When Airi saw the change in her mother's face, she immediately knew that something was wrong.
Tamamo knows who that man was.
I'm in serious trouble.
Tamamo handed the two swords to Akio and carefully picked up the scroll.
The moment her fingers touched the old paper, she felt a foreign power enter her body.
The world around her vanished.
Suddenly, she was standing on a vast meadow.
A single cherry tree rose in the middle of the field, and pink petals danced in the wind.
Tamamo stretched out her hand and caught one of the petals.
"Where am I?" she murmured.
She looked around.
"This place feels so real..."
"This is only a dream."
The voice sounded calm and familiar at the same time.
"Tamamo... you still look as beautiful as you did back then."
Slowly, she turned around.
A man was leaning against the trunk of the cherry tree.
Black leather clothing that did not fit this era at all.
His gaze rested on her as if centuries had never passed.
He grinned slightly.
"Airi's going to be a real firecracker."
His eyes sparkled with amusement.
"But that's no surprise when you look at her mother. You always were one yourself."
Tamamo narrowed her eyes.
"How dare you appear before me like this?"
Her voice trembled with anger.
"You simply left me back then."
Her hands clenched into fists.
"And when I gave birth to our daughters, you didn't even show up once."
Her gaze burned with fury.
"Why now?"
The man only smiled.
"That face full of anger..."
He stepped closer.
"It still suits you."
His hand slowly rose and touched her cheek.
"You are still one of the most beautiful women in this world."
Tamamo turned her head away.
"Hmph."
"Your pretty words won't calm my anger."
The man sighed quietly.
"Actually, I planned to see you again only when the girls turned eighteen."
His gaze became more serious.
"Then each of them would have received a gift from me."
He looked toward the sky.
"Something that could help them on their journey."
Then he looked back at Tamamo.
"But I sense something in Airi."
His voice grew quieter.
"Something that isn't typical for a Kitsune."
Tamamo frowned.
The man continued:
"Among your kind, children usually inherit only an echo of the father. Power mingles, but blood rarely does."
His gaze sharpened.
"But in Airi..."
"There is more."
"More of me."
A small sphere of light appeared above his hand.
It slowly floated toward Tamamo.
"That's why I gave her a path."
Tamamo carefully caught the light with both hands.
"What do you mean by that?"
The man crossed his arms.
"If her powers grow too quickly, my blood could collide with yours."
"Her body wouldn't be able to control it."
His voice turned serious.
"And if that happens, she will die."
Tamamo's eyes widened.
"This light will put my blood to sleep."
"It will stop the conflict."
He looked directly at her.
"But you must only give it to her if she truly becomes ill."
The wind moved the cherry blossoms.
The man stepped closer once more.
Then he leaned forward slightly and gently kissed Tamamo on the forehead.
"Take good care of them."
The next moment, he disappeared.
The dream world collapsed.
The meadow vanished.
The cherry blossoms faded.
And Tamamo stood in the forest again.
Exactly where she had been before.
Akio and Airi were standing beside her.
As if no time had passed.
Airi quickly ran to Tamamo and clung to her leg.
With wide eyes she looked up at her mother.
She activated her ultimate technique.
Her greatest weapon was the look that always melted Tamamo's heart.
"Mum... is everything okay?"
Tamamo shook her head slightly and looked down at Airi, who clung to her leg like a little monkey.
That look...
She knows exactly how to break my heart.
I simply can't stay angry at her when she uses it.
Tamamo sighed quietly.
"Next time, you take a guard with you when you go play in the forest."
She placed her hand on Airi's head and gently stroked her ears.
Airi immediately began purring happily like a small cat, while her nine tails wagged wildly back and forth.
"Come, we're going home," Tamamo said.
"Then we'll talk about your punishment for skipping your lessons again."
Airi immediately made a face.
"But Mommy... I hate lessons."
"Why do I even need them?"
Tamamo looked at her strictly.
"You are a princess, just like your sister."
"There are things you must learn."
Airi turned her head away in protest.
"Hmph."
"Why do I need to know how to make tea?"
She crossed her arms.
"Fighting is much more important."
"All that political stuff isn't for me."
Then she looked up at her mother.
"Can't Kaguya take care of that later?"
"I want to see the wide world."
Akio shook her head slightly.
Airi really is almost exactly like her mother.
The only difference is her sister.
Her mother never wanted this job back then either.
A small smile appeared on Akio's face as she watched mother and daughter slowly walk back toward the temple.
A memory surfaced in her mind.
Almost four hundred years ago.
Tamamo had once had almost the same conversation in this very forest.
How quickly time passes...
Sometimes I truly feel my age.
"Lady Tsukiko...," she murmured quietly.
"You would be happy about your two granddaughters."
The two swords in her arms suddenly began to glow faintly.
A pleasant warmth spread through them.
It sank deep into her bones.
And felt strangely... comforting.
By the time they neared the temple, Tamamo crossed her arms and looked sternly at Airi.
"Are you even listening to me, Airi? That could have been dangerous!"
Her tails twitched with irritation.
"Your damned father is not the problem. The problem is the bastard who used my weakness and vanished."
Her voice became sharper.
"The world is on the brink of war. If you simply disappear, we could be dragged into that damned conflict."
Tamamo bent down slightly toward her.
"You are smart. You are talented."
Tamamo's expression softened for only a moment before her sternness returned.
"But you must learn boundaries."
With a quick hand movement, Tamamo formed a seal.
A faint golden light surrounded Airi.
Airi immediately felt the energy settle around her.
"I'm placing a spell on you," Tamamo said calmly.
"As long as it's active, you cannot leave the temple."
Tamamo turned slightly to the side.
"The spell will remain until you learn to follow rules."
Then she pointed to the swords.
"And now take your swords to your room."
Her gaze fell on the old scroll.
"But please open the scroll here."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I want to see what that idiot left for you as well."
Airi took the scroll from her mother's hand with a sad expression.
Only then did Airi notice Kaguya standing behind Akio, her ears drooping.
She had heard her mother's entire lecture.
Airi sighed inwardly.
Damn... why do I have to listen to this?
Mentally I'm already an adult.
So why do I have to stand here and be lectured like a child?
Airi looked at her mother.
"Yes, Mother. I'll open it here."
Slowly, she unrolled the scroll.
Suddenly, two smaller scrolls slipped out and fell onto the ground.
One was red.
On it was written:
Airi
The other was golden.
On it was written:
Kaguya
Tamamo tilted her head slightly.
"Hmph."
In her thoughts she muttered:
At least you thought of Kaguya too.
Otherwise, the next time we met, I would have left you with one less thing to be proud of.
You don't need it anyway.
Tamamo grabbed the scrolls.
But when she tried to open them, they didn't move even a millimeter.
Her eyes narrowed.
"...they only respond to you."
Kaguya carefully picked up her scroll.
When she opened it, a soft golden light unfolded.
Inside were:
Fate Dancer, a dance-based combat technique,
and two elegant fans.
Akio sharply inhaled.
"These are weapons... for a dance-based combat technique."
Airi now opened her own scroll.
Inside lay the manual for a sword technique.
The title was written in large letters above the technique:
Hoshiko no Ken – Sword of the Star Fox
Airi tilted her head slightly.
"Hm."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"The name isn't bad."