"I see. And what about you?" Magari-sama turned to Kuroka and asked.
"…Alright, I'm not one to just stand by and be beaten by that 'Tsuchigumo' either," Kuroka agreed.
"Then it's settled."
With Kuroka's approval, Princess Yasaka, who had been watching silently, spoke up next.
"Then, as a reward from the capital…"
She paused briefly, narrowing her eyes slightly… Oh no. That look was the same one Kuroka gets when she's up to mischief. Before I knew it, Yasaka-sama pulled Kunou, who was sitting beside her, close and said, "Would you consider becoming my daughter's husband?"
"Wha, !?"
"Nya!?"
"Yasaka-sama!?"
"Mother!?"
"Oh my…"
Wait, wait, wait! Kunou looks about eight or nine years old. This is absolutely illegal! You say a five- or six-year age gap is normal? For a kid, that's like the size of Mount Fuji!
"Mother!? What are you talking about!?"
Kunou snapped at her mother, shocked by the sudden engagement talk, but Yasaka-sama seemed completely unfazed.
"You were the one who said you wanted to meet the human who defeated the 'Tsuchigumo,' right? If Magari-sama is willing to train you, you'll only get stronger. Think of this as 'buying early.' We can formalize the marriage later if there are no problems."
"Is… is that how it works? We'll get to know each other better first?"
"Yes, exactly. As I said, it's just an engagement, so don't overthink it."
"Uh… okay…"
Somehow, they were about to decide something huge without me! No, this has to be Yasaka-sama's prank! It must end as a prank!
"Y-Yasaka-sama? Please don't tease my daughter… Mmmph!"
She silenced me with a Youkai spell!
"Here, Kunou," Yasaka-sama nudged her daughter forward.
Kunou walked right up to me, blushing but still trying to act composed. "I am Kunou, who will be engaged to you! I am still young and may have shortcomings, but please take care of me, my future husband!"
With that, she bowed deeply, probably to hide her nervousness and embarrassment.
My mouth could move again… but what am I supposed to say now? "I won't accept the reward"? What kind of monster would say that!? I looked around desperately for help.
Magari-sama was looking away.
Princess Yasaka was clearly enjoying herself.
The tengu beside her shot me a look that basically said, "Don't embarrass our precious princess, got it?"
Kuroka was giving me a sharp side-eye, was she a little annoyed?
No one here can save me from this situation! Just then, Kunou, still bowed, looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, "I… am I no good?"
"N-No, you're not! Nice to meet you, Kunou."
Before I realized it, my voice came out high-pitched and shaky.
Her face lit up instantly. "Nice to meet you!" she said brightly. I don't know why, but I feel like I've made a huge mistake, even though I managed to protect her smile, and Yasaka-sama did say it's just an engagement.
How did it come to this?
====================
Later, after Kunou stepped out, we had a proper talk. Yasaka-sama assured me, "There's no way we'll just brush aside the reward because of some scam."
Honestly, I just wanted this to end quickly.
"The reward is here," Yasaka-sama said, handing me a bamboo tube.
"What's this?"
"It's a Kanko fox tube. Do you know what a Kanko fox is?"
"They're like low-level spirit familiars used by onmyoji, right? That's about all I know."
"Yes, that's roughly right. But these Kanko foxes are a bit special. Normally, they're just low-level spirits, but their power grows in response to the wielder's life force, your aura. Even now, you should be stronger than usual familiars."
Wow! That sounds great. But there was something I wanted to ask.
"Um, I thought Kanko foxes multiplied a lot… how do you feed them?"
Exactly! From what I know, Kanko foxes keep multiplying uncontrollably, eventually devouring the caster's wealth.
"No worries. I said they're special, right? There's only one inside this tube, and it can split into a maximum of 75 copies. They're omnivorous, feeding on the caster's energy or any regular food is fine."
Omnivorous, huh… well, that's a relief.
"I gratefully accept."
If they feed on the caster's energy, it won't hurt my wallet, especially since Kuroka's already been draining it. I couldn't afford any more expenses.
"Alright, since we're at it, would you like to leave one copy here? That way, you can contact it anytime."
I had no reason to refuse, so I opened the bamboo tube.
Out popped a fox about the size of my palm, true to Kanko fox form, it had no limbs.
"Well, I'll call you Izuna! Izuna, make one copy and follow Yasaka-sama's orders… but don't obey any weird commands, got it?"
With a sharp "Kwo!" it duplicated and jumped onto Yasaka-sama's palm.
"That settles everything. Now, let me teleport you to your hotel."
As soon as Yasaka-sama said that, a surge of panic hit me.
"Wait! School! What about school?! I've been missing since halfway through!"
Could this turn into a police matter?
"Don't worry. I've already taken care of it. I planted a suggestion that you stayed at a friend's house you 'just happened to meet in Kyoto,' so just go back like normal."
Wow… hypnosis is amazing. That sounds crazy, but even in the original story, Issei's parents were told that "sleeping naked while cuddling is normal culture," so maybe this is tame by comparison?
Yasaka-sama teleported me near the hotel, and I went back with Kuroka.
Kuroka was sulky at first, but after Yasaka-sama whispered something in her ear before we parted, she seemed cheered up. Luckily, the others were still at breakfast and didn't see me with Kuroka.
Back in my room, I waited while the trio returned, completely beaten up.
"Hey, what happened to those injuries?"
"Hmph! They're battle scars of honor."
I hope that's true, Matsuda.
"We were just trying to get to the girls' bathhouse, Avalon!"
Wouldn't your glasses fog up if you actually got there, Motohama?
"Yeah, then we also tried to reach the girls' quarters at the Peach Blossom Land, but never made it. No regrets, though!"
No regrets, huh? At least reflect on your actions, Issei.
Later, the girls tearfully asked me, "How could you stay at a friend's house when you could barely handle those perverts!?"
I couldn't explain.
Afterward, we left the hotel, did some souvenir shopping, and the boys impulsively bought wooden swords.
That was the end of my first school trip.
=============
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