Something Amiss

Miketsu returned to Mount Inari. When night fell, she donned her Owl attire and headed to Choyo-machi to join the banquet celebrating the recovery of Nura Rihyon and Tamamura. This was the first time Miketsu’s yokai organization had held a large-scale feast, and they had reserved the entire Cat Izakaya to entertain a crowd of yokai.

Since the attendees were all yokai, the banquet was incredibly lively. Everyone was rowdy and joyful. Even Miketsu, who usually maintained her stoic persona as Owl and refrained from deep participation, was swept up in the atmosphere. Feeling a bit too festive, she accidentally took two gulps of demonic sake, only realizing her mistake when her esophagus and stomach were seared by the liquid fire once again.

She had to admit, the human society of this era was remarkably stagnant, at times even stifling. The common folk spent their days and nights toiling just to survive, treading carefully between the constant threat of yokai and the oppression of their noble masters. The aristocrats, meanwhile, were bound by a mountain of etiquette and protocols, with every aspect of their lives governed by strict rules. To be honest, this lack of vitality was difficult for Miketsu, who came from a modern world, to adjust to.

In contrast, because yokai were generally so direct, their society was much more vibrant and interesting, though far more dangerous. It was full of raw life but also deeply chaotic. Yet, since Miketsu had used her prestige and strength to establish a new order among the yokai of Heian-kyo based on her own principles, the bloody and cruel aspects of their society had been suppressed. What remained was a scene that was surprisingly close to modern human society, a result that Miketsu found quite satisfying.

After the successful conclusion of the banquet, Miketsu returned to Mount Inari. The following day, she put on her kariginu and headed to Heian-kyo as usual. She planned to see if there were any missions or to head to the Spell Archives to cram more knowledge. Generally speaking, her current schedule was that of an onmyoji by day and a yokai by night.

Riding her donkey, Ami, Miketsu made her way toward Heian-kyo once more. Along the way, she noticed that the density of both spiritual vision scans and guard patrols on Suzaku Avenue had significantly increased. There were even extra entry inspections at Rajomon. A large crowd of merchants and commoners stood in long queues, and Miketsu only managed to enter directly because of her special status as an onmyoji.

Has the security level in Heian-kyo been raised? Is the fallout from the attack on the Fujiwara shrine two nights ago really this severe?

Filled with doubt, Miketsu arrived at the Onmyoryo within the Greater Imperial Palace. After tethering Ami, she prepared to head to the Spell Archives, but on her way, she was intercepted by two onmyoji leading a small squad of samurai.

“Are you Master Asakura Hao?” the leading onmyoji asked directly, causing Miketsu to tilt her head in confusion.

“I am. Is something the matter?” Miketsu replied while studying the onmyoji before her. She noticed the familiar wisteria family crest on their clothing; they were from the Fujiwara clan. What did the Fujiwara want with her now?

“It’s like this. Did you have contact with Master Kanehira yesterday?”

“...Yes... I received a new spirit tool forged by Lord Fujiwara no Kanehira. He asked me to visit yesterday to consult on its usage,” Miketsu said calmly. On the surface, Fujiwara no Kanehira held a high position while she was a subordinate, so she phrased it as Kanehira taking the initiative to seek her out. Even if Kanehira found out, he would surely cooperate to maintain her cover.

“Did something happen to Lord Fujiwara no Kanehira?” After answering, Miketsu turned the question back to the Fujiwara onmyoji. The two exchanged a look before one of them replied.

“Master Kanehira has fallen ill. He is currently unconscious.”

“Ill... How can that be? He seemed perfectly fine when I saw him yesterday,” Miketsu said, her voice laced with surprise. She never expected that something would happen to Fujiwara no Kanehira.

“Indeed, it happened very suddenly. There were no warning signs, and the cause is unknown. We have been ordered to investigate everyone who had contact with Master Kanehira yesterday. Please cooperate and answer a few questions.”

Answering questions—was this a formal testimony? Miketsu paused for a moment at the onmyoji's words before nodding.

“Very well.”

The Fujiwara onmyoji led Miketsu to a private room and questioned her meticulously about Fujiwara no Kanehira’s behavior the previous day. Miketsu truthfully recounted her observations. To be honest, from what she had seen of Kanehira yesterday, she hadn't noticed anything unusual at all, so there wasn't much to say.

Afterward, they asked some questions about Miketsu herself, such as what kind of spirit tool Kanehira had given her and how it was used...

Finding no useful information from Miketsu, the two Fujiwara onmyoji bid her farewell and left, leaving a pensive Miketsu standing in the room.

Fujiwara no Kanehira’s sudden, severe illness and coma was a development Miketsu was very reluctant to see. Putting aside the fact that he had given her the Blade of the Three Realms, the sword's future upgrades depended entirely on him... In any case, she did not want anything to happen to him.

But why would he suddenly fall seriously ill? Miketsu suspected this wasn't an ordinary ailment. If it were a common sickness, the Fujiwara clan wouldn't have gone to the trouble of sending people to investigate everyone he had met the day before.

The Fujiwara's business was best understood by the Fujiwara. Miketsu didn't plan to waste time guessing what had happened to Kanehira; she intended to ask directly.

Miketsu navigated through the Onmyoryo and soon found the elegant reception room where the Fujiwara usually received her. She planned to ask Fujiwara no Saneyori what exactly was going on, but she came up empty-handed.

“My apologies, Master Hao, but Master Saneyori has not been at the Onmyoryo recently,” the boy servant who usually attended to Saneyori said with a bow.

“Not here recently? You mean he hasn't come for the past two days?”

“Yes. Since yesterday, Master Saneyori has remained at his residence and has not come to the Onmyoryo,” the boy responded respectfully.

“At his residence... Did he say why?”

“I am sorry, but Master Saneyori did not inform me of the reason.”

Listening to the boy, Miketsu’s brow furrowed slightly as an inexplicable premonition rose in her heart.

Miketsu mentally organized the information she had gathered... The night before last, the Fujiwara shrine was attacked, and the Kanpaku, Fujiwara no Tadahira, was furious. Yesterday, Fujiwara no Saneyori, the Onmyo Taiyu, stayed home and didn't come to the office. This morning, Fujiwara no Kanehira suddenly fell into a coma... Coupled with the increasingly strict security in Heian-kyo, was there a hidden thread connecting all of this?

Miketsu felt that something might be unfolding in Heian-kyo right now, with the Fujiwara at the very center of it...

Walking along the corridor of the Onmyoryo, Miketsu pondered as she made her way toward the main gate, intending to head back for the day. Just then, she saw a familiar figure appear at the end of the path. The young onmyoji, Abe no Seimei, was dressed in his formal onmyoji kariginu, walking toward her with a smile.