Why are there only loser heroines around me?

Arthur: "I can ask the champions of several sword-forging competitions for you. Maybe someone would be willing to take it. @Ukyo, how much are you willing to pay?"

"It depends on the quality and appearance of the finished product. If I'm satisfied, I can pay $10."

"That's easy!" Arthur was delighted. "With so much money, anyone who doesn't do it is a fool!"

Master Jiang: "@Youjing, good brother, let me forge it. I'll use the Five Thunders Fire to burn it for you. I can refine any material for you. However, bone knives are usually cast by grinding, and the hardness of bones used for forging knives is definitely not as good as metal."

You Jing: "I'm not sure, but this thing should be made of metal. @Jiang Daoye, if you want to pick it up, I can send it to the Taihang Mountains. If you can refine it, I'll refine it. If not, send it back to me. I'll pay for the postage."

"Great!" Daoye Jiang typed, "Send it!"

..........

...

That night.

Youjing arrived at the barbecue restaurant as promised.

This is the only shop on the street with lights on at night, with the words "Fujiwara BBQ" written on the flashing sign.

The Fujiwara clan is one of the prominent families in Japanese history. Even now, people with the surname Fujiwara usually have a high status in Japanese society. Moreover, surnames such as Ito, Kato, and Goto are actually derived surnames based on "Fujiwara", and there are about 13 million people with this surname in Japan.

Before, Ukyo was wondering what kind of barbecue restaurant owner could actually invite an Onmyoji to set up a barrier for a barbecue restaurant.

Now, if the other party's surname is Fujiwara's family name, then everything makes much more sense.

"How long will it take you to get there?" Yanami started to poke him in private messages.

"We're already at the door."

"Where's Uncle Maori?"

"with me."

"Great! Take bigger steps! We are all here at the table and are just waiting for you two!" A greedy little cat couldn't wait to start eating.

Ukyo moved the phone screen towards Maori. Maori glanced at the word "uncle" on the screen, and his heart suddenly felt a pang of pain. He was obviously still very young.

"Ukyo!"

"Ma Shaan?" He saw Tian Aixing waving at him at the door of the barbecue restaurant. Youjing was a little surprised. This guy was wearing a light pink soft and sticky sweater with a thin long-sleeved shirt underneath. The light blue collar and cuffs were slightly exposed, which was a very popular layering style in autumn.

She wore black high-waisted straight pants and a brown A-line skirt, and a khaki warm windbreaker as an outer layer. She had light pink eyeshadow on the corners of her eyes, and the colors of her lipstick and foundation were just right. It was obvious that she had dressed up carefully before attending this dinner.

The girl's eyes brightened noticeably the moment she saw Ukyo, appearing clear and sparkling in front of the barbecue restaurant lit only by warm orange lights.

Mori, who was a dozen years older than Ukyo, quickly noticed the problem. After all, he used to be a detective, so he had some good eyesight.

He immediately realized there was something fishy going on at this gathering. Perhaps there would be something interesting to watch after dinner, perhaps during the meal itself. Maori wasn't sure what the girl across from him was like, but judging by the fact that she was waiting at the door to help them find their way, she might be the type who was quick and accurate in her approach to love. Yanai saw that the child hadn't been able to win over Ukyo because he didn't have this awareness. What were the others doing? That idiot guy's mind was only on food, completely unaware that he'd been tricked.

"You guys chat." Maori took off his coat, rubbed his hands, and blew a breath into his palms, looking like he wanted to go into the house quickly.

He actually wanted to go into the house to inform Yanami to return to the defense, so that the little greedy cat would not be blinded by the barbecue on the table.

Youjing didn't know the strange thoughts in Maori's mind. He just felt that Tianai Star at this moment was like a half-opened spring bud waiting to be picked.

I guess any boy who smells the fragrance of this flower will have his adolescent thoughts stirred, but Youjing is not interested in the flower buds. Many people will pass by the flower garden, but not everyone will tilt their heads to take a look at the flower buds that have not yet fully bloomed.

And some people don’t ignore flowers, they are just not naturally interested in them.

Ukyo happened to be someone who had no interest in flowers, and at most he would glance sideways at the flower garden when passing by.

"Is today's game yours?" You Jing asked.

"Yes."

Tian Aixing nodded gently.

"Why do you keep thinking about this meal?"

