Chapter 50: The Test of Courage Conference Again

Nanjo Ai heard someone call her name, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, let out a hiccup, and turned to look back.

"Isn't that whatshisname... oh, Uesugi Ririko!"

Shizuka Mami at her right side sighed, saying quietly, "Madam Nanjo, he is Uesugi Toru."

Shizuka Mami was very detailed in not calling her Minor Officer Nanjo outside, but addressing her as "Madam".

Uesugi Toru froze even at hearing this name; only when he saw clearly Nanjo Ai's hazy eyes did he react: "So Nanjo Sister, you're not just a chimney, but a drunkard too."

He sat down at Nanjo Ai's left side, reminding her: "If you do both cigarettes and alcohol heavily in private, they say you won't live past sixty or seventy."

Having said that, Uesugi Toru ordered an extra-large beef bowl, the triple-meat kind — although it's synthetic cultured beef pre-made dish, it wins on being green and healthy, tastes good, and is cheap.

"So Uesugi-kun, you think I can live to sixty?" Nanjo Ai laughed loudly, casually draping her arm over Uesugi Toru's shoulder; the alcohol fumes hitting his face made him pinch his nose, "Then I really must thank you for your blessing."

These words made Uesugi Toru think of Hasegawa, and also of the mostly young faces he'd seen that day at the Special Affairs Division Headquarters.

Onmyoji, truly not a profession with a high survival rate, huh.

Uesugi Toru, just thinking about things, suddenly felt his whole arm surrounded by softness, and hurriedly wriggled out: "Nanjo Sister, is your sense of distance a bit off?"

"Is it? Is there a problem?"

Nanjo Ai looked up puzzledly, smacked her lips twice, clinked glasses with Shizuka Mami whose face was full of worry, and drank down the remaining half cup refreshingly: "Drinking a cup happily after work ends is just the best!"

Shizuka Mami sipped a small mouthful, pursed her lips from the bitterness.

Looks like accompanying the boss for drinks applies in any country; it's just that Shizuka Mami probably wants to advance too much, actively drinking with the drunkard beside her...

Uesugi Toru collected his thoughts, got to the main topic: "Speaking of work, I just ran into Kurosaki Akira."

"Talking about work after hours is a very unromantic act, Uesugi-kun."

Nanjo Ai put down her cup, lay prone on the table pillowed on her arm, those slender eyes glancing at him: "But... since you've met, you should also know the work content; tell me your thoughts."

Uesugi Toru said gravely: "Too easy, easy to the point of being abnormal."

"Ah! That's indeed the case." Nanjo Ai licked the alcohol at the corner of her lips, "So you'd better be careful recently."

Uesugi Toru was stunned — Nanjo Sister's reaction clearly showed she knew very well.

He frowned: "If so, why not..."

"Because I finished work, got off work, ah."

Nanjo Ai wearily yawned; Shizuka Mami then bought another beer and placed it at her hand side, replacing the cup that was almost finished.

In just two or three days, Shizuka Mami had grown from that originally timid intern into a qualified office lady.

The woman drank the iced beer happily, incomparably comfortable: "This matter, I've told my superior and colleagues, and reported it to the next level up; what more do you want me to do, Uesugi-kun?"

At this time, Uesugi Toru's beef bowl was ready.

Nanjo Ai thanked the clerk and took it for him, gently pushing it before Uesugi Toru: "May I ask, what does the rest have to do with me?"

She pinched the rim of the glass, shaking it gently, corners of her lips curling up: "I'm not a hero in a story who goes looking for trouble when there's none. I'm just a company slave who listens to superior's orders and works crazy overtime."

Uesugi Toru ate his rice in big mouthfuls, listening to her say,

"To me, this job has no essential difference from an accounting clerk. And when a company slave finishes their proper work, they naturally drink big and sleep big."

"Uesugi-kun."

Nanjo Ai poked Uesugi Toru's waist with her elbow, and in the instant he turned his head, pressed her index finger against his lips, then said seriously with a completely calm face,

"Do only what your ability allows. That is my life creed."

The index finger was warm, carrying a strong beer smell.

