The second set's complete! Now, time for a commercial break with an omake. This one's focus moves slightly away from Mai-chan, and onto her peripheries. Additionally, there's going to be some explanation regarding the questions you all asked in the first few chapters, when I asked you all to be patient as I break things down over several arcs. As usual, if you're still curious, ask away anything!

superpierce: Generally, yes. Mordred's situation and parentage are now rather well-known, so it's not as if there's no precedence. The problem everyone will face is the legal law still lagging behind what Magecraft is capable of producing. Magically-intuned nations like Nihon and Hungary naturally have little problems, followed by historically-rich but magically-poor desperate superpowers like the ones in Europe (I listed them in a Glossary Update previously), then lastly are the 'backwater' nations still finding their way in the global playground.

For those of you who're curious, no, Izumo-no-Okuni won't be making a major appearance in this story. Interesting character, though, she is.

"Oh, welcome back."

- Fwip. Fwip. Fwip.

"Mh-mn. Thank you for your hospitality," Mai absentmindedly replied with an automated tone, her gaze not even looking at Tatsumi.

"Hmph. No fun. Are you not surprised?" He huffed, proudly showcasing his hereditary large raven wings characteristic of the tengu. "Or have you spied on my transformation before?" He ended with a teasing tone, but quickly dropped it once the girl was obviously not in the mood to play around.

"I've been travelling with your Great Ancestor over the past month; haven't you noticed? Don't you think it's something I've definitely seen before?" She sarcastically answered, tossing her outer wear along the way to her room. "Or perhaps you're not as smart as I hoped."

"Hey, that hurts."

- Fwip. Fwip. Fwip.

His protest didn't sound as convincing when he's still futilely flapping his wings, trying to get any kind of respectful reaction from the young kunoichi. However, the girl staggered back to her room through the garden-hugging corridor Tatsumi was greeting her from, perched atop a particularly ancient wide tree which was one of the centrepieces in said garden, obviously exhausted from her trip to Ming.

'Now, that won't do…' Tatsumi criticized his latest recruit.

Yes, they were closer than most, primarily because he still retained much of his humanity even after 'graduating' into the Mutsu Clan's Asura Apotheosis form – owing to his interactions with his favourite cousin – it also meant any weakness she showcased would reflect back on his standing among the Hyakki Yakō and Himiko's perception. The tiny Empress was intensely demanding, likely a by-product of the pressure she was subjected to since birth, and she extended this frustration equally to her family members, favourite or not.

He could care less about the former, but then his Great Ancestor wouldn't leave him alone with her nagging. Now that Kīchi's also returned, he'd restarted the ritualistic part of his training, one she insisted upon anyone chosen as the next family head as he'd need to perform duties as both priest and – heavens forbid – politics.

He could hear Muramasa's distinct voice repeating that word in his mind with a greater disdain than he would direct towards criminals. He agreed completely with his cousin about that, though he didn't share the redheaded blacksmith's ability to remain civil among those shit-spewing geezers whenever they're in a meeting together.

The fact his relationship with the Empress was now becoming an open secret among nobility probably helped, but not much. Kīchi would nag him again about Muramasa's ability to surround himself with the right women, who took the various annoying burdens away from him, and Tatsumi should follow suit and settle down soon, perhaps produce more than two heirs this time.

Only the memories of his departed wife stopped the ancient tengu from prodding further, knowing how their clan had a penchant for being monogamous to a fault. Thing was, with how the 'graduation' ceremony they'd adopted – and was clearly working up to now, with how strong he'd become – heirs would naturally die off, creating dangerous situations where more than one spare was advantageous, though fortunately their innate personal strength was powerful enough to escape those times again and again.

Who could replace his wife? Both in terms of attractiveness – though he'd be the first to admit he's horribly biased in this regard – and status? Not to mention Tora and Koma were no longer toddlers and could understand the next woman he brought home would never be their real mother? Also, what would Nobunaga think? Tatsumi might be personally stronger than the Princess General if she came at him personally, but the slight of having her own blood being replaced by… a normal woman, by all means, would be repaid several times over.

If that would come by way of Muramasa showing up himself as an embarrassed hitman… No, that was actually the only outcome Tatsumi'd be happy with. Anything else would be terrifying, knowing how good Nobunaga was at schemes.

Especially petty ones which would stay with him the rest of his life.

He shuddered when he thought about that possibility, and some black feathers floated down onto the ground as a result.

When he looked up, he saw his protégé had quietly snuck into her rooms, most likely faceplanting to her futon like most girls her age when they're dragged halfway across the continent to chase a pair of useless bureaucrats. Especially when said girl was travelling with, in all intents and purposes, three grannies who'd constantly talk and talk and talk until her ears fell off.

"You were thinking something rude about me, weren't you?"

