Tokyo: I can enlighten all obsessions

three days later.

Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.

With a soft click as the electronic lock disengaged, Toru Kamiki pushed open the heavy soundproof door and stepped out of the so-called "rationality review room."

The bright sunlight from outside instantly rushed towards us.

For him, who had spent so long in that closed and oppressive interrogation room, the light seemed far too harsh.

Kamiki Tetsu smoothed his slightly messy bangs and stepped into the bustling crowd.

The memory of that night is gradually surfacing in my mind.

Just three days ago.

When the three of them rushed out of the management office on the first floor in a disheveled state, their feet stepped back onto the asphalt road that belonged to reality.

The "domain" that had completely isolated the entire apartment complex vanished in that instant.

The oppressive black fog that enveloped the sky and the world vanished instantly, leaving only a dilapidated old apartment building standing quietly in the rainy night.

It was as if nothing unusual had ever happened there.

However, the cost was devastating.

The group of Port Area elites who entered with Ren Saionji were all wiped out.

Based on the fragmented data extracted from the recovered tactical terminals, the internal spatial structure of that compound was far worse than imagined.

The moment they entered the area, the professionally trained investigators were forcibly separated into different floors.

What awaits them is not only the vengeful spirits of the five senses, such as "mouth" or "nose," but also many more beings lurking in the shadows.

What's most chilling is the final record of some of them.

Amidst the violent shaking of the screen, the terminal captured a figure dressed in an old-fashioned, plain-colored kimono.

That guy wearing the Noh mask.

That is, "landlord".

It roams between the floors, hunting down the isolated elites one by one.

Even after paying such a heavy price, the countermeasures office still hasn't figured out what exactly happened inside that building.

Even with the most elite analytical team, the true nature of the spiritual barrier behind that "domain," and why it suddenly appeared in the real world...

All the report boxes were still filled with the unsettling word "Unknown".

The entity known as "the landlord," after devouring more than a dozen lives, once again disappeared into the cracks of the rules.

As for the so-called "rational review" just now, it was nothing more than a tedious and boring routine.

In the face of a bunch of cold instruments monitoring and repeated psychological profiling, confirming that you have not been "mentally corrupted" is not a difficult thing.

The result went fairly smoothly.

Whether it was him, or Kujou Hina and Saionji Ren, they all eventually received a pass stating that "although their mental state was exhausted due to excessive fright, it was determined to be uncontaminated," and passed the inspection without incident.

Just as Kamiki Tetsu was gazing at the sunlight, lost in thought.

A figure deliberately lowered its footsteps, like a small predator, and stealthily crept into his blind spot.

Followed by.

The hands slammed onto his shoulders, then the girl leaned close to his ear and shouted:

"Wow--!!"

Kamiki Toru rolled his eyes in exasperation and turned to look at the girl behind him with a hint of annoyance:

"Aren't you bored?"

Standing there was none other than Kujo Hisana.

Surprisingly, she seemed to be in a very good mood at the moment, even "refreshed".

This struck Kamiki Tetsu as very unusual.

After all, the so-called "rational censorship" is never a pleasant experience.

That arrogant attitude—the kind that seems to want to slice your brain open for examination, dig up all your personal privacy, and treat people like dirt—usually only makes people furious.

But on Kujou Hisana's face, there was absolutely no trace of the anger that she had just suffered from that treatment.

"What's with that expression? Are you wondering why I didn't explode on the spot?"

Kujo Hisana had her hands behind her back, leaned slightly forward, and had a sly look on her face.

"Actually, it's not a big deal. One of the examiners in charge of this review happens to be an old acquaintance of the Kujo family."

As she said this, she held up a finger and gently waved it in front of Toru Kamiki.

"Thanks to that uncle, I was exempted from all those necessary procedures that cause physical discomfort."

Looking at her smug expression, Kamiki Tetsu sighed:

"What a wicked society based on personal connections."

Recalling the cramped room where I was repeatedly scanned like a prisoner by those cold, impersonal machines, and forced to answer those probing personal questions...

Then look at this guy in front of me, his face is so relaxed, as if he's just finished an afternoon tea.

The more Kamiki Tetsu thought about it, the more unbalanced he felt.

