Chapter 69

Uesugi Toru withdrew his gaze in surprise.

He hadn't expected Shizuku to spot him inside the car from such a distance.

Could it be her Breathing Technique has already been mastered?

He grinned.

This is great; that means tomorrow I'll be able to harvest another skill to grind.

Shizuka Mami, watching from the side, couldn't help but remind him upon seeing Uesugi Toru's frivolous expression: "Uesugi-kun, please treat the Exorcism Mission with caution; carelessness will exact a painful price."

Right, very painful.

In the days since joining, running here and there, Shizuka Mami had already seen far too many newcomer Onmyoji and exorcists who relied on a bit of strength turn into corpses or piles of minced meat in an utterly ordinary Exorcism Mission.

Uesugi Toru is a good person, so even Shizuka Mami, who had grown numb to such sights, still reminded him.

"Thanks for the reminder." Uesugi Toru collected his smile and asked doubtfully, "But do I look that nonchalant?"

Shizuka Mami nodded.

"Isn't that good?"

Uesugi Toru's face was calm as still water, stroking the Kaga Kiyomitsu he had somehow taken out and placed flat on his lap: "If one wants to deceive the enemy, deceiving one's teammates at the same time is definitely the most effective, right?"

Shizuka Mami hadn't expected this answer; she let out a breath: "I underestimated Uesugi-kun."

As the bread van drove on, the surrounding pedestrian and vehicle traffic grew sparser.

Finally, it stopped in front of a clearly long-abandoned unfinished building.

Before Uesugi Toru even got out, he felt a wave of cold, Yin Qi surge from outside the car.

He stared for a moment at this building that practically had "haunted" written on its facade, and asked,

"Ms. Shizuka, how could the Special Affairs Division allow this kind of building to remain standing until now?"

"Quite the opposite."

Shizuka Mami answered: "This was deliberately designated by the Special Affairs Division as a landing point for Yokai descending from Chang Shi."

"Perhaps most Yokai prefer to descend directly into bustling downtown areas teeming with people, but once injured during the descent process, Yokai possessing consciousness mostly choose places similar to 'this building' to recuperate."

"Therefore, the Special Affairs Division can often discover these Yokai at the first moment."

So it's a sting operation.

The Tokyo Special Affairs Bureau's tricks are truly too many and too deep.

Uesugi Toru thought of those Yokai who, in their self-perceived cleverness, deliberately picked a location with few people and heavy Yin Qi to descend, only to be tracked down by Onmyoji the next day, and he could barely hold back.

Genjitsu's tricks run deep; Yokai should just go back to the simple, honest folkways of Chang Shi.

"Ms. Shizuka, are you staying put to wait?"

Before getting out, Uesugi Toru asked one last question.

Shizuka Mami handed over a radio communicator: "Command authority from here on is handed over to you, Uesugi-kun; whether I stay put to wait, or leave to call for support, it's all up to your whim."

"Understood."

Clipping the communicator to his collar, Uesugi Toru jumped down from the bread van and walked toward the abandoned building.

Dark clouds had already covered the evening sun, dimming the sky; once he entered the building with its scarce windows, it became pitch black, unable to see his own five fingers.

The surrounding cold Yin Qi grew heavier, as if countless tiny needles were pricking Uesugi Toru's skin.

Uesugi Toru looked back, and after confirming he could no longer see the bread van at all, he transformed into Prajna behind the concrete wall.

Drip, drip.

He could clearly hear the ceiling of the fifth floor dripping water downward, slowly but steadily.

But this abandoned building has eight floors total; even if the top floor is open to the sky and it's pouring rain outside, this situation is impossible.

"Turned into a water-related Yokai, huh."

Uesugi Toru, who had listened quietly for several minutes without detecting a second movement, thought.

Need to hurry.

He looked out the window; the dark clouds in the sky were gathering continuously; presumably before long a torrential rain would fall that could conceal all sound.

By then, even if Stupid Hayashi is no match for him, once it drills into the downpour it can easily escape.

Reaching a dark corner on the second floor, Uesugi Toru sat down soundlessly, releasing the Hundred-Eyed Demon Eyeball he hadn't used in a long time.

Given the current situation, using the eyeball's vision to scout the enemy's position first, then holding his breath and moving silently to finish the opponent with one full-power slash is the optimal plan.

Uesugi Toru has no desire to engage in a face-to-face, passionate real-or-fake showdown with the opponent.

The Hundred-Eyed Demon Eyeball clung to the wall and rose slowly, soon reaching the outside of the building's fifth floor.

Nothing discovered.

"As expected, it's on the sixth floor."

Soon, a small figure sitting curled amid layers of damp black hair appeared in Uesugi Toru's second vision.

It had not only spread its black hair across the fifth floor's stair entrance, but also cleverly leaned against the wall, blending into the shadows of the blind spot.

Even ordinary people reaching the sixth floor would have a high probability of failing to discover it.

Only, because those black hairs remained constantly damp, over time water droplets seeped from the cracked floorboards into the fifth floor's ceiling, gradually accumulating and dripping down.

Details determine success or failure.

Stupid Hayashi is indeed cunning and timid, but that's the extent of it.

After confirming the opponent's position, Uesugi Toru drew Kaga Kiyomitsu, then separated blade and sheath and stored them in his Storage Space.

Next, Uesugi Toru silently slipped through a broken window to the building's outer edge, his five fingers tightly gripping the rough concrete wall surface.

Prajna's terrifying finger strength allowed Uesugi Toru to easily use friction to steady his body; he took a deep breath, held it, and slowly climbed upward.

Sixth floor.

Stupid Hayashi was quietly crouching on the ground, slowly absorbing the Yin Qi in this building to recover from its injuries.

That Prajna... that Prajna was simply just like a monster, it actually let it suffer severe injuries in a single instant!

Stupid Hayashi clearly felt that Prajna was not as strong as itself, this feeling had always been very accurate, but in that one time it nearly caused its death.

However, it was precisely because of this that it inexplicably fell into a passage, obtained the supernatural ability to transform into other Yokai it had seen, and arrived at this world where Yokai were scarce and living people were everywhere.

Moreover, it just happened to select an unoccupied building with such heavy Yin Qi, perfectly allowing it to use this to recover from its injuries.

Even a heavy downpour was about to fall right away.

It could completely take advantage of this opportunity to blend into the rain curtain, then slowly select a safe location to hunt Stranger Souls.

Stupid Hayashi couldn't help but laugh strangely in its heart.

Lucky, truly lucky!

Right, there was also that Prajna.

If it encountered that Prajna again, it would absolutely toy with and torture the other party to death... its Adult Stupid Hayashi was an existence that held grudges very deeply!

Drip.

A bean-sized raindrop struck the Window, making Stupid Hayashi tremble excitedly.

It's coming, it's coming!

The rain is coming——

Boom!

Under Stupid Hayashi's puzzled gaze, that Window facing the sky darkened in an instant, then transformed into powder and sprayed toward it.

That face mask that caused it incomparable fear, at this moment was actually facing it directly, revealing a grim smile.

It's here!

Prajna is here!

(End of Chapter)