My Shrine Is Pretty Big

No, records were sacred. They couldn't be used for gambling.

This safehouse was connected to the bar across the street through a secret tunnel. There was no entrance hall, only an observation window. Even Penguin Logistics employees on their first day of work would have trouble finding the entrance. Emperor wasn't bragging—those lunatics wouldn't find this place even if they gouged out their own eyes.

He wasn't worried about his own safety.

Emperor simply couldn't bear to part with them. He couldn't bear to part with those records. He would feel heartbroken if even the tiniest speck of dust landed on them, so how could he use them as a wager?

Emperor sat on the pool table, watching the situation across the way through the observation window.

The enemies had arrived.

Emperor's wings gave a violent twitch.

"I can already predict how this ends. Those people will definitely rush in to search for me, and when they find nothing, they'll start smashing and looting, turning my bar into ruins... They're all cheap liquor, sure, but even a landlord's household has no surplus grain!"

After finding nothing, the enemies would leave.

This wasn't Emperor's first time going through something like this. Anyone with even a little intelligence would proceed exactly as he expected.

Wait?

Emperor's heart suddenly clenched.

He nearly let out an [indescribable penguin shriek].

The enemies paced back and forth outside the bar, their movements full of guilt and hesitation. In the end, they didn't even go inside. Instead, they brought over a huge pile of construction materials and began working at the entrance—they used bricks and cement to build a wall, completely sealing off the bar's doors and windows.

"...Are they insane??!!"

Emperor hissed under his breath.

"Have they gotten this cowardly already? They won't even come in to see whether I'm really here? Are they afraid to look me in the face?"

"Cowardly dogs!"

Just like that, the way out had been sealed off by sheer accident.

He didn't know how to judge this.

This accidental cowardly-dog tactic had achieved the greatest result at the smallest cost. Emperor wasn't an idiot; aside from his anger, it also gave him something to think about. This definitely wasn't something a bunch of cowardly dogs could come up with. There had to be a capable strategist behind them.

"Who could it be?"

"Does this city-state have it out for me alone? It can't even tolerate an ordinary delivery company or an ordinary rapper?"

Emperor was deeply troubled.

That distress was completely genuine, without the slightest pretense.

He poured himself a glass of tequila. Butterfly pupae floated in the golden liquor, while tiny grains of salt scattered across the table and rolled into his mouth with tart lemon juice. Emperor drained the golden liquid in one gulp and let out a miserable shriek.

"It feels like I swallowed a knife."

Emperor smacked his lips.

"Tequila is already strong enough. I wonder what it feels like to swallow an actual knife?"

"There are screams ahead."

Texas and Exusiai turned around. They had only been walking for half an hour when they found something—the screams ahead of them.

They exchanged looks and nodded.

It wasn't a brief scream, but a succession of cries, like a swift ghost darting across a battlefield with a scythe, reaping lives. If Texas hadn't known Lungmen's regulations, she might have thought a massacre was taking place ahead.

It was a massacre.

Texas wasn't repulsed by the sound. On the contrary, she enjoyed it immensely.

They saw a crimson cherry-blossom-colored silhouette. Unlike what Texas had imagined, that person wasn't haunting the battlefield like a ghost. Instead, she walked slowly, one hand resting on her sword hilt. A hazy flash of light flickered through the air, and another enemy fell.

Never speeding up, never slowing down.

Hoshino silently released her hand, turned back, and asked, "I feel like I'm working for free. Could you give me some wages?"

"I want wages too."

Croissant spread her hands helplessly and answered with great sorrow.

This shrine maiden was simply too reliable, completely unlike the other teammates. Croissant held her shield and watched from the side as though she were watching a lavish performance. It was a visual feast. If she had to pay for it, Croissant definitely wouldn't hesitate—she'd just treat it as buying a movie ticket.

"You two have gotten so close?"

Texas stepped forward, took the harmless wooden sword from Croissant's hand, then turned to face Hoshino and introduced herself.

"Texas."

"I am Yae Sakura."

Texas's brow twitched. She tilted her head in confusion, then nodded again.

"If you don't want to give your real name, then don't. A codename is fine."

"Huh?"

Hoshino was immediately intrigued. Texas could see through so much; that truly exceeded her expectations. But that was all. What interested Hoshino more was something else. She looked at Exusiai, who was walking over from ahead, and nodded.

Exusiai held a Vector submachine gun in her hands.

Hoshino pondered as a pleasant "ding—" rang in her ear.

[Trigger condition detected. Please get as close to the source as possible to allow the system to unlock a character...]

That familiar voice. As expected, she hadn't guessed wrong. The two keywords Exusiai possessed were [modern] and [firearms]. The character she could unlock was...

Hoshino closed her eyes and examined it carefully.

"Huh?"

Why was it a ranger?

Hoshino looked again, only to realize it was Sky Ranger in her Soul Awakening state. She finally let out a sigh of relief.

Although Sky Ranger's weapons were dual pistols, the character also came with another weapon: the powerful Spatial Spear. This weapon possessed the authority to tear through space, but it placed an enormous burden even on its wielder. Using it too much would induce a stunned state.

Hoshino didn't know whether this stunned state could be resolved by switching cards.

In any case, it was a very powerful character.

"Why did she suddenly close her eyes?"

"Maybe your halo is too dazzling, Exusiai. People seeing it for the first time might not be used to it."

"Oh..."

Exusiai didn't believe that explanation.

Hoshino quickly opened her eyes and met Exusiai's gaze without hesitation. Her pale blue eyes carried a heart-pounding force. As Exusiai looked into them, she sensed desire in the other girl's pupils—benevolent desire.

"Is this your first time seeing a Sankta?"

Hoshino nodded.

Control your desires. Don't let your collector's obsession take over your mind. Hoshino lowered her head and reminded herself.

Exusiai leaned close to Texas's ear and spoke in confusion.

"I think something's off."

Texas didn't answer. Instead, Hoshino introduced herself to Exusiai first.

"My name is Yae Sakura. I'm a shrine maiden, and I live at Yae Shrine in Lungmen. I live alone. My shrine is pretty big. I often help people. You can come visit the shrine when you have time. If you get tired from playing, you can just sleep there. It's fine."

"Uh..."