Shenhe frowned slightly and asked, "What...what rules?"
"Listen to your brother-in-law, listen to your brother-in-law..." Lucas said in one breath, "And damn it, still listen to your brother-in-law!"
"Hmph..." Shenhe seemed a bit displeased. "Anyway, once we're done here, let's hurry back. Senior Sister...misses you a lot. Earlier, she had a bad premonition and was planning to come to Inazuma to find you herself, but because she had too much work, I came in her place."
"Is that so..." Lucas nodded. "Let me write a paper crane letter first to let Ganyu know I'm safe."
"Mm, I'll cast the spell..." Shenhe was about to cut the paper to perform the ritual but suddenly stopped and shook her head. "No, you do it. Your skills are far superior to mine."
The "paper crane message" wasn't some profound spell—ordinary practitioners could easily master it—but its effectiveness varied greatly depending on the caster.
The more refined the caster's cultivation, the faster the paper crane would fly, and the less likely it would be affected by external factors.
The speed difference between the same letter cast by people of different strengths could be as vast as the difference between standard mail and express delivery.
Though Shenhe's abilities were nothing to scoff at, she knew Lucas was even stronger. To ensure Ganyu received the letter as quickly as possible, she surprisingly conceded for once.
"Alright."
Lucas nodded, quickly penned a simple letter on the prepared paper, then folded it into a crane. With a light flick, the seemingly weightless paper crane shot out the window at such speed that it even lifted Shenhe's long hair.
So...fast!
The speed of the paper crane was a reflection of the caster's strength. Such incredible speed proved that Lucas's power had grown significantly during this time.
Just how much more was brother-in-law hiding...?
As this thought crossed her mind, Shenhe instinctively glanced at Lucas—only to find him already staring right back at her.
Their eyes met. Shenhe's cheeks flushed slightly, but Lucas didn't avert his gaze. Instead, he stared even more intently.
"W-What are you looking at?" Shenhe said, a bit annoyed.
"I was just thinking, Ah-He..." Lucas rubbed his chin with a mischievous grin. "Have you been eating a lot lately? You seem a little plumper than before I left."
"N-Nonsense!" Shenhe's face turned even redder. "Y-You must be seeing things."
Though she denied it, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty inside.
After swimming all the way from Liyue to Inazuma, she had expended a lot of energy. Once she arrived, she had indulged in a hearty meal at the hideout. Maybe she really had gained a little weight.
But there was no way she would ever admit that.
"My eyes might deceive me," Lucas stretched out his hands, flexing his slender fingers, "but my hands won't."
"W-What do you mean?" Shenhe asked, confused.
"I've measured every curve of your body before," Lucas rubbed his hands together and beckoned her with a finger. "Come sit here. Let me measure you again, and I'll know for sure."
"N-No way!" Shenhe shook her head like a rattle-drum. "I refuse!"
"Remember what I just said?" Lucas stepped forward, placed his hands on Shenhe's shoulders, and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "In Inazuma, you have to do what?"
Shenhe felt a warm breath against her ear and couldn't help but murmur, "I have to...listen to brother-in-law."
"Exactly."
Lucas's hands had already begun their journey downward, turning into a pair of "flesh rulers" as they measured every inch of Shenhe's body. "Be good and let me check!"
Shenhe resisted half-heartedly but soon allowed her brother-in-law to have his way.
Before meeting Lucas, she had been able to remain detached and unshaken. But after encountering this man, over a decade of disciplined cultivation had gradually eroded without her realizing it.
Now, even the slightest provocation from Lucas was enough to make her lose control.
"Y-You're measuring where now?" Shenhe bit her lip.
"Your waist," Lucas chuckled. "Tsk tsk, just as I thought—at least a third of an inch thicker."
Shenhe's face flushed, but this time, she didn't argue. Instead, she muttered quietly, "I...I'll lose it!"
"No need," Lucas's hands traveled northward as he grinned. "Because another place has grown nearly two inches thicker. Your body really knows where to put on weight, huh?"
