Chapter 45: Youmu: Slay Them All
By the banks of the Sanzu River, the mist was dense and clung to the ground like a shroud.
Haruto followed a step behind Youmu, a sullen expression on his face and a small, tender bump on his head.
"That old hag, Yukari," he grumbled under his breath. "How can she be so petty? All I did was ask how many centuries she'd spent lazing about to get that powerful, and she just snapped for no reason."
Walking ahead of him, Youmu's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly. She pursed her lips, her expression a mixture of awkwardness and strained silence. This was a topic she absolutely should not—and could not—engage in.
The Sanzu River was vast, its waters stretching into the hazy distance. The deeper they ventured along its banks, the thicker the mist became, swallowing sound and sight.
But this was merely the outer perimeter. The moment they stepped past an unseen boundary, the pervasive fog was held back by an invisible barrier of light. The air suddenly cleared, the world becoming bright and distinct.
Haruto glanced ahead, his eyes finally able to make out the churning, murky currents of the river itself. Youmu led him on a careful search along the bank, but the familiar figure of the ferryman was nowhere to be seen.
"Komachi might be busy ferrying souls across," Youmu said apologetically, turning to him. "Do you have enough time, Haruto-sama? Should we wait a little while, or would it be better to come back next time after I've contacted her?"
"Let's wait. It's not like I have anything better to do," Haruto replied with a shrug. He had already wandered over to the river's edge, where he squatted down, watching the rolling waves with a flicker of curiosity.
"Haruto... Haruto..."
A voice, thin and ethereal, seemed to call his name from the water itself.
It sounded impossibly far away. The thick mist began again about ten meters from the shore, and the disembodied call seemed to originate from deep within it.
Subconsciously, Haruto leaned a little closer, peering into the gray expanse.
Splash—!
Without warning, a hideous black shadow erupted from the river.
A withered, skeletal hand, like the claw of a desiccated monkey, shot from the water's surface less than half a meter from him. It lunged for his legs, its clear intent to drag him down into the depths.
Hum—Swoosh!
The instant before those decaying fingers could touch him, a longsword engraved with delicate cherry blossom patterns materialized from thin air. It flashed past in a silver arc, and the withered hand—along with the entire arm attached to it—was severed in a single, clean motion. A shrill, inhuman scream echoed from the river as the creature hastily retreated back into the water.
This was the Roukanken—a blade that specialized in severing the spiritual, yet could just as easily slay the living.
Youmu stood firm and resolute before Haruto, her sword held ready. Her cold, emerald eyes stared with fury at the disturbed water.
"To dare harm Haruto-sama—execution without mercy!"
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Before her voice had even faded, she sent two more slashes whistling into the river. Though they seemed like casual, almost lazy swings, the sword qi struck its unseen targets with unerring precision. The last gurgling sounds from the water ceased instantly.
"Haruto-sama, are you al—"
Youmu had just started to turn, her question catching in her throat as she was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. The boy buried his face against her shoulder, rubbing his cheek back and forth against the fabric of her clothes, his voice brimming with unadulterated excitement.
"That was so cool! I never knew my Youmu could be this cool! Can you do it one more time?!"
Caught completely off guard by the sudden embrace, Youmu's face flushed a brilliant, visible red. The killing intent that had filled her eyes only a moment ago dissolved, her gaze becoming dazed and unfocused, swirling like coils of incense smoke.
"O-Okay."
She hadn't even processed what Haruto had said; she just subconsciously agreed. As long as it was something Haruto-sama requested, something he wanted, she would never refuse.
Haruto immediately let go, whipped out his phone, and switched it to video recording mode. He aimed the lens at the still-dazed half-ghost.
When Youmu finally swam back to her senses, she asked in a small, bewildered voice, "Haruto-sama, what... what do you want me to do?"
"Repeat your movements and lines from just now. I want to record it."
"Re-record it?"
Although Youmu was aware that some modern tools could capture images, she didn't quite grasp why he would want to record this.
