Anime, but the Phantom Thieves of Heart

Lan Ke couldn't help but take a deep breath after returning to the public toilet in the subway station, but quickly covered his nose and left.

The lewd atmosphere that was floating in the air of Yoshiwara was not so bad because he was wearing a mask. After all, the "plague doctor" mask he wore was originally a mask worn by medieval doctors to deal with the Black Death.

However, due to the underdeveloped science and technology at that time, doctors did not know the specific reasons. Some doctors wore masks filled with spices to isolate the smell. Other doctors found that these doctors had a lower incidence of illness, so they made the so-called "epidemic doctor mask" without knowing the principle at all.

The part at the front of this mask that looks like a bird's beak was previously stuffed with spices, and in fact it did play a certain filtering role, which was a blessing in disguise.

But it turns out that toilets smell just as bad.

Lan Ke quickened his pace and left the subway station quickly. Although the subway station was full of exhaust fumes, the air was at least normal. Lan Ke took two deep breaths.

Many passersby unconsciously moved away when they saw Lan Ke's strange behavior.

Although he has only been in Neon for a few days, Lan Ke has long been accustomed to this somewhat indifferent society. This is probably one of the reasons why he cares less and less about other people's opinions.

But at this moment, a voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Ming-senior?"

Someone is calling me?

Lan Ke looked at Busujima Saeko who appeared behind him with surprise, as if wondering why she appeared here.

"minister?"

The reason why Lan Ke was a little confused was not just because he met the other party outside the school. After all, the last time he checked the information, the other party’s home, or the "Dokujima Dojo" should not be in Taito District, and the distance is quite far. How could the other party appear here?

At the same time, I was a little surprised by the other person's clothes.

Because he had seen the other person at school before, Lan Ke's impression of him was basically that he was wearing "school uniform" and "kendo uniform".

The opponent in the former was gentle but stern, while the latter was full of oppression. He was particularly impressed by the "coaching battle" he had just had with the opponent.

Coupled with her smooth purple long hair and the snow-white neck revealed when she tied it into a ponytail, she always gives people the feeling of a standard Yamato Nadeshiko and a princess general.

But today Busujima Saeko was wearing jeans, a shirt and a jacket.

However, the clothes that should have been neutral, combined with the curves revealed by the slim-fitting clothes, made him exude a contradictory heroic spirit.

It was a fashion sense that was completely different from her usual Yamato Nadeshiko-like style.

Of course, Lan Ke doesn’t understand fashion, or it may be that he is simply attracted by the other person because she is pretty and has a good figure.

But after the initial surprise, Lan Ke became a little nervous.

"What brings you here, Minister?"

Although Busujima Saeko did not show too much closeness to him, she was very generous in guiding him in kendo. As long as he asked, she would explain it to him, so Lan Ke was very worried that she would be involved in the "Zawa Yuezhi" case.

But Lan Ke seemed to realize that there was a misunderstanding in what he said, and quickly added.

"Bushi, your family's dojo doesn't seem to be nearby, right?"

Busujima Saeko didn't pay much attention to Lan Ke's words. She just said that outside the 'Kendo Club', she could just call herself 'senpai' as before. As for the reason for her appearance here...

"I came out to attend class."

"Attend class?"

"That's right. Some people's children find it difficult to go to the dojo to practice kendo, so they invite people to teach at home..."

Speaking of this, Busujima Saeko seemed quite helpless, and it was obvious that she did not like this kind of job.

After all, she only has time to "teach" on weekends, and because there are quite a few students, a class usually only lasts about 2 hours. People who really love kendo will definitely not take only one class a week. Most of her so-called students are Japanese nobles or daughters of certain consortiums.

The purpose was not to learn kendo, but to cultivate a temperament. What she taught was not real competitive kendo, but basic posture.

However, Busujima Saeko, who is an outstanding girl among the younger generation of the Japanese kendo world, is particularly popular among these people. After all, they don't want strange men to have too much physical contact with their daughters, and Busujima Saeko doesn't have such trouble.

For Busujima Saeko, who loves kendo and plans to devote her life to it, teaching this kind of thing is really a waste of time. However, because her family runs a kendo hall and her father has certain connections with various parliamentarians and foundations, she simply cannot refuse all of them.

However, she would never tell Lan Ke about this specific situation. She even observed Lan Ke out of habit.

The other person's ears were slightly red, probably because the congestion hadn't completely subsided. Coupled with the other person's exaggerated deep breathing and the breathing that hadn't yet completely calmed down...

"Junior, have you just finished your part-time job?"

In response to Busujima Saeko's question, Lan Ke nodded directly.

"That's right!"

He wasn't lying. After all, being the 'Phantom Thief of Hearts' was also a job, wasn't it?

Looking at Lan Ke who nodded decisively, Busujima Saeko also thought about another thing.

