The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

Facing her gaze directly, the female detective calmly shook her head and then held up a piece of paper that had been written on beforehand.

I will be of greater use and help if I stay in the Lunar Capital. Don't worry about me; I am capable of protecting myself.

"Since this is your decision, then I respect your decision."

Seemingly letting out a silent sigh, Yagokoro Eirin handed over a pre-prepared file.

"I don't have much time left in the Lunar Capital, but before I leave, I will make all the necessary arrangements and plans. These notes are my backup plans in the Lunar Capital, which will be of great help if you encounter any danger or difficulties in the future."

Silently accepting the file, the female detective nodded gently.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Eirin Yagokoro looked at the Detective Hishigami in front of her.

"........."

After thinking for a moment, she took out another piece of paper from her pocket, placed it on the table, and handed it over. The female detective took the file, turned around, and walked out of Eirin Yagokoro's laboratory.

Curious, Yagokoro Eirin took the note and looked at it. The handwriting on the note was very neat, and there was only one line of text.

Please tell him that the wontons are delicious.

...............................................................

Spring drowsiness, autumn fatigue, summer lethargy, and three months of winter sleepiness.

As the cold front arrived, overnight, the earth was covered in silver and transformed into a snow-white world.

Wearing a cotton-padded coat, Fujiwara no Mokou arrived at the bamboo house deep in the bamboo forest as usual. The green bamboo and white snow gave it a rather special feel.

When Fujiwara no Mokou braved the chill to arrive, a kotatsu had already been lit in the bright living room. Kaguya Houraisan, who was almost completely buried in the kotatsu, was comfortably playing games on the table, with a few plates of snacks scattered on the table.

Upon seeing her arrival, Kaguya Houraisan waved to her quite enthusiastically.

Taking off her shoes, Fujiwara no Mokou sat down at the table and buried herself in the warm kotatsu. She looked around with a hint of curiosity.

"Kaguya, where is your older brother?"

"Is this your elder brother? He's been locking himself in his room for the past few days, I don't know what he's doing."

With a slight pursed lip, Kaguya Houraisan pointed to someone's room.

"Not only that, he also specially set up a barrier to prevent me from entering. Not only did he prevent me from going in, but he also didn't leave the house for several days. By the way, my elder brother said he was going to hibernate."

"Hibernation...wait, what if something unexpected happens?"

Fujiwara no Mokou was clearly taken aback for a moment, and then her words began to sound worried.

"If you lock yourself in your room for several days..."

"Yes, yes, I was really worried myself, so I was thinking of asking Mokou for your help~"

Kaguya Houraisan put down her game console and nodded vigorously.

"So, could you please go in and see what my brother is doing? He said he would be out in two or three days at most, but it's been almost seven days now."

"Worry……"

Fujiwara no Mokou looked down at the snacks and game console on the table.

"After researching for several days to break that damn barrier, it's normal to want to relax a bit after feeling tired, right?"

The NEET girl looked completely self-righteous.

"Mohong, you have no idea how insane the barrier my stupid older brother set up was. I studied it for several days without finding a clue, but I finally managed to tear open a gap that would allow an ordinary person to enter."

"He hasn't come out for seven days... I'm going in to check now."

Fujiwara no Mokou's expression changed slightly as she stood up.

"Wait a minute... take this with you."

She hurriedly ran back to her room and took out a folding stool.

"Although my older brother is inside and there shouldn't be any danger or accidents, you never know what might happen, so Mokou, take this artifact with you just in case!!"

Fujiwara no Mokou: "..."

..................................................................

This is a space completely filled with blood and darkness.

As Fujiwara no Mokou stepped into the room with a folding stool in her hand, she unconsciously held her breath.

Not only were the windows obscured by a dark shadow, but the entire room, which was not actually very large, was filled with a strange, ominous, blood-red glow.

Subconsciously biting her lip, Fujiwara no Mokou opened her eyes wide and looked around the room, trying to find that figure. However, the pervasive crimson color that enveloped the entire room blocked her vision, limiting visibility to a very small area around her. She could only search slowly.

Fortunately, the room wasn't very big to begin with, and after searching for about a minute, Fujiwara no Mokou found the figure near the corner of the wall.

The other person was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, with their head bowed as if they were asleep.

A surge of joy welled up in her heart, and Fujiwara no Mokou quickly stepped forward. Although she didn't know what had happened inside the house, the unsettling bloody aura in the air made her eager to turn around and flee.

