The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

"You came here mainly to complete the origin story of Gensokyo, right? You came to interview Yuuka?"

"Yes...is that okay?"

Nodding slightly nervously, Hieda Shichi glanced cautiously at the Flower Tyrant behind the counter.

"I've wanted to do this many times before..."

"no problem."

Before she could finish her sentence, Kazami Yuuka put down her cup, nodded, and spoke calmly.

"Come sit down. If you want to ask anything, just ask. I can accept this level of interview for his sake."

"Uh……"

After hesitating for a moment, Hieda Ashichi glanced at Shi Bai in front of him and sat down in front of the counter.

This was the first time she had faced a legendary great monster in a positive sense.

After glancing in their direction, Shi Bai didn't pay much attention. Instead, he stretched slightly, showing no intention of disturbing them, and then got up and walked out of the shop.

After exhaling, Shi Bai looked up at the sky.

The sky was pure white, as if washed clean, and as pale as a painting.

Gensokyo without the Hakurei Shrine Maiden is ultimately missing something.

Autumn is passing by quietly, and winter is just around the corner.

—Shi Bai's long-lost peaceful life returned.

Since that visit, Hieda Shichi seemed to have tasted the sweetness and frequently came to him.

After all, with her meager strength, she could not always get results even after expending a lot of effort to travel far away. Compared to that arduous search, how could she gain a lot of top-secret information that she would never have dared to imagine before, just by sitting in a clean and warm shop?

The Flower Tyrant (crossed out), the Queen of the Four Seasons, Kazami Yuuka, is a top-tier youkai in Gensokyo, a place she could never have encountered before. Because of Tokihaku, she treats him quite kindly.

The money she earned from just a few visits to this little shop was enough to cover her earnings over the past few years.

Of course, she didn't always come empty-handed; sometimes she would bring some homemade pastries or snacks with her.

The scene was usually the same: someone would be lying on the sofa eating pastries and writing something, while she sat next to the Lord of the Four Seasons of Flowers. No matter how cold it was outside, the shop was always warm and cozy.

The entire shop was filled with a remarkably quiet atmosphere.

Hieda Shichi really liked this atmosphere.

At times, she also gets some extra benefits.

For example, there's Ibaraki Kasen, a hermit who claims to be from above the youkai and is there to meet someone for a drink, and Tenma Hirain, the leader of the entire tengu clan and the ruler of the youkai mountain... These are all the strongest beings in Gensokyo that she could never have encountered before.

Aside from the top-tier yokai she occasionally encounters in the shop, the ones who come here most frequently are probably the tengu crows who interviewed her before.

Aya Shameimaru, Hatake Himekaidou, and Momiji Inubashiri—these three tengu from the mountain of youkai are arguably the youkai she knows best, because they have interviewed her before, and more than once.

Out of support, Hieda Shichi subscribed to every single newspaper published by Aya Shameimaru and the others. In fact, she subscribed to every single newspaper published by the newspaper companies on Youkai Mountain... Anyway, the Hieda family was not short of money.

Recently, seemingly due to the changing seasons and increasingly cold weather, with snow falling in Gensokyo, these three tengu seem to be lingering in the shop and refusing to leave...

That's right, winter has arrived in Gensokyo.

This is probably the coldest winter in Gensokyo's history.

When I woke up, the outside world was covered in silver, and the world was a blanket of white.

"...Speaking of which, this doesn't seem to be your home. Are you sure it's okay for you all to stay here?"

Shi Bai stared with wide eyes at the six newspaper staff members huddled together in front of him in the warm kotatsu, his words filled with regret.

Aya Shameimaru, Hatake Himekaido, Momiji Inubashi, Yumezuki, Gengetsu, Kogasa Tatara... These are all the staff members of this mini newspaper office.

Originally, they were working at the Monster Mountain, preparing to make a stunning comeback in the competition at the start of the New Year. However, Shi Bai couldn't figure out what had happened, and all of them inexplicably ended up settling down at his shop.

—That's right, settle down.

Since arriving here under the pretense of doing some official business, the six of them, led by Aya Shameimaru, have refused to leave. They even brought their change of clothes with them, seemingly planning to stay here for the winter.

Therefore, Shi Bai had to spend some time slightly expanding the area of ​​the flower tea shop.

Shi Bai deeply resented the disruption to his and Kazami Yuuka's private time, but he was powerless to do anything about these six people.

"There's no other way. Our little hut is too cold. The wind is howling and the snow is swirling. It's too cold to work. Could you please take us in for a little while?"

Looking up at Shibai, Aya Shameimaru had a pitiful expression on her face.

"Isn't it enough that your place is big, warm, and lively?"

"It's inconvenient... Do you even know what 'inconvenient' means?"

Lying back on the deck chair, looking at the falling snowflakes outside, Shi Bai sighed helplessly.

"You third wheels... just casually staying in other people's homes, don't your families care?"

"Just to clarify, the tengu are oviparous."

Shameimaru Aya held up a finger in front of him, her face serious.

"Besides, Yu Li is so cute, and Momiji is so adorable. You're actually getting the better deal living under the same roof!!"

"...All you're good for is betraying your teammates."

Glancing at the kotatsu that was crammed full of six people, and seeing that Mengyue and Xiaosan didn't seem inclined to stand up for him, Shi Bai sighed inwardly and resignedly stood up, intending to go and get another kotatsu.

