Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

My previous reading experience told me that rushing into reading this book would be suicidal. I decided to borrow books on basic occultism from the library to alleviate my thirst for knowledge.

Yesterday, I naively encouraged myself: "Come on, Aki Tomoya! It's just some kind of teenage fantasy. You'll graduate from it soon."

"April 4.25th. Damn it. The more I read, the more I wanted to confirm its truth. Sure enough, Lovecraft was right. We are on a calm, ignorant island, surrounded by a vast, black ocean. Excessive voyages will only reveal the terrifying panorama of the true world."

Reading books like *The Golden Bough*, *The Key of Solomon*, and *Witchcraft* has made me even more interested in the existence of real supernatural forces. Am I yearning for the knowledge in the *Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord's Secret Scripture*? No, it is the scripture itself that is yearning for me.

But it's okay... I just glanced at the first chapter...

"4.26

After reading the first chapter, I jotted down notes before I completely lost my way. And today, when I woke up, all I noticed was mud on my hands and trouser legs. It still smelled of rotting earth...

And a swollen corpse following behind me.

Listen, the corpse is speaking. It says, "I'a I'a...."

What happened? Why did you stop talking? Why did my spell last so short? That's impossible! I followed the instructions in the book exactly!

"4.27

I defeated the book monster in the library. That monster was really annoying! What did it mean that if you couldn't answer a question, you'd be eaten? Using such a method to make things difficult for someone who seeks knowledge! Sloth, utterly terribly lazy!

The monster in the book left behind many pages, and the knowledge written on them actually came from all the books I had ever read?

Ah, the pages have merged into my body. Yes, I finally understand. Why did the previous spells only last so short? It turns out I lacked magic.

"4.28

"That's really pitiful, Sawamura-kun. You can't even finish your own work properly. Come on, let me help you, hehe~ This incantation is something I figured out after thoroughly reading the 'Secret Scripture'."

"4.29

Ah, so the saying "great talent often breeds greatness" is indeed true. Without sufficient experience and depth, a creator cannot produce heartwarming works. Eriri is like that, and so is Akane Kousaka. You lot, don't waste the talent we've cultivated!"

"4.30

So what exactly did I do in the past few days?

Digging up graves is an act of desecration against the dead.

They exorcised the monsters, and then turned themselves into monsters.

Out of some kind of preconceived notion, or even in order to see good works, they cast spells on their relatives and friends, or on complete strangers.

He even enthusiastically designed a ritual, just to realize his wild idea?

Is my current lucidity a last gasp before death, or is there some other reason?

I don't know. But I hope that you, who have read this far, can stop me.

I've gone mad, I want to @,%＃”

The handwriting in the notebook changed from orderly at first to increasingly messy later, as if being chased by something invisible, revealing the writer's increasingly agitated state of mind, falling into hysterical madness.

And then comes the most crucial part, which consists of a bunch of incomprehensible symbols and illegible handwriting. It's almost like a web novel author who's reached the exciting climax and then abruptly cuts off the story.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, without much hope, turned to the last page, only to unexpectedly find a passage. This passage was completely different from the previous ones; the font was enormous, the strokes were crooked, and it was filled with a sense of strangeness and absurdity, as if it were mocking the reader.

"How about it? After reading my stupid confession, are you eager to know what I'm going to do?"

I'm not telling you. Hehe~

However, here's a hint for a riddle: to resolve the blessing upon Eriri and the others, we need to find a common thread, a medium. As long as the medium remains intact, the Lord's blessing will continue to accompany them.

I hope you can understand that this is a gift I'm giving away, but I'm a kind person and I accept returns~ If you don't like it, I'm sorry~

"From the shepherd, who loves you little lambs."

Fujimaru Ritsuka almost choked on her saliva—"I'm sorry, I love you, I'm sorry, I love you? You're still the [Cannon] Hero, Aki Tomoya?!"

Eriri's hands trembled as she read to the end, and she couldn't help but have a tiny bit of a fantasy: Could it be that Aki Tomoya hadn't completely lost control, and even when he finally went completely insane, he still left them a way to solve the problem?

“This is an open conspiracy.” Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head reluctantly, severing the hope in Eriri’s eyes. “The notebook only briefly mentioned that he designed some kind of ritual to realize his fantasies. He hopes to divert our attention from solving other people’s curses…?”

Kasumigaoka Utaha also frowned: "That doesn't make sense. If this guy really thought that way, then he shouldn't have left that sentence. It would have been so easy for him to cross out the writing."

Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed: "Either this guy really treats all of this as a game and doesn't care; or if we focus on solving the curse, he's confident he can complete the ritual..."

