Chapter 140: Tamamo-no-Mae's Goal
Inside the villa, Ryōyū gently held Gin Tsumugi's warm, slightly broad hand.
Her smile was graceful and composed as she looked at Kasugano Sora, Kuroyukihime, and Kurasaki Fuko.
"Hello, everyone. I am Ryōyū."
She paused, then added with quiet certainty, "Abe no Ryōyū. I am Gin's fiancée."
Under Gin's instruction, Ryōyū did not struggle over what name to call him. She addressed him by his current name without hesitation.
However, the name "Abe no Ryōyū" was her own expectation and stubbornness.
Gin understood that.
So he said nothing.
Kuroyukihime, Kurasaki Fuko, and Kasugano Sora were stunned for a moment. Then they could not help exchanging glances before their gazes finally returned to the stunning beauty before them.
She was beautiful enough to make any man forget to look away.
Her oval face was fair and delicate. Her phoenix eyes carried a light, ethereal charm. Her glossy black hair fell to her shoulders, and her skin possessed an elegant softness that seemed untouched by time. The ancient noble kimono she wore perfectly displayed the innate dignity of her temperament.
But there was also a faint sense of illusion about her, somewhat similar to Kasugano Sora's ghost state.
Clearly, she was not human.
She was closer to a ghost-like existence.
Even so, the immense spiritual power contained within her made Kuroyukihime inwardly shocked.
Even her master, Subaru Mitejima, one of the Onmyo Alliance's Twelve Heavenly Generals known as [Empress], was far inferior to Ryōyū in terms of spiritual power.
This level of power had completely exceeded Kuroyukihime's imagination.
"Abe no Ryōyū..."
Kurasaki Fuko murmured in astonishment.
"Imperial Princess Ryōyū, the princess from a thousand years ago..."
After that introduction, the three of them finally understood the true identity of this stunning beauty.
The sense of fantasy and the overturning of common sense came in waves.
Who could have imagined that a princess from a thousand years ago would appear before them in such a form?
If not for Gin's tacit confirmation, the three of them truly would not have dared believe it.
But then again, White Fox Gin Tsumugi himself was the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei from a thousand years ago.
With him as comparison, Imperial Princess Ryōyū, or rather Abe no Ryōyū, no longer seemed quite so impossible to accept.
However, when it came to the fiancée of the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei...
Kuroyukihime quietly and carefully observed Gin and Ryōyū.
The myth of Onmyōdō, the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei, had always been her lifelong idol.
She had carefully studied all sorts of historical records about him, whether from Onmyōdō archives or traditional historical texts.
As for the wife of the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei, there had always been countless conflicting stories and fabrications.
Neither Onmyōdō history nor traditional history contained a detailed record of her.
The so-called "Pear Blossom" was mostly a later invention and had little historical value. Even in the genealogy of the Tsuchimikado Clan, the descendants of Abe no Seimei, the information was vague and secretive.
But this fiancée named Imperial Princess Ryōyū was something Kuroyukihime had heard of for the first time.
There were likely many hidden stories behind it.
The thought filled Kuroyukihime with curiosity. She had an impulse to dig to the bottom of it immediately.
But now was clearly not the right time.
She could only bury that curiosity in her heart and wait for a future opportunity to ask Fuko's cousin, Kasugano Sora, for more information.
After introducing herself, Ryōyū did not forget the girl beside her, who had been silent the entire time.
Shiina Mashiro sat with her head lowered, quietly drawing on the sketchpad in her hands, almost like background decoration.
"This child is Mashiro," Ryōyū said. "She is my host."
Then she looked down gently.
"Mashiro, greet everyone."
At Ryōyū's request, Shiina Mashiro slowly raised her small head from the drawing board.
Her face blended Eastern and Western beauty, delicate and pure. Her slightly phoenix-shaped eyes seemed completely untouched by the murkiness of the world, carrying an ethereal clarity.
She spoke in a light, clear voice, extremely concise.
"Shiina Mashiro. Hello."
"Shiina Mashiro?"
Kurasaki Fuko froze.
She had heard that name before.
Not only her. Kuroyukihime and Kasugano Sora were familiar with it as well.
Shiina Mashiro was a world-class genius painter, famous internationally.
