Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 133, Section 131: The Official Journey Begins (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
A little earlier.

"Hey?"

"Birthday banquet? I'm not going."

"Okay, I'll take care of dinner myself."

Inside the Don Quijote store, Asano Hiroshi hung up the phone, paid for his newly bought hiking backpack, and was stopped as he walked out of the store to go home.

“We are police officers from the Metropolitan Police Department. This is my identification.” Tatsumi Taira showed his identification to Asano, then pointed to the cafe next door. “We have some questions about Nobita’s disappearance and hope to get some information from you.”

To facilitate investigators' operations, the Emergency Response Department provides several convenient forms of identification, such as those for Metropolitan Police Department officers, Self-Defense Force officers, and government employees.

Asano looked at the upright man in front of him, and then at his unkempt companion beside him.

"Yes, but I have the right to remain silent when it comes to the self-proving trap."

Kurosaki, standing next to him, raised an eyebrow. "Kids these days know so much."

Unfortunately, the right to remain silent is ineffective in the face of public safety emergencies.

All cases investigated by this newly established department are classified as emergencies.

Citizens must cooperate and provide answers.

“Okay.” Ping Shenglong nodded without denying it, since his current identity was only that of a police officer investigating the missing persons case.

He didn't want to summon Asano for questioning through the school or the education committee, as that would give the other party some time to prepare. So he conducted surprise questioning of people in Nobi's social circle.

On the day Nobi ran away, the head of the investigation department was swiftly dismissed for "authoritarianism and autocracy".

As predicted by Heisei Ryū, the position of minister will be temporarily held by Defense Minister Shigeru Kihara.

The only other noteworthy development is the appointment of an additional executive minister.

He was an Amis man who spoke fluent Japanese. No, he had become a Japanese citizen two days prior, so strictly speaking, he was also Japanese.

His name is Hasegawa Leon.

The first thing they did was to give the investigation team from Ping Shenglong priority in their investigation.

The regulation requiring all information to be shared was abolished, and instead, the investigation headquarters is required to know all information, but the content to be shared is determined by the investigation headquarters and the information source investigation team. Furthermore, the headquarters has no right to interfere with the work of the investigation team without proper justification.

Kurosaki thought the change was good, while Taira no Ryu had not expressed any opinion on it.

In the coffee shop, Kurosaki wanted to listen, but he knew it was better not to put too much pressure on a student, so he sat at another table.

"What would you like to drink?" Ping Shenglong didn't rush into the main topic, but handed over a menu first.

"Ginger coffee," Asano said without looking.

"Two Italian drinks and one ginger coffee."

"OK, just a second."

Heisei Ryu took out a voice recorder, turned it on, placed it on the table, and then spread out the notebook: "When was the last time you saw Nobi Tomoyoshi?"

"Inside the video game club after school on the 24th."

Has he told you where he wants to go recently?

"not at all."

"How is your relationship?"

"Not bad, he's been to my house a few times."

"Is it about playing games together? Or other activities for young people?"

"No, it's more that I'm interested in a game he mentioned."

Asano had no intention of hiding information about Nobi's subway game, and he had told Nobi that he would tell the police the truth about it.

Nobita was initially hesitant, but since the game didn't require secrecy, and Asano had helped him so much, if revealing this information would reduce the risk of him being seen as an accomplice to escape, then he might as well tell him.

Although Asano Hiro's goal was not to clear himself of suspicion that he might have helped Nobita escape.

"The game? Do you remember any details about this game?"

"I vaguely remember it being a puzzle game about escaping from the subway."

Kurosaki, sitting behind Asano, paused, his previously relaxed expression turning serious as he began to write rapidly.

"He didn't know the ending either, so he didn't tell me. That's all I remember." Asano glanced out the window at the dazzling city lights and neon signs.

I came in around 5 o'clock, and now it's past 7 o'clock.

Heisei Ryu didn't ask many questions; it was Kurosaki who couldn't help but join in later, asking extremely detailed and targeted questions.

"Thank you for your cooperation. If you don't mind," Ping Shenglong's phone rang, and he stopped inviting her to dinner.

He glanced at the incoming call; it was from Takagi.

"Okay, I understand."

Ping Shenglong took out some banknotes, placed them on the table, and handed them to Asano: "I'm sorry to have bothered you for so long. I originally wanted to treat you to a meal, but something came up. This is to cover the meal expenses."

Asano Hiroshi did not refuse and accepted it.

"Hey, don't be in such a hurry, classmate. Keep your phone on, okay? I might need your help with something else!"

Kurosaki hurriedly left behind this sentence, then caught up with Taira no Ryu: "What's going on?"

"A supernatural event has occurred at Chunshan Manor. A banquet that was in progress was attacked, resulting in heavy casualties. It is not yet clear whether the attacker was a monster or a human with supernatural powers."

Kurosaki immediately understood the importance of the matter and had no choice but to put aside the fresh clues he had obtained from Asano and accompany Taira no Ryu to the scene of the incident.

Asano paid the bill with a 10,000 yen note from Heisei Ryu and took a taxi home.

