A young love story that started with exorcism

"You don't have a fever. What's wrong with Takahashi-kun? Is there something wrong? Shiyu-senpai was looking for you yesterday but couldn't find you. I sent you a message but you didn't reply. Did something happen?"

"It's okay, I went to another world yesterday."

"Hmph, if you don't want to say it then forget it."

Yotsuya turned away angrily, but soon turned back and said excitedly: "Takahashi-kun, have you heard? Tokyo Tower was bombed last night."

"Huh? Tokyo Tower was bombed? A terrorist attack?" Takahashi Takumi woke up from his daze at this time. Tokyo Tower is a landmark building, a large building modeled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris. How could anyone want to blow it up? Could it be that 911 is repeating itself in the island country?

"I don't know. The morning news kept reporting this. They said someone brought a bomb to the special observation deck at the top of Tokyo Tower and set it up, and it blew down the 250-meter-high section. Now only 250 meters of the Tokyo Tower remain."

The spire partially collapsed and hit the ground, miraculously resulting in no casualties. The internet is now abuzz with accusations of government lies and Amaterasu's intervention. Many are even claiming this was divine punishment on the island nation. Various religions are taking advantage of the situation to recruit followers, with many online also claiming he was responsible.

It’s all a mess anyway.”

Oh my god, I didn't even know about such a big thing. Takahashi Takumi has always been a night owl. Since he didn't get to eat the first bite of the melon, he felt annoyed again. It was all because of that fairy Kasumigaoka Utaha. If it weren't for her, she would have eaten the fresh big melon last night!

Just when I was about to feel extremely upset, I suddenly remembered that subtle muffled thunder sound when I went to the convenience store last night to buy sanitary products for Kasumigaoka Utaha. Could it be that it happened at that time?

"Jianzi, what time did the news say this happened last night?"

"It was exactly 80 a.m., and the explosion was so loud that many people heard it. However, the scene of the top of the Tokyo Tower, which was over meters high, falling down and scraping against the Tokyo Tower before crashing to the ground was still very scary."

As she spoke, Yotsuya Miko took out her cell phone, opened a video on it and showed it to Takumi Takahashi.

The video, released by the Asahi Shimbun, is irrefutable in its authenticity. Against the pitch-black night sky, Tokyo Tower's fiery crimson silhouette, illuminated by neon lights, stands out strikingly. But then, an even brighter fireball erupts from the special observation deck, a little over two-thirds of the way up. In an instant, the tower's top begins to tilt, then collapses, tumbling down onto the ground, rubbing against the tower's main structure.

The scene was filled with screams and cries, sparks and smoke, and it was like hell on earth.

However, the news video ends with a shockingly unrelated report about no casualties, which is puzzling. In an accident like this, you might be willing to believe it, but isn't that a stretch? There are people screaming in the video, and you still say there were no casualties? No wonder the internet is going crazy. Anyone with a bit of common sense wouldn't believe such nonsense.

Takahashi isn't concerned about the Asahi Shimbun report's conclusions, but as a national landmark, Tokyo Tower's structure and construction materials are unlikely to pose safety risks. Simply put, even if a cannon were to destroy the tower, it wouldn't necessarily be able to bring it down.

So, what kind of explosion could blow it apart in an instant?

Also, the scale of the explosion shows that there was a lot of explosives. How was it transported to the special observation tower?

All these questions made Takahashi Takumi's eyes light up. Now it was time to watch something interesting.

At this time, the students in the classroom were also discussing the bombing of Tokyo Tower. It seemed that what happened in the early hours of last night was known to everyone early in the morning.

The students' faces flushed as they argued fiercely about who was behind the bombing.

"It must be a conspiracy by the Bald Eagle. This time they want to station troops in Tokyo Bay."

"Bullshit, there's no way the bald eagle father would do that. In my opinion, it must have been the rabbit next door who did it."

"Impossible! I think this is a self-directed show by the cabinet. Didn't you see no casualties? There must have been people evacuating down there."

"Bullshit, you believe him when he says there are no casualties? Are you blind or deaf?"

"What did you say?"

……

For a moment, the classroom was filled with noise, and the corridors were filled with chatter and discussion. However, everyone was just expressing their own emotions, without seriously analyzing the actual situation.

At noon, Takahashi Takumi and Yotsuya Miko went to the service club to have lunch as usual.

