"Is Eichi still feeling down?"
Gojo looked at Geto beside him, continuously throwing Kikufuku into his mouth.
Kikufuku are essentially mochi dumplings with various fillings, cool to the taste, with the flavor depending on the filling. This snack has different names in different regions.
"Yes, although it doesn't show on his face, he hasn't been talking much lately and is often hard to find."
Geto nodded. Ever since White Jade Hound was killed by a Special Grade Demon Cursed Spirit, Eichi's mood had been low. Geto tried to comfort Eichi but failed.
It was then that Geto realized that it was usually Eichi who comforted him.
Although he could say many cool things about justice and righteousness, he didn't know what to do when someone close to him needed comfort.
Geto felt a bit guilty. If they hadn't split up, if he had been a little faster, Eichi might not have lost one of his Jade Hounds.
After "casually" discussing with his parents how his friend didn't know how to comfort people, his parents came up with an idea.
Take him out to have some fun and distract his friend.
So Geto thought of Gojo .
Wherever Gojo was, it would surely be lively. If Gojo and Eichi spent a few days together, Eichi might be drawn to Gojo and temporarily forget his sadness.
"Oh~, this kind of scene is rare. I must capture it."
With that, Gojo pulled out his phone, looking eager.
"Satoru, we're here to comfort Eichi."
Geto had a headache, hoping that bringing Gojo wouldn't have the opposite effect.
Meanwhile, the Eichi they were worried about was in his room, drawing the summoning circle required for a summoning ritual, with a golden Rider chess piece placed in the center.
Each user of the Ten Shadows Technique only has one Shikigami.
Once this Shikigami is completely destroyed, it cannot be summoned again. Restarting the subjugation ritual also won't work, because there is no Shikigami left to respond to the subjugation ritual.
Knowing this, Eichi was very sad after White Jade Hound's passing.
In his previous life, Eichi had also experienced the death of a dog.
However, that was a fox dog named Beibei, raised by his grandmother.
His grandmother would sometimes even stir-fry a small dish specifically for Beibei.
When Beibei passed away, the family gathered around Beibei. His grandmother gently stroked Beibei's head, whispering words of blessing.
"Don't be afraid, Beibei. When you go there, there will be endless meat to eat."
"If you're not happy there, come back and be our family dog again."
It was only after a long time had passed since the puppy's death that it was buried.
When Eichi truly bid farewell to the dog that had grown up with him, Eichi found that it was far more painful than Beibei's passing in his previous life.
Jade Hounds were his longest companions and had truly become his family.
When he first arrived in this world, his father had already died, and his mother, with a numb expression, eventually hanged herself.
He himself was also ridiculed for his lack of talent.
Although there was no blatant abuse, he was driven and bullied by various people every day, and at night, he had to learn those feudal, brainwashing ideologies. Eichi, who had a complete education and his own thoughts, naturally could not accept it.
After leaving the Zen'in Family, Eichi awakened the Ten Shadows Technique, and from then on, the Jade Hounds followed Eichi.
Eichi had been Transmigrated to this world for 8 years, and for 7 of those years, the Jade Hounds had accompanied him.
The black Jade Hound, Kuro, was usually very quiet because he used an Assassin-class chess piece. He often lay at Eichi's feet without Eichi even knowing.
Xiao Bai, who used the Rider chess piece, was the exact opposite, overly lively.
Even more hyperactive than a husky.
Because of this, the Jade Hounds held an irreplaceable position in Eichi's heart, which was also the reason for Eichi's low spirits after White Jade Hound's death.
To quickly overcome his negative emotions, Eichi began to study the fantasy power collected in the Holy Grail.
Since the last time Director Yamaguchi confirmed the fate production plan at Heroic Spirit Media, he immediately led his team to start work and simultaneously finalized a collaboration with the TV station.
Although they didn't get a prime-time slot, they did secure a good broadcast time.
Now, fate has aired its second episode, which is precisely when King Arthur Artoria descends.
To maximize the acquisition of fantasy power, Eichi invested higher costs in the animation segment depicting Artoria's descent.
