Chapter 134: A Flower Demon Behind Me!
"Gathering sunflower seeds?"
The words hung in the air. Youmu's eyes went wide, and three invisible question marks might as well have materialized above her head. She stared at Haruto, her expression a perfect portrait of disbelief. 'Are you serious?' it seemed to scream.
Kazami Yuuka's title, the Tyrant of Flowers, was not some idle boast. Anyone foolish enough to damage her sacred fields had long since been turned into fertilizer. Beneath this vast, sun-drenched sea of gold lay the bones of countless Great Youkai.
Haruto, however, just waved a dismissive hand. "It's fine, Yuuka isn't home. Besides, we're just picking some seeds. She won't mind. She plucks the petals to make flower tea for herself all the time, and it's not like she's ever forbidden me from taking a few."
"You have her permission?"
Hearing this, a knot of anxiety in Youmu's chest loosened slightly. As long as Lady Yuuka wouldn't be offended, then everything was fine.
"Go on, quick trip. And remember to pick the ones near the Dream Mansion; the seeds there are bigger." Haruto casually grabbed a small bamboo basket and pressed it into her hands.
Youmu's eyelid twitched at his matter-of-fact instructions, but she obediently took the basket and turned to head out.
The night was deep and still.
Youmu crept through the darkness toward the front of the Dream Mansion. Even though Haruto had said Lady Yuuka wasn't home and that he had permission... it was always better to be safe than sorry.
'What if Lady Yuuka comes back early?'she thought, her steps light and cautious.'What if she happens to catch me gathering seeds here? She'd fire a Magic Cannon without a single word... and I'd be completely finished.'
Of course, in reality, that was unlikely to happen.
Every time Haruto visited Yuuka for tea and a chat, he frequently brought up Youmu, praising her for being so well-behaved and cute. Because of this, Kazami Yuuka's impression of the young half-ghost was actually quite favorable—certainly much better than her impression of Yakumo Yukari's shikigami.
Fortunately, the gathering process went off without a hitch.
By the time Youmu returned to the secluded cabin with a full basket, Haruto already had a wok waiting. He took the basket from her, scooped up two generous handfuls of seeds, and tossed them into the pan to stir-fry.
Seeing her master handle the task with such practiced skill, Youmu's eyelid twitched again.
"Do you... come to the Sunflower Field to roast seeds often?"
"Not often, really," Haruto said as he worked. "I just occasionally drop by for some flower tea and snacks, and I might pick some seeds while I'm at it."
As he explained, he tossed seasonings like star anise and Sichuan peppercorns into the wok, using his demonic power to force the rich flavors deep into the seeds. They cooked with astonishing speed. After only ten minutes of stir-frying, the entire room was filled with the irresistible, savory aroma of roasted seeds.
"Try some." Haruto turned off the heat, picked up a seed the size of his fingertip, deftly cracked the shell, and offered the kernel to her. "Sunflower Field Brand seeds, a Haruto original. Guaranteed to leave you wanting more."
His tone was brimming with confidence. He remembered how Yuuka herself had initially turned her nose up at the idea, looking utterly disgusted. In the end, though, her body had been far more honest, and now she ended up mooching his roasted seeds every time he made them.
Youmu carefully placed the kernel into her mouth. Her eyes instantly lit up.
"Delicious!"
"Of course," Haruto said with a proud grin. "These seeds grew in the Sunflower Field, after all. Not only are they soaked in sunlight, but they also contain a faint trace of Yuuka's own demonic power."
The two of them sat around the small table, cracking and eating seeds one after another. Youmu was a bit reserved at first, but she was soon conquered by their sheer deliciousness. She began to follow Haruto's lead, casually tossing the empty shells into a small bamboo basket on the floor.
The seeds weren't just savory and fragrant; swallowing them produced a gentle warmth that felt like being enveloped by sunlight. Her whole body felt cozy, a perfect comfort against the slightly chilly weather.
The basket on the floor gradually filled up, and the pile of seeds on the table vanished at a visible rate until none were left. Haruto finally leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh, muttering as he glanced in the direction of the Dream Mansion.
"That tyrant isn't back yet? Could she have run into some trouble? Gotten mugged, maybe?"
"Cough, cough—!"
Youmu nearly choked on a stray shell, only catching her breath after gulping down half a cup of tea.
Lady Yuuka... in danger? Mugged? Youmu felt that was less likely than her own Lady Yuyuko suddenly giving up her gluttonous ways. Noticing Haruto's puzzled look, she quickly changed the subject.
"Haruto-sama, how do you know Lady Yuuka isn't back yet?"
The cabin was built within the Sunflower Field, and while it wasn't too far from the Dream Mansion, it certainly wasn't close. To be blunt, even she couldn't sense what was happening at the mansion from this distance, let alone Haruto, who had only been cultivating for two and a half years.
"Because if she were home," Haruto stated plainly, "she would have come knocking the very moment I stepped into the Sunflower Field."
"Lady Yuuka really does care about you," Youmu sighed with genuine sincerity.
But upon hearing this, Haruto shot up, shouting excitedly. "Care? You call that caring!?"
He jabbed a finger toward the Dream Mansion. "What kind of decent person starts a conversation by asking, 'Do you want to be disciplined?' If it weren't for my special constitution and her ability to heal me while she's beating me up, I would have gone to the Sanzu River to chat with Komachi on her boat long ago!"
"Haruto-sama, Lady Yuuka actually..."
"She's actually just bored out of her mind and beats me up for fun, right? I know!" Haruto cut her off, growing more indignant by the second. "This woman spends all day thinking about how to hit people. Other people shout their move names when they fight, but she doesn't even have move names! Just full-screen special effects—"
He had been quite happy to come to the Sunflower Field at first. But ever since that one time he spoke out of turn and said he "wanted to get stronger," Yuuka seemed to have awakened some strange, new hobby. He really did get stronger, but it hurt way, way too much. Someone like Kaguya or Mokou, who tore into each other for fun every day, might be able to take it, but he was just a newborn little youkai!
"Haruto-sama, behind you—"
"Don't interrupt me!" Haruto shot her a dissatisfied glare. "I'm going to say it! I'm going to air out all the persecution I've suffered! That tyrant is great in every way—beautiful, cute, and young—it's just... she's a bit of a bully."
By now, Haruto had already sensed that something was wrong. Observing Youmu's increasingly unnatural expression, the answer was obvious—someone was behind him.
'This kind of classic trope...'
Haruto had seen it a million times in anime and manga; there was no way he wouldn't guess what was happening. If he wasn't mistaken, that very tyrant, Kazami Yuuka, had to be standing right behind him at this exact moment.
Seeing the look of blatant relief wash over Youmu's face only confirmed his suspicions. He decided to lean into it, adding a few more backhanded compliments before turning around with an extremely natural posture, as if he were just accidentally discovering Kazami Yuuka standing there.
He pointed an accusing finger, his voice a mask of feigned dissatisfaction. "Sister Yuuka, when did you get here? You were actually eavesdropping on us! You've really picked up some bad habits from my sister Yukari."
Haruto went straight for the preemptive strike, a verbal ambush that successfully left Kazami Yuuka stunned where she stood, the words she had prepared stuck in her throat.
Youmu's expression was a subtle mix of awe and horror. She felt that her Haruto-sama was straying further and further down the path of shamelessness, becoming more and more like Lady Yuyuko and Lady Yukari. This move, turning the tables so completely, was indeed executed flawlessly.
Kazami Yuuka was completely caught off guard. Her teeth practically twitched, and a flicker of helplessness flashed in her crimson eyes.
"Your tongue has certainly gotten sharper."
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