Unlimited Ambition

The visitor smiled without saying a word. But before he knew it, he had moved slightly closer to my body…

Chapter Twenty-Two: Yukari Yakumo's Temptation

"By the way, how did you get in?"

"I am the monster of the gap."

"Speaking of which, why are you able to retain the power of your original body?"

"I am the monster of the gap."

"...Never mind, I didn't ask."

"Oh, speaking of which, Hollow-chan's power seems to be about the same as an ordinary person's now. Should we try to push him a bit?" As Yukari Yakumo spoke, she reached out and made circles on Kou's chest.

"You rascal." Gu rolled his eyes helplessly, then wrapped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her into his embrace. "You've been tempting me all this time... thinking I really wouldn't dare to sleep with you?" Gu's eyes flickered uncertainly. Then he kissed her forcefully.

!

Yukari Yakumo was slightly taken aback that he would do such a thing in this state, and before she could react, he pried open her lips and inserted his tongue. Then, his other hand reached inside her skirt, to the slightly damp opening…

After a long while, Yakumo Yukari's body suddenly tensed up, her waist arched forward, and the most crucial moment was about to arrive—their lips parted. Gu looked at Yakumo Yukari's dazed eyes, but playfully let go of her hand and did not take any further action.

Yakumo Yukari glared at Kotori with a hint of resentment. Then, she pulled out a fan from somewhere, opened it, and covered her mouth. She pushed Kotori away and climbed out of the bath.

I've probably offended her quite badly this time. Thinking this, I chuckled and poured myself another glass of wine. Just as I was about to drink it, I received a heavy blow to the back of the head, causing my body to tilt forward and my head to plunge directly into the water, whereupon I choked.

I immediately raised my head, coughing violently, tears streaming down my face from the shock: "You—cough cough cough—you—cough cough cough—damned woman—cough cough cough!!"

As he pointed at Yakumo Yukari, he cursed her.

Beside the pool, Yakumo Yukari was smiling happily. It seemed she was the one who had just attacked Gu.

"You bastard!" Gu jumped over and pushed her to the ground.

“You know how to manipulate gaps, don’t you? Open them,” Gu said.

"Isn't this place nice?" Yukari Yakumo asked.

"Yuki seems to be waking up soon," I said.

"You?!" Yakumo Yukari shoved Kotobuki away. Then she opened her fan and fanned herself fiercely.

"Are you angry?" Gu rolled over and asked.

"With you? Not worth it!" Yakumo Yukari said angrily.

"How proud I am... You seem to be getting a little too old—"

No sooner had I finished speaking than my ankle was stomped hard by a high heel. I gasped in pain.

"So, you came here just to cause trouble?" Gu rolled his eyes and asked.

"Beast," Yakumo Yukari cursed, a reclining chair appearing behind her. She then lay down on it and said, "Two pieces of news, one good and one bad. Which do you want to hear first?"

"Only listen to the good, not the bad."

"No."

"Then don't listen to any of them."

"No."

"Whatever you like then."

"The bad news is that if this so-called script isn't finished within three months, Haruhi Suzumiya will have a mental breakdown."

Gu's heart skipped a beat, and his pupils contracted sharply. Yet he remained silent.

"Hmph..." This tiny movement did not escape Yukari Yakumo's eyes. She gave a light snort as a mockery, and then continued, "The good news is that I know how to save her."

"...What price?"

Are you willing to make the sacrifice?

"willing."

"What if it were your life?"

"willing."

“You—” Yakumo Shiki stood up.

"How is it?" Gu asked calmly.

"—There's nothing there!" Yukari Yakumo continued fanning herself vigorously. At that moment, Koko had already stood up and was facing her.

"Alright, let's get down to business. Be detailed," I said.

Yukari Yakumo took a deep breath, then sat back down in her chair: "The subspace setting here utilizes dimensional power that exceeds the limits of what normal humans can wield. Therefore, Haruhi Suzumiya's presence is beginning to weaken. If this continues..."

What will happen?