But before that, he had to take the other person out.

However, to her surprise, just as she approached the other person, he suddenly raised his head, and a pair of blood-red eyes came into her view.

Startled by the overwhelming killing intent emanating from the other party, Fujiwara no Mokou stood frozen in place, her outstretched hand, which she had intended to use to help him, also froze in mid-air.

In this strange and bizarre situation, the two stared at each other for a long time before the blood-red color in the other's eyes slowly faded, and an unusually hoarse voice came from the man in front of him.

"Didn't I tell you that you're not allowed in here?"

"Because Kaguya said you haven't gone out for several days, we're worried about it..."

“There’s no need to worry. Tell her for me that I’ll be out in three days at most. And, out.”

Before Fujiwara no Mokou could finish her sentence, she was interrupted in an extremely calm manner by the man in front of her who had lowered his head again.

"It's dangerous in here. Didn't I set up a barrier beforehand? How did you get in... Never mind, none of that matters. Let's get out of here."

"But your current situation seems to be..."

"Can't you hear me? I told you to get out."

"...Is there anything I can help you with? You seem to be in a pretty bad situation."

Biting her lip, Fujiwara no Mokou not only had no intention of leaving the room, but instead sat down on the floor.

"We're all worried about you. If there's anything wrong, just tell us..."

"go out."

The man's voice turned cold.

"Do I need to repeat myself a few more times? It's dangerous here, you..."

For some reason, Fujiwara no Mokou felt a surge of anger and, mimicking the other woman's usual actions, delivered a chop to the head, successfully interrupting her words with a physical action.

"Get out, get out, get out! Can't you even be a little nicer?! You're clearly the one who needs help the most right now!"

"...Even Xiaoye has never hit me."

A moment later, someone's soft voice rang out.

"So what!? Even an Onmyoji is still a human being with a fragile body. You clearly need my help, right!? Can't you be a little more honest with me!?"

Fujiwara no Mokou's anger had not subsided.

"...Could you please get me a glass of water?"

After a moment of silence, someone's voice rang out again in the room.

P.S.: I just realized that if I missed a day, I wouldn't have perfect attendance... I'm forcing myself to write even though I'm sick, please consider how diligently I've worked...

Chapter Thirty-One: The First Time Stolen

Fujiwara no Mokou was quite annoyed.

Although she was not favored by her father, she was born into a wealthy family and still had some understanding of the profession of Onmyoji.

The main method used by Onmyoji to fight against monsters is to command monsters and make them their shikigami. However, this method also carries considerable risks. If the commanded shikigami turns against them and the Onmyoji is not prepared in advance to suppress it, the Onmyoji will suffer extremely serious damage, which may even endanger their lives.

Such examples are not uncommon in Fujiwara Kyoto. Every year, several unlucky Onmyoji are killed by the shikigami they command, their bodies left in pieces.

If she didn't understand what was happening in the room when she first entered, then after seeing the figure sitting against the wall, almost as if dead, and considering the eerie situation in the room, Fujiwara no Mokou already knew what had happened.

This is a classic case of a shikigami turning against itself!

When introducing himself to others or to Fujiwara no Mokou, someone might say that he and his sister, who were cursed and forced to live in this place because they were victims of a villain, and that he was out selling paintings to support his family. Therefore, Fujiwara no Mokou would naturally associate this situation with him.

Furthermore, by combining these clues, she was able to mentally fill in the gaps in the events without any instruction.

Realizing that his shikigami had backfired, the older brother, acting out of responsibility, erected a barrier and chose to lock himself in his room alone to face the danger, lest the rampaging shikigami harm his sister. However, due to the perilous nature of the process, or perhaps some unforeseen event, the timing of his plan was off. This led to Kaguya Houraisan breaking through the barrier to rescue her brother, but lacking the power to enter herself, she had to ask him to do it on her behalf.

This is what she believes to be the whole story.

Fujiwara no Mokou felt quite lucky, because in the low-probability event of a Shikigami used by an Onmyoji turning against the Onmyoji, the most dangerous stage was the very beginning, which was extremely risky.

Although Onmyoji possess magical powers that enable them to fight against yokai, even the most powerful Onmyoji still has a fragile human body and is completely at a disadvantage against yokai.

However, once the initial hurdle is overcome, the subsequent dangers are almost nonexistent. That's why Fujiwara no Mokou felt very lucky, because judging from the situation in the room, the crisis had clearly been safely overcome by the other party.

