I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 423: The Wonders at the End of the Volume, The Craftsmanship of Nature, The Reunion After Five Hundred Years, and the Receding Tide Before the Tsunami

Uesugi Tetsu pushed open the office door in front of him, which looked no different from the special affairs office in Arakawa Ward, as if it had been carved from the same mold.

She bumped into Kujo Machi, who was walking out with his head down, holding a photo.

Then, turning sideways, he walked out, completely oblivious to the fact that Kujo Machi hadn't noticed him at all.

He glanced at Kujo Machi's expression, then looked towards the office and saw Nanjo Manami sitting with her legs crossed, sipping a latte. A puzzled look appeared on his face.
"Kujou Machi can have such an expression? Is the world going to end tomorrow?"

Uesugi Tetsu walked into the office, and the two-foot-tall man who followed him in habitually closed the door behind him.

He couldn't help but ask the smiling woman, "Nanjo-nee, what did you say to her?"

Nanjo Manami put down her latte, crossed her long, black-stockinged legs (which gleamed in the sunlight) in a different position, and shrugged: "Who knows?"

She shrugged.

"Perhaps he was pleasantly surprised to learn that he could soon go to Arakawa Ward to stay with his younger sister."

After thinking for a while, Nanjo Manami continued, "Yes, it's similar to the feeling after finding out that Uncle Jules was actually the captain of a large ship."

"--When you go back to Arakawa Ward, Uesugi-kun, remember to take the same plane as Machi, so that she doesn't accidentally crash for some reason."

She leaned back in her office chair and said,
"The Eye of Yama is a very precious treasure."

Uesugi Tetsu: “?”

Anyone would be stunned in this situation.

Uesugi Tetsu felt like his CPU was exploding, but he couldn't figure it out no matter what, so he could only ask, "Where did Kujo Machi get his younger sister?"

He had met every living person in Asahikawa City, and there was no such person at all.

So where did this younger sister suddenly appear from, and how did she end up in Arakawa Ward?

Nanjo Ai replied,

"Of course she has a younger sister, and you've even met her before."

Uesugi Tetsuya was even more confused upon hearing this.

The number of non-existent memories has increased!
Just as he was thinking this, Nanjo Manami said a name: "Kujo Tsubaki".

"what?"

Uesugi Tetsu sat down opposite Nanjo Manami without any hesitation, then had some coffee to taste before slowly saying,
"Kujou Tsubaki—she wasn't just an operator from the Onmyoji Bureau who came to provide support before; she's also from the Kujou family... Although she's not a direct descendant, she can still be considered 'Miss Kujou.'"

He asked, puzzled.

"Besides both of them sharing the surname 'Kujou,' is there even the slightest bit more detail about these two people?"

"By the way... Kujou Tsubaki is actually quite a bit older than Kujou Machi, so how did she become his younger sister?"

"do not know."

Faced with a barrage of questions from the curious Uesugi Tetsu, Nanjo Manami simply shrugged and said, "I'm not really that concerned anyway; it was Tsubaki who told me that."

Finally, after looking at Uesugi Tetsu's expression, she added, "I'm afraid you don't know, so I'll tell you that Kujo Tsubaki has the Enma Eye with [Domination]."

Uesugi Tetsu was stunned.

At first, I wanted to plug my ears so I wouldn't hear this "thankless" news, but after hearing it clearly, I found it hard to believe.

"—The Kujo family personally let Kujo Tsubaki, who possesses the [Eye of Enma - Domination], escape, allowing her to join the Special Affairs Department as the Yin-Yang Chief, and even letting Nanjo-nee find out about it?"
"No, has the entire Kujo family gone mad?"

"In fact, the Kujo family did not know that Tsubaki possessed the Eye of Enma."

Nanjo Ai said, "When Tsubaki was very young, she was able to control Tamamo-no-Mae to a certain extent, so she was regarded as an extremely ominous symbol by the Kujo family and was driven out of the main family."

"I was the only one who knew that Tsubaki had the Eye of Enma."

She smiled at Uesugi Che and Ersha, whose head was only partially visible, and said, "Now, there are you two too."

"Tsk."

Uesugi Tetsu rubbed his temples, silently muttered a couple of complaints, and then said...

"Nanjo-nee, please don't tell me these kinds of secrets in the future. I'm afraid if I know too much, I might find myself slit in the middle of the night."

Nanjo Manami, however, lay half-reclined, basking in the sunlight, her eyes half-closed in contentment.
"Yo yo yo, who could have secretly slit your throat, Uesugi Onijin?"

