Restricted Fantasy I Chapter 231: Interlude in Kamizato Village

"Rustle, rustle."

The faint morning light filtered through the leaves overhead, illuminating the loose strands of hair on Yan Huan's forehead.

He had changed into a set of plain, wrinkled clothes that looked like they belonged in the last century. Leaning against a tree trunk, he gazed into the distance, taking in the scenery along the mountainside.

He woke up early this morning, taking a walk around this isolated village before the break of dawn.

After all, being in a foreign land where he was unfamiliar with the place and its people, and having been suddenly teleported so far away by Sakuramiya Hitomi's Barrier, he had to be careful and cautious.

Moreover, a small, isolated village in such a remote location gave Yan Huan, soone who had "read widely," a strong sense of deja vu.

Could there be so strange customs, an unknown cult taking residence, or perhaps a cross-dressing mountain village...

Oh, no, it was full of old n and won here, so it probably wouldn't go that far.

At the very least, when they rested at night, he had Myau-chan keep watch, keeping a constant eye out for anyone approaching him and An Le.

Nothing happened last night. After waking up and taking a look around, Yan Huan realized that the village chief truly had not lied.

The torrential rain last night caused multiple collapses on one side of the narrow and long mountain road. The section near the village alone was severely damaged.

This village was isolated from the world, and the roads were old. Once buried, this path was like an impenetrable natural moat.

Since the village was full of elderly people who could not do such heavy lifting, they could only wait for the town to send soone over to clear it.

Seven days...

The village chief was probably being optimistic.

Seven days would only make the road barely passable. As for fully restoring it to its original state, who knew how long that would take.

Yan Huan slowly withdrew his gaze, turning around and walking toward the village.

"Rustle..."

At a corner on the edge of the village, where the mountain terrain began to rise, Yan Huan stopped in his tracks amidst the verdant cover.

Before him was a relatively short flight of stone steps. At the end of the steps stood an archaic torii gate.

The torii gate was mostly obscured by wildly growing trees, but he could faintly make out the words "World Shrine" written on it.

This was the shrine where they were temporarily staying.

"Oh, you're back."

"Ah, Grandma Kamishiro."

In the courtyard, the old woman dressed in a white miko outfit was sweeping the floor, while the other two grandmothers were inside preparing breakfast.

After chatting last night, Yan Huan learned that these three old won were actually three sisters, all with the surna Kamishiro.

This shrine had been passed down from their ancestors. They claid it was built during the Heian period, a very venerable old place, though it was hard to tell if that was true.

After greeting the old woman, Yan Huan glanced around. Just as he was about to speak, the grandmother glanced at him and smiled.

"Looking for that little lady?"

"Yes, Grandma. Is she currently..."

"Oh, her. The old clothes the village chief lent her last night didn't fit her figure, so we gave her so clothes from the shrine. It turned out they still didn't fit quite right, so my older sister is currently taking a needle and thread to alter them for her."

Hearing this, Yan Huan froze slightly, seemingly realizing sothing.

The grandmother clicked her tongue in wonder, stopping her sweeping to lean on her broom and look at Yan Huan.

"You truly are blessed. If you two have children in the future, they will be well-fed. Sigh, back in the day, my older sister didn't have enough milk, so her husband climbed over mountains to borrow milk from a family that raised cows in another village..."

The more Yan Huan listened, the more awkward his expression beca.

This grandmother seed to think they were a young married couple, and had even wondered last night why Yan Huan was not sleeping in the sa room as An Le.

Saying things like, "With such a major incident happening, she must be terrified. Of course you need to stay by her side."

The problem was, did Yan Huan dare to sleep in the sa room as An Le?

Let's not forget, An Le wanted to take away his first ti.

He was afraid that if they slept together that night, they would wake up the next morning having already decided on their first child's na and planning for a second child a year later.

Thinking about it this way, staying here with An Le for a whole week ant his innocence was likely in jeopardy.

But conversely, now that there were no other Modifier Hosts around, with only him and An Le, it was a godsent opportunity to try and resolve her Modifier.

That promise...

"Grandma, I will go over and take a look. I have sothing I want to tell her."

With this thought in mind, Yan Huan calmly smiled and interrupted Grandma Kamishiro's monologue.

"Oh, oh, alright..."

Imdiately after, he turned and walked toward the inner courtyard.

It was unknown which deity was enshrined within the shrine. Regardless, a luxurious shrine cabinet was placed in the center of the main hall, surrounded by a protective fence.

Yan Huan had heard before that Sakura Country worshipped a multitude of deities, claiming to have "eight million gods." The shrines often enshrined items like swords, mirrors, and jade.

