Chapter 231: Kourindou Lottery?
Stepping out of the sterile, herb-scented confines of Eirin's pharmacy, Haruto stretched his arms overhead and let out a long breath. He didn't head straight back to his own quarters. Instead, his boots carried him down the winding wooden corridors toward Kaguya's room.
But long before he even reached the sliding screens, the unmistakable sounds of absolute carnage echoed down the hall.
Crash! Squelch!
The sickening tearing of flesh was punctuated by the sound of shattering furniture and two fiercely familiar voices screaming insults at one another.
Without a doubt, Mokou was visiting.
As Hourai Immortals who possessed utterly indestructible bodies, the two eternal rivals inevitably engaged in a 'heart-to-heart'every single time their paths crossed. Unfortunately for anyone nearby, this was a'heart-to-heart' in the most literal, visceral sense imaginable—usually involving tearing each other's actual hearts right out of their ribcages.
The scene inside was guaranteed to be a bloodbath.
Although Haruto had witnessed their gruesome sparring matches a few times and could barely stomach the sight, it was always better to avoid the splatter zone if he could help it. He was, after all, still just a delicate young youkai. Or so he liked to tell himself.
With that highly pragmatic thought in mind, Haruto decisively pivoted on his heel, fully intending to slip away unnoticed.
But the exact moment he turned around—
Boom—Bang!
The sturdy wooden door violently burst off its hinges in a shower of jagged splinters. A silver-white blur shot out from the room like a cannonball, smashing so heavily into the opposite hallway wall that the entire corridor shook. The impact left a deep, spider-webbed crater in the plaster.
For two seconds, the dust settled. Then, a pair of fair, blood-streaked hands reached out from the depths of the indentation. Pressing hard against the cracked wall, the figure grunted and forcefully wrenched herself free.
It was Mokou.
Muttering a string of colorful curses under her breath, she spat out a mouthful of dust and casually rolled up her already shredded, blood-soaked sleeves. Mid-motion, she sensed a gaze lingering on her. She snapped her head to the side, her fiery red eyes locking onto Haruto.
"Haruto? You're here too?" she asked, wiping a smear of crimson from her cheek.
Well, his escape route was thoroughly blown. Having no other choice, Haruto sighed, shoved his hands into his pockets, and followed Mokou as she stomped back into the ruined room.
Fortunately, it seemed they had only just started their deathmatch. At least the room wasn't entirely painted in the flesh-and-blood-spattered mosaic he had originally envisioned.
Still, a few severed limbs scattered across the floorboards were simply unavoidable when these two got together. Perhaps because his sanity was gradually eroding from constant exposure, Haruto actually found the current level of gore somewhat acceptable.
Kaguya sat cross-legged on her blood-soaked futon, looking completely refreshed and utterly smug.
Mokou, on the other hand, stood near the doorway, staring down at her own hands as if deeply questioning her life choices. She spread her palms, flexed her fingers, and then shot a glaring look up at the princess on the bed.
"Did you take some damn drugs?" Mokou demanded, her brow furrowing. "Why the hell do you feel a bit stronger than last time?"
"Ah? Oh, oh, oh, right! I just got a new potion from Eirin. It's super effective!"
Kaguya tilted her chin up, puffing out her chest with feigned pride. Haruto immediately realized what she was about to reveal. He lunged forward, slapping his hand tightly over Kaguya's mouth before she could spill all her secrets.
Hearing the mention of Eirin's concoctions, Mokou's suspicious expression softened slightly. However, her sharp eyes quickly caught the frantic, silent exchange of glances between Haruto and Kaguya. She crossed her arms, leaning forward.
"What are you two doing?" Mokou pressed, her gaze narrowing. "What did Haruto want to say just now?"
"It's nothing," Haruto replied smoothly, his face a mask of perfect innocence.
Under Kaguya's repeated, desperate pleading looks, Haruto had no choice but to lie through his teeth. "I just wanted to say that you might just not be in top form today, Mokou. Maybe you skipped breakfast."
He didn't even need to guess Kaguya's angle. The princess definitely wanted to secretly hoard her new strength, developing her stats in the shadows until she could completely blindside Mokou in their next major brawl.
A permanent ten percent physical strength bonus from the survival instances might not seem like a world-shattering leap for an ordinary human, but for someone like Kaguya—who practically hovered at the absolute ceiling of physical power—it was an absurdly overpowered reward.
Mokou frowned, mulling over the excuse. She didn't dig too deeply into it, simply clicking her tongue and assuming her own condition was indeed just a bit sluggish today.
Kaguya let out a quiet breath of relief against Haruto's palm. She pulled his hand away, sat back on the ruined bed, and patted the mattress beside her, cheerfully signaling for him to join her.
Haruto scanned the mattress, picked a relatively clean patch of fabric, casually swept a few severed, bloody fingers onto the floor, and sat down.
Kaguya then beckoned to Mokou. The immortal tomboy knit her brows in mild annoyance, but then, as if suddenly remembering something highly amusing, her expression cleared. A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes as she walked over and plopped down heavily on Haruto's other side.
Wait. Something's wrong.
The hairs on the back of Haruto's neck stood up. He keenly sensed an impending trap.
