Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 2 Top Commission
"Hi, this is a membership application."

Aizen Yurika placed the form in front of Mitsurugi. There wasn't much information to fill in; it was just some basic information.

Upon seeing the motivation for joining the club, the boy paused for a moment with his pen in hand. Seeing the schedule, he immediately wrote "run away after school." Finally, seeing his guardian's permission, Yujian hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Aizen Yurika asked.

"My parents are away on a business trip and I don't expect them to be back anytime soon."

"Yes, that is indeed a question. May I ask what your parents do for a living?"

"Archaeological and folklore research." At this point, Yu Jian couldn't help but want to cover his face.

"A very rare profession." Aizen Yurika was also somewhat surprised.

The parents of the protagonist, Yujian Jinsheng, are a father who is an archaeologist who returned from studying abroad and a mother who is a folklorist who graduated from Kyoto University. If they were placed in the Lokcraft universe (COC) works, they would be a world-destroying duo.

In the fragments of memory I pieced together, I remember being taken by them when I was a child... to excavate the Yamatai Queen's Tomb No. 13!?!
I am truly grateful to God for allowing me to grow up so healthy.

Yu Jian silently grumbled, but didn't really think too much about it. After all, apart from that useless cheat ability, he hadn't seen any supernatural power in this world, so there was no need to scare himself.

After finishing the application, Aizen Yurika coughed lightly and solemnly announced.

"From today onwards, Yujian will be the vice president of the Cat's Paw Club."

"Wait, how did I become the vice president?" Yu Jian asked hurriedly.
“Because there are currently only two official members of the Cat's Paw Society…” Aizen Yurika held up two slender white fingers: “…”

"But doesn't a school club need at least five members?" Yu Jian asked, puzzled.

"..." Aizen Yurika raised her index finger and placed it in front of her lips.

"This is a prohibited item."

"Fine." What else could Yujian do but accept this situation? After all, he was just a mere vice president.

"Afterwards, I will submit the application to my advisor, um, it's Xiaojing," Aizen Yurika said.

"Xiao Jing? Onizuka-sensei?" Yujian was stunned for a moment before he realized what was going on, and his initially maintained cold and handsome persona was becoming increasingly broken.

"Ah, because Onizuka-sensei isn't much older than her students, they always feel closer to her than other teachers, so everyone sometimes calls her that." Aizen Yurika tapped her lips with her index finger, as if she had thought of something interesting, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up.

"It seems that in the power structure of this class, the class monitor is above the homeroom teacher." Yu Jian nodded seriously.

"Miken-kun really loves to joke around." Aizen Yurika chuckled.

On the way to the club activity room, Yurika, the class president, began to care about the studies of a sick (not really) classmate who was absent.

"Is Yujian keeping up with the daytime classes?"

"Well, the accident was quite simple."

"Studies are still very important, don't take them lightly," Aizen Yurika offered her sound advice.

"Uh." Yu Jian hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

After thoroughly reading the textbook, he discovered that his "golden finger" was even more powerful than he had imagined. The so-called upgrade wasn't limited to physical abilities but also included the most complex aspect of the human body: the brain. Photographic memory had been added to his skill list, and with a little effort, getting into Tokyo University in three months was entirely possible—it was simply too youthful!

On a side note, the local history is so bizarre that it makes you look like an old man on the subway. This tiny island nation, after entering the modern era, actually has two living fathers taking turns serving it. It's truly an eye-opener.

But why is one place simply called a military base, while the other is known for its antique charm, such as Yingxian Garden and Jiejian Pavilion? One name imitates a Tang Dynasty palace, while the other comes from a poem by Su Shi. Perhaps this is the difference between five thousand years of culture and two hundred years of culture.

"Aren't you curious about the mission of the Cat's Paw Club, Mikasa?" Yurika suddenly asked.

"A little." Yu Jian did not deny it.

"After all, club activities sound troublesome and unprofitable, and most people won't do something so thankless."

Instead of immediately denying these comments, Yurika appeared quite composed, and then, as expected, she heard Mitsurugi change the subject.

"But it is perfectly normal for people to help each other. Without this consensus, most of humanity would still be hairless naked apes in the trees."