"No, it's a good time to go on holiday. The situation isn't good right now. My dad said we might not even be able to leave the house in a couple of days. Why don't we all get together while the situation is still good? Right now, everyone is struggling to make ends meet."

"Also... my father asked me to ask you what the current situation is like. He also wants to get some kind of amulet... something that ordinary people can wear to protect themselves from demons."

These words were most likely true. Tian Aixing's family might have really asked her to come out and inquire about the situation. After all, she and Youjing were in the same school. Others had no way to find Youjing's connections, but Tian Aixing was the kind of person who could be easily found by just standing on tiptoe.

"The situation is like this, there's no need to be too nervous." Ukyo entered the room first, and Tian Aixing had no choice but to follow. After seeing him, Yanai stood up and waved to him. The gentleman's accessory sword was leaning on the table, and there was also an exaggeratedly large wild sword.

Is this Komari's weapon? Ukyo wondered what the hell that eighth-degree swordsman had in mind, letting a beginner like Komari wield a nodachi. Standing up, the sword was almost taller than her head. Could it be that contrast is also popular in the kendo world now?

Maori has been chatting with several teenagers. It seems that there is no generation gap between them and they get along well with each other. Ukyo heard that they were talking about the popular original animation of the season "Tokyo Last Demon Slayer". This animation has only been updated for three episodes, but it has been hailed as "the strongest recruitment poster advertisement for Exorcist". The content of the animation tells the story of the second-year syndrome of "Gen", the last demon slayer in Tokyo.

"A regular cross will keep lower-level demons at bay." Ukyo answered Tian Aixing's question while listening to them talk about anime. "No matter how much it costs, as long as it's shaped like a cross, it's effective against lower-level demons. But it's even more effective if it's been trained by a clergyman. If you want, I can get you a few for free."

Having said this, everyone suddenly fell silent.

The reason for their silence was simple: they were all ordinary people, and everyone was afraid of the lower-level demons.

"I'll get a few more," Ukyo said generously, "one for everyone."

The priest who used a cross to finger a tiger to exorcise demons in the Night Watch Channel is a clergyman. Ukyo has a good relationship with him. Of course, not the good in real life, but the good kind of good that netizens have. Asking him for a few crosses is not a problem. He has also been in Toyohashi recently and came from the United States specifically to see the magic sword in front of the Toyohashi Art Museum.

When the people from the two gangs heard that Youjing was going to give them each a cross, they all raised their beers to toast Youjing. Recently, conventional laws and social order have collapsed a bit, and the law that minors are not allowed to drink alcohol is basically the same as if it didn't exist.

Youjing suddenly remembered that his birthday had passed. He was sixteen this year, only two years away from the official drinking age, but he rarely drank before. Those who used knives in the execution department rarely drank, and those who were good at shooting drank even less. It just so happened that Youjing had both of these.

But today was different. He had killed a high-ranking demon, which was indeed something worth celebrating. However, the people at the table did not know that Ukyo did not drink easily, nor did they know that a high-ranking demon had died quietly in front of the Toyohashi Museum. They thought that Ukyo was willing to drink with them just because he did not care about such a trivial matter as "beer".

After three rounds of drinks, everyone talked about their family difficulties.

Yanami was sitting next to him, speaking in a high-pitched voice. Ukyo saw that her cheeks were a little flushed. Ukyo thought Yanami might be a little drunk because he heard her heartbeat was very fast. He only thought about the alcohol but didn't consider that if an adolescent girl was close to the person she liked, her heartbeat would also speed up, far worse than being drunk.

The beer served in this barbecue restaurant is of very low alcohol content. Compared with what Yanaijian drank in Tibet, it is not an exaggeration to call it children's beer.

Tian Aixing was very talkative today, and kept talking about her family matters. Everyone noticed that her mood was a little off. Usually, when Yunque was present, she would always be very nervous when speaking.

But today was different. Usually, she would look at Yun Que cautiously without saying a word, for fear of making her unhappy. But today, the person she was looking at had changed, and the end of her gaze became You Jing.

Strangely, Ukyo, who usually ignores most girls, agrees with Tian Aixing today. She says that the maid outfit she wore at the Ishifu Festival was ugly and the kids who came to play mistook her for a hired worker sweeping the corridor. Ukyo says no, he thinks the outfit is pretty good-looking. Children speak without restraint and are ignorant when they are young. When they are a few years older, if their girlfriends wear maid outfits in the couple's suite, it will be all up to them whether they go in or not.

