21st Century Necromancer

Carrying the ashes of Xiao Sanmao, Chen Yu left UDI today and, unusually, did not take Hiromi Jounouchi home.

It wasn't that he didn't want to take his girlfriend home, but holding a box of ashes just didn't seem right; he needed to take the ashes home first.

As for taking ashes home, of course it wasn't because Chen Yu's professional habits were kicking in and he was planning to do something with someone's ashes. It was simply that his current residence was right next to a cemetery, and what better way to give this innocent girl a proper burial than by finding a plot of land right beside his own house?

Hiromi Jounouchi could very well understand such an action by Chen Yu. After all, it would be quite awkward for the remains if Chen Yu were to carry a box of ashes around with him while he escorted her shopping or took her home, even if Chen Yu himself didn't mind and she didn't care either.

With his girlfriend's permission, Chen Yu then went home with the ashes of Xiao Sanmao.

Since Kawakami Cemetery was right next to his home, Chen Yu was quite familiar with the place. Although it was a cemetery with many years behind it, there were still vacant plots available, as there were two other cemeteries adjoining it, and the place backed onto a small hill that wasn't very high.

Add to that, Japan now practiced cremation, meaning that the space required for one person's remains would be less than one square meter, hardly requiring much effort. The only thing that needed a bit of attention was selecting a tombstone, and there were various ready-made ones to choose from, so there was no need to worry about that.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

If it were someone else, they might struggle with not knowing Xiao Sanmao's real name, but for Chen Yu, was this really an issue? If he didn't know someone's name, he could simply ask them directly.

Xiao Sanmao was not one of those souls that had passed away a long time ago, with all attachment dissipated, or whose reasoning didn't exist due to being consumed by obsessions. Having died recently, and probably because she was both freshly deceased and frozen to death, she might have been somewhat dazed, but communication was still not a problem.

Once home, Chen Yu placed Xiao Sanmao's ashes on the table, took out a black crystal filled with negative energy, placed it in front of the ashes, and with a simple hand gesture, her soul moved from the ash box into the black crystal.

"Why do you want to help me?" Although it was just her soul, Xiao Sanmao remembered everything clearly— whether it was her body being moved by her killer to another person's home who had committed suicide, or her body sent to UDI for autopsy and Misumi Mikoto discovering the plea for help she had swallowed, or even the funeral of the girl who had been kidnapped with her, Xiao Sanmao remembered it all.

She had thought her life was over and that she would stay in UDI's evidence storage until her soul dissipated, so it was unexpected for Chen Yu to take her home and say he wanted to give her a proper burial. This undoubtedly made her both curious and cautious. In her living days, it was not unusual for people to offer her so-called help, but such help...

always had disgusting and filthy motives behind it.

"I just think you're pitiable and wanted to give you a peaceful burial," Chen Yu could sense Xiao Sanmao's feelings and smiled unconcernedly, "Besides, you're already dead. What do you think you have left that I could covet? While ghosts are quite rare these days, Tokyo is big, and there's no shortage of people dying every day. If I really wanted to, I wouldn't lack one like you.

So don't worry about me having ulterior motives; there's nothing about you worth my concern."

Chen Yu's words rendered Xiao Sanmao's soul silent for a moment. That's right, she was dead; what else could she possess that others might covet? Besides, being laid to rest in the earth was far better than ending up in UDI's evidence locker to eventually become a restless, solitary ghost without a place of repose, dispersing into the world.

"Thank you." Although she didn't understand Chen Yu's ultimate purpose, since he had agreed to help her find peace in burial, even if he did have some other motive, Xiao Sanmao felt she should thank him.

"Rather than thanking me, I think you should tell me your name. Otherwise, even if I want to help you rest in peace, I can't engrave 'Tri-colored cat' on the tombstone, can I? How would the girl who was abducted with you feel when she comes to mourn you?" Chen Yu was indifferent to Xiao Sanmao's gratitude; it did not weigh on his mind.

For Chen Yu, since he had already decided to help, whether or not she expressed gratitude was of little consequence to him. Although receiving thanks could bring emotional satisfaction, it was apparent that Chen Yu was not someone who sought fulfillment from the gratitude of ghosts.

"Hana-chan..." Xiao Sanmao murmured her friend's name, the girl she had been willing to sacrifice her own life to save. Although she knew that her friend had ultimately survived, Xiao Sanmao's obsession still lingered: "I really want to see the White Night with her!"

"The White Night? You mean that natural phenomenon, where due to the latitude, the sun can still light up the sky after dipping below the horizon?

Indeed, it is beautiful, but such a sight can't be seen in Japan; you have to go to Russia or Canada." Chen Yu was well aware of the White Night, a phenomenon that occurs only in regions of high latitude but outside the polar circles, where the night sky is still illuminated by the sun below the horizon.

Even Chen Yu had never seen it, which inspired the idea of taking Jounouchi Hiromi to witness the White Night.

"Yes, the White Night... Hana-chan and I promised to go see it together once we left that place." This was clearly Xiao Sanmao's greatest obsession, her lingering attachment, which she couldn't forget even in death: "If only I could see the White Night with Hana-chan!"

Even as she spoke, Xiao Sanmao knew it was a promise she was destined never to fulfill—after all, she was already dead...

Dead, Xiao Sanmao realized; although she had died, her soul was still present. Chen Yu could see her spirit; perhaps there was a way to let Hana-chan see it too? With that thought, she couldn't help but ask Chen Yu, "Can you make Hana-chan see me too? I... I want to fulfill our promise! Please, I want to go see the White Night with Hana-chan!"

Xiao Sanmao's soul had already retreated into the Black Crystal Chen Yu had placed before her ashes. As her emotions surged, the Black Crystal, filled with Negative Energy, flickered intermittently as if reflecting her agitated state of mind.

Faced with Xiao Sanmao's earnest plea, Chen Yu found himself hesitating.

To him, such a thing was a small effort; he could even bring her "back to life", but Chen Yu did not want to do so.

Frankly speaking, Xiao Sanmao's request was not excessive; she merely wanted to fulfill the promise made with Hana-chan. But to Chen Yu, aiding Xiao Sanmao in finding peace was merely an act of kindness. He was under no obligation to help fulfill her last wish, and the boundary between the living and the dead should not be easily crossed.