I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 209 Return to Edo Castle! The Nameless Swordsman's Secret Technique! The Successor of the Yagyu Shinkage Style

Kisaragi Station.

Upon hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar term, Uesugi Tetsuya's thoughts even paused for a moment.

An indescribable shock made his hand holding the water glass freeze.

Only then did he realize why he had felt a sense of familiarity when he heard the name "Shizuoka Prefecture" on the phone earlier.

Kisaragi Station is a ghost story originating from Shizuoka Prefecture.

But wasn't this ghost story killed by his own hands?
The round-trip train ticket that was exposed as a result is still lying in his storage backpack.

Uesugi Tetsu glanced at his backpack and found that the intact round-trip ticket was still there.

In an instant, he fell into a brief yet long period of contemplation.

If most things that happen in the ordinary world are considered real, then Kisaragi Station deserves to be killed by him.

So now, the "Kisaragi Station" that Nanjo-san mentioned, isn't that...?

Sitting in the slightly noisy yakitori restaurant, a name came to mind for Uesugi Tetsu.

Could it be her...

Although his heart was in turmoil, Uesugi Tetsu remained outwardly calm, simply responding to Nanjo Manami.

Even now, Nanjo Manami is still somewhat drunk and not as sharp as usual.

She grabbed a lemon from her water glass, put it in her mouth, and chewed as she said, "Kisaragi Station... used to be quite popular, both on 2ch and Twitter."

"Especially in the early 2000s."

Seemingly worried that the two young people, Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko, might not understand, Nanjo Manami slowly gave a long explanation of the main story of Kisaragi Station and related common knowledge.

Uesugi Tetsu listened with feigned interest, while Ririko, sitting next to him, listened attentively.

A few minutes later, Nanjo Manami subconsciously pulled a cigarette out of her pocket for the third time, only to have it snatched away by Hiyoribo, who was floating in mid-air, ready to pounce. Hiyoribo's hairy little hands snatched it away.

Smoking is prohibited in public enclosed spaces!

Nanjo Aimi didn't even notice that the cigarette between her fingers had disappeared.

She lit a cigarette in the air and continued, "Anyway, what I want to say is that after you go to Shizuoka Prefecture, don't take any trains just to save money or for convenience. It's best to avoid even places related to 'stations'."

"Neither the train that leads to the world of the living nor the Kisaragi Station that has been appearing frequently recently poses much of a threat to reality for the time being."

But according to Kujou Tsubaki, they have the ability to send people to the depths of the ordinary world.

Nanjo Manami leaned back on the sofa, squinting her eyes and shrugging her shoulders.

"With your tendency to cause trouble, if I didn't remind you, you might have been abandoned in some remote corner on the way, and then I'd be the one with a headache..."

That makes sense.

Uesugi Tetsu nodded first, then asked, "How do I get there?"

"The Special Affairs Department has its own arrangements; just follow the organization."

Nanjo Manami glanced down at the digital clock on the table and muttered to herself, "High-end shops are so complicated. I wonder what they're grilling after all this time."

She slammed her hand on the table and exclaimed, "Let's order two drinks first!"

Nanjo Aimi acts on her thoughts.

The next moment, she called over the waiter outside the door.

His expression was serious and earnest when he gave the instructions, as if he were directing the Special Affairs Department on how to deal with the aftermath of the impending wave.

After a short wait, several large glasses of ice-cold beer, almost completely filled with orange-yellow liquid and white bubbles, were placed on the table.

Nanjo Manami gave a cheerful shout, took a sip of the bubbling foam, and began to lay the groundwork.
"Because the aftershocks of the wave, that is, the 1.5th wave, are coming soon, there are no major problems in Arakawa Ward. I will always be here, and we have enough manpower."

However, there aren't many talented newcomers in Shizuoka Prefecture, and the new talents they've trained aren't very useful yet. Also, for some reason, the number of demons there is greater than in the surrounding areas..."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu knew that Nanjo Manami was trying to trick Ririko as well.

But who exactly is Tokugawa Ririko?

Before Nanjo Manami could even voice her true thoughts, she rejected the offer without hesitation.

"I dont go."

