Unexpected Encounters on the Rooftops and a Grand Stage

Lately, it seemed her schedule had grown increasingly demanding. Using the power of shadows, Liu Yu leaped continuously between the towering buildings. Her agile movements were so swift that passersby usually only caught a fleeting glimpse of a dark silhouette before it vanished from sight. Her destination was the Eastchuan Cultural and Creative Park, the same place she had visited yesterday, where Mu Yan’s studio was located. Having received a call while at school, Liu Yu suddenly remembered her job for quick cash. So anxious was she that she abandoned her classes, rushing away from Villy.

She had initially intended to travel on the ground, but her excessive speed during her last trip had startled people and nearly caused a traffic accident. Therefore, this time, she decided to become a rather unconventional figure scaling the city’s towering buildings.

“Y-y-you… h-hello… would it be too much trouble for you to descend from that box?”

“You brat, if you’re determined to die, don’t drag me down with you.”

A clear, somewhat fragile voice belonging to a young boy broke the silence, immediately followed by the panicked cry of an older man.

Liu Yu, who had temporarily found a rooftop to check her navigation, tucked her phone back into her pocket. She turned around, crossing her arms, and looked down at the peculiar duo of old and young.

The boy appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen, his youthful face still retaining a trace of chubby baby fat. This, coupled with his nervous expression, unconsciously made one want to tease him.

As for the other one…

“Ugh… you stinky uncle, how long has it been since you last showered? You’re absolutely disgusting.”

Liu Yu covered her nose. A nauseating medley of strange odors emanated from the middle-aged man.

“I’m so sorry, so very sorry. It is my gravest disrespect to offend your eyes with my uncleanliness. We will leave immediately, at once.”

He prostrated himself with a bewildering intensity. After speaking, the uncle hastily pulled the boy towards the rooftop stairwell. However, they clearly fell into a dispute, faint sounds of their quarrel echoing. Eventually, the boy shook off the uncle’s hand and once again ran to stand before Liu Yu.

“Please, return our things to us.”

‘Things? What things? Was this iron box beneath her feet truly so important to them?’

“Heh heh.”

A flicker of mischief ignited within her, momentarily eclipsing all thoughts of Mu Yan’s studio. Liu Yu sat on the edge of the box, swinging her legs, and mocked, “You claim it’s yours, so it’s yours? I see no name written upon it. Judging by your furtive behavior, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d stolen it from somewhere.”

“It is ours, we didn’t steal it! Don’t you dare falsely accuse us…”

The boy’s face flushed crimson, his expression simmering with indignation, yet utterly speechless. This sight gave Liu Yu a distinct thrill of teasing.

‘However, was she perhaps going too far?’

Catching sight of a few teardrops sliding from the corner of the boy’s eye, Liu Yu felt an immediate pang of awkwardness. Her usual dynamic with Villy clearly couldn’t be applied to others. ‘Children truly are a bother,’ Liu Yu mused, ‘always so quick to tears.’ She wanted to step forward and offer comfort, yet couldn’t quite bring herself to lose face. Just as she found herself at an utter loss, the nauseating stench wafted over once more.

“Greetings, esteemed one—”

The uncle bellowed with surprising vigor, covering the distance in a few rapid strides. He then prostrated himself fully, his body flat against the rooftop, and sobbed, “Please, I beg you, spare this child. He is merely an ignorant orphan who has offended you. Please, as a person of such great magnanimity, forgive this child.”

‘Do I really appear so terrifying to outsiders?’ Liu Yu’s smile froze. Being treated like some monstrous terror was far from pleasant. Anyone unaware of the context might assume she was abusing her position.

“Hmph!”

The girl, finding herself in an awkward predicament, let out a cold snort, causing the uncle, still prostrate on the ground, to tremble visibly.

“Considering your sincerity, I shall overlook this transgression for now. But if you dare to disturb me again, you will certainly regret it.”

Uttering these utterly mortifying lines, Liu Yu seized the moment while she could still maintain her composure and quickly fled.

“Is she gone?”

The man lay motionless on the ground, not daring to draw a full breath.

