Chapter 227: A Foxian Tale of the Haunted 『 Part Two 』
「 "This humble woman's code name is [Hanya]. As a judge, I oversee the final duties of the four departments: detention, imprisonment, punishment, and interrogation. Therefore, I am not entirely ignorant of you two."
Hanya's tone was faint, almost indifferent. Her gaze shifted, landing on the red-haired girl opposite her. "Guinaifen. Outworlder. Unemployed… Entered the Fyxestroll Garden two days ago with Cloud Knight Sushang."
"Eh? Unemployed?" Guinaifen placed her hands on her hips, emphasizing her point with righteous indignation. "I'm a street performance artist and a streamer hunting for trending topics! A streamer! That's a legitimate livelihood, you know!"
The three Xianzhou civil servants across from them exchanged glances before turning their collective gaze toward Stelle. "As for this one here…"
Stelle surrendered on the spot. "My lords, it was all Guinaifen's idea!"
"Y-you sold me out that fast?!" Guinaifen's eyes snapped wide open with a swish. This betrayal was happening way too quickly!
Hanya emphasized that this area had been designated a restricted zone, forbidding entry to unauthorized personnel. Regarding Guinaifen's desire to film supernatural phenomena, Xueyi offered a correction: "I have stated before, there are no ghosts in Xianzhou. Such things are absurd superstitions. As residents of Xianzhou, it is only right that you neither believe in rumors nor spread them."
Guinaifen didn't buy this explanation for a second—it sounded completely phoned in. Seeing no other option, Huohuo had to step in and explain that what they had seen that day was actually an energy parasite known as a [Heliobus].
But Guinaifen still didn't believe it, practically convinced that "Heliobus" was just a fancy Xianzhou alias for "ghost." Seeing that persuasion was futile, Huohuo had no choice but to helplessly ask Mr. Tail to make an appearance.
She looked down at the tail behind her, which was wreathed in eerie, ghostly fire, and called out softly, "…M-Mr. Tail?"
"I heard you, I heard you! So noisy… The Great Tail isn't some rare beast kept for human amusement, you know."
Accompanying the arrogant voice, a ball of flame radiating a dangerous aura materialized before Guinaifen's eyes. 」
「 .....」
〜KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World〜
"Eh? Is that Heliobus the little Foxian girl's pet? It's way too cute! I want one just like it!"
Aqua's eyes beamed with envy, her body wriggling excitedly in her seat.
Kazuma shot her a look of utter disgust, refusing to acknowledge that this person—who went gaga over everything at the drop of a hat—was his companion.
Ever since the light screen appeared, Aqua wanted every novelty she saw, and couldn't walk straight whenever a handsome guy from another world appeared… How on earth did a guy like this become a Goddess?
"Oi, oi, you idiot, you're missing the point entirely, aren't you?"
Kazuma couldn't help but interrupt her.
"That Foxian named Huohuo—didn't you notice she doesn't have a tail at all? That Heliobus replaced her tail. No matter how you look at it, that's weird, right?"
"Hehehehe…"
Beside them, Megumin suddenly covered half her face with one hand, letting out a laugh of profound mystery, and spoke in a feigned low voice.
"I see… I have completely grasped the truth. This must be the 『 Tail of the Covenant 』 of the Xianzhou Luofu, yes? An ancient evil spirit, sealed away, dwelling within the body of a Foxian in the guise of a tail…"
"Tail of the Covenant? What is that? Oi, oi, Megumin, what weird lore are you cooking up in your head now? How could an ancient evil spirit manifest as such a moe mascot?"
Truly, a pair of abnormal weirdos…
"However, that ghost-like thing does look a bit familiar. Have we seen it somewhere before?"
Kazuma scrutinized the appearance of Mr. Tail, trying hard to recall.
"When that Emanator named Phantylia was defeated, didn't she leave behind a similar ball of ghost fire on the spot…?"
—
「 "Mr… Tail?" Guinaifen looked at the spectral dumpling before her in disbelief.
Tail's attitude was fierce and cocky.
"I am a Heliobus. I am exactly the ghost or monster you think I am. You get it now? If you get it, then scram!"
Guinaifen sucked in a breath of cold air. After forcibly suppressing the terror in her heart, she scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Uh… well, could I chat a bit more with this, uh, Mr. Tail?"
"Scram. I don't have time to shoot the breeze with you." Saying this, Tail prepared to return to Huohuo's body.
Since they had seen what needed to be seen, Xueyi intended to show the guests out immediately.
"Sister, please do not be angry. You rarely handle interpersonal matters when out on missions; perhaps it would be better to let Hanya handle this." Hanya looked at Xueyi, her tone gentle as water.
But when her gaze pivoted to Stelle and Guinaifen, her tone instantly shifted from sunny to overcast, returning to that flat, indifferent voice that seemed to care for no one.
"You two must have heard about the damage to the Creation Furnace in the Artisanship Commission. The Heliobi entities sealed within have escaped and are currently occupying this area. The Ten-Lords Commission has been ordered to capture them." 」
「 .....」
〜Gintama World〜
In the living room of the Yorozuya, Gintoki was lying lazily on the sofa watching the sky screen when, suddenly, his brows furrowed, and a glint of sharp insight flashed in his eyes.
"Wait! I've realized something!"
Shinpachi jerked his head up, looking at Gintoki with a serious and shocked expression.
"Eh? What did you realize? You aren't going to say that the biggest impact of the Ambrosial Arbor's regrowth was destroying the Creation Furnace and liberating the Heliobi, are you? That was just a side effect…"
"No, it's more important than that. I've realized…"
Gintoki lowered his voice mysteriously,
"This Hanya-san is absolutely a bro-con… or rather, a sis-con!"
"…"
Shinpachi couldn't take it anymore. "
You bastard! That's not the point at all, is it?! The Xianzhou is obviously facing a new crisis—that's the key! Whether she has a sister complex or not doesn't matter at all!"
"Who says it doesn't matter? These sisters are way too important."
As he spoke, Gintoki suddenly stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.
"But then again, this gap moe really has a market. Xueyi, the older sister, has the kuudere silent attribute, while the younger sister, with the complex, is not only more voluptuous but unexpectedly good at chatting… This is a very royal-road setup, even for JUMP!"
"So after talking all that trash, you weren't paying attention to the Heliobi at all?!"
"Oh… are you talking about that flame dumpling that looks like a Pokémon?"
Gintoki finally reacted, waving his hand dismissively.
"Just catch that kind of thing with a Poké Ball and be done with it. It's not like a little ghost fire can possess people or anything, right?"
—
「 "If we go by the Master Diviner's classification, they are energy parasites from beyond the sky, [Spirits of Starfire] that appear in the form of strange flames."
"They are like moths that love to chase heat sources. Only, this heat source is not fire, but the thoughts of sentient beings."
"Wouldn't that be extremely dangerous?" Stelle asked.
"Yes. They love to parasitize intelligent lifeforms, absorbing their experiences and tasting their emotions. Gradually, the Heliobus will root itself in the host's nervous system, exploiting the desires and weaknesses within their hearts to generate all manner of delusions, manipulating them like a pawn or a puppet."
"When this happens, the host will obey the Heliobus implicitly. We call this phenomenon—[Possession]." 」
「 .....」