Chapter 188: This Love Has Never Stopped

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Himegami Izayoi suddenly laughed.

“What’s wrong?” Ayako asked with amusement.

“I was just thinking about what Kiyomoto said about Rikka…” Himegami Izayoi said with a laugh.

Kamibayashi Miko also laughed at this time.

“Evaluating Rikka?” Ayako became interested. “Tell mom about it.”

“He made an analogy,” Himegami Izayoi paused for a moment. “‘A mother gave birth to a child. This child looks like a monkey. Everyone praised the child for being cute. Only Rikka would give that child a banana’.”

Ayako glared at her son with both reproach and doting, feeling that it was not good to say that about others.

“Mom, you’re obviously a person who can lie. You’d praise other people’s ugly children for being cute,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

Ayako thought about it. She had indeed done something similar to praising other people’s ugly children for being good-looking. She couldn’t help it and burst out laughing.

The more she laughed, the more she couldn’t stop. It wasn’t that funny, but she and Himegami Izayoi ended up leaning on each other and laughing.

“You are bad people,” Rikka drank a sip of tea, her face expressionless.

“Sorry, sorry,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s voice was filled with laughter. “What’s that saying? ‘Custom is not equal to morality’. In this case, the four of us who praise the child for being cute represent the majority, but it doesn’t mean it’s right. That’s lying.”

“Being frank is very good,” Kamibayashi Miko also said. “Kiyomoto told me before that your training speed is so fast, and it’s related to this.”

“We didn’t mean any harm!” Himegami Izayoi laughed and took the time to explain.

“I will always remember that you ganged up on me,” Rikka lowered her head and looked at the tea cup, her slender fingers stroking the side of the cup.

“Hurry up and apologize!” Ayako stopped laughing and said to Minamoto Kiyomoto with a straight face.

“Sorry, really sorry!” Minamoto Kiyomoto put his hands together and closed his eyes tightly.

Elementary school, junior high school, high school, college, since he was born, as long as he made this gesture, no matter what, any woman would forgive her.

The Hokkaido Miko released her tea cup and placed it in front of Minamoto Kiyomoto. She said, “I’m cold.”

“…Can I express my apology in another way?” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at her fair and greasy hands.

“You married Izayoi because of gratitude. Why can’t you warm me up because of apology?”

Sometimes I really don’t understand. Is the Hokkaido Miko being deliberately mischievous, or is she really naive and natural?

But looking at her eyes, I don’t know what others think, but Minamoto Kiyomoto leans towards the latter.

“You’re not the same as her. She’s… forget it,” he gave up explaining and turned to say, “Rikka, I’ve always advised you, not entirely because I can’t accept you.”

“Then you hate me, hate that I’m not sociable.”

“No,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s voice softened. “On the contrary, I admire you very much. I can swear to my mother that I’m not lying.”

Rikka thought for a moment and nodded, “I believe you.”

Because of her innocence and naturalness, the power of this sentence was amplified.

And what she said on TV, ‘Are your hands cold or not,’ she was also very moving now.

A pure and innocent girl who doesn’t lie says she believes you, and she’s so beautiful. What reason is there not to be moved!
“Not entirely because I can’t accept you. Are there other reasons?” the Hokkaido Miko asked.

“I don’t know what you think of me, but I see you as a friend and sincerely consider you—it’s okay not to try with feelings. If you don’t love anyone and are not disturbed by any emotions, your own feelings will not be controlled by others.”

“Controlled by others?” Rikka tilted her head.

“I like Miko and went into Shikotsu Lake with her; Koyako cares about me and has been following me and helping me; my mother dotes on me and, knowing that I entered Shikotsu Lake, wanted to go in and find me regardless of anything.”

“Think about it,” Himegami Izayoi said at this time. “In Shikotsu Lake, without divine power, Miko and I still went to save Kiyomoto. This is because we like him. At that time, you didn’t want to be with Kiyomoto, so you didn’t take the risk to save others.”

“But, I failed, and you won.”

“That’s an exception,” Kamibayashi Miko said. “As long as we always like each other, we will always choose the most dangerous path.”

“I think—” Rikka was still tilting her head, like an exquisite doll in a shop window in deep thought.

“Hmm?” Minamoto Kiyomoto gestured for her to continue. “What do you think?”

“I think, what I learned from the Shikotsu Lake incident shouldn’t be: love will bring danger.”

“Then what did you learn?” Ayako asked curiously.

“Until the end, no one knows which path is truly dangerous. The result also proved that the path I took was the dangerous one.”

“What’s more,” she added, “it’s precisely because you like each other and both chose the dangerous path that you were able to survive, and I was also able to survive.”

