Chapter 14: And You! Especially You!
Hikigaya followed behind Kuhouzuka Mikihiko, and the moment he stepped into the darkness, he lost his vision.
But the ground beneath his feet felt good—flat, without any bumps or slipperiness, and very easy to walk on.
Moreover, he could clearly sense the presence of the three girls behind him.
So he reached his hand backward and grabbed a soft hand.
"Ah…" came the voice of Mariya Yuri.
Seems like Ena was on the other side.
While saying, "Mariya, hold your sister's hand properly," he reached out with his other hand to the other side.
He grabbed something soft—but the quickened breathing confirmed it was Ena.
"Sorry, sorry, wrong one." He fumbled around again and then held Ena's hand.
"Just hold on to the light... Yes, that's right. No problem."
On the other side, Yuri gently guided her little sister.
For some reason, Ena remained silent the whole time.
But Hikigaya could feel that the heat radiating from her body was greater than before—actually, it was the same for Yuri.
So, girls being afraid of the dark was a trope that existed in this world too, huh?
After walking a bit more, Hikigaya felt the environment shift again.
This kind of setting—he had experienced it before.
"Hachiman… have you noticed it?" Ena suddenly spoke.
"Yeah, feels just like the Netherworld. If you tell me this has nothing to do with your grandfather, I wouldn't believe it."
He had said it before—no matter how powerful the ancient mages were compared to the modern ones, they couldn't possibly trap a god like Sun Wukong on their own.
"Big sis, is the 'Netherworld' he mentioned that Netherworld?" came Hikari's surprised and somewhat excited voice.
"Yes. A realm created only by beings that exist in both life and undeath, a land of void that is neither the human world nor the divine realm," replied Yuri, the lore master, instantly.
Hikigaya wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he always felt like she didn't want him talking too much with her sister.
But if this place was like the Netherworld, then it made sense.
Even though it was meant to confine a Heretic god, it was also, in essence, a place for them to live. From the perspective of sealing effectiveness, this kind of environment was the most appropriate.
Just to be sure, he decided to ask.
"Ena, is this place connected to your grandfather's domain?"
"No. I tried just now—I can't contact him. This is a completely independent Netherworld, specially created to imprison the Divine Lord."
Confirmed. If someone let the monkey out, it definitely wouldn't be grateful.
After being trapped in this ghostly place for hundreds of years, once it got out, it would definitely start smashing things up.
Thinking of this, he asked again, "Hikari, have you seen the monkey before?"
"N-no…"
"Then why did Kuhouzuka Mikihiko say He was pleased with you?"
"That question... why don't I answer it?" came Mikihiko's voice from ahead. "Miss Hikari doesn't realize she already met the Divine Lord—He was still asleep back then."
Hikigaya was about to say something else when a beam of light suddenly appeared ahead, forming a square-shaped outline.
He held the girls' hands and quickly walked toward it.
As they approached, they saw it was a cave—but not very deep. They could see a shabby little house on the other side, looking like a stable. The style resembled the stables seen at Tōshōgū Shrine.
The group exited the cave and found themselves under a blue sky with a gentle sun. Compared to the place they had just walked through, though this place was desolate, it didn't feel oppressive. Maybe it was the strong contrast that made it feel refreshing.
When they turned back, there was no cave to be seen—only a grand architectural complex. But its style was not Japanese at all; it was completely reminiscent of ancient Chinese Ming and Qing palaces. In other words, this was a stable within a palace.
He was still holding the hands of the two shrine maidens. Realizing this, he chuckled, met the girls' eyes, and both of them blushed, turned their heads, exchanged glances—and simultaneously let go of his hands.
"Ah! It's the monkey!"
Hikari shouted, pointing to a corner of the stable.
There was a pile of hay, and lying on top of it was a golden monkey.
Its fur was shiny, and it was about 80 centimeters long. The moment Hikigaya laid eyes on it, he knew—this guy was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong.
Even if he wasn't, he had to be a relative!
Because this guy was the Heretic god, Hikigaya could feel it—although unlike past encounters with such gods, this one's aura was faint.
"Welcome. It's been a long time since anyone's come. And even a Godslayer—how rare."
The monkey lazily got up and yawned with an "I don't wanna move" attitude.
But the so-called laziness was just for show—his movements were incredibly agile.
"Are you the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?" Hikigaya asked.
He wasn't deaf. The monkey already said this was his palace—who else could he be, Sun Wukong's grandpa? Show him a Dragon Ball and he'd believe it!
And of course, there had to be a girl with no panties or bra—stripped by his grandson.
