The night breeze brushed by gently.
Below the stone steps, Kaede could faintly be heard being urged home by her parents.
“Hurry up, let’s go!
It’s already dark and you’re still running wild outside!”
“But that big brother is really good-looking…”
“What big brother?
That’s a yōkai!
Stay away from him!”
“He’s not a bad yōkai!
He helped Sister Kikyō drive away the other yōkai!
Besides, when he stands next to Sister Kikyō, they look like a painting.
They look so good together, like a perfect match!”
“…”
The voices gradually faded away.
Standing beneath the Torii Gate, Kōbe Hikaru heard their conversation loud and clear.
A Ghost Samurai’s hearing far exceeded that of an ordinary human.
Even from dozens of yards away, those whispers sounded as if they were right next to his ear.
“Looks like that little girl is quite protective of me,” he muttered.
‘A perfect match, huh…
That sounds right up my alley, doesn’t it?’
Hikaru was still holding the Red Oni Mask in his hand, having not put it back on.
Since he had already taken it off, there was no point in putting it back on.
Besides, he was honestly getting a bit tired of wearing it.
Going three months without seeing the light of day was not a comfortable feeling.
Although a Ghost Samurai didn’t actually need to breathe, the psychological suffocation was still there.
After all, he had only been a yōkai for three months, whereas he had lived as a human for nearly twenty years.
The habits and perceptions accumulated over twenty years were hard to change.
“Are you not going to put your mask back on?”
Kikyō’s voice came from behind him.
Hikaru turned his head.
Under the moonlight, the Shrine Maiden stood on the stone steps in front of the shrine hall, looking down at him.
Her white robes were like snow, her red hakama like fire.
Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, gently lifted by the night breeze, occasionally brushing against the contours of her neck.
To be honest, she looked quite beautiful from this angle.
Hikaru retracted his gaze and tucked the oni mask into his waistband.
“It’s too stuffy to wear,” he said.
“Besides, my face won’t scare you anyway.”
Kikyō did not reply.
She simply turned around and walked toward the shrine hall.
“Follow me.”
Hikaru followed her.
The doors to the shrine hall were wide open, revealing a simple interior.
In the center sat an altar, dedicated to an unknown deity.
In front of the altar was a low table holding an incense burner, candlesticks, and a few empty plates.
On both sides were sliding doors that likely led to the inner sanctuary.
Kikyō walked up to the altar and knelt on a cushion.
She didn’t invite Hikaru to sit, but instead took out a few items from a nearby cabinet.
Incense sticks.
Candles.
And—
A small dish of rice.
A small dish of pickled vegetables.
A bowl of clear water.
Hikaru watched as she placed these items one by one on the low table in front of the altar.
Her movements were practiced, as if she had done this countless times.
Then, she lit the incense, pressed her palms together, and softly chanted a few words.
It was some kind of prayer incantation.
Hikaru couldn’t quite understand it, but he could feel the fluctuations of Spiritual Power within it.
After finishing all this, Kikyō stood up and turned sideways to look at Hikaru.
“This is for you.”
Hikaru froze.
‘For me?’
He looked at the dish of rice, the dish of pickles, the bowl of water, and the curling smoke from the incense.
This setup…
“Is this an Offering?” he asked.
Kikyō nodded.
Hikaru fell silent.
It had been three months since he crossed over into this world.
Although he had spent most of his time killing yōkai in the wilderness, he still understood some of the customs of this era.
An Offering was humanity’s way of showing reverence and pleading to spirits and gods.
By offering food and incense, they sought to appease these entities and pray for protection.
And for yōkai, an Offering was actually a source of power.
Incense was the physical manifestation of human faith.
When humans presented an Offering to spirits and gods with a devout heart, that devotion transformed into a special kind of energy.
To yōkai, this energy was just like food to humans.
It could replenish Demonic Power and heal injuries.
Because of this, some yōkai would masquerade as deities to trick people out of Offerings, while others would even genuinely protect human settlements and commoners just to receive them.
“You’re making an Offering to me?” Hikaru confirmed.
“Yes.”
Kikyō’s tone was calm.
“You helped this village.
This is a token of gratitude.”
“…”
Hikaru didn’t know what to say.
A Shrine Maiden, making an Offering to a yōkai?
No matter how he looked at it, this scene was a bit bizarre.
However, he could indeed feel the warm power contained within the curling incense smoke.
That power was slowly flowing into his body, replenishing the Demonic Power he had exhausted during the battle.
It was very comfortable.
It felt like soaking in a hot spring.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow slightly, experiencing the benefits of incense for the first time.
If he had known earlier, he would have sneakily integrated into a village long ago and freeloaded off Offerings every day.
Of course, that was just a passing thought.
Compared to relying on external power, having the Affinity System on him…
well, that was actually an external power too.
The pot shouldn’t call the kettle black.
But it was definitely more stable!
Still, at this moment, Hikaru wasn’t going to refuse it either.
“Thanks,” Hikaru said to Kikyō.
Kikyō shook her head.
“I should be the one thanking you.”
She took the Jewel of Four Souls out from her sleeve, its pale purple light swirling in her palm.
“This jewel was originally supposed to be handed to me personally by that old man.”
“But he didn’t live long enough to make it here.”
“If it weren’t for you…”
She didn’t finish her sentence.
But Hikaru understood what she meant.
If he hadn’t picked up the Jewel of Four Souls halfway, the jewel would probably have fallen into the hands of yōkai by now.
The consequences would have been unimaginable.
“Don’t say that.”
Hikaru waved his hand dismissively.
“I’m not exactly a good person—I’m not even human.”
He tried to be clever, but Kikyō showed absolutely no reaction to it.
Feeling a bit awkward, Hikaru coughed softly and continued.
“Anyway, like I said, saving that old man was just a passing convenience, and delivering the Jewel of Four Souls was just on the way.”
“You don’t need to take it to heart.”
Kikyō looked at him.
A glimmer of light seemed to flash through her cold, clear eyes.
But it was only for a fleeting moment.
Very quickly, her expression returned to its usual calmness.
“Regardless, you helped me, and you helped this village.”
She said, “I will remember this favor.”
Hikaru opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But after a moment of thought, he held his tongue and simply smiled.
It was a slightly stiff smile, yet completely devoid of any concealment.
Clean, candid, and without any disguise.
It formed a bizarre contrast with his inverted black-and-white eyes, his pale skin, and his identity as a yōkai.
Looking at this smile, Kikyō was slightly taken aback.
She had seen countless yōkai.
But she had never seen a yōkai smile so…
Human.
Even more human than most people in this era, who spent their lives toiling with their faces to the dirt and backs to the sky just to survive.
‘So, it turns out the Jewel of Four Souls is just as much of a sucker for a pretty face as Kaede, huh?’
Hikaru truly hadn’t expected this.
If he had known, he would have taken the mask off a long time ago!