Two Worlds, Starting with Kaguya of Penglai Mountain

There's simply no way to process Hanami Anzu further.

Conversely, even worse news is—

As time went on, and as Hanami Anna went longer and longer without eating real modern food, her memories of these foods became increasingly blurry.

The human brain has never been able to store all data.

Its records of information about items are fragmented and scattered, and it only remembers the characteristics.

Identifying things in daily life is no problem, but if you treat it as a database and extract data, then there's plenty of fun to be had.

The human brain's ability to forget and confuse over time is far greater than most people imagine.

For example, the potato chips that Anna Hanami often eats are now starting to taste distorted in terms of both texture and color.

She knew something was definitely wrong, but because that was the taste in her head, she couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the error.

If this continues for a few more months, as Hanami's memory becomes increasingly blurred, the potato chips in her hand will also become increasingly strange.

Now, Banami can only force herself to eat the same food repeatedly, accumulating impressions in her mind to ensure that she can always materialize things.

Eating the same food once is enjoyable, but eating it hundreds or thousands of times would really drive you crazy.

"It feels like I've already eaten enough for a lifetime."

Banami, who has been eating potato chips with every meal lately, tilted her head and looked utterly dejected.

The thought of having to eat this kind of disgusting food all the time made the girl feel like her life was going to be ruined.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Then, it's really cheap for you to have met me."

He started to complain about the girl in front of him.

Anna Hachimi: "Same here, Kurokawa. You're the same. You've been transported to another world but still want to keep playing games. You said you came to help me catch wild game, but Kurokawa, you're actually here to sneak in your own agenda, aren't you?"

The blue-haired girl squinted at Kurokawa and Mi with a mocking glance.

In order to catch suitable game, the two were trying to catch some edible meat in the bamboo forest not far from the village hut during their spare time.

And if you were to ask them what their actual job was today—

From their current vantage point, they could see a house in the distance that seemed completely out of place with the architectural style of this era.

Above the house, on a plaque, are written several large characters.

——"Game Experience Store"

The house is decorated in a completely modern style, and the design was created with the help of Yoshiki Kurokawa, Kazuya's younger sister.

Marble floors, pure white walls, a spacious hall, and simple modern furniture.

There are three computers inside the shop.

Several well-dressed men sat in front of the computer, watching the screen intently.

They were nobles from the city who had come to play the game because of its reputation.

When Kaguya Houraisan said she would help with promotion, she really did.

The girl used her beauty and reputation to promote Kurokawa Kazuya's products.

In short, Kaguya Houraisan personally visited the "game experience store" and was subsequently seen appearing engrossed in video games.

Then, everything fell into place naturally.

Accompanied by the servants who lived around Kaguya's mansion on Mount Hourai, she turned and informed her master of her whereabouts.

This previously deserted game experience store, despite its exceptionally high entrance fee, quickly attracted countless visitors.

In this situation, even if there is nothing in the small house, the mere fact that Kaguya Houraisan visited can still make a fortune.

Moreover, Kurokawa Kazuya himself is also a thing or two.

This is thanks to the lack of entertainment in this era.

Even a visual novel that simply combines text, music, and visuals is enough to deliver a game-changing experience.

The story of a murderer and the True Ancestor Princess's love-hate relationship, the darkness of their families, and the struggles of men and women—it must be said that although all of this takes place in modern times, it is quite fitting for our era.

Many children from large families feel a deep sense of identification with this.

They originally came for Princess Kaguya, but after a few hours of playing, they quickly became immersed in the story.

Anna Hanami: "Kurokawa, you must be very happy to see this."

The blue-haired girl looked at the boy gazing into the distance and spoke in a tone that sounded somewhat disapproving.

Her voice drew Kurokawa Kazuya's attention back from the distance.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "It's not easy for Her Highness to agree to help with the publicity, so it's normal for me to take this opportunity to try out the setup of a Shinto ceremony."

He adjusted his expression, turned to look at Anna Hanami and spoke.

Monks preach the Buddha and his teachings, while shamans introduce the deities they serve.

Just as Shinto needed to establish its own illusory image, Kurokawa Kazuya also needed to formulate doctrines and corresponding myths that conformed to his own beliefs.

Considering the general level of morality in this world.

A virtual image that truly interacts with reality—who knows what it will become after collecting faith?

Defining one's virtual self as a "god of games and entertainment"—a god who won't have much impact on reality—would likely make things go more smoothly.

However, the blue-haired girl standing to the side only glanced at Kurokawa Kazuya as she listened to his words.

Anna Hanami: "But I think Kurokawa, you just want to do it."

The blue-haired girl didn't hesitate to expose Kurokawa Kazuya's little thoughts and state of mind.

They said they made the game so that Kaguya Houraisan could continue to protect them.

They said that Kaguya of Houraisan was willing to assist them, spreading their faith and cultivating the Shinto of this world through the creation of games.

But in the end, it was actually Kurokawa Kazuya who had his own agenda: he wanted to continue making games.

Just like Anna Hanami is struggling with her food choices.

Kazuya Kurokawa is also struggling with the game he's making, and his struggles are far more pronounced than those of Hanami.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "This is just an experiment."

