Two Worlds, Starting with Kaguya of Penglai Mountain

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Oh, if you don't want to ask, I'll just tell you directly."

He glanced at Goto Ichiri's profile picture on the screen, who was still on a call: "At least Pochi is really into your band. Even though she's socially awkward, she craves social interaction and friends. You can imagine what ending the band would mean for her."

Kurokawa Kazuya did not provide detailed explanations but simply gave a brief account.

After hearing these words, Ichiji Nijika paused for a moment before nodding.

Ijichi Nijika: "So, Pochi came to see Kurokawa?"

Thinking about this, she finally relaxed a little.

Seeing her like this, Kurokawa Kazuya wanted to say something...

The blonde girl put her index finger to her lips through the screen, making a "shh" gesture to Kurokawa Kazuya.

Ichi Nijika: "As a senior, I can't just listen to what my juniors don't want me to hear. Kurokawa, I already know what you said, and I'll go talk to Kita about it next."

With a bright smile on her face, Ichiji Nijika said this.

Nijika Ichi: "That's all for today. I will do my best to complete the task you mentioned, Kurokawa."

The girl waved to Kurokawa Kazuya through the screen.

Kurokawa Kazuya nodded and said nothing more.

The call interface with Ijichi Nijika was then closed, and Kurokawa Kazuya reopened the window for communicating with Goto Ichiri, which had remained open.

The pink fluffy ball of fur, nestled in the closet, was happily swaying from side to side, looking extremely content, with pink bubbles seemingly rising from its head.

He clearly felt that ending the band wouldn't mean disbanding, that his past life could continue, and that he felt extremely satisfied with that.

The girl, who had been giggling foolishly, suddenly shuddered when she realized that Nijika's conversation had ended and Kurokawa Kazuya was looking at her.

I have no idea what this guy was thinking.

Goto Ichiri: "Thank you, Lord Kurokawa, for your blessing. As a believer, I will from this day forward regard you as the highest being. Amen~"

The pink-haired girl clasped her hands together and solemnly prayed.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "..."

This Pochi is acting crazy again.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Although you seem quite happy right now, I have to remind you of something."

As he spoke, he gave Goto Ichiri a meaningful look:

"Because I requested that the band finish with a new song within three weeks, I remember you were responsible for writing the lyrics for the new song. Please remember to keep your work at 'Refresh Co., Ltd.' while you're working on the lyrics. I also need you to arrange the music for my new game; the deadline is the end of this month, as agreed."

Goto Ichiri: (⊙_⊙)

She's been so preoccupied with thinking about Hongxia lately that she seems to have forgotten what's most important to her.

She hasn't even touched the pen yet when it comes to the new song.

【2-in-1】

Chapter 51 Youyouzi Dances Under the Moon

The full moon hangs high in the night sky.

In the courtyard of the Saigyouji family in Heian-kyo, a huge cherry blossom tree swayed in the wind, and pink petals continued to flutter outwards under the bright moonlight, as if the cherry blossoms on the tree would never end.

Dressed in a simple kimono, Saigyouji Yuyuko holds a folding fan and performs a gentle dance under a tree.

Pink petals swirled and converged as she danced.

Transparent, luminous butterflies were hidden among the cherry blossoms around her, swaying and flying in sync with her dance.

The Saigyouji family's core secret technique, the Phantom Butterfly that guides death, can ignite a desire for death within the living simply by seeing it, leading to suicidal impulses.

These phantom butterflies gathered around Saigyouji Yuyuko, as if flying around her, yet also as if they were bound to her.

Kami-mae witches channel the power of the gods.

At this moment, Saigyouji Yuyuko is performing the most traditional and typical shrine maiden dance.

However, unlike the shrine maidens whose dances are performed for deities, Saigyouji Yuyuko's current object of worship is the enormous cherry blossom tree before her.

The beautiful, enormous cherry blossom tree cast long shadows under the moonlight.

A black shadow, baring its fangs and claws, surrounded Saigyouji Yuyuko, as if it would devour her at any moment.

However, just before it was about to touch Saigyouji Yuyuko's shadow, it was persuaded by the power guided by her dance to return to the vicinity of the cherry blossom tree.

From this perspective, Saigyouji Yuyuko, who is performing a dance before the gods, seems more like a prisoner of the gods than a devotee of them.

As the shadows were gradually pulled back, the atmosphere in the Saigyouji courtyard became increasingly peaceful.

When Saigyouji Yuyuko, waving her folding fan and dancing, finally completed her dance, the butterflies that had been dancing around her and guiding her to death turned into specks of light and scattered, and all the strange things in the courtyard disappeared without a trace.

The beautiful and enormous cherry blossom tree had become indistinguishable from any other normal tree.

"finished?"

Youmu Konpaku, who had been silently guarding Yuyuko Saigyouji, asked her mistress a question while handing her a warm towel she had just prepared.

"Yes, it's over."

After the dance, the sickly girl had fine beads of sweat on her body.

The girl took the towel from Youmu's hand and carefully wiped her cheeks and neck.

Youmu Konpaku: "Lord Yuyuko, the sealing time today seems to be unusually long."

Saigyouji Yuyuko: "I was a little distracted because I was thinking about what's been happening lately."

The pink-haired young lady smiled and spoke to her samurai.

Youmu Konpaku: "Indeed, a lot has happened recently, more than in the previous few years combined."

The master and servant chatted casually.

After gently wiping her cheeks, Saigyouji Yuyuko sat on a stone in the courtyard. She looked up at the full moon and began to sing softly.

That was the first time the girls who had recently disbanded their band sang "Guitar, Loneliness, and the Blue Planet" for her.

