Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

The sports car hummed softly as it slowly drove through the Tokyo night, weaving through the dazzling neon lights.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Makoto Kyushu observed the girl gently fiddling with the steering wheel and couldn't help but ask:

"Miss Qinggong, may I ask what exactly is going on?"

"I know you're in a hurry, but your question will be answered soon." The girl stared ahead without turning her head.

"By the way, you look about my age, but you already have a driver's license. Did you just turn eighteen?" Kyushu Makoto asked again.

"No, I'm seventeen." The girl said calmly, "I know what you want to ask, a driver's license is a 'police privilege.' Just think of it that way for now."

After driving for a long time, the vehicle arrived at the foot of Tokyo Tower in Odaiba, Minato Ward.

This triangular red iron tower is the oldest radio tower built in Tokyo and is a famous tourist attraction and cultural symbol.

"Are you planning to take a long detour before sending me home?" Kyushu Makoto had already noticed the unusual route and asked.

"I need to take you somewhere first." The girl turned off the sports car in the parking lot and took out a paper book with a few sticky notes attached from the glove compartment:

How to Make Muggles Quickly Understand Magic – Dante Byron, Utahya Shinra

Before Kyushu Makoto could ask a question, the girl opened one of the pages, read it, and then asked:

"Do you know what that samurai you defeated tonight was?"

"I feel like he's not a normal human being, but the police just won't believe me," Kyushu Makoto said, rubbing his chin. "Do you know his identity?"

"Monsters, demons, moros, and other strange creatures have different names in different cultures." The girl nodded slightly, agreeing with his point.

"Their official name is 'spirit species.' The one you defeated was a tsukumogami, codenamed [Kujitsu-no-Kami]. Not counting your friends, it has killed at least three civilians, all of whom were women in the sex industry."

"..." Kyushu Makoto frowned, momentarily unable to process what was happening.

"Didn't you fully understand? Oh well, it takes a lot of time for a Muggle to understand the existence of magic; that's what the book says." The girl wasn't in a hurry, and continued to the next page of the book, saying:

"Next, I will explain what I have to say to you in the most concise way. During this time, you are not allowed to interrupt me. Just listen quietly."

The girl cleared her throat and read aloud from the book:

“There are ‘monsters’ in this world. They may be small animals that have awakened their intelligence, or spirits created by resentment, or even ‘false gods’ and ‘urban legends’ created by faith. In fact, they are very close to us, and may even be lurking in human society. I am the one responsible for dealing with those monsters.”

"The creation of monsters is related to 'spiritual power.' This is an energy substance similar to air, permeating everything. This energy was once considered to be the substance that makes up the human soul, hence it is also called 'spiritual ether' or 'soul element.' Some Western magicians also refer to this substance as 'magic power.'"

"At the same time, there is another world outside the world we live in, which is officially called the 'Spirit Realm.' You can think of it as a place like hell, the underworld, or the demon realm. It is the place with the most abundant spiritual energy and the origin of spiritual species."

"You might be wondering why you've lived this long but have never heard of this knowledge?"

"In fact, paranormal countermeasures organizations around the world have reached a consensus: to prevent the general public from accessing this truth. This is because most people do not have the talent to freely control spiritual power and cannot directly confront spiritual beings. Once the veil of the world is lifted, it will only cause unnecessary panic and unrest. Many criminals and opportunists will also try to control this power, creating more tragedies."

After speaking at length in a monotone tone, the girl closed her book and turned to look at Kyushu Makoto. Her eyes were as clear as moonlight, yet flickering like candlelight.

“My name is ‘Qing Palace Elizabeth,’ usually shortened to ‘Qing Palace Elizabeth.’” The young woman extended her long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles, as if extending an invitation to shake hands.

"Kyushu Makoto, whether you believe it or not, tonight you, with your mortal body, defeated a spirit creature burdened with a murder case, and that monster just happened to be the one I was responsible for dealing with. Therefore, I extend an invitation to you."

