Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

"I'm tired and want to rest for a while. I'll leave the rest to you, Lan."

Author's Note:

P.S.: Starting today, I'll resume updating three times a day. Cough, I'll definitely do it this time.

109 Goodbye Cat Girl

"Yes, Lord Zi."

Yakumo Ran rose respectfully and bowed, as a response to Yakumo Yukari's command.

Ran Yakumo did not hesitate at all in response to Yukari Yakumo's orders. This was originally their division of labor, and now it had become Ran's responsibility to share the burden with Yukari.

Yukari Yakumo needs rest, and Gensokyo needs someone to keep an eye on it.

Even though Gensokyo has now moved to a completely new world and escaped the enemy's pursuit, Yakumo Ran will not relax in the slightest, because she clearly remembers the helplessness on Yakumo Yukari's face at that time.

That was an expression Yakumo Ran had never seen on Yakumo Yukari's face before—an expression of despair. Even Yakumo Yukari, the youkai sage, had completely lost faith.

If it weren't for that person's help at the last moment... no, if it weren't for that person and Lady Murasaki working together again, the entire Gensokyo would probably have been reduced to ashes by then.

Therefore, now that Yakumo Ran is Yakumo Yukari's shikigami, a member of the Yakumo family, and a member of Yakumo Yukari's family, she absolutely must shoulder this responsibility.

After escorting Yakumo Yukari into the bedroom, Yakumo Ran breathed a sigh of relief and began planning what to do next.

In reality, although Yakumo Ran handles many matters in Gensokyo on behalf of Yakumo Yukari, the actual work that Yakumo Ran can do is far less than that of Yakumo Yukari.

Although Yakumo Ran is Yakumo Yukari's shikigami and shares the same surname, Yakumo Ran's surname was bestowed upon her by Yakumo Yukari. As a fox spirit, Yakumo Ran has absolutely no blood relation to Yakumo Yukari, a youkai of that level.

Naturally, Yakumo Ran couldn't possibly master the power of realms and gaps. It's just that because she's Yakumo Yukari's shikigami, she can borrow these powers in some minor ways.

Therefore, Yakumo Ran's duties are mostly patrolling and maintenance. If a problem arises with the boundary or barrier, or if any anomalies occur, all Yakumo Ran can do is notify Yakumo Yukari.

Then Yukari Yakumo went to inform the Hakurei Shrine Maiden to do hard labor for her...

But now, everything is different.

Yakumo Yukari was truly exhausted, and unless something completely out of control happened, Yakumo Ran had no intention of waking her up.

As for the Hakurei Shrine Maiden... As for Yakumo Ran, she only hoped that the current Hakurei Shrine Maiden wouldn't cause any more trouble and would obediently learn the Hakurei Shrine Maiden's power. Yakumo Ran would be grateful for that.

"Let's eat something lightly, then go on our patrol. Everyone's settled down now, and their minds are gradually calming down. I hope Gensokyo can return to its original state."

Ran Yakumo sighed softly, then a slight smile appeared on her lips. Everything was about to pass; she believed in Yukari Yakumo, and she believed in the future of Gensokyo.

After all, the peace we enjoy today was hard-won after going through so many hardships.

Their sacrifices must not be made meaningless.

Thinking this, Yakumo Ran sat back down at the table and reached out to touch the rice crackers on it. Unfortunately, no matter how much she touched and touched, she couldn't find a single rice cracker.

Yakumo Ran turned her head back from gazing into the distance to look at the tray. There were no more senbei (rice crackers) on the tray; it was completely empty.

Even her own teacup was completely empty, clearly drunk by some scoundrel. And the rice crackers had undoubtedly ended up in that guy's stomach.

Yakumo Ran raised an eyebrow. Who could the culprit be?

Ran Yakumo could come up with three such ideas in the blink of an eye.

The first one, naturally, is her own master, Yukari Yakumo.

Having acquired the ability to create gaps, Yukari Yakumo not only sleeps for more than twelve hours every day, but also naturally developed the habit of secretly observing others through her gaps.

Cough, this isn't spying, but rather a method used by Yakumo Yukari, a great youkai and the youkai sage of Gensokyo, to inspect and observe Gensokyo.

Yes, that's it, no problem.

As for occasionally reaching out from the gap to take something, such as food, things, or things that Reimu Hakurei was about to use, it was just a bit of Yukari Yakumo's wicked pleasure.

