Inazuma, Narukami Island.
Yuna's remains had been kept at home for three days.
During those three days, many people came to pay their respects, arriving and departing in a constant stream.
Only Itto remained, steadfastly guarding Yuna's remains since the day he brought them home. He refused to eat or drink, never leaving her side.
Perhaps due to the complete awakening of his Oni Clan heritage, enduring three days without sustenance had left him weakened, but his overall health remained largely unaffected.
Itto sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, deaf to all calls, even daring to defy Kuki Shinobu's orders.
"Do you plan to starve yourself to death? Do you think this will bring little Yuna back? No, it won't! Your stubbornness only reveals your immaturity!" Kuki Shinobu roared, her eyes red-rimmed.
Itto buried his face in his knees, sniffing quietly.
"You..." Kuki Shinobu raised her hand to slap him, but it hovered in the air, never falling.
She had struck him before, cursed him, and done everything to reason with him, but nothing could budge this stubborn Oni!
Suddenly, rapid footsteps approached.
Kuki Shinobu looked toward the door and saw the Traveler and Paimon.
"Traveler..."
Lumine walked silently to Itto's side and then looked at Paimon.
Paimon nodded slightly, retrieved the treasure Qingge had given her, and pulled out a large bowl of ramen from within.
This treasure preserved food's original flavor and aroma for extended periods. The moment the bowl was revealed, a mouthwatering aroma filled the air. Itto sniffed lightly, finally lifting his head.
Lumine gazed at Itto with mixed emotions.
The once vibrant Itto now had dark circles under his eyes, and bloodshot veins crisscrossed his gaze.
Paimon handed the bowl of ramen to Itto.
"This ramen was made by Yuna herself. Paimon has been resisting the urge to eat it, saving it just for you."
Seeing the familiar ramen and smelling its familiar scent, Itto parted his parched lips, his expression softening with emotion.
He slowly raised his hands until they touched the warmth of the bowl.
Itto picked up his chopsticks and slowly took a bite of the ramen. Tears dripped into the broth...
Itto usually devoured ramen in a flash, but this bowl took him an unusually long time.
Kuki Shinobu, Lumine, and Paimon watched silently as Itto ate, refraining from urging him on.
He didn't waste a single strand of noodle, even slurping up the last drop of broth.
When he finished, Itto suddenly froze, his eyes fixed on the cartoon illustration at the bottom of the bowl...
It was a custom design Yuna had commissioned when the Arataki Gang sold ramen.
The drawing showed Yuna skillfully tossing noodles, Kuki Shinobu stirring the pot with chopsticks, and Itto and Mamoru holding out their bowls with wide-open mouths, eagerly awaiting their portions.
Itto's bowl was the largest, and his mouth was stretched the widest.
Gazing at the cartoon Yuna tossing noodles on the bowl's bottom, Itto's tears began to fall again, large drops splashing into the empty bowl.
"Waaah, waaaah-waaaah-waaaah—"
The emotions Itto had suppressed for three days finally erupted. He carefully set the bowl on the ground, stood up, and bolted out of the Kuki House.
Despite sitting motionless for three days, Itto showed no stiffness or discomfort in his legs as he ran.
"Itto..."
Paimon gazed worriedly in the direction he had fled.
"Don't worry about him," Kuki Shinobu said. "Let him vent his feelings. He won't do anything reckless."
Shinobu picked up Itto's empty ramen bowl and gazed at the cartoon drawing at the bottom, chuckling through her tears. She carefully put the bowl away before turning to her sister, who lay beneath a white sheet.
Unlike Liyue, Inazuma primarily practiced cremation. In this land where death easily invited calamity, strict regulations governed "impurity." Long ago, Inazuma had banned burial altogether. Cremation offered a more efficient means of preventing corpses from becoming contaminated, thus avoiding the risk of triggering vengeful spirits or other forms of impurity.
Yuna's body had been at home for three days. Though Rukkhadevata's vines prevented decomposition, burying the dead remained crucial for both Yuna and her family.
During these three days, Yuna's Dad wept incessantly, sometimes sitting outside all day. Yuna's Mom fell gravely ill, but thanks to Mizuki's constant care, she avoided any serious danger.
Kuki Miyuki had taken leave from work to stay home, assisting her second sister in washing their youngest sister's remains...
-
Chinju Forest.
"Aaaah—!"
Itto had raced all the way here, shouting at the night sky to vent his emotions.
His roar startled Ioroi, the stone statue, and the three Little Tanuki clinging to its side. The tanuki merely lifted their heads briefly before drooping them again in dejection.
"Ehh~"
The statue let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
Beneath the Inazuman moonlight, the Oni markings on Itto's body began to glow crimson, radiating a faint, ethereal light.
With bloodshot eyes, Itto retrieved the Redhorn Stonethresher from his Vision Space. With a mighty roar, he swung the greatsword at the massive boulder behind him.
A colossal, amber-colored blade of energy slashed through the air, cleaving the boulder in two and carving a deep chasm into the ground itself.
Clutching the greatsword in one hand, Itto suddenly staggered and dropped to one knee, using the greatsword to prop himself up.
Not far behind him, Ei and Yae Miko observed everything.
"His Oni King Bloodline has fully awakened," Yae Miko murmured. "With proper guidance, he could become the next Chiyo."
Ei nodded slightly, acknowledging Yae Miko's assessment.
She even sensed that Itto's bloodline might be purer and more potent than Chiyo's had been in her prime.
"So, Ei," Yae Miko asked, "will you guide him?"
"His bloodline will guide him naturally," Ei replied. "The talents of the Oni Clan are far more complex than you realize."
Yae Miko nodded lightly, and the two women turned to leave.
Tomorrow was the little one's funeral. As her Lady Guuji, Yae Miko had much to prepare.
-
The next day, Yuna's remains were placed on a slate, covered with a special black cloth.
Around the slate stood Ei, Yae Miko, Mizuki... Lumine, Paimon, Ayato, Ayaka, Yoimiya, Kazuha, Gorou, Kokomi...
It could be said that everyone who knew Yuna had come.
Yae Miko opened a small vial and flicked out a drop of azure flame.
The flame attached itself to Yuna's remains, instantly erupting into a roaring blaze.
The emerald flames obscured everything, making it impossible to see Yuna's remains as they burned.
This was the final dignity Yae Miko could grant Yuna.
"Little one, Lady Guuji is so sorry... I couldn't protect you properly..."
Yae Miko lowered her head slightly, another tear sliding down her cheek.
Yuna's parents and elder sister wept themselves into unconsciousness. Yumemizuki Mizuki sighed softly and stepped forward...
The green flames cast an eerie glow on little Paimon's face. The tiny companion clasped her hands together, muttering prayers under her breath.