Inside the room that previously belonged to Asahiko, the same one now occupied by Kikyo and currently being visited by Akemi, the two girls can be seen giving themselves some touch-ups.
Well, the truth is that little Akemi is using Kikyo as if she were a life-sized doll, who in reality does not seem very interested in resisting and simply stays there standing without doing anything.
"What beautiful hair, big sister Kikyo."
Passing the wooden comb through the silky black hair that falls like silk down Kikyo's back, the girl who once saw hair as something annoying and dirty now appreciates it with all her heart, even planning to let her own grow out.
"Don't call me that."
"Then should I call you Priestess Kikyo?"
"... You're just like him. Just call me big sister Kikyo."
"Yay! What big brother said was true."
Smiling like a child who got the candy she wanted so badly—something she has rarely been able to do since losing her parents—Akemi throws Asahiko to the fire and hums a song while combing Kikyo's black hair.
The song seems like one mothers would sing to small children, perhaps even a lullaby, but Akemi enjoys it greatly nonetheless.
"Can I know what your big brother said about me?"
"Sure, it's no secret. He told me you weren't comfortable with the title of priestess and that I should be clear when talking to you, but I don't understand what the second thing means… Tell me, tell me, did you have some problem or confusion?"
"Jajaja, keep combing my hair, you gossiping girl."
Laughing naturally at Akemi's overly curious question, the cold priestess disappears for a few moments and reveals a gentle warmth, though this is not good for Akemi, as she receives a flick to the forehead from Kikyo.
That hit makes Akemi step back with crocodile tears in her eyes, but Kikyo, who seems to have quite a bit of experience with children, simply pats her head and fixes her posture again.
"Hmph, I'm going to tell my big brother that you hit me."
"And what is your brother going to do to me?"
"He's very, very, very strong, you know. He defeated the evil ogre with just one sword and saved the village, and he also went for his brother… Although I don't know what happened and he came back with you."
Telling the story in a very reduced and abstract way, just as children do, Akemi makes Asahiko's figure look like a true hero from fantastic tales.
That draws Kikyo's attention, who wants to know more about her "Captor," and since she truly seems to enjoy spending time with children, talking with Akemi is no problem.
"So your big brother saved everyone from the ogre?"
"Um, um, although I prefer to think he did it for me… He really became my big brother from that moment on! Ah, but it all started two nights ago—no, at that moment it was daytime…"
…
Keeping slightly away from the outskirts of the village, right at the edge where the forest truly begins, Asahiko keeps his blue eyes on the apple in front of him and points at it with his index finger.
"Peach!"
Letting out a deep and intense voice that seems to echo around the area, the apple in front of Asahiko slowly begins to change color and shape until, after a second, it turns into a peach.
This fake peach is no different from a real one; it has that fuzzy skin, a more oval shape than an apple, and the normal color of a peach. The only thing it truly lacks is smell, but otherwise it's perfect.
"Ohh, it works, it works and it's really magical!"
"You can throw fire."
"You don't get it, Saya. Fire that doesn't burn isn't fire, but look at this beauty—it's a perfect peach… Agh, it tastes like apple."
Throwing himself to the ground with a defeated expression while at the same time hitting the ground a few times, as if cursing the world itself, Asahiko puts on quite a show and then gets up as if nothing happened.
Yes, all that acting was truly strange to see, but that strangeness doesn't only affect the observer—Asahiko himself realized his behavior was strange. Does he care? No, he simply adds it to the list of strange things that have happened since he arrived here.
"It was to be expected; transformation is something external, at least the one you can use right now. Why don't you try combining that transformation with an illusion? Let the first make it look like a peach and the second make it taste like one."
"That's not a bad idea. Wait, give me a few seconds."
Surrounding the apple transformed into a peach with his hands, Asahiko closes his eyes and transmits a small amount of his energy to it, which wraps around the apple like a second layer of skin.
