I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Nanjo Manami stared intently at Uesugi Tetsuya, whose face had become expressionless, her gaze sweeping over his body with an almost tangible intensity.

She spoke lightly.
"It's rare to see you not smiling at all."

Tsk.

Nanjo Aimi's disdainful tone only added to Uesugi Tetsu's displeasure.

Underestimating me...

No, to say it's underestimating him would be an exaggeration—it's just that Nanjo Ai, who has always been in a superior position, is using a tone of "concern" to show concern for Uesugi Tetsu, whom she has been protecting to some extent.

A faint silver light shimmered on the back of Uesugi Tetsu's right hand.

The "Lin" technique: 25% mastery!
The immense force that had suddenly appeared was instantly grasped by the swordsman's unified spirit, and poured entirely onto Nanjo Manami's forceful palm, causing her movements to subtly halt in mid-air.

However, this terrifying force had no effect on the surrounding environment or the isolated balcony of the Special Affairs Office.

Of course, it's not because the building materials of the Hokkaido Special Affairs Office headquarters can perfectly absorb an impact almost equivalent to the full force of an Aragami.

Rather, it's because... both Uesugi Tetsuya and Nanjo Manami perfectly controlled all their power, without leaking even a fraction of it.

Nanjo Manami's terrifying strength—only the tip of the iceberg of her true power was revealed at this moment.

It can easily crush a master-level spirit control technique, is comparable to the Sword Heart of All Self Returns to One, and even surpasses Ririko's level of control over power...

"But in terms of pure power, no demon or god is stronger than me."

The soundproof barrier was completely silent, and the two people's breathing was crystal clear to each other.

In this silence, the Divine Treasury of Calamity continued to ignite Uesugi Tetsuya's almost inexhaustible life force, and an invisible flower of essence bloomed above his head with each breath.

The Qi and blood of the Embracing Elixir flowed into the limbs and bones like giant dragons, further amplifying the already indescribable power emanating from the Palace of the Flesh!

Uesugi Tetsu turned around and firmly grasped Nanjo Manami's wrist, first immobilizing her, and then slowly pressing her down.

But to everyone's surprise, in the next instant, Uesugi Tetsu felt the power that had been fighting him on equal footing, almost weakened by a single point, vanish in an instant, causing him to pin Nanjo Manami directly against the railing.

Black hair fell loosely, soft and sunken, so close to my eyes.

Nanjo Manami stared at Uesugi Tetsuya, whose eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, her face showing not a trace of panic.

She parted her red lips slightly and gave a faint, indifferent laugh.

"Wow, this kid is really strong."

Even on a weekday, Yin Yang Da Yun was still dressed in a suit and uniform. He first loosened his tie, which was making him feel a little uncomfortable, then straightened his posture, tapped Uesugi Tetsuya's shoulder with his free hand, and asked with a puzzled look,

"Why are you pressing down on me with so much force? Are you trying to do something bad to me?"

Uesugi Tetsu: "..."

Nanjo Manami glanced around her office and spoke casually.
"This is the exterior of the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters. There might be someone watching this place right now, and there must be quite a few surveillance cameras covering this area."

As if she had read Uesugi Tetsu's mind, Nanjo Manami added,

"If you use a barrier that can block outside vision, it will be detected immediately by the automatically operating barrier and an alarm will be sounded."

Uesugi Tetsu's face twitched slightly, and a thought couldn't help but rise in his mind: "This wicked woman... how come I never noticed that Nanjo-nee-san had such a wicked side before..."

"—No, this is just something any competent adult would do to avoid further conflict."

Nanjo Manami curled her lips at him, admiring the delicious expression on Uesugi Tetsuya's face, who had already surpassed her in strength.

If only I could have an ice-cold beer to go with my food right now.

she thinks.

Not far away—to be precise, seven meters away—in Nanjo Aimi's office.

Holding the documents containing information about the weapons donated by Uesugi Tetsuya, Tamamo skillfully pushed open the half-closed office door, not paying much attention to the absence of Nanjo Aimi.

He simply walked to his desk, placed the document on the corner of the desk, then took out a sticky note from the side, wrote down the time the document was delivered and how important it was, and stuck it on the plastic cover of the first page.

After finishing all that, Tamamo tidied up her messy desk and prepared to leave.

But as soon as she looked up, she saw two rather familiar reflections in the huge, equally clear floor-to-ceiling window behind the office.

Uesugi-kun and... Nanjo Dayoon! ?

And aren't they standing a little too close...?

Wait, what kind of pose is this?!

Hey Hey hey!
Is this right? This can't be right!

