Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

Upon hearing these three somewhat familiar words, Uesugi Kiyoshi lowered his head slightly and replied, "Yes."

Chapter 17 Statue of Gods

As Uesugi Kiyoshi struggled to carry a large box of kendo books and rushed to catch the train home, Nohara Kyoko had just finished making dinner.

She stayed at her uncle's house in Tokyo. Her uncle, Yokota, was a finance professional, doing something similar to an accountant, and her aunt, Mrs. Yokota, was a full-time housewife.

Yokota's income was not high; in Tokyo, he was at the bottom of the middle class. However, because he and his wife had no children, they could save a lot of money, so their lives were not particularly difficult.

In Tokyo, the most expensive expense is education. For example, the annual tuition for Kaijo Junior High School, where Kiyoshi Uesugi attends, can basically take up one-third of an average middle-class person's annual salary. This does not include additional costs for books, tutoring, and other miscellaneous expenses.

Raising children is really expensive.

Growing Kyoko Nohara doesn't cost much money.

This little white rabbit is timid and never asks for anything. She rarely speaks at home, afraid of causing trouble for her uncle and aunt and being kicked out and homeless. In addition, she attended public schools with very low tuition fees before high school, so adopting Nohara Kyoko basically did not bring any financial pressure to the Yokota family.

After starting high school, she was even able to earn some scholarship money to help support her family, but this money was usually taken away by her mean-spirited aunt. Fortunately, her uncle would give her a few thousand yen of pocket money every month.

Kyoko Nohara was actually quite satisfied with this kind of life.

Mrs. Yokota was somewhat harsh, liked to order her around all sorts of chores, and would often say sarcastic things. She found fault with everything about her, but since she was living under someone else's roof, she didn't mind the hardship and fatigue.

Yokota was timid, but he was quite kind to her. After all, he was her mother's younger brother. If he hadn't taken in Nohara Kyoko, she might have ended up in an orphanage. Now, at least she has a home.

But recently, Yokota seems to have become a different person.

About three months ago, Yokota brought home a strange statue after get off work one day.

Ignoring his wife's objections, he threw the Buddha statue that was originally enshrined in the family shrine into the trash can, replaced it with the newly brought-back statue, and devoutly worshipped and prayed to it every day.

From that day on, Yokotano changed.

He was indifferent to family matters and treated Nohara Kyoko and Yokota's wife coldly. Every day, besides going to work, he would kneel and worship in front of the statue of the god like a devout believer.

Previously, Yokota would give Nohara Kyoko several thousand yen of pocket money every month, but ever since Yokota's personality changed drastically, he has never spoken a word to Nohara Kyoko again, and naturally, she no longer receives pocket money. This is why she was chased by delinquents for debt.

Kyoko Nohara has been being very careful at home lately. Her uncle and aunt are having a cold war, and if she's not careful, she'll become their punching bag and get scolded by her aunt.

But she still did something outrageous today.

She was in charge of cooking dinner for the Yokota family, and today she secretly made an extra portion.

For some reason, she was restless all day. Whenever she calmed down, the image of Uesugi Kiyoshi's smiling profile would always appear in her mind. She felt that the feeling of being saved by Uesugi Kiyoshi back then was wonderful, and that handsome profile had left an indelible mark on her mind.

Adding to the gossip from her classmates, who were speculating whether she was dating Uesugi Kiyoshi, she felt both shy and expectant. She had never had close contact with a man her own age before, and now that she was fifteen or sixteen and just beginning to experience romantic feelings, it wasn't unreasonable for her to have a vague affection for Uesugi Kiyoshi, who was already outstanding and had saved her from her misery.

But Kyoko Nohara was insecure. Instead of thinking, "Can I date Uesugi-kun?", she wondered, "Am I good enough for the outstanding Uesugi-kun?"

After much thought, she concluded that she was not good enough for him.

She didn't even dare to say thank you to Uesugi Kiyoshi.

