Under the cover of night, Miketsu and Konkiku returned to Inari Mountain. As they were in the divine realm and Konkiku was familiar with the patrol routes of the Inari foxes, they successfully ascended the mountain undetected and returned to the Secret Realm.
After arranging their next secret outing, Miketsu and Konkiku bid farewell. Miketsu returned alone to the small building in the Secret Realm, removed her outfit in her bedroom, hid it, and then let out a long sigh of relief.
Honestly, being bound in those bandages was truly uncomfortable. If it weren't for a good meal, she would never have worn such an outfit; it was simply asking for trouble.
And so, the well-fed Miketsu rolled into bed. Because she had gone to sleep quite late this time, she didn't wake until almost noon the next day. The first thing she saw upon waking was Tsuruha silently waiting by her bedside.
"Lady Uka, you're finally awake..." With a look of concern, Tsuruha gazed at her deity, who had uncharacteristically overslept.
"Ugh... Tsuru, Tsuruha..." Rubbing her eyes, Miketsu felt a pang of guilt the moment she saw Tsuruha.
"It's almost noon, Lady Uka. Although I, Tsuruha, was reluctant to disturb your sleep, I have a duty to advise you that waking up so late is a bad habit. Please try to be more mindful of it in the future." Tsuruha quietly lowered her head, respectfully admonishing Miketsu.
"Uh... I, I know. I'll be more careful next time, anyway," Miketsu, with a guilty conscience, quickly agreed. She then began to get dressed, a behavior that made Tsuruha tilt her head slightly.
Why does Lady Uka seem a little strange today? Am I overthinking it?
Miketsu got up amidst Tsuruha's slight confusion and, after eating her portion of pickled vegetables and salted fish, went to climb the torii as usual. However, having indulged her cravings last night, she didn't resist the dishes Tsuruha prepared for her today and quickly finished them.
This couldn't help but make Tsuruha secretly pleased. She believed that Lady Uka was finally slowly accepting the diet befitting a high-ranking deity, perhaps another step towards becoming a proper god again.
Sitting atop the torii, Miketsu began to ponder the issue of Choyo-machi.
Although Miketsu had temporarily hidden yesterday's events from Tsuruha due to Konkiku's strong insistence, she couldn't possibly go just that one time. Tsuruha would know the full story sooner or later.
This would first require dispelling Tsuruha's prejudice against yokai, which meant finding an opportunity to take her to Choyo-machi someday.
Miketsu felt that what Konkiku said last night had some truth to it. If Inari Mountain were to face a crisis in the future, having one more friend meant one more source of strength, whether that strength came from humans or yokai.
All in all, Miketsu, having thoroughly satisfied her palate, was in a very good mood today. She lay comfortably on the torii, basking in the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves.
For some reason, the top of this torii was one of her favorite places in the shrine. In an era with virtually no means of entertainment, sunbathing and daydreaming there was what she did most often.
It was just a pity that the torii beneath her was old, and many places showed signs of cracking. She sometimes worried that if she slept on it for too long, she might cause it to collapse.
Hmm... if only there were a few more torii, I could change spots every day.
Thus, amidst various whimsical thoughts, Miketsu concluded another day.
The next morning, Miketsu woke up early. She took out the common woman's kosode that the foxes had washed clean, put it on, and brought a Turbid Qi Orb and the strange bead she had found inside the Demon-Faced Centipede. She then transformed into a beautiful mortal girl with black hair and black eyes.
Today was the day she had arranged to meet the onmyoji named Saneyori. She was now headed to the Onmyoryo in Heian-kyo to gloss over the previous incident while officially qualifying to receive tasks and learn Onmyojutsu.
Learning more divine communication-type Onmyojutsu was her primary method of increasing her strength at this stage.
As before, after Miketsu was ready, she rode Tsuruha down the mountain. In a deserted corner at the foot of the mountain, she took out the Turbid Qi Orb and sank into the human realm, while Tsuruha, as usual, shrank and hid in her sleeve.
Stepping onto the path to Heian-kyo once again, Miketsu suddenly felt that if she were to frequently visit Heian-kyo in the future, walking all the time would be too inconvenient. Perhaps she should consider buying a mount specifically for use in the human realm.
Arriving at Rajomon, Miketsu passed through the gate onto Suzaku Avenue, blending into the ceaseless flow of people. She could feel that the sense of being watched, which she had experienced a few days prior, had almost vanished. Most of the various extraordinary individuals had returned to their respective places, and Heian-kyo had now reverted to its usual appearance.
Just as Miketsu was about to ask a passerby for directions to the Onmyoryo, she suddenly felt that familiar sense of being watched return. She understood that someone was observing her with spiritual vision.
Miketsu instinctively turned her head towards the direction from which the gaze came, and there, she saw an unexpected person.
By a second-story window of a teahouse, a handsome young man with a face like jade was smiling at her, and he raised the tea in his hand.
Abe no Seimei? Why is he here? And is he gesturing for me to come up?
Seeing this young onmyoji, whom she had met once before, Miketsu was puzzled. She didn't understand why Seimei was here, and she realized he must have deliberately used spiritual vision on her just now to attract her attention.
After a brief hesitation, Miketsu entered the teahouse. She wanted to see what the young man's intentions were, and incidentally, she could also ask for the exact location of the Onmyoryo.
Arriving on the second floor, Miketsu walked to Seimei's seat. Seeing Miketsu's arrival, Seimei made a welcoming gesture, and Miketsu unceremoniously sat directly opposite him.
"Although the divination was chaotic, my intuition told me you would enter Heian-kyo through Rajomon today. Looks like it was quite accurate, wouldn't you say?" Taking a sip of tea, Seimei continued, smiling at Miketsu.
"Heh heh... I didn't expect us to meet again so soon, Asakura Hao..."
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