A split second before the hands on both sides could clamp down onto his shoulders, he suddenly shot up from the bed. He spun around to face the two immortal girls, retreating two quick steps and pointing a wary finger at them.
"What are you trying to do?!" he demanded.
"How about..." Kaguya began, rubbing her hands together like a scheming merchant.
"No." Haruto refused decisively. They were absolutely going to try and rope him into preparing a new batch of their infamous 'Offal Soup'—a horrifying hotpot made from their own immortal flesh—and nothing good ever came of that cursed meal.
"I haven't even said it yet!" Kaguya curled her lip in deep dissatisfaction, crossing her arms. "What if it's a good thing?"
"Say it then."
"Let's eat Offal Soup together."
"I'm not eating it," Haruto deadpanned, crossing his own arms over his chest to match her stance.
"You really won't? You can pick any part you want, you know."
Kaguya hid her left hand behind her back, quietly pointing a finger at Mokou. In the air, her fingers made a couple of suggestive, clutching motions.
Mokou seemed to sense the phantom grope and suddenly snapped her head around, but Kaguya had already pulled her hand back, her face a picture of pure innocence.
The princess frowned, her gaze returning to Haruto. She nodded slowly, doubling down on the offer. "Right. If you agree, you can pick any part, and the two of us are yours to eat."
"I'm. Not. Eating. It." Haruto refused again, his tone leaving absolutely zero room for negotiation.
Seeing his rock-solid attitude, both Kaguya and Mokou slumped slightly, looking genuinely disappointed that they couldn't traumatize him today. But they didn't push the issue further.
"Then why were you looking for me?" Kaguya asked, tilting her head curiously.
"Here, this."
Haruto reached into his collar, pulled on a thin string, and fished a small, carefully crafted doll out from beneath his undershirt.
Kaguya and Mokou both blinked, stunned as they recognized the doll's extremely familiar, elegant features and tiny purple dress.
"Is this... Yakumo Yukari?" Mokou asked, leaning in.
Haruto handed the little figure over. "It's a doll of Yukari-nee. I used my 'Turning Stillness into Motion' ability to bring it to life."
"Don't tell me this chibi Yakumo Yukari doll actually has Yakumo Yukari's strength." Kaguya stared at the toy, deeply questioning the reality of the universe, while Mokou curiously edged closer to inspect the fabric.
Suddenly, the tiny doll sprang into action. Its little cloth arms whipped out, launching two simultaneous punches—one aimed at Kaguya, the other at Mokou.
The giant, flashing red character for [DANGER] practically materialized in both of the immortals' minds. They braced for impact, fully expecting their heads to be blown clean off their shoulders.
The expected explosion of gore never happened. When the tiny fists landed on their cheeks, there was only a soft, pathetic squish sound.
The two immortals fell into a dead silence, the sheer embarrassment of their terrified flinching washing over them.
"See? That's the strength of this doll," Haruto said, offering a helpless shrug. "As for having Yukari-nee's actual strength? How could that even be possible? If it were really that strong, I'd just mass-produce an army of Yukari-nee dolls and conquer the universe."
"Then what's the use of this thing?" Mokou grumbled, rubbing her cheek. "It's not like it can act as an external avatar or be controlled remotely."
"I don't know. Yukari-nee said she modified it. We'll find out what it actually does in our next instance." Haruto retrieved the doll, tucked it safely back into his collar, and let it rest against his chest.
Satisfied that the toy wasn't a world-ending threat, Kaguya lost interest.
Mokou glanced at the clock on the wall, stood up, and stretched her arms high above her head, her joints popping loudly. "I'm heading back. Keine should be finishing her classes soon. You two have fun."
Haruto nodded.
After Mokou slipped out the door, leaving the ruined room behind, Haruto turned back to Kaguya. "What now?"
"Dunno." Kaguya shook her head, her long black hair swaying. "How about we go take a stroll around the Human Village?"
"Damn! You should've said so earlier."
"It's fine, that Turkey shouldn't have gone far yet."
The two immediately hopped up, stepping over the debris, and hurried outside. The bright sunlight of the bamboo forest warmed their shoulders as they jogged down the dirt path, catching up to Mokou in no time.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Mokou turned around. She stared blankly at the two of them trailing her like lost ducklings. After hearing their explanation for tagging along, the corner of her mouth twitched violently.
Regardless, the three of them made their way to the Human Village together. Once they passed through the bustling gates, Mokou split off first, heading straight toward the Terakoya to meet up with Keine.
Left to their own devices, Haruto and Kaguya strolled aimlessly down the vibrant, lantern-lit streets. They bought grilled skewers from street vendors, played a few cheap carnival games, and generally killed time.
However, unless there was a major festival happening, there wasn't actually much to do in the Human Village for two incredibly overpowered beings. In just two or three hours, they had practically walked a full circuit of the entire settlement.
Just as Haruto was crossing his arms, seriously debating whether they should just teleport to the Outside World for some real entertainment, his gaze suddenly locked onto a large, flashy wooden sign standing proudly in front of Kourindou—
[Big Discount on Lucky Draws — Includes physical gold, silver, figurines, and special magic items!]
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