Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

"Ugh, I've had enough. There are always some people who won't give up until they get what they want. I think the taste of young girls these days is questionable. They always fall for those frivolous guys who are all looks and no substance." Hideaki Taiga didn't seem to be looking at Ritsuka Fujimaru when he spoke, but his voice was intentionally raised to a level that everyone on the ship could hear. The other passengers all knew who he was talking about.

Under the strange gazes of all kinds, Fujimaru Ritsuka calmly nodded slightly to each of them, raised her eyebrows, and sat down without caring at all.

Yukino and Yui both frowned, feeling that this elderly man was being rather unrestrained. Abigail, on the other hand, completely ignored the man's words, obediently sitting in Yukino's lap. Then, after hesitating for a moment, she ran over to Yui Yuigahama, leaned back comfortably, and showed a relaxed expression.

Is it really that difficult for a 14-year-old to understand Hideaki Taiga's sarcastic remarks? Or perhaps he simply doesn't care at all.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, on the other hand, sat gracefully next to Fujimaru Ritsuka, first wiping the chair before settling down contentedly: "Oh dear, sometimes I'm a little annoyed when I go out with Fujimaru-kun. Because I always see people being ugly and jealous."

The passengers exchanged ambiguous glances, and an ambiguous atmosphere spread across the ship.

Hideaki Ogawa's forehead veins bulged as he became angry, but he was restrained just as he was about to lash out.

Yoko knew her husband well—despite being over fifty, he still acted like a helpless child, and quickly pulled his hand to indicate they were outside. Hideaki Taiga suppressed his anger and let out a heavy snort.

However, even Fujimaru Ritsuka did not expect that Kasumigaoka Utaha's resentment would surge up instead. She bit her nails and tapped the wooden planks on the boat with her right foot in frustration, making a pleasant tapping sound.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, completely exasperated: "But then again, some big director has to subtly hide his own life experiences in the movie, and after only a few minutes of build-up, he casts the female lead, who embodies the image of a goddess in her youth, as a random passerby. Oh dear, how come this passerby looks so much like the famous director in his youth? Heh heh (without any reaction), how wonderful, he can do whatever he wants in his own work."

Hideaki Taiga felt a slight panic, but quickly calmed down and became disdainful: "Huh? I was wondering what it was. Turns out it's just another pathetic person who's stuck in my own world and can't get out. I advise you otaku to step out of your shells. After all, it's too early for you critics to understand my work."

He spoke with an arrogant and domineering air, acting like a superior person, which made Kasumigaoka Utaha clench her fists in resentment and mutter to herself, "Ugh, that jerk, I really want to punch him in the face."

"Don't be impulsive, Kasumigaoka~" Fujimaru Ritsuka grabbed her wrist—this girl wasn't joking, she was already planning to take action.

For the moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't want to retaliate, mainly because she was so angry that her mind went blank.

However, their standoff provided some juicy gossip for the other passengers.

"Hey, what did that girl say about a director? Could it be that she's the director of some film?"

"I don't know, but since he's the director, that blonde girl over there must be some kind of fanatical fan, right?"

Humans are not only creatures of appearance, but also political beings, especially in authoritarian societies like island nations where class stratification is rigid. While overthrowing superiors is possible, obedience to authority is their daily routine.

What started as a psychological bias towards handsome men and beautiful women quickly turned into a worship of social status.

Hideaki Taiga mouthed to them triumphantly: See? This is the adult world. You otaku can just sit there and rot.

Even Fujimaru Ritsuka clenched her fists, constantly telling herself that a small act of impatience could ruin a great plan—once I've dealt with the anomaly, I'll take all your assets and even your company.

Returning victorious, Hideaki Ogawa sat in his seat, looking around with an air of nonchalance, playing with his five-year-old daughter in his wife's arms. The girl blinked innocently, seemingly unaware of what had happened.

Yoko felt a little sorry for him and advised him, "After all, they are your audience. Why make the young girl lose face?"

"Hmph! People like this who lack self-awareness, are unable to objectively understand the world and themselves, and keep running away to avoid getting hurt deserve to suffer."

