Chapter 432
Of course, things have escalated to this point, so it's perfectly reasonable for a few gods from the surrounding area to come and observe, isn't it?
Chapter 134 A child with an older sister is like a treasure.
At noon, Yae Miko and Kusanaagi, who were taking a nap, were dragged off their beds at Grand Narukami Shrine and forcibly pulled to a certain hilltop on Mount Yougou.
"Ha~~" x2
Two large foxes, who had been busy cleaning up messes and researching information recently, were yawning in unison, tears glistening in their eyes, their pink and white fox tails swaying.
"Listen to me, I feel like the recent efforts to build closer ties with you are progressing very well. Even Kaguya, who is suffering from amnesia, is becoming more and more affectionate towards me. Don't you think this means that my sister is about to recover?"
Raiden Ei stared at them seriously.
Yae Miko rubbed her eyes and said weakly:
"Ah, yes, yes, you're absolutely right."
Are you just giving me the runaround?
Raiden Ei narrowed his eyes.
Her naiveté only applies to Raiden Makoto, and she only abandons her rational thinking in front of her older sister.
As for Yae Miko, Raiden Ei knew perfectly well just how entertaining this scoundrel was and how much he loved to court death in front of him.
Even if you were to stroll around Grand Narukami Shrine one day, a fox might suddenly cry out, "Inazuma Oki, Yae Miko King!" from the roadside. Then, with a shout from the scoundrel fox, a group of misled mountain spirits would come bounding out, chattering and hopping, to attack the throne. Immediately afterward, the Yae Miko) would appear, carrying the Heart of God, and leisurely say:
"How about I sit in the general's position for a few days?"
--Even something as absurd as the above, if it were that female fox Yae Miko, Raiden Ei would completely believe it would happen.
Therefore, Raiden Ei never lets his guard down in front of Yae Miko.
Yae Miko slammed her hand on the table in front of her in anger:
"Lord Kusanaagi, look at her! She keeps me up all night, and she won't even listen to me when she won't let me sleep! Look at her, look at how badly she's bullied me!"
"I don't know, I'm just Lord Cricket Kusanaagi ~~"
How long are you going to hold this grudge?!
"At least three hundred years, I guess. chuckle"
Kusanaagi sipped her tea, wiping away the drowsy tears that had welled up from being suddenly jolted awake.
Raiden Ei slammed his hand on the table and said seriously:
"Kusanaagi, we are discussing serious matters!"
"What I mean is, is it possible that Kaguya has actually realized something? After all, we've made it quite obvious, and she's so smart."
"Impossible. My sister just said last time that Kaguya doesn't know yet, we have to keep it a secret."
Raiden Ei nodded with absolute certainty.
The first rule of Raiden Ei's Godly Law: Whatever the older sister says is right. The second rule: If the older sister is wrong, please refer to the first rule.
"..."×2
"Hmph~" x2
The two old foxes silently sipped their tea, too lazy to interfere in the little game between these two eccentric sisters.
Anyway, it's quite interesting to look at, just like it was five hundred years ago.
They exchanged a glance, deciding that once they finished this busy period, they still needed to find time to talk to Kaguya alone. For now, they could only confirm that she knew, but how much she knew and how much she remembered remained unknown, so they still needed to keep an eye on things.
Raiden Ei then began to explain the recent situation:
"My sister..."
Then came a long, rambling account of his daily interactions with Kaguya, praising her as a wonderful older sister, saying how great she is, and how having her as a child is like having a treasure, blah blah blah.
Yae Miko and Kusanaagi listened, nodding their little heads from time to time. They seemed to be agreeing, but in reality, they were listening to the familiar lullaby and dozing off to catch up on sleep.
[Kaguya, you're giving me hints again.]
Do you think she'll notice?
[It's hard to say. If others did this, she would at least notice something. But the way you're doing it... Honestly, Ying is the only one who's completely guileless in front of us; she's incredibly single-minded.]
"Just like five hundred years ago, if you told her to go to Kandria, she would believe you?"
Kaguya's sudden question startled Raiden Makoto in the realm of consciousness, who then revealed a look of joy.
[You remembered?]
"Just a little bit. My past memories are like ambiguous Dreamscape. I'm gradually becoming aware that I've been dreaming, and I can catch a few fragments of those dreams. But to say that I can remember everything completely, I don't think it's that simple."
[It's alright, no matter how much you remember in the end, you're still real. But speaking of Kandria... sigh, actually more than one god warned them beforehand, but they still ultimately headed towards the Abyss. The result was the loss of control over the dark forces, the Celestia brought down punishment, and the Seven Nations and the Seven Archons had to pay the price for the disaster they caused. Was it really too early for humanity to become completely independent?]
Raiden Makoto evokes a myriad of emotions.
Even though she herself died in that disaster, she harbored no resentment towards Kandria. Now, when she thinks about it, she feels more regret and sadness.
Kaguya did not respond. From her perspective, the story of Kandria resembled that of the original Schicksal Oceania Branch. Researching the power of the Herrscher was undoubtedly correct, but being incompetent was the original sin; failure was self-destruction and harming others. This was true for Artificial Herrscher, and it was also true for the research on the power of the Abyss.
"Kaguya, I'm back."
As the two people inside and outside fell silent, the pure and beautiful White Egret Princess, carrying a bundle on her back, walked in with a graceful and fragrant gait.
Kaguya blinked.
"Weren't you going back to visit your uncle... cough cough, to visit Lord Ayato? Why did you bring back so much stuff?"
