I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

Because Imagawa Yoshimoto was the same kind of person as him in this respect.

They are gamblers who would never give up the "certainty" they already have in their hands in order to embrace the "uncertainty" that may bring them greater benefits.

"Then we've reached an agreement."

Uesugi Tetsu raised his fist toward Imagawa Yoshimoto, indicating that they should bump fists.

Living in this era, Imagawa Yoshimoto was naturally puzzled: "Tetsu-kun, what does this mean?"

“Let fists collide gently.” Uesugi Tetsu gestured and explained, “Well… it’s a custom from my hometown, it represents a kind of tacit understanding.”

"Putting it here represents our tacit understanding regarding 'not gambling'."

Imagawa Yoshimoto suddenly realized.

Somewhat awkwardly, she pulled the wide sleeves down to her knuckles, clenched her right fist, and gently bumped fists with Uesugi Tetsuya.

"so?"

"Yeah, that's it."

……

Three hours later, at the gate of Yoshida Castle.

On his imposing yet somewhat weary tall horse, Okabe Motonobu, dressed in slightly tattered tunics, turned his head around.

"Hmm... This Yoshida Castle is more stable and cleaner than any of the cities we've seen on our way here."

She sniffed again: "The smell is much better too."

"That's for sure!"

Two childish voices came simultaneously from her left and right sides in front of her horse.

The boy on the left, leading the horse, chuckled, one hand on his hip: "Our boss has been here for several days now, so he has to use his miraculous Yin-Yang magic to heal everyone, one by one!"

The girl on the right, who hadn't even moved her feet but was walking at a steady pace, said matter-of-factly, "Lord Che came first, so the environment in the city must be much better."

Also.

Upon hearing these two replies, Okabe Motonobu nodded secretly.

The Great Onmyoji is indeed a Great Onmyoji, possessing value far exceeding her own—the Lord's judgment remains correct.

Not long after entering the city, Okabe Motonobu heard conversations coming from the houses on both sides of the street.

"Hey, look, that looks like Lord Okabe!"

"It seems so! Wow! Okabe-sama is back, that makes me feel much more relieved!"

"That round-faced boy next to her, I think he's Takechiyo from the Matsudaira family? I even saw him when he was little!"

"Takechiyo, who is that?"

"You idiot! You don't even recognize the eldest son of the Matsudaira family!"

"Shh—the two gentlemen are approaching."

Motonobu Okabe knew.

This "shh" was most likely directed at Matsudaira Motoyasu standing next to her, not at her.

During the time she served as the acting lord of Yoshida Castle, she became extremely familiar with the local residents.

Shiraishi, leading the horse, was wearing "pieced-together armor" stripped from a dead samurai. He looked around, muttering to himself.

"It's been a long time since I've seen the boss. I wonder how his relationship with that woman is going."

"And with me like this, I'm sure to surprise him!"

"Hahahaha!"

The other two voices, however, did not come from Bai Shi, who was leading the horse.

Instead, it was two other white stones who had already darted into a nearby alley and were singing in unison, outside the military formation.

—After fighting and experiencing hardships alongside his sick and suffering family members along the way, Shiraishi's ninja techniques have improved considerably.

Not only have they mastered techniques such as "cloning," "shifting," and "concealing their breath," but their strength has also stabilized at one and a half stars.

Moreover, after encountering a sick and suffering family member for the first time, the experienced Okabe Motonobu ordered everyone in the army to maintain hygiene and cleanliness.

With her hair tied up in a bun, Shiraishi looked much more refined, and her small face had become rounder thanks to the special care given to her by her father.

The two-foot-tall man, who had overheard Baishi's self-talk, turned his head with a calm expression.

But inside, she felt an itch that felt like it was being constantly scratched by a kitten.

The atmosphere in the military has been very oppressive these days. She hasn't seen Uesugi Tetsu for so long, and she has no good material to use for her own motivational efforts.

It made her feel so depressed.

If it weren't for the extremely disciplined Okabe Motonobu standing right behind her, the two-foot-tall lady would have already secretly flown away and slipped away to Uesugi Tetsuya's side.

"Even if I were to see Lord Che, just seeing his face would be enough, but he'd probably be surrounded by a lot of people at this time, so it wouldn't be convenient for me to do it myself..."

The two-foot-tall man was somewhat troubled.

Should we continue to hold it in?

If this continues, the two-foot-tall man feels he's about to explode, then his whole body glows and he becomes a Buddha.

Okabe Motonobu glanced at the two who were showing signs of agitation and said calmly, "Let's settle the rest of the people first... Nishaku, Shiraishi, do you two want to come with me to the Matsudaira residence?"

Two pairs of eyes immediately met theirs.

White Stone Chick pecking at rice: "Yes, yes!"

Lord Erchi realized that his reaction was a little too strong, and responded indifferently, "Then thank you in advance, Lord Okabe."

Okabe Motonobu turned his head again: "What about Lord Matsudaira? Do you want to go back and check on him?"

Matsudaira Motoyasu bowed slightly: "Thank you, Lord Okabe."

After confirming the group's thoughts, Okabe Motonobu spurred the horse's flanks, making it walk a little faster.

Because she, too, was eager to see her lord.