Everyone was shocked. They thought that the serious Youjing would never make such a dirty joke. Looking at everyone's expressions, Youjing thought that he had gone a little too far. It turned out that this was how Ming Fei felt every time he said something nonsense. He really was not good at integrating into the atmosphere... Youjing smiled bitterly and shook his head. He was helpless and became himself again, no longer responding to their topics.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Ukyo said as he stood up.

"I'll go too." Tian Aixing also stood up.

"I'll go too."

"Yanagi, I'll accompany you..."

Yanami and Komari also stood up.

There were suddenly four fewer people at the table, but the atmosphere did not change, because Maori was telling the legendary story of how he captured a transvestite murderer in an ancient castle in the mountains, and everyone was fascinated by the story.

Youjing came to the bathroom, but he didn't go in. Instead, he went out the back door of the barbecue restaurant and sat down on the steps in front of the door. In front of him was a narrow alley with no lights.

This place looked very much like the kind of place where one would be attacked by lower-level demons in the middle of the night, but he was Ukyo, and no lower-level demon would dare to attack him alone, not even in groups of three or five, so those around him would be safe.

Youjing reached out and took out the cigarette box, but the last cigar in it had burned out during the fight today. He put the box away listlessly, but at this moment someone suddenly handed him a chalk-like object.

Those were the candies that high school students loved to play with. The one who handed her the candy was Tian Aixing. She walked over to Youjing and sat down with her knees hugged.

"Youjing, I have something to say to you." She seemed to have mustered up her courage, her palms tightly gripping her knees.

"Don't say that." You Jing didn't take the candy she handed over. "Think about how long you've known me. I just helped you out of a trouble on the street. Anyone would have helped you at that time."

"But you're the only one who took action."

Ukyo was silent for a moment, and what he had said to Yanami a long time ago came back to him here.

"Tian Aixing." This was the first time he called the other person's name, but the words that followed were particularly cold: "Don't waste your time on impossible things."

Ukyo got up and left, then heard the sound of a girl crying coming from far away.

Yanami and Komari appeared on both sides of Tian Aixing very promptly. One of them handed her a tissue, and the other patted her on the back and told her not to be sad. Their expressions were also very sad, as if they were empathizing with Tian Aixing. He didn't know what Komari was feeling, but when Ukyo left, he saw a half-smile on Yanami's lips, and his eyes looking at Tian Aixing were exceptionally gentle, as if emitting some kind of evil maternal light.

Ukyo did not return to his seat, but went to the boss to settle the bill. He asked on behalf of Maori and found out that the roasted rats here had been taken off the shelves.

Originally, this meal was to be treated by Tian Aixing, but Youjing had once said that he would treat their student union to a meal, so paying the bill today can be considered as fulfilling his previous promise.

Not long after he came back, the meal was over. Maori became a celebrity among the students. Yumu put his arm around his shoulders and treated him like a brother, begging him to tell more stories about his previous crime solving, as he needed material for his new book.

Everyone will spend the whole night in the hotel on the second floor and leave early the next morning.

But Youjing did not stay on the second floor. He went home alone. He was not afraid of the ferocious demons on the streets at night, so time had no meaning to him. But because of this, his back under the street light seemed particularly lonely, with only the Gūhō bird following him silently.

Even the monster Guhuo Bird felt that the night was a bit desolate and lonely.

"Call the cat out again," said Guhuo Bird, "so you can have another demon to accompany you."

"Okay." So Ukyo released the Nekomata.

The black cat swung its two tails and jumped onto Ukyo's shoulder. "I saw Yanami messaged you on your LINE account. Aren't you going to reply?"

"I'm not going back." Youjing said.

"You heartless fellow, she'll chase you out! Are you sure you want to let her walk alone at night?"

"Don't worry." Ukyo said, "She has grown up. Lower-level demons are no match for her."

"Idiot! That's not what I meant!" The cat jumped down from Ukyo's shoulder.

It sighed that humans were so hard to understand and stopped caring about anything else. It just followed behind Youjing. The steps of the man and the cat were so quiet that they didn't even trigger the sensor street lights. The three lonely figures just blended into the night.

..... .....

.....

Eleven days later...

—A report on the holiday activities of Yanami Anna, a member of the Supernatural Literature Club.

