Dreaming

Eirin finished speaking, and the scene fell into a heavy silence. After a long while, Little Kaguya, standing beside Miketsu, murmured in a strange tone.

"So... Big Sister Kaguya and I are both just replicas of the Priestess of Chang'e?"

"Yes. You were both created based on the life data of the Priestess of Chang'e, and you both possess the ability to call upon the power of Chang'e through prayer. This is exactly why the Lunar Capital is so desperate to reclaim you; if they want to further utilize the power of Chang'e, they must rely on her priestess," Eirin replied with a nod. On the other side, Miketsu spoke up with a hint of confusion.

"If they are replicas from the same template, why are there differences in their appearances? And if the Lunar Capital possesses cloning technology, couldn't they have just made another one after Little Kaguya was lost? Why do the people of the Lunar Capital still resort to every possible means to reclaim her from the surface?" Miketsu asked slowly, pointing out inconsistencies in Eirin's explanation based on her own understanding of replication technology.

"Heh, I didn't expect you to grasp the concept of this technology so quickly," Eirin said, looking at Miketsu with a trace of surprise.

"Indeed, if the data were identical, the two replicas should be exactly the same. But don't forget—before I left, I destroyed the equipment and records regarding life replication technology, along with the extracted life data. Therefore, the First Princess was born under my direct supervision, while the Second Princess was created by the Lunar Capital themselves, extracting data from scratch using only the technical remnants and theoretical foundations I left behind," Eirin explained slowly, and Miketsu seemed to realize something.

"You mean... when they re-extracted the life data, some errors occurred?"

"That should be the case. After all, my technology replicates not just the body, but parts of the soul as well, which is extremely complex... I suspect those fellows were quite immature in their attempt to reconstruct my techniques. Consequently, the probability of a created replica meeting the required standards is likely incredibly low. You might be an exceptionally rare success story..." Eirin said, looking at Little Kaguya with a serious gaze. Little Kaguya met Eirin's eyes for a moment before suddenly freezing.

"You... you mean... the Lunar Capital made countless attempts to create a second Priestess of Chang'e, and I... I was the only one who finally succeeded..."

"Yes... and that is likely why they find it so difficult to produce a Third Princess. Little Kaguya, you are the successful result obtained after countless failed replication attempts by the Lunar Capital. Judging by the fact that they haven't created a Third Princess even now, their experimental success rate must be embarrassingly low.

"So, celebrate, Little Kaguya... you are likely the sole survivor among thousands, if not tens of thousands, of your sisters... after all, I don't believe the Lunar Capital has a habit of raising failed products..." Eirin said, watching Kaguya. Little Kaguya's eyes widened upon hearing those words, her heart churning with waves of emotion.

She wasn't the only 'princess' created after Kaguya; there might have been many, many others just like her, and they might have all vanished due to failure. She was the only one who survived...

Sensing the abnormality in the girl beside her, Miketsu placed a hand on her trembling shoulder, releasing a gentle wave of Inari divine power to soothe her emotions. Little Kaguya leaned into Miketsu's side.

"Phew... well, that leaves one last question. As the Second Princess of the Lunar Capital, how did Little Kaguya end up on the surface without your interference?" Miketsu asked Eirin after taking a breath.

"I'm not sure about that either. After leaving the Lunar Capital, I didn't keep much track of what happened there. To understand this, we'll have to wait for Yorihime to wake up and ask her. You can't expect to get any classified information out of those moon rabbit soldiers," Eirin said with a casual wave of her hand. Miketsu's brow furrowed slightly.

"Watatsuki no... Yorihime?"

...

Inside the Secret Realm of the Inari Shrine, within a simply decorated room, Yorihime lay with her eyes closed on a futon in the center of the floor. A warning Magical Array was inscribed around her, and Tsuruha sat upright to the side, quietly keeping watch.

Suddenly, the door was pulled open, and Miketsu entered with Eirin.

"How is she? Has she woken up?"

Miketsu asked, looking at Tsuruha. Tsuruha immediately replied with deference.

"No, Lady Uka. She hasn't woken up once since last night."

"Hasn't woken up... has there been anything unusual about her condition?" Miketsu frowned and continued her inquiry.

"Nothing, Lady Uka. I have been monitoring her from start to finish, and no special circumstances have occurred," Tsuruha stated firmly. Miketsu, who trusted Tsuruha completely, nodded.

'It seems she really hasn't woken up... was the backlash from the excessive divine power that severe? Or is it...'

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Miketsu. She turned to Eirin beside her.

"Eirin... can you check her?"

"Mhm, I can..." Eirin nodded, then walked over to Yorihime's side to begin various examinations.

After checking her pulse, inspecting her pupils, and performing a series of diagnostic methods that Miketsu didn't quite understand, Eirin stood up and spoke to Miketsu.

"She indeed hasn't regained consciousness. I estimate it will take some time before she recovers her awareness."

"I see... it looks like we'll have to wait a while longer to get information from her..." Having ruled out the possibility of her faking unconsciousness, Miketsu stared at the deeply comatose Yorihime with a locked brow, her mind racing with thoughts.

Yet, beneath the surface of Yorihime's coma, her consciousness was far from still.

...

In a pitch-black space, Yorihime floated alone. She looked around at her surroundings in a daze, speaking with confusion.

"Where... where is this?"

Yorihime was lost and bewildered in the darkness when a voice she knew well reached her ears.

"This is inside a dream, Yorihime..."

Hearing that voice, Yorihime whipped her head around. Emerging slowly from the dark space was the figure of Watatsuki no Toyohime.

"Sister!?"

"It's been a few days, Yorihime. You look quite pathetic right now, actually being taken prisoner... No one in the Lunar Capital expected you to lose on the surface. The Sages are absolutely furious right now..." Looking at her younger sister, Watatsuki no Toyohime continued with a smile.

"So, it can't be helped. I have to come and take over your mission~"