Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

Uesugi Kiyoshi's eyebrows furrowed in surprise, then he fell silent.

Whether in past or present lives, or as the lord of all ghosts, they are all people who have experienced life and death.

He's become somewhat accustomed to the passing of people he knows.

He has lost too many people.

That "Yamato" is the best swordsman among the field staff of the Collectors Association. If given the right opportunity, he might be able to step into the realm of the extraordinary. Uesugi Kiyoshi likes his serious attitude when learning swordsmanship, so he often gives him pointers and even teaches him some of the external sword techniques of the Shinkage-ryu without reservation.

Although Yamato didn't say it, he usually treated Uesugi Kiyoshi with the respect due to a teacher. However, Uesugi Kiyoshi didn't consider him a disciple. He didn't want to take on another disciple for the time being; one was already troublesome enough.

The relationship wasn't very deep, and the feelings weren't particularly intense; you could say we were just acquaintances.

Uesugi Kiyoshi still felt a pang of sadness, perhaps due to his personality.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa stood up, ready to lash out—but it wasn't his fault; after all, Ono's actions had broken the rules, and he deserved to be punished.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be like a high-level council where anyone could come in and interrupt at any time, finding a reason to do so?

"We'll talk about getting angry later. If you want to punish him, wait until he finishes speaking."

Uesugi Kiyoshi glanced at Akutagawa Ryunosuke, his voice icy.

Ono saw his chance and knelt down in a deep bow.

"Lord Onikiri, please! Avenge Yamato!"

"You once gave him a sword, which is a Horcrux that only investigators are qualified to use. He treasured it."

"He could have retreated during the attack, but his sword was taken from him. In a fit of rage, he recklessly tried to grab the sword back, only to be struck by the attacker. He didn't even manage to retrieve his body."

"Lord Onikiri, I know I shouldn't have overstepped my bounds, but... Yamato... couldn't have died in vain!"

A grown man, kneeling on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Uesugi Kiyoshi exhaled, turned to look at Akutagawa Ryunosuke, and the curve of his lips was like a cold blade.

"Akutagawa, don't you think it's ridiculous that someone would lose their life for a sword?"

"I can get as many of those standard-issue swords as I want."

Upon hearing this, Ono's mouth dropped open, his expression indignant. He wanted to say something, but Uesugi Kiyoshi glared at him fiercely and shouted, "I didn't ask you!"

Then, he turned and continued to stare at Ryunosuke Akutagawa's haggard face, asking the question word by word.

"Akutagawa, what do you think?"

Ryunosuke Akutagawa could sense Kiyoshi Uesugi's anger, as if a storm was brewing.

He didn't quite understand where the anger came from, but after thinking about it carefully, he could understand it a little.

He would certainly be saddened by the death of his subordinate, but this sadness would not linger in Akutagawa Ryunosuke's heart for long.

A kind heart is not fit to command an army; he is a leader, and he will guide the Collectors Association forward.

Some things that can be given up should be given up.

If we can reach a settlement with the Phoenix Inu family, then these lives will have been lost in vain.

This is commonplace in Japan; the lives of insignificant people are not that important.

Just like the classic trolley problem, can you say that Ryunosuke Akutagawa was a cold-blooded, heartless, and unemotional person?

He was also doing this for the Collectors Association. If the association could develop and improve, it would surely be able to save more people suffering from ghostly or divine calamities.

But looking at Uesugi Kiyoshi's expressionless face, he couldn't utter a single profound statement.

Because he suddenly realized that those words were probably nonsense to the boy in front of him.

He might just be that kind of person.

He fought against the demons and gods alone for Nohara Kyoko, whom he had only met a few times; he overturned the entire Dongwen Association for his master's instructions; and he recklessly stormed into the Outer God's Dream for Ueno Mitsuishi, whom he had only known for a short time, to fight to the death.

Now, he could very well turn Kyoto upside down because of a wrongful death.

For some reason, Ryunosuke Akutagawa felt a pang of envy.

He wanted to act so recklessly, but he couldn't.

He carried a heavy burden on his back, and had to be careful with every move he made.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa took a deep breath, the cool air circulating in his lungs, which cleared his mind somewhat.

"sorry."

He simply uttered those three words in a low voice.

Even he himself didn't know why he had to apologize. When the Collectors Association goes on missions, deaths are inevitable; it's not the first time.

Looking at Akutagawa Ryunosuke's somewhat flustered and dejected expression, Uesugi Kiyoshi suddenly felt a little disheartened.

