"This is, Westward Demon?"

The huge cherry blossom tree in front of you is hard to describe in words, but it is about 10 stories tall and has a branch at the bottom that covers the entire garden, and at first glance it looks like a giant beast entrenched in the sky.

Since it's not in the flowering season, all you can see is bare branches, but it's enough to be impressive.

"If it could bloom, what a beautiful sight it would be."

Inexplicably, Wu was also a little looking forward to the scene of the westward demon in full bloom.

"Sure enough, Wu Yejun, do you think so too?"

The corners of her crescent-like eyes showed her thoughts of approval, but when Yuyuko raised her little face and looked at the giant tree, there was only a taste of regret left in her tone:

"It's a pity that that's impossible, the Westward Demon will never be full."

"Huh, why?"

It was a feeling of grievance because things were deprived of their original beauty, and Takeya's puzzled gaze fell on Yuyuko's body:

"Is it because the environment of the underworld is not suitable for the growth of cherry blossom trees?"

"Not for such an ordinary reason."

Yuyuko took a few steps forward, and stroked the huge trunk of the westbound demon with one hand, and the loneliness in his eyes couldn't be hidden:

"It'...... The Westward Demon itself was deprived of the right to bloom. ”

Without waiting for Takeya's surprise to speak, Yuyuko continued:

"The other cherry trees in the yard bloom and fall year after year, but it's like it's dead, and it doesn't bloom anyway."

Yuyuko's words were very light, but Takeya could feel the heavy attachment from them.

"Well, Miss Yuyuko, may I ask?"

Looking at the picturesque side face, Wu also tried to ask:

"Miss Yuyuko is trying to make the Westward Demon bloom?"

"Hmm."

Yuyuko nodded without hesitation:

"I've tried too many things for thousands of years, but it's a pity ......"

“......”

As soon as Yuyuko's words came out, the doubts on Takeya's face became even heavier.

He admits that the flowering of such a large cherry tree is indeed attractive, but is it too much to be entangled for thousands of years because of this?

As mentioned earlier, monsters are a group of very "lazy" guys, and it seems more difficult to want them to be enthusiastic about the same thing for thousands of years, right?

And the object of this attachment is just a cherry blossom tree, which is really ......

"Think it's a little weird?"

“......”

Yuyuko smiled shallowly, and she guessed Takeya's mind again.

"Actually, although I have some expectations for the westward demon to bloom, I am not obsessed with it to such a point."

"Then why ......"

"The reason is very simple, if the Westward Demon blooms, I can meet 'her'."

"...... 'her'?"

"Hehe, maybe it's 'him'."

Yuyuko leaned her ear to the sleeping cherry blossom tree, as if trying to hear its voice from that calm posture, and she said in a low, magnetic voice:

"I can know that 'she' has been sleeping down here, that I want to see 'her', that I want to meet 'her', and my instincts tell me that 'she' will be able to give me what I lack."

"What's missing?"

It is rare to see Yuyuko say such a sad and elegant Wu, and he frowned inadvertently:

"What's that?"

"I don't know."

Closing her eyes and shaking her head, the meaning of her smile was incomprehensible, as if relieved and bitter, Yuyuko knelt down in front of the westward demon against the cold trunk, stroking the silent rhizome as if she could feel her presence in this way.

“...... Does it have to bloom? ”

Yuyuko's expression made Wu Ye inexplicably a little worried, and his tone unconsciously brought unwillingness that even he didn't notice:

"If you want to see 'her' sleeping under the tree, do you have to bloom?"

"yes."

As if he hadn't noticed the little urgency in Takeya's questioning, Yuyuko also smiled faintly:

"This westward demon has a special seal, if you want to wake up the sleeping 'her', you must break the seal, that is, let the westward demon bloom."

"What do you do to make it bloom?"

"I don't know."

I don't know if this is the first "I don't know" that Yuyuko said, but this black hole-like endless spiral of questions has made her only stand still for a thousand years:

"I've tried a lot of things, but they didn't work, and recently, I was planning to collect the 'spring' from Gensokyo, but unfortunately it ......"

"Didn't it work out either?"

"Nope."

Unexpectedly, Yuyuko shook her head slightly, and the corners of her mouth flashed with a subtle smile without regret:

"It's because there's no need to do that anymore, and I've lost the chance to make it bloom."

With that, she left the Westbound Demon and looked at the puzzled Wu Ye:

"Wu Yejun doesn't know yet, right? In fact, you are not the only one who has accidentally entered Gensokyo recently. ”

“......”

Surprised, his eyes widened, hearing this absolutely powerful information, Takeya lost his words for a while, Yuyuko unexpectedly took Takeya's expression into his eyes, and then said in a memories-like tone:

"Remember that was not long ago, how old is Wu Yejun today?"

“...... Seventeen. ”

"That's not that far away, it happened about eighteen years ago."

Looking into the distance, Yuyuko restrained her smile, and the curvature of the corners of her mouth was no longer warm:

"Eighteen years ago, Gensokyo welcomed a special guest, he went all the way through Gensokyo, went straight into the underworld, and then stole something here."

“...... Could it be that what he stole has something to do with the Westward Demon? ”

"That's right, but the correct thing to say is that what he stole is the Westward Demon 'itself'."

narrowed her soft eyes, and Yuyuko's current expression added a bit of the momentum of being a monster in the plain gentleness:

"Wu Yejun, the Westward Demon you see now is only an empty shell, and the 'she' who sleeps in it has been stolen by him."

"This ......"

Wu didn't have a say in these things he didn't understand, what he was curious about was just-

"If that's the case...... Didn't Purple go to him for trouble? ”

"Yes, but it's too late."

The short-lived seriousness faded from Yuyuko's face, and she regained her soft appearance:

"The special backhand he left behind, it was around that time that the enchantment of Gensokyo became extremely strong, and it was extremely difficult for even Purple to go to the outside world."

That's why she pays so much attention to you who can cross the two layers of the great barrier at will, Yuyuko looked at Takeya's eyes and expressed such a heart, but she didn't say it.

"That's right, Wu Ye-kun."

Hiding her mind well under the gentle eyes, Yuyuko said with a smile:

"Can I ask you something?"

"Please......?"

Wu Ye was stunned, he didn't think that the undead princess in front of him, who was dozens of streets stronger than him, needed his help.

"You don't have to show that expression, only Wu Yejun can do this."

The words were full of encouragement, and Yuyuko folded her hands together and said in the same tone as usual:

"The empty shell of the Westward Demon still exists, which means that its inner has not changed, since it has left Gensokyo, it must exist somewhere in the outside world, so, Wu Yejun, can you please find it?"