Yukari's 'diagnosis' process took less than a minute.
Yusei asked curiously, "Is that all it takes?"
Yukari withdrew her hand, a gentle smile on her exquisite face as she nodded lightly.
"Yes, it's done. She has been abandoned by the Kami."
"Abandoned by the Kami?" Yusei looked at Yukari in surprise.
Yukari explained, "If I'm not mistaken, this girl was previously a Miko, wasn't she?"
A Miko... Actually, Sunshine Girl should be considered 'Weather' Mikos. Those who obtain the power of the weather are naturally Weather Mikos.
The old woman from before was the true Weather Miko, bound to guard the shrine, while Hina was more 'freelance', but she was undoubtedly also a Weather Miko.
So, in that sense, Amano Hina was indeed a Weather Miko.
'So, 'abandoned by the Kami' meant she no longer held the status of a Weather Miko?' Yusei was even more confused. He asked puzzledly, "If Hina's status as a Weather Miko was revoked by [Heaven], then why can she still use weather powers and be cursed? Shouldn't she have reverted to an ordinary person?"
"Normally, that should be the case. But perhaps that [Heaven] has a bad temper. It's targeting this girl, not simply letting her go peacefully, but actively trying to kill her."
At this point, Yukari looked curiously at Yusei and Hina, "Did she offend that kami before?"
Hearing this, Yusei understood where the problem lay.
'So, after I taught that [Heaven] a lesson last time, it held a grudge and was now targeting Hina, an ordinary girl.'
'What a coward.' Yusei cursed inwardly. But the immediate priority wasn't seeking revenge on that thing, but restoring Hina to normal.
"We had a bit of a conflict with that thing before... Let's not dwell on that. Honorable Youkai Sage, is there a solution?"
Yukari didn't press for details. Seeing Yusei ask, she answered directly, "There are two solutions. First, make the [Heaven] relinquish the curse, but doing so still leaves the girl's life in its hands."
"The second is to have her place her faith in a different Kami. However, note this: the Kami she believes in must be of the same origin as [Heaven]."
Yusei didn't need to think to rule out the first option. He would deal with that thing himself when he had time.
But the second option seemed easy. Yusei's eyes lit up, as he knew quite a few gods.
Not to mention the two who just moved into Gensokyo, even Athena beside him was a genuine chief god.
"Then, Nana, could Hina place her faith in you, so you can protect her?"
Upon hearing this, Athena, however, shook her head, "I roughly understand the Youkai Sage's meaning. To be of the same origin as the so-called [Heaven], one must either be the Sky itself or be related to it, like weather phenomena such as rain or thunder."
"My apologies, Husband. I hold no Authority over the Sky." A look of disappointment appeared on Athena's face, and her small head drooped slightly.
Every time her husband sought her help, she was powerless, making her feel that even as a goddess, she wasn't omnipotent.
She felt she needed to become stronger, to be more capable of assisting Yusei comprehensively.
Yukari also smiled and nodded, snapping her fan shut, "Correct. If you have such an entity around you, you could try. However, we believe it's best if you take action yourself. After all, a Miko's life is ultimately in the hands of her Kami."
"If I could, I would do it myself. But unfortunately, I am not a god right now," Yusei said with some regret.
He didn't know how many tasks his Path to Godhood mission required, and by the time he completed them, Hina would likely be long gone.
"You aren't one now, but perhaps you will be in the future," Yukari said, giving Yusei a meaningful look.
"As for time, don't worry. Regarding this girl's condition, we can use a secret art to freeze her state completely. Even the curse will not progress further. During this time, you just need to become a god comparable to the [Heaven]."
Hearing this, Yusei looked at Yukari in astonishment. Her generous assistance was somewhat unexpected.
"What do you want in return? It can't be a free lunch, can it?" Yusei asked calmly.
Yukari chuckled, her posture somewhat alluring and languid. She covered a yawn with her hand.
"Of course, it's not free. As for what we want... the payment has already been received. Very well, we will look after this girl. If you trust us, you may leave her here."
Yusei thought for a moment and found Yukari's proposal acceptable. Leaving Hina here was indeed the best option.
This wasn't because he believed Yukari was a 'good' youkai, but because she had no motive to harm Hina, which was the main reason Yusei felt reassured.
Regardless of how enthusiastic this Yakumo Yukari seemed today, from a motivational standpoint, it was unlikely she would target Hina.
A youkai who had lived countless years, not afraid of even true gods, why would she scheme against an ordinary Weather Miko?
"Alright, I'll leave it to you. If you need anything in the future, please let me know promptly. I will repay this favor," Yusei said.
Hina, hearing that Yusei was leaving her alone here, couldn't help but feel nervous. After all, this was a youkai's den.
But she understood Yusei was doing this to help her. Hina was a resilient girl, as evidenced by her working to support herself and her brother after her family passed away.
Although anxious inside, she didn't show it and simply accepted Yusei's arrangement.
Yusei, Athena, and Tohru left, leaving Hina behind.
Under Yukari's care, Hina's curse wouldn't flare up for some time, giving Yusei ample opportunity to complete the system's [Path to Godhood] mission.
After Yusei and the others left, Hina was first settled in a room to rest. Yukari specifically arranged a teacher for her.
Although the primary goal was to suppress the curse, Yukari's plans involved more than that. The path for this ordinary girl to become a proper Miko was still long.
Yakumo Chen, the mischievous little youkai, also became one of Hina's teachers.
"Ran." Yukari called towards the door.
The door opened, and Ran entered directly, "What are your orders, Yukari-sama?"
"Deliver this letter to the Princess at the Eientei."