Help! I changed the gender of the male protagonist in the yandere game

A blood moon hung in the sky, its color so thick it seemed to drip blood. Under the scarlet moonlight, one might have the illusion that the whole world had turned crimson, transformed into an alien substance.

"You're too slow."

Kukutsuno Ichiki exhaled, looking behind Renjo Senjuro, the head of the trading company, who had arrived with a large group of people.

"We took a detour to get here, and we had to avoid being entangled by miscellaneous demons along the way."

The head of the Renjo Trading Company had come in person. Behind him were three autonomous combat dolls, shaped like cute girls, named 'Sarasa,' 'Karakusa,' and 'Korin.'

Renjo Senjuro was likely a spiritualist as well. Although not particularly strong, he had come well-prepared, with various self-defense tools, amulets, and talismans hidden in his large clothes.

In addition, he was accompanied by a group of trading company guards.

All were demon-slaying swordsmen skilled in swordsmanship, and the accompanying sorcerers were mostly experts in barrier techniques. Hyakusuke, Haruka, and the healing mages from the Riyuin of the Kurohime Mountain faction were also in the group.

"Are all the members not here yet?"

Kukutsuno Ichiki glanced at Renjo, his tone somewhat dissatisfied.

He had fought with the suddenly appearing enemy, the man who could control dragons, but neither side had gained the upper hand, and the opponent had quickly withdrawn and fled.

This made Kukutsuno Ichiki dissatisfied, and the fact that Renjo Senjuro had brought fewer people than he had expected only exacerbated his frustration, causing the man to frown.

"It should be said that these are the only forces available at the moment."

Renjo Senjuro shrugged.

"This person here should be the young master of the Tsukigara family… We are meeting for the first time, I believe. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He greeted Tsukigara Yomei, who was behind Kukutsuno Ichiki.

"Y-Yes… It's a pleasure to meet you."

Yomei's tone was also stiff.

After defeating the mysterious swordsman, she had left her adopted sister, Ayaka, and the others at the Jikei Institute and come alone.

"Is this the Guardian Forest?"

The female ninja, Haruka, looked at the forest before her and muttered to herself.

In fact, when the group stood before the Guardian Forest, they felt an unusual silence.

There was no sound.

It was filled with an eerie quiet.

People listened carefully and searched for any signs of life, quickly realizing that there was nothing that could make a sound in the area besides their own group. Even the leaves on the trees were silent.

Even on a winter night, there would always be some sound. The sound of the air, the flow of the wind, the rustling of leaves, the sounds of nocturnal animals… Apart from human voices, the night was filled with another kind of clamor, especially in such deep mountains.

Despite this, there was absolutely no sound here. The silence that filled the air was not the kind of tranquility that could soothe the soul, but a cold stillness.

This silence stirred up unease, froze the heart—an atmosphere that could only be described as such—coldly and quietly dominating the surrounding area.

"How strange?"

Tsukigara Yomei's 'intuition' was sharp, and she felt the oppressive sensation as soon as she arrived.

"The land, the forest, the flow of the earth's veins… and the presence of animals have all disappeared."

She raised her head to look at the sky.

Drifting clouds could be seen through the branches of the cedar trees.

"This forest has become so strange?"

The girl's slender eyebrows furrowed.

"There's no point in considering these things. We must find that woman."

Kukutsuno Ichiki's tone was calm as he surveyed the forest, also sensing the intense yin energy.

Unlike the path leading to the back mountain, the trees inside and outside grew differently. The trees here were denser, giving the impression of being crushed by the towering giants around them, and the dense foliage completely blocked the sky.

"This forest is larger than I imagined."

Renjo Senjuro asked Hyakusuke, "How are we supposed to find Hiiragi Hiruko in such a large area?"

"That's where Lady Yomei's power comes in."

Hyakusuke looked at Yomei.

"Me?"

Yomei was surprised and blinked.

"How can I do that?"

"It's simple."

Hyakusuke leaned closer to her ear and lowered his voice, "Lady Yomei, you fought Hiiragi Hiruko after she became a vampire. You should have had contact with her at that time. Do you remember her spiritual wavelength?"

"S-Spiritual wavelength?"

She felt his breath on her ear, and her fair skin blushed.

"I-I think I remember… But how do I find her?"

"Just look."

Hyakusuke lowered his voice to remind her.

"Just look, watch, and observe… Keep your mind calm and try to feel it with your heart, or rather, try to lock onto her soul."

"T-That's impossible, isn't it?"

