Chapter 140: The Sun in the Sky

---

On November 1st, the sky was azure, and the earth was golden.

In the vast sea of clouds, as far as the eye could see, was snow-white. A red-gold giant dragon shuttled through, leaving behind a pile of messy cotton wool.

“Dear Mother:”

“How is your beautiful self? Your handsome son—me, is returning to Kyoto from Izumo.”

“Thinking back to those days, which was actually just a few months ago, I was just an ordinary young man, studying at an ordinary university, with the goal of learning Spanish before the end of April, and an ordinary dream: to marry ten young wives.”

“And now, I can fly to the sky and dive into the sea. My divine power and spells are heaven-defying, and everyone envies me.”

“But your son, who is as well-behaved as ever, still has the biggest dream in his heart: to study hard!”

“Studying hard is not just about getting first place in the grade. That’s not studying (humph, this is the strength of the first in the grade, only the first in the grade can say such things).”

“In November, I will continue to strive for my new dream—to become the number one in the world as soon as possible, and to return to the classroom to continue my pathology studies.”

“Winter is coming, and the sea breeze is cold. Please take care of your health.”

“It’s still unclear whether I can go back for the New Year.”

“I’ve sent you a souvenir from Izumo-taisha. The Izumo Miko gave it to me for free (humph, she’s now your son’s subordinate).”

“Humph, I’m about to become the Honshu Shinto Lord!”

“Humph!”

“Your destined-to-be-great son, Minamoto Kiyomoto, humph!”

“I can’t wait to go back to Todai and admire the golden ginkgo trees in November.”

“P.S.: Miko and Izayoi laughed at me for being a child after reading the letter.”

“Ridiculous! Am I not a child? Right, Mom? Next time, you must make them both kneel in punishment, Mom!”

The red-gold dragon swooped down, passed through the silky sea of clouds, and landed on the Kamo Ohashi Bridge in Kyoto.

On a fine autumn day, families, couples, and people with their dogs were all enjoying themselves by the Kamo River.

The water of the Kamo River was as clear as ever. An unknown generation of wild ducks pecked at the food by the stream, fattening up for the wild duck hot pot restaurants in winter;
The distant Mount Hiei had changed its appearance, dyed with the fashionable red of maple leaves.

A wild bird swooped down from the sky and snatched the bread from a child by the Kamo River.

“Birds are so annoying,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, watching the crying child, twirling the Laurel Crown on his finger. “Especially crows, and especially the crows at Todai.”

Speaking of school, Kamibayashi Miko said:

“We only took a month’s leave. I don’t know how many days we’ll be staying in Kyoto this time.”

“When will Her Majesty come out of seclusion?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked Himegami Izayoi with a grin.

“Mmm—, maybe tomorrow, maybe next month, or maybe next year,” Her Majesty Izayoi replied with a thoughtful expression.

“Is there a way to wake her up early?” Kamibayashi Miko asked.

“There is,” Himegami Izayoi looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto and said with a smile, “Let our Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi kneel in front of the Seiryo-den for three days and two nights. Her Majesty should come out, right?”

“Why should I kneel?” Minamoto Kiyomoto was not happy.

“The others are not in a hurry,” Himegami Izayoi turned to admire the Kamo River and replied leisurely.

“Even so…”

Minamoto Kiyomoto was halfway through his sentence when his phone rang. It was an unknown number.

“Which woman is it this time?” Himegami Izayoi sneered, snatched the phone, and pressed the call button and speakerphone.

The three of them looked at the black phone in her small, fair hand.

“Who is it,” Himegami Izayoi asked in a flat tone.

“Huh?” The person on the other end was stunned. “Um, excuse me, is this Minamoto Kiyomoto’s number?”

“Yes, what is it.”

“May I ask who you are to Minamoto Kiyomoto?”

“I’m his fiancée.”

“Ah, I see. Hello, Minamoto Kiyomoto’s fiancée. It’s like this, I’m a teacher at the University of Tokyo. Minamoto Kiyomoto took a month’s leave, but he didn’t come back to school today. May I ask if something happened?”

“…Hello, teacher. Nothing happened to him. He’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Okay, thank you.”

The phone hung up.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Minamoto Kiyomoto took back his phone, dissatisfied. “We don’t know when Her Majesty will come out of seclusion. How can you just say I’ll be back tomorrow?”