This energy is unstable, since Asahiko has only recently been learning to use spiritual energy, so anyone with even minimal spiritual sense could tell that it's a special peach and act accordingly.
But aside from that minor—yet actually very important—issue, Asahiko's nose twitches and a peach scent reaches him. It had worked; the apple, when touched, truly causes the person to fall into an olfactory illusion and—
"It tastes like peach… The apple tastes like peach, Saya!"
"Let me have some. Um… how incredible, it really does taste like peach. I thought it wouldn't affect me since I'm a spirit."
Swallowing the entire transformed apple under Asahiko's expectant gaze, the elderly spirit wipes his mouth and gives Asahiko an appreciative look.
"Don't ask me; I only know that the illusion applies on contact, whether with my energy or body, and that its effect is reduced the more senses the same illusion affects."
"So it's a weakened version just like transformation?"
"It seems so, although I can see a great future for this ability… at least if you manage to improve your control over spiritual energy."
Sighing at his own words that try to paint a great future—though he still has to go through the storm called 'Spiritual Control'—Asahiko lifts his head when he hears a shout coming from behind him.
That shout is clearly human, more precisely a very shrill and feminine one that he recognizes instantly, especially when its small owner jumps forcefully onto his back and shouts in his ear.
"I found you, big brother!"
"I wasn't hiding—agh, you're choking me."
"Run, run, run, horse!"
Playing along with Akemi, who wraps both arms around his neck, Asahiko gets into character and even neighs, only to put a mischievous smile on his lips after a few seconds.
That makes the muscles of the third person nearby tense—Kikyo, who has not yet been introduced by Akemi nor seen by Asahiko. That tension reaches a new level when she feels Asahiko's energy in motion, but since she senses no malice in his actions and that it's directed at himself, she simply remains vigilant just in case.
And Kikyo was right; Asahiko's energy simply wrapped around himself and inflated like a balloon, before, in a flash of light, Asahiko's bodily form changed into that of a horse, with Akemi still on his shoulders.
"So you want me to run, to run? Let's see if you can handle me running!"
"The horse talks? Is my brother a horse? Help me, big sister Kikyo, someone cursed my brother and turned him into a horse!"
"Hahaha, no matter how much you ask for help, your brother will never return to being—Ki, Kikyo?"
Turning his white stallion head—yes, he transformed into a white horse—Asahiko forgets even to modify his voice and stares with his blue eyes at the priestess standing behind him.
It was an awkward situation, at least for Asahiko, who was transformed into a horse, as Kikyo keeps a stoic face and only her brown eyes show small ripples that unconsciously reveal themselves.
"... Asahiko."
"Kikyo…"
"Big brother?"
A highly uncomfortable silence forms in the air. Asahiko remains silent and undoes his transformation with a brief golden flash, then moves Akemi aside without saying a word before coughing twice.
"Yes, were you looking for me, Akemi?"
"I… what just… YES, I was looking for you after showing the village to big sister Kikyo."
Trembling briefly under Asahiko's gaze when she tried to ask about what just happened, Akemi runs behind Kikyo and clings to her waist before answering.
"You didn't force her, right? I remember she was unwell yesterday—well, she still seems unwell if we only look at her appearance."
"What, no I didn't! Big sister asked me to, and she also wanted to ask you something… But I couldn't find you until now, when I listened to her and followed her here."
"... Right."
Reviewing Akemi's last words about Kikyo being the one who truly knew where to look for him, Asahiko gives the priestess a vigilant look and ultimately just categorizes the situation into his collection of strange things that make no sense.
Now calmer after doing so, Asahiko picks up three stones from the ground and transforms them into chairs with a flash, offering one to Kikyo and ignoring Akemi, who is playing with another.
"Alright, now that we're comfortable, you can ask me whatever you want. I'll treat it as an apology for yesterday."
"An apology?"
"Yes, I was an idiot… although I still think it was more confusion than anything else."