"Ah?"

Just as Nanjo Manami was about to enjoy a delicious sip of her ice-cold beer, she staggered and almost spilled the beer in her hand.

She glanced dazedly at Ririko, who was ignoring the beer, juice, and milk around her and instead drinking only healthy, cool boiled water.

No, sis, you're not playing by the rules!
I haven't finished speaking yet!
You predicted my prediction, didn't you!
Ririko said calmly, "I still need to spend time studying breathing techniques, so I don't have much time to go out."

She said matter-of-factly.
"Besides, this kind of trivial matter is perfectly fine to leave to Uesugi-kun to handle alone."

Uesugi Tetsuya, who was inexplicably struck by this, felt ashamed.

Do you really trust me that much...?

"Oh--"

Nanjo Manami deliberately drew out her words with a strange expression, saying, "So you two have already had in-depth discussions in private and know that Uesugi-kun has become much stronger, right?"

Ririko remained unmoved, taking it as tacit agreement.

Uesugi Tetsuya listened helplessly as Nanjo Ai-mi hummed in agreement: "In that case, Uesugi-kun, you can go on the business trip alone!"

Being alone is actually quite nice.

If Ririko were here, her sword domain would definitely snatch away a huge number of my heads.

So Uesugi Tetsu nodded: "I have no objection."

"Oh!"

Nanjo Aimi immediately pulled out her phone, took a deep breath, mustered her last bit of energy, and started typing furiously on the keyboard.

A moment later, she slammed her phone face down on the table: "I've already talked to them. Someone will add you on Line soon, and someone will pick you up when you go tomorrow, OK?"

He nodded again: "Okay."

—At the same time, Uesugi Tetsuya decided to inform Nanjo Aimi about the factory information after returning from Shizuoka Prefecture.

Otherwise, the source of this advance intelligence would be too difficult to explain.

Anyway, it's not something that's too urgent... Even if I change my mind later, it's just a matter of making a phone call to fix it.

"That concludes this week's work!"

Nanjo Manami stretched wearily yet happily, causing Ririko, who was sitting diagonally opposite her, to blink slightly.

"Lan! Come and drink!"

She pulled Xiaoyuelan, who had barely spoken since entering and whose presence was barely noticeable, close by.

The latter looked ashen-faced—she had practically hidden under the table, so how could Nanjo Manami have chosen her as her first drinking companion?!

—If I get drunk, how will I be able to enjoy the taste of high-end roasted bird later!
Despite her reluctance, Xiaoyuelan, with her exceptional adaptability, had already mastered the ways of the workplace in just over ten days.

I successfully evolved from a workplace newbie into a seasoned veteran.

Naturally, she also knew how important it was to make her boss happy at the dinner table... which might mean a significant reduction in workload in the next few days.

Soon, Nanjo Ai and Akatsuki Ran started drinking in a hearty manner, taking turns gulping down their drinks, which made Uesugi Tetsuya, who was sitting right across from them, twitch in the corner of his eye.

Among the shikigami in the corner of the sofa, Nurome secretly took a glass of beer and sipped it slowly, revealing a happy expression.

Uesugi Tetsuya would call this the real drinking experience.

Hiyori-bo then took out a small box of whole milk suitable for babies from behind her back and poked the straw into it.

As for Kaga Kiyomitsu, because he had no mouth, he could only lean against the wall and watch them drink and eat, the buzzing sound making Uesugi Tetsuya's head go numb.

Finally, Uesugi Tetsuya took a symbolic sip of beer, only to be so disgusted by its bitterness that he gasped for breath, and then said in a serious tone, "Little Jia, promise me that you will be reborn as the Demon Sword Princess in your next life to repay my kindness."

He said, "That way, you can enjoy the drinks and food."

"Oh...yes, Master...I'll remember..."

Kaga Kiyomitsu made a muffled sound, seemingly understanding but not quite, and tried to shrink back as if he couldn't see or hear anything.

But after a short while, it poked half of its blade out of its vermilion scabbard, looking enviously at the lively scene before it.

I couldn't help it, I really couldn't help it!
……

The high-end roasted bird buffet took more than three and a half hours to finish.