After all, Yukari Yakumo is only seventeen years old plus who knows how many months, which is the age when she loves to joke and play pranks. It is forgivable that she would do such things occasionally, right?

However, Yakumo Ran knew that this time it definitely wouldn't be her master.

As Yakumo Yukari's shikigami, Yakumo Ran could sense Yukari's exhaustion. This exhaustion was not only physical, but also mental.

Besides, these things were originally prepared by Yakumo Ran for Yakumo Yukari, so there's no reason for Yukari to steal and eat them again.

The second person who would do such a thing is Yakumo Ran's good friend, a ghost who is never full and uses endless food to satisfy her insatiable appetite, Saigyouji Yuyuko.

This perpetually gluttonous ghost can eat anything driven by hunger. The word "steal" doesn't exist in her dictionary; there are only two criteria: whether or not one can eat it.

However, it's clearly not her right now. After all, Saigyouji Yuyuko isn't a guest at the Yakumo family's house, and she doesn't have the ability to use gaps, so she definitely can't steal senbei from the Yakumo family's house.

After all, the Yakumo family is protected by Yakumo Yukari's abilities. Without the permission of Yakumo Yukari and Yakumo Ran, it is difficult for anyone to easily enter the Yakumo residence... except for one certain guy.

And this guy was the third one that Yakumo Ran thought of who would steal senbei (rice crackers).

Ran Yakumo listened quietly, and then she heard a very faint clicking sound from under the table. The sound was so faint that it seemed the person making it was doing their best to minimize it.

Now, Yakumo Ran was certain: the thief who stole the senbei hadn't left; in fact, he was hiding under the table and eating it without a care in the world.

No, it's not that she was oblivious to others; rather, it's that she was deceiving herself, thinking that no one would notice her.

"orange……!"

Yakumo Ran shouted directly, her voice carrying a hint of sternness. As soon as Yakumo Ran's voice came out, the guy hiding under the table, making a clicking sound, fell silent instantly, seemingly trying to escape Yakumo Ran's observation using this method.

"Do you expect me to pull you out myself? I don't recall ever teaching you to steal food!"

Yakumo Ran's stern voice finally had an effect. A few seconds later, amidst a rustling sound, a petite girl with cat ears on her head, wearing a red dress and coat, and two tails sprouting from her lower back, crawled out looking uneasy, and then knelt down directly in front of Yakumo Ran.

"Sorry……"

This girl, named Orange, is Yakumo Ran's shikigami.

While it may sound unbelievable that Yakumo Ran, who is Yakumo Yukari's shikigami, also has her own shikigami, Orange, it is indeed true. Perhaps this also proves that Yakumo Ran's strength is already extremely powerful.

However, unlike Yakumo Ran, a capable fox spirit shikigami, Orange, a youkai cat, is also Yakumo Ran's shikigami, but her intelligence and age limit her ability to do much.

You could say that Orange is just a kid.

Therefore, as Yakumo Ran's shikigami, Orange not only cannot share Yakumo Ran's burdens, but also needs Yakumo Ran to take care of her at all times.

However, Yakumo Ran is a fox spirit with overflowing maternal instincts. She doesn't care about Cheng's abilities and roles, but instead genuinely treats Cheng like family.

It is precisely because of this that the weak and childlike cat-like creature, Chen, is able to appear at Yakumo Residence from time to time, and even stay there, having become a member of the Yakumo family.

However, Orange still has a long way to go before she can truly possess the surname Yakumo.

As Yakumo Ran looked at Orange, who was kneeling before her with her head bowed, her voice low and her shoulders trembling slightly, the last trace of her anger vanished in an instant.

She reached out and patted Cheng's head, saying, "You're not allowed to do this kind of thing anymore. If you want something to eat, just come to me. I won't let you go hungry."

“These were originally prepared for Lord Zi. Now that Lord Zi isn’t eating them, it’s fine for you to eat them. But if you steal and eat what Lord Zi wants to eat, you’ll make Lord Zi angry.”

"Orange, would you like to taste Lord Purple's wrath?"

Upon hearing this, Orange immediately raised her head and shook it like a rattle drum until she was dizzy before stopping and saying with a slight lisp, "Lord Purple... I'm afraid of Lord Purple."

Seeing this, Yakumo Ran knew that this reprimand was enough—at least in Yakumo Ran's opinion.

Right now, Yukari Yakumo has really gained some bad reputation in Gensokyo. Putting aside everything else, if Ran Yakumo were to use Yukari Yakumo's name to scare Orange, Orange would definitely be terrified.