At such a young age, she had already received high praise from countless world-class masters. Her paintings were sought after by art lovers and collectors across the world, and one of them had even sold for an astronomical price at an international auction.
Furthermore, to Kuroyukihime and Kurasaki Fuko, Shiina Mashiro was not merely a world-renowned genius painter.
She was also [Painter] from the Supernatural Exchange Group.
She had always been one of the group members who remained deeply hidden.
If Haruka Shizumiya had not revealed Painter's true identity this time, they would never have connected that mysterious member with the world-class genius painter Shiina Mashiro.
However, when Kuroyukihime and Kurasaki Fuko looked at Imperial Princess Ryōyū beside Mashiro, the princess from a thousand years ago who called herself the fiancée of the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei, they suddenly understood why Haruka Shizumiya had invited Mashiro into the Supernatural Exchange Group.
After all, according to the standards and conditions for joining their group, if Shiina Mashiro were only a genius painter, no matter how famous she was, she would not have qualified.
But now that they knew Imperial Princess Ryōyū resided within her, everything was different.
Presumably, Haruka Shizumiya had invited her precisely because she knew that her ancestor, Imperial Princess Ryōyū, was living inside Shiina Mashiro.
Of course, what Kuroyukihime and Kurasaki Fuko did not know was that when Haruka Shizumiya invited Shiina Mashiro into the Supernatural Exchange Group, she had indeed discovered the abnormality and the spirit residing within Mashiro.
But she had not known that the spirit was Imperial Princess Ryōyū.
She had known even less that Ryōyū was her ancestor from a thousand years ago.
Otherwise, the first person she and Shinomiya Kaguya would have sought help from would have been Ryōyū.
Although, in all likelihood, Ryōyū probably would not have paid them any attention.
"Hello, Mashiro. I am Kuroyukihime, also known as [Water Lily] in the Supernatural Exchange Group."
"I am Kurasaki Fuko, [Shiro no Arashiha] of the Supernatural Exchange Group."
Since they now knew Shiina Mashiro was also a member of their group, Kuroyukihime and Kurasaki Fuko naturally took the initiative to introduce themselves.
Upon hearing that both of them were members of the Supernatural Exchange Group, Shiina Mashiro did not show the expected surprise.
She merely nodded indifferently as a response.
Then she lowered her head again and returned her attention to the drawing board, as though she had obediently completed Ryōyū's request and could now go back to what interested her.
Looking from the side, one could easily see the contents of Mashiro's drawing.
It was a sketch based on the current scene.
But the center of the composition was Gin Tsumugi.
Ever since their chance encounter on the subway, Mashiro had grown especially fond of depicting Gin's image. Even some of the protagonists in her manga had slowly begun to resemble him.
Ryōyū had long grown used to Mashiro's lack of common sense and tendency to sink into her own world of painting.
She merely gave Kuroyukihime and Kurasaki Fuko a slightly apologetic look.
"Supernatural Exchange Group?"
Gin looked slightly puzzled.
"Is it similar to a Supernatural Affairs Office?"
"It is an information network and communication group established by a young girl named Shinomiya Kaguya and the current era's Imperial Princess, Haruka Shizumiya."
Because Ryōyū and Shiina Mashiro were always together, and because she was responsible for every detail of Mashiro's daily life, Ryōyū knew quite a bit about the Supernatural Exchange Group.
"Gin, you should know Shinomiya Kaguya."
Gin nodded.
Ryōyū continued, "As for Haruka Shizumiya, she was very unfortunate. Tamamo-no-Mae chose her as a vessel."
"The reason she and Shinomiya Kaguya built the Supernatural Exchange Group together was to save themselves and struggle against their fate."
"So Tamamo-no-Mae is currently hiding in the Imperial Palace."
Gin fell into thought.
He was somewhat surprised, but not too much.
When it came to the Great Yokai famous throughout Japan, the Golden-Furred White-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox, Tamamo-no-Mae, he had been entangled with her directly or indirectly ever since the Wedding Dress Tree Incident.
The Wedding Dress Tree.
The Sacred Tree.
The Goddess Temple.
And the Guimu Mei Incident that had finally erupted.
If one traced everything back to the root, Tamamo-no-Mae had played a very important role in all of them.
Or rather, without Tamamo-no-Mae, this series of supernatural events most likely would not have happened.