"U-U-UUUWWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

- CRASH!

Tatsumi undignifiedly shouted in surprise, falling off his perch and landing with his ass on the ground. Once the shock passed in the next instant, the sight of his Great Ancestor looking down on him, her armoured crotch fully visible from his position.

Naturally, to him, this was the utmost uninteresting sight, which meant he regained his faculty very quickly, befitting the training he'd endured all these years. "O-Of course not! Y-You know I hold you in the h-highest regard a-always, Great Ancestor!"

"Hmph! You're as terrible a liar as always!" She hopped down far too quickly for him to react, heel-kicking the young man straight upside his head. He had to shut up to safeguard his tongue from self-harm as a result, which also led to additional chiding form the white-haired tengu. "I can see it in your face as always! To think you style yourself as Mai-chan's mentor…"

"Well, take her off my hands, then!" He yelled once the pain in his skull subsided. Seriously, how cold-blooded she must be to strike him down with a lethal technique just because he couldn't control his face?! "I didn't sign up for this! Neither to being your heir, either!"

"Do you want to say that to Himiko's face, then?" She glared back with even greater intensity. "Or your cousin who's worked so hard precisely so this empire can prosper autonomously? Have you thought about that?!"

The two of them paused, the strenuous activity of pointing out what's inside each other's heart proving to be quite taxing. Eventually, Tatsumi relented, mostly because he knew she was right in the end. "…just give me some space."

"Until when? You die?" Despite her sarcastic choice of words, Kīchi's tone was far softer now. "When will one of you accompany and replace me…? The tribulations of an immortal…"

A retort for that had been ready and forming in Tatsumi's mouth for quite some time, but he chose not to regurgitate it. "I'll do my best… Who knows, maybe one of my sons will choose that path."

"…and I'm sure you'll do nothing to encourage them, is that right?" She asked, eyes squinted.

He shrugged. "It's their life; their choice. I've already made mine."

"Seeing you assume the role of a gravekeeper grates me very much. Get over her already."

He growled. "Her name is Kohaku."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Do you think every single woman who married into our family makes their way into my memory? I remember her face, voice, temperament, and behaviour. That is enough."

A silent 'Want more?' travelled from her gaze to his, but he didn't take the bait. "Then you have no right form taking me away from her side."

"Boy…"

- Step.

"Kīchi-sama, your presence is required in the throne room," Kaede flickered into existence where Mai had just trudged through, Reinforcing her voice to reach across the garden without the need to rudely raise it. "Tatsumi-sama, need I remind you that you have a meeting in an hour?" She turned her attention to the messily-dressed man, still in his worn-out training clothes in contrast to his ancestor's gaudy outfit. "I shall excuse myself," she quickly concluded, though not before giving the man an annoyed glare at having to be his temporary secretary for a week.

Kīchi huffed, levelling a similar but much heavier glare at this 'useless' – relatively speaking – descendant of hers, before following suit and leaving him with his thoughts.

Both had a point – a fact two of them loathed to admit.

They had entered an era of such unprecedented harmony and prosperity for both human and yōkai, a pragmatic approach to how a noble line member lived their life was no longer necessary. Even Kīchi was affected by this, as her old self was the epitome of a culture championing 'might makes right', along with a bestial take on common sense in which both sides in a relationship had to bring something of equal physical value. Screw emotions. Could the male bring home food and protect his shelter? Could the female birth superior children and maintain the shelter?

But Kīchi had to admit this line of thought had long become obsolete, even during her own generation. The fact she authorized her younger sister's, Shizuka, marriage to that fool Yoshitsune was proof she could no longer maintain that strict and inhuman standards to everyone, where before no one dared question and challenge her decisions. The only disappointing thing was none of the following Mutsu children chose to pursue her ascetic life and gain immortality, by way of embracing their yōkai part to surpass humanity's limits. Most chose to follow their spouses and die as a mortal, despite her tengu blood and Conceptual Weight not thinning across generations. That was why the Mutsu Clan had stayed powerful across time: their genetic disposition to only meld the best traits from two species when conceiving children.

Nagging and pushing those youngsters only served to feed their own stubborn pride – another trait she regretfully passed down, intentionally bred for them to survive and succeed in the clan's intense, harsh training.

Those were what Tatsumi also understood, which was why he held his tongue numerous times during their various conversations and chose to avoid Kīchi entirely, instead of continuously antagonizing each other. Oh, how he wished she, too, understood his grief and emotions.

Perhaps it was because she never once took a permanent mate, but every time – this was confirmed by his father when his mother died of old age – there was a part of every Mutsu dying along with their partner. It wasn't noticeable at first because a few generations after Shizuka always ended in the Mutsu heir dying first, either via combat, sickness, or age-related issues, but with better healthcare and medical understanding, the naturally enhanced Mutsu members generally outlived their spouses. Because it's not something which impacted their strength, it was never brought to Kīchi's attention… which, admittedly now he'd thought about it, made it not as important as his dramatic rebuttals made it as.

