Chapter 61: Please Stop Making Ju Fufu Act Like an Idiot, She Doesn’t Look Like She’s Acting! (Patreon)

Compared to the puppets it controlled, Geppetto's true body looked rather frail.

Its limbs were long and thin, and its head formed a gaunt triangle. Altogether it looked like a giant stick insect.

Still, underestimating it would be a mistake.

After all, it hadn't earned a place in Hollow Zero without real strength.

And thin or not, the thing was huge.

Even lying flat, Musachi eyeballed it at a good twenty meters long, and upright it would stand over ten meters tall.

That was an absurd size.

Catching the intent in Musachi's eyes, Geppetto flexed its long fingers, five of them like blades, and lunged at him with savage force.

An ordinary person hit by that would end up cosplaying Minato Namikaze on the Night of the Nine-Tails.

Run clean through.

But Musachi paid an attack of this level no mind. The Nirvana greatsword was ridiculously heavy, yet in his hand it moved like a rapier, meeting no resistance at all.

Shhk!

One swing, and the fingers were severed with ease.

Even so, the enemy wasn't about to give up.

From the stumps of the severed fingers shot several transparent threads. They weren't simply for controlling puppets. To Musachi, they looked more like fangs: anyone struck would be injected with a massive dose of Ether and taken over in an instant.

The attack was blindingly fast, but in that same instant Musachi swept his hand out. The blade of Nirvana ignited with a destructive force like flame, and that force raced along the threads toward Geppetto's body.

Seeing this, Geppetto didn't dare touch that overwhelming power and had no choice but to cut the threads.

"Roar!"

Geppetto bellowed, and threads spread out across its body. The next moment, the fifty-odd Ethereals it had been controlling, along with the Sacrificial Beast Stapan, all surged toward Musachi.

Its true body, meanwhile, backed away rapidly. Clearly it had no appetite for a fight. It wanted to run.

That brief exchange had told Geppetto plainly that it could never beat Musachi. Besides, as a puppeteer, head-on combat wasn't its strength. In that case, running was the better option.

Watching Geppetto race toward the Hollow in the sky, Musachi had no intention of letting it escape this time.

Trying to stop him with a bunch of small fry?

Then why not just vaporize the small fry and your true body together?

With that thought, Musachi poured his power into the Nirvana in his hand.

He raised his arm high, and the flames on the blade grew ever more dazzling.

Against an enemy of this level, Musachi didn't even need to unleash Nirvana's true strength. He only channeled a little Ether into it, letting it show a fraction of its power.

And then... Boom!

Inside Hollow Zero, a great sun rose.

Blinding white light swallowed everything around it, leaving no one able to see their surroundings.

An attack like a supernova reduced the surrounding terrain to nothing. The broken clusters of Ether Crystals that had blocked everyone's view were all turned into pure Ether.

Then, utter silence.

When Yixuan and the others regained their sight, everything here was gone.

Before them lay a vast clearing spread out in the shape of a fan.

The whole area was a pale blank, empty of everything. Geppetto, who had been fleeing a moment ago, and all those Ethereals had been within it. Yet they had vanished without a trace.

Now they looked at Musachi's back, and at the Ether cloak on his armor, shimmering like a starry sky.

"Wait, you..."

Yixuan had barely started to speak when the armored figure shot them a glance. An Ether Singularity appeared behind him, swallowed him whole in an instant, and he was gone.

Yixuan frowned at the sight.

But she said nothing.

"Looks like our mission for today is done."

Asaba Harumasa strolled over at his leisure.

The Ethereals that had gathered here were gone, and the Ether had returned to normal levels. There would be no further threat.

"Where's Musachi?"

Yixuan looked around and noticed one person was missing.

"Right here."

Musachi popped out from behind a piece of building wreckage, grinning. "I wasn't much use in the fight, so I hid."

With that, he walked over to the group.

"Proxy, Proxy, you're not hurt, are you?"

Ju Fufu bounded up beside him and looked him over.

"Of course not. With a great hero like Senior Sister Fufu protecting me, how could I get hurt?"

Musachi waved a hand.

Yixuan nodded. "In that case, we should head back. Pity we won't make lunch today."

