"Hmph hmph... Don't get too cocky. My Yae Publishing House's latest work has reclaimed the top spot on the light novel bestseller list. Your 'True Spirit Investigation Notes' is no match at all!"
Yae Miko couldn't stand the sight of the sly old fox, Yurausa, being so boastful. She snorted and raised an eyebrow as she spoke.
"Alas, as I said, you, who loathes trouble the most, wouldn't come looking for me so eagerly without some ulterior motive. Back when we were all gathered telling 'Hyakumonogatari' stories, you always challenged me.
Fine, fine, I admit defeat. Is that satisfactory?"
Yurausa looked at the smug little fox and spread his hands with a smile.
*The little fox is still just a little fox. After hundreds of years, she's still like a child.*
However, Yurausa didn't dislike this bickering. In fact, he missed it.
"Aha! After centuries, I finally hear those words from you. It truly lifts my spirits. I feel much better and my appetite has improved. Tonight, I can eat at least three large bowls of fried tofu..."
Yae Miko nodded with a smile. The counter-attack in the light novel world had concluded, ending in her perfect victory.
"Mmm... After centuries, the little girl who always perched on others' shoulders has finally made something of herself. Look at her, she can boast of three bowls of fried tofu at one meal!"
Yurausa drained his cup of tea and laughed heartily.
...
"Yurausa, how much time do you have left?"
After a while, Yae Miko dropped the nonchalant smile from her face and asked solemnly.
"Not much time. None of us have much. Where we came from, we must eventually return...
Though we are all content, we can't help but wish: 'If only we could have one more Hyakki Yagyō!'"
Yurausa said with a sigh. However, their remaining magical power was far from enough for a Hyakki Yagyō.
"Heh heh, Yurausa, you can rest assured about this. I've already made arrangements. When my bell rings, it will be time for the Hyakki Yagyō!"
Yae Miko chuckled. The 'Miss Yae's Secret Arts' she left in her novel were not just filler.
"Hoh hoh, splendid, splendid! Joyous indeed! Miko, Fengyi, to last until that time, I must conserve my strength and can no longer chat. I shall take my leave..."
Yurausa roared with laughter. From a young age, he had seen the little fox was extraordinary, and she truly knew how to surprise people.
"Yurausa, a fellow like you, who can tell stories and paint, would surely become the star... no, the ace of my Yae Publishing House if you joined. And I would personally chase you for manuscripts."
Yae Miko said with deep agreement, suddenly having a bold idea.
"Hahahaha..."
Countless black wisps left Arataki Itto's body. Yurausa, laughing heartily, retreated into the scroll.
"Hiss—ah, I feel... I feel a bit tired. It's as if... as if my body has been hollowed out. Boss Fengyi, did you... did you do something to me while I was unconscious..."
Arataki Itto then woke up groggily, shaking his head. He felt as if his body had been through a day and night of fighting, and he could barely stand.
"Get lost, get lost! It's your own weak body. Don't make baseless accusations! I, Feng, am not that kind of person!"
Fengyi directly put away the tea table and shooed Arataki Itto away. He wasn't interested in men.
However, it wasn't surprising that Arataki Itto felt exhausted. After all, he had borne the soul of a former demon king, which caused more wear and tear on the body than a typical ghost.
It was only because Arataki Itto had a robust physique. A normal person might have collapsed on the ground by now.
"Arataki gang brat, how did that experience feel? Was it like a dream?
Let me check if there are any problems with your head. Tell me, one, two, three, three, two, one. Ah, ah..."
Yae Miko chuckled as she watched Arataki Itto stand up and stretch. She handed him the agreed-upon reward.
A money pouch containing 500,000 Mora, and a tightly wrapped book.
"This... This is the legendary Miss Shina's Moonlight Photo Illustration? This, this, this..."
Arataki Itto's eyes lit up as he looked at the mysterious book handed to him by Miss Yae. He became flustered with excitement.
Taking the book, Arataki Itto kissed it before immediately tucking it into his chest. This was not the place to open and admire it; he needed to return, burn incense, and bathe before appreciating it.
"Boss Fengyi, is there anything else now? If not, I'll be leaving..."
Arataki Itto was eager to return and admire Miss Shina's illustrations. He couldn't look at it now, and it felt like cat claws scratching at his heart, making him itch.
"No, no, there's nothing else. If you're in a hurry, you can go back first."
Fengyi nodded. There was indeed nothing else Itto needed to help with.
"Itto, although... young people should exercise moderation!"
As someone with experience, Fengyi still gave Arataki Itto a couple of well-intentioned pieces of advice. Whether he would listen was not something Fengyi could control.
"Miko, we should get going too. Let's do some preparatory work, and we'll get this done tonight!"
"Mmm, it's been many years. I'm also looking forward to the grand spectacle of a thousand demons taking to the sky..."
Fengyi understood what Yae Miko was referring to. He then left the Torii gate space with Yae Miko to make their own preparations, agreeing to meet at Narukami Grand Shrine at midnight.
.........
At the stroke of midnight, Fengyi, with a few small flags tucked into his waist, ascended Mt. Yougou and arrived at the courtyard of Narukami Grand Shrine. He found Yae Miko already waiting for him there.
To outsiders, 'Hyakki Yagyō' sounded terrifying, but to Yae Miko and Fengyi, who had witnessed it before, it was merely a lively reunion of old friends.
Back then, when the yokai gathered and were merry with wine, they would unleash their demonic power and soar into the sky, their flying forms capable of obscuring the moon.
However, now, the yokai memories seeping from the ley lines were very weak. They could no longer take to the skies, which required some assistance from Yae Miko and Fengyi.
Once their strength was depleted, they would return to their rightful places, content...
Yae Miko looked up at the moon. The bright full moon hung in the night sky. It was almost time.
Simultaneously, Yae Miko sensed that the ley lines connected by the Sacred Sakura were flowing more stably, a testament to the groundwork laid earlier...