Crossover: A Different Inuyasha.

Chapter 105 The Cross and the Vampire

In early April, the crowds in front of Tokyo stations were more congested than usual.

The wind blew through the tall buildings, lifting the short skirts of a large group of high school girls, revealing a pleasing sight.

Some daring girls even modified the school uniform skirts.

When the wind blew, they covered their front, but couldn't stop the hem of their skirts from swaying in the back.

This makes people who are living a comfortable life sigh with heartfelt emotion—this is perhaps the true meaning of summer.

A bus was parked at the edge of the platform, its engine humming softly, occasionally emitting a puff of white smoke from its exhaust.

"The bus to Yanghai Academy is about to depart. Passengers who need to board, please hurry," the announcement came from the loudspeaker above the platform, carrying static, and echoed several times in the waiting area.

Kagome Higurashi stood by the bus door, carrying a small travel bag in her hand.

Today she was wearing the uniform of Yanghai Academy—a dark green suit jacket with a neat cut, a white shirt underneath, and a light gray bow tie at the collar.

She wore a gray plaid pleated skirt that fell above her knees, revealing a section of her calves encased in white mid-calf socks, and a pair of dark brown round-toed leather boots.

The soles of my shoes made a soft tapping sound as they stepped on the concrete floor of the platform.

Kagome looked around for a while, and when she didn't see anyone, she stepped onto the car.

The car door closed gently behind her, making a muffled thud.

There were very few people in the car. There was no Inuyasha, no priestess, only an ordinary-looking boy wearing the same school uniform as him.

"A monster or an ordinary person?"

Kagome was somewhat surprised, but considering the purpose of her trip, she didn't dwell on it.

She glanced twice at the somewhat sinister-looking driver with a small mustache in the driver's seat, then found a window seat and sat down.

What a pretty girl! Are you in the same year?

The school uniforms in island nations are unique, with each high school having its own distinct uniform.

The father found a high school admission notice on the road, and Aono Tsukine was able to enroll in Yokai Academy. Looking at the radiant Kagome, he didn't dare to go up and greet her.

"We're about to depart, please be seated." The driver, whose true form was a sly demon, glanced at the two people in the rearview mirror, said the routine greeting, and then muttered to himself.

He remembered that one of the three Hades, the chairman of the academy, had spoken to him about one person. How did it become two people now?

Moreover, that human girl possessed extraordinary power.

However, considering the recent turmoil, even the Kingdom of Otogi, where one of the three great Hades resides, has been repeatedly attacked by human priestesses.

He rose to power in Hong Kong and was one of the three Kings of Hell. He founded the Huang family's Dongfang Bubai, but was defeated and his current fate is unknown.

"Life is getting harder and harder for monsters. When will it ever end?"

The sly driver adjusted his hat brim and stepped on the gas.

The bus started.

The platform outside the window began to recede, and the figures of people waiting for the train, the station sign, and the branches of the roadside trees slid past the edge of my field of vision one after another.

Sunlight filters through the still-green canopy of trees in spring, casting dappled shadows on the car windows and across the seats and floor inside the carriage.

A breeze blew in through the half-open window, carrying the scent of grass and earth, brushing against Kagome's hand resting on the windowsill, cool yet with a hint of warmth.

She turned her gaze away from the train door, and the view outside the window changed from the station rooftops and lampposts to the cherry blossom trees lining both banks of the river.

The branches droop low, and the flower clusters are layered upon layered.

As soon as the wind passed, petals fluttered down, carried by the airflow towards the car window, then flung off with the car's speed, tumbling and falling into the roadside ditch, drifting downstream.

"You promised to come together and spend more time with me, Inuyasha, you lying little dog."

The boy's broken promise prompted a muttered complaint from the girl, now officially entering high school. She crossed her arms, clearly unhappy.

"If I find out you're philandering again, I'll report you."

After saying that, Kagome immediately shut up, feeling that what she said sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.

She turned her head to look at the beautiful scenery outside the window, and didn't say anything more.

