Chapter 42: Little Ke: How Am I Ugly? Look Me in the Eye!

Maki looked at Yehui’s imposing posture, as well as the strange, classical, and solemn long robe he wore.

Then there was Sakura’s battle outfit, which strongly resembled that of a cherry-blossom miko, and the rather strange-looking, somewhat ugly doll in her hands...

Maki was dumbfounded, standing frozen in place.

Like many ordinary people in the Sakura Country, she was not unfamiliar with the shrine attendants she had seen at various shrines.

Yet the two children before her had completely discarded their school uniform personas.

This contrast made her think they looked extremely adorable while inexplicably giving off a somewhat formidable vibe.

At that moment, Tomoyo walked up to the store manager.

"Hello, Sister Maki. Right now, I am—well, what I mean is, I have always been the exorcism manager for these two masters... If I may ask, why are you still here in the shop?"

"Eh? How professional, there's even a manager!"

Maki opened her eyes slightly, thinking subconsciously.

The thought in her mind also became much clearer.

She hesitated, wanting to speak yet holding back, but ultimately asked the question anyway.

"Umm... since ghosts and spirits really exist, I was wondering if you... could let me see my fiancé?"

Sakura, who had been trying to get into character and put on a serious front, instantly broke her composure.

∑(✘Д✘๑) Eh?!!!

"Sister Maki, is that the reason... why you've been waiting here in the shop for everyone?"

"Yes!"

A look of embarrassment appeared on Maki’s face. She hesitated slightly, yet gazed at the three of them with eager anticipation.

"Besides, I also wanted to know if that ghost who keeps bringing the sold toys back to the shop... is it him?"

Tomoyo, acting as the "manager," also broke character.

The two girls turned their heads simultaneously and looked at Yehui.

What should they do now?

The store manager's reaction was completely outside of their plan!

[Kinomoto Sakura Emotion Value +8]

[Daidouji Tomoyo Emotion Value +7]

[Keroberos Emotion Value +5]

Did they hype things up too much, to the point that Sister Maki actually believed it?

Yehui was also stunned for a split second.

Things had reached this point, and her first thought wasn't to hurriedly leave the store and wait for the exorcists to drive away the malevolent ghost?

Instead, she was wondering if she could catch one last glimpse of her deceased husband?

Tsk! A hopeless romantic is truly terrifying~

Through the system inventory, Yehui had made Maki believe that there were indeed hard-to-understand occurrences in this world.

She had also begun to suspect whether the so-called ghosts or resentful spirits might actually be her late fiancé.

After all, in the mythology of the Sakura Country, there were countless stories of the souls of the deceased lingering because of their obsessions, refusing to depart...

And as it happened, her fiancé had loved dolls very much when he was alive!

It all added up, every single piece fit together perfectly!

Precisely because of this, Maki, who had long since intended to live out the rest of her days alone, felt the desire to see her beloved grow stronger and stronger in her mind...

That was why she had waited until now, stubbornly holding out until their "exorcism team" returned, just to make this request.

Yehui found it difficult to understand this kind of train of thought.

Leaving aside the fact that Yehui was certain Clow Cards were at play here, even if there genuinely were a resentful spirit, did this young woman really want to stage a romance between a human and a ghost?

Anyone holding such thoughts in a horror movie would find it very difficult to survive until the end...

Yehui put on a serious expression. "Madam, please trust in our professionalism. Your fiancé has been gone for so long; in all likelihood, he has already attained Buddhahood..."

He had already sensed the area and confirmed there was indeed no lingering aura related to Maki.

Coupled with his knowledge of the plot, he could be one hundred percent certain that a Clow Card was causing the trouble.

Yehui shook his head.

Ignoring Maki’s dejected expression, he turned his gaze to Sakura.

"Sakura, use your shikigami to sense it..."

"Ah? What... oh, I mean, got it!"

Sakura, dressed in her miko battle outfit, pinched the mouth of the "magical doll" Kero in her hands.

At that moment, Kero really looked like a genuine doll, not even blinking an eye.

Only his mouth moved up and down.

"Master, there is no aura of a human soul, only the presence of an attached yokai..."

Tomoyo regained her composure, slipped back into her role as the manager, and smiled serenely. "Sister Maki, do you believe us now?"

"A doll... can talk?" Maki blinked her eyes, and then her weak voice sounded, "As for this... actually, I've seen ventriloquism acts before! That doll back then was also quite ugly, but yours seems... um, a bit cuter and uglier."

Sakura: ∑(O_O;)

Oh dear, how did she get exposed by Sister Maki right from the start?

Yehui was just about to patch things up.

At that moment, Kero suddenly broke free from Sakura's grip, flew up into mid-air, and shouted, "This is not a performance! And where am I ugly?! Saying something like that is going way too far! Look into my eyes! Where am I ugly?!"

Maki’s eyes widened, her pupils rapidly expanding.

With a stiff jerk, she passed out cold directly...

She fainted?

Tomoyo hurriedly rushed forward to support the limp form of Maki.

Yehui blinked at the side and gave Kero a thumbs-up. "Not bad, being able to scare someone into fainting just like that, you're quite impressive."

Kero scratched his head. "Not at all, not at all..."

Was Yehui, who was usually at odds with him, actually praising him?

[Keroberos Emotion Value +24]

Kero stood in a daze for a long while.

The tables had turned.

He finally reacted.

Wait, was this even praise?

Wasn't this completely mocking him?!

Sakura was also dumbfounded as she watched from the sidelines.

Although the outcome was different from what she had imagined.

Still, it seemed to have circled right back to Yehui’s original plan.

Knocking Store Manager Maki unconscious with a talisman versus scaring her unconscious with Kero...

Was there any difference between these two methods?

Sakura asked, "So what should we do now...?"

Yehui replied, "Let's start immediately. Sakura, get ready to strike at any moment, and remember not to use the wrong talisman!"

"As for Kero and me, we'll start tracking the location of the Clow Card."

"Why are you the one giving orders?" Kero gave a light huff, then flapped his wings and flew toward the pile of dolls. "Huh? It really seems like there's the aura of a Clow Card..."

Mid-sentence, his eyes suddenly widened.

Yehui nonchalantly shifted his gaze away from Kero's backside.

"Ah, as expected, they're just dolls, there's nothing here at all~ Alright Kero, keep sensing, I still need to film Sakura..."

Tomoyo was busy settling Store Manager Maki at the moment.

Therefore, the task of filming Sakura was temporarily taken over by Yehui.

[Keroberos Emotion Value +8]

Kero gritted his teeth, glaring angrily at Yehui.

However, the latter was already looking around the surroundings.

He was sensing the "spiritual energy" and "treasure glow" of the place.

Wherever his gaze landed,

clusters of light gradually became clearer...

"Huh, what is this?"

Yehui saw the system log refreshing.

[You followed the protagonist of heaven and earth, Kinomoto Sakura, to explore a mystic realm. Her destiny passed the check, triggering the grand protective array of the Ancient Puppet Sect.]

[You have entered the ancient sect ruins.]

[You have unlocked a new map: "Puppet Mystic Realm." You can scavenge mechanism-crafting materials, ores, and mystic treasures in this map...]

"Oh? A new map really unlocked?"

Yehui was also quite surprised.

Earlier, he had joked that acting together with Sakura might grant a hidden boost to his luck attribute.

He hadn't expected that pulling a stunt like this would actually trigger it!