Chapter 78: Transience

"Your condition today is much better than last week."

Another new week, another round of studying. Student life is like this, revolving around school, just like how adulthood revolves around making money.

Li Mo didn't resist coming to school. Being in a classroom full of youthful energy made him feel like he was still young, a carefree student, rather than the "Pillar" who had to worry about everything.

During break time, Li Mo suddenly heard Yukinoshita speaking directly to him.

The two of them had many exchanges in the Service Club, but in the classroom... well, not so much. When Yukinoshita Yukino spoke to someone, it always carried some significance.

"Yeah, more or less. Over the weekend, I went to the boxing gym and felt a lot better. Ah, Yukinoshita-san, I feel like I've become someone who can't live without fighting," Li Mo joked.

Yukinoshita looked at Li Mo and sighed, "I see. It seems our alien friend is still trapped in his dreams. Hiratsuka-sensei's judgment that you've returned to normal was premature."

"Hmm... Yukinoshita-san, are you saying you still think there's something wrong with me?"

"I won't give up on you as a club member, Li-san."

Li Mo retorted, "Yukinoshita-san, your subtlety is worse than no subtlety at all. Yukinoshita-san, do you know the story of Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly?"

Legend has it that Zhuangzi once dreamed he was a butterfly. Upon waking, he pondered whether he was Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi.

After Li Mo briefly explained the story, Yukinoshita nodded and said, "Are you trying to discuss the philosophical question of 'what makes me, me?'"

"No, what I want to ask is, how do we define illusion and reality?"

Actually... convincing Yukinoshita-san that he had traveled through worlds would be easy. He could just perform the Dance of the Fire God in front of her. The前提 is, Yukinoshita-san hasn't been exposed to anything supernatural.

—After meeting Hanazono Yurine, Li Mo knew that angels and demons existed in this world.

Since they exist, there's a possibility, however slim, that Yukinoshita Yukino has encountered an angel. Of course, Li Mo didn't plan to do that.

The main reason was that he had become lazy after coming to school. Especially after boxing with Hanazono Yurine, the restlessness had faded, and he became even lazier.

It's like how a child who works hard and manages life efficiently outside becomes a lazy mess at home, only capable of calling for their mom.

"Ah... martial arts? So, Li-san knows boxing?" Yui Yuigahama exclaimed in surprise after hearing about Li Mo's boxing session over the weekend.

The current time was after school, and the location was the Service Club's activity room. Yui Yuigahama's request had already been resolved, so she shouldn't have been here.

But the application form on the long table indicated that the small club's membership had increased from three to five.

Who knows, it might even grow to five with the addition of a few underclassmen in the future.

Li Mo sipped the tea prepared by Yukinoshita and said, "I don't know boxing. I just learned some unstructured martial arts before, and a bit of street fighting."

Unstructured martial arts referred to the "Redirection" technique he learned from the Sea King in his dreams. Street fighting referred to his battles with demons in *Demon Slayer*, which often took place in villages or the wilderness.

"Really? Speaking of martial arts, I remember an urban legend."

"An urban legend?"

"Yes. It's said that during the Edo period, merchants used martial arts competitions to settle disputes between themselves," Yui Yuigahama explained.

Her social circle kept her informed about popular topics among girls. Social interactions are like that—if someone brings up a topic you don't know about, it can be awkward.

Hachiman said, "That's fake. Commercial wars are fought by狙击对手股价 in the stock market. Or secretly acquiring shares to become the largest shareholder. Why would they settle things through martial arts?"

"Hikki, it's just an urban legend!"

Li Mo silently took another sip of tea.

As the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire. Sometimes, urban legends are true. If he remembered correctly, there was indeed a practice where companies settled disputes through arena fighting.

It was called the "Kengan matches."

And, Hachiman, commercial wars aren't as glamorous as you think! Cement trucks, poisoning, and stealing company seals are the essence of commercial warfare.

Well... maybe Japan is different.

Li Mo continued drinking his tea, occasionally nibbling on some pastries.

It felt very relaxing. The pastries were bought by Yukinoshita, not him. According to their agreement, on days when Hiratsuka-sensei didn't prepare afternoon tea, Li Mo and Yukinoshita took turns.

Today was another day without any requests, so Li Mo smoothly rode his bike home.

On his way home, he coincidentally ran into his landlord. It wasn't rent day, so why was the landlord here?

"Landlord, what brings you here today? Is there something up?"

"I came to notify you that I'll be selling this property next month, so you might need to find a new place. I apologize for the inconvenience, and I'll provide compensation as agreed."

Later, during their conversation, Li Mo learned that a business group was planning to develop the area, offering a sum that was too tempting for the landlord to refuse.

—Money can solve most problems.

"Congratulations, landlord."

"Same to you," the landlord said cheerfully before leaving, seemingly eager to share his good news with others.

Li Mo didn't feel much about it. Renting in Japan was troublesome, but he had enough time and money to handle it. This 'trouble' wasn't really trouble anymore.

Later, he'd need to look for a new place...

Having something to do wasn't bad.

Li Mo returned home, changed into his indoor shoes, and took a moment to observe the apartment he had rented for a year. It was plain, with few furnishings, and the kitchen showed almost no signs of use.

Packing up would be easy.

The final moving deadline was more than half a month away, so there was no rush.

He'd deal with it in a few days.

Li Mo headed to his bedroom, but as soon as he opened the door, the scenery before him changed again. It was the same familiar feeling, like blinking.

—Oh no... again?

Damn system, didn't you give me a hint when I cleared the last stage? Couldn't you give me a heads-up before starting a new one?

So, what did you even fix? Li Mo grumbled internally as he surveyed his surroundings. Thankfully, over the weekend, he had bought a decent-quality Japanese sword to replace his broken one.

So...

"First, let's see where this place is."

Li Mo looked around and immediately saw a vast ocean. He seemed to be on an island, with a relatively high cliff in the center—where a wooden platform was built.

Then, he saw a man emerge from around the corner. He was wearing a bamboo hat, dressed in blue, and carrying a sword.

"A samurai?"

Li Mo quickly assessed the man's identity. But as soon as the man saw him, he charged straight at him.