He wondered if this shrine was the sa...

Anyway, according to Grandma Kamishiro, Kamizato Village was nad after the deity worshipped in this shrine.

"ow~"

On his shoulder, Myau-chan silently materialized, taking a look at the ornate shrine cabinet over there.

Yan Huan glanced at it and could not help but complain.

"Myau-chan, why do I feel like you're becoming more and more useless? You're not even as useful as the inanimate object enshrined in that cabinet."

"ow?!"

"At least Grandma Kamishiro said that praying to the deity in the shrine can change one's fate... Unlike you. Having you around only sucks away all my good luck, making

draw nothing but useless garbage!"

Myau-chan blinked its large eyes and pushed its paw pads against Yan Huan's mouth, attempting to stop him from saying any more words that would hurt a cat's feelings.

"Yan Huan, when we left the Barrier last night, I slled the scent of many Fragnts around that shrine, ow! There were at least three of them!"

While pushing, Myau-chan suddenly thought of sothing. Looking at Yan Huan with sparkling eyes, it said,

"Fragnts?"

"Yes, ow! There was a massive battle near the shrine last night, and lots and lots of Fragnts dropped! We definitely have to go back there and pick up all those Fragnts, ow!"

"...Heh, this is the only kind of ti you ever show any reaction."

Hearing this, Yan Huan speechlessly pinched its soft paw pads, wanting to pull it into his arms to play with.

Right at that mont, the sound of a television slowly drifted over from the guest room nearby.

Yan Huan glanced at the turned-on TV in the room and saw the morning news playing on the old-fashioned, boxy screen.

"Last night, a sudden fire broke out in a luxury residence near Arashiyama in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto. It has been verified that the property belongs to the Sakuramiya family. At the ti of the incident, the hoowner, Sakura Ji, died on the spot.

"Besides Sakura Ji, an unidentified charred corpse was also found at the scene. It is suspected to be a criminal involved in a ho invasion robbery, and has been preliminarily identified as the primary suspect.

"The National Police Agency is treating this case with high importance and has dispatched special agents to Kyoto. Experts deduce that the cause of the fire was the illegal discharge of Class-A fireworks inside the house..."

Watching the stern-faced anchor of the Sakura Country television station deliver the report, Yan Huan, who was still squeezing Myau-chan's paws, suddenly froze.

"This case is currently full of questionable points. For example:

"Why was the security system installed in the luxury residence not triggered? How did the criminal suspect enter the master bedroom? Why choose to use fireworks to commit murder?

"This incident has sparked dissatisfaction among the other residents of the Arashiyama villa district, who have expressed their lack of trust in the managent and security.

"Currently, the person in charge of the Arashiyama villa district has decided to hold a public apology conference today at 2:00 PM."

The anchor nodded and flipped to another script.

"Upon learning of the incident, the victim Sakura Ji's eldest son, Sakura Youzhu, and his wife were devastated. During dia interviews, they repeatedly broke down in tears..."

Yan Huan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, looking at the broadcasted footage of the Sakuramiya couple being interviewed.

In the footage, Sakura Youzhu furrowed his brows, his expression grave.

Beside him, Sakuramiya Lily covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly, seemingly overwheld by emotion.

"Father, how could sothing like this happen... woo hoo hoo..."

As she spoke, Sakuramiya Lily "choked up" and threw herself into her husband's arms, unable to look directly at the cara anymore.

However, no matter how Yan Huan looked at it, he could not help but feel:

'Aunt Sakuramiya, are you trying to laugh? Did you throw yourself into Uncle's arms because you couldn't hold back your laughter anymore?'

"..."

The news of the Sakuramiya family head's death finished broadcasting, but it left Yan Huan sowhat astonished.

Others might not know what was up with the fireworks, but how could he not know?

He just had not expected that the assassin would happen to fall right into Sakura Ji's room.

Well, this was great. With a single firework, Yan Huan had scored a double kill.

The assassin had not planned on firing his gun at the start because Tong Yingying was chasing him; firing a shot would undoubtedly expose his position.

Moreover, he had enough confidence in himself, feeling that Yan Huan was just a high school student who could not possibly defeat him.

Even if he could not win in a fistfight, it would not hurt to wait until the last mont to shoot.

But he never expected that Yan Huan was basically using cheat codes.

Whether it ca to fighting or drawing a gun, Yan Huan had the Kiss God and the Fireworks to counter him.

So speaking of which, all those things he had unlocked earlier were actually sowhat useful?

Thinking this, Yan Huan glanced at the cute little cat trapped in his arms, about to be ravaged, and could not help but show a slightly guilty expression.

"You should repent, Myau-chan."