Today, Kasumigaoka Utaha came extra early, and she was whispering with Yukinoshita Yukino. Takahashi Takumi clearly saw that Yukinoshita Yukino's face was blushing. He didn't know what the old driver Kasumigaoka Utaha said to her. Could it be about what happened last night?

However, looking at Yukinoshita Yukino's reaction, it seemed as if she was teased by Kasumigaoka Utaha, while Yotsuya Miko happily ran over and cuddled up to Yukinoshita Yukino, as if they had met again after not seeing each other for a day.

Takahashi Takumi received the loving bento from Yotsuya Miko and Yukinoshita Yukino and started eating, while Yotsuya Miko smiled and discussed the big melon she had eaten today.

"By the way, Yukino and Shiha-senpai, did you know about the bombing of Tokyo Tower last night?"

"Yeah, I found out from the news push on my phone this morning."

A gleam of light flashed in Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes. She didn't think about the mentality of the onlookers in the classroom, but spoke very cautiously.

"It's very unusual that the explosion could so easily rip the Tokyo Tower apart. Even if a professional demolition team were to carry out the work, they would have to follow the design drawings of the Tokyo Tower and conduct precise calculations to identify its supporting structure before they could rip it apart. But the Tokyo Tower is an iron tower with a very stable and strong structure. I can't imagine how anyone could suddenly rip it apart."

“But it was blown off.”

At this time, Yukinoshita Yukino turned her head to look at Takahashi Takumi, her face flushed again, but she still said: "Takahashi-kun, do you think it is possible that there are extraordinary people involved in this case?"

Takahashi Takumi put down his chopsticks, feeling a little depressed. What was wrong with the Service Club? How did it make him feel like a high school detective?

However, it is indeed difficult to blow up the Tokyo Tower using conventional forces. It is just an undefended iron tower, and even with enough explosives, it is not certain that anyone can blow up the tower in one go. So is it possible that some extraordinary powers are involved?

Takahashi Takumi thinks there must be one.

Chapter 203 Experience Skill Card

But who exactly was it and for what purpose would they want to blow up the Tokyo Tower?

In an ordinary world, the murderer would undoubtedly be a terrorist, with at most some political conspiracy involved. But this world is no longer a simple one. Consider the possibility that curse casters and ghouls could be the murderer, or that they were possessed and manipulated by evil spirits or cursed spirits.

However, the information available now is basically the video of the Tokyo Tower explosion taken on the Internet, and the news only gives a simple report on what happened, without any in-depth content.

This kind of thing has attracted so much attention that Takumi Takahashi feels that if he just waits a little longer, someone will naturally be exposed.

"News about this incident is under control now, so we don't have much information. But for such a large tower to be suddenly blown down, I don't think it's possible for an ordinary person to do it. I believe the clues behind it will be discovered soon."

Yukinoshita Yukino was a little unwilling to accept this. This was such a big event and there were obviously people with super powers involved. Now she was a Nen user, so could she only be a spectator on the sidelines?

"Takahashi-kun, can we go investigate?"

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Yukinoshita Yukino, but even Yotsuya Miko turned to look at Takahashi Takumi. Their expectant and excited looks gave Takahashi Takumi a headache.

"Do you guys just love to join in the fun? Even if there are superpowers involved, this kind of move is against an entire country. Do you two think you can be his opponent?

Look at Senior Xia Zhiqiu, she is much calmer, that's what we call stability, you should learn from her."

Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was busy writing in her notebook, suddenly looked up and murmured, "Big event! The protagonist I wrote is finally going to be on the big stage. I must be involved in this!"

Pfft! Yukinoshita Yukino and Yotsuya Miko both covered their mouths and laughed. They just wanted to investigate, but they didn't expect that Kasumigaoka Utaha was already thinking of getting involved. This was much crazier than them. Where did their calmness and composure come from?

Looking at the innocent look in Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes, Takahashi Takumi stopped scolding her because she was uncomfortable, and just went back to eat.

"Forget it, eat quickly. I'll give you something after you finish eating. It's just right to improve your strength."

"Oh my! What is this? Is it another delicacy like the giant peaches?"

……

When Takahashi Takumi handed the skill cards to them, the three girls looked at the cards in their hands in astonishment. They picked them up and looked at them again and again, feeling a bit puzzled, and had no idea what they were.

Takahashi Takumi explained, "This is a skill card. Break it and you'll learn a skill. The one you have in your hands now is called Shave. It grants instant acceleration, allowing you to reach incredibly fast speeds. It can be used for both offense and defense, and it's exactly the skill you desperately need right now."

