Changes at the Shenyu Sect / Before the Cultural Festival

Is there anything else?

She asked hopefully, but only received a surprised look from her mother.

"Is it something else? Are you talking about the cultural festival?"

So, Hua finally ate her breakfast in silence, leaving that memory even further behind.

As expected... it must have been a dream... This whole thing must have been my imagination, right?

"Honestly, if you didn't do something for the cultural festival, you should have told me earlier. You got home so late last night and fell asleep on the way. If it weren't for Miko watching over you, I really don't know what you would have done."

"Huh?"

Hua suddenly raised his head.

"Last night?"

"Hmm, last night. Don't you remember?"

The mother looked at her daughter with surprise, but considering her daughter's usual absent-mindedness, she wasn't too surprised.

"Last night you said you had something to do with Miko and didn't get home until very late. If Miko's mother hadn't called me, I would have been worried that something might have happened to you on the way. I know you're looking forward to the school festival, but is it really necessary to be this busy with it?"

Cultural Festival?

Yurikawa Hana blinked. What cultural festival? They were clearly...

Could it be... that this was also done by Miko?

At the Yotsuya residence, Yotsuya Miko is having breakfast with her younger brother Yotsuya Kyosuke.

The mother, Yotsuya Touko, sat in a chair watching the two of them, especially focusing her gaze on her daughter.

Last night, something happened that left her speechless.

Is this really a good idea?

"Okay, that's good."

Yotsuya Miko answered calmly, slowly eating her breakfast.

"Things are complicated, so let's take it slow. At least for now, it's a good option for both me and Hua."

Because of Miko's attitude, Yotsuya Touko had no choice but to cover up their date, and Kaga's mother said that she was home so late because of preparations for the cultural festival.

"It's impossible to keep it a secret forever. It will be exposed sooner or later."

"I know, and I have no doubt about that."

She put down her chopsticks; breakfast was finished. Looking at the clean plate, Miko delicate face was reflected, a calm expression that revealed little emotion.

"But..."

"But?"

"It's nothing, I just don't know what to do."

Yotsuya Miko shook her head, interrupting the topic. She stood up, looked at Yotsuya Kyosuke who seemed to be listening to gibberish, and suddenly asked a question.

"Kyosuke, are you still wearing the amulet I gave you?"

"You're still wearing it? What's wrong?"

Kyosuke instinctively clutched the small cloth bag at his chest, looking at his sister with a puzzled expression, but received no answer. After confirming the news, Miko remained silent, simply getting up to pack her shoulder bag, checking the books she needed for school before slinging it over her shoulder.

Change your shoes at the door and get ready to go to school.

It's about time for school.

What's wrong with her now?

Kyosuke and Touko's gazes met again as they looked at Yotsuya Miko, who was acting strangely. They were getting used to it. Several times before, Yotsuya Miko had acted inexplicably like this, but she always returned to normal in the end.

Thinking about this, the two of them weren't too worried. After all, Miko was perfectly capable of handling her own affairs, and if something really couldn't be resolved by her, then the two of them would probably be completely helpless.

In that case, it's better not to overthink it and save yourself the trouble. Yotsuya Kyosuke hurriedly finished his breakfast, quickly slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, and headed towards his older sister who was waiting for him at the door.

"Sister, wait for me!"

"You two, be careful on the road. Miko, don't put too much pressure on yourself, things will definitely get better."

The mother, watching the two who were about to leave, called out loudly and gave Yotsuya Miko some more instructions.

"It's okay, I understand."

Miko simply nodded slightly, opened the door, and the two quickly left home for school.

When the door closed, only Yotsuya Touko was left in the house.

Gathering Kyosuke's shoes, which he had tossed aside on either side of the doorway in his haste to change, the mother returned to the dining table to collect the dishes and take them to the kitchen to wash.

"This child always brings me so many surprises..."

Thinking about what Yotsuya Miko had done, she felt a lot of emotions.

Yotsuya Miko told her everything that happened last night. So, she knew everything about the meteor shower and the confession.

