Gensokyo's Dimensional Black Shop

Page 55

"It's all because of Huiyin..." Meihong muttered, sitting down in the chair.

"Huiyin... is that the friend you mentioned who runs a private school in the Human Village?" After recalling the social network diagram of Gensokyo, Byakuya asked, "What happened to her?"

"She felt that in recent years, students have become less and less energetic in her classes, which must be because the textbooks are outdated. She also remembered that when I told her about your situation before, I mentioned that you could buy anything here, so she wanted me to come and see if you had any suitable textbooks for beginners." After Bai Ye opened up the conversation, Mei Hong began to pour out her troubles to him.

"Uh..." Bai Ye was stunned for a moment.

It seems he really can't get textbooks... What kind of grocery store would be so bored as to compete with a bookstore for business?

He does have some books on introductory magic from Azeroth, would you like them?

Across from her, Mokou continued her rant: "I'm not saying this to be mean, but isn't enlightenment, in the end, just about teaching children to recognize characters? Even the best teaching materials need teachers with the right teaching methods... I could fall asleep listening to Keine's teaching methods, let alone those children. I've always suspected that the residents of the Human Village have been tirelessly sending their children to temple schools all these years because they feel that their children shouldn't be able to escape the suffering they've experienced. Otherwise, it seems like there's nowhere in the Human Village where reading and writing are necessary..."

Bai Ye, whose head was getting increasingly throbbing from listening, gestured for Bai Ye to stop.

"If it's just for the textbooks, I'll try my best to find a way for you. You can't possibly know everything about Gensokyo, but you should have a basic understanding of its structure. Once the textbooks arrive, I'll probably have to discuss with Yukari Yakumo whether they're up to standard."

“...That makes sense.” Mokou nodded.

Only after being reminded by Byakuya did she realize the awkward position of the residents of the Human Village within the entire Gensokyo.

"If you two don't mind, how about I take a look at that school you mentioned? I do have some experience in educating children."

"..." x2

Holy crap, when did this thing appear?

Bai Ye looked at the twin sisters.

Aurecis didn't understand Bai Ye's meaning, but Queen Saloras did: "This guest arrived when this white-haired lady was saying that 'the students are becoming increasingly listless in her classes.' I saw that you and this lady were talking at that time, so I didn't want to disturb you."

Although they haven't been here long, the twin sisters are still in their five-figure age. To survive in the Burning Legion for so long, even two pigs would have evolved into boar demons by now. Not to mention, the two sisters aren't exactly naive and innocent; they're just adapting to the role of shopkeepers...

So easy!

"I see..." Bai Ye nodded upon hearing Saloras's explanation, then looked at the armored man who had volunteered: "Guest, you just said that you also have quite a bit of experience in educating children?"

"That's right!" The armored man took a step forward. Although he wore a skull mask, a hint of arrogance could still be heard in his words.

"Mokou...?" Byakuya turned to look at the girl.

Now comes the moment to make a choice: should we use Byakuya's hands to find teaching materials that can be approved by the sage of the demons, and then give that teacher named Keine the despair after her hopes are dashed, or should we take another teacher to give her despair directly—of course, assuming that this masked man's teaching level is really as amazing as he claims.

"How about... we let him try first?" Mokou looked at the masked man who had volunteered with suspicion.

I always felt that guys dressed in heavy armor and wielding greatswords should be on the battlefield rather than in schools where people are taught. But it would be good to have someone to help Huiyin share the burden.

Since several fairies, including Benji, joined the Terakoya as students, she felt that Keine was getting busier and busier.

Chapter 132 What's Underneath Hassan's Mask...?

Since the Geminis have only been officially working for a few days, although they've been much better at greeting customers than the cold and aloof Jeanne Alter in the past few days, as we know, places like the Dimensional Shop don't really require much service attitude...

If there's any attitude involved, it should be that customers maintain a good attitude towards the store manager. Didn't you see that the sensible egg vendor immediately gave away a pair of twin sisters from the White Night shop? (lol)

Uh... if you're a guest, just pretend you didn't see those.

In short, fearing the sisters might cause trouble while Byakuya and Jeanne Alter were away, Jeanne Alter stayed at the shop to provide guidance this time when Byakuya went out. However, it's foreseeable that as the twins become more skilled, Jeanne Alter will eventually be able to completely shed her role as a shop assistant and become… the proprietress?

cough cough.

Walking along the road in the human village with the armored man who volunteered, passersby hesitated for a moment before quietly leaving when they saw the three of them, a scene that amazed Byakuya.

"Mohong, I'm curious, since the residents here are all so afraid of you, how did you become the leader of the self-defense force of this human village...? Anyone who disagrees is burned down?"

"What a joke!" Fujiwara no Mokou glared at Byakuya. "I think the key to the problem lies with you, right? When I came out before, although the residents here were afraid of my power and didn't dare to get too close, it was still okay to exchange a few words. But now that you've come out, it's become like this!"

"I feel I need to clarify this: although I don't appear outside much, the uncles and aunties here were very welcoming to us when my daughter Zhenzhen and I attended the gathering."

