Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

Yukino Yukinoshita wholeheartedly agreed: "My sister also said that even if the Special Affairs Bureau is busy, they will still send out a team to investigate a suspected Class C incident like this that happened in Tokyo. Maybe you'll hear news that the matter has been resolved in a few hours."

Kasumigaoka Utaha exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, this is efficient! I didn't expect that."

"It's mainly because Haruno-nee has connections. The warning from the former top analyst is quite reliable, so we should at least investigate it." Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but give Haruno a thumbs up, recalling her pride on the phone.

Everyone overlooked the possibility that the Special Affairs Bureau might remain inactive—are you kidding me? Do you really think they're like the subordinates of Chiang Kai-shek during the civil war, unmoved when allies are in trouble, and swift as the wind when the enemy attacks? As the guardians of Tokyo, don't they have any pride?

Eriri looked up at the sign for the Folklore Museum and trembled slightly. She recalled what happened that day and felt a little unsteady on her feet. Just then, a pair of arms supported her.

"Are you alright?" It was Kasumigaoka Utaha. She extended her hand and said casually, "If you're scared, just stay by the door."

Eriri Sawamura's ponytail was practically standing on end, and her face flushed red: "Don't underestimate me, you fat woman!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her arms and casually lifted them, not bothering to retort.

I'm so angry!

Eriri ground her little fangs, took a deep breath, and completely calmed down.

After receiving the message from Aki Tomoya, they investigated it and, combining it with Kasumigaoka Utaha's previous survey of industry professionals who had unusually stopped posting, discovered something interesting: all the cursed people seemed to have visited the Folklore Museum, including Kasumigaoka Utaha herself. Yes, she had visited it before her Golden Week holiday.

So, they guessed that the curse's process was as follows: the creators visited the museum → the creators were mentioned in an article on Aki Tomoya's [TAKI-kun] blog → the creators began to immerse themselves in creation and gradually became thinner.

After reaching a conclusion, they immediately asked Yukino Yukinoshita for help.

Yukino Haruno was quite direct. First, she hired a hacker to destroy [TAKI-kun's] blog, but Eriri still sensed that the curse hadn't been lifted. Therefore, they focused their attention on the Folklore Museum, perhaps the source of the problem. Meanwhile, Haruno sent information to the Special Affairs Bureau and used the resources at her disposal within the Yukino family. She obtained some purifying and warding-off-evil items from Kaiki Deishuu and visited the strange individuals, temporarily protecting them with the items.

(Although there's one thing that's hard to explain, which is why Mrs. Sawamura also got infected; did she also visit the Folk Museum?)

Fujimaru Ritsuka's doubts flashed by, but she still decided to come to the museum and give it a shot first.

After all, it's just a small team of a few people; don't act like a savior. Reporting the situation to your superiors and solving the immediate problem is the best approach.

"Hey, who are you? This exhibition hall is closed."

Yukino Yukinoshita watched as Fujimaru Ritsuka, under the cover of darkness, secretly took out a bottle of suspicious liquid and drank it all in one gulp, then took out an ID card from her pocket and hung it around her neck.

The security guard, carrying a flashlight, came out suspiciously and shooed the group away: "Go somewhere else for your date, there's nothing fun here."

Fujimaru Ritsuka greeted her with an innocent smile. For some reason, Yukino felt that even Fujimaru Ritsuka's smile now had a shimmering glow, making him seem like a male protagonist straight out of a shoujo manga.

The evidence is that the two guys next to me were acting a bit awkwardly.

Hmph, you thieving cat.

Fujimaru Ritsuka held up her badge as she walked and said, "Sir, I'm a staff member of the 'Modern Urban Ghost Stories Search' program. Could I possibly take up a little of your time?"

The security guard was about to refuse and question, but after seeing Fujimaru Ritsuka's face, he involuntarily changed his words: "Eh...a TV program? What's so interesting about this?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka said in a friendly tone, "It's like this, our program recently received a tip that something strange is happening at the Expo at night. Even after the Folklore Expo was recently canceled, strange things are still happening. So our program director just had a sudden idea and sent me out to check it out."

He quietly approached the security guard and whispered, "Brother, look at those three girls over there. They're all interns on our show, from wealthy families who've come here to experience life."

Before the security guard could decide whether to continue the conversation, his attention was drawn to the three men. —Indeed, they were all quite good-looking, and their clothes were clearly made of high-quality material. Ah, except for the short, blond guy in the green tracksuit.

Two inheritors who had been eavesdropping in the distance chuckled: Before coming here today, Fujimaru Ritsuka had specifically reminded them to change into more mature-looking casual clothes. They thought it was just to put on a good show in front of Mrs. Sawamura, but it turned out to be effective here as well.

