Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

"Constantly seeking new pleasures, without pleasure one feels pain, and with pleasure one quickly becomes bored. It's just a matter of prolonging life, half-dead, constantly dragging things out. Maybe one day one gets tired of it, or gets a little impulsive, and then one quits the game."

As he spoke, Sano lit a cigarette.

The little girl listened with a blank expression. Besides being young and unable to understand more profound things, the more important reason was probably that she couldn't understand the "professional terms" Sano was using, but she could understand the general meaning.

It should have been conveyed.

But right after Sano finished speaking, Ito Taka, who was standing next to him, suddenly put his arm around his shoulder.

"Master."

Ito Taka feigned concern and asked, "You're not thinking of jumping off here, are you?"

...Because of his current position, Sano's gaze was naturally directed downstairs when he spoke, and coupled with his words, it was inevitable that he would be misunderstood.

But it was only Ito Taka who said that.

Sano absolutely refused to believe that this was a misunderstanding.

It can only be mockery.

Sano glanced at him again and laughed.

"Whether I want to jump or not, I don't know, but right now I really want to throw you down."

"...Hehehe, just kidding."

Ito Taka grinned and said, "But Master, I really resonated with what you just said. I never imagined that the distance between our hearts could be so close. This must be what they call a match made in heaven."

"roll."

……

"Hey, hey, hey, do you guys know that FFF group that's been all the rage online lately?"

"Ah, you mean that virtual organization whose motto is 'showing off your love will lead to a quick death,' right?"

"There are so many people in there! Lots of single people have joined, and there are members all over the country. I heard they've already opened several chat groups."

"Wasn't that thing also called the Fire-Bearing Cult?"

"Well, it's because they seem to particularly like using fire as a kind of symbol, like a flag or emblem. They also use phrases like 'Would you like to pass on the fire?' when inviting fellow enthusiasts or new members."

"Haha, this sounds pretty interesting. I'll go in and try it out sometime."

"..."

After school once again, the students around her were walking home in groups, discussing the latest gossip. After her initial curiosity, Suzuki Sonoko curled her lip in disdain: "What? There are all sorts of weirdos these days. They even have to be hostile to people's dating life. How sour."

"That thing doesn't seem to be hostile to dating."

Sano casually said, "The main theme of the FFF group, besides 'showing off your love will lead to a quick death,' is that people who desecrate feelings deserve to die. However, this part is not controversial or topical, so it has been subconsciously ignored. Moreover, even if we only talk about the former, it doesn't mean that people are not allowed to date. It just means that we hope they can stop in time and not show it off in front of others, because that is indeed quite uncomfortable."

Sano wrote a long and detailed explanation while being dictated. Sonoko Suzuki, who was standing next to him, blinked and asked, "Senpai, how come you seem to know so much about this FFF group? Could it be... that you've also joined this virtual organization?"

Upon hearing this, even Ran Mouri cast a glance at Sano towards the counter.

...Among the trio, the one who can still be unequivocally called a single dog at the moment.

That leaves Sano.

Sano smirked and said, "While I, as a pure love warrior, am indeed not only hostile to minotaurs, but also as a normal person, I hate being forced to watch people being lovey-dovey, I'm not that bad yet."

"Yeah."

The two best friends exchanged a glance, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Ok?

Sano's gaze suddenly shifted, but he quickly looked away again.

"You can go on your own. I just remembered I have something I need to take care of."

"what?"

Before the two best friends could react, Sano had already turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

The scene changes.

In the depths of a dark alley where there is no sunlight, a person dressed in a black robe is lying on the ground, clutching his head, being relentlessly kicked by three or four people.

"You, you are being extremely disrespectful to the gods! You will surely be punished by them!"

"God, my foot! Let your god just pop out and show me!"

The group continued to curse and kick even harder.

The figure in black robes was quite tough; even though he couldn't resist at all, he kept trying to fight back, especially verbally refusing to back down.

Sano, who had already changed into his vest, watched for a while before finally going over.

