Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 140 A Certain Swordsman's External Thinking Module

Isn't this a bit too fast...?

As Yujian silently chewed his food, he couldn't help but recall the various experiences he had shared with Yurika.

Although they haven't known each other for long, the two have an exceptionally good rapport.

Perhaps this is fate.

When he woke up, the first thing Yuken saw was Yurika trying to feed him while he was half asleep. After hesitating for a moment, he took the spoon anyway, well, after taking a bite.

Now, as Yujian frowned, he picked out the peas from the Five Eyes Fried Rice and put them all on the side of the plate. He immediately heard a soft 'pfft' and looked up to see Yurika looking at him with a strange expression.

Yu Jian remained silent for a moment.

"To be clear, I'm not a picky eater, I just don't like the texture of peas."

"Hey, I totally understand." Aizen Yurika nodded tolerantly, her smile never fading.

The girl's posture was not as dignified as it was during the day. Her left arm was across her body, her chin was resting on her hand, and her other hand was fiddling with her phone pendant as if she were bored.

The pendant is shaped like a miniature temari ball, also known as a handball. It is a colorful ball-shaped item that was brought from China to the east. It was originally a toy for the nobility, but later gradually evolved into a traditional folk craft.

The item hanging on Lily's phone is a modern, improved version, probably a tourist souvenir from some place. Its main color is orange-red, with black stripes around the edges, roughly outlining the shape of some kind of animal.

"Even though we were only apart for less than a day, Mikasa's experience was quite remarkable."

As she spoke, Baihexiang got up and brought over a pot of hot tea. Although Yujian himself didn't know where his tea leaves were, Baihexiang had already brewed a pot of tea while making the midnight snack.

The girl changed her posture and sat down again. She rested her chin on her hand and looked at Yu Jian with deep eyes.

In the brief moment she walked away, the white-haired boy quickly waved to the peregrine falcon Chuchu, which was waiting on the balcony. Chuchu flew over excitedly, thinking something good had happened, only to be stuffed with a mouthful of peas at the speed of light, and its crop on the lower half of its neck swelled outward at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Thank you for the meal." Yu Jian finished the last bite of food as if nothing had happened.

"I never expected such a coincidence."

As he placed the plate in the sink, Yujian turned around and saw Yurika pouring tea.

The cup filled with tea looks very familiar... Oh, it's the one I usually use...

Yu Jian tapped his palm in his mind and immediately understood the origin of the sense of familiarity.

Then, Lily picked up her glass and took a sip.

?

Wasn't it for me?

Yu Jian was stunned, but now he couldn't say anything.

"What's wrong with Yujian-kun?" Yurika tilted her head, seemingly puzzled by his reaction.

"No, it's nothing." Yu Jian waved his hand, his expression as calm as an iceberg.

Now that things have come to this, let's get down to business.

"This is very strange."

Just now, Miken had already told Yurika everything that had happened during the day.

Although he appeared uninterested in front of the other members of the Countermeasures Division, he actually felt that the whole thing was strange and had a subtle sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen a similar event somewhere before.

“Indeed.” Lily nodded and pushed the cup full of tea toward Mitsurugi.

"According to Miken, that Miss Nishiki Aoi was originally just an ordinary person and theoretically shouldn't have come into contact with things related to the underworld."

Even though the internet has developed rapidly in recent years, it is still difficult to find a practical method that happens to be the curse ritual she needs, and to successfully acquire the corresponding magical artifact.

From a probabilistic point of view, these three things combined completely rule out the possibility of chance.

Lily raised a finger and touched her lips, a mocking smile inadvertently appearing on her face, as if she were mocking some unseen being.

“That’s what I think too.” Yu Jian nodded.

Initially, he had only instinctively felt that something was amiss, but Yurika's explanation made the situation crystal clear, even revealing the origin of his déjà vu. "Nogizaka Ruka," Mitsurugi said, uttering the name of the current president of the Supernatural Club.

He certainly didn't suspect his classmate was the mastermind, but there were certain similarities between the two incidents.

They were all victims of amateur crime (no doubt), and they all obtained the methods and tools by chance, which all seem to be spontaneous acts.

The difference lies in the fact that Aoi Nishiki harbors some kind of curse. This power suddenly erupts when she confesses, clearly attempting to conceal some truth.

This suggests that she is closer to the mastermind than Nogizaka46, and may even have some kind of connection with the other party, perhaps even seeing each other every day.

"Purpose, benefits, and impact," Lily said casually, reciting a few words.

Following her line of thought, Yu Jian immediately said another name.

"Akemi Hayashihara."

"What can an idol influence?" Aizen Yurika asked patiently.

She was clearly not talking about fans, or at least not just the fan groups associated with idols, but something deeper.

Talent agencies, music companies, entertainment companies...

Yu Jian's thoughts transformed into Qiu O Mountain's racing god, making several turns in a row, as if peeling back layers to think of something deeper.

"It can't really be about competing for the number one spot on the record charts..." Yujian muttered to himself with a strange expression.

"How could that be?" Yurika was amused by this, and the moment her lips curled up, the room seemed to brighten a bit.

After laughing, Aizen Yurika casually mentioned something.

"Isn't that Ms. Akemi an artist from a long-established company?"

"Yes, Melody Museum is a startup company, founded by Ms. Amami, Akemi's agent. It is said that she herself comes from a conglomerate, so she is both an investor and an operator."

In that case, it has nothing to do with the traditional big companies in the industry... Hmm? Yu Jian suddenly realized something.

In stark contrast to 'Melody Museum', where Akemi Hayashihara is located, Aoi Nishiki's agency, though also a newly established label, is backed by a long-established company in the industry, a subsidiary of which has launched several generations of national idol artists, making its background unfathomable.

The relationship between the entertainment industry and the media industry cannot be said to be inseparable, but they are two sides of the same coin.

"A business war...?"

He exhaled as he rode the sword, finally understanding the reason behind it all.

Yes, just as water naturally exists in all things, in a world where extraordinary powers exist, there may be unknown supernatural forces hidden behind seemingly ordinary industries.

"Public opinion." Yu Jian repeated this word over and over, his expression gradually becoming serious.

Seeing his performance, Lily couldn't help but chuckle, a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

In fact, having experienced the next stage of the information age, Yu Jian understands the influence of public opinion better than many people do now.

Compared to commercial interests, media groups prioritize controlling public opinion.

On the surface, this may seem like a suppression of new-era challengers by established manufacturers, but in reality, it is a struggle for the right to control public opinion.

Therefore, it is not surprising that he does anything.

This is really troublesome; I feel like the whole thing is getting more and more complicated...

Wait a minute, if the people behind the scenes are secretly conducting illegal experiments to create evil spirits, then what they want may be even greater than controlling public opinion, or the latter may only be a part of the conditions for achieving their goal.

Is it about conquering the world? This mastermind is way too old-fashioned!

"Sigh, let's leave the more troublesome things to the adults," Yuriko quietly suggested.

He clapped his hands while riding his sword.

Yes, I'm not the ruler of the Earth.

This is such a troublesome matter, just report it to the authorities!

(End of this chapter)