Focus

One of the tacit understandings between the human realm and the demon realm?

Chewing on Tsuruha's words, Miketsu nodded in agreement. It made sense; for such a Ghost Market to exist on the outskirts of Heian-kyo, there must be some tacit understanding with the Onmyoryo, a silent approval from them.

After all, the human realm belongs to humans, and the demon realm belongs to yokai. As long as neither crosses the boundary, they can coexist under certain tacit agreements.

Thinking this, Miketsu continued to look at the menu in her hand. After carefully choosing for a while, she ordered a plate of roasted wild boar. The black cat then jumped off the table, menu still in its mouth, and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Aren't you ordering anything?"

Miketsu turned to look at Konkiku across from her. She noticed the little fox hadn't ordered anything.

"Ugh... no. This meal is on me, and I still have to pay back the Cat Shop Owner's debt later. I'm out of money."

Konkiku answered Miketsu, her eyes wide with longing, as her hand drew circles on the tabletop.

Konkiku's words immediately made Miketsu feel awkward. For a deity like herself to spend her divine messenger's money, to the point where the other couldn't even eat, was truly inexcusable.

Seeing this, Miketsu silently resolved that she must find a way to get some money for herself in the future. It would be much more convenient whether she went to the human realm or the demon realm.

But where would she get this money? Steal... no, take money from the shrine's offering box? It's for the gods anyway.

Amidst her thoughts, Miketsu's dish finally arrived. A stout orange cat, wearing a bandana, standing on two feet and nearly as tall as a human, placed the roasted meat, served on exquisite tableware, before Miketsu.

The roasted meat was already sliced into pieces and neatly arranged on green vegetable leaves. Both its appearance and aroma were excellent. Seeing this plate of roasted meat, she felt tears welling up.

After eating seafood and pickles for so long, she could finally indulge in something rich and oily again.

Suppressing her emotion, Miketsu picked up a piece of roasted meat with her chopsticks and began to eat. When she tasted the first bite, she immediately praised the cats' culinary skills in her heart.

"You... you should slow down a bit... your current appearance isn't suited for eating so quickly..."

Seeing Miketsu continuously and rapidly bringing roasted meat to her mouth, Konkiku immediately grew anxious and quietly reminded her.

Reminded by Konkiku, Miketsu realized her problem. She immediately slowed her eating pace but did not stop for a moment.

While Miketsu was fully engrossed in enjoying her meal, the Cat Shop Owner was still busy attending to various customers. Just as she was carrying a plate through the center of the shop, the door curtain was pushed aside, and several figures entered the establishment.

"Welcome! Please come in, custo... custo..."

The Cat Shop Owner routinely welcomed the new guests, but when she clearly saw who they were, she froze on the spot.

A yokai man with long, ice-blue hair and slender, pointed ears entered the shop, accompanied by four or five leopard cat yokai with cat heads and human bodies. Trailing behind them was a massive leopard cat yokai, nearly three meters tall, who simply burst through the doorway to get inside.

"Hey! Guests, please don't do that... Ugh..."

Seeing her shop door damaged, the Cat Shop Owner anxiously prepared to rush over. But at that moment, the ice-blue-haired man's eyes narrowed, and a powerful demonic aura erupted from him, startling the Cat Shop Owner, who had just started to move, to a halt. The plate in her hand nearly shattered on the floor. This sudden burst of demonic aura also drew the attention of all the yokai dining inside, and accompanying the aura was an immense pressure.

The leopard cat yokai named Torin swept the entire room with his demonic aura, creating a powerful deterrent force that suffocated all the yokai present, except for the other leopard cat yokai.

The small Azukiarai, like a little imp, suddenly devoured all the beans in its bowl and hid under the table. The Abura-sumashi, wearing a straw cape, pulled its withered face entirely into its cape. The Yurei instantly turned pale and rapidly faded. All the small cats, who had been bustling around greeting customers, scurried into the shadows, trembling.

The entire izakaya instantly became tense and silent.

Konkiku stood in her seat, forcing back the trembling in her limbs, wary of the uninvited intruders. A storm raged within her.

