Chapter 703

The Prezumliba triplets, mischievous spirits who also serve as a band, were summoned by Saigyouji Yuyuko for the banquet.

Why did I hear the name “Shanghai Alice Phantom Band” from a mischievous spirit of Gensokyo?

Huai Shi froze mid-performance, asking, “Band?”

“The melody of this piece fits our creative style perfectly,” said the shortest one, Lilica.

“Such a beautiful melancholic tune,” said Luna, her golden hair gleaming, thoroughly satisfied.

“Welcome to the Shanghai Alice Phantom Band!” declared Meruru, her bright hair shining with pride.

Okay, not an auditory hallucination.

As the three mischievous spirits manipulated their instruments out of thin air, a performance of “Bad Apple” began, leaving Huai Shi stunned.

Su Lin and the others nearby patted their ears, feeling the fourth wall was suspiciously thin—or perhaps their band had a member named ZUN.

But wasn’t that supposed to be a club?

“I think someone named them during a past banquet,” said Reimu. “Though both Shanghai and Alice objected.”

The shrine maiden patted her bulging belly, a toothpick clenched between her teeth, her unrefined tooth-picking motion resembling a middle-aged man.

Probably that NEET who lived for chaos.

“Triggered an easter egg achievement by talking to an NPC,” Xing mused, propping her chin on one hand. “I’ll go explore later.”

Don’t go near the Principle of Humanity—Fujihara Momiji’s “[Oh, what are you doing?]” and ten Star Domains have already been seized by Su Mou.

“We’re not short on supplies, but this can’t go on,” Meng Qi reminded from beside him.

“Yes, the cost is too high.”

Su Lin shifted his gaze from the greasy Reimu’s belly toward the dining hall’s pocket dimension, where several gluttons were exchanging menus with a sense of mutual understanding.

“I am so very sorry.”

Though Konpaku Youmu remained wary of Su Lin due to the tabloid reports and doujinshi, she now blushed furiously as she handed him a box: “I’ve never seen Yuyuko-sama unleash such appetite—White Jade Tower will pay for it!”

“Someone already paid,” said Su Lin.

Behind the ravenous Yuyuko, countless phoenix butterflies emerged, and several ethereal cultivators hovered nearby, stealthily capturing them in spirit form.

Meanwhile, heavy storage bags piled up before Ye Fan’s cashier, Hua.

Yuyuko may profit immensely, but Ye Fan never loses.

“Spirit butterflies… aren’t they for collecting payment?” Youmu blinked, then sighed in relief: “Looks like this month’s budget is safe.”

Meng Qi picked up the slightly vibrating Book of Divine Commendation; a character symbolizing “Death” glowed upon it.

The authority of death resides within them.

It truly matches what Taigong Wang said—authority capable of influencing or dominating the world’s laws chooses its host.

Due to the influence of this power, entities like mischievous spirits, mountain ghosts, and dead souls unconsciously drifted closer, and as Huai Shi watched the mischievous spirit band perform, laughter echoed in his ears.

“Yohoho~ Ladies, you’re in high spirits. May I, Brook, join your band?”

The bone skeleton with the explosive hairstyle removed his hat politely: “Miss Huai Zhi, I’m a loyal fan of your livestream—may I just take a peek at your underwear?”

“I’m male,” Huai Shi said flatly.

“Eh?” Brook’s jaw dropped to the ground.

He shifted his leering gaze and was immediately beaten with instruments by the three mischievous spirits.

The Straw Hat Pirates were piling up sea king ingredients nearby.

“Su Nan, is this enough?” Luffy grinned, waving his hand. “We’ve cleared out all the ferocious sea king food from that sea area.”

Su Lin, arms behind his back, frowned: “Feels like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Hahaha, what nonsense you’re talking,” Luffy removed his straw hat and hung it behind his neck. “I’m here at every banquet.”

Su Lin suddenly understood.

He was here. Always here.

But before delving deeper into that, Su Lin glanced at Sanji, gripping a kitchen knife, trembling violently, eyes filled with hearts, blood streaming from his nose: “I suggest giving him a resurrection artifact.”

Gensokyo, filled with beautiful girls, was still too overwhelming for Sanji.

“No no no.”

Sanji rose from the ground, combed his hair, lit a cigarette, exhaled a cloud of smoke, then smirked.

“A proper chef never lets his guests feel hunger.”

“The cooks from other worlds lack experience—I face Luffy every single day.”

“Long time no see, Miss Bie Xue. I’ll handle the kitchen orders.”

