"Fujino, don't we need to stop it?" the Pure Fox on her shoulder asked innocently.
"Why should we stop it?" Fujino asked the Pure Fox in return.
Survival of the fittest, natural selection—this is the most basic cycle of a world. Fujino's understanding of this was very profound.
In this era where survival of the fittest is played out to the extreme, if someone dies, it is because of their own weakness. Who else can be blamed?
"You still have much to learn." Gently stroking the Pure Fox's fur, she was currently just an innocent little fox. Fujino didn't expect her to understand too much right now. For now, maintaining this innocence was fine—at least until Fujino felt she had enough capability.
The burning village was currently silent. Well, that wasn't quite right; low growls would occasionally ring out from within the raging fire.
It was a lion whose entire fur was burning with flames. In this era, calling it a demon or a Yokai would be more appropriate.
The Yokai, wreathed in flames, leaped onto a house that was still burning. The fire caused no harm to the Yokai; since it was born of fire itself, how could the flames possibly hurt it?
"Pure Fox, Pure Fox, let's have lion meat today."
The sudden sound immediately caught the Yokai's attention. Its red beast-like pupils instantly locked onto a person and a fox walking toward the village from the outside.
"A human?!" The Yokai looked at the approaching duo in astonishment. In its memory, whenever humans saw it, they would flee in panic, but this one was actually walking right toward it.
"It can even speak; it seems its strength is decent." Fujino stopped in her tracks, her purple eyes full of amusement.
In this era, the realms of Yokai were divided into five stages: Little Yokai, Spirit, Great Yokai, Yokai King, and Yokai Emperor. The ability to speak was a sign of entering the Spirit level, indicating significant intelligence. However, killing one was still a simple matter. The grading system of this era was not as simple as in the future; every region had its own classification. Some were refined into twelve levels, others even more, but these five were the ones most widely recognized by Yokai.
"I didn't expect a human to actually come here." The Yokai excitedly licked the corners of its mouth with a tongue coated in foul-smelling slime. In this era, humans were rations, food to satisfy hunger—valueless beings that could be hunted and toyed with at will. This was the definition of human existence in this world today.
This era was a paradise for Yokai. In a world where the Age of Gods had not yet descended, humans possessed no power to resist them.
"Truly disgusting," Fujino whispered, then quickly spat out a single word: "Die!"
"Hu—"
Before the Yokai could even finish its word, the flames burning on its body were instantly extinguished. Its red beast-like pupils lost their light as its life was stripped away by the power of heaven and earth. The Yokai's body collapsed heavily, crushing the house that was about to be destroyed by fire. Then, its body was covered by the remaining flames, gradually turning charred and emitting a faint burnt smell.
"I almost forgot," Fujino said helplessly. The body was already charred; what a waste.
"Fujino is a dummy~" Pure Fox giggled from her shoulder, her fox ears twitching.
"You're the dummy!" Fujino flicked Pure Fox's forehead in annoyance. The force of the flick nearly knocked Pure Fox to the ground.
"Fujino is a meanie!" Having steadied herself, Pure Fox voiced her dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, it was useless. Seeing Fujino's hand ready to flick her again, Pure Fox immediately changed her tune: "Fujino is the smartest!"
What a clever little thing~
Fujino smiled and patted Pure Fox's head. "Let's go. We're going somewhere to find someone."
"Find who?" Pure Fox asked curiously.
"A Little Loli who is still a cute Little Loli right now~"
"?"
Pure Fox couldn't help but have several question marks pop up over her head at Fujino's answer. What did she mean by 'a Little Loli who is still a cute Little Loli'?
And what exactly was a loli?
"Don't think too much about it; you'll know in the future," Fujino laughed. In this ancient era, the term 'loli' had not yet been invented, so it was normal for Pure Fox not to know.
There was an area surrounded by mountains, shrouded in thick mist that made it difficult to find one's way. Hidden beneath this dense fog were countless poisonous insects and plants; even Yokai were unwilling to stay here for long. Some of the poisonous flora and fauna could easily end the life of a Great Yokai. Over time, the toxicity of these plants and insects had even infected the fog itself, giving it a trace of poison. Staying for a short while wouldn't be a major issue beyond some post-exposure weakness, but staying too long would cause the toxins to accumulate in the body, which would quickly weaken and fail. The moment the toxins erupted would be the beginning of death.
And at this moment, a small figure arrived at the edge of the dense fog.
It was a cute Little Loli with long silver hair cascading down her back. Her simple, patched hemp clothes could not hide her inherent beauty, and her slightly youthful, beautiful face was full of determination.
"I must find it!" the Little Loli said firmly. For the sake of the people in her village, she had to find that medicinal herb.
The Little Loli took a thin white cloth from her pocket and tied it over her face to cover her nose and mouth. The toxins in the fog entered the body through breathing, and the cloth on her face had been soaked in a potion that could suppress those toxins. By breathing through the cloth, she could suppress the fog's poison, giving her more time to search for the herbs she needed.
Once she was ready, the Little Loli charged straight into the dense fog.
Not far behind her, Fujino and Pure Fox appeared.
"I didn't expect the future Eirin Yagokoro to be so cute at this time." Fujino looked at the fog. The mist couldn't block her vision at all; it was something she herself had created, so how could it hinder her?
"Is Fujino interested in that little girl?" Pure Fox poked Fujino's cheek with her little paw.
"Yes." Fujino nodded, but then added, "Or rather, I'm very interested in her future self~"
"Future?" Pure Fox blinked in confusion.
"I'm telling you, she'll be a great beauty in the future," Fujino laughed. The future Eirin Yagokoro fit her aesthetic perfectly and was one of her favorite characters in Gensokyo.
"Does Fujino like her?" Pure Fox asked. She felt a bit uncomfortable, and her pale gold eyes flickered with emotion.
Should she kill her?
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