Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

The afternoon activity was still a form of torture called "pressure."

As for the task of making skin-nourishing mud for Kawabe Maya, it was handed over to the alchemist Tomie.

(A boring job.)

The alchemist Tomie's response was dismissive and cold.

For her, this kind of ointment for repairing the skin of ordinary people was a complete waste of her research time.

(Though it's boring, it's valuable. You're planning to continue researching alchemy, aren't you?)

(Homunculus and the Philosopher's Stone; since black magic and alchemy exist in this world, the Paracelsian alchemy system must have these two achievements.)

Although the Mud of Skin Nourishing is useless to the alchemist Tomie.

However, during her thirty years of alchemy research, alchemist Tomie discovered the allure of alchemy and also confirmed its mystery and greatness.

If we can recreate the Miniature Man in a Bottle and the Philosopher's Stone, which possess infinite knowledge and infinite energy, what are the other imposters?

(So, do you have the funds to continue your research?)

(.......)

The alchemist Tomie was speechless.

funds?

She also received several hundred thousand yen from the funds that the vampire Tomie plundered from the brewery.

However, this amount of money is simply not enough to study alchemy.

(I think Ms. Kawabe wouldn't be stingy if she wanted to become a normal person again.)

Amamiya Rin's words enlightened the alchemist Tomie.

She never thought about earning money through her labor.

However, she is now restricted by Amamiya Rin and can no longer work as a gold digger.

The formula for the skin-nourishing mud provided her with a legitimate way to make money.

Not only can it be sold to Kawabe Maya, but it can also be patented, maximizing the profits from this formula through its own charm!

Having figured this out, the alchemist Tomie's mood immediately improved, and she readily agreed to Amamiya Rin's suggestion.

When they came out of Sports Club, it was already late. The streetlights on both sides of the street lit up one after another, and the neon lights and shadows alternated between light and dark. The evening breeze blew on Amamiya Rin and Tomie, bringing a chill that made them shiver.

Tomie carried the immobile Amamiya Rin to the back seat of the jeep, then went around to the driver's seat and started the car.

The engine roared, the car merged into the traffic, and headed towards Shimokitazawa along the city's main road.

Shortly afterward, the two emerged from the parking lot on the outskirts of Shimokitazawa.

Amamiya Rin only carried a cane and did not carry a sword pouch.

Tomie was carrying a violin case.

The two found a nearby restaurant and ordered a generously portioned tonkatsu set meal and eel rice.

Just as the food was served, Amamiya Rin's phone vibrated.

He put down his chopsticks, took out his phone, and saw that it was an email from Yuka Mamiya.

The content contains information related to the Slit-Mouthed Woman.

He opened the email and quickly scanned it.

Most of the content was indeed similar to what he already knew, and some minor details were meaningless.

However, there is valuable information inside.

[...Several eyewitnesses claim that the Slit-Mouthed Woman moves incredibly fast, like a gust of wind, disappearing in the blink of an eye. In one unpublished interview, a man who claimed to have been chased at night stated that the Slit-Mouthed Woman runs faster than a car through the streets. There are also legends that the Slit-Mouthed Woman can run 100 meters in just three seconds, and then 200 meters in another three seconds, as well as stories of instantaneous teleportation...]

The slowest speed is 100 meters in three seconds.

As Amamiya Rin pondered the number, the ghostly afterimage of the Slit-Mouthed Woman from the battle the night before last resurfaced in his mind.

At the time, he felt that it was inhumanly fast. Even though he had pushed his nerve reaction speed to the limit of the human body, he was still no match for him and could only win through skill.

It now appears that the Slit-Mouthed Woman is faster than he imagined!

No wonder Tomie's head was cut off in one fell swoop back then.

Amamiya Rin frowned.

With such speed, if we hadn't seized the opening back then, I'm afraid I would have died again.

However... he can fight.

Amamiya Rin glanced at Tomie, then at the violin case.

With Tomie's modified physique and the ability to unleash her full power, coupled with her immortality, she wouldn't be easily defeated. I could then restrain her from behind, and the chances of defeating the Slit-Mouthed Woman were not low.

Leave it all to me!

Sensing Amamiya Rin's thoughts, Tomie looked up, revealing a hearty smile, while still chewing on a piece of fried pork cutlet.

"When the time comes, I'll just punch that guy away!"

After eating three large bowls of pork cutlet rice, Tomie and Amamiya Rin finally left the diner.

"Where to now?"

