Element detected? NTR in progress

Reg put away his shy feelings; this was a time for serious business, not dwelling on unnecessary thoughts.

Akyuu, who was walking ahead, holding his hand tightly and not letting go, seemed to be pondering what to say next, not directly answering Reg’s question.

Keine watched, growing increasingly displeased, looking as if she wanted to kill Akyuu.

Tightly held by Akyuu’s warm little hand, Reg was somewhat flustered as he was led into the Hieda family courtyard, which was filled with the scent of books and a peaceful atmosphere.

Akyuu didn’t say much, only instructing the maids to quickly prepare hot water and clean clothes.

“Lady, your vitality is truly impressive, isn’t it? I heard the news of your house fire this morning, and when you arrived, you had many burns, but they were gone in no time?”

Strange? It was only then that Reg realized when his life force had become so terrifying.

All his burns had vanished without a trace, and now, delicate, smooth skin had grown back. A mole seemed to have appeared on his face.

After a rushed but detailed cleaning, Reg changed into a spare deep-blue cloth uniform belonging to a Hieda family servant. Although slightly loose, he had finally washed away the soot and distress, revealing his original clean, refined appearance.

Akyuu stood on her tiptoes, carefully adjusting his slightly messy collar and hair, a gentle smile on her face.

“You finally look presentable.”

Akyuu stepped back, nodding with satisfaction. She then changed the subject with a girl’s excitement.

“Reg-kun, since you happened to visit for the first time since you came of age, why don’t we… practice dancing? The village dance festival is in a few days, and it would be a bit boring to go alone.”

“Dancing?”

Reg was stunned, instinctively wanting to take a step back. This made his heart pound more than facing a Youkai.

“Teacher Akyuu, I—I don’t know how, and I’m clumsy… And with me being like this, can I really dance with you? Many people in the village are pursuing you.”

“It doesn’t matter… I don’t like those suitors at all. I’d rather find a pleasant dance partner. Compared to dancing with those men in the past, I’d rather find a female partner.”

Akyuu was trying to convince Reg to accompany her to the dance. In the past, Reg had always refused every time Akyuu suggested it.

The reason Reg was afraid of dancing was that holding hands inevitably meant entanglement. What if the sacrificial fire suddenly exploded, or the ground shook violently from his steps, or even a meteor suddenly fell, just like yesterday?

“But the problem is I can’t dance. I don’t even know the village’s festival dance.”

Reg hurriedly refused again. With so many refusals already, one or two more wouldn’t matter.

Akyuu seemed to have anticipated this, her tone relaxed.

“It’s very simple. I’ll teach you. Consider it… a celebration of both of us coming of age?”

Her eyes sparkled. Without giving Reg another chance to refuse, she pulled him to an open flagstone area in the courtyard.

“Come, just follow my steps.”

Akyuu gently hummed a common village tune and began to demonstrate a few basic dance steps.

Her movements were light and elegant, carrying a serene charm unusual for her apparent age.

Reg tried hard to imitate her, but his body was stiff as a log. His limbs were uncoordinated, and his movements were clumsy and comical.

He nervously watched his feet, terrified of stepping on Akyuu’s foot or tripping himself.

Just then, a gentle voice sounded from the veranda.

“The arc of your arms could be more extended, Reg-kun. Your body’s axis needs to be stable; don’t sway so much.”

Keine had settled onto the low bench under the eaves at some point. She still held her scrolls, her face adorned with her usual, impeccable gentle smile. Her gaze, however, was focused on the movements of the two in the courtyard, especially the subtle distance between Reg and Akyuu.

Akyuu’s movement paused imperceptibly, but she maintained her calm expression, pretending not to hear, and continued to softly instruct Reg.

“Good, left foot forward, then right foot follows… Pay attention to the shift of your center of gravity.”

“Is… is it like this?”

Reg grew even more nervous. Teacher Keine’s gaze made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and his movements became even stiffer.

He struggled to recall Akyuu’s previous movements, trying to focus his attention on his footwork.

Keine’s voice chimed in again at the right moment, offering guidance.

“Reg-kun, use your core to drive your whole body. Only using your legs makes you too stiff. Come, try it like this…”

She even stood up slightly, appearing ready to demonstrate herself. She tried to directly bump Akyuu aside and take Reg’s hand.

Reg was distracted by Keine’s voice and subconsciously tried to use his core as she instructed.

He was completely unaware that his dance partner had changed. Keine, meanwhile, stared at Reg with a serious intensity.

“That Keine!”

Akyuu winced, rubbing her hip. She glared angrily at Keine, who had suddenly stolen her dance partner.

Keine instantly blocked Reg’s hearing with her Youki, partially dulling his sense of sound.

Akyuu was furious. After scrambling up from the ground, she rushed at Keine without a word, fists clenched, swinging like a small whirlwind. She yelled,

“Keine, you bad person, give Reg-kun back to me!”