The perfect match for winter is undoubtedly the kotatsu (heated table). Whether you're burying yourself in the warmth of the kotatsu and sleeping on a table, or simply lying on the floor, it's all an unparalleled pleasure.

But with six people already squeezed in there, he couldn't possibly be so shameless as to squeeze in as well, could he?

If you actually manage to squeeze in, you might be mistaken for a pervert...

Yuuka Kazama was invited to the Hieda family's house today and doesn't seem to be coming back anytime soon, while the wind and snow are getting heavier.

Before long, he had made a new kotatsu.

"Listen up, it's not impossible for you to stay here. There are enough rooms, but remember to follow the rules, such as helping with cleaning."

He grabbed a pillow, lay down inside the kotatsu, and turned to talk to them.

"Also, I didn't sleep well last night. I'm going to take a nap. Please don't make too much noise."

Why didn't you sleep well last night?

Somewhat curious, Inuhachi Momiji turned her head and asked him a question.

"...You're too young, you don't need to know these things."

After staring at Inuzomi Momiji's pure, innocent eyes, which were full of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, for a moment, Shi Bai turned over.

"Remember, don't make too much noise."

"I knew it!!"

No sooner had Shi Bai finished speaking than Huan Yue’s indignant voice rang out.

"I was once mercilessly attacked by Mengyue and me together..."

A book that Shi Bai threw at her, hitting her squarely on the head, interrupted her speech.

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

Dreams, reality, and darkness intertwine.

"Seriously, as the warden here, can't you be a little more honest?"

On the blood-red earth stained with blood and corpses, Shi Bai sighed helplessly as he looked at the man before him.

"So many years have passed, and you still haven't given up? Do you really want to force me to take action?"

"Don't be so high and mighty. We were originally one, but you treated us like waste and separated us."

Standing atop a tall pile of corpses, the man spoke coldly.

"How could you possibly expose your other side to someone who's been imprisoned in this dark and sunless place all day long?"

"Be ruthless to others, but even more ruthless to yourself. Shouldn't this be taken for granted?"

Shi Bai pursed his lips and waved lazily.

With his movements, in an instant, the earth that was originally stained red with blood and corpses turned into a pure white snowfield.

"Alright, behave yourself a little. I don't want to come in here to clean up the mess every time. So what if you kill everyone else again and again in your anger? If you can really wipe them all out, I'll actually thank you..."

"I want to go out."

After staring at him for a moment, the man spoke coldly.

"Oh, don't even think about it."

"...You can't hide for long."

After a moment of silence, the man turned around and walked into the swirling snow.

"A lion will not be content to stay among a bunch of mutts, and a dragon cannot remain hidden in a puddle forever. Even if you repeatedly separate what you consider impurities from your soul, there are some things you simply cannot escape."

"Do you know what a salted fish's biggest dream is? To become a bigger salted fish."

"...Don't give me the chance."

The man's last voice disappeared into the swirling snow.

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

Birds vanished from the mountains, and ten thousand men were annihilated with guns.

During Gensokyo's coldest winter ever, most people chose to stay indoors, but some also chose to go out and visit friends in this weather.

Taking off the haori she was wearing, with a bright smile on her face, Hieda Oshichi, who had returned with Kazami Yuuka, sat down quite naturally in front of the kotatsu.

"Hey...this is my territory..."

Resting his chin on the table, feeling the cold feet draped over his legs, the person, almost entirely curled up inside the kotatsu, began to complain with a hint of resentment.

"But that area is already full..."

As he spoke, Hieda Shichi pointed to the group of six who were peeking at him.

"So why did you come all this way in such cold weather..."

With a sigh, Shi Bai reached for the cup of hot tea that Kazama Yuuka had placed in front of him, took a sip, and then buried his face in the table again.

...He noticed that there were more and more light bulbs in the store.

Inside the warm and comfortable shop, a group of six from the newspaper sat together, enthusiastically discussing next year's newspaper, from layout to content, encouraging each other and vowing to win the final battle.

On the other side, Hieda no Naka de and Kazami Yuuka casually draped their legs over his, then enthusiastically began chatting about various classic tales between yokai...

Against the backdrop of the increasingly heavy snow outside, the scene actually appeared quite harmonious at first glance.

"Let's play cards!!"

After lying on the table for about five minutes, Shi Bai raised his head and made a very serious suggestion to the No. 7 light bulb and Kazama Yuuka, who were sitting in front of the kotatsu.

"play cards?"

Hieda Shichi had never encountered these things before, so when she saw someone decisively take out a deck of cards, she asked with a hint of curiosity.

"It's just Dou Dizhu (a card game), you know. Since you're bored, you just have nothing to do. The loser gets a sticker stuck on their forehead... The rules are very simple, although it depends a bit on luck."

While shuffling and cutting the playing cards, Shi Bai solemnly explained the rules.

"So, how about it, want to come?"

P.S.: Good morning!

Chapter Twenty: An Unexpected Visitor in the Snowstorm

As the saying goes, the card game is like a battlefield, and on the battlefield, there is no room for sentimentality.

When Kazami Yuuka also helped Hieda Shichi, a peasant, to fight against him, the landlord, Shibai finally understood the true meaning of those words after a long time.

"To three."

"...I can't afford it."

"One five, and I win!!"

Hieda Shichi slammed his last card on the table and cheered.