Of course, it might simply have caused another series of disasters instead.
"A transaction?"
When she heard Kuroyukihime mention that Haruka Shizumiya and Tamamo-no-Mae had reached a mysterious transaction, temporarily allowing Haruka to escape her own supernatural incident, Ryōyū could not help sneering.
"Tamamo-no-Mae certainly made a clever plan."
With her understanding of Tamamo-no-Mae, she naturally knew what that fox was planning.
"By mutually sacrificing a portion of their freedom and soul, they bind themselves deeply to one another. Haruka Shizumiya becomes an existence that is both human and yokai."
Ryōyū's tone was cool.
"When Haruka Shizumiya's lifespan and soul naturally reach their end, Tamamo-no-Mae will reappear as the complete Golden-Furred White-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox."
"This..."
Kuroyukihime frowned in confusion.
"Isn't that unnecessary for Tamamo-no-Mae? It sounds as though she is adding shackles and restrictions to herself for no reason. I don't see any benefit."
Kurasaki Fuko and Kasugano Sora nodded as well.
After all, according to Ryōyū, this deep soul binding was mutual. There was no clear distinction between master and subordinate.
They truly could not understand what Tamamo-no-Mae could want from Haruka Shizumiya badly enough to pay such an unequal price.
"The price may seem unequal," Ryōyū said, "but the result is completely in line with her expectations."
At this point, she could not help glancing at Gin beside her.
"At the very least, if she continues existing in this state, she will not be caught by someone and turned into a shikigami."
"Shikigami?!"
Kuroyukihime, Kurasaki Fuko, and Kasugano Sora could not help widening their eyes as they looked at Gin.
The thought of turning the legendary Great Yokai Tamamo-no-Mae into a shikigami had never even crossed their minds.
As expected of the legendary Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei, the myth of Onmyōdō.
Only he could make Tamamo-no-Mae take precautions to such an extent.
Especially Kasugano Sora.
A faint, complicated emotion rose in her heart.
After all, she was now, in a sense, one of Gin's shikigami.
"Of course," Ryōyū continued, looking at Gin with a teasing smile, "if someone is determined to sign a shikigami contract with an innocent girl, one could simply ignore that as well."
Gin could not help rolling his eyes.
Making an Imperial Princess into a shikigami?
She truly dared to say it.
Haruka Shizumiya was not a ghost like Kasugano Sora, nor was there any need for her to become a shikigami.
Moreover, Gin was not particularly interested in Tamamo-no-Mae at the moment.
If he had any ideas in the future, he could think about them then.
"However, in this regard, I am somewhat similar to Nue."
Gin spoke thoughtfully.
As time passed, or more precisely, as Nue approached birth, a deep soul connection between them had gradually become obvious.
"Nue..."
When Nue was mentioned, a complex expression appeared on Ryōyū's face.
"After all, he is a part of you."
Kuroyukihime, Kurasaki Fuko, and Kasugano Sora fell into a brief silence.
They now knew the connection between Nue and Gin, as well as the cause and effect behind Nue's birth.
Perhaps, from the perspective of the present, Nue's birth had been a mistake.
A sin.
Perhaps now it seemed like an unnecessary act.
But to Imperial Princess Ryōyū, who sat before them, it had been the deepest wish buried in her heart for more than a thousand years.
It was a profound love that had not faded or been erased even after a millennium.
"It's late. Everyone should rest."
Gin stood and looked out the window, toward the pitch-black night sky and the direction of Nijō Castle.
"Tomorrow, I will bring all of this to an end."
"Mm."
Ryōyū nodded softly.
After that, Kuroyukihime, Kurasaki Fuko, and Kasugano Sora did not continue chatting for long.
It was indeed late.
Aside from Kasugano Sora, who was a non-human ghost, the others were all beginning to feel drowsy.
Shiina Mashiro and Ryōyū were the same.
Gin's room was the guest room on the west side of the second floor.
Ryōyū and Shiina Mashiro's room was across from his.
After watching Gin enter his room, Ryōyū could not help pulling Shiina Mashiro back.
She hesitated for a few breaths, looking slightly distressed.
Then a faint blush appeared on her delicate face.
"Mashiro," she whispered softly, "there is something I want to tell you."
Shiina Mashiro stopped and looked at her in confusion.
....
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