Ten Million Swords Wielded with All One's Heart!

But by the time Uesugi Tetsu rushed to the kendo hall, holding Kaga Kiyomitsu, all he saw was Ririko, who had changed into a new kendo uniform, standing unharmed at the entrance.

She just looked at him quietly.

Uesugi Tetsu breathed a sigh of relief and was about to comfort her, saying, "Ririko..."

But Ririko raised her bamboo sword and took a stance, shouting, "Halt!"

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

Ririko said slowly, "Likewise, I won't come near you. Because I can't prove that I am Tokugawa Ririko herself."

She said, "I've already seen through Ai Bielie's disguise once because of kendo, but I can't expect her to make the same mistake."

These words also made Uesugi Tetsu's guard rise again—that's right, what made him think that Ai Bielie could only split herself once in a short period?

If the Ririko in front of him was another clone of Ai Bielie, wouldn't he be walking right into a trap!

Ririko was too calm!

But things were at a standstill, with the two of them staring at each other.

"You're right," Uesugi Tetsu nodded, drawing Kaga Kiyomitsu and pointing it at Ririko. "But how do we prove that we are ourselves?"

"--Find Nanjō Emi, or her superior."

Ririko analyzed, "If even they can't tell if you and I are real or fake, then I think there's no point in us arguing here."

"Makes sense."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded and immediately took out his phone to call Nanjō Emi.

The first call didn't go through.

Then he kept calling the second...

In fact, Ririko's doubts had already faded considerably after seeing Kaga Kiyomitsu in Uesugi Tetsu's hand and his actions.

But she didn't dare to gamble, didn't dare to gamble whether the person in front of her was the more meticulously disguised Uesugi Tetsu or Ai Bielie.

That's right, just as Uesugi Tetsu was called to the rooftop by the fake Ririko, Ririko, who had just finished showering, also encountered the fake Uesugi Tetsu at the kendo hall.

Then, after the fake Uesugi Tetsu picked up the bamboo sword and swung the first strike, Ririko saw through Ai Bielie's disguise and realized this was not the real Uesugi Tetsu.

To the bewildered Ai Bielie, Ririko replied:

"--Do you think I've swung Ten Million Swords in my life for nothing?"

Tokugawa Ririko, only eighteen years old, had practiced kendo for fifteen years, swung her sword over ten million times in her life, achieved a state of mental tranquility at the age of four, became one with her sword at eight, and attained Clear Sword Heart at eighteen.

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

It could be said that Ririko's entire life had been spent with her sword.

Because of this, the sword swung by Ai Bielie seemed as ridiculous as a clown's trick in her eyes.

"--It's connected."

Uesugi Tetsu's voice came through. The fifth call finally got through.

He turned on the speakerphone, and Nanjō Emi's angry roar, full of sleepiness, immediately burst out: "What trouble have you gotten yourself into, you brat! If you call this many times for no reason, I'll beat your butt until it blooms!"

It seemed the resentment of a salaryman woken from sleep was no small matter...

Seeing Ririko nod, Uesugi Tetsu spoke, "Sister Nanjō, Ririko and I encountered a clone of Ai Bielie at school, and now we can't be sure if the other party is the real person."

As soon as these words were spoken, the other end of the line seemed to hit the pause button and fell silent.

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

The next moment, Nanjō Emi's extremely serious voice came through:

"--Stay put! Don't go anywhere, I'll be there in twenty minutes!"

Beep beep beep...

The call was hung up.

Uesugi Tetsu spread his hands and temporarily put away his sword. "Let's maintain this distance for now and wait."

Seventeen minutes later.

Nanjō Emi arrived, with Hiyori Bō overhead and Wet Oni floating behind her.

And with her, a middle-aged man with a solemn expression also arrived.

"What is it?"

Nanjō Emi took half a step back and asked the middle-aged man in front of her.

Uesugi Tetsu felt an extremely sharp gaze sweep over his body, making his skin crawl. Then he heard the middle-aged man say, "--Both are the real people."

Ririko frowned. "You can tell just by looking?"

The middle-aged man said sternly to them, "Both of you, nice to meet you. I am Kondō Yūya, the chief official in charge of the Arakawa district."

Damn.

A big shot has arrived, and she's Nanjō's direct superior.

Uesugi Tetsu thought to himself, it seems the danger level of "Ai Bielie" is unusually high.

If the person who came for him today wasn't a clone but the real deal, he'd probably be dead and ready for cremation by now.

"As for why I could tell the real from the fake at a glance, it's because my realm has reached 'Clear Sword Heart'," Kondō Yūya said. "This is also one of the reasons why Ai Bielie has always hated sword-wielding cultivators."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu winked at a bewildered Ririko, as if asking, "Why can't you do that?"

Ririko scratched her head, indicating she had no idea.

Kondō Yūya continued, "In any case, please return to the Special Affairs Division with me to discuss this further. Staying in the school any longer could cause unnecessary casualties."

Seated in a luxurious black car, the group of four soon arrived at the Special Affairs Division headquarters in Arakawa Ward.

Pulling his gaze away from the two stars floating in the shadows by the entrance, Uesugi Tetsu thought, As expected of a district headquarters, even the Shikigami guarding the entrance are two-star.

Kondō Yūya led the way, "Please follow me."

Along the way, Uesugi Tetsu actually saw Shizuma Manatsu and Kitano Runa arguing in front of a vending machine, seemingly debating which drink was tastier.

Looks like they're doing well here.

After exchanging a smile with Ririko, they entered the conference room, which required a password, fingerprint, and iris scan to open.

Kondō Yūya closed the large door. "This conference room is covered by a barrier, ensuring that our conversation will not be monitored or leaked."

He sat at the head of the table, took out a special pen and paper to take notes, "Now, please, the two of you, first tell me about the cause and effect of your encounter with Ai Bielie, and the specific process."

With Nanjō Emi present and her official status as a guarantor, Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko naturally had nothing to hide from this Onmyōji official.

However, even so, the entire questioning session lasted for over an hour.

Kondō Yūya even filled more than ten pages of notes.

"One point is very strange."

Kondō Yūya frowned. "Why would Ai Bielie target two ordinary people like you for no reason? The incident yesterday where you eliminated the Friendship Cult members doesn't explain this; such things happen all over Arakawa Ward."

If killing Friendship Cult members could attract Ai Bielie's attention, Nanjō Emi would have encountered her long ago.

Amidst the silence, Nanjō Emi suddenly spoke; "Ouija Board."

She stated with certainty:

"That Ouija Board has a problem."