The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

Aya Shameimaru pulled a small notebook from her pocket and approached Shi Bai with a solicitous expression.

"By the way, as one of the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo, would you be willing to be interviewed by us?"

"The interview is fine, but I am not a monster, but a human. I hope you can understand that."

Sit up straight and Shi Bai spoke seriously.

"Human... Hello, may I ask what your race is?"

The pen in his hand, which was writing in the notebook, froze slightly. Shameimaru Aya suppressed the urge to retort and continued to ask questions.

“I already said, our race is human.”

"……age?"

"Eighteen years old."

"……How many……?"

"Eighteen years old."

"........."

"Really, I'm not lying to you, I really am 18 years old. Don't I look like it?"

Pointing to himself with his hand, Shi Bai wore a solemn expression.

"........."

Aya Shameimaru felt that today's interview was going to end.

P.S.: I'll finish this another day...

Chapter Seventeen: The Lord of the Four Seasons

The autumn rain continues.

As winter approaches, the weather is gradually getting colder.

In his personal capacity, Shi Bai borrowed some money from Ri Luo Yuan and then gave it all to Shameimaru Aya and the others. He also went to check out their mini newspaper office.

The newspaper office was not large, and could even be described as somewhat crowded. It was completely open to the public, but despite its small size, it had everything it needed.

The sisters, Yume and Gengetsu, have settled in at the newspaper office and are currently sitting together by the window writing something. It seems they have joined Aya Shameimaru's newspaper. However, since they had already lost their way, having a new job is not bad.

When Bai entered, Aya Shameimaru was sitting at the main table, writing furiously, probably preparing content for the next issue of the newspaper. Momiji Inuhachi was diligently cleaning with a broom, while Kogasa Tatara was sitting in a corner with a large stack of newspapers, enthusiastically flipping through old news.

—A large portion of these were newspapers that had previously been unable to sell.

A light drizzle fell outside, and a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere permeated the entire newspaper office.

With a slight smile, Shi Bai made no attempt to disturb any of them. After quietly placing the money he had borrowed from Ri Luoyuan on the table, he turned and quietly left the newspaper office.

With this matter resolved, he can now take care of his own affairs.

For example, paying back money, paying back money... and paying back money.

It's impossible to expect some useless goddess to pay him back. He can only rely on himself. It would be too embarrassing for him to keep borrowing money from others. He's not that shameless guy, Heca.

"Open a shop? Why did you suddenly think of this?"

Looking at Shi Bai in front of her, Kazami Yuuka asked with great interest.

Are you really planning to open a shop?

"That's right. After all, it's not a good idea to always borrow money from others. It's better to be self-reliant and self-sufficient."

After pondering for a moment, Shi Bai smiled and nodded.

"I have to find something to do; it's not time to retire yet."

"As for shops, I do own one."

After thinking for a moment, Kazami Yuuka stood up, holding up a parasol.

"Since you're back, let me take you to take a look. It's been a long time since I've been to that shop."

"Over there in the Human Village?"

Shi Bai seemed slightly surprised.

"Ah."

In the continuous drizzle, she stopped and turned to look at him, and Kazami Yuuka nodded.

"Want to go together?"

..................................................................

The autumn rain continued, and the evening wind was bleak.

The world before my eyes seemed to be shrouded in a hazy fog.

The Human Village is located on the east side of Gensokyo and is the only place in Gensokyo where humans gather. However, in Gensokyo, where youkai are everywhere, the residents of the Human Village live a very difficult life.

During the chaotic early days of Gensokyo, many youkai used places like the Human Village as their dining hall. Although the cultivators in the Human Village were quite powerful, they faced enemies from all directions.

If it weren't for the appearance of that sage demon who established the rules for the Human Village, every single human in the Human Village would have been eaten by demons, and the Human Village would have truly become history.

—Within the human village, no monster is allowed to cause killing or harm.

These are the rules established by that sage demon.

Initially, because of the establishment of this rule, many monsters were mercilessly killed by that monster sage. Death and bloodshed established the authority of this absolute rule in the human village.

Within the Human Village, humans are absolutely safe and do not need to worry about being attacked by monsters. However, if they rashly venture outside the Human Village, the consequences could be unpredictable.

After all, Gensokyo is home to a large number of youkai, some kind, some evil, some brutal, some gentle... and so on.

Almost every day, monsters fight over their respective territories. The battles between monsters are far more brutal than those between humans and monsters. This situation was quite severe at first, but in recent years it has gradually become more subdued. However, true peace has yet to arrive.

Humans still need to be careful when venturing into human villages, otherwise they may be preyed upon by those monsters.

Within the Human Realm, there also exist human cultivators and even demon-slaying families. However, these cultivators did not choose to settle within the Human Realm, but instead chose other places outside of it.

They need to hone their skills through combat.

These people are the last line of defense in the human world.

Generally speaking, if the people in the Human Village want to go out, they can hire these cultivators to protect them. Especially in autumn and winter, the harvest of food and the acquisition of timber for winter are of paramount importance to the people in the Human Village and cannot be taken lightly.

Today, the people in the Human Village have developed their own way of life. After all, no matter what their environment is like, life still has to go on.

Don't forget that the predecessors of the Human Village were all composed of those pioneers among humankind.

Under the misty drizzle, wisps of smoke curled from the chimneys.

In this kind of weather, there are hardly any pedestrians on the streets. Most people have gathered in places like taverns. However, although there are not many pedestrians, the entire village is not lacking in vitality.

On a street shrouded in a light drizzle, Shi Bai and Kazama Yuuka strolled together under a parasol.

