The next day, after informing his parents and reassuring the two little girls, Yusei left for the Shinomiya Family's private airport.
On the plane, a very professional flight attendant attended to him.
At first, Yusei thought he had the plane to himself, but then he noticed two other people. They were bundled up tightly, making it hard to see their features, but judging by their build, they both seemed petite.
Yusei didn't pay it much mind. He found a seat towards the back, asked the flight attendant for dessert and black tea, and settled in to read the newspaper while waiting for takeoff.
However, he soon sensed something was off, thanks to his Sharingan's memory for details.
The more he looked, the more he felt he'd seen those two bundled-up figures before. He activated the Mangekyo in his left eye.
The pattern rotated slightly, and instantly, information about the two appeared before his eyes.
The words [All-Rounder (Pseudo)] over one of them were particularly obvious.
In that moment, Yusei understood everything. His face darkened.
'I should have realized it sooner. Who else could board the Shinomiya Family's private jet?'
He quietly moved behind the figure with the [All-Rounder] skill and suddenly yanked the hat off their head, revealing the black hair and panicked, cute face beneath.
The person covered their head, then seemed to realize they should be covering their face instead.
Yusei: "..."
He had to admit, it was kind of cute. But cuteness alone wasn't enough to get her off the hook.
"The other one is Hayasaka Ai, right?" Yusei turned his gaze to her.
Hayasaka had no choice but to remove her own disguise.
Yusei sighed and sat down beside them.
"Can the plane still turn back now?"
"Obviously not," Kaguya said, a hint of smugness in her voice.
Yusei was speechless, 'Why was Kaguya developing a tendency to become a troublemaker?'
But it didn't matter. If she wanted to come, so be it. He had the Mangekyo. With his power sufficient to level a city, would he even be concerned about a few minor youkai?
The plane finally arrived in Hokkaido in the evening. After staying the night and having lunch the next day, the three of them set off for the mountains mentioned in the address, hiring a local driver.
After learning some details, Yusei discovered there was a small village, but it was largely self-sufficient and rarely went out for supplies, so it had little contact with the outside world.
The address given was indeed that small mountain village.
However, unlike the path Koken had taken decades ago, roads had long since been built.
The mountain village now had road access. So, with a local driving, they managed to reach the village directly.
Upon arrival, they found two or three people waiting at the village entrance, dressed in thick padded coats.
They stopped the car and inquired. Upon learning that Yusei and his companions were invited by a Miko named Haruko, they immediately became much more polite.
The villagers sent the outside driver away, while Yusei's group was invited to stay and warmly received.
Shortly after, the three were led into the village.
The buildings here were different from the small Western-style houses and villas found outside. Most of the architecture resembled that of the older era.
The village chief was an old man past seventy, wearing a sweater and cotton pants. They didn't look very thick, but his face was ruddy, and he didn't seem to feel the cold.
The village chief explained with a smile, "We are remnants from long ago. Because our ancestors always lived here, even though we know the outside world has changed dramatically, we can't bear to leave, so we've continued living here, rarely venturing out."
He pointed at the houses.
"These houses were also left by our ancestors. We must not demolish them. I suppose experts would consider them cultural relics by now."
"Indeed," Yusei remarked.
Seeing these houses, he felt a sense of familiarity. They weren't modern imitations, but genuine structures passed down from previous era.
Although repaired, the main structures were from that period.
The village chief glanced almost imperceptibly at [Nameless] on Yusei's back. A flash of fear passed through his eyes, but it's gone in an instant, "How about our guests have a meal first and rest? Tomorrow, I will take you to see Haruko-sama."
Kaguya had noticed the village chief's glance at [Nameless]. Though brief, she had caught it.
Before she could refuse, she heard Yusei say, "That sounds good. I've heard the fish here in Hokkaido is a specialty. I wonder if your village has any?"
"Of course! When entertaining guests, we must serve the best food our humble village has to offer."
Kaguya looked at Yusei in despair, 'All this guy thinks about is eating.'
'Oh well, I was the one who fell for this foodie.'
She could only follow along.
During dinner, Kaguya was very reserved, eating almost nothing and only drinking a bit of water from the tea she had brought.
She claimed she wasn't hungry, so the others didn't press.
For some reason, Yusei even drank some alcohol, even though he was underage.
Kaguya almost wanted to strangle him, 'You idiot, you're drinking now? Are you trying to get yourself killed?'
But while annoyed, she also felt relieved.
'Good thing I came. Otherwise, with this idiot foodie, his body might have vanished by tomorrow.'
That night, Yusei, Kaguya, and Hayasaka were assigned to one house.
The owners of the house stayed overnight with another villager.
Now, Kaguya was glaring at Yusei.
"You idiot! You were practically dancing on death's doorstep, don't you realize?"
Yusei lazily yawned.
"Are you talking about the village chief's apprehension towards this Nameless sword?"