Fujimaru Ritsuka continued whispering in his ear, "These young ladies all want to find something exciting, so they volunteered to come out on assignment with me. If we don't get anything out of it, I'll definitely get blamed and complained about later... So, bro, can you help me out?"

As she spoke, Fujimaru Ritsuka casually handed over a pack of cigarettes.

The security guard initially wanted to decline, after all, he had to be true to his job.

Then he noticed a few lovely 10,000 yen bills in the casually opened cigarette pack.

The security guard coughed, naturally accepted the cigarette pack, and smiled broadly: "Well, it's always good to help others. I also happen to have something to share, so you won't be put in a difficult position. You look so young, but you're actually quite sensible!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka clasped his hands together, his expression unchanged: "Thanks, brother. I'm just shy—aren't you guys coming over?" He turned to the three of them and said the last part.

Is this even allowed? These excuses seem full of holes.

The three looked at each other and then walked over. Yukino Yukinoshita was a little curious whether the drink that Fujimaru Ritsuka had just consumed had taken effect.

Fujimaru Ritsuka watched them approach, then pulled out a voice recorder from her pocket with an air of professionalism.

The security guard's spirits lifted; who knows, my voice might get broadcast on TV later!

He lowered his voice: "The information you received is correct. This exhibition hall is extremely problematic."

23. As long as I'm ruthless enough, I'll defeat all the demons and monsters.

Fukuzawa Yukichi, what a beautiful name! Just mentioning it brings immense happiness.

Of course, besides the adorable Manny, Fujimaru Ritsuka also has to thank Kaiki Deishuu for the [Love Elixir].

As Hohenheim's flagship product, the [Potion of Love] and other potions have caused countless incidents in Chaldea and played a crucial role in numerous events. Now, a single bottle of [Potion of Love - Weakening - Charm Affinity Modified] is enough to earn Fujimaru Ritsuka initial favorability towards the older man during negotiations.

With the added pressure of the gold bomb, the security guard was extremely forthcoming with his knowledge.

He lit a cigarette, the flickering light slightly illuminating his serious expression: "This is a real estate project under Sumitomo Realty Industries, specializing in the operation of various exhibitions. I've worked here for decades and have seen it all. But this time it's really strange."

"How so?" Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately took on the role of the straight man.

The security guard didn't keep anyone in suspense and started talking about the strange things that had happened recently.

During the folk expo, everything was peaceful during the day, but strange noises often came from the hall at night. Young security guards, unafraid of trouble, went inside to investigate, but they always managed to detect various unpleasant odors.

"The smell of the sea, the stench of blood, and the constant whispers and rustling made the young man run out of there desperately. But after he got out, nothing else happened. It was as if everything only happened when someone entered the club at night." The security guard squinted, speaking in a very dry tone, but the lingering fear in his eyes was obvious.

Fujimaru Ritsuka stroked his chin: "Brother, that's too simplistic. Isn't there anything further to add?"

The security guard shook his head: "There's nothing we can do. We don't know anything. What we just said was based on what we felt when we were standing at the door. After that young man came back, he was always in a daze and couldn't speak clearly. Then he left without saying goodbye and resigned."

The information is far too simple.

Fujimaru Ritsuka frowned and said in a complaining tone, "Brother, that's not fair of you. It's not right to use such a simple message to fob me off."

The security guard stared at him blankly, his eyes appearing somewhat frightening in the stark white light of the flashlight. He forced a smile: "Of course, after all, my principle is to mind my own business..."

"...It's like, if a reporter or someone else ignores your advice and does something they shouldn't, you might not be able to control them?"

The security guard turned around decisively, patting his back as he shuffled to the other side: "Oh dear, there's nothing of value in this exhibition hall. I'm getting old, and I can't keep up with the patrols anymore."

Tap tap tap... He hunched over and slowly disappeared from everyone's sight, looking somewhat like a hyena hunting for food, with a strange air about him.

Eriri's mouth dropped open; she felt she had truly learned something new tonight. Is this the wicked and filthy adult world? I've learned nothing!

Watching the flashlight beam disappear into the distance, Fujimaru Ritsuka tossed her head back to signal to follow, and then headed towards the exhibition hall.

Fujimaru Ritsuka had already found the Twilight Muramasa and was about to unlock the gate—when they discovered that the gate was not locked.

"That security guard seemed a bit off. Even if he was greedy, he shouldn't be so blatant in abusing his duties." Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned closer to Fujimaru Ritsuka. Now that she thought about it, she felt that the security guard's expression and actions were a bit unnatural, as if he was being manipulated.

“Yukinoshita, you’re faster, see if you can find that guy.” Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded, agreeing with Kasumigaoka Utaha’s assessment, and spoke to Yukinoshita Yukino.

