Chapter 135: Kuroyukihime's Idol
Not far from the Keikain Clan's residence stood a villa district with exceptionally beautiful scenery.
An artificial lake stretched out before it, while behind the estate rose a mountain covered in peach orchards. Although it was located in downtown Kyoto, the place was quiet amid the noise, separated from the city's bustle by greenery and careful design. Modern urban convenience blended with a pastoral atmosphere, creating the kind of residence most people could only dream of.
Those who could live here were not ordinary wealthy people.
Merchants, upstarts, and common businessmen were far from qualified.
This was a place reserved for the true powerholders of Kyoto, those with wealth, influence, and status rooted deep in the city.
But now, the villa district that had once symbolized privilege and luxury was being swallowed by darkness.
It was silent and deserted, more like a ghost district than a residential area. The silence was so deep it made the skin prickle. A cold wind passed between the villas, sounding almost like the wailing of ghosts.
In the deeper shadows, strange and twisted shapes could vaguely be seen squirming.
They lurked there, waiting for prey to approach.
On the eve of the Kyoto Incident, the dignitaries who lived here had already fled with their families through every channel available to them. When forced to choose between greed and survival, these people saw the situation more clearly than many ordinary residents.
Even so, not everyone had left.
In this villa district, quiet as a graveyard, a clear young voice sounded in the darkness.
"Rin. Pyō. Tō. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen."
A white talisman appeared from thin air and drifted toward the distorted entities hiding in the shadows.
"Five-Pointed Star Incantation."
Before those things could react, the talisman unfolded into a brilliant pentagram.
The Five-Pointed Star Incantation enveloped the Yokai, radiating scorching, righteous power that dispelled evil and banished corruption. Its light spread outward, briefly scattering the darkness around it.
The writhing entities were erased before they even understood what had happened.
Perhaps they had never developed enough awareness to understand anything at all.
"If the source of Yin energy is not sealed, Kyoto will truly become an abyss that continuously breeds Yokai."
A young girl in a black school uniform stepped out of the darkness.
She had delicate features, tea-colored eyes, waist-length black hair, and a graceful figure. With her elegant bearing and dark attire, she looked like a princess born from the night itself, beautiful, noble, and untouchable.
"Kohaku, thank you for your hard work."
A voice came from behind her.
"The newly spawned Yokai in this area have all been dealt with."
Two familiar figures appeared.
Kurasaki Fuko.
And Kasugano Sora, who had come to Kyoto to visit relatives.
At the moment, Sora was in her ghost state. In addition to holding the soul-hosting wood, she also carried the replica of the Yata no Kagami for protection. Her main responsibility was to detect the locations of newly spawned Yokai.
The girl Kurasaki Fuko called Kohaku was none other than Kuroyukihime.
She was also [Water Lily] from the Supernatural Exchange Group.
For various reasons, Kuroyukihime, Kurasaki Fuko, and Kasugano Sora had remained in Kyoto and failed to evacuate before the Kyoto Incident erupted.
It was worth mentioning that Kuroyukihime was herself a powerful Onmyoji.
Her current strength was comparable to Isayama Yomi's, placing her at the early stage of Professional Level. If monsters like Gin Tsumugi and Dairenji Suzuka were excluded, she could already be considered a rare talent in modern Onmyōdō.
Moreover, she belonged to the Onmyo Alliance.
She was the personal disciple of [Empress] Subaru Mitejima, one of the [Twelve Heavenly Generals].
"Yesterday, these Yokai born from Yin energy only appeared in one wave," Sora said worriedly. "I didn't expect it to increase to three waves today."
Her small face turned toward the darkened sky.
"Just like the Director said, as the Spiral Seal continues to collapse, the speed at which Yokai are born is increasing."
As a witness and someone caught in the middle of the incident, Sora had seen with her own eyes how prosperous Kyoto had gradually transformed into this ghost city.
Since the outbreak of the Kyoto Incident, the city had become more and more like a place without living people.
If, and only if, the Onmyoji truly failed to resolve this incident, then Kyoto would become the first major metropolis to disappear from Japan's map since the Supernatural Recovery began.
