The people were transformed Shadow Clones.
The machines had just been calibrated.
How could Yuya possibly go unprepared for his first date with Princess Kaguya?
Back when Yuya went looking for that mask,
he had already used Shadow Clones to arrange all of this.
With his and Princess Kaguya's unusual identities, it was difficult not to attract attention.
Especially with Princess Kaguya's appearance and the Rinne Sharingan on her forehead gradually opening and closing.
They were bound to draw strange looks from people, or even cause panic.
And that was something Yuya could not tolerate.
Hence tonight's so-called Fireworks Festival.
Masks had already been distributed to the public.
Wearing a mask allowed people to enjoy the Tianyu Xingye Second Pavilion's promotional activities for free.
Given the Tianyu Xingye Second Pavilion's reputation and influence among the people,
most were naturally willing to cooperate.
And all of this was simply to keep Princess Kaguya from standing out as strange.
If the world would not accept her, then there was no need for its acceptance!
He only needed to keep everyone unaware.
The Claw Machines were products brought in at the last minute.
They were also remotely controlled, grabbing prizes along preset paths.
And there were many, many other products brought in at the last minute like these.
Once Princess Kaguya left, they would close again for adjustments.
The crowds had already been deliberately redirected to keep them away from this area.
In fact, wherever Princess Kaguya went,
the crowds would be deliberately redirected.
Throughout it all, Yuya kept using Observation Haki to sense Princess Kaguya's emotions,
and decide how to respond next.
That way, he could make the atmosphere as perfect as possible.
And all of this was simply to make... Princess Kaguya happy.
The only thing he needed to worry about
was Princess Kaguya herself.
If Princess Kaguya used her Byakugan at any point,
every flaw would be exposed, and all his efforts would naturally come to nothing.
Fortunately, when Princess Kaguya was with him,
she had no intention of doing so.
"Let me see what that free gift is."
Princess Kaguya, the claw-grabbing expert, murmured to herself.
She was only holding one plush toy in her arms now.
It was an adorable Little Monster.
She had already sent the other plush toys home with Space-Time Ninjutsu.
That also allowed Yuya to breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
"Oh, it's actually a ticket."
Princess Kaguya spoke,
opening the little gift box.
Inside lay two tickets labeled Adventure House.
"It looks like it's right over there."
Yuya pointed ahead.
An enormous Monster Dragon was coiled imposingly around the structure.
He had a long body that stretched off to who knew where.
His open mouth alone was two or three meters tall.
Yet quite a few people were currently walking in and out of his mouth,
as though he were swallowing one person after another.
"Ah! Why is there such a huge monster here?"
Like a kitten with her fur standing on end, Princess Kaguya
instantly shielded Yuya behind her.
At that moment, her entire bearing changed.
Her silver hair stirred without any wind, and a powerful aura radiated from her.
She slowly raised one hand and aimed it at the monster.
An immense mass of pitch-black energy gathered in her hand.
Even space seemed to distort at that moment.
In an instant, a Truth-Seeking Orb had formed in her palm!
"Stop, stop, stop! That's fake!"
Yuya hurriedly stopped her.
He had not expected Princess Kaguya to react so strongly either.
"Fake? Strange. I was wondering why it wasn't giving off the slightest presence."
Princess Kaguya muttered.
"And it hasn't moved at all, either."
Yuya added.
Only then did Princess Kaguya disperse the Truth-Seeking Orb, still somewhat doubtful.
"Phew, good thing nobody noticed."
She looked at the masked pedestrians still coming and going around them.
They seemed not to have noticed anything unusual.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
What she did not know, however,
was that the crowd had stiffened the instant she formed the Truth-Seeking Orb.
They had forced themselves to act nonchalant, as though they had noticed nothing.
But fine beads of sweat had begun appearing on quite a few foreheads.
"The pavilion master is going to get us killed..."
"Whoever wants to play a ghost later can do it. I'm not going."
