Chapter 27: The Fellowship Club

Hasegawa had actually died just like that, without a sound. He had originally thought the man would go on to achieve great things.

Uesugi Toru closed his eyes, finally feeling the reality of the three words, "You will die," that Nanjo Airi had said to him that night.

"Where is he buried?"

Shizuma Mafuyu answered meticulously, "At the public cemetery near Hongan-ji Temple. I heard the plots are cheap there, so the remaining money could be sent to his family."

After a moment of silence, Uesugi Toru gave a slight nod to Shizuma Mafuyu and continued, "Ms. Shizuma, please protect your sister and the friend beside her."

Shizuma Mafuyu did not speak.

For a moment, she wanted to demand loudly how exactly Manatsu had become entangled with demons, but she also understood that there was no point in dwelling on the past. If she let her emotions run wild now, it would only make things worse.

"Mr. Uesugi, I leave it to you."

Shizuma Mafuyu bowed deeply to Uesugi Toru, her expression sincere.

If it hadn't been for Uesugi Toru, she might never have known that Manatsu had come into contact with danger, and by the time she discovered it, it might have been too late.

Thank goodness. Thank goodness.

"Don't mention it. I should be the one saying that."

Watching Shizuma Mafuyu pull the bewildered Manatsu into the van, Uesugi Toru was surprised to see Kitano Runa also bow deeply to him before getting in.

He smiled. "Ririko, you have a good eye for friends."

Ririko, her forehead beaded with sweat, gave a light hum. "Did you even need to ask?"

After seeing off her two best friends, the two of them walked unhurriedly toward the scheduled yakiniku restaurant.

At the red light in front of the restaurant.

"Uesugi-kun, why are you drenched in sweat even though we're walking so slowly?"

Uesugi Toru stopped circulating his Qi-He technique and glanced at Ririko, whose sweat was dripping from her chin. "Are you asking me?"

Ririko fell silent, then clicked her tongue. "Try-hard."

Crossing the final intersection, they arrived at their destination, but there was already a line of over a dozen people in front of the shop.

Most good restaurants in Japan require reservations, and even with a reservation, one still has to wait in line until the queue ahead disappears before being seated. Generally, a thirty-minute wait is considered quite fast.

This is especially true in densely populated Tokyo.

Sniffing the scent of grilled meat wafting through the gaps in the door curtain, Ririko, who was starving but still practicing, ground her teeth. "Is this meant to be a test of my mental fortitude...?"

Uesugi Toru was about to mock her, but he faintly heard a conversation coming from inside: "If no one saves you, if no one pays attention to you, then let love heal everything..."

"W-will I find salvation if I just follow you?"

"We will grant you happiness."

The conversation seemed to be coming from deep within the shop or a corner, and the voices were not loud. If Uesugi Toru had not just undergone Ririko's special training, which had increased his physical stats by two points, he would not have heard it.

The conversation sounded wrong.

Uesugi Toru listened on.

"To be separated from those one loves, unable to remain together... this is the pain of parting. Only love can transcend this in this world. Silly child, the Fraternity Club welcomes all who suffer."

Uesugi Toru lowered his eyes, his expression indifferent. Ririko, who was still struggling with her training beside him, blinked and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The Fraternity Club," Uesugi Toru said softly. "There are people from the Fraternity Club in the restaurant, bewitching ordinary people."

In an instant, Ririko wiped away all unnecessary expressions.

Without hesitation, she unfastened the sword bag on her back and reached for her wooden sword.

Seeing this, Uesugi Toru quickly pressed down on her hand, glancing around at the ordinary people waiting in line. "Don't be rash."

Ririko was expressionless, asking coldly, "Reason?"

Uesugi Toru leaned into her ear and whispered quickly, "There are too many people around; it might cause a commotion. We should call the police and have Nanjo and the others come."

But Ririko acted as if she hadn't heard him and continued to draw her wooden sword.

"Then you go first, Uesugi-kun," she said coldly. "This is my own decision. If it involves you, that is indeed my fault."

This stubborn woman...

Uesugi Toru rolled his eyes internally, realizing that unless he knocked Ririko out right now, verbal persuasion would be completely ineffective.

But who hits their own teammate when the enemy is right in front of them?

So, Uesugi Toru grabbed Ririko's wrist firmly and whispered quickly in her ear, "They are an evil cult and a terrorist organization. Are you really satisfied with just beating them up with a wooden sword?"

Ririko stopped.

"Then tell me, what better way is there?"

Uesugi Toru gave a grim smile, like a Hannya mask. "Wait for them to come out. Once we take them to a place where no one is around and rescue the victims, we'll put the Fraternity Club members on trial before we execute them."

Ririko's mouth opened slightly. "You dare to kill?"

"They already want to kill me. Are you saying I should just wait to be captured?" Uesugi Toru sneered. "Are good people supposed to just stand there with a gun pointed at them?"

"Or are you saying, Ririko, that you're a bit of a saint and don't want to do this?"

The two looked at each other. After a moment, Ririko put away her wooden sword and patted his shoulder with unusual cheerfulness. "So, I underestimated you, Uesugi-kun."

A suspicion arose in Uesugi Toru's heart. "You..."

"That's right," Ririko grinned, admitting it generously. "I originally wanted to leave you out of it and clean them up all by myself."

Uesugi Toru took a deep breath.

This girl was absolutely insane; there wasn't a hint of the hesitation or fear one should have regarding the law.

She hadn't been like this just two days ago. What changed her? Was it the clarity of her sword heart?

The two waited quietly.

Before long, Uesugi Toru keenly spotted three people walking out of the restaurant entrance.

Two of them were dressed in ordinary but similar clothes, wearing mechanical smiles. The scent drifting from them made Uesugi Toru frown.

But when he looked at Ririko, she didn't seem to smell this disgusting odor.

The young man following them looked dazed; he seemed to be an employee of the yakiniku restaurant. Uesugi Toru could smell the heavy scent of meat spices on him.

"Follow them."

Although the two were not FBI agents, they both knew how to use the Qi-He technique to suppress their breathing, and they could control the force and rhythm of their footsteps to match the sound of honking cars on the street.

Tracking two ordinary members of the Fraternity Club who were still busy proselytizing to an employee was absolutely more than enough.

Following them along the way, Ririko noticed that they were moving further and further away from the main road.

Had they been discovered?

Ririko looked at Uesugi Toru in alarm, but the latter lifted his hand and smiled at her.

Ririko then noticed that Uesugi Toru's hand had somehow acquired a katana with a vermilion scabbard, and he had deliberately pushed it out by two inches, allowing her to see the blade shimmering with a cold light.

'Where the hell did he get that!?'

Ririko was shocked, cursing silently.

The next moment, Uesugi Toru stopped.

Because the two Fraternity Club members about to leave the alleyway had turned around, smiling and speaking in unison:

"Friends traveling on the same path of suffering, do you also wish to join the club and receive the blessing of love together?"

Hearing the sound of a car engine and footsteps, Uesugi Toru looked behind him and found the man standing on their retreat path using both hands to hold his head as he placed it back onto his neck.

This is going to be troublesome.

Uesugi Toru drew his Kaga Kiyomitsu with an indifferent expression, thinking to himself.