Meeting Uesugi Tetsu's stunned gaze, Nanjo Manami, who had been slacking off, let out a frustrated snort.

"A family with two ghosts and gods, your family's starting point may be a bit low, but it's still much more hardworking than my two good-for-nothings who only know how to play video games!"

"It makes me so angry just thinking about it!"

Nanjo Manami gritted her teeth: "All you do is slack off or cut corners every day. You spend all your energy researching which games are fun and which foods are delicious, and you still haven't even scratched the surface of what it means to be a demon or a god!"

"It's just that Hiyoribou is working a little harder..."

While listening to Nanjo Manami's complaints, Uesugi Tetsu quickly reviewed his own actions.

—Wait, he didn't actually transform into Thousand Eyes.

Moreover, the multifaceted effect of the six-tailed fox transformation is still there.

So Uesugi Tetsuya asked.
"Nanjo-nee, how did you figure out I'd become a demon?"

“It’s too obvious, Uesugi-kun.”

Nanjo Manami pointed at him and said, "It's obvious at a glance that you've become stronger, much stronger than before."

Uesugi Tetsuya paused for a moment, then turned to Nichika for confirmation, "Nichika, can you tell at a glance?"

Er Chi immediately shook his head like a rattle drum.

That provides the answer.

It's because Nanjo Ai is too supermodel-like, not because the six-tailed fox's disguise is ineffective.

Because today was a rare semi-free day for Nanjo Manami recently, she chatted with Uesugi Tetsu for quite a while, covering almost everything they could talk about.

"Oh, right."

Uesugi Tetsu suddenly remembered something important and asked,

When will the second wave come?

……

"—Who knows, perhaps it depends on whether other era overlords and super powers want to take this opportunity to make a move against the present world."

Beneath a sky specially purified into a deep blue, a woman draped in a black and gold gown stood gazing into the distance, replying calmly.

Beside the woman sat a short-haired girl with healthy tan skin, holding a small hammer and a pointed awl, wearing only a sports bra and underwear.

At this moment, the short-haired girl was holding up a slender, extremely sharp cone.

He kept chiseling at the palm-sized, yet incredibly complex miniature structure on the anvil in front of him.

"That's the most likely scenario."

The short-haired girl replied casually, saying that based on her long-term understanding, there would definitely be people who couldn't resist.

clang!
clang!
clang!
A few tiny sparks flew up.

Her perfectly streamlined muscles moved with every breath, every swing of the hammer and every lift of the spike, constantly rising and falling, contracting and opening.

click!
As a final, rather unusual sound rang out, the short-haired girl, having put down her forging tools, examined her exquisite masterpiece and couldn't help but grin.

"Alright, Lord."

The Zashiki-warashi carefully picked up the miniature training ground model, and smiled, exhausted yet delighted: "Take a look."

"Are you satisfied with this spectacle?"

Upon hearing this, Imagawa Yoshimoto extended his slender, pale fingers to accept the model of the training arena. At the same time, "Little Che," who was out of sight, thoughtfully placed a clue before Imagawa Yoshimoto, based on the Zashiki-warashi's previous explanation—

【Spectacular Spectacle: The Arena for Ten Thousand Souls】

A seemingly real yet illusory boundless training ground.

It may look small, but it can actually accommodate up to a million people for training and competition at the same time.

Even if you die in it, you won't suffer any real harm; you'll only feel mentally exhausted.

But the sensations of pain and death are real.

The battle images, skills, and even the "intent to kill" of the warriors who train or compete here will be absorbed and reproduced by the site, forming a phantom that can be challenged by future generations.

Although the training ground is currently empty, over time, the number of phantoms available for challenge will increase.

"Thank you for your hard work, Zashiki."

Imagawa Yoshimoto solemnly packed away the miniature training arena, which was only the size of a palm, and addressed the zashiki, who was lying flat on the ground without any regard for his image.

"It's not hard work at all, Lord."

Zashiki flashed a bright white smile, her grin light and cheerful: "I'd say I'm just so happy!"

"—It is a joy to be able to use so many rare materials and do everything in my power to create a wonder, and it is a joy to finally complete the final step of the Heavenly Trial."

And to be able to meet you again in this mortal world is an immeasurable blessing and joy!

"Five hundred years have passed, and you, Zashiki, have only just completed the trial to become a master craftsman?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto was somewhat surprised.

"Yes."