The Hyakki Yakō had countless inactive members. Some were simply kept in reserve because their powers were too damaging to use unchecked, some were merely contracted allies who'd move under orders… and some were just plain lazy. Tatsumi spent most of his adult life floating between the latter two classifications, in contrast to Muramasa who was firmly in the first group – also why he's ranked at the top, because the lower-ranked members could simply shove Himiko to him when she's being particularly unreasonable.

Mostly, they stayed far from probing each other's personal backgrounds, knowing that: One, it's unnecessary; two, having dramatic confessions and requiring the solution to them were a hassle; three, they were too prideful to stoop to that extent. As a result, they did get along well as both friends and colleagues, but with a tacit understanding there were lines they couldn't cross with each other. Additionally, said 'line' was, more often than not, the keys to each of their Thaumaturgical Foundation, and thus a fatal secret. While there existed some trust none of them would betray one another, they couldn't exclude the fact outside interference might play and force a hand. Thus, a certain distance was the safest bet against all possibilities.

Both Mutsu members knew all the aforementioned facts to be true, yet incompatible all the same.

Shaking his head at the two women's treatment of him, he dusted himself off from the blades of grass and dried leaves on his clothes, silently pondering the future for both him and his sons.

After informing her 'superior' of his duties, Kaede stomped around angrily as she went about her current daily task. Well, as 'angrily' as a quiet, stealthy, well-trained kunoichi could get, which was roughly about as loud as a normally-timid servant's steps. Lately, her assignments had grown more and more… mundane, and her mood had gone down with them.

Strangely so, because she distinctly remembered telling herself never to chase glory and meaningless victories, and instead prioritizing the mission or her life. Both, if possible.

Still, empty self-promises all-too-easily crumbled when faced with the reality, especially when it's dangling and posturing in front of her.

First, she was looked over in the selection of the Named Ones. Not entirely surprising once she saw how good the eventual members were, but still miffed both Chiyome and Danzō passed her name without hesitation. Next, as Nobunaga grew busier and busier, Kaede was increasingly tasked by dealing with small but crucial missions, away from her usual whoring around or snooping around dark alleys for information and potential interests. At the very least, letting those disgusting old men and lonely widows worship her body was somewhat amusing and flattering – a far contrast from the depressing boredom she now often experienced every single day while looking after internal affairs.

Everybody hated internal affairs officers, especially those with shinobi training instead of simply administrative ones. While Kaede was sure none of the Oda Clan retainers had anything to hide from Nobunaga, or was a traitor, her reputation instantly nosedived when she was sent to collect their papers and interviewing them with suspicious undertones. Her lack of real friendship among the more mundane members also didn't help, even though they knew she meant well and they had nothing to fear from her.

This new 'job' also meant her leisure time spent lounging around in Gifu Castle's main kitchen, where Ken and Natsu – the closest thing to 'friends' she had – usually spent their time. The tall and broad-shouldered man was recently promoted to head chef, since his position as field chef was, funnily enough, taken over by the much more highly-ranked Muramasa, while Natsu's job in the Sengo Workshop had quieted down lately due to the increased automation of the forging process. Of course, there's no way the current-top blacksmithing compound would ever abandon its traditional ways and fully adopt Nanban's soulless mass-producing techniques, but there were elements Muramasa was incorporating to increase both safety and productivity for his workers. Additionally, his twin younger sisters were more than capable enough to work without much help, leading to Natsu being bored out of her mind at times.

Ironic, seeing Kaede shared her predicament while moving from place-to-place, office-to-office, increasingly burdened by more menial tasks, such as being the Hyakki Yakō's minder and throwing her job description out of whack.

The uproar in having the Ashikaga siblings' head displayed proudly in the Imperial Castle's main receiving hall only increased her workload, having also to lead and conduct the security detail of that particular viewing event alongside her current tasks. Nothing untoward ultimately happened, but her nerves were frayed from the tension, which lead to an uncivilized angry roar when she found out some Hyakki Yakō members intercepted the would-be instigators and executed them without her knowledge. Not because they were innocent, but at the very least, she wished to be present to amuse herself with their pleas for mercy.

…alright, if she was, they wouldn't get any because of her inherent kunoichi training insisting upon efficient death instead of prolonged torture, but a girl could dream, no? She wasn't originally this sadistic, but boredom could drive even the staunchest monk insane.

Boredom also allowed her to know herself better, who turned out to be a much more complex character than the person she perceived herself as.