Yukino Yukinoshita manifested the power of Alter Ego and vanished from the spot in an instant.

After waiting for three minutes, Yukino Yukinoshita returned.

She shook her head: "I've looked all around, but I can't find him anymore."

Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed, "Well, there's no other way. We have to go in."

He ignited his golden pupils and looked up at the sky above the hall, where he could vaguely see many blurry dotted lines extending outwards. Approaching such close range, he finally saw a line connecting to Sawamura Eriri, then strangely tying a knot in her hair.

Eriri, facing those golden, inhuman eyes, flinched slightly: "W-What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's nothing, we should have found the right place." Fujimaru Ritsuka pushed open the door.

Squeak~~

The door made a slight sound, and the entire interior of the clubhouse was finally revealed to everyone.

As the doors opened, light suddenly illuminated the interior of the hall from the darkness. The decorations hanging on the ceiling emitted a faint glow again and began to move. It was as if the stars in the sky were revolving, trying to move to the right position, and the sounds of singing, sighing, whispering, and rustling, whose source was indistinguishable, arose in response.

Even inside the empty hall, everyone felt as if they were in the Roman Colosseum, surrounded by countless spectators, with countless eyes peering out from behind the dark, feathered masks, like watching unarmed slave gladiators enter the arena to fight wild beasts with pity or fervor.

Fujimaru Ritsuka gave a cold laugh: "Playing tricks." Then, he strode forward.

Whether it's the Cthulhu Mythos or the supernatural, he's always held one view: as long as I'm strong enough and my resilience and willpower are high enough, I can smash everyone's heads in. At the very least, I can escape, right?

He no longer held back, circulating all his magical power. Crimson flames were born from the void, coiling around him and roaming his skin as if possessing a living will. These flames did not require oxygen as nourishment, nor did they possess the intense light and heat of ordinary flames. Instead, they were nourished by his magical power, filling every inch of the space around him, containing the power to burn away all resentment and filth.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, engulfed in flames, moved tirelessly, each step striking the earth like a hammer blow. Like a fire god descending from the heavens, his every step forward terrified the figures in the darkness.

The sighs, whispers, and rustling sounds vanished without a trace, as if the onlookers, realizing the ruthless character was none of their business, simply ran away.

Only the singing remains.

The sound seemed much quieter. The person seemed a bit weak.

Yukino Yukinoshita smiled and, along with Utaha Kasumigaoka, linked arms with Eriri on either side as they walked forward.

Unnoticed by them, high up, Old John had gone from standing proudly to lying on the ground, his right hand still pressing down on the vanished security guard, his teeth clenched: "Aki Tomoya...you really know how to cause me trouble!"

24. This is not what I expected!

If a fellow believer of the same faith sent you a rare and precious experimental subject, wouldn't you be moved?

Old John dared not move.

After inspecting the project in Fukuoka and exchanging ideas on project implementation with the members of the Seven Deadly Sins, he also collected some information about Chaldea.

The information from the Seven Deadly Sins was also rather vague—this group had previously assisted the Special Affairs Bureau and the Shinsengumi in thwarting our operations.

In the two attacks by Fujimaru Ritsuka and his team, the Special Affairs Bureau concealed most of the information the first time, and most of the attackers were arrested. The second time, Machio Naruzo was more prominent; by the time Fujimaru Ritsuka delivered the decisive blow, the opposing clones had almost disappeared, making it impossible to gather much information.

As for the incident in Chiba City, that's just speculation.

So a lot of information rotted in the stomachs of jealousy. After all, I can't be the only one suffering.

So even though Old John, a certain section chief who was full of incompetence, had a higher estimate of Chaldea's strength, he didn't expect Fujimaru Ritsuka's true strength to reach this level.

The magic trembled throughout the vast arena, and even Old John, who was hiding far away, could clearly feel the aftershocks. But the most deadly thing was the flame; even to the naked eye, it was terrifying, and one's will felt as if it were being burned.

Old John groaned in despair. What malicious intent could a simple folklorist possibly have? It was nothing more than a simple greeting curse, illusion, and madness combo, combined with summoned monsters to attack. Plain and unadorned, all his control skills required checks on Willpower or Intelligence, yet this flame seemed specifically designed to target Willpower and Mental-related external abilities.

In other words, it's a natural counter!

He had managed to remotely detect the other party's movements and was even smugly planning to trap these inexperienced inheritors and use them as sacrifices.

If I really go down there, I'm afraid I'll be sacrificed to the Blood God with my blood, and my skull will be offered up as a sacrifice.

"Master, I led them in as you instructed. Once they're in the trap over there, shouldn't we go down?" The security guard, though puzzled as to why his master had forced him to lie on the ground, was still eager to demonstrate his loyalty.