The Great Misunderstanding

"Huh? A black-robed, one-eyed yokai?"

In the park, looking at the serious-looking old yokai before her and hearing this question from her former subordinate, Miketsu couldn't help but blink in surprise. For a moment, she almost didn't react.

Clearly, Nura Rihyon's question had exceeded Miketsu's expectations.

'A black-robed, one-eyed yokai? Isn't that Kou? What's going on? Why is this old fellow Rihyon suddenly asking me about Kou? My current identity is the Inari miko, Fushimi Inaba. Has he realized I'm Kou? That doesn't make sense...'

A series of questions sprouted in Miketsu's mind, preventing her from answering immediately. When she snapped back and saw Rihyon's earnest gaze, she quickly reached a conclusion.

'He couldn't have figured out that Fushimi Inaba equals Inari Okami equals Kou. Otherwise, his previous reaction would have been very different. Since he hasn't figured it out, I'll deny it first and see what he's up to.'

As he observed Miketsu's reaction, a flicker of amusement passed through Rihyon's expression before he spoke.

"You haven't seen him? That's alright, I was just asking," Rihyon said with a smile on the surface, but his inner thoughts were quite different.

'Her response was hesitant... she clearly thought about it before answering. In that case, it's likely a lie. She probably does know that black-robed, one-eyed yokai, Kou.'

The reason Rihyon had asked the young girl such a question was entirely because her familiar appearance and her profound mastery of Onmyojutsu reminded him of someone—the genius Onmyoji from a thousand years ago, Asakura Hao.

'Is she the reincarnation of Asakura Hao? After all, a powerful soul brings powerful spiritual power, and the talent of an Onmyoji can be passed down through reincarnation. I have seen many such cases over the past millennium.'

After considering that the girl might be Asakura Hao's reincarnation, Rihyon immediately thought of Kou's sudden appearance after being in seclusion for a thousand years. Initially, Rihyon had been puzzled by the sudden return of the former Lord of the Hundred Demons and the First Grand Commander of Yokai. He thought Kou might simply be dissatisfied with the Nura Clan's current state and decided to lend a hand. But now, it seemed things were far more complex.

Rihyon believed that what drew Kou out of seclusion wasn't the chaos of the Nura Clan, but rather the reincarnation of his beloved from a thousand years ago. He had emerged from hiding just to meet his love once more. In the process, he witnessed the chaos in the Tokyo divine realm and, for the sake of his old ties, helped his grandson, Nura Rikuo.

'Owl General...' Rihyon sighed internally. At the same time, he analyzed the girl's response. The girl named Fushimi Inaba had hesitated and looked slightly strange when answering. This proved she had likely already met the Owl General. The reason she didn't tell him was probably that the Owl General had specifically instructed her not to reveal his location.

'Ha, are you afraid that if your whereabouts are exposed, old geezers like us will come looking for you? General... since that is your wish, I won't ask further.'

Thinking this, Rihyon shook his head with a helpless, bitter smile. Then, with a playful expression, he looked at the girl who still seemed confused.

'I wonder how far the General and this girl have progressed? Since she's willing to keep his secret, their relationship must be decent. Perhaps they've already become quite close. Hehe.'

Rihyon mused. Although he really wanted to expose the girl's "lie," tell her the true identity of that black-robed, one-eyed yokai, and explain his relationship with Kou to find out how they were doing, he suppressed the urge, knowing Kou probably preferred to keep things quiet.

However, his gaze changed instantly, becoming extremely meaningful. Sensing this look, Miketsu felt a chill run down her spine.

'What is this old guy thinking? It feels like he's plotting something weird. No, I need to ask more to find out why he suddenly mentioned Kou to me.'

"Ahem. Um, old yokai sir?" Miketsu cleared her throat and continued to probe.

Rihyon responded with a smile that was even more amiable than before. "What is it, Inari girl?"

"That black-robed, one-eyed yokai you mentioned... is there something wrong with him? Is the Nura Clan specifically trying to capture him?" Miketsu asked tentatively.

