"Hm? Inside the corpse?"
Hearing this, Kikyo looked at the demon's body, which had been cut into seven or eight pieces. She examined it closely and actually spotted something sparkling on the right side of its abdomen.
She walked over and took out a small knife to retrieve the shining object.
It was the Jewel of Four Souls.
"You can really see the Jewel of Four Souls..."
The Demon Slayer Clan members standing nearby were astonished as they watched Kikyo retrieve the Jewel of Four Souls with pinpoint accuracy. They couldn't see a thing.
"Are you all right? Did you find the Jewel of Four Souls?"
Just then, the Demon Slayer Clan chief hurried over.
"Yes, we got it back."
Kikyo held out the Jewel of Four Souls in her hand. It had been tainted by demonic energy and grown somewhat murky, but now it seemed to have been purified again. The darkness slowly faded, and it once more gave off a pure pink glow.
"The Jewel of Four Souls... has been purified!"
The Demon Slayer Clan chief's mouth fell slightly open. He was clearly stunned, never having expected this.
He knew that the Jewel of Four Souls absorbed the negative emotions of humans and demons, causing it to gain an evil power. Ever since he had obtained it, it had grown increasingly dull.
Yet in Kikyo's hands, the Jewel of Four Souls had been completely purified.
"It seems that you, Miko Kikyo, are the only one who can take on the responsibility of protecting the Jewel of Four Souls! From now on, I'll entrust this jewel to you. Please keep it safe and don't let the demons get their hands on it."
The way the Jewel of Four Souls had responded in Kikyo's hands proved that only she could protect it.
"Yes, I will."
Kikyo nodded expressionlessly.
The Hour of the Demon, which was around five in the afternoon...
The people of Eastern Island liked to call the period just before dusk the "Demon Hour," or the Hour of the Demon.
They firmly believed it was a cursed time when all manner of evil spirits and ghosts appeared in the sky.
According to legend, many ordinary people could see ghosts and similar beings at this time.
In the Honkai manga, Sakura Yae and Kallen could both leave the Stigmata Space and wander around during the Hour of the Demon.
Yae Sakura watched the ghosts appear nearby. For them, this was a rare chance to enjoy the sun and daylight.
Ghosts that feared sunlight appeared one after another. The sunlight during the Hour of the Demon wouldn't harm them.
"Hey, Kikyo, why don't we rest in the village for the night before leaving? Is there really a need to hurry so much?"
After taking charge of the Jewel of Four Souls, Yae Sakura had been looking forward to a proper rest and a hot bath.
Who knew that before long, Kikyo would say goodbye to the Demon Slayer Clan and leave?
They hadn't even eaten!!
"There's no need. They've already sacrificed too much to protect the Jewel of Four Souls. We can't trouble them any more. As long as the Jewel of Four Souls remains in that village, demons will keep coming there."
"But... fine!" Yae Sakura wanted to say something, but gave up.
After walking for a while longer, Yae Sakura looked around in surprise. "Kikyo, this isn't the way we came, is it?"
Yae Sakura didn't know the roads of the ancient world, but she recognized the one they had just walked.
"No, it isn't."
"Then where are we going?" Yae Sakura asked in confusion.
"We're almost there."
At last, they stopped on a small hillside. Yae Sakura looked at the little pool before them, steam rising from its surface...
"Kikyo, is this... a hot spring? A natural hot spring!!" Yae Sakura hurried over and tested the water with her hand. It was just the right temperature!
"Yes. You've always wanted to soak in a hot spring, haven't you? I vaguely remembered there was a natural one nearby," Kikyo said thoughtfully.
"Kikyo, thank you!"
Yae Sakura walked over to Kikyo and gave her a gentle hug. She had only mentioned once or twice that she wanted to soak in a natural hot spring, but Kikyo had remembered.
She was so grateful!
As for Kikyo's hasty departure from the Demon Slayer Clan village, Yae Sakura had already forgotten all about it.
Yae Sakura wasn't sure why there was a natural hot spring here...
But Eastern Island had a massive active volcano, Mount Fuji, which erupted once every three hundred years.
Maybe Eastern Island had so many natural hot springs because of its active volcanoes.
"I'll set up a barrier first. Then you can take a bath. It's already late today, and we'll have to spend the night outdoors, so you can soak for as long as you like."
As she spoke, Kikyo pushed Yae Sakura away and began setting up a barrier that covered the entire area around the hot spring.
Looking at Kikyo, Yae Sakura suddenly seemed to think of something...
"Big Sis, there's a hot spring!"
Higokumaru, who had finally woken up again, saw the hot spring before them and immediately became excited.
She had probably overexerted herself earlier, since she'd fallen asleep again after only a little while. Now she was finally awake.
"Higokumaru, what's going on with you today? Why do you seem so sleepy all the time?" Yae Sakura asked, puzzled, as she looked at Higokumaru on her shoulder.
"I don't know, but maybe a soak in the hot spring will help!"
"..."
Once Kikyo had finished setting up the barrier, they realized they had no change of clothes, so... there was no way they could bathe with their clothes on. Besides, that would be uncomfortable.
"This feels amazing!"
Lying in the hot spring, she immediately felt a wave of comfort wash over her. It had been so long since she'd felt this way.
"Kikyo, you should come in too!"
Yae Sakura's eyes lit up as she looked at Kikyo on the bank, and she quickly invited her in.
"Mm." Kikyo didn't refuse. She took off her clothes and set them on the bank, placed the Jewel of Four Souls on top of them, then slowly stepped into the hot spring.
"Could you stop looking at me like that?"
Kikyo noticed Yae Sakura staring at her the whole time. For some reason, she felt a little shy, even though they were both girls.
"Huh? I can't?"
"It's not that you can't..."
She'd suddenly realized that being a girl now wasn't without its perks.