"You're seriously this weak? You ran out of demonic power again?"
Kagetsu bent down, grabbed Natsume by the back of her collar, and lifted her off the ground, his voice thick with exasperation.
"What do you mean weak?!" Natsume glared up at him indignantly. "It's obviously because you've gotten stronger again! Summoning you this time costs way more demonic power than last time! I've been training like crazy, okay? My demonic power's grown a lot!"
"…Right."
Kagetsu was just about to mock her for being small fry when Natsume, dangling in his grip, suddenly twitched her nose and leaned closer, sniffing him intently.
He thought she'd sensed that he'd broken free from Edo Tensei and regained a living body, and was already preparing an explanation.
Instead, her expression changed abruptly. She glared at him in outrage.
"Kagetsu! Did you secretly eat something delicious without me?!"
"Uh…"
Kagetsu stiffened and awkwardly glanced at the sky.
He'd forgotten. He'd just been eating barbecue. The smoky aroma of grilled meat was still clinging to him.
"You actually ate something good and didn't call me?!" Natsume's fury doubled. She squirmed wildly in his grasp, claws flailing as she tried to lunge at him. "We agreed! If there's good food, you bring me some!"
"My bad, my bad."
Kagetsu surrendered immediately. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun to life. A swirling distortion opened , the entrance to Kamui's dimension. He reached in and pulled out a leaf-wrapped bundle of roasted meat, holding it up in front of her.
"Look. I saved some."
His Shadow Clone had just finished grilling it and sent it straight into Kamui.
The moment Natsume caught the scent, she stopped struggling. She grabbed the bundle, sniffed carefully to confirm it matched the smell on him, and her anger melted away.
"Fine. I forgive you."
Kagetsu muttered inwardly that this cat yōkai was ridiculously easy to appease.
He set her down. Natsume impatiently unwrapped the leaves, snatched a piece of roasted meat, and stuffed it into her mouth. Her eyes curved into blissful crescents,completely satisfied.
"So," Kagetsu said, lifting his gaze toward the three figures standing opposite them, "why did you summon me?"
While he and Natsume had been bickering, the trio from the Leopard Clan had neither moved nor spoken. They had simply watched in silence.
"Mmph,!"
Only then did Natsume remember the actual reason. She swallowed her food and pointed a greasy finger at the eldest sister.
"Kagetsu! Beat Big Sister for me! I'm taking over as clan leader!"
…She wanted to overthrow the hierarchy just like that?
Kagetsu blinked. He glanced at Fuyuarashi,whose brows were already knitting together,then back at the smug Natsume.
"And why are you so determined to be clan leader?" he asked curiously.
Natsume huffed. "I told Big Sister that using a Shikon jewel shard to resurrect our Lord is dangerous! But she won't listen! She even said I got tricked by those stinking dogs from the Dog Tribe!"
Kagetsu shrugged. "If she insists on resurrecting him, let her. She'll figure it out after she gets burned once."
"No!" Natsume shook her head hard. Then she puffed out her chest proudly. "I thought it through! What if the resurrected Lord goes berserk and kills us all? That'd be a total loss! So I came up with the perfect solution, if I become clan leader, she has to listen to me!"
Kagetsu stared at her triumphant face and mercilessly poured cold water over the plan.
"Have you considered that after I beat your sister and leave… she'll just beat you instead?"
"…Uh."
Natsume froze. Her eyes darted around wildly.
"If she hits me, I'll just summon you again!" she declared.
"And after one summoning, your demonic power is completely drained. You'd need a long time to recover, right?"
"This… that…"
She was speechless.
Earlier, in the heat of arguing with Fuyuarashi about resurrecting their Lord, she'd recklessly declared she would defeat her and take over. She hadn't thought about the aftermath at all.
Now that Kagetsu had pointed it out, she suddenly realized she was very likely about to get thrashed.
"Don't worry, Natsume. Second Sister supports you."
A crisp female voice chimed in.
Kagetsu turned his head.
Shunran,who had been standing beside Fuyuarashi,walked forward with an easy smile.
When she met Kagetsu's gaze, her lips curved slightly. She stepped close, her small nose twitching as she caught the lingering scent of roasted meat. A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
"So you're human," she said lightly. "Natsume claims you're very strong. I wonder if that's true."
As she spoke, she extended a delicate hand with a bright smile.
"It's our first meeting. A greeting gift wouldn't be too much to ask, would it?"
Kagetsu paused. Following her line of sight to the roasted meat in Natsume's arms, he instantly understood.
Kamui activated again. A spatial ripple flashed, and another leaf-wrapped bundle dropped neatly into Shunran's hands.
She was clearly startled by the spatial distortion,but her smile never wavered. She patted Kagetsu's arm lightly.
"Thanks. I'll put in a good word for you with Big Sister later."
Kagetsu shifted his gaze to Fuyuarashi.
Cold demonic energy was already spreading from her body, the air around her frosting over. An ice spear condensed in her hand, crystalline and razor-sharp.
Behind her, Akiarashi had quietly stepped aside, clearly unwilling to interfere.
So. A fight was inevitable.
Kagetsu glanced at Shunran, who had already pulled Natsume safely aside, and smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. I'll hold back."
"Kagetsu! Just teach Big Sister a small lesson! You have to go easy on her!" Natsume shouted eagerly from the sidelines.
Fuyuarashi's expression darkened further. The temperature around her dropped several degrees. Frost spread across the ground.
Kagetsu sighed inwardly.
After this, Natsume was definitely going to get beaten. He could only hope she'd have the sense to act obedient afterward.
"Let's make this quick," Kagetsu said casually to Fuyuarashi. "I still have barbecue waiting for me."
"Hmph. Arrogant human."
Fuyuarashi no longer bothered with restraint.
The ice spear in her hand shot forward instantly, piercing toward his chest with lethal precision.
"Kamui."
The Mangekyō Sharingan in Kagetsu's eyes spun violently. A spatial vortex flashed at the tip of the spear,
,and swallowed it whole.
The ice spear vanished without a trace.
"A spatial technique…"
Fuyuarashi's face remained composed, untouched by surprise.
She had already seen him retrieve objects from empty space earKagetsur. She understood immediately what had happened.
Her demonic aura surged once more, colder and sharper than before.
This human was no simple summoning partner.
And she would not underestimate him again.