Chapter 223: Where to Put the Merry-Go-Round?
After helping Yagokoro Eirin test the chaotic assortment of potions stored over the past two days, Haruto finally carried the still-sleeping Youmu back to the Yakumo Residence.
As for sending the half-phantom girl all the way back to Hakugyokurou?
It was simply too far.
Although he could easily reach the Netherworld on foot if he really wanted to, he lacked the motivation for a late-night hike. Instead of making the long trek there, it was far more convenient to bring her back to his own home and let Ran handle the delivery logistics later.
The sky had already darkened into a deep, starless indigo.
When Haruto stepped through the sliding doors of the Yakumo Residence, the halls were quiet. He did not see Yakumo Ran waiting to greet him. Too tired to search the estate, he casually manipulated his Boundary Power to instantly cleanse the grime from his clothes and body, bypassed the washroom entirely, and collapsed straight into bed.
The next day arrived with soft morning light filtering through the paper screens.
Youmu woke up in a hazy daze. Her senses slowly returned, registering a heavy, suffocating warmth. She found herself tightly wrapped in a thick quilt, securely pinned against a firm chest.
After a long moment of absolute stillness, her youthful face flushed a brilliant, burning crimson. She held her breath, her eyes darting upward. Only when she caught sight of Haruto's peaceful, sleeping face did she quietly exhale a shaky breath.
Did she accidentally fall asleep during the potion testing?
Youmu poked her head out slightly from the heavy covers, her silver hair a mess, and carefully surveyed her surroundings.
This definitely wasn't Eientei.
The elegant wooden beams, the specific scent of old paper and incense—this was the layout of the Yakumo Residence. More specifically, this was Haruto's personal bedroom.
In other words, after she had passed out, Haruto had carried her all the way back here and dumped her into his own bed.
Her cheeks immediately burned with an even more intense heat.
If she weren't currently trapped in his grip, Youmu would have desperately searched for a block of tofu to bash her head against out of sheer embarrassment.
Tap, tap...
Light, rhythmic footsteps echoed from the wooden corridor outside the door.
Panic seized the young swordswoman. Youmu instinctively shrank back down into the depths of the quilt, pulling the fabric over her head. A second later, she immediately regretted the cowardly action. As a disciplined retainer, she clearly should have thrown the covers off and stood at attention the moment she woke up.
The sliding door was gently pushed open with a soft clatter.
Yakumo Ran stepped into the room, a fresh towel draped over her arm. Her golden eyes swept over the bed, landing on Haruto's sleeping form. Her footsteps paused.
"Haruto-sama, are you awake?"
She asked the question softly, her voice carrying a gentle, maternal warmth. Receiving nothing but the steady rhythm of his breathing in response, the nine-tailed fox turned on her heel, preparing to leave him to his rest.
Hidden beneath the thick covers, Youmu finally allowed herself to breathe a silent sigh of relief.
Then, the footsteps abruptly stopped and returned to the bedside.
Before Youmu could even process the sudden change in movement, the heavy quilt was swiftly flipped open, exposing her to the cool morning air.
Golden eyes met wide, panicked silver ones.
The silence in the bedroom stretched on for a painfully long time.
Finally, Youmu swallowed hard and spoke in a weak, trembling voice. "Ran... Sister Ran..."
...
When Haruto finally woke up naturally, the sun was already casting long afternoon shadows across the tatami mats.
He groaned, stretching his stiff limbs, and reached out groggily to feel the space beside him. His hand met nothing but cool, empty sheets.
"Has Youmu already gone back..."
He muttered the words through a yawn as he dragged himself out of bed. He slipped his feet into his shoes, shuffled out of the bedroom, and handled the winding corridors until he reached the main living room.
This spacious area was the heart of the estate—the designated place for daily meals, casual chatting, and receiving the occasional guest. The floor was lined with pristine tatami mats. Usually, a simple low wooden table sat in the center, decorated with a tea set and a few plates of seasonal snacks.
But once the winter chill began to creep into Gensokyo, that standard low table was always replaced with a kotatsu, draped in a massive, incredibly thick duvet.
