Chapter 44: The Reason for Joining the Game, and Stealing a World's Origin
After carefully stowing the last of the talisman cards into a gap, Haruto felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him. At Youmu's prompting, he began recounting his experiences in the Mermaid Pension instance for the three women.
Yakumo Yukari's expression remained placid, her posture relaxed as if she were merely listening to a fanciful bedtime story.
Yuyuko, on the other hand, was the picture of rapt curiosity. She munched on her snacks, her eyes wide, interjecting with questions whenever a particularly interesting detail came up.
Only Youmu was wound tight with tension throughout the entire tale. Even knowing that Haruto-sama had returned perfectly safe, she couldn't stop her heart from leaping into her throat every time he described a dangerous moment.
When he finally finished, Youmu couldn't help but ask, her voice earnest, "So, Haruto-sama, do you plan to fulfill his final wish?"
Haruto nodded. "I do. And I'll need your help with this."
"Me?" Youmu's eyes lit up. "As long as it's something I can do, please don't hesitate to ask."
The thought of a player willing to sacrifice himself to save others had already moved her. The fact that this was a request from her own Haruto-sama sealed her resolve completely.
"I want to find Onozuka Komachi," Haruto explained. "I need to ask her to check the records for information on King Chen and his family, to see if they exist in our world. You're on good terms with Komachi, right?"
Two years ago, Haruto had no connections to anyone in the Underworld. In the time since, he'd considered making some acquaintances, but that ambition had died a swift and painful death after a single encounter with Shikieiki.
The memory of the Rod of Remorse striking him was so vivid that Haruto shivered involuntarily. He had only been trying to be friendly, bringing a peace offering of fried shrimp to the Yama in hopes of establishing a pure, platonic friendship.
Who could have known that the sight of the stern Yama nibbling on a piece of shrimp would be so disarmingly cute? His wicked hand had moved on its own, reaching out to pat her head…
Haruto didn't remember much of what happened next, aside from the unforgettable, soul-rattling pain. His next clear memory was of waking up in a hospital bed in Eientei. The very same Yama was sitting at his bedside, a guilt-ridden expression on her face as she proceeded to lecture him for two full days and nights.
Since then, Haruto hadn't dared set foot in the Underworld, terrified of running into Shikieiki again. He finally understood why even the most powerful great youkai gave her a wide berth.
"We are indeed on good terms," Youmu confirmed, oblivious to Haruto's inner turmoil. "Komachi often comes to Hakugyokurou to relax when she's on break." She tilted her head. "Are we going now?"
"No rush," Haruto said, shaking his head gently. He turned his gaze to Yakumo Yukari, his eyes narrowing slightly. "There's one more thing I need to confirm."
"Yukari," he began, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "Can you tell me now? What was your true purpose in having me accept the invitation to the Death Game?"
Yakumo Yukari rolled her eyes at him. "Did you really think you could refuse? In all those novels and manga you read, the people who refuse the invitation to a Death Game usually end up with a rather miserable fate."
"I know that," Haruto countered, his expression unwavering. "What I'm asking is about your ultimate goal. You said before that this was for Gensokyo, but I honestly can't figure out how my participation is supposed to help you, or help Gensokyo in any way."
So far, the so-called rewards he'd obtained from the game had only served as after-dinner desserts for Yuyuko or as peculiar research materials for Eirin. They had absolutely nothing to do with Gensokyo's well-being.
At the gravity in his voice, Yuyuko and Youmu also perked up their ears, their curiosity piqued.
"Oh, there's no need to be so serious," Yukari muttered, waving a dismissive hand. "It's not that I wouldn't tell you; you just never asked for the details before." She took a delicate sip of her tea before continuing slowly.
"As you know, Gensokyo is currently incomplete. At best, it can only be considered half of a small world."
Haruto's mind raced. "Are you saying… that in the Death Game, I might get rewards that could make Gensokyo whole?"