Xiaoyue Lan and Nanjo Ai were put into the van by the hair of the unconscious woman who was spinning around.

When Uesugi Tetsuichi got into the car, he turned around and looked at the empty driver's seat.

The only ones who are truly awake are herself, Ririko, Hiyoribou, and Kaga Kiyomitsu.

The latter two need no further explanation; how could they possibly let two kids drive... especially little Jia, who doesn't even have hands.

And myself, I seem to...

"Let me do it."

Ririko sighed helplessly.

"Ririko, you used to learn to drive?" Uesugi Tetsu asked in surprise.

Is driving something that requires a lot of skill?

She sat in the driver's seat and tried to start the van four or five times before finally getting it moving: "As long as you react quickly enough, what's the difference between driving and simply pushing the joystick or turning the steering wheel?"

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly had a bad feeling.

—But the bad thing isn't Uesugi Tetsuya.

—When Nanjo Aimi drove back home an hour later, her van had already accumulated countless parking tickets.

Not only that... Xiaoyuelan, who was so drunk that she was out of her mind, vomited several times along the way.

I don't know about the first few times, but Ririko definitely did it in the later times.

I don't know if she deliberately performed a series of left and right drifts, dragon tail swings, and extreme overtaking and braking - it was as if the Akina Mountain racing god had descended upon the Arakawa area!
Strangely enough, Nanjo Manami was not affected by this at all. She still lay beautifully on the back seat, showing her baby-like sleeping face.

This contrasted sharply with Xiaoyuelan, whose face was deathly pale.

Uesugi Tetsu thought to himself.

—Perhaps, it's the leisure of a demon-god level expert.

At his doorstep, Uesugi Tetsu watched in silence as Hiyoribou struggled to keep the three of them afloat and slowly drifted toward his house.

At times like these, only Hiyoribou can be relied upon by Nanjo-nee's side.

Without her, these three guys would have probably slept in the car countless times.

Hiyoribo is the real mother.

Uesugi Tetsu watched for a while longer but couldn't bear to watch anymore.

He ran over and threw the three drunkards—one in each hand and one on his shoulder—onto the first floor of the dojo like sandbags.

When he turned around, Hiyoribou floated over and nodded to Uesugi Tetsuya in gratitude.

"Little Hiyoribo, you've worked hard too..."

Uesugi Tetsu glanced at the three oblivious guys.

Among them, Nanjo Ai-mi had the best sleep quality and didn't wake up even once during the journey.

It's hard to imagine that Nanjo Manami, who is usually decisive and meticulous, could turn into this after drinking a dozen or twenty bottles of beer.

—Given Nanjo's poor sleep quality, she probably won't be able to get any information about the power of the two-foot-tall man's will.

"Little Hiyoribou, let the three of them lie here for now. Anyway, it's not cold and nothing serious."

Uesugi Tetsu waved his hand.

"You and Xiao Jia can go play..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kaga Kiyomitsu suddenly flew out and stuck close to Hiyoribou's back.

Uesugi Che said "oh".

It seems the two little ones got along very well during those few hours.

He smiled and waved, "Go ahead, go ahead."

After seeing the two little ones leave, Uesugi Tetsu also went up to the third floor.

—Ririko was leaning against the balcony waiting for him.

"You're here?" "Yes."

The girl glanced sideways at the star-studded night sky and said softly, "Since you're leaving tomorrow, Uesugi-kun, then teach me something simple and easy to understand."

“Perfect timing. I’ve observed your swordsmanship principles quite thoroughly over the course of the day.”

She paused for a moment: "As for the breathing technique... there are many parts that I don't quite understand myself, so I'll have to wait a while and study it more."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu said, "Then I can teach you some knowledge about the Palace of Flesh."

Meeting Ririko's slightly surprised gaze, Uesugi Tetsu smiled.
"Something gained."

The girl gazed at him calmly for a long while, then smiled slightly and nodded her chin at him.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Uesugi-sensei."

—The first to give the lesson was Uesugi Tetsuya.

For him, all he needed to do was to tell Ririko all the knowledge he had gained after completing two revisions during the Warring States period.

