"So... why can't I hide these ears, even though I'm already so powerful?"
When she reached a clear little river, Yae Sakura (to avoid any awkwardness, she'd just use whatever name fit her current identity from now on!) sat down on the bank. She took off her shoes and white stockings, then dipped a pair of long, beautiful feet that definitely shouldn't have belonged to her into the water.
This feels so good!
It was still winter back in her world, but it seemed to be summer here!
Yae Sakura gazed at her reflection in the river and grabbed the long ears atop her head. It was hard to believe they were fox ears.
Since when were fox ears this long?
That wasn't even the strangest part. Yae Sakura didn't just have a pair of fluffy fox ears; she also still had her original human ears.
So... Yae Sakura had four ears... and four audio channels!
This felt... amazing!
It was a whole new experience. Her hearing had improved tremendously...
If she listened carefully, Yae Sakura could hear all sorts of faint sounds. It wasn't quite superhuman hearing, but it was still pretty incredible.
Though if she wasn't careful, the noise could get overwhelming.
If that was the kind of inconvenience her abilities brought, then the inconveniences caused by her current outfit were even worse.
Now that she'd become the Flame Sakitama, of course she was dressed in the same shrine maiden outfit as in A八!
The bare shoulders of the top were still acceptable, but what was with that short red plaid skirt?
It barely covered the tops of her thighs!
Back when she was playing the game, she'd wanted the girls' skirts to be as short as possible. But now that she was the one wearing one...
Just thinking about it was pretty thrilling...
Bah! Slip of the tongue...
Thankfully... she had safety shorts underneath, not panties. That made Yae Sakura feel a little better.
If you suddenly turned into a beautiful girl one day, what would you want to do first?
Let your friends have some fun?
Have some fun yourself first?
Or go out and make hundreds of thousands through casual hookups?
As for Zhao Baiyou, of course he'd have some fun himself first!
He had a younger sister who said she'd never marry anyone but him, but... his sister was flat as a board!
What a tragedy!
"There's no one around... maybe I should..."
Zhao Baiyou looked around and put his hand on his chest...
"Help!"
Just as Zhao Baiyou was about to do something, a scream rang out from nearby.
Who could be out here in the middle of nowhere?
Zhao Baiyou froze, then quickly stood up... put his stockings and shoes back on, picked up his sword, and headed toward the sound.
Before long... Zhao Baiyou reached the scene and saw a girl in a kimono running desperately, with several armed monsters chasing her.
"Help me, please!"
The girl was panicking. She gasped for breath, exhaustion showing in her eyes. The monsters surrounded her in a hurry, looking at her like she was their prey.
But... just then, Zhao Baiyou walked over with his sword in hand, and all the monsters turned to look at him.
"Human? No! A monster..."
"Looks like a shrine maiden? But that outfit is way too shameless!"
"She smells human. She's a Half-Demon! Ha ha..."
When "Yae Sakura" appeared, the monsters warily watched the fox-eared shrine maiden approaching. But as soon as they sensed the human scent on her, they burst out laughing.
"A Half-Demon... Just a measly Half-Demon, and she dares to interfere with us? Let's eat her too!"
In this world, monsters looked down on Half-Demons, and humans shunned them. The fate of every Half-Demon was tragic.
"A Half-Demon..." The girl in the kimono looked at Yae Sakura. She'd thought she was saved, only to find that the newcomer was a monster too.
Though this monster was very beautiful!
But now that she knew the beautiful monster before her was a Half-Demon, she couldn't help feeling a glimmer of hope.
"A Half-Demon? I really am just a measly Half-Demon!" Yae Sakura didn't care. It wasn't as if she was a Half-Demon in the first place—and even if she were, so what?
Wasn't Nura Rikuo a Half-Demon too? And wasn't he the Lord of Pandemonium?
"Who does a little Half-Demon girl think she is? Grab her!"
A demon roared, its blue face and sharp fangs radiating an invisible menace.
Several monsters headed straight for Yae Sakura.
"Hmph!"
Yae Sakura looked unconcerned as the monsters approached, but deep down, she was terrified. She might have the power of an SSS-rank Flame Sakitama, but... she'd never faced the legendary monsters before!
She'd hardly ever gotten into a fight, let alone killed a monster.
She'd practiced the Flame Sakitama's skills earlier, but only against trees. This was different.
Still... there was no time to hesitate. Watching the monsters approach, Yae Sakura gritted her teeth and gripped the hilt of her Spirit Blade with one hand.
When the monsters got close, she locked onto the terrifying creatures in front of her and followed the sword technique she'd acquired.
"Slash!"
With the monsters only a few meters away, she drew her blade in an instant, sending a massive sword aura crashing toward them.
The monsters in front of her were cut in half at the waist. The sword aura that had cleaved through them went on to slice through the rocks behind them.
"What..."
The remaining monsters were stunned by the power of the Half-Demon's single strike!
The cowards were already thinking of running away.
"You're all going to die!"
After killing the monsters, Yae Sakura found that she didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. Instead, she felt a strange rush of pleasure!
The thrill of killing terrified Yae Sakura. Had she always been a freak?
Weren't people supposed to feel sick after killing someone—or a monster? Why did she feel so good?
Yae Sakura decided to think about that later. She looked at the monsters before her and gave a bloodthirsty smile, then walked toward them with a feverish expression.
"Don't come any closer!"
"Come any closer and I'll kill her!"
Seeing Yae Sakura's actions, the monsters were actually afraid. One of them even grabbed the girl in the kimono, hoping to use her as a hostage.
But Yae Sakura didn't care about its threat at all!
Sword Flash!
She locked onto the monster threatening her and used the Flame Sakitama's sword technique to flash behind it in an instant.
Then... she plunged her blade into the monster's head.
Ignoring the stunned girl, Yae Sakura turned to the remaining monsters and slaughtered them like she was mowing down grass!
After killing all the monsters, the Spirit Blade in Yae Sakura's hand... was still a beautiful cherry blossom pink, without a drop of blood on it.