The Return

Heian-kyo, the courtyard of the Asakura Residence.

After an afternoon of decryption and competition, the five stalks of Jade Bamboo that Princess Kaguya had placed throughout Heian-kyo had all been claimed. The vast number of her original suitors had been decimated in an instant, leaving only the final five gathered in the courtyard.

As dusk approached, the crowd of noble young lords that had filled the courtyard in the morning had vanished. In their place stood the five who had emerged victorious.

They were: Young Lord Yu, a famous socialite in the capital who seemed to have a deep background in the demon realm; Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the current head of the Minamoto Clan; Abe no Seimei, the Great Onmyoji currently idling at home due to amnesia; Fujiwara no Aka, the talented scion of the Fujiwara Clan; and Houraisan Yoru, the son of a wealthy medicine merchant from Nara.

Princess Kaguya carefully inspected the Jade Bamboo they had presented, verifying their authenticity. Below her, the five men sized each other up, maintaining a silent, wary vigilance.

"Hey, brother Seimei, didn't you say you were just participating for fun? How on earth did you make it through the first round!" The Tanuki, disguised as a fair-faced youth, pulled Seimei aside and whispered sternly. Seimei, for his part, wore a look of utter helplessness.

"Sigh... how should I put this? I suppose it was heaven's will..." Seimei replied with a bitter smile. The Tanuki frowned in confusion; how could heaven's will possibly interfere in something like this?

Elsewhere, Kaguya stared resentfully at Mokou, the scene of the other woman snatching her Jade Bamboo still vivid in her mind. Mokou, however, merely squinted at Kaguya with a thoughtful, slightly puzzled expression. Meanwhile, Minamoto no Yorimitsu stood his ground with a calm smile, saying nothing.

Finally, Princess Kaguya finished verifying all the Jade Bamboo. She looked up with a smile at the five suitors before her.

"The Jade Bamboo stalks presented are all genuine. It brings me great joy that you were able to solve the riddles and obtain them... Congratulations to you all for successfully passing the first round of testing.

"You have worked hard today. Please return and rest for now. Tomorrow at noon, please gather here again. At that time, I will present the second and final challenge..."

...

As the sun set and the moon rose, the sky grew dark, and another night descended upon Heian-kyo. A rare, massive full moon hung in the sky, shining alongside countless stars over the black firmament.

In the deep of night on Mount Inari, atop Kojin-mine, a proud man surrounded by floating ritual tools slowly descended from the sky under the moonlight. His long black hair was tied into a braid that drifted behind him, and his majestic gaze looked straight ahead.

Due to the rapid revival of the Inari faith, the entire Inari Shrine had undergone a cycle of reconstruction and expansion in recent years. Even Kojin-mine, which was somewhat distant from the main shrine, had been paved with tiles and seen new buildings erected, looking vastly different from its former desolate state.

Seeing the scene atop Kojin-mine, a strange light flashed in Kou's eyes. The last time he had been here was thirteen years ago. Now, the entire Inari Shrine, all of Heian-kyo, and even the whole Kinki region had transformed.

Standing atop Kojin-mine, Kou sighed inwardly while he waited. Before long, Tsuruha, in her transformed state, walked slowly from the distant path carrying a lantern. She arrived before Kou and bowed slightly.

"It has been thirteen years, Lord Kou..."

"Mhm..." Facing the familiar Divine Messenger, Kou nodded steadily. Then, he spoke slowly, asking a question similar to the one he had asked thirteen years prior.

"How is she now?"

"Lady Uka has been very well lately. Although... she has never been able to awaken her past memories, that hasn't stopped her from becoming the revered Inari Okami once again," Tsuruha said with a respectful tone.

"Becoming it again, you say... It seems you no longer hope for her to return to the way she used to be, Tsuruha." Kou spoke calmly, as if he had perceived something. Tsuruha was slightly startled.

"No, that's not it. I still miss the Lady Uka of the past, but it cannot be denied... the current Lady Uka is more suited to being a god.

"She is strong—extraordinarily strong. Both in heart and in power, the current Lady Uka has surpassed her former self. No matter what kind of enemy she faces, she deals with them composedly. Even the crisis that once forced her into a deep slumber could be easily resolved by her now. Although she often employs direct and blunt methods, performing acts that might not seem fitting for a deity, she always manages to consider the big picture and maintain a benevolent heart." Tsuruha looked directly at Kou, continuing with confidence.

"Lord Kou, when you left last time, you charged me with protecting Lady Uka so she would not suffer those past calamities again. But if I may be so bold, the current Lady Uka does not need special protection. She can organize unexpected forces to crush any enemy!"

Looking at the confident Tsuruha, Kou fell silent for a moment. After a brief pause, he spoke again.

"I have felt massive bursts of power appearing in Heian-kyo several times, but by the time I prepared to rush here, the eruptions had already subsided. I did not expect such a grave crisis to be buried beneath this land, nor did I expect her to grow beyond her former self... It seems I no longer need to worry about her..." As Kou spoke, he began to float back into the sky. He looked down at Tsuruha and continued.

"I came to Heian-kyo this time because I felt power coming from the Plain of Night. This may involve matters concerning myself, so I came to investigate personally. I only stopped by to check on your situation... Heh, it seems I won't need to come here again in the future. Until we meet again."

As Kou spoke, he began to fly toward the horizon. At that moment, Tsuruha suddenly called out.

"Lord Kou... do you really not need the current Lady Uka to know of your existence?"

Hearing Tsuruha's words, Kou paused for a moment. His cold expression betrayed nothing. Finally, he spoke slowly.

"There is no need."

With those words, Kou flew into the distance. Seeing this, Tsuruha's expression dimmed. She sighed softly and said with a hint of sadness, "Sigh... what a pity..."

"Hey, Tsuruha, does that guy named Kou have a thing for the old me?"

"Yes, Lord Kou harbored... wait, what!?"

Suddenly, Tsuruha realized the voice that had just spoken beside her was not quite right. When she turned her head, she saw Miketsu sitting cross-legged on the ground, cracking melon seeds while watching the direction where Kou had disappeared.

"Aaah! Lady Uka! Since when were you here!?" Seeing Miketsu's sudden appearance, Tsuruha was frightened out of her wits. She tumbled backward and landed on her rear, her face full of shock.

"Since when? Probably from the very beginning. I rushed here the moment I sensed a vague thread of causality belonging to a deity entering the vicinity of Mount Inari. I actually got here before you did, Tsuruha," Miketsu said with a slight smile to the pale-faced Tsuruha. Mount Inari was her domain; no abnormal presence could escape her eyes.