Shenhe immediately felt Lucas's wandering hands growing bolder and quickly whispered, "Stop...at least not here."
After all, this was still a restaurant. Even though they were in a private room, the door wasn't locked.
Lucas seemed to realize her concern. With a snap of his fingers, wooden branches suddenly sprouted from the doorframe, tightly sealing it shut.
Manipulating Dendro was one of Lucas's earliest abilities. Though he rarely used it, his control was still quite refined.
Of course, when it came to matters like this, Lucas always found new and creative ways to apply his skills.
With a casual wave over the table, the square dining surface instantly transformed—shrinking slightly in height and reshaping into a rectangular platform resembling a bed. Without another word, Lucas picked Shenhe up and laid her down on it.
"Ah-He," Lucas whispered softly, "I've...missed you all too."
What followed was his way of expressing that longing.
A card suddenly appeared between his fingers—the very same one he had used during the Tournament: [Curse of the Eight-Foot-Tall Woman].
It was a prize from his victory, and through some "special methods," Lucas had managed to make these card abilities usable in reality.
The effect of [Curse of the Eight-Foot-Tall Woman] was to rapidly enlarge the target's body.
"Wait, I remember this..." Shenhe seemed to recall that day's experience and quickly protested, "N-No, don't—"
But she was too late. The card's glow instantly enveloped her, and her originally slender, tall frame began expanding proportionally. In moments, she had transformed into a "giantess" over two meters tall, so massive that even the sturdy wooden bed beneath her began to creak and tremble.
This "enlarged" body didn't look unnatural in the slightest. Instead, it amplified Shenhe's already explosive figure, adding even more dynamite to her curves.
Especially those twin peaks, which now likely weighed at least twenty pounds combined—probably surpassing the known limits of human female proportions. Just looking at them was enough to leave one in awe, making one want to cry out, "Mommy!"
And Lucas, the wandering traveler who had long been away from home, immediately threw himself forward, eager to experience the warmth of his homeland through this familiar figure.
Of course, going in directly wasn't feasible. Even though Lucas was well-endowed by normal standards, compared to Shenhe's current size, it would still be like stirring a vat with a toothpick. Thus, he pulled out another card specifically designed for the Eight-Foot-Tall Woman—[Multi-Size Technique]!
[Multi-Size Technique: Rapidly enlarges specific body parts.]
As Lucas made his advance, the already trembling wooden bed began to let out pitiful creaks.
If this piece of wood could have gained sentience as a tsukumogami, it would surely have lamented its unbelievable fate—a perfectly good dining table being used for this kind of activity.
Sadly, it would never get that chance.
With a loud crack, the bed beneath them finally gave way under the intense movement. It was no surprise—Shenhe now weighed at least three hundred pounds, and combined with Lucas's weight and their vigorous motions, even the sturdiest wood couldn't withstand such punishment.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
A cautious voice came from outside the door—a waitress asking softly, "Is... is everything alright in there?"
"N-no... nothing's wrong!" Lucas's voice sounded muffled, as if buried under a giant cotton candy. "Your table broke."
Breaking a chair, stool, or even a plate or cup would have been understandable, but this was the first time the waitress had ever heard of someone breaking a table while eating. Besides, this establishment was backed by none other than Yae Miko, and its furnishings were of the highest quality—even deliberate vandalism shouldn't have been enough to damage them.
But the guests in this private room were the esteemed visitors of Lady Yae herself, and she had explicitly instructed that no matter what happened inside, the staff was not to interfere.
That was also why, when the members of the Inazuma Yakuza had come earlier to cause trouble for Lucas, none of the staff had intervened.
"The... the table broke?" The waitress quickly responded, "If needed, I can arrange for a replacement."
"N-no need!" Lucas replied, his voice strained but firm. "We... still have some matters to settle."
Though puzzled, the waitress had no choice but to quietly withdraw—after all, these were Lady Yae's honored guests.