She checked the time. It was already eleven in the morning, and with the trip back, the restaurants would probably be closed by the time they finished.

"Then next time. Let's get back first," Musachi suggested.

Yixuan nodded again.

"So hungry... I want buns... I can't move anymore..."

Soukaku was listless. The thought of not getting back until late had drained all her energy.

"All right, once we're back I'll take you to find something to eat at the outpost first. Hang in there a little longer."

Tsukishiro Yanagi ruefully patted Soukaku's little head.

Only then did Soukaku perk up.

Perhaps because Ether activity in this area had dropped, Musachi's group met far fewer Ethereals on the way back than on the way in.

But fewer didn't mean none, and surprises still turned up.

Ethereals in Hollow Zero came in all shapes and kinds, and nothing about them was ever truly strange.

Case in point, right now.

Ahead of the group lay a Hati. This one was a little different from the others. It seemed to be asleep. Even as the group drew fairly close, it didn't wake, and they could see its belly rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

Yet Yixuan's expression turned odd at the sight.

Never mind whether Ethereals even sleep. Aren't a Hati's noses supposed to be sharp? How could it fail to notice them from this close?

"I'll take a look."

Yixuan stepped forward, meaning to finish off the sleeping Hati.

The next moment, on a rooftop among the ruins to one side of it, another Hati appeared and pounced at Yixuan's back.

At the same time, the Hati lying on the ground leapt up and charged at her too.

And then... there was no and then.

Yixuan didn't even move. The Qingming Bird perched on her shoulder shot out, unfurled the black arts on its body, flipped through the air in a swallow-turn, and took down both Hati.

Musachi and the others walked up.

"'The wolf in front feigns sleep to lure the enemy.' I never expected these Ethereals to know that trick. Pity it was far too obvious."

Yixuan shook her head with a soft laugh.

"How many tricks can beasts have? They only add to the laughter."

"Hm? Master, what does that mean?"

Ju Fufu looked at Yixuan curiously.

"It means..."

Before Yixuan could finish, Musachi jumped in. "It means: dumb dog thinks it can fool me. Absolutely hilarious."

Yixuan: ???

Was that right?

Yixuan's mouth twitched. She was about to object, but on second thought, crude as it was, the actual meaning wasn't far off...

"So that's what it means? As expected, cultured people even curse with culture."

Ju Fufu smacked her lips at Musachi's explanation and sighed in admiration.

"All right, don't listen to his nonsense. What it really means is..."

Yixuan patiently explained it to her, then shot Musachi a reproachful look.

This kid, talking such nonsense.

Musachi grinned and raised a hand in surrender.

Ye Shiyuan sighed as he watched.

Please, I'm begging you, stop making my Eldest Senior Sister Ju Fufu play the fool. She's not even acting!

Soon the group was back at Scott Outpost.

"Fufu, you all go ahead and do as you like. I need to see Mayflower, so I can't accompany you this afternoon."

Yixuan looked over her disciples as she spoke.

"I know, Master. You can go without worrying."

Ju Fufu nodded and answered cheerfully.

Yixuan sighed at her words.

My silly disciple is wonderful in every way, except for being a bit of a silly Fufu...

I'm only going out on an errand. Why do you make it sound like I'm going off to die...

"Sis Yanagi, hungry, food."

Soukaku put it even more simply. Tsukishiro Yanagi nodded helplessly, said goodbye to Hoshimi Miyabi, and led Soukaku away.

"Until next time, Proxy."

Hoshimi Miyabi nodded as well and left on business of her own.

Once Hollow Special Operations Section 6 had gone, only Ye Shiyuan, Ye Shunguang, and Ju Fufu remained with Musachi.

"Hehe, let's all go eat together! Musachi, I know a place that's sure to still be open!"

Grinning, Ju Fufu led everyone toward Lumina Square.

"Manager, are you still open?"

Arriving at the Boiling Cauldron Hotpot, Ju Fufu called out cheerfully to Blaze at the front counter.

"Hm? If it isn't little Master Fufu from Yunkui Summit! Of course we're open. Even if we weren't, I'd open up for you. Just the four of you?"

Blaze answered with a smile as she saw Ju Fufu.

Before long, at Blaze's arrangement, the four of them were seated in a small private room.

