The reason for seeking out Yakumo Yukari was to have that female Yōkai send him back to that fake, pancake-like moon once more. Although Sū ěr dearly wanted to settle things quickly by charging straight for Takamagahara, he discovered after a personal attempt that he could not simply swim up the Milky Way from Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. It was as if an invisible air wall stood in his way... or perhaps, it was an air wall?
In short, it was that same phenomenon: no matter how long he flew, the distance never shortened. Clearly, Yakumo Yukari ability broke through the limits of this "box" world, bridging the gap between the internal Ashihara no Nakatsukuni and the moon outside.
There was another reason: Sū ěr hadn't forgotten the Yōkai legends Nurarihyon mentioned—legends organized and recorded by Yukari, and even human legends involving shrines dedicated to a "Twin-Souled Yōkai" who granted blessings for marriage... He hadn't personally visited his own shrine in Nara yet, but just thinking about it made Sū ěr feel his face darkening.
Following the direction Eirin had pointed out, Sū ěr was heading toward the nation of pure Yōkai established by Yakumo Yukari. Although he had promised to attend the ceremony for the founding of her nation, Sū ěr had obviously "stood her up" due to unforeseen circumstances. After sending Sū ěr to the lunar surface and never seeing him again, Yukari hadn't waited long. A few years later, amidst the cheers of the gathered demons, she achieved her ambition.
"I suddenly have a question," Sū ěr mused aloud. "You think Yakumo Yukari currently has no idea that in the future she won't be called the 'Yōkai King,' but the 'Yōkai Sage'? That the nation she created won't be passed down, and that she hasn't yet invented that legend of the 'Marriage Yōkai'?"
"Are you going to tell her?" Think asked, neither approving nor disapproving.
"I'm debating whether to bring up the Marriage Yōkai thing. If she didn't originally have the idea, but learns the story from me, she might end up recording it in the future because of my words... but we only learned what she 'did' because we were in the future first... Time is truly a curious thing, isn't it?" Sū ěr said with a faint smile.
"A time loop?" Thinking of the famous time-loop stories from modern society, Think nodded thoughtfully. "We could try making some slight adjustments."
"How so?" Sū ěr interest was piqued.
"Fabricate our origin. Didn't that old Nurarihyon say we were a twin-souled Yōkai? When we meet Yukari this time, let's casually mention our 'birth'... Let's say we started as two antagonistic Yōkai, but after a fierce battle, we were both left on the brink of death."
Think seemed to grow more interested as she spoke, enthusiastically tailoring a past for herself and Sū ěr.
"In short, in that state, neither of our broken bodies could sustain life anymore, but neither of us wanted to die there. Ultimately, we were forced to accept the future of merging our final remnants together to eke out an existence... How's that?"
"...It seems fine, but I can't help but feel it strangely mirrors what we actually went through," Sū ěr pondered for a moment. "Let's go with that. Once we get back to modern society, we'll ask Nurarihyon again to see if the records have changed."
Sū ěr was equally curious to see if the future would shift because of their actions, eagerly awaiting the moment the mystery would be revealed.
Of course, these were just diversions.
The city built of stacked stones resembled a fortress; from inside to out, it exuded a raw, rugged atmosphere. Most of the dwellings were less like houses and more like beasts' dens—primitive, but not careless. One could say they were filled with a uniquely "Yōkai-style" refinement.
Whether in the height of the buildings or the scale of the entire city, it was far grander than Izumo City. Those ten-meter-high ceilings were clearly not designed for humans. Yukari obviously had no intention of requiring Yōkai to transform into human height to enter. Sū ěr could guess what she was looking forward to: a city that didn't need to imitate humans, built purely for the tastes of Yōkai.
Because of this, as Sū ěr and Think walked through the city, it felt like a voyage through the Land of Giants from Gulliver's Travels. Features that couldn't even be described as "exotic" fully satisfied a traveler's curiosity.
"I have to say, she's done a pretty good job. At least the sanitation is much better than I expected," Sū ěr marveled.
He would never forget the filth produced by the mixed army of Izumo humans and Yōkai on the plains where they had camped—it was a nightmare for any modern person. But perhaps out of a female Yōkai's love for beauty or hygiene, the sanitary conditions of this city were far superior to what Sū ěr had anticipated.
Not bad. Truly not bad.
No matter what methods Yukari had used to gather those discordant Yōkai, she was at least serious about building a superior city.
"You like this city as well, don't you?"
The voice answering Sū ěr wasn't Think, but that of the blonde, purple-robed female Yōkai. Sū ěr knew that with the unique and secretive nature of her abilities, it was impossible for her not to monitor the movements within her city. In other words, the moment he and Think appeared, Yukari had likely discovered them. Her choice to reveal herself now was only after confirming Sū ěr wasn't there to pick a fight or cause trouble.
In that sense, these Yōki security cameras are terrifying, Sū ěr thought, sighing for the lack of privacy rights among Yōkai.
"It's very nice. Also, long time no see... Like last time, I've come to ask for your help with something," Sū ěr turned and said candidly.
He had mastered the Yōkai way of conversation: speak plainly, and if there's a disagreement, settle it outside. Clearly, Yukari was "convinced."
"Nothing is impossible, but please, let us go to my quarters first. This is no place for a proper conversation," Yukari said with a beaming smile, showing no signs of distance despite the years apart. She casually swiped the air, tearing open a Gap [Sukima] in invitation.
"...Is your palace up there?" Sū ěr didn't move; he simply paused for a moment and pointed toward the tallest building in the city, perched halfway up the mountainside. Given this woman's nature, only a place that looked down upon all Yōkai was fit for her eyes.
"Precisely," Yukari said, looking somewhat puzzled.
"Then I'll head there directly. I'll see you at the top," Sū ěr said, turning away and leaving without giving Yukari a chance to object.