Recruitment and a Prodigy's Encounter

Ubume, the infant-thieving yokai? A spree of human infant abductions in Heian-kyo that defied all reason? Hearing Nurarihyon's words, Miketsu’s brow furrowed. She hadn’t realized that such an incident had flared up during her short absence from Heian-kyo. A single yokai had been systematically kidnapping human infants for over half a month, yet the Onmyoryo had failed to stop it. This spoke volumes about the severity of the situation.

"Do you know any more details about this Ubume? For example, what ultimately happens to the children she takes?" Miketsu asked, turning her attention back to Nurarihyon.

"Hmm... Ubume is a rather mysterious spirit. She is a solitary creature who doesn't mix with the crowd. Most of what is known consists of vague rumors, so a deep understanding of her is difficult," Nurarihyon explained slowly. Though he looked intoxicated, his logic was perfectly coherent, a fact that Miketsu couldn't help but admire. "The rumors never explicitly state the fate of those stolen children, only that they never return to their parents. From that, one can only assume the worst."

After hearing this, Miketsu paused to think, then shifted her gaze toward the small white-furred fox who was currently engaged in a fierce battle with a massive meat bone using her jagged teeth.

"Konkiku."

"Hmm? I'm here, Lady Owl~" Upon hearing Miketsu call her alias, Konkiku immediately let go of the bone, licked her teeth, and leapt gracefully to Miketsu's side.

"From now on, closely monitor all intelligence regarding Ubume. Do your best to track her movements," Miketsu commanded. As for the intelligence of the yokai gathering, it was Konkiku's direct responsibility.

"Ubume? Oh, you mean that arrogant outsider who's been making waves lately. Don't you worry, Lady Owl. I'll dig up her past and show this newcomer exactly whose territory the demon realm of Heian-kyo belongs to!" Konkiku declared, her tail wagging with confidence.

Miketsu's lip twitched at the remark. She couldn't help but feel like Konkiku sounded like some sort of mobster. But as she looked around the hall at the rowdy environment—monsters gambling, singing, joking, and even getting into scuffles—she realized her organization wasn't that different from an underworld syndicate. Or perhaps, for spirits who by nature respected only the strong, this was the most appropriate way to organize.

...

After the gathering concluded, Miketsu returned to Mount Inari. After a night's rest, she woke up early the next morning, a rare occurrence. She intended to head to Heian-kyo in her persona as an Onmyoji to get to the bottom of the Ubume affair. The Onmyoryo was currently conducting a direct investigation, so they were likely sitting on a wealth of information. Faced with a yokai that was potentially harming infants, Miketsu had no intention of staying on the sidelines.

Upon arriving in Heian-kyo on the back of her donkey, Ami, Miketsu weighed her options on where to gather information. Her first thoughts were of Fujiwara no Saneyori or Seimei. However, Saneyori had yet to fully recover from the previous incident and was rarely at the Onmyoryo. As for Seimei, he had been constantly busy since becoming a formal Onmyoji. Kamo no Tadayuki was sparing no effort in training his disciple, and seeing Seimei work so hard made the usually idle Miketsu feel a bit guilty about bothering him.

Consequently, her choices were narrowed down to one person: Yura. Though only an Onmyo-sei who might not have access to top-secret files, she stayed at the Onmyoryo every day and certainly knew more than Miketsu did. Plus, Seimei might have shared some details with her.

After tying Ami up in the stables, Miketsu entered the Greater Imperial Palace. Aside from sleeping at an inn in Heian-kyo at night, Yura spent all her time at the Onmyoryo. Miketsu headed straight there. Even though Yura carried one of her paper shikigami cranes for communication, Miketsu still followed her old habit of visiting a friend’s residence directly before calling out.

Unexpectedly, shortly after entering the Onmyoryo, Miketsu encountered Yura in the hallway. What surprised her even more was that Yura—currently appearing as Ashiya Doman—was with another man who was accompanied by a servant. The man was a handsome young noble with white hair, dressed in the garb of a noble samurai. A single streak of crimson was dyed into the white hair at his forehead, and his robes prominently displayed the Sasa Rindo kamon.

That dyed streak... that crest... he was of the Minamoto clan!

Miketsu grew alert. She had been studying the Minamoto lately, so what were they doing with Yura?

Just as Miketsu was reeling from her surprise, Yura looked over and spotted her. She waved with a hint of pleasant surprise in her voice.

"Oh... Hao? It's been quite a long time."

At Yura’s words, the white-haired Minamoto youth also turned his gaze. When his eyes met Miketsu’s, his expression flickered for an instant before smoothing back into a calm mask.

"Hao... So you are the prodigy, Asakura Hao. I never expected that this trip would allow me the rare chance to meet the youngest Onmyo Junior Secretary in history. I am truly fortunate." After steadying his surprise, the youth smiled and offered a refined, dignified bow. Since the persona of Asakura Hao held the rank of Junior Secretary, she held a considerably high social status in Heian-kyo.

"And you are...?" Miketsu asked, her guard up.

"My name is Minamoto no Yorimitsu. As you can see, I am a son of the Minamoto clan," he introduced himself. The name immediately brought the relevant facts to Miketsu’s mind. Minamoto no Yorimitsu was the son of the Senior Secretary, Minamoto no Mitsunaka, and the most outstanding figure of the clan's younger generation. He was a central figure within the Minamoto family.

"Why is a prodigy of the Minamoto here?" Miketsu asked bluntly, though she didn't expect a direct answer.

"Haha, you overpraise me, Lord Hao. In your presence, perhaps no one besides Abe no Seimei deserves the title of 'prodigy.' My purpose here is quite simple: I am here on behalf of the Minamoto to officially reach out to the most exceptional Onmyo-sei of recent years, Excellency Ashiya Doman." Yorimitsu spoke while shifting his gaze to Yura, who didn't bother hiding anything and addressed Miketsu directly.

"The Minamoto are currently recruiting talented Onmyo-sei from the Onmyoryo who don't belong to the established noble clans."