~ Support & Read 60 Advanced Chapters on Patreon
~ Bonus Chapter every 200 Powerstones!
<><><><><>
SLIDE—
Just as Bokue was struggling to recall whether he'd accidentally added new techniques while removing Abe no Seimei's earlier, someone pulled open the room's door from outside.
The blonde beauty in her elegant kimono appeared in the doorway.
Seeing the two already embracing inside, she raised an eyebrow and covered her mouth with one hand, laughing softly.
"Bokue really is such a child, rushing ahead by himself like that... And you too, little sister. Bokue's impression of you hasn't shifted from before yet. Suddenly changing like this will make him very uncomfortable, you know."
"Mmm~"
Hagoromo-Gitsune—seated in the young man's lap—peeked half her face out from Bokue's shoulder upon hearing the voice, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"Sister, you're here too? Why don't you come join us?"
"No rush, no rush. Let's explain things clearly first, take it slow."
As Yasaka spoke, she also entered the room, closing the door behind her.
She came to sit beside Bokue, her gaze sweeping over the young man's hand that had already unconsciously settled on her sister's waist. She couldn't help lightly pursing her lips again.
"Alright, let's start from the beginning. First, regarding Abe no Seimei..."
"Dead and gone."
Bokue thought for a moment and added another line.
"Rest assured—no risk of revival or reincarnation."
"Is that so? That's good then."
Hearing that the one who'd exploited her sister had finally received his just desserts, the blonde beauty finally showed a relieved smile.
Over the past thousand years, she'd tried countless methods to remove the shackles branded on Hagoromo-Gitsune's soul. But she'd never succeeded.
After all, Yasaka's own power wasn't sufficient to touch the soul level.
More accurately, even in today's world, those capable of touching the soul level could be counted on one hand—and most of them weren't people Yasaka could easily contact.
Fortunately, Bokue Keikain was one of them. Plus, their relationship had been quite "good" since his childhood.
Perhaps this was fate and destiny.
"Then there's my sister's current situation..."
Without avoiding her sister watching right beside her, Yasaka intimately rested her head lightly on the young man's shoulder, just as when they were alone together.
"As I mentioned before, my sister was once someone who held maternal love for all things. But precisely because of that, Abe no Seimei exploited her."
"Now the shackles branded on her soul have been removed by you, Bokue, so she'll no longer be controlled by Abe no Seimei. In other words, she's free now."
"And precisely because of this, she told me that from now on, she'll pour all her maternal love onto you alone, Bokue."
Bokue: "..."
He looked at the blonde beauty beside him, still wearing that gentle smile, then at the girl in his arms with her face raised, flushed, and lips parted. He decided it was better not to comment.
Because there were just too many things to say.
Forget everything else—are you sure those eager eyes are really related to maternal love?
"That's basically the situation."
Seeing Bokue remain silent, Yasaka generally knew what he was thinking. She just smiled again before slowly rising to kneel on both knees, embracing the young man holding her sister from the side.
Two mother foxes, eighteen tails total—half white, half golden—swaying as they surrounded the young man airtight, front and back.
"Alright, everything that needed saying has been said. Now it's time to..."
"Wait, Yasaka. Where's Kunou?"
With the ball at his lips, Bokue didn't immediately dive in like usual. For some reason, his mind suddenly flashed to the slightly strange atmosphere between mother and daughter during their earlier conversation on the way to the back mountain spring.
"Kunou, she..."
Yasaka hesitated slightly, about to speak when Hagoromo-Gitsune interrupted.
"Right now Kyōkotsu is keeping little Kunou company for her afternoon nap. Don't worry—Kyōkotsu knows what she's doing. She'll take good care of my adorable little niece."
With that, she could no longer hold back. Straightening her back, she greedily pressed her lips forward.
Sister, the child you found... is truly impossible to resist~
❁❁❁❁
Meanwhile, several rooms away from the Japanese-style room, in Kunou's bedroom—
The small kimono-clad girl lay quietly on her side on the tatami. The skull used for casting demon techniques now sat in a corner to the side. Her gaze stuck to the floor level, looking toward the little fox shrine maiden sleeping peacefully under covers on the futon nearby.
This feeling was quite strange.
Though Kyōkotsu had followed Hagoromo-Gitsune in battle four hundred years ago, she'd spent the subsequent four centuries sealed by the Keikain, and demons lived extremely long lives anyway. So physically and mentally, she was actually about the same as Kunou right now.
Having her supervise Kunou's afternoon nap was basically having a kid watch a kid.
The problem was she didn't want to nap at all right now. Napping was so boring~
Plus... right now Ane-sama should be meeting with that Bokue Keikain, right? Though Yasaka-ane-sama was watching from the side, the other party was still an Onmyōji from the Keikain family. Toward demons, they should all hold hostile or even hateful attitudes, right?
Especially since Ane-sama was the Lord of Darkness who'd ruled all demons across the Kansai region four hundred years ago. To the Keikain family, she was definitely a mortal enemy, right?!
No good, no good—she was so worried about Ane-sama's safety...
Ane-sama was in serious negotiations with the enemy. As Ane-sama's right hand, how could she nap peacefully here?!
With that thought, Kyōkotsu rolled over and sat up in one motion. She glanced at the little fox shrine maiden in the futon nearby, the girl's peaceful sleeping face reflected in her golden pupils.
So she quietly got up, grabbed her skull artifact, and tiptoed out of the bedroom.
❁❁❁❁
Scene change—
The kimono-clad girl had already left the bedroom and crossed through the shrine's corridor. Not much farther ahead lay the Japanese-style room's location.
As the distance to the room shortened, little Kyōkotsu's heart pounded harder.
If she heard fighting break out inside, she'd charge in immediately to protect Ane-sama!
Just as the kimono-clad girl reached this thought, faint sounds suddenly came from the room's direction, reaching little Kyōkotsu's ears.
'Child, w-wait a moment... let this one rest briefly, just a moment... ngh! It's coming again, coming again...!!'
'Me too... Bokue, ah... sister, let's do it together... kyaaaaah!!'
?!!
Hearing the voices vaguely coming from inside the room through the sliding door, little Kyōkotsu standing in the outside corridor silently opened her mouth wide.
Wh-wh-wh-what's happening in there?!
Why do both Ane-sama's and Yasaka-ane-sama's voices sound so strange?
It's like a feeling that's both painful and pleasurable...
With that question, the kimono-clad girl carefully placed her hand on the sliding door, opening it just a tiny crack.
But before she could see clearly inside, the damp, sticky sensation between her toes made her instinctively look down.
It was some kind of murky, pale-colored liquid. It had already covered the entire floor of the Japanese-style room, slowly flowing out through the opened crack in the door.
<><><><><>
~ 60 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
<><><><><>
Keep the chapters coming—Support with Power Stones!