Laughing Brahma, One Star!

Why did the topic suddenly shift to something completely unrelated?

Aren't we supposed to be discussing how to deal with Ai Bielie?

Seeing Ririko's lack of reaction, Kondō Yūya immediately upped the ante. "Miss Tokugawa, I can teach you a breathing technique to step into the extraordinary. All you need to do is register your name with the Special Affairs Division."

This time, Ririko began to seriously consider Kondō Yūya's proposal. The ability to completely escape the identity of a helpless ordinary person was something she had always dreamed of.

After a moment of thought, she looked towards Uesugi Tetsu.

Because if she agreed, Uesugi Tetsu would have no sparring partner for a while.

Being his teacher was something she had promised personally, and for Ririko, nothing was more important than a promise. No amount of so-called breathing techniques could shake her resolve.

Uesugi Tetsu merely sighed, "Don't treat me like a child."

"--Then I agree."

Ririko answered decisively, making Kondō Yūya's face light up with joy.

He hadn't expected to so easily recruit a Kendo genius who left even him astonished. Coming along with Nanjō Emi this time was definitely the right decision.

Ririko: "I still have a question--Why could you, Great Officer Kondō, tell at a glance that neither I nor Uesugi Tetsu were her clones, but I couldn't?"

"Is it because my cultivation isn't sufficient?" Ririko's first thought was this.

"No."

Kondō Yūya's tone changed as he explained meticulously, "Even with Clear Sword Heart, the sword heart each person condenses is different, which leads to all sorts of unique sword heart traits. For example, my trait, 'Microscopic Observation,' is good at observing."

Afterward, Ririko eagerly continued to ask Kondō Yūya questions about swordsmanship.

Watching the two of them, Nanjō Emi let out a "tsk," pushed open the conference room door, and beckoned to Uesugi Tetsu.

"Let's go."

She walked out of the Special Affairs Division building, her Martin boots clacking.

As they walked, Uesugi Tetsu noticed that although the Special Affairs Division looked no different from an ordinary company on the surface, he could actually catch glimpses of a string of stars in his vision if he turned his head slightly.

While there were few with a rating of one-and-a-half stars or higher, one-and-a-half-star ratings were as common as dogs... If this weren't the Special Affairs Division, he would have thought it was some kind of den of iniquity.

He didn't look any further and followed Nanjō Emi outside, where he saw her impatiently put a cigarette in her mouth, light it, and then take a deep drag.

"I was suffocating..."

After slowly exhaling the smoke, Nanjō Emi said, "You've got a lucky streak, kid. You know, Ai Bielie hasn't been heard from in over a hundred years."

As for why there was no news, it was naturally because everyone who had encountered Ai Bielie had died.

This indirectly led to the Special Affairs Division having very little intelligence regarding Ai Bielie. They only knew that she could manipulate emotions and control minds, and knew nothing else.

Uesugi Tetsu savored the meaning behind her words and replied, "Nanjō-nee, if you want me to work under you, you can just say so. What's between us?"

"Speaking so directly will displease the leadership," Nanjō Emi said.

Uesugi Tetsu spread his hands. "Nanjō-nee is Nanjō-nee, and the leader is the leader. They're two separate matters that can't be discussed together."

Nanjō Emi narrowed her eyes and extinguished the cigarette butt with her fingertips.

This time, she spoke words that were the complete opposite of their first meeting.

"If you don't join the Special Affairs Division, you'll die."

"Although we still don't know Ai Bielie's exact combat power, we can be certain that her rank is between three and four stars... In the entire Arakawa district, very few people can confront her head-on."

Nanjō Emi stated word by word, "Uesugi Tetsu, you need to understand, you've already been targeted."

However, Uesugi Tetsu was focused on another question. "Why are you so sure Ai Bielie's rank doesn't exceed three stars?"

Nanjō Emi stared at him expressionlessly.

