Stagnation

In Heian-kyo, at Kiyomizu-dera, Kaguya and Eirin, disguised among the crowd of pilgrims, moved swiftly through the throngs. Having sensed an anomaly in the spiritual power, they pressed forward toward its source.

Since their destination lay within the inner sanctum of the temple—an area off-limits to ordinary worshippers—Eirin had to use her portable wealth and sharp tongue to persuade the monk in charge before they were finally granted entry.

Following the resonance of spiritual power, the two eventually discovered a translucent Jade Bamboo resting upon an offering table in a Buddhist hall. Seeing this, Kaguya’s expression brightened with joy.

"Found it! And there's no one else here. It looks like we're the first ones, Eirin!" Kaguya said as she hurried toward the table. However, Eirin, sensing that something was amiss, immediately called out a warning.

"Wait, there might be a—"

Thud!

"Barrier..." Eirin watched with a helpless sigh as Kaguya walked face-first into an invisible wall. She rubbed her temples while Kaguya clutched her head and straightened up.

"Ugh... What gives? Wasn't the riddle enough? Did that princess actually set up a barrier too?" Kaguya muttered, reaching out to touch the invisible wall. Eirin stepped forward to join her.

"This is likely part of the test. To marry that princess, mere wit and wealth are not enough; one must also possess a certain level of mastery over Jutsu-shiki. Heh... she is the daughter of a Great Onmyoji, after all." With a faint smile, Eirin reached out to feel the barrier. "This isn't a particularly difficult Jutsu-shiki. It can be dispelled with a little effort. Please wait a moment, Princess..."

As Eirin spoke, a soft radiance began to glow from her hand, beginning the process of unraveling the barrier protecting the Jade Bamboo.

At that moment, a streak of fire plummeted from the sky above Kiyomizu-dera. Trailing a long tail of flame, it hurtled toward the hall housing the Jade Bamboo. With a thunderous crash, it smashed through the roof and flew into the hall, slamming violently into the invisible barrier. The brute force shattered the barrier instantly, and the resulting shockwave sent Kaguya and Eirin stumbling back.

"Watch out!" Eirin quickly grabbed Kaguya, stabilizing their footing amidst the impact. Once the dust settled, both women looked forward and froze in shock.

The once solemn and tidy hall was now a chaotic mess. The floorboards were smashed, the offering table overturned, and everything lay in ruins from the impact. Standing at the center of the destruction was a white-haired youth dressed in noble attire, holding the translucent Jade Bamboo in his hand. The wounds he had sustained from crashing through the roof were already healing at a visible speed.

"That's..." Eirin’s eyes widened as if she were seeing something impossible. Beside her, Kaguya’s mouth hung open in shock.

Attracted by the commotion, a group of monks rushed into the hall. They stared at the scene in astonishment. One of the elder monks recognized the white-haired youth at a glance.

"Young Lord Aka... What is the meaning of this?"

"Send someone to the Fujiwara residence tomorrow. We will compensate you for the damage to this hall," Mokou said, cutting off the monk before he could say another word. Seeing how direct Mokou was, the old monk simply shook his head and said nothing more.

Using the vast wealth of the Fujiwara family, Mokou settled the matter with the monks in a single sentence. Ignoring everyone else, she began to walk out with the Jade Bamboo, but a voice called out to stop her.

"You! Hold it right there!"

Mokou stopped and turned. Not far away stood a youth of such ethereal beauty he seemed inhuman, glaring at her with fury. When their eyes met, Mokou felt a strange surge in her heart—the same inexplicable sensation she had felt not long ago in the courtyard of the Asakura Residence.

"Who... are you?" Mokou asked Kaguya in a serious tone, suppressing the feeling in her chest.

"Who I am doesn't matter! What matters is that you had the nerve to snatch my Jade Bamboo right in front of me! Don't think you're just going to walk away!" Kaguya declared loudly, her voice trembling with indignation.

"Snatch? Hmph. I obtained this Jade Bamboo before you did. Your hand never even touched it, so how can you call it snatching?" Mokou countered coldly. While the other was still dealing with the barrier, she had smashed through it and taken the bamboo first.

"I was the one who found it first! You just used brute force to jump the gun while we were dispelling the barrier. You're not leaving!" Kaguya clenched her fists, refusing to back down. Mokou felt a surge of irritation and was tempted to teach the youth a lesson, but she reminded herself that now was not the time for a fight. Furthermore, aside from the bodyguard who seemed to know Jutsu-shiki, the youth didn't seem particularly special—likely just a spoiled young lord from a mortal family. There was no need to resort to violence.

"Sigh... Say whatever you want. This Jade Bamboo is mine now. If you're really that upset, you can come find me at the Fujiwara residence after this marriage selection is over. I'll deal with you then..." Taking a deep breath, Mokou ignored Kaguya and continued toward the exit. Kaguya froze for a second upon hearing the name 'Fujiwara'.

"Fujiwara... Isn't that... Hey! Don't you dare run away!" By the time Kaguya snapped out of it, Mokou had already reached the doorway and seemed ready to take to the sky. In her desperation, Kaguya activated her own power.

An invisible ripple spread from Kaguya, and the entire world fell into a state of stagnation. Every movement ceased in that instant. The expressions on the faces of the onlookers froze. With Kaguya at the center, time itself at Kiyomizu-dera seemed to have paused.

eternal power—the arrival of the future was infinitely delayed, and the continuity of cause and effect was frozen. Because the 'cause' could no longer trigger the 'effect', the world came to a standstill. This was Kaguya’s ability.

In this frozen world, Kaguya sprinted toward Mokou. With a triumphant air, she reached out to snatch the Jade Bamboo from Mokou’s hand. But at that moment, Mokou suddenly turned and grabbed Kaguya’s reaching wrist.

At point-blank range, the two stared into each other's eyes, their faces filled with mutual shock and confusion.

"What... did you do?"

"L-Let go of me!"