Epilogue
Part 1
MC's POV
Training? You might be thinking that it is plain and boring when you only heard the word 'training', but when the meaning of the word gets drilled into your body, well, you don't think at all.
Kaa-san started the training just as she finished explaining what we were going to do.
Since it was too 'harsh' to start with all content at once, she just made a light version where I would move my body to get used to what was to come.
Like for example-
"Nora-chan~ Why are you running now~? Didn't you want to learn the way of using 'Kasha'~?" Kaa-san said in an upbeat tone while she chased after me.
Her movements looked like lightly skipping, but the distance they covered was not short at all.
What's with that high-speed movement technique? It looks cool.
"Yeah, but I sought to do it because I wanted to use it, not to have someone attack me with it." I yelled while desperately trying to run away from her.
This woman, she is chasing while throwing those damned fire-wheels at me. She proclaimed that I should learn with my 'body' first.
I am not going to accept that, Kaa-san is usually kind, but when it is time to train, a switch gets flipped somehow and she turns into a really dangerous person. I can only shed tears as I recall how unwilling she was when I began training. Maybe I had asked the wrong person for guidance.
The fox-eared one is kinder.
Damn it.
She is chasing after me with no signs of hurrying, but she can easily catch up to me when I increase our distance and Kaa-san also throws me those things. I naturally have to dodge them or I will become a burned cat.
I don't need to get burned with that to learn Kasha for real, right?
Ah, that was a close one. Because I was distracted I almost got hit with that one.
*pant pant*
My heavy breathing could be heard as I dropped my speed. I was gasping for breath.
No more running. I kept using Senjutsu and even Touki to allow me to run for more time but Kaa-san has bigger stamina than me and a larger Ki pool.
"I give up." I said as I slumped on the ground.
She can burn me if she wants, I don't have the energy to complain anymore.
"Nora-chan. Today, I might've been playing around a bit, but the training was supposed to be me teaching you the feeling of 'Kasha'. I will not burn you. Why did you run away?" Kaa-san spoke while standing in front of me who was lying on the ground.
I was truly too tired to answer so she took it as me not wanting to say anything and continued.
"What are you afraid of?" Kaa-san asked.
I could not help but react a little to that. No matter how tired I was, I unconsciously did it.
"You... don't want to fight, right? Then why are you pushing yourself by going through this?" Kaa-san muttered while kneeling in front of me.
That-
"If you don't want to fight... why are you so rushed to 'get strong' and 'train'? From what I heard about how you faced that creature, I can understand that you were reluctant to fight it with your bare hands but that was understandable considering the difference in size and your current abilities. Approaching an enemy recklessly is rather foolish after all, even more, when the difference in power seems obvious." Kaa-san started to use her Ki to take care of my exhaustion from running.
"Putting aside that oversized dog. I can't help to imagine myself breaking those wooden logs, and when I imagine doing that to someone or something... I hesitate. Is it really alright for me to recklessly use that strength as I please? Many questions come to my mind, but I guess that I am just afraid of the consequences." I explained after the exhaustion reduced enough for me to speak.
Kaa-san just listened without interrupting me.
"At those times, it hits me how different this world is from my previous one. It could be just me being a wimp though. Even when I know that I should just do it... *Sigh*" I muttered as I stood up.
I can move again so I did not need to stay on the ground.
"You, my son, are a fool." Kaa-san ruffled my hair as she stood up as well.
With a bitter smile on her face, she stood up in front of me.
"I knew that you have a tendency to over think things too much, but I now see that I was underestimating you." Kaa-san continued speaking
I couldn't deny what she was saying at all.
"Everyone has those kinds of worries sometimes, fear is something common after all. Nevertheless, considering the other party well being when a fight breaks out is almost suicidal. Don't hesitate; your fists won't reach anyone if you think like that. If you don't feel like using them, then you need to find a reason to do so. Not for plain violence, mind you. I can't say that the same reason will work for you, but when I fight, I do it for my safety. I am a doctor, a healer. If I get taken down, many others would suffer. This is not me simply being afraid of getting hurt. I have a responsibility to uphold, and with that responsibility, comes my pride in what I do. I might've spent some time off my work but I am a doctor, to treat people is my call. It is also the reason why I would fight for others, but that is me. You need to find your way." Kaa-san said while putting her hands on my shoulders.
I think I have a reason, a simple one, but a reason.
Distracted from those kinds of thoughts, I noticed a minute later that I was burning, or rather, covered in flames. I almost yelled in pain but I discovered that there was no pain.
These flames were colored white and they gave a gentle feeling of warmth.
While I was amazed by this experience I was feeling, I heard Kaa-san speak.
"Kasha is a technique exclusive to our kind. They are spiritual flames that we summon with Ki. They are usually in the form of wheels covered in flames, although you might not get to see the proper shape since you are covered completely by them." Kaa-san explained while staring at me as I played with the 'spiritual flames'.
It is a strange feeling but I can't tell how these flames work, I mean, I am burning but I am not.
"There are different ways of using it, but one of the most useful ways is to imbue with the power to purify. Kasha is a Senjutsu technique; as such, it uses the positive energy in nature to work. You can say that this is another form to use Senjutsu to do a more specific task, although you can also consider it a technique made to attack." Kaa-san clarified.
That sounds easy to understand, however-
"Why am I not being burn at all?" I inquired.
Common sense is telling me that this is not possible. Wait, common sense is not working properly in this world.
"Those flames belong to me and the nature of the caster influences the flame so you could say I did not 'want' that you got hurt by them, and they responded to my will. This is not easy so you nee-" Kaa-san stopped her words midway.
The cause was simple. On my hands, there was a small 'Kasha' spinning, a green-colored flaming wheel. It was weak, small and it looked like it would not last long, but it was on my hands.
I didn't understand what 'spiritual flames' meant or any of those concepts, but I felt like gathering Ki in a similar way to the feeling that the flames that Kaa-san used to cover were the right direction so I followed that idea and I was able to make a small one.
"That was... fast..." I could hear Kaa-san muttering to herself.
This was pretty interesting.
Gazing at the small Kasha, my mind still reflected on the topic from before, I had no idea what to fight for, but I decided to put that aside. Just like Kaa-san said, I tend to over think things too much. Instead of worrying about such a complicated matter, I should just do it for something simpler. I had let those girls go ahead because I did not want them to be hurt, but I lacked in resolution to use my own hands to wound that thing, if it had been impossible to escape back then, would I have been forced to use my fists?