But in the end, Yan Huan still decided to pin all the bla onto Myau-chan.

"ow?!"

Hearing this, Myau-chan imdiately started struggling.

Left with no choice, Yan Huan had to set it down.

"Xiao... Xiao Huan..."

Right at that mont, a voice resembling that of a small animal suddenly drifted over from the side.

Yan Huan looked toward the sound and saw that under the eaves nearby, An Le had changed into a red and white miko outfit, shyly sizing him up from in front of the two grandmothers.

The more modern T-shirt from last night was not quite suitable for a well-endowed girl like An Le, so Grandma Kamishiro had fetched a traditional right-lapel miko uniform for her to wear.

With the fabric overlapping from right to left, it finally was not so restrictive, giving An Le the freedom to breathe freely.

However, precisely because of this, her magnificent curves were displayed to their fullest extent.

That vastness was slightly pressed together by her two arms. Beneath the grand display, her fingers at the end of her arms were timidly intertwined in front of her red skirt, only adding to the young girl's shyness.

Below the long red skirt, a pair of thin white tabi socks stepped on the ground, protruding with the shape of her big toes.

Her ink-black hair had no embellishnts or decorations. It was simply tied behind her head, yet it was enough to convey imnse charm.

"Mmm, it truly fits perfectly..."

"Hehe, yes indeed. Turn around and let him see, doesn't it look nice?"

"We altered so of the fabric. Try moving around to see if it's too tight?"

The two grandmothers chid in one after another to An Le. Although An Le was extrely bashful, she still followed their instructions.

Why was she so shy?

Because she was not wearing any underwear beneath it. The village did not have her proper size, and the ones she wore last night had been taken to be washed, so she could only make do like this for now.

The problem was that the fabric of this miko uniform was rather rough; it was not so high-grade material. It constantly felt a bit uncomfortable rubbing against certain parts of her bare skin.

In short, it was...

Weird.

After twirling around once, An Le originally wanted to hop a bit to test how light and comfortable it was.

But even just lifting her arms, she felt the heavy mass at her chest bouncing, so she had to give up on the idea, hurriedly reaching out to cover her chest instead.

"Hehe, look. Young n are just like this. He's completely dumbfounded looking at you."

"Eh?"

The grandmother's quiet teasing from beside her made An Le quickly dart a timid glance at Yan Huan standing in front of her.

She saw him smiling while observing the clothes she wore, seemingly thinking they looked very beautiful on her as well.

For so reason, sensing Yan Huan's gaze, a surge of happiness also blood in An Le's heart.

She pursed her lips and slowly lowered the arms shielding her body, allowing Yan Huan to admire her freely.

This reaction actually made Yan Huan a bit embarrassed.

"They're very beautiful and fitting clothes. Thank you, Grandma."

The two grandmothers waved their hands, smiling cheerfully as they replied.

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

"It just so happens that we need a small favor from you two as well."

Hearing this, Yan Huan and An Le paused slightly, asking in confusion.

"A small favor? What do you an?"

"It's like this. In a few days, it will be the village's Kamizato Festival. It's actually nothing major, just decorating the shrine a bit and inviting everyone over to pray to the deity, asking for blessings upon the village for the coming year."

"So, do you want us to help with the decorations?"

"No, no need. I was just joking last night. These decorations have specific rules, so it's better left to the villagers."

One grandmother chuckled, looking at Yan Huan and An Le.

"It's just that during this ti, the whole village will be busy. The adults won't have ti to look after the children, so we wanted to ask you two youngsters to help take care of those little ones during your free ti..."

anwhile, another grandmother checked the ti on the wall inside the room and muttered.

"It's about ti they got here."

'Little ones?'

Yan Huan paused slightly, chewing over her words.

Right at that mont, a very energetic childish voice suddenly rang out from the main entrance of the shrine behind him.

"Grandma Kamishiro, we're here!"

"Hello, Grandma Kamishiro..."

Yan Huan and An Le turned their heads and saw two children—one girl and one boy, roughly of elentary school age—standing at the shrine entrance.

The girl had her hands on her hips, looking extrely outgoing.

The boy behind her, on the other hand, was timid, gently reaching out to grip the clothes of the girl in front of him.

"..."

Seeing the two children, both Yan Huan and An Le froze slightly.

They turned back to look at the grandmothers beside them, only to see them kindly making introductions.

"Co, co, let

introduce you. The boy is nad Kazuya, and the girl is nad Aoi Ka. They are both children from the village...

"They grew up together since they were little, sharing an innocent bond...

"They are a pair of childhood sweethearts."

At the sa ti, in Kyoto, Sakura Country.

