I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

Once everyone in line to get off the train had disembarked, Uesugi Tetsu stood up from his seat and walked towards the door.

"Uesugi-kun, is there something urgent that you need to get off at this stop?"

The voice, so familiar it was almost unbearable, stopped him in his tracks.

Uesugi Tetsu looked up and, in the somewhat blurry sunlight, saw a girl with black hair and a high ponytail, who had a calm demeanor and dressed in a very common style.

A simple, oversized long-sleeved white T-shirt paired with cropped jeans.

That's all.

She was also looking at him with one hand in her pocket, as if he had run into a good friend, so he casually struck up a conversation.

The tram's imminent departure bell spurred the girl to step inside.

The two looked at each other silently.

Uesugi Tetsu took a deep breath, as if he had made a momentous decision.

He turned to Ririko and asked her the first question he had after their long separation.

he asks,

Do you have a power bank?

Even with Ririko's calmer state of mind than Walden Pond, a look of surprise appeared on her face at this moment.

……

"So, you want to get off at this stop and asked me for a power bank just because your phone is dead?"

"Completely correct."

They returned to their original corner seats and sat side by side.

In Uesugi Tetsu's hand, he was holding the girl's phone.

"What era are we living in? You can still turn off your phone when you go out."

Having just finished instructing a certain otaku girl, Ririko looked away, crossed her legs, and muttered, "Uesugi-kun, you're probably going to need to hire a master at home..."

Opening Ririko's phone reveals an exceptionally simple interface.

Aside from essential chat, social, and information apps, not a single entertainment app was installed.

From the side, Ririko's slightly curious voice came.

"What are you looking for?"

"A little history."

"Oh."

Ririko lost interest, so she rested her cheek on her right fist and quietly gazed at the scenery rushing past the car window.

After not seeing each other for a few days, Ririko actually had a lot to say to Uesugi Tetsuya.

But after seeing her on the tram, she realized there was no need to say much.

The girl raised her hand and gently twirled the silk threads that were floating off Uesugi Tetsuya's body.

This principle of swordsmanship is the best answer.

"Skill and reason..."

To her left, Uesugi Tetsu once again typed "Imagawa Yoshimoto" into the search box.

Click search.

Then click into Yoshimoto Imagawa's Wikipedia page.

Uesugi Tetsu read down line by line, word by word, only to find that the encyclopedia recorded that Imagawa Yoshimoto was still defeated at Okehazama.

The key historical junctures remain unchanged.

But it shouldn't be.

He minimized the losses to the Three Rivers Kingdom, and she took the opportunity to seize real power over all the local powerful clans in the Three Rivers Kingdom. She even made preparations in advance before the world was restored.

Moreover, having been through so much with Imagawa Yoshimoto, it's unlikely he would make the same careless mistake again.

Uesugi Tetsu scrolled up and saw the information about the 1556 Mikawa Uprising, which was suppressed at an absurd speed.

This proves that his changes to history were real.

"Strange thing..."

Instead of exiting the page, Uesugi Tetsu opened an incognito page and searched for "Sengoku Dai Onmyoji Tetsu".

Since his reputation during the Warring States period exceeded 8000 points, the records must be much more detailed than before...

No relevant search results found.

A blank search page popped up on the phone screen, startling Uesugi Tetsuya.

Scrolling down, you can only find a lot of related searches for Onmyoji, but there is no one named "Great Onmyoji Che of the Warring States Period".

Not a trace.

It's as if it never existed.

After searching repeatedly without success, Uesugi Tetsu returned to Imagawa Yoshimoto's encyclopedia page.

Then they discovered that the text above, describing his use of thunder magic during the coming-of-age ceremony, had also disappeared.

Uesugi Tetsuya remained silent for a moment.

How could this be?

Hasn't your reputation skyrocketed many times over?

Then how come you can't find anything at all?

It doesn't make sense.

"Still looking? What are you looking for?"

Ririko turned her head and poked his calf with her toe.

Uesugi Tetsu stared at the now much longer encyclopedia entry for Imagawa Yoshimoto for a while, then asked, "Ririko, do you know Imagawa Yoshimoto?"

The girl blinked, thought for a moment, and then replied, "Oh...I think I've heard of it."