“However, we definitely need to help Eriri and the others who are already cursed. As for the rest,” Fujimaru Ritsuka raised her head and said seriously, “Let’s call the police immediately. Let’s leave this to the Special Affairs Bureau for now.”

21. Men who are good at imagining things are generally lucky... right?

In a building in Marunouchi, Tokyo, Fujimoto Houtarou chewed gum and swaggered into the Special Affairs Bureau base on the 16th basement floor. He was in a good mood lately because a certain annoying woman was finally gone.

"Sister Yang Nai sent a message."

As he walked confidently into his department, a sudden remark froze his smile.

Fujimoto Houtarou's face fell, and he strode over in a hurry. The others who were originally going to watch also sat back down in their seats as if nothing had happened. Only the little girl who had shouted was completely unaware.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on her nose as she exclaimed, "What? A suspected C-level or higher incident? I didn't expect to encounter something like this even after Yang Nai-jie left..."

"Shut up!" Fujimoto Houtarou rudely interrupted her. The girl turned around and looked back, falling silent in fear.

Fujimoto Houtarou waved for the girl to move aside, then plopped down in his chair and scrolled through the emails sent by Yukinoshita Haruno.

"Heh." After a short while, he let out a cold laugh and snapped his fingers. "Dongcheng, you come here. Do you remember which organization that woman was supposed to help with the establishment procedures for?!"

The middle-aged man, Mita Higashige, stepped forward respectfully, showing no resentment at being called a "boy" by the younger Fujimoto Houtarou. He said with a fawning expression, "Senior Fujimoto, Yukinoshita Dai."

"Ok?"

"I remember the registration bill that Yukinoshita Haruno submitted before was called [Chaldea]." Mita quickly corrected himself, reciting the contents of the document, "[Chaldea] currently has about four members, including Yukinoshita Haruno. The members have been involved in two incidents: [The Seven Deadly Sins' attack on the Fukuoka branch] and [The Tenmangu cult ritual].

"Oh~~" Fujimoto Houtarou drawled, a hint of disdain in his voice, "Sounds pretty impressive?"

Mita Tojung, head bowed, secretly glanced at Fujimoto Houtarou out of the corner of his eye: "Well... not that impressive. It's probably just a matter of chance. The Fukuoka branch chief is a seasoned veteran, and the infamous Shinsengumi leader, the Invincible Sword, was also there during the Tenmangu period..."

"Furthermore, according to the registration information, although there are inheritors, the one who obtained it was the power of Senji Muramasa." Seeing that Fujimoto Houtarou's expression improved, Mita Toshinari quickly added.

"Hahahaha, isn't this the swordsmith?" Fujimoto Houtarou laughed so hard he was bent over, bubbles almost coming out of his nostrils. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "I remember... there was Yukinoshita's sister in that organization, right?"

"Sir, you have a wonderful memory."

"Hmph. She left the Special Affairs Bureau just for a support-type successor. What a foolish and vulgar woman." Fujimoto Houtarou crossed his legs, looking disdainful.

Mita Toshinari did not respond.

He knew that Fujimoto Houtarou was truly speaking against his conscience.

A support-type successor would be so appealing.

A certain inheritor known as "The Doctor" has countless important figures from all over the world trying to find him to treat their ailments. If it weren't for the fact that many inheritor factions were on good terms with him, "The Doctor" might have been locked up in a dark room long ago.

Then there's the [Fraudster]. Although he always cheats and swindles in his contracts, the props and potions that come from him are in high demand and sell for a lot of money on the black market. He truly deserves to be called the man who inherited the Hohenheim legacy.

In fact, Mita Tosei thought much like Fujimoto Houtarou, believing that Yukinoshita Yo left the Special Affairs Bureau for her sister and the support-type successor. After all, if things went well, the Yukinoshita family would definitely reap huge profits.

Fujimoto Houtarou tapped the table with his fingertips, deliberately trying to put on an air of importance: "That makes sense then. Establish an organization with the found successor, and then sell items through the [Innovation Society] platform to seek advancement? Hmph, you might as well just obediently agree to go home and be a full-time housewife."

Mita Toshinari dared not respond.

Everyone in the Third Action Division knew that Fujimoto Houtarou's pursuit of Yukinoshita Haruno had failed, and he was even impeached by the latter for several decision-making errors in cases.

If Yukinoshita Haruno hadn't had considerable connections within the Special Affairs Bureau and wasn't one of its best analysts, she would have been retaliated against long ago. Her swift departure might also be related to Fujimoto Houtarou. After all, the Special Affairs Bureau only has three departments, and while the Third Operations Department was the newest and weakest, the bureau wouldn't have made things too difficult for Fujimoto Houtarou because of Yukinoshita Haruno.

