Seeking Refuge with Kikyo

"280 crystals? Is that all?"

Yae Sakura paused, feeling a bit disappointed.

This was a Great Yokai, one of the most powerful existences in the entire Inuyasha world. Surely it should have been worth at least a few thousand?

Only... 280?

That was barely enough for a single gacha pull in a game.

And this was a first-kill reward. If it were a normal kill... wouldn't she have to slay a dozen or so Great Yokai just to unlock a new world?

However... it seemed there was more than just a crystal reward.

[Great Yokai slain: Earth Spider.]

[First-kill achievement unlocked: Randomly draw one of the target's talents. Congratulations on obtaining the Resurrection talent.]

"Re... Resurrection?"

Yae Sakura was shocked.

She took a closer look at the details.

Resurrection: Can be used three times per world, restoring the user to a perfect state upon revival.

The first resurrection costs 280 crystals, the second 2,800, and the third 28,000.

"28,000 crystals? That's insane."

Still, the first one was acceptable.

In games, a resurrection usually cost only 30 crystals, but here it was 280. What a rip-off.

But then she thought of the Final Lesson animated short where Himeko fought the Herrscher of the Void. If she could bring Himeko back, she would gladly pay 28,000 crystals.

"What kind of system is this? Also... can I pay-to-win?"

Yae Sakura asked hesitantly, but clearly, the cold, aloof system ignored her.

Forget it.

With the Earth Spider dealt with, Yae Sakura turned to look at the other Great Yokai, the young lady Kiyohime.

"Are you going to kill me?"

Kiyohime looked at Yae Sakura, her face devoid of joy or sorrow, as if she didn't care what happened to her.

"..."

Yae Sakura didn't speak, falling into deep thought. Logically, she was a Great Yokai, and killing her would surely yield crystals. But this was a yokai who acted just like an ordinary human woman.

Besides, she felt no malice toward her. She couldn't bring herself to do it.

So... even if she had to kill in the future, her first targets should be those she despised.

"You can go."

Yae Sakura sheathed her Spirit Blade, deciding to let her go.

"..."

Kiyohime gave Yae Sakura a serious look, bowed once, and turned to leave.

Now that the Earth Spider was dead, Kiyohime would return to the ruins of Dojo Temple. She would wait there, hoping that one day, she might see that person again.

After watching Kiyohime leave, Yae Sakura returned to Xia Ji's side.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. How about you, Lady Yae? You aren't hurt, are you?" Xia Ji looked at her with concern.

"I'm fine! Everything is settled now. Let me take you home."

"What about that Earth Spider..."

"It's gone."

"Oh."

Half an hour later...

She finally delivered Xia Ji home. The commission was complete, earning her 5 crystals.

It wasn't a small amount, considering how little a Great Yokai had dropped.

As for the reward Xia Ji mentioned her father would give, Yae Sakura declined. She was currently carrying hundreds of millions in gold coins; the measly reward of a mere noble didn't catch her eye.

However, Yae Sakura did ask Xia Ji to help build her reputation. To become a famous shrine maiden, she needed someone to spread the word.

Finally, Yae Sakura rummaged through her inventory and pulled out a one-star USP45, handing it to Xia Ji.

"I'll come to see you again. Take this for protection.

With this, you should be able to handle ordinary humans and weak yokai. Practice your aim when you're alone."

Although Xia Ji was beautiful, Yae Sakura knew she would eventually leave and hadn't considered anything more.

Still, they had met, so she considered her a friend.

Yae Sakura discovered that the guns and cannons in her inventory had infinite ammunition.

There was no such thing as running out of bullets.

With the USP45, Xia Ji should be able to handle common bandits and the like. The rest was up to her.

"Lady Yae, are you leaving?"

Xia Ji looked at her with reluctance. Although they had only known each other for a day or two, Yae Sakura's care along the way had left a deep impression on her.

"Yes. Take care, until we meet again."

Waving her hand, Yae Sakura donned her cloak and left Tanihara Castle.

Once she was away from Tanihara Castle, Yae Sakura felt a sense of ease. Because Xia Ji had been with her, she had been forced to travel slowly.

Now, she could move as fast as she wanted. She leaped from the tip of one tree to another in an instant.

"Where should I go now?"

Yae Sakura stood atop a treetop, lost in thought. The plot hadn't even begun yet; Kikyo hadn't even taken custody of the Jewel of Four Souls.

Perhaps she should go find Kikyo, and not just for the yokai drawn by the Jewel. If she could, Yae Sakura didn't want Kikyo to die.

Even if Kikyo's survival meant Kagome would never appear.

But... compared to Kagome, Kikyo was just too pitiful.

That was the plan. Find Kikyo, hunt yokai, and prevent her death.

But... how did one get to Kaede Village?

