Chapter 122: Eirin, When Did You Get Here?
The scene that greeted Yagokoro Eirin when she pushed the door open was... unconventional, to say the least.
Haruto and Kaguya were squatting side-by-side next to an open box in front of the wardrobe, hunched over and gleefully sorting through a collection of what could only be described as 'torture devices.'
And across from them, Inaba Tei was bound firmly to a chair. A cloth wad was stuffed in her mouth, and raw terror was scrawled across her youthful features.
The moment she saw Eirin enter, the little rabbit youkai immediately began making muffled, desperate "wuwu" sounds, her pair of long ears twitching frantically atop her head.
A trace of deep helplessness flickered across Yagokoro Eirin's otherwise tranquil face.
"Princess, Haruto, when did you return?"
"Yeah, I love you too—ptui!"
Haruto's reflexive reply caught in his throat, and he barely managed to choke it back.
Beside him, Kaguya's eyelid twitched. She distinctly remembered the full version of that meme was, "Yes, I love you too."
"Pfft—"
Imagining the utterly bewildered expression Eirin might have worn had he finished, Kaguya couldn't suppress a snort of laughter. As all eyes turned to her, she just waved a dismissive hand.
"Nothing, nothing. I just thought of something funny."
Haruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Yagokoro Eirin was a true ancient, bless her heart; she just frowned, completely missing the reference.
"We just got back a little while ago," Haruto explained. "As for this little rascal Tei, well..."
While he was still hesitating, trying to concoct a suitable crime to pin on the rabbit, Kaguya spoke up first, her tone dripping with faux-solemnity.
"Tei stole your clothes, Eirin. She was going to trade them with me and Ryuko for... for carrots!"
The accusation hung in the air. Not only did Inaba Tei's eyes widen to the size of saucers, but even Haruto was momentarily stunned.
Good grief, he thought. Some people screw over their parents, but you're just going to sell out your teammate right here and now?
Haruto glanced sideways. Yagokoro Eirin's lips were slightly parted, clearly taken aback by the sheer absurdity of the claim. Her gaze slowly shifted to the bound Inaba Tei.
Tei shook her head frantically, her eyes screaming the word: WRONGED!
"The clothes have already been destroyed by me and Ryuko, by the way," Kaguya added with finality.
Yagokoro Eirin looked from her own princess, who delivered the lie with such unshakeable conviction, to Haruto, who was doing his best to look innocent, and finally to Tei, who was desperately signaling her innocence from the chair. She pieced together the truth in an instant.
Sighing with weary resignation, she said, "Princess, you two have fun. Call me if you need anything."
With that, she turned and left, not forgetting to gently close the door behind her, leaving a single, despairing rabbit to her fate.
...
After a period of 'discipline' that felt both brief and eternal, Inaba Tei's spirit broke. She was utterly, completely defeated.
Her once-perky rabbit ears now drooped powerlessly, trembling along with the rest of her delicate frame. If not for the ropes holding her upright, she likely would have rolled her eyes and slumped straight to the floor in a dead faint.
Once they untied her, Haruto and Kaguya paid the traumatized rabbit no further mind. Instead of continuing their previous topic, they took out the Ghost Phone.
The moment they opened it, the glaring red "999+" unread message count in the top right corner of the group chat assaulted their vision. The latest messages flooding the screen were from the client of their last request—the little fatty from the Cabin in the Woods instance. It seemed even Blondie had joined the group, likely added as a friend and invited to the chat during the reward settlement back at the old cabin.
He was chattering away with unbridled excitement, recounting the entire ordeal: how difficult the instance was, how it started, what they encountered, and finally, how they cleared it.
The replies from the other group members were a chaotic mix of awe and disbelief.
[For real? The second instance is that hard?]
[It sounds completely made up, but it's so ridiculous that I have to believe it.]
[+1. The instance mechanism itself wasn't that crazy. Copying ordinary players is within the normal range, but it copied a god-tier player like @Her Highness the Princess of Eientei... The difficulty just went straight to the moon!]
[My jaw is on the floor. Absolutely incredible!]
[+1]
[+2]
[+3]
[...]
[+25]
Scatter Money for Life: [Photos or videos? Are you kidding? I could barely keep myself from pissing my pants! When the big shot said, 'We lost from the moment we entered the instance,' my soul almost flew out of my body. You think I had the presence of mind to take photos?]
Worship the Big Shot: [Exactly! You guys didn't see how cool the big shot was! I was in total despair. Even the big shot himself said defeat was certain...]
Worship the Big Shot: [But then his tone completely changed, and he said to that fake—'But since you have her memories, you should also know that from the very beginning, you had already lost. It is impossible for you to win.' That moment was just... explosive!]
Scatter Money for Life: [And that fake big shot even tried to invite the real one to leave with her. After getting rejected, she didn't even hesitate! Crushed her own throat with one hand. So decisive. I gotta say, it was pretty cool, but it makes sense when you think about it. That was still another version of the big shot, after all.]
Scatter Money for Life: [The final task was to survive, which meant we had to eliminate Sadako. But Sadako had already crawled out and grabbed @Worship the Big Shot's foot! Then @The Most Handsome Realm Demon forcefully yanked him free, and @Her Highness the Princess of Eientei just froze her with time stop. That Sadako couldn't move an inch. She was completely helpless.]
Haruto watched the flood of comments and silently typed a single, understated reply.
[It was just average.]
Kaguya, peeking over his shoulder, followed up with her own post.
[Third in the world.]
Instantly, the group chat detonated.
[@Her Highness the Princess of Eientei @The Most Handsome Realm Demon, Big shots! Please carry me! I'll pay a monthly subscription!]
[+1, are the big shots still taking orders? The price is negotiable!]
[Big shots, please carry me! I'm prepping for my sixth instance, please take me for a ride!]
[To the person above, are you serious? Your sixth instance?]
[Don't look at me like that. This might be my sixth instance while the big shot is only on his third... but the combined difficulty of all my instances probably doesn't even compare to the one he just cleared.]
[You have a point. I'm actually speechless...]
[+1]
[+ID number]
The Most Handsome Realm Demon: [Aside from selling talismans, I am not taking on other business for the time being.]
[Then big shot, do you still have talismans in stock?]
[Yes, yes, yes! The talismans!]
[Are there any brothers who can show off the talisman they bought last time? Let us see!]
Seeing this, Haruto remembered that the talismans hadn't been shipped yet. He opened the ghost courier app, which showed half a day remaining until arrival, took a screenshot, and posted it to the group.
The Most Handsome Realm Demon: [There's still half a day, don't worry.]
The Most Handsome Realm Demon: [As for the new batch of talismans, wait until next week. I'll put them up for sale then.]
He figured Reimu would be just about ready after another week of rest. Not to mention, she had probably started secretly making them in private long ago, eager for the income.
Done with lurking in the group chat, Haruto put away his phone. He got up, left Eientei, and began walking toward the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
He needed to let Flandre try the necklace he'd received as a reward from this instance. He had to see, as soon as possible, if it could help soothe her volatile spirit.
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