"Auntie Fumizuki, this is my sister, Remilia Scarlet, and these are the friends who came with her!"
Flandre introduced her sister proudly, her small hands resting on her hips.
Since Flandre had mentioned her older sister on previous occasions, Lady Fumizuki had already deduced her identity.
"I've heard Flandre speak of her all-powerful older sister many times; it is a true honor to meet you in person, Miss Remilia," Fumizuki said with a gentle, refined smile.
"Flandre tends to exaggerate," Remilia replied, performing an exquisite, perfectly poised lady's curtsy. "I possess merely a few modest abilities. I have also heard Flandre speak often of the gracious care you have shown her, and on behalf of the Scarlet family, I offer you my heartfelt gratitude."
"Eh~~~ What are you two doing?" Flandre's small head popped out between them, her eyes darting back and forth. "Didn't Auntie Fumizuki come over to pick up the drunk people?"
"Right, right," Lady Fumizuki chuckled softly, completely unbothered by Flandre's interruption as she glanced into the private room. "Leave those three to me. If the rest of your party would like to tour Lungmen tonight, I would be delighted to arrange a guided itinerary for you."
As she looked into the parlor, her eyes suddenly locked onto the tall, golden-haired woman with prominent red horns standing near the table.
A momentary flash of genuine surprise flickered across Fumizuki's face before she glanced back down at Hoshiguma, who was currently slumped face-down across the mahogany table inside.
The physical similarities between the two Oni were utterly striking—so much so that even Fumizuki, who knew Hoshiguma inside and out, nearly mistook them for long-lost blood sisters for a fleeting second, despite the difference in hair color.
"Although I am originally from Higashi and Lungmen maintains a very open policy toward our countrymen, seeing an Oni warrior of such stature is still a rare sight," Fumizuki noted smoothly, addressing the stranger directly. "Since you are Flandre's honored guest, please make yourself at home and enjoy everything Lungmen has to offer."
Hoshiguma Yuugi offered a crisp, approving nod in response.
Without needing to be asked, Yuugi stepped into the room, effortlessly scooped up Ch'en, Hoshiguma, and Beatrice all at once, and helped Fumizuki carry the three incapacitated officers out to the waiting SUV.
"Thank you very much," Fumizuki said, dusting off her gloves with practiced elegance that belied her status as the Governor's wife.
"Think nothing of it!" Yuugi cupped her fists, shaking them in a traditional warrior's salute before stepping back into the group.
"Will the rest of your party require fleet transport to your accommodations?" Fumizuki asked, surveying the substantial crowd with mild curiosity.
"I'm taking Big Sister and everyone to Flower Village tomorrow!" Flandre piped up. "Sister Beatrice already promised she would arrange private vehicles for us."
"That is good to hear. However, winter roads can be quite slick, so please travel safely," Fumizuki reached out, gently tapping Flandre's nose with a fond smile. "And do make sure to dress warmly."
With a final nod to Remilia, Fumizuki got into the driver's seat and drove off under everyone's watchful eyes.
"That Governor's wife is quite an intriguing individual," Junko remarked softly once the tail lights vanished down the avenue.
"Indeed," Yuugi nodded beside her. "She possesses an exceptionally keen sense of boundaries and diplomatic poise."
As for the hidden shadow ninjas who had been flitting across the surrounding rooftops since the group stepped out of the restaurant, everyone present had long since noticed them. However, no one bothered bringing it up. To entities of their stature, those concealed guards might have felt stealthy to ordinary mortals, but to a group of ancient deities and great youkai, they might as well have been standing directly under a streetlight in bright red robes.
"What shall we do next?" Hecatia asked, looking around the illuminated street.
"Over this way!" Flandre pointed down the boulevard with a bright grin. "Just one block over is Lungmen Square, and right now is the absolute liveliest time of the night! Didn't everyone want to experience real life in Lungmen? I think that place is perfect!"
"A night market?" Fujiwara no Mokou looked up at the dim evening sky, her interest visibly piqued. "Shall we go take a look? Come to think of it, I haven't strolled through a bustling night market in ages."