Zashiki himself wasn't particularly upset: "After all, Tenko is the pinnacle of forging techniques."

She lay there on the ground, legs crossed, head resting on her hand, and spoke.

"To be honest, the more I travel and the more I interact with artisans, masters, and people with their own ideas, the more I realize the greatness of forging and my own insignificance."

As Zashiki spoke, a look of emotion suddenly appeared on his face.
"However, five hundred years have already passed? How fast time flies."

It feels like only five years have passed.

Gone in the blink of an eye.

She left Arakawa Village alone and embarked on her journey. Although her memory of her last meeting and conversation with the head of the Imagawa clan was somewhat hazy, she still remembered quite a bit.

The Trial of Heaven is actually quite gentle.

She was sent back 500 years.

Otherwise, by the time she becomes a true master craftsman after her long journey, everything she knows might have changed.

"I never expected that I would be so fortunate to meet the Lord in the mortal world, and then meet him again in the eternal world hundreds of years later."

The zashiki sat up and sighed at the aloof and noble-looking Imagawa Yoshimoto.

"The word 'fate' is truly wonderful and indescribable."

Zashiki stretched vigorously and then stood up with some difficulty.

She looked into the distance.

Looking out over the boundless, ancient land.

Next stop...where to go?
Now that the forging has been completed here, it is time to continue the journey.

Just then, a slender yet exceptionally strong hand, unconcerned about the sticky sweat, pressed directly onto the zashiki-warashi's shoulder.

She turned her head and saw Imagawa Yoshimoto, whose eyes were as fervent as they had been long ago.

Imagawa Yoshimoto asked,
"Zashiki, do you remember what I said to you before we parted last time?"

Before the zashiki-warashi could answer, the woman, who already showed signs of becoming the dominant figure of an entire era, eagerly grasped the zashiki's rough hands.

"Zashiki Tenko."

Imagawa Yoshimoto stared intently at her: "Are you willing to become the master craftsman of Imagawa, who will surely become the hegemon of the Sengoku period in the future?"

Even if it's just a simple title.

Zashiki blinked, and upon hearing this all-too-familiar invitation, a flood of familiar memories rushed into her mind.

So she smiled and nodded, saying, "Now, I'll shamelessly accept the suffix 'Tiangong'."

“If I remember, then surely the Lord also remembers what I said last time.”

Zashiki smiled and said, "Imagawa, the lord, am someone who can't stay idle."

"—So I'm sorry, my answer is still to decline your kind invitation, please don't be too disappointed."

"How could I be disappointed?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't help but feel a little regretful as he released his hand.

After a pause, she calmly asked, "Since you, Zashiki Tenko, have already traversed more than five hundred years on your own and seen far too much, why are you still not satisfied and why do you want to continue on this path?"

Faced with this question, Zashiki-warashi, unusually, did not laugh.

The once naive apprentice in the art of forging, now undoubtedly a grandmaster, even worthy of the title of "strongest" among forging masters, retorted.

"How dare those who are complacent and self-satisfied accept the title of 'master craftsmen'?"

She explained her understanding and the "Tao" she practiced.
"The so-called craftsmanship of nature should be the forger who is never satisfied with the present and makes infinite progress in the future."

"Learn from the past, create the future."

Zashiki said, "This is what I should do after I become a master craftsman."

"It sounds like an even grander ambition than it was five hundred years ago."

Even Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't help but be moved by this ambition.

"Then Zashiki."

Just as five hundred years ago, the hegemons of the Warring States period offered her simple farewell words.

"Wish you a safe journey."

……

"The astronomy PhD said that the second wave is theoretically still one to one and a half months away."

Nanjo Ai spoke in a nonchalant tone, as if she were talking about something unimportant.

"But in reality, it could happen at any time."

"The next hour, the next minute, or even the second after I finish speaking could see a second wave."

Onmyo Daiyon from Hokkaido gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Look, Uesugi-kun."

"—The sun shines brightly and warmly, and the world is peaceful and tranquil. The demons, ghost stories, and all sorts of wicked monsters and spirits that once landed in the world have all been swept away."

The number of extraordinary individuals and supernatural beings is increasing daily, and from every perspective, it appears to be a thriving scene.

But I want to say—

Nanjo Manami turned around and said meaningfully to Uesugi Tetsuya,
"Before the unprecedented tsunami, the mudflats were always unusually calm due to the receding tide."

—The End of Volume 4: The Visible Girl—

(End of this chapter)