Finally, she asked the three of them again, “If any of you three didn’t like the other, someone would definitely be dead by now, right?”

“…In terms of results, that’s right,” Minamoto Kiyomoto had to admit.

“Then if I join you, I can also be safe, and you can be safer, right?” the Hokkaido Miko continued to ask.

Himegami Izayoi just wanted to say “we’re already very safe,” but she suddenly thought of “Kibutsuchi,” “Yusei Gyokusen,” and “Akan.”

Because she thought too much, she was a beat slow. Ayako said, “I think Rikka is very good. She’s beautiful, frank, and can help you when she’s with you.”

Himegami Izayoi’s lips parted, but because of her ‘good child’ image, she couldn’t say anything to refute—being a good child was both a strength and a shackle.

She gave Kamibayashi Miko a look, signaling her to speak.

Kamibayashi Miko knew the reason why Ayako suddenly tried to matchmake Minamoto Kiyomoto and Rikka. It was because she had been bringing danger to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Whether it was Izayoi, Rikka, or even the Suitengu Miko that Ayako had recognized as her daughter, it was all for Kiyomoto to have more helpers and be safer.

Considering this, she was even less qualified to speak than Himegami Izayoi.

What’s more, in terms of worrying about Minamoto Kiyomoto, she was the same as Ayako. Although one was a mother and the other was a lover, they were both ‘if Kiyomoto dies, I won’t live either.’

Despite this, despite knowing that letting Rikka join was the wisest choice, she couldn’t bring herself to matchmake them like Ayako.

Let it be, Kamibayashi Miko thought.

If Izayoi can’t stop it, it’s fine to let her join.

“Mom,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, “if it’s for safety, we can travel together. We don’t have to be together.”

“A girl follows you all day. How can she marry someone else?” Ayako said reproachfully.

“She doesn’t want to get married.”

“Rikka, do you want to get married?” Ayako asked Rikka.

“I do,” Rikka nodded.

Minamoto Kiyomoto sighed as if he was impatient and helpless.

Rikka’s “I do” was that she wanted to marry him, but saying it out loud would only give Ayako more reasons.

“Mom,” he softened his tone, “let us handle our own emotional matters, okay?”

“Okay,” Ayako readily agreed. “But I approve of Rikka being with you.”

“Thank you, mother. I will do my best,” Rikka said.

“I also have to thank you for liking Kiyomoto and helping him,” Ayako returned the compliment.

Himegami Izayoi’s face was smiling, but her eyes were cold.

She had helped Minamoto Kiyomoto by relying on her feelings, but now, because she could help Minamoto Kiyomoto, Rikka also got Ayako’s help.

Ayako, born into the Ichijo family, was now a mother, and her eyes were only on the safety of her precious son.

“Koyako,” Ayako turned her head.

“Mother,” Himegami Izayoi’s eyes also smiled.

Before Ayako could “comfort” her, she kicked Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“Mom, my good mom,” without her kicking, Minamoto Kiyomoto had already said, “don’t say it. Let us decide for ourselves, okay?”

Ayako glanced at him and still said to Himegami Izayoi, “I’m sorry, Koyako. Mom was too hasty just now.”

“It’s okay, mother. With Rikka, I can also be safer,” Himegami Izayoi said considerately.

“I hope you can understand a mother’s feelings. I’m alone in this country inn. I can’t sleep all night thinking about Kiyomoto fighting yokai somewhere.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto fell silent. The only person he was sorry for was his mother, who had given birth to him, raised him, and loved him.

Himegami Izayoi didn’t know what to say.

“Rikka’s matter, let’s see what fate has in store. No matter what, I won’t have any opinion,” Ayako finally said.

“Okay,” Himegami Izayoi smiled sweetly.

“That’s how you get a mother’s approval,” the仙藻Miko suddenly said.

The four of them looked at her.

“Are you deliberate?” Minamoto Kiyomoto couldn’t help but ask.

The Hokkaido Miko was a frank person, so she nodded and replied, “I learned from Izayoi.”

Himegami Izayoi couldn’t stay sweet anymore.

Kamibayashi Miko glanced at her. She had always thought that Minamoto Kiyomoto would drag her down in battle, but in fact, she had never thought that Himegami Izayoi would drag her down in love.

The仙藻Miko didn’t care what these people born outside the snowfield thought.

“Kiyomoto, hold hands,” she would not forget what she wanted to ask and do.

With Ayako’s help and restraint, under this atmosphere, Minamoto Kiyomoto, as long as he held her hand, could get Rikka, this doll-like beautiful white-haired girl.

Afterwards, Himegami Izayoi and Kamibayashi Miko might have opinions, but they couldn’t change the fact that the three of them had become four.

