Chapter 38: The Culprit

In the main hall, the conversation was not yet over.

Kaito took a sip of hot water and brought up the strange occurrences the village chief had mentioned.

"Big Sis Ruri, what do you think?"

"Based on what the chief said, the poultry disappearing into thin air sounds a lot like a ninja using genjutsu," Ruri said, stroking her chin, thoroughly perplexed. "But why would a ninja do something like this?"

"A hungry ninja who's too proud to be seen stealing? Or maybe they're hiding from an enemy, so they're using a method that doesn't reveal their appearance or location," Kaito speculated.

"Ugh, that doesn't feel quite right."

"There are too few clues. I'll go ask the chief for more details tomorrow. If we're going to settle down here, we have to eliminate any unstable elements."

"Mm. I'll go with you tomorrow. It might be dangerous."

"No need. If we both go, who will protect Kushina and the others?" Kaito waved his hand, stopping Ruri before she could protest. "Don't worry. If I run into an enemy I can't handle, I'll come find you first."

"Alright, then. You must not be reckless."

"The reckless one is already in the Pure Land. I'm the representative of the cautious approach."

With that, Kaito stood up and yawned. "It's late. I'm going to bed. You should go too, Big Sis Ruri."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night."

Kaito bid Ruri farewell and entered the bedroom. He covered Ryunosuke and Jinta—who were sleeping in odd positions—with some clothes, then sat on his own bed and closed his eyes.

No matter how tired he was, his daily training was essential.

The next day, after his morning exercises and preparing breakfast with Kaori, Kaito went to visit Village Chief Daisuke.

Upon seeing him, Kaito got straight to the point. "Good morning, Village Chief Daisuke. We're very satisfied with the house, and we'd like to buy it directly. Do you happen to own the rights to it?"

"I do. The original owner sold it to me for cheap when he left," the chief said, surprised. "But are you sure you don't want to reconsider? About the strange incidents…"

"About those strange incidents, I thought about it after I went back yesterday, and I don't think it's the work of ghosts or gods. Spirits aren't petty thieves who sneak around stealing chickens and dogs. The real culprit is just an ordinary person like you and me, playing a few little tricks. Any street magician could do it," Kaito said, channeling his inner master detective. He pushed up his non-existent glasses, his voice full of confidence.

"Is that really true?" The chief was still a bit skeptical.

"Of course! If you don't believe me, I'll go take a look around right now and catch the culprit for you."

Seeing Kaito's unwavering confidence, the chief finally nodded. "Alright. Since you're so determined, I'll sell you the house for the same price I bought it for."

"Thank you, Village Chief."

After spending a bit of money, Kaito successfully obtained the land deed and property certificate for the house.

Afterward, with the chief as his guide, they visited several locations where the incidents had occurred. Unfortunately, the owners of those houses had long since left, even selling off all their poultry. Kaito could only inspect the sites for any suspicious traces, but he found nothing.

"Kaito, this is the last place, and also where the most recent incident happened, just the night before last." The chief pointed to a well-fenced enclosure. "There used to be more than a dozen chickens in here. Now, there's not a single one left."

"Alright." Kaito walked a full circle around the fence but still couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.

This guy is pretty careful.

Just as he was about to leave, an invisible laser seemed to pierce through his head, and a pair of uncanny eyes materialized behind him.

This feeling is… someone is watching me? Could the culprit still be at the scene?

Kaito didn't immediately look up in the direction of the gaze. Instead, he glanced at the village chief and gave an embarrassed smile. "Village Chief Daisuke, my stomach is suddenly feeling a bit upset. I need to take care of some… big business. You should head home first. I'll find you later."

"Oh, oh. Do you have any paper with you?"

"I do. I'm not missing anything. You should hurry, I can't hold it in."

"…" The chief scurried away, leaving Kaito all alone.

"Hoo…" Kaito took a deep breath and then broke into song. "The endless horizon is my love, the flowers are blooming at the foot of the green mountains…"

Singing loudly, he turned his head to survey his surroundings, his hands resting on his waistband, looking for all the world like a shy, innocent boy.

His knees bent slowly. However, the strange scene he was imagining didn't happen. Instead, Kaito launched himself into the air.

He leaped into the sky, his mouth forming a perfect 'O' as he exhaled a blast of frigid air toward a large tree with dense branches.

"Huh, no one there? No, wait!"

Under the assault of ice and snow, a faint outline suddenly appeared on the seemingly empty tree branch. The outline then darkened, revealing its true form.

It was entirely emerald green. Its long, tubular body, about two meters in length, was perched on the branch, its slender tail coiled. Its head was triangular, and its protruding eyes blinked with a dazed and confused expression.

"Is that… a chameleon?" Kaito was so surprised that he forgot his follow-up attack and landed back on the ground.

The giant chameleon tilted its head, its red tongue flicking out to lick its body, seemingly displeased with the cold sensation on its skin. Its large eyes swiveled around, glanced at Kaito, and then its body quickly blended back into its surroundings.

"Trying to run?" Kaito narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the tree. "You must have gotten lost and wandered into the village. Although you haven't harmed any humans, you've caused quite a scare. I can't let you stay here. So, my apologies."

Before he had even finished speaking, he strode forward, closing the distance to the tree in the blink of an eye. He slammed a heavy punch into the trunk.

Amidst a shower of falling leaves, a patch of mismatched color instantly appeared on a branch above.

Kaito didn't hesitate this time. He bent his knees and leaped, his right hand extended straight like a blade as he brought it down with great force.

[Brick Break]!

Thwack!

The hand-chop struck the chameleon squarely on the head. It fell to the ground along with a shower of broken leaves and branches, unable to get back up.

Kaito held a ball of fire in his hand and brought it close to the creature's eye. "Don't move," he said coldly. "Or I'll roast you and eat you."

"…" The chameleon seemed to understand him and immediately went still.

"You're not even fighting back? Looks like you're a pretty docile chameleon. What should I do with you?" Kaito stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"Big Brother Kaito is back! Hey, what happened to you?"

Kushina looked confusedly at Kaito, who was holding his hands up in the air.

Ruri, however, immediately saw that something was off.

"What are you holding?"

"As expected of Big Sis Ruri." Kaito smiled and slowly lowered his hands, then patted the air in front of him.

With a soft thump, a large chameleon materialized before them.

"Whoa, what's that?" Kushina's eyes sparkled with interest.

"A chameleon? Don't tell me it's the culprit behind the strange incidents in the village?" Ruri blurted out.

"That's right. It was this greedy little fellow." Kaito grabbed its tail. "I've already spoken with the village chief. He accepted the truth pretty quickly and is gathering the villagers for me to clear up the rumors. Oh, right, I bought the house, too."

"That's great news! We can finally settle down here in peace."

"Mm. I have one more question. Would you mind keeping a pet?"

"Huh?"