Perhaps I lacked that, a proper motivation. Luckily, everything went well, but if things had been slightly different, my hesitation could've spelled our doom. I would've died, and those girls too.
I lack so many things but at least being aware of my shortcomings I can try to change them.
Instead of fighting from a safe place, I could use my fists; if they are more effective, then using them is what I will have to do.
"As expected of my child!" I could hear Kaa-san's exclamation.
I suddenly got a bad feeling.
"I did not want to add this to the routine since I thought of giving priority to learning 'Kasha', but now that you can use it easily, we can add archery to the training menu. I initially used it as a method to train your control in Ki, but given that I made you stop raising your reserves since you could not keep up with the control... Well, now we got time to focus on control again. Oh, you can start using meditation to raise your reserves as you wish to, don't worry about the amount, we will have enough training time for you to control all that." Kaa-san spoke with a wide grin.
Oh no.
God, what have I done to you?
Wait, the biblical God of this world is dead.
Damn it.
I will complain to that guy (?) then.
What have I done to you? Damn you, He (?).
Part 2
-Time skip, 2 months
Today I was having one of the rarely seen now free days so I was spending my time in the kitchen. Kaa-san was not at home now.
She was trying her best to accomplish the request from Venelana-san, but she was going by herself this time. It would be pretty hard to meet the patient with me in tow, thus she had to leave me house-sitting. This occur a couple of times every month so I am used to it by now.
She had been at it for a while now so I learned a few things about the patient. Kaa-san had said that the person she was trying to heal or cure is called Misla Bael. I did not get as surprised as I thought I would, I mean, I had my suspicion since the requester was Venelana-san, and along the difficulty of meeting the patient, it made it hard to miss the possibility as well. It could also be that I was merely too tired to retort anymore.
Anyways, I was on my today… or not, I called someone to come here. It was not hard since she prepared the means to communicate.
"Nora-kun, I brought the things you asked. Really, you have some guts to make me bring this for you every time." A voice that I was very familiar with, playfully said.
I turned to face the owner of the voice and I saw Yasaka-san walking into the kitchen with a bag containing several things.
"I am sorry, I could have used the things here but Kaa-san would make too many questions later." I meekly apologized.
I am sure that Yasaka-san has better things to do other than delivering this stuff for me.
"Well, I don't mind since this is not difficult for me, but since Saya-chan won't allow anyone else other than you and me here. It means that only I can bring you what you asked anyways." Yasaka-san spoke, while putting down the contents of the bag on the kitchen table.
I can't thank her enough for going along with my idea.
"However, lately I have gotten a lot better so you get to eat what I make, which turns out tasty, right?" I inquired.
I have taken several jobs in my past life, and one of them was in a bakery. Nevertheless, I was lacking in practice, you could say I was rusted in the area.
You can't blame me. I said I worked there but I did not stay there for long. My skills were not that polished so I forgot some of the steps and that was no good. I had to learn some things from scratch, and this lady here was guiding me in the process. She is very strict though.
"You are right, it is one of the reasons why I help you, however, I must say that you are improving pretty fast so I hardly tasted anything bad." Yasaka-san replied.
I am not technically improving, but that is how it must look to her.
"By the way, how is your health lately? Having a baby in your belly is not easy." I uttered to change the subject, although I was curious about that too.
"Oh, don't worry about it. This child is not causing me any trouble. I am also receiving a lot of care from my people so nothing is bothering me during my duties either. You can't forget how Saya-chan also manages my health. Well, you also look out for me too". Yasaka-san said with a gentle smile.
That smile makes her look really beautiful. Ah, I got distracted.
It might not be her fault but her attractiveness is dangerous for me because the devil inside my heart can't help to remember that day when I asked my well-earned reward for my efforts in the Underworld. I had asked her to pet her tails until I got tired and… Well, these hands of mine are gifted because after I petted her tails for a long, long while, she was blushing subtly and decided to go home early that day. I can't be certain of what I exactly did, however, that sight sure was very erotic. Every time I remember that I can't help but think how sensual this woman is.
Since then she has not allowed me to pet her tails no matter how I ask her, but I know the opportunity will present itself. I am a man who does not give up, and I am someone who believes in the impossible.
That said, I am not sure what I did to her or how I did it, but I will find out how to do it at will. I feel like this is the dream of too many males across the multi-verses.
"Nora-kun! Are you listening to me?" Yasaka-san called out while lightly shaking my shoulder.
My remembrance of that memory distracted me too much.
"Sorry, I was thinking about something else for a moment." I honestly apologized.
This is no good. Focus, but not on that moment again brain of mine, Argh!
"You were saying?" I asked.
"I was wondering why you are trying to do this. I don't think you have problems with money, so you could buy sweets easily if you wanted. Even for a cake..." Yasaka-san curiously inquired.
Thanks to the youkai duo making that 'mistake', I now have the money of the sales not only from my original story but even the other ones I wrote. I have a bank account with a lot of 'zeros' and they are not on the left side if you know what I mean.
Not wanting to touch the money, I left it in their hands to manage. I hoped to leave my earnings to help them but they don't listen to reason and don't want to use it for themselves, they are stubborn about it. So I told them to invest it as it would 'help' me in the future. They agreed to start some kind of business, although I just wanted to leave it to them, however, when I asked what kind of business was that, they just said 'secret' in unison.
"I wanted to make something with my own hands. I have been in her care all the time and I would like to thank her somehow. She is not the type to celebrate her birthday so I thought of doing a small celebration as thanks. The cake and sweets I make, I doubt she would reject eating them at the party." I replied.
I had tried asking for sweets to Yasaka-san before and gave them to Kaa-san, but she said that I should eat them myself. In the end, the fox-eared one mercilessly devoured them.
She doesn't like celebrating anything related to her either. However, while this might be low for me, I doubt she would reject handmade cake or sweets from her one and only beloved son.
Hehe, I am evil.
"*Sigh* you are making a bad expression right now." I heard Yasaka-san muttering slightly absentminded. "I am slightly jealous of Saya-chan".
Jealous? I wonder about what.
Nonetheless, asking will not change anything as I am now. She will just tease me and change the subject as she has done it before.
