I wanted to be a bad actor in the anime, but I failed.

Tsurumi Rumi once said that there are 13 altars in the izakaya, located in guest rooms 1 to 13 on the second floor.

Beneath the spider webs are countless shed skins.

It wasn't so desolate the last time I came here.

This means that Sadako shows no signs of activity, and the worst case scenario is that her real body is not here.

I've heard from some experienced exorcists that using a thermometer is the best way to find the location of a ghost.

When the temperature suddenly drops below 0 degrees Celsius, it means that a ghost is nearby.

However, in this snowy weather, the temperature is already very low, and the indoor temperature is not much different from the outside temperature because the window is damaged, so this best method is ineffective.

Mu Lin took the talking spirit (a device that can easily communicate with ghosts) and walked around the house, saying a few words from time to time, asking if Sadako was there. He gave up only after he had searched the entire izakaya.

"13 altars and 13 candles."

After lighting 13 candles in a circle, he sighed when he found that the flames did not move.

Mu Lin put the things into the suitcase and walked towards the cave.

There was only the cone of light from the flashlight in the dim cave. Outside, it was snowing heavily and windy. The howling caused by the wind pressure and temperature difference was terrifying.

Because of the magician's attack last time, the ground was in a mess.

The magic circle disappeared after it was activated, leaving only some discarded magic props.

He searched around but found nothing except two stones in the drawer under the altar.

Just when he judged that Sadako's real body was not there, he saw the light of the flashlight shining through the gap of the drawer and onto a 14-pointed star pattern on the wall blocked by the altar.

"Isn't it 13, not 14?"

"A fire completely wiped out the Zoroastrian Church. I don't know if it was completely extinct or if there are still remnants. What does this symbol mean after the human sacrifice?"

After confirming that he couldn't carry out this matter on his own, Mu Lin left.

-----------------

"So, you are so arrogant that you think you can solve this kind of thing without telling me?"

The next day, in Morinosuke's grocery store, Iwanaga Kotoko said to Mu Lin in a bad mood.

"I can't help it. It's really because you exorcists haven't even sorted out all the knowledge about ghosts and monsters yet, so I couldn't get any clear answers even if I asked."

"You failed and you blame us?! Humph! Even if you are my sweetheart, I won't let you off easily!"

"Stop talking nonsense. What do you have in mind?"

"Well! If you had told me earlier that it was actually an ordinary creature that was parasitized by Sadako, this matter wouldn't have dragged on until now!"

"Really? Why are you hiding so much important information from me when you're obviously so concerned about this?"

"First of all, this ordinary creature is actually a member of the Yukinoshita family, right?"

"Yes."

"And then, there was another girl named Yukinoshita who was also parasitized not long ago, right?"

"Yes."

"That's easy, then? We are related by blood and have had the same experience. If we ask her to help, things will be much easier!"

Mu Lin was silent for a while, and finally sighed.

No matter how distant I was, I still had to deal with this matter with her again.

"How much she can help depends on how close her blood relationship is to the deceased."

"They are sisters."

"Huh?" Iwanaga Kotoko's eyes widened. "That makes it easier! We only need a little bit of her blood to stimulate Sadako to come out. Of course, the premise is that we are sure she is nearby, so we have to use other methods to find the specific location where Sadako is hiding."

"In what way?"

"Of course, we can use some spiritual creatures. But even if there are very spiritual spiritual creatures, this is still the most difficult part. After all, I mobilized many of my ghost friends to look for it but still couldn't find it."

"What kind of creature?"

"Cats, dogs, foxes, whatever."

"That's no problem. I have someone at home who only eats and does nothing. I can use this."

Having said that, Mu Lin stood up and was about to leave, but was stopped by Iwanaga Kotoko.

"By the way, how are you going to spend Christmas?"

"At home."

"Okay, I understand." Iwanaga Kotoko smiled strangely and waved goodbye to Mu Lin.

-----------------

Under the vast snow, there is a unique scenery of Christmas.

The Christmas tree lights will illuminate the night.

The nights fall very early in the winter when it is very cold, and it is already completely dark before dinner.

In a house in a high-end apartment.

A very appropriate young girl was sitting on the balcony watching all this.

The environment reflects her inner self.

I didn't know how long I had been holding the cup, and the tea in it had gone cold without me even noticing.

The corners of his eyes were slightly red, as if he was cold.

Originally, Yuigahama Yui and Kasumigaoka Utaha invited her out to play, but she refused.

Because she was in a bad mood, she had no interest in playing even on festive days.

I just sit at home alone, in a daze, trying to use time to wash away the pain in my heart.

