Chapter 96: Lake Shikotsu

On September 7th, a Sunday, Minamoto Kiyomoto still took Itomi Yuki to the cultivator academy.

He didn’t have that much time to spend with her, but he was about to go to “Lake Shikotsu” and didn’t know if he could come back.

On Sunday evening, after sending her to Chiba, Minamoto Kiyomoto did not leave immediately.

“I’ve compiled some curses and cultivation insights,” he handed over two notebooks.

Itomi Yuki flipped through the notebooks. They looked new, but they were already filled with writing.

Each word was not large, but it gave the illusion of being very grand and breaking through the paper.

“Thank you, big brother,” she had always loved reading, and now she couldn’t put them down, wishing she could find a place to sit down and read them all at once.

“And this,” Minamoto Kiyomoto handed her a small sword about ten centimeters long.

“This is?” Itomi Yuki held the notebook in her left hand with love and took the small sword with her right hand. It was quite heavy.

“This is a divine weapon that I forged with the help of a person named Tenmoku, using the forging curse of China,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

The materials were given to him by Kamibayashi Miko as his birthday present.

She also specifically instructed: take it to Itomi Yuki to forge a weapon, and treat it as the inheritance you leave for her, an apology for leading her onto this path.

His once-in-a-lifetime twentieth birthday present was all given to Itomi Yuki.

“A divine weapon? Isn’t that very rare?” Itomi Yuki said in surprise, her small pink mouth slightly open.

Minamoto Kiyomoto smiled and teased her, “The second young lady of a private hospital, do you still care about this little money?”

Itomi Yuki rolled her eyes at him and curiously sized up the dagger.

Although they hadn’t known each other for long, she and Minamoto Kiyomoto were no longer polite with each other.

Her sister’s boyfriend, big brother, friend, teacher, and he had even seen her body. These relationships were intertwined, intimate and complex.

Similar to siblings, even if their relationship was not good, they still trusted each other and had no psychological pressure to ask each other for help.

“This is a new divine weapon. It can definitely recognize its owner,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“The shape is very beautiful, but it’s too short,” she said, picking at it.

“This is just its appearance. When you subdue it, it will merge into your body and turn back into divine breath. It can be long or short, up to a hundred meters long, and can be used as a whip, a sword, a shield, and so on.”

After hearing this, Itomi Yuki’s clear eyes, like a stream of water speeding up, revealed a look of love.

“Big brother,” after looking at it for a long time, she finally raised her head, “thank you for your trouble these two days, and… thank you for your gift.”

Itomi Yuki bent her beautiful body and bowed to Minamoto Kiyomoto.
“Next week won’t work,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a smile.

“Okay,” Itomi Yuki straightened her body. “Even if big brother is a pervert, I can’t force you to work for two consecutive weeks.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto sighed and said, “The hospital of the Itomi family, with a director like you in the future, the doctors and nurses will be happy.”

Itomi Yuki was good in every way, except for that small mouth. It was beautiful and useful, but her words were not pleasant.

Itomi Yuki smiled slightly, held the small sword and notebook in her left hand, and waved her right hand at Minamoto Kiyomoto like a lady.

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned into a black light, shot into the sky, and disappeared in the northwest of Chiba Prefecture.

The next day, Monday, after class, Minamoto Kiyomoto asked for leave from school again.

“Another long leave?” This time, the life guidance teacher did not approve immediately. “You just took a long leave last semester.”

“Last time was for travel. This time is different.”

“What do you plan to do this time? Are you going to cross the Eurasian continent?”

“Not that far. I’ve decided to pick up my childhood dream and become a manga artist.”

“Manga? With Kiyomoto-kun’s talent, studying medicine can save many people and bring happiness to more people. From a personal perspective, your income and social status will also be higher than a manga artist’s.”

“Studying medicine can bring happiness to others, but it can’t bring happiness to myself.”

“…Well, I don’t want to interfere too much with your personal dreams, but what does being a manga artist have to do with you taking a long leave?”

“Studying will distract me.”

“…Are you serious?” the life guidance teacher confirmed.

“I’ve thought about it for a long time, and finally came here to find you, teacher.”

The life guidance teacher held a pen in his hand and unconsciously dotted it on the paper. When he dotted it for the fourth time, he began to write, writing down Minamoto Kiyomoto’s faculty, grade, and reason for leave.

“Thank you for your trouble, teacher.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto came to the McDonald’s next to the school. Kamibayashi Miko and Himemiya Izayoi had already ordered their food.

The two of them sat in a corner. One was wearing a blue long dress with a belt around her waist, looking like a fairy; the other was wearing a black summer shirt and jeans, looking enchanting and exquisite.

Minamoto Kiyomoto walked over and sat down opposite them.

“You’re so fast?” Putting the book aside, he picked up a glass of orange juice and took a sip.

“How long does it take to ask for leave?” Kamibayashi Miko ate her fries, her posture lazy and elegant.