Oh, I forgot to ask... How is Saya-chan's training going?" Yasaka-san asked.
*Tremble*
My body reacts even if I don't want to.
"It is... difficult." I answered in a neutral tone.
I did not want to touch the topic too much so I started to prepare the ingredients to make a cake.
"If it's too hard for you then you can come and stay with me for a few days. Fufufu, what are you imagining? Such a precocious child, fufu." Yasaka-san giggled.
Don't tempt me, woman.
Joking can be dangerous, mainly for you… or rather, me, if you get angry.
In many ways, I would accept that invitation, but I doubt Kaa-san would just agree. Heck, she might even storm out into wherever I stay just to take me back. Ever since I was invited to stay a couple of days in the Gremory mansion by Venelana-san to play with Rias-chan and Sona-chan, Kaa-san became a little scary when the topic was mentioned. I would like to think that it is plain over protectiveness but the feeling I get sometimes is somewhat different.
"Would you fight Kaa-san later if I go?" I asked jokingly to distract myself.
"Hmmm, maybe?" Yasaka-san said with a pondering expression.
That did not sound like a joke at all.
Forget it.
It probably has nothing to do with romance. If I ask I lose.
…
…
…
For the rest of the day, I baked as much as the time allowed me to.
Yasaka-san helped me by tasting what I made. She was particularly harsh in her reviews though. Many times I had to remake the whole cake for minor details. If it was too 'tough' or too 'soft' she made me try again until I got the proper combination of both. I was just doing a sponge cake but she was severe.
I jokingly called her 'Sergeant Yasaka', and she got angry, she said 'Make me a General at least' and knocked my head. I put on a pitiful expression but she did not stop. Was that what bothered her, the rank?
…
…
…
Other times, I wondered if she was adjusting the flavor to fit her tastes. Nevertheless, I would like to believe that she wouldn't do that. This was for Kaa-san after all.
I planned to make some jam or cream to fill the cake, but this might take a while if I continue like this, and I hadn't even started with the other things I had in mind.
The path ahead seems long and arduous, but I guess that's how life is in every aspect. That said, I am not sure how to feel when the topic is about baking cakes though.
"Nora-kun, I think you should've left this one a bit more in the oven." Yasaka-san muttered while eating a particularly big slice of cake.
And yet, you seem to be enjoying eating it. I never thought she would be this kind of character.
-Time skip, 2 months
Time passed by and I continued to train.
Including archery, I made some good improvements in my use of Touki while I fought.
Using both was not exactly realistic since they were methods of close-range and long-range respectively, but I could combine aspects of Touki such as increasing my movement speed. Aiming while moving is too hard for me now, but I can at least dodge and aim pretty quickly already.
It might be due to having a good teacher (Kaa-san likes to refer herself as such), but I have made improvements in archery going from aiming at distant targets, or shooting speed which was pretty slow at the beginning. My skills still fall short if I compare myself to a certain someone.
For close combat, Kaa-san made me a punching bag. A blow containing healing Senjutsu does no damage, or rather, fixes the damage too fast. It allows me to continuously receive more blows before I can get taken down, all in order to raise my endurance.
Yay! Hurrah for me! The Senjutsu makes me endure more hits!
No, it is insane.
When I was not taking blows everywhere, she made me dodge mostly unavoidable and really fast attacks, to be honest. I couldn't even follow the speed of the attacks, my body sometimes reacts but it is mostly an unconscious action. It was reckless to ask me to that, but Kaa-san did not accept any objection from me.
Ultimate-class beings are too scary.
I wondered once exactly at what level I was, but when I asked Kaa-san, she just said knowing won't change anything at all. Even if I had the same power level as her, she could easily wipe the floor with me as I was now. She was quite blunt at that time.
Although, the reason what I wanted to know was not my strength level to compare it with others for vanity, more like to be able to tell when would a fight would be useless. Sometimes running was an option. Nevertheless, I felt like she was dodging the subject somehow.
However, calling them Ultimate-class was not even that accurate since many beings in that level were stronger than others within the same scale or so she said. The alleged scale just worked as a gauge of 'power' but not fighting abilities so they weren't that accurate.
Many people could defeat enemies with a stronger power through different means. Sacred gears were some of those unreasonable ways. Among humans, many used Holy Swords and Demon Swords to fight, wielding bizarre powers that were even effective against dragons, that absurd species.
Yeah, I was able to recall that from the Canon, and I am not sure how alike this world is in regard to that, but those things can help people to prevail against many strong creatures just with their special abilities alone, without counting on the wielder's abilities. Kaa-san ended up confirming that fact one day so it seems that the canon was accurate in that regard.
After that long explanation from her, she told me that if wanted to compare to someone, I could use her or Yasaka-san as an example. I felt the impulse of flipping a couple of tables at her for such an unreasonable idea, because I had tried that before and taking the full brunt of their auras was too hard for me, even when I was getting used little by little, the poor me couldn't compare to them.
The gap in strength was too wide to use as a reference.
Regardless of my complaints, Kaa-san didn't say anything more about it.
Adding one more thing to my training routine was the meditation to raise my reserves of Ki. During that fight, I learned how absurd consumption can be when you are using some techniques, and running low in the middle of a fight can be deadly.
Kaa-san grumbled that I could raise my reserves too easily, but I couldn't tell the difference. To be honest, our home was a really good place to meditate since the flow of Ki in the surroundings was pure and I had no problems in making use of that to my advantage. Nonetheless, I believed it had something to do with 'raising my affinities' as He (?) had said before.
I don't think I have the best affinity out there, but I hope that is close to what many would call protagonist level. Those guys always got absurd power-ups every time. They surpass people who spent hundreds of years growing their strength through training in matters of months.
I can only sigh at that unreasonable ability.
Well, this is now reality so that won't have anything to do with me.
Hmmmm...? That statement sounded like a flag. Let's ignore it.
-Time skip, 1 month
You would think that I only had training related to fighting? Well, no. I was also learning how to use the healing qualities of Senjutsu in long-range instead of using close contact. Not to mention the bunch of books I had to read related to medicine, you could say instead of letting the 'Ki' just do all the job, I am controlling it to do what I want it to do, too bad that I am still clumsy about it.
