Chapter 177: The Sun in Winter

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Leaving the hot pot restaurant, the snow had not yet stopped.

The three of them subconsciously looked up at the sky. The pure white snowflakes fell from the colorless and transparent sky, a beauty that could not be described in words.

Walking back to Hakusan Shrine, Minamoto Kiyomoto lay down by the stove.

“I have no regrets in this life,” he sighed with satisfaction.

‘Shouldn’t there be many more goals? Eliminating yokai, digesting Little Moth, bringing happiness to Miko, avenging me, protecting…’

“Headache again?” Kamibayashi Miko looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“Hmm,” Minamoto Kiyomoto rubbed the space between his eyebrows, but his voice was very clear. “Miss Kamibayashi, I suddenly discovered that the fact that you can only say five sentences in ten minutes is actually very good…”

“What are you talking about again?” Kamibayashi Miko said, placing her hand on his forehead.

The warm golden divine power wrapped around Minamoto Kiyomoto’s head like hot water, warm and comfortable, making one want to fall asleep.

“Ah, I’m so sad,” Himegami Izayoi held her stomach and lay on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s chest.

“What’s wrong with you?” Minamoto Kiyomoto opened his eyes and asked her.

“I ate too much, and my stomach hurts.” But her expression showed no pain. Instead, she was like a cat dozing on a cushion, except that her face was a little red.

Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed and placed his hand on her shoulder, gently comforting her.

‘One is a liar, the other is a liar. You two vixens, you only know how to bully Miko!’

At this moment, the Hokkaido Miko walked in. Seeing the posture of the three of them, she thought for three seconds and lay down on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s lap.

“…” The three of them, no, the four of them looked at her.

“I see. This is quite comfortable, but you can’t always be like this. It will waste time and make people degenerate,” Rikka commented to herself.

The princess with gorgeous blond hair and a tall figure, wearing a slip dress, walked into the living room while scratching her shoulder.

She turned a blind eye to the chaotic relationship of the four of them, took some food, and left.

The four of them watched her leave and were silent for a while.

“Get up,” Kamibayashi Miko took her hand away and scolded Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Minamoto Kiyomoto reluctantly sat up. The Hokkaido Miko also sat up straight, but seeing Himegami Izayoi still leaning on his shoulder, she also learned to lean on him.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s palm covered her head. The soft and smooth white hair was close to his palm, and his heart was a little touched.

He pushed her away with a little force.

“Hmm?” The Hokkaido Miko covered her head, tilted her head, and looked at him with confusion.

Himegami Izayoi, who was still leaning on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s shoulder, showed a mocking smile of watching a good show.

Minamoto Kiyomoto glanced at Kamibayashi Miko, wondering if he should tell her about the Ogosho.

“Do you have something to tell me?” Kamibayashi Miko saw through his thoughts at a glance.

“Let’s talk about it after the New Year,” Minamoto Kiyomoto thought for a moment and decided not to mention it for now.

He beckoned with his hand, and the divine authority seal of the Honshu Shinto Lord, which had been casually placed on the bookshelf in the living room, flew over.

Besides the seal, the Ogosho had also given him the Tokyo Daijingu Shrine as the Shinto Lord’s office.

And in Kansai, the Lord of Kyoto had given him the Ise Shrine as a base in Kansai.

Spreading out the seal, he slowly brought the two pictures closer.

Under the gaze of the four, no, five people, a ray of sunlight flowed through the torn place, and the two pictures merged into one.

Minamoto Kiyomoto gently brushed it with his hand, and he couldn’t feel that it had ever been damaged.

“Want to try it now?” Himegami Izayoi asked.

Minamoto Kiyomoto did not answer.

He brought his right index and middle fingers together in front of his face, chanted a sealing spell, which was also a kagura song.

“Though the frost is cold for several degrees, the divine sun has not yet been extinguished. The divine bird is as vibrant as fire.”

