Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

"You can take it easy on the last two that are hanging up, but you have to put in a lot more effort on the others!"

"Understood!" Then, the rhythmic sounds of flesh colliding echoed through the hall on the third floor once again.

So, Yuuma Itohori woke up to a series of slapping sounds. Before opening his eyes, he was wondering if he had woken up on the set of one of the Good Kids production companies.

Wait a minute, Tokyo's a bit hot isn't our place. What kind of director is so crazy as to want to make a multiplayer battle scene?

But when he woke up, all he saw was a gruesome scene of burly men with ferocious faces vigorously working on his East City gang members.

It's like using fists as plows and bodies as fields, laughing hysterically with constant groans.

Fujimaru Ritsuka noticed the dazed look in Itohori's eyes when he woke up, and couldn't help but smugly compose a limerick in her mind to describe the current situation.

On a side note, those who have been beaten are now being thoughtfully stuffed with rags to prevent their excessive screams from attracting attention. After all, Chaldea is a law-abiding society, and they can't afford to damage the organization's image too much.

"Chief Fujimaru! What are you doing, Chief Fujimaru?!"

"Huh? Can't you tell? We're undergoing treatment."

When Wu Hu Yuzhen glanced at the group members who were hanging up and beaten black and blue, and the group members who were trembling and leaning against the wall watching, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

You call this treatment?

“Alas…the world misunderstands us too much. You must see beyond appearances, Mr. Goto. This is a sacred healing site.” Fujimaru Ritsuka opened her arms compassionately and looked at Goto Yuuma.

Yuma Itohori swallowed hard. The other person looked at him with amazement, scanning him from head to toe, before looking away in disappointment.

Does this mean I no longer need "treatment"?

“Oh right, you don’t need treatment.” Fujimaru Ritsuka saw through the question written all over his face and nodded. “The Tojo Clan is seriously ill…”

Suppressing his inner grumbling that "you might be the one who's seriously ill," Itohime asked a question that came from the depths of his soul: "Lord Fujimaru, what exactly do you mean by 'seriously ill'?"

"A disease that turns you into a ghost."

!

Ignoring Yuzuru Itohori's stiffness, Ritsuka Fujimaru smiled and said:

"Actually, I got firsthand information from a good friend who wishes to remain anonymous. The so-called 'demon transformation' is entirely due to the illness in your hearts."

"The so-called 'demons' in the Heian period referred to monsters that wore tiger-skin skirts, wielded giant clubs, and had horns. But what were they really? In short, they were rebels who refused to submit to rule."

“Take the Oeyama Group as an example. If there are no real demons, then they are just a group of thieves who are based on Oeyama, guard the vicinity of Kyoto, and occasionally return to Kyoto to burn, kill, and plunder.”

"My friend pointed out that the so-called demonization is nothing more than a group of half-baked humans who, with the demonic nature hidden deep in their hearts, uphold the idea that might makes right, indulge their violent desires and lust for pleasure, and turn into demons when other forces infiltrate them."

"So, in your East City Group, especially the members of the fighting faction, six or seven out of ten are just muscle-headed people, thinking about their own desires and enjoying themselves. They think they can still seize benefits through violence and continue to satisfy their desires by using the tiger skin of those in power. Only you are rare enough to be able to keep your temper in check."

Seeing Fujimaru Ritsuka's ambiguous smile, Goto Yuuma broke out in a cold sweat.

He himself came from the militant faction, how could he not know? Indeed, as Fujimaru Ritsuka said, especially the die-hards in the militant faction, their minds seem to be stuck in the Showa era, thinking that it was before the Yakuza Countermeasures Law was enacted, believing that they can still obtain everything by force.

In a sense, the militant faction helped the Tojo Clan achieve great success during the Showa era, giving them substantial resources that enabled their successful reorganization. The former leader, out of consideration for past relationships and because of their similar backgrounds, had somewhat indulged these guys.

Especially now that supernatural abilities have begun to emerge, they have tested themselves more than once, hoping in a roundabout way to have a few supernatural beings appear in the Tojo Clan, or to hire a few supernatural beings as guest advisors, thinking of taking advantage of the chaotic times to recreate the glory of the Showa era.

Therefore, when Fujimaru Ritsuka said this, it was less of a self-praise and more of a reflection of her complete failure to manage her subordinates, leading to the blind arrogance of her team members.

Thinking of this, Goto Yuuma knelt down deeply, almost prostrating himself, and said, "It was my fault. Please forgive me, Fujimaru Ritsuka-sama."

"...Hmph. It doesn't matter anyway, you're quite useful. I was even thinking that since you've given in, I'd capture you as a guinea pig and then promote someone behind the scenes. But you've proven yourself, so forget it." Fujimaru Ritsuka waved her hand.

"And what about them..."

"There's still hope, I suppose." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the guys who were still getting beaten up and couldn't help but admire the skills of the execution team members.

How powerful! Look at those punches. Every blow lands on fleshy, sensitive nerve sheaths, causing real pain without threatening the victim's life. And as the demon cave spontaneously collapsed, even those who had turned into half-human, half-demon beings began to revert to their original forms under the relentless beatings.

