Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

Since there are only a handful of employees, the boss knows them quite well, so he's not worried that anyone will use this as an excuse to claim there's a problem with the food and demand compensation. In fact, it can be considered an employee benefit.

What Shimadzu gave was a portion of what belonged to her that was cleared out this week.

However, Nobi was unaware of the situation and mistakenly thought that Shimazu had paid for it out of his own pocket. He was too embarrassed to accept it, so he quickly said goodbye and ran away.

Shimazu reached out his hand, but he couldn't stop him. He could only watch helplessly as Shimazu disappeared into the darkness across the street.

She could only shake her head, put the things back, and give them to him next time he came.

Nobita trotted back to the secret base, feeling his heart pounding like a puppy, and his face was strangely hot, definitely bright red.

This is what love is like—pfft, pfft, pfft!

What are you thinking about?!

You're just a cowardly, poor, and unattractive gamer!

No one will like you.

After this "self-comfort," the blush on my face quickly faded, and I felt cold all over, like I was dead.

"It's quite effective." Nobita chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He forgot to buy water again, but since the bathroom provided drinking water, he had already drunk his fill and wasn't thirsty anymore.

Nobita sat down on the tattered mat, took out his notebook, and, using the faint moonlight shining through the cracks, wrote down in detail the information he had gained from his evening's outing.

After he finished writing, he couldn't help but carefully touch his skin, which seemed to show no signs of aging.

So, is this reduction in lifespan not significant, or does it not manifest in the body, but rather leads to sudden death or being taken away by an accident when the time comes?

Anyway, no one would care if I died.

He stopped thinking about lifespan issues, took out his phone, compared his questions with those in his notes, and used AI software to search for the summarized information in a roundabout way.

Chapter 50: Hibiya Station

All three players eventually collapsed at Kasumigaseki Station.

Nobi Tomohiro was sent away by the electrified third track.

After Uesugi Hitomi took a briefcase, she did feel less crowded, but she still couldn't get out. Finally, as the train departed, she gradually couldn't breathe and died on the train.

Because he didn't bring flowers, Kosuke Iwasaki couldn't find the note or the UV light. However, based on the map clues on the fanatic's body and the red crayon writing on the platform, he also thought he should head towards Hibiya Station. But in the end, he also fell under the tracks.

Because he was able to refer to their strategies, Higashiyama Shin took the best and discarded the worst, and made a very smooth progress, leading the three players. He has now arrived at Hibiya Station.

But he was still temporarily stuck.

As he had expected, the platform here seemed to be constantly rewinding time, from the relatively modern Tsukiji Station to the Kasumigaseki Station from around the 1970s.

Finally, we arrived at Hibiya Station, which was still under construction and hadn't even opened yet.

The workers arrived at the place and left directional marks with invisible pens, guiding him over the mess of building materials and fences until he finally found a strange passage.

This could already be called a maze; the routes inside were intricate, incredibly dark, and there were even dead ends.

And most importantly, there are ghost soldiers dressed in old military uniforms and resembling skeletons patrolling inside the passage.

They were like ghosts from a bygone era, their bodies making clattering sounds as they patrolled the maze.

Once encountered, given the character's capabilities, the only option is to run.

Being discovered by one Oni soldier is equivalent to being discovered by all the Oni soldiers in Hibiya Station, so even the most classic flanking maneuver is no longer possible.

They're just a bunch of skeletons. Even if you take their heads off, their jawbones can still open and close with a cracking sound. And afterwards, all the ghost soldiers will come towards you, so it's completely useless.

He tried many methods, such as feinting, threats, and using props, but none of them were very effective.

It seems that I can only find a way on my own, gradually figuring out the exit of the maze and the path of the ghost soldiers' patrols.

The only good news is that these ghost soldiers' patrol routes are fixed and unchanging when there is no external interference.

"Has it turned into a stealth level?"

Higashiyama Shin died here many times, and his head started to ache.

The workers did not leave any marks here, and the ultraviolet light found nothing, probably because they were too busy to do anything else.

He didn't continue playing. He wrote down the clues he had discovered that day, and, feeling a little tired, lay down to sleep.

"Those guided by the sound of the strings, gather here!"

"Give it your all in every arrow! Aiming for the national championship with your partner!"

"The moon is full and the target is round—the true essence of harmony embodied in archery."

The next day, it was sunny.

Lunch break.

The archery club set up a stall in the open space. Several members, waving flyers and chanting slogans under the direction of club president Minamikawa, were sweating with youthful energy. They began to attract interested students to stop and linger.

Higashiyama Shin held a bow and stood with Imagawa Takaya like mascots.

Dongshan would also occasionally pose for a group photo with a few seniors and juniors who came over.

Imagawa simply hugged the longbow, closed his eyes to rest, and remained motionless, displaying a cool and aloof demeanor.

"Heh heh, looks like this year is going to be pretty smooth!"

Nanchuan was dressed in the armor of the legendary "Ahoge" (a mythical creature), wielding a longbow that emitted dazzling multicolored LED lights. It was simply unbearable for traditionalists, and innovators felt utterly out of place.

"Gentlemen, you are the destined ones drawn here by the 'Arrow of Causality' I have woven. Do not hesitate any longer! Come, scan the 'Contract Emblem' on the QR code and become one of us! Learn the art of archery that transcends time and space!"

She pointed to the flyers on the stall, which were pinned to wooden boards by arrows, and looked up as she spoke.

"Hoo hoo hoo!" The brainwashed younger generation cheered.

Although the scene was a bit awkward, it really attracted a lot of boys.

This is Nanchuan's strategy!

Two beautiful boys and a beautiful girl have a secondary disease! Both men and women are killed!

All the heroes of the school are now under my control.

"Isn't archery just a target practice game? In a real fight, you have to use judo to throw your opponent!"