Looking at the endless forest, Yae Sakura felt she was lost again.

That night, Yae Sakura caught a pheasant, found a spot to sit, and lit a fire.

She regretted leaving so quickly. She should have stayed in Tanihara Castle for a few more days. This wilderness life was truly a hassle.

She also found herself wishing for a hot bath.

"Huh? I have a friend? What the hell?"

While eating her roasted meat, Yae Sakura noticed a friend in the system's main interface.

The friend was Xia Ji!

But what was the point of this?

There was even... a private chat function?

She could send messages... Yae Sakura was thoroughly impressed.

After a moment, she tried sending a message to Xia Ji.

"Are you there, Xia Ji?"

"Huh! Huh! Who's talking?"

Xia Ji's voice suddenly reached her ears, and Yae Sakura was startled.

"It's Yae Sakura. Can you hear me?"

"Lady Yae? Where are you? I can't see you."

"I'm not in Tanihara Castle..."

After chatting for a bit, Yae Sakura was truly amazed.

It felt like telepathy, or perhaps a telephone.

It was too powerful.

She wondered if she could still chat after moving to other worlds. If so, that would be incredible.

The next afternoon...

After leaving the forest and asking for directions, Yae Sakura finally arrived at Kikyo's home, Kaede Village.

Perhaps because she was wearing a shrine maiden's outfit, and her ears were hidden by her cloak, the villagers treated her with great respect.

Or perhaps it was respect for her status as a shrine maiden.

When she explained her intent to meet Kikyo, the villagers had a young boy lead her to where the shrine maiden lived.

Yae Sakura saw Kikyo teaching a little girl archery.

"Kikyo!"

Seeing her, Yae Sakura called out.

Kikyo and the girl both turned to look at her.

"You are... Yae Sakura?"

"That's right!"

Yae Sakura removed her cloak, revealing her fox ears, and walked over.

"Fluffy long ears!!!"

The little girl beside Kikyo stared at the ears on Yae Sakura's head and gasped in surprise.

"They're fox ears," Yae Sakura said, unfazed.

"Why are you here?" Kikyo looked at her, puzzled.

"I'm homeless, so I've decided to tag along with you! You don't mind, do you, Kikyo-chan?"

"Don't call me Kikyo-chan like we're close. Weren't you escorting Lady Xia Ji?"

"I already took her home!"

"Then why didn't you stay..." Kikyo started to ask, but then remembered that Yae Sakura was a half-yokai and would surely be shunned by humans. Not staying was normal.

"Do you have nowhere to go?"

Kikyo looked at her calmly.

"Nowhere." She shook her head honestly.

"Then stay here for now. But... you cannot harm the villagers, and you must follow my orders. Can you do that?" Kikyo thought about Yae Sakura's situation. As a half-yokai, she wasn't welcome among humans or yokai.

In Kaede Village, with her around, the villagers shouldn't say anything.

She would take her in for now.

For the sake of them both being shrine maidens.

"Thank you, Kikyo-chan! You're the best!" Yae Sakura immediately rushed over and hugged her.

"Let go! And let's be clear: if I find you doing anything to harm humans, I won't let you off." Kikyo quickly pushed her away.

"How could I! I'm a shrine maiden too, how could I harm humans! My duty is to slay yokai and fight for a better future for humanity!"

"Is that so... remember your words."

And so, Yae Sakura stayed in Kaede Village.

Time passed, and soon a year had gone by.

"Sister Sakura, Sister Kikyo has accepted a commission from another village and is about to leave. Are you still not getting up?"

Yae Sakura was sleeping when a little girl in a shrine maiden's outfit walked to her bedside. She stared at the fox ears on Yae Sakura's head, fighting the urge to touch them.

The little girl still remembered the beating she got the last time she tried to grab those ears while Yae Sakura was asleep.

"A commission? So early... I'm coming!"

Yae Sakura scrambled up. After arriving at Kaede Village, she discovered that helping Kikyo with village commissions could earn her crystals.

Though it was usually only 1 crystal, and sometimes nothing if the difficulty was too low.

The commission to escort Xia Ji, which had earned her 5 crystals, was considered high-paying.

But every little bit helped. Over the past year, Yae Sakura had often accompanied Kikyo on commissions, which not only helped the villagers accept her half-yokai status but also earned her nearly 300 crystals.

Combined with the crystals from slaying yokai, she now had nearly 1,000.

Wow... only 1,000 crystals in a year. She was a failure.

Mostly because she hadn't encountered any more Great Yokai; they were rare in this world.

As for missions, the bounty mission she'd started with was still incomplete.

The "slay a Great Yokai" objective was done, but she still needed to kill 10,000 yokai, and she was still 100 short.

Since she had cleared out all the yokai in the surrounding area, they were becoming hard to find.