The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

Yukari Yakumo lowered her head and looked at the folding fan she was tightly clutching in her hand, speaking softly.

“I’ve started having nightmares now. Every day I dream about that scene: she died resolutely in front of me, without even turning her head to look at me…”

"Then go find her in the underworld."

“I went, but she’s not in the underworld at all. If there’s anyone in the world who can help me find her, the only person I can think of is you… I’m begging you for help.”

"Let's put aside whether I'll help you or not. Even if I do find her for you, what can you possibly say to her?"

With a slight pout, Shi Bai turned his head to look at the distant place shrouded in mist.

"Save your breath. What if you actually see her again in the future, and she's already completely forgotten about you? What will you do then?"

"........."

"So, stop thinking about it so much. You should just continue being your monster sage. Anyway, that Saigyo monk is dead now, isn't he? Your old dream might come true soon, so why waste so much energy on a dead human?"

"If the first Journey to the West mage can appear among humans, there is a possibility that a second Journey to the West mage can appear... I may not be worthy of being a sage among demons."

Yukari Yakumo raised her head and looked into the distance.

"Whether she has truly forgotten me or not, none of that matters. I just want to see her again... But before that, I need to figure out one thing: where I went wrong before."

"Don't you understand? It's actually very simple."

With the apple-flavored lollipop still in his mouth, Shi Bai pouted.

"Because she is human, and you are a yokai. You try to understand humans using a yokai's mindset. Do you think you can succeed? The fact that you know you are not worthy to be a yokai sage means you have made some progress, but you still haven't figured out why you are not worthy to be a yokai sage. Once you figure out why, you will know where you went wrong before."

"……Why?"

"what why?"

Why am I not worthy to be a sage among monsters?

"A sage is generally a title that can be bestowed upon someone who can guide a group forward or who has made sufficient progress. Before asking me this question, you might want to reflect on what you have actually done since becoming a sage among the yokai."

"What have I done..."

Yukari Yakumo suddenly froze in place.

"By the way, if you really can't figure it out, just think about what Saint Byakuren did that caused your family to be destroyed."

Shi Bai waved his hand and turned to walk towards the card table.

"Come back to me when you've figured this out. Think carefully about why Hijiri Byakuren didn't do what you did, and almost became the second Yokai Sage. Reflect on your principles and mindset when you felt threatened by Hijiri Byakuren. Find out why, even though you finally became the Yokai Sage, your former friends are drifting further and further away... If you can't even understand these simple questions, there's no need to come to me. Just go back to being your Yokai Sage!!"

"A sage..."

Looking down at the folding fan in her hand, feeling the bitter taste rising in her mouth, Yukari Yakumo stood there, lost in a long silence.

"Well, you guys changed my cards after I was only gone for a short while!!"

Returning to his seat, Shi Bai looked at the completely different deck of cards in front of him and was furious.

"Have it?"

Looking down at the deck of cards in front of her, Suika Ibuki shook her head decisively.

"No, that's not true. You must have misremembered. Hurry up and play your card."

"That's right, it didn't happen at all. You're just trying to renege on your debt again."

A black-haired girl also shook her head decisively.

"Hurry up and play your cards, we're getting impatient."

"That's right, it's all a complete fabrication, it's absolutely..."

Before the Great Tengu, who was temporarily missing one player and was dragged in to make up the numbers, could finish his sentence, he inexplicably felt a murderous aura emanating from the side.

Daitengu: “…………”

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P.S.: Good morning!

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Real Him (End of Volume)

How can we better understand humanity?

This was the first question she asked Shiro a few days later when Yakumo Yukari reappeared before him.

At this point in time, Shi Bai had already left the Demon Mountain and was slowly riding his bicycle back towards the Demon Realm. Because he wasn't paying much attention to the road, when Yakumo Yukari suddenly appeared in front of him, it almost caused a minor accident.

"Please don't show up in front of me so suddenly next time, or I'll just ride right over your face next time!"

After braking suddenly, Shi Bai, with a dark expression, spoke to Yakumo Yukari in front of him.

"If I crash my bicycle, can you afford to pay for it? This thing costs 180 yuan!!"

"...I don't think you need to use such a slow mode of transportation."

After a moment of silence as she looked at the bicycle in front of her, Yukari Yakumo replied.

"If you need to go anywhere, I can help you."

"What? Can't I just suddenly feel like riding a bicycle and reminiscing about my lost youth?"

Still sitting on the bicycle, Shi Bai spoke with an air of self-righteousness.

"You know, I'm only 18 years old this year. Unlike you old folks who are practically dead, I should be in school studying hard and making progress every day. This is the best time of my youth, but due to some twist of fate, I've been forced to go out and make a living. Do you know how much pain I'm in?"