"From now on, you will no longer be a 'Muggle,' but will be qualified to become a 'Spirit Rider' just like me."

It seems some readers are worried that this book might suddenly change its style and betray them.

Actually, I had planted quite a few foreshadowing elements beforehand, but I must admit that the plot twists are quite significant, surprising and unexpected, and may scare some readers.

To ensure subscribers can enjoy the reading experience without worry, I hereby promise that this book has a well-developed outline and setting. The story will not suddenly change style or fall apart, and it will not become a monster-slaying, level-up story. The story will remain slice-of-life with some innocent romance. The male protagonist's original character traits will not be erased, and most of the so-called "abnormal events" that occur later will be human-centered, touching upon and exploring issues of humanity and society, rather than being a pure monster-slaying, wish-fulfillment novel. Furthermore, everything will be logically consistent and self-consistent.

108. Onmyoji Bureau, A New World

Inside the sports car, Kyushu Makoto and the girl stared at each other, the atmosphere frozen for a long time.

At this moment, Kyushu Makoto felt like a vice president who had been suddenly thrust into the role after the president's assassination attempt, with a whole bunch of state-class secret documents he had never heard of before suddenly appearing on his desk—this made him feel excited, confused, incredulous, and full of doubts.

In the past, Makoto Kyushu would never have believed a word the girl said, simply considering her a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) patient unique to Wano Country.

But he had just fought a monster that night that was clearly beyond human comprehension. Furthermore, Kyushu Makoto still hadn't found a reasonable explanation for his "time travel."

Kyushu Makoto remained silent, simply because the girl had given him too much information at once, which he couldn't process.

“You’re still a bit skeptical, but that’s normal…” The girl clearly noticed Kyushu Makoto’s confusion, so she reached out and opened the car door, stepping out with one boot:

"Get out of the car, I'll prove it to you."

The two got out of the car. After confirming that there was no one else around the parking lot, Qinggong Eliza extended her slender, fair hand and instructed, "Please hold my wrist."

With some skepticism, Kyushu Makoto gripped the girl's wrist with his five fingers, and the girl reciprocated by gripping his wrist with her own.

"You claim to have defeated that tsukumogami using jujitsu and even torn off one of its arms. You must be quite skilled in martial arts, right?" The girl rolled up her sleeves, revealing smooth, slender forearms with almost no muscle visible.

"So as you can see, my arms are very thin and have little muscle. It's absolutely impossible for me to move you with pure 'strength'."

Kyushu Makoto nodded, agreeing with the girl's conclusion.

As a martial artist, Kyushu Makoto only needed to observe the girl's figure and arms briefly to discover that she had not done any special muscle-building training and was even slimmer than girls her age.

Her arms were so slender that they reminded Kyushu Makoto of a fragile vase. If Kyushu Makoto were to use a joint lock now, he could easily break her humerus like a Pocky stick.

"So what now?" Qinggong Eliza slowly took out a talisman from her coat pocket—it was a long white strip of paper with incomprehensible red characters engraved on it, just like the talismans used by Onmyoji in movies and TV dramas.

She stuck the talisman on her forearm, then made a hand seal with her index and middle fingers together.

Kyushu Makoto saw a layer of fluorescence emanating from the talisman, the light slowly seeping into the girl's skin, as if it were injecting some kind of energy into her.

“This is a talisman inscribed with ‘Enhancing Spiritual Arts’,” Eliza Kiyomiya explained. “Simply put, I used it to enhance the strength of my arms.”

The next moment, the muscles in her arm began to tremble and tighten. Kyushu Makoto suddenly felt an incredible pressure on his wrist, which even made him feel a little scared.

"Go!" Eliza Kiyomiya shouted casually, forcefully swinging the arm that was gripping Makoto Kyushu's wrist to the side.

Kyushu Makoto was thrown away by the girl with almost no resistance, rolling twice on the ground before coming to a stop.

