In Tokyo, I draw cards and become a big demon

Uesugi Che was shocked. It was already past two in the morning and Ririko was still not sleeping?

You have to know that Lilizi is not like him who just yesterday started with the breathing method, broke through the natural rational flow and gained a full 6 points of physical fitness. Moreover, she has been practicing for such a long time while guiding herself...

He subconsciously said, "You don't want to live anymore, do you?"

Then Uesugi Tetsu realized that Nanjo Aimi was still holding the phone. He coughed twice and said, "I'm talking about Ririkko."

After a moment, Nanjo Aishi passed on the message: "She said she is doing research and sleeps a few hours a day. Sleeping a few times is most helpful for her practice. Don't worry."

Now, Uesugi Che really didn’t know what to say in response.

Scientific sleep method...it's her idea.

"--So, Uesugi-kun, what's your answer?"

"How many stars is the commission?"

"one star."

The answer speaks for itself.

……

The van arrived opposite my house after forty minutes.

Uesugi Che glanced at his father and found that the old man was still chewing slowly on the balcony. After eating for so long, there was only a skinny thigh left. It was really not a waste.

When he went out, Uesugi Che couldn't help but look back again.

——He seemed to feel that Ghost Dad’s aura had changed compared to the beginning. Although it could not be said to have increased significantly, it was definitely stronger than at the beginning.

Could it be that Ghost Dad can become stronger by eating monsters?

If that's the case, then maybe the other party's intention to eat me is just a pretext, and their real purpose is to guard the monster cage on the balcony and wait for new monsters to drop...

It would be troublesome to raise Ghost Dad to a higher star, but it would be a waste to ask the Special Affairs Office to get rid of him like this.

The inexplicable guesses confused Uesugi Tetsu's thoughts.

So much so that when he opened the door and got into the car, he didn't even notice that he was sitting in the arms of Ririko, who had been sitting in the seat with her eyes closed waiting.

"puff--"

Ririko, with her eyes closed, almost suffocated by Uesugi Che's sitting.

She finally managed to catch her breath through breathing techniques, and after several seconds, she said, "Uesugi-kun, you're committing murder. If you don't like it, you can tell me directly."

Uesugi Tetsu was a little embarrassed for the first time in a long time: "It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

He suggested, "Lilizi, if you don't mind, you can sit back."

Lilizi had said this to him before, so it wasn't an offense for him to say it now.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Shizuma Mafuyu hummed inwardly, glancing in the rearview mirror. She thought the couple were having quite a bit of fun, but they wouldn't really do that in front of an outsider like her...

Before Shizuma Manfuyu could finish her thoughts, she saw Ririko say "OK", and without saying a word, she landed like a mountain in Uesugi Tetsu's arms.

Uesugi Tetsu's eyes immediately darkened: "Puff!"

Even though his physique was far superior to Lilizi's, he could not resist the other party's precise knowledge of the intersection points when the breathing method was operated.

If he sits there, Uesugi Che will definitely get a stitch in the side.

Lilizi, who happened to be leaning on Uesugi Tetsu's shoulder, turned around and smiled: "Okay, now we're even."

Witnessing all this, Shizuma Mafuyu said nothing, but just gripped the steering wheel tightly.

It's hard, the fist is hard.

——Damn it, why haven’t I ever been in a relationship when I’m about to graduate from college? I spent time studying for exams in junior high and high school, and doing research projects in college. Now that I start working at the Special Affairs Office, all those trivial things take up almost all of my time after get off work every day.

Although this was Shizuma Mafuyu's own choice, she also knew that this would be the consequence.

But...why does it hurt so much?!

Chapter 95: Are you a little nervous for the first time?

Shizuma Mafuyu glared fiercely at the two people arguing behind her and shouted, "Shut up, you bastards! I'm going to start explaining the commission!"

With a snap, Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko immediately returned to their seats without saying a word, quietly waiting for Shizuma Manfuyu's next words.

