Gentleman's Night Canteen

This delicious yokan can be said to be the most delicious yokan she has ever eaten, but the faint sweetness coupled with the scent of cherry blossoms that appeared between her lips and teeth for some reason made her feel nostalgic, as if she had eaten it somewhere.

But... where is it?

Yuyuko holding a spoon fell into silence and memories...

Chapter 24 'The Goblin'

Cherry blossoms are often in full bloom from March to April, and this time is also the best time for viewing cherry blossoms. People walk together on the blooming avenues to enjoy the "beauty" gifted by nature.

But there is a very special cherry tree in Kyoto, which is in full bloom all year round, but it is a pity that no one knows about it... because the tall wall completely sealed it in the courtyard of a temple, and even became a legend.

Some people once said that this is a beautiful scenery that can only be enjoyed by high-ranking officials and nobles, but in fact no one will come here at all, because the reason why this place is blocked is not because of being stingy with sharing the beautiful flowers with people, but because of this monster. The reason why the cherry blossoms are able to bloom all year round is entirely because countless lives have passed away under the cherry blossom trees.

There is even a saying that the reason why there is a faint red trace in the center of the petals of the cherry tree is because it has absorbed the blood of countless innocent people to bloom so strangely.

But it's a pity that this is only half true. The petals look like this, but they do have the ability to guide death. People with weak will will even lose the desire to live just because they are close to this place. Choose death.

And this also made this beautiful cherry tree get the great name of "Xixing Yao".

As for why it is called the Westbound Demon?

That's because of a person, and a poem.

"I hope the spring cherry blossoms will die, it's the time when February looks at the moon"

This cherry blossom tree was planted by the famous Master Xixing, and this poem was written by him under the tree. In the end, he even chose to bury himself under the cherry blossom tree.

Originally, this should be a very "beautiful" thing, but I don't know whether it is the cherry tree itself that has problems, or because of something brought about by the passing of Master Xixing, since he was buried under the tree, the cherry tree is no longer Wither blooms lushly all year round.

At first, people were attracted by its beauty, just like the former Westbound Mage, but after the No.1 dead man was discovered, people gradually realized the abnormality of this tree, but unfortunately it was too late at this time, because the dead man was only It was No.1 that was discovered. In fact, the culprit of the disappearance case that suddenly appeared in Kyoto before this was this cherry tree.

Generally speaking, the most sensible thing to do at this time is to burn it completely with a fire to avoid future troubles, but the most indispensable thing in this world is greedy people. The branches and petals of the demonized cherry tree have special characteristics. In order to use the original discoverer of this power, the descendants of the Xixingji family chose to conceal and monopolize this power, and even took the initiative to use some prisoners as nourishment for the growth of the "Xixing Yao".

If the birth of "Xixing Yao" is an accident, then when it grows out of control, it is a complete man-made disaster.

But the irony is that the actions of the Saigyoji family seem to have received a response. A special baby girl was born under the cherry blossom tree that leads to death.

The other party's mother was a member of the Saigyouji family, and lived in a mansion near the cherry tree. The child was no different from ordinary children when she was first born. If nothing unexpected, when she grows up, she will be like countless Saigyo The women of the temple family generally become pawns in the family marriage and become the root of the development of this huge family, silently dedicating their lives.

If nothing else...

When the other party was naughty when she was young, she sneaked into the blocked courtyard wall and saw the strange cherry blossom tree, but ordinary children naturally don't know the great name of "Xixing Yao", she just followed her instinct. When I arrived under the cherry tree, I finally fell asleep because of exhaustion.

But what she didn't expect was that when she woke up, the people of Xixing Temple who were either scared or excited called her "the daughter of Xixing Temple" because she actually possessed similar abilities to Xixing Yao.

No one knows whether this ability was possessed by her at birth or acquired under the influence of the West Goblin, but it is undeniable that her ability is terrifying.

The awe and longing for his abilities make him the most special existence in the entire Xixingji family.

But with the passage of time, the ability of the "Xixing Yao" became stronger and stronger, and even the members of the Xixingji family could no longer approach the courtyard. In the end, there was only one person left in the courtyard where beautiful cherry blossoms bloom all year round.

"It's so beautiful, but why doesn't anyone appreciate it?"

The woman in kimono leaned against the tree and looked up at the sky, muttering to herself.

Obviously has a charming appearance and figure that can charm all living beings, but the innocent words are as innocent as a child.

But the other party obviously didn't expect anyone to answer her question, after all, she has been alone for more than ten years.

But what she didn't expect was that she was just talking to herself as usual and suddenly got a response today.

"Because people are always afraid of things they don't understand~"

In the laziness, but with some sobs, a voice suddenly sounded in the ear, which made the woman who was leaning under the tree trunk widen her eyes suddenly.

"Ugh?!!!"

In a burst of exclamation, she saw a blond woman lying on a strange crack.

It's just that her first reaction was to smile when she saw this weird scene.

She didn't know why she was smiling.

Is it lonely because you haven't seen other people in a long time?