But this time Uesugi Toru didn't pinch his nose; he slowly nodded: "I understand."

"Good that you understand!" Nanjo Ai laughed hehe, then turned her head and hugged Shizuka Mami, repeating it once more.

"I'll remember too, Madam Nanjo."

"Oh come on, we're off work, don't be so stiff; call me Nanjo Sister, or Ai is fine too."

"Eh? Ah? That... no no no..."

"Come to think of it, Mami, do you have some hard-to-achieve dream for joining us?"

"Mm... because as long as I get through the internship, my younger sister will be able to have a stable job in the future."

"So it's for little sister! Good, then let's get along well during the next three months of internship, Mami!"

Uesugi Toru ate his rice, quietly listening to the conversation between the company slave and the not-so-new workplace newcomer.

Work, huh.

He ate the last mouthful of beef bowl, thinking it turned out he'd never really seen clearly what kind of person Nanjo Sister was.

Muddle through, just live well — no wonder Nanjo Ai stayed at the Special Affairs Division for a full five years and was still only a Minor Officer.

Without saying goodbye to Nanjo Ai, Uesugi Toru walked out of the Yoshinoya shop alone under Shizuka Mami's hesitant gaze.

Randomly finding a JR Line subway station, Uesugi Toru entered it, continuing to scroll on his phone for news related to Kisaragi Station.

Naturally, he also didn't forget to supplement some most basic supernatural knowledge.

For example, what kind of mononoke that right-bowing thing he ran into today was — such understanding is very necessary, because if you can clearly know the other's origin, you can then make targeted countermeasures.

Scrolling on his phone, time quickly arrived at 10:20 PM.

Clang clang~

Accompanied by a cheerful little tune and the sound of the train decelerating, an utterly normal train stopped on time before Uesugi Toru.

He boarded together with the crowd, standing at the window-side position gazing outward.

The train moved, the scenery outside the window slowly changing, night deepening further.

By the time the train reached the terminal station, there were almost no people left inside; only a drunk salaryman uncle seemed to have missed his stop, swaying unsteadily as he got off the train together behind him.

Uesugi Toru glanced at him; after confirming there was no one on the platform besides the uncle, he changed into a coat and mask within his visual blind spot.

The next train came in less than two minutes; Uesugi Toru boarded silently, discovering this uncle had also followed aboard.

He ignored it.

There were very few people on this train, and by the time it reached the original starting station, only he and the uncle got off.

Uesugi Toru stepped out the train door, and his feet immediately felt a subtle chill.

He looked around; the Tokyo night scenery that had been incomparably clear in his eyes had already begun to slowly blur.

Without hesitation, Uesugi Toru transformed into the Laughing Hannya in silence.

At the same time, he also summoned the Two-Shaku Adult.

The white-hatted girl, the moment she came out, frantically patted Uesugi Toru all over: "Po! Toru-sama, you're actually not dead?!"

What an auspicious thing to say...

Uesugi Toru made a "shh" gesture at her, then said softly: "In the Everlasting World, even if I die I can revive."

The Two-Shaku Adult gaped her little mouth, a look of disbelief, but right before she could make a sound she covered her mouth with both hands, letting out a soft popo sound.

Uesugi Toru reminded: "Never mind that for now; there may be several battles later, and then I'll be counting on the Two-Shaku Adult to help me recover quickly in the gaps."

——This was Uesugi Toru's assumption that a battle would occur every time a station was passed.

——But this assumption also had a high chance of being wrong; calling out the Two-Shaku Adult was just for insurance.

Next came the Train to Tokoyo.

However, before Uesugi Toru could wait for the Train to Tokoyo, a train exactly the same as the one he had ridden earlier actually pulled up behind him.

The train doors slowly opened.

A group of laughing and chatting high school students and an auntie scrolling on her mobile phone walked onto the platform, seemingly completely unaware of the changes in the surrounding environment.

"So! Miyamoto-kun, is our Courage Test really being held at this train station? I don't see anything scary at all! It totally can't scare my guts hahaha!"

Among the high school students, a girl spoke up.

Hearing the familiar noun, Uesugi Toru's gaze sharpened.

——Courage Test again?

(End of Chapter)