Kallen's Body

"Ow... Big Sis, what are you doing? You never even asked me." Higokumaru hurriedly hugged her head, looking pitifully at Yae Sakura as though she had been terribly wronged.

If you don't ask, it's hard for me to say anything!

"Forget it, here." Handing Jizo Mitama to Higokumaru, Yae Sakura jumped down from the ox cart with Kikyo.

At this pace, when would they ever reach their destination?

"This is?"

Kikyo followed Yae Sakura down from the ox cart, somewhat confused.

"We're not riding this anymore. It's too slow..." Yae Sakura explained briefly.

"..." Kikyo fell silent.

After receiving Jizo Mitama, Higokumaru directly fused the Jizo katana into her body.

Immediately afterward...

Higokumaru let out a "fox cry" and transformed from an animal-eared little girl into a five-tailed fire fox over ten meters tall.

She was the fox demon—or rather, fox god—worshipped by Yae Village's Yae Shrine... the vessel of the Twelfth Herrscher, Hellmaru.

"Power... My power is back!"

Fox Fire blazed across the enormous fire fox's body...

The surrounding temperature soared by an unknown amount, and the plants nearby began to wither...

"Higokumaru, what are you doing?"

Feeling the temperature continue to rise, Yae Sakura's expression changed as sweat completely soaked Kikyo beside her.

"You silly girl, do you think I'm still Higokumaru?" The giant fox lowered her head to look at Yae Sakura.

"What..." Yae Sakura's expression changed completely, and her right hand instantly gripped the Spirit Blade at her side.

Could it be... I have to fight Hellmaru again?

"What happened to Higokumaru?" Kikyo felt as though her entire body was about to be cooked, but she immediately took down her bow.

"Hehe, Big Sis, I was just teasing you..."

Seeing Yae Sakura and Kikyo's reactions, Hellmaru withdrew her Fox Fire and changed back into an animal-eared little girl, wearing a playful expression.

"Higokumaru...?" Yae Sakura was not entirely sure.

"Mhm, mhm."

"You little...!"

Yae Sakura sheathed her blade, rushed over, and gave Higokumaru a thorough beating.

Only after beating her black and blue did she finally stop.

"If you make that kind of joke again, don't follow me anymore."

"I'll never do it again, Big Sis."

Higokumaru crouched on the ground pitifully.

After giving Higokumaru a beating, Yae Sakura's anger finally subsided. She had been scared for nothing.

Not only that, when Yae Sakura looked at Kikyo beside her, she saw that her entire body had been drenched in sweat because Hellmaru's Fox Fire had been too hot just now.

Even Yae Sakura herself had broken into a sweat.

"Kikyo, did you bring a change of clothes?"

"I did."

"This must feel uncomfortable, right? We need to find somewhere to take a bath." A little sweat already felt unpleasant, let alone being soaked all over.

"Mm." Kikyo slung her bow over her back again.

"Higokumaru..."

"Big Sis?" Higokumaru promptly responded.

"Turn into a fox and take us somewhere nearby where we can wash up."

"Mm... Okay."

At those words, the animal-eared little girl transformed into a fire fox the size of a horse.

Red and blue Fox Fire burned around her four limbs, and her five tails swayed as she lay down on the ground.

"Will this do, Big Sis?"

The fox head looked at Yae Sakura like a puppy.

"Mhm, not bad!"

Yae Sakura climbed onto Higokumaru's back and sat down. It felt very comfortable... soft and fluffy... Higokumaru's fur was not coarse like a dog's or wolf's, but soft like a cat's.

"Kikyo, come up too!"

Sitting on the fox's back, Yae Sakura hurriedly waved to Kikyo.

"Okay."

"Hold on tight. We're taking off."

After Kikyo climbed aboard, Higokumaru gave them a warning.

Then... she gathered her strength and leaped, shooting straight into the sky.

"Ah... Higokumaru, slow down!"

Higokumaru was too fast. Like a Flying Rat firework during the Lunar New Year, she shot into the sky in an instant.

Yae Sakura, who had not grabbed onto anything, nearly fell from Higokumaru's back.

"Oh, oh..."

Hearing Yae Sakura's voice, Higokumaru finally slowed down to roughly the speed of a galloping horse.

Now that the speed had dropped, Yae Sakura's face suddenly turned crimson...

"Ki... Kikyo..."

"What is it, Sakura?" Kikyo, sitting behind Yae Sakura, asked in confusion.

"Um... could you... let go of me?"

Yae Sakura looked at the delicate hands on her chest...

She had not even reached for them herself, yet Kikyo was holding them now...

"S-sorry..."

Only then did Kikyo realize that she had nearly fallen when they rose too quickly... so she had grabbed hold of something instinctively...

"It's... it's fine..."

If it was Kikyo, Yae Sakura did not exactly mind, but this body belonged to Kallen...

She could not be unfaithful...

"Big Sis, there's a pond ahead..."

"Then stop there!"

"Yes."

They stopped at the pond, and after confirming that no one was around, the two of them washed themselves.

During that time, Kikyo and Yae Sakura seemed a little awkward.

They had clearly bathed together before, but this time... they somehow felt a little shy.

After washing up and changing into spare clothes, the three of them did not ride Higokumaru any farther, instead continuing on foot at a slow pace.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward.

"Sakura..."

"Mm?"

"What do you plan to do in the future? Are you going to keep following me like this?"

"About that... I might leave someday." Yae Sakura thought for a while.

"Is that so..."

Another silence followed...

"Big Sis, it looks like someone is coming from ahead..." Higokumaru pointed forward.

"There should be a village nearby."

Yae Sakura had heard the movement. There was a manmade dirt road here, so there should be people living nearby. It was not strange for someone to be passing through.

"But I smell blood."

Higokumaru added.

"The smell of blood?"

Yae Sakura froze, but before she could ask... she understood the next moment.

A child's anguished crying came from ahead. A woman in her twenties ran toward them with a child in her arms.

The child was a boy no more than six or seven years old. His arm was wrapped in a strip of white cloth, which had been soaked through with blood.

"Ma'am, what happened?"

Seeing the woman's heartbroken expression, kind-hearted Kikyo asked with concern.

"Priestess... are you a priestess? Please, save my child!" Upon hearing her, the woman saw Kikyo's attire—typical priestess garb—and immediately fell to her knees while holding the child.

"Please get up and tell me. Is he injured? Let me take a look."