[Paimon panicked: "Miko! Miko, do something! Miko!!"]
Paimon was genuinely frantic. The Traveler was practically her only "family" now.
She couldn't bear the thought of some strange entity stealing the Traveler's consciousness.
[Yae Miko couldn't hold back: "Pfft, hahahahahaha!"]
[The mysterious figure laughed along: "Hahahahahaha—"]
[Paimon, realizing something was off, was bewildered: "Huh? Wait, what?!"]
As it turned out, Yae Miko and the mysterious figure were old acquaintances, and this was just a staged act to tease little Paimon.
The mysterious figure was none other than the author of the painting—Urakusai.
Their collaboration was as simple as Miko's wink. With their mutual understanding, Urakusai instantly grasped her intentions.
[Yae Miko, having laughed enough, said: "Hehe, let me formally introduce you. This is Urakusai, the author of A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits."]
Urakusai told Paimon she could think of him as a ghost or a memory, as they were essentially the same—both came from the Ley Lines.
Some time ago, the roots of the Sacred Sakura were bitten by Riftborn Regalia, causing not only human memories but also many youkai memories to escape.
However, youkai are inherently stronger, so human memories faded quickly, while the youkai memories lingered for now.
Readers, especially those from Inazuma, were puzzled by one thing upon reading this.
Riftborn Regalia? When did this happen? How did we not know?
Since no one knew how far into the future Lucian's prophecies extended, this "some time ago" was impossible to pinpoint.
They muttered to themselves: Shikikan, you didn't write the full prophecy, did you?
Inazumans were anxious. Thanks to the prophecy book, they knew what the future held, which gave them peace of mind.
But now, this guy was planting mysteries in the future without explaining what would happen, bringing a wave of tense uncertainty.
Riftborn Regalia biting the Sacred Sakura's roots? What exactly happened?
Inazumans recalled bad memories, especially since the previous story, Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, had just reminded them of past events.
Right after stirring those memories, Lucian dropped this clue in the story, revealing only the "effect" without the "cause," leaving Inazumans itching with curiosity.
The only comfort was that, based on the characters' conversations, the crisis seemed to have been resolved.
It left behind only some youkai "memories" still wandering Inazuma.
But these "memories" were very faint, far too weak to manifest visibly like Hanachirusato did.
Urakusai was a great youkai fox, but without the power of corruption to sustain him, he couldn't move as freely as Hanachirusato. At best, he could only briefly possess a human body.
Hanachirusato had combined with the corruptive power in the Sacred Sakura, allowing her to appear in that form, but even that was no longer possible.
Other youkai were even less capable—they needed humans to actively chant spells to achieve temporary possession.
Urakusai had included a spirit-summoning spell in A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits to let everyone have one last bit of fun.
But this did cause some trouble for humans—not the kind where possession led to a few days of fever, but the kind where, after the youkai left, dreams shattered.
Some who wished for money woke up to find it turned into leaves.
Those who wished for certain achievements ended up empty-handed, like the brothers.
But in Urakusai's view, these troubles weren't necessarily bad.
What made humans admirable was their inherent weakness, yet their ability to change their fate with their own hands, sometimes becoming stronger than youkai.
The human society they built was even more "eternal" than the might of powerful youkai.
This was what Urakusai respected. As for those who sought external help without striving themselves, a little punishment wasn't a bad thing.
Yae Miko shared this perspective, which was why she wasn't too concerned about the issue from the start.
She only started caring because A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits became too successful. Now that she had surpassed it, she naturally had to bring it up.
[Yae Miko: "Urakusai, even your A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits has now been overtaken by my new work."]
[Urakusai: "Hmph, I knew it. You, who hates trouble the most, went to the effort of finding my studio and summoning me. You definitely had no good intentions!"]
["Back when we gathered to tell the Hundred Tales, you always had to challenge me."]
["Fine, fine, I admit defeat. Happy now?"]
Urakusai conceded. Unlike centuries ago during the Hyakki Yagyo, he didn't argue with Miko.
[Yae Miko let out a long breath, chuckling lightly: "Haa—after centuries, finally hearing you say that feels so satisfying."]
[Urakusai sighed: "Hmm… after centuries, that girl who loved clinging to others' shoulders has grown up."]
Reading this, those in the Plane of Euthymia fell into reminiscence. Back during the Hundred Tales, everyone gathered—some told stories, others recorded them in books.
But now, the storytellers were gone, and the writers were gone too.
Those memories from centuries ago lingered. The "regret" from those centuries was finally mended, and the moment of emotional release was truly satisfying.
But realizing that moment was fleeting—didn't it make one yearn for it?
When people experience such a moment, they understand why Ei pursued "eternity."
Most readers, though not as long-lived, could still relate to Yae Miko's feelings.
Who hasn't felt regret? Unspoken farewells to friends, unsaid pleas to lovers, unexpressed love to family.
Everyone has experienced these to some degree, so they could imagine how happy Yae Miko was to mend this "regret."
In fact, many envied her, as they no longer had the chance to mend their regrets. How many could be like Hans, with a god helping them resolve theirs?
Old Meng: "Big G…"
This Wangsheng Funeral Parlor employee was one such person, his heart filled with thoughts of saying goodbye to Big G.
Even mortals felt this way, let alone gods, who would also dwell on the regret of partings.
Everyone could understand how happy Yae Miko was at this moment, and similarly, how heartbroken she'd be when her old friend left.
And in the story, Yae Miko was soon to face that parting.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Raiden Ei: About Urakusai
"His stories are a mix of truth and fiction, very interesting… I can tell them apart."