Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

"This means I belong to you in life and in death! Please allow me to serve you tea and water, my lord, and do you the best I can!" Ito Reita crawled over on his knees, intending to hug Fujimaru Ritsuka's thigh and rub against her.

Fujimaru Ritsuka wasn't going to let him get away with it anymore, kicking him away: "Don't rub against me like that! Speaking of which, even though you're the sacrifice, the other six look pretty bad too. I'm wondering what the Seven Deadly Sins are up to, making such a big fuss."

Despite being kicked, Ito Reita wore a sycophantic expression, as if saying, "You hit me because you're whipping me." He continued, "Oh, my lord, you're so insightful! Those clowns can only rely on their mysterious act to keep up the act for a few more days. I'm entrusting my hundred-odd pounds of flesh to you now. Let's find a way to wipe these guys out as soon as possible."

This guy is hopeless.

Fujimaru Ritsuka thought that this guy should get himself dressed up and go play a minor role in a Taiga drama. He looked like a villain, and he was really suited to be a treacherous minister.

He ignored the guy who was just sycophantic and turned to call out to the door, "Officers, how long will it take for the Special Affairs Bureau to arrive?"

"...The Special Affairs Bureau has always been like this, always so arrogant. How could they possibly tell us when they'll be here?" the middle-aged police officer said with a self-deprecating laugh. "If Mr. Fujimaru has anything urgent to attend to, you can go ahead and do it. We'll contact you anytime."

Fujimaru Ritsuka readily agreed: "Then you should make a copy of the interrogation results and such. We'll have to give them an explanation later. We need to go ahead and contact the base."

"No problem." The two officers were overjoyed, inwardly praising Fujimaru Ritsuka. Following him really meant getting ahead; the police station wouldn't have to worry about being reprimanded too much this time.

In comparison, the Special Affairs Bureau really went too far. How could they try to put on airs in such a major case involving public safety?

The two policemen, who still possessed some sense of justice, shook their heads and sighed sadly.

While the Chiba Police Department and Fujimaru Ritsuka were both winning, the other side was playing a zero-sum game.

"Damn! This superhuman blood isn't so great after all..."

Contrary to his words, he frantically sucked on the head in his hand, as if trying to squeeze out the last drop of blood from the arteries and drink it.

"That's enough. We're not here for high-quality blood. Are you really fully read?"

Another man was sitting on several corpses, happily gnawing on "chicken feet," chewing the cartilage to pieces and even the marrow inside.

"Of course! Ah, I never imagined that after receiving Lord Jealousy's blessing, my abilities would improve to this extent. It's truly touching."

"It's good that I can read it. I can't wait to see how pathetic they are to be betrayed by the people they trusted. Hahahaha."

The two of them burst into laughter beside the somewhat desolate road.

169. Smash the cup as a signal, and take them all down (6K4)

At 12 noon, Yamamoto Maru hurriedly walked out of the police station to greet the special task force from the Tokyo Special Affairs Bureau headquarters.

He had received information from his superiors long before. The key figure in the task force that came to Chiba this time was codenamed [The Reader], who possessed the ability to read the superficial thoughts of others. Although the strength of his ability was only average and his combat power was not strong, he was still a rare superhuman in the Special Affairs Bureau who was involved in mind and memory.

In addition, there was a ranged turret-type magician specializing in offensive capabilities, and a full ten superhumans with melee specializations. And that was all the information he could obtain.

Although he had received the message and arrived at the police station on time, the convoy was still clearly late. He took a moment to light a cigarette and waited impatiently: "They still put on airs at a time like this~ I used to be used to it, but now it still feels extremely absurd. But theoretically speaking, the entire country's supernatural power is directly divided into two sides, one is the Special Affairs Bureau, and the other is the Kansai Spell Association. With such an outrageous thing happening, what is there to complain about?"

Recalling the daily complaints of his colleagues in Osaka and Kyoto, he felt a little relieved—the Special Affairs Bureau in Tokyo was relatively responsive, but the Cursed Association, whose main power was concentrated in Kyoto, was far more arrogant. They all talked about family background and bloodlines all the time; did they really think they were still living in the Heian period?

