Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

Secondly, one must have the proper technique for disarming an opponent – ​​Kamiizumi Hidekawa demonstrated this move, using his palms together to create a fulcrum on the opponent's sword, and then using the principle of leverage to fight against a larger opponent with a smaller one, disarming and killing – there is skill involved in the opening and closing of those palms.

Third, you must have rich practical experience. When your opponent slashes at you with his sword, you should at least know where he is going to hit you and what kind of counterattack he will make next. Otherwise, if you extend your bare hand, you will be chopped down by his sword with a change of momentum, and you will die with your eyes wide open.

As for these three points, Uesugi Kiyoshi only lacks some practical experience.

He had slain demons, but he had never actually killed a human. In the past year, the only swordsmanship opponents he had encountered were Kamiizumi Hidekawa and Kamiizumi Rin. Their quality was good, but their numbers were far too few.

How can one master the art of killing without life-or-death combat?

Therefore, he could only use the water-milling technique, little by little, within the mirage to grind this only method.

He has perseverance, talent, and the belief to accomplish this, so success is not a difficult thing for him.

As he walked to school, he kept pondering the key points of the "No-Knife Strikes" technique. He had practiced all night yesterday and had already grasped some of the tricks. If given another day, he was confident that he could master this secret technique.

Just one street from the school, Uesugi Kiyoshi turned the corner with his head down. As soon as he took that step, his keen senses, honed through years of sword practice, alerted him.

He heard hurried footsteps behind him, and as soon as he turned around, he was bumped into by a petite figure—he recognized who it was, otherwise he would have dodged it long ago.

That was Nohara Kyoko, who looked flustered and walked in a hurry. She didn't know why, but she was walking in a particularly fast pace and didn't look where she was going. As a result, she bumped into Uesugi Kiyoshi in front of her when she turned the corner.

Kyoko Nohara gasped in surprise, about to fall, the bento box she was holding wrapped in a cute pink cloth about to tip over. Kiyoshi Uesugi sighed helplessly, stretched out his arm and pulled Kyoko into his embrace, then used the sword pouch in his other hand to lift it up. As if it had eyes, the knot on the bento box was caught by the wooden sword wrapped in the pouch, preventing it from shattering into pieces.

He was skilled, and his movements were fluid and graceful. By the time Nohara Kyoko reacted, Uesugi Kiyoshi had already helped her steady herself and handed her the lunchbox.

"Good morning, Nohara-kun."

"Class hasn't started yet, you don't need to be in such a hurry."

Uesugi Kiyoyuki smiled gently and greeted Nohara Kyoko in a calm and unhurried manner.

He still had a certain fondness for this seemingly fragile, legally-born loli, just like a little white rabbit. It wasn't lust at first sight; last night, he had reviewed the information about Nohara Kyoko provided by Kudo Yuichi several times and felt that it was a miracle in a sense that this little white rabbit could grow into such a kind and gentle person in that kind of environment.

If it were someone else, they might have given up on themselves long ago and completely fallen into depravity and let themselves go—isn't that how those delinquent girls with a long history of prostitution and drug use came to be?

Some may be driven to suicide by the oppressive reality, giving up their lives. This is not an exaggeration. The suicide rate in Japan is well-known, so I won't go into details. Those who know, know.

Since she has grown up so tenaciously and healthily, it is my duty to lend a helping hand. He still doesn't know how to retrieve Yingcao's demon soul! He can't just ignore it!

Just as he was smilingly sizing up Nohara Kyoko, a look of surprise suddenly flashed in his eyes, and then his face darkened.

Do not know why

In his "insightful" vision.

A faint, yet undeniably real, mirage aura enveloped Kyoko Nohara's body!

Chapter 19 Rooftop

"Mirage" was simply a name that Uesugi Kiyoshi gave himself, based on the Mirage Tower.

To be honest, that strange black mist would be more accurately described as "ghostly mist".

Because Uesugi Kiyoshi had never seen mirages on a living person, nor on a dead person, he could not make an accurate judgment.

Whenever a mirage appears, it will inevitably be associated with the Ghost Realm.

Uesugi Kiyoshi squinted and scanned the surroundings, a sense of doubt creeping into his mind—this wasn't a ghost realm.

Why did Nohara Kyoko become covered in mirage energy after only one night apart?

