Chapter 38: A Flexible Moral Compass
Watching Hachishaku, whose limbs were pinned by the pale ghost hand's nails, writhing constantly and squeezing out miserable shrieks from her throat, both Miko and Yui felt a little sympathetic.
Yoru maintained his smile, shrugged, and said nonchalantly.
"Although it's not the kind of 'insertion' I had in mind, judging by the current situation, I guess I have inserted Hachishaku-sama. New Achievement: GET."
Hachishaku said nothing. She simply stared dead at his face with her ink-black pupils.
Yoru turned his head and noticed the expressions of pity on Yui and Miko's faces. He chuckled and shook his head.
"Why look like that? Evil spirits don't feel pain. If you don't believe me, watch..."
Saying this, Yoru pulled a short dagger made of jujube wood from his pocket and stabbed it directly into Hachishaku's arm.
"Ooooooo!!!"
Amidst Hachishaku's agonized roar, Yoru smiled at the two girls in the distance.
"See? She doesn't feel any pain at all."
Miko and Yui exchanged glances: "...."
Isn't she screaming miserably?
Also, her body is trembling, and her face is twisting.
How can that be painless?
Whatever, it's not important.
If Yoru says it doesn't hurt, then it doesn't hurt.
Yui still hadn't recovered from the shock and was too stunned to speak.
And although Miko was a gentle and kind person, she obviously wasn't saintly enough to sympathize with Hachishaku, who had just tried to kill them.
Looking at Hachishaku pinned to the ground, Yoru really wanted to try making her do some subtraction.
He wanted to see.
Who feels more pain: Hachishaku or that white-haired guy (Kaneki Ken)?
But on second thought, he'd save the fun for later.
There were more urgent matters right now.
"Can you stand up?"
Hearing Yoru's question, Miko bit her lip lightly and stood up trembling. Supporting herself against the wall, she forced her weak body upright and nodded.
"Mmhmm. Fighting is out of the question, but walking shouldn't be too big of a problem."
"Then let's go inside first."
Hearing this, Yui's expression changed. She looked at Hachishaku on the ground and the pale ghost hand pressing down on her, stammering:
"Yo-Yoru-kun, y-you don't intend to... bring these two things... into my house, do you?"
"What else?"
Yoru pointed outside the corridor and said faintly.
"But you can take a look. I think this place... is probably no longer the apartment building you live in."
Yui walked to the corridor railing and looked in the direction Yoru pointed. The scene before her made her cover her mouth in shock, her pupils dilating.
"Th... What is going on...?"
Her apartment building was in a very prosperous area of Kyoto. From the corridor, she should be able to see many office buildings.
But now.
In Yui's field of vision, all she could see was a pitch-black Kyoto.
There was not a sliver of light, only thick, rolling darkness, and certain "existences" seemingly stirring beneath those black waves.
"How can this be... even if it's past 1 AM, it can't be like this..."
Kyoto was a very bustling metropolis, not some rural countryside.
Even at 1 AM, it was impossible not to see a single light. Even the streetlights were extinguished.
Kyoto plunged into darkness exuded an eerie, dead silence, chilling Yui to the bone.
"Let's go inside first."
Yoru didn't say much more. With a casual wave of his right hand, the pale ghost hand lifted the tall Hachishaku up like a toy.
"Let's go. Follow me inside."
Seeing Yoru carry Hachishaku into the apartment, Yui walked to Miko's side, supported her, and brought Sablé inside as well. She closed the door carefully, hesitated for a moment, and then double-locked it.
Miko sat down on the sofa in the living room. Before she could catch her breath, she asked impatiently.
"What exactly is going on outside?"
Yoru was unhurried. He first had the pale ghost hand pin Hachishaku firmly against the wall in an upright position, then slowly explained.
"Have you ever thought about why the 'Door' looks like a door?"
This question dumbfounded Yui, who didn't know the inside story.
Why does a door look like a door?
Why is a fish a fish?
Why is a human a human?
You are not a fish, how do you know the joy of fish?
You are not me, how do you know I don't know the joy of fish?
Infinite loop?
Does Yoru study philosophy too?
Miko shook her head and replied directly.
"That, I really haven't thought about."
Yoru shrugged.
"Looking at it now, the influence the 'Door' has on evil spirits and ghosts might not come from the 'Door' itself, but from the other world it connects to."
"Another world!?"
Hearing this, Yui finally couldn't hold back.
"Could it be that we are currently in another world?"
"It should be."
As an Isekai traveler, Yoru knew too many weird settings.
Since evil spirits and ghosts existed, it wouldn't be strange at all if there was a "Silent Hill"-like Otherworld version of Kyoto.
"In other words..."
Miko said thoughtfully.
"The power from the 'Door' that causes mutations in evil spirits and ghosts is actually just the influence of the aura leaking from the gap connecting to another world?"
While analyzing this, Miko felt a chill run down her spine.
Just the aura leaking through the 'Door' from another world could cause such great harm.
And now...
They had personally come to another world that was similar to Kyoto yet completely different?
In this world, amidst that thick black mist... just how many terrifying monsters are hiding?
"Anyway, since we're already here."
Yoru spread his hands.
"You two go rest in the room for a while. Leave the living room to me as my private space."
His gaze turned to Hachishaku pinned on the wall, revealing a "kind" smile.
"I want to..."
"Dame dame! Absolutely not!"
Miko was so anxious she almost jumped off the sofa. She hurriedly stopped him.
"What do you want to do? Have you been bewitched by this evil spirit? Have you forgotten her true face?"
Miko's worry wasn't groundless.
In some legends, Hachishaku would seduce underage boys and kill them.
Although Yoru wasn't exactly a little boy, he was indeed underage.
If he got bewitched by Hachishaku, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"What are you thinking? I have a moral bottom line, okay?"
Seeing Yoru looking righteous, before Miko could sigh in relief, she heard him continue immediately.
"My bottom line is: Anything goes, except the Monkey King."