I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

Tokugawa Hoshi's brow twitched, and his left fist, hidden behind his leg, clenched tightly.

After a long while, she scoffed rather unhappily.

"Fine, if you want to get into Tokyo University with her, you'd better start working hard now."

She took a business card out of her pocket and handed it to Uesugi Tetsuya.

"—If you've made up your mind, come find me here."

……

After finishing the large bowl of wide noodles made by Ririko as a late-night snack, Uesugi Tetsuya, with complicated thoughts, lay down on the makeshift fuss mat on the floor and opened Line.

He clicked on the profile picture of a netizen he had been chatting with for several years, who was arguably his best online friend, named "Go Die at Work".

The other person's profile picture is still lit up.

"Being a corporate slave is so miserable..."

He sighed, then recounted the main events of the day, including Ririko's choice, Tokugawa Hoshi's invitation, and his hesitations.

After all, the other person was the most socially experienced person he could find among his friends.

—I'm sure they have some unique insights.

A few minutes later, the other party replied.

Uesugi Tetsu immediately looked over.

[Go to hell with work: Are you an idiot, buddy?]

[Work to Death: Dude, what are you hesitating about? What is there to hesitate about?]

[Work to Death: Whether it's an exam or sword practice, whatever it is, you have to give it your all before you can say "I'm not suited for it" and have no regrets, right?]

[Work to Death: Are you really going to do nothing and let such a wonderful girl leave you?]

[Work to Death: If you think that way, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.]

[Work to Death: To be honest, you're like a district right now!]

Open LINE and you're immediately bombarded with a barrage of "blessings".

But Uesugi Tetsu felt that what the other person said made a lot of sense.

What exactly is he hesitating about?

After careful consideration, Uesugi Tetsu felt there was nothing that could make him hesitate.

Why did I think that way just now?

really weird.

[Work to hell: By the way, if you want to work for the Metropolitan Police Department later, I know someone there.]

[Tsuki-suna-chan: Got it.]

……

More than a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

After the entrance exams are over, graduation season naturally follows.

With a click, the high school graduation photo was captured in the camera.

After taking the photos, everyone will go their separate ways, and perhaps we will never see each other again.

Sakura High School is named as such because there are many cherry blossom trees planted on campus.

And now, right at the school gate, under the largest cherry blossom tree.

The girl, who had won almost every kendo competition she participated in during high school, looked up and calmly asked her childhood friend in front of her a question.

"Uesugi-kun, don't you have anything to say to me?"

Now that you mention it, there really is such a thing.

After staring at the girl for a long time, Uesugi Tetsu slowly asked, "I feel like your figure has improved a lot, so what brand of protein powder have you been drinking lately?"

He asked with utmost seriousness,

Can you recommend one?

In the silence, the girl was stunned.

She stared into Uesugi Tetsu's determined eyes and saw how serious and eager he was to learn.

Ririko closed her eyes and whispered, "ON Gold Label Double Chocolate Flavor, it's a bit pricey but the effect is pretty good..."

"I've got it." Uesugi Tetsu took out his phone to memorize what she said, and then waved goodbye. "Goodbye, Ririko."

Ririko waved back.

Goodbye, Uesugi-kun.

Watching Uesugi Tetsu leave, she stood alone under the withered cherry blossom tree.

After a long while, he couldn't help but tilt his head back and laugh out loud.

……

Today is the opening ceremony of the University of Tokyo.

Ririko, carrying her sword pouch, stood at the door, staring for a while at the welcome sign adorned with wreaths, looking somewhat dejected.

Without thinking much, she shook her head and tried to walk into the school.

But just as they were about to enter, they accidentally bumped into someone.

"Ouch!"

A familiar cry of pain rang out, accompanied by the sound of something falling to the ground.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going..."

Ririko had just raised her head, and before she could finish speaking, she saw the young man, also wearing the University of Tokyo uniform, grin at her.

"What a coincidence, Ririko, you also chose this time to attend the opening ceremony."

Ririko was momentarily stunned, stammering, "Uesugi-kun...you, how did you get here..."

"Why can't I be here?"