A deep voice came from not far away. Nan Chuan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he murmured, "My nemesis... has he really come after all?"

The NPCs in the crowd automatically made way for each other.

More than ten members of the judo club walked over in an orderly fashion, carrying a booth, which they placed opposite the archery club with great momentum, clearly indicating that they wanted to challenge the archery club to a duel.

The current judo captain, with a rugged appearance and dark skin tinged with red, walked at the front, arms crossed, looking at Haruko Minamikawa with an arrogant expression.

"Everyone, come and see what the true essence of martial arts is!"

Then, at the nod of the judo captain, four judo club members rushed out from behind, each carrying a stick.

They faced the judo club president, shouted "Ahhh!" and charged at him.

The judo captain snorted coldly, dodged the fastest attack by sidestepping, grabbed the wrist with his left hand, and then spun it counterclockwise. The attacker let out a scream and the stick slipped from his hand.

Immediately, his right leg swept across his ankle, and the man tumbled in mid-air, landing on his back with a thud.

"Whoa oh!"

The onlookers cheered and shouted in unison.

"Watch closely!" the minister roared, suddenly grabbing another person in a bear hug, lowering his center of gravity, grabbing the other person's forearm, lifting him up by the shoulder, spinning him around like a helicopter, and then throwing him over his head in a parabolic arc, hitting the other two people, who immediately screamed in pain.

"Oh oh oh!!"

The onlookers shouted and applauded.

"Are you kidding me? Did you get paid? Why are you working so hard? This is a cement floor!" The archery club members muttered in disbelief.

I thought the sacrifices of the die-hard fans who were going to play Haruko Minamikawa were already huge, but I never expected there to be someone even more amazing. I'm truly impressed.

You guys really want to improve.

That wasn't all. After demonstrating the routine, the booths behind were already set up, with a bunch of white cloths and black slogans hanging up.

Instead of shooting at a target, defeat the enemy!

Kyudo is a solitary practice, while Judo is a bond of companionship.

[Train perverts, school bullies, suspicious individuals—the archery target can't knock them down! Learn real self-defense techniques through judo]

Good heavens, they really came prepared; every move is aimed at archery.

Suddenly, most of the people who originally belonged to the archery club were diverted.

"Ignorant fool! Your so-called power is nothing but the brutality of a beast! I was prepared for this!"

After Nanchuan finished speaking, he suddenly knelt on one knee, covered his eyes with his left hand, and bent over, causing a "holy light effect." A member of the archery club took out a portable smoke generator that had been prepared in advance, and a large amount of smoke surrounded Nanchuan.

Some people were carrying baskets and scattering the cherry blossom petals they had collected.

The lights and smoke attracted another group of students who love to watch the drama unfold.

"Let me show you the true power of archery!" Minamikawa waved his hand.

A young archery enthusiast eagerly carried a human-shaped wooden board out from behind the stall.

Chapter 51: Club Recruitment

"Pfft!"

Someone in the judo club couldn't help but laugh out loud.

But then he remembered his own camp, quickly suppressed his smile, and pretended to cough.

That humanoid wooden board was clearly a judo captain's face photoshopped onto a goblin's body.

The judo captain's already dark face turned even darker.

"Let's make a deal. Bet the honor of the archery club that you can hit the head of this target fifty meters away within three arrows. Do you dare to bet the honor of the judo club?!" Haruko Minamikawa shouted.

The students watching, not wanting to miss out on the drama, cheered and jeered, supporting whoever won.

The judo captain was now in a difficult position and could only nod reluctantly: "There's nothing I wouldn't dare to do, but you can't let Takaya Imagawa shoot arrows in your place!"

He pointed at Imagawa, clearly knowing that Imagawa was far more capable than Minister Minamigawa.

Imagawa, who had remained silent, raised his eyes and looked at the judo captain with pity.

Not only him, but also the members of the archery club who watched Higashiyama Shin's archery performance the day before yesterday all cast sympathetic glances at him.

You might as well just directly require the minister to take charge.

"You really think I'm invincible in archery? Watch out, Judo Groudon! You're nothing but a target for a show of force—Higashiyama-kun, protect me. Hey, Higashiyama-kun, Higashiyama-kun, give me some face, please!"

Seeing that Higashiyama Shin was standing to one side with an unmoved expression, Nanchuan had no choice but to pull him over himself and plead softly beside him.

"You planned this all along, didn't you?" Higashiyama Shin saw through everything.

No wonder he insisted on being there during his lunch break; it was all for this one scene.

"Don't say that, it's not like I begged him to come, hehe~" Nan Chuan tried to get away with it by being cute.

For some unknown historical reason, the archery club and the judo club are rivals within the school, and they often undermine each other.

So Haruko Minamikawa must have had an idea after seeing his archery skills that day, and deliberately lured the judo club over to cause trouble.

Then let Higashiyama Shin take the field, and in one fell swoop, he will intimidate everyone and greatly enhance the prestige of Kyudo.

Didn't you see that even special targets were prepared in advance?

This little trick couldn't even fool the old Dongshan Shen, let alone now that he has a powerful weapon like the Spirit-Nourishing Fire Eye.

"Next time, you'd better consult with me in advance, Minister Nanchuan."

Higashiyama Shin disliked this kind of unexpected event, even though it would bring him almost no loss or risk of failure.

Perhaps it stems from a deep-seated distrust of the world, a need to control everything within a predictable framework to feel secure.

不安です。

"Definitely, definitely, I promise!" Nan Chuan handed the LED seven-color dazzling bow to Dongshan Shen with a fawning smile.

Higashiyama Shin walked to the shooting position and nodded to the judo captain, whose face was as black as charcoal: "First-year student, Higashiyama Shin, hello Groudon-senpai."