The group was suddenly stopped by Sano. They were about to vent their anger on him, but after just one look between them, they inexplicably stopped moving, took a few steps back, and looked at the two people in front of them warily.

"God, it's God!"

The man in the long robe thought those guys had finished fighting, but when he looked up, he saw Sano and his face lit up with surprise and admiration.

Chapters 553 and 556, Berserker Believer

Sano crouched down and looked into the eyes of the man in the long robe.

Even though quite a few days have passed.

Even after that day, Sano never tried to control his emotions again.

But the fervor in his eyes for Sano remained undiminished.

...This level can no longer be described as being entirely at the emotional level.

To put it less rigorously...

This person has clearly been brainwashed and is essentially Sano's puppet.

However, as mentioned before, this is quite different from the puppets under Ito Taka's command... It can't be said that it's bad, but rather that each has its own advantages.

Needless to say, puppets, lacking even a will, don't need the word "loyalty" anymore; they are absolutely obedient to orders and have absolute trust.

Even the most fanatical man in a long robe always feels there's a slight possibility of sudden betrayal, and if that were to happen, it would be a major blunder, but this is because of the premise of willpower.

This thing won't behave so rigidly.

At certain specific moments, there may be unexpected effects.

Sano decided to temporarily refer to this type of character as a fanatical believer.

This product itself is an unexpected bonus.

Sano had long had the idea of ​​brainwashing people, but he had no clue how to do it.

Unexpectedly, after being teased by this guy last time, the heat didn't subside for a long time afterward, but continued, which aroused Sano's slight interest.

Sano planned to observe carefully to see how long this guy's condition could last.

If it's really strong enough.

So, starting in this direction isn't a bad idea, is it?

However, the standards for this kind of "believer-like" brainwashing are not very clear, and those who can meet the standards seem to have little ability... To put it bluntly, those whose emotions can be easily controlled by Sano must not have very high willpower. If willpower is low, even if there is potential for future development, that potential is likely to be pitifully small...

Are such believers really useful?

Sano was thinking as he looked at the man in the long robe.

A few seconds of silence left the man in the long robe with a hint of unease and apprehension in his eyes.

And there's also awkwardness.

The man in the long robe was clearly worried that if his "god" saw such a shameful scene, he might be seen as too incompetent and thus abandoned.

But these emotions are just too much of a burden.

Under normal circumstances, Sano might have been able to use these emotions to brainwash people.

But now there's no need for brainwashing anymore.

What Sano needs is to help this already weak guy get rid of these weak attributes.

Emotions can reduce a person's ability to perform.

So, if used properly, it should be able to improve, right?

"...You're more useless than I thought."

Sano, without any subtlety, directly provoked him.

"You can't even handle a few pieces of trash like these. What's the point of living in this world? Look at yourself now, so pathetic. Even if you change your clothes, you're still essentially the same as that beggar on the street."

Seeing the man in the long robe clench his fist in the corner of his eye, Sano changed the subject.

"What, you disagree with what I'm saying?"

"No, God, I..."

"Do not?"

The smile that usually graced Sano's face had vanished, replaced only by indifference.

"Why not? Don't you have any self-respect? If I call you a bedbug, do you really think of yourself as a bedbug? If you really have that kind of thought."

"Then I think you should take off these clothes and put them back on your tattered clothes, and then go back to the street and pretend to be pitiful... If you don't want to, then show some results and prove yourself."

Sano grabbed the man in the long robe by the hair and forcibly turned his gaze toward the group of guys.

"Look at them. Do you think they've stopped attacking you because they pity you or are afraid of you? No, in their eyes, you're nothing more than an insignificant insect that they can trample on whenever they want."

Under Sano's deliberate guidance, the man in the long robe felt anger towards those guys.

It finally emerged.

The anger, resentment, and fear of being abandoned combined and intertwined, causing the ascent to accelerate continuously.

In addition, Sano's fox-eyed side is deliberately manipulating things.

Bloodshot veins spread across his eyes, while blue veins appeared on his face and hands.

The extreme emotions were like an adrenaline shot for the man in the long robe.