"Is it not allowed?" Seeing the other party silent for too long, Yuto felt puzzled.
He only wanted to look around.
Yuuka's brow furrowed, and she glanced at Mokou. Her lips moved, as though she was about to speak, but Mokou opened her mouth first.
"It's allowed, sure, but you have to follow the rules. You absolutely cannot disrupt the normal life of the Human Village. If you do, I'll drive you out." Mokou looked at the hand Yuto used to hold the parasol for Yuuka, and there was hesitation in her voice.
"Of course. Please don't worry," Yuto smiled.
Beside him, Yuuka withdrew her gaze from Mokou.
That made Mokou secretly let out a breath of relief.
"Yuuka, let's go," Yuto said to Yuuka.
However, she shook her head. "I want to rest for a while. You go."
Yuuka's words made Yuto pause. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Yuto's concern left Mokou so shocked she could hardly process it.
Good heavens! What was she seeing?!
The Flower Tyrant was being cared about by a human! She had to still be half-asleep! She had to be!
"I'm only tired. I'll wait for you at the other exit. Come find me there afterward." Yuuka waved her hand, then took the parasol back.
Seeing this, Yuto could only nod.
Then she looked toward Mokou again. "You will show him around."
Her words never allowed room for doubt.
This sentence sounded like an order!
Mokou did not say anything more, though the shock in her eyes had yet to fade.
"Fine." She accepted it solemnly, as though she had taken on some great mission.
That made Yuto laugh despite himself.
'It was only walking around the street. Was there any need to look so serious?'
"Then I'll trouble you. May I ask your name?"
"I'm Fujiwara no Mokou. Just call me Mokou."
"All right, Mokou."
Yuto nodded to Mokou, then turned back toward Yuuka.
"Then Mokou and I will head inside."
"I'll wait for you at the other end."
"Okay."
After making that arrangement, Yuto stepped forward and followed Mokou into the village.
Yuuka stood where she was, silently watching his back.
In the next moment, a gap tore open beside her. Inside that gap, which looked like a scene from hell, a golden figure slipped out.
She was as brilliant as gold.
It was Yukari.
As always, she dressed in magnificent clothing, and a faint smile touched her lips. Her eyes were beautiful enough to steal one's soul.
"Why didn't you go in with him?" she asked with a smile that carried a hidden meaning.
"If I go in, there will be no one left. What he wants to see is liveliness, not an empty street." Yuuka's voice was flat.
A light breeze blew past, lifting her hair. Her green strands drifted beautifully through the air.
In the next instant, her figure vanished.
Yukari remained where she was, amusement in her eyes and a faint curve at her lips.
She looked like a bent rainbow on the edge of the sky, beautiful and captivating.
"Hehehe, this really is far too interesting..."
...
Because Gensokyo was sealed away from the outside world, the buildings in the Human Village were built in an ancient style.
Carved beams and painted rafters, layered rooftops, upturned eaves, thick red wooden pillars...
Yuto had thought the buildings inside would be crude, but the scene before him was beyond his expectations.
Most likely, among the people who entered Gensokyo in the past, there had been someone skilled in architecture.
These old buildings carried a strong sense of the ancient style of Yuto's homeland. It was a cultural influence from a distant age.
The street was wide, and various shops lined both sides.
Snack shops, tailor shops, blacksmiths...
There were quite a few pedestrians as well, and among them were many youkai.
Youkai communities such as Youkai Mountain often sent people to the Human Village to buy things.
At first, the humans had been afraid. But after interacting for a long time, they gradually grew used to it.
With the protection of the village guards and the Hakurei shrine maiden, humans and youkai had reached a harmonious balance within this small village.
Yuto walked along, admiring everything.
He lived in modern society.
Where would he ever get to see such an old-fashioned street and such simple customs?
Mokou, who was walking beside him, had been watching him the whole time.
The girl had a lot on her mind. Rather than saying she had something on her mind, it was more accurate to say she was curious.
The villagers coming and going all showed respect when they saw Mokou. As the captain of the village guards, she was deeply trusted.
"Kamisaka, what's your relationship with Kazami Yuuka?" Mokou finally asked. Her personality was straightforward, and she called Yuto by his surname with ease and boldness.
She did not feel much like a girl in that regard; instead, she was very much like a boy.
Hearing Mokou's question, Yuto did not stop walking.
He thought for a moment, then smiled softly. "We're friends."
Mokou was shocked!
She found it difficult to imagine that the woman known as the Master of Flowers could become friends with a human.
That kind of thing was practically the same as the sun rising from the west.
"How did you and she meet—"
"Uwahahaha~ Chase me if you can~"
Just as Mokou tried to ask again, three noisy children ran over and interrupted her.
Behind them was a beautiful girl wearing a blue pleated skirt.
The expression on the girl's face was angry.
"Stop right there! Come back to class!"
Her irritated shout did not make those children stop. Instead, they ran even more happily.
Mokou's expression sharpened.
With a light step, her body instantly appeared in front of the three children. Before they could react, she gave each of them a knock on the head.