Tomie carried the violin case, her other hand casually tucked into her jacket pocket.

"Let's take a stroll around the elementary school area."

Amamiya Rin leaned on his cane, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

"The information says that the Slit-Mouthed Woman often appears from dusk to night, and especially likes to be active around elementary schools. The elementary school girls I met last time also claimed that they met the Slit-Mouthed Woman outside the school. It just so happens that there is only one elementary school in this area."

This morning, before leaving the internet cafe, Amamiya Rin had searched the area around Shimokitazawa, and he naturally didn't overlook the location of the elementary school where the Slit-Mouthed Woman might appear.

After saying that, Amamiya Rin, leaning on her cane, walked towards the direction of the elementary school she remembered.

Tomie carried the violin case and followed beside him, her steps light and powerful.

After walking for a while, Amamiya Rin suddenly stopped, stretched out her hand to the side, and blocked Tomie's path.

"Um?"

Tomie raised an eyebrow.

"Front."

Yu Gonglin lowered his voice and pointed to the street corner with the tip of his cane.

Two men were standing under a streetlamp talking. One was wearing a casual suit and was tall and thin, while the other was muscular and wore a jacket.

Junya Kazemi and Souichirou Kogure, dressed in casual clothes, appeared in Rin Amamiya's sight.

"What are they doing here?"

Tomie recognized her too.

"They're probably here to investigate as well."

Amamiya Rin pulled Tomie back into the shadows by the roadside.

"It's troublesome to meet now; explaining would take forever."

He couldn't explain why he was with Tomie... Well, he could explain, but it would be too troublesome, and if anything happened later, it would be even more difficult to explain.

Feng Hai seemed to be explaining something to Xiao Mu, who nodded occasionally, but neither of them looked in their direction.

Amamiya Rin quickly scanned her surroundings, her gaze landing on a toy store that was still open next door.

The shop window is filled with various cartoon masks and toys.

On a whim, Amamiya Rin pulled Tomie along and pushed open the door to the store.

There weren't many customers in the shop. The owner, a middle-aged man, was watching a small TV with a bored expression.

Amamiya Rin didn't pick and choose much; she went straight to the mask shelf and took two ordinary large masks.

After paying, Amamiya Rin handed one of the pendants to Tomie and put on the other one herself.

Although it's a large size, the mask is still a bit tight for adults.

"What are you talking about? That's so childish."

Tomie pinched the edge of the mask with disdain, but still put it on her face.

"Let's just make do with this."

As Amamiya Rin spoke, she glanced into the distance again.

Feng Hai and Xiao Mu remained in the same spot, looking around, but did not turn back to look at them.

He thought for a moment, then took off his dark coat and gestured to Tomie, "Change your coat too."

Tomie was wearing a slightly oversized black jacket. She took it off deftly, handed it to Amamiya Rin, and then took the jacket from him and put it on.

Amamiya Rin put on her jacket, and with that change and the mask covering her face, she shouldn't be recognized unless you looked closely.

Under the streetlights at the street corner, Xiaomu stretched her stiff shoulders and glanced at her watch.

"Senior Feng Hai, shall we continue?"

It's almost eight o'clock, and it's completely dark.

They've been wandering around Shimokitazawa, especially near the elementary school, for almost four hours, and haven't seen a single suspicious passerby, let alone the Slit-Mouthed Woman.

"It's so late... I don't think that guy's going to show up today. We've been busy all day, how about we go find an izakaya nearby to grab a bite? I know a really good yakitori place."

Kogure couldn't help but say.

Continuing to patrol is a waste of time.

Moreover, in the end, the Slit-Mouthed Woman really exists... Is the Slit-Mouthed Woman really on this street?

They've been patrolling for two days now, but haven't found any trace of the Slit-Mouthed Woman. Could it be that she's already moved to another neighborhood?

"Let's patrol two more laps, Kogure. The records show that her activity time is unpredictable. Although she is often seen near the elementary school in the afternoon to evening, there are also sightings late at night. Since we're here, let's keep going."

Feng Haichun also shook his head, not accepting the suggestion.

Xiaomu's shoulders slumped slightly, and just as she was about to say something, her gaze inadvertently swept across the pedestrian crossing on the other side of the road.

Two figures were walking past from that direction.

One of them was using a cane... Although he was using a cane, he was walking very fast. Was the cane really useful? It makes one wonder.

As for the girl next to her, carrying a rather large violin case, is she one of the popular band girls these days?

What made Xiaomu's eyes twitch was that both of them were wearing those cartoon plastic masks that children play with!