Maybe, because she doesn't know how to define her own existence, she is like an appendage of the "Xixing Yao", and the people of the Saigyouji family provide her with enough supplies, but she is like a bird in a cage. Can be imprisoned in this world.

Obviously, she can see a lot of people during the family sacrificial activities every year, but for some reason she cannot communicate with them at all, because she always feels that those people look at her strangely, as if... what she sees is not human generally.

But the blond woman in front of her was different, her lazy and teasing voice was so 'human'.

This made her want to communicate with other people for the first time in many years.

"who are you?"

"Me? A monster~"

Facing the other party's question, the blond woman smiled and said a shocking sentence. After all, the relationship between monsters and people in this era is not harmonious. However, the woman in front of her who didn't even have a name but was dubbed "The Daughter of Xixing Temple" didn't seem to care about it.

She just sighed involuntarily.

"It's so beautiful~~"

This exclamation made the blond woman startled, because it was the first time in so many years that the other party praised her face to face without the slightest desire but without concealment.

The lazy expression on his face also unknowingly had two more smiles.

"You're cute too~"

At this time, the blonde woman probably never dreamed that her intrusion simply because of curiosity would bring her a relationship that has been entangled for thousands of years...

Chapter 25 Memories from Thousand Years ago

Shengchi Temple, Backyard

Today's Xixingyou is as coquettish as ever. Under the bright moonlight, the petals of cherry blossoms are falling like snow all over the ground, and there is a girl with pink hair sitting under the tree as always.

It's just that the other party who was smiling at this time couldn't see the silence before.

Holding the spoon in her hand, she carefully ate all the yokan on the plate bit by bit before handing the plate to the blonde woman beside her.

“The yokan is delicious~ Purple~”

"As long as you like it."

"Of course~ I like anything Zi brings~"

Looking at the other party's innocent smile, even Zi Yakumo couldn't help showing a bright smile.

For the other party, she is the only color in the other party's gloomy life, but for her, why is the other party not?

Although she is dubbed the "Yokai Sage" by countless monsters, in fact, she knows very well that these monsters are simply afraid of her power, and she has to be so tough in order to build a "gensokyo" that only belongs to monsters. Go on, because she knows that no matter what the monsters say, they can't change the nature of the jungle and the jungle in the world of monsters.

But only in front of this pink-haired girl in front of her can she remove the disguise, so why isn't the other party her own harbor for her?

But what makes her a little strange is why her friend is a little strange today?

"Xihang Temple...what's wrong?"

In this era, girls don't even have their own names, and the same is true for the girl who is a concubine from Xixing Temple. However, when she has acquired the ability similar to Xixing Yao, she is directly called the "daughter of Xixing Temple". But obviously it wasn't her name.

Because no one has communicated with her, she doesn't care about it, and she doesn't need it anyway.

But since she met Zi, she let the other party directly use her last name to call her.

Facing her friend's question at this time, she didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stretched out her arms and lay on her back on the countless petals, then stretched out her right hand into the air and said something that seemed to be similar to what she heard at first glance. The purple question has nothing to do with the question.

"Zi, I recently discovered that the 'Xixing Yao' is getting stronger and stronger."

Yakumo Zi frowned but didn't say much about this, because she knew the changes here better than anyone else. After all, even she gradually began to feel a little bit hard to resist the other party's 'temptation'.

Zi's ​​race is a very special existence even among monsters. Thanks to her ability, she can temporarily isolate the influence of the 'Westward Demon', but that's all. It can no longer be called a monster, but it is more suitable to be called "God".

Before Master Xixing was buried in Xixing Yao, Nihong actually didn't have the rumors of "there are corpses buried under the cherry tree" or "the more corpses under the cherry tree, the more lush it will bloom". It can be said that it is the last thing left by Master Xixing That poem and what he did to bury himself under the Western Goblin made this popular.

As the most famous contemporary literati, Master Xixing himself is the object of worship by countless people, and after his death, Xixing Yao, who was his incarnation, became the other party's substitute to obtain these worships. Under his influence, Xixing Yao gradually Gained the power of faith and gradually transformed into 'gods'.

You must know that even ordinary monsters in Neon can be named as "gods" as long as they have enough faith, so how much faith has Xixing Yao, who is the substitute of the Westbound mage, absorbed?

In addition, because of the rumors of 'there are corpses buried under the cherry trees' and 'the more corpses buried, the more luxuriant the cherry trees bloom', it has the ability to absorb corpses and strengthen itself, which makes its growth far beyond ordinary people's imagination. In just over ten years, this ordinary cherry blossom tree possessed the power far surpassing most of the 'big monsters'.

Zi can be sure that as long as there is enough time for her to be born with wisdom, she will definitely be able to give birth to an existence that is not inferior to the legendary "Three Great Monsters".

Therefore, she can say that there is no exception to the "the Westward Demon is getting stronger" in the mouth of the woman in front of her.

It's just that she is a little unclear why the other party said this to herself?

'Xihangji' lying on the petals didn't notice the slight frown of her friend, she just looked at the stars above her head and stretched out her palm to try to hold it in her hand, but it was a pity that when she tried to hold the starlight but couldn't When she opened her hand again, there was nothing... Just like her life.