The red sun on the divine authority seal began to glow. In the brilliant but not dazzling red light, the crow’s eyeballs moved, and it slowly flapped its wings, as if it were about to fly.

The crow was pitch black, but the edge of every black and oily feather was outlined with a layer of gold.

Its eyes were bright and full of spirit, revealing a light that was either wisdom or cunning.

The living room outside seemed to have turned into night. The sun had set in the living room, and it was brightly lit.

Kamibayashi Miko, the Hokkaido Miko, and Tamahime all looked at this scene curiously. Himegami Izayoi was still leaning on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s shoulder.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s spell seal did not change, and he recited again;
“Covering the sky and sitting on the earth, the divine sun is above the divine crows. They fly to serve before the gods.”

“Goo-woo!” A phantom and majestic cry. The Yatagarasu broke free from the shackles of the seal and rushed into Minamoto Kiyomoto’s forehead.

Invisibly, it was as if he had heard a loud “boom.” Minamoto Kiyomoto lost consciousness for a moment.

I don’t know how long it took, but he heard the cawing of crows in his ear.

He “saw” the snow flying all over the sky, the black taxis neatly arranged in Odaiba, Tokyo;

The Yurikamome line was running on the elevated railway, and the cross-sea bridge in the distance was brightly lit;
Asakusa Temple, Ginza, Shibuya Sky;
The high school girl who had just come out of a hamburger shop in Yurakucho, the couple holding a transparent umbrella in Omotesando, the white van slowly driving in Daikanyama…
His vision pulled away, leaving Tokyo.

To the west.

Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama Chinatown, a restaurant called ‘Kiyoken,’ with a promotional picture of soup dumplings on the glass door;
Kyoto, the ever-flowing Kamo River, two children arguing by the river;
Osaka, Tennoji Park, the bare branches of the trees were covered with Christmas lights;

Hiroshima, the No. 5 tram, was about to depart from Hiroshima Station. The two men in suits who were getting on were discussing going to Hiroshima Port;

To the north.

Fukushima Prefecture, the scenery of Ouchi-juku was a bit like the Yunnan he had been to before, a vibrant natural scenery;
Yamagata Prefecture, it was raining coldly in Ginzan Onsen, and the river in the middle of the民楼 was turbulent and clear;
All the way to Aomori Prefecture, the wooden hut of the Twelve Lakes of Shirakami-Sanchi, the mountain road with withered grass and trees;

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart moved. He looked at the sea from Aomori Prefecture. The ferry sounded its horn and was just leaving the port, preparing to cross the Tsugaru Strait to Hakodate, Hokkaido.

He opened his eyes. The colorful scenes and chaotic sounds all disappeared.

“Did you succeed?” Himegami Izayoi asked.

“Hmm,” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded, still immersed in the incredible experience just now.

“What’s wrong?” Kamibayashi Miko asked with concern.

Minamoto Kiyomoto came back to his senses and said in a thoughtful tone, “I’m fine. I just got a new ability.”

“What ability?” Himegami Izayoi asked curiously.

“To control all the crows in Honshu, to see what they see, to hear what they hear. What every family ate tonight, what flowers were blooming in the flowerbeds of Sasazuka Station, whether the carp in Sanshiro Pond were dead or not—as long as the crows saw and heard it, I would know everything if I wanted to.”

“That’s pretty amazing,” as soon as his voice fell, Himegami Izayoi teased, “You’re not going to use it to peep, are you?”

“Don’t worry, someone is watching me.”

“Who?”

“You, who else could it be?” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied.

Mainly Tamahime.

This chatterbox, as if she wanted to pour out all the words she had accumulated in sixteen years, was nagging in Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart all day long. He couldn’t not listen even if he wanted to.

He couldn’t complain to them either.

If Kamibayashi Miko and Himegami Izayoi knew, how could they be intimate?

Minamoto Kiyomoto was not used to it either, but if Tamahime stayed in his body for the rest of her life, was he going to not be intimate with them for the rest of his life?