"I just think you're wasting your time."

Facing a person hundreds of times her age, Yukari Yakumo remained expressionless.

"Also, please add at least eight zeros after your age of eighteen."

"Tch, I'm an invincible handsome young man in the prime of my youth, 18 years old! You're just blatantly jealous!!"

With his arms crossed, he let out a soft hum.

"This is not a waste of time. When I ride my bike, I unconsciously think of that run under the sunset that day, which is my lost youth!!"

"...Could you answer my question first?"

After a moment of silent silence, Yakumo Yukari turned her head away expressionlessly.

"I want to understand more about humanity, but I don't know how to do it."

"That's easy. Just go find Matara Okina. She has a very interesting spell that can perfectly fulfill your desire to learn more about humanity."

Shi Bai pursed his lips and snapped his fingers.

"The spell created by Motara Okina is called 'A Dream of Yellow Millet'. The body sleeps, but the consciousness travels through lifetimes, and you will experience the most authentic life in a dream. I have used this spell before... cough cough cough, anyway, that's it."

Shi Bai almost let something slip, but he stopped himself in time.

"...And what about Yuyuko? Can I see her first?"

There was a hint of longing in Yukari Yakumo's words.

"Oh, no."

"........."

"Because she hasn't woken up yet, and I'm working hard to make her wake up. I wasn't planning to go out so early, but after thinking about it, I'll change my plans a little."

As he got off the bicycle, Shi Bai casually put the bicycle on the ground into his storage ring.

"You've come at the right time. I was originally planning to find others to join me, but since you've made up your mind, there's no need for me to look for anyone else... Would you like to go and see other worlds?"

"Another world...the Demon Realm?"

Yukari Yakumo paused for a moment.

"No, it's another world, another world independent of this one... You will all come into contact with it sooner or later, but I'm just letting you see it a thousand years earlier."

Shi Bai looked up at the slightly gloomy sky.

"I strive for perfection in everything I do; I'm actually a perfectionist. For this trip, I need to find a helper for some reason. Would you be willing to come and help me?"

"What can I do for you?"

Yukari Yakumo asked instinctively.

"Oh, stealing things, and incidentally saving the world."

"……What's the meaning?"

"What's the point? It's just stealing things and saving the world along the way. I've made it very clear, is that so hard to understand?"

Shi Bai spread his hands.

"There are some things that are simply inconvenient for me to do, because I'm afraid I might accidentally destroy those worlds. So naturally, I can only choose to find some helpers. Perfect timing, didn't you want to borrow Matara Okina's [Yellow Millet Dream] technique to understand humanity? How about you become a savior while you're at it? What do you think? Do you understand?"

"No."

Yukari Yakumo shook her head quite honestly.

"What do you mean by 'other worlds'? Also, you're so strong, you shouldn't need my help, right?"

"Do you see the ants on the ground over there?"

Shi Bai pointed directly to the tree next to him.

"I saw it."

Yakumo Yukari nodded.

"Your strength is hundreds of millions of times greater than that of an ant, right? If one of the ants offered a sacrifice to summon you and ask you to grant its wish, do you think you could fulfill its wish?"

"can."

Although she didn't know what Shi Bai's intention was in asking this question, Yakumo Yukari nodded without hesitation.

"What would you do if that ant's wish was for another ant to fall in love with it?"

"Kill all the other ants except those two, and the remaining ant will fall in love with it."

Yukari Yakumo answered without hesitation.

Shi Bai: "..."

He knew that certain beliefs held by the other person couldn't be changed so quickly...

"...Look, I need to go to other people's houses to steal things because of certain needs, but I can't just blow up their houses after I've stolen them, right?"

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai changed his way of speaking... and then Yakumo Yukari in front of him became even stranger.

"Why not? You're doing the right thing by cutting the weeds at the root and preventing future troubles."

"........."

Shi Bai suddenly felt a sharp pain in his teeth.

It seems that the path to enlightenment for this certain BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) brand is still long and arduous.

"...Do you have time next?"

After a moment of silence, Shi Bai took the initiative to change the subject again.

"If you have some spare time, how about you be my driver for a while? Before I leave this world, I have a few things to take care of and arrange."

"No problem. But you... you should have the ability to traverse space, right?"

Yukari Yakumo looked slightly hesitant.

Why...uh?

"Without changing the volume of the contents inside this small bottle, you will put this large balloon into this small bottle."

Holding a large balloon in one hand and a small glass bottle in the other, Shi Bai's expression was concise and to the point.

"How about it? Can you do it? Using the simplest method."

"...Can the melon be delivered in a moment?"

"Don't you think that's troublesome?"

"Uh……"

"Look carefully, the simplest way is to just let the air out of this big balloon and then put it in the bottle."