Himegami Izayoi glared at him, but then she laughed, because Minamoto Kiyomoto’s “nonsense” was not a denial that she was not his fiancée.

“Don’t worry. I can see Her Majesty directly at any time,” she said.

“I see,” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded seriously.

Himegami Izayoi rolled her eyes at him. At this moment, her phone also rang.

“Who is it?” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s leisurely face suddenly darkened, a tit-for-tat. “How dare you give your contact information to someone else.”

He snatched the phone and pressed the call button and speakerphone.

“Who is it,” he asked in a cold tone.

“Hmm? Um, excuse me, please wait a moment… I didn’t dial the wrong number (muttering to himself). Hello, may I ask if this is Himegami Izayoi’s phone?”

“Ah, hello, hello. I’m her fiancé.”

Himegami Izayoi was snickering on the side. She couldn’t stop laughing and buried her face in Kamibayashi Miko’s shoulder.

After hanging up the phone, Minamoto Kiyomoto said to Himegami Izayoi, “They want you to go back to school.”

“Hahahaha!” Himegami Izayoi, while laughing, reached out her soft hand and took the phone he was handing her.

The next moment, Kamibayashi Miko’s phone rang.

“Want it?” Kamibayashi Miko smiled and handed the phone to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“No, no need,” Minamoto Kiyomoto raised his hand and refused sternly. “I trust you.”

“What do you mean?” Himegami Izayoi was not happy. “Do I make you feel uneasy?”

“Or is it because you don’t love me enough? So you don’t care about me?” Kamibayashi Miko asked.

“…I’ll take it,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sighed and picked up the incessantly ringing, annoying phone.

“Hello, hello,” he said.

“Huh?!” The life guidance teacher from the literature department was startled.

While muttering “Did I dial Himegami-san’s number?”, he rechecked the number.

This time, not only did Himegami Izayoi laugh so hard she couldn’t stand up straight, but Kamibayashi Miko also covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed faintly.

A beautiful red rose, next to a pure and elegant white magnolia. The two flowers played and whispered in the wind—when they laughed together, it was just that beautiful.

“Hello,” the teacher confirmed the number. “From your voice, you’re Himegami-san’s fiancé?”

“…Yes.”

“Then, why are you holding Kamibayashi-san’s phone?”

“I, um…”

Kamibayashi Miko watched Minamoto Kiyomoto with a smile. Himegami Izayoi rested her chin on Kamibayashi Miko’s shoulder and also watched Minamoto Kiyomoto with a charming smile.

The two of them were watching his good show.

“Cough, cough, teacher, Miss Kamibayashi’s fiancé is also me.”

“Himegami-san and Kamibayashi-san are both your fiancées?!”

“Yes.”

“…” The teacher seemed to be shocked.

“Teacher? Are you still there?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked tentatively.

“Ah, yes, I’m still here. Um, it’s nothing. Just tell the two of them to come back to school early.”

“Okay, thank you for your trouble, teacher. I’ve caused you trouble.”

The child who was crying under the bridge just now was now smiling with a new piece of bread. Minamoto Kiyomoto, who was watching the show on the bridge, felt that the child’s smile was not as beautiful as his crying.

“It’s so tiring to have two fiancées,” he said.

“Who’s your fiancée?” his two fiancées denied at the same time.

“Master Kiyo, I’m telling you,” Himegami Izayoi’s chin was still on Kamibayashi Miko’s shoulder, “it’s either her or me, me or her. You figure it out.”

“Figure it out, then figure it out,” Minamoto Kiyomoto started twirling the Laurel Crown again. “This Shinto Lord has plenty of ways.”

“You’re not a Shinto Lord yet,” Himegami Izayoi teased.

“Is a Shinto Lord very powerful?” the Divine Medium asked the Ise Miko.

“I don’t know them at all,” the Ise Miko replied, shaking her head.

“Hey, you two are teaming up again, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you be fighting over me?”

“What’s there to fight over? Do you smell as good as Miko?” Himegami Izayoi sniffed at Kamibayashi Miko’s swan-like, slender white neck.

Kamibayashi Miko subconsciously dodged, a look of disgust on her face.