Before, she styled herself much the same as her classmates: a loyal shinobi, obedient to their masters and missions, striking emotionlessly but cautiously from the dark. She always drove herself to be 'above' others… only for now, in her adult years, to realize she'd been desperately climbing the wrong mountain.

The signals were minute at first. She had thought her leaders, Chiyome and Danzō, could have so many freedoms outside the rulebooks and… some eccentricities because they were powerful. Because the two Kages had observed the 'spirit' of the laws, Kaede assumed she could gain the same privileges if she continued on this path, growing endlessly until she reached their realm.

But she was looking at it upside-down.

Those two women chased and hoarded power because they refused to give up on their selfish attributes, so they could live unbothered in a society increasingly tightening around people like them. Oh, it's certainly far better than the times before the Heian Period, but it's palpably going back in that direction. They weren't abusing their power, but grew more powerful so what they're abusing wasn't called abuse.

Confusing, yes. Desirable? Also yes.

And that's not even coming close to discussing what the two women granted the Named Ones. Seriously, those bunch of psychopaths should be their target, and not allies. Certainly not family, as Chiyome often insisted. The group members always made a face like they disagreed, but couldn't bring themselves to open their mouth, and thus went along with it and hoped the small woman would give that notion up in due time.

Then, their de facto leader Hisui got infected by the same bug, and they were trapped forever in a vicious cycle of melodramatic feelings and heart and emotions they couldn't get out of. At least Danzō was often at hand to calm them down with her presence, though it's not like she didn't have familial issues of her own.

'Ah, yes, the Fūma…' she grumbled internally. Yet another job she had to actively take care not to self-explode. That piece of barely-contained Oedipus bomb was certainly a handful to handle, notwithstanding its hopelessly hopeful young leader. 'Honestly, at his age, he should be looking at other girls with the same intensity he gives his mother…'

It was an eerily accurate description, since Muramasa – a man she looked up to, among a few – gave a lot of hints he personally knew the mythological figure, but Kaede chalked it up to some sort of advanced shamanism ability. Considering how powerful he was and how often Chiyome herself used Divination to aid her shinobi duties, the leap in logic wasn't hard to make. She hadn't confirmed this with the man, since he's busy building a business empire somewhere with Mitsuhide – yet another pile of paperwork she's already dreading – but she's quite sure of this fact.

Hopefully she could fool the higher-ups into having an actual politician work on this, instead of a makeshift one like her. Preferably, Himiko would get involved, but Kaede knew better than trying to manipulate the Empress in any shape or form. Aside from her intent would be extremely easy to detect by the Hyakki Yakō, which would end in her getting torn to pieces just for having the gall to think about that, she realized the little girl was cleverer and a great deal more powerful than the kunoichi, despite the disparity in age and subsequent gap in life experience.

The third reason was… she was too lazy to dip her toes even further into this cesspit of politics, now she had a taste of it. She wanted the glory of being a prominent shinobi, however counterproductive and hypocritical it was, but not the responsibility which naturally came to a person of that stature. She's more than willing to put in the work, but couldn't stomach the fact the 'reward' wasn't optional. Self-contradictory? Yes. Satisfying? Also yes.

The Fūma, despite her antagonistic thoughts about them, had been well-behaved so far. Too much so for her liking, because she'd love for nothing more than them making a ruckus so she had a reason to kick them back to the Hōjō Clan, preferably with a massive monetary dispensation in exchange.

'…damn, I'm already thinking like a politician…' she self-criticized.

In any case, having to endure that many longing looks towards a single woman – admittedly a very gorgeous one – would grate on anyone's hospitality. Nobunaga didn't even have much use for them, seeing Owari's information network had matured impressively over the past year and required no further input from any established ninja clan, so she simply let them loiter around as a show of force. Ujiyasu didn't seem to have the appetite or urgency to call them back, sensing there's no need to welcome a drain on resources while times were marching towards ultimate peace.

Despite her disdain on less physically-oriented leaders in general, Kaede could respect anyone intelligent enough to realize fighting 'Tenka Fubu' was futile. Ujiyasu, ever the opportunist, didn't even have to break the Tripartite as she still had some leeway to dance around the letter of the law, making both Kagetora and Kenshin hesitant to stop Nobunaga as well. With the white-haired Dragon of Echigo clearly having more interest in fighting Muramasa again instead of all-out warfare, the northern border was relatively safe.

Relative, since Shingen was enough of a problem on her own. The same hesitancy preventing Owari from fighting three domains at once also shackled Nobunaga's intention to expand northwards, her relationship with the Date Princess General notwithstanding. That small northern prefecture was strong enough to be a factor, yes, but nowhere near enough to be directly useful to Nobunaga, aside from providing a lot of comic relief when Masamune visited occasionally.