But since it was Haruto's request, she naturally wouldn't refuse. Taking a deep breath, she followed his instructions, carefully reconstructing the scene from moments before.
After some effort, Haruto finally put away his phone, a look of deep satisfaction on his face. Meanwhile, Youmu was squatting off to the side, miserably drawing circles in the dirt. Her cheeks were an even deeper shade of crimson than before, her eyes full of shame. She didn't understand why, but she felt inexplicably mortified.
She peeked at Haruto from the corner of her eye, only to see that he had wandered back to the riverbank again. A jolt of anxiety shot through her.
"Haruto-sama! Please be careful, don't go near the riverbank! It's very dangerous. The Sanzu River is filled with the souls of sinful people. The evil ghosts they become are twisted beyond recognition; they'll drag any living thing they find to the bottom to suffer the pain of corrosion with them."
"But I still have you, don't I, Youmu?" Haruto's tone was one of absolute, unwavering trust. "You'll definitely protect me, right? Just like before—whoever dares to make a move on me, you'll slay them with a single strike!"
He finished with a proud declaration, "Since Youmu is here, what do I have to fear?"
The sheer faith in his words moved Youmu deeply. She gripped her sword hilt, her gaze locking onto the river's surface with renewed intensity. If anything so much as dared to show its head, she would surely slay it!
Of course, if she had been a little closer and leaned down to look, she would have seen that Haruto was currently clutching a Talisman Card covered in hideous, writhing eyeballs.
In truth, Haruto wasn't nearly as calm as he appeared. He had been on guard, but he hadn't expected the ghosts in the Sanzu River to be so insidious—one calling his name from a distance to create a distraction, while another crept silently to the shore to drag him under.
He had to admit, after leaving the last instance and returning to the relative comfort of Gensokyo, his vigilance had dropped far too much. If it hadn't been for Youmu's lightning-fast reaction, he might have genuinely had to shout, 'Mother Yukari, help me!'
Suddenly, a large black shadow began to approach rapidly through the mist.
Swoosh, swoosh—!
Youmu swung her sword without a shred of hesitation, intending to nip the danger in the bud.
The arcs of sword qi vanished into the fog, followed by a startled scream and then a young woman's indignant shout.
"Who is it?! Who's ambushing me?!"
Youmu was on the verge of tears. There was no mistaking it; she had slashed the wrong person.
A large black shape emerged from the fog, revealing its true form. A girl stood upon a simple wooden flat-bottomed boat, one that looked just large enough to seat three or four people.
She had vibrant red hair, a giant reaper's scythe resting against the gunwale, and two massive, soft mounds that rivaled even Patchouli's.
Seeing that last prominent feature, Haruto immediately confirmed her identity: the ferryman of the Sanzu River, Onozuka Komachi.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! I thought you were one of those evil ghosts in the river and I slashed out subconsciously!"
The moment Komachi's boat docked, Youmu rushed forward and began bowing repeatedly in apology, her face nearly buried in her own chest.
"It's not a big deal, but you really scared me just now, Youmu. For a second, I thought Lord Shiki had come to check on my post again," Komachi muttered, leaving her scythe on the boat as she hopped onto the shore. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the boy standing behind Youmu, and she peered past the flustered swordswoman to size him up curiously.
"Komachi, let me introduce you..."
Just as Youmu started to speak, Komachi beat her to it.
"So, you're the young master of the Yakumo family? Youmu's little boyfriend?"
"L-L-Little boyfriend?!"
Youmu's face instantly turned beet red. Sensing Haruto's shocked gaze on her, she began shaking her head like a rattle.
"I didn't! I never said such a thing! Haruto-sama, please believe me!" she explained frantically, her emerald eyes welling up with tears as if she were about to cry. She turned to Komachi, desperately hoping for a lifeline, but the ferryman just scratched her head.
"But Lady Yuyuko told me last time that she found a little boyfriend for you. She said you were very satisfied, that the boy was also very interested, and that it was mutual love. She even said she'd invite me for wedding drinks."
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