Kaguya

Looking at the glowing bamboo stalk before her, Miketsu's mouth twitched slightly. Usually, she wouldn't pay much attention to a mere glowing bamboo stalk, but she had only recently read The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, and the contents were still crystal clear in her mind. The story began with an old bamboo cutter encountering a glowing bamboo stalk in the forest...

So, what was this? A famous scene re-enacted? Was she the bamboo cutter now?

Miketsu shook her head abruptly at the thought. She told herself it was just a glowing bamboo stalk. In a world where gods and demons coexisted and wonders were commonplace, unusual glowing phenomena were far too common. This one was most likely just a coincidence, yes, a coincidence...

With this mindset, Miketsu stepped forward, approaching the bamboo and carefully examining the glowing section. Her brows then furrowed slightly.

On this bamboo section, she detected no clear traces of demonic power or spiritual power. It was as if this section of bamboo could glow naturally, without relying on any external force. This meant the strange light from the bamboo was not caused by a Yokai or a Jutsu-shiki.

Miketsu stroked her chin and nodded with interest. Visually, she couldn't discern why this bamboo stalk emitted such a peculiar light. Could there really be something inside?

“Interesting. How about... I cut it open and see?”

Seeing the strange phenomenon on the bamboo, Miketsu immediately thought of cutting it open to look inside. So, she promptly raised her kitchen knife and aimed it at the very center of the glowing bamboo stalk. After two practice swings, just as she was about to bring the knife down, she suddenly remembered something and stopped her hand.

If there really was something inside, wouldn't a single strike just chop it up?

Realizing this, Miketsu adjusted the angle and position of her cut, aiming for the upper part of the glowing section where no light directly shone through. Then, with a powerful diagonal slash, the bamboo before her was instantly severed. The part above the glowing section tumbled down with a rustle, leaving behind a smooth, slanted cut. Immediately after, an even more dazzling brilliance emanated from the cut.

Looking inward from the cut, within the glowing bamboo section, a tiny, adorable infant with chubby cheeks was curled up, wrapped in soft, luxurious silk, sleeping soundly with her eyes closed. A faint glow emanated from her body, clearly the source of the strange light within the bamboo stalk.

“This...” Miketsu stared at the scene before her, holding the kitchen knife, her mouth half-open in astonishment. Although she had imagined this scenario before, its actual appearance still plunged her into momentary shock.

“There really was someone inside... What is this? A classic revisited?”

Faced with the sight, Miketsu was momentarily at a loss for what to do. Just then, Mokou, who had been diligently cutting bamboo, seemed to sense something unusual from Miketsu's side. She stopped her movements and walked over with a puzzled expression.

“What's going on here... I feel... huh!?” Walking up to Miketsu, Mokou saw the tiny infant curled up inside the bamboo section and her eyes widened in disbelief.

“This, this is... that malicious woman? Has she come down from the moon again?” As she spoke, Mokou seemed to tighten her grip on her kitchen knife. Miketsu, who had been momentarily stunned, quickly slapped Mokou's hand, knocking the knife to the ground.

“Hiss! What are you doing? That hurt!”

“I was afraid you'd get possessed and chop her up. And you, an immortal who can regenerate limbs instantly, are crying out in pain from that? Who are you trying to fool?”

“Tch, that really did hurt! Don't you know how strong you are?”

Mokou and Miketsu began a slight argument. Just then, the tiny infant in the bamboo section, perhaps due to the loss of the bamboo's warmth, was startled awake by the cold air. She opened her eyes and began to cry loudly.

Miketsu and Mokou were interrupted by the piercing cries of the infant. Both turned to look at the tiny baby in the bamboo section. Miketsu, without a word, immediately picked up the glowing bamboo section, severed its lower part, and carefully removed the entire section. She gently tipped the tiny infant into her palm, then wrapped her long sleeve around the baby, adding another layer of warmth over the silk, and gently rocked her.

It seemed the innate affinity of an Inari Okami was at work, as the infant in Miketsu's palm quickly stopped crying and fell back asleep.

“Oh... you actually know how to handle a baby?” Mokou said, a little surprised at the sight. Miketsu replied plainly.

“I don't 'handle' them. I just imitate what I've seen.” As Miketsu spoke, she deliberately took two steps back, seemingly wanting to keep the baby in her arms further away from Mokou.

“Tsk, don't shy away from me like that! I don't intend to do anything to her. I can confirm now that while this child has an aura similar to that woman's, she isn't that woman!” Seeing Miketsu's reaction, Mokou quickly explained.

“You can recognize Princess Kaguya's aura?” Miketsu asked, looking at Mokou with doubt.

“Of course! I'd recognize that woman's aura even if it turned to ash!” Mokou said directly, without any exaggeration in her tone.

Seeing Mokou's attitude, Miketsu somewhat relaxed her guard against her. Instead, she began to ponder the origin of the infant in her hands.

“This child... she's not a Yokai, nor does she quite seem human. What is she, exactly? And where did she come from?”

“I don't know... but she has a similar aura to that woman's. It's possible she came from the same place.” Mokou mused, stating her judgment.

“The same place? You mean... the moon?” As she spoke, Miketsu recalled the falling meteor that many in Heian-kyo had witnessed last night. Could it be related to this?

Thinking this, Miketsu looked up at the sky.

“What, then, is on the moon?”

“How should I know? You're a deity, and if you don't know, how would I?” Mokou spread her hands, continuing to gaze at the sleeping infant in Miketsu's arms as she spoke.

“An infant in bamboo, with a story so similar to that woman's, and even a similar aura...” As Mokou mused, a sudden flash of inspiration struck her, and she immediately turned to Miketsu.

“Regardless of this child's origin, she's here now with no parents. We should adopt her first, shouldn't we?”

“Mm... that's true. We can't just leave this child.”

“Then let's just give her a name first. I propose we call her 'Princess Kaguya,' what do you think?” Mokou said, a hint of malicious amusement on her face.

Fujiwara no Mokou seemed to have found an opportunity to exact a subtle revenge upon her nemesis.

She wanted to rewrite The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, to rewrite Princess Kaguya's legend.