At this moment, two figures were already comfortably seated by the heated table—Yakumo Ran and Youmu.
The two women were chatting happily, the atmosphere completely devoid of the morning's intense awkwardness. The tabletop between them was filled with an array of exquisite, colorful pastries and steaming cups of green tea.
Seeing this cozy setup, Haruto immediately dragged his feet over and grumbled his dissatisfaction.
"You two are sitting here having delicious food and you didn't even bother to call me!"
He dropped down protestingly at an empty corner of the kotatsu. He aggressively shoved his legs under the heavy blanket, and only after tucking his freezing feet into the trapped, radiating heat did he finally exhale a long, satisfied sigh.
"Ran already called for you hours earlier."
Yakumo Ran's tone was entirely helpless. She leaned over, her hands naturally reaching out to smooth down his messy, sleep-rumpled collar.
"But you were sleeping so soundly that I really couldn't bring myself to wake you up. So, Ran and Youmu decided to come out and eat first."
"I... I also tried to call you..."
Youmu added in a very small, guilty voice from the opposite side of the table, her eyes avoiding his gaze.
"Anyway, it's your fault."
Haruto muttered vaguely, entirely ignoring their logic. He reached across the table, snatched a leftover slice of pizza from a plate, and took a massive bite.
"Alright, alright, it was Ran's oversight."
Her voice remained soft, carrying a heavy hint of endless indulgence. She even poured him a fresh cup of tea to wash down the cold pizza.
When it came to her Haruto, Yakumo Ran's patience had always been a bottomless well. She spoiled him rotten at every given opportunity.
If it were Yakumo Yukari sitting at this table instead, he would probably have been met with a parasol to the head and her eerie, mocking gaze by now.
While chewing on the savory snacks, Haruto reached into his pocket and pulled out his Ghost Phone.
As soon as the dark screen flickered to life, a rapid series of notifications flooded the device. Friend requests and private messages popped up in a relentless stream.
Most of the requests were from completely unfamiliar names, likely desperate players from the previous survival instance. He ignored the bulk of them, only tapping 'accept' for a select few familiar faces like Chen Qin and Lin Que.
The vast majority of the unread messages, however, were from that annoying guy, Ye Tian.
Almost all of the texts were aggressive, highly dramatic challenges for a duel.
During their last encounter, Ye Tian had managed to goad Youmu into a brief sparring match.
The result was exactly as Haruto had expected—Ye Tian suffered a humiliating, crushing defeat, while Youmu hadn't even bothered to draw her sword fully or put in any real effort.
Because Youmu rarely used her Ghost Phone and was almost always offline, the frustrated player could only direct his endless challenges at Haruto's inbox.
There was really no helping it.
Even if Ye Tian possessed some sort of overpowered chosen-one script from his system, the gap in sheer power was still far too massive when facing Youmu. The half-phantom was a recognized genius swordswoman who had rigorously cultivated her arts for nearly a hundred years. A few system stats couldn't bridge a century of lethal experience.
Hmm... if I had known he was this persistent, I would have dragged him into the Circus instance with me just to watch him suffer.
No, that's not right.
That specific horror instance wasn't just about brute force or swinging a sword. Even if he had called Ye Tian along, the hot-blooded idiot wouldn't have been of much use against abstract curses and bizarre rules.
Haruto swallowed the last bite of his food and suddenly remembered his actual business for the day. He looked across the table. "Accompany me out tonight."
"...Alright."
Although she had absolutely no idea what he was planning, Yakumo Ran agreed without a second of hesitation. "Are we going to the Outside World?"
Haruto shook his head, wiping his hands on a napkin. "No need to go to the Outside World. We will probably head around the edges of the Forest of Magic. I need to test a new ability."
The Forest of Magic?
Yakumo Ran's elegant brow furrowed slightly.
She didn't quite understand why a simple trip to the Forest of Magic would require her personal accompaniment. Could it be that the destructive power of this new ability he obtained was too unstable and required her to set up defensive barriers?
She didn't ask any further questions. As long as Haruto gave an order, she would simply follow it to the letter.
