Chapter 76

"The last question—where is the rooftop you mentioned? I'll go check the situation."

——

Meanwhile, on the school rooftop, Jingo Rin was completely bewildered.

She had just come to the rooftop to relax, as she always did, bringing a manga tucked in her school bag to read during a moment of leisure.

However, a man she didn't recognize—someone who wasn't a member of the school staff—had stepped onto her rooftop. Without a word, he first handed over a Japanese cypress wood box, wrapped in a seven-layered sacred rope symbolizing the Seven Lucky Gods. The paper seal on the opening was inscribed with the two large characters: [Benevolence].

"Please, Miss, ensure this is delivered to the Head of the Family."

He said.

What is going on? Did I time-travel to the 17th century?

Rin narrowed her eyes, sizing up this sudden visitor.

He was a burly man, at least 1.9 meters tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, dressed in a crisp suit. Yet, despite his refined attire, his physique and stance radiated a sense of oppression.

And for some reason, although he looked to be in his late thirties, he had rare gray-white hair, which made his deep, sharp features appear even more severe. His eyes were like the night sky in midwinter, sharp enough to seem as if they could pierce right through a person's heart.

So, Rin raised an eyebrow and asked directly: "Who are you?"

The man did not answer immediately, instead glancing at the manga cover Rin had placed on her lap—it was the latest issue of JUMP.

This made him smile slightly, seemingly tinged with a touch of nostalgia.

"I am Fujiwara Eiga."

Then he said, his tone low and steady, carrying a slight Kansai accent.

"Someone who might become your father's friend in the future."

Huh?

077: Hero RPG

Since the previous chapter was eaten by the censorship monster, here is a summary/recap:

Qi Xing entered Aomori Yamada High School to find Jingo Rin. In this strictly managed private aristocratic school, he used the Silver Coin of [Illusion] to easily hypnotize the gatekeeper and everyone he encountered along the way, moving unobstructed. He discovered that Jingo Rin was an outlier in the school—she never attended classes on time, had no social life, and even the teachers were helpless against her.

It turns out that Rin forcefully purged evil, causing all █ █ and supernatural incidents within the school to vanish, even affecting the entire Aomori Prefecture. However, she was not truly accepted by society; instead, she was feared and shunned by ordinary people and viewed with hostility by demon-hunting families.

Meanwhile, while Rin was resting on the rooftop, a stranger named Fujiwara Eiga suddenly appeared, handed over a box inscribed with the characters [Benevolence], and claimed he might become her father's friend.

He noticed the JUMP manga in Rin's hand and revealed a meaningful smile. This conversation is likely far from as simple as it appears…

——

"Do you like JUMP very much?"

The man named Fujiwara Eiga suddenly spoke, asking out of the blue,

"Do you like shonen manga very much?"

Rin probably never expected that a strange man she didn't know would suddenly run onto her rooftop and ask if she liked shonen manga.

To be honest, because this person's appearance was so abrupt, Rin didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Fortunately, seeing that she didn't reply, Fujiwara Eiga asked again: "Do you think the heroes in shonen manga could become reality?"

"If they really appeared in this society, could they still be treated as heroes?"

This time, for this question, Rin finally frowned: "Why couldn't they?"

Is there something wrong with the heroes in shonen manga?

Fujiwara Eiga smiled lightly, as if he had heard an interesting question.

"Is there something wrong with the heroes in shonen manga?" he said in a low voice, his tone languid. "Of course there is."

Rin didn't speak, just narrowed her eyes.

"What are the heroes in shonen manga like?"

So Fujiwara Eiga continued to speak slowly,

"They are mavericks, they never give in, they dare to challenge authority, and they refuse to follow the crowd. Even as a nobody, one can turn the world upside down through effort and belief, becoming a new king."

He paused slightly, chuckled, his eyes filled with an indescribable coldness: "Can such a person be truly accepted by this society?"

Rin did not answer.

But Fujiwara Eiga did not stop.

"What this society truly wants you to do is not to become a hero, but to become a grain of [rice in a rice ball]."

"You must fit in, you must follow the crowd. You must silently become a part of the whole so that you won't be disliked."

"Manga will tell you that even if you are a thirty-two-year-old monster corpse cleaner, as long as you work hard, you can become a hero together with Mina."

He smiled, his tone carrying a bit of playful mockery: "But what about reality? Does society tell you that?"

"No. Society will only tell you—you must be a low-level ninja for the rest of your life, honestly shining and heating. You must marry an ugly person, give birth to a son destined to be a corporate slave, and safely be a cleaner for your whole life."

"Look at 'One Piece' again. Luffy says he wants to be the Pirate King—what is the Pirate King? It is a symbol of freedom."

Fujiwara Eiga sighed softly: "But in Japan, a country where elementary school students are tied together with ropes even when going on field trips, can they really accept a hero who [pursues freedom]?"

"They don't really want you to become a king; they only want you to be a good child within the framework of [dreams]. When you grow up, you should honestly abandon these [chuunibyou] fantasies and become a cog in the social machine."

"You believe in the heroes of shonen manga?"

That was why he asked,

"Then what about yourself?"

"Do you think you are a [hero]?"

This question, when asked to Jingo Rin, was indeed extremely subtle.

After all, she was indeed gifted, and then she had managed to achieve some results through sheer force.

So what was the result?

Were people willing to accept her, someone who was originally unknown and had no lineage, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and dominating the world?

