The Bamboo Forest of the Lost.
The towering bamboo stretched endlessly, its verdant expanse dominating the landscape. The serene tranquility of the woods should have been soothing, but the unnaturally slanted ground and twisted bamboo disrupted all sense of balance, as if space itself had warped.
Mokou and Aya had barely stepped inside before they started swaying dizzily.
"Ugh… No matter how many times I come here, I never get used to it. I always end up crashing into the bamboo." Aya slumped, her senses thoroughly scrambled. If not for her journalistic integrity, she would've turned tail and fled already.
Mokou, however, adjusted quickly, scanning the ground for traces of her previous bamboo-shoot raids.
"Are we there yet?"
"This is just the outskirts. We gotta go deeper."
"Haaah— You sure you know the way?"
"Of course, I do! My memory's perfect." Mokou rolled her eyes and tossed Aya a water flask.
Aya gulped it down, sighing in relief.
"Alright, let's dig up some bamboo shoots before we get to the main event."
"The boss made so much good food yesterday, might as well bring back some local ingredients."
"You're a tengu, right? Digging should be easy for you."
"That's not what tengu are for!!" Aya's face darkened, but she still furiously clawed at the dirt.
(Mostly because she also wanted bamboo shoots…)
As they dug their way deeper into the forest, a figure silently observed from the shadows.
Her long, silken black hair cascaded like a waterfall. Her delicate features so breathtaking they could halt time itself.
She looked like she just woke up, her pink blouse slightly wrinkled, the white ribbon at her collar haphazardly tied.
Her crimson skirt, embroidered with cherry blossoms, bamboo, autumn leaves, and plum blossoms, swayed elegantly with each step, exuding an air of regal grace.
Even standing still, she was a vision.
Yet right now, she radiated sneakiness.
"That chicken dares to return?" Kaguya's lips curled as she watched Mokou.
'Looks like today's gonna be fun~ As for the tengu beside her… probably the one Tewi mentioned.'
'Too bad. Even with backup, that birdbrain stands no chance.'
She stalked them silently—
Until Mokou and Aya reached the trap zone.
Aya's eye twitched at the craters littering the ground.
"Uh… You call this digging? Looks like a bombing run."
"Details, details. C'mon, let's set up my trap this time. That bitch won't know what hit her." Mokou brandished the game console box.
The instant Kaguya saw it, her eyes sharpened.
'A new console?!Where'd she get that?!' She nearly lunged out to test it, but barely held back.
'Let's see what this idiot is planning…'
Under Kaguya's gaze, Mokou picked a prime spot and dug a pit deep enough to cripple someone.
After covering it with foliage, she dangled the console above it with rope.
Aya stared at the laughably crude trap.
"You seriously think this'll work??"
"That NEET's obsessed with this stuff. She'll bite for sure. Just watch."
"Hide over there, and don't miss the shot when she falls in!" Mokou dragged Aya into hiding.
Kaguya, who'd seen everything, felt her eyelid spasm.
'Is this idiot treating me like some dumb rabbit?!'
'…But I do want that console…'
Her fingers itched as she eyed the unfamiliar device.
'Are there new games inside?I've exhausted my collection, now I need fresh material!'
After a tense silence, Kaguya finally stepped out. And strolled right up to the trap.
The second Mokou spotted her, she vibrated with excitement, hissing at Aya—
"See her? That's your target. Don't miss the shot."
"She looks kinda… royal? Are we allowed to mess with her?"
"She's trash. Don't worry."
"..." Aya grew more uneasy.
But as they watched, Kaguya stopped at the trap's edge.
And plucked the console from the air.
"See? She totally saw through— Wait, where'd you go?!" Aya turned.
Only to find Mokou gone.
BOOM!!!
A blazing inferno erupted from the bamboo.
"DIE!!!" Mokou slammed down from above, her flame-wreathed leg scorching the air itself.
Kaguya smirked at the blatant ambush.
Until she noticed Mokou's target.
'You chicken!! You're kicking the console!!!' Kaguya's face paled as she clutched the bound device.
And in that split-second of panic—
WHAM!!!
Mokou's foot caved into Kaguya's chest.
The impact sent them tumbling across the forest, rolling and grappling like wild animals.
Mokou, knowing Kaguya's weakness, relentlessly aimed for the console.
Forcing Kaguya to defend it, crippling her counterattacks.
Aya, watching them brawl into the distance, felt dread creep in.
'Wait.If they leave…Doesn't that make me look like the arsonist?!'