He shook his head, and suddenly a thick stack of paper filled his hand—each page covered in dish names.

“The tables are empty! Stop standing around and start cutting meat!”

“But weren’t they full just now?”

Sanji froze, turned toward the kitchen’s pocket dimension—and saw all the plates cleared away. Luffy lay sprawled in the center, his swollen belly crushed under a confused squirrel that had just crawled out of the plate wreckage.

“Didn’t you just eat?!”

“Didn’t you use up energy catching ingredients, Sanji? Is the food ready yet?”

The four humans and the squirrel all stared at the kitchen. A crushing pressure of “hunger” surged like a demonic tidal wave, dimming the flames of the stove.

Sanji, hallucinating, gasped violently. He instinctively tore open his sweat-soaked neckerchief, nerves stretched to the breaking point.

“New guy.”

Senjumurasa’s Combat Continuation activated again. He placed a hand on Sanji’s shoulder and sneered: “Ahead lies hell.”

The pocket dimension sealed shut; only greasy smoke escaped, coagulating into tar-like clouds.

“High cost” refers to the chefs’ exhaustion—if this continues, every chef will be broken before the banquet even officially begins.

“I wish we could have banquets like this every day.”

Reimu twitched her nose, smiling in delight: “Is this really all the people you have for a wedding? You could hold one every day.”

Turn left out of the shrine, find Sunday, who builds dream worlds next door, and she’ll take you back to Pinoconni for a never-ending daydream.

“Nah, better not—the Great Barrier would protest.”

Reimu suddenly gave up. “Besides, if everyone holds weddings here, I won’t get any rest. A shrine maiden’s job isn’t to officiate marriages.”

“You’re wrong, Reimu. Performing a Shinto wedding ceremony is part of a shrine maiden’s duties,” said a shrine maiden with long green hair and a white, armpit-exposing shrine robe.

“Sanae,” Reimu glared. “What are you doing here?”

“No anomaly occurred, yet such commotion drew everyone’s curiosity.”

Sanae bowed, hands clasped before her:

“Good day, Mr. Su Lin. I never had the chance to greet you properly at the Nine Heavens Waterfall—and to all of you as well, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“If you require a Shinto wedding ceremony, consider the Moriya Shrine. Our shrine has two genuine deities.”

Even in Gensokyo, competition among businesses never fades.

“I’ve never even heard of a Shinto wedding,” Reimu crossed her arms. “If you’re not here for the banquet, don’t interfere.”

“That’s precisely why your Hakkai Shrine is outdated.”

Sanae explained to Reimu using her knowledge from the outside world’s history:

“Since Meiji 33, a wedding ceremony has been held, modeled after Catholicism—a major branch of Christianity—requiring divine approval and witness, built upon Shinto foundations.”

“Before that, Japan had no formal wedding ritual. In the West, adult men and women of the Catholic faith must receive permission from God Yahweh and his son Jesus to marry.”

“Naturally, after localization, the divine witnesses became the shrine deities.”

“So it’s just copied?” Reimu scoffed, waving her hand. “It’s just a formality—anyone can learn it.”

“But your Hakkai Shrine doesn’t even enshrine a deity. How can you perform the ritual?” Sanae smiled smugly.

“Who says we don’t?” Reimu waved her hand, opening the main hall doors with a gesture: “The Hakkai Shrine enshrines more deities than your Moriya Shrine!”

“What… what are you talking about?!” Sanae’s expression froze in disbelief.

“Amen,” Reimu clapped her hands, palms together: “These are the deities the Hakkai Shrine has always enshrined.”

"Amen." Lingmeng clapped her hands and pressed them together. "These are the deities long worshipped at the Hakkaku Shrine."

“Why would I lie to you?”

Reimu wore a smug grin.

The two women argued, while Su Lin and Meng Qi exchanged glances and casually slipped away—only to bump into something soft two steps later.

A spatial fold revealed a blue-haired girl with a canvas backpack, clutching her head, emerging from behind an optical camouflage cloak.

“Ah! Found you!” Kappa Heku grabbed Su Lin’s wrist.

"Ah, found you!" Kotori seized Su Lin's wrist.

Wait, who are you?

“Heku!” Sanae rushed over, trying to pry them apart—but Heku gripped too tightly. She dared not force her, fearing injury, so she hurriedly apologized to Su Lin:

“I’m sorry! She means no harm—please don’t attack!”