"So you know the owner here, Fufu. I came with friends last time, but I don't think I ever saw her..."

Musachi looked at Ju Fufu curiously.

"Hehe, I just happened to meet her, really. Master and the rest of us don't only stay at the mountain gate of Yunkui Summit. We sometimes stay a while at Suibian Temple on the Waifei Peninsula too, so we're pretty familiar with the neighbors. Blaze and another manager over there named Sweety are fellow disciples, so one thing led to another and I got to know them."

"Oh? Lucky timing. I arrive and hear little Master Fufu talking about me."

Just as Ju Fufu was speaking, the door opened and a pretty young woman with wheat-colored hair walked in.

She wore a gentle smile, and a qipao like Blaze's.

But compared to Blaze's mature beauty, Sweety had a livelier, more charming air.

"Oh? Sweety, I never expected to see you here!"

Ju Fufu's eyes lit up.

"I came to New Eridu on some business and dropped by to see Blaze. She told me you were here, Master Fufu, so I thought I'd stop in."

Sweety said with a beaming smile.

As she spoke, she nodded to Ye Shunguang and Ye Shiyuan.

Clearly they all knew each other well.

But when she saw Musachi, Sweety looked puzzled.

"And this is...?"

"This is Musachi, a really strong Proxy! Even Master speaks highly of him! Oh, and this is Miss Sweety, the one I mentioned. Her cooking is delicious~"

Ju Fufu introduced the two with a smile.

"Oh, a Proxy! I'm not much of a fighter, and I don't go down into Hollows like Master Fufu and the others, but I do know how important Proxies are. If Grandmaster Yixuan thinks so highly of you, you must be a formidable Proxy."

"Formidable is too generous. I'm just a tiny bit better than the average person."

Musachi held up a hand, thumb and forefinger pinched almost together.

"Hehe, you're too modest."

...

Sweety didn't stay long. She said her hellos and left.

Once she was gone, Ju Fufu leaned in and whispered to Musachi, sneaking around like a thief:

"Musachi, don't let Sweety and Blaze's looks fool you. They can really fight! They say they're not fighters, but when they get truly angry, it's scary. Last time I saw Sweety beat some troublemaker black and blue, and afterward she said all innocent, 'That man looked so fierce, he scared me to death.' The women on the Waifei Peninsula are all pretty bold... Well, um, it's kind of cool, though."

Musachi's mouth twitched at Ju Fufu's whisper.

Sichuan-Chongqing tyrannosaurs, huh? I know the type.

"Senior Sister Fufu, Miss Sweety hasn't gone far yet. Someone might hear you."

Ye Shunguang reminded her softly.

As if speaking any louder would get her overheard and eaten by Sweety.

"Oh, oh."

Ju Fufu nodded and flashed an OK sign.

Musachi's mouth twitched again.

This room is pretty soundproof. You two don't need to do this.

"Ye Shunguang, things here are about wrapped up. Are you coming back to the mountain with me, or staying a few more days?"

Ye Shiyuan turned to Ye Shunguang and asked with concern.

Yixuan would definitely be staying a few more days, but Ye Shiyuan's assignment was finished, and he didn't plan to linger.

"I'll stay and play a few more days. You go back first, Brother."

Ye Shunguang answered with a soft laugh.

"Fine. Remember to behave, don't cause Master any trouble, and keep an eye on Senior Sister."

Ye Shiyuan nodded and said no more.

His sister didn't get to New Eridu often, so it was only natural she'd want to enjoy it for a few days.

After the hotpot, Musachi said goodbye to the others and returned to Sixth Street.

After parking, he walked over with his car keys in hand and saw Belle from the video store next door.

A little black cat lay at her feet, and Belle was feeding it ham.

"Hm? Just getting back?"

Belle said in greeting.

"Yeah, went out on a commission."

Musachi crouched down, wanting to pet the cat too. But the little black one ignored him completely and leapt straight into Belle's arms.

Then it shot Musachi a disdainful glance.

As if to say: No ham sausage, yet you want a free pet? Cats have standards. I'm not that kind of casual cat.

"Where's Wise?"

Musachi peered through the door into the shop, curious.

"Big Brother got dragged off to the gym by his friends."

Belle said, gloating a little.

