Chapter 49: Haki-kyou! Let's Duel!
The next day, just as promised, Yakumo Ran arrived in the outside world to retrieve Haruto and Kaguya.
The two were bickering as usual, but Ran's sharp eyes noticed at once that their spirits were unusually low. The usual playful energy in their squabbles was gone, replaced by a subtle weariness. Though she didn't know what had transpired during their trip, she considerately refrained from prying, simply sending them back to Gensokyo before quietly taking her leave.
Haruto returned to the Yakumo Residence. The moment he pushed open his bedroom door, a lazy, teasing female voice drifted through the air.
"What's wrong with our little young master? You went out to have fun, only to come back in a worse mood. Did you suffer some grievance? Do you want your dear Yukari-nee to stand up for you?"
Yakumo Yukari was leaning against the hallway wall, her eyes dancing with playful mischief.
Haruto shot her a sidelong glance. He didn't believe for a second that she hadn't been spying on their every move in the outside world over the past two days.
He didn't bother to answer. Instead, he walked straight into the room and sprawled face-first onto the soft bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Yukari wasn't in a hurry to press him. She strolled leisurely into the room, her gaze sweeping across the space. Ever since Haruto had learned to use the Gap and solemnly declared his need for private space, she had rarely set foot in this bedroom.
One lay dazed, the other wandered.
The only sound in the bedroom was the gentle rustling of bamboo leaves carried by the wind outside the window.
"Yukari-nee." After a long while, Haruto's voice, muffled by the bedding, finally broke the silence. "Back then... I could have saved her. But I didn't dare to gamble, and..."
"And you felt it wasn't necessary," Yukari finished for him, her tone losing its earlier playfulness. "You felt it might increase the danger for yourself and your companions. You felt that Ryoko had merely cooked a meal, and you had already given her two Talisman Cards as a reward. It wasn't worth taking on extra risk for that, right?"
Haruto nodded slightly. To be precise, the regret had only truly set in at the very end, when King Chen chose to sacrifice himself to protect them.
"I think I understand now," he murmured, his voice heavy. "Why you advised me not to get too deeply involved with others, let alone become friends... How did you get used to this kind of thing?"
"Because you're still young," Yukari said softly, "and you haven't experienced enough." She picked up a small, top-like toy from his table and spun it gently with her fingers. "For long-lived beings like us, parting and death are like the turning of the seasons—a perfectly normal cycle. If you live long enough, you naturally learn to take it lightly. It's not that you become heartless; you just get used to it."
She watched the top spin for a moment before casually tucking it into a waiting Gap. Turning back, she saw Haruto still looking as if his soul had left his body and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't think so much. Just let nature take its course. Instead of contemplating the philosophy of life here, why not go snuggle with your beloved Youmu?"
"Right! I get it now!"
Haruto slapped his thigh and bounced up from the bed, a sudden fire in his eyes as he made for the door.
"Don't you need me to send you over?" Yukari called after him.
"No need!" Haruto declined, stepping firmly out of the room.
His destination, however, was not the Hakugyokurou that Yukari had expected, but a golden sea of flowers so brilliant it was almost blinding.
Arriving at the Sunflower Field, Haruto entered the Dream Mansion with a familiar stride and addressed Kazami Yuuka, who was sipping tea inside.
"Haki-kyou! Let's train!"
The sudden request not only stunned Kazami Yuuka, whose crimson eyes flashed with disbelief, but also caused Alice, who was sitting nearby, to stand up and quickly walk over to Haruto.
"Pardon me," Alice said, placing the back of her hand on Haruto's forehead. Her brow gradually furrowed. "You're not hot. You're not sick."
She then inquired, "Does the 'training'you're talking about mean'Ora Ora' sparring? The kind where Sister Yuuka hits you for real?"
"What's that supposed to mean! Is it that strange for me to want to train? Stop being so stereotypical!" Haruto took a step back, pointing an indignant finger at Alice. "Don't look at me like that! I used to train every single day, working hard to get stronger twenty-four hours a day, you know!"
