The Return

Riding atop the white-robed Daoist's immortal crane, Miketsu swiftly crossed the ocean and reached the skies above the Japanese Archipelago. Before long, she approached Kinki and soared over Heian-kyo.

Returning to the skies above Inari after a long absence, the immortal crane flapped its massive wings and descended slowly, landing within the Inari Secret Realm. In the open space before the small building, a group of people was already waiting for her.

"Lady Uka!!"

Just as Miketsu jumped down from the crane's back, the first to pounce on her was the curvaceous, white-haired fox girl, Konkiku. She unceremoniously pulled Miketsu into a warm, enthusiastic embrace, nuzzling her affectionately.

"It’s so good to see Lady Uka is safe~ You have no idea how worried Konkiku was!"

"Ah... It's alright, Konkiku. Haven't I returned?" Basking in Konkiku's soft embrace, Miketsu did not resist. In her peripheral vision, she saw Tsuruha standing behind Konkiku, her mouth pouting as if she were enduring some great internal struggle.

"Kon... Konkiku, how impolite! Lady Uka has only just recovered from her injuries, you mustn't do that!" Standing her ground, Tsuruha shouted at Konkiku in a flurry of excitement. Upon hearing this, Konkiku reluctantly released Miketsu with a dissatisfied look. Looking at Miketsu, Tsuruha breathed a small sigh of relief. She then straightened herself, offered a slight bow, and spoke gently.

"Welcome back, Lady Uka. Tsuruha has already arranged for the foxes to prepare a banquet. We specifically bought many of your favorite dishes from Choyo-machi. Please enjoy them and then get some proper rest."

"Mhm... Thank you, Tsuruha. You've worked hard." As Miketsu spoke, she walked up to Tsuruha and reached out to stroke her hair. Tsuruha’s cheeks flushed slightly at the touch, and she instinctively lowered her head, her upright fox ears drooping down.

"It—it's nothing. It is only what Tsuruha should do. To see Lady Uka return safely... Tsuruha is truly happy..."

After emerging from the Kunlun Secret Realm, Miketsu had used the divine messenger contract to inform Tsuruha and the others of her situation to keep them from worrying.

Following the war with the Moon Feather Princess, Eirin and Kaguya had been unable to find any trace of Miketsu at the scene, which had truly panicked them. They had searched the wilderness of East Siberia for a long time without finding a single clue.

When Eirin and the others failed to locate Miketsu, they notified Tsuruha and the rest who were guarding Mount Inari in Japan, hoping they could come to Siberia and use the divine messenger contract to track her down.

Just as Tsuruha was anxiously preparing to depart for Siberia, she suddenly received a message from Miketsu via the divine messenger contract, which finally allowed them to set their hearts at ease.

"Mother!"

At that moment, a familiar voice reached Miketsu's ears. Turning her head, she saw Princess Kaguya standing elegantly to the side in her formal attire, with Eirin standing beside her with hands on her hips.

"Kaguya, and Eirin too..."

"Welcome back, Mother. Seeing you safe and sound, Kaguya can finally be at peace." Princess Kaguya let out a soft sigh of relief as she looked at Miketsu, who responded with a smile.

"I made you all worry, but I'm mostly fine. By the way, where are Mokou and the other Princess Kaguya? And what about Men-men, Makoto, and Qin Xin?" Miketsu asked curiously. For the sake of secrecy, the news of her disappearance was known only to her closest Divine Messengers and Miko Shikigami, as well as those who had participated in the Moon War with her. Several of them were missing from the gathering.

"Lady Menreiki and Lady Qin Xin are in Choyo-machi. They are still following Lady Uka's orders to play the roles of Owl and Asakura Hao during your absence. Lady Makoto is assisting them. They very much wanted to come, but they currently have duties to attend to. However, Lady Uka can rest assured; they will attend the banquet later." It was Kikyo, who had been waiting respectfully to the side, who answered.

"They've certainly had it hard..." Hearing Kikyo's words, Miketsu spoke with a sigh of admiration. The order between humans and yokai in Heian-kyo that she had established required management. Because of various reasons (and her own laziness), she often couldn't spare the time, so she frequently had to trouble Menreiki and the others.

"As for that immortal... because she fought against Chang'e, her power of immortality is acting a bit strange. Her body's recovery is unstable, so she needs treatment for a while. She kept trying to leave, but I wouldn't allow it. After dragging her back a few times, I had the Princess stay there to watch over her. Consider it a form of guardianship..." Eirin, standing nearby, explained the whereabouts of Mokou and the other Kaguya.

'To think that a girl like Mokou would have a day where she's hospitalized for treatment...' Miketsu couldn't help but snark internally at Eirin's words. She then wondered if there would be any issues with Kaguya looking after Mokou...

In truth, only Miketsu, Princess Kaguya, and Eirin knew that those two were actually arch-enemies. The Kaguya here didn't know Mokou's background, and Mokou didn't know Kaguya's. When Miketsu had initially arranged for Mokou to protect Kaguya and the others, she had deliberately kept the details vague to prevent the bodyguard and the protected person from trying to kill each other on the spot.

But now that they were alone together, what if one of them let the cat out of the bag?

Thinking of this, Miketsu considered the consequences of them finding out the truth, then shook her head.

'Whatever. It's not like they can actually kill each other. Let them be.'

She just needed to reclaim the Vermilion Bird Seal from Mokou eventually. If she went to retrieve it now, the Great Snake shouldn't have had time to erode it yet. Oh, and then there was Yura's. According to the white-robed Daoist, once one mastered the Three Realms and Four Symbols Array, even the final unused seal carried the risk of erosion.

After exchanging a few more greetings, Miketsu saw off the white-robed Daoist's immortal crane. She then followed Tsuruha and the others toward the shrine. During this walk, she noticed a gaze watching her from afar.

Sensing this gaze, Miketsu gave a few brief instructions to Tsuruha and the others before leaving the crowd. She went alone into a grove within the Inari Secret Realm. There, she found Suwako, who had been waiting for her.

"Are you here alone? Where is Kanako?" Miketsu asked bluntly upon seeing Suwako.

"She went back to the shrine first. After all, we can't let Kaki and the others worry. I knew you had things to ask me, so I stayed behind. Otherwise, communicating through your foxes is quite a hassle." Pressing down on the brim of her hat, Suwako leaned against a tree and continued with a smile.

"Isn't that right, Fate Weaver, Wings of Time, Lord of Causality... and the Profound Black Arbiter of History?"