"Worrying about these things is pointless. We've survived the Heisei era of laissez-faire attitude; any further class stratification is just a matter for my kids." Yamamoto Maru flicked his cigarette butt with a self-deprecating laugh, full of helplessness. "If given a choice, who wouldn't want to become a superhuman?"

One by one, black sedans appeared in front of the police station. Yamamoto Maru straightened his clothes and went to greet them: "Excuse me, are you [Reader] from the Special Affairs Bureau, and [Flying Thunder Fire]?"

A man with cursed tattoos covering his face stepped out of the car and approached a woman with a cold expression, saying curtly, "It's us. Enough with the formalities. Headquarters is taking this matter very seriously. Let's go inside immediately."

"Hi!" Yamamoto Maru bowed deeply, then led the way into the police station, asking somewhat curiously, "Aren't the other squad members coming in?"

[Flying Thunderfire], the tattooed man, was extremely impatient: "Of course, they are guarding the vicinity of the police station to prevent enemies from coming from the surrounding area. As for [The Reader] and me, we are capable of protecting ourselves and do not need them."

Yamamoto Maru was slightly displeased. These words made it sound like our police station was useless. How could the enemy have gotten so close?

The reader gave him a cold look: "Officer Yamamoto, are you unhappy? The battle between superhumans is not what you think at all. I hope you will stop making such noises. It's annoying to watch."

"Yes!"

Yamamoto Maru broke out in a cold sweat, stopped his wild thoughts, and tried his best to keep his mind blank. Sure enough, the ability to read minds is truly terrifying.

However, behind him, two people were quietly conversing using a low-frequency radio wave that was inaudible to others.

[Sure! You can't read minds directly, you'd have to eat their brains, right?]

[It's nothing, just a basic guess, my friend. The important thing now is to find the bride as soon as possible.]

[Indeed, let's figure out how to get the bride there first, and then start the feast!]

The monsters in human skin quickly reached a consensus and then followed Yamamoto Maru forward expressionlessly.

"Gentlemen, this is the record of our interrogation, which happens to be the possible locations predicted recently. Our initial estimate is that the other side may launch an attack on Chiba Port, the city government, Narita Airport, the Keiyo Line, or the Western-style building where Chaldea is located."

The reader carefully examined the record and exclaimed, "Interesting! It seems you've done quite a bit of work. What's the deal with this Chaldean mansion? And who was the first person to discover this case?"

Yamamoto Maru was extremely embarrassed: "Actually, this time the victim named Ito Reita was very cooperative, helping us identify several targets. If the other side was planning a large-scale mass incident, they would definitely intercept other possible reinforcements. Chiba Port is for disrupting the seaport and blocking sea routes, Narita Airport is for air routes, and the Shinkansen and highways are for land transportation. In addition, the city government can effectively disrupt any command activities that occur locally. As for the Western-style mansion..."

He said with a hint of helplessness, "This was the suggestion of Fujimaru Ritsuka, the head of Chaldea. He believes that Ito Reita, who is under his protection, is the other side's strategic target."

"Chaldea... I know them, their combat strength is quite good. But, given that this kind of incident is involved, why would they hand over important witnesses and targets to a civilian organization?" The reader calmly put the document back on the table and loudly rebuked them.

"It is precisely because of Ito Reita's importance that the police station does not have enough combat power to guarantee his safety. Therefore, when Mr. Fujimaru Ritsuka offered to protect him, we all agreed." Yamamoto Maru replied helplessly.

As for what he really wanted to say, he was cursing them out: "Your support arrived so late, and you still have the nerve to ask us questions? If you had arrived six hours earlier, we could have gotten Ito Reita back to official supervision."

Coincidentally, the two monsters disguised as the Reader and the Flying Thunderfire were also cursing the Special Affairs Bureau's support in their hearts—"Brothers, our open strength has been exposed, where did you get the courage to set off so leisurely, only arriving at the ambush location at almost 9 o'clock? We were hiding there waiting for you before dawn."

Flying Thunderfire stamped his foot in frustration: "Then hurry up and tell that person to send Ito Reita over. The reason the reader came along is to confirm the authenticity of the information once again. Then, by following the clues, we can catch one of the other people involved, and then we can follow the clues to find the source."

