Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 14 Four People Sharing a Table
The opening line is "Taking care of the club members is the club president's responsibility.", followed by "You can't not eat properly.", and the finishing move is "I really can't do anything with you."

Okay, now I can't bring myself to politely decline.

But then again…

What's wrong with that? Master Miyamoto Masao once said, "Heroes are good..." But saying more is pointless; true mastery of swordsmanship comes from within.

"Lily fragrance, that's amazing."

After swallowing the first bite, the boy exclaimed with heartfelt emotion.

"No, it's just a simple home-cooked meal." Lily rested her chin on her hand, smiling as she looked over.

The tongue can deceive others, but it's unlikely to deceive oneself. Although the dishes were all home-style, the bento box in front of her was perfect in terms of both taste and color. Even the portion was much larger than her own, which was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a premeditated and deliberate act.

Although it's just a bento box, the feminine strength it contains far surpasses that of a high school student—no, it's a level that even a mature housewife can't achieve.

"What do you usually eat for lunch, Mikage? I remember you mentioning that your family often travels for work," Aizen Yurika asked seemingly casually.

"A bento box from a convenience store, or bread or something." Yujian lowered his head and ate heartily, barely bothering to answer.

When he was fighting against the three-no golden finger, he basically made do with fast food and convenience store bento boxes. Although those things were not bad, they were far from being truly delicious, and eating too much of them was not very healthy.

The reason for this was twofold: firstly, Yu Jian didn't have the energy to deal with these matters at the time; secondly, it involved his own 'fatal' weakness, which will be left unsaid for now, and it would be best to keep it from others in the future.

That's not very healthy.

Aizen, the class president, club president, and bodhisattva, gave a stern reprimand to Mitsurugi for his inadequate self-management, and then issued a proper solution.

"If you don't mind, you can give me tomorrow's bento box too."

"..." Yu Jian put down his chopsticks.

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"

Lily smiled upon hearing this: "It's just something I did along the way. I was going to prepare my own share anyway."

Just then, two heads peeked out from the doorway, one above the other.

"Wow, so this is what they mean by 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach'? That's a really high level of skill."

"Yes, yes, even the legendary Jade Sedan Chair Technique couldn't be more amazing than this."

"what is that?"

"Haven't Sayaka heard the story of Tamamo-no-Mae? Legend has it that the nine-tailed fox spirit can turn men into useless cowards who can't live without her by using delicious food, fine wine, and beautiful women. Because of this legend, Tamamo-no-Mae often appears in dramas riding in a palanquin decorated with jade, and the men who are bewitched by her are often unable to leave, or some say they don't want to leave."

"I see, so it's like 'I won't let you leave tonight'? I've learned something new."

"what is that?"

"Hehe, this is a field that good children shouldn't understand."

Yuriko paused for a moment while riding the sword, but seemed not to hear their teasing. Instead, she waved to them in a friendly manner.

The two whispering amongst themselves were clearly Sayaka and Nogizaka Ruka. It was obvious they intended to share a table for lunch.

It's lunch break now, and it's normal for students from different classes to visit each other's rooms. Good friends who were classmates in junior high but ended up in different classes in high school often do this.

Nogizaka was holding a black lacquer box stacked on top of each other, while Sayaka was carrying a pink bento box, which was different from the stereotypical image given by her gyaru (gal) appearance.

By pushing the two tables together, the pleasant lunchtime continues.

"Nogizaka's bento box is so extravagant..." Sayaka's eyes widened, and she subconsciously hid her own bento box behind her back.

"W-Because I wanted to eat bento with everyone today, I tried my best to ask the head chef at home." Nogizaka twisted her hands shyly.

“I can tell.” Yu Jian nodded, but his attention was drawn to the bento box itself.

It was a very sophisticated black lacquer box, with an understated overall style. The gold and silver orchid pattern was subtly revealed through the reflective lid. It employed an ancient technique called kimono, which is usually only found on a few handcrafted products by renowned artists.

In addition, Miken noticed that some of the decorations on the lacquer box had signs of repair, which was a repair technique called "kinjigi". These traces are often regarded as part of the historical value of the collection.

As for why he knew all this, Yu Jian himself was curious for a moment. After a moment's thought, he remembered that it was the result of the teachings of his father in this life, an archaeologist.

Although he is a carefree person who spends most of the year traveling around, his professional knowledge is quite solid, matching the status of the other party's university professor.

The food, presented in a dark lacquered box, was plain in appearance, its color scheme pleasing to the eye. But when Nogizaka enthusiastically shared it with everyone, the perceptive Mitsurugi immediately detected a different flavor within it.

In short, it smells like money.

“It’s delicious.” Sayaka praised directly, and couldn’t say anything else.