"With guys?"

"Yep. A few female Agents who know him asked him to go too, but you know Brother's stamina. He's always been too lazy."

Belle said with a smile.

"So why did he go with his friends today?"

Musachi asked curiously.

"Because he was hemmed in by men on both sides! They hauled him off, going on about burning with passion or something, and just carried him and stuffed him into a car. If I didn't know them all, I'd have thought they were kidnapping him."

Belle said, beaming.

Musachi silently prayed that Wise would keep his butt safe...

"Oh, right!"

Belle suddenly remembered something and waved at Musachi. "Want to see how scared my brother got that day?"

Musachi's eyes lit up. "Of course!"

"Come on, then. He couldn't let it go, so he secretly deleted the recording from my phone. But he doesn't know I'd already pulled it off and saved it to a disc. Hehe, outsmarted him. He's no match for me!"

Belle headed into the shop, setting the little black cat down before she went in.

The cat strutted off down the side alley with its tail held high, walking like a runway model.

That little cat is pretty proud.

Musachi couldn't help being amused.

"Nyaa-na, nyaa-na~"

Inside, Eous spotted Musachi and waved its little hand in greeting.

Musachi walked over and patted its head.

The Bangboo was a wonderful invention. Even Musachi thought the little things were adorable.

Ms. Sunbringer, the inventor, was truly a genius!

Sometimes Musachi wondered whether he should get a Bangboo of his own.

That way, when he and Remielle were both out, the shop wouldn't be left empty.

"Hold on, let me find it."

In the back room, Belle went to a bookshelf and started rummaging through everything.

Afraid Wise would find it, Belle had hidden the disc rather well.

"Found it! This is the one!"

Belle pulled out a horror movie disc, beaming.

It was the type Wise would never watch of his own accord.

Huh?

Belle glanced at the corner of the videotape shelf. There was another case that looked exactly the same.

She didn't think much of it.

"Thanks for waiting~"

Belle slid the disc into the player beside her.

Musachi found himself looking forward to it.

But then the picture on the CD made both of them freeze.

On the slightly blurry screen, a man and a woman slowly came into view.

"Hm? Did we grab the wrong one?"

"Looks like it?"

Watching that blurry picture, Belle got a bad feeling.

And the next moment, forbidden footage that would never pass the censors flashed onto the TV screen, so fast that neither Musachi nor Belle had time to react.

Musachi, Belle: ???

Both of them had question marks pop up at once. Seriously, who the hell set up this ambush?

Belle reacted fast, though. She lunged over and shut off the machine.

Then she turned to Musachi, stiff as a board.

"When Brother and I picked up stock, the supplier threw in some free discs with no labels, where the contents didn't match the covers. I really didn't know this one was in there!!!"

Belle babbled her explanation, her eyes already spinning in circles.

"Ahem, I understand, I understand. You sell CDs, so content like that is normal."

"Haha, as long as you understand... wait, no! We're a proper video store, we don't sell stuff like that! It was really an accident!"

Belle nodded, but then, seeing the smile on Musachi's face, suddenly sensed something off and hurried to keep explaining.

"I see..."

Musachi nodded and glanced at the HDD beside it. A proper video store shouldn't have one of those either, should it?

Then Belle hurriedly picked up the other identical case.

This time, the contents were right.

When the footage began to play, Wise on screen wore a horrified look for an instant, then was so scared he leapt straight up.

That sudden face was honestly a bit funny.

But with the atmosphere between the two so awkward, neither of them had the heart to enjoy it anymore.

"Belle, you're more innocent than I expected. Relax, we're both adults."

Musachi said with a grin at Belle's bright red face.

"How can I relax?! If it were just me, fine, but this is with someone of the opposite sex! Just thinking about it is awkward, okay?!"

Belle said, exasperated.

"It's fine. Just think of it as last time with the horror movie. Back then, you were so scared you jumped right into my arms. Compared to that, this is just a small slip-up."

Musachi waved a hand.

"Shut up! Stop talking!"

Belle shut her eyes.

But the scene from a moment ago kept replaying in her mind. And somehow, without her noticing, the two actors on that screen gradually turned into Musachi and herself.

The moment she thought of that, Belle felt her head was about to start smoking.