At the same time, a crack appeared in the talisman on the girl's forearm, and the fluorescence on the paper completely dimmed.

Kyushu Makoto scrambled to his feet, looking at the girl in disbelief: "What...what kind of power is this?"

He was quite certain that the girl hadn't used any throwing "techniques" on him; she had simply used pure "strength" to fling him away with one hand.

But Makoto Kyushu knew this was impossible. A teenage girl could never single-handedly throw a boy her own age with sheer strength, especially this girl who showed almost no signs of training.

In that case, is "superpower" the only explanation for the current situation?

Seeing the boy's look of sudden realization, Qinggong Elizabeth took out a talisman from her pocket, tossed it into the air, and snapped her fingers.

The talisman emitted a faint glow, then twisted and transformed into the shape of a butterfly, flapping its wings and flying around the girl and Kyushu Makoto.

Kyushu Makoto tried to reach out and grab it, but the paper butterfly seemed to have a mind of its own and retreated, returning to the girl's fingertips.

"The performance is over." The girl glanced at the book "How to Make Muggles Believe in Magic" again and said calmly:

"Now you should have no reason not to believe me, right?"

“Now that things have come to this, I have no reason to deny you anymore.” Kyushu Makoto’s mind was a little confused, but he already believed the girl’s words without a doubt.

Even Kyushu Makoto's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

By mastering such superpowers, one can go further on the path of a martial artist and more easily become a strong person like one's master.

However, Kyushu Makoto still had a question: "Since you're with the Public Security Bureau, are you planning to recruit me into the Public Security system?"

The girl gently shook her head and replied, "I'm not a member of the police force; I'm just cooperating with them."

"But you're right, I am planning to recruit you. The place where I work is called 'Yin-Yang Bureau,' an organization that works with the Public Security Bureau's Demon Hunting Division. To help you understand quickly, just think of it as the only officially certified exorcism mercenary guild in Wano Country."

After saying that, the girl waved to Kyushu Makoto, and the two of them arrived at the foot of Tokyo Tower under the cover of night.

The girl didn't lead him through the main entrance, but instead took him around to an inconspicuous back door.

Qinggong Eliza took a magnetic card out of her pocket, swiped it on the door, and a "beep" sounded from the locked back door. A mechanical female voice came from somewhere:

[Confirmed there are no unauthorized personnel within 50 meters. Safe.]

[Identity confirmed, codename "Magician", rating "C". Entry permitted.]

The door slowly opened, and the girl led Kyushu Makoto into a dark corridor, then took the elevator down to the tenth basement level.

The sounds of mechanical gears and ropes rubbing together were incessant. As Kyushu Makoto felt the weightlessness of the elevator as it continued to descend, he couldn't help but start to feel nervous.

"Your 'Yin-Yang Bureau' is built under the Tokyo Tower?" Kyushu Makoto asked.

“That’s right, this is the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s ‘Yin-Yang Bureau,’ a case of hiding one’s strengths in the forest.” Kiyomiya Eliza, watching the numbers scroll across the elevator screen, answered clearly:

"If we build our headquarters deep in the mountains, it will be discovered by some curious outdoor adventurers, and our commute will be inconvenient."

"So what are we going to do after you take me to the 'Yin-Yang Bureau'?" Kyushu Makoto asked again.

“We will examine your talents and soul affinity, and then see if you are willing to join us,” Elizabeth Qinggong replied.

"If you volunteer to join, the next step is to process your onboarding."

"What if I don't join?" Kyushu asked.

“Out of international humanitarian considerations, we do not advocate the use of memory erasure technology at this time, so we will only have you sign a confidentiality agreement.” Elizabeth Qinggong couldn't help but turn her face away and glance at him.

"But if you refuse, can you guarantee you'll be able to save your friend if she's threatened by a monster again?"

[Bang!]

The elevator stopped as soon as he finished speaking.

The elevator doors slowly opened, like a door to a new world opening for him.