Somewhere in Kyoto, Yasaka's Mansion.
"Yasaka, I have come for the fluffy paradis—"
Kousuke burst into the mansion, immediately homing in on the two life signals closest to him. He charged toward the living room, expecting to find Yasaka and Kunou having some mother-daughter bonding time.
Instead, he walked in on Yasaka sitting across from a peculiar old man.
The elder had a gourd-shaped head and wore a kimono—at this point, Kousuke didn't even question why Youkai were so obsessed with traditional clothing. He couldn't deny that kimono looked good on Yasaka, though. Especially the undressing part hehe, Kousuke thought internally.
"Kakaka! So this is the human who charmed the leader of Kyoto?" the old man laughed with a strange cackle. 'Even his laugh isn't normal,' Kousuke thought with a cringing expression. Then he turned to Yasaka with a questioning look.
"This is Nurarihyon, the Youkai leader of the East, based in the Kanto region," Yasaka explained. She smiled and gestured for him to come closer. Kousuke dove in without hesitation, planting his face into her lap while she chuckled softly at his eagerness before gently stroking his hair.
"I thought you had school today," she said. Though her words sounded a bit scolding, her expression was warm—clearly happy to see him sooner than expected. She did, however, wonder how he'd returned so quickly. Kousuke had shown her many abilities already, so she wouldn't be surprised if teleportation was among them.
"It was recess, so I figured I'd drop by for a bit," he replied, his voice muffled against her lap. His hands reached back to rub her fluffy tails. "I especially missed these."
"Kakaka! How enviable—to be spoiled by the nine-tailed fox herself, the dream of many young Youkai," Nurarihyon remarked with amusement. He found it remarkable that the same Yasaka who had turned away countless suitors from powerful Youkai clans was now doting on a single human.
"You don't have to tell her that, she already knew how amazing I am as a person and in bed hehe," Kousuke replied with a cheeky grin, rolling over so his cheek now rested on her thigh. Yasaka playfully slapped his thigh, but the smile on her face showed she wasn't discontented at all with his words. He glanced toward the older Youkai, noting the faintness of his presence. 'He must be the person who Yasaka learned her stealth techniques from,' he thought, recalling their first encounter.
"So, what were you talking about with this old man?"
"Nothing much. Apparently, he was also attacked by that Hero Faction," Yasaka said, recalling their earlier conversation. "It's just a guess, but they might be after the leylines."
She'd explained the concept of leylines to him before. More accurately called "dragon veins," they functioned like natural mana generators, continuously pumping spiritual energy through the land. Yasaka, for example, had access to the immense power of Kyoto's leylines, making her one of the most formidable forces in the Youkai Faction.
However, this also came with a heavy responsibility. If she were to die, the spiritual balance of the entire city could collapse. Even staying away from the leylines for too long could have side effects—like triggering localized earthquakes.
If it were the Mages back in the Other World, they would've tried to monopolize the leylines for themselves. Kousuke might've done the same, if not for one critical drawback—they couldn't leave them. That was also the reason he didn't ask Yasaka to follow him to Kuoh. Her absence could destabilize the whole region. He will have to figure out a way somehow. It'll be a shame for her to be confined to one region her entire life.
"You look strong, old man. That shouldn't have been too hard for you," Kousuke said casually. Honestly, he didn't really care what the Hero Faction had done to other people. His warning had already scared Kuroka off—she hadn't visited him since. He wondered if he'd gone too far, but if it kept Yasaka safe, it was worth it.
Of course he didn't solely visited Yasaka for her fluffy tails, he was also worried that they might not heed his warning. After all, they wouldn't understand the severity of his words unless they experienced it firsthand like Kuroka. Fortunately, it was a false alarm.
"Hoh? I thought I hid it well. What an interesting human you are—kakaka!" Nurarihyon chuckled, then flexed his nonexistent muscles with pride. "But yes, they were just weaklings with big dreams. Even these old bones could swat them down like bugs."
"Duh, if those 'old bones' couldn't handle them, then I might start questioning your credentials as Leader of the East," Kousuke said flatly. Despite the man's harmless appearance, Kousuke could feel a strange aura wrapped around Nurarihyon's body like a film. 'Some kind of Youjutsu, no doubt,' he thought.
Suddenly, his expression darkened. He reached into thin air, pulled out a dagger, and flung it at the old Youkai. Nurarihyon simply slapped it aside, his cackle unchanged.
"Don't you fucking dare use that shit on me," Kousuke said coldly. The sudden shift in his tone startled Yasaka—until she realized what had happened. Nurarihyon had attempted to use hypnosis on Kousuke, likely as a prank… and a test.
"Kakaka! As expected, you aren't ordinary at all!"
"Please don't be rude to my partner, Nurarihyon," Yasaka muttered, her eyes narrowing. She could tell there seems to be hidden trauma from Kousuke's excessive reaction, something to do with his 'Other World past.' "Even if I respected you as one of the wisest Youkai, I won't tolerate further disrespect."
"Alright! Alright! I apologize—no need to glare at me like that!" Nurarihyon said, raising both hands in surrender. He hadn't expected his little prank to get such a strong reaction. Most people just laughed it off.
Now, though, he was certain—Yasaka was in good hands.
There was more to this human than met the eye. Even the dagger he'd thrown earlier… something about it felt off. The moment Nurarihyon slapped it, he began to feel an odd itch crawling along his skin.
Wait.
He stared at his arm, realization dawning.
"Uh… you see... can you undo whatever effect that dagger did to me? Because I think it's doing something to me!"
Kousuke didn't answer. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Yasaka's waist and snuggled even closer to her stomach. She smiled fondly, continuing to stroke his hair despite the ticklish sensation of his breath.
"Let that be your lesson," she said, watching with amusement as Nurarihyon started scratching at his arms, neck, and legs like he was covered in fleas.
"No, no! This isn't a joke! This itching won't stop!" he cried, flailing about in exaggerated frustration.
"Maybe next time don't try to hypnotize someone at their face," Kousuke muttered without sparing him a glance. He finally sat up and stretched, letting out a relaxed yawn. "Anyway, recess is almost over. I should head back before things get dicey."
"Already? I thought we could snuggle for a couple of minutes..." Yasaka muttered with a sigh. Kousuke leans forward and pulled her face to him before planting a kiss on her lips. She immediately melted under the kiss before wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Don't worry, I'll visit again tonight."
"Then you better study hard," she said with a gentle smile. It feels like she was biding farewell to her husband that was about to head out to work, which warmed her heart.
Behind them, Nurarihyon was still scratching and groaning. "Oi, kid! You are going to undo this, right? Right?!"
Kousuke offered a lazy wave without looking back. "It should wear off eventually. Probably."
"Probably?! That didn't give me any confidence at all! Also, what kind of cursed weapon was that?!"
"I call it: the Dagger of Mild, Yet Deeply Unpleasant Retribution." Kousuke replied with a chuckle.
"KAKAKAKA—Wait, that's not funny!!"
With that, Kousuke disappeared in a ripple of space, leaving behind only a soft gust of wind and a very itchy Nurarihyon.
After a few more minutes of dramatic scratching and nonstop whining, the irritating sensation began to fade. Nurarihyon finally stopped twitching and sat down with a tired sigh.
"Troublesome brat," he muttered with a defeated tone.