Chapter 25: Rich and Poor

Tokyo, Hakusan Shrine Hidden Realm.

Minamoto Kiyomoto leaned against the torii gate pillar, his stomach churning, his head dizzy, and his legs trembling.

“Why—” as soon as he opened his mouth, the dizziness came back again.

He had to rest for a while. Minamoto Kiyomoto gasped for breath and continued, “Why did you fly me back directly? Is there a danger that even you can’t handle?”

Kamibayashi Miko said nothing.

“What’s wrong?” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at her strangely.

In the night, her already beautiful and otherworldly temperament became even more transcendent.

“Who allowed you to act on your own?” her gaze was icy.

“Seeing an anti-human cultivator, isn’t it normal to take action?” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s tone was light.

Kamibayashi Miko sneered and continued to stare at him with a cold gaze.

“…Well, I was thinking,” Minamoto Kiyomoto was like a primary school student who had made a mistake, trying to argue with his parents, “I can’t always rely on you. I have to take a risk myself once. It was a rare opportunity, so I went for it.”

“Did I allow it?”

“If I got your permission, then it wouldn’t be a risk… alright, I won’t do it again next time. I will definitely, definitely, definitely get Miss Kamibayashi’s permission first.”

“Permission? How great are you? You can go to Chiba whenever you want, fight with others whenever you want. What right do I have to give you permission to do anything?”

“You do, you do, you definitely do,” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded repeatedly. “In a sense, Miss Kamibayashi, you are the mother on my path of cultivation.”

Kamibayashi Miko looked at him for a while, and her sigh melted into the air.

She took out her phone, turned on the flashlight function, and turned to walk up the mountain in the night.

Minamoto Kiyomoto quickly followed.

“Were you worried about me just now? Have you already fallen in love with me?” he asked with a smile.

“If you die, it will waste my time looking for a teammate.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t mind at all and tried to make conversation, “Are there fireflies on this road in the summer? I like fireflies.”

Kamibayashi Miko didn’t speak.

The leaves of the grass and trees rustled in the dim light. Minamoto Kiyomoto felt a sense of comfort.

“The wind today is very comfortable. It already has a hint of summer,” he took a deep breath.

He looked at Kamibayashi Miko. She was still walking towards the shrine without saying a word.

“I think when walking on the sando, we should use lanterns for lighting. Think about it: a sky full of fireflies, a red torii gate, a shrine on the mountain, and we are holding bright yellow lanterns, walking on the mountain road. A phone is too out of place, not ancient and quaint.”

“…You can still say one more sentence. Why don’t you answer me?”

“I can only say five sentences, not that I have to say five sentences,” Kamibayashi Miko finally spoke. “If you want ancient and quaint, go find Himemiya Izayoi. The lighting in Kyoto is lanterns. I only have a phone here.”

“What would I do in Kyoto? I can buy lanterns, or I can make them myself. But Miss Kamibayashi is only here. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay here for the rest of my life,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said in a pestering tone.

Kamibayashi Miko snorted sarcastically.

A warm, humid wind blew between the two of them, carrying the fresh scent of trees.

The next day was Saturday. Because it was raining, Minamoto Kiyomoto, Kamibayashi Miko, and Himemiya Izayoi met at the Tokyo Hotel.

Not the casual cafe in the lobby, but the tea room on the fourth floor.

Since the “anti-aging curse,” they would meet every noon to discuss their understanding of curses.

The real exchange was between the two miko. For Minamoto Kiyomoto, it was free study time.

“You live here?” after the discussion, Minamoto Kiyomoto asked Himemiya Izayoi.

“Yes,” Himemiya Izayoi nodded.

A waitress in a light green kimono, in a kneeling position, respectfully served snacks and tea.

Minamoto Kiyomoto remembered seeing the spacious ceiling, the gorgeous crystal chandelier, and the sunken casual cafe and bar in the lobby when he entered the hotel.

