Sword Art Online Crossover: They're all close friends, how did I become a player?

"Because Yagen's parents loved him very much, after giving Yagen this name, they somehow found this knife and gave it to him, hoping it would protect him in case of danger."

After all, you know that for a family like ours, nothing is surprising. But it might not be genuine; it could be a fake. After all, Yagen Toushirou's sword is historically unaccounted for.

Yu Bai placed his hand on Yagen Toushirou's head and gently rubbed it. After feeling the soft touch in his hand, he spoke slowly.

"I see."

As children from wealthy families, the students at Hyotei could understand, and some had even experienced it firsthand when they were young.

After learning about the backgrounds of these teenagers from previous questioning, the village police officer and his team nodded slightly.

After all, there will always be people who are blinded by greed and want to take risks.

However, even counterfeit products are too expensive to be worth! To make them so similar and with such exquisite craftsmanship, they would be very pricey.

As a poor, low-paid office worker, I silently shed tears at this moment.

The matter of Yagen Toushirou was thus left unresolved. However, since the murder case was still unsolved, the short sword could not be left with Yagen and had to be kept with the police for a while until the case was solved.

Yagen Toushirou nodded in understanding and generously offered to let them go, but said he would supervise the entire process. Officer Yamamura agreed.

Only Conan remained somewhat skeptical, because he always felt that this Yagen, who was said to be a distant relative of Yu Bai, was not simple.

But since they couldn't see what the problem was, they had to put it aside for the time being and focus on the case at hand.

With Yagen Toushirou's problem resolved, Mitsuhiko made another move.

He took a deep breath, his face full of fear, and stammered to the police that Granny Tanaka also had a kitchen knife with a red handle, and that he had seen Granny Tanaka sharpening the knife in the kitchen in the middle of the night.

The way her legs were trembling slightly suggested that she had been quite frightened earlier.

Upon hearing this, Tanaka Iwao said that she did not have a kitchen knife with a red handle, and that it was probably a hallucination caused by the child thinking that he looked like the legendary mountain witch.

Finally, to prevent the suspect from escaping and because the area still needed to be searched and questioned, everyone was separated and placed in different rooms to wait.

"I never expected to encounter something like this during our training camp."

"Yes, what happened before really scared me to death. Who would have thought that someone would die here?"

"Hoo~ Jiro is so sleepy. Um, Atobe, can I take a nap first?"

"This is really too unglamorous. Go to sleep. I'll have Kabaji call you if I need anything later."

"..."

"..."

Yu Bai calmly drank tea in his room, listening to the discussions among the tennis club members.

He slowly released his mental energy, and wherever it reached, it appeared in his mind like watching a movie. He had learned this from Gilgamesh in Uruk.

He saw Conan jumping around in front of the police officer and found the kitchen knife with the red handle that Mitsuhiko had mentioned before.

Then he saw Yagen Toushirou walking towards him after talking with Officer Yamamura.

This case only needs Shinichi Kudo; he just needs to wait for the famous detective to solve it. Given Shinichi Kudo's intelligence, he'll likely find the real murder weapon and the killer very quickly.

He picked up his teacup and took another slow sip. He was just a lazy bum who wanted to retire, and he had no intention of getting involved in cases or investigating them with Conan.

"General, I feel something's off about that Andarai. The smell of blood on him is too strong, and it wasn't from touching a corpse, it's more like..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yu Bai interrupted him with one hand. Having developed a habit of rubbing the tip of the short sword, Yu Bai rubbed Yagen Toushirou's head again before slowly lowering his hand and pouring him a cup of tea.

Taking the tea from Yu Bai, Yagen Toushirou lowered his head and took a small sip. The lingering aroma of the tea lingered on his lips and teeth, like a gentle spring rain nourishing his heart, carrying a hint of invigorating flavor. Each sip had a unique charm, making him want to savor it forever.

Back when they were in the citadel, Yagen often saw the Ōsho (General) sitting in the corridor with Mikazuki and the others, enjoying tea. Every move the Ōsho made while brewing tea was graceful and elegant. Seeing the amazed expression on Mikazuki's face when he drank the tea, Yagen Toushirou knew then that his Ōsho's tea ceremony skills must be exceptional.

Unfortunately, he considered himself not a refined sword, and he never had the chance to taste the tea brewed by the general. Just as he had told the Saniwa before: he was different from his brothers; he grew up on the battlefield. He didn't understand refined matters, but he could confidently leave the battlefield to him.

He lived up to that promise. When going into battle or on expeditions, even though Yagen was just a short sword, it made his companions feel extremely at ease.

But to my surprise, I actually got to drink it, and it was just as delicious as I imagined. No, it was even better than I expected.

Noticing the slight relaxation of the tsukumogami beside him, Yu Bai's lips curled into a smile.

That's more like it. Although he's a tsukumogami, he's only been manifesting for a short time. He can't keep himself so tense all the time. You have to know that too much rigidity leads to breakage.

"You don't need to worry about this. Someone will handle it. I believe this farce will end soon."

"General, you mean that kid named Conan? There's something off about him." Yagen said, recalling Conan Edogawa, who was somewhat different from ordinary children.

Even though Tsukumogami are at the bottom of the eight million gods, they are still genuine gods. And Shinmei has a unique perception of souls, so even if Yagen Toushirou doesn't know Shinichi Kudo's situation, it doesn't prevent him from sensing the disharmony between that body and soul.

"Who knows? Come on, let's continue drinking tea. I have some sweets made by Shokudaikiri. Have a taste." Without saying much, Yu Bai took out the sweets that Shokudaikiri Mitsutada had given him before he left from his game backpack.

Because of the time-stopping effect within the game's inventory, whatever you put in will come out in the same form. He placed the snacks in front of Yagen Toushirou, indicating that they should be eaten with the tea, and also invited Atobe Keigo and the others to join him.

While the investigation was in full swing on one side, Yu Bai, Yagen, Atobe Keigo, and the others were enjoying tea and snacks in the other.

……

Yagen Toushirou: Although I don't understand elegance, I must savor the tea brewed by the general!

Yu Bai: That's more like it. Why are kids so tense all the time?