42 The Missing Spring part 2? (2/2)

I start bowing to show my respect to her.

”Hm? What's wrong, Arah-dono?”

And the next second.

”Yuyuko-sama!!” Youmu surprised, ”Sorry for taking your time, Arah-dono! I bid you safe journey back!” she bowed to me first before she climb up the stairway by flying. Yuyuko also already went away from her spot.

And now I'm all alone at the base of the stairway.

'…Does this mean I'm not gonna instantly died when I meet with her again right? …Right?'

I wondered as I fly out to the exit of the Netherworld.

-Night, My Home-​

”So tired.” I plop face down on my futon.

Meeting Yuyuko consumes many days worth of my mental stamina. I know I'm not directly meeting with her, but still…It was scary.

”Did something happened, Master? It's unusual that you say that you're tired.”

I look to my side.

At my side was Bara wearing her red pajama with cute motif. She's sitting on her own futon while hugging her pillow.

”It came back, my mental fatigue is restoring.” I relaxed.

”Hm?” she titled her head.

”It means Bara is still cute no matter what she wears.” I smile.

Her face starts going red, she hide her face behind her pillow.

CUTE!!

She came out from her pillow and now she's glaring at me. ”…Master, please don't dodge the question.” SHE'S STILL CUTE!

”Haha, okay, okay.” I turn my body around, now I'm facing upward. ”This evening, I meet with the one behind this incident.”

”Eh?” Bara needs a second to process what I just said. ”Wasn't Master said that it's bad if you meet with her?! Are you okay?!” she asked worriedly.

I already explained the general gist of the incident to her, I also told her to keep quiet about it since if Reimu and co, knew about it, it's gonna be troublesome for me to explained, …I think I should prepare an explanation in advance, just in case.

”Yeah, it's bad, but fortunately we didn't meet with each other directly, we just looking at each other from a far, no body's hurt.”

”…I see.” she sounded relived.

I close my eye, trying to think about my position in this incident right now.

The incident already going on for almost a month now, the amount of petal that appeared in the sky steadily growing in amount that some of it just start falling into Gensokyo rather than fly straight to the Netherworld.

Surely, all of the heroine will start moving soon, do I fight them or join them? Which side would give me more contribution? What kind of damage will my reputation or relationship suffer if I pick either one of them? Can I win if I fight either one of them?

I also should create a spell card that utilizes my Counter Armor. A spell card that still fair despite none of their attack would reach me. …Wow, I sound like an arrogant bastard right there, this is annoying. I never test my Counter Armor against them, I didn't know if my ability actually worked against them or not.

”U-um, Master.”

I open my eyes and look at Bara.

”If you're still tired then do you want me to massage your back?”

”Oh good idea, please do it.”

TOPLESS!!

I lay down prone on top of my futon.

”Here's the oil for messaging.” I take out the oil from my pouch and gave it to Bara.

”Y-y-y-y-y-y-yes!!” Bara received it with red face.

I smirk.

Bara is blushing and that's a good thing. That mean my body is great to look at for the female. That's a good sign for my future development.

Soon after, since there's a difference of size between both of us, Bara is sitting on my butt to massage my back.

”How is it, Master?”

”Can you knead my shoulder harder? You can try using enchantment, its okay.”

”Okay. Hup. Hup.”

”Ah~, that's the stuff.” I melt. 'This is heaven.' I happily thought.

Minutes have passed.

”Master, can I ask you something?”

”Of course, what is it?”

”Did you know about Akyuu-chan illness?”

My happiness is gone, and seriousness is what replacing it. ”Yeah, I know of it. I plan to cure her before the dead line, right now I need to grow stronger so that some powerful being can't stop me when I tried to cure her.”

”Is some powerful being didn't want Akyuu to get cured?”

”I don't know, but there's nothing wrong to prepare oneself. We still have time.”

”I see.”

I can't see her face right now, but I bet she's smiling right now based on her tone. Worried for a friend is a sign that their relationship is good. Loli friendship is good.

But…

”…Bara, aren't your massage steadily growing stronger and stronger?”

”Don't worry about it. I'm trying to give you the best massage in the world, Master. Just relax.”

She's not giving me the best massage in the world.

By the end of it, I punished (hug & headpat) her while still being shirtless when the floor start creaking because of her massage. That will teach her a lesson.

-Noon, the Skies of Gensokyo-​

I think that there's an old saying about when you a fly, you will meet with a bird no matter what. I believe that there's such saying even thought I haven't read much about a saying. I said that stuff because of what happen to me right now.

”Ayayayaya, good afternoon, Arah-san, right? It's nice meeting you right here in the sky.”

”Ah, yeah, it's nice meeting you too, Aya-san.”

It's Aya, the Crow Tengu Reporter. I met her when I'm about to go above the cloud, I saw her in the distant before she just arrive to my position within 3 second flat.

She whips out her notebook and pen.

”Are you perhaps also trying to solve the incident?”

”Also?”

”Yeah, the Hakurei Miko, the Burglar Magician, and the Devil Maid are moving to solve the incident recently.”

I raised one of my eyebrows from that news.

”I see, seems like they finally move.”

”Based on your word, can I simply presume that you already move to solve the incident before them?”

”Well, you can say that.”

”Then do you know the one behind the lateness of the spring?”

I blink.

”Unfortunately, no I don't. Instead, do you Tengu have a clue to who's behind this instead? Your people are proud of themselves for being the fastest for collecting information. ”I smile.

”Ayaya, flattering won't get you anywhere, but I do appreciate the effort.” she also smiles.

”Aw, not even a tiny bit? I'm sure you people are trouble that the winter is not ending.”

”Ayayaya, I think you misunderstood with which people that troubled with the weather. How about you give us the sword and maybe I will tell you about it?”

”Can I tell the Oni that the Tengu withhold the information of the perpetrator from us? I heard the Oni really likes their flower viewing party, I wonder what happened if I told them when they don't have it this year?” I still smiling.

”…” she's not smiling.

She closed her notebook.

”It's the Heaven.”

”Heaven?”

”We currently concluded that the heaven stole the string, cherry petal falling from the sky, the only being that live above the sky is the heaven people and they stole the spring for their own selfish reason. The ongoing blizzard also probably their doing, laughing at us, the surface dweller while they are partying under their own personal spring.”

”And you can't do anything about it since it's the heaven?”

”Yep, we Youkai can't do anything when it comes to anything related to the heaven.”

”I see, and you didn't tell this to Reimu because?”

”Are you kidding?! She will beat us up before we could explain it to her, and if she has a brain, she would notice the one behind it sooner or later anyway.”

”Make sense.” I nod in understanding.

”Now that I already answer you your question, I gotta go, see ya!”

And she blast off.

”…They already move huh, guess it's time to make my decision.”

After that interaction, I teleported my way to the place above the cloud rather than just fly toward it. Of course with clear view toward my destination. I don't to accidently fused with some random flying bird.

Author note:

Heyo, Author here. This arc will have 3-4 chapter in it, that mean 1-2 more chapter until it's end, and I will continue with some story stuff before the next incident happen, or I just write the Side Story instead. Just write your opinion of it in the forum or the review box.