Knowing these things made her worried about her daughter's romantic relationships.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that this child has brought her a lot of trouble lately. First, he claimed to have become a superhuman, then a god feared by an entire nation, and now he's embroiled in emotional entanglements. These things are probably quite difficult for an ordinary mother to accept.

Along with these events came a sense of estrangement. Yotsuya Touko shook herself, suddenly feeling herself growing increasingly distant from her daughter.

It was as if she would disappear from his sight one day.

"Is it just my imagination?"

Chapter 280 The Changes of the Divine Gate

Divine Gate... no, it can't be called Divine Gate anymore.

The latest news from Okita Qishen is a mix of good and bad news.

The good news is that the pressure on Divine Gate's reform has been greatly reduced, and the reform work can be officially started in a short period of time, merging the original Investigation Department and Special Affairs Department, streamlining personnel, and reorganizing the departments.

The bad news is that the duties of the Divine Gate are gone, and those original Gate of the Underworld have completely disappeared within this country. From now on, the Divine Gate no longer needs to guard the seal of the Gate of the Underworld, and has lost the influence it maintained.

"Because of illness, there is a need for medicine. The Divine Gate was also built upon the need to protect the Gate of the Underworld. The disappearance of the Gate of the Underworld is truly bad news."

He sighed, realizing that although he hadn't seen the details of the message yet, he could already guess who was capable of doing such a thing— Yotsuya Miko.

Rather, this is a perfectly normal thing.

Okita Qishen heard that the head of the Meishouin was deeply distressed by the existence of the Gate of the Underworld, and that the reforms they were currently encouraging for the Divine Gate were also aimed at the Gate of the Underworld. Therefore, it was not impossible for Yotsuya Miko the idea of destroying the Gate of the Underworld.

It's more accurate to say that what's truly frightening is that Yotsuya Miko agreed and actually took action. Undoubtedly, this action further solidified her status as a deity, making her a truly untouchable figure in the eyes of the higher-ups.

"Even though all the Gate of the Underworld within the country have been destroyed, the Meishouin still supports the reforms of the Divine Gate. This means that the Divine Gate's significance has not been completely severed. If the Meishouin family is willing to genuinely invest manpower and resources in the affairs of the Divine Gate, then the Divine Gate can probably continue to exist, but it will lose most of its power."

Oune Tatsu aside analyzing the situation. Because the Gate of the Underworld had been destroyed, his original business had to be put on hold, and he had to return to the city ahead of schedule to handle the specific work of the reform.

The reform has been agreed upon.

"But would the Meishouin family do that? They've maintained a detached stance from worldly affairs for so many years, never getting involved in concrete political matters. Their current support for reform is merely a way to uphold their own principles, isn't it?"

Okita Qishen sighed, pouring cold water on Oune Tatsu's idea, but he didn't say anything too definitive.

"If that person were to request the involvement of the Meishouin family, it could be done. Alas, the fate of us insignificant people is entirely in her hands. Currently, only she has the power to bring Divine Gate back to life and restore him to his original vitality."

"Well, someone like that wouldn't care about the lives of insignificant characters like us anyway."

His words were full of self-abandonment, but he was actually quite Okita Qishen was really like.

He wasn't too worried about his situation; with his current experience, he could get by anywhere. Even if he were to struggle within the current Divine Gate, he still had Yuria as his trump card.

As the Minister of Honor, Yuria proved useful in many ways, shielding him from a lot of unnecessary trouble. Of course, he had absolutely no ulterior motives in using Yuria's name, and he made his intentions very clear to Yuria.

It wasn't that he was a coward; he simply didn't want to provoke the person behind Yuria.

His brother, Oune Tatsu, is in the same boat. For now, they have temporarily inherited One Kyojun will and are taking charge of reforming Divine Gate. But after that, they really have no further aspirations for Divine Gate.

"The root of the tail."

Okita Qishen suddenly leaned back in his chair and looked at Oune Tatsu beside him.

"If you really can't stay in Divine Gate any longer, where do you plan to go?"

"If that happens, they will probably continue their political activities along with the remaining Wagen Family."

