The Tokyo Skytree, officially translated as such, was also known as the New Tokyo Tower or Sumida Tower before its formal naming.
The Tokyo Tower, which had once served as a signal transmitter for digital terrestrial television, was too short. In a Tokyo dense with skyscrapers, its signals were easily interfered with.
To reduce the signal transmission obstruction caused by the high-rise buildings in central Tokyo, the Tokyo Skytree was built.
At a height of 634 meters, it is currently the second-tallest structure in the world, surpassed only by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
As it was once recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's tallest tower and is the centerpiece of the "Tokyo Skytree Town," a large number of tourists visit here every year.
Li Zihan walked along a path in Tokyo Skytree Town, lifting his head to look at the blue-and-white tower in the distance.
Behind him were two pretty girls dressed in strange miko attire with peculiar hair ornaments.
One had long sakura-pink hair and blue eyes, wearing an off-the-shoulder miko outfit with a black undergarment, a plaid short skirt, white thigh-high stockings, and geta.
The other also had blue eyes and long sakura-pink hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a white shirt and a pink plaid skirt.
The two were, of course, Yae Sakura and Ling.
Through the power of the Twelfth Divine Key, they, who had once lost their physical bodies, had returned to the mortal world once more.
"Hey, are you really acting as our tour guide?"
The girl who looked slightly younger than Yae Sakura, holding a skewer of fried tofu, walked up beside the certain tour guide and spoke in an annoyed tone.
This guy had no professional integrity as a guide whatsoever. He barely explained any of the sights along the way and was constantly focused on the tall tower in the distance.
"Sorry, I'm not actually a resident here. Just like you, I'm the type who'd get lost without looking at the signs."
The young man, whose mind was indeed on the Far East's largest signal tower, turned his head and spoke the truth to the girl beside him.
"Honestly, the only reason I found this place is because of that."
After speaking, he pointed a finger at the world's second-tallest tower, which was impossible to miss unless you were blind.
Miss Ling, who was eating her fried tofu, felt the corner of her eye twitch.
So, this guy who called himself a tour guide was actually an out-of-towner, just like her.
How can this guy, who can't even recognize the roads properly, so brazenly claim he's taking me and Sakura on a tour of Tokyo Skytree Town?!
As always, he's just so infuriating.
Miss Higokumaru, who had clearly been duped by an unqualified guide, chewed on her fried tofu, then looked at the signal tower in the distance and couldn't help but narrow her eyes.
A signal tower... what a suitable place to unleash her power.
Ling, who hadn't completely abandoned her memories and thus hadn't become a mindless beast, had a slightly solemn expression.
Her power as a Herrscher was the indiscriminate erosion of living beings and machinery. Now, this guy had just obtained Jizo Mitama, which symbolized her power, and immediately came to a place like a signal tower, a wireless signal transmission device...
Ling's eyelid began to twitch.
This guy probably intended to come here all along to pull some strings and achieve some of his goals.
The so-called "acting as a guide for me and Sakura"... his true purpose was indeed worth pondering.
"Human, I'm a little tired. I'm going to find a place to rest with Sakura first."
Miss Ling, who was not a combative person by nature, took a few steps back to put some distance between herself and Li Zihan, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Yae Sakura.
Her enemies were all dead, and her hatred for humanity had mostly dissipated. All she wanted now was to live a peaceful life and not get involved in other matters.
"I think Sakura is tired too."
Seemingly noticing that Yae Sakura beside her had no intention of stopping, she tugged on Yae Sakura's sleeve and added.
Tired?
Li Zihan looked back, a slightly surprised expression on his face.
"How can a girl's body compare to a boy's?"
Ling, who absolutely did not want to be dragged into anything, spouted a bald-faced lie.
"Could you be a little considerate?"
"Is Sakura tired too?"
Li Zihan, feeling Higokumaru's words were a bit ridiculous, looked towards the miko of Yae Shrine and asked.
Miss Yae Sakura, who was not tired at all, looked at the girl tugging on her sleeve, her expression a little lost.
Although she was a miko, she was an out-and-out violent one. Her work consisted of performing rites, hunting wild beasts, and exorcising demonic beasts (Honkai Beasts).
Therefore, her physical stamina was excellent. This short walk didn't tire her out in the slightest.
However, after noticing the slightly nervous look in Ling's eyes, Yae Sakura's heart stirred.
Just as Ling would subconsciously transfer her affection for her older sister onto her, Yae Sakura, after learning of Ling's situation, couldn't help but transfer a part of her longing for her own younger sister, Rin, onto Ling.
And Yae Sakura was a siscon.
Her longing for her sister far surpassed even her obsession with Kallen.
In countless cycles, she witnessed the inevitability of her sister's death, yet she never gave up, always taking meticulous care of her.
In another game, after dying and being reincarnated with all her memories lost, she would still instinctively call out the name "Rin" upon arriving in the Land of Familiars.
This woman was, in fact, the number one siscon in the Honkai world.
Vaguely seeing Rin's shadow in Ling, she subconsciously spoke up in agreement.
"My apologies, Li-kun. This one is a little tired."
Tsk, tsk. Why did the mindless beast from the original story turn into a scheming girl on my watch?
The young man, who had a rough idea why Ling was suddenly "tired," clicked his tongue.
"Well, that can't be helped then."
The young man, a Divine Key with the number twelve now inexplicably in his hand, sighed and said.
"You two get some rest. I have some business to attend to, so I'll be going first."
"When I have time, I'll make a fried tofu bento for you as an apology."
Ling, who had real fox ears, waved goodbye to Li Zihan with a regretful look on her face.
"Mm, I'll look forward to it."
The young man, carrying the Key of Erosion, snapped his fingers, causing the surrounding pedestrians to ignore his existence. He then waved goodbye to Yae Sakura and Ling and walked towards the Tokyo Skytree.
Like an ordinary tourist, the long-sword-wielding young man bought a ticket and entered the Tokyo Skytree.
A faint black mist rose from his body before thinning out and disappearing.
The young man, who theoretically could have achieved his goal simply by entering the Skytree, did not stop his steps.
He continued walking, entering the second observation deck, the "Tembo Corridor," located at 450 meters, which required a 3,000 yen ticket.
The "Tembo Corridor" was the highest area of the Tokyo Skytree open to the public. Anything above it was a restricted area for tourists.
However, Li Zihan did not stop here. He continued to ascend to even higher levels, only stopping when he reached a completely deserted area.
"Still not coming out? You've been following me this whole time."
The young man holding Jizo Mitama spoke, his tone flat.
"So you already knew I was here?"
An elegant and charming voice followed.
Without any warning, a spot that at first glance looked no different from its surroundings began to flicker and shimmer, its illusion failing.
A graceful and beautiful figure then walked out.
That old dog Otto sure reacts fast.
The young man holding the tachi looked at the beautiful woman he had once seen on the deck of a ship and sighed, then spoke her name.
"Rita Rossweisse."
Author's Note:
PS: "My Older Sister is Bronya"