Although he seems like a suspicious person, this suspicion is so great that one doesn't feel inclined to investigate further.

"Senior Feng Hai, look over there..."

Xiao Mu nudged Feng Hai lightly with her elbow, gestured towards the opposite side with her lips, and said in a tone full of helplessness.

"What is this all about? A grown-up wearing such a childish toy mask."

Feng Hai followed his gaze and also saw the peculiar pair.

From a distance, and with the lights dim, it was impossible to see their faces clearly, but those two exaggerated cartoon faces were indeed particularly eye-catching in the night.

"Is it cosplay? Or some kind of performance art?"

Feng Hai speculated in a low voice, his lips twitching slightly.

The male cosplay was clear, but the female one... she seemed to be playing with something very novel.

However, Feng Hai didn't pay much attention to it.

There are plenty of people in Tokyo dressed in strange costumes, and while it's rare to see someone wearing a child's mask, it's not unusual.

He glanced at them a couple more times, making sure the two were just walking normally and not doing anything unusual, then looked away.

"Never mind them, focus on the mission."

He patted Kogure on the back, signaling them to continue.

Xiao Mu glanced at the two masked men opposite her again, muttered "weirdo" under her breath, and immediately followed Feng Hai.

Amamiya Rin and Tomie's patrol routes intersected with Kaze's, and a dozen minutes later, they arrived at the main entrance of the elementary school.

The black iron gate was tightly closed, and the campus inside was immersed in the deep darkness of night. Only the lonely security booth at the gate and a few scattered windows of the teaching building in the distance were still lit. The dim light made the entire campus look empty and quiet, even desolate.

"What time is it? Elementary school let out a long time ago, there's not a soul in sight."

Tomie switched the violin case to her other hand, her voice sounding somewhat muffled beneath the mask. She impatiently rubbed the ground with the tip of her shoe.

"Feng Hai and the others aren't wasting their time here. I think we've made a wasted trip today. The Slit-Mouthed Woman isn't a working professional; why would she come out to scare people every day at the same time?"

As she spoke, she touched her belly.

"I think I've almost digested the pork chop rice I just ate..."

As muscle density increases dramatically, Tomie's appetite and digestive capacity also multiply.

Amamiya Rin didn't respond to her question about appetite; instead, her gaze carefully swept over the school walls and the surrounding quiet streets.

"Let's patrol around the elementary school. Curses attract curses, and there are two factors here that attract the Slit-Mouthed Woman: us and the elementary school. The chances of her appearing aren't too low."

After a moment's thought, Amamiya Rin made arrangements.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the path beside them.

Turning my head, I saw a boy who looked about 15 years old running over. He was wearing glasses, had a handsome face, and looked very anxious.

As he ran closer, the boy's gaze lingered between the closed gates of the elementary school and Amamiya Rin and the others. After a moment's hesitation, he finally walked towards them.

Excuse me.

The boy took a breath, his tone urgent yet polite.

"Excuse me, have you seen a sixth-grade girl? She's about this tall, with pigtails and bangs. She's my younger sister, a sixth-grade student at this elementary school. She should be home by now, but she hasn't come back today."

He gestured with his hands to indicate his height, and while speaking, he looked towards the school building next door.

Amamiya Rin shook his head.

"We didn't see it; we just got here too."

He paused, then added.

"Are you sure she didn't go somewhere else with her classmates?"

"No way!" The boy shook his head vigorously, his brows furrowed. "Lu Cai is a very good girl. If she wants to go out with her classmates, she will definitely come back and tell her mother. And... it's not just Lu Cai, there are also several of Lu Cai's classmates who haven't come home for so long."

"More than one? Are they all from this school?"

Amamiya Rin pressed for an answer.

The boy nodded immediately.

Amamiya Rin's heart sank.

A primary school girl went missing at dusk. This location... is perfect for the Slit-Mouthed Woman's hunting range.

but……

"That's not right."

Amamiya Rin muttered to herself.

The school is shrouded in the legend of the Slit-Mouthed Woman, including her weaknesses, so it's unlikely that so many elementary school students would fall for her in just one night.

"Could it be...?"

Amamiya Rin thought of a possibility.

A recurring theme in horror movies.

"No way?"

"Big brother, do you know where my sister is?"

Seeing the change in Yu Gonglin's expression, the boy quickly asked.

"There's a 50% chance..."

Amamiya Rin turned around and looked at the teaching building.

"You can find them at school."