“Let’s fight again! Last time, Saimonmaru interfered! Our Kappa mecha is definitely stronger than yours!” Heku refused to let go. “For the honor and dignity of Kappa technology!”

Countless days and nights of research—even entering the Old Hell, trading countless cucumbers with that idiot golden crow for a power source.

Finally completed, ready for mass production—just as Kappa technology was about to become famous in Gensokyo—

“The Strongest Mecha Technology Is Definitely Kappa (Heku Kappa)” “Even the Tengu Deserve It (Though Not Kappa, Inubashiri Kana’s Skill Is Also Excellent)” “Saimonmaru Wen Isn’t Bad Either—After All, She’s the Fastest Tengu” “Who Is Su Lin?”

Remembering the recent hot topics on Youkai Mountain, Heku felt even worse.

“If your mecha wins, you can do anything to me under the Gensokyo Amusement Park Plan!”

"If your mecha wins, you can do anything to me according to the Fantasy Land Transformation Plan!"

「.」

Amitabha Buddha, so why must Mr. Su Lin’s Fantasia be unlocked through a hentai plot?

Are more yokai starting to believe this nonsense?

“Even if you say that, my Unicorn Gundam is completely destroyed and beyond repair.”

“?!”

The kappa girl knelt on the ground and said with a mix of relief and regret: “Then there’s nothing to be done—Kappa tech can only take first place, and we don’t have to risk our chastity.”

“Is Saimonji Fumiki’s reputation in Fantasia very high?” Su Lin asked.

“Not exactly,” Sanae pulled out a newspaper from her sleeve: “It’s just that every day’s report relates to you. Kappa and tengu are neighbors, and these papers are everywhere.”

“A Crisis Threatening the Future?! The Red Mist Incident Fails: The Red Magic Club Sisters, Vampires, Captured by Outsider Su Lin, Become Forbidden Offspring!” (Illustration: The Red Magic Club’s Paradise Transformation Plan Completed!)

Figure 1: A photograph of a human male holding Remilia aloft.

Figure 2: Patchouli and the little demon lie on the ground, their bodies obscured by a mosaic blur.

Su Lin had grown accustomed to such baseless fabrications; he could calmly laugh them off.

Just as he was preparing to launch the spirits of all human history as artillery shells toward Youkai Mountain, Sanae’s words dispelled the idea.

“Fumiki has already been punished by the Heavenly Demon Lord—pelted with stars all night long.”

Sanae pulled out a flip phone, opened her photo album, and showed a picture of Saimonji Fumiki, wrapped in bandages, feathers stripped from her wings, hooked to an IV drip, lying in bed.

“Fantasia hasn’t seen a man like you in a long time, and after your mech battle got you beaten by Reimu, she took an interest in you.”

I imagine this has been quite a headache for you.”

Sanae’s tone was gentle, filled with understanding, and she offered a faint, comforting smile:

“Rest assured, no yokai or human in Fantasia will ever believe these impossible things—let alone, when I was in the outside world, I used Photoshop myself.”

She spoke well and possessed high emotional intelligence; without competing with Reimu, this shrine maiden’s magnanimity truly surpassed Reimu’s—in every sense.

Beside her, Reimu felt the urge to hurl her Yin-Yang Orb at her.

Saimonji’s long-standing rumors had ruined her reputation, so only the seemingly dim-witted—like the kappa, Reimu, and Yumemi—would believe her.

“Big brother~”

A red figure, seizing the moment of Su Lin’s reflection, lunged at him with lightning speed from behind.

“Flandre?”

“Want to play together?”

Flandre, who rarely left her home, had come to the Hakurei Shrine.

Slightly surprised, Su Lin’s gaze turned to Sunday—or rather, to the group Sunday had brought along.

Sensing Su Lin’s stare, Remilia halted and instantly hid behind Satori, her face flushed, hands clutching her hat, her body trembling.

“Eh? Satori, is he… looking at me?!”

“My lady…”

Satori didn’t know what to do; even the usually composed Patchouli and the little demon had retreated behind her, like chicks hiding under a mother hen.

“Look, the younger sister seems perfectly normal—and there are many people around. Please observe proper decorum.”

“Flandre.”

Remilia lifted her head, glanced at Flandre on Su Lin’s back, swallowed hard, then regained her composure and stepped forward.

“They’ve wandered into a world under construction,” Sunday said slowly. “I sensed light and order on them, so I came to find you.”

“Thank you, my Jesus.”

“You need not be so formal.”

The conversation ended; Remilia remained tucked behind Satori, and Sanae stepped back half a pace.