The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

"Why are you still alive?"

Shi Bai: "???"

"We don't seem to have any deep-seated hatred between us, so why are you so eager for me to die?"

Shi Bai rolled his eyes, speechless.

"I've already checked carefully, and there's almost no desire in your heart... You should know what desire is, right?"

The black-haired girl sat down on the rock, suspended in mid-air, and looked at the forest in front of her.

"Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—these emotions, broadly speaking, can all be considered part of desire. Even the most virtuous and respected monks, whose hearts are as still as a deep well and who spend their days with the ancient Buddha, still have all sorts of desires within them. But in you, I can hardly sense any desire at all."

"Uh... does this mean I have the potential for enlightenment? If I choose to enter the Buddhist order, I can become a renowned monk in just a few days?"

He sat down on the rock as well, and Shi Bai reached out and scratched his hair.

"...deliberately changing the subject is a clumsy act."

After a moment of silence, the black-haired girl turned to look at him and said this in a low voice.

"Your mind is like a stagnant pool, never stirred by a ripple. No matter what happens before you, it cannot move you in the slightest. According to my deduction, you don't even have emotions, which are essential. You're like an incredibly hard stone that doesn't react to the outside world, or an ice block sealed by the Abyss for ten thousand years... You don't even have the desire to live. How are you still alive?"

"It feels like this has suddenly turned into a philosophical question..."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai spoke seriously.

"How come I'm still alive? I believe everyone is familiar with the fact that I'm still alive, but let me explain how it works."

I'm still alive. Actually, I'm just still alive. People might be surprised that I'm still alive, but that's the truth, and I'm very surprised myself.

That's the story of why I'm still alive. What are your thoughts? Feel free to share them in the comments section and let's discuss!

"........."

The black-haired girl didn't say anything, she just stared at him calmly, showing no intention of looking away.

After staring at each other for a minute, Shi Bai helplessly raised his hands and announced his surrender.

"Alright, alright, I'm really scared of you... Let me put it this way, at some point in the past, I sealed away most of my things, hoping to slowly wear them down over time. Under these circumstances, it's not impossible for you to sense my desires."

"Is that all?"

The black-haired girl lowered her eyes.

"In fact, everyone's actions are driven by their desires. So what is the desire that drives you forward? Judging from what I just sensed from you, your heart should have died long ago."

"Uh... I wanted to blow up a place."

Shi Bai spread his hands, appearing quite frank.

"My heart won't die of old age; after all, there are still some grudges I haven't settled. As for what happens after that, I think I should make some changes by then."

“...Hiranoin Ban”.

"Um……?"

“Hiranoin Baku, that’s my name.”

The black-haired girl raised her head.

"You should have always carried the jade pendant I gave you with you, right?"

"Uh... of course."

Shi Bai nodded somewhat guiltily.

So, even if I just casually tossed it into a corner and didn't care about it... I guess that counts as carrying it with me, right? I actually went through quite a bit of trouble to find it before...

"Remember to keep it safe and don't lose it; it's a very important thing."

The black-haired girl stood up.

"It's still early, let me show you around the Monster Mountain... By the way, do you need any help?"

"What can you help me with?"

Shi Bai stood up as well, and was slightly taken aback.

"It will motivate you."

Hirain Bō stared at him without blinking.

“I can control desires. You have almost no desires driving you, which makes you careless. I can offer you a little help to rekindle those desires.”

"Hmm... does that mean I'll become a passionate young man from now on?"

"You've only reached the level of a normal person. Don't you think you're too different from ordinary people?"

Nichirain Bō shook his head.

"I just think I'm a little bit of a procrastinator and lazy... Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

After uttering a brief, unspoken argument, Shi Bai simply nodded.

After all, if he really investigated, he found that he might actually have some problems. For example, he never took the initiative to look for Kazami Yuuka. Even if he said he would look for Kazami Yuuka and Junko, it was just talk.

You should know that at the very beginning, he had promised Hou Yi that he would help him find the missing Heng'e, but he never took any action to do so. It's not that he forgot, but rather that he was completely indifferent to the search.

Given that he has almost no desires, this is roughly the situation. He only does things when he thinks of them occasionally, and he doesn't even have a three-minute attention span, let alone a one-minute attention span.

He might not have realized it before, but now, thanks to Hirain's reminder, he has discovered that he has changed so much without even noticing, and it was a completely subtle change.

Before Yuxiang disappeared... didn't she tell me to go and find her?

Although this matter had always been on my mind, as time went by, I never actually took any action. The only time I did take action was when I happened to think of asking Yukari Yakumo to help me search...

Have I become so Zen-like now?

Thinking of this, Shi Bai couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Is it just laziness? I control desires, and no one knows your current situation better than me. If it weren't for that little desire that's keeping you going, what do you think you would be like now?"

He glared at him with some displeasure, and then stepped forward.

"If I hadn't discovered you today and realized your current state, what do you think you would have become in the future? A completely desireless and heartless boulder?"

"It seems I'm still very lucky. Thank you very much this time."

