[At night, unable to sleep, Minamoto no Yorimitsu[1] was extremely excited about tomorrow's special training, and her mind was filled with countless thoughts of her father's praise for her.]
Instead of criticism, it would be joyful praise!
The girl's tossing and turning kept Felix, who was lying next to her, from falling asleep.
In order to control and transform the demonic nature within his daughter into her own power through emotions, Minamoto no Mitsunaka had directly arranged for Felix to share a room with her.
They were just children anyway; nothing inappropriate could happen.
Besides, they would have to rely on each other in the future.
Intimacy built from childhood was also essential.
In the future, when facing powerful enemies, they would cooperate even more seamlessly.
"Stop tossing and turning; let me tell you a story."
"A story?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu looked over curiously.
Influenced by the demonic energy, she had read many books but remembered very little, much like a student entering the workforce who had almost forgotten everything learned from textbooks.
"Just say whether you want to hear it or not."
"I do."
"Then I'll begin: fortunes change every thirty years, shifting from east to west..."
Even though Felix altered some parts of the plot, the story of the novel still deeply moved Minamoto no Yorimitsu, and she grew very fond of it.
She fantasized that she could prove herself to everyone who looked down on her, just like the protagonist.
[The story is so captivating, it's almost like sorcery.]
The audience for this story wasn't just Minamoto no Yorimitsu, but also the creator deity who was always watching over Felix, a pure-blooded human.
For a fleeting moment, Felix caught a glimpse of a beautiful figure standing by the bedside.
Familiar yet unfamiliar.
With dark blue hair, bangs that fell to her eyelashes, light blue eyes, and a youthful face, one could vaguely sense a trace of resentment in her expression.
Appearing suddenly in the middle of the night—it looked like a ghost!
Felix's heart pounded, but then, seeing the familiar face, his mood gradually calmed.
Could he be hallucinating and seeing Utsumi Erice[2], who should appear in the future?
That seemed unlikely.
It was at this moment that Minamoto no Yorimitsu fell asleep, a silly smile on her lips, as if dreaming of the moment she proved herself to everyone!
She, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, was neither a "weapon" nor a "monster with human-like features," feared and even despised by countless people.
Instead, she was a great hero, revered and worshipped by countless people, just like her father!
Even with his eyes closed, Felix still didn't believe what he had just seen was an illusion. He subconsciously uttered a sentence—
"It can't be that Izanami is wearing Erice's skin and spying on me, can it?"
"?"
No, bro, I was just joking...
Just... just?
Open up for me!
Even Clairvoyance wouldn't be this powerful!
The girl's heart raced, and the discovery of his outrageous true identity made her even more curious about Felix.
Let's scare him back too.
"Seems like it was just an illusion; I can sleep now."
"Oh, really?"
Felix suddenly opened his eyes, and Erice's appearance came into view once again.
Compared to a 14-year-old girl, she looked more mature, with her braided hair falling over the hearts of many, showcasing the beautiful figure of the Mother Goddess of Creation.
"You..."
"Now you're scared, aren't you?"
"Well..."
If Izanami were to adopt the demeanor befitting a creator deity and rebuke him in a condescending tone, Felix might have felt afraid.
But she stared wide-eyed, pursed her lips, and eagerly awaited him to show a look of fear.
A girl who seemed happy as long as she succeeded and loved playing pranks.
Who would be afraid of that!
"Hey, do I really look that unimpressive?"
Izanami examined herself in disbelief, finding she was wearing a loose, plain kimono. She silently gazed into the distance.
Kind of embarrassing.
As a creator deity, failing to scare a child was one thing, but getting exposed in an instant was another.
How embarrassing!
"Kind of."
"Really?"
Seeing that Felix was clearly holding back laughter, Izanami felt a little annoyed.
She was the creator deity, the creator deity!
Couldn't he give her some face?!
Show some respect!
Or would he only show reverence if she changed her appearance and became the Goddess of the Underworld?
No, that would be too ugly.
Unable to find any flaws in Felix's defenses, the quick-thinking Izanami simply left, saying fiercely,
"I will watch you forever for your disrespect toward the Creator Deity."
Watching forever—is that it?
The visual effect, reminiscent of Erice, made Felix burst into laughter.