"..." x2

They exchanged glances →_→

Confirming the look in their eyes ←_←

Since the problem doesn't lie with the two of them, it must be with that third party who's wearing heavy armor, carrying a greatsword, and what's more, wearing a skull mask.

Thinking about it carefully, Byakuya and Mokou are used to seeing strange people and can easily accept his appearance, but these ordinary people who may never see a monster in their entire lives...!

“Grandpa, you’ve seen the reactions of the people here, so I think…” Bai Ye rubbed his hands together as he looked at the armored man.

This person had spoken before, and his voice sounded very weathered. It wouldn't be surprising if Bai Ye, at his age, called him "Grandpa".

Sure enough, the old man accepted the title.

"What do you want to do?"

"I think... old man, shouldn't you at least take off your mask?"

"..."

After staring at Bai Ye with that skull mask until he was completely bewildered, the old man shook his head: "That won't do. Although I no longer accept missions, as an assassin, it is my basic duty to kill everyone who sees my face."

"Hmm... what did you just say you were?" Bai Ye glanced at the old man's heavy armor, then at the heavy sword in his hand that could barely be classified as a greatsword, and tilted his head.

Assassin?

You're probably planning to assassinate a melon rind!

“I know my attire may cause you some trouble, but I swear by the name of Hassan ibn Sabat…” Perhaps sensing the distrust in Bai Ye and Mo Hong’s eyes, the old man stopped and looked at the two of them: “Since I picked up this sword, there has never been a single assassination attempt. All those whom the gods decreed to be killed have died by this sword.”

"Yes, yes, yes, you're amazing, sir!"

"..."

Seeing Bai Ye's reaction, the old man... now that he was certain that the name was Hassan, a dark blue light flashed in the eyes of the old man Hassan under his skull mask, but he didn't say anything more.

The village of the living wasn't very big, and in a rather strange atmosphere, the three of them arrived at the temple school in no time.

Seeing the children going in and out of the temple house, old man Hassan nodded with satisfaction; he quite liked the atmosphere here…

Although, with the "help" of the skull mask, the children who saw him were all startled and then ran away.

……

As a friend of the temple owner, Mokou could easily go in. Similarly, she could bring a young man and a strange man wearing a skull mask and heavy armor into the temple without any problem. And again, she could bring someone... Put down the brick in your hand, okay? I'm not going to waste any more time.

Anyway, Mokou easily led Byakuya and Grandpa Hassan into the backyard of the temple.

When the three of them came in, Bai Ye heard a gentle female voice throwing a tantrum.

"Cirno, why is it that you're the only one who hasn't finished your homework again?"

"Because the great fairy didn't help me write it yesterday."

Bai Ye's smile froze for a moment... To be able to say such shameless things so confidently, is she really worthy of being called Cirno?

The person who asked the question seemed stunned by Cirno's reply. After a long while, he roared in a voice at least 30% louder than before, "Great Fairy, I told her not to do it for you. The purpose of assigning homework is for you to review what I taught in class after class. If someone else does it, why should I assign it?!"

"So it was you who made it, Ms. Huiyin. No wonder Daijō wouldn't help me, which prevented me from happily freezing frogs." Cirno muttered softly.

"...Which is more important, studying or freezing a frog?" The voice, which had been clear before, now sounded like it was filled with clenched teeth.

“Frozen frogs, of course!” Cirno answered quickly and firmly.

Bai Ye, who was outside the door, felt his eyelids twitch.

"I suddenly realize that your friend has had a tough time," Byakuya said to Mokou with a sigh.

“Huiyin…she has had a really tough time.” Mokou felt a deep sense of sympathy, and then pushed open the door, which was already slightly ajar.

Inside the room, a woman dressed elegantly with long, flowing silver hair sat helplessly in a half-squatting position, looking at Cirno, who stood proudly before her.

"Since you haven't finished your homework again, you'd better grit your teeth and bear it!"

boom!

As the gentle woman headbutted Cirno, Bai Ye seemed to see a notification float past him—

“CAVED!!!!”

After headbutting Cirno in the eye and making her spin around, the woman released her grip. Cirno, already unconscious, collapsed limply to the ground. The woman, however, acted as if nothing had happened, smiling as she looked towards the door. "Mokou, you're back. And who are these two...?"

Chapter 133 The Effective Teaching Methods of King Hassan

"Didn't you ask me to check if the store had any teaching materials? I told Bai Ye about it, and he said he didn't have any at the moment and needed a few days to prepare. But just as we were talking about this, a kind customer mentioned that he had some experience in educating children..."

"Haha... Is that so?" Kamishirasawa Keine's gaze instantly fell on Byakuya.

Being a teacher and taking care of children is a delicate job. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't believe that Grandpa Hassan's attire made him look like someone who could be a teacher. So, Bai Ye naturally became the "kind person" who "questioned her teaching level" and "deceived Mokou with sweet words."

Sensing a hint of hostility in her gaze, Bai Ye blinked innocently.

Shangbaize Huiyin: "..."