“Haha, so what if she smells good? She won’t let you smell her!” Minamoto Kiyomoto clapped his hands and laughed.

“We’ll see,” Himegami Izayoi hummed lightly, tilting up her equally bite-able neck. “When you really convince the two of us and the three of us sleep together, I can smell her however I want. Can she run away?”

“The three of us sleeping together…”

“Miko, look at him,” Himegami Izayoi pointed at Minamoto Kiyomoto and said to Kamibayashi Miko, “Your shikigami was right. Look at him, smiling foolishly like a pig in a pigsty. He thinks we’re raising him, but he’s just waiting to be eaten.”

“I am raising him,” Kamibayashi Miko’s face was gentle, like a loving goddess.

“You two…” the soon-to-be-slaughtered Minamoto Kiyomoto was so angry he couldn’t speak.

The three of them basked in the sun, chatting on the Kamo Ohashi Bridge, looking at the blue sky, the clear water, and the red-dyed Mount Hiei.

The child’s bread was snatched away again. Her parents were laughing happily, constantly taking pictures.

Sometimes, grievances and tears are also a kind of happiness.

In the afternoon, the “Lord of Kyoto” indeed came out of seclusion.

The ministers quickly changed into their court attire, took their scepters, and hurried to the Shishin-den. It hadn’t even been a year since the Yagyu family’s extermination.

“Greetings, Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty.”

“Rise,” the “Lord of Kyoto’s” majestic and dignified voice came from behind the curtain.

“Your Majesty!” Minamoto Kiyomoto, dressed in a black court attire, was like a young and successful scion of a noble family. “The Shinto sect’s spell to control yokai, I have brought it back.”

In the silence, the sound of a skirt dragging on the floor could be heard.

Himegami Izayoi, in a bright yellow court dress, noble and beautiful, walked out from behind the screen.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s eyes widened.

Himegami Izayoi walked over, took the box from his hand, and her slender fingers secretly brushed against his palm.

On the surface, the two of them remained dignified and calm, but a tingling sensation ran through their hearts.

Himegami Izayoi, with a captivating fragrance, disappeared behind the screen.

“Thank you for your hard work,” the “Lord of Kyoto’s” tone softened, with the intimacy of a doting minister.

“It’s no trouble at all to serve Your Majesty,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied with sincere emotion.

“I promised you that after this is done, I would make you the Honshu Shinto Lord.”

The ministers held their breath. The real key moment was next.

“But even if I allow it, you still have to do one more thing—go to Tokyo. The seal of the Honshu Shinto Lord’s divine authority, half of it is still in the hands of the Ogosho.”

“Kiyomoto, don’t disappoint me.”

“Your Majesty, rest assured. The ninth Honshu Shinto Lord will be none other than me!” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied loudly.

Leaving the Shishin-den, the ministers, nobles, and warriors, like ants seeing a piece of sugar, all swarmed over.

“Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi, come to my house for a visit? A geisha from Toyama Prefecture has recently arrived. Her skin is as white as snow!”

“My lord, I have recently acquired a new spell. It is very peculiar.”

“Kiyomoto-kun, come to the Ichijo family for a visit. Your uncle hasn’t had a good chat with you about your mother yet!”

“Everyone, everyone!” Minamoto Kiyomoto pulled his robe back from a certain minister’s hand and said loudly, “I’m going to Tokyo tomorrow. I really don’t have time! When I become the Honshu Shinto Lord, I will visit everyone’s homes!”

“Since my lord has said so, we can only do it next time. You must come!”

“I wish my lord a prosperous martial fortune and a smooth ascent to the position of Honshu Shinto Lord, to command the divine authority of Honshu!”

Outside the Shishin-den stood many noble scions. They were either too young or their cultivation was not high enough, so they had not yet become “courtiers.”

Watching the great figures they usually had to look up to, swarming around Minamoto Kiyomoto like carp fighting for food, their expressions were varied. Some were envious, some were jealous, some were admiring, and some were disdainful.

“Sister Oto, is Brother Kiyomoto really going to become the Honshu Shinto Lord!” Minamoto Kiyomi secretly pulled on Minamoto Kiyone’s sleeve.

“Whether he becomes one or not, what does it have to do with us,” Minamoto Kiyone’s face was cold.

