The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

She looked in the direction of Yuuka Kazami.

"No, no, no, then by any measure, it can't be called showing mercy, can it?"

Recalling the tentacle treatment that Yakumo Ran had suffered—the kind of treatment only magical girls are said to encounter—Shi Bai couldn't help but shudder.

"Bound play isn't a big deal, but there are so many ways to stop her from talking, why did you have to..."

"The best way to solve a problem is to solve the problem itself, that's what you taught me."

Yuuka Kazami turned her head.

"I did hold back, otherwise her eyes and stomach would have blossomed, and she would have become the nourishment for those blossoms to grow. I just used physical methods to shut her up."

"...Is it really necessary to be so morbidly curious?"

Just by briefly recalling that scene in his mind, Shi Bai's lips twitched violently.

"This isn't some thrilling adventure game like 'Mommy's Adventure'..."

"Mom Hua?"

Although the person muttered something very softly, it was still clearly heard by Yukari Yakumo and Yuuka Kazami, and Yuuka Kazami's gaze immediately sharpened.

"Uh... Little Flower's Heart-Pounding Adventure?"

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai made a suggestion.

"...Since you don't like it, then I won't use it next time."

After a moment of silence, Kazami Yuuka glanced at Yakumo Yukari, whose face had become strange, and then turned her head away expressionlessly.

"When this happens again, please use your unparalleled dance that can move mountains and rivers to defeat the enemy."

"You can dance?"

Yukari Yakumo, who was originally focused on the rustic name of Xiaohua, was instantly distracted. Her eyes lit up, and the lingering fatigue was also dispelled.

"Wait, wait a minute..."

"That's right, he is the first person in history to be known as the one who could make the world tremble with his candlelight and dance with such beauty that it could make mountains and rivers sway."

Before anyone could finish speaking, Kazami Yuuka quickly turned around to answer Yakumo Yukari's question, and then quickly turned her head back after saying that.

"The number one master of Shinto Kagura... Qin Hesheng!?"

Yukari Yakumo was completely energized.

"I have indeed heard legends about this person before, and I originally wanted to witness their dance, but I was never able to... By the way, could I ask you for a favor..."

"Impossible, don't even think about it, that's nonsense."

Suddenly jolted awake, the person quickly launched into a triple denial.

"If you dare spread this kind of thing around, be careful, I'll sue you at Four Seasons! I'll sue you for infringing on my right to reputation!!"

"Well, it's just curiosity. After all, the legendary number one Kagura master is my idol. I've always wanted to see his dance moves."

With her folding fan open to cover half her face, Yakumo Yukari's voice was lighter than before, even carrying a hint of pleasure.

"But you seem to be quite good at dancing, which I've never heard of before. Speaking of dancing, it reminds me of someone who once passed through my life... Do you know who he is?"

"Um, what is it? Is there something you need?"

Shi Bai's eyes twitched slightly, but he simply pretended not to hear.

"Don't you guys think the topics we're discussing now are way too different from what we were talking about before?"

"Since you don't like my fighting style, I'll try to use a different one in the future."

Looking at Yakumo Yukari in front of her, Kazami Yuuka, who keenly sensed a certain danger, decisively changed the subject.

"While I prefer a decisive and swift approach to combat to an elegant and beautiful style, these things can be changed."

"An elegant fighting style... If you'd like to learn that style, I can recommend someone to you."

Yakumo Yukari gave Shi Bai a meaningful look before turning her gaze toward Kazami Yuuka.

"She is a spirit residing in the Jade Palace of the Underworld, and also my closest friend. As for me..."

"Wait, is there a battle in the Underworld too? Has something happened at Baiyulou?"

Shi Bai frowned slightly and interrupted Yakumo Yukari.

"...When I first came here, Baiyulou treated me as an intruder with ill intentions."

After a brief silence, Yakumo Yukari turned to the side and spoke without a word.

"Hmm... that does sound like something Saigyouji Yuyuko would do... so? You got a beating from Yuyuko?"

Shi Bai looked on in surprise.

"...No, it's seven meals."

"???"

"For specific details, you can go to the underworld and look through the past issues of the newspapers. After all, your sister has a hobby of collecting old newspapers, doesn't she?"

She glanced at the other person, then let out a soft hum, deliberately folding and unfolding the purple folding fan in her hand.

"Anyway, that's all in the past. So what if I got beaten up a few times? Yuyuko won't really hurt me... Okay, let's get back to the point. If we keep talking like this, I'm afraid I might just fall asleep right here."

With a snap, she closed the folding fan in her hand, and Yakumo Yukari's expression became serious.

"You said earlier that something important is missing here. Could you please tell me what that important element is? I do have a vague feeling that something is missing, but I can't figure out what it is no matter what I do."

"Hmm? That's simple. You're lacking the necessary balance here. If you want Gensokyo's development to get on the right track from here, you're missing an original shrine maiden."

Shibai answered Yakumo Yukari's question quite readily.

"...Miko?"

After receiving this unexpected answer, Yukari Yakumo was visibly taken aback.

"Gensokyo needs a visible administrator. Who do you think is the most suitable administrator?"

Without offering any explanation, Shi Bai asked the other party a question.

"Am I not a manager?"

Yakumo Yukari frowned slightly.

"Of course not. You are undoubtedly the rightful administrator of Gensokyo's shadowy side, but you can never become the administrator of Gensokyo's open side, unless you want Gensokyo to be destroyed from now on."

Shi Bai glanced at Yakumo Yukari in front of him and shook his head.

"Even before your current situation of needing to sleep for most of the year is alleviated, you can't even handle the management of the dark side of Gensokyo, let alone anything else."

