Kawashima Toya didn't pay much attention to Gabriel's fluctuating emotions as he raced toward Mount Kunlun.
Within minutes, he and Gabriel arrived in the airspace above the mountain.
Toya hovered in the void, looking down to ensure Kasugano Sora and the others hadn't done anything dangerous. To his relief, they were all happily role-playing their Kamen Rider games.
"Where are we?" Gabriel asked curiously.
"That's rare. The Shut-In Angel Gabriel is actually interested in scenery?" Toya chuckled. "This is Mount Kunlun."
"A tourist destination that's about to open to the public."
Toya landed with Gabriel on the terrace of the resort hotel.
"If there's anything you want to do, go ahead." Toya lazily collapsed onto a sofa, stretching his limbs. "I'm going to rest. Do whatever you want with your time."
"Eh?" Gabriel stared in disbelief at Toya, who had instantly gone into relaxation mode. "What's the point of looking at the scenery alone? Kawashima, come with me to see to sightseeing!"
"No!" Toya closed his eyes comfortably, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere.
He had just made a round trip across the ocean. He deserved a break to relax.
Exploring Mountain could wait until he was fully rested.
Gabriel kept pushing and shaking Toya, trying to wake him up, but it was futile.
Toya completely ignored her, continuing to rest with his eyes closed.
"Kawashima! If you won't go sightseeing, at least play a few games with me!"
Gabriel glared at him with her large, angry eyes.
"What game?" Toya's interest was piqued slightly, though he still didn't open his eyes.
"Let's fight a boss!" Gabriel pulled out her handheld console, her voice full of excitement. "I've always wanted to try multiplayer."
"But I was always afraid randoms would troll me, so I never dared to play online."
"Sightseeing is a no-go, but gaming is fine."
And so, at the best viewing spot on the peak of Mountain—reserved for the most distinguished guests—a strange duo formed a team, their shouts about initiating team fights echoing in the air.
In the distance, Sora squinted, clearly displeased. "Onii-chan just knows how to play games all day."
"Even with such beautiful scenery right here, he doesn't appreciate it at all."
Beside her, Eriri wasn't surprised in the least. "Sora, boys are all like that."
"They never care about the scenery. Games are always more eye-catching to them."
"Oh?" Utaha's wine-red eyes flashed with a teasing glint. "If I recall correctly, a certain blonde underdog is a hardcore doujin artist."
"As a certified otaku yourself, surely you don't care much for scenery either?"
"How could that be?!" Eriri jumped as if she'd been stung, her face flushing as she bared her teeth. "How could anyone not like such beautiful scenery?"
.....
Two hours later.
Toya slumped on the sofa, staring blankly at the sky with dead eyes.
"Gabriel... who sent you to torture me?"
"Two whole hours. We played five matches of that 5v5 MOBA, and we didn't win a single one."
Gaming was supposed to be one of the best ways to kill time in this era.
It helped bored people pass the time, offered the joy of play, and most importantly, it was usually free.
For two whole hours, Toya indeed hadn't spent a single penny.
But in that time, he hadn't experienced any joy either—only endless suffering.
Gabriel's cute face was filled with apology. "Sorry... I'm just too much of a noob."
"Let's just drink tea and cultivate our mindset instead."
Toya waved his hand weakly. He couldn't take another round of being completely stomped.
"Kawashima, let me play with you two."
Suddenly, Ran, still in her fox form, spoke up from the side.
Toya looked at Ran with suspicion. "Can you really do it?"
"If you troll me, I'm feeding you nothing but durian for three days."
"This game isn't hard."
Ran lifted her head proudly. "I watched you play the whole time. The mechanics are simple, and the enemies are foolish."
"I can definitely carry you."
"I am Yakumo Ran, the Shikigami with genius-level intellect!"
"Fine. As long as you don't feed." Toya bought a high-tech smartphone from the System Shop and tossed it to Ran.
He didn't care about the cost in Origin Points.
Stopping Gabriel from destroying the world earlier had earned him 10,000 points, so he was flush with cash.
Gabriel stared blankly at Ran. "A fox just talked? And she says she's going to carry us?"
"Correction!" Toya interjected calmly. "She's carrying you, not me."
"So just count yourself in that statement."
"Fine, I'm a feeder. Happy?" Gabriel gritted her teeth, fuming inwardly. Does this guy have zero emotional intelligence?
A beautiful girl playing games with you is a rare treat, yet he doesn't give me any face at all...
As the game started, Toya played while observing Ran's gameplay.
"Oho? A fox can play this well?"
If Ran were in her human form, Toya wouldn't be surprised by her skill.
But right now, she was playing in her fox form, using only her two front paws to control the screen.
Toya's gaze toward Gabriel became even more disdainful. "There's a reason you're bad. Look at Ran—she plays better with her paws than you do with your hands."
"Hmph." Gabriel snorted coldly, thinking to herself, So what if I'm bad?
Ran is so strong, she can carry me anyway!
At this point, the rFox was completely immersed in the 5v5 MOBA.
Even though she was using her paws, her mechanics were in no way inferior to Toya's.
She even spoke up frequently, calling out enemy positions with uncanny accuracy.
"So this is Yakumo Ran." Watching Ran's predictions come true one after another like prophecies, Toya sighed in admiration.
In Gensokyo, Ran was known as a brilliant strategist.
In the early days of establishing Gensokyo, she had worked tirelessly.
Unfortunately, her master, Yakumo Yukari, pushed her so hard that her anxiety caused her tail fur to fall out in clumps.
"What a waste. If I get the chance, I'm definitely raising a rrrNine-Tailed Fox of my own."
Toya secretly made a resolution.
Another two hours passed. Since Ran joined the team, they hadn't lost a single match.
Even the so-called "forced 50% win rate" matchmaking algorithm couldn't defeat Ran's strategies.
The enemies were always crushed in a single decisive team fight, leaving them no chance to resist.
They had no idea they were losing to a Nine-Tailed Fox playing with her paws.
"We didn't lose a single game?" Gabriel's large eyes sparkled as she stared unblinkingly at Ran.
"Kawashima, can I ask her to boost my rank?"
"No!" Toya refused instantly without hesitation.
He wasn't Yakumo Yukari; he didn't enjoy exploiting his Shikigami.
Ran's time should be her own to control.
She wasn't going to be reduced to a ruthless rank-boosting machine.