Chapter 505. The Parting of Kikyo and Shirogane
"Lady Kikyo is a woman who could be my mother!"
To the people of the modern world in Inuyasha's time, everyone—regardless of gender—had been captivated by Kikyo's meticulous care. Not a single person existed there who could break free from such a gentle sanctuary.
"Ahhh, Lady Kikyo~"
Men and women alike, many fell and became fans of Kikyo.
Meanwhile, in a castle of the Warring States period, a long howl filled with humiliation and monstrous hatred suddenly rang out: "Kikyo, Shirogane Miyuki? Kikyo, Shirogane Miyuki—Shirogane Miyuki aaaaaaghhh! Die, die! Die! I will kill every last bit of you, Shirogane Miyuki!!"
Naraku was exceptionally clever and calm, but whenever something involved Kikyo, the heart of Onigumo within him—the heart that yearned for Kikyo—would become restless. It would then sweep his entire being into a vortex of irritability, stripping away his reason.
When he saw the Kikyo he desired personally taking care of another man, and saw the Kikyo he desired conversing happily with another man, the envy, jealousy, and hatred within him surged in an instant. This catalyzed and strengthened Naraku's power, while simultaneously further allowing his feelings of love for Kikyo to influence him.
Shirogane Miyuki had leaped up to become the second name on his must-kill list, second only to Inuyasha.
While Naraku roared about wanting to kill Shirogane Miyuki, the "homewrecker," the warlords and bandits occupying various regions of Japan were all becoming excited, preparing to search for and seize the Shikon Jewel. Women were a nuisance; they mustn't slow down the pace of their grand ambitions! To these ambitious men, how could someone like Kikyo compare to the allure of the Shikon Jewel?
"Sigh, let's pack up and prepare to move," in the village, Kaede sighed. "The warlords will surely hear that this is the place where the Shikon Jewel was kept for many years."
To obtain the Shikon Jewel, the warlords would stop at nothing. Even if she truly didn't know where the fragments were scattered now, those ambitious men would never believe her and would certainly slaughter the village.
In times like these, she had to lead the entire village to find Inuyasha. Although Inuyasha wasn't considered a "Great Demon," with Tessaiga by his side, he had enough strength to wipe out groups of attacking human warlords and armies.
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「Shirogane Miyuki's injuries had healed, and on this day, he had a premonition.」
「He hesitated for a moment but spoke anyway: "Are you leaving? Are you leaving this place, Kikyo?"」
「Dressed in her neat and charismatic priestess robes, Kikyo carried her bow and arrows. She gazed into the distance, a flicker of complex emotion hidden in her eyes.」
「"I have things I want to accomplish." Her tone was slow but firm, unshakable.」
「This made Shirogane Miyuki feel sad, but he did not dare to ask about her past, her obsessions, or her goals, for he felt those were very important private matters.」
「Currently, Kikyo was unwilling to tell him those things.」
「"Will we," Shirogane Miyuki bit his teeth, "be able to meet again in the future, Kikyo?"」
「Hearing this, Kikyo turned back to look at him. Under the setting sun, she showed a very calm, very ordinary expression... and just like that, Shirogane Miyuki knew that this was likely a final farewell.」
「The fate between him and Kikyo had been severed.」
「The other party wanted to break the connection; she wanted a final parting.」
「...Shirogane Miyuki felt distressed by this, but as an ordinary person who had just developed a bit of spiritual power, he truly had no right to intervene in the world of a priestess, even if he considered himself her friend.」
「Under the sunset, Kikyo stepped away.」
「Shirogane Miyuki did not have even a shred of romantic thought. He was merely uneasy about the future and melancholy about a friend's departure.」
「"Goodbye, Kikyo," he bid her a soft farewell.」
「Kikyo paused for a moment, then without staying, disappeared from his field of vision.」
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"Eh?"
This situation left many people stunned. No matter how one looked at it, this kind of fate and encounter should have been a template for deep development. Instead, just as the female
lead was with the male lead and feelings were about to sprout—just one step away—she simply ran off?
Facing his sister Kousaka Kirino's confusion and distress, Kousaka Kyousuke took a more open-minded view: "They are different after all; they each have their own lives."
The real world isn't a game; there are no fixed main lines, plots, or female leads. Whatever happens is possible. It should be said that the viewers' minds were limited, assuming that Kikyo's appearance meant she should be like Emilia, sublimating her feelings with Shirogane Miyuki through various events and then getting together. In truth, that was a bit too self-righteous and rigid in thinking.
"—Ahem, hmph, cough."
As for being self-righteous, Shirogane Miyuki had no time to think about such things. On the contrary, right now, he felt somewhat lucky that he and Kikyo had gone their separate ways. Because while Kikyo was taking meticulous care of him earlier, Shinomiya Kaguya had nearly strangled him to death.
It wasn't until she saw Kikyo leave that this crazed young lady had the presence of mind to maintain her poise, letting go of his collar and pretending as if nothing had happened. However, her despicable smile that said, "Great, no more love rivals, I can once again leisurely force the President to confess to me," was obvious to even Iino Miko.
At this moment, Fujiwara Chika was trembling with rage, pointing at Shinomiya Kaguya, stuttering so hard she couldn't speak. She was so angry at Shinomiya Kaguya's "stop and retract" maneuver that she felt a brain hemorrhage coming on, fully experiencing the "hating that the iron won't become steel" frustration that Hayasaka Ai always felt.
'Why stop?! Keep the momentum going! Confess! Establish the relationship!'
Just because Kikyo left halfway doesn't mean other women won't appear in the future.
Noticing her best friend was stuttering, Shinomiya Kaguya thought the other was supporting her, so she specially turned back to give Fujiwara Chika a kind look.
"Pfft—"
This became the final straw that broke the camel's back, making Fujiwara Chika's eyes nearly split with rage. If she weren't so angry she couldn't even talk, she would definitely have rushed up to have a showdown with Shinomiya Kaguya.
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「Kikyo had left, but since Jinenji was there, everyone in the village was not afraid of demons.」
「Shirogane Miyuki remained in the village, teaching the children to read while practicing spiritual power according to the method Kikyo taught him.」
「He gave some items from his school bag to the Village Chief to sell to nobles in the city to increase the village funds.」
「And because of Al's precedent, he instructed the Village Chief that if he saw anyone who recognized these items, or people wearing modern clothes like his, to please let him know.」
「A few days later, news arrived quickly:」
「"It's a girl, a bit younger than you, wearing clothes like yours—a girl with a very revealing skirt!"」
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