The chain reaction would likely bring losses to Japan and Onmyōdō no less severe than the Mount Fuji Incident.
"I really don't know what your Director is trying to do."
Kuroyukihime's tone was dissatisfied.
"He clearly has the power to intervene and solve things, yet he stays hidden in the shadows and watches. He stood by while the Spiral Seal nodes were destroyed one after another."
"The Director must have his own plan," Sora said after a moment of bitter thought.
Even so, she could not see Gin's true intentions either.
Over the past few days, just as Kuroyukihime said, Gin had indeed arrived in Kyoto long ago.
However, most of the time, he had only watched from the side.
Whether it was the destruction of the Spiral Seal nodes or other matters, he had shown no intention of intervening directly.
Furthermore, the place they had just rescued was Kinkaku-ji, where the seal node had already been destroyed, rather than Shōkoku-ji, where the great battle had taken place.
Sora could not help wondering.
If Gin had truly gone to Shōkoku-ji and joined forces with the Onmyoji to resist Hagoromo Gitsune's Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, would the seal node there have been destroyed so easily?
Almost certainly not.
"He isn't just here in Kyoto for a vacation, is he?"
Kurasaki Fuko could not help making a small joke, then gently persuaded, "All right, Kohaku. Based on my understanding of Mr. Gin Tsumugi, Sora should be right. If he isn't acting now, then he must be planning something."
Her voice softened.
"Perhaps he intends to strike Hagoromo Gitsune and the other Great Yokai at the most critical moment."
Then she looked at Kuroyukihime with a teasing smile.
"Besides, aren't you being a little too biased against Mr. Gin Tsumugi right now? Are you still nitpicking about that previous accident?"
Kuroyukihime's expression stiffened.
"Mr. Gin Tsumugi already said it was a misunderstanding," Fuko continued. "And if he hadn't intervened, the three of us might have died at the hands of those Yokai."
That much was true.
Not long after the three of them sent their families and relatives away from Kyoto, they had encountered two Yokai capable of deploying Spirit Domains in this villa district.
Kurasaki Fuko herself did not have much combat power.
Sora was the same. Aside from using the Yata no Kagami replica for temporary defense, she had no proper attack methods.
With Kuroyukihime's strength alone, it had been impossible to resist two Yokai capable of deploying Spirit Domains.
It was Gin's appearance that allowed the three of them to survive.
Especially the scene where he casually annihilated the two Yokai that had forced them into a desperate situation with a snap of his fingers.
Even now, Kurasaki Fuko remembered it vividly.
But if Fuko had not mentioned that matter, it would have been fine.
The moment she did, Kuroyukihime immediately recalled that especially shameful incident. A flush spread across her cheeks, and she gritted her teeth.
"That old pervert..."
"Sigh."
Kurasaki Fuko could not help sighing.
"Kohaku, I already told you. It was an accident and a misunderstanding."
She spread her hands helplessly.
"You were the one who didn't lock the door while bathing. You really can't blame Mr. Gin Tsumugi for that."
Sora nodded her little head as well, clearly agreeing with her cousin.
"Hey, Fuko."
Kuroyukihime glared at her.
"Are you still my best friend or not? You're actually speaking up for that old immortal who has lived for who knows how many years."
"This is still the truth," Fuko said with a shrug.
"Fuko..."
Kuroyukihime glared at her again, trying to look fierce.
Unfortunately, Fuko only smiled.
In the end, Kuroyukihime deflated.
To think I once regarded him as my lifelong idol...
Her heart was full of complicated resentment.
As expected, all beauty is only superficial.
Kurasaki Fuko merely smiled without speaking.
She understood that Kohaku's heart was extremely complicated right now.
After all, her first meeting with the idol she had worshiped since childhood had happened in such an embarrassing way.
Meeting face to face.
Quite literally.
Disillusionment, shame, excitement, confusion, and the feeling of being caught completely unprepared. These contradictory emotions had probably been tangled together in Kohaku's heart for days.