Although she admired him in her heart, she still held a grudge against him for what had happened in Tokyo.

Even though she was the one who had been rude first, the way of thinking of a noble scion was not to remember one’s own mistakes.

In most cases, they didn’t need to remember their own mistakes. It was enough to find fault with others.

Beside them, Fujiwara Shino looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto in his black robe with a complicated expression.

If Ichijo Ayako hadn’t given up everything and left Kyoto with her child to live in seclusion on the remote Shodoshima Island, she would have been Minamoto Kiyomoto’s wife by now.

He had achieved so much in half a year. If he had stayed in Kyoto, what would the scene be like now?

“Master Kiyo,” a melodious, charming voice made the noisy and powerful ministers quiet down.

“Lady Ise Miko,” the crowd bowed one after another.

The reason for Himegami Izayoi’s high status was not only that she was the head of the Twelve Shrine Maidens, but more importantly, in Kansai, her words were almost equivalent to the “Lord of Kyoto’s” words.

Back then, the Kyushu Shinto Lord was almost dismissed from his post because he had lost a Kasen.

And Himegami Izayoi had directly killed a Kasen. Although there was the reason that the Kasen had provoked her first, she had not received any punishment, as if nothing had happened. This was enough to show the “Lord of Kyoto’s” favor towards her.

Minamoto Kiyomoto emerged from the “courtiers.”

“Izayoi,” he walked over.

Himegami Izayoi’s already noble temperament was further enhanced by her bright yellow court dress, making her even more noble.

“Her Majesty asked me to give this to you. The seal of the Honshu Shinto Lord’s divine authority,” her slender, jade-like hand handed over half a picture.

The picture was not made of paper, but seemed to be the skin of something.

Minamoto Kiyomoto unfolded it and looked.

“Why is it a crow?” he said with disgust.

On it was a red sun, and a black crow was perched in the center of the red sun. The surrounding area was a golden, shining red light, which looked very sacred.

“What crow? This is the Yatagarasu, also known as the Golden Crow or the Sun Bird,” Himegami Izayoi scolded with a laugh.

“Isn’t that still a crow?”

“There is a myth in China that the sun was formed from the left eye of the god Pangu. And the sun rises in the east. Japan is further east than China, so the totem of Honshu has always been the Yatagarasu, because it symbolizes the sun.”

“That’s just a legend. The black spot in the middle of the sun is just the ancient people’s fantasy about sunspots.”

“The Yatagarasu really exists,” Himegami Izayoi said with a laugh.

“Really?” Minamoto Kiyomoto glanced at her skeptically, then looked down at the half-crow in the picture.

The next moment, Himegami Izayoi’s smile turned cold, “I should have told you.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto remembered. Last night, when he was lying in her arms, she seemed to have said something about a bird, but because he was engrossed in her beauty, he hadn’t heard a single word.

Just then, Minamoto Nagatoku, who had been waiting on the side, saw an opportunity and said:

“After becoming the Honshu Shinto Lord, the two halves of the seal will be combined, and the Yatagarasu will reveal its true form. But just like the Suzaku Flute, it is very difficult to subdue.”

“From ancient times to the present, none of the eight Shinto Lords of Honshu have succeeded. Some have even been burned to death by the sun,” the head of the Ichijo family was not to be outdone.

“Burned to death? Then what’s the difference between this crow and the Suzaku?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

“One is the sun, the other is fire. Think about the difference yourself,” Himegami Izayoi took out the folding fan from her waist and tapped Minamoto Kiyomoto on the forehead.

“Sigh,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sighed, and with a look of bad luck, he rolled up the seal and put it in his pocket.

“Others want it and can’t have it, and you’re still complaining,” Himegami Izayoi said with a laugh.

The two of them ignored the waiting ministers and walked out of the palace side by side.

“What bird did you say wouldn’t work? It had to be a crow.”

“I told you, it’s not a crow, it’s the Yatagarasu. According to records, it’s a yokai born from the sun, but for some reason, it became a shikigami.”

“Oh? A bit interesting. Tell me about it.”

“Minamoto Kiyomoto, you really weren’t listening to me.”

“Wait, Koyako, let’s not get physical first. I can explain!”

“Only your Miss Kamibayashi will listen to your nonsense. This shrine maiden prefers to get physical directly.”