"...Here, and over here, we need to pave with ancient-style stone slabs and plant bamboo around them."
"You must be extremely careful with the renovation of the shrine proper. You absolutely cannot touch the samurai statue and the ancient sword in the center of the main hall. Treat this building with archaeological-level caution."
"Has that manga artist not agreed yet? Forget it, leave the matter to the publisher; they know how to deal with these people."
"In the early stages, pay close attention to the flow of people. Don't let too many tourists in at once... Security measures must be implemented."
"This is an important asset that the Kuse family intends to manage as an ancestral estate to leave to future generations. If there are any accidents... do I need to remind you what to do?"
—At the foot of Mount Sukuna, Rurikawa Tsubaki, wearing a white safety helmet, was giving strict orders to the site manager, reiterating Ryu's many requirements.
She knew well that there were mysteries within this project, crucial to some of Ryu's plans, so she was conscientious and dared not be negligent in the slightest.
Even if she had to shout over the noisy background, losing her ladylike image, Ruri couldn't care less.
After a long while, several managers left quietly while wiping their sweat, all looking visibly shaken, while Ruri continued to discuss the shrine expansion plan with the design team.
Her idea was to build two shrines: one front and one back, one outer and one inner, one in the light and one in the dark.
The first would use the original Nishikida Shrine as a base for repair and expansion, but it would be relatively isolated, with specific personnel assigned to protect it, and would not accept tourists.
The second would be built in a more obvious location, as majestic and lavish as possible, serving as an external window open enough to attract attention and gather popularity.
In this way, they could ensure the incense offerings while denying tourists the chance to cause trouble—disobedient tourists in horror movies were always the main cause of trouble!
These series of complex and tedious matters would normally require a professional team to lead and coordinate, but Ruri, whom Ryu had personally certified as a "capable woman," managed to arrange everything in perfect order with just a few assistants.
That decisiveness and attention to detail gave the people from the Kuse family a glimpse of the Young Master's shadow...
"With this, Lord Ryu's task can be completed."
Ruri's face was red from physical exertion, and her forehead was glistening with sweat in the light, but she didn't feel tired at all. Just the thought of being praised by her master afterwards made her heart swell with joy.
I am probably sick—Ruri was very self-aware.
Ever since being forcibly kissed by Ryu that day, her symptoms had become increasingly severe.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Ruri took it out and looked, her eyes slightly surprised.
"I'm here. Do you have any instructions, Madam?"
—
Mom wants Ruri to go shopping with her?
Ryu read the message sent by the maid and didn't take it to heart, replying immediately:
Just go, it's not the first time.
Kuse Kaede had always favored Ruri. There were many maids in the family, but one could clearly feel that Kaede looked at Ruri differently. The family once thought the Madam was going to adopt another daughter, but since there was no movement for a long time, everyone gradually stopped overthinking it.
Ruri had just finished arranging her work and, before she could even catch her breath, was called away by his mom to be a playmate. Even for a capitalist warrior like Ryu, he felt a bit embarrassed.
"I'll ask her later if there's any jewelry she wants."
Ryu was now sitting upright on a cushion. There was nothing in front of him, but his gaze was focused on a point above the floor. His expression was solemn and serious, and he was even sweating a few drops, as if engaging in a fierce battle.
Huff... huff...
Panting lightly, the boy extended his hand from his side and tapped lightly in the empty air. His fingertips were separated by half an inch, as if holding something... no, not "as if."
He was indeed holding something; the slight indentation on his fingertips was proof!
Slowly and cautiously, he placed the object in his hand onto the black and white chessboard in his eyes—
Thud!
An ethereal knocking sound inexplicably rang out inside the shrine. In a trance, one wouldn't know where it came from, almost thinking it was a hallucination.
One, two, three, four... Ryu picked up several more chess pieces from the board and placed them on the chess canister to the side. The crisp collision sounds were like pearls falling onto a plate, clearly audible.
His brow furrowed tighter and tighter; it seemed he had fallen into a stalemate.