“Rikka, I’m sorry,” Minamoto Kiyomoto did not hesitate. “I only want to be with Koyako and Miko. No matter how cold it is, I only want to hold their hands.”

He was a little vague—Himegami Izayoi felt that it was very shameful to cry for such a trivial and reasonable thing, but she couldn’t help but shed tears. She couldn’t control herself.

Kamibayashi Miko picked up her tea cup.

Only the tea knew her expression now.

“It seems my son is a trustworthy person,” surprisingly, Ayako actually smiled.

“Mom, you don’t support me?” the Hokkaido Miko looked at her with confusion.

“I do,” Ayako smiled with relief. “I want Kiyomoto to be safe and live well. Even if he becomes a bad person or a playboy, it doesn’t matter. But he wants to be a good person, a good husband, and live hard in danger. I will also support him without hesitation.”

“Rikka,” the mother said to the infant-like girl, “this is also love.”

Rikka thought for a moment and said to her mother, “I have a question I want to ask you.”

“Hmm, go ahead.”

“Kiyomoto rejected me. I still don’t want to give up. Is this love?” Rikka asked.

Ayako was stunned for a moment and then smiled brightly, “Yes, it’s love, of course it’s love!”

For some reason, she felt a sense of love and pity for Rikka in her heart. She couldn’t help but hug her and gently pat her slender shoulder.

Minamoto Kiyomoto withdrew his gaze. Under the table, he held Kamibayashi Miko and Himegami Izayoi’s hands and placed them on his knees.

Himegami Izayoi knew that he was also holding Kamibayashi Miko’s hand now, but unlike before, she suddenly had no angry emotions.

Kamibayashi Miko remembered the rainy season, when Minamoto Kiyomoto and Himegami Izayoi had not spoken to each other for half a month because of a small matter.

At that time, she was not concerned about this matter. It was good or bad, it had nothing to do with her.

But now, if that kind of thing happened again, she couldn’t help but think, would Izayoi be a little pitiful alone? Without her, would the shrine also be deserted?
This is good, this is good. The three of them are together forever.

“Snow fox,” Rikka suddenly said.

“Snow fox? What’s wrong with the snow fox?” Ayako asked curiously.

The Hokkaido Miko, nestled in her arms, explained:
“When I was born in the snow, before I was picked up by my master, a snow fox, with a few little snow foxes, used me as a bed and slept on me. Your mother’s chest is as soft and warm as a snow fox.”

“You silly girl,” Ayako hugged her even tighter.

Rikka looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto, Kamibayashi Miko, and Himegami Izayoi with a puzzled look.

Minamoto Kiyomoto, Kamibayashi Miko, and Himegami Izayoi looked at each other, feeling sympathy for Rikka, and also a sense of relief for each other.

“Alright, alright, let’s talk about something happy for the New Year. How about playing mahjong?” Minamoto Kiyomoto suggested.

“How can five people play?” Himegami Izayoi asked.

“I’m not playing. You guys play,” Ayako said.

“No, Kiyomoto is not allowed to play. The four of us will play,” Himegami Izayoi said with a smile, deliberately excluding Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“Humph, if you don’t let me play, I’ll play with Miko. The two of us will play against you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto released the hands of the two of them, got up, and went to get the mahjong.

The family only had two people, so there shouldn’t be any mahjong. But as an inn, thinking that guests might need it, they had prepared a few sets.

So far, not many guests had asked for it. On the contrary, Ayako herself often played mahjong with Uehara Moe’s mother and a few other middle-aged women on the island.

When he came up with the mahjong, he heard a burst of laughter in the living room.

“A practitioner with a protective divine power!” Himegami Izayoi said, as if she had thought of something.

“No!” Ayako shook her head with a smile.

“Ice?” Rikka said tentatively.

“No,” Ayako shook her head again.

Kamibayashi Miko was in deep thought.

“What are you talking about? It’s so happy,” Minamoto Kiyomoto placed the mahjong box on the table, sat down next to Kamibayashi Miko, and asked.

“A riddle,” Ayako said with a laugh.

“Oh?” Minamoto Kiyomoto became interested. “What’s the riddle?”

“What gets wet when it enters the water?” Himegami Izayoi looked at him with a smile. “We can’t guess it. You try?”

“You can’t even guess this?”

“Humph, you know. You tell us?”

“A shadow, you idiot. I’ll give you one too—walking on the street…”

“Let’s start playing mahjong,” Himegami Izayoi opened the mahjong box.

“Okay,” Kamibayashi Miko replied.

“…The answer is also a shadow,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s tone was pitiful.