Besides that, I was not allowed to slack off in learning about different kinds of herbs and their effects. The worst part was that Kaa-san made me eat diverse kinds of plants to understand how they affect the patient. How is that the worst part? Putting aside their 'mind-blowing' taste, some of those were poisonous. Like really poisonous. Something that even people with zero knowledge about it would be able to tell that it should not be put in your mouth.
Under the careful watch of Kaa-san, I had to ingest several of those strange-looking herbs to understand the effects it caused. Sometimes my temperature would rise at dangerous levels, I would get stomachaches, you name it, and I suffered it. She also made me treat myself with Senjutsu sometimes, other times I had to prepare the proper antidote myself.
I would've preferred to go and fight that oversized dog again than to continue doing that cursed training, but Kaa-san was merciless. I ingested so much of those herbs that I developed some resistance to the effects they had.
Haha, happy me, right? I became more resistant to poison... but at what price?
Even so, I had no other choice than to accept it.
However, I once again had this terrible feeling. Kaa-san was rushing too much with the way she taught me.
Why did I feel that way?
Part 3
-Time skip, 2 months.
It has been close to six years since I came to this world, not counting the time I spent in Kaa-san's womb though.
I wish I could tell what season we were just looking outside, but in this place where Kaa-san built the house, its spring all year. All for the plants she is taking care of.
Thankfully, my laptop helped me solve the problem of the date.
Confirming the date, I saw how it was already the day I was waiting for, the day of Kaa-san's birthday.
December 1st.
The weather must be rather cold outside.
I wonder if it will be snowing by now. No, it might still be too early for that.
Kaa-san is out since earlier and she will be coming back quite late, meaning that I have time to prepare everything. Well, what I can do on my own anyway.
While I feel bad for her, I needed Yasaka-san's help again. She already received payment for her help though, so I think she doesn't have the right to complain. So many sweets and slices of cake were given to her already... so many of them.
Having done all the necessary preparation, I was just adorning the cakes. I originally planned to make a big one, but I later considered that having a variety might be better for Kaa-san whose tastes are not in one kind in particular, so I made a number of them in a smaller size, along with things like cupcakes and macaroons. She can be quite a handful. Eating sweets bought by Yasaka-san and not the ones I bought with my money. With such a thought in mind, I lightly smacked away the hand that was stealthy coming closer to the cream of the cake I was currently decorating. This would make it the 9th time it happened, in the last five minutes.
*sigh*
"Could you stop doing that? I need to finish this, Yasaka-san." I protested to the cream thief.
Seriously, this is more Yasaka-san playing around than anything. If she wanted to take the stuff, this cream thief could send me flying and take what she wanted while humming happily.
"But, I am hungry, you know, because of the pregnancy I often get cravings that make me want to eat a lot." Yasaka-san pitifully whined.
I could feel my eyebrow and the corner of my lips twitching a little.
Don't be fooled. I made her enough cookies to fill two jars before I started working on these. While it might not seem an exorbitant amount, she was already eating a bunch of sweets brought by her before I gave those to her.
I had read that pregnancy changes eating habits a lot, but this was too much.
I wonder if it's because she is a Youkai or maybe this is how the last months of pregnancy usually are.
Kunou-chan, you made your mother a dangerous sweet-tooth monster. Is this some kind of omen? You won't be the same right? I don't have to worry about you going with a bad man because he offered you some candy, right?
Perhaps I will need to pay attention to her for a while as she grows up.
…
…
…
Lost in thought as I was, my hand kept smacking away the hands coming for the cream.
"I will make you more if you stop doing this." I said the magic words, and as I expected, she stopped her actions like they were a lie.
No, even if you put your graceful look as you sit in perfect seiza, I already saw how you acted a few seconds ago, which couldn't be further from 'graceful'.
I couldn't help but stare at her with an exasperated expression. Perhaps she noticed the way I was looking at her, so she started to talking in order to dodge the approaching reproach from me.
"*Cough* By the way, I have been getting a few letters that Saya-chan brought with her." Yasaka-san didn't look into my eyes as she spoke. "The letter contained words of thanks for passing the request to Saya-chan. Honestly, I had my doubts it would work out at the end, but it was hard for me to decline it. She made great progress treating that person over that side."
Let's go along with her here.
The letter probably comes from Venelana-san, or perhaps Sirzechs-san.
"Isn't that good? Kaa-san was pretty happy when she got some of those Phoenix Tears, since getting them is not easy." I spoke.
Well, rather than happy, she was burning with desire to surpass the effects it has, no, what she wanted to beat was the ability from the Phenex Clan. Reattaching severed limps is not exactly difficult for Kaa-san, but that depended on how damaged the limbs were.
There was one time when she took me during an emergency to treat a heavily injured youkai.
I once again was amazed at her absurd ability, although I only saw from an outside perspective, watching how she put those legs and using her Senjutsu to reattach it to the guy was mind-blowing for me. She was even able to re-grow some of the guy's missing toes.
I was left in awe after being shown that, her skills were an eye-opener.
However, not everyone could match her abilities. There was quite a bit of an issue for your regular Ki user to imitate what she did. The consumption of Ki was terrible, but she was able to reduce the consumption by directly controlling the Ki with an outrageous level of accuracy instead of spreading the Ki everywhere like it is usually done. By restoring piece by piece the damaged parts, she created a systematic process where she locates only the damaged parts and focuses her Ki in that area.
It is something that requires profound knowledge about anatomy, or in this case, 'Youkai anatomy', not to mention her insane control over Ki and the vast reserves you would need to maintain the treatment if the damage is too large.
"That is one thing, but there were several hints in the letter that they wanted to thank you too for what you did. However, since Saya-chan refused to take you there, they were asking me to help them mediate with that. Fufufu, not only Saya-chan... Nora-kun is popular over there too." Yasaka-san voiced while grinning.
I can't say anything about it. I don't think I did that much, I mean, I did keep them safe, but who ended saving them in the end was Kaa-san.
"You can take the credit for that. If you had not prepared that token, my presence there would've changed nothing." I said.
I am almost finished with this cake.
Damn, I forgot about the drinks. I think they would like Sake? Wait, Sake with cake?
"That is not true, what you did was praiseworthy, although reckless as well. It truly helped to maintain peaceful relations with the devils." Yasaka-san sincerely praised me.
Maintain, is it?
"Haven't you thought that instead of just maintaining, you could try to improve the relationship?" I asked.