"On the contrary, modern society has complicated many things." Yu Jian shrugged, rarely saying more than a few words.

"So that's what you think, Mikage-san." Yurika nodded slightly.

"Actually, Cat Paw Club isn't entirely free. After completing the assistance work, the client needs to provide help once within their capabilities."

"Well, you could also interpret it as the other party owing me a favor." After saying that, Yuriko opened her folding fan, covering half of her face, revealing only her fluttering eyelashes and slightly upturned corners of her eyes.

Only then did Yu Jian notice that the words "天下" (All Under Heaven) were clearly written on the elegant, pure white fan.

"Even if only one-tenth of people are willing to repay the favor, the accumulated favors can help many more people."

Yujian's eyes widened, and all he could think was, "Let's just call ourselves the Cat Paw Unity Society instead of the Cat Paw Heart Society. Oh, and we also need to get Lady Yurika a cat, preferably a black one."

Young students may not grasp the concept, but those who have truly been hard-pressed by society know that debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay. Once this model of exchanging favors for favors gets going, it's like a highly efficient investment bank, quickly weaving a loose yet vast network of cooperation based on interpersonal relationships, while also significantly increasing the influence of its holders.

At that point, Aizen, the class monitor, will likely have unlimited power, not just within her class but throughout the entire school!
If we continue to expand...

Yujian was just an ordinary transmigrator who couldn't see that far into the future, but he was willing to vote for Lord Aizen.

"So, the fact that a club can be formed with less than five people is also due to... personal connections?" Yu Jian subconsciously lowered his voice.

Lily smiled but did not answer, but her eyes said it all.

"Class monitor...you don't dream of becoming prime minister, do you?"

"It's not impossible."

"seriously?"

"Maybe?"

"Tsk."

Soon, Yujian discovered that the two had arrived at the north side of the school, and secretly guessed that the Cat Paw Club's activity room might be in the old school building.

Considering that our club currently only has two official members, this arrangement is quite reasonable. Then, Aizen Yurika led him around the old school building and deeper inside, until they came upon a… train carriage!?!
Without a locomotive or rails, a dark green man-made structure lay alone amidst the lush vegetation.

Before Yujian could react, Yurika had already stepped onto the gravel path and ascended the stairs made of stacked crates. Beside her was the entrance to the carriage, above which hung a bell, similar in design to the prayer bells in front of a shrine's main hall.

The red and white intertwined ropes hang down, occasionally rustling in the wind and producing a few distant bell sounds.

"Come in, this is the Cat Paw Club's activity room."

"Why, why are there train carriages on the back hill of the school?" Yu Jian was greatly surprised.

"I don't know either." Lily closed her folding fan and tapped the carriage, producing a crisp echo.

"The school contacted the train company, but they couldn't find any records. Considering that garbage disposal fees are particularly expensive in Tokyo, neither side was willing to pay, so the matter was eventually dropped."

Sure, this feeling of passing the buck perfectly fits the theory of makeshift operations worldwide. Yu Jian silently complained to himself.

"The surrounding area is all residential, so there are a lot of large pieces of waste on the back mountain. Maybe this carriage is similar, except that the one littering isn't a person, but the Great Master," Lily joked.

The so-called Daidahōshi is a giant in Japanese legend. His origin seems to be that of a god. He appears in the ancient book "Izumo no Kōdoki" as "Kanto Mizutomi Tsuno no Mikoto". Legend has it that he was so huge that he could even move the clouds in the sky and cause rain by walking.

Why choose this?

"Don't you find it interesting?"

Yujian was speechless. With Lily's network of connections, it wouldn't be difficult for her to get a spacious activity room, but she still chose this abandoned carriage. It could only be because of her interest.

With that in mind, he simply found a place to sit down.

The interior of the train has been carefully decorated with lilies, making it almost impossible to see the original appearance of the carriages. Instead, it resembles a spacious and bright study.

Most of the passenger seats had been removed and replaced with a sofa set, which was obviously originally discarded. Although there were signs of repair on the surface, the sofa was clean overall.

The ceiling was painted with a grid pattern in dark paint, each section decorated with different kinds of flowers, creating an intricate and beautiful effect. The west side was occupied by filing cabinets and various odds and ends; Lily Fragrance was probably not the first student to use this as a base. In the middle was a tea table and four chairs, while the east side had an office desk and bookshelves.