Tamamo was so startled she almost jumped up. Her first reaction was to quickly hide under a wooden board placed in front of the desk, praying she wouldn't be discovered.

Recalling the scene she had just seen in the reflection of the glass, Tamamo felt as if the sky was about to fall.

He had accidentally stumbled upon Nanjo Daikiro sexually assaulting his subordinate at night!
Tamamo didn't consider any other possibilities at all—her understanding of Nanjo Manami was that she could exorcise both small fry and demons in no time.

If it can't be resolved in three minutes, it's considered a failed order.

With such outstanding strength, Da Yun, who can be described as the strongest, is naturally the one taking the initiative!
"Won't...won't I be silenced?"

Tamamo first thought that the piles of performance bonuses might slowly disappear, then she was afraid that Hokkaido's wonderful welfare and salary would disappear as a result, and then her thoughts began to slide wildly toward even worse.

But after waiting for several seconds, Tamamo didn't notice anything else.

She recalled that although it seemed like there was a lot of noise just now, she hadn't heard any sound.

If I'm not mistaken.

There should be a soundproof barrier in the middle.

Wait, that means...

Tamamo's eyes gradually brightened.

Could it be that I haven't been discovered?

After silently counting for several seconds, she finally couldn't suppress her burning curiosity.

This is juicy gossip!
Fortune and wealth are found in danger!

Tamamo silently took out her phone, quietly extended the camera out of her desk, and pressed the record button.

……

"Nanjo-nee, I'm not as childish as you."

Uesugi Tetsu released his grip on Nanjo Manami's wrist, glanced at the red mark, then looked away and spoke.
"What adults and children? I'm too lazy to play this ridiculous game of make-believe with you."

He composed himself, enunciating each word carefully: "I'm not interested in anything else, I just want to know about the Nanjo family and you, Nanjo-nee."

Uesugi Tetsu lowered his gaze and spoke in the moonlight,

"If we encounter difficulties, it is only right that I, who am proficient in spirit control techniques, should share the burden."

He told Nanjo Ai,
"I just don't want to come back to find you one day and not see you, only to discover that you died silently in the mud."

Nanjo Manami stared at the serious-looking man and suddenly asked, "If I died like this, would you be sad, Uesugi-kun?"

"Yes," Uesugi Tetsu replied almost calmly, "I'll probably be disappointed for several days."

Nanjo Manami felt a warmth in her heart, and shrugged with a light laugh.

"However, I won't die."

She shook her head: "I've already told you, Uesugi-kun, these are not things you should be concerned about..."

“Unless.” Nanjo Manami paused deliberately, raised her finger and pointed at him, her gaze becoming unusually intimidating in an instant.

"—Your surname is Nanjo."

“But Uesugi-kun, your surname is Uesugi, so of course you’re not a member of the Nanjo family.”

Nanjo Manami leaned back on the balcony railing, her oversized suit jacket draped over her shoulders, revealing a white shirt stained with brown underneath.

Uesugi Tetsu remained unmoved, his head bowed, as if Nanjo Aimi wouldn't let her go until he gave her the answer he wanted.

That kid is so stubborn. He won't turn back until he hits a wall and gets an answer; he'll just keep pestering me.

It's just like a child clamoring for toys from their mother.

So complicated.

Nanjo Ai let out a soft "Ah" in her heart, lowered her eyes, and beckoned to Uesugi Tetsu with her index finger, "Fine, come closer, let me satisfy your curiosity a little..."

Nanjo...Che. "

Uesugi Tetsu didn't react to the address, but leaned closer, wanting to know the answer that Nanjo Manami had been keeping from him.

"Actually, the Nanjo family has already..."

Thin lips, adorned only with moisturizing citrus-scented lip balm, parted near Uesugi Tetsuya's ear as she spoke in a low voice, causing Uesugi Tetsuya to instinctively move closer.

"—bang!"

The deafening roar, as if it had blasted the entire world apart, instantly "blew off" the top of Uesugi Tetsuya's head. The near-zero-distance volume explosion easily shattered his eardrums.

It made the whole world spin, spinning and spinning.

She used some unknown method, but with just one sentence, she completely stunned Uesugi Tetsuya, and even Kenshin couldn't calm down from the turmoil.

Nanjo Manami looked at Uesugi Tetsuya, who seemed temporarily disoriented, calmly grabbed his collar, and whispered something against his cheekbone.
"Uesugi-kun, don't you realize... that you've repeatedly stepped on landmines that others don't even want to mention, and you're still jumping around on them."

As he spoke, a blend of mint and citrus scent lingered in his mouth.

"It's only because I can indulge you like this. If it were any other woman... ha, she would have twisted your head off long ago."