As the three of them broke the cards one after another, bits of starlight flowed into their bodies. After a while, Yukinoshita Yukino was the first to open her eyes, with a look of joy on her face.

Originally, her combat power was to proactively attack at close range, focusing on seizing the opportunity, spotting the opponent's weaknesses and quickly counterattacking, and dodging in time to avoid injury. Now that she has learned shaving, she can instantly accelerate to the desired location, which is extremely important whether attacking or retreating.

Yotsuya Miko and Kasumigaoka Utaha also opened their eyes shortly after, and were equally delighted with the shaving technique they had just learned.

Yotsuya Miko was eager to show off her newly acquired skills, and finally she piled most of the miscellaneous items in the back corner of the club room, leaving an open space in the middle that was half the size of a classroom.

In this way, in the open space inside the office, Yotsuya Miko's figure was moving quickly. To ordinary people, she was at the door just now, but in the blink of an eye, she changed her position and came to the window.

Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but join Yotsuya Miko's group, also moving rapidly around the club room. However, it was difficult to control the landing point accurately at the beginning, and before Takahashi Takumi could remind them, the two of them accidentally bumped into each other.

With a cry of "ouch", the two of them fell to the floor, hugging each other. Takahashi Takumi almost laughed out loud. The two beautiful girls in front of him had sweat on their foreheads and were breathing heavily as they supported each other to stand up. Yukinoshita Yukino's almond-shaped eyes glared at Takahashi Takumi, stopping his smile.

"Takahashi-kun, our strength has increased a lot. Have you found the training ground you mentioned?"

"I found it, but it takes a lot of energy to get to the other world, and it's best to stay there for at least a day, so let's go on Saturday or Sunday."

Yotsuya Miko tilted her head and looked over, puzzled, "What kind of training ground is this? And Takahashi-kun, is it true that you went to another world yesterday?"

"Of course it's true. The training ground is a place I found in another world for you to practice actual combat."

"Huh?" Yotsuya Miko looked at Takahashi Takumi in shock. Although she had once boldly thought that Takahashi Takumi had gone to another world to import such delicious food, she was dumbfounded when she got a positive answer. However, when she saw that Yukinoshita Yukino and Kasumigaoka Utaha were not surprised at all, she couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Yukino, and Shiyu-senpai, do you all know?"

Yukinoshita Yukino blushed and said with an evasive look: "Well, Takahashi said he would come over when he sent me home the day before yesterday."

"I found out yesterday," Kasumigaoka Utaha said proudly. She looked at Yotsuya Miko with a look of pity, thinking she was the only one who didn't know.

Yotsuya Miko's brainstorming began at this moment, and bits and pieces began to fit together:

The day before yesterday, Yukino was sent back by Takahashi-kun. What happened in between? Yesterday afternoon, Shiyu-senpai was looking for Takahashi-kun but couldn't find him. Did she also meet Takahashi-kun in the end?

Thinking back to the scene when she and Takahashi Takumi were walking home together and hugging each other under the street light, could it be that they had also done something, or something even more excessive?

By the way, Yukino originally sat at an arm's length away from Takahashi-kun, but today she moved to the same distance of two palms from Takahashi-kun as me. She also smiled more often when looking at Takahashi-kun, so something must have happened that made her blush and heartbeat.

As for Senior Shiyu, she would definitely get closer to Takahashi-kun even more blatantly if she got the chance to be alone with him. Could it be that she was just pretending to be a good friend, and that she was actually...

Thinking of this, Yotsuya Miko's face turned red and she stared at Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kasumigaoka Utaha's heart skipped a beat. Then she understood what Yotsuya Miko was thinking.

"Hehe, not yet, I really came to be a good friend."

Chapter 204 Involving the Cabinet

Not yet!? Is it because a good friend is blocking the way?

Yotsuya Kenko breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she felt a simmering anger within her heart. Turning to look at Takahashi Takumi, she saw that young man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a very heroic aura. For a moment, she felt reluctant to lose her temper with him.

Takahashi Takumi quickly came up to brush the dust off her clothes and explained, "I just found a suitable place in the other world yesterday. I told you this morning and you didn't believe me."

Well, Yotsuya Miko nodded and didn't pursue the matter any further. Thinking about her previous behavior of hugging Takahashi Takumi under the street light and secretly kissing him on the cheek, it could be considered as running away. Moreover, she held hands with Takahashi Takumi on the way to the Service Club. It seemed that her position to accuse him was not sound, so it was better not to mention it.

