The Snow Woman and Yukino / What a Strange Coincidence

Haruno slowly turned her head, her beautiful face devoid of a smile.

She walked over slowly and gracefully, backlit.

Shuya sat on the sofa with a wry smile, "If I said I was just kidding, would you believe me?"

What do you think?

Haruno leaned forward in front of Shuya, and something in his collar swayed a few times.

Before Shuya see clearly, she had already mounted him.

She spread her legs apart, kneeling on the sofa on either side of Shuya's thighs.

Then she gracefully sat on Shuya's lap.

With a charming smile, Haruno pressed her warm and fragrant body against Shuya.

She cupped Shuya's face in her hands, her sweet breath brushing against his skin.

The atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous.

"Tell me what happened to Yukino- chan, and as a price, I'll..."

She slipped her left hand under the back of Shuya and hooked it, while her right fingers lifted Shuya's chin, then traced her fingertips across his throat, down to his chest, and finally down to his chest.

"Alright."

"Ah."

Shuya grabbed Haruno by the back of her sailor uniform, and with a gasp, tossed her onto the sofa.

"Wow."

Haruno stared intently at Shuya's lower body.

"Normal reaction."

Shuya waved his hand, looking exasperated, and said, "Alright, I'll tell you everything I know."

"I observed your sister today. Yukino Yukinoshita has a special constitution; her Power of Will is naturally imbued with the ice attribute."

"Are you talking about... Strange Arts?"

Haruno raised an eyebrow, removed his usual mask, and said solemnly.

She really is a sister-obsessed brother.

However, it's the distorted kind.

Shuya said, "I knew a rich girl like you would know about Strange Arts."

"Answer me a question first. You said Yukino Yukinoshita went to Hokkaido back then, but where exactly?"

"Over in Asahikawa."

Haruno replied, "That was when Yukino was five years old. Our whole family went on a trip, and she came back with a fever."

She said thoughtfully, "However, now that I think about it, Yukino- chan's fever was indeed very strange. It came on very suddenly, and it subsided in an instant."

Chapter 173, Section 157: Snow Woman and Yukino

"That's a fever, but it's not an illness."

Shuya the Way.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "If we follow the common understanding, her situation is somewhat like being possessed by a ghost."

Possessed by a ghost?

Haruno startled.

Shuya scratched his head. "Well, that might not be entirely accurate, but your sister's constitution is quite special, making her prone to attracting things of the same element."

What do you mean by "thing"?

"Monster and gods? Or perhaps some extraordinary individuals skilled in ice-attribute Strange Arts... there are too many possibilities..."

Shuya said, "But I do know what's on your sister's body."

Haruno seemed to be deep in thought. "You specifically asked about Hokkaido just now... How did you know so accurately that it was Hokkaido?"

To be honest, I felt a strong connection with your sister three years ago.

Shuya said solemnly.

"..."

Haruno looked at him, puzzled. "Why are you revealing your sexual fetish to me at this time? Can't you be more serious?"

"What the hell is exhibitionism?"

Shuya annoyed, reached out and pinched her smooth cheek as punishment.

"Sadist?"

Haruno covered her cheek.

Shuya smiled slightly, "I'm fine with anything, but I don't like anything too strong."

"I see."

"Let's get back to the main topic."

"Please."

Haruno gestured for him to continue.

"You know I am the successor of the Northland New Snow Thousand-Fold Style, don't you?"

Shuya beat around the bush; he went straight to the point.

She nodded. "Of course I know, Ikeda Ichinosuke was so popular back then."

"That makes things easier. Although the Morning Drama didn't mention it, Ikeda Ichinosuke actually has a very good relationship with a Snow Woman."

"Snow Woman?"

Haruno silently repeated.

"That's right. In the final battle in Hokkaido, the Snow Woman played a significant role. I never knew what happened to her afterward, and I even explored Hokkaido for a while... But now, I know the Snow Woman's fate."

Shuya said, "After Ikeda Ichinosuke, she might have survived for a while despite her serious injuries, or she might have died on the spot. But in any case, she is dead."

Haruno asked in bewilderment, "Since she's dead, why bring her up again?"

Shuya said, "Even when powerful demons and monsters die, they don't completely disappear; some residue remains. This residue (or residual power) can be considered a kind of Power of Will..."

"Wait, demons and monsters? The Power of Will?"

Haruno asked the most basic question.

Shuya fell silent instantly.

That's a brilliant question... How many words can I possibly write? Ahem, of course I won't.