They were not.

The original demon hunters now resented her instead—why could a freak from a Muggle family be stronger than us? How could you break the original rules and make us look like jokes?

This was actually a bitterness that Qi Xing could not comprehend. Because—it was somewhat funny to say—Qi Xing had soul-transmigrated into the body of a family with a lineage in this life.

Although the bloodline of this █ █ family had scared Qi Xing away, that was a separate matter. In any case, outsiders would still feel that [Master Leipu] had a lineage and a [legitimate reason] for becoming stronger.

Jingo Rin was different.

This should indeed be the kind of thing that makes a hero miserable and resentful.

However,

"A hero does not consider whether they are a hero; only actors care about whether they are playing a hero."

Rin's tone was very calm, as if she were stating something self-evident.

This made Fujiwara Eiga speechless. He smiled bitterly and stopped talking.

On the contrary, Qi Xing, who was standing on the side watching the fun using the Silver Coin of [Illusion], couldn't help but be stunned upon hearing this.

If he hadn't been watching right there, Qi Xing would have almost thought these words were said by Samael, not Rin's own remarks.

"Well said."

Speak of the devil, Sasa actually ran out,

"Oh my, who taught her that? That's really well said!"

She crawled out of Qi Xing's shadow, turned into a super-small cup form, climbed into Qi Xing's hair to hide, and watched the show with great interest.

"What's so good about it?"

Qi Xing reached out to poke her face, but the super-small Sasa immediately dodged and retorted: "You oblivious little fool. You are exactly that actor yourself, and you haven't realized it yet?"

Actually, Qi Xing did not completely misunderstand what she meant.

Because earlier in the Vatican, while they were still in the Sistine Hall, Samael had discussed this topic with Qi Xing.

Coincidentally, at this very moment, in the distant city center of Aomori, a strong evil aura suddenly surged, like a black crack suddenly torn open in the night sky—filthy, scorching, and carrying an unsettling restlessness.

The air seemed to become heavy, and even the pedestrians on the ground felt something unusual, stopping one after another and casting uneasy glances toward the distance.

Qi Xing narrowed his eyes, his vision passing through the scattered buildings, looking toward that direction.

However, Jingo Rin's reaction was almost faster than his.

In an instant, her aura had changed—as if a wild beast's instincts had been triggered.

She had originally been sitting cross-legged on the edge of the rooftop, holding a manga in one hand, her posture lazy, indifferent to the profound words of Fujiwara Eiga.

However, the moment the evil aura erupted, she had already risen abruptly, her sky-blue eyes reflecting the surging black clouds in the distance.

Blinding holy flames burned behind her.

Six huge fiery wings, like a phoenix spreading its wings, unfolded behind her, spitting and dancing in the air, illuminating the entire rooftop, as if a six-winged angel had descended into the mortal world.

Rin did not look back.

She didn't even say another word to Fujiwara Eiga.

The next second, she had transformed into a streak of light, rushing straight into the sky, heading straight for the source of the evil aura, without any hesitation, without any pause.

Qi Xing stood at the edge of the rooftop, watching her quickly disappear to the other side of the city—however, Qi Xing was not in a hurry to follow immediately.

It was only half a city away; he could fly there in a few seconds.

He put away the Silver Coin of [Illusion], dispelled the illusion, and instead appeared in front of Fujiwara Eiga.

Seeing Qi Xing appear out of thin air, this person was not even shocked, but instead smiled: "[Master Leipu], I didn't expect to meet you here. Today is truly my lucky day."

Oh?

"You look down on Jingo Rin, but you are a fan of mine?"

Qi Xing grinned,

"I thought she and I had quite a lot in common."

He said this casually, half-joking.

However, upon hearing this, Fujiwara Eiga replied immediately: "She and you are very different. She is an [hero] who has already been completed; she doesn't care what others say."

"But you are different, aren't you?"

His tone was even very respectful,

"You are playing a game called [Saving the World]. This is so stylish."

Huh?

Now it was Qi Xing's turn to be stunned.

And at the same time, he also heard Sasa laughing wildly on his head.

"Pffft hahahaha, this guy also said it quite well!"

He immediately reached out and patted the Sasa on his head, making her shut up, before asking: "What do you mean?"

"Just a feeling I got after reading about your legendary experiences."

Although Qi Xing made a strange gesture, Fujiwara Eiga's tone did not lose any of its respect,

"You and Miss Jingo are both walking the path of a hero out of your own interest, but in my opinion, the essence is vastly different."

"Although you are doing things that look the same, Miss Jingo's behavior has not deviated from the common sense of this world itself. But you…"

He paused slightly, his gaze lingering on Qi Xing for a moment, those sharp eyes seeming to look through the appearance, straight at something behind Qi Xing's actions.

"You are different, aren't you?"

He said this, and also grinned, a smile of admiration for Qi Xing,

"In your eyes, it really is this [world] that is wrong."

"Buddhism compares the desires of the human heart to the leaves falling in autumn—falling today, falling tomorrow, falling every day; they can never be swept clean. Although Miss Jingo is a hypocrite, she can undoubtedly persist in sweeping the fallen leaves every day."

"You are different. You have jumped out of the metaphor itself, trying to pull the whole tree out by its roots, to chop it down—have you ever seen a world without this tree?"

His smile faded a little, his eyes filled with a curious, subtle emotion, as if he genuinely wanted to know Qi Xing's answer.