After a moment of silence in the carriage, the driver's deep voice asked, "Are you all new students at Yanghai Academy?"

"Yes." Sitting in the front, Aono Tsukine glanced at the school acceptance letter in her hand and answered with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Kagome straightened up, turned her head from the car window, and responded towards the driver's seat, "Yes, I'm going to study at that monster academy."

She asked curiously, "Driver, are you a monster too? Or a staff member at that academy?"

"Yokai Academy—"

Aono Tsukine quietly repeated the word in her seat.

He secretly glanced at Kagome briefly, then quickly looked away.

"What is she talking about? Yokai Academy—isn't that just a regular boarding high school?"

He glanced at the girl by the window again out of the corner of his eye—dark uniform, gray plaid skirt, natural expression, frank tone, completely lacking the excitement or secrecy typical of niche enthusiasts talking about their inner circle.

Turns out she wasn't a social butterfly—she was just an otaku girl who loves anime and manga.

This conclusion made Aono Tsukine, who was in a square, feel inexplicably closer to someone, as if she had found a trace of a kindred spirit, and her tension dissipated somewhat.

The cunning driver, whose true colors had been exposed, didn't try to hide anything. "I'm not a faculty or staff member. I'm just a porter at most."

""

That's right, they are the porters who receive lucky individuals randomly selected by the chairman and send them to the Yokai Academy for a survival adventure.

The life and death of human students are not particularly important to the great monsters or the King of the Underworld.

After the cunning driver finished speaking, he fell silent for a moment, as if he was considering something. He also slowed down slightly, and the car slid from the asphalt road in front of the tunnel into a gradually darkening shadow.

"Little girl."

His voice carried a serious tone that didn't sound like he was just chatting casually.

"It's not too late to stop now. As a psychic who didn't receive an invitation, there's no need for you to get involved in the Yokai Academy."

Kagome leaned against the window, her gaze fixed on the darkening tunnel entrance ahead. She sighed softly and rested her cheek on her hand.

"There's no way I can't not go."

She didn't give a reason, and there was no trace of grievance or coercion in her tone; she simply replied in a flat and indifferent manner.

Looking at the helpless Kagome through the rearview mirror, the Nurarihyon driver fell silent.

The bus entered the tunnel.

The light dimmed in an instant, switching from the bright early summer sunlight to the tunnel lights, casting a grayish-white reflection on the dark windows.

Kagome looked up, her gaze falling on the lights and ventilation openings that kept flashing across the tunnel walls ahead.

She could feel the vibrations of the car body change in texture, as if an invisible film was being peeled off the surface of the car.

Something was briefly tightened at the boundary between the inside and outside of the carriage, and then loosened.

"Is this the barrier separating the isolation academy from the human world?"

Kagome sensed the continuous stream of demonic energy emanating from ahead, took a deep breath, and a look of anticipation appeared on her beautiful face.

To be honest, that's a monster academy; an ordinary person would never encounter one in their entire life.

Although encountering it would definitely be a disaster.

With that thought, the girl looked at Aono Tsukine, who was on the phone in front of her, and with a wave of her hand, set up a barrier around her.

Sometimes, people can't learn by being taught, but they can learn by being taught something.

Kagome, who has been with Inuyasha for three years, is not the pushover character from the original story. She knows how to let go of her desire to help others and respect their fate.

The white light at the end of the tunnel gradually grew larger, expanding from a small dot into a bright expanse that filled the entire field of vision.

The bus lurched slightly as it exited the tunnel, as if it had crossed an invisible threshold.

Then the light fell back down.

Is this a world in isolation?

Kagome blinked.

The view outside the window is no longer a highway lined with cherry blossoms and bathed in gentle sunlight; instead, it is a desolate and barren landscape.

The trees on both sides had withered branches, as if they had been drained of moisture, twisting and stretching towards the pale gray sky. Occasionally, a few withered leaves hung on the branches, their edges curled and yellowed, trembling slightly in the wind.

The ground was covered with a layer of cracked soil and fine gravel, stretching into the distance.