He explained the concept of Strange Arts.

He then added the following setting, "Demons and monsters are divided into three types: the first type is transformed from humans, the second type is transformed from animals, and the third type is born from human legends."

The first type is the Vampire mentioned before, and the second type is the Fox God (the Fox God is Monster that was transformed from a fox, and later became a god on the Small Island because it was worshipped by people).

The third type is somewhat complicated and cannot be controlled by the Strange Arts.

Since the beginning of humankind, the Power of Will has been accumulating. After countless generations, the Power of Will on Earth has become terrifying.

Such a powerful accumulation has already enabled some incredible things to be born automatically.

Strange stories passed down by word of mouth are the perfect breeding ground for this kind of thing.

The strange things born from human thoughts may, in some ways, also be "human."

Ancient Japan was very chaotic, and there were many such things. The Shinmeiryu mentioned earlier was a school that specialized in exterminating such things.

The situation is different in Great Hua. While there are indeed many such demons and monsters during times of chaos, Daoist priests often emerge from the mountains during such times, and one of their purposes is to harvest the residual Power of Will of these beings after they die.

The third method for identifying demons and monsters is actually quite difficult.

If there's any difference, it's probably that they follow their instincts.

The third type of demons and monsters is heavily influenced by the original story.

Taking the Snow Woman) as an example, the personality of a Snow Woman transformed from a human will not change much; at most, her personality will become aloof.

And those born with Snow Woman in their natural form will harm people, just like in the legends.

The third type of demon and monster is the target for extermination.

These three things have one thing in common.

Powerful demons and monsters do not completely disappear after death; they retain residual power of their Power of Will. When they encounter a suitable target, they will be attracted to it and merge with it.

Haruno asked, "What will happen after they are merged?"

Shuya explained, "It depends on the specific situation. Generally speaking, the first question is whether this residual power still retains the original owner's spiritual imprint? If so, to what extent? There are many interpretations, but it mainly relates to the faction the demon or monster belonged to in life."

"The residual power of the benevolent alignment is generally harmless; on the contrary, it helps the amalgamator absorb power, transforming the amalgamator into the same kind of being, thus achieving a form of resurrection. This is also a common method used by gods when they pass on their divine positions; they call it 'Age of Gods,' which simply means inheriting authority."

"The remaining power of the evil faction is harmful. Even though it's merely a remnant of instinct, it clings to the human world with a strong desire to devour, hoping to consume the merger and achieve a resurrection that will never succeed."

Haruno silently absorbed his words: "So Yukino- chan must be in the situation described earlier?"

Shuya said, "I haven't finished yet. What I just said was only about the situation where that residual power still retained a spiritual imprint."

"There's another possibility: the demon or monster died completely, and its remaining power was just a pure Power of Will, containing a trace of fragmented knowledge of Strange Arts."

"Your sister fused with residual power in Hokkaido when she was five years old, and nothing bad has happened in all these years, so the evil faction option can be ruled out—besides, I know who the owner of the residue is."

"Is this the Snow Woman you just mentioned?"

Haruno asked instinctively.

Shuya nodded. "Yes, since it was obtained in the northern North Hokkaido Hokkaido, and I feel a sense of familiarity with it, then there's no other choice but the Snow Woman."

"Snow Woman... Speaking of which, lately Yukino- chan feels increasingly cold to the touch. I thought it was just my imagination."

Haruno recalled.

"It's not an illusion; I noticed it today too. The temperature around her definitely dropped."

"So... what's the current situation with Yukino- chan?"

"It's either the first or the third scenario. I initially suspected the third, but now I'm not so sure."

Shuya shrugged. "A five-year-old child, managing to hide until now without you noticing anything amiss, I'm truly amazed."

Haruno didn't speak; she hadn't actually accepted this fact yet either.

Shuya and said, "Besides, I didn't expect to mess up with you. If I had known you didn't know about this, I would have just asked your sister to investigate."

Haruno revealed a "?" expression.

Shuya replied irritably, "If your family knows about this, I'll need to convince you to let me try, otherwise there will be consequences. If only your sister knows, then it's a secret between us, understand? It's not a crime if it's not discovered."

"Wow, that's so mean."

Haruno silent.

... I would have unfollowed you long ago if I didn't enjoy watching it.

Section 174, Chapter 158: Fate, Wonderful and Ineffable

If Haruno and the others were unaware of Yukino's situation, Shuya certainly wouldn't have informed them.