Suddenly, a subtle atmosphere emerged in the service club. Seeing Takahashi Takumi sandwiched between Yotsuya Miko and Yukinoshita Yukino, Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a smile, "You don't know, I was staying at Takahashi's house last night, and a good friend came over unexpectedly. Takahashi even went to a convenience store far away to buy me sanitary products, and he bought one of every brand."

When they heard that Kasumigaoka Utaha stayed overnight at Takahashi Takumi's house last night, Yotsuya Miko and Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but reach out and pinch Takahashi Takumi's waist, saying with a forced smile: "Takahashi-kun is so heartwarming!"

Only then did Takahashi Takumi realize that he was in a Shura Field, and he was too frightened to say a word. Fortunately, Takahashi Takumi did not have a rebellious mentality towards the beautiful girl's rolling eyes, but shamelessly reached out and caressed the two small hands just at his waist.

After a while, the three of them were kicked out on the pretext of holding a secret girls' meeting.

After escaping from the service club, Takahashi Takumi hid at the door and was relieved to find that there was no quarreling sound inside. It was unknown what they said, but when Takahashi Takumi returned, the three of them returned to their friendly state of talking and laughing.

……

During the afternoon club time, when Takahashi Takumi was drinking black tea and browsing his phone to learn about the Tokyo Tower bombing, Shinomiya Kaguya came again. This time she came alone, even her little follower Hayasaka Ai and the fun-loving Fujiwara Chika did not follow her.

When she saw that it was Shinomiya Kaguya, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but frowned. Not knowing what the student council president was up to this time, she simply asked:

"President Shinomiya, I wonder why you've come again today?"

When Kaguya Shinomiya saw Takumi Takahashi, the frost on her face finally disappeared and immediately became rosy.

Today, Fujiwara Chika had something to do at home and went home early. After thinking about it in the student union, she finally realized that Takahashi Takumi would not come to the student union on his own, so she decided to take the initiative. Of course, she didn't come here on a whim.

"Haha, I'm sure you all know that the Tokyo Tower was blown up last night. Don't you find it strange that such a large tower was blown up so easily, and the news reported that there were no casualties. Don't you want to know the hidden story behind this?"

Hearing what Shinomiya Kaguya said, even Takahashi Takumi couldn't help but look at her curiously. What kind of information could an ordinary person like her know?

But speaking of it, Kaguya Shinomiya is also the daughter of the country's top financial group, so maybe she knows some inside information. So Takahashi Takumi quickly brought a chair from the back for Kaguya Shinomiya to sit down, poured her a cup of black tea, and then asked: "President Shinomiya, do you know any inside information? Tell us quickly."

At this time, Shinomiya Kaguya looked at Takahashi Takumi with affection, then picked up the teacup and took a sip and continued:

"You've all seen the video of the Tokyo Tower bombing. Anyone with eyes wide open can see there were numerous casualties, yet the Asahi Shimbun reported that there were no casualties. It wasn't a terrorist attack, just an accident. I heard the reason behind this this morning from my family.

The president of the Asahi Shimbun personally requested this reporting. It's said it wasn't a government request, but rather he personally asked his employees to report it this way. He also mobilized his network to ask other news agencies and independent media outlets to report it this way.

How could such a thing happen? Why would the president of the Asahi Shimbun do such a thing? And does he alone have such immense influence that he could force the entire internet to align its reporting with his own, blindly reporting that there were no casualties? It wasn't a terrorist attack, but an accident? What kind of accident could cause a tower to collapse?

As if she could hear Takahashi Takumi's thoughts, Shinomiya Kaguya continued:

"The president of Asahi Shimbun is also the president of the Newspaper Association (NSK). Of course, the president of Asahi Shimbun alone cannot blind other news media.

It is said that this was done under the order of a certain cabinet minister. By the way, this is information provided to me by Fujiwara Chika."

Oh, I didn’t expect that a news censorship alone would involve the cabinet ministers. But why did Fujiwara Chika know this kind of news?

Before Takumi Takahashi could ask, Yukinoshita Yukino spoke up to answer for him.

It turns out that Fujiwara Chika's great-grandfather was the former Prime Minister, and her uncle is the current Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare.

If that's the case, then her news is very likely to be true.

But why do we have to do this? In today's era of high-speed information flow, such reporting will not only fail to cover up the problem, but will attract more and more people's attention, and eventually all the secrets will be exposed. Is it possible that the class structure on this island country is so rigid that it is not afraid of criticism from the general public?