What he said wasn't wrong; it was indeed a task assigned to the reader. Therefore, Yamamoto Maru didn't suspect anything, but hesitantly said, "However... Fujimaru Ritsuka-sama said he was going back to prepare for war, and Ito Reita is already under his control and a witness under his protection. So he said that if there's anything he needs, he should go directly to the mansion to find him."

These words left the two speechless, exchanging bewildered glances. This was a difficult question to answer. Theoretically, an organization like Fujimaru Ritsuka's, having gained semi-independent jurisdiction, certainly had the right to do so. But to go directly there? In reality, their forces had only been deployed to the vicinity of the city hall and several major transportation routes; they hadn't really considered the mansion area...

At this point, they all started complaining: "It's one thing for our evil organization to be so scheming and fighting amongst ourselves, but how come your official organization is so incompetent? You even have factions dragging each other down, right? Can't you be more righteous?"

Taking a deep breath, Flying Thunderfire silently reassured himself: It's alright. With the enhancement of Jealousy Lord's disguise ability, it's completely impossible for him to detect me. Look at those 6000-plus inferior Dead Apostles swaggering through the area; the shrines and temples they passed, and the civilian hunters they bumped into, didn't they all remain completely unaware?

So, I'm definitely going to visit the Western-style mansion!

Having made his decision, Fei Lei Huo said decisively, "Then let's head to the manor now. Give me the map."

Do you need a guide?

"No need. You all stay at the police station and quickly organize the data. Then notify the other cooperating forces to quickly conduct reconnaissance of the surrounding area. Note that they should be aware of any large groups approaching Chiba City."

Flying Thunderfire blatantly lied, demanding that they redeploy their forces elsewhere to facilitate their next move.

"Yes, sir!" Yamamoto Maru saluted, watching the two rush out of the police station. He couldn't help but sigh, "Why does it feel like the Special Affairs Bureau is so dedicated to this support? Hmm, maybe they were delayed because of internal negotiations. Chiba is saved this time."

-------------------------------------

"You said the Special Affairs Bureau is coming here? They want to take Ito Reita away? Okay, I understand." Fujimaru Ritsuka turned slightly in her office chair and hung up the phone.

Reita Ito looked pale and his legs were trembling uncontrollably: "B-Boss! No! I've done my service for the organization, I've shed blood for the organization! I don't want to see the Special Affairs Bureau!"

"What are you panicking about? Isn't the Special Affairs Bureau an official organization? You think you'll get eaten alive if you go there?"

"...But I'm a former cult member! Even if I'm just trying to make a living, I still have a criminal record. Now I'm some kind of sacrificial offering, I'm afraid I'll be sliced ​​to pieces!" Ito Reita almost wanted to kneel down and hug Fujimaru Ritsuka's leg.

However, seeing the other person's dismissive expression, he knew that the words were not sincere, so he racked his brains to think of a way to deflect the question.

Hey, you little rascal! If you can't come up with something soon, you'll be rotting in jail! Think about it!

He'd got it! He'd come up with a brilliant idea.

"Actually, your name is quite well-known among us... This semi-independent jurisdiction isn't something that's easy to obtain. We all know that you gained control of Chiba by resolving a major incident, right?"

"Yes, that's right. What's wrong?"

Seeing Fujimaru Ritsuka's slightly focused expression, Ito Reita sensed a glimmer of hope: "Have you looked into this? Nationwide, this kind of jurisdiction is only found in places like the Kansai Spellcasting Association, which uses a proxy system, or in particularly remote areas. Chiba City, while not a top-tier city like Osaka, Kyoto, or even Tokyo, and slightly inferior to Aichi Prefecture, is still a region that can compete for a top-ten spot!"

"Stop talking nonsense and get to the point!"

"Hey! That's why you're bound to be a target for criticism. The Special Affairs Bureau is always looking to take back some of your authority here. This time you backed down and handed over a witness like me, whom you personally said you would protect. What if the Special Affairs Bureau claims tomorrow that the criminals you arrested committed crimes in Tokyo and wants to take them there as well?"