In the canon, she agreed to this, but it was much later into the future, and there are many differences from the Canon since they are no longer characters following a script. They have their wills so not everything will go as I read.
"That would be nice. For this child in my belly and for you, there are others for whom I would like that as well. I think it would be wonderful if there were no more conflicts." Yasaka-san muttered with a compassionate expression, her eyes seemed to stare something far from her reach, and her hands were caressing her bulging belly gently.
This world is not that peaceful. I have been blessed with my environment. I can't forget that.
"It would be nice if we could have a better relationship between each Faction. Exchanges between factions could help with that." I offered her my advice.
In the end, it is the decision of those in power how to act. My wish comes from my knowledge from the light novel. I can't be sure if that is the right decision for Youkais in general. So I will leave it to Yasaka-san who is the leader of the faction, although I will offer her a piece of advice regarding this topic whenever I can. She has more experience in this area than me so she will choose what it's best for her people (youkais).
"You are talking about an 'Alliance', right? It is not that easy to make one. If for example, we were to meddle too much with the Devils, we might incur the animosity from Angels and Fallen Angels who are at odds with each other". Yasaka-san explained.
Once again, I thought that politics are hard to understand for me. Nonetheless, she does have a point.
"I guess you are right, sorry for carelessly talking about it". I replied.
I might be seeing this from a naive point of view. This world must not work like that.
"You don't need to apologize, Nora-kun. It makes me happy that you think that way. Perhaps if there were more people like you, the fighting would stop once for all". Yasaka-san said with a troubled expression.
I don't think the world needs more people like me. Although I think that peace is best, I like the idea of the alliance because it will benefit Kaa-san and Yasaka-san. I am not a hero nor do I think I can save the world. I just want the people I care to be safe and have a happy life.
Although, if I can extend a helping hand, I will do so. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I ignored someone whom I could help easily.
"Don't put that expression. I truly think that people like you are what the future needs. You might not think like that, but I do". Yasaka-san muttered while gently embracing me from behind.
I was too busy thinking to notice when she stood up and walked behind me.
This woman did such a sneak attack.
"I didn't say anything". I spoke without trying to move away. I am still busy with the c- Who am I kidding? It feels soothing to be like this, I like to be near her.
"Your face said it all. How many people do you think I have to communicate with every day? In my position, I have to meet different people for who knows how many reasons. The conversations we have are not always peaceful; you could call them a war of nerves. Reading each other's intentions from every little action is the norm". Yasaka-san explained.
Experience huh.
"I... just don't believe that I am the kind of person you think. Just leave it at that". I said.
Finally moving away from her, I went to store the cake, it will remain safe (I will protect it from Yasaka-san) until Kaa-san arrives.
You could say I am running away.
I wonder why, but it is hard to tell her about me. I thought that maybe I would not feel that fear after finally telling Kaa-san, but perhaps this fear will never disappear. I get needlessly anxious.
I have the feeling that is not the time yet or maybe it's just my fear showing up. Not sure which one it is, but I won't continue this topic for now.
Today was not a day for something like this.
"Such a troublesome child, you resemble Saya-chan in your stubbornness". I heard her mutter in low voice.
Part 4
After waiting for a few hours and giving Yasaka-san two more rounds of sweets, Kaa-san arrived home. The kitsune had people who would let us know when Kaa-san arrived at Urakyoto so we could be ready to receive her.
When she entered the house she seemed lost in thoughts, but her expression changed when we welcomed her.
"Happy Birthday!" I exclaimed while opening my arms wide in front of Kaa-san.
Yasaka-san was holding a small tambourine and she was shaking it in a smooth and upbeat rhythm. Maybe I should've gone with the maracas?
"What are you two doing?" Kaa-san asked. She seemed somewhat surprised and amused.
Good, at least she did not dislike it.
We could've done a better welcome if we had more people, but for now, it is too hard to make Kaa-san change her mind about allowing more people in the house.
"Well, I wanted to make a little celebration for you, so with Yasaka-san's help, we prepared this". I said as I guided Kaa-san, taking her by the hand I led her to the kitchen.
On the table, there were small-sized cakes, cookies, cupcakes, macaroons, brownies, I made several things in hope that Kaa-san found something that she truly liked.
Although… I might've overdone, I will exercise my right to blame the kitsune here. She said the more the better and I did as she asked. Perhaps I allowed my feelings of wanting to spoil her to meddle in the decision a tiny bit, which also included the reason why I did not make any Japanese styled ones since she usually eats those, and she wanted to eat a different kind. Well, I was more familiar with western sweets so it also influenced the decision.
"You two did this?" Kaa-san questioned as she saw the number of sweets lined up on the kitchen table.
"Nora-kun made them, I just prepared the ingredients". Yasaka-san explained as she also entered the kitchen.
For a moment I saw Kaa-san put a sad expression but she changed it pretty fast into what seemed to be a resolute one, in one breath she smiled fondly and walked closer to me, and hugged me pretty tightly.
I found it hard to breathe due to her generous bosom squeezing my face, but she let me go when I thought I saw He (?) waving me at the end of a long tunnel.
I found her expressions odd and her hug was strange as well. She wouldn't normally hug me that strongly… while she is awake.
"Thank you". She muttered after releasing me.
"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to thank you for all the effort you have put into raising me". I told her after catching my breath.
Kaa-san was about to give me another hug but Yasaka-san interrupted her.
"Leave the emotional hugs for later. He made you all these tasty treats so you will be eating them, right?" Yasaka-san said as she came between the two of us.
I would like to believe that she did it to help me and not to be able to eat faster, yes, an obvious answer.
"Yasaka-san is right, taste them. I practiced a lot so they should be good". I spoke while pointing at the sweets.
There should be at least one that grabs her interest for real.
While I know that she will eat them, I am not sure which one she will like and which one she won't. I doubt she would tell me if she dislikes any.
"Aren't there too many?" Kaa-san inquired while taking a cookie with chocolate chips and eating them.
So she was in the chocolate chips faction huh.
I glared at the kitsune, but she just avoided looking at me in the eye.
"Don't worry about it. I am sure that there won't be leftovers so eat at your own pace". I said while sorting the drinks that Yasaka-san brought after I asked her earlier.
Coke, Green tea, Sake, quite the odd arrangement here, but I was not sure what she would like more.
