Chapter 122.6

Chapter 122.6

[Part 6/6]

'( ́・ω・`)? What happened?'

The name Kayo mentioned left me in a state of shock. It meant that my desperate struggle plan had been crushed from the very beginning. Well, stupid spider, why didn't you realize? How often do you not listen to people's conversations?

...Considering my own situation, the fact that the protagonist was undergoing a TS, and the deviations from the original work, I desperately pondered how to resolve the situation. One of the methods was equipment enhancement through unrelated sub-events to the main storyline.

As the name implies, the Yakujishiji family, originating from the lineage of pharmacists, is an exorcists family that has come up with and passed down the methods of many secret remedies, spirit medicines, and forbidden medicines. Some of the items obtainable in the story come from this family's legacy... even though it was severed about two hundred years ago.

The reason for the severance was undoubtedly due to the first head of the Omnyouji Bureau and the salvation youkai group, resulting in many secret recipes being lost. Isn't it too despicable to gradually and legally shut down the target business over a period of a hundred years?

The sub-event of cleaning the Yakujishiji's abandoned mansion is quite literal, also involving the extermination of a monster's den that had been left untouched for two hundred years. Eliminating spirits of the deceased (亡霊), youkai acting as guard dogs, and other entities or objects of uncertain origin, there's a reward waiting beyond them in the form of valuable secret remedies and spirit medicines. Or at least, there should be.

"...Speaking of the Yakujishiji, they were once a renowned family in the field of medicine. Were there various things left inside the mansion?"

"Yes. The exorcists we hired for cleaning seemed to have had trouble beyond their expectations. They entered with overly optimistic views, so they struggled more than expected. And there seems to have been a competition for the rewards, which resulted in the explosion of the medicine storage."

"Ah, I see."

'(^ω^) Beautiful's firework.'

With Kayo casually making a bombshell statement, my faint hopes were shattered like glass. Along with the foolish spider remark, I could easily imagine the situation back then. Rare items! Precious Twin Splitting Elixir!

"..."

"Um, Tomobe-san? Is something the matter?"

"No... it's nothing. Yes, I look forward to visiting the mansion."

"Meow?"

'(^ω^U) Woof!'

As I responded to Kayo's perplexed look, my expression under the mask was probably that of a nyan cat... nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.

* * *

"...He seemed quite shaken. Is something wrong?"

Politely declining the repeated farewells, Tachibana Kayo, riding on the back of the invisible shiki, headed back to the carriage of the Second Princess, reflecting on her beloved's reaction. Based on the flow of their conversation, it was probably about the matter of the mansion... but she couldn't quite figure it out.

"Well, is it alright? Let's just consider it a success to achieve the main purpose."

The reasons why Tachibana Kayo, her beloved's significant other, took the time to contact him during this occasion numbered three. One was self-evident. The second was to ask the question requested by the Second Princess.

"Either way, additional purchases will be necessary."

She needed to use them and dispose of them without a second thought. She had to let him know that replacements were readily available. She couldn't make him hesitate. There was no point in preparing the mansion if she didn't. Not only high-quality goods but also the maintenance costs of real estate were no small matter.

...Well, there's no helping it. The people of old used to say, 'The real test comes after you start giving.' If she followed those words, this level of spending was still manageable. Although the amount was eye-popping, she hadn't fallen into debt yet.

"...Ah, that kind of preference is good too."

Thinking that far, Kayo suddenly recalled her conversation with him earlier and fantasized about it. A new delusion, an imaginary scenario.

...Pretending to be the host and the customer, she would be deceived and poured Nanban sparkling wine into a glass tower like an idiot. She would be demanded an unaffordable price and cry, then she would be scolded and stripped of her attire and accessories. She would be collared, used like a possession by exclusive courtesans...dangerous, dangerous. She inadvertently got excited and went blank with arousal.

"Ahaha, I'm hopeless, even I can tell. I have no self-control. It's disgraceful. Truly disgraceful."

When she became aware of it, it was already too late. Kayo laughed unintentionally. Her underwear were in a state as if they had been submerged in a well. Literally soaking wet. She would have to secretly change them later. Imagining him while feeling this way in her mouth resulted in a completely different physical response. The body is truly honest.

To be honest, from the perspective of the shiki she carried, they wanted to get rid of her now and make her change her soaking wet underwear, but reality was heartless.

...In any case, Kayo was thoroughly enjoying this situation. Merchants were cunning. They adapted to any situation and sought maximum profit. In a sense, she might have been much more resilient and tough than her competitors, collaborators, and maybe even herself.

However, that was all there was to it.

"Kyaa!?"

"Oops, my apologies, young lady... I was in a hurry."

Suddenly, her shoulders brushed past each other, and the other person hurriedly apologized. It seemed they were genuinely in a rush. With just a brief apology, they quickly departed from the scene.

"Ugh, really, it's troublesome. With this hustle and bustle, people are swarming everywhere..."

As Kayo muttered her complaints while lightly patting the sleeve that had unintentionally hit her due to the other person's rudeness, she suddenly stopped.

"...Huh?"

Naturally yet peculiarly, Kayo turned around, her gaze searching the area behind her, trying to fixate on the figure of the person.

In the face of the overwhelming crowd, that presence was no longer visible anywhere...

Fanart:

Title: Aoi's fanart

URL: here