"The sudden downpour, I hate that I didn't bring an umbrella, and I can't be bothered to care about the mood of the sky, at the turn of the seasons..."

Not enough, not enough. No one has noticed yet. The chaotic, disordered sounds, the low, guttural roars—who can see this so-called "true self"...?

I am alone on this blue planet, and I have heard many voices. The Earth has been rotating for hundreds of millions of years, so even a moment is precious. Please listen to my voice.

I exist here alone, my chaotic voice a low, incoherent roar, simply wanting to be, wanting to be

No matter who it is, fool like me can only sing at the top of my lungs and pour out everything to the stars.

Yuyuko's voice echoed in the courtyard where cherry blossoms were fluttering.

The music should have transitioned from a calm beginning to a passionate one, but when sung by this pink-haired young lady, it carried a serene and open-minded quality.

As the daughter of the legendary singer Yoshikiyo Sato, Yuyuko Saigyouji's singing skills are actually quite good; she can sing any other person's song as if it were her own.

Saigyouji Yuyuko: "They worked so hard, but unfortunately I couldn't capture their spirit in my singing."

Looking at the sky, the young lady seemed to be murmuring something, or perhaps speaking to the samurai spirit Youmu beside her.

The first time I listened, I heard the beauty of another world; the second time I listened, I heard the youth of a girl; the third time I listened, I heard the efforts of a girl named Goto Ichiri.

In recent days, through the trials of the End Band, I have gradually become acquainted with the four of them.

Saigyouji Yuyuko's attitude towards their songs also shifted from a grand perspective to a micro perspective.

By this point, I could basically understand the true meaning behind the lyrics written by the girl named Goto Ichiri.

Of course, what she savored more was the sense of exhilaration brought about by the young girls who had ended their band careers, all pursuing a common goal.

That was something Saigyouji Yuyuko never had, and it wasn't because she was going to die in three or four years.

Death, in theory, should make people more hysterical in their pursuit of the present.

Saigyouji Yuyuko remained very calm, showing little negative emotion beyond a slight initial resentment.

After almost all of her family members died, she began to live a lazy life and peacefully await her own death.

As for the reasons...

Saigyouji Yuyuko probably didn't have much attachment to living.

Living in the Saigyouji family, she was raised from childhood as a potential bride for an arranged marriage. Apart from fulfilling some family responsibilities, there was nothing else she had to do.

Saigyouji Yuyuko is essentially empty of everything, which is also the state of the vast majority of ancient noble ladies like her.

Their affluent family background meant they didn't have to worry about making a living.

The positioning of them as commodities for marriage prevents them from having much contact with the outside world.

And so, he lived a quiet life, following the arrangements of his family, and lived out his life.

The training in this area has long been a systematic process.

Social trends, people's opinions, family attitudes—all these converge into a common sense that anchors "what you should do."

Under normal circumstances, Saigyouji Yuyuko would not have any doubts about anything about herself, let alone have any idea of ​​changing her lifestyle.

But everything Kurokawa and Mi brought was clearly too shocking.

In particular, her completely different attitude towards life when she interacts with several girls her age who were in the band with Kurokawa and Miwa is truly shocking to Saigyouji Yuyuko.

Saigyouji Yuyuko: "Youmu has been playing games with Mr. Kurokawa lately, hasn't she?"

Youmu Konpaku: "Yes."

Saigyouji Yuyuko: "How are you feeling?"

Youmu Konpaku: "?"

The meticulous samurai was stunned, as if he hadn't quite caught up with his young lady's sudden change of topic.

Chapter 52 The Westward Traveler's Late-Night Visitor

Youmu Konpaku: "If Grandpa were to evaluate this, everything I've been doing right now would be a waste of time. All that training was just a mess."

After careful consideration, the earnest samurai gave his evaluation to his lord.

Continuously choreograph your moves to make them look cooler and more powerful.

Kurokawa Kazuya's demands on Youmu Konpaku would absolutely provoke dissatisfaction from any seasoned swordsman.

Is this some kind of illusion practice or swordsmanship practice?

Not to mention that many of the moves that Youmu Konpaku has recently designed are moves that would be considered suicidal in real-world combat.

For example, swing your sword the instant a ranged weapon hits you, sending the weapon flying and bouncing back.

What kind of lunatic would play like that in a fight? Who knows what kind of modifications the opponent made to their ranged weapons?

For example, forcing players to complete the original level even when they can jump but choose not to.

What idiot would restrain himself while fighting?

Saigyouji Yuyuko: "But Youmu seems pretty happy lately."

Youmu Konpaku: "Discussing matters with young master Kurokawa is indeed very interesting."

The earnest white-haired girl never lies; she honestly describes her feelings.

Although many of the designs proposed by Kurokawa Kazuya are completely meaningless in reality, doing these things in the game will bring extra rewards and may even enhance one's skills to a certain extent.

With the help of Youmu Konpaku, Kazuya Kurokawa modified the game's original skill tree to some extent.

Simply put, it means that training grounds have been designed to unlock many skills.

Players must meet the training requirements for this skill in order to have the right to use it.

The game created by Kazuya Kurokawa features a post-capture playback function. To allow players to enjoy their brilliant performances without getting bored, each level is not very long.

Some skills are unlocked based on these small levels, and players need to clear a certain number of levels under specific conditions.

Hidden kill, no jumping, using grappling hook, killing all monsters, sneak attack and killing all monsters, killing all monsters with traps, etc.

Besides these, there are also specific ways to unlock skills against specific monsters: ambushing and stunning a certain number of giants, ambushing a certain number of patrol dogs, killing a boss that is invincible from the front with a trap, and so on.