“How much is it for one night here?” he asked curiously.

“How much?” Himemiya Izayoi’s action of picking up the teacup paused. “Who knows?”

The strange look she gave him made Minamoto Kiyomoto feel the composure of the rich.

“I heard you went to Chiba yesterday and blew up a street?” Himemiya Izayoi took a sip of tea and asked him with a smile.

“Don’t mention it. I was scolded badly by Miss Kamibayashi when I got back. I was almost punished by kneeling.”

“So exaggerated?” Himemiya Izayoi’s amorous eyes looked at him with a smile, as if she were telling a young girl’s feelings.

“Of course,” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded with a serious look.

Kamibayashi Miko was in her ten-minute cooldown period, drinking tea slowly by herself.

“This kimono is different from the previous ones,” Minamoto Kiyomoto noticed the kimono on Himemiya Izayoi.

Himemiya Izayoi rolled up the sleeve of her kimono, glanced at it, and said, “An orange silk long-sleeved kimono, with cranes, pines, bamboos, and plums painted on the sayagata pattern.”

After saying this, she let go of her sleeve and asked Minamoto Kiyomoto, “Is it too festive?”

“…” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at her.

“Hahaha!” Himemiya Izayoi’s laughter was crisp and pleasant. “Cranes, pines, bamboos, plums, and also turtles. These patterns are used for engagements, weddings, or any happy occasions.”

“I didn’t understand what you said from ‘silk’,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

Himemiya Izayoi suddenly leaned over the tea table and extended her right hand to Minamoto Kiyomoto, who was opposite her.

“Feel it,” her eyes were hazy, and she looked at him provocatively.

“What is this?” Minamoto Kiyomoto touched her wrist in a pulse-taking posture.

Snow-white and slender, delicate and smooth, it made one reluctant to let go, wanting to press their lips against it.

“Pa!” Himemiya Izayoi slapped the back of his hand. “I told you to feel the kimono.”

“With those foxy eyes of yours, who would know?”

“You’re the one with foxy eyes!”

The kimono fabric was of high quality, and of course, it was very comfortable to touch, but compared to Himemiya Izayoi’s wrist, it seemed tasteless.

“The obi too,” Himemiya Izayoi spread her hands slightly, revealing the gorgeous obi.

She whispered and talked at length, giving Minamoto Kiyomoto a lesson on women’s kimonos.

Looking at her slender waist, even with Minamoto Kiyomoto’s memory, he didn’t remember anything.

Occasionally, he would look up and see Kamibayashi Miko smiling at him. Minamoto Kiyomoto coughed and interrupted Himemiya Izayoi, who was showing off her figure.

“Have you found Yagyu Mitsuko?” he asked.

“Sigh,” Himemiya Izayoi sighed as if she were tired.

Minamoto Kiyomoto thought she was annoyed because she hadn’t found her, but the next second, he heard her say, “It’s no fun looking for her alone, just like shopping.”

“…You’re so leisurely. Aren’t you afraid of being blamed by the Lord of Kyoto?”

Himemiya Izayoi looked at him with a smile, “I’m not you, who likes to talk bad about others behind their backs. What’s there to blame me for?”

Before Minamoto Kiyomoto could speak, she said again, “I’m tired of living here too. I miss my mansion.”

“Mansion…” Minamoto Kiyomoto thought of himself, being called over and over like a puppy by others for a few hundred thousand yen, pretending to be a boyfriend.

“How’s your new home?” Himemiya Izayoi asked him.

“Not bad.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto told her about how he had leveled the land, built a villa, opened up a vegetable garden, and also about taking a bath in a large iron bucket, and the wild boar.

“That’s very interesting! Miko,” Himemiya Izayoi’s gaze turned to Kamibayashi Miko. “How about I move in too?”

Kamibayashi Miko looked at her with confusion.