The Demon President has asked everyone to submit a vacation report, but can the recent vacation really be considered a vacation? It's getting to the point where even walking down the street might lead to a demon attack, though not during the day. The demons seem wary of the SWAT and the exorcists. Maori recently told me that soaking a sword in holy water overnight can effectively kill lower-level demons.

I figured I was an "exorcist"—a righteous exorcist for fun—and my real job was a paranormal detective. But lately, it seemed like no one was looking for detectives. It was strange. Shouldn't this be "paranormal season"? Why weren't we getting any work?

It must be because Youjing is too famous, so everyone mistakenly believes that asking us to sell something requires a very high commission. However, our prices are obviously very affordable, but people subconsciously think that we are too expensive and give up looking. This behavior is really unforgivable!

But it seems that taking the elite route is also a good idea. Maybe the next order we receive will be a big order worth tens of billions?

Having written this, Yanaijian temporarily stopped writing.

She felt that what Youjing wanted to see was definitely not her analysis of the current situation of the revival of the supernatural. What the murderous boss must be concerned about was the demon-slaying performance of his employees during this "special holiday".

So Yanami began to list them one by one -

First day of the holiday: Kill a number of rats.

Second day of holiday: Nothing to do today, I killed a few mice, had a cucumber for breakfast, udon noodles for lunch, and curry rice made by my mother for dinner.

Her demon-hunting records were a bit short in the past few days, but in order to make the demon-hunting content look more substantial, Yanami also wrote down her three meals a day schedule.

Day 3: While out looking for breakfast, I encountered three lower-level demons attacking innocent passers-by. I killed two of them and chased one away. I had a sandwich for breakfast, pork bone noodles for lunch, and curry rice for dinner.

Day 4: Nothing to do today, just killed some mice.

Day 5: Nothing to do today, sandwiches, pork bone noodles, and curry rice.

Day 6: I encountered an ugly cat on the road, being besieged by a group of chubby, lower-level demons. I killed two, but five escaped. I gave chase and wiped them all out. The ugly cat wouldn't leave me alone, so I had no choice but to take it home. The ugly cat is really good at catching mice. Ever since it came, there haven't been any mice in my house. She's definitely not an ordinary cat. Maybe she's some kind of local monster like Nekomata. But Nekomata is so beautiful, but this cat is so ugly. It looks like an ape. Jing, can you tell me what breed this cat is? (Image attached)

Day 7: Nothing to do today, sandwiches, pork bone noodles, eel rice

Day 8: Nothing to do today, just three meals, noodles and rice.

Day 9: What are you doing, Xingcai! I can't eat so many carbs today! Breakfast: Oatmeal porridge, Lunch: Golden shrimp balls and corn and purple sweet potato rice, Dinner: Beef hot pot.

Day 10: Nothing to do today, just three meals, noodles and rice.

Ukyo opened the holiday report in his mailbox. This used to be a good tradition in the academy, but now he was the one who read reports instead of writing them. What Yanami wrote made his eyes go dark. Ukyo remembered that he had also sent her a questionnaire, but Yanami seemed to have no habit of checking her inbox in time, so it was Komari who sent the questionnaire instead.

She is currently a reserve member of the firm.

The old man with eight levels of muscles and many small scars on his face in the swordsmanship hall told Ukyo that the new kid also had some talent, but his height was not so good. If he wanted to make some achievements in kendo, he would probably have to spend more time than Ms. Yanami. Fortunately, the height of the women's group was generally lower than that of the men's group. Xiaoju's disadvantage in the first few levels would not be too obvious, but after the fourth level, it would be too bad. The height difference made it difficult for her to catch up with other swordsmen of the same level.

However, not being able to compete doesn’t mean you can’t kill demons.

A short stature makes it easier to hit the opponent's lower body. There is no need to follow rules when fighting against monsters. What matters is whether the knife is steady, accurate and ruthless enough, and whether the swordsman's heart is as calm as still water.

Ukyo thought it was time to test the results of Komari's recent practice. He opened the questionnaire that Yanami hadn't filled out, but Komari had. If Komari had the experience of "accidentally slaying a demon" during her days off, Ukyo might consider letting her join the company.

[Did you encounter demons/local monsters/imaginary monsters during the holidays?]

【no】

【Have you awakened an unknown ability? 】

【no】