"But the priestess's words... let a human..."

"Humans? What's wrong with humans? Humans are a race capable of creating miracles. Do you know how strong humans are? The official administrator of Gensokyo must be a human; that's a given."

With a slight pursed lip, Shi Bai continued speaking.

"You need to understand one thing: what is the most important component of Gensokyo right now? Youkai? Gods? No, it's humans. Gods won't allow youkai to stand above them and rule them, and youkai won't allow gods to stand above them and rule them. If it has to be one of the two, only humans can bear this responsibility."

"It's not that I look down on humans, but humans... with their current strength, it seems they don't have the ability to command respect, do they?"

Yukari Yakumo shook her head slightly.

"That's not necessarily true. On the contrary, that shrine maiden's strength must be absolutely invincible in Gensokyo."

Shi Bai solemnly held up one finger in front of him.

"Outside that great barrier that covers the boundary between fantasy and reality, Gensokyo needs a second barrier to maintain its stability. Only then can Gensokyo be called Gensokyo. The key to constructing the second barrier, the Hakurei Great Barrier, lies in that absolutely invincible shrine maiden of Gensokyo."

"The second layer of barrier..."

Narrowing her eyes, Yukari Yakumo fell into deep thought.

"Well, even if I don't remind you now, you'll find out about this yourself later. That's all there is to it."

Shrugging, Shi Bai stood up from his chair.

"I won't disturb you now, so you can continue sleeping. Since you've made up your mind to build Gensokyo, you should be prepared for the consequences... But I hope you understand one thing."

"Gensokyo is not yet fully established. Many challenges await you in the future."

PS: I'm posting a bounty.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Yuuka's Cute Attributes

The Great Barrier of Gensokyo.

While the establishment of this barrier perfectly prevented the monsters from escaping, it was not necessarily a good thing for the humans within the barrier.

The Human Village is the only place where humans gather within the Great Barrier. The humans who live here were originally guardians who came here spontaneously to protect the monsters. However, with the establishment of the Great Barrier, they also lost their chance to escape.

During this period of chaos caused by the lack of a city management officer who could absolutely control the situation within the great barrier, many evil-minded monsters invaded the human village.

In order to protect their last home, the humans in the Human Village waged a desperate battle against the yokai. If Yukari Yakumo had not intervened, the Human Village might have already become history.

—Even so, humanity's situation within the Great Barrier is still quite difficult.

"Monsters need humans to fear them, and gods need humans to believe in them. In this paradise built purely for monsters, human life is like a living hell."

Standing atop the mountain, gazing at the human village below, Kazami Yuuka offered this rather detached comment.

"Humans are like pets kept here by monsters. If the monsters here didn't need their fear to maintain their existence, this human village would probably have been wiped out long ago."

"We should not judge things by their appearance alone, but rather look beyond the surface to see the essence. Frankly, I do not agree with your statement."

Shrugging, Shiro, who had just been led out of the gap by the cold-faced Yakumo Ran, simply sat down on a large rock by the mountain road.

“You only saw how pathetic and helpless these humans were under the threat of monsters, but I saw their courage and awareness. Not everyone has the courage to live here; these are their own choices. Besides, this is not a paradise for monsters.”

Turning his head, Shi Bai smiled at Kazami Yuuka beside him.

"This is not Gensokyo right now. The real Gensokyo will only be complete after the second barrier, the Hakurei Barrier, is built and the boundary between common sense and the uncommon sense covers the entire Gensokyo. Illusion and reality, common sense and the uncommon sense, two great barriers... The future here will definitely not disappoint you."

"...What are you going to do next?"

After a brief silence, Kazama Yuuka turned to look at him.

"Are you planning to start managing and rectifying this place? You sent your student back to Penglai with Hong Meiling to pack their things, so it seems you've already made this decision in your mind, haven't you?"

"The healthy growth of a tree does not require much interference. After some initial guidance, we just need to wait patiently for it to grow into a towering tree."

Looking up at the sky, Shi Bai stared blankly at the few drifting clouds in the twilight sky.

"As for my plans afterward... I'll first go to the West to help that fallen angel get her wages back, and while I'm at it, I'll also go find Majesty and Pad. Do you want to come along?"

As he said these words, Shi Bai turned to look at her.

"...You like it here, right?"

After staring intently at the scenery below the mountain for a while, Yuuka Kazami gave a somewhat irrelevant answer.

"Of course, I love it so much I can't wait to blow it up."

Shi Bai nodded with a serious expression.

"I used to have a pet hamster that I named Cute. Later, it became so cute."

"In that case, I'll stay."

Seemingly after a long and complex internal struggle, Kazami Yuuka nodded gently.

"I need to find a way to move the Dream Pavilion and the Dream Realm here. In this kind of thing, neither Illusion Moon, Dream Moon, nor Ellie can accomplish it... I learned a lot from her during this trip to the Celestial Realm."

"Her? Xiaoye?"

Shi Bai guessed.

"I was initially confident that I would confront her, because I have a strong possessive streak and don't allow others to touch what belongs to me. But in the end, I learned a lot from her instead..."

Reaching out to catch a snowflake that drifted down, Kazami Yuuka looked up at the gloomy sky. Unbeknownst to her, glistening snowflakes had been falling from the heavens.

Snowing.

……………………………………………………………

After leaving the Great Barrier, Shi Bai accompanied Kazami Yuuka back to the Lake of Blood.

The summit of that unnamed mountain remained the same, but the village at the foot of the mountain, originally inhabited by monsters, had vanished without a trace. It was unknown whether it had perished in this catastrophe or simply moved away from the area.