Could it be the work of a demon? That's possible.

Yes, keep this in mind!

Before he could even ask, Nohara Kyoko snapped out of her daze. She realized that the person she had bumped into was Uesugi Kiyoshi again. Her initial fear subsided considerably, and looking at his handsome face with a gentle, spring-like smile, she even forgot some of the panic she had felt after the terrifying events of the previous night.

Kyoko Nohara looked around. It was already quite late, and there weren't many students on the road, so not many people were paying attention to this place.

Isn't now the perfect time to hand the bento to Uesugi-kun?!

When I get to school, there will definitely be a lot of people watching. It won't work during breaks either. If I delay any longer, it will be noon, and all my hard work will be for nothing.

Be strong, Anzu, this is a fateful encounter!

Kyoko Nohara, emboldened by some unknown source, cast aside all irrelevant thoughts, took a small step back, and bowed deeply.

"Uesugi-kun, I'm sorry, I... I wasn't watching where I was going!"

"And...and more!"

"This is a thank-you gift for Uesugi-kun saving me!"

Kyoko Nohara, with her head down, held up a cute bento box wrapped in a pink tablecloth and presented it to Kiyoshi Uesugi.

Uesugi Kiyoshi was both amused and exasperated. "Girl, do you know you might be possessed by an evil spirit? Is this the time to give her a thank-you gift?"

You delicate little rabbit could be devoured by those evil spirits in one bite, leaving not even bones behind.

However, after thinking about it carefully, he realized that this wasn't a place where he could casually ask such questions. He frowned and pondered for a few seconds, neither accepting the lunchbox nor refusing it.

"I didn't save you for a thank-you gift, Nohara-kun. I hope you don't misunderstand."

Kyoko Nohara hurriedly raised her eyes and shook her head helplessly.

"No! That's not what I meant. I just wanted to thank Uesugi-kun!"

"me."

"I don't have any money to buy a decent gift, and I don't even know what Uesugi-kun likes."

"We don't have any fancy ingredients at home, and the bento boxes aren't very expensive, but I really put a lot of effort into making them."

Nohara Kyoko's voice gradually lowered, and she became less and less confident as she spoke. It was Uesugi Kiyoshi who saved her from those delinquents, and she was only repaying him with such a cheap bento box?

That's rather outrageous.

Uesugi Kiyoshi certainly didn't look down on Nohara Kyoko. On the contrary, he quite appreciated it. He always followed the principle of "you reap what you sow" in his dealings with others. He helped Nohara Kyoko and received a gift in return. Even if it wasn't anything valuable, the sentiment was there, and he was very satisfied.

A person who lacks gratitude is not worthy of receiving help.

That can easily lead to resentment and the creation of an ungrateful child.

Uesugi Kiyoshi tilted his head and thought for a moment before asking, "So, where's your bento, Nohara-kun?"

Kyoko Nohara seemed surprised that Kiyoshi Uesugi would ask this question, and was somewhat speechless. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

"I don't usually bring my own lunch; I can just buy a bread roll at the cafeteria. Please don't worry about me, Uesugi-kun."

Uesugi Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow, his smile softening even more.

"That won't do, Nohara-kun. A gentleman doesn't take what others cherish."

"How about this, we'll have lunch together? That'll be your way of thanking me, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Kyoko Nohara looked up in astonishment, as if she had been hit by a lottery.

"Is it alright? Won't this cause trouble for Uesugi-kun?!"

Uesugi Kiyoshi noticed that someone seemed to have noticed them, but he didn't want to say anything more. He had a basic understanding of Nohara Kyoko's personality, and he figured that if he was assertive, she wouldn't refuse such a reasonable request.

Therefore, he made the decision immediately in an unquestionable tone.

"It's settled then. I'll wait for you on the rooftop during my lunch break—it's less crowded there, and I have the key. That's it."

After saying that, he smiled at Nohara Kyoko, ignored her reaction, and walked towards the school on his own.

He wanted to take advantage of the time he was alone with Nohara Kyoko to ask her some questions. Putting everything else aside, he had to find out the source of the mirage.

That stuff is incredibly beneficial for him right now. Whether it's unlocking shikigami, unlocking Hyakumonogatari, or further improving his physical abilities, mirage energy is a valuable commodity.