Yomei thought his explanation was too abstract and couldn't fully understand it.

—She certainly couldn't have done it in the past.

However, Hyakusuke knew that Yomei had now awakened the skill 'Soul Shaving.'

In other words, her soul could now partially connect to the higher-level ability called 'Eye of Heavenly Awareness.'

Indeed, the so-called Soul Shaving technique was merely a byproduct of the powerful ability 'Eye of Heavenly Awareness.'

The power Yomei had awakened was the extraordinary power known as 'Bodhisattva Eye,' and 'Soul Shaving' was only a fraction of that power leaking out.

"You can definitely do it."

Hyakusuke said earnestly, "To track down that woman with the hidden abilities of a True Ancestor-level vampire, your power is indispensable."

He winked.

"I believe in you."

After all, you're the protagonist.

Only at times like these can you show your divine power.

"I-I understand."

For some reason, hearing Hyakusuke say these words made the girl feel short of breath. Her chest felt tight, and her heart was tickled by a feather, a sweet sense of joy welling up inside her.

—Hehe, he said he believes in me.

The corners of Yomei's mouth couldn't help but turn upward.

Kukutsuno Ichiki also saw this scene and was surprised. His mouth moved as if he intended to say something, but he stopped himself.

"I understand."

Yomei took a deep breath and spoke.

"I'll give it a try."

She readjusted her senses, her spirit soaring.

'...Look?'

Yomei's eyes turned towards the forest, and she remembered the crimson woman she had encountered last time.

Lock onto the soul?

'Prey, so I should imagine her as prey?!'

Yomei had hunted with her father when she was young.

The Tsukigara territory was barren, and hunting was not for leisure but to catch food to survive.

She switched her perspective to that of a hunter—yes, the feeling of a hunter tracking the best and most troublesome prey.

Her consciousness began to spread rapidly outward… the forest, the earth, the trees, all of it was quickly left behind in her mind.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide.

"Found her."

Yomei's consciousness locked onto a direction, and she dashed off.

"How fast!?"

Everyone was startled.

Yomei sprinted off with ease, so fast that it was difficult for the average person to keep up with the naked eye. It was hard to believe that on such a dark forest path, on a road full of mud, roots, and gravel—her steps were not the least bit flustered. Her straw sandals kicked off the ground, and she moved quickly between the trees in a jumping motion.

"Quickly, follow her."

Ichiki took the lead, and Hyakusuke and the others followed closely behind, chasing after Yomei.

The road in the forest was not easy to walk on, not only was it muddy, but there were also many horizontal branches blocking the way. Even spiritualists could not pass quickly.

The forest, like a sea of trees, was still silent. The only sound was the rustling of feet on the rotten soil and leaves.

However, it took the group less than half an incense stick's worth of time to reach the depths of the Guardian Forest. It was then that they saw an open area.

Tsukigara Yomei stopped, her hand nervously placed on the hilts of her two swords, but she hesitated to step forward.

Her gaze was fixed on a strange tree in the open area, which was actually two intertwined trees. They were so close that their trunks were curved, intertwining like snakes, looking like a huge archway.

Under the tree, a figure could be seen—a girl.

Her slender body was dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit composed of red and white, which was extremely conspicuous even in the blood moon. A strand of long hair hanging down from the side swayed in the wind.

"Miss Hiruko."

Renjo Senjuro's voice was tinged with sadness.

Hyakusuke and Kukutsuno Ichiki noticed that the girl was not alone. She was surrounded by dozens of animals, including black bears from the deep mountains, wolf packs, wild dogs, and smaller cats.

"Woof, woof, woof..."

A huge bear wailed, its neck being bitten.

—Yes, Hiiragi Hiruko was sucking the blood of this beast.

Hiiragi Hiruko's face had a childlike expression, but her blood-red eyes flickered with a cruel appetite.

These animals were all forcibly summoned by Hiiragi Hiruko, dominated by the vampire's ability to control beasts, and could only serve as her blood bags. Although the animals instinctively understood that they would be 'sucked' dry as food, they made no attempt to fight back.

Even the lowest animals were suppressed by the evil power of the vampire. Not to mention resisting the current Hiiragi Hiruko, even if they had to offer their lives, they could only accept it helplessly.

However, this unexpected scene caused all the exorcists and sorcerers present to take a few steps back involuntarily.

The subconscious movement of the group was sensed by the vampire, and the vampire dressed as a shrine maiden slowly raised her head.

In her blood-red eyes, the pupils contracted slightly, turning into vertical pupils like those of a reptile.