Twisting his arm—but not completely—Asahiko easily accepts his fault in the events of the previous night and lets out a sigh, as if he had crossed some mental barrier.
"... Alright, it was also my mistake for not being able to control my emotions."
"So then—"
"But I will accept your apology."
"Tsk, that really is having a shark-like, capitalist mindset. Fine, shoot; I'm already eager to hear your question."
Mocking Kikyo, who accepts that she also bears blame without changing her expression, yet still accepts his offer to answer her question as an apology, Asahiko clicks his tongue and waits for the big question.
"Akemi told me how you saved this village from a powerful yōkai. Why did you do it?"
"Um, that again? I don't mind; it's just that this is already the third time I've been asked the same thing in different ways, which is curious."
"Then?"
Holding firm to her question, Kikyo locks her penetrating brown eyes onto Asahiko and waits for an answer—one that might clarify some of her current doubts.
Those doubts are not so much about why he saved them, but with what intention behind it, an intention she can use to finally classify him in her worldview, either as just another evil being among many, or something else… more peaceful.
"Saving the village was really a foolish act I did on impulse. I'm sure that if I had known that thing wasn't a bear, I would have run away."
"And that impulse was Akemi?"
"Actually, yes. When I found her for the first time, I was lost. I hadn't seen another person in what felt like days, and after talking to her, her story resonated with my personal experiences… On the other hand, I had a magic sword and a ghost on my team, so the chances of winning didn't seem bad."
Explaining the whole situation in great detail in the first part of the conversation, Asahiko then loses himself and begins trying to make sense of his stupid past actions.
That makes Kikyo look at him for an extra moment, puzzled, but she easily regains control of her facial expressions and confirms that his words are real. How does she do that? Simple—Kikyo is really just reading the spiritual energy Asahiko emits, which pulses with his intentions just like in all living beings.
"A magic sword and a ghost? I suppose the latter is Saya, the old man Akemi told me about."
"Ah… I'm going to have to talk to that girl later. Yes, Saya is the old man who escaped just when you arrived, while the sword is Clouded Fang."
"Clouded Fang, of Steel… Where do you know Inuyasha from!"
Jumping from her chair like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, the atmosphere around Kikyo turns cold and sharp, while her brown eyes gain a dangerous edge that even makes Asahiko sweat.
That last part is quite difficult to achieve since Asahiko gained his new powers, but even so, he can feel the danger emanating from Kikyo's small, pale body, causing him to instinctively move his hand toward Clouded Fang.
"Calm down. I don't know who you're talking about or even why you're connecting us in your mind."
"Doesn't the name Fang of Steel sound familiar to you?"
"Honestly, it doesn't, but maybe it's an imitation of Clouded Fang, since according to Saya, this sword is famous."
Standing up from his chair as he notices Kikyo pull a talisman from her sleeves, Asahiko slowly walks over to Akemi and pulls Clouded Fang a few millimeters out of its sheath.
That movement is an obvious declaration from Asahiko—he may not strike first, but he is ready for whatever is necessary. That silent declaration is perfectly understood by Kikyo, who realizes she has few chances in her current state, but still cannot afford to give up… especially when it comes to something related to Inuyasha!
"Enough, both of you! Can't you see you're frightening the girl!"
Appearing in a flash under Kikyo's watchful gaze, the elderly ghost tries to stop the fight, but it's useless, so he uses a more… forceful method.
"I do know the sword you're talking about, and even the person, but Asahiko has no knowledge of it whatsoever."
"You're his sword, and you're telling me he doesn't know what you do?"
"I've only been with Asahiko for a few days. My knowledge of Fang of Steel and Inuyasha comes from far away… much farther away."
Twisting the white hairs of his beard with his fingers, Saya stares into nothingness and then sighs with the weight of age, making the young ones take him seriously.
"The sword you speak of, Fang of Steel, is one of the three swords of conquest. It governs the earthly plane with its immense power, capable of erasing hundreds of yōkai with a single movement or slash."
