Frankness

Miketsu truly hadn't expected the battle card game created by Ao Andon to become popular, but overall, she was pleased with the outcome. Ao Andon was now busy designing new cards and balancing the game, leaving her little time to ponder over Owl's affairs, which made things easier for Miketsu. Moreover, Heian-kyo had gained a new form of entertainment; even if Miketsu wasn't particularly skilled at playing, watching others duel was quite interesting. This new leisure activity could also boost the economy of Choyo-machi...

What Miketsu hadn't anticipated was Menreiki and Qin Xin's apparent keen interest in the game. They had each drawn two of their Alias Cards, and it was said they were striving to collect all three of their identity cards to become the Strongest Players… Miketsu felt things were developing in a strange direction.

After losing one game that night, Miketsu didn't continue playing. After watching a few duels between Qin Xin and Menreiki, she returned to Mount Inari. The next day, Miketsu went to Heian-kyo as Asakura Hao, making her usual appearance at the Onmyoryo to show she hadn't disappeared. However, this time, she heard some rather unexpected news from Yura.

"What? Kagura's background has been found? And she's from the Minamoto Clan?" Inside the Onmyoryo's Astronomical Pavilion, Miketsu leaned against the railing, munching on a peach, as she spoke to Yura, who was processing documents at her desk.

"Yes, although she's distantly related to Minamoto no Yorimitsu and the others, she is indeed a Minamoto. She has an elder brother named Minamoto no Hiromasa, who proactively sought out Seimei after learning about the information we published in Heian-kyo. At that time, Kagura and her brother were still being plagued by Vengeful Spirits," Yura said without looking up, slowly writing and handling the piled-up documents on her desk.

"Vengeful Spirits… it couldn't be those created by the Minamoto Clan's Ritual Branch, could it?"

"It was those Miko Vengeful Spirits. They were all ultimately purified by Lady Inari Okami."

Listening to Yura's words, Miketsu's brows furrowed slightly. Logically, those Miko Vengeful Spirits, while capable of remotely influencing people to commit suicide through their resentment, rarely actively manifested to affect others, with the exception of Kikyo, a Miko who was once one of them.

"So, could Kagura also have been sent to the Ritual Branch to be a Miko?" Miketsu asked tentatively, and Yura looked at her with some surprise.

"According to her brother, Minamoto no Hiromasa, Minamoto no Kagura was indeed sent to an unknown place by her clan when she was young. Given the current situation, it's highly likely she was sent to the Ritual Branch…"

Upon hearing Yura's confirmation, Miketsu couldn't help but ponder. If Kagura truly was a Miko sacrificed to Orochi by the Minamoto Clan's Ritual Branch, just like those Vengeful Spirits, then why didn't she suffer the same fate? Instead, she was brought out of the Forbidden Grounds of the Ritual Branch by the corrupted Dark Seimei?

Before Miketsu performed the soul severing, the corrupted Seimei had completely lost his original consciousness, becoming Orochi's Divine Messenger. His actions were Orochi's will. This meant that taking Kagura out of the Forbidden Grounds and hiding her on Mount Hei was likely Orochi's will.

If this reasoning held true… then Orochi's actions were very likely to protect Kagura. After all, at that time, the Miko White Snake formed by the Vengeful Spirits had become highly unstable and was on the verge of becoming uncontrollable. To prevent Kagura from being affected and killed by the Miko White Snake, Orochi had Dark Seimei specifically take Kagura out and protect her.

If this deduction was correct… why did Orochi value Kagura so highly, specifically protecting her to prevent her from sharing the same tragic fate as those sorrowful Miko? What was so special about Kagura that made Orochi regard her with such importance?

"Yura, from now on, please strengthen the covert protection of Seimei's residence, especially Kagura. Place some protective Jutsu-shiki on her, primarily in the form of warnings. Of course… while protecting her, you will also, in effect, be monitoring her," Miketsu mused to Yura, who looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong? Is there anything special about that child? Is someone trying to harm her?" Yura asked Miketsu with a hint of confusion, and Miketsu replied in a low voice.

"Currently, it's just a speculation. That child might have some connection to an Evil God and has come under Their gaze, but the specific nature of this special connection remains to be observed… In this situation, providing her with ample protection and monitoring is necessary…" Miketsu answered Yura's question, and Yura nodded in agreement after listening.

"Since you've said so, I will arrange the appropriate personnel…"

Afterward, Miketsu and Yura continued to discuss matters concerning Heian-kyo and the Onmyoryo. As Miketsu prepared to leave, she suddenly spoke to Yura.

"Oh, by the way, you've been taking time to spend with Seimei these past few days. Progress should be quite fast, right? When do you plan to be frank with him?"

"Ugh… Frank… Frank about what?!"

"What else? You've been agonizing over it for over ten years; how much longer do you plan to procrastinate? Now is such a good opportunity; you can take care of Seimei every day. Why aren't you seizing it? Is it really that hard to say 'I like you'?" With her hands on her hips, Miketsu spoke directly to Yura, who was so startled she dropped her brush on the table. Miketsu had never seen someone drag out a secret crush for ten years without actively confessing in her previous life.

Of course, it wasn't entirely Yura's fault. Before his memory loss, Seimei, though outwardly easy to get along with, seemed to maintain a certain distance from everyone due to his childhood experiences. It was hard for anyone to get close to his inner self. Yura had hinted many times without success, which made her increasingly hesitant to express her feelings. Although Miketsu had created many opportunities for them, there had been no actual progress.

However, the amnesiac Seimei was noticeably more personable. Miketsu could clearly feel that the current Seimei no longer instinctively rejected others, which was Yura's golden opportunity.

"Sigh… I know the current Seimei is indeed easier to get along with… and this is my chance… but… I always feel like I'm not ready, after all… I don't want to gain nothing again…" Yura sighed deeply, responding to Miketsu with an unnatural expression. Seeing her like this, Miketsu shook her head. It seemed that ten years of unrequited hints had indeed taken a heavy toll on her.

Leaving the Onmyoryo, Miketsu routinely headed to the Asakura Residence to visit her adopted daughter, Kaguya-hime. However, she immediately noticed that Kaguya-hime's state today seemed somewhat unusual.

Inside a small pavilion in the courtyard, Miketsu and Kaguya-hime were playing a game of Go. Seeing Kaguya-hime's dispirited, passive, and distracted appearance, Miketsu asked with concern.

"What's wrong, Kaguya? Has something happened?" Miketsu asked, curious, as she watched Kaguya-hime stare blankly at the Go board.

"No… nothing, Mother…"

Seeing Kaguya's strange demeanor, Miketsu's brows furrowed. She placed her Go stone back into the box, stood up, walked to Kaguya's side, and placed her hands on her shoulders, saying with concern.

"Tell me if something's bothering you… don't keep it inside. When I came in earlier, I saw another gift had arrived, from the Fujiwara clan, but this time you didn't put it away like usual; you just left it there. Tell me, did that fellow Young Lord Aka upset you?"

After hearing Miketsu's words, Kaguya-hime's mouth drooped, and her large eyes welled up with tears. Then, she suddenly burst into sobs, burying her face in Miketsu's embrace.