Chapter 61: Yukari Yakumo: As Expected of Gensokyo's Bulldozer.
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When Kihara regained his senses, he was standing on the lawn of an elegant, old-fashioned wooden house with Rumia still in his arms. In the distance, a golden-haired fox woman with multiple tails and a brown-haired cat youkai were staring at him with curious eyes.
After all, he was the first human in many years to set foot inside the Yakumo Residence.
Seeing Ran Yakumo and Chen, Kihara realized he had been brought to Yukari's home. Before he could ask, the sliding door on the right side of the corridor quietly opened.
Yukari Yakumo didn't step out, nor did she speak.
"Alright, looks like I'm supposed to go in. Excuse me, you two."
After greeting them, Kihara removed his shoes and carried Rumia inside. Yukari sat properly at the tea table, her violet eyes showing an unprecedented mix of gravity and astonishment.
"When did that shadow under the torii gate appear?"
"What shadow?"
"You didn't know that using the Gensokyo Divine Invocation Technique would create a phantom behind you?"
"You said it was behind me — how could I possibly see it? I don't have eyes on the back of my head."
Kihara retorted helplessly.
"Sit down. Ran, serve the tea."
"Yes, Lady Yukari."
Once Rumia and Kihara were seated, Yukari pushed her phone toward him. The screen displayed the exact moment he had used the Gensokyo Divine Invocation Technique. The Hakurei Shrine torii and the clear figure standing beneath it were plainly visible.
He glanced at the photo, then looked up at her in confusion. "Isn't this ability something you gave me? You don't even know why it's acting strangely?"
"I must emphasize once again — this ability was not created by me. It is a product evolved from the core of Gensokyo based on our original contract, which I later optimized. Any changes it undergoes are completely beyond my control."
Kihara took a sip of the steaming tea. Rumia tried to imitate him but immediately stuck her tongue out from the heat. He quickly fetched some milk, mixed it with the tea in a large cup to make a lukewarm milk tea, and placed it in front of her.
"It's delicious… Thank you, big brother!"
"You're welcome."
Rumia blinked, tilted her head for two seconds, then climbed into the space between Kihara's crossed legs and slowly drank her milk tea like a little chick pecking grains.
Watching their interaction, Yukari recalled the past. She took a deep breath and cleared her mind of messy, unrealistic speculations before explaining, "That shadow under the torii… is actually Reimu's mother. 'Foster mother' would be more accurate, since they have no blood relation."
"She and I were once close friends, and Rumia…"
Yukari glanced at the currently innocent and clueless Rumia with a complicated expression. In her mind flashed the shadow of that youkai of darkness from long ago. "Rumia has a very complicated relationship with both my friend and Reimu. That's why I brought you and her here after seeing the shadow."
"I see. So you want to revive her?"
"People cannot be brought back from the dead. The souls of successive shrine maidens return to the Great Hakurei Barrier. I was simply… surprised to see her shadow."
By the end, Yukari's fingers gently stroked the surface of her teacup, her eyes gradually dimming.
It was rare to see her look so vulnerable. Kihara tapped the table lightly and raised his voice slightly. "How can the great youkai of boundaries say something so defeatist? Anything is possible in Gensokyo, isn't it?
Don't forget this ability is connected to the core of Gensokyo. Since it could make your friend's shadow appear, finding and retrieving her soul isn't impossible either."
"So… you're willing to help me?"
"After all, without you and Kaguya, I wouldn't have met my current girlfriends. Consider it repayment."
The pitiful, fragile expression on Yukari's face vanished in an instant. Like a kabuki actor changing masks, she switched to a playful, teasing smile. The corners of her lips curled up mischievously. "Out of 100 points, I can only give you 70. At a moment like this, you should say something like 'For you, I'd go through fire and water' — that's how you capture most girls' hearts~"
"Everything you said just now was fake?"
Kihara's face darkened. He had actually felt a tiny bit of sympathy for her just now.
"Of course the past events were real. As for my pitiful act earlier… guess whether it was genuine or not?"
"My laundry at home hasn't been collected yet. I'm leaving."
Kihara stood up with a cold face, ready to carry Rumia out. However, a gap suddenly appeared in front of him — and on the other side stood Yukari, smiling sweetly.
"Ara~ One second you say you want to repay me, the next you turn hostile? What a heartless man."
"Don't you understand the principle of exchanging sincerity with sincerity?"
Yukari opened her folding fan with a snap, covering her mouth while only her playful violet eyes remained visible. "I didn't expect you to already be thinking about how to capture my heart. As expected of Gensokyo's bulldozer — every woman is within your hunting range~"
"Your ability to make things up rivals that tengu paparazzi."
"Oh? I seem to recall a certain someone, on a certain day, on the edge of his own farm, plugging a certain magician's little mouth and filling it with who-knows-how-much cream… so much that it even sprayed out of her nostrils. Tsk tsk tsk…"
Kihara's mouth twitched. He raised his right hand in an angry "乆" gesture and snapped, "You fantasy-version-of-Aleister, spying on people's private lives every day — you're seriously violating my privacy! Do you believe I'll go report you to the Yama King?!"
"Whether Eiki Shiki will judge me, I don't know. But Kihara… I think she'll definitely judge you."
"Hah! You think I'm scared? I've shed blood for Gensokyo! I've sweated for Gensokyo! I was the one who stabilized the Great Hakurei Barrier! I've never done anything bad!"
Yukari's figure was suddenly swallowed by a gap. The next second she appeared behind Kihara. Her slender, jade-white hand rested on his shoulder, her fingertips sliding from his throat to the corner of his mouth.
Her smooth nail gently traced along his lips, as if tickling his heart. Combined with the two massive, oppressive mounds pressing against his back, his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.
At that moment, Yukari whispered softly into his earlobe, "I know you've long had designs on Kazami Yuuka. How about this — you help me find a way to revive my friend, and I'll help you take down that flower woman."
"Hmph! I, a master GAL game player, don't need your help to conquer my future wife. Don't underestimate me!"
"Really? But your body is being very honest~"
"This is just a sign of abundant yang energy, proving I'm in perfect health!"
"Then why is your face red?"
"It's glowing with vitality!"
"Why did it turn pale again?"
"Try using this much force on me while playing the 'yin drip' and see what happens!"
Kihara squeezed the words out through gritted teeth, then pushed Yukari away and glared back at her. "Do you want my help or not? If not, let me go!"
"Then it's settled."
Yukari nodded in satisfaction and waved her hand, sending Kihara and Rumia away.
Meanwhile, Tatsumaki, after being introduced by Shameimaru Aya, had obtained the "Bust Enlargement Potion" from the renowned doctor Yagokoro Eirin. She was preparing to return home and have a direct showdown with Hestia.
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Thank you for reading.