After a month, she tried to contact the other person, but the person who seemed to have cut off everything here after the farewell ceremony was as cold and indifferent as a stranger, so she dared not get close to him.

The proud snow is like the humble snow melted by fire.

Even if I feel warmed, my existence has lost its value.

Her personality makes it difficult for her to give up everything and make things difficult for others, so she can only lick her wounds alone.

Is this what it feels like to like someone who doesn't like you?

It's so painful.

I didn't expect that I would end up like this.

Why do you like him? When did it start?

I was alone and could only watch the three of them chatting and laughing in the game.

Even when he visited Tokyo not long ago, he was only warmly received by his girlfriends.

And he didn't even turn his eyes to himself.

This feeling... really is...

This shouldn’t happen. Even if this is the case, you can’t give me a chance to be friends, right?

We are already friends, aren't we?

What on earth made you, an idiot, treat me like this?

The girl wanted to feel resentful, but she just couldn't.

We had agreed to rescue Sadako together, but I didn't expect you to rescue her secretly.

Where does this leave me, as the perpetrator, with my conscience?

A familiar voice beside her pulled Yukinoshita Yukino out of the deep water.

This gave her a chance to catch her breath.

"You didn't even notice me sneaking in? What are you thinking about?"

Yukinoshita Haruno hugged her sister's neck, giving her the little warmth she could get.

"I didn't think of anything, sister, why are you here?"

"Of course I'm going to come visit my sister at Christmas!"

"Nothing to see, eh?"

"But it's too boring to spend Christmas alone, so I have to ask you to come and keep me company!"

"Feel sorry."

"Hey, how many times did you cry?"

Yukinoshita Yukino paused and said, "What do you mean, how many times did you cry?"

"This is a measure of how much you love him."

"never mind."

"I'm curious about how you fell in love with him."

"I'm curious myself."

"Maybe it's the sense of security he gave you every moment you were rescued? Or maybe it's that no matter what kind of setbacks you encounter, you can always feel that you have someone to rely on when you think of him, right?"

Yukinoshita Haruno sighed as she gazed at the snowy scenery.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

"Sometimes feelings only grow stronger with time. Maybe you need to be cruelly rejected by him once before you can get better."

"...No."

When she thought about how she shamelessly confessed her feelings and how the other party ruthlessly rejected her, her heart ached. She didn't want to bear or accept this pain.

"Forgetting is not a good option, especially for someone like you. You can't forget it, right?"

Yukinoshita Yukino was silent. She lowered her head slightly, letting her bangs cover the emotions revealed in her eyes.

"Okay! Aren't you bored staying at home for so long? Come on! I'll take you somewhere!"

Yukinoshita Haruno used her liveliness to pull her sister out from the deep water again. She forced the bewildered Yukino to walk out.

-----------------

Yukinoshita Yukino, who was confused at first, now showed rare panic.

"Why come here?"

"Of course it's a perfect Christmas! Go! Get out of the car!"

Yukinoshita Haruno unbuckled her seat belt and urged her sister to get out of the car.

The two stood on the snow, looking at the small but warm house in front of them with bright lights.

——【Mulin House】

"Come on, let's go in!" Looking at her sister who was still standing there in a daze, Yang Noi took her arm and shouted, "Hey, we are all friends anyway, what's the big deal about visiting on Christmas? And your two friends are here too!"

"Eh?"

Since becoming Mu Lin's secretary, Yukinoshita Haruno has no idea how many times she has come to Mu Lin's house to disturb him. She didn't even knock on the door, but walked in naturally with her sister.

As soon as I came into the living room, I saw the lively scene at home.

I saw several beautiful girls with different characteristics sitting on the sofa, holding snacks in their hands, watching TV and laughing.

Among them, the girl with pink bun hair is the most active.

This person is naturally Yuigahama Yui, and then there is Kasumigaoka Utaha who wears black stockings no matter how cold it is.

There are also Kato Megumi, Nishimiya Shoko, and... Tsurumi Rumi?

This little girl is here too? Yukinoshita Yukino was very confused. Just when she was looking for the person she wanted to see the most.

"Eh? Xiaoxue! Why are you here?!"

Tuanzi rushed over happily and gave Yukinoshita Yukino a big hug.

"Ugh..." Yukino said, panicked by the sudden attack, "Tuanzi, why are you here?"

"Hey, hey! I was originally planning to go shopping with Shiyu, but she suddenly said she had something to do with Mulin, so we decided to spend Christmas here! Come, let me introduce you, this is Kato Megumi..."

"No need, I know them." said Yukinoshita Yukino.

