Measures

Heian-kyo, Choyo-machi, Cat Izakaya, top floor Observation Pavilion. At this moment, the Observation Pavilion was empty. Miketsu, clad in black, sat on her main seat, facing an intrigued Ao Andon.

"A battle… card game?" Ao Andon repeated the yokai's words, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"You take your abilities, greatly weaken them, and attach them to spell cards. This allows the cardholder to summon the corresponding secret lore yokai, like this…" As Miketsu spoke, she flicked a seemingly ordinary card onto the floor. In a burst of blue light, a tiny Hakuzosu appeared on the card's surface, poised for action. This was a creation Miketsu had made by borrowing Ao Andon's demonic power.

"Interesting. So, according to you, Owl, if two people each hold such physical cards, they can battle each other, right? In that case… a new type of game has been born." Ao Andon's eyes sparkled at the sight.

"You're right. By adjusting the demonic power, you can freely determine the strength of these secret lore yokai. You can also add special effects and one-time manifestations of secret lore. Oh, and powerful yokai require a corresponding price to be paid before they can be summoned…" Miketsu unhurriedly explained the basic rules of the collectible card games she had played in her previous life, and Ao Andon listened with great interest.

"This is truly… a marvelous game. I can foresee many wonderful ways to play and variations." As she spoke, Ao Andon's enthusiasm grew. Miketsu, seeing this, immediately struck while the iron was hot.

"Didn't you say that while you enjoy collecting secret lore, you also like to spread it? If you put some effort into perfecting this game, I think it could become a new way to spread secret lore."

"A new way to spread secret lore? Heh, truly worthy of Owl. So… are you telling me about this game just to help me spread secret lore?" A flicker of light passed through Ao Andon's eyes as she smiled at Miketsu.

"Of course not entirely. If you can perfect this game and spread it, it will benefit the vibrancy of Choyo-machi. For this, I can specially prepare a prime location in Choyo-machi for you to open a shop. You can organize games, narrate secret lore, and even… sell cards there…" Miketsu spoke slowly. At this moment, she could completely be called the "Heh, it seems you've planned everything thoroughly, Owl. Alright, in that case, I'll listen to you and take on this 'game.' I happen to be quite interested in it. By the way… since you've even prepared the building, let's just give it a name. How about… Hyakumonogatari Hall?" Ao Andon agreed with a smile. Miketsu felt a sense of relief upon hearing Ao Andon's reply.

Finally, she had found something for this busybody to do. This way, Ao Andon wouldn't constantly focus her energy on trying to uncover Owl's secret lore, making Miketsu's activities in the demon realm incredibly uncomfortable.

…

On the outskirts of Heian-kyo, at the foot of Mount Inari, Fushimi.

Originally, Fushimi was just a small market town south of Heian-kyo, used as a transit hub for goods entering the capital. However, due to the rapid expansion of the Inari faith in recent years, the number of people flocking from Heian-kyo and even the surrounding Kinki region to visit Inari Shrine has increased annually. This caused Fushimi, at the foot of Mount Inari, to develop rapidly and expand significantly in scale.

With the Inari Festival approaching, Fushimi was already bustling with people. An endless stream of commoners, nobles, merchants, and samurai filled the streets. Countless vendors lined both sides of the roads, selling various foods and items related to Inari Okami, most of which were fox-themed.

"Oh wow… there are so many people. We never see a festival with this many attendees back home, I'm quite envious…" Gazing at the scene before her, a blue-haired woman in an ordinary kimono, standing by the street, exclaimed. This was Takeminakata-no-Kami, traveling in the human realm in human form.

"It can't be helped, Lady Kanako. After all, this is Heian-kyo. In terms of population, Mino Province can't compare." The speaker was Kaki, a green-haired Miko standing beside Kanako.

"Hmm, while population is a factor, I must say this Inari Okami has a knack for gathering faith, even thinking of using those wild gods to expand it…" With hands on her hips, Kanako observed the bustling crowd with interest, while Kaki, beside her, asked with a hint of surprise.

"The current… do you mean… the current Inari Okami might not be the former Inari Okami?"

"Yes, according to information previously provided by Takamagahara, Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto should be in a deep slumber. However, the unusually active Inari faith in Heian-kyo seems to indicate that Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto has awakened. My primary purpose in coming to Heian-kyo this time is to confirm her current state: has Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto herself truly awakened? Or is someone impersonating her divine name? Depending on the investigation's results… Takamagahara has instructed me to take different measures…" Kanako spoke in a special way, her words audible only to her Miko.

"Different measures depending on the results… What if that Inari Okami is an imposter?"

"Then divine punishment will be directly delivered, completely destroying the blasphemous entity and the faith she established, serving as a lesson to the world. Conversely, if the true Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto has awakened, then a divine decree will be conveyed to her, ordering her to immediately proceed to Takamagahara for an audience." Kanako spoke slowly. After hearing Kanako's words, Kaki frowned and continued to ask.

"What if… the Inari Okami is real, but she is unwilling to go to Takamagahara?"

"Then I will force her to go…" Kanako said, her expression subtly darkening.

"Is that so… It seems we might ultimately have a conflict with that Inari Okami." Kaki said softly, listening to Kanako's words.

"If it truly comes to that, there's nothing to be done. To be honest, if this Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto is real, I would very much prefer not to have a conflict with her. Firstly, we are both deities of the Susanoo-no-Mikoto lineage. Although we haven't met before, according to the divine lineage, she is a close elder relative of mine… Secondly, I don't particularly like taking orders from those guys in the Celestial Realm… In any case, I hope things don't escalate to that point." Kanako said, scratching her head, appearing somewhat troubled.

Just as Kaki was about to say something more, a slightly childish voice came from afar.

"Kanako~ Kaki~ Do you have any money? There are so many interesting things to buy over there!" As she spoke, Suwako, dressed in an ordinary kosode, ran towards Kanako, pointing her finger at the stalls along the street.

"Lady Suwako, please don't! We didn't come to Heian-kyo to play." Seeing Suwako like this, the Miko quickly ran up and placed both hands on Suwako's shoulders, while Kanako in the back burst into hearty laughter.

"Hahaha, don't be so rigid, Kaki. Since we've come all this way to Heian-kyo, we can't just focus on business. Since we've happened upon this festival, a little fun won't hurt."

"Lady Kanako…"

Two gods and one person, the three chatted joyfully by the street, while at this very moment, in a certain dark corner, a pair of vertical pupils watched everything.