Mado Akira wore a slightly form-fitting women's shirt on her upper body, the snow-white fabric making her skin appear even fairer.
The collar of the shirt was slightly stretched open by her full chest, revealing a delicate collarbone and adding a touch more allure.
Mado Akira gently lay down on the sofa, turning slightly to look at Uesugi Ryu who sat beside her.
Her gaze carried a hint of laziness and confidence.
"Is everything with the Washuu Clan under control? Or have you already finished preparing?"
A glimpse of pale skin within her collar entered Uesugi Ryu's sight, and he could not help but be momentarily distracted.
"Ah... no problem. Everything's ready."
Mado Akira keenly noticed his gaze, and a trace of cunning light flashed in her eyes.
She then gently stretched her body.
With that movement, her S-shaped figure was instantly displayed in full.
The slightly tight white shirt outlined her slender waist, while the black pencil skirt on her lower body tightly wrapped around her rounded and lifted hips.
Uesugi Ryu licked his lips, only feeling an inexplicable heat rise within him.
This was practically clearing the path for him, he could not hold back.
He suddenly turned his head toward Mephisto nearby, and Mephisto immediately understood.
Mephisto's expression: ????????
It hurriedly shouted, "Oh right, I just remembered I still need to go gather intel today. Little Black, Little White, let's go!"
The Yasuhisa sisters had already noticed the strange atmosphere.
A faint blush flashed across Yasuhisa Nashiro's face.
She secretly glanced at Uesugi Ryu and Mado Akira. The two of them were practically about to lean into each other.
Yasuhisa Kurona: o(TヘTo)
Mephisto quickly left with the Yasuhisa sisters, leaving only a lone man and woman in the room.
With the sound of the door closing, the beast within Uesugi Ryu awakened.
Mado Akira seemed to have expected this.
Like a nimble cat, she swiftly dodged to the other side of the sofa, blocking Uesugi Ryu's advance.
The stitching at the tip of her black stockings brushed against the suit fabric, producing soft rustling sounds.
Mado Akira slightly raised her chin and looked at Uesugi Ryu with a face full of disdain.
"I'm hungry. Go cook. I want Mapo Tofu."
Uesugi Ryu's expression instantly collapsed, and he protested unhappily.
"Hey, that's too much. You light the fire and don't put it out?"
His Adam's apple moved slightly as he swallowed.
Mado Akira snorted coldly and turned her head away, avoiding his pitiful gaze.
"This is punishment!"
Seeing this, Uesugi Ryu stopped pretending. He let out a mischievous laugh. Then he would at least collect some interest first.
"wing, wing! wing~"
Uesugi Ryu was not the type to endure quietly. After collecting enough "interest," he felt refreshed and walked toward the kitchen.
With only the two of them in the room, he did not bother suppressing that evil power anymore.
Mado Akira's face was flushed red as she curled up alone on the sofa.
Looking at Uesugi Ryu's back, she took a few deep breaths to calm her stirred emotions, then slowly said,
"Oh right, don't forget to clean out a room for me."
Uesugi Ryu's steps paused slightly. He stroked his chin, and the corners of his mouth could not help but rise.
"No need for that. My room has a double bed."
After that, there was silence.
Seeing that Mado Akira said nothing, Uesugi Ryu took it as her agreement and walked into the kitchen with light steps.
The sounds of cooking echoed through the spacious room. Mado Akira lifted her head and looked at the warm-toned light above.
A faint "happy" smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of her lips.
The blade in Uesugi Ryu's hand moved swiftly, and the white tofu was instantly cut into small cubes.
He could not help but feel a bit regretful and let out a long sigh.
"Sigh!"
"It's all that Mephisto's fault for messing things up. Otherwise..."
As he entered the kitchen earlier, Uesugi Ryu had used the Hand of God skill again, but this time gained nothing.
The success rate of Hand of God was one hundred percent. How could it fail?
Then the only possibility was... everyone who understands, understands.
