Kokomi glanced around her room and understood the source of his comment. "The people wish for me to be more reliable," she said, a hint of embarrassment on her face, "even if it's just for appearances."
"Even in your private space?"
"When I am not here, the shrine maidens occasionally come to tidy up." The implication was that it wasn't an absolutely private space.
"That must be tough."
However, thinking back to what she had said about her hobbies, Muramasa just lamented the harshness of a 'leader's' daily life. "When you're being watched by tens of thousands of eyes, you have to be more guarded so people don't find any weaknesses."
As they talked, Kokomi lay down on her cotton bed. Since she had already asked him to stay with her, she relaxed into a supine position and continued the conversation. "Come to think of it, your body doesn't seem to require rest?"
"No." Muramasa nodded. He pulled over a chair and sat by her bedside, continuing the topic. "For me, things like eating and sleeping are just hobbies. You don't need to prepare a bed for me."
"You're so young, yet you have to bear such a heavy burden."
"Because, in name at least, the 'Divine Priestess' is a title passed down by blood..." Kokomi slowly closed her eyes and explained the mysteries of Watatsumi Island's 'Divine Priestess'. "A mascot, a dictator, a puppet... any of these could be the true identity of the 'Divine Priestess'. There have even been priestesses who were overthrown. Bloodline is just the basic pass to sit in this position. For example, the previous 'Divine Priestess' was merely someone who had adopted the 'Sangonomiya' surname."
After she finished, she seemed a little more relaxed.
"But, is it really okay to tell me this...?" It sounded like some dark government secret. To just announce it so openly, he felt like he might be silenced at any moment.
"Hehe, perhaps it is because you are not from Watatsumi Island?" Hearing his worried tone, Kokomi couldn't help but chuckle. "Besides, with your skills, even if you knew, no one could do anything to you." Having witnessed his mountain-shaving, sea-shaking abilities tonight, she didn't think there was anything on Watatsumi Island that could hinder him.
"And, there's no one else I can talk to about this." He was an outsider, and he possessed a great power that didn't require these intrigues. There was no one more suitable to listen.
"If... it's okay..."
"Phew…"
Her voice grew weaker, and her monologue gradually turned into steady breathing. Muramasa watched the girl peacefully curled up on the bed, her chest rising and falling gently.
"She's asleep…"
Perhaps she was too tired tonight, and those few sentences had exhausted all her energy. Muramasa paid no mind to her last words, treating them as a brief mumble in a dream, and sighed slightly at the precariousness of her situation. This wasn't the first time he had spent the night in the same room with a girl, and he wasn't as awkward as before. But the time passed so tediously it was almost sleep-inducing. He could only gaze at the night view of the sea and sky, and occasionally glance at Kokomi's serene sleeping face.
"As a Heroic Spirit, not needing to rest is convenient for this kind of thing."
It was very quiet. Nothing happened.
…
After dawn, Kokomi awoke from her sleep. Upon realizing Muramasa was still sitting by her bed, it took her a few minutes to process the reality before she started talking with him.
"So, nothing happened last night…" Kokomi nodded, unsurprised by this result. "This was to be expected... I probably won't be resting during the day. How about you work with me this morning? I need some time to inform everyone of your situation. After that, you will be free to move about."
Unlike the Tenryou Commission doushin who was suspected of being a spy, Kokomi was not worried that Muramasa would do such things.
"I don't have anything to do here anyway, do I?" Muramasa grumbled but still nodded. "Understood."
"About that, there is actually a blacksmith's workshop on the island. You are free to use it," Kokomi said with a smile. Of course, he wouldn't be able to take away whatever he forged.
To this, Muramasa was also well aware. "Surprisingly shrewd, you are…"
…
Outside Sangonomiya Shrine, inside the main tent.
The cool morning sea breeze slipped through the open tent flap, gently rustling the hanging deep blue Watatsumi banner. Before Kokomi arrived, several shrine maidens and generals had already gathered, piles of scrolls laid out on the table.
"Five hundred troops. I will lead a surprise attack from the rear by sea."
"Suppose the feint strategy..."
"A strong wind is coming in the next few days. How is the progress on the eastern defenses?"
The strategists in the tent were conducting another round of simulations. After each one was completed, a scribe would add another line to a scroll. They had already reached the four hundred and twenty-first simulation. The strategies, troop strength, and provisions of both sides were all written down on paper and analyzed one by one, with the intent of deducing a winning strategy.
"So lively…" Looking at the densely packed scrolls, Muramasa felt a headache coming on. Kokomi, on the other hand, was engrossed, her eyes never leaving the scrolls.
"Everyone, besides their general, the enemy has three 'Vision' holders who have not yet joined the battle—you did not pay enough attention to them in your studies." As the tent grew noisy, Kokomi suddenly stepped forward and tapped the paper hanging on the wall. "Chief Scribe, take this down. We will start our study from the beginning."
Her words caused an uproar in the tent, despite her status. "Your Excellency, this is the result of our entire night of study. And now you want us to start over?"
"That's right! So what if they have Visions? Didn't we take one of them down already?"
Amidst the dispute, Kokomi gave a look to the side, and a sharp voice came from the brown-haired youth beside her. "Silence! Wait for the strategist to finish."
Muramasa followed the voice and recognized him as Watatsumi Island's general, Gorou. At his words, the soldiers finally quieted down.
"Everyone thinks that one Vision cannot turn the tide of battle, and since we won by strategy before, we have let our guard down, thinking that Visions are nothing special. Indeed, we used 'Specters' to blow up their ships and then used arrow volleys to great effect. Even without the general's Vision, with his sense of smell, we might have still been able to heavily injure the enemy."
Hearing Kokomi talk about it, Muramasa was reminded of his own earlier deduction. Those 'Specters' were indeed something beyond his knowledge.
"But didn't we go to great lengths to target those capable individuals precisely because of the great power that 'Visions' possess? If not for the right time, the right place, and the right people, do you all remember how many people it took to stop just one of them?"
At this, everyone fell silent. It wasn't that they didn't know these things, but they were unwilling to discard all their hard work.
"I know you have all worked hard. We study like this so that our soldiers can fight with all their might without any worries. But now, are we to let our charging soldiers be put in a life-or-death situation due to carelessness?"
As Kokomi was speaking, Muramasa noticed a few young soldiers had gathered outside the tent. Their attention was more on her than on the strategy.
"That is…" He was already aware of her idol-like status, but the reason he was watching that particular person was because of a familiar-looking pendant peeking out from his clothes.
-------
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