He raised his hand and pointed directly at the high-end shopping mall in the distance, which looked like it cost a fortune, and said viciously:

"In that case, Miss Kujo will cover all the costs for today's ingredients!"

Kujo Hisana didn't seem to be listening to what he was saying at all.

She nodded with a smile, completely absorbed in her own world, muttering to herself:

"...Successfully surviving a calamity of the level of a calamity brings us one step closer to restoring the family's glory! Yay..."

While indulging in her own self-admiration, she casually replied:

"Okay, Kamiki-kun, no problem."

Two seconds later.

The girl's nodding motion suddenly stopped.

"...Huh?!"

She turned her head abruptly, her voice instantly rising eight octaves:

"I'll take responsibility?!"

Kamiki Tetsu nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"After all, it's to celebrate the Kujo family getting one step closer to restoring its glory, and of course, to celebrate our miraculous survival."

After saying that, he didn't give the girl a chance to refute him at all, and strode towards the commercial street.

As he walked, he solemnly counted on his fingers, calculating in a serious tone:

"Since it's Miss Kujo's treat, we absolutely can't hold back today; we have to fleece you handsomely."

"First, get the special beef rice bowl set from that chain store, and remember to add a soft-boiled egg... Then, get the latest seasonal pudding from the convenience store... Oh, and finally, go to the supermarket's deli section and buy two skewers of freshly grilled chicken with sauce."

Hearing about the "deluxe menu" that probably added up to no more than two thousand yen, Kujo Hisana was stunned for a moment.

This guy kept saying he was going to rip people off, but all he ended up buying were cheap, everyday food items from convenience stores and supermarket discount sections.

Looking at Kamiki Tetsu's straight back, she quickly understood his meaning and did not expose his awkward tenderness.

"We also need to include my sister's share."

Kujo Hisana quickly followed, waving her hand with a smug look on her face:

"Since we're celebrating, this isn't enough. Let's go buy some marbled beef and Hokkaido snow crab!"

She patted her chest and said confidently:

"Tonight, I'll personally cook for you all and let you taste my culinary skills!"

Upon hearing these bold words, Kamiki Tetsu stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, looked at the arrogant and ignorant Kujou Hisana, and changed his words without any politeness:

"Since Miss has put it that way, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Then, a string of top-tier ingredients whose very names would make your wallet tremble, came out of his mouth like a machine gun:

"A5 grade Matsusaka beef, the kind with a pedigree certificate."

"For the tuna from Oma, only the belly meat is needed."

"Also, the dessert must be a Shizuoka crown-patterned melon."

After reciting the long list of menu items, he paused deliberately, his tone full of provocation:

"How about that? This level of difficulty should be nothing to the Kujo family, right?"

Faced with Kamiki Tetsu's outrageous demands, Kujo Hisana didn't even blink.

The next second, the girl quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket, held it to her ear, and spoke loudly and seriously into the screen that wasn't even lit:

"Moshi moshi? Ah... the signal seems to have suddenly become very weak... Hello? What did you say? I can't hear you at all..."

With this insincere, monotone reading performance, she strode off quickly toward the mall's entrance, leaving only a hurried silhouette.

Looking at the girl's obviously flustered back, Toru Kamiki couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Just then.

His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket, interrupting his thoughts.

He took out his phone and turned on the screen.

In the chat window labeled "Sister," a new message has just popped up.

The text is short, but you can almost feel the oppressive atmosphere on the other side of the screen:

It's been three days, aren't you going back to the shrine yet?

Kamiki Tetsu's fingers flew across the screen as he replied:

[I'm buying groceries now, I'll be right back.]

After seeing that the message had been read, he turned off the screen and put his phone back in his pocket.

He started walking and chased after the figure that had already slipped into the automatic sensor door.

As he walked, Kamiki Tetsu's fingers gently rubbed the hard objects in his pocket through the fabric once more.

There are too many people and too much attention here right now, so it's not a good time to investigate.

Let's wait until we get back to the shrine, to that absolutely safe area, before we properly take stock of this spoils.

Thinking of this, a strong sense of anticipation welled up in Kamiki Tetsu's heart.

Eyes, ears, mouth, nose.

If all these hard-won "materials" are combined, what kind of "set" effect will be created?