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Yura moved quickly. Organizing all her luggage took just fifteen minutes.
Fifteen minutes later, accompanied by golden magnetic field radiance materializing in the mountain's clear air, Bokue and Yura appeared directly in the plaza before Yasaka Shrine's main gate.
Dazzling morning sunlight shone down from above. The young Onmyōji girl—having suddenly transferred from indoors to outside and somewhat unadapted—instinctively raised her hand, using her kimono's wide sleeve to block the sunlight from above.
"This place is..."
"Yasaka's place. Where else would it be?"
Bokue carried the massive suitcase nearly as tall as the girl in one hand while taking Yura's small hand with the other. With a gentle pull, he led the girl toward the shrine entrance, his tone matter-of-fact.
"I-I obviously know that..."
Yura glanced around, her mouth twitching slightly.
To be fair, though she hadn't visited Yasaka Shrine as often as her brother growing up, she still counted as a regular here. Whether this was Yasaka Shrine or not—she could tell that much.
Just why were they suddenly coming to Yasaka Shrine at this hour?
The young Onmyōji girl inwardly wondered but didn't ask out of trust in her brother.
And on the other side, Bokue... had naturally forgotten he hadn't explained why they'd come here.
The siblings climbed the steps one after another, reaching the shrine entrance.
Yura was about to raise her hand to knock gently, but Bokue had already pushed the door open first.
"Yasaka, we're here~"
Just like returning to his own home, Bokue stepped in without thinking, pulling the suitcase and Yura along.
Inside the shrine remained as quiet as always.
Bokue and Yura walked straight through, passing the Japanese-style room and storage areas. When they reached the kitchen doorway inside, slight sounds came from within.
Peeking in, what met their eyes were three fox girls busily working in the kitchen—twenty-one tails total.
More accurately, Yasaka was busy by the stove, Hagoromo-Gitsune helped her sister from the side, while Kunou had already sat at the dining table eating breakfast. The air was filled with breakfast's aroma.
"Ah, it's Bokue-oniisan!"
The little fox shrine maiden facing the kitchen door immediately lit up seeing Bokue appear.
Without thinking, she set down her bowl and chopsticks, jumping from her chair. She circled the table running toward the young man at the kitchen entrance, the bells on her kimono ringing crisply along the way before she leaped straight into his embrace.
"Bokue-oniisan, you're finally here!"
"Yep yep, I'm here, I'm here~"
For this little fox girl he'd practically grown up playing with, Bokue was quite accommodating—setting down the suitcase and freeing one hand to catch her, letting her grab onto his chest with her small hands.
Simultaneously, Yasaka—who'd been busy by the stove—also stopped her work, turning to see the young man holding her daughter. That beautiful face full of mature charm yet unmarked by time unconsciously revealed a joyful, gentle smile.
But immediately after, she saw the young Onmyōji girl beside Bokue.
"Eh? Why is Yura also here today... uh..."
Before finishing, Yasaka's voice caught in her throat. What should have been natural greetings became awkward with the abrupt cutoff.
The halt was so jarring that even little Kunou in Bokue's arms couldn't help turning back to look.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
"Um... how should I put this..."
But Yasaka's voice stuttered like a skipping disc, unable to complete a full sentence. Her gaze rigidly shifted back and forth between the young Onmyōji girl beside Bokue and her sister nearby.
This was an unexpected situation she'd never anticipated.
First, Yura visiting Yasaka Shrine was definitely no problem. Second, Hagoromo-Gitsune as her biological sister staying at Yasaka Shrine also had no issues whatsoever.
But!
Yura visiting during Hagoromo-Gitsune's stay at Yasaka Shrine with both meeting face-to-face—that was a huge problem!
After all, for Keikain family members, Hagoromo-Gitsune was the Lord of Darkness who'd wreaked havoc across the Kansai region four hundred years ago, naturally positioned as Onmyōji enemies.
Especially since just days ago, the latter had slaughtered all the Keikain branch families to reclaim her power. Hard to say whether this sudden meeting might turn particularly hostile.
However, to Yasaka's surprise, the young Onmyōji girl who should have loudly questioned them upon meeting only looked at her and casually tossed out one line.
"You're... Hagoromo-Gitsune?"
"Indeed, this one is."
Hagoromo-Gitsune had already removed her apron, revealing beneath it her usual unchanged black sailor uniform. Her face—pale to near-transparency—lifted with a trace of wicked smile. Her small shoes tapped across the floor step by step toward the two siblings.
"First meeting, little sister of the Keikain family. Coming here at this hour—could you be here to subjugate this one?"
"...Unfortunately, no."
Yura raised her face, neither humble nor arrogant, meeting the gaze of this Lord of Darkness from four hundred years ago.
"Brother just wanted to come here. I simply came along. Even now, I'm only somewhat curious why you'd appear here."
"Hmm~ nothing strange about it. This is my sister's home, so I'm here. That's all."
Hagoromo-Gitsune spread five fingers, tapping her lips as she hummed lightly.
"Though this one originally thought you'd charge at me with your Keikain family's talismans the moment we met, ready to fight to the death. After all, just days ago I killed all your branch family members—though that wasn't by my own will. The process is rather complex to explain... oh, and there's the four-hundred-year curse on your main family too."
The fox's curse—the source causing the Keikain main family's bloodline to dwindle increasingly over four hundred years.
"I don't care about the branch families."
Yura said flatly.
"But regarding your curse..."
"Oh, that's already past tense. Now it's become the fox's blessing."
"?"
"Just as I said, many things that happened before weren't by this one's will. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared, naturally I'll appropriately compensate for past actions."
As Hagoromo-Gitsune spoke, she lifted little Kunou from Bokue's embrace and set her aside on the ground. Then she moved forward herself, directly pressing close right in front of the young Onmyōji girl beside her, a faint victorious smile on her lips.
"For instance, regarding how my curse caused your Keikain main family's sparse population—to compensate, this one and Sister have already decided we'll work hard with your brother to have many, many babies, reviving the Keikain main family's former glory~"
"???"
Little Yura's single question mark directly split into three.
What do you mean "have many babies"?
And from that tone, Yasaka-san is involved too??
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