Chapter 14: This Concubine Wants to Transmigrate, Too!
Although Alice had never heard of such works, her adaptability was as sharp as ever.
She asked, "This Death Game... is it possible to bring others along? I would like to go and see it for myself."
"For now, I can only bring one person, and that slot is already bound to that Kaguya fellow." Haruto was practically screaming on the inside, a hammer named regret pounding relentlessly against his heart.
Even if he couldn't bind his sister, Yukari, or even Ran, binding Alice would have been a fantastic alternative. Why, of all people, did it have to be that Idiot Princess?
She was just as terrified of ghosts as he was!
Every time Haruto played a horror game with her, it devolved into a mad scramble. They'd both run faster than the other, and the slower one would inevitably be locked behind a door by their supposed teammate, left to do nothing but scream and curse at the betrayal.
These chaotic scenes often drew strange looks from the "parents" on both sides. Yukari's gaze toward Haruto would become particularly peculiar, and as for Kaguya, Yagokoro Eirin had once become so concerned that she'd nearly force-fed the princess medicine, convinced her brain had been fried by too many video games.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Alice's eyes. "In that case, if there's anything at all you need help with, please don't hesitate to ask."
Having been on the receiving end of Haruto's gifts for so long, Alice was eager to reciprocate, but she had never found a suitable opportunity.
Hearing her offer, Haruto suddenly remembered the incomplete Cursed Doll. He retrieved it from his inventory and handed it to her.
"This is a doll I got as a reward for clearing the last instance. Ran said that each jab triggers a different effect. Could you help me figure out what they all do?"
Until he understood its specific functions, Haruto wouldn't dare use the Cursed Doll lightly. If he accidentally triggered an instant death effect on himself, he'd be sipping tea and eating fried shrimp with King Yama before he could even blink.
"Of course! Please, let me help!"
The chance to finally be of assistance to Haruto made Alice visibly excited. She propped her hands on the table, her usually gentle and serene face leaning in until it was less than a palm's breadth from his.
Although this wasn't the kind of doll she specialized in making, the principles were similar, and Alice herself had done a fair amount of research into curses. After just a few moments of inspection, she grasped the general concept.
"Please wait for me. I'll only need ten minutes."
With that, Alice took the doll and hurried back to her room.
Haruto lowered the hand he had raised to stop her, then turned his attention to Kazami Yuuka, who was still leisurely sipping her tea.
"Sister Yuuka, have you figured out that vengeful spirit fruit? What's it for? Is it edible?"
"Didn't you already give it to me?" Kazami Yuuka rolled her eyes at him.
"I'm just curious," Haruto replied without missing a beat, a shameless grin on his face. "Besides, what's yours is mine, right?"
"Just as that little fox of yours said, it is indeed related to longevity," Yuuka explained, her tone flat. "This is a fruit cultivated with corpses and resentful spirits. Eating it allows one to become a half-corpse, half-spirit existence, but their sanity will gradually erode over time."
She placed her palm over the fruit. In an instant, the plump pulp withered, turning to gray ash that crumbled onto the table, leaving only the dark pit behind.
"This is indeed a path to a long life," she remarked, a hint of disdain in her voice, "but ultimately, it is nothing more than a crooked, unworthy path."
Haruto stared at the pile of ashes on the table, his heart aching. "Sister Yuuka, if you didn't want it, you could have given it back to me. I could have sold it, you know."
"Do that woman Yukari and that little fox not give you pocket money?" Kazami Yuuka's brow furrowed slightly. "You have no need for this fruit, and you most certainly do not need to eat it."
"I'm not short on money, and I wouldn't eat it myself," Haruto said, shaking his head. "But I could have exchanged it for other things."
Perhaps it was a habit he'd formed over the past two years. Even though he was now the young master of the Yakumo family, a figure no one in Gensokyo dared to provoke, Haruto was still keen on building good relationships. He made a point of sending small gifts during festivals to strengthen his bonds with various powerful figures.
A fruit like this, for example, could have been given to Yagokoro Eirin for research, or to Patchouli for her library. At the very least, he could have given it to Marisa as a quirky collectible.
A trace of fond helplessness flashed in Kazami Yuuka's crimson eyes. "The core of this vengeful spirit fruit is its pit. The pulp's effect is insignificant."
