Chapter 23: The Secret Police from Tokyo
Compared to the magical color-changing sword, the Demon Slayer Corps uniform was much more utilitarian.
The top was a Gakuran-style jacket with a high collar, emblazoned with the character "METSU" (Destroy) on the back. The bottom was a pair of loose hakama pants.
Although it was sleeker than most clothing of the era, it still retained a distinct Japanese aesthetic.
Natsuya tugged at the sleeve curiously.
The Kakushi had claimed the fabric was woven from special fibers: breathable, water-resistant, non-flammable, and durable enough to withstand cuts from ordinary knives.
It was essentially light armor.
But I don't feel any different wearing it, Natsuya thought. The System didn't pop up a [Defense +10] notification.
After the Kakushi left, Natsuya finished packing and prepared to embark on his first mission.
Unexpectedly, Urokodaki and the two boys had prepared farewell gifts for him.
"Senior Natsuya, we wish you long-lasting martial fortune."
Sabito and Giyu handed him a hand-woven green rope knot. The color matched the pattern on Sabito's haori perfectly.
"Please tie this on. It symbolizes that we are always fighting by your side."
Giyu added quietly, "I will catch up... (I will catch up to Natsuya's pace, until I have the strength to protect both you and Sabito.)"
It wasn't just the children.
The old man in the Tengu mask silently handed him a small object.
A hand-carved fox mask with a goofy, naive expression.
"This is a Warding Mask. It is imbued with a spell to protect you from harm."
"Child, although you passed the Final Selection, you must be extremely careful on your first mission."
"Do not be careless."
Hand-carved masks, hand-woven knots.
It's exactly the kind of thing they would do.
Natsuya stuffed the last dried persimmon Seiko had sent him into his mouth, then tied the mask and the knot to his belt.
He waved goodbye to the group.
"I'll be going now. Next time I visit, I'll bring souvenirs!"
After the sparring session with Urokodaki, Natsuya had invested an Achievement Point to raise Water Breathing to LV.2.
His stats, his swordsmanship—everything had improved significantly thanks to his intense grinding.
Compared to when he first left the mountains, his current attributes were terrifying.
[Kokonoe Natsuya][The Scepter] [The Chariot] [The Star]
[Power Level: 70]
Body: 31
Tech: 23
Mind: 16
Combat Skills:
[Wind Breathing] LV.3 (489/2000)
[Water Breathing] LV.2 (37/1000)
Life Skills:
LV.2: Physical Conditioning, Cooking, Running
LV.1: Suburi, Camping, Fishing, Lumbering, Sewing, Cleaning, Medicine, Poison Crafting
LV.0: Gathering, Farming, Mentorship, Anatomy, Pharmacy, Carpentry
Remaining Achievement Points: 11
Looking at his System Panel, Natsuya mentally added his inventory:
[Urokodaki's Warding Mask]
[Friendship Knot of the Uchiha & Uzumaki]
[Demon Slayer Uniform]
[Various Nichirin Swords]
I'm stacked.
Just my base stats are nearly half of Master Kazami's now.
I wonder if the demon in this mission is even strong enough to be a warm-up.
The destination, Rain Village, wasn't far from Mt. Sagiri. Guided by his crow, Shiro, Natsuya crossed a few mountains and arrived by evening.
It was a small settlement of only a few dozen households. No ninja, no samurai garrison. Just a quiet farming village.
A few farmers sat at the village entrance smoking pipes. Otherwise, the place was deserted.
"Hey, kid. It's getting dark. Wandering around alone is dangerous," one of the farmers warned kindly.
His companions, however, tugged at his sleeve and gave him a look.
The unique uniform. The three swords at his waist.
In the eyes of simple farmers, this boy was a walking pile of trouble.
The first farmer clicked his tongue. "What are you scared of? He's just a teenager."
"Oi, kid. You look like you're from the city. Go home. There's nothing to see in these mountains."
Plot NPCs!
Natsuya's eyes lit up. He wasn't annoyed by their dismissive attitude. instead, he walked up quickly.
"Uncle, has anyone gone missing in the village recently? Or maybe livestock dragged away by wild beasts?"
"Go away, go away. Go play somewhere else."
The men had no interest in chatting with him. Natsuya tried asking different questions, but only succeeded in making them ignore him completely.
Did I miss a pre-quest trigger?