And having devoted himself entirely to the outcome, he naturally didn't notice that in the center of the shrine, the samurai statue was glowing faintly with white light, and energy fluctuations like sunlight were quietly gathering.
'Hmm...'
The samurai in the void realm observed Ryu, full of gratification.
He learns too fast!
He wasn't a professional Illusionist either, just understanding some superficial methods due to past experiences.
(A truly talented guy, combined with profound methods, could even materialize demons in "dreams" to harm the human world.)
Yet Ryu learned it from the past and found the trick after just a few practice sessions. Although he had some foundation before, this speed was astonishing, causing even Nishikida Kagetatsu to sigh with emotion!
If I really chose him as my successor, perhaps it wouldn't be bad...
The experience of that night showed that he was a man who valued love and righteousness. He was fearless in the face of Sukuna, calm and wise in handling matters, and most importantly, despite his noble birth, he was humble and polite!
Since they met, Kagetatsu had never seen Ryu get angry over personal grievances. He must be a gentle, modest, and broad-minded person in his daily life—
Thud!
He made another difficult move, but the sound of the opponent's move instantly rang in his ears. Ryu's eyes went blank.
The muscles on both sides of his cheeks bulged slightly. He extended both hands, palms up, and supported one side of the chessboard—
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!!!
Clang!
Crash~~
A series of collision sounds rang out of nowhere in the room, appearing extremely chaotic. One could vaguely see the low table and chessboard overturning in front of him in a flash; the scene was quite magical.
Nishikida Kagetatsu was startled:
No, this... why is he getting anxious while playing chess against himself?
"Hmm?"
In this instant, an emotion intertwining arrogance and anger rose from Ryu's chest for no reason, only to be quickly quelled by him as he came back to his senses, followed by a frown:
"Did I not control it?"
[Noble's Arrogance]!
The negative trait kicked in!
Besides the mandatory Gate to the Otherworld, he had selected a total of two highest-grade talents: [Spirit Channeling] and [God's Left Hand].
Because he didn't have enough points, he deliberately picked all three negative traits in the bottom row to barely scrape together enough.
[Merchant's Greed], [Noble's Arrogance], [Commoner's Dullness]... These were things on the level of personal emotions and behavioral style. Ryu felt that with the resilience of his will, suppressing these distracting thoughts shouldn't be difficult.
But, obviously, willpower wasn't omnipotent. Once Ryu devoted himself entirely to something, these distracting thoughts full of desire and emotional color would surge out and interfere with Ryu's thinking!
"I was careless... Tsk!" Ryu wasn't foolish, but he didn't regret it either.
After all, it was to gather points to get [God's Left Hand], which granted mastery of all weapons—it was worth suffering for a month for this!
—
In the afternoon, Ruri was driven to a certain place in Shinjuku. Wearing a student uniform, she attracted a lot of gazes here (it was actually time for school, but Ryu forgot about school as soon as he saw a new System Card, and Ruri could only follow suit).
Kuse Kaede had arrived early and was sitting at an open-air cafe, an iced coffee emitting wisps of white steam on the table.
Men in black clothes were hidden in the crowd, protecting the Madam's safety while trying not to attract attention.
"Madam, forgive me for being late."
"No, you're early. Actually, I invited a third person."
Ryu's mom was wearing a large straw hat today. Her light blue dress looked refreshing and fashionable. She looked like an urban beauty around thirty; one couldn't tell at all that her son was already in high school.
She observed Ruri's expression with a smile, sipping her iced coffee, her eyes narrowing slightly with a hint of mischief.
"It's Lucy-chan. You two must get along well~"
"...Yes, Madam."
"Heh~"
Kaede suddenly retracted her smile, leaving only a very thin, polite arc.
"Before she comes, I have some words I want to chat with you about, Ruri-chan."
"I am truly... overwhelmed with trepidation." Ruri immediately lowered her gaze, but Kaede's next sentence made her raise her head in astonishment.
"Who do you think is more suitable for Ryu-chan: Lucy, or Chika?"
"This..."
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