Not a word would get out, but that's actually the reason why Owari's and the Buddhist temples' relationship was actually quite good. Laughter wasn't forbidden in the sacred texts, so Nobunaga's and Masamune's tsun-tsun skit became extremely popular once Kennya and Kyonya saw it first-hand. Soon, it spread across the temples, and the fact the Princess Generals took it in stride – in exchange for cooperation and occasional military assistance, of course – endeared them to the religious, even if the two's lenience towards Nanban beliefs was well-known.

One could even consider it an advantage. It's hard to take someone seriously when they were the main characters in a gag noh performance, making it easy to simply march up their opponents' face with a drawn sword and gun before defeating them soundly.

This one step would be followed by many, incorporating Nanban tales in front of Nihon audience and vice versa, so to foster a strong, intimate relationship only humour could provide. Nothing speaks to camaraderie like getting drunk while laughing one's ass off, tears freely streaming down their faces and heart beating to the point of near-death, before the exhausted audience feast and party once more, repeating the viciously positive cycle.

A brilliantly subtle yet obvious ploy, one which couldn't be stopped just because the opponents knew about it. It's much harder to keep one's laughter down against tickle torture compared to pure pain. Of course, it's not like Nobunaga was actively endorsing this activity – she still had her dignity as nobility, after all – but woe would it be if she didn't take advantage of it.

Personally, Kaede wouldn't be able to think of this plot precisely because there's too much of her mind still stuck in the old ways. Even the inclusion of the humour genre into plays and street performances had been relatively new, having long been since as a degrading and punishing role instead of an art form. While there's no chance Nobunaga would perform herself for the second time, the deed was done and she was harvesting its fruits… though don't say it like that in front of Masamune, the unstable little kid.

Their relationship was best kept under confusion and rumours, since outright denial or constant suppression would've made the secret more scandalous at exactly the wrong moment. Therefore, they always had plausible deniability if the expected political marriage didn't happen. The only thing unheard of about any of this was the level of politics involved, since no powerful daimyō of the same sex ever joined in the holy union and merge their territories together. Homosexuality was never outright banned or publicly looked down upon, since even the gods indulged in it and other various ever-depraved relationships, so who were they to look down on it?

Yes, Nobunaga's current polygamous relationship might complicate things, but that, too, was more because of her status as the third wife in the relationship, below someone many perceive as socially and politically on the lower rung of nobility. Usually, at the very least, the public arrangement should be just so – the people wouldn't care about what a harem's real structure was like apart from some gossips – but Nobunaga insisted it to be this way. And because she's quickly growing into Nihon's most powerful warlord, not many dared open their mouths to outright criticize her.

Apart from Masamune, it seemed. There's a conspicuously large section of today allocated to the Date Princess General, since Kaede had predicted quite a considerable shouting match happening between Nobunaga and this alleged blonde lover of hers. The kunoichi wondered the cost wasted to escort Masamune back and forth from her domain to… wherever she damned well pleased to go, since her caretaker, the buxom Portuguese nun, had been busied with the political clusterfuck her fellow missionaries had recently conducted against Nihon. The little Princess General would've been forced to take the long way around, since her clout wasn't strong enough to be granted any form of free passage or special privilege from the Tripartite, especially since her 'good' relationship with Owari had now become common knowledge, true or not.

'Oh, I'm lost again,' she silently remarked. Because the imperial Castle was comprised of several dimensional pockets stitched together with [Space] and [Time] Magecraft, if one was mindlessly trudging through it without being keyed in to the wards, this happened often even when the person in question had spent a long time in this place. 'Have to find help…'

Regardless of the individual intention, the only way for her to be redirected to the proper destination was to shamefully call out for assistance like a little child. It was a running gag which no one among the people working here would let go for like, ever, owing to the long-lived nature of most present.

Fortunately, when she was just about to stupidly raise her hand, someone she knew very well popped out of the corner, carrying a stacked hamper in each hand.

"Muramasa-sama! Pleasure to meet you here!" Kaede instantly chirped up and rushed towards him, her geisha training under his wife instinctively coming through first instead of a more… measured approach. "May I help you with that?"

Instead of being aroused, surprised, or annoyed, the redhead minutely smiled in that ever-calm expression he seemingly always sported, even on the battlefield. "That will entail pulling you farther than wherever you're going. Aren't you going to be arranging something with Himiko? I'm heading out myself."

"Ah, it's for a simple thing I can delay. Please, I insist," she sternly replied, hand stretched to take at least one of the bamboo hampers from him. Seeing his eyebrows finally rising in amusement, she finally gave up and told him her real intention. "I need a break from all this… nonsense."

He shrugged, but his body language didn't outright reject her company. The two of them started walking at the same time – Muramasa forwards, Kaede turning around to match the man's stride. She was tall for a Nihon woman, but he was ridiculously tall for a human male, so she was rushing to keep up. "Be mindful these are far from the usual personality profiles you study. They're not fully humans, after all." He paused, reminded of something, before hastily correcting, "That includes me, too."