Shi Bai looked relieved.

"But what are you going to do? As for me... wait, is it really necessary to get this close?"

"Lower your head."

Biting her lip, the long-haired black-haired loli, who had somehow transformed into her true form, whispered something to herself.

"Why are you lowering your head? Why don't you just keep the same posture as before... ugh!?"

Before Shi Bai could finish speaking, a certain infuriated little girl grabbed his collar, forcibly pulled him to her level, and then forcefully kissed him.

Shi Bai: "..."

So does this mean I got forcibly kissed by a loli again...? Wait, why did I say "again"?

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P.S.: Good morning! ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

Chapter Six: The Light of Righteousness Shines Upon the Earth

Although it is said that even the wisest person can make a mistake, Shi Bai felt that his luck was actually quite good.

As Luo Yuan said on the same day, his emotions were becoming increasingly indifferent over the long period of time, but he himself was unaware of it.

It was as if everything was happening to him from an outsider's perspective; he viewed himself entirely from a third-party viewpoint, without the slightest ripple in his heart... such as the period when he was Qin Hesheng.

If this continues, he may eventually choose to freeze himself again.

This is something that one must bear as an immortal being.

However, with the help of Hirain, he finally felt his heart beating again. Unlike before, when everything seemed to be separated by a thin film, everything around him now felt incredibly real.

He felt the wind blowing and heard the chirping of insects in the roadside grass. He felt as if he had come back to life. If the world before was just a virtual game with 80% virtuality in his eyes, then the virtual world in front of him had now become reality.

"How are you feeling now?"

Covering her forehead with one hand to resist the overwhelming waves of sleepiness, Hirain Hana asked the man in front of her who had suddenly fallen silent.

Although she was able to manipulate desires, it still took her a great deal of effort to help the other person rekindle all the desires of a normal human being.

"Only today do I realize who I am... Thank you so much this time."

With a long sigh, Shi Bai glanced at the black-haired loli in front of him, who seemed rather listless, took out a sofa from his storage ring, placed it on the protruding rock platform, and then carefully helped her sit down on the sofa.

"Get a good night's sleep, I'll stay here with you."

Shi Bai sat down on the rock, leaning against the sofa, and looked up at Lin Hai in front of him.

The evening breeze from the mountains brought a touch of coolness.

"Not bad, it has reached the minimum standard for ordinary humans."

After placing his hand on the other person's shoulder and sensing for a moment, Hiragin Hana breathed a sigh of relief and then adjusted himself into a more comfortable position on the sofa.

"If it were you from before, you probably would have left right now, right?"

"There's nothing I can do about it. It's hardest to resist the kindness of a beautiful woman. Anyway, I don't have anything to do right now."

With a smile, Shi Bai took the jade bamboo flute that he had always kept tucked into his waistband.

"You should rest now. I'll play a piece for you. What kind of music would you like to hear?"

"lullaby."

After thinking for a moment, Hirain Hana nodded.

"Or a more relaxed piece of music is fine."

"Relaxing, isn't it..."

After gazing at the starlight overhead and pondering for a moment, Shi Bai held the bamboo flute to his lips.

A solitary cliff by the Heavenly Lake, the bright moon shining among the pines.

The moonlight shone down like water, and the area beneath the solitary rock appeared as clear and still as if filled with water.

Suddenly, the sound of a bamboo flute rose leisurely. At first, it was as desolate as the autumn wind and as serene as the winter rain. Then, it was like a clear spring rinsing stones and the morning dew, giving one a sense of transcending the mundane world and floating on the wind, as if one were an immortal.

Staring blankly at the profile of the black-haired man playing the bamboo flute with his eyes closed in the moonlight, and listening to the flute music coming from his ears, Hirain Hana suddenly felt his heart pounding for no reason.

Soon, the song ended.

"What's the name of the tune you just played?"

The little girl's eyes shone as if stars existed within them.

"It hasn't been named yet. It's just something I came up with on the spur of the moment. You can give it a name later."

Turning his head, Shi Bai smiled at Ri Luoyuan, who was lying on his side on the sofa.

"Let me play you another tune. This one is called Castle in the Sky, but it's best to listen to it with your eyes closed... Close your eyes and go to sleep, or I won't play it for you."

"Ah."

Obediently nodding, Hirain closed her eyes.

After confirming that the other person had really closed their eyes, the person secretly took out their phone, found an app, opened it, and pressed the music play button.

Those who play tactics are actually cunning.

Shi Bai is especially serious about winning over lolis.

Those who know their own situation understand that the reason he played so well just now was not because he was particularly skilled at playing the bamboo flute, but because he used a small prop on the spot.

【Title: The Imprint of Vocal Music】

[Type: consumables]

【Usage: Simply stick it on and use it. It significantly improves the quality of music within a three-minute time limit, and automatically breaks after the time limit is up】

[Note: A boon for tone-deaf people -]

This prop was a little gadget he made a long time ago. After it was finished, he casually threw it into a pile of trash. Now it can be said that it is being put to good use.