As they were speaking, a group of white foxes, both large and small, scampered over, joyfully bounding around Kitsune Saiguu and Yae Miko.
"The bloodline of Hakushin, rejoice for the return of Kitsune Saiguu!"
These foxes were the fox statues from the abandoned shrine, which had been waiting all this time for Kitsune Saiguu's return.
Kitsune Saiguu's form floated upward, standing once more, as a fox climbed onto her shoulder, holding a folded fan in its mouth.
The reason it wasn't a pipe was because the old pipe had been given to Kamuna Harunosuke, and the new one had been broken during the great battle.
Kitsune Saiguu took the fan, opening it to cover half her face, leaving only a pair of crescent-shaped, fox-like eyes visible.
"Alright, let's proceed with the final 'Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual'!"
At this moment, Kitsune Saiguu's strength was not at its peak, but with the replenishment of the ley lines and the resonance of her bloodline, she was far from powerless.
Regardless, the awakening of the Hakushin bloodline had undeniably stirred the foxes.
Due to her circumstances, Hanachirusato couldn't assist the Traveler in purging the defilement, but now Kitsune Saiguu could.
Thus, the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual became a joint effort between two fox maidens and the Traveler—three in total. The defilements were truly blessed.
And Paimon? Paimon… was the cheerleader!
Thankfully, Paimon could talk and offer words of encouragement, or she'd have been relegated to being a mascot alongside the other little foxes.
No, wait—these little foxes were actually much stronger than Paimon, and they could even help fight the defilement.
Once the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual was complete, the Traveler spoke up:
"Kitsune Saiguu… are you still Hanachirusato?"
"Hm? What kind of question is that?" Kitsune Saiguu closed her fan, tapping it against her chin, tilting her head with a puzzled expression.
"Hanachirusato and Kitsune Saiguu, aren't they both me?" Kitsune Saiguu said with a smile.
She possessed Hanachirusato's memories and recalled Hanachirusato's emotions.
It was precisely because she understood Hanachirusato's feelings and memories that she was more willing to acknowledge Hanachirusato's independent personality.
"But don't worry, I'll 'return' Hanachirusato to you later, little one."
"Oh, no, I mean, Lady Lumine and Lady Paimon, hehe, I remember everything," Kitsune Saiguu continued.
Paimon scratched her head. "I don't know why, but when you called me 'Lady' as Hanachirusato, it felt fine. But now, with you like this, it feels… weird."
"No need to wonder—it is weird," Lumine nodded in agreement.
"Because she looks so sly like this, not at all like the gentle Hanachirusato," Yae Miko said with a laugh.
"Hehe, maybe it's because of my appearance and aura," Kitsune Saiguu didn't deny it.
Her true personality was indeed less gentle than Hanachirusato's, though that didn't mean she lacked gentleness.
Hanachirusato's gentleness was so profound it was reflected in her very demeanor, exuding warmth at a glance.
Kitsune Saiguu's gentleness, however, was hidden deep within her heart. On the surface, she was still a sly, mischievous fox, but deep down, she was undoubtedly a gentle soul.
"You two really are alike," Paimon said, pointing between them.
"Because Miko's been imitating me," Kitsune Saiguu said with a shrug. "Really, no originality."
"Who said I'm imitating you? I wouldn't entrust such a heavy responsibility to an immature little fox," Yae Miko retorted, not backing down.
Watching the two bicker, Paimon said, "What did Lucian say about Miko again?"
Paimon struck a thoughtful pose before exclaiming, "Right, he called her a 'mischievous fox'! You're both mischievous foxes!"
Lumine: "…"
Paimon, you're as bold as ever. I'm not going to back you up this time—you managed to offend three people in one go.
Offending two sly foxes was bad enough, but you also sold out Lucian, the great swindler—er, I mean, the great official.
"Lucian… truly a remarkable person," Kitsune Saiguu mused, pondering how to repay this debt.
A life-saving favor was hard to repay. Should she vow to be reborn in her next life, not as a fox, but as a beast of burden for him?
Joking aside, the debt had to be repaid in this lifetime, but for now, Kitsune Saiguu couldn't think of a way to do so.
From Yae Miko, Kitsune Saiguu had learned many things. Lucian hadn't just saved her; he had also "saved" Ei, and, exaggerating a bit, he and the Traveler had saved all of Inazuma.
Such a debt left Kitsune Saiguu at a loss for how to repay him. For now, she could only resolve to help Lucian when he needed it.
But before that, Kitsune Saiguu had some matters to attend to. Once those were settled, she would head to the Plane of Euthymia to find Lucian—and see Ei as well.
Speaking of which, the Plane of Euthymia was clearly Ei's inner realm, so why was she going there to find Lucian?
"Miko, you and the Traveler head back first. I have somewhere to go," Kitsune Saiguu said.
"Got it~ Go settle your old debts," Yae Miko said with a light laugh, covering her mouth.
Kitsune Saiguu, ever the charmer, had many matters to resolve, but fortunately, most of her old acquaintances had passed away, haha.
Kitsune Saiguu arrived alone at Chinju Forest. No sooner had she arrived than she heard Ioroi's voice.
"This scent! It's you!?"
"Come here quick! Let me have a look!"
"It's not someone teasing me again, is it?"
"Still as lively as ever," Kitsune Saiguu said with a smile and a shake of her head. But that was fine—encountering someone unchanged in an unfamiliar era brought a sense of familiarity and comfort.
The little tanuki youkai in the area watched Kitsune Saiguu from a distance, hiding in the shadows, seemingly a bit scared.
So familiar, yet so unfamiliar. Who was this? A stranger? Or an acquaintance?
Kitsune Saiguu naturally noticed the hiding tanuki youkai. With a wave of her slender fingers, a group of little foxes scampered out, seeking out the tanuki youkai.
"!" The tanuki youkai, like Kichiboushi, were startled and tried to escape using their transformation techniques.
But before they could flee, the little foxes' tails wrapped around them.
The tanuki youkai were scared, but the little foxes didn't harm them. It seemed they just wanted to play.
Kitsune Saiguu paid no further attention to the tanuki youkai and approached Ioroi.
"It really is you! It's really you!! Hahahahahaha!!"
"Ahem, humph, this fox scent—I knew I couldn't be mistaken!" Ioroi said with a huff.
"It's been… uh… so long, and you only came to find me now! Were you deliberately testing my patience? That's cheating!" Ioroi grumbled.
"The last round should count as my win! I won!"
"So hurry, hurry up and undo the seal on me!" Ioroi said eagerly.
"I want to have another proper match with you!"
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Kitsune Saiguu: About Yae Miko
"Miko's become quite adorable, hasn't she? Isn't it more fun to tease her like this? Hehe, if she's imitating me, I wonder how good she is at teasing others?"