"An incredible story, but all I saw was a piece of iron being swung around like a stick."
"Tss, that must have hurt whoever this Inuyasha is."
Commenting on Kikyo's cold sarcasm—she seems to have gotten a second wind that makes her look more alive than ever—Asahiko runs and hides behind Akemi when the priestess's gaze falls on him.
"And his—why is it connected to Inuyasha's?"
"Asahiko's, Clouded Fang, is another of the three swords of conquest, the one that governs the plane of hell, or Yomi. With its power, it can open a gate to hell, from which hundreds can emerge to fight under its command."
"... Don't look at me like that; I'm surprised too."
Emerging from behind Akemi with doubts clearly written on his face, Asahiko shakes his head at Kikyo and sits back down on the same chair he was using before.
Once comfortable and with Akemi seated beside him, completely captivated by the story, Asahiko looks at Saya again, waiting for him to continue.
"At this point it's better to tell the last one as well. The third is Sacred Fang, and it's in Sesshōmaru's hands, Inuyasha's older brother. No, Asahiko is not part of the family."
"I'm a fox, not a dog, Kikyo. Please be a little rational, or I'll sue you for psychological abuse and defamation."
"Oh, so now you're a fox… Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to turn you into a scarf."
"Tss, my apologies, Miss Kikyo."
Giving up faster than anyone would expect—even Kikyo, who has already noticed that these two share a certain playful streak—Asahiko lets out a victorious chuckle and urges Saya to continue.
"Haa… Sacred Fang governs the heavens, capable of reviving the dead and destroying the messengers of hell with a single movement."
"So Fang of Steel governs the earth, Sacred Fang the sky, and Clouded Fang hell. I suppose all three once belonged to that Inu no Taisho you mentioned, a great yōkai now dead, so whoever gathers all three will rule the world… Sounds like a logical story that will make us fight each other for control of the swords."
"None of that. Inu no Taisho is the father of Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru, and those swords have their own way of preventing themselves from being used by others… Where did you get that story from?"
Cutting off Asahiko's excitement with his words and also snapping Kikyo out of her thoughts—she had been thinking since hearing about Clouded Fang—Saya scratches his head and looks at Asahiko.
Asahiko is left frozen; his story seemed logical and viable, perfect to be used as a future guide for what to do next… But no, it seems his future won't be gathering the three swords and ruling the world (Japan), but fighting a pair of brothers for having stolen their father's inheritance.
"Uh… it sounded logical: gather the three swords and rule the world. But in the end, am I just a thief who stole their father's inheritance?"
"Relax. Inuyasha doesn't know about the existence of Clouded Fang, and Sesshōmaru… well, that one might be a problem."
"Oh, perfect… I suppose I have some kind of destiny with those two. Clouded Fang to attract Sesshōmaru and Kikyo for that Inuyasha guy, Saya."
Explaining the reasoning behind his words, Asahiko stands up and with a snap of his fingers the chairs disappear, returning to their rock forms.
"You don't have to count me in as well. I can deal with Inuyasha on my own, and I will."
"Sure, but I already saved you from the river, so unless there's some hidden story that changes the whole situation, we're in the same boat since I didn't let you die."
"... Maybe. Do whatever you want; I'm going back to the village."
Turning around with an elegance that makes it impossible to look away from her back, Kikyo tucks a few stray hairs behind her ear and keeps her brown eyes fixed on the path.
While she acted indifferent, something stirred within those brown eyes, because that 'maybe' was not said for no reason—something truly came to her mind when she heard Asahiko's words.
"Wow, wait for me, we're heading there too. On your feet, Akemi, we're leaving."
"... When I can, I'm going to ask Grandpa Saya for another story; he really knows how to tell them."
"If you manage to pull him out of the sheath."
Accepting Akemi's idea without issue, Asahiko pats her on the head and walks behind Kikyo, while the girl quickly follows him.