The Arrival

Heian-kyo, at the end of Tsuchimikado Avenue, stood a tranquil residence.

Seimei, dressed in a kariginu, sat on the veranda in the courtyard. In his hands, he held a thin paper book, his gaze fixed on one of its open pages.

“Kamo Yoshin, Junior Assistant of the Onmyoryo. At nineteen, he left the capital to capture shikigami and was never seen again…”

Reading the information in the book, Seimei sighed softly, then closed the book and looked up at the sky.

“What’s wrong, Seimei? Was the scroll I found for you incorrect?” Seeing his reaction, Yura asked with a hint of worry.

“No, it’s exactly what I needed. Thank you, Yura, for helping me find this among the many records of the Onmyoryo.” Seimei turned to Yura, a gentle smile on his face. Yura paused, then her face flushed slightly.

“Uh… no need to thank me. I’m just glad I could help.”

From a distance, Kagura, who had been enjoying the flowers while holding an umbrella, smiled faintly at the scene. She turned and said slowly,

“Sister Yura truly cares for Seimei. Seimei would surely be very happy if he married someone like Sister Yura in the future.”

“Wha—what are you talking about, Kagura! Don’t say such things!” Seimei was stunned by Kagura’s words, while Yura’s face turned bright red. Kagura chuckled, then changed the subject.

“Hehe, then I won’t say anything more. Oh, Sister Yura, have you found any clues about my situation?”

At Kagura’s question, Yura’s expression suddenly became serious. She looked at Kagura, pondered the relevant matters, and then spoke.

“Hmm… we’ve begun investigating your origins and background. Not just the Onmyoryo, but I’ve also enlisted other mundane departments to assist. Unfortunately, so far, we haven’t found any families in Heian-kyo, noble or common, who have recently lost a daughter. Therefore, your identity cannot yet be confirmed.”

“Is that so…” Hearing Yura’s words, a hint of disappointment flickered across Kagura’s face. Seeing this, Yura couldn’t bear it and quickly offered reassurance.

“Don’t worry. We will expand the search area and extend the timeframe for missing person cases. If you originally lived in Heian-kyo, we will definitely find some clues.” As Yura spoke, her mind raced through major missing girl cases in Heian-kyo over the past decade or so. The one that stood out most was undoubtedly the incident thirteen years ago, seemingly related to Ubume, where young girls went missing. However, that large-scale disappearance was resolved by Owl, and all the missing girls eventually returned. Since then, no such large-scale incidents had occurred.

Could Kagura be connected to that incident? But thirteen years is quite a long time… Thinking this, Yura decided to discuss the matter with Asakura Hao later and then write directly to Owl to inquire about some details of that event.

“Understood, thank you, Sister Yura.” Kagura replied with a smile.

“There’s no need for thanks. After all, your matter concerns both Seimei and a malevolent deity, so we cannot be careless… However, the Inari Festival is approaching, and many people, even yokai, are already flocking to Heian-kyo. The Onmyoryo suddenly has a lot more to handle, so your matter might have to be put on hold for a little while.” Yura said slowly, and Kagura tilted her head slightly in confusion.

“The Inari Festival?”

“It’s the festival of the Inari Shrine, held every year in the fourth month. It’s said to be the day when Lady Inari tours to spread divine virtue. Because the Inari faith has a widespread and profound influence throughout the Kinki region and even beyond, many people gather in Heian-kyo when the Inari Shrine holds its festival. Of course, the number of curious yokai will also increase. You can have a wonderful time then, Kagura.” Seeing Kagura’s confusion, Yura explained simply.

“An Inari… festival?”

…

Inari Shrine, within the hot springs of its Secret Realm.

“Haaah…”

Released from all restraints, Miketsu let out a long sigh as she soaked in the hot spring, blissfully enjoying the comfort spreading through her body.

“Lady Uka has been very tired lately. Are the affairs in the demon realm very burdensome?” The speaker was a voluptuous, tall fox maiden soaking beside Miketsu. She was gently massaging Miketsu’s shoulders as she asked with concern. She was Tsuruha, Miketsu’s Divine Messenger.

“It’s not exactly tiring… just that a troublesome fellow has latched onto me, which is a bit of a nuisance…” Miketsu rubbed her temples, speaking with exasperation. She truly hadn’t anticipated Ao Andon’s arrival. That fellow was constantly trying to uncover the truth behind Owl’s secret lore, always pestering her, making her identity switching very inconvenient, which gave her a headache.

“Hmm… is it someone you’re entangled with but can’t easily act against?”

“Yes, we did fight together once, after all…” Miketsu sighed helplessly. Tsuruha, blinking, suggested to Miketsu,

“Perhaps… Lady Uka, you could find her something else to do, or… pique some other interest in her, to divert her attention away from you.”

“Other interests, divert her attention?” Miketsu mused at Tsuruha’s suggestion. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, as if she had an idea.

“I’ve got it… perhaps I can try that… Tsuruha, thank you for reminding me.”

“It is my duty, Lady Uka.” Tsuruha said humbly. However, Miketsu then seemed to recall something and looked at Tsuruha, who was still soaking in the hot spring beside her. This made Tsuruha pause slightly.

“Hmm… Lady Uka, is something wrong?”

“Tsuruha, I wonder if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like you’ve been shapeshifting more and more lately. I remember you used to dislike shapeshifting, didn’t you?” Miketsu asked Tsuruha seriously, stroking her chin. She recalled that her top Divine Messenger had high moral standards and once considered shapeshifting to be a mere trick of fox spirits.

“Eh… is, is that so?!”

“Yes, of course it is. Lately, whenever I soak in the hot springs, you always shapeshift to give me a massage. It wasn’t like this before, you know. Why is that?”

“Uh… this, this is because… after Konkiku was able to shapeshift… she always turned into that… to tempt you… if I don’t…” Tsuruha turned her head, speaking in a whisper, her voice growing softer and softer until Miketsu could barely hear her.

“Huh? What did you say? It involves Konkiku? What’s she done now?” Miketsu continued to ask. But then, Tsuruha seemed to finally break, and with a puff of smoke, she transformed into a fox and darted onto the shore.

“Excuse me, Lady Uka, I, Tsuruha, am getting out now!”

Miketsu, still soaking in the hot spring, was utterly puzzled by Tsuruha’s flustered words as she scurried away.

…

Far from Heian-kyo, on a certain mountain.

A green-haired woman wearing a sedge hat and a simple kosode gazed at the bustling road in the distance, speaking respectfully in a soft voice.

“We are almost at Heian-kyo, Lady Kanako, Lady Suwako.”

Accompanying the woman’s voice, the figures of Kanako and Suwako appeared, one tall and regal, the other short and childlike. They too gazed at the distant road. Kanako spoke slowly,

“You’ve worked hard, Kaki. From now on, let us walk together in the human realm, and go to Heian-kyo as humans.”

“Walk in the human realm? Lady Kanako, please don’t. For you, a true god, to walk in the human realm, you might be defiled…” Hearing Kanako’s words, the green-haired woman named Kaki spoke with some trepidation. On the other side, Suwako began to comfort her.

“Don’t worry, Kaki. It’s just walking in the human realm, it’s no big deal. Don’t always get so caught up in that theory of defilement.”

“Suwako is right. Defilement lies in the heart, not the realm. This time, we are going to Heian-kyo to investigate Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto’s true nature. If we were to go as divine beings, we might tip off the opponent and make them wary.”