After quickly finishing his late lunch, Haruto extracted himself from the warmth of the kotatsu and left the estate. He headed straight for the Forest of Magic, intending to scout the damp, shadowed tree line for a suitable place to set up the haunted merry-go-round he had looted from the instance.
There definitely couldn't be many people around.
The location had to be in a highly isolated, sparsely populated area., there needed to be someone capable nearby who could occasionally keep an eye on the cursed object to prevent any foolish fairies or weak youkai from triggering a fatal accident.
If he strictly followed these specific requirements, the Sunflower Field was actually the most suitable location in all of Gensokyo. Not only did it perfectly meet the first two points, but there was also a massive amount of flat, open space available.
However, Haruto rubbed his chin in thought. He felt that the Tyrant of Flowers would most likely be highly unwilling to have a tacky amusement park ride ruining her perfect garden.
Wait. It might not necessarily be so.
Haruto abruptly turned on his heel, abandoning the path to the forest, and changed his route directly toward the vibrant borders of the Sunflower Field.
He vaguely remembered a specific rumor.
Kazami Yuuka, besides possessing a terrifying love for her flowers and a penchant for extreme violence, was also exceptionally tolerant and gentle toward young children.
That cursed merry-go-round came packaged with a ghostly Little Girl. That should technically count as a "child," right?
Since it was a child who could even hum catchy little nursery rhymes, the Flower Master shouldn't have the heart to refuse.
That's it. The logic is flawless.
Having perfectly sorted out this highly questionable reasoning in his head, Haruto quickened his pace, a confident smirk forming on his lips.
In just a short while, the dense trees gave way to an endless, blinding sea of towering yellow flowers. He had arrived at the Sunflower Field.
Haruto handled the narrow dirt paths until he walked into the grand courtyard of Mugenkan. He quickly found Kazami Yuuka tending to a patch of rare blooms and immediately stated his intention.
Hearing that Haruto wanted to drag yet another strange, foreign object into her pristine Sunflower Field, Kazami Yuuka's brow furrowed, her crimson eyes flashing with a hint of dangerous annoyance. But upon learning that it was a merry-go-round brought out from a horror instance, and that it specifically included a Little Girl, the dangerous tension in her shoulders relaxed.
"Let me see it first,"
Kazami Yuuka said smoothly. She raised a hand, and the towering flowers and thick grass in a nearby clearing obediently parted, moving aside to clear a massive, perfectly flat space where the object could be placed.
Having received her official consent, Haruto was overjoyed. He immediately raised his hand and ripped open a dark Gap, pulling out the miniature version of the merry-go-round.
"This tiny thing is the merry-go-round you mentioned?"
Kazami Yuuka raised an elegant eyebrow, looking at the toy-sized object in his palm with clear amusement.
"Don't be in such a hurry."
Haruto walked over to the exact center of the clearing Yuuka had designated and carefully placed the small wooden object in the dirt. "It was just slashed back to its original, dormant form by Youmu during the instance. It used to be absolutely huge. Let me first see if I can use my ability to restore it to its proper state."
After stating his plan, he closed his eyes and tried to channel his dense Demonic Power, activating the specific conceptual ability to turn stillness into motion.
A massive surge of energy rushed out of his core. Half of his total Demonic Power was instantly drained in a single, violent pull.
Seeing the tiny merry-go-round toy suddenly begin to spin rapidly and glow with a sinister, bleeding red light, Haruto didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second. He turned around and bolted away as fast as his legs could carry him.
The merry-go-round behind him expanded violently. The wood groaned and stretched, restoring itself to the towering size of a normal amusement park ride in the blink of an eye, casting a massive shadow over the sunflowers.
Kazami Yuuka didn't retreat. Instead, she stepped forward, her crimson eyes gleaming with genuine interest.
The massive, weathered merry-go-round rotated slowly, the rusted gears grinding in the quiet field. A pale, translucent Little Girl sat perfectly still on one of the faded, chipped wooden horses on the outer edge. Her head tilted at an unnatural angle as she softly hummed a chilling nursery rhyme into the wind.
"Spin and spin, spin and spin~"
"The wooden horse takes me far away~"
"Mama says go home when it's dark, but I can't find the door~"
"Giggle... can't find the door..."
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