8 PM, Akihabara streets.
Amidst the eclectic crowd of anime enthusiasts, Yuiyui Gokadoin strolled leisurely down the sidewalk, blending in perfectly.
Dressed in a dark gothic lolita dress with Western-style makeup, she resembled a living, exquisite doll—beautiful and adorable, yet radiating an intense sense of danger.
Like a venomous black widow spider surveying its territory.
"It's only been seventy or eighty years since my last visit, yet Edo has become this lively."
Yuiyui Gokadoin gazed at the dense crowds on the street, her lips curling into an amused smile:
"To choose such a youthful place for our meeting... how fashionable of you, Ancestor."
As Yuiyui spoke in that playful tone, Hagoromo Gitsune, walking beside her, responded with effortless composure:
"A descendant of Yoshihira?"
"Did that child send you here to assist me?"
"That interpretation isn't entirely wrong."
Yuiyui Gokadoin tilted her head slightly, observing the stunning JK girl before her—whose beauty would undoubtedly draw every passerby's attention without a Suggestion Spell:
"Though before coming, I never imagined Ancestor would be such an adorable girl... Really, why couldn't successive family heads inherit your looks?"
Hagoromo Gitsune glanced at Yuiyui before frowning:
"Young ladies shouldn't wear such garish makeup. It only damages your skin."
Yuiyui Gokadoin blinked in surprise at these words.
She hadn't expected Hagoromo Gitsune's first concern to be about her makeup.
Shouldn't she be asking what message Yoshihira had sent instead?
"Damages the skin?" Though puzzled by Hagoromo's attitude, Yuiyui smiled. "Please rest assured—what stands before you is merely a puppet."
Hearing this, Hagoromo Gitsune's frown deepened:
"You've turned yourself into a puppet?"
Yuiyui Gokadoin's smile faded slightly. "You noticed, didn't you?"
"I can see the darkness in people's hearts."
Hagoromo Gitsune made no attempt to conceal her ability. Her gaze at Yuiyui Gokadoin held a trace of melancholy:
"Seimei's descendants shouldn't be like this."
The darkness within Yuiyui Gokadoin's heart was deeper and more terrifying than that of some yokai Hagoromo Gitsune had encountered.
Compared to Yuiyui Gokadoin, even Luo Shu seemed as pure as a little white rabbit.
Her descendants, Seimei's lineage, shouldn't have turned out like this.
Even Hagoromo Gitsune, who had grown up in darkness during turbulent times, wished for her descendants to have a bright future.
Not like this - more monstrous than yokai themselves.
"You're far more interesting than I imagined." Yuiyui Gokadoin regarded Hagoromo Gitsune with meaningful eyes.
Before coming, she'd wondered what kind of yokai Hagoromo Gitsune would be - the Great Yokai who had given birth to Abe no Seimei and laid the foundation for the Gokadoin Family.
But no matter how she imagined it, she never expected this concerned elder attitude.
After all, because only one member of each Gokadoin generation could become family head and perform the Taizan Fukun Ritual for immortality, every successor grew up amidst mutual slaughter.
To gain a longer life, one must first take another's - this was the consensus formed by the Gokadoin Family over their long history.
For the successive heads who emerged victorious, descendants were essentially insignificant.
The passage of time had accustomed them to this dark family tradition. To them, descendants were merely tools.
Yet the ancestor who created this terrifying family, the legendary Great Yokai Hagoromo Gitsune, turned out to be a yokai who cared for her descendants.
How ironic.
Yuiyui Gokadoin's lips curled slightly upwards, her mood seeming particularly pleasant.
Perhaps it was the contrast between the Gokadoin Family's darkness and Hagoromo Gitsune's light that amused her, for she casually revealed information the fox spirit shouldn't have known.
"Did you know? The reason I came to Tokyo was because Lord Yoshihira received orders from Ancestor Seimei to investigate your recent activities."
Hagoromo Gitsune's expression faltered momentarily before she calmly replied:
"Seimei... That child can still communicate with the Gokadoin Family?"
"That's something only Ancestor Yoshihira would know."
Yuiyui's mood soured again, finding Hagoromo Gitsune's reaction disappointingly dull:
"Aren't you curious why Lord Seimei would do this?"
"Are you trying to drive a wedge between me and Seimei?" Hagoromo Gitsune's gaze held profound meaning as she studied Yuiyui.
The gothic girl appeared genuinely surprised:
"My, I used six different techniques to shield my thoughts, yet you could still sense them?"
Hagoromo Gitsune responded impassively:
"Sensing the darkness in people's hearts is an ability I was born with. Call it talent or divine power - such abilities cannot be concealed by ordinary means."
"A mind-reading ability similar to Buddhist telepathy?"
Yuiyui frowned slightly, somewhat taken aback.
This power wasn't unfamiliar to her. She'd even witnessed its mastery in one who'd reached its pinnacle.
The Great Onmyoji Hao Asakura.
That terrifying existence seemed naturally gifted with the power to read minds.
Moreover, the shrine maiden the Asakura family had produced this generation - that Anna Kyōyama - also appeared to possess similar abilities.
Yet strangely... why hadn't this power manifested in the Gokadoin Family?
Weren't they Hagoromo Gitsune's direct descendants?
Though puzzled, Yuiyui abandoned her failed attempt to sow discord between Hagoromo Gitsune and Abe no Seimei, opting instead for bluntness:
"Ancestor Seimei seems very curious about why you awakened prematurely, rather than following the original plan."
At this, Hagoromo Gitsune paused mid-step before replying with palpable resentment:
"That's all he cares about?"
Observing the fox spirit's expression - like a neglected elder - Yuiyui's interest reignited:
"Lord Seimei does seem solely concerned with that matter."
Hagoromo Gitsune didn't respond, merely shifting her gaze toward a passerby.
Following her line of sight, Yuiyui spotted a straight-haired twin-tailed girl eating an ice cream cone outside a parlour.
"Oh?" Recognition dawned on Yuiyui. "The Divine General Taiyin is here, too?"
Just then, Suzuka Dairenji - sensing their attention - turned and locked eyes with Hagoromo Gitsune and Yuiyui.
Under Yuiyui's stare, Suzuka's expression froze.