And as a token of respect, he'd offer a liter of nosebleed, just like Master Roshi.
"Oi, are you a fellow countryman? Everyone here calls me 'Monkey Divine Lord' or something—sounds terrible."
The monkey seemed easygoing. His eyes darted around and landed on Hikari.
"Little girl, we meet again. You probably didn't see me last time, huh? I actually wanted to get up and play with you, but I was too sleepy and went back to bed."
"Play?" Hikigaya asked curiously.
"Yeah, if I've got nothing else to do, I play with the shrine maidens.
Sometimes we chat, sometimes we play hide-and-seek or other games.
I love lively company—especially if they can sing and dance."
"You really know how to live…" Hikigaya's tone was a bit sour.
Tch! Why weren't there any girls playing with him like that! It sounded… so fun!
Looks like the job of a Western Palace shrine maiden was to keep him company—sing, dance, entertain… ah, can't think about it any further. Not pure anymore!
"Um… So all I have to do is play with the Divine Lord? I thought it was a super serious mission that only I could carry out, so I was really scared—worried that the Divine Lord wouldn't like me."
Hikari let out a deep sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted off her.
Yep, kind of like Komachi after school.
Though, that's probably because this monkey didn't seem intimidating at all.
But Hikigaya was more inclined to believe it was the result of that sealing spell.
"You're really rude, kid. What do you mean 'just play with me'? You also have to groom my fur, okay? That's all I ever asked for—but you people keep pestering me with troublesome errands."
"You people… You mean the shrine maidens?"
"Yeah. Like asking me to chase some snake away or drive off a dragon. If I didn't go, you'd all cry. So annoying. You just want me to mess around like I used to. Honestly, I'm pretty satisfied with the way things are now."
"Just drive them off? Not kill or subdue them?"
Hikigaya asked, trying to gauge the monkey's fighting style.
"Well, if I beat them and they seem decent, I might take them in as underlings. If they're too weak and die by accident, can't help it. I think I've been begged to fight dragons and snakes two or three times. Oh right—last time was when I had a fight with you."
"We only met today, didn't we?" Hikigaya was dumbfounded.
Honestly, he didn't think he'd ever quarreled with a god before.
"I remember beating an earth dragon in some capital and then arguing with you. But time ran out and I had to return. Didn't you later destroy the shrine gates?"
"Yeah, I thought doing that would set you free."
Suddenly, a woman's voice rang in Hikigaya's ear. It was beautiful and mature—very much a "onee-san" type.
"I destroyed the shrine and all the nearby temples, yet you were still sealed. I can't believe you remember… That must have been a hundred years ago."
Hikigaya finally located the source of the voice—it was a lizard, right behind them, locking eyes with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
"No wonder, though. Your dragon-subduing skills left quite an impression on me," the lizard said, its mouth opening and closing as the beautiful voice continued.
Such transformation magic amazed Hikigaya.
This feeling… felt strangely familiar.
"Wait… Could it be… Is that really you!? Why are you in a place like this!?"
Yuri covered her mouth in shock, her face pale as she stared at the lizard, eyes full of fear.
"Big sis, what's wrong?"
Hikari was frightened by her sister's reaction, but Yuri didn't answer and instead gave Hikigaya a deep bow.
"Hikigaya-kun, the person over there, she… she is…"
She stuttered more and more, unable to remain calm. But Hikigaya had already guessed what she was trying to say.
"We meet again, shrine maiden. You've got a good eye."
White smoke billowed from the lizard's body, and in the next moment, the small reptile transformed into a beautiful black-haired girl.
She was breathtaking—dressed in Hanfu, and even Hikigaya found the outfit familiar.
Too many strange coincidences today. Why did he feel like her gaze toward him… was a little excited?
Hmm… not just excited. Kind of like how Komachi looks at the cutting board when she's about to cook.
"What's your name? Sorry, I was too busy arguing with you last time," Sun Wukong suddenly asked from the side.
"Your failure to etch my name deeply into your memory shows my past immaturity. That's a shame. So I'll tell you again—and punish your forgetfulness with death."
The stunning oriental girl looked at the Monkey God, her gaze cold and sharp.
"My surname is Luo, given name Cuilian, courtesy name Hao. I stand at the pinnacle of the martial world."
Then, her gaze suddenly turned to Hikigaya—and this time, it wasn't cold. It was blazing.
"And you! The king of the Wa Kingdom(Chinese name for Japan)! Especially you! You too must remember my name!"
"Uh…" Hikigaya was completely lost.
What the hell is going on!?
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