Inside the room, the battle raged on. Since arriving in Inazuma, Lucas had indulged in plenty of virtual escapades within the simulator, but in reality, he hadn't had many chances to truly unwind. Now, with Shenhe here, he could finally release the pent-up energy he'd been holding back.
And Shenhe, once a modest sedan, had now transformed into a full-fledged truck, seemingly intent on crushing Lucas beneath her. Fortunately, Lucas was no ordinary man—had it been anyone else, they wouldn't have been able to enjoy the experience so much as survive it, either suffocating under the weight or having their organs crushed outright.
The restaurent was open all night, and before they knew it, the hour had slipped past midnight.
Their fierce struggle had already entered its second round.
Just as Lucas was adjusting the headlights, however, an eerie "bo-bo-bo" sound suddenly echoed from outside—an unnatural noise, as if made by some unknown creature, sending an unsettling chill down the spine.
An ordinary person hearing such a sound in the dead of night would have been terrified.
But Lucas and Shenhe were no ordinary people. One was a legendary Onmyōji who had once shaken the world five centuries ago, and the other was the prized disciple of the Cloud Retainer. If ghosts saw them, it was the ghosts who should be running in fear.
The "bo-bo-bo" grew louder, closer—until a cold gust of wind violently flung the window open.
Lucas and Shenhe had long sensed that something was amiss, but they were too deeply engrossed in their activities to care. At this critical juncture, not even a full-on Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of a Hundred Demons) could have stopped them.
Thud!
A pale, slender hand suddenly gripped the windowsill—its fingers delicate yet unnaturally large, each digit thicker than a grown man's wrist.
At that moment, a scroll materialized out of thin air, vibrating intensely—like a Witcher's medallion trembling in the presence of magic.
"Beep beep! Detected a capturable yōkai nearby."
The voice of Hyakki Hime had barely finished speaking when an enormous white figure crawled in through the window.
The window wasn't small, but the figure squeezed through with difficulty, her chest nearly cracking the wooden frame with an ominous creak.
Lucas and Shenhe finally got a clear look at the uninvited guest—a "woman" in a white dress and a wide-brimmed white hat.
The quotation marks were necessary because this woman was massive, easily matching Shenhe's current enlarged proportions.
Just then, the Hyakki Yagyō Scroll unfurled, and Hyakki Hime stared at the towering woman and declared matter-of-factly:
"Hachishaku-sama—a female specter of enormous stature. Typically preys on human males, draining their life force until death."
Well, damn. Are you a Pokédex now?
Lucas never expected that his little roleplay as Hachishaku-sama would somehow summon the real deal.
But this wasn't entirely a coincidence. Due to Lucas's past actions as "Harunosuke", history had been altered, and Inazuma in this timeline was different from the game's world—yōkai hadn't faded into obscurity but instead coexisted with humans in a delicate balance.
Even so, dangerous spirits like Hachishaku-sama still lurked in Inazuma. She couldn't be neatly labeled as "good" or "evil"—she hunted young men the same way a predator hunted prey. It was simply her nature.
The real Hachishaku-sama slowly lifted her head, locking eyes with Shenhe.
For a moment, both of them froze.
Shenhe's thoughts: What kind of yōkai is this? Why is she so huge?
Hachishaku-sama's thoughts: Did I just run into a fellow professional?
Of course, they weren't actually in the same line of work.
Yōkai came in many forms. Some, like the kitsune (fox spirits) and oni (ogres), were entire species with numerous members. Others were unique entities—either exceptionally powerful individuals who stood out even among their kind (like Tamamo-no-Mae among kitsune, or Shuten Dōji among oni), or beings born from singular, irreplicable circumstances.
For example, the tsukumogami (artifact spirits) that formed when objects absorbed spiritual energy or resentment—or, in this case, Hachishaku-sama, a yōkai born from urban legends and ghost stories.
To put it simply, these yōkai didn't inspire the tales—the tales created them.