Since the other party made up a ridiculous excuse to avoid worrying his sister, Fujiwara no Mokou initially intended to pretend she didn't know anything about it. However, the other party's tone and attitude became extremely rude, and given her personality, she simply couldn't tolerate it... After all, she was Fujiwara no Mokou, who had been invincible in Fujiwara Kyoto since childhood.

In other words, you risked your life to run into the room to check the situation and rescue the person. You clearly knew in your heart that there was no danger in the room anymore, but the other party didn't mention this at all and just kept telling you to get out. Anyone would find that unbearable.

If it weren't for the fact that the other party looked completely exhausted after suppressing the rebellious shikigami she had been controlling, and that her spirit of sacrificing herself to protect her sister was commendable, she would have already picked up the folding stool next to her and smashed it down, which would have been a good way to get revenge for the hand chop she had often received from the other party before...

"Shikigami... You also know about the things between Onmyoji?"

Shi Bai's eyes flickered slightly, his expression remaining noncommittal.

"Of course! Who do you think I am? My family is the Fujiwara clan, the most powerful clan in Fujiwara Kyoto! Do you know how many Onmyoji my family employs?!"

Fujiwara no Mokou angrily placed a glass of water, which she had poured from the desk in her room, on the floor in front of someone, her face still showing no good expression.

"If you foresaw this would happen, why didn't you just ask me for help?! If an Onmyoji's shikigami goes berserk, how many other Onmyoji are around to help you suppress them?! Is it really necessary to risk your life?!"

"Ha... What happened to me can't be resolved by just a few other Onmyoji..."

He seemed to smile slightly, leaned his head back against the wall, and closed his eyes.

"If you want to stay in the room, then stay here. I'll probably need another half day to recover... I remember the time you hit me earlier."

"What, you just hit me like that? You've hit me with a chop to the neck so many times before, so you're allowed to hit me but I'm not allowed to hit you?!"

Sitting on a folding stool kindly provided by a certain NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) girl, Fujiwara no Mokou looked fierce.

"We were exhausted from suppressing the shikigami, and we kindly came in to help you out of concern, but all you said was to tell me to get out!? If it weren't for the state you're in now..."

“I hit you before because it was for your own good. It was to correct the violent side of your personality. What kind of girl goes around picking fights all the time? If you’re too violent, you might never get married.”

With his eyes closed, someone spoke softly.

"Anyway, you'll probably be getting headbutted by some teacher quite often in the future, so just consider those as early adaptation training. All those hand chops I made were for your own good, but you hit me just now clearly out of spite, right? You should know that before this, no one has ever dared to hit me. You're the first."

"Hey, so what? What business is it of yours whether I get married or not?"

With her arms crossed, Fujiwara no Mokou let out a soft hum.

"I've had so many grudges against you these past few days. Making me and Kaguya go to dance lessons is one thing, but then you keep playing that erhu and disturbing the peace... Don't you have any self-awareness at all?"

"That's because you don't know how to appreciate it. Good friends are easy to find, but true friends are hard to come by. One day, I will find someone who can appreciate my music."

Seemingly having discovered that chatting with the other person could effectively help him recover faster, Shi Bai was happy to continue chatting with them.

"And you still have the nerve to talk about dancing? You have absolutely no dance skills. You turned a perfectly good song, Gokuraku Jodo, into a square dance. In this regard, I suggest you learn from Kaguya. Look how well she dances! If you can reach half of Kaguya's level, you two could totally debut as a group idol."

"You think you can find a kindred spirit with your chaotic and noisy music? I'd suggest you find a cow to play it for."

Fujiwara no Mokou showed no intention of losing the verbal battle, and wore a cold smile.

"Speaking of dancing, I'm reminded of something. Since you can perform that kind of dance, you must be quite proficient in it, right? This is Shinto Kagura, passed down by Qin Hesheng, the number one master of Shinto Kagura, known as 'One Dance That Can Topple Mountains and Rivers.' Even the shrine maidens who serve the gods in those shrines can't be as proficient in this kind of dance as you are. You must have practiced secretly. So, when do you plan to perform a dance for me and Kaguya to enjoy?"

"...You can't talk about ice with a summer insect, you'd better get out of here."

His expression froze slightly, and Shi Bai turned his head away expressionlessly.

"I doubt you'd want to spend half a day in this room with me, would you?"

"Who would willingly come to keep you company?! I risked my life to come in here to help out of concern, and you didn't even say thank you, not only that, but your tone and attitude were so rude!?"