“That bitch definitely won’t be found in a short time. I won’t be able to go back to Kyoto for a while. I’m tired of this hotel too. If we live together, we can save time on travel for our next exchange.”

After a pause, Himemiya Izayoi continued:

“I’ll also be like Kiyomoto, find a piece of land to build a house, pay you rent, and I’ll definitely not bother you when I have nothing to do.”

Kamibayashi Miko put down her teacup and pondered without speaking.

“As long as you let me move in, I can join you. With me, it will be safer to participate in battles, and I can also help you protect this kid,” at the end, Himemiya Izayoi pointed at Minamoto Kiyomoto with a finger that made one want to taste it.

“Please don’t agree for my sake,” Minamoto Kiyomoto, who had been silent, quickly said when he heard this.

He didn’t like others to sacrifice or wrong themselves for him.

“Okay,” Kamibayashi Miko nodded. “The rent is one million yen a month.”

“Deal,” Himemiya Izayoi clapped her hands and agreed without thinking.

“Miss Kamibayashi, you really don’t have to agree for my sake,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“You don’t want to live a little longer, but I do,” Kamibayashi Miko looked at him.

Those clear and charming eyes were clearly saying: Don’t be so sentimental.

“…Oh.”

Facing the demonic beasts, the Divine Miko was always at the forefront. She had never lived past the age of twenty-five. It was indeed very dangerous, and the situation was not much better than Minamoto Kiyomoto’s.

Thinking of it this way, even if Kamibayashi Miko really let Himemiya Izayoi move in for his sake, it was still a good thing.

Himemiya Izayoi let out a crisp, bell-like laugh.

“Let’s go now,” she stood up. “I want to have the house built before tonight.”

After she checked out, the three of them returned to Hakusan Shrine.

Knowing Himemiya Izayoi’s strength, and that as long as she moved in, she was willing to team up with her master, Shirako was very welcoming.

But the next moment, she was not welcome anymore.

“Ah, so cute!” Himemiya Izayoi touched Shirako’s golden bun and pinched her delicate little face, as if she were a doll she couldn’t put down.

Shirako, in her female military uniform, 1.3 meters tall, beautiful and slender, did look like a doll.

“Mmm—” Shirako struggled desperately.

“Miss Himemiya,” Kamibayashi Miko looked over.

“Alright, alright. I also want such a cute child,” Himemiya Izayoi said, looking at Minamoto Kiyomoto with a resentful look.

‘Bad woman, bad woman, conspiracy, conspiracy,’ Minamoto Kiyomoto reminded his racing heart.

After getting Shirako’s permission, Himemiya Izayoi began to build her house.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s mountain cabin was a thousand meters away from Kamibayashi Miko’s shrine, and she chose to build it in between.

A flame-like divine power, like a volcanic eruption, simultaneously transformed into various tools. Some cut trees, some sawed wood, and some burned bricks.

The clanging and banging sounds were deafening, and the scene was bustling with activity.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was dumbfounded as he watched the scene before him.

If that anti-human cultivator in Chiba Prefecture knew this move, he would be the one lying on the road.

He pulled Kamibayashi Miko’s sleeve, “Miss Kamibayashi, I want to learn this.”

Kamibayashi Miko pulled her sleeve out of his hand, “The Divine Soldier Curse is a supreme curse. The person you met yesterday probably learned a simplified version. I don’t know it.”

“I’ll teach you,” Himemiya Izayoi turned her head and looked over with a smile.

Her huge, flame-colored divine power covered a large area of the hillside, as if a fire had broken out.

“Really?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked subconsciously.

“Learning one thing after another, when will you be able to master ‘Great Thunder’?” Kamibayashi Miko reprimanded.

Her voice was like a clear spring washing over stones, gentle and pleasant. Even when she was reprimanding, it was not enough to listen to.

“As you wish.”

“Useless,” on this side, Himemiya Izayoi also had a reprimanding tone.

