his umbrella and pulling out a towel from his bag.

"Here, dry yourself off. What are you doing? Your house is right there..."

As he scolded her, he reached out his hand.

But in the midst of his concern, Shiki's face twisted into an eerie smile.

Then...

"Swish!"

A blade sliced through the air.

Hot blood trickled down Mikiya's arm.

'I got cut?'

'The wound is on my arm?'

'Why?'

'I can't move?'

Thoughts raced through his mind. The pain was so sharp that his body instinctively recoiled, numbing even the sensation of pain.

What shocked him even more was that Shiki, in that moment, moved swiftly like a ghost, launching herself at him.

"Ah~ ahhh!!!"

Driven by primal fear, Mikiya ran for his life, and the two began a chase through the night.

.....

As the film played on, the audience erupted in shock and confusion.

"What the hell? Is Shiki really trying to kill Mikiya?"

"Why would she do that? Is she really a psychotic killer?"

"This doesn't make any sense!"

The viewers were stunned by the turn of events. No one had expected Shiki to actually harm Mikiya. Even if she had threatened him before, most assumed it was just talk.

Since the film didn't explore Shiki's psychological motivations in depth, many were left puzzled about her reasons for attacking Mikiya.

In the Imperial Mage Academy's hall, students began discussing fervently.

"Could this be the work of her other personality, SHIKI? She's always claimed to be the destructive one, right?"

"But SHIKI's combat abilities are far beyond that. If it were her, Mikiya would have been dead instantly."

"Maybe she's just holding back?"

Most students thought it was Shiki's other personality behind the attack, not her own will.

A student from the Department of Mental and Spiritual Studies offered an analysis. "I think this is related to Shiki's dissociative identity disorder."

"Given that people with this disorder perceive things differently, this might be an impulsive reaction. Shiki could be unable to recognize Mikiya's true feelings and fears that his presence might disrupt the balance between her personalities, leading to a complete breakdown. So, she might have decided to kill him before that could happen."

"This also explains why she was so hostile toward Mikiya. She wanted to drive him away, but his persistence forced him into her world, leaving her with no choice but to eliminate him."

The students around nodded in agreement, impressed by the analysis.

"Your understanding of dissociative personality disorders is amazing. To deduce Shiki's psychological state from such a brief segment is incredible!"

"Yeah, I always thought the Mental and Spiritual Studies Department was minor, but you've shown such deep insight into psychological behavior."

"Impressive."

Taking the praise in stride, the psychic student struck a dramatic pose and said, "Haha, of course! Such an analysis is child's play for me, the dark dimension's sorcerer, the phoenix reborn from flames, the terror of the undead, the traveler through dimensions, the witness of brutal reality, and the saboteur of mechanical organizations, Werner Florensis II!"

"Huh?"

The students were left bewildered by his grandiose declaration, clearly stunned by his over-the-top display.

Before the atmosphere could become even more tense, a red-haired girl in a white lab coat emerged from the crowd. She grabbed the man who called himself Werner Florensis II and said loudly:

"Sorry for the trouble. This idiot is our department's eternal repeat student, Gebrun. He always spouts strange things, so just ignore him."

Gebrun, clearly unwilling, protested, "Hey, Clatilis the Thirty-Fourth, how dare you speak to me like that? I told you not to use my real name! What if the enemies from the organization find out?!"

"Forget about 'the Thirty-Fourth'! Anyway, if you don't pay attention to the movie, I'll tell Master Rosa to dock all your credits and you'll never graduate!"

"Ah, no way!"

The students from other departments were left stunned by the bizarre exchange and quickly moved away from the two peculiar individuals.

As the small scene concluded, the forest chase in the film came to an end.

In the midst of everyone's anxious anticipation, the conclusion before the "Murder Speculation" segment finally arrived!

---------

If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/EggZy