Two Worlds, Starting with Kaguya of Penglai Mountain

Kazuya Kurokawa: "..."

As he listened to the explanation, he involuntarily fell silent.

His gaze almost unconsciously drifted towards Reimu Hakurei's direction.

The Hakurei Shrine Maiden, who could be free from all constraints and live a life of perpetual freedom, is now under heavy lockdown in Heian-kyo, with no possibility of acting independently.

Reimu Hakurei is absolutely free.

She could deflect any chains that came to bind her, but only if she deflected them when they came to bind her.

As she willingly accepted the bondage, the chains became a part of her, binding her, who should have been free, for a long, long time.

Just like a cat that is normally agile and impossible to catch, if it voluntarily puts on a collar and leash, then it naturally has no chance of breaking free.

Reimu Hakurei: "That's why I said that guy is an idiot."

She didn't hesitate to mock him.

Perhaps because she is no longer a little radish head, Reimu, now in her teenage form, says these words with a more formal and direct negative feel.

Yukari Yakumo: "The solution I proposed wasn't actually about exploring that aspect; I was just talking about another use for Reimu Hakurei's soul."

As if completely oblivious to Reimu's feelings, the youkai in the boundary maintained his smile and continued speaking.

Yukari Yakumo: "A soul that rejects everything, if it is willing to go further and exert all its strength, can even disregard the rules themselves. With the soul of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden as its core, it is possible to construct a paradise completely unaffected by the outside world. Originally, in my plan, I named such a place 'Gensokyo'."

The blonde woman slowly recounted her past ideas.

She had actually been eyeing the Hakurei Shrine Maiden of Heian-kyo for quite some time.

With thousands of years of experience and having witnessed the rise and fall of countless powers, Yakumo Yukari does not believe that the Hakurei Shrine Maiden can survive in Heian-kyo indefinitely.

She believes in the power of humanity, but also in its selfishness and baseness.

As human technology advances, the existence of Hakurei Shrine Maidens will eventually be eliminated.

And the shrine maiden who was eliminated?

Yukari Yakumo didn't believe that the other party, as a law enforcement officer in the city, would receive any good treatment in the end.

If I had to give an example, Yukari Yakumo herself would be one.

Even though the mediator Yukari Yakumo tries her best to maintain fairness during mediation, there are countless instances where both parties involved in her mediation feel that her rulings are flawed.

Given the nature of a demon, it wouldn't be surprising if he developed a deep hatred for her.

Before meeting Kurokawa Kazuya, Yakumo Yukari had already made preparations to steal the Hakurei Shrine Maiden from Heian-kyo someday in the future.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "A soul that rejects everything, that's not really important to this town, is it?"

After reading the paper documents in his hand, Kurokawa Kazuya looked up at the other person with a somewhat puzzled expression.

Reimu Hakurei's abilities may sound impressive, but they don't actually have much of a visible effect on the town right now.

Not to mention the materials written by Yukari Yakumo.

The key role of Reimu's soul is actually to resist the changes of the times, allowing the supernatural power that gradually weakens with the passage of time to exist.

However, the overall changes in the world brought about by the passage of time are measured in millennia.

To be honest, given a thousand years, with the town now supported by the continuous stream of faith he provides, he doesn't know how far his side could have developed.

The existence of Reimu Hakurei's soul seems rather superfluous.

Yukari Yakumo: "Because this transaction itself is not for the sake of this town right now."

Having said that, Yukari Yakumo looked at Kazuya Kurokawa with a serious expression.

Yukari Yakumo: "Some things should be discussed openly. You've been in contact with me, Master, but I didn't know about that other dimension. I guess it's probably the future of this world... From that perspective, should I call you 'a person from the future'?"

The blonde woman observed Kurokawa and Miyako.

Based on past observations, I know that Kurokawa and Miyako shouldn't care what I'm saying.

But at this moment, even the demon's muscles were slightly tense.

After all, the current situation is related to Kurokawa Kazuya's core objectives.

However, from Yukari Yakumo's perspective, it's better to bring this matter out into the open than to hide it.

As they spend more time together, Kurokawa and Mi inevitably reveal various traces of the modern world, and even the most densely-minded Yukari Yakumo can sense the problems.

She had been thinking about how to handle this issue and came to the conclusion that the key was to be open and honest right now...

If Kurokawa Kazuya disagrees, she will completely avoid the matter afterward, and may even allow the other party to seal away some of her memories.

This is better than accidentally crossing the other party's bottom line without realizing it, which could lead to hostility between the two sides.

The demon in the realm is very satisfied with its current state.

She is content with the town, content with the future, and content with her current relationship with Kurokawa Kazuya.

She would try to eliminate all uncertainties that might affect its internal operation.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "I think it's highly unlikely that they are from the future. It's more likely to be a parallel universe or another world. You can just call that the modern world for now."

He thought for a moment and then gave his answer.

Yukari Yakumo: "Then let's name it after the modern world for now, as you said, Master. Based on the technology and other information you provided, Master, that modern world shouldn't have supernatural powers like youkai. But since Anja Hachimi was able to go there, there's no reason why other humans can't go."

At that moment, the blonde girl reached out to Kurokawa Kazuya, gesturing towards Hakurei Reimu, who was sitting next to her.

Yukari Yakumo: "Master, you may not trust my moral standards, but you can definitely trust Reimu, right?"

Kurokawa Kazuya: "The premise is that she can separate from that person in Heian-kyo. If she can separate, I am very willing to believe her."

He spoke his mind without any reservations.