"But does this guy still want to take advantage of the Special Affairs Bureau?" Fujimoto Houtarou pressed the accept button on the platform without hesitation and sneered, "It's just a few weirdos harassing ordinary people, and she dares to call it a C-level? That's a level that endangers more than 10,000 people. I think she just wants to lie and tell us to find the mastermind behind the incident so that she can avoid a confrontation and resolve the current situation."

Fujimoto Houtarou thought about it and it made more and more sense: "That's right. The [Reform Society] requires its members to resolve more than three incidents every year. Isn't their organization just a weak and incompetent swordsmith? That woman deliberately exaggerates, splits an incident into two parts, and then concentrates her efforts on resolving the part that doesn't require combat power, while making us use our combat power to deal with the mastermind."

Having finished his mental calculations, Fujimoto Houtarou nodded smugly: "As expected of me, I spotted the truth at a glance. If Conan had me, I would have razed the Black Organization to the ground long ago."

Mita Toshige stared in disbelief, swallowing hard, feeling that nothing seemed amiss. He never expected that his usually ambitious but incompetent, narrow-minded, and utterly useless section chief, who seemed to have no redeeming qualities other than violence, would actually have a brain.

Is jealousy and resentment truly the primary driving force behind men's behavior?

He cautiously leaned closer and asked, "So, Section Chief, what are your plans? Are we not going to send out an investigation team?"

Fujimoto Houtarou raised his finger, tapping his nails as he casually replied, "Send? Of course I'll send someone. I'll personally take charge to maintain the professional relationship. By the way, when you're selecting the team members later, remember to choose those who aren't particularly close to Yukino Yukinoshita."

"But section chief, why do we need to send people out?"

"Idiot, those ACG authors in the email are no big deal, they're just commoners, their deaths are no big deal. But that Sawamura guy, what was he again? He's a British diplomat, more important than a relative of the Emperor." Fujimoto Houtarou scolded him impatiently. "We can go find him, but don't make a move yet. Wait until he's about to succeed, then we'll play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress. We'll interfere in that woman's affairs and save someone with foreign connections. Isn't that a merit?"

Mita Higashi was completely convinced: "Brilliant, truly brilliant, Section Chief. Under your leadership, the Third Action Section will surely flourish!"

"Is that even a question?"

The two huddled together, their faces beaming with the smug smiles of a weasel that had successfully stolen a bite.

In the distance, Aki Tomoya sneezed: "Emmm, the illusion has been triggered, but when will the Special Affairs Bureau arrive? Ah, Sloth, it's been almost an hour."

He grinned bloodthirstyly: "Looking forward to the second game."

22. My turn, draw a card! Elixir of Love!

Luring the snake out of its hole, stirring up trouble in the grass—this was exactly what Aki Tomoya had planned to do. Next, he needed the Special Affairs Bureau to get involved.

However, poor Aki Tomoya never expected that the Special Affairs Bureau would back out.

No, how could the Special Affairs Bureau, which is supposed to maintain love and peace in Tokyo, stand someone up? That's called planning before acting. They'll find a way to track down the other party and follow them, intending to wipe out the criminal forces hiding in the gutter.

Another hour passed, and the ever-diligent Aki Tomoya began to sense something was amiss. Although it hadn't been half a day, he had a feeling that the Special Affairs Bureau wouldn't easily appear. He couldn't help but feel anxious, so he pulled out a tarot deck from his pocket, casually shuffled it, and focused his mind.

An ominous magical power surged from his body, transforming into a viscous, pale halo that permeated every nerve and every inch of skin from the inside out. A will from another dimension briefly cast its gaze, and an unseen force interfered with reality, guiding his casual divination toward the prophetic outcome.

"Draw a card!"

The tarot card was drawn from the deck, tracing a pale arc of light in the air that lingered for a long time.

Aki Tomoya solemnly held the tarot cards up to his eyes and turned them over: [Wheel of Fortune - Reversed], meaning [the frontier is not good, setbacks, plans fall through, obstacles, inability to correct direction].

"What a rip-off!"

Aki Tomoya held his head and cried out in sorrow atop the tall Tokyo Tower.

As night fell, wild animals cried out in agony at Tokyo Tower.

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

"I keep feeling like I hear someone screaming, is it just my imagination..." Eriri Sawamura turned around as if she had just realized something, and then felt her head being gently rubbed.

"What are you thinking about? Don't worry, we've already notified the Special Affairs Bureau. They'll be dispatched soon." Fujimaru Ritsuka finally got a feel for the action—he'd been wanting to take down this blond guy for a long time!