Uesugi Tetsu bent down to pick up his things, and at the same time asked, "If you get into Tokyo University, then naturally you should come to attend the opening ceremony. Isn't that a matter of course?"

Ririko's mouth was slightly open.

For the first time in a long time, she didn't know what to say.

But then she saw Uesugi Tetsu tap the jar of protein powder he was holding with his finger: "ON Gold Label Double Chocolate, the effect is indeed very good, and the taste is also really good."

Ririko felt the world was absurd: "When you asked that before, did you really want to drink it?"

"if not?"

Uesugi Tetsu smiled, but Ririko felt an urge to punch that smiling face of her into a pig's head.

She didn't know why, even though she was incredibly happy, she had this kind of impulse inside her.

"Uesugi-kun."

"Ok?"

“If we weren’t at the entrance of East University and there weren’t so many people around, I would have beaten you to a pulp.”

The two walked side by side into the auditorium of the University of Tokyo and sat down in the first row.

The student representative above was speaking rapidly, while the two below were whispering to each other.

"Ririko, what do you want to do in the future?"

"I'm practicing swordsmanship so that I can become even stronger than I am now."

"it is as expected."

"Uesugi-kun also got into Tokyo University because of his kendo skills, isn't that what you think?"

Uesugi Tetsu didn't reply.

……

"You've regressed, Uesugi-kun."

Sweating profusely, Ririko lowered her bamboo sword, stared at Uesugi Tetsuya, who was being utterly defeated by her, and raised an eyebrow.

"Because I've been working on detective-related matters lately, my energy has been focused there."

After removing his protective gear, Uesugi Tetsuya leaned back on the ground, looking quite exhausted.

He thought about what Tokugawa Hoshi had once told him.

Only in this way...

Ririko sat close to her and said, "You want to be a detective after you graduate? That's not a bad idea."

“No, they’re police.” Uesugi Tetsu said calmly, as if discussing what to eat for dinner. “I’ll graduate this year and then take the Type I exam.”

"We're only juniors, right..."

Ririko stopped wiping her sweat: "You can graduate early from Tokyo University?"

Recalling that night several years ago, Uesugi Tetsu raised a finger: "Probably because there were acquaintances there."

Ririko quickly gestured.

"Being a police officer is tiring, with lots of work and little pay. Why not come with me and become a kendo instructor? You can hone your skills and earn money easily all the time..."

As she was talking, Ririko's voice disappeared.

Because Uesugi Tetsu bowed his head to her.

"Feel sorry."

Ririko pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and curled the corners of her lips slightly: "Uesugi-kun, why do you need to apologize to me?"

In the silence, Ririko asked,

"when are we leaving?"

"It should be around these next two weeks."

Ririko laughed: "Then I wish you all the best in your promotion, future Superintendent General of Police?"

"Stop talking, I could never even dream of those four words..."

After joking around for a while, Uesugi Tetsu invited her, "Want to have dinner together tonight?"

The girl shook her head.

"No, I'll practice my sword for a while longer. I feel like I'm about to break through a bottleneck."

"Then I wish you a quick breakthrough and that you'll crush Yuan Xinshui in the next competition?"

"Please don't..."

Ririko waved and smiled as she watched Uesugi Tetsuya leave.

She thought to herself that this wasn't the first time she'd done something like this.

After a long silence, tears blurred Ririko's vision for the first time since she could remember.

……

I graduated a year early and successfully passed the National Civil Service Examination (Category I), which has a pass rate of less than 5%.

Seven years later, Uesugi Tetsu once again saw the woman who had told them "You are safe" in the abandoned school area at dawn.

"Long time no see, Inspector Nanjo."

Uesugi Tetsu looked at Nanjo Manami with considerable surprise, who had hardly changed in the past seven years: "It feels like the last time I saw you was just yesterday."

"Then I'll take that as a compliment on my youth."

Meimei, a woman who had been slacking off for seven years with no change in her position, shrugged.

Uesugi Tetsu, who replaced Shizuma Mafuyu as her assistant seven years ago, asked curiously, "Inspector Nanjo, are you married now?"

Nanjo Ai looked at him silently for a long while before saying in an annoyed tone,