"In your dreams," Yukari shot back, her criticism merciless. "If it were that simple, do you think I would have been troubled for so many years? Perhaps, once you've completely unraveled the rules of the Death Game and emerged as the final winner, you could indeed help. But don't count on the rewards from these regular instances."
'The final winner?'
Haruto's face immediately darkened. That sounded like it would take an eternity.
"But you don't have to worry too much," she added. "Even if you can't obtain the final reward, as long as you continue to participate in the instances, I can use you—and the Death Game itself—as a conduit to quietly steal the origin cores of those worlds."
"The World's Origin?" Haruto stared at her, his suspicion plain. "Are you sure you're not messing with me?"
"Why would I lie to you? Believe it or not, I could open a gap right now and go to the instances you've already visited." Seeing his blatantly skeptical posture, a flicker of annoyance crossed Yukari's features.
Haruto had always known his sister was powerful. But this… this was on another level entirely. He hadn't expected her to be so absurdly, ridiculously overpowered. This had long since surpassed the level of a so-called great youkai.
"Then can you send me back to the Mermaid Pension?" he asked immediately.
"What do you want to do?" Yukari asked, a hint of puzzlement in her voice.
Haruto gave her a look that screamed, 'Do you even need to ask?'
"Revenge, of course," he said, a cold edge to his voice. "And pulling the problem out by the roots."
As long as he had the strength and the circumstances allowed, Haruto was not one to let a grudge last overnight.
There was something he hadn't mentioned in his retelling. While he was being chased by the Mermaid Prince, he had gotten a clear look at the scales on its tail. Every single one was the twisted, suffering face of a human. And in the middle of its tail, a small patch remained bare.
Connecting that image to the instance's clear condition—preventing the Mermaid Prince from reaching its "twisted road to freedom"—Haruto could infer the horrifying truth. The souls of those it killed became its scales, trapped in an eternity of torment.
He didn't particularly care about the fate of the other players. But for the two people in that instance who had shown him and his companion kindness, Haruto absolutely could not stand by and do nothing.
Even if it was all just a guess, the mere possibility was intolerable. Even if Yukari hadn't brought up her world-stealing plan, he would have found a way to go back and settle the score sooner or later.
"I can't send you," Yukari stated flatly.
"What?" Haruto's jaw dropped. "Didn't you just say you could go to the instances I've been to? Youmu and Yuyuko both heard you. How can you go back on your word so quickly?"
"I said I could open a gap to those instances," she corrected him coolly. "But did I not also just say that I am having Gensokyo quietly steal the origin of those worlds? If we go barging in now, wouldn't that be like stealing someone's house keys and then paying them an ostentatious visit to announce it?"
Her logic left Haruto speechless. She had a point. What's more, he wasn't planning a simple visit; he was going to tear the place apart.
"Then when can you send me over?" he pressed.
"At the very least, not until I've stolen half of that instance's origin power. By then, even if I open a gap there or even modify the world at will, it won't be discovered." Yukari explained, then added as another thought occurred to her, "As a fellow Boundary Youkai, you can actually take control of those instances whose origin has been half-stolen. Of course, the premise is that your own strength is up to par."
Hmm?
'Control the instance?'
Haruto's interest was immediately piqued. Wouldn't that be just like being an admin in Minecraft?
But Yukari's final sentence was like a bucket of ice water, instantly dousing the flames of his excitement.
'Forget about it for now.'
At his current level, he couldn't even open a gap easily, let alone control and modify an entire world.
Thinking of this, Haruto shot a resentful glare at Yukari, his eyes screaming, 'You lazy old hag!'
"Hey, hey, what kind of look is that?" she huffed, catching his expression. "Is it my fault you're incompetent?"
"Are you absolutely sure Boundary Youkai can only improve by sleeping?" Haruto challenged. "It couldn't possibly be that you're just lazy and don't want to teach me, right?"
"How could that be!" Yukari declared with righteous conviction. "How could I be that kind of person? Boundary Youkai are meant to accumulate power through sleep and grow with the passage of time!"
She spoke with unshakable certainty, but her purple eyes hid a trace of guilt that was nearly impossible to detect.
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