With this synchronization rate, are you guys going to drive an EVA...

Shizuma Manfuyu raised her brows as she watched.

However, her professionalism was still strong. She calmed down within two seconds and said, "This mission is a one-star commission that is relatively wide-ranging, but not very dangerous or urgent."

"The target demon is most likely a [living being], a special kind of vengeful spirit. It's not as aggressive as ordinary vengeful spirits, nor does it kill people in a targeted manner. Instead, it absorbs people's souls bit by bit over a large area."

"After someone in that area called the police, the Special Affairs Office confirmed that many people had experienced physical weakness at the same time, but it was not serious, and no signs of other demons were found."

Shizuma Mafuyu paused. "Therefore, the target confirmation list is limited to creatures between one and one and a half stars."

Lilizi memorized her words word for word, emphasizing the key points, and then asked, "Anything else I should pay attention to?"

Shizuma Mafuyu started the panel car and said as he drove, "Besides that, the creatures don't like fire and sound very much, and they are very sensitive to other demons, but Hikari is fine."

"So before you encounter it, be careful not to alert the enemy, and..."

After a while, all the precautions were explained. Lilizi nodded repeatedly while keeping her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist.

Uesugi Tetsu stared at Ririko with her eyes closed for a while and found that the feeling she gave people had changed compared to before.

It was as if... the King of Involution, Lilizi, who had been constantly practicing, suddenly disappeared, and what was left was just an ordinary newcomer Special Affairs Department operator.

Strange things.

Uesugi Tetsu asked doubtfully, "Since this is your first time facing a demon, are you a little nervous?"

"nervous?"

Lilizi asked back, "Why would I be nervous? Uesugi-kun, you don't think that me remembering everything Manfuyu-san said is a sign of anxiety, do you?"

She said calmly, "Even a lion will use all its strength to fight a rabbit, let alone a demon that devours human souls. We can never be too careful. Uesugi-kun, you should understand this."

That's why——

"Ah, I understand." Ririko opened her eyes and smiled at him. The spirit in this smile was no different from that of a super otaku JK like Kitano Runa.

"—You're wondering why I look so 'empty', right?"

This is it.

After the other party pointed it out, Uesugi Che understood what was unusual.

That is, Lilizi's spirit is too flat, even weak.

This is different from the previous aspect of temperament. Temperament is fixed for a person in a short period of time, while the state of energy and spirit can change at any time with mood, time, and even weather.

Now Ririko is just an ordinary JK who is so weak that people wonder if she is a shut-in at home.

"That's because I'm using a new technique I've developed. I call it the [Spirit Condensation Technique]." Lilizi glanced at Uesugi Tetsu and snorted, "Aren't you the same, Uesugi-kun?"

Uesugi Tetsu knew that she was probably referring to "Zanshin". The change in his mental state could not be hidden from her.

"To put it simply, when you activate it, you can gradually accumulate and compress your own energy, and then burst it out in an instant, thus swinging a sword that is much more powerful than normal."

Lilizi explained nonchalantly.

Then, she raised her finger as if she remembered something: "And that little technique about temperament from before, I named it [Jade Heart Technique]."

"How about it, do you want to learn?"

Lilizi leaned her head towards him and blinked.

After a brief thought, Uesugi Che discovered that these two little skills could actually be linked together. It would be more efficient to use the Jade Heart Technique to restrain his sharp temperament first, and then use the Soul Condensation Technique.

Damn it, this Lilizi... She's a genius, but why is she working so hard?!

However, this did not stop Uesugi Che from bowing his head and saying, "Che has been adrift for half his life, and I only regret that I have never met a wise master..."

Lilizi held up his hands and said, "My dear, please stand up quickly."

Shizuma Manfuyu was sitting in the front, and her back teeth were about to be broken by watching. She felt that if these two continued to show off, her blood pressure would immediately rise through the roof.

So she interrupted rudely, "Speaking of which, this breathing method is really difficult to practice."

