Chapter 55: The Malevolent Spirit Jing Ji, and a Potential War?-Eu Sou um Demônio em Tóquio!(Ilanor)

Only one person?

Uesugi Toru, whose body had previously been tensed, looked back in confusion and found that the blind girl, Kujo Tsubaki, also wore a look of astonishment.

"Ever since I boarded this train, I have passed through here a total of five times, but this is the first time there have been so few people," Kujo Tsubaki explained. "On previous occasions, there were at least a dozen people."

Uesugi Toru calmly examined the samurai's attire and discovered that all of his vital points were covered in thick, dark-red do-maru armor. His helmet was styled in the hoshi-kabuto fashion, and the large golden horns upon it appeared extremely majestic and imposing.

The scabbard of the tachi at his waist was completely spotless.

This attire was worlds apart from the corpses in the outside wasteland. Rather than a mere samurai, he looked more like a supreme commander of a province or an army.

Moreover, with such complete equipment, coupled with the previous batches of samurai and foot soldiers... Could it be that an organized force of spirits and demons had seized the timing of the first tide and were taking this opportunity to wreak havoc on Tokyo once again?

He would have to mention this to Sister Nanjo later.

"Hmm?"

Uesugi Toru was startled to find that the ghost commander, whose face was half-covered by a mempo mask, did something unexpected upon boarding: he looked straight at him.

Then, he nodded in greeting toward him?

Out of basic courtesy, Uesugi Toru nodded back at the ghost commander, and then watched as he found a corner, sat down quietly, and closed his eyes.

Just as the ghost commander sat down, the dean of Sumidagawa High School, who had been smiling amiably ever since boarding the train, stood up with a serious expression and walked slowly toward Uesugi Toru.

Then, under the latter's cautious gaze, the plump dean actually bowed deeply and offered a black business card to Uesugi Toru with both hands.

"Mr. Hannya, if you have the time, you are welcome to visit Sumidagawa High School at any time."

Uesugi Toru was momentarily stunned, then realized—was it because the ghost commander had greeted him?

Even with a timeline separated by at least several centuries, this dean still acknowledged the ghost commander's status and identity.

Seen in this light, perhaps the ghost commander's strength and fame were even more astonishing than he had imagined.

Uesugi Toru took the business card—

[The Dean's Business Card]
[Quality: Common]
[Effect: Holding this business card grants single-entry access to Sumidagawa Ghost School.]
[—The business card of the dean of Sumidagawa Ghost School, extremely precious to the students within the institution.]

This was the first time Uesugi Toru had received a gift from a demon. He silently nodded to the other party.

"I will."

The dean sat back down with a face full of smiles, looking no different from a teacher in the mortal world who had mastered the art of reading the room, showing no trace of his previous ferocious appearance.

***

Beside them, Kujo Tsubaki found it hard to conceal the shock in her heart.

She quickly withdrew her spiritual power from her mind's eye and asked inward, "Tamamo, that ghost samurai is Kajiwara Kagesue, right!"

Kajiwara Kagesue, also known as the "Fierce Ghost Kagesue," was a famous Kanto commander in the early Kamakura period who had won several crucial battles for the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War.

Such a prominent figure—Kujo Tsubaki reckoned he was at least on the level of a ghost deity, and looking at his current luxurious attire, pushing his status even higher was entirely possible.

Yet this Fierce Ghost Kagesue had actually taken the initiative to greet a Hannya whose current strength seemed roughly on par with her own...

Kujo Tsubaki silently raised the Hannya's importance rating by two levels in her mind.

"Oh my~ When you need something, you let me out; when you don't, you kick me aside. Little Kujo, do you treat me like a prisoner?" Tamamo-no-Mae chuckled with a honeyed tone. "We are in an intimate, symbiotic relationship..."

"Be that as it may, or perhaps not."

Kujo Tsubaki coldly interrupted her. "If you don't want to talk, I can make you unable to speak for the next entire year."

Tamamo-no-Mae's voice abruptly stopped, as if falling into silence.

—If there ever came a day when they could separate, she would definitely tear this woman to pieces and slowly slice her to death.

That being said, Tamamo-no-Mae knew this woman never joked. If she said she would lock her in solitary confinement for a year, she would definitely do it, no matter what happened in the meantime.

So she stiffly squeezed out a single word: "Yes."

"If so... then I must find a way to establish a friendly relationship with this Hannya," Kujo Tsubaki thought. "Though it certainly won't work this time."

At the very least, she needed to leave a good first impression before him.

"The next station is Nippori Station..."

Hearing the familiar station name, Uesugi Toru immediately looked outside and found that the desolate battlefield covered in corpses outside had unknowingly transformed into the bustling night view of an urban district.

Kitano Runa and the remaining high school students also looked out the window simultaneously, unable to suppress their surging emotions.

Outside the window stood rows of high-rise buildings—scenery they had all grown tired of seeing, yet witnessing it now gave them the feeling of being granted a new lease on life.

Kitano Runa, in particular, was smarter and had experienced more, so she understood that ever since boarding this tram, her life was no longer her own to control.

The only things that could keep her alive were the heavens, or this Hannya beside her.

Therefore, she had long since written out her unsendable suicide note in her mind, word for word, over and over again.

"You, are you getting off at this station?"

Hearing the Hannya beside her suddenly speak, Kitano Runa shivered all over as her thoughts drifted to the ends of the universe and the meaning of life...

Finally, she snapped back to reality and squeezed out a flattering smile.

"If Lord Hannya needs me, I'll just take a look by the doors and won't get off."

***

—Look at your head, the moment those doors open, I'll be the first to charge into the crowd and onto the street. Even if I get run over and killed by a truck, it's still better than continuing to stay with you half-human, half-ghost freaks!

—She was merely a former occult enthusiast; had she never heard of Lord Ye's love of dragons? Now that the existence of ghosts had been proven in this world, Kitano Runa wanted nothing to do with these entities whatsoever.

Could this classmate Kitano... possibly not know how difficult it is to hold back laughter?

Uesugi Toru said as calmly as possible, "If your station has arrived, you may disembark as you please."

Kitano Runa stared with incredulous eyes, almost letting the word "Dad" slip past her lips.

—Dad! Merciful Lord Hannya, you truly are my biological father!

The girl was nearly moved to tears; now she wouldn't even have to risk getting run over by a truck to get off!

Not having to die felt wonderful!

She stammered gratefully, "Lord Hannya, when I get back, I will definitely put in a few good words for you at the Special Affairs Bureau so you don't get chopped to death by my friend!"

Uesugi Toru fell into deep thought—was this friend she spoke of, the one capable of chopping him to death, perhaps himself?

No sooner had she said it than Kitano Runa realized she had spoken amiss.

How could she dare utter words akin to a preemptive threat in front of an evil spirit?

Kitano Runa instantly wanted to drop to her knees and apologize—compared to her precious life, what was mere dignity?

However, Uesugi Toru preempted her by saying, "Then I thank you for your kind words."

Kitano Runa swallowed her remaining pleas for mercy all at once, thinking that this Hannya was truly badass!

She then resolved that if she ever went out alone again, she would be a dog without a leash...

Wait, she hadn't come to board this tram because she was wandering around alone.

The girl froze.

Did that not mean that from now on, anytime and anywhere, she might get dragged into all sorts of urban legend incidents just by blinking?

Once there was a first time, there would be a second.

Thinking of this, Kitano Runa's excitement about being able to safely disembark vanished instantly.

She sighed.

Her future, truly, was pitch black.

The sound of brakes echoed, and the tram soon came to a halt at the pitch-dark Nippori Station.