Oune Tatsu answered, organizing the documents in his hands, showing no confusion about his own affairs. He was a member of the Wagen Family before, and he still is now. Enjoying the rights of the Wagen Family, he naturally needs to make corresponding obligations and contributions.

"Didn't you ever think about doing something else?"

"Something else?"

Oune Tatsu for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

I don't know what you're trying to say.

"It means giving up work and honestly enjoying one's life. One Iu and One Kyojun, both of them have passed away. Most of the other members of the Wagen Family have also abandoned the Wagen Family, right? As far as I know, after learning about the trouble One Iu caused, these people desperately tried to get rid of their Wagen Family credentials, fearing persecution or death because of their Wagen Family lineage."

Okita Qishen, holding his head, slowly recounted the current situation of the Wagen Family.

"The only people still holding on right now are the Wagen Family members still in the military, right? Even those who followed One Kyojun have wavered and scattered because of Kōjun's death. Otherwise, why would you be running around all over the place about reform?"

"So what?"

Oune Tatsu asked back,

"Should I choose to run away? Run away from my responsibilities as a member of the Wagen Family?"

"This isn't about running away; it's just about shedding burdens that aren't yours. You shouldn't be carrying so much; it's not your responsibility."

Standing up from his chair, the former head of the Investigation Department looked at his former subordinate, his good brother, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Many things only become clearer when you truly understand yourself, don't you think? I suffered a lot of misfortune in the past because I didn't understand myself. So, I want to tell you this now. It's about time. After we reform Divine Gate, we should also start thinking about our own affairs."

"... But I don't have anything to do myself."

Oune Tatsu was silent for a moment,

"I never thought of that."

"Then go think about it now. Leave work early today, and have a full day off tomorrow. You have plenty of time to think it over. Leave the reform to me; it's already a done deal, so there aren't many headaches left."

Okita Qishen didn't say anything more, but simply sat back down in his chair and picked up the documents on the table.

I glanced at it and then put the folder aside.

"I'll resign after the reforms at Divine Gate are complete. I probably won't see you again then, right? One."

"... That's really bad news."

Chapter 281 Before the Cultural Festival

"A white bird flies in the sky, drifting with the water, never to return."

The streets were filled with songs that had recently become popular, and they sounded somewhat melancholic.

It was probably about parting, Yotsuya Miko thought, glancing at the people beside her.

"The school festival is in a few days. Is everything ready for your class's activities Miko?"

"Well, it's almost done. eryi>&II"

Yurikawa Hana, who was standing to the side, responded, taking advantage of a rare moment of free time.

The school's cultural festival was in full swing, and all the students were very enthusiastic. Unexpectedly, they finished everything a few days before the festival. As a result, the school assigned the students a new task at the last minute—not a particularly troublesome one: to organize a group of students to do promotional work outside the school.

The school's own official website, social media platforms, printed flyers, and promotional signs at the school gate were all handled by the students themselves. Although this increased their workload considerably, it also demonstrated trust in them, as it's rare to see such a decentralization of organizational power as this year. In the past, while students were also autonomous, the school still strictly controlled the promotion and the flow of people, fearing something might happen to the students.

Yotsuya Miko were lucky enough not to be assigned any publicity work, so the three of them had a rare opportunity to meet and go shopping after school.

"Speaking of which, because of her ghost costume, Miko was told by her classmates that she wasn't scary at all, so she had to rehearse many times."

Thinking about this, Hua found it so funny that she couldn't help but clutch her stomach.

"Haha, Miko dressed as a ghost and not scared at all, I really... this is too funny."

When she first saw Yotsuya Miko's acting, she wondered if she was seeing things. Despite having experience with Ghosts, she was completely inept at portraying one. Her movements were stiff, her facial expressions barely changed, and her tone was utterly flat.

Is it really that funny?

Miko gazing at the street, quietly listening to the songs playing, even Hua's laughter didn't make her feel embarrassed.

She didn't feel embarrassed, nor did she care.

"Although I want to play the role well, that would be asking too much of anyone."