Yes, it's not a joke to make fun of Yuuma Itohori, or a pointless excuse to punish the Tojo Clan members; these are just side effects.

Fujimaru Ritsuka truly realized that for these guys who were obsessed with violence, the law of the jungle, and unrestrained desires, a brutal beating was the most important thing. Violence was used to destroy their confidence in their bodies and strength, but not to completely destroy their spirits.

If you go around to the Chaldean members who were beating these people, you can see that their lips are constantly moving.

That was a technique that Fujimaru Ritsuka instructed to be used, which was probably to create a one-way communication channel between the Chaldea execution team members and all the current members of the Tojo Clan.

While beating them, the officers also instilled various values ​​of love and peace into these people, such as "democracy, prosperity, and dedication." Through both physical and mental attacks, Fujimaru Ritsuka was determined to brainwash them today!

As for the results?

Seeing the horns on some people's foreheads constantly shrinking back, one can easily understand that the effect is outstanding.

The combination of techniques such as one-way communication, charm, suggestion, and healing, along with the pain of beatings and brainwashing combined with the pleasure of healing, is practically an application of the Pavlov effect. It can be collectively known as the Stockholm combination technique.

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded with great satisfaction. At this moment, in the eyes of Goto Yuuma, his shadow looked like it had horns on its head and a tail on its back!

198. Artificial Spiritual Origin and Human Experimentation

After a period of physical therapy, Fujimaru Ritsuka waved goodbye to the Tojo Clan with her family.

"Look, their eyes are filled with tears, they're so grateful to us. People still know how to be grateful, don't they?" Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and stroked her chin, feeling extremely happy.

Sasakawa Yagokoro dared not speak the truth that everyone already knew. If his superior wanted to distort the facts, then let him distort them! A subordinate cannot talk back to his superior! He could only pretend not to hear and used his mobile phone to contact several other organizations in Chiba City that had been notified of the situation.

Overall, things are progressing well, except for one place where there seems to be a fierce battle brewing. Fujimaru Ritsuka, assessing the situation within the Tojo Clan, waved for Sasagawa Yagokoro to lead the team himself. He remained where he was, silently pondering Shuten-dōji's words.

After a moment of silence, he finally let out a wry laugh: "So this time, I really am partly to blame."

At this moment, he somewhat recalled the occasional awkward moments between Senji Muramasa and Edmond Dantès.

Unlike those two kind-hearted people, the unrestrained Shuten-dōji revealed most of the inside information he knew with an almost amusing attitude.

There's a high chance this isn't his first time traveling through time.

If one had to explain, it would be that everything in this world—whether it's the spirit origin, the extraordinary materials, or even the old woman (Shuten-dōji's words) who is about to wake up and start taking action—is inextricably linked to his arrival in this world.

Shuten-dōji herself didn't fully understand the truth, but she was certain that she had dealt with Fujimaru Ritsuka before and had met him.

"The taste of the soul doesn't lie, you know. That kind of soul—a little fickle, a little shameless, arrogant yet still kind—isn't something everyone possesses. It's a real shame I can't taste it, hehehe." Before disappearing, she looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka meaningfully and said these words.

Oh no, after all that trouble, I've ended up with the blame stuck on myself. I don't know how I ended up in this mess, but I'll just have to take the fall for it. Whatever happens, happens; I'll deal with it as it comes. No need to overthink it. If there's a problem, I'll deal with it once and for all!

Fujimaru Ritsuka patted the Red Dragon Cutter Muramasa in its sheath with satisfaction, and decided to go back to the Western-style mansion first to discuss with them some information that he had obtained from Shuten-dōji, which might be of some use.

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

"You want to find a way to deal with Shirohime?" Lisa Lisa gulped down an energy potion, then exchanged a glance with her two assistants.

My eyes were completely blank; I had absolutely no clue what to do.

Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed, feeling like he'd taken too much advantage of the situation, but there was no one else he could consult. He sat in the lab, gathered his thoughts, and then said, "Actually, that eccentric guy next door, the one who got in touch with me after getting rid of Kishibe Rohan, Mr. Jia Kongming, who exchanged a lot of technology with us, gave me some hints."

Rohan Kishibe and Deishuu Kaiki also stopped what they were doing and sat down with Lisa Lisa, waiting for Ritsuka Fujimaru to reveal the secret.

Recalling Shuten-dōji's words, Fujimaru Ritsuka said somewhat uncertainly:

"According to Shuten-dōji, the several demonic caves that have suddenly appeared have actually revealed part of the true nature of the one now known as 'White Princess'. And as you know, I possess the ability to forge demon swords that target certain specific attributes, so I want to gather ideas to see if we can create a weapon with specific attributes."

“But now, the White Princess can even be called a god.” Rohan Kishibe, who had faced the true nature of the White Princess in the dream world, held a negative attitude. “Even steel cannot cut through the existence of such a huge and solid object as thick as a mountain.”

"Does scale matter? Certainly, but if you also fall behind in quality, then you're doomed. Don't overthink it; you have to take things one step at a time."