"Oh, really... Speaking of which, so your female lead was based on the goddess you pursued when you were young." Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Yoko had no choice but to give up, but as she spoke the second half of the sentence, her tone slowly turned cold and her eyes sharpened.

"Huh? Hahaha, those are just rumors made up by viewers who have wild imaginations, don't take them seriously. However, the maternal girl who elopes with the male lead at the end is based on you." Hideaki Taiga, with a strong survival instinct, held his wife's hand affectionately, "That's why I arranged this ending."

"Oh dear, you're such a grown man, aren't you ashamed?" Yoko spat at him, but didn't remove her hand—you've passed.

70. "Why aren't you singing?" (Third update)

Kasumigaoka Utaha watched the scene of the couple showing affection, and instead of feeling uncomfortable about being fed dog food, she looked like she was gritting her teeth.

Fujimaru Ritsuka always felt that if you put a piece of charcoal in her hand at this moment, Kasumigaoka could crush the charcoal into a diamond out of anger.

Yukino couldn't help but nudge Utaha and whispered, "Why are you so angry? Is it really necessary to get this worked up over a movie?"

"Heh heh... If you've followed his work, you'd know. When he was making Kamen Rider tokusatsu dramas, he wrote a bunch of inhuman characters. When he was writing spin-off novels, he wrote about a rider who murdered his comrades, a man whose girlfriend was critically ill, and a baby crawling out of a cesspool to find its mother alone. When he was writing animation scripts, the plots were all broken and he was incredibly stupid. And when he was making games, he always had to arrange for pretty girls to be defiled." Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice was faint and eerie, like a female ghost breathing from the bottom of a well. "But every work he did was alright, so the fans just put up with it. I thought he would have some affection for his breakout work and give the fans who had waited 14 years a good ending. But I never expected that what he loved most was still just Ultraman."

Although Yukino and Yui didn't know much about anime, comics, and games (ACG), they still felt a chill as Kasumigaoka Utaha recounted Hideaki Taiga's outstanding achievements. Fujimaru Ritsuka felt a sense of familiarity and suddenly realized—wasn't this just a combination of a rogue, a mischievous ghost, a mushroom, and an anesthetically challenged Okouchi from another world?

The bizarre and outrageous humor, layered together, forms a terrifying whole.

Fan: The Joker is actually me.JPG

"Then... how about we slow down a bit and let him suffer a little?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked Kasumigaoka Utaha, feigning hesitation.

Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at him and rolled her eyes: "Our Chaldea leader, don't test me. Work is work, and personal grudges are personal grudges. I won't deliberately let him get into trouble. I'd rather see him kneel on the ground and thank me for saving his life, hehehehehehehehehehe."

She seemed to have thought of something and began to mutter under her breath about things like locking him in the basement to write a script, holding him down to take his medicine properly, and not expecting him to be disgusting anymore—all sorts of dark and gritty thoughts.

This woman is beyond saving.

The others acted obediently to avoid provoking their companions.

At this moment, the ship started moving, music began, and the journey in the small world officially began. The passengers no longer discussed the conflict that had just occurred.

Instead of gossiping about that uncle and the boy band over there, it's better to enjoy the entertainment you paid for.

Upbeat drumbeats, accompanied by trumpets and bells, set the stage for the classic Disney song "It's a Small World," sung by a children's choir, which plays throughout their ten-minute journey.

The small boat sailed into the interior, a completely enclosed space with a dark dome above and a set arranged along the artificial canal through which the boat traveled. Colorful stages from different countries and regions shone brightly under the lights. At each stage, the puppets on them came to life, performing different shows.

It might be an Indian dance performed to the rhythm of background music, or an ensemble on a Scottish organ, and occasionally you might even see classic Disney animated characters performing.

Visitors exclaimed that being in this dreamlike amusement park felt like stepping out of the real world into a fairytale town and dancing with fairytales.

But Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others sensed something strange. Perhaps it was because they had talked about the oddities in the small world earlier. Looking at the doll, they felt a lingering sense of unease.

