A tanuki this large was clearly a Youkai. So, the young Miko immediately ran deep into the Shrine to find Yae Miko.
Yae Miko, meanwhile, was inside, eating snacks and reading a Light Novel, when suddenly a shout came from outside the door.
"Lady Yae Guuji! Something terrible has happened! There's a huge, huge tanuki outside!"
"Ikenami, why are you panicking? It's just a big..."
Before Yae Miko could finish speaking, she instantly leaped up. As far as she knew, there was only one oversized tanuki in all of Inazuma, but wasn't he supposed to be sealed?
Thinking of the tanuki's troublemaking nature, Yae Miko stopped lounging. She put on her Geta and quickly led the young Miko to the Shrine entrance.
Before even crossing the corridor, Yae Miko saw Ioroi's enormous figure. Seeing the oversized tanuki, who looked exactly like the shadow of her youth, Yae Miko felt her entire fox self deflate.
She recalled how, back when she was still inexperienced, she had been heavily teased by this Large Tanuki.
"Ioroi? How did you get out?" Yae Miko asked.
Shiki was about to say that it was her, but Ioroi's plump body beat her to it, blocking her path:
"That's none of your business, Yae Fox! I'm asking why you haven't held the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual? Look how dense the Thunder calamity has become at the foot of Mt. Yougou!"
However, Yae Miko noticed Ioroi's seemingly insignificant action. She was certain that Ioroi escaping the seal had something to do with Shiki.
'How interesting. I sense no Elemental Power, which means she's an ordinary person without a Vision, and she shows no traces of Onmyōdō. How could she have helped Ioroi break the seal?'
Yae Miko thought to herself, but maintained a calm and leisurely expression as she said, "The arrangements for the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual are already underway. Besides, don't forget, five hundred years ago, you were sealed precisely because you stole the key Purification Device."
Ioroi choked. The Pink-Haired Fox was right. Even if there was a reason, the fact remained that he had stolen the Purification Device needed for the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual.
But Yae Miko didn't stop. She continued walking forward and said, "Because of the Purification Device you stole, every Minor Cleansing Ritual has been incomplete. Frankly, you share some responsibility for the Thunder calamity at the foot of the mountain growing to its current state."
"So... I came to help, didn't I..." Ioroi said weakly.
Seeing Yae Miko take the absolute dominant position in just a few words, Shiki could only secretly sigh, 'As expected of the Fox.' Ioroi had been so furious when he started climbing the mountain.
Ioroi had been sealed for too long. Compared to Yae Miko, who had been active in the Mortal World, Ioroi truly was like a child.
The current situation was a complete reversal of how things were five hundred years ago. Looking at Ioroi's frustrated expression, Yae Miko felt immensely satisfied.
After all, he had constantly played tricks on her when she was young, such as transforming into a Fortune Slip Box and then reverting to his Original Form just as she was about to draw a fortune, startling her.
"Follow me, both of you. The process for the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual is quite complicated."
Having said that, Yae Miko walked toward the Side Hall with a graceful, swaying gait. Shiki wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt like she saw a large, pink Tail.
Shiki looked at the tense Kazuha beside her and felt puzzled: "You don't need to be *that* nervous, right?"
"Perhaps... it's because Lady Yae Guuji's aura is too strong. I'm not very good at dealing with people like that," Kazuha whispered.
Hearing this, Shiki recalled the game's plot and realized that Kazuha had indeed never had a proper conversation with powerful figures in high positions.
What? Sangonomiya Kokomi? Isn't she just a Five-Star Ornamental Fish?
As for the Electro Archon, have those two ever spoken?
Yae Miko first settled the two of them in the Side Hall, then left with Ioroi. Shiki guessed that Yae Miko took Ioroi away likely because of the Purification Device.
In the large Side Hall now, apart from the young Miko, only she and Kazuha remained.
Seeing the time was right, Kazuha began asking about the conversation she and Ioroi had on the mountainside.
"You mean Ioroi's past? That will take quite a while to explain."
Shiki thought for a moment and finally decided to start with Ioroi being appointed as the Hidden God of Protection by the First Electro Archon. The young Miko, Inagi Hotomi, quietly perked up her ears upon seeing this.
"...In short, Kitsune Saiguu is dead. Ioroi's only remaining Obsession is the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, so let's avoid mentioning Kitsune Saiguu in front of him."
"I understand," Kazuha nodded. "But Miss Ryougi, you truly are knowledgeable. History buried this deep is probably known only to a handful of people, right?"
"Ha, I only learned it by chance. I'm far from being what you'd call knowledgeable."
Shiki wasn't lying. She truly learned it by chance. Yes, by chance she was pulled into the pit.
"You don't have to belittle yourself, Ryougi. This secret history is even more complete than the records in Grand Narukami Shrine!" Inagi Hotomi suddenly blurted out.
"Is that so? Then you all should really strengthen your preservation of historical materials. History is a treasure of culture, and every loss is a significant one for people."
"Ryougi is right. I will report it to Guuji Yae."
However, Inagi Hotomi was very curious about Shiki's origins. Who could possibly know things in more detail than Grand Narukami Shrine?
Could it be… a great Fox that has lived for thousands of years?
As soon as she thought of this, Inagi Hotomi's gaze towards the girl immediately changed.
"Hmm? Is there something on my face?" Shiki noticed the strange look from the girl and felt a bit confused.
"Ah, no, it's just… I rarely see someone as beautiful as you. Yes, that's it." As if to confirm, Inagi Hotomi even nodded.
"Uh… thank you?"
Facing the girl's compliment, Shiki became even more confused. She felt something was off!
'Forget it, I'm not thinking about it anymore. My throat is uncomfortable from talking for so long. I'll go get some water!'
"girl, could you please get me a glass of water?" Shiki asked.
"Of course, no problem!"
Seeing an opportunity to leave, Inagi Hotomi immediately ran out, then placed the water by the window and disappeared from Shiki's sight.
Shiki: ...
What's with this familiar sense of déjà vu? Last time it was Konda Village, this time it's Grand Narukami Shrine. You're a girl, after all!
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