“Gone…”

“Oh, you brat, do you have any idea how dangerous that was just now? You actually dared to act on your own and approach that thing! Luckily, I had a sudden stroke of genius and managed to placate it, otherwise, we would have met our demise right here today.”

The uncle rose to his feet and immediately launched into a furious scolding of the boy.

“Was she really that scary? She could communicate normally…” the boy retorted, unconvinced.

“Heh heh, you didn’t fall for that ‘painted skin’ act, did you?” The teasing laughter made the boy’s face flush crimson. Then the uncle’s voice became exceptionally low and sinister: “Don’t dream. For those monsters, appearance is merely a customizable option. God knows what terrifying abomination their true form is. You’d probably be scared to death the moment you laid eyes on it.”

“Sigh… this city grows more chaotic by the day. We must accelerate our plan. Lord Ghost King is still awaiting our reply, after all. Kid, stop being in heat, and come quickly to move the necessary items inside.”

“Who’s in heat?”

“Heh heh… Interesting, truly interesting.”

****

After being delayed for a while, Liu Yu finally reached the park entrance. The moment she stepped through the entrance, an eerily unsettling atmosphere enveloped her. The pedestrians on the road seemed to have been inexplicably frozen, all stopping, then fixing their gazes upon her. Their familiar expressions instantly reminded Liu Yu of the living dolls she had encountered twice before.

‘Will this never end?’ Liu Yu complained, bracing herself for combat. But unexpectedly, the crowd didn’t immediately attack her as they had before; instead, they began to clap rhythmically.

“Clap—clap—clap—clap clap clap clap!”

As the applause grew more enthusiastic, a dazzling, effulgent stage dramatically surged from the earth. Simultaneously, a billowing mist, akin to a furious tide, surged inward from all sides, instantly engulfing the entire park.

“Ugh… I can’t see.”

When Liu Yu’s vision finally returned to normal, a statuesque man in a leather jacket and top hat stood poised in the center of the brightly lit stage. Despite the considerable distance, she could discern every detail of the man’s appearance with perfect clarity.

Noticing the girl’s gaze, the man snapped his fingers sharply, and spotlights converged on his position, illuminating his figure with exceptional brilliance. An audacious grin graced his sculpted face. He elegantly executed a graceful doffing of his hat to the assembled crowd.

In that instant, it was as if even the air itself seemed to solidify. Immediately after, the crowd erupted in even more fervent cheers and applause, finally dispelling the remaining mist.

“Miroku! Miroku! Miroku!”

Facing the audience’s enthusiastic shouts, the man placed his index finger to his lips, making a ‘shush’ gesture. Then, he walked to the edge of the stage, extending a hand to the grey-haired girl below, inviting her: “My beautiful little lady, would you deign to share a dance with me on this humble stage?”

‘What in the world is this?’ Liu Yu was completely disoriented. She now found herself in a vast theater with no visible boundaries. The tall buildings that should have been there were replaced by rows of seats, filled with fervent spectators, clapping non-stop and calling the man’s name.

‘…Where did all these people come from?’ Liu Yu looked utterly confused. Theoretically, even if all the people nearby were gathered, they wouldn’t fill a corner of this theater. Yet, the number of individuals present far exceeded any normal limits. She had considered the possibility of it being an illusion, but her intuition told her that every single one of these people was a real human being.

“My lovely little lady, would you be willing to share a dance with me?”

The man, whom the audience called Miroku, extended his invitation once more. Even though he had been left hanging, his handsome face showed no trace of impatience.

‘Should she punch him, or should she punch him?’ Faced with the inexplicable invitation, Liu Yu could guess, even with Villy’s characteristically flat tone, that accepting his invitation would undoubtedly lead to something unpredictable. If that was the case…

The ambient shadows began to coalesce and stir. An immense surge of power began to gather within Liu Yu’s outstretched hand.

‘My apologies. Please just lie on the ground for now, Mr. Miroku, whoever you are.’

Having made up her mind, Liu Yu threw a punch at Miroku’s chest. It met no resistance, as effortlessly as tearing a sheet of paper, her fist passing clean through his torso.