Chapter 35: Ten Million Sword Strikes Swung with All One's Heart!

By the time Uesugi Toru hurriedly carried Kaga Kiyomitsu to the Kendo Hall, he saw only Shizuku, changed into a new kendo uniform, standing unharmed at the doorway.

She simply watched him in silence.

Uesugi Toru breathed a sigh of relief and was about to ask with concern: "Shizuku..."

But Shizuku raised her bamboo sword, took a stance, and shouted loudly:

"Halt, whoever you are!"

Uesugi Toru's footsteps stopped immediately, and then he heard her speak solemnly: "Don't come near me, because I don't know if you are the real Uesugi Toru."

Shizuku said slowly: "Likewise, I won't approach you either. Because I cannot prove that I am Tokugawa Ririko herself."

She said: "I have already seen through Aibetsu's disguise once because of a kendo issue, but I can't count on her making the same mistake again."

These words made Uesugi Toru's vigilance rise again—yes, why did he think Aibetsu could only split into a clone once in a short time?

If the Shizuku before him was also Aibetsu's clone, hadn't he just walked right into a trap!

Shizuku was truly too calm!

But the situation remained deadlocked at the stage of the two staring at each other.

"You're right." Uesugi Toru nodded, likewise drawing Kaga Kiyomitsu and pointing it at Shizuku before him, "But how do we prove that we are ourselves?"

"—Find Rituna Minami, or her superior."

Shizuku analyzed: "If even they can't tell whether you and I are real or fake, then I think shouting at each other here is meaningless."

"Makes sense."

Uesugi Toru nodded and immediately took out his mobile phone to call Rituna Minami.

The first call didn't go through.

Then he continued to dial the second...

Actually, upon seeing the Kaga Kiyomitsu Uesugi Toru was holding and his actions, Shizuku's doubts had already largely dissipated.

But she dared not gamble, dared not gamble on whether the person before her was Uesugi Toru or Aibetsu's even more careful disguise.

That's right, just now when Uesugi Toru was called to the rooftop by the fake Shizuku, Shizuku, who had finished bathing, also met the fake Uesugi Toru at the Kendo Hall.

Then, after the fake Uesugi Toru picked up his bamboo sword and swung the first strike, Shizuku saw through Aibetsu's disguise and discovered this was not Uesugi Toru himself.

To the puzzled Aibetsu, Shizuku answered like this:

"—You think my ten million sword strikes in this life were swung for nothing?"

Tokugawa Ririko, only eighteen years old, had practiced swordsmanship for fifteen years, with over ten million sword strikes in her career; at four she attained Heart Like Still Water, at eight she achieved Jinken Gōitsu, and at eighteen she comprehended Sword Heart Penetration.

While other children were clamoring for toys and playing with friends, she was swinging her sword alone; while other children were obediently going to school, she was swinging her sword alone; while other girls were experiencing their first stirrings of love, she was still swinging her sword alone.

It could be said that Shizuku's entire life was spent with the sword.

And precisely for this reason, the sword strikes Aibetsu swung looked as ridiculous as a clown's tricks in her eyes.

"—Connected."

Uesugi Toru's voice came through; when the fifth call was made, someone finally answered.

He turned on speakerphone, and Nanjo Sister's roar full of waking-up grumpiness immediately burst out: "You little brat, what trouble did you cause again! If there's nothing wrong and you call this many times, I'll beat your ass until it blooms!"

It seemed the resentment of a company slave being woken up while sleeping was not small at all...

Seeing Shizuku nod, Uesugi Toru said: "Nanjo Sister, Shizuku and I encountered Aibetsu's clone at school, and now we can't confirm whether the other party is the real person."

After these words were spoken, the other end of the phone seemed to have been paused, and suddenly fell silent.

"Hello? Hello? Nanjo Sister? Are you still there?"

The next moment, Rituna Minami's extremely stern voice came through:

"—Stay where you are and don't move! Don't go anywhere, I'll arrive within twenty minutes!"

Beep beep beep...

The phone was hung up.

Uesugi Toru spread his hands and temporarily put away his sword: "Let's keep our distance like this for now, and wait."

Seventeen minutes later.

Rituna Minami arrived, with Hiyobou above her head and Nure-oni floating behind her.

And coming with her was also a middle-aged man with a solemn countenance.

"What do you mean?"

Rituna Minami landed half a step behind and asked the middle-aged man before her.

Uesugi Toru only felt an extremely sharp gaze sweep over his body, making goosebumps rise all over him, and then he heard the middle-aged man say:

"—Both are the real ones."

Shizuku frowned: "You can tell just by looking once?"

The middle-aged man said sternly to them: "Both of you, nice to meet you, I am Kondo Tomoya, the Onmyo Daizoku in charge of Arakawa Ward."

My god.

A big shot had arrived, and he was Nanjo Sister's direct superior.

Uesugi Toru thought to himself, it seemed the danger level of "Aibetsu" was not ordinary.

If what the other party came to find today was not a clone but the real body, he estimated he would already be cold and ready for cremation.

"As for why I can tell true from false at a glance, it is because my realm has reached 'Sword Heart Penetration.'" Kondo Tomoya said, "This is also one of the reasons why Aibetsu has detested swordsmanship cultivators from ancient times to the present."

After hearing this, Uesugi Toru blinked at Shizuku, who was full of question marks, as if asking: "Why can't you?"

Shizuku scratched her head, indicating she couldn't.

Kondo Tomoya: "Anyway, both of you please return with me to the Special Affairs Division first to discuss further. Staying at the school will easily cause unnecessary friendly fire."

Sitting in a black luxury car, not long after, the group of four arrived at the headquarters of the Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Division.

Withdrawing his gaze from the two stars floating in the shadow by the doorway, Uesugi Toru thought to himself that it was only fitting for a ward headquarters—the shikigami guarding the door were two-star.

Kondo Tomoya led the way ahead: "Please follow me."

Along the way, Uesugi Toru actually saw Shizuma Manatsu and Kitano Runa arguing incessantly in front of a vending machine, seemingly discussing which drink tasted better.

It seemed they were doing quite well here.

After exchanging a smile with Shizuku, they walked into the conference room that required a password, fingerprint, and iris scan to open.

Kondo Tomoya closed the door: "This conference room is covered by a kekkai, which can guarantee that the conversation won't be eavesdropped on or leaked."

He sat in the main seat, took out special paper and brush to prepare for recording,

"Below, please first talk about the cause and effect of your contact with Ai Biri, and the specific process."

With Rituna Minami present and her official identity backing them up, Uesugi Toru and the other naturally had nothing to hide from this Onmyo Daizoku.

But even so, the entire interrogation lasted for over an hour.

Kondo Tomoya even filled more than ten pages of paper.

"There's something strange."

Kondo Toru frowned: "Why did Ai Biri inexplicably come after you two ordinary people? Yesterday's slaying of the Yurei Kyōto cannot explain this; such things are happening all over Arakawa Ward."

If slaying Yurei Kyōto could attract Ai Biri's gaze, then Rituna Minami should have encountered her long ago.

Amid such silence, Rituna Minami suddenly spoke: "Spirit Board."

She said affirmatively:

"That Spirit Board has a problem."

End of Chapter