Chapter 46 Makishima Saori: A Shocking Secret

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Within their field of vision, three figures approached from the distance, moving upward in the silvery moonlight. To be precise, it was a man and a woman escorting a terrified girl—she stood about 180 centimeters tall, wore thick, round glasses and unfashionable clothes that screamed “shut-in,” her face frozen in fear.

These two were none other than Shin-Oh Gota’s companions, Hebimaru and Natsume. After easily breaking out from the encirclement of ordinary people, they had unexpectedly run into this familiar, hiding character. The battle raging in the sky was so intense and the commotion so overwhelming that they were genuinely worried for their captain’s safety. After a brief discussion, they decided to take this hostage along, riding a green hoverboard to catch up.

Yet once they arrived at the battlefield, they saw no sign of the Yamata no Orochi. Instead, the first thing that caught their eyes in the silver light was not the mighty Gota in Ki’s grasp, but rather a small, strikingly conspicuous figure clad in red and white. In such an ordinary world, having a bizarre boss was already incredible enough—how could Reimu Hakurei possibly appear here as well?

Reimu tilted her head, looking at the two with a puzzled expression. “Are you humans from the Human Village? How did you get to the real world? Or have you been to Gensokyo before?”

“It really is Reimu Hakurei… Could this be a hidden quest? Does that mean Gensokyo exists in this world? Did the captain… did he lose?” Natsume finally spotted their stalwart captain being held in Ki’s grasp.

“You’ve arrived at the perfect moment, saving me the trouble of seeking you out. Your captain has already been executed. Now it’s your turn,” Ki said coldly.

“Don’t try to bluff. Wasn’t the Yamata no Orochi defeated by Reimu Hakurei herself? Besides, our captain is still alive. Let’s make a deal—we’ll exchange Saori for our captain…”

“Are you out of your mind? You think grabbing some random shut-in girl gives you the right to demand I return such a dangerous enemy? Do you take me for a champion of justice? Pathetic.” Ki sneered, and with a cold breath, encased Shin-Oh Gota in ice. Though not especially effective offensively, such an ability had its uses in situations like this.

“Wait… you really don’t know her? She’s an important supporting character—haven’t you watched… Never mind, you clearly don’t know ‘My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute.’ Dammit, our prediction was off,” Hebimaru muttered, face clouded with frustration.

“I wonder, Miss Reimu Hakurei, why did you attack our captain? Are you working with that man?” Natsume abruptly turned to the confused little Reimu beside him.

“Eh? Who’s your captain? As a shrine maiden, it’s normal to exorcise monsters and banish evil spirits, isn’t it? Mr. Ki, who seems very wealthy, seems to know them... So those eight-headed monsters were their captain? Are they also behind the incident?” Reimu’s gaze grew more suspicious as she spoke, but with the incident resolved, she had no interest in stirring up more trouble.

“That wasn’t any incident, and this isn’t Gensokyo either. You’re not the type to meddle in things, are you? Whatever the case, we plan to fight that man next. Can you stay out of it?” Natsume finally revealed his intent. If this enigmatic shrine maiden was on the other side, they’d have no chance at all. Still, the Main God would never issue a suicide mission; perhaps the relationship between the two wasn’t as close as he’d thought.

“Even though this isn’t Gensokyo, he blocked my moon-viewing. And besides, Mr. Ki is…” Reimu began.

“Reimu, you should head back first. I’ll come join you for moon-viewing later,” Ki said coolly, cutting her off before she could say anything more. He knew he couldn’t defeat the Yamata no Orochi. If these two couldn’t either, he’d have no place in the world of cultivators. Besides, he had questions to ask that Reimu shouldn’t hear.

“Fine, since the incident is over. Be sure to bring some snacks when you come! Such a lovely moon—if only this were a shrine, we’d have a grand feast.” Reimu muttered and, without so much as a glance at the two, turned and floated away.

“How very confident you are,” Hebimaru said with a cold sneer, his eyes fixed on Ki.

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“You talk too much.” After stowing the ice block in his storage pouch, Ki conjured a gleaming diamond blade. The battle tonight had shaken him deeply; several brushes with death left him feeling on the verge of a breakthrough. Though his previous fights with the “Twelve Braves” had been fierce, he’d always known his life wasn’t truly on the line, so that crucial tension had never been there. Tonight, however, with life and death hanging in the balance, it felt as if he could break through to the third level of Qi Refinement at any moment.

Both sides were poised for battle, but at that moment, the terrified shut-in girl suddenly spoke.