"Oh, it's full of things I use often. I figured Kaguya wouldn't know how long she'd be staying at the Tenshukaku, so I just brought them along. She can always take them with her when she moves out."
Kamisato Ayaka. She spread out a package on the table, which contained a wooden sword, a pen, books, a change of clothes, and other items. She hummed a little tune as she sorted the items into categories.
Throughout the entire process, Kaguya watched with a smile on her face.
After finishing her work, Kamisato Ayaka turned around and saw Kaguya's ever-present smiling gaze, causing her face to flush slightly. She then slowly moved to sit down next to Kaguya.
Why... why are you staring at me like that?
"Because I like watching it."
"Ugh! Talking nonsense again!"
"I'm not talking nonsense. I like watching Ayaka's beautiful."
Kaguya spoke provocatively, then leaned back and rested her head on Kamisato Ayaka's soft lap. Instantly, a delicate fragrance unique to young girls wafted into her nostrils.
Kaguya's smile deepened as she raised her hand, her fingertips gently tracing the delicate face of Kamisato Ayaka.
"I don't know how long I'll be staying at the Tenshukaku. But, once Inazuma has completely calmed down, I'll take you to see the world outside, how about that?"
"Really, Kaguya?"
"Didn't you say you've always wanted to see those landscapes you'd only ever read about in books? Green mountains, clear waters, sunrises and sunsets, the moon and the wind... Let's go see them together. With you, it will surely be unforgettable scenery."
"Kaguya..."
Kamisato Ayaka couldn't resist Kaguya's affectionate words and quickly lowered her head, her eyes sparkling with a joy that seemed to melt away.
Chapter 135 This is also a kind of eternity
Within her consciousness space, Raiden Makoto watched all this, her brows furrowing solemnly. After a long while, she hesitantly said:
[Kaguya, are you serious?]
'Huh? What do you mean, "seriously"?'
[As you know, human life is but a hundred years, while the lifespan of gods is more than ten thousand years. If you continue this relationship with her, you will suffer greatly in the future.]
Raiden Makoto worried that Kaguya hadn't yet fully realized her true identity.
Kaguya continued to admire Kamisato Ayaka's shy and charming demeanor, her eyes filled with a smile, thinking to herself:
'I still can't recall the past. Even if I could see you, it would be hard to imagine what I was like back then. I only know that during my most despairing days, it was Ayaka who accompanied and supported me, leading me to finally stand before Kage... I dare not betray, nor do I wish to betray, this affection.'
Then you must be mentally prepared.
'I know immortality is difficult, but eternal youth is traceable. I will preserve her youth and give her the happiest hundred years. And after that hundred years, I think perhaps we can seek help from the World Tree; maybe there will be a glimmer of hope... If it really can't be preserved, then at least for the next thousand or ten thousand years, I will be the one longing for her, and she won't have to suffer this pain. How fortunate!'
Kaguya is half fiction and half serious.
What she made up were days of utter despair, but what she meant was—she would truly take good care of Ayaka. Once she had her prey, no Anqi would let go.
[Well...]
Raiden Makoto seemed to sigh softly.
The fusion of oneself with the subject came too late, for the connection had already been formed long ago.
Since Kaguya has already resolved to endure the pain of a thousand years of unrequited love, then no one else has the right to say anything about this fate.
She's a good girl.
'Hmm? What do you want to do? Ayaka is mine.'
I know I didn't mean to take it from you. Besides, I'm part of you too; you can't protect my food, can you?
The Raiden Makoto was both funny and frustrating.
At the same time, I felt a little envious.
Raiden Makoto has a younger sister and many close friends, many of whose relationships are more intimate and profound than mortal love.
But no matter how good the relationship is, the reality is different; Raiden Makoto has never experienced pure love.
What does it taste like?
What kind of joy would it be to have lips intertwined, hearts entwined, and hearts entrusted to each other?
After a long while, Raiden Makoto suddenly seemed to realize something and laughed:
This, too, is a kind of eternity.
'Ah?'
[What I mean is, as we continuously encounter new connections throughout the long course of life, feelings of being moved and joyful will flow endlessly; this, too, is a kind of eternity.]
'You're right, this is also a kind of eternity.'
Kaguya's smile deepened.
I keep finding new connections, and even you are my connection, you are mine too.
Who says that another version of yourself, sharing the same heart and mind, can't be won over?
Look at A-Lin, isn't she gradually becoming shy under Ji Lin Anqi's advances?
Don't underestimate the power of Thousand-Person Ruler of Deception!
Saro dug a pit in the desolate mountains outside the city. Using the coffins she bought with her wages from the past few days, she carefully placed the decapitated corpses inside one by one and buried them.
She did everything herself.
These people have a terrible reputation.
He deceived the general above and committed too many atrocities against the people of Inazuma. If we hire someone to handle this, there's a good chance some extreme individuals might come back and dig up his grave to vent their anger.
"Phew~~"
By the time everything was finished, it was already dusk, and the evening breeze carried away Saro's sighs.
Then she put down her shovel and placed simple offerings in front of these nameless monuments.
Then, with a blank expression, she knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.
The once glorious Kujou Faction, apart from a few who were found not to have committed any serious crimes and were demoted and exiled, is basically reduced to just these few mounds she kneels on.
After that, Saro walked towards Inazuma Castle, her steps slow, and her usually sharp gaze seemed unfocused.
Before Saro could fully recover, she had already entered the Tenshukaku and arrived at the house that had been temporarily assigned to her to facilitate the protection of Kaguya.
The door that had been closed before leaving was now open.
"Um?"