"Such powerful demonic aura... and it has a deterrent effect, is this a show of force? A powerful yokai I've never seen before, not from this Choyo-machi. Could this be a general of a Yokai Lord?"

The Cat Shop Owner, intimidated by Torin's demonic aura, took two steps back. Suppressing the oppression and fear from the powerful demonic energy, she looked directly at the source of the formidable aura, the leopard cat general Torin.

"Gu-guest... what is the meaning of this... I still have a business to run..."

Facing the Cat Shop Owner's question, Torin remained expressionless and silent. The burly leopard cat yokai beside him answered instead, looking at the Cat Shop Owner with a glint in his eyes.

"Haha, don't worry, little kitty, we mean nothing else. We are subordinates of Oyakata-sama from Harima Nukazuka-yama, here in Heian-kyo to pursue rebels. We plan to announce something here in Choyo-machi, and your place is quite lively, so we've designated it as one of the locations. Don't mind us, alright..."

Oyakata from Harima Nukazuka-yama? Is that the Leopard Cat Lord, one of the Yokai Lords?

As soon as the leopard cat yokai spoke, all the yokai present had the same thought. They had all heard of the Leopard Cat Lord, a name that struck fear across the western provinces.

"Alright... just say what you need to say quickly..."

Aversely avoiding the leopard cat yokai's gaze, the Cat Shop Owner spoke. All she wanted now was for these plagues to leave quickly.

"Alright, little kitty..."

The leopard cat yokai's prying gaze moved from the Cat Shop Owner, sweeping over everyone in the shop, and he spoke in a serious tone.

"A vile and despicable rebellion occurred under Oyakata-sama's rule, but it was quickly suppressed. Now, an important traitor has fled to Heian-kyo. If anyone sees him and can provide us with information!"

"That traitor is a wounded white dog yokai, accompanied by a Flea Yokai. If anyone sees him, they can come directly to the Yokai Inn in town to find us. At that time, there will be a generous reward, hehe, a reward from a Yokai Lord."

As soon as the burly leopard cat yokai finished speaking, the hearts of almost all the yokai in the izakaya stirred. Although he didn't specify what it was, a Yokai Lord's reward was surely invaluable. At this moment, the yokai desperately wanted to communicate, but Torin's demonic aura was still present, and they still dared not utter a single word.

"Alright... you've said what you needed to say. Can you leave now?"

Looking at the leopard cat yokai before her, the Cat Shop Owner continued. She wasn't interested in any reward; she just wanted these few to leave quickly.

However, the burly leopard cat yokai was not so willing to leave just yet. His gaze remained fixed on the Cat Shop Owner.

"Don't be so hasty, little kitty. You've been very cooperative, and you've done well. Now, let me stroke you as a reward..."

With a lewd smile on his face, the leopard cat yokai's large hand reached out towards the Cat Shop Owner. Frightened, she quickly stepped back two paces, pressing herself against the counter behind her.

If this happened normally, the Cat Shop Owner would have long since kicked him and ordered all the cats in the shop to bite him to death. But now was different; the other party was a subordinate of a Yokai Lord, and a demonic general was present, emitting a deterrent aura. Not to mention whether she could break through the intimidation to resist, even if she did, what would be the consequences of offending a demonic general?

Watching the large hand reaching towards her, the Cat Shop Owner closed her eyes. From afar, Konkiku, witnessing her friend's predicament, felt her heart leap into her throat, but she was powerless; her strength was even weaker than the Cat Shop Owner's.

Just then, a hoarse, hollow voice echoed through the silent room.

"Owner..."

Due to Torin's demonic aura suppression, the entire izakaya trembled silently, no one daring to speak, making it extremely quiet. Thus, this single voice drew everyone's attention. A figure shrouded in a black robe extended a bandaged hand from beneath it, pointing at an empty meal box on the table in front, and then continued to speak.

"Another serving..."

Seeing this scene, Konkiku, at that moment, lost all color and stood frozen, her heart nearly stopping.

She had forgotten that her Lady Uka, as a true deity, could not be intimidated by a yokai's demonic aura, and thus couldn't immediately notice the leopard cat yokai...

This meant Miketsu had absolutely no idea what had just happened! She was completely focused on eating!