"As expected of a professional." Lily nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, everyone started talking about the aftermath of yesterday's paranormal event.

"The information they left at the delivery company was all fake, as was their registration information on the paranormal forum. The account itself was even deleted two days ago. Even professionals will have a hard time finding any useful clues in such a short time." Nogizaka sighed, his good mood from lunch with friends turning sour.

"Such perfection indicates this isn't the first time they've done this," Yu Jian pointed out the key point.

“Are there any similar cases that might provide useful clues?” Lily said.

"Yes, that's what Grandma instructed too." Nogizaka paused, then continued somewhat uneasily:
"Based on the investigation results, it is highly likely that the attack was not targeted at me personally or the board group, but rather a more egregious indiscriminate crime."

"..." Yu Jian's eyes narrowed, and his expression turned serious. To do something like this, one could no longer be considered an ordinary criminal.

“Perhaps, killing is not their goal.” Yuriko tapped her chin with her chopsticks, looking thoughtful.

"It looks more like some kind of experiment. If so, the person behind it won't care about the victim's identity; they just need to achieve the experimental goal."

Yujian was surprised by the girl's keen insight. He had only learned similar information through the memories of evil spirits, yet Yurika, who did not know these things, was able to draw similar conclusions from just a few words. It was truly remarkable.

"Is there anything we can do? We've eaten such delicious food, we can't just sit around doing nothing," Sayaka said, raising her hand.
To be honest, Sayaka was very nervous when she heard the words "indiscriminate attack" and "mastermind," but she still said them.

"If it's an experiment, we definitely need to observe how it develops. Sayaka and Nogizaka are in the same class, so you should pay attention to whether there are any strange people around you."

"Of course, the premise is to protect yourself," Lily reminded him.

"Don't worry, I'm a coward, I would never try to be a hero." Sayaka immediately patted her chest to assure them.

"Everyone, thank you so much. It was clearly me who caused this trouble." Nogizaka lowered his head and said in a trembling voice.

"Don't say that. If it really was a random crime..." Yu Jian closed his eyes slightly, concealing the emotions churning deep within them.

The reason people pursue power may be for self-preservation, or it may be out of a desire for something; ultimately, they have something to ask for.

He probably wanted the power to choose.

Just like right now, when I want to do something about the evil happening, I need enough power.

Be true to yourself...

Silently recite the enlightenment you have gained after being reborn. With that in mind, there is nothing to hesitate about. Just consider it as meddling in other people's business as a matter of nature!

Just as Yu Jian was about to speak, he saw Bai He Xiang smile slightly.

"Consider it a follow-up service provided by Cat's Paw Studio to its clients."

"Nogizaka-san, please don't blame us for meddling."

"how come."

Aizen Yurika's words lightened the atmosphere of lunch again. Mitsurugi looked at her for a long time before lowering his head to eat again.

Afterwards, to thank Nogizaka-san for the hospitality, Yurika and Saya took everyone's lunch boxes to wash them.

This made Yujian feel embarrassed, so he asked the others what they wanted to drink.

"Cola! Thank you so much!"

"For me, strawberry milk is fine."

"Pfft, you sound like an elementary school student," Sayaka immediately teased.

"Sayaka-san, what are you saying? Strawberry milk is the best in the world!" Nogizaka blushed and argued softly for the drink she was promoting.

"Coffee, anything but Max's, that's too sweet." Lily Fragrance didn't stand on ceremony.

"Wow, Aizen's choice is so mature." After getting to know each other, Sayaka actually dared to 'provoke' the great bodhisattva Aizen.

"Coffee is a good way to stay alert at noon." Lily didn't care about that; instead, she was worried about something else.

"But does Your Majesty know where the vending machine is?" Aizen Yurika stroked her cheek with one hand and suddenly addressed Miken by name.

"..." Yu Jian's movements paused, clearly not just because of being addressed that way.

"Don't underestimate me." He muttered to himself, then immediately got up and left. Lily shook her head, as if she had guessed what would happen next.

Coming to his senses, he found Nogizaka alone in the classroom, sitting pitifully in his chair, surrounded by unfamiliar classmates. He instinctively huddled into a small ball, muttering to himself: Aizen-san, Mitsurugi-san, and Sayaka, whoever you are, please come back...

On the other side, Yujian walked alone on campus.

Shinkiin High School, though built on a hillside, occupies a considerable area. Unfamiliar with the campus, he circled around several times without finding a vending machine, and to his utter dismay, realized he was lost.

Just as Yu Jian was pondering how to hide his embarrassing situation of getting lost, a sharp shout suddenly came from ahead, accompanied by the chaotic sound of something being knocked over.

"You're still so arrogant, it's really stupid of you. Do you think everyone will continue to fawn over you?"

(End of this chapter)