Tsubaki was gone, but the air she'd left behind still hadn't cleared. In the square of the demon-slaying village, people exchanged glances.
"That shrine maiden... was that really Lady Tsubaki?"
Someone muttered under their breath.
"I've heard of her. They say she's a prodigious talent, mentioned in the same breath as Lady Kikyō."
"Same breath? I don't know — she seemed a far cry from Lady Kikyō to me..."
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
Kōbe Hikaru stood where he was and slung Hiraikotsu back onto his shoulders.
The big man — apparently the leader among the demon-slaying village's younger generation — walked over, looking a little sheepish.
"Lady Kikyō, and... Lord Kōbe Hikaru?"
He clearly had no idea how to address a demon. "I'm truly sorry you had to witness that.
"Lady Tsubaki arrived this morning, said she was waiting for you. We couldn't stop her..."
Kikyō waved a hand.
"It isn't your fault."
Her gaze shifted to the old woman. Her lips parted quietly: "Elder — about the Village Elder..."
The moment she heard those words, the old woman's expression fell.
"I know."
She took the cloth pouch of ashes from Kikyō's hands and held it against her chest. The helplessness on her face was plain, her eyes rimming red — and yet she let out a slow breath, as though some part of her had long since prepared herself for this.
"Don't blame yourselves too much. Before he left, he told me himself — he'd already made his peace with not coming back."
The demon-slayers around them bowed their heads.
Kōbe Hikaru watched it all in silence.
He lifted Hiraikotsu from his back and set it down gently in front of the old woman.
It belonged to him.
"Returned, as promised."
The old woman raised her eyes. She looked at the great bone boomerang, then looked at Kōbe Hikaru. Her gaze lingered on his white hair and pale face before settling, at last, on those crimson, inhuman eyes.
"You are..."
"A demon, and Kikyō's shikigami," he said. "And the one who saw the Village Elder off in his final moments.
"With his last breath he asked me to deliver the Shikon Jewel to Kikyō. Hiraikotsu was recovered afterward.
"There were delays along the way. My apologies."
The old woman was silent.
She reached out one wizened hand and ran her fingers along the surface of Hiraikotsu.
Her fingers trembled, just slightly.
"This thing has been passed down for over a hundred years. Seven or eight generations."
She murmured softly, "The first was forged from the bones of more than ten demons.
"Every generation of demon-slayer after that added new demon-bones to it.
"It grew heavier with each one. Stronger with each one.
"Now, the skeletons of over a hundred demons are fused into it.
"An ordinary person would struggle to wield it at all."
Kōbe Hikaru said nothing.
That wasn't a question for him to answer.
Beside him, the big man gritted his teeth. "Elder, the Village Elder's grandchildren are still young. When they're grown—"
"I know."
The old woman wiped her eyes and straightened back into the same stern bearing she'd had before.
"Put Hiraikotsu away for now."
Only grandsons, no granddaughters?
So Sango and Kohaku really hadn't been born yet in this timeline. Which meant things were still very early indeed.
That was what Kōbe Hikaru was thinking.
"The two of you, please spend tonight in the village."
The old woman's voice broke through his thoughts.
"There's still that duel in three days' time. You'll need your rest before then — whatever else may come, please, Lady Kikyō, do not let the Shikon Jewel fall out of your hands."
Kikyō nodded.
"Thank you."
The old woman waved her off.
"You returned Hiraikotsu, and you brought the old man's ashes home. That kindness is not something we'll forget."
She glanced at Kōbe Hikaru.
"You're a demon — but anyone can see you're not the malicious sort. And you are Lady Kikyō's shikigami. In this village, no one will give you trouble."
Kōbe Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"However —"
The old woman's tone shifted.
"That blade of yours."
She pointed at Muramasa at his hip. "If you can help it, don't draw it. The killing intent is too heavy — it'll frighten the children."
Kōbe Hikaru looked down at his sword.
Muramasa.
A blade that had cut down at least a hundred demons — and men.
The killing intent was, admittedly, a bit much.
"Understood."
The old woman gave a satisfied nod.
"Follow me."
—
The guest quarters in the demon-slaying village were nothing to write home about. One wooden room, a small courtyard.
Given that Kōbe Hikaru's official capacity was Kikyō's shikigami — and therefore not quite human — they hadn't arranged a second room.
A shikigami was a human mage's companion. A weapon, in essence.
Who separated a guest from their own weapon?
The old woman said:
"If you need anything, tell the person at the gate."
And with that, she left.
Kōbe Hikaru stood in the courtyard and looked at the wooden room.
One room.
Just the one.
He glanced back at Kikyō.
Her expression was as calm as ever, but Kōbe Hikaru could have sworn the tips of her ears had gone faintly pink — clearly something had crossed her mind.
"Go on in."
Kikyō stepped forward first. The white-and-red figure disappeared through the doorway.
Kōbe Hikaru followed.
The room's furnishings were as sparse as most rooms of this era. A tatami mat, an oil lamp, a low table — only a marginal improvement over that village where a toad had taken over the premises.
At least it didn't smell.
The problem was that there was only one tatami mat.
And it wasn't large.
He looked at the mat, then at Kikyō.
Kikyō had already seated herself beside the low table and was tending to her bowstring. Her movements were unhurried, completely natural — as if she hadn't noticed at all that there was only one bed in the room.
"About that..."
Kōbe Hikaru spoke up.
"Mm?" Kikyō didn't look up.
