In Tokyo, I draw cards and become a big demon

A cold gaze that penetrated deep into the bone marrow suddenly filled the entire ward, sending chills down Uesugi Tetsu's spine.

But the next moment, the pen was pulled out by Uesugi Tetsu with a "pop" sound, and a lazy voice came: "I thought it was someone else... Uesugi-kun, you're awake..."

Nanjo Aimi rubbed her eyes sleepily and straightened up slowly. Her shirt, which had already been stretched to pieces by the huge pressure, slid uncontrollably to the sides.

The snow-capped mountains in the middle stand up tremblingly, transforming from the winding Alps into the towering Mount Everest, almost giving people a premonition that it is about to burst out.

"Hey, Nanjo-san, please pay attention to your image."

Uesugi Che glanced over, staring at the vase on the windowsill, and warned seriously: "It's cold out, so dress carefully and don't catch a cold."

"Ok?"

Nanjo Aimi was still in the confused state of getting up after just waking up. She half-opened her eyes and turned her head several times in vain before finally picking up the button that was broken onto the bed with her fingers.

She snorted unhappily.

"If I had known earlier, I would have changed to a larger size. Now I have to buy a new one, which is even more troublesome."

Nanjo Aimi lowered her head for a long time before tapping her head with her fingers and realizing what was going on.

She raised the corner of her lip slightly, without fastening the buttons of her loose suit, but leaned forward curiously towards Uesugi Tetsu with her hands behind her back.

"Uesugi-kun, are you shy?"

Uesugi Tetsu stared at the vase without looking away: "It's just the change of seasons. I don't want Nanjo-san to catch a cold and affect her work."

Nanjo Aimi smiled for the first time, stood up from the standard low stool, rubbed her buttocks which were numb from sitting for so long, raised her hands and stretched straight.

"I'm finally not under the same roof with those guys who might hinder my career. Please let me relax a little and breathe some fresh air."

The woman chuckled. "Besides, it doesn't matter at all to this extent... This isn't something you intentionally caused, and you're not a married man, Uesugi-kun."

Nanjo Aimi shrugged at him and said in a nonchalant tone amidst the earth-shaking,

"So if you want to stick to your guns, it's okay to just take a few more glances... I'm not the kind of boss who'd grab hold of something and then use the excuse of 'you don't want anyone to know you did this' to pressure you."

She took out a cigarette from her pocket, waved it in front of Uesugi Che's eyes, then put it between her lips and lit it: "As for my boss, I think I'm doing pretty well."

Uesugi Tetsu shifted his gaze from the vase on the windowsill to Kaga Kiyomitsu leaning against the wall, took a deep breath, and then said calmly,

"I still say the same thing, Nanjo-san. Having a cold will affect your work efficiency. It won't be good if the workload piles up."

Nanjo Ai glanced at the air conditioner on the screen that was lit at 26° and smiled.

"Then let's try to talk about work."

After tidying up the documents scattered on the bed, Nanjo Ai stood aside and took three cigarettes to deal with them.

On the way, Uesugi Tetsu, listening to the little tune hummed by Nanjo Aimi, understood that this was the relaxed attitude of his current nominal boss.

Although Uesugi Tetsu didn't quite understand why Nanjo Aimi, who always maintained a reasonable social distance in front of most people, could be so relaxed in front of him.

But that's a good thing.

Nanjo Aimi now not only has to work around the clock to deal with mountains of documents, but also has to travel on business every day and negotiate with supernatural figures from all over the country... It is no exaggeration to say that he is the ultimate version of 007.

No matter who you are, if you keep the string in your heart too tense for a long time, the string in your heart will eventually break or lose its original elasticity.

No matter what method you use or where you are, people need to relax from time to time to help them recover better mentally.

Da da.

The sound of thick documents knocking on the wooden table was heard. Nanjo Aishi picked up another blank document and sat down next to Uesugi Tetsu's thighs.

Uesugi Che was stunned.

"Since you want to talk about work, let's just do the usual formalities and record everything related to that three-star demon."

As Nanjo Aishi spoke, she quickly filled in the basic information on the document.

It was not until the black pen shook in front of Uesugi Che's eyes several times that he suddenly came to his senses.

Then, under the subtle gaze of Nanjo Aimi, he began to talk about matters related to Juhinaya Yogi as if nothing had happened.