"Me neither. Not even if you beat me to death."
"Waaah, Mommy, I want to go home..."
Only when they drew closer
did they discover that this so-called monster was made from a special material.
And that gaping mouth was merely a doorway for people to pass through.
"Let's go inside and have a look."
With her cheeks slightly flushed, Princess Kaguya spoke as though nothing had happened.
"All right."
Yuya nodded with a wry smile.
"Are you two going on an adventure in the Adventure House too?"
An attendant wearing a cat mask came up to them.
"All sorts of ghosts and monsters roam inside the Adventure House, so be careful not to let them catch you."
"There are also all kinds of treasures hidden inside. If you find a treasure and successfully bring it out, you'll receive a special gift."
"So far, nobody has managed to bring a treasure out of the Adventure House."
The attendant explained patiently.
"Mm."
Princess Kaguya gave a haughty little nod.
She handed the tickets to the attendant and, holding her plush toy,
went inside first.
Yuya wore a complicated expression.
Before leaving, he gave the attendant a quiet glance,
then followed her inside.
As soon as he entered, he came upon Princess Kaguya.
She stood where she was, before the boundary of darkness,
without stepping across.
It was pitch-black inside.
Yet a faint greenish glow and an eerie air permeated that darkness.
Somewhere in the indistinct distance, a figure seemed to flash past.
At the same time, sinister, frightening music began to play.
Faint, strange cackles seemed to mingle with it.
Together with the terrified screams and sobs of the other visitors,
it made one's heart instinctively shudder.
Princess Kaguya hugged the plush toy in her arms tightly.
When she saw that Yuya had come inside too,
she said,
"I-I... I was afraid you'd be scared, so I... waited for you..."
A faint blush colored her cheeks as she tried her best to keep her voice calm.
"Ah... I see."
Yuya was a little taken aback.
Could she be...?
[Option one: Nod and go inside with her. Reward: Acting +1] [Option two: Leave her behind and run ahead first. Reward: Wood Release] [Option three: Walk over, take her hand, and lead her inside. Reward: Eye Technique: Amaterasu]
Looking at the three options that suddenly appeared before him,
Yuya froze for a moment.
This was the first time an eye technique had appeared as a reward.
"Let's go."
Princess Kaguya spoke,
but she remained rooted to the spot, showing no intention of moving.
"Ah... okay."
Yuya felt like laughing.
Without thinking any further, he walked straight over to Princess Kaguya.
He took her hand and walked forward.
Princess Kaguya's little hand felt boneless, wonderfully soft in his grasp.
There was even a fine layer of sweat on her palm.
The moment he took Princess Kaguya's hand, Yuya distinctly felt her body tremble.
Princess Kaguya shifted her hand, seemingly wanting to pull away.
"Let's go. I'm a little scared."
Yuya spoke as though nothing were amiss.
Sure enough, Princess Kaguya stopped trembling.
She simply let him hold her hand.
They entered the haunted house.
It was pitch-black inside.
Once their eyes gradually adjusted to the light,
a winding, twisting path appeared before them, surrounded by a faint greenish glow.
The sinister, frightening atmosphere grew even stronger.
A chilly draft seemed to brush past from behind.
Tap, tap, tap-footsteps began to sound.
It seemed someone was following behind them.
And Yuya could feel Princess Kaguya gripping his hand tighter and tighter.
At first, her little hand had simply rested passively in Yuya's grasp,
but now the roles had reversed.
The next instant, the background music changed,
suddenly rising in pitch and turning sinister and mournful.
A ghostly face suddenly emerged on the right side of the path, where there should have been a wall,
its hair disheveled, its face deathly pale, its features twisted and horrifying.
"Give me back... my life..."
An eerie voice came from the ghostly face,
and Yuya felt her grip on his hand suddenly tighten.
Crack!
The sound of a bone breaking rang out.
Before you continue