The raindrops made a soft sound as they hit the umbrella, then splashed and rolled down to my feet, creating ripples in the puddles.

"Will monsters come to this human village?"

While looking at the buildings on both sides, Shi Bai asked Kazami Yuuka a question.

"Yes, after all, it only prohibits killing and harming humans within the Human Village, but it doesn't say that monsters are not allowed to enter the Human Village. So occasionally, during certain specific time periods, some monsters will deliberately come to the Human Village."

Yuuka Kazami replied calmly.

"Those monsters need the fear of humans, which is why they do such things. Of course, they can only come at certain specific times, such as during the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, which is a carnival for the monsters. This is humans' compromise with those monsters. But if monsters come to cause trouble on other days, or if those monsters go too far on ordinary days, the human cultivators in the Human Village will take action."

"Is that so? And what about you?"

Turning his head to look at the great river that runs through the entire human village, and the bridge spanning it, Shi Bai looked thoughtful.

...The baby doll I found on the mountain of monsters was thrown in from here, right?

Although it was still drizzling, there were still a few scattered figures fishing or washing clothes by the river.

"The newspapers produced on the mountain of monsters are also subscribed to by the villages here in the human village. Occasionally, the tengu will come to interview humans."

Kazami Yuuka turned her head and glanced at him.

"Because of those newspapers, the residents here are not completely ignorant about what happens to yokai. They probably know about me too. In fact, there are quite a few shops run by yokai in the human village. They are mostly run by tengu or other yokai from the Yokai Mountain. Trade between humans and yokai is a very common thing."

"Really? The situation here in the Human Village is much better than I imagined. I thought these humans were living in dire straits..."

Shi Bai raised an eyebrow, looking thoughtful.

"It's not exactly a scene of dire straits, but it's mostly been peaceful. In recent years, no major incidents have occurred in Gensokyo."

Kazami Yuuka smiled slightly.

"When I first moved into Gensokyo, things were really exciting. Many daring youkai wanted to challenge me, after all, I occupied such a large territory all by myself... Back then, there were news reports about me every day, and the title of the Flower Tyrant probably started around that time. But things have been much calmer now. The only event that can be considered a major event recently was the disappearance of Tenma, the ruler of the Youkai Forest, a few days ago."

As she said this, Kazami Yuuka gave him a meaningful look.

"Ahem... So you were making headlines every day back then?"

After coughing a few times, Shi Bai took the parasol from Kazami Yuuka's hand and changed the subject.

"If you ask me, the title 'Tyrant of Flowers' doesn't sound good at all and doesn't suit your temperament at all. I think the title 'Lord of the Four Seasons' is more suitable for you."

"The Lord of Flowers Blooming in All Seasons..."

Kazami Yuuka paused for a moment.

"Yes, don't you think this title sounds much more prestigious than 'Tyrant of Flowers'?"

Shi Bai shrugged and replied.

"But there's no rush, let's take it slow. Impressions can be gradually changed... Are you sure this is the place?"

Looking up at the dilapidated old house in front of him, Shi Bai remained silent for a moment before turning his head to look at Kazami Yuuka beside him, somewhat speechless.

"Tell me the truth, how long has it been since you last came?"

The building in front of us was supposed to be a house, but it was basically like a haunted house. The door was covered in dust, the wooden walls were cracked, and moss and mushrooms were growing in some places. Even the weeds in front of the door had grown to be more than half a person tall.

"I think I came once, but it's been several years since I last came."

With a soft chuckle, Yuuka Kazami turned to look at him.

"Although it looks a bit run-down, it can actually be cleaned up a bit and it's fine. I was originally planning to open a flower shop here... What kind of shop do you want to open?"

"We'll see when the time comes. I haven't really thought about the specifics yet... Ah, mushrooms are growing everywhere..."

Stepping over waist-high weeds to reach the shop, Shi Bai had just stepped onto the wooden steps when, with a soft thud, the already rotten steps announced the end of their mission.

"...This is a very normal thing. After all, it's been a long time since I've been here, and it's made of wood, so it's perfectly normal for it to turn out like this."

Under the silent gaze of someone, after a moment of silence, Kazami Yuuka spoke softly.

"Well, it seems the steps will have to be replaced with bluestone slabs later..."

With a sigh, Shi Bai walked to the front of the shop and reached out to push the door open. The door was covered in dust and cobwebs, and in some places, a few mushrooms had even stubbornly sprouted out, making it look incredibly dilapidated.

Just as her hand touched the door, with a soft thud, the entire door collapsed backward, and a cloud of dust instantly covered his face.

"I'll settle the score with Ellie when we get back. I entrusted her to look after this shop, and this is her dereliction of duty."

After coughing a few times, Kazami Yuuka, who had escaped unscathed by hiding behind someone covered in cobwebs and dust, turned her head away nonchalantly.

Shi Bai: "..."

At the same time, Ellie, who was loyally guarding the entrance to the Dream Pavilion, suddenly felt a chill.

...............................................................

"Let's tear this shop down and rebuild it."

After taking a general look at the shop, Shi Bai sighed and spoke to Kazami Yuuka, who was standing at the shop entrance holding a parasol and hadn't come in.

He could understand why the other party wasn't coming in; the shop was just too dirty.

The room was covered in layers of dust, cobwebs, and teeming with insects, rats, and cockroaches... He wouldn't want to come in either.

He had originally hoped to see if the shop could still be salvaged, but now...

If all efforts to save him fail, just sentence him to death.

"...Take it down."

After a moment of silence, Kazami Yuuka turned around slowly.