"—She was a daimyo from the Warring States period, right? She was quite famous."

Uesugi Tetsu's eyes brightened slightly as he heard Ririko casually say, "I remember he was a nemesis who fought the Sixth Heaven Demon King to a standstill."

"—It is said that he died of illness halfway through the Battle of Okehazama."

"You actually know about this? You're a genius history girl."

Just as Uesugi Tetsu was about to nod, he realized something was off about Ririko's words.

Died of illness?

His thoughts froze, and a chill ran down his spine.

Imagawa Yoshimoto had already mastered the breathing technique to the point of circulating vital energy and was about to build his own physical palace. How could he have died of illness?

Ririko snorted softly upon hearing this: "After that Demon King Oda went to attack, he discovered that Imagawa Yoshimoto had actually died of illness in the main camp."

She shrugged: "Please, even a three-year-old knows this kind of famous historical event perfectly well, okay?"

Uesugi Tetsu didn't hear what she said after that; he just kept thinking to himself.

Died of illness.

This word inevitably reminded him of the curse he had uttered before his death from illness.

Uesugi Tetsu remained silent.

What happened in the four years after he left?

Was it because he chose the wrong time to leave?

And there's one more crucial point.

—If even a three-year-old knows the name Imagawa Yoshimoto, does she currently exist in the world of the living?

A myriad of thoughts flooded Uesugi Tetsuya's mind, swirling together in a chaotic jumble.

Until his phone was snatched from his hand.

Ririko patted his back forcefully, startling Uesugi Tetsuya.

"It's time to get off, Uesugi-kun."

The girl raised the hand holding the phone, and a soft voice came from in front of her.

"Got home."

Uesugi Tetsuya finally snapped out of his daze and stepped off the train as if waking from a dream.

—Hearing footsteps from behind, Ririko also turned her attention to the screen on her phone that was still open.

The girl glanced at Imagawa Yoshimoto's incredibly complex encyclopedia entry, raising an eyebrow in disbelief: "When did he become such a history buff...?"

You should know that Uesugi Tetsuya used to never care about history and knew nothing about related knowledge.

If a three-year-old child knows that Imagawa Yoshimoto died of illness in Okehazama, then he is not even as good as a three-year-old.

Moreover, how could simply looking at an encyclopedia entry possibly lead him into such deep, oblivious contemplation?

Lili narrowed her eyes.

Her sword heart stirred slightly, telling her that there must be something fishy going on here.

Not long after, the two returned to the villa.

Uesugi Tetsu, who hadn't seen his familiar home in a long time, was about to take Kaka out of his backpack when he sensed the omnipresent... Kenji?

Uesugi Tetsu turned his head and looked around at the "Sword Principle" that covered an area of ​​dozens of meters.

No, this should be called a sword domain...

Ririko's Sword Domain.

He hadn't noticed it before when he was focused on historical issues, but now he could feel the sword domain that he had never been able to grasp before.

But it was only barely "visible".

It's probably because he's only just begun to understand swordsmanship.

Ririko opened the door with practiced ease, and Uesugi Tetsu followed her into the empty dojo.

He was about to ask about the relationship between technique and principle when he heard Ririko snap her fingers and say...

"How about we have lunch first?"

Uesugi Tetsu opened his mouth, then swallowed back what he was about to say.

He then nodded and smiled.

"Alright."

It's been a long time since I've had a meal cooked by Ririko.

Ririko waited for several seconds, and after realizing that he hadn't thrown out the Second Master, she asked again.

How many bowls would you like?

Two bowls are enough.

Meeting Ririko's gaze, Uesugi Tetsu's smile froze for a moment: "Lord Nisha... well, she's encountered a small problem."

Ririko was slightly taken aback, but didn't ask any further questions.

She simply looked at the corner that had been bustling and lively, but was now completely empty.

Just a few days ago, the two-foot-tall man was here with her, striking the samurai Zanzemaru together.

The girl turned back without a trace and walked upstairs, her intermittent voice carrying from the stairs into the empty dojo.

"I'll go cook now, it might take a while since I didn't prepare in advance..."

Uesugi Tetsu replied with an "okay," watching her figure disappear.

"Is it taking a while?"