Acquiring the Jade Bamboo

In the southeastern part of Heian-kyo stood Fushimi Inari Taisha.

The Inari Shrine of Fushimi had stood atop Mount Inari since before Heian-kyo was even established. It had once flourished, but fell into decline while the Inari Okami was in her slumber. In recent years, however, due to the deity's frequent manifestations and the rapid expansion of the Inari faith, the shrine had regained its prosperity. The shrine on the mountainside had been expanded and renovated, eventually being granted the title of 'Taisha' by the Imperial Court.

In the afternoon, Kaguya and Eirin were ascending the long sando approach. Having rushed all the way from Kiyomizu-dera, they began the climb as soon as they reached Mount Inari. They had already covered a significant distance, and Kaguya was panting heavily from the exertion.

"Whew... whew... Eirin, slow down... I can't walk another step..." Kaguya panted, bending over and reaching out a hand toward Eirin ahead of her.

"Hurry up, Princess. We are already quite late; this is no time to dawdle," Eirin replied bluntly, without even looking back.

"But, but my legs are so sore I really can't move... Don't you have some medicine that can restore my stamina quickly?" Kaguya stopped, bracing her hands against her knees. Hearing this, Eirin paused slightly and turned her head.

"I have no medicine, but for you, Princess, there is one way to restore your stamina instantly."

"Ah! What is it? Tell me, Eirin! I want to try it!" Excitement flickered in Kaguya's eyes. Eirin, however, wore a slightly mischievous smile.

"We find a secluded spot, I kill you, and completely destroy your current body. Then, you can use the undying power of the Hourai Elixir to quickly resurrect a new body. That way, the fatigue of the old body will vanish along with it, and your new body will be full of energy."

Kaguya felt a sudden chill. A shiver ran down her spine, and she immediately stood up to continue climbing the stairs.

"Th-that... just thinking about it hurts like death. Let's forget that. Eirin, let's keep climbing; it looks like we're almost there."

Watching Kaguya start climbing again, Eirin smiled and followed. Before long, they finally reached the end of the steps, passed through the torii gate, and arrived before the Haiden of the Inari Shrine.

"Phew... finally here. Honestly, Eirin, why couldn't we fly here like that Fujiwara girl? Walking this far is exhausting," Kaguya said, leaning against a nearby torii and letting out a long breath. Eirin replied with a solemn expression.

"To visit a deity, one must show sufficient respect. Traveling on foot is a fundamental etiquette. Princess, we are not facing some common wild god, but an orthodox deity of Takamagahara who can descend in person to perform miracles."

"Ugh... what's so special about an orthodox deity of Takamagahara? We're both from the Plain of Night... and strictly speaking, Eirin, didn't you once..."

"Enough. This is not the time for that, Princess. The Jade Bamboo is right before our eyes; let us take it quickly," Eirin interrupted, looking ahead. On the offering table inside the Haiden sat a section of crystal-clear Jade Bamboo, protected by a barrier of spiritual power.

Eirin walked slowly to the barrier, placed her hand on it, and easily dispelled it with her spiritual power. Seeing this, Kaguya prepared to run up and grab it, but Eirin slapped the back of her hand, stopping her.

"How crude, Princess. Show respect to Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami. Go purify your hands before you offer your prayers, and then take the object."

Having been lectured again, Kaguya pouted. She followed Eirin's instructions, purified her hands, and offered her prayers. Only after tossing copper coins into the offertory box did she respectfully take the Jade Bamboo.

With the Jade Bamboo in hand, Kaguya had finally achieved her goal. They immediately departed, returning to the Asakura Residence in Heian-kyo to complete their mission.

As the two of them descended the steps and vanished into the distance, Miketsu's figure slowly manifested atop the shrine's torii gate. She watched the direction where Kaguya and Eirin had disappeared with a serious expression.

While secretly making arrangements for Seimei, Miketsu had felt a disturbance in the threads of causality. Such a disturbance came from the interference and manipulation of fate—something Miketsu had not encountered in over a decade. Thus, after ensuring Seimei was properly settled, she had gone to Kiyomizu-dera to find the source of the anomaly.

At Kiyomizu-dera, Miketsu did not find the one who caused the causal anomaly as she had hoped. Instead, she found a familiar residue of spiritual power belonging to Mokou. Miketsu deduced that the one who caused the anomaly might be one of the suitors participating in the Marriage Selection, coming for the Jade Bamboo placed there in advance, and that a conflict with Mokou had led to that causal disturbance.

Based on the descriptions from the monks at Kiyomizu-dera, Mokou had ultimately taken the Jade Bamboo. Since the one who caused the anomaly had failed at Kiyomizu-dera, the Inari Shrine—being relatively close—was likely their next target. With this thought, Miketsu had returned directly to her shrine to wait for them.

Finally, Miketsu had seen them, but the anomaly they carried was completely beyond her expectations.

Under her causality vision, Miketsu could clearly see that the two people who had just prayed and taken the Jade Bamboo did not possess a 'causality of death'! This was exactly the same as Mokou. These two were also immortals of the same kind as Mokou!

Miketsu remembered that the source of Mokou's undying power was stealing the precious medicine left behind by the former Bamboo Cutter Princess. Where did the undying power of these two come from? Had they also drunk the same kind of Hourai Elixir? And what was their connection to that legendary Princess Kaguya?

Suddenly, numerous questions flooded Miketsu's mind. She realized that the news of Princess Kaguya's Marriage Selection seemed to have attracted not just suitors, but others connected to her past.

"The Plain of Night?" Miketsu murmured to herself. This was a piece of information she had overheard from the conversation between the two immortals. According to Yamato Mythology, the so-called Plain of Night was the realm ruled by Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, one of the Mihashira-no-uzunomiko. That realm was located on the moon. Both the legendary Bamboo Cutter Princess and the Kaguya of her own household seemed to have come from the moon.

"Just what exactly... is on the moon of this world?" With this question in mind, Miketsu began to ponder.

...

In the distant sky above Heian-kyo, a man with a tall stature and a majestic bearing floated in the air. His black hair was slightly curled, with a long braid trailing behind him, and numerous mysterious ritual implements floated around him.

Gazing toward Heian-kyo in the distance, Kou's brow furrowed slightly.