He sighed and shook his head.

“Akutagawa, your subordinates work for you to earn money, but no matter how much you pay them, you can’t expect them to risk their lives for you.”

"They worked for you, and if they die, you are responsible."

Ryunosuke Akutagawa looked up at Kiyoshi Uesugi blankly, and unconsciously said, "I'll give them the compensation."

This answer was not what Uesugi Kiyoshi expected.

"Even if the money is in place, will the person survive?"

"Make a symbolic gesture, cry a couple of times, give some money, and that's it."

"Have you considered the possibility of people's hearts and minds drifting apart if this continues?"

“This is what we do. People dying is normal. If they die while containing ghosts and spirits or eliminating supernatural disasters, then I have nothing to say. Following your procedure is perfectly reasonable.”

"But now that someone has come knocking on your door, resorting to underhanded tactics, severely injuring your comrades and killing your men, you're still thinking about negotiating and making peace?"

"."

"Kindness is often taken advantage of; if you kneel for too long, you'll never be able to stand up again."

Fortunately, I don't have the habit of kneeling.

Uesugi Kiyoshi stood up, glanced at Ono, and then looked at the sword in his hand.

"Is this the sword?"

he asked.

Ono nodded repeatedly, raising the sword high with both hands.

"Yamato snatched the sword back before he died and entrusted it to me."

Uesugi Kiyoshi took the broken sword and solemnly fastened it to his waist.

"To be honest, it's really stupid to die for a sword. Life and death are of paramount importance. Yamato will definitely become an excellent swordsman in the future. It's a pity that he died."

"However, it is precisely this obsession that has allowed him to make such rapid progress in swordsmanship."

"Further words are useless and will not help the matter."

"I'll take this sword. I'll avenge him. Don't worry."

After saying that, Uesugi Kiyoshi ignored Ono's ecstatic face, quietly turned around, reached out and took off the sword-shaped badge of Onikiri, the representative of the Collectors Association, from his chest, and threw it on the table.

"If you think this might affect the future of the Collectors Association, then I will stop acting in the name of a collector, and I will return this to you."

"You're afraid of them, but I'm not."

"Now, this is a personal grudge."

“I’ll find out who did this myself.”

"I found out, and I killed myself."

Chapter 297 Nothing Else Requested

Uesugi Kiyoshi was about to leave expressionlessly, but Akutagawa Ryunosuke couldn't sit still any longer.

He suddenly stood up, slammed his hand on the table, his expression somewhat annoyed, but the tone of his words was not harsh.

Don't say things like that!

"You're making it sound like I'm on the enemy's side. Do you think my injuries are any less serious?"

"Don't I want revenge? Sigh."

"Of the eighteen or nine out of ten things that don't go as planned, only two or three can be shared with others. If one could hold their head high and speak with pride, who would want to bow their head and be subservient!"

"What do you expect me to do now? Why should I play a power struggle with a conglomerate as large as Phoenix Institute?"

As if wanting to vent his pent-up frustrations, Ryunosuke Akutagawa poured out his grievances regardless of whether anyone else was present.

He's right.

Nobody wants to lower themselves; they're just people whose backs are bent by the weight of life.

Even as the young master of the Akutagawa family and the president of the Collectors Association, his life wasn't as easy as one might imagine. Compared to the average office worker, he wasn't much better off.

There will always be someone with higher position and more power than him.

Looking at that worried face, Uesugi Kiyoshi felt a little sorry for him.

Before he could speak, Ryunosuke Akutagawa suddenly slammed his fist on the table, his eyes widening as if he had made a difficult decision.

"Fine! I'll go crazy with you for once."

"You need to bring this with you!"

"I don't want to see you take it off again!"

After tossing the "Onikiri" badge back to Uesugi Kiyoshi, Akutagawa Ryunosuke resignedly slumped into a chair, his expression much more relaxed and relieved.

Uesugi Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow, took the badge, and without further ado, casually put it on, his smile softening slightly.

"Ha, I didn't expect you to be so easily persuaded. I didn't say I was going to quit, why are you so nervous?"

Seeing how easily Uesugi Kiyoshi spoke, Ryunosuke Akutagawa was furious.

"Stop talking nonsense, I wasn't persuaded or assimilated by your ideas."

"I've made a decision: rather than offending the Phoenix Institute family, I'd rather offend the Phoenix Institute than the invincible [Demon-Sealing Sword Soul] of our association."