"So, apart from the demons in the north, are the Seaborn down in the south also creatures that everyone needs to watch out for?"
Junko asked, her expression entirely indifferent as she accepted a fresh cup of tea.
Most of the powerful youkai in Gensokyo were already familiar with the sensational rumors of how Aya Shameimaru had previously crashed and burned at the hands of the local Terra demons. Because of that humiliating ordeal, the tengu journalist hadn't dared to fly around gossiping for a long time, terrified that someone would point straight at her nose and mock her: "Oh, aren't you that legendary youkai who nearly got her mind hijacked by a pack of demons?" Pride, after all, was a tengu's lifeblood.
As for the underlying mechanics of demon infection, Gensokyo's top researchers had already analyzed the phenomenon quite thoroughly. Consequently, the heavy hitters who had crossed over today were practically immune to such psychological vectors.
For an ancient, absolute entity of Junko's tier, neither demons nor Seaborn could exert the slightest influence over her sovereign mind. Even so, ordinary youkai and unaugmented mortals lacked any realistic defense against such existential threats.
"It's genuinely fascinating how ordinary people across this world manage to live such carefree, bustling lives while caught right in the middle of a strategic pincer attack between these two bizarre northern and southern threats," Hecatia sighed softly, resting her chin in her hand.
"That's probably because the general populace remains entirely oblivious to the truth," Flandre replied thoughtfully. "After all, the terrifying strength of the demons stems directly from conscious human cognition and fear. That's why official governments deliberately suppress and conceal the news. As for the Seaborn, at least for the time being, they haven't made any aggressive moves to crawl onto dry land en masse."
"True enough!" Everyone around the room nodded in agreement with her assessment.
"Still, since this thing isn't edible, why on earth did you bother dragging it back here?" Fujiwara no Mokou asked, crossing her arms as she eyed the container. "As some sort of ugly ornamental pet?"
"If Big Sister wants to keep it, I'll keep it. If not, I'll just give it away," Flandre said, turning her gaze toward Remilia.
Remilia leaned in for a closer look, then immediately wrinkled her aristocratic nose in profound disgust. "It's far too hideous. I certainly don't want that slimy thing cluttering up the mansion."
Flandre looked down at the wriggling terror fish in her hands. It really was profoundly unappealing—nowhere near as cute and fluffy as a Free. If I ever get the chance to meet Dusk in the future, maybe I should ask her to paint me a couple of chubby little Frees to keep as pets, Flandre mused happily to herself.
Since Remilia declined ownership, Flandre began rapidly cycling through candidates for who she could gift the specimen to.
Right on cue, her smartphone chimed loudly from her pocket.
She pulled out the device and blinked. The caller ID displayed none other than Wei Yenwu.
Flandre tapped accept, and the Chancellor's deep, smooth voice rumbled warmly through the speaker: "Is little Flandre currently at home?"
"Yes, I am, Uncle Wei!"
"Ahem... well, I heard through the grapevine that little Flandre managed to secure a rather curious fish possessing two legs today. Uncle happens to have a deep scholarly interest in rare biological specimens. Can little Flandre part with it and pass it along to Uncle?"
The Governor's practiced, coaxing tone sounded precisely like an experienced human trafficker trying to lure a kid into an alley with candy.
"You want this Seaborn? Sure, I can send it straight over to you!" Flandre breathed an internal sigh of relief. She had just been racking her brain over who to palm it off to, and since Wei Yenwu had volunteered himself, handing it over solved her problem instantly.
"No, no, no, absolutely not! You just stay comfortably at home; I'll send a secure vehicle to pick it up in a little while. How does that sound?" Wei Yenwu hurriedly interjected.
After all, if Flandre casually walked through the heavily guarded front gates of the Governor-General's Office carrying a live Seaborn container, it would trigger an immediate security lockdown and cause an unimaginable public panic. One had to remember that dozens of political factions kept constant, hawkish watch over the Governor-General's headquarters.
"Alright then!" Flandre agreed cheerfully to the arrangement and hung up the phone.
"How on earth did Governor Wei find out about this so quickly?" Remilia asked, her crimson eyes narrowing in mild curiosity. Her younger sister hadn't even been back inside the villa for half an hour; how did Wei Yenwu's call come through so promptly, and how did he know the exact details of what Flandre was holding? She could verify with absolute certainty that there were no intelligence surveillance lenses trained on their private villa.
"It was probably Old Man Lin who tipped him off!" Flandre replied without a shred of surprise.
As Wei Yenwu's primary underworld fixer, the Rat King naturally understood which critical threats needed to be reported directly to the Governor's desk. Even though this particular Seaborn was an isolated anomaly, the mere fact that one had slipped into an inland market meant there was a terrifying possibility that a second or third specimen might have already been smuggled through by other underground channels.