Inside a high-end apartnt with nurous rooms, three young girls were sitting on the sofa, looking at a world map on the coffee table with tense expressions.

Five red dots were drawn on the world map, scattered across Linn and Sakura Country. They pinpointed the exact locations of the five Barriers.

On one side was Bai Yi, whose complexion looked rather terrible.

Last night, she had activated her Ti Stop and nearly puked up her own bile.

She had gone to the hospital for an IV drip of saline, but she still had not recovered, and the doctors were completely baffled by her condition.

Previously, when she used Ti Stop to break the Barrier in the hotel, there had been no severe side effects, which had made her a bit overconfident this ti.

Who could have known that when the ti-freezing ripple spread out, hit the space outside the Barrier, and retracted, it would imdiately make her dry heave.

It seed that the only reason she had suffered no side effects last ti was because the Barrier had been indoors, aning the pocket watch's Ti Stop had not affected the outside world at all.

But right now, Bai Yi's concern was no longer about the side effects.

"So... are you saying that Yan Huan and An Le both fell into the rift of your Barrier?"

She looked toward Sakuramiya Hitomi, whose face was equally pale, and asked.

A faintly discernible red line marked Sakuramiya Hitomi's face—a remnant of when she had nearly split into two separate Sakuramiya Hitomis earlier.

The mark served as a warning: activating the Barrier in the open without any masks left would literally tear her apart.

"Mhm."

On the final side was Spencer, who was completely unscathed.

"So, where exactly did Yan Huan and An Le end up?"

"I don't know, but I think I heard the sound of thunder from below."

Sakuramiya Hitomi stroked her chin, struggling to recall the events of last night.

"Thunder?! Don't tell

they were teleported straight into the sky, and then fell alive from up high..."

Hearing Bai Yi describe such a horrifying scenario, Sakuramiya Hitomi imdiately glared daggers at her, and Spencer even raised her fist, forcing Bai Yi to sheepishly change her tune.

"I was only guessing where Yan Huan and the others might have dropped... That assassin, who wasn't far from Yan Huan, dropped right into your house. Could Yan Huan have fallen over there as well?"

"No. When the incident with Grandfather happened last night, we searched the mountain but didn't find anyone."

Speaking of which, Sakuramiya Hitomi truly felt this was a bizarre twist of fate.

Her Barrier had teleported that assassin right in front of the chief culprit—her own grandfather.

But she had no idea where the massive Class-A firework that triggered the inferno had co from...

Could it be that her grandfather saw the assassin had failed and tried to silence him, but the assassin had a backup plan and fought him to the bitter end, resulting in mutual destruction?

But why would they use fireworks for mutual destruction?

Regardless, with Grandfather gone, things were much easier for her father.

On the other hand, the President...

"We absolutely cannot be certain where the President landed. It could be anywhere along the straight line between the Barriers..."

Sakuramiya Hitomi's face looked grim as her gaze swept back and forth along a straight line on the map.

From Sakura Country to Linn...

It practically spanned across the entirety of the Eastern Continent and the Southeastern Continent.

Furthermore, seventy to eighty percent of the space in between was ocean...

What on earth should they do?

"Wait, where is Ye Shiyu? Why haven't I seen her around?"

Sakuramiya Hitomi was burning with anxiety and desperately wanted to discuss a plan of action with soone.

But the two people in front of her...

Bai Yi and Spencer.

Weren't exactly the greatest strategic minds to plot with.

Hence, Sakuramiya Hitomi asked about Ye Shiyu.

Hearing this, Bai Yi paused slightly, looked toward the tightly shut room nearby, and whispered.

"She's still in her room, hasn't gotten up yet..."

Sakuramiya Hitomi frowned, looking at the tightly shut door nearby.

Separated by only a single wall and door, the bedroom inside was a total ss.

Ye Shiyu had not slept a wink last night. With her ink-black hair in a ssy tangle, she sat curled up in the corner of the room, hugging her knees.

Her eye sockets were completely red. Slowly burying her head in the darkness, her body began to tremble.

"...It's all my fault. I was obsessed, so I used my Hypnosis on Xiao Huan last night...

"Otherwise, if we had been by his side, he wouldn't have been chased by the assassin, and Sakuramiya Hitomi wouldn't have had to open the Barrier to save him...

"And Xiao Huan wouldn't have..."

"Slap!"

She raised her hand and delivered a vicious slap to her own face, producing a sharp, crisp sound.

Yet, she seed completely oblivious to the pain, only biting down on her own lip so hard that scarlet blood seeped out...

Ye Shiyu lay on her side against the freezing floor, her black hair covering her face, obscuring her features.

Only her voice grew increasingly choked with sobs.

"It's all my fault..."