As rumors spread and people collectively imagined their forms and behaviors, those thoughts coalesced into actual beings.
That was why their appearances and habits matched human descriptions so perfectly—not because humans observed them well, but because they were literally shaped by those descriptions.
It was like firing an arrow first, then painting the target around it.
The air grew heavy with tension.
Meanwhile, due to momentum, Lucas couldn't help but move a few more times—giving Hachishaku-sama a clear view of his equipment.
A single glance was enough to ignite a hungry glint in the giantess's eyes.
Her usual prey were normal-sized men, but normal for humans was laughably inadequate for her. It was like trying to drive a truck with a toy car's key—utterly useless.
But this target?
This was something she could work with.
Unfortunately... someone (something?) had gotten to him first.
This was the first time Hachishaku-sama had encountered another being of similar size—let alone a competitor. Her not-particularly-bright mind struggled to process the situation.
Should she force her way in?
That might provoke a fight, and interrupting another's meal was just bad manners.
Should she leave?
But she couldn't bear to abandon such a rare and perfect catch.
After a long moment of deliberation, she slowly knelt, removed her hat, and sat quietly in the corner.
Lucas finally got a good look at her face—pale as death, yet oddly delicate. Though not as striking as Shenhe's icy beauty, for a yōkai, she was more than acceptable.
"Bo... bo-bo... bo..."
She didn't seem capable of human speech, only emitting those strange, rhythmic sounds.
"What... is she saying?" Lucas asked Hyakki Hime.
"She's asking if she can have a turn after you're done," came the translation.
She's being... polite about it?
How considerate. I'm touched.
Lucas stifled a laugh and whispered, "Hyakki Hime, what do you suggest we do now?"
"Tame her, of course!" Hyakki Hime replied eagerly. "The Scroll of a Hundred Demons needs as many yōkai as possible to regain its power. Hachishaku-sama is a rare and powerful spirit—we can't miss this opportunity!"
If this were a certain gacha game, she'd at least be an SR-rank.
Lucas pondered. "But how? Fight her?"
He was confident he could defeat her, but she seemed so pitifully polite that he hesitated.
"No need for violence," Hyakki Hime explained. "According to records, if you satisfy Hachishaku-sama's desires, she'll submit willingly."
That sounded simple—but given her size, it was like asking a child to drive an 18-wheeler.
Before Lucas could respond, Shenhe smirked and taunted, "I thought you were some kind of legend. Scared?"
"Scared? Me?"
Lucas knew it was a challenge, but he couldn't resist. He pulled out another card—
"Double Trouble!"
[Double Trouble: Duplicates a chosen body part.]
And the part Lucas chose to duplicate was... already enhanced.
Shenhe had seen this trick before, so she remained unfazed.
But Hachishaku-sama? Her jaw dropped open wide enough to fit a pomelo.
Lucas gestured at her with a smirk. "Come join us."
He wasn't sure if she understood human speech, but in this situation, words were unnecessary.
He pointed downward—and Hachishaku-sama immediately dropped to the floor.
Then he glanced at Shenhe and raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Shenhe, for once, was slower on the uptake than the yōkai.
"Bo... bo-bo!"
Hyakki Hime translated: "She says—you take the top."
"See?" Lucas teased. "Even the yōkai has better manners than you."
"Shut up!" Shenhe's face burned red. "I'm not doing something so... shameless!"
"This is for the greater good—to subdue a yōkai and protect the people!" Lucas patted her waist (since her shoulders were out of reach) and declared righteously, "Have you forgotten the teachings of the Cloud Retainer?"
Damn it, using Master against me...
Shenhe gritted her teeth but had no choice. With one last glare, she reluctantly climbed into position.
Despite his enhanced weaponry, Lucas's body remained normal-sized. Even with Hachishaku-sama lying down, her entry point was at chest level for him—let alone Shenhe, who was stacked on top.
----Author's Note: Btw Hachishaku-sama looks hot... do you think so too....