Given this situation, it's hard to know whether Yakumo Ran should be happy or unhappy.

"Alright, stop looking like you're about to be eaten. When has Lady Zi ever really punished you? The food is gone, so be it. Don't do it again."

Cheng nodded hastily again, then flashed a big smile, as if her earlier sighs, fear, and sobs had vanished in an instant.

Seeing this, Yakumo Ran was both amused and annoyed. She tapped Orange on the head and said, "You've eaten and drunk your fill. Now, do you want to rest here or go back to Youkai Mountain?"

"I'm going to inspect Gensokyo now, want to come along?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng first nodded, then shook her head and said, "Well... Lord Lan, I think I'll pass. I'll rest here for a while and then go back to Monster Mountain."

Seeing this, Yakumo Ran naturally knew that Cheng had developed fear of many things. As a qualified shikigami, such emotions were not allowed, but since Cheng had said those words…

Then forget it.

Yakumo Ran patted Orange's head again, flicked Orange's smiling nose, and said, "Then remember to keep quiet and don't disturb Lady Yukari, or you'll have to bear the consequences."

After saying that, Yakumo Ran left the house and departed from Yakumo Residence. Only Orange remained in the large room, still kneeling on the floor, peering around cautiously.

Seeing that Yakumo Ran had really left, Orange's face lit up with a delighted smile. She looked at the stone head on the table and said, "Hey, Mr. Ghost, you were right!"

110 would be very happy, my friend.

Orange's cat ears twitched excitedly as she looked in the direction Yakumo Ran had left, her face full of the satisfaction of having pulled off a prank.

Judging from her current appearance, it's not hard to tell that she wasn't trembling because of fear or sadness, but rather because she was excited and thrilled to play a prank.

That's Yakumo Ran, a powerful youkai even in Gensokyo, and also Orange's master. With this dual identity, Orange felt a great sense of accomplishment after successfully playing a prank.

After all, Orange is still just a kid at heart, so she naturally wouldn't feel guilty for deceiving Yakumo Ran. Besides, right now, Orange is clearly more interested in this ghostly man in front of her than in the departed Yakumo Ran.

As for the "Mr. Ghost" she mentioned, it was undoubtedly Momo's head.

Sure enough, she cheerfully picked up Mo Mo's petrified head and then reached out her little hand to rub and pat Mo Mo's head.

Although Orange was in human form, her soft palms felt like the paw pads of a cat. Unfortunately, Mo Mo was petrified at this moment and couldn't feel that sensation.

"Mr. Ghost, Mr. Ghost, come out quickly! Lord Blue has already left, and Lord Purple has gone to sleep. Mr. Ghost, if you come out now, no one will notice you!"

As Cheng finished speaking, a faint white light seemed to fall from the void, wrapping around Mo Mo's petrified head and forming a human voice—Mo Mo's voice.

"Really? My friend, Orange, you can't lie to me! You know, I'm still a fragile newborn ghost, and I'm terrified of powerful youkai like Yakumo Ran and Yakumo Yukari."

"If they have any ill intentions towards me, they could kill me in an instant! Orange, my friend, I don't want to die, can you help me?"

"I want to leave this place, anywhere is fine with me. The atmosphere here is just too frightening!"

Mo Mo's voice carried a hint of fear, as if she were genuinely afraid of Yakumo Ran and Yakumo Yukari. Upon hearing this, Cheng's eyes immediately lit up, showing a look of empathy.

As Yakumo Ran's shikigami, Orange is not required or expected to actually do any work, and is spoiled by Yakumo Ran like a child or family member, but she still feels tremendous pressure.

There's nothing we can do; this is the Yakumo family's territory. As a youkai, Orange is undoubtedly very weak, and youkai instinctively respect stronger youkai.

Just standing in front of Yakumo Yukari makes Cheng feel like she can't breathe. Although this situation can improve after spending more time together, if Cheng does something wrong, facing the serious Yakumo Ran, or even the serious Yakumo Yukari, Cheng still feels immense pressure.

However, as Yakumo Ran's shikigami, she could only accept this pressure and then get used to it.

Now, Orange has finally found a friend who understands her hardships. In addition, Mr. Ghost is facing a situation that seems to be similar to Orange's, which greatly deepens Orange's sense of identification with Mr. Ghost.

You are all hardworking and good kids!