The van suddenly fell into silence, and Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko looked at each other.

It was Lilizi who comforted her first, "It's only the first day. Breathing techniques take time to master. But Sister Manfuyu, please don't be bothered by the hassle of practicing. Otherwise, if you die from staying up all night, I'll have wasted my time teaching you."

Shizuma Manfuyu was almost hurt by anger: "Ms. Tokugawa, thank you..."

Lilizi replied seriously: "It's okay, you're welcome."

But it was this reply, which was so serious that there was not a single flaw in it, that made Shizuma Manfuyu almost spit out blood.

——How could she say such a blessing from the underworld in a serious manner?

Not long after, the van arrived at a parking lot near its destination and quickly turned off the lights and the engine.

Shizuma Mafuyu took out two radios and said, "You can use them all, right?"

The two nodded, and then heard Shizuma Mafuyu continue, "Although it's a simple one-star commission, you still need to maintain regular contact. If you encounter any danger outside of the mission, just leave immediately."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded, then looked around and found that there were almost no lit rooms around him, and the streets were dark and quiet.

He asked one more question,

"What about you, Ms. Jingjian? It would be dangerous to stay here alone."

"rest assured."

Shizuma Mafuyu smiled, pulled open the hem of his shirt, revealing the cold iron light beneath his white shirt.

She had a small pistol on her waist with three magazines on the side.

In addition, a bulletproof vest surging with a faint spiritual power was revealed under the shirt.

"A modified version of the SIG P230, with an 8-round magazine capacity, an effective range of 80 meters, and a total weight of 550 grams. It fires etched bullets that are particularly damaging to spirits and demons."

Shizuma Manfuyu recited the pistol's data like a treasure. After confirming that the safety was properly closed, she said, "Young Master Nanjo said that special times require special treatment."

If it wasn't before the first wave, when demons were rampant, the Special Affairs Office would never have handed the gun to a fresh-faced newbie like Shizuma Mafuyu who had just been employed for less than a month, even with the guarantee of Nanjo Aimi.

Uesugi Tetsu felt relieved when he saw that her hand was not shaking at all when she was holding the gun. It seemed that Shizuma Manfuyu had shot a gun at a shooting range before.

In that case, he has to take it seriously.

With the [Prajna Mask] in his left hand, which was in the blind spot of the other two people, Uesugi Tetsu hung it around his waist and chose "Ghosts and Gods (Weak)" as the copy talent.

Unless there are special circumstances, the copy talent "Ghosts and Gods (Weak)" is definitely more effective than "Greed, Anger, and Ignorance (Weak)" and "Berserk".

Greed, anger, and ignorance can easily cause extremely high damage, but the prerequisite is that the target must have emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness in his heart. It is hard to say whether demons like living beings have independent thinking.

Not to mention the Berserker...

In an instant, Uesugi Tetsu felt his physical strength increase several times, and the range of his five senses almost doubled.

【Uesugi Tetsu】

[Physique: 20→31]

[Willpower: 9 → 11]

[Charm: 9→5]

[Spiritual Arts: 1 → 2]

But in contrast, his entire temperament became cold and fierce, causing his charm to drop to 5 points.

Ririkos nose twitched, and when she turned around and saw Uesugi Tetsu whose charm had become "5", she was stunned and showed a subtle expression.

But she didn't say a word, nor did she explain the situation to Shizuma Mafuyu. She just patted Uesugi Tetsu's back and signaled him to get out of the car quickly.

With a loud bang, the rusty car door was closed.

In the dark night when the moonlight and starlight were both covered, a cold wind blew.

Lilizi wrapped her windbreaker around her and asked in a low voice, "Uesugi-kun, what should we do next?"

Uesugi Tetsu understood that Ririko was giving all the command power to him, the more experienced person.

He pondered for a moment, thinking that living creatures were very sensitive to fire, sound, and the breath of demons.

——Then the Hundred-Eyed Demon Eyeball will not be very useful.