"Then just hand it over. As long as you provide enough materials and funding, what's so hard about selling it?" Fujimaru Ritsuka was utterly astonished. You're just a stinky old man, what kind of precious thing are you?

Ito Rei Taichi was speechless for a moment.

Goodness, I thought you were an ambitious person, but it turns out you're just a capitalist.

“Actually, I think Mr. Ito is right in this regard. Once is never enough. The Special Affairs Bureau was a bit too hasty this time. Even if they wanted to take Ito Reita back, they should have issued a document authorizing us to complete the mission.” Yukinoshita Haruno pushed open the door and walked in.

Fujimaru Ritsuka still held the organization's chief secretary in high regard: "So, if we rashly hand it over, there's a possibility that they might sabotage our performance evaluation?"

“That’s right!” Yang Nai confirmed his guess, and she spoke with absolute certainty:

"Forget about confirmed information. Now that we have a lead, shouldn't we take immediate action to apprehend any potential cult members? Why send these mind-reading superhumans? They're just trying to steal the credit. Then it'll be the Special Affairs Bureau solving a public safety emergency with the help of helpful civilians. How much they pay is entirely up to them."

Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but sigh. This whole mess hasn't even been resolved yet, and everyone's already thinking about taking credit? How low!

This group of people truly deserves the phrase, "They can be replaced."

Fujimaru Ritsuka rubbed her temples, her head throbbing: "But if a dispute arises, it will likely cause delays in our actions, which could actually affect Chiba's safety. Forget it, let's leave Ito Reita to them."

Yang was slightly unwilling, but she still nodded in agreement with Fujimaru Ritsuka's idea. Maintaining a good reputation would be useful in the new era; you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.

Meanwhile, [the child] Ito Reita, his face ashen, was about to type GG when he heard something that filled him with immense joy—

"However, we still need to stay close to this group to prevent them from shirking their duties. Therefore, Ito Reita is under joint surveillance by Chaldea and the Special Affairs Bureau."

"Yay!" Ito Reita almost jumped for joy. Having a powerful backer by his side would at least prevent the worst-case scenario of the other party killing him to stop the incident.

Fujimaru Ritsuka dismissed Ito Reita's petty schemes with disdain. In his view, since this incident involved a large, evil organization, it couldn't be resolved so easily.

Perhaps even if I were to evaporate both Ito Reita's soul and body with a single strike, the ritual could still proceed, and might even be completed ahead of schedule.

If he could really cleave everything in one strike, and even destroy the ritual the other side was trying to use to cause trouble, he would have already done so.

The reason I followed the Special Affairs Bureau was actually because I was afraid they might do something too extreme and end up making things worse.

"Hmm? They arrived pretty quickly?" He vaguely heard the sound of a car engine outside.

Looking out the office window, one by one, men in black got out of the car, and then a man and a woman stood in front of the 10-person team and politely rang the doorbell of the mansion's main gate.

"At least you're polite... Ito Reita, come down with me. Haruno, you too... never mind." Fujimaru Ritsuka hesitated for a moment, sensing something was amiss.

"Hmm, what's wrong? Doesn't Fujimaru-kun hate dealing with these kinds of things?" Haruno asked, a little confused.

"Wait a minute." To the astonishment of the two, Fujimaru Ritsuka activated her Eye of Karma.

Within those gilded eyes, all things and phenomena are reflected, all causes and effects are intertwined, and all impermanence and karmic conditions are contained within... Of course, this is just a line used for boasting, and it's definitely impossible to actually do it.

However, Fujimaru Ritsuka can at least use it to discern some facts—such as the causal line connecting to the Tokyo Special Affairs Bureau headquarters, the karmic entanglement line representing killing and resentment, or the karmic entanglement line representing doing good deeds, and so on.

Although I have committed evil deeds and killed people, it doesn't seem like I'm being paranoid.

"Is there anything unusual, boss?" Yang asked seriously.

"It seems fine. Maybe I'm just overthinking it? But let's be prepared. Haruno, notify Artoria and me to go out, and have the other squad members prepare for an attack, just in case." Fujimaru Ritsuka chose to play it safe, and even kept her Eye of Karma open. Spending some extra mana was better than being caught off guard.