She was very dissatisfied with her own lack of ambition and struggled with the decision all the way home from school. Finally, she decided that she must find Uesugi Kiyoshi at school tomorrow and say "Thank you for saving me."

She had originally planned to buy some small gifts as presents, but she was short of money and didn't know what Uesugi Kiyoshi liked. So she came up with a plan: to cook extra dinner, secretly hide it in a bento box, and bring it to school the next day as a thank-you gift for Uesugi Kiyoshi.

She observed that Uesugi Kiyoshi always bought bread for lunch and did not have the habit of bringing his own lunch.

After preparing dinner, Kyoko Nohara neatly arranged some croquettes, fried chicken nuggets, octopus sausages, and two delicate rice balls in the bento box. A faint smile curved the corners of her lips. She was quite confident in her cooking skills and hoped that the dishes would suit Uesugi's taste.

Japanese bento boxes are like this; the side dishes are usually convenient and easy to eat even when cold, but the specific taste also depends on the cook's skill.

After covering the bento box and hiding it in the cupboard, Kyoko Nohara suppressed her smile and began serving the dishes.

She wouldn't dare do these things in front of her aunt. Mrs. Yokota was mean and stingy. If she found out about this, not to mention whether she would be scolded, she would most likely lose this bento box.

She decided to hide the lunchbox first and then come to the kitchen to get it late at night. Anyway, she did all the cooking and washing herself, and no one else came to the kitchen except for herself, so it was relatively safe.

Dinner was finished in a silent and oppressive atmosphere. At the table, Yokota and his wife had cold and aloof expressions, acting like complete strangers rather than a couple who had been together for over ten years. Nohara Kyoko was cautious, as if walking on thin ice, afraid of offending her aunt and uncle and getting herself into trouble.

Fortunately, she was always timid, so Mrs. Yokota only occasionally glanced at her with a cold and disdainful expression and didn't say much.

After dinner, after cleaning up the dishes, Nohara Kyoko returned to her small house—the Yokota family's house wasn't big, just a run-down two-bedroom apartment. Her room was a converted storage room, with only a narrow tatami mat and a desk, but it was her only remaining private space.

Back in her little house, after finishing her homework, she kept listening intently to what was happening outside.

My aunt was watching an 8 PM drama in the living room, while my uncle was quietly worshipping that strange statue.

Time passed slowly, and before she knew it, it was late at night. Kyoko Nohara clearly heard two door slams—her aunt and uncle had gone back to their room.

Since my uncle's personality changed drastically, he and his wife have been sleeping in separate rooms.

Just in case, Nohara Kyoko patiently waited another half hour before tiptoeing open the door. She looked around and found the living room completely dark; sure enough, no one was there.

Then, she tiptoed like a thief, preparing to sneak into the kitchen to get the bento box she had prepared for Uesugi Kiyoshi.

Feeling her way through the darkness to the kitchen, Kyoko Nohara retrieved the bento box she had hidden earlier. A sense of satisfaction washed over her; she had accomplished her mission and was ready to go back to her room to sleep.

Just as she turned around, a creaking sound of a door being pushed open rang in her ears.

She was startled, covered her mouth, and hurriedly squatted down. She was short, and her figure was blocked by the stove, so she should not be visible from outside the kitchen.

By turning to the side, she could actually see what was happening in the living room.

It was her uncle's door that opened.

Some stiff footsteps sounded, and in the darkness, Nohara Kyoko saw a hazy figure stagger to the shrine in the living room and kneel down with a thud.

That was her uncle, Yokota.

Yokota knelt before the shrine, bowing repeatedly, his figure rising and falling without making a sound. In the quiet night, it seemed extremely eerie, bringing Kyoko Nohara a great sense of panic.

In her panic, Nohara Kyoko's eyes met those of the statue in the shrine.

The statue's upper body is naked, while its lower body is wrapped in a half-undone kimono. Its posture is wanton, and it is clearly male, but it has no head.

This is a headless statue.

But in a daze, Kyoko Nohara felt as if the headless statue was smiling at her.