"Eh? You know each other?" Tuanzi widened his eyes and complained, "What? Why didn't you say so earlier!"

"Yukino, you're here." As the host of the house, Kato Megumi smiled, then looked calmly at Haruno beside Yukino.

During this month, this strange woman frequently came to disturb Mu Lin for things, which made Kato Hui naturally regard her as a threat.

"Well, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Chrismas!!"

After congratulating each other, at the invitation of Kato Megumi, the two Yukinoshita sisters joined in the lively atmosphere.

However, Yukinoshita Yukino's little action of looking around for someone was naturally noticed by the people present.

Even the little loli, Tsurumi Rumi, looked at her strangely.

"If you need help finding Mu Lin-kun, he's in the bedroom," said Kato Megumi.

"Uh, it's okay."

For some reason, the lively atmosphere became a little awkward, and it finally returned to normal thanks to Tuanzi's liveliness.

This made Yukinoshita Yukino feel a little inferior.

-----------------

In the kitchen, a blonde maid with dull blue eyes looked at the food being cooked on the stove with boredom. The noise around her made her envious and jealous.

"Hey......"

Hayasaka Ai sighed, confirmed that the food was cooked, turned off the stove, and then came to the living room and said respectfully to the group of people: "Ladies, dinner is ready and you can enjoy it at any time."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work! Miss Hasaka!" said Kato Megumi.

Hasaka is naturally the pseudonym that Hayasaka Ai is currently using. Her current identity is to be a temporary maid hired for one day in the Mulin family, so that the group of people in front of her can celebrate Christmas happily without being busy.

So I won't celebrate Christmas?

Hayasaka Ai was speechless.

Of course, she also knew that Mu Lin didn't like the trouble and the waste of money, so he just asked her to help.

He is indeed a disgusting person.

"Well, I'll go down and tell Lord Mulin."

"Hmm? Since she's a maid, she should be called the master, right?"

A sudden voice of a lolita attracted the attention of everyone present, and they all looked at Tsurumi Rumi.

"Pfft! Hahaha! That's indeed true!!" Yukinoshita Haruno cheered from the side, looking at Hayasaka Ai teasingly.

"Ms. Hasaka, don't mind it. This is just a joke. Go and tell Mulin-kun to prepare for dinner."

"Yes."

Hayasaka Ai glanced at Tsurumi Rumi, and unfortunately, the latter also glanced at her.

This look made the perceptive Hayasaka Ai frown.

She noticed that the little loli seemed to be aware that there was something wrong with her identity.

I couldn't help but feel a little alert.

Is my ability to disguise so weak?

Thinking of this, she came to the bedroom door.

I knocked on the door, and after hearing "Come in", I walked in.

Unlike her respectful manner outside, she lost all respect after she came in, and said to Mu Lin calmly: "Dinner is ready. When can I go back? I need to accompany the young lady for Christmas."

"Cough, cough, cough!" Mu Lin, who was sitting at the desk reading the book in his hand, covered his mouth and coughed lightly a few times.

"Do you need me to get you some cold medicine?" Hayasaka Ai was surprised that Mu Lin could still catch a cold despite his physical condition.

"No, I don't have a cold. I understand, you can go home now."

"Ok."

Hayasaka Ai bowed out of habit, but suddenly realized why she was so respectful to him?

With a curl of her lips, she stood up straight as if in a temper, turned around and walked to the door.

Her true appearance was revealed in front of Mu Lin.

Although she didn't understand why she would want to expose her awkward nature in front of him.

The current explanation is probably because they hate him, right?

Suddenly remembering something, Hayasaka Ai stopped and said, "Oh, by the way, the two Yukinoshita sisters are here."

"Huh? Wait! First... cough cough cough! Cough! Don't go yet!" Mu Lin covered his lungs and his frown made Hayasaka Ai feel that he was not in a good condition.

"If you are sick, I suggest you go to the hospital for a check-up."

"It was just a little choking. When you leave, ask Yukinoshita Yukino to come over."

"Okay. Remember to keep warm. Inhaling cold air into your lungs may cause discomfort."

After saying these caring words indifferently, Hayasaka Ai said goodbye and left.

When she came to the living room, she quietly walked behind the sofa. Without anyone noticing, she leaned over and whispered in Yukinoshita Yukino's ear in a voice that only she could hear: "Mu Lin is looking for you."

Then, she left naturally. This appearance made the slightly frightened Yukinoshita Yukino almost think she was hallucinating.

Fortunately, she was smart enough to realize that it was the maid who was talking to her.

So, she waited for a while, then found an excuse to leave, and walked towards the bedroom under her sister's all-seeing gaze.