Back home, he took his hiking backpack into his room, unlocked a cabinet, took out his fabric tools, cut off the tags, and began to rework the backpack. His phone wasn't on silent; apps were bombarding him with notifications.

The scenario is somewhat similar.
Asano's eyes flickered, he stopped what he was doing, and opened his phone to take a closer look.

[Breaking News! A monster was spotted at a banquet at the Chunshanzhuang Hotel!]

Road Closure Notice

When I opened the danger zone broadcasting software that the school had mandated I install a few days ago, the area near Chinzan-so was bright red, while half of Bunkyo Ward and a small area in the surrounding wards had turned yellow.

"Chungsan Manor?"

The name of this hotel sounds familiar.

Asano Hiroshi had a bad feeling and was about to make a call when he received a call from his father.

"Waaaaah, son, I almost didn't see you again! Waaaaah!"

Are you alright?

"Yes! You saw the news too, right? Luckily, a knight suddenly appeared and stopped that monster, otherwise you really wouldn't be seeing me again."

After offering some words of comfort to his weeping father, Asano Hiroshi hung up the phone.

He looked relieved.

"Thank you."

He spoke to the air.

Your bond with Asano Hiroshi has deepened, and the "Guidance" effect has been slightly enhanced.

Nobita, hiding near the farmland, was somewhat puzzled.

How did this bond deepen?
Could it be because Asano-senpai saw the news of his appearance? Or is there someone he cares about at the hotel?
Anyway, this is a good thing.

Nobi checked his private messages and saw that Uesugi had sent him a message.

[Moon: Are you aware of what happened at the Tsubakiyama-so Hotel?]

[Zhi: The hall said.]

After sending the message, he checked the safety of his surroundings and his own concealment again before entering the player lobby.

Inside the hall, Uesugi, despite wearing a mask, looked quite exhausted.

She's been working the hardest on "Escape from the Other Shore" lately.

Because there's only one reward for completing the game, Nobita has given up on getting it. He's still playing mainly for the points and trying to find information in the game that he can use to benefit in real life.

"So? Do you know what happened?" Uesugi asked.

Nobi paused for a moment before speaking: "It was me and [Hiro]. For some reason, he started a massacre of the participants at that banquet. I happened to be nearby, so I tried to stop him."

Uesugi opened his mouth, then remained silent for a few seconds: "...Irreconcilable?"

Nobita nodded slightly. "So far, yes."

"Perhaps there's a reason for it, like he has a grudge against those people or something," Uesugi said, then stopped, realizing how far-fetched it all seemed.

Generally speaking, the participants in a banquet are from a wide range of backgrounds, and they may not be very familiar with each other, so what grudges or hatred could lead to indiscriminate violence?

Unless it's a blood feud that wipes out an entire family, the kind where there's no room for restraint.

Even so, she could only understand, but not agree with.

"Actually, I ran into him yesterday, and he was doing something similar." Nobi recounted what happened yesterday. "So he's very dangerous now, and he's very capable. Ordinary methods won't work on him, and I don't have the ability to stop him either."

"He might make another move, and he'll be even more reckless. You need to be careful."

Uesugi nodded seriously; she was naturally extremely careful.

The last time she went out was the last time. That was the time she went to investigate the Hibiya Line and encountered someone who might be "Chi" himself.

If I count on my fingers, it's been half a month already.

The ultimate homebody—the Eternal Homebody Machine, is none other than Uesugi Hitsuki!
"Next," Nobi hesitated for a moment, still not revealing that he was leaving Tokyo, "My real identity has been exposed, and I will be hiding for a while."

"Okay, I wish you all the best. Please feel free to ask if you need any help."

"Thank you." Nobi changed the subject. "How's your progress on 'Escape from the Other Shore'?"

"I've figured out the basics. This game isn't actually difficult; it's much simpler than 'Subway,' and the gameplay is shorter. The main challenge lies in allocating spiritual energy and timing the use of items."

Uesugi is very confident in this game, so he is happy to share his ideas.

The only difficult part is that you have to restart every time you die, as there's no save function.

Running marathons in the game every day is an example of this.

Nobita didn't stay in the lobby for long because once he entered the game, he was essentially in a deep sleep and needed someone to touch him to wake him up, unlike when he was actually sleeping and resting, where he could sleep lightly and easily detect any disturbances.

After leaving the hall, Nobita took out a card that offered guidance.

"Should I stay in Tokyo to stop [Hiro], or head to Mogami River in Yamagata Prefecture to seek opportunities to improve my strength?"

Yamagata Prefecture

Having this card undoubtedly gave him a lot of confidence in his actions.

Unfortunately, he didn't have enough time; he didn't have a chance to make friends with other people or acquire more cards.

Moreover, he is not the kind of person who makes friends for personal gain, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of obtaining cards.

"The journey is over 300 kilometers; if you want to travel in a relatively cautious manner, it will take at least a week."

　Looking closer, it seems like I have a good chance of making it into the top 500 of the monthly ticket rankings! Please vote for me!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)