Exquisite animation, dreamlike scenes, and the beautiful King of Knights deeply captivated the audience's attention. The first batch of 'King's fans' had subtly emerged, and wisps of fantasy power were collected and recorded by the Holy Grail.
While studying fantasy power, Eichi discovered that it was a different kind of power from Cursed Energy. Compared to Cursed Energy, which is born from curses, the fantasy power collected by the Holy Grail gave a more positive and beautiful feeling.
This also gave Eichi some understanding of the existence of Heroic Spirits; Heroic Spirits are not Cursed Spirits, but rather things like spirits or deities born from faith.
Most importantly, while studying these powers, Eichi discovered information about the Jade Hounds in the Rider chess piece.
That's right, the existence of the Jade Hounds was recorded within the Rider chess piece, and the information was very comprehensive.
This was not surprising; ever since Eichi discovered that Heroic Spirit chess pieces could be used by the Shikigami summoned by the Ten Shadows Technique, the Assassin chess piece and the Rider chess piece had always been on the two Jade Hounds, while other chess pieces were used as needed on site.
At this moment, Eichi suddenly had a new idea: to summon the Jade Hounds in the manner of Heroic Spirits.
Because he had the fantasy power from Artoria's fans as a reference, Eichi quickly succeeded in converting his Cursed Energy into the fantasy power needed to summon a Heroic Spirit using the Holy Grail.
Eichi began to devote all his energy to the study of the Holy Grail and Heroic Spirit summoning, continuously converting his Cursed Energy through the Holy Grail into the fantasy power required for summoning Heroic Spirits.
This was also why Geto had been unable to contact Eichi recently.
Other Heroic Spirits needed to collect fantasy power because people had insufficient understanding of them, so the Holy Grail needed to collect enough fantasy power as an anchor to shape the Heroic Spirit's image and power.
But White Jade Hound didn't need it, because for the past 7 years, the Holy Grail had been recording Xiao Bai's information through the Rider chess piece every moment.
"Phew, it's done."
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Eichi looked at the completed summoning circle before him, and the golden chess piece in its center.
"The stored fantasy power is also sufficient, so now I just need to…"
Eichi was a bit nervous.
The Holy Grail inherently has the function of absorbing and storing magic. Eichi's talent is extremely high, and his Cursed Energy is also vast, plus he injects excess Cursed Energy into the Holy Grail for storage every day.
Therefore, although the Ten Shadows Technique consumes a lot of Cursed Energy, Eichi has never run out of Cursed Energy to this day.
This is also why Eichi was able to quickly convert enough fantasy power from Cursed Energy after finding a way to summon Xiao Bai again.
"Declare."
"Your body shall be under my command, and my fate shall be upon your sword."
..."You are the seven heavens bound by three great incantations, coming from the wheel of restraint, the guardian of the scales!"
The golden chess piece emitted a pure white glow, and a white figure gradually appeared in the summoning circle.
"Woof, woof."
As soon as the white figure fully appeared, it immediately pounced on Eichi.
Xiao Bai placed his paws on Eichi's shoulders, his tongue continuously licking Eichi's face.
Eichi didn't dodge, hugging Xiao Bai with one hand and vigorously ruffling Xiao Bai's head with the other.
"Welcome back, Xiao Bai."
"Woof, woof!"
Just then, a figure suddenly jumped through Eichi's window.
"Yo Eichi, let me see if you've been crying."
Xiao Bai and Eichi simultaneously looked at Gojo , who had jumped in through the window and struck a pose as if making a grand entrance.
"Huh, what's going on here?"
Gojo pushed down his sunglasses, his Six Eyes curiously looking at Eichi and Xiao Bai.
Eichi and Xiao Bai also, as if telepathically, looked back at each other.
"Bite him!"
"Woof!"
"Huh? You're ambushing me, Young Man, that's not martial ethics! Hey, don't bite my pants, they're new."
Everything seemed to return to that small rural courtyard seven years ago.
"What's happening?"
Geto, who arrived a step late because he used the door, thought he hadn't woken up yet.
The Divine Dog: Totality beside him glanced at Geto, yawned, and continued his afternoon nap.