His trust in Reimu Hakurei stemmed not from anything else, but solely from everything Reimu Hakurei had done in the past and present.

The sharp-tongued witch's past acts of self-sacrifice to protect the city speak volumes.

Kurokawa Kazuya is willing to believe in such a hero.

Yukari Yakumo: "That's fine then. I can use my power of realm to help with the separation. After you send the other party to another world, the connection between the two will be completely severed."

The Boundary Demon seemed to have been prepared all along when he put forward his idea.

Then she looked at Kurokawa Kazuya and nodded:

"Then it's time for you, Master, to negotiate with Reimu. If you can persuade her to go, perhaps there's a way to establish what I call 'Gensokyo' in the modern world, allowing the people there to also possess the means to wield extraordinary powers, and this..."

Looking intently at Kurokawa Kazuya, the yokai, exuding an air of wisdom, placed the folding fan in front of his mouth, revealing a peaceful yet slightly alluring smile.

Yukari Yakumo: "This should be a way to help you, Master, to access the modern world."

Kazuya Kurokawa: "..."

Silence fell for a moment.

Kurokawa and Yato admitted that they were completely persuaded by each other's words.

He looked at Yakumo Yukari, as if he wanted to say something, but saw her simply smiling and pointing with her folding fan at Hakurei Reimu, who was staring straight at Kurokawa Kazuya with her black eyes.

Reimu Hakurei: "If I said I wanted to build a society where everyone doesn't have to betray their feelings and everyone can live according to their own ideas, what would you think?"

Kazuya Kurokawa: "..."

He didn't feel the urge to call the other person an idiot at this moment; he just felt that the witch's ideas were a bit too idealistic.

Seeing this, Yukari Yakumo added:

"What Reimu really likes most is the Taoist concept of a small country with few people, where people don't yearn to travel far, don't care about distant places, and live a quiet and peaceful life on the land."

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Revere antiquity?"

Yukari Yakumo: "It's not necessarily about worshipping the past. I just hope that everyone can eat well, dress beautifully, live comfortably, and be happy. But beyond these things, don't ask for more. Just be content with what you have and live your life peacefully."

Kazuya Kurokawa: "I understand, castration of desire."

Reimu Hakurei: "I didn't think that way. I just don't want people to develop too many desires during interactions, which could lead to deception and war."

Staring at Kurokawa Kazuya, Reimu stated her point of view.

Kurokawa Kazuya looked at the other person, his gaze gradually becoming strange.

Because Kurokawa Kazuya had heard about what Reimu said about being in this kind of living condition.

And this world truly does exist, exactly as Reimu described—a city just like the one she depicted.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Reimu, are you talking about the Lunarians?"

The desireless moon people look down on earth people, considering them unclean, while those in the heavens, at least to each other, are in the state described by Reimu.

However, the girl dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit stared wide-eyed at Kurokawa Kazuya's statement.

Hakurei Reimu: "..."

But she just stared silently at Kurokawa and Miya for a while.

The fervent emotions, like a campfire doused with water, quickly died out.

The girl dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit gradually slumped down.

Reimu Hakurei: "I said I'm not trying to castrate desires. I just want everyone to stop deceiving each other, to stop having superiors and subordinates, and to stop anyone from arbitrarily taking anyone's life."

Kazuya Kurokawa: "If such a world truly exists, it's either the legendary utopian society, or..."

Seeing that the shrine maiden's mood had clearly soured, Kurokawa Kazuya bluntly wanted to tell her that everything she imagined was impossible.

But halfway through the conversation, he suddenly realized a rather important issue.

It's probably because the people she encounters are either princesses from the moon, or youkai from different realms, or at the very least, carefree young ladies like Saigyouji Yuyuko who have no desires.

Kurokawa Kazuya almost subconsciously overestimated the breadth of knowledge of the vast majority of people in this era.

A shrine maiden who lost her emotions in Heian-kyo and embarked on a path of severing all desires.

The world she has seen is actually not that big.

Because of her unique dual identity as a priestess and a cultivator, the power structure within Heian-kyo is also closed to her.

She usually serves more as a tool for judgment or even a tool for killing.

The world as seen through the eyes of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden may be smaller than Kurokawa Kazuya imagined.

Because I haven't seen many things, my ideal form is also in its initial stage, without any rules and full of wild imagination.

Especially in today's rapidly changing town, it might give the other party some wonderful illusions.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Words alone won't do any good. I can't give you the answer about Reimu either. Instead of saying so much, why don't you go and see for yourself?"

He offered his advice to the priestess before him.

[6.5k words, third update]

Chapter 131 Banami swallows the medicine

The familiar modern bed brings a fragrance completely different from that of another world.

When Banami woke up in her bed in the early morning, she almost instinctively wanted to use her ability to conjure up a notebook and pen for herself.

This is a habit that Banami developed after living in another world for so long.

Perhaps because I have a lot of things to deal with every day, recording what I need to do each day has become a habit.

It sounds like a typical office worker's life, but it's not as exaggerated as you might think.

There are differences between jobs, and it's important to see the tangible changes that your daily efforts bring to those around you.

Seeing your actions truly bring a happy smile to the face of the person in front of you.

This is more of a reward than a job?

One's actions can genuinely influence others and bring about real change.

This is really no different from a game, right?

After all, if he really caused trouble because of his own actions, he could still have supernatural powers to cover for him, use his imagination to make up for the shortcomings, and use Kurokawa and Miya to have comprehensive control over the town.

Then, we'll turn things around again.

At first, Banami did these things just to find something to do, but as time went on...