Born into a big family, she has had no worries about food and clothing for so many years, but she feels extremely empty. Rather than saying that she is a human being, she even feels that she is more like a part of the "Xixing Yao"...an empty shell.

But luckily she met Zi, who told her about the world beyond the high wall and brought her countless gifts.

Children's toys, delicious snacks... and interesting stories.

It was the first time that she, who had lived in this courtyard, had the idea of ​​'go out and have a look'.

"Zi, I want to seal the 'Westward Demon'."

"?"

Yakumo Zi, who was still thinking about things related to Saigoyao, suddenly heard her friend say that she wanted to seal the "Saigoyao" and didn't react for a while. She didn't seem to know why the other party made such a decision suddenly, and finally stopped trying. The other party holding the Misty Starlight immediately sat up straight.

"After that, I can leave here and stay with Zi forever~"

The other party's big eyes that did not conceal their inner desire made Yakumozi unconsciously feel a tremor in her heart, and she, who has always been known for her reason, became impulsive for the first time.

"In that case, then I can take you away! The barrier here may be able to stop ordinary big monsters, but it can't stop me!"

"Da——baa!"

The deliberately protracted voice made her look even cuter, but what the other party said afterwards made Yakumo Zi stunned.

"Although I don't think I'm a 'West Going Demon', it is undeniable that there is a special connection between us. I have been working hard to suppress the power of the West Going Demon. Once I leave, its power may be overwhelmed in an instant. The whole of Kyoto, right? I don’t know how many people will die because of it...I can’t do this.”

"What does that have to do with me? You've done enough!!"

Even Yakumo Zi didn't know why her voice suddenly raised two points, but the other party's expression became more gentle.

Fingers like white jade lightly rested on Yakumo Zi's cheek and held it up.

"I know, but I... still don't want to, because my family is here..."

"They don't treat you like family at all!!"

"I know, but my mother-in-law has been taking care of me since I was a child. She is my mother's maid. She never thinks that I am a Xixing demon like other people. She also thinks that my mother's dystocia back then has nothing to do with me. She has been taking care of me after my mother passed away. I, even after I lived in this yard, have been in charge of preparing food for me, and I will watch me outside the yard every day when I eat..."

"I remember it was a middle-aged woman who brought you food"

Yakumo Zi's voice at this time was still calm, but it gave off the feeling of being arrogant, but the girl in front of her didn't seem to care, and just continued to talk.

"That's my mother-in-law's daughter. After my mother-in-law passed away, she took over the responsibility of taking care of me. I really like to eat the food she cooked... It's as delicious as my mother-in-law's cooking."

"Not only my mother-in-law and the others, but also my elder brother would bring toys to visit me when I was a child, when the power of the West Goblin was not strong. In the past, I would also visit my aunt during the Chinese New Year..."

"By the way, there is also Mr. Yaoji. Although he is hired by his uncle to protect Xixing Yao from being discovered, he also takes good care of me. Before Zi Zi, he would often bring me snacks..."

As the other party talked, Yakumo Zi gradually fell silent, but her eyes became more and more inseparable, and the other party's narration finally came to an end temporarily.

"I know that many people hope to use my power to manipulate the 'Xixing Yao', but there are also people who wish to protect and help me from the bottom of their hearts, even if it is to respond to them... I can't just leave like this."

As a monster sage, Yakumo Zi is definitely not a kind person. In order to realize her "Gensokyo Project", she personally induced a civil war among some monsters who opposed her plan, and then launched a lunar war. It can be said that she His hands were covered with blood.

But maybe it is precisely because of this that she is helpless in the face of the purest kindness of the innocent girl.

She couldn't even do the act of knocking the other party out and taking him away forcibly, because she knew that if she did so, the other party would definitely regret it afterwards, so...

"In that case, let me help you."

"I know that you are very powerful, Zi, but once I prepare to seal the Westbound Demon, it will definitely affect the entire capital, and then everyone in the entire capital will be attracted, even Zi you..."

What Saigyouji Yuyuko said is undoubtedly correct, even she can't fight against the strong in the entire Kyoto alone, but———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————The thing that her yakumozi liked to do. Possible things say NO!

"I am the 'Yokai Sage Yakumo Zi' among the big monsters! How can a mere human stop me? But I believe that you can do it in Saigyouji, so I will silently watch your performance in the front row." ~"

Seeing Yakumo Zi's proud expression, the other party was taken aback for a moment, and then couldn't help covering her mouth and chuckling.

It's the first time she saw the other party showing such an expression... It's really interesting~

"Xihang Temple!!"

Yakumo Zi, who has always shown her wise image, also seems to find that passionate speech is not suitable for her, especially her friend's laughter makes her feel extremely ashamed, and she can't help complaining in a low voice. Seeing this, the other party stopped laughed.

There is no doubt that making this decision was not easy, but after everything was said, she felt extremely relaxed in her heart, and even uncharacteristically fell directly into Yakumo Zi's arms.

This sudden action made Yakumo Zi stiffen unconsciously, but she soon relaxed again, because the soft voice rang in her ears again.