"I think that's a very inaccurate description," she riposted, still trying to flatter him. It was done purely as a man-woman courting ritual, since she knew nothing she said or did now up to the near future would change her standing in Chiyome's or Danzō's evaluation. "It has nothing to do with race, but a desire for understanding each other. Some simply deliberately put forth far less effort than others," she ended with a huff.

In any other era or clan, a jōnin of her capability would certainly hold a high internal rank. She was in dilemma whether she's fortunate or unfortunate being this close to the centre of power such standard simply didn't apply and was far from adequate. For instance, a regular intelligence veteran would've been long retired from the front lines, serving as either instructors to new recruits or advisors to a leader, such as Mai's home village… but here she was, still running errands like she was still a genin.

"How long do you think this situation will go on?"

"Can you be more specific?" Muramasa asked.

Kaede paused, before continuing, "How long until we can go all-out in public with our shinobi force? I get the need to distance ourselves from the Minamoto Clan, but I feel our preparation is good enough we can take the bold first step in front of everybody's eyes."

"Oh, we're already past that point. Hasn't Chiyome briefed you on that?"

The bombshell did, indeed, make her steps stop dead. "…no. So I was right in feeling stuck in place for too long."

He kept on walking, not turning back, but she could sense his attempt to calm her down with a quiet smile. "She's just busy. I'm sure you are tasked with things crucial to our effort as well…"

"Such as babysitting your cousin?"

"That is a task as grave as any," he joked, though it fell rather flat because his tone didn't change in the slightest. "Besides, I'm in favour of having you here – someone I can trust in this volatile environment."

She snorted. "Hmph! Please don't flatter me," she hypocritically said, having attempted to do the same to him just earlier, "Don't tell me the Named Ones are actually on vacation and not on life-threatening missions compared to me. I know you have no hand in this, but please, just let me know the truth."

"But I am being honest," he admitted. "Like it or not, you are an extended member of my forge, as you're friends with Natsu. You know me; I'd hate it if someone I know is sad because you're dead. Thus, my answer to you."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

She grumbled, "Grr… Anything actually related to my actual job, then?"

"You'll have to ask Chiyome; I think she has a lot of free time these days because she has to recuperate from her previous battle," he evaded the question masterfully, before swiftly changing the topic, "How do you think Tatsumi's newest student performs? I assume they'll butt heads with one another, but it seems they're getting along quite well…"

Kaede sighed. "Only you can call that kind of interaction 'getting along', Muramasa-sama…"

"I always consider bickering to be part of friendship. After all, how many mortal enemies have you seen who're happily chatting about for any length of time – certainly longer than the time they spent trying to kill each other?" He explained. "Even I prefer to keep my mouth shut when faced with someone I don't like, and let my hands do the talking."

"Ha! So you have someone you don't like?! Now, that's news!" She mocked, though careful not to overstep her boundaries. He was, after all, her boss in many ways. "I shall share this fact with the maids so I can extort some favours from them."

"You've been spending too much time with my wife, I see," he drily commented. "Please take it easy on me."

"For someone who can't give what I want, you sure are brazen to ask for grave things, Muramasa-sama," she replied sarcastically. "But to answer your question from my perspective… I don't think Mai's suited to join."

The main function of the Imperial Castle's room-changing feature was… so the Empress didn't get bored of the same ol' room day after day. Himiko was much more mature than her age, yes, but it's not like she'd completely shed off any trace of childish immaturity. Knowing what would happen if she turned into a mindless and heartless ruler, her immediately family also indulged in these little perks of hers.

It also made finding her whenever she didn't want to be found – i.e. most of the time – incredibly difficult. Good for protection and defence, yes, but horrible for ease of communication and administrative streamlining.

Still, Senjū-dōji easily strolled into the room Himiko's currently using, at times using a shortcut, at times knowingly taking the scenic route, at times bulldozing through several illusory walls. "Where did you find the girl? I do not think she is suitable."

The Empress was lying spread-eagled across the floor as slovenly as possible, her usually-immaculate miko garb dishevelled and lacking its pristine shine. The latter typically came from the maids' insistence every piece of clothing must be perfectly washed at all times regardless of Himiko's schedule, so clearly she's been avoiding their hands – the offending limbs much more insistent and unavoidable than Senjū-dōji's usage of them.

The small girl – smaller, to be more precise – replied without opening her eyes, "Not even for the 100th rank? I think she has great potential."

"Well, this time, your senses have fooled you," the white-themed yōkai answered. "She is perfectly competent among our humanoid forces, perhaps ranking near the top, but a touch below the standards of Hyakki Yakō." Senjū-dōji sat down beside Himiko's head, adding, "We are not so strapped of manpower to de desperately admitting every single person who showcased unfulfilled promise, Heika."