As she spoke, she picked up the pit from the ashes. Strands of vibrant green light seeped into it from her fingertips. In a stunning display, the pit rooted itself into the wooden table and sprouted, growing into a vine as thick as a man's arm. Within seconds, it had borne three plump, perfect fruits.
"I've made some slight improvements," she said casually, as if she hadn't just defied the laws of nature. "The original fruit would cause the consumer to be constantly corroded by resentful energy. Now, that energy will only serve as nourishment and will no longer disturb one's mind."
Having said her piece, she didn't forget to pour herself another cup of flower tea.
Haruto's eyelids twitched. She truly lived up to her name as the Flower Master of the Four Seasons. If the Longevity Ghost who created the original fruit were to witness this, he would probably be so enraged his liver would rupture on the spot. The precious treasure he had painstakingly cultivated for ages was dismissed as worthless trash in her eyes, something she could replicate and improve upon with a mere whim.
It was absolutely cheating!
Haruto unceremoniously plucked two of the fruits, then gave her a heartfelt thumbs-up, his praise flowing without reservation.
"As expected of my Sister Yuuka! A flick of your finger creates a miracle. Not only are you beautiful and kind-hearted, but you're also so powerful! Even if others cultivate unorthodox methods, you can still..."
He laid the flattery on thick. Since he had gotten his gifts back and then some, the least he could do was provide her with complete emotional satisfaction.
Kazami Yuuka didn't respond, merely sipping her tea with practiced calm. But from the almost imperceptible upward curve of her lips, it was clear she was in a very good mood indeed.
...Eientei.
Kaguya lay sprawled on her bed in a large 'X' shape, idly rolling back and forth a few times before suddenly sitting up. She stared at her computer screen for a moment, then glanced at her motionless phone.
"Why hasn't Haruto replied yet?! How long is it going to take for him to come back?! This concubine is about to be bored to death!"
Her dark eyes were filled with pure resentment.
When Haruto had first told her he could travel between worlds and wanted to take her along for fun, she had been so excited she'd started packing her luggage on the spot.
Transmigration! An isekai adventure!
This was a privilege only protagonists enjoyed! Would she lead a peaceful and warm farming life? Become a hero destined to defeat a demon lord? Would she have to struggle for survival in a perilous alien world, or start from scratch to establish her own power and dominate the world? She had already fantasized about every colorful plot she had ever seen in her anime.
As for the danger? Kaguya, as a Person of Penglai, merely scoffed. As an immortal, even she found it difficult to kill herself.
Besides, even if there truly was danger, when faced with the irresistible temptation of transmigration, Kaguya declared it an insignificant detail.
However... Kaguya gritted her teeth.
She had already packed her bags, only for that second-rate bum to casually drop a line—"I have to come back from this trip first, then I can take you with me next time."
He was clearly showing off! Deliberately making her envious and jealous!
Kaguya had to admit, he had succeeded. Lately, watching anime and playing games just didn't feel the same. After all, how could any of that compare to the thrill of a first-hand experience?
"Damn it—!"
...Meanwhile.
Back at Alice's mansion, she had finished her research on the Cursed Doll and returned it to Haruto. For someone who spent her years crafting dolls, analyzing this one was not difficult, especially since she had recently been studying knowledge related to curses.
"This doll can trigger six types of random effects," she stated clearly, before explaining them one by one.
"One: Increases the target's hatred toward the doll by fifty percent."
"Two: Reflects all damage inflicted upon the target back to the caster."
"Three: Safe and sound. It produces no effect at all."
"Four: Triggers the resentment sealed within the doll, causing it to hunt down the person who pricked it."
"Five: If pricked in the head, it can cause the target's thoughts to stagnate. The specific effect depends on the target's strength."
"Six: Pricking the heart can cause the target's heart to stop, but this effect will also be reflected back onto the caster."
Alice paused briefly before adding a key detail. "For the last two effects, you need to place a part of the target's body—be it hair, skin flakes, or blood—on the doll."
Her detailed explanation made Haruto's eyes light up, but she wasn't finished.
"For ease of use, I have fixed specific curses to certain parts. The curses, from one to six, now correspond to the doll's left hand, right hand, left foot, right foot, head, and heart, respectively."
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