How can a headless statue laugh?

she does not know.

But

It's laughing!

Chapter 18 Mirage

The moonlight was dim, and the boundless darkness swallowed up Nohara Kyoko's reason.

In the living room, there was the eerie figure of the uncle mechanically bowing incessantly, and the headless statue emanating a captivating and bizarre smile.

These were all heavy burdens weighing on her heart.

A cold wind blew in through the cracks in the living room window, making a mournful howling sound, like the wailing of evil spirits.

Her breath hitched, and her heart felt as if it were about to stop beating.

She was timid to begin with, and at this moment she could only cover her mouth tightly to prevent herself from screaming.

She desperately turned her head away, hugged her knees, and huddled under the stove in the small kitchen, trying to keep her breathing as quiet as possible, lest her uncle in the living room discover her.

Although she didn't know what had happened, her sixth sense told her that it was best not to disturb her uncle at this time.

Time passed slowly, and each day felt like an eternity for Nohara Kyoko. The fear in her heart swelled infinitely, but she couldn't come up with any solution.

She was scared, sleepy, and a little cold—she was only wearing a thin nightgown, and the kitchen tiles were still cold—but none of that was as frightening as the strange things that had happened in the living room.

What's wrong with my uncle?!

Why did my uncle, who used to be so gentle and kind, become like this?

Have you become so numb, only showing devotion to a headless statue?

What exactly is that strange statue?!

Kyoko Nohara's mind was in complete turmoil when the image of Kiyoshi Uesugi's smiling profile suddenly appeared in her head—when people are afraid, they always subconsciously think of things that make them feel at ease.

For Kyoko Nohara now, nothing feels safer than the sight of Kiyoshi Uesugi's back.

I was in a daze, and I don't know how much time had passed.

The soft morning light was already streaming in through the living room window.

Daylight broke.

Kyoko Nohara was suddenly jolted awake from her daze. She secretly glanced into the living room and found that her uncle had long since disappeared.

The small door to the shrine was tightly closed. Seeing this, she breathed a sigh of relief and, with strong willpower, hurriedly returned to her hut, her legs already numb from the cold.

She closed the door tightly, clutching the bento box she had prepared for Uesugi Kiyoshi, and finally breathed a sigh of relief in her dimly lit little apartment.

What she didn't know was that just a second after she stepped inside...

Yokotano's door was opened a crack.

A pair of eyes peered through the crack in the door, staring intently at Kyoko Nohara's room.

These eyes were bloodshot, filled with malice and resentment, yet also carried a sinister smile; they didn't resemble human eyes, but rather the pupils of a demon.

Today is Wednesday, and the weather is a bit gloomy, like it's going to rain.

It's early April now, and high school has just started. It's early spring after winter, so the temperature isn't high, but it's the season for cherry blossoms to bloom.

Uesugi Kiyoshi wasn't in the mood to enjoy the cherry blossoms.

His complexion was just as bad as yesterday—his master had given him a box of swordsmanship books, which he had quickly skimmed through last night.

He became completely engrossed in it, and by the time he came to his senses, it was already past 10 p.m. He still had to practice "taking without a knife" in the Mirage Tower, which put a lot of pressure on him.

He was indeed quite interested in this "no-knife takedown" technique.

After all, it is the secret technique of the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school. Although it looks like a simple bare-handed catching of a blade, there are still many intricacies involved.

His master had already given him the seal of approval for the transmission of the Shin-Yin-ryu school. If he didn't master the skills and embarrassed his master when he went to the Dong-Wen Association, he wouldn't be able to explain it to his master. He was a very proud person, and he couldn't even pass his own conscience if he did that.

Taking it without a knife is neither easy nor difficult, but it's not really that hard either.

The "Three Stances of Disarming a Sword" clearly states that there are three key points to learning the art of disarming someone without a sword.

First, you must have the courage to face your opponent's sword directly. If you are afraid when you see your opponent slashing at you with a sword, don't even think about disarming them; just run for your life.