"Still, thinking about it now, it really does feel unbelievable."
Fuko looked up at the pitch-black sky, her expression briefly becoming distant.
"Almost unreal."
Kuroyukihime and Sora both fell silent.
Indeed.
Not long ago, Kuroyukihime and Kurasaki Fuko had learned from the Supernatural Exchange Group that White Fox Gin Tsumugi was actually the legendary Great Onmyoji, Abe no Seimei.
Shock.
Astonishment.
Disbelief.
The news had swept through their hearts like a raging sea.
Especially since the person at the center of that world-shaking revelation was standing right in front of them.
That impact was far greater than simply hearing a rumor from afar.
The legendary Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei.
The myth of Onmyōdō from a thousand years ago.
The highest goal and faith pursued by all Onmyoji.
Such a person had appeared openly beside them.
How could anyone remain calm after learning that?
As time passed, Kuroyukihime and Kurasaki Fuko had reluctantly accepted it.
The rare Onmyōdō genius known as White Fox Gin Tsumugi was truly, just as those outrageous rumors in Onmyōdō claimed, the reincarnation of the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei.
But Kasugano Sora's little head was still in complete confusion.
She truly did not understand.
She had only left the White Fox Agency for a few short days, yet it felt as if years had passed.
Everything had changed too quickly.
Too much.
So much that she could barely recognize it anymore.
First, she learned that the Director had been granted the title of [Twelve Divine Generals] by the Omnyo Agency, and that the White Fox Agency had been reorganized into the current Myriad Law Supernatural Department, taking control of the entire Onmyōdō force of Shibuya Ward.
After Kurasaki Fuko explained things to her, Sora could still accept that much.
After all, the core of the Myriad Law Supernatural Department was still the White Fox Agency.
As long as she treated the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department as an upgraded version of the White Fox Agency, she could adapt quickly.
But what came after was different.
The legendary Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei.
Sora truly could not understand why the Director would suddenly become involved with that name.
And yet now, everyone in Onmyōdō was convinced that the Director was the reincarnation of the legendary Great Onmyoji, Abe no Seimei.
After that, more and more evidence was placed before her.
All of it seemed to tell her the same thing.
The Director she had always known was truly that myth of Onmyōdō, the Great Onmyoji of the Heian Period from a thousand years ago.
Abe no Seimei.
Seeing her cousin lost deep in thought, Kurasaki Fuko shook her head lightly.
Compared to Mr. Gin Tsumugi's true identity, even the future plans proposed by Shinomiya Kaguya and Haruka Shizumiya for the Supernatural Exchange Group seemed less important.
Of course, Kuroyukihime and Kurasaki Fuko had already discussed the plan for the offline organization briefly, and both had agreed.
Whether it was establishing an offline organization in Shibuya Ward or strengthening the cooperation between members, the benefits to them were obvious.
Especially for Kurasaki Fuko.
The outbreak of the Kyoto Incident had made her realize something very clearly.
Even with the Onmyo Alliance and the Keikain Clan guarding a place, absolute safety did not exist.
Like Eriri, Yuuki Asuna, and the others, she also believed it might be better to take this chance to persuade her father and the rest of the family to move to Shibuya Ward.
With Mr. Gin Tsumugi there, Shibuya was far safer than anywhere else.
Let's wait until Mr. Gin Tsumugi and the Onmyoji resolve the Kyoto Incident before discussing it.
Fuko temporarily suppressed those thoughts.
Then she noticed a villa deep within the district lighting up.
In this pitch-black villa area, that light looked especially out of place.
That was where the three of them were staying.
Soon after, a familiar Strategic Barrier expanded outward, once again covering the entire villa district.
Kurasaki Fuko, Kasugano Sora, and Kuroyukihime immediately understood.
Gin Tsumugi had returned.
"Let's go back too," Fuko said. "With Mr. Gin Tsumugi's Strategic Barrier in place, there shouldn't be any more Yokai coming to disturb us."
Kuroyukihime and Sora nodded.
Then the three of them walked toward the lit villa.
.....
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