Consequently, investigating the seafood shop's supply lines was an absolute necessity. While the Rat King possessed the muscle to handle the legwork, he still needed to coordinate with Wei Yenwu to keep the administrative machinery aligned. Better yet, utilizing official LGD and government forces to sweep the smuggling routes was infinitely cleaner than having the underworld wage an open war.
The moment Wei Yenwu received the Rat King's urgent brief and learned that the specimen was currently sitting in Flandre's hands, he realized the gravity of the situation far better than the old rat did. Terrified that the little vampire might decide to toss the hazardous creature into the kitchen pot for an afternoon snack, Wei Yenwu had dialed her number without a single second of delay. Upon learning the creature was still securely contained and alive, he hurriedly dispatched a secure courier team to retrieve it.
As for why a deep-sea horror had manifested in an inland metropolis like Lungmen... well, that was a riddle the Chancellor would undoubtedly throw his best investigators at immediately.
Before long, a sleek, unmarked black luxury sedan pulled smoothly to a halt in front of the villa's entryway. A tall, sharply dressed man in a dark suit stepped out, marching straight up the pathway toward Flandre.
"Miss Flandre, may I ask if you still have the item?" the courier asked politely, offering a crisp bow.
Flandre froze for a second as she stared at the man's rigid, official attire. Suddenly, a mischievous glint sparked in her crimson eyes. She dropped her arms, puffed out her chest, and adopted an exaggeratedly grim, dramatic tone:
"Where's the cash?"
She raised a small hand, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together. "Don't you know the fundamental rules of underworld trade? Money on the barrelhead, goods on the spot!"
...
The trained government agent was so utterly blindsided by Flandre's sudden theatrical performance that his brain completely short-circuited. He stood frozen in place, staring blankly for several long seconds before managing to swallow hard and stammer out:
"P-Please wait a moment, Miss Flandre!"
Without breaking eye contact, the agent frantically whipped out his encrypted radio handset, dialed a high-priority dispatch line, rapidly whispered a summary of the bizarre situation, and finally nodded before clicking off.
"The Governor has already authorized an immediate wire transfer directly into your private account, Miss Flandre."
"Alright then ~_~"
Robbed of the dramatic cash-counting scene she had improvised in her head, Flandre instantly lost all enthusiasm for her performance, drooping her shoulders with a disappointed huff.
Watching the interaction from across the lawn, Komeiji Satori covered her mouth as her shoulders shook with silent, helpless laughter, the corners of her lips twitching uncontrollably. When on earth did this child pick up such wonderfully eccentric acting habits?
Once the agent carefully secured the Seaborn container in a specialized containment box and drove away, Flandre turned around and trudged back toward the villa's interior with a lingering expression of regret.
"You don't look particularly happy after successfully selling it," Komeiji Koishi remarked, trailing right behind her.
"Not happy? I suppose so..." Flandre scratched her head, shaking off her playful mood.
The moment the two girls stepped back through the rear doors into the main hallway, a rich, intoxicating wave of fresh floral fragrance suddenly washed over them.
Curiosity instantly piqued, Flandre grabbed Koishi by the hand and hurried out toward the expansive backyard garden—only to halt in stunned silence.
The entire back courtyard had miraculously transformed into a sprawling, vibrant sea of blooming flowers.
Yet, calendar-wise, it was the dead depth of winter across Terra.
Flandre slowly turned her head, her crimson eyes locking onto the tall, green-haired figure standing serenely in the center of the blossoming sea—Kazami Yuuka.
Sensing their approach, Yuuka slowly turned around, her gentle, parasol-shaded gaze resting on the two little girls who had rushed out.
"The life force of this world is truly remarkably resilient," Yuuka murmured softly.
???
Three giant, glowing question marks materialized over Flandre's head.
"I originally had no intention of forcing them to break dormancy," Yuuka continued, her voice possessing a melodic, soothing cadence as though speaking to old friends. "However, the moment I stepped outside, they simply chose to bloom to greet this world."
She was recounting the quiet moment of curiosity she had felt upon stepping into the frosty backyard just minutes earlier. By simply channeling a minute, natural trace of her innate botanical vitality into the soil, every single plant that had instinctively fallen into hibernation for the winter had snapped awake, bursting forth in the freezing cold to display the most breathtaking blossoms of the season.
"Um... is there any technical possibility that the flora in this world had simply never encountered that specific type of sovereign vitality before, and were violently over-stimulated into premature blooming by your aura?"
Remilia strolled out onto the back porch, resting her hands lightly on the railing as she appraised the surreal winter garden.
She had pieced together the mechanics behind the botanical anomaly instantly, though she hardly viewed it as a problem. After all, Kazami Yuuka held the eternal title of Master of the Flowers of the Four Seasons; causing summer blossoms to carpet a winter landscape was practically her equivalent of morning stretching.
Hearing Remilia's logical breakdown, Kazami Yuuka tilted her head slightly, blinking her emerald eyes with a charming, innocent expression that seemed to say: Ah, so that's how the local science explains it.