Whether Such a Life Existed (3)

The days spent cultivating on the mountain were, all in all, extremely dull. She studied the scriptures, cultivated spiritual power, practiced archery, and learned about medicinal herbs. When Waseda Miko was young, she had traveled extensively and picked up all kinds of miscellaneous knowledge, which she passed on as well. Nagato Tsuruko learned incredibly quickly. In the blink of an eye, she had been cultivating on the mountain for over a year. The time for the New Year blessing ceremony was approaching again, and the villagers of Waseda Village began preparing to climb the mountain and pray for blessings. This time, Waseda Miko intended to have Nagato Tsuruko preside over it.

Preparing for the New Year blessing ceremony was rather troublesome, and every item had to be carefully prepared. Waseda Miko said that praying for blessings required sincerity, and everything had to be prepared with reverence. Even the plaques the villagers used to write their prayers on had to be nourished with spiritual power once each. Of course, carving pieces of wood into plaques naturally fell to the shrine's Dog God. Inuyasha really could not understand why a mighty half-demon like himself had to do such trivial work here. It was just that his new master, Nagato Tsuruko, was far too cold-tempered. Whenever he displeased her, she would make him kneel at once. The Dog God's knees hurt too, you know. As the seasons passed, Inuyasha gradually figured out Nagato Tsuruko's temperament. As long as he went along with her, she generally had nothing for him to do. At first, he had planned to teach this little brat a lesson and make her understand that he was not so easy to order around. Yet before he knew it, he had become the one watching the dead brat's expression. It could