Yongye set his Iced Coke on the table and glanced out the window at the dark purple vortex above Midtown Manhattan. The smile at the corner of his mouth shifted from mockery to blatant calculation.
He turned his head, his gaze settling on the languid crimson figure on the sofa's armrest.
Tamamo-no-Mae reclined sideways against the armrest, nine tails emerging from beneath the hem of her gauzy robe, their silvery-white fur gleaming coldly in the light.
Her long, silvery-white hair slipped from her shoulders, its ends brushing the edge of the armrest. Her pale purple eyes were half closed, like those of a cat that had just woken up.
"Tamamo-no-Mae."
"Hmm?"
"Notify Takamagahara. Tell Nōhime to wash herself nice and clean and come over."
Tamamo-no-Mae lazily narrowed her eyes, a flicker of puzzlement passing through them.
As she saw it, someone of Nōhime's caliber should hardly have been enough to make the well-fed bastard before her go back for seconds.
"Nōhime? Oda Nobunaga's wife?"
"Yes." Yongye picked up his Iced Coke, took a gulp, and swallowed unhurriedly, his tone airy. "I miss her."
Even after becoming a heroic spirit, Nōhime's own qualities did not put her among the best of the women. But for his next plan, her status as Oda Nobunaga's wife gave her an added advantage.
With Nōhime, Oda Nobunaga's wife, plus Asano Nene, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's wife, his next plan would be easier to advance.
Tamamo-no-Mae's tails paused.
Her nine furry tails slowly drew together behind her. A rapid flicker of appraisal and probing passed through her pale purple eyes, and the lazy smile at the corner of her mouth turned into something more inscrutably mischievous.
"You miss her? Who would believe that! Just say it. How are you planning to torment her this time?"
Yongye casually spouted