The fact she reverted back to royal honorifics meant this was a serious matter, despite Senjū-dōji soothing voice.

The yōkai was able to locate this girl so quickly because of the [Fate] connection the two shared through Himiko's mother, who was the person responsible to transform Senjū-dōji's previous self into this yōkai form to save her life. Hence, she saw the Empress as somewhat of a niece, though their similar size made it difficult for outsiders to believe this familial claim. Even compared to Muramasa, whom Himiko cherished the most, Senjū-dōji spent more time by her side than the gallivanting blacksmith, who was busy running around despite his insistence he's a homebody underneath all that muscle and swords.

It amused her how quickly she grew so powerful, vaulting over yōkai who'd lived for centuries, if not millennia, who were the examples of how the world granted power along with age. While surprised at the lack of resistance and antagonism she faced when she was human if this happened then, she was under no illusion had a few other yōkai were still in service, she'd be quite far from the top. Most of them had retreated back to the Reverse Side of the World, waiting for enough rebound in Mystery to sustain their continued suppressed presence, but some of them were powerful and careless enough to continually challenge the universe, actively working on said rebound instead of passively waiting over it, like Shuten-dōji and Tomoe.

As such, she was burdened with the role of #1, which also meant at times lending her shoulder for Himiko to complain towards. It's not too demanding because of the aforementioned closeness between them, but she sure did wish there were replacements in certain times such as this.

For sure, this wasn't the worst news she'd ever brought to Himiko's attention. The combination of the weariness of travel – Ming's Texture wasn't too accepting to Japanese Phantasmal Species; also the reason why she let Mai do most of the work over there – and the constant need to be vigil because they had a newbie among their group drained her of her usual mental fortitude.

One would think having initiated several macabre massacres with her own hands would grant her some kind of mental immunity from most things, but apparently – as was the case with most people – jetlag wasn't included in the packet. Especially when going not just from one time zone to another, but also mythical Texture. Ming's was nowhere near as powerful as Nihon… but it probably made it worse when they entered Lian's colleague's 'lair': a mountain so steeped in Mystery it was suitable for a literal zhenren to stay and cultivate. Perhaps the Temple construction came naturally and she just moved in, or she created it over time, but the chronological relationship was of no interest to Senjū-dōji.

All she wanted was sleep. Interesting thoughts and internal revelations could come later.

'If only this girl can speed up with her thoughts…' the white yōkai lamented. 'I do not blame her, but…'

Himiko did have an entire empire to think about, after all. It's not like every single casual information could be interpreted literally and simply – most times, even the most innocuous rumour could become the most crucial bit of advantage she could abuse to triumph over the most overbearing of enemies.

Fr example, how easily it was to run down the Ashikaga brats, despite Himiko's insistence this would be a hard job and repeatedly nagged them to be precise about it. Senjū-dōji was under no illusion the entire trip was perhaps divined and scried ahead of time by the Empress, obsessively controlled and monitored so her political opponents had no chance even against normal pursuers. Naturally, then, she sent three of her most powerful killers to make sure the job was done. Only Lian was paramount to the operation owing to her familiarity with the local language and culture, but even she was a risk since she hadn't been home in more than a millennium.

Mai was probably an afterthought.

Regarless, Senjū-dōji had to give her evaluations.

"Did she have any reaction or comment on the way there?" Himiko finally slurred out, her posture still having no intention to right herself up.

"About what?"

"About Kyo-san."

"Who on earth is- You mean the kasha driving us to the port?!" The white yōkai stiffened with shock as the name of some low-level Hyakki Yakō member flashed through her head. "That is why she looks so familiar! She has exited…?!"

"Yes. Retired to be married, or some other reason. I found a good human with great compatibility for her to serve as a Guardian Spirit for this next part of her life… which turns out to be Mai." Himiko's eyes glazed over with sleepiness. "Didn't the girl also have a sword with the same name? I thought it's a fitting match right there."

"You… have the strangest Divination method sometimes." Suddenly growing suspicious, Senjū-dōji frowned. "Are you abusing Yata-no-Kagami to that extent?"

"To cheat? Of course. How else do you think a child like me can keep her throne?" Himiko asked back matter-of-factly. "I'm merely asking you to give both I and Mai one more chance, just for data's sake."

"Data collection?"

The girl scoffed, using a tone far more mature and much deeper than she's supposed to be able to produce. "Can't produce a conclusion from a sample set of one, Senjū-dōji."

The two spent several minutes in silence, both trying to outthink the other and have the satisfaction of the last impactful word. Alas, despite the yōkai's edge in life experience, she was no match for one of Nihon's Three Regalia, with its millennia's worth of knowledge.