Upon hearing her words, Rihyon's expression changed, and he immediately spoke in a serious tone. "No! Not at all! Absolutely not! Don't misunderstand, little girl. There is nothing wrong with that yokai, and the Nura Clan is not trying to capture him. On the contrary... he is a great benefactor of the Nura Clan."

Rihyon explained hastily. He worried that if Asakura Hao's reincarnation developed a bad impression of the Owl General because of him, it would be disastrous. He didn't want to ruin his boss's wooing progress. If the Owl General messed it up later, he couldn't bear that responsibility.

"I see... So he's a yokai who has done a favor for the Nura Clan," Miketsu nodded, thinking to herself, 'So this old fellow has actually started a secret search for Kou?'

"Yes. Although that black-robed yokai is mysterious and comes and goes as he pleases—looking grim and sullen—he is actually a chivalrous man who upholds the way of Yokai Ninkyo. He is by no means a petty or treacherous person. Don't misunderstand him; he is definitely someone worthy of trust and commitment. If you meet him in the future, you can feel free to get close to him... there's no need to worry about his character."

Looking at the girl, Rihyon said this with a meaningful tone. He was clearly trying to boost Kou's image in Fushimi Inaba's eyes and do some matchmaking. However, his words only served to confuse Miketsu further.

"Ahem... Excuse me, old yokai sir, what exactly do you mean by that? Are you sure I'll meet that yokai?" Miketsu coughed and asked.

Seeing her slightly agitated reaction, Rihyon smiled with satisfaction. 'She reacted that way to words like "commitment" and "getting close," yet showed no signs of disgust. It seems this miko Inaba also has feelings for the Owl General. Hoho. It looks like the General is making good progress. As expected of the First Grand Commander, a man who can lead someone like me.'

"Hoho, I don't mean anything else. I just hope you cherish what's in front of you, little girl."

Just as Rihyon finished his sentence, the distant sound of fire truck sirens wafted through the air. It seemed the tremors from Miketsu's Sugar Bean Man Shikigami rampage and the damaged fire hydrant had finally drawn the fire department's attention.

"Yo, it looks like we need to leave this place quickly, or it'll be trouble when the Onmyo Agency shows up."

With a laughing farewell, Rihyon led Natto-kozo away from the scene. Miketsu, left standing there, was utterly bewildered.

'What is that old guy thinking? So many nonsensical words...'

Hearing the approaching sirens, Miketsu left while still mired in confusion. She planned to go back and perform a divination to see what Rihyon's bizarre attitude was all about.

At this moment, Miketsu hadn't realized that Rihyon had mistaken her for the reincarnation of Asakura Hao. It wasn't that she was slow to react, but rather that she didn't realize her face had left such a deep impression on him.

A thousand years ago, when Miketsu acted as Asakura Hao, she almost never interacted with Kou's close associates. Similarly, as Kou, she never proactively approached Hao's human friends, with Abe no Seimei being the exception. Therefore, a millennium ago, under Miketsu's performances, Hao rarely saw Rihyon. Miketsu naturally assumed Rihyon didn't have a deep impression of Hao's face. It didn't make sense for him to remember a face he'd only seen a couple of times after a thousand years. This was why she dared to meet him directly without a disguise today.

However, the truth was that after Miketsu left the mortal world to merge with the Dao, Menreiki and Qin Xin took over the identities of Kou and Hao under Konkiku's direction. In that scenario, Hao and Kou appeared in the same places quite often. Since the human realm and the demon realm of Heian-kyo were closely linked at the time, and the high-ranking members frequently interacted, Rihyon's impression of Asakura Hao—one of the three great Onmyoji of Heian-kyo—gradually deepened.

Later, Menreiki and Qin Xin, directed by Konkiku, staged a grand human-yokai romance drama to conclude the identities of Hao and Kou. During that time, Kou and Hao were in frequent contact, and Rihyon developed a very deep impression of the genius female Onmyoji who could make his leader fall so madly in love that he would never forget her.

Although Miketsu had heard from Tsuruha about the play Konkiku and the others had put on, she hadn't participated in it personally, so her impression of it wasn't strong, and she didn't make the connection immediately. Thus, through a series of coincidences, Miketsu had allowed Rihyon to develop a subtle misunderstanding.