Uesugi Tetsu also stared back with wide, bright eyes.

After a long while.

Nanjō Emi sighed heavily, as if giving up, and said, "Because of the existence of the [Sea Level]."

"--Before the First Wave arrived, three stars... that is, what we commonly call Evil Ghost level, was the highest Sea Level. If one were to break through that, it would not only be extremely difficult but also incredibly attention-grabbing."

"If Ai Bielie surpassed three stars, all the Onmyoji in Tokyo would be able to sense her presence. This clearly contradicts her current goal of hiding."

Ai Bielie not exceeding three stars for now might be the only good news recently.

Next, Uesugi Tetsu began to estimate their side's combat power.

Ghost Dad was three stars. The doll could make it wary, and it was at least two-and-a-half stars. He himself was about to break through to one-star level, which could barely be considered a combat force of one-and-a-half stars or higher.

Calculating it this way, even if they couldn't defeat Ai Bielie, they should be able to hold out for a few minutes under her hands until Nanjō Emi's reinforcements arrived.

Therefore, Uesugi Tetsu's refusal wasn't made lightly; he had his own considerations.

"Then Nanjō-nee, if I join your team, can you stay by my side at all times?"

"I'm not your mother..."

You see, Nanjō Emi couldn't be a personal bodyguard, so joining or not joining the Special Affairs Division didn't fundamentally change Uesugi Tetsu's situation.

Moreover, if he had teammates around, Uesugi Tetsu wouldn't be able to transform into Laughing Brahma.

If he didn't change, he'd be instantly killed by Ai Bielie; if he did change, his teammates would see and he'd never be able to clear his name, no matter how hard he tried.

In conclusion, joining the Special Affairs Division offered no benefits and would instead be a major hindrance to Uesugi Tetsu.

After waiting for Nanjō Emi to finish smoking another cigarette, Uesugi Tetsu asked with a smile, "Is there anything else you want to say, Nanjō-san?"

This kid is hiding something, that's undeniable.

But Nanjō Emi didn't actually care what Uesugi Tetsu was hiding, or how much he was hiding.

She only worried that Uesugi Tetsu had too few trump cards and was overconfident, leading him to misjudge his own strength and bring about a tragedy.

"Don't let it be a urn containing your ashes to be buried..."

Uesugi Tetsu blinked. "What did you say, Nanjō-san?"

"I mean," Nanjō Emi tossed him a cigarette, "when the time comes, come and have one with me."

Uesugi Tetsu grinned and carefully put it in his pocket. "No problem. Then Nanjō-san, I'm leaving now."

"Go, go, do I have to kick you out?"

Nanjō Emi waved him away irritably and took out another cigarette to bite down on.

There were too many troublesome things, too awkward and bothersome. If she didn't smoke to relieve the pressure, Nanjō Emi feared she might destroy the world one day.

Pushing open the door to his home, Uesugi Tetsu felt an unusual sense of familiarity upon seeing Ghost Dad's faceless visage.

Thank goodness for you!

If it weren't for the Three-Star Dad holding down the fort at home, Uesugi Tetsu would be in a real bind.

However, for now, in the time before the First Wave arrived, his home was undoubtedly a semi-safe house.

After a familiar greeting with his dad, Uesugi Tetsu rushed into his bedroom, closed his eyes, and collapsed onto the bed.

Time waits for no one!

Before Laughing Brahma could complete its star ascension, Uesugi Tetsu had to do his best to keep track of Yao-Shaku-Sama's exact location and complete the task of exploring the ghost village.

This way, the time to receive rewards and increase his strength after upgrading could be minimized.

It wasn't difficult to scout the Arakawa Ghost Village, a map he had semi-cleared.

Thus, in less than eight hours, Uesugi Tetsu completed the aforementioned miscellaneous tasks.

Then, he spent a full four hours patiently waiting.

Finally, —He waited for Laughing Brahma's first star ascension to be completed!