“It’s my first time asking for leave. McDonald’s? It’s also my first time eating here,” Himemiya Izayoi said with an interested look, holding a Big Mac in her hand.

Minamoto Kiyomoto dipped his chicken nuggets in barbecue sauce and watched how she ate.

Himemiya Izayoi first looked at the burger from all sides, then opened her mouth with an “ah—” (no sound), and compared the size of the Big Mac with her lips, which were not painted with anything but were still rosy.

Her white and neat teeth, rosy tongue, and tender mouth could be seen.

The Big Mac was bigger than her mouth. Himemiya Izayoi closed her mouth and tried to take a bite from another place.

“Are you done?”

“What?” Minamoto Kiyomoto subconsciously asked back.

He moved his gaze from Himemiya Izayoi. Kamibayashi Miko was looking at him.

“I’m done,” he immediately continued, “I said I wanted to draw manga, and that class would distract me, so the teacher approved.”

“I’m asking, are you done with this,” Kamibayashi Miko pointed at the barbecue sauce.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s chicken nugget was already deeply poked in, covered with barbecue sauce.

“…” He picked up the chicken nugget and ate it. It was more like barbecue sauce with chicken nuggets than chicken nuggets with barbecue sauce—it was all the taste of barbecue sauce.

Himemiya Izayoi on the side laughed so hard that she couldn’t even hold her burger steady.

“Why are you so stupid?” she asked Minamoto Kiyomoto with a laugh.

“I just wanted to see how you eat a Big Mac,” Minamoto Kiyomoto felt it was necessary to clear his name.

At least at the beginning, he was watching how the “Lord of Kyoto” ate a Big Mac, but he couldn’t maintain his original intention. This was a common thing, and he was no exception.

“Watch carefully. I’ll show you how I eat,” Himemiya Izayoi put on a posture of eating a burger again.

Minamoto Kiyomoto picked up his orange juice and watched while drinking.

“Ah—” she really made a sound this time, and her lips approached the burger.

“I can’t eat it,” suddenly, she turned her head to look at Minamoto Kiyomoto. “It’s so big—”

“Pfft—”

“Don’t you dare spit it out!” Kamibayashi Miko, who was sitting opposite Minamoto Kiyomoto, pointed at him with a sharp look.

“Cough, cough, cough, cough!” Minamoto Kiyomoto covered his mouth and coughed non-stop.

“Hahahaha!” Himemiya Izayoi covered her mouth and burst out laughing. “So stupid, so stupid, haha, I can’t, I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts!”

In the end, she still couldn’t eat the Big Mac and changed to a cheeseburger. Perhaps from the beginning, she was just teasing Minamoto Kiyomoto?

After finishing their McDonald’s, the three of them went shopping for a while and watched a movie with Himemiya Izayoi, thus ending their last day in Tokyo.

On September 9th, Minamoto Kiyomoto’s birthday, the three of them went to Hokkaido.

◇

Lake Shikotsu, a caldera that was a crater 30,000 years ago, has accumulated water over the years to form a lake.

There are many cliffs and forests on the shore of the lake, forming deep green walls.

Mount Fuppushi and Mount Tarumae on the south shore of the lake are both active volcanoes, reflected in the calm lake water. The scenery of the lake and mountains is beautiful.

The sunlight already had a hint of autumn.

A doll-like beautiful young girl with skin as white as snow stood on the shore of the lake, staring at the sky above the lake, which should have been empty.

There was a transparent film there.

As long as one looked at it, a special understanding would arise in the heart of a cultivator. It was a passage connecting to a different time and space.

Since September, ten small teams and two medium-sized teams of cultivators had already entered.

Ten small teams of 40 people, two medium-sized teams of 160 people, a total of 200 people, like stones filling the sea, drilled into the film in front of them.

“Lady Senmo,” a woman in ninja attire came over, knelt on one knee, and reported to the doll-like young girl, “the three Kosen, one large team, a total of 1603 people, have all arrived.”

“Let them disperse. We’ll set off tomorrow,” the doll-like young girl still looked at the lake.

The female ninja couldn’t help but raise her head and look at this Hokkaido Miko with confusion.

“I just received news,” the doll-like young girl looked at the female ninja. “The Divine Miko, the Ise Miko, and the King of Tsukushi will go in with us.”

“…Yes!”

The female ninja retreated, told everyone the news, and informed them of the change in plans.

These people were not as good at controlling their emotions as the female ninja and immediately cheered.

“Really?!”

“Great, we’re safe now!”

“With so many adults here, we can probably subjugate a county-level yokai!”

“Strange, haven’t the official supporters from Kanto and Kansai already arrived?”

“That’s the Divine Miko. Where there’s danger, there’s definitely a golden sun!”

Regardless of gender, strength, or weakness, everyone had full trust in the Divine Miko. This was something that generations of Divine Miko had exchanged for with their lives.

Everyone was chatting and was about to disperse when a huge divine breath suddenly appeared in the sky.

