Fuhito desperately wanted to lash out at the man, but his reason told him his subordinate wouldn't joke about such a thing, especially since he had confirmed it once more.
Kaguya Houraisan had always appeared to them like a star in the night sky—incredibly brilliant and seemingly within reach, but actually untouchable.
Their affection, their desire for the unknown, and the glory of surpassing others made them refuse to give up. This was probably similar to a mobile game player who sees a "limited edition" character, finds the art cute, and can only think about "whaling" for it. The only difference was that this game had no "pity" system, and the nearly negligible drop rate made most people back off...
But now, he suddenly learned that an unknown presence had appeared in the room of the "Celestial" he was pursuing with all his heart.
His first reaction was to go to Bamboo Mountain immediately to question her. But then he calmed down. Although he liked her, that liking wasn't enough to make him lose his sanity completely. He was at least aware that he had no right to question her.
Back when they began pursuing her, the Onmyo Bureau had already warned them not to pull any nonsense, especially not to anger her, as it would be meaningless. No one who had climbed to this position had a head full of nothing but hormones.
"My Lord, should we tell the others?"
"No need. As you said, Kondo, even you cannot be sure what happened. For now, investigate carefully. Of course, do not interfere with 'Kaguya' under any circumstances."
Although there was no evidence, only his subordinate's word, and even the subordinate hadn't made a definitive report—only sharing what he knew—Fuhito faintly sensed something was wrong.
It had been nearly half a year since she appeared. Thinking back, her attitude toward them hadn't changed at all. Though he initially felt like he had found a soulmate in his conversations with her, thinking carefully now, those exchanges fixed their roles as mere "friends."
'I hope this is all just a misunderstanding.'
Though he prayed silently, for a moment, he wasn't very confident in his own thoughts...
On the other side, Lancer and Kaguya didn't know a middle-aged man was feeling lost. They were sitting in a circle. Lancer continued to drink tea from his dedicated cup, Yukari took out a cup for herself, and Kasen took out her "Hundred Medicine Box" (Ibaraki-masu). As for the owner, Kaguya, she was staring intently at the "Phoenix's Crest Feather" in her hand.
Even though it had been severed, it still emitted a faint halo. It felt less like a physical object and more like a mass of feather-shaped fire. Yet she held this eerie existence in her hand and could feel a slight warmth.
In Lancer eyes, this was a hard-earned loot from a dungeon. For him, besides healing Fujiwara no Mokou, its only function was to prove what he had once done. But Lancer wasn't the type to dwell on the past; he wasn't "chunibyo" enough to build a museum for himself.
As for Yukari, she had her head down, thinking about something unknown. Her gaze would shift toward Lancer from time to time, and she would quickly look away when Lancer looked back, only to look again later. Throughout this, her eyes were complex—mostly filled with confusion and anger; no words carrying pink (romantic) tones ever appeared.
Kasen was also looking down, considering another matter. No one knew the "Phoenix" had communicated with her before vanishing. The content was simple: 'Your ability is similar to the state of "Unity of Heaven and Man" back in my homeland. Perhaps you can find a way to go further there.'
It could be said that none of the three in the room were focused on the "crest feather," but Kaguya was different. She knew how precious this thing was. But then she was considering something—or rather, remembering something.
When brewing the Hourai Elixir, her Shishō Eirin Yagokoro had introduced the function of every ingredient, specifically the "Phoenix Crest Feather." According to her, all other medicinal functions were actually for blending; the key was the energy from the Phoenix within the "crest feather," which carried powerful vitality.
But back then, the feather they used wasn't even 1/5th the size of the one in her hand. What should she do now?
Could it be———throw it all in?
Although Kaguya wasn't a famous pharmacist in the Lunar Capital, as Eirin disciple, she was quite knowledgeable. Moreover, the birth of the "Hourai Elixir" was because of her. Whether it was finding its existence in books, asking her Shishō, or finally seeing it take form and consuming it, she hadn't missed a single step.
As Kaguya put down the feather, Lancer also put down his tea and looked at her.
"Well?"
"Perfect. More perfect than I imagined."
Kaguya praise was unhesitating. Lancer had essentially over-delivered on the task.
"Then, can we start making the 'Hourai Elixir'?"
Although the "Rune symbols" helped temporarily suppress the bloodline awakening in Mokou body, as Kaguya said, this was an "evolution." The current situation arose because Mokou herself couldn't withstand this "evolution." Suppressing it would undoubtedly cause irreversible damage. But currently, being injured was better than being burned to death. Now that they had found the key, there was no need to delay further.
To his surprise, Kaguya shook her head.
"What's wrong?"
Facing Lancer counter-question, Kaguya rolled her eyes.
"Did you forget you still have things to do?"
After thinking for a few seconds, Lancer remembered one thing———
"I haven't collected enough common ingredients?"
Seeing Kaguya nod, Lancer rubbed his brow with a subtle expression. No one expected the core "Phoenix Crest Feather" to be found so quickly. The good news was that collecting common ingredients wasn't slow; conservatively, they could be gathered within a few weeks.
"Alright, Lancer, I have another question for you."
The Phoenix's appearance? How did he get the feather? Or was she worried about his safety? To his surprise, what came out of the serious-looking Kaguya mouth was———
"What happened to your eyebrows and head?"
If we don't mention the eyebrows and hair, we're still friends!