Chapter 162: Little Bitch Yakumo Yukari

"Think back to that time, little Reimu was your ** lover, and let's leave it at that. But! It seemed like yours truly was treated as the other woman present then! Whose woman was she?" Yakumo Yukari lazily narrowed her eyes, interrupting Qi's deep immersion in his memories.

"Naturally, it belongs to the wealthy little brother Qi; he has lots and lots of money. But what is an 'other woman'?" Reimu first looked at Qi with glittering eyes, then asked.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."

Fools are the ones who argue too much over this or try to refute it. Qi, who was choking, thought to himself.

"Lady Yukari, although the ribbon on my head is lovely and I like it very much, I'm afraid of losing it or getting it dirty if I wear it outside. Such a pretty thing should be properly treasured instead."

The clever Qi changed the subject.

"Eh, wow—does the wealthy little brother Qi also wear a red ribbon on his head? But mine is still bigger; are big sisters naturally bigger by a little bit?" Reimu seemed to have just noticed the red ribbon worn on the head of Qi, who had a cascade of long, dark hair.

"My answer is no. No matter where you are or in what place, you must wear it. If it doesn't appear on your head for even an hour, con－se－quen－ces－are－your－own." Always smiling, Yakumo Yukari's gaze turned sharp as she issued a threat.

Qi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. A grown man would have to wear a flower on his head from now on—a red ribbon flower, very nice and very powerful.

"The tea is almost finished, so I should be taking little Reimu, your little lover, away now. The Great Hakurei Barrier has reached its critical point; if Ran weren't still sustaining it, it would probably overlap with the waking world by now."

Yakumo Yukari gracefully wiped the tea stains from the corner of her mouth, stood up, and a large gap tore open out of thin air.

"Things are already this dangerous, yet you can still leisurely drink black tea here. I am impressed."

"My black tea isn't finished yet, wealthy little brother Qi. Until next time."

Watching the two disappear into the gap, Qi breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his head to look at his phone, and thought, "Ten days? I should be able to get back. At the time, my mind was entirely consumed by that lunatic's schemes, and I didn't even notice Kuroneko was acting strange. I don't love her as much as she loves me."

Suddenly, a gap appeared, transmitting Yakumo Yukari's voice: "Oh right, it's already been ten days since you left your little girlfriend's world. It's all your fault, little brother, running around randomly from world to world, causing yours truly to waste so much time. You're really bad."

The gap vanished, and Qi froze in place.

"Yakumo Yukari, you definitely did that on purpose! If you have the guts, come out and let's have a hand-to-hand duel, so you can learn that some things just cannot be done."

Qi roared furiously. He had finally managed to communicate with Kuroneko and understand the ins and outs of the matter, and the two of them could have loved each other just like before, yet it was all ruined by a ten-day limit.

...

"I limit you to return within ten days; otherwise, the cursed ending will become reality. End of message."

Kuroneko's gloomy, dark smile seemed to reappear before his eyes. That cursed ending must be the one arranged by that lunatic. How did Kuroneko even know about it?

"Lunatic, you are simply playing rogue. Even after admitting defeat, you're still plotting a comeback. Do you both think I'm easy to bully? The day I become stronger than the two of you, I will definitely settle this score. Yakumo Yukari, you're dead set on being the other woman; and as for you, lunatic, I'll definitely beat you until you're a real lunatic."

Like a genuine madman, Qi continued to vent his rage. With a flick of a slender, jade-like finger, Qi was sent flying far away, causing even his soul to vibrate. His vision grew increasingly blurry, and then he passed out.

...

"Eh, this place seems to be the Scarlet Devil Mansion. I'm back just like that, and I haven't even said goodbye to the good guy Qi." Hong Meiling stood holding her black tea in a daze, muttering to herself.

"China."

Hong Meiling's body stiffened just as she was about to drink her tea. Such a familiar voice, such a familiar tone.

"Lady Sakuya, please listen to me explain, the situation is like this—" Hong Meiling said with a bitter face, treading carefully.

"Go tell that to the Mistress. What is that in your hand?" A tall maiden with long silver hair tied into two small braids on either side of her cheeks, wearing a maid outfit, currently wore a frosty expression.

"This is black tea," Hong Meiling's eyes lit up. "This is the most delicious black tea in the world. I went out specifically to find this black tea—no wait, I accidentally went out, and brought back the most delicious black tea for the Mistress. Yep, that's right."

Head Maid Sakuya sniffed slightly, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes. "The fragrance is indeed delightful. Come with me to see the Mistress now, and prepare yourself to be punished."

Maid Sakuya turned gracefully, heading toward the Mistress's location.

"Uh, how about I drink half of it first and leave the other half for the Mistress?" Hong Meiling asked in a low voice, feeling conflicted.

The next second, the black tea in her hand had vanished, reappearing in the hands of the graceful head maid leading the way. "A cup of black tea might lessen your crime, but half a cup of black tea will only double your punishment."

"Wuu wuu wuu, then I'd rather finish this cup of black tea. Lady Sakuya, give the black tea back to me!" Hong Meiling lunged forward in grief and indignation.

With a few graceful flashes, the head maid arrived in front of the door. She knocked gently and said, "Mistress, China is back."

"Lady Sakuya, my name is Hong Meiling, please don't call me China." Hong Meiling couldn't help but correct the nickname the other person could never seem to change.

"Come in." A dignified yet loli-like voice drifted out from the room.

"...The process of the matter was just like that, Mistress. Look, you've even drunk this black tea; isn't it the most delicious in the world? If the good guy Qi comes to Gensokyo next time, he will definitely come to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to see me. He's a really good person, and as long as you ask him, he'll brew tea for you. You must find the feeling of this black tea unforgettable, right? He's the one who made me love black tea as well."

"It really is a few grades better than what Sakuya brews, both in the quality of the tea leaves and the brewing technique. For the sake of the black tea, China, go back to guarding the gate. Next time you encounter that man, bring him straight to me."

With a pair of small bat wings on her back, blue hair, crimson pupils, the physique of merely a ten-year-old girl, and dressed in white Gothic Lolita attire, she immediately forgave the gatekeeper's negligence after savoring the aftertaste of the black tea.

"I finally dodged a bullet."

...

"Little Qi, wake up quickly! What's wrong with you? Wake up!"

Seeming to hear someone calling him, Qi woke up from the darkness, opened his eyes, and saw Sylvia's face extremely close to his own.

"I'm fine. But how is it that you guys are already back? It isn't even dark yet. Is it really okay to just leave the Imperial Capital like this right after conquering it? Even though I was the one who called you all together for this final meeting."

Qi climbed up from the ground with an air of nonchalance, completely omitting any mention of why he had passed out.

"Haha, it's fine. The Revolutionary Army doesn't have only me in high command; it's good to slack off occasionally. Let's drink, let's drink! After years of waiting, we've finally overthrown the Empire. If we don't get dead drunk today, nobody gets to run away!"

"Sigh, I can't drink alcohol. Someone warned me never to drink alcohol, so I'll substitute the wine with tea instead," Qi refused with a troubled expression.

"No way, you absolutely have to drink."

...

Why? What happened? Why am I locked up in a dungeon?

Qi stared blankly up at the ceiling, his body pierced through by all sorts of sharp weapons and lethal blades.