"…I shan't interfere with Tatsumi-kun's mentorship," she declared, displeased to find nothing but verbal dead-ends no matter how hard she tried.

"That's fine. I'm not going to ask you for that in the first place." Finally, the Empress deigned this occasion worthy to correct her posture and actually sat up to properly face her adoptive 'aunt'. "You are placed beside Mai to break her, if need be."

- Clack. Clack. Clack.

It was a familiar sound to Tokimaru, especially recently.

The former village head's health had taken a turn for the worse, much faster than anyone anticipated. Currently, he had to use a cane as a walking assist, when not even half a year ago he was still as spry as he was a decade prior, when both his mentors were still genins trying to prove their worth to the world.

And he… Hang on, what exactly was he doing all those years ago? Being a simple farmer's kid, living such a simple life his mind had erased it from his memories? How mundane…

'No, seriously, I can't really remember…'

Hopefully it wasn't because of the new transformation skill he'd just mastered.

- Clack.

The sound of steel-tipped cane halted in front of the door he's guarding from the other side, letting the boy know a knock and entry request were forthcoming.

"Ai, I'm coming in," a middle-aged voice echoed from beyond the thin paper door.

Rather pointless, really – all Kage could sense anyone approaching carelessly from literally a mile away, regardless of their actual strength. It was the culmination of their shinobi experience which granted all of them their title across the ages, and while their village was comparatively weak when facing the great shinobi clans, but a leader was someone to be respected for their influence and hard work to get to their point in life, if not for their power outright.

The second reason why what the man did was pointless was purely because Ai did not want to see him. At all.

It seemed her hatred of him grew by the day, in accordance to how weak he's becoming daily.

If it were some other coupling, Tokimaru might've suspected foul play. There's plenty of kinjutsu and orthodox spells to curse and harm someone's lifeblood, to the point cases regarding this was no longer handled by how it's done, but why instead. There's no way to accurately pinpoint what kind of sorcery was done owing to the innumerable variations, and thus establishing motives, abilities, and chances became increasingly crucial. For example, there's plenty of circumstantial evidence suggesting his current Kage had indeed cursed her predecessor, inadvertently or not, clear by the enmity she displayed towards him after she was chosen for her position, and her twin sister left the village.

But circumstantial would never make a case, especially since Tokimaru believed Ai wasn't the type to devolve into such pettiness. She might hate her uncle for his decisions, but she was a professional through-and-through. Crippling an able-bodied Kage-level shinobi would simply harm the village's efforts and standings in Nihon, resulting in a downward spiral of lacking missions, money, resources, then bodies to nurture. Besides, the two were the highest-placed politicians in the village right now, and since neither made a fuss about it, the lower-ranked shinobis couldn't act on their feelings based on flimsy evidences alone.

Wordlessly, after much contemplation and without any verbal confirmation from Ai, Tokimaru slid the door he's guarding open. "I do not think this is a good idea, sir."

"Is she still refusing to see anyone out of spite?" He asked, laced with a heavy dose of disappointed and sad sigh.

"She politely requested you to 'get on with the times' the last time I heard her speak," he answered, deliberately changing the… explosive words Ai actually used. He might respect her feelings for the older man, but his own respect for the person who essentially provided for everything he needed when he was adopted into the shinobi clan was a smidge higher. Enough to agree on opening the second door in front of them now – to Ai's personal chamber – if the previous Kage asked. "Still, do you not think it's better to delay things? With how fast everything's going… we may miss a better chance if we do it at this pace."

The man heartily laughed, ruffling the boy's hair as he was seated formally during his guard duty. It did strain his legs a touch, but not much. "Ahahaha! No need to be so polite to me. Tell me, how many minutes she spent cursing me? Verbally and literally, of course."

Despite his good relationship with the younger boy and his jovial tone, Tokimaru stayed silent and impassive at his questioning, trying his best not to let any more hidden thought through.

The boy seemed intent on playing this staring game, which would be counterproductive to what his goal in coming here was. It was still the same as a few months ago – namely, mend his relationship with his niece… or attempting to for the umpteenth time – to the point everyone in the village knew about their fracture.

After almost a minute wasted in silence, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll just come when there's no you around, then, Tokimaru-kun. Be well and vigilant."

The boy's eye twitched asymmetrically at the veiled threat of trespassing, but on account of who the old man was, he let it slide. Bowing in silence, he ushered his taller counterpart away and slide the door shut.

The former Kage shook his head in disappointment all the way back to his quarters. All he wanted was to console her about the marriage she's about to enter, because for all intents and purposes, she and the entire village were finally getting sold off because of the political and economical climate.

'And to think the candidate would be the esteemed young master from Fūma…' he mused, not knowing what the future would now hold in store for them.