I had already tested eating sweets with coke and green tea before, but I never tried drinking with Sake.
I was a little curious so I prepared a cup of sake to take a sip, but two hands stopped me in place before I could taste the sake.
No need to think too hard about who are the owners of these hands, I don't know that many people with hands as soft as these, not to mention that I don't know many people at all. Besides me, only Kaa-san and Yasaka-san are here so it has to be them.
"What are you doing? You are too little for that". Yasaka-san uttered while smiling.
"You are too young for that, in fact. I wish you don't ever touch alcohol at all". Kaa-san spoke in a stern tone.
It is easy to understand Yasaka-san's concern since she thinks that I am a child. But Kaa-san, you know that technically I am old enough for this. Besides, it is just a sip. I know that my body is too small to try drinking too much, although this could be considered breaking the law. Do Youkais care about it that much?
Well, coke will be then. It's been a while since I drank one of those anyways. Guess I will be a good kid... for now.
…
…
…
The small party was a success, Kaa-san liked most of what I made, the rest was not exactly unpopular, but more like she did not get the chance to taste them because of Yasaka-san.
I would like to think that they were good enough to make her eat so much of them, and it was not just because she is a glutton. Those two were even competing by eating, but I was not sure if they could properly taste it like that. However, since they seemed to be enjoying themselves like that, I left them alone. Yasaka won at the end and Kaa-san sulked but I could do nothing about it.
...
...
…
As for presents, we each prepared something different, Yasaka-san gave her a new kimono, with blue as a base, having embroilments in green forming shapes of two-tailed cats at the borders. Kaa-san liked the present a lot.
Mine? I would give it to Kaa-san later. I wanted to talk to her before the day ended anyways.
...
...
…
It was now late at night, and I was taking care of the mess that the two women left. Cleaning up everything did not take as long as I thought so I finished fairly fast. It was time to talk to Kaa-san about something, but first I went to my room to get something. After that, I strode to her room.
I expected it but there was some light coming from her bedroom, from a small gap left by the not completely closed sliding door.
"Kaa-san, Can I talk to you for a moment?" I called as I waited for the answer outside her room which came a little delayed.
"Can it be tomorrow?" I heard her say.
"No". I replied instantly. Once again, the answer came after some time.
"Come in, I guess I know what you want to talk about". Kaa-san spoke in a resigned tone.
After entering there-
Kaa-san was not wearing her usual sleepwear or the hakama outfit that she uses when she does her work as a doctor.
She was wearing a hakama that gave a different impression.
This one did not seem to be made from normal cloth, because it gave a similar feeling to Youjutsu and Senjutsu but I can tell that Kaa-san is not using any of them. It must be one of those enchanted clothes I read in novels.
On her back, she had a quiver full of arrows, and on her left hand, she had a longbow. There is much I want to say but I guess I have to start with something simple.
"What are you doing?" I asked while narrowing my eyes at Kaa-san.
This makes the feeling from before ring alarms in my head, but I need to face this calmly and not jump to conclusions.
"Hmmm? What's that in your hand?" Kaa-san did no answer the question but instead focused on what I had in my hand.
"This is your birthday present, but don't change the subject". I answered.
In my right hand, there was an Omamori (a small amulet for protection).
Having been going out alone, I thought about making one, although it was not as good as the sweets I made. With green color as the base, I tried to embroil something, but I might have no talent for this, even after a good number of tries since I started practicing there was not much difference in the final work, a chubby cat with four tails.
"Is that supposed to be me?" Kaa-san asked as she got closer and took the Omamori from my hands.
"I am sorry. I couldn't do any better with the presentation. However, we can talk about that later, right now I want to know what you are doing? Why are you dodging the subject?" I inquired in a stronger tone.
She looked fondly at her present.
"I see so you made it too. I will treasure it, I liked this present the most". Kaa-san said while gently stroking the Omamori.
"Kaa-san!" I raised my voice.
I couldn't hide my anxiousness anymore.
"I am sorry. I will take care of this and come back soon". Kaa-san said as she hugged me.
Suddenly I started to feel weak. I tried to drive my Ki inside my body to recover but Kaa-san's Ki did not allow it. During the hug, she interfered with my flow of Ki.
"It took a while longer than usual since you became somewhat resistant to this kind of substance because of your training. I knew you might try to stop me". I heard Kaa-san say. "I wanted to go while you were asleep, but today's party took me by surprise".
I was in her embrace and I could barely keep myself awake.
The effects... came... from... some medicine... she made... I... have to resist.
I bit my lips as hard as I could and got rid of the need to sleep for a moment.
"What are you… doing? Don't... go". I said with some effort.
I was not sure what she wanted to do... but... it doesn't look... good to let her... go... alone... Urgh… my... consciousness...
"It's ok. Kaa-san will take care of everything". I heard her softly say that as she gently patted my back.
I could not... hold... it... anymore.
Saya's POV
Holding the unconscious Nora in her arms, Saya stayed in that position for a bit longer before carrying him to his room.
She knows that he will be very angry when he wakes up, anxious even, but she had to do this.
A few months back she got a letter from a stranger during her work in the Underworld. She thought of ignoring the letter at first but the name of the sender made her reconsider her actions.
Curiosity got the best of her and she read it.
The sender was her disciple, whom she had not heard for a while. The contents were something that she was not prepared for. Inside, he wrote about several things he did that made her want to rip the letter but she had to finish reading it first.
He had written about the reason he sought to learn under her and how he planned to get close to Yasaka using her as a link.
The first thing that came to her mind was to let Yasaka know, but in the letter, he stated that doing so would make him use of a card that made her hesitate. As Yasaka was currently pregnant, she was in a delicate state. He explained how he had a number of his 'people' inside Urakyoto, and they would not hesitate to follow his orders to attack Yasaka if she spoke too much.
Saya decided not to tell Yasaka, but she did not understand what he meant to do by sending her this letter.
The content ended there, but it left her with many questions.
...
...
…
Once in a while during her visits to the Underworld, she would receive letters delivered by strangers. The sender was always her disciple. He used the letters to explain how he was responsible for the ambush she suffered before Nora was born, and how he wanted her to perish back then.
Saya spent a long time at a loss what to do with what she learned through the letters. Not to mention the feelings of betrayal, it came as a huge shock knowing all that information.
She carefully pondered for some time what to do.