Although she didn't have much contact with Lan Ke, the talent he showed caught her attention. She even couldn't help but think of cultivating him into her rival. If possible, she hoped that Lan Ke would focus more on learning "Kendo".

But at the same time, she also knew that Lan Ke must have his own reasons for choosing to "work".

Suddenly, she had a plan.

"Since you just finished your part-time job, Narukami-kun, you probably didn't have lunch, right?"

Although he didn't know why Busujima Saeko said that, after hearing what she said, Lan Ke really felt a little hungry, so he nodded. Busujima Saeko then showed a gentle smile.

At this moment, he didn't even realize that Busujima Saeko's way of addressing him had changed from "junior" to "Narakami-kun".

"In that case, come with me. I often come here for classes, so I know a good shop~"

Lan Ke's intuition told him that this was a little strange.

It’s not that I think Busujima Saeko will do anything bad to me, I just feel like something is wrong.

After all, although Busujima Saeko was extremely serious when teaching kendo, it was only when she was teaching kendo. She usually gave people the feeling of being close but keeping a distance.

What's the matter with suddenly inviting him today?

Although full of doubts, Lan Ke still followed Busujima Saeko silently.

On the way to the so-called "good shop" by the other party, Busujima Saeko took the initiative to ask Lan Ke about the problems in practice. Lan Ke, who did not doubt him, also asked humbly, for example, whether there was anything that could be improved in the "footwork" that Vice President Aihara Kazuo taught her before, especially since Lan Ke mentioned "larger enemies".

After all, according to P5's nature, the owner of the palace will definitely not be a humanoid monster, and this will undoubtedly affect his performance.

Strictly speaking, Lan Ke is not good at close combat. That's right, although his main fighting method now is to buff himself with "Lamer" and then use a steel pipe to blow up the enemy's dog head, but in fact he is not good at close combat.

The reason why he was able to achieve success repeatedly was firstly because the 'Phantom Thief Suit' strengthened him personally, and secondly because he mastered some 'professional skills'.

As a surgeon who often performs open surgery on people, he has a very good understanding of the human body, especially some vital parts.

But the difference is that before it was to avoid them, but now it is to attack them.

The result is that when fighting against humanoid monsters, Lan Ke can even achieve the effect of "critical hit with every strike".

If translated into a game, it would be something like 'Human Special Attack, Critical Hit Rate UP against Humanoid Monsters'.

In contrast, he had no experience with giant enemies.

"Why are you suddenly thinking about this? With your physical fitness, even a taller opponent shouldn't be able to overpower you. You can just use the same method you're using now, right?"

Facing the doubtful Dudao Fengzi, Lan Ke seemed very natural.

"It's not that I'm a kendo opponent, but I encountered a 'large dragon-shaped monster' while playing the game last night. My character happened to wield a katana, so I couldn't help but be curious..."

If an ordinary person heard Lan Ke's question, they would probably find it nonsensical, or even think that Lan Ke was deliberately looking for trouble with them. However, Busujima Saeko was not angry at all. Instead, she frowned slightly and thought for a while before speaking again.

"I don't have experience fighting this kind of opponent, but some of the concepts of kendo should be universal. For example, I'm best at Iai, and you, Naruto-senpai, are good at upper-level, both of which are fighting styles that tend to 'kill the enemy with one blow.' In contrast, Aihara-kun is more adept at lower-level defensive counterattacks..."

Although Busujima Saeko doesn't like to dress up like other girls, and even wears a rather neutral outfit, her tall figure and proud heart still attracted the attention of many passers-by. However, when they saw a man with a strange hair color next to her, they all showed heartbroken expressions.

But if they knew what the two were talking about at the moment, who knows what expressions they would show?

"A monster like the one you described, Naruto-kun, certainly can't be defended or counterattacked with the usual swordplay. Also, given their sheer size, it's probably difficult to kill them with one strike. If I were to encounter such an enemy, I'd probably resort to a roving fight, right?"

"Yudou?"

Although Lan Ke only participated in half of the club activities every day, he studied very seriously for his own sake and had a solid grasp of the basic knowledge. However, he didn't seem to have the impression that he had ever heard Aihara Ichi explain it to him?

As if she could see the doubt in Lan Ke's eyes, Busujima Saeko began to explain with a gentle smile.

"In a formal kendo competition, constantly dodging will be judged as 'losing the will to fight' and thus be declared the loser. But in a true battle, victory is the foundation of everything. This is probably the biggest difference between 'kendo' and 'kenjutsu', right? After all, the 'Tenshin Shinden Katori Shinto-ryu' I'm learning also has many moves related to 'sneak attacks'..."

"Sneak attack?"

"Yes, it's a sneak attack. For example, the Iai technique I'm good at was originally learned as an assassination technique. It includes both standing and sitting techniques. The sitting technique involves drawing a sword and slashing at an enemy while talking to them. There's also the use of shuriken. Although the Busujima family has a military manual related to it, I haven't studied it."