Seeing his genuinely serious reaction, Alice stopped joking, though her curiosity remained. "Then why did you suddenly think of asking Sister Yuuka for training?"
"There's a reward for clearing the instance," Haruto sighed, explaining. "It can increase body strength by ten percent."
This reward was actually quite powerful; its specific benefit depended entirely on one's base stats. The stronger the foundation, the more substantial the bonus. A ten percent increase might not mean much for an ordinary person, but for someone with heaven-defying physical strength like Kazami Yuuka or Ibuki Suika, that ten percent could easily equal decades, or even centuries, of cultivation.
"So you want Sister Yuuka to train you so you can improve rapidly in a short time and maximize the value of the reward?" Alice finally understood why Haruto had come back and inexplicably asked to be beaten. For a moment, she had thought he'd awakened some kind of masochistic streak.
Haruto nodded heavily. His gaze sharpened as he looked straight at Kazami Yuuka. Without a hint of fear, he pointed his finger at the Tyrant of Flowers and issued a firm challenge.
"Haki-kyou! Let's fight!"
At the inexplicable nickname, a subtle flicker passed through Kazami Yuuka's eyes. But hearing that Haruto wanted a fight, she thought no more of it. A slow, dangerous arc formed on her lips.
"Come."
"...Youmu-uuu... Hiss—be gentler..."
Haruto lay prone on a pure white futon, his eyes brimming with tears as Youmu knelt behind him, carefully applying medicinal ointment to his back.
"My apologies, Haruto-sama. I will be even gentler."
Youmu had already heard from Lady Yukari that Haruto had gone to train with that Tyrant of Flowers, but she hadn't expected him to end up in this state after just one short day.
"That Haki-kyou is too much! She doesn't know how to hold back at all!"
"Lady Yuuka only has your best interests at heart." Youmu was momentarily stunned by the strange nickname, but being familiar with Haruto's temperament, she quickly regained her composure and continued applying the medicine. Looking at the mix of bruises on his body, her emerald eyes filled with heartache. If anyone else had dared to treat her Haruto-sama this way, she would have drawn her sword long ago. However, Lady Yuuka truly did have his best interests in mind.
"Best interests? You call that best interests!?" Haruto's eyes widened. "I'd believe you for the first half! She was rough then, but at least she'd offer some guidance. But the latter half was a nightmare—she was clearly getting more and more excited as she fought!"
As he spoke, a fresh wave of sorrow washed over him, and he complained loudly, "You didn't see her expression! You didn't see how terrifyingly she was smiling! And her fists—they even had a layer of green light! That's a special effect! A literal special effect, I tell you!"
Meanwhile, inside the Yakumo Residence, Yakumo Yukari was peeking at the scene through a Gap.
She had just taken a delicate sip of tea when she heard Haruto's wail—'Her fists even had green light! A literal special effect, I tell you!'
Yukari couldn't hold it in. A mouthful of tea sprayed out, dousing the unfortunate Yakumo Ran beside her. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she pounded the bed, convulsing with laughter.
"How is this kid so talented? 'Goddamn special effects'..."
"Lord Yukari, if you keep peeping like this, Haruto-sama will be angry," the innocently victimized Ran said, silently wiping the tea from her face, her eyes full of resentment.
"If you don't say anything, and I don't say anything, then it'll be our little secret," Yukari waved her hand dismissively. "Between heaven and earth, how would little Haruto ever find out?" Her purple eyes suddenly narrowed, a sharp gaze falling upon her shikigami. "You wouldn't be thinking of snitching, would you?"
"How could I! Ran will always be loyal to you, Lord Yukari! How could I ever betray you?" Ran coughed twice, a hint of guilt flashing in the depths of her eyes.
"Don't forget," Yukari declared with a triumphant grin, "I wasn't the only one watching. Ran, you've been here with me for the past half hour, peeping right along. So! You, my dear Ran, are an accomplice!"
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