...........
On the television, an entertainment talk show was playing.
"Famous author Takatsuki Sen has recently released a new work, Byleygr (One-Eyed King)!"
"This work is different from before. This time, it is written with a ghoul as the protagonist."
"The writing style and plot still follow Takatsuki Sen's usual standard. It is quite exciting and captivating."
"However, will this kind of narrative centered on a ghoul mislead the public's understanding of ghouls?"
"At present, reader reviews of this book are mixed. Please approach it rationally."
The female host spoke calmly, then turned to look at Koutarou Amon beside her.
"Koutaro-sensei, what is your opinion of this book?"
Koutarou Amon waved his hand and said in a somewhat frivolous tone,
"Don't make it sound so serious. It's just a novel. I actually think it's quite interesting and innovative!"
"Though Takatsuki-sensei is quite bold!"
A trace of admiration appeared on his face.
"The name of the final boss in the book is a bit sensitive. Kamiyama Tsuki. I feel like it won't be long before there's trouble!"
"If you haven't bought it yet, you should hurry. It might go out of print soon."
The female host did not quite understand and asked with some confusion,
"Koutaro-sensei, could you explain that name? Is it some kind of taboo?"
Koutarou Amon revealed a mysterious smile.
"I can't say too much. I can only give you a hint. It's a homophone."
"A homophone?"
The talk show abruptly ended amid the host's confusion.
Takatsuki Sen had released what was announced as her final work.
However, compared to the original, this work included a crucial new character: Kamiyama Tsuki.
Uesugi Ryu recognized at a glance who it referred to. Without familiarity in
languages, this kind of wordplay would be hard for someone to notice.
Lead-gray clouds churned outside the floor-to-ceiling windows as Uesugi Ryu tapped his knuckles against the hardcover book.
When the scent of ink from Byleygr entered his nose, he suddenly loosened his grip, letting the spine slam heavily onto the marble coffee table.
"So this is some kind of mental victory method. Pretty interesting."
Page 133 flipped open to the chapter "The Death of Kamiyama Tsuki."
The bookmark slipped out and fell onto the carpet.
The suddenly bright reading lamp cast Uesugi Ryu's shadow into a massive beast.
The words "Extraterrestrial Demon" written in blood-red ink between the pages looked especially ferocious under the warm light, as if they were bleeding.
In this new work, Yoshimura Eto portrayed Uesugi Ryu as a bloodthirsty and cold-blooded iron-blooded investigator.
Even more dramatic, this investigator was ultimately brutally tortured and killed by the ghoul protagonist in the story, dying miserably.
Faced with such a plot, Uesugi Ryu did not get angry. Instead, he chuckled and shook his head, muttering to himself,
"Did I mess up her brain last time? Resorting to such cheap tricks."
Fortunately, Yoshimura Eto still showed some restraint and did not fabricate or maliciously slander Uesugi Ryu excessively.
Aside from the tragic ending, Kamiyama Tsuki's style of action was basically no different from his, though the identity setting was rather questionable.
In the book, Yoshimura Eto set Kamiyama Tsuki's identity as an otherworldly evil, a monster not belonging to this world.
"Looks like you guessed right. As a reward, I'll send you to another world for reincarnation."
Uesugi Ryu narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly felt that phrasing was not quite appropriate.
"No soul, so there's no such thing as reincarnation."
This book by Yoshimura Eto also subtly revealed the identity of the Washuu Clan, which to some extent helped Uesugi Ryu's plan to eliminate them.
Uesugi Ryu stood up and looked out through the large floor-to-ceiling window.
The overcast sky suddenly revealed a streak of glaring white light.
Immediately after, a bolt of lightning tore across the sky, producing a low rumbling sound.
Uesugi Ryu's fingers lightly rubbed against the wine glass, the light brown liquid inside reflecting a faint golden edge under the light.
"Everything is ready."
His voice was low, like a silent oath.
"It's time to raise the curtain."