"It will disappear and become part of the power of the plane."

"..."

"In other words, it means death."

“...Is that so...Death…” Gu Qing snorted: “What an annoying word.”

"This really doesn't sound like something a blood-stained demon would say."

"Because those guys I killed either had nothing to do with me, or they deserved to die."

"A megalomaniac."

"Say what you will—by the way, how do you know this?"

"Because I am the monster of the gap."

"Is the monster in the gap an encyclopedia?"

"The encyclopedia is another homebody magician."

"Pretend I never said that."

After saying this, Gu Yi fell silent for a moment, while Yakumo Yukari smiled, as if she had regained control of the conversation.

"So, what kind of help can you offer?" I asked.

"As I said before, I am a gap monster."

"That's right, so what?"

"I can freely travel through any plane, demiplane, or subspace."

"Then?"

“Even Death’s playground.”

Hearing her say those words, my heart skipped a beat. A ripple of emotion stirred within me.

"You mean, really?"

“That’s right,” Yukari Yakumo said, feigning nonchalance.

"Death's amusement park?"

"That's right, Death's playground."

Seeing Gu Bian's blank stare, Yakumo Yukari chuckled, thinking to herself: He's taken the bait. She then said, "Well? Actually, if you beg me, I'll save you."

"...Save me? How is that possible?" I scoffed. "I don't know exactly how strong that Grim Reaper is, but he's definitely far stronger than you or me. Even if we can escape for a while, can we escape forever?"

“What if she can’t leave that amusement park?” Zi suddenly said.

"What did you say?" I was momentarily incredulous. "We can't leave there? Why?!"

"She's just a prisoner with immense power but no freedom whatsoever," Yukari Yakumo said, seemingly with disdain. But I could detect a hint of bitterness in her voice.

“But, but even if she can’t leave there—” My mind was a bit muddled—she killed Jehovah—

“Indeed,” Yakumo Yukari continued, “but in the multiverse, there is a place she can never reach.”

Do such places really exist?

"That's right, that's Gensokyo. Gensokyo doesn't exist in any plane, it's located in the gap of the multiverse—that's where I live."

"—You're not lying to me, are you?! Is what you're saying true?!"

At this moment, though I felt a little apologetic, I completely forgot about Haruhi, CC, and all that—I just stared at Yakumo Yukari as if in a daze, my mind filled with the word "salvation." Nothing else.

“Yes, it’s true. I can infiltrate there and rescue you. That way, your Path of Infinity will end. You’ll no longer have to endure the pain of being a death god’s toy. You won’t have to endure that despairing helplessness. You won’t have to let others manipulate your life at will—you can live as a free being.” Yukari Yakumo said this with a seductive tone.

Freedom?

free.

free……

Freedom!!!

Nothing is more important than freedom, is it? Nothing at all, especially for a pathetic being like me…

That's all, right?

Gu lowered his head, tears dripping onto the ground with a "plop" sound.

"Was that a little too much of a shock?" Yukari Yakumo looked at me, who had fallen silent, and seemed slightly uneasy. After a while, seeing that I was still silent, she couldn't help but stand up and walk towards me.

"Don't come any closer!!!" I said. "Don't come any closer! Don't, don't come near me..."

"What's wrong with you?" Yakumo Yukari seemed not to hear me and still ran over and grabbed my arm.

"Get away from me!!!" I shoved Yakumo Yukari away like a madman. Then I slapped her across the face.

"Xu-chan?!" Zi, however, was not annoyed at all, but just stared at me in a daze.

"I don't need your salvation!!! I—no—I—I will go on! I will never run away! I will win! I will kill her! Kill her! Kill her!!! In the end, I will definitely be the winner, I will definitely be the winner—waaaaaaaahhhhhh..."

I burst into tears at the end. Yukari Yakumo was at a loss, but in the end she went over and hugged me.

This time, I didn't resist. Instead, I nestled in her arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—I'll never say these things again—no—anyway, I'm sorry, Uro-chan…I'm so sorry…"