Having watched Flandre's daily life through the scrying mirror back home, the Gensokyo delegation already knew that Lungmen's nocturnal bustle was far more grand and vibrant than anything in Gensokyo or the mortal villages outside.
Although Komeiji Satori normally detested massive crowds—since walking into a dense human gathering was, for a mind-reader, equivalent to stepping into a roaring produce market with a high-decibel loudspeaker strapped to her ears—that didn't mean she lacked a solution.
Reaching up, Satori tapped the delicate organ resting against her side. Flandre watched in genuine shock as the third eye on Satori's chest slowly closed its lid halfway.
"Eh?!" Flandre gasped, her eyes wide. She knew full well that once Koishi's eye had closed, it had locked shut forever, and her friend had mentioned more than once how impossible it was to reverse.
"It is merely a simple perceptual filter, not a permanent closure like my sister's," Satori explained with a gentle smile, sensing Flandre's alarm. After all, as an active leader in Gensokyo, she still needed to socialize without causing discomfort. Because mortals instinctively harbor subconscious resistance around a Satori who can read their every secret, she had developed this precise dampening technique specifically to enjoy normal conversations.
Reassured, Flandre turned on her heel and eagerly led the procession toward Lungmen Square.
The avenue they were walking on was already a major commercial artery, packed with bustling pedestrians coming and going. Yet, when they reached the far intersection and turned the corner, the grand vista of Lungmen Square opened up before them—and the entire Gensokyo delegation gasped in unanimous wonder.
"The east wind blows open thousands of flowers in the night, and stars fall like rain... Precious horses and carved carriages scent the road, the phoenix flute sounds, the jade pot turns, and all night the fish and dragons dance..." Junko crossed her arms, her eyes filled with genuine admiration as she recited the ancient verse. "I originally assumed those poetic accounts from Great Yan were mere literary exaggerations... but beholding it in the flesh, it is truly breathtaking."
Junko had seen her fair share of grand festival nights in the mortal realm, but compared to the brilliant, luminous ocean of lights and humanity cascading across Lungmen Square, both the scale and the overwhelming vitality of this city were in a league of their own. Even though it was the deep dead of winter and the coastal wind was bitter cold, the vast square was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, the collective warmth radiating from tens of thousands of joyful shoppers completely warding off the winter chill.
"Hmm? Why is everyone standing there dazed?" Flandre, thoroughly accustomed to the spectacle, didn't share their shock in the slightest. Impatient to explore, she grabbed Koishi by the hand and darted straight into the bustling sea of people.
"Slow down, Flandre!" Remilia called out as she snapped back to her senses, shaking her head with a fond sigh as her younger sister vanished into the vibrant crowd.
"Children love excitement; let them run wild for a bit," Mokou chuckled, stepping forward into the grand avenue. "Truth be told, I haven't walked through a festival crowd like this in centuries. Shall we go in?"
The rest of the party fell into step behind her, stepping into the warm, illuminated market.
"Tell me," Junko mused as she walked alongside Hecatia, watching a pair of young Cautus children with long, fluffy ears chase a small Lupo child past a brightly lit food stall, "if youkai could truly coexist and live peacefully like this, wouldn't that be a wonderful outcome?"
It was her first time witnessing a rabbit spirit energetically chasing a wolf spirit through a crowd. A rabbit chasing a wolf... even if they were merely young children, the complete inversion of standard biological predation made the ancient deity feel like her basic understanding of natural classification was melting away.
"That is not necessarily realistic," Hecatia reminded her gently, a wry smile touching her lips. "Youkai are fundamentally far more chaotic, selfish, and indulgent than ordinary mortals. Think back to when Yukari Yakumo rallied the youkai horde to launch an assault on the Moon—how many of those wild creatures actually bothered following a single order?"
Junko paused, reflecting on the historical Lunar invasion, and couldn't help but chuckle softly. Indeed, when Yukari Yakumo had led the youkai to war against the Lunar Capital, aside from opening the boundary gap and letting the chaotic horde charge forward like a broken dam, there hadn't been a single trace of military strategy or discipline involved whatsoever.