Chapter 4 Phoenix Mountain

Chapter 4 Phoenix Mountain

The Yukinoshita residence wasn't hard to find. As one of the local wealthy families, their address wasn't exactly a secret.

When Hikigaya arrived at the Yukinoshita household, the family members were already waiting at the gate.

After being warmly welcomed inside, he saw a middle-aged couple hurrying toward him with so-called polite yet clearly impatient strides.

The woman was dressed in a kimono, yet her quick little steps were impressively fast. The man, less traditional, wore a suit.

These must be the Yukinoshita couple.

And Hikigaya couldn't sense the presence of Yukinoshita Haruno in this house.

Although he had awakened to the power of wind and couldn't precisely locate people or objects by tracking airflow like Voban, he could still sense the presence of different individuals. Yet here, he couldn't feel Haruno's presence.

Moreover, the air carried an uneasy and anxious scent.

It seemed something really had happened—so much so that the Yukinoshita family actually reached out for his help through Yukino.

But honestly, this was the right move. Since they were classmates and in the same club, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't reject a request from Yukino.

If it had been someone else, he probably wouldn't have agreed.

"Mr. Hikigaya, it's an honor to meet you," the middle-aged man said with a face full of excitement, then quickly added, "I know this is rude, but we have no other choice. Please, save Haruno's life."

Whoa? Save her life? This plot twist feels kinda extreme...

"Can you explain the situation first?" Hikigaya raised an eyebrow.

To be honest, the Yukinoshita family was treating him quite well. Say what you will about Haruno's personality, their hospitality was excellent. And considering his relationship with Yukino, if they needed his help—it wasn't like he couldn't.

But what the hell? Why would someone want to kill Yukinoshita Haruno?

His confusion was soon somewhat cleared up by the couple's explanation.

It boiled down to two words: bad luck.

Like stepping in poop the moment you leave the house—there was no other way to explain it.

And the Yukinoshitas' explanation wasn't entirely accurate either, because Haruno's life wasn't in danger. The problem was with her mind.

She hadn't been kidnapped; she'd walked off on her own. Her mind had been twisted—she now saw someone else as her master.

The one who caused this was a mysterious figure claiming to come from "Phoenix Mountain."

The most ridiculous part? That person never intended to have anything to do with the Yukinoshita family in the first place. Haruno just happened to pass by the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught up in it.

From this angle, these people were still kind of decent—they at least gave a heads-up, even if they had no intention of solving the issue themselves.

"Okay, I have one question."

Having listened to the Yukinoshitas' explanation, Hikigaya now sat in the living room. He raised a single finger, emphasizing he had only one question.

"What the hell is Phoenix Mountain?"

"That question—I will answer it," came a voice as the living room door opened and a beautiful youth stepped inside.

But Hikigaya quickly revised that impression.

It was a girl.

The undeniable curves of her chest, the smoothness of her neck, and the shape of her hips and legs all made it clear: this was a girl cross-dressing as a boy.

"A pleasure to meet you, King. I am Sayanomiya Kaoru."

"That creepy guy from last time—he was one of your people, wasn't he?" Hikigaya picked up the teacup from the table and took a sip to moisten his throat. "Seems like you four families don't get along at all. But don't drag me into your mess. I'm not emotionally intelligent—I lose my temper easily."

"You are the King of all magicians and warriors. How could we possibly dare involve you in such things?" The cross-dressing beauty smiled freely. "I merely wish to fulfill my duty to Japan's King. Right now, the ones attending you are all foreign warriors—utterly unworthy of your status."

"Speak normally, thanks," Hikigaya set down the teacup.

He was getting goosebumps all over.

Seriously, how could someone spout such sickening lines with a straight face?

"Very well. The so-called Phoenix Mountain is not in Japan," Sayanomiya Kaoru switched gears smoothly, unbothered by Hikigaya's disgusted expression.

But this time, the content actually caught Hikigaya's interest.

"Go on," he gestured for her to continue.

"In China's Bayan Har Mountains, there's a place called Fist Spirit Mountain. To its south lies Phoenix Mountain. The ones who took Miss Yukinoshita are likely members of the Phoenix Mountain clan, who have lived there for generations. Even within China, this clan is shrouded in mystery. They are one of the rare groups that, despite not pledging allegiance to the Holy Sect of the Five Prisons, have not been suppressed. For some unknown reason, they recently came to Japan."

What Sayanomiya Kaoru said in one breath wasn't a lot, but it carried substantial information.

The Holy Sect of the Five Prisons in China—Hikigaya had heard of it.

Among the God slayers, the only one who had established an organized force was Luo Hao of China.

As the pinnacle of martial arts, this King was said to have already led a martial sect in China even before becoming a God slayer. Afterward, it was only natural she became the supreme ruler of China's martial world and established what became the Holy Sect.

The "martial world" was China's term for their magical society. Due to their millennia-old belief in central authority, their magic society had also produced the concept of a "martial supreme" or martial alliance leader—the nominal overlord of the martial world.

But when that overlord was a God slayer, it wasn't just a title anymore. They held actual control over the largest magical population and wealth pool in the world.

To remain independent in that environment—the Phoenix Mountain clan really had guts.

Although Hikigaya figured that was probably because the rumored Luo Hao was a massive shut-in.

Like Voban, Luo Hao wasn't a modern person. She was from the old days and hadn't shown herself to the world for over a hundred years. In fact, hardly anyone alive today had actually seen her.

No one even knew what she looked like—hell, people weren't even sure if she was male or female.

If Phoenix Mountain was even a bit remote, chances were this hardcore shut-in couldn't be bothered to go there.

But just because one God slayer wasn't interested didn't mean others wouldn't be.

"Sounds interesting. Got an address?" Hikigaya asked.

Yup, even if the great Luo Hao didn't want to go, he had no such issue. Since coming to this world and even in his old world, he'd never left Japan. 

Unlike Japan, China had a shadowy allied organization, which made communication easier. He could even get updates from Kusanagi Godou on whether he'd be moving.

Lately, he'd been bored out of his mind. If he waited any longer, he might start growing mold.

So it was settled—he'd go to Phoenix Mountain! Deliver the "package" named Yukinoshita Haruno! Do a little sightseeing! Bring back some souvenirs!