Causality

Is it a matter of the heart? I suppose so... Miketsu lay on the tatami, a trace of melancholy in her heart as she listened to Kaguya's words. Looking back, it had been thirteen years since she first learned of Yura's affection for Seimei. To be honest, watching Yura spend over a decade dropping all sorts of hints without receiving a single response had been quite difficult to witness. After all, Yura was her first friend in this world besides the Inari foxes; she had to lend a hand. Now, by taking advantage of Seimei's amnesia and Kaguya's Marriage Selection, she had finally set things in motion. Otherwise, who knows how much longer this would have dragged on.

"Aunt Yura has loved Uncle Seimei for a long time. I truly hope they can finally have a happy ending..." Kaguya spoke softly, gazing at the starry sky through the window. On the other side, Miketsu sat up and stretched.

"Mm~ let's hope so. In any case, this is as far as I can help them. I'm not a dedicated God of Marriage, after all. My Divine Domain doesn't cover matrimony. I had to resort to brute-forcing causality manipulation to create opportunities for them, and that is quite exhausting..." Miketsu held her hand before her eyes, spreading her fingers slowly as she spoke.

causality manipulation was an ability she had only recently mastered—an advanced application of her causality-type powers. Long ago, Miketsu had realized she could fulfill the wishes of petitioners by controlling cause and effect. After extensive research, she was now able to weave causality to create various events for mortals, becoming a deity who could truly sway the fate of the common folk.

However, at this stage, the restrictions on this ability were still numerous. First, her causality manipulation could currently only affect ordinary mortals and Yokai; anything touched by divinity was beyond her influence. Among mortals and Yokai, the difficulty varied greatly depending on their power level. Manipulating the causality of a Great Onmyoji like Seimei was far more taxing than doing so for an average person. Similarly, those of high status were harder to manipulate than those of low status.

This "exhaustion" did not refer to the consumption of spiritual power—Miketsu's greatest asset was her vast reservoir of power. Rather, causality manipulation consumed mental energy, or more accurately, the calculation power required to process numerous variables.

An ordinary mortal has a low ceiling for their abilities and can achieve very little; thus, the causality involved is minimal. A powerful Onmyoji with immense spiritual power can do far more than a commoner, which means they are involved in many more threads of causality, vastly increasing the required calculations. An official with high status, though lacking spiritual power, can command and influence a large number of people; this also increases the complexity of their causality, making them equally difficult to manipulate.

Therefore, manipulating the causality of two powerful Onmyoji like Seimei and Yura was extremely draining for Miketsu. Fortunately, she was only weaving minor daily events this time, not involving major matters like combat or life and death. Otherwise, the volume of causality to be calculated would have exceeded Miketsu's current limits.

As she stood now, Miketsu possessed the power to decide the life or death of an ordinary mortal with a flick of her finger. If she wished, she could cause a normal person to meet a sudden end in any number of ways, much like a Death Note. Of course, this wasn't limited to misfortune; bringing someone the good luck of finding a treasure while out for a walk was also a simple matter.

To improve her ability to manipulate causality, she needed to increase her calculation power. For now, Miketsu couldn't find a good way to do so. She wondered if, once the information age arrived, she could find a way to link her mind with a supercomputer. If she did, could she easily manipulate the causality of an entire nation, or perhaps even interfere with the fate of other gods?

'I wonder if other orthodox gods manipulate causality to the same extent I do...' Miketsu mused silently, and a voice responded exactly as expected.

'Ugh... stop overthinking it. No other orthodox god can see all the threads of causality like you. They can only see the causality related to their own Divine Domain. Munch, munch... You're a total freak...' Dakini-ten's voice echoed in Miketsu's mind, accompanied by the sound of chewing.

'They can only see what's related to their Divine Domain? So a God of Marriage can only see threads related to matrimony, and a God of Wealth can only see those related to fortune?' Miketsu responded with realization.

'Mhm... exactly. For instance, I can only see causality related to death, which is why I'm known as the Ghost-God of Death Precognition. Munch... Back where I come from, the one who can see and manipulate the most causality is the Tathagata, but even then, I doubt it's as much as you. You have what could be called Full causality vision! You don't act like an agricultural god at all...' Dakini-ten's voice continued. Hearing this, Miketsu nodded thoughtfully. She realized that, in addition to her vast spiritual power, she had another attribute that far surpassed other orthodox gods.

'I see... Well, where are you right now? It sounds like you're still eating.' Miketsu asked her avatar curiously. Although they were communicating mentally, Dakini-ten was not currently bound within Miketsu's body but was elsewhere.

'I'm in Choyo-machi eating roasted hearts and livers. They're quite delicious. Sadly, there aren't any human hearts. Want me to bring some back?'

'Uh... no thanks. Just enjoy them yourself.'

Ending the mental link with Dakini-ten and organizing the information regarding causality, Miketsu let out a long sigh. It was then she noticed Kaguya sitting on the other side, staring blankly at the massive full moon through the window, lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about, Kaguya?" Miketsu asked with concern.

"It's nothing, Mother. I was just wondering... now that Young Lord Yu, the Minamoto Clan Head, and Uncle Seimei have all solved their riddles and found the treasures, I wonder how she is doing..." Kaguya spoke slowly, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"It's fine. The riddle you gave her was simple and clear enough. Even if that girl isn't the brightest, she should be able to figure it out. Of course... whether she can fully grasp the meaning behind it and what choice she will ultimately make is up to her. Don't worry, Kaguya... I believe she will make the right choice."

"Yes." Kaguya nodded. Miketsu smiled and joined her in gazing at the nearly perfect circle of the bright moon in the sky.

As she looked at the moon, Miketsu's brow furrowed slightly. For some reason, an inexplicable sense of foreboding rose within her heart.