By the time Uesugi Tetsu hurriedly arrived at the kendo hall with Kaga Kiyomitsu in hand, he saw only Ririko standing unharmed at the entrance in a fresh kendō uniform.
She simply stood there, quietly watching him.
Uesugi Tetsu breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to ask, "Ririko..."
But Ririko raised her Bamboo Sword, assumed a stance, and shouted,
"Stop right there!"
Uesugi Tetsu stopped in his tracks. Then he heard her say solemnly, "Don't come any closer. I don't know whether you're really Uesugi Tetsu."
Ririko slowly continued, "Likewise, I won't approach you. Because I can't prove that I'm really Tokugawa Ririko."
She said, "I've already seen through Ai Bielie's disguise once because of a kendo-related issue, but I can't assume she'll make the same mistake again."
Those words rekindled Uesugi Tetsu's wariness. That's right. What made him think Ai Bielie could only create one clone within a short period?
If the Ririko standing before him was another clone of Ai Bielie, wouldn't he have fallen straight into her trap?
Ririko was simply too calm!
But the situation remained deadlocked, with the two of them staring each other down.
"You're right." Uesugi Tetsu nodded and likewise drew Kaga Kiyomitsu, pointing it at the Ririko before him. "But how do we prove that we're really ourselves?"
"—Find Nanjō Emi, or her superior."
Ririko analyzed the situation. "If even they can't tell whether you and I are real, then I don't think there's any point in arguing here."
"That makes sense."
Uesugi Tetsu nodded and immediately pulled out his phone to call Nanjō Emi.
The first call didn't go through.
Then he made a second...
In truth, after seeing the Kaga Kiyomitsu in Uesugi Tetsu's hand and watching his actions, much of Ririko's doubt had already faded.
But she didn't dare gamble. She didn't dare gamble on whether the person before her was actually Uesugi Tetsu, or an even more carefully crafted disguise of Ai Bielie.
That was right. Just moments ago, when the fake Ririko had lured Uesugi Tetsu to the rooftop, Ririko, fresh from her shower, had also encountered a fake Uesugi Tetsu at the kendo hall.
Then, after the fake Uesugi Tetsu picked up a Bamboo Sword and swung his first strike, Ririko saw through Ai Bielie's disguise and realized that this was not the real Uesugi Tetsu.
To Ai Bielie, who was full of confusion, Ririko had replied:
"—Do you think the ten million swords I've wielded in my life were for nothing?"
Tokugawa Ririko was eighteen years old and had practiced swordsmanship for fifteen years. She had swung her sword more than ten million times in her life. At four, she had attained Heart Like Still Water; at eight, she had become one with her sword; and at eighteen, she had comprehended Clear Sword Heart.
While other children were throwing tantrums for toys or playing with their friends, she was wielding her sword alone. While other children were obediently attending school, she was wielding her sword alone. While other girls were experiencing the stirrings of love, she was still wielding her sword alone.
It could be said that Ririko had spent her entire life alongside her sword.
That was precisely why, in her eyes, Ai Bielie's swordplay was as laughably ridiculous as a clown's trick.
"—It went through."
Uesugi Tetsu's voice came from the other side. Someone finally picked up on the fifth call.
He turned on speakerphone, and Nanjō Emi's furious, sleep-filled roar immediately blasted out: "You little brat, what trouble have you gotten into this time! If nothing's wrong and you're just calling me this many times, I'll beat your ass until it's covered in bruises!"
Apparently, the resentment of a wage slave being woken up was no ordinary thing...
After Ririko nodded, Uesugi Tetsu spoke. "Sister Nanjō, Ririko and I encountered a clone of Ai Bielie at school. We can't determine whether the other person is the real one."
The moment those words were spoken, it was as though someone had pressed pause on the other end of the phone. Everything suddenly fell silent.
"Hello? Hello? Sister Nanjō? Are you still there?"
The next moment, Nanjō Emi's extremely serious voice came through:
"—Stay where you are! Don't go anywhere. I'll be there within twenty minutes!"
Beep, beep, beep...
The call ended.
Uesugi Tetsu spread his hands and temporarily sheathed his sword. "Let's keep our distance for now and wait."
Seventeen minutes later.
With Hiyori Bō perched above her head and Wet Oni floating behind her, Nanjō Emi arrived.
A solemn-looking middle-aged man had come with her as well.
"What do you think?"
Nanjō Emi lagged half a step behind and asked the middle-aged man walking in front of her.
Uesugi Tetsu felt an extremely sharp gaze sweep over his body, making goosebumps rise all over him. Then he heard the middle-aged man say,
"—They're both the real ones."
Ririko frowned. "You can tell just by looking at us?"
The middle-aged man addressed them solemnly. "The two of you, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kondō Yūya, Grand Official of Onmyō in charge of Arakawa Ward."
Oh, damn.
A high-ranking official had shown up—and he was Sister Nanjō's direct superior.
Uesugi Tetsu thought to himself that Ai Bielie's danger level was clearly no joke.
If the person who had come for him today had been the real body instead of a clone, he would probably already have been dead and ready for cremation.
"As for how I can distinguish the real from the fake at a glance, it's because my realm has reached Clear Sword Heart," Kondō Yūya said. "That's also one of the reasons Ai Bielie has hated sword cultivators throughout history."
After hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu blinked at the bewildered Ririko as though asking, "How come you can't do that?"
Ririko scratched her head, meaning: I haven't reached that level.
Kondō Yūya said, "In any case, please return to the Special Affairs Division with me first so we can discuss this further. Continuing to stay at the school could easily result in unnecessary injuries."
Sitting in a black luxury car, the four of them soon arrived at the headquarters of the Special Affairs Division in Arakawa Ward.
Uesugi Tetsu withdrew his gaze from the two stars floating in the shadows by the entrance and thought that it truly was the headquarters of an entire ward—even the Shikigami guarding the door were two-starred.
Kondō Yūya led the way ahead. "Please follow me."
Along the way, Uesugi Tetsu unexpectedly saw Shizuma Manatsu and Kitano Runa arguing endlessly in front of a vending machine. They seemed to be discussing which drinks tasted better.
Looks like they were doing pretty well here.
After exchanging a smile with Ririko, they entered the conference room, which required a password, fingerprints, and an iris scan to open.
Kondō Yūya closed the door. "This conference room is covered by a barrier. It can ensure that the contents of our conversation aren't monitored or leaked."
He sat in the main seat and took out special paper and a pen to prepare his notes.
"Now, please tell me about the circumstances leading up to and the process of your contact with Ai Bielie."
With Nanjō Emi present and the official backing of the authorities, Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko naturally had nothing to hide from the Grand Official of Onmyō.
Even so, the entire questioning session lasted for more than an hour.
Kondō Yūya had even filled more than a dozen pages.
"There's one thing that's strange."
Kondō Yūya frowned. "Why would Ai Bielie seek out the two of you ordinary people for no apparent reason? Yesterday's killing of Friendship Cult members can't explain it. Things like that happen all over Arakawa Ward."
If killing Friendship Cult members was enough to attract Ai Bielie's attention, Nanjō Emi should have encountered her long ago.
Amid that silence, Nanjō Emi suddenly spoke. "The Ouija Board."
She stated firmly:
"There's something wrong with that Ouija Board."
Before you continue