Lancer, with a height of 180+ cm, was not necessarily the tallest in the entire group, but he was undoubtedly the most conspicuous. Even though he had restrained his aura, it was no exception; after all, the people beside him were far too dazzling, which led to the fact that no matter how hard he tried to conceal himself, he could not make others ignore him.
The Yokai Sage goes without saying; although Lancer would always use the "contract" to constantly remind her of her age, her appearance and figure were beyond words—otherwise, that Kappa uncle would not still be obsessing over her even after 400 years.
'Zero', sitting on Lancer shoulder, was never treated as a human by Lancer, but a young girl sitting on someone's shoulder was inherently enough to attract attention. It was just that she had unknowingly turned completely into a glutton; the speed at which her "art style" collapsed was simply unbelievable. The only good news was that no one knew her true identity.
As for the three Oni Kings of the Oni tribe, it was even more unnecessary to say much. Hoshiguma Yuugi's figure was even more exaggerated than Yakumo Yukari. Ibaraki Kasen's measurements weren't particularly exaggerated, but because her frame was slender, it actually supported her various parts. As for Ibuki Suika... well... that... a drunken loli could also touch the "moe" points of certain people...
Cough, cough, even the gorgeous kimono worn by Fujiwara no Mokou, who was hiding behind Lancer, was enough to make people cast curious glances at her.
It was almost foreseeable that Lancer already strange reputation would explode instantly after tonight.
'I, Akagaki, walk straight and sit upright; what can others say.'
Regarding this, Lancer was quite free and easy—provided, of course, that he could properly report his own name.
On the other side, watching Lancer lead a group of people—or rather, Yokai—away from the area covered by the market, that Great Tengu, who had been sitting on the roof blowing in the night wind all night, also couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Although the relationship between Lancer and Yakumo Yukari was known to no one but the two of them until now, anyone with a few channels knew that a battle had occurred between the two. The fact that Lancer could stand side-by-side with the other party now indicated that, at the very least, he had not lost that battle.
'Even the Yokai Sage, whom Lord Tenma must be careful of, cannot defeat Akagaki? What a terrifying fellow.'
After being unable to help but sigh with emotion, he quietly waited for his subordinates to return and report the situation. Soon, a White Wolf Tengu landed beside him.
"Lord Great Tengu, Akagaki has already left the core area of Youkai Mountain. He is now on the outskirts, but..."
"But what?"
"According to the izakaya, the other party booked the place for the whole day."
Booked for the whole day? Doesn't that mean the other party is coming back?
It wasn't that the Great Tengu thought Lancer disliked waste; it was purely that in his view, no Oni would waste an opportunity to drink. Even if they drowned in a wine vat, it would be more plausible than that.
"Sigh~"
The Great Tengu, unable to help but sigh, glanced at a certain small shop in the distance.
'Just now Akagaki stopped at that shop for quite a while. There should be something special about this shop, right?'
With this thought, he landed at the entrance of that shop whose owner also had wings...
——————
The nights of this era were often dark and silent; after all, this era was not full of light pollution like the modern age. However, it was precisely because of this that the starlight was even more dazzling. Beneath the starlight, Fujiwara no Mokou, sitting on Lancer shoulder, was unconsciously hugging Lancer head.
For her, moving at high speed at such a height was a completely unprecedented experience.
Although her lips appeared somewhat pale due to fear, excitement also made her cheeks turn flushed. Extremely contradictory emotions made her not even know what kind of expression to show on her face, but in the end, it was completely occupied by excitement; after all, she knew that the man she was currently hugging was trustworthy.
"Mokou, are you alright? There is still a while until midnight. Even if we reduce speed a bit, we'll make it in time."
The wind hitting him head-on was basically unfelt by Lancer; after all, this speed didn't even count as a warm-up for him. But he knew that the girl currently趴ing on his head was not like him—especially the soft sensation on his ears and the way her hands were tightly hugging his head made him unable to help but ask.
"It's okay... Lord Lancer... this feeling... is great!"
Because of the wind, Fujiwara no Mokou speech was somewhat intermittent, but Lancer could still feel that she was happy, so he said no more.
Speaking of which, initially, Lancer had intended to carry her, but Funasada-yaku's words made him give up on that idea. Although in his view there was nothing wrong with carrying her, to prevent others from misunderstanding, this kind of ambiguous "princess carry" should be avoided if possible.
However, moving with her became a problem. Fortunately, at this time, 'Zero' surrendered her "throne."
Fujiwara no Mokou, sitting on Lancer left shoulder, used both hands to hug Lancer head to stabilize her body, while Lancer simultaneously used his left hand to hook the back of her knees. Even if an emergency brake occurred, Lancer could guarantee he could catch her.
As for why not both hands?
At this time, 'Zero', tucked into the crook of Lancer right arm, was like a hamster with bulging cheeks, chewing on the snacks Fujiwara no Mokou had shared with her earlier.
At the same time, the other Yokai following behind Lancer also showed off their special abilities. Some simply followed behind, but others simply turned into their original forms—either flying or floating to follow behind. Some even spontaneously carried those Yokai who were not good at moving.
Just like that, the team soon reached the outskirts of Youkai Mountain.
This was a somewhat empty flat land; besides that, there was nothing, and it even appeared somewhat desolate. After stopping, Fujiwara no Mokou, who had been carefully observing the surroundings, looked at Lancer with some confusion, seemingly not quite understanding why he stopped here.
But Lancer just smiled and then took out a few fireworks.
When he was a child, Lancer liked the New Year most, because only during the New Year could he set off fireworks without any scruples. But later, with environmental management and his psychological gradual maturity, he had long forgotten this "noisy" way of celebrating, and would even unconsciously retort a few words like "why is it so loud" when playing games.
But at least for now, as a "gift," it was enough.
"Wait a moment."
After putting her down, Lancer also quickly ran to a distance and placed some things in sequence, then ran back again.
"Please look forward to it~"
Looking at Lancer brilliant smile, Fujiwara no Mokou also couldn't help but begin to look forward to it, until——————
"Boom...!!"
Accompanied by a burst of dense booming sounds, a somewhat panicked Fujiwara no Mokou unconsciously wanted to cover her ears, but at this moment, a voice rang out from beside her ear.
"Look up at the sky."
As the voice fell, a pair of somewhat rough hands also covered both her ears, and she reflexively lifted her head...
"Bang!!"
Accompanied by a series of dense explosions, the fireworks in the sky exploded instantly. Magnificent fireworks bloomed in the air. That dazzling light and magnificent shape made Fujiwara no Mokou, who had never seen such a thing, completely stunned.
"So beautiful..."
The brilliant fireworks made her unconsciously talk to herself, but at this moment, accompanied by several muffled thuds, the words "Happy Birthday" also appeared in the sky...
Watching the fireworks bloom, Lancer couldn't help but become happy as well. It wasn't because these fireworks were particularly rare, but purely because his "plan" proceeded smoothly. But just as he lowered his head to talk to Fujiwara no Mokou, he found that she, who was covering her lips with both hands, had eyes already filled with tears.
'Could it be that I overlooked something?'
This thought couldn't help but appear in Lancer mind, but soon Fujiwara no Mokou, with tears in her eyes, suddenly lifted her head and met Lancer gaze, while at the same time breaking into a smile through her tears.
"Lord Lancer, thank you~"
There were no extra words, just a simple thank you, but the smile shown within those tears was incomparably brilliant.
Lancer also knew there was no need for him to continue asking further; he simply showed an equally incomparably gentle smile.
"Happy Birthday, Mokou."