Meanwhile, over with Hu Tao.
After leaving Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the little girl scurried towards Makoto's direction with her short legs.
Her high twin Horsetails bounced under the moonlight, like a flying fire butterfly.
And Makoto, too, kept their agreement, waiting for Hu Tao at his original spot.
Hutao looked up at the sky, then said, "Makoto Ge-ge, the moon is so beautiful tonight, do you want to sunbathe under the moonlight together?"
Hearing Hu Tao's words, Makoto subconsciously looked up at the sky.
The sky, previously covered by dark clouds, had cleared at some point, with a bright moon hanging high above.
Immediately after, Hutao continued, "I'll take you to my secret base! It's the best place to watch the moon!"
Secret base?
Makoto suddenly felt a little curious.
What would a secret base of a quirky girl like Hu Tao look like?
Makoto decided to go and see; perhaps he could understand Hu Tao's inner world through it.
Taroumaru, who was beside him, had eaten too much and needed to walk around to digest, so upon hearing that they would continue their walk, he happily wagged his tail.
As for the Little Ones, there was even less to say.
For them, no matter where Makoto went, they would follow him closely.
As for that old trickster Venti,
Upon hearing about going to admire the moon, he immediately ran off to buy several bottles of wine.
Of course, Makoto was the one who paid.
That old trickster Venti really tried every means to mooch wine.
...
On the way to the secret base, Hu Tao noticed Taroumaru.
Previously, Hu Tao's attention had been on Makoto and Qiqi, so she hadn't noticed Taroumaru's existence at all.
But now, seeing Taroumaru, Hutao seemed very excited.
"Wow, wow, wow, it's a little doggy!"
Hu Tao hugged Taroumaru like she was embracing a stuffed toy.
Hu Tao clearly didn't even look as tall as Taroumaru, but it seemed like Taroumaru was the weak, pathetic, and helpless one.
Qiqi introduced Taroumaru to Hu Tao, "Taroumaru… his name is Taroumaru… he is Qiqi's good friend…"
Hutao blinked her plum blossom-like eyes: "Taroumaru… I've remembered that name~"
"Taroumaru, can you walk on your hands?"
Taroumaru:?
"Taroumaru, can you do a backflip? Like those 'shoo shoo shoo, hoo hoo hoo' backflips."
Taroumaru:???
A person should not… at least not…
At this moment, Qiqi softly spoke, "Taroumaru's tail can use a sword… and he can Blade Block… he's very impressive."
In Inazuma, Qiqi had seen Taroumaru's swordsmanship and greatly respected his strength.
Listening to Qiqi's praise and Hu Tao's exclamations,
Taroumaru wagged his tail happily and proudly.
He was a dog determined to become a God of Blade Blocking; how could he not have a few tricks up his sleeve?
Just then, Hutao spoke, "Taroumaru, you're so cute~ Let me do your makeup!"
As she spoke, she took out a rubber band from her clothes pocket and tied two small braids on Taroumaru's head.
Immediately after, the quirky girl took off the plum blossom from her hat and placed it on Taroumaru's head.
Looking at her masterpiece, Hutao nodded with satisfaction, even pulling Qiqi over to see.
Taroumaru: …
Doesn't the God of Blade Blocking need his dignity?
Previously, having Qiqi around had already made Taroumaru depressed.
And now, there was also Hu Tao, who thought he was cute and kept giving him various makeovers.
With these two combined, he probably wouldn't have an easy time.
Thinking of this, Taroumaru sighed faintly.
Before long, Hu Tao led Makoto and the others to her secret base.
It truly counted as a secret base, as the location was quite secluded, near the gloomy area of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
The Little Ones, visiting such a spooky place for the first time, all nervously hugged Makoto, wanting him to cuddle them.
Hu Tao, on the other hand, acted fearless, walking ahead alone to lead the way.
There was a pavilion here, abandoned for who knows how long, and on the stone table inside were various strange and peculiar items.
There was an unopened deck of cards, a book of doggerel poems with Hu Tao's name written on it, and a coffin.
The coffin was probably for Hu Tao to sleep in when she got tired of playing.
Ordinary people sleep in beds, but this girl was uniquely different.
Next to it, a plum tree was planted, likely also by Hu Tao's hand.
Just as Hu Tao said, this place was very suitable for moon viewing.
The view was open and bright; standing here, it felt as if one could touch the moon with a raised hand.
Just then, a rustling sound came from the mountain forest.
The Little Ones hugged Makoto even tighter, seeking comfort.
Taroumaru assumed a defensive stance, ready to protect the Little Ones at any moment.
At this point, Hu Tao waved her hand and said, "No need to be so nervous, no need to be so nervous."
"It's my friend coming to play with me."
As her words fell, a figure emerged from the woods.
It was a transparent, somewhat cute little ghost.
Makoto recognized it at a glance; this was the Little One that floated around Hu Tao when she was idle.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"