After saying that, Nanjo Manami released her hand, looked at Uesugi Tetsuya who had stood up again, and clapped her hands: "Alright, all the discussion about the Nanjo family ends here."

"In addition, there is more."

She tilted her head slightly and said to Uesugi Tetsuya, "In this matter, Uesugi-kun, you are very stupid, really stupid... even though you are usually very smart."

She casually used a spirit-controlling technique to seal Uesugi Tetsu's mouth, then easily restrained his movements. Nanjo Manami straightened her clothes and buttoned them up.

"The thing you said, Uesugi Tetsuya, is that you don't want to know too many things that you can't know—the Nanjo family falls into that category."

"Finally, please don't ask me anymore."

Nanjo Ai gave a cryptic smile: "I 'don't know' either."

As many thoughts arose, Uesugi Tetsu finally understood.

—Nanjo Manami didn't refuse to speak, but rather "couldn't speak."

—Although, the reason is unknown.

The spirit-controlling technique that sealed his mouth disappeared at that moment. Uesugi Tetsu wanted to say something, but his mouth was already blocked by the cigarette that Nanjo Ai was offering him, which she was holding in her mouth.

呲.

The firelight shone in the moonlight, and the clear aroma of minty tobacco filled Uesugi Tetsuya's mouth.

Nanjo Manami waved her hand, and her spirit-controlling technique swept Uesugi Tetsuya away, throwing him out of sight.

"Break time is over. Children, please don't disturb the work of Yin Yang Da Yun anymore."

She stood there waiting for a while, but still didn't see that familiar figure reappear.

"What is that?"

Nanjo Manami sighed silently: "As expected, she's still just a child."

—If you were a normal adult, you would have come back by now, forcibly picked her up, and taken her away tonight for a game of chess.

"But it's better to be pure and not be corrupted by the adult world."

Nanjo Manami lit another cigarette, suppressing the extremely unpleasant memories stirred up by Uesugi Tetsu's words.

"Otherwise, how could one forge a sword heart?"

She looked at her fingers, which were trembling slightly as she held the cigarette: "As for strength, it's not bad."

After taking a deep breath, Nanjo Manami looked toward the brightly lit office to the side.

Clang.

A muffled sound, like something falling to the ground, was heard.

"Aren't you going to come out on your own?"

Nanjo Manami's voice pierced through the crack in the window and entered the office: "Or do you want me to drag you out myself?"

—Tamamo, her scalp tingling, shrank back in front of the table for several seconds, too frightened to move.

It took her a while to realize what it meant.

So, Da Yun was just trying to trick me into going out?
Tamamo breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she wasn't stupid enough to be tricked.

Okay, let's escape from here with this shocking revelation.

When we get back, I'll share this with Chisa!
As soon as Tamamo looked up, she saw that the previously wide-open office door was now blocked by a figure with a cold smile.
"Wow!"

She gasped in surprise, stammering, "Nan...Nanjo...M- ...

"Give me your phone."

Nanjo Aimi ignored her nonsense and took the slightly warm phone from Tamamo's hand from a distance.

"password?"

Tamamo paused for a moment, but still did not insist.

Knowing she was in the wrong, she scratched her head and moved slowly to Nanjo Aimi's side to apologize. However, she found that the latter had very skillfully deleted the video, deleted the backup, and even opened the cloud drive in the corner and deleted the video that was half-uploaded.

"Why are you so skilled at this, Nanjo Taiyoshi?!"

Tamamo wanted to cry but had no tears.

Now all the melons have truly been dug out.

Nanjo Aimi casually tossed her phone to Tamamo, without scolding, tensing up, or flying into a rage as the latter had expected.

Tamamo only felt a pat on the shoulder.

"From now on, just deliver documents properly and don't worry about so much."

"that……"

Swallowing hard, Tamamo asked the question that she would absolutely regret not asking now.

"Nanjo Taiyō, what is your relationship with Uesugi-kun... Come to think of it, isn't his girlfriend Tokugawa Ririko?"

After a pause, Tamamo added,

"That's what Lady Tokugawa said during the seeding battle."

"Yeah."

Nanjo Aimi remained noncommittal: "Then go ask Uesugi Tetsu himself if that's true."

After saying that, Nanjo Manami turned around.

Silently gazing at the moon, its image blurred by the haze of smoke against the night sky.

……

In the ordinary world, amidst the surging and rolling of the waves.

The woman in the black and gold gown lowered her head, gazing silently at the reflection of the silver moon, which seemed both far away and close at hand.

"almost……"

She murmured softly.
"It will be soon." (End of Chapter)