Chapter 124: Ran Has Always Admired Haruto-sama
Dangerous.
If he had to describe it in one word, it would be dangerous.
Walking the path home, Haruto's face was still pale with lingering fear, and his hands trembled almost imperceptibly. God only knew what he had just been through.
It had all started so well. Sakuya had finally managed to calm Remilia down, and Haruto, acting in his capacity as an elder brother, had successfully coaxed Flandre into calling Remilia "sister." He had even sealed the deal by giving Flandre a small, protective necklace.
Remilia had been so overjoyed that, for once, she dropped her usual tsundere act and thanked him directly, her smile as radiant as a blood-red moon.
But in the very next moment…
Flandre, whether out of pure innocence or a touch of mischief, had presented him with her own gifts: a stack of powerful-looking talisman cards and a soft, fleeting kiss on his forehead.
In that instant, the smile on the face of Remilia, a sis-con of the highest order, didn't just freeze; it shattered. The air in the room grew heavy enough to crush stone, and the divine spear Gungnir, clutched in her hand, groaned as if it might splinter from the force of her grip.
If it weren't for the mountain of goodwill he'd accumulated with her over time, coupled with Sakuya Izayoi desperately holding her back, a divine judgment from that spear would have undoubtedly been delivered straight to his face.
Of course, the trip wasn't without its rewards.
Besides a small bag of tea leaves from Remilia—a variety Haruto didn't recognize but instinctively knew was potent—Sakuya had also taken the time to help him improve his adaptability to her time-stop. While he wasn't completely immune yet, he could now resist some of its effects. At the very least, he could perceive the flow of frozen time and had just enough leeway to pull out a talisman card to defend himself.
When Haruto finally returned to the Yakumo Residence, he found Yakumo Ran resting in the courtyard, her head pillowed on her arms at the stone table.
He lightened his steps, intending to sneak past without disturbing her, but it was a futile effort. Her fluffy fox ears twitched once, and her peach-blossom eyes snapped open.
"Haruto-sama?"
Her gaze, hazy with sleep just a moment ago, sharpened with instant clarity. Yakumo Ran gracefully rose to her feet, her voice soft.
"Welcome back. Would you like me to prepare a meal for you?"
"No need," Haruto said, a touch of apology in his tone. "I didn't mean to wake you. You already work hard enough maintaining the Great Barrier and taking care of Mother Yukari. I really didn't expect to disturb your rest."
"Not at all," Yakumo Ran insisted, waving her hands dismissively as her fox ears perked up. "As long as it concerns you, Haruto-sama, it is never a bother. Besides, since you began participating in that Death Game and Lady Yukari started drawing source energy from it to nourish Gensokyo, the Great Barrier has become much more stable. It no longer requires daily maintenance, just a check-up every few days."
"Is that so?" Haruto was genuinely surprised.
He knew his sister was siphoning power from the game worlds to reinforce Gensokyo, but he hadn't realized it would have the side effect of lightening Ran's considerable burden. Thinking about it, though, it made perfect sense.
"Mhm." Yakumo Ran nodded emphatically. She stepped forward and cupped Haruto's hands in her own, her expression one of almost devout seriousness. "So, Ran truly doesn't know how to thank you enough. How could I ever find your requests troublesome? If it were Lady Yukari, it might be one thing, but Haruto-sama's business is Ran's business—no, it is more important than Ran's own business."
Seeing Yakumo Ran's fervor intensify, Haruto's eyelids twitched. He felt as if he were catching a glimpse of her tragic, overworked past.
A scene couldn't help but surface in his mind—
Yakumo Yukari, extending a hand with a bewitching smile. "Come, become my shikigami! Once you enter the Yakumo family, I will treat you as one of our own, regardless of your strength!"
A moved Yakumo Ran, offering her hands in return. "Okay!"
And Yukari hadn't lied. She treated everyone with the same level of disregard for their power. Thus, this world-renowned great youkai, the dignified Nine-Tailed Fox, was promptly demoted to a full-time nanny, handling all the laundry, cooking, and cleaning. Later, even the monumental responsibility of maintaining the Great Barrier was unceremoniously pressed onto her shoulders.