It doesn't even require processing or simplification.

Because of their superior comprehension abilities, those who can connect with their own knowledge system will not face any learning barriers.

Uesugi Tetsu talked nonstop for half an hour, and Ririko absorbed it all without saying a word for half an hour.

"I see."

The girl, having absorbed every last drop of the foreign "moisture," nodded in sudden realization: "So that's where we start with forging tendons, and those four ultimate forms... truly a genius idea..."

Her eyes were shining, as if she was about to enter a meditative state to deduce the future.

But after a short while, Ririko suppressed her impulse.

She took a deep breath and said, "Uesugi-kun, although every swordsman has a different understanding of technique and reason, even though we are both of the Natural Reason School, I cannot give you detailed instructions."

"But above all that, there is still a universal method..."

[“Ririko Tokugawa” is teaching you the “measure of technique and reason”...]

Uesugi Tetsu swallowed a dose of calming incense ash and sat up straight.

About twenty minutes later, the notification that he had successfully learned the skill popped up in front of him again.

Looking at the prompt in front of him, Uesugi Tetsuya understood everything.

A scale is a standard for measurement.

It is a tool that can be used to better understand one's spiritual progress and regression.

In this way, practitioners' motivation to practice can be stimulated to a greater extent.

[Your trait, Initial Sword Skill, has been changed to "Sword Skill (1%)"!]

[Your trait, Initial Understanding of Sword Principles, has been changed to "Sword Principles (1%)"!]

Two long, empty progress bars appeared before Uesugi Tetsuya's eyes; currently, only the very bottom of each bar was filled.

—From a vague "first acquaintance" to a game-like "1%", much of it has become more concrete.

Next, Uesugi Tetsuya only needs to fill both progress bars completely to complete his training in technique and reason at the expert level.

"This progress bar... it seems kind of familiar..."

Uesugi Tetsu thought for a moment, then brought up the panel for the Linzi Jue technique and found that the three were indeed quite similar.

"how do you feel?"

Ririko's voice came through.

Uesugi Tetsu answered truthfully: "It's exactly the same as playing an RPG game."

—Perhaps this scale theory is just a tool for others to more clearly measure progress and regression.

But for Uesugi Tetsuya, it was more than that.

Because the progress bar he sees never goes backwards...

"I wish I could help you."

Ririko smiled and said, "Hmm... Is there anything else you want to ask? If not, let's leave it at that."

She raised her finger and tapped her head.
"My inspiration is flowing."

In terms of spiritual practice, there is indeed none left.

Uesugi Tetsu asked directly, "Will Ririko participate in the Tokyo Seed Tournament?"

This question stumped Lilizi.

She hesitated for a long time, then shook her head: "Maybe not..."

Halfway through her sentence, Ririko raised her eyes alertly, stared at him, and asked in return,

"You want me to participate?"

Uesugi Tetsu hesitated for two seconds before cautiously replying, "I'm just looking forward to it."

So the girl nodded: "If you really want to see me up there, then I'll reluctantly sign up."

"Otherwise, forget it."

She spread her hands.

"why?"

Uesugi Tetsuya was somewhat puzzled.

He remembered that not long ago, Ririko had told him that she wanted to defeat those geniuses and stand at the highest point in Tokyo.

"Because the path of spiritual practice that I can see is still very, very long."

Ririko smiled and gestured, "Why waste time fighting those guys who aren't even real strongmen?"

This reason was something Uesugi Tetsu had not anticipated.

However, if you think about it carefully from her perspective, it makes perfect sense.

The only question is, doesn't Ririko care at all about fame, status, the approval of others, and rare material rewards?

Uesugi Tetsu didn't ask that question.

Because he knew that Ririko would definitely answer:

--Yes.

……

After being chased away by Ririko, who had begun meditating in the evening breeze, Uesugi Tetsu returned to the living room and took out his phone, which had been vibrating several times.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the special affairs officer from Shizuoka Prefecture that Nanjo had mentioned earlier who had added him.

When Uesugi Tetsu opened the add request, he found that the other party's black and white profile picture was a martial artist from a cheap fighting manga, who took the first step in 5,001 years of Chinese martial arts.