“Hey, Keine, you didn’t attend the banquet at the Hakurei Shrine last time, so I’ll take this opportunity to introduce you. This is the shop manager I mentioned to you.” Unaware of the undercurrents beneath the calm surface, Mokou took Keine’s hand, first pointing to Byakuya and introducing him, then turning to Hassan: “This is the kind person I was just talking about.”

"Huh?" Huiyin looked bewildered.

So how dare someone dressed in weird armor and carrying a greatsword, who clearly doesn't look like a good person, jump out and question her teaching level?

Glancing apologetically at Bai Ye, who had been misunderstood earlier, and feeling that her dignity as a teacher had been challenged, Kamishirasawa Keine sternly looked at Hassan: "Putting aside your teaching ability, since you're planning to be a teacher to those children, sir, couldn't you at least take off your mask? You're doing well enough not to scare the children, let alone teach them!"

Skulls, according to the standards of a certain bureau, fall into the category of scaring children, okay?

In response to Kamishirasawa Keine's words, Grandpa Hassan chuckled: "Only the lowest-class teachers would try to use their appearance to make children feel close to them. A true good teacher relies on the charm of their personality."

"..."

What's going on?

You're clearly here to steal my job, so why am I having this strange feeling that "what you said makes perfect sense"?!

Sure enough, you're the weirdo who used some kind of evil magic, aren't you?

"Keine, don't you think what he said actually makes a lot of sense?" Mokou, who was completely unaware that her best friend was already crying in her heart, suddenly spoke up, delivering a fatal blow to Kamishirasawa Keine.

"Hmph, if you want to be a teacher at the temple school, let me test your skills first!" At this moment, Bai Ze's half-beast was filled with fierce fighting spirit.

"Alright then." Old Master Hassan nodded.

So the history class, which was originally scheduled to be taught by Kamishirasawa Keine herself in the first period of the morning, became Hassan's stage.

……

I heard that the history teacher is no longer the Huiyin who can hypnotize half the class with just fifty words and likes to punish them with headbutts. Although the children are a little afraid of Mr. Hassan's attire, they still show great enthusiasm.

"Great, finally I don't have to hear that horrible female teacher's voice anymore. I heard that when my grandma had classes here, she taught these kinds of things. She must have found it incredibly boring." — This was the murmur of a child that Bai Ye, sitting in the back row, overheard.

Feeling the sudden drop in pressure around the female teacher, Bai Ye thought that the child might have a painful realization after class about "you can eat whatever you want, but you absolutely cannot say whatever you want."

If the teacher on stage weren't old man Hassan, that kid would already be headbutted to the ground, just like Cirno just now...

Speaking of Cirno, when did she start sitting in the front row?

The following process can be briefly described as follows:

The old man easily enlivened the atmosphere in the classroom. Huiyin appeared disdainful and complained that such an atmosphere was not suitable for learning at all. However, Baiye and Mei Hongdou saw the envy in her heart.

The old man began to engage the students in the classroom, starting with their interests, and helped them unconsciously memorize the knowledge points that needed to be taught. Huiyin's smile gradually disappeared.

After explaining one point of knowledge, the old man said that if anyone had any questions, they could raise their hand to ask. If no one had any questions, he would move on to the next one. Everyone in the class except for Cirno, who was unsure whether she understood or not, said that she knew it. Then the old man randomly called on someone, and the final question and answer result was pretty good. Keine's expression gradually stiffened... Of course, Byakuya and Mokou both felt that if the old man had drawn one of the fairies in the first row, this would definitely have become a completely different story.

Finally, the bell rang, and just when Kawashima Keine thought the children would swarm out of the temple, she found that those usually mischievous little guys were all politely saying "goodbye" and "goodbye" to Hassan-sensei. Afterwards, more than half of them surrounded the old man and asked him if he would come to class again...

"Is she alright?" Looking at Huiyin, whose entire body had turned ashen and who sat in the chair like a statue, Baiye nudged Mokou's shoulder.

"It should be alright... right?" Mokou replied uncertainly.

She had known Huiyin for hundreds of years and believed she had a good grasp of her close friend's personality. Although her teaching methods had some problems, she could sense in daily life that Huiyin genuinely loved these children and truly enjoyed the feeling of imparting knowledge to others. But now…

"I will never admit defeat!" Just as Byakuya and Mokou were worried about Keine's condition, she suddenly shouted and strode up to Grandpa Hassan.

"You...you're called Hassan, right?"

"Although since then, this name has become a code name, there is still no problem in calling me that." The old man nodded thoughtfully.

“Teacher Hassan, I admit your teaching skills are superior to mine, so if you're willing, a large part of the children's education will likely be in your hands from now on. But I won't give up!” Huiyin looked at the old man's skull mask with unwavering determination: “One day, I will also ensure that the children not only learn knowledge in my classes but also experience the joy of learning!”

"...Before that, could you find me a place to stay?"

“If you don’t mind, Grandpa, I have a good place to go.” Bai Ye suddenly interjected, “You saw the situation on the street where the store was located when we came out, Grandpa. Apart from the Dimensional Store and the Sunflower Shop across the street, you can pick any of the remaining empty shops… Mokou, what do you say?”

"Huh? Yes, yes, take whichever you like." Mokou was taken aback, then quickly nodded.