"...Huh? A shrine?" Sū ěr voice cracked as he was caught completely off guard. He suspected he had misheard.
"Yes, a shrine," Nurarihyon nodded, extinguishing Sū ěr fleeting hope that this was a misunderstanding. The old youkai sighed. "Times have truly changed. Never mind the adults; take the students on their annual school trips—wherever they go, the first thing they look for is a shrine known for granting luck in romance. It's reached the point where shrines for other matters have become quite desolate."
Sū ěr: "..."
Beside him, even Think was at a loss for what expression to make.
What the hell? How did he and Think suddenly become youkai who protected marriage and romantic bonds? And "born with two souls in one body, falling in love over the long ages"... Why didn't they just say they ascended to godhood while they were at it?!
"...How did this nonsense get started?" With too many complaints stuck in his throat to voice, Sū ěr asked with a darkened face.
"Where did it first spread? You've got me there..." Nurarihyon scratched his bald scalp. "Hokkaido? Or Nara? I don't recall. It feels like many things—before anyone noticed, it had already become a common custom. But the fact that your largest shrine is in Nara is undisputed."
No, no, no—you absolutely do not need to say that with such a proud tone!
"...I meant, who started this narrative?" Sū ěr expression darkened further.
"Eh? Your legend? It should be the Youkai Sage, Lady Yakumo Yukari, right?" Nurarihyon muttered uncertainly, but he soon nodded with conviction. "Yes, it must be Lady Yukari. I recall that the biographies of all the Great Youkai were unified, compiled, and distributed to the world by the Youkai Sage."
Heh. So it was you, you brat...
Heh. Yakumo Yukari... heh.
You are so dead!!
Though he didn't know the full story, Nurarihyon—true to his name as the "Slippery Head"—keenly sensed a murderous aura drifting through the air. The old youkai immediately pivoted the conversation.
"Right! And what about the other Lord?"
He had to steer clear of the danger zones immediately.
Sū ěr / Think: "?"
That Lord? Who? Why don't I know about this? Why so mysterious?
Zoffy? [Referencing a classic Ultraman meme]
"There's another one?" This time, Sū ěr wasn't faking it; he was genuinely bewildered. "Isn't it just me and Think?"
However, before Nurarihyon could explain further, Think agile mind had already guessed something. She chimed in rapidly:
"Female? Lapis-colored pink hair? A halo above her head? A pair of white wings?"
Though she was only a translucent soul, her pressing aura was not to be underestimated. Think voice grew louder and her speech faster, until she was practically inches from Nurarihyon face.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes! That's the look!" Nurarihyon moved surreptitiously to the side, preparing to make a run for it. "As for her name, I don't know. That Lord seemed to look down on every youkai she met; she didn't even deign to announce her name, so no specific details were ever passed down."
"...I see," Sū ěr said with a wooden expression. At this point, who else could "that Lord" be?
It was, naturally, Lord Jibril.
And if it was her, it wasn't strange that she didn't give her name. Sū ěr didn't doubt for a second that Jibril wouldn't spare a glance for anyone in this world besides himself and Think. When it came to being haughty, even Think couldn't hold a candle to the Flügel.
But Jibril came to the future too? Well... technically, looking at the timeline, it seems she arrived in the past.
But it was good that she was here. Meeting someone so familiar in such a strange place made Sū ěr suddenly look forward to it—What exactly did I do in the future?
"Hmph!"
While he was lost in thought, a cold snort suddenly rang in Sū ěr ear. Before he could say anything, Think plunged back into his body, and no matter how much he called out, she refused to respond.
We're all acquaintances after all... and after arriving in a different world, what's there to be so angry about... Sū ěr grumbled internally, but... Think remained silent.
"Ahem, it's nothing. She's a bit tired, don't mind her," Sū ěr had no choice but to pretend nothing had happened and continued talking to Nurarihyon. "Anyway, the person you mentioned isn't here right now."
Indeed she wasn't. Although Sū ěr wanted to keep asking about things related to himself back then, it seemed Nurarihyon wouldn't know much more. After all, as he said himself, when Sū ěr was doing "big things" centuries ago, he was still just a green youth trying to make a name for himself, nowhere near the top rungs of youkai society.
Thinking of this, Sū ěr felt increasingly regretful.
"If only you were a bit older... a thousand or two thousand years would be about right," Sū ěr said, looking at Nurarihyon with a gaze full of pity.
Nurarihyon: "..."
To be honest, this was the first time someone had looked down on him for not being old enough.
"So, can you help me contact Yakumo Yukari? I have something I need to talk to her about," Sū ěr asked Nurarihyon, while simultaneously launching a persistent harassment campaign against Think in his mind.
"It's difficult," Nurarihyon replied without exaggeration, shaking his head. "In fact, ever since you, the Great Dog General, and the others accomplished that great feat four hundred years ago, youkai have been in decline... and the Youkai Sage began to grow increasingly elusive. Eventually, she became impossible to find altogether."
"As you have seen, youkai in the outside world like myself are considered 'strong' nowadays. But if you compare us to several hundred years ago, or the eras you lived through...?" Nurarihyon smiled bitterly. "With my strength—declined to this degree—I probably wouldn't even be fit to carry a banner in a parade, would I?"
"...True," Sū ěr agreed after a moment of reflection. "It has indeed declined too much. The whole world feels as if it has fallen into a deep slumber."
"Yes. In fact, it's not just me; the other old-timers are in similar situations. It's not that no one has tried to find the Youkai Sage again, but no matter how we search, we can't find a trace of her... it's as if she has vanished from this world. But how could that be possible?"
Pausing for a moment, Nurarihyon said seriously: "Therefore, we suspect that the Sage likely resides in a 'Hidden World' [Kakuriyo] that cannot be reached unless she grants permission—after all, a youkai like her will absolutely never die."