Such an embarrassing goddess; it was hard to say she had bad intentions.
He just didn't know how she had found him.
Felix was completely baffled.
However, physical exhaustion slowly pulled him into unconsciousness as he pondered.
Instead of overthinking the motives of a foolish goddess, just sleep~
Izanami didn't go far; she stayed right there, watching over Felix.
It definitely wasn't because she was extremely angry and nervous after being exposed.
It was in her capacity as the creator deity that she witnessed whether humanity had the potential to replace the gods!
The best proof was none other than that evil Onmyōji.
Hmph, I'm only paying attention to you for the sake of the world's safety—I have absolutely no selfish motives!
...
The Next Day
After waking up, Felix suddenly realized something of paramount importance.
He had actually exposed Izanami's disguise!
Before she could even make a move or issue a warning, she had left angrily, saying she would keep an eye on him for the rest of his life.
Hiss.
Couldn't she be a little more normal and explain in a way he could understand why she was in his room...?
She even created a special alias to move around more easily.
The more he looked at Heian-kyō[3], the more something felt off.
---
Kagerin, who truly couldn't understand what Izanami was thinking, could only come to one conclusion.
Even though he had exposed one of the creator deities of Japanese mythology, she was only angry and didn't punish him.
Clearly, she was friendly.
The only thing he was curious about was how he had attracted her attention.
Was it like Minamoto no Mitsunaka?
Because he was a pure human, without any divine or demonic nature or power from evil spirits, he had attracted the attention of the gods.
Furthermore, the current situation in Heian-kyō was similar to, or even better than, that of Britain during King Arthur's time; the gods had not truly withdrawn from the stage of history.
Unwilling to be replaced by humans, they wanted to witness humanity's potential.
It could also be for fun, just like Athena assisting capable heroes.
Having pretty much figured things out, Felix felt even more at ease about Izanami.
"If that's the case, I'll ask clearly next time. I don't like playing guessing games."
Seeing that Minamoto no Yorimitsu was sleeping soundly, with a drop of drool still hanging from the corner of her mouth, Felix wiped it off for her and shook her shoulder, urging, "Get up, get up, or Father will scold you."
Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who had initially refused to get up and turned over in annoyance, suddenly opened her eyes, her face filled with fear.
If asked who she feared most, it would undoubtedly be Minamoto no Mitsunaka.
Now she was completely awake, even more energized than if she had washed her face with cold water.
"Rin, come with me quickly. We'll go find Father after we finish eating."
As she spoke, Minamoto no Yorimitsu grabbed Felix's hand and led him toward the dining table.
Minamoto no Mitsunaka wasn't there; he must have gone on a mission.
At this moment, they didn't have to wait and could quietly enjoy the delicious food brought by the nanny.
Even though Minamoto no Mitsunaka wasn't present, they still had to attend cultural classes to enrich themselves.
[It wasn't until the afternoon that Minamoto no Mitsunaka returned. He took some time to focus on training you.]
[At night, Izanami, disappointed in you, did not appear.]
You, who wanted to speak frankly and openly, could only suppress your doubts and wait for the day when this creator deity would appear.
Because you always believed that this creator deity would appear sooner or later.
[The faint laughter that occasionally rang out as you told stories to Minamoto no Yorimitsu at night was the most powerful proof.]
You also deliberately wrote interesting stories in the book so that this benevolent deity could enjoy reading them.
The fact that the book was never opened proved that she didn't like spoilers.
At the age of four, you and Minamoto no Yorimitsu passed most of Minamoto no Mitsunaka's tests, which greatly impressed him.
Before long, he wouldn't have much left to teach you.
At six years old, Minamoto no Mitsunaka couldn't find a suitable training method, so he simply let you cultivate at your own pace.
At this moment, Minamoto no Mitsunaka stopped returning home as frequently as before.
Without her father's constraints, Minamoto no Yorimitsu suddenly felt lost.
Having almost overcome her demonic nature, she decided to take a drastic approach.
[1] Keep in mind that her name can be also Minamoto no Raikō in FGO
[2] Fate/Requiem, It's a novel, not like Ataraxia. You are not alone :D, even I didn't hear about it..
[3] City?