That was the foundation upon which he became stronger.

Kyoko Nohara held her lunchbox, her expression somewhat conflicted, but in the end she couldn't resist the tempting offer of "having lunch with Uesugi-kun." Her face flushed, she silently followed behind Uesugi Kiyoshi.

The morning passed quickly. At noon, Uesugi Kiyoshi declined Kudo Yuichi's invitation to have lunch together, and then, amidst his friend's ambiguous gaze, headed towards the rooftop.

The rooftop of Haicheng High School is enclosed, as is the case with most high schools in Japan, because it's dangerous there. If someone falls or commits suicide, it would cause a lot of trouble for the school. But Uesugi Kiyoshi has a key, and he occasionally comes to the rooftop to practice swordsmanship during his lunch break. It's quiet, with few people, and the environment is quite nice.

So he asked the teacher for the key to the rooftop—he was the principal's darling, and Japan is a country that admires the strong, so top students like him actually had quite a few privileges at school.

When he arrived at the rooftop entrance, Nohara Kyoko was already there, carrying a bento box and a small convenience bag containing two boxes of juice from a vending machine and two pieces of bread—presumably prepared for Uesugi Kiyoshi in case he didn't have enough to eat.

These were all cheap items, but they had cost Kyoko Nohara all her money—she didn't even have a single yen left, and she was afraid she would go hungry at school at noon. Her uncle had already stopped giving her allowance, and she couldn't bring her own lunch to school every day. Her previous lunches were just cheap bread from the convenience store.

Despite being penniless, Kyoko Nohara felt it was all worthwhile.

There's no such thing as receiving favors for nothing in this world. Uesugi Kiyoshi might not care, but she couldn't.

Uesugi Kiyoyuki smiled gently at Nohara Kyoko without saying a word, and simply took out his key to open the rooftop door.

Chapter 20 Confession

The weather has been a bit bad these past few days. The weather forecast says there will be heavy rain, but we don't know when it will come.

The teaching building of Haicheng Middle School is located on a high elevation. From the rooftop, you can see a distant view of half of the port area.

There's an unsettling feeling that something storm is brewing in this city.

Tokyo Tower stands tall amidst the dark clouds, like a staircase connecting two worlds.

The sunlight was slightly cool, and the sea breeze was crisp, as if the reluctant winter was releasing its last bit of chill in early spring.

The rooftop wasn't too dirty or messy; it was clear that someone cleaned it regularly. Near the stairwell, there was a row of old, discarded tables and chairs where Uesugi Kiyoshi would occasionally take a nap.

He led Nohara Kyoko to sit down on a fairly clean chair. Nohara Kyoko lowered her head, seemingly a little shy, but her hands didn't stop moving. She immediately spread out the tablecloth, took out the bento box, arranged the chopsticks, and finally put a box of juice with a straw in front of Uesugi Kiyoshi—judging from her expectant eyes, she was practically ready to feed him herself.

Uesugi Kiyoshi originally intended to try and get some information out of Nohara Kyoko to find out what was going on with the mirage on her body, but since he was already there, there was no rush. This was Nohara Kyoko's kind gesture, so he didn't stand on ceremony.

There was only one pair of chopsticks. Judging from the color scheme, they should be Nohara Kyoko's chopsticks. Since they were not very convenient for him to use, he simply reached out and picked up a croquette, put it in his mouth, and chewed it a few times.

Gradually, his eyes began to shine.

Japanese bento boxes mostly consist of cold dishes, prioritizing convenience and speed over taste. Common items include octopus sausage, croquettes, fried chicken nuggets, and hamburger patties.

Uesugi Kiyoshi didn't have high expectations for the taste—he had eaten many cheap supermarket bento boxes and knew what they tasted like. In his mind, no matter how fancy the dishes were, they would only taste the same.

Now he realizes that he seems to have made a mistake.

The name "croquette" comes from the French word "croquette," a transliteration of a Japanese word. After being modified by the Japanese, it became a fried food with mashed potatoes, onions, and minced meat as its main ingredients.

It's less about the taste and more about the texture of being fried.

But Nohara Kyoko's croquettes were different. Although they were cold, they were filled with a unique sweet aroma that even suppressed the greasiness, making Uesugi Kiyoshi very tempted.