Uesugi Che didn't think it was a big deal.

If a natural wonder such as an earthquake or an avalanche suddenly occurs right in front of you, it is normal to be stunned for a few seconds. It can only be said that this is human nature.

after a while.

"In other words, the only remaining hidden danger is the Goto Bathhouse in Yuhara River Town."

Nanjo Aimi rested her elbows on her waist and stared at the upper half of the document in her hand.

"That's theoretically true." Uesugi Tetsu thought for a moment and continued, "But I think those two earthbound spirits, who are most likely Goto Yoko's parents, aren't very aggressive."

——Just because the two earthbound spirits were able to understand the meaning of his words in a short period of time and let him go, Uesugi Tetsu thought it was worth saying a good word for them.

Otherwise, by the time he takes down the earthbound spirit with its home advantage and extremely strong vitality, it would be hard to say whether all the monks in Honganji would still be alive.

"I see."

Nanjo Ai nodded, added a sentence at the end of the file, sealed it with Yin-Yang magic, stood up and stuffed it into a cowhide bag that seemed to be specially made.

Immediately afterwards, Uesugi Tetsu saw Nanjo Aimi pick up the apple that had been placed on the bedside table, go into the bathroom to wash it, and then come out with a knife.

Nanjo Aimi sat on the bed with her legs crossed. She used Yin-Yang magic to dry the water droplets on the surface of the apple, then picked up a knife and began to peel the apple bit by bit.

Uesugi Tetsu asked in confusion: "Nanjo-sister, what are you doing?"

"Peeling a big apple, don't you see?"

Nanjo Ai used the blade of the knife to cut across the skin of the apple in circles, from top to bottom.

You are just putting it here.

Uesugi Tetsu was speechless, but he was soon attracted by the movements in Nanjo Aimi's hands.

——If you look carefully for a while, you will find that the thickness of each circle of apple peel peeled by Nanjo Ai is exactly the same, and it also ensures that there is no excess apple peel left on it.

The apple peels hung down in circles, forming a long string.

"Nanjo-san's hand control is so good?" Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but wonder, "Could she have practiced breathing techniques?"

However, Uesugi Tetsu soon discovered that even a huge white apple with its skin peeled off was not as magnificent as the tip of an iceberg.

As the blade sizzled across the apple peel, Nanjo Ai seemed to remember something and began to speak, shaking her legs wrapped in thick black stockings.

"When I used to watch anime, I always noticed that the female characters who came to visit patients in the hospital would always bring a fruit basket and peel apples for the patients who were about to recover and be discharged. At this time, the atmosphere would become warm and cozy."

“So I wanted to try what it felt like to do that.”

This seems to be true.

Uesugi Tetsu's interest was piqued, and he asked, "So how does it feel?"

Click.

As the blades shifted, the smooth apple was pinched in Nanjo Aimi's hand.

She picked up the long, winding apple peel wrapped around her fingers, raised her head and swallowed it into her mouth bite by bite, thinking as she chewed.

After a while, Nanjo Aimi turned around, looked into Uesugi Tetsu's eyes and said seriously, "Actually, there's nothing special about it."

Snap, snap, snap, the apple was broken into many pieces and fell onto a porcelain plate that Nanjo Aimi had taken out from somewhere.

She stuck a toothpick on it and handed it to Uesugi Tetsu.

It seems like my expectations were in vain.

Uesugi Tetsu took the fruit plate, thanked him, and then began to eat the apples one by one with a crunching sound.

"Uesugi-kun, in fact, many things in this world are like this."

Nanjo Aimi stared at the ceiling. “Rumors spread, things are taken out of context, and filters are used to beautify things—that’s why before we do something or become someone, we always have so many unrealistic and beautiful fantasies.”

“Only when you actually do it will you suddenly realize that things are not quite what you imagined.”

Uesugi Tetsu thought to himself that he was just eating an apple, why did he suddenly say such a thing to him.

Does this have anything to do with Apple?

Nanjo Aimi seemed to see through his thoughts. She turned her head and took an apple from the fruit bowl without any hesitation: "I just don't want you to become as awkward as me."

"So, Uesugi-kun." Nanjo Aimi raised the fruit pulp to the two of them, "Think carefully before you act."