A retro record player resembling a phonograph lies quietly in the corner, with vinyl records neatly stacked on a wooden shelf next to it.

Such a quiet, private space is undoubtedly the secret hideaway of many people's dreams.

When Aizen Yurika started boiling water to make tea, Mitsurugi finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Why is there still electricity here?

"Oh, the students in the school's model club owe me a favor; they helped me set up the wiring," Yurika said casually.

Excellent, as expected of a model kit company, model kit makers can do anything.

If this were in the One Piece manga, the class president would definitely be a user of the Face Fruit.

Miken sighed inwardly, but considering that this manga didn't exist in the other world yet, he certainly wouldn't say it out loud.

"Tea or coffee?" Lily picked up a tin can in each hand, shaking it to make a rustling sound. "Tea, thank you."

Mitsurugi took the teacup from Aizen Yurika, their fingers briefly touching before naturally separating.

"Aizen is a good person, but shouldn't she still have some sense of caution?" Mitsurugi suddenly said, glancing at the quiet woods outside the window.

"Huh?" Aizen uttered a questioning syllable.

"A lone man and woman in a private space can easily breed rumors." Yu Jian left it at that, but the other party's reaction was unexpected.

"Hahaha." Aizen Yurika suddenly laughed, her voice unrestrained and wild, completely different from her previous ladylike demeanor as a well-behaved student.

She kept laughing until Yujian showed an embarrassed and annoyed expression before she stopped.

"I'm fairly confident in my ability to judge people." Through the rising steam from the teacup, Lily looked into the boy's emerald eyes.

"This is really..." Yu Jian suddenly turned his head to look out the window halfway through his sentence.

"Are the Cat Paw Club's club activities very frequent?"

"It's alright, why do you ask that?"

A few seconds later, the answer came naturally, with the sound of footsteps approaching from afar.

"Airan, is Airan here?" Before the person even arrived, the rescuer arrived first, hurriedly ringing a bell as they crossed the woods.

Yurika invited the person in. The person was wearing a school uniform, which was a dark-colored Zhongshan suit with a stand-up collar on the upper body, similar to a suit without epaulettes, and straight-leg trousers on the lower body. It was the standard uniform for male students at Shinkiin High School.

Based on this alone, Yujian could not make a guess about the other person's gender. The other person had a very androgynous appearance, with fluffy, soft, shoulder-length short hair, and looked younger than their actual age, more like a middle school student than a high school student.

"Nogizaka Ruka, what happened? You can tell me slowly." Aizen Yurika served a cup of tea, calmly sat back down in her original seat, her expression unchanged.

The visitor, known as Nogizaka Ruka, looked at Mitsurugi and immediately became very reserved upon seeing an unexpected person present.

Then, he secretly glanced over, then glanced over again, and then glanced over again.

I'm asking you, are you a man or a woman, and you like looking at handsome men so much?

He flicked his sword and gave the latter a casual glance, and the latter immediately looked down at the floor.

“It’s alright. Yujian is also a member of the Cat Paw Club, so you can tell me the details of your request without worry.”

“Okay, I’m really ashamed. Uh, did I introduce myself just now?” Nogizaka Ruka asked.

"No, but I know the names of all the students in the school."

Mikami quickly looked at Aizen Yurika, whose class president seemed to have casually uttered something extraordinary.

A person's name is the most familiar, sweetest, and most wonderful sound to them. In social interactions, the most obvious, simplest, most important, and most effective way to gain favor is to remember people's names.

In Yujian's memories, those who could easily remember the names of everyone around them in history were all truly remarkable figures.

For example, the 32nd President of America—Franklin Rhodes.

"Here's the situation: our paranormal society was planning to hold a group event to summon ghosts today."

"As a result, the club members suddenly took leave, and the ceremony required at least two or three people. I couldn't find enough people for the time being, and I heard that Aizen was a very kind person who would help people in distress, so I took the liberty of bothering you."

Heeding cries for help, it's no wonder that Onizuka-sensei jokingly calls the class president "the Bodhisattva of Love."