On one side of the road, a vast expanse of sea stretched out in the sunlight, its color a heavy, dark red, like diluted blood.

The smell in the air has changed too.

The concentration of spiritual energy in Yanghai Academy, which was enveloped by a large-scale barrier, increased by several times.

If a half-demon like Nura Rikuo comes here, he can maintain his demon form for 24 hours.

Is it a bad signal? Or... is there really a monster?

Looking at the abnormal scenery outside the window, and then at her phone which had no signal, Aono Tsukine recalled the conversation in the car just now and couldn't help but swallow.

Don't be afraid. How could there be monsters in this world? It's all a lie!

My classmates are all in high school, how could I possibly give up so easily!

The bus slowed down and traveled less than a mile along the desolate road before coming to a stop in a slightly open area by the roadside. The engine emitted a low, sigh-like sound before falling silent.

"We've arrived at Yanghai Academy. Please get off the bus."

Aono Tsukine stood up first.

He carried his luggage and walked briskly down the aisle toward the car door, as if he wanted to leave this environment that made him vaguely uneasy as soon as possible.

There was a dead tree by the roadside, its branches gnarled and twisted, as if it had been blown by the wind for many years, and its bark was covered with dark brown cracks.

Beside the tree trunk was a sign, simple in design, like an old wooden board that had been carelessly nailed into the ground—a pumpkin head hung from the top, and a tattered cloak was tied below, its edges worn beyond recognition, occasionally lifting a corner in the wind before drooping down again.

The wooden sign had four large characters written in dark paint: Yanghai Academy.

A breeze blew in from the sea, carrying a salty smell. Unsure of what was happening, Aono Tsukine was momentarily stunned.

Kagome stopped by the car door, glanced down at the pumpkin head that was gently turning in the wind, then looked up at the dirt road winding into the distance behind the wooden sign.

The end of the road was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, making it difficult to see clearly. Only a vague outline emerged from the mist, resembling a building or a deeper tombstone.

Why make it so gloomy?

Kagome glanced at the surroundings, made a comment, and then reached out to press down on the car body. The Nurarihyon driver, who was about to drive away, stopped his foot from pressing the accelerator.

The unexpected appearance of the girl, and his surviving experience as a great demon, tells him that she is not to be trifled with.

Kagome didn't look at the driver much, but turned her head and looked at Aono Tsukine, who was still standing by the car door, holding her luggage and looking hesitant.

"The car hasn't left yet. Are you sure you're not going back, you're just an ordinary person?"

Still hesitant, Aono Tsukine shook her head. "No."

If a girl isn't afraid, what's there for a grown man like me to be afraid of?

"I see."

Kagome glanced at him, then simply released her hand from the car. Seeing this, the Nurarihyon driver stepped on the gas and drove away.

Kagome watched the bus grow smaller and smaller in the hazy fog, clapped her hands, turned her head to look at Aono Tsukine, and said, "From now on, I wish you good luck."

After the girl finished speaking, she turned around, picked up her travel bag, and started walking along the dirt road leading to the outline of the buildings in the mist.

Aono Tsukine stood still, her arm slightly raised, as if she wanted to call out to her.

He opened his mouth, the words inviting him to join him swirling in his throat, but ultimately he couldn't utter them.

I could only lower my arm, grip the handle of my bag tightly, and start walking.

The two were not too far apart. He walked behind her, his gaze fixed on the back of her dark green coat, maintaining a distance of about seven or eight meters, neither too close nor too far.

Getting too close would seem abrupt, but staying too far away would mean losing track of them completely.

In this eerie environment, the sense of security provided by two people is much stronger than that of one person.

The wild trees on both sides of the dirt road rustled softly in the breeze, and occasionally one or two black crows would fly over the branches, their wings flapping with a short, muffled sound.

I'll try calling again when I get to the school.

He walked around for a while, head down, fiddling with his phone which still had no signal. When he looked up again, Kagome had disappeared.

The road was still the same road, winding its way forward, with withered branches and gray-brown soil on both sides.

Aono Tsukine stopped, stood in the middle of the road, and looked ahead a few times.