He would be seen when he took a bath and so on. It didn’t matter if there was more.

If Tamahime was talkative in this aspect, he could tease her about her bedwetting when she was a child and not give her any face—on this point of bedwetting, Minamoto Kiyomoto had an overwhelming advantage. He had never wet the bed.

In July, Ayako, starting with “he’s been unusual since he was a child,” had told the two shrine maidens about this matter.

The snow fell for a while and stopped at night.

The ground was wet, as if it had rained. Only a little snow had accumulated on the windowsill.

On December 24th, the school was on vacation. Christmas Eve, the day to throw out household garbage.

The reason he remembered that today was the day to throw out household garbage was because the crows remembered. Every time this day came, they would tear open the garbage bags and rummage through the garbage inside.

At the same time, fragments of being chased by housewives with brooms also flooded into his mind.

Putting aside these irrelevant matters, Minamoto Kiyomoto thought about what to wear.

After hesitating for a while, he wore a gray casual sweatshirt without a hood and simple black casual pants for the lower body.

‘How is it?’ he asked Tamahime for her opinion in advance.

‘Barely. Men’s clothes are just like that,’ Tamahime said.

This outfit did not match Minamoto Kiyomoto’s status as a Shinto Lord, but today he was a twenty-year-old university student, about to go on a date with a girl he liked. It was just right.

Leaving the bedroom and coming to the living room, Shirako and Little Butterfly were wiping the floor.

“I’m going out,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“Who cares about you,” Shirako washed her handkerchief in a bucket. “What are you going out for? Are you coming back for lunch?”

“Aren’t we going back to Shikoku tomorrow? I’m going to buy some gifts for my mother. I’m not coming back for lunch.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked around but didn’t see Kamibayashi Miko.

“I’m leaving,” he put his hands in his pockets and walked down the mountain. The two of them had arranged to meet at Hakusan Station.

Hakusan Station on a holiday was a little more crowded than usual.

‘Aunt Tamahime, where should we go on a date? What does Miko like?’

‘How would I know?’

‘I see that when you were young, you were practically the local tyrant of Tokyo, with a large group of people following you around the streets and alleys every day.’

‘…You saw it?’

‘What?’

‘My memories.’

‘No.’

In the black sea of capacity, Tamahime covered her face with her hands, slowly squatted down, and did not move for a long time.

‘I won’t tell anyone. You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. Is it necessary?’ Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

‘You wouldn’t understand.’

‘Haven’t I seen your memories too? How can I not understand?’

‘The person my daughter likes has seen my memories. What do you understand! Do you understand how I feel!’

Minamoto Kiyomoto really didn’t understand.

‘Aunt Tamahime, there’s no time for you to be sad. Quickly tell me what Miko likes.’

‘I don’t know!’

‘You’re her mother. How can you not know?’

‘I’ve been dead for sixteen years. How would I know!’

‘Then tell me, if you were on a date, what would you want to do most?’

‘Kill you.’

‘Don’t mess around.’

While persuading Tamahime to help him in his heart, Minamoto Kiyomoto went to a small shop at the station and bought some chewing gum.

He didn’t have this problem. After learning the Tathagata spell, Himegami Izayoi had even said that his saliva was a drink and was very delicious, but he still went to buy chewing gum.

He was a little nervous.

Taking the chewing gum and change from the part-time university student shop assistant, Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at his phone. There was still an hour before the appointed time.

He put a piece of chewing gum in his mouth and felt that time was tight.

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On December 24th, the final exams were over, the first day of winter vacation.

Because she had a date with Minamoto Kiyomoto at ten o’clock, Kamibayashi Miko finished her morning class at seven, soaked in the hot spring for an hour, and from eight o’clock, she had been struggling with what to wear.

She tried on all the clothes she had bought and rarely wore.

Seeing that time was running out, she finally made up her mind to wear the clothes she usually wore to class.

A white women’s shirt with beautiful pleats on the chest, classic-style slim-fit jeans, and a beige trench coat on the outside.