Just as the other party said, after the option of continuing to make the game was given.

Kurokawa Kazuya made this choice almost without thinking, and he put in considerable enthusiasm.

After that conversation, I went into overdrive, pulling in my partner from the modern world to finish the other routes of "Tsukihime" in a short period of time.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "If you have the chance, it's always better to do something you're interested in than something you're not. After all, the time we're going to spend on this is at least several decades, not to mention..."

Kurokawa Kazuya had no idea what kind of unwavering will normal cultivators possessed.

But he couldn't overestimate his own will.

Cultivation in the extraordinary world is essentially no different from conducting research in the normal world.

It offers low immediate feedback, slow results demonstration, and requires a long and seemingly endless effort.

When Kurokawa Kazuya was in school in his previous life, he couldn't even manage to stay away from his phone and do endless practice problems every day.

He found it hard to believe that he could endure such tedious training day after day for decades, all for the sake of returning home, and persevere to this end.

As time goes by, giving up after feelings fade is probably the natural outcome.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "This is also so that I can maintain my belief in going home."

He emphasized this quietly to Anna Hanami beside him.

By choosing the path of game development, he has always needed to stay connected with the modern world and require the help of a complete modern game industry system.

The communication between the two parties will not stop, and the feelings between them can be maintained through communication.

This is actually the most important thing for Kurokawa Kazuya now.

Relationships need to be nurtured to last.

Otherwise, even if it is maintained, it will turn into an obsessive and extreme thing.

Kazuya Kurokawa is not only afraid of losing his feelings for the people and things in modern society, but also afraid that the people in the other world will lose their feelings for him in the same way.

When you realize that all the relationships you had in modern society have disappeared with the passage of time.

What would be the point of going back then?

In this way, Kurokawa Kazuya is constantly establishing connections with another world for himself.

Anna Hanami: "Kurokawa, you always have a set of reasons to give."

The blue-haired beauty looked ahead, her fluffy hair swaying in the wind, and her usually energetic face, which resembled an emoji, miraculously became peaceful.

It's neither the aloofness I used to know, nor the boisterousness I've been familiar with lately.

At this moment, Banami looked into the distance and felt a strange sense of peace.

Anna Hanami: "Then I should be able to do the same. Don't you think that pursuing delicious food helps me maintain my belief in going home?"

Kazuya Kurokawa: "That does sound plausible."

Nodding, Kurokawa Kazuya didn't really refute the other party at this point.

Anna Hanami: "I've decided to open a restaurant with a similar decor to yours, Kurokawa. It will be right across from your restaurant, so that these nobles can come and eat at my restaurant after they finish playing your game."

The blue-haired girl seems to have finally started planning for the future.

Then she turned her head to look at Kurokawa Kazuya and found that he seemed to have been looking at her with a strange gaze since the beginning.

Anna Hanami: "Is there a problem?"

Noticing Kurokawa Kazuya's gaze, the blue-haired girl turned her head and asked in return.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Emmmm..."

Considering the current situation with Hanami, he knew he had to get involved. After a half-second of silence, Kurokawa Kazuya spoke:

"While I really want to support Banana meeting you, are you sure you can actually cook this dish?"

Being a cook is physically demanding work.

It's not that Kurokawa Kazuya doesn't believe in Hanami Anna's cooking skills... well, he just doesn't believe in her cooking skills.

The popular and beautiful girl, Anna Yanami, is someone who, even with the help of modern facilities, can't make very tasty food in her home economics class.

Expecting the other party to immediately make something delicious under the current circumstances is no less difficult than them immediately traveling back to the modern era.

Anna Hanami: "Kurokawa, are you becoming less and less respectful to me?"

The girl, casually standing with one hand on her hip, turned her head and looked at Kurokawa Kazuya with a slanted gaze.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "No, I'm just stating the facts. So, are you really planning to be the cook yourself, Hanami? Chopping vegetables and tossing woks from morning till night?"

Hanami Anna: "I can hire people to cook, and then use my extensive culinary experience to guide them."

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Simply put, you're in charge of eating, right?"

Anna Hanami: "Say what you want."

The easygoing blue-haired girl decided to ignore Kurokawa Kazuya's sarcastic remarks.

She turned and walked towards the bamboo forest behind her, one step ahead of Kurokawa Kazuya.

Hanami Anza: "I already have an idea for the restaurant's first dish. With fewer seasonings, I'll definitely make something simple. I remember my mom used to make me a steamed chicken with only salt, but it tasted amazing."

The wind rustled through the bamboo grove.

In the undeveloped wilderness, the faint sound of flowing water can be heard in the distance.

Seeing that Anzu was deliberately quickening her pace, with her back to Kurokawa Kazuya, Hana took the lead and began to chatter incessantly:

"Actually, when I came here, I heard from the villagers that there were pheasants in this bamboo forest. I wanted to give you a surprise, Kurokawa, but I don't know why we haven't found them yet."

Kurokawa Kazuya followed behind the other, intending to complain about where the chickens in the bamboo forest came from.

But as I walked forward, I suddenly felt water droplets falling on my face.

Is it raining?

My gaze fell upon water droplets carried by the wind ahead.

He opened his mouth and simply changed the subject.