The fog wasn't too thick; visibility was only a few meters, after which everything blurred into a hazy gray outline.

He quickened his pace and walked to the vicinity of where Kagome had just been.

The road was flat, with no side roads or bushes to hide in.

"Feed"

He shouted, but his voice only carried a short distance across the empty wasteland.

Have they disappeared without a trace?

"Could there really be a monster?"

Aono Tsukine tightened his grip on his luggage bag and started walking forward, his pace much faster than before.

The roadside scenery became blurred and repetitive as I quickened my pace: withered trees, scattered rocks, and a gray sky. Occasionally, one or two crows would land on a branch, tilting their heads and turning their dark eyes to follow my movements.

He glanced at them and immediately looked away, his gaze fixed ahead, his pace quickening.

After walking for a while, the wild trees along the roadside gradually thinned out, and in their place was a wide open area with gently undulating slopes.

Scattered on the slope are some gray-white stone tablets of varying heights.

Some of them are tilted, their surfaces covered with dark moss and cracks.

A mass grave in the wild.

Realizing this, Aono Tsukine panicked even more, tripped over a pebble, and fell down.

The sky was a bit darker than before.

The clouds, which were originally just light gray, are getting darker, with a murky dark orange showing through their edges, as if something is burning behind the clouds, dyeing the light in an unreal hue.

Aono Tsukine quickly got up, her pace changing from walking to jogging.

The road ahead still has no end.

He stopped at a fork in the road, panting, looking left and right. The two roads were almost identical, both dirt roads, and he didn't know which way to go.

A strange noise suddenly came from behind, startling Aono Tsukine so much that the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she ran off in a random direction.

He didn't look back, he just kept running forward, but the sound behind him didn't get any farther away, it became clearer and closer.

It sounded like the soft rolling sound of wheels rolling over gravel, mixed with the deep hum of an engine starting up.

The wind whistled behind me, as if something was moving through the darkness.

Aono Tsukine slowed his pace, something causing him to instinctively turn his head.

As dusk fell, at the edge of the dark forest, a crack appeared in the mist.

A motorcycle wheel emerges from the fog, followed by the frame, handlebars, and the figure sitting on the seat.

A black-haired boy, dressed in a neat dark coat, held the handlebars with both hands, looking relaxed, as if he was just out for a drive.

Behind him, a pair of soft arms were wrapped around his waist.

A gust of wind blew from the side, blowing the girl's long pink hair, which was sitting in the back seat, to one side. As the car sped up, the hair drifted backward, revealing her flawless and delicate features.

Inuyasha looked at Aono Tsukine, who was standing dumbfounded in the middle of the road with a familiar barrier around her, and felt a little annoyed. A wicked and playful smile appeared on his lips.

"Make way—make way!"

His voice boomed in the twilight, the last note carried long and bright by the wind.

The motorcycle, which should have stopped, did not slow down at all; instead, it sped up and headed straight towards Aono Tsukine.

"Wait, no!"

Aono Tsukine only had time to open her eyes wide before the car wheel slammed into her side, sending her flying into the air. Her bag flew out of her hand and landed in the bushes by the roadside.

The body flew through the air for about seven or eight meters before landing heavily on the dirt by the roadside. It rolled half a circle due to inertia before finally coming to a stop.

He lay on his back in the twilight, his chest heaving, his mind blank.

The sound of wheels rolling over the road came from not far overhead. The vehicle gradually slowed down and then stopped at the edge of his line of sight.

A leather boot fell off the frame and landed on the gravel ground with a crisp sound.

Inuyasha turned his head and glanced at him. "Be careful next time. Remember to watch out for cars when you walk. Don't just stand there like an idiot."

Behind him, Akashiya Moka also turned her head, a strand of long hair, ruffled by the wind, falling from her shoulder, revealing her emerald-like eyes.

"Goodbye, classmates."

Inuyasha stepped on the gas, and the rear wheels kicked up dust, leaving Aono Tsukine, who hadn't fully recovered from the shock, covered in a bellyful of dust.