The location of her 'disciple' was unknown and she could not let her friend know. Her child, as much as an adult he is inside, she did not want him to know about this, he was prone to worry too much.
However, she decided after reading one of the letters which explained how he was the one who planned the whole incident where Nora was teleported away. Regardless of Saya not knowing where to look, she had to find her former disciple, for Nora and Yasaka's sake.
Nevertheless, there was always the possibility that it could be a trap. She had to consider that maybe she would not be coming back in the worst case. Leaving her son alone pained her, so she trained him the best she could in a short amount of time, teaching him all she could for him to be able to stand on his own when she was not there. She would drill the basics for him to grow into a strong youkai.
In the meantime, Saya did something that she did not expect to ever do since losing Nora's father, asking for help from the devils, help to locate her disciple, Hiroto. It was something they agreed surprisingly easy, even when she did not explain the reasons. Some sort of 'wanting' to repay her grace was what they told her when she bewildered asked why.
She did not care about the reason, Saya only wanted to deal with her business. Although it can't be denied that she was thankful for their support.
...
...
…
Thinking about it, part of her understood that her 'disciple' wanted her to find him so despite expecting a trap, she decided to go.
Days went by, and she finally got a list of possible locations given to her by the devils. She had narrowed it down even further and found him to be either in Japan or in the Underworld. There were clues of him moving around Tokyo so she would start there.
Nevertheless, going would mean leaving behind her son alone, although there was her best friend's presence so she could leave him to her.
It might take a while, but she will be coming back. However, she was found out before leaving. Her silly child caught onto her behavior and probably wanted to ask her about it, perhaps he would even try to stop her, but she had considered that possibility before. That is why she prepared certain burnable herbs that would knock him out without him knowing.
Today had been a pretty happy day for her.
There was a big surprise when Saya arrived, and her child even baked so many things for her, something she never expected. It brought tears to her face, but it also strengthened her resolve.
Saya can't deny that part of her wants to find Hiroto just for revenge. He had planned the death of the man she loved after all. However, she was hesitating because now she had to take care of Nora, and rising a child is not something she should do with that kind of thought, but since Hiroto wanted to harm Nora as well. There will be no mercy.
As a doctor, she strives to save lives, although that does not mean she has never taken one before.
Going back to her room again, she finished preparing her supplies for what is to come.
Thanks to accepting the request of curing that woman, she got many useful things.
In particular, she got her hands on Phoenix Tears, which work pretty well at healing wounds. They are extremely useful during battle when she has to take care of not wasting Ki.
She was very interested in the so-called immortality of the members of the clan that makes these 'potions' since she aspires to raise her healing skill to a higher level by studying the Phoenix Tears. So far, she has managed to regenerate small parts of the body from other people. However, it is a very arduous job to mend wounds of that caliber from so many people. Completely different from healing herself, it takes a greater toll on her Ki.
Taking into account the differences between races and how their bodies work is not something you can do in seconds, but this little vial contained something that defied common sense. In her case, she could deal if they were her wounds easily, but it is still taxing to do so.
During her younger days, she received heavy injuries too many times and she learned how to perfectly restore her body parts efficiently even during battle. A skill she has not taught Nora yet, his body was too young to go through all the steps necessary to reach such a level.
…
…
…
Counting the vials containing the Phoenix Tears, 5 of them were in her hands.
Taking them all would be the best choice since they would help her save her Ki so she can focus it in a fight, but her child's face comes to mind as she has the vials in hand, so she left two vials for him in case something happens.
The Omamori that Nora made was still in the room. Looking at the embroilments, a slight smile comes to her face so she took it with her, to remember him when she is far from him.
Hopefully, she will be back soon.
Part 5
MC's POV
When I woke up, the sun was already up in the sky so a few hours must've gone by already.
Damn it.
Quickly getting up, I searched inside and outside the house, but Kaa-san wasn't anywhere. There wasn't much I could do so I called Yasaka-san. She had left here a token similar to the one before that helps us to communicate from long distances.
In any case, I must let her know what happened and ask if she knows what Kaa-san was going to do.
She had planned to go somewhere to fight or that is what it looked like. I don't think she would be wearing that attire otherwise.
…
…
…
After telling Yasaka-san what happened, she just told me to wait for a moment, and a minute later, she arrived at the house.
"I put my people to look into her whereabouts for now. From what I learned before coming here no one saw her leave Urakyoto". Yasaka-san said as soon as she saw me.
I bit my lips at her words. Of course, they wouldn't see her. She tried to leave behind my back.
"I did not hear anything from her. However, are you sure of what you told me?" Yasaka-san asked worriedly.
We were standing near the entrance. So I lead her inside, to the kitchen table where we could speak calmly.
"She even used some sort of herb or drug to make me sleep". I explained as we took our seats.
She furrowed her eyebrows at my words.
"To even go that far... What could've happened?" Yasaka-san muttered.
I did not know the answer to that question. It bothered me how little I knew about it. As my mind was still not completely awake, it took me some time until certain memory came to me.
"Wait... If I am not wrong..." I hurriedly stood up.
"What is it?" Yasaka-san inquired, surprised at my sudden actions.
Not bothering to explain, I moved first to my room to check something, then later to Kaa-san's room. A moment later I came back to the kitchen again.
"You said you could trace our tokens right? The tokens you gave me before, the ones I was supposed to give to Kaa-san and the one I had to carry". I immediately questioned as I got closer to Yasaka-san, grabbing her by her shoulder.
Surprised at my behavior, the blonde kitsune took more time to answer than usual.
"I can indeed do that. It was how you asked me to prepare them, although I never got to try that function. However, no, wait. Are you saying I should use that function?" Yasaka-san asked after thinking about my words more deeply.
Then-
"If you had it prepared as I asked, you have a way to track in a larger range than what the one I have can do, right? Can you use it now?" I asked with anticipation.
At that time, I... put the tracking token inside the Omamori.
Although I did not exactly expect that she would do this. Many times before when she would head off to the Underworld leaving behind the token and when I tried to tell her to take it, she would not listen so to avoid that in the future, I had considered how to have her carry it with her.
Before giving her the Omamori, I thought of putting it there.
However, I don't think that it will remain there for too much time. She is not that naive. As Kaa-san left in a hurry, she might have missed it but she will eventually find out my petty trick.
"It can cover a larger area but…" Yasaka-san was still uncertain of what I was saying.
