Chapter 27

Hasegawa actually died just like that, silently and without a sound; he had originally thought the other party would amount to something.

Uesugi Toru closed his eyes, feeling the reality of the three words "you will die" that Minami Rituna had said to him that night.

"Where is he buried?"

Shizuka Mami answered in detail: "The cemetery at Hongan-ji. I heard the plot there is cheap, so the remaining money could be sent to his family."

After a moment of silence, nodding slightly toward Shizuka Mami, Uesugi Toru continued: "Ms. Shizuka, please protect your younger sister and the friends by her side."

Shizuka Mami did not speak.

For an instant, she wanted to loudly demand just how Manatsu had become entangled with yokai, but at the same time Shizuka Mami also understood that bringing up the past no longer held any meaning; letting her emotions surge now would only make things worse.

"Mr. Uesugi, thank you for your trouble."

Bowing deeply toward Uesugi Toru, Shizuka Mami spoke sincerely.

— If it weren't for Uesugi Toru, she might never have known Manatsu had come into contact with danger, and by the time she discovered it, everything might already be too late.

Fortunately, fortunately.

"It's nothing; I should be the one saying that."

Seeing Shizuka Mami pull the clueless Manatsu into the bread van, Uesugi Toru surprisingly also saw Kitano Runa bow deeply to him before getting in.

He smiled: "Ririko, your taste in friends isn't bad."

Ririko, her forehead covered in fine sweat, snorted softly: "Did that even need to be said?"

After seeing off Ririko's two close friends, the two of them walked unhurriedly toward the reserved barbecue restaurant.

In front of the red light at the barbecue restaurant entrance.

"Uesugi-kun, why are you sweating so much even though you're walking this slowly?"

Uesugi Toru stopped circulating the Kiai Technique, glancing at Ririko with sweat dripping from her chin: "You're asking me?"

Ririko fell silent, clicking her tongue: "Try-hard."

Crossing the last intersection, they arrived at their destination, but a line of over a dozen people was still queued at the entrance.

Most tasty restaurants in Japan require reservations, and even with advance reservations you still have to queue honestly, only entering after the line ahead completely disappears; generally speaking, queuing for half an hour is already considered fast.

This is especially obvious in densely populated Tokyo.

Lightly sniffing the scent of meat wafting out through the door curtain cracks, already hungry enough that her front stuck to her back yet still cultivating without pause, Ririko ground her teeth: "Is this tempering my Dao heart...?"

Uesugi Toru was about to mock her a couple of times, but faintly heard a conversation from inside the shop: "If no one saves them, no one pays attention, then let love transform everything..."

"O... only by following you, can we obtain salvation?"

"We will give you happiness."

This conversation was probably in the depths of the shop or a corner, and the volume wasn't loud; if Uesugi Toru hadn't just gone through Ririko's special training and his Physique risen by two points, he truly wouldn't have heard it.

This conversation sounded a bit off.

Uesugi Toru continued listening.

"The suffering of separation from loved ones, whether they obey or resist, unable to be together... this is the suffering of parting; in this world only love can ferry them across. Foolish child, the Friendship Club welcomes all sufferers."

Uesugi Toru lowered his eyes indifferently; Ririko, still bitterly cultivating beside him, froze, asking: "What's wrong?"

"Friendship Club." Uesugi Toru said softly: "There are Friendship Club people inside bewitching ordinary people."

In just a moment, Ririko converged all superfluous expression.

Without any hesitation, she untied the sword bag on her back, about to take out her bamboo sword.

Seeing this, Uesugi Toru hurriedly pressed down her hand, scanning the surrounding crowd queuing normally: "Don't rush."

Ririko expressionless, coldly countered: "Reason?"

Uesugi Toru leaned by her ear and spoke rapidly: "There are many people around, it could cause a commotion; better to call the police and have Nanjo Sister and them come over first."

But Ririko acted as if she hadn't heard, continuing to draw out her bamboo sword.

"Then Uesugi-kun, you go first." She said coldly: "This is my personal decision; if it drags you in, that's indeed my fault."

This stubborn woman...

Uesugi Toru rolled his eyes inwardly, already understanding that unless he knocked Ririko unconscious right now, verbal persuasion would have zero effect on her.

But what kind of conduct is striking a teammate while the enemy is before you?

So Uesugi Toru firmly gripped Ririko's wrist, simultaneously saying quickly by her ear: "The other side is a cult terrorist organization; are you willing to just take a bamboo sword and beat them up?"

Ririko's movement stopped.

"Then you tell me, what better way is there?"

Uesugi Toru smiled grimly, like a wrathful deity: "Wait for them to come out, take them to a place with no one, rescue the people, then interrogate the Friendship Club people first, then behead them."

Ririko's small mouth opened slightly: "You dare kill people?"

"They all want to kill me already; am I only allowed to surrender with my hands bound?" Uesugi Toru coldly smiled: "Should good people just be held at gunpoint?"

"Or does Ririko have a bit of a holy mother complex and doesn't want to do this?"

The two faced each other; a moment later Ririko sheathed her bamboo sword, patting his shoulder exceptionally cheerfully: "Turns out I underestimated you, Uesugi-kun."

A guess rose in Uesugi Toru's heart: "You..."

"That's right." Ririko grinned, generously admitting: "Originally I wanted to leave Uesugi-kun you out of it, and go clean them up alone."

Uesugi Toru took a deep breath.

This guy is simply arrogant without limit; her eyes hold not a shred of the hesitation or fear toward the law that she should have.

Clearly two days ago she wasn't like this; what changed her, Sword Heart Penetration?

The two waited quietly.

Before long, Uesugi Toru keenly caught sight of three people walking out the shop entrance.

Two of them wore ordinary yet similar clothes, faces bearing mechanical smiles, and the scent drifting from them made Uesugi Toru's brows furrow tightly.

But he looked at Ririko; the other party seemed not to have smelled this disgusting odor.

The young man following behind the two had a dazed expression, seemingly an employee of the barbecue restaurant, and Uesugi Toru could smell a strong scent of barbecue spices on him.

"Follow them."

Though neither was an FBI agent, both knew how to use the Kiai Technique to suppress their breathing sounds, and could control the force and rhythm to make their footsteps coincide with the honking on the main street.

Tailing the two ordinary members of the Friendship Club who kept preaching to the employees was more than enough.

Following them all the way, Shizuku discovered they were increasingly deviating from the main road.

Discovered?

Shizuku looked at Uesugi Toru in surprise, but he raised his hand and smiled at her.

Shizuku then discovered that Uesugi Toru's hand somehow held an uchigatana with a vermilion sword sheath, and he deliberately drew it out two tenths, letting her see the blade flashing with cold light.

"Where the fuck did he get this from!?"

Shizuku was shocked and silently cursed.

The next moment, Uesugi Toru stopped his footsteps.

Because the two Friendship Club members about to leave the alley had already turned around, smiling and speaking in unison to them:

"Friends traveling the same path of suffering, do you also wish to join the club and accept the transformation of love together?"

Hearing the sound of a car engine and footsteps, Uesugi Toru looked behind him and discovered the man standing on the retreat route was using both hands to cradle his head and install it onto his neck.

A bit troublesome.

Uesugi Toru drew Kaga Kiyomitsu expressionlessly, thinking.

End of Chapter