"Yes..."
"I'm a noble's daughter. I was attacked by demons while traveling to and from Kyoto, and all the samurai protecting me were killed," Xia Ji hurriedly replied.
"I see... Don't be afraid of me! I'm a shrine maiden. I only slay demons; I won't hurt you."
"A shrine maiden?" Xia Ji looked at Yae Sakura standing before her. Setting aside the fox ears on Yae Sakura's head, even if she was a shrine maiden... surely there weren't any shrine maidens who dressed so revealingly?
Her skirt was so short!
How shameless!
Even more revealing than the... prostitutes in the pleasure quarter.
"..."
At Xia Ji's gaze, Yae Sakura immediately guessed what she was thinking. This outfit wasn't considered revealing by modern standards, but in ancient times, it was definitely too revealing.
But... that was how the game designers had designed it! And... she didn't have any other clothes to change into. It wasn't as if she could go around naked, right?
After chatting with Yae Sakura for a few moments, Xia Ji realized... the Half-Demon in front of her didn't seem so bad after all. They could actually have a peaceful conversation.
Although she didn't know why Yae Sakura kept insisting she was a shrine maiden, as long as she didn't eat people, Xia Ji would be safe!
At that thought, Xia Ji's wariness eased considerably.
"Demon Lady, I..."
"Don't call me Demon Lady! I'm not a demon, either. My name is Yae Sakura, the Flame Sakitama!" Yae Sakura cut her off.
"The Flame Sakitama... Yae Sakura?"
"Mm!"
"Wait... Flame Sakitama?" Xia Ji froze. That title... sounded frightening just to hear it.
"What's wrong with it?" Yae Sakura looked at her calmly.
"Nothing..." At Yae Sakura's words, the kimono-clad girl remembered the bloodthirsty expression she'd worn while slaying demons earlier. She shuddered and hurriedly shook her head.
"By the way, I want to ask you something..."
"What is it? Go ahead, Lady Yae." Xia Ji quickly lowered her head.
"Have you ever heard of a shrine maiden named Kikyo?" Kikyo's name should have been famous, shouldn't it?
"Kikyo? No..." Xia Ji shook her head.
"All right..."
"Lady Yae..."
"Hmm?" Yae Sakura looked at her, puzzled.
"Could I ask you for a favor?" Xia Ji gazed at Yae Sakura pleadingly.
"What is it?"
"Could you escort me home? Of course, I'll have my father reward you."
Now that the samurai and guards were all dead, there was no way she could make it back by herself...
Who knew when a few more demons might suddenly appear? To demons, she was worth more than a hundred ordinary girls.
Because of the Eastern Island's particular circumstances, noble daughters seemed to hold far greater allure for demons than ordinary people.
But noble young ladies were protected by powerful samurai, sorcerers, and onmyoji, so demons rarely got the chance to reach them.
A stranded noble girl like Xia Ji was practically a drug to the demons nearby.
"I..."
Just as Yae Sakura was about to say something, suddenly...
[Commission received: Escort Xia Ji home] [Reward: 5 Crystals] [Accept?]
"Uh... All right! I accept."
Yae Sakura had already been planning to accept. Now she'd also get five extra Crystals, which was a nice bonus.
Yae Sakura needed to farm Crystals now. Apart from quests... the only other option was hunting demons, but going out to find them one by one would be too much trouble.
With Xia Ji as bait, she could simply wait for them to come to her.
"Thank you so much!" Xia Ji looked at Yae Sakura gratefully.
Although she was a Half-Demon... she seemed like a pretty nice person!
And... a very beautiful Half-Demon, too. Watching the long ears on Yae Sakura's head twitch now and then, Xia Ji fought the urge to reach out and touch them.
So fluffy... so cute!
Her fear of Yae Sakura vanished in an instant.
"Let's go!"
"Mm... Ow... Tss!"
Xia Ji nodded and started to follow Yae Sakura, but after only a couple of steps, she winced in pain and collapsed onto the ground.
"What's wrong?"
Yae Sakura stopped and turned to look at her in confusion.
"My foot... it hurts so much," Xia Ji said with a frown.
"..."
Yae Sakura frowned at that, feeling that this was such a hassle!
"Let me see..."
Still, she returned to Xia Ji, lifted her foot, and took off her shoe...
Her foot had turned purple and blue. She'd probably hurt it while running for her life from the demons earlier. She'd always been a noble young lady; she'd never had to run for her life like that before.
It was only natural she'd ended up like this.
But... Yae Sakura didn't know how to treat it.
"Does it hurt a lot?" She looked up at Xia Ji.
"Mm..." Xia Ji nodded, feeling a little embarrassed and a little afraid Yae Sakura might just leave her... and abandon her.
Alone in a place like this, even if no demons appeared, wild animals would eat her.
"What a hassle..."
Yae Sakura was a little speechless! Though it wasn't Xia Ji's fault.
"I'm sorry!" Xia Ji apologized, looking pitiful.
"Forget it! I'll carry you." Yae Sakura crouched down in front of Xia Ji.
"C-can you?"
"Come on!"
"Oh..." Xia Ji hurriedly climbed onto Yae Sakura's back.
She felt... pretty light.
"Lady Yae, are those rabbit ears on your head?" Xia Ji lay on Yae Sakura's back, watching the pair of long pink ears sway back and forth as Yae Sakura walked.
She couldn't help asking.
"They're fox ears!"
"Fox ears? Are fox ears really that long?"
"..." You'll have to ask miHoYo.
"Can I touch them?"
"No!"