Her fist went straight for Keine’s cheek, but Keine, being a Youkai, reacted incredibly swiftly. She effortlessly raised one leg to block, catching Akyuu’s fist firmly with just her sole, her other leg remaining stable, as if playing around.

At the same time, her other hand held tightly to Reg’s hand, and her feet continued the dance steps lightly.

Keine turned to Reg and said gently,

“Reg-kun, don’t be distracted. Close your eyes, surrender your entire being to me, and just focus on feeling the rhythm.”

Reg, already nervous and accustomed to obeying Keine, obediently closed his eyes, concentrating hard on the dance movements.

Akyuu’s punches rained down like a storm, yet they were all easily blocked by Keine’s single leg, making muffled thudding sounds.

Reg faintly heard some commotion, and his unease grew. While moving his feet stiffly, he asked,

“Teacher Keine, what… what is that sound? It sounds like someone is fighting?”

Keine smiled slightly, her voice calm.

“Oh, that’s just the sound of the accompaniment. Don’t worry about it, just concentrate on the dancing.”

With that, she slightly raised the tune she was humming, covering the other sounds.

Reg was focused on mimicking her steps, afraid of making a mistake, so he didn’t give it any more thought, nodding and continuing to clumsily move his body to the rhythm.

Why does this feel so much like throwing a punch? That’s strange. Does dancing need to be like fighting? Reg instantly grasped this idea, and immediately, his dance moves became more aggressive. However, Keine was able to adapt to this new rhythm.

Akyuu grew angrier at the sight, yelling while fiercely attacking, but Keine remained composed. The courtyard was left with only the sound of the dance rhythm and Akyuu’s heavy breathing.

“You fool!”

Akyuu’s angry shout echoed in the courtyard, but Reg’s hearing was still being blocked by Keine’s Youki. He could only vaguely sense some vibrations. Coordinating with the elevated tune Keine was humming, he actually found the accompaniment more intense and exciting.

Guided by Keine and his own combat-oriented understanding, his dance steps became increasingly expansive and clumsy, but brave.

His feet were constantly moving and dodging.

Keine held Reg’s hand, her movements fluid as clouds and flowing water. She effortlessly led him in turns and steps around the courtyard, skillfully using her footwork to evade Akyuu’s continuous punches and kicks.

Akyuu’s attacks were like a dense shower. Her punches and kicks whistled through the air, but each time they were about to hit Keine or Reg, Keine would casually side-step, raise a hand, or use a firmly planted foot to accurately block or parry the attack.

“Kei! Ne!”

Akyuu gnashed her teeth, stomping her foot in frustration after Keine easily parried another straight punch with her calf.

“You’re too sly!”

She saw Reg, eyes closed, seriously swaying to Keine’s rhythm in their combat-style dance, completely oblivious to the skirmish around him. This only fueled her anger further.

She circled to their side and swung her fist again, aiming for Keine’s wrist, which was holding Reg’s hand.

Keine seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. She gently pulled Reg’s hand, allowing him to complete a half-turn and cleverly making Akyuu’s attack miss again.

Reg cooperated with the turn, muttering,

“This rhythm… it really feels like fighting.”

He felt his body warming up, his nervousness lessening. He was even somewhat immersed in the sense of power and rhythm Keine was guiding.

Seeing that physical attacks were ineffective, Akyuu’s small face flushed crimson.

She stood in place, hands on her hips, her chest heaving violently. She looked at Reg, who was dancing with increasing immersion to the accompaniment, and Keine, who was feigning serious instruction while inwardly smiling with triumph. She was too furious to speak.

She knew she couldn’t defeat Keine, who was a Youkai, and Reg was completely in the dark.

The courtyard was left only with Keine’s light humming, the sound of their feet on the flagstones, and Akyuu’s own heavy breathing.

A feeling of desolation instantly washed over Akyuu.

Was this NTR? And in this manner?

A sense of despair instantly flooded her heart. The distance between humans and Youkai was ultimately an unbridgeable one…

How desperately Akyuu wished at this moment that her body was stronger than a Youkai’s!

After the dance ended, Reg vaguely noticed that Keine was holding his hand.

“Teacher Keine? Wasn’t Akyuu my dance partner just now?”

“Gensokyo is a place where common sense cannot apply. The fact that I was able to hold your hand might just be fate. There’s no need to overthink it.”

Keine gently flicked Reg’s head with her hand, then gracefully sat down on the side again.

“Tch…”

Akyuu, who had been sitting and resting for quite a while, no longer had the heart to suggest dancing again. She could only stare blankly at everything.

In Gensokyo, things that cannot be understood should simply be ignored.

Reg also lived by this attitude. Although his dance partner had changed, it didn’t seem to have a major impact.

While Reg felt the solo dance was quite good, he had no intention of attending the actual festival dance a few days later.

It was just a change of dance partner, and Reg didn’t feel he needed to care too much.