"There's only one bed."
"I know."
"So..."
"You're a shikigami."
Kikyō's voice was perfectly even. "Shikigami don't need sleep."
Kōbe Hikaru went quiet.
Wasn't that a different line than before?
All that anticipation for nothing!
He thought that privately, but didn't argue the point.
The reasoning was airtight, after all. He was a ghost warrior. He genuinely didn't need sleep.
And besides —
He glanced at the tatami mat.
He thought back to last night in that run-down shack — the two of them sleeping back-to-back, and the warm, solid weight he'd found in his arms when he woke this morning.
Kikyō was probably trying to avoid another embarrassing repeat of that.
"What is it?"
Kikyō's voice reached him. "If you need rest, you can have it — I'll keep watch."
That rather defeats the purpose.
Kōbe Hikaru grumbled inwardly, and shook his head.
"No need."
He walked to the wall and settled down with his back against the post. "You're the boss. Whatever you say."
Kikyō gave a small nod, rose, and walked out to the courtyard.
"I'm going to wash up."
He watched the white-and-red figure vanish through the doorway, then turned his attention inward — and pulled out a red comb from the folds of his robe.
The true form of Sakagami Ketsura.
Since they'd be here three days, he might as well find something to do.
[Demon Artifact: Comb of Reversed Hair]
[Current Affection: -28 (Fear, Resentment)]
[It is playing dead, hoping you forget it exists.]
"Stop pretending."
Kōbe Hikaru tapped the back of the comb. "I know you're awake."
The comb didn't respond.
"Keep it up and I'll soak you in hot water."
"Don't!"
The little skull on the comb finally spoke up.
Compared to objects that were never alive to begin with, a possessed artifact like this — one that had already awakened — was far more convenient to deal with. Even without the system, you could hold a proper conversation.
"What do you even want from me!"
"Nothing much. Just thought we could chat."
"Chat about what?"
Sakagami Ketsura's voice was thick with suspicion.
"Your preferred conditioning treatment, for instance."
"...What?"
"Conditioning. You're a comb — you need upkeep, don't you?"
"..."
Silence.
"Oil or wax? Your material is mulberry wood — oil probably isn't the right fit..."
"Are you out of your mind?!"
Sakagami Ketsura was thoroughly exasperated.
Kōbe Hikaru was unperturbed. "I just want to take proper care of you."
"Take care of me?! You dragged me here as a prisoner and now you're talking about taking care of me?"
"Prisoner?"
Kōbe Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"I prefer to think of you as... a partner."
"I want nothing to do with you!"
[Demon Artifact: Comb of Reversed Hair]
[Affection +2]
[Current Affection: -26 (Confusion, Wariness)]
Mouth says no, but the affection score went up anyway.
Classic tsundere behavior.
Kōbe Hikaru nodded with satisfaction.
He kept talking.
—
The night deepened.
The oil lamp's flame burned lower and lower.
Kōbe Hikaru sat with his back against the wall, eyes closed in quiet rest. The comb had been talked into exhaustion; its affection score had climbed to -20.
Still in the negatives, but the improvement was hard to deny.
He opened his eyes and glanced toward the tatami mat.
Kikyō had lain down.
Her white robes had been set aside; she wore only the thin inner layer beneath, her black hair fanned across the pillow, catching the faint glow of the dim lamp.
The curve of her waist and hip pressed softly against the bedding.
Her chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. She seemed to be asleep.
Kōbe Hikaru looked for a moment.
Then he looked away.
Some time passed — he wasn't sure how long.
He sensed something drawing close.
He opened his eyes.
Kikyō had sat up from the tatami mat at some point and was watching him.
Those dark eyes were unusually bright in the dim room.
"What's wrong?" Kōbe Hikaru asked.
"I can't sleep."
Kikyō's voice was quiet. "That duel..."
She paused.
"I'm a little worried."
Kōbe Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
With Kikyō's strength, she was worried about a match against Tsubaki?
"Worried about what?"
"Not about losing."
Kikyō shook her head.
"About her."
"Her?"
"Tsubaki's obsession runs too deep."
Kikyō's gaze drifted slightly. "If she loses, I'm afraid she'll lose her way entirely."
Kōbe Hikaru was quiet for a moment.
He thought of the dark miko Tsubaki from the original story — the woman who had fallen because of jealousy.
And he thought of Kikyō. Outwardly cool, almost distant — but at her core, genuinely kind.
She and Tsubaki had once fought side by side. There was history between them.
Of course Kikyō would worry.
"What are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know."
Kikyō said softly, "But it has to be faced."
She looked at Kōbe Hikaru.
"In three days, will you be there?"
"Obviously."
He met her gaze. "I'm your shikigami, aren't I?
"What kind of shikigami skips out when their master is in the middle of a fight?"
Kikyō watched him. The corner of her mouth shifted, just barely.
It might have been a smile. Faint, fleeting — but Kōbe Hikaru had seen it.
"Good."
She said that, and lay back down on the tatami mat. Kōbe Hikaru returned to his spot against the wall.
The night wore on.
One sitting, one lying down. Each at rest in their own quiet way.
But for some reason, the air between them felt softer than it had before.
[Shikon Jewel — Naohi: Affection +1]
[Current Affection: 51 (Trust)]
[It passes you a message: 'She is beginning to trust you more and more.']
Kōbe Hikaru looked at the notification on his panel.
The corner of his mouth curved slightly.
Trust, was it?
Good.
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