"Ahhh! That hurts!" "It's that person!" "Damn it!"
The three children clutched the bumps swelling on their foreheads and glared tearfully at Mokou.
Mokou clapped her hands and pointed at them. "You're skipping class again! Looks like I'll have to have a proper talk with your parents this time."
The moment she said that, the three children fell silent.
The girl who had been chasing them from afar arrived in front of Mokou.
Now that she was closer, Yuto was able to observe her carefully.
Like Mokou, she had white hair, and her eyes were red. Her features carried a gentle air, and her whole body was filled with an intellectual aura.
There was still a thin layer of anger and helplessness on her face.
"Sorry to trouble you, Mokou," she sighed and spoke to Mokou.
There was frustration in Mokou's eyes. "I told you last time, Keine. When you're dealing with disobedient kids, you have to smack them a little. Otherwise, they won't learn! Did you go soft again?"
"I thought they were going out to use the bathroom..."
The girl named Keine looked helpless and dejected.
That only made Mokou even angrier, she knocked each of the three children again.
"I'll personally visit your homes today. You'd better start praying now."
To the three children, Mokou's voice was the sound of hell itself!
"Eh—this person is... Kamisaka-kun?" While Mokou threatened the children, Keine started speaking with Yuto.
Yuto looked surprised.
"Please don't be surprised. Ran told me last night that Kamisaka-kun would be coming to the Human Village today. I'm Kamishirasawa Keine. Please just call me Keine." Keine smiled as she spoke.
Last night, Yukari had specially sent Ran to inform her.
That's why she knew.
"So that's how it is," Yuto nodded.
"Keine is the teacher at the Human Village school. These little brats are her students." Mokou took out a bundle of rope from who knew where and tied up the three children.
She held the other end of the rope herself.
"Mokou, tying them up like that might hurt them." Keine looked at Mokou with concern.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Honestly, it's exactly because you're always worrying like this, Keine, that these little brats don't listen to you!" Mokou tugged at the rope in frustration.
The three children did not make a sound, and they did not look like they were in pain.
Mokou truly did know her limits.
Seeing this, Keine relaxed. "They are still children, after all..."
"Sigh, I really can't do anything with you." Mokou sighed and stopped talking.
Keine smiled helplessly, then suddenly seemed to realize something.
She hurriedly turned toward Yuto. "I'm sorry. I let Kamisaka-kun see such an embarrassing scene."
Compared to Mokou, Keine was an entirely different extreme.
Mokou was bold and carefree, and every word and action carried a natural sense of freedom.
Keine, however, was the typical gentle girl.
Whether speaking or acting, she was soft and warm.
"It's fine." Yuto waved his hand and smiled.
Then a thought stirred in his mind. "Keine, may I visit the school?"
"Of course."
Faced with Yuto's request, Keine agreed readily.
After that, the three of them headed toward the Human Village school.
Along the way, Mokou led those three children on the rope.
In a corner diagonally behind them, a girl holding a medicine box watched their backs with curiosity.
Two long ears grew from her head, like those of a rabbit.
She looked timid, the kind of person who gave the impression she would be easy to bully.
"Can this medicine really turn a man into a woman?"
"Eh! Of course it can! Shishou personally tested it!"
The girl, who had hurriedly pulled her attention back after being asked, flusteredly continued selling medicine.
Her shishou had developed another pile of strange medicines.
Things like "man-to-woman," "woman-to-man," and "growing both XX and XX at the same time"...
These medicines satisfied the preferences of certain strange groups of people.
However, while the rabbit-eared girl was busy, she felt curious inside.
That person just now... Who was he?
After wondering for a while, the girl made up her mind. She would go back and tell Shishou about what she saw today!
...
The Human Village's elementary school was somewhat like an old-fashioned private academy.
A group of children were inside, noisily reciting the homework Keine had assigned them.
The three children were returned to class.
Watching the children study, Yuto felt peace settle in his heart.
"This is a wonderful scene," Yuto spoke with a touch of emotion.
Keine, standing beside him, looked embarrassed, but Mokou was proud. "Of course! This is Keine's school!"
At that moment, Mokou looked a little like a silly fool.
Yuto smiled because of it.
"No... it's only because the children are all obedient..." Keine seemed shy.
At that moment, a girl wearing a red-and-yellow kimono came around the corridor and walked over.
"Hieda-sama, thank you for teaching the children history."
"Keine, call me Akyuu. I've told you so many times." The girl named Akyuu spoke in a calm voice that put people at ease.
Her face was delicate and elegant, yet there was a maturity about her that did not match her age.
Despite her small body, she gave people the feeling of an elder.
"That would be too rude." Keine refused to agree.
Akyuu shook her head helplessly.
Then she looked toward Yuto. "Kamisaka-kun?"
"Yes."
When Yuto answered, a smile appeared on the girl's face.
It was like a lotus blooming!
"If you don't mind, after the banquet, could you sit with me for a little while? There are some things I would like to discuss with you."
Akyuu's words made Yuto surprised.
Banquet? Was she referring to the Scarlet Devil Mansion?
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