Thinking of this, Haruto's gaze toward Yakumo Ran softened with a deep, deep sympathy.
That damn hag Yukari isn't human!
Faced with Ran's "I won't rest until I've helped you" posture, Haruto hesitated for a moment before opening a small gap in space. He retrieved the bag of tea leaves from Remilia and handed it over.
"Then… I'll trouble you to brew a cup of this for me, Ran. And maybe a bowl of ramen, if it's not too much to ask."
"Tea leaves?" Ran took the bag, her curiosity piqued. "Where did you get these, Haruto-sama? We have plenty stored at home. Was this an instance reward?"
Haruto shook his head. "A gift from Remilia."
He proceeded to recount his rewards from the last instance and the harrowing events that had just transpired at the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
As he reached the latter half of his story, Yakumo Ran couldn't stifle her amusement, and a light, musical laugh escaped her lips. It only stopped when Haruto shot her a deeply resentful glare, prompting her to hurriedly wave her hands in apology.
"Forgive me, forgive me. Ran just thinks you and the others are all very cute, Haruto-sama."
Her words, however, were delivered with the doting tone of an elder sister, which only made Haruto's glare more pointed.
Yakumo Ran immediately restrained her smile, clearing her throat. She picked up the domed floral hat resting on the table, adjusting its angle on her head as she deftly changed the subject.
"Do you know what kind of tea this is?"
Haruto shook his head. The tea he usually drank was scavenged from his various acquaintances; he couldn't tell one variety from another. Could it be some top-grade Longjing or Tieguanyin from the outside world?
No, that was impossible. The teas cultivated by Yuuka and the others, nurtured with pure magical energy, were countless times better than any mortal equivalent.
"Blood tea."
"Ugh…"
The name alone was enough to make Haruto's stomach churn. He recalled a visit to the Scarlet Devil Mansion long ago where, out of sheer curiosity, he'd asked to try a cup of the same blood tea Remilia drank. It wasn't exactly foul, but the distinct metallic tang—the unmistakable scent of blood—was something he simply couldn't get used to. He had spat it out after a single sip.
"How about we don't drink it?" he said weakly. "You can have it, Ran, or we can just keep it stored away."
"That won't do," Yakumo Ran chirped, opening a tiny gap to bring the tea leaves closer to her nose for a delicate sniff. "This is a token of Lady Remilia's affection. Besides, this is no ordinary blood tea. This small bag of leaves would take at least a dozen years to cultivate without causing permanent damage to one's source."
"Huh!?"
Haruto stared at the unassuming bag, shocked that it represented over a decade of effort. "Isn't blood tea just… tea brewed with blood mixed in?"
"Ordinary blood tea is, yes. But this is different," Ran explained patiently. "This type is cultivated by watering the tea plants with a vampire's own essence blood. Although it only needs to be watered once a year, each time consumes a portion of their very life force."
The more he listened, the more alarmed Haruto became.
No wonder Remilia's eyes had been glued to the bag even after she'd handed it over. She had practically given him her life savings.
"Then what about the effect?" Haruto couldn't help but get excited, his previous aversion forgotten. "Can it double my strength?"
He suddenly pointed toward a room deep within the residence and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "For example… the kind of strength that could beat Mother Yukari?"
"..."
Yakumo Ran's gaze drifted over to him. After a long, pregnant silence, she whispered back, "With long-term consumption, the former isn't difficult to achieve. But the latter… do you really think that's possible?"
"I'm just asking casually," Haruto mumbled, deflating slightly. "What if this tea can make someone go berserk? The kind of berserk that could let me beat Mother Yukari."
Even as he said it, he knew it was a fool's dream. Even Remilia herself would be thoroughly thrashed by Yakumo Yukari, let alone someone who had merely drunk tea cultivated with her blood.
With his current power, forgetting a temporary berserk state, he couldn't win even if he self-destructed. That kind of victory would only be possible once he had gained true, absolute control over the Death Game itself.
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