It's only been two weeks since the freshmen started high school, and the class monitor has already made quite a name for himself. And what's with that paranormal club, holding rituals to summon ghosts? Does the world really have supernatural powers?
While sitting to the side as a decorative figure aptly named 'Quiet Handsome Man,' Yujian was inwardly unleashing a torrent of sarcastic remarks.

"In that case, may I consider this a formal commission initiated by the Paranormal Society?"

"Ah, although I am the president of the Paranormal Society, no one else knows about this. So please consider this a request I made personally."

"Okay, so does Nogizaka-san know the rules of the Nekopaku Club?" Yurika put down her teacup, making a crisp sound against the saucer.

Hearing this, Mitsurugi felt even more strongly that Aizen Yurika should have a cat in her arms, and again, preferably a black cat.

"Yes, Cat's Paw Society does not accept requests related to money or romance. Those who are helped must assist Cat's Paw Society's actions to the best of their ability in the future." Nogizaka Ruka finished reciting these two sentences haltingly.

Lily nodded, got up and took out a softcover notebook, the kind most commonly found in stationery stores.

There are many signs of use on it, but other than that, it is just an ordinary notebook.

"Write down your name." Yurika handed the notebook to Nogizaka.

Nogizaka Ruka felt a strange sense of tension, but she still took out a pen from her breast pocket and carefully wrote her full name with the gold nib.

“Then,” Lily suddenly smiled, reciting in a barely audible voice.

"The contract is established."

"Huh?" Yu Jian was startled upon hearing this. If it weren't for his amazing body control, he would have almost knocked over the teacup in his hand.

At that moment, the setting sun shone through the car window, casting a golden hue over the girl's eyes.

"Nogizaka-san, your request has been accepted by Nekopaw."

"Thank you so much!"

When will the ceremony take place?

"Ah, based on the direction of the stars, I predict that 7 p.m. would be the most suitable time."

"Then I'll have to apply for nighttime stay at school. Luckily, the president of the astronomy club, Murakami, owes me a favor, so I can ask them to get permission."

……

After Nogizaka Ruka left, Mitsurugi couldn't help but look at Yurika.

"What is a contract?"

"Huh? As expected of Akira, he really has hell ears. He can hear such a soft sound." Yurika clapped her hands and handed the notebook to Mitsurugi.

Inside were names written down, some crossed out, others appearing multiple times.

"So, it's just chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?" Yujian's voice was uncertain.

"Oh, I see." Lily suddenly took two steps closer, her tone slightly playful.

"You believed it."

"No!".

"So even Mitsurugi has chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)."

"I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense! And why is it you?!"

Yu Jian repeatedly denied it, until he saw the smile in the girl's eyes and realized that she was teasing him. Was it a response to his earlier joke? Thinking of this, Yu Jian couldn't help but smile as well.

Come to think of it, I haven't laughed in a long time since I was tricked by that cheat code.

Seeing the smile on his face, Lily suddenly paused, then turned her head to look out the window without making a sound. For a moment, the clubroom converted from the train carriage became unusually quiet.

"Speaking of which, what exactly is this so-called ritual supposed to do? It doesn't seem very reliable." Yu Jian frowned slightly, seemingly understanding why the other members of the Paranormal Society had taken leave.

"It's hard to believe that something exists if you haven't seen it with your own eyes. Perhaps because I have a low level of spiritual sensitivity, I have never experienced any paranormal events in my life, so I'll assume for now that there are no ghosts in this world."

"Based on this premise, the rituals of the Supernatural Society are just a... game of make-believe?" Yurika opened her folding fan to hide her expression.

"A very rational judgment." Yu Jian nodded.

Lily suddenly sighed: "If there really were supernatural powers, the world would probably be more interesting than it is now."

After a moment of silence, Yujian sighed, mimicking Aizen Yurika's manner.

"As expected, Aizen is the one with chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)."

"Who knows."

"So, you don't believe me?"

"I don't believe it for now, what about you?"

"What a coincidence, I don't really believe it either."

The two exchanged a smile, showing a remarkable understanding between them.

At this time, it was less than two hours before the Paranormal Society held its ceremony.

At this point, no one believed in the existence of ghosts.

(End of this chapter)