I guess I got ahead of myself by not properly explaining myself
"Before Kaa-san left, I somehow left it on her so we could try to find her while she has it on her". I gave her a simple explanation.
Understanding what I meant, Yasaka-san stood up.
Due to the height difference, I could not grab her shoulders as before anymore so we broke contact.
"I will immediately check her location". Yasaka-san uttered before leaving in a rush.
*Sigh*
I hate to make her run errands because of pregnancy but I can do nothing about it. It was troubling how powerless I am when it is needed.
Not only when there is a need to fight, but cases like this as well.
…
…
…
It was not until one hour later when Yasaka-san came back. Her crestfallen look pulled some strings in my heart. I could not get used to seeing her like that and I did not like it when it happened.
However, it made me anxious since I knew what she was going to do before she left so I brought her to the kitchen table again.
This time I prepared her some green tea before taking a seat in front of her.
"I found her location. She is currently in Tokyo. However..." Yasaka-san started to speak after taking a sip of her tea but hesitated to continue talking.
She found her. Hearing that I felt some relief, but seeing her hesitate I could not allow myself to relax yet, and as expected-
"I tried to send some people to confirm Saya-chan's whereabouts, but they couldn't get into the city. Apparently, there are disturbances in the area and we can't intervene in any way". Yasaka-san said after a moment of silence.
Her expression seemed bitter.
"Is there no way?" I still asked even though I knew that she is not the type to give up on something minor.
"I am sorry. The youkais can't interfere no matter what. It is a private matter of the church. It seems there is an ongoing problem and they won't allow outsiders to interfere, if I carelessly tried to do something, we could earn their animosity". She explained with an apologetic look.
Her words made me tighten my fists under the table
This made things pretty difficult for her. Acting on impulse could lead to a full-scale conflict with a major power, and even though their influence in Japan is not as strong as in their base country. Many people (youkais) would be affected if a fight broke out.
Yasaka-san can't act carelessly.
Then, what should I do? Closing my eyes, I started thinking.
So far I relied on Kaa-san and Yasaka-san for everything, but now Kaa-san is not here and Yasaka-san has her hands tied as well.
I have been taking things for granted. Am I a kid?
*Sigh*
I can only shake my head in disappointment at my mindset of letting myself get this spoiled.
"Nora-kun, don't worry..." I heard a concerned voice.
Opening my eyes, I find Yasaka-san peering at me front up close, her worried expression only made me feel worse about how I have been acting, worrying her too. I should get my act together.
She must also be anxious about her friend, and now she has to deal with the child of said friend.
"I am ok. Sorry to worry you". I tried to reassure her with a smile.
"It will be ok. Believe me". Yasaka-san said as she lightly ruffled my hair.
Hey now, don't play around. I stood up avoiding her hands, and the dangerous position where her cleavage was in plain sight. If she aimed to distract me, she might've completed her objective... only slightly.
She likes to wear her kimono that way, not like I can complain, although when I imagine her getting ogled by other guys, I get irritated.
"I will go to keep an eye on the situation. If something happens I will let you know". The blonde kitsune said after standing up and I nodded at her words.
…
…
…
You could say I was never a logical person.
To be honest, I surprised myself sometimes due to my reckless behavior. Making choices that complicated my situation unconsciously was a talent of mine. Well, more than a talent, it could be called a bad habit.
This time was no different. In my room, I was getting ready to leave.
I came to that decision. You could ask one hundred people and I know that more than half would call my behavior reckless or pointless, but I will repeat myself; I am not a logical person.
Wearing the most common looking hakama I could find, I tried to dress in a way that would not point my affiliation to the Youkais in Kyoto, although I am technically not affiliated to them since only Kaa-san and Yasaka-san are my 'allies'.
In any case, I just want to avoid implicating them in the likelihood that I ended up mixed with the church's people. I can't trouble Yasaka-san more than I already have done.
I went through the house a couple of times earlier so I found a few things that will come in handy during my outing. In Kaa-san's room, I found two vials of Phoenix Tears which will surely be useful, although it also worried me that she did not take them with her. Kaa-san had in her room several pills she made and although I would like to make several comments regarding the taste they leave in your mouth. They have the wonderful effect of providing enough nutrients to cover a full meal. She had a jar full of those things. Kaa-san used them for patients that found it hard to eat normal food for different reasons. Since it could even be dissolved in water, it was truly a godsend for those who need it.
Once again, I have a lot to say about the taste. It is important so I will say it twice. I have a lot to say about the taste.
Anyways, this was one of the great things about having a mother who is a pretty skilled herbalist and can concoction pills and some 'potions'. Something she hasn't taught me about.
Other than that, there was a spare bow she had but I couldn't use it due to the length. It was a longbow, very much like mine, the 'yumi' or Japanese bow is pretty long, considered as a longbow if you go by Western standards. I couldn't use it very well with my size, so I had to use my normal training one which had the size of a regular bow still making it sort of a longbow for me. You can't expect much of my almost six years old height.
Filling the quiver of the bow to the brim with arrows, I equipped myself with it, the bow, and a leather pouch with those damned pills, but just as I was going to leave the house, I went back to take care of a couple of things I forgot.
One of them was to take another pouch but filled with seeds. I had trained a lot in making plants grow as I wished so I am sure they will come worthwhile to bring along.
There was also a note where I apologized to Yasaka-san a lot for what I was going to do. Surely this was going to cause her a lot of headaches, but I couldn't sit here and do anything.
I will accept any scolding or punishment she will probably give me after coming back.
The last thing was the most important one, the other tracking token that belonged to me. While it did not give a detailed location where I am due to the distance, it still pointed faintly in one direction. Considering how I already knew that Kaa-san was in Tokyo, I had to get there and this thing will give me a more detailed location as I get closer.
Leaving Urakyoto should be rather easy, the hardest part was to leave this place, the house was in a separate dimension or space, but it also had a powerful barrier to prevent illegal entry to anyone other than Kaa-san and Yasaka-san who knew the method to enter, I would be included in the list of the people who can enter and leave with no problem but I was not taught the method to leave on my own yet.
Thankfully, I learned it by watching Kaa-san.
I thought about any other thing I could've forgotten, and after confirming that I had everything, I left the house.
Taking a deep breath, I took my first step to look for Kaa-san.
