— — — — — —
After that, life settled into a stable routine for Veyron.
Every morning, he'd wake up early and make breakfast—for himself, Kaguya, and Eirin.
After eating, he'd either head out alone or bring Kaguya along into the bamboo forest, where he'd built his personal training ground over the years, to refine his swordsmanship.
Once it got close to noon, he'd return to Eientei for lunch, then take on one of the long-term missions posted by Hancock, heading over to Rusukaina Island to keep honing his swordsmanship and Haki by fighting the wild beasts there.
Unlike before, now that Yagokoro Eirin had also moved into Eientei, even if he left this world, Kaguya would still be looked after. Because of that, and at her insistence, Veyron no longer used the space-time Gap feature when going back to the One Piece world.
...
A single afternoon in the One Piece world battling the beasts there could yield decent progress for his Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and basic swordsmanship.
And as a bonus, it was a good chance to bond with the chat group members who also showed up to train, eat meat, and work on their Haki or body refinement.
Killing two birds with one stone.
As for why he still insisted on spending his mornings training in the bamboo forest of his home world, instead of just staying on Rusukaina Island full-time?
Well, for one, he wanted to spend more time with Kaguya.
After nine years—starting from the confusion and panic of arriving in a new world, to gradually adapting and accepting his new life—he didn't even know when it happened, but…
This bamboo house he'd built with his own hands, chopping stalk by stalk, had started to feel like a real home. And Kaguya… had become like family.
But there was another reason—
"Found you!"
Veyron's stance shifted in an instant. The Bloodwing Blade in his hand sliced forward in a crimson arc, cutting through the air from an angle that seemed completely unnatural.
A crisp, bird-like cry echoed as the flying slash—normally able to slice across two or three miles—was stopped dead at about 300 meters by an invisible barrier, vanishing without a trace.
"Still not coming out?"
Veyron stared in that direction. After a few seconds, he looked away and glanced behind him.
Hearing the Voice of All Things.
This skill—an offshoot of Observation Haki boosted by the red trait [Comprehension]—didn't enhance offense or defense like Armament Haki did.
But as a support-type ability? It was top-tier.
It had been key to helping him get the voice of all things on Rusukaina Island and break into the swordsman's tier in the One Piece world—that alone was proof of its power.
— — —
Main World
And after returning to his world, Veyron's Observation Haki immediately picked up on something strange: something was watching them, lurking around the bamboo forest surrounding Eientei.
Even when the perspective shifted multiple times, Veyron could always pinpoint the source right away.
Whoever it was seemed to realize they'd been exposed, and stopped trying to hide—though they only revealed themselves slightly.
A thin crack opened in the air in front of Veyron. From within that gap, a pair of crimson eyes stared directly at him.
Hatred. Malice. Killing intent. Contempt. Violence…
Just from a single glance, Veyron felt like he was staring into an endless abyss of hostility.
There was no mistaking the identity of the one spying on them.
Yakumo Yukari—the Yokai of of Boundaries.
(A/N: Image.)
She wasn't just a powerful Yokai. She was an entire species unto herself known as the Gap Yokai. Even with his knowledge as a transmigrator, Veyron didn't know where her race had come from.
What he did know was that she was a genuine thousand-year-old monster. A master of manipulation and schemes rather than brute force, earning her the title of 'The Yokai Who Comes And Goes As She Pleases.'
Centuries later, she'd lead a massive war of Yokai, ghosts, and spirits against the Lunar Capital as the Yokai Sage.
In the Touhou Project universe, she was irreplaceably important.
Gensokyo—a haven for Yokai and non-human beings that stood in contrast to the human-dominated outside world—was her creation. She even maintained it personally.
---
BOOM
A sudden surge of Conqueror's Haki burst out from Veyron.
The sheer, overwhelming pressure shoved back the malicious energy. At the same time, a ritual seal on his body activated in response to his will, resonating with another seal placed inside Eientei.
Being someone who valued his life, Veyron had taken precautions early. He might not have known who the spy was at first, but anyone who could stay completely hidden from his Observation Haki had to be dangerous.
If it weren't for "Hearing the Voice of All Things," he might've never known they were being watched. So from the very beginning of his "fishing plan," he'd told Kaguya and Eirin all about the situation.
The purpose of the ritual seals was simple—if he discovered anything, Eirin in the bamboo house would be notified immediately.
Fwoosh
Several silver-blue streaks shot from the direction of the house, landing right on the space crack in front of Veyron—and a few more around him.
They were fired by Yagokoro Eirin.
But just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Veyron suddenly felt the ground vanish beneath him. He instinctively slashed downward and jumped, avoiding falling into the swirling portal that had opened under his feet.
Only to realize…
He'd jumped straight into another void—above him.
Veyron: "…"
"This is exactly why I hate people who mess with time and space. Completely ruins the balance."
Well… Kaguya's an exception, obviously.
"Eirin?!"
On the roof of Eientei—
Seeing a hole open above Veyron's head, Kaguya's face changed. She was about to activate "Manipulation of eternity and the moment" to dash in and grab him—only to find herself stopped by Eirin.
"Calm down," Eirin said. "That's exactly what she wants—to lure you in."
"…You think she's after me?" Kaguya frowned.
"Just a theory," Eirin replied.
"You know what humans are like—their potential range is insane. The truly gifted can surpass beings who've trained for centuries or even millennia, while the average ones spend their whole lives never even brushing the supernatural. One weak Yokai could easily kill them."
"Veyron's strong human, sure. But that's only with the Bloodwing Blade you begged me for."
"So after discussing it, we think it's more likely… she's targeting you."
"But we can't just let Father fall into her hands, can we?" Kaguya interrupted, clearly anxious.
"…You really think she's capable of keeping him?" Eirin gave her a strange look.
"You mean… the chat group?"
Kaguya mulled over Eirin's choice of words—"keeping him"—and asked cautiously.
"Exactly." Eirin nodded slightly. "While I was checking his physical condition these past few days, we also ran a few tests to prepare for something like this."
"Even after locking my world down with a full stellar seal—the chat group's teleport function could still break through effortlessly. He can just leave whenever he wants. Not even your other father on the moon can do that."
"Meanwhile, his Conqueror's Haki lets him resist mental interference long enough to stay sane for a few seconds—that's all the time he needs to activate a teleport…"
.
.
.