Over there, Woody the cowboy from Toy Story and his cowgirl girlfriend are performing a song and a cow-riding act on a stage with a Western theme. The orange stage lights cast soft shadows on the upper half of their faces, making their yellow faces glow with a greenish light.

Abigail blinked and whispered to Fujimaru Ritsuka, "Captain, I always feel that these dolls look rather eerie, so why are they looking at them so happily?"

"Shh—" Fujimaru Ritsuka, careful not to let those around her hear Abigail's words, asked her in a low voice, "Okay, Abigail, do you feel anything wrong up ahead?"

"Hmm...it seems a little smelly, but also a little fragrant, does that count?" Abigail bit her hand, giving an unexpected foodie-like reaction.

Seeing the teasing look in Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes, Abby quickly added, "It was those two gluttons, Noshu and Rutal, who said it. It has nothing to do with me."

"Great job, Abby! You've been a huge help. *pats head*"

"Hehe~"

Fujimaru Ritsuka quietly shrank back, and under the cover of Kasumigaoka Utaha and the others, opened her Eye of Karma and glanced at Taiga Hideaki's head.

The dark, resentful clouds were unusually active, expanding and contracting in rhythm with the music, seemingly forming an inexplicable connection with the entire Little World project. It was like clear water being poured into a boiling oil pan, creating a lively, crackling sound.

It's settled. I've seen the look in their eyes; it's definitely the weird one.

The small boat drifted for less than five minutes. At first, the tourists were enthusiastically searching for the various hidden puppets, letting out gasps of surprise when they saw figures like Pinocchio or Peter Pan flying mysteriously overhead. But as time went on, and the background music played repeatedly, the tourists' unexpected actions decreased. Some even started humming along to the rhythm.

"In the world, どこだって/笑いあり涙あり...みんなそれぞれhelp(たす)けあう小(ちい)さな世界(せかい)"

(Every corner of the world is filled with joy and sorrow / People help each other / Heart to heart / Forming this warm little world)

At first, only a few passengers were humming softly, but gradually others joined in. Perhaps it was the power of conformity, the instinct to read the atmosphere, or perhaps they were drawn into the unknown allure, but more and more people started humming along.

Hideaki Taiga looked at everything before him with some displeasure, but he didn't expect that Yoko beside him would also start humming, and his little daughter would also hum along in a babbling, off-key manner.

Sigh, since even my wife and daughter are like this, I'll just let them be... Actually, this song is quite nice, isn't it?

Hideaki Taiga was a little confused.

He didn't notice that during the chorus, his young daughter had learned the song at an astonishing speed and joined in fluently.

After singing twice, the tour was nearing its end, but at this moment, everyone stopped as if a radio had jammed, turned their heads, and stared blankly at Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had been watching the whole time, and asked in unison: "Why aren't you singing?"

Chapter 71, Aww, My Kingly Power (Fourth update, please subscribe)

"Why aren't you singing?" All the passengers repeated the question, staring blankly and sullenly at Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others.

The passengers' skin was slowly covered by a wooden outer layer, their exposed finger joints all turned into ball joints, and their mouths opened and closed stiffly, as if they were being controlled by a puppeteer in a puppet show.

"Yeah, why aren't you singing?" Only Hideaki Taiga, who was sitting to the side, was unharmed, but he was already drowsy and could only repeat after the people next to him.

They repeated it over and over again, a huge malice hovering in the air, like vultures eyeing a corpse, swooping down with a stench of decay.

There was no point in hiding it anymore. Fujimaru Ritsuka opened his Eye of Karma, and golden flames danced in his eyes. He saw it.

Threads of light continuously cascaded down from the empty ceiling, wriggling like insects drawn by the scent of blood, trying to connect with their bodies, only to be blocked by beams of spiritual light. The ends of the threads were scorched by the light, appearing almost alive as they slowly retreated, but more threads continued to fall.

Everyone stood up the moment the strange phenomenon occurred and formed a huddle. Yukino asked, "Fujimaru, I feel my magic power decreasing. What's going on?"