Her innocent and enchanting face, and her heart-stirring voice constantly teased the ears. If one listened to this reprimand too much, it would be easy for the lower abdomen to catch fire.

“…On this mountain, besides the edible wild boars, I can only bully the little butterflies,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sighed.

The little butterfly was sitting on Kamibayashi Miko’s shoulder, swinging her legs cheerfully, watching the house being built as if it were a fire.

Hearing Minamoto Kiyomoto mention her, she turned her small head in confusion.

“The little butterfly is known as the ‘Demon Butterfly.’ Before she was subdued by the Divine Miko, she had killed countless small cultivators like you,” Himemiya Izayoi said with a smile.

“Really?” Minamoto Kiyomoto was incredulous.

He poked the little butterfly with his hand. The little butterfly had just turned her head to look at Himemiya Izayoi and was poked off her shoulder.

“Ah—” she made a sound as if she were falling off a cliff.

She lay on Kamibayashi Miko’s left breast, her hands holding on tightly, not letting herself fall.

“Miko-sama! Miko-sama!” the little butterfly cried out for help.

Kamibayashi Miko held her in her hand, her gaze turning to Minamoto Kiyomoto. She saw him staring at the little butterfly in her palm, his eyes full of envy.

She was a little shy, then angry, and was about to reprimand him.

“It’s done!” Himemiya Izayoi’s voice attracted their attention.

A continuous stretch of snow-white walls directly occupied the entire thousand meters.

There were actually three buildings inside, with eaves and black tiles, all standard Japanese wooden houses, very grand and luxurious.

A vast courtyard surrounded the three houses like islands. In the courtyard, there were maple trees, pine trees, and even a pond transplanted from the mountain!

Standing on the stepping stones by the pond, Minamoto Kiyomoto even saw fish in the pond.

He looked at his proud mountain “villa” again. It looked like the servant’s toilet of this mansion.

“Grand, too grand. I couldn’t even dream of it,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sighed.

Himemiya Izayoi took out the fan from her waist and fanned it lightly. A figure appeared out of thin air in the courtyard.

A beautiful face, and watery eyes. It was the shikigami ‘Fire Fan’.

“Master,” Fire Fan bowed gracefully to Himemiya Izayoi and also nodded slightly to Minamoto Kiyomoto and the other.

“Go and set it up,” Himemiya Izayoi instructed.

“Yes.”

Fire Fan walked gracefully towards the middle house, pushed open the heavy sliding door, and disappeared into the entrance hall, which was large enough to accommodate Minamoto Kiyomoto’s wooden house.

“Why did you build three houses?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

“The middle one is for myself, the left one is a dojo, and the right one is an archery range,” Himemiya Izayoi explained one by one. “It’s a bit simple, but it will do.”

“You miko…” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at Kamibayashi Miko. “Are you all so rich?”

“In order to inherit Hakusan Shrine, I took out a loan to pay the inheritance tax, and I still haven’t paid it off,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at her with sympathy.

Kamibayashi Miko’s gaze turned to him and she warned, “So, you’d better hurry up and make money.”

“…You’re counting on me to make money to pay off your inheritance tax loan?!”

“Yes,” Kamibayashi Miko nodded as if it were a matter of course.

Then she said to Himemiya Izayoi, “Remember to pay the rent at the beginning of each month.”

After saying this, she turned and went back to the shrine.

She had a French exam on Friday, used her phone’s flashlight for lighting, and was in debt to the bank… she was clearly such a beautiful and otherworldly person, a Divine Miko with such high cultivation.

“I’m going back to cultivate too,” Minamoto Kiyomoto was a little discouraged.

In the future, he was afraid that even if he were invincible, he would still have to work hard to find a way to buy a house.

“If you don’t understand anything about ‘Fire Thunder,’ you can come and ask me anytime,” Himemiya Izayoi said with a smile as she saw him to the door.

She was in a very good mood. For the first time in her life, she had a neighbor.

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(End of Chapter)