Seimei

"Phew... Thank you so much."

In a secluded corner outside Gion Shrine in Heian-kyo, Miketsu, who had just come out of the shrine, let out a sigh of relief. She then expressed her gratitude to the young man before her. Although it was a small favor, it had indeed saved her from a very, very awkward situation.

"It was only a single coin. Not worth mentioning." The young man looked at the mysterious, veiled girl before him and spoke slowly with a faint smile.

"For the you of the past, money may have been a useless thing, but in this mortal world, it is a necessity. You should bring more with you the next time you go out." The young man continued speaking calmly, but his words startled Miketsu.

What does he mean, money may have been useless to the me of the past? Does he know I don't usually use money? And he specifically emphasized the 'mortal world,' meaning I'm not a person of this mortal realm?

After deciphering the meaning behind the young man's words, Miketsu's heart suddenly raced, and she became completely alert. Could it be that this young man who appeared out of nowhere has seen through me? Does he know I'm a god?

"Hahaha... You don't need to be nervous. I mean no harm. It's just that seeing you frantically searching for money today reminded me of my former self. It's perfectly normal for a secluded practitioner to be in such a situation when first stepping into the mortal world." Seeing Miketsu's sudden alertness, the young man chuckled twice. He then opened the fan in his hand and spoke while fanning himself lightly, his tone extremely relaxed, showing not a hint of hostility. His words, however, threw the newly tense Miketsu into confusion.

A secluded practitioner? Is he referring to me? What does that mean? Has he mistaken me for something else?

After a brief moment of thought, Miketsu realized that he probably hadn't discovered she was a god, but had mistaken her for some kind of secluded practitioner. Although she didn't know why he thought so, at least her cover wasn't blown for now.

Having figured this out, Miketsu relaxed slightly, but she remained on guard. At the same time, she wanted to test the young man before her to see if she could get any information out of him.

"A practitioner? I'm sorry, I'm just a village girl who happened to lose her travel money on the road."

"Hehe... An ordinary village girl wouldn't have a scent like yours." Maintaining his unchanging smile, the young man continued to speak, seeming quite certain that there was something special about Miketsu.

"What scent?" Miketsu frowned slightly. Her divine body was very clean; she had never detected any strange odor on herself.

Hearing Miketsu's question, the young man folded his fan, closed his eyes, and twitched his nose as if sniffing something. Then he opened his eyes again and answered casually.

"The scent of a fox..."

A fox? Could it be Tsuruha he's detected, not me? No, that's not right. Tsuruha doesn't have any strange scent either. How did this guy smell it?

"And it's not the scent of an ordinary fox. It carries an aura that doesn't belong to this mortal world. And there's more than one. Heh... It seems you're quite popular with foxes. Do they always cling to you?"

As soon as the young man said this, Miketsu understood that the scent he detected was indeed hers. She seemed to have a natural affinity for foxes. At the shrine, little foxes would wander around her feet every day, begging to be held.

"Your sense of smell is truly sharp." Pressing down on her ichimegasa hat, Miketsu said to the young man, tacitly accepting his earlier speculation.

"No, I'm just particularly sensitive to the smell of foxes."

Only sensitive to the smell of foxes? Is that even possible? Miketsu muttered inwardly upon hearing the young man's words, but he hadn't finished speaking.

"It is precisely because of this scent that I judged you to be a practitioner of fox-related arts. As a species that is easily spiritualized, foxes are an excellent choice to be raised as shikigami."

After hearing the young man's words, Miketsu understood a lot more. Now, she had one last question.

"I may indeed have some connection to foxes, but why are you so certain that I am a practitioner?"

"Hehe... There are no ordinary commoners in this world who would specifically raise creatures like foxes, other than unusual masters who can use them to perform extraordinary feats. And because of the Onmyoryo selection trials, many unorthodox masters practicing various arts have gathered in Heian-kyo today. I have reason to believe you are one of them." The young man continued speaking with a faint smile, but his words further confused Miketsu.

Onmyoryo selection trials? What's that? Have I stumbled into some kind of event?

After hearing the young man's words, Miketsu suddenly recalled the gazes using spiritual vision on the street today, and the questions in her mind slowly found an answer.

It's likely that some kind of event is being held in Heian-kyo today, gathering many unusual masters. That must be why the streets were like that.

Seeing Miketsu lost in thought, the young man didn't say anything more. He looked up at the sky and then turned to leave.

"Well, it's getting late. I'll be on my way. If we are fated to, we shall meet again."

Seeing the young man about to leave so suddenly, Miketsu snapped out of her thoughts. She looked at his back and couldn't help but ask.

"What's your name?"

Although she asked, Miketsu didn't expect him to answer, but the young man's reaction was beyond her expectations.

"Seimei..."

"My name is Abe no Seimei..."

With that, the young man's steps didn't pause for a moment. He quickly disappeared from Miketsu's sight. In an instant, only Miketsu was left, mulling over the name the young man had left behind.

Abe no Seimei... Why does that name sound familiar?

Upon hearing Seimei's name, Miketsu felt as if she had heard it before, but she couldn't quite recall it when she tried to think hard.

Miketsu's knowledge of ancient Japanese history was almost a complete blank. If the name Abe no Seimei left an impression on her, it must be because he was very famous.

Have I run into someone important? Thinking this, Miketsu decided to consult her divine messenger.

"Tsuruha... what did you think of that young man just now?"

"Powerful. Very powerful... His spiritual power is restrained and steady, deep and unfathomable. It's hard to imagine he's still just a boy. This is likely... a genius of the Way of Yin and Yang." Tsuruha, from within her sleeve, reported her observations of Seimei to Miketsu. While Miketsu and Seimei were talking, she had not been idle at all.

"Moreover, based on my observations, that boy is likely not a pure-blooded human."

"In his veins... flows the blood of a fox..."