Or did I lose a key item that unlocks dialogue?
Surely it's not my communication skills that are the problem?
Refusing to give up, Natsuya began questioning everyone he could find in the village.
"Excuse me, Ma'am, any strange occurrences here?"
"Bro, has anyone died recently?"
...
He asked almost everyone, but got zero useful info. Finally, he cornered an old man taking a slow walk.
"Grandpa, has anything unusual happened in the village lately?"
The old man puffed on his pipe, his cloudy eyes glancing at the three swords. He shook his head vaguely. "Nothing. It's peaceful here."
His tone carried the instinctive wariness rural folk had toward strangers with weapons. Even though the Sword Abolishment Edict had been in effect for decades, to many old people, "Samurai" still symbolized authority, oppression, and danger. They didn't want to get involved.
Helpless, Natsuya picked a random direction and headed into the deep mountains to try his luck.
Unsurprisingly, by noon the next day, he still hadn't found the demon.
Searching for clues in this game is way harder than the combat, Natsuya grumbled internally.
He poked the crow on his shoulder, which did nothing but eat and sleep.
"Hey, black. Do you have any specific intel on the demon?"
The crow turned its head away angrily.
"I AM SHIRO! NOT BLACK! YOU BASTARD ROKUSHA! CAW!"
"Fine, fine. Most Beautiful and Radiant Lady Shiro. Do you have any info?"
"NONE!" The crow huffed. "THE KAKUSHI FOUND HUMAN REMAINS THAT WERE GNAWED ON! DEMON SCENT DETECTED! CAW!"
"Where exactly?"
"DON'T KNOW! CAW!"
Natsuya's fawning smile vanished instantly.
"Useless."
Crow: "CAW???"
The black bird flew up to a tree branch in a huff, ignoring him.
Natsuya checked the System again. No quest markers. No auto-pathing. No mini-map.
"Hello? System? System-chan?"
He tried voice commands. No response.
His blood pressure began to rise.
I hate JRPGs that force you into pixel-hunting investigations without clues.
"Um... Sir? Would you like something to eat?"
While he was fuming, a middle-aged woman with a worried face timidly held out a cloth-wrapped rice ball.
Natsuya instinctively wanted to refuse. But seeing the name above her head, he realized something.
I saw this lady yesterday.
She looked like she wanted to say something but held back. She definitely has a quest!
In a flash, Natsuya's brain connected the circuits.
He gently pushed away the rice ball, his expression shifting into a mask of professional seriousness.
"I appreciate your kindness, Madam. But regulations forbid us from accepting food while on duty."
The woman froze. On duty? Is this person...
Natsuya recalled every spy movie he'd ever seen and put on a look of grim determination.
"As you can see, I am not a local."
He scanned the village with a practiced, "suspicious" gaze. "I am here on an official mission."
Hope flared in the woman's eyes. "Sir... are you... are you from the Neighborhood Association? Or the Police Box?"
What? Never heard of them.
"Ahem."
Natsuya straightened his collar.
"I am a Senior Agent of the Tokyo Special Service Section 9: Demon Suppression Unit. Do you understand?"
"I am here to investigate the recent disappearances."
The woman obviously didn't understand a word of his gibberish. The title alone was too long for her to process.
She nodded in confusion, then hesitated. "But... you are so young..."
Natsuya didn't blink. He whipped out Master Kazami's recommendation letter and flashed it in front of her face too fast for her to read.
"That is because I am a prodigy. At fourteen, I received the Menkyo Kaiden (License of Total Transmission) from the Nameless Kamikaze Dojo in Kagoshima."
"I was specially recruited by the Metropolitan Police Department's Section 9."
The woman was completely bluffed. Her eyes naturally drifted to his uniform.
"This is the new tactical uniform from Tokyo. Only agents dealing with 'Special Cases' wear it."
"Shh—keep this confidential."
By now, the woman believed about 80% of it.
But still feeling anxious and helpless, she whispered, "Mr. Secret Police... where is your gun? Why... why do you only carry three samurai swords?"
Natsuya feigned impatience. "I told you, I'm a prodigy. Three-Sword Style. Do you understand Three-Sword Style?!"
The woman covered her mouth, fully convinced.
"Mr. Secret Police... can you help me?"
Natsuya smiled.
Finally hooked the plot.