Asking the Gods

After this, Miketsu requested to learn Sanskrit from Byakuren. Byakuren was initially surprised but agreed after some consideration. However, she said that she still had some matters to attend to and would continue her pilgrimage. Once she had finished, she would come to Heian-kyo and personally visit Inari Mountain.

In fact, the relationship between Miketsu and Byakuren began to become somewhat subtle at this time. Miketsu asked Byakuren to teach her Sanskrit, and Byakuren agreed, so Byakuren could be considered Miketsu's teacher. But Miketsu, bearing the identity of Dakini-ten, was herself an object of Byakuren's faith; Miketsu was also the deity Byakuren believed in.

And so, after making arrangements with Byakuren, the two parted ways. Miketsu, carrying a stack of sutras given by Byakuren, rode Makoto back to Ami's location. After sleeping for an entire night, wrapped in a fox blanket and covered with a feather quilt, Miketsu resumed her journey back to Heian-kyo.

After another day and night of travel, Miketsu finally returned to Heian-kyo. After going to the Onmyoryo to submit her mission, she quickly returned to Inari Mountain. After a good soak in the hot spring, she finally felt utterly refreshed, as she hadn't bathed in many days and was covered in a large amount of demonic blood, making her extremely uncomfortable.

After bathing and putting on the clean, comfortable yukata prepared by the foxes, Miketsu had a wonderful night's sleep. The next morning, after breakfast, Makoto came before her and respectfully made a request.

"What? You want to be my divine messenger?" Miketsu asked, looking at Makoto, who had changed into beautiful clothes and was kneeling neatly on the tatami in front of her.

"Yes... I have thought it through. I cannot simply accept your protection without giving anything in return, so please allow me to become your divine messenger. I will accompany you and serve you wholeheartedly from now on," Makoto said, bowing low. Miketsu saw this and nodded in silent agreement.

"What you said is true, but the problem now is that I cannot use divine power... There would be no use for you to be my divine messenger, it would just be an empty contract..."

"I know that already. So my idea is not to become your divine messenger right away. Don't you also have the identity of an onmyoji? I can serve you as your shikigami."

Makoto continued, and her words surprised Miketsu. She hadn't expected Makoto's resolve to be this deep, to voluntarily become a shikigami. Under normal circumstances, the word "shikigami" was considered a mark of shame for yokai.

However, Makoto's words also reminded Miketsu that without divine power, she couldn't use a divine messenger contract. Perhaps a shikigami contract could temporarily replace it. This way, she and the foxes could coordinate in battle, and she did have the identity of an onmyoji, didn't she?

Once she understood the situation, the matter was decided. Miketsu agreed to take Makoto as a shikigami. While Miketsu provided the protection of the Inari Mountain Secret Realm to Makoto, Makoto would also do her best to follow Miketsu's commands. Once Miketsu could use divine power, Makoto would then be promoted from shikigami to divine messenger.

However, the next step was a bit troublesome: Miketsu still didn't know how to contract a yokai as a shikigami, and she hadn't yet found any relevant books in the Onmyoryo.

What should she do?

After pondering for a while, Miketsu thought of someone: Yura. Miketsu remembered that Yura's fighting style mainly relied on shikigami. She could go to her, and conveniently, it was almost time for their agreed meeting.

Thinking this, Miketsu quickly tidied up, changed into casual clothes, and went down the mountain.

...

In Heian-kyo, inside a certain izakaya, in a window seat on the second floor, Yura held her wine cup, gently swirling it, her eyes fixed on the sky outside the window, her mind lost in thought.

She had been in this state for three or four minutes, which made Miketsu, sitting opposite her, twitch the corner of her mouth.

What is this girl spacing out about?! She's completely ignoring me.

With a helpless sigh, Miketsu extended two fingers and lightly tapped on the table, which suddenly brought the daydreaming Yura back to reality.

"Ah... ahahaha... Sorry, I zoned out. Where were we? Oh right, you want to contract a shikigami, right?" Yura chuckled awkwardly. Miketsu rolled her eyes without speaking.

"Hmm... I remember you have a very strong fox shikigami, don't you? Why suddenly don't you know how to contract shikigami?" Straightening her posture, Yura finally entered serious discussion mode.

"My master contracted that one for me. I was young then, so I forgot." Miketsu already had an answer for Yura's question.

"Ah, that's right. Someone as strong as you, Yeo, wouldn't be without a master. Alright, this is a rare opportunity, so I'll give you a lesson. Do you want to contract a body contract or a soul contract shikigami?"

"Body contract? Soul contract?"

Seeing Miketsu's puzzled expression, Yura smiled and began to explain.

Shikigami contracts are generally divided into body contracts and soul contracts, differing in the depth of the contract.

A body contract refers to directly forming a contract with a yokai or spirit beast, either voluntarily or by force, to become a body contract shikigami. An onmyoji can summon and command the contracted shikigami from a distance at any time. The greater the distance or the stronger the shikigami, the more spiritual power is consumed. A body contract shikigami's contract lasts for the contractor's lifetime, automatically terminating upon the death of either party. This means if a body contract shikigami dies in battle, the contract ends, and vice versa.

A soul contract, however, is different. It is a deep-level contract that directly affects the soul. The contractor's soul is linked to the shikigami's soul, and even if the shikigami dies, its body can be reconstructed through spiritual power, allowing it to return. This type of shikigami has less autonomy than a body contract shikigami; the onmyoji often has to operate the shikigami. A soul contract shikigami's contract can also be passed down after the contractor's death, allowing the shikigami to be inherited through generations. Because of this nature, onmyoji families prefer soul contract shikigami, and many of their ancestral soul contract shikigami have been passed down, just like Yura's own collection.

After listening to Yura, Miketsu fell into thought. Body contract shikigami felt like summoning beasts in Naruto, while soul contract shikigami felt like summoner's summons in most games. The main differences between the two were regeneration, autonomy, and inheritability.

Miketsu didn't want Makoto to lose her self-awareness, so she decided to ask Yura to teach her how to contract a body contract shikigami. Just as Miketsu looked at Yura again, she found her spacing out once more.

Seeing Yura, who was again blankly lost in thought, Miketsu cleared her throat, pulling her back to reality.

"Ah... sorry..."

"What exactly are you thinking about? Is something on your mind?" This time, Miketsu asked directly, and then she saw Yura suddenly look away slightly, a bit embarrassed, her fingertips touching.

"Hmm... well, it's nothing really..."

Seeing Yura like this, Miketsu narrowed her eyes and said,

"Perhaps you can tell me your troubles. Maybe I can give you some advice or help."

After hearing Miketsu's words, Yura hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and whispered mysteriously,

"Hey, if you wanted to know a person's specific situation, to know what they're thinking, what would you do?"

"That's simple, just ask them directly, wouldn't you?" Miketsu said very straightforwardly, listening to Yura's words.

"But, but what if you can't get an answer?" Yura continued, clearly not satisfied with Miketsu's suggestion.

"Then divine it! Aren't you an onmyoji?"

"I'm not an onmyoji yet... Besides, besides, I'm terrible at divination!"

Seeing Yura, who looked a bit anxious, Miketsu shrugged and picked up a cup of tea from the table.

"Then I don't know. In your case, you can only ask the gods." Miketsu finished, then picked up her teacup and slowly drank her tea.

"Gods..." Yura pondered Miketsu's words, thought carefully, then silently closed her eyes, secretly praying in her heart.

'Oh, great deity, please tell me what kind of girl Seimei likes...'

"Pfft!!"

Miketsu, who was drinking tea nearby, suddenly spat out all the tea in her mouth.