“M-Mr. Ki? I… I’m Saori—Saori Makishima. You saved me a few days ago, remember? That young lady you rescued, Saori Makishima!” Clinging to the faintest hope, her face lit up with desperate joy as she called out to Ki.

Moments earlier, paralyzed by fear, she hadn’t paid close attention, but as both sides prepared to fight, she finally recognized the radiant youth with three pairs of dazzling wings. She also seemed to remember the shrine maiden addressing him as “Mr. Ki.” Even if they’d only met once before, she had to seize this last chance, however slim.

Ki’s expression betrayed no surprise, only a wry smile. With his keen perception, he’d recognized her instantly as the shy young lady he’d saved before facing the Twelve Braves. Her current getup was… well, less than flattering, but her height—unusual among girls—made her unmistakable.

“Hmph, I almost believed you didn’t know her! Quite an act. In that case, can we proceed with our earlier deal?” Hebimaru’s eyes narrowed in a sinister smile as he pulled Saori behind him.

Ki’s eyes flickered. “The value isn’t equal. We only met once, and I saved her. If she can’t escape this time, then that’s simply her fate.”

Before the girl could sink into despair, Ki added, “But if you agree to two more conditions, I’ll make the exchange.”

“Why should we? One life for—” Hebimaru began, but Natsume cut him off.

“Let’s hear it.” Hebimaru scowled but said nothing more, knowing the trade was uneven.

“I want to know your identities and your understanding of this world. And how did you know about Reimu?” Ki crossed his arms, eyes narrowed.

As the two exchanged glances, uncertain, Ki pressed, “Don’t bother lying. Before you arrived, a shut-in boy also crossed over; I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now it seems he knew more than he let on.”

...

“We can’t tell you our origins. Just know we’re from another world. In our world, this place exists as an anime setting—like some deity took an animated world and made it real. This world tells the story of... That’s why my hostage is Saori, one of the main supporting characters. As for Reimu Hakurei, she’s the protagonist of a famous game and manga. Why she’s appeared here, we have no idea,” Natsume replied evenly.

After digesting their words, Ki asked again, “So you know Frieza and the Konoha Twelve as well?”

“We do. They’re also anime characters. But… Frieza, here? Impossible! Could he be sending his minions?” Natsume, Hebimaru, and Saori all blanched.

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“It all feels so unreal… My head’s spinning. But if you mention Frieza, or Naruto and Sasuke, you could find their manga and anime in Akihabara right now,” Saori mumbled, stunned by the flood of revelations.

Ki frowned. He’d researched otaku culture online, so why was all this so unfamiliar to him? Either Saori was lying, or this was some elaborate trick. Still, if these were all characters from anime, perhaps it was the work of some deranged otaku god?

“Wait here a few minutes. I’ll go confirm things with that other shut-in. Don’t try anything,” Ki said, giving them no time to object before turning away. He wasn’t at all worried about Saori’s safety; as long as Shin-Oh Gota remained in his hands, Saori would be safe.

Five minutes later, as the two waited, growing increasingly anxious, Hebimaru suddenly sprang into action. Twisting his body, he shielded Saori just as a dazzling fist came crashing down, striking Hebimaru in the chest. He tried to deflect the blow, but underestimated Ki’s strength. Face contorted in shock, Hebimaru was punched off the hoverboard and vanished from sight.

Ki didn’t press his advantage, as Natsume fixed him with a cold stare, his right hand clamped around Saori’s neck.

“Tch, sharp instincts. That’s my second condition: you had to take one attack from me,” Ki said calmly, showing no embarrassment for the ambush. With a tap of his storage pouch, the ice-encased Shin-Oh Gota appeared in his hand.

“You’d better—”

“Spare me the pointless talk. Let’s do it together,” Ki interrupted, raising his hand and tossing the ice block over.

As the ice flew toward him, Natsume’s eyes flickered, but in the end, he threw Saori forward. As she collided with the ice block, he suddenly pulled out a scroll, which burst into white light, enveloping both him and Gota. In an instant, they disappeared. Ki stared after them, lost in thought, until Saori, cradled in his arm, shifted uneasily and brought him back to himself.

“How strange—both times we’ve met, you’ve been taken hostage. I suppose it means we’re fated to meet. Still, I hope you forget everything you saw today; it would be far better for you,” Ki said with a sigh, looking at Saori with a headache.

“Yes. Thank you, Mr. Ki. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been in real danger both times. And I’m sorry I let the enemy escape.” Removing her glasses, Saori’s shy, blushing face emerged, still the young lady he remembered, though her outfit looked out of place.

Ki shrugged. “Don’t mention it. I’ll see you home—same apartment as before?”

“Yes. Thank you.”