Demon Slayer: Can I add points to my Breathing Technique?

Xia Xi: "Useless."

Crow: "Caw???"

The black bird flew unhappily to the treetop and ignored Xia Xi.

Xia Xi browsed the system again.

There are no task prompts, no auto-pathfinding, and no minimap.

"Hello, System? Hello, System?"

Xia Xi tried to wake it up with her voice, but after a long while there was still no response.

Obviously, this game does not include a smart assistant.

Xia Xi felt her blood pressure gradually rising.

Sure enough, what I hate most is getting stuck due to missing clues and navigating mazes in JRPGs.

(JRPG: Japanese role-playing game.)

Where's the hint?

Where are the clues?

What about the prior information?

"Um... sir, wouldn't you like to eat something?"

Just as he was feeling a bit sullen, a middle-aged woman with a sorrowful face timidly handed him a clean rice ball wrapped in a cloth.

Xia Xi subconsciously wanted to refuse.

Upon seeing the name above the woman's head, he immediately realized something.

I saw this woman yesterday.

He looked conflicted, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't, clearly indicating that he had something on his mind!

In a flash, a circuit in Xia Xi's mind suddenly clicked.

He gently pushed away the dumpling offered to him, his expression turning into a solemn, businesslike demeanor.

"Thank you for your kindness, but we cannot accept food while on duty."

The woman was taken aback.

Your Excellency? On a mission? Could it be that this person...

Xia Xi reminisced about the spy movies she had watched before.

His face displayed an expression that was almost certainly gloomy and cold.

"As you can probably tell, I'm not a local."

Pretending to casually survey the village, Xia Xi continued, "My trip to your village is also to carry out a mission."

A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in the woman's eyes.

She tentatively asked, "Sir, are you... are you from the town's association or the local office?"

What is this all about? I've never heard of it before.

"cough,"

Xia Xi said seriously, "I am a senior agent of the Demon Slayer Mobile Squad of the Ninth Division of the Tokyo Special Operations Unit, understand?"

"We are here to investigate a missing persons case."

Of course, the other party couldn't understand Xia Xi's nonsense.

Even Xia Xi's tongue-twisting pronunciation of her professional title was difficult for her to understand.

After nodding, seemingly confused but impressed, the woman hesitated and asked, "But you're so young..."

Xia Xi remained expressionless and quickly flashed Mr. Kazami's letter of recommendation in front of her.

He then said, "That's because I'm a genius. At the age of fourteen, I obtained the title of Master of All Arts at the Nameless God Fūryū Dojo in Kagoshima."

"Therefore, he was exceptionally admitted to the Ninth Special Operations Division of the Metropolitan Police Department."

The woman was completely taken aback.

His gaze unconsciously fell on Xia Xi's clothes.

"The new uniforms in Tokyo are only worn by people in Section 9 who handle special cases."

Shh—don't make a sound.

By this point, the woman had essentially believed most of it.

But feeling flustered and helpless, she whispered, "Secret Police Officer, where's your sidearm? Why... are you only carrying three samurai swords?"

Xia Xi feigned impatience and said, "I told you I'm a genius, a three-sword style, you understand three-sword style!"

The woman covered her mouth, completely believing it.

"Secret Police Officer, can you help me?"

Xia Xi smiled.

Now the plot points match up.

Chapter 24 Is that a famous sword in your hand?

Yuko Kirimori lied to the samurai from out of town the day before.

She told him yesterday that everything was fine.

However, villagers from the neighboring village have indeed gone missing recently.

There have even been reports of people finding mangled remains deep in the mountains.

Rumor has it that a man-eating bear came from the mountains.

But since all the hunters in the village had returned safely, everyone was more inclined to believe that it was just a "horror story from afar," and they would only talk about it after dinner, sighing a few times before moving on.

But for Yuko Kirimori, it was different.

Because her younger sister lives in Noki Village.

And her due date is just around the corner.

Already somewhat anxious, she told her husband, a hunter, about it.

But he frowned and told Yuko not to say anything more.

He was not entirely unaware of the bear disaster.

He just didn't want to talk to his wife much.

In rural areas where superstition is prevalent, people are easily convinced of customs and superstitions such as "if you say something you shouldn't say, that thing will come knocking on your door at night" and "talking about disasters will bring even greater disasters."

He plans to personally pick up his wife's sister in a couple of days.

Before that, it's best not to talk about these unlucky things.

So when Xia Xi appeared, Kiriyuko, like the other villagers, subconsciously chose to keep the matter from the neighboring village.

Even though a voice inside her whispered: that might not be a bear, nor a bandit...

But she feared that if she admitted to the abnormality, she would be drawn into even more terrible events, or be repeatedly interrogated by the samurai, shattering her peaceful life.

Until the next morning, she saw the young warrior still meticulously questioning people at the village entrance.

The focus in his eyes was completely different from that of those officials who were just going through the motions and doing things perfunctorily.

In addition, concerns about his younger sister's safety took precedence.

That's why he took the initiative to tell Xia Xi about it.

“Whether it’s a bear, a bandit, or something else… please go and take a look over there.” She lowered her head, her fingers clenching the hem of her clothes. “My sister is about to give birth. With you nearby, she might be safer.”

Even if it's just a samurai wandering around the area, it makes her feel a little more at ease.

Not to mention, this person was a secret police officer from a big city.

Xia Xi thanked him and then asked about the specific details of the bear disaster.

In his view, the plot had progressed to this point, so how could it be an ordinary bear disaster?

It's definitely a ghost.

Unfortunately, Yuko's knowledge was ultimately limited.

It wasn't that she was unwilling to talk, but rather that she spent most of her time in the village, and the information she received mostly came from snippets of conversation between her husband and the other women in the village.

When Xia Xi suggested she wanted to talk to her husband, she looked hesitant.

She didn't want to cause trouble for her husband.

But this composure ultimately succumbed to Xia Xi's next threatening remark.

Xia Xi said softly, "Madam, you wouldn't want your sister to suffer from a bear disaster, would you?"

She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to take Xia Xi to find her husband.

Kirimori Kuro was a robust middle-aged man.

His face immediately darkened when he saw his wife leading a strange young man into the house.

His expression softened slightly when Yuko explained that this man was a "samurai" who had come to investigate a bear disaster in a neighboring village.

But the doubt in his eyes had not yet dissipated.

Even though his wife specifically mentioned that the other party was a "special police officer," Jiulang remained unconvinced.

In his eyes, most police officers in big cities are just good-for-nothings who only know how to put on airs, and going to the countryside to investigate cases is nothing more than going through the motions and getting some credit.

Have they ever caught a bear?

Thinking you can hunt bears just because you have a few knives is wishful thinking.

“A bear is not something that a brat with a knife can handle.”

Kuro crossed his arms, his tone carrying the arrogance typical of a seasoned hunter.