Shuriken?

Lan Ke didn't expect to hear such a familiar term, but according to Busujima Saeko's explanation, the so-called "shuriken" was different from his impression of a dagger at the front and a circle at the tail, but was more like a "metal cone".

Unlike in school where kendo was the main subject of instruction, at this time Busujima Saeko and Lan Ke talked more about things related to 'swordsmanship'.

Sure enough, as she expected, although Lan Ke was very serious in learning kendo, he was more interested in swordsmanship.

Looking at Lan Ke's eyes that were getting brighter and brighter, Busujima Saeko, who originally had a gentle smile on her face, smiled even more brightly. It was obvious that Lan Ke's attitude was exactly as she expected.

Then next——

"By the way, Senior Ming, it seems you're working part-time on weekends, right?"

"yes……"

Although he is unlikely to tell others about the detailed experience of his "working", Lan Ke has become accustomed to treating it as "working".

"In that case, have you ever considered working at the 'Bushima Dojo', Naruto-senpai?"

"Working at the dojo? Thank you for your kindness, but I don't really like cleaning..."

Although Lan Ke thought that Busujima Saeko had good intentions, he still decisively refused. After all, even if he really planned to find a place to "work", it was more to cover up his "Phantom Thief" job. A place like the dojo was not suitable, not to mention that Busujima Saeko introduced him to it, and he was embarrassed to skip work.

But what he didn't expect was that Busujima Saeko shook her head.

"It's not this kind of job, it's 'sparring'."

"Sparring partner?"

"That's right! Although apprentices in the dojo generally choose to practice sparring, sometimes there may be professional sparring partners. Although you have only been learning kendo for a short time, you have excellent physical fitness and quick reaction times, making you a very suitable sparring partner. After all, sparring requires not attacking, but defense and dodging... Of course, during this time, you can also learn some things about 'swordsmanship'."

Busujima Saeko's smile was as gentle as ever, but Lan Ke always had a strange feeling...

Chapter 53: Maintaining a man's dignity is also a woman's modesty

Although Busujima Saeko's smile remained the same, Lan Ke always had a strange feeling, but he couldn't tell what it was.

He didn't think the other party had any bad intentions towards him. After all, even if something really happened, he wouldn't be the one who suffered. The most important thing was that he couldn't understand why the other party did this, and he didn't ask 'Lamer' to use 'Charm'.

The other party's suggestion was undoubtedly attractive to Lan Ke, but Lan Ke did not forget the purpose of learning kendo - to better serve his job as a "Phantom Thief".

So Lan Ke did not agree immediately, but just said that he would think about it when he got back.

Busujima Saeko did not urge him, but just smiled and said that he could come to her whenever he was interested, which made Lan Ke feel a little embarrassed.

But just as the two were chatting, they finally arrived at their destination.

Collar ① Erhaiba Lingjiuba

Looking at Lan Ke who was standing in front of the sign in shock, Busujima Saeko looked puzzled, but after thinking for a while, she showed an expression of sudden enlightenment.

"Could it be that you, Naruto-senpai, didn't you realize I was talking about a ramen shop?"

It is not surprising that Busujima Saeko would have such an idea. After all, Busujima Saeko gives people the impression of a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko, and many people even think that she only eats "washoku".

But in fact, this is not the case, or rather, Busujima Saeko is not that superficial.

The Busujima family is a very traditional kendo family, and their teaching of their daughters is more inclined towards the ancient style. There are records of women in the Warring States period taking swords to the battlefield, and 'naginata technique' was something that most women from samurai families would learn in that era.

So although her family had some restrictions on Saeko Busujima's dining etiquette, there were not too many restrictions on food. In fact, because of her kendo practice, Saeko Busujima quite liked food like ramen.

Faced with the "enthusiastic senior", Lan Ke, who had recovered from his shock, didn't know how to explain for a moment.

After all, what really surprised him was the name of the ramen shop——Ichiraku Ramen!!

Just in case, Lan Ke couldn't help but want to confirm it.

"I was a little surprised, but what really surprised me was that I had seen an introduction to this store online before. The owner's last name shouldn't be 'Otsutsuki', right?"

"Otsutsuki? What's that? The owner's last name is 'Ichiraku'. I'm not sure if it's the same shop you saw, Senior Naruto, but I'm sure you won't be disappointed. After all, the owner said their ancestors seemed to have been making ramen since the 'Warring States Period'..."

As Busujima Saeko spoke, she opened the sliding door in front of her that was full of modern atmosphere and walked in with Lan Ke.

"Welcome~ Busujima-san, and... Narukami-san?"

As soon as the two walked into the store, a clerk with a towel on his head came forward to greet them. However, as he was greeting, the other party let out a scream. It was not until then that Lan Ke realized that the clerk was actually an acquaintance.

"Emiya-san?!"

That’s right, the one who came to say hello was Emiya Shirou!