Fujiwara no Saisai had once been a genius go board attendant renowned throughout Heian-kyo. Every day, the noble young go player only needed to wear a spotless white kariginu, and guide the emperor and nobles on the board, with all his grace and elegance in the light sway of a bat fan.
Such a him, apart from his go skill, had no other means of making a living, and apart from the way of go, had no other thing he was attached to. After leaving the capital bearing the stigma of cheating, his life ended himself in cold water.
However, Sai’s soul did not disperse just like that. It only drifted blankly with the corpse in the endless icy black river…… until it was taken into the arms of the girl’s slender hands.
An unknown princess collected his remains, and the ghost that could not rest finally obtained a trace of peace.
If he could control his own actions, Fujiwara no Sai would surely suppress the sour yet warm throbbing in his heart and return by the side of the wild peach tree. However, at the moment the girl pulled him out of the water and struggled to carry him on her back, his soul could no longer restrain itself from following beside her.
He wanted to get close to her, wanted to thank her, wanted to cry and speak…
But dead souls could not touch the living.
He could only, in a daze, stubbornly follow behind the princess, watching her, day and night without pause, walk step by step through the barren mountains and wild lands full of ghosts and monsters. Countless frightening demons turned into warm, glowing light at her fingertips, and human beings who had died tragically had their resentment disperse after she passed, and went on to rebirth as Buddhas.
Was she a miko lady who practiced hard asceticism?
But even the most praised onmyoji for kindness and compassion was not as steadfast and gentle as she was.
Fujiwara no Sai had never seen the princess properly rest. Her steps did not stop for even a moment, and her frail body seemed to be walking as if burning through her life.
She seemed like a child of the gods born from heaven and earth, roaming alone for the sufferings of the world. She never indulged herself, nor did she eat rich meat. When hungry, she ate wild fruit; when thirsty, she cupped stream water and drank dew; she even had almost no sleep… only occasionally closing her eyes and leaning against the rocks, listening to the tinkling of the spring water, as if that were already an extremely luxurious rest.
In this unrighteous human world, there was actually such a saint, trying to smooth away every wrinkle of suffering.
Perhaps even that nameless corpse floating in the river was gently placed by her in some corner of her heart.
Fujiwara no Sai watched all of this, but could not offer her any help.
His hands, which once only knew how to pinch the black and white go stones, learned to fan a bat fan for her, trying to drive away the sweltering heat of summer; sometimes he would also pick up a fallen leaf, wanting to shield the sunlight before her eyes. When exorcising monsters, he would also clumsily try to stand in front of her, to shield her from harm.
Even though he knew full well that he was only doing useless work, seeing the expression on her face when she silently gazed at the dead… Fujiwara no Sai still could not control himself, and wanted to do something for her.
If only the princess could be happy… even if only for a moment.
Everything he did was completely useless, but perhaps it was not completely meaningless.
One afternoon after trekking for three straight days and nights, the girl beautiful to the point of seeming like a dream leaned under a tree and dozed. When Sai tried to use his fan to block the sunlight for her, he heard her gentle voice:
“…Is that you?”
The genius go player’s hand holding the fan trembled, and he lowered his head to look at her.
The miko did not open her eyes, but Fujiwara no Sai felt that he was being looked at intently and sincerely, as if an old friend of many years had gently taken the hand he had extended.
“I did sense it. You were the one keeping watch by my side all along… thank you.”
A quiet smile rested on her pure white face.
“I am Hoshi.”
Hoshi.
He savored this name in his heart. Eagerly wanting to respond to her, he choked out his own name.
“Sai, I am Fujiwara no Sai…”
But the girl lying under the tree could hear nothing.
…
It was another den of ghosts.
The shikigami car妖怪 that had sped thousands of miles finally came to a slow stop. When the onmyoji wearing an eboshi and a kariginu lifted the curtain of the carriage to look, the target of his trip had already vanished without a trace, turning into countless soft points of light in the dim night, having actually been guided away.
He stepped down from the carriage, walked around the shadows of the trees, and saw a slender figure. The girl knelt half-way before the corpse, slender fingers伸出 from the thin white robe, gently closing the dead person’s eyes. Her long black hair hung down like a waterfall, winding across the ground, yet not stained with a speck of dust.
Resentment turned into golden points of light rising around her, like fireflies under the moon.
Hearing the sound, she turned her head, and a pair of clear, boundless eyes looked over, instantly leaving one speechless.
— Miko Hotaru Hime.
Abe no Seimei thought of that rumor.
Recently, such news had spread from the mountains and wilds: there was a beautiful miko dressed in white, with hair like a black waterfall, always running to lands filled with demons and evil, saving all living beings. No one knew this benefactor’s name, as if she were a goddess born of heaven and earth. People saw that wherever she passed, golden points of light would rise, as if she came stepping on fireflies, so they called her Hotaru Hime.
He had not expected that the princess would actually be such a princess of heaven and earth’s colors.
He had once also been curious about what the golden light in the rumor was, and even thought it was an exaggeration by the world. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, the thick resentment actually dispersed so easily under her touch, turning into light of rebirth and Buddha.
Yet such a person was actually entangled by a dead soul.
“Princess, there is something ghostly by your side… do you need me to help you with it?”
The onmyoji, carrying himself with lofty elegance, smiled lightly, and the hand holding the fan lifted, seeming about to release onmyoji arts.
And the girl who met his gaze instead showed a panicked expression, actually rushing forward and forcefully grabbing his hand.