“There’s a yokai! Get ready!”

“Where did the yokai come from? Isn’t there a cultivator in charge?!”

Many cultivators quickly formed defensive or combat formations in medium-sized teams.

“It’s already unlucky enough to be sent to such a dangerous place. Why is it coming again!” Amamiya Mari, who was hiding behind the crowd and belonged to the ‘Rescue Department,’ couldn’t help but complain.

“Stay quiet and prepare for battle!” her sister, Amamiya Noa, stared at the southern sky. The huge divine breath was rapidly approaching from that direction.

Beside the two of them, Asamiya Sakura and the newly recruited new teammate, Kaoru, their divine power was boiling violently according to their master’s emotions.

“Roar!”

A deafening dragon’s roar. The calm water of Lake Shikotsu, under the huge sound wave, rose in waves.

“Ah!” Asamiya Sakura couldn’t help but exclaim.

The yokai that was shuttling through the sea of clouds was covered in black scales, and there was a red mark between the scales.

“Hakone Volcano! It’s Kiyomoto-kun!” Amamiya Mari cried out.

The cultivators who hadn’t gone to the Summer Festival looked at the evil dragon, which was no different from a yokai, in horror.

Even if they had already heard about it and knew about the magic of the yokai body curse, they still couldn’t believe the scene in front of them. A human could actually turn into a yokai? And have such a huge body?
The red and black evil dragon swooped towards the lake water and suddenly shrank in mid-air, turning into a ball of black light.

Under everyone’s gaze, three figures emerged from the black light.

On the left was a beautiful and otherworldly miko.

Her black hair fluttered, and her miko’s large sleeves fluttered. Her eyes were as clear as dewdrops, and her slender waist was like a willow branch. Wrapped in golden divine power, she was like a sun goddess.

On the right was a stunningly beautiful woman in a kimono.

Her black hair was elegantly tied up behind her head, innocent and enchanting. Her delicate and beautiful face had a pair of soul-stirring beautiful eyes—when they looked at you, your heart would pound, but she herself was indifferent.

The flame-colored divine power made her like a proud and blooming spider lily.

In the middle of the two was the ball of black divine power. A tall and straight figure could be vaguely seen.

The black and golden divine power were together, stable and quiet, as vast and warm as the night;
And the black and red divine power were mixed. The two sometimes fought and sometimes were intimate, giving the feeling of being ferocious and rampant, and also like the red and black blood after a slaughter.

Looking at the golden, black, and flame colors as a whole, one would feel a strong conflict. They were all very distinct individuals. In the conflict, there was also an alternative harmony—except for each other, no one could stand by their side.

The three figures landed in front of the Hokkaido Miko.

“Are you the one leading the team this time?” Kamibayashi Miko asked directly.

“Yes,” the Hokkaido Miko nodded, her gaze passing over the three of them one by one, and finally stopping on Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“You look good,” her tone was as cold as ever, but she was not cold.

“Am I?” Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t notice himself.

The Hokkaido Miko’s gaze moved again and stopped on Himemiya Izayoi, “You also look good.”

“Thank you,” Himemiya Izayoi replied with a smile. She looked very polite, but she was actually very perfunctory.

“Your complexion… is the same as last time,” finally, the Hokkaido Miko said to Kamibayashi Miko.

“…I can’t tell,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said curiously.

He looked back and forth at Himemiya Izayoi and Kamibayashi Miko’s faces. Their snow-white skin was no different.

“I was born in a snowy land. I can see the most subtle changes in people,” the Hokkaido Miko said.

“I see,” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded, thinking that his tone was polite enough and his meaning was clear—this topic ends here.

But anyone who is interesting knows what to do next. Take them to the arranged hotel…
“Did something happen between you and her?” the Hokkaido Miko looked at Himemiya Izayoi and asked Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Kamibayashi Miko’s black hair fluttered in the wind by the lake.

“Whether something happened or not, it has nothing to do with you”—of course he couldn’t say that. Kamibayashi Miko was watching.

“Me and her? What could have happened?”—he couldn’t say this either. Himemiya Izayoi was waiting with a grin.

“We went to McDonald’s together yesterday and had some unpleasant and pleasant things happen”—this seems to be okay.

“Let’s go to the hotel first,” Kamibayashi Miko said to the Hokkaido Miko.

“Please follow me,” the Hokkaido Miko seemed to have just been really greeting them. At this time, she turned around without any reluctance and walked towards the hotel in the south of the lake.

Kamibayashi Miko walked beside the Hokkaido Miko.

Himemiya Izayoi gathered her fan, smiled at Minamoto Kiyomoto, and followed.

Minamoto Kiyomoto knew he was in trouble. He didn’t answer immediately, which meant he admitted that there was something between the two of them.

‘Things that don’t feel good, it’s really best not to do them! No next time!’ Minamoto Kiyomoto was a person who was diligent in self-reflection.

(End of Chapter)