At 9:30, she carried a small bag and left the room.

She looked left and right without a trace and didn’t see Minamoto Kiyomoto. She breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

“I’m going out,” she said to Shirako, who was discussing what to have for lunch with Little Butterfly.

“Is Lady Miko going out too?” Shirako was stunned for a moment and asked.

“Too?”

“Half an hour ago, the piglet went out.”

Kamibayashi Miko nodded and said plainly, “I’m going to Shikoku tomorrow. I’m going to buy some gifts. Do you want anything?”

“Grapes! I want grapes!” Little Butterfly raised her hand, and her flapping wings stopped, almost falling to the ground.

“Gifts? The piglet also said he was going to buy gifts,” Shirako looked at Lady Miko strangely.

She didn’t really approve of Minamoto Kiyomoto, this philandering bastard, but Lady Miko liked him very much. Since that was the case, if they were going to buy things, shouldn’t the two of them go together?

Kamibayashi Miko saw this meaning in Shirako’s eyes.

Minamoto Kiyomoto actually lied. Can’t he just say he’s on a date with her? Does he need to hide it from others?
“He’s buying his, I’m buying mine,” she said coldly.

“Oh,” Shirako seemed to understand but not understand. “I don’t want anything.”

Kamibayashi Miko nodded.

“By the way,” Shirako called out to Kamibayashi Miko, who was about to go out. “Lady Miko, are you coming back for lunch?”

“Probably… not.”

“The piglet also said he’s not coming back for lunch.”

Kamibayashi Miko pretended not to hear. Anyway, she had already said five sentences.

She suddenly understood what Minamoto Kiyomoto had said before, that it might not be a bad thing to only be able to say five sentences. It was indeed so.

As she walked down the mountain, she thought to herself: When we meet later, what should I say?
Realizing this problem, her mood became heavy.

What do they usually talk about?
Pressing him about his relationship with Izayoi? Is this a date?
Her steps couldn’t help but slow down.

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‘It’s fine to just tell some jokes.’

‘Miko doesn’t like frivolous people. Flattery won’t work.’

‘Then be a little more stable and win her favor with details.’

‘What’s the line between being stable and being taciturn? Will it make her feel bored?’

‘Are you in love or am I in love? I’ve been talking to you for an hour!’

An hour?
Minamoto Kiyomoto took out his phone and looked. Sure enough, it was already ten o’clock.

He turned his head and looked at the entrance of the station. Kamibayashi Miko, who was dressed simply but looked exceptionally beautiful, was walking in with a white bag.

Her legs were long and slender, and her black hair flew slightly behind her, elegant and unrestrained.

The whole person was shining as if the sun was reluctant to leave and followed her into the station.

Minamoto Kiyomoto took a deep breath and walked forward.

“Hello, no, you’re here.”

Kamibayashi Miko simply “hmm-ed” and asked, “How long have you been waiting?”

“I just arrived, about five or six minutes,” Minamoto Kiyomoto put his hands in his pockets coolly.

Kamibayashi Miko nodded and asked again, “What are your plans?”

“It’s a secret. Let’s walk first. The weather is nice today.”

The weather was indeed nice today. The warm winter sun made the streets as warm as a quilt, and many people were taking a leisurely walk.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the intimate couples and was very puzzled. What kind of procedure did one have to go through to be so natural when they were alone?

He glanced at Kamibayashi Miko’s fair hand.

‘Should I hold it or not?’ he asked Tamahime.

‘What are you afraid of? Hold it!’

Encouraged, Minamoto Kiyomoto took a deep breath.

At this moment, Kamibayashi Miko suddenly reached out and held his arm.

“I don’t have anything I want to do. Shall we buy a gift for Aunt Ayako together?”

“Oh, okay, yes, that’s what I was thinking too. I can’t believe you guessed it. We really have a telepathic connection.”

His heart pounded.

The sun was too big, and he was a little dizzy.