The line name is 【心如止水】.

Without much thought, Uesugi Tetsu accepted the friend request.

【Heart as Still Water: Hello.】

[Tsuki-suna-chan: Hello.]

[Heart as Still Water: Hello, Arakawa Ward Special Agent "Uesugi Tetsu", I am "Yagyu Akira" responsible for contacting you. Please address me as "Yagyu-kun".]

Yagyu?

Uesugi Tetsuichi raised an eyebrow.

This surname is truly renowned—Yagyu Shinkage-ryu is the largest and most complete branch of the Shinkage-ryu school, which originated from the sword saint "Kamizumi Nobutsuna" hundreds of years ago.

Its fame is almost on par with that of Hokushin Itto-ryu and Katori Shinto-ryu, which are almost universally known sword styles.

This kind of person is actually in charge of liaison work?

If there wasn't something fishy going on, only a fool would believe it.

In front of the screen, Uesugi Tetsu thought for a while, then asked the other person if they wanted to have a proper sparring match after the matter was over.

[Xinruzhishui:! 】

[A Mind as Still as Water: If I am fortunate enough, please allow me to have a fair and square battle with you! And to further hone my martial arts skills!]

happy.

Uesugi Tetsu didn't expect that his opponent would reveal his true colors with just the first probing move.

Now that we've achieved our goal, let's get back to the main topic.

[Tsuki-suna-chan: Let's try to talk about work [handshake.jpg]]

[Heart as Still Water: I'm sorry.]

[Peaceful Mind: Let's try to talk about work [handshake.jpg]]

Next, a Shizuoka Prefecture Special Affairs Department officer named Yagyu Akira gave Uesugi Tetsuya a detailed introduction to the situation there and his work for the next few days.

Of course, PDF files are also essential.

After quickly scanning the entire document with his gaze, Uesugi Tetsuya stroked his chin: "Seems like it's quite easy?"

At least the intensity was far less than when facing illness during the Warring States period.

[Tsuki-suna-chan: Understood, don't worry, I'll be there on time.]

[Heart as Still Water: Thank you [clasped hands.jpg]]

That concludes the discussion.

Because the work is finished.

Uesugi Tetsuya waited for a while but no new message came. He figured the person on the other end was probably the stubborn and old-fashioned type.

When we say we'll talk about work as much as possible, we really only talk about work.

Yes, he should be a classic disciple of the Yagyu Dojo.

"In that case..."

Uesugi Tetsu put down his phone and walked around the villa.

Inside the dojo on the first floor, three drunkards were still fast asleep; upstairs, Hiyoribou was actually playing a game with Kakashi using a controller.

Just watching Kaga Kiyomitsu awkwardly tapping the handle button with the hilt of his sword, Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but chuckle.

In this way, it seems that there is no place in the villa where he is needed for the time being.

Then he should be able to lie in bed and return to Edo Castle after so long.

Uesugi Tetsuya hadn't forgotten.

—When I gave the Walking Token to the Nameless Swordsman last time, he said that I could come back to him again when I reached the expert level in the Natural Mind Style.

At that time, the nameless swordsman said he would teach him the true secrets of the Natural Rishin-ryu style.

"Then what am I still waiting for?"

In the darkness, Uesugi Tetsu closed his eyes with anticipation.

Wow.

The water pressure vanished in an instant.

Cold, gloomy, dilapidated, damp.

Uesugi Tetsu opened his eyes in the thatched hut and inhaled the familiar smell of rotten thatch deeply.

He looked around at the familiar furnishings in the thatched hut, then hung the travel permit at his waist and put on the white Prajna mask.

Uesugi Tetsuya pushed open the moldy door and strode onto the muddy road.

Not far away, two clusters of fire that happened to be parked here suddenly "looked" at Uesugi Tetsuya.

A scorching heat rose up, distorting the air.

But Uesugi Tetsuya didn't slip away silently like last time.

He is no longer the same person he used to be.

As the torrential rain poured down, the edge of Zibai Banruo's ferocious smile slipped away.

The demon grinned and opened its arms.
"Edo Castle, it's been a long time."

(End of this chapter)