“No–”
Abe no Seimei widened his eyes.
As the delicate skin came into contact with his fingers, Abe no Seimei was drowned by countless voices.
“Thank you.”
“…Finally, I’m free.”
“Thank you.”
“He is there too…”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore, thank you…”
…
“Please, you must be happy…”
“…Goodbye.”
What came through the hands clasped together was an extremely complex and vast emotion, sour, joyful, relieved, sad, warm, wanting to cry… the thoughts and gratitude of countless people she had guided away, all poured into his empty, void heart at the moment their skin touched.
Behind the girl’s beautiful figure, Seimei vaguely saw countless golden human silhouettes, the souls that had already become Buddhas, silently speaking their thanks.
…
Fujiwara no Sai recognized Abe no Seimei, this great onmyoji of Heian-kyo who was held in awe and fear.
When he was looked at by Abe no Seimei’s calm gaze, Sai thought that this stolen time was finally going to end too.
When the onmyoji raised his hand and pointed it at him, the first thought that surfaced in his heart was not the stigma that had made him so grief-stricken before death, and not even the “hand of god” he had not yet grasped… but the princess.
…She still had not learned his name.
At the final moment, Sai turned back, wanting to look at her once more.
But the girl rushed up in panic, her white sleeves lifting in the air like a bird flapping its wings: “No–”
“He has not hurt anyone, please do not exorcise him!”
The go player’s movement paused, and he even forgot about the onmyoji’s existence, only staring blankly at her.
Princess… actually wanted to protect him?
The onmyoji, who had frozen after being grabbed by the hand, seemed to finally come back to himself.
For a moment Abe no Seimei was even somewhat out of control, and with difficulty he gripped the girl’s hand tightly. Even though this loss of control lasted only for a brief instant, it exposed his rather unsettled heart.
Fortunately, the girl and the ghost in front of him had both fallen into their own thoughts and did not notice his失态.
Abe no Seimei unobtrusively relaxed his body, and with his other hand gently covered the girl’s hand, smiling in a comforting way: “Princess need not worry. I am the onmyoji of Kyoto, Abe no Seimei. I am only here to subdue demons and monsters, and have no intention of involving the innocent… what is more, I also have some understanding of Fujiwara-kun’s character.”
“Fujiwara…”
The girl finally let down her guard at his words, and at this point repeated somewhat blankly the surname he had spoken, not even noticing that her own hands were still being held in the man’s.
She can see curses, but not spirit bodies…
Abe no Seimei lowered his eyes and silently gazed at her. No matter how he looked, there was no trace of spiritual power on her. At first glance she looked like an ordinary person with no abilities, but “zero spiritual power” itself was the greatest abnormality.
He was carefully thinking it over in his heart, while on his face he softly sighed: “That spirit body who has always been following by your side is a go player from the Fujiwara family in Kyoto. I too once caught a glimpse of Fujiwara-kun’s former brilliance, but I never expected that when I see you again, it would be in such a scene…”
“As for the other party’s name, I think it would be better for Fujiwara-kun to tell you in person.”
The onmyoji with red hair and snow-white skin raised his hand, lightly brushing by her ear, and Sakurai Hoshi sensed something different.
“…I can only do this much. But at least, princess can hear Fujiwara-kun’s voice now.”
[Abe no Seimei has applied a technique to you. 【Sakurai Hoshi】 can now hear the voice of souls.]
The player was shocked. So this is the ability of a big-shot Heian-kyo onmyoji?
A slightly trembling voice came from beside her ear.
“Sai, I am Fujiwara no Sai–” The go player’s soul had already come to her side, tightly gripping the folding fan in his hand, unable to care about the black hat that had gone crooked, his eyes fixed on her almost to the point of tears, “Hoshi-hime… my name is–”
“Sai (Sai)–”
The miko opened her pure eyes, and the gently beautiful lips and tongue simply pronounced his name, making the go player unable to stop a choked sound from escaping, his eyes burning hot.
The name that had not received a response then was finally spoken from her mouth at this moment.
She still could not see Sai’s appearance. Merely hearing his voice, she smiled and said, “At last… I know your name.”
“…I’m sorry, at that time, Sai must have also said it to me, right? I just couldn’t respond to your feelings… From now on I will always remember it, Sai.”
“Thank you very much, Abe-sama… I will keep this kindness in my heart.”
The refined and elegant go player could no longer restrain himself, and could only barely use the folding fan to cover the tears on his face.
“Abe-sama… being able to hear Hoshi-hime speak my name, I really, really thank you…”
Abe no Seimei listened to the go player’s sourness, joy, and moved emotion constantly surging in his heart, and felt the warm current coming from the girl’s hand, lowering his eyes with a smile.
“It was nothing.”
Author’s note: Saying Abe no Seimei, and here he comes?
The Heian era can be enjoyed together with the new cover art.
Thank you to the little angels who threw in mines or irrigated nutrients for me during 2022-11-08 21:53:41~2022-11-09 15:25:32!
Thanks to the little angel -w- for throwing in 1 rocket launcher;
Thanks to the little angel Yao Si for throwing in 3 landmines;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Xiaolilili 50 bottles; Wanhuagu strongest disciple 41 bottles; April 40 bottles; BOWHSQ 30 bottles; Jie-ge, your eyes are really very small, Weather is so nice 20 bottles; 44925452 10 bottles; Clear wind accompanied by wine, Ruo Zui, Time Far 5 bottles; Qinglan, Yingying 1 bottle;
Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!