But in fact, Kikyo's gradual lowering of her guard toward Hikaru was not entirely because of the goodwill conveyed by the naohi within the shikon jewel.
As a priestess, she had her own judgment.
As the guardian of this village, and also as a powerful wielder of spiritual power who had been given hope by the head of that demon slayer village and deemed capable of continuing to guard the shikon jewel in his stead.
She had always been independent and autonomous.
And in her vision, within her perception, and within her cognition, this Ghost Samurai named Hikaru was very strange.
Really very strange.
As mentioned before.
As the strongest priestess of the Sengoku Period, she had seen hundreds, if not thousands, of demons.
Greedy ones, tyrannical ones, cunning ones, hypocritical ones.
No matter what kind of human skin they wore, no matter how sweet their words were, that turbid Demonic Qi and scent of blood could not be hidden.
Demons were demons.
Their instinct was to devour and to destroy.
But this one before her...
His Demonic Qi was dead, but his 'will' seemed to be alive.
This is quite contradictory.
An Ghost Samurai is fundamentally an existence born from the combination of the resentment of the dead and Demonic Qi; logically, only an instinctive desire for slaughter should remain.
But Hikaru was not like that.
He possessed reason, judgment, and purpose.
More importantly—
When he killed demons, he didn't hesitate in the slightest.
That efficiency, that posture of showing no mercy toward his own kind, didn't make him seem like a demon; he seemed more like...
An Demon Slayer who performed exorcisms using physical combat techniques.
Kikyo knew the head of the Demon Slayer Village and had naturally seen many Demon Slayers; the look in their eyes when they slew demons was exactly the same as the look in Hikaru's eyes just now.
Calm, focused, and pure.
This made her think of a possibility.
Could this Ghost Samurai have been a human Demon Slayer with the status of a low-ranking samurai during his lifetime?
And he still retained his human consciousness after death?
If that were the case...
Kikyo's gaze fell upon the shikon jewel in Hikaru's palm.
The naohi was glowing.
It was the light of approval.
"I'll leave it to you."
Hikaru's voice interrupted her thoughts.
He handed the shikon jewel to Kikyo with a natural movement, without the slightest hint of reluctance.
This surprised Kikyo somewhat.
She knew all too well the temptation the shikon jewel held for demons.
Even those high-level demons who claimed to be rational would show greedy looks when faced with the shikon jewel.
But this Ghost Samurai before her...
He actually just handed it over like that?
Kikyo reached out, her fingertips touching the surface of the bead.
Warm and smooth.
There was also a faint ripple of spiritual power.
The naohi was conveying a message to her.
Kikyo grasped the shikon jewel in her palm.
The bead's glow gradually dimmed because her spiritual power was suppressing the aura it radiated outward.
"Thank you."
She said to Hikaru.
This was the first time she had said thank you tonight.
Hikaru was stunned for a moment, then he smiled.
The crimson eyes beneath the red oni mask curved slightly, looking somewhat... comical?
"You're welcome."
He said, "I was heading this way anyway."
How could it possibly be 'on the way'?
Kikyo thought to herself.
She knew very well that from the Demon Slayer village to here, there were several mountains to cross; carrying the shikon jewel along the way would surely involve being hunted by countless demons.
He called this 'on the way'?
But she didn't call him out on it.
She simply tucked the shikon jewel into her robes and then looked at Hikaru.
"Where do you plan to go next?"
This was a tentative question.
If Hikaru said he wanted to stay near the village, she would refuse.
After all, he was a demon, and the villagers could never accept him.
If he said he was leaving, then she would... what would she do?
Kikyo herself wasn't entirely sure.
In any case, the 'person' before her was, in the end, still a demon—an abnormal existence, vastly different from humans.
"I don't know."
Hikaru appeared quite straightforward: "I don't really have a destination; I'm just wandering around, looking."
"Looking?"
Kikyo tilted her head slightly. "Are you searching for something?"
Hikaru fell silent for a moment.
He was thinking about how to answer.
Tell the truth?
Say that he was looking for various sacred artifacts, famous blades, Barriers, and the like to grind favorability?
He would definitely be treated like a lunatic.
"I suppose I'm looking for a few things."
He said vaguely, "Some things that are... very important and useful to me."
Kikyo didn't press further.
Everyone has secrets; she understood that.
"Then where do you plan to rest tonight?"
She asked.
Hikaru pointed to the woods outside the village. "Any cave will do."
"An Ghost Samurai doesn't need to sleep, right?"
"No, but I need to recover demonic power."
Hikaru spoke frankly: "Tonight's consumption was indeed a bit high."
That was the truth.
Although not weak, Hikaru, who had only undergone five 'Transformations', was not a high-level demon; his demonic power was limited, and after using [Ghost Step] and [Resonance with Blood] consecutively, the demonic power in his body was nearly depleted.
If he didn't replenish it, he would be helpless if he encountered a demon tomorrow.
Kikyo looked at him.
The moonlight spilled onto her profile, making that cold face appear even fairer and more breathtakingly beautiful.
Hikaru was slightly dazed.
"There are empty rooms in the village."
She said.
"What?"
Hikaru thought he had misheard.
This priestess was inviting him into the village?
"I said, there are empty rooms in the village."
Kikyo repeated, "If you don't mind, you can rest there."
Hikaru was truly shocked.
What kind of development was this?
He, a demon, was being invited to spend the night in a human village? Was this logical?
"I am a demon."
He reminded her.
"I know."
Kikyo's tone was very calm. "But you helped this village; the villagers should be grateful to you."
"Will they agree?"
"Here, I have the final say."
Kikyo turned around, her white robes and red hakama swaying gently in the night wind. "Follow me."
Hikaru stood in place and didn't move.
[shikon no tama: naohi: Favorability +1]
[Current Favorability: 4]
[It conveys a message to you: "This priestess's level of trust in you is rising."]
Hikaru looked at the prompt on the panel.
So that conversation just now caused the shikon jewel's favorability to rise again?
What was this bead's criteria for judgment?
He wasn't sure.
But that didn't matter anymore.
The oni-masked samurai raised his eyes to look at the priestess walking ahead; her long hair was as black as a waterfall swaying in the wind, her white robes outlined a slender waist, and the red hakama below trailed like a skirt, with shadows defining deep contours that looked incredibly moving.
Indeed, it didn't matter anymore.
To be able to gain 'trust'.
To gain the trust of the strongest priestess of the Warring States period.
Moreover, to gain the trust of the person who moved his heart.
From any perspective, it was a good thing; it was quite a bargain!
He had bet correctly.
Yes.
From the very beginning, Hikaru knew that if he wanted to gain Kikyo's trust, he could only rely on the favorability of the shikon jewel in his hand.
His previous intervention and this current contact were all a gamble.
Gambling that the naohi of the shikon jewel would approve of him because of the unlocked favorability, and in turn, let Kikyo sense something.
Gambling that Kikyo would trust the naohi's judgment.
Gambling that he could stand here alive.
Now it seemed—
He had bet correctly.
Although the fact that the naohi could speak was indeed beyond his expectations.
But the result was good, and that was enough.
Hikaru lowered his hand from the hilt of the muramasa blade at his waist and stepped forward,
The moonlight drifted slowly, soaking the earth like frost.
As she leaped forward, the miko's expression was unreadable.
It seemed as though she didn't quite understand her own choice either.
She clearly shouldn't have invited a demon into the village... but as she gripped the shikon jewel in her hand, feeling the pure benevolence flowing endlessly from it—the shikon no tama: naohi—she felt that this choice was the right one.
The shikon no tama: naohi would not be wrong.
This demon was likely worthy of trust.