In the vast courtyard, a petite figure wields a sword blade.

Let's just think of it as a pleasing sword dance.

Even if it lacks a gorgeous element, the preoccupied posture and the flickering sword light will make the onlookers feel refreshed.

This is also due to the fact that the person who wields the sword is a girl who can't be annoyed.

She is a young girl, and her slightly childish face still reveals this very well.

Not more than 16 years of age...... I'm probably only about fifteen years old.

However, judging how big a person is in Gensokyo is not just based on appearance, which is also an ironclad rule.

Floating next to the girl, I don't see much threat, but it makes people feel a little cute pure white spirit, which is the girl's half-spirit. The physique of the soul family is peculiar, and they are all half-human and half-spirit. They are also in a half-life-half-dead situation, and their lifespan is much longer than that of ordinary humans.

Even without any cultivation, he can survive for three hundred years with his own physique, and it is not until his twilight years that he begins to age significantly, which is already comparable to that of a martial arts immortal. If you practice special martial arts, you will undoubtedly be able to live longer.

Therefore, it would be a big mistake to really think that Youmeng is only fifteen years old. In fact, from a human point of view, she is past her prime.

Of course, considering the length of life of her own clan, it is not an exaggeration to say that she is a girl.

-- A girl who looks weak on the outside, but is actually much stronger than a big man.

Towards the end of winter, although it is not the coldest time, it is not easy to come out and clean the garden in the early morning when everything is not fully awake, wearing only a thin cloth coat.

At the very least, the winds that still smell of winter will make you miss the warmth of the bed.

But for Youmeng, the cool breeze on his face is indeed cold, but that's all. She didn't have any idea of stopping and going back to her room.

Rather, the coolness made her feel very comfortable...... Because at this moment, the inside of her body is emitting heat like a flame, is that the so-called blood boiling? All in all, Youmeng does feel very comfortable at the moment.

"Hoo ......"

As the tip of the sword cut a silver trail through the air, Youmu exhaled slowly.

That's the end of today's morning exercise.

Although the girl is just a court master, she is also equivalent to a guard, and has the duty to protect her master, Yuyuko of Xixing Temple. Because of this, she doesn't dare to slack off exercising herself every day.

So, have you gotten stronger? Compared to before.

Retracting the Louguan sword from its scabbard, the girl compared her current self to her not long ago.

It's really getting stronger.

Compared to herself, who was too focused on the sword before, now there is an extraordinary fluency between her moves, and the kind of smooth and easyhand freehand makes the girl's sword reach another new realm.

It does not become more powerful in pure strength, but in the transformation of the spirit.

Although it is not yet like the girl's grandfather, who has reached the level of epiphany...... But it's really an enlightenment.

This change is certainly not for nothing. The girl knew all about it.

Thanks to the Lord of the Eternal Pavilion, he let Youmu know one thing, and that is not to rush. The mystery of the sword is not something that can be achieved overnight.

The man named Eight Intentions Flying is really a great martial artist.

The most important thing is that Youmeng admires his character very much, and among the people the girl knows, there are really few people who can have such an upright personality as him.

Moreover, he will not hesitate to lend a helping hand to people with whom he does not have many personal relationships, such as himself, and he is simply a hero.

If only Yuyuko-sama could have half, no, and a quarter of Mr. Feili's integrity. The girl who is always tossed by her own master and chokes sometimes sighs in her heart.

All in all, Youmeng does have a lot of respect for Feili.

But here, I won't mention a man too much.

After stopping exercising, Yumu suddenly noticed that there was a lot of silence around him.

No longer devoting herself to any kind of activity, and with no more sound of the blade breaking through the air, the girl finally noticed that her surroundings had fallen silent again.

It's not a comforting silence, but a silence that makes people panic inexplicably. This kind of dead silence is quite uncomfortable, because the illusion of oneself as if it has been separated from the world will uncontrollably wells up from the heart, which is a terrible oppression for the spirit.

「…………」

But Youmeng didn't waver in any way, and his clear eyes still showed a calm look.

No matter how thin the distance between the location of the White Jade Tower and the Yang World is, it is still in the underworld after all. Since you are in the netherworld, it must be natural to get used to this lonely atmosphere.

Moreover, the White Jade Building is not without excitement.

Glancing inadvertently at the cherry trees that had not yet opened, Youmu couldn't help but think so.

When the cherry blossoms bloom every year, the white jade tower becomes very lively.

In spring, the garden of the White Jade Tower is filled with cherry blossoms, creating a sea of cherry blossoms that you can never see in Gensokyo. Every year, many ghosts and monsters are attracted to it and gather under the cherry blossom trees.

…… Speaking of which, it's almost that time of year this year.

However, the cherry tree in the center of the garden will not bloom yet.

The cherry blossoms called the Saikyuki still stand in the cherry blossom garden with an abnormal posture. The strange situation that has never bloomed all year round has naturally aroused the curiosity of the demon dream.

The half-spirit girl still remembers very clearly that in the distant past, she had asked Yuyuko-sama such a question.

"Is there something buried under the cherry blossoms?"

「………… Something to be afraid of."

-- However, the answer is only to this extent.

But Youmu will always remember Yuyuko-sama's expression at that time...... It was a look she had never seen before, a look that was completely different from her usual frivolity and leisure.

The young Youmeng didn't understand what kind of emotion it was, even now; There was only one thing she could be sure of now.

That's ...... She didn't want that expression on Yuyuko-sama's face anymore.

It was by no means the Yuyuko that Youmeng knew, but it should be some kind of delicate puppet, almost like a cicada, just an empty shell.

The figure of the undead princess who makes people feel the endless emptiness is naturally extremely strange in the eyes of Youmeng, and even makes her afraid.

So far, the girl has never asked a similar question again.

But sometimes, she thinks about it unconsciously.

If you can make the cherry blossoms bloom...... Will the things that are sleeping in it wake up?

「――――」

As soon as the thought appeared, Yumu shuddered. An indescribable chill shivered down her slender spine.

This is really strange, with her physique, even if she only wears a single coat in the late winter, she doesn't feel particularly cold, how can she feel the unusual cold for no reason?

-- Is there something terrible going to happen?

Youmu couldn't help but think about what was so great for her, and then, she changed color in an instant.

"Oops!! Breakfast!"

The undead princess's breakfast, she hadn't prepared it at all.

…… Considering the amount of food that the princess of Xixing Temple eats, this is undoubtedly a heavy task that is enough to make people mourn for Youmeng.

But no matter what, now the little demon dream can only act quickly.