"Nanjo-sama."

After nodding, Uesugi Che suddenly said, "How many days have I slept?"

Nanjo Aimi: "About two days or so. Your injury is quite serious."

Uesugi Che nodded in understanding. Since Nanjo-sama hadn't revealed her true intentions yet, it was his turn to reveal Nanjo Aimi's true intentions.

"Then why were you able to stay with me for more than two days?"

"It's only natural for a boss to care about his subordinates. Why are there so many whys?"

Uesugi Tetsu laughed. "Nanjo-sister, do you expect me to believe this nonsense? If you need anything, if you want me to do something, just tell me directly. Why do we need to beat around the bush? Let's just be frank."

After saying that, he added, "If you continue to hesitate, I will have to return to Arakawa District to train with Lilizi."

Nanjo Aimi propped herself up on the bed with both hands and glanced outwards: "Oh no, I've been seen through."

"I never thought that I would become the kind of guy I used to hate the most."

Nanjo Aimi sighed and continued, "In seven days, the Special Affairs Office will hold an important sword test in Yokohama with the ancient local dojo, Oborozuki-do."

"I've already made an agreement with them, so this match will determine whether the Arakawa District Special Affairs Office can continue to expand its influence and promote its system throughout Yokohama City."

Nanjo Aimi: "Obogetsu-do doesn't really care about the difference between the old and new eras, nor does it care whether or not supernatural knowledge will circulate. For them, as long as they can slay demons, that's all that matters."

She continued,

"What we have to do is prove to these demon slayers that as a new generation, the geniuses cultivated by our Special Affairs Department system are stronger than theirs."

"In this way, Longyuetang will not only not hinder us from 'misleading the students', but will stand on our side and become a de facto ally."

Real sword test.

As the name suggests, both sides use real sharp swords to compete, rather than wooden swords and bamboo swords with less lethality, so it is very easy to cause casualties.

Even if both parties have agreed to stop at a certain point, if even one of them has other intentions, it will lead to the same outcome as a real life-and-death battle.

Even if both sides want to stop fighting at a certain point, it is very likely that they will accidentally kill their opponent due to their similar strength.

By the time I remembered to put away the knife, it was already too late.

Uesugi Tetsu rubbed his hands together, feeling a little itchy again: "Then why didn't you say it before?"

"—Because I'm afraid that after I tell you, you'll ignore your own objective conditions for various reasons and force yourself to participate in this real sword test."

"—Originally, I asked you to participate in the seeding tournament in a month like everyone else. The subsequent Imperial Tournament has already seriously disrupted your personal training, hasn't it, Uesugi-kun?"

Nanjo Aimi raised her finger in front of her lips and said, "In short, I don't want to tell you this because it's 'for your own good.'"

——Nanjo-sister, are you my mother?

Such a thought once again popped into Uesugi Che's mind after a long absence. He rubbed his temples and felt a little distressed.

Nanjo Aimi actually wanted to hide the fact of the real sword test because of such an insignificant worry. Did she think that he was a child who had not grown up and could not weigh the pros and cons of participating or not?

However, she seemed to be aware of this, which is why she said what she just said.

You are too indecisive, Nanjo-san.

but--

Uesugi Tetsu pondered, "Since this is a swordfight, wouldn't it be easy to defeat Ririkko, whose swordsmanship far surpasses mine? She has now mastered the Sword Domain, a unique skill said to be possessed only by ancient sword masters."

"I already told you, it's a [True Sword Test]."

Nanjo Aiji said: "The kind that can kill people... There is no clear limit on the strength of the contestants, as long as it is not obviously the old generation fighting the new generation."

It turned out to be the case.

It's really not enough to just have one glass.

Because Lilizi's swordsmanship and state of mind are higher than most of her peers.

But when it comes to real combat power, Lilizi, who has only been in the extraordinary realm for a few days, is still far inferior to many practitioners.

There is a possibility that the result will be crushed by pure numbers.

"Besides," Nanjo Aizu stood up, rummaged through some documents, and threw them at him. "The rules say there are no other taboos besides prohibiting firearms. God knows what strange and bizarre methods the few people they sent out will use."

"--Although I personally think that Longyuetang doesn't need to deliberately use so-called cheating methods, what if those methods are actually normal in their eyes?"