From the shadows, Ei watched from afar as Kitsune Saiguu left Lin Mo's side with a resentful look.
"Staying the night in the room…"
"Was that… about me?"
Only then did Ei remember—last night, she had indeed spent the entire night in Chiyo's room.
But it was nothing more than a misunderstanding.
The night before, she had done something unprecedented and made a beautiful plate of tri-colored dango. Delighted, she brought it to Chiyo to taste. Perhaps because the dumplings turned out too perfect, she'd gotten a little too excited and accidentally left a trace of Archon power in them.
After Chiyo tried one… well, nothing serious happened. She merely spent the night with her body crackling with numbing arcs of lightning, weak and unable to move.
As the culprit, Ei stayed by her bedside all night, taking care of her. That was all.
"Did they argue because of me…?"
Ei's gaze fell, heavy with guilt.
Just then, Chiyo happened to be heading back toward Mt. Yougou, her spirits low.
"Ei? Why are you here?"
Lin Mo had just noticed Ei hiding off to the side.
"Was it because of me that you argued?" Ei asked softly. The guilt in her voice was unmistakable.
"Ah… just a small misunderstanding. We're used to it."
Lin Mo waved it off with a careless smile. "Don't worry. We've been childhood friends since we were little. No matter how much we argue, we'll never really split."
Ei said nothing.
Instead, her thoughts drifted to the bond between Chiyo and Kitsune Saiguu.
The Grand Narukami Shrine stood on Mt. Yougou, where the Tengu of Mt. Yougou lived. The two had grown up as neighbors.
The most gifted white fox of the Hakushin bloodline, who transformed into the greatest of yokai sages.
The most outstanding warrior of the Yougou Tengu, who became the Heavenly General guarding the Shogun.
Thinking of it that way, Ei couldn't help but feel that they were perfectly matched.
"No. Even if your bond runs deep, you shouldn't let baseless misunderstandings affect your relationship."
A flicker of resolve shone in Ei's eyes. "I'll go find Kitsune Saiguu and explain everything to her for you."
"Uh… I actually already explained it."
Lin Mo gave a wry smile. "Don't take her words too seriously. She just wanted to 'break up' to teach me a lesson—so I'd keep a proper distance from other women."
"Other women?"
Confusion flickered across Ei's face.
"Ahem… it's a bit embarrassing to say."
Lin Mo scratched his head. "I'm pretty close with the clan members—and with those fox-witches who take human form. Oh, and there's also Mikoshi Chiyo."
"She invites me to the hot springs all the time."
"Kitsune Saiguu's gotten mad about it more times than I can count. Come to think of it…"
"This should be the four hundred and eighty-sixth time we've broken up."
…
"Four hundred and eighty-six times…"
Hearing that absurd number, Ei finally understood.
It seemed that for the two of them, breakup-style arguments had become a kind of romantic ritual.
And after learning so much from Lin Mo about human relationships, Ei felt herself restraining the impulse to rush forward and hug him.
For some reason, the more she suppressed it, the harder it became to control the desire in her heart—the stronger the urge to draw closer to him.
"…I understand." Ei nodded gently.
She ultimately overcame that desire and didn't step forward.
Life went on, calm as ever. Yet in their days together, small ripples would still appear.
Because Ei subconsciously wanted to be closer to Chiyo, the two of them spent more and more time together, long since forgetting that their original goal had been to learn how to make sweets.
For example, when Chiyo suddenly wanted to learn polearm techniques and swordsmanship, they began arriving at the Sacred Sakura every morning at dawn, weapons in hand, sparring beneath the tree.
Though each time, Chiyo would lose rather spectacularly.
Or when Chiyo felt like traveling, they would sneak away from Narukami Island now and then, heading to Seirai Island or Tsurumi Island to take in the scenery.
"…Seirai Island…"
At the Pure Land of One Heart, Ei couldn't help recalling the story of that island.
Back then, they had built a shrine on Seirai Island and sent a shrine maiden there to tend it.
"If I remember correctly… the shrine we built together was called Asase Shrine, right?"
"That shrine maiden, Hibiki, loved raising cats. She brought in so many stray cats from all over Narukami Island."
Thinking of it, Ei smiled bitterly. "After all these years, there must be countless cats on that island now."
"Chiyo always loved small animals."
"Because of the cats on Seirai Island, she used to drag me to the shrine just to talk to them."
"Oh, right—and she even raised that clever bake-danuki for a while."
"I really want to go back to Asase Shrine with Chiyo again…"
A faint ache surfaced in Ei's eyes.
Because…
Not long after the shrine was completed, the long-simmering conflict between Watatsumi Island and Narukami Island finally erupted into war.
Orobashi led the people of Watatsumi to Yashiori Island.
And in that war, Chiyo fell.
Even now, Ei could not forget how gentle Chiyo had been, even as she lay dying in her arms.
Her thoughts were dragged back to that memory she least wanted to relive.
"Chiyo… wake up!"
"Please don't scare me—I'm begging you!"
For the first time, Ei panicked. For the first time, tears spilled from her eyes.
"Cough… cough…"
Cradled in her arms, Chiyo coughed up a mouthful of blood as she was shaken awake. She had regained consciousness, but her life was fading fast.
"Ei… I might not be able to take care of you anymore…"
That smile, stained with crimson, tore at Ei's heart.
"No… I won't trouble you anymore. I won't rely on you again…"
"Just promise me you'll hold on—please, hold on until I can take you back to Narukami Island."
"Everyone will find a way to save you."
"I can't… I'm so tired… I can barely keep my eyes open…"
Chiyo's pupils were already losing focus.
Tears streaming, Ei pleaded desperately, "Don't—don't sleep. Please, don't fall asleep!"
"Then promise me…"
Chiyo spoke with great effort.
"From today on…"
"Take good care of yourself… learn to cook on your own…"
"When I'm not around… go out more…"
"Let Saiguu… and Chiyo… keep you company, take you for walks…"
"I promise you!"
Ei said firmly.
"I'll learn to cook properly! I'll make my own meals!"
"And I'll get along well with everyone!"
Hearing Ei's answer, Chiyo smiled, content at last—and gently closed her eyes.
--------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 40 chapters in advance on my Patreon : [email protected]/furinaimpact