"It's fine if some overconfident fool tries to attack us. But what about that old man? He seems completely unharmed." Fujimaru Ritsuka indicated that nothing was wrong, but this nonchalant attitude greatly angered the person behind the scenes.

"Who said that? Who's overestimating themselves?!" Hideaki Ogawa, who had been sitting there blankly, suddenly jumped up. He stretched his neck, rotated his head 180 degrees, tilted his chin to the sky, and spat as he spoke. "Damn brat, spouting nonsense! I'll show you what an adult can do! All of you, get him!"

His voice sounded like an inexplicable blend of different tones, extremely comical and dull, like the tone of a puppeteer in a puppet show, filled with a maddening, unpleasant noise, like wood being carved with a knife.

Fujimaru Ritsuka finally saw it clearly: behind him appeared a puppet with the same style as the one he had been walking with, but it was more old and dilapidated, and its clothes were splattered with blood.

At his command, all the passengers swarmed forward, trapping Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others on the narrow boat. The crowd kept rushing forward, burying them in a sea of ​​people.

The puppet was incredibly smug, truly grateful to Hideaki Taiga for bringing so many hostages. These boys and girls had never seen anything like this before and could only struggle to defend themselves against the attacks of innocent bystanders. Soon enough... whoosh whoosh whoosh...

"This is great. I came here alone a few days ago out of boredom, bringing with me enough resentment to make me stronger. Not only did I bring food to your door, but I've also attracted several young men and women with powerful magic. If I eat them all, maybe I can advance even further. Should I keep this guy's body for a while...? Hehehe, this resentment is so delicious. The reversed emotions of humans are so wonderful. The outer shell can even hide from those monks' detection."

The puppet dreams, and as an urban legend, it too has its own dreams. It dreams of using offerings and the resentment within Hideaki Taiga to help it undergo a conceptual transformation, seizing other, more terrifying urban legend concepts, and perhaps ultimately becoming a real concept—the King of Horror, the embodiment of the entire world's... Disneyland.

Don't laugh, the whole world knows that Disneyland is everywhere. From now on, its tentacles will be all over the world. Today it will eat a yellow person, tomorrow it will eat a white person. Wouldn't that be a wonderful life?

"Kasumigaoka, Abby, go a little easier. But don't worry if you break it; the police can't compromise with terrorists who are taking hostages."

"Hmph, this piece of trash shattered my dream of locking him up in a dark room, so I have no choice but to give up."

"Yes, Captain! Watch Abby's Binding Attack."

A conversation broke out in the crowd, and the puppet sensed something was wrong—shouldn't they be concerned about the lives of innocent people?

Dark tentacles emerged one by one, lifting the onrushing crowd high into the air. The tourists, completely dominated, tried to struggle, even fiercely resisting the tentacles' restraints and injuring their own bodies, but they were tightly bound together by ropes made of incantations, leaving them no room to even struggle.

hiss...

Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the passengers who were hanging upside down and bound by dark tentacles, and felt that the way they were bound looked familiar—it looked like an advanced version of bondage.

He quickly looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha, only to see her pretending to be nonchalant, looking around at the scenery, and guiltily whistling a tune that didn't actually make a sound.

Surrounding the small boat were countless thick, dark, and menacing tentacles. The person hanging upside down had no chance to speak, only able to wriggle slightly like a caterpillar, emitting strange "whooshing" sounds. Fujimaru Ritsuka put on a friendly smile, rolled up her sleeves, and strode towards Ogawa Hideaki.

With his chin pointing skyward, Hideaki Taiga and the puppet clinging tightly to his back simultaneously swallowed hard, reaching out in terror: "Y-you, don't come any closer!"

"Questions and answers are useless, grit your teeth and take my punch!" Fujimaru Ritsuka delivered a downward punch, her magic power rubbing against the air, radiating a dazzling light.

The heavy blow struck the puppet squarely on the head, its chin slamming into Hideaki Taiga's chin before it crashed heavily onto the small boat, causing the bow to sink under the weight and the stern to rise high.