In less than half an hour, hundreds of samurai, foot soldiers, and other personnel had been efficiently settled by Okabe Motonobu.

She did not ride a horse, but hurried with the three of them to the Matsudaira residence.

Upon arriving at Matsudaira's house, the four men's purpose was quite clear.

After saying goodbye, Matsudaira Motoyasu walked into the building alone, seemingly familiar with the layout.

Okabe Motonobu said he wanted to find Imagawa as the head, while the two little ones said they wanted to find the great Onmyoji, Tetsu.

Upon hearing the samurai's reply at the door, Okabe Motonobu's already narrowed eyes narrowed even further into slits.

"Together... it doesn't matter, take us with you."

……

As evening approached, Uesugi Tetsu sat facing Imagawa Yoshimoto at a small table in the quiet room.

He took out the curry bento box he bought from a convenience store in the real world, heated it up with Yin-Yang magic, and placed it on the table along with the spoon.

With a mixture of disbelief and skepticism, Imagawa Yoshimoto scooped up a small amount with a spoon and put it in his mouth.

Then, the girl's eyes widened slightly.

"Che-kun... what's this called? It's delicious." Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't help but stick out his little tongue and lick the curry from the corner of his lips, repeating, "It really is delicious."

Beside the courtyard gate, the Mountain Whale King, its nose twitching, clicked its tongue unhappily, glanced back, and then strode out of the courtyard with a fierce expression.

—You guys are eating, why are you eating so heartily!

But before it could take two steps, it was scooped up by a pair of large hands covered in leather armor.

A gentle aura touched the mountain whale king's hoof, causing it to remain still, lost in thought.

The next moment, a cheerful, loud voice came from behind: "There's a little mountain whale! It's so cute!"

The Mountain Whale King shifted its gaze and noticed two weaker creatures beside the powerful human...

One human and one demon.

Oh? There's a little guy on your shoulder.

This person is not bad.

Then the Mountain Whale King spoke in human language: "Looking for Che? He's inside."

"You know Mr. Che too?" After confirming that the other party meant no harm, Okabe Motonobu put down the hot potato and waved his hand at it: "Thanks for the directions."

The Mountain Whale King did not answer, but simply walked away quickly.

All it wants now is to leave this fragrant, awful place!

Seeing that their destination was clear and there was no one blocking their way, Shiroishi and his clones shouted in unison,

"Boss! Long time no see!"

Uesugi Tetsuya, who was still chewing his food, looked up and saw the two-foot-tall man running over without saying a word.

Then, under everyone's gaze, she threw herself into his arms!

The two-foot-tall boy interlocked his fingers and hugged Uesugi Tetsuya's waist tightly, burying his little head in his chest and rubbing against him.

"Great! This will give Lord Che a good boost of energy!"

Within the heartstrings that only the two of them could hear, the two-foot-tall man cheered incessantly.

The previously chattering white stones fell silent, utterly shocked.

Okabe Genshin lightly covered his mouth with his hand, smiling slightly.

Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was taking small bites of curry across the table, stopped what he was doing, blinked, and calmly gazed at the two people who were being unusually intimate just an arm's length away from her.

Uesugi Tetsu's first thought was—

After the two-foot-tall man returned, he was finally able to hand over the key to history to him, and then he could return to the present world for a period of time without wasting time before facing the suffering of illness.

A few seconds later, Uesugi Tetsuya, regaining his senses, realized what the two-footed man was doing to him and who was watching.

"Cough... Two feet, that's about right."

With his hand on the young man's shoulder, Uesugi Tetsuya exerted a little force, but found that he easily pushed the girl away.

The two-foot-tall man voluntarily released his hands, stood in front of him, winked, and revealed a light, satisfied expression.

Then she obediently stood aside.

This……

Uesugi Tetsuya was somewhat helpless. How could he possibly reprimand the Second Master now, even if it was just a pretense?

It's perfectly normal for Master Erchi to be excited when he sees his master again after not seeing him for so long since he was sent out and going through so many battles along the way.

—Because you see, now you've suppressed your excitement, haven't you?

Uesugi Tetsu awkwardly looked away and waved towards the outside of the quiet room: "Shiraishi, come over here too."

He paused, not looking at the white stones in the courtyard, but pointing behind the sliding door, and said...

"Not these, it's this one."

As soon as he finished speaking, a small, semi-transparent figure appeared, grinning, "Boss, you're really amazing. You can see right through this."

Uesugi Tetsu looked at Shiraishi, who was clearly much more capable than before, and smiled and nodded at him.

"You've worked hard these past few days."

Shiraishi shrugged, turned his head away, and spread his hands: "I was just helping Lord Okabe lead a horse. It's nothing, nothing at all."

After saying that, he subtly shifted his gaze to the curry pork chop bento box and secretly swallowed.

"Wow, it smells so good." Okabe Motonobu nodded to Imagawa Yoshimoto first, then sat down with a smile. "Mr. Tetsu~ Is there any for me?"

Just as he was thinking of how to change the subject, Uesugi Tetsuya immediately nodded: "Yes, brothers, yes."

He immediately took out an identical bento box from his storage backpack, heated it up, and handed it to Okabe Motonobu.

Okabe Motonobu, who had only intended to give him a way out, accepted the gift with some surprise, licked his lips, and said...

"I'm starting!"