"Yes, yes, yes! Lisa, you're right!" Rohan Kishibe quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"Ignore that guy who keeps spouting nonsense, Fujimaru, keep talking."

"Shuten reminded me that all the demons essentially resonated with the power wavelength of Hakuhime due to emotional and mental resonance, and were then corrupted by the power leaking from the ley lines, transforming into demons. On my way back, I also questioned everyone who dealt with the Demon Cave, and combined with my previous feeling about that crimson will—Hakuhime seems to possess a power bordering on chaos. A contempt for the existing order, a return to alienation or bestiality, even a tendency towards..."

At this point, Fujimaru Ritsuka hesitated, unsure how to continue.

Lisa glanced at Rohan Kishibe, who was nodding almost imperceptibly, and fell into thought herself: "...Why does it feel like she wants to return to a primitive society? Isn't that similar to that Social Darwinism? No, that's not right either. Social Darwinism still emphasizes class... She's more inclined towards destruction."

Perhaps it's more like those XX continents in the online novel universe, where X is supreme and they'll take your life at the slightest disagreement. Every day, you'll encounter robbers using the excuse of "the virtuous should own the rarest treasures" when you go out. Fujimaru Ritsuka thought to herself as she shuddered.

But at that moment, it seemed they clicked on some kind of signal, and Lisa's eyes lit up: "Destruction of civilization?"

...Wow, it really does look like it!

“Close, but not entirely.” Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded in agreement with Lisa Lisa’s idea, but still felt that it wasn’t quite a perfect match.

Rohan Kishibe crossed his arms and adopted an extremely arrogant sitting posture, his face bearing some of Araki's distinctive features: "Actually, I also feel that I'm getting close. But perhaps the direction I'm thinking about is a bit deeper."

"Don't act all high and mighty while still trying to hide things. Is this how you behave?" Lisa Lisa shouted angrily, raising her hand and using magic to shape a fist the size of a sandpot in her hand, which she then waved in front of him.

Rohan Kishibe, though quite mischievous, was helpless against this elderly woman. He shrugged and said, "Actually, the Spirit Origin we're trying to establish now is somewhat contrary to her path... I guess so."

"Don't leave out that last sentence! Can't you, the great sage with prophetic abilities, give me some real power, Merlin Kishibe?!" The three of them couldn't help but shout at him angrily.

Rohan Kishibe chuckled awkwardly: "Even Merlin wouldn't dare say that what he saw was the absolute future. Well... even though he saw it, it wasn't entirely accurate. You have to admit, when facing a massive opponent, you can only rely on your gut feeling to gamble on a sliver of hope."

"Old man, your eyes are the most useless among the three crown candidates!"

"Hey!"

Ignoring Rohan Kishibe's resentful cries, Fujimaru Ritsuka picked up the artificial spirit core they had been researching, weighing it in her hand and examining it from all angles.

Even though it's my first time seeing it, I still have to say it's beautiful.

Even though it is an artificial spirit origin, it still retains a similar appearance to the original body, but is even more different from ordinary things.

It is a perfectly round sphere, appearing completely smooth to the eye. Its exterior has a slightly transparent quality, thus exposing its inner core—within its almost pitch-black interior, a faint flame constantly illuminates the surroundings, and at the boundary between the pure white light and the surrounding darkness, an almost miraculous rainbow of light is revealed.

Although the entire artificial spirit core was only about the size of a glass bead, the tiny flame that condensed within it was still clearly visible. The feeling it evoked was not that of peering into a tiny flame within a glass bead the size of a fingertip, but rather of gazing upon a faint, incredibly distant yet warm star.

In the Eye of Karma, he could no longer look directly at this tiny thing; rather, he seemed to see an endless, surging river, or an ocean of light filled with countless possibilities.

"Is this artificial spirit origin usable now?" Fujimaru Ritsuka closed her Eye of Karma, picked up the artificial spirit origin with two fingers, and asked with a slight doubt.

He seemed to have vaguely grasped some key points, but he wasn't clear about them yet, so he wanted to find out more.

"Hmm~~ Actually, we're planning to find someone to go." Ignoring Kaiki Deishuu's advice, Lisa Lisa excitedly reported the situation: "There are quite a few people in Chaldea who think this is a good opportunity to strengthen themselves, so they have been fighting and sparring in private for several rounds before they finally selected the test subject - Sasagawa Yagokoro."

"Is it that guy again?" Fujimaru Ritsuka wasn't surprised.

If Sasagawa Yagokoro has any flaws besides being slightly siscon (sister complex), it's his excessive protectiveness towards his teammates. In situations like this, he can't possibly stay out of it. Therefore, even if only one member of his team intends to participate in such an activity, he'll consider stepping in himself.

Moreover, he is strong enough that it would be difficult to remove him from the role of a participant in the experiment.

but...

"Is he the only one? I don't quite feel like it is," Fujimaru Ritsuka said casually.

Desperate to cover it up, Lisa quickly changed the subject: "Sasakawa Yagokoro said he'll need to adjust his mind and body tonight, and will only go after he's properly cleansed and bathed."

Lisa Lisa's commentary was interrupted.